𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

31. 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲

"PARKER!"

A startled Peter turns around at the booming voice of Fury that rendered him from his thoughts, but he freaked a little when he realized everyone was staring at him. Peter looks to his side to see Eszter standing beside him, arms crossed and with a bored expression on her face. Then, his attention shifted back to Fury.

"Yes, sir?"

"That thing's going to be here in a few hours," Fury's deep voice booms angrily. "Are we boring you?"

Interjecting, Beck retorts. "He's not bored; he's just thinking about how you kidnapped them."

With a sharp stare, Fury snaps his neck toward Beck. "They had obstacles. I removed them."

"They still won't evacuate the city," Hill adds, meeting Fury's bothered gaze.

Fury groans in frustration, shaking his head as he mutters under his breath. "Idiots," then he directs the attention back to Peter. "So, what's the plan, Parker?"

Eszter flicks her eyes up to Peter, silent throughout the ordeal, but remained distant from their plan, the enhanced occasionally zoning out from their talks. While she could be in Paris, Eszter was stuck here, figuring out a plan to stop a fire monster that suddenly came to life.

"I will be in the cathedral tower keeping watch for the fire monster," Peter slowly starts. "Eszter will stay low and protect the civilians. When that shows up, I will radio you guys, and then Mr. Beck and I will--"

"My name is Mysterio," Beck shoots Peter a playful look.

However, Eszter snapped her gaze onto Beck and stared at the man like she was studying him in silence, shifting gears in her mind as she didn't show any emotion on her face. To her, Eszter didn't believe nor trust anything Beck had to say because everything he's said, the enhanced could feel his pride; it didn't matter what it was, whenever Beck would muster another story, and they'd believe it, Eszter could feel a smug feeling.

Eszter didn't fully trust Beck, but there wasn't any way of her claiming something without proof.

Feeling eyes, Beck met Eszter's gaze--oh, shit.

Peter chuckles lightly. "That's when Mysterio and I will move in."

"Peter, Eszter, listen to me. The best hope you have--the only hope is to stop it here and now, no matter the cost. Keep it away from civilians if you can," Beck says with a strong hint of urgency. Eszter tilts her head in amusement, but her cold stare was burning into Beck's face. "But, most importantly, keep it away from metal. If it gets too big, it'll be able to draw power from the Earth's core. After that, there's no way to stop it."

Peter glances at Eszter at the thought of their friends in the same location as one of the Elementals, but the enhanced didn't seem to meet his gaze; he crinkles his brows curiously, wondering what caught Eszter's attention, but Peter pushes the thought aside.

"Hey, man, our friends are here," Peter swallows nervously. "And I can't help but think we're putting them in danger--"

Abruptly, Fury stood up from his chair and stalks toward Peter with fire in his eyes. "You're worried about us hurting your friends? You?" Peter recoils, lowering his head regretfully. "Stark gave you a multi-billion dollar A.R. tactical-intelligence-system and the first thing you do with it? Is try and blow up your friends." This snapped Eszter out from her train of thought. "It's clear to me that you were not ready for this!"

Eszter was suddenly shielding Peter with her figure in a protective manner, glaring darkly as her eyes shimmered with a violet hue that overtook the green of Eszter's eyes. The enhanced had snapped into a state of mind that posed her as an emotionless person, trapping her into this weird trance. Eszter conjures the energy in her hand, but it remained small as she lets it slide in her palm.