I Need a Hero

Disclaimer: Do I look like Stan Lee?

Chapter 8

5:30 A.M.

My alarm went off. Since I had a rough night and was lying sideways on the bed, I used my foot to shut it up and accidently destroyed it. Stupid strong foot.

I stumbled to the bathroom and began to get rid of my terrible morning breath. Then it hit me.

I was going jogging with a freaking superhero. That I was possibly in love with.

What were the odds?

I smiled and finished brushing my teeth. I washed up and got changed into a tank top, sweatshirt, Nikes, and spandex running pants. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail, and then wrapped it into a bun on top of my head.

I grabbed a small bag, the handle small enough to fit on my wrist, and folded underclothes, a pair of leggings, a long sleeved tunic, and another pair of sneakers in it. I retrieved an enclosed bag from my luggage and quickly packed it into the bag. By then, it was about 6 so I jogged downstairs. On the second flight, I glanced around to make sure no one was looking. I climbed on the banister and dropped two floors. I landed on my feet softly, without a sound.

I whistled the tune of 'Moves like Jagger' as I made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed two water bottles from the fridge and set them on the counter. When I closed the fridge, Peter was behind the fridge.

Even though my heart was racing (because of the proximity between us, not the shock), I maintained my posture. "Hey," I grinned and tossed a water bottle at him, which he, of course, caught confidently. "Ready?" I glanced at his attire; jogging pants, a vintage band t-shirt, and Nikes. I blushed.

"Sure. Where are we going?" He asked as I grabbed the key to the cabin and closed and locked the door.

"On our trail," I answered, pointing towards the woods and the gravel covered trail. A sign warned that it was a private trail.

"You have your own trail?" He asked, gob smacked.

"Well, when you have a mother that cooks like a world class chef, you have to run some of the weight off in peace somewhere," I grinned. "It's 52 miles and sometimes I run the entire length."

He murmured something that I didn't catch, but I didn't question it. "You ready?" I smiled and began to run.

Like the last time I ran, everything became a blur and I was traveling at the speed of a cheetah. Once, I tripped, but somehow did a front handspring and continued speeding.

I was sure I was at least at the 22 mile mark when something shot forward and snatched at my waist. I was propelled backwards and fell into strong arms. I was twisted around.

Peter stared into my eyes. "How did you do that?"

"What?" I breathed.

"You were running so fast, I had to swing on the trees to keep up with you," He explained. "Zoe, that's not normal. What's going on?"

I slipped the little bag off of my wrist and tossed it to him. "Hold this and please…try not to freak out."

He nodded sharply.

I took a deep breath and tried to force myself to change into the alter ego. I thought about how the Lizard wanted my mother and wanted hers and my blood to spill. My claws emerged painfully as I dropped to the ground. My clothes began to rip as my fangs cut into my bottom lip. I snarled as my mane grew and the last of my humanity disappeared when my eyes glowed golden. I turned around and snarled at Peter.

His eyes were wide and unblinking. He looked as if he was frozen. Something rumbled inside of me. Something that wasn't me unsheathed its fangs and began to leap for human blood. I realized it was the cold, animal hunter inside of me. I paused and began to pace, my inhuman paws slapping the gravel pavement.

"Zoe, what happened?" He asked.

I pointed to the bag in his hands. He got the clue and tossed it to me. I cut through it with a swipe of a claw and pulled out the enclosed bag. I nudged it with my nose towards Peter. I grabbed the bag of clothes and disappeared behind a tree. I focused on the last shard of humanity inside of me and forced it to appear. Then I was back to my usual self. I glanced around the tree as I began to get dressed.

He retrieved the bag and opened it. Peter pulled out the bottle from the secret lab and the folder I retrieved from the desk before I left home. His eyes widened when he saw something on the cover of the folder.

"This….Zoe, this is the same formula that was injected into the spider that bit me….and it's dated back to 2000."

That was around the time my father disappeared; I was six. I appeared from behind the tree, fully clothed. "My father disappeared when I was six and was killed in a plane crash."

But it was what Peter next said that quickened my heart rate. "So did my dad and mom."

"My mom said she knew May for a long time…maybe before 2000?" I figured.

"There was a secret operation involving my father, Richard Parker. Maybe your dad was involved?"

"So that's what 'RP' meant. But why didn't my mom disappear along with my dad? She was surely involved; she probably built the secret lab in the library," I questioned.

"What secret lab?"

"I'll show you when we get back. But why didn't my mom disappear?" I asked, studying the folder.

"Was your mom involved in OSCORP operations?" Peter asked.

"No; she just became director last year. She was just working as biotic scientist with Reed Richards and Ben Grimm when my father was—" My eyes widened. That's why! "My father! He was the director of OSCORP in 2000. When he was killed, Dr. Curt took over. Then my mom took over from him when he went to jail. Curtis probably didn't know my mom was involved, but now knows due to her position at OSCORP."

"My father worked at OSCORP, alongside Dr. Curt and possibly your father. This is a part of something bigger than just a secret operation, but it was for." Peter figured.

"Maybe some company OSCORP was involved in….or?" The thought faded as I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Or someone very pivotal to OSCORP," Peter chuckled.

"Norman Osborn?" I asked.

"I don't know. It seems kind of farfetched."

"No, wasn't Norman Osborn diagnosed with some kind of disease? And now, he's suddenly cured." I thought. I remembered something from a few weeks ago.

Flashback:

"Sir, I don't have it." She replied into the phone in her thick African accent. Her thick dark hair flowed down her back like mine. Her cocoa skin matched her hair perfectly. "Sir, I'll try my best."

I heard someone scream through the phone, "Panama Anderson!"

"Sir, my daughter's here," She calmly said through the phone. A second later, she was off the phone.

Maybe that was Osborn on the phone, requesting something. "Did Curt have anything to do with Osborn?" I asked.

"Yeah, he was brought to OSCORP to basically cure Osborn and himself." Peter answered, still studying the folder.

"Maybe when Curt gave Osborn what he thought was the right antidote, Osborn had some serious side effects and requested my mom find a cure to whatever happened," I thought.

Peter stopped reading the folder. "That makes sense. You're really smart, Zoe."

I chuckled. "No, I'm just logical." I glanced at the time. 8 A.M. "We should probably get back," I sighed, gathering the materials into the bag. I attached it to my wrist and prepared to run.

Peter cleared his throat. "Would you rather run back or take the fun way back?" Something sliced through the air from his wrist and caught onto a tree branch. It was a web.

I grinned as I stepped towards him and nodded. He grabbed at my waist as we both blushed madly. He took a leap and we were off, racing towards…home.