Chapter Eight: Contact
The Daily Bugle
"Forget it, Parker!"
"But Mr. Jameson...!"
"I said forget it! Ellis and Randy Green are handling this. I need you to stay on Spider-man! Besides, aren't you still in school? Don't tell me you've dropped out to take photos of Spider-man!"
"Don't worry Sir, I've actually graduated early so I have some free time for the time being." Peter paused he had to think of a way for Jameson to see it his way... Then an idea struck him and it was a good one. "Mr. Jameson... Don't you think Spider-man is going to want to go after this copycat? I mean unless they're working together, that is."
"Hmmm... You may have a point, Parker." Jameson considered it. "All right. Get out to Bayville. You'll work with Randy Green. But I damned well better get some pictures out of this! I'm not going to pay for you to waste my time on an excursion trip!"
"Yes, sir Mr. Jameson."
Lookout Position One, Bayville (Second night.)
On another rooftop Bobby leaned casually against a railing with his arms folded, he failed to understand the impact one person saving lives no less, on mutants.
"What's the big deal anyway Scott?" Bobby liked to keep a cool head about things and think them through, at least if he could. Scott didn't usually pass judgment on others so quickly either... So why was he so adamant about excluding Spider-Man?
"The 'Big Deal' is that this guy is running all over Bayville showing off his powers without a single thought to the consequences. He could expose all of us Bobby and frankly High School was tough enough without people getting into some mutant hysteria..." He knew all too well about how normal humans act when they find out something is different than they are... its never been a pretty picture and he would hate to see it in Bayville.
"But he's a hero!" Kurt protested. "Even the Bugle says so. Maybe having a mutant celebrity could be a good thing, right?"
"Maybe Kurt. But I wouldn't count on it." Scott answers as he kept scanning the skies for web slingers. "Besides, that's only half the problem."
"Oh? What's the other half?" Bobby asked
"The Professor hasn't been able to find him even with Cerebro." For Scott that was all he really needed to know. He wasn't a mutant and wasn't their problem.
"But how can that be possible, right?" Kurt protested shocked at the revaluation.
"I don't know Kurt but that's why we're out here, well one of the reasons anyway." For all, they knew the spider was working with the Brotherhood and that would spell disaster in many ways.
"Well one good thing about being on this roof," Bobby observed looking up into the sky and observing the stars.
"What's that?" Scott asked.
Bobby jerked a finger over his shoulder at another building in the distance. "At least I'm not over there with Logan and the happy twins..." he finished with a grin.
"Good point." Scott agreed and then went back to scanning with a similar grin on his face.
Lookout Position Four.
"How the hell did I end up being the baby sitter of the two of you?" Logan growled as he interrupted another little tiff between Ray and Roberto. "I've heard enough out of the both of you ding dongs. So I'll go over your questions as delicately as possible one last time..." Logan was close to losing his shit. He was always a private person who enjoyed the solitude. Maybe the professor thought he needed to be around people more, or maybe because he was their instructor he thought they might bond as he had with Rogue. But they'd bonded because they were similar creatures, he really had no desire to expand his bubbly side.
"One: No, you can't go over to join Scott's team or Beast's team or anybody else's team."
"Two: We stay here until either the Professor or I say so.
"Three: I want your eyes open and your mouths to stay shut. Got it?" He punctuated his points by extending a claw at the two teens.
"Yes, sir!"
"Got It!"
"Good. Now get back to watching for Spider-Boy." Next time I'll take Jamie... I'd get more eyes and fewer questions. And NO bickering. He hoped that his speech might scare the younglings enough for them to stop their bickering for a little while, but to his annoyance, it wasn't long before they were at it once again.
Downtown Bayville.
The Scarlet Spider carefully studied the rooftop below. Did these guys want to get the drop on me? Naw, if so they probably could have. They just want to openly talk. Well, they seem to be looking so hard. I suppose I owe them a few minutes of my time for their troubles.
Central Bayville
Sabretooth sniffed the air again. He snarled as he looked up and spotted a figure on the wall staring at him. "So you're the wall-crawler eh? I got someone who wants ta have a little chat with you. So I've got two choices for you... Do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way...? Giving a smirk he continued "I prefer the hard way myself." Creed then grinned showing off his impressive fangs.
"That suits me, but you're making a mistake."
"Oh really? You trying to tell me there's another wall-crawling weirdo out here?"
"Yes, but that's not why I'm saying you've made a mistake... I'm telling you that you've made a mistake coming to me."
"Is that a fact?" Sabretooth readied himself. Whoever this chump was, he was asking for a world of hurt and was about to get it.
"Yes." The voice said before a man with a scarred face dropped out of the shadows in front of him.
The smell of a battle drifted into Creed's sense's and it made his grin grow more vicious...
Lookout Position Three.
"So... Do you think we'll be able to spot him tonight?" Kitty asked.
"Dunno." Rogue shrugged.
"Well, who's up for a hot dog?" Tabby asked as she held a skewering fork and checked the mini grill she had set up. "After all... Who says we have to rough it?" Tabby enjoyed being out here a little. She had friends, good conversation and since they were staying up late tonight she didn't have to worry about bad dreams.
"Tabby... You know I don't eat meat."
"I got soy burgers for you Kitty," Tabby said with a wink at the brown head.
"I hope you're making enough for everyone?" A surprising voice said above them.
The three girls looked up in unison and seen the scarlet spider coming in for a landing. Backing away, the three girls just looked at the dropping figure in amazement for a few seconds, before someone responded.
"Sure thing hot stuff!" Tabby grinned.
Ben landed on the rooftop and grinned under his mask. Ben could have chosen to meet one of the other teams spread out through the city but he was a little more familiar with these three... The fact they were close to his age and were hot had nothing to do with it... Well, maybe a little.
"Here we are supposed to be finding the Scarlet Spider and you find us!" Kitty gushed. It was cute Ben already liked the little girl. She was too young for him and honestly, he was in love with someone else... A girl he could never have but that didn't make the feelings go away.
"Well girls, you've been waiting so patiently, so I figured I'd at least owed you enough to drop in and say hello."
"You've been watchin' us?" Rogue asked surprised at his statement.
"Yeah and your friends..." He pointed across the city. "There... There... There... And there..." He grinned. "Besides, I've been wondering when I'd catch up with you girls."
"What do you mean?" Kitty asked there appeared to be something in his words he was hinting at, she thought she knew what he meant, but she wanted to be sure.
"Come on, do you guys really think some sunshades and leather clothes are really a great disguise? If you do I really hate to break it to you but..." He said folding his arms.
Rogue rolls her eyes at Tabby. "Girls... I think we've been had..."
"So..." Ben said studying the three young ladies getting serious. "Since you've all put a lot of effort into finding me, what exactly is it that you guys want?"