Chaos Revisited
Part 6
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The sun slowly sank below the horizon. Its golden rays reflected across the windows of the skyscrapers that surrounded him. The late summer weather couldn't have been more perfect. This was usually when the first criminal of the night decided to do something really stupid, like rob a bank or mug somebody. But for some reason, the criminals hadn't shown their ugly faces yet. Spider-Man wasn't about to complain.
He shot a web line towards the Empire State Building and zipped across, then climbed to the top. It wasn't the first time he'd taken advantage of the view since he'd gotten his spider powers. The panorama was breathtaking. Spider-Man couldn't imagine a more perfect view, except perhaps when he looked into Mary Jane's eyes. Tomorrow, she would be coming to town.
They hadn't really talked since he'd gotten his mutant abilities. Sure, he'd called her on the phone, but that wasn't the same, especially since they had to avoid mentioning Spider-Man. He wanted to tell her so much. There was a lot MJ didn't know. He wondered if she still loved him.
Spidey fired a web line across the street and swung away. Below him, twilight wove shadows on concrete.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen was drinking coffee and staring at a computer screen. The lines of code were starting to get to him. If-then statements merged with for-next loops as algorithms danced across the screen. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Yep, he'd definitely been staring at the computer for too long.
Suddenly his surroundings started to fade into blackness. This was not a side-effect of too much computer programming, however. It was the precursor to one of his psychic visions, which he really hadn't gotten used to yet, even though it had been over a year.
Jimmy saw the giant Sentinel robots blasting their way through the streets of New York. The X-Men and Spider-Man were trying to stop them, but to no avail. There were just too many Sentinels. The good guys were badly outnumbered.
Peter Parker was eventually forced to use his telekinetic abilities. He flew, but one of the robots blasted him with plasma fire. There was no way he could have survived the burns, let alone the fall to the ground. Jimmy gasped. One by one, the X-Men were shot down. Wolverine was the last to fall. He managed to take several robots with him, but there were just too many remaining.
Then Jimmy watched in horror as the Sentinels turned on Magneto and tore through their base, destroying everything in their path. The Brotherhood fought against them uselessly. Jimmy saw himself die. The Sentinels eventually destroyed everything and everyone in their path.
How could Magneto be so stupid? How could he not have foreseen something like this? The monsters would eventually turn on their masters. It was the plot of many horror movies. Was Magneto blind?
The answer came like a laser blast out of thin air. Magneto was blinded by his own power and ambitions. He couldn't clearly see the fallacies of his plot. But Jimmy knew that if he tried to warn him, Magneto would kill him. There was only one chance.
When Jimmy recovered from his vision and found himself facing the computer again, the logic in his mind had reached a conclusion. Peter Parker had to be warned so he could warn the X-Men. That was the only thing that Jimmy could do. He just hoped that it would make a difference.
It wouldn't be safe to use any of the phones on the base. They were almost certainly bugged. Super villains didn't trust each other any more than they trusted other people. He would have to use a pay phone, just like he had before. Going outside would be worth the risk, however.
Jimmy phased so that it would be difficult for others to see him if he stayed in the shadows. While in that semi-transparent state, his footsteps were nearly impossible to hear. He could have been a great thief if he'd really wanted to. He supposed it was one of his abilities that Magneto planned to use to his own advantage.
Behind him, someone moved even more stealthily in the shadows. Mystique had been watching Jimmy Olsen for quite a while, under Magneto's orders. The mutant leader didn't trust him, and for good reason. Mystique knew all about Jimmy's first phone call, and suspected that he would make another. She didn't know why he had bothered to call Peter Parker of all people, but she assumed that he had a good reason. Jimmy was completely unaware of her presence as she followed him outside.
* * * * *
In New York, Peter had gone home for the night. It was almost ten, but Aunt May had waited up for him. Inwardly, he groaned. She must have seen him on the news. What was he going to tell her? He crawled in through the window, changed into his regular clothes, and went downstairs.
"Peter! It's about time you're home."
He looked abashed. "Sorry, Aunt May. I was a little busy today."
"Yes, I saw. You could have called, you know. I guess you were a little too busy playing super hero." *But it wasn't the first time, was it?*
His eyes widened as he realized that she suspected the secret. "Aunt May, you have to believe that I had no choice."
She nodded. "Ben always said that with great power comes great responsibility. I should have known you'd take his advice to heart after…what happened."
A tear welled up in her eye as memories of Ben came unbidden. *Something else must have happened, too. Peter's never told me the whole story. Why does he feel so responsible for Ben's death? Surely there's more to it. That would explain why Peter became who he is.* It was hard for May to admit it to herself, but she knew that Peter was really Spider-Man. Somewhere along the way, she had realized it.
Peter winced as he overheard her thoughts. "We'd better talk," he said.
May nodded. "I made a pot of tea."
He smiled. "You always make the best."
There was silence as May set a plate of ham sandwiches on the table and poured the tea. "Have you eaten anything for supper? I've just had a bite, that's all."
Peter shook his head. "I haven't had time to eat. Thanks."
As he began to eat, the phone rang. Peter's spider sense went off. "I'd better get that."
The voice on the phone sounded vaguely familiar. "This is very important. Tell only those you trust. There is going to be a Sentinel attack in New York sometime within the next couple of days. I don't know exactly where they'll hit, but there will be more Sentinels than before - about a dozen or so. Make sure that Spider-Man warns those who can help him. The Sentinels need to be stopped before they destroy everyone."
This time, the caller had stayed on the phone longer. Peter thought he knew who it was. "Jimmy Olsen? Is that you?"
The line went dead.
Aunt May looked at him. Her eyes and thoughts were filled with questions, but she didn't speak any of them aloud.
"I need to make a call," Peter said. "This will only take a minute."
She nodded.
Peter dialed the number for Xavier's school. Storm's voice was on the answering machine. "You have reached Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Our hours of operation are between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Please leave a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible."
"Professor, it's me, Peter. I just heard from someone I trust that the Sentinels are going to…hello?"
There was a click as someone picked up the telephone and turned off the answering machine. "Peter Parker?" It was Charles Xavier. "What about the Sentinels?"
"There's going to be another attack in the next couple of days. My informant couldn't get any more specific, I'm afraid. He only knew that the Sentinels are going to be somewhere in New York. He called to warn me about the first attack."
"Do you trust him?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
"Then I'll take your word for it. Thank you, Peter."
"No problem. If there's anything I can do to help…"
"I'll let you know," Xavier assured him.
Peter hung up the phone and turned around slowly. He took a deep breath. "There is an explanation for all this."
"I'm sure there is," Aunt May replied. "I would like to hear it very much."
He sat down and sipped his tea. It was going to be a long night.
"Do you remember the time in high school when I came home from that field trip and got really sick?"
"Yes, of course. Ben and I were very worried. You slept for so long." Where is he going with this? May wondered.
Peter nodded. "During the field trip, one of the genetically engineered spiders escaped. It bit me." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "It changed me somehow. You see, Aunt May, I…I'm really Spider-Man."
There was a silence that seemed to last for an eternity.
"Oh, Peter, I wish you had told me this sooner. Don't you know that I'll always love you, no matter what?"
He nodded and tried to fight back tears. "I didn't want you to worry about me. I'm sorry, Aunt May."
"There's something else, isn't there?"
He nodded. "If you don't hate me for being Spider-Man, you'll probably hate me for this, anyway."
"Peter, you've always been a son to me, and you always will. Nothing can change that."
"This might." He took a deep breath. "Uncle Ben died because of me. It's my fault he's dead. All my fault." He couldn't fight the tears anymore.
Her eyes widened. "Don't say that. I feel responsible, too. If I'd been able to talk him out of driving that night…"
He looked stunned as he realized that she'd been blaming herself all this time. "No. It was my fault, not yours. I had to go and wrestle that night for the prize money. They wouldn't pay me. Then a thief robbed them. All I had to do was trip him, Aunt May. But I let him go because I believed that it wasn't my problem. Instead, he shot Uncle Ben because he wouldn't give up his car. So you see, it was my fault."
May stared at her nephew. Peter had been carrying that weight around for all this time, and she hadn't even known. How could she not have seen it? Slowly, she got up from her chair. Peter stared down at his tea as she hugged him.
"You're very brave, you know. It took a lot of courage to tell me that."
He shook his head. "I'm not really that brave. One of the reasons I wear a mask is so people don't realize how scared I am out there."
"But you save lives."
"I'm Spider-Man because I have to be. These powers are my responsibility."
May nodded. "You know, super powers don't necessarily make someone a hero. We all have a hero that is part of us. That hero gives us the strength and the courage to do what's right against the odds, even if it means giving up our dreams. That's why you're a hero, Peter. It's not because of the spider bite, or Uncle Ben, or even because you're a mutant now. You're a hero because you have the determination to fight for what you believe in."
Peter smiled. "Thanks, Aunt May. I think I needed to hear that."
"No problem, dear. You'd better finish your tea before it gets cold."
He chuckled. "Yes, Aunt May."
My nephew knows Superman? May was amazed. She was definitely going to have to get used to thinking on him as being strong. In Peter's younger years, he'd been sick a lot. It would be nice to get to know him. She felt like she'd been living with a stranger ever since Ben died. Now that she knew why, a lot of things made sense. She still had a lot of questions, though. This was going to be a long night.
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