<><><><><><><><>
A few days later.
Hawk was in the backyard, taking directions from Gwen on some landscaping project, when a flash of red and blue swung over the fence.
Peter, in full Spider-Man suit, landed in the middle of their garden, startling Gwen.
Before she could even react, Peter had pulled off his mask, his voice low and heavy.
"Harry's dead..."
"..."
The news hit Hawk like a physical blow.
Gwen, still recovering from the shock of his sudden arrival, just stared, her own expression turning to one of stunned disbelief.
After a long moment, she finally found her voice. She looked at Peter, who had collapsed onto the porch steps with his head in his hands, completely overcome with grief.
She moved to Hawk's side, her voice a whisper. "What happened?"
Hawk's voice was quiet.
"It's about what happened at Oscorp the other day."
"...Oh."
Gwen remembered. She looked back at Peter who was still cradling his head and asked gently, "Peter... was it because of your blood?"
Peter looked up at her and nodded, his face etched with guilt.
Another deviation from the original story.
In that version, Peter had refused to give Harry his blood, which had led to Harry becoming the Green Goblin, and eventually, to his tragic death at Peter's own hands.
But this time, Peter had given it to him.
And the result...
Was the same. Harry was still dead.
Hawk's brow furrowed. He looked at Peter, a note of genuine confusion in his voice. "That doesn't make sense. Didn't you warn him? Didn't you tell him your blood could be poison to him?"
"I did."
"And?"
"He called me yesterday. He was so happy. He said it worked."
"Wait."
Hawk cut him off. "Harry injected himself yesterday?"
Peter nodded. "Yesterday afternoon. He said it was a success."
"And he died this morning?"
"Yes."
"Then what does that have to do with you?"
Hawk processed the timeline and shook his head, a look of frank disbelief on his face. "Peter, listen to yourself. If he had died the second you gave him the blood, I could understand the guilt. But he died a full day later. How is that on you?"
Peter froze, still hunched on the porch floor with his head in his hands.
He looked up at Hawk, his eyes wide and unblinking.
Hawk just shrugged. "Am I wrong?"
"But... if it wasn't the serum, then how did he die?"
"You're asking me?" Hawk let out a short, humorless laugh, then his expression turned curious. "Who found him?"
Peter pushed himself to his feet.
"Felicia."
"The assistant?"
"Yeah."
Peter nodded. "Felicia lives at the mansion too. She noticed he hadn't come down for breakfast this morning, so she sent a maid to wake him up. When the maid opened the door... she found him. Dead in his bed."
Hawk caught the keyword.
"Found him dead?"
"I didn't ask for the details. I was just calling to see how he was doing, and Felicia answered. She told me not to say anything yet, but... I didn't know what to do. I came here."
"She's right. You can't say anything." Gwen, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Harry just took over Oscorp and stabilized the stock price. If news of his death gets out now, it'll be a massive blow to the company."
And it would be a disaster of epic proportions.
The Osborn family had a history of a rare, genetic disease that even modern medicine couldn't explain. And the Osborn line had always been thin.
Norman Osborn had been the one to build the empire.
And Harry was his only son.
But…
Harry had never married. He had no children.
Now that he was dead, the future of the company, whether it would even remain "Oscorp," was in question.
...
And sure enough, three days later, when the news of Harry Osborn's death from a "sudden illness" finally broke, Oscorp's stock plummeted.
But with three days to prepare, the board had managed to implement a series of damage control measures that slowed the freefall. The stock was still dropping, but it was no longer in a nosedive.
At the same time, Harry Osborn's funeral was held at the family's private cemetery, just behind the Osborn mansion.
Hawk and Gwen, as friends of the deceased, had received invitations from Felicia.
The service was presided over by Felicia herself.
Because, as the world had learned just yesterday, thanks to the tireless efforts of the paparazzi, Felicia Hardy was Norman Osborn's adopted daughter.
And according to a leaked detail from Harry's Will, in the event of his death, she was to inherit his entire estate.
"It's not just a rumor." Peter, who was standing with them, whispered, "It's true. I knew about it."
Gwen looked at him.
Peter explained, "After Norman died, Harry was in a really bad place. He told me he didn't trust anyone at Oscorp, that he felt like someone was trying to kill him. So he made a will. He left everything to Felicia."
Gwen's voice was a whisper. "So, Felicia is really his sister?"
Peter nodded. "Yeah. Norman adopted her when she was a kid, but he never made it public. Harry told me a long time ago. He made me promise not to tell anyone."
Gwen nodded in understanding, then looked over at Hawk.
But Hawk's attention was elsewhere.
Gwen followed his gaze to the open casket at the front of the service. She gently nudged him.
"Hawk?"
"Hm? Yeah."
Hawk snapped back to the present and looked at Gwen. "What's up?"
Gwen just blinked. "What are you looking at?"
"The coffin."
Hawk was thinking about his last visit here, about the strange yet familiar scent he'd picked up. He had followed it through the mansion to the family cemetery and brushed it off.
The trail had led to Norman Osborn's grave, and at the time, he'd figured it was just the smell of death.
But now, here it was again...
And this time, it wasn't coming from Norman's grave. It was coming from the coffin that held the body of Harry Osborn.
Hawk looked at Peter.
"Do they know what killed him?"
"Yeah."
Peter nodded, his voice low. "Retroviral hyperplasia. The Osborn family disease. Felicia said that after he took my blood, he was fine. Cured. But then..."
After a few days, Peter's guilt had faded.
Because Harry hadn't died from his blood.
His blood had cured him.
That was a fact.
As for why the disease had suddenly returned, and with such a vengeance… that was a question science couldn't answer.
Just then, Mary Jane, who had been silent, whispered, "It's starting."
Hawk and Peter looked up and saw the other guests rising from their seats. They stood as well, preparing to see Harry one last time.
Harry lay in the casket, dressed in a black suit, his eyes closed, looking as if he were just asleep.
But—
As Hawk walked up to the coffin and looked down at Harry, his gaze fell on a wisp of black energy gathered between Harry's brows. And in that instant, he finally realized why this scent felt so familiar.
It wasn't Norman Osborn.
It was Mephisto.
Back on the African savanna, after he had killed the Demon Hulk, the lingering projection of Mephisto had carried this exact same scent.
It had been months, and the scent was so weak, so subtle, that he hadn't placed it at first.
But now, looking at the wisp of black smoke on Harry's brow, Hawk finally understood.
This was the scent of a demon.
Hawk's expression didn't change. He followed Peter past the coffin, took one last look at Harry, and then walked away.
Half an hour later.
The coffin was closed and lowered into the ground. The funeral was over.
Hawk and Gwen, along with Peter and Mary Jane, didn't stay for the reception. They chose to head home instead.
It was already getting late.
Hawk and Gwen dropped Peter and Mary Jane off at the subway station in Queens, then started the drive back to Manhattan.
...
As they crossed into Manhattan, Gwen finally broke the silence. "Okay. Spill it."
Hawk just smiled. "Was it that obvious?"
Gwen shrugged. "Please. If I didn't know you, how would I have found you all alone in Maryland? What did you figure out?"
Hawk didn't hide it from her.
"A demon."
"What?"
"I suspect the Osborn family's genetic disease isn't a disease at all. I think it's because of a demon."
"..."
Gwen was quiet for a moment, then understanding dawned on her face. "Peter said that at first, Harry was cured. But then the disease came back fast and violent. If you're right... it sounds like the demon got pissed off and decided to finish the job."
Hawk just shrugged.
...
Bonus Chapter at 900PS
<><><><><><><><>
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS!!
~# If you like the story, please leave a review.
~# Add to Library!