Marplayer15, check the notes at the end of Chapter 17 for the answer to your question.
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Chapter 21: The Sinister Six
~24 Hours Later~
The island of Manhattan was declared a quarantine zone, and anyone trying to get in or out was prohibited. Hundreds of thousands of people were infected, and with all the escaped inmates from Ryker's and Tartarus loose in the city; New York was in chaos!
Thankfully, our heroes, they're friends and families managed to avoid infection. Even so...it seemed that New York was in its darkest hour.
May, Desiree, and Miles helped some of the sick people at F.E.A.S.T., but they kept running out of supplies.
Peter was still recovering at home while Michelle and Ned looked after him.
"This is Betty Brant with a Daily Globe special report on the bio-terror attack," Betty's voice came from the TV in Peter and MJ's apartment. "As of this hour, the number of infected civilians is approaching half a million. There is still no update from the NDC on the timetable for an antiserum, but they are working around the clock on a cure for this deadly disease... The city-wide quarantine is being heavily enforced by Sable International, who maintain tight security over all transit points. Throughout the city, police and Sable agents continue to battle with Ryker's and Tartarus escapees. Meanwhile, Mayor Osborn has gone on record blaming Spider-Man for the prison break and city-wide sickness, labeling him a fugitive..."
"You lying piece of shit...!" MJ cursed.
"But he has yet to provide evidence, and many believe the mayor is just deflecting blame, since an exclusive by the Globe revealed that this disease originated in a secret, unregulated Oscorp laboratory here in Manhattan. Mayor Osborn insists that Oscorp is working with the NDC on an antiserum..."
Norman, himself had been listening to the report and demanded his assistant turn it off; most likely cause he couldn't stand hearing the truth.
Peter tried to get up, wincing a bit, but MJ stopped him.
"Whoa, take it easy."
"Dude, you still have at least eight broken bones," Ned pointed out.
"Which means I have one hundred and ninety-eight 'non' broken ones," Peter commented. "Besides, Ava, Kate and the others need my help."
White Tiger and Kate Bishop were the only members of the Team in New York, along with Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Truly, this was a dark time for the people of New York. If nothing was done soon, many more innocent people could die...including Peter's loved ones. He had already been through enough after losing his parents, Uncle Ben and Tony. He didn't need anything to happen to MJ, May, and Anya, as well.
"By the way, I've already said on social media," Ned started. "Dr. Octavius with four extra limbs has been dubbed, "Doctor Octopus" or "Doc Ock", and the team he's formed with the other five are "The Sinister Six"."
"You and your villain names," MJ deadpanned, though she did like them.
Once Peter was fully up, he went to grab his suit, but...
"Peter, I'm afraid your suit suffered significant damage from the Sinister Six's attack on you," Karen informed him. "It will need repairs before it can be used again."
"Ah, damn, it's that bad?" Peter asked.
"Unfortunately," The trusty AI answered.
"What about your metal suit with the spider arms?" MJ suggested.
Peter kissed her as thanks for the suggestion, then went to get the suit out of it's Stabilizer Box. He opened the top, stuck his hand in, and the nanites spread over his body, making the suit.
"Cool to see it back in action!" Ned cheered a bit.
Peter dismissed the mask as he went to say bye to Anya.
"I'll see you later, kiddo," said Peter as he gently kissed Anya's forehead, causing her to giggle. He also shared another kiss with MJ.
"Please, be careful," she pleaded.
"I will," he promised, then jumped out the window.
He hadn't seen how the city had changed since the prison break/outbreak, and...it was bad! The streets and a lot of rooftops were occupied by escaped inmates, or Sable Agents! There was smoke coming from a lot of spots, and police sirens could heard throughout the whole city!
Seeing how bad things were, Peter called both Yuri, AND George Stacy...
"Spider-Man, thank God!" Stacy exclaimed in relief. "I was beginning to worry you were dead!"
"It'll take a lot more than what happened at Tartarus to keep me down," Peter replied.
"We spent most of our time telling Sable off," Yuri added. "They've labeled you a "priority target"."
"I'm almost flattered..."almost". What is happening to our city?"
"I don't know," Yuri sighed. "Feels like the end of the world. But The Blip was worse."
"Thankfully, all of us street-level heroes are here to help."
"Good to know," Stacy said. "First, there's gangs of escaped inmates banding together and taking over entire city blocks. Looting, strong-arming local citizens, you name it."
"We'll take care of them," Peter assured him. "What else?"
"The mayor told Silver Sable to do what ever it takes to find Li and Octavius," Yuri said. "So she's just rounding people up indiscriminately, holding them captive in bases around the city. I've even heard rumors of enhanced interrogation tactics."
"You mean torture," Peter said. "Don't worry, we're on it."
He hung up, then called his teammates...
"Glad you're finally up and about, web-head," Kate said.
"Yeah, and thanks for helping me get home," he replied.
"We know you'd do the same for us," Ava stated. "This...I imagine this is what "The Purge" would be like."
"Last I checked, The Purge movies didn't have any pandemics," Kate commented.
"Regardless, this is our city, and it's time we take it back," Peter declared. "Any chance the others can help?"
"Unfortunately, everyone else is busy with something," Ava answered. "We're really on our own here."
"Okay, well..." Peter thought for a minute, but then he got a call-back from Yuri. "Oh, Yuri's calling me. I'll call you guys back."
The two hung up, then he answered for Yuri...
"Two of your big-bads are attacking police precincts," she told him.
"Is it Octavius?"
"No, it's Rhino and Electro. Still no sign of the doctor. I have to honest; that one scares me. Might be the smartest super-villain I've ever encountered."
"I hear ya," Peter agreed. "So, give me the details..."
"Rhino's attacking the Upper West Precinct, and Electro's at the Upper East," she said. "Head to either; they're both equally screwed."
Peter decided to head to the Upper East Precinct first, since it was closer.
But then, Desirée called him, "Peter, are you free? We need help at F.E.A.S.T.'s sister site uptown."
"The one in Harlem? Why?"
"Some escaped prisoners are demanding food and supplies. The staff are barricaded inside, but they need help. Caleb, Miles and I are headed there to evacuate the staff."
"Desirée, please don't do anything until I get there," Peter told her. "I'll be there once I've rescued the Upper West and East Precincts."
"Then you better hurry," Desiree urged. "A lot of people are getting scared here."
Once he got to the precinct, he saw that Electro had powered up a few transformers which electrified the building, trapping the officers inside! Peter went around the area, destroying the transformers, and beating the Inner Demons guarding them. Once the officers were free, they took care of the remaining Demons.
After that, Peter headed to the Upper West, where a large group of escaped inmates were attacking police barricades, after Rhino had charged through them! A few inmates from Tartarus joined the fights, equipped with electric whips, but Peter managed to deal with them!
Unfortunately, things got tougher when Sable Agents showed up, and they focused on Peter instead of the inmates! Once they were all dealt with, Peter headed to F.E.A.S.T.'s sister site...
When he got there, the building was on fire! Everyone had evacuated, except for Miles and Desirée! Peter went in, but the building falling apart almost prevented him from getting them out! Thankfully, help came from a VERY unexpected person... Craig Watson; Michelle and Caleb's father!
He was one of the escaped inmates from Ryker's, but he actually went to save his ex-wife!
Miles and Desirée were on what was left of a wooden floor, which was slowly collapsing! Peter leveled it with his webs, but there was a long gap to the window with a fire escape! Then, Craig came in through the window, pushed over a beam to make a bridge, then Desirée and Miles made it across!
But then the ceiling collapsed on Peter and he fell, but Craig managed to catch his hand and pull him up!
Once Fire & Rescue, and EMTs arrived; everyone was safe.
Desirée went to talk to Craig, who was hiding in a alley so the police wouldn't arrest him.
"You're the last person I expected to show," she said. "Especially since you had the nerve to even approach me! ...But, you did save my life...so thank you."
Craig smiled a bit, but refused to look at her, "You're welcome. ...I don't expect you to forgive me, which I completely understand."
Desiree sighed, "You caused our family a lot of pain, but if you're trying to make up for it; this is a good start."
Craig coughed a bit, "I don't deserve it...but thanks. ...Anything change recently?"
"Michelle and Peter had a baby," she answered.
"Wait, seriously?" he gasped. "I mean...I really shouldn't be surprised, but still!"
"They're also getting married after they graduate," she added.
"Well, good for them," he nodded.
Meanwhile on another roof; Peter was with Ava and Kate, the latter had her phone out for a video chat with MJ and Ned.
"So, my dad actually saved you...?"
"I know, it's crazy," Peter replied.
No one really knew what to say next, until Miles appeared with a box full of water bottles.
"So, uh, I didn't know if you wanted sparkling, or flat, or spring, or mountain spring, so; I brought one of each..."
White Tiger chuckled, "Thanks."
"We were just talking strategy," Kate stated.
"Alright, call the play, coach," Miles said.
Peter took a breath, "Tiger, Hawkeye, you deal with the Prisoner Forts and Sable Camps. Ms. Jones, Mr. Leeds (Having to pretend he didn't know them), we need an antiserum for Devil's Breath. Oscorp's developing something, but there's no way they can keep it safe from Octavius and Li. We need to find the cure, and protect it."
"You got it, boss!" Ned responded.
"We'll find some leads," MJ added.
"Miles; you need to be my eyes and ears at F.E.A.S.T.," Peter told him. "We need to make sure that place stays safe."
"Got it, what about you?" Miles asked.
"I'm gonna track down the super-villains," Peter answered.
"Hey, uh...how do I call you?" Miles asked.
"Hawkeye can give you my number," Peter said. "Good luck, everyone!"
Then he swung away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yuri, any leads on Octavius?"
"No, nothing," she answered. "Forensics can't even do a sweep of Times Square; everyone in that department but the intern is sick."
"I may be able to find something," Peter said. "I'll let you know."
After he hung up, he got a call from Michelle as he headed to Times Square.
"Hey MJ, what's up?"
"Nothing..." she trailed off. "This is random, but...you remember that trip we took to Staten Island with Ned, Harry, Betty and Gwen?"
"To find the "best pizza in the city"?" he chuckled. "Yeah; ten hour odyssey for burnt toast with cold American cheese. Hard to forget!"
MJ chuckled as well, "Digging through these Oscorp records just...made that day pop into my head... We were all so excited to ride the ferry; just made me think about how things were more simple back then. No jobs, no super villains; we could throw away a whole day looking for bad pizza, just cause. Now it feels like if we take a nap, the world will fall apart."
"I hear ya, this adult thing is rough..." Peter agreed.
"Yeah, well...we all gotta go through it," said MJ. "That's why my Mom always told me to enjoy being a kid while it lasts."
"Yeah... May and Ben told me the same thing," Peter replied. "And...Mr. Stark told me to take it easy when I was so eager to join the Avengers...I'm glad I finally listened."
"Me too."
"I guess the work we do means today's kids can have their own Staten Island adventures, in safety," Peter said. "A circle of life kind of thing."
"Circle of bad pizza," she joked, making them chuckle. "But, you're right. That's a great way to look at it. Thanks nerd."
"No problem," said Peter.
After hanging up, he arrived at Times Square, letting the officers know he was looking for clues of his own.
He checked one of the pro-Osborn signs, which had a chemical residue of Devil's Breath on it. Karen isolated it, then had his HUD show a vapor trail. He followed the trail up a building with a bunch of neon screens, then he got to the top.
'Trail leads into those vents. What was Otto here?' He found a maintenance hatch that lead into a secret room. There were several work tables for...all the villains; Otto, Li, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, and Electro. Even one with Sable tech.
'Was Otto using this place as a staging ground?' Peter thought.
One of the tables had a few magazines about Norman, and a tape recorder. Peter hit play, and Otto's voice spoke...
"Norman... Feel like I can't turn without seeing his face. He smiles for the cameras, collects his accolades, and keeps his boot heel pressed against my neck. Why can't anyone else see how selfish he is? How reckless? How...evil? If only they could be made to see the Norman I know...the man behind the mask..."
The recorder had more entries, so Peter continued to listen.
"Oscorp has almost snaked itself throughout the city, but Stark Industries has done better. After all, can't beat the legacy of a man who died saving the universe. Still, Norman tried to make his company essential, and he has, mostly...but its also fragile. It doesn't have the indestructible backbone of Stark Industries. If a disaster were to occur and a few small pressure points were tweaked, Oscorp would fall apart. The public would see Norman for what he is; a leech on their lives. Yes...just a few simple steps and he would be ruined forever."
Next recording...
"How many men would I need... well, let's see. First; some kind of disaster. A hurricane, an earthquake, or... a plague. Next; assaults on Oscorp's power grid and emergency relief. Send the city into chaos. Let the people see the truth about Norman. Yes...just a handful of men. No more than a half dozen...a Sinister Six..."
"Name drop," Peter muttered.
Next recording...
"Martin has been arrested. Norman looks pleased. Believes he's safe. He has no idea: he's just put all the rotten eggs a man might need into a single basket. With Martin in Tartarus, alongside Scorpion, Rhino, Vulture and Electro...a single swift kick is all it would take to send those eggs tumbling down the hill. Straight at Oscorp...and Norman. Yes...just one small kick..."
Next...
"This is my final recording. Peter, if you're listening to this, please know that I did what I thought was just. It may have been extreme, but when it comes to Norman, half-measures will never do. Of all that I risk by taking this next step, the loss of our friendship will pain me the most. I hope that if we meet again...it will not be on opposite sides."
"...Oh, Doc..." Peter whispered, sadly.
He checked the other tables, seeing that all the other villains were working with Octavius for something in return. Scorpion was indebted to some dangerous people, and he wanted his debts erased. Rhino wanted freedom from his suit, Vulture wanted money, Electro wanted to be pure energy again, and Martin...actually seemed to have history with Otto.
A letter said that Otto had sent Li some pills to help with his "episodes". Which begged the question; how long have they known each other?
Peter then found a map, 'Maybe this was used to explain the plan...but there's nothing it...'
"Karen, change visual filters until something shows on the map."
"Certainly," Karen switched filters till it got to ultraviolet, revealing writing.
Certain spots on the map were marked with the villain names.
'Otto's tasked the villains to destroy Oscorp holdings throughout the city. He wants to take down Norman's empire piece by piece.'
Vulture II was in Times Square, Electro was disabling Oscorp power plants, Rhino was targeting Oscorp's shoreline properties, Scorpion was doing something at the reservoir, and Li was being sent after the antidote for Devil's Breath with something called "Icarus".
Peter kept looking around and found a large wooden crate marked "Icarus". There was a laptop on it, so he opened it, revealing Octavius on the screen.
"Hello, Spider-Man. We've never been properly introduced. I'm-"
"Otto Octavius," Peter cut him off. "There is no "Icarus", is there?"
"No," Otto answered. "Martin needs no assistance to secure the antiserum. "Icarus" was a ruse to get you into position."
That's when the crate opened, revealing that it was full of dynamite...and it was about to go off! Peter jumped through a grate in the ceiling, getting out before the place blew up! But he didn't have time to relax as he was caught in an electric cord, courtesy of Vulture!
"Need a lift?" The winged-criminal taunted. "So refreshing to work for a man like Octavius! Back-up plans for his back-up plans!"
Vulture pulled Peter as he flew, bumping him into buildings and cars, which Peter did his best brace with his feet! Eventually, they came to one of the power plants, where Electro was waiting! Vulture dropped Peter on the ground, where he struggled to break free of his binding!
"Trap failed?" Electro questioned.
"Softened him up," Vulture responded. "Time for Plan B."
Electro nodded, smiling.
Peter finally broke free and avoided getting zapped, then started swinging around the plant!
"Teamwork's beautiful, ain't it?" Electro boasted as he fired more bolts. "Helpin' ya reach those unattainable goals- like killin' Spider-Man!"
Peter dodged his lightning and fired web-balls at him, "That was almost heart-warming, Electro. You really grew in prison, didn't you?"
He web-zipped over to Electro while he was tangled in webs, then delivered some punches and kicks on him! Electro then flew over to a transformer and used it to make his bolts stronger! Peter narrowly avoided them and shot webs at the transformer, destroying it!
The small explosion knocked Electro back a bit, "Argh! V, you're up!"
"Yo Adrian, it's me, Spider-Man!" Peter quipped, making his voice like Sylvester Stallone. "Oh wait, you're not Arian Toomes."
Vulture flew around, fired razor-feathers at the web-head, who dodged and threw them back at him! Electro eventually came back in, trying to zap the hero!
"You know, I think I liked it better when you guys worked alone!" Peter commented.
"Amazing what a little teamwork can achieve, ain't it?" Electro responded.
"The vigor of youth, the wisdom of experience," Vulture added. "A fine pairing."
"Yeah, you're not wrong."
Electro flew at him as he swung by one of the smoke stacks, making him bust through it! Peter recovered and used his webs to throw a straw slab of bricks at the electric villain, then sling-shotted over to him, but then had to jump away avoid being rammed by Vulture!
As he dodged, Peter used his spider arms to pierce Vulture's jetpack, disabling it, and he fell to the ground! Peter then webbed Electro up again and threw him into a nearby fire hydrant, dousing him with water, which made short-circuit!
Peter webbed him to the ground as the police pulled up to apprehend both villains.
"What's happening?" Otto's voice came from a Bluetooth in Electro's ear.
Peter took it, "Mr. Electric and Beaky Buzzard have been grounded."
"Spider-Man, I presume?" Otto growled. "If you really cared about this city, you'd be helping me expose Osborn for the criminal he is!"
"By killing innocent people?" Peter questioned.
"I would've restored the power!" Otto fired back.
"Please doctor," Peter pleaded. "You need help."
"I have all the help I need," Otto rebutted. "And we will not stop until Norman gets what he deserves."
Then the line went dead. Peter sighed in frustration before crushing the earpiece and swung away, towards home. Peter managed to get home, even though he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
"Peter?!" MJ asked as she saw him.
He waved, then collapsed on the couch, "I hate when villains team-up..."
MJ sat beside him, gently holding his hand.
"Which ones?"
"Sparky and Beaky," he answered.
She knew that meant "Electro and Vulture". She then used her super-strength to pick him up and carry him to their bedroom.
"You can give me the details tomorrow. For now, you need rest."
She made sure to put Peter's suit in it's storage case so it could recharge, then put him to bed.
"You really know how to make someone worry, huh?" MJ asked.
Peter smiled a bit, but didn't respond. He was already asleep.
Michelle smiled and chuckled, quietly. She got ready for bed, then slipped under the covers with her boyfriend/fiancé.
She gently kissed his cheek, "Sleep well, babe. You earned it."
Once she was comfortable, she soon embraced him, laying his head on her chest before she fell asleep, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Peter groaned as he opened his eyes, hearing the rain pattering the windows. He also noticed Michelle was gone, but heard her in the kitchen with Anya.
With a quiet sigh of relief, he went to the kitchen to find her cooking breakfast while Anya was sitting in her high chair. But then he noticed the time; 11:45 a.m.!
"Morning," Michelle said. "You were pretty exhausted, so I let you sleep longer. I've already eaten."
"Jeez, was it seriously that late?" asked Peter while he scratched his head.
She just shrugged, "So, what happened with Sparky and Buzzard?"
Peter kissed Anya's head and sat down, "I found Octavius' staging ground, which blew up, then Vulture dragged me to one of the power plants Electro was at. It was tough, but that's two of the Sinister Six defeated."
Michelle nodded, that left Rhino, Scorpion, Li, and Octavius...but she still felt sad about Martin and Otto. As Peter dug into his breakfast, his phone rang. Michelle checked it and saw it was Yuri.
And...she actually answered!
"Nice to finally speak to you, Captain Watanabe."
"Who is this?" Yuri questioned with suspicion.
"Spider-Man's girlfriend, call me "Em"," Michelle answered.
"I didn't even know he had a girlfriend," Yuri said.
"You don't ask, I don't tell," Peter remarked, and the phone was on speaker.
"Ababa!" Anya babbled out, suddenly.
"Who's that I hear?" Yuri asked.
"Oh, that's just our daughter," MJ said.
There was an audible gasp on Yuri's end, then silence.
"Captain?" A male officer's voice asked.
"I'm okay, I just need a minute," Yuri's voice responded.
Peter briefly muted their end, "You actually surprised her! That's never happened before!"
MJ only smirked and winked at him.
"Okay, sorry," Yuri came back. "That was just a shock to hear!"
Peter unmuted the call, "I do have a personal life, Yuri."
"I figured you did, but, like you said; I never asked. Anyway, good work on catching Vulture and Electro."
"Thanks. Otto was having them go after Oscorp power plants, Scorpion's going after water treatment. Not sure about Rhino yet, something along the shoreline. And these are all properties owned by Oscorp."
"Makes sense," Michelle commented. "Octavius' vendetta is against Norman, so he wants to bring down his empire."
"Yeah, but this isn't the way to do it," Peter said.
"I'm guessing you're going after Scorpion?" Yuri asked.
"I'll let my friends know and meet up with them, later," Peter said.
"Okay," Yuri hung up after that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~
White Tiger was riding her super-bike through the streets, when Peter called her.
"Hey, glad you caught Vulture and Electro," she said.
"Yeah, but listen; Scorpion is targeting the reservoir in Central Park. Can you take care of him?"
"Absolutely. The city's already on the brink. If we lose clean water, we might never recover."
Tiger drove to Central Park and found the reservoir, but no sign of Scorpion. She got closer to investigate...that's when the villain appeared! She dodged a stab from his tail, but got nicked in the shoulder when he swung it at her!
"I was hoping to get the spider," Scorpion taunted. "But you'll do just as well, baby tiger."
Then, he actually left!
Ava's vision got blurry as the poison started to take effect! She groaned as she clutched at her shoulder, feeling pained.
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