Chapter 65: The Gathering Storm
**Earth-199999**
Next day, the apartment in Queens was modest, cluttered with textbooks, computer parts, and DIY science projects stacked in the corners.
The walls were decorated with old posters of science fairs, a few faded newspaper clippings, and some photos of a young Peter Parker with his Aunt May. The place had a lived-in feel—cozy but chaotic, much like the life of the teenager who called it home.
A knock came at the door.
Aunt May who was wearing her casual at-home attire, went to open it. She wasn't expecting anyone, so when she opened the door and saw the person, her face began lighting up with recognition.
"Hi," the man said with a casual smirk. "I'm looking for Peter Parker."
"Tony Stark? Wow... this is a surprise. What brings you here?"
Standing in the doorway in a sharp suit and his signature smirk, Tony Stark gave a small wave. "Mind if I come in?"
May stepped aside, nodding. "Of course. It's not every day a billionaire drops by unannounced. What's the occasion?"
At that moment, Peter walked into the living room, holding a screwdriver. "Hey, Aunt May, who's at the—" He froze mid-sentence when he saw who was standing at the door. His brain took a second to process it. Tony Stark. In his apartment. Right in front of him.
Tony shot a glance toward Peter, who was just coming out of his room, looking utterly confused. "Actually, I came to talk about an internship opportunity for this guy."
Peter blinked. "Internship?" He looked between Tony and May, his brain struggling to keep up.
May smiled, clearly excited. "Peter, isn't this great? Tony Stark himself is offering you an internship. You didn't tell me you applied!"
Peter forced a nervous chuckle. "Uh… yeah. I guess I, uh… forgot?"
Tony clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's take this to his room. Top-secret Stark Industries stuff. You understand."
May chuckled. "Of course. Just don't overwork him."
As soon as they got to Peter's room and shut the door, Peter crossed his arms. "Okay. What's really going on?"
Tony turned to him after seeing the science stuff in his room while smirking. "Wow. Straight to the point. No 'Oh my God, Tony Stark, I'm your biggest fan' or 'Please sign my arc reactor model'?"
Peter frowned. "You broke into my life with a billion-dollar suit, so forgive me if I don't start fanboying."
Tony chuckled. "I like you already, kid." He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times, and suddenly, footage from a cellphone camera popped up. It was a blurry clip of a masked figure in a red-and-blue suit swinging between buildings, webbing up criminals.
Peter's stomach dropped.
"See, I have a problem," Tony continued while watching Peter's expression. "I'm looking for someone—a certain web-slinging vigilante who's been making waves in Queens. Saves people, stops crime, flips around like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat." He turned the phone around to show the footage to Peter. "Know anything about this guy?"
Peter swallowed hard. "Uh… no idea."
Tony smirked. "Yeah, sure. Because random high school kids totally just happen to have superhuman reflexes, a genius IQ, and a strong moral compass."
Peter turned back to Tony. "Look, I don't know what you think you know, but I—"
Tony waved his hand. "Cut the act, kid. I already know you're Spider-Man."
"What? No. Nope. No idea what you're talking about."
Tony raised an eyebrow and pulled out a stick and tap on the hidden place above and the Spider man suit came down.
Peter groaned. "Damn it."
Tony grinned. "Yeah, rookie mistake. Also, your 'internship'? It's real—kind of. But it's not for Stark Industries."
Peter exhaled. "Let me guess. You want me to join your side in all this Accords stuff?"
Tony sighed. "Look, kid, the world is complicated. People with powers need to be kept in check. Otherwise, things get messy. And you—you've got potential. You want to help people, right? Well, consider this the next level of helping."
Peter hesitated. "I don't know… I kinda like the whole friendly neighborhood thing."
Tony sighed. "And I respect that. That's why I need people like you. People who care more about doing the right thing than about their own egos. You ever hear of collateral damage? Because trust me, it's a nightmare. You start letting heroes run around unchecked, people get hurt. Or worse."
Peter hesitated. He understood what Tony was saying, but he wasn't sure if he agreed.
Tony saw the hesitation and took a different approach. "You know, I was just like you once. A genius, young, full of potential. Then I built a suit, played hero, and guess what? I screwed up—a lot. And people paid for my mistakes."
Peter looked down. "So, what? You think I'm gonna mess up?"
Tony softened. "No. I think you're gonna be better. You've got heart, kid. And that's rare."
Tony paused and smirked. "You can still be the friendly neighborhood guy. Just, y'know, with an upgrade." He reached into his bag and pulled out a sleek metal case. He opened it, revealing a brand-new, upgraded suit—sleeker, more advanced than the one Peter had been using.
Peter's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Tony grinned. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that."
Peter was quiet for a long moment. Then, finally, he sighed. "...Alright. I'm in."
Tony grinned. "Knew you'd come around. Welcome to the team, Spider-Teen."
.....
The morning sun hung high in the sky, casting long shadows over the private airstrip at Leipzig-Halle Airport. It was about 10 AM, and despite the clear skies, a storm was brewing—not in the weather, but in the world itself.
Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson stood near a waiting aircraft and their expressions were grim.
The explosion at the Sokovia Accords conference had left the world on edge, and Bucky was being framed as the man behind it. But they knew the truth—someone else was pulling the strings.
The real threat wasn't just his arrest—someone was orchestrating events to create chaos, and they planned to unleash an army of Winter Soldiers.
Steve knew he couldn't do this alone. With the government hunting them down, he needed allies—people who still believed in him.
"They should be here soon," Sam muttered while checking his watch. "Clint went to pick up Wanda. She's been under house arrest, but knowing Barton, that won't stop him."
Just as he finished speaking, the distant hum of an engine cut through the morning air. A beat-up van rumbled toward them, coming to a stop a few feet away. The side door slid open, and out stepped Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, and her ever-present brother, Pietro.
But they weren't alone.
A fourth figure emerged from the van, walking with an easy stride—Peter Parker.
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Peter shrugged while a casual smirk on his face. "Yeah, well, I had nothing better to do." He glanced at Wanda before adding, "Kidding. I'm here for moral support. Not picking sides."
Before Steve could respond, another figure hopped out of the van, looking around with an eager grin. "Hey, hey! I'm here too!"
Steve turned to Clint, who sighed. "Yeah… this one's new."
Sam sighed. "That's Scott Lang. I called him in. He'll qualify."
Scott grinned sheepishly as he stepped out while adjusting his jacket. "Man, this is surreal. I'm standing here with Captain America! Scott Lang. Also known as Ant-Man."
Steve gave a small smile and extended his hand. "Glad to have you, Scott."
Scott shook his hand eagerly. "Wow, this is crazy. I mean, I'm shaking hands with you. Captain America. You have no idea how big of a fan I am."
He didn't break the handshake, "Oh, wow. That's a strong grip. Of course, you're Cap. Super soldier and all. I mean, I just shook your hand, and now I probably need to frame my glove or something."
Bucky smirked slightly while Sam rolled his eyes. "Lang, focus."
Scott nodded quickly. "Right, right. So, uh, why am I here again?"
Steve's expression grew serious. "We need to stop the real threat. The person behind all of this is trying to activate more Winter Soldiers, and we can't let that happen. We're going to Siberia to shut them down before they become a danger to the world."
Scott blinked. "Wait, hold on. You want me to help take down a bunch of super soldiers? Like, Winter Soldier-level, metal-arm, face-punching, scary-ass assassins?"
Steve nodded.
Scott hesitated for a second, then grinned. "Alright, I'm in. I mean, I can't say no to you, Cap."
Sam sighed. "You realize this isn't just some fan club, right?"
Scott shrugged while Steve sighed, "We don't have time for this. The real threat is still out there, and we need to stop them before more Winter Soldiers are unleashed."
Scott's expression turned serious. "So, we're going after more guys like him, huh." He motioned to Bucky.
Bucky raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Something wrong with that?"
Scott held up his hands. "Nope, no problem at all. Just, uh… making sure I don't accidentally get my head ripped off."
Steve turned back to Peter. "Are you joining us?"
Peter leaned against the van, his expression unreadable. "Nah. I'm just here to watch. Neutral ground, you know?"
No one questioned him—not after what they had seen him do. But Scott, unfamiliar with Peter, gave him a curious look. "You give off the 'seriously powerful' vibe, but also the 'this guy might be a little too calm about all this' vibe."
Peter smirked. "That's because I am a little too calm about all this."
Pietro chuckled at Scott's confused look. "You'll get used to it."
Steve sighed, pushing aside his concerns. They had bigger things to focus on.
"Alright," he said, turning back to the group. "We don't have much time. Let's move out."
As they boarded the aircraft, Steve couldn't shake the feeling that the battle ahead would change everything. And with Peter watching from the sidelines, he knew things were about to get very interesting.