6620/Spider's Web In Metropolis

Spider's Web In Metropolis
Date of Scene:	19 June 2021
Location:	Central Business District - New Troy
Synopsis:	Spider-Man and Spider-Woman test out the Spider-Comm (Metropolis) system and meet up with a couple of Friendly Neighborhood Kryptonians.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Kara Danvers, Jessica Drew, Clark Kent

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Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks a little nervous.

He shouldn't be, of course. He's not doing anything ILLEGAL, really. Well, it's not costing anyone anything. And it will go a long way towards tracking the criminal networks connecting Metropolis to New York City.

Still, he DID ask Spider-Woman to meet in Metropolis on the roof of the DAILY PLANET so she can test her Spider-Comm rig independently. He was sure he got all the bugs (ha-ha) taken care of, but still...follow the scientific method.

And since he was in town and Kara wasn't stopping a volcanic eruption, a tidal wave, or some African warlord, she might actually be in town. So, the message system she had given him would register one incoming message:

"Hey there, Supergirl. Listen, I'm showing a colleague something in Metropolis. If you want to find us...well, considering what you can do, I'm sure you know what my heartbeat and pulse sound like. If you want to call first, that's cool, too, but you're always welcome. Okay, jeez, is this message too lo-" CLICK.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl gets the message as she is flying over the city, her tiny blutooth allowing her to listen to the message mid-flight. She smiles and says, "On my way Spidey!" Of course he doesn't hear her but she's always wanted to say that. It doesn't take long for her to get to the archnid hero's location.

Supergirl's arms are at her sides as she floats above Spider-Man around ten feet away, "Hey!"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Spider nerves may be rampant tonight. Public appearances or semi-public appearances, Jessica isn't sure quite where she puts tonight's meet-up, have become problematic. Her main gig has had a big problem of late. HYDRA has it in for SHIELD operatives. The red on her costume glows, nature's warning that other predators may not be happy crossing her. The rest of her is in black. It blends with the night and her current mood.

"Rooftop meetings so suit us, don't they, Spider-Man?" Jessica walks on little spider feet from behind the elevator shaft, smiling broadly under her mask. "So, how are we going to run this test?" She looks up and then at Spider-Man. "Company?"

Clark Kent has posed:
Mild Mannered Reporter Clark Kent was very busy doing some research on a case. To get into specifics; Bloodspot, the mercenary killer with the magic pouch full of every gun ever imagined, was on the loose and had taken a hit on Lois Lane's head. While Superman had saved her life, Clark had been unable to catch the latest incarnation of his old enemy thanks to some well placed traps. Which leads Clark to be a little...

And then his super hearing basically picks up that whole conversation. Or at least the 'infamous vigilantie inviting his little cousin to hang out' part. It's not that he's spying, he's just being very cautous because a guy with Kryptonite bullets is hanging around shooting at people he loves this week.

Clark frowns, and wonders if the Daily Bugle's reports are influcing him any. What a rag, but it was still the least corrupt paper in New York these days. Still...

Just below the meet up place, a bumbling ox of a man in a blue suit and a mild mannered expression hunkers down, oblivious to the colorful world of costumes above him, taking a second to eat a hot soft pretzel.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiles under the mask. Supergirl is always going to be awesome. There's just that energy in her that gave him the guts to ask her out. Okay, it didn't end well, but that wasn't really either person's fault. It was just the nature of the superheroing business.

But she could still illuminate a place with her presence. That was just who she is, and the fact that they were still friends was almost as awe-inspiring as she was.

Then Jessica showed up, and he looked to her. "Hey there. Yeah, we can do the test in a minute. But it'd be impolite without introductions, soo..."
He looked to Kara. "Supergirl, this is Spider-Woman, one of my...jeez, I'd like to say colleagues, but she's more talented in ways than I have ways. Spider-Woman...this is Supergirl. We worked together on a gold heist takedown in New York. And by that I mean she did the stopping and I did the finding."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl smiles at Jessica as she is introduced, "It's a pleasure to meet you! I think Spider-Man can find just about anything." She descends and lands on the rooftop next to the two, "Still waiting for you to find some buried treasure so I can dig it up."

Supergirl glances around, "So what did you need help with?" She's a lot more confident as Supergirl. She doesn't laugh awkwardly or look away when she makes a joke. She doesn't have to worry about adjusting the glasses she doesn't even need. Nope she can be herself here!

Jessica Drew has posed:
Reputations run wide in the superhero community. Jessica's role as a SHIELD agent made her privy to information that is not widely known. "It is a real pleasure to meet you, too. I believe what Spider-man says about you, but you mustn't believe what he says about me," she says dryly in a clipped British accent. "And, I believe he could find anything." The smile returns as she looks sideways at him.

"Have you been holding out on us for buried treasure then?"

Clark Kent has posed:
Buried treasure? Is that code? Clark thinks on this for a minute and realizes something awful.

He's acting like BRUCE.

Good Lord, what came over him? Kara has a bunch of little superfriends in the Titans, why is this any different? They look like they're testing some kind of equipment, which is a wholesome activity that only usually leads to giant monsters. Good thing Kara seems to have not realized he's here, or he'd look like some kind of creepy controlling jerk.

"Mister Kent!" Goddamnit, Clark thinks, plastering a smile on his face as a giant longshoreman shakes his hands. "I wuz just thinking about you, waht with my injury and all!"

"Is that so, Bibbo." Clark says, sweating.

Peter Parker has posed:
"Wait! What? I...uhm, okay. Sorry..."

WHY is it that every woman he knows is at least two steps ahead of him??

"Okay...uhm, first off, maybe next summer about the buried treasure, Supergirl. Uhm, today is something different." He takes a deep breath collecting himself. "Okay...Supergirl, I may have mentioned the Spider-Comm system, how it works. Well, since then, my analysis of some of the criminal groups are supporting...or are supported BY...criminal groups in Gotham City and Metropolis. The problem was, Spider-Comm doesn't work in either place. No augmented reality, no database access, no comms. Well...one week ago, I FINALLY cracked the WayneTech cellphone protocols...and now, Spider-Comm should work here and in Gotham."

He looked to Jessica. "Fire up your rig. You should see a red square on the HUD titled UPDATE NOW. Select it...and it should update your rig to work here."

He looked back to Kara. "And, since we're setting this up in, well, your neck of the woods...I thought you might want to be kept apprised of what was going on."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl was not quite aware of exactly how this all works. She widens her eyes, "It's my neck of the woods but.. does Superman know you're doing this? His look of disapproval is almost as soul crushing as Batman's.. just so you know."

"And you cracked WayneTech's cellphone protocols?! You're smarter than I thought but.. is that even legal?" Of course she would ask that. But it's not like it's the first time a friend of hers has done something illegal for the greater good..

"You're really branching out!"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Ah, on to serious things when all Jessica would like to do is make Peter stutter awkwardly. It's her big sister impulse at work - must torture the siblings. Trying to keep a lid on her smile, she bites the inside of her bottom lip, looking between Supergirl and Spidey, and wondering how they know each other. Was she detecting a sweet spot for her on Spidey's part?

Jessica's eyes widen behind the mask at Supergirl's questions. She makes several cogent points about legality and turf. Tentatively, she proposes, "Who can resist another crime-fighting tool?"

Her gaze wavers between the two, then clearing her throat and nodding, "Right. Down to business." With a blink, she brings the VR online, toodling her fingers at waist level, she looks like she is playing an air piano. "Test," she sub-vocalizes. "It works up close."

Clark Kent has posed:
"So I says to the old sea witch I says I don't care if yer his mudder he ain't paid his tab not once in twenty years and in my book that earns a blow to the face in hopes of some theraputic phrenology." Bibbo says, chewing something Clark doesn't want to identify. He shamelssly evesdrops on the kids, which is one of those layered moral situations superheroes often find themselves in. You're being spied on by a kid in wrestling underoos but also you only know this because you're spying on him.

"So she cursed you?" The good news is all of Bibbo's stories end the same way, so Clark can basically run this conversation on autopilot.

"Right! That's the keen journalistic edge what keeps paper limping along in this cursed digital age, Mister Kent, it's what I always say on you there ain't no smooth corners."

"...so I'm a square?"

"Think of it like a whetstone."

"...I'll take it." Supergirl HAS to have heard him by now, Clark thinks. Unless she's not focusing on her background superhearing...a spark of fear about the rogue sniper loose in the city crawls down Clark's spine, again.

Peter Parker has posed:
It's not very dramatic for Jessica. A blinking cursor, then the message, <Updating System...Adding Maps...Adding Landmarks...Adding Known Heroes...Adding Known Villains...DONE>

And just that, the grid update, the Comms section goes from OFFLINE to OK, and a little text box appears over Supergirl:

SUPERGIRL
Hero

In red and blue, too.

Spider-Man sighs to Kara as Jessica gets wired in wirelessly. "If it was just New York City...but it's not. Out-of-towners getting involved, shipping in stuff from here and Gotham. I came upon a small shipment of something called 'Smilex' bound for Brooklyn. If nothing else, I have to track these down to figure out who to notify in Gotham or Metropolis. It seems like you and the Titans might want to be aware if someone smuggles a crate of Kryptonite in from Queens...or if the Joker is freelancing in Harlem. I don't want to step on any toes, but I can't just IGNORE it."

Because his crippling survivor's guilt won't let him sleep a wink if he does. As a superhero, he's a psychological trainwreck.

He DOES sidestep the thing about hacking the city's cell network, though.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl quickly gets it now! "That.. is actually very helpful! It's very Batmany of you actually.." Just a BIT of Kara is slipping in there but she can't help it some of the time, "Alright.. I like it! I think Superman will like it too! And you're right.. you can't just ignore it. I couldn't either.."

She hasn't been focusing her hearing anywhere in particular, but she can hear Clark now. It was kind of a random thing but there he is! Listening to some stranger's stories? It doesn't really occur to her that he's listening on her conversations up here. If he is then it's less she has to explain later!

She can't help but home in on Clark now. She doesn't like the idea of him having to look out for her all the time but if it means more of this? It's entertaining! Supergirl stifles a laugh.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica makes a small line in the air to run down the list of new superheroes added into the system. She stops at Supergirl, subvocalizing, "Welcome to the web. More than welcome."

Jessica is willing to help Spider-man walk the grey area of hacking into a network without a whole lot of permission. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission works. Sometimes. Of late, so much of life seems to fall into the grey area for her.

"I /have/ been rather out of the loop of late. 'Smilex' of all things!"

Enthusiastically, holding up the spider-side and sincerely, she says to Kara, "Oh, good that you like it. It is good for all of us to be on the same page when it comes to certain criminals. Don't you think?"

Clark Kent has posed:
The web, really?, Clark thinks, stifling his own laugh. It's kind of cute in a very ninteys sort of way, thinks the man who has a super-dog from space. Maybe he should stop screwing around and just talk to them before the opportunity passes.

"Bibbo, if you'll excuse me, I need to call this Bloodsport story in." Clark says, "I'll talk to Superman about your witch's curse, alright?"

"Youse a saint, Mister Kent, only don't go telling Miss Lane I'm showing preferences, yeah? Bibbo's gotta keep in underzied sweaters, you get me?"

Clark's already slipped out, stealthy for a man with the build of a linebacker.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiles a little sheepishly to Kara. Being compared to BATMAN is...well, he's BATMAN. He's like Supergirl and Superman and Iron Man and Thor and all the other heavyweights. While HE...well, he has NO idea when Nia's birthday is yet.

"And I know you and Superman deal with stuff that would leave me a puddle of spider-goo just trying to imagine how to deal with it...but if you want to get involved in this other stuff, believe me, I'd LOVE your help. You're smart and quick on the uptake."

And there is that moment when she is less "Super" and more "girl." He realized he forgets sometimes that in spite of the power she has, she's got a lot in common with normal people.
He better not forget that.

"In any case, Supergirl, if anything's going on you want to get involved with, let me know. I also would value any information you might have on the criminal groups operating in Metropolis. Our database isn't networked with any others; each member can add information on their own, and update old info. Part of the downside about running a totally-covert stealth network."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl is happy to help! "I'll be sure to keep that in mind! There isn't always a city or world shattering apocalypse happening so I am sure that I will find the time." She grins, "It wouldn't surprise me if Metropolis, Gotham, and New York City have the same villains operating in them. They might even think that we don't help each other between cities. This is a good way to get the jump on them."

She doesn't hear Clark anymore, maybe he left? But they aren't done here yet. Maybe she was right the first time and he wasn't actually listening in? Great now she has to try to explain this Earth tech to him..

Jessica Drew has posed:
Looking down and valiantly trying not to grin, Jessica listens to Spidey. Supergirl has made her day with the comparison to Batman. Spider-woman radiates her appreciation to the young woman. Jess doesn't measure herself against the other heroes; she truly has begun to see the world like a web, one superhero supporting another.

"Spider-goo. Icky. Likely true, though. We each have something to contribute, Spidey." To Supergirl, "We can set the tone for cooperation. I know I might sound like a recruitment brochure, but we are stronger together."

Clark Kent has posed:
Kara can pick up on the wind shifting and twisting under the influence of Kryptonian flight. The fundamental idea is to use cloud cover and a bit of super speed to not give the secret meeting away. That said?

Look up in the sky.

Coming down from a cloud is a huge man stuffed into a set of short sleeved strongman's tights, or something along those lines, offset by a yellow belt and a bright red cape. It's one of the most famous outfits in the world, and is entirely distracting as the figure floats down, eyes squinting to keep the sun out, posture utterly confident. You'd stand up straight if you could laugh off bullets and lift a freight train, too.

"Well, hello. Sorry for the interruption." Superman says in his most Super voice, "Thought I'd say hello since the two of you were in the neighborhood. You've already met my cousin."

Clark holds his hand out at the two masked spider-people, smile splitting into a grin. "I'm Superman."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods. "At the very least, we can take the advantage the crooks have by hiding or working around us. I'll try to figure out some way you can access Spider-Comm without gear you might, well, burn through using laser eyes, for example. "They may not all be working the cities at the same time, but they DO know each other. Someone who goes by the colorful name of 'Black Mask' is trying to set up a guns-for-laundered-money exchange next month with the Kingpin, and I'm trying to figure out how they are setting it up. But I have no way of contacting Batman...and, to be fair, I'm a little scared to TRY it-"

Then *HE* speaks, and Spider-Man looks up and GAPES. Omigosh. Omigosh. It's...it's...

*Yes, yes, yes, it's SUPERMAN. You GOOB. Unfreeze your mouth and say hello to the guy.* His brain sounded a lot like Harry Osborn at times like these.

Relax. It's her cousin. He's a lot like Supergirl.
Yeah, well, there's a lot of awesome in Supergirl, too.
Just reach down, grab your jaw from where it's resting on the concrete below you, hold out your hand and say hello. You goob.

"Uhhh...hi?" The greeting is half-whisper, half-squeak.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl hears some names that aren't familiar to her but she nods all the same, "Not the usual bad guys I deal with but I'm sure I can learn." She almost laughs when Spider-Man says he's too scared to contact Batman. If she laughed now, and then Spider-Man heard KARA laugh? Oh her identity would be blown wide open. Her laugh is pretty much a dead ringer..

Then Superman shows up! She can't help but grin, "Now I don't have to try and explain all of this to you. I haven't quite gotten the hang of Earth tech yet. I'm sure you won't be able to blame me after Spider-Man tells you what he's doing." She can't help but keep that smile on her face. This should be good.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Those tights and colors are universally known. Jess catches Peter's mouth drop open - more joy added to her day. Spiderwoman is happy to remain anonymous in black and red; her abilities are modest compared to the man joining them and Supergirl's.

Craning her head backward, she watches the confident descent, just a bit star-struck. She remembers to keep her gob shut and to offer her hand, which she won't wash for the next week.

Pulling herself together with British aplomb, "Hello. So, good of you to join us. You may have been mentioned in our conversation. Ears burning and all that. Ah. Spider-man will explain. I'm just an accomplice, so to speak."

Clark Kent has posed:
"And that's the sound of Supergirl throwing you undert he bus, Spidrr-Man." Spider Man, and Clark guesses, Spider-Woman. He shakes either hand if given, "To be honest I was looking for someone when I overheard Supergirl talking on a rooftop. Thought I'd fly in and say hi." It's a bit of a fib, but not really; Clark Kent looks for people all the time, and frankly he IS looking for someone. "You two might want to be careful, actually. I'm not sure what Bloodsport is after, but he's an excellent shot and can be distracted by the challenge of facing off against a cape he hasn't fought before."

"But what's all this about telling me something?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Hoo-boy. Put right on the spot, explaining to SUPERMAN about how he basically installed a stealth network in Superman's city.

*C'mon, Petesky, say something.*

"Well, uhm...I was working on something in New York, and now here in Metropolis..."

A mental groan. *Say something SMART, Petesky.*

"Sorry...uhm, I have a stealth network running in New York City, which helps communicate with talented people like Spider-Woman here. And, since some criminal capers are now connected to Metropolis and Gotham City, I recently set it up so the system can work here and in Gotham as well. It's called Spider-Comm. And...well, Supergirl is pretty awesome, so I asked if she'd help out when the opportunity presented, and she said she would when she could."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl smiles at Superman, "Isn't it great? I think it could help everyone out a lot! Even Batman! I'm actually surprised he hasn't done anything like this yet.." She ponders, "Or maybe he has! Anyway.. point is that I'm hoping you are okay with this! There are criminals communicating with each other between cities, probably hoping that they can get around the heroes they usually have to deal with by stretching across.. jurisdictions?" She has no idea if that is even a word heroes use with each other.

She looks at Spider-Woman, "And yes Spider-Woman is helping Spider-Man with all of this and I thought that I could help too if something is happening in Metropolis." She really hopes that Superman is okay with this because it's probably going to take a long time to unplug everything otherwise..

Jessica Drew has posed:
Spider-woman waves her hand in an off-hand way when mentioned, nodding her thanks to Supergirl, happy for her enthusiasm.

"Yes, obviously, that's me. It is a real help, I must say, for those of us who cannot stand in high places and listen to a city in its entirety. Erm, as some do, I imagine. And, the dark types have been moving from city to city - witness HYDRA, whom you may or may not have had the displeasure of meeting. They have rather been a thorn in SHIELD's side and mine as a result." She taps a finger to her lips before adding, "We'll keep a sharp eye out for Bloodsport. Ominous name that."

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman listens carefully, crossing his arms and looking a bit Herculean as he considers the situation. "...you didn't call it the web?"

"Sounds like a smaller scale, more centralized version of the JLA infosphere, yeah." Superman agrees with Kara; despite being a reporter, computer networks were never Clark's specialty. He can just about handle a keyboard when the world's at stake, something Kryptonian in his brain taken over, but he almost always prefers to leave the keyboard crunching to Kelex, or Kara, or anyone else in the league. Well, except Diana. He raises an eyebrow at Jessica's accurate guess about his powers; he tries to keep the specifics out of circulation, because so many of his villains are the kind of people who ask very specific questions and then build very specific killer robots in accordance with that data. Still, it's kind of a natural guess.

"Has anyone not fought HYDRA?" Clark asks, again some of that bone dry Midwestern humor sneaking into his persona. "More importantly, you kids want a database not affiliated with any government strings that SHIELD, or even Avengers security access might bring. A real black box, yeah?"

"DuBois is a sick man." Superman says, clearly unhappy. "Who wasn't treated well by his government after doing them a lot of service. Pretty old story, I know, but his specialty is handling high concept weaponry, theoretical stuff for tomorrow's super-soldier to face enemies the Pentagon doesn't have a name for, yet. Like me, you see."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks at the hero with the broad chest and heroic chin and feels a little sorry for the big lug. He certainly doesn't have government super-hitmen going after HIS scrawny butt. And Uncle Ben could tell stories about how men he had served with in Vietnam had been ostracized and marginalized.

And he has a lot of experience with how villains are made, not born.

"Well, we'll keep an eye out." He looks to Spider-Woman. "We do have to test the system around the city, Spider-Woman, so we should get moving." He looked back to Kara and Clark. "If you two want to do a ride-along...fly-along?...we can chat while we're testing the system."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl nods with another smile, "We'll keep an eye out for this DuBois. He sounds like someone we shouldn't take lightly and we won't. I promise cousin." She looks back at Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, "Sure! I'd love to help! You know.. just in case something is too heavy."

She grins, "But I'll let you deal with the wires.. I don't get along with wires."

Jessica Drew has posed:
After a glance between the tall man and the radiant Supergirl, Jess nods to Spidey. "Ready and willing." She moves to the edge of the building and looks down at the street far below.

Clark Kent has posed:
Got it in one, Superman thinks re: the motivation of the Spider-Web. Still, it's not a BAD idea, and if it is trouble he can always smash it.

This always being an option for Superman explains everything you need to know about the man.

"Sounds like a plan. We can chat along the way." Clark takes off in the air. "If you can keep up, web-head! Up! Up and away!"