Light & Shadow

Chapter 6

I freeze.

Beck didn't just go there.

But, oh, he did.

If I wasn't already gonna kill him, he would have just sealed his fate with the his own hands. Especially as the drones project a dirt covered, broken version of my Dad in his Iron suit crawling from the grave. Tears pool under my eyes. Rage overtaking every corner of my brain.

"You son of a bitch." I grit my teeth.

"Deep down, you know know I'm right." Beck continues, and I look around for wherever he is. Knowing him, he'd want to watch like the sick, twisted, freak he is. If he is, it's not where I can see him. But I'll find him. I have to save Peter, to save whoever else might die in this crusade of his, and to save my father's legacy from being any further tainted by him.

"ARTI, find Beck and get me a clear line of sight."

"What do you plan to do?"

"That's none of your concern right now." I tell him as I return my focus back to Peter, who is being approached by another illusion of Fury.

"Beck's people are trying to find everyone who could expose them." 'Fury' calls as he limps toward Peter.

"No, no, no, no." I chant as I work to close the distance between us.

'Fury' quickly starts to lose his patience, and I can see the terror starting to crush Peter. "Who else did you tell?"

"Peter, no!" I shout, and his head swivels around but never connects with me. He can hear me, but he can't see me. Beck's illusion must be all his eyes can process, which means, my best chance for him to see me is to get in front of the drones.

"Parker!" 'Fury' shouts at Peter. "I'm not gonna ask again—who did you tell?"

"Just Ned and MJ from my class." He says; tears evident in his voice. "Maybe Ned told his girlfriend, Betty, but that's it."

My hopes of getting Peter out of this and not dragging our friends into this shatter as Beck emerges from the shadows, smiling like he just won. His eyes trail around, likely in search of me after I blew my cover, but he never finds me. Of course, he's too caught up in his victory to really mind as he steps into the illusions place, arms crossed and a smug grin under his fish bowl helmet.

I only catch the tail end of his little speech as the drones drop the illusion entirely. "Just a—sucker. And now all your friends have to die."

"Oh my god." Peter cries and scrambles back as the drones start up a fresh illusion that forces him back farther. I decide to just end this right now and pull Nat's old gun from the holster on my thigh. She taught me a lot about being a hero. How to fight without powers, how to lie, how to hide, how to shoot to incapacitate, and for the extreme situations—how to kill.

I'm pretty sure she'd agree this is an extreme situation.

Solid stance, take aim, deep breath, and finger on the trigger when you're sure you wanna take the shot. I level the sight right on Beck's stupid, fish bowl covered head.

He continues his speech as he steps closer to Peter. "It's easy to fool people when people are already fooling themselves."

"Lia," ARTI calls, but I ignore him as I follow Beck with my sights, waiting for a drone to move for a clear shot. "Lia! Peter's in trouble."

I lower the gun and look around Peter in horror as I realize where he's standing. Right in the middle of a train track. "For what it's worth, Peter, I really am sorry."

A split second after he finishes his 'apology' a train comes speeding out and hits Peter, dragging him away with it. The scream and energy burst that erupts feels beyond me, and the drones drop like weights.

Beck's head immediately swivels, trying to pinpoint the source, and in that split second, I regain my aim. His eyes widen in horror, and he immediately makes a run for it. My hand moves to follow him, but my suit is stuck—frozen in place. "ARTI, let me go."

"No, I can't let you kill him."

"He just—" the words catch in my throat, choking me until I'm screaming for air, "—you saw what he did to—what he did to Peter. Oh god." ARTI releases the restrictions on the suit, and I collapse to my knees, the lower half of my mask retracting as I struggle to take in a breath and end up vomiting in the dirt. "He can't be—he can't be gone. I can't lose him too."

"I'm calling Happy on the secure line." ARTI tells me and talks to the grumpy, panicked man, as I struggle process everything that just happened. "He'd like to speak to you."

There's a pause before Happy's voice fills my ears. "Lia? ARTI told me everything that's happened. I'm coming to get you, okay?" I can't bring myself to say anything, not with how bright everything is. It's like I'm out on a sunny day without glasses. "Lia, please, you gotta say something kid."

"Where do you want me to meet you?"

"ARTI's already got a safe location. You just need to be there."

"Then I'll see you soon." I reply and hang up. ARTI kept talking in my ear, but I can't bring myself to listen. Everything is muddled and painfully sharp at the same time. The world feels to bright, and the darkness I normally crave is completely absent.

I just head back to the car that ARTI still has control over and collapse inside. The black whole in my chest that I thought I had almost entirely closed is wide open again. It pulls everything in until there's nothing left but the pain, anger, and destruction it—and I by extension—leave in my wake.

It feels like my worst nightmare has reawaken and clawed its way into reality. Everyone I love get hurt. Everything I touch is left with a brush of darkness, which seems to only end in death. I always thought people like Dad, Nat, and Peter would be exempt. They were heroes—Avengers—and had seen far more dangerous things than whatever seems to follow me around.

The car comes to a stop outside of the city limits, where the unmarked Stark jet sits in an empty development lot. I move on autopilot as I leave the car and walk right past Happy into the jet. All I can focus on is the alert on my lenses that Beck used EDITH to re-route the class trip through London.

It's going to be the sight of his final 'battle' against the fake elementals, and he's going to kill my friends to cover his tracks. Sadly for him, he's not gonna get anything but a headstone with his name on it. Because I'm going to do more than just ruin him and his plans.

I want Quentin Beck to pay for everything he's done—even if it kills me. But right now, it feels as if the latter has already happened. Peter was one of the few items on a very short list of things to keep fighting for.

With him—with him gone, I don't know if I can so much as stand—much less keep swinging. It's like losing Dad all over again, except now, I have the pain that was already there dragging me farther and farther down into my own suffering and grief.

The only glimmer of light is the mental image of Morgan and Mum. How heartbroken they looked the night I left, and how much worse it would be if I didn't keep my promise and make it back to them. We've all lost so much. I can't let myself be added to that list.

I have to keep going—keep my promises—keep fighting even though the odds feel a billion to one. I have to do it for Mum, for Morgan, and most importantly—for Peter.