Chapter 113
[145]
As Kamoshida took to the stage, the students began running to the doors in a panic, pushing past each other in an attempt to flee.
“Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The former gym teacher stated, a smug grin crossing his face. “Those doors are hooked up to the fire alarm system and right now I’m running enough juice through them to fry anyone who touches them.” The students at the doors paused, staring at them in fear. “Of course I could be bluffing about that and it could be perfectly safe. Go ahead, test them out.”
Nobody made a move, everyone was too scared to try. Next to Kamoshida on the stage, the staff stood by, terrified as the man toyed with the student body.
“W-What is it that you want Kamoshida?” Kawakami demanded, trying to hide her fear.
“What do I want?” The man laughed. “What do I want? What the fuck do you think I want!?” He yelled, removing his mask. “Look at my FUCKING! FACE! Look at what SPIDER-MAN fucking did to me!” He pointed at his disfigured features. “What I want should be obvious! I want for him to go through what I had to go through, when he FUCKING DID THIS SHIT TO ME!” As he shouted, his fists began to send out yellow sparks, glowing brighter the angrier he got.
“S-So then why come here? If you want Spider-Man, g-go find him out in the city.” Kawakami attempted to back away in fear along with the rest of the staff, only to be grabbed by the villain.
“It’s funny you should say that, because I think that he’s right here in this room.” The electric villain smiled, pulling his mask back on. “Y’see, I had a long time to think while I was locked away in a glass box. And while I was thinking, a realization struck me. How did Spider-Man get here so fast the first time? He couldn’t have realized it before the police did, unless he was here when the attack began.” Turning to the crowd, he raised the microphone before his face again. “Where are you little spider? If you come out now, nobody else will get hurt I ‘promise.’”
Next to Takemi, Dr. Maruki whispered into her ear. “Where’s Ren?”
Looking back at him, she shook her head before whispering back. “Not coming.”
Maruki’s eyes widened in horror before he looked back at the supervillain in the room. Next to him, Yamagishi was trying to contact the police, only to find that her phone wasn’t getting any service.
“By now, some of you have probably tried contacting the outside. But what’s that? Your phones aren’t working?” He asked tauntingly. “I’m emitting an E.M. field that’s blocking the signal. Sorry, you’ll just have to update your status after I get what I want.”
“I-If you really aren’t going to hurt the other students, then…then prove it. As a show of good faith, let the students go, we staff will stay behind as collateral.” Kawakami stated, trying her best to be brave despite the fact that she could be killed at any moment.
“Uh, what?” Ms. Chouno asked from behind.
“My, how brave of you Kawakami.” Kamoshida turned to her. “Unfortunately that’s idiotic. Why would I willingly give up hostages? Hell, I could just kill everyone in this room right now, what would stop me?”
Several screams of fear sounded out from the students, one boy went so far as to faint.
“What if he isn’t here?” Takemi stepped forward, posing the question. “I mean look out into that crowd, less than half of the student body is present at this assembly. Even if he were a student here, and that’s a big if, the odds of him being out in that crowd are slim at best.”
Kamoshida turned his attention to the doctor, stepping toward her. “Well now, who’s this beauty? I certainly don’t remember a fox like you being on the staff when I worked here.”
“Uh, what?” Ms. Chouno’s voice asked again.
“I’m new, but that’s beside the point. You want Spider-Man? Let the students go, then you can bet the cops will be here in 5 minutes, and Spider-Man in half that time.”
This was, of course, a bluff on Takemi’s part as she knew full well that Ren and Niijima were unconscious on her couch right now and the blond one was likely fairing no better, even if they knew about this attack, they were in no shape to be fighting someone like Kamoshida. However, as a doctor, it was Takemi’s priority to save as many lives as she could however she could.
“She’s right.” Fuuka Yamagishi said, stepping between Takemi and Kamoshida. “Let the kids go and just take us hostage.”
“Hmmm, interesting thought.” Kamoshida seemed to consider their words for a moment. “Here’s my counter-proposal.” He said before pointing a finger at Fuuka and firing a bolt of electricity directly into her chest, sending the woman flying back.
“Yamagishi!” The teachers called out as their colleague slammed against the ground.
The students in the audience screamed before running out of the gymnasium into the school hallways.
“Go ahead and run, it’s hopeless! You can’t escape the building!” Kamoshida yelled before turning back to the woman lying on the ground. “Who the hell do you think you are? Telling ELECTRO what to do!?”
The teachers ran off of the stage in a panic, fleeing for their lives. As they did so, Maruki and Takemi grabbed the unconscious Fuuka and carried her away, following behind the others.
Meanwhile, Kamoshida watched with a sinister grin as everyone fled in terror from him. This was how things were meant to be. Him, a king, and his subjects knowing their place, beneath him. And as king, he could do whatever he wanted.
“So Kawakami,” He turned to the terrified woman in his grasp. “Looks like it’s just the two of us now. Oh what fun things I’m thinking of doing with you.”
Meanwhile, out in the hall, Maruki and Takemi set Yamagishi on the ground before Takemi placed her head against the woman’s chest, listening closely.
“Her heartbeat is weak, start chest compressions immediately! I need to grab the defibrillator.” Takemi ordered as she ran off to get the device.
“R-Right!” Maruki nodded before beginning to press on the woman’s chest. “One, two, three, four, five…I am supposed to give her mouth to mouth now? Or is that just if she’d drowned?” He looked down at the unconscious woman before pressing his hand against her chest and beginning again. “One, two, three-”
“Oh my god! Is Ms. Yamagishi alive?” A voice came from behind Maruki.
Turning to the source, the biologist saw that the voice belonged to none other than his former lab assistant.
“Haru! Thank goodness you’re alright!” He said as he continued the chest compressions. “Here, I need your help. Someone with two hands is better equipped for the job.”
“Wh-What!? B-But I don’t know CPR!”
“I’m here, move!” Takemi ordered, carrying a defibrillator with her. Kneeling down by the unconscious woman’s body, she started attaching the pads to begin resuscitating her. As she did so, she saw Dr. Maruki silently stand up before running up the stairs. “Haru, follow Maruki and make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”
“O-Okay.” Haru nodded before looking up, searching for a head of blonde hair. ‘Ann, where are you?’ She thought before following after Maruki.
Meanwhile, in another part of the school, one figure chased another down the hall.
“Lady Ann! *huff* *huff* Where are you going?” Morgana called out as he followed the girl in question. While the other students had run toward the school cafeteria, Ann had gone in the opposite direction.
“Don’t follow me! Just go with the others!” Ann called back before ducking away into a janitor’s closet, her backpack in tow.
“Wait! If you’re going to hide, let me in too!” The boy called out as he reached the closet, reaching out for the doorknob.
“Do NOT open that door!” Ann called out from behind the door just before a loud crashing noise could be heard.
“L-Lady Ann are you okay?”
“I’m fine! Just knocked over a bucket is all!” She assured him. Before Morgana could ask what she was doing he heard Ann mumble something. “Damn zipper, it’s caught on my bra! Knew I should’ve given Futaba my actual cup size.”
Morgana’s face turned bright red before he fainted, collapsing on the floor.
Meanwhile, Haru had followed Maruki upstairs and through the halls leading to his lab. She had stopped just before the door, pausing to think for a moment.
‘What could he be in there for?’ She wondered for a moment before realization donned on her face. “No!”
Opening the door, she found Maruki desperately searching through his desk, tossing papers and folders aside rapidly as he dug through the drawers.
“Aha, here!” He said before pulling out a green vial in a plastic box. Removing the vial, he ran over to his workstation before grabbing a syringe. Plunging it into the vial, he extracted the liquid inside into the syringe. Before he could do anything else, he was halted by the sound of Haru’s voice.
“Dr. Maruki stop! What are you doing!?” She cried out.
“H-Haru?” The one-armed doctor looked up in shock. “Wha…Y-You can’t be here!”
“Tell me that isn’t what I think it is!” She yelled, angrily stepping toward the man. “Tell me you aren’t about to do what I think you’re about to do!”
“Haru, you don’t understand-” He tried to explain but Haru stopped him.
“So it is!” She yelled, before grabbing the syringe out of his hand. “This is the Lizard formula! Dr. Maruki, why would you ever think of using this again!? No good could possibly come from it!” She attempted to smash the syringe against the wall, but Maruki grabbed her wrist before she could do so.
“HARU DON’T!” He yelled, raising his voice for the first time since Haru had met the kind doctor. “You…You can’t, this is the last of the formula I have left.” He sighed, releasing Haru’s wrist before removing his glasses and looking down. “...Ren isn’t coming to save us, Takemi told me. We’re on our own here. And The Lizard, *sigh* Look, he’s the only thing strong enough to take on Kamoshida. There’s no other way.”
“You think The Lizard would save us!? Doctor, he...you tried to kill everyone in the school last time!”
“Last time I didn’t know what to expect!” Maruki argued, snatching the syringe back from Haru. “This time…” He stared at the green liquid longingly. “The dosage is high enough that the effect should be immediate this time. I should be able to-no, I will control it.”
“And what if you can’t?” Haru countered. “What if you turn into a mindless animal again? Are you really willing to risk the lives of everyone in this building if you’re wrong?”
“...” Maruki looked between Haru and the serum in his hand before coming to a decision.
Back in the gymnasium, Kamoshida ran his fingers through Ms. Kawakami’s hair before deeply inhaling her scent. All the while the teacher glared at him, gripping her fists while her knees shook in fear.
“Y’know, it’s been so long since I’ve even seen a woman. Being trapped in a glass box for months on end, you have no idea how…pent up I’ve been.” He circled around her like a shark stalking its prey. “I know, I know, the burnt up face is a bit of a turnoff-”
“Actually, I think it’s an improvement. The outside finally matches the inside now.” Sadayo retorted, flinching as the man suddenly drew closer to her, stopping his face just inches from her’s.
“You know,” Kamoshida reached out and lifted Kawakami’s chin up to face him. “This is why we never had a second date.”
“We never had a second date because I realized what kind of a monster you were when you weren’t busy kissing your boss’s ass.”
“My my, feeling brave are we?” Kamoshida asked, gripping her shoulder as tightly as he could. “One would almost think you want to die, running your mouth like that.”
“What’s the point?” Kawakami pushed his hand away from her, trying her best to maintain an unafraid facade. “I’m dead anyway. But if I’m going to go out, I might as well keep my dignity.”
“Dignity? Please, you’re so desperate for cash you became a part time sex worker.” Seeing the woman’s reaction to that, Kamoshida smiled. “Did you think I didn’t know about that? Oh please, I know everybody’s dirty little secrets. That used to be how I planned to take power in this school, but I think you can agree, I found a much better alternative.”
“So that’s your big plan? Take out your anger on a bunch of helpless kids? Just to show that you’re stronger than them? You’re even more pathetic than I thought.”
“Pathetic? PATHETIC!?” Kamoshida shouted, grabbing Sadayo by the throat. “Do you realize just how much power I command? How much I wield?” He released her throat and began circling her again, running his hands across her body. “I could stop your heart with a thought. With a snap of my fingers I could fry all the neurons in your brain. With these new powers, basically…” He stopped in front of Kawakami, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “I’m a god.”
“You’re not a god. You’re just a man.” The woman retorted, pushing herself away. “A weak, pathetic man with the same weakness as any other man.”
“Oh and what weakness is that? My ego? My lust? My pride?” Kamoshida asked, smirking.
“Nope.” Kawakami replied before delivering a swift kick to his testicles.
“MOTHERFUCKER!” The man dropped to his knees, cupping his groin. “SONUVA-That’s it bitch! You’re dead!” He raised an electrified hand toward the woman, only to be stopped when a metal rod struck him in the side of the head. “OW! What the fuck is it now?”
He turned to the direction the rod had come from, finding a blonde girl in a skintight black and white outfit with a black domino mask standing at the gymnasium door. The metal baton which she had thrown then returned to her hand, if he had to guess, the gloves she was wearing seemed to have electromagnets that drew the baton back to her.
‘Wow Futaba, you really outdid yourself this time.’ Ann thought to herself as she examined her weapons and suit.
“Takamaki?” Both Kamoshida and Kawakami asked.
“W-What? Uh, I mean, who’s that?” Ann (badly) feigned ignorance.
“Oh come on, only two students at this school are blonde and I’m pretty sure it’s not Sakamoto under there.” Kamoshida scoffed, standing up.
“W-Well you’re not dealing with ‘Takamaki’ this time.” Ann replied, getting into a fighting stance. “I’m here to avenge everyone you’ve ever hurt in your pathetic life, you psychopath!”
Flashes of Shiho’s suicide attempt played through Ann’s head as she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her batons.
“This time, you’re dealing with Mockingbird!”