A New Hero - Peter Parker (BOOK 1) | Spider-Man: Far From Home

Chapter Thirty-Six - The Vault

As Clara stared down at the broken drone with a mixture of shock and amazement, she heard a desperate voice call out through the comms. "Clara? Happy? Say something please to let me know you're alive!"

"I'm here. I'm here." Happy told him, ushering the students into the vault as he spoke, just in case Beck was sending anymore drones their way. Both he and Clara expected that to happen, knowing how relentless he had been so far.

Clara still felt a little queasy, a little lightheaded, and a little drained, but she was still breathing, so she couldn't complain too much. "I'm good, too." She told them.

"Thank God!" Peter's voice was soaked in relief but the two outside the vault could hear the rounds firing on his end.

"We destroyed the drones tailing us, but more will be coming." Happy told him, saying 'we' instead of using Clara's name. Given that they were in a room with Flash and Betty, both not knowing it was her who had the powers, Happy didn't want to reveal the girls identity.

As Happy spoke, Clara focused on reining in the purple, though she found it much harder to do that than letting it loose. Eventually, the colour dissipated, leaving just a gentle fuzz in her fingertips and a soft glow in her eyes.

"I'm trying to get to Beck, but I can't shake these drones!" Peter yelled, not being able to hear his own voice over the sounds of blasting around him.

"I might be able to help with that." Clara thought aloud, lifting her left arm and testing the tenderness of the wound. It was bleeding less now, but the thought of loosing any blood made her head spin with fresh waves of nausea. She turned to Happy. "Keep everyone in the vault and seal the doors - like you said, there will be more coming."

"What about you?" He asked her, looking at the two glowing eyes.

"I'm going to find Spider-Man and see if I can help him get to Beck." Clara's stomach churned at the sound of the words. That was a big task and she already felt it weighing heavily on her shoulders.

"Okay." Happy nodded, Clara already on her way out. "Be careful!"

"No promises!" She called back over her shoulder, disappearing entirely from view as she pulled the rest of the energy back under the surface.

"Wait!" She stopped, hearing someone call out. Turning around, she saw Flash starting towards her. "You're going to find Spider-Man? Can I come?"

Clara blinked back at him, staring at him blankly. He had just escaped death by the skin of his teeth, and he wanted to go back out there, all for the chance of getting to see Spider-Man in action. "No." She told him plainly.

"But-" He argued, Clara quickly interrupting him.

"Get back in the vault, and stay there so you don't get yourself killed and get us killed in the process!" He stopped in his tracks wearing a sunken expression. Clara sighed, standing with her hand on her hips. "Look - You've already helped us; if it weren't for you and your livestream, we would never have been able to find you."

"I helped you?" He repeated, as if processing the thoughts aloud as he looked back to Ned, MJ, and Betty. "You hear that? I helped save Spider-Man!"

Seriously? She thought, spinning on her heels to leave them behind as she rolled her eyes, that's what you got out of that conversation? 

Stepping into the outside, Clara saw the carnage spread around the area. Chunks of bricks and mortar lay at the bases of buildings, cars abandoned up and down the roads. Most of the tourists had fled the scene, leaving it derelict in appearance, the same as she'd imagine it to look amidst an apocalypse. 

In the distance, she could see the focal point of the drones swinging from one side of Tower Bridge to the other. Without so much as a second thought, she started towards it, keeping her sights set on Peter as the drones did everything they could to take him down. 

She ran flat-out towards him, swerving around cars and avoiding any trip hazards. By the time she reached Peter, he was crouched behind a car, surveying the area for anything he could use to fight.

"I'm coming up behind you." Clara warned him, dipping down to hide behind the same car. There was no one around to see her face, and she knew the likely hood of her identity being discovered through security cameras was slim - S.H.I.E.L.D would ensure any footage was wiped from the servers - so she allowed herself to be seen.

"Clara, you look terrible!" Peter exclaimed, looking her up and down.

"Gee, thanks." Clara frowned indignantly. "You don't look so peachy yourself."

"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing over her own comment, seeing her dirt lined face from the dusty atmosphere. 

"I'll be better once I get a full nights sleep." She told him, knowing her rough appearance was mainly from the days spent running around different countries. "What about you? Are you- Peter are you on fire?"

Wisps of smoke rose into the air above his shoulder, the material of his suit smouldering and blackened. "Oh." He muttered nonchalantly, patting the spot until the smoke dissipated completely. A thick line of blood trickling down Clara's arm caught his eye. "Clara, did you get shot?" 

He reached out for her arm, tugging it gently to get a closer look. She winced as even the softest of grips sent a sharp pain spreading from the area. "I'm okay, it just grazed me." Peter looked at her with concern, as if she should have never been near here in the first place. "This isn't the first fight I've been in, Peter." She reminded him.

"Still..." Peter practically pouted, turning away to peer at the two walkways high above them. 

"So," Clara started, taking a deep breath as she watched the swarming drones create a border surrounding Beck. "You got a plan?"