Chapter 26: A Web of Misunderstanding
"Miss Watson," Talon said, his voice firm and logical, "you were the one who asked to go to space. You were the one who wanted to leave a mark on the moon. I merely provided the means. The romance was your creation, not mine."
"But you made it possible!" Mary insisted, her infatuation blinding her to his reasoning. "You helped me achieve it!"
"I helped you because you are Peter's girlfriend," Talon stated plainly, hoping to anchor her back to reality.
"I don't care! I'm in love with you!" she cried, her emotions overwhelming her as she threw herself at him.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Talon brought his hands up to block her lunge, but his placement was awkward, his palms landing squarely on her chest.
"I want you to accept me!" she pleaded, her eyes desperate.
Meanwhile, Peter, worried about Mary, had stayed in her room. A faint sound from above—the familiar hum of the aircraft—jolted him awake. "They're back," he whispered, a mix of relief and anxiety washing over him. He scrambled out the window and scaled the wall to the roof, his heart lifting at the thought of seeing Mary safe.
The sight that greeted him shattered that feeling instantly.
Talon had his hands on Mary, and she was declaring her love for him.
Peter's heart felt like it was tearing in two. The premonition he'd felt earlier was nothing compared to the crushing reality.
Talon's enhanced hearing picked up the stifled sob. He turned his head. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, instinctively pulling his hands away.
Freed from his block, Mary successfully launched herself at him again, clinging to him like a lifeline, her actions becoming more frantic.
The scene was too much for Peter to bear. "MARY!" he roared, his voice cracking with pain and fury. "How could you do this?"
Mary gasped and scrambled off Talon, her face draining of color. "I—I—" she stammered, utterly lost for words.
"Peter," Talon began, his expression pained, "would you believe me if I said this was entirely one-sided?"
"BELIEVE YOU?" Peter screamed, jabbing a finger at him. "I knew it! You 'helped' me save her just to play the hero! You came to her room at night claiming to look for me? Who would believe that? Then you take my girlfriend to space? You were trying to steal her from me all along! Don't you dare make excuses! With your skills, you could have easily avoided her if you wanted to! You're despicable! I will never trust you again!"
Talon sighed inwardly. The misunderstanding was now a chasm too wide to cross, especially with Peter in this state. He gave up explaining.
Turning to Mary, his tone became cold and dismissive. "Miss Watson. You are home. Get out."
Mary gripped the cockpit handle stubbornly. "No! I'm not leaving! I want to be with you!"
"Peter," Talon called out, "come and get your girlfriend."
Peter stood frozen, tears streaming down his face, unable to move.
"Get out," Talon repeated to Mary, his patience gone.
"No!"
"Then I'll make you." He reached out, his movement swift and precise, and grabbed the front of her shirt.
"Ah!" she cried out in surprise, her grip on the handle loosening instinctively.
In one fluid motion, Talon picked her up and unceremoniously tossed her toward Spider-Man. Despite his heartbreak, Peter's instincts kicked in, and he caught her before she could fall.
"Optimus Prime. Go. Now."
The aircraft's engines roared to life, and it shot into the sky, breaking the sound barrier as it vanished from sight.
Left on the roof, Mary collapsed into hysterical sobs. Peter stood over her, torn between comforting her and blaming her.
After a few minutes, Mary looked up, her tears now ones of accusation. "This is all your fault! You can't make me happy, and you won't let me find happiness with someone who can!"
"I—" Peter, never a master of words, was speechless.
She pointed a trembling finger at the moon. "Do you see that? 'MARY WAS HERE'! He did that for me! He can give me anything I want! So I fell in love with him! Is that so wrong?"
Peter's enhanced vision could just make out the gigantic letters etched into the lunar surface. The scale of the gesture was staggering. And her final question echoed in his mind. Is she wrong? Everyone had the right to pursue happiness. Hadn't he been pursuing his own, knowing she was engaged to another man?
The resentment in his heart began to dissolve, replaced by a weary understanding. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Mary... I'm sorry. I was wrong. You do have the right to be happy."
"My happiness just flew away! Where am I supposed to find him now?" she wailed.
"Harry... Harry is my friend. He can help us find Talon," Peter said, the words tasting like ash.
Mary wiped her tears, a fragile hope blooming on her face. "Really?"
"Really," Peter confirmed, his own heart breaking.
"Then... I forgive you. Let's just be good friends from now on, okay?"
"Okay," Peter whispered, the word feeling like a final goodbye. "Good friends."
Talon returned to his private island. He installed a new cold fusion reactor into the Transformer and fabricated a wrist-mounted web-shooter, a perfect replica of Spider-Man's. His business in New York, however, was not finished. He needed tritium.
While he could synthesize it himself, the process was slow. He was not a man who liked to wait. There was a faster way. He would go directly to the source, to the man who already had it: Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin. It was time to collect another debt.
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