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Web of Life (Spider-Man AU)

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Huh. I think we're tied right now.
Alright. I know there's some of you who haven't voted (waiting for this moment, perhaps), so I'm going to give it around 2 more hours and split the choice once and for all.
 
AND... VOTE CLOSED, Science edges out in the end. Well, then, so be it. We're going to be bitten by some a spider... but, what kind shall it be?
Adhoc vote count started by asphaltus on Jun 3, 2020 at 1:31 PM, finished with 30 posts and 17 votes.
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3. Death Of A Spider
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    • Osborn Research Labs. Morning.
    (A week before)

    Osborn Industries. A multinational corporation, and one of the Big Six energy suppliers. Their revenue last quarter exceeded fifty billion, ranking fourth in the Fortune 500 rankings. Whichever way one sliced it, Osborn was one of the behemoths of the world.

    Even their research lab was a skyscraper – Peter couldn't see the top as he got off the bus. And they had invited them to tour this place?

    "Man, this sucks! Out of all the places, and they chose this shit? I mean – right?" Harry Osborn stepped out of the bus. His grandfather had founded the company, while his dad was the one who took it to its current heights. But the dynasty ends there, huh? Peter felt a pang of empathy for Norman Osborn.

    "Wait a minute – isn't this your company?" Eugene 'Flash' Thompson was the next to step off. "You're dissing your own company? Really man?"

    "I mean – we built a baseball stadium as well. There's a match going on right now. Why can't we visit that one, huh? Right guys?" Harry spoke again and looked around for someone to chime in.

    Flash subtly rolled his eyes, and a flicker of frustration passed over his face. Harry missed it, but Peter didn't. The guy was too oblivious. "Come on, bro," Flash slung his hands over Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure there's something cool in here too."

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    There were a lot of cool things in there. Their guide, a slick professional woman named Felicity Jones was very vague on the details, but Peter was intelligent enough to piece things together. They were researching virtually near about everything – even things that had nothing to do with energy or oil. Most of these didn't even appear viable – Norman Osborn had gone ham on grants.

    They had some pre-arranged programs for them – a really realistic mix of AR and VR, a robot which languidly rose over an obstacle course, a replica of the world's largest oil drill bit (that one provoked some environmental questions, which were neatly deflected), all of which was met with declining enthusiasm.

    "Now, we are at our last stop for the day." Even Felicity sounded a bit tired. "Our biological research labs, people!" She gestured. "Though I have to ask you – are any of you afraid or triggered by bugs or animals?"

    A lot of hands went up, and a girl declared plainly. "I want to rest now. Can we stop here, please?"

    There was a murmur of assent. Felicity checked something on her phone and then gave a bright fake smile. "No problem. There's a dining hall to the left of here – you can wait there till lunch, which will be served in an hour from now. That's all."

    They had already started moving, and Mr. Del had to rush in to reel them in, but Peter stood in his place. "Excuse me, miss, but I'll like to see the last lab as well. If it's not too much trouble." A few others stood behind him – Max and Cindy, fellow science enthusiasts.

    Felicity's smile grew strained, but she didn't say no. "Come with me." She led them inside, and Peter felt the air grew humid, more natural. "Professor Westman?" She called out to one of the labcoats. "Can you please give students a small tour of the place? I'm supposed to be coordinating with the main group, you see." There was an indication there, and Peter got a slight idea of how this trip had happened.

    "Uh, sure. Of course." Professor Westman, a mousy looking tired man, looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "I'll be delighted."

    "Great!" The enthusiasm was suddenly back. "The café hall is down the left – you can't miss it. Come there when you're done, alright, guys? And don't take too long!" She gave a self-satisfied smile to the perplexed professor and the kids and strode off.

    They turned to him. "Well… these are our research labs." The man sounded deader than a server who saw a group walk in at the closing time. "Welcome."

    Peter was the first to break the awkward silence that followed. "Can we – can we take a look around?"

    The man tiredly pulled out a pager. "Jacob – can you get over here?" A young-looking man arrived a few seconds later. "Yes, boss?" He asked. "Show these kids, around, will you? They're here for a school trip. I'll be in my office." And then he left without another word.

    "Okay, sure, why not?" The man nodded himself into being enthusiastic as he looked over them. "Let's go. Let's go!" And then he marched off, with Peter and his friends following behind.

    The lab was great, and the research ranged the usual obvious – "make better caffeine" to the impossible – "create a DNA supercomputer". Jacob was a recent intern and although he knew little, he answered all the questions they (mostly Peter) asked. Questions that Felicity wouldn't have – so it worked out perfectly in the end.

    "Well, these are our rat farms. Cute, aren't they?" He smiled. The rats were in wide cages with electronic locks, and they squeaked very happily as they approached.

    "Can I hold one?" Cindy asked.

    "No – I can't open the cages and let one run around." Jacob shrugged. "Besides, we're not supposed to be disturbing them unless absolutely necessary." He looked around, and then conspiratorially leaned in. "They all have cancer."

    Cindy blanched. "Is that legal?"

    Jacob nodded again. "They made it legal."

    "What about these ones?" Peter pointed to another group of rodents, fatter than their counterparts.

    "Diabetes." Jacob nodded solemnly. "And those are gonorrhea."

    They all withdrew their hands and took a step back.

    "What about the DNA modifications? Which ones are those?" Peter asked.

    "Ohhh… we do that on the spiders. It's easier to inoculate, though the results are hard to measure. Now, I don't think that's part of your –" They protested immediately, with silent disappointed gazes, and Jacob withered under their assault. "- Alright, alright but don't blab about it, alright? And no photos. I could lose my job here. Promise me." They did. "Pinky swear." They did that too. "Alright, let me check if the coast is clear…" He led them down a hallway, opened a door, and looked inside. "Okay, come in."

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    The spiders were kept in ultraviolet aquariums – and as Jacob closed the door behind them, the entire room was lighted only in purple. The color made him feel dizzy, and Peter felt like he had entered a strange dream.

    "Holy shit! Look at that!" Max, one of the guys pointed at one of the glass cages, and Cindy let out a little shriek and backed away. The spider was massive, almost the size of Peter's head. He had never seen anything like it. He approached closer, mesmerized by the almost living strands of fur.

    Trichobothria. Detects even the minute air currents and electrical discharges. His brain supplied the fact. Modified to be even more sensitive.

    "Do spiders even get that big?" Someone asked.

    "I don't know," Jacob looked uncomfortable. "This one is not the area of my expertise, you see."

    No, they don't. His mind worked as he stepped back. He saw its legs, and how heavy it was. Children. It had children.

    "Let's take a look at the others." He spoke.

    As he was leaving, a thought arose from his subconscious, an unseen, unprovoked, inspiration. That spider feels everything. The dreamer within him cried. How is it not mad?

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    "What are these?" He asked. There were a number of them, in different cages, pale and white with different patterns of their web.

    "Oh, Cheiracanthium. Yellow-sac spiders. Very smart, you know – well, as much smart a creature with a brain the size of a pinhead can be." He looked closer, and then let out a small giggle. "This, oh man – this is the Reagan project."

    "What's that?"

    "Well, some of the scientists thought it would be a good idea to give drugs to spiders." He laughed again. "You know, for science. It kind of worked – see how all they made different webs?"

    "Uh, what kind of drugs?" Max asked.

    "All of them. One for each. LSD, heroin, marijuana, cocaine, caffeine, amphetamine, ecstasy, psilocybin – you name it, they got their hands on it." He laughed again. "Can't believe they pulled it off."

    "What was that one given?" Peter knelt as he looked closer. The web was different from the others. Almost, but not quite, he could see a pattern, slipping away at the edge of his thoughts. And the spider sat in the center of it, smiling. Judging.

    Jacob knelt beside him. "It says CFX. Don't know what that is." He looked around – none of them knew either. "Guess they got their hands on some designer stuff as well. Come on."

    Peter nodded. The spider watched him go.

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    The next group Peter recognized himself. Missulena – mouse spiders, with a distinctive red and blue patches over their skin. Though under the violet light, the blue had disappeared, and he could only see the red ones.

    "What's wrong with them?" Peter asked. They were too jumpy, too fast – he had never seen them like this before.

    "Ah – these are the ones that are subject to current experimentations. They have been modified extensively," Jacob spoke. "Wouldn't be surprised if they're radioactive at this point."

    All of them took a horrified step back.

    "I was clearly joking," Jacob said. "Though yeah – the DNA of these guys is so fucked up they might as well have gone through a nuclear blast. They don't live long too – these are the last two left."

    Peter leaned in to take a closer look, and one of the spiders jumped right against the glass in front of him.

    "HOoo! Ha! Guess they kinda like you!" Max nervously laughed, and everyone joined in.

    Peter tapped against the glass, and the spider moved against it. It did seem to like him.

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    "Okay, this looks like a bit overkill for a spider cage," Max said.

    Peter agreed. There were a lot of sensors hooked up in the background, and the glass seemed doubly thick and had a warning label on the side. The dark spiders inside moved around lazily around their fake branches, uncaring of everything without.

    "Nuctenea umbratica. Orb spiders." Jacob explained.

    "Doesn't umbra mean dark?" Cindy asked.

    "You know your Latin. Yes, umbratica means lives in shadows. They come out at night, and so the name fits."

    "Wicked cool," Max said. "So how did you fuck this one up?"

    "First of all, language. Second, not all spiders here are different, you know. Some of them are perfectly fine, normal spiders."

    They looked at each other and then back at him. "But this isn't one of them." Peter pointed out.

    "Oh for the – okay, yeah, it isn't. Are you happy now?"

    "What does it do?"

    "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you." He crossed his arms.

    "Does it teleport?" Cindy asked.

    "It doesn't teleport."

    "Does it throw out jet black mists to befuddle its enemies?" Max took his shot.

    "It's a spider, not a squid," Jacob said. "Though I wouldn't lie – that would be really cool if it did."

    They looked at Peter. And while he would guess, he would make an informed one. He took a look at the instruments, and then the glass, and the warnings. "It's generating… soundwaves? EM pulses?"

    "You're quite clever, aren't you."Jacob stared at him and sighed. "The EM pulse is just a part of it. That spider is constantly generating energy – with no regard to the laws of thermodynamics."

    It took a moment for Peter to grasp what he was saying. "How is that even possible? Is it some kind of nuclear process? Cold Fusion?"

    "Nope. We cut one up to examine it, and there was nothing special in there." He said. "Totally normal spider, completely stable, and yet... it's like magic. If we can just figure it out – free power for everybody." He leaned in again. "So don't go telling anybody okay? They're not gonna believe you, but the company will know, and we don't want to be in the position."

    "Sure." They answered.

    As he walked away, Peter took one last look. One of the spiders gave him a small wave as if bidding goodbye. He gave a wave back.

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    "Okay!" As they reached the end, Jacob clapped them on their backs. "Now come on, we've wasted too much time here. The fun part is still ahead – FROGS!"

    "Oh man, I love frogs!" Max was giddily smiling. "Come on, guys, hurry up!"

    "Let's go –"

    They walked back to the other door, and he could see the fluorescent lights – it was almost like a different world waiting for him. But as he moved near the door, there was a pinprick of sensation on his wrist, and raising his arm, he saw…

    [] The Maddening Spider
    [X] The Thinking Spider
    [] The Striving Spider
    [] The Burning Spider

    …and without breaking his stride he brushed it aside and crushed it under his foot.

    The realization would come later, as would the changes.

    ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

    A/N: I don't understand. It was supposed to be 600 words, 3 choices. Somehow it became 2k words with 4. Fuck. And I thought to spell out the changes mechanics-wise but changed my mind. I think it's more fun this way, and I could always reveal it later.
    One of the choices is a sort of magicky option, though it's not the one you think it is. (or is it?)
     
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    • [X] The Thinking Spider

    Don't get me wrong You've made all of the choices interesting in their own way. I just like the Thinking Spider.
     
    [X] The Maddening Spider

    Reminds me of the canon Spider-Man the most. Daredevil-like senses and all that.

    Also.

    asphaltus said:
    "I was clearly joking," Max said. "Though yeah – the DNA of these guys is so fucked up they might as well have gone through a nuclear blast. They don't live long too – these are the last two left."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Jacob.
     
    Corvus Black said:
    [X] The Maddening Spider

    Reminds me of the canon Spider-Man the most. Daredevil-like senses and all that.

    Also.



    Jacob.
    Click to expand...
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    The spider that reminds me the most of the canon spider is The Striving Spider, the color, and the radioactive remark. If you want the canon spider that's the best bet.

    The maddening spider is the most abnormal on the other hand. It's likely going to have really strong senses though.
     
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