The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 31

They walked into the undercroft. Ned turned on the lights. "Badass," he commented. The buzzer to the laundry went off. Lydia crossed her arms, watching Ned as he inspected the room. He dropped his backpack on the ground, eager to see what was piled on the desk.

As he picked up a crossbow, Lydia moved closer. "Probably not a good idea," she said. Without asking, she took it from him and set it down.

"Listen, you guys. This whole spell thing-"

"Don't worry," MJ cut him off. "It's fine."

Peter wasn't expecting MJ to say that. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I understand why you did it. You were trying to fix things." MJ understood that. "But run it by us next time, okay? So, next time, when you're thinking, 'Hey, I'm about to do something that could destroy the universe,' we could help you. We could workshop something better or-"

"Or simply call, like Mr. Doctor Strange said," Lydia piped up.

MJ pointed in her direction. "Or that."

"Deal," Peter clapped his hands together. "Ned?"

Ned spun around, holding the crossbow again. "Oh, dude, don't worry. Oh!" Something else had caught his attention. "A torture wrack!"

Lydia squinted at the device. "That's a pilates machine," MJ corrected. She turned around, pointing at the crypt. "That is-"

"The crypt," Peter finished for her.

The two walked toward the crypt. Lydia decided to follow them. "First, we get the rest of the guys. Then, you zap them with magic and send them back. Lastly, when we get into MIT round of stale donuts, my treat."

Ned materialized next to her. "Let's catch some multiverse men."

Lydia noticed he was still holding the crossbow. She reached over and took it. "Still a bad idea." He nodded in agreeance. The girl set it down on the ledge.

"Hey," the man with metal tentacles in his back yelled. "Who the hell are these guys?"

"These are my friends. This is MJ and Ned," Peter introduced them.

"Hey."

"Hello," Ned waved nervously.

Peter realized they didn't know the man's name. "Wait, what's your name?"

"Dr. Otto Octavius."

The group, minus Lydia, began laughing at his name. She didn't understand why but smiled as if she did. "Seriously, what's your name?"

He never had a chance to respond. Ned noticed the creature in the cell beside Dr. Otto Octavius. "Oh, is that a dinosaur?!" The creature looked at him annoyed but didn't say anything. Lydia wasn't sure he could talk, but he definitely understood them.

"Okay," Peter said. "Let's start searching."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lydia sat beside Ned as he searched the internet for the green elf Peter described, along with any other multiversal creatures. The white-haired girl watched him. Technology was still a struggle for her. Tony had taught her some stuff, but it never made sense. It was easier to watch.

"Finding anything," she questioned curiously. Peter was to the left, furiously scrubbing the green paint off his suit. MJ was walking around the undercroft, inspecting different things.

"Not yet," Ned responded.

Lydia rested her head on her palm, watching as he scrolled through different social media websites. As her eyes scanned the screen, she noticed something at the top. It was a tab for an apartment website. "Are you looking at apartments?"