Capítulo 6: Testing Abilities!
And then there was Tombstone...
Tombstone, the entire reason New York was in such a dark, suffocating period. Sol had heard the stories passed between terrified civilians, corrupt politicians, and even the cops who were too afraid to stand up to him. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was living in Gotham instead of New York.
In this version of his city, there were no heroes. No one had the courage, the power, or the ability to stop the rise of Tombstone. His real name was Lonnie Lincoln, but everyone knew him by his street name — a towering, muscle-bound crime lord with skin as hard as granite and the will to rule New York through sheer fear and brutality.
His rise to power had been slow but steady, as he eliminated rival gangs, manipulated corrupt police officers, and took control of the city's criminal underworld piece by piece. His white skin, and his cold, expressionless face became symbols of terror, making him nearly untouchable.
Over the years, he amassed wealth and influence, pulling strings in every corner of the city. Politicians, cops, businessmen — everyone was in his pocket. Even Silas Crane, who was a smaller player in the grand scheme of things, operated under Tombstone's shadow. In fact, most of the criminal syndicates in New York owed allegiance to him, whether they liked it or not.
Tombstone's influence was everywhere, from organized crime to small-time street gangs. With no superheroes around to challenge him, he had become a force of nature, unstoppable and terrifying.
People learned quickly: you didn't cross Tombstone. Ever.
And now, Sol had put himself in the crosshairs of a man who controlled nearly every facet of New York's criminal underworld!
If Tombstone knew that Silas Crane's men were wiped out by some mysterious vigilante, and if that vigilante was connected to the police chief... things would get ugly.
Sol quickly learnt how a secret identity for a hero was vital.
With his symbiote suit covering his entire body, he was assured.
"Hahh..." Sol breathed out. "Tombstone... a notable villain that made an appearance in Spider-Man. It seems in this world, his character aligns more with his appearance in The Spectacular Spider-Man. Calm, collected and intelligent. Despite this being New York, there is no friendly neighbourhood hero to protect it. Although there were some familiar characters in this reality, in this alternate world, I have already found that Peter Parker does not exist... Was I suppose to be Spider-Man?" He contemplated deeply.
Mumbling, he spoke, "Well... it doesn't matter." Sol casted his unnecessary thoughts aside.
So what if he was or wasn't meant to be Spider-Man? He had a duty, a duty to protect those that he loved — and if he had to beat all the villains in this city, so be it.
Sol steeled himself as he extended his right palm out to the wall.
His fingertips softly grazed the bricks, however, he felt that it was firmly stuck to it.
Sol smiled as he used his other hand and reached above. After knowing his grip was powerful enough, he then began climbing the wall, feeling excited of his new powers.
Using a bit of strength, Sol leaped up onto the roof effortlessly.
"Woah!" Sol was amazed at how far he jumped. He still hasn't tested the full capabilities of his body after the gene mutation.
Sol was currently extremely high in the air as he looked down below, the countless dots beneath him flowing like a stream. These were the civilians of New York.
Putting his attention in front of him, Sol felt extremely nervous.
A key ability of Spider-Man was his ability to swing using webs...
"Okay... web slinging... Just jump off the building and maybe meet my demise... and then shoot out my webs and swing. Sounds simple enough!" He reassured himself.
He first tested his web first as it shot out of his wrist. He had an organic web shooter which was a good surprise. After he made sure it worked, he placed his attention ahead of him.
Sol nervously bounced on his tip-toes repeatedly to ease his nerves.
"Okay, you got this. You got this! Even if I fall, I don't think I'll die... I even have my symbiote that acts like an armour..." Sol muttered to himself.
With a final breath, Sol closed his eyes briefly as they suddenly shot open, then... he ran and jumped off the building.
He leapt into the air. He quickly felt some shock with how high he jumped, at least 30 meters!
Jumping spiders were known for their agility and well... Jumping!
As Sol descended quickly, he stretched out his right arm. He aimed at a tall skyscraper as a white streak extended from his wrist.
Slick!
Sol felt his web attach onto something as he held onto it tightly before using its momentum to swing himself forward.
"Haha! I did it!" Sol exclaimed.
However, when he was about to land on top of another roof, his web broke!
"Wha–" Sol voiced as he quickly crashed onto a wall.
Thud!
He immediately felt a little dazed from the impact as he landed back onto the ground.
Sol groaned as he slowly lifted himself up.
"Ow..." He let out a sound, rubbing his head.
"Why did my web break?" Sol mumbled, glancing at the broken strand. The answer dawned on him almost immediately. "Oh, of course... How could I be so stupid? Jumping spiders aren't known for their webs or venom. It's their jumping abilities, senses, and silk production."
He sighed, shaking his head at his own oversight. Jumping spiders, the species that had bitten him, were agile hunters. They were known for their incredible jumping ability and heightened senses, but unlike other spiders, they didn't use webs to trap prey. Instead, they produced silk to create shelters or safety lines to avoid falling, not to build the intricate, durable webs that spiders like orb-weavers or funnel-web spiders did.
"So my silk… it's more like a tether than a trap. It's strong enough to hang on with, but maybe not as durable. Especially when I'm swinging at high speeds."
He sighed again, rubbing his sore forehead. "Do I really have to create a web shooter like the other Spider-Men. Man... I really wanted to be like Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. For now, I guess I'll have to rely more on my jumps and be careful with the webs."
As Sol complained slightly, his eyes then suddenly lit up.
"Hm, actually... I wonder if this will work..."
This time, Sol extended his hand and shot out a silk strand. However, the difference was that he infused the silk with his symbiote.
A thin, black line shot out of Sol's wrist before attaching itself on the roof of a building.
"Haha! This might be even better. I can feel the strand due to the symbiote!" Sol exclaimed.
As he could feel his symbiote, he felt he had more control over this strand of silk.
Trying something out, Sol immediately launched into the air!
"Shit!" Sol flew at a ridiculous speed. However, he felt some satisfaction and excitement due to this.
He could use this kind of web like a grappling hook. Due to the symbiote, he could retract it. So, if it was attached to something, it would propel him towards it.
He had found an alternative!
Moreover, due to him strengthening this silk, he could even swing normally with it. This way, web slinging won't be an issue! This kind of web was more versatile, and with his symbiote, much more durable.
With his new discovery, Sol found web slinging much easier as the symbiote felt like it was a part of his body, thus, his mastery of web swinging was rising extremely fast.
Sol decided to first find the whereabouts of Silas Crane. And the easiest way?
Well, many gangs in the streets were under him, so Sol was sure he could beat some of them and make them talk.
As Sol was swinging through the city, the citizens of New York that saw such a scene were left in awe. A figure clad in shadows was swinging through the air!
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