The New Threat

2 0 0
                                    

The hallways of Midtown High buzzed with the usual morning chatter as the Dynamic Six—Peter, MJ, Ned, Harley, Wade, and Morgan—made their way to their lockers. The school day seemed normal enough, but Peter couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had been gnawing at him for days.

“Alright, team,” Wade said, leaning on Peter’s locker with a grin. “Today’s mission: survive another day of high school without falling asleep in math.”

Morgan laughed, nudging Peter. “Maybe for you, Wade. I actually like math.”

“Only because you’re good at it,” Peter replied, flashing her a smile. “The rest of us mere mortals struggle.”

They gathered their books and split off as the bell rang, each heading to their respective classes. For Peter, that meant his first period—math. He walked into the classroom, surprised to see a new face at the front. Their previous math teacher, Mr. Lewin, was gone, replaced by a tall man with sharp features and a piercing gaze that seemed to sweep over the students like a hawk.

The teacher cleared his throat, his voice low and commanding. “Good morning. I’m Mr. Voss, your new math teacher. I expect discipline and hard work in my class.” His eyes landed on Peter, holding his gaze a moment too long, making Peter feel oddly uncomfortable.

As the class progressed, Mr. Voss seemed to single Peter out more and more. If Peter raised his hand to answer, Mr. Voss would ignore him; if he made a mistake, Mr. Voss was quick to scold him, often louder and harsher than necessary. It didn’t take long for the other students to notice, especially Flash.

During one lesson, Peter raised his hand to ask a question. Mr. Voss rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Mr. Parker, if you’d spend more time studying and less time disrupting my class, maybe you’d understand this simple concept,” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

Peter could feel his cheeks flush as he lowered his hand, staring down at his notes. Flash, sitting a few rows behind, snickered under his breath, clearly enjoying Peter’s discomfort.

“Nice one, Parker,” Flash whispered mockingly. “You’re really impressing the new teacher.”

As the days went by, things only got worse. Mr. Voss continued to single Peter out, sometimes even giving him extra work to “help him catch up.” But it wasn’t the kind of help Peter needed. Instead, Mr. Voss seemed to find every opportunity to criticize and humiliate him in front of the class. Sometimes, his hands would even linger on Peter’s shoulder a second too long or give his arm a tight, painful squeeze as he led him out to talk about his “failing performance.”

Peter tried to brush it off, telling himself he could handle it. But Flash saw Mr. Voss’s behavior as permission to join in, finding every opportunity to taunt and push Peter around whenever Mr. Voss wasn’t looking.

By the end of the week, the stress and frustration had taken its toll on Peter. The Dynamic Six noticed, of course. MJ gave him a worried look as they gathered for lunch.

“Peter, are you okay?” she asked gently, placing a hand on his arm.

He forced a smile, nodding. “Yeah, just... rough week, I guess. Mr. Voss is—well, let’s just say he’s not a fan.”

“Sounds like more than that,” Ned muttered, frowning. “Have you told your parents? Maybe Tony or Steve could talk to the principal.”

“No, I don’t want to bother them,” Peter replied quickly, trying to keep his voice steady. “They have enough to worry about with, you know, Avenger stuff.”

But unbeknownst to Peter, Tony, Steve, and the other Avengers had already received an alert from JARVIS, who had picked up an unusual signal coming from Midtown High. The data was encrypted, but they could sense a faint Hydra signature embedded in the code. A potential threat to the school, where Peter, Morgan, and the twins were every day, was something they couldn’t ignore.

Later that night, the Avengers gathered in the lab, reviewing JARVIS’s findings.

“It’s a weak signal, but definitely Hydra,” Natasha said, frowning at the screen. “If they’re targeting Midtown, it could be any number of reasons. We need to get in there and figure out what’s going on.”

Steve nodded in agreement, his jaw set. “Agreed. If Hydra’s after something—or someone—at the school, we can’t take any chances.”

Tony glanced at the files they’d gathered on the current faculty and staff. “We’ll need to blend in. They can’t know we’re there. If this Mr. Voss guy is new, he’s our best lead.”

The plan quickly took shape. By Monday, the Avengers had assumed new identities and positions at Midtown High. Tony, now Mr. Stark, would take on chemistry, complete with glasses and a buttoned-up sweater to appear more “teacherly.” Steve, posing as Mr. Rogers, was assigned as the history teacher, Natasha as the new PT instructor, and Bruce as the physics teacher.

As Peter walked to his first class, he did a double-take as he passed by the chemistry lab, spotting Tony, of all people, adjusting his glasses and leaning over a lesson plan. Peter’s eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his books.

“D-Dad?” he whispered, trying to hide his surprise.

Tony looked over the rim of his glasses, his expression stern but with a hint of amusement. “I think you mean Mr. Stark. And yes, Parker, I do expect your assignments on time.”

Peter’s mouth opened, then closed. “What are you doing here?”

“Long story, kid,” Tony replied quietly. “We’re just… making sure everything’s okay. Just play it cool.”

As Peter headed to his math class, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief knowing his family was there, watching out for him. Whatever Hydra was up to, he knew he wasn’t facing it alone.

But in his math class, Mr. Voss seemed even more intense. This time, as he called on Peter to answer a particularly difficult problem, he shot him a glare that sent a chill down his spine.

“Parker, I expect an answer,” Mr. Voss snapped. “Or do you not even know the basics?”

Peter hesitated, glancing around as the other students stared at him. “I—I’m working on it, sir.”

Mr. Voss stepped closer, his voice low but menacing. “Well, hurry up, Parker. I have high standards, and I won’t tolerate laziness.”

Just as Mr. Voss moved to grab Peter’s arm, the classroom door opened, and Steve walked in, clipboard in hand.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Voss,” he said with a polite smile, “but I need to speak with Peter for a moment.”

Mr. Voss’s gaze hardened as he released Peter’s arm, but he stepped back, clearly not happy with the disruption. “Fine. Be quick about it.”

Peter practically jumped out of his seat, following Steve into the hallway.

“You alright, kid?” Steve asked quietly, his eyes filled with concern.

Peter let out a shaky breath, nodding. “Yeah… but Mr. Voss, he’s—he’s definitely not normal, pops. He’s been picking on me nonstop, and it’s… different. Like he’s looking for something.”

Steve’s jaw tightened. “We’re on it, Peter. Just hang tight. And remember, you’ve got all of us watching out for you.”

Peter nodded, the sense of security bolstering his courage. Whatever Mr. Voss and Hydra were planning, they wouldn’t stand a chance against his family.

He was ready for whatever came next.

His Protective Dad (Starker FF) Completed ✓Where stories live. Discover now