C416 Spider-Man (Patreon)
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Before diving into the critical preparations for the spell, Peter turned to the group, who were watching him in interest. His eyes lingering on the more scientifically minded and of them. Tony, Tom, Tobey, and Andrew in particular.
"Hey," Peter called, his tone dismissive. "Make yourselves useful while I'm getting the spell ready, I need you to check over Kingpin, Olivia, and Tombstone. Try to cure them like we did with the others."
Tony crossed his arms, looking reluctant. "Can't we just wait and watch you do your thing? We don't want to miss it…"
Peter roller his eyes. "If you want to learn magic, then bed the Sorcerer Supreme to accept you into Kamar-Taj. Besides, I won’t be done for at least another 3 or 4 hours. You won’t miss any magic."
Tony hesitantly nodded in agreement. "Fine..." He said, ideas of visiting Kamar-Taj swirling inside his head.
Andrew sighed, accepting the responsibility. "Alright, we'll do it. But we expect you to call us when it’s time to do the magic. I don’t want to miss it..."
"Sure," Peter said with a small grin. "Now, I doubt Kingpin can be cured. I’ve run not him before and his abilities seem inborn, but Olivia Octavius most likely has a malfunctioning inhibitor chip, just like Otto. If we can fix that, she should return to her senses. And as for Tombstone, I have no idea how he gained his powers, so good luck with that."
With their mission clear, the four Spider-Men reluctantly left Peter to his work and proceeded to drag the restrained and now awakening villains toward Tony's lab. The villains struggled and protested, but their efforts were in vain against the combined strength of the three seasoned Spider-Men and Iron Man.
—————
Tony, Tom, Tobey, and Andrew stood in Tony's high-tech lab, the subdued villains, Kingpin, Olivia Octavius, and Tombstone, securely restrained nearby. The room hummed with the sounds of machines and computers, and the air was tense from the venomous glares that the prisoners were sending their captors.
Tony ran a diagnostic scan on Kingpin, hoping to find some way to cure him. But as expected, the results showed that Kingpin's immense power was an inherent genetic trait rather than the result of an accident or experiment gone awry.
"Well, Peter was right," Tony muttered, studying the data on the holographic screen. "Kingpin's abilities seem to be an innate part of his biology. There's no accident or scientific mishap we can reverse."
Tom sighed, disappointment evident in his voice. "So, he’ll stay like that forever?"
“Hey!” Fisk shouted in protest, not liking how Tom said that.
"It appears so," Tony confirmed with a frown, ignoring the prisoner. "His muscle and bone density are off the charts, which explains his superhuman strength. He's basically just an oversized human, but that alone makes him superhuman."
Tobey chimed in, concern etched on his face. "What about Olivia? Can we help her?"
Tony nodded and motioned for them to follow him. They moved to a separate area of the lab where Olivia Octavius was restrained. She glared at them, still filled with anger and madness, but they could sense a flicker of despair in her eyes.
“Get away from me!” She shouted as the inched closer and closer. “I won’t be dissected, like some common lab rat!”
Tom took a step closer to her, hoping to calm her down. "Olivia, we can help you. Just like we did for Otto. You don't have to be scared. We won’t hurt you."
Olivia scoffed, but there was a hint of desperation in her voice. "And why should I believe you? Why would you help me?"
"Because we’re the good guys?" Andrew stated the obvious. "I mean, when’s the last time you’ve met a Spider-Man that dissects and tortures people. Jeez... Just relax."
Tony nodded, showing her the Inhibitor Chip he had prepared, as well as a holographic schematic of her extra appendages. "It seems that you never installed an inhibitor chip in your tentacles, so we’ll go ahead and do that for you. With this, you’ll hopefully stop being crazy. If not, well… I guess you’ll end up somebody else’s problem."
Olivia hesitated for a moment, but the unwillingness in her eyes was undeniable. Thankfully, they didn’t need her permission, as she was restrained completely, so they simply install the chip into the back of her neck.
“…” The transformation was immediate. The malicious gleam in her eyes vanished, replaced with a mixture of relief and surprise. "Oh my... It's like a… a weight has been lifted from my mind," she said, her voice tinged with wonder. “This… This is incredible. T-Thank you…”
Tom smiled, glad to see her mind slowly restore itself to sanity. "You're welcome, Olivia. Just don’t remove or damage the chip and you should be fine."
The group then turned their attention to Tombstone, the ashen-skinned gangster, who sat quietly, awaiting his fate. He seemed to enjoy his physically superior condition, so did not welcome their little experiments.
Tobey approached him and asked gently, "Do you know how you got your powers?"
Tombstone shook his head. "Not much. It was a long time ago, and it all happened so fast. And even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you..."
Of course, he knew exactly what happened. Tombstone was shot and sent tumbling into a room with the experimental chemical Diox-3, which gave him enhanced strength, speed, and durability.
Tony examined the test results they had gathered and devised a serum that could potentially reverse Tombstone's transformation. They dragged him to an airtight room and locked him inside while they released the serum in gas form.
As the serum misted into the sealed room, encompassing his body, Tombstone's skin began to lose its ashen hue, and his muscles gradually returned to a more human appearance. Within seconds, he sat before them as a regular-looking man.
Tombstone froze in disbelief as he felt all of his strength disappear. "I'm normal again…" he whispered in dread.
Andrew smiled warmly. "Yes, you are. Now, you have a chance to start anew."
Tombstone merely glared in his direction, p*ssed off at his predicament. Only Olivia expressed her gratitude for their help, and even shed some tears of relief. Despite her past actions, she was given a second chance, and she was determined to make the most of it.
Meanwhile, back in the spacious room, Peter continued his intense preparation for the spell. Sweat dripped from his brow, as he tirelessly and meticulously prepared every detail of the spells. The tiny purple cracks in the sky above continued to grow and multiply, threatening to unleash chaos upon the multiverse.
Lily sat on a nearby chair, back in her physical body with Venom sat on her lap, watching her father work tirelessly. She could see the crazy amount of effort and detail that he was putting into it, which only made him look cooler in her eyes.
"Dad, are you sure you can handle this alone?" Lily asked, concern lacing her voice.
Peter looked up, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, sweetheart. I've done some pretty difficult spells before. But this one might be the biggest one yet." He looked up from his work for a moment, smirking in his daughters direction. “I do love a good challenge though.”
Lily couldn’t help but smile in return, her trust in her father unwavering. "Just be careful, okay? We need you."
"I promise," Peter replied, returning to his work. "Now, I need you to do something for me, Lily."
"What is it?" Lily asked, eager to help in any way she could.
"Go and get the others," Peter instructed as he stood up and admired his work.
Lily nodded and hopped to her feet. "Sure, do you need a few more hands? Should I bring Tony?"
“No, I’m already done…” Peter stated, surprising her.
The ritual was ready. Or rather both rituals were ready. One to make the clones and another to bind Tony and Natasha’s Astral forms to said bodies, while also anchoring them to this timeline.
The room looked like a murder scene at a crazed cult. Blood and body parts covered the room in intricate designs alongside the oddest looking objects and tomes. If any normal person, were to arrive and see this, they would shriek and pass out or run for the police.
Excited to see the rituals in action, Lily rushed out of the room to gather everyone. “I’ll be right back! Don’t start without me!”
Moments passed before the room was full, and the sun began its descent toward the horizon. They only had an hour at most before he would have to send everyone back to their respective timelines and universes.
"This is it," Peter announced with a mixture of determination and trepidation. "Once the spell is complete, everyone needs to be ready to return to their respective universes immediately. The longer we linger here, the more dangerous it becomes. But before that…" Peter says as he pulls out three matching smartphones.
Tom, Tobey, and Andrew looked at him in confusion as he handed them over. And as they hesitantly took the phones, each screen lit up as an application opened, filling the scene and revealing a message.
[Welcome to the Spider-Verse Group Chat!]
A/N: 1566 words :)