A/N: Compared to how long my other stuff's been blocked, this practically wrote itself. Originally, I meant for this to be a onehot, but before I knew it, it was almost ten thousand words! So, I split it into three parts. The next two parts I am still editing, but this should be good! So, here it is, a day in the limelight! Fifteen minutes of fame for our favorite spastic gamer, playful hacker, and all around lovable guy: our very own TijuanaGenius, Spinner Cortez! Part one of three!

Sherman growled in frustration, unable to stand his brother's presence any longer. "I can't take it anymore! Spinner, please go find something to do. I don't care what, I don't care where! I'm trying to get some work done, so just-just go be somewhere else!"

"All right, jeez, I know when I'm not wanted!" the playful hacker shouted. "See if I even come back this time!"

"EMO!" Sherman accused.

Spinner stormed off in a huff, leaving the hub behind him; some people had no sense of humor. Okay, so maybe he could be a little obnoxious at times, and maybe his pranks occasionally caused some destruction, but there were numerous ways in which he could be worse. Sherman just did not appreciate the lengths to which his brother went for laughs! Spinner worked really hard to keep the team in high spirits—he was not of much other use in battle or in the lab and he knew it, so why bother trying? The best he could do was be the classic comic relief. He had to keep his friends happy and entertained or the stress and angst of their war would get to them—or worse, they would notice how useless he was and get rid of him.

This was patently ridiculous, of course. Vert, Sherman, AJ, Zoom, Agura, Stanford, and maybe even Tezz would give their lives for Spinner. The Battle Force 5 was an extended family and would always look out for each other. But sometimes, just sometimes, Spinner's malicious pranks and bad jokes got excessive enough that even AJ's saint-like patience wore thin. They all loved the little guy but there was only so much they could take!

It had never been easy for Spinner Cortez. He may have been the older brother, but he was never the favorite. He was short and spindly, weak and quirky. His excessive energy drove everyone nuts. He had lied to himself for years that it would all change for the better when he at long last hit his final growth spurt, but deep down he knew he would never be strong and handsome like Sherman.

He would always be small and funny looking. He would always be pathetic and weak and a liability to the team. His abilities were too specialized to make him as useful as everyone else. Spinner bitterly mused that he was essentially there to keep Sherman company and could not even do that right.

What the elder Cortez needed was time to himself, away from all those bad feelings. Spinner needed to get away from the hub and get some fresh air. After a quick stop at Zeke's for a milkshake, Spinner headed towards Totem Corners.

The shops in Totem Corners were kitschy but cozy, and the neighborhood absolutely sang "family." What residential homes there were on those blocks were brightly colored houses built in the style of gold-rush era housing. Spinner could imagine an old-timey general store and a saloon with cowboys wandering down the dusty road in the afternoon sun. But here and now, this was the…well, arts district was not the best term, though that was close. There were gift shops and services, and in a bigger city, the neighborhood would be larger, would probably be called some variant of "The Village," and there would probably be a lot of ethnic minorities, mixed marriages, hippies and homosexuals coexisting in a loving and caring environment. As it was, deep in the south in a blue-collar small town, there were more people of apparently Mexican descent, which made the elder Cortez feel a little less lonely, and some nerdy-looking college types bandying about.

Spinner checked the time: he still had six hours before the September sun went down and he planned to spend all of them in Totem Corners. He figured the best place to start would be the heart of the neighborhood, so he went to the core shops where Totem Avenue met Center Road.

Looking around the crossroads, Spinner decided he would not bother with Wise Raven Occult Books & Supplies until much later, if at all, and that he would put off a visit to Jackalope Sports for as long as possible. What really interested Spinner was the storefront done up in blue and silver, Dragon's Wing Gaming. The small child running around with an elven cloak over his Hawaiian shirt, yelling to himself about a dark wizard and lightning bolts, was all Spinner needed to pluck up his courage. That little kid showcased his weirdness without fear. If he were to find comfort anywhere, this would be the place.

Spinner oftentimes got nervous going to new places, and now was one of those times. Usually he had his brother to comfort him; the silent threat of the gentle giant to keep potential threats at bay. Spinner shook his head. No, he had to be more independent! He had to get used to taking care of himself so he would be less of a liability to the people he cared about. It was time for him to grow up. All he had to do was step across the threshold…

"But the party's still unbalanced," he heard a deep voice complain.

"I…DON'T…CARE!" a tall, thin man squawked at his burly companion, his nasally voice inexplicably tainted with the sounds of Brooklyn. "We can't let that asshat back in! He drives me CRAZY!"

"Lloyd's scared away everyone else. Who are we going to get to take his place?"

"Anyone'd be better than him," the skinny fellow insisted. "You! Hey, you!"

Spinner backpedaled towards the store, looking around frantically. "Who, me?" he asked dumbly, pointing to himself.

"I don't see nobody else here, so I must be talkin' to you," the thin guy said aggressively. "How much you know about Dungeons & Dragons?"

"Th-the roleplaying game? Uh, I, um, why do you ask?"

"Would you stop that? Look, now you scared him, idiot." The big guy lightly punched his friend in the arm. "You'll have to excuse Tag; he's…excitable. I'm Bink, by the way."

He shook the offered hand, still wary, despite the strong, broad young man's apparent pleasantness. "Lemme guess; weird childhood nicknames you never got rid of?"

The thin guy—Tag, apparently—scowled. "You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. Spinner Cortez, nice to meet you."

"Spinner? Really?" Tag chuckled. "Suddenly, it's nice to meet you, too."

Tag and Bink smiled warmly and there were handshakes all around.

"Can I spot 'em or can I spot 'em? He's one of us!"

Spinner looked at Tag questioningly. "One of what now?"

"The nerd herd, clearly. I mean, you were just about to walk into the Dragon's Wing, right?"

"Spinner, I would like to make you a proposition," Bink asked, that same calm, observant expression on his face. "Tag and I are involved in a longstanding DND campaign that we would like to see through to its conclusion. The problem is that one of the guys we brought in a few months back was the ultimate douchebag—narcissistic, controlling, whiny, not enough personality to fill a paper bag but still enough of an asshole to think he's the boss."

"Yeah, and ugly to boot!" Tag added.

"And worst of all, he tried to play a lawful good Drow."

"Well, that's pretty popular right now with the Dr'zzzt books," Spinner contended.

"Without writing a backstory beyond 'He is totally awesome,'" Bink amended.

"The arrogant fiend!"

Tag grinned excitedly. "Exactly! That's why we voted Lloyd out, and the dungeon master was glad to get rid of him! But now we're one guy short, see, and Lloyd's bullied and annoyed anyone who would play with us into staying away."

"Would you like to play with us, Spinner?" Bink asked. "You'd be doing us a big favor."

Spinner stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I dunno. I've got limited experience with tabletop rpgs. Usually I focus on video games… It could be an opportunity to make new friends, though. How often do you guys meet?"

Tag and Bink quickly gave Spinner the rundown: their group met in the open gaming area at Dragon's Wing Gaming every other Sunday night at seven-thirty, and tonight was one of those nights. Game sessions were run in DND 3.5 with some Pathfinder rules and few rules from earlier editions mashed in that made for an intuitive and entertaining set of house rules. Sessions typically ran until eleven, though they had accidentally stayed up until two a couple of times. The guy who owned the game shop was the DM, and he occasionally allowed his young son to help with villains and obstacles; his son was apparently the weird little kid in the cape Spinner had seen earlier. Tag played a wiry Human Barbarian, all speed and rage. Bink's character was a Dwarven Ranger, which was unusual, but his backstory was amazingly detailed and the DM had allowed it. Unfortunately, this seeming lenience on character creation had led to Lloyd showing his true colors, i.e. his attempt at a lawful good Drow Paladin of Pelor…a dark elf knight of a sun god. Aside from Tag and Bink, there were still two other players: the DM's wife, who owned the comic book store, dropped in from time to time when they needed an Elven Sorceress for backup, but this was infrequent and only when the planned adventure required more magic; and Tag and Bink's friend who played a Halfling Rogue, but their friend was a steady party member who never missed a game.

Spinner hummed. "With a ranger to cover us in the woods, and since he's a dwarf, in dungeons, a rogue to open doors and a barbarian to—well, no offense, Tag, but a barbarian to do stupid shit—"

"Oh, none taken. I specialize in stupid shit!" Tag chirped enthusiastically.

"You guys sound pretty much covered to me."

"Except for our lack of a serious healer. We need a cleric in a bad way." Bink's features were grim. "You don't have to decide right away, but pop by Dragon's Wing around seven to see if Strider's given the go ahead. He's pretty wary about new people after Lloyd, so we're going to need some time to butter him up. You might want to avoid the shop for a while."

Spinner sighed. "Aww, but that's over five hours away. I wanted to check out the game store now…"

"We'll give you a guided tour when you get back," Bink promised.

"There's always Coyote Comics," Tag called over his shoulder. "See ya 'round, buddy!"

Spinner watched his new acquaintances disappear into the game shop. Sure, he had an invitation to hang out this evening, maybe, but what was he supposed to do until then? Well, Tag had suggested the comic book store, and that did seem like an equally fun place to be for a geek like him.

Spinner loved video games, it was true. But under his bed was a catalogued and well organized collection of some of the best adventures of his preferred fictional heroes. He had all the greats; Batman, the X-Men—even a little Wonder Woman here and there, though he would be unwilling to admit to that. By far, however, his absolute favorite was Spider-Man. Spinner was always anxious to see what the wisecracking Peter Parker was getting up to.

The inside of Coyote Comics was cozy, the high shelves behind the counter lined with action figures. The carpet was the same shade of green…and texture…as Oscar the Grouch's fur, the walls were paneled in a dark wood, and every inch of the locked glass display case was filled with old-school Star Trek phasers and more action figures. Spinner even spotted an impressive looking Klingon Bat'leth on the wall.

'Sherman would love this place,' he thought, then shook his head and frowned. Of course, Spinner felt silly for snapping at his little brother earlier, but Sherman was probably still mad at him. He figured he should probably give him some time to cool off.

As he was browsing the collection, Spinner noticed a distinctive character featured prominently on the covers of several issues on the shelf; there was apparently a new Vlador's Quest miniseries ongoing from IDK Entertainment. Sherman was a huge fan of Vlador's Quest and loved watching reruns of the show, as well as watching the original British version now that Stanford had alerted him to it. Maybe if Spinner got the comics for him he would not be as upset with him! Spinner snatched up the three issues that were currently on the shelf and headed for the front desk. He had barely been there for fifteen minutes, but he only had #1, #3 and #4. He wanted to know if any other parts were available and figured the woman at the front desk would know.

Of course, that day being unusual as it was, Spinner's ears were soon turning red at the conversation he inadvertently eavesdropped on.

"I've said it before and I'm not afraid to say it again!" she shouted in the second New York accent he had heard that day. Her wild hair swung about her head, curls and waves flaring like a wolf raising its hackles. "If Gene Roddenberry felt that Kirk and Spock are 'just friends' then why would he take all that trouble and create the Vulcan word T'hy'la to mean friend/brother/lover? Being the intelligent and open minded man he was, Roddenberry must have intended for them to be in a relationship but unable to be open about it due to the censors. Otherwise, he was smart enough to allow the fans to choose which meaning was best suited to their own interpretation!"

Zeke from the diner glared back at the feisty brunette, raising his own voice in protest. "Girl, you need to keep your mind out of the gutter! James Tiberius Kirk was a lover of many different beings, but none of them were male! He and Spock were closer than friends, but what you're suggestin' is just ridiculous!"

"I'm not pulling things out of my ass to make this exist, Zeke. There's enough empirical evidence to suggest a romantic relationship. If Roddenberry didn't mean for them to be lovers he coulda just denied it, but instead he danced around it in his little dance of ultimate vagueness! Therefore I must conclude wholeheartedly that Kirk and Spock share a forbidden love that dare not speak its Spork-y name!"

Zeke looked as if he were about to shout at her some more, but suddenly decided against it. The old man raised his hands in a placating gesture. "You're crazy. Why do I even bother arguing?"

"Because you love me like a daughter and enjoy our spirited debates?" she asked, making puppy-dog eyes at him. "And because I have an original printing of Detective Comics #5 that you want to get your hands on?"

"That too," he said. Zeke smiled and shook his head. "Same time Wednesday, Lupita?"

"Same as every week, Zeke!"

The pretty brunette who was indeed called Lupita, according to her name tag, waved goodbye to the old man, then gestured for Spinner to approach the counter. Her over-excited energy calmed somewhat, though she watched him with collie-like attention and a friendly smile. "How can I help you, sweetie?" she asked, tilting her head like an inquisitive hound.

"Um, do you have issue #2 of Vlador's Quest?"

"I'm sorry, hon, I just sold the last copy."

"Oh. Okay…"

"But they'll be sending the next printing with a new variant cover on Wednesday, as well as the first printing of the next issue!" she happily yapped, flashing her teeth at Spinner.

"Oh!" he enthused. "Oh, that's awesome! I'll totally be here. That is, umm, if you'll be here? What time are you open that day?"

"Coyote Comics will be opening at eleven in the morning on Wednesday and close at seven in the evening, same as every other day. However, what makes Wednesday more special is that is indeed new comic book day! Oh, fraptious day, calloo-calliegh, rapture! Is there any day more glorious than new comic book day? I ASK YOU!"

"Uh, n-no, no day more glorious. You're absolutely right." Spinner looked around shiftily, momentarily concerned by the shopkeeper's outburst. He continued shopping for a while, finally settling on a team-up involving Spider-Man and some chick named Squirrel Girl that looked completely hilarious. Of course, for Sherman, he still grabbed the three issues of Vlador's Quest in the hopes it would make a decent apology present. Finally, the spastic gamer returned to the counter, ready to go.

"So, Tag and Bink say you're married to the dude who owns the gameshop?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling dreamily. "Strider's the greatest. You see that Bat'leth on the wall?"

Spinner examined the wickedly sharp exotic weapon mounted behind her and nodded.

"He hand forged it himself as an engagement gift."

"You sound like you really love him."

"Wouldna had his kid if I didn't." She sighed. "Oh, you wouldn't expect someone so strong and handsome to be such a colossal geek, but of course I hit the jackpot. Ye gods and furry creatures, he's perfect and he's mine."

Spinner smiled wistfully. It was so nice to see a happy couple when his own life was so full of violence and strife. It gave him hope. "I'm not from around here, so I could be wrong, but that accent of yours doesn't sound native."

"Strider and me moved down here from Buffalo, New York."

"You like it here?"

"Oh, yeah! Handler's Corners is so quiet and safe!"

Spinner smirked at the ridiculousness of this statement, knowing the peril the town was put in with every storm shock that opened. Lupita, for her part, took no notice.

"Good school system, too. Great place to raise our munchkin. What about you, uh…?"

"Spinner," he said, shaking her hand. "I like Handler's Corners, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I really miss Albuquerque."

"Oh, no kiddin? My Ma's from Albuquerque! Listen, kid, you need anything, you let me know, awright? Small towns can be tough on outsiders. We gotta stick together."

"Thanks, Lupita!" he said as he went out the door. "Take care!"

Well, that had been interesting. And here, Spinner thought he was only outgoing when he had his brother to protect him. Already today he had met three more of the cast of characters that made up this quaint little town, and all had been friendly to him. How wonderful! And what a nice time he was having! But, oh, if only the time would go faster! For he was not supposed to go to the game shop for quite a few hours yet, as it was barely past three. There was the possibility of going down either Center Road or Totem Avenue to see some other places, but Spinner almost felt as if he would be cheating if he did not at least check out the four main shops at the center. He could not go to the game shop and had already been to the comic book store, so that left Jackalope Sports and Wise Raven Occult Books & Supplies. Neither appealed strongly, but he did have time to kill. Spinner glanced towards the bookstore.

Had the sky not been totally clear a moment ago? Why did such a foreboding shadow drip down the stucco outer walls? The gnarled, dead trees that surrounded the building poked their sharp, petrified branches into the sky, threatening to crack under the weight of an enormous flock of crows. The huge black birds all seemed to be staring intently at Spinner as he backed away in unease. Also, the shop was creepy.

Spinner turned tail in fright and went quickly into the cheery looking sporting goods store, passing by the mounted head of a jackrabbit with antlers. AJ's birthday was coming up in a month or so and he would probably like something crazy and dangerous.