Marvel's Kid Arachnid: Vol 1

nothing's like before

Harper's head felt fuzzy as they began to open their eyes. A ringing sound pierced their ears, then a voice.

"-id. Kid, you okay? Please be okay."

Harper glanced around the room, her eyes trailing across the papers stringed along the wall, absent-mindedly examining the area...

"Harper!"

Harper groaned. "Huh? What?"

Spider-Man sighed in relief. "You had me worried there...how are you feeling?"

Harper sat up, criss-cross, with another soft groan. A sudden, gnawing pain shot into her shoulder and she winced, her hand instantly reaching to nurse her wound. She found it had already been nicely taken care of, cleaned and bandaged by Spider-Man.

"Better," she said. "My arm feels sore." That was the least of it.

"It should go away in about an hour or so," Spider-Man said. "What you did today was dangerous. Extremely dangerous." His tone reminded Harper of Benjamin's when he was about to lecture her.

"He could've killed you," Spider-Man added after a beat. "Why did you come up there, anyway?"

Harper fidgeted with the stray fibers of her mask until she pulled it off and took in a deep inhale. Spider-Man took note of the exhaustion on her face.

Harper scrambled to form words from racing thoughts, then said, "Who else could've helped you?"

Her answer had some sort of...child-like innocence. Which made sense, the older thought, because she was a teenager. She also had an expression on her face that oh-so clearly said 'please don't be mad'.

"I guess you've got a point there," Spider-Man said. He emitted a long breath. His own exhaustion was catching up to him.

"You're like- what, thirteen? This stuff shouldn't be in the cards for you." Spider-Man rested his elbows on the table and held his head in his hands. Then he turned to Harper and said, "This isn't your fault, kid. So don't feel like it is. I'm just-...I don't want you getting involved in stuff like this."

"First off, I'm fifteen. And second, I'm already involved."

Spider-Man paused. He straighten his posture and, eyes narrowed, asked, "You're what?"

Harper found her bag on the ground and pulled it up onto the table next to her. She unzipped it, ripped out those super-important Oscorp files she had been carrying for the past two weeks and set them on the table. Spider-Man's eyes widened.

"Where did you get these?" Spider-Man skimmed over the complicated-looking files, taking in each bit of information. He'd have to analyze these further, but later.

"You remember when we first met and you saved me from that one guy? He was bothering some lab coat for these," Harper said, gesturing toward the papers.

"Harper, these are highly classified..." Spider-Man'a gazed landed on photos of a certain villain.

"Scorpion..." He mumbled.

"What about him?" Harper asked.

Spider-Man slid the photos in her direction. "These are development photos of his suit. The man who made it must've worked there."

"What would he want with him?"

"Mac has always been...eccentric. Usually, his type would want revenge..." Spider-Man trailed off as he got lost in his thoughts.

"Revenge," Harper repeated under her breath. "What are we gonna do about it?"

"You're not doing anything."

"Well, I'm not taking no for an answer."

Spider-Man sighed. He was expecting that.

"Then we're laying down ground rules. And I'll show you the ropes. You'll need to learn how to fight before I let you fight someone else like him."

Harper's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. You did pretty good for your first fight, but if it really was just beginner's luck, then...I'll help you learn, alright? Just not today. You should rest up. Don't wanna hurt your shoulder even more."

Harper nodded.

"And...lemme see your phone."

Harper shrugged and handed it over. Spider-Man typed for a few moments then gave it back.

"Text me when you need help," he said.

He had put in number in under the name Spider-Man :).

Harper nodded with a smile, slipping her phone into her bag. Spider-Man drummed his fingers on the table before beginning to walk toward the door.

"Come on, kid, let's get you home," He said. Harper hopped off the desk and followed him through the crowded laboratory, sneaking glances at the equations written across whiteboards and the like. She found herself on a roof, with Spider-Man, then realized.

"No," she said firmly, "I'm not doing this."

"You gotta learn how to web-swing one day. It comes with the territory. You know what, I'll swing you home. Just hold on tight." Spider-Man perched on the edge of the roof awaiting Harper's next move, and wasn't surprised when she exclaimed-

"No way!"

Spider-Man scooped her up.

"Way."

He leapt off the building and heard Harper screaming right next to his ear as he began to swing in between skyscrapers.

-

"You suck!" Harper shouted as they landed on a rooftop near the apartments, but Spider-Man knew she wasnt actually angry. Harper dusted herself off and looked across the horizon. The lowering sun cast an orange hue over Brooklyn.

Harper felt like she could finally take a breath. Her muscles were sore and she couldn't wait to take a hot shower at home.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man perched at the edge of the roof like before, stuck in his head. He suddenly blurted, "Stay in your district."

"Huh?"

He turned to Harper. "Just for now, stay in Brooklyn. You should stay near your home just in case. Text me if you need help. Seriously, don't take on more than you can handle. It's not worth it."

Harper nodded.

"And- don't forget this- pull your punches. Just for now, until you're able to gauge how strong you really are."

"I noticed that I'm stronger now. And I suddenly know how to fight."

"Spiders can lift up to 200 times their own body weight. Naturally, you're much bigger than a spider, so, much stronger. And the fighting thing probably has to do with instinct or something. Happened to me, too."

Spider-Man gently rested his hand on Harper's shoulder and gingerly gave it a pat. "I know this is a huge change. If you need anything-"

"-text you," Harper said. She smiled, as if telling him 'I got this'.

Spider-Man patted her shoulder again. "Text me," he repeated. "I'm here for you, Kid Arachnid."

Harper's expression morphed from a slightly teasing smile to a genuine grin. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now get back home, you need to sleep off that venom."

"Got it, Mr. Spider-Man, sir," Harper said as she began climbing down the wall, carefully watching each step she took and gingerly lifting her hands from one spot to the next. Once she was on the ground, she peered up at the Spider, who nodded at her in farewell.