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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
xvii. A DEBATE OF LIVES

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   GROWING UP MEANT FINALLY embracing the awareness and maturity that have been waiting for you all along. Now that Riley was a little bit older, she understood how baffling it was recruiting children to fight crimes and solve mysteries.

   As a child agent, she could agree that children had no place being involved in this cruel industry. There was no excuse for how she'd killed people and aliens before she made her first pinky promise, and there was nothing she could do to reverse that damage. At least adults have the maturity for this stuff! Maybe not always, but there were certainly more benefits to hiring adults over children. For example, at least you never have to organize your meetings around your teammates' school schedule.

   "Dude, scoot over—"

   "Respectfully, if you get any closer to me, I'm biting you."

   "MJ, you can't just bite people—"

   "I'll bite you, too, Parker."

   MJ, Ned, and Peter squeezed together in a narrow supply closet to video chat the Avengers. Riley found it extremely amusing, though she wasn't sure if that was because she was delirious from astral projecting her soul 30 minutes ago or because it was genuinely hilarious watching the Midtown trio complain and elbow each other.

   "MJ, you can't bite Peter. He probably has PTSD!" Ned scolded.

   Peter was going to agree, but instead, his eyes softened. "That's so considerate of you, man. Thanks," he said.

   "Guys," Roman beckoned, leaning closer to Riley's phone. The Stellite still wasn't accustomed to human technology, and he purposely refused to understand how it worked. That being said, he didn't realize how funny he looked sitting so close to the tiny camera. "Guys, come on. We don't have all day."

   Riley pulled him back, putting herself in the frame again. "Why are you guys in a supply closet?" she wondered.

   "It was the only place we could think to hold a secret meeting. We're all supposed to be out of class for different reasons. I'm supposed to be in the bathroom, and MJ's taking Peter to the nurse for stomach problems," Ned explained, leaning on Peter's arm (which was his attempt at scooting away from MJ). "I don't know how long we can stay here though."

   "We'll make this quick," Roman assured. "We've been talking to the cops all day, and everyone's completely clueless about how to proceed with this whole mess. It looks like we're the only ones capable of ending this."

   "We found out that whoever's behind this has been strictly breaking into Belmont Banks all over the state. The only randomness about the break-ins is which one our culprit picks each month," Riley reported. "Andrew Belmont's been trying to keep that little fact hush-hush for PR purposes, which is we didn't know that sooner."

   "Wait, someone's got it out for the Belmonts?" MJ queried.

   "That's what I thought, but Riley's convinced Belmont's just a cover-up for something bigger," Roman said. "The power outages, the break-ins — it's all a smokescreen. Whoever's doing this is trying to get someone's attention and send a message."

   "Ideally, we should start working on a list of suspects to interrogate," Riley said. "We were wondering if you guys know anyone at school with connections to Belmont. Parents that work for him, interns, neighbors, anyone."

   "Well, I don't know anyone who works for him, but there's always the twins," MJ suggested, glancing toward the boys beside her.

   "Twins?" Riley echoed.

   "Yeah, we go to school with Andrew Belmont's step-kids," MJ clarified. "They're pretty chill. They never talk about being related to him."

   "I wonder why. If I was related to a rich CEO, I'd never shut up about it," Ned said.

   "Yeah, we know, Ned."

   Ignoring them, Peter said, "Their names are Eden and Carson Belmont. I don't think you know them. They survived the Blip. They're in our grade."

   The familiarity of the names stirred something within Riley. She passed her phone to Roman to repeat the names into her wrist cuff for JOCASTA. A holographic model of two teenagers flashed before her. A long list of information followed, scrolling without her having to touch the projection. She briefly neglected the list as she stared at the image of the twins. She'd met them before.

   The memory of Christmas Eve froze over Riley's mind. She remembered the feeling of snow crunching beneath her shoes, the slicing winds biting at her raw cheeks, goosebumps invading her skin. She had been waiting for Peter when she bumped into two teenagers... Eden and Carson.

   Eden was the more upbeat twin. She was friendly and enthusiastic about meeting the Avenger. Riley didn't like admitting these things aloud, but she'd met so many Avengers super-fans in her day that the encounters started blending into one. Truthfully, Riley wouldn't have remembered meeting the Belmont twins if it weren't for Carson. She had yet to forget the callous words he spoke to her that night.

   "I still don't get why they let a kid take over for Steve Rogers. He's a hero. He's a real leader. You're nothing like him. You can try, but you never will be."

   "The world was better off when half of society was dust. Some people think you guys are heroes for reversing the Snap. I think you're cowards. I think you're scared of change. Well, guess what? Sometimes, change is a good thing."

   "Yeah, I'm not the only one who thinks the Avengers never should've tried to change what had already been done. Life was better before you came back."

   It was that last line that got her.

   Life was better before you came back. Not the Avengers, not the fallen, not even Thanos. He was talking about Riley.

   Reluctantly, Riley revealed to her friends that she met the Belmont twins once before. She told them about the encounter, and one by one, each member of the group rallied with disgust.

   Roman's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing crimson. "He said that to you? What a—" he started.

   "It's fine, I've heard worse," Riley hastily said, but it wasn't true. She'd been called endless cruel words throughout her short life, oftentimes from her colleagues to her face. But Carson and his seething words were different. He managed to know every insecurity she had and hit them like darts. Effortless, precise, simple. "My point is, I think Carson might be involved in this whole thing."

   "I was thinking the same thing," Peter admitted. "The stuff he said... It reminds me a lot of those Flag Smashers. I don't know how he'd have access to the power grid, but the rest of it lines up. I know we haven't really talked about who the message might be for, but if Carson's behind this, it would be for the Avengers. More specifically, you."

   "True. He has easy access to his dad's banks, and it makes sense that he wouldn't steal from his own family," Ned agreed.

   "I don't know..." MJ hesitated. "Carson's so quiet. I never see him talk to anyone, even at Decathlon practice."

   Ned shrugged. "It's always the quiet ones that end up being freaks."

   MJ shot him a pointed look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

   "Anyway," Riley cut in, "I think it'd be worth interrogating Carson. I can see what he's been up to these past few months, get a grasp on his personal life and his relationship with Andrew Belmont..."

   "Sounds like a plan," Roman declared, who was now mindlessly playing with the camera effects on Riley's phone like a child. "Where do you want the rest of us, boss?"

   It didn't take much for Riley to formulate a plan on the spot.

   "If our culprit's only targeting Belmont Banks for these break-ins, then there are only so many banks left for them to target. Ned, I need you to figure out which banks are most likely to be broken into next," Riley commanded. "I know most precincts have been a dead end, but I think it's worth combing through the police records some more. I thought talking to the cops face-to-face would've made a bigger difference, but it's taking too long, and we don't have the time to spare. MJ and Roman, I'm letting you guys borrow JOCASTA to search through those records. Pull out anything you think stands out, cross-reference everything. Peter and I will take care of interrogations."

   "Sweet!" Peter cheered.

   "This is so freaking cool. No fair that MJ gets to use Stark tech though," Ned gushed.

   "Focus, guys. We only have until the 26th. That's in less than a week," Riley firmly said. "I don't want any of you trying to interrogate Carson or Eden. Act as... um, normal as you can."

   MJ's eyes narrowed. "Why'd you hesitate to say normal?"

   "Because you guys are weirdos," Riley said with a shrug.

   "Oh, you're one to talk," Peter taunted, to which she laughed. "I'll see you after school then?"

   "It's a date," Riley mused, causing Roman to gag. She sharply nudged him. "You are so annoying."

   "Get a room!" Roman fired back.

   "Aw, don't get jealous, Romie," Peter teased. "There's enough of me to go around!"

   Roman rolled his eyes, and with that, they ended the call.

   As the day dragged on, storm clouds gathered overhead. The city was more lifeless than it was meant to be, the rainwater flushing away the people and their cars. Puddles engulfed the sidewalks. Thunder growled across the bruised sky. Even umbrellas couldn't protect the New Yorkers from the wind and rain.

   Riley sat at a bench near one of the back roads, dry and protected within a forcefield. Roman vanished a few minutes ago to pick up MJ from Decathlon practice and start scouring through police reports (teleportation via the stars truly did have its perks), leaving Riley to wait for Peter by herself.

   Her mind kept wandering back to Sam and Bucky. She was hoping that mindlessly scrolling through her phone would distract her mind, but the news always steered her back to reality. She skipped past every article involving John Walker (many were headlined: RILEY STARK REFUSES TO COMMENT ON THE NATION'S NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA! WHAT DOES THE AVENGERS LEADER HAVE AGAINST JOHN WALKER? IS THERE TENSION BETWEEN VALOR AND JOHN WALKER? RILEY STARK REMAINS SILENT REGARDING CAPTAIN AMERICA!).

   There were more articles about the Flag Smashers than ever. She was currently reading an article about the Flag Smashers bombing a GRC supply depot. 11 injured... 3 dead... More attacks to come if demands aren't met...

   Riley kept asking herself how Steve would approach all of this: the Flag Smashers, Karli Morgenthau, this Belmont bullshit, Sam and Bucky. He would have a plan. He always knew what to do. Who was she to think that she could replace Steve as a leader?

   It was stupid, but she asked herself these things every time she was faced with a problem. What would Steve do? What would Clint say? What did Natasha teach you in training about this? Would Tony do this differently? Would Thor's battle strategies work better than hers? What equations would Bruce propose right now? Could Vision solve this without fighting?

   Back then, Riley always counted on the Avengers. They led her, protected her, guided her. But that wasn't their job anymore. Saving the world was Riley's headache — now and forevermore.

   When Peter eventually found her, dressed in his Spider-Man suited, he plopped down beside her. He vibrantly greeted her with a grin underneath his mask. But Riley didn't look up from her phone. She was so immersed in whatever she was reading that he must've been invisible to her.

   "Hello? Earth to Riley?" Peter greeted. He raised a fist, knocking on her forcefield as rain slid over it helplessly. "Uh, knock-knock?"

   "Huh?" Riley jumped. The cloud over her head parted as she realized who was sitting beside her. "Oh! Oh, sorry! I didn't realize you were there."

   Peter poked at her forcefield again, marveling at it despite being unable to see it. Though it was peculiar; his Spidey Senses allowed him to sense that something was there anyway. "Hiding from the rain?" he asked.

   "Something like that," Riley said. She expanded her forcefield around him. "How are you?"

   "Really, really good! Ned and I just finished brainstorming ideas for the Science Fair, and all I can say right now is it's gonna be awesome," Peter chirped. His excitement brought a warm smile to her face. "What are you reading?"

   Riley showed him her screen. "Just a stupid article about the Flag Smashers. I was thinking about Sam and Bucky again. I hope they know what they're doing. It looks like things are getting worse."

   Against her better judgment, Riley didn't tell Peter about Zemo. He had a right to know, and she wouldn't deny that. Zemo's crimes were the sole reason why Spider-Man became an Avenger, after all. But this was something he didn't need to worry about — for now, at least. It seemed wrong, but everything Riley did was for his protection and sanity. Part of Riley wished she had someone to protect her from these things, too.

   Peace of mind. A true blessing in disguise.

   "Hey, don't forget who you're talking about. Steve Rogers trusts these guys with his life. I'm sure they're figuring this whole thing out as we speak. You worry too much, Riles," Peter encouraged, placing his hand on her leg comfortingly. "You okay?"

   "Never better," Riley promised. His mask's eyes narrowed. "I am! Really! Just... overwhelmed with everything going on, I guess."

   "I can tell. You're so tense, you're starting to look like Happy, " Peter pointed out.

   Riley piercingly gasped. "Rude!" she exclaimed, though she was smiling nonetheless.

   "Heh, just trying to get you to smile," Peter teased. He leaned closer to her. "You know what I'm thinking?"

   "That you're secretly attracted to Happy Hogan?"

   "Exactly— Wait, what? No! No, no, no!" Peter hurriedly yelled, waving his hands in the air. "I was going to say, before you rudely incriminated me, that we should go on a walk!"

   Riley's face fell, her giggles fading. "Did you forget that I can fly, and you have webs? Both of those are ten times more fun than walking, amor. Not only that, but it's raining. And we still have to interrogate Carson, and he lives 20 blocks from here. And also, it's raining," she objected.

   Peter scoffed. "Oh, I get it. The big, bad Valor is afraid of a little rain!" he taunted. She tried to argue again, but he insisted. "Come on, it'll help you relax and clear your head and all that stuff! I'm not taking no for an answer! I'll carry you if I have to!"

   Riley clapped her hands together pleadingly. "No! No, please don't carry me! Whatever you do, don't carry me!" she mocked. He snickered and grabbed her hand, pulling her up. Her forcefield came undone, allowing the rain to finally drench her. She pouted. "I just washed my hair this morning!"

   Laughing, Peter pinched her cheeks lovingly. "Aw, don't worry, Riles. It's just water!" he cooed.

   "Just water, he says. Oh, I'll show you water!" Riley yelled. She pulled him forward, jumping into the giant puddles flooding the pavement. Over and over again, she stomped and splashed him. The water drenched both of them even more, but Riley was still keeling over with laughter like she had won the 'fight'.

   "Hey! Hey!" Peter tried to shield himself, but his attempts were embarrassingly futile. "That's it! This means war!"

   "Pfft, bring it, Bug-Boy!"

   It was like a scene from a movie. Rain poured from the heavens as they kicked at puddles and splashed each other relentlessly. Their bright laughter filled the world as they held hands and danced through the streets like children. Riley was sure plenty of people were watching them (as always), but it didn't bother her. The world should be used to seeing Spider-Man and Valor together by now. Wherever one went, the other followed. Always.

   Peter Parker truly had a gift for distracting Riley Stark from all of her troubles.

   By some miracle, between getting distracted one too many times and laughing so hard they couldn't breathe, the couple finally arrived upon a townhouse with a brick red door. The rain finally stopped pouring, allowing Riley to use her powers to dry them off.

   Peter whistled. "You know, I always imagined the Belmonts living in some fancy mansion, but I guess those don't fit the New York aesthetic," he confessed. "So, what do we know about Carson? I don't talk to him enough to know anything about him. He's always by himself, even at Decathlon practice."

   "Well, JO created a very thorough case file on the Belmont family. Carson and Eden Belmont are the only children of Serena and Nathaniel. Their parents divorced when the twins were three, and Serena eventually married Andrew Belmont two years later, which is why the twins have his last name. All three of the parents seem to have a good relationship though," Riley recited. "After Serena and Andrew disappeared due to the Snap, the twins lived with their biological father during those five years. This townhouse is where their dad lived before he passed away in June 2023 due to coronary heart disease. Instead of selling the townhouse, Andrew Belmont bought it and lets the twins stay here whenever they want. They reportedly live here during the school year."

   "Huh... I'm guessing that's why Carson thought life was better during the Blip. He must've been close to his dad. It doesn't sound like Andrew Belmont's a shitty dad either, which is a refreshing change," Peter noted. "Hey, why didn't we bring Roman along?"

   "Because you two are annoying together. And you always end up doing that weird bickering-flirting thing instead of paying attention."

   Peter snorted. "Okay, fair. But his powers would end this whole thing in five seconds."

   Riley rubbed her arm timidly. "I don't want to depend on his powers for everything, especially things like this. I know I did before, but that's because the police are famous for lying and being uncooperative. When it comes to real people... I don't know, I like to think that if they open up to me, it's because they trust me. I don't wanna be the kind of leader that resorts to invoking fear when I want something. I care about the people and their trust more than I do about being right or getting a job done. I know it's dumb—"

   "It's not dumb," Peter said. "I think it's cool. You actually care."

   She smiled. "Yeah, I do." Clearing her throat, she quickly added, "Also, I think MJ and Roman make a good pair, whether they want to admit it or not."

   "I thought I was the only one who noticed it! It just makes sense!" Peter exclaimed. "So, are you ready to interrogate this guy?"

   Riley shrugged. "I'm always ready."

   It wasn't until they approached the front door and Peter activated his 'interrogation mode' when it dawned on Riley. There was a high chance that despite the voice change, Carson could still recognize Peter. They were in the same grade, and they did the Academic Decathlon together. What if Carson picked up on Peter's mannerisms and figured out his identity? It sounded like a stretch, but hey, that was how MJ figured it out in the first place. It was far too risky for comfort.

   So, to Peter's dismay, he was forced to sit out on the interrogation, and Riley faced the Belmont townhouse alone.

   She did not realize until Peter left her side that her chest was tight and her heart was racing. Staring at the brick red door, Riley realized how nervous she was to face Carson Belmont again, to look into those hateful eyes again and hear that poisonous voice. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to speak to the stranger who somehow knew all of her insecurities. But she had to. She needed to.

   Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell. Ding-dong! The door swung open a minute later.

   Carson Belmont was fairly tall, 6'1 according to JOCASTA, with deep brown skin and a large nose. He had short, dark hair, narrow brown eyes, and high cheekbones. He was still wearing his Decathlon blazer, which let Riley know he hadn't been home for too long.

   "Uh, hello...?" Carson slowly greeted. "If you're here for my sister, she's at her internship until 8:00."

   Riley offered him a smile. "Actually, I'm here for you. Mind if I ask you some questions regarding the Belmont Bank break-ins?" she queried.

   Carson leaned against the doorframe, arms folded. "What is with you Avengers just showing up wherever you want? Do you even have a warrant, or does the law not apply to you?" he challenged.

   "I'm here on official business, not out of personal interest. And yes, obviously I have a warrant. Or... the equivalent of one. The Avengers have ordinances, just like anyone else," Riley assured. "Just letting you know, if you refuse to answer my questions, you're kind of indirectly answering them."

   "Oh, is that how it works?" Carson retorted. "Do you guys always pressure people into doing things?"

   "Only on Tuesdays," she coolly said.

   "Must be my lucky day."

   "You know, innocent people don't usually delay this long to answer a question," Riley pointed out.

   Carson loudly sighed and stepped aside. "Alright, fine. Let's get this over with. Come on in, Your Majesty."

   Despite being owned by a rich family, the Belmont townhouse was quaint and humble. It was surprisingly clean and tidy, considering two teenagers lived here without any parental supervision. The shelves were dusted, every throw pillow on the living room couch was straightened, and even the fruit in the kitchen shined. An assortment of framed family photos took up the walls and tables. Even the backpack on the floor leaned against the breakfast table nicely.

   "How'd you find out about Belmont Banks being involved in those break-ins anyway?" Carson queried, shedding his blazer and setting it aside carefully. When Riley just stared at him, he asked, "What, am I not allowed to ask questions? Do I need special permission?"

   "You're really defensive, you know," Riley pointed out. You'd think she was used to being around snarky, blunt people by now. But here she was, trying her best to conceal her annoyance. "Well, to answer your question, it's not like it was hard to figure out. I've had unlimited, unsupervised access to all kinds of information since I was 10." Carson raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

   "Nah, of course not. Kids having access to confidential information and nuclear bombs is very normal," Carson dismissed. "Why are you interrogating me, of all people? Do you plan on talking to my parents, too? Because my dad's not gonna answer anything without a publicist present."

   Sitting down in the living room, Riley repeated, "A publicist? What does he think I do all day, feed gossip to reporters?"

   "Is that a trick question? You're a Stark. Bad PR follows you everywhere you go," Carson retorted. Although she was sitting, he remained standing. Riley immediately saw that as his attempt at creating a power imbalance between them. She had tried to level the field between them by sitting, but his choice of standing countered that right away.

   "If you paid attention, you'd know I don't talk to reporters unless I have to. They're not my speed," Riley corrected. "Can we get this started now?"

   "Why? Do you have other things on your oh-so-important agenda you need to do?" Carson taunted. "Let me guess. Are you blasting another country off the map next, or is that after you bring aliens to Earth? I just wanna know so I can plan around the part where you screw things up for us and then fix them later. Wait, don't tell me, the zombie apocalypse is next!"

   Riley's jaw fell open, but nothing came out. Despite the two not knowing each other very well or even at all, Carson was standing there acting like he knew everything about her.

   "Did the Avengers... do something to you?" Riley finally asked, vocalizing the persistent nagging in her brain.

   He scoffed. "I'm surprised you picked up on that. I was worried I was being too subtle."

   "I'm not an idiot, I can tell when someone doesn't like us," she assured.

   "It's not them. Just you," Carson corrected, crossing his arms. "Sorry to be the first person in the world to not like the Valiant Valor."

   Riley didn't fight the laugh that escaped her. "I can think of more people that have ever hated me than anything else," she admitted. "I just want to know why. What did I do to you? I've only spoken to you once before today. And if there was anything else, I'm sure it would've been in your files."

   "Of course, you've been digging through whatever kind of information you could find on me. Typical Avengers shit," Carson sneered. "Let me guess, you have everything you need to know, and you're just waiting for me to verbally confirm it—"

   "Well, that's what an interrogation is," Riley interrupted. She rose to her feet, trying to bring balance to the room. "You know, maybe if you just said what's bothering you, we could find a way to move past this."

   "You don't get it." Carson was squeezing his apple so tight that his knuckles were changing colors. "Not everything can be 'moved past'. Some things are permanent. That's just life."

   "Are you seriously trying to give me the "that's just life" lecture right now?" Riley demanded, eyes narrowing. "I don't know why you think you know everything there is to know about me—"

   "Oh, don't I? You're a Stark. You're an Avenger," Carson asserted. He punched every consonant sharply, his tone seething once again. "Your life stories are talked about every day. I think I read about how you got your powers on my damn cereal box this morning. My sister's in love with you guys, but I see through your stupid costumes and dumb superhero names. You're glorified cops. Your lives are seen as more important than everyone else's in the world, and it's stupid."

   Riley could hardly wrap her head around what he was saying. "That's not true. Everything we do is for the lives of everyone else!"

   "Bullshit."

   "It's not! Do you think I asked for this life? Do you think I wanted to get kidnapped by an evil Titan or get hunted down by HYDRA or watch my parents die right in front of me? Reporters and gossipers might obsess over us, but don't act like our lives are meaningful. As soon as one of us falls, people move on to the next hero to obsess over," Riley scolded, hands balled into fists. "I'm here to investigate a statewide crisis, not to argue with some kid who thinks he knows everything because he watches the news at night. That's all we are to you people. We're stories and stupid topics of conversation. But for us... for me, the Avengers are real people just trying to find our place in the world after getting royally screwed over."

   Silence.

  Carson and Riley kept their gazes locked. The tension in the room was thick, impossible to dissolve. But before Riley could catch her breath, her phone rang in her pocket.

INCOMING CALL FROM bug-boy :) !

   "Jesus..." Riley muttered. She turned away from Carson, the scowl on her face becoming more and more permanent. She held the phone to her ear. "Hello—?"

   "I know I'm not supposed to be interrupting you while you're doing your thing, and I'm sorry about this, but there's an emergency," Peter's frantic voice spilled into her ears. "It's big. Really bad. Really, really bad."

   "Spit it out. What happened?" Riley sharply demanded. She didn't mean for her tone to be so hostile. Peter didn't deserve to be on the opposite end of her frustration.

   "I just texted it to you. It's a video."

   Riley held in her sigh and pulled her phone away. Opening her texts, she now was able to see the string of messages from Peter. Her eyes darted to the most recent one. It was a link to a YouTube video that had been posted only a few minutes ago. It had hundreds of thousands of views, and the numbers were climbing every second. Riley was sure that her heart stopped beating as she read the title:

CAPTAIN AMERICA KILLS A FOREIGN NATIONAL IN LATVIA: LIVE FOOTAGE