{*Author Note:

Me: Chapter 11 needs to be short as it has a lot of dialogue plus then I can release chapter 12 quickly as that's more important.

* 10 000 words, several deleted paragraphs and too much time later*

Me: AH shit.

Hello yes I am not dead thanks for asking, having a life is stupid and time consuming but I did get a puppy. He's a nightmare.

You all really liked Espen (isn't he a sweetheart) and while I haven't got any real plans for him I can defiantly add him in again a couple more times if that's what you all want? Just say comment Yah or Nah I don't mind.

Ahhh your hatred of the Avengers amuses me greatly. So innocent. So naive. Like they are the only thing I have planned…

Anyway, this chapters a little slow but character development and setting up for plot so… deal with it. Next chapter will quell your action and plot needs and should come much faster*}

The Avengers vs Spider-man: Wherein lies the truth?

By Vanessa Garth

Opinion columnist

Published 2 days ago (NYT)

I can still remember that when I found out Michael Jackson died; I was in line at Starbucks and wearing uncomfortable new shoes that had given by a blister on my right foot. The man in front of me smelt like beeswax and wood.

For me, the press conference where Avengers announced Spider-man as a villain they were attempting was one of those moments. I know I will never forget that moment where I was idly standing by the printer at the office, pretending to watch the TV and not the panic of a co-worker as he noticed a typo in the soon to be published paper for the morning. I can still taste cinnamon muffin that had been lingering in my mouth from the breakfast I had eaten that fateful morning.

I was… horrified to put it lightly. Heartbroken? Almost childishly confused? A little bit of everything I suppose. I didn't know what to feel and feel into the trap of what seemed easiest. Anger. I admit that I too saw the Avenger's press conference and was filled with such rage and hatred because I felt so betrayed by this hero our city had loved so dearly.

But I am a journalist, and in a career like mine, you learn that there is no such thing as truth. You must take the thousands of stories and using the few facts you have, reach for as close a truth as you can. In the case of Superheroes; the truth is much more obscure.

The Avengers are great heroes, they are the protector of our world and the leaders in all things hero. They have a vast network of information and organisational backing and have a history if subduing threats and villains before many of us even knew they were. They are powerful, intelligent, and unlikely to be wrong.

Spider-man is the much-loved vigilante of New York, a hero who's love for the little people has him stopping all crimes from minor to major. Tales of his heroics are as easy to come by as simply asking a couple strangers as they walk by on the streets. In New York, everyone knows someone, if not themselves, who has encountered Spider-man.

So, the real question was this… Who is to be believed? The Avengers or Spider-man?

So, I bring myself to a journalist's idol and to the wise words of Sherlock, "How often have I said that when you have excluded the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Here lies the conundrum; It is impossible the Avengers are wrong, yet it is impossible that Spider-man is what they say he is.

The only thing that remains, as irrelevant as it may seem, is the single thing I know to be absolute fact. It was this; that Spider-man once hit my office window like an overgrown pigeon because, and I quote, 'there was a puppy across the road and (he) was distracted by trying to figure out how to overcome his crippling social anxiety so he could ask the owner to pat it.'

(revised: After articles release an onlooker who spotted the event contacted the paper and reported that Spider-man did, in fact, get to pat the dog in question; though he is reported to have said 'Hi I'm Spider-puppy can I please pat your man?')

A strange interaction perhaps, but I remember at the time being overwhelmed by the sheer genuineness that was Spider-man. True, he was just as intimidating and alien as one can expect from a masked superhuman, but he seemed so very innocent for a man who dealt with the darkest parts of our city, the parts few other even acknowledge. For all that he was inexplicitly different, too graceful too powerful to be normal, he seemed to be the most human person I have ever had the pleasure of smacking into my window. I kind of wanted to give him a hug. Is that a weird thing to do? Perhaps, but I've felt anything other than fear around other heroes.

I don't know why the Avengers and whoever it is that backs them, is trying to capture Spider-man. I don't know why they think he's a villain. I don't know anything really.

What I do know is that know is that my little sister has anxiety. She uses to spend days inside, unable to handle to the world. She is leaving the house more and more these days, and maybe it's because of the picture of Spider-man she keeps in her pocket everywhere she leaves. Bravery: it's infectious.

I do know that the all over the world, not simply New York, children and adults alike look up to Spider-man as a role model, because he is one of the few genuinely good people there is.

I know that there are people out there, whose numbers are growing even as I write this, people who are protesting the Avengers words in the defence of their hero. Everyone's hero. The people's hero.

Perhaps I am delusional, but I have looked at the stories and the webs they weave, and I know that the Avengers cannot be right about Spider-man.

Spider-man is under attack from the Avengers, from the blindly trusting New Yorkers who believe them. I've seen the footage from the day of the press conference release, I refuse to believe it was anything but fear, and certainly not an admission of guilt, that sent Spider-man fleeing as he did as from the very people he protects. We must protect him, not attack him!

By the time this is published people will have no doubt heard that the full Avengers team confronted Spider-man last night, the first time he has been seen since the incident. No one knows what happened during that fight, only that Spider-man was seen leaving a docking yard severely injured while being perused by the Avengers, and then not seen since. Though the Avengers were seen patrolling for hours last night, it is entirely possible Spider-man was indeed captured.

Perhaps this article is too late, but I know it is my duty, as a believer in truth to write it anyway.

So, I write this for all those out there who are struggling to match the words of the Avengers to the hero they love. I write for the groups out there who have never doubted Spider-man, I write for those for the doubts have always been there. I write for who he has saved. I write because I want to be part of voice which cry for Spider-man to remain free.

I believe in Spider-man.

Perhaps if we work together, the Avengers will one day believe in him too.

Top Comments:

MryaBee

Finally, some actual pro-Spider-man news coverage. Thought the media had all gone crazy. #fakenews

ACarpNamedCarl1

Preachhhhh #IbelieveinSpider-man

CallmeGuest699181

I dunno man seems kinda fishy to me. I mean the spider guy seems cool and all but i am going to trust the guys I saw beat up aliens a little more. all I see of this guy is off youtube.

Espen'sLonelyHeartsCafe

Ah I don't really know how to do this comment thing, but Spider-man is a hero. I like this article. Also, I Spider-man really seems to like wheat cakes so if you see him on a long night and he looks like he needs a break, try offering some. Um yeah. That's all. Well done Ms. Garth.

GenLepZeddlin

Petition for someone to start a meme war with the Avengers, the biggest memes of them all. Seriously how has no one said 'hey guys maybe this isn't such a great idea' how stupid could they be.

Richard'sFrisbeee

YEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT GenLepZeddlin that's genius! Gen Z striking back! Also spidey is smol bae.

LadySpiderGal

This is LadySpiderGal approved! This article is a war cry for all those Spidey fans out there. Also: check out my tumblr blog for my encounter with Spider-man the day of the Avengers Attack as well as daily Spider-man updates.

RobertMajorie

What a load of shit. Do some actual journalism instead of this liberal propaganda you fucking slut.

! this comment has been flagged as offensive and is under review !

Monste3r&Mother

Omg LadySpiderGal! I'm a huge fan of your blog it's great. Also spider-man is hot af people need to stop hurting my future husband.

Bug-SprayOfficial

What rubbish, this is nothing but brainwashing for the weak minded. See the truth and join us today to follow the same great destiny as the Avengers. Unrestrained mutants like Spider-man will fall and we will rise strong again. #Jointhecause #IbelieveinAvengers #SquashtheBug #Bug-SprayNetwork

Melisssssaaaaaa.B

Cause that doesn't sound ominous at all Bug-SprayOfficial. Anyone else just get the urge to run under their covers and not leave the house for the next week or that just me? Just me? Yeah thought so…

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Peter sat huddled at his desk over, his tongue trying to stick out in concentration but struggling behind the wires clenched between his teeth. An assortment of gears, mental plates and wiring was rested across his still forearm, while his hands meticulously fiddled with the inside of a polished silver globe covered in a web of glassy purple veins. Every few seconds the purple veins would glow, and a flickering image appeared above it. A misshaped cat, a bouncing ball, a math's equation, sometimes just a string of nonsense. More often than not, however, it was various scowling faces, at one point even a remarkably disappointed but pixelated version of the Han Solo. The images now had some colour; the cat was nearly tabby, the ball was red maybe mauve, but everything seemed to be overcast by a heavy filter of purple.

The polished ball from which the images were being projected was almost unrecognizable when compared to what it had been only a couple weeks ago when Jaffa had appeared on that rooftop after the whole 'New York trying to capture him incident'. Gone where the tangled wires and bugged buttons. Instead, the holoball was looking less 'made by a bored teenager in class', and more 'super modern sleek alien tech'.

Every few seconds Peter would look up to his open computer, where a steady stream of code seemed to be, occasionally typing in a few words with a free hand before returning to the wiring of the ball.

"You nearly ready for school hun? We're leaving in 5," his Aunt's voice drifted down the hallway into his room.

Peter made a muffled sound before he spat the wires out of his mouth to call back, "Ready whenever you are!"

When he had returned late in the night, having stayed at Espen's Café until deemed long enough that the Avengers had given up, he had quite forgotten about the whole 'nearly burning down the kitchen with Potassium' incident.

As such, he had not been prepared for his furious Aunt to have been waiting up for him. His Aunt, who had been impatiently waiting up for him to sneak back home so she could burst into his room to turn her full wrath upon him. Really, it was pure luck that he had decided to walk most of the way home in his civilian clothes, not wanting to chance the Avengers seeing him, otherwise, his Aunt would have been in for quite the shock.

She never quite got to the whole 'you are officially grounded for life how dare you try to cook and then disappear all night' talk. Apparently walking in to find your nephew covered in bruises, clutching at his ribs and with dried blood dribbling out his mouth is a bit more of an issue. Jaffa had told her that he was visiting some friends from school when asked, so his Aunt now thought he was being seriously bullied. Well, she wasn't exactly wrong, but the lie still sat uneasily with him. She had moved all her shifts so that she could take him to and from school for the next couple of days while he recovered. He didn't deserve her.

And Jaffa? Jaffa had been unusually quiet about the whole thing. No threatening to make him behave, no begging to attack the Avengers, not even so much as a snarky comment at his inability to be subtle. This morning she had barely even acknowledged the upgrade she had been nagging him for weeks for. It was unnerving. She'd never done anything like this before. Calm before the storm perhaps?

With the last twist of a wire, Peter began placing the pieces back into the silver orb before he closed the two halves with a click. In an instant, the purple veins pulsed, before settling to a dim glow. With a satisfied nod, he placed the orb onto a shelf before returning to study the coding on the computer.

"Jaffa would you please stop trying to speed up your upgrade. You'll give yourself a bug if you keep doing that," Peter muttered as he watched the distinctive code that could only be from Jaffa subtly try to integrate itself into the upgrade.

"I'm not doing anything of the sorts," Jaffa said stiffly causing Peter to give a laugh, before wincing and placing a hand to his ribs.

"I can visually see your code running across my laptop screen Jaffa. You're not exactly subtle," he teased hoping to get more of a rise out of her. Jaffa didn't take the bait. Not even so much as an offended sniff.

Peter groaned to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. Was this how Jaffa always felt when he did this? Couldn't she just… be normal. Well normal for her. What would Jaffa do in this situation? Probably yell at him until he gave in to her demands, go all adult AI on him, or play makeshift counsellor. Do AI's have counsellors? Probably not. What a gross infringement on human, er AI, rights. That's it he is starting up a campaign in defence of AI's needing counsellors too! No AI left beyond, freedom for all self-aware AI! So basically, just Jaffa. Oh god and Jarvis! He was actually about to campaign for the rights of the enemy. Dammit Stark, always ruining his plans.

Peter groaned, stretching his hands high above his head and wiggling his fingers until they gave happy little pops. He leant back in his chair to study to run of code as the upgrade integrated itself. Hours and hours of work with Jaffa… and she wasn't even excitedly fretting over it.

Peter gave a soft sigh as he mentally prepared himself, "Alright Jaffa, what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. The upgrade is going as planned."

Peter gave an impatient look to the general room before he clasped his hands together and stared directly at a camera. "That's not what I mean Jaffa and you know it."

Peter tapped his foot impatiently as several long seconds passed without talking.

"Jaffa. Speak."

"Fine." She snapped in a clipped tone, "I told you to go out as Spider-man because I thought you may be showing signs of depression and I was getting worried, but then the Avengers found you. I had to spend the rest of that night not knowing whether you were coming home or not, or even if you were alive, and there was nothing I could do. There you happy."

Peter rubbed his eyes tiredly, wincing as it pressed painfully against a bruise. Didn't that make him feel guilty?

"Jaffa. I'm not the same ruined boy who made you. A lot has changed, and yes maybe I suddenly am in a lot more danger, but it's just part of the process. Spider-man… Spider-man is everything I am Jaffa. These powers demand that they are used for a greater purpose than myself. Maybe that's why I spiralled so far after Gwen's death. The Avengers may be trying to bring me down, but a new chapter of my life is just beginning Jaffa. It's going to be scary at times, but I'm stronger than this. We… We are stronger than this. I will always come home and I'm never going to leave you." Peter finished with a warm and triumphant grin, half risen out of his seat and ready to take on the world. Damn did this pose feel mighty or what.

"Great."

Peter slumped and rocked back on his chair, hands braced against the table. Oh, come one he thought the speech was great surely it deserved a little more than just a 'great'? He just didn't get it! Why was she so moody all of a sudden? He definitely felt like he was missing something here. Either way, it was something he could deal with later when-

"I'm going to hack Stark Industries," she declared.

There was a beat. Then the crash as Peter as he lost balance of his chair and was sent sprawling to the ground.

"WHAT THE SHIT JAFFA! Are you insane!"

"Language. I can't handle it Peter, every time you go out as Spider-man you are leaving me and going to a place where I can't follow you, where I can't protect you."

Peter scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping as his foot got tangled in a discarded shirt on his way up, "I get that okay, but how the flaming hell does that mean that it's a good idea to hack Stark Industries"

"I refuse to powerless, I won't let the Avengers take you from me. Stark Industries manages all Avengers security and equipment. Therefore, if I control Stark Industries, I control the Avengers and they don't stand a chance at hurting you," Jaffa stated with the air of complete confidence. Peter blinked with an oddly blank look before grabbing the holo-ball and switching it on. Hundreds of tiny purple veins rippled across it before the chaotic ball of code Peter had come to assassinate with Jaffa sparked to life and hovered uncertainly in the air.

Peter stared at the hologram which seemed to shift uneasy but defiant under his gaze. "Look at me Jaffa. This isn't a joke. You are not. Attacking. Stark. Industries."

The hologram seemed to flare out a little as Jaffa gave a huff, "It's a smart move and you know it. Besides, it's not so much attacking as… heavy-handed infiltration."

"Well that's just dandy then! Jarvis will just let us waltz straight into the Avengers security since it's only a 'heavy-handed infiltration' nothing to worry about!"

"Jarvis!" she sneered in a vile tone, "All this and you're worried about Jarvis. HA! I laugh in the face of his British accent!"

Peter seemed to be getting more and more agitated, his finger drumming where the lay pressed into the side of the desk.

"How many times have we had this conversation Jaffa. As long as I am around Jarvis will never even get the slightest chance of knowing you exist, let alone encounter you."

"I don't see what the big deal is he seems far inferior to myself.

"You have never even seen anything close to Jarvis at all! You know nothing of his capabilities."

"I don't need to. I am an AI, I can just tell." Jaffa sniffed dismissively as the hologram lazily let curves of code float around its exterior, brushing against the laptop where the upgrade was running.

"No, you can't Jaffa! I've never let you close enough to Jarvis before to let you make that judgment and I don't intend to!" Peter slapped angrily at the hologram, to little success, before pushing the laptop out of its reach.

"I can take him on!" Jaffa growled, "He may be the only other Artificial Intelligence like myself out there but… but if he has chosen to side with the Avengers than he cannot be as mighty as you think. I would never allow you to do the things the Avengers have done to you. I would never have let you be filled with such false lies as this Jarvis has allowed the Avengers to believe."

"You need to stop being stupid. I'm don't want to be captured Jaffa, but I most definitely will be if you decide to do something so monumentally stupid. You are not infiltrating Stark industries and that's final. I won't allow it," Peter snapped with a finality, considering the conversation over, and began collecting books and papers to place in his bag for school.

That was until Jaffa spoke, her voice cold and unwieldy, like it never was to Peter,

"You can't stop me."

Peter slammed his hands onto the desk causing an unstable stack of paper to go tumbling to the ground as he glared darkly at the hologram, "You know very well I could. I made you Jaffa, I can damn well stop you too,"

A pause. Chaos stood still.

The mass of purple code stilled for a second before rapidly curling in on itself until it was only a small nearly solid ball with small tendrils of purple lashing out angrily.

"You wouldn't dare. Not again," Jaffa hissed, hurt and anger in her voice, "I'd never forgive you."

"Peter are you…" May's voice trailed off as she entered the room. Everyone froze as May glanced around, from the knocked over desk chair, the open computer still running with code, the angry expression on Peter's face and to the noticing rather destructive looking hologram projections before she slowly backed out of the room.

"I'll give you another five minutes, but we have to leave then okay?"

Peter nodded before slumping onto the edge of his bed, his face in his hands to hide his guilty expression.

"Jaffa I'm sorry I didn't…"

"Don't."

Peter winced and looked up between his fingers to see that Jaffa had disengaged the hologram, leaving only a faint glow surrounding the silver ball on his desk.

"I didn't realize what I was saying, you know I don't mean…"

"I said I don't want to hear it. Get ready for school."

He rocked awkwardly to his feet, shuffling around his room until he shrugged on the first jeans and shirt he could find (something about Star Wars? He just hoped it was clean.) He kept his head down as he silently shuffled pens and loose-leaf paper into his backpack, his brow furrowed. God, he had done it now, hadn't he?

After a few awkward minutes of Peter shuffling through his bag and pretending he wasn't already done he spoke up, "Jaffa I… did I ever tell you about the day I created you? How you got your name?"

For a long moment, Jaffa remained silent, before she eventually replied, her voice far more me mechanic than it had sounded in a long time.

"J.A.F.F.A stands for Jarvis's advanced Female Foe AI," she snapped in a clipped tone, "you said creating me involved floating tables, dramatic thunderstorms and far too many cries of 'it's alive'. You said something about forgetting to name me though and leaving people rather stressed about the fact and getting it all wrong as a result. I assume it was some strange metaphor of yours, I was rather new at the time."

Peter let out a startled laugh before not very subtly attempting to cover it with a cough, "I did say that didn't I? Well, perhaps that's a story for another time when I don't have to go to school." He shook his head.

"Look when I made you, I was at my lowest, scrabbling for anything and anyone," Peter murmured as he awkwardly scratched at his forearm before pressing his palm against the bruise on his cheek. With his other hand picked up the silver orb, fingers gently tracing the webbed flickers of purple.

"You, Aunt May and Spider-man. You're all I have left. I'm afraid of losing you… and what losing you will do to me. I can't go through grief like that again Jaffa. I don't want to go back to that dark place. So I'm begging you. Don't risk yourself, risk me, on the whims on the Avengers"

The lights in the room seemed to dim slightly as Jaffa give a subdued huff of acceptance.

"Very well Peter. Just know that there will come a time when the Avengers will go too far, take something you were not prepared to lose, and I will be there, waiting. When that day comes nothing, not the Avengers, not Jarvis and not even you, will hold me back. I won't rest until Stark industries is nothing but a fallen card tower, and Jarvis a magic trick that has long since been revealed."

Peter gave an exasperated laugh as he slung his bag over his shoulder, "From you, I wouldn't expect any less Jaffa."

He gave a half-hearted attempt to clean his desk of the various discarded wires, hard drives and scraps of planning paper before shrugging. It could wait until after school. He powered down the orb, placing it carefully hiding it in a draw (which may have once been a sock drawer, but now mainly held various clothes he had dumped in there during attempted room cleanings.) Mentally ticking off everything he needed he made his way to his laptop, giving it a customary glance to ensure it was going as planned before strolling out the door.

Before promptly walking backwards, back through it. His brow furrowed as he quickly scanned over the upgrade, bringing up a page where the next processes in the queue.

"Peter…? Is something wrong?" Jaffa tittered, her voice rather nervous as she began scanning what Peter was flicking through.

"Peter you ready? We need to leave if I am to drop you at school and still make it to work on time!"

"I'll be down in a second!" he called distractedly over his shoulder as he grabbed a random piece of paper, absently noting the schools crest the rather official look of it (hope that wasn't important), before turning it over and jotting down different figures with a chewed stub of a pencil.

He frowned, eyed darting up to the screen and flicking through various codes. His eyes darted between the calculations and the upgrade, comparing them with various other pieces of paper all titled with JAFFA'S HIT NEW UPGRADE: OH GOD I HOPE I HAVEN'T MADE SKYNET. All of a sudden, a panicked look entered his eyes and he instantly shut down the server and halted the upgrade, disconnecting Jaffa from further integrating the upgrades to herself.

Jaffa was instantly frantic as she felt herself cut off from the main network, all her vision from the server cut and not allowing her to see what Peter was doing.

"What are you looking at? Is there a problem with my coding? Do I have a bug? It's a bug isn't it omg I am sick. I didn't think AI of my level could get sick! Oh to be young and filled with folly I thought I was invincible! Is it terminal? How long do I have to live? days? Minutes? Seconds?"

Peter was too busy scanning code to pay her much attention and simply let out a distracted sigh, "You're not going to die Jaffa."

"Oh, something worse than even death?! My backups destroyed? My backup backups destroyed? What if there's no version of me to look after you Peter! Wait, Are YOU SICK! No, I would have noticed on my health scans…" Jaffa trained off before a horrified hush took over her.

"No. It can't be. Please. I… A fate worse than death, worse than anything. I'm not…"

She took a shuddering breath, "British, am I?"

"…how is that the worst thing that could happen."

"I might be mistaken for that dumb lapdog JARVIS"

"A sentence worth than death," Peter agreed gravely, "Nothing quite so dramatic I am afraid," he spun around on his chair, tapping a pencil against his chin as he rambled.

"I was just checking the data transfers and storage of the upgrade. You're an AI so there's a lot of extremely advanced computer mechanics even I still only half understand. It does, however, that means you are separate from everything else. You have your own bubble network of sorts that's purely you, but in order to upgrade the data has to be translated from the common day to day service network to the specialised and unique one that you have. It's really difficult to do as you are an ever-evolving and self-dependant system and I don't want to do an upgrade that will change, well, you. The amount of data required to transfer as it is off the scales, but I hadn't realized just how advanced you have been getting and the enormous scale that the upgrade is trying to pump and transfer data to. If we did the whole transfer on the home network it would have been overwhelmed, crashed and possibly corrupted the upgraded segment."

Peter took a deep breathe, feeling slightly light headed. Oxygen is needed for the production of ATP, he's always forgetting his cells actually need him to breathe and stop talking sometimes.

"Well, in summary, you have simply grown to be far too complex and large a data sphere for the networks I have been running your upgrades off. Hence, I need to find another network that will fit you."

"…are you calling me fat?"

"I… no!" Peter rushed rather horrified, his arms widely gesturing. You are perfectly fine! I mean… I wasn't… you are a perfect body size and shape and… and you are just teasing me."

Jaffa gave a breezy laugh, "Ah your reaction was worth it."

Peter buried his head in his hands, "Just let me find somewhere to host the upgrade. I could try the school maybe, or I could possibly go to-"

"PETER PARKER I WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!" May screamed causing Peter to frantically slam the laptop shut and shove it into his backpack.

"I'M COMING! HALFWAY DOWN ALREADY" Peter yelled back. Well, school it was.

He sprinted out of his room, ignoring the stairs entirely as he leapt over the bannister to push against the nearby wall and lading in a classic Spider-man crouch. Sparing only a glance to make sure May hadn't witnessed his rather inhuman leap he dashed down the corridor, scooping his shoes up as he went. He dashed into the kitchen, whirling around where May stood in her nurse's uniform and tapping her foot, to grab his lunch. Before May could even react to the spin Peter was already hopping out towards the door as he tugged his sneakers on.

He ran a hand through his bedhead, and deeming it a lost cause, unlocked the front door and strolled through carelessly throwing over his shoulder, "Come on Aunt May, no time to dawdle."

His Aunt simply shook her head and followed him out to see Peter leaning casually against the car as he tapped his foot. She unlocked the door with a shake of her head.

"Alright get in you heathen."

They had only just turned out the driveway before Aunt May turned to him with a soft look, "I know very little about technology, I admit that, but I know Jaffa Pete. You decided to make her far more human and free-willed than I know anyone else has done before. That is both her strength and weakness."

Peter shifted uncomfortably and stared determinedly out the side window.

"Did you ah… hear much?"

"Of your little spat with Jaffa? Not as much as you fear," she reassured as she used the turning of the corner to stare for a few seconds at Peter's face.

"Doesn't mean I didn't understand what it was about, Jaffa is far from subtle when she wants something. Would you believe that she once told me a 'near power trip' meant that I wasn't allowed to change the channel off master chief until 9:30 because the wiring 'needed time to cool'?"

Peter gave a fond laugh, "I would. She always thinks her plans are flawless. There's nothing to worry about Jaffa was just a bit restless and wanting to do stupid things."

"You can't keep her locked up at home forever Pete," she scolded mildly causing Peter to grimace. Why was his Aunt so damn perceptive?

"She's hardly locked up May she's an AI, she has access to the whole internet."

"But she can't do anything in it can she? You've very much limited her to the walls inside this home. She can only influence what is going on in here and all she knows is that you leave, you get hurt, she cannot help because She's stuck here. She's not a human Peter but you created a person and she has her own needs."

Peter tugged nervously at his seat belt, running his sensitive fingers over the threads.

"The world will hurt her Aunt May," he whispered.

"If you keep her stuck here so will you," she responded, kind but firm.

"Take her with you on your little late-night adventures you think I don't notice, let her take over the school's networks or ruin some companies financial reputation," his Aunt suggested airily before being seemingly taken aback by her own words, "I can't believe I'm encouraging Skynet like behaviour."

"Too late for that I think," Peter scoffed before sighing, "She thinks she can take on the sun Aunt May but I can't save her if it burns her wings."

"Then you'll simply have you use that magical science brain of yours and make something that doesn't burn so easy. Wax has so many limitations,"

"Not even if I, with all my 'magical science', can take on the sun Aunt May."

"You are thinking too linear Pete, there is always another way."

"Really? Because the sun has been there for thousands of years Aunt May nothing I can do would put even a dent in it.

"Perhaps you simply need to wait till night then."

"I… yeah okay can we stop with the extended metaphor I'm getting confused here my poor English brain can't cope," Peter groaned burying his head in his hands, but not before noting with some relief (and wasn't that a first) the familiar sight of Midtown High.

"Good thing you have school to train you up then? But… just think about it okay?" his Aunt murmured as she turned into the school.

"Alright. I'll think about it, but no promises. Jaffa's not ready for the world, and the world's not ready for her either," he grumbled in consent as he slung his bag on his shoulder and clipped off his seatbelt.

His Aunt gripped the steering wheel tightly as she pulled up out the front of the school gates, her gaze fixed on Peter through the mirror.

"Ah May, do you mind unlocking the car, so I can get out?"

"Sure sure I can do that," she whispered, not following through with the action. Instead, she spun around in her seat to gaze at Peter, a hand reaching over to lightly touch the purpling bruise on his face.

"Just… be okay. Please, Peter. Why does the world want to hurt you, it doesn't deserve you." she whispered the last sentence, perhaps not intending it for him to hear it. Peter cleared his throat uncomfortably and wriggled towards the door.

"I'm fine May, I won't let the… ah kids, who did this get me again. I promise no antagonizing. I better go though, I've made you late to work as it is."

She leant across the seat to give him a brief hug before her face away to preserve her dignity.

"Stay safe," she wobbled as she gingerly unlocked the door leaving Peter to scramble out after a brief kiss to her turned cheek, ignoring the salty taste of tears that crept there.

"I'll be fine. Love you, have fun at work," he called over his shoulder as he hurried through the gates. He faltered slightly, resisting the urge to look back over his shoulder at her, but knowing that his Aunt would take that as a sign he was not yet ready to face the school and the people who supposedly beat him up. No, school was perhaps the one place he was safest from the Avengers. Spider-man wasn't a teenager after all.

Peter snuck through the buildings front door, creeping down the hallways and ignoring the stares of the morning tatters of the school population who for one reason or another where dumped at school early. He could practically feel the stares digging into his aching body, to the bruises and cuts and bleeding pride. It was always like this though, somedays he was sure they knew about Spider-man, that they were judging the tattered mess of a boy who hid behind the mask.

He wished more than anything he had remembered his hoodie this morning. The morning itself had that chill that always followed set in rain, no doubt there would be more of it today despite the morning's brief reprieve. More than the cold though, he wished he could pull the hoodie over his head until it cast a shadow over his face and blended into obscurity. He had grown so used to life with masks, that these days it was difficult to go without one.

It was with great relief that he finally reached the deserted corridors of the IT section of the school. Robotics club was on Friday nights and as such, he knew that computer lab 2 would have been accidentally left unlocked over the weekend. Perfect for him to set up his laptop to connect with the school's computers, easily accessing the network's platform.

Leaning casually against a grainy group photo of the opening of the computer labs back in the ancient times, Peter gently pressed his arm against the door handle, grinning when it opened just as he expected.

He crept in, closing the door as quietly behind him before he confidently strolled down the rows of computers and books. Then froze in horror.

There was a people. A people in a place where he did not think there could be a people. Well a people other than himself.

Fighting back the instinctive urge to hide on the ceiling, Peter quickly assessed the figure he could see tapping at a computer near the front of the room. It was a student, luckily, with neat black hair who he guessed was most likely a senior like himself. He was crouched behind one of the computers he knew to have had serious complications over the past few months, so had been recently stripped and replaced. It was, in fact, the computer he tended to use when using the school computers, as it was far more up to date than the rest of them.

The boy's wide frame blocked Peter's view of whatever had him so absorbed in his screen in an empty classroom 40 minutes before class started. No doubt some last-minute homework so a particularly grumpy teacher. It was a little difficult to tell from behind but he thought he vaguely recognized him in that way one recognizes the same back they stare at several times a week. He thinks he recognizes this particular frame from his IT class maybe? Damn. Hopefully, it wasn't homework for that class then.

Peter shrugged and instead quietly set up the laptop in the corner a few rows back. The student had yet to notice him, far too confident in a teenager's desire to spend as little time in classrooms as required, unless of course, it was a couple. In which case it would hardly be a quiet affair to be easily missed. Peter gently lifted his laptop out of his bag and next to monitor. Attacking a connective cable between the two, Peter made quick work of bypassing into the school's network and re-commencing Jaffa's upgrade.

Hmmm the network should be large enough support, though it is a public school so the quality was definitely sub-par. Well if needed he could always just do some remote hacking, support it through there.

"Peter what-" Jaffa grumbled fuzzily out of the laptop's speaker before Peter slammed the lid shut. Too late though, as the other student gave a yelp of fright, hurriedly minimizing whatever they were doing before turning around and staring.

Just ignore them Peter, then hopefully they will just ignore you like they always do. You promised May not to start conflicts.

Peter awkwardly avoided eye contact and opened his laptop back up, frantically typing a message to Jaffa in a random document, knowing she would see it.

P: There's another student in the room so don't go hijacking any speakers. And for the love of god stay only on my computer. You are only accessing the school's network because of the upgrade okay?"

J: It would be good practice for when we take over Stark Industries. I could be the principal! No more detentions for your unexplained absences.

"Woah. You. You are Peter Parker," The student stuttered will no small amount of fear and awe as he stared open-mouthed at Peter who was half looking back, half watching Jaffa type a reply.

J: Was that voice him? Are you okay? Peter. PETER. How do they know your name? Is it that Flash boy? You run; I'll take over the school, close an automatic door in his face, set off the fire alarm so you can escape in the chaos and then bankrupt his family so he can't afford to pay the school fees.

P: Not flsh. 1 min ttyl gotta do the social.

Peter took a minute to stare at the other boy in bewilderment. Was he talking to him…? Well obviously, since his name was Peter Parker. Although maybe there was some other Peter Parker? He gave a subtle glance over his shoulder (there was no one there). Damn. Maybe he could just ignore him. Pretend he didn't hear or something.

His indecisive prolonged staring seemed to be freaking the other boy out as he was now shaking slightly, his eyes growing wider each second of remarkably awkward eye-contact as neither quite knew what to say.

"Please don't kill me I still haven't finished mystery science theatre yet! My taste in movies is still too good to die," he rushed out squeezing his eyes shut.

Huh? Peter darted his eyes around the room for a second before patting a hand to his check that yes, he was just plain old Peter Parker and not currently Spider-man. What in the world…?

"I'm… what?" He stumbled out, "I'm not going to kill you I don't think?"

The other student seemed to sag in relief, his frame expanding out to flop over the chair causing it to spin slightly.

"Oh phew that's awesome. I haven't heard the rumour of the week yet, but last time I heard you were an experimental brainwashed solider for Hydra so I thought it would be better safe than sorry."

"WHAT! Why would people even think that!" Peter shouted his eyes darting down to his computer to where Jaffa was providing a helpful commentary to confirm that yes, he was, in fact, hearing this.

"You're Peter Parker" he stressed staring at him expectedly.

"Or so I've heard," Peter said as he nodded slowly, as one hand tapped out an unsteady rhythm on the desk.

The other boy was bouncing out of his as he rambled, "You are practically famous, well more like infamous as you're not exactly popular, but people know your name! Think less Luke Skywalker more Darth Vader, still just as popular but, you know, he is evil."

"Why? I'm pretty boring. And not evil, I feel like that should be said."

The kid leant back in his chair and shot him an impatient look, "You serious? The mysterious genius with the dead girlfriend, hardly at school but when he is he's bashed up or looking like he either wants to die, cry or stab a bitch. One time you bumped into me and you had either had tomato sauce or blood smeared on your cheek and I might have pissed myself."

Peter gave a grimace. "It's wasn't blood" (it was. Peter preferred BBQ)

The other boy gave a slow nod with a 'duh' expression on his face that had Peter uncomfortably ducking his head to return studying the progress. The whole conversation had left him unsettled. Rule 86 of being Peter Parker; when confused, ask Jaffa.

P: Jaffa I'm not… scary right?

J: Don't be stupid you are simply a helpless fleshy human that must be protected at all costs.

P: That's… nice.

P: But seriously. At this school, they only know we as the weak loser Peter Parker. What's terrifying about that?

J: You're not a weak loser.

P: Maybe not to you. I just don't get it. Why was he so afraid of me? Are a couple of dumb rumours really that terrifying?

J: Sweetie, you are an extremely powerful superhuman, you blew things up on a semi-regular basis and are currently a vigilante who has gone toe to toe with the Avengers and won. Plus, you created the most advanced AI current today. It's okay to be slightly terrifying.

P: *one of the most advanced

J: Did I stutter? I didn't realize that was possible in THE MOST advanced AI.

"Soooo…."

Peter shot his head up to see the other kid turning back towards his own computer but with his head twisted round to face him. Why was he still talking to him? Was there something he wanted?

"The weather am I right? Been nice these last couple of days." The boy asked that quivering calmness when one was trying to seem casual. It was, Peter reflected, the same manner one would use when talking to stray cats. An excessive calm in the face of a ball of hissing danger. A calm to conceal not only your own restless energy, but to use as a balm to spread over the wild anger. Calm because, despite the danger, everyone wants to pat cats.

He should probably give some form of reply… What was he talking about again? Right. The weather. Was that some kind of code? Was he setting up for some sort of joke he was undoubtedly missing? Damn teenagers.

"It's been raining. Below average seasonal temperatures." Peter muttered carefully, trying to judge the point of the conversation. Because there was always a point. Nothing was ever so simple when it came to other kids in this school.

The other boy, however, seemed only to blush slightly blush and shoot him a sheepish "Yeah I didn't go outside at all this weekend, so I really don't know why that's what I went with."

Peter gave a strangled sound he hoped could be deemed a reply before turning back to his own computer and tried to look busy. He could feel the gaze of the boy's almond eyes peering curiously at him as his own hands typed sightlessly on the computer.

"Wow that's ugly," the boy deadpanned as he stared intently at Peter's face.

Well then. Rude and completely false of course, he was a goddess, but he should have seen it coming.
He sighed, glancing down to see the upgrade still transferring, and therefore no chance at running. So, it starts then.

He glared defiantly across the computer row to see the other boy gasp, leaping to his feet and shaking his hands furiously has he apologized.

"Not you! I meant… It's just the injuries are way worse looking than I thought. That one bruise on your face looks like Dumbledore's hand in Order of the Phoenix."

"Oh."

"Sucks that you got so injured," he rushed, "I mean you were obviously at a disadvantage and what did you ever do to get singled out as a target like that?"

Peter tensed and crossed his arms.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he snapped defensively. He couldn't know where his injuries were from unless he knew it was Peter under the Spider-man mask during the fight a couple days ago. Surely not, he was so careful… was his identity released? Were the Avengers already on the way here?

"Flash," the boy spat waving a hand, "He went a bit psycho, didn't he? Well more than usual, even got suspended. That was awesome."

Peter felt himself relaxing. Ooohh he thoughts the injuries were from his little tussle with Flash the other day that's… hang on, "Flash got suspended?"

"Dude where have you been? …not here duh. Were you in a hospital? Or can you like not go to hospital? I heard you're actually like part of the mafia so that's why you don't come to school a whole lot but still get crazy good grades. Are your mafia buddies going to come to beat Flash up? I mean, they won't kill him –" he rambled before Peter cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I'm not in the mafia."

"Oh. Cool." He muttered in disappointment before trailing his eyes around the room as he searched for something to say.

"Soooo you're not like some brainwashed supervillain sidekick who's at this very moment typing the codes needed to release a mind control gas to make everyone at school your zombie army as you prepare to that will undoubtedly destroy the school in a terrific explosion which you may or may not survive depending on whether its popular enough for a money grabbing sequel?" by the end his voice was strained and breathless as he finished with a great breathe that left him panting.

"…Not at the moment."

The boy looked disappointed. Was he pouting? Dammit, he was.

"Shame. I have an AP test tomorrow so if you are doing anything nefarious it would be fantastic if you could do it before 5th period tomorrow."

Peter just gave a resigned nod that had the boy beaming at him.

"What are you doing on that laptop anyway?" he asked curiously, craning his neck as he tried to lean sideways to see the laptop screen.

"Nothing!" Peter yelped angling the laptop screen away.

"Sorry I just…" Don't want anyone seeing the coding of my highly illegal Artificial intelligence?

"Nah nah It's cool I get it," the kid said raising his hands in surrender and sending him a knowing smirk, "A man's kink is a private matter."

"I… it's not porn," Peter spluttered burying his head in his hands.

The boy winked, "sure."

Completely mortified Peter shot his head back up to come up with a completely flawless, brilliant and believable on the spot excuse when he caught a glimpse of the other boy's screen. Interesting.

He had never actually considered what another student would be doing in an empty computer lab this early in the morning. Breaking into a classroom and using expensive school equipment is probably a big deal in the eyes of most students and teachers. He always forgets that most people consider school rules a big deal, it seems a little silly when you break international laws on a daily basis.

He never even considered that this dorky student could be doing anything other than the 'I have an assignment due in 2 hours and I have only done the introduction' scramble. Though very few would go to such effort as to break into a classroom to do it, especially when Pete could see a very expensive laptop peeking out of the rim of the boy's backpack.

So perhaps it should not have been such a surprise to see a partially interesting program running that looked remarkably similar to a Trojan horse. Not the best he had seen, but good enough that it could cause some trouble if the wrong people saw you using it. Namely the Government.

"So," Peter drawled as his manner suddenly took on that dangerous but cheerful grace many associated with Spider-man "What are you working on?"

The boy seemed to pale as he noticed his computer in full view. He tried shifting his weight to block it from Peter's view but at this point, the damage had already been done. "Nothing! I'm just a… ah… testing a game program for my IT class."

That's what he's going with?

"That's a pretty complex program for a class game," Peter said cheerfully despite the knowing gleam and a smirk.

"It's not as impressive as it looks," he hurried with slightly rehearsed speed, "All this really does is make a couple of trees for my snake to hit."

Peter raised an eyebrow. In what world was what he is writing code. Even the most basic idiot with a computer could tell he was not editing a simple game network but rather entering someone else's.

"It's quite the well-protected trees, then aren't they? Is that some distinctively Japanese styled code I spy, so beautifully done, but a very interesting choice for a western trained school student."

"I… it's a Japanese snake game. The trees are cherry blossoms and anime… stuff," he stuttered.

Peter switched his eyebrow raise into a more do I look that stupid to you' pose before he jumped elegantly forward, leaving him suddenly crouched on the table next to the guy's computer. The kid gave a yelp, obviously not expecting his rather athletic move, but was ignored by Peter who had his head tilted sideways as he studied the screen

"I'm quite a fan of the Russians programs myself, but it can be a little more difficult to escape notice should your activities be a little less… legal," he commented mildly as his finger traced the screen,

"Is this a backdoor access? Into your own program? A little unconventional but then again… it's only a snake game, right?

For a moment the kid looked absolutely petrified and Peter felt incredibly guilty. Great, first time in months he has had a pleasant conversation with someone in this stupid school and he scares them off by accusing them of illegal hacking. Social skills. Gotta work of those.

Of course, it was then Peter noticed he was sitting in a classic Spider-man crouch on top of a desk creepily peering down at the other kids' wide eyes. Dammit Peter stop Spider-maning other students, good luck trying to say you don't work for some spy organization after this stunt.

"Dude, You can hack!" the boy burst out in excitement, "This is awesome. You're not like, working for the government, are you? When you were 11 did you hack Nasa to get blueprints for your bedroom wall? Or are you an underground black hat? Did you take the red pill, are the Agents after you? Maybe YOU are an agent!"

Peter gave a surprised laugh before relaxing out of the pose to swing his legs over the desk, "or I could just know enough about coding to know that you're lying?"

"How," His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "I have never heard a single sign of any self-taught coding skills. You're not some tech genius as far as I know. If you're really that good at coding you would have made something that would see you snapped up and working at Stark Industries by now."

Peter pressed out a slightly hysterical laugh as he glanced nervously behind him to where his laptop innocently sitting. "Nope! Definitely not a tech genius I'm terrible at coding I could never make anything that would interest Tony Stark ever. At all. Can't think of a single thing. I mean I don't even like coding things."

"Well then how do you know so much about coding!" he snapped.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in the same IT class as you…"

The boy slumped back in shock, his accusatory manner gone in an instant.

"Oh! You're actually enrolled in my IT class? I honestly just thought you just stumbled in the wrong classroom occasionally to recharge your batteries."

"I guess I do sleep in IT a fair bit," Peter glanced over to see the kid's odd expression and sighed,

"Why do I get the feeling you meant that literally. Don't tell me, people think I'm…"

"A robot! Cool right? I actually came up with that one myself, I'm quite proud about how well it caught on. I am currently testing my new theory that you're a time travelling robot, like terminator style, but it hasn't caught on quite as well yet outside of the robotics club you know."

"A robot," Peter sighed, "You thought I was in your classroom, not because I was a student, but because I was a robot."

"Oh come on it's not like you're at school all that much anyway. I mean anytime you did attend you slept the whole time anyway. I think a robot seems like a smart assumption."

Look, he created one of the worlds most advanced artificial intelligence in his bedroom, so sue him if he would rather sleep than struggle through explanations aimed at people who didn't even know what a byte is.

"Any other ridiculous rumours I can attribute to you when I finally decide my supervillain master needs a zombie slave," Peter growled sarcastically.

"Haha! Very funny!" the boy laughed hysterically as he completely bypassed the sarcasm in the statement, "No other rumours. At all. I am your loyal defender against rumours I swear."

The boy waited for a split second before airily saying, "Oh on a completely unrelated note of course, but if people start coming up to you with random bowls of salsa I wouldn't eat any. It'll have petrol in it. Maybe some ground up copper wire if someone was having a particularly bad internet connection. Not that I would have anything to do with that. At all. But it would be great if you would like, make a couple of beeps or something."

"Beeps."

"…Please don't brainwash me."

Peter just gave him a wink as he leant over and typed in a few commands that would help him on his path to hacking whatever security system he was trying to enter before hopping of the desk and returning to his own computer and laptop.

He ignored the other boy's excited gasp followed by a string of furious typing as he studied his own computer, pleased to note that the upgrade was done.

P: All done. How's it feeling?

J: Perfect as always. Never mind that let's talk about your new friend.

P: We're not friends. I don't even know his name.

J: Irrelevant. I can run a voice identification, or if you let me take over the cameras I can do face ID. I'll know his name plus every single detail about him in an instant. Problem solved.

P: Did I forget to code in a moral compass or something? I defiantly think I missed something.

J: What are morals, but a set of rules society creates to keep humans in check? You don't even like rules. Now stop diverting.

P: Have you been editing philosophy wiki pages again?

P: I'm not diverting I'm just saying that having a pleasant conversation with a stranger does not make you friends. He thinks I'm a robot, or working for the Government, or possibly a brainwashing supervillain. Heck, he probably thinks I'm an alien why the hell not!

J: It's a start. Just give him a chance.

As if one cue the boy decided to glance up from his frantic typing to look at Peter with searching eyes.

"You know you're not too bad actually. I mean you are by no means normal, but you're definitely a lot better than the rumours say."

"Thanks?"

Peter steeled himself, just a name. All he had to get was a name. Not everyone in this school hated him. He could do this.

"I-" Peter started only to be cut off by the incessant ring of a bell.

'Guess it wasn't to be' he thought glumly.

He slowly closed the program he was using to store the upgrade, the word document with Jaffa's and his conversation before shutting it down. He disconnected his laptop to the school's computer before shoving it back into his bag and slinging it over his shoulders. He moodily stalked to the door, furious at himself. He could fight the Avengers without fear (well perhaps not without fear but he still did it) but he couldn't even get a name.

"I'll see you around right, Peter?" a voice called behind him causing him to knock over a bin in his haste to turn around.

What does that mean? People don't usually inquire as to whether they will see him again, either they are running away from him or he's running from them. What does it mean? Is he trying to make sure Peter the maybe robot or spy doesn't kill him? Well then asking would be a little counter-productive. Peter fumbled desperately for words, wishing Jaffa was here and not back at the house where she would be no doubt sulking after being kicked off his laptop.

The kids still staring at him. What does he do? Answer. Yeah. Be cool.

"I… sure. I'll see you around. It was nice meeting you…ah…" Crap. Names.

"The name's Ned. Leeds, Ned…" he said lowly as he blew away the smoke from his finger guns and flipped on some imaginary glasses.

Then he seemed to come to a realization causing him to he groan,

"Dammit, I got that mixed around the wrong way, didn't I? My last name is actually Leeds, first name Ned. I was going for the whole James Bond vibe and when my chance comes I absolutely blow it. Can I try again?"

Peter just gave a laugh over his shoulder before pushing open the door confidently.

"Already computed it as Leeds, Mr. Bond. No takebacks."

"That's so unfair. Come on Peter one more go… Peter!"

But Peter was gone. Already smiling to himself halfway down the hall, more excited for school than he had been in a long, long time.

Ned huh.

Jaffa would be proud.

{*Author Note: Yay so my brief take, on how Peter might have met Ned. He needs a friend so go Peter!

Not my best chapter but it had to happen so hope you'll still stick around for the next chapter anyway.

Next chapter: A bad moon rising - also known as the chapter that sets up for the next arc of the story! Everyone get keen.*}