3rd POV:
The trio of friends were hanging out in Central Park. They did some activities, like throwing ball or a frisbee. They felt they deserved some downtime after weeks of helping out at F.E.A.S.T. Soon enough they got hungry and just laid on the blanket while eating some of the snacks they prepared for picnic.
''The Phantom Thieves have recently gained in popularity,'' Peter informed, scrolling through his phone.
''Yeah, I wonder why?,'' Gwen conversationally said, casting a subtle knowing glance at Bell who just motionlessly laid on the blanket, arms crossed behind his head.
''I mean, I kind of understand. They unearth corruption. What is not to like about that?,'' Peter reasoned.
''I'm surprised you are praising them, considering they got blood on their hands,'' Bell expressed his thoughts.
''But is the blood truly on their hands? If the system worked properly then their first few victims would still live. The only reason they committed suicide is because the system wouldn't punish them for one reason or another. The guilt built up and they sought to atone for their misdeeds ending in death. Simple, right?,'' Peter argued.
''Maybe, but that is not the only blood they have on their hands. They got some people that managed rings of operations apparently. They were meant to testify before court, but they were silenced by their accomplices. Would you still argue that blood isn't on their hands?,'' Bell sought to expand Peters argument.
''Meh. As far as I am concerned that is trash taking other trash out. At the very least they seem to try and use their powers responsible, by unearthing corruption. Far more than I can say about the people abusing their authority and monetary power. So far no innocents seem to have died by them. They're scalpels if you will, precision tools,'' Peter shrugged. Peter doubted he could ever get himself to kill someone evil, but he could very well stand aside and watch if a person was despicable enough.
Gwen sighed, frowning at him in disapproval.
''I'm more interested in how they operate. I mean a teacher in Utah that touched children inappropriately. A serial killer that no one caught for 40+ years. A hunter that poached an elephant for their tusks when the went for vacation in Africa. How do the Phantom Thieves find those people?,'' Gwen praised Bell a little.
She already knew that Joker was another one of Bells clone puppets. She also knew that he used a sort of automatic detection system by telepathic means to find these people. It always made her so fuzzy with how forthcoming he was with her. Best keep the conversation going so Peter doesn't suspect anything.
''Better question is. By what criteria do they hunt. A lot of people want them to go after big time corrupt politicians or CEOs. So far they seem to only hunt small time people,'' Peter informed further scrolling down the phone.
''I'm sure that will have no repercussions whatsoever, should they ever go after big time politicians,'' Gwen scoffed.
''Do they even need to go after them though? They have been spooked recently. And apparently a war was even avoided between two countries, because the aggressor thought the Phantom Thieves would come for them, what with no one knowing how they operate,'' Peter theorized.
''How much money do you want to bet the will soon be declared an international threat or international terrorists?,'' Bell betted.
''That is a losing bet. Chances are very likely that they will eventually move past american borders. Since their first appearance they have only raking more and more 'stolen hearts' in. I'm sure they will have some kind of endgame,'' Peter firmly expressed his opinion.
Peter wasn't completely wrong. Joker was operating completely alone. But that was slow for Bell so he made Joker construct some clones of himself. His Joker persona does, after all, have the ability to clone himself, alongside guilt inducing telepathic attacks. Though he only cloned himself twice and disguised them heavily.
''Whatever the case. We can be sure only the higher classes will consider them a threat and a few others in middle class and lower class. The rest will cheer them on. For good reason I would think,'' Gwen reasoned. Bell scoffed.
''While I agree with you, I would like to add that there will be a lot of idiotic sheep that will follow the high class like loyal soldiers. And people with their own agenda. Of course, all of them are Morons,'' Bell further added to Gwens point.
''Be that as it may. It is nice seeing some justice done in the world,'' Peter cheered.
''Speaking of justice. Here is a hot take. We are no longer dealing with a justice system in the courtroom, but a legal system. Which is exactly why I hate Justicia,'' Bell shared his opinion.
''Oh, great another one of his hot takes,'' Gwen huffed, sharing a look with Peter.
''Alright then. I'm assuming you are referring to the goddess of justice from Greek. Shoot. Why do you hate her?,'' Peter asked.
''Well, we all know what she is supposed to symbolize, but with the current state of the world can we truly claim her as a proper symbol that represents reality. The scale is supposed is to symbolize weighting the crime against the punishment so that both match, but nowadays it feels as if the scale represents that no matter the crime, if the money is enough you can ignore the crime with no punishment.
Which brings me to my next point. Her blindfold. It is supposed to symbolize impartiality. But not only do we know that to be not true, what with all the hate crimes and police shootings against non white people. It also feels like it represents turning a blind eye to crime.
The only thing that remained relatively the same was her sword. The authority to cast judgement and the right to enact the punishment. Not that it means much, when the two previous symbols raise doubt in the veracity of that authority.
Ergo, we should discard the symbol of Justicia,'' Bell analyzed.
''While I agree with you about how shitty the world is, I disagree when it comes to discarding her as a symbol. Symbols go beyond words and time and capture an essence of humanities beliefs that can allow people to gather around for a cause, because they can reduce the cause to its bare essentials/ virtues in a way words can't.
Besides, by that logic, we should discard all symbols since we can invert every single one of them in meaning.
Uh....
Oh, the Liberty Statue! It was originally made of copper and gifted to us by the french. It stands for freedom and solidarity with our allies. Yet when you look at it nowadays you do not notice its coppery shine but a green like paint, because it oxidized due to lack of maintenance. It can be interpreted as those virtues corroding, because we stopped nurturing them and taken them for granted,'' Gwen counter argued.
''What she said. Even if it does feel like our freedom is jeopardized by our upcoming government, we should not discard symbols just because of human fallacy. They can still be used as a gathering point to rally humans and encourage them to stand for a right cause,'' Peter agreed with Gwen.
''Fair enough. Though you do realize that not every symbol is inherently good, right? Nazi Swastika. Sieg Heil. The hammer and sickle of the soviet union. You agree with me that these symbols should be discarded?,'' Bell pointed out.
''Well... I can't believe I'm defending these symbols, but for the sake of playing devils advocate. They were symbols that gathered like minded people around them, so in that sense they DID fulfill their duty as symbols,'' Peter said.
''Also, if we discard them history might forget them and other symbols will just take their previous spot,'' Gwen added, scooting over to lay her head on Bells shoulder.Bell stretched out his arm so that she would be more comfortable as she trailed his chest.
''Ah. And now we reached a conundrum. Damned to repeat history if we discard them. Damned to suffer them as symbols and have idiots rally around them to fight for a cause with time, if we keep them. Thus history repeats anyway,'' Bell closed his eyes and played with Gwens hair to distract himself. That was one of the dilemmas he faced as Supreme Imperator.
''You can't always win it all, I guess,'' Peter summarized what they were all thinking.
''Truer words have never been spoken. I guess it makes sense seeing as ideas are bulletproof,'' Gwen said. Bell gasped theatrically.
''Gwen, did you just quote V for Vendetta? I'm so proud of you,'' Bell further sniffed and wiped some fake tears. Gwen rolled her eyes.
''We have issues. We all clearly watched too many movies,'' Peter chuckled mirthfully, putting his phone down.
''Yup. But what else can you do? Either way, I treasure these memories. Soon we'll be all grown up and we will have too many responsibilities. Already do, as a matter of fact,'' Gwen said mournfully.
''Or at the very least we can no longer watch movies with the same frequency as we used to. Same with other stuff,'' Bell added. His friend and girlfriend nodded.
''Next grade is gonna start soon as well,'' Peter lamented.
The three stood around in silence for a bit, after that short discussion. The silence comfortable. They did not always need to talk with each other to enjoy each others company. Though Peter did get annoyed at seeing Bell and Gwen all lovey dovey. At least they weren't kissing in front of his face. His single ass could not endure having it rubbed into his face that he was single.
A.R.A.C.H.N.I.D pinged on their phone, after some time making them all look at their phones. Apparently Rhino was broken out of the RAFT by two guys. Some flying guy and another electric flying guy. The three quickly moving to the electrical power grid on the outskirts of NYC.
Ah. Vulture and Electro, Bell concluded seeing the police description.
The three of them looked up as police cars raced down the street along the Central Park, sirens blaring.
They all jumped up.
Time to suit up.
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''So how do we play this?,'' Spider-Man asked into his comm swinging along side his friends.
''Well, first we need to find a car battery for our web shooters,'' Nexus said performing an enhanced launch point.
''To magnetize our web shooters to deal with the overheat from that guys electricity. Right,'' Ghost Spider immediately understood where Nexus was trying to go.
''Shit, I didn't even think about that. Wait, what about our masks then?,'' Spider-Man asked gliding for a bit with his web gliders. Ghost Spider did the same.
''Simply, don't get hit in the face. What kind of dumb question is that. You are not gonna attach a web to your face and that electric guy,'' Nexus mocked.
''Alright, geez sorry. I'm just nervous, cause this is bigger than anything up till now,'' Spider-Man apologized, the three of them performing a corner tether.
Soon enough after a few more swings they landed near the police blockade, the police men not daring to approach the electrical power grid more. Smart considering that electrical sparks flew out every now and then. The three clearly prepared a trap for the spider people, which meant normal people stood even less of a chance.
''Are you guys going in? You know they are waiting for you, having trapped the place to ambush you,'' one of the police men warned them.
''In a moment. First, we need jumper cables and access to a car battery. It is vital,'' Ghost Spider instructed. Some people scowled at having been ordered around by a vigilante, they especially scowled at Nexus, but a few quickly got moving.
While Spider-Man had his web shooters magnetized, Nexus quickly read his enemies minds.
Ah, Electro was in an accident. He was obsessed with pure energy and the accident warped his mind. As for Vulture, Norman tried to steal his flight suit and he flipped.
Quiet a reasonable crashout.
They knew, or more like considered, the biggest obstacle to their ambitions would be the Spider People, what with having seen the fight against Rhino on the news. They busted him out of the RAFT and got him a replacement for his horn. They attempted to bust out Curt Connors too, but he vehemently refused.
''Quickly, I need something metal,'' Ghost Spider asked, getting handed some cuffs by a police men. Some one had a sense of humor. She tested it against all of their web shooters, the cuffs sticking to the web shooters. She handed them back to the police men.
''Ok, so now what?,'' Spider-Man asked.
''Well, it is three against one. But we have the power of friendship on our side. I will go first to take the brunt of the damage,'' Nexus said. Sling catapulting himself into the power grid his friends somewhat behind him, with a few seconds.
The police men got startled as they heard a massive electrical blast with Nexus suddenly being shot outside of the power grid and creating a crater, further rolling uncontrollably until he crashed into the side of a police car.
Before he could recover Vulture crashed into Nexus and grabbed him with his mechanical claws around the wrist. Squeezing until the web shooters got destroyed, before flying off high into the sky with Nexus. The police mens bullets proving ineffective in stopping him.
Nexus was a little disappointed. The idiot completely forgot about his super strength. Oh well. Better play along. It wasn't like the situation was out of control seeing as the Avengers arrived. He noticed their Quinjet who flew towards Ghost Spider and Spider-Man and Iron Man flew after him and Vulture.
Uff.
You done fucked up now, Nexus thought with a smirk.
Still, gotta keep up appearances and stuff. Normal punch, normal punch, normal punch. Oh no, Vulture threw him in the air and caught him with his claws digging in his back. He can't turn his arms that much to reach him. Upps.
Nexus knew what Vulture wanted to accomplish. He was gonna let him, cause of drama.
---
The stranger thanked the stewardess for bringing him water and sipped it a little. He sighed and looked outside the window of the plane. Flying from europe to america was always such a pain. Sure his butt was sore, but the jetlag was the real problem. The stranger decided to look to his neighbour who was typing away at his laptop.
''That looks like highly complicated stuff. But I bet it has something to do with biology. If I may ask, what exactly is it,'' he was trying to make small talk to pass the last hour. His neighbour looked at him and smiled proudly.
''Oh, I'm a researcher. I was the leading expert in finding a cure for a type of cancer. Well at least a probable cure. I still need to corroborate with other scientists. Right now nothing is written in stone,'' the researcher explained.
The strangers smile was wiped of his face.
''What,'' he asked before the plane heavily rattled them. He looked outside to see one of the engines burning.
''Here is the Captain speaking....,'' came the captains voice through the intercoms.
---
''Shit,'' Iron Man said. Nexus may not be his friend, but they were fighting on the same side, clearly. When he saw Vulture throw Nexus in one of the aircraft engines, he knew he was dead. As much as he wanted to go after Vulture, the better thing to do was to save the people in the plane.
''Jarvis, call in the Iron Legions and analyze the damage to the wings. We need to stabilize this planes flight,'' Tony ordered. The plane wasn't nose diving towards the ground, but Jarvis analysis showed that the wing was damaged in a way that forced it to descend quickly. Unfortunately, with only one Iron suit, the pressure on one point on the plane would damage the structural integrity and the Iron Legion would arrive in 1 minute.
Stop being so over dramatic Stark, Nexus thought to himself as he was thrown in the aircraft engine making it explode.
The plane was fine. He reinforced its structural integrity subtly with telekinesis so that nothing besides the engine and the flaps we destroyed. No one would die, only inconvenienced. Nexus was an asshole like that.
Still, he was waiting for a moment like this. It was only a shame that no one would see his first over the top sailor moon transformation, what with Stark flying after the plane and Vulture flying after him to stop him and Nexus being so high up in the air. Oh, well, he was gonna do it anyway.
He pulled a zipper, like one pulls the starter grip on a chainsaw. He stopped in midair and started screaming as if in horrible pain. Four red hologramic circles formed at the back of his head. Massive red hologramic cables with needles at the tip materialized and went through the middle of the circles slamming into the back of his mind. Nexus scream sounded scratch like for a few seconds, back arching, before he suddenly went completely slack, all the lights on his suit going completely dark. Then with a hum the lights suddenly went on again, this time wisps of golden light flickered over his entire body. Purple wisps of light surrounded his hands and the cables were now more then four, in various sizes, all shining neon orange.
The world darkened just a bit and very faint traces of a grid like neon structure could barely be seen all converging at Nexus' point.
Vulture suddenly stopped mid flight in the air via telekinesis and his eyes widened as Nexus flew past him. Iron Man stopped as well when he saw Nexus landing on the plane though he quickly began his pursuit again telling Jarvis to record everything.
The plane was enveloped in flickering wisps of purple light as they began approaching the ground. Iron Man hoped that whatever Nexus was doing would work seeing as the Iron Legion was till 20 seconds away.
The plane slowly came to a halt in mid air. Nexus forcibly deactivated all aircraft engines, mostly cause their noise right next to his ear was annoying. Then the plane was slowly lowered directly vertically to the ground, until finally with a soft thud it touched earth. None of the residents in the plane was hurt in any way.
Maybe traumatized, Nexus shrugged.
Everyone could do with a little bit of trauma.
Before Iron Man could say anything, Nexus flew away with insane speeds and the plane lost its purple light. Iron Man suspected where he was so he shot off as well after ordering Jarvis to send the coordinates to rescue efforts.
Nexus abruptly stopped in front of Vulture scarring the shit out of him as he could do nothing while Nexus put his hand around his throat. With a telekinetic push, Vulture was shoved away before getting turned around and getting pulled back in so that Nexus could grab his mechanical wings. With ridiculous ease he ripped them of and gave Vulture a kick as he descended downwards. The wings flying by Nexus side.
What goes up must come down. He was not gonna let the wings fall onto someones head.
---
A few minutes earlier:
'The modern world just keeps on giving, doesn't it' Steve thought in regards to the situation.
The five Avengers were in the Quinjet. Three enhanced people were attacking the power grid and the spider people were there. This could be a ripe opportunity to pitch their offer of recruitment while they do some good.
Clint winced as he saw Nexus get hit by an electric blast and get slammed into the ground, before getting picked up by Vulture.
''Tony, you go help Nexus. Clint, Natasha, no offense but you can only provide aerial assistance with the Quinjet. Bruce, be ready for a possible Code Green. I'm going down there,'' Steve ordered and grabbed a parachute. They all nodded at his orders as the back door opened.
''Are they... dodging lighting?,'' Clint asked impressed as he saw Ghost Spider jump off a structure and fling a debris in Electros face.
''I don't think so. It is very subtle, but the move even before the attack goes off,'' Natasha observed shooting every now and then when her allies were far away from Rhino. She'd rather not grab the attention off Electro who could shoot projectiles.
''Their precognition is truly insane. I really want to know how it works and the scientifics involved,'' Bruce murmured starring in wonder at the fight down there.
Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes. Bruce and Tony were such nerd geeks, whenever something grabbed their attention scientifically.
They watched as Spider-Man dodged a thrown projectile by Rhino, only to web Caps shield when it missed Rhino and slam it into his head. Ghost Spider was just dodging and weaving around Electro taking every small opportunity she got to return an attack in one form or another. Sometimes the two spider people switched places seamlessly and continued to attack.
''Their teamwork is superb,'' Natasha reamarked, shooting a ballista at Rhino only for him to slap it away. Ghost Spider webbed it and threw it at Electro when Spider-Man looked to be struggling a little. Clint hummed agreeing with Natasha.
''Uh, guys, seems Nexus has a lot more tricks up his sleeve, because apparently he has telepathy. He just safely levitated a crashing plane to the ground and threw that flying guy to the ground after ripping his wings off. I'm telling you, he was not bitten by a spider, I'm not buying it,'' Iron Mans came through the comms.
The three inside the Quinjet shared a bewildered look at the news.
Vulture fell just in front of the Quinjet, quickly but safely stopping just before hitting the ground. Nexus slammed into the ground and Natasha moved the Quinjet a little back to see better.
Nexus let him fall on the ground and spread Vulture out, stretching his limbs before ripping the wings apart telekineticaly into pillars and slamming it diagonally into the ground besides his wrists and ankles to cuff him to the ground.
Then he flew off, approaching Rhino and Electro.
''You have 5 seconds to surrender,'' Nexus warned making the fighting stop. rhino scoffed and without saying anything, began charging at Nexus, horn first.
Nexus simply put his index and middle finger together, stretched his arm out and bent his fingers downwards, Rhino immediately slammed into the ground coming to an abrupt halt. Then Nexus split apart his two fingers and with a sickening crunch broke Rhinos legs making him scream. Then he put his fingers together again, turned his hand and bent his fingers upwards. With yet another crunch Rhino arms bent backwards at the elbow, making him howl.
Nexus looked at Electro who scowled and turned into semi pure energy form jumping between all those steel coils structures.
Nexus slammed forwards as Electro attacked him from the back. Gotta keep up appearances that he has no spider sense. He was attacked a few more times from the back, until finally Spider-Man managed to warn him in time.
The pure electrical energy stopped in front of his finger tips of his outstretched hand. Then he formed a fist and Electro quickly materialized as the distributed energy seemed to gather at one point.
Nexus stood up and slammed his cables into Electros arms and waist, making him scream as he felt himself weakening. Soon Electro looked normal, his energy seemingly discharged and Nexus let him fall on the ground, his head protected with telekinesis. It still wasn't time to kill any of them.
Spider-Man and Ghost Spider rushed forward as Nexus deactivated his Brain Drive and slumped on the ground groaning deliriously. While Spider-Man was genuinely concerned, Ghost Spider was merely acting, while playing the fussing girlfriend. She knew the ability cost him nothing, but he wanted to act and he requested her help. How could she say no to that?
Hey, he needed a reason/ explanation as to why he can't spam that ability left, right and center all day long.
''Son, are you alright?,'' Steve asked approaching the trio carefully, as the Quinjet and Iron Man landed on the ground with the fight being over. The rest of the Avengers approached them all.
''Yeah, yeah. It is just... the Brain Drive takes a lot out of me,'' Nexus groaned, moaning pitifully at the end, before slowly picking himself up and standing, leaning and being supported by Ghost Spider and Spider-Man.
''Son, you are bleeding,'' Steve pointed out worried.
Nexus wiped his gloves under the chin of his helmet. And observed his bloody fingertips. It wasn't his own blood. He just generated some random blood under his nose. Nexus doubted it matched anyone on earth, but even if it did, it was not his or his families blood.
''Yeah...,'' Nexus deliriously agreed, being out of it.
''Do you need medical assistance?,'' Bruce asked.
''No, just some time. After the Brain Drive I always receive a headache. I'm already starting to feel better,'' Nexus said thanking his friends as he could now stand with his own two feet.
''I have to say, you have been holding out on us. Any other tricks you want to pull out of the hat, Merlin?,'' Iron Man asked. Nexus merely shrugged.
'' If you are sure then I would like to talk with you all. We have an offer for you,'' Steve politely requested.
''Sure. But it is probably better we talk somewhere else. What with everyone around us,'' Nexus agreed without waiting for the others input.
''Well, we know just the place. Come with us,'' Natasha said returning to the Quinjet. Nexus fearlessly walked into the jet after her. The two other spider people looked at each other sighed and followed after him.
---
They landed on the helipad of the Quinjet. The trio refused to walk into the tower, but were open to talks on the helipad.
''Very well then. I was hoping to extend to you the offer of joining the Avengers. Full Time,'' Steve offered.
''Ok, cool. And what would that imply?,'' Nexus asked. Never sign a contract you haven't read.
''It means you help us stop threats, domestic, international and extraterrestrial. Of course you can still patrol NYC and have your own life, but when such threats surface you help. It also means you will receive funding and support in turn, both financial or otherwise,'' Steve explained.
''You mean mostly Hydra and other terrorists. Do we need to reveal to you our identities?,'' Spider-Man asked.
'Thank God, I beat the hero idolization out of him after he was saved by Stark,' Nexus approved of Peters calm rationale.
''We were hoping so, yes. But if this is a deal breaker to you then you can reveal it when you feel comfortable around us,'' Clint answered.
''Hmm... Give us one second,'' Nexus requested, holding up a finger. He put his arms around his friends in a hug as they turned around and began whispering. Steve tried to be polite and not listen, but a sharp elbow from Natasha and a look made him pay more attention with his super hearing.
''Sooo, should we join?,'' whispered Spider-Man.
''Nope,'' Nexus replied popping the p.
''I have to agree with Nexus. I don't feel comfortable leaving NYC alone. This City attracts an unusual amount of villains despite how many heroes reside here,'' Ghost Spider agreed.
''Someone could always stay behind?,'' Spider-Man offered.
''Hmm. Maybe a compromise? They will have us on speed dial and we can accept if we feel we need to. We can hardly be friendly neighbourhood Spider People if the neighbourhood gets wiped by a nuke or the next army of aliens. Nexus, how trusting are you that Stark won't hack or trace the contact number we will give him?,'' Ghost Spider reasoned.
''As certain as the sun rising in the west. If I don't want it, he won't crack any part of the code,'' Nexus boasted. Steve forced himself to keep his face blank. That was a bold claim to make and challenging. Better not mention it to Tony, since he is still pissed he can't hack AFoxyScriptwriter. If he finds out another person out there is better at coding then him, he will become even more insufferable. Steve guessed it made sense, for Nexus to be the hacker guy of the trio. His suit looked pretty futuristic compared to the others. Which reminds him, he still needs to watch both Cyberpunk shows. Apparently it is a critique on corporate capitalism, Sam Wilson told him.
Steve was kind of tempted to ask him to join the Avengers, but he deserved his rest after his services in the war.
''So, we done? Should we give our counteroffer?,'' Spider-Man asked.
''Wait. I want to give Black Widow spider powers,'' Nexus replied, making Steve raise his eyebrows. Spider-Man sputtered as Ghost Spider sighed at her boyfriends antics.
''Why would you do such a thing?,'' Spider-Man asked.
''For shits and giggles. But also, have you seen them? Thor is off planet, Hulk terrifies both enemies, allies and civilians, so he hardly gets utilized and Barton and Romanoff are normal. It is a fucking wonder that they pulled their weigh in the Chitauri invasion, but next time we won't be so lucky. Their expertise lies in espionage, unless that changes. Only Iron Man and The Captain are contributing anything. They look like a sad boy band on their last legs. Embarrassing, really,'' Nexus summarized. Steve winced. Harsh but not untrue.
Nexus was kind of curious to see if the spider would bite her in the first place, but if not he can always change her entire molecular structure in each cell. He has Spider-Mans and Ghost Spiders DNA to go on off. But in that case she will miss out on the spider sense. He can replicate it too, but he kind of didn't want to go against his friends (Stans) original design for the spider. It was only meant to bite good people.
Then again, just because they are good doesn't mean they had to remain good. Nexus kind of remembered that there were a few evil Spider persons out there in the multiverse. They same applied vice versa.
''Aren't there enough spider people already. Jameson is already having conniptions about us three,'' Spider-Man asked.
''I know, right. I subscribed to his channel to hear him rant. Sometimes Ghost Spider and I call him during his shows and pretend to be an elderly couple that was almost hit by his car, because he didn't pay attention. Or something along these lines. Hearing him sputter is hilarious. And angering him even more so, when we defend the 'menaces'. I'm telling you it is peak cinema, hearing him explode.
Anyway I'm doing it. You can't stop me,'' Nexus finalized and turned around.
He quickly proceeded to tell them about their compromise. Having them on speed dial, even if they wouldn't fully join. And giving the black widow spider powers.
''And why would you offer me the same powers as you?,'' Natasha asked sceptical.
''Come on! You're name is the Black Widow. How can you not want to complement you name with spider powers,'' Nexus said.
''You are literally named Nexus. There is nothing spider like about that, Merlin,'' Iron Man pointed out.
''You shut your heathen mouth, you ignorant peasant. While some baseline abilities are shared across the board, there are other abilities granted that no one can control. I lack a spider sense, but I have a few other powers,'' Nexus bit out.
''Spider sense? Is that what you call your precognition?,'' Bruce sought to clarify.
''I'm sorry? Are you the leading expert in all things spider?,'' Nexus retorted.
''Ooooh. Testy,'' Iron Man mocked.
''Natasha, it is your decision,'' Steve tried to move things back on track. She looked down for a bit, before finally making a decision.
''Fine. We already have three examples of successful subjects, so I can only assume things will turn out alright. Right? They will turn out alright?,'' Natasha probed sceptically
''Lady, don't worry. You will be in no danger at all. I wouldn't jeopardize our new alliance with something dangerous,'' Nexus answered. The Avengers looked a little between each other.
''We accept your new proposal,'' Steve said, shaking Nexus hand.
''So, how will you give me those powers? When do we start?,'' Natasha asked. She was a little annoyed at having all her work at Oscorp go down the drain with this new development. Especially since the spider people didn't fully join them, but that was still massive progress for their deplenished numbers.
''Hey, what am I? Chopped liver,'' Clint complained for not being offered powers as well.
''Yes. As for you, Romanoff. We can administer the spider formula right now,'' Nexus said, pulling her with two webs and throwing her over the helipad from the massive skyscraper.
''Don't worry. We will bring her hale and healthier then ever before,'' Spider-Man quickly said before jumping high and sling shoting himself downwards. The two others mirrored his actions.
''Sooooo... Want me to track them down or something?,'' Tony asked.
''No. It is a shame that they didn't join full time, but it is still a massive success. No reason to jeopardize our friendship,'' Steve said, he also wanted to avoid Tony flipping out if he couldn't hack the spider peoples number.
...
''Are you insane?,'' Natasha asked calmly as she was dropped on a rooftop, hiding her anxiety.
''So, why did you tell me to drop her off here?,'' Spider-Man asked Nexus.
''Oh simple. She is a spy. Even if she no longer works for the government after Project Insight,'' Nexus argued as he removed a tracker from Spider-Mans biceps and utility belt.
He showed it to them and they all looked at Natasha who shrugged unapologetically. They both shrugged. Fair enough.
''Oh, for fucks sake. Did you really think that was the last of it?,'' Nexus admonished his friends. He removed her earring and put his hands between her breasts, removing a small decorative pearl from her bra.
''Dude, your girlfriends right here,'' Spider-Man sputtered, pointing his arms towards Ghost Spider. She merely shrugged.
''Calm down, there is nothing sexual about it,'' she explained to him, feeling completely secure in her relationship. There is a reason she didn't worry about him cheating on her with his puppet clones and constantly asked for validation and assurances.
Nexus pulled Natashas zipper from her pants down and pulled her panties slightly down. He removed her 'barbell' from her clitoris and pulled everything back up. Then he let all the trackers fall and stomped them with his boot. Now Natasha looked genuinely annoyed.
''Bruh, you ... you.... Urgh, fuck this. You two are a weird couple,'' Spider-Man huffed.
''I doubt we will bring her to our HQ,'' Ghost Spider asked moving past that situation.
''Hell no. We also won't give her the formula for the web fluid. I'm a little vindictive like that. Stark and Banner can figure it out for her. We will bring her somewhere else. I will send you the location. You go and bring THAT,'' Nexus instructed Spider-Man while tying a blindfold around Natashas eyes.
...
They were in the sewer as Spider-Man came with the spider. He was still unsure, but complied since it was two against one.
Huh.
Would you look at that. The radioactive spider did bit her. Nexus checked her over and decided to give her one last present to keep the narrative of the spider randomly granting more powers going.
Hm.
That does give him an idea. He could maybe enhance Peters and Gwen abilities. By now they have enough experience to afford those upgrades. Even stronger super healing etc, etc. Though he would have to do this for Peter subtly. He can just talk with Gwen about that later. Either way he would not go to overboard.
They then brought Natasha back to the Avengers Tower and also handed over a paper with their contact number. She was promptly put in the medical wing for observation.
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''Heeeeeeey, Dad. Say would you mind if I cook something for Bell and have dinner here,'' Gwen asked her father a few days later.
''Fine, I guess we can all have dinner together,'' George replied after thinking it over for a while.
''I was kind of hoping to only have dinner between the two of us. As in a date...,'' Gwen explained.
George put his news paper down and looked at her incredulously.
''Are you sending me to my own room? Your own father under house arrest in his own home?,'' George scoffed.
''Yes,'' Gwen deadpanned doubling down on her request.
''He is clearly rubbing of on you too much. I'm not spending time in my bedroom, while you two are having a date 10 meters away from me. I'll take a walk. Just don't take too long. i need to go to sleep early since I have work tomorrow,'' George set down the parameters.
''Really? Oh, thank you daddy,'' Gwen celebrated giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, before going to the kitchen.
''Oh, so now I'm daddy. Evelyn, our daughter is using affection as bribery, where did we go wrong,'' Geroge murmured silently to himself.
...
''Yo,'' Bell greeted the moment Gwen opened the door and trust a bouqet of flowers in her face.
''Come in. I made some food,'' Gwen took the flowers and put them in a vase. Bell let himself in and closed the door after him. He was a little surprised when Gwen invited him for food, since by now they reached that stage in their relationship where they don't get out on dates as much anymore.
''Really? What food did you make?,'' Bell asked taking a seat at the table.
''Spaghetti Bolognese. The way Aunt Melina makes them,'' Bell immediately perked up with rapt attention.
The moment she put down the food he was blasted with that heavenly smell. He agonizingly waited for her to put her own food on the plate and take a seat, before he promptly dug in the moment they began eating.
''I'm guessing you like that?,'' Gwen inquired with some disguised joy, Bell hummed sparkling with joy.
''Indeed. It is not quiet like mother makes it. But it is pretty damn close and the fact that it comes from you gives it the final push,'' Bell complimented, finishing the last of his dish. Gwen raised an eyebrow and looked at her food, barely touched. When she offered another portion, Bell told her to finish her own serving first.
''I'm guessing Peter still gives you grief over me touching Romanoff 'inappropriately','' Bell guessed. Gwen chuckled and nodded.
''I'm surprised you react so mature about it. You were more jealous with Wanda,'' Bell pointed out.
''Would you rather react like all those other girls and give you grief and drama over it? I know none of these touches meant anything. Besides, with Wanda you actively tried to make me jealous and your performance WAS convincing,'' Gwen explained her reasons.
Bell hummed approvingly.
''But I do want to talk about your puppet clones. Be honest. Some girls developed crushes on you. Right?,'' Gwen asked, Bell shrugged.
''Yeah, but don't worry I'm not planning to get with them,'' Bell assured her.
''How many did fall in love with you?,'' Gwen wanted to know. Bell was handsome. Even if he used his disguises and hid his face. He had a strong personality. Many woman found that attractive in a man. And he had a lot of other qualities as well. Ironically, Gwen felt that his silliness did nothing to subtract from his attractiveness. He always received the most valentines gifts each year.
''Only two that I know off. Laura and Kitty. The first I killed her tormentor and the second is fanatic about Nexus. I don't know why,'' Bell shrugged.
''Not Wanda?,'' Gwen asked surprised.
''Not that i know off. She hasn't really displayed interest in me. You are kind of focusing a lot on Wanda,'' Bell noticed.
''...,'' Gwen put some food in her mouth.
''Oh maaa gaaawd. You are insecure about her, because she is a reality warper as well. You consider her my equal,'' Bell teased her. Gwen shook her head seriously.
''No, it is not that. I have been thinking some about this matter. I don't mind you forming a harem,'' Gwen dropped a bomb shell, making Bell choke on his own spit. He quickly regained his wits,because of his powers and then simply starred at her.
''Gwen, I swear to god if this is still about you feeling inadequate about not helping me enough or not being my equal, I will lose my fucking shit. I thought we moved past that,'' Bell expressed with forced calmness. Sure Gwen may not be his equal in power, but he still considered her his equal in stature,because of how familiar she was with him and how seamlessly they worked together.
''No. It is really not that. Are you not a man? You don't like having multiple woman at your back and call?,'' Gwen taunted. Bell merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
''Ugh. It is annoying how it is so hard to manipulate you. Trust me, I thought about this for a while. I don't mind you forming a harem so long as I will always be the first in the hierarchy,'' Gwen assured him.
''Gwen, harems are not normal or accepted,'' Bell explained.
''Says who? it used to be the case that powerful men formed harems, until the churches managed to popularize monogamy. Mostly to push their own agenda. I thought you liked being a rebel and causing chaos. Besides you are a powerful man. You are a reality warper. Even if your company flops, you told me you can create stuff from nothing, so you can always sell rare stuff at insane prices. And since you have your puppet clones, the matter of you not spending enough time with everyone is also moot. You have everything you need to manage a harem,'' Gwen reasoned. Bell shook his head.
''I guess it is nice that you're giving me permission. Rest assured that I will not form a harem, regardless of what you say,'' Bell told her.
''Bell, you won't be hypocritical since I'm giving you permission. I'm telling you, you can form a harem. Also, don't play coy with me. There is no way I can handle you alone even with my endurance. You will just use you powers and turn yourself into a stamina demon. It would nice for you two lighten my burden,'' Gwen joked, fluttering her eyes at him.
Bell scowled and stubbornly remained silent.
Gwen starred at him for a bit, her heart fluttering at having such a loyal guy who was satisfied with only her. But she wasn't selfish enough to have him only for herself. He was not completely wrong when he said that she felt inadequate compared to him. He was a damn reality warper, whereas all she could do was stick to walls and dodge attacks from the back. He kick started the rebirth of another dimension for fucks sake. The fact he can't grasp that is a little annoying to her, but the only thing she can do is try another angle to convince him. Surely, if she could make such a sacrifice he would never lose interest in her. Not even in a million years. He did tell her he will make her immortal and keep her at his side for as long as she wants. But what if he doesn't want to anymore?
No. Forming a harem, was the best course of action. And knowing him, the types of woman he would attract, would not butt heads.
...
At least not too much, Gwen reconsidered. Too many assertive woman would cause inevitably some problems.
She stood up and laid on his lap, hugging his head into her chest and rubbing his hair. After some time, she removed his head and winered eyes starred into blue ones.
''I really don't mind, Bell. And NO, forming a harem will not make you a hypocrite. All I ask is that you keep me informed of all you other woman and that we eventually all form a big family,'' Gwen gave him her permission. Bell rolled his eyes.
''Yeah, yeah. I hear you. Whoop de fucking do. I'm sure the other woman will not want to be in a harem, so ha,'' Bell told her victoriously, considering the matter closed. Gwen rolled her eyes at his antics.
''Well, just keep in mind what I said. And if you find a woman that doesn't mind being in a harem and you approve of her, then just invite her,'' Gwen tried to add in the final word.
''Yeah, yeah,'' Bell replied dismissively, trailing his hands on her back. Harems only existed in stories anyway. No way that would happen in real life.
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''YES. I knew it. I, LIKE, SUPER KNEW IT,'' Kitty jumped up from the couch when seeing the news with all her friends about Nexus displaying his telekinesis. She gave a short celebratory dance, but quickly redirected her attention back towards the TV. Well at least the guys were appropriately named Electro and Vulture on the news.
Huzzah.
Zero calmly sipped his tea through a portal. He was hiding a mad eye twitch behind his helmet. He was so fucking tempted to read her mind and satisfy his curiosity about why she was so fanatical about Nexus, but since she was no enemy and he wanted to stay by his principles, he didn't do it.
But, God was he tempted.
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A few weeks later summer break was over. The rest of the break passed by uneventfully with only small time crimes happening.
''All right class, everyone settle down. I hope you all had a nice summer break, maybe visited some places. Either way, I want you all to pay attention since you all have a new class mate. Ms. Sanduval, please introduce yourself,'' Mr. Gunningham ordered.
''Hello everyone. I'm Sophia Sanduval. But I would like everyone to call me Chat,'' Sophia introduced herself.
Bell leaned forward, the glasses he wore specifically for today reflecting the light, as he put his mouth on his crossed hands, hiding a smile.
All according to keikaku.