Recovering from Superior

Chapter 15

"Moonstone was here? Why? What did she want?" Kamala asked.

"Calm down. Yes, she was here. All she wanted was a job working for me." He answered.

"A job...working for you?" Kamala repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Yea. That was all." He confirmed.

"And...?" Kamala pressed.

"And what?" He questioned.

"And... did you give her a job?" She asked slightly irritated.

"Well... no. Not exactly." He answered.

"Exactly how?" She continued still sounding irritated.

"I didn't give her a job... but I also didn't say that I wouldn't consider it either." He told her.

"Peter, you can't give Moonstone a job here. She's a villain, you can't trust her. How do you know she's not planning something?" Kamala said matter of factly.

"I know that Kamala, but she seemed genuinely interested in starting over for herself. And I'm not going to turn her away so quickly if she has a chance to make something for herself. I may not give her a job here but... maybe I can find something for her, even if it's just to make sure she won't become a villain again." Peter explained trying to reassure them, specifically Kamala, that he knew what he was doing and was aware of the risk.

"Still... keep your guard up around her. I may not have the best opinion of Carol anymore but Moonstone was relentless fighting her." Kamala warned him.

"Yea, I know. And I will." He said putting his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Look it's getting late, and I still need some time to think about what to do with Karla. So why don't you all head to bed and I'll let you all know if I've decided anything." He suggested.

"Sounds good." Kamala agreed.

"Yea. That sounds great." Anya agreed.

The four girls left and went to the upper floors to stay in their rooms, Peter meanwhile stayed in the office deliberating in what he should do with Karla and her offer.

'Kamala's right, she's not the most trustworthy person and I can't be sure she won't pull something. But if she is serious about starting anew then I can't just turn her away without some kind of consideration.' Peter thought to himself.

'This decision... isn't just going to affect me either. It will affect the company too. Maybe I should discuss this with Anna, if she's still here.' Peter thought.

Peter quickly pulled out his phone and dialled Anna's number, if he was to make any decisions about what he should do with Karla he should at least consult someone who works for him... and preferably someone who knew of his identity and the risks that brought.

"Hello, Peter. What can I do for you? And it better be quick it's getting late." Anna said over the phone, picking up almost immediately.

"Yes Anna, I... have a little problem that I need your thoughts on." Peter asked her.

"Sure? What's wrong?" She agreed to hear him out.

"Well... there's... someone looking a job from me and I'm not sure if I can hire them." Peter said.

"Ok... and why can't you hire them?" She asked knowing there was more to it.

"She has a... pretty shady past. And I'm worried that hiring her might be a detriment to the company if anyone found out." He revealed.

"I see. Then I would suggest that we, or you, shouldn't hire her. That much is just common sense but I'm guessing her past has to do with your 'other life'." Anna advised.

"Yea. She's a former supervillain. But she seems to want a fresh start and her history of being a criminal is affecting her getting a new life." Peter admitted.

"Again, I would not advise hiring someone who was a known criminal, not to mention Peter that it's not exactly your responsibility to help her out." She said.

'Responsibility?' Peter thought. Anna's choice of words impacted his thought process. He always lived by his uncles words and it was the basis of his superpower life, everything he did as Spider-Man was about power and responsibility.

"But... if she wants a new start. Don't I have a responsibility to help if I could?" He asked unsure of his position.

"That depends on how you define it. You can't change the past for her, so her history as a villain will always be a negative on her life going forward. But if you can do anything to change her future so she doesn't continue to be a villain then it's a chance for her that not too many people get." Anna explained.

"So then... what should I do?" He asked her once again.

"Tell me about her. Who is she?" She asked him for some clarification.

"It's Karla Sofen, she went by the name Moonstone." Peter informed her.

"Moonstone. And what kind of qualifications do she have?" Anna continued.

"She's a doctor." He told her.

"A doctor? What kind of doctor are we talking about here?" She asked.

"Psychiatric doctor, I think." He said not too sure of her former occupation.

"Psychiatrist huh. I'm not too sure we have a place for her here. We always have a team of medical staff considering the work we do here but I don't know if we have a psychiatrist's position here." Anna considered.

"And... would we have any use for her then?" He questioned.

"Well... we are required to have every means of medical assistance on hand in case of emergencies. So having a psychiatrist would qualify for that position, she would be employed as part of our medical team."

"Mental health is a very important part of one's medical needs, so... better to be safe than sorry." Anna said.

"I see. So you think hiring is worth the risk?" He wanted her final say before making any decision.

"Considering everything there is... and who I'm talking to. I would say hiring her 'could' provide some benefits if not decreasing her chances of returning to her old ways." She emphasised.

"Understood. I think your right anyway, I just wanted to make sure before I did anything rash." He agreed with her answer.

"That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow Peter." Anna said.

"Thanks. She gave me her number before she left, so I'll call her in the morning... and tell her the good news. See you tomorrow Anna." He said as they both hung up.

Peter let out a sigh out relief, he wasn't sure if he should hire Karla just out of kindness or to make sure she wouldn't continue being a criminal. But Anna gave him enough assurance that hiring her was at least a positive, even if only it gave a small benefit for the company.

So with his thoughts about Karla at ease Peter slinked off to bed himself and readied for what came the next day, because life is anything but simple for Peter Parker.