Summary:Peter showcases the new Spider-Suit to his girlfriend, Helena. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Peter took a deep breath and picked up the phone. He was unsure, but he was always going to be unsure. He took a deep breath, and sent a text.
"Helena? Hey. Sorry I wasn't very social at the Wakanda thing. How are you doing?"
"Sorry? You were working! I was just happy to see a friendly, familiar face. I'm good though. Touching up my resume because I got to meet REED RICHARDS at the party." Helena adds a slew of emojis after that to highlight her excitement.
Peter smiled slightly. Reed Richards. Another genius, well-known, a giant in his field.
"Wow. Amazing. Are you doing anything right now? I just finished a project at the Basement Lab."
Helena makes sure to hit save on her resume, sending it to the printer, before she responds to the text. "I'm always happy to come to the lab. :) Need me to pick anything up on the way?"
"Aunt May has brownies and milk. I'll grab them before you get here." A pause, then another text. "Come in quietly. Something for the Side Job."
"Sneak in the window, copy. ;)" As usual, it doesn't take long for Helena to get there. And when it comes to coming in quietly, she's…well, she's shockingly good at it. She's creeping down the steps in no time, peeking around the floor as she gets in. "Knock knock," she calls in softly, smile quirking.
Peter is standing by the drafting table, which is covered in papers, as usual. The sign above the table reads A CLEAN DESK IS A SURE SIGN OF A SICK MIND. There is a large box on the lighted table, a metal box with a lock on it.
Peter looked over to Helena and smiled, walking over to her. "Hey, Helena. Uhm…you look great. You looked even better a few nights ago, but you look great now."
Helena laughs, coming over to drop a kiss on his cheek as she looks to the box. "It was a pretty amazing dress," she deflects. "A McCabe original. I'm going to have to find another excuse to wear it, that dress was way too amazing to only wear once. Maybe for- Oh!" She grins, turning to lean against the table as she flashes a grin back at him. "Guess what? Mom finally said yes! She and Dad are going to finally get married!"
Peter smiles. "Well…if they love each other, that's the primary thing. All the rest is details." His smile turned wistful. "If they have the same kind of thing that Aunt may and Uncle Ben had, then they'll be dancing at their 50th wedding anniversary." He moved around Helena to the box, then slides out a large plate covered in thick, fudgy brownies and then produces two glasses of milk. He puts one on the table near Helena, then looks sheepish. "This seems so corny. Brownies and milk…"
"They've waited so long to get married, they'll be lucky if they're around for their fiftieth anniversary," Helena says, wry. "But I'm pretty sure they're stuck with each other already." When the brownies and milk come out, she doesn't hesitate to reach for one, quirking a brow at his comment. "Hey, I am never going to make fun of you for feeding me," she laughs, taking a bite. "Especially when it's this good," she adds around a mouthful.
Peter chuckles. "Hershey's Cocoa. She sweetens it herself." He takes out a key, unlocking the hasp and putting it on the table. "Okay…this is why I haven't called or texted for a couple of weeks. I'm sorry, Helena…I tend to get tunnel vision sometimes."
He takes a deep breath, then lifts the lid.
The suit inside, at first glance, looks just like the suit he wears all the time. But this is definitely different. For one thing, the fabric is smooth, and seems to gleam in the dim light from the table.
"Helena Wayne…the Spider-Suit, Mark Two."
"Peter Parker, if you apologize to me one more time, I'm going to start hitting you every time you do it," Helena rolls her eyes with a fond smile. "I'm a big girl. I don't need your attention one hundred percent of the time to believe that you actually care. And also…" She whistles low, setting down her brownie and wiping her hand off on her jeans as she comes over to get a closer look. "Can I touch it?" she asks, looking over as a grin grows.
Peter nods. "You can even pick it up, if you want. The outer layer is a Kevlar-cloth hybrid, woven together. Not bulletproof, but resistant to damage. Besides, if I need to be bulletproof, then I'm already at a disadvantage, because I can't sense the bullet coming my way."
Helan reaches out to get a feel for the fabric, but then she's lifting it enough to check the stitching, then to look at the inside and check for wiring and other tech built in. She's checking the joints for weak points, for flexibility. It's every bit as serious as a skydiver checking their parachute between jumps. "Sure. But you want to at least be good with shrapnel where there's too much coming for you to dodge, and this should help with it."
The inner layer is wool, warm and soft to the touch. The joints have softer joints, with no hard joints. It's also a little thick, and she can feel something under the weave.
Peter points to one line in the outfit, then says, "The suit is made up of modular parts. If one part of the suit gets damaged, I can replace that part instead of the entire outfit."
"Which is very economical of you," Helena agrees, nodding as she looks over the pieces. "Did you get the smart system built in?" she asks, looking over with a quirk of her brow when she feels the material between the layers.
Peter nods. "I'm finalizing the coding now. I should have it finished by tomorrow. I have it compiling on the main lab computer." He pointed to a squat mainframe computer at the main desk. "In two days, I should be able to load it into the suit, do basic and extended tests. The entire suit's a computer, but the webshooters can act independently if the suit is down."
"Smart choice." Helena nods once, then carefully folds the suit back into its case, looking it over with a broad grin that sparkles in her eyes. "I'm really proud of you, Pete," she says, reaching over to slip an arm around his waist. "This is some amazing work."
Peter blushes slightly. "Yeah, well…listen, Helena, can I be brutally frank with you?" He thinks for a moment as he looks at the suit, then says, "Well…again?"
Helena quirks a brow, moving back toward the table to lean back against it and look at him straight on. "As long as you're not going to apologize for yourself or…I'm not sure what's going to top I'm Spider-Man, so sure," she answers, a faint smile quirking. "What's up?"
Peter takes a deep breath. "I'm a…HORRIBLY flawed person. It seems I can't stop running into people that are smarter than me. Being envious of their success. One day after I meet someone my age who has already gotten their degree, they get a job working for Stark. And Dr. Richards? Smartest guy in the world, I'll bet. I used to think I was…something rare, and then as soon as I graduate college, I find out I'm no longer rare at all. So I get all torqued up about stacking up against greater minds. And I don't have ambition. I'm not Stark, or Richards. You're never going to see me as the CEO of any company that starts with my last name."
Helena listens, but as he continues, that brow arches higher, and she struggles to hold back a smile. "So…basically you're a teenage boy?" She leans forward enough to reach for his hands, pulling him forward. "Peter. I say this out of experience. You are amazing because of you, not because of how you compare to anyone else. And ambition is overrated. There are giant companies and CEOs everywhere, and again, from experience, a lot of them are jerks. So you don't want to be rich and run a huge company. Trust me, I get it. But you also take everything you have and use it either to help your aunt, or complete strangers, even if it means you could get hurt. I'm pretty sure you're still in the positive balance there, Pete."
Peter nods, looking into Helena's face. "I…chose a gold heist over saying hello to you at the embassy. And…I'm going to probably do it again. Why else do you think I botched my relationship with MJ?"
"Why do you think I'm still here?" Helena counters, smie easy. "Peter, you can say hi to me any time. I'll be here. But the people who were being robbed? Who'd be put in danger because of that robbery? They need you then. Not in an hour, not when they get a chance. If we get to a point where you think something a minor as saying hi to me is more important than people's lives, then it's time for us to reevaluate all of this."
"Well…it doesn't SEEM minor to me." Peter sighed. "I'm trying not to repeat the mistakes of the past." He looked to the suit, then says, "Would it be unreasonable to ask if you might want to help with the initial tests?"
"Peter, I promise. I don't need or even want to be the center of your universe," Helena says, giving his hands a squeeze. "I'm thrilled to be a part of yours. To help you how I can. To see you do the amazing things you do. To see you succeeed. Even if you hadn't had a gold heist to stop, I'd have been totally okay with you not having time for me at the party because you were working. Which, by the way, you do so that you can stay independent and help your elderly and wonderful aunt, so it's pretty hard to get worked up about that too." At his question, her smile spreads to a grin once more. "I would love to help with the initial tests."
Peter smiles, almost in relief. "Hey…listen. I seem to be inviting you to field tests and meet you at places where we can't get together. How would you like to go out to see a movie sometime, or out to dinner? Preferably on a night when no crooks have anything planned…?"
"I would like that, yeah," Helena nods, releasing his hands to get back and get the rest of her brownie. "Maybe we can do something fun. Liek go to the top of the Empire State Building or something. Go paddleboat in Central Park. Act like tourists. Day time in the park might even be safe from interruptions," she teases. "Stuck on the lake, nowhere to swing off to."
Peter blinks. For a moment, his responsibility sense twinges unpleasantly. "Well…all right. I think the city could do without me for a few hours. Maybe a boat on the lake might be relaxing. Especially if I can bring lunch?"
"If your spider sense goes off, we will row directly to shore," Helena promises, setting a hand over her hear. "I promise." She nods at the suggestion of lunch, finishing off her brownie. "Sounds like a plan to me."
Peter chuckles, then looks over to the computer as it beeps. "Hey, it compiled a lot faster than the last time. Want to take a look at how the interface works?"
"Of course!" Helena grins broadly. "Show me the good stuff, Parker," she teases, pulling up a stool to perch and watch the display.
Peter walks over to the computer, his hand finding hers to draw her along. The lab is wide, but they reach the computer in only a few seconds.
Peter taps a few keys, then waits as the screen to come up. After a moment, a title comes up reading V/R ENVIRONMENT.
Then the voice. "Hello, Peter. Advanced Logistics Instrument Computer Envoy is online." A pause, then, "Who is your companion?"
Peter looks to her. "Well? Introduce yourself."
The voice is plainly female. Quiet, with a trace of huskiness.
Helena's smile twitches at the voice from the computer, a teasing look briefly cast at Peter. "Helena Wayne," she introduces herself, then tilts her head, grin spreading. "Nice to meet you, ALICE." Might as well test the system, right?
A pause. "Helena Wayne. Staten Island. Age…"
Peter says quickly, "THAT…will be just fine." He smiles apologetically to Helena. "Run a threat assessment on the Vulture?"
"Vulture. Toombs. Currently incarcerated at Riker's Island. Flying Suit, currently impounded by SHIELD." A pause. "Hello, Helena. You sound very…nice."
Peter says, "Good word usage. I'm trying to humanize her a little. She sounded a little like a Dalek in the first version."
Both brows go up as she computer starts to list information. "Oh no, I'd like to hear the full file she has on me," Helena chuckles, smile broad. "I'm sure it's interesting. Where's she drawing information from?" she asks, curious.
Peter chuckles. "Public information. Court records, The Internet. I'm working on simple requests with quantifiable results instead of anything involving personal views. She's not a true A.I.-"
"Why, Peter…I'm hurt." She actually sounds a little petulant.
"…Maybe a little TOO connected to the Internet. Her heuristic analyticals were developed by a lab in Oregon. I know a guy up there who could help."
"Probably safest to keep it that way," Helena agrees with a nod. "Public records is pretty broad. Do you have it running in the background on probable subjects to help with the load when you're in the field? You know, recently released felons, that sort of thing. So you're not wasting time with it running through search algorithms while you're getting your face pounded in."
Peter nods. "I wanted to finalize functionality before setting it loose on the Internet for data-mining. Building its own quick-access database, saving it offline at periodic intervals, even maintaining it if unable to connect to the citywide cell network, through the Spider-Comm system."
"Nice." Helena looks from the computer to the suit. "And you've got what kind of a link to it? Are you going to be stuck if someone sets up a cell jammer?" She worries!
Peter reaches into the box and pulls out the webshooters. These are a different model. Slimmer, more streamlined, more intricate. "The new shooters. Can do highly-advanced web configurations when connected to Alice, but can still revert to basic operation. The trick is trying to keep people from realizing I'm wearing a computer."
"Definitely," Helena agrees with a nod. "The lower profile will definitely help. No one's going to look and say hey, what's that thing on his wrist? And how many configurations did you have it up to? Forty-three? How quickly can you select them?"
Peter smiled wryly as he put the webshooters on. "ALICE, High Impact."
A beep, and a blue light appears. HIGH IMPACT appears on the screen, upper-right corner.
Peter turns and shoots a glob of webbing at the couch at the far end in the entertainment area. It suddenly JUMPS as it is shoved back against the wall roughly.
"Dang," Helena laughs, jumping when the web hits with that much impact. "Yeah, that'll slow people down. I'd try to keep the verbal commands low though, if you don't want people thinking you're working with a computer. No offense, ALICE," she adds to the machine.
ALICE says, a little primly, "The Spider-Comm system also reacts to sub-vocalized speech. So Peter can talk to me all day and no one nearby could hear a thing."
Peter looks to the screen, then back to Helena. "She's…right, actually."
"Oh, good." Helena…doesn't sound upset. In fact, she mostly seems glad that any potential problems have already been dealt with. And hey, she doesn't seem to be particularly threatened by a computer system. Then again, there's not much that she really seems threatened by, so why should this be any different? "I love it, Pete. I can't wait to see the first of the picture hit the Bugle."
Peter nods. "I'll be sure to send you the initial pictures." He looks to the screen. "Thank you, ALICE."
"You are welcome."
Peter smiles. "I'm trying to teach her proper etiquette."
"Etiquette will be greatly appreciated when our robot overlords take over," Helena agrees solemnly, laughing as she reahces over to cathc him in a hug. "It's so great, Oeter," she says warmly. "I knew you could do it. Seriously, I'm really proud of you."
With that said, she lets out a contented breath, heading over to a stool. "So. Let's get these tests rolling."