Chemistry

13

Vulture got into his wing suit and soared toward Peter and Alessa. Peter jumped over him and fired long, weak webs past Vulture.

"Suit lady, what was that?" Peter asked.

"You told me to choose," Suit Lady replied.

Vulture attacked Peter and Alessa and they tried to balance themselves on the edge of the trailer.

"What? No, just set everything back to normal."

Peter grabbed Vulture's duffel bag, and started to tug.

"Activating all systems."

Peter ripped the bag out of Vulture's talons. He fell through the portal back into the truck, accidentally pulling Alessa with him. The portal cube was thrown off position by Peter's movement. He immediately jumped up to get out but slammed his head on the now solid roof and lost consciousness.

Alessa shook Peter, but he didn't move. She checked his pulse and let out a sigh. "At least I don't have to tell May or the others you're dead."

LATER

Peter laid motionless on the floor of the trailer. Alessa sat next to him, periodically shaking him. The truck shook to a stop, waking Peter up.

"Oh, my head," Peter mumbled.

"You appear to have a mild concussion," Suit Lady told him.

"Is Lessa okay?"

"Your friend is just fine."

With a headache, Peter stood with a hand to his head. "Hey, so where are Lessa and I right now?

Peter and Alessa looked around, but couldn't figure out where they were.

"I'm not sure. The container walls are hindering my sensors."

"Wait a minute. They must have hijacked the truck and taken me and her to their evil lair. Okay, Suit Lady. We're gonna have to fight our way out of this one."

Peter prepared himself to burst through the truck's metal doors. "Three, two, one!"

He smashed through the trailer doors, and found himself and Alessa in a huge warehouse full of containers. He looked around, on guard. "What is this place? Suit Lady, where are Lessa and I?"

"You're in the most secure facility on the Eastern Seaboard. The Damage Control Deep Storage Vault."

"No. Seriously?" Peter and Alessa said.

Shocked, Peter put both hands to his head while Alessa mumbled a curse in Spanish. On the wall before them, "DODC-V05" was written in big black letters.

LATER

Peter was clinging to the horizontal crack of the massive doors as he tried to wedge them open while Alessa watched.

"The door will most likely remain closed until morning," Suit Lady informed.

Peter kicked at the bottom of the doors while Alessa kicked at the floor and they said in a disappointed tone, "Morning?"

LATER

Peter was lying on a hammock made out of his webs. Alessa was sitting on the ground, tracing invisible animals.

"Hey, Suit Lady, I kind of feel bad calling you "Suit Lady," you know?" Peter said. "I think I should probably give you a name... like Liz. No, no, no. God, that's... that's weird. Alessa or Lessa is even weirder." He avoided his friend's curious expression.

With one hand, Peter swung on a rope that was also made out of his webs, and letsgo, dropping to the floor and laid down.

"What about Karen?"