Peter appeared to have found a second wind. As he delivered a well-placed punch he asked, "Why Kraven? We're both going to end up dead!"
"So be it. I could not live with myself in defeat. Defeat is not an option," Kraven said through clenched teeth as he fought back.
Meanwhile, Doctor Connors, Felicia and Debra stood huddled in the corner of the laboratory, plotting their attack on Kraven.
"You're the most agile," Doc Connors said to Felicia. "You're the only one who'll be able to get close enough to stick him with the tranquilizer."
Felicia nodded in response. Doctor Connors finished filling the syringe with the tranquilizer and handed it to her. "You are going to need to stick him with this and then press down on the handle. He needs to be injected with all of the tranquilizer for it to sedate him. We'll distract him while you sneak up from behind."
"How are we going to distract him?" Debra asked.
"I don't know. We'll have to think of something to get his attention," Doctor Connors replied.
"I can do that," Debra replied.
"We better hurry," Doctor Connors said as he saw Peter take a hard hit, knocking him to the ground. "Ready?"
Felicia and Debra nodded in agreement. Felicia stealthily snuck be the wall of the laboratory, so that Kraven would not notice her. Meanwhile, Doctor Connors and Debra headed in the opposite direction, hoping that Kraven would not turn around.
"Hey you," Doctor Connors tried to make his voice louder and more threatening, "Stop messing up my laboratory or, or I'll call the police!"
Kraven glanced at him at him briefly but continued to fight Peter. As he attacked, his positioning changed and Felicia, darted behind a table so she wouldn't be seen. Debra realized that Doctor Connors was not creating a very effective diversion and Peter appeared to be struggling just to stand upright. Debra knew she had to take action now.
She grabbed a glass beaker and smashed it against the side of the table. She held it out in front of her and audaciously lunged toward Kraven.
"Let him go!" She demanded as she neared closer. "I mean it!"
Kraven let out a slight laugh, taunting Debra, who he assumed was bluffing. He continued to ignore her as he pinned Spider-man and then picked him up by the neck with one hand. He was about to snap his neck but he paused to say, "You've been a good competitor, Spider".
But before Kraven could execute the coup de grace, Debra lunged toward him with the broken glass as a weapon. He was taken off guard and released Spider-man so that he could deflect her attack, knocking her to the floor. But this was just the opportunity Felicia needed to finally creep from behind and take the unguarded Kraven by surprise. She pounced on him and stuck the needle in his back and injected the full amount of tranquilizer.
Kraven managed to shake Felicia off his back and he exclaimed through clenched teeth, "Kitty!"
Then he started to stumble as the drug took effect and it looked as if he were about to pass out. Felicia wasn't taking any chances though. She quickly got to her feet and gave Kraven a forceful punch in the face. He fell to the floor unconscious and Felicia spat at his limp body, "Don't call me, Kitty!"
Felicia then rushed toward Peter who was struggling to get up. But Doctor Connors called out to her, "The antidote! Get the antidote!"
Felicia turned back toward Kraven's unconscious body and knelt down on the floor beside him. She cursed as she rummaged through his animal skins, looking for something that would resemble the antidote. She found a belt with a pouch attached and inside the pouch was a vial. She grabbed the vial and opened it. She then hurried back to Spider-man's side. He had apparently passed out again. She leaned his head back but she was stopped before she could administer the contents of the vial.
"Wait!" shouted Debra who was regaining her bearings after being tossed to the floor by Kraven. She had large cut on her face that was dripping blood over her eyes, but she did not seem to notice.
"He needs the antidote!" Felicia protested.
"That might not be the antidote. It could be a trick," Debra replied. "Let me and Doctor Connors analyze it quickly before we give it to him."
"She's right," Doctor Connors agreed.
"Fine," Felicia conceded. But she made a point of handing the vial over to Doctor Connors and not to Debra.
Debra took it from his hand, shooting the Black Cat a disdainful look. "No offense Doctor Connors," she then pointed to his missing arm, "but I can prepare a slide a bit faster."
"You're right." Doctor Connors agreed.
Debra prepared a sample from the contents of the vial and then allowed Doctor Connors to look at it under the microscope. He then nodded, "This looks like the antidote. It's very similar to the version of antitoxin that we came up with before."
"Good. Let's give it to him!" Felicia exclaimed. She grabbed the vial back from Debra but before she could turn around someone had grabbed her hand.
It was Peter. He had gotten up without any of them noticing and then he snatched the vial from Felicia's hand.
"You need to take that right away!" Felicia said.
But Peter shook his head. "Divide it up into thirds. Give Kraven a third, give me a third, and then use the last to make more of the antidote for both of us."
"You're crazy," Debra replied. "He tried to kill you! You don't owe him anything. You're the one who needs it. Stop wasting time at take it already."
"He said himself that he'd rather die. That's what he wants." Felicia insisted.
"I'm not in the habit of letting criminals get what they want. I won't let him die." Peter found an empty test tube and began to pour part of the antidote into it. His hands were shaking, and it looked as if it would spill, until Doctor Connors took over for him, his one hand steadier than Peter's.
"I'll work on making more of the antidote," Doctor Connors replied as he divided up the liquid. "Take this now. I don't know how much longer your body can fight off the toxin."
Doctor Connors handed him the vial with the remaining third of the antidote and Peter drank it. "Thank you, all of you, for helping me."
"Lay down," Debra ordered. "You need to take it easy."
"I'm not so sure that's such a good idea…" Doctor Connors replied as they all made out the faint sound of police sirens. The sirens were growing louder and all of them knew that they were headed toward the science laboratory. "Someone must of seen that maniac crash through the window. You have to get out of here now."
"My mask!" Peter replied as he searched the ground frantically. As he searched his knees gave out from under him. Felicia caught him before he fell to the floor. "I'm Ok. I need to leave before the police come."
"You can't leave like this! You can barely walk!" Felicia replied.
"I have to agree with her. You're in no shape to be swinging atop buildings," Doctor Connors added.
Debra found his mask on the floor and handed it back to him. "We have to find a way to get you out of here and soon! The police will be here any minute."
To be continued…
Note: Thank you for all the great feedback. I apologize for any errors in this chapter. I wrote it kind of quick because I really wanted to get a new chapter up. I'm also sorry for not updating sooner. I'm so impressed that people keep reading this despite the long periods between chapters. Thank you for your patience and keep telling me what you think. I'm getting close to the end!