The REM Trials

Chapter 22

"I don't know how I feel about this." Dad asks from the doorway as I secure my mask and belt on my suit. "The DEA and FBI are perfectly capable of handling this. It's why I called them, and if things go south, you could really get hurt."

A frown pulls at the edges of my lips as I turn to him. "Or if I'm not there, innocent people could. Those agents might not be prepared to face off with high tech weapons, and if they aren't, it will be a disaster." His face turns serious as I approach, "At least if I'm there, I can help them stop it before something happens or contain it if it does. The mere fact that I'm willingly going on a boat should show you how serious I am about this. Not to mention, the sooner they're in custody, the sooner I can sleep knowing that the REM Trials won't be getting their hands on alien tech any time soon."

"Fine, but if there's even a whiff of trouble, ARTI is going to call me." He pulls me tight into his chest with a heavy sigh, "Just be careful and make sure you come home."

"Don't I always?" I half smile at him, "Stark family trait, I suppose, we always find our way back eventually, but I promise, I'll let ARTI call you at the first sign of trouble. I have to get going. I need to make sure Peter is gonna stay out of this."

"Has he still been investigating?"

I feel my chest constrict as I force out the lie, "No, but I'd rather be sure. I'll talk to him and make sure my contacts keep an eye out if he goes searching for any information."

Dad nods, and I tug my hood up as I head out. Still, I can feel his worry following me through the streets as I head towards Peter's location. It's busy on every street today, which leaves me navigating rooftops and shadowy alleyways to get to his apartment.

"Hey there, hot stuff." I call as I land in front of him. "We need to talk."

"Ph-Phantom, um, hi. We need to talk? About what?" He stutters, and I can see the heat rushing to his cheeks, which makes me bite my cheek to keep from smiling at the thought of how easily I can make him blush like this.

Luckily, the moment I remember why I'm here makes all warmth fade in an instant. "About your meddling." I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him, "Stop investigating and chasing Vulture. This is my investigation, and the more you meddle, the harder it gets for me to stop them. So here's a word of advice, stay out of my way or else you'll see what I'm really capable of."

I turn on my heel to walk away from him, but Peter's voice rings out making me stop. "Is that a threat?"

"Depends on you. If you let this one go, it won't be. I make no promises if you decide otherwise." I pause on the ledge of the roof, "Don't take any of this the wrong way, I really believe you're exceptional and that we'll work together soon. Right now though, my focus is on stopping these guys and keeping those weapons off the streets. I hope you can respect that. See you around, Spandex."

Anything else he's about to say is drowned out by the breeze blowing by my ears as I move to the window and head out to meet the agents. I utilize the time to think about everything.

This is it, I finally have a chance to do something good. If I stop Vulture and his crew, then it could prevent mass amounts of damage like what happened at Delmar's or if the REM Trials go a hold of them. Then maybe I can start balancing the scales.

"Phantom," Agent Darnell calls when he spots me, "nice of you to show up."

I bristle at the blatant disdain in his voice but brush it off. "I appreciate you agreeing to let me lend a hand. Don't worry though, I'll only step in if things start to go south."

"Good." He nods and turns back to the other agents without so much as a second glance my way.

ARTI sets up a display of the ferry with the prime spot for me to scout the situation from. I offer the agents an update on my plan, but as expected, I'm brushed off with cold shoulders and angry looks. They follow me as we join the crowd to board the ferry, and I blend into the shadows near the vehicles. "Incoming call from Aaron Davis." ARTI chimes, "Would you like me to answer?"