Typical Parker Luck - A Peter Parker Love Story

XLII - CADE Protocol

Peter, Ned, MJ, and I were all sitting on the school bus, chatting about nothing in particular, excited for our field trip to the MoMA.

Peter looked up from his phone, his expression hard to read.

"What?" I said.

"There's... something wrong," Peter whispered.

"What, no w—" I had started to say until I glanced a giant floating metal ring outside the school bus window. "Pete," my voice became small as I tugged on his shirt sleeve.

Peter followed my line of sight to the alien space ship kicking up debris right above 42nd Street.

"Oh my god," I breathed, wanting to sink down in my seat. But I couldn't pull my eyes away from the spinning metallic ring.

My heart was pounding. I knew what was about to happen. I would have to save the day, Peter and I both would. My hands began to shake, becoming sweaty.

I just wanted a break from the hero stuff, just to live as a normal teenager. The universe obviously thought the contrary.

I let out a low curse mixed with a groan.

Peter was already grabbing his things. "You coming?" he whispered to me. "I-I know saving the day is the last thing on your mind right now."

"Who would I be to stay here and watch the fight?" I mumbled. "I run head-first into the face of danger. It's a side-effect of the mutation."

Peter smirked, moving to lightly slap Ned's face in the seat in front of us

"Hey, Ned, Ned," Peter said. "I need you to cause a distraction."

Ned removed his earbuds, seeing the alien spaceship out of the window.

"Holy shit," Ned breathed. "We're all gonna die!" he shouted to the packed bus. "There's a spaceship! Look!"

A scattered panic ensued as my classmates all got up to look out the windows.

Peter slapped on his web-shooters, pulling open the emergency exit window on the other side of the bus. He jumped out and I followed suit.

The two of us fell from the side of the bridge over the Hudson, Peter catching himself with a web and I with a flap of my wings.

We began making our way towards the chaos.

A red streak crossed my vision as Stark's Iron Man suit was flung into Washington Square Park by an alien creature clad in its own suit of armor.

(Movie Marker: Avengers Infinity War, 22:22)

Before the creature could get another hit on Stark, Peter jumped down and intercepted the punch.

"Hey, man. What's up, Mr. Stark?" Peter said from behind the alien's metal fist.

"Kid, where'd you come from?" Stark began.

"Field trip to MoMA," Peter replied just before getting thrown quite a ways by the creature.

I realized that this might not be the best fight for me as unlike Peter, I didn't have super-resilience to broken bones. Still, I stopped my flight and floated down to the ground, picking up a piece of rebar in concrete.

"Again with the debris, Eve?" Stark said, blasting the creature. "FRIDAY, initiate CADE protocol," he ordered his suit. "Eve, stay out of the danger until you're protected."

"Protected?" I started.

A piece of metal came from quite literally out of nowhere, snapping onto my wrist like a slap bracelet. Then, black particles of suit began to slide over my body, engulfing my casual school clothes in a sleek body armor. I knew my wings were still exposed, feeling the wind still through my feathers.

A sword expanded into my hand, materializing from the shifting fish-scales over my body.

Finally, a mask came over my face, its interior illuminating with bits of body-tracking information on the eye-screen that I had absolutely no idea how to use.

"CADE activated," said the interior of my suit in a male voice. "Combat Assistance Directive for Eve."

"Very funny," I mumbled, gripping my sword, feeling how it was balanced.

With a flap of my wings, I slashed upward into the air then down onto the creature. My sword just barely grazed his tough skin.

"Uh, what is this guy's problem, Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, swooping back in.

"He's from space," Stark answered. "He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard."

I internally shrugged. That about tracked.

The alien roared, swinging Peter around with its metal arm. I went for its hand but it slapped me out of the way.

"92 percent attack blocked," said CADE.

The suit had taken the brunt of the attack, leaving me hardly knocked back.

"Cool, right?" Stark called over the sound of his own energy blast at the creature. "Nano particles. They anticipate attack then shift to bulk up on a spot before you get hit."

The creature roared.

"Your sword can shift into different shapes too," said Stark. "A lesson for another time!"

A blur of red fabric flew through the park.

"Kids, that's the wizard. Get on it," Stark said.

"On it!" Peter and I said in unison, flying after the levitating man.

The two of us chased the wizard through Manhattan.

Then, BANG! A billboard knocked Peter from his web.

"You okay?" I said, thankful my suit hid my smirk.

"Not cool!" Peter only replied, chasing after the alien who had telepathically thrown the sign.

With a web, Peter stuck onto the floating red cloak, attempting to anchor it to a lamppost, but telepathic alien snapped the pole right out of the pavement, sending Peter and the wizard straight up in the ship's tractor beam.

I cursed, flying outside of the beam, trying to think of what to do.

"Uh, Mr. Stark? I'm being beamed up," Peter said.

Without thinking of something better to do, I flew up after the spaceship, watching Peter as the beam carried him up to the side of the craft. He was holding on for dear life.

For about an entire minute I ascended up after them, my wings growing tired in the drag of the atmosphere. Still, I pressed on, hoping I could catch Peter should he fall.

"Eve, get to the ground, I've got it from here," said Stark, flying up behind me. Slowly, I allowed myself to descend. "Pete, you gotta let go," I could hear Stark's voice in the intercom of my suit. "I'm gonna catch you... You're too high up. You're running out of air."

Then, "Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car in here!" Peter's voice popped up on the intercom of my suit.

"Happy trails, kid," Stark replied. "FRIDAY, send him home."

"I'll be back on the ground waiting for you, Pete," I said.