Peter was pulling another unconscious and bloodied woman from the crushed remains of her car as more police cars were arriving on the scene. Police and ambulance crews were all over the place by now, and he figured it wouldn't be long before the media pounced on the wreckage too. Some people had only words of praise for Spiderman, while others demanded to know why he hadn't been there to stop that madman. He tried to tell them – he couldn't be everywhere at once. What did they want from him? He was trying his best!
Grin and bear it, buddy. Get in there and keep at it.
He had managed to pull all the cars from the wreckage and pull out any survivors. He jumped up to the cab of the MAC truck and peered inside, immediately yanking his head back again.
"Oh God…" he said, suddenly feeling as if he couldn't breathe. What a mess. He hopped down from the cab and looked over his shoulder at an ambulance crew waiting nearby. The pointed to the cab and he shook his head. Shooting a web out, he hurtled himself up and away from the scene to sit atop a restaurant roof. If this was indeed Doc Ock's work…where was he? Why would he do this and then leave? It didn't make sense. The last time he'd caused this kind of chaos, it was to draw Peter out so he could try and kill him.
So where was he? Peter scratched his head through his mask and crossed his arms, looking back down at the intersection. He was aware that his Spidey sense was still tingling…but it was nowhere near as strong as when this had happened.
Suddenly all of the blood drained from Peter's face and he felt himself break into a cold sweat. Maybe Ock hadn't wanted Peter this time. What if…
Mary Jane.
He'd left her alone. Would Ock have gone after her? Would he have done this just to cause a distraction? He leaped off the roof and swung back down the way he'd come, frantic now.
Had he done something to Mary Jane? As pay back for what had happened to Julia?
Oh God please no…please let her be all right…He landed in a crouch on the building across the street from the café, breathing hard.
She was gone. He slowly stood and then jumped down to the pavement below. There were chairs tossed every which way as well as an overturned table. He bent and picked up the sad remains of a phone. It was Mary Jane's phone; he recognized the cover plate. He dropped it to the ground and stood silent for a minute, his hands curling into tight fists.
He turned on his heel and leaped back up into the air, flying up into the skyscrapers of the city, furious with both himself and Ock. He should have known. He should have seen it coming! Peter landed on the top of a high skyscraper and looked out over the horizon. He could be anywhere. Where would he even begin to start looking? It didn't matter – he'd find her. And he'd get Ock. He'd beat him unconscious. He looked down at his clenched fist and frowned. The skies overhead had turned threatening again and he felt the first few drops of rain soak through his mask.
You wanna play rough, Ock? We'll play rough.
Andy stared, wide-eyed, as Otto dropped the limp body onto the couch beneath the window. Both the girl and Otto were dripping wet - outside it was pouring again.
"Hold on, who the hell is this?" she exclaimed, pointing at Mary Jane. Otto raised an eyebrow at her and smiled as if it were obvious.
"A necessary part of the experiment." She stood gaping at him for a moment and then turned back to the girl.
"You can't just…what are you…" she couldn't gather the words. Finally she straightened and shoved Otto in the arm.
"You can't just TAKE someone off the street and treat them like a guinea pig, for Christ's sake! I thought you were developing a Spiderman serum! What are you doing with her?" Otto glanced down at his arm where she had hit him and frowned.
"Number one, she's isn't just 'someone' off the street. And number two, I am developing a serum. However, I need a participant to test the final composite, don't I?" He reached for a roll of duct tape on a nearby bench and tore off a long strip with the tentacles. They turned her over and began to bind her wrists and ankles together. Andy shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Otto, I'm all for scientific progress. I really am. But you can't just 'test' it out on this girl. I'm quite sure she isn't a willing participant in this experiment. What happens if something goes wrong?" she put her hand on his arm and pulled him around. He gazed down at her, his face suddenly stony.
"What if she ends up dying?" she said, lowering her voice. Otto dropped the roll of tape back onto the table.
"You shouldn't worry so much. I am supremely confident this serum will work." A faint smiled curled his lips, but he said nothing more. Andy snorted and pointed at him.
"Whatever that's supposed to mean, it sounds pretty sick. I'm not down with that at all." Otto abruptly lifted himself up on two of the tentacles; the other two arced beside him, snapping shut loudly. Andy instinctively backed away as he floated closer to her, gesturing with one hand at her.
"Andy. My dear girl. You must not doubt that I hold you in the highest regards as an intelligent being worthy of my presence and conversation. But I'm afraid your opinion in this matter is void – the experiment will continue. Have faith." She looked back down at the girl lying bound pitifully on the couch and then looked back up at him. He pressed the sunglasses further up his nose and frowned.
"I'm sorry, Otto," she said, shaking her head. Otto sighed, truly disappointed in her lack of enthusiasm.
"So am I," he said despondently. He suddenly grabbed her with two tentacles and picked her up. She grabbed onto the tentacles, staring at him in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing now?" she cried as he walked across the warehouse with her. He held her against a support column in the center of the warehouse and reached for a huge spool of wiring on the floor beside him, unraveling a few feet of cord and then pinching it off.
"I can't have you interfering in this. I've waited too long and worked too hard on this to be set back now." She remained silent as he wrapped the cord around her and secured the ends behind the column. She glared up at him and he held her gaze.
"This is quite unnecessary, Otto. What did you think I was going to do?"
"Forgive me," was all he said as he walked back to begin working. Rain was streaming down the windows far above them now and a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. Otto reached for the small container of vials he'd brought from Oscorp.
Today…he would make history.
Peter stood on top of an old church roof, balancing carefully on the steep sides as he scanned the horizon.
What am I looking for? I have no idea where to begin…He knew chances were slim Ock had gone back to the warehouse complexes at Osbourne Industries. That would be too obvious. He pulled his mask from his face and lifted it skyward, letting the cold rain wash down over his burning forehead.
"You'll catch cold standing out here in the rain like this," a voice said behind him. Peter froze, feeling his face drain of blood.
Oh no.
Not now. Please, God, not now. Peter turned on the summit of the roof carefully and saw the Green Goblin hovering directly across from him, shaking his head in a disapproving manner. Peter let his anger do the talking as he stuffed his mask back over his face and curled his hands beside him.
"I don't have time for you, Norman. I have to find MJ," he snapped. Goblin cocked his head and bent down on the glider, looking concerned.
"Oh dear – misplaced your girlfriend again, have you? Why don't you check the street corners downtown? I hear that's where all the whores hang out," he said nastily, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. Peter crouched onto the roof, ignoring the biting remark, and prepared to shoot a web. Maybe he could pull the glider out from under him.
"Did you hear me? I said I haven't got any time for you!" he yelled as he shot a web for the glider. Norman flew up higher and he missed, veering back around at Peter.
"Now that's not fair, Peter! I always make time for you!" he cackled, rushing at him and knocking him down the side of the roof. Peter spun around as he slid and kicked off the ledge of the church roof, leaping up and shooting a web. He had only made it as far as the next roof when the Goblin lunged at him, the glider sliding across the roof and smashing into the ledge.
He landed on Peter heavily and crushed him against the pitch roof, his hands wrapped around his throat. Peter swung and cracked him across the face, but Norman took it and simply shook his head as blood began to drip from the nose of his mask.
"Peter. That was uncalled for," he muttered, tightening his grip around his neck. Peter choked and shoved against Norman's chest, desperate to get the man off of him.
"Now. Do I have your attention?" he growled, waiting patiently as Peter nodded weakly, his hands wrapped around Norman's forearms.
"Good. Stop struggling then. You'll want to save your strength so you can be the hero again today," he laughed, leaning closer. Rain dripped down the contours of the Goblin's mask and splattered across Peter's face.
"What are you talking about?" Peter managed to croak, feeling his legs going numb under Norman's weight. He smiled wickedly, the corners of the goblin mask stretching to match his grin as he leaned closer still, right against Peter's head.
"I have a secret, Peter. Want to know what it is?" he said, chuckling. Peter stiffened, craning his head back to try and take a breath.
"I know where Mary Jane's run off to," he whispered. Overhead the sky lit up as lightning struck down somewhere in the city. Peter felt his muscles contract all at once, and he yanked his numb legs up, somehow managing to flip Norman over his head and off of his neck. Gasping for air, Peter staggered away, facing the Goblin as he got to his feet and grinned at him.
"Don't play games with me! Not today!" he yelled, charging for him. He dipped lower at the last second as the Goblin tried to throw a punch, but it sailed over his head as Peter crashed into Norman's knees, bowling him over. He threw him across the roof and rushed at him again, cracking him across the jaw with his right fist. Peter felt his anger fueling every punch as he beat Norman across the face again and again, finally letting go of him as he slumped against the ledge of the roof. He backed away and tripped, falling backwards and staying there on the ground, breathing heavily and glaring at the Goblin.
How many times would they do this? No matter how many times they fought, no matter how badly they beat each other bloody, he still came back to taunt Peter. Norman sat up slowly and dragged his gloved hand underneath the nose of the mask, smearing blood across his face.
"Well! I guess someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, huh?" he snapped at Peter, getting to his feet. Peter jumped to his feet as well and lifted his fists. Norman held out his hand.
"No. I'm done now, son. I just needed to get the blood flowing again, you know?" he said, chuckling to himself under his breath. Peter shook his head and jumped for him again, slamming him roughly against the ledge of the building, bending him back over and letting his upper body hang out over the streets far below. The bricks crumbled beneath their weight as they struggled.
"Peter! Enough!" he cried as his feet left the ground and he slid further off the roof.
"You can't just turn this off, Norman! You're not going to decide when you want to tangle and when you're finished!" Peter said, furious, his hands clenched around Norman's neck as he shoved him out over the ledge. A few bricks loosened beneath the Goblin's back and fell. He slipped even further and reached out desperately, grabbing onto Peter's shoulders with an iron grip.
"Listen to me, you little snot! I wasn't joking! I know where Octavius took her!" he said, sounding somewhat frantic. Peter held him there a moment longer before he loosened his grip and relaxed his clenched jaw. He finally let go and Norman rolled off the ledge to the ground, his demeanor suddenly serious.
"Tell me where she is or I swear to God I won't stop until you're dead," Peter said, his words saturated with rage. He was surprised at how violent he sounded – he was desperate now, desperate to find Mary Jane, and he knew his aggravation stemmed from that fear. He was sick of the Goblin's mind games – but he had managed to get his attention this time.
"All in good time, my boy - you don't want to bite off more than you can chew," he growled, one hand rubbing at his neck irritably, taking a step forward. Peter didn't move and the Goblin laughed again.
"Why would you tell me this, Norman? What's in it for you?" Peter said warily, watching every movement the Goblin made. This sounded an awful lot like a trap. Norman snorted.
"You were there, Peter. Didn't you see the condition Octavius left my goddamn warehouse in? It's going to cost me a pretty penny to get that place back into working order! He set me back a good couple of weeks! That bastard owes me," he snapped, pointing a finger across the city in the direction of the Industrial Park. Peter let out a long breath, feeling panicky, and he slowly shook his head.
"I know you were there, so drop the act. I found something you left behind after they put the fire out. I don't know what happened that night, but I guess he must have really beat you bloody if you let him rip this off," he snickered, pulling a ragged scrap of cloth from the pouch slung over his shoulder.
It was his mask.
"What I wouldn't give to have seen that," he sighed, holding out the tattered remains of the mask in the rain. Peter reached out for it but Norman yanked it away.
"Oh no – this is mine now. I'm a pack rat, you see," he said, stuffing the scrap of cloth back into his pouch. He clapped his hand onto Peter's shoulder and laughed.
Great. Now he's got evidence to pin me to the fire if he wanted. Just one more thing to worry about. Peter shut his eyes and sighed heavily.
"You're wasting time, Norman. Tell me. Tell me where he took her," Peter said sullenly, feeling very drained as the rage dissolved into fear once again. What had Ock done to her?
Norman gave him a crooked smile and then turned, looking out over the horizon.
"Brilliant, really. He might be a bastard, but he's smart enough to make that work," he said, looking back and watching Peter expectantly.
"Got the Spider to leave his web so he could come in and take what he wanted. From what I hear, she didn't go without a fight. That should make you proud," he continued, clasping his hands behind his back as Peter took a step forward, gesturing at him angrily.
"Tell me! Where is she?!" he yelled, exasperated now. Norman's grin faded as his expression turned solemn.
"On the docks, Peter. He took her to the pier," he said in a low voice. Peter got in Norman's face, grabbing up the front of his vest in a fist and yanking him forward.
"If you're setting me up – " he began, and Norman scoffed, glaring down at him.
"Please. Give me some credit," he said, repulsed, and Peter let him go again, running for the ledge of the church.
The piers…I've got to hurry…he thought as he neared the edge. Norman called out to him from behind, cackling wildly now.
"You owe me, Peter! You hear me, boy? You OWE me for this!!!" Peter jumped from the building and was gone as another bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. Norman walked to the ledge of the building and leaned on it, folding his hands and looking across the city as rain continued to pelt him, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Let's see what you'll do now, Octavius. Doctor Octopus. Whatever you call yourself now. He turned from the ledge and jumped onto the glider lying in the corner of the roof. Kicking the glider into gear, he spun it around and quickly rose into the air as thick smoke billowed from the back of the contraption. Crazed laughter followed him as he rose higher into the sky, and soon only the sound of the rain hitting the roof remained.