Through the Web

Period Six: Computer Networking

After lunch, Peter gathered his things and traveled down to Tony's part of the lab. He needed the countless amounts of computer monitors for his next class and Tony was going to attempt a nap again (after all, he'd been up for three days straight). No one else was down there as Bruce had ran to the store--even if he was there, he still wouldn't have been a distraction. For once that day, Peter truly felt like he wouldn't get distracted by anything.

The computer networking teacher seemed pretty cool which was a major plus. Peter had been worried about this class for a while now so having this chill teacher was a relief. He wasn't entirely sure if computer networking would be something he was interested in--which has been something he's been contemplating since freshman year. On one hand, he could go around telling everyone he's been doing web design (speaking of which, he probably should make more webbing--he was running dangerously low) without it being the complete truth. On the other, he lived with people (mainly Natasha) who hacked computers for a living. Making sure his network was completely safe from Natasha and off the radar from SHIELD would be difficult. 

As they went over the syllabus and the units for the semester, Peter could see himself enjoying it. They'd dabble in coding and as a final project they'd be in charge of making a (possibly fake) website. It seemed like a fun class to take! If only Peter wasn't so on the fence about it before he would've been able to experience this sooner--and in a much different way. But alas, he wasn't a time traveler. Doctor Strange was one though. Peter gasped, his eyes widening slightly. Could he see when all of this would end? Could he see how? Peter glanced away from the screen, his mind racing. If Doctor Strange looked into the future to figure out how they cured Covid-19 and then told Bruce and Tony about it, could they cure Covid faster?! Was there an end in sight?!

He scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket, smiling and nodding along with whatever his teacher said. They had about thirty or so minutes left in class and had gone over everything they needed to so now they were just killing time by talking about summers and boring stuff like that. No one had asked Peter anything yet so he'd zoned out; and besides, trying to figure out the cure to this pandemic was way more important than listening to Lindsey babble on about how she wasn't able to ride her horse because all the stables are shut down. It took Peter a moment longer than it probably should have to unlock his phone before he was quickly typing out a text to Doctor Strange. 

Can you 🎖️🟢 🕛🕓🕜🕘🕕 to 💉🌡️🩺🔬🤧😷???

Peter turned his phone off and set it down beside him, screen up so he could see. He glanced back at the screen and started listening to the conversation again just in time to catch the teacher ask him about what he did over the summer. 

"Oh, you know," Peter drew out. How could he tell his teacher that he still went outside during a global pandemic to ensure everyone was safe because villains still attacked the city? How could he tell his teacher that he went to Asgard to get away from the sickness of everyone else in the world? How could he tell his teacher he had a push up contest with Thor, Steve, and Bucky and lost horribly--not because he lacked the upper body strength but because everyone else was simply built (or genetically modified) to be in peak condition?! "I protested Black Lives Matter with my family," he settled on. Though not technically a lie it still wasn't the complete truth. He went out dressed in his Spidey-suit along with Sam in his Falcon gear and Rhodey in his War Machine suit and protested the movement with fellow New Yorkers. It was technically Peter and they were his family but at the same time it wasn't Peter. Yeah, he still couldn't comprehend that part of a secret identity. 

The teacher nodded and called on someone else to answer. Peter smiled and laughed awkwardly. Damn was he bad in social situations sometimes. He gave himself about a minute to sulk before zoning out of the conversation again. By then his phone buzzed and a text from Doctor Strange came up. He smiled brightly and opened his phone discretely to check it.

I think I know what you're asking but can you please use words this time?

Peter's smile fell a bit. He thought it was pretty self-explanatory.  

Can you use the Eye of Agamotto and go forward in time to find a cure to Covid-19?

Duh 

Peter felt like rolling his eyes at the fact a doctor couldn't figure out what he'd just asked. Would that have been rude? Is it weird that Peter considered his feelings even though Strange wouldn't see him rolling his eyes? Peter ran his teeth over his bottom lip in thought. He set his phone down beside him and, instead of worrying about the response, started one of the computers in front of his and pulled up Minecraft. No one on the call was saying anything of importance or of interest so it wasn't like he was ignoring class. . . right? 

The main screen of the game pulled up, the soft music drifting throughout the room. Peter could feel himself start to sway to the music. It was rather calming after you've listened to it for long enough. He knew Bruce found it calming too; he'd seen a few of the songs on his playlist to calm the Hulk down. A soft smile appear on Peter's face as he continued swaying side to side. 

"Mr Parker, are you paying attention?" the teacher asked, an eyebrow raised. Peter's eyes widened as he quickly scrambled to mute the computer. He smiled apologetically to his teacher and held his hands up in mock surrender. 

"I'm not playing Minecraft, sir. I promise," Peter said. 

His teacher narrowed his eyes at him. Technically that didn't answer the question, but honestly, who was going to stop him from playing Minecraft all day at school? It's not like they could physically stop him. And detentions were rendered useless. Unless schools expected parents to monitor their children while they sat in their rooms and thought about what they'd done. Peter almost started laughing. How threatening. 

But maybe for next time he'd try and remember to check the volume of the other computer and the status of his mic before turning the game on.