Light & Shadow

Chapter 5

I barely make it to my hideout for the night when I the alert comes through my system. "ALERT: PRIMARY TRANSFER OF CONTROL." My heart stops in my chest. The ground starts shaking under me—or maybe I'm just shaking; it's hard to tell. All I know is that I can barely breathe as I collapse on the floor.

"ARTI? Please, tell me he didn't."

It's quiet, which only confirms my fear.

"No, no, no." I press my hands to my eyes and watch the array of colors on the back of my eyelids. "This is just a bad dream. It's just a really, really bad dream. Please, let it just be a bad dream."

"I'm afraid it's not." ARTI tells me, and the proof that it's truly real makes tears stream down my cheeks. "It appears that this was part of Beck's plan all along. I've tapped into EDITH's feed when Peter transferred his control."

"How? Isn't he technically a primary user now?" I pause, thinking it over, "Unless you used the momentary lapse in the security protocols for the transfer to access the previously restricted parts of EDITH's system. You've been studying my hacking methods, haven't you?"

"I've been with you for years now, which means I've gotten to learn a lot from you."

"Aw, is that an actual compliment?"

"Of sorts." He replies and shows me the information he can access. "I can't get a visual or override any of his commands now that Beck is a primary user, but I can track his every step, obtain an audio feed, and provide you with real-time information about what he's using EDITH's systems for."

"Good. I need his location and run the voices of anyone he interacts with through the system. He can't be working alone in this. It's too intricate, too personal, and way too well funded to be him and a motley crew."

"Already working on it."

"And his location?" I ask after a long moment passes without any noticeable shift from ARTI, but he remains quiet. "I'm not gonna argue on this. If we let him keep going, there's no telling what damage he'll do. It's better to stop him now before he gains too much more momentum or gets too acquainted with EDITH."

"It's too dangerous. He's likely still under Fury's watch—I'll admit not constantly if he's getting away with this, but enough to put you at an unnecessarily high risk."

My shoulders roll back as the trademark Stark stubbornness boils under my skin. "It's not unnecessary if it helps save people—if it helps save my friends—if it—if it helps keep Peter safe."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree. Peter can take care of himself, but if you're caught, it gives the people behind the Trials exactly what they want. Not to mention what happens if they find out your lineage." There's a pause, and I can already feel myself deflating knowing what he's about to say. "Think of Morgan. Do it for her safety as much as yours."

"They shouldn't have to be separate issues. I should be able to protect both of them at once." I snap and ball my hands into fists to resist the urge to throw my glasses—and ARTI—across the room. "I don't care about the risks anymore ARTI. Morgan's got Happy and the rest of the Avengers watching over her. She'll be fine. So give me the location. Now!"

"You know I can't go against my base code. The best I can give you is the audio feed."

I rip my glasses off so forcefully they nearly snap in half. My mood only darkens as Beck's smug voice echoes in my ears. "This is a big win, but we still got a lot of work to do." It's almost drowned out by the chants for a toast, which confirms my suspicion that he's got his own team behind him. "Okay, toasts!" Beck shouts joyously, and my blood begins to boil with a brewing supernova.