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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Feb 29, 2016 20:34:41 GMT -7
Lyla encrypt this as soon as I'm done. In fact link it to my bio-scan okay? Alright, here goes.
Things are changing and not for the better. At first it was little things. Alchemax's founding day celebration? Yeah they make it sound like the company was founded back in the twenty first century. That was odd. When that statue out there, what do they call it, uh, Lady Liberty or something like that? Yeah. Well I remember when they fixed it up when I was a kid at the academy. Since when does she have a sword and shield? That is beyond odd, it is straight up weird. The fact I'm the only one who notices these changes, bug or small? That is shocking scary.
I know making a log of this is risky. Anything recorded can be hacked...yes Lyla even something as advanced as you. Still, I need to record this. Someone is changing things, altering the past to strengthen the company. I would finger Tyler Stone. He's arrogant enough, but he'd never get the board's approval. Time Travel is far too dangerous for even an arrogant fool like him to risk it. But someone is and I have to find out who. And soon.
Jammit! Gabe is here. Lyla, end recording.
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:24:13 GMT -7
Entry 2
Lyla? Record this. We good? Okay.
I got no answers at Alchemax today. I tried to look around, but even being the head of the genetics program only gets a guy so far. Ever since that Virtual Unreality incident security has tightened. Department heads are not speaking to each other anymore, not that the corporate culture ever was one based on sharing. Everyone was scared they’d be outdone by a colleague, but now they were scared security would overhear them and they’d be dragged before the board. Things were more compartmentalized then ever and if I pushed too hard Tyler Stone was sure to have asked why I was so interested in other projects when I had no results to show in my own field of research. The bastard was still pressuring me to deliver him a corporate raider with abilities comparable to the post-human folks of the Heroic Age and I didn’t need another reason for him to be on my case.
So after work I went out in my…other suit. Headed to Downtown as I often did these days. Hard to believe I used to not think about that area of the city at all and now? Well, I can’t stop thinking about it. Anyway…
I encountered some dim lights from a clique. Nothing surprising there, but this wasn’t one of the usuals. Not a Thorite among them. These guys called themselves the Fraternity of Goblins. They were packing tech that some of those Blackcard brats couldn’t have gotten their hands on. But still, Goblins? I mean I heard about a Goblin or two from my research into the original Spider-Man and recently I’d been haunted by some freaker calling himself the Goblin, but these guys were different, unassociated. And knowledge of the Heroic Age was limited. Sure, everyone knows of Spider-Man, Thor, even Iron Man. But the enemies? That’s not something they teach in schools.
Is it a change? I think so. Cliques I’m used to and so are the Private Eye, but its like these Goblin twits popped up overnight. Bears looking into anyway. [/font]
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:26:17 GMT -7
Entry 3
First Goblins, now Scorpions. Well, Scorpion. Singular. Based on the crap work, the haphazard engineering and bestial nature of the Freaker I’d of expected him to be an Indy job. Based on his raging against Alchemax and cursing the ground Tyler Stone slithers (walk, slithers, whatever) on I suppose the Indy’s, unethical as they were, were in the clear.
Still, how the hell did Alchemax make a new corporate raider without my knowledge. Could Stone have gone around me? Gotten somebody not as smart? Sure. God knows it wouldn’t be the first time he’d cut corners, but I would have known. I have Lyla tapped into the entire corporation now. Even an off the books project somewhere else would have, what is that old saying? Pinged on my radar.
Yes Miguel. It is a phrase originating…
Thanks Lyla, but I don’t need a history lesson right now. Point is the job is sloppy, some mad scientist twencen crap and I should have had a clue before he assaulted Alchemax. As poorly as the splicing job was, Scorpion was strong. VERY strong. And he had friends or family or offspring or well it was shocking sick is what it was. Eggs, like something out of one of those old holos about parasitic aliens were planted around the facility. I spent most the night saving researchers that were helping the megacorp tighten its grip on the world. Not that I can judge, Alchemax still signs my checks too.
Long story short I almost had by backside handed to me by an acid spewing, egg laying monster freaker. Thankfully, what he had in strength and…uh…grossness he lacked in brains. I beat him senseless, saved the day, and lo and behold inadvertently made it into some of the secure Alchemax labs. Planted a subnode of Lyla in the system while I was there. Should know what secrets they are keeping there before long.
Oh and of course the Private Eye losers tried to arrest me! Not that I am surprised at this point, but really shouldn’t the idiots at least thank me for stopping the rampaging monster their bosses had created?
They are under orders to bring in Spider-Man at any cost Miguel!
Thanks Lyla. Can you not sound so cheerful about it?
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:27:14 GMT -7
Entry 4
Things are changing and it is coming from Alchemax. That subnode I planted has given me some power readings. A ton of it is being diverted, from the low-cred sections of town of course, to power something big. Huge. It explains the blackouts the lower levels have experienced the last few months. Enough energy to power say…a time machine.
I have a location, but haven’t been able to check it out yet. Might not get to. Aside from being guarded by enough Private Eye forces to conquer an entire nation making it nearly impossible to get near I have other problems.
The Net Prophet. He’s…well he’s gone. Or he was never here. I dunno. They shocking changed something so he’s nowhere to be found. And the SIEGE units? They are packing weapons adapted from twencen droid enforcers they called Sentinels, a nasty bit of bigot driven tech. It’s new to me, but everyone else? They seem to think it has always been this way.
Which begs the question how the shock am I remembering what was when everyone else is being…overwritten. Is it something to do with how I got my powers? Not likely, it is just genetics after all. Or is it some side effect from my jaunt back to the original Spider-Man’s time, back when we teamed up? I dunno. Time travel is not an exact science and who knows what effects it has on a regular guy, let alone a freak like me.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:27:52 GMT -7
Entry 5
Jammit! Okay so let’s go through the list shall we? Architectural changes, new gangs, new villains, even upgraded villains (Vulchy was back, upgraded immensely, and still a cannibal. Go figure.) but now? The Alchemax CEO Avataar is no more. Or never was. The new CEO, new to me anyway, is worse. More ruthless. Considering Avataar was ready to drop an entire floating city on Nueva York that’s saying something. Anyway, he’s new and he’s a complete mystery.
He shows up on screens as a pixilated silhouette. Like some kind of villain from one of those ancient colorless vids where people wore stupid hats, smoked cigarettes, and used shocking stupid words like “Doll” and “Dame.” And he is practically worshipped or at least feared. So much so that activist groups like the one Kasey used to belong to are all but gone. Hell, even Tyler Stone is scared of him.
Just like the old CEO though he wants Spider-Man dead. He’s authorized the use of these crazy new security droids he’s calling Spider-Slayers. Seems to have some meaning to him, but personally I think it is a bit on the nose. Shocking things are scary though. Tough, borderline sentient, and sporting weaponry I’ve never seen before. The largest of them, shaped like a spider just for kicks I guess, even has some sort of vibranium coating. Vibranium! Stuff is so rare it is almost impossible to get, even for Alchemax. Almost the entirety of the metal is gone from the planet and this CEO decided to waste it on a one trick droid? Just to kill little old me? Who the shock is this guy?
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:28:39 GMT -7
Entry 6
SHOCKING HELL!
New night, new freaker! Another Goblin, but this one claims he’s the Hobgoblin. Rambled something about how every Spider-Man needs one. No idea who he is, but the kind of enhancements this guys has is again, beyond what I have seen. Oh, and he’s crazy. Really, really crazy. These bombs he has are troublesome to say the least. Unstable arc reactor cores but he took the time to shape them into pumpkin-like shapes. Pumpkins! Who the shock does that?
Well considering he had wings grafted to his back and horns growing out of his face I guess pumpkin shaped bombs are the most normal things about this freak.
Took me on a wild goose chase throughout the city, made it seem like we were partners, and left me to battle Private Eye forces and the Spider-Slayers. I barely survived while Hobby stole whatever he wanted, bombed random things around the city, and tried to kill people for kicks and to watch me work my shocking butt off trying to save people, including Alchemax dim switches.
The entire thing felt scripted somehow though. He’d put on a show for whoever made him. The mysterious new CEO perhaps, but either way, it was a show. A study. Of me. Someone had wanted to see what I was made of, what I could do, how I thought and fought. I know because Lyla could pick up a signal output from Hobby’s optical implants.
Oh yeah, and because I’ve come to rely on her for so much lately…
It is nice to be needed Miguel!
Yeah anyway, I spoke to Xina and she has helped me rig up a portable unit, built right into my wrist watch. Downloaded Lyla and now I can take her everywhere I go and more importantly, everywhere Spider-Man goes.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:30:21 GMT -7
Entry 7
I called in help. Yeah, me, help. I don’t have many…okay any friends, but I do have contacts with mutual interests. In this case I mean Jake or Punisher as his victims, allies, future victims, target practice dummies, whatever called him. He isn’t the most stable person this century or…ever. He is however one of the few new heroes that I’m on speaking terms with. We don’t exactly like each other or respect each other or…okay we kind of tolerate each other.
Anyway Jake helped me tackle the Spider-Slayers. Between my brain, his BSGs…
Miguel? What is a BSG? I have several acronyms but they don’t seem to…
Big Shocking Guns. That’s the best description I can think of. Anyway, Jake…sorry, Punisher used his BSGs, I used some quick thinking and luck, and we took down two of the shocking things and crippled the third. I make it sound easy but I called in telling Stone I was working from home today. Truthfully I’m nursing my bruised, broken, and pulled everything. A bit of bio salve and the burns I’d gotten on my forearms, chest, and throat will be gone. Today is all about recuperating.
Of course I can’t rest. My mind won’t shut up. The CEO is testing me, things are still changing, faster and more dramatically, and I am at a loss about what to do about any of it.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:31:34 GMT -7
Entry 8
I just encountered some kind of dinosaur. Okay, maybe not a dinosaur, but close enough. Alligator maybe. Some kind of lizard at any rate. I thought she was in trouble, she sure seemed like it. I knew here, well, indirectly. She’s a geneticist like me, not as smart or inventive, but not bad. Sloppy with her work, but also an idealist compared to me. Met her as Private Eye was escorting her out of the building a few years back, before I was crawling walls. She went to work for Stark-Fujikawa believing she’d be able to do world changing work, healing people that can’t afford artificial or clones limbs. She failed to realize that even gene splicing cost good creds and lots of them. Nobody was getting regrowing limbs for nothing.
Long story short I remember how she looked, but not what her name is. Saw her screaming in pain on an overhang Downtown, an odd area for a high paid gene splicer. I’d assumed she’d been attacked, left for dead. Thought I’d get her some medical help. Mid swing the cute, tiny Asian woman was gone and in her place was something right out of one of those weird Japanese giant monster holos.
Shocking glitch tried to eat me! Still is I suppose. I’m bleeding from where she took a chunk out of my side and I think she can track the scent of my…
GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHGH!
Yeah, she can definitely track me.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:32:19 GMT -7
Entry 9
Okay so I’m alive and not eaten. That’s something I guess. I fought with the woman, the transgenic…Lizard. I couldn’t beat her topside, I couldn’t beat her on the ground, so I got the bright idea to take the fight into the under city. Yeah, it kept her away from the no-creds and the devout Thorites of Downtown, but under city was dark, cramped, and dangerous. The bowels of old New York and centuries old sewage systems and subways. Not smart.
In the dark I was stalked, toyed with, hunted. Lizards are really good at hunting and considering she had some kind of poison she squirted at me in the form of blood from her tear ducts was very, VERY potent. Down below she mocked me about “hunting warm bloods” and “stupid naked monkey people”. She thought she was some sort of apex predator and I was just prey. Little did she know spiders are damn good hunters themselves. I could see fine in the dark and I had poison of my own, something she learned firsthand.
She was fast, stronger than I was, and she could even crawl up walls. My gimmick has been copied and I would sue her, but she’s gone. Vanished into the old sewage system. Not looking forward to another round with her. I got lucky, caught her in a web, injected her with my fangs. Next time? Might not get so lucky.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:32:58 GMT -7
Entry 10
I’ve been making plans, figuring out how I am going to gain entry to the Alchemax facility where I am ninety-five percent sure they have a super secret time machine. God, even saying it sounds crazy and this is coming from a guy who has roughly fifty percent spider DNA and fights flying cannibals. A time machine. It’s like something out of a bad holo.
The signs though are there even if I am the only one that can see them. Jammit, I sound like my mother and she is crazy. But I can’t deny what I see and what I remember. I have two separate sets of memories. I remember the Alchemax that was and the one that is. I remember how Doom, a relic of the Heroic Age returned early in the year making us question if he were villain or hero. I remember how we worked together to stop the falling floating city of Valhalla, but I also remember how Doom never showed and the floating city was destroyed midair by myself, the X-Men, Ravage, and Punisher, the falling debris killing many and wrecking entire sections of the city. Both are equally true in my mind.
My plans are going to have to wait though. Downtown has been flooded with more people since the Valhalla incident was rewritten and more people were left homeless. With it brought an increase in cliques preying on the weak and poor. I found myself down there more and more frequently. Every time I went I had to smack around some idiot like Bloodblade or Bloodsucker or Blood…I dunno, something dumb like that. And every time I did something the cult of…me, grew. Between Thorites calling me the Harbinger of Thor as usual and a new group of so called Spiderites thinking I was something special. I’m not, believe me, but I have to stop being distracted. If I can put a stop to these changes, correct them to their original course, then there will be less of these people expecting more from me I can give. False pedestals and all that.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:33:43 GMT -7
Entry 11
Martial Law has been declared. Which given everyday normal restrictions on the populace makes this really…well, not to shocking different. Apparently taking away the few freedoms we have left as a society is a reasonable option according to our illustrious Alchemax CEO, at least when crazed half-lizard creatures began crawling their way up from the under city. They hadn’t come from nowhere of course, the Lizard had returned. She also brought with her some kind of DNA recombinator beam she rigged through the vid screen advertisements that are literally everywhere. It was turning anyone watching them into reptilian monsters like herself.
I’ve spent the evening working with Gabe to figure out how to stop the signal. He’d reluctantly helped me. I wouldn’t have gone to him, but, well, I’m the gene guy and he’s the tech expert. One of the best I know. He cobbled together some kind of signal blocker, cursed about how I was rushing off to play the shocking hero again, and then I did just that. I went to the highest receiver tower in the city (the top of Alchemax), rigged up the blocker, and stopped the scaled menace from creating any more playmates. In a few hours the people that had changed will revert to normal, I just hope they don’t remember anything they did…or ate.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 14:34:25 GMT -7
Entry 12
There are a few, okay, a lot of things I just shocking hate. Having to dumb down how I talk so that others can understand. People that think the amount of credits they have allows them to shirk the laws of the land and of decency. Tyler Stone. Being called Mike. Tyler Stone calling me Mike. Well, I could be at this awhile so I’ll stop here.
The other thing I hate though? So-called “family” time. My crazy mother Conchata, a person who hates Alchemax and all the Megacorps that ran the world, hated my job and life, possibly even hated me, was always latching onto something insane. Becoming a Thorite. Believing the experiments Alchemax called Aesir were real and following a clique leader with a fake hammer. Thinking I was scum of the Earth, but Spider-Man was the second coming of whatever deity she believed in this week. And now? Now she is nuts about the CEO.
She thinks he is changing Alchemax from the inside out, that he’s far better than past CEOs. A man of influence that cares for the common man. He’s put on a good show appealing to both nocreds and Blackcards alike. All the evil, twisted things Alchemax did were blamed on rogue employees that were publicly executed. Food, albeit tainted with God only knows what, was distributed to the poor. The CEO was pleasing everyone by telling all who would listen exactly what they wanted to hear. He even PRAISED me.
The craziest part about dear old mom’s delusions? She isn’t the only one who is buying this line of bad code. The public is eating it up.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 12, 2016 15:35:49 GMT -7
Entry 13
Good news, I got into the facility! Bad news….
BZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
I may not make it out. Jammit that was close!
Okay so it looks like I was wrong about the time travel device. Not that it exists, I have no doubt of that, but the location? Yeah. The location was definitely off.
OUCH! That shocking hurt.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the facility. Well Alchemax is building something here, but is isn’t a time travel machine. It is a…I’m not sure exactly. Hold on a second.
“Hey, you! Yeah, you, Tentacle Lass!...What do you mean Octopus…Oh, I get it. Lovely. Yeah I saw the holos too, but at least you don’t have a bowl cut. Anyway, what’cha building?”
*Unintelligible shouting*
“Impressed? Why? Those things are all over, this is a seriously meh moment!”
*The recording fades into static and explosion noises*
*Recording restarts ten minutes later*
So it is a Condensed Matter Reactor. I’m a gene guy, not tech, but even I know that it is essentially Cold Fusion made reality. Unstable, ready to blow at any moment, whackjob reality, but hey. Fancy. If Alchemax knew she was building something that could break the hold they have on the power industry they’d flip out, but considering this junk is likely going to take out most of the city, they won’t get the chance. Lyla, keep recording. I may not survive this, but if I do it’ll be a learning experience to remember.
“Son of a glitch! I know what that is, I saw one just like it last week. Uh-huh. Yes I did. What do you mean it has never been done? Sure it has! Oh…so that is what it is. Meh.”
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 12, 2016 15:37:02 GMT -7
Entry 14
I’m alive.
“I am very happy about that Miguel.”
Thanks Lyla. I know you are programmed to think things like that, but hey, go me I have a fan. Anyway, I now have my very own Doctor Octopus, real name Serena Patel. Head researcher for Alchemax’s Shadow Division, because if you are going to be evil you may as well have an appropriately evil sounding job. But hey, the city didn’t go boom, and I now have my very own Ock, but mine is actually kind of hot. If she wasn’t, you know, insane, being all hands wouldn’t be a bad thing. Eat your heart out original Spidey, yours didn’t even have a decent hairstylist.
Downside is I’m still no closer to finding the time machine…and the fact I just said that out loud and didn’t flinch tells me just how weird my life is. Coming from a guy with half-spider DNA that’s saying something.
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 12, 2016 15:38:49 GMT -7
Entry 15
SHOCKING PSYCHOPATHS!
“Miguel, aside from your foul language being offensive, something that may carry a hefty fine if the Private Eye is alerted, you should try to keep your blood pressure down.”
Lyla, I have scars and bruises all over, fangs that make me mumble, and shocking talons. Blood pressure is the least of my medical concerns.
Where was I? Oh yes that crazy shocking son of a glitch CEO. He approved new additions to the Private Eye forces. I thought SIEGE units were bad, SIEGE units updated with Sentinel tech were worse, but this? Alchemax’s cyber division has used the information they’ve gathered from the alien creatures called symbiotes to create A.I. replicas. Smart liquid metal that behaves like the symbiotes. I can’t be sure, but I think they may even be symbiote clones turned cyborg, the tech keeping them in check. And they are bonding them to Private Eye officers to make them even better at stomping on the rights of everyone that isn’t a Blackcard carrying member of society. Granted I haven’t read the files, but like all E.T.s the symbiotes are little more than myth, but in the Heroic Age they were a real problem. My predecessor fought several of the creepy things, but the information is all locked away, even from me. Maybe I can talk to Gabe or better yet, Xina to get some info. Aside from being a tech expert she’s always been interested in aliens. After she fixed Lyla we parted on…less than terrible terms. So who knows. All I’m sure of is this is going to blow up in a big way.
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