Gone // Spider-Man: Far From Home [Book 4]

fifteen {Third Person POV}

"Parker!" Nick Fury shouted with irritation in his voice. Peter snapped out of his thoughts and tore his eyes away from the fireplace that he had been staring at. "That thing is going to be here in a few hours. Are we boring you?" 

"He's not bored," Beck commented. "He's just thinking about how you kidnapped him and his girlfriend, who, may I remind you, lost her dad a week ago." 

"Don't you think I know that? He had obstacles, and I removed them," Fury shot back.

Maria Hill walked forward. "They still won't evacuate the city," she said. 

Fury sighed. "Idiots," he grumbled. "So what's the plan, Parker?" 

"I will be in the cathedral tower, keeping watch for the fire monster. When it shows up, I will radio you guys, and then Mr Beck and I-" Peter began to say, only to be interrupted by Beck.

"My name is Mysterio," he said, sending Peter a knowing look. 

Peter smiled. "And then Mysterio and I will move in." 

"Peter, listen to me," Beck said. "The best hope you have, the only hope... is to stop it here and now. No matter what the cost. Manoeuvre it away from civilians if you can, but most importantly... Keep it away from metal. If it gets too big, it will be able to draw power from the Earth's core. After that, there's no way to stop it." 

Peter let this sink in and felt his throat tighten. He uncrossed his arms. "Hey, man. My friends are here. Arya is here. And I can't help but think that we're putting them in danger," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"You're worried about us hurting your friends?" Fury said. "You? Who called a drone strike on your own school tour bus? Stark gave you a multi-billion dollar AR tactical intelligence system, and the first thing you start doing with it is try to blow up your friends. It's clear to me that you were not ready for this." 

Peter shifted as he kept his eyes on a spot on the floor. His jaw was clenched as he fought back tears. Fury turned away and Peter fled the room. 

He swung himself up on the roof of the building and gladly inhaled the chilly air. Finally, he felt at peace and he calmed down. He heard a woosh and Peter looked up, seeing Mysterio approaching him. "Fury asked me to fly up here to see how you're doing. He felt bad for snapping at ya," he said. 

"Really?" Peter frowned. 

"You guys do have sarcasm on this Earth, right?" Beck questioned. 

Peter chuckled softly, lowering his gaze. 

"How are you feeling?" Beck asked. 

"Eh..." Peter hesitated. "I didn't think I was going to have to save the world this summer. I know that makes me sound like such a jerk, but... I had this plan for Arya and now it's all... ruined." He shrugged gloomily. 

Beck nodded softly before grazing down next to Peter, making the glass bowl around his head disappear. 

"You're not a jerk for wanting a normal life, kid. You have a girlfriend and you want to spend time with her, I get that," he said, sighing. "It's a hard path. You see things, you do things. You make choices. People look up to you. Even if you win a battle, sometimes they die." 

"I just hate that it had to be Arya's dad," Peter said softly, fidgeting with his fingers. "She's broken by what happened to her and I just want to make sure she's okay." 

"I like you, Peter. You're a good kid," Beck said, smiling softly. Peter smiled back. "There's a part of me that wants to tell you to turn around and run away from all this. And then there's another part of me that knows what we're about to fight. And what's at stake. I'm glad you're here." 

Peter nodded. "Me too," he agreed. 

"But you're worried about your friends," Beck said. 

"I feel like I'm always putting them in danger," Peter mumbled. "And I'm lying to Arya about all this. She has no clue any of this is going on. She's gonna kill me if she finds out." 

"Look, just... get them inside and keep them in a safe place for just a few hours," Beck told him. "They'll be alright. And Arya is not going to kill you. She'll understand."  

Peter turned his eyes up toward the starry sky. "It's really nice... to have someone to talk to about all of this, you know?" 

"Anytime." Beck smiled. "And hey, if we survive this, you'll have all summer to kill Brad." 

Peter laughed softly before picking up his backpack. "See you out there," he said and Beck nodded. 

Peter jumped down the building and smoothly landed in a dark alley beside the building. An elderly couple walked down the street and they looked up at the sudden sound. "Scusi!" Peter called, before realising he was no longer in Venice. "Sorry, that's Italian..." 

He rummaged through his bag before finding the glasses he was looking for. He put them on his nose. "EDITH?" he asked. 

"Hello, Peter," she greeted him. 

"Hey, I need to find a way to keep my friends inside for the next few hours," he said. 

"Let's see what we can do," EDITH said before scanning the internet. "There is a 4-hour opera playing in a theatre just 8 minutes walking from your hotel." 

"That's perfect. Can you get enough tickets for the whole group?" 

"I am ordering them now."

"Amazing. Thank you." 

"You're welcome. Enjoy your evening." 

Peter hurried back to the hotel, and he quickly found Arya and Skye in the hallway. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked as he saw the rest of his class decorated with colourful accessories. 

"We're going to the Carnival of Lights, remember?" Skye said. 

"Oh, right. Yeah." Peter nodded, worrying about his plan for the opera. 

Mr Dell and Mr Harrington approached the group, bickering about something. "Good news!" Mr Harrington announced, toying with a set of papers in his hands. "We're going to the opera!" 

Arya stared at him for a moment. "The opera?" she asked.

"Don't look at me," Mr Dell said, raising his hands in defence. 

"What happened to the Carnival?" Skye questioned, crossing her arms. 

"Well, this is upgrade living, guys." Mr Harrington answered. "Come on, the tour company gave us these tickets. For free! Do you have any idea how much opera tickets cost?" 

"No," stated Flash. "Because none of us have ever wanted to go to the opera. Ever."

"Well, I think this is gonna be culturally enriching for us," Ned spoke up. Arya turned to him with a frown. He shrugged lightly. 

"Thank you, Ned!" Mr Harrington pointed a finger at him. "Everyone, this is gonna be, maybe, the best four hours of our trip." 

"Four hours?!"