《Arachnid Kid?Boy?Teen?》
1) A month later
New Bright City...
Busting my eardrums with my headphones while walking to the grocery store for some food is the best feeling ever. You get lost in the world of music, and nothing can snap you out of it. Not even that guy over there in the alley screaming for help while getting pummeled under the starless sky... wait, shit. Gotta help him. Finally, the moment I''ve been waiting for since getting bitten by that arachnid... Jeremy...
Yeah, I named him. Turns out, after biting me, he was still alive, and I couldn''t kill him because what if he was poisonous and the doctors needed him for identification? Plus, he was in my mom''s basement laboratory... which I''m not allowed in. Anyway, enough introspecting. This guy needs help. I quickly looked around and saw that the beatdown was happening in the alley ahead of me on the other side of the road. I quickly ran there and, when close enough, shouted at the perpetrators.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"Hey, stop beating him up before I give you a beatdown!" The four perps looked at me, their similar builds and features making me think they were related: all yellow eyes and blue hair, around 5''9" with slightly muscular frames and round facial features. They were wearing leather jackets and jeans, and had tan skin.
"Hey, mind your own business," one of them barked back aggressively.
"Yeah, this is a family issue, so leave it alone, wiseass."
"Wrong is wrong," I said back to them.
"Well, this douche went ahead and made fun of our haircuts a couple of days ago," one of them said while kicking him in the nuts.
"Welp, have fun," I retorted and was about to slip back into my world of music when the victim said, "Wait, please help me, you can''t leave me here, they''ll kill me."
"You guys aren''t gonna kill him, right...?" I questioned. Silence.
"No," one of them finally said. "Just beat the crap out of him."
"See, you''ll be fine," I happily answered, proud of my deed of leaving a rude guy to his punishment.
2) Webkour 101
¡°Shit, shit, shit, shit,¡± I thought as I sprinted away from the four gang members chasing me. I don¡¯t even know which gang is it? It¡¯s not like they had a sign on their foreheads. I¡¯m not a mind reader. ¡°You know, being chased by you ladies might sound fun, but this is borderline stalking,¡± I joked, trying to keep my spirits up as I ran for my life. It¡¯s not my fault they¡¯re fast...
¡°Stop so we can pummel you, you piece of third-rate laboratory-donated sperm!¡± one of them shouted angrily.
¡°That¡¯s it, you¡¯re fucked,¡± another one of them said.
¡°No, thank you, you guys are way below my standards.¡±
¡°None of us would even touch your dick, even if our lives depended on it. I bet the only action you ever got was from a fan blowing on your dick because you wanted to know what a blowjob feels like,¡± one of the blue-haired menaces responded.
Damn, I thought, that cuts deep. I need to up my game with these retorts¡ªDODGE!!! On instinct, I did a backflip, twisted my body sideways, spiraled at the apex of the jump, and got out of the way of four rocks thrown with enough force to dent the wooden electric pole in front of me. Fuck, this has got to end. I was planning on losing them, but it seems like I¡¯m in way too deep to pull out... This is why I need a safe word.
I tapped the bracelets on my wrist, and they unfolded into spider-looking devices on my forearms. My own web shooters¡ªit took me days to synthesize a solution, but some chemicals in my blood made this webbing possible, using bio-electricity to keep the liquid from disintegrating when I shoot it, and making it super strong.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
I spun around, adrenaline pumping through my body. I slightly lowered my stance and sprung into action. I fired a web at a trash can and flung it at them. Before they had time to react, I had already glued their feet to the ground, so the trash can hit all four of them, knocking the breath out of them and hurling them into the wall on their left. ¡°Guess you guys are in a sticky situation,¡± I quipped as I webbed them up. ¡°Hang in there, gals. I¡¯m sure someone will find you,¡± I said after finishing securing them to the wall.
I could hear the sirens of the police approaching, so I decided to bounce before they asked questions I didn¡¯t want to answer¡ªlike why my webbing was all over the place. I quickly leaped up onto a wall and started running up it. Launching a string of web with both hands, I slingshotted from the electric pole, flinging myself feet into the air. I landed on a rooftop and saw the concrete field breaking away into a concrete jungle full of skyscrapers, mag trains, bad traffic, and the smell of street food. Tapping a button on my Arachelet, I activated my scrubber program, which wiped me from all cameras by emitting sound and light waves that made me invisible to technology and harder to see by humans.
Quickly, I shot another string of web, and it latched onto a building. Remembering my two weeks of training, I thought, Dodge, dodge, dodge, as I swung above the streets at breakneck speed. Thank you, TFS sensei, I thought with a smile, remembering Gohan getting his ass kicked on YouTube for not dodging. I let myself free-fall after gaining enough altitude, and when I was close enough to the ground, I shot a web. The pullback almost snapped my arm out of its socket... Never doing that again, I made a mental note with a grunt.
I smiled as I saw my apartment building in the distance. Now to face the fury of a mom who knows you passed curfew.
3) Mom and Mother
I quickly made my way through the streets and arrived home. After putting my gadgets on sleep mode and making sure there were no rips in my leisure clothes, I quietly snuck back inside and opened the front door. Sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in one hand and a TV remote in the other was my mom.
"Hey mom, sorry I missed curfew. I know it''s 10:16, but I have a very good reason. I got lost... on the road of life," I said cautiously.
I needed to be on my toes here. One misstep, and I''d be out of the game faster than a troll player insta-locking DPS. I had to choose my words carefully.
"Really, that''s your excuse? At least come up with something original," retorted Octavia.
"Yes mom, believe it or not, life is very confusing. I got caught up wondering why we can hear sounds in our memories," I replied. Almost there. Just a couple more lines, and I''d be home free.
"Really, Thyme? You used that excuse last week," came a voice from behind me. Mission failed. How the hell did I not notice her coming down the stairs? I have freaking super senses. Are those the legendary mom powers I''ve heard about? I thought those were a myth.
"Hello, mother," I happily exclaimed. "I thought you were staying late at work today."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Nah, my client bailed on me. His wife found his son''s porn collection, and the son blamed it on him," said Jessica, my mother, also known as Jessica V. She''s a personal coach who teaches everything from self-defense classes to dance lessons... one could say she teaches various things.
"Don''t let it happen again. You know how dangerous the city''s getting. I don''t want you to get hurt," said mom with her usual flat tone. But underneath it, I could sense the abyss of worry she felt.
"I''ll try, but no promises, mom. I can''t control my thoughts," I said while heading to the fridge to put my groceries away.
"But you can control how you react to them. Balance your mind and body, and you''ll always be in control," she advised sagely. I actually have a dia¡ªa notepad full of mom''s advice.
"Go to sleep. Your first day of junior year is tomorrow, and you''re not a senior yet, so you can''t come late."
Watching me go up the stairs to brush my teeth before bed, Octavia remembered how it all came to this. From finding out Jessica was pregnant...
"Come on, Octavia, I''m sure your parents won''t mind us getting married. I''m already pregnant after all," Jessica had said in the car, looking absentmindedly at the road.
"You don''t know them like I do, Jessica. Me telling them I was queer was bad enough... but finding out how Thyme was conceived... I don''t want to think about what they would do," Octavia had replied with a grimace as she tensely drove down the road, trying not to dredge up the past.
To now, her baby being 17 and a junior in high school. If only her parents could see him, but ever since that day, she hadn''t contacted any of them. Not until they apologized.
Whew, I managed to get off scot-free. Now, time to face my biggest hurdle tomorrow: teachers saying my name wrong
4) I have friends
Evos have been on the rise ever since Dr. Dog-gus released Deity Maker into the world to cure the Culling. Evos are people who have gained super abilities¡ªfrom elemental manipulation to enhanced intellect¡ªdue to changes in their DNA, either inherited, discovered, or acquired through an accident. The world was once full of them until 3000 years ago, when a virus called the Culling wiped out half the Evos alive and infected the rest, killing them every generation and reducing their numbers from millions to just a few dozen. Many theories have sprung up about what the Culling is, but the War Mandate is the most well like theory. A virus made for a war that got out of control
Looking at himself in the mirror, Thyme couldn''t help but thank his parents for his looks. Even more so ever since the spider incident that turned him from a bystander into someone who could actually make a difference. On the plus side, his altered and enhanced DNA defined his features even more. Some might say he became even more handsome (thanks, Mom). His skin became clearer, taking on a healthy shade of brown, and all his childhood scars healed up. "I''m gonna miss those," he thought wistfully.
Ever since he got bitten a couple of weeks ago snooping around in his mom''s basement looking for parts to build a taser gun, he¡¯d been getting abilities after abilities. First, all his senses got enhanced significantly. He could hear, see, and smell for miles¡ªaround five or so. He could sense everything within a few feet around him and could feel where danger was coming from, reacting fast enough to avoid it. Say goodbye to getting hurt by falling acorns. His blood could produce a chemical compound he called "spid" that made creating his webs possible. He was stronger too; he tried lifting a car, and while it was just a sedan, it only took one hand. His flexibility made him check to see if he still had his little battle buddy...
Next was the fact that he healed faster¡ªa good night¡¯s rest fixed everything for him, even when he fractured his foot from jumping too high. "I should have known it would hurt; after all, it was a spider who bit me, not a cat," he mused. "I wonder what my cape persona would be if it was a cat... Cat Boy? No, Cat-Man? The Cat? Pussy Whisperer... huh, I like that."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Time for school, honey!" shouted his mom downstairs. He didn¡¯t need super hearing to hear her. "I wonder if I¡¯ll get more powers. I mean, just last week I found out I could stick to things... haven¡¯t masturbated at all since that happened... the trauma still haunts me to this day." Alright, time to go before Mom makes me take the bus.
Driving his parents'' car to school with his mom in the passenger seat because she wanted to eat breakfast, Thyme could see how much the city had changed since he¡¯d lived there. There were more empty apartment complexes, way more homeless people, and most worryingly, crime rates were skyrocketing to whole new levels with the new wave of technology coming in.
Arriving at school, Thyme mustered up the will to not skip his first day of classes. He had history with Mr. Drigis first period, and he was really cool. Thyme made his way to the library, texting Evan and Drake to meet him there. Walking through school, he kept getting looks from the student body that made him feel like he should have put on more clothes. "So what if I got hotter? I¡¯m still a virgin who¡¯s never kissed a girl. What am I supposed to do with all this attention? Beating up criminals is so much easier than this," he thought.
"Thyme, is that you?!!!" exclaimed Drake, examining him with his piercing green eyes. Thyme was taller than him now. Moving his bangs out of the way, his British friend, who had a penchant for hacking into things he shouldn¡¯t but also got A¡¯s on his transcripts for all his classes, started gunning into him. "What happened to you, dude? You have muscles, you got taller, oh my god, you have facial hair, and you look so much better." Drake looked up from his phone and went back to doing whatever he did on that damn phone of his. It had been five years, and none of them knew what he did on there.
"I got bitten by a spider, and now I''m an Evo... oh yeah, don¡¯t tell anyone. I¡¯m also becoming a superhero, and I want you guys to be my sidekicks..."
5) Bro鈥檚 Until Death
War. Just the word makes me think of all the atrocities that can be justified using it, but none made it more obvious than the Evo War. No, that wasn''t a war; that was a slaughter. Cities gone in the blink of an eye, the earth reshaped by those who presented themselves as gods. But sometimes, war is necessary for progress. Compared to the past, the world has changed for better or worse¡ªI can''t answer that. Only history will tell. For history records everything, even secrets meant to be hidden. It''s just a matter of where to look.-Historian
"Wait, what!?!" Ethan whispered urgently, grabbing my shoulders with enough force to crush a soda can. "You mean you got powers? And why did you say that out loud? What if someone heard you?"
"I checked, no one''s here, and besides, we''re in one of the private rooms," I reassured him. My friends and I have known each other long enough for me to trust them with this secret. Besides, it would be much harder to keep it a secret and probably get me killed.
As usual, Drake said nothing and went back to staring at his phone. He''s always had this phone, now that I think about it... same black color, same model for the last five years. The only noticeable thing is the logo, which is a pentagram star with a capital G under it... Eh, I''m sure it''s nothing. It''s not like he''s hiding anything.
"What''s your power?" asked Drake, showing one of his rare moments of curiosity.
"Super everything, plus some perks," I said quickly because classes start in half an hour, and if I know Ethan, he''s going to go off on tangents.
Ethan made sure we had the same classes this year so we don''t have to split early. "I''m still not over this!!!" he exclaimed. "You can''t just drop something like this on me!!! Are you an Evo? Wait, you got bitten by a spider... Is your alias Spiderm-"
"Nooooooooo!!!" I interrupted. "It is not! You are forbidden from even saying that name in my presence."
"Why?"
"...God."
"Aren''t you an atheist?" stated Drake, with no one asking him for his opinion.
"No... Maybe... I''ll decide when I die."
"Back to the main topic, sidekicks?"
"No."
"No!"
"C''mon, think about it. We could be heroes!!!"
"Hell no!!! And get killed by, I don''t know, let''s see: Stinger, Uros, Negavolt, Necro, The Undyings?" Ethan counted off on his fingers. Flinging his arms around, he resumed his very informative lecture on why I shouldn''t be a Knight of Justice. "The Undyings, Thyme, they''re fucking unkillable. Even Metro couldn''t kill them during the Century War¡ªthe last battle between heroes and villains. And guess what? The villains won!!! And that was 20 years ago. Don''t even forget what happened to the last hero in this city.
Remember Bright-Girl, the shining light in this city a year ago? Her Evo moniker was literally named after this city, and she got brutalized to death. Not killed, brutalized. Even the orcs in Shadow of Skirmish had it easier than her. Literally three months ago, Archangel sawed her limbs apart one by one, not before ripping all her nails off while she was conscious. He killed her after giving her 666 cuts with his sword, finishing by shoving it up her asshole until it came out her throat¡ªthe same thing he did to Macho-Macho before. And he was a veteran Evo who helped take down Angelon with the BUSTERS. And you want to be a hero in this city? What the hell makes you think you can succeed!?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"Because unlike them, I''m not alone. I have you guys," I said. "Ethan, you''re the smartest person I know besides my mom. With your technological skills, you recreated the Guardian suit... although it was the Mach One that was released on the deep web by Viro."
"And Drake... you''re Drake... without you, we''d be missing our poster boy."
"Still not convinced!!!"
"I have a secret base already with a fully functioning G7 Exalt Core Operating computer with enough processing power to synthesize new chemicals in under 24 hours... and it comes with a Matter Furnace and Re-Atomizer."
"How?" Even Drake was interested at this point. "I thought they didn''t make those anymore."
"I found Macho-Macho''s base."
"Where?"
"When?"
"How!?!?"
"There were some spiders there, and I saw it while sensory exploring."
"Huh!?!?"
"We''ll get to that later."
"Soooo," drawled Drake, without a hint of his face changing from his bored expression like always. "You have a base. You have powers. And you want us to help you become a hero because you''d be dead without us in like a year at most... like Bright-Girl. I have a question; your answer depends on whether I join this spandex club of yours."
"Shoot, not literally though. We don''t want another school shooting."
"Tasteless. Even my dad makes better jokes than that."
"Shut up, Ethan!!!"
"I want to know why you want to be a hero?"
"Because, Drake, I want to live in a world where kids can smile, where teenagers can walk home at night without being afraid of getting robbed or beat up. A world of peace, a world of justice, a world wher¡ª"
"Oh my god, hahahahaha... I can''t stop laughing. I actually believed you there for a second, Thyme. If I didn''t know you for more than half my life, I would... fucking Ethan."
"Fine, I want the bounties on their heads because I do not want to go to college, and I want to make a living, plus the glory. And I want to make a difference. I want my name to go down in the history books as the guy who changed this era. I want all these people who went to school with us telling their kids when they''re older that they went to school with me. Besides, the higher they are¡ª"
"The more it''s gonna hurt when they punch you back to reality and bury you six feet under, Thyme. These guys have been there for decades. What makes you think you can take them?"
"Not me. Us. Besides, I have a plan. If we can free The APEX, it would make a huge change in the pecking order."
"That''s your plan!!! Bro, that''s insane. Do you know how much work it would take to achieve that?"
"Doable within a year."
"...Fuck you!!! Fuck your whole future. Hell, fuck your whole genome. I am not getting dragged into your mess again. Remember the last plan you had?"
"Yeah, that''s how I ended up with powers."
Ah, sweet, sweet Ethan. The more he resists, the sweeter it is when he finally surrenders to my devious plans... that sounded creepy. I need to get a girlfriend or at least a friend with benefits. Too bad my only two best friends are male.
"I''ll partake in this death wish of yours, Thyme."
"Why, Drake? You''re the sane one."
"My curiosity is piqued. Besides, his plans are always amusing."
Nice. Drake''s on board, and with the two of us, Ethan is definitely going to join.
"Meet me at Herks Plaza in the mall after school so I can explain it further and show you guys the base." Saying our goodbyes, I''m surprised Ethan handled it so well. Normally, he would have been freaking out by now. "I''m gonna die a virgin, oh god I''m so dead, I need to confess my sins, I need to get my will in order, I''m dead, gone, fini¡ª"
"I get it!!! But dude, you''ll be in the base most of the time..."
"Most!!! What about the rest? Is that when I die!?!"
"...No, we have school and a life, remember?"
"You promise?" He''s crying; I should go easy on him.
"Yes... at least until you have a suit."
"What? I didn''t hear that last part."
"It wasn''t important."
"Oh good, I don''t want it to haunt me after I join. What about Drake?"
"Wait, don''t tell me poster boy..."
"Yep!"
"Time for class, guys." Picking up my bookbag, I headed out of the private library room with Ethan and Drake and took our seats in the best row¡ªthe back¡ªwaiting for Mr. Kazin to come¡
"Check it out, Thyme. All these girls are looking over here, and it''s not at Drake. I got a new cologne over the summer called Couche. It''s French. I think it''s working." ...Whatever makes you happy, buddy. Whatever makes you happy.
"Good morning, students. My name is Dr. Olyn Kazin. You can call me Dr. Kazin. I have a PhD in Evo history and Evo philosophy from Bright University, and this is History 3.4, or as I like to call it, Evo History."
"Now, my first question¡ªand whoever gets it right gets no homework this week¡ªis: What does the word Evo mean?"