“I figure since you’ve got some experience in these matters, you ought to be able to help us here,” Admiral Jameson told Captain Picard in a somewhat urgent, belligerent tone. “Not that you’ve had extraordinary luck catching that damned Spider-Man on your own stupid ship, but not to worry. This one’s mostly out in the open, so he might be easier for you to handle.”
Picard did his best to not openly bristle at what the Admiral was saying. “So far we’ve managed to keep him on the run or in hiding, so I’d consider that to be a good start. Whatever the case, Admiral, I would be happy to look into this case personally. What can you tell me about the superhuman who’s been plaguing your world?”
“He’s more like a gigantic bird than a human,” Jameson explained, puffing on an expensive Ferengi cigar that resembled a French horn, but was probably designed to resemble an enormous earlobe. If he knew what he looked like, he certainly didn’t let it show. “He flies without making a sound and steals valuables right out of people’s hands. I’m telling you, he’s dangerous and needs to be taken down immediately!”
“Have you attempted to get a transporter lock on him or send a shuttle to catch him? A tractor beam could no doubt--”
“You think I’m stupid, Picard? Of course we’ve thought of those things. They don’t hand out Starfleet rank insignia at centennial celebrations!”
“Of course. Well what else can he do?”
“He can get away without anyone getting to examine him in too much blasted detail, that’s what else he can do. Just get your ship here as fast as you can and we’ll get it straightened out.”
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For the last few days, The Vulture menaced New New York. News of the creature had spread all the way to the Enterprise, where Peter now sat in Ten-Forward, alone, listening to the gossip.
“I’d like to see a close-up picture of this Vulture!” Flash Thompson said to the two girls flanking him.
“A picture of him is sure to be worth something,” one of the girls remarked. “An example of why not to live on one of those backward colony worlds!”
Now that’s an idea, Peter thought. I could try to get pictures of superhumans in action, maybe collect a little data on them, and make a name for myself in Starfleet!
“Why don’t you get a look at what’s goin’ on in the outside world, bookworm!” Flash suddenly called to Peter. “Or can’t you read anything but scientific formulas?”
“Very funny, you moose. At least my brain isn’t musclebound like that fat head of yours.”
He wouldn’t be grinning like that if he ever suspected timid Peter Parker is Spider-Man!
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“That’s a wonderful idea, dear,” his Aunt May told him over the comm. “Do you still have that miniature camera your Uncle Ben gave you? It used to be his, you know.”
“Actually, yes I do! I took it with me, but honestly I hadn’t thought about since I got here.”
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Having that item covered, he waited patiently while the ship was en route, doing another dull shift in the lab, then returning to his quarters approximately an hour before the ship entered standard orbit.
Once there, he changed into his Spider-Man costume, attached the camera to one of the fibers and then waited for an opportunity to catch The Vulture in action.
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Meanwhile, in a carefully-prepared hideout on the outskirts of the colony…
Well, well, the famed flagship of the fleet is coming for a visit, are they? The Vulture read on his padd. I’ll have to make sure I have something prepared for them when they arrive. One of them should make a decent enough patsy when it comes time for me to steal the gems this colony’s been mining for the last year. I’ll have to work the plan out better than that, but it’s a start, and I have the technology right here…I’ll get those gems in a way that no one could ever suspect, and not even Spider-Man can stop me!
After making certain that he was not observed, The Vulture darted from his hiding place, a treehouse of sorts, holographically disguised in a gigantic treetop.
Now for the first part of my ingenious plan!
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Captain Picard beamed down with an away team against Commander Riker’s better judgement. Picard insisted that the Admiral would be expecting him to beam down himself, so he went along with Lieutennant Yar, Data, Troi and two additional security officers.
“Beaming down yourself, Captain? You know Starfleet captains aren’t supposed to be in away parties! It’s against regulations!”
Picard forced a neutral expression in the face of the blustery admiral. No matter what, Jameson was determined to have something stuck in his craw.
“Of course. I’m sorry, Admiral. It’s merely a gesture of respect.”
“Respect? Next time I expect you to show respect for the damn rules, Picard.” Jameson paced toward a nearby window and looked down upon the colony from their third-floor vantage point.
“You see this place? Ravaged by that Vulture person. Probably some kind of simplistic antigrav device, but it’s all he needs around these parts. His strike patterns are completely unpredictable, random, we’re thinking.”
“Nothing is ever completely random,” Troi gently pointed out.
Jameson rounded on them as a group, fixing a maliciously squinty eye upon her. “Whatever. Just get out there and bring him to me. Can you handle that, Picard?”
Picard ignored the challenge in the Admiral’s voice and nodded crisply. “It will be a pleasure."
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Peter found that there were more safeguards in place this time when he attempted to hack the transporter systems. He wiped sweat from his brow as he thought about what might happen this time. He could get caught. That would throw everything into disarray, but he had to get down there, had to--
“This is Commander Riker to all hands. We will be taking shore leave on the planet below us while the Captain deals with an official matter. The town of New Buffalo is open to all visitors. Feel free to transport at your convenience.”
Peter perked up upon hearing that news. New Buffalo was miles away from New New York, but that was okay. He’s make his way over there somehow.
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Picard and his away team stepped out into the hot afternoon sun, with Yar and her two security personnel scanning the skies with their phasers drawn. Picard led them down the main thoroughfare until Yar stepped up and in front of him.
“You’re potentially at risk here, sir. I wouldn’t want him to attack you.”
But the Vulture was no fool. He stepped out from an alley and put his forearm around a merchant’s throat. People shouted in surprise and scattered away from him while Yar and her two men brought their phasers to bear. She looked to Picard for instructions.
“Release that woman immediately,” he commanded. Many had visibly withered on the receiving end of that tone of his, but The Vulture merely smiled.
“I want you over here, Captain,” he said.
The Vulture, like Captain Picard, was a bald man with a hawklike--or vulture-like--face, although The Vulture’s nose was noticeably longer and his dark eyebrows were more prominent, and he was at least fifteen years Picard's senior.
Picard stepped out in front of an agitated Lieutenant Yar, who fought to avoid her protective impulse.
“What do you want with me?”
“I just want you over here, Captain. Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing you…”
Picard stepped closer, hands above his head, and Troi nodded to him as though, empathically, she sensed that he would not in fact be killed. When he was close enough, The Vulture released his hostage and, with lightning speed, pressed a hypo against Picard’s neck. He then got him in a solid choke-hold, used him for cover and slipped back into the alley.
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Peter materialized on the surface. His Spider-Man costume was concealed beneath his Starfleet uniform, and once he was down there he had to try and figure out the best way to ditch Wesley Crusher. Wesley. His only friend on the ship.
Flash and his friends were off like a shot, gazing across the distance toward the towering buildings of New New York and trying to catch a glimpse of The Vulture in action. Finally, he decided they should get a vehicle and go over there.
“I’d kinda like to do that too,” Peter told Wes, who visibly brightened at the idea. Peter sighed inwardly. I was hoping he’d be against it.
“Maybe we can even see Spider-Man come down and fight him, huh?”
“Uhh, well, I don’t know…I mean, I don’t think it’s going to be all that exciting, I just want to get a look at the apparatus The Vulture is using to fly.”
“Oh yeah, me too,” Wes smiled.
Great.
They hopped on board a land vehicle and followed Flash and his friends into New New York.
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Tasha couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed over into the alley to see if she could find Captain Picard. If she had to bring the whole place down around that Vulture person, she would do it in a heartbeat. Her itchy trigger finger brushed back and forth against the button on her phaser, but nothing immediately presented itself. It was quiet and deserted. Then, from above, the Captain spoke to her. When he did, a massive winged shadow also covered the spot she was standing on and made her jump, but she reined in her reflexes and looked up, her heart racing.
“Well, Miss Yar, a pleasure to see you as always.”
It was the Captain. Somehow he had been fitted with The Vulture’s apparatus and was perched atop the edge of the building on Tasha’s left, looking comfortable and smug. And dangerous.
“Captain! I thought he was going to kill you.”
He laughed a deep, hearty laugh. “Oh, no, no…but he did give me a hypo of something which made me feel very…alive.” The Captain sounded positively giddy. “And he asked me to do something for him which I now feel obliged to do, as it sounds like wonderful fun.”
The rest of the away team now filtered carefully into the alley behind Tasha.
“He’s being controlled somehow,” Troi put in quietly.
“Drugs,” Tasha confirmed.
“Well, good hunting!” Picard cheerfully bid them adieu and took wing, disappearing over the building to the right.
Tasha turned to the team. “Get inside that building and find the man who put those on the Captain,” she told the two security officers. “Stun him and bring him to the Admiral. I’m going after the Captain.” She looked at Troi.
“I’ll come with you,” Troi said.
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Peter and Wesley got into New New York just behind Flash and the gang. They all got out of their respective vehicles and ventured into the city, where Peter and Wes happed to pass a small news service business. It was called “The Daily Bugle”, with a sign that read “Owned and Operated by J. Jonah Jameson, Starfleet Admiral.”
What were the odds that J. Jonah Jameson owned a news service? Peter though of his camera and filed away the information for later use. Then Flash called out “There! Look!”
Sure enough, soaring between the buildings of New New York with the greatest of ease was a green-winged bald man…
…in a Starfleet uniform.
“What the--” Flash began.
“Is that--” Wesley stammered.
“Captain Picard!” Peter exclaimed.
Flash ran for his vehicle and quickly gunned it forward as soon as his friends were inside. Peter looked at Wes’ expectant expression and decided it was now or never.
“Um, Wes, I’m not feeling so good. I think I’m gonna find a restroom inside one of these buildings. You go on without me.”
“But Peter! You’re gonna miss everything!”
“Wes, I feel horrible…just go!”
Wes took the hint and ran toward their car. “I’ll record some video for you!” He said as he waved goodbye.
Peter smiled wolfishly at the idea. He charged inside the nearest building, which just happened to be Admiral Jameson’s, and changed into his Spider-Man outfit in the nearest bathroom, affixing the tiny camera to his belt. When he engaged The Vulture, he’d start taking pictures.
Swinging quickly from building to building via strands of webbing, he felt more free than he’d felt in a long time. The last time he’d gotten to swing across a city like this was all the way back at Farpoint. Since then he’d been mostly cooped up inside the ship, a shuttle or a starbase. He embraced the wind whipping past him and kicked high, swung low, generally just enjoying the feeling of freedom. Then he caught up with the Captain, who was watching some kind of mining operation from atop a building at the edge of town.
Spider-Man set down just behind him, and the Captain chose precisely that moment to look behind him.
“Ah! Spider-Man. What a pleasant surprise. I’ve been wanting you to see this.”
He spread his wings as if planning to wrap them around Spider-Man like a shroud, and Spider-Man immediately reacted, shooting webbing at Captain Picard’s face. Picard, with a smile, stepped back off the edge of the building.
“Captain, no!” Spider-Man scrambled over to do something, but when he looked down, he saw nothing. Then, off in the distance, he heard laughter. Captain Picard was flying away where Spider-Man couldn’t swing after him.
“Now you get to look like a fool!”
Spider-Man thought fast and determined that the smartest course of action for him was to climb down the side of the building and try to catch up with him somehow.
The thing I like best about being Spider-Man is scaling these sheer walls. I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting a charge out of it, especially considering that I don’t get to do it very often!
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On the ground, Flash and the others were barreling across the open plains toward the mine, but they had a very long way to go. In the meantime, Spider-Man was able to commandeer a car and make his own way over, but by the time he got there, all the miners had gone home for the night and the Captain was nowhere to be seen. Peter wandered into the mines just as Tasha, Data and Troi were beamed over.
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The real Vulture saw the light of day and dashed forward.
This is it. My plan is almost complete! Soon that fool Starfleet Captain will have the gems from the mine loaded into my personal shuttle, and then--
“Stop right there!”
He turned abruptly to find himself faced with the two Starfleet security officers from before. Apparently they had been searching the lobby of this abandoned building right when he’d decided to make his getaway.
He refused to surrender. Turning toward the door, he dashed for it as quickly as he could without his wings to propel him, but he was struck in the small of the back by a well-placed phaser beam and dropped onto his face, unconscious.
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“Do you see him?” Tasha inquired sharply of her two companions.
“I am not detecting his comm badge in the immediate vicinity,” Data informed them. Then, puzzled, “It appears he is back in the city!”
“He took it off,” Troi easily concluded.
Data’s surprise wore off as quickly as it had appeared. “Ah,” he said, almost disappointed.
“There!” Tasha pointed to a flying figure leaving the mine, and then the trio saw Spider-Man come out after it. He fired a web-line and snagged Picard’s ankle, holding him in place.
Tasha leveled her phaser at Spider-Man. “Let. The Captain. Go.”
“Aw, can’t I ever catch a break?” Spider-Man groaned as he let go and watched helplessly as Picard flew higher and higher.
“Ta-ta, Spider-Man! It was a fine idea you had, but for once, you’re not going to win!”
Data was scanning Picard as he flew off. “It appears his wings apply magnetics in order to keep him off the ground.”
“If we could disrupt it…” Tasha considered as she helplessly watched her Captain fly away.
“I will see what I can come up with.”
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And so will I, thought Spider-Man as he turned and ducked into the mines, with Tasha shouting at him to stop. He went in as deep as he could and clung to the wall in the shadows of a deep pit so that they would miss him if they came looking then, after a long enough wait, he emerged into the night.
At least I managed to get some decent pictures. But the poor Captain! No matter how he feels about Spider-Man, he doesn’t deserve what he’s going through, even if he looks like he’s enjoying it!
Peter returned to the ship from New Buffalo after a very, very long walk back. He couldn’t ride with Flash or with Wesley because they would have remembered him coming along in the first place. So, exhausted, he finally got back on board in the early hours of morning and decided to get some shut-eye.
When he woke up, he immediately sat at his desk and began working on a special device that would disrupt the functionality of Picard’s wings. From the reports he’d been able to access, the man who had been The Vulture prior to Picard had been apprehended. It was only a matter of time now.
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The away team returned to the surface and scoured the city for The Vulture. Data used his tricorder to seek out any unusual life-signs but did not locate any. They searched the area of the mine and the city proper, deciding at last to go in the direction The Vulture was known to approach from. But the Captain decided to come to them.
“I see you’ve come back for me,” he told them, sitting atop the roof of a car and looking like he was conflicted. “Have you come to help? Oh, please tell me you’ve come to help.” There was a little bit of the old Captain Picard’s steel underneath the sarcastic tone that the drugs were inducing. Picard shifted slightly when they started at the sound of his voice, but remained crouched.
“Captain,” Troi began, treading carefully toward him with her palms up, “we do want to help. You’re our Captain. We have a responsibility for making sure you’re safe. You already know that, don’t you?”
Picard smiled uneasily. “You…yes…” He glanced up at Data, who was working with the controls on his tricorder. “…what is he doing?”
Troi affected a casual air and looked back as if she needed to see who he was talking about. “Oh, Data? He’s checking to make sure you’re healthy, that’s all. We need to make sure you’re alright, or else we can’t feel confident that we’re doing our duty. As a Starfleet Captain, I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about.”
Picard relaxed slightly. Then Spider-Man dropped in. He came from above and landed on Picard’s back, which drew gasps from all involved. Picard was slammed onto his face on the car’s roof, and then Tasha pointed her phaser at Spider-Man once again. He leapt clear just as she fired at him, and then Picard pushed himself up and looked after his attacker.
Spider-Man clung to the wall of a building across the street and gazed warily back at the entourage.
“Hurt the Captain and you’ll regret it,” Tasha warned.
“I only want to help,” Spider-Man insisted.
“Like hell you do.”
“He means it,” Troi contributed, but Tasha merely looked at her with disappointment. Her mouth opened slightly as she considered it, though, and then she stopped training her phaser on him.
Picard, for his part, got to his feet to fly away. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the webslinging and phasers of outrageous fortune, or to take wing against a sky of troubles, and by opposing--”
He dropped onto the pavement.
“No, no, NO!”
“Got it!” Data exclaimed, then he looked up and saw that the conflict had ended. “Ah.” He looked at Spider-Man.
“Magnetics, Data,” Spider-Man said jovially. “I figured it out about the same time that you did.”
“Indeed,” was all Data could say, but he sounded impressed.
They got the Captain back to the ship, beaming him directly to sickbay, and he was cured of the drugs that The Vulture had injected him with. The Vulture would be held in New New York until a ship came to transport him to a prison colony. In the meantime, there was business to attend to.
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“Well done, Picard,” Jameson gruffly said. They were sitting inside the Admiral’s office, discussing recent events. Picard sipped from his cup of earl gray and looked out the bay windows at the overcast sky, and he couldn’t help but think about flying.
“Even if you did mess things up even more at first,” the Admiral added. “I’ll tell you, Picard, if we have to deal with much more of this, I just might resign my commission and go into bounty hunting.”
Picard refrained like he always did from pointing out the illogic in the Admiral’s statement. At the most what he could hope for was a letter of marque from Starfleet, and even then it would most likely not permit killing.
“First Q, then Spider-Man and this Chameleon person, and now that damned Vulture. I’m telling you, this is the end of an era. There’s going to be a war fought between us and these costumed cretins, and I don’t expect us to be on the winning side.”
“I will be doing everything in my power to keep Spider-Man under control,” Picard told him.
“As well you should. But can you do enough? From what I’ve seen so far, it takes a major screw-up on the part of these menaces to society for you to be able to do anything!”
The door chime sounded.
“Come in!” Jameson practically barked.
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Peter Parker shyly entered the room. “Sirs, I’m very sorry to interrupt, it’s just that I have something I think you’ll both be very interested in.”
Picard’s hawklike gaze fell upon the ambitious cadet. “This had better be good.”
“It is, sir, I assure you. I have pictures of Spider-Man in action.”
Both of the senior officers jumped to their feet to have a look at the padd in Peter’s hands. Jameson went as far as to snatch it from him.
“How did you get these?!” He demanded.
“Well, sir, I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time. I do also know some tricks of the trade--er, photography, that is. I’m good with an imager.”
“With pictures like these I can almost stand to live in a universe with those masked menaces! These are sensational! Spectacular! Amazing!” Jameson said. “I’ll tell you what, er--”
“Parker. Cadet Peter Parker of the Enterprise, sir.”
“I’ll put these in my news service, Parker! I’ll even pay you if you like currency.”
“I do very much like currency, sir!”
“Very well then. Picard, Parker here is to be your new set of eyes on board the ship. Your official Spider-Man lookout! Anywhere Spider-Man shows his--well, his mask--I want this boy to be there taking his pictures. We’ll prove to Starfleet that he’s a menace and maybe even get a decent idea of what he’s up to and how to stop him.”
Peter shifted from foot to foot. “Sirs, with permission, I’d like to request that I be allowed to continue working in the science lab under Lieutenant Connors…”
Jameson looked at him as if he were crazy. “I’m giving you the opportunity of a lifetime!”
“I…I understand. It’s just that, well, Starfleet has been the opportunity of a lifetime already, and working in science has always been a dream of mine, so this following Spider-Man around…well, it’s a wonderful perk, but…”
“Say no more,” Jameson interrupted. “Fine. You stay in your science lab. But when you have time I want you pursuing this. Or did you bring these pictures here just to have a laugh at my expense?”
“Far from it, sir, believe me. Far from it. I need currency…it’s my aunt, you see--”
“Yes, yes, alright. You want money. If avarice works where duty fails, I’ll take it. Now get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
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In a lonely cell, The Vulture stewed over his defeat and thought about his revenge. Revenge against Spider-Man, revenge against the crew of the Enterprise, revenge against J. Jonah Jameson…
I wouldn’t be here if not for Spider-Man and Starfleet! But sooner or later I’ll get free--and I’ll develop a flying power that they cannot overcome!
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Peter materialized in the ship’s transporter room feeling like a million credits. He had a spring in his step as he came down from the platform and went immediately to Ten-Forward. He would have told his Aunt May the good news right away, but he didn’t want to get her hopes up before he had cash in hand. So instead, he would have a little fun--provided Flash and the others didn’t care to ruin it.
Wesley was there by the windows, staring idly out into space with a padd of homework sitting in front of him. Peter sauntered up and asked if he could join him.
“So? What did I miss?”
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Wes commented.
“Yeah. I got up here and replicated a little something to ease my stomach.”
“Well it was a great time. I mean, we got to the caves in time to see Captain Picard in The Vulture costume. He flew off before the away team could stop him, so we all drove back to the city as fast as we could. They must have transported, because it looked like we’d missed all the action. Spider-Man was there and everything!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Oh, it was great. I don’t know what was more fun, though, between that and my chance to sit at a bridge station. You know Captain Picard actually let me do that, and then Commander Riker did it too on the same day and it was so interesting and exciting to see what everything did, but I had to try real hard not to touch anything or else I’d be in big trouble, but there were all these buttons and--”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me all about it.”
“Oh,” Wes slowed himself down. “Yeah, I’ve probably talked about it something like a dozen times now, huh?”
“No worries, Wes. I wouldn’t mind a shot at bridge duty myself. I don’t see how it’s going to happen, though.”
“Well you’re a smart person. Someone’s bound to notice. Doesn’t Lietenant Connors ever say anything?”
“He’s pretty well engrossed in his own work. But he does seem to think I show promise.”
“Well there you go.”
“Oh, well I got a new position, sort of.”
“Really?” Wes perked up at that.
“Admiral Jameson wants me to try and take pictures of Spider-Man on the ship. He says he liked the ones I…I got some, before I left. I was ill, but then he swung right past me, and I…well, I had to take some more. I came back up here and spent the night, then I went back.”
Wes looked like he felt a bit betrayed, but he bit back whatever response he might initially have wanted to blurt out and instead smiled at his friend. “That’s great.”
“I thought so. So now I’m expected to keep an eye out and snap pictures whenever I get an opportunity. He wants to gather information so that maybe we can put a stop to Spider-Man.”
“I kinda thought Spidey was a good guy.”
“I have a feeling you’re not wrong, but it’s my job now. I’m sure it’ll be harder to stop him than just taking a couple pictures here and there. He’s got a million and one tricks up his sleeve. He’ll be hard-pressed to stay ahead of Captain Picard now that he’s made such a name for himself, but that’ll just make things more exciting…”
The two of them spent a while longer discussing the possibilities before parting ways. Peter waited eagerly for his credits to come rolling in, and considered what was in store for him next.
Picard did his best to not openly bristle at what the Admiral was saying. “So far we’ve managed to keep him on the run or in hiding, so I’d consider that to be a good start. Whatever the case, Admiral, I would be happy to look into this case personally. What can you tell me about the superhuman who’s been plaguing your world?”
“He’s more like a gigantic bird than a human,” Jameson explained, puffing on an expensive Ferengi cigar that resembled a French horn, but was probably designed to resemble an enormous earlobe. If he knew what he looked like, he certainly didn’t let it show. “He flies without making a sound and steals valuables right out of people’s hands. I’m telling you, he’s dangerous and needs to be taken down immediately!”
“Have you attempted to get a transporter lock on him or send a shuttle to catch him? A tractor beam could no doubt--”
“You think I’m stupid, Picard? Of course we’ve thought of those things. They don’t hand out Starfleet rank insignia at centennial celebrations!”
“Of course. Well what else can he do?”
“He can get away without anyone getting to examine him in too much blasted detail, that’s what else he can do. Just get your ship here as fast as you can and we’ll get it straightened out.”
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For the last few days, The Vulture menaced New New York. News of the creature had spread all the way to the Enterprise, where Peter now sat in Ten-Forward, alone, listening to the gossip.
“I’d like to see a close-up picture of this Vulture!” Flash Thompson said to the two girls flanking him.
“A picture of him is sure to be worth something,” one of the girls remarked. “An example of why not to live on one of those backward colony worlds!”
Now that’s an idea, Peter thought. I could try to get pictures of superhumans in action, maybe collect a little data on them, and make a name for myself in Starfleet!
“Why don’t you get a look at what’s goin’ on in the outside world, bookworm!” Flash suddenly called to Peter. “Or can’t you read anything but scientific formulas?”
“Very funny, you moose. At least my brain isn’t musclebound like that fat head of yours.”
He wouldn’t be grinning like that if he ever suspected timid Peter Parker is Spider-Man!
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“That’s a wonderful idea, dear,” his Aunt May told him over the comm. “Do you still have that miniature camera your Uncle Ben gave you? It used to be his, you know.”
“Actually, yes I do! I took it with me, but honestly I hadn’t thought about since I got here.”
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Having that item covered, he waited patiently while the ship was en route, doing another dull shift in the lab, then returning to his quarters approximately an hour before the ship entered standard orbit.
Once there, he changed into his Spider-Man costume, attached the camera to one of the fibers and then waited for an opportunity to catch The Vulture in action.
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Meanwhile, in a carefully-prepared hideout on the outskirts of the colony…
Well, well, the famed flagship of the fleet is coming for a visit, are they? The Vulture read on his padd. I’ll have to make sure I have something prepared for them when they arrive. One of them should make a decent enough patsy when it comes time for me to steal the gems this colony’s been mining for the last year. I’ll have to work the plan out better than that, but it’s a start, and I have the technology right here…I’ll get those gems in a way that no one could ever suspect, and not even Spider-Man can stop me!
After making certain that he was not observed, The Vulture darted from his hiding place, a treehouse of sorts, holographically disguised in a gigantic treetop.
Now for the first part of my ingenious plan!
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Captain Picard beamed down with an away team against Commander Riker’s better judgement. Picard insisted that the Admiral would be expecting him to beam down himself, so he went along with Lieutennant Yar, Data, Troi and two additional security officers.
“Beaming down yourself, Captain? You know Starfleet captains aren’t supposed to be in away parties! It’s against regulations!”
Picard forced a neutral expression in the face of the blustery admiral. No matter what, Jameson was determined to have something stuck in his craw.
“Of course. I’m sorry, Admiral. It’s merely a gesture of respect.”
“Respect? Next time I expect you to show respect for the damn rules, Picard.” Jameson paced toward a nearby window and looked down upon the colony from their third-floor vantage point.
“You see this place? Ravaged by that Vulture person. Probably some kind of simplistic antigrav device, but it’s all he needs around these parts. His strike patterns are completely unpredictable, random, we’re thinking.”
“Nothing is ever completely random,” Troi gently pointed out.
Jameson rounded on them as a group, fixing a maliciously squinty eye upon her. “Whatever. Just get out there and bring him to me. Can you handle that, Picard?”
Picard ignored the challenge in the Admiral’s voice and nodded crisply. “It will be a pleasure."
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Peter found that there were more safeguards in place this time when he attempted to hack the transporter systems. He wiped sweat from his brow as he thought about what might happen this time. He could get caught. That would throw everything into disarray, but he had to get down there, had to--
“This is Commander Riker to all hands. We will be taking shore leave on the planet below us while the Captain deals with an official matter. The town of New Buffalo is open to all visitors. Feel free to transport at your convenience.”
Peter perked up upon hearing that news. New Buffalo was miles away from New New York, but that was okay. He’s make his way over there somehow.
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Picard and his away team stepped out into the hot afternoon sun, with Yar and her two security personnel scanning the skies with their phasers drawn. Picard led them down the main thoroughfare until Yar stepped up and in front of him.
“You’re potentially at risk here, sir. I wouldn’t want him to attack you.”
But the Vulture was no fool. He stepped out from an alley and put his forearm around a merchant’s throat. People shouted in surprise and scattered away from him while Yar and her two men brought their phasers to bear. She looked to Picard for instructions.
“Release that woman immediately,” he commanded. Many had visibly withered on the receiving end of that tone of his, but The Vulture merely smiled.
“I want you over here, Captain,” he said.
The Vulture, like Captain Picard, was a bald man with a hawklike--or vulture-like--face, although The Vulture’s nose was noticeably longer and his dark eyebrows were more prominent, and he was at least fifteen years Picard's senior.
Picard stepped out in front of an agitated Lieutenant Yar, who fought to avoid her protective impulse.
“What do you want with me?”
“I just want you over here, Captain. Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing you…”
Picard stepped closer, hands above his head, and Troi nodded to him as though, empathically, she sensed that he would not in fact be killed. When he was close enough, The Vulture released his hostage and, with lightning speed, pressed a hypo against Picard’s neck. He then got him in a solid choke-hold, used him for cover and slipped back into the alley.
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Peter materialized on the surface. His Spider-Man costume was concealed beneath his Starfleet uniform, and once he was down there he had to try and figure out the best way to ditch Wesley Crusher. Wesley. His only friend on the ship.
Flash and his friends were off like a shot, gazing across the distance toward the towering buildings of New New York and trying to catch a glimpse of The Vulture in action. Finally, he decided they should get a vehicle and go over there.
“I’d kinda like to do that too,” Peter told Wes, who visibly brightened at the idea. Peter sighed inwardly. I was hoping he’d be against it.
“Maybe we can even see Spider-Man come down and fight him, huh?”
“Uhh, well, I don’t know…I mean, I don’t think it’s going to be all that exciting, I just want to get a look at the apparatus The Vulture is using to fly.”
“Oh yeah, me too,” Wes smiled.
Great.
They hopped on board a land vehicle and followed Flash and his friends into New New York.
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Tasha couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed over into the alley to see if she could find Captain Picard. If she had to bring the whole place down around that Vulture person, she would do it in a heartbeat. Her itchy trigger finger brushed back and forth against the button on her phaser, but nothing immediately presented itself. It was quiet and deserted. Then, from above, the Captain spoke to her. When he did, a massive winged shadow also covered the spot she was standing on and made her jump, but she reined in her reflexes and looked up, her heart racing.
“Well, Miss Yar, a pleasure to see you as always.”
It was the Captain. Somehow he had been fitted with The Vulture’s apparatus and was perched atop the edge of the building on Tasha’s left, looking comfortable and smug. And dangerous.
“Captain! I thought he was going to kill you.”
He laughed a deep, hearty laugh. “Oh, no, no…but he did give me a hypo of something which made me feel very…alive.” The Captain sounded positively giddy. “And he asked me to do something for him which I now feel obliged to do, as it sounds like wonderful fun.”
The rest of the away team now filtered carefully into the alley behind Tasha.
“He’s being controlled somehow,” Troi put in quietly.
“Drugs,” Tasha confirmed.
“Well, good hunting!” Picard cheerfully bid them adieu and took wing, disappearing over the building to the right.
Tasha turned to the team. “Get inside that building and find the man who put those on the Captain,” she told the two security officers. “Stun him and bring him to the Admiral. I’m going after the Captain.” She looked at Troi.
“I’ll come with you,” Troi said.
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Peter and Wesley got into New New York just behind Flash and the gang. They all got out of their respective vehicles and ventured into the city, where Peter and Wes happed to pass a small news service business. It was called “The Daily Bugle”, with a sign that read “Owned and Operated by J. Jonah Jameson, Starfleet Admiral.”
What were the odds that J. Jonah Jameson owned a news service? Peter though of his camera and filed away the information for later use. Then Flash called out “There! Look!”
Sure enough, soaring between the buildings of New New York with the greatest of ease was a green-winged bald man…
…in a Starfleet uniform.
“What the--” Flash began.
“Is that--” Wesley stammered.
“Captain Picard!” Peter exclaimed.
Flash ran for his vehicle and quickly gunned it forward as soon as his friends were inside. Peter looked at Wes’ expectant expression and decided it was now or never.
“Um, Wes, I’m not feeling so good. I think I’m gonna find a restroom inside one of these buildings. You go on without me.”
“But Peter! You’re gonna miss everything!”
“Wes, I feel horrible…just go!”
Wes took the hint and ran toward their car. “I’ll record some video for you!” He said as he waved goodbye.
Peter smiled wolfishly at the idea. He charged inside the nearest building, which just happened to be Admiral Jameson’s, and changed into his Spider-Man outfit in the nearest bathroom, affixing the tiny camera to his belt. When he engaged The Vulture, he’d start taking pictures.
Swinging quickly from building to building via strands of webbing, he felt more free than he’d felt in a long time. The last time he’d gotten to swing across a city like this was all the way back at Farpoint. Since then he’d been mostly cooped up inside the ship, a shuttle or a starbase. He embraced the wind whipping past him and kicked high, swung low, generally just enjoying the feeling of freedom. Then he caught up with the Captain, who was watching some kind of mining operation from atop a building at the edge of town.
Spider-Man set down just behind him, and the Captain chose precisely that moment to look behind him.
“Ah! Spider-Man. What a pleasant surprise. I’ve been wanting you to see this.”
He spread his wings as if planning to wrap them around Spider-Man like a shroud, and Spider-Man immediately reacted, shooting webbing at Captain Picard’s face. Picard, with a smile, stepped back off the edge of the building.
“Captain, no!” Spider-Man scrambled over to do something, but when he looked down, he saw nothing. Then, off in the distance, he heard laughter. Captain Picard was flying away where Spider-Man couldn’t swing after him.
“Now you get to look like a fool!”
Spider-Man thought fast and determined that the smartest course of action for him was to climb down the side of the building and try to catch up with him somehow.
The thing I like best about being Spider-Man is scaling these sheer walls. I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting a charge out of it, especially considering that I don’t get to do it very often!
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On the ground, Flash and the others were barreling across the open plains toward the mine, but they had a very long way to go. In the meantime, Spider-Man was able to commandeer a car and make his own way over, but by the time he got there, all the miners had gone home for the night and the Captain was nowhere to be seen. Peter wandered into the mines just as Tasha, Data and Troi were beamed over.
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The real Vulture saw the light of day and dashed forward.
This is it. My plan is almost complete! Soon that fool Starfleet Captain will have the gems from the mine loaded into my personal shuttle, and then--
“Stop right there!”
He turned abruptly to find himself faced with the two Starfleet security officers from before. Apparently they had been searching the lobby of this abandoned building right when he’d decided to make his getaway.
He refused to surrender. Turning toward the door, he dashed for it as quickly as he could without his wings to propel him, but he was struck in the small of the back by a well-placed phaser beam and dropped onto his face, unconscious.
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“Do you see him?” Tasha inquired sharply of her two companions.
“I am not detecting his comm badge in the immediate vicinity,” Data informed them. Then, puzzled, “It appears he is back in the city!”
“He took it off,” Troi easily concluded.
Data’s surprise wore off as quickly as it had appeared. “Ah,” he said, almost disappointed.
“There!” Tasha pointed to a flying figure leaving the mine, and then the trio saw Spider-Man come out after it. He fired a web-line and snagged Picard’s ankle, holding him in place.
Tasha leveled her phaser at Spider-Man. “Let. The Captain. Go.”
“Aw, can’t I ever catch a break?” Spider-Man groaned as he let go and watched helplessly as Picard flew higher and higher.
“Ta-ta, Spider-Man! It was a fine idea you had, but for once, you’re not going to win!”
Data was scanning Picard as he flew off. “It appears his wings apply magnetics in order to keep him off the ground.”
“If we could disrupt it…” Tasha considered as she helplessly watched her Captain fly away.
“I will see what I can come up with.”
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And so will I, thought Spider-Man as he turned and ducked into the mines, with Tasha shouting at him to stop. He went in as deep as he could and clung to the wall in the shadows of a deep pit so that they would miss him if they came looking then, after a long enough wait, he emerged into the night.
At least I managed to get some decent pictures. But the poor Captain! No matter how he feels about Spider-Man, he doesn’t deserve what he’s going through, even if he looks like he’s enjoying it!
Peter returned to the ship from New Buffalo after a very, very long walk back. He couldn’t ride with Flash or with Wesley because they would have remembered him coming along in the first place. So, exhausted, he finally got back on board in the early hours of morning and decided to get some shut-eye.
When he woke up, he immediately sat at his desk and began working on a special device that would disrupt the functionality of Picard’s wings. From the reports he’d been able to access, the man who had been The Vulture prior to Picard had been apprehended. It was only a matter of time now.
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The away team returned to the surface and scoured the city for The Vulture. Data used his tricorder to seek out any unusual life-signs but did not locate any. They searched the area of the mine and the city proper, deciding at last to go in the direction The Vulture was known to approach from. But the Captain decided to come to them.
“I see you’ve come back for me,” he told them, sitting atop the roof of a car and looking like he was conflicted. “Have you come to help? Oh, please tell me you’ve come to help.” There was a little bit of the old Captain Picard’s steel underneath the sarcastic tone that the drugs were inducing. Picard shifted slightly when they started at the sound of his voice, but remained crouched.
“Captain,” Troi began, treading carefully toward him with her palms up, “we do want to help. You’re our Captain. We have a responsibility for making sure you’re safe. You already know that, don’t you?”
Picard smiled uneasily. “You…yes…” He glanced up at Data, who was working with the controls on his tricorder. “…what is he doing?”
Troi affected a casual air and looked back as if she needed to see who he was talking about. “Oh, Data? He’s checking to make sure you’re healthy, that’s all. We need to make sure you’re alright, or else we can’t feel confident that we’re doing our duty. As a Starfleet Captain, I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about.”
Picard relaxed slightly. Then Spider-Man dropped in. He came from above and landed on Picard’s back, which drew gasps from all involved. Picard was slammed onto his face on the car’s roof, and then Tasha pointed her phaser at Spider-Man once again. He leapt clear just as she fired at him, and then Picard pushed himself up and looked after his attacker.
Spider-Man clung to the wall of a building across the street and gazed warily back at the entourage.
“Hurt the Captain and you’ll regret it,” Tasha warned.
“I only want to help,” Spider-Man insisted.
“Like hell you do.”
“He means it,” Troi contributed, but Tasha merely looked at her with disappointment. Her mouth opened slightly as she considered it, though, and then she stopped training her phaser on him.
Picard, for his part, got to his feet to fly away. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the webslinging and phasers of outrageous fortune, or to take wing against a sky of troubles, and by opposing--”
He dropped onto the pavement.
“No, no, NO!”
“Got it!” Data exclaimed, then he looked up and saw that the conflict had ended. “Ah.” He looked at Spider-Man.
“Magnetics, Data,” Spider-Man said jovially. “I figured it out about the same time that you did.”
“Indeed,” was all Data could say, but he sounded impressed.
They got the Captain back to the ship, beaming him directly to sickbay, and he was cured of the drugs that The Vulture had injected him with. The Vulture would be held in New New York until a ship came to transport him to a prison colony. In the meantime, there was business to attend to.
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“Well done, Picard,” Jameson gruffly said. They were sitting inside the Admiral’s office, discussing recent events. Picard sipped from his cup of earl gray and looked out the bay windows at the overcast sky, and he couldn’t help but think about flying.
“Even if you did mess things up even more at first,” the Admiral added. “I’ll tell you, Picard, if we have to deal with much more of this, I just might resign my commission and go into bounty hunting.”
Picard refrained like he always did from pointing out the illogic in the Admiral’s statement. At the most what he could hope for was a letter of marque from Starfleet, and even then it would most likely not permit killing.
“First Q, then Spider-Man and this Chameleon person, and now that damned Vulture. I’m telling you, this is the end of an era. There’s going to be a war fought between us and these costumed cretins, and I don’t expect us to be on the winning side.”
“I will be doing everything in my power to keep Spider-Man under control,” Picard told him.
“As well you should. But can you do enough? From what I’ve seen so far, it takes a major screw-up on the part of these menaces to society for you to be able to do anything!”
The door chime sounded.
“Come in!” Jameson practically barked.
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Peter Parker shyly entered the room. “Sirs, I’m very sorry to interrupt, it’s just that I have something I think you’ll both be very interested in.”
Picard’s hawklike gaze fell upon the ambitious cadet. “This had better be good.”
“It is, sir, I assure you. I have pictures of Spider-Man in action.”
Both of the senior officers jumped to their feet to have a look at the padd in Peter’s hands. Jameson went as far as to snatch it from him.
“How did you get these?!” He demanded.
“Well, sir, I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time. I do also know some tricks of the trade--er, photography, that is. I’m good with an imager.”
“With pictures like these I can almost stand to live in a universe with those masked menaces! These are sensational! Spectacular! Amazing!” Jameson said. “I’ll tell you what, er--”
“Parker. Cadet Peter Parker of the Enterprise, sir.”
“I’ll put these in my news service, Parker! I’ll even pay you if you like currency.”
“I do very much like currency, sir!”
“Very well then. Picard, Parker here is to be your new set of eyes on board the ship. Your official Spider-Man lookout! Anywhere Spider-Man shows his--well, his mask--I want this boy to be there taking his pictures. We’ll prove to Starfleet that he’s a menace and maybe even get a decent idea of what he’s up to and how to stop him.”
Peter shifted from foot to foot. “Sirs, with permission, I’d like to request that I be allowed to continue working in the science lab under Lieutenant Connors…”
Jameson looked at him as if he were crazy. “I’m giving you the opportunity of a lifetime!”
“I…I understand. It’s just that, well, Starfleet has been the opportunity of a lifetime already, and working in science has always been a dream of mine, so this following Spider-Man around…well, it’s a wonderful perk, but…”
“Say no more,” Jameson interrupted. “Fine. You stay in your science lab. But when you have time I want you pursuing this. Or did you bring these pictures here just to have a laugh at my expense?”
“Far from it, sir, believe me. Far from it. I need currency…it’s my aunt, you see--”
“Yes, yes, alright. You want money. If avarice works where duty fails, I’ll take it. Now get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
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In a lonely cell, The Vulture stewed over his defeat and thought about his revenge. Revenge against Spider-Man, revenge against the crew of the Enterprise, revenge against J. Jonah Jameson…
I wouldn’t be here if not for Spider-Man and Starfleet! But sooner or later I’ll get free--and I’ll develop a flying power that they cannot overcome!
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Peter materialized in the ship’s transporter room feeling like a million credits. He had a spring in his step as he came down from the platform and went immediately to Ten-Forward. He would have told his Aunt May the good news right away, but he didn’t want to get her hopes up before he had cash in hand. So instead, he would have a little fun--provided Flash and the others didn’t care to ruin it.
Wesley was there by the windows, staring idly out into space with a padd of homework sitting in front of him. Peter sauntered up and asked if he could join him.
“So? What did I miss?”
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Wes commented.
“Yeah. I got up here and replicated a little something to ease my stomach.”
“Well it was a great time. I mean, we got to the caves in time to see Captain Picard in The Vulture costume. He flew off before the away team could stop him, so we all drove back to the city as fast as we could. They must have transported, because it looked like we’d missed all the action. Spider-Man was there and everything!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Oh, it was great. I don’t know what was more fun, though, between that and my chance to sit at a bridge station. You know Captain Picard actually let me do that, and then Commander Riker did it too on the same day and it was so interesting and exciting to see what everything did, but I had to try real hard not to touch anything or else I’d be in big trouble, but there were all these buttons and--”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me all about it.”
“Oh,” Wes slowed himself down. “Yeah, I’ve probably talked about it something like a dozen times now, huh?”
“No worries, Wes. I wouldn’t mind a shot at bridge duty myself. I don’t see how it’s going to happen, though.”
“Well you’re a smart person. Someone’s bound to notice. Doesn’t Lietenant Connors ever say anything?”
“He’s pretty well engrossed in his own work. But he does seem to think I show promise.”
“Well there you go.”
“Oh, well I got a new position, sort of.”
“Really?” Wes perked up at that.
“Admiral Jameson wants me to try and take pictures of Spider-Man on the ship. He says he liked the ones I…I got some, before I left. I was ill, but then he swung right past me, and I…well, I had to take some more. I came back up here and spent the night, then I went back.”
Wes looked like he felt a bit betrayed, but he bit back whatever response he might initially have wanted to blurt out and instead smiled at his friend. “That’s great.”
“I thought so. So now I’m expected to keep an eye out and snap pictures whenever I get an opportunity. He wants to gather information so that maybe we can put a stop to Spider-Man.”
“I kinda thought Spidey was a good guy.”
“I have a feeling you’re not wrong, but it’s my job now. I’m sure it’ll be harder to stop him than just taking a couple pictures here and there. He’s got a million and one tricks up his sleeve. He’ll be hard-pressed to stay ahead of Captain Picard now that he’s made such a name for himself, but that’ll just make things more exciting…”
The two of them spent a while longer discussing the possibilities before parting ways. Peter waited eagerly for his credits to come rolling in, and considered what was in store for him next.