[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GsVqDZ0.png[/img][/center] [color=Red]"Oh, come [i]on[/i], you guys,"[/color] I say to myself as I land on the rooftop of the Guggenheim and see the neat circular hole cut into the glass of the Guggenheim's intricate web of skylights. [color=Red]"[i]Regular[/i] glass? While you're displaying a priceless artifact shaped like a cat? In New York? [i]Where there's an infamous master criminal who dresses like a cat?[/i] Why not just put up a big flashing neon sign that says 'Please Rob Us?'"[/color] [color=LightSteelBlue][i]"Most of the security there is top of the line,"[/i][/color] Captain DeWolff says over the earpiece in my mask. [color=LightSteelBlue][i]"Motion sensors, cameras that can detect the entire electromagnetic spectrum, laser-tripped alarms, pressure sensors on everything from the displays to the floor. Hypothetically, even if someone did manage to get in, there's no way they could grab the Guennol Lioness and escape without detection."[/i][/color] [color=Red]"Yeah, well, the thing about hypotheses is they have to be put to the test,"[/color] I say, crawling through the skylight and lowering myself down via a web line to avoid touching the floor. [color=Red]"I'm going to see if I can retrace her steps-- knowing where she came in is all well and good, but we need to find how she got [i]out[/i], and maybe then we can figure out where she went."[/color] [color=LightSteelBlue][i]"Think you can do it?"[/i][/color] [color=Red]"Pretty sure. I'm no slouch when it comes to infiltrating and sneaking around in places I shouldn't be."[/color] [color=LightSteelBlue][i]"Oh, is that so? Any mischief that I need to know about?"[/i][/color] [color=Red]"I only B&E on bad guys, Captain,"[/color] I assure her, as the bundle of heightened awareness, acuity, and reactions that I collectively refer to as my vaunted Spider-Sense picks up the near-imperceptible heat of a laser tripwire, and I stop my descent short. [color=Red]"Manfredi never knew how many times he spilled his guts to me while I was crawling around up in the air ducts. Speaking of...."[/color] Carefully winding around the laser, I drop down another floor, before I see a vent on a far wall whose grate is just slightly off. Most people wouldn't notice it-- [i]I[/i] wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't looking for this particular perp. By her standards, though, it's practically a dead giveaway. Either she did this in a hurry, or..... [color=Red]"Captain, you mind if I put you on hold for a sec?"[/color] I ask. [color=Red]"I might lose signal in here, and I need to make a call."[/color] Before Captain DeWolff can answer, I put her line on hold, open my contacts, and let out a sigh as I head for the air vent. [color=Red]"It's gonna be one of [i]those[/i] nights, isn't it?"[/color] [hr] [color=Green]"Possibility,"[/color] began the man in an immaculate three-piece suit as he addressed the conference hall full of excited young interns, [color=Green]"is the barrier that separates reality from mere dreaming. It may be a cliché to say that 'anything is possible,' but as we learn and progress, we discover far more things are possible than our ancestors could have imagined. Once upon a time, it was 'impossible' for a carriage to move without a horse to pull it. It was 'impossible' to build a machine that could calculate and compute complex equations faster than a human could blink. It was 'impossible' to split the atom, to land a man on the moon, to map the human genome. It was 'impossible' for a man to fly through the air, to lift a tank over his head, or to crawl along walls like a spider. And now, they tell us it is 'impossible' for mankind to keep stride in a world full of titans."[/color] Toward the back of the room, Gwen Stacy did her best to act impressed. She was a third-year intern at OsCorp now, and while CEO Norman Osborn was always a commanding presence who dominated any room he entered, she had heard almost this exact speech no fewer than five times now. It certainly captured her imagination during her first year, as it was with the new crop of first-year interns in the room, but Gwen had spent enough time in and around OsCorp to know there was a lot more going on behind the sales pitches and showmanship. [color=Green]"Possibility, you see, is what drives us here at OsCorp,"[/color] Norman continued, the large screen behind him showcasing stock footage of happy people and appropriately 'sciencey' imagery, mixed with clips of the latest OsCorp products. [color=Green]"This company was founded on the notion that boundaries are meant to be pushed, that limits are there to be exceeded. Revolutionary breakthroughs in genetic engineering, in cybernetic augmentation, and in the next generation of bio-technology, all developed right here, in this very building, will propel the world forward in ways that many of our peers would consider, well, 'impossible.'"[/color] On the screen, a silhouette of an Olympic runner kept pace with an expensive sports car. A firefighter lifted up a steel girder weighing several tons. A young woman, her eyes full of hope and determination, took a running leap, and propelled herself high into the sky. All very dramatic, very theatrical, but Gwen knew they were closer to the mark than the corny presentation let on. Most of her work was as a lab- and administrative assistant, doing basic data entry, taking notes for Doctor Warren, getting coffee, translating long and highly technical papers into 800-word articles for the OsCorp website. It would be years before she would ever be allowed anywhere near the labs where the real work was done, the military contracts and top-secret projects that pushed the boundaries of legality and ethics. Still, Gwen had connections-- after all, she was a friend of the CEO's son-- and the glimpses she had gotten behind the proverbial curtain were eye-opening. The presentation showed a young man standing from a wheelchair as inspirational music swelled, and Gwen wondered if an injection of Globulin Green could indeed allow a paralyzed person to walk. Maybe for a few minutes, before they went horrendously insane and attacked the nearest person. [color=Green]"You, the youth of America, are going to inherit the future,"[/color] Osborn went on, [color=Green]"And you fortunate few, you are going to have a hand in shaping that future for--"[/color] [b][i]*The Itsy-Bitsy Spiiii-der Went Up the Water Spout....*[/i][/b] Gwen started, her eyes wide, realizing she hadn't put her phone on silent. From the stage at the front of the conference hall, Norman glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. [color=Green]"Are you going to get that, Miss Stacy?"[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Oh! Ohmygosh! I-- I'm so sorry, Mister Osborn, I--"[/color] [color=Green]"Don't apologize, Miss Stacy,"[/color] Osborn interrupted her, [color=Green]"I never do. If there's one thing I dislike more than thoughtlessness, it's spinelessness. Now please, step outside and take your call. I'm sure if you had your phone on during a meeting, the call must be for something more important."[/color] Gwen flushed, inwardly cursing at herself as the room full of OsCorp personnel, some fellow interns like her, others high-ranking project managers and team leaders, watched her fumble for her phone and taking a mental note of the faux pas. A few of the first-year newbies laughed, and Osborn shot them a cold glare. She stepped out into the hallway, and checked her phone, seeing who would call her in the middle of a meeting. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Of course,"[/color] she sighed as she saw the name and answered. [color=Red][i]"Hey Gwen, it's me, I just wanted to--"[/i][/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Peter, I could strangle you right now!"[/color] she blurted out. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Norman is doing the orientation speech to all the new interns, and half of the people in the company that I want to work with now think I'm some ditz! It's going to take me months to live this down!"[/color] [color=Red][i]"Oh--I, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't know--"[/i][/color] Gwen took a deep breath to catch herself. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"....it's not your fault, I was the one who left my phone on. Sorry I yelled. Anyway, what's up? MJ kept hinting that you've got some 'big surprise' for me after work?"[/color] [color=Red][i]"....uhhh, yeah, about that,"[/i][/color] Pete began, [color=Red][i]"I, uh, I may be running late. Something came up....y'know, job stuff. It might take a little longer than I thought. But don't worry, I've still got something great in mind! Just....once you get off work, don't take the bus or subway back to the dorm, I've, uh, I've got a ride to pick you up."[/i][/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]"What kind of ride?"[/color] [color=Red][i]"It's, ah, kinda part of the surprise. If I'm not there in time, well, you'll know it when you see it. And I'll meet up with you later, honest."[/i][/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]"If you say so,"[/color] she said, doubtfully. [color=Red][i]"Okay, cool. Anyway, I've gotta get going, or this thing is gonna take even longer. Sorry again, babe. Love you!"[/i][/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Love you too,"[/color] Gwen replied, ending the call. She really did love Peter, but there were times when he didn't make that easy. As she stepped back into the conference hall, all eyes turned back to her, some disapproving glares, other silent jeers, before Norman Osborn cleared his throat to turn their attention back to him. [color=Green]"Do forgive the young lady,"[/color] he said to the room as Gwen sheepishly made her way for the back door. [color=Green]"she really is quite brilliant. But even geniuses can make the occasional slip-up. Now then, the future....."[/color] Gwen Stacy sank into a chair at the back of the conference hall, and inwardly sighed. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"It's going to be one of [i]those[/i] nights, isn't it?"[/color]