Possibility of Tomorrow - 21

Cont...

 It was two weeks before something happened. And it happened fast. 

One minute they were in math class, and the next, an alarm was blaring, and the principal was telling them it wasn't a drill. Peter could feel his spidey sense growing stronger.

 He snuck a look at Darling, who ever-so-slightly shook her head. Every fiber of his being wanted to do something, but he had to trust her. 

The class was frozen until they heard the tell-tale sound of shots fired—a whole clip in five seconds, semi-automatic. The class panicked, falling into a meltdown. 

The teacher was saying something, as was Ned, but all Peter could hear was the two sets of footsteps coming closer. The door slammed open, and two masked men barged in. The room froze again. 

"You!" The man with the machine gun pointed at the teacher, "Log into the database." 

"The rest of you line up by the windows and close the blinds." The man with a handgun ordered. The class didn't move. "Now!" 

The teens scrambled to obey. There was crying and hysteria as some of the kids quaked in fear and shock. 

"What's going on?" Ned whispered, scared.

 Peter looked over at his best friend and then MJ, who also looked scared, "Stay down." 

"Peter!" Ned hissed, his eyes going wide. Peter knew what he was thinking. There wasn't a question though, his secret wasn't worth anyone's life. 

He looked over at the math teacher struggling to work the computer through her tears and shaking to open the computer. Once they had the log opened, they would know it was him. He looked over at Darling; what was the plan?

 Darling gestured from herself to the man closest to her and then to the man closest to Peter and then to him. Peter nodded and summoned his web-shooters on his wrists. 

"Peter!" Ned hissed. 

Peter looked back over at him and MJ, who were both wide-eyed, "Stay down."

 When he looked back, Darling began counting them down. Three, two, one. 

Moving in long strides, Peter stepped onto a chair and then the desk next to it before striding over two desks, so he was directly behind the guy with the machine gun. He stuck his hands to the ceiling and swung, kicking the man square in the back. 

The man went down, and Peter landed back on the desk. With a flick of his wrist, the machine gun was in his hand. He waited a moment before deciding the man was out cold. 

He turned around in time to see the other guy crumple to the as Darling turned to face his handgun in one hand blood and her face. 

"You got something on your face." Peter motioned to the blood, hopping down from the desk. 

Darling used her sleeve to wipe it off, "Figures. I broke his nose." 

Peter nodded, "You check 'em, I'll web 'em?" 

Darling nodded, releasing the magazine from the gun. She pulled out the bullet in the chamber and the firing pin before going back to patting down her guy. 

Peter knelt and restrained his guy. Yanking off the cliche knit mask, he froze, "We have a problem." 

"What?" Darling came over. 

Peter pointed at the circular tattoo on the man's neck, "That." It was a skull surrounded by tentacles in a circle—the Hydra symbol. Peter looked up at Darling wide-eyed, "They're not here for me. They're here for you."

 Darling pursed her lips and tilted the man's face so she could see, "Or you." 

Peter blinked and then thought of his blood, unique and changed from anything else before it. A possibility that was untapped, "Maybe." 

Darling frowned and went back to her guy, pulling off his mask. She frowned harder at his face. He had the same tattoo on his neck. She proceeded to lick two fingers and rub them in the tattooed area. "Or maybe they're not here for either of us at all." She held up her dark smeared fingers for Peter to see. 

Peter looked between the two guys, "Mercenaries?" 

"Or a setup." Darling placed the extra magazines and knives she'd found on her guy down on the table with the dismantled handgun. 

 "Peter, what's going on?" Ned finally asked. And that's when it seemed to click for both of them that they weren't in some back alley as their alter egos but as themselves in school. 

"We're getting out of here. Everyone get your things." Peter made a plan quickly, "Ned, get into the security cameras and hook it up to your laptop." Peter grabbed his backpack and pulled on his mask, "Karen, alert Mr. Stark. Start scanning for people in the school." No answer. "Karen?" Peter frowned. What was up? 

"They have cell jammers up. The only thing that's going to work is a closed-circuit system." Darling came back over. 

"How do you know that?" MJ asked. 

"They didn't demand our cell phones, they have radios and no earwigs, and the computer is still working," Darling explained, taking the machine gun apart.

 "Is everyone here?" Peter asked as everyone had their stuff. 

"Let's make sure." The teacher did attendance quickly. 

Peter ignored it and began formatting a plan to get the students out. That was when he realized, "Mr. Stark's not coming."

 "What?" Cindy asked when she heard what he said. 

"Mr. Stark's not coming. He's in Spain right now." Peter looked over at Darling, who was working with the weapons they had, "It'll take three hours to get here. You?"

 "A day at least. Besides, they don't even know anything's wrong. We're on our own." Darling chambered a round before shoving it into her thigh holster she had dug out of her bag. Peter didn't have time to process that thought before the door opened. Darling had drawn on the newcomer before anyone had a chance to react. 

"Don't shoot!" Flash shrieked, throwing his hands in the air. 

Darling lowered her gun, "Close the door. Is that everyone?" 

"Yes." The teacher nodded. 

"Make sure you have your things and open the blinds on that window," Darling ordered, nodding the window in front of her. The light filled the room once the shades were open. "Ready?" Darling looked at Peter. 

She was going to shoot out the window. Once she did that, the clock would start ticking once shots were fired. Peter checked his web-shooters before nodding, "Yep." 

"Ready for what?" Flash blurted. 

Darling turned and fired three times, shattering the window. Flash screamed. Most of the students did, "Make a ladder to the ground. I'll watch the door." 

Peter did as he was told as MJ took the lead and began to lay jackets down on the window so the glass wouldn't cut. 

"Everyone make an orderly line and go down quickly. Once you have cell service, call 911. The more calls, the better." Darling ordered. 

Peter made the ladder quickly, and the classroom was soon empty. 

"Ned, you need to go." Peter could hear footsteps coming.

 "I almost have the cell jammers off!" Ned insisted. 

The radio crackled to life, speaking in a different language sounding demanding. Darling grabbed it and began talking back. She slid the last knife up her sleeve and set the radio back down, "Russian." 

"That's way too convenient." Peter nodded to the two guys out cold behind the teacher's desk. 

"Welcome to my life." Darling snorted, "Ned, let's go."

"Okay! I got it!" Ned unplugged his laptop and went over to the window. He vanished out the window as the radio crackled to life again. 

"They're coming to check the room." Darling translated. 

Peter yanked on his mask, "Karen?" 

"Yes, Peter?" His AI responded calmly. 

"Alert the authorities that there is a hostage situation at Midtown. Alert Mr. Stark also and any other heroes in the area." Peter ordered as he yanked the two unconscious men out of sight of the door.

 "You got it, Peter." Karen began working in it.

 Darling shoved the machine gun and the few items she wasn't taking under the teacher's desk before pulling her scythe from her backpack. She took the closest door, and Peter took the farther one. She was better at close combat anyway.

 "Karen? Can you scan the building for how many students and gunmen there are?" Peter hissed as they got closer. 

Darling tied a bandana over the lower part of her face and popped up her hood to accentuate her alter ego. Instead of putting together her scythe, she stuffed the curved blade into her bag and held the two bars that screwed together to make her staff in each hand.

The footsteps were so loud and close now. Peter could feel his body pumping adrenaline so fast he felt like he was shaking. He knew he wasn't. Still, it felt like it. 

The door in front of Darling eased open. The muzzle of a gun came through first and then the guy's head. Darling threw her body into the door, slamming it closed on his shoulders. 

He helped in surprise at the attack. 

Darling brought one baton down on his gun, knocking it down, and then used her other baton to knock it away, sending it sliding across the room. Bring her fist back, she rammed the butt of her baton into his face, his nose to be precise, if the blood that exploded everywhere had anything to do with it. 

He stumbled back far enough for her to slam the door shut, sandwiching his head between the door and doorframe. He was out like a light. 

Both Peter and Darling stood there, breathing softly, listening. No one else was coming.

 "We need to evacuate the school." Peter grabbed the guy and pulled him over to his other buddies.

 "How many gunmen are there?" Darling asked, taking apart the machine gun the newest guy had brought. 

"Karen isn't sure. She's isolated ten so far, but there may be more." Peter webbed up the new guy running through the info Karen was sending through his mask. No one was dead. How he wasn't sure. 

"Alright," Darling slid one of her batons into her belt, "Let's evacuate this hall first. You might want to get dressed." She turned her back to him as she began searching their newest victim.

Peter hesitated a moment before changing into his Spider-Man suit while her back was graciously turned and shoved his clothes into his backpack, "Ready." 

Darling turned around and set an assortment of knives and magazines on one of the desks, "Give me a sec." All she had to do was change her hoodie out for her hooded poncho and hook her veil over the lower part of her face. She slid her scythe parts into the sewn-in pockets of her poncho, and she was ready to go. It was less than her normal getup that included makeup and extra layers, but it gave off the right vibe. "Let's go." Darling went out the door first, gun at the ready, clearing the hall. 

Peter followed and flung open the first classroom door. "Spider-Man?" One of the kids gasp. 

"Let's go, everyone out. Down the hall to Math, the window is open. Use the ladder. Hurry." Peter got right down to business, ushering the scared students out. Darling was doing the same to the adjacent class. Soon the hall was empty as Peter helped the last student out the window. 

"That's all of them in this hall." Peter said, checking his building scans, "The other halls have been evacuated, but they're congregating in the lunchroom." 

"Do they have hostages?" Darling asks all business as they walk down the hall.

 "Not sure, probably," Peter answers honestly. 

Darling nods thoughtfully, "Hostages are the top priority. No civilians get hurt. They'll be coming looking since they haven't heard from their guys." 

"How do you want to do this?" Peter asked.

 Darling smiled, "One by one."

This was a bad idea. Then in the circumstances, all ideas were bad ones. 

They had taken out two more gunmen when the intercom had finally come on, "To whoever is trying to play hero, it won't work." 

Peter looked at Darling as the gruff voice spoke. This had better work. 

"You have five minutes to come to the lunchroom and turn yourself in, or I kill a hostage." 

So they definitely had hostages. Peter took off down the hall to the lunchroom a burst in, "I'm here!" 

"Spider-Man?" One of the gunmen sputtered.

 "I heard the police scanners, taking a school hostage isn't the way to go." 

"You don't know us. Now stay where you are, or I blow her head off." The leader pointed a gun at the lunch lady, who was full-on sobbing.

 "Okay! Yeesh, don't need a gun, man; someone could get hurt." Peter put up his hands so the man could see them. 

"Shut up. I'll do what I think needs to be done." The leader snapped, shoving the lunch lady away but not lowering his weapon.

 "So what was the bright idea about shooting up a school anyway? I mean, it's not like you can get much out of it or anything?" Peter slid into his confident persona easily.

 "Would you shut up? Goodness, you're as bad as they say." The masked leader rubbed his forehead, "What I do is none of your business. Now take off your mask and sit down with the others before I lose my patience." 

"You first." Peter retorted.

 "Take your mask off or so help me; I'll do it for you!" The leader roared, pointing his gun at Peter. 

"You try and take my mask off. I'll kill you." Peter snarled back. 

The leader seemed taken aback before shaking it off, "No, you wouldn't. Spider-Man doesn't kill people."

Peter grinned under his mask, "Your right, I wouldn't." the whole room seemed to deflate at his words. Like they had lost their only out. Peter grinned harder, "But she might." 

Darling came falling out of the air vent above them like a whirlwind of fury and blades. Watching her fight with cunning perfection showed him why they called her the Reaper. Of the eight left, she took two out before they knew what hit them and two more after a swift fight. Peter webbed up three more before they could react. Darling and the leader tussled before he threw her off his and pointed his gun at her. Click. Click. The leader pulled back the gun and began looking over it for some kind of mistake.

 "Looking for this?" Darling held out the firing pin. The leader cursed. 

Peter yanked open the doors, and everyone fled. Now it was just the three of them. 

Darling slid the firing pin into her pocket, "Albanian? What is this? A turf war? In a school?" 

The leader seemed to realize he was dealing with someone out of his league as he tugged his mask off, "No. We got hired to break in, cause a scene. Break into the database. That's it."

 "And then what?" Darling asked, stowing her scythe behind her. 

"Then they would contact us with a name we would need to plug into the system." The leader explained. 

"And then?" Peter asked, coming over. 

"I don't know! The plan never got that far." The leader shook his head, "All we were supposed to do was get access to the school system!"

 "I don't believe you." Darling said, voice getting dangerously low, "Who hired you?" 

The man's eyes got huge, "I don't know! It was the Dark Web! We just got approached for a job that paid well!"

 "How well?" Darling demanded.

 "Six figures well! Look, I don't know who they were, but they paid well and were really weird about it." The man insisted. 

"Wired how?" Peter asked.

 "They sent us these creepy-looking octopus tattoos and told us to wear them on our necks, or we wouldn't get paid. Insisted that we speak Russian over the radio. It was freaky!" The man explained. 

Darling let out a sigh, "Web him up. Let's get out of here." 

"What about the intel?" Peter hissed. 

"The intel was wrong. This was a setup. A fake-out." Darling waved her hand. 

"Is that normal?" Peter asked as he webbed up the leader.

 "You'd be surprised. There aren't just fans for music or actors but insane Nazi groups too." Darling sat on the lunch table.

"That's gross," Peter said, finishing up.

 "Tell me about it. Web these down too." Darling put down all the weapons she'd snagged alone the way. 

"What a day." Peter sighed, webbing them down to the table.

 "Yeah, what a day." Darling sighed.

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