Well, it seems everyone likes this version of the story more than the other one, so I'll be focusing on this one for a time. Maybe until it's reached about eleven chapters. For now, though, let's get on with the story, shall we?
*I still don't own RWBY, Justice League Unlimited or Spider-Man 2099!*
A Spider Is Reborn!
"Whoa…! Weaver, this is incredible! But what's with all these different people who have spider powers?" Jaune said/asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Jaune. Do you see this little strand of web right here?" Weaver asked, pointing to the Web of Life.
More specifically, towards a small strand of web that looked thinner and weaker than all the others. It looked almost dead to Jaune when he took a good look at it. Almost like those cobwebs you often see in old houses. The boy nodded and Weaver began to explain the situation with this thread.
"There has been a great disturbance in the Web of Life. One of our newest spiders, Tarantula, a genetically altered clone of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, was destroyed before his time by the very creature that was supposed to free him from the research facility where he and his clone brethren were being held captive. He was supposed to stop one of his 'brothers', another clone named Kaine, from harming a young woman named Mary Jane Watson, by fighting him long enough for the real Peter to get there and put a stop to Doctor Otto Octavius once and for all. But now, because of his untimely death, that will never happen." Weaver explained.
And as she did, the section of the web with the weakest strand began to glow and showed several events that weren't supposed to happen in contrast to what is meant to happen. A six-armed, more spideresque clone version of Peter Parker dying at the hands of a clone of Gwen Stacy known as Carnage, shriveling up as the creature's tentacles seemed to drain the life blood from his body, leaving nothing more but a dried up husk in its place. In contrast to that, he was really supposed to die from Doctor Otto Octavius, or Doctor Octopus, running him through with a steel beam through the chest.
Geez, THAT got gruesome real fast.
Although, Jaune had to admit, he did like that Spidey Suit. Say what you will about Tarantula's looks, he's got style! But that still leaves one very important question out there.
"But what does this have to do with me?" Jaune asked.
"Because, Jaune, with the untimely demise of Tarantula, there is a weak link in the Web of Life. If a new Tarantula is not selected soon, it will completely unravel and eradicate all life in this dimension and all others! This dimension included! I know that you still have people you love in this world, and you still wish to protect them,"
She's not wrong. Jaune thought back to his only real friends back at Beacon. Team RWBY… he would readily do ANYTHING to keep them safe. Even if it meant sacrificing himself to do it!
Even for the rest of Beacon, he'd gladly lay down his life for them all, despite the bad blood between them. Yes, call him a softie, but I guess the old Jaune Arc will always be willing to fight to protect those who need his help. No matter how much bad history he may have with them.
"Before I accept or decline these powers, I just want to know something. Aside from being a clone of Peter Parker, what exactly was so different about Tarantula?" Jaune asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Jaune." Weaver said, slinging an arm over his shoulders. "You see, like I said before, Tarantula is a genetically modified clone of Spider-Man. However, he couldn't be more different from the original. You see, during his creation at Octavius' lab, the doctor decided to splice his DNA so that it possessed more of the Spider DNA that gives Parker his powers. As a result, Tarantula has six arms, eyes that are completely black like a spider, coarse black spider hairs all over his body and black hair on his head instead of brown. Plus, he has fangs like a vampire. If he bites you, he can inject a venom that can paralyze your whole body almost instantly. These fangs hurt, but they're not lethal. And because of his more prominent spider genes, Tarantula doesn't need compact Web Shooters on his wrists. He possesses organic spinnerets in his arms that produce organic webbing much like real spiders. And since these webs are natural, their tensile strength is comparable to steel, much like natural Spider silk."
Seeing Jaune looking a bit grossed out by the prospect of looking like a giant bug. And who can really blame him? One minute, he'd be just a below average Hunter in training, next thing he knows, he'll have big lumps in his arms that shoot sticky stuff? Who WOULDN'T be weirded out?! Luckily, Weaver knew just how to alleviate these fears of the young former knight.
"Don't worry, if you accept these powers, you won't end up looking like Tarantula did. At most, you'll grow four additional arms, fangs and spinnerets in your arms. You'll also have all of the same powers as Spider-Man classic, including a sixth sense that can warn you of any incoming danger."
That did ease some of Jaune's worries. In fact, it eased them just enough for him to come to a decision about receiving these new powers and going to this new world a world where he'll be able to do some real good. A world where he can finally be the hero he's always dreamed about. A world where… he can make his family proud.
"Weaver, I'm in! Just tell me what to do!" Jaune said with great conviction.
Weaver smiled and removed Jaune's hoodie, making the boy uncomfortable at losing his warmest piece of clothing. Fortunately, he always wears a white shirt underneath. Good thing he always does his own laundry, otherwise Nora might've washed his white shirts with her red socks to turn them pink.
"In order for you to gain these new powers, I must bite you and inject the spider DNA into your bloodstream. By the time I send you through the Web of Life and into the new world that needs you, the Spider DNA will have bonded permanently with your own human genetics."
That said, she moved the collar of his shirt aside, exposing his jugular as Weaver's canine teeth became long and sharp fangs. However, she had a bit of a problem locking on to her target with Jaune's twitching. Obviously, he had a bad experience with spider Grimm as a small child.
"Now, try not to fidget. I don't want to accidentally bite through a main artery."
THAT made Jaune freeze so he was stiff as a board. Now, with a clearer target, Weaver opened her mouth wide and chomped down on the boy's neck. It felt like needles injecting acid into his body, but Jaune was determined to hold in his screams and power on through the pain.
And that pain is understandable. Even now, the spider DNA being injected into the boy is merging with his own human genes. With it, his body and Aura are adapting to the sudden rush of spider powers that are being brought into his body. The pain is mostly from his immune system trying and failing to fight off the foreign genetics entering Jaune's system. Still, it appears to be doing its job, bonding the spider DNA to Jaune's own human DNA. When it was done, some rather radical changes happened to our blonde protagonist.
These large lumps began to sprout from underneath Jaune's arms before they burst out and formed into four extra human arms. Jaune opened his mouth wide in a silent scream of pain as his once human sized canine teeth elongated and sharpened into fangs that looked sharp enough to pierce almost anything. And while it couldn't be seen right away, organic spinnerets grew into each of Jaune's arms, ready and waiting to produce webbing for the one using them. Finally, Jaune's blonde hair began to darken until it was a really dark gold, almost brown, color with the tips turning black.
When it was over, Weaver removed her bloody fangs from Jaune's neck, revealing two puncture wounds that were already healing at a much faster rate than a normal human being. Or even someone with Aura.
Jaune groaned before looking at his new body in awe. He tried moving each of his new arms and found that he could move them as freely and easily as his original two. However, he did feel a bit strange with these new limbs, feeling like he must be the first ever spider Faunus in existence.
"This thing with the eight limbs is definitely gonna take some getting used to." Jaune commented.
Weaver grinned, knowing the feeling when she first tried the whole six arms and two legs thing. After a week of that, she decided that she liked having the lower half of her body being that of a spider a lot more.
"Trust me, Jaune, you'll come to find these new powers as a blessing rather than a curse. Much sooner than you may realize. Now, you must be transported to the new world that I was telling you about. Once there, you will be able to field test your new powers."
The Web of Life began glowing with a bright light as a portal to a new world opened up within. Weaver guided Jaune to the portal, ready to let him step through and fulfill his destiny.
"Oh, and expect a delivery in the form of your very own Spidey Suit in a few minutes." Weaver commented.
Jaune gave a salute to the deity that guides the Web of Life and stepped through, marking the final time Remnant would be seeing the young Arc in a long time. But neither he nor Weaver noticed that a crow was watching from the trees. It flew off in the direction of Beacon, cawing frantically.
*To Be Continued…*
I know I had a poll up for Jaune's spider powers, but then I did more research on these Spider-Men. And I figured, you know what? Tarantula just doesn't get as much recognition or credibility as most other incarnations of Spider-Man. So, I went with his Spider powers for this story. And when Emerald shows up in this story, let's just say… it ain't gonna be pretty.