Chapter 5
One of the streetlamps shone through Peter's bedroom window where he and Ned were sitting. The Spider-Man suit gifted to him by Tony Stark was in from of them and Ned's laptop, right next to its owner. They were both a bit nervous and Ned glanced at him warily.
"Are you sure we should do this? I mean, don't get me wrong, man, I always wanted to take apart a superhero suit and figure out how it worked, but we might screw up, and then you get your suit ruined. And damage Tony Stark's own invention that he gifted to you!" Ned whisper-shouted. They were being careful not to raise their voices because even though it was late (Ned was sleeping over), May was still up in the living room watching TV.
Peter knew that of course, dreaded it even. What if he really manages to ruin the suit? What would he do then? He could go back to his original but... it wouldn't be the same. Not to mention that his father would know immediately, either from an alert or from the news, or some other way. Then he would be furious, surely that Peter messed up and god, the suit must have cost a lot! The materials and the tech, they were top of the line. Or would he go to him? Would he bring the suit to the Tower, try to get past security and everything, present it to him and say 'I'm sorry'? Would he take it away and never give it back? Would he just fix it?
No, Peter wouldn't ruin the suit. They will be extra careful with Ned and everything will be fine. Besides, there was one thing Peter knew from his late-night hacking hobby that was totally not bordering on illegal and totally not frequent, it was that his Dad always had something up his sleeve when it came to his inventions.
The Iron Man suit is a prime example. Even the early marks had hidden weapons and such in the armor itself. Sure, most people focused on the big repulsor blasts and the explosives and such but Peter had seen the tiny weapons in the blueprints, and it was brilliant. The tiny bullets shooting from the shoulders at specific, selected targets? That was clever and since it was most likely controlled by the AI that also pilots the suit, the bullets went where they needed to go. A human's hands can shake with a gun in their hand, they can hesitate, they can mess up the aim. A machine makes no such error, or even if it does, that's a low probability.
"I'm sure. I'm telling you, there must be more than what meets the eye," Peter reassured.
"It's so cool that you've been in his server and seen the..." Ned trailed off, looking at the door with his mouth hanging open. Scared, Peter turned his head towards the door only to see nothing. His friend wasn't looking at anything. Now Peter turned back to him and quirked an eyebrow at him. What is he doing? Then, Ned turned to him excitedly. "Peter, you can get into his server! He must have notes on this too! He must have some kind of blueprint or plan or list of your suit!"
Peter wanted to slap himself in the face. Of course! How did he forget that? Everything his Dad did that was not related to his company was on his private servers! "You're a genius! Can you give me your laptop?"
"Sure!" Ned shifted closer to him as Peter put the device on his lap. It took Peter about ten minutes to get in. The sheer amount of folders was still staggering and Ned gasped right on cue. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, look! Mark I-X! Mark XI-XX! Benched Ideas!"
While Ned was trying to keep his voice low while also hardcore fanboying, Peter spotted the right folder. "There it is, Spider-Man!"
To his surprise, when he opened it, there weren't just those two or three files he was expecting. There were four folders inside. Profile, Classic, Iron Spider, and Protector.
"Iron Spider?! Peter, do you think that means-" But Peter wasn't focusing on that. He was looking at something else.
Profile | Created: December 20, 2015 | Last Edited: May 26, 2016
"Shh! Look at the dates on the profile folder!" It was his time to whisper-shout. Ned looked at him confusedly. "He edited the folder right after we came back from Germany but what's really weird is the creation date."
"Why?"
"Because I only decided to become Spider-Man at the 10th and I first went out and got recorded on YT on the exact same date he created the folder. Which means he didn't just notice me right before he invited me to Germany. He kept tabs on me for months!" He was really shocked. He thought Dad only brought him in because he needed the numbers and he started to search for local superheroes and just happened to find him.
"Dude, the creation date is the same with the Classic folder too!" And sure enough, when Peter looked at the numbers on the folder below, the first date matched.
"He had been planning to design my suit from the beginning," he whispered. The words were so quiet, he wouldn't be surprised if Ned didn't hear it at all.
Hesitating but curious, he clicked on the first folder, Profile.
There was a document in it and several mp4 files with dates on them. Probably patrols, he guessed. He clicked on the document twice and it opened to reveal a list of information and two pictures. The first picture was his ID card picture with him smiling dumbly at the camera, the second was of him in the first, home-made suit.
There was his full name, age, sex, parents' names (his stepfather and his mom), legal guardians, home address, school name, school address, principal, friends, and other associates...
Personality Profile: smart, ballsy, inventive, selfless
He wrote that. Peter thought. He thinks I'm smart and selfless.
"Tony Stark said you're smart! How awesome is that?" Ned said, shaking his head in awe. Peter didn't have any words. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. His dad said that about him, not Spider-Man, not anyone else. He thought that Peter Stark Parker was inventive and smart. He looked at the four words and tried to carve them into his mind forever. Whatever happens, these words will always be there for him.
Nice work, kid!
Thanks, Dad.
He felt a hot tear slide down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away and smiled. Ned patted him on the shoulder in support.
The next lines were about his abilities, his superhero name, his goals, and other things like:
Notes: Alibi is a personal internship with me (remember to create documents), priority is protecting the kid from Eye-Patch and Ross [PROTECTION LEVEL V], suit upgrade + personalized A.I., Happy Hogan as handler.
"Protection Level 5? What does that even mean?" Peter wondered aloud.
"I have no clue, man. But have you seen what's next to it? Personalized AI. You didn't tell me you had one." Ned pointed out.
"Because I didn't... Let's check the other folders."
They went to the last, one, Protector next. Peter wanted to know if it would mention what Level 5 meant. It didn't, however, it spoke in depth about the AI and its functions. The AI didn't have a name yet and according to the notes, its main function is supposed to be that it keeps him protected and helps him be Spider-Man more efficiently. Mr. Stark supposedly gave it a supportive nature and a kind feminine voice. It is authorized to do pretty much anything to ensure his safety and smooth everyday heroics. It is also supposed to alert the man of any severe danger. It can monitor Peter's vitals and record everything he sees.
"This is so cool! Do you think it's already in your suit?"
"If it was, wouldn't it have interacted with me already? I never saw or heard any indication of the AI," he frowned.
"It's possible it wasn't yet activated or it's restricted." His friend pointed out. "Oh, look, the last line! It says 'Restricted till the completion of the Training Wheels Protocol.'" Ned started snickering and Peter managed to shoot him a glare that made Ned laugh even harder.
"It's not that funny!"
"It really is," Ned chuckled. "So, you need to do a training beforehand?"
"Well, I don't necessarily," smirked Peter. He could just go and unlock it now if he hacked into the suit. He told so to Ned.
"Don't you think that's a bad idea? I mean, it must be there for a reason."
Peter scoffed. "The reason is obvious. He doesn't think I can handle it." It was clear, why else would it be there? There wouldn't be any really dangerous stuff in his suit, his father wouldn't do that, so the only other possibility is that he isn't trusted yet. It stung but at least it can be easily fixed. He will unlock the suit's full capabilities and show him that he is ready. "Come on, let's see what we can do about it."
"Are we going to do the homework before, or after?" Ned asked as they got out of school just five minutes later than Peter usually does. He was itching to go on patrol since he hadn't worn the suit on the weekend and during school today of course. They unlocked pretty much everything in his suit and it was pretty exciting.
"After. It's not much anyway," Peter replied. "Okay, so since we have the AI unlocked, it can probably easily call you, so we can stay on the phone."
"This is gonna be crazy!" Ned cheered enthusiastically. He had a big smile on his face, as did Peter, though he was ready to shush his friend if he got too loud.
"I know!"
A few minutes later, he was in an alley close to the school and stripping off his clothes. The bundle of jumper, jeans, shirt, and socks went in his backpack and the Spidey-suit hung on him like bedsheets. After pressing the spider emblem on the front it pressed onto his skin gently, and the suit glowed.
"Hello, Peter," a lady greeted. Presumably the AI. "Congratulations on completing the rigorous Training Wheels Protocol and gaining access to your suit's full capabilities. So, where would you like to take me today?"
Ohmygodthisissocool-
Get it together, Peter.
"Uh, could you call Ned Leeds first?" he asked a bit unsure. Would she even know who he was talking about? Should he give her a number?
"Calling Edward 'Ned' Leeds," she responded dutifully. Ned picked it up at once.
"Dude, is it working?!" gushed Ned immediately. This was a much too important time for hellos.
"It is! I'm calling from my suit, or rather she's calling, it's so cool, I haven't actually checked out the updates yet though."
"Oh my God. Thank you for involving me in this all, this is the greatest thing in my life!" His friend said on the other end.
"I'm thinking I'm going to name her, I just don't know what," Peter admitted. Ned was apparently waiting for that because he spat names out as fast as he could.
"Leia, Rey, Hermione-"
"She's not a Jedi, Ned." Silence fell for minutes when Peter spoke up. "What about... Karen?" There was a snort on the other end.
"Is she asking for the manager already?" Ned piped up while wheezing like a dying rabbit.
"I'm just gonna ask her," Peter said tiredly. "Hey, Suit Lady, do you mind uh... if I call you Karen?"
There was a pause.
"You can call me Karen if you'd like," she answered gently. Her voice lilted up a little as if she approved of the name.
"Cool," he smiled. "She likes it."
Ned made a non-committal hum and that was that.
"Karen, could you run me through the suit's full capabilities before we get started on the patrol?"
"Sure thing, Peter," the feminine voice replied.