Chapter 31
MILES
So.
It turns out that recreating the radioactive spider was easier than he thought.
He became friends with Harry Osborn, who was a year younger and looking to make friends. He was actually kind of cool, and Miles sympathized being the son of a rich genius. Both had pretty huge shoes to fill, though Miles also had Captain freaking America as his other parent.
So, it seemed like they were on the same page. He hung out with Harry after school and in his lab. Miles had made copies of Peter’s notes, omitting any indicators that would reveal Pete’s identity.
What Miles didn’t expect, was for the two teens to be on different pages about this whole thing.
They were alone in Harry’s lab in his father’s mansion, both on either side of the glass containing the colorful spider.
When Miles had first brought up the prospect to recreate the spider, Harry was thrilled. Voiced his opinion on missing Spiderman and rallied behind the scientific experiment.
But as time went on, Harry’s attitude started to change.
And as they stood there, the spider between them, Miles could see a change in Harry’s eyes.
“Who’s to say it can’t bite both of us?” the other teen voices, eyes fixated on the spider. Miles’ brows furrowed in confusion.
“Harry we talked about this…” Miles trailed off. Harry had some physical problems. He was asthmatic, had scoliosis as a kid and was short and skinny in stature. While Miles understood the appeal of being a superhero, he was skeptical of letting a kid do this.
And yes, he understood the irony thank you very much.
What happened next, Miles will be the first to admit he could’ve handled it differently. It’s just, Harry lunged for the spider, so Miles felt compelled to do the same. However, the spider wasn’t the only thing on the table. There was the chemicals they had experimented with.
So while the two teens wrestled over the glass case, things were kicked around and spilled. And then there was an explosion.
They were both thrown in the same direction and when Miles quickly regained consciousness, he saw Harry climbing on the wreckage. To get the spider, still in the case, that was wedged between some boards.
Which were barely holding up the ceiling.
“Harry, stop!” Miles yelled, immediately climbing up after him - ignoring the pain coming from his right side. God this was such a stupid idea, what the hell was he thinking?
“You can’t stop me Miles. I figured it out. This spider is the key to everything! I’ll be strong, superhuman strong - not some weak and pathetic shrimp. I’ll be a hero! My father will-” his speech was interrupted by the groans coming from the ceiling. Miles reached for him, but was knocked back by some debris as the ceiling came down on them.
It took longer for Miles to regain consciousness this time. When he did, he noticed he wasn’t crushed to death. Glancing around showed that he had fallen clear of the majority of the debris, but was still kind of trapped underneath some metal.
I need to find Harry, he thinks to himself, testing his body to see if he had any injuries. His right side still hurt, and glancing at it revealed something that sent off all of his alarm bells.
He had a jagged piece of metal sticking out of his ribs. How had he not noticed? Maybe all the adrenaline distracted him?
The adrenaline had worn off as panic and pain set in. And then he heard a groan coming from his left.
Harry.
He’d watched his Uncle Bruce do this a million times. And while he didn’t know the finer details, he knew not to take that out just yet. And to add compression to stop the bleeding. Slowly, he managed to take his jacket off and hold against his side.
That’s when he spotted the hole almost big enough to fit through. He managed to push past the pain, getting to a sitting position as he tried to make the hole big enough for his body to squeeze through.
Except, he wasn’t strong enough to move anything. Nothing even budge. Panic really started to set in and even spiral when he realized he was actually trapped.
They were alone in a secluded mansion, fifteen miles from the nearest town. Norman Osborn, Harry’s father, was always at his company. His mother died years ago and Harry had told him that ‘the help’ only came on the weekends.
And the Osborn’s didn’t have a trusty AI that could alert emergency services for help.
He tries again as he feels the metal shift in his ribs, nearly making him pass out. Shit shit shit shit.
“Harry?” he calls out, realizing he hadn’t heard any groans in a minute. But then he heard another groan that caused the teen to breathe a sigh of relief. Which only exacerbated the pain.
To top it off, he suddenly felt sharp, fiery and blinding pain coming from his hand.
He looked down as his eyes bulged in disbelief. Sitting there, fangs still embedded in his skin, was the colorful radioactive arachnid. Shock and panic caused him to have a delayed swatting reaction, killing the bug he had worked so hard to create.
And then everything changed. His body literally pushed the metal out in order to heal itself. He felt a tinglyness coarse throughout his body until he felt himself slip into unconsciousness again.
When he woke the third time, it was unlike anything he had every experienced. He had muscles. Like, muscle-muscles. He was always toned, working out with his Pops and playing multiple sports. But he never had a goddamn six-pack. Pushing all of this new and exciting sensory overload to the side for the moment, he focuses on getting out.
He easily pushes the metal out of his way, climbing out with such ease it’s intimidating.
Maybe he should’ve actually talked to Pete before doing this…
And that’s when he spots Harry. And his lifeless body. Miles blinks a few times before moving his feet, removing the shards covering him to pull him out of the wreckage and onto a safe surface.
Fingers on his pulse...he finds a beat. It’s weak and slow, but it’s there. He lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. That’s also when Miles suddenly hears sirens approach them.
While he was thankful help was coming...how the hell was he going to explain this to anybody?
Too soon voices filled the mansion as Miles stayed by his friend’s side, feeling guilty enough to confess what had happened. He stood up, walking to the entrance with his hands raised in surrender.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit.
Flashlights shined on him and he opened his mouth to explain when men dressed in various uniforms stormed past him .
Like, right past him.
What the fuck? He thought to himself as he looked down and almost shouted in surprise.
He held his hand up to his face, mouth gaping when he couldn’t see anything.
He was…
Holy shit he was invisible!
Must be some kind of protective reaction from the spider bite.
Holy shit that was so cool!
Men shouted around him and that’s when Miles decides now’s a good time to bounce. He had no idea how to explain his bloody clothes and zero injuries. What’s important is that Harry will live.
And if his parents find out...hopefully Miles will live too.