ARACHNE
A WORM/Spiderverse story
by Tangent

"Hi, Rich, Bobbie!" Taylor called out as she got the bus at Arcadia.

"Hey, Tay Tay! Richie has some news for us!"

"Oh?" Taylor's interest was piqued.

"Yes," Richard Fisk nodded. "I told my folks about our small study group..."

"The Arconaughts!" Roberta interjected with what was apparently the latest iteration of their study buddy club's name.

"If I may continue before the morning bell rings?"

"Sorry, Richie! Go on, tell her!"

"Thank you. Anyway, my parents were ecstatic about our plans to try to stay in Arcadia, but they want us to get to know one another properly before we start meeting up outside of school. Anyway, here's my dad's number." Rich handed Roberta and Taylor each a business card. "Have your folks call mine sometime this week anytime before ten at night so we can schedule a meet and greet. Dad was thinking some time Saturday or Sunday would be good."

"Sure, I'll..." Taylor was interrupted by the morning bell. "I'll ask my dad once he gets home from work," she concluded just before the three split up to head for their respective homerooms.

Hopefully, once the weather warmed up, her bus would start to arrive earlier. Not that it had actually been late since she had started coming to Arcadia, but she figured that it would only be a matter of time with how close it was cutting it.

"Aisha, why aren't you in school?" Brian asked as his sister blatantly walked in the front door of the Undersider's lair.

"School's boring, and I'm a supervillain," Aisha stated as if that explained everything. Which, in her mind, it did. "Why ain't you in school, if you care so much?"

"I got my G.E.D. and a paying job," Brian retorted.

"As a supervillain," Aisha snarked back.

"She's got you there," Alec replied from where he was playing videogames on the couch.

"It's a legitimate job," Brian protested.

"Do you legitimately show up there?" Aisha demanded.

"Well, no, but..."

"Then it's not a real job! We get paid to be supervillains! Why would I need to go to school when I already have the job I want?"

"So you can have a civilian identity that can believably spend all the money you're earning," Lisa interjected before Brian blew his top. "Anyway, since you're here, the boss had a delivery for you." So saying, she handed Aisha a package.

Opening it up, Aisha grinned as she pulled out a red and black costume. "Sweet! I'm trying this on right now!"

"Fine," Brian sighed in defeat. "Go ahead, we may as well see what it loo... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Duh! I'm getting dressed!" Aisha stated, already stripped half naked (she had had a lot of practice getting in and out of her clothes over the past couple of weeks and had it down to almost a science).

"You have a room! Use it!"

"Why should I? The costume's right here!"

"You can't run around naked where other people can see you!"

"Well then you should be happy to know that I've always stayed invisible whenever I go out streaking."

"I suppose that's... Wait, YOU DO WHAT!?"

"Streaking. You know, where I take off all my clothes and run around naked in public? So far I've done all four schools, the mall, some shopping centers..."

"I'm impressed," Alec commented. "I think he's speechless. You really do all that?"

"I'm a supervillain," Aisha replied as she finished undressing and started pulling her costume on. "What do I care about the rules? Besides, like I said, I was invisible every time I did it."

"If you're really going to go commando under your costume, then I suggest using baby powder to prevent chaffing," Lisa suggested. "You'll thank me later. Trust me."

Flash Thomson fumed as he glared at Veder from across the room. So far the punk from Winslow had basically shrugged off everything Flash had said while they were in school. Coach Grady had already suspended Jake and Cody from the team until they got their grades back up, and while Flash had somehow managed to squeak by so far, it had to be just a matter of time before he got booted from the team too, losing the one good thing he had going for him.

Just one more disappointment for his dad to harp on him about.

And there Veder sat at his desk, not a care in the world, busy doing one of his assignments like a dutiful overachieving supernerd.

Greg, for his part, remained largely unaware of Flash's mistaken impression of him as he doodled out actuator assemblies and the calculations for how to solve the issues he was having getting his waldo harness to be more than just a very fancy prop that he could make wave at people.

"Morning, Pete."

"Morning, Eddy," Parker replied, looking up from his tablet.

"We just got informed that Shadow Stalker escaped from juvie last night."

"Shadow Stalker was in juvie?"

"You didn't know?"

"Eddy, I've been under M/S observation for over half a month now. Nobody tells me anything. I didn't even know Stalker was in juvie. What'd she do?"

"No idea, but given the timing, she may have been involved in the Winslow incident somehow."

"You think she was one of the girls who set up that so-called prank?"

"Wouldn't surprise me in the least. Girl's as mean as a snake, and half as friendly. Heh..."

"What?"

"Well, given the gear Stalker is used to using and the types of places Ghost Spider's been hitting, maybe the two will meet and take each other out."

"They're both kids, Eddy."

"Maybe a light maiming then?"

Shadow Stalker rested on the cot she had left in one of her old bolt holes from before she had been forced into the Wards. Not that there was much there, but she had kept a change of clothes, a good sized stash of hunting bolts for her crossbow, and some spare costume pieces. Not enough to get her old look together just using them, but enough to make do.

What she didn't have, was an actual crossbow to use.

She also didn't have Emma to either buy what she needed, or bring it to her discretely. Not that Emma would have been able to do it now anyway, even if Stalker had managed to escape with her (which hadn't happened, as Sophia couldn't think of a way to bring her friend with her).

Crap. She couldn't stay here. Emma knew about this bolt hole, and sooner or later someone would tell her that she had left her behind.

Okay, then she'd just have pack up what she could, and take it with her to some place Emma didn't know about.

Preferably someplace like this that got at least some waste heat.

A short while later, Sophia Hess poked her head into the alley to see if the coast was clear...

Really!?

The jaybirds again?

Seriously, what the fuck was with those two?

Fuck it. They never really pay attention to anything anyway once they're this far into their little act.

Sophia walked up, rifled through the carelessly discarded clothing for the guy's wallet, stuffed it in the lady's purse, simply adding it to what she was already carrying as she left to find a new hideout.