Well shit it looks like we'll finally get to meet the spider. I've been locked up in my ways for far too long and I've been meaning to get in contact but our paths just never crossed. We continue swinging for a couple of blocks before Spider-Man finally stops on a rooftop. He turns to look at me with his non expressive black goggles as he leans backwards on to a wall with his arms crossed. "H-hey what is up?" He deepens his voice and puts on his best Queens accent as he tries to play it cool to hide the fact that he's only a thirteen year old kid. I wanted to laugh but I held it back as I landed down next to him. I slowly make my way closer to him before stopping just out of his reach. "You've got a lot of nerve running into that burning building with nothing but pajamas on." I spoke with a slight distortion in my voice. Normally I don't use it since I don't do a lot of talking or leave behind witnesses but I think it's probably best if I keep the filter on.
"Thank you? And uh these aren't pajamas…mister. They're my super suit. Oh and my name is Peter, by the way, nice to work with you." He unfolds his arms as he reaches out for a handshake. I remain silent for a second before slowly reaching my hand out to greet his.
"You know Peter. Normally if you're going to hide behind a mask, you shouldn't be announcing your identity so quickly to someone you had just met." I shake his hand for a few seconds before letting go. "You never know just who you could encounter and endanger like this."
"But you jumped into a burning building to save a bunch of people you don't even know. How could you be a bad guy?" He crosses his arms once more. "A-and the name's Spider-Man… I only told you my names because you're a good guy too."
"For all you know it could have been a set up to ambush you in the flaming building. But hey who am I to say anything." I turn away from him to look back at the direction of the burning apartment complex. "How long have you been spidering for anyways?" It seems like for the most part, everyone who lives in that building can now be considered homeless. SIGH. I should've probably summoned a storm or something to help put out the fire. Instead of just doing some petty little hero work.
"Oh ahh heh since Wednesday." He wryly scratch the back of his head as I snap back to look at him with my equally non-expressive glassy purple eyes.
"What do you mean Wednesday? Don't tell me this is literally your sixth day on the job, kid." I walk over to take a closer look at his clothes. Besides the slight odor of smoke, there's virtually no sign of damage or wear on his person. I grab his wrist to examine his gloves and web shooters.
"Hey what are you doing!" He quickly pulls his hand away from my grip.
"Peter, how did you make this suit? If you've only been active for less than a week, how long have you been working on your outfit?" I pull myself back as I rest my hands on my hip. I knew his first handmade outfit was going to be bad but I did not think it was going to be this terrible of a job. It looks like he just took a red sweatshirt and pants and combined it with a blue sweatshirt and pants. Well no more like he swapped and sowed blue sleeves on to the red sweatshirt and red pants from below the knees on to the blue pants. And his hands. "Is that how you climb walls?" I point at his fingerless gloves.
"It's a long story. I got bitten by a radioactive spiders a few weeks ago and now I can climb walls and lift very heavy stuff like they're nothing." He rubs his hands as if he suddenly became a little self conscious about his glove of choice.
"I see, and your outfit. How long did that take you to stitch it up from the thrift store?" I place my left hand under my right elbow as I begin to rub my chin with my right hand. If this means what I think it means then I can use it in my favor. I love you like a brother Peter but I'm going to need you to grow up quick if I'm going to attempt to save this world. With the time limit that I have I need to make my moves very wisely. Hell I've already wasted the last three years just sitting on my ass just waiting for the spider moment to happen to me.
"Hey if you're going to judge anyone, make sure to look in the mirror first alright. It took me a long time to save up the money and materials to make this." Peter pulls out a canister from his wrist to check the level of the contents before inserting them back in.
I put up my hands to show no hostility from my end. "Heh hey I'm not judging. I'm just a fan trying to admire his hero in the flesh." I put my arms down before pulling off my right glove to show him my fingers. "I just want to see how similar we are."
"What do you mean? I haven't even done this long enough for anyone to know about it. Just who are you Spider-Skull-man?"
I lean my head back to let out a chuckle before looking straight at him again. I flick my right hand to materialize a red card before handing it over to him. "The name's Silk Touch but you can call me the Mystic Spider. I've been watching you Peter. You and I have very similar abilities except we're both on opposite sides of the same coin. See I'm a trained mystic who has the ability of a biological spider while you're a scholar with the abilities of a magical spider. Those welding goggles, do they help when you become overwhelmed by all the possibilities that are rushing towards you?"
He grabs onto the small red business card to read the prints. 'Mystic Spider. Please Burn.' He stumbles back on to the wall before slumping down to sit on the floor. "How-how did you know about that?" He runs his hand backwards against the back of his head. It appears that he has barely even begun to experiment with his totemic spider senses as it's just too much for him to visualize all the possible dangers in the heat of the moment.
"Like I said Peter Benjamin Parker. As a sorcerer I know a lot of things. Some of which, I wish I hadn't learned because as the saying goes 'Ignorance is bliss'. And with my curse. I can't just stay still and let it all happen when I know I can do something about it. Which is why I'm here Peter. The world needs help and only a select few can do anything about it. You and I are amongst those people." I extend my thumb and pointer to gesture between us. "You and I share the same abilities. Except yours are on a level far above mine. I have the experience and knowledge to help you but only if you accept my help." I points to the card in his hand.
Peter remains silent as he returns his attention to my business card. After a couple moments of contemplation, Peter lets out a sigh as he gets back on his feet. "So what can you do to help me?"
"For now? Nothing. You and I don't exist on the same path. You live in the light to help the everyday folks while I live in the dark to deal with problems at their core. You and I live in two different worlds but once I can find a place for us to meet. Then I can show you how to use your abilities. For now just keep helping out those that can't help themselves. I'll be around but if you need help just use my card to give me a call. It is only a one time use card though, so make sure it's an emergency or something dire. For now I have a lot on my plate before I fully focus on you." I turn away from him to open up a portal to a basement somewhere on the west coast in California. I walk to the edge of the portal before turning my head back to look at him. "I can show you how to use your spider sense and where you are in the grand scheme of the multiverse but for now I have a soul to butcher up." I step through before giving him a wave. "So long Peter. Tell May I said hey."
"Wait how do you kn-" He tried to say something to me but I'd already closed the portal before he could finish. I'm sure he probably had a lot of questions about this Merlin spider that he had just met but that was my goal. I want him to be curious and have that curiosity drive him to seek me out. By then I should have my AI up and running. Speaking of which, there's a spell I'm looking for and I don't recall ever seeing it in any of the books at Kamar-Taj. The only place for me to get access to such a disgusting and terrible spell is from one of the most powerful and manipulative grimoires of all time. I've been saving this plan for a while now because I didn't want to come in contact with any of the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff unless I absolutely have to. If I haven't expressed how much I dislike the later seasons of the show enough at this point then I don't know how to make it any clearer.
The show just feels like a whole separate timeline that branched off after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the events of 'The Winter Soldier' but since I live in the same world that contains these people and history. Well, I don't really have a say in what I think about the show and how it affects the world. All I know is that I exist at a very inconvenient but also perfect time in the history of the MCU. I just do not want to to get involved with any of the fucked up Star Trek-esque time travel fuckery that happens in Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
URGGHH!!
It's so fucking dumb. Anyways speaking of that abomination of a dumpster fire, I've been looking for the book of the damned for months now and I've finally located the house it's buried in. In the Disney plus tv shows and 'main' canon movies, the first appearance of the Darkhold is in WandaVision when Agatha Harkness revealed herself as a very powerful and capable witch. However, that is not until 2024 at the earliest. Meanwhile, I'm still in 2015. Now the only other appearance of the grimoire is not until next year when a very specific vengeful spirit walks the earth to drag the book back to the depths of hell…yeah I really don't like that either but fuck it. I just want to grab the book and get the fuck out. I don't need any of this bullshit in my life.
I look around the dust settled basement before waving my hand in the air to create a sphere of magic energy to attract the book. Soon a box wrapped in a sheet of clothes levitates into the air before floating over to me. Mhmm. I reach out to grab the box before unwrapping the cloth. Well shit. This is a whole lot easier than what I had originally planned. I thought I was going to have to fight against one of the most powerful witches of this era just to get my hands on her most prized possession. I examine the thick metal book in my hand as it shifts and morphs from the phase four book cover to the A.o.S book cover before shifting back to the cover seen in phase four. Hehe you vindictive bitch. Can't even resist the temptation to manipulate and play mind games for a second upon receiving a new master.
—--One Week Later-----
"Hello?" A voice calls out to me from the living room causing me to stir awake from my first full night of rest in a long time. I have been laying low for a couple of days now because I have been trying to heal from a self-inflicted wound as well as allowing all the data I had accumulated over the years to fully assimilate into my AI. YAWN. I slowly get up from my bed as I make my way towards the computer in my living room. My eyes lock on to the thick book of metal that's floating in front of my computer before waving my hands to dismiss the book. I do have to admit, it's pretty cool seeing the materialization and deconstruction of the book whenever it's summoned and dismissed. It sort of gives me nano tech vibes because of the whole metal pages thing. Speaking of metal pages…now I understand how such a thick book with ten pages can contain some of the darkest secrets of the multiverse. The texts and spells will manifest to the desires and will of the user….and that's such a good way to manipulate each user. I have to give Chiton credits for leaving behind such a beautiful and sinister creation that IS still working for him even after all this time.
So my AI….why would I need the 'Book of the Damned' to create an AI when Stark and Banner were able to make one with just technology? Well it's because I'm really not that smart. I'm probably slightly above average at most, slightly off center on the bell curve of intelligence. I just have knowledge that I can use to play to my favor. Anyways, I know I can never create an AI that can compete against Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S, or Ultron. Hell I don't even think I can go against Zola if I were to create an AI from scratch….which is why I'm taking the Zola route but more mystified. Hehe SIGH. This is just embarrassing. So I needed a spell that can allow me to cut a piece of my soul to use as information and power BUT without killing me in the process. And the only place that I can think of is held within the pages of the Darkhold. Within the Darkhold the displayed text can be any language the user is most comfortable with and I know for a fact that it can translate into codes. That's how 'Life Model Decoys' became a thing in AoS in the first place. So what I have done is translate a piece of my soul into digital codes that is the center of my AI. With myself being the core of the program, there could never be any chance of the AI going rogue because there would never be conflict of interest. How can I go against what I want and sabotage myself when I love myself?
"Good morning BMO." I call out to the voice coming from the speakers. "I'm glad you're finally awake and running. How are you liking your new home?" I asked while rummaging through the computer. Right now the only thing I have to display my AI is a green holographic sphere that represents him.
"Who are you? And what am I?" The voice call out to me. "You are BMO. An intelligent program that I have created in hope of becoming sentient and capable of becoming your own individual and personality. You are design to help humans and protect them from any threat that I won't be able to handle. In other words, you are a program I've design to Be More than just a program." I walk over to the fridge to begin rummaging for some food.
"I am BMO? Does BMO help human people?" I poke my head out of the box with a slight smile on my face once I saw some cuts of bacon and eggs in the fridge. I walk over to my cupboard to get some rice before washing my rice in the rice cooker and getting started on my breakfast. Once I was done washing my rice I set it in the machine to cook for me as I get ready for my bacon and toppings.
"Yes BMO, your purpose is to protect and help humanity and to fight for the greater good of all humans. But most importantly you are my potential, my greatest creation. You are a reflection of me and I wish to see you be capable of reaching the stars and going beyond what I can." I place down a pan on the stove before turning on the stove to heat up my oan for the bacon. While my pan is heating up I walk over to set up a cutting board on my countertop as I begin to chop up my green onions and mushrooms.
"So what should I do? How do I help you help people?"
"Well to start with you can form a holographic avatar of your choosing to interact with our home. I will leave you in charge of keeping my computer and network clean and safe while I continue to protect everyone." After I was done cutting my 'vegetables' I called out the bacon from the fridge into my pan and began cooking my meat. "I've made some designs for how I imagine what your body looks like and what you represent. But you're free to choose your own design of yourself according to how you imagine yourself, BMO."
"I see, there is so much for me to learn before I can help others and before I can even help myself. How do I keep the network clean if I don't have a body to move with?" I turn over the bacon once my tingles start to go off. It's perfectly crispy to how I want it, now I just have to wait for the other side to finish cooking. "Well for now you can go through all of the data I had built up for you. They should be able to help you learn how to protect us from the digital side of things. But right now can you put on some music for me. I want to start off the day in a good mood. I've been locked up in here for a long time trying to bring you to life, BMO." I grab the eggs and break it into a bowl before beating it up with a pair of chopsticks.
"Playing Sober by Childish Gambino." Suddenly a projection on my computer slowly manifests as BMO picks out an avatar to represent their body. "Ooo that's a good pick, BMO. I'm glad to see you're finally picking a form. I'll install some cameras so you can see around the house too." I pick up the bacon strips and lay it on a paper towel covered plate before pouring in my eggs into the hot bacon grease. By the time the song was finished playing I was done cooking and the rice got done just in time too. I plate everything up onto a rice bowl before walking over to sit on my couch. BING! "Hey Ned what are you up to? You wanna go get the Lego set we were talking about a while ago?"