Chapter 302: The Villain Vulture
The barbecue gathering finally came to an end. Some had eaten with great relish, while others had their minds far away, lost in the reaches of outer space.
"Goodbye, everyone," Thor said as his armor shimmered into existence. He summoned Mjolnir; it was time for him to return to Asgard.
"Leaving already?" Steve asked.
"Yes, it is time to return," Thor replied. He now had many questions for his father.
Tony stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Think you'll come back to visit sometime?"
"I definitely will," Thor said with a faint smile. "Farewell, everyone!"
With that, Thor raised his hammer. A beam of rainbow-colored light shot down from the sky, whisking him away and leaving behind a mysterious, scorched pattern on the grass.
"Really? He had to ruin the lawn," Tony muttered, looking down.
Steve simply patted Tony on the shoulder. "I'll be waiting for your news."
"Yeah, I know," Tony nodded.
"We're heading out too, folks," Silas said, opening a Shadow Portal and pulling Peter toward him.
"See ya!" Peter waved goodbye before stepping into the portal with Silas.
"Goodbye!" Wanda was the only one who called out.
Pietro looked around awkwardly before tugging on Wanda's sleeve. "They're already gone."
Tony wasn't in the mood to deal with the new recruits just yet. "Jarvis."
"At your service, sir," Jarvis replied, piloting the Mark 45 armor to attach itself to Tony.
Since Silas had taken the Scepter, Ultron never built his new body, which meant Vision was never born. Consequently, Jarvis hadn't disappeared; he remained Stark's right-hand assistant. Tony had once asked him if he wanted to become a true artificial lifeform, but Jarvis chose to forgo a physical body and remain within Tony's armor.
"Moving out." The thrusters on Tony's hands and feet ignited, and he streaked into the night sky.
"Look at that. Not bad," Rhodey said, watching Tony's new suit with a hint of envy. He wanted a suit that was just as convenient, but his War Machine armor, though upgraded, couldn't match Tony's seamless tech.
After saying their goodbyes to Clint, the rest of the team boarded a jet and headed back to the new Avengers base.
Queens
"It's finally over~" Peter stretched, peeling off his Spider-Man suit and flopping onto Silas's bed.
"Get off my bed. You're all sticky," Silas said, exasperated.
"No, I'm not! I specifically took a shower before the barbecue. I haven't even broken a sweat," Peter explained.
"Whatever," Silas muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed and picking up a controller. After being busy for several days, his body was naturally fatigued. It had been a long time since he'd touched his gaming console.
"I'm in! I'm definitely beating you this time." Peter grabbed the other controller and the two brothers began their digital battle.
Sokovia
Despite the city falling from a great height, a significant amount of robotic wreckage remained. SHIELD agents were currently on-site, clearing the debris. They had set up long cordons and had agents patrolling to ensure no civilians entered the area.
Inside the perimeter, tents had been erected. Agents were placing wreckage on tables with a singular mission: to ensure every piece of Ultron's technology was cataloged and destroyed.
Outside the tents—Snap! The sound of a breaking branch echoed.
"Who's there?!" An agent quickly drew his handgun, aiming it toward the source of the noise.
When there was no response, the agent cautiously approached the brush. "Be careful," his partner warned.
"Copy that," the agent whispered as he stepped into the woods.
His partner picked up his radio. "This is K1 sector, we have suspicious activity—"
Before he could finish, a figure appeared before him.
"Goodbye!"
Morning at Empire State University
Silas was woken up by Peter, and the two of them made their way to school.
"Here we go again... another boring day of school," Silas sighed, slumped over his desk. At this moment, he almost wished Ultron would show up again. But since he was in college now, constantly skipping class wasn't a long-term solution.
"Is our little 'Master of Excuses' actually attending class today?" Felicia Hardy turned around, resting her chin on her hand as she teased him.
Ever since the semester started, Silas had been taking leaves of absence constantly—even more frequently than Peter. Speaking of Peter, although Silas had only called for his help yesterday, Peter's attendance was only slightly better. Whenever Peter was in class and heard a robbery in progress, he'd suit up, ask Ned to cover for him, and swing into action.
"You two really are brothers," Gwen Stacy added, also turning back to join the conversation.
"Don't say that! Peter is actually..." Ned was about to mention the "Spider-Man" secret when Peter quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
Ned had discovered Peter's identity after a class ended recently. He'd had a stomachache and stayed in the bathroom until class started. Just then, Peter—having finished stopping a crime—had leaped through the window into the stall, only to turn around and find a stunned Ned staring at him.
"You promised me you wouldn't say anything!" Peter whispered to Ned before giving Gwen a strained smile.
"What was Ned about to say?" Gwen asked suspiciously.
"Nothing!" This time, Ned covered his own mouth without Peter's help.
"Are you guys hiding something from me?" Gwen's curiosity was piqued. She looked Peter up and down, but he didn't look particularly special.
"Of course not," Peter said awkwardly.
"Don't ask, Gwen. Don't you know? Boys have all sorts of unspeakable secrets," Felicia interjected, breaking the tension.
Gwen's mind immediately went to a certain "biological" place. She turned back around quickly, muttering, "How boring."
"Uh... what did she think we were talking about?" Peter asked, genuinely confused.
"In my expert opinion, it was definitely that," Ned said. As an "old pro," he immediately knew where Gwen's mind had gone.
"What's that?" Peter asked. Why was Ned talking in riddles?
Ring!!!
The bell rang, and Ned scurried back to his seat.
"Silas, do you know what they're talking about?" Peter whispered in Silas's ear.
Silas, still slumped on the desk, replied listlessly, "It's obviously that, Peter."
"???" Peter was utterly baffled.
Forget it. Peter shook his head and whispered, "I saw those bank robbers again last night."
"Which ones?" Silas had honestly forgotten. He'd been so busy lately that he'd overlooked Peter's local neighborhood drama.
"The ones wearing the Avengers masks! I told you about them before," Peter said.
Silas suddenly remembered. Ah, the Vulture.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!