Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

22 - This Pain Demands

The metal of the examination table was cold against my shoulder blades, the coldness setting my nerves on fire. The florescent lights hanging above made my eyes water slightly, but that was only the beginning of the discomfort and pain that would follow today.

"Alright, dear, are you ready?"

The question rattled on in my brain, the haunting question that could either turn these visions around or make them worse. My gaze swung over to my mother, staring at her white lab coat for a long moment before finding her eyes. They were filled with strange tears, but under the tears I could see the excitement about the process she was about to begin. I didn't blame her for being a little curious, she was a scientist after all and she along with my father had been working on this serum for years. 

"Um, what will it feel like?" My throat was dry, my mouth like sandpaper.

My father sidestepped my mother, his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He cleared his throat quietly, gaze resting down on me. "When you were first accidentally exposed, it was only a surface exposure. Only a tiny amount actually entered your bloodstream, a pure chance that anything would even occur at all...but, it did." my father paused, "This time though, we'll be injecting a larger dose straight into your veins, into your blood. We haven't reached this far in our research...but it's going to hurt, Florence."

I knew that much but doubt echoed in my mind like a siren anyway. Pain was something that I was slowly growing used too though, but what type pain would I endure today? "Why would it inflect pain?" A voice sounded from my other side, Peter Parker hovering beside me. He had promised to take one afternoon off from being Spider-Man to sit beside me, to hold my hand and be there for me today. It was a comfort knowing he would be by my side today, just like he was the very first time I was exposed with my parents' serum months ago. "I mean, last time we didn't even know it happened."

My mother gave a sad smile, "The serum is unpredictable, we can't predict what will really happen. But Florence's blood, her body, goes into a state of shock whenever a vision occurs. Her body tries to fight against it, only a natural reflect. Those natural defences kickstart the pain in her head every time. Now, we'll be adding more foreign elements into her body and presumably, her body will try to fight against it. Therefore, it's going to hurt. How much? We don't really know."

"Right," I nodded softly. "Are we sure this will work?"

Peter Parker looked across at my parents, the room growing deadly quiet with my tiny question. I could practically feel the worry coming from the three people surrounding me in waves, everyone still a little on the fence about the idea. I knew my question didn't have an answer that I truly wanted because this process was very unpredictable, anything could happen but if I wanted these visions to stabilise, to expand, this was something I just needed to do. "Florence, dear, you don't have to go through with this--" my darling mother offered out quietly.

"No," I shook my head, "I need to do this."

"Florence--" Peter was saying quietly.

I turned to face him, my eyebrows furrowing. "This is my choice, okay?" I knew he was only worrying, something he had grown far too used to with me lately. I wanted to tell him that he of all people, should understand powers that flooded through our bodies, he should know how these things changed our lives, but I didn't because my parents were in the room and they didn't know his secret. Slowly, my hand reached out for his own and he took it without hesitation. "I will be fine."

With those four words, my parents were bringing over a cart and I spied the glass container of purple serum, the very thing that had brought these visions into my head in the first place. There was a strange hole ripping open in my stomach, watching my parents grab a scary looking syringe, filling the thing with their serum. My head tilted to the side, my gaze turned to the boy who would walk through fire for me. His lips were drawn into a thin line, his shoulders shrugged forward as his hands covered my own. "No matter what happens, you'll have me." Peter was whispering out quietly and his words jolted my heart. "If this works or if it doesn't, it'll be okay. We'll get through whatever happens...together."

"Together." I agreed with a tiny nod of my head.

With another question, my mother giving me one last chance to back out, the day that could change everything was suddenly upon me. My eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to watch the syringe pierce my skin. I felt the odd object touch my flesh, while hissing out a tiny grunt of pain. For a short moment, nothing happened. I could hear my father saying tiny observations, recording it all down for future reference. I heard the words, informing me that the serum had been injected into my bloodstream. The moment was still, nothing changing at all. But suddenly, everything came rushing at me and there was nothing I could do.

A scream left my lips, my back arching off the metal table. Hot tears leaked down my cheeks, my nails digging into Peter's hand, but he didn't back away. The pain was howling, begging, demanding to tear my mind from my body. My skin felt like it was burning and I could literally feel the hot serum move through my blood, leaving nothing but destruction behind. A plea sounded through the labs, the words coming from me. "Make it stop, please."

But it was too late. The pain flooded my body, slashing at my insides. A war was breaking out in my body, the serum infecting, changing the very makeup of my DNA. The natural defence systems within my body went into overdrive, everything becoming more heightened. The pain was so raw, it chewed at my mind like a rapid beast. Along with the pain, flashes started rocketing through my mind. The visions started flickering, bits and pieces like always. But as another scream filled the air, the visions came together, almost like they were painting a story. I saw Cindy Moon wrapped in silk, her body floating in the swimming pool and her black hair like a halo. I saw a ferry setting sail and a strange metal wing dripping with blood, a man's face covered in a mask as he turned to stare at me. I saw two hands reaching for each other, two people reaching for one another but failing. I saw the blood stained face again with a mouth full of blood, now two horns spiking up from his skull. I saw the green hand again, reminding me of Green Goblin. I saw girls falling, hair covering their faces as gravity took hold, screams silent as one hit the ground. I saw a city blackout as the world turned dark. The last thing I saw was a grave stone, the words too blurry to make out a name though.

My eyes yanked open, my body rolling to the side. Sobs echoed through my chest as the pain finally subsided, my entire body feeling drained and powerless. I felt Peter Parker's arms wrap around me, holding me close to his chest as he rocked me. That was the very first time I didn't feel safe in his arms, not with the future so clear in my mind now.

- author's ramblings - 

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, a few future plot lines were added in, which was pretty intriguing and now, my bby Florence's powers are advancing yay. Anyway, the stunning gif picture was created by the ever talented and kind probonos, thank you darling I've been waiting so long to use the graphic but it's sheer beauty needed a chapter like this one.

- tinkertaydust