mended 🕷️ peter parker [3]

epilogue

O  N  E    W  E  E  K    L  A  T  E  R

The girl took another bite of the last slice of bread that was left in the bag. She was eating on the ground, resting her back against the kitchen counter and with the lights out. She had been really careful to not give away someone was in the house. She couldn't take the risk of being seen. And being caught.

Jessica brushed the breadcrumbs off her and then closed her backpack filled with provisions. She had only taken things that would last long. Canned beans and vegetables, packages of instant oatmeal and a bag of bread among other things, as well as a liter of water that she was going to need to carefully ration. Basically, what she already found in the now empty house. 

She knew nobody was going to come into the house because she knew very well who lived there. Or who used to live there. She also knew that the property was only used as a vacation getaway since the owner had moved into the city. That's why she chose to go there. Because she knew it was a safe place for her. It was the only place where she felt safe.

She hadn't been there since the funeral.

It had been easy to fool the lake house's security system. She had helped to install it. Once she had sneaked in, it took her no time to deactivate it. Her plan had been to stay there for a few days until she figured out what she was going to do or where she was going to go. That had been harder than it seemed. The first thing she did when she ran away was to destroy her phone and unable any protocol in her equipment that could help anyone track her down. She hadn't had access to the internet, so finding somewhere to go while hiding had been difficult.

But she finally came up with something.

She was going to leave the country. Though, she couldn't go flying. That might be the fastest and easiest way to get out but not the safest. She would definitely get caught. Instead, she was going to get a train north from Penn Station, try to blend in and not draw much attention until she reached the border with Canada. There she would start from scratch, leave her hero duties behind and live on her own.

The next thing she did after getting into the house was to use FRIDAY to hack into Tony's computer in the garage. That's where she spent most of the time since there were no windows down there and nobody could tell if she had the lights on. Either way, she didn't turn them on, just to be cautious. The only source of light she would get came from the computer's holographic screen. 

She managed to create something with the tools she found in the garage. It wasn't anything too out there. She didn't want to draw attention to her, she just needed something to defend herself with if required. After getting that done, she reset FRIDAY with Tony's computer, erasing any remains of her identity. She also commanded EDITH to delete all records of her. However, what she did next was the hardest thing she had to do. She left the EDITH glasses on his gravestone, right by the lakeshore. It was the same grave Mysterio had showed her in his illusion. The memory of that just made her anger grow, making her forget of any remorse she had. Whenever she thought about it, she didn't regret killing Beck. That's why she left the glasses. 

By leaving them there, she renounced to his name. She knew she didn't deserve it. She had to give up everything he ever gave her: her reputation, her duties, ... Everything. That wasn't her anymore. 

And now she was ready to leave. She was fully rested, had her backpack with provisions and her new equipment. She stood up, her ankle still stinging a little bit whenever she put pressure on it. She tried as much as she could to not think about the fight. But then a voice made her freeze.

"You forgot about the computer." She heard the feminine voice say. "They sent me a message as soon as you logged in."

Jessica turned around, already knowing who she was going to find there. She had recognized her as soon as she spoke, but also because she had expected her to come here. If there was anyone who could guess where she had gone, that was Pepper. "Are you sure this is the right decision?"