Peter walked Felicia back to the upscale apartment complex. She seemed a little embarrassed about living there, but Peter did not care at all. Before leaving, he gave her a tender goodnight kiss, then turned and headed back.
The wound on his leg still ached faintly. He had forced himself not to limp in front of Felicia, but once he was out of her sight, he stopped hiding it.
Back home, it took Peter some convincing to get Aunt May and Uncle Ben to believe he had merely twisted his ankle while dancing. When the elderly couple asked about Electro, he lied without batting an eye, saying he had been miles away from that electricity-spewing lunatic.
After returning to his room and changing into his pajamas, Peter took the vial of Electro's blood out of his pocket. Violent electrical sparks still flickered inside the test tube. He hid it under the bed and lay down to sleep.
But just five minutes later, the bedroom door creaked open.
"I thought you were giving me a week to think it over," Peter muttered without looking up.
"That was what you thought before I took down that electricity-spewing lunatic." Fury pulled over a chair and sat down. "Besides, I know you've already made your decision."
"Did she tell you my conditions?" Peter asked.
"She did. Tell me, kid, why are you so determined to cling to this dump? Why limit your horizons?"
"This is my home, Fury. Why wouldn't I protect it?" Peter countered.
"When you're away, are you supposed to expect it to be burned to ashes?"
"Last month, I stopped a lunatic in tank armor from destroying an entire street. Today, I stopped a monster who shot electricity from his fingers from killing people. Do you really need to ask me that question again?"
A hint of approval flashed through Fury's eyes, but he remained silent, trying to apply pressure with an interrogation technique. Peter did not fall for it at all. In the end, Fury spoke first. "She also told me your other condition. You want to keep the things you build for us?"
"You provide the funding and clearance, but I retain control over all my inventions." Peter stared at him.
"You're asking for too much freedom. Why should I trust you not to run off with the technology?"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would leave someone to die?" Peter raised an eyebrow. "You need me, and I need you. You know me. If I really wanted to run, could you stop me?"
"Yes," Fury answered flatly.
Peter smiled. "Good. But I also don't like standing by while other people get hurt. As long as you don't stop me from saving people, I won't cause you trouble."
Fury considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Those terms... are acceptable. Ready to get started?"
"What? Now?"
"What's wrong? Want to sleep?" Fury's tone was mocking.
Peter pointed at his bruised leg. "Come on, I actually got hurt in that last fight. This needs a few days to heal."
Fury narrowed his eyes. "Need medical support?"
"No, I'm still not sure how my body will react to foreign substances. Give me two days."
"Fine." Fury stood up. "This is the last time you'll see me, Parker. I'm assigning Agent Natasha Romanoff as your S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison and instructor. You must obey her orders completely. Understood?"
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Agent Romanoff, meaning my English teacher, right?"
"Correct."
"What happens when Mr. Duncan comes back to work?"
"Mr. Duncan won an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. He'll probably stay there for the better part of a year. We won't be seeing him anytime soon."
Peter whistled. "You're really pulling out all the stops for a nobody like me. Am I really worth that much?"
"We'll find out." With that, Fury turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Peter sighed and lay back down on his bed. Sometimes, he really wished he had never become a damn superhero.
Early the next morning, Peter turned his room and the basement upside down and dug out fifteen listening devices. He did not throw them away; he dismantled them all and kept them to study. If S.H.I.E.L.D. insisted on wasting these things, there was nothing he could do about it.
After breakfast, he locked himself in the basement and began studying the Arc Reactor. The thing was nothing short of a miracle. Despite its tiny size, it could put out an astonishing amount of energy, like a portable, giant battery that never ran out of power.
But palladium, its core material, had far too high a decay rate. Tony Stark needed to synthesize a new element to solve that problem. Peter looked online and found science documentary websites flooded with news: Stark had already patented a new element and, with an extremely twisted sense of humor, named it "badassium."
This new element could keep the reactor running indefinitely. Peter really wanted to get his hands on some, but Tony was the only person on Earth who could make it, and he certainly would not like other people knowing how to build his favorite toy.
Next, Peter turned to the propulsion technology. He spent the entire day finally taking the system apart and rebuilding it, even coming up with several improvements that he planned to use in his future gear.
On Saturday evening, Felicia texted him, and they arranged to meet on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Peter picked up Felicia. In tight jeans and a black jacket, she was so beautiful he could hardly look away. They watched a cheesy comedy, laughing at the terrible acting and lame jokes. At dinner, Felicia insisted on splitting the bill, saying it was to make up for standing him up at the Julio Restaurant.
After dinner, Peter walked her home, telling her a funny story along the way. "I was hiding under the principal's desk when she came in and plopped down. I was praying Harry would hurry up and set off the fire alarm. Just when I couldn't take it anymore, he actually hit it! I slipped out while she went to check what was happening. After that, I swore I'd never go along with Harry's nonsense again!"
Felicia laughed so hard she snorted like a little pig.
"Oh my God, you're so cute when you laugh out loud." Peter deliberately slowed his pace.
"Shut up!" She glared at him, blushing.
"Seriously, you're usually beautiful, but right now you're downright adorable."
They walked around the block again and again, neither wanting the evening to end, until her mother called to tell her to come home.
"I had fun tonight," Peter said.
"Me too, Little Tiger." Felicia smiled at him.
"Would you... like to be my girlfriend?" Peter asked.
Felicia gave him a teasing look. "What, are you confessing to me?"
A flicker of conflict passed through Peter's mind. There were too many secrets between them. He knew her background, but she knew nothing about him. Spider-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D... Could he tell her everything?
Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time.
He cupped her face and bent down to kiss her. Felicia responded passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Will you?" Peter asked softly as he let her go.
"Sure... why not?"
Peter smiled. "Looks like I hit the jackpot, Xiaomaomi." He kissed her again. By the time their date ended, he was officially no longer single.
On Monday morning, Peter walked into school with a spring in his step. He had just opened his locker when two hands suddenly covered his eyes.
"Guess who?" Felicia sang sweetly.
Recognizing her by her scent, Peter reached back and caught her wrists, pulled her around and pressed her against the locker, then lowered his head and kissed her lips.
"Good morning, Felicia." He released her hands and smiled.
"If you greet me like that every morning, I might fall in love with going to school." Her voice was slightly husky. "Can you let me go now?"
"That's a tough choice." Peter stepped back. "Ready for the physics quiz?"
"Today? I'm doomed! I haven't studied at all! This is all your fault. You just had to take me out last night, and I was too excited to think about anything else!"
"Relax. With me tutoring you every day, you'll definitely pass."
After school, it turned out Felicia had indeed scored high marks. Before leaving, she gave Peter a long goodbye kiss, one that lasted long enough to make it clear she was staking her claim in front of Mary Jane nearby.
"So, you and Felicia?" Mary Jane walked over and asked.
"I could ask the same about you and Osborn." Peter packed his bag.
"We're not official yet. He just asked me out, and I said yes." Mary Jane shrugged.
Peter's expression grew serious. "Listen, Mary Jane, I know this isn't my business, but you need to be careful. Don't trust Norman Osborn. That old fox is devious and cunning. Harry does whatever he says and can't stand up to him at all. Don't let them talk you into doing anything you don't want to do."
"Relax, Peter. You make it sound like I'm going off to war." Mary Jane smiled and waved a hand.
The two went their separate ways. Peter had just rounded a street corner when he realized he was being followed. He slipped into an alley and waited for the person to follow him in.
"Agent Romanoff." Peter nodded.
Natasha removed her blond wig and glasses. "You have excellent powers of observation. Most people don't notice a disguise right under their noses."
"The best hiding place is in plain sight, right?" Peter asked. "Taking me on my first mission?"
"You're not qualified for fieldwork yet." Natasha put away her disguise. "Come with me. I'll show you the training base."
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse in the old part of Queens. Natasha walked to the wall on the right and pressed a seemingly ordinary stone. The wall instantly lit up and slid apart, revealing an elevator.
The elevator panel had only three floor buttons, arranged from top to bottom: ground floor, basement level one, and basement level two. Natasha reached out and pressed the button for the lowest floor, basement level two.
"Did Fury tell you what he expects?" Natasha asked.
"No, but I'm guessing he wants me to be an all-round field agent. You'll train me, and once I'm ready, you'll send me on missions. You'll also teach me how to be a spy and dismantle gangs from the inside. I'm guessing you've read my file and know about the Grass Stain Gang case."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Good observation. But next time, don't show all your cards."
The elevator doors opened. Natasha snapped her fingers, and the lights came on. It was an underground command center equipped with a conference table, computer monitors, weapons lockers, and a small kitchen.
"Welcome to the Queens safe house. Apart from the occasional visit from other agents, it's just us here." Natasha showed him around the gym, data center, and laboratory.