Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Three. Helicarrier Parenting

Everything had gone according to plan. Project Oversight was a success and even with Shield aware and the building on lockdown, it was too late.

While the badges of every agent went offline, the Triskellion’s systems had been isolated from the network, giving Hydra complete control over them. As the targeting solutions were fed into the computer a huge list of names provided by the huge intelligence computer Hydra had developed with Armin Zola, the Mathematical Organism Designed Only For Killing, was busy loading up a list of names. A rather long list.

As several squads of Hydra troopers finished off the last of the agents still loyal to Shield they watched as the three giant helicarriers, newly upgraded by Stark took to the air.

Help us, anything you want, that's the bargain, anything but just help.

Several groups all sat up as they heard the message, not for just one person, but four groups in New York all rushed into action.

Emma heard the message and sighed, flicking open her phone, “So do I?” and after hearing the reply tutted. Closing her phone, “Ichiro darling, be dear and head back. Shaw, for once, can go fuck himself.”

“No, Shaw will not forgive you this time Emma, I cannot let you do this.” but Emma glittered and shimmered as she changed form,

“I’m not asking darling. Either turn around or I throw you overboard and I do it myself.” tutting, Ichiro turned the wheel of the speedboat and headed back to the shore.

Emma leapt over from the bobbing boat and spying a nice young man, she approached him. “Thank you for the car darling,” and as she touched him, he saw a vision of a heavily pregnant woman, bleeding and almost threw the car keys at her. As she got in and drove off, tch, should have stolen a better car, she thought to herself, spying the empty fast-food wrappers and cigarette stubs in the overflowing ashtray.

As she sped to the Shield academy, she reached out and gasped as he felt the state Peter was in. He had let a strange mutant gut him in an attempt to snap her out of a fugue state and was now lying bleeding. Angry, that her one chance to rid herself of Shaw was now bleeding out, she reached out a hand keeping one on the steering wheel and forcefully pushed cars out of her way. Ignoring the blaring horns and red lights as she sped through the streets.

Thankfully the Academy streets were fairly empty, the main event today was at Shields Triskellion building and while there was some traffic there wasn’t much. As she sped into the courtyard she spotted Peter and a small mutant crying and wailing, landing beside her a red-cloaked woman who wrapped Peter in an energy field.

“Let me,” and Emma ran out of the car, abandoning it in the courtyard. Sensing the damage in his abdomen Emma concentrated. It had been a while since she had to hold any kind of wound closed, but with Peter's own healing all she had to do was stop the major organs from shutting down. As she looked up, a strange jet and a suit of that gaudy Iron Man armour, strangely enough with a more feminine figure landed and began to rush out.

Peter lay dying. He had gotten through to Laura and he could feel her panic. If the Triskelion was the real target the even with Wanda and Laura there was no way he could take out three giant aircraft himself. As a last resort, he sent out an S.O.S, anyone even remotely powered would feel it and if they weren't giant assholes, they would help.

You need to control your thoughts, Peter, he felt Wanda's mind gently brush his and he felt some comfort,

Is she fine?

Wanda shook her head and snorted, your insides are sticking out and you care about her?

The only person who ever did left her, she needs it more than me. I'm dying, aren't I?

No you fucking idiot, you’re not, he heard Gwen shout at him through the link they shared. Even if it was dark and his eyes were barely open he heard and felt a set of repulsors land across from him, stop letting people stab you, asshole, and what the hell is it with you and blondes Pete?

Behave, darling, I’m trying to hold his insides together, you can spank me later, Peter heard Emma reply.

Oww, no making me laugh, hurts, and he closed his eyes. It was easier than trying to keep focused on any one thing. 

“Get the stretcher now, Laura, LAURA! Snap the fuck out of it. Rescue go help at the Triskelion, we got this, you,“ and she motioned to the quinjet pilot, “get him to the warehouse. Pete listen, Stark is here, something about an ass-kicking after you’re done dying, and well, a shit load of Hulks turned up and I think your old guidance counsellor with that metal guy and Jean. It’s so fucking cool. Really, you’re gonna be so pissed you’re all fucked up.”

Peter felt himself being lifted and strapped to a stretcher. Gwen made some super strength pain killers and Emma touched his mind to block off any pain he was feeling. The jet lifted and Peter felt gravity shift as they got airborne. All that went through Peter's head was.

weeeeeeeeee!

As Peter was being taken home, the situation at the Triskellion was much worse. Steve had watched the soldiers firing those weapons into the rooms. As if he could ever forget the Hydra energy weapons and as soon as the first one fired his shield left his arm. Ricocheting he took out the first five before the rest turned and fired at him. He silently thanked Howard as it harmlessly evaporated on his shield, and ducking behind a wall he glanced and then threw his shield again.

“Flash, you hear me?” he yelled,

“Yeah, I hear you, Cap.”

“We good? Just cause you're a kid and all but I will put you down if I need to. This isn't a game, and those are real people dying.”

There was a pause and the device that Rumlow had slapped on him during training snapped and dropped from his wrist. A timely warning from Peter had let him know that the symbiotes could counter any technology and that if Rumlow tried anything, to be prepared. “You think I’d fucking side with nazis? Pete was right, you can be an asshole sometimes.” and Cap laughed as Flash snorted, “let’s kick some fuckin’ ass,”

Agent Webb lifted himself over the wall and began to fire. He’d been assigned a special set of pistols that reloaded through his symbskin. Looking down he knew Parker had been able to assimilate things like this, so why not him and as his black symbiote reached for the gun it slithered up his arm and hoisted itself over his shoulder. “Hey, just like that alien movie,” and as he fired at one soldier, the shoulder-mounted rifle swivelled and sent out a small blast of energy towards anyone coming too close.

Flash and Cap had been training together for almost a year now, and even though Rumlow had been putting ideas into Flash head, every time he heard the words, of a better world, free of people like Peter and the others who hurt people he remembered. Not the rooftop, he knew that was a mistake and Harry’s fault but High School. 

Webb did his best to filter them but Flash saw each and every pained look on Peter's face, each hidden pain, every tear Peter shed when nobody was looking. The hidden hurt that drew him closer to ending everything, once and for all. 

Flash knew he could have used his popularity to make the school a better place for the weaker or smaller kids, the outcasts, and the forgotten but he didn’t. He got caught up in his fame and popularity, his father’s money and his father’s attitude. People weren’t things to be used and discarded, no matter if you were better or not.

Flash took that pain, took that anger and roared as he picked up another rifle and blasted away at the jackboot thugs hurting his people, his friends. He would be better, he would.

He took a blast to the chest, too busy dragging an agent, bleeding from a stump that was all that remained of her arm to see the sniper up on the roof. Flash looked down and saw the hole. He frowned and put a hand to it, feeling for the round and picking it out of the hole he stared at the sniper.

“Cap, boost,” and running towards him, Cap lowered his shield and Flash vaulted off it and shot a web line out, catching the side of the building and as he swung around he caught each sniper and one by one they fell in a haze of blood splattering from the hyper shot web gun Flash had trained until it was a part of him. He couldn't go back and make things right with Peter, but he could make things right here.

~

Even though they had all been given a dressing down, Ross was sitting in his chair, the burns on his side were healing slowly and he had been barred for turning into the Red Hulk by Bruce. The injection Olivia had given him was still in his system and transforming would only make the damage worse. So when they all shook their heads and heard the pleas for help his first instinct was to let Parker and his friends burn. It was only Bruce that shook his head and grabbed his jacket,

“He’ll owe you,” Bruce said, “what's better than that?” and as his shirt split and the man became the monster the rest of the Thunderbolts followed suit. 

Leaving Ross to shake his head, “he already owes me. He just doesn’t know it.”

With help from Doc Samson, Bruce had managed to gain some control over the massive form. He was still angry, still subdued by the rage that lived within him but now, he remembered and could talk without violence. The message was simple, the triskelion and as the three massive creatures jumped across the Manhattan skyline they saw the true extent of the disaster.

Soldier fought soldier, and spotting Captain America and Agent Webb the group landed,

“Hulk help.” the massive green man said, and the others grinned

“Not as eloquent as ole Brucey ‘ere but Abomination, so we the good guys or wot?” and Cap shook his head and laughed, 

“Nazis. See the guys win the black uniforms with the strange Shield patches, those are the bad guys.” and Abomination paused,

“Nazis? Fuckin nazis? Me gramps died in the war, so fuck em,” and leapt off into a crowd, grabbing a soldier by the head and swatting his squad with him.

“It’s uh She-Hulk, I, I'm not really a fighter but uh,” the giant red hulkress explained,

“It's good you're here ma'am, help with the wounded. there should be an evac on its way, maybe help defend it while they load up?” and She-Hulk nodded, a look of relief crossing her face as Abomination continued to crush and tear into the groups of soldiers advancing on them.

“Betty best,” Hulk said and if it was possible for the already red hulk to blush she would have. “Hulk smash,” and he too lept off, flying up in the air and landing on one of the helicarriers, smashing his way inside. It began to list to one side and the engines slowly powered down. Flash snorted, as he watched Hulk destroy the flying fortress, wonder if he means her, or the helicarrier.

“You know I just fixed those,” blasted over the suit speakers as Iron Man landed in the parkway, “and you just let anyone on board, I’m hurt.” and Cap shook his head and held out his hand,

“Glad to see you under better circumstances. I knew your father and I hope you’re half the man he was,” and Iron Man looked up, ignoring the outstretched hand, 

“I’ll send the Legion to take out the second one, but that leaves you with one more. You handle it, I think you can handle it,” and with that, he flew off. 

As Iron Man crested the buildings a fleet of suits followed flying in a V formation, with two strangely coloured more slender figures following closely to Tony. “Oh I patched into the Shield frequency, encryption wasn't anything special, Parkers okay, got his girlfriends all crying over him, but he’d not dead, might want to get up here though, I'm getting target locks emanating from the Helicarriers,'' and with that, the 10 suits jetted off faster, missiles and repulsor blasts streaking from them and impacting against the second of the triskelions.

~

“So, am I?” and as Selene looked into the distance, 

“Yes, we never turn down a call for help, plus, I do need him to owe me one. I bet Charles will be there though, are you okay with that Erik?”

“My daughter is at that academy. Shaw could be there and I wouldn't care.”

“Well, then, Pietro, prepare the jet, let's go save the world.

“Sorry Selene” and Magneto rose from the ground “there is no time for that” and without warning shot off towards the Triskelion.

~

“Jean, where are you going?” Scott asked as she grabbed her new combat uniform. She had heard the call, as she guessed the professor had, but as no mansion alert had been sounded he wasn't going to help Peter.

“Peter needs help, he asked us, so I'm going to help,” and slipping out of her top and pants, Scott hurriedly turned as she brazenly stripped. “Go tell the professor, I’ll at least wait to hear what he says before leaving.”

Scott scowled, since Peter had been back in Jean's life she had become more belligerent. At first, it was just rebellion, even he had thoughts of that but once the professor shut down her leaving the mansion and refused to give back her guardianship it had spiralled.

The once quiet Jean had become more vocally dismissive of the professor, started missing classes and, in Scott’s opinion, becoming fierier. It had taken a talk from Storm to get her to calm down and not just blast her way out of the mansion.

Now as he rounded a corner he could hear Storm and the professor arguing,

“Ororo, even if he did call us, we can’t help without risking exposing ourselves.” and Storm stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.

“I will not help him Charles but the Triskelion is a weapons platform, you know this. We need to at least be there in case-” and she stopped and raised an eyebrow at Scott, “Jean?” was all she said and he looked guilty at the floor but nodded,

“Then there is your answer, she will leave no matter what. We can support her or we can leave her to do whatever she wants. This time I will remind you that you are not her father, and while you have some power over her, she will rebel and make you fight for it.”

“Fine. Scott, suit up, take the X-jet and head out with Storm and Jean. I don't agree, I think this is foolhardy and irresponsible. If he asks for help and we can ask for compensation, then you can be damn sure I will make him pay.”

“No Time!” Jean yelled and summoned her powers. You can do this. Peter needs you, she lifted herself up and shot off towards the Helicarrier she could see rising into the sky above New York, leaving a stunned Storm behind.