Air!

200 stones extra chapter.

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***

I get home incredibly fast. It's only seven o'clock at night.

Cool.

- I'm home!

- Hey, Peter, how was your first day of school?

- It's great, Aunty. You know, Gwen and I have been sent by the school to do an internship at NYU. I'm sure it'll come in very handy when we apply.

- That's wonderful, I'm so proud of you," May hugs me.

- Proud of what? - Uncle Ben comes in, leaving his briefcase in the hallway.

- I'm telling my aunt that I've been deprived of a small part of my free time, and that I've been sent on an internship to New York University from the Midtown School.

- Really? That's great, champ! - Uncle Ben joined in the hug.

- I know. Thank you. I also wanted to warn you that I'll be coming home even later from now on, but I swear I'll text or call before I do.

- Okay, Pete. But only because it'll be good for your future studies," Ben grudgingly agreed.

- Now that we've decided, let's have dinner. I've baked a banana muffin," Aunt May called us to the table.

I had dinner with my family, and after I'd finished with my lab, I went up to my room to get my things. I took everything I needed, stuffed it in my rucksack, and lay down on the bed for fifteen minutes. Opening his texts he started texting his girlfriend.

"Hi beautiful, I'm calling to brag that I've been assigned to an internship at a science lab, and also to apologise, I won't be able to go out today."

"Hey Tiger, congratulations! And that's okay, I still have some study projects to prepare, so no time to go out."

"Need any help?"

"Mr Parker, I may be a hottie, but I'm not short on intelligence either, I'll text you if it's hard, in the meantime, do your science breakthroughs, tiger. Love you."

"I love you too. Good luck."

Great.

I leap out of bed and jump out the bedroom window, under the cover of darkness. Carefully climb down the wall. I look around, I don't see anyone.

I go down to the basement.

Cobwebs, check.

Bugs, check.

Battery and boom, torch recharged.

I'm ready.

Putting on my suit, flying into town on patrol.

*

15 minutes later. Queens borders.

So, standard evening patrol or something new?

Can I try my luck in Astoria or Harlem?

Nah.

Downtown's our thing, I want to go high.

I love New York architecture, but that's mostly because of the high-rises. It's like a stone jungle.

As I fly, I cling to the flagpole and spin up, giving myself inertial acceleration, flying upwards.

Honestly, these abilities were worth the risk if only for moments like this.

I land on a high-rise skyscraper with a spire and observe the city. I even get a great view of Central Park from here.

And, basically, everything going on for tens of kilometres.

What's the huge advantage of police sirens? Bingo! They can be seen and heard from a great distance. The same goes for altitude.

So, there's the option of heading out from the East River, checking out Chinatown or the Theatre District along the way. You could try your luck in Hell's Kitchen, but that's Daredevil's territory, and I don't really want to go to him at the moment. I haven't got the calibre for this meeting yet. Or there's an option to rush downtown, visit Baxter's building and finally meet the Fantastic Four. Except, unlike in canon, I'm not gonna ask to join the team for the money.

Oh, really?!

Yes, yes, and here we go again with "Evaluating the merits and demerits of canon Peter Spider Parker." Sue me.

But since I'm here to take his place, I should be a more effective, unstoppable Spider-Man. 

That's what I was hoping for... let's make it Pete-Prime. For short.

What was he hoping for when his job problems started, trying to cash in with his hero role? I don't know. If he, with his amazing strength, had gone to work part-time as a labourer, it would have been more useful. But if it's a sense of "injustice" to ordinary labourers, then I'm just done. I'm speechless.

Okay, I'll get through this and many other points a hundred times over.

Something more interesting is coming up.

- Hello! - I say, looking down at a very elderly man in a semi-mechanical green suit with two bird wings.

What a man, Vulture, aka Adrian Tooms in his old man persona.

Okay, okay, I won't attack, I'll try to talk first.

I jump off the top of the building and shoot my webbing towards the building on the route of the not-so-young Chickadee.

- Excuse me, citizen, can you tell me how to get to Washington Park?

- What?! Who the hell are you?!?!? - exclaimed the Vulture, frozen in mid-air.

- Oh, of course, I apologise, I'm Spider-Man. Friendly neighbour, by the way. Just wanted to ask directions.

- Out of my way, scum! I have important business to attend to! - shouted the grandfather quite angrily, covering the bag that hung on his shoulder.

No, he just drooled.

- Swag? Not very friendly, - Jumping off the thread, I start flying after the wingman. - And if it's no secret, where are you going?

- Are you kidding me?! Okay, if you're gonna do this, you're on your own!

Tooms, with the roar of a true old warrior, came at me. And as I ducked and missed the carcass on the gravity pull, I realised the wings weren't just for show.

They're razor sharp.

- Wow, how long did you clean those feathers, if it's no secret? They're pretty shiny.

- Trust me, insect, you'll know it. Just come a little closer.

- I'm sorry, I don't feel like it," I somersaulted towards my opponent and kicked him in the torso with both feet.

With a grunt, the Vulture flies off.

- You know, I'm in a hurry, so I'll deal with you the next time I see you," Tooms said, getting ready to fly away.

- No, you won't," I shot out a web and caught my enemy's leg.

We start flying over the city, with me in the "dangling potato sack" position.

Why the sense of déjà vu?

- You annoying sticking bug," Vulture yelled, noticing the ballast.

- Yes, hello. And an arachnid, actually," I continued as if nothing had happened.

With a wave of his hand, Adrian cuts my thread with his wing.

Okay. I should have seen this coming.

I shoot two strands down the back of my turned opponent and start climbing them.

- Why don't you keep up, what did I do?!

Oh, by the way.

- Firstly, you weren't a very polite neighbour. Secondly, if my company was that unpleasant, you would have just flown away. And thirdly, you may think I have a nose for villains. Or you can tell me that that purse you're clutching so tightly is filled with Grandma's cupcakes. It's not grandma's cupcakes, is it?

- You pathetic young man, it's none of your business!

- I'd feel like an arsehole if I was fighting with a flying courier who's just air-delivering Grandma's cakes to my granddaughter.

- What are you talking about?!

- Sorry, it's words, sometimes they just come in torrents, you can't stop them. Anyway, you don't need it," I shoot the bag and pull it towards me.

- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The Vulture turns around sharply, cutting the web strands and flying at me.

Grabbing the Spider by the throat, Tooms begins to rise into the air.

Okay, I didn't see that one coming.

***

Gwen Stacy's house.

Great, I'm done with classes, so I can see what's going on with the research. It's nice of Martha to get Pete and me on the register so quickly.

Yeah, Peter and I are in the same place, doing research.

Right, enough with the pink puddle, Stacey! You saw him with that new redhead today. He's already taken.

The girl's heavy thoughts were interrupted by a call from an unknown number.

That's weird.

- Hello?

- Hi, is this Gwen Stacey?

- Yeah, who's this?

- It's me. Mary Jane Watson. Peter introduced us today, if you remember.

Gwen was stunned silent for a while, but then she decided to answer.

- Yes, of course, MJ, I remember. It's just a bit sudden.

- I realise you probably don't understand how I got your number at all, do you?

- That's right, curiosity at play.

- Gloria did, I asked her for someone from Peter's company and she only gave me yours.

- What about her?

- She said you helped her with biology last year.

- That was a thing, I'd forgotten.

- Sorry to interrupt, I was wondering if you'd like to come round to my place, like, tomorrow's a day off, you know?

- Erm, well, sure, I'd love to.

- Great, I'm looking forward to it, have a good night.

- You too.

What was that?

***

Meanwhile, the centre.

Oh, shit!

Exclaimed the spider-clad hero mentally.

"Clever thoughts often haunted him, but he was faster." A great epitaph for my grave. Hell, even the tallest high-rises are hidden behind the clouds, and Tooms keeps flying upwards.

Okay, spider, it's now or never.

I grab my opponent's arms and do a somersault over his head, ending up on Vulture's back like a surfboard.

- What are you doing, you idiot! The reversing engines won't work if you keep messing with us!!!!

- Shut up!

Okay, if memory serves me correctly, the Vulture's technology is powered by a specific power source, which is located either in the wings or... the square compartment standing out on its back was my answer.

I punch through the metal panelling with my fist, to Tooms' hysterical shrieking, and rip out a few wires.

A moment later, we begin to lose altitude rapidly.

- What have you done, you idiot! We're both gonna die.

- You keep yelling Tooms and then we're dead.

After shutting up my suddenly quiet opponent, I begin to think.

There is one way. It usually worked in comic books and cartoons, but it's impossible in reality, but it's worth a try. I start frantically shooting threads of web of different density into the air. After a short time of our fall into the abyss, a translucent, thin, but very dense cocoon began to form, resembling a parachute from afar.

The fall began to slow, and when it was possible, I levelled the trajectory of Tooms and me so that we could land safely, albeit hard, on the nearest rooftop.

- Whoo-hoo-hoo! Did you see that, did you see that?! Spider parachute, test one and success!!! - although we survived, my opponent didn't look happy.

- Unbelievable, you almost got us killed and ended up correcting your own mistake, I'm surprised the president hasn't put a medal in your name yet," the old man said dryly.

- I caught the irony. All right, get up, it's time to take you to the police.

- Your brain may have a hard time absorbing the next line, so take a deep breath and concentrate.... I CAN'T MOVE. YOU'VE DAMAGED THE POWER PANEL.!!!!.

- You don't have to shout like that, I get it! - I'm clearing my ears after Adrian's thunderous shriek. - But seriously, you're a genius. Okay cancelling the ability to fly without power, but did you seriously think a suit where you couldn't move without batteries was a good idea?

- A flaw in the prototype. It doesn't matter anyway. Tell me, which one of them do you work for?

- "Them"?

- Don't pretend! Osborne, Stark, or maybe Roxon? Who's paying you?

- Oh, wow. The names sound familiar, but sorry, I'm an independent contractor, I don't work for these guys.

- Then how did you know my name and why did you attack me?!

- Except to punch you in the face for your hysterical tone? - The vulture's quiet. - Like I said, a nose for bad guys, and as for the name, you said it yourself, let's see what you stole.

I open the bag and I see a bunch of papers.

Well, well, blueprints for the suit and a general description of how the Vulture's wing technology works, I see. Roxon's transfer and account numbers, according to the stamp. Now, that's interesting.

- Seriously, Adrian, a plan to mine the Roxxon Energy plants? Terrorism is not a good thing.

- I didn't give you my name, and you would only know it if my competitors decided to take precautions.

- I'm an arsehole, I should be careful what I say about my knowledge next time. - Think what you want, but I'll give you to the cops, they'll make a good case with this evidence.

- If you're gonna hand it over to your superiors, you better kill him right away.

- Wow, you must be really scared.

- You don't know how cases like this are handled. The technology race is a serious market these days, and if you cross a big company, you're out of the way. Usually it's a bullet to the back of the head, but apparently new times call for a new approach.

- Explain.

- The future, mate! Look at you, I'm sure your features aren't natural, clearly genetic interference. Or maybe you're a mutant, I don't know. Space radiation that turned Richards and his crew into freaks. Bruce Banner's accident in the Mojave Desert. And hell knows what else is going to happen tomorrow. Against their backdrop, an old man with mechanical wings is far from the eighth wonder of the world, but for life thirty years ago, still an atypical event. New age, mate.

Well, it's hard to disagree with that.

- Anyway, stop philosophising, I'll take you to a cop I know, seriously Vulture, I'm not going to kill you - though I should.

After all, the bastard was intent on throwing me off the top.

Wrapping the vulture in a cocoon, a precaution no more, I fly towards the police station, where New York's best cop is usually on duty.

***

George Stacey's office.

Twenty years on the force has taught George Stacey many lessons. One: once you're on the force, you're on the force till you die. Or at least until you retire. Two: you'll blow your personal life in the line of duty - a wife running off with a banker and a strained relationship with your daughter to prove it.

At least the summer trip smoothed things out a bit.

George's musings were interrupted by a knock on the window. Stacy looked around, and it was only when he looked up that he realised what the commotion was about, or rather who it was about. The new street vigilante, Spider-Man, was on the roof and gestured for the Captain to come upstairs.

George closed the window and walked as calmly as he could to the roof, greeting his colleagues passing along his route. The story of meeting the wall-crawling character would long be remembered by the Captain.

George first learnt about him when a big shot of the Hammerhead underworld, aka Joseph Lorenzini, was brought to the station. According to intelligence reports, Lorenzini is the right hand of a certain "Big Boss" who usurped most of Silvio Manfredi's empire after the latter's arrest. Alas, we still don't know exactly who among the many henchmen of the Grey-Haired One took the throne. But the certainty that this information would soon become known to the police did not leave George. In any case, the same day the Hammerhead was released from custody, and a case was opened against a certain "web thrower".

But time passed and the image of "Spider-Man's Friendly Neighbour" became known not only to the police, but also to ordinary citizens of New York, and although J. Jonah Jameson, for no other reason than personal reasons, tried to smear the image of the kid in the coloured suit, his actions spoke louder about the guy than any articles. Over time, many in the police, including George began to tacitly support the young man's crime-fighting activities. Of course, to do so openly was the same as going against the commissioner's orders, and Stacy still needed the job.

So it was also incomprehensible to the captain why the guy had put their tacit co-operation in danger by coming to the station.

With these thoughts George opened the door leading to the roof.

- Good evening to the toilers of the law! - greeted the Spider.

- Same to you. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to show up at a police station, and what it would cost me to have even one of our conversations discovered?

- Come on, Cap. We both know the security systems at the precinct haven't been updated in ten years. Including the surveillance systems.

- That's true, Spider. All right, what's up? - with his hands folded across his chest, Stacey decided to cut to the chase.

Spidey raised his hand in a "hold on a second" gesture and stepped behind an industrial air conditioner. From it he pulled out a strange old man wrapped in cobwebs.

- What the fuck?! - exclaimed the police captain.

- 'Easy, look at this,' Spider ripped the webbing open and revealed a view of a semi-military technological suit.

- What's this?

- And here we go to dessert, - said the hero, giving George a bag with documents, - but first, maybe you can invite the trusted guys to escort our client downstairs?

- On what charge? - George asked with a raised eyebrow.

- Do I need a charge? - The answer was only a frown from Stacy - Okay, okay, let's start with the use of military technology in civilian airspace, unregistered flight, endangering law and order, is that enough for now?

- Okay," Stacy agreed with a sigh, "but you better hide.

- Got it," Spider replied, jumping behind the air conditioner.

- Duty officer, Stacy, channel 2.0, I need some guys on the roof, do you copy, do you copy?

- Roger that, Captain, what do you got?

- A small wrapped gift that should be picked up.

- Roger that. I'll send it to Fally and Casey.

- Copy that.

Eight minutes later, the door to the roof swung open and before the eyes of Sergeants Fally and Casey, stood Captain Stacey and a huddled, mooing old man.

- Captain.

- Sergeant. Our friendly neighbour has left a parcel, escort him to his cell.

- Flyboy's lynching old men now, too?

- Calm down, Fally, I'm sure Spider had his reasons, - Oliver answers his older comrade, not in the matter of rank, but age.

- Are you a fan, Casey?

- I saw him bag the Hammerhead that our department has been chasing for over three months with no results, so he's obviously not our enemy.

- Oh, come on!

- All right, enough of this useless chatter! - Stacey stopped the argument. The subordinates immediately stretched out. - Escort this man downstairs and read him his rights.

- Charge?

- Unauthorised departure in civilian airspace and use of unregistered military technology. That's enough for starters," George said, paraphrasing his suit-clad partner. - Dismissed.

- Yes, sir! - The officers led Tooms away.

After standing for five minutes and waiting, Stacy said:

- Get out.

The Spider landed in a somersault right in front of George.

- Now let's talk.