4303/Getting a Half-Life

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Getting a Half-Life
Date of Scene: 04 December 2020
Location: SoHo
Synopsis: Alyx Vance and Spidey foil a bodega robbery and have a run-in with Spiral.
Cast of Characters: Alyx Vance, Peter Parker, Spiral




Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Look, this is money. It can be exchanged for goods and services. Why do you have to be so particular?" Alyx Vance asks, leaning forward across the bodega's countertop. An energy drink, a pack of gum, and a pre-paid cellphone have been brought to the register and a few currency-like slips have been stacked neatly.

    "Because they're fake! Money has /presidents/! Whoever heard of..." The clerk picks up one of the bills and eyes it suspiciously. "...Mo...jo."

    "Literally everyone in the non-free world," Alyx replies. She sighs softly and looks behind her as a line begins to form. "Fine," she mutters before scooping up the items. "I need to be looking for Spi----her, anyway." The line inches forward as Alyx moves away from the counter and towards the bodega's refrigerator so that she can return the unpurchased Red Bull back in its rightful home.

Peter Parker has posed:
The cashier sighed. New York scam artists, trying to pass Monopoly money again. Could her day get any...

Then the guy that was behind the woman with the funny money brought up a sawed-off shotgun, pointing it at her through the porthole in the security glass.

Oh...yes, apparently it could.
"Money, bitch."
At those words, three other guys in the rather small store bring out guns as well. "ALL RIGHT! Everyone to the back, wallets, jewelry, money clips, phones, you know how this goes!"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx opens up the refrigerator with her gloved hand and tippie-toes so that she can slide the blue and silver can back into its slot on the upper shelf. "Wings. Ha!" she mutters to herself, as if making fun of the marketing slogan would give her some small victory today. Alyx's path would trace around the bodega's outer aisle and towards the front of the store, back to where the pre-paid phones were displayed. She slots the plastic package into its hook and sighs softly.

    The commotion at the register -- notably the 'money, bitch' comment -- causes Alyx's head to swivel. Did the next customer really have the audacity to call her a Money Bitch? Her forehead forms a strict line across the brow. "Seriously?" she exclaims, turning the corner of the aisle before stopping dead in her tracks.

    "Woah..." she says softly, her eyes lowering to the shotgun. She raises both of her hands, showing that her palms are empty.

Peter Parker has posed:
The cashier, realizing she is more-or-less trapped in the kill zone (thanks, shoddy design) moved to the register and popped it open. It wasn't her money, but she felt a twinge of resentment to the people who were going to ruin her night with cops and an angry manager.
"Four, back door!" the guy at the register calls, and one of them nods and goes to the back door used for deliveries. He opens the door, sweeps the alley with the gun he's armed with.

Another guy begin frisking the only other two patrons for their valuables while the one facing Alyx eyes her. "You have money. Cough it up before you get a belly full of buckshot..."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Tell that to her..." Alyx mutters softly, nudging her head at the cashier that had refused her money, before moving both of her hands into her jacket pockets to retrieve her alleged currency. A faint clang of metal might be heard -- just the kind of noise from when something metal is jostled -- before Alyx's hands come out of the pockets. One of her hands holds some Mojobucks while her other one comes out to show an empty palm. The backs of her gloves, however, are now adorned with the exposed electronic components of her Gravity Gloves, which had just been slotted on in secret.

    Alyx reaches out to give the robber the wad of Mojobucks, though her eyes avoid his gaze. Instead of watching him, Alyx is scanning the bodega for items that could be weaponized. Her pistol was still locked up in her holster. Taking it out would only make things worse and, frankly, it was a miracle she was able to walk down the SoHo streets with it so visible.

    With her empty hand still outstretched, Alyx tilts it a little. Behind the robber, a few red sparkles start to trickle around a bag of sidewalk salt that had been put on display. Suddenly, Alyx makes a fist and pulls her hand back, letting out a loud grunt of exertion. The bag of sidewalk salt starts to zip through the air towards Alyx and the robber in between!

Peter Parker has posed:
The robber stares at the Mojobucks. "What the Hell are you trying to..."
Then the hand comes up, and the crook is instantly on high alert. The attack, though, comes from behind, not ahead. The heavy bag strikes his head and upper back, and he suddenly lurches forward. The shotgun goes off, but the impact causes the gun to rise upward, the buckshot passes a few inches above Alyx's head.

The leader (One) looks over to Three as he is assaulted by flying produce. "FOUR!" he yells, grabbing the money from the counter.

"AFT!"
The voice from the rear of the bodega is unfamiliar, but One recognizes the figure standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall.
"...SPIDER-MAN."
"THE ONE AND ONLY," Spider-Man replies in a hard voice.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx ducks down as buckshot passes into the ceiling and sidewalk salt showers to the floor. The moment of chaos is enough for the young woman to dive behind the aisle's shelf so she can think this through. "Spider-Man... Spider-Man..." she whispers to herself, trying to remember. Was this some kind of cheap parody of Mojoworld's Spider-Guy show? Or the Spider-Person show? Unsure if she's going to see a human-with-a-spider-head or a spider-with-a-human-head or something else entirely, Alyx weighs the options and decides to stand up to see for herself.

    "...That's disappointing," she decides before reaching out to Gravity Glove a counterfeit Jose Canseco autographed bat on display behind the counter. Alyx slaps the wood of the bat against her open palm before swinging it in an upper-cut golf swing at her attacker's hands in an effort to get that shotgun to the ground.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey looks at One, who is already pulling the shotgun from the hole in the bulletproof glass, giving the cashier to slam the sliding block shut on the hole to take herself out of the potential hostage pool.
Spider-Man doesn't advance. He simply raises an arm and...
THWIPP!
YANK.
And the shotgun jumps from One's hands to clatter on the linoleum tile floor.
"Sorry, butterfingers."

Then Alyx spots the other one, Two, rushing Spider-Man, ready to swing his shotgun like a baseball bat. Then Spidey's other arm raises towards him, and then Two is webbed to the floor, losing the gun when his body stops but the gun keeps going.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    After her baseball bat golf swing whiffs past Three's shotgun, Alyx makes a quick decision. Almost as one action, she drops the Jose Canseco bat on the ground and reaches an outstretched hand in Spider-Man's direction. She pulls an empty fist towards herself and catches the shotgun with both hands, just before it has a chance to continue its path towards Spider-Man! Alyx cocks the weapon and points it at Three.

    "Drop it," she demands before raising her eyebrows, as if to urge the guy to consider his odds.

Peter Parker has posed:
One looks around, realizes he has no weapon, but he has the money, and that is all that counts.
He turns to run for the front exit...and almost makes it.
In the next moment, he is webbed to the left side of the doorway.

Three realizes he is better off giving up now and making a deal, so he drops the gun and the swag. Spider-Man webs him to the floor, as well.

He looked to Alyx, appraising her for a moment, then says, "You should probably put that down, too. The cops will be here in a minute, and you probably shouldn't be packing heat when they do."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "At least the webs come out of his wrists here..." Alyx mutters as she takes notice of the Spider-Man's handiwork. She lets out a quiet laugh before turning her attention to the shotgun in her hands. "Yeah..." she agrees. "That's a good idea." Alyx sets the weapon down on top of Three's web.

    "I guess this is where you're expecting an oh-my-hero sort of thing, right?" Alyx asks with a smirk on her face. "Because, I count this one as fifty-fifty." She turns towards the refrigeration case and turns her head over her shoulder so she can let her smirk linger a moment or two longer. Alyx opens the case and removes the Red Bull she put back earlier before giving the terrified bodega clerk a *look*. The clerk nods her head a couple of times, prompting Alyx to open the can with her fingers. Pttsssss.

    "So. What do you look like under that?" she wonders, taking a step towards Spider-Man. "Are you all gross with, like, eight eyes and mandibles and all that?" Alyx squints. "Or are you cute?" She gives him another smirk before shrugging her shoulders. "My guess is no mandibles, but... who knows about the eyes?" Alyx takes a sip of the Red Bull before frowning and giving the can a rueful look.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles. "Two eyes, one nose, one mouth. I look kinda average under the mask, anyway. Nothing to write home to mother about. You kept a cool head and acted quick, though. Quick and smart counts for a lot. So, kudos, miss." He looks over to the cashier, then says, "How much for the drink?"
"Uhm...two bucks? Better than the fake stuff she had."
Spider-Man looked to Alyx, then said, "Hang out for a bit." He walks over to the cashier, taking a small money clip (well, a small alligator-clip money clip) and hands her the cash. She nods and rings it up.
Spider-Man strolls back to Alyx, then says, "Figure I'll hang out and give the cops the scoop. There's a small park next to the apartment building a block south. Meet you there in ten?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Ah, the old two-one-one. It's better than I thought," Alyx replies wryly. She takes another sip of the Red Bull before answering the Spider-Man's question. Miss... "Alyx Vance," she says with a nod. "And you're Spider-Man." She points at one of the guys webbed up, the one who had called out the hero's name.

    After Spider-Man and the cashier work out how her bill will be paid, Alyx scurries over and unhooks one of the pre-paid cellphones. "This too," she calls out. And then the gum. "And this."

    With that decided, Alyx lingers near the door of the bodega. "Okay. An afternoon in the park. See you in ten," she agrees before slipping out and into the SoHo streets. It would not be long before Alyx finds a spot on a park bench where she can struggle against the cellphone's plastic packaging.

Peter Parker has posed:
After an additional transaction with the cashier, another verbal one with the cops, and a little help un-webbing the crooks, Spider-Man swings around towards the park. It's a small place, one of the smaller "reclamation projects" by local residents tired of staring at a dead parking lot. Grassy with small dirt paths, flowers along the edge of the lot, a park bench and a cast-iron BBQ grill make up the high points of the place.
Spidey lands at the edge of the park as opposed to dropping in in front of her. He strolls towards the park bench and waves to Alyx as he approaches, seeing if she is still having trouble with the blister-pack packaging of the phone.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Yep. She is. Alyx has the blister packaging out in front of herself and tries, unsuccessfully, to pry the two halves apart. "Seriously, who thinks this stuff up?" she wonders, a small amount of frustration in her voice. By now, her Gravity Gloves had been removed and are out of sight, likely in her jacket's pockets.

    Alyx glances up at Spider-Man before sliding over so the hero has some space on the bench to sit. "I'll pay you back," she says, finally, before trying again to pry the packaging apart.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles. "Lemme help with that." He reaches into the backpack on his back and takes out a pair of utility scissors, handing it to Alyx. "Don't sweat it, Miss Vance. Although I am curious about how you sucker-punched that guy with the salt, considering he was between you and it."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx lets out a quiet sigh of relief before handing the package over to Spidey. "Alyx," she reminds as she lets the plastic go. Alyx rubs her hands together, as if doing so might relieve some of the discomfort that came from struggling against the blister pack.

    "Oh, the joy of modern technology," she answers with a smirk. With that said, Alyx jams her hand back into her jacket pocket. When she pulls it back out, the back of her fingerless gloves are once again adorned with the exposed electronics of the Gravity Glove. She holds her hand out so Spider-Man can inspect it for himself.

    "How'd you make those spider webs?" Alyx asks as her eyes rise to inspect the boy's mask. "Let me guess. Your mother was a spider?" she adds with a good-natured smirk.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man makes short work of the packaging with the scissors, talking as he works. "It's actually synthetic, but reverse-engineered from actual spidersilk." He lifts one hand for Alyx to see the web-shooter rig. "Tensile strength is roughly one ton per webline, give or take."

He cracks the package open, then hands the phone and the instructions to Alyx before tossing the trash in a nearby trash can. While Alyx examines the phone, Spidey peers at one of the gloves. "Pretty light for lifting something that heavy. I..."
He pauses, then takes a closer look. "...is this a zero-point energy generator?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Well..." Alyx begins. "I guess there's no point in reinventing the wheel if nature already has something that works." Her eyes trace a path from Spider-Man's hands and the web-shooter at his wrist and then up his forearm, across his shoulder, and, ehem.

    Alyx's eyes shift suddenly to the top of her own hand and the hodge-podge of components that made up the Gravity Glove. "...Yeah," she answers suddenly, some surprise lingering in her voice. "...They are." Alyx looks up at Spider-Man, impressed. "From the finest minds in New Mojexico," she adds with a small amount of pride. "And some tweaks by yours truly." Alyx reaches her hand out and gives a gentle tug in the air, causing her Red Bull can to arc slowly into the air. She catches it gently and brings the can up to her lips.

    "I'm guessing they didn't know you were smart," she adds before taking a sip. "...Or care, maybe."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiles slightly under the mask. "Yeah, some knew. Some of the right people and some of the wrong people..."

He paused. "New Mojexico? Is that where you're from?"

Another pause, and Spidey remembered what the cashier had said. "Maybe you had better show me the currency you were using?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "That's right," Alyx replies with a nod before taking another longer sip of the energy drink. With a sigh, Alyx reaches back into her jacket and pulls out a couple of Mojobucks. "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private," she reminds as she hands over the currency. "Just not here, I guess."

    The bills are just about the same size and feel as a dollar bill, but instead of a president's face they all just show Mojo and identify themselves as Mojobucks.

    "Don't worry. When I said I'd pay you back, it'll be when I convert this to the local stuff," she adds with a nod.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man studies it for a moment. "Jeez, this guy looks like he fell from the top of the Ugly Tree and hit every single branch on the way down before landing on his face."

He ponders a moment more, then asks, "How much do you have in these...MojoBucks? I'd like to analyze them, and I'll trade you dollar for dollar. I think they have scientific value."

And it would cut into his Christmas bonus at KordCo, but if this person was who she said she was (and all evidence pointed to her telling the truth or being one of the most gifted liars in the world), then she needed help. And if he could help, then he would.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Not one of the great beauties, no," Alyx agrees, laughing a bit at Spider-Man's assessment of the despot. She gives another laugh before taking another sip of the Red Bull.

    "You'll trade for them? Well, then maybe I'll just pay you back with these, then?" she hopes, looking over at the mask for any indicator of how Spidey might feel about that. With that settled, Alyx lifts half of her bottom from the bench so she can pull some more Mojomoney from her back pocket.

    "Here," she says, offering out a stack of bills. "Be my guest." Alyx takes another sip. "...So, you're like some kind of nerd, then? A science type?" she asks, some caution in her voice. She didn't need to let on that she was one of those, herself.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man counted it out. "Looks like...about 180 Mojobucks."

As he took out the money clip, he said, "Well, apparently I'm nerd royalty. Gettin' called the 'King of Geeks' tend t' lay th' foundation, doesn't it?"

He counts out a few 20s, then some 10s and 5s and a few 1s. "This should cover the bill from the bodega and the rest of your currency. It's about $230."
Spidey hands over a fair chunk of his Christmas money to Alyx, but doesn't feel too bad about it. 'Tis the season, after all.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "My liege," Alyx adds, leaning her head forward and twirling her hand in the air a little bit as Spider-Man declares himself king of the geeks. The math of their exchange would mean that Alyx's 180M was being replaced with $230. A better person would refuse or adjust the exchange so it was more equitable, but Alyx? She just reaches out and grabs the wad of bills and stuffs them into her jacket pocket before Spider-Man has a chance to rethink it.

    "Thanks..." she says, letting her sarcasm barrier drop a bit so she can give Spidey a genuine smile free of heroic reparte. She looks down at her knees for a moment before looking back at the hero. "Do you know where Tahiti is?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man tilted his head. "Yeah...French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean." He was doing well in his World History class, even if science was his jam. He put the money clip away, then put the MojoBucks in a plastic ziplock bag and puts that in the backpack as well.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "French Polynesia. Pacific Ocean," Alyx repeats, nodding her head. "Okay, got it. So, how many blocks is that?" She brings a hand up to gesture towards the city. "And...which direction?" She takes the last sip of the can and gives it a toss towards a nearby recycling bin. There's a clunk as the can strikes the bin and falls to the ground.

    Alyx gives a swift pull in the air, catching the can as it flies back to her. She gives it another toss, even letting out a soft "...Alyx Vance!" as she imitates a sports announcer. Another miss. She recalls the can a second time with her Gravity Glove and gives Spider-Man an embarrassed look. "I guess I'm one of those science types, too," she admits with a shrug, as if it would explain her inability to sink the shot.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man winces slightly. "Uhm...not blocks. MILES. About..." He pauses, then says, "Google. Distance between New York City, New York to Tahiti, French Polynesia. Audible."

A pleasant female voice says, "Six thousand, two hundred and eighty miles."

He looks to Alyx. "I don't think $230 is going to get you there. Why do you need to go to Tahiti?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Six thousand, two hundred and eighty mojos?" Alyx exclaims, looking up from her knees. "Miles, I mean. That's on the other side of the world, isn't it?" She lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm tracking someone. Her name's Spiral. Six arms. Terrible dancer. I believe she went there, though, she could just as easily not be in an instant. She teleports."

    Alyx didn't know that saying the agent's name could summon her, but that would be a windfall, honestly. It meant that she didn't need to go to Tahiti.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man blinks. The eye-irises can and do blink.

"Spiral...? Six arms...yeah. Yeah, I know her. And she's not in Tahiti. She's here. In New York." He tilts his head. "Tell me about her."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "No, she's in Tahiti," Alyx corrects, raising her eyebrows a touch at the Spider-Man. "She /was/ here in New York, but, you know, we bumped into each other." Alyx's tone suggests that she and Spiral had a recent scuffle and it was not as simple as bumping into each other. "But, you're right, she could be back in a moment's notice..."

    Alyx tries a third time to toss the Red Bull can into the nearby recycling bin. This time it goes in. "Spiral is a thorn in my side. But, we're working against her and Mojo as best we can. She abducts people, forces them into slavery, that sort of thing," Alyx explains, leaving out the key detail of what kind of slavery she was talking about. "She did it to me and countless others."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man frowns. "Hmm...I saw her a couple of months ago. I found her odd. I also did a little digging and she looks a lot like a stuntwoman who vanished some time ago. Rita Wayward. Not sure how they are connected, though."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Well, she'll be the first against the wall once our revolution succeeds," Alyx explains, frowning a bit as she does. "Maybe the second." That second comment suggests that she's serious.

    "So... /Spider-Man/ ... How old are you?" she points out, a smile forming on her features. "Because you sound a little like Spider-Boy to me." She's leading a revolt, yes, but she's also young and tries to sideline the conversation away from Spiral.

Peter Parker has posed:
OUUUCH. That...actually HURT.

"Well, I'm college-age, if you *must* know, Miss Vance. Despite my IQ, I never skipped any grades."

Okay, he's a freshman, BUT IT COUNTS DAMMIT...

"So, you are rising up against this Jabba-the-Hutt-looking guy Mojo, and Spiral is working with him? And...they're in some other reality?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Alyx," she insists.

    "And, yeah, we're rising up, if that's what you want to say," Alyx agrees. "We're striking from the shadows, you know? I'm working on getting the actors out of their shows. Breaking in and breaking them out. It's never been done."

    "And I'm good at it," she adds, eyeing Spider-Man for his reaction to that. Her use of words like 'actors' and 'shows' is casual and have no indications that there's anything strange about it.

    "College-age, huh?" Alyx teases. "Well, what if, yeah, I must know? I mean, you know my name and what I look like, but all I know is what you sound like. I'll take whatever details I can get."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles. "Well, Alyx, I tend to have something of a life I need to keep separate from this. Keeps some of the bad guys I know from showing up at my house and destroying my family to get to me. You can call me Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Or Spider-Man. Or Spidey. Even Webhead. There are others, but I'd prefer you not use those. Are you hungry?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Yeah, well, some of us don't have that luxury," Alyx points out, her voice going slightly somber. "Alyx Vance. Just my name. Simple." She sighs softly and manages a smile at the question about her hunger.

    "...I could eat," she answers before pausing with thought. "I guess I'm buying, since I'm the one with the money that people actually accept here. What's good on Earth?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man grins. "I know a place. Big Jake sells the best street meat in the five boroughs. His food truck is a few miles away."

He looks to Alyx, then continues, "...How do you feel about rollercoasters?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Street....Meat," Alyx repeats with a furrowed brow. "You really know how to show a girl a good time, Spider-Boy," she answers with a smirk. With that settled, Alyx stands from the bench and stretches a little bit. The question about rollercoasters, though? "...I don't know. How do you feel about garbage cans?" she asks suddenly, as if the question was somehow less nonsensical than Spidey's. She shrugs her shoulders and tilts her head to the side. "What's rollercoasters?" Alyx asks as she reaches up to tuck a lock of hair behind an ear.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-B...MAN, dammit...chuckles and reaches back into the backpack (fairly agile to do that without dislocating a limb) and brings out a harness. "I can carry you over to the food-truck kiosk, but it's a bit of a ride. I use this mostly for carrying people out of dangerous places like fires and such, but also for the occasional 'ride-along.'"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "I..." Alyx points her index finger at the harness Spider-Man is offering. "...am not getting into that." She raises her eyebrows and looks up at Spider-Man for any reaction she might be able to squeeze from the expressionless mask. She smiles, though, excited at the promise of whatever the heck a 'rollercoaster' is. She rocks from hip to hip as she wonders about rolls and coasters and how delicious they might be.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral pops into existence in the alleyway opposite the dynamic duo. Annoying. The sands of Tahiti are a lot nicer than this stinking city, she has decided. Stepping over a hobo, she dances a disguise - just a nondescript woman, who happens to look vaguely like Rita Wayword, not that anybody is likely to know what Rita looks like (and its not an exact match).

The hobo looks at his bottle in bemusement. "I gotta lay off the booze..." he blinks.

Spiral doesn't actually know who it is talking about her after all, and looks around the place for likely candidates, standing still on the sidewalk but having the Terminator-esque sort of look as she cases the street with narrowed eyes.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "Fair enough. I guess if you don't want to go webslinging with me, we can always get a Lyft. But you're paying the $15 for the ride, Alyx."

Hey, she wants to do this, it's her biz. Not everyone can be like his girlfriend. Check that...his FORMER girlfriend.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Her issue wasn't with the web-slinging. It was the harness. "How about you give me the web shooters you showed me and then /you/ get in the harness?" Alyx suggests with a smirk. She raises her eyebrows and smiles up at the hero, as if to say 'it's up to you.'

    Unaware of the newly arrived Spiral's search for them, Alyx acquiesces slightly. "Fine," she agrees softly, letting Spider-Man have his small victory. "I'll get in..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods, then rigs it up. "Now this attaches to me. You stand in front of me, and I'll hook it up. Oh...and if you feel nauseous, look to the right and up. Less chance of it getting on me. The last guy I pulled from a failing crane had oysters for lunch. Yuck..."

Spiral has posed:
Vaguely Rita Wayword can't see much right here. But there's probably a few people talking at the passage of Spidey and recent violence, so she soon finds a trail. She is a hunter after all. So she heads off briskly to the park, eventually, and sure enough, spots none other than Alyx Vance and... Spider Man?

She pauses where she is, scowling, and trembling a bit. On the one hand she's desperate to sew a few extra arms onto Mojo's old favourite for old times sake. On the other hand, that's Spider-Man there, and Spiral prefers things to be as one sided as possible. Right now caution and revenge, at least in her mind, war as she dances idly, barely even consciously aware.

It probably looks kinda weird.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx shifts her weight, impatiently, from hip to hip as she watches Spider-Man prepare the shameful harness that was her destiny. "You still never explained what rollercoasters are..." she reminds as she threads one of her legs into the harness, followed by the other. With her head now facing away from the hero, Alyx lets her smile shift from sarcastic and teasing to just one of happiness. The top row of her teeth even gently bite down against her lower lip.

    Now strapped to the web-slinger, Alyx leans her head back to get a slight look at him. "...Which way am I supposed to lean if I'm going to throw up? Turn around entirely when I do it?" she asks, her smirk returning. Satisfied, Alyx faces forward again. And then, she notices...

    "Spiral..." she mutters.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man is about to give her the usual rundown of what to look for, what to do, what not to do...

And then she says one word, a name.

Three years ago, he would have looked around, asked stupid questions like, 'What about her?' or something particularly ignorant. But he has had his fair share of donnybrooks, reveals, and shocks, and he acts quickly.

He grabs the handle that has DO NOT PULL typed on it and pulls it. The buckle pops open, the straps dropping in response to gravity, and then Alyx is free and mobile again.

Spider-Man steps back and then asks a question more relevant. "Where, where is she?"

Spiral has posed:
Enh, she's got a wild streak. And there's no Harley here to calm her down. She draws her swords, briefly hidden beneath the illusion of normality, and her dancing speeds up - and she directs a blast of magic Alyx's way - a stunbolt which would knock out most things in a most painful way, if it hit anyway.

"Don't listen to the rebel! Favourite for years, cossetted and spoiled!" she yells, her white glowing eyes wide. She's following in the wake of the magic blast, dancing towards the two of them like a spinning, whirling dervish, with two swords and a... multicoloured red and blue baseball bat? With a faint magical aura visible around her, like a shimmering ripple in space and time.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "There!" Alyx calls out as she points to Spiral, who would appear to just be a normal person to Spider-Man. When the harness releases her, Alyx stuffs her left hand into her jacket's pocket so she can secure her second Gravity Glove. "I am totally going to get her for this!" she exclaims, now realizing that she was moments away from what was probably going to be a really fun time!

    Without supernatural senses, as far as she knows, Alyx would have to rely on previous encounters with this one. It would come in handy. "Look out!" she shouts as she dive-rolls out of the path of Spiral's magic blast! Alyx completes the roll by springing up to her feet and giving a Gravity Glove yank at a garbage can lid a few feet behind Spiral while her other hand lowers to unholster her pistol.

Peter Parker has posed:
All right, THERE goes the Spider-Sense, and Spiral has just been re-categorized as hostile. She did "shoot" first, after all.

Okay. Those are TOO many swords. Maybe it's time to improve the odds.

"STAND DOWN!" he calls out, moving towards her. He starts by firing a pair of web blasts to bind up the woman's arms...well, some of them anyway...so he can disarm her and de-escalate this situation.

Spiral is NOT going to be on his Christmas Card List with these kinds of shenanigans...

Spiral has posed:
Spiral was mostly keeping her eyes on Spider-Man for a reason, as she does rather like - even need - to dance, after all. And she definitely doesn't want to be webbed. So as the webs come in, she teleports out of the way with a wave of one hand - but aggressively forwards, right next to Alyx.

And then it's just a multitude of arms. The sword armed ones actually wave at Spidey mostly, her arms seemingly having minds of their own, while two more keep twisting in time with her dance steps, one more goes to grab at Alyx's hand going for the gun, and yet another one goes to swipe at Alyx with the bat. She wants her in one piece after all, in fact extra pieces would be nice.

Yeah she doesn't like Alyx. "Why are you here? Looking for little old Spiral?" she wonders.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    The garbage can lid sails through the air towards Alyx's outstretched hand, spearing forward on a collision course for the back of Spiral's head! Suddenly, however, the dancer is no longer there, causing the lid to hit nothing and continue on its course for Alyx. She doesn't bother catching it and instead lets the lid land naturally on some grass in the park, not too far from where some unfortunate soul was rendered unconscious from the errant magic blast that came before the lid.

    Spiral's sudden appearance next to her brings a natural surprise reaction from Alyx. "Woah!" she exclaims with surpise as Spiral brings the fight to her. The human struggles against the arm going for her gun, stretching her hand out to keep it out of reach the best she can. "No!" she calls out, her voice oozing with exertion as she fights against the dancer's attempts at her weapon. "...We were going to eat rollercoasters...." Wrong, totally wrong, but she didn't know better! Alyx's struggle against Spiral's reach causes the pistol to tumble from her hand and onto the ground. Clink, clink, clink as it clatters out of her reach.

    Alyx Vance lets the pistol go, for the moment, so she can shift her weight and duck under the bat swiping for her. She lets out a sudden tuft of surprised air and moves on the offense by ducking down and sweeping her leg across to try and disrupt Spiral's dance moves.

Peter Parker has posed:
Seeing someone the way Spider-Man does is an odd exercise.

He can see the potential threats, like red dots moving. For the guys at the bodega? Each mayb 12 nodal points of imminent threat.
Spiral? Over a HUNDRED. But he can see them.

One webline fires at Alyx, snagging her and yanking her out of Spiral's reach. It's rough, and she'll have a couple of bruises, but bruises beat concussions.

The second is a calculated risk. But he waits until the right time, and then fires a blast of webbing into Spiral's face to blind her.

Spiral has posed:
The Time Dancer of Death can predict the future as well in a sense - her glowing eyes can actually see multiple realities and possibilities, making her seem faster than she actually is at times. But unlike Spider-Man's sense she actually has to see it, as in with her eyes.

And as she was focused on Alyx, she was more focused on the bat connecting with something fleshy as she's dragged out of the way, right as a glob of web strikes her in the face.

Not really that experienced with Spider-Man so far she reaches up with her metal arm, the strongest one, and tries to wipe or tear the gunk off her face, while she dances around more or less in place, hopping from one foot to her other, the swords and bat now swirling around her more in a dance than any fighting style.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx, meanwhile, cannot see forward in time. Instead, like any other normal human, she could visualize what she wanted and expected, but it was ultimately a coin flip. While she expected the sweep of her leg to trip up Spiral's dancing, perhaps to throw her off her game, what actually happened was entirely different. Alyx's leg passes right underneath Spiral as the Time Dancer's graceful feet manage to avoid it entirely.

    Just as she's about to make another try, perhaps even uppercut a fist into the other woman, Alyx would find herself suddenly getting pulled away from Spiral! Alyx reaches into the air to catch her pistol as it flies towards her. With her legs stretched out in front, Alyx starts emptying her clip in Spiral's direction as Spider-Man's web hurls her backwards. She was a good shot, but these were unusual circumstances.

    Before she has a chance to hear the familiar metalic twang of an empty chamber, Alyx's trip through the air comes to a sudden end as she lands in a planter full of shrubbery.

Peter Parker has posed:
Oh, she dances well. Spider-Man can't deny that. And she is quick, very quick, indeed.

However, she is blinded, which is Strike One.

Spider-Man can also dance, but he has an advantage - the Spider-Sense, knowing where the threat is coming from. And he has taken enough ninjutsu from the fox-ninja to be able to counter or deflect one combatant with six arms, which is automatic-gunfire-danger.

Spiral can feel the blades swinging around in her dance, but Spider-Man is...different. Dances always need a choreographer. Spiral's advantage is that she's the only one who knows the dance. But Spider-Man moves as though HE knows the dance, too. Where the blade swings, an arm is there to block it. If the blade completes its arc, it feels no resistance, as he is simply not there.

Then Spider-Man moves low, inside the arcing dance at exactly the right time. And that is surely impossible, because he would have to know what she is doing BEFORE she does it...

And then the uppercut, right under Spiral's chin, and it hits like a ball-peen hammer...

Spiral has posed:
Slippery Spiral while blind assumed that she'd be being shot and beaten the crap out of, and the dance is actually one of her more powerful spells, putting her adjacent to reality and holding her there, like a half teleport. A somewhat satisfying thing for her then when she hears gunshots, assuming they are aimed at her - for they pass right through her without striking anything solid (at least until they shoot up some trees behind her anyway).

Spidey similarly finds that her swords slash right through him in much the same way his fists do to her. The goop on her face seems quite firmly attached though, and just manks up her metal hand, gets in her long white hair... gross.

Feeling her magical reserves swiftly draining with such a display, she mehs, albeit blindly, and aims the bat at where the bullets came from, assuming Alyx is over there. "You will not always have someone playing the part of bodyguard..." she hisses. Before vanishing with a pop before she's too drained to even do that.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    The bushes that made their home in the park's planters stir slightly as two legs covered by form-fitting denim struggle against the twigs and leaves. "I don't need a bodyguard!" the bushes, which sound a lot like Alyx Vance, call out in frustration before being followed with a pained groan. The two legs would lower and brace against the planter, allowing Alyx herself to climb out. She staggers forward a step or two and holsters her pistol.

    The young woman approaches Spider-Man, now seemingly safe from the perils of Spiral, and reaches out to jab an index finger in his direction, ideally to poke against his chest. "I didn't need you to do that," she insists. From the look of it, she did, but Alyx's eyes rise to watch for the hero's response. Would he play along?

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man raises his hands. "Okay, okay...sorry. I'm a chronic worrier, it's a burden I have to live with..."

Spiral's disappearance is annoying, but he is sure that she will eventually be able to shave the webbing off, if she is unwilling to wait the hour or so it takes to break down. She certainly has enought CUTLERY for it.

And a deep part of him tells him he did a good thing by not trying to cover her nose and mouth as well. There's enough blood on his hands already.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx would have been happy to plant a bullet in Spiral's nose or mouth, had she not phased out, but that's what might disqualify her from being considered a traditional hero. "Yeah, well, she's a burden /I/ have to live with," Alyx mutters as she secures the strap on her holster that keeps her pistol from flopping out. With a rueful look, she folds her arms across her chest and lets out a frustrated tuft of air.

    "I guess we're not going to be eating rollercoasters, then," she tests, staring at where Spiral had been just moments ago.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "Chili dogs. Rollercoasters are an amusement-park ride. But I think we need it even MORE now."

He extends a hand to Alyx. "Shall we go?"