Amazing Spider-Man: True Purpose

(Inside the Lair Of The Other)

When he first arrived at the lair, back when he was brought back to life, he didn't know what to make of it for the most part. He knew it was a place he'd been before but couldn't quite pinpoint when. Maybe it was in the other life he forgot but still had some lingering memories of it. Regardless, he knows he's not in his head, which is a relief because my god would it be depressing if it was.

But if he's not in his head then how is Jean Grey here?

"How are-where did-what?" Petr tries to say but is too stunned.

The woman whose presence stunned him is standing in the middle of the large cavern completely relaxed. She does not look like what he remembers though. The last time he saw her she was somewhat partial to green in her clothing. Now it seems her preference is white. And she is not at all perturbed by the multitude of spiders that are crawling about. If anything she looks to be very comfortable, if her petting one of the large ones is anything to go by.

"All very good questions," Jean says amusingly as she walks by the spider she was petting and steps closer to him, "The 'how I'm here' and 'where I came from' are pretty simple," the fire that surrounds her figure becomes brighter and more intense as she speaks, "I am not the same woman you or anyone in my old life once knew. I have ascended into something else. Became more than I dared dream. I became the White Phoenix."

She speaks with such intensity that the only thing that comes to mind for him to say is, "…Okay?"

What else can he say? He's never really known Jean all that well. Teamed up with her on occasion with the other X-Men, an maybe kissed her once, but that was it. 

"As for the 'what," she says as the light show dies down, "Well that would be because you are in need of help," he raises an eyebrow at her and she elaborates, "You are attempting to learn more of what happened to you."

Peter nods in realization and affirmation, "Yeah, itty bitty spiders breaking apart my body and stitching me back together in a relatively new one, makes me wonder what exactly is happening to me."

He tries to joke but in all honesty, the whole experience still kind of freaks him out. Just the thought that his entire physical body was taken apart piece by piece by an army of spiders sends a shiver down his spine.

"You were rebuilt from the ground up," she says casually, "The hollow husk in storage at the Baxter Building was the old you. This is the new you."

The complete casualness of her tone makes it seem worse to him.

"I get that much," he says repressing a shiver, "I mean I'm stronger now. Faster. Got these stingers coming out of my wrists. Got night vision. Really I figured out plenty," he rubs his head, "It's just, I feel like there's more. Like my future visions. I can see stuff happening before they happen but I don't have a handle on it. It seems like it's triggered when I'm under duress," he stops for a second as he recalls a specific moment, "Except that one time on the rooftop back at the mansion. That felt random."

Jean continues to have the same calming smile, "Nothing is random. You often seek to change things for the better. To save lives and protect the innocent."

Spidey nods in confirmation, "Yeah."

"That power can help with that," Jean tells him.

And it makes him think how true that could be. He thinks about how since it first happened he saved his friends from some unexpected attacks and an entire city block from complete destruction. He could do much more good for the world if he knows when and where something bad will happen.

But those thoughts come to a halt when Jean says, "However-"

"Of course, there's a 'but,'" he says with a sigh.

"I said, however."

"That's just another word for 'but,'" he pointedly jokes.

Jean smiles in amusement as she continues, "If you know too much or try too hard to obtain one future, you may cause more harm than good."

He gets confused, "How's that?"

"Life is full of tests and trials," Jean tells him and she gets a melancholy expression, "Some more than others. And while it would be extremely helpful to know what comes from certain actions, it would also be harmful to know too much."

She might be right he figures. He's been through plenty. And he knows practically everything he's been through, he's had to go through to be better. That look on her face makes him think that maybe she knows she had to go through what she went through the way she did because it was the better way. But even knowing that could not have been easy for her to accept.

He sure doesn't.

"I guess," he says unconvincingly before he asks, "So how do I avoid doing that?

Her sad look leaves as she asks, "How do you learn to do anything?"

He thinks on it for a moment before he guesses, "Practice?"

She nods, "Exactly. Through trial and error, you'll learn."

'Oh great. So I'll have to screw up a lot to get it just right,' he thinks despondently with a sigh, 'Well that's how I pretty much did it as a scientist, inventor, superhero, and life in general. So this really won't be that different.'

Why doesn't that make it feel better?

(Mary Janes Apartment)

After leaving the mansion in Sonja's form, Mary Jane now sits on her couch in the afternoon in silent contemplation as she stares at the piece of paper on the table with Felicia Hardy's phone number. As she has been doing for a few hours now.

She doesn't know why she is hesitant to call the woman. She already made up her mind in doing so when she asked Stark to find the number for her. She even went over everything she plans to say to the lovely thief. But now that she has the number and the opportunity to use it, she finds herself hesitating.

Why?

"You still do not fully believe this is a good idea," Sonja of course points out to her.

Mary Jane closes her eyes with a sigh, "You can't exactly blame me for thinking like this."

She leans back on her couch and waits for Sonja to say something else, "True," Sonja says but her voice sounds different and Mary Jane opens her eyes to see the woman standing in front of her television, "But still you retrieved the number from Stark. You might as well use it."

Mary Jane looks at the woman perplexed, "Am I hallucinating? Or can you suddenly astral project yourself now?"

Sonja looks down at herself, "I don't believe that's the correct way to phrase that. As for this, I haven't the faintest clue."

"Great," MJ drones sarcastically before she drops her head back and sighs, "At least I'm not in public, so nobody will think I'm crazy talking to myself."

She leans back to look up at the ceiling and wonders what to say if she does decide to call. Again she went over what she plans to say but that could quickly be derailed if the other woman takes it the wrong way. She doesn't want to make her angry but she will be pressing on certain things. And she will most likely take it the wrong way.

MJ groans and rubs her eyes in frustration, "Why am I doing this?"

"Because you love a man who loves other women," Sonja points out with a shrug which makes Mary Jane give a light glare, "And you wish to show him how much you love him with a grand gesture.

The supermodel rolls her eyes, "Yeah but is this really the only way to do this? I mean there are other ways," she picks at a strand of fiber on her couch, "And besides he said he wants to be with me."

Sonja nods and says, "True. However, that does not mean he will stop loving other women. After all he has not stopped loving you after all this time," the slightly shorter redhead does feel happy knowing that, "And as you know he hasn't been celibate."

She is not happy hearing about that.

"And how exactly will this work," she says to avoid thinking about that as she pulls out her phone and waves it around, "I mean, I did some research on this, and so far what I learned is just stupid. Am I supposed to be the matriarch to this or something, or am I just-"

"Mary Jane," Sonja interrupts her, "You are overcomplicating this. All you have to do, is what you always do when it comes to Peter. Let it happen naturally and enjoy it."

MJ looks down as she thinks about the warrior woman's words. Her relationship with Peter has been messy and complicated. And yet the only regrets she has are the time they tried to force things to happen. Her forcing him to choose between her and Spider-Man. And him essentially forcing her to be okay with it. But when things just happened, good things that they didn't force, it worked out great.

But she doesn't think it'll be like that with this. Because of several reasons.

"You really think it'll be that simple," she asks her occupant, "You really think that it won't eventually blow up? That somebody won't get hurt over something stupid, or a pregnancy, or-or favoritism."

"And there it is," Sonja says to her, "That is what you're afraid of. You are afraid that the moment she is involved, he will prefer her over you."

She really hates how she can't have private thoughts anymore. That everything is, well not really out in the open but not exactly secretive anymore. She is afraid that when Felicia gets involved, she will be his preferred choice. He'll try to avoid showing his preference but there will be moments he can't avoid because he will do them without thinking. It'll just be instinctive.

"Again, can you blame me?" MJ dejectedly asks.

This time, instead of any assurances or speeches, Sonja simply says, "Speak with her," before she fades away.

Mary Jane looks at the piece of paper and phone for a few more moments before she picks up the phone and dials the number. It starts to ring. And with each ring, MJ is trying to come up with an excuse to hang up the phone.

Ten rings later, "Click" "Who is this?"

Mary Jane doesn't flinch from the harshness of the tone as she says, "Felicia. It's Mary Jane. Can we meet and talk?"

(Lair of the Other)

Back inside the cave, after having gone through an extensive explanation of what he should do by Jean, Spider-Man sits on the floor and tries to meditate.

"'Sigh' What am I supposed to be doing again?"

Emphasis on tries.

He and she spent a good while going over what he is supposed to be doing. But it is not sinking in the way he wants it to. 

Jean, who is watching him with keen eyes as she sits on a rock not too far from him, patiently explains again, "You are trying to get a better grasp on your new abilities. To do that you must first understand the source of your powers. Which you have been informed of during the trial and by the Other."

He scratches his head, "Yeah, the whole chaos energy thing. Same thing the Scarlett Witch uses, which makes me worry that if I say the wrong thing, then reality will be erased."

Like he wasn't already scared over what he could potentially do now if he's not careful.

"Her access to that power is different from yours," Jean tells him which does alleviate some of his worries, "And you are neglecting the other source.

And suddenly his worries are gone and he's left with utter embarrassment and discomfort as he looks away from the smirking woman, "It's not important," he says and he can feel her raising an eyebrow at him, "I mean from what I was told it's really more of a tranquilizer for the big dodo than anything.

"So you'd rather harm it than placate it?"

He groans as he drops his head into his hands and says, "It's just so RIDICULOUS OKAY?" Peter sort of shouts as he blushes, "I mean tantric energy?! Seriously?!"

That's right. Tantric energy. That is the second source of power he draws from, from what he was told. For those who are unfamiliar with tantric energy, here is a brief rundown.

Like many energies that make up the universe, tantric energy has been around since life was first created. In fact, the connection between it and the creation of life itself is closely intertwined. Because tantric energy involves mating. The first time it was discovered and practiced by humans was in India around five thousand years ago. But it was used far before any mortal.

Throughout the universe, some civilizations and cultures have known about this energy for far longer. But they have never truly been able to harness it like humans have. Some gods, like Aphrodite for obvious reasons, have harnessed this energy and used it to empower themselves. In fact, the Greek Goddess is essentially the pinnacle of what it is to master such power.

And this was all told to Peter when he came to meet the Other when he was dead.

"Why does this bother you so much?" Jean asks him.

The queen's born hero gives her an incredulous look, "Are you serious? I get power from doing… from being with… from having…"

"Sex," she announces which makes him cringe a bit, "It's not a difficult word to say."

He crosses his arms petulantly, "Yeah, well it's ridiculous," he says before his eyes widen as he realizes what he says implies, "Not sex itself, just the fact that I grow stronger from doing it. It- it- it's just- I-I don't even know what to say about it. I don't even know how it works." Again he realizes what he's implying and this time Jean raises an eyebrow at him and he raises his hands, "Again not sex. I know how that works. Really well actually." He gives her s a smug smile that wavers a bit. Her eyebrow does not go down but her head does tilt, "In fact, I was told that I can do things both men and women can't compete with. So it's like I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do is very nice."

She does not say anything as she continues to sit and look at him. He starts to squirm as he begins to feel uncomfortable under her gaze, which he feels is judgmental.

"You know it's usually at this point most people tell me to stop talking because they are thoroughly annoyed with me," he tells her in hopes she says something.

"I have a high tolerance," she tells him and he feels a little relieved, "You seem to have misinterpreted what was told to you. It's more than just sex. It's also about spirituality and sensuality."

"Sensuality?" Peter questions as he ignores the first part of what she said, "That's just circling back to sex."

The mutant telepath-turned-cosmic goddess sighs and rolls her eyes up, "Again you're misinterpreting," she stands and walks to him as she continues to speak, "Sensuality can also mean your senses. Increasing what you feel and better connecting to everything around you," she stands in front of him and taps the side of his head, "Your spider-sense is a prime example of such."

He frowns at her pointing out his most useful ability to him. He feels like it's a cheap shot to do so because he can't argue that if his spider-sense does indeed get better due to him being active, then he'll have no choice but to do the deed.

But in doing that he'll also feel like that is the only reason he'll have intimacy.

"Look, Peter," she says bringing him out of his musing, "You can't ignore this part of your powers. No matter how uncomfortable it may be for you, you need to acknowledge it and accept it."

"Well, you know what I have," he tells her as he crosses his arms, "I told Doctor Strange about it and he's looking into it. So maybe he'll come up with a way that will let me absorb that stuff from an outside source."

"And you think that's wise?" Jean asks him pointedly.

He gives her a dismissive shrug and responds, "I don't see how it couldn't be. I mean it's just sex."

A glare starts to form on her face and she accusingly asks, "So that's all it is for you with the women you have been with?"

"Hold on," he says slightly offended by her implication as he quickly gets to his feet, "I didn't mean it like that," her glare lessens a bit as he explains, "I just meant that the world is full of people who constantly go at it. And well they're not necessarily using it so why not borrow it."

Her glare turns dull as she tells him, "The most effective form of tantric energy you can gather that would be beneficial to you would be from a place of real connection," now he gives her a curious look, "Say Strange does find a way to give you tantric energy from an outside source, how potent do you think it will be?"

"Potent?"

"It's like you said, it being a tranquilizer for the Phoenix," she tells him and he nods in understanding, "Its effectiveness will depend on the potency. And the potency is dependent on the source. Whether there is a connection or just the act itself that will determine the potency."

He frowns again and he clicks his tongue, "I'd like to argue that most people out there do it because of genuine feelings, but being out there myself plenty of times, I can tell you that is not the case."

That's not to say he's been with women just for the sake of sexual relief, but he has had one or two strays as Logan has dubbed them. And in thinking of his close friend he thinks about the multiple women Logan has been with that were just one-night stands. The man doesn't boast about how he forgets their names the next morning, but he does say how much better it is that way.

And that is something Peter does not like to do. He prefers to be with someone he feels a genuine connection with. He has tried the friends-with-benefits thing after his messy break-up with MJ with roommate Michelle and it did not work out. If there is nothing but the carnal pleasure of it then he can't really enjoy it. He was not raised that way.

In thinking of his male friend, another stray thought enters his mind. What Peter did that cost him without him knowing it.

Peter looks at the woman with him and the guilt doubles since she most likely knows.

"Hey Jean," he calls out to her as he looks at her remorsefully and she him curiously, "Listen, I just want to say I'm sorry for what I did to you."

She looks at him questioningly, "I don't recall you doing anything to me."

His blood gets cold as he believes she doesn't actually know but he still feels the need to tell her, "Your would-be daughter with Logan?"

He waits for her reaction and he expected her to be angry, maybe even somber at the mention of what could have been if it wasn't for him. The last thing he expected was for her to smile.

"Ah, I see," she tells him with some mirth in her voice before she says something that shocks him, "You don't need to worry about that. I'm not bothered by it."

He looks at her in complete disbelief at her casual demeanor of what should have been devastating news, "You-you're not bothered by the fact that I made a deal with the devil and it resulted in your daughter never being born?"

"In one instance," she tells him and he reels back as the smile she has seems almost amused, "You know very little when it comes to reality, Peter. But you'll learn. And when you do you'll be what you were meant to be."

He does not like the sound of that, "What do you mean?

"You'll ascend from humanity," she tells him and he is shocked, "Such things that concern you now will no longer matter because you will see what it is all about. You will see what I see and you will realize how little the life you have lived mattered."

He really doesn't like how this sounds, "Say what?"

She gives him a smile that is content and majestic but it's anything but because of what she says next, "To put it simply. You are becoming more than you used to be."

(Daily Bugle)

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson sits at his desk in his office of the daily bugle. Looking over the headlines and articles he has to include in tomorrow's newspaper. Some basic things like 'Spider-Man Finally Foils FACADE!' or 'Cyclops Escapes the Clink!'

He thinks those work but he always doubts himself when it comes down to it. He is not particularly fond of this part of the job. Trying to come up with some snappy headlines that will grab the reader's attention. He always deferred to Jonah since the man seemed to live on being alliterative.

Still, it's the job and he'll do his best.

Knock knock

He looks up from the paper and sees his former boss-turned-mayor standing in the doorway.

"Jonah?" Robbie says in surprise, "What are you…?"

It was at this point Robertson noticed the look on the man's face. A look he's only ever seen a few times in his life. A look that tells him Jonah is struggling to make sense of something.

"Jonah," he calls out to his friend as the man goes to sit on the available chairs in front of Robbie's desk, "Are you okay?"

Jonah takes a deep breath and exhales as he drop into the chair, "Honestly Robbie. I have no idea."

Robertson can surmise as to what the cause for this attitude is, since the man called a day prior to inform the editor, "You had the interview with Spider-Man today, didn't you?"

Jameson nods with a contemplative frown on his face, "I did. I learned a lot. More than I actually expected when I went in there. I expected him to not show up at all. But he surprised me when he was standing there in the living room. Just waiting for me. And the very first question I asked him was who he was underneath," Jonah finally looks at Robbie, "Do you want to know?"

Robbie looks at him in surprise, "He told you?"

Jameson shakes his head, "Not right away, no. It took some hard truths to be told from both our sides. Me telling him he's a clown and him calling me out for my own stupidity," his frown becomes more ashamed, "But in the end, he did tell me," he looks back at him and asks again, "So do you want to know?"

Robbie sits in silence. He never figured this would happen. Spider-Man telling Jonah who he is was the very last thing he expected the man to reveal. He expected the man to reveal his reasons, reveal some mysteries behind some of his activities, and maybe get a glimpse of who he is underneath. And at the end of it all, he knew Jonah would still be his same stubborn self. He would not give the hero the benefit of the doubt and railroad him. Robbie expected the mayor to come barging in here and tell him to print what he tells him. The same usual stuff about Spider-Man being a menace and whatnot.

Yet now here he is, almost humbled, and wanting to tell him a secret he has been after for a long time. Possibly the only secret Jameson has wanted to expose more than anything else he's ever printed.

There's just one problem.

"No Jonah. I don't want to know."

Jonah looks at him in shock, and Robertson doesn't blame him. You would expect the editor of a newspaper to want to know a huge secret like Spider-Man's identity. But Robbie has his reasons.

Jonah practically leaps out of the chair as he shouts, "What?! Why the hell would you not want to know?! Do you have any idea how big this is Robertson?! You're the editor and chief of the Daily Bugle!"

"And that's exactly why I don't want to know!" Robbie shouts back and Jonah reels back, "If I know who he is, as editor I would be obligated to tell the whole world! To put his name and face out there!" As Jonah stays silent, Robbie takes a breath as he pictures the scenarios of doing such a thing in his head, "And if I did that, god I can only imagine the dangers his loved ones would go through. But I wouldn't be allowed to think about them. Because this job doesn't allow that luxury. You taught me that."

Jameson spreads his arms out, "And yet here I am with the scoop and you don't want to hear it!?"

Fed up with his stubbornness, Robbie slams his hands down on his desk and glares at his friend, "Dammit Jonah! I know you've always hated the man but to do this to him! Why can't you see he is a good man?!"

And Robbie becomes stunned at how quiet Jameson becomes and the look on his face almost seems like he is ashamed.

"That's just it, I do see it now," Jonah tells Robertson and the editor becomes shocked at the declaration, "That's why I can't do it. I can't tell the world who he is. Because I don't see a menace anymore. All I see is someone trying to do right with what the world keeps throwing at him."

Shocked. That's all Robertson can really think he is feeling right now. Because he can't think of another word as he stares at his longtime friend and wonders what could have made him finally change his mind.

Jonah gets up from his seat and walks to the window to look out into the city as he speaks, "I used to think that he was the cause of the problems that he was involved in. That he was in on everything. Stopped a bank heist and he got a few bills. Beat Sandman and he got free publicity," he looks down at his feet, "But now I don't know. Now it seems like he sticks his nose where it doesn't belong because he feels like he has to. Because if he doesn't, nobody else will."

Robbie would like to say it may be more than that but feels like Jameson still has something else he needs to say.

And he is proven right when Jonah clenches his fists so hard that they shake, "But the anger and hate I carried all these years is still there," he says as he tries to take a calming breath, "Some part of my mind is still trying to convince me that he is a menace. It doesn't matter that I know who he is, he is still the same menace he was the day before," he looks out into the city before he turns his sights away in frustration, "But dammit, I don't want to see the people around him suffer for it."

This is seeming to be more personal to Jonah than he's saying. Like whoever it is that's underneath broke Jameson's trust. And while Robbie tries not to think about who of the very few people the mayor trusts, a few names and faces do pop up.

To avoid delving further into that discovery, he focuses on what's in front of him, which is his friend coming to terms with what he discovered.

So he stands up to stand by his friend and places a hand on his shoulder, "Jonah," he starts but the man doesn't look at him and just keeps staring to the side, "I have seen you attack that man in every possible way you were able to when you were in charge of this place. From slander to placing bounties on the man. You've used whatever power you can to turn him into public enemy number one." He can actually see some semblance of shame working its way on the man's face as he continues, "And of course, it got worse when you were mayor," Robbie huffs humorlessly as Jonah looks away in shame, "I won't throw those in your face because I get the feeling somebody already did."

No response so he figures he's right on the money.

"I can't tell you how to let that hatred go. I wouldn't even know where to start," he gives the man a reaffirming squeeze on his shoulder, "But I can tell you this Jonah, you are a good man, angry and stubborn, but a good man. How else would you have gotten married twice and had an astronaut for a son?" Jonah does look at him this time and he sees the man's chest puff up a bit in pride, "You just need to trust that part of you that brought that good in your life."

"And what if it's that part that still hates Spider-Man?" Jonah inquires. 

Robbie shakes his head, "I don't believe that. I don't believe that part of you hates Spider-Man Jonah."

Jonah silently looks at the man. Not sure what to say. He has known Robbie for a long time. The man was practically responsible for half the success of the Daily Bugle. It's why he trusted him to take over while Jonah pursued being mayor.

But even with that trust he still can't help but doubt the man's words. Because he also trusted Peter Parker. The young man he gave a shot to. The young man he believed to be a completely honest and good man. And yet turns out to be a liar like the rest of the world.

That sort of thing makes him question whether Robertson is even telling him the truth. Or just telling him what he thinks he needs to hear.

Not saying another word, Jonah gets up from his seat and walks out the door.

Robbie watches his friend leave with a worried frown. He hopes that Jonah comes to the same realization he has about everything. As he just stated, the man is stubborn. So admitting he was wrong for so many years is obviously not going to be a cakewalk.

'But I have faith in him, he thinks to himself as he goes back to his desk, 'Even if he doesn't have much faith in himself.'

(Streets of New York)

It's late in the day when Logan walks through the streets of New York with his eyes hidden underneath his cowboy hat. Trying to be inconspicuous, and ignoring what's going on around him. He doesn't really know where he is, he can figure it out but doesn't care enough to try, and just knows where he's going.

He dropped Hope off back at the mansion, both figuring the interview was over at that point. The reason they weren't there was that they believed there was bound to be a lot of yelling during the Webhead's interview. So instead of listening to a man's biased hatred echo throughout the mansion, they might as well go somewhere else to spend the day. A walk in the park and a quick breakfast were all they decided to do.

'Kid wants to be a part of the new team Webheads leading,' he muses as he keeps his gaze hidden underneath his cowboy hat, he's surprised it's not made fun of more, and he thinks about what they are likely doing right now, 'Kid is probably talking the guy's ear off about now.'

Is it wrong for Logan to enjoy the irony behind that?

Nah.

He walks by some alleyway way where, out of the corner of his eye, he sees a hateful spray-painted slur against mutants. He is not surprised by this. Ever since mutants have returned, the world has basically gone back to what it was before. Fear and hatred towards a group for being different.

He's lived a long life and he has seen progress throughout history. Technology and morals have changed, but when it comes down to basic instinct, that never changes no matter how much time passes. People will always fear what's different. And when they get tired of being afraid they'll hate.

'That dream of yours seems even further away without you, Chuck,' he thinks as he arrives at his destination.

The attack site of Avalanche. Cordoned off by SHEILD and local police.

He flashes his Avengers members card to an officer to let him pass and sees some of his friends cleaning things up. Thor and Carol overhead with some debris, Hawkeye and Daredevil helping some people down from the piles of rocks, and of course, the numerous paramedics doing what they can with the injured.

H walks to where he sees Captain America having a discussion with Maria Hill and he picks up the last bit of what the man is saying.

"…inside his head?" Cap asks the woman with a disturbed expression.

Hill nods with her stern one and responds, "From what my people discovered when they x-rayed and opened his skull yeah. Someone cut out the frontal lobe of the man's brain and placed some kind of device in its place."

Wolverine stops just behind them, "Say again?"

They both turn and are surprised to see him.

"Logan," Cap greets him before he gestures to the director, "Hill was just giving me the rundown on what they discovered with Avalanche."

"Guy was reformed," he tells them with conviction, "Ain't no way he'd done this without someone pulling the strings.

To his surprise, Hill nods in agreement, "You may be right. When he was detained and his helmet was removed, it was revealed he had signs of surgery on his head. After his capture, my people took a closer look and we found something implanted in his brain."

"Someone screwed with his head?" Logan asks her.

"Near as we can tell yes," she answers before she taps on her watch and a hologram appears, "The moment we removed the device he became docile. Not brain dead but barely functional. We're keeping him on life support. As for the device, our people are having trouble figuring out exactly what it is."

Both of them look at the device, but they aren't scientific people so they don't even understand what they are looking at.

"Send it to Tony or Reed," Cap tells her as she shuts off the hologram, "Maybe they'll have better luck."

Hill nods and walks away from the two as Logan steps up to stand by his friend while the good Captain looks at the destroyed block, "Someone did this to cause trouble for mutants. The question is who would do this? And to what end?"

"I already know," Logan says making Cap look at him curiously, "Give people a reason. An excuse to do what they wanted to do for a long while."

He jabs his thumb at a collapsed wall that has "See a mutant kill a mutant" spray painted on it.

Cap frowns in disappointment before he sighs and says, "This kind of hatred has gone on for too long. And frankly, the Avengers have stayed on the sidelines for too long. This is why we need the team I'm putting together."

"You mean the team that is being led by an Avenger and not a mutant," Logan says, a little meaner than he intended

"Are you suggesting-?"

"No, I'm not," he quickly tells Cap before he can lecture him, "But that's how it'll be viewed by people on my side of the fence. They'll think you picked someone non-mutant because you don't trust a mutant to make unbiased decisions."

He had to deal with this back at the mansion. Rogue, even though she volunteered to join the team, was the most vocal but there were several others who felt slighted that someone who is not a mutant leads a team that is supposed to symbolize mutants and non-mutants working together.

"Do you really think that's the case with Spider-Man?"

Logan rolls his eyes with a sigh as he says, "Look, you know I got respect for the guy, and I'd deny it if you tell him but I like him," Cap tries not to smile at the glare, "But there are people who aren't all for the idea of him leading the team based solely on the fact he's not a mutant. Especially with that rumor going around that you were gonna originally pick the other Summers brother."

Steve frowns at that and points out, "Tony made some good points on why it should be Spider-Man and why it would be bad if it was Havok."

Logan figured that and the reasons why, "I'm guessing on the Summers front that it was because he is the brother of the man who murdered millions in a quest to conquer the world, right?"

Cap nods, "Among some other things, yes."

"Yeah well even with that, there are still some who'd prefer him over the Webhead," Logan tells him.

Again his mind goes back to Rogue who seemed to be almost livid at the thought of Spider-Man leading a team with mutants in it. He doesn't know why she is so angry at the prospect, but he can venture a guess it might have something to do with the fact that Spider-Man came back to life while Xavier didn't. She hasn't exactly been subtle about her questions to Hank who was allowed to be a part of the examination on the revived hero.

Seemed like she really wanted to know if there was a chance that Xavier would come back too. But Hank telling her that the resurrection was a by-product of Spide-Man's power made her mad.

"Are they going to be a problem?" Cap asks him with an edge in his tone.

Logan shrugs, "Don't know," he says honestly before he goes over what he expects, "Might be some hostility. Occasional insult here and there. Any attacks, well, if he doesn't push it they could probably put up with him."

Captain gives him a flat look.

"Hey, you're the one that wants the guy to lead a team."

His flat look does not leave.

(Lair of The Other)

"Are you saying that by doing this I am essentially sacrificing my humanity?" Peter asks the woman before him incredulously.

All Jean does is raise an eyebrow at him, "You say that as if it's a bad thing."

He becomes more worried now, "You don't think it is?"

"…To be human is to suffer," she says after a few moments of silence, "You of all people should know how painful it is to be human," he tries not to twitch as she waves her hand at him, "See for yourself how your life would be if you continue to be human."

He is assaulted with the memories that prove her point. He tries to fight them but she was not having it as she bombards him with his failures.

"The pain."

He sees the faces of the people he failed to save like Gwen, her father, and DeaWolf.

"The cruelty."

He now is reliving the moments he almost died in battles against his enemies. Almost every one of them reveling in almost killing him and laughing at killing people around him.

"The suffering."

Finally, he sees the sad and crying faces of Mary Jane, Aunt May, Felicia, and so many others. And they all are turning their back to him because he hurt them so much.

The memories suddenly stop and he drops his knee and takes a moment to compose himself as she continues, "But you do not need to go through all of this," she kneels in front of him and cups his face while looking at him with an expression that reminds of MJ and Felicia, "Accept what you are meant to be. Become more. Become the hunter. You've already taken the steps necessary to do so."

He stares at her as he tries to catch his breath. All those moments, all that pain and suffering he has gone through and continues to go through, is honestly often too much for him at times. He won't lie and say the idea that all he'd have to do is be more than human and he would no longer have to go through that is tempting.

There is just one problem. If Jean Grey not caring about her essentially losing her daughter has anything with her becoming a goddess, then he certainly does not want to be like that.

He grabs her hands and pulls them off his face as he stands up and says, "No. I can't. I won't give up my humanity."

She stands up as well and asks, "Even if your life would be better for it?"

"It's not about me," he tells her before he asks something that is concerning him, "Do you even care about what's been going on back home?"

With no hesitation, she waves her hand dismissively and says, "Fleeting moments in the grand scheme of things. They don't matter."

It is frightening to him how much the woman before him, who he has heard was one of the purest people in the world, could just be so unsympathetic about all that's going on in the world.

And it just makes him reaffirm his choice to not be more than what he is, "I am not becoming a god or whatever."

Jean gives him a slight glare, "You are a fool," she tells him with a slight edge in her tone, "You would choose to go through agony than to live with a true purpose."

He nods and tells her, "Yeah I would. I'll admit it. Life can be brutal. Especially a life like ours. But I still wouldn't trade it. I would not choose to be a god or whatever over being a human because frankly, it doesn't seem all it's cracked up to be."

Her expression changes into a contemptuous one, "You truly believe that?

"I met cosmic beings remember?" Peter reminds her with a mocking tone, "I literally stared death in the face. I mocked the devil. And I yelled at the Living Tribunal."

Jean's face changes into a frightened one, "You did what?"

He rubs his head sheepishly as he recalls that little incident, "Yeah, I'm not proud of that. I'm actually kind of scared about some kind of punishment coming my way for doing that," he shakes his head and refocuses, "But anyway, I met gods Jean. I fight alongside one on a regular basis. And something I noticed with them is that they all seemed to be pretty unhappy."

At that declaration, her expression becomes confused.

"They got these big responsibilities, so I can understand that. I mean, I'm unhappy a lot when it comes to my responsibilities. And my stuff is small time compared to theirs. But that doesn't mean that it's less important."

Now she is in amused disbelief, "Really? You think stopping a mugger makes a difference in the world."

He shakes his head sadly at her and says, "The fact that you even asked that Jean, tells me how much of your own humanity you've forgotten," her amused disbelief is dropped as goes over a scenario in his head, "What if that person that got mugged was a single mother or father? All the money they had to buy food for their kids for the week was taken from them."

"Now maybe the mugger had his own reasons but that doesn't make it okay. Because that parent has to either go hungry to feed their kids or has to work longer and harder to make up for the loss."

"Is this supposed to be a way to convince me to think life as a mortal is worth living?" Jean asks derisively.

"You know what Jean? Yeah, it is," he tells her resolutely, surprising her and himself a tiny bit, "Because, despite that harshness and struggle, that mother or father will see their kids smile. Will see them go to school not hungry. And they will do everything they can to make sure they have a better life than them. Maybe not millionaires or even well-off. But if they really care, they'll teach them that life isn't about the money or extravagances. It's about just living. Just going out every day and making the best of it. If you just want to go to the park and feed the birds, or paint a picture, or even just go for a stroll."

He takes a breath, "My point is this, as long as you feel like you're living your life the best that you can and not feeling less than you are, then you're fine. Because despite what so many people believe, it's the little things that make life worth living."

He finishes and looks at her face. He studies her as he waits for her to say something. She doesn't so much as twitch as she looks back at him with a blank face. Not giving away what she is thinking or feeling. He wonders if his little speech even resonated with anything inside of her. It doesn't seem like there is much of the old Jean Grey left in her. He is hoping that there is a small piece of her humanity left in her.

Finally, she turns her back to him and walks away, "You should return home."

"Right."

He watches her walk away and crouch by cocooned the Phoenix egg. He thinks about what he said and wonders where he pulled that from. In truth, he didn't really know he felt that way. But after everything, he should have figured because it is the little things that keep him going.

As for Jean, he doesn't know if what he said actually got through to her but he is optimistic. Maybe there is still a bit of humanity left in her.