Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

03 | Bug-Boy and His Ghost

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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
iii. BUG-BOY AND HIS GHOST

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   THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL to have when it comes to fighting, no matter if you're a hero or villain, is never about being the strongest, most powerful person in the room. It's not even about being the smartest or the biggest. It's all about finding your opponent's tell — a sign that reveals their innermost thoughts.

   Tells aren't technically weaknesses, not unless your opponent can read you, in which case, you better hope you can move fast enough before they can subdue you. Sometimes, it's a twitch in an arm before a punch, a flickering gaze, an unsteady gait, even something as austere as a breathing pattern. All of these can reveal everything you need to know about your opponent's next move.

   Riley was always lucky since she could easily turn invisible. Even she didn't know what her tell was (though Natasha could probably list ten if she asked). But she never worried about being weak during a fight. It was always before or after, whenever she was off the battlefield, really. The true fight sometimes came from your own team. Getting them to listen, to understand. It was no easy feat. Those were the times when she was, once again, just a little girl with too much on her plate. She was a trusted hero unless she opened her mouth at the wrong time about all the wrong things.

   For example, whenever she wanted to make a case to Fury, she tried to make herself bigger and taller than she was to hide the fact that her hands were trembling.

   "I'm telling you," Riley said, chin held forward, standing while the others sat comfortably. "I saw him."

   It was always troublesome trying to figure out what was running through Fury's mind, but for once, he made himself clear. "Even Rogers couldn't break the Avengers out of the RAFT without being noticed. Your father would drown in his blood before he could throw himself into the sea."

   "He was there, Fury! He looked right at me!" Riley pleaded. "Why aren't you believing me?"

   "Because if he escaped, we would all know. We'd all be alerted by now."

   "We do know! I saw him! Doesn't my word mean anything to you?"

   Beck was the only one showing any kind of emotion on his face. Confused but concerned, he spoke with care. "I don't understand. Rob is your father?"

   "Only by blood." Saying that willingly was like slowly pulling a dagger from between her ribs. "He lost custody after he faked his death when I thought I killed him. He ended up stalking me using his weird shadow powers for 13 years. He could be here right now, eavesdropping, learning all of our secrets, and we wouldn't even know. That's how dangerous he is. He's the most dangerous person we've put in the RAFT!"