Spider-Man Whumptober - 2023

Nightmares/Flashback/"Why Didn't You Save Me?"

(AN: This is a continuation of parts 5 and 6. If you haven't read those you're probably going to be confused, so maybe go check them out first 😅)

Tony wasn't allowed in to see Peter. In fact, before the teen was put on sedation, the only one ever able to see him was Bruce, because every time someone else went in the room it triggered a less than ideal response.

Either the teen would attack, or he would start crying uncontrollably, or both.

After three days, the rest of the kids had been safely returned to their parents and SHIELD had custody of the Hydra agents. But despite those victories, Tony was far from satisfied.

Those monsters had hurt Peter.

So when Tony walked into the room with one of the men responsible, it was all he could do to stay somewhat civil.

"Mr. Stark," the man said pleasantly.

"What did you do to him?" Tony growled, not bothering to sit in the chair that had been provided for him.

"That particular question must mean our plan worked."

Already, Tony was fighting back the urge to activate his nanosuit and blast this man into oblivion. "What plan?" he managed to say through gritted teeth.

The man smiled. "Hydra was getting tired of superheroes messing with what isn't theirs, so they put together a plan to create our own heroes of sorts."

Tony said nothing, just stared angrily at the man.

"We needed young people who were both physically and intellectually capable, which is why we pulled our candidates from Midtown High. Of course, it wasn't until your little intern overpowered some of our agents in the van that we realized we'd accidentally struck the jackpot.

"Once we took his blood and figured out how we wanted to approach the situation, we drugged up the kid and exposed him to some... variables..." the man said thoughtfully, a malicious smile on his face.

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room opened, and Nick Fury walked in. "Might those 'variables' have something to do with the advanced holographic imaging tech you had disguised in your little hideout?" the intimidating man said with raised eyebrows.

The Hydra captive shifted ever so slightly in his seat, suggesting that he'd become uncomfortable and nervous.

After several minutes of terse silence, Fury shrugged. "If you aren't going to talk, you can rot in prison. It's all the same to me."

Then, with Tony following closely behind, he left the man alone in the room.

The moment the door was securely shut, Tony stopped Fury.

"What did you mean, holographic tech?"

"Let's talk about this in a minute," Fury said, "Dr. Banner might have some valuable insights on this. He's waiting in another room."

Tony begrudgingly decided to be patient as they made their way through several long hallways and finally entered a spacious lab. Bruce stood when he saw them enter and came forward as Fury started talking.

"My agents at the scene discovered a room full of extremely advanced technology. After playing around with it a little, they quickly realized what it could do."

"Which is?" Tony asked.

Fury sighed. "I'll tell you my hypothesis concerning our little friend, Mr. Parker. The drugs Dr. Banner has identified in his bloodstream, combined with the hologram tech, would suggest that they have played with his mind by torturing and confusing him for weeks. What would you do if, say Ms. Potts for example, were suddenly holding a gun to your head?"