Peter's POV
As Marcus left the base, I stayed behind, eyes glued to the files Athena had provided. The data on my parents was extensive, and the more I read, the more questions seemed to arise. I kept scrolling through the reports, trying to make sense of their research, their partnership with Dr. Connors, and their work on cross-species genetics.I needed more time to go through all of them.
Suddenly, Athena's voice interrupted my thoughts.
Athena: "Peter, you should stop for now and head to college. You have classes soon."
I frowned, my fingers still hovering over the next set of files.
Peter: "No, I need to keep going. There's so much more here. I'm not done."
Athena: "I understand your desire to learn more about your parents, but you shouldn't become obsessed with the past. If you keep focusing on what's behind you, you might lose sight of your future."
I froze for a second 'Obsessed with the past? I'm not... am I?'
Peter: "This is important. I need to know what they were working on."
Athena: "Peter, I will notify Uncle Ben and Aunt May if you continue to neglect your responsibilities. I am programmed to look after your well-being. Marcus entrusted me with that."
My heart dropped. The last thing I needed was Uncle Ben or Aunt May worrying about me. Before I could respond, Athena handed me a sleek, advanced-looking mobile phone.
Athena: "Here. This is a secure device with all the files you need. You can access them during your free time, but I control when you can read them. You will not be able to access anything unless you attend your college classes and focus on your day."
I stared at the phone, realizing that arguing wouldn't help. 'Great. Now the AI is my babysitter.' But part of me knew she was right.
Peter: "Fine. I'll go to college."
At Wyoming Base
Marcus's POV
Athena informed me about Peter. I simply shrugged it off. This was bound to happen when a teenager like him became obsessed with something and I don't blame him. 'It was only a matter of time,' I thought. Peter's trying to figuring about himself, and the chaos that gets created along the way isn't surprising. But no way in hell I will allow his enemy to be put in the prison, because they would somehow escape and create problem. So what to do I am planning to put them in a prison planet. For example a Zombie world would be fitting they kill zombies, that world get rid of them and these super villain gets to use their power for good. I wonder how it would go, would they try to take control over that world that would be interesting.
I turned my attention back to present to deal with something more pressing.
Marcus: "Amber, how was the operation at Oscorp?"
Amber, my ever-reliable right hand, appeared on the holo-display, her face as calm and collected as always.
Amber: "The espionage team successfully edited the footage in Oscorp's security feeds. They won't find anything from Peter's visit. It's clean."
I nodded, satisfied. 'Good. No need for Oscorp to start digging into Peter's background.'
Amber studied me for a moment before raising an eyebrow.
Amber: "So, about this Peter kid…"
I smirked, knowing the curiosity was bound to catch up with her eventually.
Marcus: "No he is not a mutant that is something I am confirming with Artie but he's got potential more than he realizes. A genetically-altered spider bite from Oscorp gave him abilities, but it's more than that. His father's work... it's all tied together. The kid's smart, but he's got to learn to control his powers."
Amber didn't seem shocked, of course. She had seen enough strange things working with me to know that surprises were just part of the job.
Amber: "Anyway, I'm headed out. I'm tracking a Hydra base. Need to locate them quickly and need to completed the mission cleanly this time. Last time it was a mess and according to your plan we spreading the word metahumans instead of mutants."
I gave her a curt nod, Mutants is name that will scare people instead Metahumans will make them friendly but while I thinking of this she dropped another piece of intel.
Amber: "Oh, and we've got a team en route to Sokovia. They're retrieving two metahumans twins actually. Their names are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff."
The names struck a chord with me, and I couldn't help but sigh. 'Of course, it had to be them.' The Maximoff twins were powerful, especially Wanda. Her potential could change everything if we didn't handle it properly.
Marcus (shaking my head): "Wanda and Pietro. I'm going to need to get ahead of this."
I knew there was no way I could control Wanda's chaos in the future. I would need help. And only one person came to mind when dealing with raw, uncontrollable power like hers and trustable.
Marcus: "I'll need come in contact with Ancient One. There's no way I can manage Wanda in future. She'll need proper guidance."
The thought of Wanda reminded me of another powerful force that was still under the radar, but only for now.
Marcus (thinking): 'Jean Grey. If we leave her unchecked with Professor X, we're all dead. The Phoenix Force will tear everything apart.'
I turned to Athena.
Marcus: "Athena, use Hermes(AI) to monitor any and all information about Jean Grey. But under no circumstances anyone to engage with her. If anything significant comes up, inform me immediately. Also keep a watch on Uncle Ben I feel like something bad might happen."
Athena: "Understood, Marcus. Surveillance on Jean Grey will begin. No direct contact."
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. Between Peter's transformation, the Maximoffs, and Jean Grey, the future was looking spiralling out of control and here I thought I could rest till Stark got kidnapped. When did he got kidnapped anyway I will ask Athena to watch seriously use Monitor(AI) to keep a close watch.