16303/Big Wheel Keep on Turning

Big Wheel Keep on Turning
Date of Scene:	10 November 2023
Location:	Radio City Music Hall
Synopsis:	Ben tries to take Gwen to see the Rockettes, but BIG WHEEL has other plans.
Cast of Characters:	Ben Reilly, Gwen Stacy

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Ben Reilly has posed:
It is not quite Thanksgiving yet, but New York City is already abuzz with the upcoming holidays. Not immune to the festive feel, Ben Reilly asked Gwen Stacy to join him on a jaunt downtown. Having slowly emerged from the existential crisis of wondering who he is - what he is - after having spent an entire year pretending to be Peter Parker, he decided that she had earned a time out, dedicated entirely to her.

He was not sure if she had ever dreamed of watching the Rockettes perform, but imagines as a dancer herself, at the very least she would appreciate the show. And so a pair of tickets to a matinee show in his pocket (he is still light on cash, of course, and well before Thanksgiving is the best time to catch cheaper shows) and the best girl in the whole world in his hand, Ben feels truly happier than he has been in a long time.

At least until his Ben tingle starts going off.

Not now...please. There are only 15 minutes before the show.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Thanksgiving has always been a special occasion for Gwen. Both in this universe and her other. A time for family. And now? There was someone special that was becoming more and more part of the family. They are quietly making their way over the sidewalk. No real hurry, the blonde college student dressed in a pair of fur boots and skirt, a black and purple blouse and a nice, warm jacket over the shoulders. Hand is wrapped on Ben's.

"Father has been talking." She is saying, "... that maybe you should go to the family dinner this year." Uh-Oh. But whatever else that she was going to say is put aside due to that tingling.

A tingling that both of them share.

Gwen reaches to her wrist, setting her alarm for 15 minutes, blue eyes drifting over to Ben's. It was time to move!

Ben Reilly has posed:
For a brief moment, Ben wonders if his tingling isn't a reaction to Gwen's statement about her father. But then when he notices she reacts too, he realizes it is not just about trying to find a way to convince her father of...well, things...but about something that is probably slightly easier to manage, and only slightly less dangerous.

As his eyes scan the crowd, and then the skies for trouble, he hears what can only be the sound of grinding metal-on-metal, and a few screams coming from down the street. He exchanges glances with Gwen, and then they both dart into the nearest alleyway.

By the time the two Spiders can swing back out, the source of the din comes into view. A giant yellow metal wheel is rolling down the street, crushing cars in its wake. Perched inside is a man, seated between the two wheels on either side, resting in the axle at the controls.

OOC: https://www.writeups.org/wp-content/uploads/Big-Wheel-Marvel-Comics-Spider-Man.jpg

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Always a dangerous prospect. Family dinner chez Stacy. Yet indeed it isn't the source of that tingling they both feel. They are running and changing wardrobe on that alley with the practiced motions of two spiders quite used to this. And where two lovebirds first entered a few moments later it's Scarlet Spider and Ghost Spider that emerge, swinging to the skies towards the source of that danger.

"ETA minus 12 minutes." Ghost Spider announces to Scarlet Spider. No pressure, really. But she is taking it quite seriously her time watching the Rockettes! She won't want to miss the start.

*THWIP* *THWIP* Webs bring them further up so they can survey the area until it comes into view. That hideous rolling metal wheel. Her mask arches up as if Gwen was quirking a brow dubiously at that whole thing. "Really? REALLY?" she sounds exasperated at what these villains are cooking up.

And in true Ghost Spider fasshion she swings in, coming over one side of it. "Hey! You got a permit for that?" classic. Taunt the villain. But with some luck it might distract them enough for Ben to swing in!

Ben Reilly has posed:
Unfortunately for Ghost Spider, it is not merely the large steel wheels smashing up cars like a villainous monster truck rally that poses a threat. As she starts to swing into frame, the pilot hits a button and a pair of mini-guns flip out from the side. Training them on the lithe Spider, a hail of bullets starts flying out to try to knock her from the sky.

"LOOK OUT!" yells Scarlet Spider, likely wholly unnecessary because of his partner's tingle, but that does not change the concern in his voice as the initially comical vehicle takes a turn for the deadly.

Trusting in Ghost Spider to be able to evade the initial rounds of fire, Scarlet Spider swings back and past the vehicle to perch down on one of the ruined cars left in its wake, firing his webs at those large, spinning wheels.

He has to stop this thing before it hurts anymore.

And before the curtain rises...

Gwen Stacy has posed:
*ZIG* A hail of bullets shoot towards Ghost Spider as she is swinging over, another web shot in a different angle to pull her aside as the strafing shots hit the wall where she was a second ago. *ZAG* Body bends in near impossible feats of nimbleness as she continues to evade with the added difficulty of actually having to keep those miniguns pointing at -her- and away from crowds or people.

And that means taking to the skies.

"Excuse me, Sir! I think I will have to ticket you for stealing the Coney Island faire wheel!" she continues to taunt the mysterious wheeler even as the sound of those bullets zip ever closer.

But they never seem to quite catch up with the spider. As if she was a step ahead all the time, her silhouette visible against the moon while she swings over the large wheel, fearless.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Scarlet Spider is not nearly so fortunate. As the Big Wheel accelerates towards Ghost Spider while he tries to hold it back, he realizes a bit too late that trying to stand on a car was not his best strategy.

Thanks to his Spider-Grip, his feet do not leave the crushed car.

But thanks to the Big Wheel's horsepower, that means that Scarlet Spider _and_ the car are lifted along and dragged!

As the spot where the webbing impacted rolls upward, the Scarlet Spider and the car both fly forward. Ben thinks quickly and kicks the car off, but then falls and starts getting dragged face first along the pavement before he disconnects the webbing.

"That...sucked." he murmurs before he hops up. Planting his feed on the asphalt he fires his webbing again, this time aiming at the small canopy of the Big Wheel that remains motionless while the other wheels spinning around it.

With a bit of a grunt, he yanks the Big Wheel to a halt, queueing it up for Ghost Spider to deliver the knockout blow.

Eight minutes to go before the showtime. They might still make it.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
The way that Ben is getting dragged across the asphalt has Gwen grimace and again that sorta shows on the mask. Blessed JVD for creating such a cool costume. "That's gotta hurt, you okay babe?" she asks the roadkill spider, backflipping over and across the ground as the guns on the large wheel slow to a stop and begin reloading (and cooling down too). It means she has a few seconds.

It gives her enough time to reposition and she seems to get what Ben is doing before he even starts doing it because she shoots her webs over to that car that had been destroyed after Ben's feet had it's way with it, pulling on it with effort to have it gain some momentum....

And then gets it spinning....

It goes and goes for a few times, her webs holding at the limit until the big wheel comes to a crashing stop due to Ben's efforts. It's when she lets go of the car and it goes crashing right against the wheel from the side!

"Striiikeeee!" This isn't bowling, Gwen. Also, six minutes to go.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Yeah, never better," grunts back the Scarlet Spider as he feels the wheel trying to spin away despite his best efforts.

With one hero behind and one hero beside, and mini-guns mounted on the sides and facing forwards, the driver twists and turns as he tries to figure out a solution. And maybe starts to wonder if this particular vehicle was not well thought out.

As the Ghost Spider flings the car, the Big Wheel topples over. Scarlet Spider releases his webbing with a bit of relief and watches as the Big Wheel continues to spin. Except, stuck in place and wedged onto the road, it is the cockpit which spins, leading to a howling protest from the driver. Which will only get worse once he loses his lunch.

As the Boys in Blue roll up, Scarlet Spider nods to them. "You guys got this now? I've got a date!"

And with that, he takes a running start and leaps into the air, firing off his webshooters, swinging off in search of a quiet shadowy place to change.

Five minutes to go.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Alright ..., time to jet before that guy starts spitfirin'..." His lunch, that is.

Gwen turns to face the arriving cops and grins their way, "I am going too. And it's totally not for a date with that guy!" finger guns towards the scurrying Scarlet Spider before she does the same.

Towards a totally DIFFERENT alley.

She emerges shortly from the depths of that alley, hands brushing over her hair and she finishing wrapping a scarf around her neck. Eyes take a look around, then to clock.

Two minutes to go!

Ben Reilly has posed:
Darting and racing through the crowd, intent on making it to the lobby, Ben and Gwen are taking entirely different paths, thanks to their different alleyways. As such, Gwen arrives before Ben does, as the clock keeps ticking.

One minute to go.

The ticket taker, who has a RATHER pronounced chin, looks at Gwen skeptically. No ticket, no entry, and her ticket was in Ben's pocket!

30 seconds.

There is no sign of Ben, and no one else left to be admitted. The ticket taker dramatically looks at his watch, and begins to step back inside, reaching for the door.

15 seconds.

The ticket taker reaches over to turn around a sign that says, "NO ADMISSION AFTER SHOW STARTS"

10 seconds.

9 seconds.

8 seconds.

7 sec.

6 sec.

5.

4.

3.

2.

Ben SKIDS into place next to Gwen, one hand outstretched with two tickets, and the other with a fresh bouquet of flowers from the stand that was on his side of the street from the alleyway.

One side of his face looks like he slept out on the beach all afternoon and forgot to turn over.

But the ticket taker HARUMPHS loudly, as if defeated, and tears the two tickets in half, waving his arm to indicate for the two of them proceed inside as he hands the stubs back to Ben.