Chapter 44 - [BT] Non Profit Organisation.

[Before Transition]

It's been a few days since I met Johnny and visited the Parkers at the hospital and I've not had much to do since, I still try to research but I'm not really getting anywhere and I won't until I gain access to Reed Richards files in the Baxter Building so I'm not left with much to do except for meeting Johnny in the mornings to work on my car and the occasional visit from Mary Jane to take me to some leisure activity. I've actually gone to the garage a few times since I've met Johnny and we have been working on my car 'Chantelle' and I'm actually enjoying it, me and Johnny are starting to get along with each other and it won't be long till we're hanging out together in the Baxter Building where I will be taking quite a few toilet breaks(definitely not snooping around and trying to read confidential files, no not me).

There have so far been two times where me and Johnny would be working on the car and he would have to 'Flame On' early and go on some heroic adventure or something which I don't really mind except for the fact that it means less time for me and him to develop our friendship, we mostly just focus on fixing the car but we also talk about different motor vehicles and I've asked him about some of his heroic exploits so we're getting there but I don't know how long it might take. Right now in fact we've managed to work from 9 in the morning till 2 which is a bit longer than what we usually manage and we have neglected to realise just what that means for our diet, so right now we are going to get some food and fill our stomachs.

"So, why are we walking so far again?" I ask as we walk along the sidewalk to destinations Unknown, well Johnny knows but I don't. "I told you, we're going to get the best hot dogs in New York!" He exclaims with a fist in the air but I just ignore him, these super types like to do a lot of posturing and it's a bit weird but you get used to it. "I get that, I just don't understand we have to walk so far to get it." I say and it's true, when we first began to walk it wasn't that hungry yet but we've walked quite a few blocks now and my hunger is growing.

Johnny frowns. "Well excuse me, I usually turn on the flame and get there in a few minutes! It's not my fault that I'm stuck with you and your ordinary a.s.s goes the speed of a crippled snail!" He shouts in frustration, it's not my fault that I have to slow down to his walking speed because if I was by myself with no one around I could go so much faster. "Hey man, I'll have you know that I am solid rock and I don't have to set myself on fire to kick a.s.s so watch your words or you'll be getting extinguished!" I playfully say.

Johnny begins to laugh out loud and points his finger at me. "You, kick my ass? Ha I'd like to see you try, you could probably be a better superhero than me as well right." He guffaws. "What's your super hero name going to be? No no, wait let me guess.. Mr Civilian or.. Or Sir Pedestrian, how about Damsel because you're always going to need rescuing?" He begins to spout various names that are ordinary themed except for the damsel one which I must say is quite clever for Johnny.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up, at least I'm not named after a lighting device. All you're good for is providing a little light for real superheroes, I mean you're practically a discount glow stick. You're named after a torch which is way too outdated, You could've named yourself something cool like The Red Inferno, Firestorm or Smoulder and not something lame like The Human Torch. It sounds like some maniac just set fire to you and proclaimed you a human torch, so not a cool name." I tell him and he doesn't have a response except some mumbles under his breath about why he didn't think of those cool names.

We continue to walk for a while in silence but not a comfortable silence and equally not a awkward one, it's somewhere in between which I can say is some great progress to say we only met less than a week ago. Eventually I stop though because I saw something interesting in a newsstand on the side of the street, I quickly pick up the newspaper, The Daily Bugle to be specific, and pay the owner of the stall for it. I can't wait to read this as it looks quite interesting to say the least.

I continue to walk reading the newspaper while lagging a bit behind Johnny, upon the front page is the title 'Spider Menace Ruins Rocket Launch For Astronaut John Jameson!' Which is definitely an eye catching title. I begin to read through the article and digest it all, looking through all the bias in the report is quite difficult but I managed to find out a few facts that haven't been tainted by the mind of one J. Jonah. Jameson. It turns out the rocket launch had been sabotaged by someone and Spider-Man took it upon himself to climb on to the rocket and break out the astronaut(John Jameson(coincidently the son of J.J.J but surely that wouldn't result in any bias in the newspaper) and brought him safely back to the ground by weaving a web parachute.

"Hey, I know that guy." I hear Johnny say over my shoulder, I didn't notice him as I was absorbed in to reading the article. "You do?" I question in confusion, this is Spider-Man's debut to the superhero scene so how has Johnny already met him. "Yeah he snuck into the Baxter Building through an open window but we managed to trap him in a plexiglass cage though he managed to escape from it, he tussled with me and the rest of the FF for a while before he left calling is 'Pickers' whatever that means." Jonny replies nonchalantly.

"What was he even doing there though?" I am honestly quite confused why Peter was there. "He was trying to get a job, wanted to join the Fantastic Four and make it into the Fantastic Five. At least he did before he found out it was a non profit organisation, then he just skedaddled on out of there and we couldn't stop him, it's like the guy knew what we would do before we even did it." That would be the spider sense, speaking of which mine is beginning to tingle like crazy!

We are currently at a junction in the street and the ground begins to rumble and shake like crazy, it like there is an earthquake going off and the ground is beginning to crack and split up. People begin to panic and stumble everywhere, I manage to catch myself on a street light before I fall like so many of the other people on the street and I look towards the middle of the street which is beginning to crack and crumble more so than any other part of the road.

Rising out of that cracks is some little ugly deformed midget that is dressed in brown robes, did I mention that he's ugly and not just ugly but b.u.t.t ugly. "Oh shit, it's The Mole Man!" Johnny shouts in recognition.

"The f.u.c.k is a mole man?"

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<AN> I now have a Pa treon up and running and when a chapter is ready it will go up on Pa treon first so please take a look. Some support from you guys would be appreciated and motivate me.

(pa treon.com/GutsyRipper)

A special thank you to my patrons Tim Brown, Stormrall, Leonidas Simon and Turtle. Thank you for the support.