4731/...But Which Was Which Cat

...But Which Was Which Cat
Date of Scene:	14 January 2021
Location:	Times Square
Synopsis:	Spider-Man meets Anti-Vorpal, and many Rocky Horror references are made.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Terry O'Neil

---

Peter Parker has posed:
Just another Thursday night.

It is Pete's firm belief that the truly weird stuff happens on Thursdays. It has been his experience that leads him to this theory, and so far the evidence sorta follows the theory.
But, in spite of the scientific method, it CAN hurt to have more data...

Spider-Man lands on one of the big billboards, looking down at the people in Times Square. Tourists always come here, and it's not hard to see why - the location is iconic in its surroundings and displays. He has even been featured prominently on many of these screens once...
He grimaced. Yeahhhhh, the #SpideyWhities Incident.

He gave a glance around, looking for trouble. Tourists usually meant pickpockets.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Finding clothes had been Terry's priority. Just like this world's counterpart, his first manifestation had been without any clothes whatsoever... and he just wasn't going to have any of /that/ guff. Fortunately his first trip through the Rabbit Hole had landed him near a convenient alleyway, and some tough guys who thought it'd be fun to beat up on a naked fur-covered person. Those people were now laying in the alleyway bleeding (though not mortally wounded) and unconscious. Some were in varying stages of undressing.

The Cheshire Doppelganger is sitting on the very ledge of a building, glancing over the city and perching on the edge with interest, every now and again reaching back to adjust an item of clothing.

Vorpal's frame has always been one that favors the build of a professional acrobat: slender hips but very wide shoulders and sturdy arms and legs. It follows that most of the clothing he found wasn't going to fit him well. In the end, he had to opt for ripping off the arms off a studded leather jacket to use as a vest, and partially shred some jeans, the tears in the fabric allowing his legs to function without feeling restrained, although it's clear that the fabric isn't particularly happy and the fit isn't good. It was /terribly/ punk and Mania might approve

But you do what you can when you basically switch into a body that has no wallet or money, and you can't switch back to your other body because a crazy clown has poisoned it and you need the antidote.

Things were so simple before today. Get to this world. Take out your doube. Live his life. It never occurred to him that his double's life was much... stranger than he ever suspected.

It's then that the Cheshire Cat notices the red-and-blue figure on the billboard. Eyebrows raised, the feline allows himself a slow, predatory grin. It seemed that even this world, there were some things he recognized.

"Ah... itsby bitsy spider..." he says. He surprises himself. This isn't how he used to talk... but now it was as if an extra channel had been opened in his mind.

One Rabbit Hole, and he lands on the billboard, a littkle ways off Peter. Landing into a crouch, he directs a large grin at the spider, green eyes squinted.

"Boo!"

There is something different about this Vorpal. While the shape is the same, his outfit does seem to have been borrowed from a bad review of West Side Story, but his fur coloration is also.... off. There is a lot more red in the ratio than cream.

Peter Parker has posed:
The first thing that is different from the guys wanting to tool him up a little was that Spider-Man sensed him coming.
No surprise, no alarm...but as Dop-Vorp comes in for a landing, Spidey moves to one side as he looks straight at the incoming Vorpal.

The brows furrow. The clothing is a little punk, and Spidey also thinks about what Mania would think of it...but the fur thing is...odd.

And Spider-Man has been made aware of copies of people showing up in town.

"Nice outfit, Vorpal. Lemme guess...Hot Topic have a sale?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
/HE/ knew him too? Vorpal's tail lashed in exasperation. Just what on earth had his double gotten up to, consorting with the likes of Harley Quinn /and/ Spider-Man? A goody-two-shoes, was what he was. Spiider-Man's greeting makes his grin go wider, and the cat sits up, puffing out his chest. "I thought it was rather flattering," He slowly gets to a standing position, the image of balance and grace, "I've been wearing the same old threads for so long." He hazards a guess, "So have you."

One foot before the other in a slow progression down the billboard, "When are you going to get yourself something with more flash? Everybody's wearing leather jackets now." Well. Back /home/ they were. Here? Not so much.

Peter Parker has posed:
Uh-huh. And, uh-OH.

Changes is style is one thing. Changes in behavior, physical markings, and there is no WAY he grew THAT much hair since the last time they'd met. If he couldn't heal himself quickly, he couldn't grow hair quickly.

"Actually, Vorpal ol' buddy ol' pal, you are looking at the highest quality in insulated materials..."

And now he was getting closer. Think fast, wabbit.
"Insulated wearable computer," he said almost off-handedly. "So I get to see a lot. I even have Internet in this thing..."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You have... what?" That stops him in his tracks for a second. There are things that even a predatory Cheshire will find absolutely fascinating. Crouching forward, he frowns and looks at Spider-Man's suit carefully, one clawed finger reaching out to trace, in the air, the pattern of the lines on the suit. "How? Do you... like... see screens in your lenses? Do you ever find yourself swinging and get your view blocked by a popup?"

It's comforting to know that in many ways, Vorpal is still Vorpal regardless of where he is from.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles. "MY VPN tends to be much more secure. It helps running a stealth network. And yes, opaque enough for me to see through, or off to the sides that they don't block my view. It's called augmented reality. Also have a private comm network, and my own database. Place where I save my own data on who I might run into."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Green eyes narrow. "Well... aren't you a fancy spider. " The Cat slowly drops down to a sitting position, glancing at Peter. Tilting his head, he grins, "You have a database of your own? And am /I/ on that database?" he says, leaning forward, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them. "What did you put on it, if I am? Dashing? Daring? Great dresser? Likes chocolate?" Once again, there are some things that are constant, no matter what universe. This is one of them. He glancs at the suit.

If only he could get something that fancy, he'd be able to /truly/ do something. Accomplishing things that could be truly intimidating. Spider-tech and rabbit holes... what a beautiful thing that would be. And for a moment, he contemplates the idea of making that technology his.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey takes a step back, still smiling. "A lot of that. Didn't mention the MOTORCYCLE, though..."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal stops. Absolutely stops dead on his feet for a second time, glancing at Spider-man with a certain mixture of adoration and awe.

"Wait. /Motorcycle/? No, you are taking the piss out of me. What does a webslinger need with a motorcycle?" -this is delivered in the same tone of voice as 'what does God need with a starship' might be.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey took another step back. "Actually, I was referring to *yours.* Way I heard it, you put one in this Terry's shoulder, to boot."

Another step back.

"So...tell me about where *you* come from...because you ain't from around here."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Ah. The jig, as it were, was up. "You are cunning, Spider. You always have been..." the Cheshire cat stops, realizing he has been found out. "I guess I must have too interesting a personality to really be mistaken for that milquetoast simpleton... but you want to know about /my/ web, little spider?"

He slowly stands up. "How about chaos? How about despair? How about everything you know, gone, and all that's left is surviving no matter what the cost?"

He takes one step forward. "How does /that/ sound, little spider? Do you want to see the vacation slides now?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looked at him for a moment. Challenging him to see if he can handle it.
For a moment, he remembers a line from some old chop-socky movie where one guy doesn't want to share what he knows. He had said, "I don't want to insult you."

"Why don't you give me the Cliff Notes, with a Q & A session to follow?"

The other man, his best friend, had replied, "No, no, no, go ahead...INSULT ME."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The twisted Cheshire grins. "You've got gumption. That's probably why he likes you." And then his mouth twists into an amused smirk. "Oh- ohoho. I bet you he has a crush on you and hasn't even told you!" He almost looks like he's going to laugh, and then another thought seems to intrude. "No... no. He likes that green pathetic little thing with no spine to stand up for himself or to kill. Lucky my colleague put /him/ out of everybody else's misery... but really."

He looks down at his claws. "That suit of yours is really something kind of wonderful, isn' t it? I think I'd like to take it out for a spin." His hand flexes, drawing his claws in and out, "And you're going to teach me how to use it."

Peter Parker has posed:
Ohhhhkay. Looks like we might be doing this, though.
Spider-Man doesn't LOOK ready to fight, but that's just hours of practice from the fox-ninja.

"I got an idea. What say we do this? Step One, I get a good read on your measurements. Step Two, I work on making you a suit. And in the meantime, Step Three - you can tell me ALL about where you came from and why you're here."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"What? No dinner and a movie? No sweet nothing in my ears?" he laughs, "You don't strike me as the kind to get swooned off his feet."

His expression darkens a little. "If I believed for a moment you'd give me my own suit, I wouldn't be planning of ways to take that one off your back, silly spider."

One hand curls slightly, but he doesn't look ready to attack. There is, however, a slight change in pressure in the surrounding area. A sense of expectation. "Of course, I'm always willing to be surprised. Willing... but not expecting to be. Look!"

A Rabbit hole opens on either side of Vorpal, and they begin to orbig him ever so slowly, drifting apart a little. They look like an optical illusion, one exit communicating with the other. And then, they are leading to other places- one shows the Champs Elyssee. The other one, the Gobi Desert. "Isn't that splendid? I am twisting space at a whim. He had so much power... and he never even thought of everything he could do with it... you are smart, little spider. Surely you could see that casting your lot with me would be far more pleasurable than making an enemy out of me!"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man had heard a little about this ability, but seeing it in action was something else.

"Terrance...I've already SEEN that movie."
An image appears, his uncle bleeding out in the foyer of their house.
"...and I hated it the FIRST TIME. So...you going to stand down and be agreeable..."

He tenses slightly, his Spider-Sense humming.

"...or do we jump right to STEP THREE?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"And how agreeable should I be, /Spider-man?/" Terrence steps forward, stopping with one foot in front of the other in perfect balance. He lowers his chin and glances at Spider-Man "Are you going to pet the cat or tussle with the tiger? I prefer pleasure, but doling out pain os much more fun, sometimes."

His wrist flicks, and a purple sword manifests in his hand, glowing with an eerie effect, leaving a glowing trail at its slightest movement.


A message comes in through the number that Spidey left Terry. Whether he can see it or not now, he will see it later.

<<Spid. Terry here. Couldn't warn you earlier cause I got a concussion. There's a copy of me running around with some of my powers. If you see 'me', approach with caution. Ask me something only I would know. Delete this message when you get it.>>

"What do you say, Spidey?" he grins, holding the vorpal sword before him, "I'm shivering with antici..... pation!"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs, getting to his feet. "All right...all right. Ya know, it can be interesting..."

In the next moment, Spidey's arm twitches, there is a sudden THWIPP! and Anti-Vorpal's feet are webbed to the top of the billboard.
"All right, Frank N. Furter...but it's hard to do the Time Warp with your feet glued to the street."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The cat laughs, "THAT'S the spirit!" The Rabbit holes zoom towards Spider-man, now communicating to each other once again. It seems that he can't do true long-distance while in the heat of combat, "Let's see what you can do!"

As the portals zoom towards Spidey, trying to catch him through their apertures, he'll try to give the webbing enough of a hack with the vorpal sword tu cut himself loose. He has to be careful not to lop off a foot or something.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man can see them, but his Spider-Sense can ALSO see them. Being dumped through a portal isn't physically threatening, but being sent to some other country, or in the middle of a desert? THAT is a threat.
Spidey jumps from the billboard to another billboard, literally sticking the landing before firing at Anti-Vorp with two more jets of webbing while he is distracted by trying to use the sharpest sword in literary history to get himself loose.
The first jet hits him in the upper head, covering his upper mane, ears, and eyes in sticky webbing. The other one hits the felinoid square in the back, covering his rear torso with sticky webbing.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Augh!" the Cheshire hisses, suddenly having his head covered by webbing. The sword vanishes briefly while he draws his claws to try and shred through the mass, only to be hit by more webbing from behind. He lets out an exasperated cry. "Damnit, you do realize I can't make any quips about this without sounding /completely wrong?/ " he howls in frustration. Dragging his claws cross the webbing and opening enough to see out of, he crouches low, trying to keep his eyes on Spider-Man while the Rabbit Holes zoom after him.

"Go ahead... you $*#@(. Go ahead and finish me off!"

He keeps his eye on Spider-Man, seemingly trying to pry himself loose in the hopes of being able to duck away from the next volley of webbing.

He has a different plan, however. He doesn't think Spidey knows much about how his portals work, which might turn to his advantage. The moment the webhead aims another volley at him, he will dissipate the Rabbit Holes and open one right in front of him to intercept it, with its sister hole appearing on the other side and aimed at Spider-Man. It would be quite a feat to get Spidey tangled in his own webbing. Of course, /he/ was also tangled in the web and hadn't wrested free yet, so while the thought would be gratifying, the end result would be two people webbed up and struggling.

Which might prove hilarious to outside observers, but to the Cheshire? Not so much.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey leaps again, but forward this time while Anti-Vorp is still mouthing off at him. Around the time he is howling in frustration, Spidey is closing in, quiet for one of the few times in his life.

By the time the claws tear at the webbing to expose his eyes, he is looking at an oncoming fist and probably wishing to trade in his eyes because THESE eyes apparently aren't showing him anything GOOD.
Then the punch hits, knocking the feline back on his heels...which are still half-stuck...which makes his knees bend backward, enough for Terry's back to hit another billboard edge...
...which the webbing on his back promptly adheres to. Which had been the plan all along.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
They say that the future is in the stars, but there certainly isn't a future worth seein g in the stars that are dancing around Terrence's eyes, that's for sure. When the air is knocked out of him, he takes stock of his situation and realizes something very important, as he lays there against the billboard.

"I have learned something..." he says, blinking through the pain. Indubitably the other Terry had much more experience using his powers, whereas this one thought that all you needed was to have power.

"I take it this means dinner and a movie is off the table," he growl, trying to buy himself some time as his brain gears start turning like Proud Mary, desperately.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey takes the time to web Anti-Vorp's arms to his sides before re-webbing the eyes shut. He is taking ZERO chances with this guy. He does clear the webbing from the felinoid's ears, though.
"Well, dinner's not exactly off the table, if you're hungry. As for the movie, well, I have no intention of giving you back your depth perception or eyesight, not even if you ask NICELY."
Another THWIPP, and Anti-Vorp's legs are now bound together.

"Now, CHUCKLES, I am going to ask QUESTIONS. I expect ANSWERS. And depending on the answers, I am going to either help you or let you go. I'm not going to kill you, or even hurt you if you behave. But so help me Rudy, if you jerk me around, lie to me, or try something shady, I will have SO MUCH FUN packaging you up and handing you over to the Titans so THEY can have a crack at you."
He crouches behind Anti-Vorp's head, talking quietly. "See how bad jumping right to Step Three can be?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The immobilized Cheshire tilts his head up just a little, in response to the voice that is coming right from above. He smirks. "Chuckles... that's cute. Has anybody told you you've got a nice voice? You could make beaucoup money as a voice actor. Maybe you could even voiceact in your own cartoon and nobody would know it!" he chuckles, and then settles down, letting out an 'ow' because laughing hurts, right now. A little.

"You realize what a fricking pain it is getting shit like this out of fur? Anyways, what's yer questions? And do I get to call a friend for help in case I'm stumped?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey grinned. "Oh, don't worry, cat-boy. These are EASY questions. Because...you are going to tell me all about YOU, about your alt-verse of origin, and why you and the others are here. So I don't think you're going to have ANY trouble at ALL. And if you are VERY compliant, I'll introduce you to a little concoction that will melt this webbing off like soapy water."

Spider-Man grasps a metal bar that functions as part of the support for the billboard, and twists. Anti-Vorpal can hear the thin scream of metal being bent and warped.

"Shall we get started? There's even apple pie at the end..."