Ch 114 doctors order

"Where is Ned?" I asked, cursing the way that my voice shook. My fingers trembled as they held the phone against my ear.

"Your friend is perfectly safe here with me," Doctor Octopus assured me. "In fact, I'm going to let you come rescue him, with no hindrance from me." I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"What do you want from me?" A humorless chuckle echoed from across the line.

"You've been gone for too long, Spider-Man," the man answered. "I think it's time the web-slinger made a comeback."

"Shouldn't you be happy that Spider-Man is gone?" I said, rubbing my brow between two fingers as I paced alongside a nearby dumpster.

"My plan has… changed, I admit," said Doctor Octopus. "But you're still the key to it all, Peter. And I need you back on the streets."

"And why should I do what you want?" I spat, throwing my hand into the air in frustration, knowing full well that the man couldn't see it.

"Because I know who you are, Peter." A fresh bout of dread rolled over me. "I know where you live… where you go to school… who your friends are. I'd hate to see anything happen to your Aunt… or your new girlfrie -"

"Alright," I snapped through gritted teeth, clenching my hands into a fist. "Just tell me where Ned is." Even without seeing him, I could sense an eerie smile creeping up the man's face.

"We're in the abandoned warehouse on the corner of 149th and Tyler." I made a mental note of the address as I hastened my way out of the alley. "And Peter?" I paused.

"What?" I asked, holding my breath.

"Come as Spider-Man… or else."

The line went dead. I lowered the phone, sliding it into my pocket. Ignoring the pounding in my heart, I raced down the remaining five blocks. Scurrying up the stairs, I slipped inside without so much as a sound. Once I was inside of my room, I closed the door and strode to my closet.

I opened the door, revealing a rack of hanging shirts and pants. I parted them down the middle, then hesitated. My heart sank as I saw the suit.

I hadn't so much as touched it since Thanos' defeat.

Thinking back to my first few moments in the suit, a small smile cracked the edges of my lips. The pure, unfiltered joy that had gushed through my veins was unrivaled. In that suit, I felt powerful, strong, and ready to take on all the threats that New York had to offer.

Now, I seemed small. Without Tony's guidance, I felt as though I was a tiny canoe struggling to stay afloat in the midst of a typhoon. One wrong move, and a wave would roll me over and crush me.

My thoughts turned to Ned, stuck in some warehouse, in need of my help. Then, a string of words drifted into my mind.

"You're an Avenger now."

Tears threatened my eyes for what felt like the millionth time in the past few months. I knew what I had to do. Ned needed me. But more importantly, I needed this.

Without another wayward thought, I grabbed the suit.

149th and Tyler was approaching fast. I slowed my pace, swinging low against the harsh wind as I landed atop the building adjacent to the warehouse. I crept along the edge of the roof, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of life on the street below.

"It's good to have you back, Peter," a voice said into my ear. I couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Karen."

The suit was a bit tighter than I remembered. I must have put on a few pounds. I shrugged my shoulders yet again, trying to stretch the material as I began my descent down the brick wall.

There was a broken window on the second floor, directly across from me. I shot a web across the alley, pulling myself across with a grunt. Since I was a bit out of practice, however, I missed by a few inches. My feet hit the windowsill, and I toppled ungracefully onto the floor inside.

In a matter of seconds, I had righted myself and was on the move.

There didn't appear to be anything on the second floor besides some rusty machinery and paint cans, which led me down an empty elevator shaft to the bottom level. The warehouse was massive, with the floor stretching for several acres. Yet to my surprise, there wasn't a single piece of machinery or debris left on the first floor. The only thing my eyes could detect was a single chair in the very center of the warehouse floor.

"I'm only counting one heat signature," Karen informed me. "Coming from the chair. The rest of the building appears to be empty."

"That better be Ned," I muttered, scanning the room with a skeptical gaze as I jogged towards the chair.

I nearly collapsed with relief as I neared the center of the expansive room. There he was, seated in the chair with duct tape across his mouth and rope binding his legs and arms.

"Pmedor?" came the muffled cry as I closed the remaining distance between us.

"Hey dude," I answered, ripping off the duct tape before setting to work on the rope. A stream of incoherent babbling started to bubble from Ned's mouth, until I set him free from his bindings. Before I could even stand, he had swept me off of my feet and was crushing me in a tight embrace.

"You came," he was saying. "I didn't think you would, but you did."

My heart plummeted at his words, and I pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"What?" I exclaimed, cocking my head to the side. "You didn't think I would come for you?" Ned looked down at the floor, seeming to regret his words.

"Let's just get out of here."

Despite my curiosity, I heeded his suggestion and led the way out of the warehouse. I kept a wary glance over my shoulder, making sure that there weren't any unforeseen traps or adversaries waiting for me in the darkened light of the warehouse. Nevertheless, we made it out of the building and into the alley without any difficulty.

I convinced Ned to stay at my place for the night. We walked back to my apartment in silence, as both of us contemplated what had just happened. At long last, we made it home. Ned collapsed on my bottom bunk as I peeled off the suit and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"What a day," Ned moaned before bursting into a wide, toothy yawn.

"Hey Ned," I said, taking a seat beside of him on the bed. "What did you mean when you said you didn't think I would come for you?" Ned didn't answer at first, fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt.

"It's just…it had been so long. We were all starting to think you just weren't coming back, dude."

I sat for a moment, thinking about what he had said. Yet before I could answer, my phone rang. A glance at the screen told me that it was the same number from earlier. A chill ran down my spine, and I excused myself from Ned before scrambling to the bathroom and clicking 'answer'.

"I did what you wanted," I growled, unable to keep the venom from my tone as I paced in front of the sink.

"I'm proud of you, Peter," said the slithering voice on the other end. "It's good to see our favorite local superhero back on the streets."

"I don't know what it is you're scheming," I said, "Or how I fit into it, but I do know this; I'm going to stop whatever nefarious plan it is that you're cooking up, and I'm going to make sure you pay for what you did to my friend."

"Tsk, tsk," replied Doctor Octopus. "You seem a little too aggressive for just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, wouldn't you say?" He laughed. "Either way, you're no match for the might of Doctor Octopus." I bristled with rage, pausing in front of the mirror. As I studied my reflection, something snapped inside of me.

"Two things," I said, both surprised and impressed at the calm tone with which I spoke. "First, Doctor Octopus? A ridiculous name. Honestly, how can you even say that with a straight face?" I was greeted with a moment of silence before the man answered in an irritable voice.

"And the second thing?" I smirked to myself.

"I'm not just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I'm an Avenger. And I'm coming for you."

Without another word, I hung up the phone.

A minute later, I returned to my room, where Ned was waiting with a worried expression.

"What was that about?" he asked. I answered with a soft smile and a firm tone.

"I'm back."