CRAWLING ON WINDOWS

I crawled up the building; it began to rain and it would have been dark if it hadn't been for the streetlights. I could hear the people talking inside.

Maybe I should rethink my whole approach. Breaking into a police station didn’t seem like a bright idea.

But…Theo was still missing and I had to start somewhere. The other option was to get involved with the criminal underworld, but I wasn't that desperate... not yet.

"So you done with the report? Because we’re going to that new Chinese place, you coming?" I heard an older male voice speak. Almost gave me a scare because of how loud he was.

"Nah, boss...I’ll see you later." A woman replied back.

"Kima...take it easy for once...the work will wait. Come with us…That can wait."

"....I don’t know, boss. The press is tearing the Major's ass over this whole ‘Midtown High Massacre’ crap! Like we could do anything about it!"

"Shit you tell me, Rawls has been on my ass since yesterday... but I don’t know what else to say, you look like shit, Kima. Get wasted and finish that report later. We’ll......" The voice stopped talking for some reason.

I could hear footsteps approaching the window.

‘Oh shit!’

I quickly climb above the window ledge.

I couldn’t see them but I heard the sound of the window opening,

"What’s the issue, boss?"

There was a pregnant pause, and I saw a fat hand touch the rain. The guy popped his head out and looked sideways.

I wanted to swing back to the top, but he would turn around and see me, those web shooters were loud.

"Jay what are you doing?...You done lost your damn mind!"

He scanned from left to right and then looked below.

‘Shit...fuck…Don’t look up! Please don’t look up!’

"What are you doing, fatman?" The female voice came closer to the window.

I held on to my face mask just in case.

He almost turned up, but then some water hit his eye and he backed out of the window.

"What the hell were you……."

I didn’t stick around to listen to her finish as I swung my way to the top.

"Holy shit! That was too close!" I said out loud,

It's a good thing I brought my web shooter; I gave it a kiss.

The light was still on in that room, and their shadows were visible, I could even faintly make out their voices. They were murmuring something.

It was hard to filter out their voices because of the rain but with my super hearing I could make out bits and pieces.

"...Something…..window…don’t….about…it!"

*Laughing sounds*

"Finally….crazy…aren’t….yo…..it….bird….something."

Then they talked about something random for a few minutes and then finally the man asked,

"So…coming?" The man asked the female police officer.

I started crawling back to that window again so I could hear them better.

"....Beers on me.."

"Agh..shit…okay…fuck…Cheryl’s gonna be pissed but whatever fuck it I need some beer!"

"Attagirl!"

After a few seconds, I could hear his loud footsteps walking away and after some more time…The light turned off.

The window was still open.

‘Holy shit how in the world am I this lucky?’

I was crawling window by window looking for the evidence room. I was prepared to wait until midnight and snoop into the building, but I guess I don’t have to anymore.

I could just read that report when she conveniently goes out to eat.

Sometimes the world really gives you a break.

I desperately needed one and thankfully it threw me a bone.

I mentally counted to ten to calm my nerves.

I crawled near the window and quietly peered over the window. I could see a typewriter and a half written page. There was also a folder on the desk.

‘I can’t be this lucky…no way!’

I enter through the window quietly, the rainwater trickles down to the floor.

I opened the folder and quickly scanned through the report. I didn’t want to risk getting caught so my plan was to simply go through it now and recall it later at home. My perfect memory was truly my greatest advantage.

I scanned an entire page in ten seconds, and just then my senses went haywire. But before I could react-

FREEZE

‘Oh fuck!’

The lights turned on a second later.

"I told you someone was there!” A fat white man yelled out as he pointed the gun at me.

"Holy shit, I can’t believe it!" The black woman struggled to get her gun, still in disbelief.

"Put down that file, motherfucker-" she shouted.

'No way in hell am I going to prison!'

I threw the file at her gun and jumped backwards so that I could fall through the window.

BANG!

She shot at the exact same time as I jumped out.

I saw the bullet go through the file and hit me as I started freefalling down to the ground.

The rain got in my eyes as I aimed my Web shooters.

My instincts kicked in at the last second, allowing me to shoot the webs to the side of a nearby building. Thankfully the webs were super sticky so the rain didn't get in the way. I swung to the top of the police building.

I grabbed the edge of the building and made my way to the top. At the same time, I could hear the officers yell out,

"WHERE DID HE GO?"

"I don't know but he should have hit the fucking pavement! KIMA call backup now. KIMA CALL THE FUCKING BACKUP NOW!"

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I didn’t wait around until backup came. I walked near the edge, looking for the best vantage point. I needed to swing away from here as soon as possible. When---

DANGER!

I ducked by instinct, which proved to be the right course of action as I narrowly dodged a punch.

‘Who the hell!’

I turned to see if it was those cops again.

It wasn’t!

It was a woman in a black latex suit with a white fur-like thing covering her chest area. She had white hair, just like Theo's.

A face mask that barely covered her face.

I couldn’t help but speak the first thought that entered my mind,

"Cat Woman?"

"Mmm, I like that! Close but not quite."

I think I’ve seen her in some old comic I read when I was a kid. What was her name again? It started with Black something….

"Why the hell did you try to punch me?" I asked angrily.

She turned her head 45 degrees.

"For getting caught so easily... what else?"

"What!"

"You must be new to the job, so I decided to teach a fellow thief ‘the right way’!" She motioned to her right fist.

Terrible puns aside, why was she here?

"I am not a—"

I saw flashlights heading our way from the fire exit staircase. I grabbed her by the waist and leaped before they could get here.

She was surprisingly calm as we fell, not making a single noise.

We safely swung a couple of blocks away.

I could feel her tight embrace, I guess she was better at hiding than most but she must have been terrified inside.

We landed gently on the top of a skyscraper.

"WHOOO! You sure know how to take a girl on a ride."

"Who are you?" I asked her before she could change the topic.

"And those things around your hands...cool gadgets! Where do they sell them?"

"Lady I won’t ask again…Who are you?"

"Well well aren’t you a forward young man...I mean literally. You sound real young!"

I looked at her quietly for some time.

She didn’t say anything back.

"This is a waste of time." I walked back to the end of the ledge..

She started speaking then.

"I don’t usually do this! The name’s-"

“I don’t have time for this!”

I swung away, not waiting for her to finish, I frankly didn’t care who she was. A thief or superhero, it didn’t matter...saving Theo and the rest of Humanity was my first priority.

I closed my eyes in between swings and focused on remembering the little I read in that report.

There was something about some witnesses talking about a man who shot fire through his eyes. It was ruled out as the witness hallucinating from stress or some kind of trauma.

Other than that nothing stood out.

‘Wait a minute….’

The last thing I saw before passing out were lasers from the ground shooting into the sky.

A man who shot fire through his eyes.

That sounded a lot like…. Cyclops from the X-Men.

I landed on a water tank.

"Holy shit! The X-Men were there….that means they know!"

"Get away from here, you freak!" An old woman walked up to me with a cane.

"Sorry ma’am."

I swung away quickly before she could come closer.

The next part of my plan became very clear…I have to find a way to contact...the X-Men.

‘What if they ask questions?’

It didn’t matter if they did…I’ll tell them the truth. All of it, if I have to! If that was the price of saving humanity, which included May and Ben, then it was a tiny price to pay.

‘That settles it! I’m getting in touch with Charles Xavier! But how do I do that?’

I stopped in a dark alleyway and started walking towards the road.

‘Oh shit didn’t that police lady shoot me!’

I completely forgot about that while getting away. Checking the spot where I was shot, I found that I was completely unharmed.

Not even a bruise!

'Damn! Am I invulnerable?'

The bullet was buried within the jacket.

The jacket completely stopped the bullet.

The bullet only crinkled the jacket, and that too, just barely.

It was still stuck…like a mole that dug deep into the leather. I removed the bullet and checked my skin once again just to make sure.

‘Not even a pink spot! Holy shit...what is with this jacket!’

The hole in the leather straightened out just as I removed it.

‘Dude!’

Just what kind of technology is that, jackets just don’t stop bullets like that. I mean at least not without tearing it first. It's almost like a Kevlar vest, but it doesn't feel like it's made of Kevlar.

What kind of a life did Adrian Toomes lead?

I held the bullet for a second, it had some heat left in its base. I crushed the bullet with my fingers and tossed it into the storm drain.

I kept walking for some time but then it started to rain heavily, and I found refuge inside a small café.

I didn’t know if they were open or if they even let me in, I was drenched because of the rain.

I threw the mask away inside the dustbin, removed the jacket, and held it with my right hand. The water didn’t get through the jacket, so my torso remained dry; the same couldn’t be said for my legs.

The place looked deserted.

The waitress greeted me, "Welcome to Lizzy's."

"Lizzy, not another customer. We’re closing now. Jeez, he looks like a wet dog, tell him to go away!"

"Mel shut up...Sorry ignore her!"

"No that’s okay I’ll leave-"

"Shut up and sit down…you look like you need a coffee." The other woman Mel, who wanted me out, told me.

"Yeah...Please! Sorry about her, she means well."

I walked to a nearby plastic chair and sat down.

"That’s for the people waiting in line!"

"It’ll do...besides… it’s like you said, I’m drenched. Can’t get your furniture wet!"

The one in the back looked me over from top to bottom and said, "Suit yourself."

I sat down and heard something jiggle. It was something in the jacket, I shook it once, and there it was again.

‘Oh No!’

I hastily opened the pocket and my worst fears proved to be true. The USB was shattered in two, the bullet must have destroyed it.

‘Shit! What am I going to say to Valeria now? Stupid! Stupid! That was her father’s!’

"Oh what’s that!” The lady who greeted me brought over a cup.

"My...uh...USB. Guess it broke."

"Oh that sucks! Oh here you go!"

I put the USB inside the jacket.

"Thanks!"

Thankfully, the jacket was waterproof, and the memory chip wasn’t too damaged. So maybe I could repair it after this whole saving humanity business. It could contain some important things for Valeria, like pictures of her dad or something. I had to make an honest effort to fix it since I was the one who broke it.

Just as I was about to sip the hot beverage, I heard a man’s voice speak,

"I didn’t know you took it that seriously!"

I turned to see who it was and was completely surprised to find Moe standing right before me. I almost dropped my cup when I recognized him.

‘How the hell did he sneak up on me?’

He had a brown raincoat and an umbrella by his side.

"I mean, I didn’t know you would replace me that fast!" He said with a cheery smile.

"Uh...Moe?… How did you find me?"

"I have my means kid. Geez you take things so seriously! I mean I understand why you were pissed but you didn’t even let me finish drinking my coffee before you left. You just ran away... You're also being unfaithful to my café."

I looked at my cup, which had the store's logo printed on it.

"So how goes the search?"

I sighed.

"Not good…I just know that the X-Men are somehow involved in all of this…you do know who they are right?"

"Uh-huh"

"I…I think I saw Cyclops’s lasers before passing out, so they were probably there. I have to find a way to get in contact with Professor X. He’s the best shot at saving Theo!" I say meekly.

Moe silently took it all in, he didn’t say a word until I explained further.

"I snuck into the police station, almost got caught…I couldn’t say it was worth it."

Time is running out and I have to make a play.

"Gee if only you knew someone who knew Charles Xavier……" Moe said as he sat beside me. I turned my head slowly, shocked and surprised.

‘Wait a second-’

"That’s right kid. I said I wouldn’t directly involve myself in superhero business, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t help a friend! You left before I could even tell you! I figured you needed some time to cool off. Guess I should have reached out sooner, didn't know you were going to sneak into a po-"

"YOU……." I started out angrily but then composed myself.

"...I’m sorry, Moe. You’re right! I need your help, please introduce me to Professor Xavier. I’m sorry about the way I reacted. I was too harsh…forgive me!"

He waved my apologies off, saying,

"No big deal. It’s your first time having your loved ones kidnapped. I understand how that felt, you were a little bit angry and irritated. I don't blame you, I would have reacted the same way."

Lizzy came up to us and said, "Oh another customer, today must be our lucky day!"

‘Wow they must be really struggling!’

Moe smiled and said, "That it is. I’ll have some black coffee if you have any left."

"Ugh, another one." I could hear the sheer contempt Mel had for us.

"Mel! He’s a customer, we have to treat him right, and this is why we don’t get any business these days."

"Yeah whatever.." Mel was indifferent as she went back to make us a fresh batch of coffee.

"Sorry about that… My sister means well. I’ll bring you some cookies as an apology!" saying that Lizzy went inside the kitchen.

Moe still had a giant smile on his face.

"You know Pete.. It’s the little things in life that matter the most…more than any of the milestones or achievements. It’s the journey that's important."

"Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made on the way,” I added with sarcasm.

"Yes exactly!" Moe got up all excited, not realizing that I was making fun of him.

I shifted the topic back to something more relevant,

"So, when do we meet with the X-Men? I’d like to hurry as soon as possible!"

"Haven’t you been paying attention to what….*Sigh*...Fine! How about the first thing tomorrow?"

I thought for a brief second and then confirmed with a nod.

I was tempted to rush there right now, but I decided against it. I had to trust Moe and let him lead the way.

If he knew Prof. X, then that would be the fastest way. If I simply showed up at his mansion randomly, I wouldn't be taken seriously.

Lizzy brought us some stale cookies and half burnt cookies.

"Mmm delicious!" I heard Moe say,

'It really isn't. I could cook a better batch with a blindfold on, but whatever.'

"Oh thank you so much mister." Lizzy said while performing a small bow.

Moe introduced himself and started a conversation with Lizzy.

I heard them talk passionately about their love of coffee and freshly baked bread for about half an hour. I was getting restless as the conversation went on.

‘Is this really okay? Sitting here and doing nothing. Shouldn't I be trying harder?’

The entire world’s fate rested on my shoulders, and here I was listening to an old man talk about brewing coffee.

"Pete here is a big tea guy, aren’t you?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts when he said my name.

"Tea? Yuck…" Mel said from behind the kitchen, and they all laughed loudly.

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