#Alistair Alphonso Smythe | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ragingphantom666 · 20 days ago

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Gwen Stacy: Spider-Woman (Vol. 1) Issue #5

Below New York City, a young man with a flashlight roamed fresh caverns. Three small scorpion-like robots followed him. He had been bored and performing mundane tasks for the past week. Every day, he had to check these caverns and remain undetected by the Moloids. He spent most of his time at the underground base camp and recorded his findings through audio logs.

“Day six. This is Alchemax engineer Alistaire Alphonso Smythe reporting from the Subterranea research base. I am not enjoying the solitude. I don’t know why I am down here or what I’m looking for.”

Nearing evening, he was preparing dinner in his high-tech tent provided by the company. Outside, he heard something stirring. No one would be there this deep underneath New York City. The only living things that could make any sounds were the Moloids, but it had been days since he had any near encounters. He cautiously exited with a frying pan but was met with the point of a sword to his Adam’s apple.

In front of him was Spider-Woman, Spider-Wasp, and Adam Destine. Adam gestured with his scimitar for Alistaire to stand. Gwen looked at the engineer with aversion.

“Ugh,” she remarked. “Alistaire.”

Although frightened, the engineer raised an eyebrow. “Do you know me?”

“No. You have a nametag.”

“Are you in league with the Spider Queen, lad?” Adam asked.

“Who?”

“So we’re in that timeline.” He sheathed his sword. “Why are you down here?”

“I- I believe that’s classified. You shouldn’t be here, I think. This is a quarantined area.”

“Then why are you here?” Steph asked.

“I don’t… that’s classified too.”

Adam looked around. There were many paths ahead of them. He foresaw all the possible paths and where they would lead. Once he determined the route that led to the preferred future, he pointed down a dark and deep passageway.

“That is the way.”

Alistaire’s eyes widened. “What? That leads directly into Moloid territory. You can’t go down there.”

“If she is down there, I doubt the Moloids would stay.”

Adam was the first to venture deep into the darkness, followed by Steph. Alistaire remained and watched with trembling legs. Gwen aggressively swiped his sword from him and followed the others into the dark void.

Not long afterward, Alistaire heard a sound from his radio in the tent. He had been given it to keep in contact with his Alchemax superiors, but it had not been silent for days. The voice was a woman he had never heard before.

“Follow them, Mister Smythe.”

“B-But it’s dangerous.”

“You have the slayer exterminator bots Doctor Robles gave you. Head down there was collect DNA samples from the queen or else you will be blacklisted forever.”

Alistaire gulped. Looking down into the darkness, he feared his future and followed the heroes into danger. He felt like he would certainly die.

For the three heroes, it was a long, eerie descent into Subterranea. Adam was ready for anything to come and attack it. Steph was calm and fearless in the face of the unknown. On the other hand, Gwen fears finally meeting the Spider Queen.

“How do you know that guy?” Steph asked.

“What?”

“You know that guy? Alistaire, was it?”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t. You need to talk. Spill it.”

“We dated. He left me for dead on the George Washington Bridge. I’m still not over it.”

“Coward.”

“Big time.”

“Silence comrades,” Adam announced. “We are here.”

Before them was a deep cliff illuminated by a massive web. The strands were approximately two feet in diameter. Large, pulsating, bioluminescent green egg sacs illuminated the darkness. Spiders the size of cows crawled through the web.

The group was ready for a fight—that is until they noticed Gwen had dropped the flashlight. They looked back at her and grew concerned by how tense she became and how her body shook. Suddenly, her body relaxed, but it was not Gwen.

“Spider?” Steph asked.

Gwen slowly lifted her head and replied, “She is mine now.”

Adam readied his sword. “Wretched fēond! Release her and do us battle this day!”

“I approach, but this vessel allows you to hear my words. With her so close, my control is indomitable.”

Steph extended one of her wrist-mounted blades. She was prepared to eliminate Gwen in this situation. However, Adam stopped her. She was confused but quickly gathered that this was not the path that would lead to their success. From within the vast shadows in front of them, they heard the echoes of loud thuds approach from afar.

“What is that?” Steph asked.

The Spider Queen through Gwen replied, “I am coming for you.”

Adam reading his scimitar. “I have slain many beasts in my time. This will not be a challenge.”

“I am no beast. I was once human, but I was experimented on by my old kind. They put something in me that made me change and grow. I became something more primal and vengeful. This world will be mine. Carl King spreads my cure for humanity and Infestation mutated him into my drones that are reproduced and carry venom that transforms the people into my drones. This will be a world of spiders.”

Steph had enough exposition. “No. You won’t get the chance.”

When she threw a punch, Gwen caught her wrist. The same result happened when she threw another. Her strength cracked the gauntlets, broke her blades, and shattered the welded-on web-shooters. This struggle was ended when Steph kicked her in the stomach. It was enough distraction for her to snatch Gwen’s web-shooters and push her into the pit below.

“Did I doom us?” She asked Adam.

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