Chapter 11: King of Swords

Monday, first period. Duncan sat at his normal spot inside Midtown High's biology lab, next to the affable Gwen Stacy.

On their tables were around 10 or so beakers filled with various liquids. They were handed pH paper and told to estimate the pH of each liquid in the beakers.

"I heard my dad visited your house yesterday," said Gwen. After that, she places one of the pH papers in one of the beakers. "10 pH. Basic."

"Oh wow, officer Stacy told you every move he made during duty?" Duncan said sarcastically. He also dipped one of the pH papers into one of the beakers. "3 pH. Acidic."

"Well, not everything." Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's why I'm asking you. Why did he go there?"

"9 pH. Basic." Duncan went on, jotting the findings on the paper. "Some officers were killed. My house was the last place they went."

"Officers?" Gwen grimaced, evidently concerned. "Do you know why they were killed?"

"Mafia stuff, most likely." Duncan shook his head. "They allegedly used the officers as informants."

"Right…" Gwen mumbled, still a little dazed.

"6 pH. Acidic." Duncan jolted Gwen out of her trance. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gwen murmured. "Anyway, have you joined any clubs?"

"Clubs?" Duncan was perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Like, chemistry club, or robotics club..." Gwen responded. "Extracurricular?"

"Nobody told me about it," Duncan explained.

"But there was a fair last Monday—ooh…" Gwen let out a sigh. "You should probably ask around about that. You can probably still register for some activities."

"Well, I guess I'll think about it." Duncan gave a nod. "What kind of club have you joined?"

Gwen made an odd expression. "Why do you want to know about it?"

"Why are you being so defensive?" Duncan shrugged. "I'm just curious."

Gwen let out a sigh. "Fine. I joined a music club."

"Music club?" Duncan lifted an eyebrow. "I never thought you were that kind of girl."

"And this is why I'm defensive," grumbled the girl. "So, how about you? What kind of club do you want to join?"

"I'm not sure," Duncan said. "Trying out for football sounds fun."

"Football?" Gwen's face was astonished, but her eyes were amused. "You?"

"What? I'm merely expressing my interest." Duncan shook his head. "11 pH. Basic."

Gwen was still staring at Duncan strangely, having forgotten to resume their job. Mr. Harrington then suddenly appeared in front of the class, holding a stack of papers.

"Alright, class, pay attention please; this is an important announcement," he said. "The following week. We'll be on a school trip for the entire day. I want you to give this paper to one of your parents or guardians for their approval, do you understand?"

Mr. Harrington then distributes the papers to the students. Then one of the girls raised her hand. "Where are we going?"

"Good question," said Mr. Harrington. "We're heading to Stark Industries to study renewable energy research," Mr. Harrington explained.

Murmurs filled the room as students discussed the school excursion.

"Alright, settle down," said Mr. Harrington. "Continue with your assignment; if you're finished, you may leave class early."

Duncan just kept working with Gwen because there were still a few beakers to examine.

—

Duncan entered the school cafeteria carrying a tray of rather disgusting-looking food from the school kitchen. He examined the area and noticed that there was some segregation, but it wasn't very noticeable.

The jock was still seated with other jocks, but there were a couple of "average" students interacting with them. He saw Gwen wasn't there, so he looked around again and saw two boys dining alone in the corner.

Duncan approached them casually, standing in front of them and drawing their attention.

"Mind if I sit here?" said Duncan to the two boys, Ned Leeds and Peter Parker.

"Sure man." Peter gave a nod. "Lots of space here."

"I can tell," Duncan remarked, glancing around at the empty seats. He sat down in front of them and opened the juice box he was carrying.

The two boys just stared at him, as if they were interested in something.

"So... you're the person who survived the massacre at a hotel?" Ned asked, causing Peter to thrust his shoulder at him.

"Oh, you finally figured it out." Duncan sighed and rolled his eyes. "It only took about a week."

"W-Well I knew it from the start." Peter said it awkwardly. "I totally knew that you were lying back then."

"Sure Parker." Duncan made a hum. "Anyway, what do you guys think about the trip next week?"

"To the Stark Industries?" Peter stated. "It's cool, maybe we could see Tony Stark himself, you know?"

"That's probably not going to happen, but hey, hope all you want." Duncan shook his head. "Also, have you guys joined any clubs or anything?"

"Why do you ask?" said Peter, curious.

"Well, I haven't yet. I missed the fair, so if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears."

"Well, I joined the robotics lab and the marching band," Peter explained. "Ned joined the computer science club here."

"Oh, well, I'm not really interested in any of that," Duncan said. He seemed to be lost in thought. "I guess thanks anyway."

"Well, what kind of club do you want to join?" questioned Peter.

"I'm not sure yet... Probably something to do with biology or something." Duncan responded. "Or sport; I kind of want to try sport."

"Sport? Well, marching band is kind of a sport." Peter muttered something.

"I guess so, but still..."

"I get what you mean." Peter gave a nod. "Then maybe try out for the football team, who knows?"

"Yeah, I was going to try that too." Duncan hummed another time. "Well, I'll think about it later."

—

Following school. Duncan stood outside the PE teacher's office. Before knocking on the door, he took a big breath.

There was no response at first, but then a deep voice from within told him to come in, so he opened the door.

"Plagmann," remarked Mr. Wilson, the teacher inside. "Surprised to see you in my office. Do you need something?"

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Wilson. But I kind of want to ask you something."

"All right, ask away," Mr. Wilson said.

"Right. I didn't come to see the fair last week, so I was wondering about the football tryouts," continued Duncan.

Mr. Wilson raised an eyebrow. "Tryouts for football? Do you want to join the tryouts?"

"Yeah. is it still open?"

"It's this Friday," Wilson replied. "The registration period has ended, but..." The man rose from his seat and examined the boy from head to toe. "You're quite tall; nice throw from last PE class... and from what I've heard, you're quite something."

"Those rumors are probably fakes... If you heard something like "I killed the whole gang," then it's definitely fake." Duncan said, deadpanning.

Mr. Wilson simply hummed. "Normally I'll refuse this, but you look capable enough, and we have a shortage of players, so I'll sign you up. Just remember to attend this Friday."

"Thanks Mr. Wilson. I'll definitely come." Duncan nodded, before leaving the office, walking towards his next class.

—

Monday Evening. Duncan was now in his car, and Paul was driving him home. It was a nice and quiet ride; the rain was pouring heavily outside, and the heater of the vehicle warmed those within.

Duncan held the Apocryphon in his hand and was studying the Justice Arcana page. He was looking over the phrases that appeared beneath the tarot card.

[II: Justice was amused by thy attempt at provocation. This hath bolstered thy will, and thy other self will manifest unreservedly.]

The boy sighed, unsatisfied with the reward he had worked so hard for. He understood the words written on the page; he summarized that by obtaining this, he would be able to summon his persona through sheer willpower; he would not need to rip off his mask or anything else.

Despite his disappointment, he is happy with the outcome. He now understands how to advance through the ranks of Justice Arcana. He might kill two birds with one stone, gradually dismantling Fisk's criminal empire one soul at a time to prevent him from targeting his family while also ranking up the Arcana.

As the car slowed, Duncan noticed that it was now entering the gated community. He saw that some cops were guarding the gate now, a sign that the NYPD at least didn't break their promise. Paul entered the area as soon as security confirmed his identity, and he gently drove down the road.

"That's a lot of security now." Paul stated. "It's a little annoying to see."

"Yeah, well, what's the purpose of having security if it's not annoying?" Duncan shook his head. "If it isn't bothersome, then security is just not trying enough."

"True…" Paul made a hum. "But, still."

The car then arrived at Duncan's home. The boy noticed another car parked in front of the house; it was a gray Lamborghini, which was quite a nice ride for this time of year.

"Who is that?" Duncan inquired.

"I'm not sure." Paul frowned. "Probably your mother's coworker."

The car then drove into the house and parked in the garage. Duncan moved out of the room and into the home, aiming to find out who owned the car.