Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty. Mother Knows Best

Dressed in her uniform, Peter's mother, Mary, cut an impressive figure. She was taller than both Peter and his father, Richard, but that hadn’t been passed on to Peter. What had been thought was her good looks.

Her face was warm and kind, a stark contrast to the black and green fitted uniform, adorned with several medals and stylised golden buttons. She had been relaxing at home when both Richard and she had been called in to deal with a report, and thankfully, Peter had come looking for them, and they had been able to keep it quiet. For now anyway.

As she sat the cup of coffee substitute in front of him she ran a hand over his shoulder, noticing that he had bulked up since their last meeting,

“So?” she asked as she sat across from him “what’s wrong Peter?” 

Peter sighed and stared at the cup, “Mary and I are having problems. I work late, and I’m never home, I just don’t know how to fix it,” and his mother sighed,

The lie was necessary. Outright asking where Dooms labs were would make his mother suspicious. She always asked him about home, then work, and she always made coffee for him. When she switched to asking him about work, he could make up another lie about wanting to switch careers, and see if she knew where the other departments were.

“Drink your coffee, and I don’t know. Mary just has to accept that your work has to come first. You are a valuable asset to the Doom-Minion, and your work helps a lot of people.”

Peter sipped his coffee, a luxury even for his parents. Real coffee was even rarer but the ground root substitute was still something that only the higher-ups got to drink.

It is drugged, follow my lead.

Peter almost spilled the whole cup as he pulled it away in surprise,

“Everything okay?” Mary asked and he nodded,

“Hot. but what about home?”

“A relationship requires work, and Mary needs to understand that. I can book her in for re-education, that should clear everything up.” but Peter shook his head,

No, the chemical makes you compliant, agree

“Something wrong?”

“Just stiff, after Ben I’ve been working out more. If I overwork I might get sick.”

“Does what happened to your uncle bother you?” she asked.

“No,” and he shook his head again, “the centres are necessary, and it was a shame but accidents happen.”

Good good, she wants the truth from you, we can feel her curiosity, and her anger at something else.

“That’s right, but what about May?” and Peter looked pensive at his mother

“I miss her, she was nice to me” and Mary nodded her head,

“Anything more?” Peter’s face went red but he shook his head

“I never,” and Mary laughed. A long time ago she had found several indecent pictures in Peter's room, of women who looked similar to his aunt. It was a teenage boy's curiosity and she ignored it. She just needed to make sure that wasn’t the cause.

“It’s fine Peter, we all have phases like that, but, drink up,” and Peter nodded, taking more sips of the coffee,

“Tell me about Bleecker Street”

“Shit shit shit, he thought, but Hexen laughed,

“I’ve been seeing a girl, I want more from Mary, and I found someone else,” he said automatically

What the hell? Peter thought, Don’t make me say stuff like that.

“A prostitute?” but Peter shook his head,

“A local girl, she can’t work, so I give her money and she lets me do what I want to her.”

“Whatever you want?”

Peter nodded, “Butt stuff,” and his face turned a bright shade of red,

I know she’s not really my mom but give me a break,

“And she swallows”

HEXEN!!

“Nothing else?” Mary probed but Peter shook his head,

“I was embarrassed, Mary does a good job around the house, but she is lacking in the bedroom,” and Peter held the cup in front of his face, trying to hide his embarrassment,

She believes you, but be careful, something else is going on here.

Mary shook her head, it was normal for Peter to want more from life, even she and Richard both had additional sexual partners, but while it all added up, the report of a mutant girl hiding at Bleecker street, and now the report of runic magic being deployed still nagged at her.

“Have you ever gone to Bleecker Street for anything else?” but Peter shook his head,

“No. Why would I? There is nothing there.”

“Is the local girl a mutant?” Peters cup was now half-empty, more than enough serum that if she asked him to strip and perform ballet he would.

“Mutant? No.”

“Is she part of the Rebellion?”

“No,”

“Did you ever fantasise about having sex with your aunt?”

“Yes,”

Peters responses, while embarrassing were robotic, Hexen keeping his emotional turmoil at his mom's questioning under control,

“Did you ever try?”

“No, but I watched her shower once.”

“What’s your favourite sexual position?”

“From behind,”

“Why?”

“I like to grab Mary’s breasts and feel them swinging.”

“Are you a member of the Rebellion?”

“No.”

“Do you know anyone else at Bleecker Street, or have information about the attacks today?”

“No.”

“Why were you there?”

“I had sex with Wanda.”

“How do you feel about work?”

“I love it, I help people feel safe.”

“And President Doom.”

“He’s a genius, I wish I could be more like him.”

It all added up, the cleanup crew had the Doombot’s remains retrieved for analysis within half an hour, the mutant had been taken into custody but disappeared not long afterwards, and the patroller had no recollection of who she was or what she looked like. If he was just there for sex he would have missed everything, and Mary doubted the couple have admitted to anything too passively if the serum wasn’t working.

As Peter stared at the cup, his eyes slightly out of focus she looked over at the bedroom door,

“How are his readings?” and his father came out, holding a long strip of paper,

“Heart rate is normal, a little higher than it should be but with no baseline, we can't say it isn’t normal. Everything is right on the money. He’s not lying,” and his jaw tightened a little, “about anything,” and Mary laughed,

“Stop being jealous, he’s your son.” and he tutted and rolled his eyes. He had petitioned to have May assigned to him. Peter's tastes ran very close to his own, and the relationship between Mary and him had been part of their assignment. Once Peter hit eighteen they were being separated and reassigned, May would have been a bit of fun while he waited to see who his new partner would have been.

“The only anomaly was a slightly higher than normal temperature. It’s almost 40 degrees,” and Mary frowned,

Moving over she placed a hand on Peter’s forehead, and as he looked up at her she blinked in confusion,

“He doesn’t feel hot, is the gauge working?” and Richard nodded,

“I use you as a base reading, as we know your vitals. He is burning up.”

It is us, we make the body warmer, even as we hide within you, be ready.

Ready for what?

“Peter?” and he looked at his mom and smiled, “How are you training yourself?”

“I take an injection. I get it from the black market.”

Drugs? Seriously? You’re going to tell my mom I do drugs?

Shush, we need a reason, or would you rather tell them you are host to an alien, be quiet stupid man and let me do the thinking for us both.

“Where is the black market?”

“In the remains of Chinatown.”

Mary smiled, “I think we found enough secrets from our little Peter for today.” and she ran a hand over his hair and lifted his chin to her, “I am sorry dear, but we needed to make sure you weren’t part of the rebellion. I’ll make sure Mary and your little friend are both re-educated. I’m sure we can work something out. If it keeps my baby happy.”

Richard tutted, when he had brought up taking May into their home Mary had just stared at him and tapped the knife she liked to carry, and he never brought it up again.

“But no more injections, If you want to make sure you're healthy I will train you.”

Peter nodded, “Yes mom.”

“But, we do need to know what it is you’ve taken. Richard dear, get the kit out,” and as his father moved back into the bedroom he brought back a sample kit and several vials,

No, we cannot. I will be exposed, I am sorry Peter.

As his father unzipped the black case Peter stood, “sorry” and Hexen poured over him. A tendril shot out and batted away the case and Hexen dived for the window, knowing the door would take too long to open.

Mary, momentarily stunned by Peter's sudden actions, pulled out a pistol he had holstered on the small of her back and fired two shots at him, hitting him squarely in the shoulder. As Hexen shrugged off the bullets and they clattered on the floor Mary took a second to realise her shots had no effect and this time adjusted her aim and fired twice into the back of his head.

Even the second round of shots had no effect and the creature Peter had become ran at high speed and leapt at the window, thudding against the glass, almost comically.

“The apartment is bombproof, sorry dear, but we insist you come with us.”

You didn’t tell us, Hexen hissed

I didn’t know did I, my apartment isn’t, Peter yelled back. So what now?

Hehe, Hexen giggled, bombproof is not Hexen proof, and as she raised their arms several circles of a pale red light shimmered above her hands

Please, not my mom, and Hexen tutted

As if we would, and the circles darted out and sliced thick gouges from the glass in a square pattern. Wanda was imprisoned in glass once and refused to let something happen again.

Mary dived forwards and reaching under the table, pulled out a much larger calibre shotgun, as she raised it and aimed at the creature’s chest she hesitated,

“Sorry mom,” he said and tensing he leapt forward again, taking out the fractured glass and launching himself out into the cold air of the city.

“Shit” Mary yelled and grabbed a walkie talkie, “Peter was compromised, get Doombots and a squad of patrollers to my address, and Bleecker street is a go, I repeat, Bleecker street is a go.”

Richard, knowing his combat expertise was lacking, had retreated back into the bedroom. He was her tech support and as such stayed well away when the fighting started.

“Chinatown?” but she shook her head,

“We both know Peter wasn’t affected by the serum, it was a lie. If he was at Bleecker street, and we know he was, then that’s the real target,” and Richard nodded. He wasn’t going to attempt to comfort her.

They had had this talk years ago. The marriage was a sham, forced upon two agents to produce a superior new generation and while Peter was the product of that, they both knew he was also a good way for the Rebellion to get to them and had been prepared. Richard and Mary hadn’t had a relationship in years, and both had been sterilised after Peter was born. Their familial duty completed, it was now a life of work.

“Orders?” and Mary touched her earpiece, and sneered,

“Return to base for decommissioning. We’re both suspended until they catch him,” and Richard sighed, the polite way of saying they were under arrest and once Peter was captured and interrogated, it would be a re-education centre for the pair of them, and if Peter said anything that made their superiors doubt them, it would be a firing squad.

“Well, at least it was fun,” and as Mary nodded, she began to strip. Richard gave her a confused look,

“We both know how this ends. So, one last time. You’ve got 15 minutes, and if I don’t cum, I’ll shoot you myself.”

Richard laughed and pulled his shirt free, they might not have been in love, but the sex had always been great.