Here we go again, folks! Peter, Kitty and the Order of the Web are joining the Hellfire Gala, so let's see how things flow on the party, shall we?
Enjoy the reading!
SPIDER-MAN AND KITTY PRYDE: A (HELLFIRE) GALA TO REMEMBER
Chapter 2: Spinning Threads through Hellfire
"OK, Deep breathe… here we go…" Kitty takes the first step, determined to 'Face the Music' and tackle the challenge of the Hellfire Gala while her boyfriend and her new friends jump to the Washington Square Monument to await for her signal and make their entrance, to which she activates her Webware device as she walks towards the Krakoan Gate.
After she helped Spider-Man defeat Octavius and save the Krakoan medicine from danger, the island forgave her, thus granting her access through the gates, yet she never needed them nor used them after she chose to stay in New York with her boyfriend, and now, taking advantage of the gates being open for non-mutants for the Gala, she walks through it, reaching the island of Mykenes for the night everyone will be talking about.
Once she steps inside the island, the conversations and the background music slowly go to a halt as everyone looks at the new arrival, the woman who everyone thought was a mutant, yet turned out to be not a 'true one', but nonetheless, some of the mutants in Krakoa still value her and respect her.
"Thank you for coming, dear Katherine" Emma communicates with Kitty through their psychic link, causing Kitty to look at her attire, a large fur dress with an X-shaped cleavage and a massive diamond crown.
"Damn, you chose that one as your attire?" Kitty asks her through their link as she shows a small smile.
"The first of three for the evening, darling" Emma replies, raising her glass of champagne "And it seems that you reconsidered and came on your own" she comments as she noticed her lone arrival but to her surprise, Kitty smirks at her comments.
"That's what you think…" Kitty replies and then walks a few steps forward "AHEM! If I have your attention please?" she talks to attract the attention of the guests and mutants at the party "I'm sure most of you around here know who I am, I'm Kate Pryde, Kitty for most of my close friends, also known as Shadowcat for most of my life with the X-Men, and for a brief time I was the Red Queen of this nation…" she looks around to everyone who is listening to her words "But after I left this island, I made a new life, a happier life, one with one of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen" she makes the obvious reference to Spidey "Someone who deserves to be present here with the best of the best, someone who has been an ally to mutantkind for years, and who fights for everyone in this world in ways none of us could even imagine" she expresses her admiration for what Spidey has done "And I'm not speaking only about him, but also about his friends, friends who are now mine as well" she makes the references to Peter's fellow spider-themes heroes "A friendship I value so much to the point that they named me an Honorary Member of their circle, a title that I carry with pride" she shows a proud smile on her face "And that is why tonight, I stand here in representation of THE ORDER OF THE WEB!"
With that cue, the Spiders shoot their web-lines from the top of the Washington Square Monument and jump to swing down and cross the Krakoan Gate and join the party in an elaborate entrance, swinging in pairs and crossing above the crowd, performing the stunts they pull on the top of skyscrapers as they fly over them until they reach Kitty's position and all of them land by her sides, the men landing on Kitty's right and the women on her left, and that provokes a loud applause from the human guests, as well as a few mutants.
"I have to say, that's quite an entrance" Captain America murmurs to Iron Man who simply scoffs.
"Those suits are fine… not good compared to mine but they're good" Jumbo Carnation comments about the spiders' attires as the group begins to mingle across the island to properly experience the party.
"I gotta say I really feel like a celebrity" Peter jokes as he walks arm in arm with his girlfriend, noticing that Emma is glaring a bit at her "Is she mad?" he asks her but Kitty shakes her head in denial
"Nah, she's just annoyed" Kitty replies as they cross paths with Iceman "Bobby! Nice gown!" she compliments his 'Ice Gown', which includes ice wings.
"Thanks Kitty, and you're looking good Webs!" Bobby replies with a smile.
"Cool wings dude" Peter comments about his attire "Those are wings, right?" he asks but Bobby raises an eyebrow "Love the shades though and did you grew your hair?" he asks, noticing how his hair is longer.
"Dude, I can do a lot with my powers than just making my hair look spiky" Bobby jokingly replies "Anyways, enjoy the party guys" he then leaves to hang around, just as one of the many Madrox dupes working on catering walk with a tray full of drink glasses, to which Kitty grabs one.
"Ummm, is any of those drinks non-alcoholic?" Peter asks him, to which the Madrox dupe raises an eyebrow "It's just that I'm the designated driver" he jokes, prompting Kitty to giggle a bit.
"Maybe they have some at the Green Lagoon Tiki Bar, Hun" Kitty replies to his comment, walking through the party until they bump with Wolverine, who is working on security detail with his teammates from X-Force.
"Well, Helloooooo there Wolvie!" Peter slaps Logan's back to greet him, prompting him to unsheathe his claws and growl at him, stopping when he recognizes him.
"Dammit Webs!" Logan complains "What are you doing here?" he asks, wondering how he managed to join the party.
"I brought him here, Old Man" Kitty responds with a nagging tone "Apparently, you missed my speech"
"I was outside" Logan replies as his excuse "Congratulations then Web-head" he mutters almost reluctantly.
"Awwwww, thanks Logan" Peter replies sarcastically "I'm surprised you're not wearing one of those fancy attires everyone here does" he points that out to him.
"I'm doing security with X-Force; besides, there's no way in Hell I'm wearing anything from Jumbo" Logan replies with his gruff tone.
"Probably you'd be wearing a suit made of meat" Peter jokes, to which Kitty chuckles in reaction, something that does surprise Logan.
"You're laughing at his jokes?" Logan asks her "You really are head over heels, kiddo" he sighs and then looks back at Peter "Anyways, you made it, so both of ya enjoy the party" he then leaves to his duty.
"A meat suit… You know? I think he pulled that one before" Kitty comments about his joke.
"Wouldn't be a surprise" Peter shrugs his shoulders "Honestly, he'd pull that…" he suddenly stops when he notices a very familiar face amongst the guests "You have to be #$%&+*&$ kidding me…" he comments as he walks towards the man in question "I mean, I'm not invited but HE DOES!?" he gestures at the man, who turns around after hearing his voice and spits his food in question.
"Dagblastit! You're here too!?" the man, revealed to be 'Threats & Menaces' podcaster and lead reporter J. Jonah Jameson, exclaims at the sight of Peter "Let me guess, you're your girlfriend's Plus One, and hello to you too Miss Pryde" he greets Kitty after she joins them.
"J. Jonah Jameson, now this is a shocker" Kitty replies nonchalantly.
"I'm genuinely surprised you got invited, I mean, Threats & Menaces isn't precisely 'Krakoan Friendly', or at least I know Norah isn't" Peter comment about Jonah's presence, even mentioning his former co-worker Norah Winters, who is well known for being amoral about superhero stories.
"Why wouldn't I be invited?" Jonah asks as if were offended "I am a paragon of virtue in the media and the mutants know it!" he exclaims "Besides, you could've come with me if you had stayed at T&M" he points that out to him, reminding him of his brief period working for his media in his attempt to make Spider-Man a well-liked hero to the masses.
"You already know why I left that job, Jonah" Peter replies, indirectly reminding him about how uncomfortable he felt about being T&M's pseudo-influencer to the point of selling out, not to mention that it was right when his former friend and roommate Boomerang betrayed him.
"Also, I can make a better suit with my eyes closed" Kitty interjects, making a reference to the upgraded suit Peter was wearing during that time which, while Kitty approved of the utility, was not a fan of the color scheme.
"BAH! I'm not wasting my time in petty arguments!" Jonah exclaims "I have to catch a lot of information, so I'll send you the podcast and you'll know about it" he leaves them behind to join other guests, to which they walk around reaching the small group of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Storm.
"Kätschen! Spidey!" Kurt greets them slightly over excited "I'm so, SO glad to see you!" he then hugs them both, which startles them a bit.
"We're happy too, fuzzy elf" Kitty replies, yet she notices he acts much 'happier' than usual "Already hitting the drinks?"
"Please Kätschen; one or two cups won't hurt right?" Kurt jokes and then looks at Peter "Have you seen Mein Engel tonight? How's she? I miss Mein Engel" he comments about his girlfriend, who also happens to be Peter's sister Teresa.
"Dude, she's busy with her crew doing 'Watchtower Duty' as she called it" Peter replies, explaining that Teresa is absent due to her work, although he notices how the alcohol is affecting him "You should try to get a bite man, it helps to balance things" he tries to convince him to avoid further embarrassment.
"You're right! I'll see ya!" Kurt then Bamfs out of the scene, causing Peter and Kitty to cough due to the sulfur cloud.
"I really, really hope he doesn't go drunk" Peter comments about Kurt's behavior, which is also a matter of concern for Kitty.
"You're right; Gin is not a happy drink" Kitty replies to his comment as they both keep mingling with the crowd, greeting the guests until they reach three of the iconic X-Men: Storm, Jean Grey and Cyclops "Heeeey, how's it going guys?"
"So good to see you, Kitten" Storm greets her longtime friend with a hug "Good to see you as well, Spider-Man" she salutes Peter with a smile. In spite of her being of the few who know his identity after the Madripoor Incident against Arcade, she will not reveal it out of respect as she stands with Jean and Scott.
"Don't take this as an offense Spider-Man but, while we're glad that you helped Kate overcome her situation, I'm surprised about your presence here given what transpired the time before" Jean gently talks to him about his previous visit to the island.
"I'm well aware of what I did, Jean" Peter replies "I'm not offended and I acknowledge that it was very rude of my part, although curse word aside, it's a point I still keep in mind" he explains his opinion about Xavier's decision concerning Kitty.
"So you still consider Charles Xavier… that?" Cyclops throws the question at him, prompting Kitty to frown at him.
"Scott, come on, Spider-Man had a very valid reason to react like that" Kitty steps in to defend her boyfriend but Peter kindly gestures to calm down.
"I called him like that because I was mad, and I don't consider him like that" Peter explains himself "Yet, I do feel that most of the things he has done, and allowed to do, are questionable at best, I mean, he's far from the eloquent teacher who used to parade around in a wheelchair preaching about co-existence between humans and mutants" he talks about his point of view concerning Xavier's decisions concerning Krakoa "I'm glad that you have your nation and your own freedom, I really do, but I don't think isolating on an island is the answer" he ends his argument.
"We totally understand your point of view Spider-Man, and just so you know, Ororo, Kurt and even Logan have spoken highly of you" Jean kindly responds his argument.
"And we do acknowledge all the times you fought alongside mutants" Cyclops adds to Jean's words "As for the isolationist part, I know people consider us like that, but after tonight I'll assure you that things will change" he replies his last comment "Now if you excuse us, we have a program to fulfill for the Gala".
"Totally get it" Peter replies "Take care and I have to say, ladies, you look elegant, regal and majestic" he compliments Storm's and Jean's attires "Scotty, you look cool, Action Figure cool" he gives him a thumbs up as he leaves the group and Kitty chuckles on their way out.
"Scott looks like an action figure?" Kitty asks Peter "Now I'm picturing the joints" she jokes with him as they keep walking, reaching the area where part of the Fantastic 4 are gathered. While the entire Richards family arrived, Ben went to join other guests outside and Susan chats with her fellow heroes, to which Reed, Johnny and the Richards children are the ones who greet Peter and Kitty.
"Kitty, Spidey, I'm glad to see you both here" Reed is the one who greets the couple.
"Good to see you too, Doctor Richards" Kitty replies kindly.
"Hey Johnny, where's that girlfriend of yours? Your soulmate with the wings" Peter asks about Johnny's alleged 'soulmate' Sky "Seriously, I'm still finding hard to buy the words 'Johnny' and 'Soulmate' in the same sentence" he whispers to Kitty but then notices that Johnny's mood changes and goes a bit nervous
"She's not here, she's just not into these type of things" Johnny replies quickly, not wanting to deal with that situation.
"He just didn't invite her" Valeria shrugs her shoulders bringing that for him "Which, as we all know, is typical behavior from my dear uncle"
"Valeria!" Reed scolds his daughter for that comment.
"WOW, I mean, Peter told me about you guys but honestly, I was hoping to meet her, maybe find out exactly how you two could work" Kitty comments with genuine curiosity about meeting Sky.
"What happened, dude? Everything OK with you two?" Peter asks him about it but Johnny shakes his head in denial.
"I'd rather not talk about it" Johnny replies and then sighs "This ain't the place or the time to talk about it, how about I drop to your apartment tomorrow, Okay?" he adds, to which Peter nods in response.
"No problem, man" Peter replies while Kitty heads to talk with Franklin.
"Everything OK?" Kitty asks him, showing concern for her close friend.
"Yeah, it's just…" Franklin tries to reply but then he sighs in frustration.
"It's about your powers, right?" Kitty asks him, knowing about how he lost the cosmic powers he once had "Peter told me about what went down and I'm so sorry about it" she tries to comfort him.
"It's just… one day, I'm the sensation of Krakoa, everyone considers me important, and the next day I'm rejected because I never was one of your kind" Franklin replies with evident frustration, something that Kitty knows too well.
"Believe me bubbuleh, I know that feeling" Kitty replies, remembering her own situation that led her to leave Krakoa behind and make her new life with Peter "But that '4' on your jacket means that you're part of something great and one day, you'll be back in your prime" she then gives him a comforting hug "Everything will work in the end, Bub" she smiles at him.
"Thanks Kitty" Franklin replies, smiling in kind "Good thing you brought Uncle Peter too, I can't get why he wasn't invited" he comments about the party and Peter's status.
"Stupid reasons but I wasn't gonna allow that to happen" Kitty responds "And as you can see, we're throwing a lot of-WHOA!" she then is suddenly pulled away from Franklin only to bmp with her close friends Rachel Grey and Illyana Rasputina, Prestige and Magik respectively.
"You finally show up!" Rachel and Magik give Kitty a group hug that she returns.
"I had to set my conditions to-OW!" Kitty tries to reply but she feels something poking her chest, cutting off the hug only to reveal that Rachel's attire includes spikes in 'certain areas', a detail that embarrasses her.
"Oh, sorry, but I can shrink the spikes telepathically, see?" Rachel replies as she shrinks the spikes.
"That aside, seems that you chose to wear Jumbo's attire" Magik comments "Looking god compared with your pal and his friends" she shows disdain to the other spider-theme heroes.
"I mean, no offense but those suits are subpar compared to Jumbo's" Rachel adds to Magik's words.
"Come on girls!" Kitty frowns at them "Those suits are awesome! They were made by this middle-school kid but he's a genius!" she tries to defend her friends.
"A Kid designed them? That explains it" Magik comments "But enough about that, we have to get a drink and catch up"
"I was gonna ask, why you chose to bring Spider-Man and not that boyfriend of yours?" Rachel comments, not knowing that Peter Parker and Spider-Man are one and the same.
"Wellllll, Peter's not the kinda guy who goes to big parties" Kitty replies trying to cover up for her boyfriend "I mean, from what he told me, he had a rough time when he attended these big social reunions when he was CEO of his company" she comments a true fact that Peter told her, hoping that both girls buy it.
"Oh right, he had this company" Magik comments but Rachel elbows her side to make sure she does not fowl-mouth him "OW!"
"We get it, he wasn't able to come to the party" Rachel replies "But one day we have to meet this guy in person" she points that out to her friend, who laughs in response.
"I'll try" Kitty replies "At least you kept in touch with Teresa" she comments about Rachel's friendship with Teresa, to which Magik rolls her eyes.
"Oh, she's the awesome one; she told me that you finally moved in with your boyfriend" Rachel replies, surprising Magik with that announcement.
"You're now on the 'Living Together' part of the relationship?" Magik asks her, to which Kitty nods in response.
"I'll fill you in the details once we hit the-Oh! My! God! Is that George R. R. Martin?" Kitty replies but then catches the famous writer of 'A Song of Fire and Ice', being also a fan of its adaptation 'Game of Thrones' "I have to talk to him, come on!" she giddily grabs her friends' hands and walk towards him to meet the man, all the while the rest begin to enjoy the festivities.
With that, the evening begins to flow as it was programmed, opening with the telepathic concert provided by Rhapsody alongside Jean Grey and the Stepford Cuckoos, followed by the first election of the 'Krakoan Team' of X-Men with Cyclops and Jean Grey leading the team and, after being chosen, they are joined by Rogue, Sunfire, the younger Wolverine, Synch and Polaris to conform the newest iteration of the X-Men, and with that, the celebration can go on.
WITH JESSICA
Jessica barely had the time to mingle with the party, eyeing a few known faces in the distance from her time working with the Avengers but then she settles with the group of close friends: Carol Danvers, Jennifer Walters and Susan Storm, the women known as Captain Marvel, She-Hulk and the Invisible Woman respectively.
"It seems that you're the only good faces I can see around" Jessica quips at her friends who look at her in awe at her dress.
"Gotta say Jess, first time I've seen you wearing something that merges your superhero attire with an evening gown" Carol comments as she looks at the dress "Thanks for making me feel underdressed" she adds with a hint of sarcasm, pointing out the fact that unlike Jessica, they are wearing their hero attires.
"Hey, it was Pryde's idea" Jessica shrugs her shoulders "But I admit that I love this dress, can you believe a middle-grade student made this?" she points at her dress "I mean, not even Janet in her prime could've pulled out something like this" she references Janet Van Dyne's time as a fashion designer, although she mostly redesigned her own attire.
"Looking great" She-Hulk replies in her own way since she is in her Hulk form.
"Yeah, I mean, the mutants brought a very… eclectic style to this Gala" Susan comments, looking around to watch the many different attires.
"If by 'eclectic' you mean something pulled out of Lady Gaga's wardrobe, then yes" Jessica replies to Sue's comment "I mean, look at 'Miss BDSM' over there…" she looks at Rachel Grey "that's a lot of spikes if you ask me, I'm surprised she hasn't poked an eye at someone"
"Is it me or she has spikes where they shouldn't be?" Carol gestures pointing at the breasts area to explain her point "Either that or those are very spiky nipples" she adds.
"Well, at least not everyone brings spikes to dangerous levels, just look at Miss St. Croix" Susan comments about Monet's attire "Elegant and exuberant, I must say"
"Hulk thinks that girl looks like bubble gum wrapped around" She-Hulks looks at Karma's attire, talking in her own way while her friends try to figure out the shape of the attire.
"Well, remember what we said about poking eyes?" Carol then turns to look at Magik, noticing the much larger than usual horns "That girl talking to Stephen might do that with one false move".
"Um, guys? There's a metallic girl whom I swear to God is wearing bodypaint" Jessica comments about Mercury's 'attire' which looks so attached to her physiognomy that it does look like bodypaint.
"At least not every attire looks baffling" Susan then looks at Betsy Braddock "Captain Britain combines elegance and a bit of modernity" she comments about the attire "Although the skirt is a tad short" she points out that detail.
"She does have nice legs though" Carol comments as she drinks a sip of her glass, but then the women notice one of the Original X-Men approaching them for a brief chat.
"Hello ladies, enjoying the night?" Angel greets them, to which the women all nod in response.
"Good party, need more food" She-Hulk comments, leaving Angel a little dumbstruck.
"I-I'll see what can I do about that" Angel comments a bit baffled and then nods "Enjoy the Gala, ladies".
"That Worthington guy really looks like a true Angel" Carol comments with a slightly flirty tone.
"Because he shirtless" She-Hulk replies "Many men here shirtless" she points out that detail about many of the male mutants going with their exposed torsos.
"Won't deny that they look hot" Susan comments "Almost as if they were chiseled to perfection"
"And speaking of chiseled" Jessica turns to look at Colossus who is approaching the women alongside his girlfriend Kayla.
"Good evening ladies" Colossus gentlemanly salutes them "Kayla, I'd like you to meet some of the greatest heroines; Spider-Woman, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk and the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four" he then look at the women "Ladies, my girlfriend Kayla"
"A pleasure to meet you, ladies" Kayla salutes each one of them and then they both make a small bow to leave them.
"Lucky girl" She-Hulk comments "I'd dump Thor for that"
"We all would Jen" Carol replies to her comment "We all would"
"You guys know I'm happily married, right?" Susan speaks with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Keep telling yourself that" Jessica replies, to which Sue simply scoffs and then returns to her family while the other women chat with each other.
WITH ANYA
As the party moves along, Anya begins to feel 'out of her element' since she cannot find a familiar face to socialize, although she has made small talk with a few of the young ones like Glob Herman and Eye-Boy, that is until she bumps with one of the most famous mutants in the room, with an outfit that truly makes honor to her name, glowing thanks to her powers.
"Oh, I'm sooOOH MY GOD!" Anya cannot help but to fangirl in front of her "I'm standing in front of Dazzler! I'm standing in front of Dazzler!" she mutters, yet Dazzler begins to feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Yeeeah, that's me" Dazzler replies with a slightly uncomfortable laugh.
"Oh God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Anya begins to feel nervous "Is just that I'm a huge fan, I've been listening to everything you did, even your brief period of punk-rocker" she comments, but that actually perks up the songstress.
"Y-Y-You did?" Dazzler asks her, sounding surprised "You really heard my couple of punk-rock, anger filled singles?"
"I did, and they're pretty cool" Anya replies with sincerity "Some of my friends at college say it was your worst period but I always believed that it was a way to experiment a different sound, explore alternatives and act upon the mood, letting it all out" she comments, truly impressing the celebrity mutant.
"You have no idea of how glad I am to hear that!" Dazzler exclaims with a giddy smile "I mean, I was going through a very rough patch thanks to that #$%&+ over there posing as me…" she points at Mystique, referencing the time she attacked her and took her place within S.H.I.E.L.D. "So I needed to vent out the frustration in other ways besides beating the crap out of people, and the best way to do so is through my music" she explains it to her "So I tried to look like a punk rocker, and thus I experimented with punk-rock music, and it felt different, but a 'good' kind of different you know?" she asks, to which Anya nods "Of course, I wasn't expecting to be a hit, but what hurt was what the people at the record company told me: 'You should go back to Disco', 'Pop Music is more of your area' it was so frustrating…"
"I totally understand" Anya nods in understanding "Like I told you, you were experimenting and every artist is entitled to do so, I actually liked it, it sounded very different but it still sounded like you, your signature is what mattered, that you're still, pardon the pun, dazzling the world" she adds, bringing a sincere smile to Dazzler's face, touched by her words
"That… That's very sweet" Dazzler replies, quickly wiping away a tear off her face "Can I give you a hug?" she asks, already spreading her arms.
"Really? Really!?" Anya giddily asks but right then she jumps at the chance and gives Dazzler a big hug "Man, I wish I had something so you could sign it"
"Don't worry, you got your phone?" Dazzler asks her, to which Anya nods in response "You know what they say, selfies are the modern day autographs" that reply prompts Anya to pull her phone while Dazzler does the same with hers, wanting to keep the moment with a 'true fan' of hers.
"This is the best night ever!" Anya exclaims while both women begin to pose "By the way, I'm Spider-Girl" she formally introduces herself "But you can call me Anya" she whispers at her.
"Your secret's safe" Dazzler replies, letting her know she can trust in her, having gained a new friend "Ready?" right then both women set the cameras of their phones "Say Daaazz!" but right when they snap the photo, a purple cloud appears behind them, followed by a familiar blue elf clad in red and black.
"DAAAZZZZSSSSHH!" Kurt exclaims, startling both women.
"GAAH! Kurt!" Dazzler scolds him "What the #$%&!?"
"I'm ssshorry; I'm ssshorry" Kurt replies, already going through the hard effects of alcohol "Isssh jusssht that I wanted to talk to ssshomeone, yuh know?" he goes back and forth looking at Dazzler and Anya "Becaussshe I misssssh Mein Engel" he then begins to go emotional when he mentions his girlfriend, Teresa Parker "I reelly reelly misssssh Mein Engel" he then grabs another glass of liquor and chugs it in one move "I have to warn Mein Engel abutt what'sssh coming! Onssshlaught isssh coming!" he then Bamfs away, only to reappear a few feet away yelling the same warning over and over again, leaving both women with their mouths agape.
"That guy really needs to control his alcohol intake" Dazzler comment with a deadpan tone.
"Y pronto" Anya adds to her words in the same tone, but will not let that hinder the fact that she has gained a new friend in one of the most famous mutants across the globe.
WITH THE SCARLET SPIDERS
Kaine Parker is not the kind of person who goes to big parties and socializes, but if there is a silver lining is that he can get all the free drinks he can get as long as the party goes smoothly and no one interrupts him; unfortunately, his 'brother' and fellow clone Ben Reilly does exactly that.
"Can you believe it?" Ben asks him while he sits on the bar right next to him "I asked like 20 people and no one has seen her" he comments but then he notices that Kaine does not seem to be listening "Did you hear me, man?"
"Do I look like I give a #$%&?" Kaine asks nonchalantly, drinking a sip of his whiskey.
"You never do" Ben replies as he orders a cocktail for himself "But eventually you do care" he pokes fun at him, prompting Kaine to roll his eyes.
"Sure, I'll bite" Kaine replies in annoyance, wanting to put an end to the awkward conversation "Who were you looking for?"
"Angelica Jones" Ben replies, revealing the name of another woman he had a liking to "Firestar, an old friend of Pete's, we worked together with the New Warriors and I'm telling you, there was this huge attraction you know? She's gorgeous and Man…!" he acts completely smitten over her, even after all the time they have not seen each other.
"And nothing happened because…?" Kaine asks him, drinking another sip of his whiskey.
"Well, she was engaged at the time and I was afraid that by telling my identity, she'd figure out that Peter was Spider-Man so…" Ben explains the reason why he never pursued anything serious with Firestar at the time.
"And you thought 'Hey, maybe we can reconnect and be together, it worked for Peter and the Pryde chick'" Kaine mocks him but then he sighs "I dunno, maybe she's not on the party, maybe she's not even here on the island, so you have to keep searching and maybe you two can do that crap on rom-coms" he tries to encourage him on his own way.
"You really suck at love advice, dude" Ben replies, jokingly accepting those words.
"Why do you think I never had an actual relationship?" Kaine raises his glass "Here's to everyone who failed at love" he makes a 'toast', unaware that on his other side is Wild Child, a member of the Hellions whose heart just got broken after being rejected by his former paramour Aurora, and he is reeling from it with a very bad mood.
"You gonna make fun of me, dumbass?" Wild Child confronts Kaine, shoving his shoulder with a glare.
"Hey! What's your problem, #$%&+!?" Kaine angrily faces him while Ben tries to contain him.
"My problem? You're my problem now, #$%&+!" Wild Child exclaims right before jumping towards him to slash his face with his claws, ripping the lower half of his mask.
"Oh, you mother#$%&+*…" Kaine mutters as he breaks Ben's old and rushes at Wild Child to tackle him and give him a barrage of punches, but right then he is stopped by Greycrow, one of Wild Child's teammates from the Hellions.
"You're striking my brother, you're gonna pay for that" Greycrow then connects a punch to his face but before he could land a second one, Ben grabs his arm and turns him to face him.
"Two-on-One? Very rude" Ben quips at him and then grabs both sides of his head to strike his nose with his knee "You OK?" he asks Kaine while he helps him up.
"Never better" Kaine mutters while both Hellions stand back up, both pairs of brawler measuring each other up before they go into a big brawl "You up for it?" he asks him while he takes off his blazer.
"No need to ask" Ben replies just as both Hellions attack the Scarlet Spiders with a frontal assault. Ben blocks Greycrow's punches and makes quick work with a couple of punches to his gut, ending with an uppercut and then he turns him around and grabs him from behind to apply a German Suplex dropping him down to the floor.
Kaine on his part was having minor difficulties dodging Wild Child's slashes in spite of his Spider-Sense, with the mutant managing to scratch his chest, but that only managed to rile up the former avatar of The Other and he reacts by grabbing Wild Child's arm and twisting it so he can drop him down with a Facebuster drop. Kaine rips off his now ruined shirt but he is then blasted by an energy beam.
"You two leave my friends alone!" the armored Orphan-Maker holds his energy rifle while Nanny appears on his side.
"This party is going down!" Nanny exclaims but then she looks at Orphan-Maker being stalked by Ben "Peter, watch out!" she tries to warn him but Ben manages to jump and hold him on a sleeper hold, weakening him long enough to move down his knees and apply a Backbreaker Drop on him.
Nanny tries to grab her gun but she is tackled by Kaine who managed to recover, grabbing her from her egg-shaped body to lift her up and drop her in a Powerbomb on top of Orphan-Maker's body, leading both Scarlet Spiders to roar in triumph, with Ben taking off his blazer and drops it to the floor, roaring as if they were on a WWE show.
"You think you have beaten us!?" a Spanish accented male voice interrupts them, revealed to come from Empath, the most 'rebellious' member of the Hellions.
"You want a piece of us, compadre?" Kaine taunts him but Empath simply smirks.
"You two should beat the crap out of each-GUH!" Empath tried to use his powers but they were cut short when both men kick him in the gut. Ben and Kaine look at each other and nod and then they grab Empath by the neck, lifting him up so they can quickly drop him through a table with a Double Chokeslam.
"You like that, 'Discount Ricky Martin'?" Kaine taunts him again as Empath writhes in pain.
"And if you're not down with that, we got two words for ya…" Ben joins in for the fun and then he, alongside Kaine pose with the 'D-Generation X Crotch Chop'.
"SUCK IIIIIIIT!" both Ben and Kaine exclaim simultaneously but when they turn around, they both look at a very angry Havok facing them.
"You had the guts to beat my team, Huh?" Havok confronts them in representation of his fellow Hellions, prompting both spiders to stand in guard "How 'bout both of you step up and fight me" he challenges them but just as he is starting to charge, one of the X-Force members working on security detail intervenes.
"That's enough!" Domino walks in, standing right between Havok and the Scarlet Spiders "Alex, pick up what's left of your team and get them out of here, they weren't invited in the first place" she scolds Havok, who realizes she is right and alongside the arriving Psylocke they help the rest of the beaten Hellions to leave "And you two, this ain't 'Friday Night SmackDown', so if you want to go fighting around, do it somewhere else" she talks to them with a stern voice, cooling down the situation.
"Fine, fine" Kaine replies, looking into Domino's eyes and shows a smirk as he picks up his blazer. Ben does the same and they both walk away from the scene, fistbumping each other in celebration while Domino keeps her eyes on Kaine.
"Neena, they should've left the party too" Sage talks to her fellow X-Force teammate through their psychic link.
"Come on Tess, they were beating the Hellions, they started it and no one gives a #$%& about them anyways" Domino replies as she crosses her arms.
"You did it because you want to check out the bearded one" Sage pokes at her, hinting that Domino has the hots for Kaine.
"SHUT UP!" Domino replies trying to hide her blush "OK, the guy's hot, the beard and those scars kinda give him character" she comments "Now stop poking in my head, alright?"
"Fine, but I do agree on the guy being hot, he looks very well built" Sage replies, implying that she shares that attraction towards Kaine "Let's compare notes after the shindig's over, shall we?" she ends her telepathic call, allowing Domino to keep working, yet she will keep an eye on the Scarlet Spiders, just in case.
WITH MILES
As the party kept going, Miles was searching for an old friend he has not seen or heard in quite a long time: Fabio Medina, with whom they shared good times back at the Brooklyn Visions Academy and even once Fabio saved his life. After mingling for a while, Miles finally spots his old friend, chatting with one of his fellow members of 'The Five', the collective group who carries on the duty of resurrecting the fallen mutants.
"Yo, Fabio!" Miles waves at his friend who starts looking around until he finds him and shows a wide smile at the sight of his old friend.
"NO WAY!" Fabio greets him as he approaches and both share a big effusive hug "BRUH! Look at you, all fancy, Papá!" he compliments Miles' 'Spider-Tux'.
"You ain't too shabby either, tamos con el estilacho, Papá" Miles compliments his friend as well.
"Oh, allow me to introduce you to a friend" Fabio then talks to Eva "Eva, meet Brooklyn's own Spider-Man, a god friend of mine from my time back in NYC" he then looks at Miles "Bruh, she's Eva Bell, a.k.a. Tempus, one of my crewmates over here".
"Pleased to meet you" Miles gently greets Eva, who replies in kind.
"Me too, never thought I'd meet the young Spidey" Eva comments showing her bright smile.
"Webs and I go way back" Fabio comments "He and his homies at Brooklyn welcomed me when I left the old School and we've been great pals ever since" he adds, referencing his friendship with him, Ganke and Bombshell.
"And here we are again, Spider-Man and Goldballs hanging out again" Miles comments with a playful pat to Fabio's shoulder.
"Actually, I'm not going by Goldballs anymore" Fabio tells Miles, sparking his curiosity "I'm going by Egg now!" he proudly says his current codename, leaving Miles with his mouth agape under the mask and to say that he was baffled beyond recognition would be an understatement "Webs? Bruh?"
"What?" Miles asks him, still baffled by what he just heard "Did you say that you changed your name from Goldballs to Egg?"
"Yeah…" Fabio awkwardly replies "I mean, it makes sense because as it turns out, the 'Balls' I shoot are actually eggs" he adds, making the conversation much more uncomfortable for Miles.
"Wait, wait, you're telling me that those balls that 'poinked' out of you are actually Eggs?" Miles points at Fabio's abdomen where his eggs come out.
"Yeah…" Fabio replies again.
"So wait…" Miles still tries to assimilate the information "That time you saved my life from the beating Hammerhead was giving me, you did it by shooting eggs at him!?"
"Yeah?" Fabio once again replies, this time shrugging his shoulders.
"Dude… Eso es tener muchos huevos…" Miles replies in Spanish, yet Fabio scoffs and rolls his eyes.
"Yo sabía que me ibas a venir con un chiste así" Fabio replies, to which Miles chuckles in response.
"Chico pero es que ¿Tu esperabas que no te lo dijera con ese nombre?" Miles quips back at him.
"Así me llamo yo Chico, ya Goldballs quedó atrás, Papá" Fabio quips back to him.
"Pero también tienes que entender que te van a llamar 'Huevo', 'HUEVO', te van a llamar Ensalada de Huevo, Sanguche de Huevo, Mira mi Huevo" Miles once again quips back at him.
"Tampoco es que me voy a poner a disparar huevos a lo loco, mírame que ya tengo algo más importante, chacho" Fabio replies back at him, all the while Eva looks dumbfounded at the conversation, not having a clue about what they are talking about since she does not know Spanish.
"I better get going" Eva mutters as Miles and Fabio keep their 'bickering' going until Miles notices that Eva just left.
"Perate, perate, perate Fabio" Miles cuts the talk and points to the distance "Se nos fue la muchacha"
"La espantamos, ¿verdad?" Fabio asks him but inevitably they both laugh at the scene.
"You know? If Ganke were here, he'd be laughing his ass off" Miles replies speaking back in English.
"Awww Man, I miss Ganke and Lana" Fabio replies, remembering his friendship with Ganke Lee and Bombshell "I missed you too, bruh" he fistbumps with him, a gesture that Miles responds in kind.
"So did I, bruh" Miles hugs him "So did I"
"Come on, let's catch up with Eva and hopefully won't scare her again" Fabio comments, heading to search for his friend and keep up the good vibes in their conversation after having reconnected with an old friend.
WITH CINDY
The evening was going regular for Cindy, believing that this could be a great chance to find a new connection for love after being single for too long, not counting that blunder of kissing the adult version of Jessica Drew's son. She hoped that she could find a potential suitor amongst the mutants but no luck so far. However, things changed when two men talking with each other accidentally bump with her, one of them almost spilling his drink over her.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I didn't ruin your dress, didn't I?" one of the men, wearing what looks like an odd-designed toga.
"No, not a stain on it" Cindy replies as she looks at the man.
"This is definitively NOT my day, man!" the man complains about his rough luck while his friend pats his shoulder.
"Relax Berto, things just weren't looking up to ya" the friend replies and then looks at Cindy "Ah'm sorry, Ah'm Cannonball, he's mah friend Sunspot" he makes the formal introductions.
"I think I heard about you before" Cindy replies, trying to connect the dots "Are you members of the X-Men?" she asks them with curiosity.
"Well, we could've been members but those elections were rigged! RIGGED I tell you!" Sunspot once again complains.
"Elections? Oh, you mean that the X-Men team members were elected?" Cindy asks out of curiosity.
"Yeah, every mutant was telepathically called to vote for ah member of its choosing" Cannonball explains it to her.
"At least my best friend voted for me" Sunspot adds to his friend's words "But how could they leave out one of the coolest, hard-working, handsome and all-around awesome guy like me out of contention?" he complains but then looks at Cindy "I'm sorry, but it's just frustrating, I was looking for a good reason to hang back here on Earth and I thought being on the X-Men could help…"
"Let me guess, you went through a heartbreak?" Cindy asks him, leaving both men surprised about how did she knew "I've been there, it sucks when you try to build a relationship but it's either too physical and no emotion or the other one doesn't feel the same" she sympathizes with him, offering him a kind smile "But as they say, something better might come along" she adds "But it's taking too damn long in my case" she mutters under her breath so they do not listen.
"That's what Ah'm telling ya, y'all bounce back from it, you're Roberto Da Costa!" Cannonball tries to give encouragement to his friend, yet the name reveal surprises Cindy.
"Wait, you're Roberto Da Costa? The Roberto Da Costa" Cindy now looks amazed at that reveal, leaving both men practically speechless "We both have a friend in common, Doctor Toni Ho"
"Oh right! Toni!" Sunspot exclaims after hearing that name "Haven't talked to her since Billy and Teddy's wedding in outer space" he comments, remembering the times they worked together with the U.S. Avengers, having not seen each other since the end of the Cotati Invasion.
"She helped the Agents of Atlas a few times and she has told us stories about her time as an Avenger working with you" Cindy begins to tell him what she learned about him "The one that stuck me the most was how you were wearing a headband that was barely keeping your powers active and even your life, and yet you found the strength to help Thor and Hercules to save the world" she tells him about that time during the 'Challenger Crisis' where he kept the World Engine going alongside Jane Foster, back when she was Thor, and Hercules.
"To be honest, I was at 25% capacity back then" Sunspot begins to show his trademark coolness "But I wasn't gonna spend my time watching others do the job and me lying down, I stood there, I took off the headband and unleashed my power to save the world" he then turns to look at his friend "Things like that should factor in the election, but NOOOOOO! It doesn't matter if I had my own team of Avengers, bought A.I.M. and saved the world, nope, I was ripped off in these elections" he once again complains.
"Well, if I can be honest with you, you are already awesome on your own" Cindy compliments him "The X-Men and even the Avengers can have whoever they want but nothing can reach to the heights of Roberto Da Costa" she adds, bringing a wide smile and a flirtatious look into Sunspot's face.
"I like your spunk, beleza" Sunspot replies with a flirty tone "What was your name, again?"
"Oh, sorry! I'm Silk, one of Spider-Man's allies" Cindy introduces herself.
"Silk" Sunspot repeats her name "Smooth, elegant and very fine" he talks with a flirty tone "E incrivelmente linda, devo acrescentar" he adds, flirting in Portuguese.
"Oh I'm sorry, didn't get that last part but…" Cindy then begins to twirl a strand of her hair "I'll take it as a compliment" she now talks with a flirty tone as well.
"It was" Sunspot smiles at her "It was Portuguese for finding you insanely beautiful" he translates hat last line, causing her to blush.
"Oooooh that sounds exotic" Cindy giggles, keeping her flirty attitude with Sunspot.
"Exotic is my middle name" Sunspot jokes "But I can tell you have some of that too" he flirts back, winking an eye at her.
"Well, I'll be here for the remainder of the Gala so we could use the time to find that out" Cindy replies flirtatiously, prompting Sunspot to come closer to her.
"Let me get you something to drink and keep the conversation going, shall we?" Sunspot walks with Cindy but then he quickly turns to give his best friend a thumbs-up gesture, signaling how his night is improving.
"Well, Ah'll be damned, the man still got it" Cannonball laughs and goes around the island while his best friend's night goes for the better, something that Cindy is also glad that is happening for it could mean the end of her spell of being single for too long.
WITH GWEN
While the party was running smoothly for the rest of the spiders, things were different for Gwen, since she hails from a different universe she has scarce connections beyond Peter and the Order of the Web, so she finds the Gala a bit overwhelming and for that she steps outside to take some fresh air, looking into the night sky beyond the horizon, simply looking forward until the sound of approaching footsteps is heard in the area.
"Excuse me… you OK?" Pixie, one of the young X-Men approaches Gwen, who remains near the guardrail.
"Oh, hey, sorry, I'm just…" Gwen tries to reply, slowly sighing after her first few words "Party's a bit overwhelming to me"
"I can tell, not everyone is amused by it" Pixie replies in a friendly tone.
"I'm not used to these big, fancy parties, but it would've been rude to refuse the invitation" Gwen replies in kind.
"Oh, right, you're one of Kate Pryde's friends, the Order of the Web?" Pixie asks with curiosity, to which Gwen laughs feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah, but I'm insisting that 'Order of the Web' is too #$%&+*&$ long" Gwen laughs at the name of her group "I'm Ghost-Spider" she extends her hand to formally make the introduction.
"I'm Pixie" Pixie replies with a bright smile as she shakes her hand.
"That explains the wings" Gwen jokes as she looks at her "You have fairy dust as well?"
"As a matter of fact, it's one of my powers" Pixie giggles in response, prompting Gwen to laugh as well.
"That's so cool actually" Gwen comments "I don't mean to offend, is just that people do have this misconception that fairies are all sweet and cute and the dust is an allegory to getting high, so no one would think of an actual hero being somewhat similar to a fairy, so you go out there kicking asses and tearing bad guys apart while they just assume you're just another cute girl but you're the opposite" she makes the effort to compliment her, something that Pixie begins to appreciate, not having thought of herself in that way.
"Thank you, those are very kind words" Pixie smiles at her, but afterwards comes a long, awkward silence, with both girls looking at the horizon "Have you risked your life recklessly?" she breaks the silence with a question that startles Gwen.
"Define 'recklessly'…" Gwen shows a combination of curiosity and concern for what she just said.
"Let's say that you jump into battle knowing that you're gonna get killed and you stare at the barrel of the gun and defy it, just for the thrill of it…" Pixie explains, referencing her own experience when she purposely allowed an enemy soldier to shoot at her, killing her so she could experience the sensation of being resurrected.
"Well, that's crazy" Gwen replies "I mean, I constantly fight for my life, not too long ago I dealt with some very spooky #$%&" she references the ordeal she went through with Peter against Kindred "But I wouldn't jump to fight a monster and go 'Nyah-Nyah' to his face, to say an example"
"So it's OK to fear death?" Pixie asks her, starting to ponder about her own dangerously daring attitude she picked up from Blink, Loa and DJ.
"I wouldn't say 'fearing death' I'm talking about appreciating life" Gwen responds with emphasis on the word 'life' "I've seen people close to me die, I've seen friends risking their necks day in and day out, and I'm not even from this Universe! I confess that there were days were I'd just hang up everything and go home, but I wouldn't be living my life, I'd be living a lie" her words bring Pixie's complete attention towards her "And to think that I live in a world where superheroes have come back from the dead" she adds, pointing out something that makes Pixie ponder if Gwen knows about what goes down in Krakoa about the 'Resurrection Protocols' "But my point is that being reckless is senseless, the point of being alive is to enjoy your life, and even more so when you have family, friends or a significant other that makes it worthwhile" she ends her argument, bringing a very valid point to Pixie's reasoning.
"You know?" Pixie then turns to look at Gwen "You're right, I mean, I don't have that many friends, I'm distant from my family and… my love life is pretty much inexistent but it's wrong to go face to face with a deadly situation and enjoy it when what I should be enjoying is to be alive, be out there and be helpful and useful to others" she gives her reasoning, finding out that her mentality was wrong, just like the one from her other friends.
"Well, it's never too late to find someone, could be an old friend, could be a teammate, or even someone you just met" Gwen tries to cheer her up, prompting Pixie to gently put her hand over hers at the guardrail.
"You're right…" Pixie smiles at her "Besides, this is a night to be bold and daring, to go for it" she giggles, yet Gwen's smile slowly fades out.
"Well, I wish I was 'Bold and Daring' with other things" Gwen comments, once again sparking Pixie's curiosity.
"Like what?" Pixie asks her, to which Gwen takes a deep breath.
"Let's say that a friend of mine awoke my 'Bi-Curiosity', and I'm still trying to figure out if I'm really into girls" Gwen explains how she is still wondering if she is bisexual or not.
"So, you're split?" Pixie asks her but Gwen shakes her head in denial.
"Nah, more like I'm 60/40" Gwen replies "She advised me to 'try and kiss girls', so if I liked it I'd find out if I really am or not" she comments.
"And you haven't?" Pixie throws another question at her.
"Nope, not for lack of trying" Gwen replies "Is just that I don't have friends who swing that way in this Earth and-HMPH!" suddenly her words were cut when Pixie quickly approaches her and presses her lips against hers in a soft kiss, a kiss that lasts for a couple of minutes until Pixie slowly steps away, allowing her to catch her breath "Whoa…"
"Sorry, is just that…" Pixie starts to feel a bit embarrassed "You just helped me, so I thought that maybe I could help you figure that out and-HMPH!" now the tables were turned when Gwen pulls Pixie towards her and returns the kiss, this time a bit deeper and open mouthed.
"Well… Kitty was right" Gwen thinks, confirming her theory and jumping from being '60/40' to a full 100 after that kiss.
"Wow…" Pixie whispers "So…"
"I liked it" Gwen replies, smiling at her "I really liked it…"
"Glad you did…" Pixie replies, biting her lower lip "So… you wanna do it again?" she asks her, looking directly into her face.
"You said this is a night to be 'Bold and Daring' so… What the Hell" Gwen replies, approaching Pixie into a tight embrace and then both girls retake the kiss, but this time making it deeper and more affectionate, adding a little tongue to it, but all in all, it ended up being a good night for Gwen after all, and this Gala is not over yet.
Things are getting quite interesting for our fellow spiders in this Hellfire Gala! Jessica has some "Girl Talk" with her fellow heroines, Anya makes a new friend, Miles reconnects with Goldballs, oh wait! Sorry, he's "Egg" now (I personally believe that it's the LAMEST codename ever), the clones got into an epic brawl (and Kaine caught the eye of two X-Force ladies), Cindy's drought seems to be ending and Gwen's Bisexuality is pretty much confirmed (at least in my "Alt-616" Universe), now before I wrap, let me drop some extra notes:
Yes, I added the WWE references because I'm a WWE fan (and in my mind the clones are fans too) and trust me, it was so much fun to write that part with them LOL!
Miles and Fabio's argument in Spanish was inspired by the ones from Don Omar and Tego Calderon's characters from the Fast & Furious films. And for those non-Spanish speakers, here's the translation of that dialogue:
- "Dude… That's having a lot of Eggs…"
- "I knew you were gonna come up with a joke like that"
- "Dude, but you didn't expected me to say it with that name?"
- "That's how I roll now dude, Goldballs is left behind, Pop"
- "But you have to understand that you're gonna get called 'Egg', 'EGG', they'll call you Egg salad, Egg Sandwich, Look at my Egg"
- "Is not like I'm gonna be shooting my eggs like crazy, check it that I got something more important, dude"
- "Hold up, Hold up, Hold up Fabio, the chick's gone"
- "We scared her, didn't we?"
Also, believe it or not, Pixie has shown hints of being Bisexual in her recent appearance at "Runaways" where it was hinted at an attraction towards Nico Minoru (which seemed to be mutual since at the time her relationship with Karolina Dean hit a snag)
Now, expect the final chapter tomorrow, where the Gala wraps it up! Stay tuned, folks!
NEXT CHAPTER: THE FIREWORKS ARE COMING AND OF COURSE, "THAT" MOMENT…