Black Arachnid in “The Stretchy Withdrawal” #1001

Black Arachnid in “The Stretchy Withdrawal”                                 

by Marz Workman

This story is set in the Golden Age, around 1944.

Running on rooftops and jumping from building to building, the Black Arachnid, Everett Snowe, rushes to get to the Marston Federal Bank. He received word that the bank was being robbed. Using his athletic ability and the high tack ooze formula he accidentally discovered, he easily hops and pulls himself across town. His all black bodysuit is adorned with metallic yellow eye covers and ooze “shooters”, a yellow belt, and a yellow circle on his chest with a black spider spread over it. He looks as though he has been in a scuffle once tonight already; having patches of dirt about his suit.

Reaching the last building on the final block, Black Arachnid lands firmly in front of the bank. He looks back at the policemen, “Mind if I give it a try?”

He enters the bank through the front doors. Inside, he sees a man holding two hostages, only he doesn’t have a weapon. The man has somehow wrapped his own body around the captives, stretching it. “Hold it right there, Spider!”

“Arachnid. Black Arachnid to be exact,” says Everett, “Release those people…hmmm…what’s your name?”

“I am Herr Riktor, the Rubberman, “ he says as he squeezes the hostages. They cry out in pain. Rubberman releases a belting laugh.

Just then, Everett fires his ooze shooters at Rubberman’s face, blinding the villain. Rubberman drops his captives, and they run away as he rubs the ooze from his eyes, “You will pay for that, Arachnid!”

Rubberman lashes out with his arms, stretching himself across the lobby. Black Arachnid jumps out of the way and fires more ooze at Rubberman’s body. Rubberman slithers around the bank like a multi-headed snake.

Black Arachnid lands on the counter in a croutch, “You are one slippery fella!” He leaps, flips, and rolls across the floor, standing in a run, and begins shooting the ooze all over the lobby. All the while, Rubberman reaches and elongates himself in the pursuit of Black Arachnid.

“You are finished, Rubberman!”

Standing back, admiring his work, Black Arachnid stands proud of his ooze web. Rubberman is twisted and wrapped around himself, bound by the ooze web, “What have you done to me?!”

The policemen rush in with their pistols drawn. They look at Rubberman and lower their weapons, puzzled.

“I’ll help you take him into custody”, says Black Arachnid, “I’ll have to show you how to remove the ooze. It can be quite messy.”

“Thank you, again, Black Arachnid,” says one officer, “That’s the third one today.”

Black Arachnid walks over to the officer and pats him on the back, “My pleasure, Officer Geads. Now, let’s get him in jail. I’m starving and I need a bath.”

This Flash Fiction featured:

·         Black Arachnid 2.0 (Everett Snowe – Open Source) https://marztales.blogspot.com/2019/09/black-arachnid-20-open-source.html

·         Rubberman (Herr Riktor – Public Domain) https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Rubberman

·         Officer Geads (Open Source) https://marztales.blogspot.com/2019/10/officer-geads.html

© 2019 Rayland Marzette Workman. All rights reserved.