Araña #1: Arachnophobia Part 1

Manhattan, New York

Welcome to New York City, my home. Hi, my name Anya Corazon and I'm the superhero named Araña. I live here in this great city. I'm eighteen years old. How did I become a superhero you ask? Well, let me tell you.

When I was eight I was taken from my family in Mexico by a group known as Weapon X. After they had failed on their previous Wolverine project, they looked for something new they could control and make into an assassin. They had learned about an incident involving me where I got powers from a Mayan temple down in Mexico.

I was just eight, so I didn't know what I was getting into. After visiting the area with my mama and papa I got lost and came across the temple. I knew I should have waited for my parents to find me, but I had to go in. I entered the temple and found a gold statue of a woman with eight limbs. Engraved on the statue was "Araña." Right around the statue's feet I found this strange sapphire stone that I thought was pretty. I picked it up to get a better look and then the eyes of the statue began to glow red. Red beams of light shot out of the eyes and hit the stone. The stone changed into the shape of a spider and floated from my hands. I didn't know what was happening. I could have moved, but I didn't. The spider-shaped stone floated to my right arm and fused with it. The stone was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a blue tattoo on my arm.

That instant my heart began to beat faster and faster. I was scared. The tattoo was sending energy through my body that I wasn't handling well. I fell to the ground, unable to move. I don't remember what happened next, because I blacked out. I woke up a week later in my home. By my side were my parents, worried sick.

I had no idea what had happened to me, but I would find out that my life was about to change forever. I became quicker. I could do flips and I was only eight. I somehow scaled the walls of my house with just using my hands and feet. Then the big thing happened. I shot a web strand out of my hand. I had no idea what was happening to me, but it seemed someone else did.

Some time after I learned about my powers a masked man named Spidercide broke into my house and took me from my family. He was a member of the organization Weapon X and he took me to their scientists so I could become their new lab rat.

They tried to make me into a heartless killer by forcing me to watch Spidercide murder innocent people. It was strange he had the same powers as me, but he could morph his body parts into deadly weapons. I wasn't sure if I had that ability and I didn't want to find out. After all that they did some kind of experiment on me, they called it the "Hunter Project." They gave me another power, one that I couldn't control.

When I was a little older they started training me in different martial arts. I was twelve years old when I started training. My best fighting style was the Mantis Style. I was beating their henchmen left and right. There were a lot of high walls, which gave me the advantage. Weapon X was sending out as many soldiers as they had. They wanted to make sure I could handle being outnumbered. I climbed the walls of the Weapon X complex and hid in the shadows.

The soldiers were all scared out of their minds. One guy made a remark about how he was there when they were working with Wolverine, which didn't help the others out. I started using my webbing to pull the soldiers to me. I'd beat them and throw them away. Then I would move to another place and continue cycle. There were four soldiers left, so I leaped in the middle of them.

"What," yells one of the Soldiers.

I laughed as I stood on my and began to twirl myself. I used my legs to push them back. I had them beat, but the man in charge of this program wanted to test out my strongest skill. He activated the power of the Hunter. There was nothing I could do to keep the power from taking over. I lost control and I murdered those last remaining soldiers.

My hands were stained with blood. As the Hunter I had no care for it, but when I became "Spider-Girl," as they called me, I couldn't handle what I had done and I went nuts.

The man in charge named, John Wraith, didn't make me as heartless as he wanted. I still had emotions and I had no feeling to want to kill. That night I was locked in a cell that was in Wraith's lab. I heard him talking to the big boss, Williams Stryker, who shouldn't even be alive. He did something to himself. That can be the only reason he's not dead.

Wraith was stationed in New York. Weapon X was branching out at the time and he managed to become in charge of that complex. I over heard the conversation between the two of them. They said they wanted me and Spidercide to work together and take down a crime family. It was that moment when I realized this would be my whole life, killing people. Quietly I began to plot an escape. I would have no more blood on my hands.

The Next Day

There was no way I could find my parents in Mexico, so I decided to stay in New York, but first I had to get out of the building.

There were two guards outside the room I was in so needed to surprise them. I climbed one of the walls to get to the ceiling where I moved toward the door. I shot a single strand of webbing at the knob and opened the door. Then I climbed out of the room, making it to the hallway ceiling. Then I let go of the ceiling and shot webbing at the two guards. With my strength I pulled the both of them into each other. The guards were nothing to worry about. The only thing that really concerned me was the other arachnid in this place.

A group of soldiers rushed the hallway, blocking the only way to move on. With a grin on my face I leaped at the soldiers and began kicking butt. I landed in the middle of them and they jumped on top of me. With all my strength I forced them off me and into the walls of the hall.

I continued my escape. I climbed to the top of the building, defeating soldier after soldier. I finally made it to the rooftop, with one web swing I could be free, but there was one obstacle left. Spidercide was waiting for me on the roof.

"Hey, Spider-Girl," laughs Spidercide. "You weren't going anywhere without saying good bye were you?"

"Get out of my way," says Anya.

"You can't leave," says Spidercide. "We never got to have that special moment where we talk about our experiences and become friends."

"You're a lunatic," says Anya.

"I haven't even had the chance to tell you of the great day when you came to Weapon X," laughs Spidercide. "We learned about your powers you obtained from the Mayan temple. I was sent down to Mexico to kidnap you. Your old man tried hard to protect you, but he was an easy victory for me. Your mother even got in my way, but I fixed her. I cracked her neck."

"My parents," mutters Anya. "You killed my parents."

"Well, just your mother," replies Spidercide. "Old pops is still out there."

"You killed my MAMA," yells Anya.

"That's it get mad," says Spidercide. "Let the Hunter take control."

"The Hunter," mutters Anya. "No!"

I ran off the rooftop in fear that I may activate the Hunter. I used my web to swing from one roof to another. I managed to get away. For some reason Spidercide let me go. There has to be a good reason why he'd let me leave.

Time went by and no one came after me. It should have been harder to get free, but it was so easy. Now I was all alone in the city of New York at the age of twelve and I had nowhere to go.

I thought maybe if I found the police they could help me so I found where the local station was and went there. I told my story to the officer at the main desk and he just laughed in my face. I couldn't get anyone to believe my story.

I thought it was hopeless until one of the other officers came to talk to me. "Hi, I'm Officer Johnson, what's you name," asks Johnson.

"Ahh, Anya Corazon," replies Anya.

"Now what is this about you being lost," asks Officer Johnson.

"My home is back in Mexico, where my parents are, but I was brought here against my will," says Anya. "I was kidnapped by some group called Weapon X."

"I've heard of them… But no one knows anything about them," says Johnson. "The rumors are that they experiment on mutants."

"Well, I'm no mutant," yells Anya.

"Do you remember where they took you," asks Officer Johnson.

"Yeah," says Anya.

I would show him where the Weapon X complex is, but I didn't tell him of my powers or what they did to me. It wasn't a big surprise when we came up to the building and everything was gone. The inside was cleared out instantly when I left. They took everything, even the files that had the location of my home.

"They probably knew that you'd bring the police," says Johnson. "I'm sorry Anya, but if they have the location of your home, then there's no way you're gonna find it."

"No," says Anya. "Where am I gonna go?"

"I'll make sure you have a good place to sleep tonight," says Officers Johnson.

I was put up in a foster home, but after a couple days I was kicked out of the house. I don't know why. Nobody wanted me. After being rejected several times Officer Johnson offered to take me in. He knew I had been through a lot so he thought it would be good.

I met his family. He lived with his wife and daughter Lynn. They were all nice. I got along well with Lynn and we became friends. I was sent to school with her where I made more friends.

I still live there today. Like I said I'm eighteen now. It's my last year in high school and let me tell you I have a feeling it's gonna be crazy last year. As I started my senior year I decided to change that code-name of mine from that horrible Spider-Girl to Araña. Everyday after school I would go patrol the city before I went home. The Johnson family thought I was doing after school activities, but I was kicking some criminal butt.

I was doing well, but Weapon X would step in again causing me more problems. It seems Spidercide wanted to wait till I was a little older to fight me. No one has beaten him before and he was looking for a new challenge and I have no problem giving it to him. I will force him to tell me my papa lives and beat his ass for killing my mama.

To Be Continued…