censorship and signatures
5 years later Peter still couldn’t dream. He’d dreamt often as a child when his brain had needed another way to express itself. His elementary school teachers had always told May that he had a ‘very active imagination’, which was just another way of saying that he was notorious for distracting himself with daydreams during class. The last time he’d properly dreamt was the day that he’d been bitten by the spider.
Peter had been in and out of conscious all night, tossing and turning as his body was ravaged by fevers and his DNA transformed by the quick acting venom of the spider. His dreams then had been wild and unpredictable, so abstract that in the morning he couldn’t make any sense of them. It had been such a surreal ride that for a time he had blamed the whole experience on leftover curry (how he had convinced himself that off food was responsible for all the changes in his body he wasn’t sure).
In short, the fact that Peter was dreaming probably wasn’t a good thing. But it had been a one-off occurrence so maybe there wasn’t anything to worry about it. Still, he made a note to follow up with Karen later, perhaps she would be able to shed some insight into why his body had shut down for so long too.
Peter considered all this and more during the hour-long flight back to Massachusetts. When they landed he was horrified to learn that cameras and reporters had already coalesced outside the airport as V and her team hustled him from the jet to a waiting car. Peter was grateful for the soundproof headphones he had snapped over his ears before leaving the aircraft that saved him from the yelling and heckling. He thought he saw people amongst the small crowd holding signs, but a member of security was mimicking his steps towards the car, whether to hide him from the cameras or to hide them from him, Peter wasn’t sure.
When they finally made it to his halls of residence at MIT, he was allowed to walk himself upstairs with only two bodyguards hanging at his shoulders, the same silent ones who’d accompanied he and V on the flight in.
“Wait.” It was the first thing that V had said since leaving the airport. She put a hand out to stop Peter from unlocking his dorm door. “Rules first.”
Peter dropped his hand in disappointment, all he really wanted to do was go inside, panic about his schedule for finals and pretend for once that he was actually a normal college student. He tried to keep the exasperation out of his heavy sigh but failed miserably.
“You’ll spend the night here; in the morning you’ll pack your things up and we’ll move whatever you need to the new residence that Hogan is currently arranging. Then you’ll go to class as usual and await further instruction regarding your interviews.”
Peter nodded. Something in V’s demeanour had shifted since leaving New York and he wasn’t quite sure he liked where it was going.
“Unless you want to risk everything, you won’t leave this flat tonight. We’ll have two people stationed at this door and more on the ground, we’ll know if you do,” V said sternly. She lifted a plastic bag with a Samsung mobile in it. “For now, this will be your phone. When you’re in public use this one instead of your actual phone. The press has gotten better at stalking and they’ll easily have someone tap or take your phone if they think it’ll get them exclusives. Use this one whenever you’re not alone.”
“Alright,” Peter said, reluctantly taking the bag from her. Someone had snapped a generic Iron Man phone case over it, which seemed a rather crude joke.
“It’s too late now but in the morning we’ll have the NDAs ready for your friends.” V pulled out her own phone. “How many people have you told?” It was the closest that she had gotten to vocalising that she was aware of his alter ego. Peter wondered if she’d had to sign an NDA herself. He wouldn’t be surprised.
“Two that I’ve told,” Peter said and watched her type this down, “but they’ll be fine it’s just my best friend, Ned, and my girlfriend, MJ.”
“Noted, we’ll get them the documents to sign by morning.” Peter bit back his frustration at how unnecessary NDAs were for MJ and Ned. How would it look if he made them sign legal forms saying they weren’t allowed to tell anyone a secret that he had already trusted them with? The thought made him squirm.
“There’s a boy I went to school with, Eugene Thompson, he’ll probably need an NDA too.” Peter ground the words out, he’d successfully avoided thinking about Flash all afternoon and didn’t fancy starting now. He hated the way his anger surged to life so easily.
“The company has already taken care of that.”
Peter raised his eyebrows at the finality of her statement. What on earth had SI done to take care of Flash? Whatever it was, he probably deserved it.
“Anyone else? How about your roommate?”
Peter paused thoughtfully. He’d had suspicions about Nic months ago, it was why he’d been so relieved to get the warehouse sorted out for his equipment. “He’s never seen anything as far as I know, but at the beginning I did have my suit and Stark Industries tablet kept in my room when I wasn’t there.”
V raised an eyebrow and shook her head as she wrote something down that he couldn’t quite see.
“Alright, we’ll be waiting for you in the morning to take you to class.” V shut off her phone and turned away from Peter, a clear dismissal. She began addressing the two men who had accompanied them on the plane.
Peter unlocked the door to his flat and crept inside – it was getting late and he didn’t want to disturb any of his dormmates. When he reached his room, the light was still on, streaming under the door and into the dimly lit corridor. Peter pushed it open with a soft creak.
Nic was lounging on his bed, knees up so he could rest his laptop against them. When he saw Peter, he pushed his headphones back a little to say a quiet “hey”.
“Hi,” Peter said managing a smile as he shut the door softly behind him. “Good Thanksgiving?”
“Not bad, lots of studying though.” Nic’s response was short. Peter expected him to say something more, but he put his headphones back over his ears and turned to face the wall.
Peter set his duffle bag at the end of the bed in dismay. They weren’t the best of friends, but they got on well. Usually when Peter got back from his weekends away in New York they would talk about how their respective travels had gone, Nic often spent weekends with his family too. Peter chewed at the inside of his cheek but tried not to concern himself with his roommate’s bad mood.
He pushed his duffle bag right into the corner, between the end of his bed and the beginning of his wardrobe before draping a hoodie over it, trying not to make the odd shape look too suspicious. As quietly, and inconspicuously, as he could, Peter set about looking over his side of the room, searching to see if anything had been moved in the days he’d been gone. Everything was messy but still the familiar mess that he had left things in. At this discovery some of the tension, which seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his shoulders, lessened a little.
Peter had just pulled his shirt over his head to get ready for bed when Nic reached over and switched one of the bedside lamps off. He sighed but decided not to say anything about it.
His phone called from where he had discarded it on his desk, next to his new ‘burner’ phone. Peter walked over to read it, picking it up and bringing it with him to bed.
The text had come from the group chat that he was in with the rest of the students in his flat. The conversations usually were made up of fights over who had taken the last ice cream from the freezer or left the bathroom in a mess. Lily, whose room was across the corridor from Peter’s, had started the chain off.
Why are there two scary (yet weirdly sexy) men standing outside our door
Her roommate Sam, had been the first to reply
Idk but I get the vibe you mean, like lowkey scary but also what MIB shit is this?
Jensen, another flat mate had sent the next message.
I asked them why they were outside our door and they just stood there, like vaguely handsome robots.
‘vaguely handsome’ he says 🙄
The chat continued to spiral for a bit and when there was a big enough pause Peter sent a short text:
Sorry about the guys at the door, my fault but they’ll be gone by morning so don’t worry.
The group chat stayed quiet for the rest of the night.
Peter was dreaming before he even realised he’d fallen asleep. His Spidey senses tried to get their bearings but there were so many flashing colours that it was difficult to gauge exactly where he was, or what was happening.
At one point he was spinning, as though there was no gravity, through a surreal landscape that looked like a kaleidoscope. Houses started flashing past him in tornadoes, just like in the Wizard of Oz. One house flew past with May hanging onto the side, trying to grasp Peter’s fingers as she span away. In another was MJ, then Sam, Carol, Pepper, Morgan. At one point his lab in Massachusetts flew past completely ablaze from floor to ceiling. Fire poured from the windows and for a horrifying minute his brain conjured the image of himself stuck in there, somewhere deep in the scorching heat. Far away, his mind noticed his body jerk in the bed as he slammed into the darkness of his dreamscape.
Throughout the night Peter went in and out of dreams, some as surreal as the kaleidoscope whilst others were more direct flashbacks of Tony’s two funerals, Thanos’ battle, his battle with the Vulture (which now seemed an eternity ago).
When Peter finally woke up in the morning, he had a splitting headache and felt more exhausted than when he had laid down the night before. He’d slept strange on one of his shoulders and he spent some time wringing it out before sitting up against his pillows.
In the neatly made bed opposite, Nic was nowhere to be found. A quick look to their desks showed Nic’s laptop and backpack missing, he’d probably already gone to class. Peter didn’t have the energy to get up, nor the motivation, so he pulled the charger from his phone and scrolled through that instead.
He was quickly realising why V’s burner phone was such a good idea. All the notifications that had come through overnight were regarding his identity as Spider-Man. The first was a good morning text from MJ, she hoped that he had slept well, reminding him that even superhumans needed their rest. She had also sent through a second message a minute later, a screen shot of his contact in her phone which was a goofy photo of him from graduation. It appeared that she had changed his contact name to ‘Spidey Boy 💙’ which made Peter frown, but at least she had added the heart. Below it she asked about the NDA Happy had sent her and how the nickname was apparently in violation of the agreement. Peter typed back a reply telling her he’d talk to Happy and to not sign the NDA yet. He was sure she wouldn’t have; if given the chance MJ would spend days pouring over the document to make sure she truly understood the terms and conditions.
The next message was from Ned, whose contact name coincidentally was ‘Spider-Man’s Guy in the Chair’ (Ned had changed his name to that since he’d found out about Peter’s secret). Peter replied to Ned’s message, a summons for lunch on campus later that day, with a smiley face and a thumbs up.
The final two texts were particularly incriminating. The first was from Shuri. Peter didn’t want to think what would happen if the press ever heard he was texting the Princess of Wakanda so casually. The headlines already flashing before his eyes he focused instead on her long text.
‘I saw the news and hologramed into the Compound to see how you were (scared the shit out of Banner who was in the middle of making a cup of tea!) but Carol said you’d already gone back to university – are you insane? You were in a coma for two days and as soon as you wake up you want to go back to school? I thought we were beginning to bond over the sloth pace and gatekeeping of institutionalised learning that doesn’t cater to all varieties of learners???
Peter smiled. MJ and Shuri would surely get along well. Perhaps he could arrange a proper introduction in the future (the hurried meeting they’d had in a Stark Industries elevator didn’t reallycount). Her message continued on:
‘Anyway, hope you’re ok! Don’t worry about the press, they’re a bunch of hungry bastards who will eat their words once you tell them the truth (or not, you do you). Maybe next time wear your Vibranium suit out – I’d hate to see it wasting away in a lab (and you getting hurt because you think your suits are better!) Feel better soon!
The final message had come in during the early hours of the morning from Wanda Maximoff, her name was set in his phone to ‘THE Scarlet Witch’.
Peter, I heard you got into trouble in Manhattan! Sam sent me photos of the news. Trust me when I say I know exactly what you’re going through.
Peter recalled all the rumours that had been surrounding Wanda years ago after Ultron, he hadn’t been part of the team then, but he’d kept up with the Avengers news like it was his lifeline.
Whatever you decide to do, know the team has your back, we might not all be at the compound but we’re all here to support you. Take care, Vis and I will keep an eye on the news here (we’re in Scotland). Let us know if there is anything we can do (I’d offer to bring you some food back, but I feel like you probably wouldn’t be a fan of haggis).
Peter smiled at the messages as he read them through a few times. Their words made the whole ordeal feel a little more bearable. It gave him back the motivation he so dearly needed to get out of bed and sort out his room to begin packing.
By the time Peter had packed up his belongings up it was already half past 9. Against all odds he had managed to gather everything into the two suitcases he’d had stowed under his bed from the beginning of semester.
At 9:30 three of V’s underlings, as Peter had taken to calling them, had arrived to take his things away in a car. V had promised that it was all being left at a nearby apartment that Happy had arranged for him, but the tinted windows seemed ominous. Paranoia ate away at his thoughts as an underling held his hand out for the duffle bag that was sat at Peter’s feet. Months of work and a sickening amount of money was contained in the bag between the suit and the particles and Peter wasn’t keen on giving it up.
“I have never seen a teenage boy so concerned about his belongings,” V sighed in exasperation, picking the bag up herself. Peter narrowed his eyes and V mimicked the movement. “I think the fact you’ve got confidential written across it should be good enough, I promise no one will open it.”
“Alright,” Peter relented. If only because V seemed a lot more irritable this morning and he wasn’t prepared to push her. Her outward appearance seemed just as it was yesterday – she wore a tailored suit and blouse with her hair cropped close to her head in an undercut. But it was her eyes that were different, harder and more determined. It intimidated him so he didn’t say anything more about the duffle bag. Afterall, he had stuck a piece of duct tape along the zipper of the bag and written CONFIDENTIAL in the hopes this would deter some of V’s more nosy employees.
Naturally, V had further instructions for him on the way to class.
“From now on, Kiseke and Kyla will be your personal security,” V said nodding to the two agents who had been following them from his dorm. “Kyla is one of Stark Industries’ security personnel and Kiseke was sent from the Compound for extra protection.”
Peter wanted to remind everyone that this was the newspapers they were running from, not Thanos. They were armed with cameras and smartphones, not hordes of life-threatening monsters.
“Once your classes finish, we’ve rented a café near the campus for your interview with The New York Times, you need to be there at 12:30,” V instructed, typing away on her phone as she spoke, “I’m sending you the address now.”
It was Peter’s burner phone that chimed. “They want photos too so we’ll see what sort of locations we can arrange for that.”
Peter sighed but nodded. “That should be wrapped up by four o’clock, after that you’re free to return to your new apartment and get settled.”
“Cool,” Peter said trying to muster some enthusiasm and failing. With the amount of time and money this was probably costing SI he ought to at least try and act good humoured about it all.
“The rest of the week we’re sorting out other interviews for you so expect Vanity Fair, Times magazine, that sort of thing.”
“Not Vogue?” Peter joked.
“We could arrange Vogue if you want but it’d be a short column,” V replied thoughtfully.
Peter stopped walking and looked at her with eyebrows raised but V only mimicked the expression and kept walking. They were growing closer to his lecture hall and he was already 15 minutes late. The grounds were busy for a Monday morning and Peter hated the looks that he was beginning to get. He suspected it was likely a combination of the three agents with him and the fact that his name had been all over the news for three days straight. Distracted by the stares and the whispers, Peter didn’t realise that V was still talking.
“Your friend Ned, we need you to get this NDA to him.” She was holding out a stack of papers enclosed in a plastic file.
Peter didn’t argue as he took it but decided he would throw it in the nearest bin once V was far enough away.
“That’s it for now.” V stopped walking and put her phone away, finally. It irritated Peter how precise her typing was, it made him feel like his every move and word was being recorded. “Happy or I will be in contact at 12:30 but for now I’ll leave you with Kiseke and Kyla.”
An unspoken agreement passed between the three agents as V nodded to them stiffly. She turned on her heal and walked back to the main road, Peter watched as a car pulled up almost immediately and she got into the passenger seat.
There was a moment of awkward silence as Kiseke and Kyla looked at Peter, or he assumed they did, it was difficult to see their eyes from behind the dark sunglasses.
Peter stuck a hand jerkily out to Kyla who hesitated before shaking his hand firmly. “Peter,” he said to her and she nodded, a smile gracing her face for a brief moment.
Kiseke reached his hand out to Peter. “It’s good to meet you.” Kiseke’s voice was coloured by a distinct accent that was familiar to Peter’s ear. “My daughter is a big fan, she started at Midtown this past September.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Peter said smiling as the three of them set off for the lecture hall. “It’s a good school, I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.”
“She’s loving it so far,” Kiseke said, “I moved from Wakanda in July for my work, and she wanted to come along and experience New York for a bit, but her mother is still in Wakanda with the Dora Milaje.”
“That’s really cool,” Peter said, his enthusiasm no longer as forced as it had been, “though I’m sure you probably wanted a more interesting task than following a college student around.”
“On the contrary, Her Royal Highness expressed her fondness for you and her concern at your current dilemma,” Kiseke assured him, though Peter was sure Shuri wouldn’t have phrased it that way. “And if I’m being honest, I’ve always preferred being in the field, the compound can get so stuffy.”
Peter turned to Kiseke, poker face engaged and said, “I made the compound.”
Kiseke looked embarrassed for a moment and Peter almost felt bad for making the tall man uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I was just kidding,” Peter laughed, “I prefer being in the field too.” He headed off in the direction of the lecture hall.
“That’s a relief,” Kiseke said to Kyla, thinking that Peter couldn’t hear.
“No,” Kyla said slowly, “he really did design it.”
Peter grinned at Kiseke’s laugh. He was past being late now, but it wasn’t likely that he’d be missing much in Introduction to Coding 101.
Another two hours passed, and Peter was struggling to believe that his day was only half over, with the worst yet to come.
Thankfully, Kyla and Kiseke had been decent enough to wait outsidethe door of the lecture hall, Peter wasn’t sure what he would have done if they’d tried to come in and sit next to him. He was already getting enough weird looks. He took a seat on the end of a row of chairs right at the back of the hall so that he would be spared the humiliation of having people refuse to sit near him. The only person to join him in the whole row was a boy with dirty blond hair that Peter had to stop himself from staring at. There was something very familiar about him that was accompanied by a strange sense of déjà vu.
As always, Coding 101 had been deadly boring and the second hour long lecture that followed wasn’t much better. The only thing that stopped Peter from walking out was the thought of having lunch with Ned.
His shadows were waiting insistently a few paces away as he exited the hall and Peter broke off at a brisk walk, heading for one of the cafes on campus where he had arranged to meet with Ned.
Ned was already inside, sat at a table by the window and waved excitedly when he caught sight of Peter.
“Peter,” Kyla said, stopping him before he could open the door to the café. He could smell the sweet scent of pastries which reminded him that he hadn’t eaten breakfast. “I have to remind you that we’re supposed to be at the interview in 15 minutes.”
“Oh,” Peter mumbled, knowing that his face visibly fell as he said it. He hadn’t expected the lecture to go on longer than usual and had thought that he’d at least be able to squeeze in a little time with his best friend before duty called. “Ok, just give me a minute.”
The air inside the café was warm and sweet. Peter wondered whether Kyla and Kiseke were allowed to physically remove him if he just sat down with Ned and pretended there wasn’t an interview to go to.
“Dude, are those your bodyguards?” Ned hissed once Peter reached his table.
“Kind of,” Peter grinned and hugged Ned tightly, “crazy right?”
“Yeah just a bit,” Ned said his eyes going big and quickly looking away when he met Kyla’s gaze from the side of the glass. She tapped her watch and Peter sighed. “How are you though? I tried to convince Mom to let my fly up to see you while you were in hospital, I was even going to drive but MJ said you were doing better.”
“Thanks, but I’m good now,” Peter smiled, “and you literally spent your whole allowance on a gaming console last week so I get why you couldn’t fly up.”
“Tactical buy, black Friday sales?”
“Sure thing,” Peter said sceptically, “look I know I said we’d be able to have lunch but I’m being forced to do damage control for the press stuff, and,” Peter sent a forlorn glance of his shoulder, “I have an interview in ten minutes.”
“Aw seriously,” Ned said but his exasperation was directed to the two agents waiting outside the door. Peter knew it wasn’t their fault either but at least Ned wasn’t mad at him.
“This story will take a while to calm down and, in the meantime, I apparently have to make sure I’m the MIT golden child of Stark Industries.” Peter sighed before gather an assuring smile. “But tomorrow let’s meet up again and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Yeah no worries,” Ned said waving a nonchalant hand, but Peter could see that it did bother his friend
“I’m really sorry, if there was any way to get out of it I would.”
“No, it’s totally fine.” Ned managed a smile. “Duty calls, right?”
“More like duty yells at me 24/7,” Peter said jokingly and clapped Ned’s shoulder, “I’ll text you later ok?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ned said waving Peter off as he sat down to enjoy the rest of his coffee.
Peter felt dreadful leaving like that. He hadn’t seen Ned most of last week, or the week before. They’d texted more than they’d had actual conversations even though they lived literally two minutes away from each other. Peter hated to think that Ned might be feeling sidelined. The sooner this press kerfuffle was taken care of, the better.
Peter and his insistent bodyguards made it to the café in good time. It was a smart place with intricate tiled floors and an elaborate menu written in calligraphy above the counter. For a Monday morning, Peter would have expected it to be bustling, given its proximity to the college campus and the urban living across the road. Instead it was completely empty of patrons save a woman in a smart pantsuit at a table by the window. She met Peter’s eyes as he hesitantly entered the café, Kiseke and Kyla on his tail. Peter watched the woman type out a few things on her computer, her eyes never leaving him. Her gaze was unnerving.
“Peter,” Happy said jumping up from a table where he had been sat with V and a man that Peter didn’t recognise but who was wearing a smart charcoal suit and held a Stark Industries file in his hands.
“Hey Happy,” Peter said nervously and let his attention be guided away from the woman at the window.
“How you feeling, kid?” Happy asked gesturing for him to sit down. “Still alright? Got enough sleep?”
“Yeah I’m ok,” Peter said his gaze flitting uncontrollably around the café.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about with this interview, alright?” Happy assured him. “The Times reporter is over there and you’re just going to act like it’s a normal conversation, ok? She knows what she can and cannot ask and we’ll be right here to interject if we need to.”
“Speaking of a normal conversation,” the man that Peter didn’t recognise reached into the file and withdrew a document which he slid in Peter’s direction. “This is your guide of what you can and cannot say regarding your role at Stark Industries. We recommend you stick to the script.” His voice was hushed as he spoke, and Peter noticed a distinctly nasal quality that he found irritating.
“This is Alexander Spiff, he’s part of the PR team at Stark Industries.”
“Nice to meet you,” Peter said, more as a reflex response than because he really meant it. When Spiff didn’t return the sentiment, he turned his eyes down to the document. The high-quality paper was emblazoned with the Stark Industries logo at the top.
Public Appearance Preparation Report – αράχνη
The word ‘αράχνη’ made Peter pause a moment. If he wasn’t mistaken it meant spider in Greek. Peter cast Spiff a look but the man was on his phone and paying no attention. Apparently, Peter wasn’t the only one who enjoyed naming his projects cryptic names (though this was seemed almost too obvious). He continued reading.
Clause 1
The disclosing party [Peter Parker] will be required to engage in six transcribed interviews with various newspaper outlets and appear for an in-person televised interview before the 21stof December 2023. It is expected that Peter Parker exercise caution in regard to relevant undesirable elements of his personal activities coming to light. Peter Parker is expected to act in a polite and considerate manner throughout said interviews. It should be noted that Peter Parker appears on behalf of Stark Industries Pty and should conduct himself in accordance with company standards.
Peter Parker is expected to follow the following outlined procedure for such interviews to avoid certain classified information regarding the activities of Stark Industries Pty becoming public. On the occasion that such information is hinted at, Peter Parker is expected to take the necessary steps to mitigate any damage the company may sustain (representatives Happy Hogan and Agent V1X3N8 are to be on site to aid if needed).
Clause 2a
Anticipated and approved points of discussion are listed below (see page 5 for specific approved information if unsure):
- The Party’s family, including Richard and Mary Parker [parents - deceased] and May Parker [guardian - alive] are likely to be brought up in interviews as well as his own personal history and upbringing. The Party may disclose as much or as little of this as he wishes.
- The Party’s personal relationship to the Stark-Potts family:
- Mr Tony Stark is to remain a mentor figure in the eyes of the media, as such the Party should speak of him in this way; and
- Ms Pepper Potts is to remain an employer figure in the eyes of the media, as such the Party should speak of her in this way; and
- Miss Morgan Stark is to be excluded from all interview content (see Section 2a – Unapproved points of discussion).
- The Party’s involvement in the Stark Internship program for two years prior to ‘The Snap’ circa 2018. The party is expected to follow the pre-approved story of events that led to this, as described by Mr. Tony Stark in 2016 (see page 5 for supplementary information.)
- The Party’s work as an intern [2016-2018 inclusive] in labs 3c and 4a
- Non inclusive of the activity of other interns or lab workers. Restricted to the personal workings of the Party himself.
- The Party’s involvement in certain classified projects (these are not to be named or described) under the supervision of Mr Tony Stark. The Party is permitted to describe the mentor/mentee relationship that developed during this time as well as the lasting effect this had on the Party’s educational opportunities in later years.
- The Party’s 2023 Field Trip to the Stark Industries Headquarters (see the approved narrative of events, provided on page 6)
- The events that lead to the subsequent employment of The Party at Stark Industries as approved by CEO, Ms Pepper Potts (see page 6).
- The Party assisted in the construction of the Avengers Compound as a result of having worked so closely with Mr Tony Stark in the Party’s formative years.
- As photos have already been released regarding the attendance of May Parker and Peter Parker at the Avengers Compound for Thanksgiving, the Party is to concede this point but highlight that the invitation was made out of respect to thank the Party for his involvement in the construction of the Avengers Compound
Clause 2b
Unapproved points of discussion (representatives Happy Hogan and Agent V1X3N8 are expected to intercede if such topics are brought up):
- The classified works (see page 4 for complete list) of Mr Tony Stark prior to his passing in 2023.
- Including any classified projects that the Party may have been involved in prior to this time [2016-2018]
- Mention of the event known as The Germany Fiasco[2016] is to be avoided at all costs (should the interviewer purposefully bring this up the interview will be ceased immediately, and no further questions are to be taken).
- Mention of the immediate time leading up to the event known as The Snap[2018] and TheDecimation[2023]
- The Party shall not concede to being near Mr Tony Stark prior to The Snap or any subsequent involvement, residentially on Earth or elsewhere; and
- the Party shall not concede to being in contact with Mr Tony Stark immediately prior to his death [2023].
- Mention of the method taken to reach the outcome of TheDecimationis highly restricted (should the interviewer purposefully bring this up the interview will be ceased immediately, and no further questions are to be taken).
- The personal affairs of the Stark-Potts family are to be handled with the utmost care and there will be no discussion of their private lives [2016-2023 inclusive].
- The Party was not in attendance at the private funeral service of Mr Tony Stark in April.
The document went on and on describing all the things that Peter could and could not say. His eyes grew weary as they passed over the lines and lines of text and he wondered how he would ever remember all of this during an interview. Pepper was reduced to his employer, Tony was just his mentor and there were specific lies he had to know word for word regarding his time in Germany, his relationship with the team and everything that had happened since the Decimation. He even had to lie and say that he hadn’t gone to Tony’s funeral. How many more lies was Peter going to have to tell?
“You don’t have to worry about remembering it all right now, we’ve approved all the questions that the Times interviewer has so you shouldn’t have any problems,” Happy assured him as though he had read his thoughts and Peter wondered how much of his concern was clear on his face. “I know it’s rushed,” Happy said, “but this is the most crucial time for us to get the press under control. The longer you go without speaking the more time they have to convince the public.”
Peter nodded wordlessly and flipped to the end of the document, finding the dotted line he was supposed to sign. He was pretty sure that you were supposed to be advised by lawyers regarding such legal documents, but it didn’t seem he had much of a choice. Alexander Spiff slid an expensive looking pen across the table and waited in anticipation for Peter to sign.
Signing this document cemented Option 2. Peter had thought this would be the easier route compared to the chaos that would be revealing that he was in fact Spider-Man. Somehow, he had convinced himself that Option 2 meant things wouldn’t change, but already everything was so different. If Option 1 had been promoting his identity, Peter had assumed that Option 2 would be preserving it. Instead he was about to watch it be destroyed by lies and twisted truths.
This wasn’t going to end with the interviews. He’d have to keep lying, and he’d have to do it well. His relationships with Tony, Pepper and Morgan were all about to become public property and for that to happen theyhad to be reduced to formalities. The Avengers would become acquaintances, business partners. Everything he had achieved in the last few years had to be downplayed to make it believable for the news and palatable enough for the public to lap right up. The company wanted to present their shiny Goldenchild without any of the added complications that came with him. And that was what Peter had to give them.
Peter found himself face to face with a question. It wasn’t whether this was the right thing to do; it wasn’t ‘what would Tony Stark do?’; it wasn’t ‘will this protect the people around me’.
It wasn’t whether or not he would like the answers he might find to those other questions.
The real question was if he was prepared to sign anyway.