Super Science
Ch 67: A Solution to the Problem
Egon sighs loudly as he locks up the facility for the night. Izuku, who was the only one left beside Peet and Eri, asks him, "What's wrong, Egon? You look stressed."
Egon leaned against the door and slid down as he admitted, "I am. I just got word that even though Cluck and Hankoyō have successfully set up a Warp Pad on Pacifica and have a strong defense around it. They've been attacked by villains so many times that they are in desperate need of more defense robots.", he puts his hands over his face and pulls down as he groans while adding, "I wish I knew what to do in this situation. If I don't, who knows what ramifications could happen!"
Izuku landed down on him and patted his shoulder while assuring him, "Let's just get some rest and brainstorm about it tomorrow."
Egon takes a calming sigh as he agrees, "Yeah, you're right. I just wish the heavens could drop a miracle into my lap."
Late into the night, one of the manhole covers opened up in the Sound Division of the facility and a figure crawled out of it. Instead of your typical sneaky slinker, it quite literally crawled out from the hole and flopped its wet body on the cold metal floor like a piece of wet meat. After crawling out and dry heaving on the floor it stumbled onto its feet where it scanned the dark room. Its eyes eventually fell upon a glass cabinet with a bunch of vials and other strange things in it. Just what it was looking for.
After trying and failing to open the door or force it, it resorts to trying to break it. A task that was easier said than done as the glass was high-grade security measure glass. But with enough determination the figure managed to finally get one crack. And one was all it needed to break it completely.
Once opened it rummaged through the cabinet with shaky hands that ended up knocking down just about everything inside. Until it grabbed a vial with a strange black liquid in it. Not noticing how the liquid moved all on its own, it popped the cork and drank it down. After licking its lips it dropped the vial, shattering it, and doubled over its pain while crashing back into the broken cabinet and laying against it as the world around it went black.
The following day, late into the morning, when Egon was in his office, Honey Lemon burst into his room in a hurry! Her face was red and her hair wild as the glasses barely hung into her face!
"Oh, Honey Lemon. What's gotten you in such a tizzy this morning?", Egon asked the woman as she approached him
"You have to come see this, now!", she half yelled while grabbing his arm and dragging him with her.
After being pulled to the Sound Division, Egon was beset with the sight of nearly his whole staff in Hankoyō's main office circling a giant white mass in the center of the room that nearly engulfed every part.
Standing there for a while with mouth open in awe, the first thing he asked was, "What the….heck is that?"
"I have…no idea.", Honey Lemon answered while also staring at the thing.
Just then, Otto came in with his pad and explained to everyone, "From what I could gather. Its material is similar in structure to spider silk."
Now that he looked at it with that thought in mind, it did look like a giant cocoon or spider egg nest.
"Is it a spider?", Izuku inquired.
Otto rubbed his head as he scrolled through his pad and answered, "Yes and no."
Egon put on a huffed expression with hands on his hips as he stated, "I knew Hankoyō should've taken proper care in the containment of those leech things!"
"So what do we do with it?", Wily asked as he had already brought a droid with a flamethrower attachment.
"It's a cocoon, right?", Egon asked as Otto nodded. "Then we'll cut it out, put it in a chamber, see what comes out, and take it from there.", Egon told them.
Everyone nods at his decision and gets to work in preparing for the arrival of…something.
"S-Sir.", Rappa carefully said as he poked his head in Egon's office.
"Yeah?", Egon answered back, face deep in paperwork and setting up other operations.
"It's hatching.", Rappa vaguely told him
Rushing his head up he yelled, "What!? Already! But we just put it inside a chamber and don't have the weapons in place.", quickly turning on the PA system he called out, "Everyone prepare yourselves for the worst!"
Slamming the phone down he ran out of the office with Rappa as they both rushed to the Sound Division again. Once they got there with a few staff present and several dozen defense robots and assassin droids at the ready, he watched through the window as the cocoon, how much smaller outside of the webbing holding it up, began to crack open and release the horror inside.
Once it split open, a mass covered in a green fluid fell out and onto the floor with a wet drop! The mass uncurled itself and stood up upon wobbly legs. Many of them. Disproportionate and bloated like a drowned corpse it walks around as it allows the green fluid to drip off its body.
"Oh God! It's hideous!", Melissa yelled as she hugged Izuku in fear.
Once the fluid drops off and the body unravels and turns enough to see it all over, it is revealed to be something very strange but still equally horrible. The creature had two parts, one smaller upper part and a much larger under part. It was like looking at a very strange centaur. The upper part appeared humanoid, the lower part looked like a smaller-scale version of Ungoliant.
It was a huge spider, the size of two horses, black with twelve legs and covered in hair so thick they looked like spikes. Its misshapen head was bunched up with several dozen red eyes and its lower jaw swung like a mammal.
Upon closer observation, Izuku stated, "It's a guy?"
As Izuku had stated, the part on top was a completely human body that had no mutation or other such flaws. The human part was quite beautiful. It was made with black long hair and black eyes with a fairly decent build.
"So that's why you said yes and no.", Egon stated while looking at Otto.
"What should we do with him, it, that!", Melissa inquired, unsure of how to refer to the half-human spider creature.
"Observe and find out who it is.", Izuku stated affirmatively.
After some time, and careful extraction of DNA from the man spider, Egon was visited by Doctrine about the results.
"Sir, I have the results.", She said while barging into his office. Not even waiting for a response, she told him, "Apparently his name is Peter Parker. He's from Western Europe and has been arrested for several accounts of petty theft, drug abuse, minor misdemeanors, alcoholism, and yada-yada-yada. Basically, he's a broke loser who uses drugs to feel alive."
"That's sad.", Izuku, who was also in his office at the time, added.
"Also there was something strange with his DNA.", she added, getting their attention. "It was all jumbled up with Spider DNA. I found some samples from those leech creatures you told me about and the DNA in those matches the one in him.", she explained to them.
Izuku raised an eyebrow and asked while looking at his pad, "Okay, then how did he get them inside of himself? I'm looking at Hankoyō's notes right now and he says these things are harmless and can barely move. So how did it happen."
"He drank 'em.", Egon blabbered out making everyone look at him as he annunciated, "He. Drank. Em."
"He must've thought they were some kind of drugs or something.", Doctrine put forth, rolling her eyes.
From here the scientists all began to walk back to the testing chamber where the man spider was being held, and during it, Otto struck up some conversation and asked, "So what's been going on with our horrific neighborhood spider freak?"
Egon pulled up his pad and connected to the camber cameras he told them, "Not much. He's just moseying around in a daze while looking at himself in the mirrors. I don't think he's realized what's happening or at least absorbed it all."
"Have you tried contact?", Doctrine asked.
Egon flashed her a look and exclaimed, "What are you, crazy? I'm not getting anywhere near that thing! Even if it is human."
"I meant to talk to him.", she growled back at the man, making him awkwardly sweat drop.
"No.", Egin said back in a small embarrassed voice.
Once they got back to the viewing chamber, Izuku turned on the inner speakers and stated, "Let's see if he can still speak."
Izuku turned on the inner speakers, set them in several parts of the testing chamber, and said, "Hello, Peter. Can you hear me?", the man spider whipped his head to the one-way mirror that the scientists were hidden behind and made them jump.
Izuku gulped down the primal fear rising in his soul and asked, "Can-Can you speak."
The man spider walked over to the glass and looking at himself he said in a hoarse tone as if trying to learn to speak, "Ye-Yes."
"Oh good, so he's not completely brain dead.", Doctrine sighs, making Izuku side-eye her.
"How do you feel?", Izuku asked into the mic.
The man spider looked down at his body, then his hands, and tightened them as he ranted, "How I feel?... How I feel. How I feel! I feel amazing! I've never felt this good in my whole life! I feel strong and fast and clear in my head! I've never felt so empowered! I feel like life gave back what was ripped away from my grasp before it was even there! I feel like my truest self!"
The scientist was put off by his reaction until Otto mentioned, "Did I forget to mention he was quirkless?"
"Oh, that makes some sense.", Egon stated while snapping his fingers.
Izuku nodded in understanding and then the spider inquired while pressing himself against the glass, "Tell me! How did this become of me?! Who did this to me?! Only a god could do such a feat! Was it a god!?"
"Technically it was you.", Doctrine said while striking up a match and lighting a cigarette.
"Well in a way your current state of being is due to a force far beyond you. And if you think it's a god, then that depends heavily on your definition.", Izuku informed him.
"What's their name!? Tell me!", the man spider demanded as he pounded on the reinforced glass hard enough to make it shake.
"Ungoliant and it's a she.", Izuku quickly answered, getting scared by the outburst.
"Ungoliant. What a beautiful name!", the man spider cooed as he lovingly looked out into nothing before going to the center of the room, falling on his knees(?) and began to pray aloud to no one. "Oh lady Ungoliant, goddess above! From this day forward I shall dedicate my whole life to you and the services of you alone! I am your humble servant! Do with me as you wish as but a small part of my neverending thanks for giving me this second life and this new body! I shall treasure it for ages to come!", he pronounced boldly and happily.
All the scientists were silent as they watched this scene unfold in uncomfortable awkward silence, until Izuku tried to end his reverence, and said, "Um, Peter-?"
The man spider jumped up, uncomfortably turned his body, and ran up to the window mirror where he yelled, "Don't call me that! Peter Parker was a weak fool who died last night. I'm someone else entirely. But I need a fitting name. Give me a name!", he demanded as his spider half hisses in displeasure.
"I'll get the flamethrower and raid.", Otto said casually as Doctrine nodded and followed after him.
"Wait, Otto! I think I have an idea.", Izuku exclaimed as he went to the mic and offered the half-crazed, mouth-foamed spider creature, "How about Quelaag."
The man spider paused for a moment, then thought it through his silence as he looked at the ground. After a minute he smiled cruelly and exclaimed, "Quelaag…..yes, yes! I. Am. Quelaag!"
"Okay, so what's this plan?", Doctrine prompts him as she reaches for the emergency robot deployer.
"I think we just found the solution to our villain infestation.", he tells them with a knowing glance, making everyone firm a question mark above their heads. Going back to the mic he asks the spider, "Quelaag. How would you like to meet your goddess?"
Pacifica
Late on a stormy night on the island of many dangers and many wonders, also known as Pacifica, a small group of villains took refuge inside a small cave to wait out the storm. As they all huddled close to the fire as it threatened to get blown out by the whipping winds and rain they all moaned about their complaints.
"Where the hell is Daki!? It's been hours and I'm starving!", one villain yelled.
"Oh shut up! We're all starving, just give her some time. Besides, you know how hard it is to get anything to eat on the island that isn't trying to eat you first.", another villain yelled at the first.
"Why can't we go deeper into the caves for shelter? I'm freezing and I'm right by the fire.", another villain asked as they chattered from the cold while looking deeper into their cavern.
"You know what the last guy told us about the caves, right? They're filled with giant spiders and Trolls! Whatever those are.", the second to last villain stated.
"I hope she's okay.", the last villain whimpered like a dog.
"You worry too much, she'll be fine. It was her turn to get food.", the first villain waved off the last before turning their head to the cave entrance and announcing, "And here she is now!"
Just then a medium silhouette walked towards the cave on unsteady footsteps, nearly falling over several times. Once it came to the precipice between the cave and the rain outside, people began to notice something strange.
"Daki! Welcome back! Did you get food?", one villain asked excitedly and impatiently only to get no response.
"Daki?", another villain asked as the silhouette began to walk in like a puppet in strings.
Then the person stopped just a few feet from them only to stand uncomfortable still.
You're awfully quiet. You okay?", another villain tried to reach out to the person.
Only for them to stumble into the light of the fire to reveal a horrified expression stuck to the bloody face of a dismembered body that had seemed to be held together by black tendrils! The body arched forward, showing its back, where a large spider had its legs sutured into the corpse's back and limbs while its own body was hooked directly to the back! Controlling the dead person like a puppet made of meat!
It screeched at the villains as the leader yelled, "Kill it!"
The spider attempted to use the body to block the flurry of attacks but was unsuccessful as it and the corpse were destroyed. In the short one-sided fight, the campfire they had used for warmth and light had gone out, leaving them in the dark. But they never did it for the best since the death of this spider would mean more would come to the spot thanks to the death hormones it secretes. Just as they began to catch their breath, mourn the dead, and figure out a new place to hide, a new figure stood in the dark cave opening.
"Well, well, well. The hole of the little mice has been found and flushed out. Through to me, you all look more like a bunch of rats.", a sinister voice cooed to them, white teeth gleaming in the darkness as they smiled.
"Who the hell are you!?", one of the villains demanded.
The voice chuckled at the question as if it were cute, then told them, "Who am I? My name won't matter very soon. But if you must know, I'll tell you. But first, a little light."
Suddenly a light shone from the mouth of something under the person's torso and revealed that his nude upper half was attached to a giant mutant spider that had flames burning inside of its mouth! Then a flame began to ignite and burn off the spider's thorax and lit the room up showing off his hideous half-and-half form! He then reached into the spider's mouth where he began to pull out what looked like a pole. He kept slowly pulling it out until it seemed to get stuck. Then with one swift yank, he pulled out an enormous scythe that appeared to be made of lava! As it emerged it caused droplets of lava to fly all over! There he patted his spider lower half and rested the weapon over his shoulder while glaring down at the villains with malicious intent.
The last thing they heard from him was, "I am Quelaag."
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