Let's reach 250 Power Stones for an extra chapter
***
It had been a few weeks since the whole Uncle Ben incident. He was thankfully recovering well, back to his usual self, dispensing wisdom and bad jokes in equal measure. It was as if that brush with death gave him a renewed appreciation for life. Meanwhile, Peter, well, Peter was changing.
He'd finally embraced his powers, the ones he got on that stupid Oscorp field trip. He was now Spider-Man, your friendly neighborhood web-slinger, fighting petty crime and trying to do the right thing. I'd been helping him out, giving him pointers on fighting, offering tech support, and generally trying to keep him from getting himself killed. It was a thankless job, but someone had to do it.
I knew from my past life that Spider-Man was destined for great things, but also for great suffering. And I was determined to at least try and minimize the latter. After all, I was the guy with the Digimon partners. I had the cheat codes.
The news about Spider-Man had spread like wildfire. Some people cheered him, hailing him as a hero. Others were suspicious, seeing him as a menace. The NYPD was annoyed, having to deal with some random vigilante sticking his nose where it didn't belong. And J. Jonah Jameson, that blowhard from the Daily Bugle, had been having a field day, using his newspaper to launch a full-scale smear campaign against the web-slinger.
"He's a menace!" Peter grumbled one day. We were sitting on a rooftop, watching the city go by. He was looking at the latest Daily Bugle. "A public nuisance! A criminal! That guy's got it out for me."
"Don't sweat it, Pete," I said, patting him on the back. "There'll always be haters. The important thing is you know what you're doing is right. And besides, bad press is still press, right?"
He just sighed, but I could tell I had cheered him up at least a little. He needed to focus on being Spider-Man. I had my own problems to deal with.
The air in the Midtown High cafeteria hung thick with unease. It was daytime, but the fluorescent lights buzzed with a nervous energy. Peter, Gwen, and I sat at our usual table, picking at our lunches with little enthusiasm. The usual lunchtime chatter was muted, replaced by hushed whispers and worried glances.
"Did you hear about what happened at Oscorp?" Gwen asked, her brow furrowed.
Peter nodded grimly. "Yeah, it's all over the news. Some kind of accident, they said. But it sounds… weird."
"Weird how?" I asked, trying to sound casual, even though my gut was churning.
"Well, for starters, there was that explosion in Norman Osborn's lab," Peter said, lowering his voice. "And then there's the… the Board of Directors."
"What about them?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide.
"They're all dead," Peter said, his voice barely a whisper. "All of them. Apparently, they died in a 'series of unfortunate accidents.'"
"That's… awful," Gwen said, her face pale.
Peter's face was etched with concern. "I feel bad for Harry. I know we haven't been close lately, but… that's still his dad. And now this."
Just then, Harry walked into the cafeteria, his face pale and drawn. His clothes were rumpled, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Peter immediately stood up and rushed over to him.
"Harry, man, what happened?" Peter asked, grabbing Harry's arm. "Are you okay?"
Harry flinched at Peter's touch, but then seemed to relax a little. "Pete… sorry. It's been… rough lately."
"You don't look too good, Harry. Tell us what happened," Peter pressed. "What did you see?"
Harry hesitated, glancing around the cafeteria nervously. "I… I don't know, man. It's all a blur. I went to see my dad, then there was a huge explosion, and I saw this… this thing."
"What thing?" Gwen asked, her voice trembling.
Harry swallowed hard, his eyes wide with fear. "It was huge, man. Green, with spikes and horns. Like some kind of… monster. I don't remember anything after that. I just woke up in the hospital."
Gwen gasped. "A monster? What kind of monster?"
"Maybe it was a Hulk variant?" Peter speculated, his brow furrowed. "Or some kind of escaped experiment from Oscorp."
I knew they were wrong. It was the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. But… strange, I thought the Green Goblin wears at least a Goblin costume or armor. Not a giant monster.
"I don't know what it was," Harry said, shaking his head. "But it was… terrifying."
Harry looked genuinely scared, haunted by what he had seen. He seemed grateful for Peter's concern, a flicker of their old friendship rekindled in his eyes.
"Thanks, Pete," Harry said, patting Peter on the shoulder. "It means a lot. I gotta go."
He turned and walked away, leaving us staring after him.
"Poor guy," Gwen said, shaking her head. "This must be so hard on him."
"Yeah," Peter agreed, his face etched with worry. "I hope he's okay."
I just remained silent, my mind racing. I knew I couldn't stand by and do nothing. The Goblin was out there, and I needed to find him before he hurt anyone else.
"I'm going to investigate Oscorp," I announced, my voice firm.
Peter and Gwen turned to me, their eyes filled with concern.
"What? Are you crazy?" Peter protested. "That's way too dangerous! You don't know what you're getting into."
"I have to, Pete," I said, my voice resolute. "Something sinister is going on there, and I need to find out what it is."
"But why you?" Peter asked, his voice laced with worry. "Let me come with you I'm Spider-Man, remember?"
I shook my head. "No, Pete. You have enough on your plate. Besides, I'm better suited for this kind of thing. I can hack into their systems, sneak around undetected with my Digi-Camo. You also do not have a lot of experience yet."
"…Alright, I guess you have a point."
"But Ethan…" Gwen said, her voice soft. "It's too dangerous. Please be careful."
I looked at her, her eyes filled with genuine concern. I knew she cared about me, and I hated putting her through this.
"I will, Gwen," I promised, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'll be careful. I promise."
***
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