11-01-2004, 06:18 PM
He gazed over the concrete jungle that lay before him, soaring to the night sky above. The cities lights outshone that of the stars and the full moon, but that did not take away from serenity of the view. The black canvas was spotted with thin patches of cloud that gently rolled infront of the looming sphere that hung over the city. He could not recall a time when the stars where in such abundance, or perhaps it was that he had seen them for so long, that he forgot the sheer numbers they bore. Either way was irrelevant. What mattered was the feeling of calm, of peace, that the scene emitted, as if the landscape was saturated in that very feeling, letting it seep into his soul. And for a moment, all the troubles of the world were forgotten, and he was lost in that feeling. But the moment did not last long. He knew that such a feeling betrayed the true nature of the place he called home. He had learned first had that appearances can often be decieving, and that saying it was truest here. The gentle breeze brushed against his exposed face. His hair surrender to its current, flowing across his face, slightly obscuring his view, but he didn't mind. He was done looking at home. Now, he had to look for his friends.
The costumed vigilante tucked his mask securely into his belt and lept off the roof he had been perched on, letting gravity take over. The streets below rushed up to meet him, moving faster by the second. Yet, before it could claim him his right hand shot out and sprayed a thin line of silk. In one fluid and graceful motion his decent came to a halt and he was being launched back up into the sky. He released the webline in his grasp as he flew through the jungle that was New York. Again he fired a webline, shifting his weight onto it as it fastened to the finely polished exterior of the nearby building, increasing his speed and continuing his progress. It was a rotine that he could do blindfolded, and in a way he was. As his body worked on getting him to his destination, his mind was elsewhere, pondering what he had thought earlier.
"Friends? I called them...friends?"
His brows moved closer together as his once calm expression hardened.
"I haven't seen them in so long. Heck, I thought they were dead. I wonder how long I've been gone. Wonder if they're okay."
He paused for a moment as altered his course, shifting east and moving away from the city's heart.
"Have I taken them for granted? Have I not treated them with the respect they deserve? I always shut myself off from them, put up walls and barriers to keep them distant. I pushed them away to keep me safe, but at the same time, was I hurting them? Was I endanger of pushing them away for good?"
The towering structures had started to loose their height, falling slightly short than its predicesors that he had been swinging through earlier.
"Maybe I should be more open to them, take the walls down, let them in...especially Felicia."
His thoughts were replaced with the image of the feline. He pictured her blue eyes catching the shimmer of the stars, thinking of her silver hair glistening in the moon's rays, being caught in the wind's gentle breeze. He had missed her most of all. She had tried the hardest of them all to reach him, and in return, he had probably hurt her the most. He would have to change that.
His thoughts were replaced with a feeling of shame. A part of him felt like he was betraying the memory of Natasha with such thoughts. He had loved her with all his heart, more than anyone he had ever met. He meant everything to him. Did such thoughts make his love for her less? Did such thoughts betray his feelings for her, and the love they once shared?
He shook his head in an effort to clear it. He would deal with that later. Right now he needed to find the others. It seemed like an enternity when in reality it had probably only been a few minutes, but he had finally arrived. He landed next to the sewer cover, relying on his spider sense to let him know if he was being watched. In an instant it was opened and he was inside, crawling along the sewer walls. After what seemed like an endless series of twists and turns he finally arrived. Before lay a decrepit brick wall that looked as though in need only the slightest touch to make it crumble. He moved his hand across it, brick by brick, finally coming to rest on one of the clay rectangles. He pushed in on the brick and instantly the noises began. Clangings and whirrings were heard as the bricks began to part, revealing a thick metal door behind it. He walked up to it and looked down. In place of where the handle would be lay a control pannel. He typed in the series of numbers and, like the bricks, the door began to open.
But something was wrong. Where he had expected to hear sounds of talking and movement was silence. Where he had expected to see masses of people there was nothing. His heart began to quicken and he quickly moved to survey the base. Its walls were tattered, its furniture was broken, shattered. Gaping holes occupied the space that had once been where several doors and walls stood. A few more seconds of search showed him that the computers in the control room were either missing or destroyed beyond repair. His minutes a frantic search gave fruit to a conclusion that he did not want. They weren't here.
In a flash the hero was out of the base, rushing back to the surface. They were gone. He had to find them. They had to be alive. They had to be. In half the time he had originally taken he back at the sewage entrance he had used minutes before. The arachnid darted up the ladder, landing in a crouched position outside. He couldn't remember which came first, his spider sense or the sound of something big coming at him, but it didn't matter. Before he could gather himself he felt weight of something large smash into his side, sending him flying into a parked car that resided on the side of the street. Pain pulsed through him, his side was on fire. A blinding light moved onto him, obscuring his view from what had hit him. It was easily the height of several stories. No, not it they. His eyes widened as he slowly realized what had attacked him, and what now stood before him. Sentinels.
"X-gene detected. Mutant target identified. Proceeding with objective: Termination."
The costumed vigilante tucked his mask securely into his belt and lept off the roof he had been perched on, letting gravity take over. The streets below rushed up to meet him, moving faster by the second. Yet, before it could claim him his right hand shot out and sprayed a thin line of silk. In one fluid and graceful motion his decent came to a halt and he was being launched back up into the sky. He released the webline in his grasp as he flew through the jungle that was New York. Again he fired a webline, shifting his weight onto it as it fastened to the finely polished exterior of the nearby building, increasing his speed and continuing his progress. It was a rotine that he could do blindfolded, and in a way he was. As his body worked on getting him to his destination, his mind was elsewhere, pondering what he had thought earlier.
"Friends? I called them...friends?"
His brows moved closer together as his once calm expression hardened.
"I haven't seen them in so long. Heck, I thought they were dead. I wonder how long I've been gone. Wonder if they're okay."
He paused for a moment as altered his course, shifting east and moving away from the city's heart.
"Have I taken them for granted? Have I not treated them with the respect they deserve? I always shut myself off from them, put up walls and barriers to keep them distant. I pushed them away to keep me safe, but at the same time, was I hurting them? Was I endanger of pushing them away for good?"
The towering structures had started to loose their height, falling slightly short than its predicesors that he had been swinging through earlier.
"Maybe I should be more open to them, take the walls down, let them in...especially Felicia."
His thoughts were replaced with the image of the feline. He pictured her blue eyes catching the shimmer of the stars, thinking of her silver hair glistening in the moon's rays, being caught in the wind's gentle breeze. He had missed her most of all. She had tried the hardest of them all to reach him, and in return, he had probably hurt her the most. He would have to change that.
His thoughts were replaced with a feeling of shame. A part of him felt like he was betraying the memory of Natasha with such thoughts. He had loved her with all his heart, more than anyone he had ever met. He meant everything to him. Did such thoughts make his love for her less? Did such thoughts betray his feelings for her, and the love they once shared?
He shook his head in an effort to clear it. He would deal with that later. Right now he needed to find the others. It seemed like an enternity when in reality it had probably only been a few minutes, but he had finally arrived. He landed next to the sewer cover, relying on his spider sense to let him know if he was being watched. In an instant it was opened and he was inside, crawling along the sewer walls. After what seemed like an endless series of twists and turns he finally arrived. Before lay a decrepit brick wall that looked as though in need only the slightest touch to make it crumble. He moved his hand across it, brick by brick, finally coming to rest on one of the clay rectangles. He pushed in on the brick and instantly the noises began. Clangings and whirrings were heard as the bricks began to part, revealing a thick metal door behind it. He walked up to it and looked down. In place of where the handle would be lay a control pannel. He typed in the series of numbers and, like the bricks, the door began to open.
But something was wrong. Where he had expected to hear sounds of talking and movement was silence. Where he had expected to see masses of people there was nothing. His heart began to quicken and he quickly moved to survey the base. Its walls were tattered, its furniture was broken, shattered. Gaping holes occupied the space that had once been where several doors and walls stood. A few more seconds of search showed him that the computers in the control room were either missing or destroyed beyond repair. His minutes a frantic search gave fruit to a conclusion that he did not want. They weren't here.
In a flash the hero was out of the base, rushing back to the surface. They were gone. He had to find them. They had to be alive. They had to be. In half the time he had originally taken he back at the sewage entrance he had used minutes before. The arachnid darted up the ladder, landing in a crouched position outside. He couldn't remember which came first, his spider sense or the sound of something big coming at him, but it didn't matter. Before he could gather himself he felt weight of something large smash into his side, sending him flying into a parked car that resided on the side of the street. Pain pulsed through him, his side was on fire. A blinding light moved onto him, obscuring his view from what had hit him. It was easily the height of several stories. No, not it they. His eyes widened as he slowly realized what had attacked him, and what now stood before him. Sentinels.
"X-gene detected. Mutant target identified. Proceeding with objective: Termination."