15153/Red Web

Red Web
Date of Scene:	27 May 2023
Location:	Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Jessica Drew emerges late at night to find cheeseburgers. What she finds is a Martian.
Cast of Characters:	Martian Manhunter, Spider-Woman (Drew)

---

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Darkness falls.

The streets of New York City are illuminated by light. Traffic still beeps and shouts, the city never sleeps and the night life was in full swing, lest it's infamy die in antiquity. With darkness comes what goes bump in the night.

Yet, the night is not without its watchers.

Among them is the Martian Manhunter. The alien watches from on high. Yet, as he flies, black suit and full blue cape shrouding him like a crown of his people. Then he descends lower his feet touching the ground as he walks as if he were man.

And in the night, red eyes gaze at the light of the moon...and what lies beyond it.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Out in the world for what might be only the second or third time since her return to New York, Jessica Drew's made an effort. Sort of, anyway. Instead of her unicorn pants, she's wearing colorful striped yoga pants, ugg boots, and a t-shirt that says 'Every day is cheeseburger day', complete with a picture of said cheeseburger. Her hair has been stuffed up into a beanie, messily, so that some of the black hair spills out the sides. She hasn't bothered with a jacket, so it might be getting cold but she moves with a purpose to keep herself warm.

This is what happens when the new AI in the Avengers Mansion can't make food and times get desperate. Jess actually has to leave the mansion, trying to remember where the nearest 7th street burger joint is. Either it's moved, or she misremembers; instead of giving in to the ease of checking her phone -- mostly because she left hers back in her room -- she heads south towards Greenwich Village.

It's dark, and she gets looks, because she's a lone woman in New York late at night, ill-dressed for the weather. She ignores the looks, just as she ignores the sound of some fisticuffs happening down the street nearby. Maybe it was a mugging turned bad. A bar brawl spilled out onto the street, more likely. It could involve bystanders at any moment, given how enthusiastic the brawlers are.

Still, she ignores it. She's on a mission. High stakes, high reward.

"I want the double stack burger, side of fries." Jess pauses. "Actually, hold the fries. I'll just take two burgers. Yes, /really/." They're right to wonder. There's no an ounce of fat on her. She grimaces at the sound of fists hitting flesh. Annoying, that, even when it's down the street.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Fists strike flesh.

More people getting involved.

A lone woman asking for food.

Martian Manhunter's feet lift off of the ground and Jessica could hear the violence suddenly stop. No screams, no echoes of bodies hitting the floor. The only thing she might hear are their footsteps as they turn to go home.

The mind is fascinating. Fragile, yet unbreakable. Steadfast, yet easily folded. Itvaries from human to human, but to a Martian? Sometimes the mind is able to quickly fix what many deem broken.

A fight ended before it could grow out of control.

A figure steps out from the shadows as green flesh makes way for sun-kissed skin, black dreadlocks that stop at the shoulder and green eyes. Theblack red suit become a black T-shirt with a red hoodie over it, paired with jeans and shoes.

Jessica finds a strange man behind her, calmly waiting in line. "Is The stack burger delicious? Do they add extra spices for the 'stack'?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica's supernaturally sharp hearing is both a blessing and a curse. Well, no. That's not true. It's usually more curse than blessing, but occasionally -- very much so, when she's on a mission, listening for approaching guards or soldiers -- then, and only then is it very useful. Mostly though it's distracting and occasionally debilitating.

Especially when she isn't wearing her suit to help offset any louder or higher pitched tones. A sudden silence, though? That's something else. It makes her frown. It makes her shift her weight on her feet within the very warm ugg boots, hands wrapped around her arms to try and keep herself warm as she waits. Should she...?

And then, for the woman who hears everything, a shock. A voice behind her, where there was definitely no one there a second ago. Jessica's eyes are wide as she turns, there's a moment there J'onn will recognize -- preparation for violence, steeled against anything she might find: an expression that turns comically confused when she sees the man there. She blinks, fingers unclenching from fists. Jessica Drew knows this man. Or at least, she's seen him before -- somewhere. Except she doesn't remember the meetings, not anymore. Just that twinge of recognition as her brain reaches for the corresponding memory, hidden deep and locked away thanks to the witch's careful work, yet to be undone.

Jess stares, the connection is not made, so she wings it. Fake it until you make it: spycraft one-oh-one. "I have been dreaming about this burger for two years. Every day, for two whole years. No, that's a lie. There was one night I dreamed about a different burger. But it's still in the cheeseburger family so it counts."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn's ability to shapeshifter was something remarkable even on earth. On Mars, every last Martian regardless of race or creed was telepathic - thus no one was ever misled when a Martian takes on a different appearance. In fact, it's a common game.

For John Jones, the human guide the Manhunter has worn, his eyes fall on the smaller woman, seeming undid turned about a fight that ended before it could truly take flight and doesn't seem intimidated bg the dangerous warrior before his eyes ready for violence. Instead, his stoic expression remains and he lifts his hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Jessica is an outstandingly beautiful woman who is by herself in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world. J'onn doesn't blame her whatsoever for watching her own back. He even encourages it. He meets her stare. Dark green eyes look at Jess and meet her stare.

"Sounds too long to avoid a burger. Did you go somewhere where you couldn't have a cheeseburger? I know this stand. Best in the entire city. I think it's in they way they batter the meat itself."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"You didn't startle me." Jessica Drew, liar. Granted, a pretty convincing liar, after the fact, but he saw what he saw. Her hands cross over her chest, meeting his stare like it's some kind of contest. She still can't remember who he is. Does he know /her/? He doesn't act like it.

"I was just in a place where they don't believe in burgers. Or happiness. Though I guess the latter by definition infers the former." Jess says it in this weird tone. A kind of morbid humor. For a second or two she practically screams tension and trauma to a telepath of J'onn's skill. But then, not long after, it's gone, shut away. She's no telepath herself; just really, really good at compartmentalizing.

Her hand comes up, quickly, when he talks about preparing the meat. "Don't spoil it for me. I kind of like not knowing how the food gets made, you know? It's not the mystery. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss." Jessica spins when her burgers are called up, and she leans to hand over cash. Cash! Not a card, rare as it is, and she waves off the change. Too busy unwrapping the first burger and immediately biting into it. Her expression is blissful, chewing and swallowing with a long drawn out sigh of satisfaction.

Politeness would dictate that she should offer the man her other burger. She does not. Her t-shirt declares where her allegiances lie when it comes to cheeseburgers.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Eyes drift to the burger, filled with excitement and joy to have a chance to consume such a delicacy! But it never comes. Jessica has gleefully painted the battle lines and certainly this means WAR!

....But other things require his attention.

The tension in her mind was easy to take at the surface level. To witness that she was telling the truth of being in such a state of displeasure (in meaningful capacity) that it left a deep sense of trauma that cried out.

He witnesses her pay with cash instead of card. Suspicious, but not of criminal activity. In this day and age, everything feels digital. He can't remember the last time he paid anything with cash.

Her mind screams. Then just as it arrived, it was gone. Yet she doesn't acknowledge it. She buries it deep where it might never rise again. She enjoys her burger.

"I would like what she is having."

Then to her specifically. Losing so much and suffering so greatly is torment on the mind. He doesn't know if she needs to hear it or not, but he looks at her and chuckles. "I'll keep my suspicions to myself then, so I don't ruin it for you. Ignorance is bliss, yes.." He smiles a little bug it almost seems...unpracticed.

"You have people who care and people who will listen. I am sorry you have suffered so much. No one should have to endure what you have and...I would help you celebrate your return to cheeseburgers, that you claimed your victory over hardship."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew would certainly go to war over a good cheeseburger. This is the kind of thing that starts wars. Smarter minds than hers would have it be interpersonal conflicts, or resources, money, power -- but Jess knows better. Cheeseburgers are life.

Jess might well like to think she guards her mind carefully, but she does not. Ignorance, for her, truly is a form of bliss. She continues eating the first burger. It's messy, juices dripping down her fingers and a little bit over her cheek, but she doesn't seem to care. She eats it with the kind of relish a prisoner might display at their first, flavorful meal after earning their freedom, all her attention given to it. The woman barely seems to notice J'onn ordering his own.

Mostly through the first burger, Jessica's forehead creases before J'onn's words seem to register with her. "What are you-?" the words are slightly muffled, and she swallows her food, squinting at J'onn with the first beginnings of suspicion. She was talking about a non-happy place, but the way he's talking to her makes it sound like he knows more than she's inferred. "What are you talking about?" Most human men know the signs of that kind of look, the lilt of that question. He's about to tread on dangerous ground. Of course the cues are subtle, ones learned and trained over years of experience. Ones an alien might not be aware of. "Who /are/ you?"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"Thank you."

The ingredients already put together. The grill already got and the spices raining down on medium-rare meat. The taste of it in imagination, the melted cheese...

It doesn't take long for J'onn to get his version of the burger. He holds it in his hands, bringing it close to his face as his nostrils start to close, inhaling the scent of the burger and looking satisfied with the results before him. He doesn't bite into it yet, instead turning his eyes to Jessica, the natural investigative mind questioning his nature.

Slowly, slightly, the corners of his mouth tick up in a smile.

"John."

A pause.

"A friend. One who knows a semblance of your pain and one who is not here to offer fear or harm. Instead, to eat a cheeseburger." J'onn chuckles lowly. Dangerous ground indeed. Yet, J'onn seems calm and unconcerned. None of his body language suggests hostile intent.

He takes a bite.

"This is fascinating....Delicious. An explosion of flavor. I've actually never had one of these."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
By nature, Jessica isn't really the suspicious sort. Curious, yes. Suspicious? Not so much. Except a recent two-year stint in a Hydra base has her paranoia dialed up to two hundred percent. The paranoia, though unwelcome, certainly saved her life more than once, and it's a hard habit to turn off.

Her brow furrows at 'John', and deepens at the declaration of 'friend'. "I don't have friends." Not true. Or not exactly. "Certainly not friends who want to headshrink me." No hostile intent is read in the man's manner and yet she still remains on guard. At least until J'onn starts talking about the merits of the cheeseburger, and she kind of blinks a little. People who like cheeseburgers can't be all bad... right? Focus, Jess!

Jess still has a second cheeseburger that's, as she's staring at J'onn, getting cold. That's probably a big part of the reason why she stops talking, focusing instead on unwrapping the second burger. She eats slowly, this time, staying far more aware of her surroundings. He's not wrong about the burger. There's a reason she came all the way from Manhattan for it.

"I'm going to finish this burger," Jessica decides, "And then you're going to tell me how you know me, or things are going to get messy." Some of that sauce drips off a finger and she amends: "Messier. Or you can just spill now and we skip all the violence. I'm on holidays. I'm on break, okay? I don't /want/ to punch anyone in the face, but I will."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Was he HYDRA?

SHIELD?

Unknown. This person was an anomaly. Unlikely to appear in a database with the information he's given her with any kind of accuracy. Either he's that good...or he's lying to her with ruthless finesse. "Headshrink? That sounds crude. Why would I want to shrink your head?" One might think that an angle, yet he seems serious. "Hmm..." He considers it for a moment,considering the threat in question. Wait for it to get messy, to get violent, and expose people here to danger, or speak to her plainly.

"I have no intention to fight with you. One supposes that leaves us with one choice. Your meal should be finished. I fear this will take too long to convey and it will grow cold."

J'onn hums as he takes another bite of his meal. "I hope I have not caused offense. The grammatical functions of the English language is easy to know but difficult to convey the desired meaning, at times."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Oh, I'm going to eat the burger, regardless." Jessica's tone practically yells 'just try and stop me'. She takes a bite like she's making a point, all the while giving an eye-narrowed stare at J'onn. The burger, cooler than the last, is still really, really good. If messy. Fortunately the burger joint has a container of napkins and she grabs a handful, dabbing at her hands and mouth. She bins the napkins and flexes her fingers like she's preparing herself.

Jess has definitely noticed some weirdness about the man in front of her. His inability to understand idioms. His appearance of calmness, rather than amusement or confusion or anger in response to her mood. None of it is normal, that much she knows.

Whether it's intended or not, Jessica takes J'onn's statement that he doesn't want to fight as an indication of conciliation -- and concession. "Talk and eat, buddy. Talk and eat." She gestures as if to say she's listening.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"I understand talking with my mouth full is rude."

It's not even worded like a clap back or snark. But After a moment, he seems to understand her meaning. "I see. It's a habit of mine to not look deeply enough into the metaphors. A deep flaw, one that I attempt not to repeat." Then as he sits there, his eyes start to glow red. "Do not panic."

Then it is as if he was changing before her very eyes into the appearance of the Martian Manhunter: Green skin, his head transforming into something more...alien. With ridges on his head and thin lips. His clothing becomes a black suit with a red X over his chest. His jacket becoming his blue cape.

Yet no one else seems to react to what they're seeing. Most likely, it is due to some kind of telepathy. "My name is J'onn J'onzz of Mars. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you have forgiveness in your heart. The mind is a loud thing that I can read and...your surface thoughts were unmissable"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
When people tell you not to panic, it's usually the precise time you /should/ panic. At least in Jessica's experience. Then again, 'do not panic, we are just going to fuck around in your mind' was a standard Hydra operative response. So it's not exactly the first time, but also Jessica is totally not chill with this kind of introduction. She stares, of course, and there's even a curling of her fist and a slight glow there, one that vanishes with a slight tremble of effort. The woman's aware no one else is reacting. So, illusion? Magic?

Nope, much worse than all that. Telepathy. God, she hates telepathy. "Stay out of my head," she growls.

It's telling that Jessica reacts more strongly to that than his revelation that he's a green-skinned Martian. Not that she /doesn't/ react to that. Just it's like a second down in the priority list of her immediate concerns. Telepaths have messed in her head before. Many times, almost always to her detriment. By default they're just higher on her threat list. "You read me again, I'll blast you back to Mars."

Jessica Drew does not have forgiveness in her heart. And her mind is an open book sadly, probably a lot to do with all that past meddling. This is one of those cases where a little white lie might be better for the situation.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"Apologies."

The illusion fades and it's as if she blinks and he is back as he was intended to be: A young man with sun-kissed skin, black hair, and street clothes. "I have caused you offense. You have experienced harm from mental practices, those that should be forbidden. I sense the scars. I will not search your mind without permission. However, it was the only way to reveal to you the question that you wished to know. Explaining would have taken...long."

A hum.

"I do not know if you can blast me to Mars." He remarks, taking her a bit more literally.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
All right. Problem one down, assuming Jessica takes J'onn's word at face value -- though strangely, she seems apt to do so. She's a well trained spy, taught to read people: and she believes him. She doesn't do anything quite so obvious as an exhale of relief, but she does seem more at ease.

Second problem: an alien from Mars.

Jessica's head tilts. "Are you part of an invasion force? Scouting for the rest of your planet? Black sheep living out a year between graduating and getting real work?" She's playing fair, offering the gamut of 'SHIELD forces on speed dial' versus a diary journal of 'Met an alien today, thankfully he doesn't want to take over the world'.

Then that challenge. Is that a joke, or...? No, he's being literal again. There's a glint in Jessica's eyes. "I'm surprisingly strong. I'd get you out past the gravitational pull of Earth, /at least/." She might be boasting. She might not. She at least seems pretty sure.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Another bite of the burger.

"I am shocked with each bite. Is this normal?" He questions about the burger itself, wondering about the strange meal. Though he tilts his head. "Your comparison is fair, though incorrect. There is no invasion force. Mars has no interest in Earth." he answers plainly, then he seems to ponder for a moment. "I am a Manhunter. It is my duty to protect lives as an elite force. I serve with the Justice League. I am not your enemy. I do not doubt your strength."

"Seeing the earth past the spheres separating layers of life from space is beautiful to witness." He suggests in case she has not seen from an astronaut's perspective. And he promised not to read her mind without permission...which makes understanding the scope of her abilities impossible unless he wishes to experience them firsthand.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"I have no idea. You're an alien. Can you even eat cheeseburgers? I mean, obviously you /can/, but should you?" Jessica is not so much worried about the alien in front of her who seems to be otherwise okay, so much as the effect on the cheeseburger industry. Priorities!

"You're a manhunter? You hunt men?" Given he's been literal about everything else it's not surprising she takes this literally as well. "Like, just randomly?" When J'onn adds he's from the Justice League, Jessica exhales a quick sigh. Who would lie about that, right? "Why didn't you say?" She looks vaguely irritated, but at least not so much /at/ him. "She-Hulk was telling me about them. Though there was something she wouldn't tell me about why you all congregate here. Aliens, I mean." Her head tilts, curiosity plain on her features. No need to read her mind. "Maybe you can share?"

"Hard pass," on the space thing. She looks down. "I'm so not dressed for that." She /is/ just in a t-shirt. Even if she wasn't though she'd likely say no. Heights don't bother her -- she's a Spider -- but leaving the Earth entirely is probably too much of a stretch to her comfort levels right now.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"I must not speak on the matter of our presence here in place of others."

J'onn was honest and stern, yet also loyal. "Each of us have our reasons." J'onn remarks, though she asks if he hunts people randomly. "No. Always with purpose." He answers swiftly, looking at her and tilting his head. "I have heard this one. I read a paper suggesting we were related. Yet no such relation exists. I believe it was superficial in its nature."

"Because at the time it was not necessary." He speaks about the Justice League involvement, a kindness on his face. "You look nice. Is there a dress code for space?" Implying he can survive in space just fine. "Or do you find space a disconcerting concept right now?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
A narrowing of eyes suggests Jessica's suspicious side is kicking in again. There's definitely something there, given at least two people have been super evasive about it now. While she says no more in this moment it doesn't mean she's letting it go. She's no scientist but, "How is it that aliens are always humanoid, like biped, two arms, two eyes, all of that? You can't tell me a third arm wouldn't have been handy at some point on Mars." She is, very possibly, getting distracted from the matter at hand.

Dress code for space? "I mean, I guess you would want boots that are more protective than fluffy." Jess looks down at her ugg boots. "Maybe at least a jacket? And a helmet." Because breathing is important to her. "But you know, if you want to go all, green," she did notice that in his alien form, "You do you. I'm not going to judge." Especially not with her own outfit being so inappropriate to late-night-New York.

Her chin lifts. "I do not find space disconcerting," Jessica lies convincingly.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"This is not my real form. My true one is horrifying to humans. Martians can shapeshifter and achieve any form we desire so long as it is within my mass to do so." J'onn admits. "We do have the ability to produce additional appendages as necessary." He smiles faintly.

"Hm." He remarks when she convincingly lies. He doesn't read her mind, but he simply believes as she speaks for. "Breathing is important. Too easy to forget to breathe. Though now I understating we are engaging in comraderie. Are you normally a night eater?" He asks her, as if genuinely interested to learn more about her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica's mouth opens, and then shuts. It takes her a second or two to process his answer on his real form. "Definitely hard pass on /that/ then. I've got a sufficiently impressive collection of horrors in my head, I don't need any new nightmare fuel." She stays well away from the comment about additional appendages. She's pretty sure he didn't intend that to be an innuendo. He seems far too literal for that.

Then he makes it weird. Jess sighs. "Look. I get you're an alien. People don't actually comment on things like engaging in a camaraderie? Just-" she tries for some kind of life advice, and fails. She's honestly just not that much better at this stuff. "-you should talk to people who are good at this." Talking to people? She seems to have /that/ down fine. She must mean something else, though she doesn't specify.

"I'm not- I'm on holidays. Okay? I can eat whatever, whenever." And woe betide anyone who says otherwise, to judge by the steely eyed warning look Jessica gives J'onn. It might be a little ruined by the shiver she gives a moment later. "Annnd that's my cue." She turns with the intention of just walking away. No wave, no goodbye, none of the normal human cues to indicate the end of an interaction.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
No Innuendo was likely intended. While J'onn surprisingly enjoys dirty jokes, he tends comfortability with another person beforehand. He might fluster if she mentioned if however.

"I would agree. Past interactions have proven that to be a true statement, much to my own chagrin. But that which is not understood is easily feared." He suggests, a frown touching his face. "But, I suppose I am the visitor and should hold a respect such as not to cause any unnecessary problems." He tilts his head.

"You seem to be good at speaking." He suggests, and she suggests that she can eat wherever and whenever she wishes. "Of course. I merely wish to learn your habits and perhaps reveal some of mine."

Tgen she calls her cue and turns to leave. "Farewell."

And if she turns around? He's gone. As if he had never been there at all.