Marvel's Kid Arachnid: Vol 1

exit through the lobby

As the dust settled, Harper opened her eyes. Her head felt fuzzy and there was a loud, incessant ringing in her ears. She leaned on a large piece of rubble for support as she tried to stand up. She felt a sharp sting in her leg and stumbled back on the floor.

"Spider..." She groaned. She crawled up on the rock for height and looked around. "Where are you...?"

Air came to her in heavy pants. She waved her hand to clear the dust from her vision.

"Spider-Man?"

"Kid Arachnid!" His response was far-off. "Where are you? Stay there, I'll come get you!"

"Okay!"

Her energy zapped, Harper decided to sit on the ground. She needed a moment to catch her breath and find out what was hurting. Blood soaked through her pant leg, and she could almost see the full extent of her wound. She turned away.

Muffled shouts came from outside. The people still stuck inside ran past Harper, either not seeing her or choosing to leave her behind. She buried her head in her knees and felt tears well up in her eyes.

Then she felt a warm, gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You alright?"

Harper shot her head up. "Benjamin?"

"Harper?!" Benjamin lifted his sibling up and took her weight. "Jesus Christ, what the hell are you doing here?"

Harper brought her hand to her face. She felt only her skin on one side, then the remains of her mask.

She peered up at her brother. "I don't..."

Her lips still parted, she shook her head, hoping that was enough.

"It's okay," Ben said, rubbing her back. "It's okay. Come on, Harps, let go, okay?"

Harper nodded. She quickly found they had to lean on each other when Ben winced and held his side.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her voice a croak.

"Just my side. Don't worry."

Slowly, they shuffled through the debris, avoiding the number of people running toward the lobby and shoving them aside, keeping an eye on each other, but also on their prize.

"Where are they? Jameson and Stillwell?" Harper asked.

Benjamin paused. "They're safe, Kid Arachnid."

Harper shot him a curious look. Ben chuckled dryly.

"The mask."

Harper hummed in response.

"I thought the bomb squad-"

"They didn't know if Scorpion would show up, so they sent us with them." Ben peered downward for a moment, shaking his head. "Collins wanted to leave them behind."

"It's a good thing you didn't."

"I told him something that set his mind straight. You need to hear it, too, Harper. Look at me."

Benjamin shifted to lean on a wall and looked Harper in the eyes. One covered by the mask, and the a clear, deep brown. He placed his hands on her shoulders. Harper's eyebrows furrowed.

"You listen to me," Ben said. "I saw you on the news that day with Spider-Man. I saw right through that mask. I couldn't believe it was my little sibling, my little Harper." A soft chuckle of disbelief passed his lips like a breath.

"You have a gift. A power. And with great power, there must also come great responsibility."

Slowly, Harper nodded. "...Okay."

"Now, let's get out of here."

As those words left him, Benjamin felt his knees buckle underneath him. Harper grabbed his arms, her eyes going wide.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just-"

Benjamin lost his balance and fell. Harper was a second too late to catch him, but she kneeled next to him the moment he hit the ground.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Benjamin held his side and Harper moved his hands to see his shirt stained a deep red. She ripped the hole in the fabric and realized he caught debris in the stomach.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat as her hands shook. Then she realized his blood had gotten all over her clothes. Enough of it that she couldn't tell if she was injured, too, or if it was just her brother.

Harper whipped her head around in search of anything, anyone, that could help. That could save him.

"Somebody, please-!" She shouted, raising her voice more than she could handle. "We need an ambulance- we need help, please!"

Her pleads fell on deaf ears. The only response was silence.

Hopelessly, she looked at her brother, watching the life flee his body.

Then, a voice.

"Stay where you are! I'm coming!"

Spider-Man.

A small flicker of hope returned to Harper, but it was quickly put out.

"Harper," Ben whispered.

Harper's attention snapped back to him. "What?"

"You're gonna be okay."

"No," Harper cried, "Not without you. I can't do this without you."

"You'll be okay."

Benjamin brought his hand up to gently stroke Harper's cheek. He smoothed her hair back best he could.

"I'm right here," he said. "It's okay."

Harper only shook her head in response. She pressed his hand to her face, dread building in her chest as his warmth faded.

Benjamin exhaled. His hand went limp. Harper forced his arm up so she could keep feeling his touch. She lightly tapped his face.

"Ben?"

No response.

"Ben, will you look at me, please?"

She shook him by the shoulders. Squeezed his hand.

"Ben, what are you doing? Will you stop messing around?"

She kept pushing and ignored the fact that he was a cold, unmoving corpse.

"Will you wake up and talk to me, please?"

Benjamin's hand fell next to his body. Harper pressed her lips into a thin line as her grip on his shirt tightened. Her jaw clenched, she tried not to cry, and miserably failed.

A loud sob escaped her lips and she threw herself on the ground, the impact causing the tile to crack. Like a child throwing an tantrum, she hit her legs, wailing, screaming, her frustration and sorrow forcing itself out.

Her cries echoed, and still no one was around. At least, she didn't think so, because Harper couldn't hear the sounds of debris being pushed behind her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and shouted, "Don't fucking touch me!" as she roughly shoved whoever it was away.

They tried to grab her and hold her steady. Harper thrashed in their arms.

"No! Don't fucking touch me, let go of me!"

"Harper! Look at me."

Spider-Man held her face and forced her to look at him. Her sobs quieted, and she stared at him in disbelief.

She stammered and blubbered as she tried to form words. When her tears returned, there wasn't really any chance of understanding her. Spider-Man eased Harper into his arms and there she stayed, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as he stroked her hair.

"Shhh," he whispered.

Harper mumbled something, then her head found his shoulder.

"I got you. You're okay. It's okay."