Summary:In which Peter Parker attempts to draw out Kori Anderson's dark secrets, and in doing so reveals that he is THE SPIDER-MAN. And then Kori repays him by throwing a wrench into the works with MJ Watson. Log Info:Storyteller: {$storyteller} |
Related LogsTheme Song{$themesong} |
  |
Peter stepped into Lab Three in the Science Wing. Not many hung around this area, and Pete had found many of the tools here useful for…stuff.
He had sent a text to Kori. He had kept the question simple: COULD YOU MEET ME AT LAB THREE BEFORE CLASS? GOT STUFF FOR YOU.
He had fielded a number of questions since she got his number. But he was able to answer just about all of them, some requiring a little research, but overall he felt he was doing a decent job to help Kori fit in. But there were some other things he felt she needed.
And he couldn't very well give them to her where others could see.
~~
It's been an interesting few days for Kori Anderson.
The various cliques and groups regarded her with a wary uncertainty. No one was prepared to commit long-term to detente and scorn the new girl, but it was hard to get a read on Kori's social value. Plusses: Attractive, athletic, exotic. Minuses: Weird, intimidating, and for some reason instant friends with nerdy Parker.
Kori of course goes about her days completely oblivious to such aspersions against her character, a bright smile almost constantly fixed on her face. At least no one can say she's anything but extremely polite and friendly— well, that and her arm cannon that nailed Flash with a football bullet at thirty yards. Rumor had it that the Coach was now investigating the rules on recruiting female athletes.
"Peter!" Kori shouts a lot and she's shouting from down the hall. It turns heads at her when she bounces and waves at him enthusiastically, then back at Parker. There's a mixed bag of envy and resentment for him there.
Kori starts skipping down the hall and people hastily get out of her way. She is *not* a lightweight person. Peter seems in the path of an inevitable collision but she remarkably times her steps so she comes to a full stop six inches from Peter, feet together. Her cloth knapsack is on her back and books held to her chest. "Hello! I received your text message," she announces. "You said you've got 'a somethings' for me?"
She's dressed again in a style that's on the eclectic side: low-heeled brown leather shoes, knee-high socks, khakhi shorts, and a men's blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It's hard to say if it's a fashion statement, thrift shop find, or she's just emulating someone else.
~~
Peter spots her and smiles wryly. No matter how you feel, she simply exudes an aura that has no time for depression or anger. The rumor mill is churning out copy at a good clip—she's a distant cousin, Peter somehow conned her into liking him. One rather salacious rumor even suggested she was some kind of mail-order bride.
But he glances around furtively as he opens the door to the lab, holding it open for Kori before stepping inside, trying to look as unhurried as possible. As he did so, he said, "Yes, actually. I found some resource materials I hoped might help you gain a greater understanding of our culture…"
~~
"Oh, that would be of great help!" Kori tells Peter. Effusive gratitude shines across her face. "And I have some news of the goodness that I can share with you as well. I made a friend!" she tells him. "Two friends. 'Scott Summer' and 'Warren Worthalot'," she tells Peter. "They are professors of Trigonometries in a school north of New York. I was skating at the Falling Rock Center" Rockefeller "and met several new people." Kori shows Peter a few selfies out of the few dozen she took with her phone. "And look! I met MISTRESS ZATANNA." She thrusts her phone screen at Peter's face, awe in her voice. "She did even some of 'the magics' for me!"
~~
Peter had to admit, he was impressed. Schools in that area were…exclusive, to say the least. Far out of the reach of the Parkers, that was for sure. And he had heard of Zatanna. One of the great stage magicians. David Copperfield, Harry Houdini, that sort of elite performer.
Kori Anderson was getting around. That could be both good and bad.
"Okay, Kori, have a seat. I have a few questions I want to ask you, just between you and me. Is that all right?"
~~
"Thank you, but I do not have enough hands to carry a seat," Kori tells Peter with a diplomatic smile.
~~
Peter paused for a moment. He had no idea if he was Kori's straight man in a comedy skit, or she didn't understand the phrase.
"Uhm…okay, never mind. First question…where did you grow up in Malta?"
~~
Kori unslings her bag to hang it on the back of the chair, then puts her books on the rack underneath the bench. Once everythings' settled she interlaces her fingers and turns on the stool to face him. Hands in lap, back straight, like someone who learned etiquette by reading about it.
"I was born in Valleta," she says promptly. "It is located on the south-east of the island of Malta and adjacent to Marsamxett Harbor and Grand Harbour. There is a population of 6,400 citizens at the last census It was designated the capital of Malta in 1571."
She bounces in her seat and claps her bare thighs with her hands. "This is fun!" she giggles. "Ask me another one!"
~~
Peter nods. Okay. That's one thing he does know about her. Whoever she is, she did her homework.
"All right. Next question. During the summer, in the rainy season, what was your favorite place to go?"
~~
Record skip. Kori stares at Peter for a few beats, face fixed in that pleasant smile. "Um…. Indoors!" she says, helpfully.
"That is to say that, er, precipitation in Malta averages six hundred inches per year and the winter months are when the rain season is most intense. The summer is noticeably more temperate. Due to yo- the 'The Jet Stream' there are few hurricanes making landfall compared to the United States."
~~
Peter nodded again thoughtfully. "All right. Last question. What is your fondest memory from your childhood?"
~~
Kori looks a little uneasy as Peter angles his last query at her. Her face relaxes in relief when it proves to be something very simple. "My sister and I sneaking away from the pal— from school in order to have fun," she tells him. "She is older than I am and was … sick as a child. My parents were very disappointed and they confined her to th— our home. I tried to cheer her up as often as I could but that day she wanted nothing more than to go 'the outside'. We had a very good time until they caught us!"
~~
Peter nods thoughtfully. "Kori, I'm going to give you my honest thoughts about something. But I would like you to hold off on saying anything until I'm done. Is that all right, Kori?"
~~
Peter's thoughtful tone seems to be cutting through Kori's periodic absent-mindedness. The direct way he addresses her provokes a similar response and she goes quite still, staring at Peter intently. She's forgetting to blink, and there's *definitely* a little green flicker of light in her iris that isn't just the flourescents overhead.
"I always strive for honesty, friend Peter. Lying causes only greater grief down the road."
~~
Peter nods. If he's right, then he can try to help her with her situation. If he's wrong, he's screwed up in a major way…AGAIN.
But as Uncle Ben had told him, God hates a coward.
"There are a number of inconsistencies about you Kori. When I asked you the questions, I expected personal observances about your life. For the first two answers…I got what you would find in a book. Facts, but little personal feeling to them. Like you were answering a test question."
He paused, then continued. "When you spoke of personal experiences in the past, you made references to 'castes,' to a perspective strongly reminiscent of soldiers and warriors. When you spoke of the football players dying in service to tradition,the binding of your hair for 'war and riutal'…that is more suitable to the Japanese samurai code. Malta's history is primarily being occupied by other nations and dynasties, not as a predominantly independent nation."
As the "genius" goes for broke.
"The fact is, I don't truly wish to know what your actual secrets are regarding your past. I don't think you're from Malta, but I don't want to know where you do come from, and I will not try to coerce you into telling me. If you're on the run from something, or someone…or if circumstances brouight you here…thatis not important to me. What is important is that if you need to pretect a secret…I want to help you protect it."
Now…let's find out if I put my foot so far into my mouth everything will taste like shoe leather for a year.
"Are you REALLY from Malta?"
~~
Kori stares at Peter. For a second— just a split second— he'd notice every hair on his neck standing up at once. Spider-sense screaming DANGER! as loudly as it ever has.
But it passes before it can even fully realize and Kori sits back in her seat. She closes her eyes and looks off to the side, controlling her emotions or confronting sadness, and when she looks back at Peter her eyes are a more natural shade of green.
"I confess that I am the hypocrite," she tells him. "I strive to be honest but I lied to you, my friend. I am full of shame." She hangs her head for a moment, almost grieving for what she's done.
"I am not from the Republic of Malta, as you have guessed. I decided upon it as a convenient 'cover story' when I emigrated." Fingers curl heavily in the air to describe quote marks. "The truth is that I am in great danger. By associating with me publicly, you may be in danger by proxy. I left a despotic regime and fled my home as a refugee, with no assets beyond what clothes I wore. The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement assisted me in emigrating here legally— so I am not here unlawfully," she tells him, hastily. "But the word … there's word, I am sure," she says. "For residing somewhere while in disguise."
~~
Peter nods. He's right. He's just wishing he wasn't. He wished he was a fool, and that she was going to run out and tell everyone about the outlandish things the King of Geeks was saying.
But he is right, and now he has to face this.
"You're not being a hypocrite, Kori. You have to tell a lie because the truth is more dangerous." He smiled reassuringly. "Look, Kori…there are a few things people can notice. But I want to help you with them. How to…sell the story you want to tell others, so that you can be believable. So that no one will want to dig deeper."
A thought occurs to him. It's crazy. He shouldn't do it. But she looks so sad and woebegone.
He suddenly decides. For better or for worse.
"Kori…I'm going to show you something. I want you to understand why I am willing to help keep this secret."
Go all in.
"…I have a secret, too."
~~
"Ooh! A secret!" Kori's eyes go wide. "I do not wish to compel you to confide in me, friend Peter. A secret between two people is only kept if one of them is dead," she says, mangling that quote a bit. "And I do not wish for either of us to kill each other!"
"Also, I do not want to 'sell' my story," she tells Peter with her typical polite hesitation. "I do not believe there is any money to be had with such a venture and it would compromise my disguising of the me." She folds her hands in her lap and sits patiently, staring at Peter with that oddly unblinking expression.
~~
Peter chuckles as he checks the door. The window is still covered with black plastic, and all the blinds are closed. "Another metaphor. 'To sell' means to help others believe what you are telling them."
He reaches into his shirt pocket, then places it on the lab countertop.
The object is red with black lines, giving the appearance of a spiderweb. Stylized eyes with polarized lenses look up at Kori's face, also unblinkingly.
And then, because a mask is only a mask…he demonstrates.
Suddenly Peter is no longer standing in front of her. He is on the ceiling, hands firmly placed, the balls of his feet also firmly placed.
He is clinging to the ceiling…doing whatever a spider can.
~~
Kori gasps. And then… breaks into applause. "You are an acrobat!" she declares. "That is very much 'the coolness'. You are much stronger than you look to jump so well!" She beams up at Peter.
It doesn't seem to occur to her that what he's doing is in any way unusual.
~~
Peter sighs. The Rodney Dangerfield of superheroing. No respect at all.
He lets go of the ceiling with his hands, standing up straight…only he's standing DOWN straight, upside down. Still no recognition? Ah, well.
"More than an acrobat, Kori…I'm Spider-Man. I thought the mask would give it away."
~~
At *that*, Kori tilts her head. "Oh. Oh! The one we were discussing the other day!" She gasps. "I did not know you were 'the famous!' How silly I must have sounded. It is as Friend Harry observed, you are a normal man." She peers at Peter. "Unless you have had some terrible accident and indeed lost your other appendages. In which case, you have my condolences."
"Is this then a magical trick? Like the Great Zatanna?" Kori says the name almost reverently. "I have been trying to learn the 'card tricks' but I keep getting it wrong. The YouTubes are not proving helpful."
She furrows her brow. "May I ask how you are staying on the ceiling, or would that be a 'the trade secret'?"
~~
Peter chuckled. "The hands and feet have tiny hairs that cling to just about any surface. And it's not magic. It's genetic. I was bitten by a genetically-engineered spider that had been irradiated. When it bit me, it passed genetic material on to me."
He "let go" of the ceiling then flipped over to land on his feet, straightening up.
"I showed you this…because I wanted to show you that I understood your situation a little. And that you wouldn't worry about me…"
~~
Kori watches Peter land and applauds him again, as if he's performing a circus act. "I admit that with your stunted physique and low social status, I was concerned for your well-being," Kori confesses. "But I believe that such a display of dexterity would thoroughly shame your detractors. And Spider-Man is a celebrity!" she says. "I have seen him— you— on the YouTubes. Many students admire you!"
She stands up suddenly as an idea strikes her. "Come, we will announce to them all that you are the Spider-Man, and then they will cheer you as a hero!" She claps her hands happily. "Then you will no longer be 'the runt' and the victim of harassment!"
~~
Peter reaches out to grab her arm. She has a very firm arm, but Kori suddenly realizes how physically strong he is.
"Kori, STOP!" It was probably the first time he raised his voice to her. He seems aware of it as well, and lowers his voice. "Kori, listen to me. YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE I'M SPIDER-MAN. Do you realize what would happen if it got out? Think of what every criminal I stopped would do! They can find where I live with a computer and an Internet connection in five MINUTES, and then they would go and do to AUNT MAY and MJ and HARRY what they can't do to ME. I'd end up in a prison cell…or worse…in an OsCorp LAB, getting experimented on so they could figure out how it worked so they could make MORE of me. And the kids in this school…they'd be scared to DEATH of me! I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO BE SCARED OF ME." His voice was rising again, and he lowered it. "I'm strong enough to make any kid…or ADULT…in this school do what I want. I have to be strong enough NOT TO do that. And if they make fun of me…then LET THEM. I know who I am.":
~~
"Please let go of my arm, Peter," Kori says, as sweetly as she says anything. It's jarringly incongruous with the screaming sense of DANGER again, despite no visible threats incoming. Beneath even Peter's strong fingers there is a positively rocklike resistance and a sense that Kori stopped because she *chose* to, rather than being arrested by Peter's grip.
She does stop her momentum and listens attentively to Peter's words.
"My English is still not perfect and you were speaking very quickly just the now," Kori tells him. "But I believe I understand why you are concerned. Please forgive me; I was acting hastily, and I apologize again."
"I promise I will not divulge your secret to anyone, Peter." She thinks about it then makes a lip-zipping motion. Or an approximation of it.
When he's all done and stops to take a breath, Kori rests her hands gently on his shoulders. "I understand completely. Please do not be alarmed, but I would like to give you a hug because you seem agitated," she tells Peter. Her arms spread out and she stands there with her hands extended as long as it takes Peter to make up his mind one way or another.
~~
Peter had let go as soon as he knew she wouldn't go out there. He was kinda glad. There was that feeling of otherworldliness about her, and he felt VERY lucky she chose not to do whatever gave his Spider-Sense the screaming whim-whams.
After a moment, he says, "Okay, Kori. Forgiven." He even smiles encouragingly. "Friends forgive each other."
He takes a deep breath, then steps forward and embraces Kori. It's not one of those imtimate hugs—his hands ar around her lower back (because height) and his face is against her neck.
~~
Kori embraces Peter with sincere affection, and Tamaraneans do *not* do casual hugs. She wraps an arm around his shoulders and puts the other behind his head, swaying back and forth with gentle reassurance in a full-body hug. Is it just Peter, or is it warm in here? It's Kori. She feels a little shy of feverish to the touch.
The hug breaks and she reaches up to touch his cheek, palm pressing against the side of his face in a gesture of sisterly affection. "You are a good friend, Peter Parker, and I am grateful for our relationship."
Which is precisely when MJ pushes open the door. "Peter, are—" She catches only the last six words of Kori's sentence and the way the Tamaranean is touching his face.
Kori turns partially to look at MJ, which only accentuates the contact with Peter and the arm snaked around his shoulders. "Hello, friend MJ!" she says, cheerily.
~~
Peter is about to ask why she is so warm when MJ comes on. Had he locked the door? Oh, wait…the latch sticks on that one.
Peter looked at MJ, eyes wide and startled. "Uhm….IIIIIIIIIIII can explain."
MJ gave him the most skeptical look she had ever given him. "Oh, REALLY…I would LOVE to hear this explanation."
~~
"Friend MJ, I can explain!" Kori beams with her usual helpfulness when Peter chokes. She has not yet let go of Peter because it hasn't occured to her to do so. "No, wait, I can NOT explain," she amends. "Not without saying a fiction and I do not wish to lie to you, my friend," she clarifies. "But Peter has sworn me to secrecy and said I should not tell anyone about what he showed me in here. I hope you can understand," she tells MJ reassuringly.
~~
Peter's face completely drains of blood. He's pretty sure of it.
Harry shows up behind MJ. "Come on MJ, you said your notes were…in…here?"
Harry stares openly at Kori and Peter…and then a big grin spreads over his face. "I'm so PROUD of you, Petesky," he says, his face seeming to glow with a warmth of his own.
MJ gives Peter the stink-eye as she steps inside, grabs her backpack, and storms out of the lab room. Harry grins. "I'll just give you two some privacy. But later? DETAILS, Peter. I want DETAILS."
He closes the door, and they are alone in the room again.
"So…" Peter says after a moment of silence. "Apparently we're dating now."
~~
"Thank you, friend Harry!" Kori calls after Osborne. "I am very proud of Peter as well!" How's THAT for lacking context.
Kori looks down at Peter with a befuddled expression. "That is very kind of you to offer, Peter, and I do not wish to be 'the rude' to you. But I am not interested in 'the dating' with you at this time. Casual association is perhaps an acceptable risk, but if I were to become romantically involved the consequences to your well-being could be terrible."
She pauses, thinking, and the fingers on Peter's shoulder drum thoughtfully. "If it makes you feel better, after what you have shown me in here, I respect your masculine prowess even more than before! I am regretful for not recognizing your talents the sooner. I enjoyed watching you perform for me."
She's *still* holding Peter and she's *still* talking, and Third Period class started congregating outside the classroom somwhere after "if it makes you feel better." Mr. Hendricks, the lab monitor, is grinning at Peter with his arms folded loosely over his polo shirt.
"Don't mind us, Pete," he drawls. "Just sign up for the lab space ahead of time, okay?"
~~
Peter's cheeks are burning hotly. "Uhm…we'd better…leave the lab…so they can start class." He snags the mask from the counter behind him as he steps out of that embrace, resolving to teach Kori about the personal space thing PRONTO, Tonto.
As he guides Kori towards the door, he is aware of all eyes on him. Welll…crud. Even if he is NOT dating Kori, everyone THINKS he is.
Wait…maybe that might not be a bad thing. If everyonr thinks they are dating, then maybe she won't get others trying to dig into her past. And maybe some of those OTHER rumors might cease as well.
It's not like anything BAD could happen…