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Chapter 16: Everyone's Favourite Editor…

How was it that Peter keeps coming back to work here, Erica thought as they walked through the Bugles offices. Peter separated from her and snuck off to the darkroom, hoping, she suspected, that Jameson wouldn't notice him. He was in luck. Erica, who didn't have any of the same worries, made her way towards the library. She had to pass near Joe Robertson's desk to do so. He was there, working at his computer terminal.

"Hey, Erica!" he greeted her with a smile. Erica smiled back; Robbie was a genuinely nice guy.

"Hi, How's it going?" she asked.

Robbie motioned to the spare chair by his desk. "Got a few minutes?"

"I've got heaps." She sat down and crossed her legs, happy to chat for a while.

"Good. How's Peter been treating you?"

"Pete? Oh, good. He's been very good to me, showing me around and putting up with me. It's nice to have a cousin I can get on so well with, y'know? You can pick your friends, and not your relatives, but I've been lucky…"

"Speaking of friends… You know that Peter has… a special friend?"

"Who, MJ?" asked Erica, deciding to be obtuse. She knew perfectly well who Robbie was referring to.

"No. I mean Spider-Man."

"Oh, him," she said smiling. She could guess where this conversation was heading, and she found herself being tickled at the thought of a little fun.

Robbie eyed her for a moment, and Erica could see he was wavering between seriousness and amusement. She guessed someone, no prizes, had put him up to this. "Has Peter… introduced you to him?" he said mildly.

"Yes he did!" Erica acted enthused. "Yesterday. Spider-Man saw Pete taking photos and came over to us. That was so exciting. I've never met a super-hero before, eh. We don't have any in New Zealand, unless you count Peter Jackson…" Robbie smiled at this, as Erica continued. "He said he was glad to meet me, and offered to take me for a swing above the city, but… I've never been a fan of bungy jumping or anything like that… so I passed. Peter went though." She almost laughed when she saw the expression on Robbie's face; she could imagine the one on Jameson's on being told the same thing.

"Has… " Robbie hesitated. "Has Peter said anything about who he is?"

She shrugged. "He doesn't know." Erica pretended to be uninterested in the idea. Then, dropping a little gem as if in afterthought, "I asked Pete how he met Spider-Man."

"What did he say?" asked Robbie, leaning forward on his desk, showing a keen interest in the answer.

"Well, you know how Peter's a little… clumsy at times? And always running late?" He nodded, waiting for her to go on. She took her time, mainly because she was making it all up as she went. "Well, apparently Spidey rescued Peter one day when Peter was running late for a class; he stepped over the edge of a foot-bridge, toppled over." Erica demonstrated Peter falling with one hand, and Spider-Man rescuing him with the other. "Spider-Man noticed Pete had a camera with him and they got to talking. Seems that Spidey wanted someone to take some photos of him, and Peter obliged."

"How does Peter get in contact with him?" Robbie was pushing for further information while it was forthcoming.

"I dunno," replied Erica. "I don't think he does - it's more t'other way round. And Pete's pretty lucky…"

Robbie was silent for a moment, taking it all in. Erica waited patiently, amused.

"You know…" he said, "We… I used to think that Peter Parker was Spider-Man…" He trailed off as Erica at last let her underlying hilarity escape and burst out laughing.

"You got to be joking! Peter Spider-Man?" She wiped tears away from her eyes. "He'd fall off buildings, not stick to them. He'd be Squashed Spider-Man!" Robbie grinned, and laughed, half embarrassed.

"I know he's not. I know!" he said, putting both hands in the air for mock peace.

Erica calmed down. She figured she'd done her bit now - there should be no trouble for Peter from this quarter about his identity for a long time. Sincerely and with absolute honesty, she stated, "Peter doesn't have a single super power in his body."

Robbie nodded his acceptance of her statement. "So, what brings you in here on a Sunday anyway? More research?"

Erica grinned, "Work related this time, believe it or not. I'm teaching myself some of the history of New York, the better to answer enquiries. And besides, Peter wanted to come in to develop some photos…"

"Ah," responded Robbie, arching his hands together and sounding wise, "Young Mr. Parker. We'll no doubt see the results of his labors in due course."

"With Jameson as his boss, he probably feels less like Hercules and more like Sisyphus," she said, getting up. "Nice talking to you again Mr. Robertson." And she left, leaving a thoughtful-looking Editor-in-Chief behind her.

Once in the Bugle's library and alone, she entered her password into the terminal and opened a browser for the Internet. She shook her head as she did so; she still couldn't believe that Peter didn't have a computer. She started a search for Empire State University, and had to shake her head again. Here was a fictional university that actually existed, and what's more, appeared to have existed for over a hundred years. There was no such institution as New York University. She hadn't even thought to look that up in the public library earlier in the week.

Now, Biomedical Engineering… ah, there.

Her hand hovering over the mouse, she began reading the screen.

'…Mission - to develop functional grafts that have the ability to direct cellular responses …maintain long term functionality when introduced into the body…'

'Hmm, interesting.' Erica searched further for a while, then she minimised the browser and accessed the Bugle's own database. She was hoping to find more on Dr. Octopus, some hint of anything useful to her. Nothing, except reports of his various captures and escapes from the authorities. She should try and discover something tonight, but what should she do? Go back to the Moroney Clinic and try to get inside the tunnel? Or go to the ESU, see what the Biomed Engineering Dept had in store? Argh, this was getting as bad as one of those 'choose your own ending' books she used to read as a kid. Probably better to go to the Uni - any information at all would help before having to possibly face Doc Ock…

She turned in her chair on a sudden thought, and scooted over to the photo cabinets. The other thing she needed was a map of New York, and photographs of the streets - that would help her get a visual fix on her location when she was out and about. Major landmarks helped, but there were others which were undoubtedly well-known to New Yorkers that she didn't know - like that arch last night. That was the Washington Arch in Washington Square.

Erica spent a happy hour or so having a virtual tour of the city courtesy of the Daily Bugle, which only stopped when Peter came into the room.

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked.

"No, I don't have a watch any more…"

He pointed at the clock above her on the wall.

"Oh. I forgot about that. What have you got there?" She noticed he was holding a manila folder in his hand.

Peter came up to her and opened the folder up on the desk. It contained prints of the photos he had taken the day before. "I thought you might like this one to keep yourself," he said, pulling one out from the bottom. It was a photo he had taken on timer so that he and Spidey were in it together, standing side-by-side with their arms over each other's shoulders. Erica laughed.

"That's great!" she said, "Thank-you. It'd make a choice momento of all this once my life gets back to normal." She had a thought. "But aren't you going to give one to Jameson, as proof?"

Peter gave an unhumorous laugh. "He'd claim it was all faked up or something. Wouldn't be proof at all to him. I was on my way to his office now, to give these ones to him. I've gone through and vetted them first, so they're all safe."

Erica started looking through them, amazed and half disbelieving. Was that really her? There she was in action, looking like…. Spider-Man. It hit her just how much she had changed gaining the powers. The professionalism of the photography was excellent too. She knew what a tough job it must have been to get shots of her that didn't look like a her. Near the bottom of the pile she paused, delighted. There were shots of her in action at Europa.

She grinned up at Peter. "Will he use these?"

"Maybe. He can be a spiteful old coot. If he feels affronted at all by yesterday's little demonstration, he may decline them just like that."

Erica jumped up out of her seat. "I'll come with you," she declared. "Moral support and all that."

Peter swept the photos back into their folder and picked it up. "You can come if you want, though I've done without the support for a long time now."

"Now it's you who's getting affronted," Erica touched his arm. "I didn't mean it that way."

He looked at Erica's hand and sighed. "I know. I… I dunno, I've only now realised I wouldn't want this to be my job if I don't…"

"I understand," Erica said gently, removing her hand. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

Their eyes met. Each knew exactly what the other was thinking. Or thought they did.

A still smouldering cigar flew past Erica's head as she entered J. Jonah Jameson's office behind Peter, it's intended target. Jameson's aim was completely off - Peter hadn't even tried to duck it - but Erica surreptitiously caught it all the same. She didn't want anything catching fire.

"Parker!" yelled the big man, "What blasted tom-foolery are you up to now?" Jameson advanced on Peter until he was face to face and jabbed his finger at him. "You encourage that slimy web-head friend of yours with your brain-dead antics. Whaddya tryin' to do, have a short life and rob me of the only photographer who can get me decent pics of that masked menace?"

Erica, now standing to the side of Peter, watched amused as he didn't even flinch at Jameson's blustering, but took it in his stride. He wiped his face with his sleeve and said mildly, "Don't spit, it's unhygienic."

"Why, you…!"

Peter stepped back and brought the folder up in front of his face as a shield. "I don't have an umbrella; these photos will have to do instead."

"Photos? What photos? Gimme that!"

Jonah swiped the folder out of Peter's hand and stalked over to his desk, where he thumped into his swivel chair with a glare at Peter. He lifted his other hand as if he were about to replace his cigar in his jaw and chomp down on it, but looked in surprise at it when he found it was empty. Erica quickly stepped forward and held the cigar out to him. She was rewarded with her very own glare before he snatched it and stuck it in the corner of his mouth and pointedly ignored her as he shuffled through the photographs.

Erica stifled a giggle; J.Jonah Jameson was funny, even if unintentionally. It was kind of sad too, how he was exactly the same after so many years, still banging on about Spider-Man in his own personal vendetta. Erica would have thought his character to be at least slightly different from the comics, but no.

The scowl on Jameson's face gave nothing away, as he shoved the photos back into their folder. The scowl turned it's attention to Peter and became more pronounced. "You trying to pull a fast one here, bucko?"

"Huh?"

"I've seen a million photos of this creep, and this ain't him."

"What do you mean? Of course that's Spidey," objected Peter.

Erica could see that Peter was worried - had Jameson really figured out that it wasn't the original Spider-Man? She was apprehensive too until she became aware that her spider-sense was absolutely quiet. So. What was it that got Jolly Jonah all het up?

She moved around the desk and opened the folder to look at the pics again, this time with a critical eye. Then she got it, just as Jameson replied.

"Well, maybe it is, but your photography stinks - these are blurred!"

Erica laughed, earning her another glare.

"What's so funny, Toots?"

Peter protested at the same time, "That's motion blur - I had the camera on a slower shutter speed to try and get the impression of how fast Spider-Man is."

"Well, it's certainly a new take on him - what made you change your modus operandus, Pete?" Erica looked back at him, in silent laughter. Jameson fumed.

"These are no good anyway - I want something to put in a newspaper, not a woman's magazine! Spider-Man prancing around on buildings ain't gonna sell papers." He stood up and leaned both fists on his desk. "Now go and find that costumed creep…"

Erica interrupted him in mid-rant. "What about the ones at the bottom?" She pulled them out and held them up in front of his face. "That was only a couple of hours ago - that's news, isn't it?"

"Well, at least it shows him doing something: 'Spider-Man Molests Innocent Diners'. Not front page stuff, but it'll do." Jameson smiled ferally, and straightened up. "But get something newsworthy if you want to get paid!!" he roared at Peter Parker.

"Our cue to leave." Peter smiled at Erica, ignoring Jameson's last comment.

Out of the office, they walked together towards the lift. "I dunno whether his smile is worse than his bark…"

"He's certainly creative. What a headline!"

"Oh, that's nothing. You shoulda…"

'ping'.

The lift doors slowly slid open and as they moved to get in, they were roughly pushed aside by a small man in close-fitting grey who came barging out.

"Hey!" exclaimed Peter, but the man had already disappeared through the reception area and into the main office. At the same time Erica whirled around, her spider-sense tingling.

What was the matter with him? As the doors of the missed lift closed behind them, she reached up to whisper urgently in Peter's ear.

"There's something wrong about him! Do you think…?"

In reply, Peter grabbed her by the arm and went hurriedly towards the stair exit.

"We'll take the stairs," he said loudly for the benefit of anyone who might have been listening, "The elevator stinks!"

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Next: The Midget who Took Manhattan