-In the Hospital with Peter-
(November 2pm)
Peter and Aaron calmly regarded each other. Aaron was seated in a wheel chair pushed by Miles as the teen stood behind his uncle in silence observing the two.
Miles's uncle, Aaron looked sickly pale and thin, he wore the standard pale blue shirt and long pants standard for recovering patients, he had an oval face and angular features. He was a roguishly handsome man in his late twenties sporting a dark scar just below his left eye that arched diagonally across his nose stopping short of reaching the lower half of his right eye.
He had a soft grey blanket over his legs, hiding anything for the waist down from view.
Not far from them the Television was replaying reports of Iron Man and Captain America teaming up to stop a super villain with golden horns sharply dressed in an green, black and gold fantasy armor a few days ago. Both parties ignored the news.
"I remember you, kid. I didn't see it before. Yeah, I gotta admit, I made a mistake judgin' you by how you look on the outside, look where its got me, I'm paying for that mistake right now." Aaron jested softly, his lips tilting up slightly into a controlled regretful smile.
"Who'd have thought we'd meet again, life's funny that way. Be real with me kid, what do you want from us?" Aaron asked the Peter.
"Miles didn't explain it enough for you?" Peter replied, he arched an eyebrow at being called a 'kid', sparing his fellow teen a glance. Miles flipped him off in response to his question.
"Fu-"Miles words were interrupted by his uncle.
"Oh, I heard what my boy said and thats' all good. But now I wanna hear what you got to say for yourself. A man's bond is only as strong as his word, so I'ma make my own judgment after I hear your game. " Aaron declared without fear despite his physical state of being confined to a wheel chair. If he felt anything at all he didn't let it slip past the stoic mask he had up.
He held Peter's gaze as he spoke.
Peter took a moment to think things over before answering Aaron with a nonchalant shrug. "I need friends, it's as simple as that, good friends, loyal friends. In return for that friendship, I'll make my friends rich and powerful. Not the kind of power you'll get by holding a gun to someone's head. No, I'll give you something that'll even playing field with those superhero's out there."
He motioned to the TV with the replay of Captain America and Iron Man as he spoke, Peter walked over and pulled close a white plastic chair. He turned the chair before taking a sit with his hands resting on the top back of the chair.
"And as you already know, your boy's attacked me…and in doing so forced my hand. So now we'll both have to deal with the hand we're dealt. I'll offer you two alternative's to both protect my identity and insure your continued survival by securing your help. Join Babylon and live with money and really cool super powers or refuse and die. What will it be Prowler? Will you be my friend?" Peter finished with a question.
Aaron chuckled before replying calmly. "Your one crazy kid aren't you?…"
Aaron leaned forward, his back a little straighter as spoke.
"See, Anyone can talk a big game, I've heard it all before, seen worse too. I need a little more then just your word and petty threats, I hope you understand that I can't just drop everything and join you and yours cause some crazy ass powered kid walks in and threatens to kill me. I maybe down but I ain't out of the game yet and I sure as sure as hell ain't stupid. Now I'm not gonna bite the hand that's offered to me while I'm down, that would be stupid. But I wanna know that hand thats offering to pick me up. You said you wanted friends, well, good friends gotta learn to trust each other. The kind of trust that's earned. The kind of trust that inspires loyalty. That's what you want right?"
"Alright Shoot, how do you want me to earn that trust?" Peter asked Arron.
After a few seconds of pause Arron offered an ultimatum. "Wilson Fisk, get me in room with Wilson Fisk alone and then we talk. If your guys, Babylon can do that, well join you, no questions asked, if you can't, you let us go."
"How do I know you won't run?"
"You can hook me up with that special crystal of yours, just like you did for Miles. I'll let you infect me until that meet-up goes down. But until then, you best keep your distance from me and mine and we'll do the same for you and yours. Thats the deal, you either take it or end us here." A sudden tense atmosphere washed over the three as a haunting silence settled.
Miles knuckles tightened against the handle of his uncles wheelchair. His uncle slipped a hand under his blanket.
Peter sighed softly before contemplating his next move. Although he considered infecting them outright the simulations for their relationship in the long runs were terrible, they would be loyal sure but the cost of that loyalty would be fleeting in the long run. There was some truth to Aaron's words too, if he was in Aaron's shoes he wouldn't accept an offer from some weird punk ass kid with delusions of grandeur even if it killed him, especially when the kid threatening also put made you paralytic for the rest of your life. He couldn't outright kill them because of his restrictions; he still considered them human.
A toothy grin made wormed its way into his expression. He reflexively scratched the back of his head.
Of all the names they could have given him, They had to call out Wilson Fisk.
"One week, give us a week. That's all I'll need… Hell I'll even heal you just to prove a point…So we have a deal." Peter offered as he stood up and moved over to Arron. He bite his right thump hard enough to draw blood. Aaron and Miles observed with interest as the blood levitated above his left palm before solidifying into a bright crimson crystal shard pulsing ambient with energy.
He reached his right out for a handshake with the man.
"My word is my bond kid, you do that and we're in." He grabbed Peter's outstretched hand and shook it firmly.
"My names Peter, not kid, and remember, if you back out on this, you will die. There will be no second chances, isn't that right Cypher?" Peter asked aloud.
The TV started blinking as if it took a life of its own, getting the attention of the uncle and nephew duo.
'Thats right' in bold Times New Roman were printed on it in blue as multiple videos of their crew, including Miles mom and their time in the hospital in the present was displayed in real time.
'Cypher knows Best.' The printed words continued.
"Now clench your teeth. Miles you might wanna hold him down, this is gonna hurt."
....
-Location Unknown-
(November 2:45pm)
"Are you sure about him cat? I still have some connections with the guild, you could run, forget about me, I'll be alright" Walter Hardy spoke in hashed worried tones to his beloved daughter though the phone line. They were separated only by a thick layer of tempered glass.
He was an aged old man with kind eye's that didn't suit his image as a notorious wanted criminal in super max prison. Untrimmed and wild pale blond hair covered his head and face, he had a slick but bushy beard with long blond hair that held their untamed quality despite his attempts to brush it back.
"No, Walter, I told you it's alright. I can deal with this on my own, besides it's to late for me to run now. He's already got something on me." Felicia Hardy reassured her dad as best she could after explaining recent events.
"I know how this sounds Walter but trust me on this. It's one of my feelings again, Peter won't hurt me, not unless I give him a reason to and running is a reason. I only felt something like this for one other person and that was Ava."
Walter blinked in surprise with the mention of that name. Suddenly moving closer to the glass.
"Ava? But that's impossible. Is he?" he asked Felicia.
"No, he isn't, I thought he was at first but, his something else entirely." Felicia spoke softly. She paused as if trying to find to the words to best describe the walking enigma that was Peter Parker to her dad.
"Wait, don't tell me?" Walter's eyes lit with something only a father would know, but his daughter caught on quickly.
"D-Walter no, it's not like that."
"Felicia darling, I didn't say anything"
"Your eyes say it all, get your head out of the gutter you perv. It's just a working relationship. I fell like he really help us here. Okay, thats all there is to it. Don't make this weird."
Walter sighed and messaged the bridge of his nose. " Alright, alright, your life's yours, I won't pry, but I'm just saying, back in the day before I met your mother, I had some pretty spicy-"
"Oh god, please not this again" Felicia groaned as she felt Walter trying to impart some fatherly wisdom.
*bzzzzt*
A buzzer went off signaling the last ten minute mark of visiting time. A solemn silence fell over the two for moment as the found simple comfort in each others presence; an estranged daughter and a convict father.
Walter began shortly after softly placing his hand on the other side of the glass. Felicia mirrored his actions.
" Okay. You know I trust your instincts kitten but I just wanna be sure. If you feel like you can handle this than your old enough to make your own choice with your client ell. I'm just worried about you that's all. Just do what you can, nothing more."
"I know…Walter, I will. I'll get you out of here soon. I promise." Felicia felt a sudden chill travel down her spine as she said that.
...
-New York: On a train-
( 4:10pm)
Yuriko Watanabe sat in a train wearing a hoody, with cap and glasses to hide her identity from the public. She did her best to calm herself down after that disastrous first therapy session. She may have got on the wrong section of the train cause around her sat dozens of other kids from schools she didn't now.
She took deep calm herself down, the noise atmosphere helped distract her somewhat. The train exited the tunnel onto a bridge allowing her to look out on the streets. Suddenly she froze still, her newly enhanced eye sight picking up something in the distance that over the horizon. Just above the newly completed Stark building.
"What the hell is that?" she heard one of the adults say out loud as the noise train grew silent, every one moving to her side of the widow to get a gimps at what she was looking at. If they could see it too then she knew she wasn't some vivid day dream or hallucination.
This was real.
...…
-On the roof of the Hospital-
(4:10 pm)
After dealing with Prowlers Peter left them to visit his Aunt and Garfield. He spent an hour with them doing the usual routines, he changed the vase with new flowers, cleaned up whatever the nurses missed and talked to her about whatever came to mind for a while before stepping onto the roof for some launch. Three extra-large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. He was already down to his last piece because that glutton Garfield gobbled up a whole box before heading down to return to may's side.
All things considered today was an good day for him. He helped some weird kid out, solidified his first recruitment and spent some time with his aunt. Cypher was busy at work after his little stunt/prank on the Prowlers. His algorithm was still crawling the meta-verse undetected with a hand full of candidates already. He added a few subcategories to the algorithm to sweep for other possible options to cover more ground and increase the number of possible candidates he could recruits.
Right now he had forty five sub categories running with the main sweep.
His thoughts wondered over to Felicia; she was the only one he hadn't got an answer form. But only time can tell what her choice would be.
As he was finishing his last slice of pizza his instincts buzzed to life. The pizza fell slice form his hands onto the road a couple floors down. Peter followed his instinctual pull and turned sharply to the left.
There beyond the horizon of the city streets stood the illustrious stark tower and above it the skies raptured.
A bright beam of blue light lit up the cloudy skies and painted in its place a starry night. What could only be described as a portal tore its way open and from it gigantic metal beasts wormed there way out flanked by tiny swarms of armored creatures diving out of torn spatial fracture like a swarm of bee's from a bee hive.
Shortly after the light show the sky began burning with multiple explosions as lightning streaks struck down from a storm less sky leaving charred corps in its wake.
"AAAaarrrrrgggh" Peter groaned back in protest as he fell back on his back. "So much for a good day, damn Parker Luck." He complained to himself as he began to send mental orders to Garfield.
...…
(Chapter End)
{
Arron Davis
Sin of Sloth
Branch: Inertia
Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)
}
{
Miles G. Morales
Sin of Envy
Branch: Rivalry
Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)
}
{
Felicia Sarah Hardy
Sin of Lust
Branch: Wonder-lust
Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)
}
A/N: Battle of New York coming up.