Rays of light gleamed through the shattered, dirty window of the warehouse, shining through the thick dust rising into the air. Otto blinked lazily and rubbed his head...sleeping on concrete is not that comfortable. He grasped for a nearby water bottle and chugged some down, then dowsed the rest over himself. He shook his head wildly, then stopped and blinked, patting down his now insanely out of control hair.
You'd think that after almost drowning, you'd be sick of water.
"It's not the water I'm sick of..." Octavius snapped, glaring at one of the tentacles, and began pacing the floor, his footfalls echoing in the emptiness.
What's the problem Father?
"I just have a feeling...I know they're coming...I'm going to get caught...I know it!"
No one will catch you...
"Oh really...No one, eh? What about...Spiderman? Peter will surely get on this case..."
The tentacles seemed to shudder at the name and sounded as if they were hissing.
HE WILL NOT FIND OUT!
Otto sneered and looked up at the ceiling. He had hit a nerve...one he intended to twist until he had his way. "Ah...but he will...and he will take care of us...just like last time..."
No...NO! He won't! WE have learned from YOUR mistakes...If you make any more errors, we will take care of it. You may have acted stupidly...attempting to give up your life to save people who hated you anyways...but we knew better...they would turn on us eventually...and that's exactly what they did...
Octavius didn't argue...he just sighed. "Whatever..."
Otto...father...Listen to us...
The voices were softer...kinder. This change in tone confused Otto. He looked up from the corner of his eyes at a claw leaning ever so slowly over his shoulder.
We are the only thing you have left...no one will take care of you...we need you as much as you need us.
Professor Octavius began to nod, these thoughts filling his head. "Yes...yes you're right...You re the only ones who stood by me...you are the only ones I can trust...the only ones who care. My creations...my children..."
Yes...we are you're children. And we want our father to be happy. So tonight, we make another stop...
"What is this? Crap...crap...crap..." J. Jonah Jameson muttered as he tossed some pictures onto his desk. "Crap...okay...crap..." He picked up the pictures and stuffed them in a yellow envelope. "150 bucks for this trash, Parker." Peter Parker nodded reluctantly.
"Of course sir..." He smiled grimly as Jameson signed a small piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Sir...the chief's on the phone...line one..." a secretary called through the door.
"Alright, alright...get outta here Peter." The editor picked up the phone.
"Yeah? Hey there Chief...uh-huh...Really? Hmm...details? Sure. Peter! Get back in here." Peter as barely out the door and poked his head into the room.
"Yes Mr. Jameson?"
"You're assigned to a new story. "Convenient Store Murder Baffles Police!" heh...nice title huh? Made it up just now." Jameson chuckled, the cleared his throat. "Anywho...get down to the station...take pictures...do your job. Now get out of here!"
Peter sat before the desk of the scruffy-looking police chief. He shifted in his seat as the chief described the gruesome scene.
"It was complete havoc...the man was behind the counter, blue in the face from suffocation...stuff from the shelves were all over him...buried in a sort of make-shift tomb of magazines and lottery tickets. The security camera and videotape were completely destroyed, crushed and shattered all over the floor. And there wasn't a single witness. This person was smart...and knew how to elude us...at least for the time being." The chief stroked his snow-white mustache and grumbled.
"Was there anything else unusual about this case, sir?"
"Well...we know that the man was strangled...but, the marks on his neck...so bizarre. First time I've seen them in all the years I've been in the force." The chief shook his head slowly. "But, what I want to know is...where was that Spiderman when that poor man needed him?" Peter cringed in his seat and stood shakily.
"I...I'm not sure sir...well, Thank you for the details. I'll bring them to Mr. Jameson ASAP."
"You're very welcome, Peter..." The officer shook his hand and nodded to another policeman outside of his office. "Find anything new, Jeff?"
"No sir...but the coroner is still checking out those markings. They say that it wasn't a human mark, such as a pair of bare hands...the human hand, no matter how strong the person is, would not be able to crush the trachea like that. It was more like a foreign object...a chain, rope, or something of that sort."
"Write that down Peter...hopefully that will help us." Peter nodded as he scribbled down the last letters and sauntered out of the police station. He rubbed his face and sighed.
"Why didn't I help that man? But...I didn't know! I would have gone to help if I could've...I should have made late night rounds......But I was just so tired......" He was so busy talking to himself that he wasn't paying attention to oncoming people on the sidewalk. He rammed into the man and fell to the ground with a huff.
The man kept walking, muttering a soft "Watch it kid..."
Peter looked up at the man. He was draped in a long sienna coat and was wearing a brown fedora...and that voice...very familiar...but Peter just shook his head and brushed himself off. "Some people..." He grumbled as he started heading back to the Daily Bugle building.
'That was way too close...'
Yes, but he didn't recognize you...did he?
'No...I don't think so...'
Doctor Octavius stood under a large, shady oak tree in Central Park. The outdoors was a good change for him...he was sick of being pent up in a warehouse all alone. Golden flecks of light glittered through the branches above, dotting his face and clothes. He pulled on his glasses, blocking out much of the light from his eyes. He took out a cigar from his pocket, along with a silver lighter he had taken from the convenient store, and watched as some children scurried across the grass and over to their parents.
We have to think out possibilities for money, Father. First...the bank. I find that it will be too difficult...it has too many people. There's security guards, cameras, the works. It would be too easy to get caught. We have to go for the small stuff.
"Of course..."
So...when it gets dark enough...head out to the drugstore...it's around here somewhere...we'll explain everything afterwards.
"Alright..." He leaned against the rough base of the tree with a sly smile. "This ought to be fun..."
"Good job Pete. Sammy! Run this up to the writer. Now please? This is what I pay you for people!" Jameson roared as a timid intern darted from the room.
"Thanks Mr. Jameson." Peter nodded and started out the door. He rubbed the back of his head and adjusted the camera strap around his neck as he stepped out into the bright sunlight. The large clock in the middle of the city tolled loudly...noon. No wonder he was starving. He started down the street when he heard the sudden scream of police sirens careening down the street. Peter grimaced.
"Guess lunch'll have to wait..." He sprang down an alley and slid the ruby red mask over his face. "Spiderman is back in business..." He roared as he shot a silvery web above his head, slinging him high into the air and over the large brick buildings. People below were cheering him on as he soared through the air, which made him feel very happy indeed.
He landed on a streetlamp and peered ahead of him. Flames were erupting from a pile of cars...an explosion was imminent...
BOOOOM!!!!!!
Otto turned sharply at the source of the noise. Smoke rose above the treetops in the park, slithering into the air like a black snake.
"What was that? Seems like there's a problem in the city..."
Excellent observation, father... one of the voices hissed sarcastically.
"Should we see what's going on?"
No...it's no concern to us...
Octavius pulled the cigar from his mouth and puffed out a little smoke ring. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes, a peaceful feeling covering him, when he felt a sharp tug at his coat. A young boy with a sandy colored bowl-shaped haircut and bright blue eyes smiled at Otto.
"That was neat! Can you do it again?"
Otto looked over his glasses and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse......Um...what? Do...do I know you?"
"Nope. Hey, can you do that neat smoke-ring thing again?" The boy smiled.
Otto looked around, bewildered, and then leaned towards the kid.
"Beat it kid...go back to the sandbox an' play with your little shovel and pail...little brat..."
The kid's smile faded quickly. He glared at Doctor Octavius and pointed his finger at him.
"HEY! You can't call me a brat!"
"Oh yeah? Well, what's a little twerp like you going to do about it? Hmmm?"
The boy's face turned bright red. "You're just...just a big...stupid...JERK!!"
Otto just snorted in disgust.
"Are you kidding me? Is that the best you have?" He chuckled. The little kid growled and kicked Octavius in the shin. The doctor yelped in pain, clutched his leg, and glared at the little boy.
"Little pest...You are going to pay for that..." A tentacle shot out from his back and grabbed the child around the waist. The little boy tried to scream, but another claw clamped over his mouth.
Genius! Well done father...very smart of you. A ransom would help us very much...a lot more than night time robberies...
"But..." Otto began to realize what was going on. "No...what am I doing? I can't!"
You can! Hurry and run! RUN!
Otto noticed that a bicyclist was nearing...If he was seen attempting a kidnapping...then his plans would be ruined. He had to do something, so he took off, clutching the boy in his arms. He took a deserted path down to the riverside, his heart racing with adrenaline. As he skidded to a stop, he could hear the faint footsteps of someone was nearing them.
"Where do I go now?!" He cried frantically as the person came into view.
Behind the rock...GET BEHIND THE ROCK!
Otto lunged behind a large rock, slamming his body flat against it, and grasped the boy against him, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Don't make a single sound..." He hissed in the boy's ear as one of the mechanical claws rose menacingly before the child.
A woman jogged past them quickly, humming along with the song in her CD player. He waited until the woman was out of sight before rising.
"Almost got caught there..."
Just get to the warehouse...we can deal with things there...
As they neared the warehouse, Otto could hear the boy's sharp, muffled sobs. Otto threw open the sliding doors with a loud CLACK and dropped the child on the hard concrete floor.
Otto watched as the child backed away from him across the floor, whimpering.
"P-please...p-please don't h-hurt me...I just wanted to s-s-see a smoke r-r-ring!" The child blubbered as he swiped at his tear-filled eyes.
"No...no don't cry. Please. I won't hurt you..." He shot a harsh glance at one of the claws as it crept over his shoulders.
What? I wasn't going to do anything...
"Please...don't give me that crap."
The boy stopped sobbing slightly and looked up at Otto. "Were...were you just talking to yourself?"
Otto turned sharply and bit his lower lip. "Um...No?"
"Oh...because I just thought..." The boy looked a little bewildered, but he was starting to calm down.
"Uh...do you...I don't know...want a candy bar or something? Will that make you feel better?" Otto scratched the back of his head nervously. He wasn't that good with kids...let alone kids he just kidnapped from a park.
The boy sniffed loudly and slowly nodded. "Um...okay." Otto handed the boy a chocolate bar and sighed. He reached over to a water bottle with one of the tentacles and chugged at it while the claw held it up to his lips. He wiped his mouth off on his sleeve and looked down at the boy, whose eyes were wide as saucers.
"What?"
"Hey...you're that Doc Ock guy who was in the news a few months ago, huh?" The boy's eyes widened with awe and terror as he glanced at the mechanical arms. "Oh no...you're going to rip me apart with those things! Please! Don't! I don't wanna get hurt!" The boy screeched.
"'Doc Ock'? So that's what they call me now? Sounds a little stupid to me...hey...hey! shhh! Shut up! I'm not...hey! I'm not gonna hurt you kid!" Otto plugged his ears as the boy's screams grew louder. He felt his temper rising...and suddenly, the two lower tentacles slammed into the ground and pushed up, raising Doctor Octavius into the air. He walked menacingly towards the boy, who had stopped crying and was now screaming in hysteria.
"What part of shut up do you not understand? QUIET DOWN!" Otto glared at the kid.
The boy immediately stopped, and Otto lowered himself to the ground.
"Listen...I'm sorry kid...I need all the money I can get...so I'm going to have to keep you here for a while." He watched the child shudder at this thought. "If I didn't have to, I wouldn't have brought you here...but this is the only way..." Otto grimaced and walked towards a crate. He leaned against it and put his face in his hands. "How low can a guy get...?"
The child looked down sadly, then quickly began rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out some lint covered pennies, a button, and remnants of a cookie. He shuffled carefully towards Otto and held out the change in his tiny palms. Otto looked over the rims of his glasses with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Now will you let me go?" the boy whispered.
Otto pushed the boy's hand back gently and shook his head.
"No...I can't do that...I'm going to need a lot more money than this, kid...a lot more..."
The boy looked down sadly and sat down, clutching his knees against his chest.
Otto scratched the back of his head and began thinking deeply. An idea suddenly sprang into his head. "Hey...you like cards? How about we play cards? You ever play poker, kid?"
"Poker? What's that? I play 'Go Fish'!"
Otto cringed 'Great...What a stupid game......well, if it shuts him up...'
"Fine...let's play 'Go Fish'..."