Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 2: Soup for the Spider's Soul

After screaming for an unknown length of time, Ritsuko could scream no more, and instead merely stood helplessly, staring at the mutated freak she saw looking at her from the mirror. "No…" Ritsuko moaned, slowly shaking her head as her eyes expanded in horror at the sight of her reflection. She found herself looking from her clawed hands to the marks on her neck where the clone had attacked her, to the fangs that were now inside her own mouth, and back again.

"No…this isn't possible!!" the doctor shrieked, trying to force herself to deny that which she could not. She couldn't stop looking at the hideous claws that now marked her fingers, vainly trying to think of some way of getting rid of them.

"Is something wrong in there?" came a timid voice from outside. Jolted at the very thought of someone actually coming inside and seeing her like this, Ritsuko jumped slightly and looked at the door like every nightmare in the world was just on the other side of it.

No! I can't let anybody see me like this! Ritsuko thought feverishly, looking about for another exit that she knew wasn't there. For an instant, she considered telling the voice's owner to go away, to leave her alone, but instead, she clamped her mouth shut. The doctor was terrified of what else would come out of her mouth. As if she would just start screaming again, and never stop.

"Akagi-san? Is that you?" the voice came again, sounding even more concerned.

Shinji! Ritsuko thought feverishly, relieved and even more panicked at the same time. On the one hand, a boy like Shinji would be hesitant to enter the ladies' room, even after hearing a scream like that. However, she knew that he wouldn't just leave, and instead would probably look for someone who could go inside. All of which meant that she didn't have much time to figure a way out of her present situation before it got ten times worse. Okay, okay, I, um…I'll just wait until he leaves to find someone to help! That's it! And then I'll -!

"Oh, Maya!" Shinji's voice went, causing Ritsuko's eyes to go wide.

"Hello, Shinji," the technician replied from just beyond the wall. "Is something wrong?"

"I heard someone screaming in there!" the boy explained, causing the faux-blonde to shake her head in a panic. She knew that she had seconds, possibly less, before Maya came in and saw her… "I think it was Dr. Akagi!"

"Sempai?" Maya replied, the concern plain as day in her voice.

I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here…! was the thought that resounded in Ritsuko's mind as she looked one way, then the next, seeing no way out. Then, just as she saw her doom as the door opened, the air around her shifted…and she saw nothing.


"Sempai? Are you in here?" Maya wondered, looking about nervously as she opened the door to the ladies' room, with Shinji just behind her. She heard an odd popping sound just before the door opened, felt an odd rush of air. However, when she looked inside, she saw nothing but a small puddle on the floor.

"There's no one here, Shinji," Maya reported, looking at the boy in confusion.

"Oh…I see…" Shinji replied, lowering his gaze. But…I could have sworn that I heard something… Then, returning his attention to Maya, he managed a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, Maya…"

"That's alright, Shinji," the techie answered with a reassuring smile. "I guess it must have been your imagination."


As the two of them were speaking, something that was much more than a product of the boy's imagination appeared in the office of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. With a puff of displaced air, the bedraggled doctor fell to the floor, tumbled over onto her back, and then just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

For a time, Ritsuko was unable to move, unable to even think. All she could do was lay there as her overworked mind tried to process what had happened. I…I teleported… she finally gasped within her own mind. Omigod…that's how I got out of the lab…and ended up in the ladies' room. Rei's Angelic DNA…it did something to me!

On the brink of madness from the complete overload her mind was being subjected to, Ritsuko looked about her office, at the scientific equipment that decorated at. For a moment, she felt safe, secure. This was all familiar to her. It was all things that should be where they were, what they were. Not madness, like what her body had become.

My body, Ritsuko thought, staring helplessly at the claws sticking out from her fingertips. Obviously something had jumped from the clone of Rei to her, but what? And how do I find out? After a second's thought, the answer occurred to her.

The cloning lab, Ritsuko thought, focusing on that hideous moment when the clone had sunk her fangs into the doctor's neck. There would be records of the genetic contamination. Records I can cross-reference with the MAGI, find out what happened!

Gulping loudly as she made her way over to the desk, Ritsuko thanked her lucky stars that she wouldn't actually have to trek down to the lab itself in order to get the relevant data. One of the perks of the job was having an office that had direct access to the MAGI was that it connected to every part of NERV, including the parts that supposedly did not exist.

After several seconds of fumbling with the claws, Ritsuko was able to interface with the cloning lab, and bring up the file on the corrupted clone. There it is, the faux-blonde thought unhappily, examining the DNA of the clone that assaulted her. Now, to do a breakdown on the DNA…

It took some time, time Ritsuko spent looking at the door to her office, practically jumping at the thought of someone coming in…and seeing the changes in her. If that wasn't bad enough, my arms are starting to itch, the doctor noted, looking at her forearms like she expected horns to pop out of them. And my back is starting to hurt. I wonder…oh, God. What if I'm still changing?! What's going to happen -?!

Just as she was about to get worked up again, the computer beeped for Ritsuko's attention. Almost frantic at this point, Ritsuko carefully depressed one of the keys, and examined the data the computer had for her.

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the DNA was the standard human/Angel hybrid that Rei herself had. However, several portions had been overwritten by a completely different genetic code. When the doctor looked to see what species had been the source of the foreign DNA, she almost sagged in horror.

There wasn't enough DNA to make a specific match, but there was enough to show that it had come from an arachnid. From some form…of spider.

Ugh, spiders?! Ritsuko thought fearfully, once again looking at her hands in disgust. She had always hated spiders with a passion, and taken great delight in smashing them with newspapers or whatever else was convenient, thinking that the miserable, dirty little monsters had it coming. And now… Does that mean…oh, God! It's in me! I've turned into a freak! Some kind of…spider-monster!

Ritsuko was getting ready to collapse beneath her fears, feeling like her very body was breaking down in the same way as the clone's had. Tears of fear and self-loathing filled her eyes as her body shuddered beneath the weight of her own sins. I have to get out of here, she thought, clinging to her sanity by a very slender thread. I can't...let anybody find me like this. I can't…

Burdened by the trauma that assailed her, Ritsuko struggled to her feet, and slowly, timidly left her office. Careful to keep her hands wrapped around herself, buried beneath her lab coat, the doctor carefully made her way out of her office, a haunted, wary expression on her face. Jumping at the slightest sound, Ritsuko Akagi wandered the halls of NERV, knowing that there was an excellent chance that she would never return. I should've died, she found herself thinking, her face stained with tears as her back began to hurt even more. I'd rather be dead than live as this…this monster! As she continued to walk, something began to buzz in her head, something was warning her, something…

"Akagi-san?" came Shinji's voice from behind her. Freezing in terror, the doctor stopped in mid-step before turning to look at the boy. Gendo's son. The boy he had been crafting for ten years so that he would desire nothing more than his own death. Who was now looking at her with eyes filled with tender concern.

"Oh…Shinji…" Ritsuko got out, feeling a wave of guilt slam into her. I was a monster before this happened… she thought, recalling all the filthy things she had done…

"I…are you…alright?" Shinji asked, drawing closer to her. "You look kinda sick…"

I am sick…and I'm never going to get better, Shinji, was the thought that ran through her mind. "I'm…just not feeling good right now, so…I'm heading home for the day," Ritsuko replied, managing a close-mouthed smile. "I think I've got a touch of a bug."

"Oh," was all Shinji had to say to that, missing the irony of Ritsuko's words. "Well…take care of yourself."

"I will," Ritsuko lied before walking away, leaving the saddened boy behind.


It had taken forever for Ritsuko to get to her car, and even longer for her to manage to drive back to her apartment. An eternity in which her symptoms continued to worsen. Her forearms itched like crazy, her back felt like it was going to explode, and every muscle in her body felt like it was slowly burning up. Maybe the goddamned thing decided I didn't deserve to die quickly, she thought with ill humor as she finally reached her apartment, staggering badly as her body became increasingly uncooperative.

"Miko, I'm home…" she croaked out, actually managing a look of pleasure as the marmalade tabby she kept in her home bounced up to her, its green eyes looking at her intently before she started rubbing at her leg.

At least you don't see me as a monster, Ritsuko thought grimly. Despite Misato's jokes, Ritsuko genuinely adored cats. They were friendly, playful…and they didn't give a damn about the fact that you were trying to bring about the end of the world, just so you could keep pretending that someone loved you.

It was at that moment that Ritsuko's body seized up, agony shooting through part of her, causing her eyes to widen and her breath to flee. Collapsing to her knees, Ritsuko once again wrapped her arms about herself, as if trying to keep her own body from flying to pieces. Tormented moans issued from her lips as she shifted about on the floor, half-expecting to burst into flames at any moment.

Then, just when Ritsuko thought she could bear no more, she heard the sound of cloth tearing…and then it was over. The pain, the itchiness, it all ended. Sucking in a desperate breath, the doctor found that her body now felt better, much better, than it ever had in the past.

But…that sound… Ritsuko thought, bracing herself up and slowly standing. I heard my coat tearing, and… That was when she looked over her shoulder…and saw them. Saw four spider-like 'arms' poking out of her back. The arms were a sort of translucent white, multi-jointed, with three claws each. They were moving about aimlessly, as if they didn't know what to do with themselves.

When Ritsuko saw the arms, she just wanted to die. That was it, the final nail on her coffin. There were was no way that she could ever pass for human, for herself, with those things poking out of her back. Sagging, releasing one final, broken sob, Ritsuko staggered towards her bedroom. Ignoring everything, Miko, the arms, everything, the faux-blonde stumbled into her bed, sobbing mindlessly before eventually tumbling off to sleep. Sleep that was filled with the horrors of her own past.

Ritsuko saw herself as a young girl, with her mother always busy, being encouraged by Gendo. She saw her mother strangling the first version of Rei Ayanami, only to have Gendo come up beside her, encouraging her, telling her that he wanted her to succeed her mother as the head scientist at NERV. She saw all of things she had done for him, not the least of which was sabotaging Jet Alone. This had very nearly resulted in Misato's death when she had stopped the rogue mechanoid, damaging her radiation suit in the process. She saw the things Gendo had planned for his son, for the already-chosen pilot of the future Eva Unit 03. She saw the dead world that would result when Gendo and SEELE had their way.

Then, finally, Ritsuko saw herself, dangling from a series of slender threads, dancing about in mid-air, helpless as a puppet. When she looked to see where the threads were coming from, she gasped in shock at the sight of the monstrous spider that towered above her, manipulating her with practiced ease. The spider chuckled menacingly, drawing the doctor higher and higher, so that it could look her in the eyes.

"Thank you for your services, hag," the spider smirked, looking at her with the face of Gendo Ikari. When Ritsuko gaped in horror at the monstrous beast, he dangled her about, so that she could see the panorama of his web. She could see everything in the web; Shinji, Misato, Rei, Asuka, Maya, Shigeru, Makoto, Kaji, Fuyutsuki, all of them hopelessly tangled in the web, staring at her with accusing eyes. She could see the world rendered a barren place, covered by an ocean of LCL, and in the center of that ocean was Evangelion Unit 01. However, instead of the horned visage that Ritsuko associated with the nightmare created by humanity, she saw the face of Yui Ikari. "Now…I go to join my wife…for all eternity!"

With a casual flick, the spider that was Gendo tossed Ritsuko away, sending her to land in the web with all of the people she had helped victimize. Stunned by the impact, Ritsuko could only watch helplessly as he descended from the web, moving to crawl inside of Unit 01. With that, the purple beast erupted in a wave of darkness, darkness that crawled back up the line Gendo had left behind. Darkness that made its way onto the web and began to envelop everyone trapped on it…in the form of a horde of black, hairy spiders.

"He tossed you away, just the way I knew he would," came a voice from Ritsuko's right. When she looked, her face was blasted with horror at the sight of her mother's face, appearing from the shoulders of Unit 00. "Just the way he did with me…"

"Mother!" Ritsuko hissed, gasping as the spiders began crawling over the both of them, devouring them…

"You're just like me, you know?" Ritsuko heard her mother saying as the arachnids slowly buried her. "You're just like me…"


"Nooooo!!!!" Ritsuko shrieked, waking from a start. With her heart thundering in her chest, the doctor looked about her bedroom, peering into the shadows. Looking for the spiders that had just tried to consume her.

It…was a dream? Ritsuko wondered before looking at the claws on her fingers, saw the extra arms sticking out of her back. Sighing in dismay, she shook her head as noted the tears she had made in the sheets of her bed. Well…at least part of it was.

Choking out a breath, as if now resigned to what she had become, Ritsuko stood from her bed and approached the large mirror in the corner of her room. Slowly examining herself, the doctor looked in horrified fascination at the arms, the claws, the fangs, the…

Well, those are new, Ritusko noted with grim humor, looking at the way that her breasts now filled her blouse. They look about as big as Misato's! Recalling how she would have once killed for a pair of melons like the ones that now graced her chest, the doctor then frowned, wondering what other changes her body had been through.

Fearful, yet curious, Ritsuko decided that she would have to take off her ruined clothes sooner or later. Slowly, carefully, she shed the lab coat, then her blouse, and then looked at herself in awe. Her assets weren't the only thing that had been enhanced by the accident; her body had been remade into that of a professional athlete, with coiled, sinewy muscles rippling beneath her skin. Though she wasn't heavily over-muscled like a body-builder, she had definitely become ripped, and impossibly so!

"Whew," Ritsuko whistled in awe, examining the set of six-pack abs gracing her form. She then began flexing her arm, and was immediately impressed by the bicep that popped up to say hello. Once again, she shook her head, examining the athletic frame she now wore, along with the creepier modifications that had resulted of the accident.

"You know, if it weren't for the fangs, claws, and extra arms…I probably wouldn't be minding this at all." Looking woefully at the claws that now decorated her fingers, Ritsuko wished that she could make them go away, disappear…and then, before her startled eyes, they began to do so. The claws flattened themselves against the tips of her fingers, before finally disappearing altogether. Looking in the mirror, the doctor saw that the arms were slowly retracting into her back, and even her fangs had faded back into normal canines.

"What the…?" Ritsuko wondered, open-mouthed with shock, noting that her enhanced muscles and chest remained, while the rest had disappeared.

Still, even as this development threatened to send her emotions spiraling out of control, Ritsuko found the studious, analytical part of her, the part that made her a scientist, rapidly analyzing what had happened to her, and why this sudden change.

Rei… Ritsuko suddenly thought, the image of Gendo's creation appearing in her mind. She generates a red pattern most of the time, despite having Angel DNA. The only time she registers a blue pattern is when she's projecting her AT-Field. So…in a way, she's changing from human to Angel and back again! And as this thought crossed the doctor's mind, she looked down at her hands, her now human hands. And if she can change back and forth at will, then maybe…

Her thoughts trailing off, Ritsuko began to concentrate. She focused on the claws, the fangs, the arms, trying to 'will' them to return. She focused on ugly, hairy spiders, scuttling about on their creepy eight legs.

In response to her will, Ritsuko's body once again changed. The fangs and claws once again sprang into existence, and the four spider-like arms slid out of her back, their claws involuntarily snapping at the air.

Despite the horror this transformation had brought her, for the first time, Ritsuko felt almost hopeful. If she could change back and forth at will, then maybe she could have her life back, after all! She was even smiling when she noticed another anomaly; a tiny slit in both of her wrists.

"Huh?" Ritsuko wondered, angling her hands in order to get a better look at the slits…and almost got sprayed in the face by two wads of gunk that shot out from the slits! Looking up at the two lines that now connected her wrists to the ceiling, the doctor tugged on them slightly, watching them stretch ever-so-slightly. "Webs…" she got out, once again numb at the surprises that her body was giving her. Then, with a weary sigh, she commented, "Well…I suppose it's better than shooting webs out of my butt…!"

With that, Ritsuko once again banished the fangs and other freakish changes, watching in satisfaction as the slits sealed up as well. Then, with annoyed look at the two lines of web dangling from her ceiling, the doctor gave them both a solid yank…and brought down two thin sections of plaster along with them. "Oh, great…" the faux-blonde groaned, suddenly too tired to deal with any more shit. "I'll deal with this later…"

Just as Ritsuko was thinking this, her doorbell rang. "Hey, Ritsuko!" came Misato's voice in a singsong fashion. "Are you alive in there?"

Misato! What the hell are you doing here?! the doctor immediately panicked, looking in the direction of the door, and then back down at the mess she had just made. And just when I thought things were actually looking up!

"Akagi-san?" came Shinji's voice, deepening Ritsuko's panic. "Are you alright?"

"Um…!" she sputtered, trying to think, and not doing a very good job of it. "I'll…be right there! I'm not dressed!"

"Well, that's okay!" Misato replied even as Ritsuko hurriedly scooped up the chunks of plaster and dumped them in her waist basket. "It's not like you have anything that we haven't seen before!"

That's what you think! Ritsuko thought, even as Shinji gave a quiet protest. Then, disposing of her ruined clothes, the doctor fished out a turtleneck that would hide her new musculature, closed her bedroom door, and went to the front door.

Slowly opening it, Ritsuko looked out in surprise at the two familiar faces that now faced her. "Oh, hi, you two!" she got out, smiling as she did so.

"Hey, Rits!" Misato smiled in response. Shinji just stood there, cradling a large jar. "Aren't you going to invite us in?"

"Well, I…that is…" the doctor fumbled, totally confused. "W-what are you two doing here, anyway?"

"Well, Shinji said that you looked pretty sick when he ran into you earlier," Misato noted, her eyes showing concern that matched her words. "So we decided to stop by, see how you were doing."

"Well…I was feeling pretty bad," Ritsuko replied, nodding emphatically. "But I took some medicine, and I'm feeling a bit better now.

"Yeah, well, Shinji decided to make you a little pick-me-up, just in case!" Misato grinned, urging the boy forward.

"It's egg-and-saké soup," Shinji offered, holding up the jar of golden broth for the doctor to examine.

"Oh…" Ritsuko got out, stunned by this kind act. "Thanks, you two. Here, come in!"

"Don't mind if we do!" Misato answered warmly as she and Shinji followed the doctor in.


For over an hour, the three of them talked and relaxed together, discussing anything that wasn't related to that cesspool of secrets known as NERV. Ritsuko found herself reminded of her college years, of a warmer, somewhat more innocent time.

"So…" Ritsuko fumbled, the unreality of her situation still clinging to her. Looking at her friend, who was seated opposite her. "What a day, huh?"

"I'll say," Misato agreed, just before she leaned in closer to her friend. "Are you sure you're feeling okay now?"

Shrugging as she considered how exactly to answer this question, Ritsuko finally said, "I'm…better, I guess." Then she gave Misato a weary smile. "I'm still a little hungry, though. I just passed out when I got back today."

"Oh, really?" Shinji piped up, looking worriedly at the faux-blonde. "Would you…like something to eat?"

"Huh?" Ritsuko got out. Then she looked at the kindly boy and said, "Oh, no, that's okay, Shinji. I'll just..."

At that exact a moment, Ritsuko's stomach gurgled loudly, not to mention hungrily. Leaving the scientist flushed with embarrassment, Misato grinning impishly, and Shinji just looking more concerned.

"Let's see now…I'd say your stomach is voting in favor of eating. As in right now," Misato grinned. Then she turned her attention to the boy next to her. "What about you, Shinji?"

Blushing in the face of Misato's enthusiasm, Shinji then turned his attention to Ritsuko. "Well, sure," he finally said. "I can whip something right now, if you don't mind."

"What?" Ritsuko got out. Then she began to shake her head bashfully. "Oh, no, Shinji, you don't have to do that! I could just…I mean…"

"No, that's okay. It's okay," Shinji smiled at her, just before rising to his feet and heading towards the kitchen. "Let me just…see I can do, and…" Then he stopped in mid-step, and looked at Ritsuko. "Well, that is…if you don't mind me…"

As Shinji gestured helplessly at the kitchen, Ritsuko could do nothing but sit there and swim in a mix of guilt and gratitude. Feeling herself tearing, she finally nodded. "Of course you can, Shinji," she finally said. "And…thank you."


For Ritsuko, what happened next was something that warmed her heart. As she talked with Misato, finding out to her relief that there had been no public indicator of her horror and transformation, Shinji prepared a small dinner for them that warmed Ritsuko's heart even more. She glady enjoyed the light supper, alongside a bowl of the soup he had prepared. This was topped off by a bit of dessert, and even a special treat that Miko delighted in.

He's so unlike Gendo, Ritsuko thought sadly, watched as Shinji stroked the cat's fur. The boy Gendo hated, loathed for the attention Yui had showered upon him, wanted to consign himself to the depths of misery. To die and take all of humanity with him.

"Well, not that it hasn't been fun and all," Misato eventually noted, looking at her watch. "But we have to get going. Shinji has school tomorrow, and we have work…"

"Tell me about it," Ritsuko agreed as her best friend stood. "Anyway, thanks again for stopping by. And thanks for dinner, Shinji, and the soup."

"Uh, you're welcome, Akagi-san," Shinji replied with an earnest smile. "Just…return the jar whenever you feel like it."

"I will," the doctor assured him as the two of them headed for the door, waving goodbye as they left. Taking a deep, easy breath, the doctor shook her head before returning to the kitchen, seeing that Shinji had cleaned up after himself, tucking everything neatly in its place. Smiling as she peeked into the refrigerator, the doctor looked at the rest of the delectable treat Shinji had left for her. Then, leaving it behind for another time, the doctor returned to the living room, and leaned back against the wall.

I have such good friends, Ritsuko thought, grateful for their concern, smiling as she did. A smile that faded as she thought of the horrendous nightmare she had had, of her own actions that spawned it. And I'm screwing them all over, all for that evil… Her features twisting with pure disgust and self-loathing, Ritsuko's hands balled up into fists, her body trembling with hatred. I was already a monster! A goddamned monster!!

With that, Ritsuko raised her right arm, and smashed it back against the wall. Only to gasp in surprise at the sound of wood and plaster being ripped apart.

Her eyes widening in astonishment, Ritsuko looked over the crumbled wall. She pulled her forearm away from it, like it was some foreign object that didn't belong attached to her body. A limb that felt no pain, did not bare so much as a scrape after suffering such an impact.

"What the -?!" Ritsuko got out, examining the massive hole she had effortlessly gouged in the wall, and was staggered by the impossibility of it. That such power had found its way into her body.

That's crazy!! the doctor thought, staring at the hole, sticking her hand into it as if to prove its existence. Rei's half-Angel, and even she doesn't have this kind of strength! However, even as this thought ran its course, the doctor recalled the corrupted clone that had caused her condition, how it had shattered its way out of the maturation cylinder. Wait a minute! Maybe it's not the Angelic part of my DNA! Could it be…because of the spider? Frowning at the theory, Ritsuko pondered the situation. Then again…I don't know much about spiders to begin with. Aside from the fact that they're totally disgusting!

Pursing her lips, Ritsuko noticed Miko meowing for some attention. Smiling at the tabby, Ritsuko very carefully scooped the cat into her arms, looking it in the eyes. "Do you know much about spiders?" the doctor asked. When the cat purred in response, Ritsuko smiled ruefully. "Me neither. Maybe it's time we learned a few things about them, don't you think?" And so, both doctor and cat made their way to Ritsuko's computer, and began their education.

Ritsuko spent over an hour, staring at ugly little faces and eyes, all the while absorbing hundreds of facts about spiders, and was astonished by the wide variety of them. She had thought that all spiders just sat about in webs, waiting for flies or other disgusting things to come along for them to eat. On the contrary, some spiders actually hunted their prey, while others created homes underwater. Some even created special 'trapdoors' in the dirt, from which they could pop out and ambush their prey.

Of course! Ritsuko realized, thinking of how she had teleported from one place to another. I must have somehow generated a Dirac Sea! Like a trapdoor in space! She continued to look through the information, even discovering the places spiders had in mythology. Arachne the weaver, a woman cursed to become a spider, and the African culture hero, Anansi the Trickster.

A trickster…that fits Gendo! Ritsuko thought bitterly, thinking of the image of him as an immense spider, trapping people in his web of deceit. Continuing her research, Ritsuko found herself looking at the image of a black widow spider, saw the female devouring its mate.

For the longest time, Ritsuko stared at the image, thinking of all the filth that Gendo had buried her in, the things she had been a party to. She turned to look at the massive hole she had just torn in the wall of her apartment, and wondered whatever bizarre powers she might have gained. And most importantly, she recalled her thoughts as to how one woman could never hope to challenge Gendo and SEELE.

But maybe…a Spider-Woman could! she thought, her heart leaping at the idea. Then, even as Miko continued to purr in her lap, Ritsuko looked at her hands, thought of the deadly claws that she could summon into existence. In that moment, her transformation held a certain irony, a poetic justice. Send a thief to catch a thief, she thought, returning her attention to the image of the black widow devouring her mate. Send a spider…to kill another spider…


Author's Notes: Well, that takes care of Chapter 2! Please, read and review! And hopefully, check out some of my other stories!

Now, I noticed that there's been some confusion regarding Ritsuko's transformation into a Superwoman of Eva. For her character, I decided that the Spider-Man of 2099 was most appropriate for her basic powers, though I'm going to be borrowing from all over Spiderdom for all her gifts, and even her costume.

Also, some of you may have missed it, but I left a subtle clue in the previous chapter that I was taking stuff from 2099. Check out this line of hers from the previous chapter.

"Let's see…twenty hours have passed, maturation process is now…ninety-nine percent complete," Ritsuko said to herself as she looked at the displays for the five cloning tanks.

See? Twenty hours, ninety-nine percent. 2099. I thought it was a nice touch myself.

Also, before I go any further, I'd like to tell you all about something that I understand annoys the heck out of Stan the Man Lee himself. Namely, how people are constantly forgetting that Spider-Man is hyphenated. As in Spider-HYPHEN-Man! Why did he do it that way? To help differentiate Spidey from another little-known hero over at DC who also uses red and blue in his costume.

Anyway, I hope to see all of you back for the next chapter! Until then, as Stan the Man would say, Excelsior!