章 171: Chapter 171
[Third Person's PoV]
As Spider-Man and the others landed, they immediately began cleaning up the mess they had caused.
"Ghost, Firestar, handle the situation with his blood," Spider-Man quietly instructed, ensuring the military wouldn't overhear. "We'll keep everyone else distracted while you both take care of it."
They both nodded and discreetly made their way toward the college, which was mostly deserted due to the damage from the fire.
Aria, without needing further instruction, scanned the area and highlighted a back corner of the building. "There, I'm detecting a large concentration of blood. If I had to guess, it belongs to Bruce Banner," she informed them.
Sneaking their way through the college, Ghost-Spider and Firestar found a lab with multiple vials of blood. Though some placeholders were empty and a few vials were broken, the blood samples were still secured.
Without hesitation, Ghost-Spider and Firestar began destroying the vials. Ghost froze them until they shattered in her hands, while Firestar heated them until the blood evaporated into steam.
Suddenly, Ghost-Spider tapped the side of her head, sensing someone attempting to make a telepathic connection with her.
*"There's a small crate of blood being extracted by the military,"* Scarlet-Spider relayed through the mental link. *"They're taking the samples slowly to avoid detection. Peter has a new plan: have Lizzy cause a delayed explosion to wipe out the remaining samples, while you sneak in and retrieve the crate."*
*"Scarlet-Spider, what did we say about using code names?"* Ghost-Spider reprimanded.
*"This is a Spider-only telepathic link. No big deal,"* Scarlet-Spider responded casually.
*"We agreed to be cautious. Even telepathic links could be compromised. When we're in costume, it's code names only. We don't want another Spider-Kat incident, do we?"*
*"Ugh, fine. You're right. I'll be more careful,"* Scarlet-Spider sighed.
*"Just because Spider-Man gave away his identity earlier doesn't mean we can be reckless. If anything, we have to be more vigilant."*
With the plan in mind, Ghost-Spider turned to Firestar and relayed the updated orders from Spider-Man. She then sneaked out of the college, activating her camouflage to become invisible. She quickly made her way toward the military's staging area, where trucks were being loaded.
Ghost perched on a lamppost and tapped the side of her mask, scanning the area. A few crates were highlighted, showing vials of blood inside, hidden in what appeared to be ammo boxes. The military personnel guarding the crates were on high alert, weapons in hand.
But Ghost wasn't concerned. With her new camouflage abilities, she smirked. 'That's it!' she thought, as an idea formed in her mind.
She fired her webs, which turned invisible due to the upgrades her camouflage underwent. The invisible webbing flew toward the crates, she watched as they vanished from sight, her web cloaking them, passing the camouflaging effects from her body through her webs. Smirking again, she pulled the crates toward her, unnoticed by the soldiers. She froze the blood inside until it shattered like ice, Ghost systematically destroyed every sample.
As she finished the last one, an explosion erupted inside the college, causing panic among the soldiers.
Meanwhile, nearby civilians looked on with sorrow, seeing the devastation of their homes.
Spider-Man, observing their expressions, had a thoughtful look. 'I should start FEAST and have Aunt May and Uncle Ben run it…'
After a few minutes, Spider-Man and the others finished organizing the rubble so it could be recycled. News crews that have long since arrived were filming the heroes' efforts. One reporter spotted Firestar, the newest member of the team, and called out to her.
Firestar, realizing it was still the day of her debut, she smiled and officially introduced her hero name.
"Firestar, let's go!" Nightwing called from above.
"Coming! Duty calls." She winked at the reporter before blasting off into the sky. Spider-Man and the rest of the team followed suit, swinging away and disappearing from view.
...
Back at the Weaver, they found Bruce and Betty seated in front of a hologram of Aria in her Spider costume, glaring at them.
"Aria, what are you doing?" Spider-Man asked with amusement.
"Watching them…" she replied, dramatically pointing two fingers at her eyes before pointing back at Bruce and Betty repeatedly. Her hologram flickered away.
"Well, she's lovely," Bruce said sarcastically.
Betty chuckled, finding the exchange amusing. Bruce then turned serious. "Look, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but can you just tell me how you're going to help me?"
Peter nodded, removing his helmet as he sat down in front of them. "How do I explain this in a way that would be easier to understand… Let me put it this way. The Hulk is something unknown to you, and when humans are faced with the unknown, they fear it. They try to eliminate what scares them."
"No, I understand the Hulk perfectly," Bruce countered, shaking his head. "He's a violent creature driven by nothing but anger and destruction. Whenever he surfaces, people get hurt."
"You're proving my point, Bruce," Peter said calmly. "If you think that's all there is to the Hulk, you really don't know him at all. I'm sure Betty can tell you that the Hulk is capable of more than just rage. There's kindness, compassion, and so many other emotions within him."
"How is this supposed to help me get rid of him?" Bruce asked, looking at Peter in confusion.
Peter's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "Honestly, Bruce... You're annoying. I can see why the Hulk doesn't like you."
"Wha—"
"If you'd just let me talk without interrupting every few seconds, you'd know what I was planning," Peter said, irritation evident in his voice.
"Right, sorry," Bruce mumbled awkwardly, while Betty turned away, covering her mouth to hide a laugh.
"I'm not trying to get rid of the Hulk. I'm trying to help you learn to live with him—"
"Okay, so I see I'm wasting my time—"
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BRUCE, SHUT UP!" Peter snapped.
"Uh-oh, Peter snapped," Felicia teased, clearly amused.
"I don't think I've ever seen him lose his cool like this before," MJ said, equally entertained.
"Peter hates it when someone interrupts him during an important explanation. It's one of his biggest pet peeves," Gwen added with a chuckle.
"Jesus Christ," Peter muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Bruce, honey, you need to let him finish," Betty said, rubbing Bruce's back sympathetically. "I know you're impatient, but we're not going anywhere if you don't let him explain."
"You're right. I'm sorry. Patience isn't one of my strong suits," Bruce admitted apologetically.
"I'm sorry for yelling. I shouldn't have done that. Just don't interrupt me again," Peter sighed, then cleared his throat. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," he said, giving Bruce a side-eye, "there's more to the Hulk than you understand. The Hulk is a part of you—a manifestation of all the anger you've bottled up over the years, given form by the gamma radiation. Whether you like it or not, the Hulk is a part of you. You just don't fully understand what he is yet."
Peter continued, "Now, when people fear the unknown, the way to move past it is to understand it. The unknown becomes the known. Getting rid of the Hulk would be like getting rid of a part of yourself. And as a scientist, you should know that's not a good thing. The Hulk is your 'inner demon,' so to speak, and the most effective way to deal with inner demons? You learn to live with them."
Peter looked directly at Bruce. "The only way to stop your suffering, to stop your fear, and to control the Hulk is to understand him. Once you do that, you can learn how to live with him."
Bruce sat in silence, not saying a word. The awkward quiet stretched on, causing Peter to frown. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"The last time I said something, you screamed at me."
"What are you, a child? I'm done explaining. I'm waiting for your input."
Bruce sighed and leaned back in his seat. "On paper, what you said sounds good, but I don't want to understand the Hulk. I just want him gone. And the Hulk doesn't seem like the type to cooperate. How can I understand him without putting people in danger?"
"Honestly, Bruce, what other choice do you have? You've tried everything to get rid of him, and nothing's worked. This is literally your only option. And don't worry about communication. Back in my lab, we have a VR capsule we use for training. If we connect you to it, theoretically, both your consciousness and the Hulk's would be transported into a virtual world. You could talk, get to know each other. And if the Hulk goes on a rampage, we'll just create a simulation for him to destroy. Let him vent all his frustrations."
"You seriously have something like that?" Bruce asked, surprised.
"Of course. After all, who's the smartest guy alive?" Peter smirked, glancing at his friends.
"Reed Richards," they all said in unison.
"Come on! Where's the loyalty? I thought you guys were on my side!" Peter said, feigning shock at their betrayal.
"Reed still holds the title. If you take it from him, we'll say you," Harry teased with a grin.
"You're all fake friends. Every single one of you," Peter grumbled.
Suddenly, the ship jolted as they descended. Peter turned to Bruce. "Look, we're back at our hideout. So, are you up for it or not?"
Bruce sighed deeply. "Like you said, what other choice do I have? We all have to confront our demons at some point, right?"
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