Diavolo

thirty five - fanta and coke

Superheroes. I'm in a room full of people who claim to save the world and protect it from evil. What a load of bullshit. So it turns out that spider boy did in fact have superhuman powers - enhanced strength, stamina, and agility. Xander's still drooling over Tony's tech gear, he's fascinated by his Iron suit. 

"So what're your plans with Li and Dax?" Gabe questions whilst sitting next to Robin with his legs on her lap.

"I don't know yet," I confessed. "I'm still thinking."

"You're not going to do anything to them." Tony interrupts spinning around on his chair.

"Why not." I countered with a hand on my hip.

"Because you can't. They're in my custody and I'm sending them to maximum security."

My eyes narrow into fine slits, "They killed innocent people and you're just going to send them to prison?"

"What would you get out of killing them?" He glared back with his dark eyes.

I planned the whole conversation out in my head and shrugged deciding that I wasn't going to go down that route.

"How long are we staying here for?" Robin whispered.

"Until the manor is back to normal," I uttered playing with the sleeves of my jumper. "I'm going to the store. You want anything?" 

Gabe and Robin shared a look then shook their heads in response. "Can I have a can of Fanta please?" Said a high pitched voice. 

"No," I replied swinging a leather jacket over my shoulder. If I had to spend another second in Stark's tower someone was going to get hurt.

Spotting a convenience store I pushed the glass door open and strolled down the drinks aisle. I picked up a few cans of Fanta and a few bottles of beer then headed for the snacks aisle. It was going to be a long night. While choosing between chocolate or Doritos, from the corner of my eye, two large men entered the store. "Everyone get down!" One yelled firing a round of bullets from his handgun. By this point I decided on Doritos instead. "Are you deaf or do you want to die?" He yells in my direction but I didn't spare him a glance, I had noticed that everyone was crouched on the ground, me? Well, I was trying to choose between chilli heatwaves or cool originals.

"I'll give you five seconds to turn around and leave." Came my low voice. Dangerously low.

Baldy scoffed cocking his gun. "Don't make me shoot you, little girl."

I sighed fighting the urge to just shoot him right there with my own firearm, then dropped the basket from my hand. It took no more than 30 seconds to disarm him, he was now lying limp on the floor with a bloody nose. I spun around to see his partner clearing the cash register and took a minute to think about what I was about to do. The bullet pierced into his hand that was handling the cash, immediately he drops the bills and held his shaky hand up to the light showing the new hole that was carved in it.

He lets out a small shriek before running out of the convenience store clasping his bloody hand. Wiping the gun clean with my jumper I picked up the basket and placed it on the counter. The pale looking man stared at me with wide eyes, "T...Ten dollars please." I placed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter.

"Keep the change," I replied.

***

I approached spider boy and placed the cans of Fanta in front of him.

"Xanders?" He looks in my direction with an arched eyebrow. "There's a convenience store about 2 minutes from here, could you please wipe the footage on their CCTV." He gave me a sceptical look before nodding and shifted his eyes back to the laptop.

Gabe sighed dramatically, "Could you really not go to the store without getting into trouble?"

"I did not get into trouble," I emphasised the 'not'. "I told them they had five seconds to leave and they didn't." 

He shook his head gazing at Robin, "What are we going to do with her Rob?" I rolled my eyes flipping him the birds before leaving them in the living room. 

Since we didn't know how long we were going to be here for, I persuaded Tony to let us move Theo here into one of his spare rooms. Which was where I was heading now with a bag of Doritos in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. I kicked the door open with my foot, only to be greeted by someone I didn't want to speak to right now. Stark.

"What are you doing here?" I cocked my head to the side watching him stand next to the bed. He walks towards me and grasps the beer out of my hand, taking a swig.

"What would you say if I told you— that I could wake him up." My eyebrows creased at the centre taking in his serious tone. 

"Don't mess with me, Tony. He's in a coma." I replied dryly opening the bag of crisps.

" 'Project Rebirth' was used in World War II to create super soldiers, my father was involved with the project," He paused taking another drink from my beer. "Hear me out, I have the very same machine in my workshop. I think it could work."

I shifted in my seat trying to process what he had said. "I don't know Tony... I'd rather know that he was alive, here." I pointed at the bed. "Then have him experimented on."

"But is he alive?" He countered causing me to stiffen slightly. "The success rate is high, with this machine he could be back for good. Leaving him on the support machine— he might never wake up."

I paced the room rubbing my temples, this wasn't what I needed right now. "What are the consequences?" 

"It would enhance his abilities. If it works - he would have superhuman strength, reflexes, stamina and agility."

I didn't need to ask him what would happen if it failed, I didn't need that confirmation. It should have been enough for me to say 'no' to the whole idea but instead, I mumbled, "I'll think about it." Taking my beer back from his grasp. Although it wasn't my decision to make, a part of me would've hated the idea of someone else deciding.