Ezekiel Sims presented his pass to the security panel, eliciting a smile that graced his lips as the panel promptly illuminated in a vibrant shade of green, granting him permission to proceed. Cindy Moon, donning a dark blue hoodie to conceal her identity, followed closely behind Ezekiel as they made their way through the gates. Before long, the duo entered the expansive warehouse, a space meticulously designed to facilitate the practice and enhancement of the Mutants' unique abilities.
The interior of the warehouse boasted a level of cleanliness that far surpassed its exterior appearance. The floor was impeccably maintained, adorned with gym mats and sturdy punching bags strategically placed throughout the area. Additionally, pristine gymnastic equipment adorned the space, appearing as if it had just been unwrapped from its original packaging. Both the walls and floor were painted a pristine white, evoking a sense of familiarity reminiscent of military bases depicted in motion pictures. However, the overall ambiance of the warehouse resembled that of a vast gymnasium, rather than a military installation.
"Alright. We'll start your training right here," Ezekiel announced, placing his fists on his hips while still holding a smile. "It's big enough, and wide enough to test the extent of your powers."
Cindy looked around the warehouse's interior.
"Is this where you take all the Mutants with powers here?" She asked, her voice echoing across the room. "Like, helping them how to control said powers?"
"That's correct, Cindy," Ezekiel replied as he turned towards his friend and gestured for her to follow him. "Be it flying, super strength, super speed, anything that any power a Mutant is born with they all come here. I helped them to the best of my ability and in time they did get better."
Ezekiel came to a stop in front of a board panel. With a tap of his finger, the screen sprang to life, and he began to navigate through the menu. Clicking a few options on the monitor, he allowed the device's display to transform. After a brief moment, an image materialized, revealing a holographic block with a rectangular shape.
With another tap on the button located below the block, it vanished. The floor beneath them started to shift, opening up in a circular motion. Concrete emerged from the hole, transforming and taking the form of sleek rectangular buildings and sharply angled columns. Cindy stood there, her eyes wide with amazement, as she witnessed the expansive gymnasium morph into a sprawling concrete Jungle.
Ezekiel turned his gaze towards Cindy.
"Now, from what you told me in the car on our way here, you can stick into any surface like a spider, right?" He queried, his voice dripping with anticipation. Cindy nodded in response. "Alright, we're going to do a basic test of your abilities. Your Wall crawling ability, your Strength, speed and agility. But before then we should probably start with a light warm-up, a few stretches, squats, and jumping jacks should do."
Cindy quickly changed into her work out uniform and stood before Ezekiel. After doing a series of stretches, some that would put a professional gymnast to shame. She got to start her squats first, and after the fourth round completed, she walked over to the wall. Cindy placed both hands on the surface, as her fingertips instantly clung to said surface.
Cindy began to ascend up the wall. She climbed up the wall with ease. Her concentration worked on sticking with her fingertips, releasing one hand then placing them on the surface again. Effectively climbing the wall like a spider. Not even her shoes got in the way, as she almost instinctively knew how to make them stick to the wall.
Ezekiel watched in awe and amusement as the girl ascended the wall effortlessly, using her hands and legs to maintain her balance. Ezekiel deduced that Cindy could only crawl on surfaces using skin contact. But it seems that is not the case. He assumes she is unknowingly using the Van der Waals force, using the electrostatic force to adhere herself to any surface, even through her clothing.
"Well done! Now, Cindy!" Ezekiel called out as Cindy looked back and down to the rodent principal. "Would you please test the grip strength of your crawling? Say, head to the more difficult inclines?"
Cindy nodded and did a small jump from one construct to another as she moved across the concrete gym. Ezekiel found that Cindy could climb practically any surface on any angle; this was apparent when she managed to climb in a construct that curved inward and into a ceiling-like surface. She then spent the next thirty minutes getting used to controlling how to move around without accidentally ripping the concrete with his grip. Ezekiel also learned that she was unaffected by the sudden changes in position, most likely due to inheriting a Spider's traits for perfect equilibrium.
"Excellent, Cindy! Excellent!" Ezekiel boasted as Cindy let go and jumped back down to the ground floor. "Now that we have a basic understanding of your wall-crawling, it's time we moved on to testing your physical strength."
The 'Gym' reverted to its previous state. Ezekiel walked over and grabbed a punching bag.
"Now, we're going to test how strong you are by hitting this punching bag. It's built with sensors that will monitor and accurately calculate how strong you can punch it." He explained as he hooked the chain to the pole. "So, I want you to hit it as hard as you can."
Cindy briefly shifted her gaze to the bag then back to Ezekiel.
"As hard as I can?" She asked with an arched brow as Ezekiel nodded.
Cindy redirected her gaze back to the punching bag. The memory of punching James resurfaced within her mind, but she shook it away. Instead, she focused on the bag and stepped towards it. She took a deep breath and focused on the object, willing all the energy she had inside of her to flow into her arms and legs.
Cindy narrowed her eyes while firmly clenching her fist, preparing for a punch that encompassed the full force of her body. She anchored her arm back, readying herself for a devastating blow. With a fluid motion, she swung her body and propelled her right arm towards the punching bag with all her might. In an instant, the bag was propelled backwards, tearing itself away from the metal chain, soaring across the Gym, and forcefully colliding with the wall.
The impact caused the wall to crack, and the leather bag ruptured, causing sand to spill out and scatter across the floor. Cindy stood there, her eyes widened and her face displaying a bewildered expression, as she gazed down at her clenched fist and the sandbag that she had just obliterated. She looked at Ezekiel over her shoulder.
"How was that..?" She asked tentatively.
Ezekiel walked over to her side and cupped his chin in thought.
"Hmm, very impressive. However, while it is impressive, I must caution you about your strength, Cindy." Ezekiel said as he looked at his phone that registered Cindy's punch. "The amount of force you unleashed was enough to crack a normal human's skull open. So if you're ever up against someone with low durability, it would be wise to pull your punches before striking."
Cindy nodded in understanding then stared at her clenched fist once again. For most of her life, she grew up never knowing what it was like to have real superpowers. But now that she did, she knew that with them came a great responsibility. For if she wasn't careful, she could seriously hurt someone. Maybe even kill them.
"So what's next?" Cindy questioned, turning towards Ezekiel once again. "I'm now aware of how strong I am but I'm still wondering what else I can do."
"Well, I was thinking about testing your agility. But then I had a thought," Ezekiel remarked, placing his phone in his pocket then turned his gaze towards her. "Instead we'll test on how much strands of webbing your body can produce. From what I read, the amount of "spinning" capacity from any spider is finite, similar to how a finite amount of water can be held in a cup. However, more can be produced. A spider needs to feed if they are to survive, obviously, but in shorter-terms they must eat if they want to produce spider silk."
Cindy turned away from Ezekiel and stared at her hand. The night her new power awakened when webs suddenly discharged from her fingertips flashed through her mind. She grimace slightly as she recalled the pain caused from her new ability and the sensation of the webs shooting out from her fingers. That alone was painful enough to think about.
"So what we need to know is whether or not your webbing is limited or unlimited," Ezekiel continued, watching her reaction carefully. "And you can start by shooting your webs at your target: me."
Cindy snapped her eyes up to Ezekiel in alarm. "But Ezekiel! I don't know if--"
Ezekiel cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Oh, don't worry about me. You'll need to expend some energy to attack me. If that makes sense?"
Cindy watched Ezekiel walk towards a long staff laying discarded on the ground next to a bench. He picked it up and slowly began spinning it between his hands, observing its movements. He walked towards Cindy before assuming a fighting stance with the staff in hand.
"When I give you the go Cindy, try to focus the source of your power into your fingers; your webs are the fourth component of your strength, find it and release it." Ezekiel instructed, his eyes locked onto Cindy's and his posture ready to strike.
"Okay…" Cindy replied, assuming a stance with her hands raised.
Cindy closed her eyes for a moment. Channeling the hidden power flowing within her. She briefly could perceive its movement coursing throughout her entire being, moving from her stomach down to the tips of her feet, through each limb and bone and muscle fiber.
Cindy's eyes snapped open and with a grunt she she thrust her hands forward. Multiple strands of webs discharged from her fingers, launching themselves at Ezekiel. He quickly raised the staff to parry the incoming strings of webbing, and he successfully caught the strand that struck him, stopping it. He rotated his hips and shot his feet towards Cindy's chest.
A tingling sensation buzzed in Cindy's skull, prompting her to dodge Ezekiel's foot by jumping over him. Cindy landed behind him but felt the tingling intensified and side stepped when Ezekiel whirled around and thrust his staff towards her midsection. She ducked down and rolled away from Ezekiel, who followed her path of motion with his staff.
He charged, spinning the staff horizontally in front of himself as he ran towards her. She retreated backwards and shot another volley of webbing at Ezekiel. Ezekiel skillfully slashed the webs apart with his staff, sending them flying in every direction. As Ezekiel neared Cindy, she leapt backwards and shot out another strands of her webbing. But it was futile as Ezekiel dodge the attack by sidestepping.
"I know what you're thinking, Cindy. I can see the look on your face," Ezekiel said, slashing another one of Cindy's attack. "As I have established before. Your powers…they may seem like a curse—"
"They don't seem like a curse Ezekiel…they are a curse." Cindy interjected with frustration. She attempted another strike towards Ezekiel, only for him to duck underneath which catch her off guard.
"They are a gift, Cindy." Ezekiel countered before striking Cindy's chin with his staff.
Cindy grunted at the impact, stumbling back as she struggled to regain control of her balance. Ezekiel spun the staff around and swiped under Cindy's legs. She fell on her back with a shout of surprise, losing her footing as Ezekiel approached her.
"What you do with them determines their value. So. What will you do with your powers?" Ezekiel questioned as he bent down near her.
"I don't know…" Cindy replied, glancing to her left with a frown.
Silence permeated the air.
"Well, no one said finding the answer is easy. It is just something we have to keep in mind." He remarked, standing up straight and turned away towards the gym's exit. "Come on."
Cindy sat up on her rump. Her brow arched up at Ezekiel.
"Where are we going?" She asked, confused.
Ezekiel looked at her over his shoulder. A smirk graced his lips.
"To test more of your webbing on something… high."
Everyone has a fear of heights. Especially when said heights are high in the sky. Or at least in that general area of space, it seems like an exaggeration to call those skyscrapers "high in the sky". But the tallest ones do, even those with little to no people in them. One could feel small in comparison to those vast structures of pure steel and glass and cement.
One's fear would intensify when they stood on the edge of a tall building or cliff of a mountain range. One would have felt their stomach flip over when they looked down from the highest peaks. Or perhaps a roller coaster ride would do the job for both reasons. They were sure they would have had a heart attack if one day they stepped off the edge of such a structure as a crane.
And that alone is… so terrifying for Cindy Moon.
Cindy Moon stood at the precipice of the Central Park tower. Her eyes widened as she stared down in utter dread. She tried desperately not to think about the fall if her feet failed to land on the ledge. She took in several breaths to calm herself before bringing her hand up to her earpiece.
"Um, Ezekiel…I'm not sure about this." She spoke into her headset, looking down at the road below.
"It's okay to be afraid, Cindy. Everyone's afraid of heights at first," Ezekiel stated before adding in. "Just remember what I told you earlier; the moment you jump and the very second you see a building at your sight that's when you shoot your web."
Cindy's stomach flipped and she pulled her eyes away from the far down earth below.
"You say that like it's easy," Cindy commented before taking a step backwards.
"Cindy, have you ever seen the movie Tarzan?" Ezekiel asked as Cindy began to pace around the roof.
"Umm….no?" Cindy replied.
"Well, in the movie Tarzan maneuvers his way through the jungle by grasping vines and swinging around them; though he was scared when doing so he moved through his fear and overcame the obstacles as he progressed," Ezekiel explained. "That's exactly what you have to do right now."
Cindy turned her gaze towards the edge with hesitation.
"But what if I mess up..?" She replied quietly.
"…You won't." Ezekiel reassured with assurance.
"How do you know?" Cindy muttered as she glanced at her feet.
"Because that's all there is Cindy… a leap of faith." Ezekiel responded.
Cindy looked back at the edge. Her stomach once again flipped, although with less intensity this time. She emitted a shaky breath, and started towards the precipice. She let out a shaky sigh as she stopped at the edge of the building. The wind blew her hair across her face as a cold gust made it whip against her cheeks.
Cindy's heart hammered against her ribcage for every second she proceeded to stare down at the earth far below. Her hands balled into fists and her knuckles whiten. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with a rapid rhythm as her eyes squeezed shut; mentally preparing herself to take the plunge.
Cindy's eyes shot open.
She yelped and leapt off the cliff.
Cindy screamed as gravity wrenched her down. Wind whipped past her ears as her body continued downward at a dizzying speed. Her limbs flailed around wildly as she descended further to the earth's floor. She felt her heartbeat in her throat, pounding frantically as her lungs burned.
Her arms stretched outward as if trying to grab hold of anything that could stop her descent. Her mind clicked into gear as she remembered Ezekiel's words. She looked up in time to see a nearby building, raised her hand up and shot a web that found purchase.
She pulled her body upwards and launched herself into the air with renewed energy. Cindy shouted, flailing her arms, discharging another webline at another building. Once again it found it's target, and she swung around whilst shouting out of exhilaration.
She proceeded swinging through the city whilst repeating the procedure multiple times and acrobatically maneuvering around buildings. It did wonders to relax her tense muscles, and her stomach soon settled from its previous queasiness. She looked down in the distance and saw the ground approaching fast. She shot a strand and streaked past two trucks before launching herself in the air.
At that moment… Cindy laughed.
The joy radiating throughout her body felt rejuvenating. The tension she felt a minute ago completely dissipated. And it's because of the joy coursing through her body, making her giddy in glee, that she did what she never thought she'd do: she laughed.
"Whoa!!!" She cheered as flipped acrobatically in the air.
While engaged in the act of web-swinging, Cindy found herself overcome with laughter once again. This laughter, born out of sheer hysteria, stemmed from her profound disbelief that she was actually partaking in such an endeavor. It led her to ponder why she had not embarked upon this adventure sooner. As she soared through the air, skillfully maneuvering between buildings in a zigzag pattern, an unyielding smile adorned her countenance.
Eventually, Cindy gracefully alighted upon a rooftop, her landing so forceful that she nearly lost her equilibrium. Placing a hand upon her chest, she could feel her heart racing, her breaths coming in rapid succession. Gazing skyward with a sense of elation, she allowed herself to bask in the nocturnal splendor. Inhaling deeply, she exhaled slowly, thus restoring a sense of tranquility as her laughter gradually subsided.
Cindy could only describe the whole experience in one word:
Amazing.
Aleksei Stysevich gazed upon his metallic suit in the mirror's reflection, his lips graced with a smug grin as he admired the ensemble Adrian and his assistants' crafted. Aleksei donned a thick polymer suit that resembles the physique of a rhinoceros, including two horns, and covers everything but his face. From what Adrain told him, the suit is resistant to damage and extreme temperatures and the horns are capable of penetrating two-inch plate steel.
"How's the suit, Stysevich?"
Aleksei turned his gaze towards Adrian's voice. The latter approached him in a mechanical green exo-suit. Prominent steel wings extended from his back, while his mouth was concealed by an armored, darkish green plague mask, adorned with intricate gold embroidery. On each foot, he wore steel-like talons resembling those of a bird, sharpened to a fine point. Additionally, his metallic green gloves featured black claws affixed to the joints of his hands.
"Good, good," Aleksei remarked after a few moments of admiring Adrain's work. "This is very promising. I can feel the suit's power flowing in my veins."
"That's good to hear, you're gonna need it when the time is ripe." Adrian stated as he turned away towards the white board. Aleksei crossed his arms while walking alongside him.
"So, how do we go about this? I know you want vengeance against Osborn but I have to think in advance." Aleksei inquired, turning his gaze towards the board.
"From what I gathered, Norman will be hosting a gathering at the union day festival where he'll be showcasing Oscorp's latest inventions. Mine among them. Our objective is to head over there and destroy everything he has worked so hard for. Without his inventions, Oscorp industries will fall." Adrian explained, pointing his clawed finger towards the board. "Along with his pathetic legacy."
Aleksei nodded in agreement.
"Alright. So we head over there and I get to smash as much as I want, right?" Aleksei queried with satisfaction, his teeth bared under his metallic mask.
Adrian gave a slight smirk.
"I thought that would be the most ideal course of action," Adrain stated. Aleksei emitted a hearty laugh.
Aleksei nodded. "Excellent. Let's head out then."
"Hold it." Adrian raised his hand up to halt Aleksei from turning away before rolling his body around to face him. "There's one last thing we both need to establish before our operation begins."
Aleksei raised a brow at Adrian.
"And what would that be?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes up at Aleksei whilst grinning.
"We're gonna need codenames to conceal our identities; so… what should I call you for now?"
Aleksei grinned back and pumped his fist against his palm.
"Rhino… and you..?"
Adrian's wings rose up and the steel feathers morphed into sharpened points.
"Vulture."
A/N: And that's just part one of Cindy Moon's slow development in becoming Silk. Next chapter will feature Cindy catching up with Hector, though she won't reveal to him why she couldn't see him out of fear of her boyfriend not looking at him the same. The villain's arrival at the union day festival, Spider-Man swinging in to stop them, and Cindy learning she's not the only one. I probably will make this into either two or three parts or just write everything into part two.
With all of that said, I'll be taking my leave. See you young readers in the next chapter!