Part 9 - All Things Must Die
Chapter 144 - The Glitching King
It had been a couple of days since SCP-239, the Witch Child, had been sent back to oblivion. Nobody had heard from Max, but him disappearing seemed to happen every now and then. So long as he didn't turn up like he had at Miles and Gwen's wedding again, nobody really had a reason to worry. Miles and Gwen had just put on their spider suits and were getting ready to jump to the latter's home dimension. She had received a phone call from her father begging for help. The spiders put on their dimensional watches and jumped.
New York, 7065, was in pieces. Everywhere the pair swung, people were running for their lives. They soon picked up the sound of gunshots and went to investigate. A group of police cars blocked a street, but that wasn't going to stop the army of abominations charging down the street.
"What the hell are those?" Gwen yelled to Miles over the sound of screeches and guns.
"No idea. Just that those cops are gonna be overrun."
Gwen was first to the ground. One of the police officers ducked down behind the bonnet of their car.
"I should arrest you, Spiderwoman, but we need your help."
"So I see."
Miles landed next to her. She turned to him.
"Call the alliance and tell them we need help."
He nodded and pulled out his phone letting Gwen turn back to the situation at hand. The bullets fired did absolutely nothing. The leaders of the army stretched out slippery tentacles and grabbed the officers. Gwen tried to catch one's ankle and save them, but the creature swatted her away. She picked herself up and ripped the bonnet off one of the cars, throwing it in the hope of taking down a couple but to no avail. She grabbed Miles' free hand and swung them up out of reach. Miles swung with one hand, talking on his phone with the other.
"How many times have I told you about texting and swinging?" Gwen asked jokingly when he put it away.
"Seven. 9578 are coming, and we should get some spider people too."
"Let's hope it's enough."
"Maybe if Max showed up we'd be fine?"
"We don't need him. We'll look better in history like this."
"The two spider people fighting a thousand bird-lizard-octopus-wolf hybrids. Sounds like another t-shirt idea."
The pair arrived at the next blockade. It seemed the army were here, however. A number of armoured personnel carriers were parked behind the concrete barricades that the soldiers were using for cover.
"Where're the tanks?" Miles asked.
"On their way." The sergeant snapped back.
"Then let's dig in. More help is on its way." Said Gwen.
As the abominations came within range, the soldiers and APCs opened fire. Miles and Gwen leapt down from above, narrowly avoiding being hit by friendly fire. Miles found his venom strike was extremely effective, but using it so much made him exhausted. Gwen saw his fighting getting sluggish and dragged him back.
"Don't get yourself killed."
"What? It'll look better in history."
"Not to your kid who'll grow up without a dad."
"True."
Gwen made to get back into the fighting, despite not having killed a single one, but Miles caught her wrist.
"Your point is moot if you're not alive to deliver the kid."
"I can handle myself, Miles. We're more effective than these guys and their guns are."
He didn't like the idea of her doing what she'd just told him not to. Yet she leapt back over the barricades, kicking an abomination in the face and punching another. It became clear very quickly she was going to be killed and Miles hauled her back with a web.
"Retreat, you two!" The sergeant yelled as the concrete barricades began to be overrun.
The spiders managed to carry a soldier each to safety, but the others were killed.
The third barricade collapsed in seconds as the abominations crashed through a skyscraper next to it bringing the entire building down. As the spiders retreated yet again, help finally arrived in the form of the Spider Gang.
"Great job, kids!" Peter exclaimed.
"You try and stop them if you think you'd do so well." Gwen replied as they reached the fourth barricade.
This one was at an intersection. If the abominations broke this one they would swamp the city. An A-10 Warthog roared overhead, spitting anti-tank rounds at the opposing army before banking steeply to line up for another pass. Noir pulled out a revolver and shot off all six rounds to no avail.
"What are these things?" He asked.
"My venom strike can take them out, but it gets tiring." Said Miles.
"We have to start thinking strategy, not just charging in like idiots. Miles, you'll duck in and out as you need to. The rest of us will protect you." Gwen ordered.
The other spiders agreed, and Spiderham pulled out his hammer.
"Let's dance!"
The Spider Gang made their move. Peni's robot turned out to be almost as effective as Miles by electrocuting the abominations. It seemed the tides were slowly starting to turn, but Gwen was certain there was no way their luck could last. However, she was proven wrong as things only got better. The A-10 did another pass, this time flanked by two sleek aircraft with VTOL engines in their wings. They tore overhead, unleashing gunfire and raining missiles and bombs. The spiders retreated to avoid being hit as another pair followed.
"I see what you mean." Peter commented to Gwen.
"There's no way we've won this." Said Miles, his arms a little shaky from all the venom strikes.
"We haven't. These creatures are coming from a portal, and they're still coming." Said Peni.
"What do we do?"
"We have to close it." Said Spiderham.
"Then let's move. Watch out for crossfire." Said Gwen.
The spiders found the portal simply by following the carnage back in the direction the creatures came from. A red crack was letting them in, as well as a rancid red smoke.
"I hope that robot has air filters." Peter remarked.
"It does." Said Peni.
"Guys. Focus. How can we close it?" Gwen interrupted.
"The source is coming from the other side." Peni replied, having scanned it.
"We have to go through." Said Noir.
"All of us or just one?" Asked Peter.
"All of us." Replied Miles.
"Let's move. The fewer of these things are here the better." Said Gwen.
She jumped off the building and dived towards the split in reality. Miles and Peter brought up the rear of the group.
"She's bossy today." Said the latter.
"She's pregnant."
"Oh. Congratulations, I guess."
"Thanks."
It took a little good timing to get through to the other side of the red crack, but the Spider Gang were not disappointed by what they saw.
"I'm getting the feeling we're outmatched." Said Peter.
"There's no way we can take him on." Agreed Spiderham.
The sky was red like the colour of blood. To one side, an extensive building had its doors wide open and the abominations were marching out, down a hill and into the portal. Straight ahead, however, was an enormous red creature with burning yellow eyes. The Scarlet King was glitching in places, but he seemed beyond caring as his eyes bore down on Gwen.
"Born a nothing. Risen to something. I see myself in the children of A'habbat more than any others of my descendants. The broken steel in their hearts is a monument to my reign. You, Gwendolyn, will be slaughtered as I have slaughtered so many of your predecessors."
Gwen's eyes widened in horror as the King rose from his throne. The other spiders, including Miles, looked between her and their enemy in confusion. Khahrahk's lips spread into a horrible smile as he fed on her fear. After all, what was a better affirmation of an idea than to be afraid of it? Gwen's hand went to her back as if to draw a katana, but then she remembered she was no longer that Gwen. The spiders scattered as Khahrahk's fist came down to crush them, but she just stared up at her death. If she lived now, she was simply delaying the inevitable. Suddenly, as the fist was just metres away, a dark pink, white and teal blur swooped in and dragged her out the way. Gwen snapped out of her trance and turned to her saviour. It was a spider person, but she'd never seen this suit.
"Thanks."
"Don't bother. I'm only doing it because my not-so-little brother would be livid. And if you die, I have to put up with you in Arachnia."
"Who are you?"
The spider pulled down her hood and removed her mask revealing a face very similar to Gwen's, with the only exceptions being her skin was slightly darker and she had Miles' eyes.
"Are you Max's sister?"
"'Max's sister' is all you remember me by? You don't even remember your own daughter's name? No wonder you forgot how not to cause mass murders."
"I didn't exactly get to pick and choose which memories I kept."
"Charlotte Morales. Technically there's a Stacy on the end but I hate you and everything about you so get over it. Now, are we killing this guy or is he killing us?"
Charlotte and her mother looked but Khahrahk was gone. It seemed he had sensed something and fled. Unfortunately he hadn't taken his children with him.
"Look out!" Miles yelled as something the colour of chalk tore towards them.
Its mouth looked big enough to swallow a basketball, its arms and fingers were stretched, and it was screaming even louder than 239. Gwen leapt out the way, but Charlotte jumped up and spun round to bring her foot into the side of SCP-096's head. The Shy Guy was sent crashing to the ground.
"Round two, motherfucker." Charlotte muttered as the monster picked itself up.
It screamed at Peni who had seen its face and was directly in front of it. She tried to direct her robot out of the way, but it was grabbed by the leg and smashed against the ground so that the screen, on which its expressions were usually shown, was shattered and the way to the person inside was open. 096 reached inside to tear Peni apart, but Noir swooped in and pulled her free as Spiderham smashed the beast over the head with his hammer.
"Stop screaming like a baby and fight me!"
The monster took a swipe at the spider-pig hybrid, but Gwen landed on its shoulders and wrapped her legs round its neck to try and snap it. It dragged her off and bore down on her. Spiderham hit it again and Miles used a mega venom strike to send it flying to Peter. Peter dodged the hand and swept its legs out from under it. Charlotte slammed her foot down on its glitching face.
"Looks like the Author's really nerfed you!" She taunted.
096 grabbed her foot and pulled her down. She tried to break free, but it was Peter who saved her from getting her neck broken by kicking its head like a football. The monster charged at him, screaming, but received a ferocious lightning bolt to the face. A jet of energy tore down on top of it, and that was the last glimpse the spiders had of a living SCP-096. When the jet ceased, Max pulled his sword free and sheathed it. He took a deep breath and turned to his sister, morphing down his mask and hood to reveal a grin.
"Hey Charlo!"
"Mad as ever, Max."
"Sadly it's the other kind of 'mad' nowadays, but sure."
The siblings hugged. Miles and Gwen watched from a short distance away, trying to work out what they felt about their kids having such a strong bond.
"What if we were really neglectful parents?" Asked Miles.
"Or maybe they just get along?"
"No siblings ever get on well."
"How would you know? Neither of us has any."
"True."
"At least that portal's shut. 9578 and the army can mop up."
A couple of hours later, Max and Charlotte were catching up in their parents' penthouse. Miles and Gwen sat down with them. Charlotte sighed and glared at her mother.
"The hell do you want?"
"Hey, I'm not the same Gwen as that crazy one."
"Everyone stays the same at heart."
"Not true." Said Miles.
"Just keep defending your maniac wife, Dad."
"Chill, Charlo." Max butted in.
"What? Cos they're both shining angels now?"
"They're not angels, mainly cos all the angels are dead. But also because they mess up loads."
"Why did you bring me back to life, Max? I was happy where I was. Now I have to grow old and suffer all the stupid stuff the living have to."
Max looked sad when she said this.
"I brought you back because I liked my sister being alive. I almost never see you nowadays. And I knew the fight with 096 was about to happen so I said 'go save Mum' and you did it and got some revenge. Maybe our family can figure things out, hopefully before the fifth member arrives."
Charlotte groaned.
"Not another screaming baby."
"Hey! I didn't scream that much." Max replied with his grin returning a little.
"You have no idea."
"I will in a few months."
"Great. I'll go put some headphones in and let you get the headaches. When was the last time you pulled a prank?"
"Haven't had time."
"You can literally stop it. That's not an excuse anymore, and your English teacher will agree with all the homework you have overdue."
"Maybe I should go back to school?"
"Uh oh. Mad Max is back, Visions!"
The pair kept laughing, trading light verbal blows every now and then. Miles and Gwen smiled at each other.
"Can I ask you something, Charlotte?" Asked Max.
They were standing on the balcony overlooking the bustling New York far below a few hours later.
"Sure."
"Why are you mad at everyone?"
She turned to him with a sad expression.
"I'm mad because of what the world did to my little brother. I always felt I had to protect you cos Dad was too busy with the Legion and Mum was too busy being dead. Then things happened and I was killed by Shy Guy and look what happened to you: you killed someone, became a God, ended the omniverse. I guess I feel it's my fault."
Max nodded, eyeing up a fancy sports car that was driving along down below.
"Can I ask you something?" Asked Charlotte.
"Always."
"What do you see in Mum and Dad? What redeems them for you?"
"For starters, they're completely different versions to the one's that were our parents. Our parents were maniacs shaped by decades of temporal war and stuff. These two are just…more normal. At least as normal as you can get with spider powers. And sure, they make mistakes and they can be a pain sometimes, especially Dad. But we have to give them a second chance."
Charlotte hugged her brother which took him a little by surprise.
"I guess you'll always be my little brother, no matter what the world makes you."
Crossovers in this Chapter
- SCP Foundation
Looks like Peni lost another robot. I wonder how much it costs to make a new one of them?