Chapter 2
Shocking Battle
It was now morning in the city of New York and many citizens were getting ready for the day, either for work or just a nice jog, everyone was up and about…well expect for me. Yes, I was still asleep in my own bed fully intent on catching as many Z's as I can before something happened.
*beep, beep*
Speak of the devil there was my Spider-Watch app, which is an app I created to monitor and manage my network of Spider-Bots around the city while also allowing them to send me alerts when something happens. So against my will to stay in bed I then grabbed my phone from off my nightstand and touched the alert on the screen, causing a mechanical voice to play.
"Alert, Heist in progress on 23rd street, Location, Frank's Hardware, Thief Identified, Herman Schultz aka Shocker"
"Shocker?!" I exclaimed sitting up from my bed
(Play Warbly Jets- Alive)
Now that I was wide awake I then started to run around my bedroom, gathering all the pieces of my Spider suit, of course after grabbing my mask I couldn't help but sniff it and cringe a bit.
"I need to wash this thing" I said, making a mental note to do that
So once I had my suit in my arms, I then quickly throw some bread in the toaster for a quick breakfast all while I put my costume on. I then quickly snatched my web shooters from my nightstand and attached them to my wrists, just in time to as my toast just popped out of the toaster causing me to shoot a web line and grab them. So after quickly eating the two pieces of toasted bread I then slipped my mask on making me fully suited in my Superior Spider suit, just after adjusting my lenses that is until my eyes landed on the still broken Roxy on my couch. So with a small smile, I then walked over to the animatronic and patted her on the head.
"Wish me luck Roxy" I said
So once I petted her I then jumped out of the window and into the morning sky of New York City, ready take on my old friend Shocker.
I then shot a web and swung through the air, letting out a whoop as I did.
(End Song)
"Good morning New York!" I shouted into the sky
Then while I was swinging I then got a call from my dad, which I answered due to my built in phone in my HUD.
"Morning dad" I said
"Morning Ben, I'm guessing you're off to fight Herman?" dad asked
"Got that right" I then answered
"Well good luck Ben and be careful okay" Dad added which made me chuckle
"Come on dad, its Shocker, he's a cupcake" I replied which made my dad chuckle too
"True, just be careful all the same…oh and also when you done with old Herman can you swing by and help me at Horizon for a sec?" dad asked
"Sure, what for?" I asked in kind
"Just need clean some stuff out of the basement, were running out of room in their" Dad answered
"Okay, I'll swing by when I'm done with Shocker, see you soon" I replied
"Alright then, good luck" dad replied, ending the call
Once the call was over I then spotted the Hardware store and Shocker busting out of the shop window, with a bag over his shoulder. I then landed on one of the lamp-posts as I stared down the man as said villain looked up at me. Sure enough, Shocker was decked out in a yellow colored padded suit with bits of red on his boots and chest area making a V-shape and on his wrists were two silver gauntlets that seemed to hum with power.
"Hey Herman, how you been?" I joked
Strangely enough however, Shocker didn't reply to my joke like he always does, instead he just started running in the other direction from me. I then started to give chase after the yellow quilt villain, I would caught him there and then if he didn't shot his shockwave gauntlets into the ground and rocketed himself into the air which actually surprised me.
"Hmm, cool trick" I muttered as continued to give chase
Shocker then landed on the roof tops and started "hoping" from one building to the next due to those shockwave blasts.
"So Herman, why you stealing computer parts, seems like a downgrade from your normal stuff" I quipped at the man but again he was silent
'Since when was Shocker the strong silent type' I thought as I continued to follow the super villain
Just then, when Shocker was mid-air he then twisted slightly around and pointed his gauntlets at me causing my lenses to go wind in shock. I then shoot a web to the left of me and yanked it causing me to dodge the shockwave blast that Herman shoot at me.
"Well, it was about time you did something, even if you did miss~~" I teased but again he said nothing, which made me groan in annoyance, "You know you're supposed to say something evil at me when I joke right?" I added but again no response
I then kept chasing the yellow villain for hours now barely getting a chance to take a breath, all while Herman kept shooting shockwaves at me, some of which I barely dodged. I then saw we were about to enter a more populated area of New York which could spell bad news for the people if they got caught in the middle of Shocker's fire.
"Okay that's it, time to end this cat and mouse game" I said
I then shot a web at Herman, causing it to stick to his back, and with a good tug I then pulled Shocker toward me where I then punched him square in the face, sending him down to the rooftop bellow us. He then crashed on the roof with a loud thud as I landed on top of him and stared down the yellow padded villain.
"Okay Shocky-boy, now how about you drop the loot and I'll…" I said until I felt a huge amount of pain erupt from my stomach area
Looking down I saw that Shocker had punched me in the stomach and before I knew it, he then blasted me with a shockwave blast, sending me flying into an air vent with a loud clang. Luckily I survived the blast since my suit had Carbonadium woven through it, a special metal that was almost indestructible, and it protected me from the blast but still hurt…like a lot.
"Ouch…Did you just cut me off mid quip dude, not cool Herman" I said to the villain in a "scolding" manner
But Shocker then raised his gauntlets again and fired at me, but I jumped out the way of the blast just as it turned the air vent into scrap. Herman then started to fire a barrage of rapid shockwaves at me has I jumped between cover until crouching behind a thick brick wall.
"Geez Herman has never been this aggressive before, what's got into him?" I said to myself
I then peeked behind my cover to get a better look at the situation but I instantly had to move back in as Shocker hit my cover with another blast, causing me to click my tongue in annoyance.
"Can't get close enough to him, not without getting blasted that is…well I've been meaning to try this out" I said as I fished around in my suits pouch.
I then pulled out a small red ball that was no bigger than a dime; this was a Web Bomb, one of my new gadgets I created for myself. It was still in its prototype stage and I'm not sure if it will work…but as they say.
"Fortune favors the bold" I said as I loaded the Web Bomb into my web shooter
So with a deep breath I then jumped out from behind my cover and good timing too as Herman's last blast blew it into rubble. I then pointed my web bomb at the villain and with one squeeze I then fired my bomb at him and just as it hit Herman's chest.
*Boom!*
The Web Bomb exploded into a display of power and webs as they wrapped Shocker in there tight bindings. Shocker then tried to get out of the bindings but all he did was fall over on the ground with a not so graceful stumble.
"Well, I can mark that test as a success" I said smirking behind my mask
I then walked over to quilt padded villain, who was still struggling, and started to examine him from top to bottom.
'There has be a reason for Herman's actions because this is not the Shocker I know' I thought
But when I looked at his neck I then saw something out of place, for on the back of his neck was a metal disk no bigger than a quarter that sparked with purple electricity.
"Well, what do we have here?" I said with curiosity
I then reached out and plucked the disk off his neck, once I did that Herman then fell limp on the ground and out cold.
"Well, that takes care of that" I said and looked over the device in my hand
At first glance, to an engineer, this thing was the basic definition of gorilla science. The thing looked like a bunch of components and metals that seem to not go together were thrown together and hopefully worked. In hind since this shouldn't work at all, but here it was working and controlling someone.
"Someone is either super lucky or really smart to pull something like this off, this might warrant some research" I said to myself as I pocketed the disk
So after hanging up a sleeping Shocker by a lamp-post and calling the cops, I then started to swing to my Dad's place of work…Horizon.
(****)
"I've got to tell you dad, you've got the best job ever!" I said as I said as lifted an old storage box off the ground
"What? Cleaning the basement?" my dad joked that made me chuckle
"No, working at Horizon of course" I replied as placed the box down
It was true I admired my dad's work as well as him, after all not anyone can get into Horizon. Plus as an added bonus I get to look at all the new tech that Horizon has been developing, like anti-gravity airplanes or super-sonic drills so that they can change our world for the better. But for now I was content on helping my father with cleaning up the basement, for some it would seem boring but when it comes to Horizon it was basically like looking through its history.
"Hey dad, is this the last box?" I asked holding a plain cardboard box
"Yep that's it, over there please" Dad said pointing to the far corner of the room
With a nod I then placed he box in the corner with a satisfied nod but then something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. It seemed to be a large object that was covered by a black tarp and of course being the engineering geek I am, I couldn't help but pull off the tarp to reveal an interesting sight. The object in question was a large metal cylinder with a glass viewing screen and on the inside of the cylinder was a strange pale substance that floated in midair and moved like it was flowing in water.
"Hey dad, what is this thing?" I asked as I observed the strange device
Dad then looked over at the cylinder and gave it a firm frown as he walked over to it.
"A mistake" dad replied which confused me
"A mistake? What kind of mistake?" I asked
At first Dad didn't say anything, just looked at the cylinder in silence until he then grabbed the black tarp and threw it over the device without a second thought.
"A discontinued project a long time ago called Project Rebirth" Dad explained, now making me more curious
"Any reason why it would be called that?" I asked which made Dad sigh
He seemed hesitant to tell me something, judging by the way he's face is frowning but with a long sigh he then ushered me to a seat which I sat down in. Once I was seated Dad then took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eyes.
"Okay listen I'm not supposed to tell anyone this…but seeing as it's you I'm talking too I'll tell you" Dad said as I flashed him a smirk
You see what my Dad is referring too is that fact when it comes to inventions and science projects with, let's say "hush, hush" tiles, I will not stop nagging or poking until I get in answer.
"You see Project Rebirth was created as a way of…prolonging life as would say" Dad said now getting my full attention, "Basically, what this device does is download your conscious and then creates a new body for that conscious to inhabit based off there DNA"
I couldn't help but go wide eyed at this, staring at the machine under the tarp with wonder and most of all…fear.
"So…what you're saying is…that machine basically gives…immortality" I finally said, still stunned by what I heard
"Yeah…luckily the ethical committee shut it down quickly and it's been here ever since" Dad said which brought some relief to myself.
Seeing as the area was clean now, I then decided to head home, after all I still have an animatronic to fix and a weird mind control disk to research. So after a quick costume change I then started to swing across the city of New York and head back to my apartment but as I swung I couldn't shake the thought of what my dad told me.
"A machine that creates life huh…what an invention…but scary" I said to myself
No wonder the ethical committee shut it down, with tech like that you can basically live forever and still keep all your memories to. I then shock my head of those thoughts as I saw my apartment up ahead after all I needed to focus on possibly the hardest task I was ever given. So once I landed on the side of building I then opened the window and crawled in. I then threw the mind control device on the nightstand and took a good stretch, mentally and physically reading myself for the project ahead of me. I was then about take off my Spider suit when suddenly I heard something, it sounded like…crying?
"Is someone here?" I said to myself
So keeping close to the ground and walking out slowly I then head into the living room but once I entered I noticed something out of place…Roxy was gone. Seeing this I couldn't help but widen my eyes in shock at the absence of the animatronic, I thought someone may have stolen her while I was away but that was impossible, I always had some Spider-Bots around my building to alert me of intruders.
'It's not like she just got up and walked away…right?' I thought
Of course I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of crying again which seemed to come from the bathroom. So I quietly walked toward it, keeping close to the ground to keep from whoever was in there from seeing me. Once I was close enough I then slowly peeked around the corner to get a look at my intruder…expect what I was looking at was impossible. Why you may ask because right there, seemingly crying her non-existent eyes out was Roxy herself! I couldn't believe it when I saw it, she was right there with her hands over her endoskeleton face and was crying quite loudly.
"I'm still beautiful…I just need a little work done" she sobbed out
Seeing this I couldn't help but look at her with a saddened expression, after all I was not expecting her to still be active even after ten years but here she was, fully operational and feeling as the day I meet her. But know she seemed different and it's not just her form…it was also her attitude, when I first meet her seemed confident and powerful like someone that could do no wrong and now she seemed…broken.
"Oh Roxy" I whispered, feeling sadness for the wolf
Suddenly her crying then stopped and quickly turned to the door and growled causing my breath to hitch.
"Who's there?!" Roxy shouted with a fury that made my Spider Sense flare up
Seeing her now angered emotional state caused me to slowly back up, after all I am not one to get in a fight with a robot…to many bad experiences with killer robots plus I'd rather not find out what an angry Roxy would do to me. Unfortunately…Parker luck strikes, this time in the form of a squeaky piece of floor panel that I stepped on.
"Aw shoot"
Roxy then charged straight forward at me, claws out and roaring in anger but before she could claw me to shreds I then jumped into the air and stuck to the ceiling causing her to ram right into my wall, causing a very large crack to appear.
"Hey watch it Roxy, this is home after all you know" I quipped but all this did was anger her more
She then "looked" up at me and jumped for me and surprisingly she got pretty high, almost grabbing me. But then I jumped off the ceiling and landed on the floor and of course posing in the famous Spidey pose, of course it did not last long because Roxy was again charging at me, so I then flipped over her and landed a kick to the back causing her fall straight to the ground face first.
"I would say "Olé" but that would be to easy" I said which made her growl
"I can't see you but I already find you annoying!" Roxy growled again as she picked herself up
"Ah, and thought we could be friends" I joked
Then with a roar Roxy then jumped at me but I then slid under her causing her to go sailing over my head and hit the wall and slump to the floor. I then quickly fired webs at the downed animatronic, pinning her to the floor in a blanket of webbing much to my relief. Once that was done I then took a deep breath to calm myself from the crazy robot fight I just had.
"Sheesh, robots and me just don't mix do they?" I said to myself as I faced away from the pinned wolf, "Better call dad, maybe he can help me deactivate her or something until I can fix her" I said as I pulled out my phone
Although before I could dial up my dad, my spider sense just went off causing me to stiffen up and I before I knew it I was toppled to the ground by something big and grabbed a hold of my wrists with amazing strength. Looking at my attacker I was greeted by Roxy's endo face and had bits of webbing dangling from it, she had ripped it and judging by how fast my Spider Sense reacted pretty easily too.
"GIVE ME BACK MY EYES!" She shouted in my face, tightening her grip on my wrists which made me yell in pain.
'She's strong! Why did they make her this strong?!' I screamed in my head
Not wanting my wrists to be crushed into powder I then kicked her in the chest causing her to go flying off of me and land on the ground with a thud. I then quickly flipped up on my feet and pointed my wrists at her but when I pressed the switch to let my webs fly, nothing came out but the sound of sputtering messed up gears.
'She crushed my Web Shooters!' I thought in dread
Roxy then got up from the floor and started run at me again causing me to panic slightly, my mind going on overdrive to find a way out of this predicament. So far nothing was coming to me, nothing at all…until my eyes fell on a small slip of golden paper and that's when it hit me.
"Roxy stop please!" I shouted at the animatronic but she did seem to stop in her charge, so with a deep breath I then said.
"It's me…Ben!"
Roxy then came to a screeching halt in front of me, her whole body going to a more relaxed state as her face "looked" right at me.
"Ben? Is that really you?" She asked, hope evident in her voice
Seeing that she was calming down I then slowly reached out and cupped her face, this made her lean in on my hand and nuzzle it, like what a real wolf does.
"Yes, it's me, remember when we first meet…I wanted to go to Roxy Raceway but it was closed but then you gave me a golden VIP ticket and called me your Super Star" I said
Roxy then gasped and then wrapped me in a hug as she started ball her "eyes" out as I accepted the hug that she was giving.
"Oh Super Star…It's been so long."