The home of Driver Reese, whose decapitated body lies on the floor. ‘I like you, X-Man Logan Wolverine’ Driver’s head declares. ‘You’re my favorite hero’ she adds. As green techno-organic energy spills upwards from her body to the form of a large necrotic spider that looms over Wolverine and the two men that have mysteriously appeared.
‘Looks like we’re on the right trail here!’ The man in a pink and blue costume, Monark Starstalker, calls out as he fires his gun at the necrotic spider. His robot falcon, Ulysses, rests on his shoulder. The other man, Paradox, asks ‘Do you think? Was it perhaps this monstrous crime against all that is beautiful that tipped you off?’ he asks. ‘Faaaavoooriiiteeee’ Driver’s head utters, to which Paradox asks if someone can do something about that awful shrieking.
Logan lunges into the air, as the necrotic spider moves about, causing cracks in the roof. Driver’s head starts to scream, and suddenly, the necrotic spider shoves one of its razor-sharp legs through Logan’s chest. ‘Noble effort, little man’ Paradox remarks, as Driver’s head continues to screech. ‘But less than effective’ Paradox declares, covering one ear with a hand, he points his other hand forward. ‘Allow me to end the misery’ he remarks, firing a blast of energy at Driver’s head, destroying it. ‘Relief at last’ Paradox mutters, turning to Monark Starstalker, who has his gun raised at the necrotic spider, he asks ‘Planning to use that at some point, are you?’ to which Monark Starstalker points out that the necrotic spider is not infecting him. Several more strands of techno-organic spikes have been raised around Wolverine’s body. ‘And he doesn’t seem to be dying either’ Paradox comments. ‘I’m going to save him’ Monark boasts. ‘Or kill him, either would be humane’ Paradox suggests. ‘Save. He may know something’ Monark decides, firing his gun, he strikes the techno-organic strands that skewers Wolverine, breaking it, Logan falls to the floor.
‘Is it me?’ Paradox asks. ‘No’ Monark responds. ‘Or is it… getting larger?’ Paradox enquires as the necrotic spider does increase its form before them. ‘Yes’ Monark confirms. ‘We should -’ Paradox begins. ‘Yes’ Monark agrees. ‘Leave’ Paradox concludes. ‘Yes’ Monark remarks. He sends his golden falcon, Ulysses, into the air, ‘I’ll get - the - little - man!’ Paradox declares as he leaps into the air and flips backwards with great skill, firing energy at the necrotic spider, and dodging its techno-organic strands. Logan roars as he pulls the broken techno-organic spike out of his chest, blood splattered on his chest, Logan looks unimpressed and leaps forward, claws ready. ‘Or perhaps - he’d prefer to stay’ Paradox supposes.
Logan starts to slice and dice the necrotic spider, while Paradox leaps out the broken window, while the necrotic spider starts to reform its body after Wolverine slices through it. Monark drops down through a hole in the floor, while Paradox lands on the street below the building. The necrotic spider has reformed itself around Wolverine, as Monark races through a corridor, Wolverine is fully trapped inside the necrotic spider. ‘Oh’ Paradox gasps. ‘####’ Monark remarks as he reaches his partner and they stare up at the building. ‘Was this in the -’ Paradox begins. ‘No’ Monark tells him ‘Dossier?’ Paradox asks. ‘No’ Monark replies. ‘Because I don’t remember reading anything about this’ Paradox points out as they stare at the building, completely destroyed, as the necrotic spider has increased its mass so much that the building crumbles around it. Its large legs start to move about, breaking the ground with their sharp spikes.
‘Containment grenade’ Paradox suggests as he and Monark fall to the side, dodging one of the legs. ‘Too big’ Monark Starstalker points out. ‘Too big?’ Paradox asks as he fires a blast of energy up at the necrotic spider. ‘We let it get too big’ Monark points out as he fires his gun. They stand back to back and continue to fire, ‘Well, we’d have killed the little man if we’d used the grenade in there’ Paradox remarks. Monark tells Paradox that he is glad they made the effort to save his life, as it turned out so well. ‘So now we…?’ Paradox enquires. ‘Need to make it smaller’ Monark explains. The horrid necrotic spider creature looms over them, tendrils and spikes extended from its body. ‘That seems unlikely’ Paradox points out, when suddenly, the body of the necrotic spider explodes, as Wolverine shoves his clawed hand through. He leaps up, growling, shoving his claws into the necrotic spider again. ‘Then again’ Monark remarks. ‘Tough bastard’ Paradox points out. ‘Little man!’ he calls out, getting Wolverine’s attention, Logan looks down and Paradox shouts up to him, informing him that they need to make it smaller.
So, Logan starts slashing away at the creature once more, and Paradox announces that he thinks they are getting some legitimate reduction here. He starts to tell Monark to have that grenade ready, when suddenly, ‘Oh, damn me’ Paradox utters as one of the necrotic spider’s spikes are shoved through his shoulder. ‘Damn me again’ Paradox declares as another spike is shoved through his other shoulder. ‘Triple damn me’ he exclaims as one pierces his thigh. ‘Paradox!’ Monark Starstalker exclaims, concerned, he rushes over to his partner. ‘Get loose, damn you’ Monark declares, trying to free Paradox. ‘Damn me. Damn me. Damn meeeee’ Paradox calls out as he is flung into the air. ‘Targets, Ulysses!’ Monark exclaims as a flaming sword materializes in his free hand. ‘Acquiring’ Ulysses responds, and as it darts about, it identifies several targets. ‘Fire pattern resolved’ the bird states. ‘Weapon change’ Monark declares, as he fires his gun at the targets on the necrotic spider that Ulysses has identified. The weapon is changed to a containment grenade, which materializes in Monark’s hand, replacing the gun.
With the necrotic spider injured, Paradox falls to the ground, ‘Clear target’ Monark tells Ulysses as he uses his sword to block any of the spikes that try to reach him or Paradox. Ulysses flies over to Wolverine and announces that this area is subject to imminent containment by a Technos Group D/R569 technocratic-hazard containment grenade and all matter within the containment area will be neutralized. Ulysses adds that this announcement constitutes fair warning and releases the Technos Group from any and all liability resulting from loss of life or property within the containment area. Wolverine looks confused, to which Paradox shouts ‘Little man!’, and Monark tells him that it means he should jump, as he throws the grenade at the necrotic spider, Wolverine leaps from it. A small silver bubble appears, and expands, covering the necrotic spider as Logan lands a safe distance from it.
The necrotic spider and its spikes and tendrils have all been frozen by the containment grenade, Monark tends to Paradox. ‘We contained the stem servers. It’s replicating the containment protocol to all infected materials’ Monark explains. ‘Yes, but -’ Paradox begins, asking if it won’t transmit to a new infection. ‘I mean, will it? I’d love to be wrong on this, any daylight would be welcome’. Paradox’s body starts to change, techno-organic material appearing on his body. ‘No, it won’t’ Monark assures him. ‘Quadruple damn me’ Paradox exclaims. ‘I can…’ Monark begins. They look into each other’s eyes and Paradox asks ‘You can what? Touch me and get infected and have it spread through your whole nanological system in less than a picosecond?’ Monark tells him that he can’t, but he can make his blade near infinitely thin and cut away the infected areas. ‘Monark, all due thanks, but #### you’ Paradox replies.
‘He gonna die or what?’ Logan asks. ‘Little man, you’re alive. I’d say that made it all worthwhile, but I’d be lying horribly’ Paradox declares. ‘How long’s he got? I know people’ Wolverine announces. Monark reports that the infection will replace his nervous system in less than a minute, and then he will become infectious himself. ‘Get away from me’ Paradox suggests. ‘I can kill you if you want. Fast’ Wolverine offers. ‘I sad get away’ Paradox repeats. Smoke rises from his body, and he announces that he is about to become very hot. Monark and Wolverine step back, as flames rise around Paradox, who adds ‘As if I’m not always very hot’, and then, he stands up, his body healed. Naked, the smoke and flames subside, the techno-organic virus is nowhere to be seen and the spikes are gone. ‘What a relief, I wasn’t at all sure that would work’ Paradox announces.
‘What did you -?’ Monark asks his partner. Paradox explains that he turned himself into a Mercurian, that his core body temperature over seven-hundred degrees Fahrenheit and burned the infection out. ‘There’s people on Mercury?’ wolverine asks, surprised. ‘Not in this monkey-verse, but where I’m from, we’ve colonized all the planets’ Paradox announces. Monark tells Paradox not to brag, and boasts that in his universe they have colonized a good chunk of the galaxy. ‘Crap. You’re from space’ Logan mutters. ‘Well, we’re all from “space” when you get right down to it’ Paradox remarks. ‘We’re from alternate universes’ Monark announces. ‘We’re from Space-Time’ Paradox adds, as he turns and starts to walk down the street, still naked. ‘Crap. You’re spacemen’ Logan sighs. Paradox explains that, strictly speaking, neither of them are men. ’I’m a genegineered paranormal’ Paradox reveals. Monark explains that he is a Technos Group nanotool with free will, and that they are here to find a criminal dealing in illegal technocratic materials.
Monark turns and follows Paradox as they pass the frozen necrotic spider, and Ulysses hovers overhead. ‘Although I’m more interested in finding a new outfit just now’ Paradox announces. Monark informs him that Ulysses is tracing the T-N signature, and they will have to go north. ‘Perhaps we’ll find a little boutique as we go’ Paradox hopes. Monark announces that they will have to return to the ship so he can replenish the nanites he lost making that grenade. Paradox sighs and supposes that his tired old wardrobe will have to do. Wolverine follows them, and mutters ‘#### spacemen’.
