Owner	Pose
Peter Parker	Spider-Man DID want to explain something to the young woman he was rigging the harness with. "Rollercoasters have been around for almost 150 years. Think of it as a train connected to a track. The track is not straight and level, and can involve turns, slopes to travel both up and down, and even traveling upside-down. Many different types focus on speed, or the twists and turns, or even atmospheric surroundings to enhance the excitement." He checked the harness once more, then turned to face two of the taller buildings. "Before this begins, are you relaxed?"
Alyx Vance	A train on a silly track? Turns? Slopes? Upside-down? It all sounds pretty fun to Alyx, whose smile has grown a little bit. Of course, she only allows it to peek through when she's looking away from Spider-Man or he's looking away from her. Publicly, she presents an air of being non-plussed.     Alyx reaches up to remove a leaf from her hair, a souvenir from her sudden trip into the bushes thanks to Spider-Man's earlier handiwork. Was she relaxed? "Yeah, sure," she says casually, even giving a nod to confirm the point. "Alright, Spider-Boy, let's get this show on the road."
Peter Parker	Spider-Boy? Okay. He was going to give her the kiddy-ride treatment to start out with, but she seems like a big girl to be tossing out stuff like that. "Attagirl." And in the next moment, he fires two weblines up to the two buildings ahead of them. A moment after both make impact, he YANKS hard on them. After that, they might as well be a ball bearing fired from a slingshot, vaulting up into the air at a 40-degree angle. As they reach the altitude of 50 feet, Spidey fires another webline at a building ahead of them, and they are off to the races. A waypoint appears on the HUD of his mask, denoting they have to travel 4.5 miles to get to the food-truck kiosk...
Alyx Vance	She's had to deal with a lot in life. A lot of weirdness. A lot of danger. Weirdness and danger came from being a Mojoworld television star and revolutionary, respectively, but none of her experiences would include being strapped to a human-arachnid hybrid as he zips through the city, many deadly feet in the air. No, nothing prepared Alyx for that at all.     The sassy, strong exterior that Alyx Vance likes to project is immediately left on the ground as she, herself, is pulled into the air. "AGHH!" she lets out, immediately shocked by the suddenly yank, but the outburst is short. She follows it up with a deep breath and then reaches towards her chest to wriggle her fingers under the straps of the harness, as if holding onto it might somehow make this safer.     "This is...."     Not how she expected to spend her day? Not how she wanted to die? Not covered by any insurance plan that she was aware of?     "....Put me down, put me down, put me down!" Rethinking the words. "Put /us/ down! Us!" Alyx squeezes her eyes tight and takes another steadying breath. "I'm good, I'm good, I'm good!" she insists. "Keep going...."
Peter Parker	Well, it is better than the last one. Big strong guy hanging from the crane, but even with the kiddy-ride treatment, he lost control of bodily functions. What a nightmare THAT was to clean. He gets into the easy rhythm - firing a webline, swinging for a certain distance, then releasing it even as he fires another webline. For the first mile, that is the primary method, without any fancy tricks or moves... Sadly, it was also characterized by the gradual increase in speed, and by the time they approached the first turn, they were doing better than 60 MPH. Spider-Man fired forward but also to the left, the webline striking the building at the corner, and they suddenly went into a wide arcing turn, as centripetal force pulls at Alyx's body. They are almost horizonal at the end of the turn, and then they are rising up and up and up, without any webline attaching them to anything. For a moment, Alyx feels complete weightlessness. Then they start arcing downward, and a quick THWIPP has them moving forward again. 3.2 miles now...
Alyx Vance	This is fine. This is fine. This is fine. After a few moments, Alyx even believes it! Spider-Man's rhythm, soothing and considerate, through the first mile or so puts Alyx at ease. She might even be enjoying it. If the Mojo cameras were on her face, they might capture an eyes-closed smile. This brief moment of would-be bliss is interrupted by the g-forces from their high-speed turn.     "Aghhhhhhhhhhh," she cries out. "I think one of my teeth is loooooose!" But then, the feeling passes and is replaced with one of pure weightlessness. Her eyes open in abject horror. The feeling of weightlessness was difficult to enjoy once it became obvious that they were reaching an apex without a webline.     "Spider-Man....Spider-Man....SPIDER-MAN!" she shouts just before the saving webline is shot.
Peter Parker	"Relax, Alyx...just doing what a spider can..." he says glibly as they speed up again. The lights of the building seem to stretch into blurs, but he's not doing anything particularly acrobatic. ...until they are less than a mile away. Spidey's Spider-Sense is triggered, but it's not a villain, a falling chunk of masonry, or a house fire...it's a flock of geese running late on their flight south for the winter. He spots them and angles up, passing over them. A raucous honking is heard by both of them as they somersault, giving Alyx the clear view of looking up/down to see a flying goose blink repeatedly as the duo sails over them...
Alyx Vance	"Bird strike! Bird strike!" Alyx shouts, moving her hands forward, as if doing so might shield them from the imminent poultry explosion. But, her worries are unfounded as they somersault over the group of geese on their way forward.     "Well, you handled it...." she admits, smiling to herself as they zip forward. She takes another breath and, cautiously, extends her arms up and away -- no hands! Her smile remains, stubbornly trying however possible to enjoy this.
Peter Parker	it seems like only a few seconds later that Spider-Man begins slowing down. They are approaching a parking lot with six food trucks parked in a line, selling everything from chicken and waffles to Mexican/Asian fusion (whatever THAT is). At the far right is a food truck with the logo BIG JAKE'S CHILI DOGS spray-painted on the side. Spider-Man lands on a building ledge, then drops to the ground 40 feet from the gate leading into the parking lot. As soon as Alyx's feet touch the ground, there is a metallic CHINK! and the harness releases.
Alyx Vance	And that's the moment when Alyx takes a stumble forward, her knees properly turned to jelly. "Oookay," she coos. "Okay...Okay...All good. All good." Alyx leans forward with her knees bent, her elbows resting on her legs as she tries to regain her bearings. One of her feet trembles under her weight, causing Alyx to reach a hand up to grip Spider-Man's shoulder to steady herself.     Despite her present posture, Alyx continues to try to put up a strong exterior. "...Next time, we should go faster," she tries, following up by giving Spidey's shoulder a pat with her hand before pulling it away.
Peter Parker	Spider-Man chuckles. "All right, Alyx." He doesn't mind the hand on his shoulder. She's actually doing a lot better than most. And she hasn't passed out, either. "Take your time. It can be a little disorienting the first time. After that, you kinda acclimate to it. Like getting your sea legs." As she recovers, he looks at the offerings. "Okay...we have Big Jake's, but there's also the chicken-and-waffle truck, the one selling fajita rice balls...odd, but okay...and then we have the Two Paesanos, selling personal pizzas...the Fast Sushi truck...and a rolled-ice-cream truck selling desserts. Anything in particular sound good?"
Alyx Vance	Alyx stands properly and brings a hand up to straighten out her headband and smooth back her hair. "Makes sense," she says, nodding up at him. Alyx takes in a lungful of air and lets it out between pursed lips. She was alive and in one piece, which is generally good for her.     As Spider-Man summarizes the different choices, Alyx looks past him to try and evaluate the options with her eyes. It's no use. Stranger in a strange land.     "I'm going to have to defer to your good judgment, Spider-Boy," she replies with a grin, folding her arms across her chest. "What do you like?" She raises her eyebrows as she waits.
Peter Parker	"Man. Spider-MAN. Jeez, you're almost as bad as Jameson." He points over to Big Jake's truck. "His wife makes the chili fresh every night. So I'd suggest that one." He begins walking over to the food truck, waving to the guy taking orders. The guy spots him and grins. "Hey, Jake, it's your biggest non-paying customer!" Another guy, a bigger one who had to be at least 300 pounds, grins. "Hey there! Your usual?" Spider-Man points to Alyx. "I'd like you to give her two of your best seller." "Two chilis with cheese. Whatcha want to drink, Miss? We got Coke, Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, root beer, orange juice and cranberry juice."
Alyx Vance	"Just getting you back for each 'Miss Vance' ... I think we might be even, now," Alyx says with a grin. "/Spider-Man/"     Alyx follows Spider-Man to the food truck, stopping just next to him before she examines the menu, squinting a little as she does. Her gaze shifts sideways to give Spider-Man a questioning sort of look. "Non-paying?" she points out with a smirk before turning her head towards Jake.     "Uhh, Coke?" she says, though it comes out more as a question. Alyx looks up at Spidey. "Coke, right?"
Peter Parker	Jake writes down the order. "Spidey saved my cart during a bank truck heist. Rescued my business. So yeah, his money's no good here. YOU, however...nine bucks."
Alyx Vance	"/Nine/?" Alyx questions, leaning forward a bit. "Nine? Really?" She reaches into her back pocket to take out the wad of bills Spider-Man had given her, earlier. As she starts thumbing through the bills, Alyx looks up at Spider-Man. "Should I be upset about the price or is it good?" she wonders, placing a ten-dollar bill on the food truck's counter.     "Nine?" she jabs again, raising her eyes to look at Jake.
Peter Parker	Jake nods and takes the ten, handing her a dollar in change. "Jake's a good guy. That's two hot dogs with chili and cheese with French fries on the side. Believe me, when you taste it, you'll know you got a good deal." Spider-Man grabs the drinks, his being a cherry Coke, and he points to a more secluded table. "That look good?"
Alyx Vance	While others might stuff the returned dollar into the tip jar, Alyx was a Mojoworld television star and, therefore, did not make any money, so she was quick to return the bill into her stack and tuck it back into her jeans. The table is given a smile and a nod before Alyx starts to walk towards it. "I wouldn't have pegged you as a dog-eater, but maybe things are different here," she admits with a shrug, giving Spider-Man an over-the-shoulder glance as she continues towards the table.     Alyx takes a seat at the picnic-style table and leans both elbows on it. No dinner manners on this one.
Peter Parker	Spider-Man sits down, then pulls up the mask. He doesn't pull it off completely, but he does pull it up just enough to expose everything from the nose on down. Nope. No pincers, fangs, mandibles, or the like. His teeth are fairly well-cared-for, but other than that...pink skin, blemish-free skin, but otherwise garden-variety Caucasian male. He takes a sip of his cherry Coke, then adds, "It's an old reference to a time about 200 years ago when some German sausages actually had dog meat. Beef, spices, and one or two preservatives these days."
Alyx Vance	Alyx's green eyes follow the path of the mask as it curls up to expose Spider-Man's nose, mouth and jaw. "Huh..." she mutters to herself. "Totally unremarkable." Despite her comment, Alyx's mouth curls into a slight smile, one of comfort, before she reaches out to take her drink. She brings the straw up to her lips and takes a pull.     Alyx's eyebrows rise a bit as she tastes Coke for the first time. "Oh!" she exclaims. "I get it. It's like Mojo-Cola. But, you know, 'Coke.'" She shrugs her shoulders and takes another sip. "It's good!"     Alyx sets the cup down for the moment and threads her fingers together, her elbows still bent on the table. "So, Spider-Man, where will you be taking the money you traded?" she wonders, looking up at him to watch his response.
Peter Parker	Spidey looks thoughtful. "I have access to a lab. It's not like the ones that Dr. Richards, Tony Stark, or Ted Kord have, but it's fairly comprehensive. I figured I'd run it through a mass spec first, then analyze it for materials, processing, see if there might be anything unwelcome like chemical treatments or tracking devices...then I'll most likely store it with my findings and document everything. One practice of the best companies and intelligence agencies both use is that no one fact is more important than any other fact."
Alyx Vance	"A lab?" Alyx questions, her eyes lowering to her hands as she thinks on that. She really didn't care about what would happen with the Mojobucks she had traded away, but there was something else. "...Is your lab well-equipped?" Alyx looks up from her hands to watch the lower-half of Spider-Man's face.     "I have some modifications in mind, but..." she explains, bringing her hands up into view and turning them so the backs are visible and the Gravity Glove electronics are exposed.     "...But, presently, I am stuck here and can't get home."
Peter Parker	Spider-Man looks thoughtful. "Well, I have a good microtronics lab, Internet access, a machine shop, forensics equipment..." He looks up as Jake places two chili dogs with cheese and chili fries in front of Spider-Man, then two chili dogs and regular fries in front of Alyx. "Bon appetit. And thanks for fixin' up the generator." "No worries." He looks back to Alyx as Jake leaves. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you some lab space access. How are you fixed for a place to stay?"
Alyx Vance	"Not that there's a pressing /need/ to get home with Spiral here on Earth, but, you know -- I don't have my gear," Alyx continues, looking up at Jake as he sets down their food. "But, at least I don't have to go to Tahiti." Jake's comment about fixing up the generator earns Spider-Man a look from Alyx -- impressed.     "Yeah, that would be /great/," Alyx says with an unguarded smile as Spider-Man offers up his lab. "With the right equipment, I think I can get the Gravity Gloves to latch on and make a contact with pure energy sources and not just physical objects bound by gravity. Would be good since Spiral's dance moves are getting more...dangerous."     Without much pause, Alyx reaches out with two hands to take one of the chili dogs placed in front of her. She gives it a curious look before bringing it up to her mouth, totally sideways. Instead of biting into one of the ends like a normal person, Alyx Vance brings the middle of the dog to her mouth and takes a messy bite. She sets the chili dog onto the plate and chews her food thoughtfully.     "It's good!" she decides, brown smears accumulating on the sides of her mouth. With a smile, Alyx reaches out for her drink. "...As far as a place to stay while I"m here, well, I think I'm going to use some of that money and get a hotel. I made a..." She searches for the right word. "...aquaintance, but I don't think I can ask her to put me up. A hotel is fine for now."
Peter Parker	Spidey hmmed. "Hotels are expensive. Hang on." He tilted his head. "Call Dmitri." A pause, then points to his head. "Got a phone in here...Dmitri? Hi, it's the Webhead. How are things since Vlad got sent to Riker's? Uh-huh...uh-huh. Okay. Well, that's sort of why I'm calling. No, I've got a home, but there's someone I know who could use a place to stay for a few weeks. Any of those studio places available until the end of the month?"
Alyx Vance	Alyx smiles, lowering her eyes as she takes another pull from her Coke. "Well, thank you, Spider-Man," she says after swallowing her soda. "That's really nice, thanks."     Alyx reaches out to take one of her fries and pops it into her mouth. She chews it quickly and offers no commentary on it. "I'll pay you back," Alyx adds, having said that a lot today. The Red Bull. The pre-paid cellphone. The gum. And now this.
Peter Parker	Spider-Man nods, but still has his head tilted. "Okay. Her name is Alyx Vance. She'll be very quiet. She'll tell you that the Webhead sent her, and that I still don't drink Stoli. Yes, I'm sure it'll put hair on my chest, but I think I'll be fine. Okay. Yes, I'm willing to vouch for her. Okay...okay. Thank you Dmitri, and say hi to Natalia for me. Yes, I'm sorry, but she cannot have a webshooter. Tell her if she can do 100 pull-ups, I'll consider it. Okay. Thanks. Bye." Spidey taps his head, then says, "Go to the Castle Bastion Arms. Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, in the part of town called 'Little Odessa.' Ask for Dmitri. Give him your name, tell him Webhead sent you, and that I still don't drink Stolichnaya vodka."
Alyx Vance	With that settled, Alyx nods her head rapidly at the instructions. Still, her brain was human and malleable. She'd have to write this down. Alyx lifts her left hand and turns it so her palm is facing up before she does something truly unusual. Her right-hand reaches out towards her left and makes a grabby sort of gesture in the empty space near her left wrist.     There's a dull blue and white sparkle as Alyx's fingertips seem to tear into reality, just a little, and pull out a tiny spiral-bound notebook with a pen threaded through the spirals. Alyx pulls the pen out from the spirals and sets the notebook down. "Okay," she says, starting to write it all down. "Castle Bastion Arms. Brighton Beach. Brooklyn. Little Odessa. Dmitri. Webhead sent me. No Stoli." Alyx clicks her pen closed and smiles up at Spider-Man.     "You're a life-saver," she adds before she dematerializes the notebook and pen just like she retrieved it.
Peter Parker	Spider-Man takes a bite of his chili fries, then nods. "Here's how you can pay me back. Some time in the future, you're going to come across someone who needs your help. It may cost you time, money, or both. But if you help that person, you can consider your debt to me paid in full."
Alyx Vance	"That's /it/?" Alyx questions, her browline rising a bit. "That's easy. I'm sure I'll have that paid off before I even get to that place you've got for me. That's what I /do/, Spider-Man." Her smile fades a touch as she reaches out for another fry, her mouth still smeared with chili mess.     "Spiral's boss has made a true mess of our world. His world, I guess, but we're working against him. Trying to free an entire population. It's not easy work," she admits with a shrug. "So, yeah, I think I can pay my debt to you."
Peter Parker	Spider-Man grins. "Then I'm not worried." He picks up one of the chili dogs and chows down, eating with some thought as he looks around. "Maybe I should...mmm...take an interest in this Mojo freakazoid..."
Alyx Vance	"Yeah, well, he's a real piece of work," Alyx admits with a frown. She looks up to watch Spider-Man take a bite of the chili dog in the total opposite way that she did. Alyx's eyes lower to inspect her own dog and takes note of the disgraceful bite taken out of the middle, one done out of sheer ignorance. Her cheeks fill with warmth and color as she reaches out to split the two halves of the dog. Alyx brings one of them up to her mouth and takes another bite the normal way, now that she knows how.     "Our world...well, it's kind of like this, but try to imagine a society obsessed with entertainment with a tyrannical dictator at the head of it," she explains, her eyes lowering again as she chews her food. "Lots of slaves. I was."     There's a pause as she considers her words. "I'm human, you know," she adds. "I was born there but my parents are from Earth." Alyx looks around before popping another fry into her mouth. "...My first time here, though."
Peter Parker	Spider-Man pauses to look at her for a long moment. "...I'm sorry. I know I wasn't involved and didn't know, but...I feel sorry for what you had to go through, anyways..." He takes a deep breath. "If you'd like me to talk to someone else I know, we can see about trying to help you more. But I won't tell anyone about you if you don't want me to."
Alyx Vance	Alyx smiles a little at Spider-Man's demonstration of concern. "It's /fine/, really," she says. "I'm good. We can worry about the ones who aren't." Alyx takes another sip from her soda and bites down on her straw, idly, as she thinks. "...But they will be."     As far as any concerns for her privacy, Alyx waves a hand in the air. "Oh, don't worry about telling people. Everyone knows me," she answers, casually. "...I'm a television star." She thinks about that for a moment. "...But not here." Alyx chews on her straw thoughtfully as she processes it.     "Doesn't matter," she decides. "I'm not in hiding."
Peter Parker	Spider-Man nods. "If you are as scientifically-savvy as you seem to be, maybe I might even be able to find some work for you, like an actual banker's-hours job. It may be part- or full-time, but at least you'd have something to build with. If you need credentials, maybe you can talk to SHIELD. You wouldn't be the first 'out-of-towner' they'd have helped out."
Alyx Vance	"As I seem to be?" Alyx repeats, a smirk coming back to her face. "Oh, Spider-Man, the things I could teach you..." Her smirk turns into a good-natured smile as she reaches a hand out to re-materialize the notebook and pen from the nothingness near her left wrist. Alyx scribbles down SHIELD for her to check out later and then stuffs the notebook and pen back into her left glove's hammerspace dimension.     "Anything you end up doing for me, you're really doing for the people of Mojoworld," she replies, watching the Spider-Man's reaction to that. "And they have your thanks."
Peter Parker	Spidey takes another bite of his second chili dog. "Well, thank me AFTER the results come. Right now, it's all talk. And I don't have the credentials to be a therapist or a lawyer, so talk isn't worth much without the actions to follow through on it." He smirked. "So let's see what can be done, and then you can thank me for promises kept."
Alyx Vance	"Fair enough," Alyx replies, stuffing another fry into her mouth. After chewing through it she wastes no time before bringing the second half of her chili dog up to her mouth and stuffing it in. Her cheeks bulge out slightly as she chews, realizing the critical error she made in estimating how much could fit.     After working through it and swallowing, Alyx takes a deep breath and looks away from her lunch companion. "Whatcha studying?" she asks suddenly, recalling Spider-Man's comment about being college-aged, leading her to believe he is a student.
Peter Parker	Spider-Man ponders for a moment, then says, "Neuroscience program. Primarily medical enhancements, cybertechnology...but focusing on helping people, not just improving those who can pay for it. It's an interested field, if you can keep your ethical compass firmly fixed. What about you, Alyx? Is there a scientific field that you excel in?"
Alyx Vance	Alyx's eyebrows rise, impressed with Spider-Man's bona fides. "Well, if I have any questions about neuroscience, I know who to call," Alyx replies with a grin.     When Spider-Man asks about her own experience and where she excels, Alyx looks down at her food and shrugs her shoulders. "All of them," she answers suddenly, her voice full of confidence. Alyx looks away for a moment and relaxes a bit, no longer intent on impressing this person in front of her.     "Engineering and electronics, mostly," she answers honestly, her voice softening a touch. "We're focusing on point-to-point transportation. Teleportation. A necessity to rescue people, really."
Peter Parker	Spidey blinks. "Wow. Yeah, that is a tough one. I tried an analysis of it once...couldn't make it work. I didn't know as much as I know now, but I never could figure it out. I wish you luck with that." He finishes his second chili dog, and goes to work on the chili fries. "Have you tried accessing the Internet on that phone of yours?"
Alyx Vance	"I focus on other areas, myself, but it's important work. Mojo's television sets --- prisons --- his prisons, they have some blind spots with the cameras, but sometimes it's not possible to traverse from one to the next without being seen," Alyx explains with a nod. "But, we're working on it."     "My gloves can do it," Alyx adds with a small amount of pride in her voice, raising one hand over for Spider-Man to check out, exposing her wrist mostly, as if to imply that the business with the notebook was a form of teleportation. "I could only get it to work on objects, though. Anything living comes out..." She pauses, thinking of the right word. "...Not."     "The Internet?" Alyx questions, shaking her head. "Not yet. I'm sure it's very nice. Ours is... limited."
Peter Parker	Spidey chuckled. "'Nice' might not be entirely correct...but it IS informative. And if you know how to run a search and can sort out the treasure from the trash, you should be able to find anything you need." He takes out a business card from his backpack and hands it to Alyx. "I should get going. Have to pick up some audio recordings I have going on a Maggia HQ. If you need to get in touch with me, call that number. It'll route the call straight to me."
Alyx Vance	"Alright, thanks," Alyx says, looking down at the business card placed in her hand. "I'll do that." She moves the card to her wrist, where it is consumed by blue and white sparkles and dematerializes.     "If I knew my phone number, I'd give it to you," Alyx adds. "You know, if you need help out there." Alyx smirks, shrugs her shoulders, and reaches out for her drink. "Thanks again, Spider-Man. Good luck."