Chapter Six
“Come on goddammit where are you?”
Frank had been standing on the rooftop for half an hour now. Truth be told this was a bad plan, a stupid plan, and honestly it was barely a plan more so than it was a half-brained idea.
He had always seen Spider-Woman and Jitterbug perched on top of roof’s like gargoyles, guarding their city from the darkness.
So the forty-four year old had the genius idea of standing on top of a rooftop in the brisk november wind, hoping he’d come across Spider-Woman.
Thirty minutes in and he was starting to feel pretty stupid.
“Officer.” Spider-Woman spoke from behind him. Her voice was small when she addressed him, something he wasn’t used to hearing from her. “I heard the news. You were there, when it happened?”
Frank swallowed the lump in his throat. “I was.”
“I’m sorry.”
The pair never liked one another, but today that feud was set aside for the loss of a loved one by both. The beloved hero ready to protect others and crack jokes while doing so. Their jitterbug.
Gwen had been at band practice when she found out. The lead singer was checking her phone and suddenly gasped. News of Jitterbug’s death lit up the screen. Gwen ran out, locked herself in the bathroom and sobbed for who knows how long. She didn’t want to go on patrol that night, but she needed to. She needed to keep them all safe, it was her job. One she now had to carry alone.
“Do you think,” His voice cracked. “Do you think there’s any chance she made it?”
Spider-Woman took a step forward. “Frank, I-”
“She’s just gone!” He shouted, his roar causing her to jump back. “She was just-just there and then in a flash she was gone! In some bright light she just disappeared, just fuckin’ gone! No remains or nothin.” He looked at Gwen with such desperation. She had never seen him like this. There has to be some-some way, some place she-”
“Wait! Wait a minute go back!” Spider-Woman runs toward to the man. “She..disappeared?”
“Bastard shot her and she just-” Frank let out a shaky breath and waved a hand in the air. “Gone. It was all so bright-”
“Disappeared? Like she was swallowed up?”
Frank paused. “I, yeah I guess so. Why?”
Spider-Woman brought her hands together and let out a laugh. “She’s alive! Oh she’s alive she’s alive!”
“Wait, what?” Frank surged forward and gripped the vigilante’s shoulder in an iron grip. “You better not be playin’ me spider-woman.” He threatened, his eyes becoming glassy. “I swear if you’re bullshittin’ me i’ll-”
“She’s in another dimension!” She told him, the man pushed her away and scoffed.
“Screw yourself.” He turned around and headed for the door, grumbling about how useless this whole thing was. “The hell did I expect from you anyways. Fuckin’ waste of my time, standin’ out here in the cold-”
“It happened to me too! Three months ago when the power went out city-wide!” Frank froze and turned to her. He remembered that night, She helped the police force keep civilians safe and repair the damage. It was an odd night. A night with no insults or jabs, just two people working together to keep the public safe. He remembered seeing Jitterbug in a panic about her spider-ling partner when he first saw her that night, claiming she couldn’t find her anywhere and that she had just vanished.
“Swear to me.” His hands trembled as he spoke. “You-You swear on your life that she’s alive somewhere or else I’ll.”
“Officer, I know you don’t like me. And the feeling is beyond mutual-” Frank scoffed. “-but I’d never lie when it comes to Jitterbug.” She explained. “She’s good, that much we can agree on.”
All of the tension left his body. “So you’re telling me she’s alive? She’s just-”
“Lost.” She finished, her hand outstretched to his in a show of allegiance. “And we’re gonna find her.”