WARNING! DEATH, GORE, AND VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER!
***MH***
The wind was hot...scorching really...it was like a desert, this place.
Everything had gone down hill...and FAST…
Doctor Octopus panted as he scurried past the rubble and debris of what once was Brooklyn...it looked like a war zone, and it complicated his chance for cover.
Quickly dodging from rubble pit to rubble pit, Doc managed to get to his destination; an abandoned hospital. Quickly going inside, his mechanical arms lifted, scanning the area for medical supplies.
His last run in with Sophia had almost cost him his life…
Doc panted as he snatched hydrogen peroxide and quickly opened it, taking off his beaten and torn overcoat to check his latest wound.
A deep gash in his side...made three days ago and was still oozing blood. He had tried to keep it as clean as possible...but trying to stay out of sight was near impossible with that mad-woman patrolling the skies of the barren New York.
...Sometimes he felt like she was just toying with him...other times, he was wondering if he really was narrowly avoiding her attempts on him.
Doc hissed and quickly covered his mouth to muffle a yell of pain as he poured the liquid on his wound, causing the medicine to start fighting infections and bacteria on his skin.
DAMN IT, that HURT!
He slowly let out a breath and reached for a cloth, trying to shake off the dust from it, before he lightly dabbed at his wound...and glanced back outside to make sure he was alone.
...three months...
It had been three...long...horrifying...months.
Not a week after Sophia's terrifying transformation, there were news reports that nearly 50 million people had just...vanished...into thin air. Sophia hadn't killed them...no, their remains would have been littering the streets if it had been her.
They had just...vanished...as though some Great Deity had spared them the horror of being in this world with...her…
Doc looked down and gritted his teeth, his eyes stinging like mad.
….what have I done…
That woman is out for blood…
...what...have...I...done…
I need to get healed and away before she can find me…
...This is ALL...my fault…….Creeeak….
Doc spun around and aimed his claws at….
"You'd best get outta here, before I blow yer head off…"
On the other side of the room was Montana, two handguns in his grip, and aiming right at Dr. Octopus. He looked like he had got hit by a train...he was absolutely filthy and he had scars running along his face and arms.
Both Doc and Montana kept sharp eyes on each other, neither moving from his spot.
"...Montana…" Doc gritted his teeth, slowly balling his fists. "...You're still alive..."
"Yeah. No thanks'ta you and yer merry men." Montana snarled back, cocking his rifles and looking ready to end Doc right then and there. "Honestly I'm surprised yer still around...Ain't seen anyone these days...not even the bug."
"The Arachnid is dead." Doc replied, slowly taking a step forward- only to jump back a few paces when Montana shot at his feet. "GAH!" He panted and quickly pointed at Montana. "QUIET! She'll hear you!"
"And what if she dose?" Montana snarled. "Apparently I'd be doin' her a favor."
"Montana, listen to me-"
"Jackson! You do NOT call me 'Montana'!"
"LISTEN TO ME!" Doc snarled. "I don't know what happened to her! I don't know how she became this way!"
"I know how." Montana growled. "You took everything away from her...Ya locked 'er in a cage, Forced her ta marry ya, and killed her family." He started pulling the trigger. "...and you took my Fay...So I'm takin' you."
"Montana!" Doc raised his arms-
SLASH!
Montana lurched and his eyes went wide for a second...as a curved blade sliced right through his back and out his chest. Falling to his knees, he fell to the ground lifeless...Demona standing over him.
Doc screamed and gawked at the sight of Montana's fresh corpse on the ground, the dark outline of Demona taking her blade to her lips and licking off the blade.
"...Hello Dearest." She greeted, grinning evilly. "You're late for dinner."
Not wasting any time, Doc quickly found random things to throw at her, which she slashed through effortlessly. Quickly spreading her sharp wings, she LAUNCHED for Doc, blue flames forming in her palms. Doc let off a yell and SLAMMED his mechanical arms against her. Quickly he CHUCKED a large oxygen tank at her form and ran as it exploded upon contact with her flames.
Not daring to look back, Doc scampered for the nearest opening...the Brooklyn bridge. If he could get to Manhattan and try to get to his hideout, he'd be safe for now! That bunker was IMPENETRABLE! Sophia still hadn't figured out a way to get to him as long as he was in it.
He panted heavily as his mechanical arms clattered against the bridge.
Run...Just Run…
RUN!
"OTTO!"
Doc gasped and cried out as he found himself airborne, trying to grab for the edges of the bridge...but he was already flying fast from it.
He yelled and struggled widely in Demona's grip, her sharp claws digging into his sides, reopening his wound.
"SOPHIA!" He shrieked, bringing up his tentacles and jabbing at her as best as he could.
Demona snarled as his claws hit her several times...which only made her grip tighten on him...though once he hit her in the face, she let go, causing him to plummet into the Hudson…
...Doc surfaced and coughed violently, scrambling for the shore. Once he got there, he forced his mechanical arms to get him onto the docks, his entire body trembling from the impact. He spit up water, mixed with blood, quickly looking back towards the sky, in an attempt to locate his attacker…
...she was nowhere to be found…
He panted and backed away, trying to scan the skies. Where was she?! From where would she attack!?
The hot wind SLAMMED into him, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground, panting and coughing profusely.
"Heh heh heh heh…"
Doc's eyes snapped open and he FORCED himself to stand, turning around...finding a well dressed man sitting on the top of a pile of rubble.
Cipher grinned at him and leaned back, looking comfortable on the top of the remains of what was once a building.
"Well Well Well." he purred. "If it isn't the good Doctor. I've gotta hand it to ya, Octavius; you're a whole lot more slippery than I had thought."
"Who are you?!" Doc demanded, taking a few steps back, panting heavily. His mechanical arms came up on the defense, just in case this shady looking man did something sudden.
"Name's Bill." He introduced, leaning back and resting his hands behind his head. "I'm the new ruler of this lovely planet. Meet the wife!"
He snapped his fingers.
"Hello darling."
Doc gasped sharply and quickly scampered away, as Demona suddenly appeared out of nowhere right behind him, her large wings breaking apart the smoke surrounding her. He tripped and fell on his back, his breathing quickening as Demona towered over him, her hands on her hips, and an evil smirk on her face.
"Sophia- Wait- Wife?!" He panted and looked towards Cipher, who carelessly floated over to Demona, standing beside her and snaking an arm around her waist. "I-I-I don't understand...She's my- Well she's technically-"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention!" Cipher stood behind Demona and slinked both of his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head, smirking evilly at Doc. "Sophia and I made a little deal…" He purred, his one eye glowing yellow. As he did this, Demona didn't move...if anything, she only stood stock still, glaring a poisonous glare at Doc as Cipher spoke.
"She gets revenge for all the lives you destroyed." Cipher let go of Demona and trailed a finger across her face. "And in return, she's all mine."
Doc panted and trembled at the look of pure darkness in Sophia's once soft and gentle eyes. She had no emotion except for hatred radiating from her.
...Pure...bitter...Hatred…
"Why?" His voice cracked, before he raised his voice. "Why her?! Couldn't you have chosen any other woman!? There are plenty of more evil women! Sable Silvermane for one-"
"But NO other person has had a more PERFECT recipe for a deal at this time." Cipher's eye flashed in glee, and an insane grin came to his face. "Abused by her father, Abandoned by her Lover, Family murdered by her Lover, Mother murdered by her father, Dreams crushed by her Lover...the list goes ON and ON, Doc!"
Cipher stepped away from Demona and circled around Doctor Octopus, looking thoughtful. "Of course, I had to step in during your testing of your energy drainer...then none of this could have panned out as perfectly as I had envisioned it."
"Yo-...Wha-" Doc looked towards Cipher, his eyes wide.
"Your machine worked just fine." Cipher hummed, twirling his cane. "But that would have kept me waiting for five more years before little Sophia would have finally broke, and by that time, she might have had a chance to end herself before I could get to her."
He looked towards Doc and shrugged. "So I sabotaged your machine to make sure your little wifey had no more hope to pull from."
"You-...But That means that I'M not the one who killed all those people!" Doc panted and quickly looked towards Demona, desperately. "SOPHIA! Did you not HEAR him?! HE killed your family! NOT ME!"
Demona only looked at him, emotionlessly, aside from the hatred in her eyes.
"SOPHIA ANSWER ME!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Cipher threw back his head and laughed insanely. "It's too late, Doc! The deal's already made! Your wife, Sophia Lillian Vincent is dead!" He pranced over to Demona and trailed a finger across one of her wings. "...and now that the Creator has already taken his peeps out of here, it's time to begin the 7 years of Chaos."
He looked towards the horrified Doc. "This really isn't personal, Doc. Just business. Demona dearest, take out the trash, would you please?"
Doc cried out and quickly scrambled up, his mechanical arms scrambling to escape from his attacker...who spread her wings and launched after him.
Doc couldn't think straight...he could only run...he could only think about escaping.
He heard a terrifying screech behind him as his attacker gained on him.
No...NO!...NOOO!
RUN! KEEP RUNNING!Doc panted and saw a figure in the smoke as he continued to scramble away from Demona. He could have sworn the image looked like...him…
NO! He had to be imagining things! He had to get AWAY!
The figure in front of him let out a yell and put up his hands, causing Doc to quickly SHOVE the figure to the ground.
"OUT of the WAY!" Doc yelled, panting harshly, his metal arms running like crazy. He had to get away...He had to get AWAY!
He could hear her wings pounding against the hot wind, and he could FEEL his heartbeat in his throat. Don't look back...Keep running….Don't look back...KEEP RUNNING!
Doc felt all the air RUSH out of him as Demona SLAMMED herself into him, SLAMMING him into the ground.
Dr. Octopus screamed in alarm as he was PINNED to the ground. Quickly thrashing his mechanical arms upwards, they tried to slash and stab at Demona in an attempt to get her OFF him.
"NO! LET GO! SOPHIA LET GO!"
SCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHH!
Dr. Octopus screamed in agony as Demona's screech pierced into his very soul as continued to thrash, managing to KICK her off of him, and scrambled up in an effort to get up.
However he got SLAMMED to the ground, landing on his belly…
"NO! GET OFF OF ME!"
"TODAY is the day you LOSE to Demona, 'Darling'!"
Doc hyperventilated and made his mechanical arms grab each of her extremities, PEELING her off of his back and CHUCKING her into the air. As she went sailing, he turned, groping for the ground and trying once again to find a way to escape from this madwoman.
Sophia was gone...he could tell. There was NOTHING left of Sophia in this….this...THING!
...Unless...Unless it was like him and Otto? He CONSTANTLY heard Otto's voice...Maybe…
...Maybe Sophia was still in there! If he could-
Doc cried out as Demona SLASHED at his back...slicing off THREE of his mechanical arms. Dr. Octopus panted and quickly turned, trying to get the arm he had LEFT to swipe and stab at Demona.
She dodged his efforts, her eyes reflecting hatred and darkness.
Shaking in fear, Doc quickly JABBED at her...and managed to impale her stomach.
Demona didn't flinch...she didn't even move.
NO! SOPHIA!
Doc panted as he heard Otto's voice...but...it was different...it was like it wasn't even in his own head. He whimpered as Demona looked back up, glaring darkness into his very soul…
He trembled and panted, a look of absolute terror in his eyes. "S-...Sophia l-listen to me...LISTEN TO ME SOPH- URCH!"
Dr. Octopus found himself HURLED to the ground, as Demona grabbed the mechanical arm that was embedded in her stomach and YANKED him to the ground.
Before he even had a chance to try and recover, she SNAPPED his remaining mechanical arm off of it's holster...and proceeded to pull the blade out of her stomach.
As she did so, her wound slowly mended itself back together, making the woman smirk evilly.
"...What's wrong, my love?...have you become...weak?" Demona snarled, slowly walking towards Dr. Octopus.
The downed Doc panted and scrambled away, his goggled eyes wide in terror as his enemy closed in on him.
"S-Sophia! Sophia LISTEN to me! W-We can fix this- we- We- can-" He didn't have time to finish, because Demona extended her wings and TACKLED him, sending them both TUMBLING down a large drop at LEAST 50 to 100 feet down.
He cried out as his back SLAMMED into the cold concrete of the ground.
As he tried to recover, his eyes widened as Demona held her blade over her head and LUNGED it down at him. Doc screamed and grabbed her wrists, stopping the blade just a few inches away from his chest...and the two began a desperate struggle between life and death.
His body shook from the strain and his lungs hyperventilated, doing EVERYTHING they could to STAY ALIVE! He looked up into her eyes, flashes of her once gentle gaze looking back at him.
Her interest in animal science...the way she spoke of figure skating...the day she gave him her butterfly necklace...The failed bat experiment…
...Sophia…
"STOP SOPHIA!" Doc pleaded desperately, panting quickly and trying to get Demona OFF of him. "PLEASE STOP! HAVE MERCY! I BEG OF YOU!"
"Mercy?" Demona scowled darkly, leaning her face down to mere inches away from his. "Mercy is for the weak...REMEMBER?!"
"SOPHIA I'M SORRY!" Doc cried out, the blade slowly getting closer to his chest. His eyes widened...he could FEEL her strength out matching him…
...she was going to KILL him!
Hyperventilating, he looked up with terrified eyes. "PLEASE! PLEASE SOPHIA! I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!"
Demona smirked and chuckled lowly. "...no...SOPHIA loved you….Sophia loved you until she took her last breath." She grinned. "But then she made a deal she couldn't refuse after you destroyed the lives of the city."
"SOPHIA THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Dr. Octopus panted, feeling his arms straining and beginning to fail. IT WASN'T EVEN HIS FAULT! "IT WAS A MISCALCULAT-"
"YOU ARE THE WORST MISTAKE SOPHIA VINCENT EVER MADE!" Demona screamed. "Take my blade! Right through your twisted heart!" She shoved her blade harder against him, the tip of the blade finally scratching through his coat. "Take it….TAKE IT STRAIGHT TO THE PIT, YOU SICKENING PIECE OF SLAAAAAG!"
Dr. Octopus cried out and panted, feeling his arms weaken...feeling the blade scratch his skin. "S-Sophia!" he whimpered…
Sophia...I'm so sorry…
MAKE HER STOP!
I loved you Sophia...I truly….truly loved you….
His arms trembled...his body failed…
...and he felt the cold hard sting of metal slicing into his chest.
Doc whimpered and felt blood escaping his mouth...his body started feeling numb...his heart trembled, as it could no longer find the energy to beat with the coldness of Demona's blade carved into it.
He shivered and found his head being forced back, to look into the cold gaze of his once lovely Sophia.
"Sleep, Otto...and NEVER wake again." She muttered, before slowly pressing her lips against his.
His world darkened as her cold lips pressed themselves to his trembling lips...he felt his life slipping away...but...he swore he could hear...something…
...Otto…
...Sophia…
Demona broke away from Doctor Octopus and SHOVED his body away from herself, the limp form of the once-brilliant scientist now painting the ground red as a pool of his own blood formed underneath him.
She licked her lips clean from his blood that stained her, standing tall over his body. All she could do was gaze at the still and lifeless form.
Her mission was complete. She got her revenge.
...and it...was SO...BITTER…
She heard a shuffle and looked to the side, seeing a figure about 75 feet up at the top of the pit.
Narrowing her eyes, she spread her wings and quickly took to the air, swooping upwards and landing on the ground.
...there...5 feet away from her…
...was the form of Otto Octavius...on his knees, his back turned to her…
Confusion wanted to creep into her...but all she could feel was hatred. Her eyes narrowed darkly as he panted and slowly turned to look at her in terror.
The two only stared at each other….for what seemed like hours…
Otto panted and closed his eyes…
Demona narrowed her own eyes and rose her blade. Was this some sort of trick? Some sort of never ending strife? She gritted her teeth and LUNGED for him….but a circle suddenly appeared under him, causing him to disappear before she could get to him, and closing RIGHT as her blade landed in the spot that he was once in.
She gasped at the action and quickly stood, looking around. She scanned the area fervently for the escapee...but all she saw was a barren wasteland of what was once the 9/11 memorial…
Standing tall once again, Demona allowed her arms to fall to her sides...and dropped her blade…
Glancing back towards the pit that she had flown out of, she could see the motionless body of Doctor Octopus…
...before she threw back her head and let out a primal SCREAM, the sound her of rage, hatred...and suffering filling the barren skies of the battle scarred Earth….