The Black Spider - 12. Chapter 12: Inevitable - Part 1

It wasn’t until the next morning, Wednesday, when Peter found out about the homicide that’d taken place the day before. He’d just finished confirming that the latest update had been downloaded for one of his games, and had turned the system off, when the television brought up its selection menu. The selection menu provided a live feed of whichever station the television had been left on in a miniature window. The station happened to be broadcasting the local news, and was at the tail end of its report in regards to the homicide.

Peter had been just in time to hear that the newest homicide was being linked to a previous one that he was very familiar with. The one that’d taken his uncle’s life. It’d caused him to rewind the report after it was finished so that he could hear the entire thing. What he found out was that there had been other homicides that’d taken place after the one that’d claimed his uncle, but previous to the one being reported. As he reflected on the report, he vaguely remembered hearing about one of those previous homicides months before.

Questions that were old and buried in Peter’s mind fought to reawaken. He was able to keep it in check at school, where there was Glen, M.J., Liz, and class to provide distraction. He was even able to keep it in check after school during study session with Glen and the girls, as well as afterward, once he was home with his aunt and foster siblings. It wasn’t until he was in bed, after lights out, when he finally relented and allowed the old and buried questions to finally wake.

Peter hated that even at present time there were still so many unanswered questions. There were still no answers as to why any of the people who’d done the killing actually did it. No killer in history had ever killed without purpose. There was always a reason. So where was the reason here?

And how was it possible for each of the homicides to be carried out flawlessly?

All of the details of death were the same, according to the news reports. The victims’ bodies were always in close proximity to each other, as well as to the killer’s body. All of the victims had suffered a singular gunshot wound to the front of their heads, while the killer suffered one to the side of their head. This would mean that each of the victims was facing the killer. Why hadn’t they tried to run, or attempt to get the gun away from the killer? It was as if they’d just stood there and allowed themselves to be shot.

A thought suddenly came to Peter’s mind.

What if the victims had just stood there and allowed themselves to be shot?

“That’s stupid. Why would they do that?” Peter mentally disagreed with the thought.

Like it sometimes did, as if it were its own separate entity, Peter’s mind provided an answer.

Maybe the victims had no choice. Maybe they were forced.

“But that would have to mean that there was someone else involved. Someone else calling the shots.”

Although he hadn’t spoken out loud, Peter winced at his unintended pun. But, he continued down the path that his thought process was leading him. It was a very real possibility that someone else could’ve forced the victims into their situation, and then forced the “killer” to shoot themselves after taking out each victim. All that was necessary was a phone and a person on the other end with something of extreme power to hold over each of the victim’s heads, or possibly over just one victim’s head.

“But if that’s true, why not just take out the person they have a problem with? Why take out everyone else in the house along with them?”

That was a question he found an easier, but nonetheless sad of an answer for. People were crazy nowadays. Sometimes it seemed as if there was a secret competition going on to see who could do the most bizarre and destructive act that included a body count.

The possibility of an outside party as the cause of the homicides now seemed very likely to Peter. It was outlandish and elaborate, but it was doable. It made more sense than a person killing their families and then themselves just because. It also provided an explanation as to why each of the homicides was similar.

However…

It would also mean that the killer was still at large. It would also mean that the killer was the very same one who’d taken his uncle’s life.

The concept sent Peter’s mind reeling.

“I have to talk to Mister Stark about this.” he decided.

If there was anyone who could put his theory to the test, it was definitely Tony. And if there was any chance that his theory might be correct, then there was a killer out there with a long overdue date with justice.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The opportunity for Peter to bring up his theory arrived the next afternoon, while he and Tony were on their way to the warehouse. Despite his best tries, Peter hadn’t been able to think up a good way to start the conversation. It’d left him with only the direct approach, which meant asking,

“So…Mister Stark, did you happen to catch the news yesterday, or maybe the day before that?”

From that single question, Tony knew exactly what Peter was about to bring up. He knew because he’d already been made aware of the homicide that had taken place two days before.

Tony’s informant had been a woman; one Natasha Romanov. She was a very lovely lady whose acquaintance he’d first met while he was under the impression that she worked for his company in the legal department. What Tony would come to find out was that Natasha was a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent under the immediate supervision of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director, Nick Fury. The very same Director Fury that a certain Agent Coulson reported to.

Natasha had been passing through Los Angeles on her way to another assignment. She’d been instructed by Director Fury to pass on the developing scenario of the homicides to Tony for further investigation. She’d given him a thumb-drive that contained the details of the case.

When Tony asked why S.H.I.E.L.D. was involving itself in something that local law enforcement should be dealing with, Natasha had simply answered,

“Check out the files and you’ll see.”

“And did the one-eyed bandit forget that I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. on a consultation level, not a send-me-missions level?” Tony replied.

“No. Which is why it’s your choice if you want to accept this case or not.”

“And what happens if I don’t?”

“Then, we’ll send in a team to take care of it.”

Tony looked away from Natasha without replying, though he’d wanted to respond to what she’d said. If the mission was being proposed to him as a single person, what was the need for an entire team to handle the situation should he turn it down?

“How’s the kid?” Natasha segued.

The question did not surprise. Tony had figured that she would know about Peter. With as close as she was to Director Fury, how could she not?

“He’s good,” he gave a short reply.

Natasha caught the hint through Tony’s tone of voice. It hadn’t surprise her in the least.

“I know,” she said.

The statement unsettled Tony.

“When you say ‘I know’, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“I mean that we’ve been monitoring your progress ever since you started training at the warehouse.”

Tony sent Natasha a contradicting look.

“That’s not possible. I made sure that J.A.R.V.I.S. was the only system that could access the warehouse. No other connections in, none out. There are no back doors.”

“That J.A.R.V.I.S. knows of.”

Tony’s contradicting look almost grew more contradicting, until he realized one small detail. The warehouse computer system was off the grid. In order for J.A.R.V.I.S. to access it, he had to connect to it remotely. The way the remote connection had to be established was unique. It could only be done while within a hundred yard radius of the warehouse. This meant that J.A.R.V.I.S. had to be connected to another system that was close enough to the warehouse computer system in order to establish the remote connection. As a final measure, the remote connection to the warehouse computer system could only be established by J.A.R.V.I.S..

But…

If there was a local connection, a hard-wire to the warehouse computer system, then there was a possibility that it could’ve been set up on its own smaller isolated system. A system that could’ve been set up in such a way that J.A.R.V.I.S. would never know it was even there.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. hardwired the system,” Tony stated his theory.

“I’m not at liberty to answer that. What I can say is that the system remains secure, hidden, and watched for any would-be intruders.”

Tony couldn’t decide which reason he should be angriest about. Was it the fact that he’d given S.H.I.E.L.D. what little trust he had in accepting their offer to help build the training facility? Was it the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been spying on him and Peter? Was it the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had not only outsmarted J.A.R.V.I.S., but himself as well? Or was it the fact that the undesirable information was being revealed to him during the same conversation in which his assistance was also being asked for?

Natasha could see the dark emotion growing on Tony’s face.

“I know you’re angry, Tony. But please understand our position in this – ” she began.

“And what exactly is that position Miss Romanov?” Tony cut her off.

“It’s not any of the ones you may be thinking right now.”

“Really?”

Natasha sighed and shook her head.

“Tony, please tell me that you don’t really think that Directory Fury would allow a child to be out there in the field doing the things that we do?”

“Me and him haven’t really spent a whole lot of face time with each other. Agent Coulson, and now you, are pretty much my only insight into his general character. And the vibe that Agent Coulson puts out there tells me that what Director Fury wants is the exact opposite of what you just said.”

“What Agent Coulson is talking about is something completely different. He’s talking about inevitability.”

It was Tony’s turn to sigh and shake his head.

“You know, why do you all of you seem to think that? It’s been six months since, and he hasn’t even shown an inkling of interest.”

The look of knowing that came to Natasha’s face did not agree with Tony in the slightest.

“Don’t be surprised if he suddenly develops one,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Tony inquired.

An electronic sound from Natasha took her attention to the watch on her left wrist.

“I have to get going,” she said, returning her attention to Tony. “Check out the files. And take care. Both of you.”

It’d taken every fiber of his being to keeping himself from stopping her exit.

Aware of what to do with the thumb drive before he put it anywhere close to his system, Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S run a battery of tests on it to make sure the drive was clean. The last thing he wanted was S.H.I.E.L.D. inside his own personal home system. Once the thumb drive was confirmed clean, he loaded its contents onto his home system and reviewed the proposed assignment.

Tony had been aware of the circumstances surrounding the death of Peter’s uncle. He’d been made privy to the information during the background check that he’d run on Peter while working on the cure for the spider’s bite. What he was not aware of were the other oddly similar homicides that’d taken place after.

It’d been a long time since Tony had watched the actual news. His reliance for local and world news had fallen to J.A.R.V.I.S, who reviewed news from around the world on a continuous basis, and presented the stories that were either important to Stark Enterprises or to Iron Man. He could see how the homicides had slipped under the radar.

Based on their analysis, S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to the conclusion that the homicides were not actually murder/suicides at all. They believed that all cases were one hundred percent murders. There was a reason why all of the cases were so strikingly similar. It was because they were all committed by the same person. S.H.I.E.L.D. believed that there was only one killer, and that the killer had been able to pull off their bizarre crimes due to some extra benefits. They had super abilities.

Tony wasn’t surprised to find that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s list of super abilities the killer might possess matched the ones that’d come to his own mind; telekinesis, telepathy, or magnetism. He already had a way to handle most of those abilities. His Iron Man suit had an anti-magnetic field that he could activate to negate magnetism, as well as an energy field disruptor that would prevent the energy around him from being manipulated, even telekinetically.

Telepathy would be the only ability that would require a retreat as its way of being handled. If there was a way to stop someone from getting into his head telepathically, Tony didn’t know it. His only defense would be to have J.A.R.V.I.S. automatically take over the suit and get him out of the situation should his brainwaves appear to be manipulated.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s report continued onward from there. Tony learned that the murders had a connecting thread. One, or both, of the adults involved in each case was an employee of Oscorp. S.H.I.E.L.D. noted that this information had been kept out of the media. It was suspected that Norman Osborn himself was responsible for it.

What S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t clear on was why the employees had been made targets. The only thing the employees shared in common was that they’d moved from the New York facility to the Los Angeles facility. If that was how the killer was picking their targets, then there were a lot of people who were still at risk.

Tony’s mission was, of course, the obvious; find out who was responsible for the murders and bring them down. Detailed files for the employees who’d made the move from New York to Los Angeles had been provided, with a list of the next most likely targets based on proximity to the current and previous murders. S.H.I.E.L.D. had also provided access to their “eyes in the sky”. It would allow Tony and/or J.A.R.V.I.S. to watch each of the residences of the at risk employees via live video feed.

S.H.I.E.L.D. would continue to work the mission pending Tony’s acceptance or refusal. He had forty-eight hours to make his decision. Tony had decided to wait until the forty-eight hours was almost up before sending his refusal. Let S.H.I.E.L.D. send in a team to take care of the situation. That way, he could keep Peter as far away from the fire as possible.

Tony felt well aware of why S.H.I.E.L.D. had passed the mission on to him for possible assignment instead of just sending a team in to handle it. If he accepted it, he would be forced to deal with it in one of two ways. Each of which spelled a win for S.H.I.E.L.D.. The first way would be for him to let Peter in on the mission. The second would be for him to keep the mission a secret from Peter, until he caught whoever was responsible and brought them to justice.

The second choice was the bigger problem between the two. Peter might understand why the mission had been kept from him until conclusion. But, Tony wondered what if he didn’t? What if Peter was hurt by the fact that his own mentor hadn’t told him that he was working the case that would not only prove that his uncle wasn’t a murderer, but would also bring forth the true murderer? It could mean that months of built up trust would be gone in a second. And then what would happen? It was a question Tony didn’t want to put himself into the position to even think about.

Tony knew that choosing not to accept the mission still left him in a pickle. There was no way to erase the information that he knew about the murders from his brain. He was still faced with the decision of telling Peter what he knew, or denying all knowledge. Though Tony hated to lie in all instances where he had to, it was an easier burden to deal with than telling the truth, especially when that truth could potentially motivate a sixteen-year-old boy to make a horrible mistake.

“Yes, I did, but I probably didn’t see the same news you did. I usually have J.A.R.V.I.S. filter it. But what about it?” Tony answered Peter’s question.

“Did you see anything about the kid who killed their family?”

Tony let mock shock hit his face and shook his head.

“No. When did this happen?”

“On Tuesday. It happened while me and you were doing training.”

Tony let the shock settle, and shook his head once again.

“Did they say what happened?” he asked.

“Just that a minor shot and killed their mother, father, and brother at their home before turning the gun on themselves.”

“Did they say why?”

“The police don’t know. They say there was no note, no social media posts that indicated the kid would do somethin’ like that, nothin’.”

“Wow.” Tony shook his head for a third time. “No offense, but what the hell is wrong with your generation?”

Peter shook his own head.

“I don’t know, Mister Stark. It’s probably somethin’ in the water,” he replied.

“Must be.”

Based on how the conversation was going so far, Peter figured that Tony probably hadn’t heard about the other homicides that had taken place. Rather than backtracking to through them, he thought it best to start with the first one.

“Has Aunt May ever told you about my Uncle Ben?” he asked.

“Not a whole lot. Just that he passed away.”

“She never told you how?”

“No.”

Peter revealed the details to Tony about the first homicide. By the time he was done, Tony found himself in the awkward position of responding with,

“I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry. I mean…your uncle and your brother and sister’s parents. That’s…harsh.”

“Yeah, it is. And thank you. But did you notice how what happened to my uncle and my brother and sister’s parents sounds exactly like what happened with this kid and their family?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did you know that there were three more homicides after my uncle’s, and before the one with the kid and their family?”

Tony let his mock shock expression return and speak for him.

“Yeah” Peter nodded. “And all of ‘em happened the same way.”

“No kidding?”

“Not at all.”

“Are you sure? Because that doesn’t seem possible, unless all of the others have been some kind of copycats.”

“Not copycats. What if they were all committed by the same person?”

Tony didn’t have to feign the surprise that waved across his face.

“What do you mean?” he inquired.

“I mean what if there’s been somebody else the whole time who’s been making these people kill their families and then themselves? All the killer would need is a phone and something with enough weight to hold over the victims so that they would do whatever the killer said.”

For just a moment Tony had started to wonder if maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. had somehow inconspicuously slipped Peter information. While it was a relief to him that Peter hadn’t pinned the killer as someone with super abilities, he had the right idea that there was someone else who was responsible for the murders.

“That’s a concept. It would be a hell of a hassle for the killer to pull off, but it is possible,” Tony said.

Peter decided that it was now or never.

“Do you think it’s enough of a concept to do me a favor?” he asked.

“Such as?”

“Is there any way that you can look into these homicides personally? See if maybe I’m right?”

Opportunity was a thing that Tony had a very keen eye for, and he saw a very big one right before him. If he fulfilled Peter’s request, it would also allow him to accept the mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. Only now, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t have any advantage. What need would Peter have to go near the fire if he knew that Tony was putting it out?

“I will be honest, you’ve definitely got my interest piqued about these homicides. So I’ll see what I can do about that favor,” Tony accepted.

Peter felt surprise deliver him a stun. He’d thought that Tony would think that his theory wasn’t solid enough, or try to find some way to rationalize how each of the homicide cases were all so similar.

“For real? You will?” he asked.

Tony nodded.

“Yes, for real, I will.”

Peter couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

“Thank you, Mister Stark. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“You welcome. Like it said it’s…worth looking in to.”|

“Will you keep me posted on what you find?”

“Of course I will.”

“And I know we’re keeping me under the radar and stuff, but…let me know if there’s anything I can do, you know, to help. Even if it’s just looking stuff up on the internet.”

Tony nodded and found himself giving a truthful reply of,

“I will”.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *         

Peter kept Tony on the subject of the homicides with a single question; if they were to build a training scenario based on them, how would they build it? Though Peter didn’t intend to have Tony bring such a scenario to life, he was curious to see how Tony would map out his, or any other, theories.

Tony did not dissuade the question. It gave a dual advantage. He would be able to do some light work on his mission, and Peter would have at least a temporary outlet for his own interest in the homicides.

The question kept both of them talking for the rest of the trip to the warehouse. They were still talking as Tony pulled into the warehouse through its garage door and parked. As Peter stepped after Tony through the door leading out of the garage and into the warehouse, a familiar, but still strange when it came to its feeling, itch waved out from the base of his skull. It caused his body to tremble slightly, and his skin to break out in goose-bumps. It also gave him a knowing. Something was wrong with the room. Something was different. Something didn’t belong.

“Mister Stark, hold on.” Peter said in a quiet, but loud enough voice for Tony to hear.

Tony, who’d been walking in front of Peter with his back turned, stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Peter walked closer to him.

“I just felt my danger sense. I think somebody else is in here with us.” he whispered his answer.

Tony immediately began to looking toward the east end of the warehouse, where J.A.R.V.I.S. stored the various wall types. Since the doors for the garage, control room, and the restroom/showers were always locked before leaving the warehouse, it left the east end as the only possible location for someone to hide.

“Shut the door,” Tony instructed Peter.

Peter’s concern for closing the door and staying in a room that might possibly have an intruder in it was almost non-existent. He knew that J.A.R.V.I.S. had plenty of security options to subdue an intruder. If J.A.R.V.I.S.’s options failed, there was still Tony and, if it came down to it, himself.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., initiate code red security protocol.” Tony continued.

“Initiating code red security protocol,” J.A.R.V.I.S. complied.

A code red security protocol consisted of J.A.R.V.I.S. locking all doorways and windows into the warehouse that were not already locked. It also meant that J.A.R.V.I.S. would wait for Tony’s command to perform an infrared scan of the warehouse interior, as well as the command to dispatch his Iron Man suit, which was waiting in the trunk of his car.

“Whoever’s in here, it’s in your best interest to come on out right now. Or, you can wait ten seconds, and I’ll find you anyway,” Tony advised, keeping his attention on the east end.

The walls were arranged in groups, with a small gap between each of them. The gap was so small that not even the thinnest adult could shimmy themselves into it.

“Please…don’t hurt me. I’m sorry,” a new voice from the east end of the warehouse spoke out.

It didn’t sound like the voice of an adult. It sounded like the voice of a child.

Both Tony and Peter look at each other confused and surprised. How had a child managed to get themselves into the warehouse?

“Come out from where your hiding and we won’t,” Tony said.

From a gap that was almost at the central point of the warehouse emerged a girl. Her emergence told that she’d slid herself into the gap by moving into sideways. She looked no older than ten, and was dressed in clothing that looked as if it hadn’t been washed in a while.

“How did you get in here, honey?” Tony inquired sweetly.

“I opened the door,” the girl replied.

“Which one?”

The girl pointed to the door that led into the garage.

“How’d you do that?” Tony asked.

“I just pulled it and it opened. I thought that this was my house, but I did get lost earlier, and I think I got turned around,” the girl replied.

“Do you live out here?”

“Sometimes. Other times, we live on the Skids.”

The Skids was an area not too far from the district where the warehouse was located. It was an area known for its very large concentration of homeless people. It was not unusual for homeless people from the Skids to eventually find their way over to the warehouse district and attempt to squat in the warehouses that had been long abandoned by their owners. Although the warehouse district was patrolled and watched by cameras, the patrol was not stationary, and there were always blind areas where the cameras couldn’t see.

“Is your family out here? Your mom and dad?” Tony asked the girl.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “And they’re probably looking for me right now. I’m gonna be in so much trouble.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take you to them and explain everything.”

“But…I don’t want to be in trouble.”

“Well, honey, I don’t have any control over that. That’s up to your parents. But, I think they’ll just be happy to have you back.”

The girl hung her head.

“…And then, I’ll be in trouble.”

“Well, this is why you shouldn’t wander off, sweetheart. You could get lost if you aren’t paying attention.”

The girl’s head continued to hang as she sighed heavily in response.

“C’mon. Let’s get you to your parents.” Tony said, extending his hand out to her.

The girl looked up, sighed heavily again, and started walking toward Tony.

Tony, who wanted to reinforce the little girl’s trust, walked toward her to meet her.

Peter watched, honestly at a loss for an explanation. Unless something had happened to the computer system at the warehouse while he and Tony were away that caused it to unlock and relock the doors, he didn’t see any way that the girl could’ve gotten in.

“Something had to happen.” He thought to himself. “Whatever it is, Mister Stark will know.”

Tony and the girl approached just shy of the center of the warehouse, placing them more toward the western end. The girl tried to smile as she drew nearer to Tony, and extended her own hand out to meet his.

Peter felt an unexpected shiver as his danger sense suddenly activated. Something was about to happen. Something bad.

“Mister Stark watch out!” Peter yelled the warning.

Tony involuntarily turned to look over his shoulder at Peter as a result of the warning. The smile on the girl’s face turned from try to triumphant suddenly. The hand that she was extending toward Tony suddenly quadrupled in its size, and balled into a fist. As if the girl’s entire arm itself had become elastic, it extended outward toward Tony, allowing the fist to deliver a powerful punch to the side of his face.

Peter watched in horror as Tony’s body collapsed to the floor.

“Oh shit.” A shuddery gasp escaped his lips.

He wasn’t sure if Tony had been knocked out, or if the hit had been strong enough to kill him.

“Now…” the girl spoke, calling Peter’s attention back to her.

Her hand had returned to normal size, and her arm to its normal proportion. The smile on her face had taken on a nasty edge.

“If you let me out, I won’t have to hit you too.”

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *