Chapter 2 is finally out! Enjoy!
Sitting on a "comfortable" seat, surrounded by grey walls and black floors, the subway and his life moving too fast for his own liking, Miles Morales, the "What adjective best fits the "Mom Pick Me Up I'm Scared" meme?" Spider-Man, was entering his private even from the government thanks to Peter from his earth's privacy system "Spider-Fam On This Earth" chat, mentally preparing for the unenviable task of telling May and Ganke that he was being mentored in science class by Doc Ock.
Mentored.
In Science Class.
By DOC. OCK.
Miles groaned. That Parker Luck thing seemed to be contagious.
A comic book cover suddenly appeared on the screen, depicting Miles and Liv staring at each other intensely, faces close.
The title read "Spider-Man: Miles Morales": "Ionic Bonds": "Opposite Coulomb Force".
Sighing, he returned his gaze towards the group chat history that was showing up on the screen of his cracked beyond reason phone.
Well, there was a reason, actually, but if his parents knew that, he could kiss being Spider-Man goodbye!
The worst part? That might actually save some people.
"Damn it, Miles, quit it!", Miles chided himself. "All this negativity is only making a bad situation worse!"
…
"Well, words? Work! There's a reason I used you!", Miles told himself, but unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as just telling yourself to calm down.
But how was he going to do this, to stop Doc Ock, to save people, to honor Uncle Aaron and his Spider-Fam if he didn't…
Miles shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts off, which continued to hang on to the sides of his subconciousness. "I don't have time for this! I need to take this one incredibly terrifying challenge after the next!"
Miles knew he had to tell May and Ganke NOW about this whole "Oops! "My Science Mentor is a Super Villain!" Disney Channel TV Movie situation, 'cause who else would know what to do right now but them?
…
Well, the other spiders, sure, but they're not here right now.
…
They're never here.
"Great…", Miles sighed again, feeling his warm breath on his slightly chilly hands. He put them in his pants pockets, hoping to warm them up a bit, but they still felt cold. "Now I'm thinking about that."
Deciding to focus on only one of the many things that were bringing him down, Miles looked at the phone, his text still waiting to be formed.
His digits hovered hesitantly over the keypad, the saliva getting stuck in his throat.
What was stopping him?
As if he didn't know.
"What kind of Spider-Man gets into this kind of stupid situation? How can I possibly get out of this? I bet you that Peter B. would know!", Miles said to himself, feeling a wave of disappointment wash over him again.
Most Spiders would just stop Doc Ock! Most of them would just fight him/her to submission, get the police to arrest them and be off on their merry way, probably letting out one last quip before winking to the audience.
And then the end credits would play, "to to do to do to do", and then there'd be a commercial break, probably for some crappy toy, and then there'd be…
Miles slammed his head backwards on the subway wall. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just be a regular, normal spider-powered superhero who fought weird criminals on a daily basis? Was that so much to ask for?
Miles looked back at the phone. He could avoid telling them. He could just try to ride it out, lay low and maybe then he won't feel like he faile…
Miles then felt his heart clench.
…
No.
"No, I'm not like that!", Miles said to himself, feeling a brave determination, the kind he only felt here and there but was always exhilarating.
"I may be many things, but I am NOT a liar… When it comes to Spider-Man stuff… With the people who know about it.", he corrected.
Miles narrowed his eyes, hunched his back, lifted his knees up to his chest, put his hoodie up, covering his hair and only exposing his serious expression as he typed away as fast as he could, trying his best to somehow explain the situation without devolving into a panic attack.
"If I don't tell May and Ganke…", Miles reasoned as he finished up his incredibly long message. "Then I'm putting people in danger. I can't stop Doc Ock alone."
He sighed, a sad feeling in his heart. "No matter how much I wish I could."
Finishing up his message, he nodded his head slowly and pressed send.
"There", he thought, lying back with his arms behind his head, acting as a makeshift cushion. "Now I wait."
He was sort of proud of himself!
He had managed to send the message despite his fears!
…
Wait, was that the easy part of today?!
Miles felt like he could cry or scream or both, with a side of hyperventilation, when suddenly "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee blasted across all directions.
Miles looked up, embarrassed, expecting a few angry or annoyed stares his way, but to his misfortune…
No one was there.
His heart aching, Miles picked up the phone and stared at the new message that had been delivered, by Ganke naturally.
WTF?!
Miles had to admit: It was a legitimate reaction.
The three circles popped up, indicating that Ganke (or, as he was named in the chat, Spider-Roomie) was sending another message.
"Maybe some advice? Or a question…", Miles wondered.
Miles was not too surprised though to see the Joseph Joestar "OH MY GOD!" GIF.
JoJo's references? Now?
Ganke immediately replied.
THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR A JOJO'S REFERENCE! BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, DOCTOR OCTOPUS IS YOUR SCIENCE MENTOR?!
…
DO YOU REALIZE HOW DELICIOUSLY DRAMATIC THIS IS? LIKE, DUDE, THIS IS MOVIE WORTHY MATERIAL! MAN, YOU HAVE TO LET ME WRITE A FANFIC ABOUT THIS WHEN IT'S OVER!
Miles rolled his eyes, but a part of him couldn't help but smile at his roommate's penchant for lightheartedness, even at the most tense of situations.
It would have been nice to have that sort of chill worldview, but unfortunately for Miles, he wasn't Ganke.
He was himself.
Look, man, this is serious! Ms. Calleros saddled me with Doc and I don't know what to do!
All Miles knew was that May better send something, since he reasoned she was the only one with proper advice.
Especially 'cause Ganke's was…
Miles, I know what to do! We hook May up with Doc Ock and she's so distracted by her raging emotions that she won't notice you kicking her butt!
…Less than stellar.
Finally, May entered the chat with a less than amused response to this "plan".
I may be desperate for new love, but not that much, Ganke.
Miles and Ganke of course didn't realize that there was so much more to that rejection than they knew, but right now, they had so much more to think about.
Like the fact that Miles' subway was arriving in just 5 minutes to Alchamax and that if he didn't come up with a plan soon, he'd be dead meat.
Let's hope Miles tells them that or…
5 MINUTES?!
Never mind. Our boy delivered.
Miles was starting to get stressed.
No, wait, that's wrong.
Miles was starting to get EVEN MORE stressed!
There, that's better!
Anyhow, Miles was breathing a little rapidly, watching the subway car approach its destination closer and closer, knowing that waiting from him beyond those automatic doors was the biggest threat to New York, scratch that, the multiverse!
Wait…
The entire multiverse depended on him succeeding?
"Jesus, brain! Why are you choosing now to inform me of this?!", Miles thought, panicking as he began to rock slowly.
He didn't notice that he was typing all his thoughts at the same time, though, so May and Ganke were very much present for his panic attack.
"Oh my god! If I fail, if I let Doc Ock get her hands on another super collider, not only is New York in danger, but so is my universe, and my school, and my mom and dad, and you guys, and the other universes, so that means Peter B. and Noir and Peni and Ham and Gwen and Gwen and Gwen and wait, that also means billions of billions of billions, maybe even trillions, no wait, quadrillions of people, an INFINITE number of people, who could all lose their loved ones, who could DIE because of me, because it was my responsibility and I couldn't save them because the education system obligated me to do this and I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
But before Miles could get into the fetal position, he heard the notification ding.
He also noticed that all that was sent as a message.
"Great…", he thought as he covered his eyes in embarrassment. "Now they'll think I'm crazy!"
Instead, he found a sympathetic response from May.
Miles, dear… You need to calm down and take a deep breath.
Normally Miles would have found this sort of response a little pandering. Of course he needs to calm down, he knows that, but it's not easy!
But Miles knew that May was saying this from the deepest place of her heart.
So…
He tried.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, air running into his nostrils, his blood slowing down, his heartbeat slowing down, his mind slowing down.
He took another one, and he could hear the faint sound of the subway train nearing to a stop.
He took a last one and he could feel his surroundings, his heartbeat, his tense back, his aching shoulders, his sweaty palms, his heavy eyelids and his overworked legs.
He opened his eyes, feeling a little calmer.
Ok… I did it. I'm… Less manic.
May smiled from the comfort of her couch and she sent a reply.
Good. Now, look at the whole picture: Liv doesn't know that you are Spider-Man and she doesn't know about the supercollider project you're making. This plays to your advantage!
Miles hadn't considered that, but now, thinking clearly, he could definitely see that. In a sense, the ball was in his court now. And he had better stats than Doc Ock.
You can spy and find out what Liv's plan is, and then, infiltrating from within, you could apprehend her!
Ganke was definitely impressed.
Damn, Miles! That's even better than the date plan!
Miles laughed softly and sent a response.
Ok… So, I just lay low, find out what I can, and when the moment is right, the moment I can prove that she's Doc Ock and get her arrested, I do just that!
He was starting to get a little more confident. Maybe this could be done after all!
You got it, dear!
Miles sent a thumb's up emoji, and promised to send back info as quickly as he could, and, feeling a lot calmer, he stood up determinedly.
He strapped on his backpack tight, released his head from his hoodie, and, with his now tied sneakers, he confidently stepped out of the subway station into the main road that broke into the Alchemax forest, and, more importantly, into Alchamax.
Staring aside at the woods, Miles felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.
Hanging with Peter B., exchanging jokes, actually LEARNING to web swing, learning that Gwanda was actually Gwen, and also Spider-Woman, and also from another another dimension…
It felt like an eternity ago.
And to Miles, it felt almost like staring at paradise.
How he wished he could go back to those days, which sure, were filled with terror and doubt, but were also filled with people who TRULY got him.
Not that May and Ganke didn't help, but…
He was still unsure, despite his newfound determination to ace this test.
And despite the fact that he nearly died about 4 times in this very forest, he felt way safer there than he did with…
"Miles!"
Garbed in her lab coat and thick tangled 3A Curls, ugly scarf and purple skirt, Olivia Octavius was a whole other creature to the Doc Ock Miles knew all too well: She wore a smile instead of a smirk, the weirdest color on her head was purple rather than red, and the craziest thing about her wardrobe was the scarf rather than the octopus arms.
In fact, if Miles didn't know better, he'd have put his money on the table that he would get along with this woman.
But, of course, his money was off the table because he wasn't allowed to gamble at his age.
Oh, and this woman has tried to kill him multiple times.
Also that.
As Doctor Octavius neared him, Miles instinctively braced himself for impact, his spider sense blaring at full alert.
But instead of a punch to the face or a kick to his confidence, Miles received something all together different…
A sloppy kiss on the cheek.
Miles could still feel the bits of drool on his cheek (ew!) as Doctor Octavius straightened her octagon glasses and beamed at him.
It felt odd…
And not just because of the attitude, but also because of her eyes.
Her smile said "Let the fun science begin!" but her eyes told a different story…
One that seemed not happy or evil but…
Sad?
As if they were covering a terrible truth…
"Sorry if I'm being a little overexcited, but I just can't contain myself!", Doctor Octavius said in a sing songy voice, shaking with excitement as she knelt down to look into Mile's eyes (she WAS taller than him).
Miles was too busy taking this all in and wiping the excess spit from his cheek.
Doctor Octavius continued being all fake cheery as she conversed with him.
"Was it hard to get here? You know I could drive you there instead of taking the subway?"
"Jeez, why is she being so nice?", Miles wondered, puzzled at this.
"Oh, wait, yeah, she has to keep her identity a secret too", Miles realized, nodding his head to himself.
One thing for sure: He could NEVER ride in her car.
"Oh, sorry Dr. Octavius but…"
"Liv.", Doctor Octavius insisted, booping his nose. "We're friends now, so call me Liv please."
Miles may have been incredibly uncertain about all this, and about himself, but there was only so much pandering he could take.
"Yeah, I think we need to establish a relationship first. It's not you, it's me, you know?", Miles said, his sassy spider persona showing up for a moment.
Doctor Octavius let out a fake laugh, you know, the one you hear a distant family relative make when they're gossiping with your mom, and she pinched Miles' cheek, prompting a sigh from him.
"Oh, you are too much!", Doctor Octavius said, and she began to lead him in. "Well, chit chat is nice, but we have SCIENCE to make! TO MY OFFICE!", she called, and she marched to the building.
As Miles got taken in, he took one last glance at the forest to his right.
He took another deep breath, trying to somehow calm down, as the devil took him from heaven to hell.
Miles knew that a place like Alcemax, home to not only one of the biggest super villains ever, but also to potentially hundreds of dangerous weapons, not to mention the birthplace of the super collider, would have some pretty heavy security.
It only made sense, a place like this needs some serious guarding.
"But", he thought, as he was being held upside down by a 6 foot, 235 pound Russian security guard with a penchant for smelling Miles' body, "This might be pushing it."
His very annoyed expression was contrasted by Doctor Octavius staring at him with her head tilted to the side, a smile on her face which Miles to the life of him couldn't tell if it was just genuinely innocent or gleefully mocking him of his current predicament.
"What's wrong, Miles?", she asked, seemingly unaware of the situation.
"Don't misunderstand, Dr. Octavius, but being sniffed by a guy who likes opening his buttoned shirt so I can get a good glimpse of his chest hair is hardly my idea of an educational time.", he said with a smug smirk.
He then looked back at the guard, who huffed nosily at this insult.
"No offense man, my pet peeve. I'm sure there are a bunch of weirdos out there who'd KILL to get sniffed by you. You'll find them, don't worry."
The guard threw Miles onto Doctor Octavius, who held onto him, and growled.
"I do not like this boy, Doctor Octavius. He smells innocent enough, but his words are too cocky for a person in his position."
Despite only being two inches taller than him, the guard seemed to tower over Miles, who was back onto the floor, finding Doctor Octavius holding him even weirder than tall, dark and deranged.
The guard stuck his face up close to Miles, eyeing every detail, absorbing it all.
"Perhaps Sergei should interrogate him… Just in case…", he said, and he seemed to reach for some sort of sharp object.
Miles gulped. This was getting a little ridiculous, no?
To his relief, Doctor Octavius actually came to his rescue for once.
"Oh, Sergei, that won't be necessary.", she said with a stare.
She seemed to transition into an attitude that Miles was way more accustomed too.
"This boy is… Essential, and it is of the company's best interests to keep him safe…"
She suddenly grabbed Miles by the shoulders and rubbed them, making Miles quite uncomfortable.
"…and sound."
While Miles silenced the urge to backflip Doctor Octavius to the ground and take her down, Sergei huffed again, but accepted the order.
"Whatever you say, Doctor Octavius."
He then stuck up close to Miles again, a suspicious and hungry look in his eyes.
"But remember, boy… Cross one line, break one rule, upset Doctor Octavius in any way…"
He then grinned maliciously, gleeful at Miles' clearly scared face.
Like it was all a game to him.
"And you are my prey, boy."
Miles backed off slowly, clearly freaked out but trying to save face by not screaming for dear mercy. "Ok… That was fun! We should do this again sometime, when I'm finally insane, huh?"
He then removed himself and Sergei saluted as Doctor Octavius left.
As they left Sergei, Miles looked over at Doctor Octavius and tried to crack a joke.
"Woah! Where do you get these freaks? Kooky Alley? I find Weirdo Grove way more bountiful with… Maniacs."
Doctor Octavius didn't respond, though, as she seemed preoccupied with a wall right now.
"…Doctor Octavius? Why are we stopping here?", Miles started, before feeling the confidence for another joke. "I mean, it's a nice wall, but…"
Doctor Octavius turned away from the wall, revealing a picture frame of a man, around his 50's, dressed up in a red sweater and grey training trousers, smiling warmly, almost reassuringly.
Miles didn't even know the guy, but he felt like if he did, he'd love to listen to his stories. His brown eyes seemed to contain a certain twinkle, and there was a feeling of safety that emanated from him.
The man had a pretty ovular face as well, and milk chocolate maple hair that was a little curly and frizzy.
But the most interesting detail was the 30 something year old woman standing next to him.
She was nearly as tall as him, which was truly staggering, considering he was easily 6 foot 2.
The man had his large hand on her shoulder, and she was laughing out loud, the life in her eyes bright and clear.
Clearly, he had told a very funny joke.
Or a very corny one.
Whatever the joke was, the woman clearly liked it.
But while Miles didn't know the guy, he felt oddly familiar with the woman.
She had slightly more organized hair, and no glasses, but that face, those eyes, that lab coat…
Could it be…
That it was…
"Ahem."
Miles turned to see Doctor Octavius look at him, but gone was the cheerful smile and bright eyes: Replacing them was an expression that didn't belong to Doctor Octavius or to Doctor Octopus.
In fact, Miles had never seen this face on her before.
It wasn't exactly angry… And it wasn't exactly sad.
The eyes seemed to well up for a second, as she wiped them.
There was puffiness, but also darkness to them.
Her mouth was twisted with a frown, but it was anyone's guess as to where it leaned more heavily: Melancholy or rage.
Her whole spirit was sagged, that's for sure, and one could tell that whatever the picture entailed in its origin, it was one that Doctor Octavius would not just share lightly.
Miles gulped as she passed him, saying nothing, but giving him a stare that definitely meant to NEVER ask about that picture.
"…Whatever that is…", Miles thought as he followed, taking one last glance at the picture as he rounded the corner. "It definitely means something to her."
Miles did find it interesting though: For the first time since they had met, Miles felt a genuine emotion coming out of Doctor Octavius that didn't curdle his blood.
It was… Oddly comforting to know that even Doctor Octopus had genuine feelings.
Who would have thunk?
As Miles entered Doctor Octavius' office, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. This place was one he was no stranger to: It was here that he and Peter B. had managed to obtain the Super Collider information onto a goober, and it was here that Miles had discovered that the seemingly innocent Olivia Octavius was in actual fact Doctor Octopus.
It wasn't just the office that was unnerving: Ever since they had seen the picture of the strange man with whom was surely Doctor Octavius, the aforementioned scientist had turned silent and cold, thoughts racing in her head.
As she locked the door, Miles started getting fidgety. He knew how dangerous and sadistic Doctor Octavius could get.
A terrifying thought made his blood run cold: Did she know he was Spider-Man? Was that why she signed up for the mentor program?
It didn't seem like the kind of thing she would normally do. Shouldn't she be out there, being illegal and stuff?
Miles began to panic. Was that a collection of knives in the mini-kitchen? Was that a plasma cannon that could dissolve his entire existence faster than his father's disapproval? Was that red goo in a jar dangerous?
Doctor Octavius, meanwhile, didn't even notice the teen's hyperventilation, too distracted by unknown events to acknowledge it.
She kept pacing up and down, trying her best to calm herself down.
"Keep it together, Liv. Keep it together."
She could see him, though.
She could see him leave.
And she could see herself lost forever in the spiral.
She was so angry…
And vengeful…
And forlorn.
And sad.
Emotions that she didn't have time for surrounded her, and Liv knew that she needed to relax and now, before she reveals personal information to a random schoolboy.
Her hands slammed down on the desk, startling the anxious Miles, who was now sure that she was planning to murder him.
While Miles slowly reached for the door, Doctor Octavius closed her eyes and imagined herself back with him.
He was showing her his newest invention.
She expressed doubt in her abilities.
He never did.
"Liv, you have managed to crack interdimensional travel. Not thinking about him for a few more hours should be a piece of cake.", she calmed herself down, imagining his large, all encompassing body holding her close, keeping her safe and warm, as he had done all her life.
"Speaking of which…", she reminded herself, now calmer and refocused, shaking her head to finish the job.
She then dashed off to the mini kitchen.
"Crap! The knives!", Miles thought, and, lost without his suit and gadgets, closed his eyes, bracing for impact.
Instead, he was met with…
"Cake?", Doctor Octavius asked, a spoonful of some already in her mouth.
Miles opened his eyes and was greeted with a deliciously moist and scrumptious chocolate cake, its dark coating a lot more welcoming than a collection of sharp knives.
Then again, what wasn't more welcoming than a collection of sharp knives?
"Well? You in?", Doctor Octavius asked, mouth full and spewing out crumbs.
She shook the plate, enticing Miles. "Trust me, I'll probably finish it if you don't act soon."
Miles knew that Doc Ock was not to be trusted.
He knew that she was a sadistic, cold and calculated sociopath.
But…
Cake was cake!
He gingerly took the plate, eyeing his slice with a bit of hunger. He had been so shocked by the reveal of his mentor he had forgotten to eat his lunch.
"Great. Another mistake to add to the list.", he thought, as Doctor Octavius went back to the kitchen and threw a spoon towards him.
His spider sense activating just in the right moment, Miles was able to catch the spoon with his mouth.
"Nice catch! I don't think I would have been able to do that!", Doctor Octavius complimented, before immediately backtracking. "Well, that's a lie, I could DEFINITELY do that, but still."
Miles removed the spoon from his mouth and started to dig in to his cake, enjoying its rich, creamy flavor.
"Lady may be evil, but she makes a mean cake!", he thought, a positive feeling arriving in his chest.
They were so few and far in between these days, which worried Miles.
He used to be so carefree.
…Were those days gone for good?
Would he ever feel relief?
Would he ever rest again?
"Miles, why are you still standing?", Doctor Octavius asked, waking Miles up from his concerns.
She pointed at the free chair in front of her desk, as she sat down on her chair behind the desk, twirling it slightly.
"As your mentor, I order you to sit on this chair and relax!", she said, clearly jokingly, but Miles could catch a hint of superiority, of a position of power emanating from her voice.
She even enjoyed the smallest orders, as long as she was in charge.
Miles still sat though (no reason to keep standing), and he continued to eat his cake.
"Ok, so far, so good.", Miles said, trying to encourage himself in the incredibly tense situation he was in.
He could see straight into Doctor Octavius' eyes, and he was… Concerned, to say the least.
But he would persevere!
"All I have to do is get her to choose ANY project but the supercollider, pretend to be interested, and ride it out until I can incriminate her."
Thinking it out loud made it sound a little easier, and, for a moment, Miles felt like he could make this work.
That moment didn't last long, though.
"So, Miles, how's our supercollider coming along?", Doctor Octavius asked in the most innocent voice possible, bright smile on her face managing to hide the sinister grin of success.
Miles talked while chewing his dessert. "Oh, pretty good! I've made some breakthroughs with the safe travel functions…"
Suddenly, realizing what she was asking, Miles choked on his cake, coughing loudly.
"Oh my stars! Are you all right?", Doctor Octavius asked, seemingly genuinely concerned.
Then again, she probably doesn't want a child dying under her watch, as that could arouse suspicion.
Yeah, that's probably it.
Oh, right! Miles is choking!
Miles thankfully cleared his airways before any need for a Heimlich could arise.
"Here, have a napkin, you've got a little…", she pointed out that some crumbs were on his cheek, and then, without asking permission, she began to wipe it out with some spit.
Miles would have thrown up if it wasn't for something way more distressing and nausea inducing.
"Supercollider?", Miles asked, fear and alarm in his voice and eyes.
Doctor Octavius nodded, as if this was a totally normal question a schoolboy asks his science mentor. "Why, yes! Your project!"
Miles was sweating like crazy and his heart was pounding so fast he thought it would leap out of his chest and slap him for being so useless at everything.
He had to come up with something quick!
"Play dumb!", he told himself.
"…What supercollider?"
"Seriously?!", he criticized himself. "Every time?!"
Doctor Octavius smiled cockily. "Don't tell me you actually forgot about it! Nat did say you were forgetful, but this is taking the cake!"
Suddenly realizing the pun she made, Doctor Octavius laughed out loud, but its fake nature was not missed by Miles, who was still fidgeting in his seat, cursing himself.
"How… How did you know I was making one?", Miles asked, wanting to at least know that.
Doctor Octavius let out another fake laugh. Miles was really starting to get sick of those.
"Oh, Nat… I mean, your teacher told me about it. She saw the diagrams, after all."
Miles thought that Doc Ock should hurry up if she wants to kill him, because right now, he was very interested in doing it himself.
Doctor Octavius pretended to wipe away a tear of mirth and she refocused on Miles, who gulped. "Now, enough silliness. Tell me about your project."
Her chin and jaw rested on her hands, whom in turn rested on her desk.
It was like a game to her, it was all too easy.
She had him under his thumb, and Miles knew it.
He couldn't fake his way out of the supercollider now.
…
But…
An idea popped into his head.
"Probably just dumb luck.", he thought sadly, not even daring to give himself any credit.
"But still… Beggars can't be choosers."
Perhaps, just perhaps, he could convince her to use his safer methods.
Yes, he knew it was a long shot!
"But who knows? Maybe she won't do this on a kids school project", he prayed with his heart.
Miles slowly took out the diagrams from his backpack, careful not to reveal anything else.
If Doctor Octopus was going to use his invention, he was at least going to make sure it was used responsibly.
It was the right thing to do.
And at the very least, Miles knew that he could try to do that.
"Well… I have some diagrams here I've been working on. Alone. Totally alone."
Miles was in enough deep trouble as it is, he wasn't going to get May involved.
He'd have to take the credit.
Doctor Octavius nodded as she picked them up. "I see. Very impressive, Mr. Morales."
Ooh, her professional voice was back. That meant she was serious now.
…Wait, does that mean she actually thought it was impressive?
Sure, it was a super villain talking, but that didn't mean Miles couldn't enjoy getting one thing right for…
"For an amateur.", Doctor Octopus then insulted, that evil grin of hers popping out for a second.
"Never mind.", Miles thought gloomily, sinking into his seat and kicking his legs.
"Can't even get praise from a freakin' super villain."
Doc Ock eyed the diagrams hungrily. This…
This was the key!
Sure, it could use some work, some modifications, a few fixes here and there…
But there was a solid foundation here!
Doctor Octopus calculated quickly as she analyzed every nook and craney of the papers.
"I'll still need to break into Hardy Foundation, but with all this, and my new protégé's assistance, I should have it finished by the end of his mentorship."
She nearly rubbed her hands with glee, giddy with how things were proceeding. "The boy leaves none the wiser, and the multiverse is mine!"
She cleared her throat, trying her best to suppress a victorious cackle, and she took a deep breath, returning to her adorkable persona.
"Oh, this is some splendid stuff, Miles! Super duper job!", she complimented in that fake voice Miles was really growing to hate.
She got closer to him, which made the poor boy flinch.
Was she going to gut him now and run off with the plans?
How could he have fallen for one of the classic blunders? "Kill your special high school science class mentor student and run off with his beginning diagrams for a dimensional transporter"!
…Ok, so he was probably wrong, but still!
"Miles, could you explain to me in full detail what stage you are in? Spare no detail! I want it all!", she instructed, a wild grin on her face and a twitch in her left eye.
Miles really wanted to just disappear, but even that he couldn't do: His identity would be exposed.
"As if that's a big surprise: Since when do I ever get what I want?", he thought.
Well, time to get one thing for once: Convince Doctor Octavius to make it safe.
…Yeah, right.
"Um… Well, I don't have it all figured out yet, but there is one thing I very much want.", he started, trying his best to sound innocent and normal.
"Oh, of course, Miles, anything! I'm all ears!", Doctor Octavius said, leaning back in her chair, the world her oyster.
There was nothing he could say right now that…
"Well… I was thinking of making it very safe, limited travel. You know, so that little things like collapse of the entire multiverse won't happen.", Miles offered, twiddling his thumbs and suddenly being very interested in the ceiling.
Doctor Octavius fell off from her chair, and, with a huff and a grunt, Doc Ock (minus arms) came up.
"What?!"
Miles flinched, almost falling from his chair, and Doctor Octavius realized that she would need to exercise caution, lest she be caught.
"I mean…", she wiped the dust off of her lab coat and tried on a nervous smile, betraying her displeasure with her tone. "What ARE you talking about? Safety measures? Pfft!"
She stepped towards Miles, that mad look back, making him move backwards.
"We don't need safety measures! We are trained scientists! Did you forget who you're talking to?"
"That's exactly why I'm taking them.", Miles thought, still backing his chair up but not backing down from her.
"Well, you never know, right? Like I said, what if the multiverse does something like collapse onto itself? Sounds like a pretty disastrous oopsie to me."
Doc Ock was losing her patience, and she began to get a little angrier. "Silly boy. You are thinking with fear instead of logic."
"Am I?", Miles retorted, and Doctor Octopus, losing control, gripped his chair handles, stopping him from moving.
"Yes, You. Are. Progress cannot be tamed by doubt. To create, one must be bold! Daring!"
Only being able to back his head into the seat rest, Miles did just that, Doc Ock's eyes nearing and nearing, the madness and evil in them now very apparent…
And very frightening.
Miles began to wish he was somewhere else, anywhere else.
Not for the last time today, Miles wished he was someone else. Anyone else.
"Maybe not… Too daring?"
Doc Ock was starting to like the idea of tearing this pathetic shrimp limb from limb, but she had to keep her cool.
"Clearly, you have no idea what a scientist does!", she shouted, making Miles shiver with fright.
Ok, that wasn't it.
Doctor Octavius held her hair in a bunch, getting some cool air on the back of her neck, closing her eyes and deep breathing through her nostrils.
"Stay calm, my shooting star.", a soothing voice echoed in her mind. "He's young. Like you were once. Perhaps he just needs an example and he'll understand the gravity of his mistake."
Opening her eyes, she noticed that Miles' chair was backed up all the way to the wall, and that she was towering over him, looking ready to strike him hard.
Laughing nervously and retreating back to her friendly aunt scientist persona, Doctor Octavius lifted Miles with her hand, her fingers still holding on too hard, despite her best efforts to be nice.
She smiled that half goofy half sinister smile that freaked Miles out, and she began to drag him with her to the center of the office.
"Perhaps what you need is an example.", Doc Ock said, and she began to dig in her secret safe.
Cracking the code without looking ("Another little brag", Miles noted), Doc Ock flung the safe open and a blinding light erupted from it.
"That's… Physically impossible.", Miles stated, wondering how many laws of nature were wrong in his weird universe.
"Mr. Morales, that word is what's stopping you from daring to attempt!", Doc Ock commented, and she removed the item she was searching for.
Miles wondered what could it be: Most likely it was an invention she was proud of, but what could it be? Miles only knew two things that Doctor Octavius had made, the arms and the supercollider, and both kind of totally sucked in his eyes.
"Well, not from an engineering perspective persay, more from a "let's use this to end the world/punch Miles" kind of perspective.", he thought as Liv finally dropped the thing on her desk, sending a tiny rumble across the room and dropping her knife collection down to the ground.
Miles, his helpful instinct kicking in, tried to web the knives up.
Remembering that he doesn't have his web shooters, and that even if he did, he'd be a fool to use them (nah, I'd be a fool even if I didn't. Damn, why am I so down?!"), Miles just walked over and began to pick them up…
Only for Doctor Octopus to appear before him, knife to his chin, self satisfied look on her face.
"I'd back off if I were you. 1,591 people have died thanks to knife and or cutting related injuries last year alone."
Miles gulped, the blade dangerously close to his throat, his heart in his chest.
"…How terrifyingly specific of you."
Doctor Octavius removed the knife from his throat, laughed heartily and twirled it, a mad look in her eyes.
"Oh, Miles! I'm not going to kill you!"
But as she put the knife back, she clearly seemed to consider it, eyeing his throat in a way that made Miles want to jump out the window and become a circus performer named Pasthuzo.
Doctor Octavius then pointed at the desk. "Now, if you will divert your attention from my totally normal knife collection that in no way insinuates that I'm a criminal and onto the object on the desk that in no way insinuates I'm a criminal…", she said, snorting again.
Miles was starting to consider blowing his cover just to get her to stop laughing, but then his eyes widened and his heart leapt out of his chest as he saw…
"Doc Ock's octopus arms…", he whispered, absolutely floored.
"What. The. Fuck?", he thought, flabbergasted, trying to comprehend the insanity that was this meeting with his mentor.
He circled the table, struggling to believe what was going on: Doctor Octavius, despite her need to hide her identity, was showing off her arms.
"What do you think?", Doc Ock asked, a gloat to her voice.
"Literally and figuratively showing off.", he thought, shocked to his core.
He began to near the arms, almost cowering in front of them, so imposing they were to the teen.
The translucent arms shone in the fluroscent lighting, emitting a glow that nearly blinded Miles.
Thanks to the see through material, the visible wiring and machinery were there for Miles to admire.
So much effort and precision had been put into the arms, from the nigh deadly yet delicate claws to the elasticity of the tubes connected to said arms.
Miles knew that it was a death weapon…
But man, it was masterful!
Every single detail struck Miles as amazing and spectacular in multiple ways.
"Your silence indicates that you are impressed, no?", Doc Ock asked, waiting to hear a song of praise.
Miles couldn't help but nod, still amazed. "I've never seen them… Especially this close.", he said, the last part whispered, trying to keep his identity a secret.
He tried to feel the arms, but one snapped at him, making him recoil.
He looked up to see a smirking Doc Ock, wagging her finger. "No touching. You could get… Hurt."
Again, her words were laced with a sadism that sent a chill up Miles' spine.
Suddenly, Doctor Octavius started caressing the arms rubbing them on her cheek affectionately, the arms responding with their own nuzzles. "Aren't they AMAZING? Sentient enough to perform any action possible while simultaneously insentient enough not to rise up and take over the world like ."
"The Exterminator movies!", Miles started, understanding the reference, before feeling sheepish. "I… I understood that reference."
It was just nice to finally be able to say "Hey, I also know stuff!" next to this woman.
Doc Ock smugly smiled. "How very skillful of you."
And once again, her smallest insult made Miles want to sink to the center of the earth. How did she have this effect on him? Why did he feel a need to impress her?
…Perhaps it wasn't her he wanted to prove himself to.
Doctor Octavius resumed caressing her arms, and Miles sat back in his now next to the desk chair.
Suddenly, he remembered: Doc Ock was showing off her arms!
"This is my chance to incriminate her!", he thought, feeling foolish for not jumping on it earlier.
But still, this was his chance to make up for this mistake!
Miles began to remove his phone…
Only to notice that it was gone.
Sensing a pattern, Miles looked up to yet again meet a smug Doc Ock.
"Oh, I took the liberty of placing your phone in my bag until the session is over. No distractions on the road to progress!", she said in that sing songy voice of hers.
Miles sunk back into his chair, massaging his temples. "How many more fuck ups can I make today?"
He sighed morosely, feeling his chest get heavy and his back and neck tense up.
All day today he had forgotten things, failed to get things done and was foiled at every turn by Doc Ock.
Was there a single thing he could do right?
He wanted to slam his head on the desk and feel nothing.
"What else can go wrong today?", he thought sadly.
"And before you ask, Mr. Morales, I can tell you that that terrible (yet gorgeous looking) Doctor Octopus stole the finished version from our labs. This is but a prototype.", Doc Ock lied while somehow complimenting herself.
Suddenly she quickly fixed herself, a look of guilt in her eyes for a fleeting moment. "An EXCELLENT prototype, though! EXCELLENT!"
Miles desperately wanted his web shooters back so he can web Doc Ock's mouth up. Not only was she evil, but every word out of her mouth made him feel bad or annoyed!
"Miles!", she suddenly yelled, and Miles noticed that she was right up in his face, a gleeful look in her eyes.
"Sorry, you weren't focusing.", she beamed innocently, and she nearly flew back into her chair, standing up and lifting the arms.
"Now, believe it or not, I'm not only here to gloat."
Doctor Octavius resumed her serious demonstration.
"Now… I took these out to teach you an important lesson. So I need you to focus and pay attention to this demonstration!"
Suddenly, Doctor Octavius equipped the arms on her back, and winked at Miles. "Are you paying attention?"
Miles figured that everything else was lost, he may as well try to get a good grade.
Besides…
Those arms WERE impressive.
Also, Doctor Octavius did seem to genuinely want to show him the arms. She seemed very proud of them, and Miles, who was used to her being not genuine, decided to give this a chance.
He sat up straight, hands clasped together, eyes staring straight at her.
He wasn't the best at doing, but he was pretty good at listening when he wanted to.
Doctor Octavius grinned. "Excellent! Now… Observe!"
Quickly and suddenly, Flo, Moe, Harry and Larry zoomed into all directions, performing nearly a million actions at once.
Miles' eyes struggled to keep up, he had to dart them every which way.
From the little he could catch, Miles noticed that Moe zipped into the kitchen, dashed into the cupboards grabbing a saucer, a mug, a bag of espresso, a jar of sugar cubes and a spoon, setting them on the marble top of the mini kitchen.
Harry meanwhile swept the room with a large hairy broom, collecting all the dust, dirt and grime that could be found on the floor. He then followed this with the quickest floor wash Miles had ever seen, though in all fairness, Miles had only seen SO many floor washes.
Flo, as ever taking the more affectionate role among the four arms, spent her time sprucing up Doc Ock: She washed and brushed her hair, removing all the knots while somehow still keeping its structure, she straightened her lab coat, somehow ironing out the wrinkles with a heating feature that didn't burn the villain, she trimmed her finger nails and laid on a coat of pink nail polish that sparkled in the bright flurescent lights of the office, she brushed, flossed and whitened her teeth and she finished off with a mint and an affectionate ruffle of Doc Ock's hair, who responded with a loving smile back at the arm.
Finally, there was Larry. Miles, however, did not expect the fourth arm to take a vested interest in him; Instead of doing something for Doctor Octavius, the arm leapt forward and began to spruce him up!
Miles fidgeted and struggled as he was pulled every which way, his hair got washed and dried, his clothes were changed from his usual ensemble to a tuxedo, fancy black trousers, polished 'till they shine black shoes, white paper white cufflinks and a tie that WAY too big for him.
Figuring from the barely contained snort from Doc Ock, the size of the tie was DEFINITELY on purpose.
Miles got sprayed with Eau De Toilette and Aftershave, which made him yelp.
As he yelped, he got bombarded with about 15 breath mints, eliciting a raised eyebrow that made Doc Ock laugh again.
Finally, after all this, he got all the dust rubbed off of his shoulders ("…Thanks?"), a rose in his pocket ("Oh, nice! Thanks!"), but when he tried to shake Larry's… Claw, he got lifted like a claw machine prize onto Doc Ock's "welcoming" arms.
She held him like a baby and grinned at Flo, who had fetched a camera.
"Cheese!", Doctor Octavius yelled, and the bright flash of the camera made Miles' eyes spotty for a moment.
Doctor Octavius let him down, and, without even looking, caught the freshly brewed coffee that Moe was busy with the entire time.
Taking a restrained sip, she put the mug down and, with a bow, celebrated her excellence.
"I hope you enjoyed the last minute, Miles."
Miles, who in the meantime had scrambled back to his seat, gaped as he looked at the clock.
It really HAD been a minute!
The arms shook each other in celebration, and Doctor Octavius sat down, legs crossed, awaiting Miles' judgment.
"Well? What do you think?", she asked, as if she didn't know.
While it was true that she was a total jerk, even Miles, who cautiously approached the arms to admire them, had to admit…
"That… That was incredible!", Miles exclaimed, mind still blown by the arms he had once so loathed.
True, they were instruments of chaos and crime, but seeing them at work on something that was actually legal for once was quite enlightening!
But as Miles observed the arms from up close, he realized something.
"Wait, the arms are controlled by a neural link, if they weren't they'd be completely sentient.", Miles reasoned, nodding his head as his mind raced, for once his insecurities allowing his quick wits to shine.
"And because I know this to be true, this means that…"
It snapped, and Miles flashed an awe struck reaction at Doctor Octavius, who admired her polished nails.
"Your next sentence is going to be "You did all that with your mind? Dr. Octavius, that's incredible!"
Miles' widened eyes and dumbfounded expression told the whole story.
Doctor Octavius laughed, but this time, it felt hearty, which slightly eased Miles' soul.
Using Harry, she offered him his seat back, and Miles resumed sitting as Doctor Octavius continued sipping from her mug.
"Mmm, excellent work, Moe!", she complimented, and the claw purred up to her almost like a cat.
"Who's a good robotic arm? You are! You are!", she cooed, making Moe curl up even more, almost glomping the super villain's cheek.
Miles, meanwhile, was still star struck by the magnificent invention before him.
Sure, this was a distraction he didn't have time for, but Miles couldn't help it: The arms were legitimately impressive!
"I still can't believe them! They're so simple, yet finely tuned!", Miles enthused, his hands to his head as if he was afraid that a little more awesomeness would make his mind melt.
Harry shyly offered himself for inspection, and Miles gently took hold of the arm, carefully and delicately inspecting it.
"The translucent tubes are inspired, they surely allow for freer movement than, say, metallic arms."
Doc Ock wasn't too fond of the metal comment, but she did know that he had planned to change the metal parts too, so it didn't hurt her too much.
"The separation between sentience and insentience is perfectly balanced! They can't go crazy unless you distinctly order them to!", Miles continued, voice rising in enthusiasm.
"Well, I mean, who would make these arms do anything bad, except for that evil genius Doctor Octopus?", Doctor Octavius again praised herself.
Miles ignored the comment, instead choosing to focus on the marvel before him.
"And the speed of it all! A minute? That's freaking incredible!"
Doctor Octavius raised an eyebrow and Miles retracted the "curse" word.
"I mean… That's really cool."
Doctor Octavius chuckled again and Harry bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!", Doctor Octavius said, and she sighed, content.
She was starting to get through to him, she could feel it!
Now she just had to lay the…
"How did you invent this?", Miles asked, legitimately curious about the origins of the arms.
Oh.
She hadn't expected that question, somehow.
Or, well…
Perhaps she had hoped it wouldn't be asked.
Well, there was no escaping it.
She'd have to…
Say it in a way that didn't shatter her heart in infinite ways.
"Um…", she started, nervousness and apprehension suddenly present in her speech. "Well… I didn't invent them persay."
Miles' eyes widened at this.
"Do the surprises ever end with her?", he thought, as Doctor Octavius continued to explain.
"Well, that's inaccurate. I made THESE arms, this model. They're all me.", she said, and the arms nodded their "heads".
"However…", she continued, and Flo instinctively rushed to Doctor Octavius' aid, wiping the sweat off with a hankerchief and then caressing her hair.
"Thanks.", she whispered to Flo, before clearing her throat.
Miles could detect an oddly… Sad and melancholic tone to her voice.
Like she was hiding some great tragedy behind those octagon glasses.
He wouldn't ask; that would be impolite.
But he was definitely curious.
"…The original arms…", she finally choked out, almost averting her gaze. "Were made by… A genius, a visionary…"
Barely audibly, she uttered "…Someone I care about very much…"
The arms bowed their "heads", as did Doctor Octavius, their moods clearly changed for the worse.
Doctor Octavius then returned to her usual demeanor. "Anyhow, I improved them. But we're not here to talk about that, now are we?"
Miles listened attentively (though he feared the coming storm) as Doctor Octavius made her case, pacing across the room, the arms following.
"These arms are capable of amazing things, you know this now."
Miles nodded, very much agreeing.
Doctor Octavius grabbed hold of a miniature model of the sun and let it roll around in the palm of her hand, fixing it with unbridled attention.
"But they would never have been made, never would have seen the light of day, if the original inventor… And I… Wouldn't have done one thing."
She suddenly threw the sun model back on the shelf, turned around quickly and, in a single bound, slammed her hands on the desk as she stared at Miles with intense passion.
"Do you know what that thing is, Miles Morales?"
Miles gulped as he scrambled for an answer. "…Waited an hour after you eat before swimming?"
Doctor Octavius edged right up to his face, her breath freezing his throat, her eyes atoms apart from his, which really freaked him out.
"We… Dared."
As immediately as she had pressed herself against him she separated, marching around the room almost manic like, a mad gleam in her eyes that gave Miles the chills.
"We DARED to be more. To create. To innovate!"
She spun his chair, making him turn round and round, like a record, round and round, enthusiasm very apparent in her voice..
"We were bold, bolder than others! Braver, tougher, smarter, sharper! We were leaps and bounds of the others, and we took full advantage of this, crafting things they couldn't even imagine, let alone comprehend!"
She stopped the chair, leaving a dizzy Miles to hear out the rest of her speech as she embarked her desk and lectured from the top of it in electrifying passion.
"THAT is how progress is made, Miles! We don't walk, we RUN! We don't jump, we LEAP! We don't fly…"
She looked at him with eyes that both inspired and scared simultaneously.
"We SOAR."
Miles gulped as Doctor Octavius leapt down from the desk and towered over him, her stature near colossal like compared to the now very small, almost mousy Miles.
"So, Miles Morales…", she began, staring into his soul.
"Do you want to make something amazing?"
Perhaps in a different part of the multiverse, there was a Miles who would have agreed.
Out of fear, out of pressure, out of being truly convinced…
But Miles was himself.
And as disappointing as it could be sometimes, there was one thing he was proud to stand up for: He refused to do the wrong thing.
Even if in front of him stood the most terrifying adversary he had ever faced.
Taking a deep breath and puffing up his chest, Miles tried to assert his position. "Doctor Octavius, I'm sorry, but as awesome as your arms are, I won't make the supercollider without safety precautions. Damn my grade if I have to."
Doctor Octopus let out a short nose sigh, eye slightly twitching.
She turned her back to him, trying to stay composed.
"Mr. Morales, you are disappointingly stubborn. It's, frankly, almost impressive."
Miles awaited with bated breath for her counter.
"However, you are sorely mistaken. You have the impetus ego to stand up and contradict your mentor."
She cracked a smile for a moment. "In a way, you remind me of myself."
She then frowned again, turning to him with a disappointed glance. "But that doesn't mean you can just change my rules. We will do it my way, or you will get a failing grade."
Miles was afraid of angering her further…
But…
But he was RESPONSIBLE.
Maybe he wasn't Spider-Man enough, but he was RESPONSIBLE enough.
Standing his ground, he continued. "As I said, damn my grade. I'm not destroying the universe."
Doc Ock groaned and Flo and Moe massaged her temples as she glared at him. "You're a real pain in the ass, Mr. Morales."
"Better a pain in the ass then a dangerously irresponsible maniac."
Perhaps that was a bit too much, as Doc Ock growled. "You're a real rude boy, you know that? I wonder what your parents would think if I reported this?"
She approached him with malice. "Surely you realize you are impeding progress with your cowardice!"
"Surely you realize that you are endangering people if you don't approach the collider with more caution!", Miles shot back.
Doc Ock laughed again, but this time it was mocking him. "Ms. Calleros was right…"
She glanced at his with much disappointment. "You ARE irresponsible."
That.
That was it.
That crossed the line.
Of all the things she could have said, that was the one that sent Miles over the edge.
All of his insecurities and fears and disappointments and grievances and regrets and anger bottled up and exploded inside his mind, his face red with rage as he shot back in perhaps the worst way possible.
"You know who is irresponsible? You and that maniac who made these arms in the first place!"
And just like that…
The room grew deathly silent.
Doctor Octavius, Doc Ock…
A third person…
Froze in shock, barely comprehending the statement.
The arms almost hissed at Miles before cautiously approaching her, trying to comfort her somehow.
Miles could feel the tension in the room to a staggering degree, it could be cut with a knife.
He began to shake a bit, scared of what could be coming.
For what felt like an eternity but was really only 20 seconds, the woman before him stood with her back to him and said nothing, not even breathing for a moment.
Slowly, she stepped forwards to her part of the desk…
Her right hand grabbed hold of the coffee mug…
And…
With a palm that shook violently…
She…
CRASH!
Threw the mug on the wall, the pieces shattering and spreading all over the place, steaming hot coffee now decorating the plaster of the walls.
Miles jumped from the collision, his fists already in a fighting stance, anticipating a move, any move.
After a few more moments of silence, Miles relaxed his tense muscles, and, feeling bad for having surely hurt Doctor Octavius, decided to apologize for what he said.
"…Doctor Octavius… About what I said…"
But before he could finish, Doc Ock spoke.
"Mr. Morales…", she said, almost weakly. "Do you want to know what happens when people behave like you?"
Miles didn't know what to say, but thankfully he didn't need to say anything: Doc Ock's fingers danced on the keys in mesmerizing fashion, after which they turned the screen towards him.
Miles' eyes widened in shock and his stomach and heart took turns taking somersaults: It was footage of his battle yesterday with Doctor Octopus.
Or, well, Spider-Man's battle with her.
"Tell me, Mr. Morales…", a voice, ice cold and calculating, inquired. "What do you see?"
Miles had to be careful or his identity would be exposed!
So he played it safe. "I see Spider-Man fighting Doctor Octopus."
"Wrong. Look harder.", she ordered, anger laced in her words.
Miles tried again, hoping that playing dumb could help. "…I see… Spider-Man fighting Doctor Octopus in a building?"
Doctor Octavius growled with frustration. "No, you infuriating boy! Is Spider-Man winning? Like he should?"
Miles looked at the screen, where his butt was being royally served to him by Doctor Octopus.
He sighed, as the image of his pathetic failure etched itself in his lonely eyes. "…No."
"No. No he's not.", Doctor Octavius agreed. "Do you know why?"
Miles said nothing. He didn't want to say what he felt inside.
"It's because he isn't trying."
At first, Miles wanted to protest: Of course he was trying! He didn't WANT to lose!
But Doctor Octavius wasn't giving him a chance to put in a word in edgeways.
"He's losing because he's taking it safe! Approaching cautiously! Why, look at him now!"
Miles saw himself hesitate to deliver the venom punch with the intensity he knew he could deliver.
"…He's holding back.", Doctor Octavius stated.
Miles gulped.
"He's pulling his punches.", she continued.
Miles didn't like where this was going.
"In short… He's too afraid to fail."
Miles felt disgusted by himself as he saw The Rhino kick him out of the battle.
"And that's why he failed."
Guilt and shame flared up in his eyes as he thought back to that fight.
Peter, Peter B., Noir, Peni, Ham…
Gwen…
Maybe they lost sometimes…
But at least they didn't hold back.
Doc Ock then turned to him, her eyes screaming with disapproval.
"And that's why you'll fail if you don't dare to try. To attempt."
She approached him, closer and closer, making him back up to the wall again, afraid of her next action, be it physical or verbal.
"You and Spider-Man fail because you doubt yourselves constantly."
Miles continued backing up as Doctor Octopus' face edged closer and closer to his.
"Our doubts are traitors. They make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.", she lectured the teen, sniffing indignantly.
Now backed up completely to the wall, Miles could only gulp as Doctor Octopus continued her tirade.
"Do you know what is the most important discovery in human history? Fire. Fire is the tool with which we forged our destiny."
She was so strangely calm, trying her best to deflect some kind of feeling, hide it from the world.
"And while it is true that the flickering embers of the flames led to much destruction, great fires and arsons and chaos and death…"
She stared right at him, trying her best to drive her point through, Miles trying to listen and not get impaled by her silent rage.
"A lot of good came out of it: We were able to stay warm in the cold, cruel winters. We were able to cook our food and digest properly and grow our brains with fire. Without fire, there are no stoves, ovens, fireplaces. We could protect ourselves from predators and the great plague thanks to fire. Pasteurization, Mr. Morales, is possible thanks to fire!"
Miles had to admit, there was logic to what she was saying.
Doctor Octopus, however, wasn't finished. "…But I assume, Mr. Morales…"
She viewed him with much disappointment, and it almost hurt Miles, despite not caring about her opinion.
"…That had you been alive during fire's discovery, you would have spoken against it."
She drummed her fingers and her claws on the wall, the sound echoing in Miles' ears.
"Time… Mr. Morales… Is moving ever quicker."
She moved her face up close, emphasizing each tick with disdain.
"Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock."
She scowled, and Miles frowned sadly, feeling so small and insignificant.
"Soon, you'll have to prove yourself. To go out there and make someone of yourself."
She stared deep into his eyes, seeing the milky whites near his pupils.
He flinched.
He was afraid.
"To take a leap… Of faith."
She backed off of him, sighing.
"The question is, Mr. Morales: Will your fear of failure keep you on the ground forever? Will you soar… Or will you crash and burn?"
Miles felt tears sting his eyes, and his throat clenched from desperation.
He was no Spider-Man.
He was barely a person.
Doctor Octavius went back to her part of the desk, the broken mug shards still scattered on the floor, the now west spot on the plaster glistening in the light.
She hunched her back and slumped her shoulders, looking down on the floor with no emotion.
Miles just didn't know what to say: While he disagreed with her philosophy, she had made some good points.
He wasn't doing well enough, he was failing spectacularly and his confidence got shattered every few minutes..
"How…", he whispered, tears flowing down his cheeks and nose. "How can I ever be Spider-Man like this?"
"How will I ever save people… If I'm me?"
For a few minutes, no words were said.
The only sounds uttered were of the dinky ceiling fan and Miles' short, rapid but quiet breathing.
"…You may go… Mr. Morales."
Miles looked up, but all he saw was Doctor Octopus' back.
There was no point in arguing.
In fact, Miles was more than happy to go to bed.
Maybe he could fall asleep forever…
And never wake.
Maybe then people will be safe.
Maybe then he will be happy.
"…Ok."
Miles collected his diagrams and stuffed them into his backpack, feeling like he wasn't inside his body, like he was remote controlled, and the batteries were dangerously low.
Feeling useless.
A meaningless grain of sand in a cold and uncaring ocean.
Not Spider-Man.
Not a man.
Not even a boy.
Just…
Miles.
As he turned around and made his way to the door, his hand nervously gripping the polished handle, Doctor Octavius opened her mouth one last time.
"I hope tomorrow's session goes… A little bit better than this one."
Miles sighed. "Yeah… Me too."
He opened the door and left, hands in his pockets, the weight on his shoulders increased tenfold.
Wondering why was he brought to this world, if he only made things worse.
"So, that's what happened: She knew about the collider from the start, she's forcing me to make it without safety precautions, and now I feel even worse!", Miles updated May on the phone, back in his dorm room, lying on the top bunk.
"Don't forget insulting your fighting!", Ganke reminded from his chair, working on his paper with much unbridled fury, an oddity from the normally cheerful boy.
Miles turned to Ganke, and while he knew that the comment had hurt him, he didn't see it as vital news. "Ganke, that's hardly important right now."
Ganke turned, clearly mad at the super villain. "Miles, she insulted my best friend. Am I supposed to sit quietly about this?"
"What's more important? The multi-verse or me?"
"Well, just because you're second best in this doesn't mean your feelings don't matter!"
"Boys, stop fighting. Arguments won't help us beat Li… Doc Ock.", May said, trying her best to calm down the roommates.
Ganke huffed and turned his chair, but Miles agreed.
"Thanks, May.", he said, but his voice was clearly shaking, the effects of the mentor session having taken their toll.
May viewed him with pity, feeling sorry for the boy. "Oh, Miles. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that."
Miles sighed, resting his head on the pillow, feeling so heavy. "I don't know what to do, May! Every few minutes, something happens that shakes my confidence down to the drain! Spider-Man is supposed to help, but I feel so…"
He sunk into his cushion, the soft fluffy pillow almost easing his headache. "…Useless."
May sighed. "Oh, Miles. There isn't much I can do but support you. The choice, the leap, is, unfortunately, down to you."
She smiled, fondness in her expression. "I swear, if I could do it for you…"
She didn't need to finish.
"Thanks, May. That does help… In a way."
May looked straight into Miles' eyes, exuding vibes of calm at him.
"Listen, incriminating… Liv… Isn't impossible. It's true that Peter never did, but to be fair, she didn't come out much back when he was around."
Determination sounded from her words.
"You CAN stop her. We will find a way. And, if needed, we'll speed up the super collider we're making so we can finish it before hers is done. It can't hurt to try."
"But it might…", Miles found himself thinking.
May smiled kindly and bid him farewell. "Try to get some rest. We'll talk things out as soon as we can, ok?"
The call ended and Miles looked at the black empty screen, which reflected his face.
"How fitting", he thought, and he covered himself over.
As he tried to set his aching bones and tense muscles to some sort of "comfortable" position, Miles wondered if he could ever soar.
He had to…
And he wanted to…
But could he?
Hours later, night had fallen in Alchamax.
The halls, filled earlier with hundreds of employees, were now deserted, devoid of life.
Except, of course, for Liv.
Liv was still there, still hunched over, still staring at the floor, still surrounded by broken glass.
She had stood there for hours on end, saying nothing, thinking nothing.
There was only one key difference:
She was crying.
Weeping, in fact, in grief, tears flowing like a river down her normally composed face.
Even her greatest enemies would have felt pangs of sympathy to see this usually stoic person drop to their knees and bawl.
Today was that day.
9 years ago…
She had lost everything.
It was so illogical, it almost made her want to laugh.
How could losing one person feel like losing a hundred?
But it did.
Against all common sense…
It hurt so, so much.
Finally, her dry throat broke through the night with a single sentence.
"…I miss you."
She sobbed, unused to such flagrant showings of emotion.
"I miss you SO much."
Liv felt cold and alone in her dark office.
Even her arms couldn't comfort her as she broke down.
"I should have… I should have known he would… I should have been there… For you."
She tripped on her words, feeling it in her heart.
"I could have… I could have saved you."
She shook and shivered, the cold wind of the night surrounding her.
"It's my fault you're gone."
It was genuine, her guilt.
She truly felt responsible.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment."
She then got up and walked out of the office, the arms still latched on.
A few minutes of calm, composed steps later, she reached a hill top in the Alchamax forest.
One which she knew all too well.
Sitting down on the wet grass, she could hear the chirping of crickets and the rustles of leaves in the trees.
But her eyes were focused on the sky, full of stars.
Stars she had seen once with such wonder.
Stars he had shown her.
Stars he was now a part of.
And never would he return.
But as she sat there, she could feel him: His warm voice, rumbling with laughter as she excitedly pointed out constellations, his large hands somehow engulfing her own, his kind eyes as she promised…
Promised she'd too save the world…
Just. Like. Him.
She held her knees close, and, with hopeful eyes, she stared up at the sky.
"I let you down once… I won't let you down again."
Her voice shook with determination as she clenched her fist.
"The collider will be built… The multiverse will be purified…"
She frowned with great purpose.
"And you will be avenged."
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"I promise…"
She closed her eyes, a small insignificant speck in a cold, indifferent universe.
"I will earn your love."
Sorry it took almost a month, but I was busy with a ton of other projects, and these chapters are important to me, so they'll take time.
But that's not important now, since it's finished! And it's time for Easter Eggs!
There are less this time around, but there are some nice bits!
1. Didn't notice that Miles begins and ends in "comfortable" surfaces. That wasn't on purpose, unfortunately.
2. "Mom Come Pick Me Up I'm Scared" is a Patrick Star Meme where he wears a sweater that says "Mom Come Pick Me Up I'm Scared", which is used as a reaction to stuff you don't want to see.
3. It seemed logical that someone like Peter, who would want his identity to be kept a secret from anyone, including agents tracing phones, would be able to make his own incredibly private chat and video calls.
4. Like in the last chapter, "Parker Luck" is the comic book fan term for Peter's (and other spider heroes') TERRIBLE luck.
5. Coulomb force is the force that attracts electrons and protons. Seeing as Miles and Liv are against each other in this chapter, Opposite Coulomb force is more appropriate of a title.
6. "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee is one of Miles' favorite songs, and is sort of the breakout song of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", so I thought it would surely be his ringtone.
7. Joseph Joestar is one of the protagonists of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", an incredibly odd anime that one of its claims for fame is that its fans obsessively reference it. So I thought it would be fun to have a dumb reference.
8. May hooking up with Liv is a reference to the fandom's desire to ship them. Before we continue, I must say this: I have nothing against them being together (especially not because they're women), but because of certain age differences I made up for this particular story, they won't be together. So sorry to all the Liv and May fans. HOWEVER, they do have a past, just not romantic.
9. If you remember, The Alchamax forest and labs feature many big moments in "Into the Spider-Verse". Of course Miles would feel a sort of weird nostalgia.
10. I might be wrong, but I chose 4 since I truly think those were the number of times he nearly died in those scenes.
11. The description for Liv came from TV Tropes.
12. For those wondering why I kept changing the way I called Doc Ock in this, it's because her scenes with Miles involve identity changes. Sometimes she's Doctor Octavius, the scientist who's mentoring, sometimes she's Doc Ock, the super villain, but she's not Liv… Not unless they become friends, which as Liv says, is what her friends call her.
13. Assuming you didn't guess, Sergei the guard is of course, Kraven the Hunter! His stats are taken from Marvel Database, and small details like the sharp thing he's reaching for (a spear) and his chest hair are hints that he is Kraven.
14. "You are my prey" should be obvious.
15. A little inspiration for Kraven here and for Miles' line of "That was fun! We should do it again sometime" came from "Curious George". There's a scene where Ted (the guy with the yellow hat) is having his apartment searched by a giant sniffing Russian guy. So yeah.
16. Captain America asked Black Widow why was she looking at a wall, followed by "It's a nice wall" in "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
17. Can you guess who the man in the picture is?
18. The knife collection may be a DIO reference. DIO is one of the main villains of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", and he loves using knives.
19. Can you guess what the red goo is?
20. At one point in Recess, Randall, that kid who worked with Ms. Finster and was a real weasel, said "Deliciously moist" over some dirt he discovered on one of the kids. It's lovely innuendo, and I had to do it!
21. I believe "Oh My Stars!" is a Peridot reference. You know, from Steven Universe?
22. Play Dumb is a callback to "Into the Spider-Verse", where Miles used the exact same stupid tactic. TL;DR, a guard said his name and he said "Who's Morales?"
23. Classic Blunder is a "Princess Bride" reference.
24. That knife and cutting statistic is sadly accurate.
25. Paddington's uncle was named Pasthuzo, after a boxer that the scientist who discovered Paddington's species met in a bar.
26. is supposed to be SkyNet and The Exterminator Movies are The Terminator Movies. And yes, you may imagine The Exterminator from "Over The Hedge" as the main character of those movies.
27. "I… I understood that reference" is, of course, Captain America's iconic line from "The Avengers".
28. The "Cheese!" moment is inspired by a similar moment in "The Great Mouse Detective". Check it out, it's great!
29. "Your next line" is yet another JoJo's reference. It's a thing that Joseph Joestar can do.
30. Spun him like a record is a reference to the song "Spin Me Round" by
31. Tougher than the toughies, Smarter than the smarties and Sharper than the sharpies… Yeah, a Ducktales reference.
32. I used Leap in "We don't jump! We LEAP!" as a reference to A Leap of Faith.
33. The doubts monologue is Obake's from Big Hero 6 The Series. I don't like quoting from other works, but it was too good not to use. Full credit goes to Big Hero 6 The Series.
34. Take a leap… Of faith is of course a reference to the movie.
Chapter 3 is in production as we speak! What did you think of this chapter? Please share your thoughts!