How It Began - Part 2

I walked home from school pretty dejected from my encounter with Flash. It still gets to me that a guy I used to be best friends with as a kid could grow up into such a monster. But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. When his Quirk manifested, all of the kids and parents gushed over him. This started a massive superiority complex that led to him picking on those he thought beneath him. In other words, me.

Once it became clear that I'd never develop a Quirk, his attitude flipped on a dime and I was pretty much open season for the guy. Needless to say, I stopped hanging out with him. Still, in spite that and not having a Quirk, I wouldn't say I had a bad childhood.

My parents died years ago in a plane crash, leaving me in the care of my Uncle Ben and Aunt May. They're the best people I know, and they made sure I grew up happy and loved. Still, what do you tell a kid who just found out he'd never have a Quirk? That he'd never be like Iron Man?

Actually, they encouraged me to go for it. When it became clear that I wouldn't have the physical means to be a hero, Uncle Ben suggested I try and use my brain to help others. I could create support items like my dad, I could work for Damage Control, there were plenty of ways I could make a difference and be a hero, albeit indirectly.

But still, I wanted to be part of the action. Maybe it was all the times I watched the Iron Man videos, maybe it was the fact I didn't really play with other kids growing up, I don't know. I just wanted to make it known that when I made a difference, I was seen as the one who did it. Was it vanity? Was it a way to stick it to Flash and everyone else who thought so little of me? It didn't matter, all I knew was I had to at least try.

So I picked up my notebook and looked through it. This was my fifth one in a series I'd come up with. Using the camera from my photography club, I'd get some decent photos for the school newspaper, while at the same time documenting all the new heroes I'd come across and the Quirks I witnessed in action.

After Flash's little tantrum, the book was pretty crumpled up and disheveled, but still usable. I'm not exactly rolling in cash, y'know. I live in Queens with my Aunt and Uncle! Ok, enough with all the backstory and self realization, here's the moment where everything changed. And it literally happened, with a bang. -

Peter was alone with his thoughts when suddenly, he heard a movement coming from the tunnel culvert. Turning back to see what it was, the boy's eyes widened in horror. Leaving the sewer through the manhole, a red and black monstrous goo began to take on a humanoid shape; two huge white eyes and a mouth with several pointed teeth. It had a huge and horrendous tongue, arms with sharp claws emerged from the amorphous form, while it rose from the manhole. Peter recognized the monster instantly; this was Carnage.

"Well well well, seems I've found the perfect host for me to hide from the heroes…" The villain says, staring at the boy in front of him while licking what had to be his lips.

And in a terrifyingly swift motion, he jumps toward the boy, trying to get a hold of his body. He sticks to the boy's chest and starts to climb to his airways. A panicking Peter starts struggling and trying to remove that demonic sludge, but in vain. It reaches his nose and mouth.

"Give up boy, it will only hurt for a second," said the monster. "Struggling will just make your death slower…"

Peter lost the ability to breathe, air no longer entered his lungs and his eyes started to fill with tears. His chest was burning and his heart began to slow as his brain started to shut down…

Am I gonna die? He thought to himself. Just then, his eyes detected a tiny bit of movement across the tunnel.

"So this is where you came to hide, eh Cletus?" A voice said to the villain, who's startled by his appearance. Peter's eyes widened, he recognized the voice from years of watching the same video. It was Iron Man! "Now come on, leave the kid alone!" He went on.

"Never!" Carnage retorted, his red hands becoming claw-like.

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you…" From the hero's extended forearm, small device popped out. It was glowing blue and had an antenna on the end; the mechanism charged energy for a few seconds until it released a concentrated sound wave towards the villain and Peter. Carnage tried to extend one of its arms to try to attack the hero, but it was useless.

"NOOOOOO…" With such concentration and an apparent weakness to sound, Carnage was almost disintegrated by the force exerted and released the boy. Peter managed to breathe again, but his brain nearly shuts down. He noticed the red and gold silhouette of his savior just before he completely lost consciousness...

"Hey, kid, kid! Come on now, you don't have to give me trouble. I'll give you 100 if you wake up right now…" Peter opened his eyes and was faced with a very peculiar face staring at him; or rather, a red and gold metallic mask.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The boy screamed and crawled back from his hero.

"Hey, look at that, it worked! Kids today are so materialistic." He says in a slightly mocking tone. "But it's fine. The important thing is that you woke up. For a second it looked like I had lost you. Oh and don't worry, I didn't find any remnants of Carnage in you."

"..." Peter didn't know what to say, in front of him was his favourite superhero, the Number One Hero...

"Everything's fine now, I was able to capture Carnage in this vacuum containment chamber." The hero went on, showing the boy a glass container with metallic foundations. Within, a recognizable red ooze was struggling inside.

Holy crap, I need an autograph! I've gotta have a paper somewhe- "Ouch!" The boy's inner thoughts were interrupted by a sudden twinge in the back of his neck. Peter reflexively struck his hand on the spot felt something being pressed and falling down his back.

"You good, kid?" Iron Man asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, a mosquito, probably... Oh! My notebook!" He said, finding book he'd dropped when he was attacked. Peter quickly picked it up, "Could you please sign this for me?"

But upon turning to the already opened page, he was faced with a red signature 'T. Stark'. "WHOA! You already signed it!"

"Hold onto that for a while, it'll be worth more in the future!" The hero said, attaching the container to the side of the armor. "I saw one guy selling an autograph on the internet for 500."

"T-Thank you so much! I'll take good care of it, I won't sell it for anything!" Peter blurts out, with a lot of admiration in his voice.

"Alright, kid!" Iron Man gives a thumbs up. "Now I've gotta take this bad guy over to headquarters so we can lock him up for good." The hero said, turning his back to Peter. "See ya! And don't get into trouble."

"Oh, you're leaving already?" The boy asked, a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"Of course, fighting against time is one of the other things that we pro heroes do," Iron Man replied, prepping his thrusters and checking the armor data. "Y'know, besides kissing babes and fighting bad guys. You know how it is right? Friday…"

But Peter couldn't let him go, there were still so many unanswered questions that he had to ask, and because of that, in an almost suicidal action, he jumps in the direction of the hero.

"Nice meeting ya, kid…" Iron Man said, and shoots into the skies at high speed, but he quickly notices a decrease in speed due to the weight gain, but the container with the Carnage couldn't possible weigh that much. "Friday, was there was a decrease in efficiency of the armor?"

"No sir" answered the artificial intelligence. "Then why are we slower than usual?" He asked. "Because of the passenger; Peter Parker, 14 years old. Quirk; Un…"

"Wait, what do you mean passenger!?" He complained and looks at his left leg, on which Parker was grabbing his armor and screaming at the top of his lungs. "Kid, are you insane!? I love my fans, but this is nuts! Let go!"

"AH! WE'RE FLYING! IF I LET IT GO NOW, I'LL FALL AND DIE!" He screamed, barely audible with all the air rushing at his face.

"Oh yeah, good point," the hero said, noticing the height. "Guess we'd better land!" He began to look for an empty building to land on, but then realized that his breathing was becoming a bit uneven. The energy levels of the armor were dropping, "Shit…"

"I swear, I saw my life passing before my eyes…" Peter said, feeling his mouth dry and his stomach crumbled.

"All right kid, you had your fun; got the ride and the autograph, but now I've gotta go," the hero said, walking towards the edge of the building to take flight. "See ya later, hopefully this time for good!"

"Wait, not yet! Give me a second…" The boy scrambled to his feet.

"My seconds are really expensive, and unfortunately I don't have any," Iron Man replied.

"But I need to know something only you can answer! Just one question, please!" The boy pleaded.

At this the hero paused, something in his voice made him do it. After a moment, he sighed and turned back, "Alright kid, you get one. Make it good..."

At this moment, all the negative things said to Peter in his life came rushing to his head. "Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen..." "I am so sorry Peter..." "Oh Peter...I wish things were different..." "Puny Parker!" "Stay out of my way, Parker. Or you'll get stepped on too!"

"All my life, I've been told I was a failure... Like that there was no hope for me. But I don't wanna give up, not before I hear it from you!" He said mostly to himself, remembering everything he believed.

The boy took a deep breath, summoning up the courage, he asked his question. "I'm just a normal kid with no powers, but I've been clinging on this vain hope that I could be someone like you! So my question is this; is it possible for me to become a hero, even if I don't have a Quirk?"

- Meeting Iron Man was a dream coming true, a real miracle. Standing in front of me was the hero that I idolized for most of my life, I didn't realize at the time that the words he would say next, would change my life forever. -

"But kid," Iron Man said finally. "You DO have a Quirk…"

Peter blinked and tilted his head, "...Huh?"