Chapter 9: Tech Day
"Get the bug!" a WF goon shouted to his fellow brothers
"Catch me if you can!" Spidey quipped, and he flipped out of the way before webbing two of the goons up.
"Why you little-Agh!"
The leader was then quickly webbed up as well, hanging from a lamppost.
"Thanks for the morning workout gentlemen!" Spidey said before swinging away, leaving them all at the mercy of the police. All while, Torchwick watched from a nearby rooftop.
"Argh!" he hissed as he bent his own cane before letting it go and it straightened back into place. He walked away back to a bullhead, and flew off towards Mountain Glenn. Where he went on to meet with both Cinder and Octavius.
"This the fifth attack this week." he hissed, "Once again, Spider-Man 'saves' the day. Whatever project you have in store for us, it better be done Octavius."
"Do not let your anger and inability to stop a bug get the best of you Roman." the LMD of Otto replied, "For progress has been made."
He led the two into his lab, where he had a White Fang goon strapped to a gurney, and behind glass.
"Allow me to introduce to you, Mark Raxton. An enforcer for the White Fang. " Otto explained, "Who graciously accepted my generous offer."
"Just don't make this one melt this time." Cinder warned him
"No promises…" Otto muttered as he went into the room where Raxton was. He took a needle filled with some orange substance, "Time to begin."
Otto put the needle into Raxton's neck and injected the serum. However nothing seemed to happen to the latter.
"How do you feel Mark?" Otto asked
"Fine, if you ask me." Mark replied, "But where are my powers?"
"The serum I gave you was only the first part. Now comes the second." Otto answered before leaving the room and stood next to Cinder and Torchwick. Using a scroll he got, he pushed a button, and several blue lights emitted off the floor in front of the glass wall.
"What are those?" Cinder asked
"Heat dampeners." Otto replied, "Give off a cooling agent, that should freeze even in its tracks. They're for an emergency, should this experiment fail."
"Which is?"
"Now I pour molten hot liquid metal onto Mark Raxton."
"Yes-wait what?"
Otto then pushed a button on his scroll, and hatched just above Mark opened. Out dropped hot liquid metal, which landed on his body, covering him, and the gurney he was on.
'What the hell are you doing!?" Torchwick shouted, "You killed him!?"
"Not yet." Otto replied before approaching the glass, "Mark?"
At first there was no response, until a rocky lava-cover hand emerged from the pile of liquid metal. Soon, the body of Mark Raxton emerged, now mutated into a walked pile of lava.
"I think it worked, Doctor." Raxton said to him
Otto smiled in satisfaction before turning to Cinder, "He is ready for deployment."
Team RWBY walked through the halls of Beacon towards Peter's lab. It had been about two to maybe three weeks since their initiation. Since then, Peter had been giving them some minor advice on how to be a team.
"So what do you think Peter's been doing in his lab?" Ruby asked
"What do you mean?" Weiss questioned, "Other than living in it?"
"Weiss he doesn't live in it." Yang retorted, "He works in it. Besides, he has his own dorm room."
Blake looked at her partner, "How do you know that?"
"He told me." Yang replied, "And I saw it myself."
"How did-"
"We're here!" Ruby announced as they walked up to the door of Peter's lab. Ruby proceeded to knock on the door, only to hear the sound of something, someone falling.
"Uh, who is it?" a muffled voice asked from the other side
"Peter, its us." Ruby replied
"Oh, right!" said Peter, "Uh give me a second!"
The girl then heard objects being moved around until the door opened, revealing Peter himself.
"Hey girls." he said, "What brings you guys here?"
"What? We can't see our unofficial leader's work space?" Yang quipped
"Well you can now." Peter replied before gesturing them inside, "Come in."
Upon entering, the girls were surprised at the sheer size of Peter's new lab. Especially Weiss, who immediately recognized the room's Atlesian design.
"How did you get permission to use the Atlas science lab?" she questioned Peter
"Ozpin is very persuasive." Peter answered casually while leaning against his desk, "Goodwitch of course refused because she hates everything."
"Preach." Yang quipped
"But how do you know how to use all of this equipment?" Weiss continued, "Half of this stuff is military-grade tech."
"My IQ of 270 grants me unique abilities." Peter quipped
"270!?" Weiss shouted
"I know, Goodwitch had the same reaction." Peter joked
"No way." Weiss said to him, "No one in the world has an IQ that big. Not even the top scientists in Atlas."
Peter just shrugged, "Well I guess I'm better than them. Right girls?"
"Yep." Yang muttered
"You bet." Ruby added
Weiss just scoffed at her teammates before looking back at Peter, "Prove it."
"What?" Peter muttered
"Prove that you have a 270 IQ." Weiss explained, "I got it."
Weiss walked over to one of the lab's computer's, "Hack into the Schnee Dust Company's mainframe."
Peter looked at the computer before speaking, "And I assume that the SDC has the latest malware protection and cyber security?"
"Yep." Weiss cockily replied with a smirk, "Let's see."
"Ok." Peter said before going to the computer and began his work.
"Really Weiss?" Yang sighed at her
"Yes, I'm going to prove that Peter is bluffing." Weiss retorted, "Besides, no one can-"
"Done." Peter announced as he turned to face the girls
"Huh!?" Weiss muttered before going over to the computer. Sure enough, Peter had successfully accessed the SDC mainframe without getting caught.
"How!?" Weiss shouted
"Please." Peter scoffed, "This was just child's play."
"Not bad Pete." Yang said to him, "What else can that big brain of yours do?"
"More than hack computers." Peter quipped before walking over to another desk. He proceeded to take what appeared to be a snowboard that was on it.
"A snowboard…" Ruby muttered, "Not very technological if you ask me."
Peter chuckled, "Watch this."
Peter then let go of the board. However, instead of simply falling to the ground, it remains floating in the air.
"Behold! A hoverboard" Peter exclaimed, "State of the art, and self-sufficient. And it allows me to, or course, hover at high speed."
"How much lien did you have to spend on gravity dust?" Weiss asked
"None." Peter replied, "This puppy is a new special power source based on a design that a friend of mine created. And if my theory is correct, this power source is capable outside of Remnant's atmosphere."
This took Weiss by surprise, "You created technology that surpasses dust!?"
"It's not hard." Peter replied casually, " I can't believe no one else tried to."
"There have." said Blake, "Little is known about them. But they've been put out of business by-"
"The Schnee Dust Company." Weiss cut her off, "My father is responsible for that."
"But seriously, these are amazing Peter!" Ruby shouted, changing the topic, "What else do you have!?"
"As much as I would love to show you all." Peter replied, "I have to get going."
"Where are you going?" Yang asked
"I got a part-time job in Vale." said Peter, "A freelance photographer for VNN."
"And what exactly are you taking pictures of?" Weiss questioned
Peter just shrugged, "Just someone special."
Peter then left the room, leaving the four girls behind.
"Well, time to move as well." Yang announced, "I have to head out as well."
"Where are you going?" Ruby asked her sister
"Mama needs new aviators." Yang quipped, "Anyone wanna tag along?"
"I'll go." said Weiss, "Need more dust for my weapon."
"You're the daughter of the world's most powerful man, and you don't get dust from him?" Blake questioned
"Long story…" Weiss sighed
Team RWBY walked through the city until they noticed a dust shop and headed inside. Weiss immediately began to look at all of the dust the place had to offer. While the other three looked at the other merchandise available. As they did this, they noticed a TV playing the VNN.
'In other news, the vigilante known as Spider-Man has continued to outsmart White Fang attacks throughout the city. While the whereabouts of Roman Torchwick are still unknown, this new hero has been a sign of hope for Vale.'
"Spidey, at it again." the store owner muttered in awe, "Seems like the man is being quite the hero."
Weiss however had a different response, "Hero isn't the word I'd use."
Suddenly, the sound of cars crashing and people fleeing were heard outside of the store. Curious, Team RWBY ventured outside to see people running from some blob of bright orange goop.
"Is that a Grimm?" Blake muttered
The blob then rose, turns out it wasn't a Grimm. It was a muscular lava creature with a face.
"MOLTEN MAN CRUSH HUMANS!"
"Run!" Ruby shouted before grabbing onto her team and flying off in a flurry of rose petals to avoid Molten Man's fiery fist. Team RWBY was flung into the wall of a nearby building.
"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked
"Could've warned us you were going to do that." Weiss muttered, "But thanks."
Yang then noticed Molten Man approaching them, "Man, and I thought I was hotheaded."
The creature then transformed into a male faunus, "Well well, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Out for a little stroll I see."
"Who are you?" Blake asked the creature, "What are you?"
"The name's Raxton, Mark Raxton." he answered
"I heard of you." Weiss snarled at him, "You're an enforcer for the White Fang."
"I am." Raxton replied, "But now I am something more than my brothers. Now I am Molten Man!" he said before turning back into his previous form and began to throw fireballs at the girls.
Peter entered the VNN building holding several pictures that he wished to show to his interviewer. That is, until he noticed a news report playing in the lobby of a giant lava monster terrorizing the city.
"Oh boy…" he muttered, "I guess my job can wait."
Peter then ran out of the building before going into a nearby alleyway. He then changed into his Spider-Man suit and swung off into the city.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. look into all recent news reports." Spidey requested as he swung, "Keyword: Lava monster."
"There are numerous reports of a lava monster causing a ruckus in the village district." F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied
"Village district, got it." said Spidey, "Better call Ruby and tell her what's going on."
Peter quickly called his friends, "Ruby you there?"
"Peter! Where are you right now!?" Ruby asked him
"Ruby, you need to listen." Peter began, "There's a giant-"
"Monster made out of lava. We know." Ruby cut him off, "We're fighting it right now!"
"You're what!?" Peter replied, "Get out of there!"
"We're-uh! Trying!" Ruby grunted, "Once he's distracted, we'll flee. But we need help."
Peter sighed, "I'll try and get there ASAP. But their people are fleeing the village like rats. I can't guarantee I'll make it in time."
"We understand." said Ruby, "Good luck Pete."
Ruby then ended the call, while Spidey continued to swing towards the village district.
"Don't worry girls, Spidey is on his way."
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Molten Man roared as he smashed the ground with his molten fist, causing the ground to shake violently. Weiss then immediately summoned a glyph that slowed down the ground before speeding herself up and throwing her towards Raxton, before delivering several blows to his chest. But to no avail. Molten Man then shoved her aside, sending her flying into a nearby shop.
"Foolish Schnee. You can't stop a force of nature!" he chuckled
Blake then appeared and tried to slash at Raxton similar to what Weiss did, but since Molten Man was made of liquid hot magma, she couldn't even land a shot as she felt as if her skin was burning.
"This isn't gonna work." Blake said to her team, "He's too hot."
"Thanks for the compliment ma'am." Raxton quipped, "I always knew my looks would impress someone."
Blake growled before Ruby stepped in, "I think we overstayed our welcome. Let's get out of here!"
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Molten Man then charged at the girls. Ruby then grabbed everyone and dashed off using her semblance. But she then quickly realized that Raxton was catching up. However before the latter could catch them, someone grabbed them and Team RWBY quickly found themselves on the sidewalk.
"Huh? How'd we get here?" Weiss asked
Suddenly, they noticed a car fly through the air and hit Molten Man in the chest.
"Tell you what hothead. You really need to take a chill pill." Spider-Man quipped as he stood in the road
"Spider-Man!" Ruby shouted, "Thank goodness!"
"You ladies stay put." Spidey said to them, "I'll handle Magma Boy."
"It's Molten Man, webhead!" Raxton shouted, "And you're history!"
Raxton proceeded to throw a ball of lava at Spidey, but the hero dodged it and began to charge at Molten Man. Dodging more balls of fire the villain threw at him.
"Have you reached your boiling point yet?" Spidey asked him, while standing in front of a fire hydrant.
Raxton sneered at the superhero, "I'll crush you!"
Molten Man proceeded to charge at Spidey, who remained ever so still until he moved right before Raxton could even lay his hands on him. Using his web shooters, Spidey then grabbed onto the hydrant and ripped it off the ground. Water began to shoot out of the ground, up in the air, and fall down like rain.
"W-hat-What is happening?" Raxton muttered as he felt his body begin to cool down. Steam then began to emit off his body as water shot out of the ground.
"Time for you to cool down." Spidey quipped
"Nnnnnnoooooooooo!" Molten Man cried as he fled the scene, his body still steaming. Spidey wanted to go after him, but decided not to, since it was going to take some time before Raxton regained his strength.
"Well, now that's done. Let's-"
Spidey was suddenly forced to the ground by some unknown force. It was then that he noticed an all too familiar glyph holding him down, and Weiss herself holding her rapier out while she walked towards him.
"You're not going anywhere you freak." she said to him, "Justice will decide your fate."
"Boy do you have a cold heart." Spidey quipped before he shot out one of his taser webs. The web attached itself to Weiss's leg before producing an electric shock that stunned the heiress."
"AH!" she shouted as she dropped to the ground. The glyph that held Spidey down disappeared, and the superhero stood up.
"Later." he quipped before he swung off into the city
Weiss growled as she stood up, "Get back here!"
"Weiss!"
The heiress turned to face her team, who didn't seem as happy as they were before.
Peter, in his dorm room, stared at the various monitors that displayed scans, thermal, and seismic images of the city.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. give all recent information on Molten Man since the attack earlier today." he requested
"No further whereabouts have been discovered." the Ai replied
Peter sighed, "Anything?"
"None." F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered, "Might I suggest you stop for the night?"
Peter nodded as he stepped away from his computer, "Fine, but keep monitoring. Tell if you find anything ASAP."
"Hard day?"
Peter looked up to see Julia's astral projection in front of him. The image nearly startled him, as he almost fell over.
"You really need to warn me when you're coming." he said to her
Julia smiled, "Now where's the fun in that? I couldn't help but witness your rather pathetic fight with Molten Man."
"Oh so you saw that?" Peter chuckled slightly, "Honestly, it was pathetic. I managed to pull some files on the guy. Turns out his name is Mark Raxton, an enforcer for the White Fang. Whatever happened to him, was some anomaly."
"How do you plan on stopping him?" MW asked
"No idea." Peter replied, "He's a force of nature. Since he's made of molten rock and metal, and overall heat, any one of those two will make him stronger. The only thing that makes him weak is the cold, water, and ice. Which is why I've developed freeze webs, and hydro bombs to use on him."
"I see." said MW, "Well at least take some of my advice."
Peter leaned in, "I'm listening."
"Anger can be one's weakness." she muttered before disappearing
"Good talk!" Peter sighed heavily, until he heard a knock on the door, "It's open."
The door then opened, and all of Team RWBY entered. Including an argument that they were all having.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what gives?" Peter said to the girls, which made them stop, "Seriously, you four were ok earlier today."
"Weiss did something unorthodox." Yang explained while glaring at the heiress
"It wasn't unorthodox." Weiss retorted, "It was right."
"What?" Peter questioned, "What did she do?"
"She attacked Spider-Man." Ruby revealed
Instead of being surprised, Peter responded with, "I have a feeling you did."
Weiss glared at him in confusion, until Peter showed her a picture of Spider-Man being held down by a glyph made by Weiss.
Weiss looked like she wanted to burst, "How did you-"
"I managed to get the picture before the police told me to leave the area." Peter feigned innocence, "My only question is why would you do that? I mean I don't know much about Spider-Man, but still."
"Because." Weiss answered
Ruby scoffed, "You have to have a better answer."
"That is my answer." Weiss retorted as she went for the door, which closed on her. She turned to see Peter holding a remote.
"Made a few modifications to my dorm." he said, "So why did you attack him, and we want the truth."
Weiss sighed in frustration and anger before speaking, "He was at the SDC facility in Vale before school started. I saw him there myself. With his abilities and vigilante name, it's obvious he's a faunus."
Peter just shrugged, "What's that got to do with anything?"
"It means he's with the White Fang!" Weiss continued, "He's probably masquerading as some pathetic hero just to spread false hope!"
"Do you have proof?" Blake asked her
"I know." Weiss replied
Yang just stared at her, "What?"
"I know!" Weiss repeated, "I just know!"
"Wow, what a convincing claim." Blake said to her
"How can you all just accept some guy who just magically appears suddenly!" Weiss shouted, "He's not who you think he is! He's hiding something!"
"Is that what your father says about him?" Peter questioned
Weiss looked at him in shock, "What did you say?"
"Come on Weiss, everyone knows who you are. The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, your father, I presume isn't much of a nice guy?"
Weiss looked down, "Much worse."
"You came here to get out of his shadow." Peter guessed, to which Weiss nodded slowly, "That doesn't mean Spider-Man's a bad guy."
"But he's a faunus!" Weiss insisted, "I know he is! He can't just go around, spreading false hope. He'll probably end up joining those vagabonds later on!"
With that said, Weiss stormed out of the room, with Peter not bothering to keep her from going.
"Give her time, she'll come around." he said to the other three, "While I'm not on board with Spidey's action. I do respect him though."
"You really think she'll come around?" Ruby asked
"I'm sure." Peter answered
The next day, Peter had successfully got his job at VNN. Now all he had to do was get pictures of himself swinging around the city, and stopping criminals.
Spidey swung across the city before stopping on the ledge of a building, "Time to go to work. F.R.I.D.A.Y. any word from our friends that are the police scanners?"
"No such activity on any scanner boss." the AI replied, "But there are reports of a lava monster approaching the SDC facility."
Spidey narrowed his eyes, "Raxton. He's making another move. How close are we?"
"ETA, five minutes."
"Then let's move."
Spidey jumped from the roof top and swung across the city until he saw what appeared to be a ball of fiery orange goop making its way towards the SDC facility. HE then landed right in front of it.
"Mark! Buddy! Long time no see!" Spidey said to him
"You again!?" Raxton sneered, "I thought you learned your lesson from last time!"
"More like you learned." Spidey retorted, "What brings you out here on this lovely day?"
"The Schnee Dust Company has oppressed my people for too long." Molten Man announced, "I heard that a shipment of fire dust crystals came in this morning. Once I've absorbed its power, I will use it to burn the building to the ground!"
"Aren't you the hothead, and that's saying something." Spidey muttered, "Let's finish this."
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" Raxton tossed balls of molten lava at the webhead, who quickly dodged them and fired two web grenades, which just so happened to disperse ice webs, which freezed portions of his body
"ARGH!" he cried in pain
"See? I told you to take a chill pill." Spidey quipped, "I also took pleasure in fixing my Iron Spider armor…"
As Spidey said this, his suit morphed around his traditional red and blue suit into a red and gold one.
"...And modified my repulsors to fired beams that are around absolute zero!" he added before firing two shots, which sent the monster back into the ground. Spidey then flew up in the air about to attack once more, but Raxton prevented that with a whip made of lava.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted as he hit Spidey, sending him flying into a nearby building. Though he did manage to stop himself with the four mechanical arms on his armor.
"I'm gonna crush you like the bug that you are!" Molten Man said as he prepared to do just that. Until he noticed several white glyphs appearing all around him. The glyphs gave off a cold breeze that made him feel incredibly weak.
Spidey then noticed a figure next to him. Weiss stood there holding her rapier at Raxton.
"S-Schnee…" Molten Man sneered
Weiss then turned her direction at Spidey, her rapier pointed right at him.
"Hey hey hey hold on." Spidey said while holding his hands up in defense, "Look I get it that you not like me. But if you let your hatred for me get the best of you, the innocent will die. Mark, he wants the fire dust at your facility, if he consumes it all, he could kill everyone in there."
Weiss kept a neutral expression before holding her weapon upwards. A glyph then appeared under here before she sped in Raxton's direction. She bounced off each glyph surrounding him, slashing at his body with ice dust. Weis then summoned a glyph that froze the ground up until the wall of the SDC facility. Raxton then slid across the ice before crashing into the wall, and into a silo full of dust.
"Oh no!" said Spidey, "What did you do!?"
"Relax you dolt." Weiss said to him, "That silo isn't filled with fire dust."
"Then what's it filled with?" asked Spidey
Weiss smirk, "Something a bit more...chilling."
"AAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!" Molten Man cried out in pain, as mist erupted from his body. Turns out, the silo was full of ice dust which weakened him even more, and he began to turn back into his normal form.
"You gonna shoot at him or not!?" Weiss asked Spidey with a knowing look, to which Spidey flew towards Raxton and fired two powerful sub-zero blasts at him. Mark then fell to the ground defeated.
Mist then continued to emit from Raxton and soon his body dispersed into nothing.
"Well, I guess we see much of him anytime soon." said Spidey, "Still, I wish we could apprehend him, I hate to see criminals die."
Weiss sighed before turning to Spidey, "I may not agree with your methods of vigilantism, and I still believe you are faunus of some sorts...but for what it's worth...thanks."
"No problem!" Spidey replied before flying away
Back in his lab later that night, Peter was examining his trans-dimensional watch until Team RWBY entered. Luckily, he managed to hide the device before he turned to face them.
"You guys do know the concept of knocking, right?" he asked them
"Sorry, we just have some news we wanted to tell you." Yang replied
Peter raised an eyebrow, "And what news might this be?"
Yang smiled and turned to Weiss, who stepped forward.
"I teamed up with Spider-Man." she said to him, but Peter remained unfazed
"I know." he replied, which caught the four girls off guard
"How did you know?" Ruby asked him
Peter turned back to his desk and showed them several pictures of Spider-Man and Weiss battling Molten Man just outside the SDC Facility.
"My new job is to take pictures of Spider-Man." Peter explained, "No one can get a decent picture of him, so I decided to make up the challenge. I just happened to be in the area when I took these pictures."
"You better have gotten pictures of Weiss' good side." Yang quipped
"What good side?" Blake muttered, which earned her a laugh from everyone minus Weiss, who simply rolled her eyes and smirked.
The heiress then spoke once more, "I wanted to thank you Peter for your advice. My father's opinions aren't my own. I may not support Spider-Man's actions, but people do like him."
"You are welcome." Peter replied before getting out of his seat, "Well, time for me to call it a night. Later girls."
As he walked past them, Blake noticed something fall from Peter's pocket. Curious, she picked it up, it was a picture of Peter being kissed on the cheek by a cute blonde girl.
"Hey you dropped this." Blake said to Peter, in which he turned and quickly snatched it back
"Thanks." he said nervously
"Who is she?" Blake asked
"Huh, oh she's no one." Peter replied, trying to get out of this situation
"She has to be someone." Weiss muttered
"She your girlfriend?~" Yang teased him
"I said she's no one!" Peter hissed, Team RWBY was taken back by his sudden outburst of anger. Peter then straightened himself before making way for the door, but Ruby said one more thing.
"Is she part of your family?" she asked
Peter sighed and turned ever so slightly, "I don't have a family."
With that said, Peter left his lab, leaving Team RWBY inside.