Trapped with No Way Out
There was no getting out of this. At least not without Tony or Peter dying at the hands of their ruthless captors. On the wall, sticks were scratched in. 8 for all of their attempts at weak escapes, and another 40 beside it. The duo had been there for forty days, almost a month, no one had come and they were weakening. They needed help, and they needed it yesterday.
Peter watched in morbid curiosity as Norman Osborn strode into the Midtown gymnasium. On the bleachers sat hundreds of students, all different ages from 6th graders to 12th. They all watched expectantly as he walked in with a black magic hat. One you'd see a magician use, but he was composed. Giving nothing of his true intentions as he stood in front of the huge crowd.
"Midtown students" He greeted, immediately getting an uproar from the eager children, all waiting to see who would get the one in a lifetime opportunity for a high schooler to intern for one of the top tech companies. "I know why you are all here today, and I am so excited to be here"
A teacher walked up to him and he leaned down to hear what she had to say. Peter couldn't help but feel like there was something else in the motivation to suddenly want to do this. It wasn't like anybody knew about his internship for Mr. Stark though. Mr. Morita whispered something into Mr. Osborn's ear. "Okay, change of plans, we're going to hurry this up because there's another event I have to go to"
Something in the way he said 'event' made the teen concerned, it sounded off for some reason. He wasn't sure but it was just, there. Norman got himself under control wiping invisible wrinkles from his suit. "As you all know" He boomed into the provided microphone, "We are taking in one intern out of all of you to come intern for me over the summer. We will be choosing that person today."
With a wide smile on his face, he picked an envelope from the hat. His eyes landed on Peter's though. A look so cold that Peter almost missed it before vanishing instantly as if it had never been there in the first place. "Drum roll please!"
The sounds of students stomping their feet echoed throughout the large room bouncing off the walls and hurting Peters enhanced healing. In vain, he tried to place his hands to block out some of the overwhelming sounds.
"Peter Parker!" Peter's hands slowly moved from his sensitive ears, locking eyes with the multi-millionaire. No, this wasn't supposed to be how it went down. He squeezed his eyes shut before placing a-what he hoped was a sincere smile on his face and walked down to the center where a certificate was waiting.
"Thank you" He whispered timidly accepting the invitation as the man held up Peter's hand in the air as if he'd just won a boxing match. With a nod, Normal hurried out of the gym and into a fancy limo as everyone went back to their usual. Peter glanced at the certificate not missing the small SM in the top left-hand corner. This wasn't good in the slightest.
"Ned!" Peter whisper-yelled when everyone dispersed, and they were gathered around their lockers. Ned's head shot up with wild eyes, hurrying over to where his friend currently resided.
"Peter, what happened? You just won and was it was supposed to happen, did you know? Why didn't you tell me? I mean he was kind of looking at you the entire time? Well, not kind of, really looking at you? It was super creepy, did you find it creepy? I did"
"Ned" Peter cut off Ned's word vomit. Ned blushed furiously but motioned for Peter to continue, "He knows"
Ned held back an audible gasp. Peter nodded fright taking over his body. Anxiety washed over him in a wave of nervousness and dread. If Osborn knew that he was spiderman that obviously he wanted to work at the company for other reasons. Experiments perhaps? Maybe a soldier?
"What if he wants to replicate the serum" Their eyes widened as Peter began frantically fishing his phone from his worn out bag. Even though the bag was barely 2 months old, Peter had not been very say…kind? to it, throwing it against walls and webbing them there. Opening the phone app he rang Mr. Stark's speed dial.
One ring, two rings, three rings, four. No answer. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out the panic. He didn't feel safe, he needed Tony, his father-figure here now.
"Ned," Peter said quietly, "I need to go, but you need to stay here and act okay, if anyone asks I got sick and went home"
"Okay," Ned said worriedly. His eyes crinkling in concern. "Maybe you should, I don't know swing by the tower on your way home"
"Yeah, that's what I'm going to do," Peter said before hurrying out of the building and out of the eyesight of his watchful peers. He stumbled outside and into an alley pulling out the infamous spiderman suit Mr. Stark had made for him almost a year ago. Since then the 'internship' had been kept secret and completely out of the public eye. As far as his classmates knew it was a tall-tell and old fake news.
As he swung over he contemplated how Osborn had found out, if he found out of course. There were no warnings that someone was watching him over the past few months. Within the last two years, the mentor-mentee relationship had grown more and Peter no longer had any issue going to Mr. Stark with complications. This was why when he said nothing was wrong, nothing was wrong. Except everything was wrong and there was nothing he could do to fix it until he talked to Mr. Stark.
"Mr. Stark!" Peter called as he entered the lab. No thanks to Friday who was under maintenance from a week ago. He thought that she'd be good to go by now though, apparently, the upgrades were more than just a few kink workouts.
"Peter!" A sinister voice spoke coming out from the shadows. Not good, not good, not good Peter inwardly panicked. His eyes landed on the billionaire in the center. He unconscious and bleeding head hanging down onto his chest, arms and legs chained to the chair he was currently attached to. "So fun of you to join us"
"What did you do to him?" Peter yelled, attempting to run over to the billionaire but was stopped when two guards stepped out in front of him each with a gun pointed to his father-figure's head. Peter went pale, all blood draining from his face at the sight of the all-too-vulnerable ironman. "Stop"
Osborn laughed. Like really laughed, a belly laugh at the reactions of the vigilante. "Stop" He mimicked, glancing over at his minions, "He asked me an adult to stop. You heard that right?"
The minions nodded in agreeance each letting out their own laughs, it wasn't all that hard to do with the threats of their families dangling over their heads like a carrot stick. Peter growled, under the spiderman mask Karen was trying to find a way to get to the trapped man without any fatal injuries.
"There seems to be no plausible way around to Tony Stark" Her robotic voice informed. Peter sighed frustratedly bringing his attention back to the no longer laughing CEO.
"What do you want" He growled fists clenched, eyeing the guns, fingers hovering slightly over his web-shooters. Trying desperately to remember his training from Black Widow. To pay attention to the enemies motives, stances, and movements. Along with their motivation. What could be Osborn's motivation?
"What do you want Peter?" Osborn asked glancing at his fingers like a girl admiring her mani-peti. "I ask you, what could you possibly want with all of this power you hold in your stupid sixteen year old hands?"
Another sigh. Peter knew now, this whole thing was just a way to throw Peter off. Osborn obviously didn't know about the internship and loyalty to his mentor. He must have been suspicious though because it was all a trap to get him here. To confirm the suspicions that Peter would turn to a trusted adult.
"Let him go," Peter said letting his guard down eyes glancing over at the silhouette.
"This guy?" Norman teased shoving the chair and Tony let out a grunt of pain from the shift.
"yes," Peter said simply. He wanted to at least get a good look at his mentor's injuries, make sure there was nothing life-threatening, or altering.
"Okay," Osborn said motioning to his minions, "Let him go"
The 3 men looked at their boss in confusion. Looking at one another for the answer that just wasn't there. Peter was thrown off as well, this was now what he had expected to happen? But nothing was ever this easy, and despite Osborns pitiful attempts, Peter wasn't letting his guard down.
"do you not speak English" Normal quipped, "Llleeeetttt hhhhiiimmm ggggoooo" He longated.
The men hurried to unlock the chains currently propping the man up in the chair. "Thank you" Osborn said before bringing his attention back to Peter, still in his spiderman suit. "The things you have to do to get good help from people, am I right?"
Peter just nodded afraid for the life of the now free man. He watched Osborn who motioned for Peter to check out his mentor, but something felt off and his spider-sense was going crazy when he stepped towards the group of men. The man let out another grunt of pain and Peter's resolve broke as he hurried over to the man.
"p'ter" Tony slurred his eyes barely open and head tilted back, too weak to hold it up on his own.
"Mr. Stark" Peter whispered holding the man's head above the floor and into his lap. "KAREN, give me vitals"
"Heartbeat 180bpm, blood pressure normal, lacerations, concussion, a fractured leg, and evidence of forced drugs." She said. Although she sounded worried. Could AI's do that? Tony grunted again eyes suddenly widening despite already falling into unconsciousness.
"p'ter!" He gurgled out. Peter glanced behind him seeing the notion of something coming down on him before he blacked out.
When Peter woke up he was groggy and tired. His movements were sluggish and he was incredibly disoriented. Slowly he moved his head to get a better look at where he was. He felt like he was moving and his arms were uncomfortably bound behind him. He suspected he was on the ground when the men around him were sitting in car seats speaking about something that he couldn't get. Beside him, Mr. Stark was asleep again.
"T'ny" He rasped only to find out that his words were slurred. It also gained the attention of their captors who stood up with a needle in between his fingers.
"You're a lot of trouble" The stranger growled plunging it into Peter's vein again. That was the last thing he saw of the small truck.
"Peter!" rough hands shook him awake. With a groan, Peter forced his eyelids open allowing light to shine through. The light was blinding and he shut his eyes with an audible hiss. "Peter"
Peter tried again this time slower and took in his surroundings at a reasonable pace. They seemed to be trapped in a cell. This was a new predicament. Nothing new for the Stark beside him, but for the teen who'd never experienced this, it was going to be rough.
"Mr. Stark are you okay" Peter gasped at the injuries the billionaire had sustained once he'd gotten enough energy to even sit up. His hands were tied together with rope. A smile spread across his face, he could break this. With a deep breath, he yanked on them. It only ground into his wrists even more.
"I think they drugged us," Tony said from his place leaned up against the filthy wall. Two metal cots sat next to each other, a beige mattress on top. They were both seated on opposites sides hands bound to 3 mental bars.
"I can get out of this" Peter whispered holding back the rush of hysteria. He was going to die here, alone, and trapped with no way out. "I can get out of this, I'm spiderman, I can-"
His reassurances were cut off when a very familiar scientist strode into the room. Norman was smiling down at the duo eyes glinting with pride at his work. Clapping his hand together more scientists hurried into the room immediately following directions given to them prior to heading in.
"What do you want with him? You grievances are with me" Tony ground between his teeth. They were locked together his hands rolled into tight fists. Peter noticed and felt guilty for the angst he was putting his mentor through. Why couldn't he just be a normal sixteen-year-old kid sometimes?
"That's just it Stark" Normal said calmly arms loosely at his side, "They aren't just with you. Not anymore, not when I have the power of Spiderman in my hand. Clearly you two have something else going on as well. Father-son crap. Anyway you each have something that I want, and I'm not letting you go until I get it"
"what do you want," Peter said through the quick-moving arms of the doctors around him.
"That's for me to know and you…not to know," Norman said with an eerie chuckle. He left the two in silence wracking their minds for a way out.
