774/=Power and Privilege

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=Power and Privilege
Date of Scene: 26 March 2020
Location: Upper East Side
Synopsis: The Rich Kidz drug lab gets a couple of unwanted costumed visitors.
Cast of Characters: Peter Parker, Mary Bromfield




Peter Parker has posed:
Sometimes, boredom takes strange forms.

A group of trust-fund babies at Stovington Prep have a little too much time on their hands. So what do kids with Land Rovers and Ferraris do with that much time?

Why, binge-watch BREAKING BAD and become drug entrepreneurs, of course. FOR THE LULZ!

Peter was already aware of the bunch by the time the message from LinkedIn came through, asking for a freelance photographer. He had sent in a few choice shots from his Spidey Portfolio, and he was In Like Flynn.

He stepped out of the alley, shouldering his backpack, and looked around for "Mary" to show up.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
The first trick of becoming a good reporter? Not waiting for a story to come to you! Well, okay, maybe not the first trick, but it's an important trick! So yeah, Mary found out about these drug dealers through chitchat at the coffee shop, and decided to do a little snooping and get a good reporting expose going.

So, having flagged a photographer who had some amazing Spider-Man shots, she set up a meeting with him. She didn't have a backpack, but did have on a denim jacket on since it was still a bit brisk, "Hey, you Peter? I'm Mary." She smiles, looking... well, rather ordinary, but in a good way.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter Parker is a strong contender in the Looking Ordinary challenge. Baggy jeans, loose flannel shirt, brown hair and eyes, sheepish look. If he's older than high-school-age, she's an astronaut. Well, an OFFICIAL astronaut.

"Hi, Mary. I'm Peter Parker." He smiles slightly, then looks around. "So, you said something about some kids running some kind of drug lab out of an abandoned office building?"

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary nods, "Yeah, overheard it at the coffee shop." She smiles a bit, offering Peter her hand, "Glad you came for this. I know this isn't quite as cool as snapping shots of Spider-Man, but... well, it's nice to have a photographer along."

She grins, "Mary Bromfield, actually. Just moved to New York a few months ago. Figured a story like this might be a good way to start with journalism, you know?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods. "Odds are, this is one of two things. One, they are doing this for a lark, have no security at all, and we can get in close. Or...they are serious enough to get the most STYLISH guns, and have some security." He takes out his digital camera, an older model but still pretty good at 12 megapixels. "Let's check out the building, and figure out the best way to get in."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary smiles, "Sounds good to me, and pretty much what I was thinking." She pulls out her own cellphone, "Have a really good mic on this one for recording, so I think we're set. Let's go." With that, she leads the way towards the building, and then adds as an afterthought, "And obviously, if it's number two, we back off a bit and think of a new plan."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter smirks. "Let's see what we can find."
The reconnoiter is quick. It is a three-story office building, with windows on all sides.

"However, if you look on the second floor, you can see that THOSE windows have polarized sheets on the inside." He points out how his camera can see through the first- and third-floor windows, but not the second floor. He points to a nearby parking garage. "Let's set up there. I have a few gadgets we might be able to use."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary nods, "Yeah, definitely someone is hiding //something// up there, Peter. What do you have?" She flashes a grin over towards her photographer, tilting her head a bit as she looks a bit excited for actually doing this.

Definitely beats being an honorary den mother, that's for sure!

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckled. "Let's get up there first. Get off the street."

The parking garage is nearly empty, but the stairwell isn't secured and they soon come out on the second floor parking level. Peter moves towards the edge facing the office building. "Okay...this looks good."
He opens the backpack and takes out a device that looks like a thin black cylinder with a wire ending in a microphone jack. He turns the dial as he says, "Plug that end into your phone. This is a laser mike."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary follows Peter inside, moving quietly next to him as she hunkers down in the parking garage. She blinks at the laser mic, and grins, whispering, "Sweet! Always wanted to try one of these..." She plugs the mic into her phone, waiting to see what exactly they hear.

Peter Parker has posed:
There is a burst of static as Peter puts it on a tiny tripod, then looks to Mary. "Hold up a hand if you hear anything."

Peter begins moving the tripod, aiming it at each of the glass panes.

Nothing...nothing...nothing...

<"...have 2,000 tabs by Friday night...">

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary holds up her hand on the fourth window pane. She murmurs, "Hold it there Peter... something about two //thousand// tabs by Friday night." She frowns, "I mean, this isn't exactly my expertise, but that's a lot more than just some bored rich kids to me. Unless we got Walter White running around up there too."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grimaced. "Sounds like MDMA. Ecstasy. Selling them at the raves over the weekend..."

<All right. Now, we got the school dialed in. How about the buyers from the other schools?">
<"Demand is going up. We might need to double production. (giggles) This is SO...COOL!">
<"Can we handle that kind of output? Mike was only able to buy so much chemistry lab stuff off of Amazon. Even WITH Prime shipping...">
<"So we use a different chem to prepare, get a bigger yield. What are the alternatives?">
<"We got Special K, but that stuff is too pure. Might as well put rat poison in them...">

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary actually snorts, "Actually, maybe they //are//... they're talking about ordering chemistry lab equipment on Amazon Prime. Rookies." She hmphs and also scribbles down some notes, even though the phone is recording right now. She's a bit old fashioned that way, scribbling in a... rather weird looking shorthand, should Peter look that way. "Talking about buyers from other schools, doubling production..." She frowns, "And... using something called 'Special K'. Not sure what that is, but they're talking about it being //too// pure."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter frowns darkly. "That's street slang for KETAMINE. Animal tranquilizer. Mix it with MDMA, it'll...Jeez, they'll KILL someone."

He pauses, then takes out his phone. "Listen...I'm going to go call someone. These people have to be shut down TONIGHT." He glances to what Mary is writing. "That's...you use glyphs as shorthand?"

Hey, EVERY smart young male wanted to be Indiana Jones, right? He was planning to minor in Anthropology.

"Mary, stay here...keep recording. I'm going to go reach out to someone."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary hmms, "Oh, this? Yeah, my little brother and I came up with it, just a code that works real well for notes." She nods, "I'll keep listening... but be careful, okay?" She gives Peter a bit of a worried look, but stays and listens for now.

Of course, if things go sideways, there's always the magic word.

Peter Parker has posed:
As Peter runs off, the voices go through the raves they intend to sell at, the return on their investment, and occasionally, names. Biff, Tammy, Cliff, Reggie, Tiffany. They talk about how stupid their parents are, how stupid the cops are...

And then, from the left, Mary suddenly sees a flash of red-and-blue as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swings in, heading straight for the third-floor windows and crashes through it, body curled into a ball to protect the masked face.

<"Hey! Third floor! Bud, Frank, get your shotguns and check it out!">

So...it looks like it's Column B (Serious).

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary frowns as she sees Spider-Man show up... "Shotguns..." She heard about him being a menace, but menace or not, he might need some help. So, well, she does what... okay, not many people would do this. She runs to the other end of the parking garage, leaving the mic in place.

Standing on the edge of the parking garage, she takes a deep breath... and looks up to the sky, "Okay Wizard... I really need your help..."

Then she says, forcefully, "SHAZAM!"

A crack of lightning and thunder flashes right to her, changing her into Lady Shazam!

(Fortunately she moved far enough away from the directional mic...)

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man was giving the first guy up the stairs an unwelcome surprise. He was webbing the guy to the wall when he (and everyone else) heard the thunderclap.

Dang, the rain came earlier than the forecast said. But that sounded CLOSE. He hoped Mary wasn't caught off-guard...

Then the Spider-Sense woke up and he saw a guy his age leveling a shotgun at him. One of those fancy KSGs, the bullpup shotgun that was legal and still held 14 shots.

Spider-Man flattened as the guy fired, the recoil angling the load up instead of down. Then the guy found himself pinned to the wall of the stairwell.

Spider-Man gave him a love tap to keep him quiet as he headed down the stairs.

"Boys! This is Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man! All of you are hip-deep in sheep dip! Surrender now!"

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Lady Shazam, meanwhile, is going for the direct approach. She flies up with rapid speed and just //bursts// into the window, hovering a foot off the ground as she looks around at the various teens. Her voice is rather stern as she takes in the scene.

"Isn't tonight a school night, children?"

Peter Parker has posed:
The tableau was both comic and unsettling.

There were about 16 people here, and NONE of them were old enough to go to college. A few of them were still wearing their school uniforms, the Stovington Prep patch bright on the black coats. Three younger kids were helping one older kid of about 17 at a fairly-complicated chemistry station that ran the length of three display tables.
The other teenagers were high-schoolers. Some of them carried guns. That was the most unsettling image. The ringleader, a guy who looked like the quarterback of the football team, held a shotgun and was standing behind a table where money in $50s and $100s were stacked, almost carelessly. They were banded, but looked as though they had been tossed there.

They were all gaping at Lady Shazam for one long moment. Then the guy near the exit suddenly had a webline attached to him and then he was gone, like a magic trick.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Lady Shazam frowns towards the kids, "Here are your options. You can do this the easy way." And then suddenly she moves in a blur, too fast for a bunch of terrified drug dealing wannabes to see.

The next moment, she's still in the same position, but she managed to super-speed yank all the guns away from the wannabes she saw, leaving the weapons in a pile under her as she adds.

"Or we can do this the //real// easy way."

Peter Parker has posed:
Kids are weird. You'd think they'd panic and run. A couple do look towards the door, but the sight of Spider-Man standing there nix that idea. Even though he is staring at Lady Marvel, because he's seen THAT look before.

So, as if rehearsed, almost all the teenage would-be kingpins go down on the floor, a chorus of "LAWYER" resounding through the room.

Then two of the younger kids start crying, a boy and a girl. Spider-Man glances to them, then walks over to them. "Hey...take it easy...what's your names?" he says, his voice gentle.

"DON'T SAY NOTHING, YOU-" And that is as far as the ringleader gets before a splotch of webbing covers his mouth and chin. Not his nose, though, so he can still breathe.
Not a bad shot from 30 yards away.
"There, now...he can't say anything. Look, you two will be okay..."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
And when the younger kids start crying, that's when Lady Shazam's scariness diminishes, and she descends towards them, placing a surprisingly gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, "Look, it's going to be alright. Things will be sorted out."

Her voice is warm, soothing, the compassion of Athena really, as she looks around at the others, then looks over at Spidey, "I... happened to be in the neighborhood, and heard there was trouble." She looks curiously at the other hero, not accusatory at least!

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods, but he is looking at a few kids who are trying to crawl towards the door. "Listen...could you stay with these kids? I have to go do pest control."

He stands up, then begins walking around, sticking people in place with webbing. He gets to the head chemist, a pretty blonde who gives him a playful smile. "C'mon. Let me go? I promise you, I can make it worth your while..."

For a moment, Spider-Man thought about opening her mouth and pouring the bowl of blue tabs down her throat.
AND then she gets webbed to the floor as well.
"You corraled three kids who aren't old enough to DRIVE into your little drug operation. I intend to make sure they spell your name right at the police station."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Lady Shazam looks over at Spider-Man, "Definitely. I'll keep these children safe. If you need help, come get me." She flashes him a concerned smile, "And be careful? I suspect you don't have the Stamina of Atlas backing you up." A bit of a joke, really, but she looks like a bit of a worrier, even as she keeps an eye on the kids.

And she's also smart enough to know who really needs the help, and who's looking to just get out of this.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks to Lady Shazam with a wry look. "I perform major acrobatics for 1-2 hours at a stretch for as much as six hours. I think I'll be fine."

Spider-Man webs up most of them, saving the ringleader for last. "Was this fun, pal? Why'd you do all this? Your father is worth MILLIONS."
The guy spits back, "Buddy, do you KNOW how hard it is to LIVE on an allowance of three grand a week?"

Spider-Man STARED at him, and the guy looked back at him...and then the guy sneered. "Ah, crap, you're one of those POOR people!"

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Lady Shazam bristles a bit, but fortunately she seems to have the patience of Athena. Or at least she's trying to not vaporize a kid who doesn't know any better. Instead, she looks over at Spider-Man and says, "I think there's enough evidence gathered that all the money in the world won't matter, where he's going."

With that, she walks over towards Spidey, placing a hand on his shoulder, as... well, she doesn't look angry. She never really looks that angry. But Spidey might sense a hint of tension in her hand.

Peter Parker has posed:
The guy senses he is on the losing side, but decides to make one last pitch. "Hey, there's over a million on the desk. Just take it, let us go...we'll even cut you in, give you a percentage. You poor types need money, right?"

Spider-Man practically COCOONS him, covering him up to the neck.
"I wouldn't take your BLOOD MONEY to burn it in the fireplace." He takes a deep breath, then sighs. "Okay...gotta call the cops. We'd better stay with the kids until they get here, though. Let's get them down to the first floor and away from these...BRATS."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Lady Shazam nods, "Yes, I'll contact the police... I wasn't aware there were any kids watching this." She smiles faintly at Spider-Man, "It was a pleasure meeting you... I wish it could have been under better circumstances." And like that, she flies out the window, all business it seems.

Off in the distance, there's another crack of thunder and lightning.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs, then looks down as the girl asks, "Who was she?"

Spider-Man smiles. "She's a Marvel, isn't she? C'mon."

As he takes them down to the empty first floor, he texts Mary using his unspoofed line. <Had to go, sorry...things got a little heavy. I got some good pictures of Spider-Man and some other heroine. I'm sending you the cloud link to the pictures.>
The next call is to the cops with the spoofed line.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary gets right back to the phone just in time to get Peter's text, and smiles, <No worries, got all the audio, that was amazing! This will definitely be a great story. Hope this means we can work together again soon?>

Then she bites her lip a bit, and works on putting away some of the stuff... and then she realizes she still has Peter's mic! Well, she can keep that safe for him. Plus, guarantee he'll have to see her again, right? Right.

Peter Parker has posed:
Thirty minutes later, Spider-Man is in the parking lot of the office building as he watches the CSU people roll up.
He figured they had a LOT to work with. The drugs, money, and guns were going into evidence, and since it was Captain Stacy's precinct, he had a good feeling that it wouldn't disappear. The two younger kids were given treatment and made sworn statements. He figured the others, once Stacy aimed the concept of going to prison at them, would fall all other each other trying to rat out everyone else first.
The ringleader vowed to sue Spider-Man for everything he was worth for defamation of character as he was being led to the squad car. Spidey shot back, "You don't have any CHARACTER to DEFAME!"
No one clapped, but that was worth a good laugh.

Spider-Man leaned against a light pole and took out a water bottle, lifting the mask up to the nose to drink. No one got hurt, no one got killed. The society pages were going to run hot for awhile...

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary, of course, gave her testimony on what happened from her vantage point, though she made sure to keep the audio files for her story. Which was going to be great. Though she did look a little worried that Peter never showed up again...

But she did work up the courage to approach Spider-Man, looking over at him, "Oh, hey, um... I managed to see what you did in there, at least a little bit. And that was pretty amazing, I have to say." She gives him a bit of a friendly smile, as if not quite sure how to talk to a masked vigilante as she seems a touch nervous.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man turned...and smiled. Nope, no sharp teeth, no mandibles. He finished his water bottle, then stuffed it in the Spider-Backpack. No littering for THIS hero. He pulled his mask down, then said, "Well, thank you, miss. Wait. Are you...Mary Bromfield? Parker told me to keep an eye out for you..."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary takes a deep breath, looking really relieved, "Yeah, I am, reporter... well, aspiring reporter anyway. Didn't think it would go quite like this." She smiles, "But I'm really glad Peter's okay. I was worried about him, and I... uh, still have his mic."

She shrugs, "But I didn't think when he was going to get help he'd get, well, you... how long have you two been working together?" She immediately goes into interview-mode, as she's pretty eager to get some more information.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looked thoughtful. "A couple of years. We sorta met when his uncle was killed. I caught the guy, but that left the household without a source of income. So...I made a deal with him. I'd clue him in on stuff happening, he would take pictures to support his family."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary smiles, "Well, that's pretty good of you to do. A far cry from the menace that some would make you out to be." She hmms, "Frankly, I heard your podcast with Freddy and well... from personal experience you were the least menacing person in that conversation." She gets a bit of a wry look at that.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man shrugs. "Well, I feel everyone is entitled to their opinions. The BUGLE, apart from the opinions of Jameson, is a solid newspaper and he is a proponent of mutant rights. So I think it is fair to forgive the man for his...wayward opinion of me?"

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary nods, "A very measured response, to be sure. And probably better than I'd manage in your position." She tilts her head at Spider-Man, then looks over at the kids still being rounded up and carted off by the police, "I just wish I knew why people would do this. It's... well, such a waste."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "Evil exists in the world, Mary. It's not some vague idea. I hope thes kids get rid of their sense of entitlement and realize the effect they have on those around them. But some kids...you just have to keep an eye on. They're young. Maybe they won't ruin their lives completely."

He looked to Mary. "Beyond that...don't lose too much sleep. This kind of narcissism defies understanding. If you can't understand what they're thinking, that's okay."

He pauses as the blonde who propositioned him is led to another police car, her face sullen.

"If you DO start to understand how they think...then you'd better start worrying."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary nods, "Pride and Greed, there's a reason they're two of the seven deadly sins." She smiles a little, "So um... did Peter, ah... mention me at all? I mean, he was really good to work with, so I hope everything going sideways doesn't mean he wouldn't want to do anything in the future." She coughs.

Apparently it's the Swiftness of Hermes, not the Smooth-Talking of Hermes.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nodded. "He said he thought you were smart. He said this was your story, he was just taking the pictures. 'A nose for news,' he called it." He chuckled. "You're ambitious but you're not jaded by this kind of work. That's good. It'll help you."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary actually blushes at that, "Well, I definitely need to text him back to see when he wants to meet up to uh... get his mic back, yeah." She looks a bit sheepish, "Does he like coffee? I have a job off campus working as a barista and... oh, sorry, I'm rambling a bit."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "I suspect it's the excitement, Mary. All the activity going on. PLUS, I expect someone is waiting to get home to type up their article, or has already typed it up and is waiting to see if it gets approved?" He winks, the eye-lens actually thinning and widening. "You hang around news people enough, you notice things."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary chuckles, "Point. Well, um, say hi to Peter for me... and I'll text him in a bit to let him know I got home okay. Thanks again for the help, Spider-Man!" Because, well, if these knuckleheads figured out where she was hiding, it would have been bad.

Well, not really, but no one else needs to know that, right?

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods, then extends a hand to Mary. "Nice meeting you, Mary. I'll let him know the next time I see him. And I'll let him know to keep an eye out for your byline, promise." He looked around. "Hmm...how far away do you live? If you don't have any issues wwith heights...or rollercoasters...I could take you home myself."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary blinks, "Well, I... wow. Okay, I have no issues with heights." She grins a little bit, "After dealing with Freddy and Billy at the amusement park, well, yeah, no issues at all." With that, she takes Spidey's hand and steps closer.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey lifts easily, and then he has Mary in one arm. "Wraps your arms around my neck. I can hold on to you easily, but it keeps you stable for what we're doing."

With the other arm, he fires a webline up, grabs it and pulls...

And then they are airborne, gaining speed as they are propelled upward. Which is a feat of superhuman strength, easily.

He lets go of it, fires another in the split seconds they are still traveling upwards, and they are off to the races.

There is definitely an inherent pleasure when for you, gravity is a mild suggestion rather than an actual law.
But the trip with Spider-Man proves that gravity can be pretty fun...

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary screams, but it's definitely a roller-coaster WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! more than the terrified shrieks of an innocent bystander being carted off by the Spider-Menace!

Though a certain paper might decide differently.

And it's definitely a lot different than channeling magical power to fly around at super-speed, so Mary leans into Spidey and just enjoys the ride.

Peter Parker has posed:
At first, he keeps it simple. Long swings, short ones around buildings, quick shots to change direction.

Then he gets a little FANCY.

One webline causes them to swing low until they are 50 feet above the street, just above the power lines and street lights, then sweeping up and up, and then they are airborne for a long, graceful arc, and for a single second they are weightless. And then they descend, another webline is thrown...

And then the next one coming around the bend, he lets go of the webline and does a quadruple somersault, firing a webline coming out of it and swings wide. She can see the webshooter, hear the mechanical workings, the click as something beeps, a tiny whir, and then they are webslinging again...

And he does this for HOURS?

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary hangs on, squealing with delight as she shivers from the cold night air rushing by at breakneck speeds. Sure, she can fly at hyperspeed as Lady Shazam and zoom through the vacuum of space...

But she's invulnerable then! This is just crazy and wild and she just clings tightly to Spidey the entire time. Though there's a small twang of guilt from the fact that Peter might be worrying about her. She doesn't say anything, though, as she enjoys the moment. Lord knows she could always use more of them.

Peter Parker has posed:
However, all good things must come to an end, and a few minutes later, Spider-Man lowers to the ground near the place Mary pointed out. He gently lowers her to the ground, then says, "At least you're better than my last passenger. Poor guy yarfed all over the back of my costume."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary laughs a bit, "Oh no... that's horrible. And you can't exactly dry clean that, can you?" She grins, "But thanks for the lift, Spider-Man! I'll put in a good word for you in my article. And... well, I'll text him in a bit, but thank Peter for me? I'm really glad he was along." And well, she does look a bit worried about him.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles. "I'm sure Peter's fine. He made it to the subway after he contacted me. I'll check in on him at his home in Ingram Street, just in case." He steps back, then says, "Hope you enjoyed the ride. It's definitely an E-ticket."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins, "I did, for sure. And thanks again for the help, Spider-Man." She offers a hand towards him, "It was nice to meet you."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man shakes Mary's hand, the gloved hand firm but not hard. "Take care of yourself, okay?" He steps back and waves, before turning around and firing two weblines, using them to slingshot himself up and out into the night.