Title: Children of the Genesis
Chapter: 12
By: Webspinner
Notes: wow, it's been forever and a day since I updated this. Thank you for all the reviews. This is actually my second time writing this, the first one somehow got corrupted on my computer. It really sucks when stuff like that happens. Well enjoy.
Half of New York City seemed to be crowded in the small streets of Chinatown making Adam nervous. It seemed everyone was pushing and shoving against him messing up his bearings. He had tripped twice only to be caught once by Gwen and another time by a total stranger.
"So, our last day here. Then back to the grind," Jon commented as he walked beside the couple.
"Yeah, but it'll be cool to go back and see everyone else again," she said in between bites of a Chinese meat bun.
"I actually want to go back. Never thought I'd hear myself say that," Adam said with a small smile. He winched as someone slammed into him almost knocking him to the ground. Gwen caught his arm to balance him.
"Is this new?" Gwen asked with a frown as she reached out to touch the pendent that hung around Adam's neck. She fingered the jade Chinese symbol.
"Yeah it was my mom's," Adam said simply.
"Really? You've never talked about her before," Gwen said with a shrug.
"Yeah, well I never really knew her," Adam replied softly.
"Can I see it?" his girlfriend asked. "Can you?" Adam teased. Gwen punched him playfully (and very lightly) on the arm.
"You know what I mean," she said with a laugh.
"Hey, man, don't give it to her. You'll never get it back," Jon snickered, his grin growing wider as he caught Gwen's glare.
"I trust her," Adam replied with sincerity making his girlfriend smile. He carefully lifted it over his head and handed the necklace to his girlfriend.
"See someone loves me," she said smirking to Jon. Jon looked down at her and laughed. "He's the only one."
"As much as I know how you like hearing the sound of your own voice, Jon, shut up! Or at least come up with an original comeback," Gwen bantered in a fake sugary tone. Jon opened his mouth to reply then closed it. Gwen laughed out loud.
"I won that round," she said giggling as she danced around the two boys.
"Your girlfriend is an idiot, Adam. I'm glad you're dating her and sparing the rest of us from her insanity," Jon said with a smile. Gwen stuck her tongue out at him.
"I like a challenge," Adam laughed.
"Hey now! Now, shut up, I think there's something written on this," she told them.
"I hate to tell you Parker, but us being silent cannot improve your reading level any or lack there of," Jon Kent baited the girl. She ignored him and held up the pendent to get a better look. Sure enough, something was etched into the jade stone.
"THIEF!" Someone yelled out breaking her concentration. She looked up to see two very large Asian guys barreling towards them.
"Wow, is the sumo convention in town?" Jon joked.
"Might want to get out of their way," Adam suggested. With that Jon grabbed the two and jerked them back. The two Asian goons changed their direction heading straight for them yet again.
"Crap, run! They think it's us!" Gwen said with disbelief as she shoved the necklace over her head and around her neck. Both she and Jon grabbed Adam's head and started to push their way out of the crowd. They broke free and ran down an ally way. "They're getting closer, I can hear their foot steps!" Adam yelled out. The three ran down an ally way just to have it close into a dead end. If Adam hadn't been holding on to her hand, Gwen was more then sure she would've leapt onto the wall out of pure instinct. She cursed silently watching the men come towards them. She couldn't show any of her powers in front of Adam and Jon, especially Jon since he could see.
"Crap," swore Jon as he raised his hands in front of his face looking ready for a good fight. Adam had also held out his cane ready to banish it at the enemy. One grabbed Gwen by the shoulder. She quickly wrapped a free arm around his, swung her leg behind his and in one swift movement grabbed his throat with the other hand throwing him the ground. She pinned down his chest with a knee and squeezed his air pipe before he had a chance to free himself. He started hitting her arm that was cutting off his air supply. "Quit," and within seconds the man was unconscious.
"That was awesome," Jon congratulated as he swung at the other attacker hitting him in the face.
"Duck," Adam commanded and hit the man over the head with his cane knocking him out as well.
"Not bad," Gwen said grinning as she started brushing off her jeans.
"Uhh Gwen?" Jon said. Gwen looked up to see Jon staring at something behind her. She turned around slowly.
"I hereby place you under arrest anything you say can and will be..." she didn't hear the rest as she felt her hands being cuffed by the cop. 'Crap, my dad's gonna kill me,' was all that she could think.
The doors to the Police station slammed open as Peter Parker stalked through the doors. Adam and Jon jumped up from the rather uncomfortable bench they had been sitting on.
"Where is she?" Peter nearly yelled at the two boys. He ignored the disapproving stare of the policewoman that had been filing papers.
"Calm down, Mr. Parker," Adam said more calmly then he felt inside. Those guys had scared him, they could've done serious damage to both Gwen and Jon. He had forgotten about Gwen knowing karate. He knew he would've had trouble dealing with both of the goons by himself, he was still learning to fight. Jon knowing how to box also helped.
"Don't tell me to calm down, boy. How am I suppose to react when I get a phone call saying my daughter is in jail?" he stated with a frown. Jon opened his mouth to say something then closed it again.
"What exactly happened?" Mr. Parker asked turning his attention. Jon almost gulped remind himself that as Superboy he had fought many villains twice the size of the lean middle aged father. Adam squirmed uncomfortably beside him.
"Look, these two guys were chasing after us. They called Gwen a thief and cornered us in an ally. So, she did some kung fu move or something and took one guy down and I and Adam took down the other one. Then, she got arrested," Jon explained. "Are they hurt?" Peter asked as he started to pace back and forth.
"The cops?" Jon asked. Peter's head jerked up.
"Did you beat them up to?" he demanded.
"No, Gwen went quietly. But, Mr. Parker, we can't figure out why they'd think Gwen stole something. She was beside us almost the entire time," Adam stated with a nod. He had already been over the possibilities that maybe someone had sent those thugs to try to kill him but he doubted it. They had pretty much just gone after Gwen.
"How could you do something this stupid? I hope that this is a lesson to all three of you. You all have to deal with the consequences of your actions. I'm very disappointed in all three of you. Your father would be as well, Jon. You must think before doing something so rash," Peter lectured them both. Clark's son bowed his head sheepishly staring at a tile on the floor. Adam, on the other hand, leapt up with a scowl distorting his face.
"We couldn't do anything! They were about to hurt your daughter, what were we supposed to do? Let them?!" the blind boy yelled out. Both held their ground seething with anger at the other. The policewoman cleared her throat in warning. Both ignored her.
"Peter, stop scaring the boys," a calm voice stated. Peter's head jerked towards the voice. Seeing it was Matt, he calmed down somewhat.
"How's she doing?" Peter asked as he rushed up to his friend.
"She's being questioned. But something tells me this is just a big mistake," the blind man said wearily.
"I need Mr. Winters, if you don't mind," he then said. Jon grabbed Adam's arm and the two walked after him. They came to thick door.
"Mr. Kent, stay here," Matt said with a stern voice. Jon let out a sigh of frustration.
"Be patient, everything will work out," Matt said trying to give the boy a reassuring smile. He opened the door and lead Adam through it.
The snippety teenager was getting on his nerves. Sergeant McDowell sneered at her as he sat down into a chair. He ignored the creaks as the chair adjusted to his weight. He chewed the nicotine flavored gum wishing he hadn't promised his nagging wife to quit smoking. One needed a good smoke when dealing with a room full of idiots. His brown nosing assistant scribbled the girl's answers on a note pad while making sure the tape recorder was still working. It was good to have backup evidence. Less likely to get tampered with, the rookie had said. McDowell had simply sneered at this. Stupid kid. She glared down at the girl who held his gaze steadily not even flinching. That was the problem with kids today, no respect for authority. She should've burst into tears by the grilling he had given her. Most women did. The door opened revealing the girl's blind lawyer leading a boy with a cane. The blind lead the blind. He gaffed at the stupidity of the whole thing.
"This is your 'eye witness', Murdock?" he sniggered. Murdock ignored his sarcasm.
"Sit down," McDowell boomed making his assistant flinch. Much to his annoyance, it didn't have much of an affect on the blind kid.
"Have you seen this necklace, kid?" he asked shoving the necklace into Adam's hands.
"No, I haven't seen it," Adam said stiffly. Matt Murdock poked him in the shoulder.
"What? Is it my fault this cop is stupid?" the boy stated with annoyance. The auburn haired girl bit her lip from keeping from smiling. McDowell slammed his hand down on the table making the boy jump.
"Is it yours?" he yelled at the boy. Adam wrinkled up his nose as he got a whiff of the cop's onion smelling breath.
"Yes, it was my mother's," he answered icily.
"Who's your mother?"
"Jade."
"Jade who?"
"I don't know."
"If you're lying, boy..." threatened McDowell.
"I'm not. I was adopted. I never knew her," Adam answered with frustration.
"Where is she now?"
"Dead."
"How do you know?" demanded McDowell as leaned forward letting the table support his weight.
"My father told me she died after having me. He was her doctor," he explained.
"When?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Don't play games with me, boy," the cop threatened slamming his fist down. Adam gripped the side of the table so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
"Almost 20 years ago. March 15, 1984, if you want the exact date," Adam replied coolly. Matt poked him in the shoulder again. "What?"
"How do you know Gwen Parker?"
"She's my girlfriend. We met in college."
"How long have you lived in New York?" the fat cop's partner asked in a nasally voice. McDowell glared at the younger man for interrupting him.
"2 weeks, including the week I've spent here for winter break," he said.
"And you?" the rookie asked Gwen.
"All my life, except for last couple of months in Metropolis where I go to Metropolis U," she answered simply.
"What were you doing with this necklace?" McDowell asked glaring down at the girl. She glared back. Insolent little tramp, McDowell thought crossing his arms.
"I was looking at it. My boyfriend was wearing it and I didn't remember seeing it. I thought I saw something scratched into it so I held it up towards the light and that's when those sumo guys attacked us," she stated.
"What exactly is my girlfriend being charged with?" Adam demanded rising from his seat. Matt Murdock pushed him back down.
"What do you know about the Zodiac?" the older cop demanded gruffly.
"Well, having read the newspaper this week, I'm supposed to stay away from Libra's, avoid eating chocolate on the 13th, and look forward to a change occurring at the end of the month," Adam answered somewhat blandly. He was getting tired of being talked down to as if he was some idiot child who couldn't understand simple questions. Gwen watched as the Sergeant's face purpled with anger.
"This is serious, boy," he warned.
"Ok, fine, no I only know that I am a Pieces and that's the extent of my knowledge about the Zodiac," Adam said stiffly. "Not that Zodiac, the Chinese one," the cop comment sourly.
"What he mean's is the animal that represents every year," the young cop said as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Then no, I don't know a thing about it," Adam said.
"I know about it. The emperor needed a way to mark time. So he issued a race. The first twelve animals to reach the finish line would be who the years would be named after. First, came the rat, then the ox, then all the other animals, and now someone is supposed to have certain qualities depending what year they are born in," Gwen explained. "That is correct. A gang of thieves named themselves after the Zodiac, there were 12 members under one person called the Emperor, just like the legend. They terrorized Chinatown as well as stealing from several powerful members of this city. Each one left a symbol as a mark to tell which one committed the crime. Each one wore pendants like the one you have, Mr. Winters. Yours is the mark of the Jade Dragon, who disappeared some time ago," the rookie explained.
"It was my mother's," Adam stated again.
"Are you finished?" Matt Murdock asked with annoyance.
"It appears so, next time, leave this at home," McDowell sneered thrusting the necklace into the boy's hands. He had been so close to cracking this case only to slam into another dead end. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the couple. They probably knew more then they were telling. McDowell leaned back in his chair watching the three leave.
"Kid, get me the number of the Metropolis Police," he yelled at the rookie who scurried out of the room. He flexed his beefy hands until he heard each knuckle crack. This was not over, not over at all.
Chapter: 12
By: Webspinner
Notes: wow, it's been forever and a day since I updated this. Thank you for all the reviews. This is actually my second time writing this, the first one somehow got corrupted on my computer. It really sucks when stuff like that happens. Well enjoy.
Half of New York City seemed to be crowded in the small streets of Chinatown making Adam nervous. It seemed everyone was pushing and shoving against him messing up his bearings. He had tripped twice only to be caught once by Gwen and another time by a total stranger.
"So, our last day here. Then back to the grind," Jon commented as he walked beside the couple.
"Yeah, but it'll be cool to go back and see everyone else again," she said in between bites of a Chinese meat bun.
"I actually want to go back. Never thought I'd hear myself say that," Adam said with a small smile. He winched as someone slammed into him almost knocking him to the ground. Gwen caught his arm to balance him.
"Is this new?" Gwen asked with a frown as she reached out to touch the pendent that hung around Adam's neck. She fingered the jade Chinese symbol.
"Yeah it was my mom's," Adam said simply.
"Really? You've never talked about her before," Gwen said with a shrug.
"Yeah, well I never really knew her," Adam replied softly.
"Can I see it?" his girlfriend asked. "Can you?" Adam teased. Gwen punched him playfully (and very lightly) on the arm.
"You know what I mean," she said with a laugh.
"Hey, man, don't give it to her. You'll never get it back," Jon snickered, his grin growing wider as he caught Gwen's glare.
"I trust her," Adam replied with sincerity making his girlfriend smile. He carefully lifted it over his head and handed the necklace to his girlfriend.
"See someone loves me," she said smirking to Jon. Jon looked down at her and laughed. "He's the only one."
"As much as I know how you like hearing the sound of your own voice, Jon, shut up! Or at least come up with an original comeback," Gwen bantered in a fake sugary tone. Jon opened his mouth to reply then closed it. Gwen laughed out loud.
"I won that round," she said giggling as she danced around the two boys.
"Your girlfriend is an idiot, Adam. I'm glad you're dating her and sparing the rest of us from her insanity," Jon said with a smile. Gwen stuck her tongue out at him.
"I like a challenge," Adam laughed.
"Hey now! Now, shut up, I think there's something written on this," she told them.
"I hate to tell you Parker, but us being silent cannot improve your reading level any or lack there of," Jon Kent baited the girl. She ignored him and held up the pendent to get a better look. Sure enough, something was etched into the jade stone.
"THIEF!" Someone yelled out breaking her concentration. She looked up to see two very large Asian guys barreling towards them.
"Wow, is the sumo convention in town?" Jon joked.
"Might want to get out of their way," Adam suggested. With that Jon grabbed the two and jerked them back. The two Asian goons changed their direction heading straight for them yet again.
"Crap, run! They think it's us!" Gwen said with disbelief as she shoved the necklace over her head and around her neck. Both she and Jon grabbed Adam's head and started to push their way out of the crowd. They broke free and ran down an ally way. "They're getting closer, I can hear their foot steps!" Adam yelled out. The three ran down an ally way just to have it close into a dead end. If Adam hadn't been holding on to her hand, Gwen was more then sure she would've leapt onto the wall out of pure instinct. She cursed silently watching the men come towards them. She couldn't show any of her powers in front of Adam and Jon, especially Jon since he could see.
"Crap," swore Jon as he raised his hands in front of his face looking ready for a good fight. Adam had also held out his cane ready to banish it at the enemy. One grabbed Gwen by the shoulder. She quickly wrapped a free arm around his, swung her leg behind his and in one swift movement grabbed his throat with the other hand throwing him the ground. She pinned down his chest with a knee and squeezed his air pipe before he had a chance to free himself. He started hitting her arm that was cutting off his air supply. "Quit," and within seconds the man was unconscious.
"That was awesome," Jon congratulated as he swung at the other attacker hitting him in the face.
"Duck," Adam commanded and hit the man over the head with his cane knocking him out as well.
"Not bad," Gwen said grinning as she started brushing off her jeans.
"Uhh Gwen?" Jon said. Gwen looked up to see Jon staring at something behind her. She turned around slowly.
"I hereby place you under arrest anything you say can and will be..." she didn't hear the rest as she felt her hands being cuffed by the cop. 'Crap, my dad's gonna kill me,' was all that she could think.
The doors to the Police station slammed open as Peter Parker stalked through the doors. Adam and Jon jumped up from the rather uncomfortable bench they had been sitting on.
"Where is she?" Peter nearly yelled at the two boys. He ignored the disapproving stare of the policewoman that had been filing papers.
"Calm down, Mr. Parker," Adam said more calmly then he felt inside. Those guys had scared him, they could've done serious damage to both Gwen and Jon. He had forgotten about Gwen knowing karate. He knew he would've had trouble dealing with both of the goons by himself, he was still learning to fight. Jon knowing how to box also helped.
"Don't tell me to calm down, boy. How am I suppose to react when I get a phone call saying my daughter is in jail?" he stated with a frown. Jon opened his mouth to say something then closed it again.
"What exactly happened?" Mr. Parker asked turning his attention. Jon almost gulped remind himself that as Superboy he had fought many villains twice the size of the lean middle aged father. Adam squirmed uncomfortably beside him.
"Look, these two guys were chasing after us. They called Gwen a thief and cornered us in an ally. So, she did some kung fu move or something and took one guy down and I and Adam took down the other one. Then, she got arrested," Jon explained. "Are they hurt?" Peter asked as he started to pace back and forth.
"The cops?" Jon asked. Peter's head jerked up.
"Did you beat them up to?" he demanded.
"No, Gwen went quietly. But, Mr. Parker, we can't figure out why they'd think Gwen stole something. She was beside us almost the entire time," Adam stated with a nod. He had already been over the possibilities that maybe someone had sent those thugs to try to kill him but he doubted it. They had pretty much just gone after Gwen.
"How could you do something this stupid? I hope that this is a lesson to all three of you. You all have to deal with the consequences of your actions. I'm very disappointed in all three of you. Your father would be as well, Jon. You must think before doing something so rash," Peter lectured them both. Clark's son bowed his head sheepishly staring at a tile on the floor. Adam, on the other hand, leapt up with a scowl distorting his face.
"We couldn't do anything! They were about to hurt your daughter, what were we supposed to do? Let them?!" the blind boy yelled out. Both held their ground seething with anger at the other. The policewoman cleared her throat in warning. Both ignored her.
"Peter, stop scaring the boys," a calm voice stated. Peter's head jerked towards the voice. Seeing it was Matt, he calmed down somewhat.
"How's she doing?" Peter asked as he rushed up to his friend.
"She's being questioned. But something tells me this is just a big mistake," the blind man said wearily.
"I need Mr. Winters, if you don't mind," he then said. Jon grabbed Adam's arm and the two walked after him. They came to thick door.
"Mr. Kent, stay here," Matt said with a stern voice. Jon let out a sigh of frustration.
"Be patient, everything will work out," Matt said trying to give the boy a reassuring smile. He opened the door and lead Adam through it.
The snippety teenager was getting on his nerves. Sergeant McDowell sneered at her as he sat down into a chair. He ignored the creaks as the chair adjusted to his weight. He chewed the nicotine flavored gum wishing he hadn't promised his nagging wife to quit smoking. One needed a good smoke when dealing with a room full of idiots. His brown nosing assistant scribbled the girl's answers on a note pad while making sure the tape recorder was still working. It was good to have backup evidence. Less likely to get tampered with, the rookie had said. McDowell had simply sneered at this. Stupid kid. She glared down at the girl who held his gaze steadily not even flinching. That was the problem with kids today, no respect for authority. She should've burst into tears by the grilling he had given her. Most women did. The door opened revealing the girl's blind lawyer leading a boy with a cane. The blind lead the blind. He gaffed at the stupidity of the whole thing.
"This is your 'eye witness', Murdock?" he sniggered. Murdock ignored his sarcasm.
"Sit down," McDowell boomed making his assistant flinch. Much to his annoyance, it didn't have much of an affect on the blind kid.
"Have you seen this necklace, kid?" he asked shoving the necklace into Adam's hands.
"No, I haven't seen it," Adam said stiffly. Matt Murdock poked him in the shoulder.
"What? Is it my fault this cop is stupid?" the boy stated with annoyance. The auburn haired girl bit her lip from keeping from smiling. McDowell slammed his hand down on the table making the boy jump.
"Is it yours?" he yelled at the boy. Adam wrinkled up his nose as he got a whiff of the cop's onion smelling breath.
"Yes, it was my mother's," he answered icily.
"Who's your mother?"
"Jade."
"Jade who?"
"I don't know."
"If you're lying, boy..." threatened McDowell.
"I'm not. I was adopted. I never knew her," Adam answered with frustration.
"Where is she now?"
"Dead."
"How do you know?" demanded McDowell as leaned forward letting the table support his weight.
"My father told me she died after having me. He was her doctor," he explained.
"When?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Don't play games with me, boy," the cop threatened slamming his fist down. Adam gripped the side of the table so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
"Almost 20 years ago. March 15, 1984, if you want the exact date," Adam replied coolly. Matt poked him in the shoulder again. "What?"
"How do you know Gwen Parker?"
"She's my girlfriend. We met in college."
"How long have you lived in New York?" the fat cop's partner asked in a nasally voice. McDowell glared at the younger man for interrupting him.
"2 weeks, including the week I've spent here for winter break," he said.
"And you?" the rookie asked Gwen.
"All my life, except for last couple of months in Metropolis where I go to Metropolis U," she answered simply.
"What were you doing with this necklace?" McDowell asked glaring down at the girl. She glared back. Insolent little tramp, McDowell thought crossing his arms.
"I was looking at it. My boyfriend was wearing it and I didn't remember seeing it. I thought I saw something scratched into it so I held it up towards the light and that's when those sumo guys attacked us," she stated.
"What exactly is my girlfriend being charged with?" Adam demanded rising from his seat. Matt Murdock pushed him back down.
"What do you know about the Zodiac?" the older cop demanded gruffly.
"Well, having read the newspaper this week, I'm supposed to stay away from Libra's, avoid eating chocolate on the 13th, and look forward to a change occurring at the end of the month," Adam answered somewhat blandly. He was getting tired of being talked down to as if he was some idiot child who couldn't understand simple questions. Gwen watched as the Sergeant's face purpled with anger.
"This is serious, boy," he warned.
"Ok, fine, no I only know that I am a Pieces and that's the extent of my knowledge about the Zodiac," Adam said stiffly. "Not that Zodiac, the Chinese one," the cop comment sourly.
"What he mean's is the animal that represents every year," the young cop said as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Then no, I don't know a thing about it," Adam said.
"I know about it. The emperor needed a way to mark time. So he issued a race. The first twelve animals to reach the finish line would be who the years would be named after. First, came the rat, then the ox, then all the other animals, and now someone is supposed to have certain qualities depending what year they are born in," Gwen explained. "That is correct. A gang of thieves named themselves after the Zodiac, there were 12 members under one person called the Emperor, just like the legend. They terrorized Chinatown as well as stealing from several powerful members of this city. Each one left a symbol as a mark to tell which one committed the crime. Each one wore pendants like the one you have, Mr. Winters. Yours is the mark of the Jade Dragon, who disappeared some time ago," the rookie explained.
"It was my mother's," Adam stated again.
"Are you finished?" Matt Murdock asked with annoyance.
"It appears so, next time, leave this at home," McDowell sneered thrusting the necklace into the boy's hands. He had been so close to cracking this case only to slam into another dead end. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the couple. They probably knew more then they were telling. McDowell leaned back in his chair watching the three leave.
"Kid, get me the number of the Metropolis Police," he yelled at the rookie who scurried out of the room. He flexed his beefy hands until he heard each knuckle crack. This was not over, not over at all.