It's a sunny morning in Forest Hills, Queens. In one of many small houses, a young man in his room packed a suitcase in preparation for a long trip. He was 18 years old, with short chestnut brown hair, brown eyes behind glasses, dressed in a light leather jacket over a blue t-shirt,along with basic jeans and sneakers. His name was Peter Parker, and he was readying himself to study abroad in Japan.
Downstairs in the kitchen, two elderly woman sat the kitchen table sipping on their morning coffee. Both were about the same age, one had short, brown curls and the other had long pewter hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Well, he seems excited to leave;" said the brown-haired woman, disapproval written all over her face, "to go and gallivant on the other side of the world, without a second thought about leaving his dear old aunt alone."."Oh, stop that Anna. I may be old, but I can take care of myself" said the silver-haired woman in a tone that clearly showed she heard this subject before. She continued proudly "This is a great opportunity for Peter to go and study at such a prestigious university. I wouldn't forgive myself if he couldn't go because of me." Anna just looked down into her coffee and sighed "I understand that, May, but Peter's place should be here with you not in..." she paused, not believing her next word, and blurted "...JAPAN." May sighed right back and whispered "oh Anna," and shook her head slightly, when she heard a car horn outside. With a smile, May stood up and said "That's probably Mary Jane coming to take Peter to the airport" She walked over to the living room and to an ascending flight of stairs. "Peter!" she yelled up to the top landing, "Mary Jane is here. You don't want to miss your flight!"
Peter was just zipping up his suitcase when he heard his aunt May calling from downstairs. He looked toward the door and yelled "Alright, Aunt May, I'll be down in a sec." He grabbed his backpack and suitcase a was about to go through the room door, but then paused, two photographs on his desk catching his attention. One was of an elderly man who was fishing in a lake with Peter as a child, the other caught Peter in the halls of his high school embracing beautiful blonde girl. These were Peter's lost loved ones; His uncle Ben, Aunt' May's late husband, and his high school sweetheart Gwen Stacy. After a moment of self reflection looked at the pictures again with a small, sad smile, said "Well... wish me luck, guys," before heading out the door, toward Aunt May and the adventures awaiting him in Japan. He reached the front door, then turned back to his aunt and gave her a big hug, which she happily returned; Anna just sat in her chair sipping more of her coffee, radiating with disapproval. "You be a good boy over in Japan, Peter," said Aunt May, "and be sure to call me the minute you are settled in, I don't care what time it is" Peter stepped out of the hug and said "I will Aunt May, don't you worry. Are you sure going to be okay while I'm gone?" He was still worried, with no small amount of guilt, about leaving her behind. "Oh sure, now he asks," Anna huffed under her breath, earning a stern look from May, who then turned to Peter with a smile and said "Oh don't you worry sweetie. I'll have the ever-pleasant Anna here to keep me company." now it was Anna's turn to give May a stern look. With a warm, loving hand on Peter's shoulder, May nudged him toward the door, "Now go on , Mary Jane is waiting for you." Peter gives his Aunt May an animated kiss on a cheek and starts for the door, " Okay. Love you Aunt May, I'll call you later; bye...I mean sayonara!" Aunt May just smiled and waved as she said "Sayonara Peter,"As he walks away Aunt May said to herself, her voice thick with emotion, "go make me and Ben proud."
Peter exited the house and was greeted by a young woman with striking red hair and beautiful green eyes The driver side door of Mary Jane's Blue Toyota Camry was open, and she was casually leaning on the hood beside it wearing a pink t-shirt under a purple jacket and a matching purple skirt, one tall brown boot crossed over the other. A welcoming smile graced her face as she said to him "Hey there tiger, ready to go?" "Hey MJ, ready as I'm ever going to be." He said as he put his bags in the trunk of the car. He continued "I still can't believe this is really happening." Mary Jane and Peter climb into the car and head towards the the drive Mary Jane went on to say "I don't see why not-Midtown High's smartest student, winning a spot at one of the biggest colleges in Japan. Seems to be a perfect fit." Peter looked away, blushing at the compliment, but also seemed sad. Mary Jane picked up on this and asked " You okay, Pete?" Peter, caught himself and turned towards Mary Jane and said "Huh? oh yeah, I'm fine MJ. I'm just a little nervous. That's all." Peter seemed a little more relieved when Mary Jane said "Hey, don't worry too much about it;" She gave a gentle smile and nudged him with her elbow as she continued "You're going to do great, tiger." Peter just smiled back, and the two continued the drive with an awkward silence, only for Mary Jane to break the silence once again. "Soo...have you heard from Harry recently?" Peter's relief on the subject change was palpable. He responded "Oh yeah, last week, he said he is getting settled at the new job; being the new CEO of Oscorp must be a bit of a adjustment." Then, with a sudden realization, continued as he pulled out his smartphone "Oh that's right! I should call him to see if he'll meet us at the airport."
Elsewhere, in the middle of Manhattan, the high-rise housing the mega corporation Oscorp, looms above straphangers in the city skyline but stands out from the rest, like a rotting molar in a row of broken teeth. Considering it was the birthplace of the late Green Goblin, ominous vibe is justified. On the highest floor, in a huge office with a window overlooking the entire metropolis, a young woman with long silver hair and creamy, dark skin looked on wearing a fitted sheath the color of blood. She's torn from her revery by the shrill of her desk phone. As she picked it up she answered "Hello, Harry Osborn's office, Hilda speaking". She paused, listening, and then continued "oh yes. Peter Parker, Harry's friend, he talks a lot about you. I'm his new secretary; I'll see if he is available."
She put the call on hold and then walked to a shelf on the wall with various pictures and a small, seemingly out-of-place pumpkin. She then opened the pumpkin, showing a small number pad and punched in a code that opened a door to a secret room. Inside the room was literally a goblin's paradise: walls covered with pumpkin bombs and razerbat drones, various flying glider prototypes decorated the floor, a mannequin robed with the notorious green goblin costume in the corner, and in the center of the wall across from the door there's a giant glass cylinder filled with a swirling, deep green gas. Almost suddenly, the front of the cylinder slid open, allowing the gas to escape out and slowly dissipate into the room. Out of the vapors and this chamber beyond walked Harry Osborn, in all of his muscular splendor.
Hilda thoroughly approved of Harry's new body, judging by her flared nostrils and long, lingering look. "Oooooh," she cooed while dragging her gaze up his body, " you build up pretty well, lover." Harry turns to look into a nearby mirror and looked impressed himself at this new transformation. " I'll admit, I was a little nervous about using dad's old performance enhancer, but I can't complain about the results" As he admired his own physique, Hilda approached and wrapped her arms around him "Oh, neither can I my king. By the way your friend Peter is on line 1."
The mention of his best friend's name always brought a small smile on his face. Both he and MJ have always been there for Harry even before his father died, Yet why he would call him now of all times was a bit strange. Eventually he found the small, secret room's phone and picked it up responding "Hey Pete, whats up?" "Hey Harry" He heard Peter say on the receiver, "Im in the car with MJ, just wondering if you're gonna meet us at the airport" "Airport?" said Harry with a confused look, was someone coming in from somewhere or something? "Yeah, Im leaving for Japan today, remember?" said Peter. The reminder hit Harry immediately. "Oh, man was that today?! Aw I'm so sorry Pete, things have gotten crazy over here and I lost track of time. Plus I've got this big project I'm working on….""Whoa, whoa, it's ok Harry!" Peter interjected; "I get it man, running your own company isn't as fun as it sounds. Don't worry about it. You do your CEO thing, I'll do my nerdy thing overseas." Harry can hear the smile on his friend's face at the quip and couldn't help but laugh, even if Peter's jokes were of an ...acquired taste, He can dish out a good one here and there. " Alright Pete, you have fun in the land of the rising sun, and remember I'm expecting a souvenir." "You got it, buddy" said Peter happily. "Well... I better go, I'll call you when i'm settled in; later Harry." With one last smile, Harry replied "talk to ya later, Pete;" then hung up the phone. With a single sigh he looked into the nearby mirror and tried to enjoy this one last moment of his humanity, before… he must take a new path. Hilda put a manicured hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it for comfort, "It's too bad that your buddy won't be here to see your big project take shape" she said seductively.
On that note, Harry straightened himself and, with a look of determination, he walked down another hallway with Hilda in tow. As they walked, he responded to her previous question "It's alright, he wouldn't understand. Besides, at least he will be safe halfway around the world. Whats our status on the device?" Hilda magically pulled out a tablet and started to swipe through different files. As she did, she reported "Everything is running on schedule, and the power source I brought from my realm is working swimmingly with your world's technology; we should be ready to go within the hour." "Good" replied Harry as they walked into the a large room with a tall, metal machine, like a giant semi circle, with various antenna, bulbs, and wires sticking out of various places. Satisfied, he said "All that's left is to bring Spider-man here, I want him to see every moment of my ascension!" "Understandable, my king," replied Hilda, though her brows scrunched in confusion and she asked "but… how are we supposed to get him to come here willingly?" Harry just looks toward the machine with a slow-growing sinister smile as he answered "Don't worry, I've got that covered. All we need is the right bait."
TO BE CONTINUED