Chapter 111: 106 Another Encounter Part Four

The morning brought another excellent breakfast with who were becoming my regular meal companions, May, Jubadi, and Shuri. Instead of logging off, Shuri decided to join us for the morning's activity. Ice skating. Neither she nor Jubadi had ever seen it before, except in videos posted on the internet or shown on the television.

Of course, we needed to make a quick stop at Stark Tower for me to construct sets of boot coverings that could deploy small spikes for walking in slippery conditions and to form a blade to skate on. It barely took me ten minutes to make them and the first thing May said was that we should add it to Parker Industries as an item for sale.

I tried to explain that it was proprietary technology and that we couldn't let everyone have it. That would cheapen the value of it and also let the compression technology out into the wide world. Everyone would steal it and they could use it for nefarious purposes, despite my hardwired programming.

“But, it's so useful!” May exclaimed and hit the button on the side of her boot to deploy the spikes.

“Yes, it is.” I said and hit Jubadi's for the spikes as well. I left mine off, because if I used the spikes, my foot would be too far away from the ground for my powers to work. “That's also why we can't sell it.”

May huffed. “All right. I'll just have to settle for that VR program going on sale in a couple of days.”

I chuckled and led her and Jubadi back to the elevator. “I've already had Jarvis dedicate a few of his backup processors to compile more video for it that Candi filmed for us.”

May gave me a pointed look. “I still think we didn't actually hire her.”

I laughed. “We couldn't deny that sales pitch, May.”

May smiled and took my arm as the elevator arrived. “At least you were smart to have her be a spokesmodel for us while also going to each of New York's tourist attractions to film for the virtual tours.”

We stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor.

“She only agreed to that because I promised her an all expenses paid trip around the world to do the same thing with all of the other tourist attractions in each major city.” I said.

“You're already going international with it?” May asked, surprised.

“With the expansions, yes.” I said and the elevator doors opened. “Paris first, including the Louvre Museum and a few other places, then she's going to Rome.”

May shook her head as we left the building. “And we're paying her for this?”

“Quite well, actually.” I said and waved for a taxi. “She's actually really good at sales and getting people's attention. Now that we're partners with both Stark Industries and Pym Technologies, our sales catalogue has grown to a ridiculous size and I haven't started working on the action figures yet.”

A cab pulled over and we climbed inside.

“Central Park, please.” I said and handed him a twenty dollar bill.

“You got it.” The cabbie said and pulled away. He didn't bother turning on the meter.

“Why don't we contract that out to another toy company?” May asked me.

“Two reasons. One, the companies I've checked aren't equipped to handle the manufacturing side. Two, I want to add a lot of articulation and make sure they are sturdy enough to not break when played with. That's going to change the manufacturing process a lot.”

“Why can't you use straight arms and legs on the figures?”

“I could and it would cut down on costs.” I said and smiled. “I don't want people to look at them and think, that's really simple. I want them to look at them and think, holy crap! That looks awesome!”

May softly laughed and nodded. “I don't know how you're going to do that, do your normal homework, study those extra course books, work at your job in the evenings, and still have time to sleep.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. “I also have to occasionally travel to California every second weekend to work on Hank's project.”

May's hand took mine. “You're doing too much, Ben.”

“I know.” I said and then leaned in to kiss her cheek. “It's still not going to stop me from taking care of you.”

May blushed a little and leaned her head against me. “Matt called me yesterday and he found a good place near where his office is for the clinic and homeless shelter.”

“Let me guess. It's been abandoned for a while, needs a lot of work, and has gang tags all over it.”

May gave me a surprised look. “How did you know that?”

I chuckled. “That's how things like this go.”

“What do you mean?” May asked.

“I probably shouldn't tell you this part.” I said and she smacked my arm. “We're going to have problems with the zoning first. Then we'll have problems with the permits for the clinic and the shelter. After that, we're going to have the health and safety inspectors all over the place, because we intend to provide food and temporary living space for the homeless.”

May frowned at me. “Why will it be so hard to get things going? We're trying to help people!”

“Because we're not paying bribes to the city council members that run those departments or to the mob bosses that own those council members.” I said and she looked shocked. “Not to mention the gangs will be visiting regularly to shake us down for protection money, even though they know it's a non-profit organization.”

“Oh... oh, god.” May whispered.

I gave her hand a squeeze. “It's all right. I'll have it handled by next week.”

“What? How?” May asked as the cab came to a stop. We climbed out and it drove away.

“I know some people in high places. A word here... a favor granted there...” I said and wagged my eyebrows at her.

May huffed and shook her head. “You better not be doing things like that.”

I chuckled and led her and Jubadi over to the stands where a few people were already putting on their skates. “I meant professional favors. Nothing dirty.”

May gave me a skeptical look. “Do I need to ask you to prove it?”

I laughed and handed Shuri's phone to Jubadi. I took out mine and called Jarvis. “Jarvis, old buddy, old pal.”

Jarvis played a laugh track. “I have a feeling you are not coming in this afternoon, Ben.”

“Don't worry! I'll be there, assuming they included the right parts for the initial assembly.” I said. “I just wanted to know how well it's going with tracking all of Fisk's old contacts.”

“Surprisingly well.” Jarvis said. “I will have a comprehensive list ready by tonight.”

“Excellent, my friend. Thanks for working so hard on this for me.” I praised him. “I'll be sure to pass it on to the relevant departments and they'll handle the rest.”

“I am glad you are so diligent. That will be quite useful as you work on such delicate electronics.” Jarvis said. “Here are the modifications and the parts list. Let me know if there is anything else you need.”

“Thanks, buddy. See you later.” I said and my phone beeped with the information. I put my phone in my pocket and saw May, Jubadi, and Shuri staring at me. “What?”

“Are you planning on taking out a mob boss and their mob family?” Shuri asked from her phone.

“No.” I said and grinned at her. “I'm planning on taking out all of them, their families, and wrecking their operations.”

“B-Ben, you... you're crazy.” May whispered. “There's no way...”

“I told you not to worry about it.” I said and bent down to hit the button on her boots to change the spikes to a skate blade. “Just know that I won't be personally involved in any of it. I'm just going to get the ball rolling, as the old saying goes.”

May just stared at me and didn't respond.

I changed my own skates and had Jubadi sit down and set the phone down on her lap, so Shuri could watch. “Come on, May! Let's go skate!”

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May sighed and took my hand. I led her over to the oversized ice rink and carefully stepped on, then helped her on as well. I gave her a huge smile and then shifted my weight from side to side and started to skate backwards as I let her hand go.

“How are you doing that?” May asked, surprised.

“It's basic physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I said and swung my foot around and turned, then wiggled my butt and skated back over to her. I did the same move and came to a stop right in front of May. I held a hand out to her and grinned.

“Show off.” May said and took my hand.

I carefully led her out onto the ice and she looked a little unsteady. “Don't worry, May. I've got you.” I said and smiled warmly at her. “Even if you fall, I'll never let you hit the ice.”

May smiled warmly back and nodded.

*

Jubadi and Shuri stared as Ben and his aunt skated on frozen water. They did a few moves, like spinning around each other, skating on one foot, and Ben taught her the backwards trick. It was both weird and amazing to see.

The people were so different from them, and it wasn't just because they were from a different culture. Their attitudes, their outlook, and even decision making were almost fundamentally different. Of course, their sample size was fairly small and they knew that they shouldn't judge all westerners upon the few that they had witnessed personally.

Even so, the short time they had spent with Ben had given them a view into another people's lives that was similar in some respects and completely different in others. They still ate, they still slept, and they loved each other... and that was the same for everyone on the planet, no matter where they were from.

*

The rink started to get crowded an hour later and May stopped to take a break. She had laughed a lot and enjoyed it a lot more than she thought she would, and she knew that was because of the young man that made sure to keep her safe while she made a fool of herself on the ice. That made her laugh a bit more and she sat beside Jubadi as Ben went back out onto the ice.

May watched as he skated around the edge and then he slowed down near a young girl that looked to be struggling. She saw him kneel with one knee on the ice and then he spun like a top before he flopped down onto his face and slid to a stop right in front of the girl. Her unrestrained laughter could be heard all the way across the ice and quite a few people looked over to watch.

Ben picked himself up and pretended like nothing happened, even though there was frost on his face and clothes. This made the girl giggle and he offered to teach her a few things. The girl looked unsure, so he asked her something and she pointed. He nodded and skated quickly through a bunch of people as he easily avoided them, and stopped in front of a mother holding a toddler.

They had a quick conversation and the woman nodded. Ben gave her a bow and then did the skating backwards trick to surprise the woman. That wasn't the shocking part, though. It was that he still avoided everyone skating by and turned around just before he reached the little girl. He knelt on the ice and talked to her again, and they both looked over to see the mother wave.

The girl waved back and then held the hand out to Ben. He took it and started talking to her, making her nod several times, then he took her other hand and started skating backwards slowly. The girl had a little trouble keeping up at first because she kept trying to take steps. Ben kept encouraging her and giving her tips, and eventually, she started to actually skate without lifting her feet.

When she had that down, Ben showed her how to properly take steps while skating and the girl beamed a smile at him as they both glided across the ice, with Ben going backwards and her going forwards. The pair had gained a lot of attention as they made their way all around the rink before Ben brought the girl back to her mother.

May could almost hear the mother thanking him for teaching her daughter to skate. That's so like Ben. She thought and watched as he bowed to the mother, then bowed to the girl, and he started skating normally again. He was almost immediately joined by a young woman that was about his age. She wore tights and a skater's skirt, like the ones they wore during competitions, and she and Ben were talking a lot.

Ben held a hand out to her and she looked surprised by the offer, then the skater had a determined look on her face. She clapped her hand into his hand fairly hard and Ben gave her a huge smile... and then he whipped her around into a spin with a hand and pulled her in close, then he picked her up and held her.

The young woman seemed to automatically take the right pose and spread her arms out and arched her back while Ben skated in a circle for her, then she spun and rolled down into his arms before he put her down. The two of them skated in tandem and everyone seemed to get out of their way as they sped up.

Everyone stared as Ben took her hand and lifted her as he spun her in the air. The young woman spun three times before she landed on a single skate and kicked her leg out backwards while she leaned forward to keep her balance as she spread her arms out to the sides. She turned in a circle and Ben easily let her leg just miss him and he grabbed her waist to lift her and rested her back on top of his head.

They spun in place several times and the young woman rolled down Ben's arms again and he set her down. When her skates hit the ice, Ben hugged her to his side and the two of them skated backwards together. They did several turns and she did a pirouette before she caught his hand and pulled herself back in close as they came to a stop.

The show was over and everyone started to applaud. It was very loud in the quiet rink and it didn't get the young woman's attention. She just stared into Ben's eyes with a look of shock on her face and Ben stared back with a smirk on his. She said something as she moved back a little and Ben said something back. She squinted her eyes at him and said something else.

Ben waved over at May and the young woman turned to look. She kicked off and skated right over to them and slid to a stop right in front of where May sat.

“Is it true?” The young woman asked and looked into the cell phone's camera at Shuri. “Ben is betrothed to you?”

“Yes.” Shuri said. “We are to be married in four years if no other suitable husband can be found.”

The young woman took a breath and sighed. “I've been looking for a partner for months and he's the first person I've met that could read my movements and guess what I was going to do next.”

“He's not a professional skater.” May argued.

“I am in singles.” She admitted. “I've topped out in that and I can't do the more elaborate moves without a partner.” She looked at Ben. “You've got a great body and you had no troubles handling my momentum on the ice and in the air. That's really rare.”

“I can't compete, not even on the amateur circuit.” Ben told her.

“Why not?” The young woman asked.

“I was in a lab accident last November and I still have traces of radiation poisoning in my blood.”

Shuri gasped, Jubadi frowned, the young woman covered her mouth, and May sighed.

“There's no way I'll pass any drug inspections or blood tests.” Ben admitted.

The young woman looked determined. “I'm sure if we explain...”

“As far as I know, there can be no foreign substances present. They can be classed as an enhancement, even if it is radiation, because they will assume I'm being treated for it and they would be right in assuming so.”

The young woman gave Ben a glare as she put her hands on her hips. “I really wanted it to be you!”

Ben nodded. “It could have been fun.”

She lost the glare and sighed as her arms dropped to her sides. “I don't know what I'm going to do.”

“You can still skate for the fun of it.” Ben offered.

“Excuse me?” She asked, surprised.

Ben motioned around at the crowd. “They all enjoyed seeing your impromptu exhibition display. It wasn't regulated or monitored by the sport authorities or whatever people do that kind of thing for sports.” He said and smiled at her. “You could set up a sponsored event or something, invite your friends, and have a nice and friendly time of showing off and having fun. You could sell tickets and raise money for charity or split it with everyone that participates.”

“You... you can't be serious.” She whispered. “We would need a venue and...”

“I'm sure the free to skate on rink we're standing on would be a great place to have a fundraising event.” Ben said and nodded to May. “I'm sure we can make this the second thing Parker Incorporated gets involved in. It could bring us a lot of positive attention, too.”

May had to smile at that. “I'm sure we can work something out, especially if you're going to be one of the main attractions.”

“Wh-what?” Ben asked.

“Oh, yes! Your new friend desperately needs a partner to show off her skills and you so graciously offered to help her organize an entire event.” May said with a gleam in her eyes. “Why don't you introduce her to us?”

Ben opened his mouth to tell them he didn't know her name and the young woman held a hand out to May.

“I'm Kate Bishop of the New York Bishops.” The young woman said and shook May's hand before she turned to Ben. “And you are?”

“Someone that needs to find more time somewhere in order to cash the checks my tongue writes.” Ben said and shook her hand. “I'm Ben Parker of the New York Parkers.”

“It's nice to meet you.” Kate smiled, because she somehow knew that he was just copying her form of address and wasn't making fun of her. “I hope you're ready for bright and early morning training sessions before school.”

“Oh, look. I just found more time.” Ben grumbled.

May laughed and waved at the rink. “Go have fun and show us some of those fancy moves that only pairs can do.”

Kate gave Ben a questioning look and held a hand out to him. He smiled at her and took the hand as she started to tell him what she wanted to do. They skated over to the middle of the rink and Ben nodded his head several times.

The next part of the improvised skating show happened and everyone applauded when it was over.

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