riverview | Video. Burner Phone: Spider-Man.

Hey, so, need a hand — shit — damn it —

[LANGUAGE.

Also sorry, there's a THUMP-TING noise, because he clips into a light post he did noooot see in the middle of swinging over the city.

The feed spins to life, a red, white, and black masked face in instant view for a moment before the video rolls and rolls — a cement roof underfoot, as the figure stumbles with a gasp of surprise before pretty much crash-landing. The screen is black, the unseen figure moans, and then, holding achy ribs (it was a light fall, no worries, but the way this hurts way more when it didn't before is a little unnerving), he reappears again. It's the local Spider-Man, and the feed doesn't seem to want to stop shivering as the wind whistles. He swallows. Or, um, tries to, but he seems to have some trouble with that.

It's late in the afternoon, the light fading from the sky, and he's breathless from the running (swinging, climbing, panicking) he'd just done.]

Sorry! [Swallow.] Sorry. I fell, but I'm good. I'm, I'm fantastic. Never better. Don't tell Tony Stark. [An A-OK sign is held up with his fingers, the mask blissfully blank and pleasant and voice tempered into something less panicked; cool, we're in hero mode.] Uh, I was out looking for — for these two, Billy and Teddy? They haven't been around, so I was worried they'd... And then Lanie, she's this kid from the park, her mom can't find her. And I owe her, like, five front of the line amusement park coins at this point — right, not the time. But I've been scouting because her mom is seriously freaking out, and...

There were — there was this younger lady was flagging me for help. Said she hurt their ankle while she was out running, so I swung over, but it was tooootally a trap. Like, full-on 'Mouse Trap, look out, don't go for the cheese' kind of trap . And when I went to pick the lady up and take her to the hospital — [He seems to choke on the word a little, swallowing again, straining against something at his throat.] She snapped this on me, and some of their buddies jumped out to grab me once they knew it was latched and working.

[With a nervous chuckle, he shows the metal collar around his neck, which he vainly tries to claw his fingers under.

It's doing something to me. I can't see and hear things like I used to, and my strength's freakin' gone, and nothing's dialed to 11 right now. Like, it just sapped the powers right out of me. And let me tell you, swinging around when you've got no endurance and no healing factor is really scary! Indiana Jones is nuts. [A breathless laugh, brushing the situation off as easy-breezy and not an issue.] They must've thought my webshooters were a part of my powers or something, because they were were surprised when I took off like a bat out of heck. A-anyway, I'm really sorry. I didn't... I should've went after them, but I'm... I'm having a hard time focusing... a little...

This thing is, like, so uncomfortably tight. I think the clasp works like handcuffs do. [Another uncomfortable laugh that may or may not be bordering on a panic attack, as he scrapes gloved fingers against the too-tight collar again.] I can't even get the mask off.

[A pause, and he looks toward where he had swung in from — as if he's considering going back to the park, torn between common sense and his job as both a hero and perimeter guard member. "Peter, your heart rate is unnaturally high," Karen the AI says helpfully in his ear. He's trying to breathe against the fabric of the mask. His vision is blurry.

... He needs his glasses. But he doesn't own glasses anymore.

A bit more defeatedly:]

... Can anyone get this thing off and, I don't know. Figure out how it works?

Please?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, Tony Stark. Iron Man. That guy.

I told him I'd bring it in for him to check out; if you want I can pass along your information to him? He's hardcore with tech. And he's been here a while, so he's pretty familiar with what they can do.

[He's not in any rush to take the tech back yet, though.]

You might not have the information in your system, to match it to anything.

New guy, right? Not that I've been here very long either, but y'know.

( iron man. and clearly someone who doesn't care about whether or not their identity is shared, or this child is just. unaware. either way. the screen on his device flashes through several pages of information, taking internal scans through the metal exterior. he adds a few notes to the side, gloved fingers tapping at the screen but robin doesn't open it up.

out on the field he doesn't have the tech to get that far into it. the scans should be enough to go off of, and it wasn't difficult to get off.

tools tucked back where they belong, and he tosses the collar on a palm. gently. )

Inform him he should keep better track of his lackeys.

[Oh, that does it. He swipes back the collar, the whites of his eyes thinning into slits.]

Oh, got it. And you can inform your handler you need work on this part of the gig where you learn how to talk like a normal person, because you suck at it. [He stands up, shaky on his feet.] You're not the first kid I've met who belittles everyone else to compensate for your inflated ego, but thanks, I always miss my early middle school years.

Have I taken up enough of your time, your almightiness?

( scans have already been collected, he doesn't need the actual device much longer. with the information he has, drake should be able to decipher what it does, how it works. and if drake can't, he'll get the tech to do it himself. no big deal.

lips part into a toothy grin regardless as he tilts his head back, gives spidey here a once-over. )

Considering I found you shaking and blinded, I'll let it go just this once. My ego is as large as is warranted. If you're taken down by something as simple as a power inhibiting collar, I wouldn't recommend irritating me.

( a hand moves down, slowly, reaches into one of the pockets to pull out a protein bar, tossing it straight for peter. )

Save your strength, you'll need it for later.

[Spider-Man glowers, letting the protein bar bounce off his suit and onto the roof.]

Nice posturing. Like I said: work on the social part of the job, Captain Egomaniac.

( can't even catch a protein bar, wow. should this guy even be in a suit. )

I don't wear this to make friends, »tt«.

[He refuses your stupid protein bar.]

And why do you wear it?

[This is an important question. Really, really important. Don't fuck it up.]

( at the beginning it was to please his father. to prove he was worthy to be his son. to be his true heir. now? now it's something more. being part of something. helping others, helping his city. keeping his kingdom and the people within it safe. )

That's none of your business.

( ain't gonna tell this loser any of that though. )

[He sighs, turns away, starts hobbling off toward the edge of the building, and casually steps off it. No worries, he's swinging down onto street level without killing himself, at least! It's scary as hell, but he's still got enough energy in him to do the usual web-slinging without dying from it.

That poor, abandoned protein bar, though.]

Video. Burner Phone: Spider-Man. | hhhEEELP

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