8743/A Spider in Crime Alley

A Spider in Crime Alley
Date of Scene:	20 November 2021
Location:	Park Row - Bleake Island
Synopsis:	Spider-Man meets another Huntress on
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Helena Wayne

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Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man usually hangs out (ha-ha-ha, Courtesy Laugh) in the Big Apple, but he has traveled to Metropolis and Gotham more and more. Most of the time, it is to follow the threads of criminal operations back to their respective sources.
Sometimes, especially for Metropolis, it's to meet a Very Special Someone.
But it's the former tonight. Traced a rather nasty variant of a synthetic drug known as SLAM to a Gotham office building. Gave a drug lord and his goons what-for, left the drugs and the money behind when GCPD (led by a rather fiery Commissioner James Gordon) arrived onsite to gaze at the webbed-up goombas...

But an errant mugger had provided a little bonus to the night. It had made it easier when the mugger suddenly stopped running and gave up. When Spidey asked why (after the cocooning commenced) he was told that people don't go into a particular section of Crime Alley...because Batman seemed to show up there more than anywhere else.

Intrigued, Spider-Man stuck him to the wall and headed in the direction that the cowardly and superstitious feared to tread...

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne, a.k.a. Huntress, started her patrols in Gotham at the Amusement Mile. It's technically not HER Gotham, but this new dimensional version of Earth is close enough for her to indulge sentimentality. And like Spider-Man, she isn't shy about stepping out into other neighborhoods.

Although she's gotten a small taste of the more exotic flavors of Gotham's underworld, Huntress primarily focuses on gangs, drugs, and the various mob families. She watched as the man in the bright suit webbed up the mugger, and she was waiting as he moved into the alley.

Huntress isn't Batman, but she was trained by him. A different version of him that she called 'dad', but Batman is still Batman. She knows how to play the game for maximum effect.

As Spider-Man headed into the alley a long shadow rose against one wall. Tall, broad-shouldered, with two peaks at the top of the head.

Peter Parker has posed:
Normally, he'd be concerned if someone was shadowing him with the intent to do harm. But the Spider-Sense is as quiet as 10 AM services at the Queens Presbyterian on 34th.

He advances further.
The alley is wide, wide enough for four people to walk side-by-side. The light doesn't come from a wall fixture, but a single lamp post shining a bright circle of light on the bare pavement.

Something about this place...
He placed his hand on the lamp post.
No sudden flashes of psychic intrusion, no flashbacks to something he'd never seen himself.

...but for a moment, right when he touched the lamp, he heard a 16-year-old boy's world fall apart.
*"No! No, it CAN'T be!"*
The hand pulled back as if the post was red-hot.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne continues watching from her vantage, and she's very curious about this one. The lack of fear is one thing, the unusual confidence is another. As Spider-Man eases into the alley the shadow follows him, and if he were to look up he'd see the Batman-like silhouette casting it.

He stops, he touches the lamp, and he recoils quickly. Helena had heard the stories and she knew of this place, of course. It was part of her catechism.

While Spider-Man is distracted by the lamp he'd still probably hear the rush of movement behind him. The rustle of the cape as the woman tumbles off of the roof. The *clink* of a hook followed by the near-silent whirr of the speed-line's sudden deceleration.

Landing in a deep crouch, a casual shake frees the hook to be reeled in as she rises. She, for the voice is definitely feminine. The colors are purple and black. "Nice job with the mugger back there, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for your Union Card if you're going to be working in Gotham."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man turned quickly at the rustle of what was probably armored cloth. He does take a step back as the figure lands streetside. Then the silhouette comes into view and there is a faint hint of familiarity.

Then the voice comes, and it is unfamiliar.

He tilts his head, then says, "Uhm, I'm non-union. I'm even non-supergroup." He shrugs. "But had I but known who to ask...but it's not like you Gothamites have a 1-800 number..."

Helena Wayne has posed:
The shadows still obscure the woman's face... she's clearly done this before... at least until she does a little side-step. No, she's definitely NOT the same Huntress. Facial features are different, as are subtle details in the costume.

As the cape flows, he would certainly see the trademark crossbow, however. She raises a gloved hand, purple lips pulled back in a wide smile. "Relax. I couldn't find the Union Hall my first week, either. I'm Huntress, for conversational purposes. Technically one of the good guys."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Oh! Different Huntress? Well, with all the Spider-types I know, we've had our times hashing out who gets what name. Greetings. I'm Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. And i'm friendly in all types of neighborhoods."

He glances back to the lamp post. "The thug I webbed up told me Batman shows up here more'n anyplace else. I guess I was just curious what was so special about the place."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne purses her lips at the 'different Huntress' remark, then she chuckles. "And what's wrong with having TWO Huntresses? So far I've met a Flamebird, two Batgirls, a Batwoman, and a Red Robin. I've also been assured that Robins come in many other colors."

Her demeanor softens noticeably when he asks about this particular place and the connection to Batman. Keeping her hands visible she steps closer to him, moving slowly enough that the cape doesn't billow. When her voice lowers there's a different tone, now. Something more... emotional. "This place is very personal to him. I can't say anymore." She pauses, then, tilting her head just a little. "You sensed something, didn't you? When you touched the lamp post."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey blinked. He glanced to the Huntress, pondering for a moment.

"It was...a memory. A memory of...well, the worst day of my life. When a selfish decision came back to destroy the world I knew."
He leaned against a nearby wall. "Someone once told me that for many of the capes-and-tights crowd, something changed them. Something that made a normal life...impossible."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne purses her lips and nods slowly. "Someone else's world was destroyed here." she replies softly. "That knowledge is best kept to yourself. We wear masks for good reason, as I'm sure you understand."

There's something about her body-language and her voice that says enough: this place is personal for her, at the very least. It may be true, but it's also a tactical shift for Huntress. If it shifts the focus to Her then it's away from Batman, which is all good.

"I won't ask your story and I'm not ready to tell you mine. But in some respects you walk on holy ground."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "Yeah...yeah, I can respect that." The earlier jocularity is absent. He even walks like he's in a church...or a graveyard.

"So...sorry about intruding. I was chasing a drug shipment that had been moved from Little Odessa in New York City to Crime Alley here. Found the shipment, gift-wrapped everyone for the GCPD to pick up. Your Commissioner Gordon...he's got the drive of a man half his age."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne smiles wryly at the assessment of Gordon, filing that name away for later. In HER world the Commissioner's name was Grayson.

"So the mugger was just dessert? You've had a busy evening, Spider-Man." she replies. "But relax, like I said. We save the violence for those who deserve it. I'm afraid I can't stay, but it was nice meeting you."

She reaches out from beneath the cape with her left hand, shooting a grapple line to the opposite roof.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey can't help but smirk. "Those must come in handy."

He raises his arm in the other direction, and a webline shoots out to snag the edge of a nearby ledge.
"...You don't have to worry about reeling in a webline, and they dissolve in an hour. No muss, no fuss."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne gives a nod towards his wrist. "Not as handy as those." she replies. "You'll have to tell me how you do that sometime." Of course he won't, but a girl can ask. "Good hunting."

And with that, the speed line starts to reel her in. Huntress gives a kick-up and swings deeper into the alley as she departs, using her momentum to reach the roof with a summersault.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man watched Huntress II disappear from sight and sighs.

Enough "bats" for a city's worth of belfries. Thank God they all seem to be on an even keel.

He wondered if he should have mentioned the Spider-Comm system...
...well, if they meet again, he can reveal how he hacked the WayneTech network. Until then...let's just keep that one in the crib for now.