Chapter 173: Fortress Of Solitude

"Alright, since there is apparently a kingdom on the moon as well, I'd suggest Antarctica. It's isolated, and very few people can survive in such extreme weather for long periods of time. What do you think, Pete?" Said Gwen lightly with a shake of her head as she looked down at Tut resting his head on her lap before glancing at Peter, who was leaning against a table built into the train car.

"Eh, I'm with you; there aren't many places on the planet that are isolated from civilization and hard to get to; besides, haven't you always liked polar bears, Tut? You can have one act as your guard dog or bear." Remarked Peter with a nod as he raised his eyebrows and looked at Tut, who started rubbing his chin, pondering their words.

'Hmm, they're not wrong; a Polar Bear as a guard dog would be sick as fuck.' Mused Tut with a thoughtful expression before sitting upright and nodding.

"I suppose somethings are destined to stay the same; Antarctica it is then." Said Tut as he stood up and looked at the crystal in Peter's hand.

"Well, that's easy; I thought it would take longer." Said Gwen with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her legs while looking at Tut, who had grabbed the crystal out of Peter's hand.

"I've already been thinking about this for some time before I decided to come and ask you two; anyways, now that I've settled on a location, you guys interested in seeing it?" Replied Tut lightly as he stuffed the crystal in his pocket before smirking, looking at both Gwen and Peter.

"Uh, duh; you can't just come here, show me something amazing like that crystal, and then not let me see it in action. What kind of friend would do that, Tut?" Remarked Peter as he approached Tut before hopping onto his back, causing his face to constantly twitch.

"Haa, gay haa." Said Gwen with a smirk as she yawned between her words, causing both Peter and Tut to look blankly at her.

"That's rich coming from you, Gwen. Didn't you say, like two weeks ago, you'd get it going with Jean?" Stated Tut with a raised eyebrow as he folded his arms and glared at Gwen, who stood up without an ounce of shame or embarrassment and nodded.

"Yes, I did, but you see, the thing is, boys, double standards exist; no one cares if two women are sexually intimate with each other; besides, I said I'd only do it with Jean if someone doesn't man up and ask her on a date." Declared Gwen with a sly smirk as she approached Tut and Pete, who both gave her annoyed looks while the former picked her up in his arms.

"Eh, she's got you there, Tut; hell, if I fail with MJ, I might try Jean next; she's also got red hair as well." Said Peter as he turned and looked at Tut, who tried to smack him, but he easily dodged it.

"Does a woman only need to have red hair for you to be interested in them or what? Besides, for the record, there is a reason why I've never asked out Jean; I have a girlfriend." Remarked Tut, giving Peter a sideglance as he exited the train car while carrying Gwen in his arms like a princess, though his words greatly surprised them.

"WHAT!?" Exclaimed both Peter and Gwen as they looked at Tut in disbelief while he took to the air, flying through the sky and heading straight for Antarctica.

"Y-You're not lying, Tut? Y-You've actually got a girlfriend?" Asked Gwen with widened eyes as she looked up at Tut, who smirked and nodded.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend; why are you so surprised, virgin?" Replied Tut with a mocking grin as he looked at Gwen, causing her to grumble under her breath while Peter opted to stay silent.

"So, playboy, who is this girl? She must be quite beautiful if she's stopping you from asking Jean on a date." Asked Peter curiously as he and Gwen gave Tut inquisitive looks, causing him to wryly smile.

"Funny you should say that, Pete, because my girlfriend looks awfully familiar to Jean; even for sister, Sara and Jean have quite a striking resemblance." Said Tut, his words causing Gwen and Peter to frown slightly before they once again widened their eyes as they eyed him in shock.

"Sara? Y-You're dating Sara?" Questioned Gwen as she eyed Tut, who nodded with a complicated expression.

"I can see why you've been leaving Jean alone; Sara is pretty damn curvy." Muttered Peter, his words causing both Gwen and Tut to eye him while frowning.

"I-I meant to say, h-how long have you two been dating for?" Added Peter awkwardly as he sheepishly rubbed his head while glancing at Tut, who scoffed before looking away.

"Two years ago, we first started dating shortly after my Dad died, and our relationship has been great and stable." Remarked Tut with a flash of sadness before shaking his head and displaying a complicated expression.

"Until now?" Asked Gwen suspiciously as he eyed Tut, who sighed to himself before nodding.

"Haa, yes, our relationship has been great and stable until now; we're still dating, but Sara needs some time to herself." Replied Tut with a nod as he kept his head down, still deeply ashamed of his actions.

"So, I'm assuming you're the one who made a mistake then?" Asked Peter curiously, causing Tut to nod before finally lowering himself back toward the ground.

"Yes, it was my fault, but I didn't come here to tell you two everything; now get off me, Pete." Remarked Tut in slight annoyance as he landed on the icy tundra of Antarctica before setting Gwen down and violently shaking his body like a dog, causing Peter to quickly leap off.

Once Pete was finally off my back, I fixed my wrinkled shirt and kept my arm wrapped around Gwen's shoulders, keeping her warm with my aura, yet I wasn't doing the same to Peter, partially because I was annoyed that he hopped on my back without even asking me, though mostly because he's changed. I've noticed a slight change in his DNA, which doesn't mean much since I didn't feel like spending hours trying to read through all of his DNA; however, his physical appearance has gone through a pretty drastic change.

Pete used to be about the same height as Gwen, but now he's several inches taller than her; he's probably close to if not six feet, and the same goes for his weight; he's gained at least forty-to-fifty pounds of nothing but pure muscle. I had to admit, his physique right now was pretty damn incredible; he wasn't like me, who looked like I was taking steroids; he was still lean, but he just now looked much more muscular. I can also see a new organ had appeared within his body. It was small, but from what I could decipher, it seemed to create some time of fluid at incredible speeds.

'I'm pretty sure his mutant gene must've awakened; I'm curious what's different about him.' Mused Tut curiously as he glanced at Peter, who was rubbing his arms while standing beside him.

"It's a little chilly; you guys aren't cold?" Asked Peter as he glanced at Tut and Gwen; one hadn't ever been cold, while the other was being protected from the freezing winds.

"Space can be much colder than this, and I'm always fine. Yeah, I'm good; I'm actually a little hot." Replied Tut and Gwen, respectively, as Gwen removed her jacket and wrapped it around her waist though she kept her scarf on.

"Unbelievable. Was I the one who got powers, or was it Gwen?" Muttered Peter with a twitching expression as he looked at Gwen before sighing and stuffing his arms inside his shirt.

"Anyways, enough about you being cold; let's see what we came here for." Said Tut with a smirk as he grabbed the crystal from his pocket and held it in his hands.

Closing my eyes, I focused intently on what I imagined the structure to be, and after a few minutes, when I was finally satisfied with my vision, I opened my eyes and chucked the sunstone crystal into the distance.

"So, what is it going to look like?" Asked Gwen curiously as she glanced at Tut, who smirked while shushing her, causing her to roll her eyes.

After a couple of seconds, a dim light was seen emerging from the ground, which continued to grow in intensity while the ground started to tremble, and as time passed, it only got more fierce. Seconds turned into minutes as the three of us watched how large crystals jutted out from the ground, forming a huge structure, before eventually, after roughly eight minutes, the ground stopped shaking, and the light disappeared, revealing a massive structure made entirely from crystals.

"Woah. That's incredible." Muttered Gwen and Peter, respectively, as they gazed at the crystal structure in the distance with bated breaths while Tut whistled in response.

"Heh, you guys like it?" Asked Tut with a smirk as he glanced between Peter and Gwen, who both nodded.

"Yeah, it's amazing." Replied Peter with a nod as he looked at the large structure in awe.

"I'm the same as Pete. Though, have you figured out a name for your supposed base?" Asked Gwen with a nod as she glanced at Tut, who frowned before rubbing his chin.

'Since I've already copied him, I might as go all the way, I suppose; besides, the name is dope as fuck.' Mused Tut with a nod while smirking.

"Yeap; I'll call it Fortress of Solitude." Declared Tut with a grin.

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Didn't know Peter had a fetish for red hair; the more you know.