New Kid On The Block
Six months ago, Peter rode in a private plane for the first time in his life.
Standing onboard the Quinjet, he realized that was child's play compared to this.
“They say accidents always happen closest to home!” Clint hollered from the pilot’s cockpit, a cheeky grin spreading his lips until his back molars could be seen.
Steve walked past them, pulling down the edges of his dark blue Captain America helmet. “Something tells me this was no accident, Barton.”
The jet hovered above the Collar City Bridge, a whopping six-minute flight, at most, from the compound. The speed they flew at amazed Peter; the jet soared through the sky like a darting rocket until they reached their destination.
He once watched it take off from the windows of Happy's car, never dreaming he’d be inside — decked out in his Spider-Man costume, anticipating his first battle with the Avengers.
His first battle with the Avengers. Peter knew he shouldn't be smiling, but he couldn't help it.
This was awesome.
Peering out the windows of the jet, they all witnessed the creature at the bottom of the bank. A giant, stone-like monster wreaked havoc on the small island in the middle of the river, tearing through the foliage like cotton candy.
“We need to contain him before he reaches the bridge," Steve needlessly stated. "With strength like that, he could kill a lot of people."
“No dip shit, Rogers,” Tony bit back.
Peter looked over from the window and at the two men, only hearing their conversation from the earpiece he had been provided with upon entering the jet. It was like being in a helicopter — at least he assumed, having never been on that type of ride either. He was riding in the Quinjet before ever riding in a helicopter — it was insane to think this is what his life had become.
“He appears to be a similar size to Mr. Bruce Banner’s Hulk,” Vision determined, arms crossed as he eyed out the windows.
Though from far above the creature seemed like a speck on the ground, Vision’s judgment appeared to be correct. The rock-monster easily towered over the trees that it tore from the field, tossing them around like they weighed nothing.
Natasha clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Where’s the big guy when you need him…”
She gripped the wall of the jet, studying the chaos below them with a palpable sense of frustration.
Tony looked over his shoulder and towards her, the statement not going unheard.
As if something clicked in his head, he spun around and walked past Cap, entering the cockpit and ignoring Clint’s pestering when he did.
“So…what do we do?” Peter finally asked, nervously looking at the team.
The entire scene was well beyond anything he'd ever experienced before, what with the Vulture being the highlight of his big-bad-guy fights. And of course, that was a fight he did solo. Surrounded by various Avenger members, Peter wondered how he would fit in.
If he would fit in at all.
Distantly, with a train of thought that took a heavy detour, Peter imagined that this was what it would be like on the first day of a new job. Not that he ever held a job before. He realized, all too suddenly, that there was a whole lot he hadn’t experienced yet — helicopter rides, a job — as excited as he was, the pancakes and bacon from earlier started to make him feel queasy.
Steve threw open the back door of the jet. The howling from the rock monster pierced through the roaring engines, and a gust of wind hit them at full force.
With his Spider-Man mask clutched in his hands, Peter's nose was free to smell the saltwater from the Hudson River, the sharp aroma of pine and dirt clouding the fresh air.
Decked out in his uniform, Captain America turned and faced the others.
“Alright, here’s the plan," Steve immediately began. "Clint and Natasha, we need you to stay here and control the Quinjet. Use the rocket launchers if necessary, but stay high and stay away, and wait for my command.”
Natasha nodded, quick to join Clint in the cockpit where he sat in the pilot’s chair controlling the aircraft. He gave a salute to Steve without ever turning around.
Steve continued, “We’re going to need e-vac on the bridge. Rhodey and Peter —”
At hearing his name, Peter’s head shot up, and he nodded before even knowing what his assignment was. He was ready, no matter what the task.
“Get down on the bridge and detour the oncoming traffic. We don’t know how bad this is going to get, and we can’t risk any casualties," Steve instructed.
Tony re-approached the group, the face plate to his Iron Man mask in his hands.
“Yeah, especially with SHIELD up our asses these days,” he tossed in.
Steve made a face, directed right at Tony. "Whether we agree with them or not —”
“Guys." Natasha looked over her shoulder with stern eyes. “Not now.”
Her warning was followed by a howl from below, the creature ripping trees from the ground — one after another.
“Focus on the task at hand," Steve went on to say. "Sam, Tony, Vision, Wanda — you’re with me. Don’t attack until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Tony brought the Iron Man faceplate eye level and its metal click echoed in the jet.
“Aww, where’s the fun in that, Cap?” he mocked, his voice echoing through the helmet, the eyes of his mask glowing white.
He jumped out of the jet before anyone had a chance to respond, his repulsor beams breaking through the air and falling in line with the engines’ roars.
Sam followed him next, his Falcon wings shooting open the moment he cleared path of the aircraft. Vision gripped Wanda’s waist tightly and flew her down, leaving only Steve standing.
He turned to look at Peter, who had just put on his Spider-Man mask. Next to the boy was Rhodey, decked out in his War Machine armor.
With one wink and a smile, Steve fell backward and into the sky, pulling his parachute open with ease.
Peter leaped forward and watched with a sense of wonderment, the blue figure dropping down to the ground with the others, his landing so smooth it was like spreading butter.
"So cool!" he breathed out.
“You guys need a ride down?” Clint asked from the front of the jet.
Rhodey shook his head, his helmet overtaking his face. “Meet you there, Spider-boy.”
He took off as quickly as he spoke, flying out of the plane in similar fashion as Tony. Peter chuckled, peering out the door with amazement. Down at the river bank, the five Avengers surrounded the large rock-monster, each testing its patience to see what would happen. Rhodey had already landed on the bridge, setting up detour sparks on the concrete with ease.
“Peter?”
Looking to his left, he saw Natasha standing next to where Clint sat. Her head was cocked with a glimmer of concern in her expression.
He didn’t even realize Black Widow could be concerned. Peter suddenly furrowed his brows; should he be worried that she was concerned? This was all too new to him. Why hadn’t someone written a how-to guide on this? It would make sense that after a decade Mr. Stark would at least consider the idea.
He settled on giving her a thumbs up, immediately regretting the move and wiping his hand on his thigh.
“I got this!” Peter excitedly chirped.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, doubting him. “Be careful.”
He looked out the door and below them, the wind hitting his mask at full force. He tried to convince himself that it wasn’t that far up and that he had jumped from much higher before. Which he had. He had this, easily, cat in a bag.
A deep breath in, a shake of his hands to calm his nerves — he had this.
“Careful is my middle name,” Peter quipped. He braced his knees before he jumped out of the jet, latching a spider-web onto the side and free-falling down.
Natasha and Clint looked out the pilot’s window, watching as he let go of one web and latched onto another, this one connecting to the top of the bridge. He would let go of that one and connect one more, this time swinging over the bridge in a full loop before landing next to War Machine on the road.
“My knees hurt just watching that,” Clint muttered.
Down below where the others fought, the once plentiful trees that the island held lay scattered in the water, the creature ripping them out of the ground in an angry fit of rage.
“Gosh, no consideration for mother nature,” Tony remarked. He floated in the air on the creature's right side, Sam hovering on his left.
“I don’t think this guy is concerned about global warming, Stark,” Sam drily tossed back.
Steve stood on the ground below them with Wanda, and Vision stayed high in the air above them all.
“Well, let’s see what he is concerned about then.” Tony flew up to his face — or more specifically his head, the creature having no eyes or nose to look at. “Hey, rocks-for-brains, you think you can find another place to dig up your garden salad?”
“Stark, I said don’t engage!” Steve yelled into the comms.
“I’m not engaging!” Tony retorted. “I’m asking him a simple, honest question that —”
The creature threw his hand out and swatted Iron Man away like a bug, sending him twirling in the air until his blasters could balance himself out.
On the ground, Steve gave a hint of a smirk. “That’s why I said not to engage.”
“That’s why I said not to engage.” Tony mimicked childishly.
On the bridge, Rhodey redirected traffic at one far end, Peter on the other. They had the area cleared within minutes, all the cars stopped and backed up in a line that stretched on for miles. Even with the flares littering the road though, it didn’t stop the inpatient people from hurrying across.
Rhodey quickly sidestepped as a brightly colored sports car sped past him.
“Jesus!” he muttered, pointing his finger towards Spider-Man on the far end of the bridge. “Don’t drive like these assholes when you get your license.”
“Wasn’t planning to…” Peter replied through the comm, also hurrying to sidestep the speeding car. “Hey, do they not see the giant dangerous monster in the water?”
“They do,” Rhodey answered. “They’re New Yorkers. They’re used to it by now.”
A roar from across the river bank broke through the air, and they looked over to find Falcon soaring around the rock creature while Steve and Wanda stayed on the ground.
“Eh, they might just be like that regardless.” Peter grinned beneath his mask. “You said it yourself. They’re New Yorkers.”
Rhodey found himself chuckling at the comment. As if on cue, another car broke through the barricade and sped across the overpass.
"C'mon!" Rhodey shouted.
Back on the island, a heavy sheet of dirt began to fill the air as the creature contiuned to yank away tree after tree.
“Okay, Wanda?” Steve looked over at the crimson-dressed woman. “What can you do to hold this guy back?”
She stepped forward and cracked her knuckles.
“I think I have idea.”
With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and concentrated with intense effort, her fingers pouring out a glowing red that increased by the second. When she felt the power at full strength, she threw her arms out in front of her, sending out an enormous force of her energy.
It wrapped around the creature like a blanket, tight and coiling.
They didn’t have long to celebrate. As soon as it hit the rock-monster, it seemed to absorb into him; bouncing right back to them no sooner than they could blink. A force of her own magic shot forward, knocking Steve and Wanda onto their backside and sending Sam and Tony tumbling in the air.
“Whoa!” Sam shook his head, clearing away any lingering dizziness. “What the hell was that?”
“It did not work,” Wanda dejectedly stressed, taking Steve’s hand to help her off the dirt ground.
“Yeah, we caught onto that,” Tony snapped.
Vision, who floated above them all, began to propel forward.
“I may be able to disorient him. Once I do, it could create the opportunity to detain him and question his motives.” He flew down from the sky, his fist clenched tight, a yellow glow wrapping around his arm before it collided heavily with the creature’s head.
A punch that would typically break the entire sound barrier was barely enough to make the creature stumble. His feet stumbled slightly on the ground before he brought his arm up and slammed it into Vision. The same yellow aurora reflected back and nearly blinded the team, causing them to shield their eyes.
Vision was smacked so far back that he flew past the Quinjet high in the air.
Natasha and Clint watched in shock as a red and blue blur passed by them.
“Uh, guys?” Clint asked into the comm.
“We lost our android,” Sam griped in return.
Natasha looked out the jet’s window, watching the flying blur soar further and further away.
“Yeah, we can see,” she casually mentioned. “You need backup?”
“Negative," Steve quickly answered. "Stay at your post."
Tony, still in the air, circled Sam with a hum deep in his throat. “Though I hate to admit it, I think this guy has more than rocks for brains.”
Sam looked over at him, eyes narrowed. “He’s literally made of rocks. You telling me those pet rocks we had as kids are coming alive?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Wilson,” Tony’s voice dripped in sarcasm. “Only not.”
Down below at the bridge, Peter was meticulously setting down more flares across the road when he stood up with piqued interest. A finger pressed hard into his com as he spun on his heels to face the riverbank.
“Are you saying he’s sentient!?”
It was Tony who answered his excited question.
“He’s not showing any characteristics of humanity, barely any intelligence,” Tony spoke through the comms, flying around the creature in an attempt to get his attention. The rock-like monster barely looked around him as he did.
“He’s an android?” Peter seemed thrilled with the answer. “That’s awesome!”
Flying underneath the rock-monster’s arm, Tony seemed to hit a soft spot. The repulsor beams made contact with the granite-like skin and agitated the monster further, knocking Tony far into the air.
He spun backward a handful of times before finding his balance, grimacing beneath his Iron Man helmet.
“Watch it, kid,” Tony muttered. "This guy breaks my face and that won't be so awesome."
Peter watched the scene from afar, wincing as Iron Man tumbled into the sky, the rockets from his hands and feet sputtering until they became a consistent blast. “I mean, uh — not awesome. Not awesome at all. Totally not-awesome-android.”
“What do you suggest, Tony?” Steve asked.
Tony returned to the island while staying his distance, eyeing the creature with curiosity. Sam flew on the opposite side, following his lead in steering clear of the path of the monster. He ripped trees from the ground and tossed them into the river with angry roars, but otherwise didn’t seem to notice the Avenger’s presence.
Approaching from high in the sky, Vision flew down and rejoined the team, floating near Iron Man and Falcon.
“That was...unexpected.”
Tony spared a glance his way. “Yeah, I’d say so. You good, buddy?”
“My functions remain undamaged,” Vision said. “However, I would advise not aggravating the creature again. Such a blow could prove to be fatal had it not happened to me.”
“Listen to Vision, team. Do not engage,” Steve instructed.
Tony rolled his eyes. “You’ve been doing great with that, Rogers. Maybe come up here and lend a hand?”
“He’s responding to our attacks,” Steve patiently stated. “We can’t risk agitating him and getting someone hurt.”
Wanda looked towards Steve. “If we do not stop him now, he will destroy all of Adams Island.”
“We can always take him over to Stomy Island if he decides to continue his temper tantrum,” Sam advised, pointing to the much smaller, tree-covered island across from them.
“No, you can’t,” Clint said. “Negative,” Natasha spoke at the same time over the comms.
The five heroes looked up into the sky where the Quinjet hovered.
“You’re a stone’s throw away from housing development and a school,” Natasha informed them. “Whatever you do, contain it where you are.”
Flying down to the ground, Tony landed on the dirt with ease, the boosters from his repulsor beams giving out and leaving him to stand tall.
“You heard ‘em, Cap.” He crossed his arms. “What’s the plan?”
If there was one thing louder than the rock creature’s angry roars, it was the honking traffic from the Collar City Bridge. War Machine and Spider-Man were barely containing the angry drivers from going on the overpass.
“Whatever you guys decide, I suggest doing it soon.” Rhodey spoke into the comms. “I really don’t want to be on the six o’clock news for holding up rush hour traffic.”
Steve took a moment to examine the situation, absentmindedly rubbing the bottom of his chin as he let tactical scenarios cross into his mind.
“Wanda, Vision — do you think combining your abilities would be enough to hold him down?" he suggested, turning to the two as he spoke. "If we can find a way to contain him without angering him, it’ll be easier to restrain him.”
Wanda looked towards Vision, who came floating down from the air. After a brief exchange, they nodded their heads together.
“I believe using the power of the gem should increase the strength of Wanda’s force field,” Vision stated.
Wanda took a deep breath in. “It is worth a try.”
She concentrated again, this time taking longer, the glow around her hands bright and vivid. Her eyebrows furrowed and her forehead creased, the energy flowing from her body sharp and intense.
Finally, Wanda threw her arms out with a loud and shrill yell.
Immediately, Vision followed suit, the stone embedded in his forehead shooting out a yellow beam of light that followed the path of her glow. They connected and spread out like a large sheet, entangling the rock monster with ease, turning his gray granite skin a pinkish tone.
Sam looked down at the ground where the others stood.
“Did it work?”
There was a pause. The shouts and howls from the creature died down.
“I think so.” Tony’s repulsor beams lit up. “I’m going —”
"RWWWAARRRRR!!!"With the loud roar and same force used on him, the creature discharged the energy that held him down. The power from both Wanda and Vision’s abilities sent the entire team in the air and flying backward.
They barely had time to react, all four soaring back in the sky and towards the river.
Tony was the first to regain his balance, immediately turning on his belly and flying into action towards Steve — he was plummeting straight towards the water, in a free fall descent that had no control.
Tony barely got to him in time; Steve’s legs skimmed the river when he grabbed his waist and whisked him back into the air.
"Sorry, Cap — it's not seniors swimming day!" Tony swore he saw Steve roll his eyes as they flew back to the river bank.
Vision had grabbed hold of Wanda, rescuing her from sinking into the river as well. They stayed further back upon collecting themselves; Wanda's hair was as frazzled as her nerves, her locks blown into her face and tangled with knots.
“Do you guys copy?” Clint asked, his tone laced with subtle concern.
Tony’s feet landed on the dirt ground, setting Steve down with him.
“Yeah, we’re here,” he answered, his repulsor beams shutting off all at once. "Damn thing almost got two of us, but we're good."
As Tony spoke, Steve looked towards him, giving a sharp and curt nod of his head.
"Thank you."
Tony patted him on the back. “Can’t have you crapping out on us yet, Cap.”
“Uh, guys?” Peter’s voice broke through the comms, squeaking towards the end. “I know you want me dealing with the traffic, but uh — well…okay, quick question — do you think this guy is acting like a sponge?”
Steve frowned. “Come again, son?”
On the bridge, Peter walked closer to the edge of the overpass, examining the scene from afar.
“Each time Vision and Wanda use their powers, it’s almost like the awesome android just absorbs them and uses them back on you.” Peter held his hand in the air. “I mean — he’s not awesome, not while he’s attacking us. You. Attacking you. Not awesome android attacking you.”
On the island, Tony’s faceplate shot open. He looked over at Steve, who paused for a moment as he considered the possibility.
A beat passed by before he looked over at Tony, a mixture of realization and recognition written across his features.
“Son of a gun,” Steve muttered. “I think he’s right.”
“Wanda, Vision, you’re dismissed," Tony ordered, shooing his hand in their direction. "Retreat to the Quinjet and stay there. We can’t add any more fuel to this fire.”
The two didn’t need any further instructions. Vision flew Wanda and himself up into the sky, the back door of the jet already open with Natasha awaiting them.
Hovering out the door, she looked down at the scene below.
“Need backup now?” she asked, stepping aside as the two entered the aircraft.
“Yes.” Tony tilted his head to the side. “Parker — get over here.”
“Peter, up here first,” Natasha’s voice butted in.
Steve grabbed Tony's arm. “What are you—”
“Who knows what this atrocity can reflect back at us,” Tony interrupted him, and fast at that. “Do we really want a fifteen-foot tall walking rock wall with Captain America’s strength?”
“I dropped an areobridge on that kid. I saw him lift twenty-five tons," Steve mentioned, a hard shake of his head mixed with his words. "If his strength isn’t equal to mine, it’s better. You’re just giving this creature the advantage by bringing him into the fight.”
Tony's lips pursed with a smile. “Not with the idea I have in mind.”
Steve didn’t have a chance to argue. Peter had already shot two webs onto the quinjet and pulled himself into the air, landing inside and next to Natasha with a visible thud.
They watched on the ground as the two exchanged a brief conservation. Natasha's fingers pointed at Steve and Tony all while Peter shrugged with a sincerity that could be seen down far away.
Ultimately, Peter dove out of the jet, a web sticking to the side as he lowered himself down to the island.
Peter landed gracefully in a squatting position, a single palm balancing himself on the ground.
“What was that about?” Tony furrowed his brows and pointed up to the jet.
“She, uhm, she…” Peter stood up, shrugging intently. “She wanted to make sure I was good coming over here. That's all.”
Tony’s face fell flat. His dumbfounded expression was all too visible with his Iron Man mask open. His eyes darted back and forth as he took in what he was told, his scowl growing more intense with realization.
“Romanoff, do not baby my kid!”
His stern warning was immediately cut short as he realized what he'd said.
And if he happened to not realize it, the look from Steve would've made him realize it.
“I mean — you know what I —" Tony clenched his teeth tight. "Damn it!”
There was silence over the comms. Only the honking traffic, roaring monster, and engines from the aircraft filled the space between.
Even Sam didn’t dare to joke.
Peter stood awkwardly in front of the two, his large mechanical eyes blinking more than a few times.
Steve cocked an eyebrow, and the corners of his lips twitched.
“You do what you want, Stark,” Natasha’s voice finally came through. “We’ll be patrolling the skies.”
If it were possible, Tony’s cheeks began to reflect his red Iron Man armor, his gloved hands rubbing at his forehead despite the pressure the metal put on his bones. It was only when a loud roar and gust of wind hit them — knocking Tony and Steve back and Peter forward — that he refocused his attention.
“Tony.” Steve stumbled to his feet. “You have a plan?”
It was a tone of impatience, one that Tony was familiar with. He sneered, letting his faceplate click back to his helmet and the rockets in his hands light up with full force, lifting him into the sky.
“Yeah — stay back.”
He was at the rock creatures head within seconds, circling around him with Sam at his side.
“You going to include me in this plan of yours?” Sam asked, irritated.
“As a matter of fact, I am,” Tony said. “We need to hit him where it hurts. His arms seem to be the most sensitive, specifically his armpits. I’m going to get under there and launch a few rockets. That should do the trick.”
“And me?”
Tony flew up to where the Falcon hovered in the air, palms outstretched and facing downwards to keep him afloat.
“You still good with those bird calls of yours?”
Sam pursed his lips. “Are you fuc—”
“I’m joking,” Tony teased. “Flap those wings of yours to keep him standing. He goes down and so does everything else within a mile radius.”
Down below on the ground, Peter raised his hand in the air.
“Uh, Mr. Stark?” he forced out. “What about —?”
“Haven’t forgotten about you, Underoo’s.” Tony swooped to the ground, hovering his feet above where Spider-Man stood. “When I hit him, you gotta wrap him up tight like a Christmas present. You think you can handle that?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Sam yelled into the comms. “If Vis, Wanda, and Cap need to stay clear because of their abilities, why does creepy critter web-head get to stay in the fight?”
Tony flew away from Spider-Man and back into the sky, floating across from Sam. “You know he’s not actually a spider, right?”
“You know I’m not stupid, right?” Sam snapped. “If this guy takes his ability to shoot those nasty-ass spider webs, we’re—"
“Dude,” Peter spoke up. “That’s gross.”
Sam scoffed. “You’re telling me.”
“No, that’s super gross.” Peter shivered and grimaced, disgusted. “Did you think the webs came out of me or something? Ohhh, that’s gross, man.”
Tony’s faceplate shot open. His eyebrow cocked in the air, his expression so smug it made Sam hot with anger.
“Want to retract that statement regarding your intelligence?”
Sam looked between Tony and the ground where Spider-Man stood, the boy waving at him while simultaneously pointing at his mechanical web shooters.
“Bite me, Stark," Sam muttered with a glare.
Tony's faceplate shut tight and he flew away.
“Business first, Wilson!”
He was back to the creature within seconds, the rock monster too occupied tearing down trees and throwing them in the river to notice his surrounding enemies. Timing it right,Tony shot his repulsor beam the moment he ripped another tree from the ground.
The beam hit hard, but his cry was even harder. Before he could stumble back, Sam was moving his wings as fast as the quinjet’s engines, the gust of wind that followed keeping the creature standing.
Peter latched a web onto the android and pulled himself in the air, the velocity of his jump allowing him to spin with momentum — wrapping the webs around the creature’s waist and legs with ease.
He briefly had deja vu, the memory of Germany and a 65-foot-tall tall Ant-man resurfacing in his mind. With the creature being significantly smaller, he spun around him much faster and many, many more times.
“Ohhhh, bad roller coaster ride — really bad roller coaster ride!” Peter shrieked, the spin becoming faster and faster. His web tied around the rock creature’s legs until his cartridges ran dry and he flung free.
Peter tumbled backward and onto the ground, landing with force on his back, then his hip, then his back again — he tumbled and rolled with no control. Finally, he dug his fingers into the dirt ground and skidded to a stop, hitting the edge of the island as the bottom of his feet just barely touched the tip of the river’s water.
“Did we do it?” Peter looked up, quickly, not daring to move until he got an answer.
At the far end of the island, the creature stayed immobilized, wrapped tightly from the arms down in spider-webbing.
“I think we pulled it off,” Tony announced. “Not bad, kid —”
A roar pierced through the air.
It didn't come from the rock android, the creature seemingly still after being tied together.
Peter’s head shot over to the bridge, slowly standing from the ground as he took the time to replace his web cartridges.
“Guys!” Rhodey’s panicked voice cut through the comms. “We have a major problem.”
The roar came again, a deep angry yell that cut across the bridge.
"RWAARRR!!!"
The team didn’t need Rhodey to explain. They watched in horror as two cars were tossed aside from the Hulk’s path, flying towards the river as he let out a loud, angry cry.
“Oh, no!” Peter was in action before he could finish speaking; two webs shot on the bridge’s structure, allowing him to yank himself into the air like a catapult.
Tony was right behind him, the heat from his engines blasting on the souls of his feet.
Peter pressed his two fingers down firmly on the centers of his palm, sending out web grenade after web grenade. It felt like his fingers weren't moving fast enough. They created two nets of sorts on each side of the bridge, like sticky hammocks, right in the destination of each car that was thrown in the air.
Both cars landed on each web blanket with a slight bounce, giving Tony enough time to throw the doors open and evacuate the citizens inside.
Sam took precedence over the other car, helping a family of four out and taking them to a place where they could be safe.
The incident didn’t stop Hulk. He beat his chest and slammed his hands down on the bridge’s tarmac, leaving the structure to crack and break under his strength. Before Rhodey could even process what had happened, he jumped from the bridge all the way to Adam’s Island, his landing so powerful it threw Steve onto his back.
“Am I the only one seeing this?” Clint asked from the Quinjet.
“Negative,” Steve breathed out in shock, dirt emerging into the air like clouds of dust. He slowly rose to his feet. “Hulk is definitely here.”
Natasha ran to look out the jet's windows in a mixture of shock and terror, and Clint did a few double takes her way.
Her face had significantly paled, and her mouth was slightly ajar, but she remained otherwise silent.
“Okay, I guess I’ll be the one to ask,” Sam spoke up. “How?”
Tony took off from the bridge and back to the island, jets blazing across the river water.
“That was me,” he said, succinctly. “Sorry. My bad.”
It was a couple of seconds before he landed on the ground next to Steve, the Captain having stepped back and far away from where the rock monster and Hulk interacted.
Hulk was immediately enraged, tossing him onto the ground, attacking the rock android with all his might.
“Your bad?" Steve sounded far more confused than he was angry. "Tony, what —?”
Voices crashed together, “How did you —?” “When did —?” “How the hell —?”
Their voices overlapped each other on the comms, creating a distortion of an audible mess that couldn’t be untangled. As Peter came swinging back to the island, landing on the ground in a crouching position, Tony held his hand high in the air to quiet the multitude of questions.
“One at a time! Christ!" he shouted, a hard shake of his head following suit. "Banner showed up at the compound the other day. It’s a great story, really, but now’s not the time to hash it out!"
Steve still sounded more confused than angry. “How did he know we were here then, Tony?”
Tony clucked his tongue. “He may...have been my Plan B.”
Steve looked at him with a hot, fiery rage so intense, Pete thought eagles were going to drop from the sky and cry at his feet.
And while Tony didn’t get overwhelmed easily, the distraction from his team, and now pressing issue of Hulk and rock-android fighting each other, boiled a frustration in him that began to quickly spill over.
“What!?" Tony's eye-roll could practically be seen beneath his helmet. "Romanoff mentioned him! I thought it was a good idea, so I sent out a signal for his help.”
It clearly wasn’t good enough of an answer.
Steve only looked more angry.
“In my defense," Tony lifted a finger. "I told him to wait.”
“Stark, he —!”
A combination of both roars overtook their conservation. They looked up to see that Hulk was pummeling the rock monster with angry punches, clearing him of the spider webs that he'd been tied down with. It didn’t take long for him to break free completely, throwing punches right back to Hulk.
“Uh, guys?” Peter squeaked out, pointing towards the two battling creatures.
Their punches hit at full force, each one sending out shock waves, with Hulk’s anger only further agitating the rock creature. The dirt on the ground clouded their vision and tickled in their throats, with the violence between the two only getting worse.
“Mr. Banner’s Hulk appears to have given the rock android similar strength, sir,” Vision spoke through the comms.
Steve pursed his lips and crossed his arms, staring down Tony with daggers.
Tony threw his head back with frustration. “Oh knock it off, Rogers, I didn’t —”
“This wouldn’t have happened had you not brought him into a fight we already had handled —” Steve argued.
“I didn’t bring him in. I politely ask he be on standby while we —”
Two furious howls assaulted them, combined with a shock wave from their colliding punches. The noise was so sharp that Peter covered his ears over his mask, wincing at the piercing sound that were doubled with his enhanced senses.
“You guys have to get Hulk out of there,” Clint hollered.
“He’s right,” Steve agreed, quick to tear himself away from Tony's argument. “We’ve just doubled our opponents now that the android has his strength.”
“Which, by the way, I did not know he could do when I called Banner in,” Tony defended, now yelling over the fighting from both creatures.
Before Steve could respond, the Quinjet’s engines roared above them. The wind blew his hair back and sent dirt flying into the river, and the back door opened the moment the aircraft got low enough.
Natasha jumped out with purpose.
“I’ll handle this,” she firmly stated, her tone laced with anger — quickly walking past her teammates.
“Whoa, whoa!” Steve shot an arm out, blocking her path. “Nat…I said stick to your post. We don’t need you getting hurt.”
“More people will get hurt if they continue to fight," Natasha insisted, matching his determination with her own. "I’m going to get him to go down the Hudson River, out of the way so you can contain the android again.”
Steve held his arm in place, his eyes locked with hers. None of them could deny her help in taming the Hulk, surely the only reason why Clint allowed her out of the jet in the first place.
While Steve didn’t seem too convinced, he ultimately dropped his arm, his face softening with concern.
She gave a short, curt nod of her head — an unspoken trust between them, telling him she'd be careful.
And just like that, Natasha looked to Tony. “Any more secrets you want to tell us about today, Stark?”
Tony rolled his eyes. “The password to my email is password with a one at the end.”
His wisecracking went without laughs. Natasha resentfully shook her head as she walked away, cautiously approaching the two fighting creatures with her steps slow and gentle on the ground.
“Hey, big guy…" she started to say, pausing only briefly. "Long time, no see.”
Hulk’s head turned to look at her with neck-breaking speed, and his nostril's opened wide with anger, letting out a harsh burst of steam.
Natasha paused, allowing him to take in the sight, giving him time to remember — remember not just her, but remember Bruce Banner’s life.
Though her arm shook — her adrenaline running high — she outstretched it to him, her entire hand the size of one of his fingers.
And it wasn’t long before he softened, letting out a loud grunt of confusion.
“What’s it been? A year?” Natasha took another step forward. “Year and a half?”
She ignored the bickering over the comms, Steve lecturing Tony about secrets and Tony defending himself in imbecilic ways. It wasn’t her concern right now; she didn’t have time to bother with their immature behavior.
Her focus was solely on the green eyes that stared back at her, the once angry features falling flat.
“We have a lot of catching up to do.” Natasha's hand got closer to him. “You think…you can come with me?”
The comms went quiet, the team inevitably overhearing her calm determination; the heavy breathing from the Hulk replaced their voices.
His large brows furrowed, and he shook his head viciously, turning back to the rock-like creature with persistence.
“It’s handled. It’s not your problem,” she told him.
He grunted and whined, almost sounding upset. Throwing his arm back, Hulk went to give another punch, only to stop mid-throw, huffing out a breath of frustration with it.
He seemed confused.
Natasha knew how he functioned. Fighting was all he did, it was the only purpose he had. Taking him away from a fight was taking away his only instinct.
And with the Hulk, that was a dangerous risk.
His arm fell down, just low enough for her to grab hold of his finger with her entire grip.
“Sun’s getting real low, you know.”
The bright, vivid green eyes flickered brown, followed by a cry of anguish.
The air ripped apart under the sound— "RWAARRR!!!"
It was exactly what she had been expecting.
“Clint, now!" Natasha demanded, rolling onto the ground and tumbling aside as Hulk pushed past her. He stormed away from the android, the team, and everything else to run into the Hudson River.
The Quinjet flew down low, the backdoor still opened so Natasha could jump in. She clung onto the side of the aircraft as it immediately soared into the sky.
Unfortunately, the rock android had also risen from the ground, and swatted at the jet — barely missing it by a few inches.
He went to do it again, Clint already tilting to the side to avoid his attacks.
“Shit — Barton, get the jet far away from here!” Tony shouted. “We can’t risk this rock head —”
“Awesome Android,” Peter corrected, finger in the air.
Tony pretended not to hear him. “We can’t risk him taking you guys out!"
“Already on it.” Clint had the jet in the sky and taking off for the Hulk, the green brute running down the river with howls that followed.
With the aircraft away from the rock android, it seemed to calm down having nothing in his direct line of attention.
“So..." Peter stepped forward between Tony and Steve. “What now?”
“We do it again.” Steve looked away from the sky and down to Peter. “You restrained him before — we try it again.”
Tony lit his blasters and soared into the air. “Alright gentlemen, take two!”
Sam flew over and positioned himself at the creature’s backside. It caused enough annoyance for him to notice their presence, and enough time for Tony to aim at his armpit again, the rockets heading straight for the granite skin.
Only this time, he stepped aside and swatted Falcon away, lifting his other hand to let the rockets collide only with the center of his palm.
Tony narrowly dodged the sparks and flames that came shooting back at him.
“What the hell!?” he yelled.
Sam seemed equally confused, his wings coming to a halt.
"What's that about?" Sam furrowed his brows. “Why aren't we able to catch him by surprise again?"
On the ground, Peter began to jump with enthusiasm, tapping Steve on the arm repeatedly.
“He’s remembering!” Peter explained. “He’s storing away our moves so he can predict what we do next.”
Steve cocked an eyebrow, mildly amused by the kid's excitement. It was like he had Tony Stark’s brain in a child’s body— which, having learned of Peter’s age, seemed to be spot on.
“Mr. Stark," Peter began, looking up to the sky. "After we defeat it, can we keep it?”
Steve barked a laugh and turned away, hiding his smile. The amount of innocence and joy — while completely foreign to the team, was a quality that even he couldn't deny was a breath of fresh air.
“Keep it?” Tony repeated, baffled. “Kid, first we have to kick its ass, which seems to be a serious problem right now. Then it’s being shipped off to SHIELD where it can’t give me any more headaches.”
Tony flew down the ground and joined the two while Sam stayed positioned high in the air.
Steve crossed his arms as Tony landed. “What’s your plan?”
“That was my plan," Tony bit back. "Any brilliant ideas in that noggin of yours?”
“I have an idea,” Peter shyly spoke up, with his finger somehow looking even more shy held in the air.
Tony and Steve looked at each other first.
There was always a way, when the time called for it, that they could speak to each other without ever saying a single world. An unspoken communication, rarely used — scarcely touched since Siberia.
It was the first time in a while that they both said it all without saying a thing.
Tony wanted to risk it.
Steve didn't like the uncertainty of it.
But there was something new in Tony's face, saying something Steve couldn't hear.
If he didn't know better, it was Tony trusting the kid.
Steve was the first to break eye contact, giving Peter a long once-over as he thought it over.
"Go ahead, son," he finally said. "What's your plan?"
Peter was quick to respond.
“Okay, so, it seems the awesome android — totally awesome, not even going to deny it anymore — it’s like he’s dependent on his programming. He just replicates abilities and stores away our strategies so he can fight back. Otherwise, he’s just…a shell. Mr. Stark said it himself, he doesn’t show much intelligence. We don’t bother him, he doesn’t bother us.”
“You suggesting we leave him alone?” Sam asked through the comms.
Steve shook his head. “We can’t do that. He may not be directly attacking us, but he is destroying what’s in his path.”
“No, not leave him alone,” Peter explained. “Distract him again, this time good. But it’s going to take everyone’s help.”
The Quinjet had long since departed, and Rhodey worked solo on keeping traffic at bay over at the bridge. It left the four of them to finish the fight, enhanced humans or not.
Steve knew two heads were better than one, and four bodies were better than nothing.
Tony nodded his head and crossed his arms. “We’re listening.”
The island had become barren, and Awesome Android had run out of trees to dig up, relying on pulling at dirt from the ground to entertain himself. Peter spared a glance before looking back at the team.
“Have you ever seen that really old movie Jaws?”
There was a beat of silence, followed by Sam muttering “...oh my god.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “Get to the point, kid.”
Peter all but bounced on his feet. “So you know how the guy put the scuba tank in the shark and then shot him, and then he exploded — the shark, that is, not the guy.”
Tony almost had the urge to let him know clarification wasn’t needed, but something clicked in his head. He waged a finger in Peter's direction.
“I think I see where you’re going with this.”
“But we’ve already tried to distract him once." Steve knitted his brows, confused. "He knows we’re aware of his weak spots.”
“So we don’t use his weak spots,” Peter insinuated, looking behind him at the towering creature, the dirt clouding the air like smoke.
They didn’t have any more time to kill. The island was nothing but a wasteland, and the Android would be heading across to the next island any second now. They couldn’t risk him getting close to the residential housing developments, let alone a school.
With a deep breath, Peter turned back to the team.
“I’m going to need a lift.”
Within minutes, Peter had explained his plan to the team. And before he knew it, metallic hands were hooked underneath his arms and lifted him into the air, the cold from Tony's suit counteracted by the heat of the repulsor beams.
Both Iron Man and Spider-Man approached the height of Awesome Android, keeping their distance as Falcon soared in circles around his featureless head. The creature swatted at him with confusion.
“Fly like a fly, Falcon. When did I start taking orders from Dora?” Sam muttered, switching to circle the opposite direction. “And why do I gotta be the bug — your entire name is based off a damn bug!”
Peter landed on Sam’s back with a thud, his sticky fingertips clinging to his wings and keeping him grounded. Tony flew away but stayed high in the air near them.
As they circled the Android, Peter shot web grenade after web grenade, the tacky fluid covering the front and back of his head. The creature let out a muffled cry, pulling the web away from his mouth with frustration.
“Ready, Captain?” Peter hollered down below.
Steve braced himself, knees bent and ready for action. Sam came to a stop and Peter slung out a spider-web, the fluid attaching to the Captain’s back. Once it did, they flew high together, lifting him off the ground and into the air.
Sam flew above Awesome Android, at least double the height with Captain America tagging along. Once they had gained enough air, Peter detached the spider-web from his wrist and Steve dropped with incredible speed, falling down below like a missile.
And then a resonating WHAM! was heard, his shield hitting the top of Android’s head, the creature screeching in response.
Tony immediately flew over and shot rocket after rocket into his open and exposed mouth, the blasts bursting into flames within the cavity.
The next events occurred synchronously.
Awesome Android stumbled back and threw his arms out in defense, knocking Peter straight off Sam’s wings and tumbling through the air, straight towards the river.
Steve tumbled down from the sky and onto the ground, rolling until he came to a hard stop.
Peter shot web after web, the strands flinging into the air with nothing to land on. The Android had begun shrinking in proportion as he fell backward. By the time it was over, he was a relativity normal size, easily comparable to an average human.
Both Tony and Sam flew down from the skies and hit the ground together, approaching the much smaller Android with interest. He laid on his back, unmoving, his much smaller mouth frozen in a frown.
It was then Tony noticed that Peter wasn’t with Sam.
“Where did he —” Tony turned around, and then spun around, searching frantically all while noticing that Sam seemed as clueless as he did.
“He was right with me," Sam even patted his back to make sure no one was there. "I don’t know —”
“Shit!” Tony flew off before Sam could finish his sentence, repulsor beams lifting him high and away from the island.
And then he dove deep into the water.
When Peter had been knocked off Falcon’s wings, his first instinct was to swing — attach his web to anything, anyone, to get him grounded. Both arms stretched outward, and he hit the center of his palms with a smack of each finger.
But nothing stuck. He flew back with such force that the wind felt like it could rip his mask off.
Peter barely noticed that the once fifteen-foot-tall android was now shrinking like a deflated balloon. He thought, for just one moment, that awesome android really lived up to his name.
And then he hit the water.
Peter had fallen into rivers at dangerous heights before. That didn’t mean he was prepared for the sting that came with it.
It was like knives digging into every pore of his skin, the cold shocking him to his core, a brief yelp echoing from his mouth.
The thing with falling from the sky, the really crappy thing about it — it meant he couldn’t fight the strength of the water that pushed him deeper and deeper into the river. It was like being sucked into a black hole, his arms swimming him up but the drop from above taking control.
Though Peter's eyes remained open, his vision got darker the further down he went, with the sun from the mid-morning skies disappearing. Just as water sunk through his mask and into his nose, and just as he thought of how screwed he truly was, two beams of white light broke through the darkness and floated near him.
Tony grabbed him and flew up, breaking the water’s surface with incredible speed.
Peter gasped loud and hard when they met fresh air, gathering murky river water from his mask as he coughed and sputtered. His lungs were barely clear by the time they landed back on the island, his sopping wet feet turning the dirt into mud.
But that didn’t hinder his excitement.
Peter threw both his arms up in victory.
“Whoo-hoo!” he yelled. “Yeah!”
Peter's cries of triumph were cut short by wet coughs, and he bent over with each that came his way.
Tony immediately went for his mask, lifting it just high enough to expose his mouth, the metal around his fingers glistening with the river water that came spewing out.
Steve let out of the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, relief flooding his veins at the sight of Tony flying back to the island. He let his shoulders drop to rid the tension that had built, walking away to help Sam contain the creature laying on the ground before things got too heated again.
Still, from the corner of his eye, he kept a close eye on Peter, watching with intent interest.
There were a lot of words Steve could use to describe Tony Stark. Stubborn, egotistical, selfish, independent, snobby — watching him hover over Peter, he realized with shocking insight that this was concern. Almost a paternal protection.
Steve let out an audible hum.
Tony pounded on the Peter's back as he coughed dirty river water onto the ground, his inhales wet and rickety.
“Breathe, kid, breathe…” he calmly instructed, obviously not wavered by the thumbs up that Peter insisted on giving, not until his coughs dissipate and his breaths were less shaky.
Peter took a deep inhale, this time clean and dry. He watched in front of him as Sam contained the much smaller rock creature, and he laughed with pure amazement.
“Holy crap, he’s so small now! That’s just…” Peter grinned ear-to-ear. “That was so awesome! Way more awesome than the Android, which is still so awesome. Holy crap, that was —”
Peter stopped mid-sentence as Tony removed his Iron Man mask, exposing much less happy features than what Peter was experiencing.
Oh crap. He was in trouble — he had to be in trouble, he must have screwed up and now they were angry with him, again — angry again.
Heart plummeting to the sopping wet soles of his feet, Peter gulped hard enough to shake his throat.
“Mr. Stark, I —”
His apology was cut short when Tony laid a hand on his shoulder, sighing with relief.
“You did good, kid,” he said. “You scared the devil out of me, but you did real good.”
Peter grinned, possibly wider than before.
Mr. Stark wasn’t angry — no, he seemed almost…proud. And though it wasn’t much, barely a twitch of his lips, he could tell Tony was also smiling.
He did good.
Peter nodded in thanks, wiping away the dirty water from his mouth. He did good.
Those few words were the best thing he'd heard in a long time, feeling a sense of pride in himself that he hadn’t felt in months. Suddenly, all the overlapping failures washed away — the Daily Bugle's headlines didn't mean squat to him. Not with the approval he'd just received.
Tony must have noticed his happiness, because he went from having his hand on him to wrapping his entire arm around his shoulder with a tight squeeze.
Peter relished in it.
Over by the rock android, Steve stood across from Sam, ensuring the creature wouldn’t cause any more problems.
Slowly and cautiously, Steve pulled at the webbing on his back, the fluid sticking between his fingers the more he yanked off.
Sam looked up and grimaced. “Gross.”
The white helmet landed on the table with a clangand a clatter.
“Your badge worked like a charm.”
Dmitri barely spared a glance at the device, watching as Francis removed his plexiglas helmet and sat it down near it. He turned away from the television monitor and leaned back in his chair.
“Not my badge, Klum. You can thank Walter Cortez from IT department of Stark Industries.”
Francis Klum rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “If I recall correctly, Walter Cortez was dumped in a bathtub full of acid five months ago, and you assumed his identity.”
“Technicality’s,” the man's thick Russian accent caused the words to roll off his tongue. “They had me check security footage of last night. Your gas worked like charm, just as I planned it to.”
Francis scowled, pulling up a seat across from Dmitri.
“Yeah, you can thank OsCorp for that atrocity.” His words were bitter, an angry hurt from his past that still clouded the air.
Dmitri grabbed the white helmet away from him, his eyes narrowed. “What did I say when I found you?”
Francis paused, looking at the ground. He knew the answer, but that didn’t mean he wanted to speak it. Speaking it reminded him it was real, and that it happened.
An act of inhumane experimentation done on an innocent man who just sought help for a traumatic past wasn’t something that should have ever happened.
Some days he blamed his brother for what he had become. He didn’t deserve what was done to him, he said no, he didn’t want to be touched — but at the end of the day, he knew what monster made him who he was.
“It doesn’t make it any better.”
Dmitri rolled his chair closer to him, helmet between his knees.
“It does. We will use what they did, what they have blessed you with, to our advantage. We will succeed with upper hand, Klum.”
Francis looked up from the floor, the glasses that the Russian man wore almost reflecting his face back to him. He wearily nodded his head.
Dmitri stood from his chair, taking the helmet with him across the room.
Still, while he was right, many questions were left lingering in his mind. Francis turned his chair to face Dmitri’s direction. “You know, for someone with all these impersonation skills, you’re wasting a lot of time on Tony Stark."
Dmitri barely turned his head. “And for someone with ability to teleport, you waste time searching for pathetic American fame.”
Francis rolled his eyes. They had this argument time after time, ever since they met five months ago. There was no need to defend himself yet again. Dmitri had his goals, and he had his own. They just didn’t see eye-to -eye on them.
“I’m just saying…why do you need it?” he asked, pointing to the helmet. “You can clearly do without it.”
“Masks are masks,” Dmitri calmly explained. “They are nothing compared to real deal. Infiltrating Stark Industries gave me opportunity to monitor Stark’s inventions. Low and behold, he files away record of creating nanite holographic technology that replicate appearances. It’d be foolish not to take advantage of such a glorious thing.”
Francis furrowed his eyebrows, confused.
“Okay, so now…you can not wear a wig every time you go in there and pretend to be their IT employee? I don’t understand.” He scooted his chair closer. “You told me this was going to get you Stark’s money, and you’d give me a share of that money. I don’t see how this fits together.”
“First, you’ll get your money. You can use it on whatever you damn want, you wannabe Houdini.”
“Hey, I —!”
“I told you when we started this.” Dmitri turned around. “Be patient.”
It wasn’t good enough. He had been patient, for almost half a year. After five long months, he was finally sent to do something — test his nanite gas, ensure that the fog would truly create a technological blackout that would allow them to steal Stark’s invention. With all of Times Square in pitch darkness, Dmitri finally sent him away to do something useful.
But here they were, sitting with the helmet they stole, and no intents to leap into action.
“Why? You have the helmet now, kill Stark and take over his life,” Francis plainly stated.
He shook his head. “We can’t jump gun like that, Klum. There’s too much I don’t know about him, how he works. How the business runs, how his money flows in — I take over now, and everything could be pulled out from under us. Under me. We wait.”
Dmitri set the helmet down next to him, spinning it so the open eye slits were looking straight at him. And then he walked away.
“As much as it pains me to say, his intelligence in keeping everything running — cash flow included — is too vital to lose.”
The guy was a thinker. Francis had figured that out months ago. It was just one of the many ways they butted heads. He liked to act first, think later. In a way, Dmitri was an overachiever, ensuring everything he did would be perfect.
While slow — painfully slow — they’re plan was coming together without a hitch. Francis couldn’t deny that.
“So what now?”
Dmitri smiled. “We break him. Take something from him that kills him, from inside.”
He turned the television monitor in his direction, the screen displaying live footage from upstate New York. Francis pulled his chair closer to watch.
Mark: “-it really is a sight, isn’t it Kelly? We’re live here from Collar City Bridge, showing you first footage of the Avengers and what could possibly be a new Avenger with them? I have to say Kelly, Tony Stark’s Iron Man seems very pleased with the work done here today.”
Kelly: “Oh yes Mark, that’s Queens local Spider-Man, for those who don’t know. He’s been doing fantastic work locally in our neighborhood and looks like he’s gotten on the good side of the Avengers as well!”
Mark: “I mean, just look at that hug, Kelly. That’s teamwork right there.”
Eyeing the screen, Francis watched as the news helicopter from above caught Iron Man and Spider-Man in a firm, friendly hug. Tony Stark walked Spider-Man away, discussing something that seemed promising, his hand in the air to emphasize what he was saying.
Francis looked to Dmitri. “How?”
Dmitri laid his hand on the clean, white helmet.
“We set up greatest illusion known to mankind.”
Kelly: "The creature has been taken away and the bridge has been re-opened and cleared. And I have to say, Mark, I haven’t seen the Avengers look this content in a long time."
Mark: "Queens, Spider-Man seems to be welcomed in, that’s for sure. And if I may say, Kelly, I think he’s welcomed in our hearts as well."
The television continued to play in the background, Francis’s grin enlarging with every word the newscasters spoke.
“Now you’re talking my language.”