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The White Dove Pt 39 - Gobbler vs The Dancing Queen

The White Dove Masterlist

@devilishminx328. @theincaprincess, @lilith15000, @jesevans, @jiminapickle

Over breakfast back at your place while Eddie was off to work atop Chester’s back the news feed played of Stark’s best friend and Head of Security being missing after a break in the Goblin had committed at his airline base of operations. Not to demolish it but to oddly increase the order of jets to produce. That only paired with the latest of comments Norman had made within the press of future aims of Oscorp in Genetics had again mentioned your parents’ research company. The aim to imply that as your plate got more full eventually the trial would suffer and you would have to sell the patents and work and he would gladly take them off your hands.

“Alright Gobbler, let’s see how you like Iron Man crashing into your headquarters,” you muttered to yourself in the process of collecting the manila envelope of pictures both from your abduction by the goblin that your printer by means of hacking the security of Oscorp was joined by images of his numerous healing gas sessions before and after that day. That was added to your bag and you finished readying for school to get going for what would be another day you ignored all and focused irritatingly for those taunting you on the work in front of you to keep the day moving. But after your first class in Columbia you made good use of your having taken the tests earlier granting ample free time to make a stop at a bike messenger shop.

“Where is this headed?” The man behind the bike messenger stand asked filling out the form.

“Tony Stark at Stark Tower.” You said making him look up at you with a brow raised.

“Hope it’s not urgent there’s half an hour of security it’s got to go through.”

“Just some old pictures I found he might like to have and a floppy disk, I’m on my way to the other side of town or I’d take it myself.”

The floppy disk bit had him smirk and nod, finishing the form. A price was given and you handed it over in two bills and some change that almost had the man debating pushing it back into your palm for the three coins you had left to put back into your change purse along with the receipt. Good days were traded and out you went to cross the rest of town to head for Oscorp with your grin sliding off your face.

Inside the polished silver and glass lobby with black marble tile floors to the front desk you went and rose up on your toes to lock eyes with the woman there who asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I’m Pluto Pear,” the name made a group of men nearby fall silent and look your way as you continued. “I was wondering if Mr Osborn is in?”

“Normally he demands appointments,” only for one of the men to rush over and lean over the counter and whisper. “Trust me, call him. You do not want to let her leave without seeing him.”

With a quick forced grin she said, “Give me a moment.” Lifting the receiver to her ear she punched in the connection code to get to the secretary on the top floor and said, “A Pluto Pear is asking if Mr Osborn is in.”

A quick inquiry with the man himself who seemed to be in a hurry to get off the line had the message relayed and the woman in front of you ready an access card for the elevator the men who were chatting with you about your planes and ship showed you the right one and left you to your meeting.

Quietly inside the elevator under the brim of your hat in a glance down the ignition of your eyes was concealed from the cameras around and aimed at the door for a task of communicating with your bees via your phone to seem like you were focused on a message and not the system nearly to be hacked.

Down your sleeve Chuck fell and flew off subtly to hide himself as you came face to face with the secretary that turned her head at the prompt open of Norman’s office. The blood stain on his chest and arm had your lips part slightly to his wide smile. “Here you are Pluto, at last.”

“You’re bleeding!” The secretary exclaimed and got a look an inch from a death glare that melted back to an exasperated smile when he looked back to you.

“I do have to pop down to my lab, but if you wouldn’t mind hiding-,” shaking his head mid chuckle he said, “Waiting, waiting in my office, I will be right back. Where is my head today? I have a new suture kit down there we are still working out some kinks. So please help yourself to the snack bar and mini fridge. Won’t be ten minutes.”

“Okay,” you said and felt the woman stand to show you to the office muttering about how he got stranger by the day and pointed you to the food and drink area he named and returned to her seat.

Chuck in her absence flew right for Norman’s desk and linked to his system. Right away as your eyes lit up in a glance out the wall of windows to a hushed open of a flavored sparkling water and bag of Chex mix you could feel the entire lab system jolt to life.

Screens went black ushering up exclamations of shock to your focus alongside the bees on the goblin gas chamber within which the clear canister of goblin gas began to swirl and turn within itself. Like choppy waves as you manipulated the compound to remain green but turn instead into a heavy duty knock out gas to stop his try to heal and gain his strength. In a funnel of glare that shone through the wall of windows you had stood to disguise your hair. And in the completion of your task you simply dimmed your glimmer to look for a place to sit as the hack erased all trace of record of the goblin gas. With manifested bees down there heating up to burn the physical copies and keep the scientists from interfering in the same blow at the mad man who crossed the line one too many times to be ignored any longer.

Soft and trembling a barely audible struggling breath and thump of a finger against wood had you look around the room. A bloody smudge on the desk had you set your snacks down and begin to look more closely around the desk and other wooden cabinets until within a section along the wall opposite the wall of windows Happy Hogan slumped out onto your legs.

Bloody and barely able to breathe he weakly chuckled in a dazed look up at you. “Heard me…”

“We need an ambulance!” You shouted and the secretary raced to the doorway to have her jaw drop and she raced back, first to call security to not let Osborn leave and then the paramedics. A seeping bleed inside his abdomen had you bring out one of your plugging compound syringes with a second you used to help his punctured lung you heard after that had him far more comfortable in the wait with his head upon your lap and hand clasping yours as he babbled in his haze.

“I know you,” he said surely.

“You watch the turkey day parade?”

“I love the parade.”

“I was in it.”

“Must be nice, Tony, Tony’s been in a parade. When, when he finds me, you can talk about parades, when, when he finds me...”

*.*.*

“Everybody out!” Norman shouted once inside his lab and against the failed explanations of the scientists there they complied at threat of being fired and blacklisted from the field of employment in the future and he clambered his way into the chamber to gas himself. Grinning like a mad man at how he now seemingly had the chance to convince a young girl to hand over her goldmine that would forever solidify Oscorp in the history books.

*.*.*

“Pictures and a floppy disc,” Tony read on the content line of the form for the bike messenger parcel that just arrived from security.

“Tony we should scan it,” Pepper tried to tell him. “Could be ransom.”

“Only one I know who uses floppy disks in town is a sixteen year old girl.”

With a letter opener he sliced the side of the package, dropping the opener back on his desk afterwards, and brought out the spread of pictures. First the one for the goblin holding you, then him taking you into Osborn’s tower. Clint and Steve came closer to look in at the table it was laid upon, the prior one saying, “I thought Misique took her there.”

Steve said, “Does make sense, Pluto didn’t seem to trust his son from the start.”

Images showed then the Goblin breaking into Oscorp building where the mask was taken off and bloody Norman was seen inside a gas chamber the next image showed clouded abs the one after he was seen cackling at his healed chest wound. Followed by images of the break in at the airline and images of Happy inside Oscorp.

Tony was growling already internally and in a fiery glare went to put the floppy disk marked ‘Ribbit’ into the reader you had given him that played the clip of Norman talking about you being busier and eventually selling him your parents’ work. Clips then of schematics taken from Oscorp showed it was his rocket and Tony was already storming to the overlook with Rhodey behind him.

Steve said softly, “The jets, he shot them down, killing hundreds of people to buy something off a teenage girl.”

Bruce said, “Medicine and cures always can rack up to billions, Steve. Or at least it could, before Misique.”

Clint meanwhile was calling Fury to let him in on the fact Iron Man was about to do something very loud and stupid to get his friend back. Now the Goblin had a name and all Steve could do was sit down as the reasoning the teen boy who had been using you in the first place was to be a pawn in his father’s game of cat and mouse set in.

*.*.*

Down in the lobby you were stopped after you’d pocketed your drink and snack while Happy was being loaded onto a stretcher by the paramedics. At his side you’d rode in the elevator to answer his call out for you to the medics until one of the officers also responding to the threat call over the radio that Norman was behind this or at least an accomplice.

“You were upstairs?” One of the officers asked you and you nodded shifting your dried blood coated hands.

“I came to talk to Mr Osborn for something about his son and he said he had to go down to his lab. Said they’ve been working on a new suture technique that has been having kinks, his arm was bleeding through his shirt. Told me to wait in his office and that he’d be back soon.”

The officer nodded and asked, “What was the issue with his son?”

Softly you sighed and said, “He got involved in my last relationship. We were at the gym the other night, he got upset and shown out and now the whole school knows about it and is taking sides. I wanted to see if Mr Osborn knew a way we could bury the hatchet, or if he could help. Me and Harry are supposed to be friends, and this just came out of nowhere.”

Softly the cop nodded closing his pocket sized notebook he had been taking notes in, chuckling before he said, “Well it’s a good thing, I think, you didn’t get to talking to him today after all.”

You nodded and asked hearing from Chester in your hair that Stark was on his way over the noise of officers trying to work with security to get the elevator to get down to the lab that would only accept key cards and special keys to get down to the lab to arrest Norman. “Can I wash my hands now? I have a few friends I was gonna meet and I think I might scare a few people going somewhere else like this.”

“Sure, they’ve photographed them already.” He said then added in a step away, “Take it easy today. We’ll get the guy, and just give the kid some space. Usually this school stuff blows over in a week or so.”

And nodding you walked to the ladies bathroom hearing as the door shut the front glass wall break in Iron Man’s flight into the lobby. “Where is Norman Osborn?!” He demanded and to a gesture from the workers then flew into the elevator a group of officers joined him and War Machine to ride down the elevator Jarvis hacked to get down to the lab.

Unconscious and bleeding inside the glass enclosure Norman was loaded up by a second set of medics who arrived soon enough as the scientists shared Misique’s attack on the lab and erasure of all traces of the goblin gas. A fact that would have the military upset until they would get the mental instability report on Norman later on that had them not want anything to do with it at all.

Gossip and questions of what the fuss was all the way back made it an easy choice to take some of your back shortcuts to get back to the subway to head home for a quick scrub and change before the much needed time with friends.

“Meet you at my place,” Ricky texted you making you grin to yourself on the walk home so you could pick up your bag you’d already prepped beside your sleeping bag laid atop the cloud couch to be ready.

‘And still almost an hour later there is no official news on why Iron Man and War Machine burst into the front lobby to assist in the retrieval of who appeared to be an unconscious Norman Osborn. The second of two bodies removed from Oscorp this afternoon on stretchers taken away by ambulance.’

“Ricky, Pluto’s here,” his dad said making the heads of your friends turn and you flash them a quick wave of fingers off the hand holding the strap of your bag. His father went back to his seat as you were ushered in to Ricky’s saying, “This has been all over the news apparently. Just got home myself with the guys when it looped again.”

“You cross by Manhattan after class, you heard anything?” one of the guys asked and you nodded having them and his parents shift in their seats as you set your bags down and sat in an empty armchair next to the couch and loveseat they had all taken up.

“Actually went to go see Mr Osborn. He ran down to his lab and his arm was bleeding and Tony Stark’s friend was shoved in one of the cabinets.” Their jaws all dropped as you continued, “He was hurt pretty badly. Osborn’s the Goblin.”

“No way!” Ricky exclaimed, “That is so wild!”

“Turns out the rocket for the jet attack was Oscorp tech, one of my Professors who is funded by Oscorp said so and told the police, and the whole suit and glider demo is a project the military wanted, same as some gas he’s been dosing himself with to get strong that fried his brain.”

One of your friends said, “He did that interview too, about your medical study. Good thing he didn’t find the time to fly out to Sweden and bother it.”

“He’s been sending me really weird emails about that. Somehow it clicked in his head if I’m distracted he would just get the work but it’s all tied in. I couldn’t sell it or give the information to anyone even if I wanted to.”

Ricky’s dad asked, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You shook your head, “No, he was bleeding so he just rushed right downstairs to his lab. Iron Man and War Machine showed up after the cops had talked to me and said I could go.”

Ricky sighed and said, “Guess we’re gonna have to go a bit easy on Harry for a while, his dad being locked up and all.”

“I really don’t think he’s going to,” you said and instantly the movie and snacks were brought up with Ricky leading the charge to ready the viewing area for space as his parents ordered pizza to go with the popcorn and candy spread out around both juice and sugary drinks. Sleeping bags were laid out to be sat upon in case of exhaustion. By the time the second disk had to be put in you had caught notice Ricky’s aunt Mariah had arrived and was talking to the parents in another room about what had happened.

Subtly while fetching a drink for herself she caught your slip away to the bathroom and remained in the kitchen with view until she could see you take your seat again in a terrible try to see how you were reacting to what had happened. No reaction, just a teenager who was enjoying a film with her friends trying to not complain too much at how the plant life was all wrong as the parents pointed out earlier as for the shift between a slightly concerned expression whilst sharing to a content and amused one now. Out in the open you were allowed to sleep over, now thankfully inside the lavender free carpeted space with modern décor you saw pop into your dreams.

*.*.*

Unconscious still, post surgery to stem his bleeding, without trace of what the compound given could do if they didn’t interject, Norman was heavily guarded at a SHIELD facility while Tony sat listening to his pain killer hopped up friend share about the Angel who had found and saved him until Happy dozed off.

“How is he?” Rhodey asked after sharing to share the latest nothing news on Norman.

“Good. Be moved to the tower in an hour after a new head scan to be safe.” Tony said smoothing a hand bee his face. “The kid messages me, then goes to see Norman. Where is the sense in that? What was the plan, keep him there until we get there to blow him to bits?”

Rhodey shrugged taking up the second chair, “Cops said she told them she went to talk about his son. Some trouble at school over the stolen girlfriend bit. Wanted help burying the hatchet.”

Tony looked at Rhodey to ask, “What if it was Chickadee?” Parting Rhodey’s lips. “She looked after my dad, she knew something was missing back then. Something dangerous about me or Pluto if Goblin wasn’t taken down. Misique hacked the system and knew Pluto was taken by Osborn, they’d never send her there if he’s off the deep end. Either that or Misique really is Chickadee’s grand daughter and looks like Pluto too. The cops didn’t get the drink and food the secretary said she had.”

Rhodey had to nod at the absurd but still plausible explanation, “Two of them at least look alike, the time distortion of wherever Chickadee comes from, they could work that out. Maybe that’s why Misique’s been absent, she’s been opening the door for Chickadee to help with this. I don’t know about the three of them looking alike. Something about that is just too wild for me to wrap my head around.”

Tony nodded and sighed, “I still can’t make heads of that compound either. And,” he sighed again, “Ribbet, she wrote that on it,” into his hair his hand worked and he looked at Rhodey open mouthed then said, “Jarvis, look up every compound related to frogs that can be used on humans.” Instantly his phone lit up to show the system was listening in wait for an order.

Several were named until one from a mixture of frog urine was said to be used to paralyze and debilitate people used by smaller tribes in Central America. “And the antidote?”

“Lemon juice,” Jarvis answered and Rhodey shook his head bringing out his phone to call Fury.

Muttering as he did, “You got to be kidding me.”

*.*.*

Right open your eyes popped at the muffled buzz of your phone, which inside your bear pelt bag you angled it near the chest to wiggle lower to not disturb the others by the light or noise. Eddie due to the news had been sent off to fetch a new story and was taking a trip to Jersey to do so on a lead he had been putting off in case you needed him. But you assured him you would be fine and he assured you that Venom’s kids were in town and ready for your call if need be as they felt Carnage was on the move again. So back up and onto your side with hold of your phone you drifted off again to regrettably dip back into the modern style decorated home housing a dream of oddly talking and bubble blowing shoes you had to help.

An evening with friends was what you needed and after dropping off your things and in your fresh jeans and sweater you adjusted the leather jacket around you, debating if you should have gone back up to fetch your hat. Tall boots without tall heels were added in case you felt like working on the first steps of readying the next chunk of the mast that would be fully printed by this evening. The zoo was your goal and a few blocks later to get a more direct train pathway you caught Mr Stacy on an early morning break after a night shift before he got to head home.

“Pluto, um, you been good?”

“Ya, you? I know the Osborn news is the hot ticket right now.”

“Been a busy night. Heard you were on the witness list.”

“Ya, dropped by to talk to him. Didn’t see much other than Stark’s friend falling out of a cabinet at my feet. Other than that not traumatizing at all really.”

“Always knew Osborn was gonna go off the deep end,” he said shaking his head, “And I heard about how school’s been. You even got taken off the team by what Gwen said.”

“I turned in my flag and rifle. The study and everything after the show I wasn’t sure I could guarantee full attention to the team if they needed me.”

A moment he pointed at you, “That is good to know, I will relay that.” You nodded and he said, “I hate this, it’s just,” and with a deep huff he said to you lowly in a sharp whisper, “He’s an arrogant little prick and I hate him.”

You giggled and said, “He was worse.”

“Oh I can believe it, went to school with his dad. Barely made it through without cracking him in his arrogant head.” He pauses and says, “Gwennie was really torn up about it. She-,”

“Hormones, I get it, I mean I don’t. Everyone says teens are hard enough with puberty and all that with raging hormones but it’s like I don’t feel any of that. So I miss social cues and I’m missing flirtation and innuendo, and I really did try to be a good partner without all the romance side of it. I mean we’re kids.”

“Yes, you are, and I appreciate that.” He said nodding again.

“Tried to be someone she could trust and feel respected by. Guess I’ll get it eventually, or, I won’t and maybe my Mate will be patient, or ace too, who knows. But I’m okay, and I did tell her if he tries anything let me know I’ll break his arms and then drop him off for you.”

“Yes! Anything, you hear anything let me know. Because,” he sighs, “She’s my only little girl and she’s had a hard go of it with the brain bleeds, and for the record I’d much rather have her with someone respectable like you instead of that little boy toy in the making. Bad as it is I hope it’s a fling, and she can just take a break and then focus on school and try again later, man I just don’t like that kid,” he said shaking his head then has to go at the call over his radio. “Sorry,”

You shook your head, “Stay safe,” making him smirk and head back to his patrol car as you continued back to the subway stop you wanted. Exhibit by exhibit you listened to the animals and plants. At the fifth stop clear warnings of War Machine, who not so stealthily followed your social posting on a bird who was trying to win some of your pretzel with tricks, to find you.

Stepping out of his suit it went into hover mode and entered the park the legal way to not cause trouble by just landing inside of it. “Morning Lt Rhodes.” You said blindly as you watched a disgruntled female antelope.

“Morning Pluto.”

He cleared his throat and you asked, “Take it this is a follow up about Norman Osborn?”

“Why did you go to his office?” he asked flatly with concern.

“I wanted to see if he would lie to me.” In your glance at him his brows arched up and you said, “Ever since I met Harry, day I met you, both of them have been trying to get into my daily life. I wanted to know if Harry wanted to be my friend or if he used his son to try and get to my inheritance.”

“That-,” he said with a sigh.

“Stupid, I know, to someone who hasn’t been daily poked and nudged by narcissists. I am so tired of people using me. I didn’t want to wait until he was behind bars or had Stark blow his head off.”

“He was close to that,” Rhodey said and asked, “Have you talked to Chickadee?” Up at him you looked, “Curious, do you talk?”

“How would you react if I said we were the same person?” For a moment he remained silent as you didn’t look away, “If I was the one who went back in time to save Howard Stark? Because we are the same person. Neither of us talk, but we could swap, if we wanted. Crystal Hitler took me back to her past for the wake for Bucky and Steve.”

“So,” he asked and shifted on his feet asking you, “You can go to her universe, or dimension, whatever it is.”

He wanted to ask why you would stay here but couldn’t find a kind way to word it so you answered, “My parents are dead there too.” Almost making him flinch his eyes away feeling them prickle at the slight pinking of yours, “And Misique isn’t there. Not an overly pleasant place,” as you reached up to wipe around your eye to try and keep from crying he rested a hand on your back. “You have no idea how loud it is here, without her it’s just silent, like woods when something happens,”

“So she’s their Misique, and fixes what we need to avoid,” he said to himself softly.

At the Antelope you pointed shifting his view, “She’s in labor.” Making him chuckle and try to not be grossed out in watching the new antelope all slimy and knock kneed enter this world to stagger its first steps and be welcomed amongst its herd luring others nearby to capture the moment and Rhodey when it got crowded to lead you to the next exhibit.

“How’s the friend?” you asked in the quiet space making him smirk again.

“Good, up in the tower now, much more comfortable and Tony can hover over him. You stopped the bleeding, closed the hole in his lung, kept him alive. However bad it was to know you went there we’re glad you did. Nice touch on the ribbit clue.”

“Well I can’t make everything easy for Stark,” you said making him chuckle then feel his grin drop as you said, “He shot down all those jets to get at me.”

“And he’s gonna pay, severely.” He said pointedly making you nod.

Up at him you looked and you said, “You must be exhausted, have to keep up with Stark and for the military keep tabs on me.”

Lowly he chuckled, “Since he stopped war merch I have a surplus of time. Keeping up with you is so much easier. Now I can track him, got gps in his metal butt armor, find him whenever. And you are far less likely to drop off the planet for days at a time.”

“Unless someone snatches me,” you joked making him chuckle at the sheer number of times it had happened with odder and odder reasons and outcomes.

“Talked to your grandpa lately?”

“He’s out of town and busy. Ski trip, little reception for a schmoozing thing for charity,” you said taking another bite of your pretzel. “I do email. Should have another section of mast ready to put together and install later today, very uneventful. You should be able to follow my evening on youtube if they need you.”

“I have time for a pretzel, yours is nearly gone, I’ll buy you another.” He said making you grin and led you to the nearest stand to make sure you had more food since he couldn’t do much of anything to make you feel better aside from assuring you Norman would never get loose again.

*.*.*

Ned beside Peter at the first game after the news had broken of the senior Osborn asked, seeing the football team and Color Guard and Cheerleaders mingling around the younger Osborn who was loving this attention. “What was Gwen asking you yesterday?”

Peter answered, “She asked for some tips on what to do if Harry starts being dismissive to her. I said to be firm, put her foot down. Didn’t want to ask Pluto to entangle her in their trouble too.”

Ned said, “Ricky wasn’t kidding when he said Pluto said Harry was gonna love this attention, even if he is going home to just his butler each night.”

Clearly you were irritated, albeit showing no sign of reacting to the clear vindictive streak Harry showed to get back at you, not just for the gym events but now how you had made his dad ruin his life by refusing him your inheritance. And as your friend and still praised ex who was talked to lately of nothing but Harry, while by him to be told to shut up when the topic shifted to any topic aside from him. Even high up in the bleachers it was evident Harry had repeated his behavior and told her to stop talking since what she said was not important.

Sharply she clenched her jaw in a glare at him and for all to see stomped hard on his foot dropping his jaw in a sea of reaction all around him on your side and the other side of the field. “What I say is important! What everyone says is important! Even if it’s not about you! And don’t you ever talk to me or contact me again! You go spread your poisonous behavior to everyone who is so weak willed to just grovel for more of it to be around the most self absorbed person in this school who might buy them something!”

MJ beside them chuckled at her stomp towards her parents, her father especially who pointed at Harry reminding him Gwen said to stay away. “Certainly one way to put her foot down.”

Ned chuckled and commented, “That’ll get the job done though.”

*.*.*

“She sprained my foot, I hope you’re happy.”

Harry’s voice turned you from the sidewalk on your way to work having headed over to your place after getting out of the hospital. “Harry, you have issues with your dad and your upbringing that you need to deal with. I tried to be your friend but you obviously didn’t want that or were told by daddy dearest to be my friend and tried to self sabotage that the entire time!”

“Don’t you talk about my dad! He’s in jail because-,”

“Your dad made a choice!” you said closing the distance making him lean back at your hands planting on the window frame of the car he was inside of. “Murder is a choice! He could have tried to pay me! He could have tried to sue me! He did try to kidnap me and he chose to murder all those people just because he didn’t get what he wanted!”

“He-,”

“Grow up Pinocchio!” you said dropping his jaw. “Grow up and take responsibility for being a part time toxic person! There’s good in there but it is a deliberate choice to be a complete and total jerk to any and everyone just because people don’t make you feel a hundred percent comfortable all of the time as you’re accustomed! This is me still trying to talk to the guy who said he was my friend! The kid who needs a genuine friend, who doesn’t want a thing from him!

Grow up and realize being kind, is a choice! Because I could make everyone in this country rue the day my parents were taken from me to give me this searing pain that had me terrified for my life to go back to Sweden! When all you wanted to talk about was I couldn’t make it to your party and that you were so in love with the person who threatened to take my attention from you! You want a pat on the back for learning cruelty is the easy way to get things? Everyone on this planet is suffering, open your eyes and choose to be kind or be cruel, and know that if you choose cruel, that it’s no one’s fault but your own for what you reap from it!”

Back away from the car you stepped to continue on foot to your job as you heard from your hive upstairs he eventually had his driver take him elsewhere. Apparently left to contemplation on your words and that of what Gwen had been trying to say to him.

“What did you say to Harry?” Gwen asked showing you a folded note you timidly accepted, “He taped that to my locker, I thought you weren’t talking.”

Her arms crossed as you read,

‘Gwen, I am so very sorry. So terribly sorry for everything. I talked to Pluto, I get it now and won’t bother you again with my internal doubts. You never deserved how I treated you.

Everything you say is important.

Harry.’

Up at her you looked and answered, “He ambushed me outside my place after his trip to the hospital I would guess. Came to say he hoped I was happy for his injury, and what people are calling the break up of the century.” Her lips pursed a moment and you said, “He tried to blame me for his dad’s situation and I pointed out the obvious that murder and cruelty is a choice and he was choosing to be cruel. We didn’t talk about your break up. That’s all him,” you said passing her back the note making her huff again.

“Well I’m not taking him back. Daddy said he was really proud of me.”

You giggled and her brow arched up, “I don’t think that was a hard string to tug on though,” making her smirk. “Just,” you sighed, “He has a lot to prove before I will consider being his friend, ever. But for now I get the going home without your parents. Granted, his dad’s only locked up and not executed or assigned to be yet and he has a full set of servants, mainly pity, but it’s all he’s getting. Certainly won’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”

She nodded haltingly and asked, “How are you doing?”

“Good, you?”

“Team isn’t the same without you,” she said breaking into a sweeping conversation. In the middle of which Harry came by on crutches to give you a weak grin and continued on to his first class beginning for you and your friends a deliberate try, as he had done in the start of the year to be a normal, good, caring kid.

“What do you have planned for your birthday? Anything exciting? Surely you have to out do your sweet sixteen.” One of your teachers had asked when they had read off the list of birthdays coming up this week in their computer system.

“Nothing planned really. Just be glad to not be bruised this year. Last one I was recovering from the hole I fell into when evacuating from the Titan attacks.”

“Right,” they said after a sharp inhale having heard about that. Then they smiled, “Then only eleven months before you choose, Poke or Tickle for your Mate box. Exciting stuff.”

“True, at least I’ll have plenty of time to think it over.” You said moving to take your seat to ready for the start of the class.

Quietly as he could manage Eddie had snuck into your place, knowing you were probably sore still from the gym trip you had made earlier where Cooper helped to work out your school frustrations with a good sparring session which helped with his own sleep troubles in return. Still warm the breakfast and a cake was all unloaded so he could creep over closer to your bed. So long he’d been fighting each realization that you no longer showed a sign of waking at all when he came near you while you slept. Anyone else and you would jolt right up if they came inside your home or even slid a key into any of the locks.

He could see the hive change colors in recognition of the chipped key used to open the door but it dimmed again to its content shade to not alert you for a fake alert to danger. He might be bonded to a man eater and could be a serious danger even on his own but it was a badge of pride that the child in you felt safe around him. But today he was going to deliberately disturb that sleep.

Dancing Queen. The classic, straight from ABBA named the occasion for this pivotal birthday. Now seventeen years old groggily but happily he helped you out of your cocoon of blankets to leave your shark pillow behind to join him for a breakfast buffet where he showed you a polaroid of a chandelier you smirked in accepting. “What is this?”

“Your new Mad Hatter chandelier,” wide open your mouth dropped at the black metal with ten ornate top hats, both feathered and not in various color schemes, lit with hidden bulbs inside the openings of the hats tiered in different heights.

“You did not!”

“Soon as we get you into a home this is going up. It’s in a crate at my place since you have a smaller door. One more year and we can rake in the dough with poker and we are getting you a house.”

“What about you?”

“You first, I have to pay off my place now then I can rent that when I find a place near to yours.”

“If it’s a house-,”

“No,” he said pointing at you, “You don’t need to share with me and Venom. You are almost an adult and need your own home base, mine will be as nearby as possible,” he said making you smirk. “We’re gonna get you a home of your own to plant and grow in. And when you’re full we are getting our nails done,” luring a wide smile across your face as he added, “We are keeping the usual dates, my cuticles are a nightmare if left untended and you know it.”

Letters and birthday cards were opened, including Wade Wilson’s Wall-E card as promised that sang a song from the film with a $50 bill inside and a note to go and spend it foolishly in a single place as every self respecting nine year old should.

A tip you had followed once you caringly put away the set of journals that came with the card etched with the Tree of Life symbol and other Norse runes and nautical symbols attributed with Vikings. Books were the common gift same as bundles of stationary, envelopes and a very intricate vintage pen your paternal cousins had sent you in various styles they thought you’d appreciate to answer your appreciation for snail mail as well as electronic correspondence with people you knew fondly.

…

Somehow odder than usual Valentines day came with a flower sent to you by an anonymous student, both Harry and Gwen seemed culpable in sending, over the shunning and silence coming from those who still stood opposed to you was barely noticeable while you looked into the vanishing act Dr Selvig had done. Simply vanished, the scientist who had published the works available of all Prince Thor was willing to have shared upon his world and thoughts on tech this planet possessed.

Footage you could find showed the end of a metal weapon pressed to his chest and then with glowing eyes in a brighter shade of blue he carried out a few tasks then vanished inside an abandoned building. Not even SHIELD could find him either apparently as Iron Man found Misique on a task helping to keep watch for a suspect for a criminal who was attacking people on their way out of a certain hospital.

“Where are you hiding Dr Selvig?” he demanded in a hover at your side cluing Venom in a shadow across the way he was on full watch as you were distracted.

“Why would I steal the Prince of Asgard’s science friend?”

“You took Dr Connors.” He replied flatly.

“I offered a safe house for Dr Connors to recuperate after a major genetic procedure to reverse what his compound set off in his body. Lemons and mangoes, Stark. All I’ve found were traces of anomalies inside the building he was taken from. Someone snatched him, close to Asgardian tech for the after taste.”

Deeply he sighed and simply grabbed the edge of the building to sit down, asking himself, “How am I supposed to find him?”

“Well he isn’t particularly talented aside from his field,” causing the Avenger to look at you as you went back to surveying the lot. “Not a skilled fighter or expert in poisons or assassinations or even behind any pertinent world changing tech or patents.”

“He’s a brain,” Tony said catching onto what you were saying, “Eventually we’ll catch signs of where he is by following his fields. Who are you looking for?”

Off your lap the lightning gun you had altered was raised to fire off into a supposedly empty spot drawing an exclamation from both the Nurse headed for her car and the invisible figure who collapsed to the ground a couple car lengths from her. “Him,” Off his lower half the cloaking layer was shifted and Venom sprung down into view to collect the writhing figure and give the Nurse a calming pat on the shoulder in an act of keeping watch while she got into her car and felt safe she would not be attacked. Out of a pocket you brought a police radio saying, “Misique and Venom checking in, we have apprehended the invisible buffoon.”

“I thought he preferred the Krackle,” Tony said.

“Only thing stupider than that name is this guy. I can smell him a block off, reeks of sulfur,” As you pocketed the radio and gun he looked you over, “Happy Valentine’s day.”

Internally a new realization clicked and as you dropped off the side of the building to slide down to the ground and wait with Venom to hand over the guy to the arriving cop cars announced by their nearing sirens and lights Stark dropped to fly off and meet Pepper in time for their date.

*.*.*

Cackling died down to Norman Osborn being chained to the wheeled reclined chair he was confined to when not in bed as his body was still mending from both his injuries gained within abducting Happy and the withdrawals of the Goblin Gas leaving his muscles. Withdrawal that frequently had him near to convulsions and required to be under a nerve blocker to keep from feeling the pain his contorting body was facing for random chunks of the day and night. “I imagine a certain reporter will be along eventually to demand answers.”

Nick Fury across from Norman sat stoically as he meticulously uncapped his expensive pen chosen to match one Norman was possessive of from his office. Small ticks and materials chosen for writing and keeping paperwork organized to help keep him focused on the interview before his mental train would surely derail and he was to be sedated again when he chose to lash out at the staff. “No reporters are welcomed to have clearance here. You will have no mail and not be able to send any. All news and reports of your son will go through the Agent assigned to that matter of your case, welcome to the Med Bay of Prison 42, you were unconscious when we brought you here.”

“Oh, now now, how then am I supposed to break the news to the world?” Norman asked slightly leaning forward in a sideways wobble against his body’s urge to writhe as he smiled madly with brows raised dramatically.

“And what news might that be? Everyone knows you are the Goblin.”

“I know who the itty bitty bee is.” Norman said with a cackle and Nick’s hands shifted to the side atop his notepad showing a glimpse of the pen again in one of them.

Welcoming the revelation by saying, “Do tell. I am all ears.”

“Pluto,” he said expecting a response of shock only making Nick laugh and point at the man whose forehead wrinkles showed in a furrow of his brow and scowl. “I went in that subway and took Misique, Pluto was found at my house.”

“You took a body coated in bees.”

“You cannot refuse my being captured was directly because Pluto came to my office that day! She broke into my lab first before she came up to talk to me! She set me up!”

“Night of the bees Misique was traced out in Pennsylvania, we have an Agent who spotted her with Venom. That day, Pluto is in the elevator when the hack happened,” Norman’s mouth dropped open and Nick continued. “Pluto has got skills but we have evidence of her being out of the way while Misique has handled things with the exception of the Titan attack and when the kids were snatched and our systems went down. The second one we found footage of her out in a train system in Jersey while Misique was bringing down Black Bolt. I get it, they’re close like sisters, but you are the one who attacked the private jets and abducted an innocent man who was just doing his job.”

“Those patents are mine!” he hissed in a hushed whisper, kicking off the downward spiral of the interrogation that would end with Fury pulling a gas mask from his lap for shouting Norman to be gassed unconscious by means of the vents in the walls that snapped open enabling a safer transport back to his Med Bay cell.

On the other side of a clear door lined cleansing chamber Fury took Rhodey’s side, knowing he was watching and listening through the hidden double sided panels in the reflective wall. “Dude’s lost his grip. Even if we were having a trial he wouldn’t be fit for it.”

“He’s never having a trial. By our tests he wouldn’t live to see opening arguments either. Council has authorized a metal cap procedure.”

Parting Rhodey’s lips, “That what I think it is?”

“They’re going to copy his brain, personality, memories, the works and imbed it into a safer body, one we can control and when the original Norman dies his son will have someone to not be able to visit.”

“That’s-,”

“Drastic, only successful merge has been Dum Dum Dugan back in the 70’s and we have to replace his lower vertebrae to get him back on his feet again. Stark and some Neuro docs have been conferencing on spinal tech to work off of Howard Stark’s old notes to have a more stable design without much detail on why we need the update. But Pierce thinks he’s got something useful rattling around up there.”

Rhodey sighed and paused a moment in their shared silence before muttering, “I’m gonna keep that thought to myself.”

Turning with Fury to head back to their ride home again, and when alone in the lift Fury turned on a hidden surveillance muffler to say to his friend, “All I know is, I’m putting my own tracker on that bot.” To vocalize the concern for Pierce wanting Norman as a bot and the chance he could be sent after Pluto again.

*.*.*

“Hey Spidey,” Venom said joining in on the webbing of the sliced in half ferry, upon the upper deck of which your bees were encasing the split to heat up and weld it back together while you were giving chest compressions to a child with a heart condition that had collapsed.

Stark again had flown in to see what had been going on since the FBI bust on the Vulture guy Spidey had been tracking on his own had been clearly interrupted. Only to see the child in immediate danger and scooped them up to get them to the nearest children’s hospital War Machine carried their father right behind them seeing the ferry and other passengers were in safe hands.

“I thought I had it,” Spidey muttered as you and Venom came closer at the nearing of the dock on the other side of the bay the ferry had been crossing.

“We all stumble,” Venom said with a pat on his back. People had thanked the three of you on the way out after keeping the ship afloat and them safe, more so those who noticed their cars had been lost into the water were floating up to the surface in bee encased bubbles ensuring little water damage if any. The Vulture guy had been setting off alien tech all over the place and against tries to warn the Avengers who were still hunting Selvig down by tracing other anomalies all over the country.

All the same mangled up by a trio of geese you had created the Vulture guy was taken out of the sky and trapped by the FBI inside a secure vehicle to be shipped off to the Raft until his trial. Though sadly for your friend while Spidey was lifted higher within the public as one of the good guys looking out fro the little guy back in school you had to try and see what you could do for Peter when his crush Liz, Vulture man’s daughter, had to transfer to keep out of the press.

Washington again for the Academic Decathlon was the final week Liz would be in town to return to have her home packed up for easy travel to her new home across the country.

Part of your day breaks off you and Eddie from afar took a look at the air strip that now held the new secure BigBuck jets used for country officials within the state and those traveling here. A passing guard however had recognized you and over a radio call the both of you were welcomed inside for a mini unofficial tour on the ground between the aircraft to just see them in person.

Then nightly you were sneaking with the other teens to the pool while your bees had checked once again the emissions reports they collected world wide now skewed with far fewer emissions from the country than just months prior.

By the final morning however you had learned that the Secretary of State had heard of your visit to see the new jet she had been using and had volunteered to present the award to the winner of the competition so she would have a change to speak to you. Most of her brief term so far having been concerning environmental concerns and energy conservation options for cutting dependency on fossil fuels for future generations. And towering over you the blonde haired blue eyed woman did get her time alone beginning with an offered hand and a simple, “Elizabeth.”

“We almost met last year,” was all you could think to say widening her grin.

“Yes we did. I am sorry to say work diverted me, troubles with some asylum matters with a traveling team. I have been scrambling to find a chance to meet you, you met my husband, he sat in on the meeting for the design of the Blackhowls.”

“Right, he seemed favorable. Saw him more than once to sneak a peek while I was working.” You said making her chuckle.

“Yes, Henry loves a new jet, and an old one, he was excited to hitch a ride on the new revamped classic war body you chose. I hear the new Air Force One is meant to be a take on the glass front bomber, correct?”

“They’re debating it, if not it’ll be a dull shiny silver body with birds of prey etched into it to make up for thwarting my design,” you said making her chuckle.

“I for one love the glass front design, but either way you will knock it out of the park.” After a glance at her assistant she asked, “Do you have plans for the summer?”

“We were gonna drop by Southern Africa again and then travel up through India and China. I may not come back with less than five panda and elephant decorations each.”

She shook her head, “No one can deny the panda’s appeal.”

“Saw this one shop they have the fuzziest of blankets in a panda theme but they don’t sell internationally, it is etched on the map.” You said widening her smile.

“Pluto, full time at Columbia come September, right? Or are you moving schools?” one of the other seniors asked you in the morning when yearbooks were handed out so she could add it to the final edition of the school paper.

“Oh, I have to come back next year to finish my credits.”

And softly she gasped, “Oh Pluto, I am sorry, right, you were one of the skippers.” And awkwardly you nodded and took a step away so they could go and have a whispering conversation with the others from the paper to remember to get another story on the credit requirement change. The year end pep rally as the hardest for you in having to sit up in the stands alone while your friends were down on the floor performing and watching the speeches given until you were free to leave for the end of your day at Midtown to head to Columbia for the last of your exams this semester.

On the aftermath of which emails confirmed the deposit of funds both from the initial payment Stark had wired to you as the first fleet of BigBucks were ready to be sold for private customers and sports teams now government clients had been satisfied. The rest of the funds were by a second email confirmed to be added to your trust fund. Same as the first payment from the fleet of Scandinavian planes for commercial liners that was ready to be put to use by their airlines next week while their older planes were being dismantled to help with more supplies for new planes of your design or to be sold to other countries for spare parts for their airlines.

With them came news of online magazine releases loaded with pictures of advertisements, the former set Stark had designed the interior on the subway ride home had you groan at the eyesore modern style the polar opposite of the design you would have chosen. Greatly contrasting the calming aurora borealis and galaxy themed seating areas in the single or two story planes upon your notes designed for both comfort and a unique style of luxury you had plenty of experience flying with Hydra to know what some of the best airlines had to offer. Including a cute new series of hidden animal etchings enabling animal themed trinkets to have for passengers to leave with alongside other goody bags to try out their first round of passengers on the new lines. Something to compete with the glamorous Middle Eastern and Asian airlines on level of comfort and luxury in a unique way to their culture.

Time would only tell, and online you could see that several travel vloggers had boasted on having booked tickets to give their best reviews in various areas of the flight to compare and contrast between price ranges. All of which the airlines were content each would be successful for their lengthy and shorter flights.

Those in a few weeks time would be highly in contrast to Stark’s interior designs that would appeal to the clientele who desired their own jets his team could customize inside if they were willing to pay extra. Something that would only benefit you as each one sold added to your reputation as an aviation designer and had you more than a bit floored by the email from NASA to possibly hint interest for you in interning there as a designer. As a self propulsion engine not requiring gas could have the tech up for options now for space travel jolt leaps and bounds and take the race farther than anticipated within this lifetime.

Pt 40

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