MU : Phantom-Spider - Flashback

Trigger warnings

Violence, death, kidnapping

Flashback

The last thing she ed was the searing pain of Doom’s energy blast tearing away at her already wounded side. The pain practically erupted through her organs with such agony that her whole body was stuck in shock. Yet as her eyes opened it was all but a faint echoing headache. Her eyes staring straight up at a white ceiling. At first she couldn’t make out anything else than the colour. Then steadily the squared pattern came into view, as well as the few that were discoloured along the bright lights that lined the hallways. Her head pounding even more as she tried to raise it, only for there to be a sudden spurt that travelled through her entire body; and she shot up. Immediately hunching over the side of the odd bed she laid on to throw up.

Her eyes had squeezed shut to the feeling. Rendering her barely able to feel the fact that a figure had moved around at the foot of the bed. So as her eyes opened she was shocked to see the bucket she had thrown up into. Alongside a hand that had pushed it over so she would hit it. The waft of the soap within it hit her nostrils with almost a sour taste, yet she preferred it to the stench of vomit. Then again, she didn’t get much time to smell it before more pushed through her lips.

“You must be really sick…” a meager yet sweet voice spoke her way. Just as her hair was pulled further from her face. “They said you may be sick the moment you come to. I hope the bucket trick is helping you just a little.”

“That would mostly help us you know,” another voice chimed in.

“Yeah yeah, but it can help her too, you know!” The meager voice had squeaked while Skyler felt a bounce along the bed she laid on. All the while she finally felt her stomach calm down. She took a shaky breath, then laid back into the hard pillow the hospital bed came with. Her eyes squinting as she focused on what she could . Having already tuned out the conversation the two voices were having. How did she end up here…

She is 15 again. This was a memory. One she… doesn’t .

“Don't mind them…” a third voice spoke a few moments later, having given her just enough time to grasp a bit of her thoughts. Her head barely turned to look at the man that the voice belonged to. Seeing a soft expression looking down at her on a slightly gruff looking face. “They have this conversation every morning. You'll get used to it eventually.”

“... where are we?” Skyler asked quietly, finding her voice raspy with a small itch present in every breath.

“You… don’t know?” the man asked as he moved closer to the side of the bed. Where he grabbed a plastic clipboard from the wall beside her pillow.

“Wait-” the first voice that had spoken chirped as they looked over, letting Skyler see her exhausted face. “How do you not know?”

“We all signed a contract to be here, don’t you the one you signed?” the second voice had chimed in, another woman, who had crutches resting beside her.

“Where… where?” she repeated the question in a quiet voice, feeling tears choking in her throat.

“We’re in a hospital in an experimental unit.” the first voice responded, shifting closer before she brushed the back of her fingers over Skyler’s forehead. “We are all either ill or missing a limb… we signed to be test subjects for potential breakthroughs. I’m Ama, organ failure."

“And I’m Miriam, I lost my right leg to a car accident.” the second one chimed, approaching too, with her arm around Ama’s waist.

“I’m… not sick,” Skyler sobbed quietly, “I was just… walking home… a white truck pulled up… then... my neck hurt…”

“I fucking knew it,” the man alongside her hissed, which caused Skyler to flinch. “I told you all ages ago. They are kidnapping people when our numbers don’t line up.”

“Don’t draw such lines, William,” Miriam spat in response, “especially not in front of her!”

“They… took me?” she whispered to herself, only for her head to snap around as William’s hand squeezed her shoulder. Letting her see that he only had one, because the other sleeve of his shirt was completely empty and just dangled at his side.

“But you ain’t alone, kid. Alright? You’ve got us,” he encouraged, “and we’ll all be leaving together once we are better.”

“But… I am not ill,” she repeated with a quiet sob. “A-and I have all limbs.” she added with a full on cry. Her sobbing continuing even as Ama moved closer to hold her hand, while William rubbed her shoulder gently, and Miriam tucked the blanket better around her feet. The quiet comfort of the three made it harder to silence the swelling thoughts. The intense fear of this place she had never been in, with people around her that she had never seen before. Yet as they provided the quiet comfort she didn’t want them to stop. Her crying only getting worse, especially when Ama moved in to hug her.

.

_____________________________________

“Will?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“We’re sticking together through this, right?”

“Of course, and we are both going to get out of here. You have my word.”

“Then you better keep it!”

“Promise on my heart, with my pinkie, all that.”

_____________________________________

.

“Where’s William?” Skyler asked quietly to the nurse by her side as she was led down the corridor. An armed man in front and another two trailing behind, with her and the nurse between them in the triangle they formed.

“Must I repeat myself to you as well, Thirteen?” the nurse spat in frustration. “Just as I told Eleven. Eight has been released from our care as his contract reached its end. He was cured and received his robotic arm.”

“But… I didn’t get to say goodbye?” she questioned, her voice getting raised just a tone. Enough to anger the nurse who swiftly grabbed a hold of her arm.

“Shut it, Thirteen. Nothing can be done with that now.” they almost snarled at her, pulling her to walk faster. Her bare feet aching against the cold floor.

“You walked faster today,” one of the doctors inside the room chimed when Skyler and the nurse arrived. “Did you let her questions bother you again?”

“Shut it. I have enough to deal with as it is to also be dealing with a little bratt.” the nurse explained before shoving Skyler forwards. Making the now young adult stumble towards the operating table. Her body having just enough strength and energy to keep her from falling to the floor.

“Uh-huh. You may leave,” the second doctor in the room waved towards the nurse and the guards that stood behind them. “We can handle Thirteen on our own.”

“Good,” the nurse spat, turning around before walking away with a grumble. “I’ve dealt with the bitch for five years. You better be ready to take her off my hands now.”

“We aim to,” a second nurse hummed sharply in return before she slammed the door shut.

“He needs to learn to treat them better,” the second nurse scoffed while one of the doctors aided Skyler onto the table.

“It’s been thirty years. I doubt he will change,” the first doctor to speak up responded with a short laugh before he approached Skyler. Where he swiftly grabbed a hold of a rolling chair and slid sit on it. “So, standard procedure.”

“... right,” Skyler mumbled, her eyes tired as she stared at the man. Only for her to slowly let herself fall onto her side on the table. Where she rolled onto her back with a dramatic groan that made the whole room laugh around her.

“Relax, Sky, you only have a few more of these left,” the nurse in the room chimed as she walked up to Skyler’s side. “Or perhaps this will be your last based on the results.”

“Yey… more scars.”

“Hey, relax. You can barely see them, and besides, it would only be one more.” the nurse expressed before she’d start hooking Skyler up to all the machines.

“Hmm… you are malnourished, Sky.” The first sentence uttered after a dazed ten minutes of blood tests, reflex tests, nerve probing, scar treatments, etc.

“What a wonderful discovery,” she muttered with a sharp breath as the nurse on her side fastened the belt for another blood test. Only for her to pause and release it completely.

“We cannot do all the standard tests when you are,” the doctor explained, “but we can do enough of them so you can call it early today.”

“Lovely…” she grumbled, turning to stare blankly at the face she could barely . “I take it if I ask… you still can’t answer?”

“You are correct as always,” he responded before looking down at his clipboard. “And as usual you will still have to remain here until we have the results. Though it won’t take us long.”

“As usual… does that mean I can sleep again too?”

“Yes, of course.”

The nurse let out a little laugh in response to their conversation. And before Skyler knew it a pillow was tucked in under her head. Then a blanket, just too small in size, got draped over her body. Her eyes lifting to linger at the nurse who smiled back at her, before she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. Usually, during these moments, it didn’t take long before she fell asleep. But today it was different. It wasn’t that the table was too cold today, or that the room was too humid. Something was just off, her mind was not letting her drift off to dreams today. Yet she couldn’t move, as though her body was asleep without her mind. Rendering her completely still while she heard every word around her… unable to connect voices to their faces.

.

_____________________________________

“She must’ve stopped eating on purpose. The injections have barely progressed.”

“Do you think it might be a side effect of the project?”

“No, she’s the only one that’s gotten so malnourished.”

“But she is also only the third to be in project Spider.”

“Does that mean that we may see results soon?”

“I do think so. We just need the result of the last test…”

“IT’S POSITIVE!”

_____________________________________

.

Skyler didn’t what happened. One minute she was listening to them all talk around her; and the next her eyes groggily opened to be blinded by an even brighter light above her. Her eyes struggling to adjust to anything as she moved her head to the side. Feeling a restraint wrapped around her neck; as well as barely spotting a dark shape that moved along her arm when her eyes adjusted. She tried to move more, yet only felt more restraints as she did. Her arms and legs would not move no matter how hard she tried to pull. Her body felt far weaker than it ever had before. While her eyes managed to focus; and all she saw was that her arms were completely swept in badges. Looking down, as far as she could, revealed her legs were in a similar situation. And the hospital grown they had wrapped around her was a different colour from her previous one.

She laid her head back as the pull against the restraints over her neck was painful. Her eyes darted around what little she could comfortably see without moving her head too much. There were a few tables and chairs spread about. With one of the tables having what looked like a glass aquarium on top of it. With nothing inside of it from what she could tell, but she did spot an empty tool tray beside it. The blue sanitary pad still on top of it. Her eyes shifted to the nearest wall where she saw a giant viewing plane beneath a digital timer. One that had seemingly frozen at twelve hours and fifteen minutes.

She took in a long shaking breath before she would scream as loud as she possibly could. Hoping that someone would respond, even if it was just someone who’d run in to knock her right back out again. She preferred that over laying there until someone would that she was still in there. Yet there was nothing, she just remained laying there. Nothing was happening around her past the silent humming of the light aimed at her face. Not until a minute had ed and she started hearing thuds and crashes all around her. The building almost rumbling around her as she felt a tremor against the table she laid on. Her mind immediately thought it was an earthquake, but as fast as it had started it was over.

Skyler bit her lip when she felt it end. Trying her damndest to move yet again, but the restraints hadn’t changed at all. Making pain shot through her body as she tried to strain against it. She paused, took a few deep breaths, then screamed again. She hated just laying there on her own, since she had never been alone since she got there. Five years of never being on her own in this place. But of course, this time too, there was no response. She didn't know what she was expecting, and found herself crying in frustration. Fear drowning her mind as she laid there.

“In here!” a sudden muffled shout came from outside the door. Startling her as she had laid there crying for who knows how long. The muffled shout making her cry out another scream. One far gruffer than the ones before as her throat had become dry over the time she had laid there.

“Breach!” another shout; and the door was open. A man, covered from head to toe in a black and red uniform, rushed in. Immediately moving to her side where he’d slide his gun onto his back. “You were right, she’s in here.”

“W…who?” Skyler questioned quietly as the man swiftly cut her restraints apart.

“Kid!” a familiar voice yelled from the door before her eyes landed on him, and she immediately cried in relief.

“Jesus kid,” William ran to her side, grabbing a gentle hold of her hand before he freed it with the blade attached to the robotic arm where he didn’t use to have one. “I’m right here. No need for the tears.”

“W-Will… what did they do to… to your arm?” she stammered, sitting up the moment the armoured man had gotten the restraints off of her neck.

“You like it? Apparently A.I.M. thought a blade would be perfect for me. Nevermind the fact that I would’ve preferred a hand.” he explained while he raised the blade up. His robotic arm started at the shoulder, attached roughly with wires that vanished up the sleeve of his t-shirt. It looked rough and stitched together despite so clearly being high tech. As though they threw it together with leftovers from other projects.

“I… hate it.”

William laughed in response to her comment, only for him to stumble a step back as she had abruptly hugged him. Wrapping his healthy arm around her with a chuckle before he ruffled her wild brown hair. Raising an eyebrow briefly as he took note of a section that was now completely black in colour.

“Alright alright, hugging later. We have to get-”

“You said A.I.M.… not Roxxon?” Skyler questioned quietly, having cut through his words to ask.

“I don’t have time to explain,” he ushered her. “But I will explain everything when we’re out, okay? Everything.”

She just nodded in response, remaining hugged to his side as they moved. Finding that her legs ached with every step she took, and even felt a stinging pain that she only got when she had scraped her knees open. She found herself quietly crying in response to the pain, because the ache turned into an intense burn. One that carried up from her toes all the way to her finger tips.

“Stay, I will check if the coast is clear for us.” the man in armour expressed, signalling for both William and Skyler to remain still. Before he swiftly made it outside and checked both directions. Pausing for a moment, then turned his head towards them. “All-”

Skyler let out a scream as the man fell out of view with a spray of blood. The loud ringing bang of the gun that had been fired left her more shaken than before. Rendering her completely frozen in place as William stepped around to face the door. Raising his bladed hand and a gun at the door. Fiering it off swiftly as Skylar just squeezed her hands to her ears. Only for a dozen other shots to ring through. With her barely able to as William turned around to shield her from it.

“W…Will?” she quietly asked the man as he slumped onto her. No breath leaving his mouth as his full weight forced her onto the floor.

“Will!” she shouted, pushing with all she could muster against his shoulder. Flipping the limp body of her friend over to the side. “W-Will?”

She cried his name as she pushed his side. Desperately seeking for a single response in him. Only for her to turn and stare towards the door wide eyed. Raising her hand instinctively before screaming in pain as she was shot in the leg, gut and shoulder. A few disbursed bullets along the way on the trail across her. Leaving her completely silent with shock as she fell back down. Profusely bleeding as her eyes tried their damndest to remain open. She didn’t want to sleep.

“IDIOT!”

The last word she heard as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Yet her eyes managed to focus just enough on an oddly coloured tarantula that seemed to just form along her arm. One, then two, then… darkness.

.

_____________________________________

“She is still alive!”

“We have to hurry, she is bleeding out.”

“We need to move facilities, there’s no way she will survive until we get there.”

“It’s stupid, how did they even find out we’re doing this?”

“Whatever, that’s for intelligence to figure out. We just need to move her and the others.”

“At the very least her corpse would give sufficient answers…”

“Let’s just get her out of here first! Technicalities will be sorted later.”

_____________________________________

.

With a loud gasp Skyler raised her head instantly, trying to sit up but she just felt a layer of plastic against her face. Making her panic and squirm. Raising her numbed arms to claw away at the plastic. Ripping it apart as she kicked and thrashed around. Crying in desperation as she felt like she was suffocating. Rendering her gasping loudly the moment she had gotten through it. Her head leaning back to take long deep breaths, barely even ing that everything around her smelt like absolute shit. Now that she could see, and breathe, it became obvious.

She was in a trash heap. Barely even concealed from the surface, but within one of the countless piles within it. The bag she was in was black, and as she climbed her way out of it she made note of the sipper in the inner layers she had ripped apart. She had been wrapped up in so many layers it was a miracle she could even move. She struggled, groaned, and stumbled, but after a battle she got up on her feet. Struggling with every step, but it was worth it to walk away from there. She only walked a few metres by the time she slowly stopped. She was too exhausted to move… everything ached and screamed. Yet as she stumbled forwards she felt something pull her back to her feet.

She turned her head, and saw a bright orange web attached to her back. A web that led to the nearby pile of trash, and was obviously created by the spider that sat there. Making her freeze, before she let out a little sob. The spider seemingly panicking in response as it jumped before moving full speed down the string to her. The blue and orange spider immediately crawling to her shoulder where it nuzzled into her neck. Settling as though to hug her.

“Thank… you…” her voice was distant, barely audible as she tried to utter any sound. Yet the spider so obviously heard, just as she felt more of them crawling along her legs. Her head moving to look at them, which made her smile a bit, before she had thirteen of them settled on her body. Where they quietly proceeded to craft a gentle layer of silk along her. Just to cover her. The silk… somehow becoming an oddly shaped gown.

She smiled in response as it had been ages since she wore proper clothes, especially this soft, so she just hugged the gown to herself. Some of the spiders being softly hugged in the process too. Before she mustered up enough courage to walk further. Stumbling along as every step got more and more painful across the ground. Yet the wall edge got closer and closer… until she finally heard someone shouting at her.

“This isn’t a safe area, kid!” It was a sharp male voice. One so clearly just warning her of potential danger. “Come on! I’ll show you out of here.”

Before she had properly ed it; the spiders were gone and the man was at her side. His arm around her, while he took in a sharp breath, looking her up and down. Before he paused at her face, squinting.

“Oh my god…” he muttered, then raised a hand to wave towards his co-worker.

“Call 911, it’s one of the missing kids!”

#PhantomSpider