00:38
The countdown continued.
Red warning lights flashed across the underground parking structure. An alarm blared so loudly that even the sound of distant gunfire disappeared beneath it.
Peter stood between the countdown and his teammates, his Mark II suit glowing faintly as its energy systems powered up.
Frank examined the sealed entrance.
"Gwen! Tell me you can open these doors!"
Inside the resistance headquarters, Gwen stared at multiple screens. Her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.
"I'm trying! The security system has overridden the manual controls. Miles must have connected the entire facility to the explosion mechanism!"
"How long?"
"I don't know! Give me a minute!"
Frank glanced at the countdown.
"We don't have a minute!"
00:31
Harryapproached Peter.
"What are you thinking?"
Peter looked at the ceiling, then at the thick concrete walls surrounding them.
"The explosion is probably designed to collapse the entire structure."
Robin stared at him.
"You say that like it's supposed to make us feel better."
"I'm working on it."
Peter turned toward Frank.
"We need to get everyone away from the central chamber. The walls are reinforced, but the ceiling isn't. If this place comes down, the entrance won't matter."
Frank nodded.
"You heard him! Move toward the maintenance corridor!"
Quin immediately began directing the others.
"Trey! Arlo! Help Milo with the equipment! Robin, cover the rear!"
Ganke remained beside Peter.
"I'm staying."
Peter looked at him.
"Ganke..."
"Don't start. I'm not leaving you alone."
Peter exhaled.
"Then help me find the power source."
Ganke nodded.
The two moved toward the central platform.
00:24
A deep mechanical rumble shook the structure.
Then the floor opened.
Three armored machines emerged from beneath the concrete, their weapons already charging.
"CONTACT!" Frank shouted.
The rebels opened fire.
Peter leaped toward the nearest machine, dodging a projectile that struck the wall behind him. He landed on its shoulders and drove both fists into its head.
The machine staggered.
He twisted, planted his feet against its back, and kicked away, sending it crashing into the second machine.
Ganke fired at the exposed joints.
"Peter! The armor is too thick!"
"Then don't shoot the armor!"
Peter pointed toward the glowing cables along its waist.
Ganke understood immediately.
He adjusted his aim and fired.
The cables sparked.
The machine's legs stopped functioning, and its entire body collapsed.
Meanwhile, Harry and Robin fought back the remaining attackers.
"I hate robots!" Robin shouted.
Harry ducked beneath a mechanical swing.
"You hate everything!"
"Not everything! I like food!"
"Then focus!"
"I'm focused! I'm just expressing myself!"
A machine suddenly grabbed Robin by the vest and lifted him off the ground.
"HARRY!"
Harry rushed forward, but Peter got there first.
He fired a web line around the machine's arm and pulled with all his strength. Its grip loosened.
Robin dropped.
Peter caught him before he hit the ground.
"You good?"
Robin quickly stood.
"Absolutely. I was just testing its lifting capacity."
Peter released him.
"Test something else."
00:15
Gwen's voice suddenly came through the communicator.
"Peter! I found the control system!"
"Can you stop it?"
"Not from here. The main control panel is beneath the central platform. You'll have to reach it manually!"
Peter looked toward the platform.
The countdown was almost finished.
"Of course it is."
Frank heard the conversation.
"Castle to Spider-Man. You are not going down there alone."
Peter glanced at the rebels.
"Get everyone out. I'll handle the panel."
Frank stepped forward.
"That's an order, Parker. We leave together."
Peter shook his head.
"Frank, if that thing goes off, none of us are getting out."
"And if you go down there, you might not come back."
Peter looked at him.
"Then make sure everyone else does."
For a moment, Frank said nothing.
Then he nodded reluctantly.
"You have thirty seconds. After that, I'm coming after you."
Peter turned and jumped through the opening beneath the platform.
Beneath the PlatformThe underground chamber was filled with thick cables and enormous generators.
At its center stood a control terminal surrounded by a transparent protective barrier.
Peter landed hard.
His suit immediately scanned the area.
WARNINGCritical energy overload detected.
"Gwen, I'm at the control panel. What do I do?"
"There should be three power regulators. You need to disconnect the main energy supply before the overload reaches the core!"
Peter looked around.
Three large regulators were positioned around the chamber.
"And how do I disconnect them?"
"Carefully!"
"I was hoping for something more specific!"
"Peter, I'm trying to keep you alive while remotely accessing a system designed by Doctor Octopus! Give me a second!"
Peter rushed toward the first regulator.
He grabbed the metal cover and pulled.
It barely moved.
He planted his feet and pulled harder.
The cover finally broke loose.
Inside, several cables glowed with unstable energy.
Peter grabbed the first cable and pulled it free.
A burst of electricity surged across his arm.
"AH!"
He stumbled backward.
His suit absorbed part of the discharge, but warning lights appeared across his visor.
"Gwen, one regulator is down!"
"Two more!"
Peter sprinted toward the second.
But before he reached it, a mechanical arm burst through the wall.
He barely dodged.
The arm struck the generator, sending sparks across the chamber.
Peter landed on one knee.
From the smoke emerged a familiar figure.
Four mechanical tentacles unfolded behind him.
Doctor Octavius.
"I must admit, Spider-Man, you have a remarkable talent for appearing where you are least wanted."
Peter slowly stood.
"Doc Ock. I was wondering when you'd show up."
Octavius adjusted his glasses.
"I would prefer that you leave my laboratory intact."
Peter glanced at the countdown.
"I'd prefer that you stop trying to blow me up."
"An unfortunate misunderstanding."
One tentacle struck.
Peter jumped backward, but another caught his leg and slammed him against the wall.
His back hit hard.
"Gwen! Little problem!"
"What kind of problem?"
"The mechanical arms kind!"
Octavius approached.
"You are interfering with something far greater than yourself, Spider-Man. Something that could change the very nature of existence."
Peter struggled against the tentacle.
"Yeah? Usually people who say that are about to do something really stupid."
Octavius frowned.
"You have no idea what we're trying to accomplish."
"I know you're threatening an entire city. That's enough for me."
The tentacle tightened.
Peter's spider-sense flashed.
He twisted his body just as another tentacle struck the wall beside his head.
Using the opening, he fired a web line around the mechanical arm and pulled himself free.
He landed, rolled, and immediately charged.
Octavius swung two tentacles toward him.
Peter ducked beneath the first, jumped over the second, and fired webs at the scientist's glasses.
Octavius pulled his head aside.
"Predictable!"
A tentacle struck Peter across the chest.
He flew backward and crashed into the control panel's protective barrier.
His suit flickered.
SUIT DAMAGE
Peter coughed and slowly stood.
(Come on, Drake. Think.)
Octavius's tentacles spread outward.
"You cannot stop the inevitable."
Peter glanced at the second regulator.
Then at the third.
An idea came to him.
"You know, Doc, I've always wanted to ask you something."
Octavius narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
Peter fired a web line toward the ceiling.
"Do those arms ever get tired?"
Octavius attacked.
Peter swung upward, narrowly avoiding the first strike. He landed behind the scientist and fired several web lines around two tentacles.
Then he pulled.
The tentacles collided with one another.
Peter immediately released an energy blast into the second regulator.
It exploded in a shower of sparks.
"That's two!"
Octavius roared.
"YOU INSOLENT FOOL!"
The mechanical arms slammed into the ground, shaking the entire chamber.
Peter was thrown against the floor.
His communicator crackled.
"Peter! The countdown is almost finished!"
He looked toward the final regulator.
It was behind Octavius.
"I see it!"
"You need to shut it down now!"
Peter pushed himself up.
Octavius stood between him and the final regulator.
The scientist's expression had changed.
There was no longer any amusement in his eyes.
"You are not touching that machine."
Peter raised his fists.
"Then I guess we're going to have a problem."
Above the Platform
The rebels were nearly at the maintenance corridor.
Frank counted everyone.
Harry.
Gwen's remote support team.
Robin.
Quin.
Trey.
Arlo.
Milo.
Ganke.
He stopped.
"Where's Ganke?"
Harry looked around.
"He was with Peter!"
Frank's expression darkened.
"Damn it."
Quin turned toward the central platform.
"He's still down there?"
Before Frank could answer, the communicator crackled.
Ganke's voice came through.
"Frank! I found another access route!"
"Where are you?"
"Near the lower generator room!"
Frank looked toward the opening.
"Get out of there!"
There was a pause.
Then Ganke spoke again.
"I found something else."
"What?"
Ganke stared at a nearby monitor.
It displayed a live video feed from somewhere else in the facility.
A prison cell.
Inside it was a familiar figure wearing a green mechanical suit.
Harry's eyes widened when the image appeared on the shared display.
"Dad..."
Norman Osborn.
He was alive.
But something was terribly wrong.
His eyes glowed an unnatural green, and his expression carried a disturbing smile.
Then he slowly turned toward the camera.
"Hello, Harry."
Harry stopped breathing for a moment.
"Dad?"
Norman laughed softly.
"Have you come to rescue me?"
His smile widened.
"Or have you finally come to kill me?"
The Final Seconds
Beneath the platform, Peter and Doctor Octavius continued their fight.
Peter blocked one tentacle with both arms, but the impact drove him backward.
Another tentacle struck his side.
His suit's warning lights flashed again.
He was running out of time.
And he was running out of strength.
(I can't let this happen.)
He looked toward the final regulator.
Then he noticed something.
A thick power cable connected the regulator directly to the central generator. It was exposed.
Peter's eyes narrowed.
He didn't need to reach the control panel.
He needed to sever the connection.
Octavius noticed his gaze.
"Don't you dare!"
All four tentacles lunged.
Peter fired two web lines at the ceiling and pulled himself upward.
The tentacles followed.
He swung around the chamber, forcing them to collide with the surrounding machinery.
Then he released both web lines.
He dropped directly toward the exposed cable.
His palms began glowing.
"Gwen! I hope you know what you're doing!"
"Peter, WAIT!"
Too late.
He slammed both hands against the cable.
A powerful burst of energy erupted through the chamber.
The entire laboratory turned white.
Above Ground
The countdown reached zero.
For one terrible second, everything went silent.
Then the underground structure shook violently.
A massive burst of light erupted through the parking structure.
The rebels were thrown off their feet.
Harry hit the ground.
Frank grabbed Quin and pulled her behind a concrete barrier.
Robin covered his head.
"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
The ceiling cracked.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Then, slowly, the shaking stopped.
The lights went out.
Nobody moved.
"Peter?"
Gwen's voice came through the communicator.
No response.
"Peter, can you hear me?"
Still nothing.
Harry stood up.
"Peter!"
He ran toward the central platform.
Frank grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait!"
"LET GO!"
"The structure could still collapse!"
Harry struggled against him.
"He's down there!"
Ganke emerged from the lower corridor, covered in dust.
His eyes searched the room.
"Where's Peter?"
Nobody answered.
Then a faint sound came from beneath the rubble.
A familiar voice.
"Okay..."
Everyone froze.
"...I'm officially starting to hate underground laboratories."
A web line shot out from the darkness.
Peter emerged from the broken platform and landed on the ground.
His suit was damaged, smoke rising from one shoulder. He stumbled slightly, then steadied himself.
Harry rushed toward him.
"You idiot!"
Peter looked at him.
"Nice to see you too."
Harry grabbed his shoulder.
"You could've died!"
Peter glanced at the destroyed chamber.
"But I didn't."
Frank approached, his expression stern.
"Next time, you follow the extraction plan."
Peter nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Robin walked over, examining the damaged suit.
"Well, at least the suit is still mostly intact."
Gwen's voice came through.
"Mostly? Peter, your left shoulder capacitor is completely fried!"
Peter looked down.
"Hey, Gwen."
"Don't 'hey, Gwen' me! Do you have any idea what you just did to my suit?"
Peter sighed.
"I missed you too."
A brief silence followed.
Then Gwen spoke more quietly.
"Just get back here alive."
Peter's expression softened.
"Working on it."
But before anyone could celebrate, Ganke spoke.
"Harry..."
Everyone turned.
Ganke held up his tablet.
The footage of Norman Osborn was still playing.
Harry stared at the screen.
His father was smiling.
Then the image changed.
Norman was no longer inside the prison cell.
He was standing in a laboratory corridor, surrounded by armed Vipers.
And behind him stood Miles Morales.
"You see, Harry?" Miles said through the recording. "I told you I'd give you something to worry about."
Miles stepped closer to the camera.
"Your father is waiting."
The recording ended.
Harry's hands tightened around his weapon.
Peter looked at him.
"Harry..."
Harry turned toward the exit.
"We're going after him."
Frank stepped forward.
"Not without a plan."
"That's my father!"
"And Miles knows exactly how much that matters to you!"
Harry stopped.
Frank's voice became quieter.
"That's why he showed you that recording."
Peter looked at the dead screen.
Miles hadn't simply tried to kill them.
He had wanted them to survive the explosion.
He wanted them angry.
He wanted them desperate.
And now he had given Harry a reason to rush straight into his hands.
Peter slowly turned toward the dark entrance of the facility.
(That wasn't a warning. It was an invitation.)
Far below them, inside the portal laboratory, Miles watched the explosion report.
Doctor Octavius approached, visibly irritated.
"You nearly destroyed the power system. Do you understand how much that could have cost us?"
Miles barely acknowledged him.
"But the portal survived."
"That is not the point!"
Miles turned toward the holographic image of Jefferson Davis.
His father's projection stood silently inside the blue light.
Miles raised one hand toward it.
"Soon, Father."
Then he looked at another screen.
It showed Harry Osborn standing beside Spider-Man.
Miles smiled.
"And now, let's see what happens when a son has to choose between saving his father and saving his friends."
End of Chapter 43.