Scorpio

SEVENTEEN - Peter Parker

Alycs shifted his shoulder for a more comfortable position against a granite pillar, watching the door the Midtown High team had disappeared in. Estella hadn't held back, venting out every little detail of her alien encounter to the point where Alycs had a grimace on his face. Thankfully, he had a sandwich and candy bar to calm her down with - although given the ravenous pace she was gnawing both at, he estimated about ten minutes before she began recounting her alien experience again.

To his left sat a couple, likely the parents of a participant, yet their faces struck Alycs as oddly familiar. Especially the lady, whose eyes seemed to gleam red from beneath her beanie, in the foreboding sense that she was watching him. Alycs reluctantly shrugged it off as a trick of the light when the door to the green room opened, and a stream of students filed out.

"Found him," Alycs murmured to Estella. Without waiting for her response, he took her arm and dragged her after the group of yellow coats that wove through the sea of blue, fleecy vests. He was consciously relentless in his movement through the crowd, his feet spaced and shoulders squared, making sure that his larger frame would clear a path for the claustrophobic teen behind him.

They finally broke through the crowd into the shadow of the giant building, the smell of old textbooks and cafeteria food fading into heated tarmac and vehicle exhaust. The group of yellow coats trailed into the parking lot, with Alycs and Estella following just far enough behind to pass as tourists if anyone turned their head.

The pair traipsed towards a cherry-red Fiat 500 parked on the far outskirts of the parking lot, tinted windows restricting Alycs from seeing if anyone was inside. A vibration in his cargo pockets startled him, and fishing out the culprit, he found his holoscreen cheerfully reminding him his timer was about to beep.

"Dammit."

Without bothering to explain, Alycs pulled Estella down into a crouch and draped an arm around her shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't manage to get a word in, for as soon as she opened her mouth - they were teleporting.

*******

"So how do you know this Alex guy, who asked you to be his Obi-Wan Kenobi to him and his padawan? Which is crazy cool, by the way!" A large guy in a hat and yellow coat thrummed with nervous energy in the rear seat of a little city car, clutching a brand-new backpack on his lap. His best friend was uncharacteristically checking through his cell, his eyes flitting to his aunt and best friend on occasion from his spot in the shotgun of the car. Once or twice he opened his mouth, but then seemed to shy away and closed it again.

"Stark Internship." Came the simple reply. A phone buzzed, and his 'please-don't-embarass-me' tone changed to an almost panicked 'be-casual-be-casual' tone both his aunt and best friend picked up on. "They're coming soon."

Ned lifted the brim of his hat and peered out the window. "Peter, I don't see anyone... Maybe they're running late?"

"Alycs is always punctual." Peter defended quickly, flicking his eyes up to the rearview mirror. As if on cue, the seat beside his best friend began shimmering for a split-second, before the boy in question appeared on the leather cushioning, covered in luminescent violet goo.

Ned almost yelped, recovering after a second and extending a hand in greeting. He flashed his best friend a smug smile, proud of his quick recovery - when suddenly the goo melded together and another person appeared in the now-cramped rear seating.

Ned definitely yelped this time.

*******

Alycs wasted no time breaking the ice with their new acquaintances, laughing off Ned's initial reaction with ease. Estella looked up at him from her spot squished against him, watching his eyes shine with mischief as he spoke. There were only two seats in the rear; Alycs had insisted they would be fine sharing a seat, and coupled with Estella's melting ability, she hadn't minded all too much. Controlling her powers to keep herself as dense as a gummy bear was a good distraction from the recurring feeling of dread she felt when she thought back to the aliens.

Had she actually killed them all?

She felt her chest clench as she recalled the littlest of aliens, and how it painfully reminded her of someone she knew - someone with the same assortment of nicknames, the same precocious voice that tended to ramble at times for just the sake of having people to listen to them, because all they ever wanted was to make a positive contribution.

But they were going to kill you if you hadn't retaliated, a voice in her mind argued back.

The Fiat 500 ran over a pothole, and Estella's gummy bear form jiggled. The conversation around her was merrily teasing, and in the small lapse in jokes, Estella could see Peter glancing over at her in the rearview mirror. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, and it seemed to do the trick, for he swivelled in the opposite direction to join the debate about the best character in Star Wars.

Heroes have to deal with hurting creatures for justice, and the greater good, Estella told herself. Problem was, she didn't feel like one just yet.

*******

Peter balanced several cans of soda on top of several plates and forks, a few large takeout platters of Greek food dangling from a bag on his forearm. He set them down on the coffee table to a chorus of gratitude from the people gathered around it, and they all dug in eagerly, pausing only to comment on the best dishes or ask for help in passing a dish. Peter noticed the violet girl, Estella, hardly spoke throughout the meal and watched on with an odd sense of pride as she finally worked up the courage to ask Ned for the lamb kebabs.

"-breaking news: earlier this morning, multiple witnesses reported what seemed to be a storm of either buildings or rockets falling from the sky-"

Peter looked up at the blackened TV, then at his best friend who had the remote in his hand and was rambling an apology of how he had accidentally kicked the remote when leaning to grab a piece of pita bread. Alycs suddenly perked up, grabbing the remote and switching the TV on again.

"We were there!" He exclaimed, pointing at the grainy footage of grey streaks against a blank sky. If Peter focused, he could see a little black jet weaving between the spikes, and when he pointed this out to Alycs, the curly-haired boy beamed.

Suddenly, the footage lit up with green, and everyone jumped with the loud boom that followed afterwards. The camera quickly angled in a different direction, and the footage faded away. A shoe insoles advertisement took its place, and Alycs muted the TV.

"Firework accident?" Aunt May suggested, breaking the silence.

"Probably." Peter acquiesced, and the other teens reluctantly agreed. It was unlikely that a firework blast would have scared off the towers, as unmanned as they appeared. The only people on the planet with enough power and technology to send a fleet of towers falling from the sky were too pretentious to keep their towers unbranded. Peter knew one of them first-hand, and even he had to agree; no matter how much he respected him.

Plus, the fact that the camera had instantly shied away seemed to be a mystery in itself. News cameras never wanted to miss an opportunity for a good story, especially not in NYC.

Peter drew his pita bread through a styrofoam bowl of chilli, chewing on it thoughtfully.

He would have to think on this for a while.

Rebooted 7/6/2019