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5 days earlier:Peter’s eyes weakly pull open. His foggy mind only registers a few things. He’s tied to a metal table and it smells like harsh disinfectants...
(This is definitely not home.)
It feels as though there is cotton stuffed in his head.
(Drugs? Please not drugs.)
He weakly twists his head, trying to take in his surroundings. He is in some sort of science lab. There’s a long counter that’s covered in various tubes of different colours. Beside him is a tray that’s covered in many terrifying instruments, like needles and scalpels.
(Oh god, what’s going on... What is this place? How do I get ou- )
Peter, who’s trying desperately to make sense of everything, is interrupted by the door to the room suddenly swinging open. In walk three people who appear to be scientists. A brunette is in the front, her face framed with thick black glasses and her hair tied back into a tight bun. Two men stand behind her, looking rather average. Suddenly, the front lady opens her mouth.“Mr. Parker, welcome to one of HYDRA’s many underground labs. My name is Dr. Mann and these are my associates, Dr. Omari and Dr. Maseko. I am going to skip pleasantries and get right into things. We know everything about you Peter. Even things you don’t even know about you. You’re here because of your link with the avengers. We need some information from them.”Peter’s face pales.
(Hydra....HYDRA?!?! WHAT? No no no no...)
He gulps loudly then opens his mouth, giving a shaky yet determined answer to the sudden information.“I-I don’t care what you do to me. Torture me. I won’t tell you anything.”The Doctor lady just laughed, the men behind her smiling menacingly.“Oh Peter, we’re not going to hurt you. You’re a great asset to us. We need someone who the avengers trust, and you were just a perfect target. You see, there’s some information about SHIELD in Stark’s computers that we need, and of course we can’t just send in one of our agents to retrieve it. So that’s why you’re here. You’re going to get it for us.”Peter glares at the woman.
(Does she seriously think I’m going to help THEM?)
His thoughts are cut off a by a question that makes Peter’s stomach drop.“Have you ever heard of the Winter Soldier Peter?”
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Peter pales even more, if possible.
(Of course I’ve heard of it. Steve’s friend, Bucky what it? HYDRA controlled his mind, made him this murderer...)
The fact that she’s brought that up makes Peter’s already buzzing Spidey Sense increase.He gives a small nod and she continues. Well, what we’ll be doing with you is quite similar, only your target is to retrieve the data we need. And if that means people get in the way, you will remove them. Your brain will obey the orders we give it once you have been injected with enough of the serum we made for you. When you return with the information, we will decide what to do with you next. Understand?”Her painfully unemotional voice made her words seem so much worse.
(What? What?! No, no they can’t do with. I have to get out. Have to esca-) “We will begin right away. Dr. Omari? Please retrieve Serum198-A.”Dr. Omari or whatever makes his way across the room and grabs a vial. Dr. Mann takes it from him and grabs a needle from the tray beside Peter. He tenses, watching her intensely as she sucks some of the weirdly bright purple liquid into the needle.”Now, let’s get started, shall we?”
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Today:(5 days. Peter has been gone for 5 days and no one knows where the hell he is. Why him? Why Peter? What if he’s dead? Being tortured? What if he’s lost? What if-)Tony is pulled from his tormenting thoughts as Steve storms through the door to his lab. His face is one full of hope, an expression Tony hasn’t seen in nearly a week.“Tony.” Cap says. “They’ve found him.”-2 days earlier:The first injection leaves Peter feeling completely numb. His body is floating. He’s not in the lab anymore. He’s in the sky above the city. That is until he’s suddenly drenched in frigid water. His mind snaps awake. He’s back in the room. The three doctors are there with him. One is writing on a clipboard, another holding a now empty bucket, and the last one is filling a needle with the same weird liquid. “We have let the Serum flow through your system for a few days now. You are responding well. Administering injection number 2.” She says out loud, before piercing the inside of Peter’s arm once again. He’s dragged back to the numb, floaty place within minutes. He can’t see anything. It just like he’s floating on his back in the middle of the sky. It’s peaceful, it’s quiet. He doesn’t know how much time is going by before he’s suddenly drenched in water again. Only this time, he doesn’t snap awake... His eyes slowly peel open and his head turns to face the doctors, all looking at him sinisterly. “Peter, can you hear me?” The lady asks.(What’s her name again?)A sharp slap comes across Peter’s face, but he’s still unable to speak. He then realizes he can’t even move his mouth. He tries to move his fingers, but they stay limp by his sides. The lady asks the question again, but doesn’t call him by his name this time.“Subject Z, can you hear me?”Peter is about to ask what that means when suddenly his mouth opens.“Yes.” (No no no no it’s happening, it’s happening!!! Make it stop!! Please...)“Subject Z, what is your mission?”Peter wants to fight. Hell, he wants to scream and cry and tear out of these damn restraints, but he can’t. His body isn’t in his control anymore. His mouth opens again.“Retrieve SHIELD data located in a locked file on Tony Stark’s computer in his main laboratory.”Peter doesn’t even recognize his voice. It’s low and husky and empty. The lady just looks down at him, smiling. “Good. One last injection and you will be ready. Dr. Maseko?”The one that was holding the bucket suddenly pulls out a needle filled with the evil, evil liquid. He’s about to press it into Peter’s arm when the she devil speaks one last time.“Peter, I know you can hear me. Just relax. This has to happen. Don’t fight it.” She says.
(Wait, no, please don’t do this, please. I don’t want to hurt them. Stop. Stop. STOP.)Dr. Maseko pushes the needle into Peter’s arm. His screaming mind goes dead silent. He’s gone.
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Today:Tony’s heart leaps into his throat. “What?? Where? Is he okay??”Steve looks at him with a gentle smile yet concerned face.“Nat and Clint had been searching the streets. In an alley, they found him. He was pretty badly beaten up, but he’s okay. They just called me now, said they’re bringing him in with Nat’s car. Come on, they should be here any minute!”Tony leaps from his chair, bolting through the door right behind Steve. (Thank god. Thank god. What happened to him? Please be okay Peter, please.)-The two men storm through the doors just in time to see Clint carrying a limp “Peter” over to a bed, followed my Natasha.“Jarvis, call Bruce and get ahold of Cho. He needs to be checked out now.”‘Right away Sir.’ The AI answers smoothly.Tony makes his way over to “Peter”, who looks like he’s been in a fight, but none of the wounds look too serious. His face is pale and his clothes are torn a bit. Tony reaches over and ruffles his unruly hair before Bruce and Dr. Cho bolt into the room.Jarvis also informs Thor and Sam that “Peter” has been found, and they race to the infirmary and join the others.“Thank god. What happened? Where did you find him?” Bruce asks.Clint and Nat fill them in on what little information they have. Bruce listens as he cuts off “Peter’s” shirt, revealing several bruises littering his chest. His lip is also spilt and he has a black eye. “Peter” looks so small on the large hospital bed. Tony and the others just watch solemnly as Bruce and Dr. Cho check his vitals and injuries.“Bruised ribs and an infected cut on his collarbone but they should heal quick. He has signs of a mild concussion but should be fine. We will just have to wait til he wakes to see what happened.” Dr. Cho tells the worried avengers.
Everyone is suddenly pulled from their thoughts when “Peter’s” forehead scrunches and his head moves slowly side to side. Tony is by his side in a second.“Pete? Can you hear me kid?” he asks.”Peter’s” eyes begin to slowly open, revealing confused, glassy brown eyes. They scan the room slowly before falling onto Tony’s face.“W-what happn’d?” “Peter” asks, his voice low and gravely.“We don’t know kid. Thought you might be able to tell us.Suddenly, “Peter’s” eyes widen a bit, and he seems to remember.“I was taken. Walking home. They called themselves The Hell Force. They- they said I was going to join them. Wanted to recruit young guys like me.... I broke out, got the others out.... but they found me. They kept hurting me.”Tears begin slowly falling from “Peter’s” eyes. He hastily wipes them away and continues.“I fought so hard. I got away. And then I felt so weak. They didn’t feed me. I think I fell. Now I’m here....”Tony looks, like really looks at the boys face, and sees his cheeks slightly sunken in and collarbones more prominent. It makes him feel sick. Tony sits on the bed and wraps an arms around “Peter”. The boy tenses slightly before relaxing. His face is serious and he looks so tired. “Get some sleep kiddo. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.” Tony says, before rubbing his hair affectionately, and then stands up. ”Peter” gives a weak smile before laying back and closing his eyes. Tony ushers the rest of the avengers out, leaving the tired boy to rest and recover. But Subject Z doesn’t rest. His facade falls, his eyes snap open, and his face turns completely emotionless. Part 1 of the mission, becoming Peter Parker....
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Yesterday:“Part 2 of the mission is blending in. You will act like a young, scared teenage boy who is safe again with his hero family.” Dr. Mann commands Subject Z as she punches him in the face. He attempts to stand up, but a quick kick to the stomach sends him down once more.“Part 3 of the mission,” she yells, “is hacking the system. You will wait until everyone has left the tower on a mission, which we will set up across the city to draw them away. After they are gone, you will disable any and all security cameras and Artificial Intelligence systems. Am I clear so far?” She spits, pulling a knife from her white lab coat.Subject Z looks up at her from the ground, his arms trembling beneath him.“Yes.” He says.All of a sudden, a dull pain develops in Subject Z’s skull. He doesn’t dare move yet it’s there. It grows and grows until he is close to wincing, but then vanishes suddenly. He pays no attention to it however, having more important matters to attend to.“Good. Part 4 of the mission will be hooking up our data analyzer and retrieving device to Stark’s main computer. You will turn the machine on and wait until the loading bar on the screen has hit 100%, signalling is has obtained our needed data. Understand?” She asks as she swings a knife at the now standing Subject Z.
It slices a line through the front of his shirt, grazing the pale skin of his chest. Another swing catches near his collarbone, cutting deeper. He fights the urge to attack back, but controls it. That is not his mission. This woman is his Master. He can’t fight his Master.“Yes.” He says.“Good. Part 5, the final part, is bringing the device full of information back. Can you handle it?”“Yes.”“You are ready, Subject Z. Do not forget.” she says sharply, glaring deep into his eyes. “There is one last thing I need to tell you,” She says suddenly. “With any serum, there is always something that can go wrong.”“If you are hurt, and I mean to the point of bleeding out, you could potentially destroy our connection. You see, our serum is pumping through your blood, and if your body loses a lot of blood, it loses a lot of serum too, thus resulting in us losing our control. You don’t want that, do you?” She asks with false concern.“No.”Suddenly, for just a brief moment, Subject Z flinches hard, the pain making a strong comeback. It’s in his head, screaming and clawing for a split second, before it vanishes. Mann has her back toward him, so she misses the movement. Instead, she keeps rambling on, and Subject Z once again forgets about the pain instantly and instead listens to her.“Perfect. As long as you remember that, and do not get hurt, you will do just fine. Now, Dr. Omari and I will drive you to an alleyway close to the Avengers Tower and leave you laying unconscious. Undoubtedly, one of them will find you, and bring you into the tower. When you awaken, you will proceed with the mission, following every part exactly as I said. Are you ready?”“Yes.”“Excellent.” Mann says, before suddenly swinging her fist behind her, then straight for Subject Z’s face. She knocks him out cold, and he collapses to the ground.-(I can’t just sit here and watch. I have to push back. I won’t let this freak doctor control me and destroy my loyalty to the avengers.)Peter focuses with all his strength and tries to fight back. For a minute, he thinks he’s breaking through when Subject Z winces in pain, but quickly recovers. He tries again, focusing harder on gaining control back, and it makes Z flinch in pain. He’s about to try again, all the while ignoring Mann’s words, when suddenly he sees her pull her fist back. He barely has time to recoil back when suddenly everything goes black and quiet, bathing a very scared and confused Peter Parker in the darkness of his mind once again. She must’ve knocked Z out. Great. This is just great.
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Today:The door to the infirmary opens. “Peter” snaps out of his thoughts and shuts his eyes quickly. As someone walks into the room, he slowly feigns waking up, and turns to face Tony Stark.“Hey Pete, how are you feeling?” Tony asks in a sort of rushed, urgent tone.“Feeling a lot better Mr. Stark,” “Peter” says, yawning and rubbing his eyes with the back of his knuckles. Tony is wringing his hands together nervously. “Peter” glances at them, then to Tony’s face.“What’s wrong?” He asks Tony.Tony sighs and rubs his eyes.“We just got a call from Fury, said there’s a threat to a giant area of the public across the city. We need to evacuate the people, and we kinda need everyone, so I was just checking to see if you were okay if we all left for a few hours to get people out. Will you? Be okay I mean.” Tony explains then asks.“Yeah, of course. I’m probably just going to sleep. I’ll be okay. You guys go.”Tony leans over and ruffles “Peter’s” hair, noticing it feels less soft than usual, but he dismisses the thought. (Poor kids been kidnapped for 5 days and you mentally criticize his hair softness? For shame Stark, for shame.) After affectionately fluffing the kids hair, he nods and nearly jogs out. A few minutes later, Subject Z hears the sound of the Quinjet and multiple powered suits come to life and soar through the air and away from the tower. He sits up in the bed and stands up quick with ease. Subject Z’s eyes are stoney and empty, but the boy that’s trapped behind them is oh so terrified and upset. Before leaving the labs the day before, Dr. Mann gave Z a small chip the size of a Cheerio and implanted in an almost invisible incision on the underside of his knee. It was an unlikely place, she said, for doctors to check, and she was right. No one had noticed. So without hesitation, Z picks up a scalpel from a tray, slices the small cut back open, and sticks a finger into it, fishing it out. His digits come back all bloody but holding the small chip. After quickly wrapping his wound in gauze, he makes his way over to a sink and rinses the blood off. When the crimson is washed away, Z presses one side of the tiny chip, causing a small red light to appear on the other side. He places the chip onto a counter and waits. In less than a minute, it has unfolded itself and turned into a small, rectangular USB stick (though much more complicated). Z grabs the stick and makes his way out of the medical wing. It’s time to complete his mission.-I watch as Tony tells me that he and the rest of the avengers are going on a mission.Peter, who is still sitting curled in a ball on the floor of his mind, is planning his way of escape. He’s tried almost everything so far. Screaming, punching the ground, begging, etc. but nothing’s worked. He knows there’s one last thing, but admittedly he’s terrified, but he’s desperate here. He doesn’t want to help HYDRA, of all organizations! He’s also terrified for his friends... what if they come back from the ‘mission’ early and his body doesn’t hesitate and tries to kill them?! (I have to try. I have to. There’s no other choice.)
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Subject Z easily hacks into JARVIS, disabling all cameras, sensors, and other recording devices in the tower. He then pulls the data collecting machine from his pocket and plugs it into the computer. The device unlocks the hidden files and begins to scan through them. The screens flash numbers and colours, and then finally a loading sign appears.3%...12%...35%...42%......63%.........Suddenly, a loud booming noise erupts through the tower. Not even seconds later, the lights in the room turn red, flashing as an alarm sounds through speakers. Z looks around frantically. ‘What’s going on?’ He thinks. ‘I must hurry.’75%.....Peter paces around the space inside his mind. He knows what the alarm means. JARVIS contacted Tony, saying an intruder had hacked into him. Tony’s locking down the tower, the avengers most likely already inside and ready to deal with the situation. Peter watches as Z slams his fist into the table beside the computer in anger. 81%....Suddenly, he hears the faintest sounds of footsteps, and apparently Z does too because he begin pacing back and forth, waiting desperately for the USB thing to finish loading. Peter’s wringing his hands together anxiously. They are coming down here. Who knows what he’s going to do to his friends? He has no control over anything. Clenching his sweaty fists, Peter shut his eyes.(I have to try. I won’t hurt them. Fight this Peter. Fight this Spiderman!)Z feels that pain in his head return like the day before. This time, it starts off small, but as the seconds pass, it grows hotter and brighter until he’s clutching his head in agony. ‘What is happening??’90%....*BANG. BANG. BANG.*Angry fists are slamming on the door leading to the lab. There are shouts of angry superhero’s outside. Luckily for Z, before he had plugged the device in, he barricaded the door as much as possible. Now, the avengers are being stalled.92%.....Peter clenches his fists tighter and focuses harder than he ever has in his life. The thing is, Z can feel Peter pushing back. He’d felt it numerous times before, like when he was talking to Master back at the lab, but the kid inside his head is pushing harder than ever. The pain is growing unbearable.96%....The avengers are breaking through the door. Z is running out of time. Peter continues to push. A pain begins to grow inside him, yet he continues. He can feel Z weakening. (Come on Parker!)The doors slam open, desks and cases that were used as barricades now skidding away. A very angry looking Tony Stark stands in the doorway, behind him his is a group of very pissed avengers. Tony is wrapped in his full suit, palm facing the door. The metal door is slightly melted and black in the centre. However, when Tony looks desperately and furiously around the lab, his eyes land on “Peter”, who is the only one there, and who looks like a total wreck. Everyone’s enraged face drops at the sight of their damaged, innocent Spider. The young boy weakly runs up to Tony, tears beginning to streak down his face.97%“T-Tony, what’s happening? The alarm and lights went off and I was looking for you but I got scared so came and hid d-down here. What’s going on??”Tony looks down at his protege and grabs his shoulders gently after stepping out from his suit. The other avengers have gathered in the lab. After a moment of making sure there is no imminent threat in the room, Natasha, Sam, Thor, and Clint leave to search the tower for anyone suspicious. “Peter” continues to sob as Tony tries to calm him.Peter (the real Peter) feels just about ready to explode. His body is on fire. Well, it feels like it. Pain is burning everywhere. Even though he’s trapped in his mind, he can feel the pain radiating off his physical body. The veil is slowly dissipating with every second Peter strains to fight back. He’s never tried so hard for anything in his life. He wants HIS body back right now. He’s so done with this possession bullshit. He focuses even harder and suddenly feels something change. It’s like he’s a baby bird and has broken through part of its shell while hatching. He continues to fight. Fight for his life, his freedom, choices, actions, decisions. The egg cracks a little more and more.Z pulls away from Tony, his hands coming up to cradle his head. The pain is so intense. He knows Peter is getting through. He has to run. Get the device and run. “PETER! Peter?? What’s wrong?” Tony’s voice breaks through ‘Peter’s’ shooting headache.98%....Peter feels his body being torn apart. He let out a scream. The most pained, horrific, bloody murder scream that’s ever passed from his lips, but he doesn’t stop. He has to keep fighting. At the same time, Z, who is hunched over in pain and surrounded by terrified avengers, let’s out the exact same scream. Everyone jumps back, frightened and shocked. Bruce is trying to examine the boys body for injuries and Steve is just watching in terror. Tony is trying to get through to “Peter” but he just keep screaming in agony. 99%...The shell breaks. No, it shatters. Peter, the actual Peter, is back in control. His eyes shoot open and he sucks in a deep breath. The pain however, is still there.His body burning him alive. He doesn’t have much time. He’s still fighting, still pushing against Z, who is fighting back ruthlessly. Peter is stuck in an internal war between himself and, well, kinda himself?Knowing what he has to do to end all this, Peter makes his decision. He races to the workbench and grabs the biggest screwdriver. The other avengers take off after him, yelling for him to stop, but they are too late. Peter holds the tool high up before plunging it straight into his stomach.100%.The effect is instant. The pain is excruciating, but he can feel the serum draining at the same rate as the blood. Peter weakly collapses to the floor, caught by Tony and Steve, who are frantically asking questions, but Peter can’t hear them. Bruce is shining lights in his eyes and then racing out of the room, yelling something about a medical bag. The darkness is creeping closer and closer. Everything is becoming fuzzy and blobby.But, OF COURSE, it’s not quite over. In Peter’s weakening state, Z pushes back through. His body starts thrashing, fighting against the horrified Avengers grips. Z is trying to gain back control, but with the blood loss, he’s slowly weakening, failing to get back full control. “KID! PETER!! What’s going on??” Tony is yelling, placing shaky hands against Peter’s bleeding stomach as Steve is trying to keep his thrashing body still.“Peter” suddenly stops fighting, and looks at the two hero’s above him. Two words leave his lips, haunting Tony and Steve. His piercingly emotionless eyes bore into their soul, and he opens his mouth, which has started dripping blood. His voice is terrifyingly low, like it doesn’t even belong to Peter. Everyone in the room seems to freeze as he says it.“Hail HYDRA.”And with that, Peter’s eyes roll back in his head and he goes completely limp in his hero’s arms. Z is gone. Flowing onto the floor in crimson rivers. He’s gone.-They sit absolutely stunned. (What the hell? WhAt ThE hELL?¿?) Tony thinks hysterically, trying to make sense of everything. (Hail HYDRA? What? Is Peter being mind controlled?? What the hells going on? Why did he stab himself?! It won’t stop bleeding. He’s going to die, he’s going to die, he’s -)Tony is cut off from his spiraling thoughts when Steve calls out his name.“Tony! Breathe! Look, I don’t know what the heck just happened, but we’ll figure it out later. Right now, Peter is bleeding to death and he needs help!”Tony reacts instantly. As he strokes Peter’s hair, he twists his head to face the ceiling.“JARVIS! Tell Cho it’s an emergency and we’re gonna need a med team ready in the infirmary!”‘Very well Sir.’ The AI answers.Turning back to Peter, Tony strokes his hair back, which suddenly feels softer. The kids skin is shockingly pale, and his face seems almost pained, like he’s not fully unconscious and numb to the pain he must be in. Soothingly, Tony continues to pet his hair, whispering encouragements to the boy.“Come on Pete. You’re strong. You can get through this. You’ll be okay.”(Please let me be right...) Tony thinks desperately.-Bruce books it back into the room with a large bag of equipment.“I’ll try and stabilize him until the med team gets here.” He says. “Tony, hold this gauze against his stomach and apply pressure. Steve, hold this mask on his face. It’ll provide him extra oxygen.” The hero’s take the equipment and do as they’re told.No one knows what the hell just happened. It seems like something out of a horror movie. All they know in the here and now is that they are going to do everything they can for their spider.
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It’s all a flash of colours and shadows. Peter’s wounded stomach is screaming at him, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t move even a finger. He feels himself being carried, being prodded at, but he can’t even react. It’s like he’s still trapped.(No, wait, NO! NO NO NO, WRITER LADY, Z is gone, right?! Please let him be gone...)Peter can hear the words around him, coming into his head foggy and unclear, but one word clearly gets through and surprisingly puts him at ease.“Coma.”(Well, that explains me not being able to move. At least I’m not friggin possessed anymore...)Peter can feel hands on him still, pulling up a blanket, holding his hand, stroking his hair, but he can’t react to any of it. (Oh well, it feels nice.)-Peter isn’t sure how much time goes by. Everything is just a mix of feeling gentle touches, burning pain in his torso, and everything going black constantly. It isn’t til one day, 4 days later, Peter finds he’s able to twitch his fingers. The reaction from whoever is beside him is instantaneous.“Peter? Peter, are you with me? Come on kid, I think you’ve had enough beauty rest, now show us your big brown eyes.”(Tony.)Peter tries with all his might to move, or at least do more than twitch his hand. After a few long moments, Peter can feel his eyes slowly begin to pry open, until they are halfway there. Tony comes into his field of vision.“Can you hear me?” Tony asks.(Yes.)“Nnnnnmm,” is what comes out of Peter’s throat instead.Still, it makes Tony smile, which makes Peter want to smile, if could. Tony begins to rub his hair affectionately.(So it’s been Tony doing the hair rubbing..)“I’m going to go get everyone else and Dr. Cho. Try to wake up a bit more. It’s good to see you Pete.” Peter thinks he gives a small smile back, but isn’t too sure. What he IS sure of, is that he is safe. No more mind control. His body fought off the small amount of of serum left in his blood, and he is now free. Knowing he is safely in the avengers tower and away from those awful HYDRA people, Peter relaxes into the pillows. He would tell everyone what happened, tell them about the USB that needs to now be destroyed, tell them about trying to fight Z, tell them about HYDRA. He knew that they would listen to him and would be there for him. He knew they were going to do everything they could to protect him from those monsters, because they were his family. Watching the avengers gather into his hospital room, smiles brightening their faces and hugs being passed around, Peter feels himself really relax. He’s safe. No matter what, he will always his family of superhero’s. No matter what, they are always going to be there for him, as he will be for them. The End