Chapter 22
Wade's entire right side ached and itched. A feeling he knew well. He was healing. He wanted to reach over and scratch at the irritated skin but his wrist wouldn't move from where it lay. Deciding to wake up he blinked his eyes open. They stung under the harsh light over him. With a pained groan he turned his head. There were machines next to him, ones that were usually in hospitals. But this wasn't a hospital.
The walls behind it were stained. The room smelled of mold and blood. It brought back horrible memories. Wade thought that maybe he was in another nightmare. But as he woke he could tell this was as real as the ache in his leg. He looked down, finding his broken arm and leg straped down to the bed he was in. The sound of his skin stitching together echoed against the title floors. The sound of his heartbeat only rising louder.
He was dressed in a grungy hospital gown. His scarred skin bare. He swallowed, pressing his head back into the matress trying to calm himself down. He made it out of here once before. He could do it again. Couldn't he? How had he even got here? He remembered visiting Ellie. Oh god had they go to the house? No.
He was in the car. He was talking to Spiderman. They were on their way back into the city. He remembered Spiderman shouting then pain. His whole left side was crushed. He remembered yelling in pain, turning his body anyways to shield the hero from glass as it rained in from the now smashed windows. Spiderman was already uncautious. Wade panicked at the sight of his body lulling around as the car spun. And then things were dark.
He was here. Spiderman was somewhere in the building. Wade had to get him out.
"Wade Wilson," Wade turned his head to the door not even realizing it opened. A woman with bright red hair and equally as bright lipstick stepped in. Her lab coat suggested she was one of the scientists around here. "Boy oh boy, you are one slippery bastard."
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Name's Blaze, I'll be your doctor from now on." She went over to the machines looking over the sheet of paper by them.
"Doctor? Or psychotic scientist?"
She hummed giving him a grin, "you are going to be more of an experiment then a patient so I guess the second? Don't worry though! We're working on a something that'll knock your lights out once and for all."
"Good luck," he spat glaring at the ceiling.
"Bruce Banner did most of the work for us so our luck is plentyful as is," she laughed.
"What?"
"Bruce Banner? Genius doctor that can turn into a giant green monster? He created a nifty no healing serum for that spider kid." Wade's mind went reeling. Spiderman was using a no healing serum? They managed to create something like that? Why? "Unfortunantly it isn't strong enough or last long enough to kill you just yet. We've got a few more improvments to make." Wade swallowed looking up to the ceiling.
"Where is Spiderman?"
She laughed loudly, causing the merc to wince as it echoed around the room. "Spider MAN is in another room. I'm surprised, you knocked out longer then she was. And we've pumped almost all our setatives into her by now." Wade narrowed his eyes. What the hell was this psycho talking about?
"He's alive."
"For now," she hummed walking up to the IV with a syringe. "This is an unfinished sample we have. We'll see how it works with your blood." Wade clenched his jaw watching the greenish liquid flow through the clear tube. She left after that. And Wade imidately got to planning.
-----
He watched the door over the days. People would walk by to deliever meals once a day, if he was correct. If he was right it had been around two weeks. They were careful not to move him. Wade was strapped to the table for most of the day, only to be let go on chains at his wrists. He was never let out of the room and when they came in to strap him back to the bed he there was a hoard of people to do so. He quickly found out Blaze had powers. Her hands would heat up like branding irons.
There were burned handprints all over Wade's skin. They weren't healing as quickly as he usually did. He gussed it was the serum they were talking about. His leg hadn't healed right so it made him limp, his arm wither. He couldn't close his fist all the way. So he decided to do himself a favor and not fight against them. The less he had to heal from the faster the rest would fix itself. Or so he hoped.
He tried to keep his attention on an escape plan. So far the only thing that seemed could work was an airvent above the bed. He managed to fix an old syringe into something that could unskrew the vent. He had managed to get two off. It was hard to do since he had to stretch up on his bad leg to get them out. He would have to get the last two out as quickly as he could in one go. He also had to find a way to crawl into it. He had an idea but he wasn't sure how it would work.
If he failed the punishment would be way worse then what he got now. So he had to wait until he was healed up better. It was hard to do considering Blaze filled him with the serum every day. At least he wasn't gagged.
"Is Blaze your real name or some kind of superpower nickname?" He asked as she emptied out another syringe into his IV.
"We don't use real names here," Blaze murmured staring at the machines.
"Of course not." He looked up at the vent as if seeing himself escape. "How is that serum coming by the way?"
She made an annoyed sound, "we had to wait for the spider girl's blood to get clean before we could make the right serum. It should be clean in a few more days."
"You must have the wrong person." Wade said glancing at her, "Spiderman's a guy."
Blaze smirk looking back at him, "she's really not. Had you fooled though, didn't she?"
Wade narrowed his eyes but ignored her. She was crazy. Just like the rest of them. That just gave the merc hope. Maybe Spiderman had gotten away. Maybe he made it out of the car before Wade was taken. That didn't mean he wouldn't try to break this girl out whoever she was. He knew what it was like to this bag of dicks' lab project. He wouldn't wish it on anyone else. He just had to figure out where they were hiding.
"At least we know this batch is working. Even if it's a little bit it's in the right direction," she preened. Wade watched her as she left, gripping the now empty syringe in his good hand.
-----
Almost a whole week had passed. His leg was healed and his arm was almost there. He waited until they shut off all the lights for the night. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. And after the night guard made his round Wade began his plan. He had took a broken piece of metal from the bottom of the bed and shoved it into an empty syring tube. It gave the sharp piece length, like a makeshift spear. It was just enough for him to cut the leather cuff on his wrist. It took some time but he managed to cut through. He yanked his wrist free and undid the rest of his restraints. Once free he moved the machines as quietly as he could in front of the door. It would have to work as a lock.
He stood on the bed to finish undoing the vent. With one skrew removed the metal cover nearly fell. Bits of the ceiling falling with it. He took the cover with both hands and pulled it from its place. It fell with more pieces of plaster. He placed it on the floor silently. So far no one had come to see what he was doing. So he braced himself and lifted his hands. With a grunt he leapt up, catching the ledge of the vent. His arms shook as he struggled to pull himself up. It required almost all his strength but he managed to get himself into the vent. It was wide, still a tight squeeze for the merc but it was enough for him to squirm in.
He swallowed against the claustraphobia. Forcing himself to keep moving until he found something useful. He looked through each vent in search of one thing. The armory. He moved around the maze of the somewhat small building until he found it. It was dark in the room but he could make out the shape of guns and boxes of ammunition. He moved past the screen, just enough to use his legs to kick it in. It fell with a crash. Wade cursed nearly dropping out of the vent he managed to ease himself down enough so that he could measure the fall. He bent his kneels before he touched the ground but it still sent shocks up pain up his legs.
He whirled around to the guns, making sure the one he grabbed was loaded before he dove behind a crate. The door swung open and multipule footsteps rushed in. He waited until they quieted down. Only four of them were here. He could deal with that.
----
It took a whole clip and two bullet wholes but he made it work. He stalked up as quickly as he could inside the armory. Thanking every god there was that Bae and Arthur were amung the lot. His mask was amoung the mess, as was Spiderman's. He pulled his on and stuffed the other into an empty pouch. Along with the webshooters. He rushed out to the hall as soon as he was ready. Shooting anyone who appeared in front of him.
The building wasn't too big, almost like a clinic. Wade freed two prisoners, as far as he could tell there weren't may of them. That meant that Peter's Aunt May was set free, she seemed dazed but alright. The prisoners helped each other to the exits, Wade covering them. He made it to three other rooms and five more guards before he burst into another room. This person had a sack over their head. Wade was unsure of who they were but seeing as it was one of the last rooms he only had a few choices. "Spidey?"
The person jolted, body moving as if to curl into itself. "D-Deadpool?"
That voice was different. They spoke too softly, it was higher pitched then what he remembered. "That you Spidey?"
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
Wade jumped back as the voice echoed around the room. The person began trugging against the binds. "Okay just calm down a second. I'm going to help you out of here."
"No, no, no," they gasped lowering their head. Wade removed the first bind anyways, cutting through it quickly, then the one on their ankle. The person worked the other strap free as soon as they were free they brough their arms around themself backing up until they hit the wall.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. Just follow everyone else to the exit-"
"No...Deadpool," they whispered. "I-It's me..."
"Spiderman?"
They winced, "y-yeah."
"Here," Wade pulled his mask out of the pouch holding it out to him. Spidey took it with a shaking hand. He stared at it for a second before his whole body started shaking. "Spidey? Hey, we're gonna get out of here okay? I promise you're gonna be safe."
"Don't get any closer," the hero warned. He was definantly crying. Wade was so going to blow this place up. Right after he shot anyone with a lab coat. "Where's May?"
"Okay," Wade lifted his hands. "She made it out with the rest of the prisoners I sent them away from here. They should be safe."
"C-can you turn around." Wade did so, he waited until the hero had the mask on to offer up his webshooters.
"That's all I could grab are you going to be okay?" The trembling man nodded but still kept his arms tightly around himself. "Stay behind me."
Wade walked out of the room first to make sure the hall was clear. It seemed like he took care most of the staff by now. The merc cleared the rest of the rooms finding them empty before they were running to the exit. As soon as the door was open Spiderman tackled him to the ground. He scrabbled off of Wade just ask quickly as he saved him. They were being shot at. Wade used himself to cover the smaller man as he shot back. There were only two people there.
Deadpool was sure he killed at least one as they ran behind another building. They weren't too far from the city, just a few blocks north and they would be there. That's where he told the prisoners to go. "We should-" Before Wade could finish the hero scooped him up with one arm and ran to the tallest building. They went soaring over what looked like more empty buildings. They weren't too far from Wade's new safe house, he needed to relocate.
Once they were a safe distance Spiderman dropped Wade and nearly tripped as he put space between them. The merc caught himself before he could fall looking to the other man. "Spidey," he tried but the man only flinched turning his back to Wade. "We're safe now."
The smaller man was muttering to himself. Deadpool stepped closer trying to listen. "-it's all back. Everything's back. It's the same. It's all the same. I'm back to the way I was. It's happening all over again. It's back, it's back-"
"Spiderman-" Wade reached out a hand to him.
"Don't touch me," he shouted loudly, voice cracking. This time the mercenary could hear the sobs. He could hear the way his breath came out in panicked gasps.
"You're going to hypervenalate." The younger said nothing, just curled up on the ground. It was around sunset, the streets were empty. They were still outside the city but just barely. They were surrounded by apartment buildings and a storage facility. Still dressed in hospital gowns.
"I can't," Wade almost didn't hear him say it. "I can't, I can't, I can't-"
"Is there somewhere I can take you? Or do you want to go to my place? It's close by." The hero shook his head rapidly, fingers digging into his arms. "Spidey I have to move you somewhere I can take care of you." He shook his head again choking on a sob. Wade kneeled next to him trying to decide what to do. The other was about to have a mental breakdown in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Bruce," he gasped. "I have to see Bruce Banner."
"Okay, he's at Stark Tower right? We can do that." But the hero didn't get up. He was stuck shuttering in a ball.
"Clothes..."
"We can stop by my place on the way. It's around the corner." Wade was the first to stand. Spiderman kept mumbling to himself but eventually straighten. Wade notice now how thin he seemed. Or soft? His shoulders weren't as broad, the muscles in his arms weren't as defined. Could someone start to get malnerished that soon? No, it wasn't that he was skinny, he was rouned. Deadpool could still see muscle but it was shaped differently. He stepped back to look at him.
In fact his whole body seemed to shift shape. He could still see how it could be Spiderman but at the same time they weren't. Wade took another step back, noting the way their chest potruded. This person was female.
"Wait. You...you aren't Spiderman," Wade said still trying to piece things together. The stranger went stiff, breath stopping. "Who are you?"
Deadpool must have said the wrong thing because they curled up again. This time crying even harder, hypervenatlating this time. Wade dropped down beside them hands raise. "It's okay! I can get you where you need to be! Uh, do you have a name? An address?" But they were crying too hard to get a word out. Wade did the only thing he thought to do, moving slowly and gently so that the person could shove him off if they wanted. They just kept crying as Wade held them in a hug. Their whole body shaking.
"It's okay, take a deep breath. We'll figure this out. Do as I do," he whispered taking loud deep breaths. Eventually they did. And when they're crying stopped enough for them to speak they did so quietly.
"I am."
"Am what?"
"I am Spiderman." Wade was quiet as he listened to the now soft pitch. It wasn't the deep voice he was used to hearing but the tone was the familiar. The way they spoke was the same if not quieter.
Like a strike of lighting things suddenly made sense to Wade. The reason Blaze was using female pronounes. Why they had to wait for medicine to clear out of Spiderman's system. Spiderman himself had told Wade he was on medication. The first time Wade had tried to lift his shirt after being wounded. The fact that he was panicking right now, the medication must have worn off.
"Oh. Oh Spidey I'm so sorry."
"Don't," he whimpered wrapping his arms around himself.
"Okay. Come on, let's get you some clothes. We're going to get you to Brue. We're going to fix this." Wade helped him up keeping him close to his side as they walked to the safehouse. He swore to himself he was going back there as soon as Spiderman was taken care of. He was going to make sure everyone suffered just as he did.