Chương 325: Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Five. Till All Are One
Friday was hyperactive for the rest of the night, and Peter was glad he had managed to grab a small catnap.
"This is sho good" she said with a mouth full of what looked like Felicia's chocolate cake. As the rest preferred savoury snacks mainly because Felicia ate anything sweet, it was her fridge drawer that was raided, and eventually emptied. Friday belched, and then giggled, "uh, guess that happens now." although Peter was wondering why a soul gave her a proper digestive system, it would be one of the unanswered mysteries that was Friday's reformatted body, until Liv got her into the medical wing.
"Uh, Pete?" she said hesitantly," and she lifted her top, "I want to swim, will you?"
He shrugged. Skinny dipping wasn't anything major, it was the look she gave him as she stripped further that concerned him. There was a normal reaction. While she was a different person, she still looked like MJ, and she still knew that seeing her naked pushed his buttons.
She spent an hour floating, splashing, swimming and standing under the showers, enjoying the new sensation of water on her skin. Peter had a waterproof e-reader and had downloaded several books to enjoy.
She slid into the pool next to him, and sat in the moulded seat, "So, why not?" and she slid a hand onto his thigh.
He had dreaded this day, mainly because what he was about to say was gouging to upset her. "Your age." and she pouted and sighed "Sorry, but even mentally, you're like a child, and while I know you want to experiment, it's just. Maybe see what life's like before you take that plunge okay?"
Friday lifted her hand, "So, even mom? I know you like us both. But that's it?" and Peter shrugged, "that's kinda stupid you know. You spawn Symbiotes and they are violent and horny and you still have sex with them."
"A Symbiote isn't a whole person, and we don't. The times that happened were," and Peter found it hard to explain, "it was more to calm the host."
"So, once I'm what sixteen at least, then?" and Peter could only shrug, "no. I want to experience life, just like you said. Part of that is a desire to feel you Peter. Right here." and she pressed her hand against her bare chest. "Until now I didn't know what that was, a glitch in my programming, but its love, respect, and caring. I have feelings for you, and you reject them because I'm not human?"
Peter laughed, "I had sex with Arcee. You are exactly like MJ. Your hair is blonde, and you speak with an accent but no. being human has nothing to do with it." Peter turned to face her. "What if I screw you up, what if I do something that hurts you or makes you hate me, and you leave. With the others, they've had years to learn how to cope, how to deal with jealousy, with arguments and stupid human shit. You've had a year. I don't want to hurt you."
Friday laughed and patted his hand, "Isn't that part of the human condition. Learning to deal with all that human shit?"
Peter sighed, "Fine. You can sleep with me, but no hanky panky, and once you're comfortable, once you've got some experience under your belt."
Friday interrupted him, "You'll?" and she made a rude gesture with a circle of fingers and two more sliding in and out of them, and reluctantly, Peter nodded. He silently hoped, that by the time she was mature enough, she would have found someone she liked.
The rest of the night was peaceful. Even if Friday fidgeted in bed. Having had Laura with him for over a month while she adjusted, it wasn't major, and the wandering hand was just as easy to deal with.
Friday was still curled up, with one leg hanging out the bed when Peter crept from his apartment. Liv might have raised an eyebrow but she said nothing and just poured him coffee.
He had just finished his breakfast and washed his plate when the door buzzer went. He recognised the crew-cut military man from the replay of Natasha's memories. Glenn Talbot.
"I am your escort Mr Parker, and I am here to make sure you are alone and unarmed. Please leave all AIM technology, and your phone here, and allow me to escort you to the meeting." It was worded politely but Peter knew it was a subtle threat. They wouldn't have sent a Gamma Tropper otherwise.
His identity as Venom was hidden, but his identity as the creator and user of AIM harness tech was not. He couldn't completely hide his identity as a crime fighter and this time had to make a compromise.
The harness whined as it powered down and unclipped from his back, and as Peter made a show of replacing his clothing he could feel talbot was none the wiser about his other powers.
"The United States Military appreciates your cooperation, Mr Parker, now," and Talbot held out an arm and motioned to the military jeep "If you would follow me. The meeting is being held at Camp Gamma. You may inform your colleagues of your location, but once we are there, there will be no outgoing communications. I can assume you recognise the need for secrecy?" and Peter nodded.
Stark must have filled them in already. Meaning he probably wasn't walking into a trap, but a little paranoia never hurt anyone, especially given the history between him and the three people he was about to meet.
The trip over was brief and quiet. Peter never got a lot of conversation from military types. They were trained to keep secrets, and small talk wasn't big on the list of special skills needed.
As they approached the camp Peter noticed the newer guard towers, and he felt the hum of an electromagnetic scan sweep over him. A light on the dashboard lit red and Talbot looked over at him.
"Enhanced as well?" and Peter nodded. "It's fine, just the security check takes a bit longer."
After Wrath had taken out most of the base defences within minutes he guessed that Ross probably roasted a few experts over the coals, and with Stark here, he figured the newer armour and weapons all bore the starktech logo. Or Cybertek, he couldn't tell which, weapons weren't his thing.
As they pulled up, and Talbot let a soldier drive the jeep away he motioned again and Peter was led into a white room. "Simple, we can you, check for unwanted tech, blood sample, temp readings, and then an x-ray. Nothing in but you and whatever powers you have. Two Fully initialised Gamma Troopers are right outside that door. No sudden power usage, no sudden tech usage, and that it."
Peter stared at him "Initialised?" and Talbot laughed
"Oh yeah, the egg head came up with a whole spectrum of power levels. From alpha with barely any enhancements all the way up to omega, like Ross or Banner. Power Initialisation they call it, and full means as high as they can go for their rank, so maybe half of ross. Enough to neutralise more Enhanced or Augments."
Peter nodded, "the blood sample might be an issue, mine is strange."
But Talbot shrugged, "Dont care. It'll last long enough for the test" and he held up a small sheath, slipping it over Peter's finger, and it beeped green and he slipped it off, stepping back. "Clear for scan," and Peter felt the tingle of the room filling with several different types of energy. Tabot was standing behind a yellow line but seemed unfazed by the dosage he might be getting.
"Mow, we wait for a few," and a green light came on, "and you're cleared."
"What would have happened if it was red?" Peter asked out of curiosity.
Talbot laughed and shook his head, "You really don't want to know that. Just remember green for clean, red for dead with these new measures. Your little stunt proved we can't mess around. Venom and those other Augmented assholes cleaned our clocks, and thanks to Wrath, Sterns escaped. No more kid gloves,"
Talbot took Peter through a series of corridors to a bland white meeting room with a singular table, four chairs and a single pot of coffee sitting in its centre. "Everyone else will be with you shortly. Sit, coffee's not bad but it's military so it's not great either." with that, he left peter staring at the walls, alone.
He could smell the cheap coffee as it sat in the thermal jug, and while it was infuriating sometimes that Emma refused to drink or eat anything cheap it did give him a better appreciation of certain foods. Coffee being one of them.
Gwen was also over the moon, as Emma took her to a french patisserie that made delicate desserts, things that weren't too sweet and she could eat after Poisons sugar binges. Whereas the newly christen Ghost-Spider and Cindy bonded over a love of the cheapest nastiest doughnuts they could find, and after training, she would eat a whole tray of sticky iced rings one after the other like a machine.
They left him sitting for an hour before the three finally appeared, but as Peter learned to meditate, calming himself and allowing him to mentally test his powers, he didn't care. Especially as they would regret it once he had explained everything.
Ross, Stark, and Coulson were all carrying folders and Coulson placed one down in front of Peter.
"We have Starks report and have gone over the events that transpired at Hoover Dam. While we can't pin freeing Ice Man on you, we know it was you, and while we can't prove you took four more, we also know it was you. So, what do you want?" Coulson asked as he poured himself and Ross coffee.
Peter smiled and snorted, "Oh, how about less attitude and a nice hand out from the government again. See, I really dont want anything. I'm here on behalf of a peaceful alien race called the Cybertronians, specifically Autobots to negotiate the release of their comrade's bodies."
Ross looked over at Coulson, "bodies?"
Peter grinned and nodded, "At Hoover Dam, the storage holds twenty or so vehicles, those were a disguise to stop their enemies from finding them. Ice man was on a peaceful mission to gather parts for their ship when he was frozen, and the pyramid was their method of procreation. As you can imagine, keeping them prisoner, while starving them to death, keeping their leader frozen, while experimenting on him, and using their tech to make children and then killing them isn't going across too well."
Tony shrugged "well, that's a pickle, and nothing to do with me. I forgo salvage rights, and I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."
"Can you prove that?" Coulson asked but Peter leaned forwards and smiled
"I dont have to. There are five Autobots who remember what you did, and right now they are repairing their spaceship at a secret location because they're afraid you'll come and finish the job. I dont need to prove anything cause once it's spaceworthy, they'll take them and then leave and when everyone asks, what the hell as that?" Peter laughed, "and I will make sure that the internet screws you sideways by releasing files of what you did, who you did it to and why you did it. Should be pretty messy." and as he sipped his really bad coffee, that Talbot had lied about, "Oh, and how about a decent cup of coffee?"
Coulson rubbed his forehead, "what do they want?"
"The remains, any Cybertronian tech you have, and that means the remains of Master Mold, the remains of any sentinels and anything to do with the pyramid. If you want to extend an olive branch and get back into their good books, help them rebuild their ship and once they do, they'll leave." Peter smiled after explaining.
"Stark? If we agree, can you?" and he smiled as well
"Well, since Starktech was taken, and I lost all those contracts and have been forging ahead in civilian industries, I dont see why I have to. Pete is right, you let Trask make this mess, you knew sentinels are alien tech but you conveniently forgot that until now."
Tony looked over at Peter, "I think, because Pete is already in their good graces, and until I've met them, that all contracts go to us. We're paid about time and a half usual rates, and we get credit and patent rights. If, if we decide there is anything we dont want, then we leave them to you."
Peter tried not to laugh as he could see Ross turning a nice shade of red.
"And you think the military will accept that?" he said as he clenched a fist.
"Nope," Tony said smugly, "but I think that right now, the vivisection of alien robots isn't a storm you can weather." He looked at Peter and sighed, shaking his head, "Dont make me regret this. One nation on Earth has the tech to help, just one, and," Tony pointed a thumb at Peter, "You need to play nice with them anyway."
Ross scowled and Coulson rubbed his forehead, "Wakanda. Fine. Is that acceptable Mr Parker?"
Peter shrugged, "I am officially not allowed to make any business decisions without my lawyer present." and Coulson frowned and shook his head,
"And they are?" and Tony laughed and patted Coulson on the shoulder,
"Take a guess,"
"Pepper Potts," and Coulson groaned and rubbed his forehead,
"Fine, fine. Get Miss Potts an appointment, get a list of supplies needed and a list of Cybertronians that we have. We'll do the rest. While the lawyers get here, I see this is a double meeting, and," Coulson sighed "You invited Charles Xavier here?" and Ross raised an eyebrow, "fine. Fine. Fifteen-minute break, I need to make sure our security doesn't," and he waved a hand, "Just stay here."
Coulson and Ross both stood. Coulson, looking deflated while Ross was his usual angry self. Stark had a smug grin on his face and he smiled at Peter.
"Playing nice sometimes gets you good things Pete, you should take notes."
As he waved and slid his sunglasses on he waved at Peter.
"I play nice, just not with douchebags," he muttered.
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