I Will Always Find My Way Home

Chapter 7: Ross the Stalker

Ross looked at the newest reports from his spies. He couldn't be happier than he is right now. It turns out that Spider-Man is the one and only Peter Parker. He can use the boy to complete three of his objectives. He could use him against Stark, Osborn, and get his experiments done. He cannot wait to fulfill his plans. First, he has to come up with a way to catch the spider without being suspicious though. Ross smiled viciously as a perfect plan formed in his head. For now, he would be stalking the Spider.

-Back at the tower-

Peter panicked while pacing in the living room. Soon Tony arrived and did his best to calm Peter down. Harry was hanging out with Ned and MJ today while Peter patrolled. He was supposed to meet them at Mr. Delmar's, but then this happened. Tony texted Peter's friends to tell them the situation. They responded that they were on their way to the tower. Tony does his best to calm Peter down, and he talks Peter through a panic attack. They sit on the sofa and begin to ponder what their next actions should be. Soon, Ned, MJ, and Harry arrive. They take their seats around the living room.

Peter continuously repeats the question "What am I going to do?"

"Okay. Here's what we are going to do. We have to wait it out to make sure that whomever it was is not releasing it to the press. For now, you cannot go out as Spider-Man. It's too dangerous right now. You'll have to stay in the penthouse for at least the next few weeks. I do not want to take the risk that someone will be coming after you. If you do go out, it will only be if I am with you." Tony said as Peter nodded along.

"We will be here with you too, Peter. If this person is a threat, we will all do everything we can to protect you and your identity." Ned said as Peter shook his head.

"What if they go after you guys? I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. I can protect myself, but what if I cannot protect you guys?"

Peter's friends reassured him that they would stick with him no matter what and that he should not worry about protecting them, but Peter couldn't help but worry. Tony reassured Peter that he would do his best at tracking down whomever the one stalking Peter is. Tony went down to his lab and turned on the computer. He pulled up the baby monitor footage and analyzed it for clues. He continued this process for days while Peter and his friends stay in the Penthouse and work on summer work or watch movies. Tony never did find anything. He never stopped looking either.

-July-

It was late July now, and Peter had been stuck in the penthouse for a few weeks. He missed being Spider-Man, but totally understands why he still could not go back out until today. Tony had finally decided that it was fine for him to go back out. The press had been questioning Spider-Man's disappearance and Peter's disappearance from Tony's side at most public outings, so Tony wants to get rid of some of that suspicion by re-introducing Spider-Man. They still have not figured out who was/is stalking Peter.

Peter is worried, but so far nothing has come out in the press about someone claiming to know his identity. He and his friends will be returning to school in a couple of weeks for their senior year. Peter had finished his summer work long ago since he had been cooped up in the penthouse for so long. He and Tony are going to be going to one of the engineering conferences next week, so hopefully the press will not hound Tony over Peter's brief disappearance from his side. Every once in a while, even though he was only in the penthouse, Peter still felt his spider sense tingle as if someone were watching him in his own home. Surely no one could see him through the cameras or windows, right? Peter continued on with his day, and went on his old patrol routes. Every once in a while his spider sense would tingle, but he still found no one trailing him. He believed that maybe he has just been paranoid this whole time.

-Back at the Raft-

Ross noticed that Tony had restricted Peter from being Spider-Man ever since one of his spies found out who Peter is. Ross knows everything he needs to know about the boy right now though. He knows the boy's home routine quite well. Stark does not even suspect that the janitor and one of the tower's security guards are spies for him. They were not the ones to figure out the kid's secret identity, but they do monitor him. Ross got reports from his spies earlier today that the boy has finally gone back out as Spider-Man. He'd be watching the boy for a long time. Soon, it would be time for Ross to capture a spider.