Ch: 212 [Spar with Carol]
The Kree warship's force field opened as Carol and I flew into the vacuum of space. The darkness stretched infinitely in every direction, and I could see those glittering stars and chunks of debris from a nearby asteroid belt. This was it—my first real test outside the training room. And for the first time, I was going to try flying in space no less, without any armor, webs, or gadgets. Just me, the raw energy inside, and the endless void.
"You look nervous," Carol teased as she flew around me effortlessly, and her body was glowing with bright yellow cosmic energy. "Don't worry, Parker. You've got this."
The fun part is we can talk and hear each other in the space without any gadgets. Carol said it's due to our Physiology which allows us to break certain limitations of space.
I couldn't help but glance down at myself. No suit, no helmet, no tether to keep me anchored to anything solid. But I didn't feel the suffocating pull of space. I wasn't gasping for air. Instead, I felt... alive. As if the energy inside me was shielding me from the cold, deadly vacuum. The celestial power hummed beneath my skin, syncing with the cosmic energy flowing through me.
"I'm not nervous," I lied, trying to steady my breath. "Just... trying not to explode or something." Fuck! I won't lie, this is scary on so many levels.
"First rule of space combat: don't think too much. Feel the energy. Let it guide you."
"Okay, I think I understand—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Carol flew straight at me.
"What are you doing?" I yelled, trying to move away from her, but she was too fast. Her punch was so fast that even my spider sense didn't warn me until the last second. "Hey!"
But just when I thought she was going to hit me, Carol's fist stopped inches from my face. "Stop thinking," she said. "Fight back!"
She fired a blast of cosmic energy at me at point blank on my face, sending me flying backward into deep space.
"Fucking hell!" I shouted as I tumbled through the debris field. I tried to stabilize myself and fly back towards her, but I couldn't get it right. "Crap! Shit! Ah!" I crashed into a chunk of rock, bouncing off it like a pinball.
I gritted my teeth as I collided with another chunk of debris, feeling the impact reverberate through my body. The cold, hard asteroid sent me spiraling, and my attempt to regain control felt futile as I tumbled through the void. Carol was right: I was overthinking. I had all this power surging inside me—cosmic energy, celestial power, life force—and yet, I was struggling to harness it in space combat. Frustration bubbled inside me, but Alex's words echoed again: power without control is useless. I had to focus.
"Come on, Parker! This isn't training anymore! You need to feel the energy and respond instinctively!" Carol's voice rang out through the emptiness as she soared above me effortlessly.
I clenched my fists, feeling the cosmic energy pulse beneath my skin, but I was still shaky, unsure. With no gravity, no ground, and no web-swinging, everything I knew about fighting was useless out here. It was just me and the energy inside me. But wasn't that what I'd been training for all week?
I could feel the heat of the fire against my skin, but the flames didn't hurt me. Carol was glowing like a second sun, her hair and uniform billowing around her in the cosmic fire.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" she shouted as she fired a beam of energy straight at me. I too released the energy blast at her, both of them colliding midair, creating a shockwave that seemed to rip open the space itself. The nearby asteroid belt was ripped apart, flying in different directions.
The dark space was lit up with yellow and blue energy beams as we clashed in the void. Sparks of energy exploded around us as we flew at each other. I was getting stronger. The cosmic energy was flowing through me with greater ease, but Carol's powers kept growing too.
"You're doing great, Parker," she said, her voice booming through the darkness.
"It's all thanks to your help," I yelled as our fists met, sending a wave of force rippling across the void.
"Nah, you were already halfway there," Carol said as she spun around and kicked me which I blocked with my right arm. "I just gave you a little push."
"Still," I grabbed her leg with my left arm and flung her at a nearby asteroid. She crashed into it hard, shattering the rock. "Thanks for helping me. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me!"
"Well, that's good to hear. But we aren't done yet, Peter. This is just the beginning."
"So, you're not going to stop?"
"Stop? You know, I've been waiting for this moment forever. So, stop holding back and come at me," She said, charging up her depleted energy using the surrounding energy.
"What if I lose control and end up hurting you?" I asked, still worried about hurting her. I'm sure she's stronger than me. But still, I don't want to hurt her.
"Don't worry about it, Parker. I can heal from anything," she smirked.
And so, we fought in the space for hours... Maybe more...
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