Usually I wake up fast, as if someone flipped a switch. One moment I was asleep and dreaming, the next I am ready for action. That is a very useful quality, especially when you only have a couple of hours left to sleep and you absolutely must be at work or school in the morning. So this time, it was different.
I was stuck in some kind of borderline half sleep. More precisely, I understood that I was sleeping, I was fully aware of my situation, but still could not wake up, almost like sleep paralysis, just without the panic. Although this time, I could probably find a few reasons to be afraid.
First, I did not remember falling asleep while sitting in a car, judging by the shaking, with a severe headache and ringing in my ears. What is happening, am I drunk?
The car suddenly hit a bump, and I cheerfully smacked the back of my head against some metal thing overhead. Damn. Now I understand why my head hurts so much and my ears are ringing.
The pain helped me wake up, though I would have preferred to do it on my own. I tried to curse, but could not. My lips were sealed together, probably with duct tape. I finally pried my eyes open.
Darkness.
More precisely, there were small glimpses of light, but everything was blurry, I could not make out a thing.
Do I also have a bag over my head? If this is some stupid prank, someone is going to get hurt.
But who?
I suddenly realized I could not remember anyone who would play such a prank on me.
I did not remember anything at all. A massive hangover, or, who knows, amnesia?
I tried to move my hands, but could not. They were tied. What if this is not a joke? Was I really kidnapped? But why would anyone want me? I... I... Damn, I do not remember anything about myself. Who even am I?
And there it was. Panic.
Oh God, how terrifying, I do not want to die.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Cancel the hysterics.
The pain faded a little, and even the ringing in my ears began to subside. I caught fragments of speech.
«He is such a mess, I don't even want to remember.» A female voice, rough, with perfect American pronunciation. I seemed to know English, which was good, but for some reason I had trouble grasping the meaning of what was said, as if I had not spoken English for a couple of hundred years, probably since my school days.
Wait. School. I started to remember. Good.
«Come on, tell me. This is a real date, with a man. You have to tell us.» Another voice, also female, a bit higher and softer.
Again the first voice. The woman was telling some story, but I focused on remembering something about myself. And I began to succeed. I remembered my childhood, regular school where I was teased because I could not communicate with my peers. I remembered my classmates: Mary Jane Watson, my flighty first love; Flash Thompson, the dumb jock football player who constantly bullied me; Harry Osborn, my first and only friend, who quickly forgot about me once he became popular. I remembered my relatives: Aunt May and Uncle Ben. I remembered Uncle Ben dying in my arms. I remembered my first real girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, who also died in my arms because of my mistake, because I was a stupid, overconfident teenager who thought he could be a superhero. Exactly, I remembered. I am a superhero. I am Spider Man. I protect New York City, defending it at night, and by day I work as a journalist at the Daily Bugle, selling my own photos for pennies. Damn, I am such an idiot. What the hell is wrong with me? Calm down. Maybe I will remember something else later that will explain everything.
I tried to relax, to get my thoughts in order. My mouth was extremely dry, my tongue rough like sandpaper, scraping against the roof of my mouth with every movement. Had they been dragging me through the desert? Wait, something was wrong. I tried to figure out what had caught my attention. I ran my tongue over my teeth. There it was. Right there should be a gap, that tooth had been knocked out by Doctor Octopus when I tried to stop him during a bank robbery. What the hell was I even messing around with an ordinary person for so long? I could have just hit him once on the head and knocked him out. Do not get distracted, Peter. The tooth. Yes, the tooth that should not be there. I did not remember getting an implant, and a new one never grew back, though I never stopped hoping. What the hell? Okay, there is another way.
I tensed my right foot, carefully pulling my toes upward, expecting to feel it. Nothing again. But I was supposed to have a damn tracker in my leg, implanted by Fury's people while I was unconscious. An ordinary person would not notice such a small thing, but I knew from the start that SHIELD was watching me with that tracker.
And then I noticed another strangeness. I was weak. No. No. No. This could not be. I was an ordinary person. Damn, I had somehow lost my superpowers.
Or maybe this is not my body. But how is that possible? Oh, I know. A virtual simulation. That is why there is no picture. To stop me from figuring out the deception, it is much easier to make me believe I have a bag over my head than to create an image indistinguishable from reality.
And at that moment, something changed in my head. I began to understand the stranger's speech much more easily.
«The wetter his eyes, the drier I get between my legs. When I decided we had to get out of there, he got all weepy, started doing those poses, puffed out his lips like a child. I wanted to punch him so badly. These men, they cannot even fake anger properly. I left.»
How stupid. What a mess. I do not know how they made me believe I did not understand English, but it only confirmed my suspicion. This is all a virtual simulation. But for some reason I do not remember anything after... I cannot even say exactly where my memories cut off.
«Seriously?» the second girl exclaimed. «You ungrateful bitch. You did not let me make a move on him, and then you did not even take the chance yourself.»
«Damn, I agree,» a third female voice. «You are just a fucking bitch. He is a man. What did you expect, that he would suddenly turn into a woman? You cannot demand femininity from a man. You have to be gentle with them. You got such a chance, and you blew it.»
What nonsense are these women talking? I do not understand a thing.
«You know what? Go fuck yourselves, both of you. And your men too. They are just useless garbage. No way am I going to put up with all those mannerisms, hangups, endless demands, and tantrums. And for what? So that he can wiggle his limp d*ck inside my v*gina once or twice a week? No thanks. I would rather find myself a girlfriend, give her a huge rubber dildo, and let her f*ck me with that d*ck every night in a way no man ever could. And I certainly will not have to share it with anyone. That d*ck will be mine alone, every single night.»
«And then your girlfriend will get married, become some boy with a limp d*ck's fourth wife, and give him wonderful children. She will have a happy, big family, and you will be left alone with your hard rubber dildo. Bitch.»
Well, now I know this is all fake. They probably tried to block my memories to keep me from figuring out the deception, but something went wrong. It is time to stop this circus. I started tugging at the ropes and trying to draw the attention of the NPCs around me, hoping they had a script to take off my bag and gag.
«Oh, look, baby Parker is awake.» Someone sat down to my right, pressed up close, then put an arm around me. «Don't be afraid, boy. We won't hurt you.»
All I could do was grunt and shake my head, which I did.
«Let's take the bag off him. There is no way he can remember the way.»
«Hey, we cannot show him our faces. What are you doing, you idiot?» That was the one who had told the story about the whiny guy.
«Then pull a stocking over your head if you are afraid, you bitch.» That was the NPC who had sat down next to me. «Alright, let's take this nasty thing off.»
Finally, they removed the damn bag, and I could see... a blurry haze.
What the hell. Your simulation is complete garbage. I cannot see a thing. It is as if I have twenty twenty vision. Oh, right, this is another way to hide the bad graphics. Make me believe I have poor eyesight. I get it. They tried to make me forget that I had gained superpowers.
«Oh, right. He cannot see without his glasses,» said the third NPC. Obviously, a hint in case I did not figure out my «poor eyesight» myself.
«Ah, you are such a cute, smart boy.» She ruffled my hair. «So listen to my advice. Do whatever they tell you, and nothing bad will happen to you.»
«Believe me, we feel bad about having to treat a boy like you this way.» That was the girl who had talked about masculinity and men. Now I knew she was sitting directly across from me. «But we have no choice. The boss said only you can help with the Doc problem. Most importantly, don't be afraid. If everything goes well, we will return you home safe and sound.»
«Except maybe use you a little... Ouch, Archie, what the hell are you pushing me for?»
«Stop talking nonsense. He is not here for that. And if your cunt is itching, then go fuck yourself with that rubber dick you were telling us about.» A new voice, again female. Not just her voice. I could also see the blurry silhouette of the speaker, who had just elbowed the other NPC in the side.
«I was just joking. Why are you so wound up? I do not need your Parker. Besides, he has...»
«Stupid jokes, Mumbler. You better shut up before it is too late.»
«Yes, bitch, we already understood that you prefer a rubber dick to a real one, so stay away from Peter.» The NPC hugging me joined the argument.
I saw her face literally ten centimeters from mine, but I could not make out a thing. It is strange that in every way except vision, this virtual world is as good as reality. Touch, sound, smell, pain. All feels real.
«The gag is probably bothering you. Should we take it off?» The NPC turned to her companions.
«Even if he screams, no one will hear. We are already out of town.»
«Then get ready. It will hurt a little.» She hooked the edge of the tape with her fingernail and began to slowly peel it off.
«God damn it, just rip it off already.» I said, jerking my head to speed up the process. Something fell out of my chest pocket.
«Hey, something fell.» The girl across from me leaned down and picked up the object. «It's a glasses case. So you were trying to tell us you have spare glasses.»
«No, you bitch. I was trying to tell you to shove this stupid prank up your...» And then she put the glasses on me, and I stopped mid sentence.
«A boy should not curse so dirty,» said the one hugging me. I could only stare open mouthed from one girl to the next because such a realistic image could not be graphics, and unfortunately, this was not a prank.
****A/N*****
Femininity in this world is the quality of an exemplary woman, that is, the strong sex, i.e., masculinity in our understanding. Keep such nuances in mind going forward.