8480/Friday Night Firefight

Friday Night Firefight
Date of Scene:	30 October 2021
Location:	Pinnacle - Urban Park
Synopsis:	Spider-Man runs afoul of Intergang, gets his bacon rescued by Supergirl...and then, pizza.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Kara Danvers

---

Peter Parker has posed:
Livin' it up, livin' it up, oh yeah...Friday night...

Spider-Man is spending his Friday night webslinging through the city. Y'know, instead of dating. But such is the case when you deal with relationships in the "capes-and-tights" crowd.

As for why he was in SoHo, well, he had gotten word of a deal going on. It was supposed to be something big, but this would be his 5th "Heavy Deal" this month, and the other four weren't anything to write home to Aunt May about.

<Spider-Comm announcement from Spider-Man! (sigh) I'm in SoHo if you want to watch.>

Kara Danvers has posed:
Meanwhile, in Metropolis...

It's a quiet night in the Big Peach. And Supergirl hasn't had much to do. So, when Spidey announces his locatoin and an invitation to drop by, Kara smiles and takes a quick, sub-orbital jaunt to Manhattan. In a few seconds, she's floating miles above the island, finding Spidey with her telescopic vision and following his movements. And wondering if she should let him know that she's watching out for him, or be silent and leave the principal of 'each protect their own city' in place...

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man landed on a streetlight and looked towards the the green oasis. Normally popular during the day, less so at night because the electricals for the lights are being fixed.

Then a frisson of Spider-Sense raises the hackles of his neck under the mask as he sees them.

Men and women at the north end. Moving crates from a panel truck to three smaller SUVs. A group of five are checking...

Weapons. Those are weapons. Only they don't look like anything made on this PLANET.

Then one of them looks up at Spider-Man. And SMILES.
It's not good when they smile.
"Hey...it's Spider-Man. What do you think, Three?"

The woman who went by the name of "Three" smiled and raised one of the weapons.
Spidey's eyes went wide.
"I THINK HE'S *DEAD!*" she crows, and then opens fire. A poisonous-green beam of light vaporizes the top of the streetlight as Spidey leaps to a nearby concrete planter, taking cover behind it.
Four others raise the rifles and aim at the planter. "SQUASH HIM."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Well, that settles the issue...

Once the Intergang thugs pull out the hardware and shoot at Peter, Kara starts flying Earthwards. She's a streak of blue and red, shooting through the night sky. And although Kara knows that Peter can easily dodge the plasma blast shot at him, Kara interposes herself, letting the energy hit her instead of potentially hitting a building or something else important.

Superigrl stands there in mid-air, hands placed defiantly on her hips and cape fluttering in the nighttime breeze. All that's missing is the trumpet fanfare.

"Hey, Spidey," she calls over her shoulder. "You mind me lending a hand with these mooks?"

While three of the gang are seriously debating their life choices up to now, the fourth one fires his gun and makes Kara pay for her overconfience. A web of energy contricts around her, causing the Girl of Steel to struggle to get out!

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man calls from behind the planter, "Grab a PUN and join the FUN!" before springing out sideways, firing like some rogue cop action hero...
...only he's firing webs instead of bullets.
One shooter still on the fence gets webbed to the grass instead, sticky webbing covering him amidships. Another gets his rifle yanked HARD from his hands, the weapon flying up to the wall behind Spidey, who fires a web behind him without even looking to remove the gun from the fight.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl doesn't respond in words; she just grits her teeth and strains agains the energy net binding her. Yes, she's actually having difficulty breaking through, which gives the other three... *THWIP*...two thugs a chance to shoot at Spidey. Or, more accuraely, the places in mid-ar where Spidey was a fraction of a second ago...

Finally, with a cry of supreme effort, Kara breaks free of the energy binders, and they dissolve as theyshatter apart. Supergirl quickly focuses on the man that shot the energy web at her, and twin beams of red energy shoot out of her eyes to strike the weapon he's holding. The alien metal starts to glow red-hot. Then orange...and with a cry of pain, the thug drops the gun as his hands are burned by the heated metal. Supergirl swoops down and 'gently' body checks him, only sending him flying 5 feet bacwards and slamming into the panel van, when he slumps down.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey jumps up and towards the last guy holding a rifle...and Three, who is still smiling as she opens fire on the red blur that is Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
The last guy pulls the trigger, and...nothing. Someone didn't read the manual. He switched the safety off, grinned, and then he was blinded by a face-ful of webbing. It wasn't think enough to block his airway, but he was as blind as the apocryphal bat.

He turned to look at Three, who had the rifle pointed squarely at Spidey's chest.
"Not even YOU can dodge at this range. Teach you to mess with Intergang...!"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Suddenly, Supergirl appears in-between Spider-Man and the gun barrel. "He doesn't have to dodge..." she says. Three fires the rifle anyways, and Kara slides back a few inches from the impact. She has both of her hands out, pushing against the energy beam that streams from Three's weapon. It's a stand-off as Kara digs her feet into the pavement to prevent sliding backwards any further.

Peter Parker has posed:
Three grins. "Not going to last much longer, Girl Scout. Then, after I'm done with you, I'm..."

And then a solid ten-foot wide net of webbing hits her from the side and knocks her over. She tumbles a little as she falls, which is bad for her because the webbing is now tangled up with her.

Spidey waves from the right side, where five other goons are webbed up. Three are stuck to the side of the panel truck, one is webbed hugging the rear tire of the SUV, and the other one is webbed to the hood like a trophy buck.

"Hey, Supes." Spidey waves to her.

Kara Danvers has posed:
As the beam is cut off, Supergirl striaghtens back up. She takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders, then smooths her hair back. "Hey, Spidey," she smiles back. "Slow night in Metropolis, so I thought I'd see what's happening in Manhattan. Hope I didn't crash your patrol too badly..." She pulls out a communicator and starts typing a message...

SpiderCom Text: Up 4 (pizza emoji)?

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey shook his head. "There is a big list of people I don't mind kibitzing on the crime fighting thing, and YOU...are in the top ten."

In Spider-Comm, there is a notification thatn the NYPD has been notified of the criminal acts, the location, the number of people captured...

...but it is the word "Intergang" that drops the response time from five minutes to TWO.

<Pick a spot. Grimaldi's is down the street. They sell brick-oven pizza.>

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl cocks her head and nods. "Well, sounds like New York's finest will be here in an hot minute. Your town, you get the credit." She smiles and waves as she lifts off into the air. "See you next time I'm in town..." And then, she flies off into the night sky.

A few moments later, a red and blue streak shoots down into an alley. And from the secluded confines, steps bespectacled, mousey brunette, Kara Danvers. Dressed in a white top, green jacket and skirt, no one suspects her true secrret. And the intern at the Daily planet takes a seat inside Grimaldi's, patiently waiting, an affectionate smile on her lips.

Peter Parker has posed:
He's delayed a good five minutes by talking to DeWolff. And another five minutes putting his street clothes back on.

And when he practically bursts through the front door, his hair is a mess, his eyes are wide, and he looks around, sure that the one he took SO LONG to reach got tired of waiting...

Oh...Oh, she's still here. Jeez, she HAS to be completely patient and willing to put up with him. Because she's perfect.

Peter wore a sheepish look as she settled into the booth across from Kara. "Sorry I'm late. I was...uhm, detained..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara just has that affectionate smile for Peter as he stumbles and stammers in. "I thought so when I heard the sirens." There's a playful wink as she adds, "Hope you got some good pictures..." And Kara reahes out to take Peter's hands and give the a gentle, comforting squeeze. "It's fine. I ordered a peperoni, sausage and olive for us. That good with you?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter is about to speak when she takes his hands and...yeah, he's a little nervous.
Then she mentions olives. Olives? Well, if she like those...

"Yeah, that's good. I might be giving you all my olives, though." He pauses, then says, "I...got a few shots. Not many. I got a good one of Supergirl breaking out of some kind of energy cage..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara's enjoying the payful anominity that she's sharing with Peter. "Supergirl? Cool! Bet Jameson will cut you a nice check for that one." Another wink, then a shrug. "I guess it depends on what mood you catch him in. But..." Here, she puts on the 'concerned girlfriend face'. "I'm glad you're okay. But I guess withSupergirl watching your back, you'll be fine." Secret double entendre, anyone? And then, the pizza arrives, piping hot, along with waters and sodas for both.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "My camera drone will be fine." He pulls a small red box the size of a box of wooden matches and places it on the table to the right of the pizza plate. "How else can I get all those shots of Spider-Man? I have acrophobia, anyway. This little gem makes it all possible."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara looks at the drone, smiling wistfully. "You know...you could patent this and make a fortune." She pauses, taking a big bite out of the slice she picks up. "You'd have money to help out May..." she says after chewing her bite. "I mean, I know you're not motiated by money, even though it's tight for you...." She sighs and pets Peter's hand. "Let me know if I'm nagging you," she says with resignatoin. "Even if you don't make a fortune off your genius, I'm still proud of you. You know that, right?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "Stark has four models right now like this. They just cost hundreds of dollars. I just had the ability to build my own. Besides, the controls scheme needs Spider-Sense and superhuman agility to control effectively, so..." He shrugs and takes a slice of pizza. "It puts food on the table, which is all I've ever asked of it. And the KordCo job is covering the costs of college, which is all I've ever asked of it...so...I'm content. Working my butt off, but...content. Like I'm doing what I was born to do." He smiled to Kara. "Ever felt like that with your work?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Yeah," Kara replies, gently smiling. "Yeah. It does feel right. Like I'm making a difference. It helps with..." She takes a deep breath and has a tight-lipped smile. "The survival guilt. All that kind of stuff." There's a little slump in her posture as she continues quietly. "I couldn't do anything to help then. But I can help now." There's sadness in her tone and in her eyes. But there's also determination in both.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods. "Yeah...I..." He paused. He was about to say something stupid like he could understand how she felt.

But he couldn't. Because for him, it was his fault.

"I think...Uncle Ben would have thought well of you for what you're doing."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara smiles softly and pats Peter's hands. "I know he'd be proud of you. Of the man you've become. Of what you do. And I know my parents would be proud of me. And they'd approve of you." More smiling, then Kara takes a deep breath. "So. Anything happening in Manhattan. Or in your life in general?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looked thoughtful. "Well...there's this one girl. Goes by the name of Demona. Big Disney Princess fan. The thing is...okay, there's good news and bad news. Bad news...she's some kind of Chinese vampire. Called a jiangshi. She doesn't drink blood, but life energy. The GOOD news, though is that she has control over it, and knows how to get what she needs without hurting anybody. I kinda felt sorry for her, she spent a lot of time alone."

He paused, took a bite, then continued, "The thing is, she can detect people by smell. And each person has a different, unique scent. That kinda became a problem when she met Peter Parker AND Spider-Man on two separate occasions..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara puts up her hands in a defensive gesture as she finishes her bite. "Hey, I'm clear on this one..." she says with a slightly teasing tone. "But it's good that you trust her and she seems to be okay" Kara wrinkles her nose cutely and tries to look tough. "Just let her know that you're taken and your girlfriend has a mean punch." Then, she breaks into a giggle. "Just be careful." Even though she knows he always is. "Classes going okay?" she asks before taking up another slice and tearing off a bite.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter hmms. "Just made it through mid-terms. The classes are getting complicated. I am not sure I am going to get through A.I. ethics without hitting the books hard. But I'm maintaining my average, and Mr. Kord will be happy." He looked to Kara, then asked, "How's work treating you?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Like an intern," Kara replies with a smirk. "But I'm getting to do a few stories. Some interviews. Got a few bylines. Nothing front page or aything. But, between the Planet, school, Titans, G.I.R.L., and my normal job, I'm keeping busy." She smiles at Peter. "Still got enough time to swing by Mantattan to see my favorite photojournalist, though." She chews on her slice of pizza. "Any plans for swinging down to Metropolis?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods. "I need to follow up on this Intergang bunch. Those weapons the cops caught them with? Alien. Loaded with some energy source not designed here, that's for sure. The woman in charge, so was working for a business in the Suicide Slum area of Metropolis...so I'm petitioning JJJ to send me down there to learn more."

He pauses, then continues, "A lot of these groups...they trade services, make alliances, interconnecting cities. Circumventing the law in too many ways."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara nods. "Yeah, Intergang has sporadic connections with Apokalypse. That's where they get their weapons from." She's frowning and has a serious look. "I'll tell my cousin they're getting new shipments and do a little investigation on my end. I should have something to go on by the time you get to Metropolis. Maybe a warehoue to bust." Kara laughs a bit and winks. "If you're real lucky, you might catch a ride on a Boom Tube with me and see the wonderful sights of Apokalypse as we stop the shipments at the source."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Travel to a place NAMED Apocalypse?" Peter rolls his eyes. "Well, boy howdy, sign me up."
Peter shook his head. It still takes him by surprise when Kara talks about going to other planets or other worlds like he would talk about going to the bodega down the street.

"Yeah, well, that should work. Sticking to walls keeps you from being underfoot."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"oh, it's totally worse than you can imagine. I mean...there's loads of bad guys there that can give me a hard time. Not to mention Darkseid is more powerful than Kal." Her features soften, and thre's that gentle, warming smile of hers. Just for Peter. "It'll be okay. Just be ready for a tough fight, is all I'm saying. You can handle it, though." More smiling. "You can handle anything."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks at Kara...then snickers. He covers his mouth while he does it, though, but he can't help it.

Can handle anything? HIM??

"...Sorry, Kara. I couldn't hold it in. Seriously...Kara, if I tell you I can handle ANYTHING by myself, then I'm a blatant liar. I have help from a whole SLEW of people, and even then I get my butt handed to me. If all five of those people opened fire on me, I don't know if I would have had a chance. You should have seen me after fighting both Shocker and Electro, and I got my butt handed to me."

He shook his head. "I punch above my weight class ALL the time, Kara. But you should look at Spider-Fail.com to get a REALISTIC view of my crimefighting track record."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"But that's the thing," Kara replies, her ahnd going out to his to offer comfort and suppoert. "Its easy for me to do this stuff I can power through just about anything. I'm almost always punching down. But yu...no matter what the challenge. No mater if you get knocked down. You keep fighting. Even when you know you're outmatched. You don't give up. And you find a way to win. And that's what mkes you amazing, Peter Parker. No matter the odds, you persevere. That's just a part of why I care about you. You don't give up. Not while there's peopl in danger."

Peter Parker has posed:
Okay. His face went scarlet almost immediately. Steam should be issuing from his ears any second now.

And, of course, his vast repertoire of Snark is completely inaccessible.

"I...uhm...jeez, Louise..."
He can't dispute Kara this time. There's perception about his ability to handle things, which is a complete facade.
But when she lays out his reasons...that's something different. And her insights hit pretty close to the mark.

"I'm...gonna get a swelled head, Kara..." he says with a shaky laugh.
She thinks HE is amazing. That's...wow.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara smiles, then gets up from her seat at the booth, and goes around the table to slide in next to Peter. She puts her head on his shoulder for a moment, then straightens back up. "I meant it when I said your uncle would be proud of you. I'm sure your parents would be too. You mayno have he strength and power I have, but you have a stronger heart." An she leans in slowly to give Peter a kiss on the lips.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks as Kara kisses him.

And boom, there go his higher brain functions...