6662/Making a little History in the Museum

Making a little History in the Museum
Date of Scene:	22 June 2021
Location:	American Museum of Natural History
Synopsis:	Museum robbers are thwarted by a trio of spidery types, who then briefly and awkwardly catch up on various topics.
Cast of Characters:	Andi Benton, Ben Reilly, Gwen Stacy

---

Andi Benton has posed:
Security is usually pretty tight at the Museum of Natural History, but there's always someone who thinks they can beat it, make off with valuable artifacts, and score big on the black market.

Most of them never get very far but on the rare occasion a group is good enough to break in, security is normally good enough to handle it.

There are rarer occasions still where security is unable to. These guys must have scouted the place out well, for they've even managed to account for the night patrol patterns and the shift change, making their move at a specific time when guards were at their lowest and in areas they could be trapped in with timely barricades and locks. Amazing what a few small wireless surveillance cameras can do when sneakily affixed to places that afford wide views of the rooms.

It's not that they think they have a lot of time. Security is still sure to call for backup, so the window of opportunity is brief. Half a dozen thieves in black tactical gear work to fill bags with trinkets and valuables, things that are already lined up for wealthy buyers to add to personal collections.

What they didn't count on is that extra variable: the unexpected.

Mania was passing through the area just as the call came in, and while she's eschewed routine use of the full suite of options the Spider-Comms provide, keeping tabs on the police bands is a must for responding to trouble. So it is that after she finds access via the roof, a black and white figure sneaks along before arriving in a room with cultural items that cover a variety of periods and locations.

"We're gonna need to see your tickets, and these exhibits are look, don't touch. Oh, wait. It's supposed to be closed. Too bad for you." A line of webbing immediately shoots out to entangle one of the bags being filled up, and Mania swings further into the room.

Ben Reilly has posed:
While Ben had been hanging out a lot in Gotham lately, his recent affiliation with the Titans brought him back towards New York again. He was out doing some delivering, having taken to working for one of those apps that let you order food from wherever (SuperEats, Where Deliveries Are SUPERfast, #SuperEats, get the app at SuperEats.com).

He's just dropping off an order of Mu Shu from Feng Wei's when he hears the same alert on the Spider-Coms and, as Mania intervenes, the Scarlet Spider is just arriving and crawling through one of the windows just in time to see Mania in action.

"Look don't touch? But enough about my dating life..." he says, firing a line and swinging down to join the action.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen has been trying to balance that life between being with the Titans, ESU, working at Wong's ... Well, it doesn't always work out, but at least she is on vacation from university now so .., a lot more time to actually be out and mingle with the rest of the spideys. And that meant going out at night all dressed up as Ghost Spider, black, white and pink, connected to Spider-Comms and of course answering that same call that leads the rest of the 'gang' to the museum..

Yes, they were about to get some dose of the unexpected. Hopefully no arachnophobes out there too.

Ghost Spider wriggles into the place, glueing herself up to the ceiling and advancing. A look over and a smirk under her mask. When her voice is heard it sounds amused. "You guys are making me feel sad..." the other two Spideys or the bad guys?! Gwen doesn't clarify.

But she does drop right atop one of those bandits, long legs wrapping around his head and then with a twist of her body she sends him sprawling against a wall.

Andi Benton has posed:
And Ghost Spider hits a hurricanrana on the thief!

He's bruised up a bit from the impact, but not knocked out yet. As he stumbles back upright he reaches for a holstered gun, at which point Mania swings in making a tsking sound. "We wouldn't do that if we were you. Not very bright." She delivers a fist to the jaw, and /that/ puts him to sleep.

Miming dusting her hands off, she turns to remark, "We see you, Spider Ghost, and..Red Spider? No.."

//Blood Spider?// Mania offers, inside Andi's head.

"No, not Blood Spider either," follows aloud before a clawed hand waves it off. "Stop them now, double-check names after."

Running toward another, she moves faster than normal as she leaps over the guy, who is reaching for a shock baton. In her flip above, thick and sticky globs of webbing are flung at him, catching a hand to his side and obscuring his sight. More conventional strands are shot off to further bind him. "We caught a live one."

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly reaches into his belt and pulls out one of his customized web bombs, tossing one at the feet of one of the remaining thieves. The pod explodes in a splattering of webs all over the guy, entrapping him and pinning him down to the floor.

"Blood Spider probably would've been much cooler, but there's no way I could live up to it. That kind of name needs a cape. I'm not a cape guy," he says. One more guy throws a punch at him and Scarlet Spider ducks, grabbing the guy by the shoulders and vaulting up and over, dragging him through the air and then tossing him into a wall. "Oh, geez, there's a wall there, you should be more careful, pal."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
And the crowd goes wild with that spiffy maneuver? Not particularly, instead they are drawing out guns and other such instruments. "Tough crowd, I even went for the artistic flair for bonus points.." Gwen points out, then dodges out of the way of a baton swing, cartwheeling past the thug.

"Is this you trying to tell us that single hero names are better?" When Andi gets both their names wrong! She delivers a knee to the man that was attacking her which has the consequence of having the met collapse with lack of breathing, holding on to his chest. Arm then extends over to the guy Ben sent to the wall, shooting out a webbing to keep the thug there. All nice and ready to be delivered to the cops!

"Do I need to pull an Edna here?" No Capes! "Besides, have we ever seen a spider with a cape? That'd just be ridiculous.."

As their opponents start to seriously get outmatched and outnumbered they do start to consider running off. They are somewhat professionals but ..., they are facing off against three powered people. Gwen goes for the bluff, "Mania, I think we can let you eat the last one to surrender. What do you say?" keyword here: BLUFF!

Andi Benton has posed:
"They are easier to remember," Mania says of the one-word monikers. Spider-Man has often been shortened to 'Spider,' which works well for most in this 'family' anyway.

One by one, they all fall down or are otherwise incapacitated except for the last one, the one Ghost Spider decides to suggest could get himself eaten. Not a good thing to bring up, bluffing or not.

//Did you hear that, Andi? She said we can--//
<<She didn't /mean/ it, though.>>
//But we heard her. She specifically said 'we can let you eat the last one.'//
<<To surrender. She's saying we can scare him.>>
//Oh, we can scare him easily, Andi. Then we can eat him?//
<<You already know the answer to that.>>
//Fiiiiiine. But one day you might say yes.//

This is why Mania keeps pushing it, why Andi has had to be firm. Spider-Man has seen the struggle, how close Andi's been to letting it happen. Once it does, can you ever truly go back from it?

The last guy opens fire but Mania's arms go up and the symbiote forms a shield the bullets strike but do not pass through, and neither do they ricochet elsewhere due to the texture. It's like they're simply stopped and allowed to slide down to the floor.

Then the arms reform and one extends to grasp the man by the neck, bringing him closer as a line begins to open up where the mouth ought to be. The smile looks..sinister, menacing, the sort of thing to put the fear into any normal person, and the guy's eyes widen immediately. The rest of his face is covered by a mask. "Nonono don't eat me!" he blurts.

Meanwhile, Mania plays it up..or does she? Razor-sharp, needle-like teeth are revealed, and a tongue Ghost Spider has seen the likes of before, not just from her but from Venom as well, snakes out before Mania appears to sniff at him.

"Oh, we are not going to eat you..just this." Hands turn invasive as they dive into a side pocket of his cargo pants, and the two other Spiders might only barely see why. A chocolate candy bar, immediately gulped down and chomped on, before the wrapper is spit out to the side.

Looks like the guy has a sweet tooth. So does Mania, who seemingly stares through him with those eerie, solid white eyes.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly is making sure the knocked out guys are all secured and webbed up, looking up just in time to see Mania doing the creepy fangs and tongue routine. He gives a little shudder.

"That's okay, I like having horrifying nightmares, they really keep my cardio up," he says.

"Maybe if I made a cape out of webs, that could be something or like a little short one. Oooh, I could put one under my underarms so they're like wings and I could use them to glide and...nah. Nah, that'd be silly," he says, shaking his head.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Did you just go and eat that man's chocolate? Nasty." Gwen says with a small tsk leaving her lips. She has at least seen that kind of display with the teeth and tongue so no outwardly displays of being creeped out. Besides, she has made an enemy out of Venom..., or a sort of frenemy. Jury still out! "You know, you aren't the first I see with a weakness for chocolate..." this to Mania.

Arms fold over her chest once it seems all of the thugs have been captured, hip resting against a wall and one leg crossed over the other in an elegant posture. "There we go, one more victory for Team Spider." a grin under her mask and then an alert sent to the police. "The cops should be here in a few to pick up our friends.."

"Do you mean like a flying squirrel?" this said to Ben then she laughing. "I mean, I can see the uses of it... Should we get out of here and talk some? Haven't seen the two of you in a while."

Andi Benton has posed:
By the time she's finished the chocolate - and didn't offer to share, how rude! - Mania wraps the last guy up with perhaps more webbing than is truly necessary, leaving him mummified up to the neck and horizontal on the floor. It will wear off in about an hour, or the police will cut him loose, whichever comes first.

"Everyone has nightmares," she informs Scarlet Spider, as the mouth seals back over to fade away into nothing and she reaches out to inspect the contents of the nearest bag. "They will be happy none of this was stolen."

Ghost Spider gets a glance as Mania's head turns her way, then she merely adds, "Chocolate is good. It is not a weakness. And he did not need it. We wanted it more." Hands rest at hips, by the spiked belt, and she adds, "When the police get here, we would rather not be here." A squinting, narrowing of the eyes follows the speculation about underarm webbing, then she casts a line toward the ceiling so she can find her way back to the roof. Whether they stay there or not remains to be seen.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly fingerguns at Ghost Spider, "A little rooftop rendezvous sounds just fine with me. I'm afraid I didn't pack any wine and cheese. I have pouches, but not that many pouches," he says. He pulls the hoodie up on his costume and fires off a webline, swinging a few blocks along with the others to convene at a place less likely to be swarmed with the constabulary in the wake of the bust.

"Fresh air, clean living, busting some crime, who says this isn't the good life?" he says. "And yes, the flying squirrel was the basic principle, I guess, although technically I was thinking of a sugar glider, which is like a flying squirrel, but more dainty. Hey, I can be dainty."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"And these guys will have a few more than a normal person for the next few days ..." Gwen adds to what Andi says, arm extending up and she shooting a web to follow the gang out of there. "We will make sure not to be here when they arrive." she assures Mania, up to the ceiling and then walking on hands and feet to the exit she used to come in. It was time to find greener pastures! Or in this case a good rooftop to rest on? All the same.

"Not even some cookies for when that hunger comes during patrol?" She asks Ben before casting a side glance at Andi, "I am not even going to ask if you brought any..." she didn't even share the bad guy's chocolate!

As Ben speaks of busting crime being a good life she nods even if her demeanor seems just a touch more reserved. "It is a life..." she murmurs, taking in a breath and perching on the edge of the building they chose to rest on. "Have you been doing well?" She questions.

Andi Benton has posed:
"Sugar gliders sound tasty," is all Mania has to offer on that particular topic.

Ghost Spider saw Mania when she was just learning her strength and how to web-sling like a spider. In the time between then and now, she looks to be a natural at it. Sending it out at the right angle and distance to latch on to what she wants, using it to swing where she wants, it's like an instinct by now, proof that hard work and practice really does pay off.

She adds, "Good, because we do not usually travel with snacks," before landing lightly atop a building half a dozen blocks away where she promptly crosses her arms. Scarlet Spider's assessment of things being all good earns a tilt of the head, but no real reply. Instead, she remarks, "We are well enough. Have not seen the Spider much lately, or our...Venom." What did Mania almost say?

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly goes through his pouches and comes up with a mini-can of Pringles and a sleeve of honey roasted peanuts, "Here we go. Feast away," he says, opening up the sleeve and passing it out. "Can't afford much these days, but some people at the Titans said they could help me find a job that actually paid money sometime. Oh, yeah, I joined the Titans. I mean, partially because they're helping me with some medical issues, but also, like, I'm a real live superhero guy these days," he says.

He gives Mania a long level look, "Yeah, don't eat me, seriously, I'm all gristle."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"I have an idea why you don't ...." This Gwen murmurs to Andi. About snacks! Most likely because she believes they would all be consumed on the way out the door. Hey, symbiotes do get hungry. It's when Mania mentions Venom that Gwen's attention seems to perk up again, "Yea? I have been seeing him close to my turf by ESU." a small frown. "One day I am hitting him with a stop sign the other he is helping me fight off against the lizard and saving people so ..., not sure where to put him." enemy or friend!

She turns to now sit on that edge of the building, folding her legs up to her chest, masked face going from Andi to Ben, "Be careful not to get too dainty and sugar-y or Mania here may want to gobble you up, mmm?" some amusement heard underneath that mask.

Hey, she can joke about Mania's appetite!

Well damn, Ben did come ready with food. So she reaches out to take a couple of Pringles before Mania can gobble it all up, lifting the lower end of her mask to munch on it. "The Titans?" head canting to the side. "I am with them as well." she tells Scarlet. "I am not often at the Tower, but I have been helping someone there with some medical stuff as well. What kind of issues are you going through?" she then finally asks.

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania leans closer at the presentation of snacks. It's not that any of it's bad. It's just not chocolate. Claw-tipped fingers pluck a few of the peanuts, since they seem sugary from what the symbiote can tell, and it's not like Andi doesn't know honey-roasted peanuts when she sees them. They're brought up to the mostly featureless face and the hand covers however they're consumed.

"Thanks."

Eyes often convey much in the way of thoughts and emotions, and Mania's are as expressive as they come. Brows simulate scrunching together as she states, "We have not seen him in a long time. He seemed like he needed help before. Maybe he does not want to see us." It is the only conclusion they can make at this time.

A silence follows as that sits there, the Titans are brought up, and she even refrains from comment about the feasibility of eating Scarlet Spider. Moody thing.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly tugs back his hood, his mask a mixture of dark blue-black and trimmed in red, "I don't think I've met Venom, but the little I've heard is...a little spooky. No offense," he says to Mania.

When Gwen asks about his medical problems, he feels a little bashful, but, then, he did bring it up, it's not like he can blame her, "I've just been having a few issues. Power unreliability, some lost time. Blacking out," he says, "I think it might be related to my, uh...being a clone."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"If I find him I can always tell him? If he stops or pauses before actually trying to attack me?" Gwen replies, finishing to eat those pringles, "Just on point, thanks." this to Ben, hands up on her mask and bringing back down to continue hiding her identity.

"Lost time. Blacking out... Go by the labs sometime." She tells Ben, "You might find me there, or we can arrange something through Titans comms to meet up there. I can see what I can do to help." she suggests. At the talk of being a clone she doesn't even bat an eye. She can't talk much being a Gwen Stacy from another universe. Even if she is now the same as the one from this universe. Heh, it's complicated..

Her gaze then goes back to Andi and she tells her, "I have also seen him more around the ESU area so ..., you may have a good chance of finding him around that university.." she suggests.

Andi Benton has posed:
"Clones? Like Star Wars?" Mania queries, one eye enlarging compared to the other, the effect of raising a brow. "Is your body falling apart from the inside?"

<<Don't say things like that.>>
//Well, are they? We would like to know.//

If only everyone else was privy to the internal chats Andi and Mania has. Maybe they wouldn't want to know.

She rolls a shoulder at Ghost Spider, spikes flexing subtly along her forearms. "We figured if he wanted to see us, he would have said something. We are not hard to find," Mania answers, and is that..a pout? It could be a symbiote thing. All the same, there's a brief sense of a nod after ESU is mentioned.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben Reilly nods to Gwen, "I will. Caitlin's working with me on it, since she's, like, a super expert on cloning and genetics, but I'll let her know you're interested in helping. I'm still getting the hang of it. Like, I dunno what to do about my identity or anything. Some of it seems super casual, so I feel weird in a costume, but other times everybody's all codenamey, so it gets confusing."

Mania's comment makes him wince a bit, "Um. I hope not. Nothing's collapsed so far. Who knows, though, I could be hollow like a chocolate bunny for all I know."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Some are more protective of their identity than others." Gwen agrees with a small nod. "Families, and the danger that can come to them or to those with more public lives usually leads to that kind of choice. Nightwing, for example." then a faint smile. "I might be able to help on the genetics part.." not that she explains much further, that'd be as good as revealing her secret id, and she doesn't want to do that just yet.

"But we will have to talk later.." She announces, "It's time for me to go.." then a look at Andi. "Also, Star Wars clones, really? What's next, Order 66?" she knows her Star Wars! "But anyway, take care you two!"

And then she lets herself fall back down the building she was perching on, a *thwip* and she is swinging away.

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania has left the two to discuss Titans-related matters without interrupting, but there is one thing that does get her attention again beyond Venom-related thoughts.

In moments she is much closer to Scarlet Spider, looking at him intently, maybe even checking his scent. "...you do not smell like a chocolate anything. Too bad."

Ghost Spider merely gets a confused glance at 'Order 66.' Seems the Star Wars expert has been crowned.

"We will go, too. Now we are hungrier." Seems as good an excuse as any to take off, aloof all the way. Webbing is cast out, leading her in the opposite direction Gwen went in. Not following at all, no.