𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 ━━ 𝑃𝐸𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑃𝐴𝑅𝐾𝐸𝑅

twenty-two. ante bellum

ANTE BELLUM: XXII -IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR

PETER PARKER

MY MIND IS FIXATED ON ONE THING: OSCORP. The site where it all boils down.

The sky is tainted black and starless, the only thing illuminating my path was the streetlights as I swung by, attaching my webs from building to building as fast as I could. I feared the worst, there was an imaginary weight pressing down on my chest and I recognized it as anxiety. I was responsible if anything happened to Gwen or Ramsey, it doesn't matter if they complied, it was me who put them in harm's way.

A sudden illumination on my right caught my attention, followed by a loud yet familiar voice booming through the megaphone. "Stand down now, or we will open fire. You are surrounded."

Shit, I mentally cursed.

I cut through the air like a bullet, webs attaching and reattaching on the edge of the building's roof as I passed, my movements were sharp and precise as I performed an evasive maneuver. The police chopper was hot on my tail, their threats falling on deaf ears as I focused on losing them, my main concern was making it on time to OsCorp and thwarting Dr. Curtis plans. If only the police knew what was really at stake here they would be aiding me instead of trying to arrest me, but this is the irony of life, you can only do justice if you're wearing a badge.

I took a sharp turn, the streets looked familiar, meaning I was on the main street that led to OsCorp. The building stood at the end of the street like a tall menacing beacon, the light at that end of the tunnel sort of thing, but the view towards it was intercepted by a chopper. Most precisely, a police chopper.

"There is... NO escape."

Their spotlight glared directly at me. For a fraction of a second, I lost focus, turning my head to the side and shielding my face with my hand was enough of an advantage for them to have a clear shot at me. And they took it. The next thing was a blur, I remember running out of air as my body plummeted to the ground, a current of electricity spread all over my body, immobilizing my body in pure pain. Hotness sizzled in my blood, despite the burning feeling surging through my body. I was sweating cold, my body was facing down against the pavement and would occasionally spasm.

"Go. Go!" Police officers hastily made their way towards me, I could hear their loud footsteps and feel the vibration of their stomps as they neared me. "All clear here, sir!"

"Cuff him. We wouldn't want him running away from us." Captain Stacey ordered a nearby police officer, I felt someone approach me. A pair of hands grabbed my wrists and handcuffed them. I was rolled over onto my butt by a police officer, forcing me to sit up.