nexus_crossings | Doing Good

Doing Good

The AV field can only protect the Nexus so much.

Sure, it makes sure no one's hurt for the most part unless it's broken. And that does cut down on a lot of crime. Kinda hard to murder someone, or rob someone at gunpoint if there's no real threat to the victim. But petty theft? Pushing someone down, taking their shit, and running off? That's a huge crime problem in the Nexus. Especially with hundreds of doors to flee to other worlds and PINpoints to get back to a safe house of the thief's choosing.

And wouldn't you know it? Petty theft is one super hero's bread and butter specialty. Webbing a thief up doesn't hurt them and it keeps them from pointing away long enough to call in the sheriff or his volunteer officers to scoop up the criminal. It does leave some stolen goods unaccounted for though. Which is why there's a friendly Nexushood Spider-Man calmly walking through the plaza with a handbag and some kind of weapon in each hand. A ways back is a struggling reprobate webbed up good and snug to a tree.

Every now and then he stops and holds them both aloft.

"Hey, anyone missing these? Does anyone know who had their stuff stolen? Is there a lost and found in the Nexus?"

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"A poké ball," she clarifies as he searches the handbag, although if he couldn't tell that by her description, then it probably doesn't make much difference what she calls it.

She tries hard not to show her disappointment when he turns up empty-handed. "It's not signed, but um... it's what's inside the ball that's more important, anyway. Have you ever heard of a mankey? It's a kind of pokémon, and I was supposed to be taking it to the Wilds so it could rejoin its colony..."

Taking a deep breath, she steadies her voice. Professor Madrone entrusted her to do this, and she really doesn't want to let him down.

"I last had it next to me while I was sitting on that couch." She points to the one whose cushions she was looking under. "I took it out to double check something on my pokédex."

"Wait like for Pokemon? Are..are you trolling me right now?"

Peter has Pokemon Go on his phone like right now. Doesn't matter if the major fad wave has passed, he still has a lot of fun with it. Plus, he kind of gets a lot of exercise these days. Might as well get some additional benefits out of it.

"Like a for real Pokemon Ball. That you catch for Real Pokemon in."

What is his life right now.

"Wow..."

"No!" she says earnestly. "No, they're real in the Nexus. They came here from a portal in their world and many of them live in the Wilds now."

Why someone in a full-on body suit who has spider powers would find that unbelievable is beyond her. Maybe because he's so young? Or maybe she's seen too much to be surprised anymore. It doesn't matter. They have to --

Wait... what's that sound in the distance?

"Mankey! Mankey!" "Get back in the poké ball, you hairy little freak!"

Adia purses her lips. "I think I might know where it went."

It's a cartoon where he's from! And some games. He couldn't afford to play them growing up but the power of the internet and emulators makes anything possible eventually. Ned's been helping him catch up on the years of nerdery his poverty has made him miss out on.

He's picking up the couch like ti's no big thing, trying to see if the little ball rolled underneath but no such luck. Well this isn't good. Looks like it's definitely gone. Better ask the lady where she--spider senses are tingling!

"Oh, that sounds like trouble." Maybe even double. Dang he's going to have that stuck in his head all afternoon now. With a handy little thwip! Spider-Man jumps up and webs a nearby building and gets to swinging his way over to that end of the plaza.

"You know, if you were nicer the pokemon might be more inclined to give you your hat back. And stop pulling your hair." Man, the pokemon seems ot have this under control. That's no fun. But at least it means the job will be done quicker this way. "Where's the ball you took?"

It's a small surprise when Spiderman lifts the couch. Super-strength, right. That's a thing. But when he starts swinging his way to the other end of the Plaza, she lets out a startled "Oh!" and hurries after him.

A Mankey on the loose is no joke.

And indeed, this furry, pig-nosed pokémon is pissed off by the attempted abduction. She yanking on the man's dark hair with one hand, the other smacking him about the face with his own Team Rocket hat. The AV field prevents any real damage, but he's clearly disoriented, and for a minute doesn't even register Spiderman's presence.

"H-hey! I didn't take nothing! I found that poké ball fair and sq-- aw, crap." Adia has just arrived, and he knows the gig is up. "Alright, alright, here! Just get this crazy thing offa me!"

He pulls the poké ball from his belt, which the Mankey promptly grabs before running up a nearby lamp post. She sticks her tongue out at the thief and throws the hat into his face. Take that!

Bap. Bap bap. Bappity bap.

This is hilarious. Seriously.

"Karen, please tell me you're recording this."
"Of course Spider-Man. Shall I upload it to the usual YouTube channel?" Tempting, but normal folks can't know about the Nexus so Peter shakes his head quickly. As usual,l Karen's not-heart is in the right place, but her methodology is a wee bit extreme.

"Nah. Just save the footage for me please."
"Understood."

He turns toward Adia and doesn't even look over his shoulder as he sends another web with a thwip! to stick the rocket grunt ("Hey!") to a nearby bike rack.

"Thief apprehended, Ma'am. Though I gotta admit, your little friend here had the work under control." He gives a cursory glance up to the mankey on the lamp post. "Good work! You're tough as nails!"

Adia doesn't look nearly so amused. The Mankey is now running amuck, swinging from the lamp post like a... well, a monkey, her poké ball clutched in one foot. No way she's going back in there. Adia is going to have to find another way to get her to the Wilds.

Who is Karen? She looks over at Spiderman curiously. The thief uses the opportunity to try and escape, but the web prevents him. He swears and struggles against it a moment or two before hanging his head in defeat. He's never going to hear the end of this from his boss...

"Thank you," Adia says to Spiderman gratefully, as she takes out her PINpoint. "I'm going to put in a quick call to Office Jenny. But, um... can you do me another favor? I still need to get Mankey, and she's, um..."

Spiderman's compliment falls on deaf ears. Mankey grunts in irritation at the two of them. You'll never take her alive, coppers!

"I'm going to try to lure her down, but if you could keep her from jumping off the lamp post, that'd be great."

"Yeah! You go girl! You had that all under control."

Spider-Man stops applauding the mankey at Adia's concern and turns from looking up at the pokemon to her once more. It doesn't stop him reaching a hand up way too quickly and snatching the ultra ball the mankey throws at the back of his head though. Then he does slowly turn and look back up at the pokemon.

"Did you just try to catch me?"

Thank goodness for sharp reflexes, although hopefully the AV field would have kicked in otherwise. The pokémon mimics throwing another ball and then laughs uproariously. She sure did!

Adia clamps down on her lower lip to hide a smile. Maybe she's been hanging around Gengar too much, but that was pretty funny. "...yes, attached to the bike rack by the fountain. Thank you," she says into her PINpoint, wrapping up her call with Officer Jenny. Putting the device back in her pocket, she holds out a hand to Spiderman for the ultra ball. "Here, let me. I have an idea."

"Oh uh, sure thing."

He turns and deposits the ball into Adia's outstretched hand without any hesitation. She was looking for it after all, and now she has it, Mission sort of accomplished. Just with a uh. You know. A monkey on the loose.

Mankey.

Man this is weird.

"I kinda thought she'd be more on our side. I thought these things were smart."

"They are smart, but they're wild, too. I don't think she trusts either of us." How Professor Madrone managed to get her into the poké ball in the first place is beyond her.

Recognizing his disappointment, she smiles at him sympathetically. "A Deino nearly took my fingers off once. It takes a lot of patience to deal with wild pokémon."

Looking up at Mankey, she makes a big show of putting away the poké ball. "There," she says, holding up her hands. "You don't have to go back in there. Okay?"

Mankey grunts and narrows her eyes thoughtfully. Slowly, as if expecting another trap, she slides down the lamp post, hopping off a couple feet from the bottom and landing on a nearby chair. "Key," she demands, pointing at an outside pocket on Adia's messenger bag.

"This?" She pulls out a granola bar. "Sure, you can have it. Once I get you back to your family. Come with me, please?" She'll do this escort quest the old-fashioned way, if she has to.

"But. I mean-we're on her side!"

Spiderman huffs a little bit and turns a half glance up toward the pokemon. If he was a meaner sort of guy he'd point out you have to fight these things and weaken them before you can catch them usually, but the thought makes him feel bad for even thinking it and he says nothing instead.

He's pretty sure with his reflexes he could grab her and hold her down the minute she's back on the ground but somehow he doesn't think it would make her any more trusting of humans.

"Pretty handy, having a snack on you like that. If it were just me I'd be hosed. I don't carry food on me." A growing boy's always hungry and a growing Super Hero even moreso.

That is how things normally work when it comes to catching pokémon, but Adia is the last person who would have one animal beat up another animal just so she could zap it into a little ball. Even if it's harder, she'd rather do it her way.

"Give her a little time," she suggests kindly. "She'll probably come around."

Mankey snuffles her pig-like nose in the direction of the granola bar. That's human food. She loves human food -- it's what got her in trouble in the first place, getting stuck in a dumpster behind a Nexus restaurant. "Key," she says again, hopping off the chair and making a "go on" gesture with her paws. Fine, fine, she'll follow. Just keep that ultra ball in the bag and the granola bar where she can see it.

Feeling more confident that her plan will work, she looks over at Spiderman to see if he wants to join her in leading Mankey to her colony. The comment about food has her tilting her head thoughtfully. "You suit doesn't have any hidden pockets or anything? I always carry food with me. If someone else doesn't need it, I know I'll get hungry eventually." She pats the outside pocket again. "Would you like one? I have more."

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Doing Good

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