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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒
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Alex stood in Liz's kitchen with a water bottle in hand as loud music filled her ears. Her eyes skimmed over the crowd of students dancing around in front of her with large grins on their faces. After letting out a small sigh, the Easton girl's attention fell on a group talking and laughing a few feet away from her. If it were up to her, Alex wouldn't have come to the party but she finally caved after Liz's constant pleading.
The redheaded girl took another sip of her water as she scanned the room before they landed on two boys walking into the house. A small smirk appeared on her face at the sight of Peter and Ned having a hushed conversation near the front door. If she had to guess what they were talking about, it would probably be how they plan on having Spider-Man make an entrance. That was the reason they were here in the first place.
"Is there a reason you've been avoiding the fun all night?" a new voice questioned, causing Alex to jump before she turned around to face the raven-haired boy.
"Atlas," the redheaded girl greeted with a small smile on her face, "wasn't expecting to see you here."
"And why's that?"
"Because Liz hates you," Alex bluntly stated, causing Atlas to start laughing which only made the former even more confused.
"Trust me. It's a lot more complicated than that," the Duncan boy told her before they caught Liz glaring daggers at Atlas. The raven-haired boy just stared at the Allen girl for a long moment before he cleared his throat and looked back at Alex. "Looks like I should probably get going. I'll see you at school."
Before Alex had a chance to respond, Altas walked past her and out the front door. The Easton girl kept her eyes glued to him until she was he was out of sight. Another sigh passed over the redheaded girl's lips as she turned her attention back to the party. As she watched the dancing teens in front of her, she silently wished she left with the Duncan boy. Despite how much she wanted to live a normal life, Alex would've been happy to miss this. She hated the loud noise and the shouting of teenagers. There was barely enough room to walk without bumping into someone. She wanted to just go back to her apartment and sit down with a good book. So when Flash started mocking Peter over the speakers, Alex did just that.
The cool air greeted her like an old friend as she stepped out into the night. Alex ignored the confused looks of her peers as she passed them until she reached the sidewalk. Normally, she would use her super speed to get back to her apartment in a few short minutes. But at that moment, Alex decided to take it slow and enjoy the world around her. Something she rarely did. A small smile formed on her face as she let the silence surround her. She hadn't felt this calm since she was at the Barton farm, which was one of the reasons why she regretted leaving. Alex honestly didn't remember the last time she was this happy. But of course, all good things must come to an end.
Alex's whole body became a statue when she heard a loud electronic humming before a large blue cloud of smoke appeared just above the trees in the distance. The Easton girl was about to ignore it when she heard a blood-chilling scream. After a moment of hesitation, Alex sprinted toward the chaos. When the Easton girl finally reached her destination, she could hardly believe her eyes. Atlas was being held by a man twice his size while another pointed an alien-like machine straight at him. All the doubt she was feeling vanished in an instant when she saw the fear on the Duncan boy's face. He needed help and she was the only one around who could save him.
Just as she was about to make an attempt to rescue him, a strange sound filled the air. Confusion flowed through Alex's veins before she looked up toward the source of the sound to find Spider-Man on the bridge above them. After he silenced his cell phone, Peter jumped down from his hiding place to stand in front of the three men.
"Hey! Come on. If you're gonna shoot at somebody, shoot at me," the Parker boy told them with his arms held out wide.
Alex took the distraction of Spider-Man as the opportunity to sprint forward and punch the man restraining Atlas in the face. His grip around the Duncan boy vanished as he stumbled back. The Easton girl didn't hesitate to grab Atlas and sprinted away from the danger. It wasn't long after that when the two of them arrived back at Alex's apartment.
The Easton girl instantly put Atlas down before she turned and locked the door. Her heavy breathing was the only sound that could be heard as Alex leaned her head against the front door. Her mind tried to comprehend everything that just happened before she realized she left Peter behind. Just as she was about to race back to where she just came from, a voice calling out to her stopped her in her tracks.
"Alex?" Altas muttered just loud enough for her, causing her to mentally curse herself for not bringing her mask before she turned around to face the raven-haired boy, "what the h*ll is going on?!"
"Look, I promise I'll explain everything later. But, right now, I need to go help...Spider-Man," the redheaded girl said as she grabbed her mask off of the coffee table and placed it over her eyes. Before Altas had a chance to respond, Alex left the apartment and locked the door from the outside. A small sigh passed over her lips before she sprinted back the way she came.
Just as she sprinted past a lake, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and knocked her off her feet. Alex failed to regain her balance and ended up falling into the water. A gasp passed over her lips after she resurfaced before she looked up to see a shadow in the sky getting smaller and smaller. Confusion filled every inch of her veins as she watched it continue to shrink until something white appeared out of nowhere. The speck soon began to plummet towards the earth before Alex picked up on a familiar scream filling the air. Just as she realized Peter Parker was the one falling through the air, he landed in the water.
Alex was about to sprint out onto the lake to save the Parker boy when a machine appeared out of nowhere and dove into the water after him. The speedster just stood there for a long moment before both Peter and the machine resurfaced. The Easton girl didn't hesitate to race after them as they flew to the other side of the lake. As soon as she saw Peter get placed on top of a play structure, Alex ducked behind a nearby tree in order to hear what was happening.
"And then he just, like, swooped down like a monster and picked me up, and took me up like a thousand feet and just dropped me," the Parker boy rambled while wringing the water out of his mask, "how'd you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit? Or something?"
"I put everything in your suit. Including this heater," the familiar voice of Tony Stark said, making Alex want to sprint away from the two of them as she watched steam emit from Peter's body.
"That's better. Thanks."
"What were you thinking?"
"This guy with wings is obviously the source of the alien machines. I gotta take him down," the brunette boy exclaimed while gesturing in the direction they had just come from.
"Take him down now, huh?" the Stark man responded in a mocking tone that sent a wave of annoyance over Alex's body, "steady, Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing."
"The Avengers?"
"No, no, no. This is a little below their pay grade," Tony told him while the glowing eyes of his Iron Man suit continued to stare at Peter.
"Anyway, Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here. I had that. I was fine."
"Oh, I'm not...here. Be happy this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now," the billionaire stated after the helmet of his suit opened to reveal an empty space, "look, forget the flying vulture guy, please."
"Why?"
"Why?! Because I said so!" Tony shouted, taking Alex by surprise before she went back to listening to their conversation, "stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping the little people, like that lady that bought you the churro. Can't you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?"
"But I'm ready for more than that now!" Peter responded while doing his best to hide the irritation in his voice.
"No, you're not."
"That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America!"
"Trust me, kid. If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would've," the Stark man said before letting out a long sigh followed by the sound of a car engine revving, "listen to me, if you come across these men again, call Happy."
After watching the two of them for a moment longer, Alex decided it was time to deal with her own problem. Her mind raced with a million different options as she raced back to her apartment. Even though she wished she could make up a story to tell Altas, Alex knew she needed to tell him the trust. She just hoped that he could keep a secret a lot better than Ned could.
The Easton girl ducked into an alley nearby and removed her mask before making her way upstairs. When she finally reached her apartment door, Alex let out a long sigh and pushed it open. To her surprise, Atlas wasn't pacing around the room in a panic or trying to break out. He was fast asleep on her couch. The speedster just stared at him for a long moment before she slowly closed the door behind her. As soon as she heard the clicking of the lock, Alex made his way over to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle. It wasn't long after that when she heard the raven-haired boy stirring on the couch. Alex let out another long sigh before she looked over at Atlas to find him staring right back at her.
"So, uh, there's a lot you saw tonight," the Easton girl awkwardly said as she made her way across the room and sat down on a chair across from him, "you probably have a lot of questions. But before you ask anything, I really need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone."
The two teens just stared at each other for a long moment before the Duncan boy did something Alex didn't expect. He smiled at her. The kind of genuine smile the Easton girl hadn't seen since she left the Barton farm.
"Honestly, I get it," the raven-haired boy told her while Alex continued to stare at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes, "you don't want anyone to know you're a superhero."
"I'm not a superhero," the redheaded girl responded a lot quicker than she planned, causing Atlas to quirk an eyebrow at her before she let out a long sigh and continued, "I was just in the right place at the right time. That's it."
"But you have superpowers."
"Enhanced abilities is the correct term...but yeah."
"And you help Spider-Man."
"I, uh, I guess."
"So you're a superhero."
"I'm not a superhero," Alex repeated while trying her best to hide the annoyance Atlas was making her feel, "just...can you please promise not to say anything?"
"I won't say anything," the Duncan boy told her, making a smile form on the Easton girl's face before it faded at the sight of his large grin, "as long as you let me help you be a superhero."
The redheaded girl just stared at the boy in front of her for a long moment before letting out an annoyed groan. After watching Alex rub her hands down the sides of her face, Atlas scooted a bit closer to her as the smile on his face grew.
"Look, I get you didn't want anyone knowing about your...special talent, but it's too late. Let me help you," the raven-haired boy stated before Alex looked up at him with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, "let me be the Ron Stoppable to your Kim Possible."
The Easton girl hesitated for a moment as she stared at the Atlas with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "The what to my who?"
"You've never seen Kim Possible?"
"I was a prisoner of HYDRA until three years ago. I know Star Wars and Peter Pan. That's about it."
"Okay, well, then let me be the Leia to your Luke," the Duncan boy told her before an uncomfortable look formed on his face, "I didn't like that one as much."
"If I agree to let you help me, will you stop talking about movies?" Alex asked, only for Atlas to send her a sheepish smile.
"Kim Possible is a show, but there are a couple of movie spin-offs," he corrected, causing the redheaded girl to let out another annoyed groan before he continued speaking, "but the answer is yes. If you let me help you, I will stop making pop culture references...at the moment."
"Alright, you can help me. But I just wanna make one thing clear...I am not a superhero."
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