32 East Street, Second Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.
This was Doctor Octopus’s former home.
Unfortunately, a failed nuclear fusion experiment had shattered this once warm and happy place.
Now, having regained his normal personality, Doctor Octopus had finally returned.
“Thank you, Peter.
Or should I call you Spider-Man?” Doctor Octopus looked at the older Peter Parker, who had taken off his mask, and expressed his sincere gratitude.
With his brilliant logical reasoning abilities fully restored, Dr.
Otto had easily pieced together the clues to figure out the older Spider-Man’s true identity.
“It is good to have you back, Dr.
Otto,” the older Peter shrugged.
Now that the crisis with Doctor Octopus was resolved, he needed to get back to his own difficult life.
He had to find a job to help Aunt May pay off the mortgage.
When Uncle Ben tragically died in this universe, the house was not even close to being paid off.
If he could not come up with the money to cover the past few months of missed payments, Aunt May might end up homeless.
“And I also want to thank you, Mr.
Spider-Man from the multiverse,” Doctor Octopus said, turning his attention to the younger hero.
Peter, who was busy examining a half-destroyed piece of the nuclear fusion device, snapped out of his thoughts.
“It seems that without those metal tentacles messing with your head, you are finally willing to believe in the multiverse, Dr.
Otto,” Peter smiled.
“The facts are right in front of my eyes.
That device on your wrist is not something our current era could ever manufacture,” Doctor Octopus pointed at Peter’s web-shooters, his scientific curiosity completely undisguised.
For a scientist, the futuristic technology was incredibly tempting.
But despite his envy, Doctor Octopus knew he could not just ask Peter to hand it over.
“Sorry, I am going to need some time to clean up this mess,” Doctor Octopus said, waving his mechanical tentacles to start clearing the debris from his ruined home.
Leaving the doctor to his work, the two Spider-Men climbed up to the rooftop.
“So, what are your plans now?” the older Peter asked curiously.
Peter turned and looked out at the downtown New York City skyline, his eyes locking onto the towering Osborn Corporation skyscraper in the distance.
“Dr.
Otto’s crisis is handled for now, but what about the Green Goblin?” Peter asked.
Norman Osborn died two years ago,” the older Peter said.
His eyes flickered with sadness, clearly reluctant to bring up such painful memories.
Peter shook his head.
If the Green Goblin really died that easily, it would be a great thing.
However, in the main Marvel universe, the Green Goblin had famously faked his own death to fool everyone.
It was highly possible that the Green Goblin of this universe had pulled the exact same trick.
“You have to remember, I come from the multiverse.
I have seen things play out differently,” Peter explained.
“Are you absolutely certain Norman Osborn was killed?”
Peter’s words instantly made the older hero frown.
With a faint tingle from his spider-sense, he began to realize the terrifying implication behind Peter’s question.
“You mean Norman Osborn might not be dead?
But how is that possible?
I watched him die right in front of my own eyes!” the older Peter argued.
He vividly remembered the Green Goblin’s brutal end, an event that still filled him with a deep, lingering guilt toward his best friend, Harry.
Peter held up a hand, not wanting to jump to conclusions just yet.
“There are a few things I need to investigate and verify.
Just give me a little time.”
The older Peter nodded.
The mere suggestion that Norman Osborn might still be alive was a massive shock, and he desperately needed to know the truth.
One day later.
Harry Osborn lived in Tudor City, an upscale and highly exclusive neighborhood in New York.
His apartment was massive, luxurious, and ultra-modern, a sharp contrast to his old friend’s cramped, run-down studio.
Out on his spacious balcony, Harry was on the phone with J.
Jonah Jameson.
“I want a ten million dollar bounty on that second Spider-Man too!
I want to make sure this city never sees another Spider-Man again!” Harry yelled into the phone.
“Alright, alright, I will have my people print up some new arrest warrants in a few days,” Jameson muttered on the other end, clearly complaining but ultimately agreeing to the demands.
“I want it done right now!
Immediately! Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Make it happen!” Harry roared.
Furious, Harry slammed the phone down and took a heavy gulp of his red wine.
But as he turned to walk back inside, he froze.
A man in a red and blue suit was silently crouching on the railing in the dark corner of his balcony.
“Spider-Man!?” Harry gasped.
Terrified, Harry stumbled backward into his living room, only realizing he had nowhere left to run when his back hit the far wall.
The older Spider-Man remained completely still on the railing.
He did not take a single step forward.
He had fully expected Harry to panic, so he stayed back to give his friend some time to process the shock.
He waited patiently until Harry’s racing heartbeat finally started to slow down.
Stepping down from the railing, the older Spider-Man slowly walked into the luxurious apartment.
He kept his hands raised slightly to show he did not mean any harm.
“Harry, can we talk?” he asked softly.
Hearing Spider-Man call him by his first name made Harry freeze completely.
His mind went entirely blank, and even his intense fear of the masked vigilante suddenly vanished.
Ever since his father died, almost no one called him Harry anymore.
As the powerful new CEO of the Osborn Corporation, everyone strictly referred to him as Mr.
Osborn.
But more importantly, that voice was incredibly familiar.
Harry had listened to that exact voice for seven years, ever since they were kids in high school.
There was absolutely no way he was mistaken.
It was clearly the voice of his best friend, Peter Parker.
“You…
you are…” Harry stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the masked hero.
He already knew the answer deep in his heart, but he was too afraid to say it out loud.
The older Peter sighed heavily under his mask.
Before he even came to the apartment, he knew that the second he opened his mouth, his secret identity would be blown.
He and Harry simply knew each other way too well.
Calling them brothers would not even be an exaggeration.
Originally, he had planned to take the secret of his Spider-Man identity to his grave.
However, after hearing the shocking results of the younger Peter’s investigation, the older Peter knew he had to come see Harry in person, even if it meant exposing his biggest secret to the world.