Arachnophobia ⇒ Peter Parker

thirty: it's too late

     "You're a liar, Rogers!" I yelled as Rogers pushed me forward by my shackled hands. Who knew? The second I started to fill him in on the situation with Isaac he put me in handcuffs. Now, we walked straight towards the entrance of Stark Industries on a sunny day.

    The mood was calm and the second we entered the main hall, I felt a familiar sense of cold air. It was like the first night I had entered all over again. Except I was a captive, and I wasn't a guest, and I was bound in handcuffs. I remembered the events that had occurred later that first night and a chill went up my spine. My arm tingled on the spot that the Avenger's victim had been branded. Genuine fear engulfed me and I pierced Steve with the most menacing scowl I could muster. His light blue eyes staring blankly forward. I was panged with remorse and regret for revealing myself and endangering my family. I had to remind myself that now was no time to be a coward.

     An assistant ran up frantically to us and gazed at Rogers with wide-eyes. To this, Rogers said, "Let Stark know that I've got our lead. Let's get the whole team on this one."

     I began to whisper my final prayers. I confessed in a hushed tone. They wouldn't let me leave. I would probably never leave this dreaded building alive. They would torture answers out of me and then they would leave me to rot. Peter would always know me as a traitor. My end was coming soon, but I didn't realize it would be at the hands of the Avengers.

     I finished my prayer. I had been living a different life, but I refused to forget where I was from. In times of crisis, I flocked back to what I knew, and if that meant praying the Hail Mary five times in a row then so be it. Rogers arched an eyebrow and said in a quiet voice filled with amusement, "Listen, Rose, we're not going to kill you. You don't have to pray."

     "If you knew the situation that I was in, you would be praying too."

     At this, he smiled with a face of beguilement and said, "You're a kid. The worse we can do is rough you up a bit... No, I take that back."

     I soon found myself in a dark room. I rubbed my wrists methodically, specifically the sores and blisters that covered them as a result of the tight handcuffs. I waited patiently, preparing myself for the worst. What I couldn't see on the other side of the interrogation room were all of the Avengers, scattered behind the bed of the glass. They were complaining loudly about the fact Tony was late once again. Twenty minutes had passed and the billionaire was nowhere in sight. As if on cue, the man sauntered into the room. All of them rolled their eyes and snickered quietly. Rogers took him aside and began briefing him on all the details of the suspect that had caught. However, he left out one important fact: the suspect's name.

     He entered the room slowly and finally saw me. He paused in place, clearly surprised, and said, "Rose?"

     I could have held myself back. I could have prevented myself from showing any form of emotion and continued to spew out meaningless words. But, Tony's familiar nature was something that I had desperately missed in the past couple of days. I needed something to cling to. I took a couple of loose steps forward, allowing my weight to cave in on my knees. Finally, I fell forward into Tony's arms. I began sobbing. These sobs were unlike any sobs that I had ever cried. Each one came out and echoed every time that I had experienced pain and neglect in the past months. I had never heard a more horrifying noise. My tears echoed every betrayal and every death. I had welled everything up inside, and it finally had burst. My tears were real and those sobs were my way of cursing the Earth's ear for all the pain that it had inflicted upon me.

     "For God's sake, Steve, ominous music and accent lighting? If only you put as much effort into finding the damn boy as you did into our interrogations." Tony unwaveringly hugged me tightly. My shaking body was held up firmly by his. He stared down at me with understanding. He quietly said, "Let's get you out of here."

     The previous ominous lighting dropped and a bright fluorescent light filled the room, blinding me temporarily. I followed Tony into the next room where all the group was crowded around the window. After walking for what felt like forever, we finally reached a private lounging room. The Avengers and I settled. Their faces had transformed completely. What used to be stern glances were now kind and compassionate looks that accompanied by warm smiles.

     "Tell us everything, Rose. It will be painful, we know that, but we have to know who we're dealing with," Tony said as he reached forward and rubbed my shoulder. The tears that had once streamed freely on my face were now slowing to a halt, and my breath was finally regaining itself. All of the Avengers watched me carefully, and I shriveled slightly under their gaze. What did they mean by everything? I grimaced thinking back to the first day in this whole mess. I decided to start there.

     I retold the first day at the boxing gym and first encountering Isaac. I then skimmed through all the beautiful moments with Peter. They all sat there tensely, as though they were conflicted about whether or not I was an ally or an enemy. I had previously let go of my emotions, so by the time we reached the difficult parts to retell, I fluidly related them. Thirty minutes had passed and the Avengers were engaged as ever. I couldn't help but notice the occasional sniffle from Tony and the tears that collected in Steve's eyes. It was at that moment that I realized the intensity of what I had experienced. I had been tortured and abused. The worst part of it all was the only thing I could see in Tony's eyes was a deep regret. He hadn't stopped Isaac, though the truth was right in front of him.

     For the first time, I felt powerful. I could never receive a scar that could physically represent the torment and pain that I had gone through, but one thing was for certain: I wasn't the pitiful, teary-eyed girl that had sat before them just an hour ago. I was their equal. My experiences had aged me at their level.

     I aggressively said, "Every second that goes by Peter is in the hands of Isaac. We have to get moving."

    They knew I was right. Every minute that Peter was with Isaac, the danger that he was in increased. I didn't want to imagine what he was going through at the moment. I could only hope that Isaac wasn't beating him and threatening everyone he loved - which seemed to be Isaac's favorite recreational activity. Worry hung over my shoulders. Rogers and Stark seemed in agreement on something. I patiently waited for the moment where they would say that we would all go fight him. Hours were ticking by and the boy I loved was in his enemy's clutches.

     "Rose, I need you to listen to me on this. You have shown more bravery in these past couple of months that most of us have ever shown. We just need you to show a little more. We can't let Isaac, as you call him, realize what we know where Peter is. For all we know, he could be looking for you right now. Sometimes, the best way to beat the enemy is to give them what they want most."

     I got up, outraged. I said, "You're going to leave Peter alone with that disgusting man? He'll do his worst. You can't. You're supposed to be the good guys."

     Tony got up to face me, interrupting my speech. He grabbed me by the shoulders endearingly. He was concerned, and I saw a sliver of pity in his eyes. He softly said, "Rose, it's not Peter that we're going to give to him. We have to give him what he wants most. We have to give him a distraction. We have to give him you."