Queens was a typical big-city neighborhood; loud, crowded, dirty...
The one thing it had that other cities didn't?
Muggers who were stuck to a nearby wall.
With giant-sized spider webs, it appeared.
Jim Ellison rubbed at his eyes; closed them for a moment.
Nope.
Still there when he looked again.
"You ever heard of anything like this?" he asked, looking at his companion.
Blair Sandburg shrugged. "No, but I don't know why you're so surprised. You do remember our last trip to the East Coast five years ago? Giant green rage monster? Norse gods? Aliens?"
"This...isn't extraterrestrial." Jim studied the webbing. "It smells like polymer. And...blood. Not like those 'alien bugs' did."
"Hey!" from the drunken would-be thief. "Get us outta here, will you?"
"Sorry, pal," Jim replied, not at all contrite. "I'm here on vacation. We don't actually have jurisdiction here, you'll have to wait until NYPD shows."
"We shouldn't be here when they do," Blair advised.
"No shit, Sherlock---"
Ellison fell silent, turning to stare off into the distance. He darted across the street. Blair hurried to catch up.
The sound of a heartbeat. Muffled sob. Smell of blood, again, sour and hot, and that odd chemical soup that had coated the webs.
He picked up a trash can, ignoring the icy rough metal scraping at his skin.
A small figure huddled in a red and blue costume was revealed.
"Hey." Ellison's voice was sharp. "Where'd you get hit, kid?"
"Um. I'm okay, I just--"
"Bullshit. That was you back there, right? Protecting the cabbie from those jerkoffs?"
"H-he told you?"
"Didn't have to. Blair, grab the first aid kit in the trunk. Or--no, the cops are over there now. Can you walk, buddy?"
They helped the costumed boy to his feet, and guided him to a bench out of sight.
He tugged off one of the gloves he wore. Blair hissed sympathetically at the livid bruising and swelling from his fingers to his elbow, stretching under his sleeve.
"It'll be okay. I heal fast. They were going to really hurt him, I couldn't wait for you guys..."
Jim's eyes narrowed.
"You know I'm a cop..."he glanced at the plain T-shirt and jeans he wore, no badge in evidence. "You could hear us from a few blocks away, too?"
"Yeah," he answered shyly.
Jim and Blair exchanged a speaking look. Blair held out his jacket.
"This'll hide the costume, but you're gonna have to lose the mask. "
The ...Spider-man? hesitated, before sliding his mask back off his head and taking the jacket.
Shit, he was just a teenager.
He wasn't acting like one, though, and he'd handled himself fairly well, especially with no backup or guide.
"Thanks...I know this must seem weird, but--"
Blair couldn't keep from laughing at that. Even Jim cracked a smile. "Well, speaking of dealing with dangerous and weird, we might have a few stories you'd be interested in hearing."