Living With Secrets

Escape From Hell pt. 2

Peter was so focused on the girl in his lap that he almost forgot that Doc Ock was still in the room.

"So, the symbiote has taken a liking to the child. Interesting that she was able to control him, and that you were so afraid of the thing you seem to have taken a liking to as well. Interesting." The Doc circled Peter slowly, stroking his chin. His gaze was far off, as though he was thinking of his next move.

Peter knew he had very little time before something happened. He wasn't sure what that 'something' would be, but he knew it probably would involve hurting Morgan. Or himself.

Peter's nose suddenly twitched as he picked up the scent of smoke. His spider sense caught up to his sense of smell and a shiver ran down the teen's back.

There was a loud popping noise, like gun fire, and Peter instinctively wrapped himself around the little girl. The noise seemed to pull the Doc out of his trance-like state, and he whirled around to the door behind him.

"What the hell is going on?" Doc Ock barked at the guards outside the door, and his voice echoed lightly, causing Peter to flinch.

"We don't kn-" One guard started to talk, only to cut himself off and press a hand to his ear piece.

"There was a fire, looks like most of the Black Hole was destroyed."

The Doc swore and rounded on Peter. "You. You and your freak friend. You've destroyed my lab."

Peter trembled slightly, unable to stop himself from breaking under the intensity of the mad scientist's gaze. His spider sense tingled again, and he noticed a slight shift in the venting in the hall.

Just before the Doc could raise his hand, moving to slash at Peter's face with a blade, there was a metallic crunch, and Wade rolled out of the vent. Or at least what was left of him. His legs were taking form, but still small and frail, and Peter rolled his eyes at the teen's strange shape.

"Long time, no see, Doc," Wade laughed, taking stock of the room in front of him. "Where'd those arms go? Decided you were enough of a weirdo without them?"

The Doc laughed, and both Peter and Wade paled at the sheer amusement in the Doc's voice. Something was wrong, he had something hidden up his sleeve.

"No, Wade, my boy. Quite the opposite, actually." The white lab coat was ripped open, revealing a contraction unlike anything Peter had ever seen before. It was shaped like a backpack, with 4 white circles on the back, where 4 long, white tubes began to unfurl. The 2 bottom tubes snaked to the ground, lifting the doctor off the floor, and the other 2 loomed over Wade, claws opening and closing menacingly. "That fire, all those years ago, it caused an explosion that fused these legs to my back! I am, and always will be, Doctor Octopus, the most brilliant mind in the world!"

"Hey, I said it once, I'll say it again. It's just not a good look, Doc Ock."

Wade barely had time to finish his snarky quip before the Doc lunged at him, and the teen fell to the side. The lab was shaken, and chemicals spilled all over the floor, some vials breaking, some rolling into the hall. There was no way Wade could last in a fight with this guy, he was too weak, and his skinny legs were too unsteady for him to easily dodge things. Peter scrambled to help, setting Morgan down in the chair and stumbling to the cabinets next to him, falling towards the counter and barely catching himself. The pushed things around, searching in vain for something that would help him walk, but couldn't find anything.

Webs it is, he thought. He didn't have much juice left, especially without water or food, but he would have enough for one good hit.

He shot a web towards the ceiling and swung towards the Doc, slamming him in the head. He had hoped that would be enough to knock the man out, but it unfortunately had little effect.

"And the Spider boy enters the ring!" The Doc spun around, his tentacles lunging at the teen. Wade took the opportunity to wipe the blood from his split brow, and pushed himself up. He grabbed onto the broken vent behind him, ignoring the pain in his palms as the broken metal dug into his skin. The blond shook sweat and blood out of his eyes, his bangs falling over his forehead. "Let's do this," he mumbled, then launched himself at the Doc's back. He landed right over the pack, and began to pull each of the tentacles out of their sockets.

"No, stop!" Doc Ock writhed in pain, trying to knock the teen off. Peter took the opportunity to throw a near by vial of chemicals, one that hadn't broken, towards the Doc, and was shocked to see it break and begin smoking immediately. The Doc screamed in pain and fell to the floor.

"Peter, you want to do the honors?"

Peter looked up at his friend in confusion. Then it dawned on him. Wade wanted to kill this man.

"No, Wade," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "This is your fight, not mine. You get to finish this."

The brunet turned around, using his webs to get himself back to Morgan, who was still passed out on the chair. He ignored the sickening snap of whatever Wade was doing to the Doc, instead busying himself with shifting Morgan onto his back.

"Wade, we should go." The brunet turned, surprised to see Wade crumpled against the vents in the hall, and the Doc no where to be found. Peter sighed. He should have seen this coming, the Doc went down too easy.

Peter used his web from earlier to swing back out into the hall, easing himself down onto the ground. He ripped a piece of the vent off, and yanked Wade onto it. He webbed Wade to it, making sure he was secured.

Looking around, Peter's eyes fell on a broken piece of pipe. He grabbed it, and bent the top of it, making it into an upside down 'L' shape. He wrapped the top in cloth, a piece of Doc Ock's coat, and then leaned on it, using it as a makeshift crutch. It was basic, and uncomfortable, but it would work. He started to move, the sound of the fire drowning out the sound of Wade's metal stretcher scratching against the floors.

"Here we go, guys," the brunet whispered. "Time to go home."