Directly Follow Previous Interaction - Cornered (A-Sides)
09:07pm....
His foot pressing down on the pedal, Detective Jefferson Davis speeds the unmarked police sedan to the right lane of the FDR. Glancing at Richard Reeds sat beside him, slouched down and his face buried in his tablet. They had remained quiet since Reed’s glooming prediction.
Perhaps Reed knew he needed time to soak it in all that he told him.
Or perhaps Jefferson wondered, if Reed felt the same way he did. That they was speeding to save a hero, but felt a grave uncertainty. A deep well of darkness in their future that no one could predict. This was the precipice of something; something dark, something evil and the overwhelming of under preparedness was haunting.
Shaking his head away from the intrusive thoughts, Jefferson sees the upcoming Green Destination sign signaling their exit ramp that leads to an underpass.
Jefferson clears his throat. “Alright Reed, game time.” he says, turning the car onto the off-ramp and down the underpass.
Shuffling in his seat, Reed sits up, “Good. I ran through some scenarios and I think I have an...”
However, Reeds words trail off to silence as Jefferson slows down the car.
"You hear that?" Jeff mumbles.
Reed's brow furrows, "Mmm hmm."
With only overhead amber lights within the underpass, both men hear echo of crying, screaming and overall foot traffic reverberating off the wall.
“Oh ^&@#.” Jefferson curses, bringing the car to a full stop.
Throwing their doors at the same time, both Jefferson and Reed step out the car. The acrid must of the tunnel stings Reeds nose, causing him to cover his, but he looks over to Jefferson, climbing half-way up the car door for a better look.
"Jeezus..." mumbles Jefferson, catching sight of hundreds of people fleeing into the underpass from the street.
“Students?” Davis mumbles.
Reed eyes scans the droves of passing students, all of them trying to make calls, and catches sight of similar 'logo names' on their sweaters.
“Yeah from the University…” he relays but looks at Jefferson with dead-set serious eyes, “...Osborn’s university.”
Jefferson pulls out his phone and holds it up high, “Are you getting a signal?”
Taking out his phone, Reed squints, “No. I would assume if Osborn has bought the Mayor’s permission to have carte blanche to catch the Symbiote and Spider-Man, whoever Osborn is using, is blocking the cell signal. No evidence. ”
Drawing a tense breath, Jefferson closes his eyes, “That does it.” he mumbles, hopping down off the car and slamming the door shut.
Reed watches Jefferson march to the trunk. “I'll say the obvious this once..." Reed sighs, "...we can turn back now Detective. We go any further, the dangerous will surely become an understatement.” he states as Reed opens the trunk. “So unless you have Captain Stacy stowed in the trunk, I advise you to call him and send…”
“Stacy called me to untie his hands for a reason.” Jefferson interrupts before slamming the trunk down, "Not to drag him into a fight he can't fight."
Reed’s eyes open wide, “That does not seem standard issue, Detective.”
Pushing a small black bud into his ear, Jefferson Davis closes his left eye and peers through the red lens scope on his chrome assault rifle, “It is..." he smiles, carefully adjusting the lens with a tweak of a small crank, "... just not for the Brooklyn Precinct in Bed-Stuy.” he answers.
Reed arches his eyebrow at Jefferson’s answer conflicting with his actions.
Satisfied with his checks on the assault rifle, Jefferson cradles it in his arms and looks straight at Reed, completely unnerved.
“It is though....” he says, cocking the rifle with a loud ‘click-clack’, “...for another law enforcement group that I am associated with. But we have work to do and I don’t have time to explain it, but we're all the good guys here so, shall we continue?”
Drawing a deep breath, Reed nods silently and extends his hand to the road ahead, “Of course..." he says, stepping to the side, "...but only if I can walk behind you.”
Walking out from behind his car, Jefferson passes Reed who simply stares at him, not knowing what to say. “Don’t worry..” Jefferson smirks, “...I’m used to being a Shield.”
MARVEL: THE BEGINNING - The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2
The Sensational Symbiote Saga
Arc II: Venom Begins
PART III - Precipice
“I'm getting fired.” sighs Dr. Otto Octavius
It was destiny at this point. He was going to be fired. None of his peers would have made this mistake. A failing of calculation due to speculation; the ultimate scientific sin. As if trapped in a hurricane of dark emotions, Otto plops onto a steel framed chair in the center of the massive room, stewing in his negativity.
The muffled repeated pounding against armored glass fills Otto's ears as he folds his leg over the other, and cover his mouth, reflecting on his failure. Norman Osborn would be here soon, demanding answers, inspecting data and challenging his findings. He was a peer, a rival, a supervisor and an obstacle all at once. The type of person, you do not have empty results for.
Feeling tightness in his chest, Otto closes his eyes and shoves his anxieties as far deep within himself as he can, drowning his worries to inconsideration.
Opening his eyes, Otto stands up, determined to salvage something from the past 24 hours. Removing a small pad and pen from his white lab coat pocket, Otto flips open the pad, “Let’s make this simple.” he mumbles, clicking down on his pen.
“Fact One...” Otto mumbled, “...after recovering a portion of the symbiote, after twenty-four hours ago, like a limb removed that has grown another person, this portion of the symbiote after consuming specific nutrients found isolated to brain matter, is alive. We have a second symbiote.” He notes
Observes many other open ‘tubes’ with hospital clothing and towels around them, Otto scribbles.
“Fact Two...” Otto begins, “...Osborn purchase of the Ravenscroft Mental Institute has allowed the symbiote to feed on 83 of the most severest live patients. The creature does seem to test if a patient is suitable as a host before consuming it, or its brain for that much. It doesn't care for organs it appears.”
Looking to the tank, Otto observes the symbiotes fluid black mass violently slam against the glass surface with a thud. Spreading itself over its surface in a never-ending torrent of black ooze, Otto observes the black morphos mass recede back within the tank. Oddly, it begins to churn itself at the center, forming a vortex as black bubbles foam within it and rise to the surface.
“Fact three, a breakthrough.” Otto notes, furrowing his brow, “The 84th patient was fed. Though comatose…” notes Otto whose eyes open wide as saucers at the human-shaped figure rising out the symbiote liquid mass that slowly turns red as scarlet, “…it seemed to be an optimal candidate as a host.” He notes as the body’s black coated body turns red, with a white crescent eyes opening over its face!
Startled, Otto drops his pad and steps back.
“While I’m sure this patient Cletus Kassidy was absorbed without pain in his unconscious state…" Otto concludes, “…only by observance will detection of a possible oversight diagnose what lies ahead of this precipice.”
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To be continued
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