CHATPER 39: IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL THE OCTOPUS SCHEMES
It had taken over two hours to get the Watchtower back in shape, there was still a lot of clean up to do but main power had been restored. After the other heroes had come back and quite a bit of them hadn't liked the idea of being tricked and nearly fed to a sun. Justice Lord Wonder Woman, J'onn, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern were all locked up in the cells under tight guard with several heroes.
But the fight seemed to be out of them for the moment. It took Captain Atom half an hour to clean up all the radiation the work crews were still cleaning up any that was left over in there. They also had to remove the two bodies in there for decontamination. Peter had noticed how that other world's Supergirl seemed to be kind of out of it when they learned about them.
Everyone gave her some space, sure she didn't like either men but one of them had once been her cousin at one time. Plus the other had sacrificed his life to save them all. She helped out to clean up but she didn't really talk. She was only sticking around long enough to make sure what happened to the other Justice Lords. After that she would use the device in the Batcave her Batman had left behind to go home.
The other Justice Lords on learning of the deaths of the others were pretty quiet after that. They had already lost their Flash, then Bruce betrayed them and now he and Superman were dead. They were only the four of them left and each and every one of them seemed distant now. They wouldn't really talk when questioned and so they just left them to themselves in their cells.
Peter was helping with the computers to make sure there weren't anything else going on with J'onn and Bruce. So far the system had lost some data from the unexpected shut down but otherwise it looked fine. Peter stiffened a yawn and looked at the time, "Oh man…The sun should be up soon in New York about now."
Batman hadn't noticed the time, he had spent so many days without sleep that he was used to working thirty five hour or more days to notice. J'onn needed a lot less sleep then a human so he did notice the fatigue that Peter had to be in. Yet he was still working despite a few injuries he got from the fight. But since they weren't too bad Peter had continued on working to help out anyway.
"You should get some rest, we can handle things here," Batman said not bothering to look at him. He had a lot of work he could do plus it kept his mind off the fact there was 'his' body in the morgue. It was really difficult seeing a dead body that had his face on it.
Peter was feeling tired, his had a few aches from the drones and fighting that other J'onn too. Plus he was worried about his Kara, they still haven't had any contact with her. But then again she could have just put away her communicator and turned it off to save the battery. That's what most League members did when they were 'off duty', like at work or sleeping.
"Yeah I guess I better go and wake Kara up, she'll be pissed she missed out on all of this," Peter got up and fought the urge to stretch. Doing so he was sure that he'd just pull one of the few aching muscles and he really didn't want to do that. "Hey her, uh…'twin' is using her room up here right?"
J'onn nodded her head, "Yes I believe so, I thought it would be more comfortable for her while she rests up."
In fact at that moment the Kara from the Justice Lord universe was now in her counter part's room. It was strange, it was all in the same style of taste as herself but that shouldn't have been a surprised she guessed. She looked at the posters and a few stuffed animals on the bed. There was a Hello Kitty doll dressed up in her old uniform. She had to smile at that, and sat down on the bed.
She looked around and saw a few photos and walked over to a shelf and looked at a few framed ones. One of Barbara and her from a few years ago, in fact she had the same one. It was taken before the League in her world became the Lords.
Then she noticed a few others, one was of her counter part, that Donna woman and Spider-Man all together in uniform. Then there was one of Kara without the costume with a very nice looking boy with brown hair and eyes with his arms wrapped around her. 'Wow…he's cute…I wonder who he is?' She looked at the image and sighed. It seemed this version of her had the nicer life.
She walked over to the bed and threw herself down onto it. She wished that she had met her double in this world, Kara had a lot of questions to ask of her. But that could wait for the morning, she was tired and felt a bit numb.
Not physically just emotionally, after everything that had happened it was all a lot to take in and she wasn't sure how to really take any of this. Sure she hadn't like Bruce and Clark had stopped being the person she knew a long time ago. But it still hurt knowing they were dead, even after everything she didn't wish them dead.
Back with Peter he was making his way to the teleporter as he keyed in the private location for his place. He just wanted to crash for a few hours as he set things off. "Hey Spider," He turned to see Donna walking towards him.
"Hey, how are things going with your sister?"
"Better, especially with her stuff back that imposter stole from her," Donna was also glad that her sister's injuries were nearly totally healed up, thank the gods for Amazon fast healing. "So what are you up to?"
"Home, I'm totally spent plus you know Kara will want to know what just happened," Peter told her locking in the final numbers for the teleporter.
"True, I'm still too wound up. I think I'll stay around up here and help out and visit you guys later, I know Kara will want some help with breakfast." Donna knew that even growing up with the Kents she wasn't one for early rising or making breakfast.
"Yeah although if I'm still asleep you can fill her in on all the details," He told her and gave her a little wave as he disappeared in the now familiar light. He arrived right in his bed room and sighed, pulling off the mask.
He turned on the lights as he walked to Kara's door and knocked, "Kara? You in there?" He opened the door and looked in, he turned on a light and saw that her bed was empty. That was odd, he went back to the main room after going down the stairs wondering if there was a note or something. Then he noticed something on the table. It was a video camera and something else.
He looked closer and saw that the camera was hooked up to the TV and there was something else that sent a chill down his spine. There was a small white object with some red on it, Peter picked it up and he knew what it was. It was a tooth.
He quickly checked the camera and found it was rewound and pressed play. On the screen he saw a struggling Kara and he saw the green glow as well. "Well now Mr. Parker sorry I missed you but your little friend here has been most entertaining." It was a voice he thought he would never have to hear again.
The camera panned and Peter saw Doc Ock's face there smiling at him, "Well now if you are watching this then you must of survived the Justice Lords. I'm somewhat torn on that, on the one hand I really want you dead. On the other I would like it by my hands, either way I knew if you did survive you more likely aren't in the best of shape."
"Peter, don't-" Kara was heard off screen and he saw a tentacle lash down and Kara's cry of pain.
"Do NOT interrupt you're elders girl," He said sharply to her, "Or I will have my friends punish you, and they do so enjoy punishing those that annoy me."
Peter's jaw clenched as his fists were so tight if he had been looking he would have seen that the knuckles were white. His hands were shaking in rage at this, he should have known that something was wrong. Now another person he cared for was in trouble, what if she was dead? He couldn't handle that, he lost too many people in his life as it was, he couldn't bare to lose her too.
Doc Ock looked down most likely at Kara, "Ah, did I hit too hard? You seem to be spitting blood, let me see." He grinned as more of the metal arms moved on the screen and Kara was lifted up by her neck and he saw the bruising on her face and blood was coming out of her mouth.
Doc Ock looked at her seeing her pained expression, "Hmmm, let me guess that last shot loosened a tooth didn't it," He looked at the camera with a smile, "But I think Mr. Parker knows how well we are at those kinds of problems."
Peter paled a bit, 'God no, not that…' He remembered back to when Octavius had kidnapped him onto that plane that landed in Mexico. When he had pulled off Peter's mask and then…
Peter watch on in horror as he saw the fear in Kara's eyes as one of the tentacles went to her face and forced its way into her mouth. She struggled as best she could as he searched for the loosened tooth, he wanted to look away and not hear her painful cries but he forced himself to look. He saw her close her eyes in pain the tears falling down them.
"Ah there it is, right at the back," Octavius said calmly and Kara let out a blood curdling shriek of pain. He pulled out the tooth and Peter looked at the one in his hand he had been gripping it so tightly that he hadn't noticed it had bitten into his skin.
He looked up his eyes filled with pain and anger seeing Kara trying not to cry from what just happened. But he saw the tears there anyway and he wanted to make him pay for this. The camera went back to Doctor Octopus as he smiled at him, "Well now let's get right down to business shall we? If you made it through them then come and meet me at the Brooklyn Bridge if you aren't there by seven AM then…" He looked at Kara who mustered the strength to glare at him.
"Well then I won't have any reason to keep her alive and you know I will kill her Mr. Parker. Don't be late. Oh and leave the communicator behind if any of your friends show up I'll snap her neck." The video ended there and Peter looked at the clock. It was already six AM and the sun was rising, it would take him thirty minutes to get there.
He thought about calling for help but he knew that Doc Ock would carry that out without a second thought. Besides, this was personal. So he pulled the device out of his ear and placed it on the table along with her tooth. There was no way he was going to let someone else die because of being close to him, not this time.
-Brooklyn Bridge-
Dr. Octavius was on the top of the bridge, he knew that this was kind of cliché and that Norman Osborn had already done this with that red head girl. But there was an air of drama to it, sure he could have come up with something more original but truth was he felt this would bring back memories that would make Parker a bit unbalanced. He looked down to see the alien there bound with pieces of steel that he wrapped around her chest and legs. He also had to gag the girl, she was a very talkative one and definitely something he got enough out of Spider-Man.
He placed the Kryptonite close to her body. She was looking pale and he guessed that she wouldn't last much longer as her life force was slowly being drained. Well that's what he assumed was happening, all he knew was that those rocks turned them into weaklings. It would have been interesting to be able to study the effects, maybe even to perform his own alien autopsy after she was killed.
He knew that if the Lords were defeated then it would only be a matter of time the other found out about him. But then he had planned for that. If Peter survived this the others would be too busy with the clean up and after Peter was dealt with he could do away with the girl too. Then all that was needed was to use a remote he carried on himself to activate the dimensional machine and leave. He had already found a few suitable worlds that he could find himself very happy in. After he set explosives to take care of the device so no one would follow, sometimes it was best to burn your bridges after you crossed them.
He smiled at that little joke there given where he was. Then he saw Peter in the distance and smiled after checking his watch. 'Ah and he's early, good I was hoping I would miss out and I know my friends will love to get their 'hands' on him as well.'
Peter landed not too far away from him as he looked over at Kara she didn't look so good and he wondered just how long she had been exposed. "Let her go, she's got nothing to do with us."
"Kind of cliché there don't you think?" Doc Ock said but then shrugged, "But I guess the whole battle over a bridge has been done to death…literally in this case, but it's a classic. And I bet this is a little trip down memory lane for you as well."
Peter didn't admit it but his mind kept on going back to when the Green Goblin had taken MJ and had thrown her off of that bridge. He nearly lost her then, in fact for a time he did. They broke up after that and he didn't blame her but would the same thing happen here? If Kara hit the water in her weakened state there would be no way for her to swim or maybe even survive hitting the water.
"Why so silent? Usually you're much more talkative but it is a nice change. You know I bet your wondering if you can save her like that red headed friend of yours…oh wait…she DID die only later. Looks like you only delayed her death." Doctor Octopus looked down at Kara, "You know she looked kind of like that blond friend of yours. You know the one that was killed like all those other people from that Carnage creature I believe the papers called it."
"Let's recap shall we? Parents died, Uncle was killed, the blond girl, the red head and you're aunt and friend…you know it does seem that everyone you care for only ends up dead because they're linked to you doesn't it?"
That pushed Peter too far, he always did his best and having this creep throw all of his most painful moments back at him. "Shut up Octavius," Peter said through clenched teeth, his fists tightened up as his body readied for a fight.
"That's it? No quip or smart remark?"
"Yeah, I'm going to feed you those damn tentacles!" Spider-Man yelled out and jumped at him. There was no way Peter was going to have Kara get killed because of him, he was not going to let another person die. He jumped threw the mass of metal tentacles, jumped and landed an uppercut to Doc Ock's chin.
The older man fell back but one of the arms steadied him and the others lashed out. Peter did his best to dodge them and he tried to get to Kara but he kept getting pulled back or attacked. He knew that his foe was purposely getting in his way to prevent him from getting to her, but he didn't stop trying.
Supergirl was weak, she hurt all over and her jaw was killing her. She opened her eyes and it took a moment to focus, what she saw made her feel the first real chance of hope. She saw Peter fighting his heart out and he kept on trying to get to her. He would call out to her and even though she couldn't make out the words she had a hint of a smile.
Kara tried to move but then felt the metal around her. She also saw the kryptonite there and tried to roll away from it. But the metal was too heavy and she was too weak but she wouldn't stop trying. She had to help him, she had to get far enough away to try and get some strength back.
Peter landed hard on the cold surface of the bridge from a shot to his ribs. He had tried to jump to Kara this time only to have a metal limb sail into his chest. The familiar buzzing in his head told him to move and fast. He rolled just in time for one tentacle to miss him and got back onto his feet. "You know I'm am so SICK of you! I just don't get it, I didn't even know you were here!" Peter shouted out ducking another arm and then jumped to the side to avoid another.
"Oh I thought about just keeping low, but you would never let me rest. Those two that made the machine that brought us here they would have told the world and then you would be right on me," He said angrily as his tentacles tried to hit him. Parker wasn't fighting like he was used to, he was more trained it seemed and it was very annoying. "Besides after all these years after all this time I deserve the right to finish you off! How many times have you gotten in my way? How many times did SHIELD capture me and put me into those dark cold cells? All because of you!"
"Well maybe if you didn't try and keep killing people and committing crimes then none of this would have happened!" Peter was hit in the chest off the top of the structure. Doc Ock went over the ledge to watch him fall but he wasn't there. One of his arms gave him a mental warning as Peter swung back up at him from the other side.
Peter had used his webbing to swing under the arch of the bridge and up and around to the other side. He landed on top of his enemy and he had to use two of his metallic limbs to stop himself from falling. The other two grabbed Peter and threw him off.
When he landed he saw he was near his girlfriend and tried to reach out but a metal tentacle wrapped around his leg. Peter fired a web line out at he small green rock and threw it as far away as he could. Doctor Octopus gritted his teeth as he threw Parker to the other end. He would have to finish this fast, "Well now that you're girlfriend will be getting better I better think of something now won't I? It's a good thing she's so weak, you know I think she looks a bit hot."
He turned his head to her and grinned, "Why don't you go for a swim?"
Peter's eyes widened behind his mask in horror at what he knew was coming, "NO!"
Spider-Man tried to get to her but one of the limbs took her by the metal and threw her off the top of the bridge. Peter knew he had only seconds and tried to jump after her but his ankle was grabbed and he was slammed into the ground.
He kicked free and tried to scramble for the edge but another one slammed into the back of his neck and he cried out in pain. He was held down by it as he felt more blows to his back, "You know giving our height and how fast objects fall…I would guess she hit the water by now."
Peter didn't want to hear it, his felt like his world was crashing down all over again. 'No…no not again, please god, don't do this to me again…' Were the thoughts in his mind as he tried to move.
"Pity, if and this is a big if, she was strong enough to survive hitting the water which would be like pavement from this high up. She would be falling to the bottom of the lake by now. Let's se by the time you drive down there, and if you can find her…I'd say it would already be too late."
Peter just went still a moment feeling so cold inside. 'No…Kara…I…I'm sorry…' He felt like hell pure and simple. He felt the tears in his mask, as his heart was breaking all over again. He just lost his closets friend, his girlfriend his…love…
Peter felt such deep regret that he never chose to admit his feelings to her. He had been so scared of loving another person and now he had just lost her…And she would never know, she never knew just how he felt. Peter hadn't felt like dying ever since that horrible night that led him here.
"Well then, I guess that's another name added to the list of people who died because of you now isn't it?" He gloated over him.
Suddenly Peter felt a very different type of cold, a blazing cold in himself. He was literally shaking at this point from the white hot furry that was burning in his soul. He couldn't take it anymore, he just couldn't take it. With a roar or pain and vengeance he managed to push himself off the ground, and wrap his arm around the limb gripping to his neck and pulled the surprised villain over to him.
He gave a wicked right hook to his face knocking the shades off his eyes. As Doc Ock staggered back feeling the pain from the blow he looked up to see Spider-Man crouched low and with his clinging abilities he ripped off part of the top of the structure they were on. He threw it at the mad man as his arms blocked it, but the force of it sent him back too close to the edge.
He was trying to regain his balance when Peter with a flying kick, knocked him off the top of the structure. Doc Ock was free falling and he knew that he had really hurt Parker today but also wondered if all that rage would be his down fall? Would the same thing that happened to Norman Osborn happen to him? 'You know Norman…I wonder if this was how you felt in your final battle? The calm, knowing that one way or another it would end and not caring?'
But he didn't have anymore time to think on it as his used his arms to grip the giant steel cables the helped to support the bridge. One of the cables snapped and he had to go for another one but he managed to stop himself from falling. He landed himself onto the road, a car was heading towards him and so with two of the great metal arms smashed the front of the vehicle. The car went to a dead stop as other vehicles behind it started to either stop or slam into each other.
He turned around just in time to face Spider-Man swinging his way kicking him in the chest. "You killed her you bastard! I'm going to rip you apart Octavius!" Peter said fueled by his pain and his rage. "I'm not going to let anymore monsters take those I love from me anymore!"
He landed on top of Octavius and started to punch his face, and wasn't stopping. He wanted to punch his face into a bloody mess after what he just did. All those he lost kept on flashing through his mind, all the pain in his life built up in him. He was so focused on his face that he didn't notice his Spider-Sense kick in until the blow to the back of his head.
He went face first through a windshield of a car as his mask was slightly shredded from it. He lower part gone and one of the eye pieces broke. Even though he didn't feel it his right shoulder was cut open but not too deeply. He was pulled out and thrown across the road, his body skipped and jumped a few times before he came to a stop face down.
His body hurt but he pushed past it, he learned to years ago and tried to get up. He spit out blood in his mouth thanks to the new hole in his mask and looked up. Octavius was staggering to his feet, his nose looking like it was broken from all the blood and his left eye was starting to swell up. "Well…What do you say Spider-Man? One last round?" He called over to him.
Peter ignored to protest of his body and stood up, although not to straight, "Yeah…Let's end this…"
The two walked over to each other as the crowd was growing now. All the people were trying to get to a safe distance but still watching on. Peter attacked first leaping at him and using his webbing to hook one of the arm pulled the villain over to him. He sent a kick and elbow combo that he learned from Batman, then a block fist strike from Wildcat.
But then Peter was tired and hurting, the arms being machines and having a mind of their own they managed to give a few strikes in return. The last on being a shot to his gut knocking the wind out of him and then another to his face. Peter fell to the ground trying to get up, but he hadn't gone into this fight fresh, he had already been tried from the fight in the Watchtower.
"Well now…Looks like this is it…Any last words?" The villain asked him standing over him.
"How about goodnight?"
Doc turned around to the female voice and got a punch in the face strong enough to send him flying a few feet. Peter looked up surprised to see Wonder Girl there, "Donna…Kara he…"
"I know Peter," She said softly helping him up, it was then he noticed she was wet, "Take a look over there."
He looked in the direction he nodded and he felt his legs weaken again as over by the edge a wet and tired looking Supergirl was. "H-how?"
She smiled at him for a moment, "I decided to visit and when I did I saw the tape…" She stopped looking daggers at the man getting up. The vile creature that he was and what he did to a friend of hers, "I got here as fast as I could and I saw her going into the water. I dove in and managed to get her out, thankfully she managed to survive the fall."
Doc Ock managed to get up with the help of his tentacles and tried to get the stars out of his eyes, "Why don't we take end this together?" Donna asked him.
"Yeah…lets…"
With him now on his feet both heroes went to work on the villain, and he was hard pressed to keep up. Donna however was a much stronger opponent and the first change she got she gripped one of the metal limbs and with all her strength ripped it apart.
"NOOOO! What have you done!" He screamed out seeing his 'friend' there on the road twitching. "Get her! Destroy her for what she did to him!"
Peter punched him in the back right where the harness was. It had hurt but he felt the metal give way a bit. Donna continued on with ripping the limbs off until she got to the last one. Doc Ock slumped to his knees, tired, bloody and beaten. He was breathing hard and picked up a piece of one of the broken limbs and was gently stroking it. "I'm sorry, this wasn't the plan…I wanted to help avenger your 'brothers' and myself. This wasn't supposed…to happen…"
Donna looked at Peter, "Is he nuts?"
"You got to ask?"
"Peter?" He turned around to see a weakened Kara shuffling over to him. He wrapped her up into his arms and they both fell to their knees. "I know you'd come."
"I'm sorry Kara, I'm so sorry…"
"Don't be…it's the risk we take."
He just held her tightly as he could too afraid to let go. He felt like crying at the moment but he just didn't have the energy to do it. "Kara…I love you…" He said softly to her, he didn't want to wait and chicken out later. He had to tell her, he couldn't live with himself if this happened again.
She smiled and held him close, "I love you too…" She whispered to him.
Donna smiled seeing them like this, they really did deserve each other. "Oh spare me," Doc Ock groaned and Donna glared at him and walked over to the beaten man.
"You…are a repugnant man," She said the word 'man' like it was a dirty word and kicked him in the face knocking him out. She looked over and sighed seeing herself, she guessed she better call in the Watchtower and see if anyone was free to help clean this up. She hadn't even thought of calling them for help as she mentally smacked her head.
But she threw the two young lovers one last look and smiled. It had been a very long night and looked like a long day was also ahead for everyone but those two deserved to be alone after all of this, so she would help see to the clean up.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 40: EPILOGUE