Chapter Text
Alright, people. Let's do this one last time. Like, actually this time.
My name is Miniel Katayama. I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the past four years, I've been the one and only Spider-Woman. Or at least I thought I was. I'm sure you know the rest.
I starred in a musical in my last year of high school, got into university, saved lots of people from any crime and attacks, lost my dad when I was a kid and… sent my uncle to the cells when he revealed himself as Mister Negative. But I've got a bunch of support from all the wonderful people around me, who have helped me countless times.
Being Spider-Woman isn't easy. It's never been easy. Loss and grief come easily to me. But this is my home ground. I love this city, and I love its people. And all the more because of it that I wish to protect this place for however long I can.
And… I'm not alone. I have someone who accompanies me and understands exactly what I feel. And this— this is her story.
"Spider-Woman, or should I say, Spider-Wicked has struck once more!" J. Jonah Jameson's voice boomed through the radio. "The web-slinging menace has wreaked havoc again as the Rhino runs amok on our roads, and as always, destroys the property we paid for with our taxes! I'm telling you, we must get rid of this menace from destroying our beloved New York!"
"Like you're any better, believing in cops of all people…" Kairo whispered under her breath as she listened to the journalist rant on and on and on, and holy shit, Kairo doesn't have the patience to listen to this any longer.
"Girl, he always says this." said her friend, Eliyah, who sat beside her on the bus.
"Yeah, but," Kairo crossed her arms, looking at her friend. "It's hypocritical to blame Spider-Woman for destroying public property when cops do the same. I'm not even a fan of her, but at least she isn't a coward who hides behind nobility and then kills innocent people."
"Okay, but Spider-Woman still sorta abides by the law. I wish she'd just, y'know," Eliyah made a gesture by her neck.
Kairo shrugged. "I'm not a fan for a reason."
Her gaze turned to the window, trees and roads passing by, until it eventually revealed a tower that reflected the sunlight. The side of the tower is stamped with the letters of the exact place Kairo has always dreamt of going.
Oscorp Tower. Every science nerd's dream… including herself, obviously.
It's home to some of the best minds of New York and revolutionary scientific discoveries that has shaped how the city operates. Kairo's usually not a fan of corporations — especially CEOs, ew — but Oscorp gets a pass… for now. And well, she's not one to pass up a free chance to see it for herself.
Eliyah leaned in next to her. "It does look very cool from here. I wonder if we'll see the network of their tech there!"
"I'm more curious about the experiments," Kairo chuckled. The experimental-science-is-cool-and-can-help-people kind, not the we-ruin-nature-and-make-them-completely-uninhabitable kind.
"Ooooh, like the spider people theorized was experimented on Spider-Woman?" The brunette tilted her head.
"Experimented?!" Kairo cringed at the thought. What type of messed up organization would even do such a thing? And also, "I've never heard of that before… where are you even getting this, Eliyah?"
Eliyah put a hand on her chin, like she's putting some reaaal thought to it. "Some rando on Tweeter."
Of course.
"Seriously?" Kairo deadpanned her friend, before letting out a sigh. "Jeez, I don't know how you're still this gullible despite doing comp science, of all things."
"Hey, at least I'm not as bad as you!" Eliyah pouted, crossing her arms indignantly. "You can't even lie to save your life."
…She got a point there and unfortunately, Kairo doesn't have a counter to it. Dang it.
"Okay, fine. You win." Kairo rolled her eyes as Eliyah cackled at her.
After getting passed through the ridiculously tight security, the bus arrived at the parking lot of Oscorp and they were able to get off, looking up at the building.
"Damn, it's a lot taller than I thought," Kairo said under her breath as she took in the skyscraper, its height looming over her. Just the sight of it is enough to give her chills.
One of Oscorp's head scientists walked out of the doors, smiling at them as he shook hands with their professor. The guy then lead them all in, giving them a tour of the place. From the robotics labs and cross-species facilities, to even just the lobby, the building was filled with milestones and milestones of incredible research.
Though the one people find the most interesting is the enclosure of experimental animals. Kairo will admit, she's not the biggest fan of it. There's the ethical stuff you have to think about, and then there's the question of putting these animals back into wildlife, which is really woozy. Conservation centers have talked about how the released experimented animals couldn't rehabilitate in their previous habitats anymore due to isolation from their fellows, which means a few of them couldn't get shelter, food and mate. Like that one time they released an experimented mice and uh… it died before it could even find a mate. It's a whole lot of issues that Kairo just can't really see good in. Still, it's not like she could walk away from seeing all of what this place has to offer, especially when it's free.
And if she rejected it… well, Mom would probably kill her. Actually no, Mom would kill her.
"These are the fourteen spiders that have been shown to adapt to the radiation we emitted," the head scientist Dr. Curt Connors gestured towards the enclosures of radioactive spiders.
"Why radiation specifically?" One of her classmates asked.
"To test out the safety of nuclear materials," Dr. Connors said. "After the discovery of the spiders retrieved from Chernobyl, it was found that spiders could — even if it's for a short amount of time— withstand the effects of radiation and even hosts radioactive abilities. From there, we concluded that not only are these nuclear materials safe for experimental purposes, but that spiders are capable of being vessels for radiation."
Eh, still sounds weird to Kairo.
"Fourteen?" Eliyah tilted her head, looking over the enclosures. "There's only thirteen here, sir."
"Thirteen?" Dr. Connors eyes went wide. "I must've forgotten to let one back in whilst I was inspecting it… no matter, I will find it as soon as I can. Thank you for informing me." Dr. Connors crossed his arm, his eyes pacing around the room. Kairo could almost sympathize, it'd suck to lose a scientific breakthrough you worked so hard on… even if she thinks it's ethically wrong.
She listened as the doc went on and on, and she suddenly feels something… climbing up her arm. But it's probably just the shivers, the room's pretty cold. She tries to ignore it.
But then the climbing changed into something more like crawling… like a bug. She scratched her arm to get it off, only to form a red mark on her arm. And again. And again. Aaaand again, to no avail.
Okay, Kairo might be impatient at times but this is getting annoying.
She groaned, frustrated, her hands scratching her back trying to find the insect. And before she could even catch the damn thing—
"Ow!"
—she felt a bite to the back of her hand.
That was a little louder than she preferred. Quickly, Kairo looked up, noticing that now everyone's — and by everyone, she means literally everyone — staring at her. Great. Kairo let out a chuckle, one she hoped sounded steady and normal enough, and covered her hand as she assured her now disgruntled professor that she didn't mean to cut off Dr. Connors' speech, and that yes, actually, she was listening, sorry, sir.
This is so fucking embarrassing.
She directed her gaze down to her hand, a sight only privy to her and… she sees a spider. That looked a lot like the spiders in the enclosure. Which had bit her. And is now dead.
Well, shit. Great. This is just great! Her day started off with listening to that old geezer's stupid rants as always and now she's gotten bit, by a spider, that a highly esteemed scientist had been working on, and she killed it. Incredible. Kairo's life could not get worse.
—
Kairo's life could actually get worse.
She held up the thermometer as it blinks 39℃, laid down in bed with her stupid sweat sticking to her blanket. A classic fever.
"This is the worst day of my life." Kairo muttered to herself, completely monotone, bored and exhausted.
Just fucking incredible.
As if killing a highly important scientific spider hadn't been bad enough already, she just had to have a fever not even a month into the semester. Thank god she can still move, sort of, or else she'd be rotting away like a zombie. Actually, being a zombie might be a whole lot better than whatever crap she's feeling right now. It's unbearable.
Kairo sat up, letting out a breath as she did so, to grab the plate of sliced apples that was on her bedside table. Eliyah had come earlier to check up on her after she'd messaged, and of course, her best friend only let out a sigh, like she had expected it.
"Already?" she'd said, "It's barely been a week." Like Kairo doesn't know that already.
"Yeah, wow, very eye-opening statement, Ellie." Kairo deadpanned, to which Eliyah just tilted her head.
"Do you know what caused it?"
"Absolutely no fucking clue."
"Okay, uh… I could cut up some apples?"
"Yeah," Kairo had said then, feeling so much relief she thought she might fall over herself. Apples sounded really good. "That sounds nice."
She took a bite of the apples, the taste and texture unbarfable, if that's even a word. All other foods she tried has thus far: made her want to puke, actually made her puke and both. She might as well live off of apples if she's going to be this sick for any longer.
Kairo's phone then rang. She sighed and grabbed her phone. A shiver went up her spine when she saw the name of the caller.
"Ugh. It's Mom."
She was not looking forward to this.
Kairo picked up the call and immediately Mom starts arguing in her nagging, scratching voice as always.
"Kairo, the university's system has informed me you're not in class. Care to explain, dear?"
"Yeah, well. I got a fever," Kairo groaned, not wanting to deal with this. Calls with Mom were always the worst, especially when she doesn't inform her of everything that should be noted or whatever. "I don't know where I got it from."
"Ha, see? I told you to take care of yourself better!" Mom pestered some more. Yup. She's screwed. "You're an adult, Kairo. You should know how to take care of yourself!"
"I know how to take care of myself just fine, Mom."
"Not with that attitude, you're not. Jangan biadab." Mom's voice was stern, harsh, devolving into Bahasa. Kairo knew all too well what that meant. And that was to close her mouth and just suck it up.
Kairo rolled her eyes — because she can and Mom can't see her anyway, so who cares — and sighed. She hated how much she had to follow Mom's nagging, but she supposed Mom had a point this time. Even though it wasn't her fault she got sick from a radioactive spider.
"You know attendance is important. You know we put a lot of money to get you into university. The least you could do is stay healthy. I never taught you to bumble around like this."
Kairo felt a pang at her chest. She knew that Mom and Dad put a lot of money into her education and she's grateful for it. But she never asked to get sick. It's not her fault that she had to miss class. It's like Mom just finds every excuse in the universe to blame her— to always blame her for something.
"I know… I know that, Mom," she said, feeling her head becoming more dizzy.
"Then, you know what to do, kan?"
"…Okay, fine," she replied, wanting to get this over with since Mom had nothing else of significance to say after that. Her thumb hovered over the red hang-up button. Any minute now and she's free from this call. "I'll take care of myself better and focus on my attendance. Welp. I'm gonna go now since you have nothing else to yap about, bye—"
Then, Mom dropped a bombshell.
"Ah, have I told you that Miniel is studying at ESU as well?"
Kairo froze, almost dropping her phone from the way she faltered.
"W-what? No, you— you've never told me,"
"Oh really? Ibu ingatkan dah bagitau," Mom replied, sounding less harsh and more excited to gush now. If only Mom talked that way about her too. "Kak Miyu told me a while back. She's studying music, it seems. But, music isn't very sustainable as a career option, wouldn't you say? Better lah she goes for busin—"
"Yeah! Yeah, uh, I-I'm— I'm sure she'll be fine," Kairo interrupted, letting out a strained chuckle. Mom had always been quick to judge. Sure, maybe music isn't a very good course choice to get a job, but— what course easily guarantees a job anyway in this climate? Just thinking about internships makes Kairo want to throw up. Which is already bad, since she's barfing all over the place thanks to this stupid illness.
"Oh, but it's been so long, I'm sure you don't really remember her anymore," Mom said.
"Y-Yeah."
Kairo still remembers.
Miniel, or who she liked to call Mimi when she was a kid, was a neighbor of hers. A friend, she could say, before she met Eliyah. Mom had insisted she'd be friends with Miniel when she was 5, even though they always stood awkwardly with each other and barely shared anything in common, Kairo still tried anyway. Since it wasn't like Miniel was going to, being timid and everything. She didn't really mind though. It felt nice to have the lead for once.
They were always in the same schools and classes, inseparable almost, even all the way till the end of elementary school. Though, Miniel moved after her dad passed before middle school started and, well, Kairo never got her contact info. Mom did, but she only ever talked with Miss Miyu. Then, at some point, Kairo just didn't think about her all that much, really. Some childhood memories and mementos here and there, but otherwise, it was like Miniel didn't exist in her world anymore. If they met again… God, that'd be the most awkward reunion in the history of mankind.
"I have to go now," Mom said after a pause. "Jaga diri betul-betul," she said, tone resembling the sobriety she had earlier.
"Ya, ya, I will, Mom. Bye… love you."
"Mhm." Mom hummed, not even saying it back. She never really did. Which is… fine. Just fine. She's used to it.
Kairo hung up the call and laid back down on her bed with a thump. She let out a sigh.
What are the chances that her childhood friend ended up enrolling in the same university as she did? An estranged — if she could call it that — one at that.
She just hoped the chances of meeting Miniel was slim. She really… didn't want to meet her again.
—
Two days later, and Kairo has now recovered.
And if she was being honest… she has never been more excited to attend a boring 3-hour lecture in her entire life. And that's saying something, considering she gets bored faster than a sponge when it's absorbing liquid.
She went down to the campus, not with Eliyah this time since she had a completely different schedule from Kairo's. She almost tripped over the stairs of the dorm as moved quickly. She felt the breeze as she passed by the big fountain, stack in the middle of the path to the faculties as students and professors alike walked through. She could hear chatters among the crowd; a group of girls making hangout plans, male athletes preparing for a football match, a professor complaining on the phone about a student who asked them a stupid question, and a couple more conversations that made Kairo feel like her head might explode.
She's never felt her senses become this overstimulated before. Must be the sleep deprivation. She'll just shake it off.
Kairo speed walked and entered her building, where the Science & Art faculty was located. She went past the classes for art students, or more specifically, the classes for the art branch in the faculty. She could see some students painting with their easels in the hallway, professors giving a demonstration with a metronome and a few politics major doing some speeches on the podium, placed in the center of the ground floor.
Kairo was keen of the place. The building was generally big, pretty quiet in an ambient way and is actually the most recently rebuilt, which is probably why it looks so nice. The place was clean and no utilities needed repair… at present, at least. She'd say it's a good 9.5/10, which is saying something. But then again, she's not an architect.
She went up the elevator, clicking the 3rd floor button, which is where her class would be. The second and third floor were specialized for the science branch of the faculty, filled with labs, research facilities and more than 10 classes reserved for science majors. But the class she was heading for wasn't for any part of her major, no. Just one of the core subjects she has to take.
Upon arrival, she immediately headed to her class and arrived 5 minutes before class starts.
She headed to the veeery back of the class — because, who wouldn't? It's the best seat — and sat next to a white-haired girl, her classmate for this subject. She said 'hi,' to the girl next to her. The girl simply smiled politely and greeted her gently.
The girl seemed kinda… familiar. Like Kairo has heard her voice from somewhere… Well, she could be imagining things again. Weird things have been happening to her lately. It's probably the weird voices in her head. Which is weird. And it's weird that she's used the word 'weird' this many times. And y'know what, she should probably stop being weird.
The lecturer entered the class and greeted everyone, getting on with the class stat, not wasting any time. Kairo wrote all of her notes down— stuff like the prevalence of doubles and masks in the entertainment industry, the brief history of it, how that plays a part in every day life, and then she lost focus and started doodling on the page. She's already bored.
Then, she saw the notes from the girl next to her.
Her handwriting is clean and precise, only written a little too slow than what's preferred for college. She organized all her notes with bullet points, using different colored pens to highlight important parts.
She's seen this handwriting before. She's sure of it. But, it's probably just a coincidence… probably.
Without really realizing, Kairo pointed and tapped on the page the girl next to her was writing on. Naturally, the white-haired looked at her.
"Um… yes? Is something…?" The girl asked, her head tilted. Oh, oops. Kairo pulled her hand away and rubbed the back of her neck, speaking in a much quieter voice.
"Oh, uh, my bad," she let out a huff of a chuckle. She swears she can't stop moving on her own accord. Hands, catch up with her brain, god damnit. "It's just that, uh, your handwriting reminds me of an old friend of mine."
"Really?" the girl smiled, small but curious. "Yours too. It also reminds me of a friend I had. She used to doodle on her notes a lot, because she'd lose focus easily."
Huh. It sounded a lot like her, but she's sure she's never… met this girl. Actually, no. She definitely has. She just doesn't know how to place it. But surely it can't be…
"Uh, sorry, but what's your name?" Kairo rubbed the back of her head. "Don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet."
"M-my name?" the girl blinked.
"My name is Miniel."
Kairo blinked. Once. Then twice. Soon thrice. Then, all at once, realization hit her deep.
Holy shit.
That's actually Miniel. That's Miniel. She is quite literally sitting next to Miniel, in a class of a subject they shared, in the same faculty within the same university. What are the odds?
It's been over 5 years.
Kairo almost hadn't recognized her because of how much Miniel had… changed, for lack of a better word. She no longer wore glasses, but she had minimal makeup on, did her hair all tidy, and her posture was… incredible. Kairo felt almost hyperaware her own, sheesh.
But, she still had the same hair color (obviously), wore the same style of clothes, still appeared a bit nerdy and carried the same timid demeanor she always had when they were kids, with that sort of hush voice she's always had — though Kairo wasn't sure if that's because she's trying to keep her voice down in the classroom or because she's still just as softspoken as she was in their childhood.
At the same time, there was also this… sort of air of confidence and elegance to Miniel that Kairo can't ever remember seeing when they were kids. She's really changed.
It's only then that she remembered to close her mouth.
"H-Hold on, hold on… you're Miniel? Like, Miniel Miniel?"
"Um, yes…? I'm unaware that there might be other Miniel's on this campus."
"No, no, no… not, not what I meant," Kairo ran a hand through her hair. Okay, how does she say this without freaking the fuck out? "It's— you don't recognize me?"
Miniel narrowed her eyes, gaze inspecting her like she's some sort of fascinating thing before going wide, closing her mouth with her hand.
"…Kairo?" Miniel asked, uncertain. Kairo simply nodded, too speechless, if she was being honest.
"No way. I-I mean," Miniel stuttered. "I wasn't notified about it. I thought… if my mom had known, she would've… um…"
All Kairo could do was just sit properly and avoid Miniel's eyes. She cleared her throat, hoping that'd do… something. Something that could… make this conversation… a little bit better? Honestly, she doesn't know. What do you do when you're suddenly seated next to a childhood friend you've been strangers with for the past 7 years? Just immediately spring into a delightful and very interactive conversation? She would, but that's not the type of person Miniel is.
Still. Kairo is Kairo and she will always try to salvage whatever socialization she's in, even if it's in an awkward conversation with her long-lost friend… stranger thing.
"Uh. Miniel, I—"
"Now!" The lecturer's voice boomed, ruining the whole thing Kairo had prepared herself for and scaring the shit out of her in the process. Fuck, no one told her that her professor's voice would be so damn loud?! "I'd like everyone to be in a group of 4 for this class activity. Starting from now, find a group."
Well. Uh. Guess that means she should get up. 'Cause she shouldn't group up with Miniel. Yeah, totally, no. Not after a "reunion" like that. And judging from the way Miniel lingered by the chair, standing up, she probably felt the same. Yeah. Yeah. This… is going to make it less awkward. She hoped.
Oh, who is she kidding. Everything about this is so goddamn awkward.
—
The day went by a lot faster than Kairo anticipated, especially when she felt really… stiff. And kinda sweaty, even though the aircond was on full blast in the room. Weird.
Class ended ordinarily, making nothing of note. Except for the obvious.
She walked out of class, heading towards the exit when she spotted Miniel. And if she's being reasonable and a very, very polite person, she would leave Miniel alone. Especially after that awful attempt at a conversation.
But unfortunately, Kairo is good at talking and has never been known to be a polite kid. So, she approached her.
"Hey, Miniel…"
The white-haired looked up from her phone, standing up straight once she met her gaze. Okay, so her presence already causes Miniel to act more… formally. Cool. Totally doesn't make her feel like ripping her hair out of embarrassment.
"I was thinking we should, uh, have each other's numbers…?"
Miniel blinked, which Kairo surmised as her saying You have got to be crazy, but unlike her, Miniel had always been polite and nice. So instead, Miniel nodded.
"S-Sure," she opened her contacts and tapped the plus button to add her number. Kairo verbalized her number, while she opened her own contacts app — filled with many restaurants she frequented in high school — and created a new contact.
Once they exchanged their numbers, Kairo put her phone in the pocket of her hoodie, swallowing despite herself.
"So. Uh. See you around?"
"Y-Yeah," Miniel pursed her lips. "But… one more thing."
Kairo tilted her head.
Miniel opened her mouth to say something, then just as quickly, closed her mouth, like she was thinking through of what she wanted to say. Her nose scrunched, like she's about to say something that would… probably upset her. Or not. She gestured at Kairo's face.
"Just, um… you're sweating a lot. You should probably go get it checked out."
Ohhhh. That. Yeah, Kairo noticed.
"Yeaah, about that, I actually got sick recently. But I'm already recovered now," Kairo chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.
"Oh, I see…" Miniel smiled apologetically, hands folded. "Sorry to assume."
"Nah, it's fine. Talk again soon."
"Mhm, bye." Miniel waved as she headed to the exit on the west. And likewise, Kairo headed out the east exit, to head back to the dormitory.
Like normal, she went up the stairs to the dorms, her clammy palms sticking to the rails more than usual. She walked down the hallway, the flickers of the lights hurting her head. It's like everything is out to get her.
As soon as she arrived to her room, she unlocked the door with her keys, and sighed the moment she got in. She put her bags down and threw her keys on her desk.
Then, she tried to shrug out of her hoodie by lifting her left arm, trying to pull it off with her right hand but then— her hand wouldn't budge from the doorknob.
She pulled her hand again, trying to let go of the doorknob, only to no avail.
"God, fuck— oh, c'mon, man," Kairo groaned out of frustration. Come on, of all fucking days for her body to act up on her after recovery, it just had to be today? After she had to endure the most embarrassing reunion of her life?
Kairo pulled her wrist with her left hand, holding her breath as she pulled back before thudding against the wall and landing her ass to the floor. There's a sound of a thump as she fell, and something else being pulled out.
"Oh, ow ow ow!" Kairo wailed, rubbing her butt as she stood up. Terrible way to end the day, but at least her hand's off the knob—
"…Huh?"
Kairo looked at the door, which is now… knobless. Her eyes then went down to her right hand, which now has a permanent accessory in the shape of a suspiciously familiar doorknob stuck to it.
"Oh shit."
She just broke the doorknob.
Okay. Okay! This is— this is fine! She could salvage this and it can still work… hopefully.
Kairo vigorously shook her hand, trying to rid the stickiness of her hand from the knob.
"Ugh, I swear dude, come on!" Kairo swung her arm like her lifeline was at risk — which it might if the dorm keeper saw this — and threw the doorknob to the floor, making it bounce on the hard flooring, going up to the ceiling and even smashed a mark on it, to landing on Kairo's head, making her wince in pain. Again.
Well. This day has been incredible.
She rubbed her head soothingly to ease the pain, looking down at her right palm. It's red and coarse, but it's not injured or anything. But if it's so sticky, then her hand should be damp. Huh.
Kairo stood up again, putting her right hand on the wall while the other put the doorknob back to its original slot. And it fell. Figures.
Kairo let out a dry laugh.
"I'm fucked." The dorm keeper is definitely going to end her. How the hell was she going to tell them about this?
But more importantly, there was something she found… suspicious about this. It's a metal doorknob. The substance of the knob itself should make it resistant to sweat, and no amount of strength should be able to pull it out to the point it'd become loose, considering its density. And not to downplay herself, but even if Kairo got some new strength in her arms, it wouldn't be strong enough to actually land her in this situation.
Another thing that has been making her suspicious are the weird things that have been happening to her lately. She has been more overwhelmed than ever with her surroundings than she's used to, which is saying something considering she has unmedicated and undiagnosed ADHD, but that's not really the point. The point was that it seemed like all of her senses have been wired up to a hundred; every flickering light, every whisper and every combination of colors have been overloading her brain, like how if you let a computer heat up for too long it will become overloaded due to the strain on its batteries and will eventually explode. And not to mention, how disgustingly sweaty she has been ever since she got sick. Which is what caused this predicament in the first place.
But if she has been experiencing weird things ever since her sickness, and her sickness came out of nowhere, then maybe…
Maybe it's related to the spider that bit her.
If she thought about it even more, it made sense. The spider was an experimental spider with nuclear properties. It was an experiment to wager whether or not spiders could withstand the effects of radiation for much longer compared to other animals, with the spiders rescued from the Chernobyl explosion being used as a reference.
So, she got sick not for any random reason, but because her body couldn't handle the effects of the bite. And if it wasn't a fever, then it would've been…
Somehow, the thought that she would've died instead of just being horribly sick made Kairo's heart go up to her throat. Well, that's definitely not traumatizing at all!
But that doesn't really answer her question as to why she was able to pull that doorknob. Did the bite give her some crazy, superhero strength or something? Or perhaps…
"The stickiness!"
It's obvious enough that her excessive sweat has caused her to have extremely clammy hands, but for it to stick so much onto the doorknob must mean that its intensity is high. Maybe it's not simply stickiness, but also… that she could willfully stick onto anything she wanted because of increasing friction between her skin and a surface due to a change in molecular forces. So if she were to stick her hands onto the wall and climb up, maybe she'll be able to mimic a spider. Or not. It's unrealistic, after all.
But the world that she lives in has superheroes. And that's real — as real as it can get.
Right.
Kairo swallowed as she hesitantly put a hand on the wall, followed by her other hand and going up, up, up until she was off the ground. She continued climbing, feeling like a rock climber getting their way up except its way less challenging and it's in her college dorm room.
She climbed until she was on the ceiling. Upside down and on all fours, sticking to the ceiling. Holy crap, she has superpowers.
Kairo's chest thumped wildly. She's not sure if it's a good thing, but she wants to know more. She slowly lifted her leg, planting her feet onto the ceiling with her other foot following suit. And before she knew it, she is standing upside down on the ceiling.
"H-Holy crap, hoooly crap, oh my god!" Kairo exclaimed, taking a few more steps on the ceiling. "I'm a— a spider thing!" Okay, that didn't sound as cool as she'd hoped.
But wait. Sticking to the ceiling, (probably?) having superhuman strength and hyperaware senses… doesn't that make her—
Oh no.
Oh, no no no no. Nope. There's no way. Hell no.
There is no way on Earth that she is exhibiting the same abilities as Spider-Woman… right?
—
After paying the dorm keeper basically half of her monthly allowance for the doorknob — which the dorm keeper still yelled at her for anyway, Kairo went out secretly at midnight, wearing the hoodie she'd worn earlier and a mask. She could never be too sure.
She walked down the dark alleyway, looking left and right frantically hoping no one was present before crawling up the wall of the building.
The moment she got up on the rooftop, the sheer sight of the city took her breath away. Streetlamps shone over the cars passing by, the colors of the traffic lights bouncing off the concrete of nearby shops. And this high up, she could see the Empire State Building much closely, its height not towering as much as when you're on the ground. To the south west of the building was Lady Liberty herself, standing tall and proud as she looked over the city.
Kairo took a few steps forward, teetering on the edge of the building with the one in front of her in about 10 feet of distance. Before she went out, she'd Googlied certain abilities Spider-Woman exhibits, and one of them is incredible jumping distance.
But here's the thing: Kairo is scared of heights. Like, deathly afraid. She doesn't remember how and why she's afraid of heights, but she has always been. Probably due to her height. She's not that tall. Or… tall at all, but she refuses to be called short!
Kairo exhaled deeply, hands shaking as she looked down. If her hypothesis is correct, she has abilities similar to the Spider-Woman, which means if she jumped right now she wouldn't be falling to her death. Right… right! This is nothing!
"C'mon, Kairo Torazawa… you got bit by a radioactive spider and didn't die! This is nothing! Y-You can do this!"
She psyched herself up before— backing away to catch her breath. Okay, maybe standing by the edge wasn't a good idea. Deep breaths, Kairo, deep breaths. She is not going to die. Not here, not now.
This is terrifying, but Kairo was never one to run away.
Taking a sharp breath, Kairo made a run for it and put all of her strength into her legs before she was thrown into the air by her own body, legs flailing until she landed unsteadily on the rooftop that was in front of her.
"Woah! Woah, woah, woah," Kairo breathed out, her heart thumping so loudly she can hear it in her ears. That was scary. Really scary, but also… exhilarating. She stood up, looking back at where she previously stood and… wow. Did she really jump that far? "Holy shit."
Yeah… yeah! She could go for another one.
Kairo continued to run, jumping to the next building as she gradually adapts to the sensation, keeping her legs closed so she could land easily and comfortably. This is fun. Really fun.
"Waaaahooo!" Kairo yelled out as she jumped for the next, arms wide. She felt the breeze of New York's night air, the hood of her jacket letting her hair breathe in the wind.
She felt like a kid again— moving without worry, jumping and running around like it was something to revel at. At this very moment, Kairo didn't think about college classes, her now close-to-bankruptcy allowance or her mom. All she could think was to keep moving — to be free even if it's just this moment.
Obviously, like any human, she stopped for breath… and because her legs got tired. She hunched over, putting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She'd pulled the mask down at this point, the chilly air restricting her airflow. She looked around, wondering where she was.
…She's near Empire State Building already?! But it's like 30 minutes of walking distance to the dorms. Ugh, she should go back now before the guards at the entrance catches her outside.
Then she hears the sound of a car chiming… and an explosion. Immediately, Kairo twisted her head to look at where the sound came from, and she sees a horrifying sight. A car was on fire at the bonnet, flipped on its side. Other drivers and passengers got out of the cars, some calling what she assumed was the reinforcements and ambulance, while others were running for their lives.
Okay, fuck going back. She's going to get down to see what she could do to help.
Just as she thought that, she sees something fly past her and her eyes followed it. Something wing-like, but it's size is huge, scaling a car almost. It can't belong to an animal. And it's far too unnatural to belong to a natural being. It appeared… mechanical.
Oh. Oh no.
Kairo remembered the news from two years ago, about a villain that was noted to have large, mechanical wings, belonging to an inventor who ransacked a company, for 'allegedly' — the police's words, not hers — sabotaging him and his works. At the time of the news, Kairo was more concerned with the inaction of the police even when Spider-Woman came onto the scene, and they beratedly questioned the vigilante. But she hadn't thought much of the villain, thinking he'd been incarcerated already. Yet, here he is, out in the open.
The name of that villain was: the Vulture.
Her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched the villain fly away, her instincts telling her to run away before the villain could get to her. She knew how many people this guy had endangered. Hundreds, if not maybe even thousands knowing the police's pattern of lying to the media. She… she could be one of them.
But then she looked back at the car, still up in flames, with the driver and/or passenger still unseen. While many onlookers waited; praying with panicked expressions. Kairo shook her head violently and moved her feet, not wanting to waste time.
Then, she saw a pile of webs being shot at the car, extinguishing the flames. A flash of white and red went across, landing by the car to help the people that were stuck in there.
It's Spider-Woman.
Kairo watched as the superhero helped the people out, the driver and passenger hugging Spider-Woman tearfully, while the onlookers' faces lit up. The ambulance came just a second later, the EMTs immediately pulling out a stretcher to assist the injured.
Spider-Woman swung away, heading towards where Kairo last saw Vulture went. As the web-slinging hero swung, she was then hit by a large wing attached to the Vulture. Kairo fell on her butt as she watched the villain drag Spider-Woman up the air, using the pressure of the wings and the air to restrict her before slamming her down onto the ground.
Kairo winced at the sight, sitting up even though she felt like her body was suddenly quivering. The hero, like always, stood up, but not without struggle. For a moment, Kairo thought the vigilante was going to fall down again, stumbling over her feet only for her to go—
"Ugh, bad day to piss off the papa bird," Spider-Woman exclaimed, quipping like she always did. Kairo spluttered a laugh.
It wasn't funny. Especially not when she's watching something as serious as a superhero going after a supervillain. But it's the first time she's ever seen the hero actually quip with her own eyes and ears and all. And honestly, she respected how much the hero could do that and not be scared for what comes next.
Because what comes next is the Vulture grabbing her and wrapping a hand around her neck, pitting her against the wall of a nearby shop. Kairo held her clammy hands, shaking. She can't really hear what Spider-Woman was saying. The only thing she could decipher was something along the lines of, "Mr. Adrian, you know this isn't right!"
The Vulture then said, much more loudly, "You got in my way and made it so that I couldn't get the money I deserved from the people that ruined my life!"
"But it doesn't… justify hurting… innocent people… for it—!" Spider-Woman said, voice tight and hoarse from the hand that's choking her against the wall. The Vulture slammed her against the wall again, making Kairo freeze on her feet.
"M-Mr. Adrian… those people… they need…" Spider-Woman rasped, trying to pull the hand away from her neck.
Kairo is scared. She's terrified. But seeing Spider-Woman — someone who had saved those two people from the burning car, someone who has done what law enforcements couldn't do within the law, someone who has helped the community more than any public figure ever could — be at the edge of death like this…
It ignites something within Kairo.
She looked frantically for anything she could grab near her, and she settled on the big billboard next to her. It's big and normally too heavy for an average person like her. But if she's right that she has superhuman strength now, that she is comparable to Spider-Woman, then she has to try.
Kairo grabbed the billboard, and threw it straight on the Vulture's wings with ease. The villain staggered, letting go of Spider-Woman's neck and flew back, looking at his damaged wing before looking at where the object had been thrown at him; at Kairo. The Vulture stared at her murderously.
Oh crap.
Kairo ran before she could even think of where she could go, the adrenaline of throwing the billboard at the Vulture now transforming into nerves. Kairo ran frantically, jumping between buildings and running like her life depended on it, because it did!
She stumbled and crashed onto a rooftop, gasping for air. She tried desperately to sit up, get up and run, but her body let out on her. Kairo has never felt more weaker in her life.
Right then and there, she looked up and saw the Vulture headed for her before she could do anything.
"Kairo!" a familiar voice yelled.
Spider-Woman then kicked him, making him lurch midair. Kairo let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she watched Spider-Woman punch the Vulture onto a building before trapping him and his wings in her webs. She didn't know what else the hero did after that, too focused on trying to stand up and regulate her breathing.
An arm wrapped around her and she was off the ground, now in the air. Kairo's nerves went frayed, hands gripping and pulling at the shoulder before she realized it was Spider-Woman who carried her. Kairo let out a breath.
"T-Thank you," she said, her voice shaking despite herself. And thinking about it, this is crazy. She's being carried by Spider-Woman.
"You're welcome," Spider-Woman replied, her voice light but there's a slight strain to it. "Let me get you somewhere safe."
The vigilante brought her to an alleyway, where it's dark and cramped but safe from bystanders. Spider-Woman set Kairo down gently, holding her arms until she was able to stand on her own two feet.
"Are you alright?" The hero asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Kairo said, letting out a breathless and slightly frantic chuckle. "Thanks, again."
Spider-Woman nodded. "I want to thank you too for earlier! That couldn't have been easy to do."
Yeah, well. No shit. She was faced against a villain that could kill her and fly around in the air, obviously her every logical thought went away and made her scared. But… that's not something she has to be frank about. It wasn't an easy thing to do. The least she could do was be nice to the person that helped her— and potentially saved her life.
"Yeah, I just… I don't know. I— we could've lost you. I wasn't about to stand by and watch."
Spider-Woman chuckled. "If it helps, it's not my first rodeo," she joked, and honestly, a part of Kairo kind of needed a lighter mood after whatever happened.
All of a sudden, the back of Kairo's head tingled, feeling like a headache but also not quite. It's not as intense as a headache, but it's a sensation that was a lot like when she's in a noisy area. Sharp and tingly. And it seemed to be the same for Spider-Woman.
"…You're just like me," Spider-Woman said after a moment, disbelieved.
"Y-Yeah. I thought as much when… weird stuff started happening to me."
Weird is undermining it.
"It's like that at first," Spider-Woman put a hand on her hip. "If you'd like, I could show you the ropes. It's fine if you don't want to."
Kairo pursed her lips. Training to be a superhero? That doesn't sound like something she'd do, or wanted to be. This entire time, Kairo has never wanted, or dreamt of, becoming a superhero. Of course, she'd love to provide for the community and fight crime. But being a superhero? That was a different thing entirely.
She's already had enough on her plate with Mom and classes piling up. But this power… it could do so much. Help a lot of people. And Kairo knew that's true because she saw what Spider-Woman could do in front of her very eyes.
But still.
"I'll… think about it. But for now, I… I don't want to," Kairo swallowed. "Sorry."
To her surprise, Spider-Woman only laughed. "That's okay, I expected as much. Well, I hope you get back home safe."
Spider-Woman clapped her shoulder before walking away, but Kairo started thinking about earlier now that she's in a better state of mind. If she went past through the barriers of fear she'd felt earlier, she remembered something that didn't… really settle in correctly.
Before she was about to be attacked, someone had called out her name. But… she'd been with the Vulture and Spider-Woman only. So who on Earth had called for her?
"Wait! Wait, hold on a sec," Kairo called out for Spider-Woman, who turned around and faced her.
"Earlier, before I was gonna get attacked, someone called out my name. Do you know who did?"
Spider-Woman flinched, her eye lenses widening. Not a villain, or a terrible situation, or cops piling up on her could make her scared. But something as simple as Kairo's question made her uneasy.
"I… It was me."
Kairo blinked. "How come you know my name…?"
"I…"
Spider-Woman let out an audible breath, before she lowered her head down and pulled her mask. And the face behind it shocked Kairo to her core.
Spider-Woman— no, Miniel looked at her, a frown on her face. Kairo swore her eyes blew out like saucers.
"Oh, you're joking."
Miniel sighed, fidgeting with her fingers. Funny how she still had the same habit as when she was five.
"Unfortunately… no. Spider-Woman. In the flesh." Miniel gestured to her suit, mask in hand.
"I— well. Okay," Kairo crossed her arms, still at a disbelief but she's coming to terms with it.
"Okay?" Miniel asked, her head tilted.
"Yeah, uh," Kairo cleared her throat. "Just… I didn't know."
Miniel chuckled softly. "No one's supposed to know. I'm anonymous for a reason."
"Right. What about… your mom?"
Miniel shook her head vigorously.
"Your friends?"
Took a moment, but Miniel shook her head too. Not sure if that slow contemplation was because she was thinking back if people ever figured out… or because she has no friends. Or both.
"So… just me?"
Miniel nodded.
"And," Kairo counted back the years since Spider-Woman first appeared and was heralded as New York's protector. "You've been doing this alone since you were… 15?"
The white-haired sighed. "Yeah."
Kairo just stared at Miniel.
"Fucking hell, Miniel."
She's not sure whether she should be more concerned or horrified that a 15-year-old had to take up a mantel of a hero and fight villains that could've killed her at such a young age all by herself, or that it somehow just had to be Miniel by chance. Like she was somehow destined to be a superhero at such a young age.
"I mean— I'm not even a kid anymore and that shit terrified me. How are you— how did you—?"
Miniel smiled sadly. "I got used to it, but… it never gets any easier. It never does."
Kairo swallowed. So that is what Miniel had to grapple with? She knew Miniel's dad had passed away some time before middle school started, but she had Spider-Woman stuff on top of that? Jeez. The worst part of high school to Kairo was having to get up and go to school. At least she didn't have life-threatening hero duties or whatever.
"Do you want me to bring you back to the dorms?"
"Huh?" Kairo blinked.
Miniel smiled softly. "Do you want me to assist you back to the dorm?"
"Oh, uh," Kairo waved her hand dismissively. "No need."
"You sure? It's really dark,"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't want your identity getting exposed now."
"But, your safety…" Miniel frowned.
"It's fine."
"But…"
"No, seriously," Kairo couldn't help but grin. Just like old times. "I'll be fine, Mimi."
The nickname slipped out of her. She didn't really mean to say it.
Miniel's eyes widened, blinking. She then let out a huff of a chuckle.
"Alright. But text me when you're back to the dorms."
"Yeah, yeah. I will, just…" Kairo hesitated, biting her lip, before she opened her arms.
Miniel was surprised before she smiled softly, leaning in slowly to hug her back. Kairo wrapped her arms around Miniel's figure — surprisingly well-built, but then again, she's Spider-Woman — and leaned her chin on Miniel's shoulder. This is unexpectedly quite nice, even though she feels so stiff and awkward. It's kind of bad, but Kairo doesn't really mind it.
They pulled away afterwards, and Miniel rubbed her arms, probably just worried before putting her mask back on, swinging away. Kairo let out a breath. Right. Time to get back.
What a life she's living through. From getting bit by a spider, to getting sick, to getting nagged at by Mom, to meeting Miniel, to… all of that.
…How the hell was she going to tell Eliyah any of this?