Peter sat in the hospital room with tubes hanging around him like, ironically, a strange, sanitary spider web. He blinked drowsily and winced. The burns on his body felt horrid...sharp pains coursed through his arms and legs. The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only noise besides his slow breathing.

"Don't fidget so much Peter..." A soft hand brushed back his hair. Peter looked up slowly and saw the smiling face of Mary Jane Watson. He gave forced a weak smile.

"Nice to see you MJ..."

"I should be the one happy to see you! How could you think of doing something so insane, Pete? You could have killed yourself!"

Images flashed in his mind...cars piled atop one another, twisted metal engulfed in flames...children in the car were screaming...

"I had to help those kids..." he whispered hoarsely. He remembered punching in the rear window...glass slicing into his hand...and pulling those kids out...he was only a few feet away from the car when it exploded...he had left the scene before anyone came to help him...and that was the last he could remember. He didn't even recall signing in at the hospital.

Mary Jane sighed with frustration and nodded slowly. "I know...You're right...you're right. I'm sorry. I just got a little worked up. You're aunt has been worried sick..." She said grimly.

"Aunt May? What happened?"

"Nothing...she's fine. She's just really worried."

Peter closed his eyes gradually.

"Good..."

Mary Jane gripped his hand gingerly and, with the other hand, flattened down some of his hair.

"You need your rest Pete...I'll visit tomorrow." She kissed her fingertips and rested them on his forehead before striding out of the door.

Peter smiled sheepishly, closing his eyes slowly as he fell asleep.

"Go fish..." Otto drawled.

The boy sighed and drew another card from the pile laying out on the worn out desk.

Otto hadn't played cards since...well, he couldn't quite remember. His tentacles held the cards as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"So...Jack, right? Jack, do you have any sevens?"

"Nope...wrong again." Jack grinned.

Father...shouldn't you be working on that ransom note right now?

"Not now...I have to win..."

"Yea right Octo man!" Jack sneered and slammed down the rest of his cards. "I win!"

Otto huffed and threw down his cards. "Just lucky, kid... I need to get going..." He wrapped his trench coat around him tighter and turned towards the door.

"Where?"

"None of your concern..." He looked at his watch and grimaced. "2 AM? Have I been playing cards that long?"

"2 AM?! COOL! I'm awake, and it's 2 am! Whoo!" Jack bounced around the room. Otto rolled his eyes. He grabbed Jack by the waist and hoisted him onto one of the many large chains hanging down from the ceiling, the ones used to hook up crates and take them down from high up places.

"You...stay here...stay!" He muttered and threw open the metal doors.

"Why can't I go with you?"

"Because..."

"Because why?"

Otto glared at Jack "Because I said so." He added briskly and slammed the door behind him before the child could ask him anything else.

Octavius peered into the graffiti-covered convenient store and caught his reflection in the glass. After a moment of silence, he jumped as one of the voices returned.

This is it, father...get inside...

As Otto entered the small store, the large man with greasy black hair and goatee behind the counter practically snarled at him.

"You gonna buy somethin' fancy pants, or just stand there an' look pretty?" Octavius glared at the man.

"Fancy pants? That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard..." He muttered.

The man behind the counter returned the glare. Otto strode over to get more water and junk food, and then sauntered to the counter.

"$11.05..." The cashier growled.

Shall we?

'If you must...I suppose so...'

Everything began to repeat itself....just like the last robbery.

Octavius watched as the man hit the ground with a thud, covered in unopened cigarette packs and magazines. Otto repeated the same process of crushing the security camera and television, and then stuffed the money and videotape into his jacket.

Otto reached for the door, but turned and looked over at the scene. "Oh, and no hard feelings for that fancy pants thing...alright?" Doctor Octavius sneered and shut the light off.

"So, what did you do?" Jack smiled, spinning in the air, still attached to the chain in the warehouse, as Otto shut the door behind him.

"None of your business..." Otto threw down the videotape and a wad of cash.

Not that much...is it?

'No...Usually cashiers don't carry much money at such an early hour.'

Well...that's why we need to get ready and fix up that ransom...understood?

'Yeah, yeah...I understand...' Otto looked over his shoulder at Jack, who was staring at him quizzically.

Octavius pulled out a wad of crinkled paper and a fountain pen from his pocket.

"So, Jack...what are your parents' names?"

"My mom's name is Sally..." Jack tugged at his chain angrily. "Can I get down now?"

"Hmm? Oh...right..." Otto continued writing while one of his mechanical appendages snapped the boy down from his little prison. The child hit the ground hard and quickly rubbed his elbow.

"Ow! Hey! That hurt!"

"Well, tell me, are you glad that you're down from there?" Otto muttered as he continued writing.

"Yeah..."

"Then be quiet."

Jack sat on the ground and yanked at a bag of chips buried beneath the money.

"Where'd you get all that money? I didn't know the bank was open now!"

"It's not...ever heard of ATMs?"

"Yeah...of course I have. What do you think I am, stupid?"

Doctor Octavius clutched the pen in his fist and glared at Jack.

"Could you please...for a few seconds...just be quiet? Please?" Otto clenched his teeth together, then started muttering beneath his breath.

"You're not a very nice guy...big loser...that's what you are! No wonder why nobody in the city loves you!" Jack sneered.

"I'd stop while I was ahead if I were you...just for your information, someone did love me...she's gone now."

"Well no duh...she probably got sick of you...big stupid stupid-head!"

That comment made Doctor Octavius snap. He spun around and wrapped a tentacle around the boy's ankles, swinging him upside-down, and brought him right up to his face, just inches away.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that you insolent little whip! I WAS married...My wife...she" He stopped, struggling to bring himself to say the words... "...She died...alright?! Are you happy now?!" Otto paused, his anger rising with each word. He threw the boy to the ground roughly and whipped around...scribbling on the paper furiously. He didn't want to injure the boy, so tossing him to the side was the only way to keep Jack from Otto...to keep him from getting hurt.

"She.....She's dead?"

"Yes...she's dead. Now go sit by the fire...eat something...bug off...little brat." hissed Otto, not even bothering to look at the boy anymore.

Jack sat beside the fire, eating chips as silently as he could. He watched as the embers from the small fire flickered across the room and the golden light starting to fade into the darkness. He could hear the hard scratches of Otto's pen against the paper slow down, so he took this temporary calmness to look over his shoulder at Octavius.

"Um...Mr. Octopus...I'm sorry...about whatever happened. You know...to your wife. What...What did happen to her?"

Otto was silent, holding the pen against the paper, and sighed. He could remember nothing...just the final seconds before the accident. He never got so say goodbye...he never got to give final respects to his wife. He didn't know where she was buried...alone in the cold, hard ground...the perfect soul mate...his Rosie...gone forever.

Jack watched as the man shuddered suddenly and heard what sounded like...sobbing? Jack pushed himself off the ground slowly and made his way over to Otto. As he reached out his hand to touch the doctor's coat, Otto's hand whipped around and grabbed the boy by the wrist. Jack writhed a little, his arm starting to sting from being twisted. He looked down at Otto and saw glint of a tear on his cheek, but it was gently wiped away by one of the claws.

Otto's heart was filled with anguish. He glared at the child from behind his sunglasses, then, slowly, he began to feel his heart soften. He saw the boy's pain...and it scared him. He was hurting this child, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to hurt anyone... especially an innocent child. Otto released his grip and sat there, his hand in the air and his face filled with fear and confusion.

"I....I..." He stuttered and looked down sadly, his eyes still wide with terror. He didn't know what was going on...he wanted to just leave now. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Jack could tell that Otto was sincere...somehow, Otto looked so vulnerable...so tired and sad.

"Don't worry Mr. Octopus...I'm okay. You can keep on writing...don't worry about my question..."

Otto looked over his shoulder with a gloomy, haggard expression as Jack sauntered back to his seat silently. He looked down at his paper, then back at the boy.

"Thank you..."

Peter sat up in bed, glancing at his watch anxiously. It had been 3 weeks since he had been admitted into the hospital, and was waiting for the doctor to arrive and give him permission to leave. His skin was not burned that badly anymore, but they had kept him there just to be sure.

Parker flipped on mini television in his room and turned to the news.

"Hopefully there hasn't been too much pandemonium..." He muttered as the weather report ended.

"And now, our tops stories. Police are still looking for the Convenient Store Killer...This very smart criminal knows how to lead the police on. Three more lives have been claimed, bringing the death toll up to 5. Dan?"

"Thanks Stacy. Another sad story, young Jack Crowler age 9, is still missing. A ransom note was left at the home of the parents, and police are struggling to raise the 5 million dollar ransom. More details after this..."

Peter groaned and clicked the remote. He was disgusted...everything was going haywire!

"Ah! Peter! Nice to see you up and about again..." The doctor strode in and smiled.

"You too Doctor Samuel. So? Do you think I can get outta here?"

"Well, you seem to be strong enough, the burns are healing very well, and you are quite alert...I'll check with one of my associates, and if he agrees, you can be on your way!"

Peter rolled his head back on the pillow and groaned as the doctor waddled out.

"Hey...Hey...Hey! HEY!!"

"WHAT do you WANT?!" Doctor Octavius snapped as he glared at Jack.

"...I'm hungry."

"Yeah...and?"

Jack furrowed his brow. Apparently such questions were too much for his small mind. "And...uh...I want food!"

"Well, so do I. So just sit there like a nice little boy and, I don't know...talk to your imaginary friends or something..."

Jack crossed his arms and looked quite angry. "I'm gonna be 10...I don't have imaginary friends."

Otto smiled sarcastically. "Oh pardon me! I'm sooo sorry..." He rolled his eyes and started digging through the many shattered wooden crates in the warehouse. "There MUST be an undamaged box around here..." He muttered wildly as he scurried about.

"Yeah, you better be sorry. I'm turning 10 in three days!" He nodded proudly.

"That's nice. Ah! Here we go..." Otto smiled. He stuffed his money into the box and then whipped around suddenly, causing Jack to trip over and fall backwards. He glared at the front door and motioned for Jack to be quiet. He focused on the door as the voices grew louder.

"Hey...I thought I heard something in here Max...grab the crowbar in the trunk of my squad car."

"Police..." Otto seethed and glared hard at Jack, who was grinning. He was happy the police were there...they would help him for sure.

Jack opened his mouth to cry out for help, but Otto foresaw this and clamped a mechanical claw on the child's mouth, then walked briskly to the door. He pressed his ear against it and smiled wickedly as the sound of the two men reemerged.

I suggest holding them here...with us...

I agree wholeheartedly!'

Jack watched in horror as Otto threw open the doors and caught both officers by the arms. Neither could reach their walkie-talkies, so the doctor knew they wouldn't call for back up. The only remaining tentacle stripped the officers of their guns, nightsticks, and walkie-talkies before handing the weapons to Otto.

"Ah...why thank you. So, what are two fine, upstanding officers such as yourselves doing in an old rust bucket like this?" Octavius sneered, cocking his head playfully. The actuator near his shoulder mimicked this movement and snapped menacingly.

"Looking for him." One of the officers motioned towards Jack, keeping a cautious eye on the claw. "His mom's worried sick...she want him home."

"Oooh how sad...boo-hoo..." Otto laughed maniacally and leaned towards the officers. "Well...I want my money...so unless you were bringing me the cash, you'll be staying here with the boy and myself." Otto sauntered over to the hanging chains and tied up the officers high enough to keep them from escaping.

"You know the police will come..." An officer yelped from above, flailing about wildly in his chains.

"Oh?...I thought you were the police..." Otto's wily smile crossed his lips. He turned to the door, shutting it behind him as he walked into the daylight. Squinting in the brightness, he spotted the police car and grasped the front end with the actuators, dragging it slowly into the warehouse.

As Otto slammed the door behind him, he could hear the crackling voice emitting from the radio inside the car.

"Calling squad car 11? Car 11...please respond...over."

Otto peered into the car and spotted the communication radio. He gently reached in, then suddenly pulled back, tearing the radio from the car. The police in the chains looked down grimly...they hadn't told the station of their whereabouts yet...so now no one knew exactly where they were.

Otto handed the radio to one of the claws and grinned as the actuator crushed it before the eyes of the police.

"Well done....." Otto pulled out a cigar and lit up, smiling all the while. "It seems to me gentlemen, and annoying captive, that we are all going to be here for a while."

Otto sauntered calmly towards the policemen and puffed some smoke at their faces. He pulled down his glasses a little and leaned towards one of the policemen, holding a fresh cigar in his face.

"...Cigar, officer?"