Web of Deception: The Webbed Avenger

Chapter Forty-eight: The Siberia Lead

Sometimes being alone feels like freedom, and sometimes it feels like a prison. Depends on the person, I suppose. Even though I'm surrounded by so many people, great people that are dedicated to protecting people, I still feel alone. I doubt I'll feel differently until I can see my Dad open his eyes, or at least, if he ever does.

Where were you?  Those were the words that would be waiting for me when I would return home from my time with S.H.I.E.L.D. and I knew it.  It had been five days since I had left, and right about now I had only one thing on my mind as we floated over the Atlantic Ocean.  I had spent night and day trying to help Dr. Banner with his attempts to trace the Gamma Radiated soldiers and the serum that created them throughout the country, but there was no luck.  I knew something that created thermal energy of that kind would have to be hidden somewhere extremely cold, so now here I was, while the doc is taking a well deserved rest seeing as he spent two days without sleep trying to find them.

"Somewhere cold... somewhere cold." I repeated the words to myself as I took the computer from Dr. Banner's lap and began using the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites to search for the Gamma rays.  The United States was a dead end, so I began looking up north, notably near the Arctic.  Canada would end up being a bust so I looked at the unlikeliest of places that our local bank robbers might have taken it... Siberia.

There was a hit, it was a minuscule hit, but that had to be enough to go on for now.  The soldiers wouldn't radiate a lot of energy until they were dead, so either this was a soldier that was alive, or it was the serum itself.  Either way, we had to investigate it.

"Hey, Doc... wake up." I say, shaking him awake earning a dissatisfied grunt as his eyes crack open, and for a moment, I'll swear I saw his eyes were green for a moment, before they changed back to their normal brown hue.

Sitting up, he looks at the screen and gets wide eyed, smiling brightly at me.  "I'll be damned.  That's better than anything we've gotten so far."

"Do you think that's the serum and the soldiers?"

"Has to be." Banner nods, and quickly taps the screen, locking in the position, as he basically bolts out of the room.  I follow him, keeping up with him without even breaking a sweat as we get to the bridge.

Fury is already waiting there for us, and alongside him is Nat, who is smiling with pride at me.

In Fury's hands he held a black briefcase, and he gives me a coy smile, which is probably the first time I've seen him actually smile so it sends chills down my spine.  It's almost like a bad omen as I step up to him and he holds it out to me, and on it I can see a red spider symbol on it.

"Agent Romanoff told us if we were to bring you into the field you needed a better outfit than a stocking cap and red spandex.  Had one of the guys in the lab make you up a little something.  It's just the beginning, but I think for the mission it'll do."

I raise an eyebrow, taking the briefcase from him and set it down on the table besides us, as Banner looks over my shoulder like a child.  Nat is looking like a proud mother who just got their child the best birthday present they could have ever asked for.  In truth, this was probably going to be my favorite present I would ever get from anyone, mostly because it was the template for what I would wear later on in my career.

Inside, was a new suit for me to wear.

A red and black jacket, the black being the torso's front and back, and the red laced the hood and sleeves.  On the jacket's chest and back was a bright white spider symbol, but something about it just seemed off to me, like it was the right idea, but wasn't exactly what I was looking for.  It was a step in the right direction... and for now it would definitely work.  The huge goggles and all.  Speaking of which I had a black mask with brown goggles to wear, the red hood covering most of the head.  The outfit was finished with something akin to spandex and jeans having a strange love child, and a pair of boots that were fitted to my specific needs... they were combat boots, with malleable steel in the toes which upon impact hardened allowing for enhanced damage.  I had blue gloves with stretched up to my elbows, with open fingers, and pads on the back of my hands for cushion in a fight.  For now, it was perfect... at least until I could get into the lab myself to fix one up that it is.  Oh what I could do with a budget...