chapter four.
❛ conflicts and control ❜

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PRESENT DAY.

     SHE COULD FEEL Stark's hesitation behind the earpiece, yet he still accepted her request.

"FRIDAY, unlock 17A and 17B."

The other suit must have been Peter's suit he'd shown them 2 years ago when he offered him a place in the Avengers. And speaking of him turning it down...

"W-what suit? What are you talking about?" Peter said through the earpiece, making Arlyn's stomach twist as she continued flying. Now was not the time for him to find out about the suit.

Not only 2 weeks after her confessing what she'd been doing for the past 2 years.

Tony ignored him, as Arlyn became slightly lightheaded; she ignored the feeling and persisted upwards, feeling as if her fists were burning at the speed she was flying. "Kid, you gotta let go. I'm gonna catch you."

He didn't need to number them for Peter to know who he was talking to. "But you said save the wizard!"

Dammit Peter, let go, Arlyn thought, but before she could voice her thoughts she felt the little chip of nanotech attach to her bracelet—the one Stark gave her just in case she was in a situation just like this—which could now transform into her suit. The tech ran up her arms and around her figers, her leather-like suit trailing upwards, covering her chest, and spreading throughout. Goosebumps trailed over her skin as it washed over her, creating something that she hadn't even tried before, only seen rough designs of.

The black nanotech wrapped around her feet inside her boots, as well as cover her back and shoulders and arms underneath her long, black jacket. The tech just stopped at her neckline, but with a tap of her bracelet the tech continued upwards, reaching just above her mouth just like her usual mask. It barely felt like a type of metal, instead it was flexible, breathable, and most importantly...strong.

Wearing it felt 100 times better, as if she was reborn. Now this was Cosmo.

"I can't breathe," she heard Peter say, which made her fly faster, her eyes burning a fierce purple. In any other moment, she'd attempt to make it go away, but in this moment all she could think about was saving Peter.

"You're too high up, you're running out of air," Stark explained. Luckily for Arlyn, the mask part of her suit helped her breathe in times like this.

The ship was much closer now, and she could see Peter's figure hanging on to the side, his mask ripped off.

"That makes sense..." he breathed out before she watched his body fall, practically making her heart drop—she wasn't going to make it in time.

But his suit would.

Just like her own, it caught his body, surrounding him. He hit the bottom part of the ringed ship, catching his fall and standing up straight in his shiny new suit.

She could finally relax, as the flaring in her eyes ceased.

"Mr. Stark it smells like a brand new car in here!" He called out.

"Happy trails kid. FRIDAY, send him home. Follow him kid two," Stark said.

"Oh, c'mon!" Peter said as a parachute emitted from his suit, making him fall backwards, straight into Arlyn's arms. She knew she wanted to join Stark, but this was much bigger than what they could handle.

But Peter had a different idea.

Her body jolted, as she felt herself being pulled upwards instead of falling, as she glanced upwards to see him attach his web to the back of the ship. She wanted to curse at his stupidity, but of course this boy wouldn't want to give up; something she admired most about him.

They finally found an opening, and as the Earth began falling away from them, she felt like an ant in a world so giant it could swallow her whole.

"God dammit, we should've stayed on that bus," Arlyn muttered to herself as she climbed in the opening, watching it close, both teenagers now stuck in a spaceship going god-knows where.

They eventually found a way out of the cubby space, all while she got an incoming call, apart of the tech in her bracelet. Tapping it, a little blue hologram popped up, the call coming from Kai.

Arlyn nervously accepted the call as it somehow connected to her earpiece. "Hey," Arlyn greeted, trying to act as calm as possible.

"Arlyn, where are you? You and Peter didn't get off the bus, what's going on? Does it have something to do with that spaceship that just took off?"

Kai had been on a separate bus going on their same field trip, but once he arrived he must have been waiting for her to meet up with her. If there's one person she's closer with than Emily and Peter, it was Kai.

"Don't worry about us, just go on without us," Arlyn spoke, her lip trembling as she faced away from Peter, who undoubtedly felt responsible for deciding to stay with the ship and taking her with him.

There was silence for a moment on the other line. "Please don't tell me you're on that ship."

She had never heard this side of Kai before. Maybe a little worried, but the tone of his voice tightened at her heartstrings.

And in that moment, she realized what she had just done. She was hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth—from her family, who knows if they would find a way back home. "I'm sorry."

"Ar-Arlyn! I-it's t-t-to dang-g-gerous," Kai exclaimed as his voice began breaking up.

"Kai, listen to me-"

Incoming call from Dr. Manon Myers, the hologram spoke.

"Arlyn, I l-"

Call with Kai failed. Incoming call with Dr. Manon Myers also failed.

Arlyn's trembling hand dropped from her earpiece, eyes glossing over with tears. She felt Peter's presence behind her, standing in the crossroads. He wasn't sure if he should try and ease her pain or not. Arlyn felt sick to her stomach, not knowing her true fate.

But she had to keep those thoughts away, it was time to be Cosmo.

Wiping the snot from her nose, she lowered her mask, the nanotech lowering to her collarbones. She turned around and began walking, avoid Peter's glares. Arlyn's eyes were everywhere but his, trying to find a way to Stark and the 'wizard'.

"Arlyn...when did you get a new suit?" He asked in a low voice. She knew he wasn't happy about it, since she never mentioned it when she confessed 2 weeks ago.

Arlyn continued walking, as she heard him trailing behind her through the narrow alien ship hallways. "Tony built it for me recently."

She could feel him wanting to say more. "So you kept the suit from me too? How many other lies have you kept?"

Arlyn spun around, fists clenching by her sides. "None, okay? I only tried on the prototypes a few times, it doesn't mean anything, so back off!"

She took a step forward, her fists burning bright and eyes glinting a slight purple before it extinguished immediately once she realized what she did. Her heart began racing as she turned away from Peter, holding her once energy inflamed hands—which were now shaking. She felt sick again.

"I'm sorry," she said barely over a whisper, attempting to hold back the tears that burned her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that."

She could feel Peter's once hardened but now concerned eyes on her. He stepped forward. "You can't control it, can you? Is that why you went to Mr. Stark?"

Arlyn glanced at him for a split second before turning back down the hallway. She pushed her shoulders back, taking a deep breath. "Let's just find him. We'll talk about this later."

He seemed to be okay with that, as he silently followed behind her. She knew he was still looking at her. Still worried. Still scared.

Scared of her and what she was capable of doing to him.

_____

Somehow, with Karen's help of course as she scanned most of the ship, they were able to track down Stark. It was quite an intricate ship, one that looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Down another level they could see the wizard's, who she still had no clue who they were, magical flying cape tapping Stark on the shoulder, the man almost blasting it to pieces.

"I gotta know where to get one of those," Arlyn mumbled to herself, and Peter hummed in agreement beside her. Both were trying to climb down, Peter using his normal enhanced abilities and Arlyn utilizing the suits' capabilities that mirrored her old boots and gloves Peter had made for her.

"Wow, you are seriously a loyal piece of head-o-ware, aren't you," Stark said to the cape as Peter slowly dropped down from his web.

"Yeah, uh...speaking of loyalty," Peter said, dropping from his web as Stark turned to Peter with wide eyes.

"What the-"

Peter's suit took the mask off his face. "I know what you're gonna say-"

"You should not be here," Stark interrupted.

"I was gonna go home, but it was such a long way down..." Peter continued to defend himself as Stark talked over him.

"I don't wanna hear it."

"We just thought you could use some help," Arlyn spoke up, gliding down with her powers until her feet dropped beside Peter.

Stark threw his arms up in the air. "Great, 'course you're here too. You always come in pairs."

"I kinda got stuck to the side of the ship," Peter quickly got out, Arlyn squinting her eyes and jiggling her hand side to side in contradiction. "And this suit is ridiculously intuitive by the way."

"Mine too, feels surprisingly slinky," Arlyn said, moving her arms around as Stark stared at the two of them dumbfounded.

"So, if anything," Peter continued, "It's kinda your fault that we're here."

Stark's eyes glared into Peter's, darting back and forth between the two teenagers. "What'd you just say?"

Arlyn threw her hands up in defence. "Don't look at me, I didn't say it."

"I take that back," Peter answered, "and now we're here space." As if anything he'd just told him justified anything...Arlyn shut her eyes in defeat.

"Yeah, right where I didn't want you two to be," Stark continued, taking a step towards them. "This isn't Coney island or some field trip."

"Well..." Arlyn mumbled, remembering how they were technically on their way to a field trip just an hour before, but the look in Stark's eyes made her shut her mouth.

Stark turned to her then. "This is a one way ticket, do you hear me?"

Arlyn clenched her jaw, giving him a look that told him exactly what she needed him to know. Of course Arlyn knew there was a chance she couldn't make it back, she didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her own brother, let along she practically lied to Emily. And he understood that, so he turned back to Peter.

"Don't pretend you didn't think this through."

"I did think this through!"

"You could not have possibly thought this through."

"You can't be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man if there is no neighbourhood."

Arlyn raised her eyebrows, nodding when Stark glanced at her. "He's got a point. Ish."

Peter sighed. "Okay that didn't really make sense but you know what I'm trying to say."

Stark glanced towards Arlyn again, as if asking what reason she had to be here. "I'm only here 'cause he's here."

Stark lowered his eyebrows at her.

"And...'cause I know this ship and these aliens are worse than you could or anyone could ever imagine. I'm not letting my nightmares become reality."

Stark lowered his gaze, knowing about the nightmares she endured. He finally gave in. "Come on. We got a situation."

Stark walked them over to the edge of the ledge they were standing on, and below was the supposed wizard, and an alien who was prodding him with icicle looking things.

"See him down there? He's in trouble," Stark explained, "What's your plan? Go."

Arlyn kept her eyes on the wizard, and Peter kneeled down to get a better look.

"Um...uh okay, did you ever see this really old movie Aliens?" Peter asked Arlyn and Stark, standing back up. Arlyn nodded, as she was starting to get the idea he was forming. And of course, Stark hadn't seen that movie before, so the two had to explain the plan.

The plan got into action, as Stark got to the bottom floor they were on, the wizard crying out in pain. The alien turned around. Stark began talking to him to stall him, as the alien began levitating large objects, ready to hit. Arlyn's eyes studied his movements from behind her hiding spot, as she lowered herself to the bottom level as well.

"Your powers are inconsequential to mine," the squidward looking alien said as he began walking towards him.

Arlyn conjured energy between her hands, straightening her shoulders. "But mine aren't," she called out, throwing her energy towards the objects he was levitating, throwing them to the side in an instant as his head turned towards her in anger.

As planned, Stark blasted a hole into one of the walls of the ship, and in a mere second the objects that he once levitated and his body flew through the hole in the ship, just like the end of the Aliens movie.

Arlyn kept a firm grip on a part of the ship as Peter went to grab the wizard who was now flying out. He almost got sucked out with him, until six large legs came from his suit, holding him back. Arlyn quickly threw an arm out, bringing the two of them back towards the middle of the ship as Stark sealed the hole.

Once the hole sealed, Arlyn dropped both onto the metal floor, walking towards them.

"We gotta turn the ship around," the wizard stated. Well at least he knew English.

"Yeah, now who wants to run," Stark jabbed back. Arlyn wondered how long these two knew each other, and most importantly if they even liked each other.

"I want to protect the stone," the wizard explained, following Stark who walked towards the front of the ship that held some kind of steering devices.

"And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Both teenagers kept glancing at each other, both filled with questions about these two and their conflicts.

"For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

Stark spun around. "Who just saved your magical ass? Me."

Arlyn was about to raise her hand to protest, but she decided not to interrupt their argument.

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head in that helmet." Arlyn's eyebrows raised at the man's comment. Did he really just say that to Tony-fricken-Stark?

"Admit it, you should've ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you, but you refused."

"Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you."

Both teenagers tried to hide their surprised smirks at this man's confidence.

"And due to that fact, we're now in a flying donut, billions of miles from Earth, with no back up."

Arlyn's stomach twisted at the mention of being so far away from Earth, but Peter didn't seem too phased as he raised his hand. "We're backup."

"No. You guys are stowaways. The adults are talking."

She couldn't wait till she turned 18 and he couldn't use that phrase anymore.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here, I mean, who are these kids? Your wards?"

"No, I'm Peter, by the way. This is Arlyn," Peter introduced, stepping forward and pointing behind him.

"Doctor Strange."

"Oh, you're using made-up names, um...I'm Spider-Man then."

Arlyn raised her hand from her crossed arms. "Cosmo."

The black haired man simply walked away, and Arlyn could care less about what this guy thought of them.

"This ship is self-correcting its course. This thing's on autopilot," Tony explained.

"Can we control it? Fly us home?" Strange asked.

Stark began pacing slowly, which didn't make Arlyn feel too much better about the situation.

"Tony," Arlyn called, and everyone's heads turned towards her.

"Yeah," he said, getting his head out of the clouds.

Arlyn pushed herself off the piece of metal she was leaning on, walking towards him. "Can you get us home or not?"

"Yeah, I heard him. I'm not so sure we should," he replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Under no circumstances can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos," Strange demanded, walking closer to Stark. Arlyn felt a shiver run down her spine at the unknown words, but she put them aside for the moment. Peter glanced towards her. Maybe he felt her fear. "I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here."

"What? No, it's you who doesn't understand that. Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York, and now he's back!"

Arlyn's cool stance soon turned rigid, as her eyes glanced from the floor to Tony. She knew Peter could feel her now. If Thanos was the one who caused the attack in New York, he's the one who killed her best friend. He's the one who terrorized her home.

And he was the one who was going to pay for everything he'd caused.

A hand brushed hers, and she didn't need to bother glancing downwards to know who it was. His hand interlocked with hers, rubbing her palm, knowing it would somehow calm her nerves. It worked to an extent, but there was still an underlying fear and anger beneath the surface.

"And I don't know what to do," Stark continued, "So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his. But you saw what he did, what they can do. At least on his turf he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him, Doctor," Stark's voice lowered, she could hear the desperation in his voice.

As Strange was deciding, Arlyn couldn't help but give her own piece of mind, as it felt like an itch begging to be scratched. "I don't want to do it any more than you do Strange, but we have to land that ship."

Both heads glanced towards her. "It's the only way," she added on.

Tony knew there was some part of Arlyn, some part of her powers, along with her nightmare visions that could understand the future. Arlyn didn't have any idea how to use it or if she could even control it, but she just knew that they were going to have to face their biggest fears by landing on that planet.

Maybe Strange even sensed it too. He was a wizard apparently, for all she knew he could conjure bunny rabbits and control time, especially with that special stone he had.

Strange turned back to Tony. "All right Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand if it comes to saving you, or the kids, or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the universe depends on it."

"Nice, good moral compass. We're straight," Tony agreed, as he walked off towards the teenagers.

"All right, kid one, kid two," he said, tapping both on their shoulders as if knighting them. "You're Avengers now."

Peter's eyes widened, pride flowing through him as he pulled back his shoulders. Arlyn couldn't help but smile a little bit too.

She couldn't help but return Peter's high five he requested either.

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oooo conflicts are happeninnngg

i hope you're enjoying this book so far, cause im definitely enjoying writing it!!!

thanks for reading once again :)