-We had two bags of weed, seventy-five ampoules of mescaline...
From idleness, I quoted old films relentlessly, unnerving Peter and getting in the way of productive work.
Picking up a couple of vials that contained conditionally safe drugs, I briefly mixed them together, gave them a good shake, and in one gulp tipped them inside me, savouring the strong citrus-flavoured degree.
-Oh, that went well... It's so smooth and the aftertaste is great, and that's in spite of the degree. Would you like a vial?
-Eh, - Parker was obviously going to say a lot of things, but remembering that he was the initiator of my participation, he just silently turned away, returning to the records and modulation on the computer. Pete's patience didn't last long, though. A new vial plunged into my oesophagus, eliciting a feigned anime-like exclamation of delight," You're not making my life any easier, Sullivan. Why am I even friends with you?
-Because of my animal charisma and charm? -Because of my animal charisma and charm? Admiration for my skills and talents? Or do you just like to have an airfield behind you in case MJ finally dumps you? You get it, right?
Alcoholic experimentation had already hit me specifically in the head, and given my general fatigue and lack of sleep, I didn't resist the result at all, deciding to pass out completely at the end of the day. And that moment was getting closer by the second.
-No rest for the righteous,‖ but fate, as always, was not favourable to me. The phone was beeping unhappily, informing about a message from an unknown subscriber, -who else did the hard work bring?
The question was asked into the void. Like me, Parker's strength hung on stubbornness alone, so my dear friend was spending those last crumbs on the case.
"Can you go outside?".
That was unexpected at the very least. After rereading the short line a couple more times, I tossed the phone at Pete without looking, and he caught it legitimately, for to awaken the Spider's sense of smell, I threw the receiver right at his head.
-Shawn, if this is another picture of Felicia in her underwear, I'm not falling for it again.
-You can't even make a joke anymore?!
Not listening to my excuses, mixed with laughter and sneaky giggles from the memories, Parker methodically continued his work, only pulling the phone closer to his face, running his eyes over the text.
-... Okay, when you showed her, but I don't want to see your arsehole again.... Hmm, intriguing.
-Oh, there you go, old bloke. Stop grumbling, we're in the middle of something serious here.
-You think it's a trap? Who could it be? Although I hope it's just a joke.
-Yeah, sure. Do you believe it yourself?
-...
-We could just stay here, actually. It's not a good idea to go after some freak we don't know. It could be an ambush. Crowds of hostiles, mutants, or that steel-masked psycho who shoots lightning bolts out of his hands again?! Ooh, maybe I shouldn't have mixed all that stuff in those vials.
I burped, falling back on the couch, almost falling asleep, listening to Pete's grunts and swearing.
-For God's sake, don't throw up on Aunt May's couch," Parker rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair, letting his arms hang loosely along his body.
-You cleaned the sofa so much that this part was cleaner than all the others.
-I had to scrub the whole thing!
-Let's leave it at that, we've got a serious issue here. What are we gonna do?
I reached for the new vial on the table, hoping to mix another unique flavour. Pete also noticed my manoeuvre and, riding up on a chair, hoped to get ahead of me and take away the coveted grail. A mock arm wrestle ensued, with both of us using sneaky moves, with my tentacles helping me and his webbing helping him. The noise gradually increased and some of the tubes fell to the floor, spreading the aromas of alcohol and sweet additives around the garage.
And just as I was about to win the battle for the coveted prize, we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Pete and I stood frozen in ridiculous poses, like two boys caught jerking off, looking at each other fearfully, even though we were superheroes.
-Aunt May's at her sister's, isn't she? Why the fuck are we frozen?
-That's right," Pete wiped the non-metaphorical sweat from his forehead and returned to his desk, "Come in, Uncle Ben, it's open...
But instead of the old Jew, the head of my new acquaintance squeezed through the door, flashing a fresh strand of grey in her head. A long white streak adorned her chestnut mane. Under her frightened eyes were huge bruises, where a child's fist could easily fit. She looked more than disgusting, though it was not customary to say such things aloud to ladies.
Seeing our surprised faces, the southern cutie smiled weakly, not standing on her feet and falling down the aisle. Thankfully, my and Peter's reflexes allowed us to catch her before her snub nose met the concrete.
***
Anne-Marie had a terrible dream. Frightening reality met fantasy, where she always came out in the middle. A reckless act, teenage stupidity and everything went to hell. Memories came in waves, immersing her in the events of years gone by, especially dwelling on today.
Dreams of a simple life and... Membership in the Brotherhood of Mutants.
She constantly struggled between these variables, thanking her new family from the bottom of her heart for helping her in her hour of need, but it was getting harder every day, especially seeing exactly how the Brotherhood fighters were using their powers.
Yes, exactly the fighters and she was slowly becoming the same. Even her current state was dictated by the fact that she had finally overpowered herself and decided to become a full part of the society of aggressive mutants led by Magneto.
Only one desire, seemingly noble and sincere, which should have been beneficial, almost drove the girl to the grave. She overestimated herself, decided to take away the enemy's strength, with all the dedication invested in this desire and this is the result. All because of her.
Her power, her curse. Something she can never be normal again. Live with normal people, have friends, a man, children. a normal family with a lot of simple and stupid problems, like fighting over pancakes for breakfast. What used to cause embarrassment and childish laughter was now a bloody tear in her heart.
With one touch, she could sweep a grown man off his feet. Any part of her skin could unknowingly kill any fool who dared to touch her. Suck out life itself, strength, ability... Everything. Even her very identity.
Her hand clenched against her will.
How many years had she wandered for this 'gift', persecuted from everywhere. Not only by people, but also by her own feelings. Afraid of accidentally touching a newspaper seller or hitting a child in a crowd, instantly sending the poor thing to the other side of the world.... Magneto and the rest of them can consider this shit whatever they want, but to give such a high-minded word as "gift"... Too much.
How she longed to be rid of him. To forget it forever, just erase it, like crooked pencil strokes on white paper. One move... And all the problems were behind her.
But reality was quickly bringing her back, washing away her childhood dreams and leaving her alone with reality.
And now she was left in reality again, slowly waking up, trying to push away the obsession gathered from the clumps of memories that came crashing down on her, worth holding her touch for longer than a few seconds.
Funny. Only a few hours ago she'd known nothing about the blob of anger that now bombarded her mind, and now. Now she could tell almost more about Miss Marvel than the mistress of memories herself.
Carol Danvers. An unusual name for an alien mix and an even more unusual life and abilities.
Anna had never heard the name before today, and had only accidentally heard a prediction from Destiny of a mutant woman that she could see options for the future.
And just one sentence was enough to blast her out of her seat, to force her to go in search of the unknown woman that was to ruin her life and the life of her new family. She had to enlist the support of other mutants, convince them of the reason for the search, and promise a favour or two in the future...
And she found her, met her at the top of one of New York City's many high-rises. A cocktail party, fancy dresses with open necklines, light music and cheerful laughter. All of this only fuelled confidence, laced with envy of Carol's happy life.
Just one touch was enough to feel the power lurking in Danvers' body. Unbelievable power. A short fight, the sneaky and dishonourable techniques she'd learned on the road of life and from her foster mother... And so Miss Marvel's body was dropped at her feet, but it didn't end there.
Having squeezed her opponent almost dry, Anna-Maria could barely hold herself together, suppressing the force coursing through her body, but something was wrong. It was felt in everything. In every movement, every thought...
She had absorbed too much. Had done something she had always feared and tried to avoid.
And it was not without consequences. Along with Miss Marvel's powers, years of memories, ideals and thoughts were passed down to her, creating a true personality inside the girl's head.
The personality of Carol Danvers.
And she wasn't about to accept her new fate. Attacking Anna's consciousness, Carol's personality was driving her mad, flooding her head with memories, erasing and confusing old ones. The world blurred and reassembled itself. Here she was smoking a joint while sitting with her friends, and the next moment she was working for the CIA.... It's insane.
And in trying to get rid of that power, Anna found no other option but to spew it out along with Danvers' memory.
And all would have been well, but the real Carol, who was lying unconscious, flew away from the energy release, heading off to meet the tarmac.
Anna-Maria didn't know what to do or how to act. Her thoughts were jumbled and one moment she wanted to fall into the arms of her foster mother and the next she wanted to attack the Brotherhood's lair, rooting out the damned Nazi terrorists.
She needed to find shelter. Hide, wait it out, and figure things out. Especially about the "gifts" he'd received from Danvers.....
But then the dream-remembering began to break off and she heard voices for the first time, was able to distinguish them and understand them, uninterrupted by Danvers' constant shouting and attempts by Danvers' personality to intervene.
***
-Dude, I get it! But which one is this? The third one? Have you lost your mind or have you been watching anime?
-No way! I don't even know her!
Covering Anna with a blanket, I raise my hand to the sky in indignation, fending off Parker's attacks. I played it perfectly. Tone of voice, emotion, expression and natural facial expressions.... But Pete knew me too well, so he was quick to take me out.
-Of course that's why she came here and texted you about the midnight promenade outside my window. -So I'm sure that's why she's here. Fucking hell, Shawn. Don't turn my garage into your holiday home! Normal people use hotels for dates and justify it by playing golf!
-What are you talking about?! I really have no idea who that is!
Apparently, our conversation was getting a little too heated, so the woman's body rumbled, attracting attention and slowing down the argument.
Rising on her elbow, clutching her head and shaking painfully, Anna struggled to focus her gaze on us. Running from one face to the other, she turned back to me now and then and as she recognised me her face relaxed.
-Shawn, I'm so glad I found you-.
-Fucking hell.
-Yeah! -I knew it, I knew it in my heart! You old dog," Parker, mimicking his jealous wife, wrapped a dirty rag around his fist with traces of oil and other unhygienic waste, and then started hitting me, chasing me around the garage, "you dog. You're a lecher, you're a cheater, you're a cunt!
-What's the last one got to do with it?
-What's that got to do with it? -It does! Why the fuck is this happening in my house?!
Fleeing from Parker, I threw things at his feet and at one point my friend had to use his strength to keep the poor garage from becoming a dump.
Pete was about to continue the chase, but he looked back at Anna, who had opened her eyes and was now looking at my friend more closely.
-He's got a girlfriend," I couldn't help but comment, "a redhead.
-You too! And why does the fact that MJ is redheaded bother you so much?
-You're Peter, right? Peter Parker?
Our newly heated argument was interrupted by Anna's comment, causing us to stiffen and tense up.
-How do you know him? Wait, how do you even know about this place?
-Wanda told me," she said, seeing our incomprehension, she grimaced painfully, clutching her head and moving her lips soundlessly, as if she was communicating with someone other than us, "the Scarlet Witch.
-Who?
-The bitch in red.
-Ah, that's the one that Sean kicked in the arse. -Who? Fuck.
Pete was clutching his mouth, eyes wide as he apologised to me and prepared to flee. That's a pretty stupid thing to say. We didn't know how much the girl knew, but it was better to keep our secrets to ourselves.
I expressed it all with a single look, while promising all imaginable punishments to my friendly neighbour.
-You don't have to be afraid. I know about your alter-egos," the girl giggled, clearly amused by our faces and what was going on, "Wanda can read minds. She has very versatile powers and her abilities are extremely powerful.
We spent a few minutes on mats and clarifying questions, during which I managed to pour each of us a "magic" vial, purely to calm our nerves, of course.
Just a couple of sips, the heat penetrating to the gut - and here we are already sitting around the table, like old acquaintances.... Although, let's face it, the girl obviously knew a lot more about us than she's letting on.
-Telepath? Another one? Really?
-It's not enough we got bald Hawking, now we got that evil bitch you broke your face with. -Yeah.
-Oh yeah, she's a bitch, so get ready for her to come looking for you and take revenge," Anna said, clearly tipsy and cheerful, having had a strong cocktail on an empty stomach, "she's got a mania now.
-Super, -I slumped in my chair, feeling rather fatalistic at the realisation that my ridiculous ass was of interest to a couple of telepaths at once, -How much did she tell you?
-Just enough for me to find this house.
-Fuck! This is just some kind of--
Peter was at a loss for words and I understood him. A gang of terrorist Nazis have found our homes and know about our loved ones. What to do now was frankly incomprehensible.
-What now? Are they coming for our relatives?
-Well, Spider has nothing to fear, because at the meeting Magneto decided to consider you one of their own, -turned in my direction, Anna made a pitiful face, -but you I would not advise in the future to meddle in their affairs. Magneto is no stranger to foul play.... And a lot of his subordinates are just like him.
-Shit. I have to go home now.
-They're fine, -Anna finally managed to sit down, explaining my questioning look, -I was flying to you first, and then here. And they won't touch them now, it's too much trouble for such a small thing.
-The little things... Wow, - rubbing my face with my hands, I could more or less calm down, realising that if mutants wanted to hurt my parents, they would have done it long ago. - Okay. So wait, did you say "in the future"?
Anna has once again proved herself to be a great conversationalist by getting my question right.
-The Brotherhood is leaving New York. There are too many of our enemies here. Your band of heroes, S.H.I.E.L.D., the C.I.A., the army.... The arrival of Charles Xavier only finally convinced Magneto to back off. Plus. The Goblin's gone, leaving us without fulfilling our deal, and the local gangsters can no longer sponsor us with money and weapons, because the rates are too brutal.
-The goblin is dead.
-"All the more reason," she retorted. She didn't react, she just took note." "Then there's no point in dragging this out.
-So what now? It's just going to end like this? Can we start celebrating and relaxing?
Returning to the table, Pete shook his notebook at my words, bringing back the decadent mood that had been lifted by the recent news.
-We'll hunt dinosaurs first.
***
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