True North [Stucky Fanfiction - IN PROGRESS]

36 - The Shadow's Revenge

Peter tears off his mask as he paces the short hallway, combing a gloved hand feverishly through his hair. The amount of adrenaline racing through his veins could kill a horse but right now, it's just making the world tilt dangerously and his body tremor in a way it hasn't since he first got his powers.

Sasha never went out of her way to be nice to him. Sure, when the other Avengers were around, she'd treat him the same way she treated everyone else, but he was still pretty sure she saw him as a child. She was strange and Peter knew it. Suddenly, the brief psychology lesson he had in health class seemed more relevant than ever, and he was determined to find out why.

It didn't take long, but now, he's in way over his head. He groans and smacks his forehead anxiously against the wall, images of the last few hours replaying in his head. Sasha using Mr. Barnes and turning him back into the Winter Soldier, however that works. Blaming whatever she was using him for on him, even though he's clearly innocent. Mr. Rogers kicking him out of the tower to go live on the streets of Manhattan. It's one awful misunderstanding after another, and at every step of the way Peter could have intervened, but he didn't. He lingered just around the corner or just outside the door and did nothing, and the guilt he feels for it is insurmountable.

He spins around and bounces on the balls of his feet a few times for good measure. He has to do something, that much is true, but what? Sasha was so close to being caught, but she wasn't. Peter doesn't have access to the tower's security system. He could try to find a way in, but it used to belong to Tony Stark, a man who notoriously did not cut corners when it came to security. He doesn't think he has a chance in convincing Mr. Rogers, because he has very little evidence besides what he witnessed.

He glances down at his arm, at the small metallic piece encircling the wrist. His perfected web shooters, the one thing that makes him Spider-Man. Well, that and the ability to stick to walls.

If no one is going to believe him, he has no choice but to take down Sasha alone.

He pulls the mask back on as he races down the hallway, vision immediately darkening to adjust to his surroundings. Where she might be is a complete mystery, but she has to be here. Leaving the tower after such a close altercation would be too suspicious. She's going to spend her time wisely, no doubt, but where would she go? There are too many hypotheticals, but Peter needs to get to her before she causes more damage.

He opts for the stairs and glances over the railing before jumping over the edge, leaping from wall to wall until he reaches the basement. Cautiously, he nudges the metal door open with a foot. A shiver runs through him, remembering the creepy preserved alien he saw down here. After a few seconds, he leans forward and releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. There's no sign of Sasha, so he pushes the door open a little further and slips through.

The Stark Tower basement looks exactly like what you would expect. An arrow points to an emergency shelter off to the right that Peter hasn't seen, so he darts left as quietly as possible. The feet of his suit are textured for optimal stealth so he's nearly silent as he races along, fluorescent lights whining above his head. She has to be down here. Without a mind-washed puppet to do all her investigative dirty work, she'll probably be cleaning up her lies alone.

It's a maze. Peter darts through swinging doors and covers cameras with webs, cautious of the route he's taking. The odds of Sasha being down here are high, and he glances around every corner before continuing. More than once he has to break through a set of doors, apologizing to the late Tony Stark whose tower he's destroying and hoping that J.A.R.V.I.S. isn't alerting Sasha to his every move. Forced entry is not his forté. Breaking into labs is a bad guy thing.

And then he feels it. Between the hum of the fluorescent lights, the pounding of his heart, and the thrumming of the heating system, there's almost an imperceptible noise, but his ability cues him in on the vibrations in the air if not the noise itself. He freezes. It's her.