maybe wrap it up
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The students of Midtown had arrived in London not too long ago. Gwen, MJ, and Ned remained close together for observational purposes. There was a lot they'd been talking about since the previous night, and it had everything to do with Beck and what they could expect from him. They didn't trust that he wouldn't try something. Gwen was sure that by now he knew that they knew what he was up to, and there was no way he'd let it remain that way. She stayed vigilant and honed her senses on the potential danger around them.
"Okay, guys!" Mr. Harrington's voice sounded. "The company set up a city tour and then we'll grab a bite and head to the airport."
"Is no one gonna acknowledge how weird this is?" Brad's voice grabbed the attention of his classmates, and they stopped to look at him. "Andi and Peter? I mean, has no one else noticed how shady they are? I caught the two of them with Gwen in the back of a rest stop in their underwear with some woman, and they're always sneaking away! Venice? The opera? Now they're both off the trip in Berlin with Peter's 'family'? Is no one else here interested in the truth?"
Gwen made a move to speak up and defend herself against Brad's claims, but MJ held a hand out to stop her.
"'The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world'," MJ said to Brad.
"George Orwell, thank you, MJ!"
"Yeah, well since the two of them aren't here to share their truth, what about you, Brad?" MJ tilted her head in question. "Why do you think it's cool to take pictures of people in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, what's that about, dude?" Flash added.
"You didn't even knock, Brad," Gwen reminded him.
"It wasn't like that!" Brad tried to defend himself. "I was trying to take a—"
"Why don't we just put all of this craziness behind us and have a nice, peaceful afternoon?" Mr. Harrington stepped into the conversation. "'Sounds great, Mr. Harrington,' said the class! Okay? Let's go."
Gwen laughed quietly and followed her classmates to the bus waiting on them. She looked to the driver and immediately began to feel uneasy, but she wasn't sure why. She'd never seen him before, but she couldn't shake the feeling as she stepped onto the bus with MJ and Ned. The three of them made their way to the top of the bus overlooking the streets below.
"Guys, I think there's something wrong," Gwen said to MJ and Ned.
"Yeah, I don't like this," MJ replied. "Something is definitely up."
"I think it would be best if we just stayed calm," Ned said to the girls, earning two very annoyed looks from them. A crashing noise caught their attention, and the three looked over to see a dark grey cloud descending on the city.
"How exactly are we supposed to stay calm when that is coming right toward us?" Gwen asked, turning her attention back to Ned.
"It's fake, so there's nothing to worry about," Ned tried to assure her.
The cloud grew darker and larger. Lightning struck behind them, causing them to shy away from the possible destruction. The wind was becoming a bit much as well, and Gwen took a deep breath. There was something incredibly wrong, and knowing Andi and Peter were nowhere to be found sent a wave of anxiety through her body.
"What did the bus driver say?" Mr. Dell called to Mr. Harrington.
"The bus driver's gone!"
Gwen cursed under her breath. She knew there'd been something off about the driver. She wondered if this was all apart of Beck's plan. She wondered if he'd intentionally placed them into the line of fire due to their knowledge of his plans.
Massive spouts then burst from the water, frightening the students on board the bus, Gwen included. They raced off the bus and onto the bridge, doing what they could to get themselves to safety. The chaos around them grew by the second, and Gwen knew it was intentional when she turned back to see their bus had been completely destroyed. Killing Gwen and her friends had been Beck's plan all along, and in that moment she knew she had to find a way to stop him with or without Andi and Peter.
Gwen grabbed MJ's arm as she ran, stopping her in her tracks. "MJ, I have to do something about this," she told MJ.
"W-what do you mean? Andi and Peter are nowhere to be found and you're going to fight this thing by yourself?" MJ asked her.
"It's not real," Gwen reminded her. "I'm gonna be fine."
"Gwen—"
"I'll be back, okay?" Gwen didn't give MJ the time to respond before she ran off. She made sure she was out of her classmates' eyesight and began stripping herself of her clothes. She was thankful she'd decided to wear her suit under her clothes, as she wasn't sure what to expect from their journey back home. She just knew it hadn't been this.
Once she'd removed her clothes, Gwen pulled her mask over her head and wasted no time at all in making her way to the massive monster by the bridge. She felt a phenomenal fear inside her, but she had to convince herself nothing was real. The monster was simply a product of Beck's drones, meaning she had nothing to be truly afraid of. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a split second before opening them back up and diving head first into the enormous illusion Beck had conjured. She flew right through the monster and was astounded to find the technology inside that brought it to life. If the circumstances had been different, Gwen would've been completely impressed by the mind behind it all. She found she couldn't exactly be impressed by the thought of using the technology to create such destruction and loss of life for the sake of manipulating an entire planet.
"Okay, you've got this," Gwen said to herself from her spot atop a drone. She took another deep breath and began hopping back and forth between drones, using her strength to pull them into one another. They began to explode, tearing the illusion on the outside apart. While it thrilled her, she knew she was nowhere close to finishing the job.
Gwen attached a web to a single drone and jumped off of it. She used her strength to swing the drone around at the others, taking them out as she did so. She landed on top of another drone and was ready for another round when two unexpected bodies burst into Beck's illusion, startling her slightly. She noticed it was Andi and Peter, and she let out a breath of relief. Not only was she glad they'd finally arrived, but she was happy to know they were okay. She wasn't sure if Beck had gotten ahold of them and was glad to know he hadn't.
"It's about time you two got here," Gwen teased the duo.
"Well, we couldn't let you have all this fun on your own," Andi replied with a smirk on her face, though she knew Gwen couldn't see it.
"Are you guys ready to get this over with?" Peter asked the girls.
"I've been ready Parker," Gwen responded.
"Then let's do this," Andi said before hopping off the drone she was on. She attached a web to it and dragged it down as she dove, using it to destroy the drones she came across in passing. There were so many of them, but she was certain the three of them could manage as long as they remained smart.
The illusion began to fall apart as the teenagers continued to destroy the drones. Andi noticed Beck tucked safely away from the public, and her anger grew. There was so much she wanted to do to him, so much she wanted to make him pay for, but she knew she couldn't make a rash decision. The situation affected more than just her, and she wouldn't risk anyone else for the sake of her own emotions.
"Peter, I have eyes on Beck," Andi spoke into her comms.
"I do too," Peter answered as he started making his way to Beck. "On my way to him."
Andi and Gwen continued destroying the drones within the illusion, stopping only when the illusion disappeared. Andi was confused, as was Gwen, but they both figured it was part of Beck's plan. Andi looked to the bridge where she'd found Beck expecting to see that Peter was the one responsible, but Beck was alone, and Peter was nowhere to be found.
"Take care of the drones," Andi told Gwen. "I'm gonna take care of this asshole."
Gwen didn't have the chance respond. Andi swung away from her and toward the covered bridge. She found it difficult to reach Beck, however, as he'd sent his legion of drones after her. She figured he'd sent them after Peter and Gwen as well, because she noticed a multitude of them flying off randomly. Regardless, the drones were beginning to truly aggravate Andi.
"Life would be much simpler if I had weaponized webs," Andi muttered to herself as she kicked a drone away from her and into the bridge. It exploded, and she dove down to shield herself behind an abandoned vehicle on the bridge. The current chaos was worrying her, and she wondered about Happy and Aurora, both of whom had tasked themselves with finding their friends and getting them to safety. "Hey, um, Happy, I'm just checkin' to see if you guys are alive?"
"We're fine!" Aurora's voice came through comms.
"Oh, thank god!" Peter added.
"I bought us some time, but not much," Happy alerted the two.
"We're trying to get to Beck, but we can't shake these drones!" Peter called to them.
Andi hopped up from the ground with an idea in her head. She attached a web to the side of the car she hid behind and ran as fast as she could, pulling the vehicle off the ground and into the air. Andi stopped abruptly and swung the vehicle around at the drones closing in on her, causing the drones to explode, along with the car itself. Andi detached herself from the webbing and started running along the length of the bridge, stopping only when she noticed a black car barreling back to the ground. She quickly attached herself to the side of the bridge and began to climb up, shielding herself from the explosion she was positive Peter had caused.
"Shit, Peter!" Andi exclaimed. She climbed up to the roof of the bridge, where Peter now stood.
"Sorry!"
Andi noticed the fire breathing drone coming toward them, and her eyes widened. "Peter, watch out!"
The two ran away from the flames and dove off the bridge, using their webbing to maneuver themselves away from the drones that continued to chase them. They worked diligently to destroy the drones together. Andi swung herself into drone after drone, using her strength and intelligence to destroy the machines, while Peter used his superb webbing skills to do so. After taking out what Andi assumed to be at least thirteen drones, she swung back toward the bridge. She was struck by a powerful force, however, and her webbing snapped, sending her flying into the water below. She landed with a splash, though the splash next to her was what grabbed her attention.
Andi quickly resurfaced and took a deep breath. She looked to her side to see Gwen surface as well, and she laughed. Gwen had been the one to hit her, and Andi couldn't dismiss the sense of deja vu she felt because of it. It was exactly how they'd met the first time.
"Why am I not surprised?" Andi teased her friend.
"I am so sorry," Gwen apologized.
"I'm not worried about it." The familiar feeling of unease startled Andi, and she turned her attention to the bridge to see several vehicles barreling into the water. Between them was the bright red of Peter's suit, and the sight was unsettling. "That, on the other hand..."
The vehicles crashed into the water with Peter. He resurfaced moments later, and together the three of them swam back over to the bridge.
"Are you okay, Peter?" Gwen asked as they climbed up the wall of the bridge.
Peter coughed and nodded his head. The three jumped back onto the bridge, taking temporary refuge behind the debris.
"What are we supposed to do?" Gwen asked the two of them. "There's too many of them."
"And I don't have anymore webs," Peter added.
"We have to get to Beck, and we can't do that without getting shot to death," Andi remarked.
Peter stopped for a moment to think. He found a toy on the ground and tossed it to the broken drone on the ground ahead of them. The sonic wave blasted the toy into the air, where it was then destroyed by the drones hovering overhead.
"Okay, I got it," Peter said to the girls. He ran over to a downed drone and ripped out its battery, and then pulled a seatbelt from an abandoned vehicle. "Andi, I need the sign—the bridge sign!"
Andi didn't ask why. She only ripped the sign from the concrete and tossed it to Peter, who seemed to have a full plan in order.
"What are you doing, Peter?" Gwen asked him.
"I'm gonna create a distraction," Peter told them. "On my signal, you two run as fast as you can and swing onto the bridge. The explosion should throw Beck off long enough for you two to get inside without issue, and I'll be right behind you, okay?"
The girls nodded their heads and readied theirselves at Peter's side. He ran towards the drones and tossed the battery into the air.
"Now!"
Andi and Gwen started running, both of them to opposite sides of the bridge. Andi shot a web to the side of the bridge and pulled herself into the air. She swung toward the bridge just as an explosion sounded below. The glass covering the bridge blew out, creating an almost flawless entry point for Andi. She entered feet first and didn't hesitate for a second to knock Beck away. He hit the opposite wall with a thud, but Gwen's appearance sent him flying back yet again. He hit the floor with a groan, while Andi and Gwen landed on either side of him. He made an attempt to get up and make his escape, but Peter then burst through the floor. He attached himself to the ceiling and delivered a swift blow to Beck's helmet.
"Your lies are over, Beck," Peter said, holding Beck off the ground. Andi and Gwen joined at his side.
"This certainly isn't ideal, but I have contingencies," Beck replied. "EDITH?"
The drone behind Beck blew the teenagers back, each of them rolling into each other before hitting the wall. A sharp pain rolled through Andi's body as she struck the wall, and she was almost certain her ribs were now more than just bruised. She couldn't bring herself to worry about it just yet. They almost had Beck right where they wanted him, and there was no way the three of them were letting him walk away.
"Just give us the glasses," Peter said to Beck.
"You want these?" Beck pulled the glasses out of his shirt. "Come and get 'em!"
A plethora of drones made their way onto the bridge and disappeared just as quickly into the darkness Beck had conjured.
"What do we do?" Gwen asked with a heavy breath.
"Trust your instinct."
"Trust your tingle."
Together, the three of them ran forward, focusing their senses on the danger surrounding them. Despite the amount of drones, the three were able to destroy the cloaked drones. Beck grew frustrated and deployed more drones, all of which the teenagers were able to detect and use to not only shield themselves, but destroy whatever else Beck sent their way. Andi broke away from the two of them and maneuvered her way over to Beck, who'd been caught in the crossfire and was on the ground in pain. Andi ripped her mask off after landing beside him, and while he looked real, he definitely didn't feel real. It was another one of his tricks, but she had no intentions letting him know she knew. There were other things on her mind, other things she knew she needed to say to him before he met his bitter end.
Andi leaned down to Beck's level on the ground. "And here I thought you'd put up more of a fight," she baited him.
"At least I can say I tried." Beck winced in pain.
"We trusted you," Peter said, finding a spot at Beck's side. He, too, felt what Andi did. The Beck they spoke to wasn't real.
"I know," Beck forced out. "And that's the most disappointing part. You're good kids, but it's such a weakness. Stark was right. You do deserve them."
Beck held the glasses out to Peter, while reaching out to Andi with his other arm. Her heart lurched in her chest at the feeling in her body, and without a single thought, she kicked her leg up and out just as the sound of two gunshots echoed through the space. The pistol that'd been in Beck's right hand slid across the floor of the bridge after Andi kicked it from his grasp, while the pistol in his left clattered to the ground once Peter had taken hold of him. Gwen watched with wide eyes behind the two of them, though she let out a breath of relief knowing what was meant to happen hadn't.
"You can't trick us anymore," Peter said to Beck. He grabbed the glasses off of Beck's face and didn't hesitate to instruct EDITH to get rid of the drones.
Beck fell to the floor in a heap of pain. Andi crawled over to him, her head tilted in curiosity. He was dying and she could see it in his eyes.
"How does it feel to end up as collateral in your own twisted game?" Andi asked him.
"I don't t-think that's h-how the world will s-see it," Beck said, his tone weak.
"How could you do all this?" Peter asked.
"You'll see," Beck said. "People, they need to believe, and nowadays they'll believe anything."
Beck took his final breath, and while the loss of his life wasn't the preferred outcome for the teenagers, they were just relieved they could breathe again. It was finally over.
Andi got up carefully and made her way to Peter, whose eyes were locked on Beck's body. She could still see the fear lingering in her eyes, and she grabbed his hand in her own. Peter finally looked away from Beck and down at Andi, who was smiling up at him. He let out a breath and hugged her gently to his side. Andi wrapped an arm around Peter and looked at Gwen, holding her hand out for her to take.
"Thank you for all your help, Gwen," Andi said to her.
Gwen smiled and removed her mask, taking Andi's hand in her own. The gesture was uncommon for Andi, so Gwen was without a doubt going to take advantage of it. "Thank you for believing in me," Gwen responded. "Both of you."
"It's what friends are for, right?" Peter responded.
"Why don't we find our way out of here?" Andi suggested, gesturing the two forward.
Peter was still limping, so Andi assisted him. She held on tightly to him and used her webbing to lower them to the bridge below. Gwen landed beside them, and the three began making their way across the bridge. The sight of MJ, however, stopped the three of them, Gwen especially. She ran as quickly as she could towards the trio, her stopping point being Gwen's arms. Gwen was surprised by the gesture, but smiled and hugged her back.
"Are you okay?" MJ asked Gwen.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Gwen assured her. "Is everybody else okay? I'm so sorry I left."
"Everybody's fine," MJ told her.
"Yeah, we're fine too!" Andi called to MJ. "Everything's fine over here."
MJ pulled away from Gwen to look at Andi and Peter, and she smiled before running over to give them a hug. "I'm so glad you idiots are okay," she said to them.
"What happened?" Peter asked her.
"There was just the drones, and they were following us, and then they just stopped." MJ pulled away from them. "Was that you guys?"
"It was Peter, more or less," Andi told her.
"Did you get Beck?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well..." MJ turned her attention back to Gwen. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small gift box. It looked as if it'd been through hell and back, but Gwen still recognized it immediately. "Um, you dropped this when you ran away from me."
Gwen quickly walked over to her in an attempt to grab the gift box, but MJ opened it before she could. She pulled out a broken necklace and held it up, as well as a small slip of paper that'd been in the box.
"I'm just gonna assume it was meant for me," MJ mused with a soft smile on her face.
"MJ, I—" Gwen cut herself off and studied the broken piece of jewelry with a frown on her face. "Peter and I have been working on this plan for weeks now, and I was gonna tell you everything about it. I was gonna take you to that restaurant you wanted to go to in Paris and give this to you at the Eiffel Tower—"
MJ cut Gwen off with a quick kiss to the lips, surprising not just her, but Andi and Peter as well. Andi covered her mouth to hide the smile pulling at the edge of her lips, her hold on Peter never faltering. She'd been jealous of Gwen and Peter for weeks now, only to learn the entire time Peter was simply helping Gwen find a way to tell MJ how she truly felt.
"I really, really like it," MJ told Gwen. "And I really, really like you."
"I really, really like you, too," Gwen responded with a smile on her face.
MJ looked down at the broken necklace again. "It's a black dahlia."
"Like the murder," Gwen told her.
"I gave her the idea!" Peter exclaimed.
Gwen rolled her eyes at Peter. "Just like I gave you the idea for that charm bracelet for Andi!"
Andi raised a brow and looked at Peter, who had not at all been expecting those words to come out of Gwen's mouth. "What charm bracelet?"
"Uh—"
"Wait!" Andi's eyes widened in realization. "The plan Gwen was talking about—it wasn't just her plan for MJ, was it? That's why you wanted me to go on the trip so badly!"
Peter nodded his head. "You're all I've been able to think about for months, and I just wanted to find a way to get you back, so Gwen helped me, and, um, yeah..."
Andi couldn't help the grin on her face as she looked into Peter's eyes. Despite the emotional turmoil she'd been through over the last few months, she found her comfort and her safe haven in Peter. She could remember waking up for school and feeling so unmotivated to get through her day, but it was knowing she'd be able to see him and talk to him that made her days bearable. When she was with him, she felt at peace. When she was with him, nothing else mattered but the feeling that came simply from being by his side. She didn't regret breaking up with him, as she knew she needed that time to herself to focus on finding a way to handle her emotions. But with each day she was met with that comfort, she found it easier and easier to make it through. Her battle hadn't yet been won, but Andi was certain that with a bit of time and patience she'd find her victory. It didn't hurt knowing she'd have Peter by her side when she got it either.
"I already told you I'm never letting you go again," Andi said to Peter. She pressed her lips to his before he could respond and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I love you, Peter Parker."
Peter smiled and pressed another kiss to her lips. "I love you, Andi."
"Hey, guys, uh, maybe wrap it up!" MJ called to her friends. "I'm glad you guys are back together or whatever, but we can't just stand on a debris-ridden bridge the rest of the day."
Andi chuckled and rolled her eyes at MJ, turning to see her pulling Gwen away by the hand. "We'll catch up with you guys," she replied and turned her attention back to Peter.
"Some day, huh?" Peter chuckled.
Andi nodded her head. "I'm just glad it's over with."
"I feel like we say that a lot."
"Yeah, well it comes with the territory," Andi told him. "Now, let's go find Happy and Aurora and get the hell back home."
"Sure thing, Andrews."
With one last kiss, the two of them were off to locate Happy and Aurora. The day had finally come to an end, and while Andi and Peter—as well as Gwen—were happy for the chance to get back to their regularly scheduled lives, they were oblivious to the fact that it was merely the beginning.
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