The next day, Peter had largely recovered from his injuries, so he was able to return to work. Even better, he had actually managed to avoid having anything come up on the way there too, but he opted against letting anything go to his head regarding how good the day was going to turn out. He'd dared to allow thoughts like that into his mind yesterday, only for the world to immediately remind him of its twisted sense of humor, so he was taking no chances today.
He was working hard at his computer when a file landed on his desk. Of course, it hadn't really surprised him, but he still tried to at least look the part as he glanced up at Eddie, who was standing over his desk.
"I think I'm finally starting to figure it out."
Peter crossed his arms over his desk, leaning forward.
"Okay," he replied, "I'm all ears."
"Alright," Eddie began, "so, we haven't really been able to get many leads on the who or the why behind the tech thefts so far. However, Spider-Man's very public fight with the Scorpion yesterday got me looking into something."
Eddie then moved around to Peter's side of the desk, opening the file to reveal a series of pictures regarding various super villains he'd faced over the years as Spider-Man. The thing was, it wasn't just some random group.
"You think this is tied to the Sinister Six or whatever they called themselves?" Peter questioned, again trying to make sure not to act too much in the know.
"Scorpion AND Mysterio were both a part of the original group," Eddie replied. "None of the others are at large right now though as far as we know, but it still feels like more than a coincidence to me."
"Okay, let's say you're right," Peter said, "what would even be your next step?"
"I've tried to contact the head of The Vault, but they reminded me that they don't grant interviews with any of the inmates," Eddie replied.
"It's always been that way," Peter affirmed. "They wouldn't even allow Ben Urich in there, despite the reputation he had. Who were you even trying to talk to anyway?"
"Harry Osborn," Eddie said. "The one who used to run the Six back when he was the Green Goblin."
Peter had to fight incredibly hard not to bristle at that namedrop.
"Yeah, I'd imagine he'd be particularly hard to get to see even if you could get in there," he said.
"I'm going to find a way," Eddie countered, his determination seemingly unshaken. "I just know I'm on the right track, I can feel it in my bones. Trust me, Peter, by the time this story is over, you and I will both have some Pulitzers heading our way!"
As Eddie walked away, Peter couldn't help but run his fingers against his forehead. The truth was that he'd already considered a lot of this in his "other" investigations into these thefts, even theorizing who might have taken over the Six if it was one of them. Mysterio had seemed more focused than normal the night Peter had caught him, and Scorpion appeared to be talking with someone the first time they'd fought, both things likely adding up to someone pulling both of their strings.
As for Harry, it was unlikely to be him behind it all. If he had reverted to the Goblin persona, he likely would've come for him directly or perhaps May, who'd been a target of his before. Plus, the insane green side of Peter's former best friend hadn't been one for subtlety or hiding for too long, seemingly needing to just go destroy or kill something or someone like an uncontrollable impulse.
Peter had actually contemplated trying to get into the Vault as Spider-Man to see Harry, partially as confirmation that his logic was correct and that he was still there, but also to see if he could get any insight out of him if he was. He still wasn't sure if he had the stomach to see his former best friend again after all these years though, so he'd held off on the idea.
All this would have to be saved for patrol anyway. Right now, Peter needed to focus. Robbie had told him he would need to pick up the slack today, so he had that to worry about right now more than anything else.
"You know, sometimes I wonder why we ever go anywhere else for lunch," M.J. said as she swallowed her most recent bite of her sandwich.
"So, you admit I have good taste?" Liz questioned, taking another bite of her salad.
"In this case, I'll gladly say that," M.J. acknowledged before taking a sip of her drink. She was about to take another bite from her sandwich when their server came up to their table.
"How is everything?" the woman asked.
"Very good, thanks," M.J. replied.
"Excellent," the waitress replied. "Also, I wanted to let you two know that your meals have been paid for, so you are good whenever you're finished."
"Paid for?" M.J. asked, setting down her sandwich. "May I ask by who?"
"The gentleman sitting in the booth a few spaces back," the woman replied, offering a smile as she walked away to attend to another table. M.J. peered back, curious as to the identity of this mysterious individual. She really hoped it wasn't one of her exes; that was the last thing she needed. Part of her hoped that it was Peter, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she was ready for Liz to meet him just yet.
As she peered back, none other than her father turned around from a booth a few spaces down, causing M.J. to immediately spin back around, rubbing her fingers against her eyelids.
"Your dad paid for us?" Liz asked in a hushed voice, clearly having noticed him as well.
"Yep," M.J. said. "Why don't you head on back to the store; I'm going to go talk to him."
"Are you sure?" Liz asked, her question stopping M.J. as she'd started to rise from her seat. "You don't have to you know; not after everything he put you and your sister through."
"I'll be fine, Liz," M.J. asserted. "Seriously, go on ahead. I won't be long."
Liz eventually got up, taking her stuff and going on her way. The concerned look she gave M.J. as she did did nothing to assuage her own worries as she walked over to her father's booth, standing next to it.
"Did you pay for us?" she asked directly.
Her father looked up at her, putting on a seemingly innocent expression.
"What, a man can't pay for his daughter's meal?" he asked.
M.J. looked up, stopping short of rolling her eyes.
"What do you want, dad?" she asked.
Her father gestured for her to take a seat in the booth opposite him as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. It was strange to M.J, seeing him all professional-looking and pleasant acting like this. She slowly sat down into the booth, interlocking her fingers as she rested her hands against the table.
"I'm looking to start fresh, Mary," her father began, setting his napkin down on the table. "Not just with you, but in life. I've done my time; I've paid for my mistakes. Now, I'm ready to get back out and make my way in the world again. Naturally, the first thing I need to do that is a job, so I..."
"If you think for one second that Liz and I are going to offer you something involving our store, you're..."
"No no, nothing like that," her father interrupted, shaking his head and holding his hands up. "I assure you I am looking elsewhere for work. What I wanted to ask of you is...if I could have a place to stay."
M.J.'s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"Just until I get back on my feet," her father added quickly.
"No!" M.J. exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"
"I've already got some interviews lined up," her father said, "but I don't have a lot of money left, so I won't be able to afford a hotel for much longer."
"Then maybe you shouldn't be spending it on someone like me who doesn't need it," M.J. said, getting up abruptly. She stormed off in a hurry, but that only seemed to make her father more persistent as he followed her all the way to her bike.
"Mary, please, I'll be in and out," he begged her, "it'll be like I was never there!"
"You could spend one minute in my apartment, and I would know you were there," M.J. countered as she approached her vehicle, grabbing her helmet. She then turned to face him one more time.
As much as she couldn't stand him, as much pain as he'd caused her...there was the smallest part in Mary Jane's heart that wanted to believe this was real; that her father really had made all this progress and that he was really on his way to being a different man.
"Just give me two weeks," he said. There was an earnest nature to his voice, or at least there seemed to be. The look in his eyes seemed genuine as well. Her father was many things, but he'd never been a manipulator, one who could put on a show to get people to do what he wanted. If anything, his drinking had made him TOO honest and belligerent. M.J. could recall many nights where, in alcohol-induced fits, he would spew terrible things to her and her sister, blaming them for his failures in life.
Now, here he was, SEEMINGLY a changed man.
But could she really trust him?
"You can't stay at my place," she finally said, "but, if you really are trying, I'll pay for a couple more weeks in your hotel."
Her father appeared visibly relieved at her words.
"But, if anything goes sideways, or if I even smell alcohol when I come to check on you, that's it," she added.
"Of course," her father replied. "Thank you, Mary."
"This is your last chance," M.J. said as she strapped on her helmet, firing up her bike and driving away.
Peter stayed in his crouched position, waiting for the right moment. He'd stumbled upon a group of ordinary criminals in the middle of a heist while out on patrol. It looked like they were trying to steal routers for large computer systems, loading them up one at a time. Once a few more of them were back out there, he would spring into action. He could likely handle them all no matter how scattered they were, but history had proven this to be the most effective way.
Finally, hitting a satisfactory number of criminals near the vehicle, Peter leapt off the building.
"Sorry guys!" he shouted as he landed, kicking a couple of them against the vehicle and webbing them to it, "but I'm afraid the steal-two-for-the-price-of-none deal just expired yesterday. Tough luck, right?"
Naturally, all the others came rushing out to meet him, some with crowbars, others with guns, and even some with just their bare fists. One by one, he effortlessly dodged their swings at him, sometimes even resulting in one of the men hitting another by mistake.
"Ouch, that's going to leave a mark," he said after one guy particularly clobbered another in the face with a swing of a crowbar. The guy then tried swinging at him again, but this time Peter just grabbed it, halting its momentum.
"Clearly you're not old enough to handle this," he said, yanking the crowbar, "so I'll just take it." He then pinned the guy's feet to the ground with some webbing, ensuring he couldn't move. Peter then turned his attention to the gentlemen with guns, who had stayed relatively out of the action while trying to find the best angles for good shots. He worked quickly, disarming them with sweeping kicks, powerful punches and web blasts, eventually leaving them tied up for the police.
As he started to leave the scene, Peter overheard one of the criminals say something.
"Ah man, the Master Planner is not going to be happy about this."
"Shut up!" another one of them said in a hushed tone.
Peter slowly turned, the man who had said it immediately avoiding his gaze when he realized he'd been overheard.
"Did you just refer to your boss as 'Master Planner'?" he asked.
"Uhm...yeah," the criminal said, "that's just what we were told."
"Okay," Peter remarked, "any idea where I can find this guy?"
"N-no idea!" the guy answered. "We were just contacted about doing a job for him. We don't know anything, honest!"
Peter wasn't sure if they were more afraid of him or whoever it was that they had spoken with. More likely it was the latter, but in either case, it didn't seem like anyone was planning on opening up, so he swung off, leaving them for the police to find. He eventually landed on a rooftop a short distance away, pondering this most recent development.
He also thought back to what Eddie was saying about trying to get in an interview with Harry, along with his own initial thoughts on the subject. It wouldn't be too much of a challenge to get into the Vault (he may or may not have done it once or twice before), but it was still risky. Seeing his former best friend was another matter entirely though. While Peter had supposedly cured him and restored his sanity, it was just hard not to envision the Goblin anytime he even thought of him anymore.
It was hard not to think of that night, over ten years ago.
Still, other than a recently discovered terrible codename, Peter had absolutely zero real idea as to who was behind this from an evidence standpoint. Harry's insight, if he was even willing to talk, could prove valuable.
Opting to go against his concerns, Peter made his decision.
Hope you all are still enjoying it!
Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him." Proverbs 26:4