Spider-man : Shattered Webs

Spiderman close to home Act 5

Shinji had barely made it home before collapsing onto his bed, exhausted from the back-to-back Angel battles. His mind swirled with the chaos of the past weeks—the terror of Gaghiel, the intensity of Israfel, and the horrifying display of Rei's berserk Unit-00 tearing apart Sandalphon like a wild animal. The images stuck with him, especially the unsettling way Rei's Evangelion had acted on its own, something alien controlling it.

However, fatigue took over, and his mind drifted into a deep sleep. What Shinji didn't notice was that, while he slept, something strange was happening. Beneath his bed, remnants of Angel goo—the remnants of Ireul, the Eleventh Angel—had crept into his room. It was attracted to him, slithering silently across the floor like an eerie black liquid. It reached the edge of his bed, where it latched onto his body, seemingly merging with his skin, becoming one with him. But Shinji didn't stir, completely unaware of what was happening.

When he woke the next morning, he felt... good. Not just rested, but amazing. He blinked his eyes open and stared at the ceiling, his mind feeling sharper than ever. There was a surge of energy in his limbs, his muscles felt like they were humming with power. Sitting up, Shinji looked down at his hands. They didn't seem any different, but he definitely felt different. Stronger. He brushed it off for now, chalking it up to finally getting a decent night's sleep after the chaos of the past few days.

He pushed himself out of bed, dressed quickly, and headed to the kitchen where his Aunt May was already up and about. The smell of pancakes filled the air, and Shinji greeted her with a warm smile.

"Morning, Aunt May," he said, grabbing a piece of toast.

"Good morning, Shinji! You're up early today, that's a good change," Aunt May replied with a smile, clearly happy to see him in better spirits. "Are you feeling better?"

"I actually feel... great. I can't explain it, but I feel stronger," Shinji replied, shoving the toast into his mouth.

Aunt May laughed lightly. "That's good to hear, honey. You've been through a lot lately, you deserve to feel better."

Just then, MJ and Ned walked in, MJ giving Shinji a knowing look. "Wow, Shinji. Looking alive for once. That's a nice change."

Shinji grinned at her teasing. "Yeah, I guess I had a really good night's sleep. I've gotta head out though, I've got a meeting at NERV."

Ned, who had been fiddling with his phone, looked up. "Whoa, already? Don't you ever get a break from those guys?"

Shinji shrugged, "Not really. Duty calls." He grabbed his backpack and waved goodbye as he headed out the door, but before leaving the house, he ducked into a nearby alleyway to suit up as Spider-Man.

"See you guys later!" he called over his shoulder before slipping into the shadows.

Once in the alley, Shinji quickly donned his suit, but something strange began to happen. The moment he pulled it on, he noticed it felt... heavier. Almost like it was clinging to his skin. His brow furrowed, his senses tingling with confusion as he looked down at himself.

"What the—" he muttered.

The usual bright red and blue of his suit was quickly fading, being replaced by a deep, shadowy black. The fabric rippled unnaturally, almost like it was alive, shifting and transforming. Shinji watched in shock as the spider emblem on his chest and back twisted, becoming more aggressive in design, stretching out like jagged claws. His entire suit now looked darker, sleeker, and more menacing.

"What the hell is going on...?" Shinji whispered, watching the suit morph in real time.

He raised his arm, noticing the suit had gained a strange, organic quality—tendrils of black webbing rippled across the surface, as though it were feeding off his movements. His hand flexed, and the material responded instantly, tightening around his body like a second skin.