I Am Karen - Spider-Man / Peter Parker [1]

Chapter Eighteen - To Disappoint A Stark

"I'm both ... mad and proud" Tony announced before he placed the gun back on her bed, his demeanour and voice both still quiet and unlike him. "Look, you need to stop all this." He gestured towards her lab and computers. "You won't need it." Now that confused her and her face showed it. "I took Peter's suit off him. He's not ready for it and neither are you." Maria had no idea what to say to that. Locking eyes with her father was the worst thing she could have done. The disappointed look in his eyes cut Maria like never before. She had more than disappointed him. Maria hung her head as she heard her father leave. Who would have thought one measly suit would have caused all these problems?

Sighing, Maria made her way over to her lab computers. Open on her computers was her own AI. She had created it finally, finished the work and was going to install it both in Spider-Man's suit as well as her computer systems. She had called the system KAREN. However, it seemed KAREN would not see outside of Maria's lab, she would not be active any longer. She couldn't disappoint her father anymore and Maria knew her father was right, what had happened on that boat was nearly devastating. Maria's fingers hovered over her keyboard, it would take a simple push of a key and KAREN would be shut down taking all the information Maria knew about the Vulture with her.

Silently, Maria promised her father she would forget about the Vulture as her finger pressed the key. He was right she wasn't ready for this. Upon the command, the computer quickly locked away the files and KAREN disappeared from her machine - a copy being embedded into a USB.

There was now no more Karen of any kind.

~8~

Maria hadn't been exactly sure on what to do after her father had left. Since she had been off school, Maria had caught up on her homework which had dragged her into the evening. Unfortunately (for the first time ever), she ran out of homework. It was the first time in the world Maria had wanted homework, had wanted a distraction. Without it, Maria had had to find something else to do. Whilst playing on her phone, Maria had come across the message Peter had sent her earlier asking if she was okay – after all she had been on the ferry. They had texted for a bit before her father had spoken to her. Peter had not mentioned the fact that he had lost the suit though. She had to wonder how he was taking it. She had text him but the boy had not answered for several hours.

With nothing better to do, Maria had left her house and headed for Peter's apartment. It hadn't taken long to get the bus there and walk up the seven flights of stairs. At that moment, Maria was waiting for someone to answer the door. It didn't take long. Maria smiled politely at the long-haired brunette that stood in the doorway. It was Peter's Aunt May.

"Hi, umm, I was wondering is Peter here? I haven't been able to reach him" Maria asked.

"He's here, but I'm sorry Maria, he's not allowed to see anyone" May replied. As Maria studied May for a moment, she realised that the woman had clearly been quite stressed. She had a feeling it was to do with Peter's disappearance earlier that day.

"Oh ... please, just two minutes tops" Maria begged. May went to deny the request but it seemed upon studying Maria herself, the woman changed her mind.

"Ok, two minutes, no longer" May said, moving aside and opening the door wider so that the young Stark could enter the homely apartment.

"Thank you" Maria replied whilst May shut the door. Having been to his apartment before, Maria knew which room was Peter's. Quickly, Maria was knocking on his door despite the obvious gaze coming from May. The woman was clearly concerned for her nephew. Eventually, the door opened and Maria came face-to-face with Peter. Peter was certainly shocked to see Maria but what surprised Maria was the obvious tears that Peter had been crying. Maria wanted to give the boy a hug desperately but she didn't know if he would appreciate her acknowledging his previous tears.