Friday— April 15th, 2011.
DINAH ALCOTT.
2:42 PM.
Dinah had been scared, but not anymore.
If only she did not trigger, she would not have been targeted like this. It was a terrible experience. Strange people attacking her, trying to get her, and wanting to own her. She had consulted her powers again and again, and hope was bleak.
At first, she thought, she was just being paranoid. But as the feelings of ‘eyes’ watching her became stronger, she realized there was more to this. That was the first time she asked her ‘power’ if someone was targeting her.
The answer: a 100%.
There was only one reason for her to be targeted, an attempted kidnapping was almost upon her.
Kidnapping was a foreign concept to her. Though she was the mayor’s niece, her family had kept to themselves, and they had a fairly competent security detail. For a few days, she investigated with her powers. Was it for money? Was it to possess political leverage? Was it for revenge? No. None of those were the answers.
Then she asked herself. Was it for her power? The answer was a 100% yes.
This roused her into desperation. Who she should ask for help? Would she be safe if she talked to her parents, the mayor, the Protectorate, the PRT, her teacher, or just anyone? No. She would never be safe. She was forced into a dangerous position where she couldn’t ask for help from the people close to her.
It would always end up with her being kidnapped. Finally, the strange men came: they carried guns and wore tough-looking equipment.
Struggling with all she had, she pushed her powers to their limits… time and time again, she consulted her powers if running straight would save her from her pursuers. The answers varied and fluctuated. But she trusted her powers, she pushed her little legs and ran.
And then the Iron Spider came swinging at her pursuers: black armor built for nimbleness, and quick takedown of couple and dozens of mercenaries. At that exact moment, she understood he was her way out of this. Before the Iron Spider left her, she shouted, “HELP!”
“I am here,” the Iron Spider landed before her. “From what I gather, these guys are Coil’s men. Is there any reason for them to attack you?”
Coil? Was it Coil all along? She knew the villain and heard him from her classmates arguing about who was the weakest villain in Brockton Bay. She consulted with her powers, and it answered: 100% it was Coil.
“I… Coil is targeting me… I need help. I think he wants my powers.” She revealed to him with a desperate cry. “Please help me… I… I cannot go to the PRT or the Protectorate.”
The Iron Spider kneeled, and leveled his eyes to her, “It is fine,” he said while he magically retrieved his helm and revealed his face. “My name is Peter Parker, and I will help you.”
Dinah had been scared, but not anymore.
It was because she was with Peter Parker.
He had brown hair and deceptively blue eyes if viewed from a different angle. He was… handsome, and Dinah had quickly developed a crush on him. His brown eyes held kindness in them, unlike any she had seen before.
Would she be safe with Peter?
The answer: is 99.72215%.
That was an incredibly high number.
Dinah felt her Thinker headache and winced.
Taylor fussed around her, “Are you okay? Do you need water? Anything?”
Dinah took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She nodded weakly at Taylor's concern, managing a small smile. "I'm alright, just a bit tired."
Peter led them swiftly to his secret hideout hidden between the Boat Graveyard and the Trainyard. They descended into the underground complex via a warehouse. “Welcome to the Spider Lair… There is not much stuff, but there’s a sofa—”
Dinah sat on the sofa, feeling a mix of relief and uncertainty wash over her.
Peter moved around the hideout, checking various monitors and making sure they were functional. His demeanor was calm and collected. He was a reassuring presence.
Meanwhile, Taylor went to the fridge and with practiced ease, took some stuff. “We only have cereals, so better than nothing, right?”
“We?” Dinah tried to hide the inflection in her voice, but she marked ‘Taylor’ as a rival already.
For a 12-year-old, she could be very competitive.
Taylor hovered nearby as she poured milk and cereal into a bowl. She munched on them, at a brisk pace. “Got my lunch cut short, so I was hungry. Want some?”
“No,” Dinah didn’t even have breakfast yet, but she wanted to maintain a strong front.
Taylor sat beside Dinah, still munching on her cereals.
Dinah’s attention returned to Peter who was rigging a computer of sorts with the help of his armor. From what Dinah gathered from her friends, it was nano-technology. The Iron Spider had been the talk of her classmates for some time.
“So what are your powers?” asked Taylor.
Dinah glanced at Taylor, feeling a bit hesitant to reveal the extent of her abilities, but considering the circumstances, she figured honesty might be the best policy. "I... I can quantify truth, probabilities," she began, her voice was soft but steady. "My powers express themselves in percentage. I ask a question that involves probabilities, and it will give me answers in the form of a percentage.”
Taylor's eyes widened with interest, and she swallowed another spoonful of cereal before responding. "That's so cool! Like, you can predict the future?"
Dinah shook her head. "Not exactly. It's more like... I can see the ‘certainty’ of a situation happening, based on various factors. It's complicated, and sometimes... overwhelming."
“Overwhelming? How?” Peter asked from a distance as he cut off wires, twisted them, and wired them into a shabby-looking motherboard.
Dinah explained, “It is hard for me to turn off my power. I appreciate it if you avoid asking probability-based questions around me because that would set me off with my power instinctively.”
“I see,” Taylor showed a knowing look. “It must be hard with Thinker-headaches.”
To a more serious topic, Taylor set aside her cereals to a desk and asked the important questions. “So Coil? What do you think his powers are?”
“Definitely a Thinker,” replied Peter still busy on his modded computer.
“I agree. Strategies. His placement of the Travelers. And then there is our civilian identity. There are many ways to learn someone’s civilian identity. Tinkers, Masters, and Thinkers are most likely suspects. I know this is an arm-chair theory, but what do you think?” Taylor returned to the fridge, getting herself some drinks.
Dinah added after consulting her powers, “He is a Thinker,” she confirmed with 100% certainty.
Another Thinker-headache assaulted her.
Taylor worriedly voiced her concerns, “Dinah, you don’t need to push yourself too much. For now, rest. Okay? We cannot have you collapsing on us. Can you tell us the reason or the process as to how you found Peter?”
Dinah took a moment to collect herself, feeling the strain of her powers weighing heavily on her mind. "I... I asked my powers if running straight would better my chances for survival," she began, her voice wavering slightly. "It gave me numbers, but... but they would change. It was like... like a trial and error."
She glanced at Peter, who was still tinkering with his equipment, invested in whatever he was doing. "I didn't know what I was doing, but now... now I understand. He's... he's the one who can protect me from Coil."
Peter paused his work, looking up at Dinah with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Your powers led you to me?" he echoed, his brow furrowing slightly. "That's... unexpected."
“Okay, what are you doing?” asked Taylor realizing it was taking Peter too much time building whatever it was he was building.
“I am not really a Tinker, you know that… I am just a high school student who has a very good head. I am trying to rebuild this computer and create a relay server for Karen, in order to re-trace Coil’s digital footprints. I cannot risk the suit, so here goes nothing.”
Peter took a deep breath as he finished his modifications on the shabby computer. He gently placed his finger on the surface, releasing a small amount of nanites onto it. These tiny machines swarmed over the device, their movements precise and purposeful. With each passing second, the computer began to transform before their eyes.
“Who is Karen?” asked Dinah.
The once outdated and clunky machine hummed with newfound life. Its components gleamed with a metallic sheen as the nanites integrated themselves seamlessly. The screen flickered to life, displaying a sleek interface.
“I am,” came the voice from the computer. “I am Karen, your friendly neighborhood computer. That aside, how may I help you, Peter?”
Dinah jumped on her seat and looked closer, a bored look made of pixels looked at her from the computer. “Uuhh… Hi, Karen.”
"We're going to track down Coil," Peter announced, his voice steady with resolve. "If taking hostage of his civilian identity is what it will take to stop him, then that is what are going to do. Karen, start with the local PRT. That’s the place where the sporadic burst of my spider sense was pointing at. Every time Coil used his powers, he would set off my spider-sense, so that’s a good place to start."
“Yes, Coil should be related to the PRT. My chances of escaping Coil’s pursuit would drastically lower every time I get the PRT involved whether directly or indirectly.” Dinah confirmed with Peter.
Karen was a very powerful AI.
It took her roughly ten minutes before she had an answer.
“Coil is Thomas Calvert, works as a PRT consultant. Age: 42 years old. Physical characteristics: dark skin, thin, 189 cm tall, and likes to present himself as a professional. Unfortunately, not much can be found about him. Last seen in a gala. Traces of his criminal activities can no longer be confirmed, most likely has been cut off by Calvert himself. It appears you have spooked him, Peter.”
There was silence.
Dinah was speechless, and she was weirded by the development.
“I thought he would escalate further,” Taylor voiced her suspicions, “So what now?”
Peter clenched his jaw, a sense of frustration evident in his expression. "We need to stay one step ahead of him. If he's gone to ground, it means he's either planning something big… or he is running away.”
“Is Coil, Thomas Calvert, running away?” Dinah asked herself aloud, Peter and Taylor looking at her at the same time.
After a moment, she exhaled, her gaze distant as she processed the information her powers provided. "There's a 99.12426% chance that Coil is running away," she revealed, her voice tinged with relief.
“Okay, PHO isn’t wrong to say he was a chump then,” Taylor thought aloud, conflicted.
Dinah felt the same as she felt Coil’s persistence in acquiring her, only Peter shared a different opinion.
“Coil is running away, that’s good. The evidence we found is not conclusive, but we should be able to turn this over to the police, or the Protectorate.” This was a logical decision.
Though Taylor and Dinah didn’t share his optimism, Peter made a point of knowing when to stop.
Taylor voiced her concern, “You are not lying, are you?”
“W-what?” Peter’s voice cracked.
Dinah inwardly asked herself, ‘What are the odds Peter let Coil go?’ The answer was 0.128916%
It appeared Peter Parker was not a good liar.
“I mean, he was targeting us… And I think the only way for us to have peace of mind is for Coil to be put behind bars. So yeah, I am going after him.” Peter weakly defended himself.
And Taylor wouldn’t let it go. “Behind my back? I thought we were a team?” She was guilt-tripping him. Dinah could recognize that teasing smirk and raised eyebrows anywhere.
Karen inserted herself into the conversation before the two spider-themed capes devolved into an argument. “Emergency! Peter, this is an emergency…”
Peter rushed to the computer, his movements were urgent yet controlled. His silence was palpable, a tension filling the air as Taylor and Dinah watched with growing apprehension. Taylor couldn't resist the temptation and sneaked a peek at the screen, her gasp was audible in the otherwise quiet room. Dinah followed suit, her eyes widening in shock as she took in the sight before her.
Various tabs were opened on the screen, revealing news articles and forum threads disclosing the civilian identities of Iron Spider and Entomancer. Peter Parker was exposed as Iron Spider, and Taylor Hebert as Entomancer.
The gravity of the situation hit them all at once. Their secret identities were compromised. Their safety and the safety of their loved ones were now in jeopardy. Peter's mind raced, trying to formulate a plan to contain the fallout of this revelation.
"We need to act fast," Peter said, his voice steady despite the turmoil within him. "Karen, can you trace the source of these leaks? We need to shut them down before it's too late."
Karen's response was swift. "I'm already on it, Peter. It seems the information originated from multiple sources simultaneously, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact origin. However, I'm attempting to trace the digital breadcrumbs back to their source."
“It is already too late,” Taylor muttered with a pessimistic outlook, and Dinah knew she was right.
Would this still concern her? Dinah had no obligations to Peter or Taylor but felt she owed them. Was there anything she could do for them?
What now?
.
..
…
#Dinah is Safe #Deja Vu, Spidey’s civilian identity being revealed, not that anyone knows him
