Spidey and the Iron Girl: Vol. 2

#13: All's Fair In Love and Interrogations

"I'm fine!" Collin protested as her parents wheeled her out of her hospital room in a wheelchair. She didn't see why she needed it-- stitches for the gash on her forehead hardly impeded her ability to walk, but the nurse had insisted. "I don't understand why I needed to come here in the first place, Nat could have stitched me up herself--."

"The police said you needed medical attention. So here we are," Her mother replied, walking alongside her husband and daughter. "The wheelchair is just a liability precaution. They make everyone do this."

Collin crossed her arms sullenly as they pulled into the hospital elevator.

"This is embarrassing."

"Good. It's the least you deserve after the stunt you just pulled," Her father replied dryly.

Collin looked up at him. He was standing behind her chair, arms crossed in a manner quite similar to hers. She uncrossed her arms with a sigh.

"It's not my fault Professor Carlisle was obsessed with me and decided to attack me out of nowhere..."

Her father pursed his lips.

"Just because the police bought that story does not mean that I do."

"Tony," Pepper sighed. "Our daughter was just attacked. Maybe this isn't the best time to--."

"Our daughter was just attacked because she couldn't focus on her studies the way she was explicitly told to," Her father replied in a lowered but still powerful tone. "I said no missions and no hero-ey type anything. And what does she do? She goes on a mission, with no back up apart from Peter, who I also explicitly instructed her to stay away from--."

"Peter had nothing to do with this," Collin muttered as the elevator doors dinged open. Instead of wheeling her out, though, her father jabbed at the button to close the doors again until they slid shut.

Pepper frowned at her husband. "Tony, what are you--?"

"Sorry, honey, but Peanut here needs to understand something before we leave this hospital," Tony crossed his arms, moving so that Collin had no choice but to look at him. "Collin, I know Peter helped you. I know he's been hiding his suit in his dorm. And I know these things because, A) he was caught on camera with you--."

"That could have been anyone," Collin scoffed. Her father glared at her warningly. She fell quiet.

"And B), he is literally the only person on this campus with the skills to help you with your little ill-conceived act of heroism," He growled. "You are both officially out."

"Out... of what?" Collin asked slowly, her brows knitting together.

"Of the Initiative," Her father's eyes glinted.

"But-- Dad--!" Collin cried.

"No buts. I'm done with the back and forth with you, with the lying and the putting your life at risk just to-- to what, Collin? Prove that you can get one over on me?" He shook his head, walking back around to push her chair as the doors opened yet again. He continued in a whisper. "It's over. I'd come to terms with that if I were you."

Collin could feel her face turning red, the heat of rage rising inside of her as her father pushed her through the ESU medical facility lobby and out the front doors. The moment they were outside, she hopped out of the chair and whirled around to face her dad.

"Collin," Her mother sighed. "We can talk about this more at home when everyone's calmed down--."

"No, there's no talking to him, Mom," Collin shook her head before turning to her father. "You want to act like I'm the only one who broke our deal and punish me for trying to help people? Fine. Kick me out of the Initiative. If coming to ESU has taught me anything, it taught me that I don't fucking need it and I sure as hell don't need your approval. But don't punish Peter just because you're angry with me. I... I forced him into this."