Another update because you were getting itchy for the answer posed in the last chapter! 8 more chapters to go before the story finishes! Thanks again for the reviews and WE HAVE REACHED 50 REVIEWS! THANKS ALL YOU PEEPS!
In the meantime, two people had a shot at guessing what happens next. One said Spider-man controlled by Carnage and the other said Robo-Jack… One of them is correct…
Disclaimer: Xiaolin Showdown, Marvel and anything else that obviously doesn't belong to me… don't belong to me.
Kimiko looked at Chase with horror, then at the tunnel they just exited. She hoped that Jack and Octavius would exit but the tunnel remained as gloomy and dark as ever. Curt whimpered and nudged Kimiko's hand for comfort.
"We lost them. It's too late now." Chase murmured, staring at the tunnel as well.
"NO! We have to go in there and get them! We will take their tunnel!" Kimiko shouted in desperation, scrambling back to the tunnel. Curt who was giving small chirps held her back.
"Use your brain for once! Something has got the boys! If they managed to take down the doctor then we have no hope!" hissed Chase as he dragged Kimiko away from the tunnel.
"We have to! They can find my father's killer! We have to go back!" Kimiko yelled again, trying to free herself from Chase. Chase tightened his grip on her and dragged her to the exit. Kimiko put up quite a struggle but soon her strength was spent. The pair exited the building and onto the roof where they had first started. Chase locked the door and leaned against it to think. His eyes skimmed across the rooftops, listening to the hustle and bustle of the night traffic. His ears suddenly pricked up to a sound. It wasn't just any sound; he knew it as the one that had scared him away when Jack had seen his dead family. It was a sickening sound from his point of view, one that brought fear to his cold heart. And then another familiar sound, one that was like a rubber band being flung across the room at high speeds.
"The Goblin and the Spider…"
(THERE IS A LINE HERE!!!!!!! Just pretend okay?)
Jack groaned as he woke up from his sort lapse of unconsciousness. He found himself on his side in a white cell with nothing in it except a large mirror. But Jack knew this was no mirror; it was one of those windows that you could see in but not out. He got into a sitting position so he could be more comfortable. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something else. It was another prisoner, huddled in the corner. It seemed to be a little boy with wild, brown hair. He wore pure white clothes like he was a part of the cell.
"Hey kid," Jack said, trying to get the boy's attention. Instead, the boy tried to flatten himself to the wall.
"He's awake Dr Tomes."
"Excellent…"
The window shimmered before showing a tall, old, thin man; wearing a white lab coat that was staring at Jack with cold, grey eyes.
"Hello Jack Spicer, I believe you've had a pleasant sleep." smiled the man. Jack stood up so he wouldn't appear a coward.
"Who are you?" Jack hissed, earning a light chuckle from the man.
"I'm sorry, so improper of me. My name is Adrian Tomes, head scientist of Fisk Corp.," explained the man, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "And that child in the corner is Leech. Don't pay too much attention to him; he is only there so you can't use your powers to summon the dead."
Jack glanced at Leech who stared back with large brown eyes, sunken and miserable.
"How do you know about that?" Jack hissed again.
"A little bird told me."
"And what do you want me for?" asked Jack, eyeing Tomes again.
"Well, I wanted a body to do my experimentations on. So far I only got to use my theories on the dead bodies and I must admit they work well but I want to see what happens if we use a live human," Tomes chuckled again. "Leech was a small success but he is a broken toy that is no fun to play with."
Leech gave a tiny sob that reminded Jack of his own brother Tobio when he got in trouble. The teen's heart ached as he started to wonder how his own brother was faring with his father.
"Anyway, I'm coming to collect you for experimentation in half an hour. Enjoy your last 30 minutes of life as a human."
The window shimmered once again and Jack was left with his reflection. Yea! Up shit creek without a paddle, once again! He sat back on the floor with a groan and twiddled his fingers. He decided to examine all his body parts just in case they were altered during the experiment. That, or he could just contact Octavius, say he was sorry without meaning it (he was still mad) and then the guy can come and break him out. Then they could kick every singles person's ass into oblivion and avenge Kimiko's father, saving the world in the process. Jack liked that idea better than examining his body parts so he tried to contact Octavius. Hmmm… Not right, something is… said Yoda. Something was blocking his mind and it hurt quite a lot when he tried to talk to the doctor.
"Brain freeze…" he yelped, clutching his head as a splitting headache tore through his skull.
"It's me… sorry."
Jack looked at the boy in the corner and felt pity on him. He approached the boy and sat next to him. Leech looked incredulously at him before scurrying away to the opposite corner.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" laughed Jack as he tried once again to approach Leech. The boy scurried away again before Jack had a chance to get up to a metre.
"This will be taking up the majority of my 30 minutes," mumbled Jack as he watched Leech back up into another corner. "Fine let's play this game!"
Jack dug through his pockets and pulled out a miraculously intact Oreo biscuit. He originally was going to use it to tease Octavius but that could wait another day. He waved it through the air, daring Leech to come closer. Leech stared hungrily at the sugar goodness and inched a bit closer.
"Come on Leech. It is the chocolate filling..." Jack continued. Leech moved a few more inches. Jack moved closer as well and bent down so he was the same height as Leech. The boy suddenly lunged at Jack, swiping the Oreo of him, leaving Jack Oreo-less.
"Hey!" Jack shouted and jumped on Leech managing to grab his ankles, sending the poor boy to the ground. Jack got up and got a better grip on Leech, now holding him by his waist. He also grabbed the Oreo off the floor.
"Now are you willing to cooperate, or do you want to see me eat this Oreo?" mock-threatened Jack as the Oreo neared his mouth. Leech looked at the Oreo with hunger and nodded his head.
"Okay, answer the questions and you will get a piece of the Oreo. First question: Why can't I use my powers?" asked Jack. Leech hesitated at first but with a single wave of the Oreo, he answered.
"I was designed to suck other peoples powers, like a normal leech," Leech answered simply. "Oreo?"
Jack cut part of the Oreo and handed it to Leech who ate it like he was on the run.
"Second question: What is Fisk Corp.?"
"Um… I think it's a company for medical engineering among other stuff. Wilson Fisk owns it and he is like the richest guy in New York. I'm not sure though… Oreo?"
"Okay and third question: Can we get out of here?" To this Leech's face sunk into misery and shook his head. Jack frowned and handed the rest of the Oreo to the boy. Leech took it but it seemed that with the last question he had lost his appetite.
"But what did you mean by 'we'?" Leech asked suddenly. Jack looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow.
"Oreo?" Jack asked cheekily, earning a smile and a giggle from Leech. Leech broke off a bit of his piece and handed it to Jack.
"Don't you want to get out of here? I assumed that if my uncle and I escaped you would want to follow." answered Jack, munching on his Oreo piece. Leech's eyes lit up at this and hugged Jack with all his might.
"No one has cared for me before!" sobbed Leech. Jack blushed and gave a pat on the boy's back.
"Thanks kid. Uh, you are choking me. Could you let go?"
"Oops, sorry Jack." apologised Leech, letting go of his chokehold on Jack.
"You are a real sucker…" teased Jack. Leech stared at him curiously before walking to one of the walls and attached himself to it. He grinned as he continued on all fours until he was hanging upside down from the ceiling. Jack was left open-mouthed at the display, not being able to say anything. He had seen grander displays of power but in my opinion, I think what amazed him was Leech's ability to still smile like an innocent boy even if the eyes were sunken and lived under someone called Tomes. From what Jack could see, the kid had it bad.
"Yea, Adrian designed me to be like a leech in all aspects. I can also suck blood but it tastes disgusting so I just use it to stick to walls and people."
"I am most humbled to meet a kid of your powers." Jack grinned bowing low to show he meant those words. Those 30 minutes passed faster than Jack suspected. The two prisoners sat down talking about nothing and everything and for once Jack felt he was with his little brother once again without the interruption of a powerful artefact or Father. It sure beat looking at his body parts. As they talked about their families, a door Jack had previously missed opened and in came two men along with Adrian Tomes. Leech froze in fear and hid behind Jack as the albino stood up against the scientist.
"Time for you appointment with the doctor," grinned Tomes with an evil smile before turning to the two men behind him. "Grab them."
The burly men gave a nod as one grabbed Leech and the other grabbed Jack, both in a strong bear hug. Jack heard Leech cry softly and felt scared himself. He never realised how lonely one could be alone. He started to miss the tentacles and Octavius and their voices in his head. Come to think of it, he felt bad for mentioning his wife in such a horrible way.
Hey uncle… if you can hear me I'm sorry for that comment on your wife.
No such luck; instead, he got a splitting headache.
In another cell, not so far away from Jack's, was an unconscious Otto Octavius. He wouldn't be awake for some time but the tentacles moved ever so slightly. The top left, Flo, slowly lifted its metallic jaws up and looked around. They seemed to be in a round cell with no door and a window that circulated the top of the high room as if they were being observed. Bimbo was the next to get up, joining its sibling in the observations.
Where are we? Bimbo questioned, nudging its sibling for an answer. Flo offered a chirp and began poking Octavius. This action resulted in making the rest of the tentacles wake up. Their creator simply gave a groan and tried to bat them away with his hand.
Father, we are in a dome cell, with seemingly no way out except a window that circulates the room. What do you want us to do?
Leave me alone for starters…
The tentacles stared at their creator before Flo nipped him again on the hand. Octavius sat up in fury but when the tentacles pointed to the surroundings, he calmed down…slightly. In the meantime, the tentacles did a quick scan of his body and themselves, to check if they had any damage done to them.
You seem healthy Father, apart from a few scratches and bruises. We appear healthy as well reported G.C. as it scanned its siblings until it reached Bubbles. The sibling gave a nervous bobble and tried to hide behind Octavius.
Don't look at me…
Octavius gave a sympathetic look at the bottom left tentacle and tried to bring it out from behind him. He took it by its head and rested it on his lap. Bubbles tried to hide under the coat to stay away from its siblings' looks.
Now Bimbo what is wrong? Octavius cooed, marking this the first time he had called the tentacles by their name. Bubbles gave a nervous bobble and a chirp to its siblings.
I'm malfonctioning… it whimpered.
You mean 'malfunctioning' corrected Octavius as he calmly stroked its metallic head.
I can't say the vowel 'o'…
But you are saying it said a puzzled Bimbo.
If you are trying to tell a joke sibling, it isn't working! G.C. snapped, making Bubbles duck back under the coat. Octavius gave a light slap on the top right tentacle before trying to get Bubbles out from his coat.
Come out Bubbles. You are not in trouble sighed Octavius as he finally got the distressed tentacle out in the open.
I can't say 'o'!! The letter at the end of yoo! I can't say the last vowel in the alphabet!!! Bubbles yelled, taking aback its siblings and creator.
Ah.
You can't say the vowel 'u'… sorry… Flo said to its bottom half and gave it a friendly nuzzle. But unlike Flo, the rest of the siblings started teasing poor Bubbles, ordering it to say words that contained the letter u, including its appointed name. The doctor sat in silence as he tried to figure a way out of here. He got up and looked up at the window above him. People stared down at him, talking to each other and examining him like he was something under the microscope. Suddenly Octavius felt very exposed as the people above wrote something on their clipboards.
We are not alone.
Can we stop quoting movies?!
Shot op G.C.
Suddenly the people at the top scurried away as if something scary and horrifying was coming. Octavius alerted the tentacles that were bickering amongst each other. The thing that made the others run didn't seem terrible or horrifying. It was a large man, wearing a white Armani suit, smoking a cigar. He was bald and strangely enough on his shoulder sat a bean. Octavius guessed this was the man in charge and the guy that was going to get his ass kicked. But that Armani suit looked good; perhaps he could steal it later. The man beckoned for Octavius to come with a smirk on his face. Octavius eyed the man suspiciously before ordering his creations to walk up the walls to greet the man. As soon as Octavius came face to face with the man, the windows shimmered and the man started to speak.
"Good day, Dr. Octavius. Sleep well, I presume?" he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigar of fine quality. Octavius suddenly started reminiscing the day when he last had a cigar; he was celebrating the completion of his fusion reactor. He wasn't a regular smoker but cigars, in his opinion, were to be used only when celebrating. So this man must have been terribly excited about something. The man took a drag before blowing the smoke from the side of his mouth, away from the bean situated on his shoulder.
"Answer my question, Doctor." ordered the man. Octavius gave him a smirk instead and folded his arms as he leaned back, using the tentacle brace as support for his back. The man's face darkened and moved on with the next question.
"Do you want to know why you are held in this cell?" the man asked.
"The thought has crossed my mind, yes." Octavius answered back, in his own cocky way, angering the man more. The man took another drag of his cigar and blew it out in Octavius's direction as he calmed down from the response.
"My scientists and I are curious about you. You have suffered two electric bursts down your spine…"
"Three actually."
"Three electric bursts down your spine, punched and kicked repeatedly, fallen into icy cold waters where your failed sun was sinking into, which would have boiled the waters to an immeasurable heat but you stand before us as healthy as ever. You are supposed to be dead." finished the man, taking another drag of the cigar. Octavius was sure he was doing this to make him feel jealous.
"I've had lots of luck on my side. It's Wilson Fisk right? I've seen your face in the newspaper. Very ugly face, if I do say so myself." Octavius teased. Fisk bit hard on his cigar, the anger easily seen on his face.
"You luck is about to run out my friend."
Octavius looked at the bean on Fisk's shoulder with amazement. It was larger than any bean he had ever seen; brown in colour with two green roots that served as hands. It had a crooked smile, filled with crooked teeth and a pair of yellow eyes.
"Your scientists are curious about me and not a talking bean?" asked Octavius.
"Hannibal and I have struck a little deal." smiled Fisk, exchanging a sinister glance with the bean on his shoulder.
"You gave it a name? And the Bugle calls me crazy…" scoffed the doctor. In his mind, the tentacles gave a light chuckle.
"Foolish man! I'm something to be feared! I brought darkness all over the world 2500 years ago and after we are finished with you, I shall bring it back again!" hissed Hannibal, pointing a root/finger at the doctor.
"Pull the other tentacle. You are a bean." Octavius scoffed again.
"Why you-"
"Bean."
"Look-"
"Bean."
"Could you-"
"Bean."
"SHUT UP!!!"
"What, want me to lower your self esteem a bit more?"
"You may laugh now. But I thought I should just let you know that your partner, Jack Spicer, is being experimented on. If you're lucky, he might be able to remember you or resemble a human." Fisk interrupted suddenly. Octavius looked at him again, all traces of humour replaced with anger.
"What have you done to him?" Octavius growled.
"Not even I know. Adrian Tomes wanted a live human for his experiments and I simply gave him what he wanted." shrugged Fisk as he walked away with a chuckle. Octavius stared blankly at Fisk. He gave a roar of anger and struck the window with Flo and G.C. The window held strong and left the two upper tentacles dazed. Fisk and Hannibal shared a laugh that made Octavius madder. He struck the window with the two upper tentacles again and again but it didn't result to anything.
"We made sure the window is strong enough to withstand your attacks. We don't want a break out of any sort. Especially from a multi-tentacled doctor who drank the Western Dragon soup!" cackled Hannibal as he saw Octavius give another blank stare.
"How did you know?" whispered Octavius. Hannibal gave a giggle as he enjoyed playing with the doctor.
"I am the one who gave Chase the Eastern Dragon soup. I also included the recipe for the Western Dragon soup. I know when someone has drunk the Western or Eastern soup and you have all the signs of a Western Dragon drinker. Abnormal strength, amber eyes, increased height…"
Another strike from the tentacles was made on the window, but again no crack.
"And aggressive. Enjoy your stay." Hannibal finished off. Fisk started walking away again, leaving Octavius fuming. He punched the window again before the tentacles struck the same spot again. Octavius didn't know and didn't hear it but the tentacles, thanks to their sensitive hearing, heard it and reported it back to their creator with glee.
Father! There is a crack! There is a crack in the window!
When do we strike?
They will strike in the next chapter!