Chapter Text
"I can't believe that we get to meet the Curt Connors. Did you know he is the Dean and the head of research in their biological sciences division? He manages to do it all!" Trent gushed as the three of you got off the yellow school bus that a bunch of hippies was riding across the country. Fortunately, they were nice enough… or high enough to let the three of you join them. You hoped that your good luck would last just a bit longer.
"Yes, we know. Trent." Karlin grumbled.
"How?"
"You've been telling us that for the past three hours. Besides, Dr. L/N went to University with Dr. Connors, and she probably knows all of this."
"...But you didn't."
"And now I do, so you can just-"
"We're here." you breathed, cutting off Karlin. You stood in front of the biological sciences building.
The three of you must have looked deranged. You were surprised that security hadn't been called to kick you out.
"Do you have a key card?" Trent wondered.
"No. I'll try the intercoms," you answered, pressing a silver button with a speaker next to it.
BZZZTTT!
"Hello! Welcome to Colombia University's Biological Sciences facilities. May I please have your name and reason for being here?" An automated voice asked.
"Uh, yes, I'm Dr. Y/N L/N, here for Dr. Curt Connors. I'm listed as an emergency contact," you answered.
There was a moment of silence.
"Transferring you over to Dr. Curt Connor's office. Please stand by."
Beep! Beep! Beep! Bee-
“ Y/N? ” Curt's voice rang through the intercom.
"Hey, Curt," you answered.
" What are you doing here?"
"Let us inside, and I'll answer everything…." you paused before adding, "Please."
Curt let out a long sigh, but you watched the light above beep green, and the doors unlocked.
"Come on," you muttered, opening the double glass doors and walking inside.
"Do I look good?" Trent asked.
"No." Karlin bluntly answered.
"Damn."
Your heart pounded in your chest as you pressed the button for the elevator. You lied about being in Africa. You needed Curt's help. Otto was alive. Oh god, how were you going to tell him that Otto was-
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open, and the three of you went inside.
"How are we going to-" Karlin began to ask.
"I'll handle it." you cut them off, your eyes fixed on the screen displaying the floor number.
1… 2… 3…
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open again, and Curt's worried face greeted you.
"Hello, Curt." you greeted him.
"You look like shit," Curt stated bluntly.
"Thanks," you answered, exiting the elevator.
"Who are these two?"
"These are my… research partners, Dr-"
"Dr. Trent," Trent cut in, grabbing Curt's hand and shaking it profusely. "I would like to say that it's just an honor to meet you in person and-"
"Ah-hem!" you cleared your throat.
"Oh… Right." Trent muttered.
"It's alright… Dr. Trent." Curt yanked his hand free, wiping it on his lab coat. "I thought you were in Africa?"
"I was never in Africa."
"Then where were you?"
"...You should sit down."
Senator Fisk sat in front of his desk. His large, leather chair was swiveled so he could gaze out the window. His office was at the top of his skyscraper, and he could look out and see all of New York City. It would be his someday. It would all be his.
"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna talk?" The Senator finally asked.
Sergei Kravenioff appeared out of the shadows, "Vou have keen eye."
"No, I just saw your reflection in this glass." Senator Fisk answered, turning his chair around. "I hope this isn't how you are around your targets."
"If vou vere target, vou vould be dead," Kraven announced in his thick Russian accent, which spoke broken English, approaching the desk. "Are targets all vou seh they are?"
"They are. They have the minds of a human and the bodies and instincts of monsters."
"Perfect prey," Kraven muttered.
"I don't care what you do to them. Just keep their brains intact…." Senator Fisk ordered while typing something on his computer. He turned the screen to display a photo of you and Otto. "But keep these two alive unless I say otherwise."
"Vhat if I cannot do that?"
"You'll do as I say."
"I am hunter, not trapper. I make no promise."
"Fine, fine. I would prefer them alive. But if you somehow can't do that. Make sure that their brains are intact."
"Vhy do you vant meh to keep brains intact-"
"I'm not paying you to ask questions." Fisk cut Kraven off.
"...Very vell. Do vou have witnesses?"
"Unfortunately, due to the… severity of our little incident , we had to execute all hired guns and scientists."
"So you tell meh I have nothing?"
"Based off of your reputation, I think you'll manage. You wanted a challenge, didn't you?"
Kraven flashed a wicked grin, and one of his modified canines sharpened to a point gleamed in the sunlight. "I von't let down."
"I know you won't. I sent you the address of the facility. You can track them from there, I don't know. Get out of here. Contact me once you're done so we can transfer the bodies."
"Payment?"
"I've transferred half to you, and the other half will be transferred when the job is done."
Kraven didn't move.
"I'm a man of my word, Kraven. And if you don't get your money, you can just kill me."
Kraven eventually gave a curt nod, then slipped out of the office.
The hunt was on.
Senator Fisk sighed. He never should have made a partnership with the Osborns… But how could he say no? They funded his campaign for Senator and promised all of New York, hell… all of the world to him.
He should have just bought a nuke.
He couldn't think about the past, he had to focus on the present. He could fix this. He would fix this.
"Boss! Boss! We found something!" one of Fisk's assistants burst through the office doors, holding a screen.
"What is it?"
The assistant didn't say anything, simply showing a screen. Security footage was displayed, and it showed you, Trent, and Karlin in the sciences building.
"When was this taken?" Fisk asked.
"Noon. Should I get a squad to-"
"No, no… I'll handle it."
"...So now we're here, begging for your help." you finally finished.
Curt didn't say anything.
"...Curt?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Curt finally asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"No! Why would I joke about this?"
"I don't know, maybe you're just fucked up inside because there is no way that Otto's formula mutated, there's NO WAY that he's still alive-"
"Think about it, Curt. Besides Otto, you knew the formula better than everyone."
"Then why isn't Otto here?"
"Because he has giant fucking tentacles sprouting out of his back!" You snapped. "They're stuck in the woods with no resources, and we're their only hope to get back some semblance of a normal life!"
Curt sighed. "Even if I did create an antidote, which is a big if … Do you really think that people will just let them in? Do you really think that these people can have a normal life?"
"Anything is better than that facility."
"You say that… but how do you know for certain? The military could try to detain them, run all kinds of sick experiments, hell, they would turn them into fucking super soldiers like a fucked up Captain America."
"We'll figure that out when we get there. For now, I-I just want Otto back. Can you do that?"
Curt didn't say anything for a long time.
"Ok. I'll do it."
"Really?"
"How can I say no to you?"
"... That's true." you bit your lip. "How long will it take?"
"I don't know. A month?"
"That's too long."
"I think that's quite fast, considering I just learned about it." Curt sighed. "Take a shower. You all stink. I should have some clothes for all of you, they might not fit, but they're clean."
"You have all that in here?" Trent wondered.
"He practically lives here," you answered. "Had an old room converted into a small living area. Come on." you motioned for Trent and Karlin to follow you, and they did.
"I call first shower!" Trent blurted out, barging into the living area.
The area was sparse, containing an IKEA drawer. His cot was usually found in hospitals, and a small kitchenette was in the corner, along with a small, lonely table with only one chair to keep it company. Apparently, the only use this area had was for eating, sleeping, and cleaning oneself up.
Trent made a beeline towards the bathroom, and you went through Curt's drawers.
"Shouldn't we wait-" Karlin began to worry.
"I know Curt. He only keeps clothes in here. And we're lucky to see him at all for the next month." you reassured them, handing them a change of clothes. "I know it isn't… stylish. But it'll do."
"I'm going to burn these clothes."
You snorted, sliding a change of clothes under the bathroom. "Mine have practically stuck to me at this point."
"I forgot how nice hot water was!" Trent exclaimed, his voice muffled.
You shook your head, smiling. You sat down on the floor, not wanting to soil Curt's cot.
"...Are you scared?" Karlin finally asked.
"Yes. I'm fucking terrified. What if Curt can't make it in time? What if it's longer, and they have to survive in the fucking winter? They'll freeze to death, and I can't go back until we get the antidote, and what if it doesn't even work? We would be making the situation worse. It has to work because I can't bear returning to how things were without him. I just… I just want him back."
"He's not gone."
"I have no way to know if he's dead or not. I-I won't be able to know if he's fallen apart without me, and it's just-"
"Hey! We can't think like that. We're here. We made it. Dr. Connors is making the antidote, and we get to take a shower. Just focus on the small things in our life that we can appreciate."
"Otto is my life… I just didn't know that until he was gone."
"You'll survive."
"How do you know that?"
Both of you didn't say anything for a long time. The sound of Trent taking a shower was the only thing heard.
"I was married." Karlin finally said. "She was a Marine on active duty. It terrified me, knowing she was out there risking her life for a war she didn't even believe in… but what could she do? So she fought." Karlin swallowed before continuing. "Then, on September 26th, 2018, she was on patrol with her team, and… a sniper took the whole squad out. I saw the bullet hole myself. It was right…." Karlin pointed to the center of their forehead. "There." they sighed. "It was… It was nice to know that she died quickly."
"I am so sorry…." You began.
"I know you are. Everyone is when they hear about what happened." Karlin sighed, twisting a wedding ring you had never noticed until now. "She was my world… Now I'm just waiting for my turn."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I couldn't save mine. But you still can. So deal with the nightmares, deal with the anxiety. Because maybe if you fight hard enough…." Karlin's eyes watered. "They'll come back home."
Trent walked out of the bathroom, clothed and drying his hair with a towel. "That was incredible." he sighed. "...What did I miss?"
"Nothing. Take a shower, Dr. L/N." Karlin offered.
"T-Thank you." you stammered, grabbing your change of clothes and rushing into the restroom.
Trent was right. The hot water was incredible. You just stood there, your eyes closed as you let the water wash off the layers of blood and grime that had accumulated over the past… day? No, no… It must have been more than that. Either way, you had gotten enough filth for a lifetime. You watched the blood and dirt swirl through the drain. It went around and around… Then it was gone.
You got out of the shower, putting on one of Curt's undershirts, basketball shorts, and a flannel. It looked horrendous. But it was better than your filthy clothes and lab coat, which was permanently stained a sickly pea color… You felt bile rise in your throat as you looked at it.
You threw the lab coat away and left the bathroom.
Karlin went into the bathroom without a sound. You sat down on the cot, and Trent lay on the floor.
"...Do you have anyone?" you finally asked.
"Me? Nah." Trent muttered. "I have a turtle, and my brother is taking care of it. Why?"
"Nothing." you sighed. "It's nothing."
"It's -sss- Dr. L/N, isn't it?" Peter wondered, hanging upside down.
"No." Otto bluntly answered.
"Then what is it?"
"Don't you have anything else to do?" Otto asked. He sat in the spider web hammock, his tentacles idly drawing pictures in the dirt. The pine needles stuck to their slimy surface. Otto would usually be furious at the tentacles, but he didn't have it in him to scold them. He didn't have the energy to do anything.
"No," Peter answered.
"What about The Rhino?"
"I tried to talk to him, and he threatened to 'squash meh like bug,'" Peter imitated The Rhino.
"...Alright then, what do you want to talk about?" Otto gave in. He was just as bored as Peter, and if he didn't talk to someone, he feared that he would lose it.
"You went to Colombia?"
"Yes."
"Cool, I went to Colombia… Well, I'm -sss- still going there, technically. But… I don't think that I can -sss- go there anymore."
"Which grade?"
"S -sss- sophomore."
"...How old are you?"
"I just -sss- turned 19."
"Jesus." Otto breathed. This kid was so young… he had such a bright future ahead of him… and now his life was over.
"How much will this -sss- antidote fix?"
"It will make us not murderous machines."
"I don't feel like a -sss- murdering machine."
"Then how did you get here?"
Peter fell silent.
"You were scared. You were stressed, weren't you? Confused?"
Peter nodded.
"That caused your instincts to kick in. The formula took control."
"Like fight or -sss- flight?"
"Yes." Otto swallowed before continuing. "So whenever we feel those emotions, imagine a sports field or a loud noise. We could go off."
"...Will the antidote -sss- reverse all of this -sss- ?" Peter gestured to his eight appendages and eight protruding eyes.
"No. It won't."
"Oh." Peter paused before continuing. "We'll never get our lives back."
"We won't." Otto agreed. "But Y/N is going to make sure that our new lives are as… close as they can get."
"She can do that?"
Otto glanced down at the dirt. A tic tac toe board was etched in the ground, and his tentacles had played a game. They wiped the dirt, clearing the ground to start a new game.
"Yes. Yes, she can."
"I can do it!" you protested.
"No, you can't. I don't trust anyone with this." Curt snapped, his lab goggles fogged up as he glared at you.
"They're only calculations-"
"And one wrong calculation could spell disaster!"
"It would speed things up-"
"Do you want this done speedily or correctly?"
"...Can it be both?"
Curt rolled his eyes. "Get out, all three of you. I can't think."
"...Fine. Fine, have it your way. We'll just be sitting on the ground… with our thoughts."
"You do that," Curt muttered. "But could you order Chinese-"
BEEP! BEEP! You have a visitor, Dr. Curt Connors. The automated voice chimed.
"Patch me through," Curt muttered.
Senator Fisk has already entered the building.
"Senator Fisk?" You asked.
"He's funding my research-"
"Excuse me?!"
"It's just for one of his little projects-"
"We don't make deals with Fisk!"
"He isn't that bad of a guy, Y/N. Hey, hide in the bathroom if you don't want to see him."
"I'm not going to hide in the bathroom." you snapped.
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open, and a giant of a man stepped out, bending over to exit the elevator. His hands were like boulders, and his bald head shone in the artificial lighting. He wore a pristine white suit with an obsidian black tie perfectly tailored to fit him. His shiny black loafers clicked against the floor, and his cane was pointed at the end so that you believed it could skewer someone if he desired. His bready eyes widened when he saw you, but he quickly covered up any look of surprise that may have crossed his face.
"Dr. Connors! It is so good to see you again, and with friends! Dr. L/N, a pleasure as always." he grabbed your hand a bit too tightly and knelt down for a kiss. His mouth was freezing as it touched the back of your hand, and you had to yank it back.
"Don't do that again." you snapped.
"What? I can't be a gentleman? Loosen up, Doctor."
"I don't believe we set up a meeting, Senator." Curt cut in.
"I was around the neighborhood, just wanted to stop by and see how my project is going along." Senator Fisk eyed Trent and Karlin. "Who're they?"
"My assistants." Curt cut in.
"Really? They look a bit old to be college students."
"They're in graduate school."
"...I didn't know that you took assistants."
"It's required."
"I see... Will they interfere with my project?"
"No, they won't. Our project is on schedule. It will be finished by December-"
"That's too long. I need it done by this week."
Curt scoffed. "Senator, I don't think that you understand-"
"I'll pay you double."
Curt hesitated, eyeing you. You shook your head.
"I… I will consider your offer."
"No, you'll do what I tell you." The Senator turned to you. "Last I heard, you were working with… Osborn, right?"
You didn't answer.
"Should have chosen my falcon drones." The Senator sighed. "Did you know that I was partners with young Osborn?"
Fuck.
"I know, hard to believe… Well, not too hard. Unfortunately, our project kind of fell apart… Do you know Sergei Kravenioff?"
Your blood ran cold.
"Of course you do. I remember you calling him a 'scourge on the natural world' in Time Magazine… Very poetic. He's helping us… eliminate some problems. I'll give him a day or two… Hell, maybe he'll have wiped them out by tonight. Then the whole… ordeal will finally be over." Senator Fisk smiled. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"..."
"Not much of a talker tonight? That's fine." The Senator focused his attention back on Curt. "Get that done otherwise… I'll have to play dirty… And I don't like playing dirty." he smiled his sick, twisted smile again. "See you soon."
You felt lightheaded as you watched him leave… If… If Kraven was after them, it-it was over. He would slaughter them…
Unless you got to them first.