I don't own anything except any original character and/or any original plot.
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Chapter Fourteen: Carnival of Lights
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I was proven correct the next morning. The travel company called Mr. Harrington and informed him that we got a 'special upgrade'. Instead of going to Paris, we were going to Prague.
"So you're telling me that we're in an actual Avatar the Last Airbender situation right now and that the fire nation is about to attack?" MJ asked without a hint of humor.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you reacted a bit more. Because now we're going right into the war zone."
"Shit," MJ shrugged.
We passed through a sidestreet and came upon a large bus, with Dmitri as the driver. As if my suspicions about who hijacked our vacation weren't strong enough already.
"I told you he wouldn't leave it alone," I nudged Peter's arm as we loaded on.
I took a seat far in the back and Peter sat next to me, still pouting about the fact that our plans had changed so suddenly.
"Look on the bright side, this probably means we'll be staying somewhere nicer," I tried to cheer him up. He managed a smile in return.
We were off. It was an eight and a half hour drive to Prague, which mostly everyone spent either sleeping or on their phones. I was in the middle of a nap at the four-hour mark when Peter started frantically tapping my shoulder.
"What?" I groaned sleepily, jerking back when he shoved a pair of glasses onto my face, "What the hell?"
"It's the glasses Mr. Fury gave to me from Mr. Stark! They have an AI!" Peter explained shortly.
"Retinal and facial scanning... scanning complete. Hello (Y/n)."
"Hello?"
"My name is EDITH, which stands for 'Even dead, I'm the hero'."
"Of course it does."
"You have been granted the same access to my systems as Peter Parker. Is there anything you would wish to do right now?"
"Not really. It was cool to meet you though."
"Nice to meet you too, (Y/n)."
I handed the glasses back to Peter, and as I did, the bus rolled to a steady stop in a small traditional town.
"Bathroom," Dmitri announced shortly.
The class ran off of the bus, eager to have a break and stretch their legs. Peter and I were the last ones, and Dmitri held a hand out to stop us. Without words, he motioned to a door in the lodge across from us. A woman stood in the doorway, then walked inside as soon as we noticed her.
We cautiously entered the lodge where the woman was standing and waiting emotionlessly.
"Hello," Peter greeted nervously.
"Close the door." She ordered. Peter did as she ordered. I held out my hand as a greeting, but she didn't take it. Instead, she said "Take off your clothes."
"... What?"
"You told Fury Spider-Man and Riptide can not be seen. So I made you these, new suits," the woman handed each of us a pile of clothes.
"I'm sure it fits," I laughed nervously, holding my pile close to my chest.
"Take off your clothes!"
There was no getting out of it and Peter and I knew it. Reluctantly, he unbuttoned and pulled his jeans down while I pulled my shirt off. Then, the worst thing that could happen happened. The door opened.
"Oh my god!"
"No, no, no," Peter held the woman back as her hand went to her holster.
It was Brad Davis. The guy who'd been pining over MJ the entire school year, and who would sell any of us out in a second if it meant getting closer to her.
"Sorry? Uh, I thought this was the bathroom."
"This isn't what it looks like!"
He took a picture. That bitch took a picture of Peter and I half dressed with a weird woman in a compromising situation! I hurriedly pulled my shirt back on, grabbed our bags, and sprinted out of the lodge to catch up with him.
"Brad!" Peter yelled, just behind us, "It's not what it looks like!"
"Look, I'm not here to judge your life choices," Brad told us when we caught up with him, "If you two want to hook up with some European chick for a threesome-"
"That wasn't what was happening, we swear," I insisted.
"If this is the type of people that MJ is hanging around with, I think she deserves to know." Brad shrugged and walked off.
MJ wasn't the problem. It would be a piece of cake explaining what was going on to her and she'd believe us. The issue was, that he had the picture, and could send it to anyone. Our lives would be toast.
"We need to get rid of that picture," I stated the obvious.
"Alright everybody, put your feet together and get back on the bus!" Mr. Dell shouted, regrouping the students.
When we got on the bus again, we were in the front, while MJ and Brad ended up in the back. As soon as we were moving Peter put on his EDITH glasses.
"Edith? Hey, there's this guy named Brad and- Um, Brad Davis, he has a photo of me and (Y/n). Is he a target?" Peter looked to the back, "Yeah, he's a target. He's a target... Initiating what?"
"Peter... you're talking to an AI from the guy who gave you an Instant Kill mode. What do you think she'll take 'he's a target' as?" I asked nervously after he gave the order.
Looking through the back window, I spotted a small drone trailing the bus. There was nothing good about that.
"Hey, dope glasses Parker," Flash snatched the glasses out of Peter's hand, "How did you afford these?'
"Flash give them back."
"No, I'm serious, how did you-"
Peter accidentally slapped Flash, and thanks to his superstrength, he was out cold. While Peter was staring in shock, I grabbed the glasses and put them on.
"(Y/n), would you like me to cancel the drone strike on Brad Davis?"
"Did Peter just punch Flash?"
"No!"
"Understood."
"Shit," I hissed. That was the wrong question at the wrong time, "Wait, Edith I-"
Boom!
Bus swerving after a strike nearly knocked us off the winding road, the glasses flew off my face and landed near the steps. Peter grabbed them.
"Peter, (Y/n), put your butts in your seats and buckle up right now!"
"Look at the baby mountain goats!" I distracted the entire class with that one short statement.
"Baby mountain goats?"
"Shoot it down," I hissed to Peter, pointing at the emergency hatch at the top of the bus.
Peter jumped through the hatch and delivered three webs to the drone, blocking its shooters and making it explode. We were safe.
"I don't see any mountain goats," the class turned back to me as Peter landed back on the bus.
"You- you missed them," I excused.
Betty's eyes narrowed in on Peter, "I know you think none of us have noticed Peter... but your new look, I love it."
Plopping down in my seat again, I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's try this again," Peter sat down next to me, "There's a picture on Brad Davis' phone that I need to be deleted. It has (Y/n) and me in it... good. She deleted it."
"Thank god," my body sagged in relief, "That could have been a disaster."
That disaster was only beginning.
~*~
I was right about Fury going all out for our upgraded trip. The hotel Dmitri stopped at was gorgeous and high class, reminding me of the Legacy Castle that Via and Jess got married at.
"Wow, this is so classy."
"I'm home."
"Squeaky wheel gets the upgrade grease," Mr. Harrington was happier than I'd ever seen him, "Get unpacked because tonight, big surprise, we're going to Prague's Carnival of Lights."
Tapping my shoulder, Peter pulled me to the side and held his phone up between us.
"The two of you need to break off from the group, put your new suits on, and wait for further instructions do you understand?"
"Yeah."
As we ended the call, Ned came over to us, "Hey. I am so sorry, if I seem like I'm preoccupied with my relationship-"
"Ned, you're totally okay," we reassured him.
"Okay, great. So what's the status update, where's the attack going to be?"
"Um, here, in the city."
"Guys, we're here!"
I winced in response, "I know, it's not good, but we're working on it."
"Peter, (Y/n), you have to do something, please. We're all counting on you." Well, that was a lot of pressure.
"Babe?"
"Coming," Ned rejoined the group.
Taking Peter's hand, I reveled in the warmth of it, the reassurance. No matter how much pressure was on us to do the right thing and save any number of people, we weren't alone.
Our phones buzzed in unison, directions to a room on the third floor. Some banquet hall. The group was so distracted in their excitement over the festival that we didn't even need to come up with excuses as to why we were running off.
We took the stairs to the room on the third floor, knocked twice, and were ushered in by Maria Hill. The room had become their new base of operations, with the same equipment they had in Venice strewn around in a similar setup.
Fury began to explain the exact coordinates and the plan for that night. Such as our positions and our roles in the battle.
"Parker!" Fury called out Peter's name as he stared into the fire that was actively warming the room, "That thing is going to be here in two hours. Am I boring you?"
"He's not bored, he's just thinking about how you kidnapped him."
"They had options. I removed them."
"They still won't evacuate the city," Maria reported, turning away from a computer.
Fury sighed, "Idiots. So what's the plan Parker?"
"I will be keeping watch for the fire monster and when that shows up I contact you guys and then (Y/n) and Mr. Beck-"
"My name is Mysterio," Beck smiled jokingly.
"Then Mysterio, (Y/n), and I will kill it."
"Right. Understand that the best hope you have, the only hope, is to stop it here and now, no matter what the cost. We'll save as many civilians as we can, but most importantly, keep it away from metal."
"Hey man, our friends our here. And I can't help but worry that we're putting them in danger."
"You're worried about your friends. You? Who called a drone strike on your own school tour bus?" Fury stood and walked towards Peter angrily, "Stark gave you a multi-billion dollar tactical AI system, and what's the first thing you do with it? Try to blow up your friends. It's clear to me, that you were not ready for EDITH."
Peter nodded quietly and muttered a small "I'll be in position." and left. I moved to go after him, but Beck beat me to the punch and assured me he'd talk to him. With someone talking to Peter, I turned to Fury with a scowl.
"What the hell was that Fury?"
"He's a child-"
"We were both twenty-one! Our bodies are different, and Jean maybe have shifted our minds, so we'd fit in, but we know what we're doing! EDITH is new, and scary, and she mistook us asking her to delete a picture for wanting to kill someone. That isn't Peter's fault, and it isn't mine either."
Fury took a menacing step towards me, and while I could understand why everyone in the hero world was terrified of him, I wasn't.
"You better watch your tone, (Y/n)."
He wanted me to back down. I didn't. I wasn't going to. I'd dealt with too many men like him before, men who wanted people to bow down before them. I wasn't going to bow anymore.
"Keep our friends safe, Fury. Or you'll understand what it feels like to lose control," I hissed, stalking out of the room.
As the door closed behind me, a thrum of power flowed through me. I did it. Oh god it felt so good to finally stand up to someone. Fury wasn't Thanos, he was so much better than Thanos, but when he yelled at Peter, it was the same type of superiority in his eyes that I saw in Thanos', and I wouldn't stand for it.
"Oh, (Y/n), I was wondering where you ran off to. You're in room 34, just down the hall," Mr. Harrington informed me, "MJ put your stuff in there for you."
"Thanks, Mr. Harrington."
I met the rest of the class in the lobby downstairs. They were decked out in anything and everything related to the Carnival of Lights. Peter was there. I grabbed his hand and gave him a small smile. He gave one in return. Beck must have given him a nice talk if he was still in good spirits.
"Good news," Mr. Harrington approached the group, "There's been a change of plans. We're going to the opera!"
"Wasn't me," Mr. Dell added when the group frowned.
"What happened to the carnival?" MJ asked, I nudged her, and mouthed 'hero stuff' and she nodded.
"This is upgraded living guys. Come on, the tour company gave us these tickets for free. Do you have any idea how much opera tickets cost?"
"No, because none of us have ever wanted to go to the opera."
"Well, I-I think it would be a nice cultural experience," Ned defended the plan, having picked up on the importance of being out of the city.
"Thank you, Ned."
"Yeah, and at a festival this large, the probability of picking up a deadly foreign disease is high," MJ added.
"Slightly more morbid, but still good. Everyone change and let's get going!"
The group let out groans of annoyance and broke up to go to their rooms. Peter and I were next to each other, and we changed into the formal clothes we were instructed to pack for the trip and also packed our suits in our backpacks so we could change into them when we were called into action.
When the entire group was ready for the opera, our teachers led us into the streets where the people were already celebrating the carnival as the sun set. The group was dismayed and watched the party goers pass them sadly as they had to walk away from the main celebration.
"See?" Mr. Harrington shouted over the music, "Aren't you happy that we got out of this?"
No one had an answer for that. As we reached the opera house, we worked out our excuses with MJ and Ned, and right after we did, Maria contacted us over the coms and ordered us to get into position.
We changed into our uniforms in the bathroom, and Peter webbed our backpacks to an alleyway so we wouldn't lose them.
"Okay, I'll see you soon," I kissed him quickly, "We can do this, okay?"
"Yeah, everything will be fine. Our Earth won't end up like Beck's. I love you."
"I love you too Bug-Boy."
It was like going off to war. Scratch that, we were going off to war. I got into position away from the buzz of the festival, but close enough that if something were to happen, I'd be on the scene quickly. I wasn't sure where Beck was hiding out, but I knew he had to be near.
"Alright, I'm in position. If I see something Beck, I'll let you know."
"I'm in position too, waiting for the attack."
"Roger. How's the suits?"
"It's a weird color, and I don't have hair," my mask was similar to Peter's in the sense that it covered my entire head. Weird.
"Fits great. Little tight around the ol' web shooter."
"Parker."
"Sorry."
Not even a minute later, Fury and Maria were reporting that energy was spiking and seismic activity was raising. Peeking around the corner, I ran into the fold as the first bit of lava broke through the ground. I couldn't control the water one, but I didn't have to control the fire to damage it. Just put it out.
"Everyone run!" I yelled to the civilians around me, not that they needed to be told twice.
Beck landed, Peter swung in, and the fight began. Both assisting me and using it as a weapon himself, Peter pulled a fire hydrant out of the ground, releasing a steady stream of water. I directed it towards the monster. It screamed and steamed in response. So it was working.
The monster stumbled back and into a carousel. Metal. The monster seemed to smirk and absorbed the carousel, growing in size. I ran over to Peter, keeping as much water as possible around me so I could use it.
"Night Monkey! Water Girl!"
"Huh?"
Peter and I looked up at the ferris wheel. Betty and Ned, seriously? They were supposed to be safe at the opera.
"Help us!"
"Help them out, I'll help Beck!" I ran towards the monster, throwing my arms out and sending a spray of water its way. Unlike the previous time, the water did nothing. Not even a little puff of steam, "What the hell?"
"(Y/n), go help the civilians!" Beck ordered, flying past me.
"I can help, it's water against fire!"
"I said go help with the civilians. I got this. I'm not going to repeat myself," Beck's voice took on a dark tone.
Frowning at the sudden shift, I obeyed. What was going on? My powers worked then they didn't, then Beck became the only one who could save us? I understood that he had previous experience, but it was water vs fire.
"Bug-Boy, tag team!" I yelled at Peter, "Hit him with something he can't absorb!"
"Got it!"
I stepped up to the control panel for the ferris wheel, rapidly pressing the button that made it go, but nothing was working. I pressed it again and again, each time more frantic than the last. Nothing. Swearing, I looked up at the wheel. I could use water to lift everyone, but that would take too much time-
"Look out!"
I screamed and jumped to the side when a giant shot of lava destroyed the control panel completely. Well shit. Not that it would have worked, anyway.
"Water-Girl, we need you."
"Oh, so you need me now?" I asked bitterly, but ran over all the same.
Using whatever water I could muster, I shot for the monster's chest. It hit its mark, and the monster screamed, steam rising. It worked. What was going on?
"It's not enough!" Beck yelled as the monster backed into scaffolding, growing even larger, "Whatever happens, remember me."
"Beck, what are you doing?" Peter asked in a panic.
"What I should have done the first time."
Beck summoned a large amount of green energy and rammed straight into the monster's chest. It glowed bright green and fell apart from the inside. I was relieved it was over, but something twisted in my gut. That was all it took? Why didn't one of the soldiers from his platoon do what he did?
"Beck?" Peter ran over to Beck who was lying on the ground.
"Everyone down," I formed an ice slide connected to each section of the ferris wheel that would allow the civilians to get out safely since the fight was done. When they seemed to be doing fine, I walked over to the main group.
"That was the last one," Beck stated.
"But not the last threat we'll ever face. We need to stay vigilant. There's a void in this world for someone like you. Hill and I are going to EuroCo headquarters in Berlin tomorrow. You should join us."
"Thank you. I just might take you up on that."
Fury then turned to Peter and I, and I prepared for a scolding.
"You got gifts kids, but you didn't want to be here."
"Mr. Fury-"
"I'd love to have you in Berlin too. But you got to decide whether or not you're willing to step up. Stark chose you, he made you Avengers. I need that. The world needs that. But maybe Stark was wrong. Was he? The choice is yours."
I knew Peter needed comfort, not for me to kick Fury's ass, and so I held back my anger. Beck stood and gave us a smile.
"Let's get a drink."
"We aren't twenty-one anymore."
The nearest bar had milk and lemonade luckily, so we weren't stuck drinking alcohol. I wouldn't have either way. I hadn't since Peter and I had our talk about my issue with it.
"You kids did good today."
Peter sighed, "Fury was right. Maybe I'm not ready to be an Avenger."
"I was never really an Avenger in the first place," I added.
"Mr. Stark wanted me to be better than he was. Fury just wants me to live up to his name."
"What do you two want?" Beck asked.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want?"
"I wanna go on my trip. I wanna go back on my trip with my friends and spend time with (Y/n) because I love her." Beck pulled a teasing face, "Shut up man."
"What about you, (Y/n)?"
I shrugged, "I don't know. I want to do the right thing, and I want to be normal. I want to, to have a taste of being able to go on vacation without being a superhero at the same time, but I want to save lives... but we have an obligation."
"Excuse me? I think you dropped these?" A woman picked the EDITH glasses up off the ground and handed them to Peter.
"Oh my god, thank you so much."
"Are those-"
"The EDITH glasses yeah."
"Try them on, let's see what you look like."
Peter put them on, "I actually really like them."
"Can I be honest? They look really stupid. But maybe they have a contact version."
"Okay, you try them on then," Peter took them off and held them out.
"No, I couldn't-"
"Try them on," I encouraged.
With a sigh, Beck put them on. Peter's face paled, and my mind went blank. I knew both of us saw the same thing in Beck. Tony Stark. But I blinked, and the illusion was gone. Peter, Peter's gaze was still hazy.
"For the next Tony Stark, I trust you," he muttered, eyes widening in realization, "For the next Tony Stark I trust you."
"I'm not following, how many lemonades have you had?"
"Tony knows every mistake I ever made right? So he must have known I wasn't ready for that glasses. Be he trusted me to know who was."
"Peter," my brows furrowed.
"He wouldn't have given them to Fury because he would have kept them. He gave them to me because I do what's right. The world needs a next Iron Man, and it's not gonna be me, I'm a sixteen-year-old kid technically. And it can't be (Y/n) because she's the same way."
"Ouch, but I agree." I hated to say it, but Peter wasn't ready. He had growing to do. Whether it took a day or a year, there was something he had to realize. I didn't know what it was, because I was in the same boat. And Beck reminded Peter of Tony so much... I didn't want to take that away from him.
"Peter, you don't know what you're saying. No," Beck gave the glasses back.
"EDITH? I'd like to transfer control to Quentin Beck," Peter put the glasses on.
"Stark gave you the glasses-"
"Stark gave me a choice," Peter insisted.
"And you agree with this, (Y/n)?"
"I trust Peter with my life. What he does, I do, and vice versa. Can I really say no?" The answer was yes, but I wasn't about to do that, "You saved us and the world from those things."
"Confirm," Peter gave Beck the glasses, "Welcome to the Avengers."
Beck put the glasses on again and Peter smiled, "Thank you Peter. You too (Y/n), something tells me you've got him on a leash."
"That's an understatement," I chuckled, shaking his hand when he offered it, "We should probably get back to the hotel, Peter. We still need to grab our bags and change too."
"Right. Mr. Stark would have liked you Beck. See you later, man."
Peter and I left hand in hand, and for a second, I could forget my weird gut feeling and focus on the fact that both of us were relieved and happy for the first time in months.