Peter W Parker - Roxxon Laboratories
Sweat beaded on Peter’s forehead, as he fumbled with a vial. He’d spent years working on this stuff. He understood it better than most people. All he had to do right now was trust himself, trust that his efforts over the past three years would work.
He glanced at the machinery around himself, double checking his own logic. The negative energy counter he’d tied to Jess blinked with the same number. The Li’s hadn’t changed. It had showed that he’d still had it too. That meant that whatever the nanites had done hadn’t removed his negative energy, just that for some reason its effects weren’t working. The same was true for Jess, but she was made up of a higher percentage on negativity energy. Her body needed it to function properly, without it, she was in the early stages of organ failure. At least that’s what he was theorising.
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. The vial wouldn’t kill her. It wouldn’t He wasn’t imbuing her with energy like he’d done in to so many mice in failed projects. He was just kickstarting the right part of the external results process. Hopefully. He stared at the vial in his hand. It’d be ok. It would.
He stepped forwards and with a weight on his shoulders, injected the vial into her. His hand shook slightly, and then it was over. He stood still, silent, waiting in anticipation. She remained on the table, practically lifeless. As he looked over her, he couldn’t help but see remnants of his mother’s face in her. He shook his head, then closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. He barely knew her, but he could feel their connection. They shared memories. In a weird way it’s like she was his little sister he’d never known.
“Please” he whispered to himself. “Please work”
Suddenly she sat up with a gasp, eyes wide. She coughed violently, as he rushed over to her, supporting her before she fell off the table. He let out a breath as she stared at him confused, rubbing at his eyes. It worked.
He turned and grabbed the second vial of the fluid he had on his table. He pulled up his sleeve then paused, staring at the vial. Did he have to take it? Wasn’t this his get out of jail free card? He could put the vial down and his powers might never come back. He could live a normal life, free of this responsibility, eating muffins at home with Liz. Jess had powers. She could replace him. Lucas had powers and he didn’t want to be a superhero.
“Pete?”
Peter closed his eyes, then stabbed the vial into his arm, pressing down the plunger. He felt a burst of strength as his powers returned, the familiar sense that stretched out across the room easing him. He felt it as Jess stood, moving over to him. He turned around to her and steadied her.
“Sorry you had to try and sort this mess out on your own. I’m back. Properly. No more ignoring my responsibility”
The corners of Jess’ mouth turned up in a smile, before she looked around the room confused.
“What do we do now?”
“Now we find Otto”
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The stone floor was cold and hard. But with every second, as heat began to fade from my limbs, it grew warmer. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away. I didn’t want to get shot again. As quickly as I could I unfurled myself and began crawling across the floor. Dragging myself was an effort, and I struggled to breath as my body began to grow cold. But I knew that I needed to get away. I couldn’t make sense of much through the pain, my awareness of everything skewed; but even then the desire to get home was stronger than I’d ever felt before. I needed to listen to it. I needed to get up and get as far away from here as I could. I needed to go home right now.
Suddenly something grabbed me and turned me over. I protested weakly, my chest burning as more blood spurted from the wound. Oh god. I looked away, feeling queasy. My eyes focused on the figure above. Oh right. The Dr. I’d been running from him. He looked over me, distraught, his hands shaking as he kneeled over me, unsure of what to do.
“Peter? Peter?!” he shouted, reaching for my chest.
“No” I mumbled trying to push his hand away. The act did nothing and he tenderly pressed at the wound. A sickening pain shot through me and I coughed violently, trying to roll away. He held me tightly, pressing me to the floor.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“D-don’t move Peter. I can- I can fix this” he said, before running away.
As soon as he let go I rolled over, pulling my near lifeless body across the floor. For a second, I paused. Peter? Why did he think I was Peter? Oh right, I was wearing the costume. Wait that didn’t matter. He was gone. I needed to go. I needed to get home before I died. I needed to say sorry to Dad and Ryo, beg them to forgive me for my stupidity. I couldn’t die before that. I couldn’t die knowing they wouldn’t know how sorry I was.
“Peter?! I told you not to move” Otto said, flipping me back over. He pressed a bunch of paper towels to the wound. The blood seeped into them, dying the into a soggy mass of red almost instantly. I looked away. But it was too late. I felt the panic start to rise as the of filter of shock faded. There was so much blood. Holy shit, I was about to die. I was about to fucking die!
With a sudden burst of strength I pushed Otto away, and turned pulling myself towards the door.
“H-help” I gasped through breaths. I could barely speak. It felt like someone had put weights in one of my lungs.
“Peter stop!” the Dr cried, grabbing me and turning me back over. He had a bunch of vials on hand. “This should work. You’re already negative energy enhanced so you won’t become like that chimera. You won’t”
He plunged one of the syringes into my arm and I cried out. I tried to push him away, but the effort was pitiful, only succeeding in smearing blood on his clothes.
“Just stay still” he said, plunging another into
“Dad! Dad help!” I cried out, desperate.
“Peter, you’re ok. I’m here. You’re going to be fine” the Dr said.
“Ryo. I… shit. I need to see Ryo! Please” I cried desperately, grabbing the Dr. He paused, confused, then his eyes widened and he ripped off my mask. His face contorted from worry into rage.
“Who are you?!!”
“A hospital- I-”
Suddenly a new pain lanced through me. I cried out, clutching my arm as it shook violently. It burned. It burned with an intensity, like pins and needles deep within my veins. And the horrible sensation was spreading. What the hell did he do to me?!
I writhed in pain as I held my arm, gurgling desperately through the blood in my lungs. The Dr cursed then grabbed me, dragging me across the floor.
“Mama… I… Dad help! Help” I mumbled clawing at the stone, unable to get a hold.
“What kind of stupidity is this?! So much research destroyed by a random kid!”
He hefted me up and dumped me onto a glass covered table. I gasped, but was too weak to pull away, only able to shift to reduce the pain. Otto sneered at me before cursing more as he rushed off to the rest of the lab.
My body felt heavier now. Too heavy to move. What did he do to me? Why wouldn’t he just let me go home?!
“Please… hospital… I need a hospital” I gasped, gripping him tightly. He slapped my hand away.
“I can work with this. I can make this worthwhile” he mumbled.
No. Listen to me. Stop looking at me like that. I don’t want to die here, like this, like a lab rat. Please.
My pleas came out as nothing but gurgles, as he stabbed me with more needles and muttered to himself.
Tears streamed from my face, as my body began to lose feeling. Not like this. Anything but this. Suddenly there was a loud boom, and debris peppered us. The Dr looked off to his side and cried out as a piece of web hit him in the face, knocking him backwards. More webs hit him and then a person slammed into him. He flew across the room and crashed to the floor.
Someone landed next to me. They wrenched a balaclava off their face and stared at me, their eyes filled with horror. Jess. She stared at the hole near my sternum. How was she here? It didn’t matter, she could get me out of here.
“Y- Yu?” she said her eyes wide. I clutched her tightly.
“I- hospital… take me to a hospital”
“I- I-” she stuttered, shocked.
“Please”
Without another word, she scooped me up and rushed towards the exit. Before she’d even take two steps, loud sirens blared through the place, as the fluorescent lights switched off, replace by dim red ones. Then came the rattling, and metal shutters appeared from out of the ground, blocking the exit. No. No way. They slammed to the ceiling and locked with a loud echoing sound before we could even do anything. Jess still charged towards the metal, and leaped kicking at the shutters. The metal barely dented, and the blow sent shockwaves through the entire room.
Jess cursed, then glanced back, looking around the room. In the dim red lighting that cast most of the room into darkness, the Dr was nowhere to be seen. She looked down to me, her expression hard to make out, and then started to set me down.
“No!” I said, grabbing her.
“Yu just- I need my hands to break the door down”
Don’t leave me”
“I’m not. I’m not”
“I don’t want to die. Please I don’t- I didn’t- I haven’t done anything” I sobbed.
Suddenly a voice cut through the air.
“You think I’ll just let some nobodies destroy what I’ve worked for and get away!” the Dr said. Jess turned. The Dr stood, blood pouring from his face as he stood by the large chamber of glass.
“Otto! He’s going to die!” Jess shouted. “At least just let me take him t-”
“DO NOT SPEAK TO ME YOU PATHETIC CLONE!” the Dr roared.
Jess fell silent, tears sparkling I her eyes. I shivered violently, as I held her. I just wanted to get out of here. I needed to get to a hospital or- or-
“Tonight both of you are going to die, for taking the only thing I’ve dedicated my entire life to!”
He turned and slammed a button. The glass chamber rose and the black goo jumped on him. It wrapped around him and he cried out, screeching as the goo expanded washing over him.
In the moment they combined, I recognised it. From the news three years ago. One of the first big monsters that Spider-Man had fought. The one that had destroyed part of Chelsea. I felt any hope disappear from within as it screeched echoed loudly through the room and then turned to us. It pointed a finger at Jess, licking it’s lips with a long forked tongue.
“You smell deliciousss”