A/N: Time for that all-important factor in a fic – the author's note! Hehe. But seriously you guys. I'm so sorry this so long! I've been so busy with school, and homework, and a book report, and research and argghh! I just haven't had any time to work on it. Thank goodness for the weekends, eh? Here are the fonts AGAIN, just to spite you. ;-

:Josh:

Venus

(Ralph)

Dexter

There ya go. Now on to the other half of that lovely cliffhanger I gave you!

14. Providence

"Rachel, will you just please listen to me! I—"

"To late pal! I gave you warning, but you wouldn't listen!" Venus shot out the 15-inch blade. "And now you have to pay the price." She said, grinning evilly.

Suddenly a shot rang out, and Rachel let out a cry, falling to her knees. She gripped her leg, which was now stained crimson, and pouring blood out onto the ground. Rachel started breathing heavily, as Otto looked on, frowning and silent. The man with the rifle came out of the shadows and walked up to them.

"I heard you had a problem with an insane kid, so they sent me over to help out. The name's Frank. Frank Castle. I take it you're Mr. Octavius?"

"Dr. Octavius, to be precise. Thank-you for coming, though. This is Rachel." He said, gesturing to Rachel. She was glaring at Frank, who was busy talking to Otto. Slowly, she managed to lift herself up with the help of her Four, as Venus shot out her blade. Frank looked up at Rachel, and at Venus, who was rearing back, ready to stab. He immediately pulled out a pistol from his pocket and shot Rachel again in the leg, and she fell back down, holding her leg and clenching her teeth. Otto looked at Rachel with a concerned face, and then back to Frank. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"What are you blind? You saw that blade on her. I'm not just gonna let her stab me to death. It needed to be done."

"Well yes but—"

"Look, do you want me to take the kid or not?"

"Yes."

"Fine then. I need you to hold her down while I get a sedative." Frank said, opening up a suitcase with various medical instruments. Otto got down by Rachel, who was barely conscious as it was from the loss of blood, and held her down on the ground, while Frank took out a syringe from the suitcase. "Just calm down." Otto quietly whispered to Rachel. "Everything's going to be fine." Frank came nearer to them, with the syringe in hand, and Rachel glared at him out of the corner of her eye, and then back at Otto.

"You traitor." She muttered under her breath, though loud enough for Otto to hear. He frowned, surprised at what Rachel said, and unknowingly loosened his grip on her slightly. Rachel's tentacles sensed the sudden change, and burst up into the air, throwing Frank across the alleyway and lifting Rachel up and away from Otto. Venus shot out her blade, as Rachel turned her eyes towards Otto.

Frank got up, somewhat painfully, and took a tranquilizer rifle out of its holster on his back. He aimed it at Rachel, who was shouting indistinctly at Otto, and fired. A tranquilizer flew out of the gun and hit Rachel in the back of the neck, making her go limp, and she fell to the ground unconscious.

"That'll keep her quiet for a least an hour." He said, putting his rifle away and closing up the suitcase. Otto sighed, and lifted Rachel into his arms, tentacles and all.

"I'm sorry Rachel." He muttered. "This is for your own good."

Rachel opened her eyes. Sitting up, she rubbed the back of her sore neck, wondering what had happened. The room was cold, but... hey, where was her coat? Then she saw it hanging up on the wall. Josh reached over and retrieved it, and Rachel put it on, wrapping it around herself to keep warm. It was still bloodstained from her injury. She looked around, observing her surroundings. The grey cement walls were cold to the touch, and now that she thought about it, everything was that grey cement color. There was a tiny window with iron bars near the high ceiling across from where she was sitting. She began to stand up, but a sharp pain in her leg caused her to fall back down. She bent down and lifted up her pant leg, examining her wound. Below her knee, her leg was wrapped in a white bandage. She ran her hand up and down her calf, and winced when she came to the middle. Then she remembered. That was where she was shot, shot twice, actually. Ralph and Dexter helped her to stand up, supporting her, and she turned around, looking at a small cot. She glanced to her right, and saw iron bars barricading the open space instead of a wall. Looking beyond the bars, she saw a door, probably leading out of the building. To her left, there was another room just like the one Rachel was in. She stuck her head out of the bars to look farther left; the same exact rooms continued down the long cement-colored hallway. Looking back to the north where the door was, she saw a desk against the wall to the left of the exit. There was a computer on the desk, and a file card system next to it.

"What is this place?" She thought to herself. "Well whatever it is I'm not staying here any longer." Josh and Venus grabbed hold of the bars and began pulling.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said. Rachel stopped, looking around for the voice. A man came out of another room and walked up her cell, carrying a rifle. Rachel recognized him immediately as the man who had shot her earlier that day. She glared at him, and Josh and Venus started hissing. "Don't get your tentacles up in a bunch." The man said. "My name's Frank Castle."

"Do you really think I care?" Rachel said sardonically.

"No, I figured as much." He leaned against his rifle.

"I've got some questions." Rachel said. She was really starting not to like this guy.

"Go ahead."

"Where am I?"

"The New York City Mental Institution."

"Wha..."

"You're in the nuthouse, kid." Rachel's eyes widened, and Josh and Venus resumed their posts, grabbing the iron bars and trying to pry them open. Then Rachel heard a click. Looking up, she saw Frank aiming his rifle at her. "You want more lead kid? Tell them things to lay off."

What does he mean Rachel?

Why is he aiming that black thing at us?

:What is it? It hurt you last time:

(We must destroy it! We must kill Frank!) Ralph lunged forward.

"Wait!" Rachel shouted. Ralph stopped and turned around, cocking his head at Rachel. "No." Rachel repeated. "Ralph, leave him alone." Ralph turned back to Frank, snaking up to his face. He hissed menacingly, and snapped at him, then came back to Rachel. He came up in front of her and opened wide, revealing his red sensor. He tittered for a few moments, all the while shining his sensor into her eyes. Rachel seemed to be hypnotized by it for a moment, for she was just staring into it, listening to him chirp. Then she blinked, and looked down at the ground. "I know." She quietly said. Frank, upon watching all of this, had now lowered his rifle, and was staring at Rachel.

"Do those things really talk to you?" He asked. Rachel nodded. Just then, Otto walked in through the door. He took one look at Rachel, and then turned to Frank.

"Well, how is she?"

"Fine, although she did try to kill me." Frank said. Otto turned to Rachel with a stern look. Rachel just stood there with a blank expression on her face, staring at Otto.

"Hey listen, I gotta run and attend to some things." Frank said. "You think you can watch her?"

"Yeah." Otto replied. Rachel watched as Frank walked down the hallway and out another door at the end, and then Josh grabbed Otto by his coat collar and jerked him over to Rachel's cell.

"Otto you gotta get me outta here!"

"Get a hold of yourself Rachel!" Otto yelled. "I can't do that."

"Yes you can! All you have to do is—"

"No, Rachel. I won't."

"You... won't?" She asked. Otto was silent. Rachel's eyes glistened. She swiftly turned away, and Josh pushed Otto away. "So that's it then," she said, staring impassively out the window. "You bless me with These," she said as her tentacles snaked down to her, and she turned around to face Otto. "And then, you call someone to shoot me, you bring me here, and then you tell me you won't help me? Why?"

"It's because of Them, that I did this." Said Otto. "Ever since you lost your inhibitor chip you've been deteriorating." As he spoke, Rachel's tentacles began to hiss. "You've been listening to them, taking their advice, without even giving a second thought to the matter. I feared for your safety, Rachel. That's why I called Frank. I didn't know he was going to hurt you. I only wanted you to be safe."

"Safe?" Rachel stated coldly, glaring at Otto. "This is safe? Shooting me twice with a rifle, shooting me with needles, and you call that safe?" Venus started advancing towards Otto, hissing.

"Rachel will you please listen to me? You're not like this! You never were like this! Face up to the facts; you need a new inhibitor chip! Now I don't know how you lost yours, but I can tell you for sure that it needs to be replaced."

"Lost?" Rachel chuckled. "You're so innocent Otto. I never lost my chip."

"You didn't?"

"You see, the day my parents were killed in that explosion, the day that I could have saved them, I just felt so alone. I wanted to die Otto; I wanted nothing more to do with this world! There was nothing left for me." As she explained, Venus came back to her and laid herself on her shoulder. Rachel smiled at her. "But then I thought about you Otto, how you had said that your actuators spoke to you. I knew the story; I knew how it all came to play. I wanted the same chance."

"So you destroyed your own inhibitor chip?" Otto asked confusedly.

"Yes I did. They spoke to me, and it was then that I realized that I didn't want to die after all. I had someone to talk to now, and I had power. Power to do whatever I wanted. I'm on a mission Otto. And I'm not giving up. You have to let me out of here!"

"And what is your mission?" Otto asked angrily. "Destroying Spider-Man? Rachel you have so much potential! Don't waste your time with this! You can do wonderful things; you just need the proper mentality."

"It won't be wasting my time. It was Spider-Man's fault that my parents were killed, that good-for-nothing web-head. He calls himself a hero, and yet he can't even save two innocent people from a burning building! My heart burns for revenge, Otto. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. And there's nothing you can do to stop me from completing the task at hand." She turned away from him and sat down, wrapping her coat around herself to keep warm. Otto opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.

"Fine." He said vacuously. "But you know I can't let you leave this place. Not unless you get another chip." Rachel didn't answer him. Otto sighed, and sat down in a chair across from Rachel. "Why are you so stubborn Rachel? Can't you see what this has already done to you?"

(You should've let me kill Frank.)

But then someone else would have come and hurt Rachel!

(We can kill whoever comes in our path. We have the Web-head to take care of, remember?)

That's true...

:Rachel, why are you so sad:

(You're really stupid if you don't know that, Josh.)

:Hey:

Will you two please stop fighting? Can't you see Rachel's not in a good mood?

(Then go cheer her up why don't you.)

You are so uncaring! I'm sorry Rachel. Is there anything we can do to help?

"No. I just need some time to think."

Otto sat there watching as Rachel's tentacles hovered over her, looking from each other to her to him.

"What are they saying?" He asked. Rachel quickly turned around.

"Nothing."

"No, I know they were talking to you. I can tell."

"Well it's not like I'd tell you anyway."

"Very well. I just thought you might want to talk."

"Well I don't. And could you please leave me alone?" She said irritably, turning her back to him. Otto softly laughed.

"And to think how excited you were when you first met me." Rachel faced him again, glaring at him.

"You simply don't understand the concept of solitude, do you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It just reminded me of that time."

"Well then why don't you go reminisce about that and leave me be!" She shouted, tentacles hissing. Otto looked surprisingly at her first, and then looked away. Rachel could tell he was obviously incensed, and therefore turned around and stared blankly at the wall.

Look what you've done now; she's sad again!

(I didn't do anything!)

"Guys, could you please be a little quieter? For me?"

Of course.

(Sorry.)

"Thanks. I really need some time to think."

About what? Do you want some help?

"Yes, that would be great. I have to get out of here. And I'm going to need your guys' help."

(We can get out right now. We have the power.)

"No, Ralph. I'm aware of that, but I want to do this a different way. I have something in mind..."

To be continued...

A/N: Well, waddaya think? Again, sorry this one took so long. I've been... busy. Yeah, busy. Busy busy busy... hehe. But please, tell me what you think! I'm dying for a review!

Moonjava: Thanks

Phoenix Master: is proud Thankies!

SpiderFreak: er... thanks. But there's really no need to cuss, doncha think?

Hazelle: hehe. well here ya go! wait no longer!

Octavius92: email me sometime and we'll talk about the problem. Or, better yet, IM me if you can.