the new avengers initiative | applyfic [au]

prologue

THE NEW AVENGERS INITIATIVE
PROLOGUE

PETRA PARKER HAD been walking back to her apartment when a black limousine pulled up in front of her. "Oh, fuck", she mumbled, tilting her head back with a deep groan. Her thick curls fell backwards a bit, though some tendrils still danced in the wind. The ginger colored locks, borderline a rich caramel color, had been recently cut just past her jawline. She liked it that way. It felt nice. It felt like her. At best, she might let it grow out to her shoulders, but anything more than that felt like she was crawling in her own skin. Like she was an imposter. She didn't know why it made her uncomfortable, it just did. The Petra who wore her hair long, did makeup, wore skirts and dresses? She was dead. She had put that bitch in the grave herself and covered it up. But she wasn't alone. The world had been her accomplice. It had put that bullet in her hand the moment she met Mysterio, and there was no choice but to load it.

The winter air in New York was extra vengeful that day. It stung and bit her skin like an angry hornet, relentless. She pulled her coat tighter against her petite frame. At 5'1, Petra had the body of a gymnast, slim and athletic. It was ironic, because she'd never done anything of the sort before. It all just came naturally with being this world's one and only Spider-Woman. At least for now. Her fawn toned skin was turning red due to the frightfully cold air. She shivered a bit. The act brought her back to a much simpler time. "I put a warmer in your suit." Blinking his voice away, she scrunched her straight nose as the back window was let down. The tiny freckles that littered her wide nose bridge and cheeks moved with the action.

A man with umber colored skin was staring back at her. He peered at her with his one good eye, the near obsidian color of his slightly droopy eye matching the suddenly serious tone of the atmosphere. Three long scratches marred his near shimmering skin across his left eye, starting a few inches above his brow and ending along his high cheekbone, which was still sharp and prominent with age. His skin seemed flawless beyond that, aside from the stress wrinkles creasing the center of his forehead. A black eyepatch covered the missing eye. His thick beard was mostly gray now, streaked with black and hiding his sharp jaw from view. She was barely even sure if she was looking at the real Nick Fury right now and not a Skrull. He adjusted the black hat that covered his bald head. "Petra Parker, you are a hard girl to find."

A smirk tilted the corner of Petra's pouty lips. "Usually, when a person sends you to voicemail, it means they don't want to talk."

Fury rolled his eyes - er, eye. "Yeah, yeah. Stark taught you all sorts of things before he... left us." He seemed to have a hard time saying those words. "From what I hear, he left you his entire company, and you haven't been in once. Surprised you're giving up on him."

Petra gritted her teeth. "I'm not giving up on anyone. If you hadn't noticed, the only people in the world who know who I am are you and the Avengers. I would have to talk to Strange, and- I don't have to explain myself to you. You're not my boss anymore."