Disclaimers
All characters appearing in Marvel Comics are copyright Marvel Entertainment and Walt Disney Company. No infringements of these copyrights are intended and are not authorized by the copyright holders.
All original characters are the property of Celgress.
CONTENT/LANGUAGE WARNING –
THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MANY OFFEND MORE SENSITIVE READERS, INCLUDING CHARACTER DEATH. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED
A Special Thank You to my creative consultant Dragothephantom, without whom future chapters of this story would not be possible.
Spider-Man and Silk In Threads of Destiny Season Two – Episode Three Time Shock Prologue
By
Celgress
"Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past, you must fight just to keep them alive."
Eye of the Tiger (1982) Glass Tiger
A Town House in Manhattan, Twenty-three years in the future; mid-September, morning
"Can't I do it later mom?" Groaned the fourteen-year-old girl. Her shoulder-length chestnut brown hair was styled in an elaborate French braid. She wore light yellow sweatpants with a matching crop top. "Its Saturday my group needs me."
"Do they now." Said an attractive middle-aged woman. She had long jet black hair and was dressed in blue jeans and a grey short sleeved top. "May I ask what is so pressing you can't spend a few hours with your mother?"
"Zoey thinks Arachne is the best Web Warriors while Heather thinks Ghost Spider is the best. Sarah thinks Obsidian Spider is best and Matt thinks Spider-Man is best. If I'm not there to show people Silk is best they'll rig the vote so someone other than the team leader wins. Could you imagine that? Even the Web Warriors know Silk is number one, why else would she be their leader?" The girl explained in dramatic fashion as if her self-appointed mission was vital to the survival of Earth.
"Alice Parker there are more important things in life than winning online debates about which Web Warrior is 'the best'." The woman said.
"Like what, mom?" Alice said legitimately confused by her mother's words. Alice was a huge fan of the famous superhero group. Her favorite member of all the Web Warriors, as well as her favorite superhero or superheroine in general, was Web Warrior Leader Silk longtime partner of Spider-Man.
"Your father and brother Andrew are spending the weekend together camping upstate. I thought we could have a mother-daughter weekend of our own while they are away" The woman said.
"But mom you're an accountant," Alice whined.
"And a damn good one I might add." The woman said. "What difference does that make?"
"See mom, being an accountant is boring. Not like the Web Warriors they live exciting lives on the edge. Silk is everything I want to be someday; strong, smart, confident, resourceful and she never gives up. Her life is one big unending adventure." Alice beamed with admiration.
"Alice you know nothing about Silk or the other Web Warriors. Their everyday lives may not be as glamorous as you think." The woman said.
Alice's smartwatch beeped. "The debate is starting. I have to go. Love you, mom." She gave her mother a kiss on her mother's cheek then ran upstairs to her room.
"I love you too Alice. No running in the house." The woman said with a sigh. Her own smartwatch beeped. It was a message from her husband Alice's father.
"How are things going with you and Alice, Cin?" Peter's instant message read.
"Could be better. She would rather spend time chatting on the internet about Silk and the other Web Warriors than spending any time with her mother." Cindy wrote using her mind.
"LOL, you could always tell her you are Silk. I bet Alice would drop everything to spend time with you if you told her." Peter's next instant message read with a winky face at the end.
"LOL, I wish I could sometimes." Cindy wrote back a smile on her face. After all these years Peter could still bring a smile to her face which was one of the many reasons she loved him so much.
Afternoon
Cindy sat on the living room sofa enjoying an e-book. Cindy absently fiddled with the bronze colored disc-like ornament that was suspended around her neck on a bronze necklace. Alice had remained in her room the entire day. Alice had not even come down for lunch when Cindy called. Cindy flipped an electronic page when her spider sense went crazy. She bolted off the sofa and looked around but could detect no obvious danger. What was going on? She got her answer a second later when a window exploded inward.
"Odd," Said The dark blue robed and steel skinned goblin. Cyber Goblin was the latest criminal to adopt the goblin persona pioneered by the late Norman Osborn decades before. Cyber Goblin resembled a goblin robot even though under his exosuit he was purely organic, or so his enemies speculated. "Why would the tracker I planted on Silk bring me here?" He wondered surveying his middle-class surroundings.
'Drat,' Cindy though while diving under the sofa. 'I told Peter I something seemed off but he said I was just imagining things. That creep must have tagged me during our last battle.'
"Oh well, this is as good a place as any." Cyber Goblin said. He landed his chrome colored glider. He started fiddling with a small box-shaped device with many blinking lights.
'Creep just ruined my new rug. I loved that rug.' Cindy thought taking notice of the chemical stains left by the glider.
"Mom are you alright!?" Alice asked rushing downstairs her attention drawn by the commotion.
'Not now," Cindy thought. Cyber Goblin and Alice spotted each other, ' too late.' With startling quickness, Cindy slid out of her hiding place and jumped between Alice and Cyber Goblin. "Hey ugly, leave her alone! I'm the one you want! I'm Silk!"
"Mom, what are,,, you're Silk," Alice blurted out in shock.
A bubble of crackling yellow energy emitted from the device in Cyber Goblin's hands. The bubble rapidly enveloped Cyber Goblin, Cindy and Alice. When it vanished a moment later the room was empty.
Streets of New York City, Present Day; Early December, night
Sixteen-year-old Cindy ran and jumped, ran and jumped, and ran and jumped. She fled far and she fled fast, never looking back. She dared not look back even for an instant, out of shame. Peter's love for her, her love for him, it had destroyed Peter. She should have known better than to hope she could have what others have. She was toxic. Everyone who ever loved her paid a terrible price; her parents, Aunt May and now Peter.
Her lungs burning and her muscles aching from overexertion Cindy's journey finally came to a screeching halt. Cindy doubled over as she gulped down several lungs full of air in rapid succession. Once she had recovered enough to think somewhat clearly she glanced around at her surroundings. Where was she?
'I'm at the waterfront.' Cindy realized after a considerable amount of time had elapsed. 'Can't believe I ran all the way here from Queens. What time is it? Must be late no one else is around.'
Cindy slowly walked away from the edge of the wharf. With no destination in mind, she meandered around for who knows how long. The damp night air clung to her body. Only clad in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, her typical bedtime attire, she was in no way dressed for the weather. She shivered rubbing her bare arms in a vain attempt to warm herself. As Cindy approached a streetlight a lanky figure appeared having emerged out of the mist.
"Are you lost, little girl?" Asked the man with the mop of wild red hair and wild eyes. He wore a trench coat. Cindy wondered if he could be a flasher, just her luck.
"I-I'm, I'm fine." Cindy stammered her teeth chattering from the cold.
"You don't look fine." The man said an unwholesome smile plastered on his face. "Come, let Uncle Carnage warm you up."
To Cindy's horror, the man's coat came alive! It transformed itself into a mass of withering red & black tendrils like something out of a nightmare. The mass crawled across the rest of the man's body covering him from head to toe. Soon a sharp-toothed, clawed demon stood in his place the same disturbed grin on its face.
Carnage lunged at Cindy who was surprised her warning sense had not warned of his incoming attack her in advanced. She barely avoided contact. He tried a second time but likewise failed.
"My aren't you a fast one." Carnage said in his unnerving multilayered voice.
"And you're a scary one," Cindy said.
"Dearie you ain't seen nothing yet." Carnage declared. He shot a barrage of red & black darts from his body nearly hitting Cindy who decided to run for her life. "Ah, you're no fun!" Carnage called after her giving chase.
With Carnage about to catch her (damn he was fast). Cindy had no choice. She dived off the pier they were on into the freezing cold water below. She held her breath there until he finally lost interest and went away.
'Was that Venom? If so, who's its creepy new host?' And what's with the gross red & black color scheme? Cindy wondered to herself after she surfaced. 'Maybe I should have let him kill me. If I knew Peter would be okay I would have. I owe Peter and Aunt May so much more than leaving Peter a vegetable. For you Peter, I'll go on, somehow.'
Cindy dragged herself out of the water up onto the pier. She lay there for longer than she should have before she got up. She stood still as statue wondering if the world would be better off without her. She stared down at the murky water. Perhaps its icy embrace would soothe her pain if she remained there until blackness claimed her? With great effort, Cindy forced herself to shuffle away. The only thing that kept her going was that Peter needed her. Once she saved him she would leave New York never to return. Everyone would be happier with her gone.
Atop the Trask Building
A huge yellow bubble of crackling energy appeared. It grew even larger before it burst to reveal three figures; Cyber Goblin, Adult Cindy and Alice. Cyber Goblin fired a series of purple electro bolts at Cindy who ducked and rolled away until she was next to her daughter. She grabbed Alice's hand.
"Do you trust me?" Adult Cindy asked her daughter.
"Huh?" Alice. The teen was obvious in shock.
"Do you trust me?" Adult Cindy repeated.
"Of course I trust you. You're my mom." Alice said.
"Good," Adult Cindy said, "hold on tight."
Alice screamed as Adult Cindy dove over the edge of the tall building pulling her along. Cyber Goblin considered going after them but decided against it. He checked then double checked the box-like device. He had accomplished his goal. According to the readouts, they had been transported nearly twenty-three years into the past. Let Silk and her offspring run he would deal with them later. Not only did he now know Silk's civilian identity, but there was also nowhere they could go in this time. He would hunt them down at his leisure.
"The lost secrets of the first Goblin, Norman Osborn, are mine for the taking." Cyber Goblin said whizzing away on his glider.
To Be Continued
Author's Note -
Future Arachne is not Julie Carpenter in this reality. Any guesses who she and Obsidian Spider are, or rather will be?