Getting to the airport was as simple as hitching a ride on a helicopter bound for LaGuardia. Juggling his suitcase through six different checkpoints was a bit more complicated, especially in broad daylight. One great thing about not wearing his suit was that it made him just a bit more difficult to spot from the ground, and people rarely looked up without a reason. As soon as the copter passed near a private airfield on the east end, Peter dropped off one of its lower skids and tucked himself away in a secluded alcove. Better to avoid too much attention, especially given what he had to put on to board...
The heat in his cheeks had nothing to do with the unreasonably sunny day when he exited into the open air. Peter spotted the plane almost immediately, ringed as it was by armed personnel bearing Sable International patches. They saw him soon enough, one muttering into a wrist mic as the others moved to give him a path to the plane. One with a mostly-shaved head and sunglasses walked up to the front and nodded to him.
"Parker?"
Peter nodded, glancing around uncertainly.
He waved Peter toward the entry ramp on a sleek, silver jet, letting him go first, dragging his suitcase behind him. The large case clumsily clomped about as he dragged it up, muttering apologies the whole way. The security team didn't say a word, stoically attending to their duties while one of them escorted him to the main cabin. He was grateful nobody commented about the collar. Aside from a few flight attendants and more security, he didn't see any other passengers, which would be more unnerving if he didn't know how difficult it was for Silver to trust people.
Speaking of whom...
Peter cleared his throat. "Is uh...is Ms. Sable on board?"
Shaved-head briefly glanced his way. "No."
"Gotcha...cool, cool..."
All this way and she hadn't even been there to meet him. Peter sighed hard. She had a country and a corporation to run. All things considered, her having off-time was probably even rarer than Spider-Man taking a day off. He couldn't expect much personal attention on this trip, especially if it actually was a professional opportunity. So he grabbed some water and a book he packed and settled in for a long flight. They were going non-stop to Symkaria, which meant around a twelve-hour trip. At least he had plenty of leg room.
Between chapters, meals, and naps; Peter had plenty of time to turn his stomach inside-out with anxious thoughts and anticipation. Silver hadn't gone into any detail of what he could expect from this job, or anything else during his time in Symkaria. She just laid the opportunity on the table and he came running. God, why? What was he even looking for?
In the weeks since that night with Silver, he'd felt like he was stuck, in more ways than one. Maybe this could be a little impromptu vacation of sorts, if the task didn't prove too stressful. Eh, who was he kidding? He was Peter Parker. With his luck, it'd turn from a minor inconvenience into a world-ending catastrophe inside a week.
It was with this cheery thought that he entered a fitful sleep for the remainder of the trip, only waking when he was shaken by one of the attendants telling him to strap in for landing. Touchdown was smooth enough, though given how many crashes he'd been in, Peter never quite felt safe in any aircraft he couldn't quickly bail out of. He was glad for the chance to stretch his legs, though one of the security personnel was quick to hand him a fur-lined coat. Right.
It was still January, wasn't it? And with Symkaria's position in the mountainous Balkans, it was already bound to be cold. As soon as he stepped out into the crisp, clear air, he squinted at the bright dusk sun glaring in his eyes. The exit ramp led directly to the runway, where a long white limo waited for him and the security team, most of whom were already waiting with it. All this, for him? He'd be flattered if it wasn't so intimidating.
As soon as Peter stepped up to the door, one of the guards motioned for him to hand over his suitcase. He did. A door was opened. He stepped inside. His heart dropped a bit once again when no one greeted him except more security. Silver must've been waiting all the way at—holy shit was that a real castle?
At the pinnacle of a large slope stood Castle Sable, the headquarters of heads of state and mercenary kings both. Or queens, in this case. The imposing structure was a series of stone towers ringed by structures that kept some of the traditional aesthetic while incorporating much of the tech Sable International was known for. Solar panels made up most of the sloped roofs. Antennas and satellite dishes adorned the parapets. Helicopter pads were built into some of the towers. One near the top was twice the size of the others, he guessed for housing Silver's VTOL jet.
The limo pulled up to the front gate within ten minutes of leaving the airfield, Peter barely hearing muffled exchanges through the front divider. Then they were moving again, right into an underground garage lined with top-shelf automated security—laser grids, motion sensors, at least two thermal-imaging cameras. Getting in and out of here would
not
be like infiltrating the NY Grand, that's for sure.
Security motioned him toward automatic double-doors at the lit end of the garage. Three of them escorted him through a series of hallways that, between the white-paneled walls and fluorescent lighting, were almost blindingly bright. Those halls led to an elevator. One of the guards used a security pass to enable it, and then they were going up. The gauge read fifteen by the time they stopped, and the doors opened to permit them into a massive, open space with high-vaulted ceilings at least three stories up.
Peter's jaw dropped when he saw what was inside.
Robotics, computers, 3D printers, holographic AutoCAD stations—this whole room was every engineer's wet dream. It took everything he had not to run up to every station like a little kid and take a closer look. It wasn't unoccupied either. Scientists in plainclothes and white coats alike lined every bench and computer, the unceasing din of discussion and collaboration hitting a nostalgic chord in him
hard
. A chord that was almost immediately tainted by regret. This was what Otto's lab had felt like...a long time ago, it felt.
Sighing, he followed his escort to a structure at the far end, what looked like a tower of sorts, and entered an elevator that took him to the control room. When the doors opened, he froze for the briefest instant. In plain, functional clothes, with her hair up in a tight bun, was Silver Sablinova. She was in intense discussion with two of the other engineers, and so didn't notice his arrival until at least fifteen seconds later.
Peter hadn't stopped staring the whole time.
That only got worse when she finally looked at him. Those eyes...
He'd almost forgotten how piercingly
blue
they were. They flickered with something that tugged at her lips for an instant before she turned to the security chief and gave him a nod. Peter's escort vanished into the elevator, one of them almost shoving him out when he just kept staring. He blushed fiercely, even more so when her eyes flickered to his neck and twinkled mischievously. Finally, Peter forced his legs to move and tentatively approached her.
"Mr. Parker," Silver greeted. "I trust your trip was uneventful?"
"V-Very," he stammered, muscling his voice into something coherent. "I really appreciate you bringing me out in such style. I mean, I can probably count the number of limos I've been in on one hand, and uh...not always because I was invited."
"I can imagine." She smirked coyly. "Peter—do you mind if I call you Peter?"
He coughed softly. "No."
Her smirk widened. "I'd like you to meet René Guillame and Erina Volstoka, two of my most talented project leads."
Peter stepped forward and shook the hand of a balding man who looked in his forties (reminding him a little too much of Otto) and a woman with dark hair and eyes who stood a good head shorter than Silver.
"Hi," he said. "Peter Parker."
Erina smirked. "We know. She's been gushing about you since she announced the offer."
Peter blinked. "Gushing?"
Sable gave her a
look
.
Erina cleared her throat. "Well er, compared to other hires, at least. Your work in cybernetics and neural imaging is, well, revolutionary, so we're told."
Peter froze and looked at Silver uneasily.
She shrugged. "I only tell the truth. Though perhaps not
all
of it." She leaned in a pinch. "Can't have you getting too much of an ego."
