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chapter one
BEAM ME UP
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THE LIGHT IS BLINDING. Iridescent rays of color spill across the surface from the sun shining through the nearby window. For a moment, Lena allows herself to gape at the sheer beauty of the attraction as she cranes her neck to see the various colors shifting along the curves of the metallic wall like a moving rainbow right before her eyes.

"Lena!"

She abruptly turns to see Mr. Carter, the robotics club moderator, rushing toward her with a security guard in tow. For a moment, she panics. Had she accidentally lost her precious piece of equipment from Tony? A quick brush of her hand along her chest makes her realize that's not the case. Her shoulders slump in relief at the now-familiar weight of it on her chest.

"The bus is going to leave any minute!" the dark-skinned man exclaims, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses further up his nose as he guides her back toward the main entrance with a gentle yet urgent hand on her upper back. "We've been looking all over for you— we thought we'd have to make a phone call to your parents, and I'm sure they wouldn't like that. Where are your buddies?"

Lena refrains from informing the club moderator that she'd lost Peter and Ned an insurmountable time ago. How can she help it? The National Museum of Mathematics is too exciting for her to handle. Even though most of the people around are parents with their young children, it's still inspiring to her to see the impact that science and mathematics can have on their everyday lives.

That's why Mr. Carter has to practically force her away from the dynamic wall, an attraction in one of the corridors of the museum that features a bending structure made of some sort of reflective material. The colors that had spilled across it were so pretty, and if she could have taken just one picture—

"My parents are in the Philippines for their wedding anniversary," Lena explains, trying not to huff as she brushes her newly-cut bangs out of her eyes. She doesn't want to sound rude, and getting detention or a behavior strike for talking back to a teacher is not something she wants to do today. "I'm only supposed to contact them for emergencies because of our cell phone plan. It costs money for calls and texts."

Mr. Carter frowns, forming more lines on his brown skin. "All the more reason to behave. Come on, we have to run so we won't be late."

Sprinting around the National Museum of Mathematics alongside her club moderator is not something she planned on doing at any point in her life. She slows her pace as to not leave Mr. Carter in the dust, her long legs working in her favor more than his slight potbelly does. It's a bit embarrassing to see all the other students waiting in the mustard-yellow schoolbus. Her cheeks don't warm, though, and her head doesn't turn to face the sidewalk. She holds her head high as she climbs the three steps up onto the bus.

"Where were you?" Ned interrogates the moment she's within his view. "Did you ignore, like, the bajillion texts we sent you? We thought you got kidnapped or something!"

"No, Ned, you thought she got kidnapped," Peter corrects with a sigh. "I thought she got murdered."

"Well, I didn't get kidnapped or murdered, so you can stop worrying," Lena says, trying to hide the smile trying to work its way onto her face at their concern. She sits in the open spot beside Peter and sets her bag on the floor at her feet. "I went to explore."

"You could have told us that!" Ned exclaims from the seat in front of them, but Mr. Carter steps on board and grabs his megaphone before Lena can retort.

"Alright, I believe all of our students are accounted for," Mr. Carter says as he scans his brown eyes around the bus, giving Lena a pointed look as he does so. "So we can go back to the school, now. You should arrive in time for sixth period."

He turns off the megaphone and plops back into his seat at the front of the bus. With a hiss and a screech, the giant thing begins moving, and Lena watches the museum shrink with the farther they move down the busy road. The usual business of Manhattan doesn't phase her in the least. The shrill honks of cars and the passing of pedestrians immediately fade into the background.

"Hey," Peter whispers, effectively getting her attention both with his voice and the way he pokes her arm. Her heart has a little party in her chest at the physical contact. Despite that fact, her face stays curiously blank, as she has forced it to do ever since her crush on Peter had crept up on her. "Take a listen."

Lena realizes he's holding out one of his earbuds and accepts it, hooking it into her ear. The sound of Fall Out Boy's new album, Mania, greets her. She gives a little grin at how well aware he is of her music taste and what they have in common in terms of it.

She taps her fingers restlessly on her thigh as she mouths along to the words. It seems that, although she's gotten slightly better at controlling her powers over the last year and a half, her constant movements haven't ceased. It's disappointing; she'd give anything not to feel like she's about to burst out of her skin at any given moment.

As the ride drags on, Lena blows an impressively large bubble of pink gum that continues growing until Peter jabs a finger into it and it pops. She glares at him as she gathers the gum back into her mouth with her tongue. In fact, she's almost about to chastise him until he surges forward to pat Ned on the cheek. The earbud falls out of her ear when he leans forward too much, cutting off the song and greeting her with the silence of the bus.

"Hey, hey!" he mumbles urgently, an impatient edge to his voice. Lena is confused until she notices the hair that's raised on Peter's arm— his Spidey senses. Something must be wrong. "I need you to cause a distraction."

Ned turns around in confusion, then lets his mouth fall agape as he catches sight of something behind them. "Holy shit. We're all gonna die! There's a spaceship!"

It certainly catches the attention of everyone on the bus. The students crowd around the back with chatter filling the air, most of which is indistinguishable due to the number of voices. Lena peers over one girl's head to see a spaceship in the sky. The only indication that it is a spaceship is because of its metallic design and the fact that it's flying in the air. It's not shaped like the ships she's seen in pop culture— this one is shaped like a ring that scrapes the clouds and dips down into the streets. A...donut.

Her eyebrows furrow, but Peter grabs her arm and tugs her toward the other side of the bus before she can examine it further. She stumbles over her own two feet before snatching both of their bags. Hurling herself out of the open window, she discovers him already waiting, attached to the side of the bus with the Spider-Man mask concealing his face. Lena yanks on her own. Deciding to wait until they have more space to put on costumes, she remains in her clothes as she blasts off, knowing Peter is swinging right behind her.

She'd developed a Bluetooth earpiece shortly after Peter had gained his suit back. It allows her to both speak to him as well as hear Karen's voice, which comes immensely useful when it comes to directions and information she wouldn't otherwise know. Graham also has one. Ever since he'd joined them in their superhero antics, she's been extremely conscious of including him in everything so he doesn't feel left out.

The earpiece is why she's able to hear Karen report she doesn't know what the spaceship is when Peter demands, "What in the ever-loving shit is that?" which isn't something you want to hear from a seemingly all-knowing AI. It means that the ship is something neither she nor Tony has seen before. And Tony has seen a shit-ton in his lifetime.

"New guests?" Lena questions. "We didn't even get to prepare a housewarming party."

Peter ignores her snark as he attaches several webs to the underside of the bridge they'd been passing over. She rolls her eyes when he skids across the water, using it to turn himself around and launch himself into the air. Show off.

"We need to find somewhere safe to change!" she reminds him over the wind roaring in her ears and tousling her raven hair behind her. Her eyes scan over the city before she spots a remotely empty alleyway near the ship. "There!"

She drops from the sky, leaving him with no choice but to follow. Her harsh landing turns into a roll which she uses to also swing her bag from around her shoulders. She unzips it as she tugs her unbuttoned flannel and red top off. Underneath it lies the metal contraption over a white camisole. Pants - especially her leggings - aren't a problem with the suit, but too many layers of tops can get annoying.

Lena presses the button in the center. Immediately, silver fabric spreads over her body, conforming perfectly to her measurements. The built-in boots lock onto her feet. As this happens, she works on sliding a hairnet over her messy locks and securing the platinum blond wig on top of it. She gives her head a quick shake. Thanks to whatever technology Tony had included inside of it, it stays.

By the time she turns around, Peter is already in his suit as well. She tosses her bag to him. He swiftly catches it and hides it beneath a discarded box along with his own, attaching them together with a few webs.

"Okay, Karen, where was that space-donut at?" Lena questions a bit breathlessly— getting suited up is almost the most tiring part of the job.

"The spaceship is located near Bryant Park at 43rd Street," the A.I replies from inside Peter's suit. "It's about two miles away from your current location, but if you take two lefts and a—"

Lena faces her palms downward and takes to the sky before she can finish. Peter's grumbled words are still loud enough for her to hear through the earpiece. "You asked."

The teenager has to shield her eyes against the dust and debris flying through the air from the whirring of the ship. Then, after a beat, she remembers she could just protect herself with a force field and forms a blue-tinted bubble around herself. Looking down toward her feet, she spots Peter swinging through the chaotic streets. Luckily, the people seem to be evacuating. Unluckily, it looks like a bomb has gone off from how much litters the pavement. Abandoned cars fill the roads, a thin layer of dirt covering everything on the ground. Poor New York— it always ends up being a wreck. Why can't the aliens target someplace like Nevada?

"What do you see from up there?" Peter questions between webs.

Lena squints to see the main action seemingly happening in Bryant Park, where several trees have been knocked over and half a severed taxi cab is laying on the grass. "Uh, Mr. Stark is shooting repulsor rays at a giant, gray alien who is holding a large metal pickaxe and trying to kill him."

"Great, thanks."

She glances below again to see Peter swinging with longer webs by attaching them farther and farther away. Cursing at herself for failing to form some sort of sensible plan, she forces herself to release more energy so she can move faster. Things will hopefully work out. They usually do when they fight together, as if they're so in sync that they can anticipate the other's movements.

Her heart feels like it's going to burst out of her chest when Peter drops into the park. He lands just in time to catch the alien's weapon just as it's about to sever Tony in half, throwing himself between it and the billionaire.

"Hey, man!" he casually greets the giant alien. Then, looking over his shoulder, he asks, "What's up, Mr. Stark?"

An Iron Man suit-clad Tony rolls on his back so he's not face-planted into the dirt anymore. "Kid, where'd you come from?"

"Field trip to MoMath AAAAAHH—" Peter is cut off by his own scream as the eight-foot-tall alien flings him aside like he's weightless. He goes crashing into a nearby bench, which splinters under his weight.

Lena straightens her arms outward and focuses energy into her gauntlets. After a beat, the blue outline grows and a large ball shoots toward the alien with the help of the devices. The blast itself is enough to make it fall to its knees, throwing up a gigantic hand to block another blow.

Tony shoots another orange-tinted beam at it once it's distracted by Lena. "Can't you two ever stay home?"

"So, uh, what's this guy's problem, Mr. Stark?" Peter asks innocently, dutifully ignoring the man's own question.

"Uh, he's from space," Tony replies vaguely. "He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard."

That makes no sense, but at this point in her life, Lena is not very surprised.

The muscular alien's pickaxe morphs into some sort of device that looks like one of those claw machines in an arcade. He uses it to snatch Peter mid-air and catapult him across the park. Lena, sick of it tossing her friend around like a rag doll, stays above ground and continues her assault from the air as Tony keeps him busy on foot. She retains a protective bubble around herself even as she hurls varying amounts of energy at him; she'd learned to do this the hard way.

Lena dives out of the way when the alien releases a furious roar and grabs the half of a taxi, heaving it at her. Peter attaches a web to it before it can hit her and sends the demolished vehicle slamming back into the creature. Momentarily distracted, Lena's powers fail and she goes crashing into the grass stomach-first. Her forearms barely prevent her from eating dirt. Luckily, the remaining energy in her gauntlets slightly cushions her fall.

"Hey, you alright?" a semi-familiar voice questions from above her. Lena gives a very pained groan in response and lifts her head enough to see a pair of polished men's shoes in front of her face. Slowly, her eyes raise higher until she's looking at a short man with salt-and-pepper hair cut close to his head. His face is slightly lined, brown eyes kind even though she knows what lurks beneath.

"Doctor Banner," she breathes, accepting his offer to haul her to her feet. She's still baffled even as she forms a flat shield in front of them just as the alien's tool tries to snatch her. "I'm a huge fan—"

"Yeah, Hulk, I know," he responds in a slightly dismayed tone, ducking as the alien tosses Tony over their heads. His eyes widen when Lena brings Iron Man back by propelling him forward with a helpful blast of energy. "Unfortunately, he's a little MIA right now—"

"No!" she responds almost too vehemently. Her voice has raised itself an octave from her excitement. "I've read every single one of your published journals and watched all of your videos on gamma radiation! You're, like, my idol!"

That's all she gets to say to her childhood hero for the time being because of a streak of red that flies past. At first she thinks it's Peter, but then notices that he's slamming one of the fallen trees onto the alien, so it can't be.

Tony blocks a blow from the creature by a shield that extends from his armor. "Kid, that's the wizard. Get on it." He whirls around to her. "You, stay here."

Lena rolls her eyes at his orders, soaring back into the air and shooting a blast at the alien's unguarded back. It immediately swings its weapon toward her, the handle extending to a sort of wiry thing, but she brings her hands together and forms an outline of blue over it. The claw halts mid-air. The alien snorts, sounding animalistic as it tries to tug the weapon back. Sweat breaks out on her hairline from the effort it takes to keep the claw from moving. Her arms begin to shake, but Tony strikes at just the right time and the sudden leverage causes her to gasp as her control on the weapon breaks.

"Uh, Mr. Stark?" Peter's panicked voice comes through her earpiece. "I'm being beamed up!"

"Hang on, kid!" Tony shouts, blasting the alien yet again. However, the creature throws the metal claw at him before he can duck. It latches around him and traps his arms against his chest as he lands hard on the grass. His armor strains with the effort to rip it off.

Though she desperately wants to look at Peter's figure literally being beamed up into the hovering spaceship, Lena forces herself to focus on the battle with the stupid alien. It flicks the handle of its weapon again, producing an impossibly sharp blade that looks like it could shred through metal like butter. She panics and somersaults in the air to move faster. Throwing her arms out, she produces a protective barrier between it and Tony.

But she never finds out if it works, because an orange circle appears in front of it and when the alien leaps through it, it does not come out the other side.

Lena snaps her head up to discover an Asian man dressed in robes colored a dull red, his hand held out as he glares into the circle he'd created. A portal, Lena realizes with glee. How many wizards are there? She wants to interview one and find out how the hell they do this stuff.

The wizard closes the portal by circling his hand counter-clockwise; the orange-rimmed ring copies his actions. The alien gives a roar of rage and sprints toward them as the circle shrinks, only to get a hand sliced off when it finally closes and disappears.

"Oh!" Bruce Banner exclaims in a disgusted tone as the severed hand lands at his feet. He kicks it away with an expression of disgust. "Ugh."

Tony rips out of the metal claw and shoots to his feet. "Wong, you're invited to my wedding!"

Lena drops to the ground and glances at the spaceship, noticing with horror that it has already started to leave... with Peter and the wizard with the necklace on it. "Mr. Stark—"

"Yeah, no," Tony immediately protests with a firm point at her. "You're grounded, kid. And by that I mean stay on the ground. Bruce, you're on babysitting duty."

"But—"

"That's a no." He takes her by the shoulders and holds her down when she tries to lift off, causing her to look into the eyes of his mask with her own pleading expression. "No. Do you hear me? You are not, under any circumstances, to follow. I don't know what's up there— you're not getting dragged into it, too. Stay here."

She can't get another word in before Tony blasts off like a rocket toward the already-disappearing ship. Her mouth puckers in frustration, watching the clouds cover him until she can't see anything but the azure sky. Cloudless. It doesn't seem like it should be this way: utterly normal when this day is anything but.

Lena immediately puts a finger to her earpiece. Her voice comes out desperate and thick, the word firing out of her mouth. "Peter!"

There's nothing but static on the other end.

She's faintly aware of the wizard named Wong leaving through a new portal, but it's as if he's merely background noise. Nothing else matters to her except hearing a voice from the other end. "Peter Benjamin Parker, answer me right now! Please, if you can hear me, say something." More static. Her voice rises almost to a shriek. "Peter!"

Lena rips the earbud out of her ear and chucks it on the ground. She glares at it, screwing up her mouth as if she's angry, but in reality, she's trying really, really hard not to cry.

She did not just lose Peter and Tony. She has to convince herself of that, because otherwise, she's going to go insane.

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welcome to the madness (:

truth be told, i've always planned for lena to stay on the ground. not only to develop her relationships with other characters, but also to diverge her storyline from peter's a bit more. i think you guys will enjoy it nonetheless!

i found a gif of hailee in bumblebee and i couldn't help but notice it fits perfectly with the fight with vulture (minus her wig, mask, and suit) so i made this

also, bangs!!! i probably won't be able to include a gif of hailee with that hairstyle in every chapter because bumblebee just came out, but remember that her hair is like that because i love it so much and was so excited to include it!

+ bonus: snapchat edits from the au that i couldn't include because of the image limit

—kristyn