But on the plus side, I looked down at the metal blade in my hand. It was crude, but I knew for a fact that Magneto's powers inside my body were finally active. I could feel it — the metal. I think I can transform metal. This warrants further research.
The Next Day:
I barely got any sleep that night. So much fucking work! First I had to go to the nearest hardware store and buy materials to replace my broken window. It was a half-assed job, but at least the owner wouldn't ask me what happened the moment he saw a broken pane.
Then came the jocks. I left them by the side of the highway. When I went into town for lunch, I heard people talking about the boys they'd found — how they had no memory of the past six months.
I collected the vampire dust samples for study, though the equipment I had on hand was useless. It wasn't strong enough, so I'd have to use the machines in the Baxter Building instead.
After all that, I came back to my cabin and slept until late in the afternoon. When I woke up, it was testing time.
My powers seemed to revolve around metal — that much was certain. But to what extent? When I was at the hardware store, I had also bought sheets of various metals: copper, steel, bronze, iron and aluminum.
I checked, and surprise, surprise — only ferrous metals were reactive. When I touched metals like steel, I found that I could feel its metallic form beneath my hand, like it was a part of me with no nerves attached. Like a really long nail.
But when I held the copper and bronze sheets, I felt nothing. It seemed my powers were limited to ferrous metals only — which wasn't bad.
I then moved on to see what I could actually do with these powers. I held the iron sheet in my hands and focused, picturing a metal pipe like the one I had grabbed before. Slowly I felt my body push out what felt like mild waves of electricity into the metal, bending it to my will.
I gaped as the metal sheet rolled itself up into a crude form of the pipe I had imagined. The waves — they were magnetic waves. I was producing them.
"Holy shit! I'm a metal-bender! Eat your heart out, Toph!" I cried out happily. "This is so cool!"
Obviously my powers were nothing compared to Magneto's — he was the master of magnetism, I was just a student. But...this was useful. I wasn't big on metallic projectiles and the like, but maybe I should be. This power had potential, but until I figured out how to use it properly it would have to remain my secret.
As evening fell, I started to pack up. I had all my stuff in my car and was getting ready to leave. I had just finished my shower and stepped out, wiping away the mirror's mist once more. I took out my tongue scraper and used it, only to find the edge a little too dull. I needed to buy a new one….or.
I touched the metal part and focused, finding just enough iron in it to work with — yep, that's right, I'm calling my new power metal-bending. Bite me.
Slowly the scraper got sharper. I smiled and looked up at the mirror, only to stop and stare. My eyes — they were blue again. I dropped the scraper and immediately they went back to brown.
"Woah." I blinked. Still brown. I picked up the scraper and used my metal-bending powers on it — my eyes flashed blue yet again and held steady.
My eyes changed colour every time I used my metal-bending powers. This….could be a problem, but not a major one. At least I didn't get white hair every time I used my powers — that would be noticeable.
I sighed. 'Well, Kitten did always say I'd look hot with blue eyes.' I quickly locked up the cabin and left, dropping the key off at the owner's place.
I reached the city by 8 and found Aunt May, Uncle Ben and Richard waiting for me inside. They were anxious to see me home safe. After I told them about the 'trip with Sue to the nanotech conference,' they let me go to bed.
Of course I didn't actually sleep. I was too wide awake for that. I locked my room door, put on my costume and opened up the window, leaping into the night as Spider-Man.
I swung my way into Manhattan and patrolled the city for a while. I didn't find much trouble, surprisingly enough, but I did find several cops outside searching for something, which made me curious.
I found a pair of cops looking around in alleys, calling out a name — Stephen. I landed on the alley wall and cleared my throat. Immediately they both turned, flashing their torches right at my face. I held up a hand and squinted. "Hey guys — mind lowering the light?"
"Oh, it's you, Spider-Man, sorry — we didn't — shit, sorry," the male cop said, lowering his torch. He was black, a little overweight but not too bad. His partner was a woman, Latina by the looks of it.
"It's fine," I shrugged. "Anything I can help you guys with? You sound...disturbed."
"A kid's gone missing," the male cop told me. "Last seen in Hell's Kitchen."
I raised an eyebrow. "Any idea who did it?"
"No clue," the female cop replied. "But we heard it has something to do with the Russians — they're trying to pick a fight with someone. One of your types," she hissed.
"One of my types?" I asked.
"She didn't mean anything by it," the man tried to defend her.
"The hell I didn't!" she cried out. "He's a vigilante, Dom! You shouldn't be defending him! He takes the law into his own hands and doesn't give a damn about the consequences!"
"Well, next time an army of aliens invades Earth, you can protect it with your guns and loud impressive speeches," I shot back. The woman looked stung while the man just shook his head sadly. "I'll do my best to find the kid. Night, officers."
As Spider-Man swung away, Dom turned to his rookie partner and sighed. "He's not a bad guy — he doesn't deserve whatever hate you have for the hero type." She didn't reply, simply staring up at the night sky, wondering if she'd gone too far.
Hell's Kitchen — every time that place was involved, I knew exactly who to talk to. I swung by his apartment, but he wasn't there. Where could Matt be?! Wait...missing kid...this was the first episode of Daredevil. It had begun!
That meant only one thing — he was at Claire Temple's place. I pulled up my SA and hacked into the housing office, finding her current address. She was just a few blocks away.
I quickly swung over just in time to see Matt fighting with someone on the roof. Matt was dressed in all black with a black scarf over his head and gloves. He was bleeding — I could tell. The man he was fighting had a knife; he was about to swing at Matt when I shot a web line at the blade and yanked it out of his hands.
"What the—" The man looked confused for a second before Matt's fist collided with his jaw, sending him flying backward.
I landed in front of him and tossed the knife aside. I looked Matt over. "I don't like the costume."
He smiled. "It's a work in progress."
"Sure." I looked around and found Claire Temple peeking from behind an air vent. "Hello! If you please, miss — we are two highly professional heroes. It would be best if you went back inside."
"She's with me," Matt replied as he grabbed the criminal and hauled him to the rooftop ledge.
"She is?" I asked.
"I am?" Claire replied before turning to me with wide eyes. "You're Spider-Man." She turned to Matt. "You know Spider-Man?!"
"It's a long story," Matt replied.
"I broke into his house," I told her with a shrug. "He didn't like it. Kicked my ass all over the floor."
"How did you find me?" Matt asked.
"I was looking for a missing kid — Stephen. I was coming to you for help since this is your territory and all," I shrugged.
He smiled. "Didn't realize I'd made a name for myself."
"Yeah, never did get your code name, though — what is it? Night Man?" I chuckled.
"Cute." Matt slapped the man awake. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the roof's edge, dangling him over the side. "Where's the child?!"
"I-I don't know, man!" the mobster called out. "I swear!"
"You're lying!" Matt punched him across the face.
Claire winced. She turned to me. "Can't you stop him?"
I sighed. "It's either this or let a child die. What do you think?"
Matt went on, slowly breaking the man. He finally admitted where the kid was — and then Matt shoved him off the roof. I gasped, launching myself over the edge and throwing a web line just in time to catch the man before he hit the garbage can below.
I laid him down gently and checked his vitals. Other than a very erratic heartbeat, a sprained ankle and a dozen other problems, he was alive.
I went back up and glared at Matt. "What is your problem, man?!"
"What? He's alive," Matt shrugged.
Claire looked at me. "Is he always like this?"
"Honestly? You know him better than me," I sighed, before turning to Matt. "You got a location at least?"
Matt nodded as he moved to the fire escape. "Are you coming?"
"Sure — unless you don't want me to."
He sighed. "It's a free world."
"Yay! Our very first team-up!" I chuckled as I followed him from rooftop to rooftop, parkouring across the neighbourhood.
We reached a run-down-looking building. Matt paused for a while before pointing at the third floor. "Can you get us there?"
We were across the street. "No problem. You want to go stealth or make some noise?"
"Noise," Matt replied. "I want to make a statement."
"Good." I shot out two web lines and handed him one. "It's straight ahead — just give it a running start if you're nervous."
"Right," he said. We jumped off the roof and swung across to the building. We crashed through the window feet-first, landing in the middle of a giant poker table.
The men around us jumped to their feet and reached for their guns. I leaped up and socked two of them in the jaw before kicking another between the legs.
Matt was taking on three at a time as a fourth snuck up behind him. I held up one hand and fired a bio-bolt at him, zapping the man unconscious.
Matt acknowledged the assist with a nod, then knocked out two men and threw the third through the room door.
We walked out into the hallway, and slowly Matt and I moved inside each room, beating the gangsters down. We worked together so effortlessly it was almost magical. I jumped over him and he ducked; he threw a chair at me and I grabbed it and smashed it over a bad guy's head. Best team-up ever.
We reached the final room. Inside was a scared little boy. I waited outside as Matt went in and picked the boy up, carrying him out.
I followed behind him and looked at the beaten bodies we'd left behind. "Oddly enough, this isn't the bloodiest battle I've been in this weekend."
"Really?" Matt snorted.
"Yup. Just yesterday I was fighting alongside this guy named Blade. Freaking vampires, man — scared the shit out of me!"
"Vampires?" Matt asked.
I nodded. "Vampires."
"Huh….neat."