Harry took a moment to steady himself as his driver opened the door, allowing him to step out. He glanced up at the building in front of him. It felt like a strange place for his father to want to meet him; though it was far from the oldest building in the city, there also wasn't much very modern about it either. It looked as though it had seen some wear and tear, with some discoloration visible in places. Basically, it just didn't seem like the kind of place his father would ever be seen doing business in.

"Are you sure this is it?" he asked the driver.

The driver nodded.

"Your father left very specific instructions."

Harry turned back to the building. Though his mind maintained some of its skepticism, he trusted his dad must have a reason behind it, so he began marching his way towards the building. As he drew near to the door, he was met by another man in a suit who opened the door for him.

"Oh, thanks," he said. The man did not reply, hardly even looking at him. He briefly narrowed his eyebrows at the man as he passed him, confused as to his cold demeanor, but ultimately shrugged off the matter as he continued. Remembering that his father had told him to wait in the second-floor lounge area, Harry then made his way up the stairs. Fortunately, the room wasn't difficult to find, as it was the first one he saw upon reaching the floor. It was open and modestly spacious, with vending machines, a coffee bar that appeared not to have been used for some time, and a couple of couches near the center. Opting to sit while he waited, Harry took a seat in the middle of the bigger couch, the cushion giving way only slightly to his weight.

For several minutes, he sat there, his mind wandering as he waited for his father's arrival. The man had assured him that today would be a big day for him but had otherwise been incredibly vague except for telling him where and when to meet him. Was this finally the day he brought him alongside him to run Oscorp together? He'd also considered that perhaps his father would suggest he start smaller and get involved in running something like the "Special Projects" division. In any case, he could feel the butterflies spreading their wings and fluttering around in his stomach, the thought of finally beginning a more positive relationship with his dad producing an anxiety within him that he mostly considered good.

Still, his mind occasionally came back to Peter's phone call. It wasn't of the most illogical nature of him to want to invite him over; frankly, had he not been already committed to something so important to him, there was little Harry would have found more appealing than a day with his best friend, whether they were just chilling at his apartment or watching movies while snacking on junk food all day. But why had he been so insistent even once he knew what was going on? Also, what had he meant when he said his dad was "not himself?" Sure, some of the man's behavior had been a bit strange, but hardly cause for alarm. It had almost seemed like Peter had been trying to keep Harry away from his father, and he just couldn't figure out why. It didn't matter anyway though, as today was his big day, his chance to finally prove himself and have the chance at a real father-son relationship for the first time in several years, and nothing was going to stand in the way of that.

Speaking of his father, the man finally entered the room, prompting Harry to stand to his feet.

"There he is!" he yelled, his arms extended enthusiastically. Harry went to meet him, the two Osborns wrapping one another in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Glad to be here," Harry assured him even as he glanced at their surroundings, "though I must admit that this isn't exactly the kind of space I would have pictured for what I hope is us finally getting to work together."

"Harry," his dad spoke up, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, "this place may not look like much now, but it is the beginning of the future... our future. Together, we will lead this city into a new tomorrow, one where we are at the helm, making the most of all the opportunities before us."

"Wow," Harry said, admittedly a little taken aback by the words his father had said and the sincerity with which he'd spoken them. "So, this is it? You really think I'm ready?"

"Almost," his father said, finally dropping his hand from Harry's shoulder. "But don't worry, my son, because today, your training will be completed."

"What training?" Harry questioned.

His father simply smiled.

"You'll see. Come with me."

Hearing a knock on the door to his office, Jonah glanced up, finding that it was Robbie. As his right-hand man entered, Jonah finally allowed himself to pull his eyes away from what he'd been staring at the last few minutes.

"What is it, Robbie?"

"Well, seeing as you hadn't been out of your office all day, I thought I'd check on you," Robbie explained.

"This coming from the man who kept telling me all these years that my reporters work best when I stay out of their way?" Jonah questioned. "And now, what, you want me to get in their way?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Robbie clarified, "and I think you know that."

Letting out a deep sigh, Jonah placed his fingers over his face, leaning them into his eyes as if this would quell his frustration.

"I'm sorry, Joe," he said. "I'm just having a bit of a hard time today."

"What else is new?" Robbie posed, a touch of sarcasm evident in his tone. "What is it today?"

"This," Jonah said, rotating his laptop around and gesturing to the screen. His comrade got up and moved closer to get a better look.

"The quarterly numbers?"

"Yes," Jonah said. "I figured that Prowler-Kingpin story would be only a short-term boost, but it's proved to be even shorter than we thought."

"We're still doing better than we were before," Robbie pointed out. "Plus, Ben's covering the Kingpin story as well; if anyone can get the scoop we need, it's him."

"Maybe," Jonah said. "But even so, we're going to need a major boost to catch the Globe and the Beacon, who are beating us both online and in print."

"Maybe this is all the more reason for you to give yourself a break, Jonah," Robbie suggested. "Let yourself get some fresh air, be among the people even. You never know; maybe you'll come back with the inspiration you and the rest of us need?"

Jonah didn't respond at first, staring at Robbie as he contemplated the man's words. He then got up and walked over to his window, looking out into the city.

"You know," he finally spoke up, "every time I look out this window, I realize just how competitive this world is. I don't just mean in business, but in life. Everyone is competing to be the ones who are fortunate enough to put food on the table for their families and be able to send their kids to college. Though I wish we would all just work together for a better tomorrow, that's not reality. Everyone under me in this place is in the exact same boat, Robbie, just trying to make a decent living and go home and be at peace. I know I haven't always shown it, but I've always believed that it was my responsibility to make sure that happened, to lead everyone from yourself to the guy who cleans every night to a place where all their kids have warm food in their bellies when it's all said and done. That needs to be my focus, Robbie."

He then turned back to the man.

"That is all that matters to me."

This time, it was Robbie's turn to let out a sigh.

"Jonah, I've known you for a long time," he said. "I probably know you better than anyone outside of your family, but that's just it: this place is a family. You may feel like you're on this lone island where you have to provide for all the remaining survivors or whatever, but the reality is that we all are supposed to take care of each other, man. You keep isolating yourself like this and you're going to wake up one day with regret that you spent so much time worrying about providing that you never even got the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Look, just..."

Robbie paused, tilting his head slightly to the side, indicating that something had gotten his attention.

"What?" Jonah asked. When Robbie didn't respond, he opted to follow his line of sight, where he could see what looked like... something he couldn't make out flying way out in the distance.

"What is that?" he asked, his right-hand man coming alongside him.

"I don't know... but Jonah, I think it's coming this way..."

No sooner had the man uttered those words than Jonah's mind had come to the exact same conclusion, the object suddenly picking up speed, heading straight for the window. Jonah and Robbie dived to the floor just as a loud roar of an engine followed by the shattering of glass above them could be heard, the man covering his head as he lay on the ground. Whatever had made its way there passed just as fast, the sound of whatever it was seemingly rocketing away with great speed. Once he felt confident that they were in the clear, Jonah helped Robbie up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Robbie replied, "but what on earth was..."

A horrifying scream then drew both men's attention; it was coming from one of the many staffers who'd rushed to see what had happened. Jonah quickly rounded the desk, instantly discovering the reason for it: a large body was now lying there, shattered glass shards all around it. Whoever it was, the man's face was beaten to a point almost beyond recognition... until Jonah dared to get a closer look.

"Oh man," he said. "It's Wilson Fisk. But... who... why would someone just sling his body in here like this?"

He glanced up at Robbie, who in turn seemed to notice something. He then stepped forward, reaching down and pulling something attached to Fisk's back shoulder area. He pulled out what looked like a disc drive of some kind.

"I don't know," he said. "But I have a feeling whoever did this wants us to break the story."

Even as M.J. rounded the block with the cafe in sight, she still peeked over both her shoulders in what she hoped was a subtle manner. While she'd been trying to be the one to encourage Peter that maybe the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed, his concerns had begun to rub off on her. She had tried to maintain a healthy perspective on this, taking his worries seriously while also not letting some psychopath on a glider dictate everything she did. If she was honest, she would admit that she wasn't anywhere near finding said balance yet, but as she finally stepped through the doors of the cafe and spotted Deb, she put on her usual happy face, determined to look unbothered.

"Hey!" she greeted the young woman, who stood up from her seat. "Good to see you again!"

"Thanks," Deb replied a little sheepishly. "I must admit that I was concerned that I reached out too soon, you know, since you're busy with your play and all."

"Nonsense!" Mary Jane assured her. "I meant what I said at the lab. You hungry?"

"Definitely," Deb replied. The ladies then went and picked out the delicacies they planned to enjoy, paying for them before returning to their seats.

"So," M.J. spoke up after swallowing a bite. "What got you into science anyway?"

"It's kind of a long story," Deb conceded. "Basically, I was kind of a loner in school growing up, and... I don't know. Learning just came easy to me, not that I'm bragging or anything, but... it was just fun, I guess. I liked learning about how the world works, so I just kept doing that, entered a few science fairs, got a scholarship, and now here I am!"

Mary Jane nodded in acknowledgement as she chewed up another bite of food.

"That's cool," she finally spoke up. "If I'm being honest, I didn't pay attention much in school. My grades were fine, but feel like I could have done better if I applied myself. I was just more into the social scene growing up."

"What made you want to be an actress?" Deb asked.

"I..."

M.J. pondered how much she wanted to share regarding the matter. While she'd grown a bit more comfortable in being open with people, that mostly pertained to those who had a deeper level of trust, something she felt needed a little more time to cultivate with Deb.

"It just came to me very naturally," she finally continued. "I always enjoyed performing for people even at a young age. Being on stage, playing a part, it just felt like anything weighing on my mind just faded away as I disappeared into character. I put more and more time into it, went to college for a theater degree, even tried my luck in Hollywood before deciding it wasn't for me and I missed the stage too much."

"I guess I could say the same anytime my nose was in a book," Deb admitted. "It just felt like it was just me and the words, my mind consuming as much knowledge as I could. It was like you said, I disappeared into the world of whatever I was reading."

"Sounds like we have more in common than we thought," M.J. said.

"Yeah," Deb replied. "So... what was the thing you were hiding from?"

Before she could even consider the response, something from the corner of her eye drew M.J.'s attention. She glanced over to see something on the TV: the Green Goblin talking. She could almost feel her eyes widen in shock as she stared at the broadcast; she couldn't hear for certain what the man was saying, but she knew that it wasn't good.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine," M.J. said. "Listen, Deb, I apologize, but I just remembered something I need to attend to before my show time tonight. We'll talk more soon though, alright?"

"Sure," the girl replied. M.J. felt bad for abandoning her, and it was not lost on her how this likely looked, but even so, she didn't wait to hear any more, getting up from her seat and dialing Peter's number on her phone as she hurried out the door.

"Hello?"

"Have you seen the news?" his girlfriend asked.

"No; I've been stuck at the lab all day trying to figure something out," Peter replied.

"Pull it up, now."

Her serious tone of voice deeply concerning him, Peter pulled up his Bugle app, which he was surprised that he hadn't heard go off like normal. That was where he instantly discovered a special report that was airing.

"The Bugle received this just a short time ago," a reporter he didn't recognize spoke up. "Be warned, the following video might disturb you."

It then cut to the face of none other than the Green Goblin.

"Hello, New York!" he yelled gleefully. "Have you missed me? I've sure missed you, so much so that I thought I'd give you a little present!"

The camera then panned over, and Peter could feel his jaw drop when he saw the body of Wilson Fisk, the man's face completely caved in.

"TA-DA!" the Goblin cheered as he gestured towards the man. "This is Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin of Crime. But don't worry, folks, I've taken care of him for you! Now, I'm the one in charge in the world that lurks in the shadows and the back alleys. Fear not; you'll learn what the new management will mean for all of you soon... especially you, Spider-Man."

The Goblin then leaned in, the camera nearly right up on his face.

"See you soon, old friend."

Hope you're still enjoying it!

Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!

"I will keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8