Part IIb: Peter Parker

It was many months later, just short of two years, when the ship finally reached its destination.

Harry did not linger within the hypersleep chambers to greet his likely disgruntled and very naked crew as they wiped the residue of the cryosleep fluid from their bodies and their systems awoke. They would likely be irritable and the risk of hearing them muttering 'skin-job' in his general direction was heightened.

He would prefer not to engage at all, really.

It was later on, that he finally stumbled across them. As hypersleep made one hungry, nearly all of them were feasting in the cafeteria whilst several autochefs processed their orders of Company approved food. Judging by their disgusted expressions, the food was not of the flavoursome variety.

Harry tilted his head politely at the two other androids as he made his way across the hall. Like him, they were both headed to their respective stations. They did not require food, and apparently did not desire the conversation of those around them.

Just as he was about to talk with Natasha, a shouting marine caught his attention.

"Hey you!"

The man may not have even by hailing him, but Harry found himself turning around anyway. Oh, it was the spider marine. Harry raised an eyebrow.

Peter Parker smiled, "Yeah, you. I saw you in a magazine with some French supermodel. That was you, right?"

Harry grimaced. Well, no, not exactly. He'd never seen another off-world colony save for the busy rock that he lived on with Norman and the spaceport. But he couldn't really say that could he?

Instead, he nodded politely and then turned away from the man. Maybe it was rude, but it really wasn't any of the man's business whom Harry Osborn met up with.

Apparently, the man wasn't done, as he quickly ran towards Harry and grabbed his arm lightly. Harry glared at the offending appendage.

"H-Hey! Aren't you gonna come sit down? You must be as hungry as the rest of us!"

Harry winced at the remark and Natasha stiffened visibly beside him.

Ah. So that was it. He didn't know.

Although it wasn't really in his coding to be offended, Harry couldn't help the feeling that he was becoming rather irritated. Artificial emotions were strange.

Nevertheless, he kept his tone even and polite, "Not really, no."

Parker stared at him earnestly and his eyes seemed doe-like, "Aw, come on. You should come meet the rest of us. I insist!"

To Harry's own surprise he conceded and let the young marine drag him over to the tables. He shooed Natasha away with a whispered, "I'll catch up."

He blamed the deep, brown eyes that were set attractively into Peter Parker's skull.

The official crew of the Reed were a talkative bunch who would sit and chat quite happily amongst themselves; totally different to the marines who were quite withdrawn, save for Thor Odinson who liked to beat the table with his fists to accentuate his conversation.

Harry had the pleasure of being walled in between the marine Peter Parker and one of the on-board engineers named Sam Wilson. Both were incredibly optimistic, and equally snarky. As Harry reflected, he remembered that Sam Wilson's dreams had been alive with birds – a lucky person to have a hobby such as bird-watching, even more so if he actually owned one. Wilson's home planet of New Earth definitely contained many of the species.

When queried, Wilson revealed he had a pet falcon. Harry was impressed, and spoke to Wilson with a friendlier tone. Any Osborn was pleased by wealth and status, but perhaps it was Wilson's friendly nature that had hooked him instead…

Understandably, Peter did not contribute any of his Earth memories to the conversation. Being an Earthie was not something to be proud of, and the idea that you missed anything from that planet? Absurd.

But Peter did nudge him occasionally, both with elbow and knee (the latter which made Harry's emotion bank flare with confusion), and tried his hardest to include him in the conversation. Despite his efforts, Harry talked little as well, though he did smile politely and engage with the others. They all knew him as Harry Osborn. What part of his life wasn't kept secret from them? Any secrets he had left were not something you brought up in polite conversation.

Most of the marines had been trained on the May Outpost, a colony and key security outpost on the planet KOI-610.01. But like Harry, they did not talk much about it, but did find the time to regale him with many tales of their adventures and debauchery as a team.

Whilst others like Lieutenant Barnes (Bucky for short), Rumlow, and Felicia generally kept quiet, Harry quickly discovered that he had been wrong, and that the marines were in fact as chummy as the official crew of the Reed.

As sad as it was to admit, Harry had never before been surrounded by so many genuinely human people.

Immediately after lunch, the loud-speaker blared demanding the presence of every crew-member for the de-briefing. Harry's voice recognition sensor penned the husky, tired voice as that of Lieutenant Barnes.

When they had all gathered within the hangar bay, Bucky, weary from hypersleep, approached the make-shift dais. Harry recognised the device he was holding as an Oscorp issue Holotab. From the Holotab, he projected his presentation onto the nearing blank wall and began the de-briefing:

"While we've been dreaming away in hypersleep for the past few months, the Company has been working hard to recover the location of the U.S.S. Gould. They've been thoroughly searching the area where the Gould was before we lost all connection, and they've managed to track it to these coordinates."

Bucky indicated to the left of the screen, "As you can see, it's just a few clicks away from the Reed. We're going to board as soon as possible, meaning the next few days. After a few months in hypersleep, I'm sure we're all eager to see this mission wrapped up as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"At the moment, we suspect foul-play. Even if the crew were incapacitated, the ship should have continued on route as the operation of that ship is fully automated. That means that the Commanding Officer had to have overridden the ship's navigation route."

"Keep in mind, we're not yet sure if this is a rescue mission, a crime-scene, or both. I'll need everyone to be vigilant. We don't know what we're facing, if we're facing anything at all. Best case scenario: we recover all the missing persons with zero casualties on both sides. I don't want to think about a worse case, but just in case we need to separate I'm dividing us up into three teams."

Bucky swiped a finger across the smooth surface of the Holotab and the screen changed. Every crew member's name appeared each in four separate sections.

"Firstly, we have the Reed team consisting of executive officer Carter, navigator Watson, engineer Dillon, Oscorp scientist Dr. Stacy, as well as the Reed android Laufeyson. Reed team, you will be remaining on board this starship. Your mission is to convey any information concerning the state of both starships, and monitoring the other three teams. You must be prepared for any immediate changes in situation such as incoming hostiles."

The one-armed man continued to the second group.

"Now for Group I, consisting of my good self, on-flight engineer Wilson, the Oscorp scientist Dr. Banner, as well as my fellow marines Parker and Hardy. We also have with us an Oscorp representative in the young Harry Osborn."

Harry kept his face carefully neutral as the crew began to whisper amongst themselves. Those who weren't previously aware were clearly surprised that they had an Osborn in their midst. The attention bothered him. He already knew that it had bothered his predecessor. The unwavering gazes and hushed up voices. It was maddening.

But his team wasn't too bad. Bucky seemed like a competent and strong leader. Sam had already proved himself to be a friendly and reliable companion. The young Felicia Hardy was the quiet sort who seemed to be one of the very few crew members who did not make efforts to invade his personal space or private life. That enough was worthy of his respect.

Dr. Banner was not of the same nature as Menken and Ratha, but Harry had never really interacted with him either.

Peter Parker was an interesting specimen. He annoyed Harry slightly, but there was something attractive about his snarky demeanour and easy smile. So far, he'd proven to be a good friend to him.

"For Group II, we have Captain Rogers…"

Already those around him whose names had been called began to lose interest in Bucky's de-briefing. Flash Thompson even began to snore slightly.

Meanwhile, Harry continued to listen attentively as it was in his coding to do so. Any information could prove to be valuable, especially to a representative of Oscorp on a mission to explore a starship.

After the de-briefing, Harry retreated away to the main bridge with Loki and Natasha. He sat back quietly to study their work as they helped direct the ship's course with Steve, Peggy, and Mary-Jane. The hours seemed to tick by amongst such fine company, and Harry sorely wished that he could become a permanent fixture of their crew. They hadn't warmed up completely to him, but they were friendly enough and gave interesting conversation.

Soon enough, their quirks became apparent to him.

Steve and Peggy were particularly warm towards each other, and judging by the knowing side-eye that Mary-Jane gave them, there was definitely some sort of complicated flirtation going on. Mary-Jane was very talkative and very vivacious, like a miniature sun illuminating the bridge room. If the others winced occasionally, she just continued to shine.

Loki was a bit of a loner, but the others would always go to him for advice for anything, often slapping him on the shoulder heartily afterwards. Although he complained, Harry got the sense that he didn't mind too much.

Natasha was the quietest of them all, but still held the best conversation. Her intelligent nature drew them in like flies, rather than repel which often was the case with the intellectual type.

All of them treated Harry with respect, and kindness.

It was a strange, to be around such non-hostile people. People he could call friends.

Harry sat with the marines and his crew at meal-times, often sitting next to Peter or Natasha. Through their discussions, he quickly discovered that Peter was surprisingly intelligent and of a scientific mind. As a result of their frequent interaction and their similar sense of humour, they had struck up a camaraderie of sorts.

Peter even talked to him about Earth, after much pushing on Harry's behalf. He was a curious machine, as it was in the nature of an Oscorp android to absorb as much information as possible. He already knew a great deal about the desolate planet, but an eye-witness account would always hold great worth.

The marine lived with his aunt, and did not talk of his parents or uncle.

Harry knew about the parents already; Peter's dreams had been very vivid concerning them. The uncle remained a mystery.

Of course, a friendship was built by two people. So Harry had to contribute too.

What was difficult though was sorting through his memories and discussing Harry Osborn's life with his new friend. Many of Harry's memories were painful, too painful for even an android to process. It had been an undoubtedly bright spark of a life, but a tragic one and as such the memories were laced with betrayal, death, and overdosing.

He never went into detail, but he had to sort through so much pain to find even one good memory that was worth discussing.

Peter was very interested in his travels, and often asked about the supermodels he met. Harry had laughed at that, especially the look on Peter's face when he found out most of the models had been male. A shy awkward life had escaped Peter's lips and he'd smiled in the goofiest way.

A confusing response, but perhaps just an apt reflection of Peter's confusion.

It seemed the media did not know much about Harry Osborn after all.

Eventually, Peter told him about the spider.

"A friend gave it to me," He grinned, though his eyes were sad, "A sort of goodbye present. We didn't even know each other that well."

"A friend gave you a real spider?" Harry's eyes gleamed appreciatively, "Looks like generosity runs a bit more rampant on Earth than I thought."

Peter laughed, half-serious, "Don't get ahead of yourself; Earth is still a total pit. I think every lowly person in the galaxy has made their home there. She was just particularly exceptional."

They were quiet for a moment after that. Peter had sounded too bitter, but what it revealed about the marine, Harry did not know.

On their final day before the mission, Peter cornered him outside the laboratory.

"Hey, Har!"

Harry turned as the marine ran to catch up with him in the hallway. He smiled warmly; that nickname had solidified their friendship in a way that their constant interaction hadn't. It made Harry feel not so lonely after all.

He smiled at his friend and they began to meander around the endless corridors.

"Pete."

Of course, he'd returned the favour with a nickname of his own.

The marine's smile widened, "You excited for tomorrow then?"

"I'm not sure," Harry shrugged; "I haven't been off-world bef- uh, well to the boundaries of space. Yeah. It'll be an experience."

He fidgeted, but managed the recovery. Judging by Peter's nod anyway.

"Yeah, I haven't been on too many assignments out this far before. It should hopefully be a piece of cake, but the Lieutenant was awfully disheartening during the de-briefing…"

"Not to worry, Pete. If it's a hostage situation, I am very good bartering material, believe me. It's happened a few times already. Tenth time's the charm."

Peter laughed and pushed him away, "You dork. Why would they want a brat like you? You'd piss them off with your inhumane demands. Like, 'where is my foie grass' and 'bring me more grapes, slave'."

Restraining his laughter, Harry pulled a look of thoughtfulness, "Hmmm….I think that actually happened once. They got tired of me and actually paid Norman to take me back."

Peter gaped in faux surprise, "Why am I not shocked?"

"You should be. A piece of ass this attractive should be selling for millions, not handed back without a receipt. Stupid idiots."

A cunning light appeared in Peter's eyes, so apparent that it made Harry raise an eyebrow.
"What are you planning?"

"Nothing. I just came to a conclusion."

They had stopped mid-walk and Peter instead, began to move closer to Harry with a sly grin plastered across his goofy features. Harry blinked upwards at him.

"And?"

"You are an attractive piece of ass. Personality could use a bit of work though."

Peter's face hung close to his own. Though confused by the intimacy, Harry kept talking to hide his puzzlement.

"Don't be stupi…"

But no sooner had he opened his mouth, he found Peter's lips moving against his own, pressing earnestly against the artificial skin. Harry cursed his short stature which the marine had taken advantage of so quickly.

Feeling overwhelmed, Harry made no move to push him away, despite his superior strength as an android, and was quickly crowded against the wall as Peter slipped his arms around his waist.

He could hear the mechanical whirring of his limbs as they articulated backwards, and creaking as Peter lifted his chin and his head was pushed backwards. The marine's hand came up to caress the fake, yet meticulously designed skin of his face. The tips of his knuckles brushed the peach fuzz there, dusted over his sharp jaw bone, and curled into the pointed steel of his cheek. It was a strange embrace. They stood like that for a while, but finally Peter moved away, a thin string of saliva connecting their lips together.

As Peter moved backwards, the harsh white lighting illuminated Harry's face. The marine's eyes widened considerably and his brow furrowed.

"Your eyes…they're…"

Harry brushed him off and snapped, "Gold. Yes, I know."

"Wha-"

Peter Parker still did not get it.

Harry's emotion bank flared once again, only it made his entire form shake with rage. Something was wrong with his wiring, but he would figure that out later. First he would deal with this idiot.

Hissing inaudibly, he brought his hand up to Peter's face and snapped off an index finger with a harsh crack. The pus-yellow and white Android fluid spilled freely from the breakage and small sparks flew upwards.

"I'm an android you fool."

Peter's jaw hung agog in shock and he looked slightly nauseous as he looked at Harry's broken finger. Unable to handle the tense atmosphere, Harry immediately turned on his heel to get away from Peter, and more importantly to fix his broken hand before they set out on their mission.

Internally, he couldn't imagine why he was so irritated over the incident.

Loki was very disdainful about Harry's predicament and even laughed at him. Of course, Harry hadn't told him about Peter, but had merely mentioned that he had broken his finger in a fit of rage. Though he kept his mouth resolutely shut, his thoughts were quickly riddled with confusion.

The true Harry Osborn had enjoyed many a romantic endeavour; few were serious and most were less romantic as they were utterly sexual. But Harry the android had anxiety about making friends of all things, so encounters of the intimate kind were definitely not on his radar.

As an Oscorp android, he could emulate emotion but not truly exhibit it. Oscorp did not invest in pleasure models, but rather sought to imitate life in order to make the buyer more 'comfortable'. But Stark's Replicants, however, came in all sorts of models. Many of which were the pleasure type. Perhaps it was his Replicant programming that was encouraging his loose behaviour? It certainly had nothing to do with Oscorp.

All the same, Peter had kissed him and he had ran. Now he would have to deal with the fallout. Hopefully, Peter would be comfortable just remaining friends. It wasn't like he could act on his feelings, what little was there, that imagined Peter to be attractive and the best company that he had ever known.

No. Absolutely Not.

An Earthie and an Android?

The very notion was absurd.

.

.

AN: The fight for survival begins….next chapter.
Also, Replicants have gold rings around their eyes – reveals their 'golden souls'. Hell, use that in your Blade Runner essays. Score some points.
Anyway, it isn't meant to be a noticeable feature but for the sake of this fic why not?