"Mr Osborn," Mr Adams - the school science teacher - spoke up. "Are you okay?" He asked Harry who was sitting in the back of the classroom with a pair of dark sunglasses on.
"I am perfectly fine, Sir, how are you?" Harry asked politely.
"I'm very well, but I'd like to know why you've decided to wear sunglasses to my class," Mr Adams replied, giving him a look that said he'd better have a good explanation. "Can you take them off, please?"
"I can't, Professor Adam," Harry sighed, sounding apologetic. "I had a small accident and hurt one of my eyes so I'm a little sensitive to light right now, the doctor instructed me to wear sunglasses for a while."
"Is that so?" Mr Adams asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have a doctor's note if you want it," Harry offered him before reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. Mr Adams walked up to him, took the paper and read it out loud.
"Good morning," Mr Adams read. "Mr Harry Osborn has had an accident that caused minor eye damage. For his health, he has been instructed to limit his exposure to light as much as possible and will be wearing sunglasses for a short period of time, depending on his recovery." Mr Adams finished before handing the note back to Harry. "It all seems in order, I hope you get better soon."
"I don't, these glasses make me look cool," Harry said with a wide grin.
"Class, vote on the glasses?" Mr Adams asked everyone.
"He looks like an emo!" Kong laughed.
"What's wrong with that?!" Blurted out the emo kid in the corner of the room.
"I like it," Liz shrugged.
"What?!" Flash blurted out.
"Anyone who likes the glasses, raise your hand," Mr Adams ordered, the vast majority of the class raised their hands. "It's decided, the glasses are cool. Now, may I continue my lesson?"
"Yes, Mr Adams," The class dully chorused.
"Excellent, now back to these equations. As we can see, in this particular example, 'X' is equal to..."
"Bullshit!" Peter said as he, Gwen and Harry sat down for lunch. "You never went to the doctor, where did you get that note from?"
"I'm a genius," Harry reminded him. "I think I can forge a doctor's note,"
"Harry, I did vote for the glasses looking cool," Gwen pointed out. "But still, don't you think they're a bit unnecessary?"
"Gwen, I lied, I'm committed now," Harry shrugged. "Besides, I don't want to accidentally have my eyes turn red." He added quietly. "The sooner we find Tombstone, the better."
"Well, we've got a few leads already," Gwen told him. "What do you plan to do?" She asked.
"First, I'm going to find him, then I'm going to grab his pale little neck and squeeze it until he...shit!" Harry trailed off when he saw Felicia coming over.
"Hello Handsome," Felicia said as she walked up to them and plopped down into Harry's lap before placing her lunch next to his.
"There was a perfectly good seat right next to me," Harry couldn't help but point out.
"And there's a perfectly good one right here," Felicia said with an innocent smile. "So, what happened to your eyes exactly?"
"An experiment went wrong, hopefully, it'll be fixed soon," Harry answered, keeping his voice as casual as possible.
"I hope so," Felicia smirked. "I don't think I could last the week without seeing those lovely emerald orbs of yours." She said in a cute voice.
"Hurry up," A voice hissed.
In an empty car park basement, two men dressed as your stereotypical thugs stood next to an open van, constantly looking back over their shoulders and all around, making sure nobody was looking at them. Thankfully, besides some parked cars, there was nothing else surrounding them. One of them was reaching into the van while the other was standing impatiently, staring at him.
"Hurry up, man!"
"Zip it, dude!" The other hissed back as he took a bag from the van and pulled out a gun. "Here you go, as promised." He grinned, handing it over to the other man.
"Where's the ammo?" He frowned.
"That's extra," The dealer replied with a grin.
"That's bullshit!" The buyer complained.
"That's business," The dealer shrugged. "Come on, buy the ammo or don't, that's up to you."
"I only brought enough for the gun!" The dealer groaned. "Come on, man, just give me the ammo. I'll bring you the money in two days from now."
"Not how it works, Bucko," The dealer shook his head. "Money upfront or nothing at all,"
"Yeah, let's agree to disagree," The buyer grinned as he pulled out an ammo magazine and quickly put it into the gun before aiming it at the dealer. "Give me the ammo and then give me the van keys," He said smirking, expecting to see fear on the dealer's face. What he was not expecting to see was plain, old boredom.
"Bitch please," The dealer scoffed amusedly. "Do you know who the fuck you think you're talking to? I work for Tombstone, dumbass." The dealer told him, and now there was a look of fear, except it was on the buyer's face. "That's right, I..." The dealer's words trailed off as the lights in the car park went off. "What the hell?" He blurted out just before the lights came back on. He blinked and took a second to process that the buyer was no longer in front of him and was in fact webbed to the side of the van, his mouth also covered in webs. Stuck to the side of the van with one hand and both feet were Spiderman who was holding the buyer's gun in his free hand.
"Where is Tombstone?" Spiderman asked in a deep growl.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about, Freak," The dealer stuttered before reaching for his own gun, he wasn't as fast as Spiderman who raised his gun and shot him in the foot, causing him to drop to the floor, screaming in pain. The buyer let out a muffled scream, causing Spiderman to turn to him.
"Zip it or you are next," Spiderman told him, causing him to quickly become quiet. Spiderman leapt off the van and performed a front flip before landing gracefully in front of the crying buyer. "Where's Tombstone?" Spiderman asked, removing the bullets from the gun and tossing it behind him.
"Screw you!" The buyer cried out. "You shot my foot! I need a hospital!"
"I am not very patient today," Spiderman quickly webbed the man's uninjured hands and feet to the floor, leaving him in a star position. "I want your boss, where is Tombstone?" Spiderman crouched down and crawled along the floor until he was right next to the buyer's head. "Tell me,"
"Piss off," The buyer groaned out stubbornly, Spiderman quickly moved and now had his hands on either side of the buyer's head with his feet on either side of his torso.
"I want Tombstone! Look at what he did to me!" Spiderman grabbed his mask and pulled it up high enough to show his mouth, revealing his razor-sharp fangs! "Look at me!" He roared in the face of the terrified criminal. "Where is Tombstone?!" He snarled, bringing his fangs closer to the buyer. "If you don't tell me then you have no use to me, do you know what happens when you have no use to a spider?"
"You...you...you can't eat me!" The man cried out, eyes bugging out with fear as his gaze became fixed on the sharp teeth that were only a couple of inches away from his face.
"I am considering it," Spiderman said in a low voice. "Where is Tombstone?"
"He...he'd kill me if I told you," The buyer cried.
"While I will rip into your skin with my fangs and force as much of my venom into you as possible!" Spiderman hissed. "I wonder, will it hurt you, painfully and slowly, or will it simply kill you straight away? Eager to find out?!" Spiderman opened his mouth even wider.
"Alright, alright!" The buyer said quickly. "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"So, you want to talk about that?" Peter's voice asked through Spiderman's earpiece as he swung through the city.
"Talk about what?" He replied absently as he continued swinging towards the location where Tombstone should be. Gwen was unfortunately not available to keep track of him since her father was taking her and her family up to meet her grandparents. This meant any necessary help today would come only from Peter, not that Harry had any complaints about that, they were both high-level geniuses.
"How about you shooting a guy and then threatening to eat a guy?" Peter asked incredulously.
"I wasn't actually going to eat him," Spiderman huffed as he twirled in the air before shooting another web line. "I was just scaring him and I only shot him in the foot. Besides, he was holding back on the info I needed. The sooner I get Tombstone, the sooner I know what his chemicals did to me, meaning the sooner I can fix my eyes."
"Why is it your eyes that bother you so much?" Peter couldn't help but ask. "I'm sorry but it just feels like you couldn't give two shits if you have fangs or not, it's just your eyes that bother you."
"I don't want to talk about it," Spiderman grunted in response as he leapt off one building and performed a triple flip before swinging off a new web.
"You never do," Peter sighed. "Harry, we're your friends. Gwen and I know that you don't want to talk about it, but you should."
"I'll make you a deal," Spiderman replied. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me when you tell me what's wrong with you."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked.
"You're keeping your own secrets but you still lecture me about mine," Spiderman responded as he landed on a rooftop near where Tombstone was supposed to be. "Gwen and I both know that you're hiding something, you suddenly start working like a madman and you're constantly tired from working. You want to tell me what's up with that?" He asked while using his thermal vision on the factory in front of him. There was a small group of people inside, but nowhere near as much as there should be for an actively working factory.
"I..." Peter paused and didn't say anything for several moments, long enough for Spiderman to think that he was not going to speak. "...I'm having money problems," Peter said suddenly.
"You...what?" He blinked as he processed what Peter had just told him. "What do you mean?"
"Uncle Ben is having problems with his job. The long story short is that he probably will be out of a job soon," Peter confessed, sounding as if every word pained him. "That's why I've been working so hard, I'm hoping if I make something valuable then I can help people and hopefully make enough to help out Uncle Ben and Aunt May."
"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you,"
"Are you kidding me?" Peter snorted. "Why didn't you tell us about any of your hundreds of secrets? You know magic, you just know stuff that you're not supposed to know. Gwen and I have just been quietly nodding along, letting you have your secrets, no matter if it hurts that you don't trust us enough to tell us."
"I..." Spiderman paused as he considered Peter's words. He knew his friend was right, Gwen and Peter had both been more than reasonably patient about his secrets. He could understand why they thought he didn't trust them, he did, he just...he just didn't want to think about it. "Fine, first I deal with Tombstone, then I come back and tomorrow you and Gwen will be told everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything," He said forcefully. "Now, excuse me, I'm going to go punch a pale fucker in the face."
"Have fun," Peter called out just before he jumped and swung towards the factory.
Tombstone grunted impatiently as he stood in the centre of the factory, ten of his best men standing behind him. There were several large vats surrounding them, each filled with lord knows what chemicals. Crates and barrels were scattered everywhere, and walkways above them seemingly stared down at them like they were watching him. Above that was a glass skylight in the middle of the ceiling, allowing the night sky to look down upon them.
He hated being here, he remembered his accident here like it was yesterday. The police had been chasing him, once again, and he had ended up running in here. One thing happened after the other and he ended up going head-first into one of those vats. He came out with white skin, super-strength and he could no longer feel pain. Well, that wasn't true, but only something really strong could hurt him. He knew why he was here, why they wanted him to meet here, it was a plain and simple little message that said they knew everything they needed to know about him. Standing across from him was a trio of men, dressed in fancy black suits. He could tell that two of them were merely bodyguards for the one in the centre. This man had combed black hair and expensive-looking glasses, he stood with an air of importance.
"Tombstone," He said, sounding bored. "We hear you had a little...altercation with Spiderman."
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Tombstone grunted. "What I find interesting is that you all seem to be unable to stay out of my business."
"Your business is our business," He replied, sounding unamused. "The big man made you what you are, without him, you would be just a super-powered thug, and you know it. Now, with the large amount of helpful resources that we had generously supplied you, you had managed to work out how to recreate the formula that had made you what you were. That pleased my boss immensely, except now he is rather unpleased as we have learnt that Spiderman not only found your location but also fought you there and somehow ended up ruining our first and only canister of Diox 3."
"We'll just make another one," Tombstone rolled his eyes.
"Ah yes, just simply make another of the extremely expensive chemicals that took months for you to make," He said mockingly.
"Watch your tone," Tombstone told him warningly.
"Or what?" He asked, sounding more amused than anything else.
"Or I make you watch it," Tombstone growled.
"How unoriginal," The man drawled. "All of this happened because of your insistence on getting other people involved, your rather stupid plan to frame a Daily Bugle employee is what likely led to Spiderman finding you."
"I do things my way," Tombstone told him. "My methods are irrelevant. The Diox 3 was fucked up because of Spiderman, I can make more of it. I know the exact process,"
"What about all the scientists we gave you?" He asked
"Unavailable," Tombstone said with a wicked grin. "So, if you want that Diox 3, then I'm the only one who can give it to you. Don't mess with me, dweeb. Do you know who the fuck I am?"
"TOMBSTONE!" A shatter of glass caused everyone to look up and see Spiderman as he burst through the glass skylight and dived down towards them. "I'm not through with you!" He shot out a lot of webs that quickly webbed up Tombstone's men before he shot a web line up into the air and used it to swing towards Tombstone.
"What the..." Tombstone was cut off as Spiderman grabbed him by the throat and swung him up into the air.
"I think that's our signal to leave," The man in the suit said before calmly turning and walking out, his men following after him, but not before removing their guns and shooting down Tombstone's men. He took out his phone and called a number before placing it next to his ear. "Yes," He said once the call had gone through. "I think it's about time we cut Tombstone out of our plans, yes, I'll make the arrangements."
"You're going to fix what you did to me!" Spiderman roared as he tossed Tombstone at the ceiling. Tombstone bounced off it and right into a right hook from Spiderman who went past him and jumped off the ceiling to kick him in the back. Tombstone managed to recover and landed quite awkwardly on the walkway below.
"What the fuck are you on about?" He grunted as he turned to face Spiderman who landed in a crouching position on one of the walkway railings.
"Diox 3, it did something to me! You're going to fix it! Tell me what was in it!"
"Sure," Tombstone chucked. "For a price!" Spiderman growled before rushing towards Tombstone, ducking under Tombstone's right hook and socking him in the face with a left-right punch combination. Tombstone wasn't fazed by it and quickly grabbed Spiderman and pulled him into a headlock. "I ain't scared of you, Spider!"
"Let's fix that!" Spiderman growled before lifting Tombstone up into the air and slamming him straight down onto the walkthrough. He grabbed him and tossed him high into the air before shooting several webs that wrapped up his upper body, Spiderman leapt towards him and with one hand grabbed him by the neck while his other arm shot out a web to the walkway and pulled them straight down, resulting in Tombstone suffering a vicious chokeslam that sent them both straight through the walkway and down towards the ground, Spiderman managed to land on his feet, causing him to end up choke slamming Tombstone once more into the ground.
A gasp escaped Tombstone as he felt the ground crack underneath him, it had been a long time since anyone had managed to hurt him much. Spiderman mounted him and punched his head hard enough for it to go through the ground before he grabbed Tombstone by his shirt collar and made him look up as he raised his mask enough to reveal his fangs.
"You're going to fix me, now!" Spiderman growled.
"Whoa!" Tombstone breathed out. "Nice teeth!" He chuckled loudly. "But unfortunately I can't claim responsibility for that. The Diox 3 was only supposed to make you stronger and more durable, maybe even a little paler, but not that." He added before flexing and bursting out of the webs and punching Spiderman right in the jaw, sending him several feet away. "Case in point!" Tombstone gestured to himself before getting up.
"If you can't help me, then you're no use to me," Spiderman muttered to himself before he stood up.
"I can find a use, for example, I can rearrange your teeth." Tombstone charged and threw a wild punch that Spiderman ducked under before following up with an uppercut that Spiderman had barely managed to avoid by leaping backwards and sending a roundhouse kick into Tombstone's ribs, Tombstone gasped in pain and stumbled back. "What the..." Tombstone coughed loudly, causing more pain to flare up. "...you...you broke my ribs!"
"I always got to be nice when I fight, but you can take it, can't you big boy?" Spiderman shrugged his shoulders before charging ahead and throwing a trio of punches at Tombstone's head, knocking out a tooth before following up with a head butt that caused Tombstone to stumble back. Tombstone swayed on his feet for a moment before charging towards Spiderman, he threw a right hook at Spiderman who jumped in the air and landed on top of Tombstone's shoulder with one hand and elbowed him in the head before leaping off and kicking him in the chest, causing him to fall on to the floor. Spiderman landed on his feet and had barely stayed still for a second when Tombstone got to his feet and charged with frightening speed at him, he grabbed him by the neck and lifted him straight into the air so his feet were no longer on the ground.
"I'll kill you, you little shit!" Tombstone roared, squeezing as hard as possible.
"Get..." Spiderman choked as he felt something tingle in the back of his mouth. "...off!" He yelled, only to freeze in shock as he saw a green liquid shoot out of his mouth and into Tombstone's face.
A horrifying and pain-filled scream escaped Tombstone's mouth as he let go of Spiderman, Tombstone cried out widely, feeling like his face was melting off.
"I...whoa..." Spiderman blinked as he quickly pulled his mask down before looking at Tombstone who was screaming loudly with his hands covering his face. "...You're not looking good," He told him just before he felt the ground shake. "What the fuck?" He blurted out as the sound of a large explosion rocked the factory, shaking everything, not long after the ceiling started breaking apart and falling down, smashing into the walkway and landing in the vats of chemicals. "The fuck..." Spiderman's spider-sense blared just before he felt a hard punch send him straight into a wall, he shook his head and looked up to see Tombstone glaring at him, with his left cheek melting off, exposing his sharpened teeth and spreading up his face. "Whoa...that's not a good look for you!"
"Look at what you did to me!" Tombstone roared with equal parts rage and pain.
"I can't help but feel like our positions have reversed somewhat," Spiderman couldn't help but point out before the factory shook again as another explosion shook the factory, causing more of the ceiling to drop down and crash into the vats. "You're going to want to get out of here, Tombstone!" He added as he saw bits of ceilings crash against the vats, damaging them. "This place is not looking good! It's going to collapse!"
"I'm going to kill you!" Tombstone charged forward, ignoring him, so focused in his rage that he didn't notice one of the vats falling down on the ground.
"Oh shit," Spiderman leapt up in the air just as the vat exploded and a large sea of green liquid poured out and swept up Tombstone, another explosion occurred and a second vat came down pouring a yellow-coloured liquid on top of the green. Spiderman continued up, avoiding the falling bits of ceiling and metal coming towards him. Once he was out of the factory he quickly swung away and landed on the side of the closest building, he looked at the factory in time to see it collapse straight to the ground. "Crap baskets!" Spiderman blurted out as he stared at the mess that used to be an entire factory.
"Harry?" Peter's voice spoke through his earpiece. "Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Spiderman replied, somewhat shakily.
"What about Tombstone?"
"He...he's not fine," Spiderman replied. "Not fine at all."
"You...you didn't kill him, did you?" Peter asked in a slow voice.
"No, but someone might just have," He replied in a thoughtful voice. "Unless factories just happen to explode all on their own,"