2012-11-01 Luck Brings a Spider

If you take a man, stip him of his name, his past, his identity, his purpose, his memories... what's left? Can he still Stand?

Is Pure Soul and spirit enough?

That's what Longshot is going through this moment, this questioning of purpose and spirit.

.oO(I... miss something, but what? It's all there at the edges... I can feel the answers dimly. Someone must... miss me. Will they find me? Will anyone try?)

He looked over scene of Manhattan, so beautiful.. and so flawed. Just like him, he was no longer convinced that the Black Cat had the best interests of the people at heart. It didn't mean she wasn't beautiful, and worth his time. It just meant he felt no guilt in stealing the rest of the diamonds for the common people.

Instead, Longshot was jumping from rooftop to rooftop unaware that the news had pictures of him from ConEd's security cameras. Just him, his accomplish... luckily, was left out of the captured footage. That they had played to all of New York City that he was the only thief, and that he was responsible for ConEd having to raise their rates on electricty.

But Longshot had no idea of about that. He didn't watch TV, something that would be ironic if he could remember who he was. So here he was... bag full of diamonds and no idea how he was going to distribute them to the people they were, in his mind, stolen from.

Ben Reilly was moving through the New York streets keeping his head low. Life was going good. A woman wanted him to be the foreman to house renovations and offered to give him a good pay. Jubilee, a new friend, inadvertantly did her best Victoria Secret impression in front of him. Black Cat, a cat-burglar, that wasn't a Catwoman knock off...liked him...probably...maybe...hopefully. What? Teenagers and grown men liked girls in black leather and Black Cat was a well-endowed woman in black leather. What was not to like? Life was good. And if it was't good, it was interesting at least.

Life did have some bad sides to it. The time spent as a mall security guard for starters. Nearly getting caught delivering furniture in the light blue skies before night officially kicked in. All of the "Parker Luck" that followed the Black Cat run in...Again, life may not have been good but it was interesting for Ben Reilly.

Dodging through people dressed in his blue hoodie, a pair of black jeans and the matching converse shoes Ben just tried to keep a low profile. No one minded his back pack slung over his shoulder, which was good considering the red and black costume inside of it. If people wanted to peek...that could have been really bad.

Before long Ben started to look skyward, wishing it was night time so he could cut loose and swing for a bit. That's when something caught his eye.

A blonde hair man was jumping from rooftop to rooftop dressed in all leather getup. If the man had been doing this in street clothes or even work-out gear, Ben wouldn't have given it a second thought. The guy would have simply been dubbed a thrillseeker and nothing more. Seeing that black leather almost pushed Ben's spidey sense to go off.

Rushing into the nearest restaurant Ben b-lined for the rest room and went to work. Piece by piece Ben tore off his gear putting on the Scarlet Spider costume. "I hate doing this in the day!" he screamed at himself mentally, but there was just something strange about the situation.

Climbing out the window Scarlet Spider jumped between buildings then swung upward like a pole-vaulter and landed on a nearby roof. He rushed toward the man with the shock of blonde hair. Jumping on the next building the running was heading Scarlet said, "Stop..," his words trailed as the symbol caught his attention. All leather costume plus a symbol meant some kind of heroor villain in the making. "Star-man! Ziggywhoever you are!" Scarlet quipped having nothing else to go on, "The Bowie convention is next weekend!"

Getting a better look at the man Scarlet started to remember the news reports, "You're the diamond thief!"

Longshot had no idea what a 'Star-Man' or a 'Ziggywhoever' was. He was just a Man Who Fell to Earth. And it did just happen he was the the diamond thief. But there was a reason for his robbery. Even if this... monster... seemed to want to stop him. He had fought the monsters of... some place. He knew they were all out to get him because of him stopping them.

A small scar, unseen by the normal eye, thanks to his hair, on his left temple began to glow bright white until in encompassed his entire left eye socket. It also made Scarlet Spider's 'spider-sense' go haywire as if he was suddenly in danger in every direction.

He looked at the Scarlet Spider and said, ''Why do you guys hate me?! I know I ruined the portal opening for you guys... but I couldn't let you kill a baby! I didn't mean to drag you into this dimension in the first place!''

Feeling the Spider-Sense take off like Major Tom made Scarlet really feel uneasy. He stared at the man and was about to say something then the talks of portals happened. "Okay...I get it...the guy is crazy," Scarlet thought to himself. "Ziggy...I haven't seen any portals or space ships around here," he said in a serious tone, "I just recognize you from the television. You Ziggy have taken things that don't belong to you...and well...I let one diamond thief go accidentally but at least she gave me her phone number," a "thwp" cut through the air as Scarlet tried to pull the man close.

Sure, it was really bad to bring a crazy man close to you, but all the spider-goodness would have probably helped out Scarlet. "C'mon...I'll see to it the cops will play Scary Monsters for you."

Feeling the Spider-Sense take off like Major Tom made Scarlet really feel uneasy. He stared at the man and was about to say something then the talks of portals happened. "Okay...I get it...the guy is crazy," Scarlet thought to himself. "Ziggy...I haven't seen any portals or space ships around here," he said in a serious tone, "I just recognize you from the television. You Ziggy have taken things that don't belong to you...and well...I let one diamond thief go accidentally but at least she gave me her phone number," a "thwp" cut through the air as Scarlet tried to pull the man close.

Sure, it was really bad to bring a crazy man close to you, but all the spider-goodness would have probably helped out Scarlet. "C'mon...I'll see to it the cops will play Scary Monsters for you."

After being 'thwiped' towards the Scarlet Spider, Longshot made a decision, that he was a monster from... that place. Why couldn't he remember what it was called? He decided that this creature was one of the M.... the people against him. They wanted the diamonds. He knew the diamonds were special. Tilting his head slightly he said, You're not.

.oO(Don't even talk to him. There is no point! The point is... to focus my spirit... through purification of the motive, the luck will follow.) He thought as his eye grew brighter and brighter and then with a slice of his hand and a leap he was suddenly free of the Scarlet Spider's webbing. It was almost like a magic dance. He jumped a 'magic jump' and was suddenly behind the Scarlet Spider. He then started running for the other end of the rooftop thinking .oO(What!? He's got a face like a kid's mask! They call him Spider-Man and said he wasn't real! I don't know -what's- real!)

The second the spider-sense went off behind him Scarlet leaped in the air doing a back flip. Webbing went downward, but missed "Star-Man." Running after the man Scarlet cried out,

The second the spider-sense went off behind him Scarlet leaped in the air doing a back flip. Webbing went downward, but missed "Star-Man." Running after the man Scarlet cried out, "What is it with diamond thieves and leather?!"

Pushing off the next building hard, Scarlet tried to close any gap between them. "After you reform for a bit...if you ask me for a team up...I refuse to be your Klaus!"

Longshot was quiet, but a lot of what the Scarlet Spider-Man was saying was true. He was not even sure if he should have stolen those diamonds. But he was sure taking them from Black Cat was the right thing. And that...

And that is why he did an almost comedic deadstop at the edge of the building, one that the Scarlet Spider overjumping in the effort to get infront of him and catch him.

"I'm not opposed to talk, monster, I just need to know that me and mine are safe first!" Longshot said, "I have friends, and I do not want them to go back to that world you call home!"

"I've got no plans to send you...wherever you fear going. Although you did committ crimes here and you need to see the full extent of the law...You're not from here are you?"

"I have no idea. I'm.. lost," he holds up one of his hands showing that he only 3 fingers and a thumb. Longshot would hate to admit it but he barely even understands what is going on from moment to moment; let alone what the ethics and rules of this world was. This world.

That's new. He had never really thought of it that way, "I don't want to be imprisioned," he said suddenly, "The Spi-Spin-they hurt you there. They make you talk. I promised people I wouldn't do that."

He took the messenger bag full of diamonds of his shoulder and held it in his alien hand, "You're not a monster? You don't work for... him?"

"This is a pro-bono gig Ziggy...all the work I do is for free and I don't have a boss besides the city," he said firmly then sat down. "Who said it was okay to take the diamonds?" the question came naturally. The four fingered blonde guy felt more like an accessory than a mainstay.

All of the candid talk about lost along with the confusing questions just screamed something wasn't right. He looked toward the man, "How long have you been here?" he asked quietly. Yes, the question was a gamble, but hopefully it would have paid off.

"Jinx said that ConEd stole the diamonds, just as well as if they took the money from his hand. And then he ran," Longshot said handing the bag of diamonds to the Scarlet Spider. The bag that was worth at least 200 million to the black market, " Black Cat... she confirmed it. But to be fair I only ran into her after I broke in to the place."

He looked at Scarlet Spider, as if he had just seen him for the first time, "Four weeks. Two where I was on my own, that's where I got the name 'Longshot.' Two where I battled monsters and liberated diamonds."

He dropped the bag, "I didn't think I was doing the wrong thing."

Webbing the bag forward Scarlet caught the diamonds, "Yeah...it was wrong. You're wanted because of it. Tell Black Cat, the Spider needs to talk to her," Scarlet added before dropping down. If Longshot did this again, then there would be hell. However, Black Cat was the ring leader of the operation and she knew what she as doing....he knew that all too well.

Longshot smiled a charming smile and said, "Deal!" At that he ran for the rooftop and jumped. By the time the Scarlet Spider could see where he went, his luck powers assured he was gone.