Part Three

            She needed a break from all this mania. MJ was tired of superheroes and psychos dressed up in Halloween costumes trying to break the door down. She needed to reconnect with a normal life even if it was just for a moment.

"Hey, Flash." Mary Jane said into the Parker family phone gently, "You guys up to anything?"

            The Jock sounded groggy as if he had just woken up though it was not even five in the afternoon. "Huh? Oh, hi, MJ, what's up?"
            She brushed her hair with her elegant fingers gently, "I was just wondering what you guys were up to, that's all."

            "Phil and I and a few others are heading down to the mall later. They're supposed to have some event going on where you can get your picture taken with the Fantastic Four or something. You want to come?"

            Great, that's just what I needed more superheroes. "No thanks, appreciate the invitation though Flash."

            "Sure anytime." Thompson yawned loudly; he had always a crude manner though in recent months he had mellowed out quite a bit. "What about Peter? He's into stuff like that."

            MJ sighed, "He's out on…business right now." She replied, "Maybe Liz is up to something, I'll see you at school on Monday." MJ hung the phone up and was preparing to dial in new numbers when a knock came to the door.

            She sighed, and slowly with a very defeated manner about her opened the front door. Behind it, a familiar face stood. "Mr. Osborn?" He stood there ominously. There was something different about him; his smile was replaced with a stern expression that sent chills up her spine. His warm and inviting nature had been replaced with a cold sort of determination. Osborn's presence today was very unsettling.

            "Hello." Norman replied quietly, "Is Peter here?"

            "No." She answered, "Do you want to come in, Peter's uncle just stepped out for groceries, he'll be back in just a few minutes."

            Norman grinned, "That's quite alright; I've actually come to see you."

            Peter was walking down the street corner on his way to the address that Betty had given him. It was a block full of electronics stores, bodegas, and repair shops. So far this had been a horrible week. He hadn't done his homework for two days straight because of some crisis in the city due to some arsonist going around and burning some Hospitals down.

            The crunch of his work was wearing down; he was finding it hard to get enough sleep anymore. He was afraid Ben was beginning to fall into a depressive slump. He seemed to no longer care and didn't even check Peter for his costume anymore.

            And this business with Osborn wasn't helping either. He had no idea how to even begin to approach this. Peter stopped for a moment in front of the electronics store where an urgent update was being reported on.

            "Doc Ock?" Peter stared at the television screen with a look of shock at the face staring back at him almost.

            "Again, this is just coming in so bear with us." The anchor reported, "Otto Octavius the only survivor of the lab explosion that occurred some time ago in Manhattan has apparently resurfaced despite recent reports that he was being held at a government controlled facility. It's not clear if a mutation is responsible for his disfigurement or not. Nevertheless he is considered extremely dangerous. This is an amateur video of doctor Octavius taken just a few hours ago as he approached St. Patrick's Cathedral. This might be alarming to some of our more sensitive viewers."

            Peter's entire face dropped at the site of the benevolent doctor moving through the streets via his tentacles smashing aside police vehicles that tried to halt his progress.

            "These are the events that have taken plus thus far. Octavius has barricaded himself in the Church and taken hostages inside including the Cardinal himself. At this point Octavius has only one demand. He is adamant that Spider-Man must meet him immediately or there will be bloodshed."

            Betty was going to be eternally pissed off at him. But, Peter had no real choice. Spider-Man was already zipping through the city on a collision course with the good doctor.

            Ben Parker stepped through the door to find Norman Osborn and Mary Jane sitting on the couch in the living room. "Oh, Mr. Osborn, Peter's not here."

            "That's quite alright." He replied, "I can come back at a later time to see him, I just need a helping hand in this time of need." Norman elaborated untruthfully.

            "Oh…" He sighed, realizing that it would be inhuman to turn Osborn away, "Fine, I'll be upstairs."

            Norman grimaced, "You do that. It's alright, MJ and I will talk; I realize how difficult it must be for the elderly to stay up past seven."

            "Go fu-." Ben's voice vanished behind the shutting door.

            The phone rang, "Hold on for a sec?" Mary Jane asked heading for the source. She reached out and pressed the receiver against her earlobe, "Hello?"

            "Hi, it's me, Betty, Peter's a little late; did he say if he'd be held up?" The young secretary at the Bugle asked.

            MJ grimaced, "Sorry, he didn't say." She replied perplexed at the matter, "I'll call him on his cell."

            "Thanks." Betty replied anxiously. "He'd better hurry I told them I'd be there in thirty minutes… I'll let you go now."

            MJ carefully began to dial in the numbers for Peter's cell.

            Unfortunately there was no way he could be reached. It had been turned off and left behind with his clothes two street blocks away hidden in a corner on some rooftop.

            Peter swung over the fleet of police patrol cars and officers amassed in front of the Cathedral. They screamed and ranted at his presence, in their opinion he could only wreck any chance for a peaceful solution to this. Peter could only wonder if they were right.

            He smashed through one of the stain-glass windows and fired another web-line that connected with a pillar. Controlling his descent Peter managed to land in the central isle gracefully.

            "Spider-Man, I was hoping you'd come." Otto declared from behind the web-slinger.

            Peter faced the doctor only to feel his entire body become numb. Otto was suspended in air by two of his tentacles acting as legs while with one of his free metal appendages he kept the Cardinal in his grasp, wrapping the tentacle around the poor man's neck. "Okay, Ock, I'm here what's this all about?"

            "I assure you, that though this may look bad on my part there is a genuine method to this madness." Otto said trying his best to stay on Peter's good side while his other hostages remained whimpering in a corner. "This was only to get you to meet me."

            "You didn't need to do this. I come by your office every Saturday for Christ sakes." Peter replied sarcastically trying to handle his screaming spider-sense.

            Otto sighed, "My office is no longer safe. You have to believe me Spider-Man when I say this was not an easy decision to come to." He moved forward via his tentacles but in no way lessening his hold on the Cardinal. "I need your assistance." Peter remained skeptical. "They tried to lie to me, tell me these things are forever a part of me, but I know better."

            "How did this happen?" Peter asked.

            "Have you been living under a rock, Spider-Man? Have you not heard about the accident that nearly claimed my life?" Otto asked shocked at Peter's ignorance.

            Peter shook his head, "Just what I heard on the television, explain it to me."

            Otto grimaced, "Of course, how could I expect your self-absorption to break long enough for you to ponder about my little dilemma, teenagers these days, it almost sickens me. Very well, I was working on a new power source and had actually just made a breakthrough. Remember I showed you some equations for it not long ago? Well, my experiment was sabotaged, my colleagues slaughtered." Otto sighed; he was weary of this already, "There is a man who can help me. He's assured me what was done to me is not irreversible. He has promised to perform a procedure in exchange for some very important data, I believe it can be done."

            "Who is he?" Peter asked.

            "That is of no importance." Otto's tone became harsh, "What I need is your assistance his asking price is high and I can no longer meet it alone. You've shown impressive skill in this field and I believe you could be of great use to me."

            Peter approached him gently, "Okay, let's put down the priest, first."

            "Cardinal." The religious official corrected in between his struggles with the metal arm.

            "Whatever, put him down Doc Ock, we can handle this." Peter suggested.

            "Do you take me for a fool?" Otto asked angrily, "There is a platoon of New York's finest outside these doors, they want to kill me, I will walk out this door with him to safety, you will follow, after we ditch the police I will let him go when I see fit."

            The Cardinal frowned, "That is unacceptable!"

            Otto frowned and hardened his hold, "Quiet, I've dipped my hands in blood already and though I have no wish to do so farther I am prepared to go those lengths again." He stared at the costumed hero, "Spider-Man, the Cardinal stays with me; this is not negotiable."

            "And I say you can't, let the Cardinal go." Peter replied firmly.

            "You dictate orders to me." Otto grew angry, "I tried to reason with you, I told you the stakes and still you persisted in defying my simple and humble request. You did this." He snapped the Cardinal's neck.

            Peter froze. He watched the body go limp before his eyes and for the first few seconds was speechless as was Otto. "You killed him." Peter whispered quietly.

            "Yes." Otto replied disgusted with his actions this night. "I had no wish to do so, but I am not playing games here, I'm fighting for my survival my very humanity." He reached towards another hostage, "Now we will play this game by my rules."

            "No!" Peter lunged forward and threw Otto against a pew. He collided with it loudly but managed to keep his senses focused on the matter at hand. Before Spider-Man could close the distance necessary to engage him, Otto swiped him aside with one of his tentacles.

            Otto took a deep breath of air and got back up to his feet, "Don't push me further, Spider-Man." He said to the downed hero struggling to turn on his back, "I have little patience. I swear no more hostages will be harmed if you assist me and believe me when I say that is what we both want. However, I will do what I must." He grabbed a mother away from her baby which a Nun quickly sheltered, "Please, Spider-Man for both our sakes."

            The police outside watched as Otto emerged from the Church windows with a hostage and Spider-Man humbly following. In their minds their fears had been confirmed, the vigilante had screwed things up for good.