Chương 60: Arc Two. Chapter Sixty. Judge, Jury And…
Liv was anxious, she'd been given a second chance by the four and was now waiting impatiently as they determined her fate. They had made a chair for her at least, sure it was a welded together trolley with an old cushion but it was something, she couldn't move it herself and was being wheeled around by the others but why bother if they were going to kill her. Stuck in her chair she'd prefer to remain out of the harness for now. She knew it could let her walk again, use two limbs as replacement legs but the thought of the interface, the thought of it locking her in again sent a shudder through her body, no, never again, and anxiety clawed at her.
She wished she could curl up and hold herself but with the harness removal, she was lucky to be alive let alone walking. The contraption was never meant to be worn long term, the needles burrowing into her spine, allowing her to mentally control the extra limbs damaging the nerves and delicate spinal column. After so long their removal had severed a part of her and now she couldn't feel anything below her waist. The use of her legs was a small price to pay for freedom, she just hated the cost.
They had fed her at least, although a bowl of plain noodles with a warm coke was hardly a fitting last meal, plus the bastards had bought pizza and she could smell it. The heavy grease cheese aroma driving her insane and she heard the hiss of bottles being opened, were they celebrating their win? she didn't care, nope, not one bit. Bastards, she thought to herself. She pulled the blanket they had given her up around her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying not to cry once more.
As Liv sat, awaiting her fate, the others discussed it, while eating. "So what are we going to do?" MJ asked, "I mean, it's really up to Peter right? She never really did anything to us," they had gotten pizza, and not just crappy five for five pizza but the good stuff, the actual meat and cheese stuff. She lifted a slice of her pepperoni and roast chicken and it was heaven. Even if they had re-heated it, no one minded, and right now, it was needed.
"She was complicit in my dad's disappearance," Felicia pulled out a report. Peter had lost track of the number she'd printed out after collating them, this one was a failure report about losing not just the asset but the perpetrator. "I know you said she might not be but she was," Felicia had actually wanted veg on her pizza but her idea of veg was onion and tomato as well as a copious amount of any meat.
"Mind control though, do we really want to blame someone who was under mind control at the time? The harness has a built-in neural interface, as she wasn't under her own control at the time," Gwen defended her, she had met Liv a few times at Oscorp and she had been a pleasure to work for, funny and caring, more than anyone. Gwen felt she deserved a chance. She snagged a large slice of pepperoni since they'd all become symbiote hosts meat was a definite must, none of them had thought of being vegetarian.
"Nah, fuck it, let her be, Marko and Max were crooks, Liv was once clean, and yeah, mind control, we're all there, imagine what it would be like if we gave in to the symbiotes," Peter decided. "So Nah, I say let her be." He took a slice and went to town on it, they got 10 larges, two each and some for snacks after.
"one vote for Nah then," MJ said and Felicia and Gwen looked at each other.
"I uh don't have a say really, sure she attacked us at the diner but other than that, she's done nothing to me, so nay as well," Gwen explained. "Plus if we blame her then a certain someone needs to shoulder some of that." Sipping her beer, she had forgiven Peter for trashing the diner and smashing her head open, she'd gotten Poison out of it, who was purring as Gwen ate the pizza.
Felicia shook her head, "She's still Oscorp, she still did all those things. Who knows if she's lying or not, who knows if she was really under their control, this is dumb, you're letting an enemy into our camp, into our home." Peter cleared his throat, "Oh shush Petie, so I don't pay rent, doesn't stop you from taking advantage of me," she winked.
"or you of Gwen," he snapped back and Gwen grinned, "but she already knows. She could have told Osborn right from the start who I was and she didn't, so, no. Doubts yes but we had doubts about you, not just that Felicia but have you noticed her name is on everything, not just the reports but the orders and the acquisitions, Osborn's never signed anything, isn't that just I dunno a bit suspicious? so no, she gets to stay, plus," Peter slid a piece of paper over to Felicia who scanned it and raised an eyebrow,
"Seriously?" was all she could say and as he nodded she shrugged, "fine, fine." She raised her hands in surrender, "fine." She lent over to Gwen and whispered something in her ear, Gwen looked over at Peter for a moment and bit her lip, uncertainty on her face, but nodded. "Once you finish with our guest you can join in, Birthday Boy."
Peter grinned and the pair lifted two of the pizza boxes and Gwen a few bottles of her homebrew before they disappeared into her home, the giggles and laughter loud enough that MJ and Peter could hear them, music started up not much later and the door was closed, giving them and the rest of the warehouse some privacy.
"Thanks," he shouted after them and MJ just sat holding her soda. Gwen had brought out beers and cider but she refused, at least for now.
"Peter, I'm just a model, just a person, this," she gestured over the papers Felicia had left on the new table, "this is all above my paygrade, so, just, be safe, okay, please," she leant over and kissed him before handing Peter his phone, "and don't forget this." Peter's shoulders slumped as he took the phone and dialled.
He could hear the disappointment in her voice, even as she answered,
"Yes, Parker residence."
"Uh Hi Aunt May, it's uh Peter,"
"Peter, no, I don't think I know anyone called Peter, and certainly not someone who was supposed to be here several hours ago and certainly not someone who forgot his own birthday dinner."
Peter winced, he hadn't forgotten but he really couldn't tell Aunt May exactly what happened,
"Sorry, Aunt May. I got a job interview and had to rush, I forgot my phone and when I realised Gwen and Felicia came to pick me up."
"Really?" while it was plausible, May didn't really sound convinced,
"Of course Aunt May, I got Hammer to reconsider my internship but they called on short notice, I just need to wait to hear back."
"And schooling?"
"Oh uh, they said I could sit them if I got the place, as part of my work, the internship would count towards a degree as well." Peter shrugged and grimaced at MJ who was covering her mouth trying not to laugh,
"That's wonderful dear, when will you hear back?"
Peter sighed "I don't know Aunt May, I mean, it was last minute, they said the person that should have got it was hurt in that flood and everyone else already had places."
"I'm still very proud of you dear, and happy birthday, even if it is a little late, can you still come round or shall I put this in the fridge for you?"
Peter let out a quiet breath "Aww, thanks May, uh, tomorrow, today's been a rollercoaster and I'm beat, I think MJ's got something planned though, she's been hinting since I got home," and MJ glared at him and shook her head, mouthing, "you're dead meat" as he stuck his tongue out at her.
"Okay then, Peter, Phone this time please, I'm at work till 5."
"I will Aunt May, love you,"
"Love you too," and Aunt May hung up on him,
Peter sighed in relief, "Oh don't think you can shove this on me, Mr Parker, it might be your birthday but you can wait to unwrap this present. Ock first, then I'll blow out your candle."
"Uh don't you mean I'll. oh" as Peter got what she meant. "Just be safe, oh, and while they won't say it, if and I mean if you fuck her, use a rubber, she's a normal, not one of us." MJ stood and ran her hand over Peter's head shaking her head. "It's always the quiet one," she said to herself
Phff, as if I would, Peter thought to himself, sure his symbiote powers increased his sex drive, oh yeah, yeah I would, she was a nerdy kinda hot and even the 20ish years she had on him didn't phase him whatsoever, he totally would. He knew he really needed to stop lying to himself. Even as he once fought with Felicia the urge between fight and fuck was defiantly blurred for him he was slowly realising.
But not today, today he had to go and tell their prisoner her stay of execution had been granted, that today she would be free if she wanted but that he had a better idea. As MJ winked and headed into her own home, and Gwen and Felicia continued their own little party, Peter took a breath, it was time to face his own prisoner.
"Ock," he said as he entered the temporary bedroom they had set up for her. She sat in the wheelchair they had scavenged for her, sullen and downcast. She looked at him, her hands fidgeted on her lap
"So Mr Parker, come to give the prisoner her last request? And please, Liv, not Ock," and Peter smirked.
"If I did what would it be? The last meal, maybe the last fling, a run maybe?" He asked cruelly, even if he wouldn't kill her she did try to blow up New York and had a lot of explaining to do before she was off the hook.
She looked unamused. "Mr Parker, I know," she took a breath, "I know what I was made to do to you changed your life, ruined it maybe but please, I'm begging you, don't do this, please, don't." She signed though, she knew Venom wasn't to be reasoned with, the deaths of Alexsi, Max and Marko were testaments to that. "Harry and Norman both had an interest in me, the harness uses a neural control chip and yes, the reactor was my idea, I won't deny that but please, if you'd lived under them. If you'd done the things they made me do you would want it all to end as well." Liv sniffed and wiped away tears that were starting to form in her eyes.
Peter, sadly, recognised that look. He'd seen it in the mirror often enough, on MJ's face as she talked about her father and worst of all, he'd seen it on Aunt May's face when she thought Peter wasn't paying attention.
The look of desperation, the look of someone right at the bottom and with nowhere else to go but straight to a bottle or worse. Peter sighed, he couldn't do what had to be done, she needed to be taken care of, not 'taken care of' and with the blessing of the girls and a firm heart he made the choice.
"So, what'll it be Doc, ask me for anything." Peter knelt at the chair, his hand on her thighs,
"Anything?" She whispered. Using the jumper Gwen had given her to dry and wipe her face.
"Anything."
Liv had a million different things flash through her head but right now,
"Pizza, oh and beer, do you know how long it's been since I had carbs."
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