One Last Breath pt. 7

(This is so long I'm so fucking sorry. Also get ready for some extra gay Maria shit after Peter's birthday post, because I'm really feeling that this week)

"What is this place where are we?" Scorpion asks as she trudged along the side walkway of a sewer.

"The sewers below the Avengers Compound. Now quiet trying to remember the code." Peter says annoyed using the octopus arms to hold him in front of the key pad. 010501 and 111318. Rachael and the Stark twins' birthdays. Tony Stark wasn't exactly known for security and no one had bothered to change the passcodes after his death.

"Livers failing. Both Kidneys shot. Pain excruciating. Not much time left. This had better work 'cause this is my last shot. I don't know where else to go." Peter thinks to himself. "Maybe I should have just gone to my wife first..."

"Doc! Are you insane! You just broke us into the Avengers Compound! All night you've been telling us to stay off their radar and now you've got us crashing through their front door." Hydro-Man yells.

Peter headed inside as the door opened the others following him reluctantly. "C-calm yourself. It's all part of my plan."

"What for us to get our asses kicked by Thor and Hulk?" Scorpion scoffs.

"I-I know what I'm doing!" Peter growls.

"And what I'm doing is getting this gold Octobot to the Avengers. If an idiot like Trapster can figure out its a brain-swapping device, then geniuses like Helen Cho, Scott Lang, and Bruce Banner will spot it within seconds. I have all the proof I need, I just have to find..." Peter says to himself looking around at the empty compound that was usually buzzing with life.

"Where is everybody? This place is deserted." Hydro-Man asks.

"Of course it is. L-like I said, it's all part of m-m-my-" Peter says starting to harshly cough halfway through his sentence. I

"Your what? Your master plan?" Scorpion asks annoyed.

"Ahem. Very clever of you Octavius. Activating all of your hidden giant Octobots around the globe and drawing all my fellow Avengers away, so you'd have me all to yourself. Makes me wonder what else you have in store for me." Ock interrupts them from where he was crawling along the ceiling.

"The wall-crawler!" Scorpion shouts.

"O-of-of course that's my plan! Get him!" Peter shouts pointing up at him with one of the arms.

"That's it? 'Get him'?" Hydro-Man scoffs, getting to work anyway.

"Tell me this time we get to kill him." Scorpion asks.

"Y-yes whatever it takes!" Peter gives in.

"Finally!" Hydro-Man and Scorpion agree.

"Do your worst." Ock chuckles, dodging all of their attacks, as lasers came down from the ceiling to defend him as well. "As you can see, I have taken necessary precautions to even up the score. Including augmenting the building's security settings from "stun" to "kill"."

"Didn't know you had it in you, webs. Whatever, I know I can take it can you?" Hydro-Man says.

"Simpleton. I am not a target. These devices recognize me as a full member of the Avengers." Ock taunts as he takes a swing at Peter. "A pity the same cannot be said about you, old friend."

"W-won't win. C-can't let you-" Peter choked out as the body he was trapped in started to shut down completely.

"What's that, Otto? No! Whatever you do, I'll never reveal where I've hidden the Starks here in the compound." Otto says dramatically.

"The Starks are here!" Hydro-Man yells.

"Hydro, you're with me! With you splashing around these floors will find them in no time." Scorpion says leaving the main battle.

"What about Ock?" Hydro asks.

"Screw him. This is a chance to grab a Stark kid. I'm sure they'd pay a hella lot more money for them back than Ock could ever provide for us!" Scorpion says as the two abandon Peter completely.

"Tsk. Tsk." Ock sighs, mockingly. "Look what I've done now all my loved ones are in jeopardy. I guess as "Spider-Man" I am honor-bound to get to those poor, innocent souls first and "save" them. Farewell, Otto. I'll leave you to all the guns and lasers. Good luck without any spider-sense."

Ock swung out and down to where he had left the others leaving Peter on the floor to die.

—

By the time he had got down their Rachael had the situation pretty much covered. She had managed to freeze Hydro-Man completely and use an ice spike to hold Scorpion in place, as well as beginning to evacuating everyone out. The only thing left was to deal with the villains.

Ock went after Scorpion first as Rachael was getting the last of them out of there. He took one hit at the unarmored opening of his suit knocking his chin off much like he had done earlier to the fake villain.

"His jaw. The one place he wasn't armored. I took it clean off. Never knew this body held so much power. All these years, Parker, must have been holding back. But I'm not him am I." Ock thinks to himself.

"What have you done?" Peter yells having finally gotten the strength to find them, throwing a metal arm his way. "I swear, if you've used those hands to take a life. If he dies..."

"Enough with the threats, "Otto". You're not doing anything." Ock says keeping up his act as Peter lifted him into the air moving them out towards where everyone had escaped to, near the big bay windows. "Think about it. How much time do you have left? Minutes? Seconds?"

"More than enough time to put an end to you." Peter says annoyed.

"I doubt that. No, you'll be far to busy tending to your family and friends." Ock laughs, shooting webs at Rachael, May, and Jameson.

"Impact webbing! That's meant for super villains not regular people! You-" Peter shouts looking back at them concerned as they were knocked to the ground with ease pain evident in their forms.

"Ha! Look at you. Losing your grip. You never had the stomach for this game where I, on the other hand-" Ock chuckles at his patheticness.

"Would go to any lengths. I-I can't allow that not with that body." Peter says, threateningly.

"What? What do you think you're doing!" Ock asks.

"Ending this here and now." Peter shouts throwing them both out the window. "I thought about it. I have seconds to live. Definitely seconds. Bye, Otto."

"Get off me!" Ock yells struggling against him, managing to get his arm free to start shooting webbing at the ground.

"What's he doing? A web net from this height would be almost as bad as pavement. That pattern? Not a web-cushion. An airbag, like stuntmen use. Why didn't I ever think to do that?" Peter thought as they fell down onto it sliding right off unharmed.

"...But I still have one trick left. You still win though, Otto. 'Cause even after I put myself back in there I can never be Spider-Man again." Peter says as the gold Octobot crawled onto the back of Otto's neck. "Even if that body has seconds to live I knew what I was doing when I made the jump. I was ending your life. That's a line I swore I'd never cross. Now I'll have to find a way to live with that."

The bot went to connect to Ock to transfer their consciousnesses back, only for a loud metal wack to sound and no progress to be made.

"No, you won't." Ock laughs.

"What?" Peter coughs, confused and scared.

"Carbonadium plating. My cranium is completely shield or in other words victory is mine!" Ock explains punching Peter directly in the face.

Peter fell back into the pavement knowing that this was it, glancing up at the crowd that was growing around them a safe distance away. He smiled to himself a little seeing Rachael standing at the very front of the crowd being forced back by police that had arrived on the scene.

"And now to finish this once and for all." Ock says, dead lifting a car over his head ready to throw it on top of Peter.  "So long, Doctor Octopus!"

"Gotta...gotta fight...do it for them, Peter...come...come...on..." Peter mumbles starting to lose consciousness as a memory creeps into his mind.

"Come on, kiddo. I know you're awake. Get up it's time for school." Ben says as the memory played out in front of both of their eyes.

"Gosh, Ben. You're worse-" Peter starts.

"-than a roof full of alarm clocks." Ock finishes setting the car down and resting a hand on his head. "Nnh! Wh-what are you doing to me? Get out of my head!"

"I'm not in there, Otto, but my memories are. Of course! The Octobot beamed my brain patterns into this body. I may need a direct link for a full transfer, but a link still exists and I know just how to use it." Peter thinks.

"Whatever this is- it won't work this is my life now!" Ock shouts.

"Eh-exactly. It's all flashing before my eyes and you're getting a ring side seat." Peter explains.

"Stop! I don't want this! I-" Ock shouts as Peter's life plays out in front of his eyes like a reader insert book which made the experience twenty times worse.

"You wanted to be Spider-Man. Well guess what? It's more than just the powers." Peter says weakly.

"I'll-kill you! I'll-" Ock yells gripping his head.

"No, you won't. Because you know now how valuable life is. And what a tragedy it is each and every time it's cut short." Peter explains.

"Please. No more. It's too much. I can't...can't go on." Ock sighs falling to the ground.

"Yes. You can. You'd be surprised how much you can do. How many things are worth fighting for." Peter says on his last leg here.

"No! This-everything you're showing me- it's impossible! And I can see it! I can feel it. You would do it all again?" Ock asks.

"Yes, Otto." Peter responds.

"Even me? Saving my life. With all that's happened?" Ock asks.

"Yes it's who I-we are." Peter nods weakly.

"I-I don't want this."

"Too late. Careful what you wish for...Spidey." Pete coughs.

Tell me...Why do I? How can I do this?" Ock asks.

"Because-because you have to. Because with great power-" Peter starts.

"-must also come great responsibility. I understand." Ock finishes.

"My family-Our family...They're all here...Promise me you'll keep them safe." Peter says urgently.

"I promise." Ock nods, basically cradling his body at this point.

"Hmm...That's all I ever..." Peter fades.

"Peter?" Ock asks when his body went limp and he stopped responding. He stood up. "Farewell, Peter Parker. Know this, I will carry on in your name. You maybe be leaving this world, but you are not a villain. I swear. I will be Spider-Man. The Superior Spider-Man!"