[Third Person Pov]
Everyone was inside the base, bustling with energy as they moved around the car parked and prepped for the long-awaited trip. Laughter and chatter echoed against the metal walls. Bags, coolers, and beach accessories of all shapes and colors were being stacked and organized with varying degrees of success.
Aria strutted across the garage proudly, an inflatable donut floaty around her waist. She wore oversized purple sunglasses that nearly covered half her face and a floppy straw hat tilted at a dramatic angle. "I'm ready…" she declared in an overly serious tone.
Gwen walked over, chuckling softly. She had opted for something far more modest — a light sweater and a short skirt — and shook her head at Aria's full summer getup. "Aria, honey," she said with affectionate amusement, "love the enthusiasm, but we're not even at the beach yet. And if that thing's going in the car, it's going to need to be deflated first."
"Boo…" Aria groaned, her shoulders slumping as she pouted dramatically.
Gwen laughed again and reached forward, carefully slipping the inflatable donut over Aria's head. "Tell you what — you can keep the hat and the glasses as a compromise. Just… maybe lose the donut until we actually see sand."
Peter strolled by during the exchange, wearing nothing but an open hoodie, a backward baseball cap, and a pair of swim shorts. The casual breeze of someone who'd clearly decided that "beach mode" started the second he got dressed. Everyone else was dressed in equally relaxed summer clothes — tank tops, shorts, sundresses, sandals — the full pre-vacation ensemble.
"Dibs on driving!" Aria suddenly shouted, raising a hand high into the air just as Peter and Harry finished closing the car's trunk. Everyone froze mid-action and turned to stare at her.
Aria blinked, looking around at all the unimpressed stares. "What? I'm obviously kidding! Jeez, tough crowd." She rolled her eyes.
"I'll drive," Harry volunteered with a small grin, raising a brow in amusement.
"As long as I get to be your passenger princess," Peter teased, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically as he tossed the keys. Harry caught them with one hand, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Alright, everyone ready to go?!" Harry shouted over the ambient noise.
A chorus of confirmations rang out. Gwen scooped up Aria, who still refused to let go of her sunhat, and the group began piling into the car. Doors opened with a series of clunks before slamming shut, echoing across the garage.
The engine roared to life, rumbling beneath them as the lights of the base flickered off the hood. Harry glanced back toward the others seated behind him. "Everyone got everything they needed? No one needs to use the bathroom before we leave?"
"No Dad, we're good," Felicia said, rolling her eyes with a smirk.
Peter turned in his seat, adding in a mock-serious tone, "Be respectful, young lady, or we will turn this car around."
MJ laughed softly, resting an elbow on the window. "We haven't even left the base yet," she pointed out, "and besides, if we really forgot something, we could always just… teleport it over."
"True," Peter admitted with a shrug, "but still — I had to do the responsible adult line at least once."
"Alright then," Harry said with a grin, tightening his grip on the wheel. "Everyone's ready? Let's get this trip started!"
Without warning, the tires screeched, and the car shot forward. The sudden burst of speed made everyone jolt in their seats, glaring at Harry as the sound of laughter filled the air. They sped through the underground subway tunnels, headlights illuminating the dim concrete ahead. Thanks to the vehicle's suspension, the ride wasn't nearly as rough as it should've been bouncing along old train tracks.
Moments later, the car phased through a wall, emerging onto the city streets as sunlight burst through the windshield. The transition from underground steel to open New York chaos was smooth — almost cinematic — as they merged into morning traffic with practiced ease.
"Now then," Peter said, leaning back in his seat and stretching, "should I put on some music to liven things up?"
"Ooh! Me! Me! Let me pick the song!" Felicia said, already digging into her pocket for her phone.
Everyone exchanged wary glances as she connected to the car's system. A moment later, the speakers blared to life with 'I Was Made for Lovin' You' by Kiss.
Felicia smirked, tossing her hair. "What? I love the band, and it's a good song. Bite me."
Peter blinked, half surprised, half impressed. "Huh… never pegged you for a Kiss fan. I learn something new about you every day."
Felicia winked. "Oh, there's plenty you don't know about me, Tiger."
Peter chuckled, shaking his head as the music blasted louder and the car sped down the street. Windows rolled down, wind rushing through their hair, the group sang along passionately to every chorus and verse. Harry drummed his hand against the car door in rhythm with the beat, the sunlight reflecting off his shades as they cruised toward their destination.
Peter suddenly leaned forward from the passenger seat and twisted the volume knob, turning the music down to a near whisper as they were driving through a highway.
Instantly, protests filled the car.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Lizzy exclaimed, leaning between the front seats with a frown.
"Yeah, it was just getting good!" Gwen added, crossing her arms, clearly displeased.
The only one who didn't complain was Harry, who simply sighed and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel.
"Sorry, ladies," Peter said, his tone shifting from playful to serious as he nodded toward the road ahead. "But duty calls…"
The group followed his gaze. Up ahead, rumbling in the middle lane, was a large prison transport bus. The Department of Corrections insignia on the side made it immediately clear what it was. Through the windshield, figures could be seen moving chaotically.
Before anyone could comment, a faint glow appeared between Aria's brows — her gem pulsing like a heartbeat. Her eyes glazed momentarily as she focused. "The bus driver's dead," she announced grimly. "The inmates hijacked the vehicle and are trying to make a run for it."
A heavy silence fell over the car for a moment.
Felicia whistled lowly. "Well, that's one way to kick off a relaxing beach day," she muttered, shaking her head.
Her lips curled into a smirk as she glanced around the car. "So," she drawled, "who's going to take this one?"
"Oooh, me! Me!" Aria shouted, bouncing in her seat. "I just made my debut — let me have at it!"
Everyone exchanged a quick look before shrugging in unison.
"Hit them where it hurts, baby girl," Peter said, giving her a grin.
"Yes, sir!" Aria saluted with mock seriousness, determination glowing in her eyes.
"Alright everyone — tinted windows," Peter ordered.
In a synchronized move, they all rolled up their darkened windows until the interior of the car dimmed.
Once sealed from outside view, a shimmer of light engulfed Aria. Her casual clothes dissolved like mist, replaced by her hero outfit — sleek, black and purple, accented with glowing lines that pulsed faintly with energy. Her hair shifted, her stature changed — she looked taller, older, more confident.
"Be back in a bit!" she chirped.
Before anyone could respond, she began to phase — her body sinking straight through Gwen's lap and the floor of the car, disappearing completely.
Beneath the street, Aria zipped through the underground like a phantom, she passed through layers of asphalt and concrete until she was directly beneath the moving prison bus. She phased upward through the metal floor, emerging inside the chaos.
The interior reeked of sweat and diesel. The prisoners were yelling, celebrating, and cheering. One man's lifeless body now slumped against the window, seated by himself.
"Man, my heart's racing!" one prisoner laughed wildly as he stood in front next to the driver. "They won't even know we're gone until we're halfway to Jersey!"
"I know—" the man began, but froze mid-sentence when he caught sight of movement in the rearview mirror. A hand was raised, accompanied by a cheerful voice.
"Excuse me," Aria said, smiling sweetly. "I was supposed to get off at the last stop."
Every head in the bus turned toward her.
She sat casually in one of the seats, legs crossed, looking completely out of place — a teenager in bright hero attire surrounded by hardened criminals.
"Wha—who—how did you—" the man at the front stammered, words falling apart in disbelief.
"I hope you don't mind," Aria continued breezily, "but I kind of forgot my bus pass."
A tense pause. Then the bus erupted into chaos.
Back in Peter's car, everyone saw the transport start to swerve erratically across lanes, rocking from side to side. Shouts and crashes echoed from within as shadows tumbled behind the windows.
Inside, Aria was already in motion — phasing through punches and lunges as if she were made of smoke. A prisoner swung a metal chain straight through her chest, his eyes widening as it passed harmlessly through her.
"Oh, that's not going to work," she teased before delivering a glowing kick to his jaw.
She phased again, materializing behind another man and flipping him over a seat. A web shot forward from her palm — fwip! — pinning a third man to the wall.
Outside, Peter and the others winced as the bus jerked sharply. A body slammed against a window before being pulled back in, followed by a loud metallic crash.
"Yup," Felicia said, watching with mild amusement. "That's definitely our girl."
Moments later, Aria burst through the side-window, hovering in midair while holding one of the thugs by his shirt through the glass. She smirked before pulling him and slamming his face against the glass — Crash! — and kicked him back inside.
The fight ended as quickly as it began. Inside the bus, every prisoner was either unconscious or webbed in place, including the one who'd been driving. Aria phased back through the windshield in front and gripped the massive engine block, wrenching it out with supernatural strength. The bus sputtered and came to a grinding halt, smoke billowing from beneath the hood.
Harry reacted instantly, swerving to avoid the now-dead vehicle. Tires screeched as he narrowly missed clipping the side of it.
Floating ahead of them, Aria held the engine over her head with a proud grin. "Looks like the wheels on this bus won't be going round and round no more," she said cheekily. "But don't worry — there's one last stop, and it's a special place called prison."
With the situation handled, she contacted the authorities through her comms. Satisfied that the captured criminals wouldn't be going anywhere, she tossed the engine inside and dusted her hands clean.
Then, with a playful two-finger salute, Aria phased downward, vanishing beneath the pavement.
Seconds later, she rose right back through the car floor, reappearing in Gwen's lap like she'd never left. Her form shimmered, and she returned to her childlike self — hair tousled, hat slightly crooked, a triumphant grin on her face.
Everyone immediately burst into applause and cheers. Gwen hugged her affectionately, Felicia ruffled her hair, and even Harry gave a proud nod from the driver's seat.
Aria giggled, puffing out her chest as she smugly adjusted her hat and slid her purple sunglasses back on.
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