"Well then, let me handle the dinner! I doubt any regular restaurant can meet this guy's insatiable appetite," Tony Stark said with a chuckle, shaking his head. If Robert joined them for a meal outside, they might starve waiting for a chance to grab a bite. It's better to let Tony arrange a feast—something he was quite accustomed to by now.
"So, what do we need to do?" Barry Allen asked, accepting their failure gracefully. If Tony was taking care of the meal, they felt obligated to help him in some way.
The Avengers' alliance thrived on mutual contribution. Each member pulled their weight, whether more or less, but no one was there to freeload entirely. This balance was essential for their continued cooperation. While Tony Stark had unparalleled financial resources, he also had areas where he needed support, such as enhancing his understanding of superhuman abilities.
"Of course, if you could let me study your abilities later, that would be fantastic," Tony said, smiling at Johnny, Susan, and Barry. He had his reasons for this request.
As Robert had pointed out earlier, Tony's suit designs hadn't seen a true upgrade in a while. More importantly, his suits were becoming increasingly similar, converging towards the pinnacle model. Every new suit was either a perfect replica of the best model or a downsized version to save costs. Tony's earlier vision of creating suits with varied abilities to handle different scenarios was now stalled.
The vibranium arm of Bucky Barnes had inspired Tony, but even if successful, it would only result in a different type of vibranium suit, not a complete overhaul of his design philosophy. Vibranium's uniqueness lay in its material properties rather than a fundamental shift in the suit's concept.
"I want to understand your invisibility, Susan. My suits can become invisible to radar, but achieving true invisibility like yours is beyond my current tech. And your energy barriers could significantly boost my suit's defensive capabilities," Tony continued, turning to each member of the trio.
"Johnny, your explosive flames could offer insights into enhancing my Arc Reactor's energy output for attacks. Although my reactor is incredibly stable under my control, there's always room to boost its offensive potential."
"And Barry, my suit's speed has hit an aerodynamic limit. It's been a long time since I've found a way to push it further. I hope to get some ideas from your abilities."
Indeed, Tony wasn't leaving anyone out. He wanted to study all three of them, not only to upgrade his primary suit but also to explore creating specialized suits. Sometimes, raw energy attacks might not be as effective against certain enemies as, say, a controlled flame burst. And Tony's current flame throwers were just ordinary fire; he aimed to channel the Arc Reactor's power into a new, more potent flame.
This was just Tony's first step. If he could generate fire from the Arc Reactor, it would signify a deeper understanding of its energy. From there, Tony could experiment with manifesting various other powers through the Reactor.
Fire, inherently aligned with the Arc Reactor's energy properties, was an ideal starting point for Tony's breakthroughs.
"Looks like our schedules are filling up fast!" Johnny Stone joked, exchanging glances with Susan and Barry after hearing Tony's plans.
With that, the trio went to rest. Two days later, they reconvened at the Avengers' base for another grand feast. Chefs from around the world were bustling in the kitchen, but this was routine for them by now. They were used to catering for Tony's frequent gatherings and the presence of Robert, the insatiable diner.
"Speaking of which, what's Peter up to? He didn't even show up for the feast," Johnny Stone asked, slicing into his steak as the group began their meal.
During the battle with the giant Demon King, Peter Parker's presence could have significantly eased their struggle. While he might not have changed the outcome drastically, his contributions could have relieved a lot of pressure.
Peter's thunderous webbing could disrupt the Demon King's attacks and rhythm. His lightning strikes were almost as powerful as Johnny's flames, potentially inflicting considerable damage on the Demon King. If Peter had been there, even without Robert's intervention to compress the telekinetic barrier and amplify the explosive power, the four of them might have managed to kill the Demon King on their own.
But Peter Parker hadn't shown up. Robert had contacted every Avenger when the nine Demon Kings appeared, meticulously planning the team formations and assignments based on his deep understanding of their capabilities and the enemies' strengths. When he reached out to Peter, Peter had said he was too busy. Robert learned that Peter had just emerged from a healing pod, off to attend to some urgent matter. Respecting Peter's need to handle personal affairs, Robert didn't push him further.
Although Peter had previously excelled in their smaller team missions, Robert had anticipated that individual members might occasionally have personal matters that kept them from engaging in supernatural conflicts.
As Robert had often stated, he wouldn't force anyone to stay in the world of the extraordinary against their will, denying them a chance at a normal life.
"You guys don't know yet, right? Peter requested Jarvis keep it confidential, but Jarvis did brief me on the situation. It relates to Peter Parker's family, and it's not really something we should interfere with. Based on Jarvis' analysis, Peter shouldn't be in any major danger. Even if he does face trouble, Jarvis will alert us in time," Tony Stark explained, pausing his burger munching to address the curious looks from the others.
Tony refrained from divulging details about Richard Parker. After all, these were sensitive matters. How could he explain that Peter's father was a villain? Tony felt that Bucky Barnes, among them, could relate deeply to Peter's situation—the confusion and unease of confronting such personal darkness. Tony trusted that Peter would ultimately make the right choice.
Tony's words piqued everyone's curiosity, but they respected Peter's privacy and didn't press further, focusing instead on their food, albeit distractedly.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker had indeed been busy. After a brief clash with the giant spider, his injuries had flared up again. Not wanting to worry others, and with Robert preoccupied with Tohru's shadow issues, Peter opted to recuperate in the healing pod.
Another key reason for his seclusion was his need for mental clarity.
Confronting Richard Parker had been a complex and emotional ordeal for Peter. While he had outwardly shown indifference, internally, Peter was struggling as Tony had guessed. During his recovery, Peter mulled over many thoughts, eventually deciding not to give up on confronting Richard. He realized that Richard Parker was beyond redemption, too far down his dark path. But Peter wanted to uncover the truth about the past.
He needed to understand whether Norman Osborn's aggression had driven Richard to distrust and ultimately reject Osborn, or if it was Richard's own greed that set him on his destructive course.
Most crucially, Peter needed to know how the mutated spider was created. What state of mind was Richard in during its creation? Was Peter himself at risk of being changed by the spider's mutation, possibly altering his own nature in the future?
Personality changes weren't unheard of. Both the Super Soldier Serum used by Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and the formula for the Green Goblin that Harry Osborn mentioned had altered their recipients' characteristics. Peter knew Steve had managed to harness these changes for good, but Peter wasn't sure he could withstand such transformations himself. He lacked that level of confidence.
After recovering, Peter sought out Harry Osborn, who had been managing his father's affairs and strengthening his hold over Oscorp. Despite his newfound responsibilities, Harry still struggled with facing Peter, unsure of how to approach him.
Seeing Harry's turmoil, Peter understood that they shared similar emotional burdens. The difference was that Peter's father was still alive, but like Harry's father, Richard Parker had to be dealt with because of his descent into evil.
Peter shared everything he knew about Richard Parker with Harry. As he spoke, Harry's expression shifted from shock to a semblance of relief. Harry had felt guilty towards Peter, but learning about Richard's role eased his conscience slightly, even though Peter had been unaware of it all.
After their talk, both Peter and Harry felt a weight lift off their shoulders. Their mutual guilt began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of mutual understanding and relief.
With Harry's help, Peter gained access to Oscorp Tower, searching for any clues about past experiments. Although Richard had ostensibly destroyed everything, some remnants were inevitably left behind during his hasty retreat.
After diligent searching, Peter discovered a partially destroyed videotape. It was clear that Norman Osborn had tried to restore and view it but had failed.
However, Norman's failure didn't mean Peter couldn't succeed. With Jarvis's assistance, restoring or at least partially recovering the tape's contents was feasible.
"We did it!" Under Peter and Harry's watchful eyes, a video clip played before them. Initially blurry, the footage gradually sharpened as Jarvis processed and enhanced it, revealing the long-buried secrets.
In the video, Richard Parker and his wife Mary had joined Oscorp genuinely intending to help Norman Osborn. However, they weren't the only ones working on the project. There were numerous rivals, and under the pressure of constant failures and Norman's demands, Richard's confidence began to wane. He eventually shifted focus from Osborn's directives, seeking to exploit Oscorp's resources for his own gains.
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