Take Two

Ow! Watch where you're throwing those, buddy! They're still rebuilding Oscorp. Don't care. Paladin steals what he's hired to steal, no matter what, or who, is in the way. [GRUNTS] "Paladin"? You look nothing like one. Paladins were knights. Trust me. I've been to many a Ren Faire. It's a code name. We don't all have to dress like team mascots. [CHUCKLING] Ouch! Hey, smile for my web-cam. Get it? "Web" -cam? Ha ha! Filming yourself fighting a trained mercenary, kid? Haven't you had your butt kicked in public enough? Uh, sure, but there are three reasons I'm not giving up: Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein. Shut up. We're fighting here. Sure. Happy to explain. Three great scientists, all my heroes, but I heard Newton dropped out of grade school. Edison said he failed almost a thousand times before he perfected the light bulb. And rumor has it Einstein struggled to learn basic math. - Know what that means? - It means I don't care. Wrong. It means a true hero never gives up. [MEN SHOUTING] I used to think you were some weirdo, but now I know you're our weirdo. Eh, that was supposed to be a compliment. Trust me. I appreciate that more than you know. [TRILLING] Well done, Paladin. Exactly the data we need. Blurry. Blurry. Sky. Blurry. Elbow. Huh. My rear end. Nothing usable. [PHONE BUZZES] Well, if it isn't Harry Osborn, the world-famous traveler. Yeah. As if overseeing the European operations of my dad's company is a vacation. Hey, I don't have much time. Just called to wish you luck this year. Isn't tonight Horizon's Back to School Night? It sure is. But it might also be my farewell to school night. Classes start Monday, and if I can't get Spidey footage to sell to the Daily Bugle, I can't afford tuition. I told you, Pete, I can help. Nah. This is something I have to do on my own. Uncle Ben taught me the importance of being self-sufficient. And besides, after all the trouble I've been through recently, the law of averages says my luck has to change at some point. [STUDENTS SCREAMING] [DOC OCK] Doctor Octopus has returned! I come for what is mine. But maybe not today. Uh, Harry, I'm gonna have to call you back. All of this was inevitable. Who is that guy? Ha! Freshman. It's taken months, but now it's my time. Miles, we need to change into our work clothes. It might not be necessary. I made some modifications to my security bots. They're much more proactive now. Watch. Otto, how are you no longer in prison? You're not welcome here. Max Modell. Let me explain. No way. Let's shock some sense into him. [GRUNTS] [BOTS SHOUTING] [STUDENTS CLAMORING] Ock saved us? Okay, that's not very evil. I did not come for a confrontation. You said you came for what was yours. I assumed you meant revenge. What? No. Why would you think that? I meant forgiveness. Was that not clear? You all understood, yes? [STUDENTS WHIMPERING] Hmm. Perhaps not. I regret last year. I fell in with a bad crowd Osborn and his goons and I let myself be fueled by my own insecurities. Why are you coming back here now? Parker? Hmm. A fair question from a student who's brighter than I ever gave him credit. I was recently released from a facility for so-called supervillains, The Cellar. They thought you paid for your crimes after such a short time? They promote intensive criminal rehabilitation. While imprisoned, I tried to be productive, earning three doctorates. And, to repay my debt to society, I would like to offer my teaching services to Horizon High again. For free, of course. I'm sorry. After the things you did, you are not welcome here. [SIGHS] While this is not the outcome I was hoping for, I understand. Perhaps, to help me start a new life, might I be able to pack up my old lab while I'm here? Please be quick. And a security bot will keep an eye on you. That is only fair. [CHATTERING] Max might be too harsh. Dr. Octavius has clearly changed and wants to make amends. What ever happened to second chances? Hello! Ock created the Sinister Six. He mind-controlled Spider-Man. And he just saved our lives. After putting them at risk. When your robots attacked him. Welcome to Horizon High's Back to School Night. I know this is going to be one of our best years ever. Now let's start this program off right with the announcement of Horizon's annual project. This year it's a doozy. I give you a quantum leap in computer science the Neuro Cortex. [GASPING, MURMURING] A self-sustaining database modeled after the human brain itself, utilizing a unique mix of chemistry and electronics. When finished, it could revolutionize medicine, energy, travel, and even how the Internet itself runs. We're talking about the potential to change the world. [STUDENTS CHATTERING] Ohh. Where's Anya? She'd love this. [BUTTONS BEEP] Hey. You missed Max's presentation. Aleksei's doctors give me limited access to him each day. If I'm gonna find a way to permanently cure him of his rhino transformation, I need every second. So, is it true? Doc Ock is back? Only to get his stuff and leave. Max knows better than to trust him. But it's a shame. Ock has been working hard to rehabilitate himself, and it's not fair we aren't giving him a chance. Not fair? Look at what Ock did to Aleksei. He's not a man who can ever be trusted. [PHONE BUZZING] Max wants to talk to me? Uh-oh. [MAX SIGHS] This is uncomfortable, but I'm sure you know why I called you here. I know, Max. I'll have my tuition money in soon, I promise. I just need a couple more days. Unfortunately, I don't know how long I can keep your spot open here if we don't get a payment. And trust me. I don't want to lose you. You're one of my most promising students at Horizon, and I need your help on the Neuro Cortex. It sounds like an amazing project. It is. But like anything this complex, it's also frustrating. For instance, like a human brain, it has two lobes, but I'm having trouble getting them to communicate with one another. Have you considered embedding connections to simulate neuronal cell bodies in human gray matter? [SIGHS] I came to tell you that I retrieved all my equipment and am exiting Horizon for the final time. Good-bye, Doctor. Hmm. Otto. That idea simulated gray matter. What made you think of it? Like I mentioned, I recently obtained a few more doctorates, including one in neurochemistry. Not to sound overconfident, but I am certain it would work. I'll put it under consideration. [SILVER SABLE] Everything is in alignment. Boom! If a camera webbed to my wrist can't get decent footage to sell to the Bugle, maybe this drone can do the job. Let's test you out. Ohh, nice! Big bucks, here I me. [BEEPING] Hmm. Something's not right. Show your hall pass. [GRUNTS] Boo! Man, this is a bad day to be a security bot. Ah. Horizon's spider mascot. Our client said we might run into you. Whoa. "We"? Wild Pack. You thought the police could hold me? Round two, kid. And this time I've brought some friends to the party. Something about the name "Wild Pack" tells me this isn't going to be a slumber party, is it? [SILVER SABLE] Paladin, Puma, Battlestar. We've studied his moves. Take him down. Uhh! You've studied me? I'm flattered. Of course. We're professionals. You didn't really think I was stealing from Oscorp, did you? Uhh! Wild Pack, target acquired! Move out! [GROANING] Oh, good. Glad you got all that. Okay. Four weirdoes in bizarre costumes can't just disappear without a trace, can they? Of course, this is New York I'm talking about. [DOC OCK] Help me! Anyone! [MUFFLED GRUNTING] Doc Ock, do I even want to know how you got into this situation? Aah! Did they get away? I heard commotion at Horizon and saw that group of oddly-dressed individuals running off with the Neuro Cortex. I tried to stop them, but they clearly have technology I was not prepared for. Yeah, well, now they have some more tech, and that's a big problem. I'll help you track them. The Neuro Cortex in the wrong hands could spell unmitigated disaster. I am aware of its dangerous potential because I recently obtained a few doctorates In neurochemistry. Yeah, you mentioned that. How do you know that? I haven't seen you in months, Spider-Man. [CHUCKLING] Uh, oh, oh, yeah, right. I mean, that's th-that's what I heard. Eh, c-congrats. Doctorates are great. Love 'em. Since they're now long gone, the first thing we need to do is [CHUCKLING] Whoa. Whoa. There is no "we" here. I'm on this. This is me. But I'm offering my brilliance to assist you, for free. Ock, call me crazy, but I don't exactly trust you. Look, we don't have the best history, you and me. [SIGHS] Did you know Edison said he failed almost a thousand times before he streamlined the design of the light bulb? That he was completely dismissed by his peers? If he had not been given more opportunities to prove his worth, we would never have benefited from his world-changing discoveries. I know second chances don't come easily, but, like Edison, I am not going to give up. I don't expect you to understand, Spider-Man. No shock that mercenaries like the Wild Pack don't exactly have home addresses. Huh. But who hired them? I wonder if anybody at the Daily Bugle could Oh, no. I have to get my footage in within the hour to make the deadline! [J. JONAH JAMESON] Ha ha ha! Now, this is what I'm talking about! Brock, get in here! Look at this fantastic footage of Spider-Man this kid took. And he's still in middle school. Hmph. - High school. - Same difference. What grade are you in, Brock? Parker, you keep bringing me this kind of footage, I'll keep writing you these kinds of checks. Betty! [ANGRY GROAN] One more of these, and this month's tuition will be no problem. The first day of school's tomorrow. We have no other projects that could take its place for the year? A cyber-chemical interface of the Neuro Cortex's complexity? None of our other projects is even close to that level of ingenuity. The year's funding is based on it. Cyber-chemical interface. I've been trying to track the Wild Pack when I should have been tracking the Neuro Cortex itself. The Cortex uses a chemical with a rare heat signature, which is a lot easier to find than dangerous mercenaries. [SILVER SABLE] Two things. One: I'm impressed you found us. Our client picked this transfer location for its isolation. And two: I can't believe you just walked out into the open like that. We literally saw you a mile away. But on the bright side, my tracker works. You should have left us alone. Unless, of course, you want to pay us off and buy back the device. What? That's all it would take? Just buy it from you? [CHUCKLES] Everyone has a price. Say, 1. 2 million. I'm a little short on the 1. 2 million, but I might be able to scrounge up ten bucks. Wild Pack keep him away from the Neuro Cortex. Delta-14 formation! Wait. You have actual fight plans? Whoa! I'm used to villain teams just yelling stuff out like, "Crush the spider!" [GRUNTS] Ta-da! Oh! Aah! You're rather juvenile for a superhero, aren't you? [VOICE CRACKS] I'm older than you think. Nope. Ha. My voice totally did not just crack. It's been a pleasure, but this ends now. [GROWLING] Puma, destroy him. [SNARLING] The offer to buy you out still stand? 'Cause that ten dollars is burning a hole in my pocket. Puma, destroy him. [DOC OCK] Behold! The return of the Octopus! Fighting valiantly on the side of goodness and virtue. [GRUNTS] Aah! [FRETTING] Never thought I'd say this, but I am so glad to see you right now. - How did you find me? - With this. I remembered the Neuro Cortex uses a chemical with a rare radiation signature. [SPIDER-MAN] So you developed a tracker that could zero in on the signature. I did the exact same thing. [DOC OCK] Really? The Spider-Man knows science? I have my moments. Clearly we are more alike than we both realized. Also, we both represent multi-limbed creatures for the purpose of justice. Epsilon-ten formation! They utilize tactics denoted by the Greek alphabet? Uh-huh. They have their own evil playbook. That's probably something you could've used with your Sinister Six. I never claimed to be a good supervillain leader. Continue the formation. I'm pulling a Sigma-12. Meet you at Location Beta. Why can't you just say "Finish him off, I'm running away"? [SNARLING] [GROWLING] Spider-Man! Uhh! Impact trauma to my parietal pleura. Stay down. I have an idea. I don't want to be the filling in a mercenary sandwich. Huh? Uhh! Oof! Uhh! Ock, I got to get you to a doctor. But we can't let Silver Sable escape with the Cortex. I developed a backup plan for this very circumstance. From this short distance, [GRUNTS] my tracker can radically stimulate the chemical containment. Blow it up? We can't destroy the Neuro Cortex. Better destroyed than letting her sell it to someone with evil intentions. We can't stop her in time. There's no chance. I bet that's what they told Edison. [GRUNTING] [THUMP] Ohh. Don't you ever quit? It's really annoying, isn't it? [GRUNTING] You do know no one's flying this thing? [BOTH SHOUTING] Shouldn't have quit those fencing lessons. You think this is a joke? [GRUNTING] Of course not. Under this mask, I'm making a super serious face. Whoa! Aah! Aah! [CHUCKLES] Oh. Sorry. Should have taken that ten-spot when I offered. Your loss. I was wrong, Spider-Man. There was a chance. I am truly starting to learn that there always is. Yeah. that something I should propably remember, too. Hey, Max. We picked up a little back-to-school supply. [MAX GASPS] I don't I don't have the words to express my gratitude, Spider-Man. Don't thank me. If it wasn't for Otto here, I would have been Puma food. A device this advanced belongs only with a mind capable of harnessing its true potential yours, Max. Now, I won't overstay my welcome. You realize, Max, the processing power, even in the prototype Neuro Cortex, could cure poor Aleksei. With the right parameters, it could run through every conceivable chemical formulation in minutes. You think you can save him? I know I can. I do not support this idea. I have some doubts as well, Anya, but we've tried everything else, and Spider-Man has faith in Ock. Huh? [GASPS] [GRUNTS] [GASPS] Huh. Oh. What? Where am I? Oh, I missed a lot, didn't I? It's good to have you back, Aleksei. And not only is the Neuro Cortex prototype returned and operational, our year-long research project will be spearheaded by our returning professor, Dr. Otto Octavius. [STUDENTS EXCLAIMING] [APPLAUSE] [CLEARS THROAT, COUGHS] I know second chances do not come often. I swear I will not disappoint all of you students. Getting thrown in prison was never part of the deal. No, it wasn't. But have patience, Paladin. Our client's plans are long-term. [CHATTERING] [JAMESON] Look at this menace. He causes more damage than the so-called bad guys and webs up innocent students! But that's not what happened. Whoa, Pete. Someone looks like they just failed a test. Not that I would know what that looks like. It's just something didn't turn out like I thought it would. So? What about all the things that turned out better than you thought? Ock's reformed. Aleksei's back. Never dwell on the bad, Pete. You know what happened to Edison, right? - And Newton? - And Einstein. You're right. It doesn't matter if you've failed a thousand times. There's always a chance to achieve something great.