I don't think Tony would've approved. Like I said, I wasn't supposed to be doing any real superhero work in the first place. But I sure as hell wasn't going to let Peter go in there by himself. He's just a kid. I was going to give him some space, because how would he learn if I didn't. We ran across the street and the two of us crouched under the glass windows. Our heads peaked through the glass, assessing the situation and how many robbers there were in the bank. One of the men had a high tech tool in his hand but I wasn't sure what it was. I hadn't seen much like it before. But then again, I wasn't very techy. That was all Tony.
I looked back at Peter, both of us crouching below the glass again. "You go. If you need back up, I'm right here. But I think you can do this." Peter nodded, sliding his mask on again. I could tell he was anxious. He didn't want to mess this up but he was also excited to finally get some action. I peered back into the bank, watching as the robbers pulled off the front of the ATM. The huge chunk of metal is suspended in the air as the other robbers start to bag the cash. I looked towards Peter, seeing him sneak into the bank. He shifts through many poses awkwardly, trying to look casual but cool. He looks back at me and I glare at him, using my hands to tell him it was time to get these guys already.
Peter clears his throat and the robbers turn to him. "What's up, guys? You forgot your PIN number?" All of them are wearing cheap plastic masks of the Avengers. I shook my head. These were worse than the clown masks I had dealt with in the past. "Whoa! You're the Avengers. What are you guys doing here?" One of the robbers loads his gun but Peter uses his web to grab it and hit "Iron Man" and "Thor" with it. He then proceeds to push "Hulk" away. His sticky feet hold "Thor" and throw him into a wall. I smiled, feeling proud. "Thor. Hulk. Good to finally meet you guys. I thought you'd be more handsome in person." I tried not to laugh, since I wasn't even supposed to be here and since he really should've been fighting these guys, not making quirky jokes. Peter is hanging upside down from the ceiling when "Iron Man" starts to throw aimless punches at him. "Iron Man. Hey, what are you doing robbing a bank? You're a billionaire." "Hulk" comes up with the high tech weapon. Peter quickly dodges a punch from "Iron Man," who loses balance and ends up punching "Hulk" instead. They both fall to the ground. Meanwhile, "Captain America" succeeds in picking up the high tech device that had been used to pull the metal chunk off the ATM and aims it at Peter. My eyes went wide and I stand up as Peter jumps at him. But the device makes him float in the air, like the ATM front. "Hey! Oh, this feels so weird." He is thrown against the wall and that's when I decide enough is enough. "Whoa, what is that thing?" While the bad guys are distracted with Spiderman, I step inside the bank.
"Hey assholes. Try picking on someone your own size." I drew their attention to me, quickly distracting them. I did a spinning side flip, kicking "Hulk's" jaw. He groaned as his hand went to his jaw, glaring at me as he spit out some blood. Gross. I see Peter in the background, being thrown back and forth between the ceiling and the floor by "Captain America".
"I'm starting... to think... you're not... the Avengers!" With his sticky fingers, he holds onto the ground and shoots his web at a desk in the corner. He pulls on it and hits "Captain America" with his force field device.
"What was your first guess?" I looked back at Peter. He rolled his eyes at me, not "vibing" with my sarcasm. I don't understand kids these days and their weird lingo.
"Alright guys, let's wrap this up. It's a school night." I kick "Thor" into a glass wall, making it crack. "Iron Man" holds up the force field device, pointing it at me, but before he can do anything, Peter webs the device against the glass, jumps onto "Iron Man," and takes off his mask. "So, how do jerks like you get tech like this?" Peter questions him. "Hulk" fires up the device that cuts through metal. "No. Wait, wait, wait!" Peter quickly pulls "Iron Man" and himself out of the way. The plasma blast cuts through walls and hits Mr. Delmar's store across the street. The deli-grocery bursts into flames. My eyes go wide as I rush out of the bank to the deli.
"Mr. Delmar. Is anybody in here? Hello?" I see Mr Delmar lying on the floor, coughing. I rush towards him, helping him out of the burning building. Mr Delmar is coughing and wheezing, the smoke having filled his lungs. His eyes were shut tight, so he didn't see me, but I saw Peter run over to me, looking down at Mr Delmar to make sure he is ok. Murph the cat is safe in Peter's arms. The bank behind us is empty. The robbers got away. I walk towards the bank, as Peter hands Murph to Mr Delmar before running over to me.
"Oh, come on. You've got to be-" I sigh, looking back at Peter.
"Sorry kid. This is on me." I rested my hand on Peter's shoulder.
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I bit the inside of my cheek as Peter made the call to Happy. "Yeah?" I heard Happy on the other line. Peter had put the phone on speaker as we raced back to where Peter had left his backpack.
"Happy, the craziest thing just happened to me. These guys were robbing an ATM with these high tech weapons-"
"Hey, take a breath, okay? I don't have time for ATM robberies..." Peter looked at me and I rolled my eyes. Happy Hogan everyone.
"Yeah, but-" Peter started but Happy cut him off, probably not even listening.
"...or the thoughtful notes you leave behind. I have moving day to worry about. Everything's gotta be out of here by next week. I'm sure Clara knows what she's doing." Peter and I jump onto another rooftop, stopping as soon as he lands.
"Wait. Wait! You're moving? Who's moving?" Peter looks back at me. I hadn't told him about the Avengers yet.
"Yeah, don't you watch the news? Tony sold Avengers Tower. We're relocating to a new facility upstate where, hopefully, the cell service is much worse. I was sure Clara would've told you." I heard Happy mumble the last part, but Peter still heard it.
"But what about me?" Peter was looking at me when he said this. I wasn't sure what to tell him. He was still in Avengers training.
"What about you?" Peter sits down on a streetlamp. I am standing behind him.
"Well, what if Mr. Stark needs me or something, I don't know, something big goes down? Can I please just talk to Mr. Stark?" Peter asks. Honestly, I don't even know where Tony is.
"Look, just stay away from anything too dangerous. I'm responsible for making sure you're responsible, okay?" Peter leaps down into the alley he stashed his backpack in.
"I am responsible. I- Oh, crap. My backpack's gone." His backpack wasn't where he had left it. I shouldn't have been surprised, neither of us should have been. This is New York after all.
"That doesn't sound responsible." I sigh, taking the phone from Peter. I was tired of Happy's attitude and I was tired of losing. Today had just been a long and frustrating day.
"He'll just have to call you back." I said just before I hung up on Happy. Peter puts his mask back on. "I'll buy you a new backpack. Don't worry about it. And I'll talk to Tony later and see what I can do about all this." Peter gave me a grateful look as he neared the edge of the building. "Go. Don't want your aunt worrying for nothing." He nodded.
"Bye Clara." Bye Peter. He jumped off the roof of the building and ran out of the alleyway.
YOU ARE READING
Little Grey Area (Book 5)
FanfictionClara was forced to retire after the events of Civil War. But what the government doesn't know, won't hurt them. As Clara learns how to rely on herself without trying to be hero, she also watches out for the kid. And this kid really is something els...
