It's been awhile since I last worked on this, and with a few new
chapters lined up and ready, I figured on reposting these old ones.
I'd like to thank my prereaders, Gary Klepe, Arthur Edwards, and
Brian Payne, for all their assistance. I couldn't have done this without them.
Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spiderman used without permission
C&C is, as always, welcome and appreciated
============================================
Hikaru Gosunkugi, The Amazing Spiderman: Issue 1
============================================
I am Uatu, the Watcher.
From my sanctum, I have witnessed endless timelines of countless worlds.
Things beyond imagining, horrors and wonders both ghastly and exhilarating,
I have seen.
And yet I find my attention drawn all too frequently to your own world, earth.
In every timeline, every possibility is eventually addressed, creating the
wonder that is the multiverse. It is simplicity and complexity as one.
You all know one of the many outcomes of when a man named Peter Parker was
bitten by a radioactive spider. You also likely know one of the many
outcomes of the life of one Hikaru Gosunkugi, a young man in Japan who spent
his entire life unnoticed, save for a brief moment when his path crossed
with that of Ranma Saotome.
What if that radioactive spider had been in another place at another time?
What if it had bitten someone other than Peter Parker? The life of this
individual would be irrevocably changed.
This I know, for I am the Watcher.
======================================
"Cross your fingers, Kenji."
"Yes, Dr. Sanzaki."
Ryo stood before the massive control panel, its pattern of blinking lights
playing across his face in the darkness of the laboratory. The protective
suit he wore itched at his skin, sweat from the insulated material chafing him.
His heart thundered in his chest as he stared over at the machine, his
life's work. Everything, from his university research grant down to his own
personal resolve, rested on how this test went. It had to work. It just had to.
"Secondary power systems online, Doctor," Kenji said.
"Neutrino flow steady," Sanzaki replied, eyes now fixed on the readouts
flashing across various monitors. "All systems green."
At the end of the machine, which resembled a strange weapon, an emerald
glow began to form. The aura surrounding the growing point of light began to
flare as the energy increased, its light banishing more and more of the
darkness.
"Radiation output is within tolerable levels," Kenji stated. "Guess we
could have done without the suits, eh?"
"No need in borrowing trouble," Sanzaki replied with a chuckle. "Set output
logging to ten megahertz and inject power."
The orb of energy grew to the size of a basketball, resembling a tiny
supernova as the hum of building power filled the small testing room. The
glow now bathed the lead walls in its sickly light.
"All systems nominal. Engaging fire control systems and locking on target."
"Confirmed. Firing systems are online and target is acquired. Initiating."
The orb vanished, replaced by a lance of jade energy that struck the
reinforced lead slab with vicious force. The light danced around the
chamber's space, threatening to pierce even through the shaded visors of
their radiation suits.
"So far, so good," Ryo Sanzaki breathed as he studied the readouts. Their
attention focused on the control panels, neither noticed a small spider
descending into the path of the blast. It lingered upside down, basking in
the flow of power from the beam before crawling back up to the ceiling and
vanishing into the myriad of metal beams.
"Firing sequence disengaged," Kenji stated as the mean thinned and faded
into nothing. "Power levels cycling down."
"Confirmed. System deactivated."
Darkness replaced the emerald glow for a moment before the lab's standard
lighting engaged. Soft white light replaced the shadows as Doctors Ryo
Sansaki and Kenji Matsuhara exchanged looks of triumph.
"It works!" Kenji exclaimed as he doffed his helmet. "We did it!"
"It still has a long way to go," Ryo replied, smiling himself, "but if
we're right, then the genetic recombinator can lift mankind out of the
depths of disease and poverty."
"You idealistic bastard," Kenji grinned. Ryo turned his back, not noticing
the look of avarice in his colleague's gaze.
================================
"You shouldn't have run, twerp!" exclaimed the guy holding Hikaru
Gosunkugi up by the collar of his torn uniform. "This is gonna hurt you more
than it's gonna hurt me!"
A hard punch slammed into Gosunkugi's stomach, threatening to force
up the pop-tarts he had for breakfast. As he fought to hold his breakfast,
more blows landed from the caveman holding him. After a few moments of
pounding, Gosunkugi hit the floor of the secluded alley.
Waves of pain rolled through him as he lay on the hard pavement,
unable to resist as the three raided his pockets in search of his wallet. He
simply moaned as the leader removed it, incapable of fighting back.
"Three hundred yen!" he shouted, anger in his voice. "All you got is
three hundred yen?"
"I...don't....have....any more," Gosunkugi gasped, trying to rise up
on all fours. A shoe collided with his midsection, lifting him off the
ground a little before he slammed back down.
"That," came the angry voice of the leader, "was for wasting my
time, gayboy." The sounds of mindless laughter and receeding footsteps
echoed in Gosunkugi's ears. He lay there a few minutes more, trying to catch
his breath and recalling just how it all happened.
Being Sunday, Hikaru Gosunkugi had the whole day to himself. Both
his mother and father worked seven days a week, meaning he had the house all
to himself.
Having woke to the sound of his alarm clock, he had stumbled into
the kitchen, hoping to maybe find some rice left for him. Instead of a
decent breakfast, however, he had been left pop-tarts. As always. Not
exactly the breakfast of champions.
Eating a couple anyway, he had retreated back into his room to
gather some books to return to the library. They were a few days overdue,
meaning that a stiff penalty would be incurred. Gathering his wallet, he had
checked the contents.. He had enough yen for a two-way train ticket to
Tokyo, the late fee for the books, and maybe some cheap bento for lunch.
Sighing heavily, he had showered, dressed, and gathered the books and his
wallet.
The train ride had been uneventful, allowing him to browse through
one of the books he had checked out. "Voodoo For Dummies" had been the
title, and it was humorously written. However, none of the spells he tried
worked. Many of them required objects or ingredients that he either didn't
have, or couldn't pronounce. Of the three spells he DID have the materials
for, well, he'd never look at Post-It notes and shaved cats the same way
again...
Yet another failure. Closing the book, he had wondered it he would
EVER become a competent wizard. All he wanted was some power... something to
set him above the rest of his fellow man... something to get the attention
of Akane Tendo...
The books had been returned, but once outside the library, things
took a nosedive. Outside had been Keiichi, Gan, and Morita, three of
Furinkan's worst thugs. They never messed with the likes of Ranma, they
weren't stupid, but the likes of Gosunkugi were fair game to them.
He had hoped to slip away before they could see him. He got all of
three steps before one pointed him out. The chase ended up in the alley in
which he now lay, hurt and broke with his wallet and his dignity in the
hands of three neanderthals. Gosunkugi was used to being beaten up by just
about everybody... it seemed his lot in life. Times like that made him think
that he would never be more than a punching bag with legs for the rest of
his life.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, looking up at his left hand when he felt the
sting. On his hand was a grey spider, fangs sunk into the flesh. He was
momentarily surprised that he would notice the spider's bite with the
beating he had just recieved. Before he could swat it, though, the spider
skittered off of his hand and into the shadows ahead.
"Great," he said as he pulled himself to his feet, "now I've gotta
see a doctor!" He couldn't tell if the spider was poisonous or not, but it
was best not to take chances. With his luck, it probably was.
He took a step toward the mouth of the alley when the dizziness set
in. Gosunkugi's vision blurred, shifting in and out of focus. Fire began to
burn in his blood as his stomach cramped and his brain throbbed all at once.
He dropped to his knees, a low moan escaping his lips before he slipped into
unconsciousness.
==========================
The courtyard of Furinkan High was curiously empty, Hikaru noticed
as he walked across the grounds. It was nearly lunch, and there should have
been several students out enjoying the sunshine. Instead, nobody was around.
Meandering around one of the back corners of Furinkan, he saw Akane
Tendo kneeling alone on the grass. Her uniform was perfect as always, a
small bento box in her hand. Gosunkugi looked left, then right, seeing who
else was around. Like the front, the rear of the yard was empty, save for
the two of them.
Now's my chance! Gosunkugi thought to himself. He had never felt
this confident before, this strong. He casually walked up to the kneeling
girl, opening his mouth for a greeting.
Akane's gaze fell on him, a look of revulsion and horror settling on
her face. A piercing scream escaped her lips as she rose from the ground.
Before he could wonder what was wrong, countless more screams joined Akane's.
The courtyard was suddenly filled with people, all looking at him in
fear and disgust. many were pointing and screaming, as though they were
looking at some horrible monster. He finally looked down at himself to see
what all the commotion was about.
A scream burst forth from his lungs at the sight. his body was
enormous, covered with rippling muscles and coarse black hair. His hands
sported only three fingers, long claws at the ends. Another pair of hands
appeared, and another. Gosunkugi discovered he had six arms all together,
and none of them human. As he searched for a way out in the crowd, he caught
a glimpse of himself in a window.
"NOOOOO!" he screamed in a deep roar. His head was large and
misshapen, eight blood-red eyes lined up on each side. A gaping maw filled
with fangs was what passed for his mouth, a green substance dripping from
the teeth. His head was covered in the same coarse hair, completing his
spider-like visage.
A maelstrom of emotions whirled within him; fear, pain, rage,
confusion, and countless others. Desperate for a way out, he ran to the
nearby wall, hoping to get past it to somewhere safe.
Gosunkugi cleared the wall in one bound, only to find a swirling
mass of space beyond it. Looking back, he found that Furinkan was gone,
replaced by the white void. He began to fall toward the center of the
massive vortex, a scream blasting forth from his chest...
=========================
Gosunkugi awoke with a start, gasping for breath as he stifled a
scream. He lay on the floor of the alley, taking in deep breaths as his
heart begn to slow. The adrenaline that raced through his veins began to
thin after a few moments, leaving him somewhat drained.
"What a nightmare," Gosunkugi said as he rose to his feet. The
shadows in the alley had lengthened considerably since he had passed out,
meaning that he had lost a few hours at least. Looking up, he saw the sky
had a reddish-gold tint.
Great! he mentaly cursed, It's almost sunset! The train's already
gone by now! Still cursing, he began to make his way to the mouth of the alley.
As he walked, Gosunkugi noticed that something felt odd. The pain
from the beating he'd recieved earlier was completely gone. In fact, it was
almost as if he'd never been jumped at all. There was something else strange
as well, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He felt almost as if his
balance was better somehow, improved. He felt... stronger.
While he was pondering these strange things, he stepped blindly into
the street. He didn't notice his mistake until the blaring horn of a car
pierced his ears. Looking up, he saw a Daimler-Benz bearing down on him.
"SHIT!" he yelled as he jumped backward out of the speeding car's
path. The leap took him clear of the car, and the curb, even the sidewalk.
He watched the car speed off into the distance, wondering what his problem
was. Once the shock wore off, however, he noticed that the view he had was
quite wrong.
Looking down, his heart caught in his throat when he saw the
sidewalk several feet below him. Stunned, Gosunkugi looked around, wondering
what was holding him up. After a few moments, he realized that he was, in
fact, adhered to the wall.
His legs were in a kneeling position, the bottom of his feet
touching the rough stone surface of the building behind him. Curious, he
touched the wall with his hands. He felt them stick to the surface,
adhereing snugly to the wall. He pulled his right hand away, the hand coming
off easily. He repeated the procedure with the other hand with the same result.
What is going on, here? Gosunkugi asked himself as he crouched on
the wall like a human spider. Looking down, he saw some people moving about
below him. It appeared that they hadn't noticed him yet. Gosunkugi decided
to keep it that way, turning effortlessly to climb upward.
Arms and legs moving quickly, Gosunkugi scaled the side of the
building without any effort. His hands and feet never slipped, sticking to
the surface securely as he made his way up.
As he climbed, a window opened next to him. Stopping for a second,
he saw a woman in a cleaning outfit lean out, a cigarette in her mouth. Her
face froze for a second, head turning toward him.
"Uh... Lovely weather, huh?" Gosunkugi said lamely as the cigarette
dropped form the woman's mouth. A scream followed a second later,
threatening to split Gosunkugi's ears. Grimacing, he propelled himself to
the side, clearing the alley he once lay in and landing on the side of
another building. he launched himself sideways again, performing a quick
somersault before sticking to the surface a third time. Wasting no time,
Gosunkugi crawled to the top of the building.
"What the hell happened to me?" he asked as he crouched on the ledge
several stories above the pavement below. He felt as though he had gained a
whole new equilibrium. Crawling up the buildings and leaping the way he did
felt almost natural, as though he had been doing it all his life.
Maybe when that spider bit me, he thought, could it be...? Curious,
he stepped onto the roof, searching for something to test his strength out
on. Stumbling across a likely section of pipe, Gosunkugi picked it up. It
was a little longer than his forearm, and almost as thick. Grabbing both
ends, he bent the pipe into a U-shape easily.
Hikaru Gosunkugi stared into the sunset, wondering what gift had
been bestowed on him by the Kami.
================================
Kenji replaced the phone in its cradle, staring directly ahead at nothing.
He licked his lips in greed, the thought of what Leung would pay dancing in
his mind. All he wanted was one little thing, after all. And what he wanted
was very easy for him to obtain.
Pasting a calm expression on his face, Kenji Matsuhara exited the small
office he shared with Ryo Sanzaki. Of course his esteemed colleague would be
upset, but he failed to realize just what potential for profit the
recombinator technology held.