Within Reach
"Damn it, Peter." She says to herself.
Peter was always late. It wasn't big news. But usually she liked to chat with the man that took pictures of Spider-man before she went home. Peter really was a troubled guy, it's only natural she talk to him, being a troubled kid.
He was just standing out here one night, looking across the street to the theater. She stopped and talked with him, then she saw him there again, and again, and again. It just turned into routine.
Peter told her once he knew the red haired girl that acted in the plays. She always forgets her name though, doesn't bother to remember it, anyway.
She begins to leave, when she sees Peter, and she smiles. He's walking across the street, and she wants to go over there. She wants to talk to him like she does everyday. But then she frowns. The red haired girl comes out of the theater, and he hugs her. And kisses her.
So she starts walking away, just as Peter turns to see her leave.
Abbie lowered her head, and started walking faster. It figures really, the one person she can talk to also finds a way to ignore her. She frowns, that's how it is though. That's how it always been.
Abbie is the girl in black, you always see walking alone on the streets. She's not gothic or anything, she just likes black. Because with black you can't see anything. No one can look at her, or judge her, because they can't see.
Of course, they judge all the same.
She grabs her back pack, full of Spider-man comic books. She was going to give them to Peter tonight, so he could read them. After all Peter was the one that took pictures of Spider-man, she thought he would thank her for it.
Then she starts running.
She runs watching the 10:15 subway train go by, just missing it. She frowns staring at her ticket, she'll just have to go one 10:45. She sighs to herself and puts her backpack down.
So now there is a thirteen year old girl, dressed in black, and dirty black hair. A girl clearly too young to stay out so late by herself in the city that never sleeps. She rubs her arm, to reveal a large bruise.
And she thinks to herself, father will be furious.
Not that he really cares, he'll just be mad, because she's been avoiding him. He doesn't care how late she is getting home, she doesn't really think he notices.
So she sighs again.
And as the minutes go by, staring at the opposite wall, she notices someone is standing next to her.
He lowers his head, when he sees her stare. A man in a green trench coat, with a hat and sunglasses. She looks at him, knowing staring is rude.
"Hello there." He says to her.
She looks away knowing he saw her.
"Hi." She replies.
"What are you doing out so late?" He asks her.
Running. Avoiding a father that doesn't understand. Avoiding non-existant friends. Trying to have fun when out so late. Trying to live a life worth living. Trying to finish homework and sneak out. Dreaming of something better.
"Nothing." She says.
"And what is your name?" He asks her.
"Abbie."
She starts rocking back a forth, nervous. She's a shy girl on the inside. She doesn't like silences. She doesn't like the silence. If she keeps talking, no one can yell at her.
"You look familiar." She says.
The man smiles.
"Yes, I get that a lot." He says.
Awkward silence. She doesn't like those, as she kicks the ground just because she can.
"I have a trench coat, you know." She says.
"Really now." He looks over at her.
"Yeah, but it's black. I got it when I was really into the Matrix." She smiles.
The man quietly laughs, and she smiles, rubbing her back being a little nervous.
Then it is back to waiting for half an hour for the train to get here. Waiting to return to home, run upstairs so father doesn't notice, and lock her door so he can't come in. Turn on the computer, and look at the outside world.
Then sirens. She looks towards the stairs to the rest of New York.
"Oh no." The man whispers.
"Looks like Spider-man is going to work." Abbie jokes.
Then she feels something slither through her arms and around her side. It was in one quick movement then she was swept off the ground, and screaming.
Then she sees, the man that look so familiar was the man who was a monster.
"Dr. Octavius!" She screams.
Then he looks over at her and nods, wondering if she was going to say something.
But she begins to scream, and tug at the mechanical arm that holds her. She starts kicking and screaming, knowing who this man is. Knowing what he's done. Everything she ever knew about this man, starts going through her head. Otto Gunther Octavius, brown eyes, brown hair, five feet, nine inches, married to Rosie Octavius. Rosie was killed during the experimentation of a fusion reactor.
She knows everything about this man. Peter tells her, she goes on the internet. She is curious about him, about Spider-man. She locks herself in her room and studies Peter's photos online.
She knows what this man is capable of.
Then he pulls her closer to him, and looks at her simply.
"Please, be quiet." Otto says.
Then she stops, and stares at him through his sunglasses.
"...Okay..." She nodded, tears starting up in her eyes.
He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"We need you not to panic. Everything will be okay. We just need your help right now." He said strongly, looking at her.
She nodded through the tears.
Then they started climbing up the side of a building. Abbie grabbed the rest of the tentacle that held her, and she looked straight down, trying not to scream, and just crying.
"Dr. Octavius..." She whispered.
Then he stopped at the top of the building, and she wondered what was happening, but wouldn't let go of the tentacle, too scared to.
"Do you see him?" Otto asked.
"What?" She looked up at him.
"Not you." He said.
Then he looked over at his other tentacles, and he nodded at one of them.
"The sirens are close." Otto commented.
Then a tentacle hissed at him, and he smiled.
"All right then." He said. "Are you okay?" He finally looked at Abbie.
"Please, don't kill me!" She blurted out.
Otto smiled.
"It's okay, child." Was all he said, before scaling down the other side of the building.
She stared at him, still every fact she knew about him running through her head. Soon she'd start running Spider-man facts in her head.
Otto looks up, and so does one of his tentacles. They know he's out there, they can feel it. Spider-man was close. They just needed to get home, just get home and they would be safe. He walked to an alley, and started looking around.
The sirens were getting louder.
Otto frowned, then noticed there was whimpering. He looked over at Abbie, to see she was shaking, and staring at him.
"It's okay." He tried to make her feel better. "We just need to,"
A tentacle hissed, and Otto grabbed Abbie with his arms. He put his hand over her mouth, and she started crying. His tentacles started wrapping around them, as they stood in the corner of the alley.
"Shh..." Otto commanded the girl.
Then Spider-man swung right by.
Abbie screamed behind Otto's hand, but then he pushed her closer, making her stop. Then Abbie started running all the facts she knew about The Matrix through her head.
Another minute in the darkness, in the safety, then Otto got up.
"Do not scream, all right?" He asked Abbie.
She nodded, and he removed his hand from her mouth. Abbie swallowed hard, staring up at Otto. Abbie got dizzy, and past out. Too traumatic, too horrifying. As she went limp, Otto caught her, and held her in his arms, making sure she okay.
"""""""""""
She's cold. Where ever she is she's cold, as she tosses in her sleep. Then she realizes what had happened to her, and she jumped up.
She was panting as she looked around. This place...This place was broken, holes in the floor and wall. Debris everywhere...This place was a forgotten place, where no one goes anymore.
"You're awake."
She looks over to see Otto sitting over a table, his back turned to her. She panted, and nodded.
"Yeah..." She whispered.
Then she starts shaking again, and leans against a pile of debris for support. She stares at Otto, Dr. Octavius, Doctor Octopus. The man that turned himself into a monster. The murderer. The...the scientist.
"I'm cold." She whispered.
"We're close to the ocean."
Otto looked back to her, and a tentacles grabbed a blanket from the corner, and gave it to her. Then Otto turned back to the table.
"You should go back to sleep. It's still late." He said.
She wraps herself in the blanket, still shaking.
This is what happens to her. This is how it always is. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Always getting in trouble for stuff she didn't do. Dad always punishing her because of it.
"Dr. Octavius..." She called, weakly.
Otto shakes for a moment. He hadn't her that name in so long. He hadn't heard the name, "Octavius," in so long...Never did anyone call him that anymore. Only Doctor Octopus, only Doc Ock.
"Yes?" He finally asks, and turns to her.
Abbie stares at him, holding up her head with the debris she now lays on.
"I want to go home." She says.
Otto frowns.
"Are you going to kill me?" She finishes.
"Child do I look like a murderer?" He asks.
Abbie looks away, and doesn't answer.
"Abbie, right?" He asks.
"Yeah."
"Abbie, I need you right now."
"Why?"
"It's hard to explain to a child. But...I need a way to stay connected to the outside world. And you my dear are my connection. You will help me." Otto says.
"What?"
"I've been thinking about doing this for some time now, it's getting so difficult to go outside now. I wasn't going to do it for another week. But given the panic of the time, and you being the only one there, I chose you."
"So, you kidnapped me because I missed the 10:15 train!?"
Damn you, Peter, she whispers. She wouldn't have been late if not for him. She wouldn't be here. She wouldn't be here!
"I'm sorry, Abbie, I was going to choose someone older, but I can't return you now." Otto says. "I need you. I need you to go out into that world for me, I need you to go and connect me. Tell me what's happening, rent a movie for me, anything. It's hard being exiled."
Abbie isn't listening, just staring at the floor. Thinking of the what ifs, thinking if she took the bus, if she didn't lie to her dad, if she just went home after school. If... If... she only had done something.
"Go to sleep, child. You need it."
Abbie puts her head in her hands, and turns her back on the world.
Otto just turns away from the child, and returns to his table, where there is a small computer chip, that he's fixing.
He had no other choice but to choose this child. Yes, would prefer someone older, someone more stable. It's hard being disconnected from the world, being in Exile like this. He needed something to connect him. He needed something to bridge the gap between him and the world, so he wouldn't forget about it. So he wouldn't forget what a cheese burger tastes like, or how a flower smells. So he wouldn't forget how he lived the life before all this happened.
He couldn't forget the life he once had. The life he once had with Rosie.
Then he looks over at Abbie, asleep nonetheless.
"I know." He said looking at one of his arms. "She's just a little young."
They hiss.
"Yeah, I know, anyone will do."
Then he puts his hand on his tentacles, his arms, and rubs them. They're the only ones who have been here with him in exile. Hiding in the shadows, running from a spider. At least now, he would have more company.
""""""""""""
Should I continue, R/R Please!
If I continue, Next Chapter: Hard to Run
"Damn it, Peter." She says to herself.
Peter was always late. It wasn't big news. But usually she liked to chat with the man that took pictures of Spider-man before she went home. Peter really was a troubled guy, it's only natural she talk to him, being a troubled kid.
He was just standing out here one night, looking across the street to the theater. She stopped and talked with him, then she saw him there again, and again, and again. It just turned into routine.
Peter told her once he knew the red haired girl that acted in the plays. She always forgets her name though, doesn't bother to remember it, anyway.
She begins to leave, when she sees Peter, and she smiles. He's walking across the street, and she wants to go over there. She wants to talk to him like she does everyday. But then she frowns. The red haired girl comes out of the theater, and he hugs her. And kisses her.
So she starts walking away, just as Peter turns to see her leave.
Abbie lowered her head, and started walking faster. It figures really, the one person she can talk to also finds a way to ignore her. She frowns, that's how it is though. That's how it always been.
Abbie is the girl in black, you always see walking alone on the streets. She's not gothic or anything, she just likes black. Because with black you can't see anything. No one can look at her, or judge her, because they can't see.
Of course, they judge all the same.
She grabs her back pack, full of Spider-man comic books. She was going to give them to Peter tonight, so he could read them. After all Peter was the one that took pictures of Spider-man, she thought he would thank her for it.
Then she starts running.
She runs watching the 10:15 subway train go by, just missing it. She frowns staring at her ticket, she'll just have to go one 10:45. She sighs to herself and puts her backpack down.
So now there is a thirteen year old girl, dressed in black, and dirty black hair. A girl clearly too young to stay out so late by herself in the city that never sleeps. She rubs her arm, to reveal a large bruise.
And she thinks to herself, father will be furious.
Not that he really cares, he'll just be mad, because she's been avoiding him. He doesn't care how late she is getting home, she doesn't really think he notices.
So she sighs again.
And as the minutes go by, staring at the opposite wall, she notices someone is standing next to her.
He lowers his head, when he sees her stare. A man in a green trench coat, with a hat and sunglasses. She looks at him, knowing staring is rude.
"Hello there." He says to her.
She looks away knowing he saw her.
"Hi." She replies.
"What are you doing out so late?" He asks her.
Running. Avoiding a father that doesn't understand. Avoiding non-existant friends. Trying to have fun when out so late. Trying to live a life worth living. Trying to finish homework and sneak out. Dreaming of something better.
"Nothing." She says.
"And what is your name?" He asks her.
"Abbie."
She starts rocking back a forth, nervous. She's a shy girl on the inside. She doesn't like silences. She doesn't like the silence. If she keeps talking, no one can yell at her.
"You look familiar." She says.
The man smiles.
"Yes, I get that a lot." He says.
Awkward silence. She doesn't like those, as she kicks the ground just because she can.
"I have a trench coat, you know." She says.
"Really now." He looks over at her.
"Yeah, but it's black. I got it when I was really into the Matrix." She smiles.
The man quietly laughs, and she smiles, rubbing her back being a little nervous.
Then it is back to waiting for half an hour for the train to get here. Waiting to return to home, run upstairs so father doesn't notice, and lock her door so he can't come in. Turn on the computer, and look at the outside world.
Then sirens. She looks towards the stairs to the rest of New York.
"Oh no." The man whispers.
"Looks like Spider-man is going to work." Abbie jokes.
Then she feels something slither through her arms and around her side. It was in one quick movement then she was swept off the ground, and screaming.
Then she sees, the man that look so familiar was the man who was a monster.
"Dr. Octavius!" She screams.
Then he looks over at her and nods, wondering if she was going to say something.
But she begins to scream, and tug at the mechanical arm that holds her. She starts kicking and screaming, knowing who this man is. Knowing what he's done. Everything she ever knew about this man, starts going through her head. Otto Gunther Octavius, brown eyes, brown hair, five feet, nine inches, married to Rosie Octavius. Rosie was killed during the experimentation of a fusion reactor.
She knows everything about this man. Peter tells her, she goes on the internet. She is curious about him, about Spider-man. She locks herself in her room and studies Peter's photos online.
She knows what this man is capable of.
Then he pulls her closer to him, and looks at her simply.
"Please, be quiet." Otto says.
Then she stops, and stares at him through his sunglasses.
"...Okay..." She nodded, tears starting up in her eyes.
He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"We need you not to panic. Everything will be okay. We just need your help right now." He said strongly, looking at her.
She nodded through the tears.
Then they started climbing up the side of a building. Abbie grabbed the rest of the tentacle that held her, and she looked straight down, trying not to scream, and just crying.
"Dr. Octavius..." She whispered.
Then he stopped at the top of the building, and she wondered what was happening, but wouldn't let go of the tentacle, too scared to.
"Do you see him?" Otto asked.
"What?" She looked up at him.
"Not you." He said.
Then he looked over at his other tentacles, and he nodded at one of them.
"The sirens are close." Otto commented.
Then a tentacle hissed at him, and he smiled.
"All right then." He said. "Are you okay?" He finally looked at Abbie.
"Please, don't kill me!" She blurted out.
Otto smiled.
"It's okay, child." Was all he said, before scaling down the other side of the building.
She stared at him, still every fact she knew about him running through her head. Soon she'd start running Spider-man facts in her head.
Otto looks up, and so does one of his tentacles. They know he's out there, they can feel it. Spider-man was close. They just needed to get home, just get home and they would be safe. He walked to an alley, and started looking around.
The sirens were getting louder.
Otto frowned, then noticed there was whimpering. He looked over at Abbie, to see she was shaking, and staring at him.
"It's okay." He tried to make her feel better. "We just need to,"
A tentacle hissed, and Otto grabbed Abbie with his arms. He put his hand over her mouth, and she started crying. His tentacles started wrapping around them, as they stood in the corner of the alley.
"Shh..." Otto commanded the girl.
Then Spider-man swung right by.
Abbie screamed behind Otto's hand, but then he pushed her closer, making her stop. Then Abbie started running all the facts she knew about The Matrix through her head.
Another minute in the darkness, in the safety, then Otto got up.
"Do not scream, all right?" He asked Abbie.
She nodded, and he removed his hand from her mouth. Abbie swallowed hard, staring up at Otto. Abbie got dizzy, and past out. Too traumatic, too horrifying. As she went limp, Otto caught her, and held her in his arms, making sure she okay.
"""""""""""
She's cold. Where ever she is she's cold, as she tosses in her sleep. Then she realizes what had happened to her, and she jumped up.
She was panting as she looked around. This place...This place was broken, holes in the floor and wall. Debris everywhere...This place was a forgotten place, where no one goes anymore.
"You're awake."
She looks over to see Otto sitting over a table, his back turned to her. She panted, and nodded.
"Yeah..." She whispered.
Then she starts shaking again, and leans against a pile of debris for support. She stares at Otto, Dr. Octavius, Doctor Octopus. The man that turned himself into a monster. The murderer. The...the scientist.
"I'm cold." She whispered.
"We're close to the ocean."
Otto looked back to her, and a tentacles grabbed a blanket from the corner, and gave it to her. Then Otto turned back to the table.
"You should go back to sleep. It's still late." He said.
She wraps herself in the blanket, still shaking.
This is what happens to her. This is how it always is. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Always getting in trouble for stuff she didn't do. Dad always punishing her because of it.
"Dr. Octavius..." She called, weakly.
Otto shakes for a moment. He hadn't her that name in so long. He hadn't heard the name, "Octavius," in so long...Never did anyone call him that anymore. Only Doctor Octopus, only Doc Ock.
"Yes?" He finally asks, and turns to her.
Abbie stares at him, holding up her head with the debris she now lays on.
"I want to go home." She says.
Otto frowns.
"Are you going to kill me?" She finishes.
"Child do I look like a murderer?" He asks.
Abbie looks away, and doesn't answer.
"Abbie, right?" He asks.
"Yeah."
"Abbie, I need you right now."
"Why?"
"It's hard to explain to a child. But...I need a way to stay connected to the outside world. And you my dear are my connection. You will help me." Otto says.
"What?"
"I've been thinking about doing this for some time now, it's getting so difficult to go outside now. I wasn't going to do it for another week. But given the panic of the time, and you being the only one there, I chose you."
"So, you kidnapped me because I missed the 10:15 train!?"
Damn you, Peter, she whispers. She wouldn't have been late if not for him. She wouldn't be here. She wouldn't be here!
"I'm sorry, Abbie, I was going to choose someone older, but I can't return you now." Otto says. "I need you. I need you to go out into that world for me, I need you to go and connect me. Tell me what's happening, rent a movie for me, anything. It's hard being exiled."
Abbie isn't listening, just staring at the floor. Thinking of the what ifs, thinking if she took the bus, if she didn't lie to her dad, if she just went home after school. If... If... she only had done something.
"Go to sleep, child. You need it."
Abbie puts her head in her hands, and turns her back on the world.
Otto just turns away from the child, and returns to his table, where there is a small computer chip, that he's fixing.
He had no other choice but to choose this child. Yes, would prefer someone older, someone more stable. It's hard being disconnected from the world, being in Exile like this. He needed something to connect him. He needed something to bridge the gap between him and the world, so he wouldn't forget about it. So he wouldn't forget what a cheese burger tastes like, or how a flower smells. So he wouldn't forget how he lived the life before all this happened.
He couldn't forget the life he once had. The life he once had with Rosie.
Then he looks over at Abbie, asleep nonetheless.
"I know." He said looking at one of his arms. "She's just a little young."
They hiss.
"Yeah, I know, anyone will do."
Then he puts his hand on his tentacles, his arms, and rubs them. They're the only ones who have been here with him in exile. Hiding in the shadows, running from a spider. At least now, he would have more company.
""""""""""""
Should I continue, R/R Please!
If I continue, Next Chapter: Hard to Run