Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Three. Tall Tales

Peter had let the excited Shuri return to her exploration, while he dealt with the fuming four.

Only Ben seemed to be happy as he continued to use the harness, unpacking the jeep that the others had travelled in, and made to set up their own camp.

With his own rucksack and minimal gear, Peter set up slightly apart from them, Ben making large marquee tents in a circle, and setting up a gas stove in the centre. Peters gear was more compact and built many from the long-chain polymer that Gwen and he had developed a long time ago. While a morphic symbcell was useless his webbing wasn't, and a thick but compact and light sleeping bag, tent and a small arcstar powered heater and stove were soon set up, and the six sat around the fire, with an awkward silence in the air.

“Right, well, this is stupid and I don't have time for it, Reed, get it off your chest. Sue, you can go next, anyone else after that can get a turn.” Peter stated as he dropped a spoon into his canteen cup. The MRE Ben had provided was satisfying if a little bland.

“I’ve got nothing to say. You waltzed here, took over and without you, we would have found nothing and came home.” Reed stated and sat back, his own meal tasteless and bland.

“I uh, Why did you come here Mr Parker?” Sue asked, and Peter shrugged.

“I wanted to find out what Apocalypse had been doing. You read the report. If there was anything here to seriously threaten the Earth we needed to know and neutralize it.”

Reed snorted, “take it you mean?” and Peter shrugged,

“Wouldn't be the first time. Dangerous things make dangerous situations. I've been shot, stabbed, gutted, thrown into space, and a whole lot more. This isn't a game. Apocalypse was an Augment with centuries of power behind him, and the ability to use it.”

Reed snorted, “I hardly think that an immortal being really existed. The science alone is impossible” and Peter shook his head,

“Really? So you don't believe Captain America was real, or Hulk, or Ultron?” and Reed shook his head.

“I've seen into other dimensions Peter, there's nothing there. Aliens might exist, but true cellular immortality is impossible. Super strength, superhuman abilities, it's just not scientifically feasible.”

Peter laughed, “And because the great Reed Richards hasn't seen it, it doesn't exist? You arrogant jackass. What did you watch me do earlier? Did you not watch me move rocks that Ben needed a mechanical harness to lift?” and Reed shook his head,

“You have two. The harness has a resizing option, so you have a spare,” and Peter sucked on his bottom lip.

“You know, I have next to no shame, I live with eight women, I really don't care. So.” and Peter stood, raised his arms, and slowly spun on the spot.

As he came back around, his clothing shifted and changed from a pair of combat trousers and boots, with a shirt not a tracksuit, then a dress, and then as Sue gasped, nothing at all.

“Symbskin. A symbiotic coating covering my entire body. I can control its morphic field, shaping it into anything I want, or reabsorb it back into my body,” and Reeds eyes flicked down and then back up

“I can see that. There are ladies present.”

“Oh no, there's more. Johnny is marvelling at how someone can have such a huge dick. Ben is thinking it's not that impressive. You think, amongst other things, that I'm trying to steal Sue, and Sue is wondering if Gwen cried when she first saw it or if she can take all of it. Viktor, you are blocking my telepathy, and I would like to know how.”

Viktor stared at him and then laughed. “If you put your clothes back on, I will tell you,” and as Peter let the symbskin reform back into his combat pants and top, Viktor parted his hair, “I have a plate in my head, from an accident when I was a child.”

But Reed snorted, “telepathy? You expect me to believe that? I can accept you have some kind of unstable molecular clothing. Your tent is the same right, but superhuman abilities? You're a charlatan, and whatever you're doing with AIM is only to get Killains money. I saw how much he paid you, I know that he got your patents back.”

Peter shook his head, “Aldrich gave me those in good faith for saving his wife. She was poisoned with a serum called Extremis, and I paid him back for those patents. He got a settlement when he left. Look, if you don't want to join AIM I don't care. With Hammer dead and Aldrich gone, it’s the three groups sat right here. Parker Inc, The Storm Foundation, and DoomCo. If you say no then who cares. AIM folds and we all walk our separate ways, I don't get what the big deal is. I'm trying to be as nice as I can, but you've got some slight, imagined or not.”

As Reed's eyes moved over to Sue Peter shook his head, “Really, I met Sue a few hours ago, I'm marrying Shuri of Wakanda, and have eight others. Sure you're pretty, but no. Why would you even think that?”

“He doesn't. He’s mad because I want to join Parker Inc and work with Gwen, and he thinks I'm attracted to you.” Sue sighed and admitted, “Gwen gushed over you, and accidentally sent me a few pictures of uh, that.” and Peter laughed

“That's it?” and as he shook his head he rummaged in his pack and pulled out a small bottle, “Reed, I don't want your girlfriend, no offence Sue, really. The rest would kill me, and it's not a joke.” and that got Johnny attention,

“You mean you really do have nine” and Peter nodded,

“Gwen, Liv, MJ, Felicia, Carol, Natasha, Laura, Wanda, and Shuri.” and as Peter opened the bottle he tipped a small amount into a cup, “add that to your coffee. Ivan says the best way for men to get over their differences is to get drunk, so let's get drunk.” and as Reed sniffed at the cup,

“Is this cleaning fluid?” Peter laughed,

“Gwen makes it. I’m resistant to most poisons, so it's a bit strong, but it's fine” and as Reed sniffed and looked doubtfully at Peter, “it's fine, honest.”

Sue took the cup, “Ivan, Russian?” And Peter nodded. Sue gave a single nod and drained the cup, coughing right afterwards. “Shit, that is cleaning fluid,” and as Reed rubbed her back, she sat up and with a slightly flushed face, waved the cup at Peter, “another,” and he grinned and nodded, pouring a small amount into her cup. As she leant back, she whispered in Reed’s ear, unaware that Peter could hear them, “and I’ll prove just how much I don't want him. Later, my tent, bring condoms, lots of condoms.”

The night devolved into a small drinking contest. While the day was fatal for alcohol the night was cool and with enough coffee to make it last, the four got a good enough buzz that what differences remained in the morning was nobody's fault but their own.

As Peter looked over at a very pissed off looking Sue he figured from Reed's apologetic behaviour that unsurprisingly, they didn't bring condoms. He could have offered some from his pack. He had them to use not as a prophylactic, but as a way to keep things dry, but he figured that being blamed for seducing someone's girlfriend when this time he actually hadn’t done anything that Reed could go fuck himself rather than Sue.

Peter found Ben making more coffee and as the sun rose, he helped by making breakfast. He was a light sleeper and up at the time normally. With some small packets of herbs from his own pack, the powdered eggs turned out better than expected and with the addition of flatbread bought from the local market it was a decent enough breakfast,

“If we are going to be working together, Mr Parker. I for one would like to know what you are exactly. While Reed might not believe you are superhuman, I know that there is more in the world than just us.” Viktor asked. Peter had placed his accent as similar to Wanda's and figured he was from somewhere close to Sokovia. As an Eastern European tales of witches and things that inhabited the remote forests would have been his bedtime stories.

With the information on Symbiotes going to become public knowledge eventually, and the super-soldier serum being marketed under a different and more commercial name Peter saw no harm in explaining at least some of his abilities.

“Sure, but let me check something” and after sending a text to Gwen, Sue's phone tinged, and as he checked the reply, he nodded. “Right, so Sue now works for me, Reed you’re still a maybe as there are a few accidents on your file I want to hear your side of first, but, in the ‘40s,” and Peter began to explain at least the brief discovery of the formula, Oscorps revival of it, and Gwen's eventual fixing of it. Extremis, Symbiotes, and the Augmented were for later. Once they were completely trustworthy.

“And you can prove this?” Reed asked and Peter nodded.

“The formula is just that, a chemical formula. Which Sue will be working on, amongst other things. Parker Inc is a research and development company Reed, we don't just manufacture.” In truth right now R and D was all they did, manufacturing was still being worked on.

“Then DoomCo accepts your partnership, but we do mechanical and will be seeking out a few technical issues we are having with our Doombots.” and Peter gave him a half-hearted smile,

“You didn't get Hammer to help did you?” but Viktor laughed, 

“No, I did meet Mr Vanko, and he was an interesting man. I would appreciate it if you did not interfere if I offer him a working position,” and Peter shrugged, 

“Too late. I offered him one at the Expo. He has my spare harness, and I don't think unless you can match that, he’ll move.” and catching the look on Ben's face, Peter knew it might be the same for him as well. 

A certain breed of man, once you handed him a new toy would be your friend forever, and with the gleam in his eye, he knew that with a small nudge, Ben Grimm would be part of Parker Inc.

Viktor snorted, “I see that look, and you are right. Please in future, however, do not just poach every available employee on the market. I was led to believe that this was a partnership, not a dictatorship.” and Peter nodded.

“Well, there are only two more. Johnny, we don't have a position for you, I mean, your training to be a pilot right? But Ben, we do need a head of security, comes with a few perks.” and as Reed gave Peter the stink eye Johnny shrugged and went back to breakfast while Ben rubbed a hand over the harness he was still wearing.

“Uh I, Uh” but Peter raised a hand

“I know. The way Reed looks at you, I almost thought it was you and Reed, but I get loyalty. My only issue with Reed is his recklessness,” and as Reed snorted Peter tilted his head. “Fine, 2010. An explosion in the Massachusetts campus, blamed on a gas leak, but it was in your class, was it you?” and as Reed shook his head, Peter knew he was lying. “2011, the chemical explosion at Harvard?” and again, a lie. Each time Peter asked, Reed shook his head and the lies rolled from him like clouds of poison.

“Final one then, Were you responsible for the explosion that  gave Ben his scar?” but this time he let the Mind Stone wrap its power around Reed,

“Yes, I was trying to make fireworks to impress Sue and it went wrong. The mix caught fire after I left a bunsen burner on and forgot about it. I only went back as I wanted to rescue a book Sue gave me.” and Ben’s face fell.

“What no, it wasn't me. I didn’t” and Peter pushed once more,

“And the rest?”

“They were all me. Franklin Richards paid the Universities off on the condition I stay off-campus.”

Peter finished his coffee, “thank you, Reed, that's all I wanted to know.”

Reed stood and pointed a finger at Peter, “No, you made me say all that. I didn't do any of it.” but Peter shrugged,

“Thought you didn't believe I had powers?”