Another SNip to 46 (Patreon)

(Avengers Mansion)

Spider-Man sits patiently at the head of the table, waiting for the last of his team to arrive, which was Carol and Wanda, surprisingly. Surprising because Wanda lives at the mansion and is still not well received anywhere else, so where else would she be? And Carol is only ever late when it’s Avengers business. But he hasn’t seen anything on the news, and Thor is here on time, so it’s the same question for her.

He takes a look around the room, noting Rogue sitting beside Alex, talking about something. He could hear a few words, but nothing that warrants him to try and tune in on. He won't purposely listen unless he needs to.

He looks over to see Logan, Thor, Ben, and Hope all on the other side of the table. Well, the three men are talking, with Hope just listening to them.

The door opens and Carol strides in, her flight suit still showing the signs of recent use. Wanda follows, looking tired but composed. Both women take their seats without explanation for their lateness.

"Sorry I'm late," Carol says, striding into the conference room with Wanda close behind. "Had to help Wanda with something."

Peter nods, making a mental note to ask her about it later. He clears his throat, gathering the attention of the room.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. I know it's early, but we've got a situation." He taps on the keypad of the holo-table, and the raft is displayed. "Three hours ago, there was a breakout at the Raft."

en's rocky brow furrows. "Again? Didn't they just upgrade security after the last one?"

"That's what makes this worrying," Peter continues, standing to pace behind his chair. "Twenty-seven inmates escaped. Mostly guys I regularly tangle with.”

He shows them all the mugshots of all the escapees. Shocker, Vulture, Hydro Man, and so on. Then the likes of Titania and Absorbing Man show up.

Rogue leans back in her chair, arms crossed, that white streak in her hair catching the light as she tilts her head. "Hold on, Sugah. Not that I ain't interested, but why do we need to know about your rogues' gallery bustin' out? Ain't that more your problem than ours? Last I checked, this team was formed to handle bigger fish than bank robbers."

He can hear the genuine curiosity in her voice, not the old edge of resentment she used to carry when she said his name. That's new. That's good. He'll take it.

Of course, someone else does not hear what he hears. Captain Marvel glares at the southern girl and leans forward on the table. “What?

Rogue glares back, but not as harshly. “Back off, Danvers. I’m just saying, ain’t this team supposed to be focusing on global threats, like Red Skull.”

The former pilot makes to stand. “Carol.” But a simple command from Spider-Man makes her stop and sit down. Though she does keep a harsh look pointed at the now smug Rogue. Spider-Man turns to the mutant woman and adresses her. “You’re right. Normally, I would deal with this on my own, cause you guys expect me to handle it or don’t think this sort of thing is worth your attention.” A cheap shot that makes Rogue shrink a little, but he enjoys it. “But the breakout isn’t the only issue I have. It’s who was behind it.”

Mysterio, Rhino, and Kraven. These guys are the ones who caused the breakout. Which is weird. This sort of thing is not their style. Mysterio and Rhino wanna make cash, and Kraven is obsessed with hunting me and mounting my head on his wall. Them not only breaking people out of the Raft is weird, but also bringin them on to a submarine. All of that, and bringing this guy.

Who’s that?

Charles Weiderman. The news called him the molten man. There was an accident that ended with him being coated from head to toe in Vibranium. Only instead of being a puddle, the metal fused into his skin. Giving him strength and durability. I stopped him, but he ended up trapped in his own skin.

That’s what makes this even weirder. Nobody who escaped and went with them has the know-how to fix Charles.

You mentioned that those two care about money. They could try to sell him.

That was a thought, but there aren’t that many who deal in vibranium. Much less Vibranium that has already been refined and infused into someone’s skin.