Variant Strain

- - -

"I understand wanting to get us out of here. I really do, Peter... but I don't think you've thought this through all the way." MJ said with a vaguely amused smile on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Peter replied defensively. "Harry Osborn has a lot of pull. If anyone can get us out of here it's him. It's a good plan."

"Is it?" MJ challenged, "So when whoever it is Mr. Osborne sends shows up, are you going to be wearing my dad's face?"

"Uh..."

"And if you were planning on doing that," She continued, jerking a thumb towards the stairs, "How were you planning on explaining being him and not you when we make our escape to my aunt and yours?"

He flailed around for an answer before realizing that... no. He didn't have one.

"Cause if you're being my dad, you wouldn't be you and you know your aunt's never going to leave without you, right?"

He sighed and drooped. "Okay, you're right. I have no idea. I was kind of hoping it would just work out."

She hugged him then laughed lightly. "It still can."

He looked at her and blinked. "You have an idea?"

"I know Mr. Osborn." She said simply.

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'." She giggled.

His phone rang.

Now normally that would be a simple enough thing, having your phone ring in your pocket. Except that despite appearances, he actually was naked and there were no actual pockets. He could hear the ringing, but at the same time knew he wasn't hearing it near him so much as it was... inside him somehow.

"What is it?" MJ asked, puzzled.

"You don't hear that?" Peter asked.

"Hear what?" She frowned.

Peter held his hand out. Tendrils flailed briefly across his palm and suddenly the phone was in his hand and ringing loudly.

She blinked then said slowly, "That's... I was about to say weird, but then I realized it's not even in the top ten list."

"It's Harry," Peter said looking at the caller ID. "What do I tell him?" His voice had risen slightly in mild anxious panic.

"That was fast." MJ said. She took the phone from his hand and he noted with some interest how the plastic backing on the phone felt as it was almost literally peeled away from the skin on his palm. If he had to compare it to anything, it felt like it had been glued on and then gently pried away.

"Now, please allow me," She said and held the phone up, took a deep breath, closed her eyes then tapped the answer button.

"M-Mr. Osborn? Y-y-yes. It's Mary Jane." She said in a hesitant half-sobbing tone.

Peter blinked and he heard Harry's voice ask, "Mary Jane? Where's your father?"

"I don't know what dad went." She said with tiny hiccup, her voice small and meek and helpless. Peter could see her cynically rolling her eyes as she spoke, but on just the basis of her tone he was all but convinced she needed any help he could provide. The effect on a man that he knew had a weakness for helping people... it would probably hit him like a ton of bricks. "He... he said he had to go get something. He gave me the phone. Told me you were going to call."

"Why would he--?" Harry began to ask.

"He said you could get us out of here." MJ continued, cutting Harry off.

"Yes. Yes, Mary Jane. I'm working on it..."

She made a sniffling noise that was audible on the phone and cut him off again, "I'm so scared, Mr. Osborn. There... there were things out there. You need to get us out of here." She whimpered into the phone even as she winked at Peter.

"Don't worry, Mary Jane. I'll get you out. The problem is that military has almost everything locked down. If you could get to them I can make arrangements for a transport right now... but I'm still trying to get one of our security teams through and this Talbot bastard's being obstinate." There was a faint edge of frustration to the man's tone.

"But you can get us out? All of us? If we get to one of the barricades ourselves?" MJ managed to keep the excitement out of her voice, keeping it still sounding scared, but eager... even desperate.

"I've already got arrangements made to evacuate this George Stacy person who helped your dad." Harry replied. "I don't want anyone exposed to any more danger than ne--"

"It's okay, Mr. Osborn!" MJ cut him off again, her voice now truly eager. "We're only a few blocks from Forest Hills. We can make it there easy!"

"Are you..."

"Yes!" MJ half-sobbed. "Anything to get out of here!"

"But your dad--" Brian began to say.

"I'll leave him a note." MJ said weakly. "We can't stay here."

"I understand. I'll make sure you get out." Harry replied firmly. "You're on a smart phone?"

"Yes."

"I'm sending map coordinates to the closest military barricade to your location. I'll make sure you have the day's challenge password as well. You get everyone ready and head to that location. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." He said. "If you don't get it in ten minutes, call me, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, come on, Mary Jane. I've baby sat you. You don't need to call me 'sir'. Let me know when your dad's back, alright? You're all going to be fine."

MJ gave another relieved half-hysterical sob as she babbled near-incoherent thanks into the phone before hanging up.

Peter was staring.

She shifted, slightly uncomfortable under his gaze and chewed on her lower lip. "What?"

"I kind of want to give you an Oscar for that performance." He said with a tinge of awe in his voice.

She flashed him a small grin and playfully twirled a lock of her hair and preened.

Y'know, she could be doing that to you. Cletus drawled.

Doing what? He asked in his head.

Manipulating you.

She wouldn't!

Yes, because you've known her for all of what? Good lord. It ain't even been a week yet has it? I know I shouldn't have to be the one pointin' out you ought to stop thinkin' with your hormones, right? We ain't even sure you got any. Cletus continued.

Oh, he still has them. Connors dry voice sounded in his mind. I know. We took tests.

Har-de-har-har. Cletus growled. Look who thinks he's a comedian.

Play nice, boys. Donna's voice whispered past.

Cain's supposed to be the paranoid one, I dunno why I've gotta be the one tellin' y'all this. Cletus complained.

Well, maybe it means something that they aren't setting off any warning signs for him, Peter shot back.

Because she's only human. Cain rumbled. She's not that dangerous to us.

Peter felt chilled as he realized the unspoken part of Cain's flat declaration.

She's only human. Humans are easy to kill. Peter realized that Cain's specific functions in his mind only had to do with physical threats.

"Peter, are you okay?" MJ asked, suddenly concerned as she reached out and put a hand on his cheek.

He blinked, tearing his attention away from the internal argument and his own thoughts. Their voices had gotten much... clearer. There was no other way to describe it. They felt more like real people now. Full fledged individuals and not just voices. Well, Cletus had always been like that, but Cain had been little more than a half-heard voice during the fights telling him to dodge at the right moments.

"Sorry. Just woolgathering there for a second." Peter said, forcing a small smile onto his face. Her hand was warm against his skin. "We should tell Gwen, Aunt May and your Aunt Anna that we should get ready to get out of here."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have a brilliant plan for how to explain to them how you know about a way for us to get out of Queens?"

Peter blinked as his own thought process slammed to halt once more. "Dammit."

She petted his cheek playfully, "See? This is why you need me."

There was a hint of... he wasn't sure what it was in her tone.

A small touch of desperation.

The smallest echo of fear behind her eyes.

Peter supposed that if he'd sat down and thought about it, he could have maybe figured out a story that would cover their bases. He didn't need MJ for that. All he needed was some simple lie that would hold together logically.

But MJ seemed to need to help like this.

To be useful to you. His own voice drawled in his mind. So you'll keep her.

He wasn't sure where that thought had come from. He wanted to deny it, but it just made so much sense. He didn't need anything that she had. Anything else that she would have been willing to offer him.

She gave his hand a squeeze and gave him another smile. "I'll talk to them. We just tell them I contacted Mr. Osborn for help. Mention that dad contacted him and he's willing to help us. Simple and straightforward."

- - -

Or it might have been. Except May and Anna were still at the kitchen table when MJ and Peter stepped out of the basement door. Peter admitted ruefully to himself that all the enhanced senses in the world will do you no good if you're too excited to pay attention to them.

They were in matching bathrobes. That just looked... odd to him. Cletus murmured suggestions in the back of his mind that weren't entirely clearly audible speculating on that little point, but Peter was happy to ignore him.

Aunt May's lips were compressed in a thin, hard line as she looked at them both, "Peter. MJ. Did you spend the night down there together?"

Caught off guard Peter blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "We were just talking!"

The formidable older woman turned her attention to Peter and said, "So you two must have been up for a while then, since Anna and I have been down here practically since dawn."

Anna laid a hand on May's shoulder, "They're not doing anything wrong." She paused meaningfully, "Right, you two?" She said cheerfully, although the look in her own eyes was hard and communicated to Peter quite clearly, 'The answer had better be no'

MJ spoke hurriedly, "I just got off the phone with Mr. Osborn."

Anna and May both blinked both caught off guard. The moment of righteous parental concern diverted by confusion.

Peter had to admire the deftness with which she accomplished it.

"Osborn? Harry Osborn? Your dad's best friend?" Anna asked, her voice shifting to suspicion.

"He's arranged for all of us to get out of here." MJ said. "We just need to get back to Forest Hill. The military barricade closest to the police station."

"What about the police station?" Gwen asked as she came down the stairs, still half-asleep.

"Why would Harry--?" Anna began to ask.

MJ shrugged, "Something dad told him, I guess. He made arrangements for all of us."

"Arrangements for what?" Gwen asked again as she slumped into one of the dining room chairs.

"To get out of Queens." MJ repeated. "Your dad too." MJ said to Gwen.

Gwen still hadn't quite entirely caught up to the conversation. "Wait... hold on... you know someone who can...?"

"Can he do that?" May asked worriedly, turning to Anna, who was still scowling.

"The Osborns are some of the richest men on the planet." Anna said slowly, her voice dark with suspicion. "And Harry would do anything for Brian, but it doesn't make any sense that he'd offer to--"

"But he can get my dad out? And us too? Right?" Gwen pressed, looking at Anna even as she cut her off.

Anna sighed before she replied. "If there's a way to arrange for it. As long as the price is right? Yeah... the Osborns could manage it."

"I didn't realize you knew such powerful people." May said after a moment.

"I don't." Anna said in a suspicious growl. "He's Brian's friend. Not mine. It just seems too convenient."

"Not convenient enough," Gwen said with a sigh. "I'm worried about my dad."

May offered her a small smile, "We're all worried about George, dear."

MJ walked over and took her aunt's hands, "Mr. Osborn can get us out of here. Do you really want to stay that badly?"

Anna shifted uncomfortably, glanced over to May and at her still bandaged ankle, then back to MJ and Gwen. "I just don't like coincidences. Especially not where your father... or his friends... are concerned."

Peter understood the unspoken nuances in the woman's use of the word 'coincidences'. He remembered MJ's mother and fought down a twinge of disgust at Brian Watson.

MJ nodded in understanding and hugged Anna.

May glanced over at Peter, "You've been quiet, Peter."

Peter smiled weakly. "Uh... nothing to contribute, Aunt May. But I'm with MJ, though. The sooner this gets us away from here, the better."

May maintained a thoughtful expression on her face, "Even if it means approaching the same soldiers who were shooting our neighbors just the other day?"

He looked her in the eye and said in a level tone, "It's bad out there, Aunt May. I've seen things..." He trailed off as he saw a flash of worry cross her face and he hurriedly tried to shift gears.

"Where were you all of yesterday, Peter?" May asked carefully.

He continued hurriedly, "If that's what it takes to get you and everyone else in his house away from all of this? Then I'm up for it."

May and Anna traded glances.

"The car's still got a full tank," May said cautiously.

Gwen got to her feet, "I've had a bug-out bag ready. There's a couple extra guns in the panic room if anyone needs one..." She trailed off, looking around at everyone and Peter could read the expression on her face as the slow, dawning realization that she might be the only one who knew how to actually use one.

MJ step-skipped over to her, "I'll help."

Gwen nodded, "We should clean the pantry out too. Just in case."

"I can handle that." May said slowly getting to her feet.

"You're awfully prepared for this sort of thing," Anna said, impressed.

Gwen smiled sadly, "Dad always wanted to make sure we had contingencies in case of emergencies."

"He had a contingency for a zombie outbreak?" Anna chuckled.

"Close enough to it, I guess." Gwen smiled. "And for something like this, guns first." She paused then added, "Well, technically it's safety first, but firearms help."

Peter carefully kept his expression neutral. From his various pilfered memories and skills he was pretty sure he could handle most firearms Gwen had in stock, but he didn't really want to bring up the point. He was also pretty sure he still had two other guns rattling away inside his body somewhere. He might even have had some ammo. He wasn't certain.

Anna raised a hand, "I don't know how to use a gun."

May nodded, "You're driving then."

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