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The final stand, the last straw to get Cap to comply and pick up the damn pen. Now sporting a black eye as if it were the newest fashion trend, Tony was looking for miracles.
He knew he had a chance of losing, but in the hopes of things going smoothly, this was just a precaution. And if things went horrifically, like he expected them to, then it didn't hurt to have another superhuman on his side. Especially one that had a good heart underneath it all to help course the super-hero blood through his veins. (Or... something like that.)
He had seen the videos on YouTube, the blur of red and blue that flipped around the air like some sort of gravity-defying gymnast. In some clips, he was swinging through the air with some sort of material that Tony couldn't quite place from the fuzzy footage. If he knew any better, it looked almost like webs.
"Is he making that biologically?" Tony asks curiously to nobody in particular. He zooms in on the video, specifically Peter's wrists. "Huh. Looks like we've got a tech whiz on our hands. That tensile strength... FRI, we gotta figure out who made that so I can shake their hand and then hire 'em."
He watches the masked hero jump around, stopping busses with his hand in blurry video and then swinging away without looking even remotely injured. Tony's mind starts thinking of how the Spider could match up to some of the other strength-enhanced members of the team. "Okay. So, not only a tech whiz." Tony tilts his head. "Super strength for sure. Might be stronger than our favourite star spangled senior citizen."
It wasn't like Tony exactly wanted to fight Cap. He was just desperate for some sort of safe shell, some sort of division from keeping him away from the overwhelming guilt that he felt for all of the casualties that did in fact take place because of their collateral damage. Tony can try as much as he wants to minimalize that number, but at the end of the day, it will always be a problem. It will always be a glaring red number of people who left the world too soon because of him. This simply needed to be done, so he could at least honestly say he tried his hardest to fix his mistakes.
"Bring up everywhere the guy is seen swinging around the most, then target the nearest residency," Tony asks.
A grid map of Queens is highlighted on the screen in front of him, and Tony flicks the image to blow up the nearest apartment complex. "Okay. Uh... Scan for anybody with a connection to... I don't know, FRI. Look for smart people."
Only a small handful of people showed up. This had to be the most interesting game of Guess Who he'd ever played. "Now we're talking. Alright, which one of you looks like you could stop a bus and get away with it scot-free?"
Three photos of elderly people stared back blankly at him. Tony tilts his head and swipes them away. "I think it's safe to say probably not them."
Tony stared at the other six people. He was eyeing one in particular to be the masked hero, a young adult with blond hair and bright smile. "What, is that a college student? He certainly fits the age. I could see him beating up bad guys in his spare time. Get rid of psychology degrees."
The photo he was looking at disappears, as well as the other four photos, meaning one photo remained. And it was just... a kid. Certainly not the twist he was expecting. The picture of the young teenager portrayed him as short and frail, gelled brown hair and big brown eyes that were looking into the camera with mild panic and distress. Tony snorted. "I see he's a natural in front of a camera. This is who we're working with? He's kind of... scrawny. Talk to me, honey."
"Peter Benjamin Parker, born August 10th, 2001 in Queens. Attending the illustrious Midtown School of Science & Technology; but school records confirm he got through easily with scholarships and other academic awards. His report cards are reaching well into excellence, but coincidentally started to dip slightly around the same time that Spider-Man began showing up," F.R.I.D.A.Y speaks through the room. "Mr. Parker seems to be currently living in a small apartment in Queens with his aunt, Maybelle Parker,"
Tony frowns, twirling a pen around his hands. "His aunt? Pull up the family documents."
The holograms projected the photos and a series of articles and Tony drops the pen. "His parents were scientists?"
"Yes, sir. Mary and Richard Parker, both deceased. Guardianship was transferred to his last living relatives, his uncle and aunt, Ben and May Parker."
Tony strokes his beard. He flips through more of the holographic files brought up in front of him. News articles detailing the death of scientists had stuck out to him, so he drags those to the side. His heart felt heavy with the information lying in front of him. Not even fifteen and Peter Parker had been through more than any kid should have to go through. And somehow, he was still able to flip around saving people as if the world hadn't given him a million bricks to have on his shoulders.
"You said he only lived with his aunt?" Tony asks.
F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulls up a new set of journalism and police files. "Benjamin Parker was declared dead at the scene of a robbery downtown Manhattan recently this past year. Details of the case were made public after the perpetrator was arrested."
"Lordy," Tony exhales, the weight of the news pressing on his gut. He expands the file documenting the arrest and reads it out. "'Witnesses say they saw a masked man in red and blue sweats yelling loudly at the culprit a week after the murder before webbing him up for the police and swinging away.' Was Peter there the night the robbery happened?"
A document is brought to the front as F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice speaks over. "The report of the night places Peter Parker at the scene as a key witness. He was also there for the court hearing effectively placing the offender in jail."
"Okay. Close it all." The projections all disappear. Tony sighs deeply, running a hand over his eyes. "Christ. I think the Parker household deserves at least a little bit of privacy."
"This is all public information, Boss."
"Doesn't make it right. Boundaries are good." Tony crosses his arms. He remembers what it was like when the news of his parents' death went public. It wasn't pretty. Rhodey had to check on him every hour to make sure he was okay, reminding him to eat or to try and prompt him out of bed. Tony never went outside unless he had to, though. Reporters were disgustingly negligent when it came to having respect, much less basic human decency.
"When did footage of our guy first start showing up online?" Tony asks.
"January of this year."
"You're right, the timeline matches up almost perfect," Tony notes. "Pull up the current address for May Parker."
Tony began to plan in his head. First, he needed to talk to the kid about the idea of a 'mission', if you will. Peter may hate the idea of standing guard at an airport in Berlin, and if that's the case, then he has every right to think so and he doesn't have to go. On the other hand, Peter might be willing to help, and Tony needs all the help he can get. If that meant it came from a scrawny little kid from Queens who can pack one hell of a punch, then that's fine. He won't let the kid get hurt. He won't let it go that far. If it does? Immediate red card, immediate whistle blow, and Parker's getting sent back on a plane home.
Either way, one issue was standing clear as ever, and talking to Peter Parker was necessary whether he wanted to go to Germany or not. That suit. It looked like it would made by rummaging through the very back of a closet, which is probably exactly what happened. Thrifty, very hand-me-down-esque, which Tony would consider fine if it were in any other context, maybe a cosplay for one of those convention things. But this wasn't any other context. That kid was going out every night and putting himself in danger, and now that Tony knows there's a very young superhero hopping around New York, you better be damn-well sure that the kid is getting a suit that will protect him.
Hell, he might even step up and start mentoring the kid himself, just to make sure he stayed safe.
Now that his research was done, Tony felt ready for step two of the plan.
"Alright," Tony stands up, clapping his hands together. "Here we come, Queens."