The next day was Saturday. And because it was a day off, and after yesterday's presentation, the video of which went viral on the Internet like hotcakes, with views on YouTube alone reaching five million, the number of people who came to Stark Expo increased five times more than on Friday. In addition, many tours of schoolchildren and students arrived that day by invitation. There were queues in front of flyers and speeders, even though there were also classic electric cars and buses to get to the pavilions.
People finally saw the miracle that science fiction writers predicted in their novels. They saw the very "future" that had suddenly arrived. And the point here is not only and not so much in the breakthrough technology itself but in its so fast, practical application. After all, the same computers or smartphones evolved gradually from the most primitive button to a whole multimedia centre in your pocket. The latest revolution in this respect was the Gphone from Ozcorp in cooperation with the Baxter Foundation, released fifteen years ago. For the first time, the companies combined many existing but disparate technologies into one device and took a different approach to software. And even if Ozcorp isn't a leader now because of its rift with Richards, back then, the first all-touch phone that could be controlled with fingers and gestures rather than a stylus controlled comfortably was truly revolutionary.
But even that success pales compared to the creation of the first car that truly flew at quite a reasonable price, rather than being converted into an aeroplane or helicopter. It's as if the steam engine had appeared in medieval times.
And so, among the crowds of people of different sex, age and skin colour, who all watched the flight of flyers with their eyes like little children, there was a school excursion, one of many. It was no different from any other such excursion. Boys and girls from sixteen to eighteen years of age. Among them, as it often happens, there was a certain hierarchy. There was a caste of "coolies" and their lackeys. Among the boys, it was mostly members of sports teams and a few majors. In this case, the chief among the "cool" was Flash Thompson, a tall, broad-shouldered, athletic blond who looked more like twenty-five than his nineteen years - twice he had stayed on for another year, which made him extremely sensitive to the mention of this fact of his life, and for the same reason he hated "smart guys". Among the girls, the "cool" ones were cheerleaders and those in relationships with boys from the first group.
The opposite "caste" to the cool ones were the outcasts. These are not necessarily "nerds" and "nerds" but chosen victims who are bullied to increase their self-worth. There are usually only a few - one, two, or three at most. The main thing here is not even that the outcast is different in some way, such as being overweight, but that he cannot fight back and does not have influential parents. Or at least not run to them to complain. It was unlucky to be in this small group of a stubby, short boy of fifteen years of age, who not only lived in a poor family, because of which he was dressed in second-hand clothes, but also he did not have not only a car, which had already half of the class but also a normal smartphone. And what was the point of Peter Parker buying something cool if Flash would break it anyway? In fact, because of poverty, puniness, and the fact that the guy had jumped two grades to Flash's liking, Thompson had chosen him as his punching bag, displacing even the fat Hawaiian-born Ned Leeds.
There was another reason, however, as if it weren't the main reason. And that reason was Mary Jane. Not by years, a tall and shapely girl with bright red hair was the object of Thompson's interest and, simultaneously, a childhood friend and Peter's neighbour. With kindness and affection, the girl treated Peter as a younger brother, which caused jealousy overflowing the testosterone guy. Parker was unabashedly in love with the neighbour's laughing girl, who constantly tried to pull the scowling guy out of his nerd outburst and protect him from Flash's attacks. She was only making things worse, though. The latter would use his fists and humiliation to vent his frustration if she wasn't there.
At the moment, Peter Parker was relatively safe. Firstly, they were on an excursion under the supervision of Miss Creighton - an extremely mean and strict old woman, an algebra teacher and part-time deputy headmistress. Secondly, in Parker's hands is a trusted school camera. He was chosen as the school photographer without consent, and the camera was crammed in by force. But if Flash breaks it, he'll have to pay for it. Thirdly, next to him was Mary Jane, wearing a white T-shirt knotted like a tank top, revealing a slim tummy and criminally short blue shorts, which Peter was embarrassed to look at and afraid of an understandable teenage reaction. It was also dangerous to look at her breasts, for Mary had a hard three, but she didn't wear a bra on principle. However, Peter knew that she dressed like that to spite her mother and stepfather, with whom she had quarrels almost every night. But it didn't make his libido any easier. That was why he looked at her mostly in her genetically endowed beautiful face, which was exactly what the girl liked. And there was no contradictory female logic in it. A rich man wants to be noticed not only for his money, so girls want to be noticed for their bodies. Attention is nice, but not when it is directed exclusively below the belt. Unless there are rare exceptions when a girl just wants a brief, non-committal connection.
- Peter, look! - smiling, Mary exclaimed delightedly, pointing with her hand at the flyer that flew overhead and fluttered her blood-red hair.
The rental models had a limited selection of shapes, so at the moment, it looked like a red Ford Mustang. To avoid paying royalties to the companies, Tony creatively reworked popular models. No, it was possible to make full copies, but on the condition that an officially licensed image was bought. This was the same method the creators of the video game series "GTA" used to circumvent copyrights. Parker clicked the shutter release button, "filming" the girl.
- Did you have time to take a picture?
- I did," replied a satisfied Peter.
- I still can't believe it's possible! How do they fly? They don't have wings?
- A repulsor system of ion-jet engines ionised by a laser beam! Tony Stark is a genius! I thought it would be another thirty years before this technology was mass-produced!
- Tiger!" laughed Watson, calling her old friend by his childhood nickname.
The boy had shielded her from bullies long ago, even though he'd been punished for it. So she started calling him the brave tiger. However, by adolescence, the bravery had gone somewhere. The girl felt more nostalgia and pity for the guy, which did not contribute to the friendship transition into something more. However, she guessed the guy's feelings. Even though she realised that resisting the much physically weaker Peter would be pointless, she wanted him to do it. Grabbed a stool and hit him with all his might if physical strength wasn't enough. But the irrational part of her personality wanted him to do something. The rational part said that such an act would make him a freak and threaten him with a trip to the psychologist if not expulsion. People were often at odds, though, so it wasn't strange.
- You can be such a bore sometimes... You know, I don't remember if I told you or not, but my own father was a military pilot. I remember my mum and me watching him fly. He would land and take me in his arms and tell me that when I grew up, he would take me up into the sky where the clouds were candyfloss, and the sun was so close you could touch it with your hand. When I was eleven, he was sent to Iraq. He never came back.
- Are you crying? - Peter was extremely awkward with girls and didn't know what to do.
- No, I've got something in my eye," Mary Jane said, wiping away the tears and quickening her step.
- Pete," Ned Leeds, walking beside him, shook his head, "sometimes you're such an idiot.
- Sometimes?
- Yes, I was wrong; you're always an idiot about anything that doesn't involve studying.
The group of schoolchildren had by now approached the Ozcorp pavilion. It was a neoclassical rectangular building in green colours with a huge company badge shaped like an open circle on a dark green background. Inside, the role of the tour guide was taken over by one of the company's employees, a woman in her early thirties with a smile that never left her face. However, in every sense, the service personnel of the USA is rather a rule than an exception. An employee can be tired and hate everyone around, but he must smile and be polite to the client no matter what. After correcting his slightly sleeping glasses with his finger, Parker began to do his "job" of taking pictures, for which he would not be paid a cent. He was one of the few who tried to listen to the tour guide's speech. He also took pictures of all the exhibits he encountered along the way.
- In the very centre, you can see the prototype of the glider and the pressurised spacesuit for it," the woman pointed to the centre of the room, where on a pedestal was a mannequin in dark grey armoured overalls half-sitting on the glider, which was a downward curved flying wing with jet engines at the back and bottom. - Made of Kevlar, it allows...
- Parker!
Peter stared so intently at the exhibits and descriptive plaques that he didn't immediately realise Flash was talking to him.
- Hey, are you deaf? Do you need your ears cleaned?
- What?" the confused Peter finally turned his attention to him, which made the bully even angrier.
- Fuck you, motherfucker. Did I hear you made Mary Jane cry?
- No, I didn't... - Peter looked around and realised that most of the group had dispersed.
The teacher was discussing something with the guide, and they were in a kind of arachnarium with little red and blue spiders running around. Thompson's arseholes were blocking the view with their backs.
- I didn't do anything!
- Well, I'm not doing anything, either," Flash kicked Parker under his breath and whispered in his ear: - I told you to stay away from Watson. You need to understand better, do you?
Parker's breath hitched, and his glasses fell to the floor. When he bent down to pick them up, he got a kick in the arse, so he lost his balance and flew headlong into the arachnarium, which fell to the floor and shattered. Thompson and his mates immediately retreated, and Peter received several bites from scattered blue-red spiders.
- What's going on here? - Miss Creighton asked sternly.
- Parker is so awkward that he tripped and fell on the aquarium himself! - Flash didn't know such a word as arachnarium. - The guys will confirm!
- Is it true? - The teacher asked the boy sternly, only Parker didn't answer her.
He turned pale, covered with sweat and shook in convulsions. The frightened guide immediately pressed the emergency call button. There were two of them: one for medical assistance and one for security. But the first to appear was neither of them but Tony Stark himself. Who pushed apart the shocked teenagers, especially the red-haired girl who was futilely trying to perform CPR.
- He's not breathing! - screamed the sobbing girl hysterically. The only one who did anything, well, except the guide.
- This is bad," Tony commented, using his diagnostic spells.
He had just happened to be in the neighbourhood and, alerted by Jarvis, had gone this way. Even though it's Ozcorp's pavilion, the schoolboy's death will be indirectly attributed to him and his corporation. It's still his exhibit.
- I'm taking him to the hospital! You check yourselves for bites or spiders and get out of here. Jarvis, find out who's supposed to be doing this.
Calling the flyer, Tony climbed inside with the puny teenager, and darkening the windows, used the port key to his home, casting small healing charms along the way, which fed the body with oxygen and kept the skinny body alive, but couldn't solve the main problem - the body was rebuilding, mutating. Still, the lack of matter caused exhaustion, heart failure and cell necrosis. Putting stasis on the guy, he was transported to Betty and Bruce's house.
- Betty, open up. I need help with your profile.
- Tony, it's Saturday. Back off! - Bruce's voice came from upstairs.
- Then the death of a teenager will be on your conscience!
- Fucking hell, Tony! - Betty exclaimed; something rattled fell, and five minutes later, a dishevelled girl who wore one man's and one woman's socks was downstairs. It became clear that Stark had pulled her out at an extremely intimate moment. - Well, what have you got there? Come on in!
- No time to explain. Grab my hand! - Moving with the girl to his garage and carrying the undressed teenager with spells into the laboratory, Tony, on the way, told about what had happened to the woman wearing a white coat. - You know, it's like he's been injected with super soldier serum. He's changing, but weirdly, and he's lacking energy and matter.
- Vita rays? - Taking blood for analysis when Tony had lifted the stasis for a second, Betty asked, staring at the microscope.
- I thought about it but don't want to make it worse.
- Not part of it. You better stick it in the DNA analyser.
Another protean device, without which studying this substance would be much more difficult.
- Jarvis, will you decipher it? - Stark asked. - By the way, what's going on with the spiders?
- The carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system is activated, spiders are collected by Ozcorp employees, schoolchildren are checked, there are no bites, - answered the AI voice. - DNA has been analysed. Changes are ongoing; presumably, human genes are supplemented with genes from spiders of different species, and defective ones are removed.
- Can the process be reversed? - Tony imagined a furry six-armed, multi-eyed bloke blowing webs out of his arse and shuddered.
- The process will complete itself if there's enough food," Betty answered instead. - That's what happened to Bruce, though it's a little different here. It's very similar to our serum but with a different profile.
- What about the vita rays?
- As well as speeding up the serum, they stabilised it, preventing it from mutating further. So, theoretically, the kid could benefit from it.
- We don't have much time anyway," Stark frowned, which was rare enough. - The parents are going to miss the boy sooner or later. Jarvis, find me everything there is to know about this guy. Betty, get the IVs ready, and I'll go dust off the vita ray setup.
Vita rays were concentrated life energy that favoured the human body. In fact, his father had realised the effects of vibranium back in World War II. He had amplified them thousands of times using the metal as a resonator. Tony wasn't lying about the dust; he had to wave his wand while casting Evanesco. But after the spell, you don't have to worry about bacteria - the surface is perfectly clean, which is something you can't achieve by simply disinfecting it because the bacterial shells are still there. Unless you first wash it with soap and water, then disinfect it with a disinfectant, chlorine or ozone solution, and then clean it with distilled water.
At this point, Betty was just coming up with the droppers. Inside, interestingly enough, there were trays for the injectors, so it was no problem to fit the tubes into them. Tony was afraid something might go wrong. There's a hell of a lot going on with proven serums and mutagens. And then this damn thing bit the guy. At least he'd taken the spiders with him to find out what Norman Osborn, or his scientists, had put in them. But at the moment, the minutes were counting because, at any moment, they could come to him and ask, "Where's the boy?"
No, Tony could bring Peter, whose name he had learnt from Jarvis, and a brief biography of him, to the hospital or his house. That would mean killing him, however. The doctors won't be able to pump the guy out or have time to figure out the problem. And in the last resort, if he mutates at all, it would be possible to put him in stasis and grow a new body with his appearance and the original DNA left on the shards of glass... Albeit problematic. A dilemma.
While Betty was administering the IVs, Tony, wearing augmented reality goggles, was reading the file on Peter Parker. From the first point of view, an ordinary bloke, bullied at school, lives with Aunt May Parker, who in her thirty-five looks like a wet fantasy of milf lovers, lost his parents in a car crash. Looking deeper, one could see that the guy could have graduated from school long ago, as his IQ is over three hundred on the school test. And the test was created by the notorious Reed Richards, who had a score over five hundred. Stark has four hundred and forty... "Stupid test," Tony thought at the time. And the guy used this intelligence and corresponded extensively with luminaries of science, for example, with a professor at New York University and doctor of biological sciences, Kurt Connors, who had long offered to help with admission since de facto Parker became his protégé. "You can't spit anywhere," Tony thought, "as you'll fall into genius.
However, this is not all. By digging deep and where you can not, Tony learnt that Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's parents, were scientists working for Shield. What happened and what they were doing is unclear, but they both were "lucky" to die in a car crash. Stark shuddered. His father had also worked for Shield and had also died under similar circumstances, along with his mother. And there, too, he had been unable to find any trace of him, no matter how much he searched later. His parents were cremated according to the will in closed coffins. Finally, all the preparations were completed, the rig was plugged into a 380-volt outlet, and Tony closed the lid. As he lowered the switch, a bright yellow light poured out of a small window near the face and joints. Tony and Betty covered their eyes with their hand. After counting thirty seconds, Stark switched off the rig and looked inside.
- Boy's gonna be popular with the girls now," Stark grinned.
- Not all girls like a good-looking athlete," Betty grinned, looking at the teenager, who looked like he'd been doing track and field all his life and hadn't bothered to look at the weightlifting...
- I think those who like bald older fat guys are most excited by the most intimate part of a man's body," he continued, glancing at the indignant look on Ross's face, who had already taken in a mouthful of air for a rant: - 'It's the wallet.
- Pfft, Tony, can't you be serious occasionally? - Taking blood for a test, the scientist asked.
- When I'm serious, someone usually dies either before or after. So it's better to be cheerful," Stark shrugged, moving the boy to the couch with spells.
The magic checks showed that the changes had been completed and stopped. Betty confirmed the same two hours later, using scientific methods. Peter had been saved, but his changes had yet to be explained and to understand what the serum had done to him. Yes, even though the mutations were gone now, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't occur later. Tony went to his room, taking a white shirt and trousers. He didn't look at them. He had a whole bunch of them anyway. Then he returned and woke the sleeping teenager with an energy wave.
- Aunt May, just five more minutes... - Peter realised he was not home.
Windows slanted towards the sea, grey concrete walls, many elite cars he had seen only on the Internet, and a pile of equipment along the walls as if from science fiction films. As he reached for his glasses, he suddenly realised he didn't need them. It was the first time he'd seen everything so clearly without his glasses; with his minus-five vision, he usually saw only blurred silhouettes. Turning his head slightly to the side, he saw--
- Mr Stark, am I dreaming?
- Of course, you are. And now you're pissing your pants at seeing me," Stark grinned, watching the boy's face stretch with pleasure. There aren't many people with such lively facial expressions. - All right, all right, I'm kidding. You've only been bitten by an experimental spider with a super soldier serum.
- You're kidding me? - the teenager couldn't believe it.
- Of course, I'm kidding. You're asleep.
The boy even pinched himself on the arm, and, shrieking in pain, he had no choice but to believe everything said. He couldn't help believing his idol, even if he didn't completely eliminate his doubts.
- So, what, I'm like Captain America now? - asked the teenager, almost jumping up from the couch and immediately realising he was naked.
- Clothes in your feet," Tony said with a chuckle. - And by the way, you, like Cap, almost threw off your hooves.
- What?" Parker froze in shock, pulling on more Calvin Klein underwear than his entire wardrobe.
- Nearly died, gave his soul to God, played in a box, glued his flippers together, committed suicide, ordered a long life," Stark summed up, looking into the devastated eyes of Peter, who had clearly overloaded: - You almost died, Peter. Only by using all my genius and my father's machine was I able to save you.
- Ah, thank you, Mr Stark. I'll always remember that! Honestly, I must confess that I've always admired you! - The teen continued to dress as he almost squealed like a girl when he saw a girl in a hospital gown come up behind him.
- Boy, it's too late to cover up; I've already seen everything. And I can tell you that you won't get any more girls. Unless I take you to the hairdresser, your head's a crow's nest. And straighten your posture. It's sickening!
- Betty, I didn't know you had a thing for young boys," Tony grinned, playing with his eyebrows. - What about Bruce?
- Tony, you may be my boss... But fuck you! - Betty replied, to which Stark gave a natural laugh.
She knew she couldn't justify herself to him; he didn't like that. But such an answer would do just fine.
- Oh, when subordinates grow up, it's so sweet. I remember you as innocent and polite," Tony wiped away an invisible tear.
- You'll be glad you did," she asked, turning to the dressed teenager, who had done the wrong buttons and was re-buttoning them with excitement: - How are you feeling? Nothing hurts?
- Fine, ma'am.
- Call me Betty," the brunette grumbled. - I'm pretty young.
- I suggest we test the boy's strength," Tony corrected himself when he saw the scientist's angry look: "I'm not going to beat him up. There are enough kilometres and simulators! Do you want to see what you can do now?
- Yes, sir... Mr Stark," he said, "next to his idol, Peter got all soft and didn't know where to put his hands and arms.
- Relax, kid," Stark clapped him on the shoulder. - Let's go to my gym. It's just recycled... For guys like you.
Tony didn't bother to say it was redesigned for him and Sif. The usual barbells and machines were only good for warming up. So a lot of them were converted to adamantium and enchanted. It was a good thing that Pierce was doing it too, so he had a full set of runes and charms for it. If desired, the hall could even be set up with an increased gravity of up to ten G's.
- Wait! - Betty exclaimed, picking up a portable cardiograph. - Attach it. I need to make sure the exertion isn't excessive.
Tony nodded, and soon Peter had the box on his belt and suction cup electrodes glued to his chest. After that, they went one floor up, where Stark's "rocker" was, which was quite ordinary without activating charms.
- What's up? Let's start with a warm-up.
Peter looked at Tony with such a confused look that he immediately understood. The guy was a total stranger to sports.
- Okay, repeat after me.
After the warm-up, stark started simply. Stretching, push-ups, squats, presses, pull-ups. However, seeing that despite no technique, the guy does a hundred in each without losing his breath, he realised he could continue until the next day. So I started to use the machines. Stanovaya pulls, flies, bench presses, and standing were replaced. Tony gradually changed not the number of "pancakes" but the gravity in the room. If Peter had overstretched himself, Ross would have said so, but no. The guy only had difficulty lifting as much as twelve tonnes of weight. And it was almost the level of a teenage Asgardian but a trained teenager. However, it wasn't strength that proved to be the lad's main, pun intended, strength. It was flexibility, agility, and speed. He stretched and bent in different directions as if he had no bones. After three unsuccessful attempts, he could do a backflip.
- Well," Stark stated, with the sound of a dying whale from Parker's belly. - Let's go eat. A growing body needs to eat a lot.
- So what do you say, Mr Stark? - Peter asked enthusiastically.
- You can get an Olympic gold medal in weightlifting and track and field right now. And also," Tony's tone became serious, and his gaze was creepy.
The teenager unconsciously took a step back.
- He'll die if you hit an ordinary man with all your might. No way.
- But I wasn't going to...
- I believe you didn't," the man smiled back. - But you should have known that.
- What am I supposed to do now? I have great power followed by great responsibility?
Stark hummed, making huge sandwiches of fried bacon, ham, beef cutlet, lettuce, onions, ketchup and mustard, cucumbers and tomatoes. One of these he handed to the lad, and the other he took for himself. Under the displeased gaze of Betty, who showed with one glance what she thought of such food, she did not interfere, leaving the men to talk. She examined Peter's blood after the change, before the change, during and after the spider itself. The man replied:
- Forget that nonsense. Remember, little one, only you decide who you are. Not your power, not the public or anyone else. Only you. Think how many people you could save as a scientist. Invent a cure for cancer, and you'll save more than you would if you saved a hundred people a day. You need to study now, go out with girls, like that redhead," Tony quirked his eyebrows. - Think of it as winning the lottery and getting a healthy body. It doesn't oblige you to do anything. On the contrary, you have to worry about mutating into a miracle. I'll see to it, of course, but you've got to have a head on your shoulders, too.
- I wanted to be like Iron Man.
- Well, I'm Iron Man," Tony enlarged his suit but didn't put it on.
Parker jumped at the food and nearly choked on it.
- You're Iron Man?
- Yeah, and I became one as an adult, knowing the risks and protecting myself as best I could. And, you know, I'm not trying to save everyone. There are wars, murders, rapes, robberies and all sorts of things happening worldwide. But there are police, rescue workers, and doctors for that. There are other people, you know? - The billionaire looked into the guy's completely blank eyes and thought, "Is this genius?" - I'm not going to wipe the snot out of humanity. I intervene mostly on a whim, when I have free time, or when I can't do anything without me.
- But what about people dying?
- People die of old age, too; do I have to make them immortal? - Stark snorted, and the teenager shook his head. - As an investor, I can help more. I've already sent two hundred flyers to the largest hospitals in the United States, and another thousand five hundred are coming. They alone will do a better job of helping than I alone can. Besides, everyone should do their own thing. Imagine if you became Iron Spider.
- It's a stupid nickname.
- It's an example," the man said, waving half his sandwich. - So, you're a spider now. And you're doing police work. Who's better off? The police will get lazy because you do everything, and they'll accuse you of interfering with their work. And it's against the law to commit vigilante justice, even to save others. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
- Then what do we do?
- Nothing, like I said. Do you want to help? Go to the police academy or make some device that will help.
- Like a drone with a stun gun? I had an argument with Ned once...
- Wait, what?
- Ned.
- Before that, kid.
- A drone with a stun gun?
- You're a genius! - Stark exclaimed.
He'd already made rescue drones and never thought of something so simple. That's what it means to have a bright and open mind!
- No, kid, you're gonna work for me! You're gonna work like a horse, coming up with ideas!
- Maybe I shouldn't.
- Do you want to be a millionaire?
- Where do I sign?
- Nowhere yet, you'd better call your aunt and teacher so they don't worry.
"And not call the police," Stark said to himself. Not that he was scared of her, but a few uncomfortable questions would have to be answered. And accusations of kidnapping wouldn't reflect well on his reputation.
- Oh, right! She must be going crazy!
- By the way, that red-haired girl was very worried about you and even tried to give you CPR. So warn her too," Stark remembered, and the teenager blushed like cancer.
And in his fantasy, kissing and CPR were hardly that different. After that, Parker called three numbers with a half-dead and seemingly unrepaired old Nokia. The teacher answered briefly and sternly but, to her credit, asked if he needed help. An aunt named May was the one who communicated the longest. She didn't even know Peter was hurt. No one had informed her, so the kid had to spend twenty minutes calming her down, asking her not to worry and not to fly across the country. Tony noted that their communication was more like mother and son than aunt and nephew. Stark had to take the phone out of his hands and reassure May that everything was fine and he was vouching for Peter's safety. It was the only thing that had done anything to calm the woman imagining all sorts of horrors. "Rightly so," Tony thought, for if it hadn't been for him, she'd be preparing for a funeral. The last call had been accompanied by a tearful outburst from the other side and accusations from one Flash Thompson and his cronies. The girl was genuinely worried about the lad, which was no surprise; she could see Peter wasn't breathing.
While the teenager was chatting with the girl, Stark talked to the Ozcorp representatives at the exhibition. After Parker had finished, he brought up a burning topic:
- I got video footage from the pavilion showing you being pushed. Was it that Flash Thompson?
Well, Jarvis has already uncovered a file on this school bully. Captain of the high school football team, Blackhawks, two second years, grades on the verge of a third. His father is a former military man, now the owner of a small logistics company, and his mother is the chief accountant of the same company. So it's hard to call them poor. Thompson has several records in the police for fighting and about a dozen tickets for speeding. His parents have always bought his son off, and at most, he's done a month's community service, but it's probably only taught him to be careful not to get caught.
- Yes, that's him," Peter said through gritted teeth.
- I hope you don't think you'll go and punch him in the face. - Looking at the angry look on his face, Tony realised that that was exactly what he was thinking. - I just told you the other day that if you hit someone right now without holding back, you'll kill them. Do you want to be a killer? As far as I know, New York State won't look at your age; they'll put you in juvie.
- So what do you suggest? Let him get away with it? - The teenager shouted with emotion, but realising who he was shouting at, he apologised: "I'm sorry.
- Adults don't decide things with their fists," Stark grinned. - Even if you could control yourself, what if you punched him in the face? Would that makeup for years of humiliation?
- And how do adults solve their affairs? - Peter, who had calmed down a bit, asked with interest.
- Money and reputation, kid. Do you think Flash is just a captain for nothing? No, it's the only way he can graduate high school and go to college. He gets inflated grades for leading and participating in the school team," he put his arm around the kid's shoulder and continued: - "We have video of him hitting you and pushing you into the arachnarium. We won't be able to prove any harm except morals since I've healed you completely. You still have bites, though.
There was a point Stark didn't immediately realise. The poison was interfering with healing, and they're not as inflamed, but they're still there.
- So we're sending you to the hospital now for evaluation. I'll contact Ozcorp and their legal department. They may not benefit from publicity in principle, and neither do I. Still, if there's a scapegoat, a guilty party, they'll meet me halfway. The arachnarium is worth several thousand dollars, plus scattered spiders, a fight and attempted murder.
- Murder? - Parker's eyes widened.
- What's confusing you? The spiders are poisonous, and it's only by a miracle you didn't die, which is true. Flash couldn't have been unaware of that since the guide warned you, and the sign on the arachnarium was there.
- I don't think Thompson listened to it or read anything.
- That's his problem. Ignorance of the law doesn't absolve you of responsibility for breaking it. Then using this case to formally request school videos. It's a separate conversation about why the teachers covered up the bullying. Still, most likely, they wanted to retain a promising player.
- If you do this, I'm gonna be haunted by teachers!
- You're such a child, Peter. Like they're giving you a life right now? As far as I'm concerned, you could be out of high school by now. But you're not doing it. Why not? Was it because of the redheaded beauty?
The kid's blushing.
- Well, I get it. I have a thing for redheads myself. You can graduate from high school with an externship before a committee. You may even get better grades that way.
- There's no way to punish them. I mean, they'll erase the tapes.
- No, they won't. I already have them. And if anything, Jarvis can restore them. By the way, meet my artificial intelligence. Jarvis, Peter. Peter, Jarvis.
- Nice to meet you, Mr Parker," came a voice from the speakers, causing the guy to jump up and look around.
- Are you really a real AI? - the teenager asked excitedly.
- I pass the Turing test, but that's not what this is about," Stark continued, pacing from side to side. - I reckon we'll get at least seven hundred thousand dollars from the school. Another two hundred thousand for systematic bullying. And attempted murder up to a million dollars. Does that makeup for your suffering?
- How much? - Peter's hoarse.
- You think my lawyers just eat their bread and caviar for nothing? We got case law, kid. Jefferson v. Robinson, three years ago. He got $10,000 in damages for every beating he was proven to have inflicted. Your Flash is so brazen. He's had a lot of his bullying caught on camera. If you ask your classmates, you can prove a couple dozen more.
- I don't think they'd say anything. They're afraid of the Flash.
- Why would they be afraid of a convicted felon? I'll tell you something else, you're probably not the only one hurt by his actions. Maybe he's got some girl in a corner. Maybe he threatened someone else. You open up a barrel of shit; it's gonna come out like a motherfucker. Used to be your aunt was the only one behind you. Now it's me, the AI and my entire corporation. The only thing that matters is that you're willing to go all the way.
- Isn't that a bit much? - the teenager was still hesitant.
- Don't disappoint me, Peter. Altruism is only good when paired with healthy selfishness. People like Flash won't understand your forgiveness; he'll see it as a weakness. And think of the others. Even if you're the one who can stand up for yourself now, Thompson will choose someone else. Thompson goes off to college, and there'll be someone else at school who'll bully his classmates with impunity. Simply because the school administration and teachers don't care. Of course, nothing prevents you from bullying outside its boundaries. Still, a school should be where you are taught first and foremost, not humiliated and dunked in the toilet. So you're not gonna back out?
- I'm not! - Peter replied confidently and firmly.
For the first time in years, he realised that winning one fight would not relieve him. He had been humiliated for five years, and none of his teachers had helped him. Everyone turned a blind eye or only intervened when it was over, and he was the one to blame. He had no love for the school or his classmates, except for Ned and Mary Jane.
- That's good, boy, that's good," Stark clapped him on the shoulder with satisfaction, remembering himself at his age.