IC Contact

[shutterbugged]

OPTION A:
“Peter Parker’s voicemail. Speak ‘friend’ and, uh … speak.”

OPTION B:
“If you think you’ve reached Quickies, well, I hate to break it to you, buddy, but you’ve got the wrong number. If on the other hand you’re looking for your friendly neighborhood webhead, feel free to leave a message.”

 

 

[ call. voice. text. pics. video. ]

Comments

[shutterbugged]

Hey Magoo. What can I do you for?

[notdaredevil]

Do you know Renee Montoya?

[shutterbugged]

Detective Montoya? Only in passing, but she seems like good people.

...Did something happen?

[notdaredevil]

Kate Kane called me. She says Renee's disappeared. It's likely that she's been Ported out, but I don't know her that well, unfortunately. I get the feeling she was avoiding me, so she wouldn't have to answer any questions. Anyway, I promised Kate I'd ask around, and I thought you'd know better than what she might have been up to.

And what she wasn't telling me.

[shutterbugged]

When I say in passing, I really do mean in passing, sorry. We never even had a team-up. [This is Peter's metric for casual acquaintances.] I'm not sure I know this Kate person either.

Is this the kind of situation where we hope she comes back, or that she doesn't so she's better off at home?

[notdaredevil]

No, it's my bad. I forget that we don't know practically everybody anymore. [Not even for team-ups. All these mystery heroes and no connection at all. It's been a long time since that happened.]

I don't know, I never knew that much about her. Just that we were acquainted. And she knew my current problem child, had some kind of nasty experiences with him, but couldn't give me adequate warning in time. I'm thinking better off not here.

[shutterbugged]

I do recognize a lot of faces here from back in the City, but some of them are still just faces.

Urgh, personal experiences with Harvey Dent? Probably, unless she's stuck with him back home, too.

[notdaredevil]

He says he's turning his life around. [And Matt's not sure what to think about with that.] But I imagine he's not out and running around back home.

[shutterbugged]

Who knows? Maybe he has a better chance of making it than... pretty much everyone I've ever traded punches with. But for Renee's sake I hope you're right. At least for now.

[notdaredevil]

I hope so. [He sighs, on the end of the other line.] Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing something, and it's right there under your nose, if only you somehow knew what you should even start looking for?

[shutterbugged]

Oh yeah, that happens to me once in a while. You know, every day of my life.

[notdaredevil]

I'm missing months of a life everybody but me remembers. And nobody wants to talk about it, except in bits and pieces. What are they so afraid to tell me?

[shutterbugged]

I could say the same back at you, you know. Everyone from "my" future back home is either dropping weird hints or very pointedly not dropping any hints.

Look, try not to read too much into it. A lot of us long-timers have learned that people get a little freaked when you tell them they were here before and just don't remember. I've been on that side of things too -- almost the first thing that happened to me when I arrived in the City was a total stranger telling me she knew my secret identity.

[notdaredevil]

...do you really want to know what happens in your future?

[The can side-step the fact that Peter probably doesn't have a psychotic unknown stalker obsessed with his every move entangled in a web of former and current associates, including the newfound romantic dilemma. For the moment. They're definitely coming back to it.]

[shutterbugged]

[Sigh.]

I'm not sure I do. I'll let you know when I'm ready to hear it.

[At least Matt hasn't been stranded in two different alternate universes with Norman Osborn.]

I really do wish I could tell you more about Harvey, but we mostly kept our stuff separate, even with Osborn and Bullseye -- um, yeah, Bullseye was there for a while.

[notdaredevil]

[Matt's first thought is did I kill him here too. He knows that something...something from those days has bled into that universe, but the extent of it remains elusive. What he really did.]

Of course he was. It's Bullseye. Even reduced to living in a box on life support, he still tried to come after me.

[And...but he doesn't really want to talk about it.

But they'll have to, one day.]

Did I do something I would regret?

[shutterbugged]

Well, you're Catholic, so probably.

[notdaredevil]

...ok, I'll admit I walked right into that.

[notdaredevil]

But seriously, Webhead. I know I wasn't at my best.

[shutterbugged]

Hey, someone has to keep you humble. Since I enjoy it so much it may as well be me.

If by "not at your best" you mean your ninja kingpin phase, I missed most of that. You weren't that bad -- honest. I think May and Reilly got you to lighten up a little. A teeny, tiny bit.

[notdaredevil]

You're so helpful.

[THERE IS A LONG. LONG. PAUSE. HERE. WHILE HE THINKS ABOUT THAT, THOUGH. People who could get him to lighten up. There's a short list of criteria. Do those names sound familiar? If they do, he's forgotten who they are, already. There's been a lot of information to take in, and he's only human.

It's mostly the fault of his drama with Lil that he draws the conclusion he does.]

By all accounts but yours I was terrible. You don't need to sugarcoat it for me. And I am really afraid to ask you who May and Reilly are, because if you told me I have forgotten. I am sincerely worried that you will tell me those are women I dated who I should expect to run into at any time, and I am having enough trouble in that area as it is right now.

[shutterbugged]

... All right, first of all, ew. Second of all, seriously, ego much? Third of all, ewwwww, and May wouldn't go for you anyway because she has better taste than that, which she inherited from me.

[Beat.] As for my nephew Reilly, you basically trained him from beyond the grave, so let's not even go there.

[notdaredevil]

[Wow did he just make that awkward or what.]

I'm sorry, I'm stuck on something here. You're going to have a kid?

[Somebody is going to have kids with Spider-Man?]

A daughter?

[shutterbugged]

Yeah, now I see what you're saying about "not at your best."

[Why are you incredulous Peter would be a great catch!!!!]

A daughter, yes, and a nephew. At least we know your hearing still works.

[Beat.] That other me had a son, too. Apparently in that universe me and MJ actually managed to do the marriage, white picket fence and 2.5 kids thing, minus the dog.

[He almost manages not to sound jealous of alternate future him. Almost.]

[notdaredevil]

Don't push your luck, Pete. I know your dirty laundry too.

[Because he's known Peter for years?? But hey, stranger things have happened. He's a good guy]

You still have plenty of time to pull off a stunt like that, if that's what you want.