Rundown (Spiderman x Reader) (II)

61. The Fire Inside

There's no place for me in heaven
Tonight I just might die
There'll be no one to hold my hand, for me no one will cry
There'll be no forgiveness but I'll never deny

Ever since my fight with Peter, I've been wanting to curl up into a hole and never come out. It was a constact switch of 'he's guilty, I hate him so much' and 'I'm guilty, I love him so much'. The heart wants what it wants, and mine is torn into a thousand pieces of confusion.

And the worst part is that the grief resurfaced. Everywhere where an empty corner or crevice stood, there was the face of Anthony Stark. Apparently, nationally and internationally, people had been doing tributes to the Man of Iron. From graffitis, to paintings, to placing flowers or candles around his accomplishments, I could never escape his presence.

I only had time to sniffle once or twice and go back to work. 'Stick it inside your other emotional baggage,' like I love to say.

Stranger things have ocurred in my life, though elemental creatures were not on my previous achievements of battles. I started researching as soon as I can about geology, hoping to find a secret hidden as to how to defeat them.

"No luck yet," I said while dramatically closing the page. We had landed on Berlin not to long ago, but they had us working the instant the Quinjet touched European ground. Well, the others worked on the plane, but they let me nap because I threatened to crash the vechicle if they didn't.

"I thought you were an expert in online investigation and hacking," Maria Hill, one of the best SHIELD agents, joked from her station. We had met at Tony's funeral and exchanged one or two words. Now, we were working together.

Since my fingers were already sore, I cracked my knuckles against the table. "I'm getting a hunch this one's not on the records. After all, it's the multiverse we're talking about."

Then, from one of the entrances, a guy dressed in emerald green, gold, and scarlet appeared. "Killer Bee, I've heard wonders about you. My name's Quentin Beck." He stretched out his hand.

"(Y/n)'s fine." Before I shook it, I wondered out loud: "Is that a fishbowl on your head?"

"Lang," Fury scolded.

"No, it's fine, Director. It is a fishbowl. You've gotta work with whatever material's available, right?" He laughed, tapping twice on the glass. "How is the research going?"

Maria spun on her chair. "On a scale of 1 to 10? Like a generous one and a half."

"Four hours of my life I'll never get back," I sighed, reaching for the glass of water next to my improvised desk. Yeah, who knew that a underground base in Berlin would not be glamorous?

As his eyes scanned the search engine, his head tilted in deep thought. "Have you tried looking on earthquake information and simulations?"

Silence roamed on all the room. ".... You're a genius." I turned on the digital table, which displayed new data and models on the air.

"If only my wife could hear you say that." He toyed with the shiny, circular object on his ring finger.

Fury had slightly updated me on the situation: Quentin came in saying he was from another universe (where the Elementals came from) and destroyed everything he knew, including his family. I scratched the back of my neck. "I'm sorry. It must be hard to lose your family and your planet."

He nodded in thanks. "If we can destroy the Elementals once and for all, it will all be worth it."

"Consider it done," one of the other agents said.