[Piper Parker’s POV]
Wind rushes through my hair as I soar between skyscrapers. My thoughts pulse with rage, with need, with sothing primal I can't quite na. Six days of searching for Shane, of tearing this city apart, and now that I've found him, he's chosen to stay with Ellie.
Always Ellie.
The symbiote shifts beneath my costu, reacting to my agitation. It understands my emotions better than I do sotis.
'WE SHOULD CHECK ON HIM AGAIN,' it whispers in my mind, its voice a raspy echo that makes my spine tingle.
"He's with Ellie and Task," I mutter, shooting another web line to swing around the corner of a glass tower. "He's safe enough."
'BUT IS HE HAPPY? DOES SHE DESERVE HIM?'
I don't answer, just launch myself higher into the air. The Avengers Tower looms ahead, its sleek silhouette cutting through the evening sky like a blade. I need a distraction from these thoughts, from the constant ache of seeing Shane.
With practiced ease, I aim for the landing pad near the top of the tower. My web line catches the edge, and I pull myself up in one fluid motion, landing in a crouch on the smooth surface.
I approach the entrance, my footsteps silent against the polished floor. A blue light sweeps over my body as I reach the door, scanning my biotrics.
"Spider-Woman identified. Welco back," announces a crisp, manly voice from hidden speakers.
The heavy doors slide open with a soft pneumatic hiss, revealing the opulent interior of the Avengers' common area.
Toni Stark stands with her back to , hands gesturing wildly as she faces off against Captain Arica. Stephanie Rogers looks as imposing as ever in her uniform, arms crossed over her chest, blonde hair pulled back in a severe ponytail that emphasizes her disapproving scowl.
Behind them, a massive wall screen displays news footage, a damning photo of Toni in her Iron Woman suit with a drunk smiling holding what seems like a large bottle of rum with a Black woman wearing an ostentatious gold necklace that reads "Puff Mommy." The headline scrolling beneath reads: "STARK SCANDAL DEEPENS."
Neither of them notices slip into the room, both too engrossed in their heated exchange. I stay near the doorway, the symbiote going still against my skin as we listen.
"Cap, listen, this is clearly a hit piece on ," Toni says, her voice tight with frustration. She gestures at the screen, her reactor glowing through her tank top. "Soone out there is sending this shit to the dia to destroy my public image."
Cap's jaw clenches as she stares at the damning photo. "So these pictures are fake?" The skepticism in her voice is palpable.
"No, they're real," Toni admits, running a hand through her disheveled hair. "But Cap, no one knew Puff Mommy was a monster back then, I swear to god. Plus, that was when I was drinking. I only showed up to the party because Jayla-Z invited ."
Captain Arica's eyes flash with cold fury. "These won are predators, Toni. Sexual predators!"
I almost scoff at Toni's pathetic defense. The symbiote twists beneath my skin with agitation, but I keep it controlled as I lurk in the shadows of the doorway.
"I wasn't a predator," Toni insists, throwing her hands up. "I was at those parties for maybe fifteen minutes tops. I'd make an appearance, shake so hands, then leave. Half the ti I was already in the suit heading to so ergency."
Cap's face flushes with rage, her blue eyes hardening to ice. "Are you seriously trying to minimize this? It doesn't matter if you stayed for fifteen minutes or fifteen hours, Toni! You were there! With your suit! In your Iron Woman persona!"
She stalks closer to Toni, her finger jabbing the air between them. "Do you have any concept of what it ans to be a role model? Children look up to you. They wear your rchandise, they play with your action figures, they dream of being you soday."
"Those sa children are now seeing you partying with sex traffickers!" Cap's voice echoes through the common room. "Do you understand the ssage that sends? That power and fa put you above morality? That you can associate with monsters and face no consequences?"
Toni's shoulders slump, the fight visibly draining from her. "It wasn't like that," she mumbles, but the conviction has left her voice.
I shift my weight, causing my shoe to squeak against the polished floor. Captain Arica's head snaps toward , her piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. The intensity in her gaze softens almost imdiately.
"Hello, Spider-Woman," she says, her tone shifting from the razor-sharp edge she was using with Toni to sothing warr, more collegial.
She turns back to Stark, the warmth evaporating instantly. "We're not done with this," she says with finality before striding across the room toward .
Her hand extends, firm and steady. I accept it, feeling the symbiote tense slightly beneath my suit before settling again.
"It's been a while, Spidey," Cap says, giving my hand a strong shake.
"I guess we should be thankful. We only see a lot of each other when the world's about to end," I reply, attempting humor despite the darkness swirling inside .
Cap nods, a small smile tugging at her lips. "True, but it's nice to have soone trustworthy around." She glances over her shoulder at Toni, making no attempt to hide her annoyance, before turning back to . "So what can we do for you? You're not one to co here often."
The symbiote vibrates against my skin, eager to speak through . I suppress it with effort.
"I'm looking for any information on Norma Osborn," I say, the words tumbling out with an urgency I can't contain. "Anything at all. She's disappeared off the radar, and I need to find her."
Captain Arica's posture shifts, her shoulders squaring as she studies my face. "The Avengers doesn't work in the ga of espionage, Spider-Woman." Her tone is firm but not unkind. "We're not a detective agency."
The symbiote surges beneath my skin, threatening to spill out in tendrils of rage. I clench my fists, forcing it back down.
"She kidnapped and raped one of my friends," I say, my voice dropping to sothing barely human. "She broke him. She tortured him. And I want to bring her in."
Captain's expression transforms instantly, shock and horror replacing her professional detachnt. Her eyes widen, and for a mont, the legendary hero looks genuinely shaken.
"Oh," is all she manages at first, the single syllable heavy with understanding.
Toni steps forward from behind Captain Arica, her face twisted with a frown that makes the lines around her eyes more pronounced. "Wait, was it that Skip Step guy?"
"You've heard of him?" I ask, surprised that soone like Stark would know about Shane.
"From Human Torch," she says with a shrug. "She said she t him."
"Yeah."
"The teleporter?" Captain Arica asks, her expression grave as she processes what I've told her.
I nod again, mories of Shane's hollow eyes and bandaged socket flashing through my mind.
Toni runs a hand through her hair, her expression softening slightly. "Do you have Fury's number? SHIELD can probably find Norma."
"Yeah," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. "I'll call her next."
"I'm so sorry," Captain Arica says, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. The contact sends the symbiote into a frenzy beneath my costu, but I force it to remain calm. "If there's anything the Avengers can do to help, just say the word."
I step back, needing space, needing air. The symbiote's hunger for violence grows with each passing second, whispering dark suggestions in my mind.
'WE SHOULD KILL THEM ALL. EVERYONE WHO KNEW AND DID NOTHING.'
"I need to go," I say abruptly, turning toward the exit.
"Spider-Woman, wait." Captain Arica's voice stops in my tracks.
I look over my shoulder, studying her earnest face. The perfect hero, always ready to do the right thing.
"I'm not alone," I say, the words coming out with an unintended echo as the symbiote blends its voice with mine.
I don't wait for a response, just shoot a web line to the ceiling and swing myself through the door, launching back into the night air. The cool wind against my face helps clear my head as I swing between buildings, the familiar rhythm of release and fall, release and fall.
'WE SHOULD CHECK ON SHANE AGAIN,' the symbiote suggests, its voice slithering through my consciousness like oil on water.
"He doesn't want to see ," I mutter, shooting another web line to a nearby skyscraper. "He made that clear."
'HE IS CONFUSED. BROKEN. HE NEEDS US.'
The symbiote's words echo in my mind, pulsing through my consciousness with an intensity that makes my vision blur at the edges. I land on a nearby rooftop.
"He has Ellie," I say, but the words taste bitter on my tongue. "She's taking care of him."
'SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HIM LIKE WE DO.'
"I know."
Iron Woman and Mimmy (female Diddy)
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