Marvel's Kid Arachnid: Vol 1

underdogs

"I don't know what to do," Harper said. "Should I keep it a secret? Should I fight, too? Maybe I should, I mean, with great ability comes great accountability-"

That's not even how the saying goes!

Anyway, Harper's rambling was cut off when her and Spider-Man's spider-senses began to go off. Like fireworks. Then-

"Watch out!"

Harper leaped toward Spider-Man, tearing him out of his binds, and pulling him out of harm's way. He was almost in shock.

"Oh, okay..." He muttered, regaining his composure. "So, we're both...spiders, then?" He asked. He felt a smile creep onto his face.

"We're both spiders," Harper confirmed, returning his smile despite not seeing it under the mask.

"Better grab your 99 cent mask, kid," Spider-Man joked. Harper playfully rolled their eyes and pulled the mask on, their hair popping out from the top.

"We've got a fight on our hands."

Scorpion had crashed into the side of the building and was making his way toward the spiders.

"Right," Harper said. "Wait! I need a name first. Uhhh..."

They paced, maybe a little too excited for the upcoming battle. "I'm too young to be Spider-Woman, but I don't like Spider-Girl, either...to be honest, I don't really like the gendered terms..."

"Come on, kid," Spider-Man urged.

"Kid!" Harper exclaimed. "Kid...Kid Arachnid!"

"Kid Arachnid?"

"That's right! The Amazing Spider-Man and the Spectacular Kid Arachnid, to the rescue!"

Spider-Man chuckled. "Whatever you say, kid."

The spiders went into a battle stance, and Harper felt a sudden wave of anxiety hit them. They tensed their shoulders, hands forming into tight fists.

"I guess we should....mosey on over, right?" They asked, as they and the older began toward Scorpion. The villian let out a hearty laugh.

"What is this? Bring your kid to work day?" He taunted. "I'll give the kid a fair chance, but I'm not goin' easy on you.”

The spider-duo steeled themselves for battle. Spider-Man: a seasoned and experienced crime-fighter. And Kid Arachnid: the new one.

Unfortunately there was no time for training- Harper would be thrown right into a fight with a big-time villian. Everyone knows you learn best under intense, life-threatening pressure!

Spider-Man jumped in first, throwing a punch and webbing Scorpion's tail to leave an opening for Harper to attack.

Harper hadn't fought anyone as big as Scorpion. Only some petty criminals. She took Spider-Man's lead and copied his moves as she attacked. The older felt a bit of pride.

The two would switch off, helping the other avoid an attack while throwing Scorpion's tail right back at him.

“Tell me how you escaped, Mac,” Spider-Man demanded from Scorpion. “You would've needed help.”

“I got friends on the other side,” Scorpion answered. "And who is this?" He asked, referring to Harper. "Needed a bit of help so you're recruiting at elementary schools?"

"I'm not an elementary schooler!" Harper shot back, sounding a little offended. "I'm Kid Arachnid, and I'm gonna kick your-"

Scorpion slashed Harper in the shoulder, making them groan and take a step back. The posion sent numbing, seething pain into their body. It was almost like something was gnawing at their flesh.

"Kid! Watch out!" Spider-Man shouted. He was scared for Harper. He wasn't used to working with other people, so he had forgotten to keep an eye on them. It was his responsibility to keep them safe and he had just failed miserably.

He couldn't focus on that. He had to focus on now.

Scorpion was sure he could one-shot Harper. Spider-Man pounced on him and dragged him away from them, aggressively, might I add. That was payback for earlier.

They wrestled for a bit as Scorpion tried to stab Peter with his tail.

"The isty bitsy spider climbed up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out-" Scorpion sang the nursery rhyme as he grabbed the spider's hands and tore his arms away from his chest.

"I hate this song!" Spider-Man exclaimed. He struggled to keep Scorpion away, the venom-covered tail inching closer to his heart.

Harper grabbed a piece of stray rubble and swung it like a baseball bat into the side of Scorpion's head. He went flying, then rolled until he landed on the concrete. He was still.

Harper, having exhausted all their strength, let out a heavy breath and stumbled. Spider-Man caught them before they fell.

"Oh, yeah!" Harper cheered, breathlessly, pumping a fist in the air. They leaned to the side and Spider-Man took their weight.

"I've got the ingredients for the antidote at my lab. We should go, now-”

The praise from citizens who had witnessed the fight iinterrupted the older spider. Some had their phones out, others were waving their hands in the air and making a ruckus to get noticed.

"Who's the new kid?" One shouted.

"Can we get a picture?" Asked another.

"I'm just a sidekick," Harper said with a shrug, adjusting their mask. The cheap fabric was fraying. And they felt like they were going to vomit.

"You're not just a sidekick." Spider-Man said as he looked down at Harper, patting their uninjured shoulder lightly.  "You did good."

He whipped his head around suddenly toward Scorpion, but found he was gone.