HELL'S KITCHEN, NEW YORK
LAST NIGHT–West 34th Street and 11th Avenue, New York - Hell’s Kitchen - 8:11pm
Covered in sweat and stink, a tall, lanky red headed man glances at his watch.
8:12pm
Imbued with anxious energy, the red headed man hurries inside the metal door he kept open with his foot and runs up the concrete stairs until he reaches the 5th level of an Outdoor/Indoor Public Parking Lot.
Out of breath, he reaches the rooftop floor but doesn't emerge out the stairwell. He had to compose himself.
The Red Head man licks his hand and runs it through his fiery curly red hair. Looking around nervously, he zips up his black hoodie, wipes the sweat from his pasty white forehead and pulls his hood over his curly red hair. He was ready now. Taking a deep breath he yanks the rusty metal door open that screams, exiting out to an immense empty parking lot.
He walks swiftly and with purpose past the large open gaps of the partial outdoor parking lot that overlook the West Side Highway and the River Burning orange sunlight casts inside the parking structure, but he keeps his hood stretched over his face, his chin only visible.
His green eyes glance at the view of the river some five stories below while a humid breeze flows through the elevated parking lot, but all was clear. He was alone. Well not entirely.
The red-headed man's eyes look straight ahead to a luxurious glossy black Bentley roaring around a corner and coming to a stop in the middle of the white lines indicating where to park. The car hummed like a low growl from a beast. Then its blue headlights cut off and its engine goes silent.
Looking around nervously, the red headed man nibbles on his crusty lip and quickly skips to the black Bentley as a flickering fluorescent light illuminates over it. He approaches the car, looking around nervously as if someone was to jump out the shadows. The redhead stops at the sight of the front passenger door swinging open.
His eyes open wide, he gaps at the set of smooth tanned legs with gold high heel shoes emerge from the car and rest on the pavement. Watching with perverted glee, the man’s green eyes watch the short and slim oriental woman with shiny waist long black hair emerge from the luxury car. She smooths out her silky gold blouse and then and looks to him. She was clearly unimpressed, her scowl said so. She looks at the Red Head ‘up and down’, her dismissive glance made more obvious by her accentuated curled eyelashes.
Looking to his face once more with a sigh, she extends a black suitcase with both hands.
“Helllooo legs? Seems like you came with a package deal.” the red headed man says. His crooked smile as yellow as the sunset, “You uh…here to give me a happy ending?”
The Chinese women's sharp grey eyes narrow before she swiftly pulls out a small silver pistol from her back and aims it squarely at the center of his eyes. .
“Say it…” she says, lowering the gun at his crotch, “…again?”
The man narrows his green eyes at her and smirks, “Gotta lil fight in you, I like that!” he grins, motioning to her as she cocks her weapon, ready to fire.
“That’s enough Cletus.”
The red-headed man named Cletus, directs his attention to the voice coming from the car.
The rear black tinted window slowly rolls down, revealing Norman Osborn. He pushes the car door open and step out the back seat, decked in his black suit, white shirt and black tie.
As he emerges, the driver steps out the car, turns aorund and leans on the roof of the car, aiming his shotgun right at Cletus head.
“Don’t make Sue kill you just as you’re becoming useful.” Norman snaps, slamming the car door shut as his assistant, Sue, still points her gun at Cletus crotch.
“I have enough messes to clean up today.” Osborn adds.
Pulling off his hoodie, Cletus fiery hair glows under the fluorescent lights like fire on a stove. He straightens up at the sight of his Norman. He was taller than most thought, but that was because he hunched.
Glancing at the driver and then at Sue, Cletus serious face turns to a smirk and then he raises his hands up, taking a step back.
“Fine boss, you win.” He says, taking one long stride away from Sue, but blows her a kiss, “I’ll leave the cupcake alone.”
Sue clenches her jaw, already feeling like she needs a shower, and rests her finger on the trigger. However, at feeling Norman’s warm hand on her shoulder, Sue immediately uncocks the gun and holsters her weapon. Letting out a frustrated breath, Sue takes the black briefcase and throws at Cletus feet, refusing to get any closer to him.
Cletus watches the case slide over to him. Arching his eyebrows at him, Cletus raises his eyes to Osborn’s expressionless face and cold eyes.
“Take the case Cassidy.” Norman orders.
Snorting in mild aggravation, Cletus bends over and takes it but then shakes it closer to his ear as if to hear what the contents are.
“Sounds like a lot.” Cletus says.
“That’s because it is you moron.” retorts Norman, handing Cletus a color photo. Cletus, takes the photo, observes the picture of a gathered group of old men, suited down and sitting at a long table with Norman at the head.
Immediately, Cletus looks up at Osborn, already stepping back into his black Bentley.
Looking again at the photo, Cletus arches his eyebrow at Osborn closing the door, his face only framed by the lowered passenger window; waiting for some sort of explanation.
“A problem?” Osborn huffs.
“You sure about this?” Cletus asks, “You know, you can’t unpull the trigger on this. This ain’t one of your random ex-girls or something.’” he reasons.
Looking at Cletus up and down, Osborn shakes his head with a smirk as he leans his head back on the headrest, while Sue and the Driver step back into the car.
“Ease off the drugs, Cletus. Makes you smell like %^&* and look like &#^&.” He says, as the car engines growls to live before peeling away and speeding down the spiral ramp that descends to the street.
Turning to the view of the fiery setting set sun, Cletus looks at the orange glow on the hazy horizon as it shines on his devilishly smiling face, “This is gonna be pure carnage.”
Marvel - The Beginning: The Amazing Spider-Man:
Arc 1: Everything is Connected
Part 3
TODAY
Presently
OSCORP….30TH FLOOR – BIOSCIENCE DIVISION - Off Tour Laboratory
White walls, glass partitions, white floors and bright florescent lights shining down on the various other scientists draped in white lab coats as they seem to move in almost a synchronized dance like honeybees in a colony. Busy at their work Peter Parkers eyes open wide with curiosity and excitement at the sight of the OZCORP Technical Divisions Holographic Monitors emitting bright neon green holograms of DNA samples, Red Blood Cells and who-knows-what-else around the various white colored workstations. The hidden wonderments that these scientists have access to could be endless Peter thought, and it would be him one day that would work here.
With is face pressed up against the glass partition separating the dully grey colored hallway from the sparkling white laboratory, Harry Osborn jr, Maryjane Watson, cheerleader Gwen Stacy and nine other children enter into hallway through the swinging doors.
“AWESOME!” gasps one of the kids as he and rest of collectively run to the glass partition to look at the scientists work on their various experiments.
~*~*~*~**~
Looking at the students staring through the glass partition, Principal Daniel’s of Peter’s High School, stands with one Teacher from his School as do several other Principals, all with one Teacher beside them.
“Sorry to keep you all waiting!”
Looking down the short white marble steps that lead to the wide open white floor with OSCORPS logo, Doctor Professor Conner’s in his tan khakis, yellow white shirt, black tie and white lab coat, hurries up the stairs to the group of Principals and Teachers.
“I’m sorry I can’t shake your hand but its full.” He jokes, raising his one hand that holds his Ipad while his missing hands sleeve is pinned up, “So, let’s cut to it, are all the children here?” he asks, looking at the list on his iPad.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Inside the hallway, Peter watches through the closed door window a scientist talking with all the teachers and Principals outside.
“Who’s that?” Peter asks Harry, who curiously looks through the door window.
“Oh that guy, he’s my Dad’s friend Curt Conners. He’s the best scientist in this place and he’s going to sift through us like Hunger Game Finalists to find out who’s smartest for the internship.”
“Wow…” Peter huffs, “…man I hope we make the cut. There’s a lot of smart kids here.”
However, Peter looks at Harry who says nothing but only stuffs his hands in his pocket while shifting his weight from side to side uncomfortably as he turns his attention to the glass window at the other scientists.
Leaving Harry alone to one of his moods, Peter’s eyes drift over to Gwen Stacy leaning against the grey wall behind the other chatting kids as she scrolls on her cell phone. She was a cheerleader. A meek, kind cheerleader. A rarity. She never socialized with many kids, only the Cheer Squad. It was like belonging of another species and to see Gwen out of her clan and among the Brainaics….rendered Peter to just stare until Gwen , with a sigh, pulls out her thick frame black glasses and sets them upon her face, to look up and lock eyes with Peter, giving him a cold stare with her blue eyes.
“What are you looking at!” she snaps.
Startled Peter turns away and closes his eyes, “Uhp-uh nothing!” he gasps awkwardly, still feeling Gwen give him the narrow eyed look as all the hair on the back of his neck stands on end.
“OKAY GANG!”
Everyone turns around to the blond scientist in his white lab enter through the doors with a wide smile on his face.
“I am Curt Conners!” he exclaims, “And if you don’t mind, I’m going to give you the BEST tour of your NATURALLY EVOLVED LIVES! Wait til I show you the Reptile Room, you’ll go nuts!!” he exclaims happily. His green eyes scan the kids quickly, all of them happily attentive, diverse, young, and intelligent and…
“Harry!?” Conner’s exclaims in shock, which immediately makes Harry turn pale with embarrassment.
“Oh no.” He grumbles.
“HARRY OSBORN…what the devil…how’d you get in this group?”
Harry sighs embarrassingly as all the kids look at him, waiting for him to speak. With a groan, Harry steps forward and with the curl of his finger, calls Curt over to bend down for a whisper.
Peter, watching Harry talk in Curt’s ear, twiddles his thumb with anxiety as he wishes he could hear what Harry is telling him, since Harry, will not say a word to him or anyone about whatever secret he has.
Standing up straight, Curt nods and smiles at Harry, patting him on the back, “Okay no worries.” He says with a wink and thumbs up.
Curt turns his attention to everyone once again, “Well guys, Welcome to Oscorp Biosciences, as you know you ALL were chosen as potential candidates for a Summer Intern program. But we wanted to give you all a tour of this location first and see what it is we do here, so please, feel free to ask me any question as we go.”
“What was the first thing you learned as a Scientist?”
Curt turns around to see the slim red-headed girl named Maryjane dressed in her black ‘BEATLES’ T-shirt, blue jeans standing behind him, “Very good question!” he smiles and waves everyone to follow him as he goes through the doors leading to the Lab, “Lets walk and talk shall we.”
Following Curt through the doors and into the lab with its overly bright white lights overhead, Maryjane, walking among the group of students looks to Peter beside her and leans into his ear.
“I heard everything.” She whispers.
Peter looks at her dumbfounded, “Heard what?” he whispers back.
Maryjane looks ahead and nods forward at Harry directly behind Curt.
“His dad got him in the group. He wants him to prove himself.” Maryjane whispers.
“Are you serious!” Peter whispers in disbelief.
“MISSES…”
Maryjane immediately stands up straight, seeing Curt facing everyone as he glances at his iPad, “Watson, Maryjane Watson is it?”
“Oh uh yeah!” she smiles, briefly blushing.
Curt nods, “okay, well to answer your question, One of the first things I learned a while ago was that in nature everything is connected.” He says, pointing with his iPad at all the scientist at their workstations feverishly working with holograms of DNA, Cells, and various chemical elements lit before them, “From the air, to the animals, to the trees....everything is connected.”
Curt points to the Oscorp logo high on the wall, “Now as scientists, we explore those connections. But as Oscorp Scientist, we take it up a notch. We dissect these connections, study them and try to understand with the best new technology we have how we can take such connections and convert them into sources of energy, or make new theories, create concepts or anything just to the benefit of humankind."
"LIKE AVATAR!" Harry Osborn exclaims excitedly.
Peter Parker drops his face into his hand embarrassingly.
Nodding his head as he quickly mulls over the statement Conner's smiles and winks at Harry, "In an oversimplification, yes. Sort of like Avatar." He smiles.
Harry looks at Peter, "Ha! He said I was smart! Watch out buddy!" he whispers to Peter as Conners continues talking to everyone.
Peter folds his arm and raises his eyebrow, “An ego off an Avatar connection…oh yeah I’m blown away.”
"Okay guys let’s go!" says Conners, waving at the rest of the class with his iPad to follow.
"Um, Doctor Conners…” Maryjane calls, rushing to his side as they walk through the large white lab, “How did you lose your arm? If you don't mind me asking?" she asks.
“He said ask any question not every question.” Gwen Stacy mumbles.
Peter glances at Gwen who realizes she mumbles a little too loud and gulps quickly before walking ahead of him.
Conner's looks at the sleeve that is folded and pinned cloths on his jacket, "No I don't mind talking about it. You could say...I lost it to science. You know one day, you get so involved using equipment that well...you lose track and get tunnel vision while using an Intensity Laser on level three grade Adamantium and then, three seconds later, you see your arm is waving at you on the floor. But I in the course of it all, I did make a discovery, so in a way...I lost it to science. If that makes sense." he says.
Maryjane nods, "It does. My father lost his leg...but he lost it to the army." she says with a somber tone.
Conner's nods, "Well then, seems he and I would get along."
MJ smirks as she looks down at her Converse sneakers as she walks, "I doubt that." she mumbles.
As the rest of the class goes to follow Dr. Conner's, Peter stops for a moment to snap a quick photo with his camera but sees one of the younger kids from another school with spiky brown haired kid, sneaking up behind one of the Scientist and looking at a small tube on his desk, ready to snatch it.
“HEY!” Peter calls out, making the Scientist quickly turn around to the kid.
“Don’t TOUCH that!” the Scientist rebukes, “Get back with the group!” he orders.
Frowning, the kid scampers off towards Peter. The kid was younger than Peter. He wore sketchers, bright blue sweatpants, a blue tee-shirt with the number ‘4’ on it and his face with full of curiosity and mischief all at once.
“HEY you almost got me in trouble!” the kid snaps.
Peter rolls his eyes and hastily walks to catch up with the group, “Well you shouldn’tve been trying to steal!”
“I was gonna borrow that for my own experiment!” The kid states, “But thanks to you I can’t. And since you got ME in trouble, I’ll be sure I return the favor!”
Peter looks at the kid with a raised eyebrow. He had to be no more than nine years old.
"Com'on Tiger!”
Peter turns around to see MJ approaching him and tugging on his arm, “Don't let this loser punk you.” She says.
“I’m NOT a loser I’m FANTASTIC!”
To be continued here….
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