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Thursday May 23
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Sunny ☺ History ☹ Trig *☣@%&☠!!! Other stuff ;p
E. Thornhill has Friend Requested you. You have 22 Mutual Friends.
Flash shrugged and hit 'Confirm'. It was going to be a good day. Sure, his side ached like a sonofabitch. He wasn't going to be allowed to join practice until the nurse cleared him, which meant that he was not going to be at his best for the game at Richmond and neither was the team.
“Thanks a lot Hodge, you stupid douche.”
In the scheme of things though, things were looking up. His dad had been sent off on some surprise special assignment that would keep him away until after the weekend, and he'd see Parker at his locker before class started. Maybe they could—
“Eugene.”
Flash whipped around and saw that cute blonde who helped out with the Hodge situation. Sparrow... That was her name. She was standing in the middle of the sidewalk at the corner. He gritted his teeth, biting back his reflexive surge of anger. “Please don't call me that.”
She looked at him levelly and drawled, “Euge-e-e-ne.”
His hands clenched and he scowled. “Look, I'm asking you nice: please don't call me that. I don't know what Kallenback told you, but my name is Flash.”
“Eugene Thompson,” she said, this time with flat enunciation. Her expression as she regarded him was flat, assessing. Ready for anything.
He took a deep breath, released it and deliberately unclenched his fists. “OK, fine. Can I do something for you?”
“We only need to speak with you, Mr. Thompson. For now.” said a quiet voice behind him. Flash whirled to see who it was. The voice belonged to a thin man of medium height wearing a rich brown three-piece suit with a pale pink shirt and a maroon tie. The pained set of his lips when taken with his glasses, nose and tufty hair made him look altogether like some kind of well-dressed owl. Flash thought he'd seen him before, but he couldn't place him.
“What do you want?”
“We need to discuss a friend of yours.”
“Look, I don't know what you think—”
“Walk with us, if you will.” He turned away and limped back the way Flash had just come. Sparrow strode up to Flash.
“Well?” was all she said as she passed him.
She was prowling beside the man in the suit seconds later. Flash hesitated and then followed them into the park. When they got to the line of benches under the elm trees, the brown man sat stiffly on the first one while Sparrow stood a few feet away.
“Ms—” The man coughed. “Gen, Mr Thompson and I need to have a private conversation. Why don’t you go join our friends over there.” He waved toward a man throwing a tennis ball for a dog near the badminton court.
“Sure. Dad.” She loped off to where the man and dog were playing. Flash blinked.
“You’re Sparrow’s dad?” he looked after her again. “That’s Detective Riley.”
“Yes. Please sit down.” He motioned to the space beside him.
Flash sat. “OK, you got me. Now what do you want?”
“Peter Parker’s aunt was abducted yesterday as part of a plot aimed at him.”
“What!” Flash jerked to his feet. “Where is she? Is he OK?”
“Yes, they're all right; you can ask him about it when you see him. However, you should know that if events had gone otherwise, he might have died.”
“Died?” He frowned. “Someone wanted to kill him?”
“No, they wanted his father's work. He threatened to throw himself off a six-story building to force them to let his aunt go.”
“He what!”
“He said it was only a ploy to distract them while we made sure she was safe, but I believe he would have threatened the same if we had not been there to help. I further suspect—although I have no evidence whatsoever for this—that he might have sacrificed himself anyway to keep the formula out of the wrong hands. And these, most definitely, were the wrong hands. You have known him for far longer than I. What do you think he would have done?”
“Oh, God.”
“Sit down, Mr. Thompson. You look a little green.”
Flash sat again. “So you’re with Riley and… and Fusco?”
“How...? Oh, the assault. I'd forgotten about that, and that was just two days ago.” The man pushed his glasses up to rub his temples and eyes. “Excuse me. This situation was not resolved until very late last night, and I'm not as young as I used to be. Well. We think Mr. Parker is safe for the time being. However, you need to understand how immensely dangerous his secret is if you are going to pursue a relationship with him.”
“How did you know we… And how do you know he told me anything?”
The man squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don't take up poker Mr Thompson; you will be terrible at it. And just FYI: you boys are not as sneaky as you think.”
Flash’s eyes narrowed. “Sparrow. She’s watching us, isn’t she? She—that’s how she figured out what Hodge was up to so fast. You put her here to spy on Parker. I bet you’re not even really her dad.”
The man nodded. “Ms—Gen is one of my associates. We had a tip there was going to be some kind of trouble involving Mr Parker and put her here to monitor the situation.”
“Fine. OK, look, Don't tell Pete you know about us; he'll freak. I can handle this. And if I can't I… I'll go to my Dad if I have to. He's a cop.”
“Do you think your father is likely to listen to you? Or understand how hazardous the situation is?” the man said, still not raising his voice. “Unless you tell him far too much about Richard Parker's discovery.”
Flash twitched as if stung. “Is that what you're after?
“I must confess that I would love to at least see his equation, if only to know how it sorts with the Gompertz–Makeham Law.” The man looked wistful. “But, no… The biosciences aren’t really my field anyway, and even though the math sounds fascinating, my arrogance has caused too much damage already.”
“Then what?'
“I haven't thought of all the ramifications yet… One of the most important scientific discoveries in history, and it has at least as much potential to destroy humankind as splitting the atom ever did.”
“Oh… What if everybody who knew about this were… gone. Did you think of that? Someone will.”
The brown man gave him a measuring look. “It's too late. Let's suppose both Mr Parker and Dr. Connors drop dead tomorrow. There would still be no way of knowing who else has heard of it by now. I trust myself and my associates to keep quiet on this. Peter has told you, almost certainly Ms. Stacy and possibly Spider-man. I can't speak to his motives, but I'm sure the four of you understand the dangers better than anyone else.”
Flash nodded.
“However, heaven knows what documentation Connors kept or where he kept it. I'm certain that Oscorp has copies of some of his data in their files at the least. The seal is cracked.” He sighed. “This genie will eventually find its way out of the bottle. Hopefully, the formula will be rediscovered without more attempts to extort it from Mr Parker, but even so we'll need his knowledge to make more antidotes.”
“Why are you even talking to me?” Flash said, with a hint of bitter laughter in his voice.
“At this point, Mr. Thompson, 'we' includes you.”
“You want me to study science like Parker and Stacy? Ain't going to happen. I'm a meathead.”
“Well, while it's true you're not academically inclined, you have several other strengths. You're gifted athletically, you're strong and fit, you show some instinctive ability to think on your feet and more than a little shrewdness and physical courage... Many of the students here look up to you as a leader. The ones you haven't bullied yet do anyway.” The man turned toward him and leaned closer and said even more softly, “Now I’m coming to the meat of it, so listen carefully.”
Flash leaned toward him without even thinking about it.
“Your explosive temper is regrettable under normal circumstances. Those now longer apply. Mr Parker has confided a terrible secret to you, and we must deal with you.”
“The fuck do you mean 'deal with me'?” he hissed.
“You are well on the way to becoming just like your father,” the man’s lips thinned further. “Or worse.”
Flash slouched back, looking at his knees, and chewing the inside of his lower lip.
“Normally I would only nudge someone in your situation toward a better path; but as it is, humanity can not afford to wait for you to—to pull your head out of your ass!” The man was almost whispering now.
“What do you want from me?” Flash whispered back.
“I want you to get help, Mr. Thompson. I want you to overcome your past and move on.” His eyes blazed as his voice gradually grew louder. “I want you to take responsibility for your actions. I want you to grow up!”
Flash sat up straight. “Oh, is that all!”
“It is easier said than done, I know, but I think you have already started.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes… Why didn't you retaliate when M—Gen called you by your name? It's always set you off in the past.”
“She did that on purpose?”
“It was a test. We needed to know whether you are even capable of controlling yourself, and you need to know it too.”
“I don't hit girls.”
“No, you just act like a tough guy and intimidate them.” The man’s mouth twisted ironically. “It would have annoyed her terribly. Fortunately you decided to be polite instead, or we would be having a different conversation.”
“Oh. So that's it? I just don't act like a jerk any more? Thanks!”
“There's much more, but we'll start with that.” The man held out a handful of cards. “These are the names of three psychotherapists. All of them are experts at dealing with the issues you are facing. You will meet with them to see if any are acceptable to you. If none of them suits you, I will send you to others until you find one who does.”
“I'm just supposed to trust a shrink you pick out for me.”
“You are free to find one yourself from the Internet or a phone book or by any means you choose as long as I vet them. Will that satisfy you?”
“No! I can't afford this, and there's no way my folks will pay for it. Shit, there's no way they'll agree to it!”
“I will be paying for this, and I prefer that your parents not participate in our interactions. They strike me as being unhelpful. At best.”
“That can’t be legal.”
“It wasn't legal for your father to beat you with his belt and break your ribs and your arm, but he still did it. It isn't legal for your mother to cover up for him when he beats you now, but she still does that.”
“She said… It’s my fault,” he said softly. “If I was just better…” Flash looked away.
“Unhelpful and wrongheaded.” The lines around the man’s mouth and nose deepened. “Don’t tell me you agree with that.”
“No,” Flash mumbled, and took the cards. “When do I do this?”
The man handed him a copy of his own schedule. One of his free tracks was highlighted in green, as were two hours after school. “At these times, since you have been benched from playing until your wound heals. I have made an appointment for you with Dr. Campbell this afternoon, followed by Dr. Henson on Saturday and Dr. Whitaker on Monday. Tell them Mr. Byrd sent you. I will check back with you after each one. Good luck.”
“Anything else?”
“Your history class begins in twenty-six minutes. Don't be late. Good-bye.” He turned and called to the blonde. “Gen?” She jogged back to the bench, and he jerked his head back toward the school.
Sparrow stared at him with a look of open disbelief.
“You insisted on going to Midtown High, as I recall.”
“What happened to 'maelstrom of thuggery and hormones'?”
Byrd looked as if he had just bitten into an apple and discovered half a worm in it. “We will discuss this after school.”
She walked out to the sidewalk and turned back to face the bench. “Move it, Flash. You better not make me late.”
“Are you even really a student?” Flash asked as they walked back.
“I am now, damn it,” she muttered. “Me and my big mouth.”
“How did you get involved in all this?”
“That is for me to know, and for you not to know,” she snapped.
“Fine,” he drawled, looking out the corner of his eye at her.
“Bear!” Reese threw the yellow tennis ball toward the group of pines in the center of the park. “Apport!” Bear raced after it again. Finch contemplated the happy dog for a moment before rising to go join them.
“That went well,” Reese commented as he drew near. “That kid may turn out to be a decent adult yet.”
Finch still looked tired. “You know we're going to get Mr Parker's number again. We still don’t know who was spying on him ten years ago. It might have been Virtanen, it might have been another competitor...”
“...Oscorp trying to get their lost data back... ”
...S.H.I.E.L.D.” Finch frowned as though at an unpleasant memory, but then shook it off. “There are so many possible suspects. And added to that, Mr Parker has all the sense for self-preservation of a mouse with toxoplasmosis.”
“Or Leon.”
“Yes, but at least Mr Tau is only a danger to himself. Lets hope that Ms Zhirova accepts the need to monitor them as an argument to stay in school.” His mouth twisted wryly. “It's not like we have any better option at present.”
“It's no more than the truth. We need to bring Flash up to speed ASAP. And Parker.”
“I hope we don't have trouble teaching Mr Parker to defend himself. He does not seem like the type that violence will come easy to.”
“You'll be surprised, Finch; he’s very cold-blooded under pressure. Bear! Loslaten!” He took the ball and wound up to throw again. “Bear! Apport!”
They watched as the dog bounded after the ball at top speed.
“Need I remind you that he threatened to commit suicide?”
“It was the best way to force their hand. In his situation, I would have done exactly the same. I think he might be the kind of guy who weighs all the options and then choses the logical one—however horrible it turns out to be. Braaf, Bear, braaf.” He took the ball back from Bear and then looked back at Finch. “People like that don’t grow on trees. Phenomenal situational awareness and he’s hella sneaky… If I were still in the Army, I’d want him in training for my unit.”
“Hmm. I don’t mean to disparage your former calling, Mr Reese, but it would be a shame for someone with his tremendous potential to benefit the entire human race to spend it all serving one country.”
“No offense taken.” Reese mused on this for a moment. “Finch… I’m not aware of the Machine ever calling anyone ‘necessary’ before, except maybe you. Do you have any idea what it means?”
“I wonder about that myself. I made the Machine to protect people. That’s it’s whole reason for existence.”
“The Machine has decided it needs Peter for that?”
“I suspect so.”
The pang of jealousy Peter felt when he saw Flash with Missy's gorgeous friend vanished when he saw the grim look on Flash's face.
“Go get him, tiger,” said Missy's friend. She shot a smirk at Peter and sauntered into the classroom.
Apparently, the need for secrecy was not the first thing on his (not boyfriend's?) mind, because Flash stalked up to him.
“Parker. We need to talk. Right now.”
Peter felt a twinge of alarm squeeze his chest. Flash jerked his head toward a corner of the hall near the stairs.
“I see you made a new friend,” said Peter.
“Sparrow is not my friend.” Flash put his hand on the wall next to his head and loomed over him, glaring down and breathing like he'd just done a 30-yard sprint. “Did you threaten to jump off a six-story building last night?”
“…Nno?”
Flash looked frankly disbelieving and more than a little pissed off. “Try again.”
“It was more like fall off than— Oh, come on! I wasn’t serious!”
“Why?”
“I wasn't really going to kill myself. I just needed to keep their attention while the cops rescued Aunt May.”
“So he wasn't lying.”
“Who wasn't…?” His eyes narrowed. “Finch.”
“He said his name was Byrd.”
“Close enough. What's he like?”
“Kind of old. Thin, glasses, nice suit. Walks with a limp. He mentioned 'associates'; he works with Riley for sure.”
“What did he sound like?”
“Soft voice, a lot of big words.”
“It's Finch, I'll bet you anything.”
“Whatever. He's Gen's boss, and—”
“She's not a student?” Peter looked toward the classroom in alarm.
“I guess she is now, but she's not happy about it. He put her here to watch us. Well, watch you, really.” Flash sighed. “It's OK. I don't think they're dangerous. They know about your dad's math thing, but they don't want it.”
“That's what he said last night. Well, he didn't say that, but he didn't act all that interested. What do they want?”
“To make me get my head shrunk.”
“What?”
“Yeah. They think my tendency to be an asshole is a problem.”
“Oh.”
“I wonder if Spider-man has to deal with this crap.”
Peter grinned. “I bet he does. The dude's crazy.”
Flash grinned back. “That's why the chicks dig him.”
“Maybe we should get some bright spandex costumes, Harold. Shake things up a bit.”
“Please, John.” Finch cut the connection to Flash’s cell. “Spider-man may be a hero, but his fashion sense is terrible.”