Chapter 16
With discreet steps, we walk to the entrance. Ned split ways to wait to be greeted by us. I stretch my hand to grab the metallic doorknob but some guys I think I recognize stumble beside us.
"Hey, man" one of the guys palms Peter on his shoulder "you don't have to go... basement is alone, you can go there with your girl, just lock the door" he smirks towards us and trips away from us
"Lets go..." he grabs my arms shoving me far from the house
Once outside we walk to the street and spot the division between Liz's house and the other. So we start entering the narrow space where music is already muffled.
"Ok, we need to go there..." wth a mutter he quickly embraces me and web us up to a rooftop where we can see Liz's backyard overfilled with people.
"ok, let's do this" Peter says unbuckling his pants "oh sorry, I'll turn"
"You have your suit down, it's ok" I squat admiring the view and the skyline New York has to offer today. From the corner of my eye, I see how he hastily removes his shoes and unbutton his plaid shirt. My loud gasp makes him turn to me as I stand up with a smile on my face.
"Oh, I love your shirt, Peter" How is that I haven't seen it before?" I utter bringing my hands to poke the inked logo of a simple triangle explaining Pythagoras Theorem
"Ha, it's one my favorites too. I got it on a flea market, it's a little shaggy but it's cool.... hey... you didn't bring any outfit for you..."
"No problem... just watch" I grin at him and walk backwards placing my right hand on my blouse and the left on my jeans. My palms start emitting a dim glow and the fabric of both clothings start changing to black
Peter seems taken back but then lowers his head to see how I really manage to change the color "Tannie! That's.... whoa"
"So uh, what you'll say when you get down there?"
Peter crouches in the edge of the rooftop and sighs "Mmmm... you first"
I snort and sit beside him "Lets see... 'Hey Folks! Nice Party! Where's Peter? I need to thank him for the invite. Oh, cool hat pal!' " I chirp and Peter rubs his jaw
"Uhhhh... 'Hey, what's up? I'm Spider-Man. Just thought I'd swing by and say hello to my buddy Peter. Oh, what's up, Ned? Hey, where's Peter, anyways? He must be around...' " he mutters hunching forward "God, this is stupid. What am I doing?" he whispers to himself
"Hey, hey... if you do-"
But something stops me. A boom in the distance and a bright blue cloud emerging through the trees. I quickly stand up and Peter spins with me.
"What the hell?" I whisper and Peter takes my arm and we run across the roof
"Tannie, hold on to me!! Peter puts his mask and runs his arm around me and before I could process something else, he shoots his webs through trees, getting far away from the party, swinging down the street.
We land on a roof. Peter makes a flip that makes shut my eyes and we land on the street in front of a golf course. I step ahead waiting for him to swing us but he shoots a web but it flies off because there's nothing to attach it to. I pull away from him and start running. Peter follows behind as we wheeze for the unexpected workout. Then a 'flick' makes me spin and a splash of water hits my face making me flinch back at the cold sensation.
"This sucks!" Peter gasps and stops when he sees we are getting close to where the explosion was.
He rapidly extends his arm signaling me to hug him once again. He starts shooting his web and the swinging begins. The crisp air of the night is pinching my cheeks as the fast speed we're going.
"I'm sorry you have to carry me!" I shout at him as we brush some houses
"No problem!...." he shoots another web
Peter then stops as we land hurriedly in a bridge. We jog to the edge looking down where the explosion was. He doesn't hesitate to stick himself onto the concrete. I softly grunt. How on earth I'm going to get there?... think Tannie... what I should do?
I sigh hurriedly placing my palms on the bricks and deeply inhale. I order my powers to change the adherent properties of the atoms of the concrete, my palms softly glows and then it fades. I jump on top of the structure and warily pass my legs. I lay my chest against the damp bricks and roll exactly to the void. Oh, God. Please don't fall. Please don't fall.
I shut my eyes expecting my body to follow the gravity yet I don't fall. I flutter my eyes and see that I'm almost upside down. Fuck. This is terrifying... Still, with careful movements, I crawl to where Peter is hiding. My body is indeed attaching to the now sticky material.
"...Hey..."
Peter flinches at my appearance, his synthetic ayes contracting and expanding "What the.... How can you do it?"
"I'll show you later... let's see what's happening" I peek my head and finally catch a glimpse of the scene
"Okay, okay, okay. I got what you need, all right? I got tons of great stuff here. One sec." one of the men says and walks up to his van and looks inside
My eyes narrow trying to spot what's inside the van. Oh shit. "Peter, it's full of machinery and weapons..."
"Oh, this must be where the ATM robbers got their stuff..." Peter whispers back
And just in the midst of silence, a yodeling ringtone starts ringing. Peter quickly tries to grab his phone but I grab it first, the screen showing Ned's face, I turn to look at the men who are alarmed and pointing the gun to the other guy. I mute it and Peter flips off landing on the ground.
"Hey! Hey, come on. You gonna shoot at somebody, shoot at me" he bravely says, the black-skinned man turns his weapon to shoot Peter so I jump in front of him, not so skillfully as Peter does but I hit the weapon turning it to dust.
The eyes of the three men wide seeing what I just did. The brown-haired guy inside the van quickly turns on a weapon that looks like a taser. Peter runs to him but he is hit with a burst of energy. I run to the men who are getting inside the van, I shoot at a tire and successfully puncture it making the van move slower.
I turn to Peter who was slammed into one side of the bridge, he murmurs something inaudible for me but I see him shooting his web, attaching it to the open van door. In a quick move, he gets dragged across the ground.
He yells at me extending his spare arm. I take a leap and land on top of him. My arms hurriedly searching to embrace him as tighter as possible. My breath heavier with each second and I hit the pavement under us, not to turn it to dust but with the aim that the beams propel us a little higher above the ground. They do and oh, I have an idea...
Peter shouts and yes. Gravity hits us. A trash can collides with us, hitting Peter on his back and hitting me on my forehead. We moan in pain still being dragged across a street. Peter looks down at me and the arm he has on my shoulders carefully moves away as he shoots another strand of web. Holding us only with those.
I quickly analyze the situation. I'm slowing his movements because I'm attached to him like gum. Wait... wait...
"Let me go!!" I shout
"What? no!" he shouts trying to hold me but I release my hands from his chest "T! No whaa"
I roll several times. My arms and back receiving more collisions. I push myself from the pavement and notice the van getting away as well as Peter. Ok... This is it, Tannie...
Without closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and sense a tingling running through my legs and then to my feet. The base emitting a soft orang-ish glow that instantly lifts me inches from the ground. Ok, yes. I think I can do this. I look down and start ordering those streaks to get longer and stronger. I crouch to maintain my balance just as if I'm surfing and Poom! I'm fucking flying. I'm fucking flying.
I lean my body forward and I start sliding on the air... Oh shit. Don't fall. Don't fall... I skip some trees and a nervous laugh escapes my lips. With more confidence I propel my feet more and fly higher, my eyes spotting the white van. I don't think twice. I immediately fly faster. Yeah, it's getting easier, I think...
I hear a gunshot. I lower myself as the door of the van is thrown at my direction so I hit it turning it to dust. I surf next to Peter's shaking body.
"Hey Spider-Man!!"
"Wha...? T! You are flying?!" Peter wheezes griping the strands of webs because yes, literally his life depends on a thread of web
"Of course not! I'm riding a pony....!" I smirk pointing my hands at the man on the edge of the van
"Get that weapon down!" I demand him but he shoots at me yet I manage to dissolve the purple ray into the air
"Ohhh, my butt!" Peter shrieks as I try to help him get up but the same dude powers more energy causing Peter to lose his grasp on one of the webs
One, two, three, more than ten times now I start shooting at the van that sharply dodges my beams, however, just one crashes against a tire making the van wobble and a weapon flies away. The car makes a sharp turn making Peter crash in a car. One hand shooting at the van and the other hit the pair of trash cans Peter is going to get smashed on.
"Thanks!" Peter shouts at me but his webs break off "go on! 'm gonna have to take a shortcut!"
I lost him behind some houses. I land on the top of the van making holes in it and practically making the van swing sharply side to side. Sideways I see the red and blue suit flipping behind me so I spin and offer him my hand but before he could take it something snatches him from behind. What's that?!
No one has to even ask me what I'll do. I leave the van propelling myself higher and higher to the sky. Whoa, it's freezing up here... I squint my eyes trying to focus whatever snatched Peter from me. Oh, a man?
"HELP!! AAAAHHH!" Peter shouts
I groan stretching my arm to grip his foot "GOT YOU!" I shout at him
Peter was about to shoot another pair of web when his Spider drawn at his back starts beeping and blinking. I try to hit the man but a parachute unfolds itself from his back and the air resistance makes him crash on me, therefore, ripping Peter off the grasp of that thing and making my feet stop glowing. My hands instantly search for something to hold on to finding Peter's back and pulling him closer to me.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
"OHHHH GOOOOD!!!"
We don't stop shouting as we spin and spin in the air. Peter swings his arms tangling them in the strings of his parachute and bringing the fabric to us. I jerk my head several times but it's wrapped in that thing. Peter fights too to break it but we only get more stuck in it.
'Fuuuuffff!!' A pinching cold pain hits my back, it covers my arms and legs... it's water... We're in a pool? I open my mouth to call for Peter, a muffled moan sounds instead. I feel my lungs gradually losing its oxygen and I kick and kick whatever it0s tangle in my legs. Something. No, someone grabs my left arm. As a reflex, my legs cling on his torso. He's fighting to get untangled too. But just as we continue the fight an incredible force shoves us away.
My throat instantly fills with air as I deeply inhale. Peter's hand grabs my back trying to hold me in place. He moans and coughs. Fuck, it's that bird-like man again? He's not done fighting?
I look up and oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... My fricking dad's here. Saving us... Oh God. I jump clinging harder on Peter hiding my face on the crook of his neck.
Peter reacts at my abrupt move and he looks up "Huh? Oh, hey"
My dad gently places us on the ground. Peter stumbles to walk and my dad reaches to help him so I take the opportunity and start running away. Faster. Faster....
"HEY! COME HERE!" the voice of my dad echoes in the playground, I run as fast as I can and then hide behind some trees, I push aside some branches peeking only my eyes to see the scene
Peter trips over but manages to climb a spheric jungle gym. The only sound is the thrusters on my dad's suit.
"your little friend is so rude, I just saved her life"
"she's not a fan of the spotlight" Peter whispers between wheezes
"Start from the beginning please, the end I know it... you almost drowned"
Peter takes a deep breath "ok, so I was with my friends, Ned and... only Ned and then bum! an explosion happened and I followed it and these guys were selling superweapons, I heard one of them saying something about Ultron? I chased them and... and... they shot me with something so I lost them for a bit and when... and when I finally got them he just, he just, like, swooped down like a monster and he picked me up and, uh, he took me up, like, a thousand feet and just dropped me. How'd you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?" Peter clacks his teeth
"I put everything in your suit. Including this heater" My dad coolly says
I shiver making my teeth chatter and I cover my mouth with my hands, my nails are purple. Oh, it's freezing. I notice steam rising from Peter's suit and Peter moans in happiness, I wish I could have that.
"Whew, that's better. Thanks"
"What were you thinking?" My dad asks
"The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons. I gotta take him down!"
"Take him down now, huh? Steady, Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing!"
"The Avengers?" Peter asks-
"No, no, no. This is a little below their pay grade"
"Anyway, Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here. I had that. We were fine"
"Oh yeah, you and your little girlfriend, huh? why I didn't know about her? is she cool?" my dad rambles but then stops "Oh, I'm not here by the way"
Iron Man's helmet opens, revealing an empty space where my dad's face should have been. That's why I didn't see him today.
"Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now. Thank Ganesh while you're at it...Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please"
"Why?"
"Why? Because I say so! Sorry, I'm talking to a teenager... Stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping little people, like that lady that bought you the churro. Can't you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? you remember my daughter right? she's right now doing her homework... be like that"
"But I'm ready for more than that now" Peter tries to explain
"No, you are not"
"That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America" Peter fires back
"Trust me, kid. If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would've. Listen to me. If you come across these weapons again...call Happy..." the helmet closes and the sound of an engine echoes through the line
"Are you driving?" Peter asks in disbelief
"You know, it's never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT. My daughter is probably going there!... end call"
"No, I don't need to go to col...Mr. Stark?"
"Mr. Stark is no longer connected" FRIDAY states and the suit flies away
"That was wild..." I say getting out of the hidding spot
Peter flinches spinning to me "oh, hey... I thought you left" he climbs down and walks next to me-
"Couldn't miss my dad scolding you" I grin while he climbs down jumping beside me
-you're shivering-
"Yeah, well, I don't have an internal heater like you"
"Come on..." Peter hugs me and whispers "heater", a warm wave of steam rises in from his chest and arms to me
"Whooo, that feels good..."
He pulls apart and jerks his head "Probably Ned is waiting for us"
"Wait... when we were fighting those guys, a weapon rolled over the van to some bushes... we need to find it" he nods agreeing with me
"Hey, you mind if you uh... I really don't want to walk" he mutters
I laugh walking beside him and passing my hand to his back gripping him from the side of his chest "hold on"
The natural thrusters in my feet began flashing streaks to the pavement. I balance myself and start reaching higher until only the roofs can be seen. Peter also grips me tighter and instead of the synthetic eyes of his mask expanding. His brown ones are widening with the view.
"Whoa!! This is awesome... there! that's where we were!"
I follow his finger and approach the dim street. I carefully land one foot after another and Peter pulls his mask on. We begin the weapon hunting. Searching every single corner, porch, and bushes. My sticky damp clothes creating waves of shiver through my spine.
"....Stay close to the ground? What is he talking about?" Peter jogs to me shaking his head saying he didn't find it
"don't mind him... he's like that with me sometimes..."
He nods and stops me with one arm, he points at something glowing. We carefully approach it. I crouch down and flip it with my fingertips revealing the purple glowing core.
"Whoa Peter exclaims and his phone starts ringing, it's Ned and he puts it on speaker "Hey, man, what's up? we are on our way back!"
"Actually, I was calling to say maybe you shouldn't come. Listen to this..."
'When I say "penis," you say "Parker." Penis!' Flash's voice sounds through a microphone
"Parker!"
"Penis!"
"Parker!"
"Oh, I'm gonna kill himmmmm" I grunt looking at the screen
"Sorry, Peter. I guess we're still losers, except Tannie. I'll see you tomorrow"
Peter shakes his head and sighs "I'll see you tomorrow in school"
"I'll take this" I try to carefully take the weapon but gently shoves my hands away
"No, no, I'll take it" he grabs it "let's go, you need to go to your house, you're freezing"
We run to Liz's still crowded house. As soon as we swing to the rooftop, Peter changes to his clothes. I return my hair, eyes, and clothes to its original colors. Ned texts us that his mom was around so she's picking him up. May came minutes later with a box of donuts. I hop in the backseat but before I could close the door, Peter slides beside me trying to block May's view away from my damp clothes.
May drives all the way to the Compound watching in awe st the whole structure. I simply nod at Peter who knows what I'm saying is 'we'll talk tomorrow'. I run inside the house and slide to my room.
This Monday, was not boring at all.