Allies & Enemies // Spider-Man [Book 2]

twenty-nine{Arya's POV}

Friday afternoon. School had just ended and I still hadn't heard from Peter about the Spring Formal. Of course, I started jumping to conclusions. He either assumed he didn't have to ask me, or he was planning something. I was a little anxious that it was the former. 

But I had more important things to think of. We were at the New York harbour, waiting for the sellers of the Chitauri weapons to arrive. 

We were both in our suits, obviously, and I had worked all week on installing intercoms in our masks so we could communicate even when we were apart. 

I was crouched on top of a container crane, waiting for the sellers or Graham to arrive. 

Graham had informed us he'd be coming in a black van, so that's what I waited for. Peter was on the other side of the road, a few feet higher than I was. He could get down easier anyway. 

I perked up at the sound of an approaching vehicle. A black van turned around the corner and in the faint light of the street lantern, I recognised Graham in the driver's seat. Another man sat beside him. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties. 

The van came to a stop and Graham and the man got out, carrying a medium-sized duffle bag, presumably filled with cash. They stood by their van and looked around. Graham's eyes shifted up and met with my own. He sent me a nod so minimalistic that I almost didn't see it. I nodded back. 

It remained silent for another couple of minutes and I almost started to believe that the sellers weren't going to show, and just when I was about to contact Peter, a grey car steered onto the harbour. Its headlights were turned off and as it came to a stop, it almost made no sound. The car door swung open and a dark-skinned man stepped out. My eyes shortly left the man and travelled to Peter. His gaze was trained on the men as he observed their every move. 

"Pete?" I asked through the comms. "You see them?" 

"Yeah, I see them. When are we going in?"

"When they bring out the weapons."

"Copy."

I turned back to the men and saw they had stopped talking. The dark-skinned man walked to his car and opened up the trunk. He took out a metal crate and placed it at Graham's feet. I hated that I couldn't hear what they were saying, but when Graham crouched down to open the crate, I guessed that the seller had told him he could inspect the weapons inside. The seller watched along over his shoulder with his arms crossed. 

Because of the way the crate was positioned, I couldn't see what was stored inside, but I assumed it was the weapons because I saw Peter's spider eyes growing slightly. He looked at me and nodded. I jumped over the edge and before I could even come close to hitting the ground, Peter grabbed ahold of me and made sure I landed safely on two feet. 

While I was on the floor, Peter remained on higher grounds to oversee the situation. 

I summoned the spheres of electricity around my hands and held them up to the two men. The seller looked up, his eyes widening considerably. "Step away from the crate," I told him, my voice as monotonously as possible. 

The man raised his hands and so did Graham. They both took a set of steps back and I kicked the top of the crate shut. "Where did you get these?" I asked, nodding at the crate. 

The seller remained quiet. "Where did you get these?" I repeated through gritted teeth, pushing the spheres closer to his face. He flinched slightly. 

"I bought them a while ago," he answered. 

 "From whom?"

"This guy who manufactured them. The Vulture?" he hesitantly said. 

"What did he look like?" I questioned. 

"He was in his forties, I think. Not a lot of hair. He wore this leather jacket with a fur collar," he told me. That sounded like the Vulture we knew. 

"Do you know who's impersonating this guy?" I questioned.

"There's an impersonator?" 

I narrowed my eyes at him but discovered he was either telling the truth or he was really good at hiding his lies. I guessed the first. "Yeah, do you know anything?" I asked. 

"No, I didn't even know there was another. I got these from the Vulture and I kept them in my garage. When I heard the prices were rising, I decided to sell them," he answered. 

"Okay, let's say I believe you. Do you know how I could get in contact with this impersonator?" 

He remained silent for a few seconds. "No, I don't." 

"Okay," I said, lowering the spheres slightly. "You can go."

"But what about-" he started but I cut him off by striking a lightning blast just before his feet, leaving a blackened mark on the asphalt. He stumbled back and whipped out the gun that he had stored in the back of his jeans. He raised it at me but before he could pull the trigger, a string of white web stuck to the top and ripped the weapon from his hands. 

Peter swung down and chucked the weapon away. He landed beside me and slowly rose to his feet. "Nice one," I commented without taking my eyes off of the man. "I suggest you get out of here." 

His eyes darted around as if he was trying to find a way out but when he realised his defeat, he raised his hands in the air and walked to his car. He got in and drove off without another word. 

We turned to Graham and his minion. "Here," I said, picking up the bag of cash and tossing it toward them. Cade was just in time to catch it before it hit the ground. 

"The weapons?" he questioned and as an answer, I shot a lightning blast at it and it exploded into a bright fire. Graham stumbled back with shock evident on his face. "We had a deal!" 

"Did you really think we were gonna let you take something this dangerous with you to do God knows what?" I asked him, stepping closer and placing my hands on my hips. "You should be happy we didn't let him take your cash." 

I reached down and took Peter's hand in my own, pulling me with him away from Graham and the burning crate. I heard a car engine start in the distance and the sound soon faded into nothing. 

Once we were out of sight, Peter swung us up onto the containers where I took off my mask. "We did it," I sighed, blowing out a breathy chuckle. 

"Yeah, we did," he grinned after taking off his own mask. "And I have one more surprise for you." 

I looked at him sceptically. "Surprise?" 

He put his mask back on and held out his hand. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

I giggled, placing my mask back on my face and placing my hand in his. "With my life." He closed his fingers around my palm and jumped off the crates, pulling me with him. A yelp escaped my lips as I went into a freefall. Before we came close to the floor, Peter wrapped his arm around me and I clung to him like a koala with my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. 

I barely saw anything as he swung us through the darkness so I just closed my eyes and listened to the wind howling past me. 

We came to a sudden stop and dropped a foot or two down. I opened my eyes and at the sight, a gasp left my lips as my jaw dropped.