章 2163: 31
Chapter 31: Tis a Kraken Good Day
Notes:
My dudes! The new job is good, but it's also cutting into writing time. So in like a month I might run out of extra drafts so we might be forced to change to a once a week update schedule. Not sure, I mean I'm still getting like three pages done a day. So it might not. But just a heads up that's a possibility.
Chapter Text
Natasha did not like feeling helpless. In fact she loathed it. So standing on the docks with some of New York's most unfortunate emergency workers and staring at the...sea creature slowly making its way towards land was not something she enjoyed. Really it was only the occasional tentacle the size of a metro train that was visible. This was...there were not bullets large enough for this thing, and she was fairly sure batting her eyes at it wasn't a viable plan. "The Governor?"
"He has all confidence in the Avengers." Darcy replied, she was sitting on the weapons case of the largest missile she'd been able to requisition from SI. Unfortunately it wasn't particularly big, seeing as the tower wasn't a weapons plant. The Stark ringleader's head cocked to the side. "So do you think we're dealing with a kraken? Giant octopus from space? Chuthulu's second cousin?"
She doubted shooting a missle at it would be effective since they couldn't even get visual on where it's main body was. "Rhodey?"
"Malibu, he's five hours out." Darcy reached out and gave her a conciliatory pat on the shoulder. "And no, we can't make a space wormhole big enough for that sucker." Darcy snorted. "Sucker."
Natasha looked at who they had for help. It wasn't encouraging. With Banner and Thor MIA since Ultron the team was down two of its heaviest hitters. Stark was doing some wellness and mindfulness thing in India. Steve and Sam had taken Vision with them to deal with a Hydra base in Warsaw. Which left herself, Wanda, Pietro, Spiderman, and Quake as the only enhanced available.
She supposed if it was an enemy they could just punch in the face there was Daredevil, and a few other enhanced running around that could be recruited. But punching what was essentially a deep sea monster was not the wheelhouse of people whose preferred method of combat was punching.
Natasha saw the just done with life expression on Lance Hunter's face. She agreed. "Pietro, can you run on water?"
"I do not think so." Pietro was rather pale as he looked at a giant tentacle waving menacingly in the air. "I could try?"
Wanda spoke up. "I could fly us out there, but I can't keep that many people aloft and fight."
"Uh… I'm not so good without things to swing off of?" Spiderman's white eye holes squinted. "But I'm down for fighting the Kraken."
Daisy adjusted one of her gauntlets slightly. "They might call me Quake, but my abilities have to do with vibrations not the ground." She frowned. "I don't have practice trying to fly over water though."
"I have a really bad idea." Darcy hopped off the missile case. She actually looked slightly nervous about what she was about to suggest. That was a really, REALLY, terrible sign. "So why don't we shoot the missile in the general direction of its face?"
Hunter hugged his rifle closer to himself. "Won't that just make it angry?"
"Duh." Darcy looked at him like that was obvious.
Pietro frowned. "Why do we want to make the kraken angry?"
"So it raises its head up out of the water to try to eat us." Darcy explained, with hand motions. "It makes it easier to hit something we can see."
Wanda paled, she'd clearly picked up on something. "Oh no. I do not like this plan. We should not do it."
"Wait, oh that plan!" Spiderman hopped. He gave a far too considering look at the wharf and then back at tentacles. "Yeah I could slingshot that far."
Natasha had to actually resist an instinctive desire to pinch the bridge of her nose. But she had to ask. She had a terrible idea she knew. "Slingshot what?"
"Quake of course." Darcy replied glibly. "I mean Wanda would have to pick you up out of the harbor afterwards." She reached out and patted her sister on the shoulder. "But that thing has to have a brain, just turn it to mush and we can serve kraken sashimi to all of New York for a week."
Horrifyingly Daisy was nodding as if that was a logical plan. "It'd at least hurt it, probably. I did liquify a few people's brains while Hive was in control. Kinda always wondered if I could do it before that." She shrugged. "What the hell, let's punch Cthulhu in the face."
Natasha really wanted to offer out a different strategy. But SHIELD was mostly west coast focused still, they didn't have military support, no aerial support, and it was a viable plan. A terrible one, but she'd done worse. "Spiderman start making a web slingshot for Quake. Hunter, prepare to launch our missile at the kraken."
"Right, I'm gonna need a minute." He popped the lid off the case and went to work. It was telling about the straits SHIELD had been in since Hydragate he was accepting this plan with resigned acceptance.
She turned to Wanda. "Be ready to fly out as quickly as possible. If this fails, get Quake and get out as quickly as possible."
Wanda shot a worried look at where Quake and Spiderman were pointing at buildings and arguing about best angles for launch. But she answered all the same. "I can do that."
Natasha accepted they were going to do this. She'd feel better if she had a bazooka.
////
Daisy tested her boot's grip on the web netting Peter had made. "That'll do it."
"Please don't get eaten by the kraken." Peter nudged her. "You know we didn't make a code for attack by sea monster."
"We'll have to add it to the list." Her lips pressed together. She knew she was powerful, but this powerful? Daisy's eyes hardened. It didn't matter if she was or wasn't, she had to be. She looked to Wanda who'd followed the two of them after saying something to Natasha. "Think you can help me build up a feedback loop?"
Wanda hissed. "I can, you're sure?"
Daisy ignored the obvious worry her girlfriend was showing. Now wasn't the time and Wanda wouldn't appreciate useless platitudes. "We only have one shot at this working." She rolled her shoulders. "Let's make sure I have as much power stored up as possible."
"You can swim right?" Wanda asked while lighting up with power, her red mist encasing Daisy.
She started radiating her powers, letting them be reverberated back into her. "You should probably get me out of the water pretty fast."
Daisy wasn't sure if Wanda replied or not, her entire focus had turned to increasing the vibrations she was building at different frequencies as they bounced between her and the wall of Wanda's powers. Her bones were vibrating with it, but she wasn't losing it, nothing was breaking yet. Her eyes closed, her breathing the only thing besides the power she was generating she could focus on.
And then the hard part. She had to still it all, letting the power quiet beneath her skin. It was nauseating to have that much energy bound, needing to get out. A single slip of her control and she'd shatter a lot of bones. Daisy opened her eyes, the air still around her. And yup, Wanda definitely had picked up on how narrowly she was holding onto her control.
Wanda's head snapped towards Hunter. "Shoot the sea monster! Now!"
Natasha's eyes physically widened and then she was turning on Hunter.
And Hunter shot their single person operable missile at the center of the tentacles. The entire pier went silent as they watched the missile arching through the sky. It hit the water.
The water exploded upwards. Tentacles shot upwards, a deep roaring sound boomed past them. And then a great green...head began to rise up out of the water. Waves crashing off of it's bulbous gooey form.
"Giant octopus, not a Cthulhu. Good to know." Darcy absently uttered into the deafening, horrified, and resounding silence. "The kraken is real?"
Peter let out a slightly high pitched laugh. "Well this whole thing is kraken me up."
"Is this really the time?!" Hunter yelped.
Daisy blew her breath out. Right, she could do this. She made eye contact with Peter where he was holding the webbing slingshot pulled back. She grinned. "Yeet me already bro."
Peter snorted, and then released the slingshot.
The wind whistled past her as she arched through the air, head first towards the kraken. Her teeth clenched as she kept the energy she was holding from bursting out of her. As she came hurtling closer she felt a bolt of what was probably something similar to terror. She didn't have time to worry about it. As she closed in she twisted in mid air pulling her fist back.
The kraken roared from it's beak like mouth that had teeth. Fun. It's eyes were yellow, standing out from it's green bulbous skin. It spotted her too late, it's tentacles too large and slow to bat her from the air.
And then she hit it fist first, every ounce of energy she could channel exploding outwards. A scream on her lips as she barely held onto a fraction of control over the amount of energy she was generating.
A wave rippled through the kraken.
Daisy had a second to laugh. "Oh damn I did it." And then a tentacle smashed down over her head flattening her as it slammed her into the water.
Between the cold, the force of it, and the suddenness of it she was stunned as she disappeared under the water. It drove the air from her lungs. She fought, but the tentacle was so wide, she couldn't get around it, get up, she couldn't swim! Futility she kicked, trying to do..something, get up.
An arm scooped around her waist and then she was being hauled sideways. Training took over and she went limp, fighting your rescuer got both of you killed. May'd spent hours and hours drilling that into her head. The water pushed past them. And then they were breaking above the water.
Daisy choked, spewing water from her mouth. Wheezing, the salt burned her eyes as she squinted at the person holding them above water. "Peter?"
"Holy shit nuggets that was awesome!" Peter tightened his grip around her middle.
She sucked in air. Damn, Peter had to have launched himself right after her to have gotten here in time. "Thanks."
"You don't get to call me Dumb Dumb anymore." He leaned his forehead to the side of her head for a minute before pulling back, breathing hard. "You can't swim! Why would you do that if you couldn't swim!"
Daisy blinked, she looked at the limited view she had. The water had a disgusting green color to it. The tentacle that had hit her was just sort of...laying in the water. And that was it's head towering above them? But like lower than it'd been before. "Is it...dead?"
"You blew out the back of it's head." Peter's voice was awed. "Which is unbelievably cool! I mean damn. That was so badass."
She relaxed further in her brother's grip. The yellow eye she could see did look kinda cloudy now that she was looking for it. "So dead?"
"Super dead." Peter confirmed. "Like you know when you and Darcy shot those watermelons? Like that."
Daisy huffed in relief, and god her throat hurt. But excellent. "Quake powers beat sea monster."
"Yeah, Quake loses to water." He countered.
She shrugged while letting herself float, trusting Peter to keep her above water. "So Darcy's plan to just Yeet me at a sea monster. Do you think we should be concerned by that?"
"I mean it worked? Also objectively awesome." Peter puffed. "And never made a slingshot that cool before."
Daisy smiled fondly. "Yeah, that was pretty awesome."
Peter raised a hand waving as red light came into view above them. "DOWN HERE!"
Wanda swiftly descended red light wrapping around them and lifting them out of the water. "You are both insane."
"Sup." Daisy smiled, she wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders. God she was exhausted that had taken a lot out of her. "Thanks for the pick up." And huh, she was actually freezing cold.
Daisy's shivering was mostly gone as she sat on a crate, several emergency blankets wrapped around her, and a cup of hot tea cradled in her hands. "So Coast Guard has clean up?"
"If the governor knows what's good for him they do." Darcy brandished a towel. "Let's get your hair dry and then you're going straight to the Tower."
She didn't fight as her sister dropped the towel over her hand and started aggressively drying her hair. It was a bit of a lost cause. Between kraken goop and sea water she was going to need a shower the moment she got home. Daisy frowned slightly. "Wait, why am I going to the tower?"
"Because you are covered in kranen goo and you're getting x-rayed for fractures or broken bones even if I have to strap you down." Darcy pulled the towel away and scrunched up her nose at the remnants of goo coating it. "We should make sea monsters from a Lovcraftian nightmare code Goopy Soupy."
Daisy couldn't help her amused expression at that. "We can add it to the list since you're kidnapping me."
"Wait, what's this about kidnapping? I thought we didn't kidnap?" Peter's voice asked as he bounced over, Spiderphone very clearly recording.
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Just telling your partner she's coming back to the Tower to make sure she didn't break anything punching the evil octopus/kraken thing in the face." She shot a look at Daisy. "You can use my apartment. I know the tower has better water pressure then your place."
"You should do that!" Peter seemed to forget he was recording as he focused on them. "I mean you were underwater for a while before I got to you."
Daisy sighed, but honestly just felt a warm sort of affection for her siblings, besides she had a feeling Wanda was going to be hunting her down as soon as the opportunity presented itself. "I wasn't arguing. And I didn't break anything."
She pointedly ignored as Peter narrated gratitude that Darcy had provided the missile and waxed on with commentary about events. It was nice, and honestly he was far better at the social media stuff then her. Daisy quietly sipped at her coco. This superhero thing wasn't too bad. Her eyes settled on Wanda who was using Hunter as a shield against the cameras. Her smile spread across her face. No, this hero thing was kinda awesome.
////
Darcy proudly hit the print button of the evening news image that was going to be around the world by the end of the night. It was a glorious image of Daisy punching the kraken in the face. A reporter had clearly taken it with a telephoto lens. But it was the most compelling of a series of shots documenting the whole thing. Personally her favorites were of Peter recklacly jumping off a flailing tentacle before diving into the water right after Daisy.
It was good for the media, no casualties, clear and horrifying threat stopped dead. Also the long distance photos of Peter and Daisy floating in the water pre-Wanda pick up, very much looked like they were making out. Which meant it was excellent professionally and privately. Darcy didn't intend to let them live it down even when they were all old and grey.
She looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. "FRIDAY did Tony change permissions to my apartment again?"
-"No, Mr Maximoff is awaiting permission to enter."-
Darcy's brow scrunched slightly, but she was curious. "Let him in FRIDAY."
-"As you wish Dr Lewis."-
She stayed curled up on the couch, but set her laptop aside. "Did you need something Pietro?"
"Your couch." Pietro's eyes had a certain look to them as he zipped in front of her. "And vodka, all the vodka."
Darcy actually leaned back at that. "Why do you look like you just had a bucket of ice water chucked at you?" Well without being dripping wet, but the horrified stunned expression was pretty close to the time Peter had helped her dump a bucket of ice water on the speedster. So tomato, tomato.
"Your sister is in my apartment." He looked at her expectantly.
She blinked. "She's over at your apartment like half the days of the week?"
"Half the days of the week she's hacking into something while Wanda reads course material for her classes. Or Wanda is teaching her to not burn down the kitchen. She's 'in' my apartment in my apartment." Pietro's expression could best be described as a cringe.
It dawned on her what he was implying. "Oh, OH." She cocked her head to the side. "Don't you have soundproof walls?"
"Wanda automatically leaves a faint empathetic link open when we're near each other." He looked truly pained. "It's subconscious."
Darcy snorted out right. "Oh you poor boy, did you get your sister's frisky feels on accident?"
"It's not funny." He grumbled. "Can I please sleep on your couch. Your apartment's far enough I'm safe."
Nodding, she gestured to the second couch. Because of course an apartment provided by Tony would have a second couch. "Me casa et tu casa. But really, how has this not happened before?"
"Uh...we've only had powers for a few years and Wanda must have shut off the connection when I had company. Or it's new? She never said anything" Pietro looked uncomfortable. "Vodka? I'd like to forget this ever happened."
She waved at the kitchen. "Go for it. It's on top of the fridge, juice inside. Grab me some too." Darcy shook her head in amusement as she pulled her laptop back to her. "Want to help with the Spiderquake scrapbook?"
"The what?" He blurred behind the couch, his head curiously peeking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.
Darcy proudly pulled up some files. "The media is convinced Peter and Daisy, or Quake and Spiderman are in 'true love'. Which is hilarious. But because it protects Peter we're not doing anything to stop it. Which means, I'm documenting everything. Years worth of blackmail material dropped into my lap."
Pietro's face turned amused. "Are there fanvideos?"
"Oh my sweet summer child." She patted the seat next to her. "I have a whole new world to share with you."
Darcy munched on her popcorn as obnoxiously as possible. She squinted at the screen. "Kid maybe hang the mugger a solid five feet lower so people can actually cut them down."
-'Huh?"- The video from Peter's goggles shifted as if he was frowning under his mask. They'd have to adjust it's responsiveness to his face...or maybe leave it. It did help humanize him.
"It takes ladders to get a mugger down if you leave them dangling like a pinata." She flicked a kernel of corn up and caught it with her teeth. "Also I saw those looks, you're leaving the spider sweater on."
-"You're worse than Aunt May. I look ridiculous."- He grumbled as the swinging of the camera in his eye lenses stilled. He'd evidently landed on something appropriately high.
She snorted. "The suit is awesome, but it's too thin to have temperature control. Even I'm not that awesome, yet. The heights of my intelligence have yet to be reached. So give it a couple years and I might figure something out. And stop hanging them up head first. You're going to give someone a concussion."
-"Fine."- Peter's lense camera scanned the streets he was perched above. -"Hey Darcy, what's a good first date?"-
Darcy grinned. "Depends on the girl buckeroo. So tell me, what's her name?"
-"Gwen, she's my lab partner in biology."- His voice was clearly nervous. -"She's a junior, president of the science club and super smart and I really like her."-
She felt like laughing, her baby bro clearly had a type. "Your thing is smart girls who can tell you what to do?"
-"What?! No. That's stupid."- He yelped.
Darcy bit her lip, if Peter wasn't fourteen she'd drag him for how clearly transparent he was about his type. She gave it a year tops before he realized his friend MJ was exactly his type. Which that would be a crisis of emotions like any crush on a friend. But right now it was a probably hopeless crush on an older girl. "So she's what sixteen?"
-"Yeah. But she laughs at my jokes and just at me! And sometimes does this hair thing and I think maybe I have a chance?"-
She hummed. "Well a movie date is a classic, and you know Daisy or I'd make sure you had a car ride. Now the important part is you have to make sure you don't vomit feelings all over this girl."
-"Right...how do I not vomit feelings all over?"- His voice pitched up.
She smiled while spinning herself in her wheely chair. "Do not utter the word 'love'. You let her know you like her, suggest a date, and make sure she knows you'll still be the best bio partner and not going to get creepy on her. You are a smart, cute boy and if she doesn't say yes we'll have ice cream and it's nothing to be ashamed of."
-"Wait...what?"-
"Girls don't want to be burdened with your feelings when you ask them out. So you tell her you like her, you'd like to take her on a movie date but if she doesn't want to that's ok. Listen well young padawan, girls are not mysterious. They want to feel safe to say yes or no. Most girls aren't going to take down gods with a taser like Mwua or are human weapons like our sister."
Peter's visuals nodded. -"I can do that."-
"Good, and if she says no we'll mope with you." Darcy popped some more popcorn into her mouth. "Also do you have an outfit picked out for the big ask?"
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