For the moment, the crisis seemed contained.
The lab doors had already been sealed, and as they reopened, several security personnel in full biohazard suits rushed inside.
Norman Osborn barely spared the kids a glance.
He went straight to the recovered spiders.
“Secure the specimens.
I want a full incident report immediately.
And find out who was responsible for daily maintenance.”
Only after issuing those orders did he turn back.
On the floor, Peter, Gwen, and Cindy had already collapsed.
Harry and MJ hovered anxiously nearby.
Clark knelt beside Peter, his voice tight with worry.
“How do you feel?
Where does it hurt?”
He couldn’t afford to miss anything.
Through his X-ray vision, Peter’s body unfolded before him— cells breaking apart at an astonishing rate, new structures forming, rewriting his DNA from the inside out.
“Take them to the medical wing,” Norman ordered, irritation flickering beneath his composure.
Oscorp’s private medical facility was more advanced than any top-tier hospital in New York.
Peter, Gwen, and Cindy lay on separate beds.
Their faces grew paler by the second.
Dizziness.
Nausea.
A burning sensation beneath the skin.
They could barely even speak.
A doctor in a white coat drew blood, ran tests, and handed the preliminary report to Norman.
“Mr.
Osborn, initial results show only mild reactions.
Vital signs are stable—for now.
We recommend observation.”
“Irrelevant.”
Norman didn’t even glance at the report before tossing it aside.
He knew better.
This was no “mild reaction.”
But he also knew something else—
If this got out, Oscorp’s stock would collapse overnight.
Military contracts would be terminated instantly.
That was unacceptable.
He glanced at the three patients again.
A police captain’s daughter.
A major newspaper executive’s nephew.
And another gifted student.
Trouble.
All of them.
Stepping forward, Norman put on a carefully practiced, reassuring smile.
“Children, don’t worry.
Just a minor accident.
Our doctors have confirmed there’s no serious issue—you just need rest.”
He paused, then accepted a document and pen from his assistant.
“However, to protect Oscorp’s proprietary research, we’ll need you and your families to sign a confidentiality agreement.
In return, all your medical expenses will be fully covered by Oscorp.”
Behind him, Harry watched in silence.
He wanted to say something.
But he didn’t.
Standing up for people you just met?
That wasn’t how his world worked.
Clark supported the nearly unconscious Peter, his gaze fixed on Norman.
“Mr.
Osborn,” he said steadily, “we’ll be contacting our families.
They have the right to know everything.”
Norman didn’t object.
“Of course,” he replied smoothly.
“Oscorp’s legal team will handle the communication.
But for now… rest is your priority.”
Clark didn’t respond.
But behind his calm expression—
Something had already begun to shift.
In the end, when the parents rushed over after receiving the call, they were pressured—and persuaded—by Oscorp’s legal team into signing the agreement.
Norman held too much influence in New York for them to easily refuse.
The visit ended on a tense note.
Everyone left Oscorp Tower, taking the injured kids home.
By the time they returned to the Parker house in Queens, night had already fallen.
MJ came along, clearly worried about Peter, but May Parker and Ben Parker gently urged her to go home and rest.
They said not to worry—
But reality told a different story.
Peter’s condition was getting worse.
His body burned with fever.
Clark carried him upstairs and laid him on the bed.
May, eyes red with tears, pressed a damp cloth to Peter’s forehead.
“Ben, we have to take him to a hospital!” May’s voice trembled, her nails digging into Ben’s arm.
“We don’t even know if those Oscorp doctors were telling the truth—he’s burning up!”
Ben stood by the bed, his expression grim.
As a former soldier, he had seen plenty of injuries and illnesses—but this…
This was something else.
“I’m calling an ambulance,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“Wait.”
Clark stopped him.
Both of them turned toward him, confused—and desperate.
“Mom, Dad… just calm down.”
Clark stepped closer to the bed, looking at his younger brother writhing under the covers.
He wasn’t panicking.
He was thinking.
“Before we left, the Oscorp doctors emphasized something,” he said carefully.
“This is a genetic rejection response.
It’s intense—but normal.
If we take him to a regular hospital, antibiotics or fever reducers could actually make it worse… even cause a total genetic collapse.”
It was only half true.
The doctors had said something similar—to protect themselves.
But Clark deliberately exaggerated the risks.
He had only one goal:
Keep Peter here.
Where he could control the situation.
He could become the smartest mind on Earth in an instant if needed.
May hesitated.
She knew Clark wasn’t ordinary—but this was different.
“Are we just supposed to watch him suffer?” she whispered.
“He’ll be fine.”
Clark’s voice was firm.
He reached out, gently taking her hand, grounding her with calm warmth.
“Trust me, Mom.
I’ll take care of him tonight.
I promise… by morning, he’ll be better.”
For a moment—
It almost felt like there was light behind him, quietly filling the room.
Ben studied Clark carefully.
Then he nodded.
“May… let’s trust him,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her back.
“We’ll go downstairs, get ice and saline ready.
If anything happens, we’ll be right here.”
Reluctantly, they left the room.
The door closed.
Locked.
Clark turned back.
His vision pierced through Peter’s body, watching the genetic transformation unfolding at a microscopic level.
Cells breaking.
Reforming.
Rewriting.
He considered intervening—
Then shook his head.
Too dangerous.
He couldn’t risk disrupting the process.
But he could ease the pain.
Clark placed his hand gently on Peter.
Warm solar energy flowed outward, his biofield stabilizing the chaos within.
Peter’s expression gradually softened.
The agony eased.
Clark nodded.
Then moved.
The window opened.
And in the next instant—
He was gone.
Because Peter wasn’t the only one suffering.
Cindy Moon.
Gwen.
Under the cover of night, Clark moved unseen.
No one noticed.
No one could.
He reached their homes one by one—
And quietly shared that same warmth.
That same power.
Just enough—
To take away their pain.
Because no matter how strong he was—
He couldn’t stand watching them suffer.