Chapter 48: Brand-New Power - part 7

Dinner is at the hotel, and everyone eats together.

All the students who came on the summer trip eat together.

Roll call also happens at that time.

...Gwen is still mad.

She’s angry, but… she still brings me water, and even though she acts grumpy, she replies when I talk to her... it’s kind of like that.

...I really should apologize at some point.

Thinking that, I pick at my dinner.

That said, it is a cheap hotel meal.

It’s nothing fancy.

There’s nothing new or unusual about the food.

And it’s not especially tasty either.

There’s nothing worth mentioning in particular, and the meal ends just like that.

Gwen and Michelle go back to their room, and Ned and I return to ours.

...Tonight, I was planning to take a walk on the beach… and give Michelle the accessory I got for her—

But yeah, now’s definitely not the time for that.

Back in our room.

My roommate Ned goes to bed.

...I wait until I’m sure he’s fully asleep.

I stuff a cushion under the blanket to make it look like I’m in bed from the outside.

Then, I quietly open the window.

I slip out through it and close the window behind me.

...If it gets locked while I’m out, I’m screwed.

Not that I plan to be out long.

Clinging to the wall, I activate my wristwatch—my nanomachine suit—and equip it.

I run up onto the roof and scan the area.

I tap the spider emblem on my chest to bring up the virtual panel.

From there, I activate the “Spider Drone.”

The center of the white spider emblem on my chest detaches and floats into the air.

“Karen, search the city for any suspicious people… or objects.”

“Understood.”

This is the drone function—an unmanned aerial unit.

Because it’s made of nanomachines, I can redesign it into pretty much any form or function I want.

I reconfigured the nanomachines in the emblem into a drone.

The spider-shaped Spider Drone takes off and begins scanning the city.

...There’s a chance a Stark Industries employee could be attacked by tomorrow.

Which means, I figure, someone dangerous must be hiding in the city.

The AI built into my suit—Karen—will scan automatically.

If she finds anything, she’ll notify me.

I sit on a vent on the hotel roof to wait—

“I’ve found a suspicious individual.”

...That was fast.

At Karen’s alert, I link my view to the Spider Drone.

The image in my mask switches over to the drone’s camera.

...A man in a red suit I definitely recognize is waving at me.

I groan and put my head in my hands.

Deadpool.

He’s waving from a nearby building.

Why is he even here?

“...Karen. Yeah, he’s suspicious, but just ignore him.”

“Understood.”

I cut the visual feed from the drone and resume the search.

I rest my hand on my head and start thinking.

Why is he in Miami anyway?

“Unrelated matter”? Seriously?

Even if I ask, he won’t tell me.

He’s a completely chaotic nutcase, but when it comes to keeping secrets, he’s airtight.

That’s just how it is with mercenaries—secrecy is a big deal in that line of work.

So there’s no way he’s going to tell me what this “unrelated matter” is.

...But he was looking at my hotel.

What bugs me is—why was he watching the hotel I’m staying in?

...Is this “unrelated matter” about something—or someone—in the hotel?

Is there a dangerous person staying here?

Or is he acting as a bodyguard for some rich client?

I have no idea… but I doubt it’s anything evil.

He may joke about helping people, crave fame, and always be scheming for money, but… he would help someone in danger if they were right in front of him.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ever made it into the Avengers.

Even if he did get fired, he at least had the minimum qualifications.

“I’ve detected multiple suspicious heat signatures.”

Karen’s synthesized voice reaches my ears.

I switch my view back to the drone... ah, it’s a large building.

There are lots of heat signatures inside.

Not human or animal ones.

These are artificial—extremely powerful ones.

Most likely weapons or some kind of armaments.

And they seem to be powered by high-tech energy sources.

I check the company name written on the wall... figures. It’s a subsidiary of Hammer Industries.

No doubt about it—this place is bad news.

...What do I do?

Should I go in now and fight?

No… I have no idea how big this operation is.

There’s way more heat signatures than I expected…

They look dangerous.

Storming an enemy base isn’t smart. These guys are out of my league.

...Guess I should at least send the info to Mr. Stark.

And let him know I could use backup.

...Wait a second?

Do I even have to fight?

If help’s on the way, I can just let them handle it.

It’s not like anyone asked me to take care of this.

...I’ve got stuff to do too, you know.

For now, I’ll just email Mr. Stark and wait for a reply.

...And if the only target is the vacationing Stark Industries employee, there’s no need for such powerful weapons.

If they do attack, it'll probably be with fewer numbers than it looks like.

...I mean, maybe I’m being too optimistic, but still.

“...I’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

I recall the drone and start climbing down the hotel wall.

Anyway, I need to wait for Mr. Stark’s instructions.

I don’t think I can handle this alone.

Just in case Deadpool is watching, I’ll wait until I’m back in the room to deactivate the suit.

I quietly slide the window open... and slip back inside.

I try not to make any noise.

Then I shut the curtain so no one can see in from outside.

...I glance over at Ned’s bed.

Good, the blanket’s puffed up. He’s probably asleep.

I tap the emblem on my chest several times to deactivate the suit—

Clunk. I hear something fall.

I turn around... and there on the floor is a water bottle.

“Peter…!?”

Ned was staring at me, completely shocked.

There was only a giant body pillow on the bed.

Ah, seriously.

Today’s cursed. No doubt about it.

---

I don’t have dreams.

No “what ifs.”
No “if only things had been different.”

I don’t see possibilities.

What I see when I sleep is always a replay of the past.

I watch my memories.

I walk through a white building, stabbing guards with a knife as I go.

Blood splatters across walls made of reinforced plastic and hardened glass.

This is from when I’d just started out as Redcap.

My combat technique was still raw—I took bullet after bullet.

Every time I got hit, I’d gouge the bullet out with my knife and let my healing factor do the rest.

I endured the searing pain.
The terror.
The nausea.
The guilt.

I killed.
And killed.
And killed.
Killedkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilled…

Until I reached the target.

A trembling woman in a lab coat clutched a young girl in her arms.

“You’re Dr. Kinney, aren’t you.”

“...A ch-child…?”

I was younger back then, and shorter than I am now.

I didn’t answer.
I just raised my blood-soaked knife.

She moved to shield the girl in her arms.

…I narrowed my eyes beneath the mask.

“Is your test subject really that important?”

“This girl… she’s not—”

“...Sorry.”

I took a step forward.

Then I slashed the doctor open.

Blood poured out.

“Ah…!”

She gasped, bleeding, and collapsed.

But… it wasn’t an instant death.

She was still alive.

Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her eyes were empty, staring at the ceiling.

Ah… I messed up.

My poor technique had made her suffer unnecessarily.

The girl she was protecting burst into tears and rushed to her.

“Mom…? Mom…?”

I drew the pistol from my waist.

The real danger wasn’t Dr. Kinney.

It was the girl.

The girl’s cries turned into a howl of agony, then morphed into something primal.

Her eyes locked on me like those of a wild beast.

“...Laura, no. Laura, you have to run…”

Dr. Kinney’s voice was barely audible, on the verge of death.

But the girl—Laura—wasn’t listening.

“GRAAAARRRGHHHH!!”

She let out a beast-like roar and leapt at me.

The skin on her fists split open, and two massive claws extended from each hand.

I calmly raised the pistol and pointed it at her head.

“For my sake… please, die.”

It was a plea.
A prayer.
An apology.

I poured all those meanings into my voice—then pulled the trigger.

A crimson bullet hole formed in her forehead—

Clatter!

I was sprawled on the floor.

Not the cold flooring of a lab.

Wood.

Outside the window, the sun was rising.

White lace curtains were lit up by the morning glow.

“Hey, Michelle, are you okay!?”

Gwen, dressed in her pajamas, came into view.

I tried to wipe the sweat from my face with my shirt—only to realize the shirt was soaked too, and gave up.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

A dream…?

No, it was a memory from the past.

Not a sweet, dreamlike slumber, but something far from that.

Still—

"Yeah, a scary dream."

I lied and stood up.

…Even my underwear was drenched with sweat.

In the past few years, it’s been happening a lot—these memories resurfacing.

Thanks to that, I often wake up sleep-deprived.

"Sorry. I’m gonna take a shower."

"O-okay…"

Ignoring Gwen, who was rubbing her sleepy eyes and looking worried, I stepped into the shower.

I looked into the mirror.

It was me.

I was staring at myself.

Of course I was.

But right now, I didn’t even want to be seen by myself.

After that, Gwen and I left the room and headed to the dining hall.

…She kept asking, “Are you okay?” over and over.

Was my face really that bad when I woke up?

Peter and Ned were already seated, chatting about something.

But in hushed tones.

As soon as they noticed us, both Peter and Ned went quiet in a panic.

…Was it something they couldn’t tell us?

Then, once everyone was seated, Peter finally spoke up.

"Um, I’m sorry for worrying you yesterday."

"…Well, whatever. Just don’t do it again, or I won’t forgive you."

It looked like Gwen’s anger toward Peter from yesterday was starting to settle down—or maybe her concern for me was stronger than her anger.

She kept glancing at me.

Still half-asleep, I smeared some jam on bread and took a bite.

Their conversation felt distant, as if I were hearing it through a fog, while I absorbed the sugar in my dazed state.

"…Michelle, what do you think?"

"Mmguh…?"

Apparently, they were talking about what to do during our free time today.

Panicking, I apologized.

"…Sorry, I wasn’t really listening."

"We were saying we planned to go to Dolphin Mall today. Just wanted to check—are you okay with that?"

"Okay? Okay as in… yeah. I’m okay. I’m fine."

…What exactly are they worried about?

What am I supposed to be okay about?

I didn’t even know that much, yet I said I was fine.

…Gwen narrowed her eyes at me.

For now, I just nodded.

"I thought I knew Michelle wasn’t a morning person, but… not this bad."

"But she’s always like this. By the time we’re heading to school, she’s usually awake."

"Really?"

Peter and Gwen continued chatting.

…It seemed Gwen wasn’t mad anymore either.

Well, she was just worried about Peter, and that’s why she got angry.

It was just a little misunderstanding, really.

"I’m all for Dolphin Mall. Changing plans last minute feels weird anyway."

Ned chimed in, nodding.

"…Well, if she says she’s fine, then I guess we stick to the plan."

Having finished my croissant, I sat there, blankly watching it all unfold.

---

With a dazed Michelle in tow, we headed for Dolphin Mall.

It’s an outlet mall with all kinds of facilities.

Restaurants, places where you can stroll around and snack—there’s a lot to see and do.

…Compared to the shopping center we went to on the first night, this one feels like it has more entertainment.

And… Ned keeps glancing at me.

…Even though I already explained everything after my identity was exposed yesterday. I gave excuses, too.

I recall what happened yesterday.

When Ned almost shouted, I instinctively shot webbing to seal his mouth shut…

I explained to him—until he understood—that having my identity exposed could put me in danger.

Being a hero is a job that easily breeds grudges.

Spider-Man has been resented by plenty of villains.

If my identity as Spider-Man got out… my normal life would be blown to bits.

Worse, someone could drop a missile on our school. Or release poison gas.

And even if no one says who Spider-Man is, just knowing his identity could get someone kidnapped, tortured, or taken hostage.

When I explained all that, Ned nodded with a serious look on his face.

But after that… his love of heroes kicked in, and he bombarded me with questions.

Stuff about the Avengers, Mr. Stark—he went all in, asking about everything.

He’s still dying to ask more.

Thanks to that, I didn’t get much sleep either.

Following behind Michelle, I let out a yawn myself.

…And after that, I reported to Mr. Stark that Hammer Industries seemed to be stockpiling weapons.

The other day, Mr. Stark didn’t give me the full story, but he’d apparently gotten caught up in something and ended up seriously injured.

To be specific, he broke some bones.

Recovery time: one month.

Strict bed rest.

Even so, he decided that this was a matter beyond what I could handle on my own, and said he’d send backup.

And that I was off the hook.

“Act like a student on a school trip,” he said.

…I think he meant it kindly.

He didn’t want me getting involved in hero work during this trip—he was being considerate.

That’s why I had the blue rose accessory in my shirt pocket—Michelle’s gift.

I was planning to give it to her this evening, before we leave Miami.

But deep down, I felt uneasy.

The employees of Stark Industries had apparently been quarantined in a shelter under Mr. Stark’s orders.

They’d come all this way just for a trip too…

Is it really okay for me to just pretend not to see and enjoy the trip?

…The more I thought about it, the more it felt like things were heading in a bad direction.

But Gwen had just scolded me yesterday.

And I might not even get the chance to give Michelle the present.

Because if someone else finds out—like Ned did—it could be a disaster.

“…ter? Peter?”

“…Huh!? What?”

I suddenly realized someone had been calling out to me and turned toward the voice.

It was Michelle.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Ah, uh… well…”

I was torn—should I be Spider-Man, or just enjoy the trip as Peter Parker?

…Not exactly something I could say out loud.

“I’m just… thinking about something.”

“…Hmm?”

Michelle tilted her head in curiosity.

Even so, Michelle didn’t press me further.

…She never tries to dig up things I don’t want to talk about.

She’ll quietly let the topic drop, as if telling me not to worry about it.

It’s not that she’s oblivious.

I think she’s simply sensitive to the parts of people that don’t want to be touched.

That’s one of her good qualities—and for someone like me, who has a lot of secrets, it makes being around her easier.

After that, we just enjoyed the trip.

I watched Michelle blow through her cash on crane games.

I watched her get dragged by Gwen into the perfume section against her will.

I watched her and Ned swarm a display of rare hero figures.

…I couldn’t help but keep my eyes on her.

Then, come midday—

"Alright, let’s grab lunch at the food court!"

Gwen made the suggestion.

Perfect timing—my stomach had just started to growl.

We headed to the part of Dolphin Mall with all the food stalls. Michelle tried to make crème brûlée her entire lunch, and Gwen had to stop her.

We were soaking in those kinds of quiet, blissful moments when—

A notification popped up on my phone.

It was from the Spider-Drone I’d detached and sent out from my suit.

Several heat signatures were approaching the building where the employees from Stark Industries were hiding in the shelter.

…I immediately forwarded the intel to Mr. Stark.

No. Don’t get involved.

Just forget it.

Surely the reinforcements Mr. Stark sent are already in place.

Surely someone else will step up to fight in my place.

I looked at Michelle, on the verge of tears after being forced to buy a mountain of salad.

At Gwen, laughing brightly.

At Ned, watching them both with a look of exasperation.

…Then, I looked at the suit stored in my wristwatch.

When I first received that suit, I told Mr. Stark something.

"I don’t want to regret not saving someone. That’s why… I want to do everything I can, while I still can."

Those were my words to him.

Words I said myself.

If the reinforcements don’t make it in time…

If there’s even one casualty…

Then right now, what I can do—what I should do to avoid regret—

“…Ned, sorry.”

I patted Ned on the shoulder.

"Do me a favor and cover for me, would you?"

"O-oh, yeah! Got it!"

We spoke in a whisper.

But when Ned saw how serious I was, he gave me a firm nod.

Keeping myself hidden from Gwen and Michelle as they chatted, I slipped away.

The moment I ducked behind cover, I activated the nanomachine suit.

I didn’t stop running.

I put the suit on mid-stride and scaled the wall.

I’m still inexperienced.

I can’t always summon courage on demand. Sometimes I want to put myself first, not others.

Even the words I once said—I forget them.

But even so, I’m still your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

If there’s a neighbor who needs help, I’ll throw myself into the fire to save them.

No—I have to save them.

Because with great power… comes great responsibility.