Issue 31: Trials of Merlin Part II
The heroic couple walked to school that day, eager to apply for Tony's scholarship. All Peter had to do was present his Nanobot prototype, and then it was a sure thing that he got it.
MJ had her own ideas for the scholarship presentation. She was working on a piece of unstable molecule fabric mixed with her web silk formula to create a type of multiuse fabric that would put every other material out of business. Thanks to the material she was developing not only could mimic every other type of fabric, but it would retain the durability of the spider silk armor.
The Spider-Heroine was targeting sweatshops and several other companies that relied on hunting down animals for their fur. She figured that if her fabric could mimic them then all they would need is that single material to develop the desired clothing fabric.
The best part was that she could use the spider silk formula as a base for the materials. All she needed was to make an electron synthesizer and create the particle in a lab, once setting the base template for unstable molecule to the spider silk formula, it could then be shaped in any pattern or size that's within the silks stress levels.
Once the fabric is shaped it can be changed to any type of material that is recorded in the fabric storage center. Which is also something MJ had to develop.
Peter offered to let her use his Nanobots, but in response to his offer, she shook her head and said, "That's too much power for everyday clothing. I'll come up with my own design, just watch me, Tiger! I mean, don't you think it's enough for people to be walking around in bullet proof clothing?"
"It's not completely bullet proof, it's too thin. Bones would break," Peter mentioned with a painful cringe.
"My point stands, it's a bad idea to give everyone tech like that, and I think they'll appreciate the extra safety it provides without giving up comfort. It's about balancing Fashion and Protection."
When they got to school everyone was freaking out and talking about the Avengers. Peter and MJ smiled at the approval of their heroics.
However, that feeling was soured when Flash shouted, "Spider-Man is the best! Did you see him tearing up those whale ship things? And his Spidey woman! What a body!"
Peter crushed up a small piece of paper and chucked it at the back of Flash's head. "Ouch! Who threw that?"
As MJ giggled at her boyfriend's antics, Jessica jumped on them with a cheerful greeting, Hey guys, what's up?"
Peter smiled and shook his hand, "Nice to see you again, Luke. I hope you and Jessica have been getting along."
"Ah…yeah, she's a cool cat!" Luke responded when Danny walked up to them next to Angel,
"You talk like you're from the 70s," MJ snorted.
"It's how my momma raised me. Got a problem with that." Luke crossed his arms.
"Hey Pete! Hi MJ!" Angel said as she hugged them, "Great job Avengers!" She whispered in their ears.
Danny came up next and said, "Oh, you're Peter Parker, right? I hear you're the smartest kid in school, and this lovely lady must Mary Jane, Angel talks about you guys all the time."
Angel blushed and said, "I do not!"
Peter and MJ laughed at her expression.
"So, did you hear about the Scholarship Stark's giving out? The people who win will receive entry to one a brand-new academy, and enough grant money to start their own business." Luke informed.
Peter almost choked at the thought, and groaned as he mumbled, "Tony you always go overboard."
He then looked to Luke and asked, "What's this new academy?"
Luke smiled as he said, "It's a new school that will have every grade for teaching. From grade school to university level, as long as you pass an examination, you can go here. I also hear Tony Stark is the building's only benefactor and the materials he's using are all next-gen."
Angel smiled and said, "Yeah, actually, I heard that the company I got a job with is pitching in too. So, there are two benefactors."
Angel winked at them without the rest of her group, Peter suddenly thought of Avengers Academy. "No, it can't be. But if it is…that means I'll get to meet Hank Pym, the Hank Pym was dubbed as the scientist supreme by a cosmic entity known as Eternity!" Peter thought to himself.
Not to mention that he was more than sure that Otto and Curt were coming along to the place to teach as well, especially since their contract is with S.H.I.E.L.D and not Mid-Town high school.
Peter laughed, "So that's the game you're playing, Fury. Man, this guy knows how to tempt a person. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, he is the world's greatest spy and all that stuff. I bet he could temp the devil into making a deal with him instead of the other way around."
Peter rubbed the back of his head as he thought, "Well I guess it's time to graduate, I guess we'll be seeing them later. I doubt Fury will let them stay here." He then smiled and said, "Actually MJ and I are applying for the scholarship and will be taking the Early High School Exit Exam."
"Really?" Everyone shouted.
"Yeah, we plan to graduate early so we can do personal stuff before college!" MJ replied with a smile on her face.
The bell rang as they started to walk away and towards their class, Flash shouted, "I don't believe it, Puny Parker and Geeky MJ are leaving school?"
Peter could put up with a lot of things, but he snapped after hearing him make fun of MJ.
"Okay Flash, since this is the last time I get to show you up, might as well go big! I'm tired of you jumping at us just because MJ and I are smarter than you. I get it, you feel inadequate about your own life and your own lack of knowledge."
"You..." Once again, Flash found himself walking into another verbal beatdown.
Peter poked his chest and pushed him back a bit, "You know, I bet if you just applied yourself to something anything with all of your might, you could be something special. So let me give you a piece of advice, you tiny-brained oaf. You know that Spider-Man you like so much; that Hero you idolize? He'd see you as a god damned thug. A bully who can't take a hint."
From the look on Flash's face, Peter could that one cut deep. But he didn't stop there, he backed away from the blond jerk and said, "If you want to emulate that hero you have to shape up and do something meaningful with your life, something productive to society. Or else you'll just be a dumb jock for the rest of your life!"
He gave Flash one last stern look and finished berating him by saying, "You know what I want to do? I want to make things that make it easier for humans to live comfortably, I want to cure cancer, and revolutionize the medical world, I want to help mankind travel and terraform other planets, but most of all I want to move forward with my life. What do you want to do?"
"Sh...shut the hell up! You don't know me!" Flash tried to invade Peter's personal space.
However, the Spider-Hero pushed him back with a poke to his chest that actually hurt the guy a little, "Oh, I know you. You're the kind of guys that prefers to sit on your ass and make fun of others all to stoke that tiny, and I mean tiny little ego. Grow the fuck up, Flash. You're not a kid anymore, so start acting like a god damn adult and take some responsibility for your life."
The bully was so stunned, he didn't even notice Peter walking away with his arm around Mary Jane.
"Damn Tiger! That was harsh! Deserved, but harsh."
"He needed to hear it. Flash has a lot of potential in him. He shouldn't waste it taking out his problems on other people, he needs to look inside and see the hero that's in everyone." Peter said with a stern expression..
"Kind of corny," MJ said, but her smile made it clear that she rather liked that side of him.
"Why because it's actually good advice? The day something positive became weird is the day humanity becomes a doomed species. Doing good shouldn't be seen strange or foreign to people. It should be the most natural thing in the world."
"You got a point there...I never thought of it like that," MJ mulled over the reason why speaking like that became odd.
Harry and Liz saw them strolling through the hall and came up to them.
"Hey Peter! Glad you guys made it through that mess, how's your family?"
Peter and Harry hugged and replied, "They're alright. What about yours?"
MJ hugged Liz as she used their cover story, "Some guy named Power Man saved our parents, we were in Brooklyn when it happened."
"We were in Harlem when it started. A girl calling herself Firestar saved us," Liz said as she smiled at Angel.
They entered homeroom for the last time and requested to take an early exam, they signed up and easily passed. Next, they applied for Tony's scholarship and sent in their prototypes.
After the received their graduation papers they went home early to show them off, they also informed them that they would take a break before going to college. Since they bought themselves a couple of years before they would have to go naturally, they could take it easy and spend time with their family while shuffling their superhero activities.
After a few days, an acceptance notice came from Pepper, Peter and MJ smiled, they weren't joking when they said that the grant money Tony supplied could build their own company.
On top of the grant money, Peter and MJ were getting their own separate paychecks from the stuff they made and sold.
Peter checked his phone and grinned, "I don't think Spidey's ever been this rich."
He and MJ both got around 5.5 Million Dollars with grant. Added with what they already had, Peter had roughly 505 Million while MJ was hitting 100 Million.
With this much they could officially open up a company or start an entire enterprise. However, before they could spend their cash, they wanted to learn Magic. After that last battle, MJ started to understand that one of the quickest ways to get stronger with one's own maximum effort.
(D/P: I'm so proud of her.)[A/N: I will erase you if you keep this up!]
She thought of asking Angel or someone that she knew if she could copy their power, but she could never think of how to phrase it, and it always came off as something that sounded power hungry.
"Ugh, why can't I find a criminal to have a suitable power that I like?" MJ pouted as they moved around the city going towards Doctor Strange's Sanctum.
Peter then said, "You know, I could always ask Thor to give you a shock that could purify your spider gene to perfection, who knows maybe you'll get your own Totem and power up as well."
He had long since explained that higher beings like the Beyonders and gods appear as they expect to see them, so if she didn't want to imagine a monster it would be a good idea not to go in expecting one.
"Sounds fun," MJ said with a sarcastic tone, "Little scary though, I wonder what this Web of Life is, and why it's so important?"
Peter sigh, there wasn't much known about the web of life's origin, but its importance was tied to the very fabric of their reality. From what he remembered of it, the full name was called, The Web of Life and Destiny, it is a three-dimensional construct in five-dimensional space which acts as a model of the entire Multiverse and enables travel between realities. Its nexus lies in Earth-001, where it is maintained by The Master-Weaver and totemic spider deities.
From what Peter's learned of the Spider Gods, the Totem Names are given by them after reaching a certain level of connection with the pantheon. For instance, Kaine being called The Other, it was a tittle that he gained from accepting the Totem God, along with the power to transform into a spider monster.
The other Totem Tittle he knew of were The Great Weaver who also selects those who are worthy of becoming the avatars of Great Totems like the Other. The Gatekeeper who is responsible for controlling mystical forces and chooses which totemic avatars are worthy of their powers, the Bride's role is in weaving hidden threads, enabling Spider-Totems to arise through chance, magic, curses, or unwanted luck.
He was from Universe 891211 and was now the home of the Champion Totem. Peter didn't know what that entailed yet, but he figured such a title couldn't be a small role for him to play in the days to come.
As they arrived at Strange's place they noticed that the door was opened, and there was a voice of a young woman was yelling inside, "I don't care if you're the sorcerer of the whole damn world whatever you title yourself as! That artifact belongs to the Inhumans, and if you don't hand it over then you're in for a world of hurt."
"Miss Crystal, I told you before, your ancestors gave this relic to the Sorcerer Supreme years ago as a peace offering. I don't know much about your current leader, but as his sister-in-law, shouldn't you be working to improve the relations with an ally of the Inhumans, rather than squander our partnership?" Strange questioned. He seemed to be trying to reason with her.
"I keep telling my big brother that magic is a sham, and you're nothing more than a swindler come to pray upon our people. I don't know which Inhuman you are, what powers you have, or even if Strange is your real name. What reason should I have to trust you? Perhaps you're not even human at all, maybe a Mutant." Crystal shouted with a frustrated expression.
Peter and MJ walked up the stairs and saw Crystal who was the sister of Medusa the Queen of the Inhumans, she had short bright orange hair and had an appealing appearance, her facial features were top notch and could only be called a beauty no matter which way you looked at her. Her body was lean perfectly toned, she was clearly trained in combat, and was around the same age as them.
She seemed to be holding a strange crystal in her hand and was pointing her finger at Strange while shouting, "I don't care what happened in the past, I was told to gather up the keys and return them to Attilan."
"If you would please allow me to speak to your leader," Strange said holding his hand up, "Ha! Talking to big brother is pointless for a mortal, do you wish to die."
"I think he's referring to speaking with his mind, after all, the Sorcerer Supreme could easily speak with him using Telepathy," Peter said as he walked up the steps.
"Who are you?" Crystal turned around to see the two in costume.
"What have you been living under a rock, we're your friendly neighborhood Spidey Couple!" MJ replied.