Chapter Six: Collision

The Daily Bugle

Jameson stepped out of his office after taking the call from field reporter Randy Green. The woman was a hell of a negotiator. He admired that. Luckily, she did not demand too much blood from him requesting only a base pay for the information she provides. Having her turn up in Bayville was a godsend. It meant he didn't have to pay an expense account for sending someone from the home office to give this Bayville thing a good look over. Randy Green would do the legwork.

Next, he needed to assign a staff reporter to handle everything Green dug up and to see if anything more could be found on this end. Running through the possible candidates he thought of one…

"Ellis!" He barked to a thirty-something reporter.

''Yes, Mr. Jameson?"

Jameson tosses a folder on his desk. "You're taking the lead on this Bayville thing. Randy Green is already there. She'll be sending you whatever she turns up. "

"Yes, Sir Mr. Jameson."

As Jameson grunted and went back to his office, Ellis began reading the few sketchy reports in the file. After looking through a few blurry images of a crimson figure streaking through the streets he took a fresh sheet of paper and typed a heading... SCARLET SPIDER.

Bayville

Unaware of his new appellation, the web-swinging hero in question had spent the next few nights patrolling, attempting to get a lead on the Sirens. They were certainly causing quite a bit of commotion and he suspected that at some point they might run into each other. So it only made sense to scope them out first... Besides... His original had spent years as a photographer and old habits were hard to break...

Xavier Institute

"Did you talk to the Professor?" Kurt asked as he got into Scott's car.

"Yeah. He said he was going to talk to everyone this afternoon and then he said he was going to try to locate Spider-man with Cerebro."

"That's good. So you think Spider-man would join us? Become an X-man?"

Scott frowned he didn't really like the idea. "I'm not so sure, he's exactly a team player Kurt. He could be dangerous..." His argument was lame at best, he knew it. But there was something about the wall-crawler he didn't like.

"That's true, but you can't be a team player if no one lets you on the team, Scott..."

Scott continued to frown at Kurt's oddly wise words. Still, he couldn't put his finger on it but something inside pushed away from the thought of Spider-man joining them.

Bayville later the same day...

Tabby pulled up to the Burger Shack having once again taken off before Lance could say a word. She was going to have to get a spare set of keys made before Lance wised up and hid them from her. Still, she was here and waiting for the others in the dim light outside the X-Mansion. It took them about thirty minutes after the time they supposed to arrive and as the girls were buckling up Tabitha decided to ask...

"What kept you guys?"

Kitty shrugged. "The Professor called an assembly. He wanted to talk to us about those rumors that Spider-man may be in Bayville. "

"And how we shouldn't follow that as an example of how to use our powers," Jean said folding her arms. She had a deep frown ever since she had gotten into the jeep, it was unlike her the redhead was pretty much always optimistic.

"Do you think he knows?" Amara asked a hint of fear in her petite features.

"No, I don't think so. If he did he would have called us in privately. But I'm betting someone else knows..." Jean's frown intensified at the thought.

"Who?" Kitty asked.

"An overgrown boy scout who needs to stop trying to protect us when we don't need protecting... THAT's who." Jean said grievously bit remained silent about the person in question.

Tabby popped a bubble in the gum she had been casually chewing. "So are you guys still in or what?" It would be a drag if they quit but not the end of the world. She had gone back to the repair shop yesterday and her MP3 player was fixed and looked brand new. Although the cute blond was nowhere to be seen at least she had her music back.

"We're in. We've got something to finish and besides... We can take care of ourselves!" Jean answered a firm determination in her voice.

"All right!" Tabby grinned. "Get in and let's go nail some bad guys!"

As they pulled out, a small bird followed them.

In his private study, Johnny Turreno waited impatiently. Tonight he had excruciatingly planned everything and finally, all the pieces were in place. He now could only wait to see if the so-called 'Sirens' would oblige him and step into his trap. They had hurt his business more than he had expected, worse yet was the knowledge that his competitors; as well as some larger outfits from New York were preparing to take over his territory. His Territory! He doubted these whores could appreciate how much Blood, sweat and tears had been poured into building up his influence. He had even lost family to his small empire there wouldn't be a territory here if he hadn't strived for the last twenty years to develop this place. But what do five girls know about that? Nothing! So he had to send a message loud and clear that he was still running Bayville and that message was going to be a bloody one, it had to be otherwise it would be all for nothing.

Finally, the phone rang.

"Talk to me!" He demanded as soon as he picked up the line.

"They just took the bait boss." A voice on the other side of the line said. He had set a trap. He staged several 'Carjackings' around the slums waiting for the girls to take the bait, and like mice in a maze, they found the preverbal cheese.

"Good... make it seem like you are trying to lose them. Then bring them here."

"Yes, sir." Turreno's man pocketed his cell phone and picked up a headset. He spoke into the mic. "Rabbits are running... Wait till they're all in the bag... Terminate the lot..."

"Come on creeps... lead us right back to that rat's nest of yours..." Tabby grinned as she sped up in pursuit. Next to her, Jean frowned she sensed something but she couldn't put her finger on the problem. "Something's wrong here..." The girls watched as the carjackers pulled into an isolated warehouse. Although it seemed like they were trying to get away several times it almost appeared that the car slowed down around the corners.

Parking the Jeep outside the abandoned warehouse they held onto Kitty as she fazed them through the wall. Positioning themselves behind some boxes they looked into the darkness they were surrounded by.

Then Jean realized what was happening moments before a bright light encased them. Her eyes opened wide as the hostile thoughts of dozens of armed men directed at them.

"It's a trap!"

Hastily throwing up a shield to protect them the rocket sped directly into the girls. Ricocheting off of Jean's barrier the rocket slammed into the huge metal door several meters away.

Outside Scott and Kurt watched with alarm. "They're in trouble!" Scott yelled as he jumped out of the topless car.

"Shouldn't we call the mansion for help?" Kurt said apprehensively.

"There's no time Kurt!" He accelerated until he reached the back of the warehouse...

Across town...

"Well, just another boring night in Bayville for your friendly neighborhood... wait what is my name again?" Ben mused as he patrolled over still streets.

"Oh well, I guess I can wait on the superhero name… Gosh, have all of the criminals taken the night off..." It was then that he saw a massive amount of smoke billowing out from a building in the distance.

"So much for the quiet night… I really need to learn to keep my thoughts to myself." Reilly thought as he began to swing toward the conflagration.

The warehouse

"What do we do?" Kitty asked calling out to Jean beginning to panic slightly.

"Phase out and give us a diversion! Tabby! Amara! Left and Right... Give us some cover fire!" Jean ordered stepping into the all too familiar role of team leader the institute had trained her for.

"We're on it!" Tabby said sending a volley of energy bombs into the rafters. They detonated blowing big holes in the roof and sending gunmen scurrying for cover.

"Come on Rogue! Let's take them down!" Tabitha yelled sounding like this was what she had been waiting for all night.

"Ah'm right behind ya Sugar!" Rouge replied in her best impersonation of a southern diner waitress.

Quickly the tide turned in the favor of the Sirens. Scott and Kurt watched from the stairs from an existing door in the rafters, the girls seemed to have taken total control.

"Vell should ve help them?"

"No... I think they've got this." Scott and Kurt slipped out unseen allowing the girls to finish what they'd started. It was just at this point that Mystique was about to make her move...

Unfortunately, not all of Turreno's men were quite ready to pack it in... Above and behind the girls silently stood snipers their rifles were trained on to the young mutants as they made their way back towards where they last parked Lance's Jeep.

"Hey! Didn't your parents teach you that it's not polite to point?!" The Sirens turned at the sound of the voice as the startled gunmen's weapons were ripped out of their hands by two lines of webbing. The guns flew from their grip and were firmly stuck to a wall behind them. "Stick around why don't you?" Ben said webbing them in to place. Then Ben scanned the surroundings to make sure there were no more that he had missed.

"Well... Looks like I missed the whole thing! But at least I caught the after-party, which is really when all the fun starts anyway."

Mystique slipped into the shadows to observe the interaction between the two parties. She had been prepared to use the specter of arrest to scare the girls out of their game but that would have to wait. Still, she DID have her camera handy...

"So... What are nice girls like you doing in a place like this?" Ben asked smiling under his mask as he leaned over the railing.

"Hiya hot stuff!" Boom Boom grinned. Whoever the Spider was, he had a nice butt and his muscular form sure was easy on the eyes.

"Wow! You're Spider-man!" Kitty said excitedly.

"No, I'm actually Tuxedo Mask, I've come from Sailor moon just to visit you guys..." He remarked jokingly, but at the girl's blank looks, they gave him he guessed his joke had fallen flat. "And you girls are either a special unit of the FBI with those shades or the Bayville Sirens..." He said lightly. "You know... I'd like to chat but I'd suggest you get going before the police show up..." He said feeling a little awkward, he really needed to learn to speak with girls. 'MJ must have been a fluke.' He thought darkly.

"Well until we meet again… Stay safe out there!" Ben said throwing out another web-line and swinging away from them.

Jean smirked at his hasty exit she really only had one thought as they watched him leave. 'He's cute, a total dork… but still very cute."