Chapter 14
Mutants are called dangerous. Why? Because they possess superpowers? The possession of power in itself is not dangerous. Only the intent if one chooses to use that power for negative goals. During my year at the Xavier Institute I have never felt threatened by those around me because they have powers and I do not. All I ever see are my friends. In the coming weeks and months I hope to help you see what I see about how extraordinary they are and how they have learned to overcome the burden their powers lay upon their shoulders. Fate gifted them with great power but they all accept that that comes with great responsibility. All they wish to do is to use that power to help mankind. However beyond that I hope that my words will get across that in the end my friends...mutants everywhere have one thing in common with everyone else on this planet. They are human.
Clark pauses and rereads the last paragraph of his 1st article for the school paper. It had been a couple of weeks since Cat's visit to the mansion and it had taken that long for them to debate out the details on the format and for Clark to decide exactly what he wished to say. He tried to include simple things that showed his friends in the light he is trying to summarise with his last words. That under it all they are just as human as someone who isn't a mutant and doesn't possess any type of superhuman power.
Clark's mind drifts to Cat Grant. She had been a big help in assisting Clark get his article to the point that it is more or less finished. Cat was passionate and knowledgeable about what she wanted to be her profession one day. He could see a little of Chloe in her...or Chloe's passion for journalism certainly. It had made becoming friends with Cat easier. Just don't ask about the whole her dating Bobby and Roberto at the same time thing because that Clark is not touching with a mile long barge pole.
Clark had spent a lot of his Saturday(it was well into the evening now) typing out his article between his other responsibilities. Research for the stones(although his friends were helping with that and they were starting to make progress in narrowing down at least where one of the stones could be), DR session, helping out in Bayville whenever he heard something, spending time with Rogue, helping his father out with the land he cultivated although Clark never does that as often any more because he is simply too busy. It saddened Clark but his father insisted he understood. Sam helped out a lot instead being he comes from a family of farmers too. Always meant Sam was easy to get along with because he and Clark would just share stories about growing up on a farm although Sam's stories were crazier because of all the brothers and sisters he had. 6 at the last count and 7 soon.
Clark takes a breath. He wasn't far wrong when he spoke to Scott about being pulled in a hundred different directions. Clark turns his attention back to his article and continues rereading that last paragraph...hold on. Great power? Great responsibility?
Peter.
That instantly brings Clark's mind to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man who once told him that with great power comes great responsibility. That was Peter's...Clark guesses motto although Clark never really asked where Peter got it from.
Clark sits back in his chair. Since he was taking up this writing for the school paper the Professor had gotten a desk and computer for Clark's room. Clark leans his head back and looks at the ceiling. His brow furrows as he tries to remember the last time he even talked to Peter over the phone.
It had to be before the summer...it was...before the Sentinels even. It was...at the start of the exams. Clark remembers them jokily lamenting how their 'extra-curricular' activities ate into their study time. Wow. That was a long time ago. Clark knows he has had a lot on his plate but he feels really bad he hasn't checked in with Peter before now. 'Some friend,' he berates himself.
Well there's nothing stopping him phoning Peter right now. His article was mostly down short of a little tweaking here and there. Clark saves his work, gets to his feet and heads out of his room to use the phone.
He heads down the stairs only to find the phone in Ray's hands, who throws it to Clark saying it is a call for him. Clark thanks Ray before answering. "Hello?"
"Smallville?"
Clark's eyebrows draw closer together. That name stirs an unpleasant memory. "Who is this?"
"Well I know you had amnesia when we first met but Chlo did say you were better. I assume that goes for choosing to wear more clothes...although I'm certain many people would love to see..." there is a snicker here, "...Clark Jr."
The irritating voice definitely rings a bell. "Lois Lane."
"So your memory is back...although no-one ever forgets meeting me really," Lois says sounding a tad smug.
Chloe had mentioned her cousin...well both her cousins to Clark but she never did mention how annoying Lois was. Clark however remains the polite farmboy. "So why are you calling me? Is something wrong with Chloe?"
"Yes as a matter of fact."
Clark tenses, prepared if necessary, to run to Smallville if Chloe is in mortal danger.
Lois continues. "What is wrong with Chloe is that it's her 18th birthday in a week and all her close friends aren't here."
Clark never thought of that. Pete was gone now. Moved to Wichita to be with his mother now his parents had separated. Clark guesses you don't count an ex-boyfriend as a close friend in reference to Jordan Cross whom Chloe dated for awhile. Her other close friend, Lana, was in Paris and Lex...ok Lex was never one of Chloe's close friends and he isn't one of Clark's any more either. Clark scratches his head while he tries to think of a solution. "I suppose I could see about coming," he suggests.
"Touching...but I have a better idea," Lois instantly dismisses Clark's suggestion.
"Which is?"
"She and I come to Bayville."
"What?"
"Just hear me out here Smallville. Birthdays, especially someone's 18th, should be about spending time with those you care about...which is a lesson Lucy desperately needs," Lois says while unable to stop herself adding in a criticism of her sister.
Clark rubs his head as a pain starts between his eyebrows. He had had to endure many waffling stories about Lois' sister when he had amnesia and was left with her. He's never forgiving Chloe for it. "Lois," he says sternly stopping her. "I'm just a simple farmboy. Can you please explain what you mean?"
"Well at least we're admitting our flaws," Lois congratulates him.
Clark has never wanted to strangle someone more than he does want to strangle Lois Lane right now. "Chloe, Lois. We're talking about Chloe," he says, trying to get her back on track.
"Right. Right," Lois says casually. "Anyway look what I get from Chlo is that you're her best friend and that she is at least acquainted with some of the people you live with so it makes perfect sense to me that that mansion would be the best place to have a birthday party for her where she can be with her best friend, her cousin and others who at least would care a little about her."
Clark can't help but see that Lois has a point but he'll never admit that to her. "I'm curious Lois does Chloe even know you're talking to me?" he asks.
"Surprise party Smallville!" Lois exclaims in exasperation.
That pain between his eyes gets stronger. "Lois, not to underestimate you here, but there is no way you could get Chloe halfway across the country without telling her."
"Then you really are underestimating me," she says, pretending to sound insulted.
"What are you planning to do? Kidnap her in her sleep and drive her here?"
"Not a bad idea Smallville," she congratulates him. "Not a great idea since even Chloe doesn't sleep for an entire day," she then shoots his plan apart.
The pain between his eyes gets worse. "It's called sarcasm Lois."
"Really? It was hard to tell," she says in an offhanded manner.
Clark briefly wonders if his heat vision would work at a thousand miles to fry Lois. Back on topic. "What about her father?" he asks, as in what about Mr Sullivan in all this.
"Gabe?"
"Yes."
"Well you know the King of the Trust Funds bought up most of his father's company's assets right?"
"Yes."
"Well they started moving some staff around and Gabe got shipped abroad."
Chloe's father worked at the Smallville Chemical Plant last time Clark checked. "Chloe never told me that," Clark admits in surprise.
"You'd have to ask her about that. Anyway Chloe didn't want to go and live in Far-off-istan so Gabe agreed to let her stay if I stayed to look after her."
"He could have refused to go."
Lois laughs mirthlessly. "Lesson number 1 Smallville. The Lane/Sullivan bunch have suck-ass parental role models for fathers," she says bitterly as her emotions of her own fractious relationship with her father rise to the surface.
Clark did not know Chloe was going through this. Why didn't she tell him? Well he can ask her when she gets here. "Look. Lois. I want Chloe to have a nice birthday so I'll talk to Professor Xavier about allowing it. Is there a number I can call you back on?"
Clark mentally remembers the number Lois gives him. "You're sure you can get her to come?" he asks, seriously this time.
"Oh don't you worry. If Lois Lane is anything it's that she's someone who doesn't take no for an answer. Chloe will come even if I have to tie her up and stuff her in the trunk."
"I hope it doesn't come to that."
"Lesson number 2 Smallville. Lane/Sullivan women are stubborn as hell...except for Lucy who is easy...especially when it comes to guys getting access into her panties."
"I'll call you back soon," Clark abruptly cuts off yet another Lucy rant. He has heard enough of them to last several lifetimes.
Clark soon spoke to the Professor who had no objections to holding a party for Chloe at the mansion, if, for no more reason than to repay her for passionate defence of mutants in front of Congress when the Professor has gone to make his plea for mutants to be treated as equals after their reveal. The Professor added the one addendum that he would agree for as long as no-one else had any objection. In that vein Clark had been zipping around the mansion asking everyone. He found a lot of them in the rec room.
"Party?" Tabby inquires, with her eyes alight at that prospect. She can't remember the last time she let her hair down and attended a party...which is just so sad. She is really losing her touch.
"If you have no problem with that," Clark says cautiously.
Tabby laughs. "CK you know for someone so smart sometimes you are dense. Luckily for you you're cute enough to get away with it."
"Uh...thanks," Clark says, somewhat lost at that. He is just going to assume that Tabby doesn't have a problem.
"You're welcome supercutie," Tabby says with a flirtatious wink.
"So anyone have an objection?" Clark asks, moving on swiftly from Tabby.
"Nope," Ray says as he plays a computer game against Jamie.
"Sounds like fun," his playing partner says in agreement although Jamie is only half listening as he concentrates on the racing game.
"Quod non," Amara says in an absent minded manner in her native Latin which Clark thinks means she's ok with it too. He should learn more Latin.
"Dude. Me and Party go together like pickle and ham," Kurt says, using the metaphor of one of the many strange sandwich combinations he comes up with and that wasn't one of the strangest. "Vill I need my image inducer?"
"Uh...I'll need to get back to you on that one Kurt but if Lois had an issue I doubt she would have made the suggestion to come here in the 1st place and I know Chloe will have no problem with it."
Kurt smiles a little. It is rare he gets to meet people and not have to worry about how they might react to his appearance. "Hey do you zhink I could invite Amanda," he asks.
"I don't see why not."
"I'll go ask her now!" Kurt says very excited sounding at any excuse to spend time with his girlfriend. Kurt then vanishes in his usual puff of blue smoke to the nearest phone.
Clark coughs and waves the smoke away. Kurt is his friend but he really wishes Kurt would stop doing that without giving a warning.
Clark continues his search through the mansion seeing if anyone is not ok with letting Chloe have her party here and they all seem to be fine with it. Even Wanda, who Clark finds sitting in the lounge reading, gives a non-committal looking shrug which Clark is going to go with means she is fine too.
Wanda peers up from behind the book she is reading. "I don't have to make nice do I?" she asks, with a hostile sounding tone. Wanda hates having to pretend to be nice.
"Um...they are my friends...well Chloe is so at least polite...please?" he requests.
Wanda sighs. "Fine," she agrees. "But I won't be chummy."
Clark snorts with laughter.
Wanda's face darkens. "What's so funny?"
"You? Chummy? Think about it."
Wanda does and her lips twitch a little. The idea of her being chummy is kinda funny.
Clark is glad Wanda is able to express happier emotions more often but he is still frustrated by her and Rogue and their refusal to talk about whatever it was that has them not speaking to each other. Clark has tried to get Rogue to talk, believe him he has tried, but Rogue is as stubborn as hell and once she sets her feet down...not even his superstrength can make her move.
Clark's attention is drawn to the tv, turned down low, in the corner as breaking news clicks on from New York. Spider-Man involved in a fight outside the Opera with 3 guys. One with 4 long mechanical arms, another wearing some kind of mechanised suit and one with stone white skin. Clark slaps his own forehead. "Peter. I was suppose to check up on Peter," he mutters, lambasting himself for getting distracted.
"What?" Wanda asks at his mutterings.
Clark points at the tv. "I have to go save Spider-Man. I'll be back," he tells her before he vanishes in a gust of wind to change...into his new costume. It was finally finished.
New York...
"Spider-Man! The final humiliation! It was inevitable this day would come as the criminal known as Spider-Man would meet his end at the hands of his underworld rivals," a man in a crowd dictates what will be in his editorial later.
"Jonah! Spider-Man is not a criminal!" another man insists passionately.
A middle-aged man with a crew cut, black hair greying at the sides, with a Hitler moustache stands at the front of the crowd that has gathered to watch the battle. He looks to his companion, a middle-aged African-American man, with a grouchy expression to match his grouchy demeanour. His name is J. Jonah Jameson, owner of J3 communications, a multimedia corporation which owns, amongst other things, the Daily Bugle. In fact Jonah personally made himself the Editor of the Bugle. The one who writes all those editorials about what a menace Spider-Man is. A fan of the wall-crawling hero Jonah is not to say the least.
His companion is his right hand at the Bugle Robbie Robertson who is a fan of Spider-Man and often defends the hero as he is doing right now.
"Robbie I've told you before..." Jonah starts to repeat a point he has made many times before Robbie cuts it off.
"He's a hero!" Robbie argues, pointing at the battle which he sees as proof of Spider-Man's heroism where he alone is up against two super-villains and one of New York's most nefarious crime bosses.
"He's a criminal!" Jonah snaps back. "If he's a true hero why does he hide behind a mask?" Jonah asks. "A real hero wouldn't be afraid to show his face," Jonah lays down his argument.
Robbie groans in exasperation. It feels like he and Jonah have had this argument a hundred times. Although how a simple night out at the Opera schmoozing with New York's elite to drum up business turned into this war Robbie has no idea.
In the battle itself Spider-Man finds himself grabbed by the mechanical arms of Doctor Octopus, once just an ordinary scientist called Dr Otto Octavius before an accident fused four long mechanical arms to his spine, and thrown hard. He hits this statue that is sitting on a bench breaking the head off.
"Whoa," he remarks upon seeing what happened to the statue. "They just don't make old folk like they use to," he quips as he rubs his head. Back in the fight the white skinned man, a big time crime boss called Tombstone, is currently fighting the man in the sliver armoured suit, one of New York's older crime bosses, Silvio Manfredi aka Silvermane. Doc Ock, as Spider-Man calls him, grabs both of them with his mechanical arms and slams them into the ground.
"Come with me to the Opera, he said. It'll be good for you to get out, he said. What he didn't say is that, a, he was setting me up on a blind date with Liz Allan, and b, that there would be 3 of the biggest jerks in New York trying to kill me. So not only did I have to bail on Liz I get the pleasure of being beaten to death. Thanks a lot Harry," the boy under the mask grumbles in complaint at his friend Harry Osborn.
Spider-Man leaps into the air, fires a webline and swings into the back of Doc Ock knocking him flat on his face. Doc Ock's mechanical arms swing round trying to get him. Spider-Man leaps and dodges the arms until one manages to grab him by his foot. He finds himself hanging upside down.
Doc Ock points at him. "You!" he shouts in angry exasperation. "You will pay for your constant interference in my plans arachnid!"
"Ooh afraid I'm a bit short this month Doc. How about an I.O.U and I get back to you in say...never?"
Doc Ock cries out in annoyance. Spider-Man's constant banter drives him insane! He jerks the red and blue clad hero over his head and throws him hard. Spider-Man sails over the crowd(why people stand around and watch a battle that could put them in danger Peter can never work out) and impacts into the side of a police car denting it. He crumples to the ground with a grunt of pain.
Peter finds himself being helped up by a police officer on one side and a grey-haired police captain on the other. Police Captain George Stacy to be exact. Gwen's father. Peter rubs his head. "So two of my biggest enemies and that Jurassic fossil from the Capone era are intent on taking each other out and I'm trying to stop them why?" he asks, because he sure as hell doesn't know.
Doc Ock grabs Silvermane and throws the man in the armoured suit into a concrete support pillar of an elevated walkway that goes around the outside of the Opera house. The pillar collapses and so does part of the walkway leaving some people literally hanging for their lives.
"Oh right," Spider-Man says as it comes back to him why he is doing this. "Public Safety." He fires a webline and swings into action. He lands on a statue in the open public space outside the Opera House and creates a web to catch a couple of falling people.
Before he can finish rescuing everyone, one of Doc Ock's arms grab him and slam him down into the ground. "Ok this is getting repetitive," he complains after getting slammed and grabbed for the 50th time tonight alone not to mention all the other times this has happened during his numerous other battles with the Doc.
Spider-Man finds his arms pinned to the ground as Doc Ock stands high over him, perched up by his other two mechanical arms. "This!" Doc shouts to the two other men to get their attention as he points at Spider-Man. "This gentleman is the cause of our troubles! We can rule Manhattan together or divide it at our leisure!" he proposes. "As soon as we rid ourselves of this pest!" he says with utter loathing for Spider-Man.
Spider-Man groans as he strains to free himself. "Please tell me the fat lady's not singing?" he manages to fire off the quip. Get it. Opera. Fat Lady. Well Peter thinks it's funny.
"Hold him still," Silvermane says. "And I'll finish him off," he volunteers to be the one, pulling his hand back to literally smash Spider-Man's head in.
"Daddy!" a female voice shrieks.
That's Gwen Peter knows. Harry had brought her. They were dating much to Peter's sadness about what happened with him and Gwen.
Everyone stops and looks. With Spider-Man indisposed Captain Stacy had taken it upon himself to help free this little girl that had been trapped by rubble after the walkway collapsed but another large piece of the concrete walkway, which was hanging precariously, had chosen this moment to fall. It would crush them both.
"No!" Spider-man yells out in denial of what is about to happen.
Just then a blurred figure and a gust of wind blows by, brushing past Silvermane sending him flying.
Captain Stacy looks up at the falling piece and knows what he must do. There isn't time to get the girl out so he throws his body over her and hopes it is enough to protect her. He closes his eyes and braces himself. There is then a sudden gust of wind and the end doesn't come. Captain Stacy opens his eyes and looks up to find a young man, dressed in, from the down up, red boots, blue pants, a zipped up blue leather jacket with red patches on the shoulder which also cover part of the upper arm and a strange looking raised red S on the front inside a golden diamond with raised red edging on the front of the jacket over the chest. He has slicked back black hair apart from one curly lock that flops over his forehead and these extremely intense cerulean blue eyes. The young man is standing over the Captain holding the piece of the walkway over his head after obviously catching it. He then throws it aside, bends down and frees the little girl.
Captain Stacy sees an odd electric blue flash across the young man's eyes. "Her ankle's broken. You'll have to be careful with it," the young man says.
"Help! Help!"
Both Captain Stacy and the young man look up to see a man literally hanging from a piece of steel rebar.
"Excuse me sir. I need to go help that man."
"Who are you?" Captain Stacy asks.
The young man responds with a lopsided grin. "A friend."
Captain Stacy then watches the young man bend his knees and push off the ground and soar into the air.
With that distraction this is Peter's chance. It has distracted the Doc. He bends his legs and kicks up into the Doc's face sending him staggering back. Tombstone then barrels into the Doc, seeing and taking advantage of an opening to finish off a rival.
"Thanks Tomby...but don't be expecting any roses as a thank you," Spider-Man quips. Unfortunately his quipping means he is distracted and can't react to his spider-sense in time and Silvermane, who had by now recovered from the impact of the blurred figure, wraps him in a bear hug to literally crush the life out of the arachnid themed hero. "I'm...confused," Spider-Man struggles to say. "Are we fighting or dancing?"
Silvermane growls. "They're all after me because they think I'm a weak old man," he says with venom. His enemies had been trying to squeeze his territory because they thought his advancing years had made him vulnerable. Hence all the expense and effort to get this mechanised suit that increased his strength many times over so he could show his enemies what happened if they tried to cross him. "I'm going to show everyone you're all the weak ones! And I'm going to start with you!" he promises at a shout.
"Well it's good to have goals," Spider-Man says as he struggles to breathe and think of a way to escape because the suit was strong...stronger than him. 'Think Peter. Think!'
As Spider-Man tries to figure out another ingenious escape his wannabe helper, known only to the press as the Bayville Blur, reaches the height of the hanging man and grabs onto the steel rebar next to the man. He then takes one hand off and he wraps it around the man's waist and grabs a hold of the waistband of his pants to get a firm grip. "Put your arms around my neck," Clark instructs the man as he tries to rescue him.
"I can't!" the man says in mortal terror. He is literally frozen in place by fear.
"You can," Clark assures him. "Look at me," he commands the man so he isn't looking down. The man obeys. "I've got you. I won't let you fall. I promise," Clark says with all the certainty and assurance he can get across in his voice.
The man finds the courage and slowly lets go with one hand to move it round his saviour's neck.
"That's it," Clark encourages him. "You're doing fine. Now the other hand."
The man does so.
"Now I'm going to take us down ok?" Clark asks him.
The man nods and Clark lets go of the steel rebar and they start to fall...only not as quickly as they would under the raw power of gravity. Clark may not be able to fly yet but he has figured out how to slow his descent. As they descend he sees Peter in trouble. Clark's eyes flash electric blue as he scans that armoured suit and tries to find a weakness. He's got it! "Spider-Man!" he shouts. "Hydraulics! The circular pieces!" he explains.
Peter gets it. The circular pieces of the suit must hold the key hydraulic junctions that power the suit. No hydraulics. No power. First he has to get a hand free. It's a struggle but eventually he manges to get his right hand free and fire a glob of webbing into Silvermane's eyes. The elderly man doesn't let go but it loosens the grip enough for Peter to get his other arm free.
He fires off a webline from his left hand onto the circular section on the right knee and pulls. The piece comes out and hydraulic fluid begins to leak. The right leg shuts down and Silvermane drops to one knee and drops Spider-Man. As quick as a heartbeat Peter fires a webline from his right hand onto the circular pieces on the left elbow and yanks it off. More hydraulic fluid leaks as the arm shuts down. The left knee, the right shoulder, the right hand and enough fluid leaks for the suit to shut down completely leaving Silvermane down on his knees helpless.
"No!" Silvermane shouts in denial. "No. This cannot happen to Silvio Manfredi!"
"Denial. It's so sad," Spider-Man says with a shake of his head. "But hey if you're looking for someone to blame during those long nights locked up in your prison cell blame your tailor for the substandard merchandise." There is a gust of wind and Clark appears next to him after getting the man he rescued to safety. Spider-Man takes him in. "I like the outfit!" he compliments him.
Clark chuckles. "Thanks."
Ok so it's not that different from his previous outfit Clark knows. Himself and his mother argued about it quite a bit. Clark wanted a more, what he felt was a more contemporary look...and the jacket is not really leather contrary to appearances. It looked like leather but in reality it was like all his previous costumes in that it was made of the material Forge created to help protect him from kryptonite radiation. When an electric current was passed through it the molecules in the fabric would realign to black the passage of radiation. There was a switch on Clark's golden belt that controlled the inbuilt device that generated the current. His mother and he also argued quite a bit about keeping some form of the crest of the House of El on it. She couldn't see why he would want to do that and Clark could understand where she was coming from. It can be a little hard to put into words to explain. In essence it just needs to be there and Clark wants it there and all Xs had been removed. The Blur was the X-Men's ally only. Not a member of the team...and oh also Clark just prefers red and blue to black as to explain the colours.
"So where have you been?" Peter asks him. "I mean no phone calls, no letters, no e-mails, no texts, not even a single tweet," he says, counting this off on his fingers as he goes.
"Not to sound childish but ditto!"
Peter rubs the back of his head. "Oh yeah. Well you know me. Completely useless with all these modern doodads. Not to mention always busy, busy." Peter then pretends to check his watch. "So you guys done beating each other up yet?" he asks the fighting Tombstone and Doctor Octopus. "I mean yeah it's better than watchin pro-wrasslin but I would like to get home at some point. If I don't get me Jay Leno fix I'm just grumpy all day."
Tombstone and Doc Ock look at each other and back away a few feet from each other.
"Who is your friend arachnid?" Doc Ock asks.
"Oh he's just someone here to help me beat you up and, by the way, if you want some advice Doc I would surrender now because compared to him I'm a 7 stone weakling."
"Tombstone I propose a temporary truce," Doc Ock says to his rival.
"I agree," the large man says.
"Wow he really needs to get in the sun more and add some colour," the Blur says to Spider-Man in regards to Tombstone.
Spider-Man nods. "Oh I know. I tried to tell him but it's like he thinks I don't give good advice."
"Shocking. Positively shocking," the Blur says, sounding stunned by that revelation.
Doc Ock grabs his head with his hands and cries out in complete frustration. "One of you cracking your pathetic jokes is quite enough. Two of you is more than any sane man can stand!"
"Well it's a good thing you're not sane then doc isn't it," Spider-Man rolls off the insult.
Doc's arms surge forward, one each grabbing the two heroes and wrenching them forward. Spider-Man ends up sailing towards Tombstone who delivers a hard punch knocking Spider-Man down while Doc Ock wraps the newer foe up in his metallic tentacles.
"You will regret interfering in my affairs," Doc Ock proclaims.
"No offence but I've heard that one before," Clark retorts.
"I can assure you I am the last one you will ever hear it from." The 3 razor sharp 'fingers' on the end of one the arms start spinning as Doc Ock plans to slice his captive prey to pieces.
"So tell me...Doctor Octavius. How do you go from a brilliant scientist to being a criminal?"
Doc Ock pauses. "You know me?"
"I read the Bugle and I've read some of your work. Your fusion power generator was brilliant," Clark compliments the man.
"Oh it was," Doc Ock confirms, his ego getting fed by the praise. "I created these very arms to help me build it."
"And then there was the accident that left them fused to your spine," Clark finishes. As he said he's read the Bugle and its stories on Spider-Man and his enemies. "Still don't see how that ends with you here."
"They all laughed at me," Doc Ock says bitterly. "They all said fusion power was a pipe dream. Well who's laughing now?" he rages.
"Right. The revenge gig. Let me give some advice that never ends well."
"You're right," Doc Ock agrees. "It won't end well for you!" He then sends the spinning blades right in at Spider-Man's ally(reason enough for Doc Ock to want to kill the boy) where they hit him and shatter into pieces. Doc Ock grabs his head and cries out as if he could feel it like a real bone breaking.
"I hoped you would be reasonable Doctor. I'm sorry you weren't," Clark says regretfully as he bursts free of the arm holding him, which he could have done at any time but had wanted to see if he could talk this out first. He drops to the ground and grabs a couple of the arms. He then uses them to lift the good doctor up and slam him into the ground...and then through the ground because Clark had not calculated the fact they were standing over a shallow subway tunnel. There is dust and then an mechanical arm grabs him and yanks him down into the darkness.
"I will peel the flesh from your bones!" Doc Ock vows, furious at the interference of this young man.
Clark picks himself up off the subway tunnel floor where he landed. "You know for a supposed genius you aren't very smart. Your blades already shattered against me. What makes you think peeling will be any more successful?"
"Oh I'll find a way," Doc Ock promises with dark intent. He then sends his arms at his foe.
Clark lives up his current name and blurs out of the way of each arm's attack and then blurs forward and slams a fist into Doc Ock's face sending him flying back. Clark then blurs around behind the man as he stands back up. His eyes glow red and a two thin beams shoot from his eyes and impact on the harness that the arms are attached to.
Doc Ock cries out and then his arms droop pathetically to the ground useless. "What did you do?" he demands to know.
"I burnt out the circuits that transmit power to your arms. They are only mechanical devices and without power they're nothing but scrap metal," Clark explains in a perfectly calm manner.
"No...you can't do this!" Doc Ock cries out in denial. It's a horror like losing feeling in his human limbs suddenly.
Clark shakes his head, blurs forward and delivers a more forceful blow this time to knock the doctor out. He then uses the arms to tie the man up in a secure knot. Let's see him get out of that.
Clark picks Doc Ock up and jumps back up through the hole they made and dumps him to the ground. He looks to see how Peter is doing and finds him on the ground about to have a sharp piece of metal stuck through him.
Clark blurs over and grabs Tombstone's arm in an iron grip. "Did your mother never teach you not to play with sharp objects?" he asks in a stern tone. He then draws his right fist back and slams a punch into Tombstone making a fist-shaped dent into the stone-like skin of his face.
"Whoa. I don't care what strange chemicals you bathe in that's gotta hurt," Spider-Man quips as Clark helps him to his feet.
Tombstone's hand goes up to his face in shock. Not even Spider-Man during all their fights had managed to damage him like this. His eyes narrow. This night...this whole night has been a set-up. Him, Octavius and Silvermane in the same place at the same time. They all got messages claiming to be from each other asking for a meeting except not a one of them sent a message. Someone's played them and when Tombstone finds out who he will be making one of his very special coffins for them. First things first though he has to get out of this situation...somehow.
'Bathe?' That gives Clark an idea. He blurs forward and then runs around and around Tombstone creating a whirlwind...but more what he is aiming for he is creating a powerful updraft. Tombstone starts to rise up off the ground to the perfect height for Clark to change direction and slam a haymaker into him sending him sailing towards Spider-Man. "Ten bucks says you can't land him in the fountain!" the Blur challenges Spider-Man to land the underworld boss in the large fountain that dominates this open space in front of the Opera House.
In response Spider-Man snorts. "That's a sucker's bet."
"All I hear is talking," the Blur taunts in a playful manner.
"Watch and learn." Spider-Man fires two weblines from his hands which adhere to the flying Tombstone. He then starts to spin on his heels which in turn starts spinning Tombstone round and round in the air.
"You can't do this!" Tombstone protests.
"Pipe down!" Spider-Man retorts as he gathers up the necessary speed and then reminiscent of a hammer thrower he lets Tombstone go. He splashes down perfectly in the shallow pool of the fountain. "He shoots! He scores!" Spider-Man exclaims with his arms in the air celebrating. "The crowd goes wild! They chant his name! Spidey! Spidey!"
Tombstone gets up to his knees soaking wet. "You think a little water can stop me?" he asks incredulous at the arrogance.
Clark blurs next to the fountain. "Nope," he says in reply. "But I think a lot of ice can." He then inhales and unleashes his freeze-breath turning water of the entire fountain into ice and freezing Tombstone into a black of solid ice.
Tombstone struggles to move.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Blur advises.
"Oh and why is that?"
"Ever watch Terminator 2?"
"What if I have?"
"Remember what happened to the T-1000 when it was frozen? Considering your body seems to be similar to the mineralogical aggregate of stone you'll find that it'll become brittle when cold."
"That's..." Crack! Tombstone looks down at his wrist where a thin fissure has appeared in his skin.
"Told you!" the Blur sing-songs. "I would wait until you thaw and when you do I think these fine men and women would like a word," he points out, jerking his thumb in the direction of the police who are closing in.
"So in the meantime why don't you just...chill," Spider-Man says and there is an audible groan from the gathered crowd at the lame pun. "Everyone's a critic," he complains. "Well my work here is done. See you around in about 10-25 Tomby," he rubs it in before firing a webline and swinging off into New York's skyline.
"I have to go too. It would be best for you that you hope we don't meet again," the Blur says in a warning to Tomsbtone.
"We'll meet again boy," Tombstone promises in a dangerous tone.
"I'll remember to leave a space in my diary...no wait. No I won't!" The Blur then blurs away leaving the 3 crooks to the police to deal with.
"Did you see that?" Jonah asks Robbie.
"Yep."
"You know what that was?"
"Let me guess," Robbie says with a sigh. "Another costumed danger to society," he says with a resigned tone, quoting Jonah's own words about how Jonah views all these costumed heroes/vigilantes that have popped up recently.
"Don't be stupid," Jonah sort of insults his friend. "That was a hero. See how he was dressed. Red and blue; the colours of a real hero! It takes a real man to show his face and not hide behind a glorified ski-mask...and look what happened after he got here. All those innocent people Spider-Man put in danger rescued. One of New York's finest saved. 3 of its biggest criminals put down," Jonah heaps actual praise on the unidentified hero which surprises Robbie considering.
"And he helped Spider-Man," Robbie points out, hoping to use it to change Jonah's opinion about Spider-Man. "In fact I think they might be friends," Robbie adds.
Jonah snorts and dismisses that instantly. "Robbie you're letting your imagination runaway from you. True he didn't stop that webslinging clown but that's no doubt because he had other people to help. Now I want to know who that guy is and I want to know yesterday! And I want pictures! Where's Parker?"
Spider-Man comes to a stop on the edge of a rooftop a short distance away from the Opera House. He had to make it look like he was leaving before he circles back and Peter Parker makes his reappearance before people get too suspicious. There is a gust of wind and the Blur appears next to him.
"I'm sorry," Clark says.
Under his mask Peter blinks. "Sorry? For what?" he asks with complete confusion.
"Not showing up sooner. Not keeping in touch. I haven't been a good friend lately it occurred to me earlier tonight."
"Actually I could say the same," Peter admits a little shamefully. He hasn't made much of an effort either to catch up with Clark or the X-Men and ask how they were dealing with being exposed. "It is just...boy if you knew the kind of summer I had," he tries to excuse himself.
Clark laughs.
"What?"
"Oh I had one of those summers too."
"Normally I would love to catch up but Peter Parker really needs to make an appearance before his friends think something has happened to him," Peter explains.
"I understand. We'll talk later." Clark then vanishes, again with his custom gust of wind.
"I really need better powers," Peter laments before he leaps off the building and webswings his way back to where he left his clothes.
"Where did you go?" a Hispanic girl, in a long red dress, asks Peter. She is just slightly shorter than him with a slender, trim figure(she is a cheerleader after all so she has to keep in shape), brown hair and eyes. She is Peter's blind date for the night Liz Allan and right now she is monumentally angry at Peter's disappearing act when the fight between Spider-Man and the 3 criminals broke out.
Peter, now dressed back in his normal civilian wear, stumbles over his words as he tries to come up with a believable explanation. "Well...uh...you see the thing there Liz was that I really think it was that snack we had before we arrived. Gave me these terrible cramps and I had to use the restroom and um..."
Liz puts her hands on her hips. "You expect me to believe you were in the restroom while all this was going on?" she asks, incredulously.
"Uh...yes," Peter says weakly.
Liz throws her hands into the air in exasperation at Peter's lame responses. "I cannot believe you! I was willing to give this night a go Peter even if Harry set us up!" she tells him bluntly. "But I can see MJ was right. You can't be relied on!" she snaps angrily off words her close friend Mary Jane Watson used to describe Peter. Having nothing more she really wants to say to him Liz storms off.
Peter's face falls. He hates this. He really does. Every single relationship in his life gets ruined by being Spider-Man. He never wanted to hurt Liz but he did anyway. He looks around to see Gwen, with Harry's arm around her, giving him a severe look of disappointment. Feels like she is shoving a knife into his gut. To make it worse she looks amazing in the dress she is wearing yet she barely talks to him any more. Every time he sees Gwen and Harry together the green eyed monster burrows its teeth into him but Peter is afraid his relationship with Gwen might be destroyed beyond repair.
MJ, here with Liz's brother Mark, on their 'un-date'(long story) is giving him an equal look of disappointment. There goes another knife sliding into his gut. His relationship with MJ isn't in much better shape than the one with Gwen. Then to top it all off the look Mark is giving him is like Liz's brother is thinking of beating Peter up for hurting his little sister.
Can Peter's night get any worse?
"PARKER!"
JJ. Peter knew he should never have thought that. The Parker luck strikes again. He briefly watches Gwen go off when her father calls to her before he goes deal with old pickle puss.
Gwen gives her father a quick hug. "Are you alright?" she asks with deep concern after how close he came to being seriously hurt tonight.
"Now I'm fine honey," George Stacy assures her.
"I'm glad. If you had gotten hurt...I would never have forgiven Spider-Man!" she says, with more than a little venom at the webslinging hero.
George's brow furrows. Ever since the incidents with Spider-Man in this back costume and then the subsequent appearance of the villain called Venom she has been extremely unfriendly, to put it mildly, towards Spider-Man. In a way he can't blame her. Spider-Man was unpleasant to her and then Venom kidnapped and almost killed her. It shook her and she is lashing out...ok so George got that one from the psychiatrist he had had to get for her because she was having nightmares after it all but he can't argue with it. "Now what about you? Are you hurt?" he asks with fatherly concern for his daughter.
"What? No daddy. I'm fine."
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
George sighs. "I'm afraid I'm going to be late home tonight dealing with this," he says regretfully as his eyes take in the 3 criminal being loaded into the back of 3 separate police vans a short distance away.
"I understand," Gwen says, sad at the fact she doesn't see her father as much as she would like to.
"Do I need to get a patrol car to take you home?"
"No. Harry said he will see me home," she informs her father.
George frowns. The Osborn kid. He has tried to let Gwen make her own choices in the matter but he doesn't quite approve. He places a kiss on her temple. "Ok. I'll be home as soon as I can," he promises her.
Meanwhile Peter is nodding politely and agreeing with everything JJ says as he rants about this and that while Peter promises to get JJ the pictures he wants. Luckily Peter had webbed his camera up in a good spot before he started that fight so he should have a few pictures even JJ will like...no scratch that. JJ will find something about them to complain about. He always does.
Jonah, feeling he has chewed Parker out enough for the moment, turns to leave only to bump into this tall kid, with messy, curly black hair wearing black thick rimmed glasses. "Watch it!" he snaps.
"Oh I-I'm sorry sir. I was just trying to get a few quotes," the boy replies, holding up a notebook and pen. "Would you like to answer a few of my question?"
Jonah frowns. "Kid do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir," he replies politely. "You're J. Jonah Jameson, owner of, amongst other things, the Daily Bugle, one of this country's, if not the world's, finest newspapers and that's not even mentioning that you were once yourself one of the finest investigative reporters known as Jigsaw Jameson."
Now something happens Peter has never seen happen. What could be interpreted as a smile appears on Jameson's face.
"That's...not bad kid. What's your name?" Jonah asks.
"Kent sir. Clark Kent."
"You're a reporter?" Jonah asks sceptically cause he's awfully young.
"Um...more like reporter in training sir. As luck had it I was passing when I saw this," Clark explains his presence.
"What's this sir business?"
"My parents always taught me to be respectful to my elders sir."
Jonah laughs. "Kid you're a dying breed in this world. Parker here shows me no respect whatsoever."
Peter's eyebrows rise. "Mr Jameson can I take issue with that?"
"No you can't," Jonah slaps him down.
"Of course I can't," Peter grumbles.
Jonah ignores him...as per usual. "How old are you Kent?"
"17 sir."
"You still in high school?"
"Yes sir."
"Work on your school paper?"
"Yes sir."
"Good for you. It's good to see a young man starting in this business early," Jonah heaps praise on Clark. "When you reach college you should apply for an internship at the Bugle. You might just make it...if you're lucky."
Clark pushes his glasses up his nose. "Gosh sir. That would be swell!" he says enthusiastically with a goofy smile.
Jonah, Peter and Robbie(who had been observing all this) look at Clark weirdly. "Strange kid," Jonah mumbles under his breath. "Robbie!" he yells even though Robbie is at most 2 feet away.
"Yes Jonah," Robbie says.
"Come on. We've got a paper to print. Parker I want those pictures or so help me you will be looking for another job!"
"Yes Mr Jameson," Peter says, doing his best not to sound snide. Technically Peter doesn't actually work for the Bugle. He's freelance and just sells his Spider-Man pictures.
Peter watches Jonah and Robbie go before turning towards Clark...and god help him it is truly amazing how geeky and non-noticable Clark can make himself. "Gosh sir. That would be swell," Peter repeats Clark's words in a mock impression.
Clark chuckles. "You'd be amazed how well that works to make people think you are just a nerdy nobody," he essentially explains why he threw that line in so as to throw people off.
Peter shakes his head in amusement. "Good sucking up there pretending to be a journalist."
"I'm not pretending. I am. Everything I said is true. I work on the school paper these days."
"You're serious," Peter realises.
"Yes."
"For once I don't have a joke. My fans have just been let down by my failure," Peter jokily laments. He takes a moment. "Look I would love to catch up but I really need to get those pictures ready for JJ," he says seriously. He has money he needs to earn for himself and his aunt.
Clark nods. "Ok. How about we meet up tomorrow night?" he proposes. "We could patrol together and have a, you know, guy chat."
Peter puffs out his chest and speaks in a faux-macho manner. "Sure. Been awhile since I've been able to talk sports and pig out on chips. That's what real men do."
Clark laughs. "Peter don't ever change."
"Well alright but my clothes will start to smell."
Clark only laughs all the harder.
Author's Note: I'll admit I borrowed quite a bit here from the Spectacular Spider-Man episode Gangland where I also borrowed the idea of giving Liz Allan her Hispanic makeover from. I just think it's a good idea to add some ethic mix to reflect the multi-cultural world we live in. I borrowed the leather jacket idea off Smallville but instead of plain red I wanted it to more resemble Superman's costume so blue and red instead with the proper coloured shield. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. I'll have to close my poll for who gets possessed in my version of Spell at the end of this week so if you haven't voted please do so before you run out of time. Next up; The Clark & Peter show...no wait. I mean Clark and Peter finally compare notes while good ol' JJ labels Clark's heroic alter ego with a new name that might sound familiar.