Spider in Gotham - Chapter 9

Peter eyed Selina as they walked through the party. After a nice lunch at an open-air café she directed him to dress in one of his new suits. The dapper kind, not the one for night time excursions. After that, they arrived at a large building that apparently was set aside solely for parties like this. Charity balls, holiday events, and all the usual rich people used to show off. Back home, he had only had to attend a couple as Tony's guest.

Was it home anymore? He didn't think he could ever go back. Not only did no one remember him, it was possible that his return could unravel the universe. Making Gotham his new home was the best option for the time being.

"You're brooding." Selina whispered.

"Am not." Peter grumped.

"I know brooding, you are brooding." Selina gave him a sly look.

"What are we doing here?" He asked.

He scanned the room. Aside from the numerous well-dressed rich people, there was an impressive number of security. They ranged from simple guys in suits to full on tactical gear.

"Why are there so many armed guards?" Peter asked quietly.

"We're in Gotham, kid." Selina chuckled. "Any gathering of more than two people is a potential bad guy target. Luckily, that psycho in clown makeup is locked away. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare hold this little get-together."

Peter arced an eyebrow as he motioned to the crowd around them. "This is little?"

"You're so cute." Selina wrinkled her nose at him. "This is for the Gotham Metropolitan Art Gallery. Most of the people here are B-List rich. Only a Wayne party would bring out the big spenders." Her expression turned a bit sour. "Luthor is trying to push in, but Gotham doesn't buy his act. We know slime when we see it."

"I'm lost." Peter muttered.

"I'll get you caught up on all the movers and shakers." Selina hooked his arm with her own. "This is more of a test run."

"A test for what?" Peter asked.

"An important skill." Selina leaned in close to share a big secret. "Information gathering."

Peter wasn't impressed. She rolled her eyes.

"Rich people, especially the B-Listers, love to brag." Selina continued. "They can't wait to tell everyone about their new house, piece of art, or jewelry that they picked up."

"And then you break into their place and steal it?" Peter asked flatly.

Selina held up a finger to her mouth giving the universal sign to be quiet. She fixed him with a teasing glare. At the same time, she plucked a flute of champagne from a passing waiter.

"No." She huffed. "That would be too easy. We take this information and read between the lines." She paused to take a sip. "A new house or apartment means that someone with cash in the bank is moving. Which leads to a possible shake-up in the hierarchy. It could also mean some shiny bits and baubles will be mobile. In our line of work, a moving target is easier to hit. No matter how 'secure' they try to make it, there are too many variables to consider."

Peter gave her an impressed look.

"Art usually means smugglers." She continued. "It's easy to hide high value goods among other high value goods."

"The same with jewelry?" Peter asked.

"You're paying attention." She smiled at him. "It can mean smuggling. There is also money laundering. Following that lead opens up an even larger range of potential. Every operation needs to launder their ill-gotten gains. Smugglers, arms dealers, drug runners, and traffickers. We stay away from arms dealers, that a fast track to getting shot. I do not recommend that. Drug runners can be dangerous too. Grabbing a payday from them makes things messy."

"Messy, how?" Peter asked, bracing for the answer.

"Lots of angry armed thugs looking for someone to blame." Selina shook her head sadly. "The cash from their deal is gone and that means some dangerous people aren't getting paid. That leads to innocent people getting caught in the crossfire."

"No drugs, got it." Peter nodded.

"I knew I picked a good one." Selina beamed. "Smugglers, are a mixed bag. Mostly they move stolen goods, artifacts, and sometimes tech. You have to be careful with them because you never know when something shiny might open a portal to some hell-world."

"Speaking from experience?" Peter asked with a chuckle.

Selina huffed.

"The last category." The humor in her voice disappeared. "Traffickers. They move people. Any chance they show up, we hit them hard."

Peter nodded. "That's something I completely agree with."

Her smile returned. "If the operation is too big, we pull back and call in the Bats."

"Anything else?" Peter led her over a secluded spot.

"We can't hit everything, kid." Selina shrugged. "You come across a working girl, keep an eye out for her. If it's a bad situation, tell me about it. I've got contacts."

Peter chewed on his lower lip as he mulled that information over.

"Working girls are great sources." Selina placed a hand on his arm. "As long as they are getting treated right, it's not our call. Gotham looks after its own out here. I guarantee you will find more solidarity on the streets at night then any of these parties."

He shrugged, she had been doing this longer than he had.

"Now come on, it's time to mingle." She seemed to flip a switch, her attitude down to her posture changed. "Follow me and take notes."

Selina led him back out to the crowd. The next hour was a masterclass in working a source. With a laugh and a casual question, the people were more than happy to tell her everything. Peter watched in awe as Selina effortlessly got a guy to provide his home address and alarm codes. She shot him a wink after that. The guy didn't even pause before continuing to go on about where he got his security, how he set them up, and how he constantly tripped his own alarm.

Around sunset the party dispersed. Even with the impressive security, no one wanted to be caught out after dark. They went out back rather than follow the rush of people to the valet.

"Slip the guys a twenty and they'll have your car ready to go." Selina said as they passed one of the servers. "Never, never underestimate how far some money and being polite will get you. The servers, valet, waitstaff, and cleaners get treated like they don't exist at best, or vermin at the worst. A few regular visits and you'll find yourself on some Christmas card lists."

Peter laughed at that.

"Thanks, Al." Selina said as she took the keys from one of the valet from when they arrived. "Did you settle on a major yet?"

"No." The guy, Al, sighed. "I just can't decide between robotics and culinary."

"You'll do great." Selina slipped him a couple of fifties.

"What about a robot that cooks?" Peter offered.

Al thought about it. "That… might work."

Peter settled in the passenger seat. They waved to Al as the car pulled away.

"Next time, you'll take the lead and I'll observe." Selina said as she navigated the gathering traffic. "It can be a pain in the ass, but it's part of the gig."

Peter sighed but still nodded.

"Now that we've got that part settled, let's discuss the after-dark crowd." Selina tapped a couple of buttons on the dash.

Peter raised an eyebrow in question.

"Surveillance jamming." Selina answered. "You can never be too careful."

He shrugged.

"There are three categories of masks in the city." Selina kept her eyes on the road. "The Bats, we'll talk about them at length later, the rogues, like you and me, and the psychos, I shouldn't have to explain that one."

"You're not selling me on sticking around." Peter cocked his head to look at her.

"Come on, kid." Selina shook her head. "I can tell you're like me. You'd go out of your mind in some mundane life. Excitement, adventure, and some romance, that's what you crave."

Peter sighed. Damn, she was right. After getting bit by the spider he could have become a sports star. Instead, he decided to put on a mask and help people. He volunteered to fight Thanos. He went against Strange and helped the guys who were pulled to his world. Even in the worst time, he couldn't just let things happen.

"Please, continue." Peter said after a moment.

"That's the spirit." Selina smirked at him. "Starting with the rogues. There's Riddler. He's mostly just annoying. We usually leave each other alone. He likes to try to stump Batman with puzzles and Riddles. Rarely, he even commissions me to snag something. An ancient puzzle box, or something like that. He's tried to kill me a couple of times, but there's no hard feelings." She said that last bit like she was talking about the weather. "Croc, or Killer Croc, isn't as bad as people think. He sticks to the sewers and the wetlands most of the time. Stay out of his way and he'll stay out of yours. He's pretty fucking scary, so make sure you stay out of his way. Way back he was something of a crime boss. His mutation has advanced to the point where he's hardly human anymore."

"Damn." Peter whispered.

"If you ever seen a nine foot tall lizard man, that's him." Selina shook her head. "He's not on the sane side of things anymore. The only thing keeping him from being one of the psychos is that he keeps to himself. Another borderline individual is Poison Ivy. She started out as a scientist, then she became a bioterrorist, now she a plant person. Literally. Stay out of her garden or you'll wind up as fertilizer. We used to hang out before she went full Mother Nature."

"Where exactly is her garden?" Peter asked.

"You can't miss it." Selina sighed. "It's the jungle in the middle of the city."

She motioned to the distance. He couldn't see anything through the buildings in the fading sunlight.

"Then there's Harley." Selina shook her head. " Doctor Harleen Quinzel, amazing gymnast, dangerous with a mallet, and likes big guns. She goes by Harley Quinn. Former henchwoman to Joker. Now freelance rogue, part time mercenary, and sometimes girlfriend to Ivy. She's the good kind of crazy. Mostly. Like me, she's not completely against working with the Bats, but it's something rare."

The conversation stopped for a couple of minutes as she parked the car. They made it up to her apartment before continuing. Selina giggled as she saw a package waiting on the kitchen table.

"Your suit." Selina grabbed the box and held it out to him. "Try it on."

Peter took the box into the room she had designated as his. He opened it to find a black suit almost identical to the one she wore. It even had the goggles. Granted, it was tailored for his measurements and the cut was masculine. The goggles were a tad different, closer to a domino mask than the large-lensed sunglasses look.

He found it a lot easier to put on than his old suit. Not counting the Iron Spider. You just couldn't beat nano-tech. He did have to strip completely nude to get it to fit though. That wasn't something he was too keen to learn. Luckily, the crotch portion, with snug, was reinforced and didn't show every detail of his manhood. That had been an issue in his old suits. He had a hard time, no pun intended, trying to talk to Tony about it as well. How did he mention that the suit did little to obscure his equipment?

Peter fastened the accompanying belt. It rested on his waist at an angle. The boots and gloves finished the outfit. There was an odd weight to both, which made him think there was more going on with the suit than met the eye. He looked at himself in the mirror. His face below his nose and his hair were exposed. The mask potion only covered the strip around his eyes, it did have a protective shield for them which was nice.

"Let's see it." Selina urged.

He stepped back out into the hall. She clapped.

"It's more comfortable than I expected." Peter nodded in approval.

"Spin for me." She instructed.

He did.

"The Batgirls won't know what hit them." Selina cackled. "Now, where were we?"

"Rogues." He prompted.

"Right, the rogues." She tapped her chin. "The last group of them are mercenaries and crime bosses. Penguin, he's got a criminal empire. There is Deadshot, he's an assassin with an ego. Deathstroke, he's also an assassin, but he's all business. You don't want to meet him. And…" She trailed off in thought. "Mister Freeze is borderline psycho. He tends toward technology and diamonds. In the past, he would freeze chunks of the city and hold it hostage. He doesn't do that so much these days."

"We'll talk about the psychos later." She practically skipped over to him. "I'll walk you through the features and we can come up with your name."

~ ~ ~

AN:
Did I miss any of the Rogues? Let me know.

As for his suit. I see it as a masculine version of the Catwoman from Dark Knight Rises. Could also be the Arkham City Catwoman, just on a guy.

I'm having a hard time finding a picture that captures what I'm picturing.