Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Green Fields
Tandy bite her nails again. I rolled my eyes, "you need to relax Tandy," I took her hand in my and squeezed, "it's going to be fine."
She looked at me and narrowed her eyes, "how do you know?"
I smiled and motioned to our blind lawyer who was currently reading a document in braille, "we have the devil's luck on our side."
Matt stopped and turned to me, "does that make me the devil then Peter?"
"You certainly aren't no angel," I smiled back before turning to Tandy and squeezing her hand, "relax. You'll be fine."
"I-I guess...it's just so soon," she replied. And she was right. It was only a week after Matt had taken on the case when we gained a court hearing and in another week we found ourselves here, in court.
"Don't worry so much Ms. Bowen," Matt said, "this case is a slam dunk. This trial is essentially a formality."
"R-right," she said, looking down, her hands shaking in mine.
I squeezed it again, "hey," she looked up, "we're right here with you okay...remember, you're not alone anymore. We both are right here."
Tandy nodded, "yeah..."
"Mr. Osborn! Care to comment on the resent hearing?! Do you think the judge was fair?!"
"Mr. Osborn! Is is true your son is still in the hospital since Christmas morning?!"
"Mr. Osborn! Do you have anything to say to the people who blame you for the creation of the super villain known as Doctor Octopus?!"
I looked up and saw the courtroom to our far left empty out as Norman Osborn himself exited the room surrounded by his bodyguards and lawyers who kept the gaggle of reporters at bay. He looked furious as he marched past us, not even sparing a glance side ways.
"What happened to his case?" I asked Matt.
"He's losing," the Devil of Hell's kitchen replied, "and badly. Everyone's blaming him for the actions of that maniac and the destruction caused during his little experiment."
I sighed, "damn it..."
"Do you know him?" Tandy asked.
I nodded, "his son and I used to be best friends...a long time ago..." I should visit Harry soon...the last time I did was on Christmas.
"What happened to him?" Tady asked.
"He did something stupid," Matt replied, "and in response he lost everything. His company went into the toilet, there are even talks of him losing his company soon."
Immediately all thoughts of Harry was replaced with thoughts of a mad man in green. The Goblin...fuck. All of this...all of it, was because I didn't pay attention. I should have been aware when Otto tried his experiment the second time around. It seems that destiny was set to happen, one way or another.
"Peter? Are you okay?" Tandy asked.
I smiled, "I'm fine. Hey, what's say after this you and I go get some ice cream yeah? I have a really strong craving for some right about now."
Tandy slowly began to smile when suddenly a loud voice run out, "TANDY BOWEN!" Tandy flinched as she immediately recoiled from my touch.
Matt and I turned and approaching us were two figures from the courtroom we weren't expecting to see again.
Tandy's mother and stepfather. The woman looked an awful lot like her daughter, except older and more mature looking with a curvy body. She wore an expensive white dress with a mink fur coat on top and a set of pearl earing and necklaces. However, unlike Tandy's soft nature this woman looked downright cruel, she had her eyes narrowed in disgust at all times.
And the man walking next to her was Tandy's step father, blonde with a close crew cut with a mustache, muscular body and a tight form fitting suit looking very pissed off. He looked like he might have been in the army or something and I'm guessing from the marks I saw on Tandy's body, he also had an anger issue.
"Young lady, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" the man, Philip, asked, "getting a lawyer?! Having the farce of a case to embarrass us! Have you have any idea the embarrassments your mother I and I have had to face?!"
"Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle," Matt responded putting himself between the couple and Tandy and I, "might I remind you since the custody of your child is come into question you can longer approach her with such familiarity. I would advise you leave, before it becomes an issue."
The man narrowed his eyes about to yell when Tandy's mother, Melissa Carlisle, stepped forward, "Mr. Murdock was it?"
Matt nodded, "yes ma'am."
"Mr. Murdock...I understand your firm is not very...well off," the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a checkbook, "my daughter is a fanciful girl, no doubt she has...her own ideas on how we are to her. I assure you, everything she said to you is a lie. I'm sure a man such as yourself can see reason," she wrote down a lot of zeros onto the cheque and tore it off, handing it to Matt.
Tandy looked afraid, afraid Matt would accept it. But I wasn't. Not for one second, Matt snorted, "unfortunately ma'am, I haven't been able to see anything for quite some time," he pushed the cheque back into her hands and turned around, "come, we're leaving, Mr and Mrs. Carlisle, we'll see you in court."
Tandy looked back in fear one more time as we left her mother and step-father behind, fumming in their own hate.
"Relax," I told her, "it'll be fine...you won't ever have to see them again."
An hour later:
Tandy's fear had melted away as we stepped outside the courthouse. She threw her hands into the air, "I'm free!"
The trial had lasted as long as Matt said it would, five minutes. Tandy's mother had gone full out, hired some expensive, 1,000 dollars by the hour money bag all the way from Washington D.C. but Matt still wiped the floor with him.
"It was a pleasure working with you Ms. Bowen," Matt smiled as he extended his walking stick.
"Please, call me Tandy!" Tandy smiled as she immediately pounced on Matt hugging him tightly, "thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Matt chuckled, "it's fine. It was really nothing."
Tandy broke off the hug and nodded, "but still..thanks."
"Actually, if you want to thank anyone, it should be Peter," Matt chuckled, "I doubt any of this would happen if it wasn't for him."
"Oh I know," Tandy grinned at me, "but he's already my hero. Now, you're my hero too!"
I rolled my eyes, "so easily excitable. So...what exactly happens now?"
Matt groaned, "well, she'll be put into a foster home until we can find her next of kin."
"My dad's brother Michael Bowen lives in the Upper East side," Tandy replied, "I think he wouldn't mind me staying with him. He always liked me."
"Then why didn't you go to him in the first place?" Matt asked.
"Because he would have made me go back to my mom...he wouldn't have believed me if I told him..." Tandy replied.
I took her hand once more, "hey, I told you didn't I? You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Tandy smiled, and this time, her smile reached all the way to her eyes, "yeah, you were right."
A government worker came and took Tandy away, since she was now officially in the system she couldn't stay with me anymore. I wanted to argue against that, but Tandy refused to hear it. She said she was grateful for all the help I had given her so far, anymore would just be her taking advantage of us.
And just like that, Tandy Bowen drove out of my life. It was...an odd experience to say the least. I honestly don't know why I cared so much, but the way the girl looked at me, her trusting nature. It just made me want to try and make her life better in some way.
And so with that down, I could finally move forward. I was kind of looking forward to having my room back. But right now though, I have something else to do, the Negative Zone awaits.
That night:
I stood before the portal to the Negative Zone, the machine was slowly buzzing. The portal and I were closed off into a smaller air sealed room with Reed, Sue and Johnny standing outside at a terminal looking at the portal readings.
"Everything looks good so far," Sue replied, "the portal is afr more stable than when we went through...how did you two manage that?"
"Peter gave an idea to establish a filtering system into the portal," Reed explained with a sigh, "of course he did."
"Relax Reed," Johnny patted the guy's back, "we're all in this together right?"
The man nodded, "right..."
"Note the time and date of departure," I spoke into the mic as I wore a thermal multifunctional suit similar to what the FF wore when they did their first jump.
"The time is 10:20 pm, the date is January the thirtieth," Reed's voice came in loud and clear, "are you okay in there Peter?"
"Just peachy," I replied. I had volunteered to go on the first mission into the NEgative Zone, because of course I would. Out of everyone in this dimension I was the only one with experience with this stuff, not even Reed could boast the same.
"Right...why exactly are you doing this again?" Johnny asked.
"To go where no man has gone before?" I suggested.
"We all have been in the Negative Zone before Peter," Reed argued.
"Right….then probably for all the gold," I replied with a shrug.
"There's gold in that world?!" Johnny gasped, his eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, why do you think I wanted to stabilize the portal in the first place? I'm working on something mind blowing and I need funding," I replied back as I finished checking the suit's reading and strapped my bag of infinite storage onto my back.
"Peter, if you just needed more funding you could just ask," Sue replied.
"Half a billion dollars," I replied.
"Oh hell no. Good luck."
Reed snorted, "alright Peter, opening the portal now," there was no sound, no loud explosion, one second it was empty, the next there was a portal, "everything looks stable...you can go ahead now."
"Right," I nodded as I walked through and into the Negative Zone yet again. This time, it felt less daunting and more...quiet. Errierly quite.
"I'm heading out now, I'll search for familiar looking lands," I spoke into the mic, "how long can you keep this portal open?"
"Like the Ancient One said, thirty minutes," Reed spoke quickly.
"Right, then no time to lose," I took off, running freely in the slightly lesser gravity. I looked around, I was in a field of green molten magma and the entire field around me was sloping down into a pit that was twenty feet deep.
I took out a fee viles and filled it with the green magma I found along with other forms of sample. No reason not too, this was more than just a resource hunting mission. When I was done I sealed the vilas away in a container box attached to my left thigh.
Now curious I looked down the pit and I was shocked, "what the fuck?" In the bottom of the pit was a hut. An actually, man made hut with a fire pit before it. I couldn't believe it how? Nothing lives here! Nothing! Except...Doom.
I felt a spark of anger, this was where he lived when we trapped him inside the Negative Zone. He was supposed to fucking die, but no. He lived.
"Peter? Are you okay?" Sue asked.
"I'm fine," I leaped down, "I just found where Doom was staying during his little trip in the NEgative Zone." I landed before the hut, I walked inside, the walls were carved with mathematical equations, all about how to get out of this place by building a dimensional portal.
"What?! Doom build something out there?!" Johnny asked in disbelief.
He nodded, "yeah...he had to stay somewhere," I grunted as I took out a camera phone and began taking pictures of the calculations, who knows, maybe he actually found something.
And just then, I saw it, sanskrit writing on a stone tablet. Curiously, and cautiously, I picked up the tablet. It was three solid inches of rock and carved into it were sanskrit words...spells...he taught himself magic.
Doom really was a genius unlike any other. I taught himself to manipulate the dimensional energy around him, he taught himself to cast spells. I have a long way to go, I know, but he was a worthy enemy.
I put the tablets into my bag and walked out of the hut, I honestly didn't have any use for this place. I looked around some more, found more carvings on the walls of the pit. After documention them as well I climbed out of the pit and continued walking around.
It took me ten minutes to find a familiar landscape a large plain, something I had seen before. I approached the field and bent down, touching the surface. I drew a fist back and launched it down.
Crack!
The rocks split apart. I pulled the chunks out and saw a glittering shine underneath. I grinned, I carefully I took off my gloves, exposing my skin to the air of the Negative Zone. There wasn't anything too harmful, nothing I can't heal from anyway, so there wasn't any immediate danger. So I lowered my hand and touched the metal in the ground, closing my eyes and focusing.
I felt it all. It was...it went so deep into the ground I was shocked by how massive it was. I reached down and I pulled, slowly a large chunk of metal came out in the shape of an oval around my height.
BAMN!
I landed on the ground with a thud, it was like a thick rolled up cigaret the ground spat out. I was amazed, it was huge, and it glittered, maybe it was gold, maybe it was something else..."Peter! You have to get to the portal! You have five minutes remaining! Hurry!" Sue's voice cried out in my ear.
I sighed, "right," I put on my glove and grabbed the pillar of metal and lifted it up with one arm, thank you spider strength. I held my bag on infinite storage open with one hand and slide the pillar of mental inside. Once that was done I ran, heading off in the direction of the portal.
I reached with a minute to spare. The moment I crossed over Reed and the other's shut down the portal and came running inside.
"Are you okay? Did anything happen?" Sue asked quickly.
"I'm fine," I replied. I turned and saw Reed use monitoring systems over my body, tracking any forms of foreign objects I might have brought in with me. "Well?" I asked, "am I clean?"
Reed nodded, "there doesn't seem to be anything too harmful on your body. You do have some trace amounts of radiation on you but, it should disintegrate in a few seconds."
"Right," I took out the samples I collected and handed it over, "here, the first batch of samples. Go nuts."
Reed grinned like a mad man as he accepted them, "don't worry, I will."
"Sis, Reed's starting to scare me a bit," Johnny whispered.
Sue chuckled, "yeah, don't worry, I'll protect you," she then turned to me, "did you get what you needed?"
I nodded, "you bet I did."
After the radiation died off I was released from the sealed room. I headed right into my lab with Johnny and Sue, Reed had chosen to stay back in his lab to analyse the green magma and the other samples I had found.
I immediately opened my bag of infinite storage and removed the giant slab of rock a metal, placing it on my examination table in the middle of my room.
"Woah," Johnny whispered looking at the rock, "it….it kind of looks like a giant rock turd."
I blinked and looked back, "damnit! Why didn't I think of that?!"
"Maybe because you're starting to mature?" Sue suggested with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah….neah," I shrugged, "now then, let's cut this rock turd open shall we?!"
Sue sighed, "I work with children."
Johny grabbed a hammer and chisel, Sue took a drill and I released a single stinger in each hand. What? I have the most indestructible metal in the universe attached to my hands, and I'm not supposed to make use of it?
Johnny began at the bottom while Sue and I took the top. I cut off pieces of metal and rock while she drilled into them, making smaller pieces in order to inspect it closer.
I was just about to begin cutting into the middle area where it glittered like gold, when Sue called out, "you both have got to see this."
We stopped and were immediately at her side. Before her was a cracked open ball of rock, inside of which contained a chunk of shining transparent rock. A solid chunk of diamond, natural and bigger than my finger.
"Yeah. We're rich," Johnny grinned.
A week quickly went by. I had returned to the Negative zones every day, meaning Reed had more samples to analyze and Sue, Johnny and I had more precious minerals to mine out and sell.
Sue had gotten in contact with a few traders of precious items who agreed to get us very good deals. However gold and diamonds weren't the only things we dealt with. We also found platinum and silver, though the former was rare and the latter was sol at a cheaper rate.
All the gold we found, I used my powers to resize it and form into gold bars. All The diamonds we found my claws helped in cutting them down into tiny pieces, since we didn't want people getting curious as to how we managed to get them in the first place.
So far we gained a total of 80 million dollars, half of which Sue alloted for the Baxter foundation funds and the other half I kept for my own project. It was a long way to go from here to half a billion dollars I need, but where there is a will, there's a way.
And on Monday of the new week I found myself back in my own personal hell hole, Midtown high. Liz and MJ were chatting up a storm again, I just drowned them out, but then I began to hear whispers.
"Check out the new girl."
"Who the hell is she?" a squeaky voice asked.
"Oh my God," Liz gasped, "Tandy?!"
That got my attention. I looked out of my locker and blinked. Sure enough, there she was, Tandy Bowen...didn't I just say I wouldn't ever see her again?
"Tandy?" I asked surprised, "w-what are you doing here?"
The girl smiled at me, "well, I talked to my uncle, he agreed that since I already had friends here, Midtown high would probably be the best place for me now."
"What?! Oh my God this is perfect!" Liz cried out as she and MJ immediately grabbed Tandy and dragged her around the school. The girl gave quicky responses, but before she left, she turned around and gave me a wink.
I snorted, "looks like thing are going to get interesting again."
That night:
I stood on a rooftop overlooking the alley below. It was the back exit of the last hideout of the Street Rats. There were two teenagers outside, I narrowed my eyes and listened to them both.
"Man, I hate this," the first one spoke, "fuckers don't respect us at all, or else we would be int here with them boozing it up!"
The second one shrugged, "it is what it is."
"Man you're spineless! If you don't bloody man up they're going to keep fucking rolling all over you!"
"I don't care," the second replied, "I don't care about the damn respect, I just need the cash."
"Why are you so desperate for some dough?"
The second one was silent for a while before he replied in barely a whisper, "my mama...she's sick."
I felt bad for what I'm about to do...but it had to be done. "Sexy, turn on the first alarm inside," I whispered as immediately the alarm inside the hideout blared out loud. The people were probably scrambling to leave and soon would discover that the front was blocked. I had snuck around and covered the entrance with my concrete webbing.
They would then all slowly realise they had to go through the back, meaning they would be coming outside in three….two….one...now.
The back door opened as the members of the Street Rats gang came pouring out. There was a lot of commotion and confusion, perfect. I took out five spider shurikens and threw them forward, destroying all light posts in the alley.
"What the hell?!"
I jumped down into the crowd and began to throw people into walls, knocking them out with light tap and punches, which to a normal person felt like they were being hit by a crowbar.
They slowly went down, one by one. "Someone get a light!" a large man yelled as he drew his gun.
Thwip!
I grabbed the gun with a web line and threw it over my shoulder before launching myself forward and kicking his gut sending him flying into three other thugs and into a heap of trash.
"I got it!" someone finally got out their phone's torchlight feature and held it up, looking around frantically, but I had already jumped behind him.
"Yahoo!" I cried out gaining the gangster's attention. He turned around and leveled his gun at me. But it was too late as I socked him across the jaw, throwing him across the alley into a heap of his fellow gangsters.
I looked around, the entire alley was filed with the groaning bodies of the Street Rats. Five minutes, 40 people. Not bad if I do say so myself. While Matt and I did take down a significant portion of them, the top players were still active. Until now that is.
I quickly webbed them up and took off, calling the cops. Ten minutes later five police cars pulled up and began loading the criminals in one by one. I watched it all from the roof top across the street. Hopefully now the drugs these monsters were peddling would slow down.
I sighed as I looked at the city. There's been so much going on in my life, so much shit. Magic, alternate dimensions, Sinister Six, saving the president from a fae terrorist group and then the whole drama with Tandy.
Honestly, I haven't had much time to patrol the streets for crime as Spider-man, there's always something else going on. But now I suppose I'm finally free from all that and I can focus on the issue of New York safety.
Now the thing I have to wonder is, why does crime even exist in this city? It's an honest question. After aliens attacking, portals to other worlds and so much shit, how the hell are the criminals still so adamant that they are the worst things happening in this place?
That kid talking about his sick mother...it really got to me, but it wasn't a reason to justify feeding poison to other people, no matter how sympathetic the cause was.
But now, thanks to that kid, I think I finally figured it out. The reason crime was still rampant, was because there was a need not being fulfilled by the people.
The Mafia was formed in Italy because the people weren't being protected by the government, so they had to protect themselves. The same with this city, people felt insecure, left out, lost...I suppose that's why after the world found out aliens exist crime didn't slow down but rather increased.
If I was a narcissist like Otto Octavius was during his reign as the Superior Spider-man, I would believe crime could be stopped by beating everyone in sight to a bloody pulp and use drones to monitor the city, going full on Big Brother.
But no, that's not the way this world works. You would only be treating the symptom, not the disease. It would be a temporary measure at best. And at worst the people will grow to hate you and claim you're acting like a dictator. Which ws what happened to the so called Superior Spider-man.
So what was the symptom? Well, it could be anything, from a lack of public funding to poverty to security to...well, anything. It could allow a street urchin to raise to the ranks of a mobster. But….how did they stay in those ranks?
There was only one answer, politicians. I know that might sound like a silly conclusion, but if one thinks about it it makes sense.
Nick Daves, the man Felicia an I caught on tape helping a criminal, he was corrupt and everyone knew it. He helped crime grow and he stole from the homeless fund. How much more are there like him?
If it was the heads of the government at fault...then maybe it was time to change them. I had an idea. Don't go after the criminals, go after the the ones who allow them to survive. And then, when the corrupt are all gone, the criminals will have no one to turn too.
But, if I'm going to go after all these people...I have realise I will become a pariah. They will stop praising Spider-man, most acknowledge In this city's hero, if they don't like me then they would just say, 'no comment', because they know the people would eat them alive if they insulted their hero.
But, if I do go after the politicians, then well...I'll be a criminal...fuck it. I didn't do this to be appreciated, though it is something I would like. I'm a criminal, so be it. It's time to start making some actual change around here.
Starting with finding out who the players are in this town. But to do that I would have to spy on them….damn it, I'm going to have to spend a lot of time following stupid people around instead of fighting crime. God damn it!
A few days later:
I groaned as I slammed my head on the lunch table in the cafeteria, "I hate this."
"What are you complaining about?" MJ glared as she looked through a handful of notes, "you probably already know all of this stuff. You're Not the one who's probably going to have to repeat this next year!"
I sighed, "yeah, I know...it's just that it's still a pain," I sighed as I looked at the textbook for our mathematics class, AP for me, normal for them. But either way, we both had a very important exam today.
"Hey Parker, what's this?" Flash asked as he slid his notes forward pointing at something.
I raised an eyebrow and looked ahead seeing the symbol, "it's an 'i'."
"I know that! What does it mean?!"
"It means the number is imaginary," I sighed at his confused look. I then began to explain further, teaching Flash everything he would need to pass. And then when he was satisfied, Mark came over with a few questions of his own.
I spent the most of lunch teaching the rest of them, though I didn't really mind. Like MJ said, I was probably going to pass anyway.
"So Peter," Tandy asked sounding nervous, "a-are you doing something this weekend?"
I raised an eyebrow, technically I was, but I didn't think spying on the District Attorney and her office counted. "Hm, I might have some work at the Baxter Foundation, we are working on something incredible. Why do you ask?"
Tandy looked down, "n-no, reason, forget it." I narrowed my eyes, I smelt her pheromones and found...disappointment? Anger at herself? And...lust? Oh…
I turned to MJ and raised an eyebrow, she in turn rolled her eyes and took out a pen, scribbling down something in her book, 'she's into you. She wants to ask you out for Valentine's day.'
My eyes winded, I quickly wrote down as well, 'Valentine's day?! When?!'
MJ groaned, 'a week from Sunday. You're working too hard. As Peter and Spider,' and then she quickly scratched off the Spider part, good girl.
I sighed, 'yeah well, I don't have a choice. Very important work coming up.'
MJ glared, 'Like what?'
'Secret,' I smiled at her as she groaned again. I was about to speak again when suddenly, I felt my spidey senses go off. Hard. It was jarring, almost painful. I felt my claws start to come out as I shaved my hands underneath the table, I felt my heart beat increase, something was something was very very-
"Hey you guys, what's up?" I turned and there standing behind me was one Harry Osborn, giving out a carefree smile. Suddenly, my spider sense was killed off...I...I didn't understand.
"H-Harry?" I asked.
The guy smiled, "hey Pete. Long time no see."
I didn't know what to say. But Flash did, "Harry! You're back!"
Immediately everyone, except Tandy and I, stood up and rushed the guy, surrounding him. Soon more and more people surrounded the guy, chatting up a storm as he smiled and nodded to them all.
I couldn't believe it and more importantly...why did Harry trigger my spider sense?
"Peter? Who is that?" Tandy asked.
"A-a friend," I replied as I got up cautiously and walked over. Harry noticed this and immediately asked the people around him to move aside, allowing me to approach him. "Hey Harry...you're back."
Harry smiled, "I am...and," he reached around and took out a box wrapped in red with a green ribbon on it, "sorry it's a little late."
I blinked, "what are you talking about?"
"You're christmas present," Harry smiled as he tossed the box at me, I caught it quickly, "you already gave me mine, I figured it was better late than never."
I blinked, I looked down and slowly removed the packaging revealing a box edition of the first season of 'the Universe' a science show that the original Peter Parker loved. And what's more it was signed by Neil Degrasse Tyson.
I looked at him, he smirked, "come on, you're the only one in the world who would give me Mask of Zorro for christmas.I figured it was only fair...seeing that it was the only gift I got this year."
I looked at his face, he was...he was healthy, more than healthy in fact. He looked great, like he was ready to go to the Olympics and win everything. He looked taller, stronger, fuller….something was wrong.
"Harry...how are you standing?" I asked, "last time I visited...you-"
"-Were in a coma, I know," Harry grinned and shrugged, "but I got better. Thanks Pete...for visiting."
"You here that?! Harry's back!" Flash cheered, throwing his arm around Harry, "come on man! YOu got to tell us everything!"
We all sat down, now more people were surrounding our table as Harry told us about how he woke up a week ago and had to go through intense physical therapy to get back to walking. How his dad had him transferred to a place in Switzerland and quickly recovered enough to get back here.
And while he said all this, my brain was spinning. Harry can't have improved so much in so little time. Maybe I could, but I had….super powers...an Osborn getting sick, a mysteriou recovery period, a powerful new body and add to that the desperation Norman must have felt in trying to save his son...oh my God.
Norman Osborn must have injected Harry with the Green Goblin formula to make him strong again and to speed up his recovery. That's why my spider sense went off, because...Harry's going to be the next Green Goblin.
"Peter?" Harry suddenly asked, "are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I blinked, "I ah...no, I'm fine. Glad you're back Harry."
Harry grinned, "me too," he then turned to my side, his eyes landing on Tandy, "oh, and who's this cutie? I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"
"T-Tandy," she replied, nervous, but giving out a great smile.
Harry nodded, "nice to meet you Tandy, I'm Harry. Are you new here?"
"Y-yes, I am."
"Well that's great! This is the best school in the world! Especially with people like Peter with you," he turned to me and wincked. I felt fear, but not for me. For Tandy. Harry had his eyes on her...this was bad.
School got over fast. I went to my locker to take out my stuff and bolt, but before I could MJ, Liz and Tandy cut me off.
"Hey Peter, the guys and us were planning on throwing Harry a party at the cafe down the street, you coming?" MJ asked.
I blinked, "ah...no, I...I have something to do."
"What?" Liz asked, "what can be so important that you can't even stay and celebrate a friend coming out from the hospital?"
"Something important," I replied harshly, slamming the locker shut, "call me if something goes wrong."
I walked away, though my advanced hearing picked up on them talking. "What's wrong with Peter?" innocent Tandy asked.
"Who knows," Liz snorted, "come on girl, let's go and get the guys, maybe on the way we can work on you growing the balls to ask Peter out."
"L-Liz!"
Ah, so she did have a crush on me. Wonderful.
I left quickly, sneaking into an alley and putting on my costume. I then swung away, heading straight to Oscorp, the giant tower located in the distance where the cutting edge in medical science was being developed.
I snuck in through the vents, crawling through them with the blueprints Sexy managed to download by hacking into City Hall. I quickly found the central secure server room and kicked in the vent, jumping down.
I quickly went to the servers and plugged Sexy into the system, "find out everything you can about a serum to improve one's body, something similar to the super soldier serum if you can. Look for the key words Green and Goblin."
"You got it Spider," Sexy replied as she began to search. After a moment she replied, "I have one result. It isn't much though, only a single file remains, the rest has been wiped clean from the servers, I can't even find a backtrace on the IP that did it."
"Display the files," I ordered as I helped up my SA and looked at the files opening up on it. I swiped through it, reading as quickly as I could. This was just a basic report on how the project was being shelved after no results in five years of experimentation. And the code word they used was 'Green Fields'.
There was no doubt in my mind, this was the Green Goblin serum, meaning...damn it Norman, I can't believe you grew this desperate!
I needed to stop Harry, now, he was basically a ticking time bomb! I downloaded the file and unplugged Sexy. I went out the same way I got in and I swung out into the city, heading straight for the cafe they were in.
I landed on the roof and quickly changed out of costume. I then jumped down into the alley and walked inside, finding my friends huddled near the back chatting animatedly.
"Peter?" Tandy noticed me first.
"Hey, look who finally showed up!" Harry chuckled.
"Peter? What are you doing here? Didn't you have something to do?" MJ asked confused.
I looked at them and realised….what would I say? What...would I really say? Harry Osborn is going to become a maniac and kill us all? No...I had no proof. But...I could at least keep an eye on him.
I smiled, "I decided this was more important," I sat down next to Tandy, my arm going over the couch in a protective manner while the other was hidden underneath the table.
Harry just smiled and clapped his hands, "alright! Now this is a party! So, Tandy, how did you get into our little group?"
While Tandy, Liz and MJ told the story, I had my eyes set on Harry. He won't hurt my friends, not now, not ever.
That night:
After the little get together at the coffee we all went our separate ways. Flash insisted they go out clubbing, but Harry refused, saying he still was recovering. Which immediately struck a chord with me, Harry Osborn refusing to party? Now I've seen everything.
Obviously I followed him back from the rooftops as Spider-man. I watched as he travelled to his penthouse, and from the roof of a building across the road I spied through his window.
I watched as Harry walked inside his home and travel Westward. Swung over and ducked behind a AC regulator and watched as he entered his father's study where the man was waiting for him.
I grumbled, they were too far for even my hearing. I would have to get close. I swung over and landed on the wall underneath the window to their office. I then extended my senses and could hear them, through their voice was muffled.
"-They were happy to see me-Peter-confused. Do you-I need more," Harry spoke.
"Right here son. Make sure you-timely manner-recovery is still ongoing," Norman replied.
I looked up and peaked through the window and there, Osborn was handing Harry a vial of green liquid. If there was any doubt on my mind, it vanished when Harry popped the vial open and drained it all in one gulp.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone