Spider-Bat: New Way Home
Chapter 23: Starman
On its maiden voyage, the experimental starship Fantastic, the crown jewel of Reed Richards' interstellar ambitions, hummed with energy as it accelerated through the darkness of space. The five-member crew situated themselves at their stations, the weight of their mission looming over them.
"Neptune's orbit," Ben Grimm grumbled, checking the navigational charts. "Why did we have to take on a rescue mission that took us to the edge of nowhere?"
"Because no one else dared to go," Reed replied, his voice calm as he calibrated the ship's advanced sensors. "And if John Jameson and his crew are still out there, we'll find them."
Victor von Doom, seated at the tactical console, smirked. "Or their remains. Let's not sugarcoat the odds, Richards."
"Do you have to be so morbid, Victor?" Sue Storm shot back, her tone sharp but controlled. She glanced over at her younger brother, Johnny, who leaned casually against the wall. "And you—what are you even doing here?"
Johnny grinned sheepishly. "Just thought I'd lend my charm to the mission. Plus, you wouldn't believe how easy it was to sneak on board."
Sue sighed, torn between frustration and worry. Reed shook his head but refrained from lecturing. There were more pressing concerns.
As they approached the last known coordinates of the Discovery 13, a haunting sight came into view: the shuttle drifted aimlessly, its exterior marred by scorch marks and debris.
"Docking procedure engaged," Reed announced. The Fantastic latched onto the Discovery 13 with a resonating clang, sealing the two vessels together.
The airlock hissed open, and the team stepped aboard the derelict shuttle, flashlights cutting through the eerie silence. Inside, everything seemed frozen in time—equipment strewn about, consoles flickering faintly, but no sign of life.
"This is giving me the creeps," Ben muttered, his voice echoing in the empty corridors.
Victor examined a shattered panel, his sharp eyes narrowing. "There was a struggle here. But against what?" he asked, noticing black residue on some buttons.
Before anyone could speculate, Reed's communicator crackled. "Guys, I'm picking up...something. A massive energy signature is approaching fast."
"Define 'massive,'" Sue asked, her voice tight.
"See for yourself." Reed projected the incoming anomaly on his handheld scanner. A swirling vortex of light and shadow hurtled toward them, pulsating with unearthly intensity.
"Back to the ship!" Reed ordered.
The team sprinted through the Discovery 13, their steps pounding like a drumbeat. As they re-entered the Fantastic, the anomaly was almost upon them, a blinding force that seemed to warp space itself.
"Engage the wormhole drive, now!" Reed barked.
Victor hesitated at the controls. "The calculations aren't finished! We could end up anywhere!"
"If we stay, we're done for!" Ben roared.
Victor snarled, but relented, slamming his hand down on the console. However, just as he slammed it down, the ship's engines cut out. "What the hell is going on?" Ben grimaced.
"The anomaly's energy-field must have shut down the thrusters," Reed answered, his face growing weary at the same time.
Sue ran towards the engine room. "I'll restart the thrusters," she declared as she sped off.
"Johnny!" Reed called out. "Help your sister! You know the mechanics of the thrusters better than any of us!" he commanded.
"Right on it!" Johnny gladly accepted, following behind Sue.
"Ben. We are going to need you to steer this puppy as straight as you can. Once those thrusters power up, it could send us in any direction, and we must hit that wormhole head on."
Ben's eyes gazed straight ahead, but he didn't say a word.
"Ben? Did you just hear what Reed said?" Victor asked, sitting only a few feet away from him. "Get those damn rocks out of your ears and listen!" he scolded.
Ben turned, giving Victor a menacing stare, taking one of the malleable rocks out of his ears. "I heard what the man said. I'm not deaf," he retorted, before putting the dark-colored rock back in.
Reed could feel the weight of the energy trying to crush the ship. He gazed out the window, just in time to witness the Discovery 13 imploding in on itself like a tin can. "Shit!" Reed exclaimed. "I'm going to go make sure the force-field stays intact. We won't last much longer under these conditions."
While in the engine room, Sue tinkered with the components, trying to get any part of the warp-drive to show signs of life. Johnny worked in the back, trying to get the thrusters back on-line. At that moment, a bright light illuminated the engine room, blinding Sue for a moment. She must have hit the right button because the thrusters flared up, leaving Johnny helpless in the thruster bay.
And just like that, the ship's engines roared to life, and with the help of Ben's powerful grip on the throttle, the Fantastic plunged into the forming wormhole. Just as they crossed the threshold, the anomaly struck the ship, enveloping it in a surge of energy.
"Don't worry!" Reed announced through the comms. "I readjusted the power of the malleable substance surrounding the ship, so it should keep us from absorbing any of the radiation! I'll stay back here until we make it through!"
Soon, the cabin was filled with light, heat, and an almost unbearable pressure. Each crew member felt the change, an overwhelming force coursing through their bodies as the ship spiraled through the wormhole.
Then, silence.
Moments later, when they emerged on the other side, drifting above Earth's atmosphere, the ship's alarms blared incessantly. Reed stumbled to his feet, his limbs trembling as he made it back to the deck. "Is everyone okay?"
"I feel...weird," Johnny murmured after finding his way back to the others, staring at his hands. Suddenly, flames erupted around him, engulfing his body without burning him. "Whoa! I'm literally on fire!"
Sue gasped as her body shimmered and vanished. "Reed, I'm...invisible?" she cried, the crew looking around to see where her voice was coming from.
"Argh!" Ben groaned, clutching his head. His skin hardened and cracked, transforming into orange, rock-like plates. "What the heck is happening to me?!" he grumbled, staring down at his big orange hands.
Victor stood apart from the others, his eyes glowing faintly as arcs of energy danced along his fingertips. "We've been...changed," he said, a hint of awe and menace in his voice.
Reed looked at his hands, which stretched unnaturally as he reached for a console. "The anomaly—it altered us. Gave us...abilities."
The Fantastic was battered but intact, now carrying a crew unlike any the universe had ever seen. Their mission had been a rescue, but they had returned with a far greater mystery—and powers that would change their lives forever.
As the Fantastic touched down at the secure landing site outside Reed's research facility, a swarm of emergency personnel and reporters awaited them. Shielding their newfound abilities from prying eyes proved a challenge, but Reed managed to concoct a plausible cover story: exposure to cosmic radiation during the mission had caused temporary side effects.
Inside the facility, they were greeted by an unexpected sight. John Jameson, looking disheveled but very much alive, sat in a briefing room with his crew. Around him stood two bizarre figures: a talking raccoon with a massive blaster slung over his shoulder and an otter wearing a cybernetic harness.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ben muttered, staring at the duo. "What is a rat and a chipmunk doing in here?"
"Ah, you're the geniuses who came to save these guys," the raccoon said, smirking. "Name's Rocket. And this here's Lylla. You're welcome."
"Saved them?" Sue asked, bewildered by the fact that he could speak. "How did you even get here?" she continued asking.
Lylla stepped forward, her voice calm and reassuring. "We were tracking the same anomaly that affected your ship. When it disrupted the Discovery 13, we found the crew adrift and brought them back to Earth using our vessel. They seemed shaken up a bit, but okay."
"Wait, so you're space adventurers?" Johnny asked, his eyes lighting up. "That is so cool!"
Rocket chuckled. "We prefer 'galactic problem solvers.' And trust me, kid, you don't wanna know half the stuff we've seen." he said, remembering his time on Halfworld.
Reed, ever the scientist, was already scanning the pair. "Fascinating. Your physiology and technology are unlike anything on Earth. Perhaps you could help us understand the anomaly—"
"Nope," Rocket interrupted. "We've done our bit. The rest is your problem. Just keep that thing from eating your planet, okay?" he added in a macho tone.
With that, Rocket and Lylla turned to leave, but not before Rocket tossed a small device to Reed. "If you ever get into serious trouble, call us. But don't make it a habit."
As they departed, the team turned their attention to John Jameson, who recounted his harrowing experience. "We never saw what caused the anomaly. One moment we were charting Neptune, the next...everything went dark. If it weren't for them, we'd be gone."
Reed nodded, his mind racing. The anomaly, their powers, and the strange visitors—everything was connected. And this was only the beginning.
Later that night, in the quiet of his quarters, John Jameson sat on the edge of his cot, staring out the window at the stars. The events of the past days weighed heavily on his mind, yet an unsettling sensation crept through his body—an alien presence he couldn't explain.
He reached for a glass of water, but as his hand moved, a slick, black substance oozed from his palm and slithered across the table. Panic surged through him as the substance recoiled, then wrapped itself around his arm like a living shadow.
"What...what is this?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
The substance pulsed, responding to his thoughts. A voice, deep and otherworldly, echoed in his mind. "We are one now, John Jameson. Together, we are stronger."
John's breathing quickened, but a strange calmness washed over him. The presence didn't feel hostile. It felt...protective, powerful. Yet he knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning of a transformation he couldn't control.
The stars outside seemed to shimmer ominously as John's reflection in the window shifted, the black substance creeping over his face, forming a new identity he couldn't yet comprehend. "Now we find… PARKER!"
The blue haze was astonishing as Rocket and Lylla's ship ascended through Earth's atmosphere. Rocket leaned back in his seat, a toothy grin plastered across his face. "Another job well done, eh, Lylla?" he bragged.
"If by 'well done' you mean narrowly avoiding catastrophic failure, then sure," Lylla replied, her tone wry. "Our ship barely made it back. We're lucky we didn't get stranded out there ourselves."
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the cockpit. Rocket cursed, frantically tapping at the controls. "What now?!"
"The stabilizers are offline!" Lylla shouted, gripping her seat. "We're losing altitude!"
The ship spiraled out of control, flames licking at its hull as it hurtled back toward Earth. With a deafening crash, the vessel plummeted into the dense woods behind a grand, isolated mansion.
Rocket groaned, crawling out of the wreckage. "You okay, Lylla?"
"I'll live," she replied, brushing off debris. She pointed to the towering structure nearby. "Where are we?"
Rocket squinted at the mansion. "Looks fancy. Let's check it out."
They navigated the rubble and found an open vent near the attic. Squeezing through, they entered the dark, silent halls of the mansion.
"Hello?" Rocket called out, his voice echoing. No response. The place was deserted.
"Guess it's abandoned," Lylla said, glancing around. "What now?"
Rocket smirked. "Now? We've got ourselves a new hideout. Welcome to...uh, whatever this place is."
The duo set about exploring, quickly making themselves at home in the vast, empty manor. For now, Wayne Manor belonged to Rocket and Lylla, two intergalactic misfits carving out a sanctuary on a planet full of surprises.