"Eyes on the target," Maria said, her deep voice serious in tone. "Permission to fire, sir?"
Fury sat at the console, watching the small aircraft. He didn't know if the boy was on that plane, but, he couldn't afford to let Bloom go for any reason. With a sigh, he nodded, turning his head.
Maria nodded once. "Fire!" she said loudly into the comm-link in her ear. Seconds later, two missiles were set loose on the plane. One just grazed the side, while the second hit the wing dead on. "Confirmed hit, sir! Permission to fire again?"
This time, Fury shook his head. "No, they won't be able to get very far like that." At the moment, the plane started loosing altitude alarmingly fast, and that's when he noticed they hadn't just struck the wing, but the engine as well. "Follow them," he said and sat back to watch. "But, keep a lock on the plane just in case Bloom as something up his sleeve."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony had been chasing the target for about twenty minutes when Friday's voice broke in. "You have ten minutes of air left, and Nick Fury is on the line."
"Well why didn't you tell me that first? Put him through."
Fury's face came up on the HUD, serious as always. "Stark...why is your position two hundred feet below the ocean?"
"Because I'm hunting Moby Dick, why else? I'm trying to get Bloom before he gets away with one of my kids!" At that Fury smiled, like he knew something Tony didn't, and that pissed him off even more. "What do you want, Fury? I'm kind of busy."
"Oh, just to tell you I found Bloom trying to make an escape on a plane thirty miles away from where you are." Tony came to an almost screeching halt, staring at the trail of bubbles. It couldn't be...were they following a dud? The man cursed under his breath.
"Rhodey!" he called and the silver suit stopped, looking back.
"Tony! Why did you stop? We're getting close, I can feel it!"
"Have you noticed, we've been getting close for the past fifteen minutes....and there's always nothing there. It's like we're following a ghost. Or," he looked around. "Friday, do a scan of the area."
"I am detecting multiple devices that are made to make bubbles, boss."
"Shit...you were right, Fury. He had us following breadcrumbs. Where are you?"
"We're just passed Anacapa...in fact, I think I see where your house used to be."
"Very funny...just don't do anything until I get there, Fury...I mean it." He gave the man a glaring look.
"Are you giving me orders now? It doesn't work like that, Tony. I do what I want when I want." That didn't sound good to Tony.
"Just don't hurt my kid," he pleaded, already breaking the surface and heading up as fast as he could go.
"I'll try....I can't promise anything." Then in the background he heard 'permission to fire?' "I have to go." And with that, the line went dead.
"Fury!? Fury, if you hurt him, I swear I'll kill you!" He tried calling the man back, but it was like he shut his line down, because didn't ring at all. "Dammit! Rhodey, we have to hurry!"
"On it!" Came the colonel's reply and they broke the sound barrier together as they shot towards Fury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Octavion was about to put the empty needle into seventy-three's abdomen when he felt what he thought was turbulence. Waiting for it to pass, he lifted the needle again and just started drawing out the boy's blood when the explosion shook the aircraft. "What was that!?" he shouted, looking towards the window and seeing nothing but smoke. "What have we hit?"
Ward was at the pilot's door, speaking in raised volumes with him. "Well loose them!"
"I can't, sir! They have us on lock and we're losing altitude!"
"What's wrong?" Bloom shouted, covering the subject with a plastic dome, a hose attached to the top that kept pumping oxygen mixed with anesthesia in to the boy. "Why are we losing altitude?!"
"A missile hit the engine!" the pilot yelled over the screaming alarms. The ocean, which had been hundreds of feet below the plane, was now hurtling towards them.
"We have to get out of here!" Bloom rushed for the boy, hastily taking off the done and pushing him into the glass cage. "Hurry! Help me get my equipment!"
"We don't have time!" Ward rushed for the parachutes, throwing one at Octavion, who dropped the cage, letting it clatter to the floor.
"You idiot!" He threw the parachute to the ground and picked up the cage, then the parachute again. "You could have killed him! Then where would my experiments have gone?" He put the pack on and went to the now open door, looking down nervously at the incoming ocean. "What do we do now?"
"We jump," Ward said.
"What? Me? Jump into the air? No!" He shook his head, backing away from the door, eyes wide. Ward grabbed the man's arm in a harsh grip and pulled him forward.
"Yes, you. Now. JUMP!" He pushed the man from the plane, waiting a few seconds before following. He wasn't sure if there was another parachute for the pilot, and right now he couldn't care less.
He was out to save his own hide right now. He checked on Bloom, not surprised to see him clutching to the case like it was a teddy bear and not paying attention to his rip cord. Well, like he'd said. Not his problem. But, it would prove useful to him if he could get the experiment away from Octavion, Ward would be able to able to take it apart and study it.
With a sinister look, he pulled his own cord and was pulled up, all the while watching Bloom struggling to find his cord, but it was too late for him. Even if he was able to pull his cord, he would still hit the water too hard and it would be like concrete, snapping any and all vital bones that would be able to power through the waves to keep the man afloat.
The only problem was if it was that hard, it would shatter the box. Ward would have to find experiment seventy-three quick so it wouldn't be lost to the waves.
As predicted, when the scientist found the cord, by the time he pulled it, there wasn't enough air under the parachute to lift him and he was going too fast. With a crack, Bloom hit the blue calmness of the ocean. He bobbed for a minute with the buoyancy of the cage, but the cracks were too much for the water and the outside shattered, sending the scientist's lifeless body below the serene waves.
Too slowly Ward drifted through the air, finally hitting the water hard enough to bruise a few limbs. Looking around, he saw pieces of glass drifting away. Where was the experiment?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I want people in the water now!" Fury yelled as soon as the plane hit the water. "Search and rescue! And remember, your target is small. First to find it, call me immediately. NOW MOVE!"
He never yelled, but now he raised his voice enough for the crew to know he meant business. Dozens of SHIELD agents ran past him through the battlecarrier and to the subnautical vehicles held below.
"Sir? Is everything all right?" Maria asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
"Yes....just something in that plane that I need. I just hope we're able to find it." He wasn't too sure how small Peter was when talking to Bruce, only that he was tiny. A great description on his part.
On a second thought, he stood and he pulled out his phone and sent a picture he'd found after a quick search of the boy's name, to all the underwater subversive agents as he made his way to a boat, Maria following him.
He hoped the boy lived, because Fury knew Banner hadn't been fully truthful about the boy, and Fury wanted to meet him in person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something wet was touching him, that was how Peter woke.
Blinking, he stared up at the blue sky, sun beating down on him. But, something about the sky seemed different. It was almost like he was staring at it without a barrier. Suddenly he shot up with a start and almost fell off the piece of reinforced glass he was floating on. What happened?
The last thing he remembered was being in the cage banging on the glass trying to get free. Now, it seemed like he was out of the clear cage....was he dead? Had Dr. Bloom actually killed him? No, because if he were dead, he'd be on a cloud, not in the ocean, surrounded by millions of miles of blue water.
Looking around, he saw the shore wasn't that far...well, to normal sized people anyway. The boy knew he had paddle, he had to find a way to the the shore. He had to get away, and find his way back to safety, to Tony...to his dad. "Okay, Peter....you can do this....."
Taking a deep breath and not looking at the clear bottom, the boy used his hands to start paddling.
But, he didn't make it too far before a something massive hit the water, causing him and to capsize. In his current state, it was hard for him to tread water, his lung size not enough to keep him afloat. But that didn't matter, for a hand was wrapping wrapping around him.
When Ward hit the water, he'd found where the boy was and aimed for the glass he was using as a body board. Hitting the water caused enough waves to flip the glass, and Ward had removed his parachute before it dragged him down. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed the experiment, but instead of bringing him above the waves, Ward held the small thing just under the water. He grinned at the struggles he felt, so insignificant. It made him feel like a god, holding a small baby bird in his palm.
The boy's struggles lessened, and the bubbles coming from his mouth increased. He was almost gone! Finally, this tiny being would be his to take apart and discover what secrets he had hidden in its blood!
Suddenly, he felt something blunt rest against his head and the man froze. "Raise your hands slowly," a deep voice said into Ward's ear.
The man did as he was told, bringing his hands, and the tiny being, above the water. "You're too late," he laughed, the limp form in his hand speaking volumes, when suddenly he heard a gunshot and nothing else as his body slipped beneath the water.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Floating. That was what Peter was doing at the moment. But, there was something persistent hitting him in the chest. What was it?
"Breathe kid!" It was a stranger's voice calling to him. Who's was it?
Slowly Peter's body came into focus, and through the haze, he saw a man above him, one of his eyes covered by a black eye patch. Peter would have cheered, but he could only cough as air forced itself into his chest, expelling water like a fountain.
"Glad you could make it back, Peter."
"Who," he gasped. "Who are you?" Salt water did not taste good coming up.
"Nick Fury."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony's mind was was thinking about fifty thousand thoughts at the moment, most of them not good. He thought about what Peter was going through right now, where he was. Was he scared? Was he hurt? All these thoughts just kept repeating themselves over and over, driving the man crazy.
"Tony, you need to calm down, man," Rhodey's voice was firm in the comms. "Friday's over here annoying me about your blood pressure."
The billionaire smirked at that. "What do you know, I did program her right if she annoys you. Good job, Friday."
"Tony, I'm serious. You have to calm down. We'll find Peter and he's going to be fine."
He wasn't so sure about that, but he trusted what Rhodey had said in the past, and it turned out to be right. "You're right...I just need to take a few breaths and think about something else." He inhaled deeply, eyes still stuck on the red dot that was Fury's location. "Have you heard from Banner or anyone back at the farm?"
"Not yet, but I'm sure that means good things. Hopefully they're just busy getting what they need from the quantum realm, or whatever." Tony could only hope.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." He just wished they would hurry and call.
"Incoming call from Nick Fury. Should I put it throught?" Friday's voice interrupted.
"Yeah, or else he's gonna hack my systems and get all pissy."
"Damn right I will." The director's face popped up on the HUD. "And after all the trouble I went through to get you a present."
Present? "Aww, and I didn't get you anything."
"I'll bill you later. We're on route to your location now. Keep heading for us and we'll meet halfway." Tony nodded.
"Whatever you say, you're the boss. But, does this mean you-"
"Meet first, presents later," Fury had a knowing smile, then ended the call.
"Damnit," Tony cursed and sped up, going through the sound barrier like it was butter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter sat shivering on the control panel, curled up on himself as he watched the giant man with the eye patch hang up on Tony. It had been a harrowing adventure, but Peter wanted to just leap into his dad's hands and feel the warmth and safety the man provided.
"Here," the man said and dropped something on top of the boy, cloaking him in a world of white. "Tony would kill me if you got sick."
Finally he poked his head out and saw it was a white handkerchief. Shivering, he quickly wrapped himself in it, letting out a content noise. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Now, explain again what happened to you?"
The giant leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and leaning his head on a hand to stare at Peter. Sure the boy had grown used to it by now, but there was something about this man's stare that was disconcerting.
Slowly Peter went into the story of how he was turned tiny, putting emphasis on the parts of the story that even he thought were ridiculous, but true. Finally, he began to wind down to how one of Fury's men found him and the shivering finally stopped. "So now, I have to wait for Sean to come and fix me." He smiled at the thought of his friend.
"Sean O'Cleary?" The giant then turned in his chair to see a screen, typing in the name. "I have heard of him...but it says here, he's deceased. Died a couple days ago...I'm sorry."
At first it was shock that made the boy go quiet. Sean was... "No," he whispered, head shaking. "No, they wouldn't kill him...he said it himself, he was too valuable...only he knew his research." If he was dead, then how was Dr. Pym going to fix him? "Does it...does it say how?"
Fury shook his head and closed the file before Peter could see what was written. "No. The report said he was found in an abandoned laboratory."
Big, brown eyes started filling with tears. Peter blinked away the burning sensation, looking away from the giant man. "Thank you," he said lowly. "For telling me." He had lost another friend.
True he still had Ned and MJ, but he wouldn't actually have them until he was back to normal. He was going to be stuck as a freak for the rest of his life, destined to stay in a lab to be studied by Dr. Banner until he came up with a cure. Suppressing a sob, he threw the handkerchief over his head to block anyone from seeing him.
"Sir, Stark is within radar."
"Thank you, Ms. Hill. Keep on course, open the hangar."
Peter could tell the giant glanced at him and huddled into his white cave, listening to the giant man chuckle. He wanted Mr. Stark even more now. He needed the man's comfort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nanobots weren't even done crawling into his reactor before Tony was storming onto the large heliship. He didn't acknowledge anyone, kept looking straight as he traversed the well known hallways of the airship. Suddenly, he saw something that got his curiosity.
Hammer was being marched through the halls of the ship in handcuffs. He had a deep scowl on his face, but when he saw Tony, that's when he started fighting. "I had him in my clutches!" Justin screamed, his face red under the spray on tan. "I almost bested you, the great Tony Stark!"
"Apparently he knows you," a guard said, stopping to hold the man still.
"Were there any others?" Stark asked, bristling as he stared into Hammer's eyes.
"No. The little guy with Fury told us this was the second man with Bloom, and he was also in the car with the one that hit the girl. He is the one who threw the girl into the car, though."
Instantly Tony saw red. He stared at the man, moving towards him, fury written on his face. "So, you like taking little girls, huh? Especially my little girl?" He stared at the smirking man for a second before, faster than even he thought he could move, Tony brought his fist up and punched the other in the face.
"That was for Morgan. And this," he brought his foot up and landed a kick between the man's legs. "Is for Peter."
He wiped his nose and turned. "I'll let you get back to bringing this scum in. Thanks." He walked away, listening to the man's grunting and the guards snickering, until he reached the bridge.
"Where is he?" Were the first words out of his mouth when he saw Fury.
"Hello to you too, Tony. Nice to see you again." Nick stood. "Is that so simple?"
"I am in no mood for this, Fury. I want my kid, now."
The director's eyebrows went skyward. "Your kid? I thought you only had Morgan..."
"No. Mood. Where is Peter?" Now Tony was starting to get annoyed, and the other man could sense it. He didn't want to play games right now.
"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't poke the bear. He's right here." Fury stepped away from the console to reveal Peter, staring up at Tony with such adoration, it actually hurt to see the kid's face.
"Pete." Tony lunged forward and grabbed the tiny teen in one hand, bringing him close, closing his eyes as he felt the slight weight in his hand. Every little heartbeat, every breath, Tony adored. "I thought I lost you, buddy."
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark....I messed up. I was selfish and wanted to go outside for a bit, and I got Morgan hurt, and I hurt you and Pepper...I'm so sorry.."
Every apology Peter made went straight to Tony's heart and tugged. How was this kid selfish? He was actually the most kind person he'd ever known. "No...none of it was your fault. It was nobody's fault."
"How is Morgan? Is she alright? I know she probably blames me, and that's okay, because I-"
"Peter, breathe. She's not angry. No one is. I'm just relieved to have you back..." He sighed and hugged the boy as close as he dared, bringing his other hand up, cupping the boy against his shirt.
Peter breathed in the comforting scent of Tony Stark. Coffee, motor oil and cologne stuck to the man's skin and clothing and Peter thought it was the best smell in the world. He gripped as much of the man's shirt in his hands as he could, pressing his face into the cloth. "I...I thought I was dead," he whispered, not even sure if the man heard him.
"I thought I was dead, and I didn't get to say goodbye, and that made me feel so sad." He pulled away and looked up to see Mr. Stark's billboard sized face staring down at him. "I never want to leave you, Mr. Stark....I know I have aunt May, and it's going to sound selfish...but..you think maybe I can spend the summer's with you and Pepper? Maybe we could go to the beach or something...Dad?"
Tony smiled down at the boy, his eyes misting over so much he had to blink back the moisture. "Of course, kid. I wouldn't have it any other way." He looked up at Fury, who was watching the reunion with a slight smirk. "Thank you," was all he said and turned. "I owe you one."
"You owe me more than one!" the man called with a chuckle.
Peter didn't pay much attention, because Rhodey came out of the hallway, panting. "This place is huge! I got lost looking for you."
"Well, good thing you found us, because we're leaving. There's a few people back at the farm who are waiting to see you." Peter's eyes lit up and he smiled, hugging Mr. Stark's thumb tightly.
Suddenly the nanobots started crawling under the boy and he gasped at the feeling of them crawling past his skin, his body trapped in Mr. Stark's fist. "Um..."
"Don't worry, kid. Remember that pocket I was making?" Mr. Stark's suit then opened a bit to reveal a space just big enough for Peter. "Finally finished it the other day. Hop in, let's take it for a spin."
Peter nodded and slid out of the man's grip and into the chest pocket, the suit closing over him, wrapping him in a cocoon of warmth. It wasn't until a few seconds later he heard Mr. Stark's heartbeat, feeling it against his body and he felt safe.
"You okay?" The man's voice rumbled through and around him.
"Yes! This is perfect." It wasn't too hot, like the pockets on the man's suits, the metal kept him cool.
"Okay. Let's go." Peter felt the suit take off. The rumbling from the thrusters and Mr. Stark's heartbeat soon lulled the boy into a deep sleep, his body craving it after the hectic few days he'd had.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pepper was pacing after Tony's call, a sleeping Morgan in her arms while they all waited for the three to come back. It was late, but she didn't care. She wanted to see Peter, make sure he was all right, hold him in her hands.
May watched her and after a while, the woman knew she needed to be comforted. Though she was a little sore about Peter calling her mom, but she knew Pepper loved Peter just as much as she did. Getting up, she walked up to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, why don't you put Morgan to bed, and I'll make some tea. Sound good?"
The strawberry blonde stared at May for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, yeah, sure." Pepper smiled slightly. "Thank you."
May simply nodded and watched the woman walk off before letting out a breath and putting a kettle of water on. "I think what you're doing is very brave."
Laura had walked up to her, setting down the phone after calling her kids at their friends houses, letting them spend the night again. "I don't know how I would react if the kids I raised called someone else 'mom'."
May frowned and shook her head. "I don't know how I'm supposed to handle this. I've raised Peter since he was six...I don't know if I can handle it."
Mrs. Barton smiled and took the kettle from the woman, putting it on the stove. The others were on the couch, all talking among themselves. "It can be hard to let someone else in. But, you're doing a great job with it." May had to laugh at that one.
"You should have seen me the other night...I was ready to tear Pepper's head off when Peter called her mom." She took a deep breath and look to where the woman had gone. "But, then I saw the love in her eyes, as well as Peter's....and I knew in order for him to be happy, he needed both Pepper and Tony in his life." That was the moment she knew she had to stop being selfish with hr nephew and let someone else into the little circle she called family. "And that's all I want...is Peter to be happy."
Laura smiled. "That's any mother's wish for her children. And though you're not his mother, you've been a great resource for him and you've raised him so well. You should be proud." With that, Mrs. Barton walked to the couch, joining in on the conversation.
A noise had May turning to see Pepper coming down the stairs and she looked so weary. The woman walked over to the counter and sat heavily on a stool. "Pepper?" Said woman turned her eyes to May.
"You do know everything is going to be all right, right?" May smiled. "I've been around Peter his whole life, and he's always gotten into some kind of trouble, but always he was able to pull himself out. Now, I don't particularly care for the method that he did it, but now, he's got more support than he ever did...and for that, I'm sure he's grateful. I know I am." And she truly was. It suddenly came to her, that as much a family as these people were to Peter, they were to her as well.
"Thank you....I just want our boys to come home," Pepper said, her voice betraying how tired she was. "I know you do, too."
May nodded. "Isn't that a fact. I just want to hold Peter and never let him go....when he first disappeared, and the police said he was dead, I was beside myself....I almost ended it all. But, there was something telling me that he was alive, and that he was coming home."
"Oh May..." Pepper felt so bad for everything that they had done. True that in the beginning they all thought they were doing what was best, even Peter, but now she realized her mistake.
"I promise, I won't ever try and take your place in his life. I really can't, because of everything that you've done for him. All that I can ask is to maybe let us be a part of his life? Share some experiences."
The brunette nodded, wiping her leaking eyes. "Yeah, I can do that."
"Pep, you there?" Tony's voice broke through the moment, making the two women jump.
"Tony? Is everything all right?"
"Perfectly fine. I'll be coming home with a tiny package in my pocket..who, Friday told me is asleep at the moment. The poor kid was bushed."
"I can imagine. Just be careful, okay?"
"Yes dear. I can see the farm now. Tell Pym I want to wait until the morning, this way Peter can get a bath before he does anything. The poor kid reeks like fish."
Pepper and May laughed at that as they hung up, both women smiling at one another. Their family was coming home.
!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The minute Tony touched down, he was grabbed by his wife in a strong hug. He felt her warmth through the metal as he hugged her back, his eyes closing as his cheek rested against her cheek, his beard tangling with her hair. "Hey Pep."
"Hey yourself. Are you okay?" She pulled away to look into his eyes.
"Yes, and I know of a little napping teen who wants to say hello." He tapped his reactor, Peter's sleeping form revealed against the man's chest. "I guess he's not up yet."
May was there in an instant, her eyes glistening with tears. "Oh, my Peter..." she held her hands out, accepting the boy gratefully. "I'll put him to bed."
Tony watched the woman retreat. "Does Pym have everything he needs?"
"Yes. He actually finished getting the particles yesterday. Bruce was very interested."
"Hm, I bet he was. Come on. I want to check on Morgan. How's her face?" Tony was still pissed at the man now in Fury's care. He was also mad he hadn't found out what happened to Bloom...but, if he was out there, Tony would find him.
"She's doing better. Told me 'it looks worse than it feels'. She's so brave." Pepper reached her arm across his back, her hand sliding into his back pocket.
"I know she is. Look who had a hand in raising her," he waggled his brows and she laughed as they walked inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You ready?" Hank was standing over Peter on the table, in his hand a needle. He'd unshrunk a lab from his pack for him and Banner to work in, promising Mrs. Barton that everything would be the way it was later that night....maybe.
The boy nodded, thought his face was ghost white, staring at the long needle and shaking. "I-I-I'm ready..."
Tony stepped forward, giving Pym a harsh glare as he put his thumb over the boy. "Just feel my heartbeat, Pete. Follow it." Morgan peered around her father's arm, giving her 'brother' a smile.
"Okay..okay, you can do this....okay, just do it, Mr. Pym!" Peter squeezed his eyes shut and gripped onto Tony's finger with all his strength, making the man wince.
Hank nodded and slowly inserted the thin needle into the boy's arm, watching what he was doing in the magnifying machine. Once blood started flowing, the man waited a few seconds before withdrawing and held a piece of a cotton ball to the injection sight.
"You did great, Pete." He smiled at the teen and walked to Banner, putting the sample into the computer.
"What's that? It have molecular specs?" Stark was peering over Hank's shoulder, watching every move he was making. "Oh, what's this?" He made to touch a scale and Pym slapped his hand.
"Do I have to tell you to get out, Stark?" he growled.
"Maybe." The man grinned, but backed away with his hands up. "Okay, okay, I break I bought it. I get it." He walked back towards Peter and Pepper, who was scowling at the man playfully. "What a grouch," he stage whispered.
Hank simply rolled his eyes, continuing to study Peter's blood. "This could be tricky," he told Banner, who nodded.
"I thought the same, even without knowledge of the makeup of Pym Particles. And like I said, Sean buried the makeup so well I couldn't even find out what the particles were made of."
Pym studied the blood more and smiled. "Sean, you son of a bitch....you couldn't find the particles because he didn't use my particles....He developed a whole new serum...." He shook his head. Now it would be easy to find out what the late scientist had done. "I just need a molecular view of the boy's DNA."
"Oh, I'm already on that," Stark said, phone in hand. "Aaaaannnnddd....I'm in. Friday?"
"On it." The AI took the image of the blood sample and magnified it, making it a hologram in order for the whole team to see.
"This is why I can't stand your entire family, Stark...you just do what you want. Just like your father." Stark glared and took a step forward.
Bruce was in between the men in a second, a hand on each of their chests. "Guys, let's not do this here. Remember Peter here is key priority. You can duke it out after we fix him."
Tony nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He backed up, sniffing indignantly. "The kid comes first." He turned and picked up Morgan, hugging her close.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours passed and the two scientists worked the entire time in silence trying to reverse the work Sean had done. Finally, when they had just about lost hope, Hank clapped his hands. "I figured it out!" He ran to the white board. "Why didn't I think of this before? You remember when the Kosmosians were discovered? And they brought the bridge?"
Banner nodded, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "That's it! Hank, you're a genius! All we have to do is inject Peter with a reverse serum, then attach the bridge to him in some way."
"And I know the perfect way," Hank said, a glimmer in his eye. "Bill Foster had an adoptive daughter, who was a victim of the first Quantum tunnel explosion. She was affected by the quantum energy and almost died from her phase shifting. He had built her a sort of container...anyway, when we healed her, I opted to hang on to the cabin, just in case we needed it for her. But, the healing particles have been a success. And once we inject those particles into Peter, we can put him in the cabin and attach the brige."
"Okay, I get that, but, how does that help Peter? The bridge, I mean."
"The Kosmosians have been working on a way to send their realm's energy here to this realm for a project we're working on. And no, you can't know the name of it."
"I wasn't gonna ask. But, you're saying, you have a way of transferring energy from realm to realm?"
"Well, almost. It's really a finite amount at the moment, but it may just be enough to do what we need it to do." Hank went to his bag and pulled out a small container, placing it in the middle of the lab. "Stand back." He pressed the remote and instantly there was a huge glass-like chamber.
"I'll never get over that," Bruce said with a smile.
"Now you sound like Scott," Pym complained and went back into his bag, taking out a tiny pin shaped object. "I need you to attach this to the tube in the cabin. I'll continue working on the serum." Banner nodded and took the little object from Pym, observing it. "And don't drop it."
"Hey, I only sound like Scott," Bruce laughed and went to the cabin to begin his job.
Bruce checked the bridge was attached inside the tubing leading from the cabin. May was behind him, holding Peter close to her chest watching every move Banner made.
"Hey, Pete," the scientist said as he turned, smiling at the tiny teen. "Now, this isn't gonna hurt, okay? Just a little stick and an injection. It's gonna take time for the serum to work, so don't expect any miracles." Peter nodded and gulped, then looked for Dr. Pym.
"Mr. Pym?" the boy called and the man walked over. "Is...is there any way for you to fix my DNA too?" Bruce had been waiting for this. He and Pym had talked about it while the team was searching for Peter and they exchanged sorrowful glances.
"I'm sorry," Hank told him. "It would be impossible to change your DNA back. It's been too long and the spider venom they injected you with has had too much time to fully form with your genetic code." Peter just nodded, his lower jaw wobbling. "But, I did hear that Tony had asked you to come back to the compound to train, right? I bet that's exciting."
The teen nodded, smiling, though his face gave his thoughts away. "Y-yeah...it'll be awesome...I just...I was just hoping to be normal."
Hank crouched a bit to look the boy in the eyes, his finger going under the boy's chin. "Now, you listen to me Peter. There is nothing wrong with being different. If all of us were 'normal', we wouldn't have the Avengers, now would we?"
Peter shook his head. "No sir...I-I guess you're right. Okay....I'm ready."
"Good. Miss? I'll need you to give the boy to Dr. Banner." Hank stepped aside for Bruce to step forward. Since he had known Peter longer, it was obvious he would be more comfortable with the boy.
May slid her nephew into the scientists cupped hands, giving him a water smile. "You're so brave," she whispered then covered her mouth.
"He'll be okay, May. A couple of hours, possibly a day or two in the chamber, and you'll have your nephew back." He gave the woman a smile and turned towards the empty glass box.
"Now, Peter, you have to understand a few points. While your body is absorbing the healing particles from the Quantum realm, there will be a little discomfort, but no full on pain, okay? And, you can not speak. Once we start the process, you can't use your vocal cords at all, do you understand? If you do, your throat will continue to grow, but your vocal chords will cease to grow and eventually be absorbed into your muscles, leaving you mute and do some major damage."
The teen grew pale, but he nodded. "I understand. And Dr. Banner?" The man turned his eyes to the teen. "Thank you, for everything."
"You're very welcome, Peter." He climbed into the glass chamber and set Peter on the floor, backing out. "All right. Here goes nothing. Dr. Pym?" The white haired man nodded and started the chamber. "I think it would be best for everyone to leave." He nodded to Pepper, who put a hand on May's shoulder.
"Come on. You can see him once it's over." She smiled at the woman, who nodded shakily.
"I love you Petey-pie," she called before the door closed, leaving the two scientists alone.
"Okay. Chamber door, secured." Banner told Pym, who gave him a thumbs up, inputting code into the computer.
"All right....Injection ready." The white haired man walked over to the chamber, grabbing a syringe from the table. "Peter, I need you to walk towards the tube to your right." Peter nodded and jogged to the spot, holding his arm out, not making a sound.
"You're doing great." He slid the needle into the tube. "Hold still.......and done. Good job." He slid the needle out and closed the latch, securing it. "How's it going on your end, Banner?"
"All good here. Ready whenever you are."
Hank nodded and rushed to his console, opening the bridge protocol. "Bridge connection in three......two......one.....NOW!" He pushed enter and instantly the chamber was filled with a dull, almost black light with gold specks floating in it.
"Wow....that's....it's beautiful."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The air around Peter had grown thick and the boy was finding it harder to breathe, but not by much. But, was it enough to affect his vision, because everything was starting to turn black. He felt his breathing increase as he panicked, looking around.
"Peter," came Dr. Banner's voice. "Your breathing is getting a little heavy. Everything you're seeing is normal, and we can see the black smoke, too. We're almost done, bud. Just a little more and you can come out."
The teen nodded, even though he was sure the giant adults couldn't see him. Peter took a few steadying breaths, remembering the breathing techniques Mr. Stark taught him. It worked like the other times and Peter's breathing came back to normal.
When he opened his eyes, he was suddenly struck with the most beautiful sight.
Gold specks seemed to dance in the black around him, almost looking like stars in the universe. He stared up at them, even reaching out to touch a few that danced by him, laughing silently when they broke apart and melted back together around his fingers. This was amazing. He only wished his aunt could see it.
He sat on the floor and crossed his legs and waited, imagining himself normal again, the image making him smile.
The lights suddenly stopped and all seemed to congregate around Peter before all shooting towards the teen. He cried out as his body was pummeled from the inside out and finally passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours passed and May was getting antsy. She checked her watch. Five hours! "How long is he going to be in there and why couldn't I be in there with him? What if he gets scared?" She had always been the one to comfort the boy when he came home, crying from being bullied and having his glasses broken or had gotten a black eye. Especially after Ben had died. Those were the days where they comforted each other.
"I'm sure he's fine," Pepper smiled. "If he wasn't, Bruce or Hank would come get you. Have you eaten yet?" The brunette shook her head. "Well, you should. It would help with passing the time."
May knew the woman was right as she made her way to the refrigerator, Laura smiling at her as she passed the woman. "I can't wait to see him," Clint wrapped an arm around his wife. "I mean, really see him. So far it's been like trying to read those little dolls...what are they? Polly something. Hate those things. They hurt worse than Lego's if you step on them."
His wife elbowed him in the ribs at the face May made at him, her skin white as a sheet. "I promise I would never have stepped on Peter, though! He was pretty much always in one of our hands...except Natasha or Steve. They thought he was a spy for the longest time."
Steve actually looked at the ground, his face turning red. "I do apologize about that...Once I met you, Mrs. Parker, I knew he couldn't have been a spy for Hydra." He paused and glanced at the woman. "He's actually a good kid."
"Damn right he's a good kid," May retorted adamantly. "I raised him right." She finished making her sandwich and slammed the fridge shut.
"I wouldn't doubt that, and the proof is in the boy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Peter? Are you okay?"
A voice screamed, banging against the glass. The air was still dense as Peter slowly opened his eyes. His body hurt like crazy, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He sat up and winced, a hand going to his head as a dizzy spell hit him.
"Peter! You have to talk to me!" Dr. Banner was pressed against the glass, but Peter was able to see him. It was almost like a two way mirror.
"Yeah," the boy finally answered. He looked at the walls and noticed they were a lot closer than they had been. "I'm okay...is it smaller in here?"
The scientist smiled. "It should be. Pym! Close the bridge!" Peter couldn't see the man, but he guessed this 'bridge' was finally closed as the lights and the black fog went away. Soon, the chamber was empty, leaving Peter alone....and naked inside.
"Holy crap!!" the boy shuffled into a corner and curled up, staring at Dr. Banner with scared eyes. "It worked!"
"I can see that," Dr. Pym came beside Dr. Banner with a large towel on his arm. "I'm guessing Clint can loan you some of his boy's clothes, if not his own." He opened the door and handed the boy the cover, both men turning away as Peter stood to wrap himself.
"Whoa..not used to seeing the ground so far away." The teen raised his hand out and laughed a little, examining his own body like it was some wonder. Well, to him it was. He gingerly stepped out of the chamber, the two man turning to him. "Wow...I can see eye to eye with you."
"Welcome back, Peter," Dr. Banner said, clasping his shoulder. "Let's go get you some clothes." The boy nodded and they walked from the lab and to the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter pushed open the door at Dr. Banner's insistence and stopped when several eyes landed on him. "Hello...everyone."
Instantly May threw herself at her nephew, her tears soaking the boy's shoulder. "Oh Peter! My Peter!" She pulled away and grabbed his face, looking at him. "I missed seeing you like this." She pulled him to her again, squeezing him.
"Well, kid. Looks like you're still short." Mr. Stark came over. "It's good to see you back to normal though. Just sorry it took so long."
"No! Mr. Stark, I am so grateful for everything you've done! Thank you." The minute May let him go to find a tissue, Peter did what he wanted to do from the first week. Beckoning Pepper over with Morgan, he threw his arms around them in a strong hug, not noticing when Mr. Stark winced.
"Peter," the man wheezed. "Let go, buddy..." Automatically the kid let them go, his face guilt stricken. "Maybe you shouldn't try hugs until the Capsicle can give you lessons on how to control your strength."
"Sorry," Peter said lowly, playing with the hem of the towel. Clint came up behind the boy holding clothes.
"Here. These might be a little big, but I'm sure you're used to that." He winked at the boy playfully and handed him the clothes.
"Haha, so funny. But, thank you." Peter disappeared from the room to get changed.
"Who knew Peter was such a cutie?" Natasha said with a glance at Bruce, who folded his arms in a pout at that. "But, I like green still." She winked at Banner, who smiled.
Peter walked back into the room. "Everyone...I want to say thank you so much for everything...." He looked to Morgan, who was smiling, her black eye looking better, but still horrible.
"You were all so brave...and I don't know what would have become of me if you hadn't come that day and rescued me. I'd probably be dead...." he wiped his nose. "So, thank you.."
Steve walked up to the boy and offered a hand. "No thanks are necessary, Peter. We're just glad you're all right." The boy grinned at the captain and grabbed his hand tight, shaking it.
"Now, what do you say about going out to eat? My treat," said Tony, who laughed when everyone agreed. "Moochers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---Three months later---
Peter sat in the back of the car, Happy driving him to the compound. Ever since he'd gotten fixed, Mr. Stark had invited him up for some training to control his new 'abilities'. He was a bit sad that Dr. Pym wasn't able to get rid of them, but they actually helped a lot in the long run.
Even though the training hadn't allowed him to go back to his dance or gymnastics, he was learning a lot more, though it still freaked May out whenever he would walk on the ceilings.
"You okay, kid?" Happy's voice entered his thoughts and Peter sat up.
"Oh, yeah....I'm okay, Happy. Are we almost there?" The driver nodded.
"Yep. You should see what Tony did to the compound, though," the man shook his head. "It looks like Christmas exploded all over the walls."
Peter laughed. "I can't wait to see it!" He looked to the small pile of gifts on the seat next to him. With Mr. Stark helping May out with the food bills, there was a little extra money in the budget for him to do a little shopping for the holidays. It wasn't much, but he thought extremely hard what to get everyone. "Is dad there now?"
"Yeah. He likes to come up every now and then. He asks about your training a lot."
Peter blushed, pleased. "I'm doing good. I don't hurt May when I hug her anymore. I still break some things, like I broke a lamp the other day when I picked it up to move it." He chuckled at that. "May was angry...said it was her favorite lamp."
The car fell into a comfortable silence until Happy pulled onto the road that lead to the compound. Instantly, Peter saw that the man wasn't kidding. There was still some snow on the ground from a storm that hit a few days ago, and that added to the winter wonderland scene that the compound was sporting. There was a giant inflatable Santa standing in front of the compound, waving in the wind.
"Uncle Clint," he laughed and Happy nodded.
"How'd you guess?" The man pulled up to the building and Peter jumped out, leaning to gather all the presents, Happy helping to grab some that fell.
"Thanks! Two of those are yours, by the way. One from me and one from May." That made the man's face light up and he smiled as they walked. The minute Peter stepped in, he was surrounded by red and green everywhere. "Wow...you weren't kidding," he laughed, looking around.
"Told you. If you want, Tony's up in his lab," the man said, handing Peter the presents except two.
"Thank you, Happy."
Instead of going up to the lab, Peter went to the elevator and went up to the common room to find a big tree sitting in the corner. Quickly, he placed the presents under it, but kept two of them in his hands. He turned and finally went to the lab, finding his kind of adoptive 'parents' standing side by side, the woman laughing at something her husband said. They turned when the door opened.
"Hey Pete!" Mr. Stark said, joy in his voice. "Good to see you!"
"Yeah, same." Peter hid the boxes behind his back, and leaned up on his toes. "So, how have you been?"
"Kid, you act like we don't speak all the time on the phone. Get over here." The man held his arms open and Peter smiled, rushing over to give him a hug. "Hey, you're getting better at control. Hardly felt that one."
"Yeah, Mr. Rogers is helping a lot, and so is Dr. Banner. He helped me develop a new webbing solvent that will work with the formula I created. It even fits in the new web shooters I designed. I was thinking of, you know....becoming a crime fighter?" He looked to Mr. Stark and Pepper for approval.
"That's great, honey!" Pepper wrapped her arms around him. "I am so proud that you'll be using your abilities to do something good."
"Yes, that is a good thing. Or else I would have built this for nothing." Mr. Stark stepped to the side to reveal a suit folded on the table. Peter stared at it for a minute before stepping towards it. He ran his hand over the mask, the web design around the eyes. Putting the boxes he held on the table, he picked it up and had to smile at the blue mixed in with the red.
"It's perfect..." he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes. He bunched the material in his hands. "Thank you!"
"Oh? What's this?" Mr. Stark had noticed the wrapped boxes and picked them up, shaking them.
"For us?" Peter nodded, too emotional to speak. The man smiled and started unwrapping his, Pepper rolling her eyes, but doing the same.
The minute Tony saw what was inside the box, he froze. It was an iron man plaque. He stared at the surface of it, reading the words "best dad ever" over and over, feeling his heart melt every time. He glanced at Pepper, who held hers up.
It read "I love you Mom".
The two put their presents down and went to their 'son'. "We love you, too, kid." Tony said and they enveloped him in a tight hug.
This was the best Christmas they'd ever had.
