Archive of Our Own ^beta

~Two Days After Mysterio’s Death~

Peter had just arrived at the exit of the airport to be picked up by his Aunt May. His summer trip had not been much of a trip, other than becoming a couple with MJ after Quentin nearly killed his whole group. May happily greeted him and they were on their way back to their small Queens apartment. They had been really surprised and grateful when Pepper Stark had contacted them and told them that Tony had kept all of their things in storage.

Peter checked in with Happy over the phone and decided to take a few days off from being Spider-Man. He was very tired, and he loves protecting his home, but even superheroes need breaks. He had already done all of his mission briefings for S.H.I.E.L.D., put the glasses back in storage, and had been told that S.H.I.E.L.D. would likely not contact him again until he was older.

Peter had rolled his eyes at those statements. They had been the ones to hijack his field trip. He wanted some relaxation and to get away from his grief for a little while, but it ended up making everything worse. He was never expecting to see his mentor ever again.

When they entered their apartment building, Peter noticed that there was increased security, but there were no flashy vehicles, and he did not notice any extra S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or vehicles. The extra security was probably because there had been multiple break-ins throughout the apartment building within the past month, and he had yet to catch the suspect.

Everything had been a mess right after everyone returned from the snap. People discovered that their homes were no longer their homes, relatives had died while they were gone, families had moved on, and many other unfortunate things. Everyone was grateful to be back, but it came with a cost. The world had lost one of its greatest heroes, and the others were busy helping the returned relocate and assimilate back into society.

Peter had been astonished when the schools had returned to having regular classes less than a week after everyone returned. It had been in the middle of a school day when the battles had happened, so many of the returned had popped up in the school. It had been a mess sorting out schedules, but Peter was slightly grateful that the schools were trying to get the returned students back on a regular schedule after being gone for five years.

Peter believed himself to be lucky compared to some. His Aunt, and his closest friends had also blipped, so he was not alone when he came back. He was grateful for his mentor’s sacrifice, but he was angry at the same time. He had talked to Pepper and Happy later on after the funeral, and had been told that part of the reason Tony had helped with time travel was to get him back.

Peter understood why Tony had done it, but he was saddened that Tony had left a young daughter and wife behind. He still kept in contact with Pepper, but he had been having a really hard time with everything. He was grateful that the Starks had been so thoughtful. He had so many emotions going through his head, and he just wanted to escape from them for a little while, but then Fury dragged him into battle against someone who had a vendetta against Tony Stark and targeted him because Tony had left him a precious gift that would help him protect the world.

Peter let his thoughts spiral and go to those saddening places as he and May climbed the stairs of the building because the elevator was out, and they unfortunately lived on one of the higher up floors. They soon arrived at their apartment and May was the first to look in after she unlocked the door. She opened it wide, and Peter went to go in, but noticed that she had frozen in the doorway.

Peter’s brow furrowed and he went to ask what was wrong, but then he spotted a very good Tony Stark look-alike on their couch. Peter armed his web shooters and shot one at the intruder while May gasped in shock as he pushed her behind him.

The intruder had no time to say anything before Peter had webbed them to the couch. They would not be able to reach for any weapons or anything now. Peter growled and looked around at the room, trying to see if he could sense any of Beck’s drones around. He could not see anything, but this had to be one of his cruel tricks!

“Where are you, Beck! You can’t fool me anymore! The world knows that you are a fraud, and your attempt to reveal my identity was foiled by S.H.I.E.L.D. when Fury caught your team, especially William, and confiscated the edited footage! Where did you even get more drones?! You should be dead! Fury’s team dragged your body off of that bridge once I confirmed that I heard no heartbeat! What do you want now?!” Peter furiously ranted towards the seemingly saddened intruder sitting on his apartment’s couch.

The intruder began to speak “It’s really me, kid. I’ve already been to Pepper and Morgan. Needless to say, I was extremely lucky to still be alive after not seeing them for multiple months. Pepper looked like she wanted to murder someone for hiding my living status.”

Peter interrupted with “Enough! I will not be fooled again!”

Peter calmed slightly when May sat her hand on his shoulder while looking at Tony.

“Peter, hon, maybe you should listen to him. You just said that Beck was dead, I don’t think that this is an illusion.” May said with compassion and weariness.

“Kid, listen to your spider sense. Is it telling you that there is danger? I was briefed about your latest heroic escapade in Europe, which we will be talking about later, so I know that you have been working on fine-tuning it. It’s really me, kid. I had no clue that I was pronounced dead after the battle until a couple of days ago.” the intruder said with sincerity.

Peter still kept his guard up, and kept May standing behind him to be safe. He payed particular attention to his spider sense and noted that it was no worse than usual. The intruder was supposedly telling the truth. Peter then let May pass by him and into the kitchen. She headed into the kitchen to brew some coffee and tea. She knew that the only other person who could ever have access to the apartment was Happy or the Starks. She was sure that this had to actually be Tony Stark, and she was not very happy to figure out what this would do to her nephew’s emotional state.

Peter then sat in a chair across from the couch, as he was still wary of the intruder. He still was not convinced that it was Tony. He motioned for the intruder to speak their mind.

“Okay, kid. Let me just say that I am terribly sorry that my living status was kept from both you and everyone else. Right after the battle, I had been presumed dead, and my heart had stopped, but it had only been temporary. My body had been transported to Wakanda. I was revived, but the Wakandans decided to keep it a secret from everyone under the direction of Dr. Strange. He had instructed them to tell everyone that I was dead, and they complied. I was not able to complain because I was in a coma until a few weeks ago. I still was not allowed contact with the outside world until a few days ago though, per Dr. Strange’s ridiculous orders. I’ve gotten a whole lot better strength wise, and Princess Shuri had been able to save my arm. I still have scarring, but everything still functions properly. I would have come much sooner, but the stupid Wizard put up some sort of spell or something to keep me from leaving Wakanda or contacting the outside world. He tried to explain to me why it had to go that way after I woke up, but I was too furious to actually pay attention to him, so I will likely have to talk to him about that later. I promise you kid, I am not an illusion. I missed you, kid.” the intruder spoke.

Peter’s frown grew as the intruder’s story went on. If the story was true, Why would Dr. Strange do that? Peter continued to ask questions in his head, but he knew that there would only be a couple of ways to know if it was actually Tony.

“If you are Tony Stark, I need you to tell me something that only you and I could know.” Peter demands.

The intruder shook their head and agreed.

“Well, kid, you thought that it was a test when I offered you a spot on the Avengers after the whole ‘Homecoming’ situation, oh, wait, Happy and Pepper know about that! Um, when we were on the battlefield the first time, right before you disappeared from my arms, you apologized. You were so scared, and I couldn’t help you.” Tony said solemnly and tearfully as he remembered one of the worst things that had ever happened in his life.

Peter’s eyes widened as he realized that Tony had been the only one that could have possibly known about the moments right before he was ‘dusted’. Peter teared up and responded.

“Mr. Stark! It’s really you!?” Peter said with surprise.

“Yeah, kid. It’s me. I’m so sorry. I had no idea that they hid me from everyone!” Tony said as Peter jumped up from his chair and immediately drew Tony into a hug.

Tony smiled, but he could not hug back, as he was still trapped in webs.

“Well, kid, I would hug you back, but you webbed me to the couch, so…” Tony said as Peter realized that he had forgotten about the webs.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark. I’ve always been wary of intruders, but now after Europe, that may not have been your best plan. Next time, please just call ahead, or ring the doorbell.” Peter said seriously.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I had to come though. Just know that I do not condone any of what Fury had pulled you into, or what Strange directed the Wakandans to report about my ‘death’. I plan on telling the world that I am still alive eventually, but right now, I just need some time alone with my family.” Tony admitted.

Peter soon got rid of the webs around Tony and they were able to hug properly as May watched on with a small smile. She had grown to like Tony within the year after the Homecoming incident. That was when she had figured out that Tony truly cares for her nephew.

Tony and Peter were reunited, and all was well for a few months, but once the middle of Peter’s senior year hit, everything began to go awry.

~December Break~

The semester had gone quite well considering the things that had gone on during the summer. Peter and MJ had been dating for months now, and they believed that they were truly in love. They went on dates, and were quite Happy. Ned had gotten back together with Betty around mid-semester, and they were quite happy as well.

MJ, Ned, and Peter had all passed their exams, and were thrilled to be half-way through with their senior year of high school. Tony had allowed Peter to tell his friends, and only his friends, that he was still alive. Tony had only allowed it because he wanted to include Peter’s friends in any parties or celebrations. He was not very big on the holidays, but they always did some sort of gift exchange in December regardless of what faith everyone belonged to.

Peter had introduced MJ to Tony during the Thanksgiving break, and they had surprisingly gotten along quite well. Ned had other plans at the time, but Tony had already known of him, and he trusted that Ned would keep his secret until he was ready to reveal his living status.

Their semester had just ended, and Peter had invited both Ned and MJ to the Stark’s December Gift Exchange with Tony’s permission. Ned once again said that he had prior plans, but MJ agreed to come. She did not have much family, and did not get along very well with those that she did have, so she was more than happy to go with Peter.

She had helped him pick out a gift for Morgan and Pepper, while he helped her pick out a gift for Tony and Happy. They had both already chosen their gifts for May at a prior date. They were very excited for their first, well, MJ’s first, December celebration. Especially since they had both grown quite close to Morgan within the past few months and thought of her like a sibling.

They were at the mall when everything went wrong this time. They had just exited one of the kiddie stores after finding a gift for Morgan when someone in a green costume came crashing through the glass roof calling Peter’s name.

People all around panicked and began running while the Goblin-like figure continued calling Peter’s name and throwing odd gas bombs around. Peter’s spider sense was going crazy and he directed MJ to get out of there.

“Peter, no! This guy’s after you and we don’t know what he wants! I won’t leave you!” MJ insisted.

Peter shook his head and responded “MJ, I have to go! He’s threatening everyone while he is looking for me! I have no idea what that gas does, but it cannot be good! I have to confront him. I’m sorry, MJ, but I have to.”

Before MJ could respond, Peter ran away from her and towards where the Goblin-like figure was hovering.

“Hey, Goblin! I’m Peter Parker! What do you want!?” Peter shouted to get the Goblin’s attention.

Peter heard the Goblin cackle and he stayed still, but armed his web shooters, and watched as the Goblin approached him. He had already pressed the panic button on his watch that Tony had insisted he wear in case of events like these.

The Goblin flew directly in front of him. He threw one of his gas bombs directly in front of Peter while cackling. Peter coughed heavily and noticed that whatever the bomb contained had dulled his senses.

The Goblin picked him up and flew out of the broken glass roof. MJ screamed Peter’s name as she watched him being taken into the sky with the horrible beast of a villain. Peter couldn't hear her, as his senses were majorly dulled.

Peter repeated his question again as the Goblin dangled him above the broken glass roof.

“What do you want!?” Peter questioned as the Goblin continued to laugh.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Parker. What do I want, you ask? Well, I want you to suffer. I want to use you for my own plans, Spider-Man.” the Goblin replied as Peter’s eyes widened at the revelation.

The Goblin cackled again when he saw Peter’s stunned and horrified face.

“You weren’t expecting that, were you, Spidey?” the Goblin questioned.

Peter began to hyperventilate as the Goblin laughed.
“Little spider, I will squash you like the arachnid you are. I’d kill you now, but I need you for a few more things before I end you. However, you are coming with me, spider. Say goodbye to the outside world, Parker, for this will be the last time you see it!” The Goblin said as he knocked Peter out with a hit to the head.

Hits like that would normally not work on him, but whatever had been in those odd bombs had weakened him significantly. The Goblin flew away with Peter in its clutches as MJ watched and screamed from the ground alongside many other terrified people.

MJ pressed her watch’s panic button multiple times. She hated that Peter had rushed into the danger without his suit. She could not hear anything that the Goblin or Peter had been saying while they hovered above the broken roof. She noticed that Peter seemed to be struggling in the Goblin’s grip as if he were weakened.

She watched and screamed as the Goblin knocked Peter out and flew away with him. She was both worried and furious. Whomever the Goblin is, they went after Peter while he was in his civilian role. She was furious that someone had targeted Peter, and that she had not been able to stop Peter from running after the Goblin.

She was saddened though, because she knew that Peter would do whatever it took to keep civilians safe, even if it meant risking his own life, which he had just done. She continued looking up at the sky after they had disappeared from sight, as if she could make them come back. Her boyfriend had just been kidnapped.

She knew that Peter had activated the tracker on his watch, but she was not sure if it was still active. She really hoped that this new villain was stupid enought o forget about tracking equipment, but with how decked out they were, she highly doubted that they would forget about something like that.

Ten minutes after Peter had been taken, the Rescue suit arrived at her location, and she could see the War Machine flying by over the broken roof. She really hoped that he got to Peter before the Goblin could do anything.

Pepper opened the face-plate of her older suit and attempted to question MJ about the situation, but MJ was distracted. MJ continued to look up at the sky while Pepper tried to get her attention. Police and emergency crews had already arrived at the scene to help the people who were left at the scene. Many had been cut by the falling glass, but it appeared that the gas had harmed no one present.

Pepper was eventually able to break MJ out of her focus on the sky.

Before Pepper could say anything, MJ spoke.

“Pepper! They took him, Pepper! They called his name, and he approached the guy to get attention away from everyone else, and the guy took him!” MJ frantically relayed.

Pepper’s gaze hardened and she calmly replied “Okay, we need to get out of here, and then we will talk everything out. Rhodey’s going after the guy right now. Peter had his watch’s tracker activated. We will find him.”

MJ nodded and Pepper led her outside to the car that Happy had followed Pepper and Rhodey in. Pepper disengaged her armor and got in the vehicle alongside MJ who was startlingly quiet. MJ was worried, but she was not tearful. She was furious that someone would dare target Peter.

Pepper still had her communications connected to the War Machine suit and getting constant updates from Rhodey. She had already directed Happy to go ahead and drive to the compound instead of Peter’s apartment, as Peter was being targeted. May had already been with Happy at the Compound and watching Morgan while Peter and MJ went shopping in the city, Pepper worked on a couple of SI things, and Tony continued building one of his holiday surprises. MJ and Peter were supposed to get to the Compound later that day.

Pepper heard Rhodey’s communications burst with noise for a moment, and then all she heard was static. Beforehand, she could hear Rhodey updating her that he was close to catching up with the Goblin-like being that kidnapped Peter. Pepper then heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. relay that her systems were rebooting in the War Machine armor. She was really worried.

Seconds after the suit communications began functioning again, Pepper heard Rhodey cursing.

“Rhodey, What happened?” She questioned as MJ looked at her with fear.

“He had a strong EMP, Pepper. It shut the suit down before I was able to get to Peter. I’ve lost him Pepper. I’m sorry. EMPs aren’t supposed to work on these suits, so we’re dealing with someone brilliant here, Pepper. This could be a major problem.” Rhodey relayed.

Pepper frowned and confirmed that she heard the update. She directed him to head back to the Compound, as there was nothing else that he could do. Pepper sighed heavily and worried about what Tony would do. He was still not very strong, but she knew that Tony would do everything to get Peter back to safety, and that included risking his life again.

They arrived at the Compound a while later, all gifts and celebrations forgotten as they were greeted by Tony’s worried face.

“Pepper, what happened? Where is Peter?” Tony questioned.

“Has Rhodey not spoken to you yet?” Pepper solemnly asked.

“No, he’s still in his quarters. He didn’t come back with Peter or tell me anything! What is going on?!” Tony replied.

Pepper led MJ inside and sat her down on the couch. MJ perched her elbows on her knees and placed her head in her hands.

Tony noticed this reaction, and realized that something was very wrong.

“Tony, we still have not yet gotten the full story, but Peter was kidnapped. Rhodey went after him, but he was hit by an EMP that also knocked out the trackers on Peter’s watch. Rhodey couldn’t find him even after his suit’s power was restored. I’m sorry, Tony, but Peter’s missing.” Pepper answered.

Tony’s face morphed into one of disbelief and horror.

“NO! You’re lying! You have to be! Peter’s got to meet us here later today! He’ll be here!” Tony tried to convince himself.

MJ looked up at Tony with a gaze of grief and determination and said “She’s not lying, Stark. I was there. This Goblin thing just took him. He was throwing some weird gas bomb things around and calling for Peter, and Peter’s self-sacrificing self approached and got himself taken. It’s our job to get him Back!”

Tony nodded and sighed with resignation. He knew that what was said had to be true.

Tony started speaking immediately.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., I need you to get all the footage of the attack on my kid. I need you to gather all audio that the watches recorded after being activated. I want everything you can get me about this situation! I will find my kid!” Tony spoke with anger in his voice.

MJ re-positioned herself with her hands on her face again while Pepper tried to console her. Pepper stayed with her and watched as Tony made way to his lab. They had been staying at the Compound for the past week while preparing for the party, and Tony now had all of his technology at his disposal instead of a small lab in the Cabin’s garage.

~Back With Peter~

Peter slowly opened his eyes, groaned, and stared up at the dull gray ceiling above him for a minute. He then sat up and felt the back of his head where the Goblin had hit him. He then noted that his senses were still extremely dampened. He was trapped in a small and dingy cell.

He then noticed that he was sitting on a small bed that lay close to the floor of his small prison cell. Peter noted that the only difference between the cell he is in, and actual prison cells, is that his cell has more vents and one of the walls is a large glass panel.

Peter saw no one outside of the cell, but he did see all kinds of technology and medical equipment. It gave him a really bad feeling. He walked up to the glass and knocked his hand against it gently. He felt the vibrations it made, and he could tell that it was not regular glass.

If he had to guess, he would say that the glass was somehow laced with Vibranium. It was most likely one of the ways the Goblin would keep him there. He turned his back to the glass wall and walked back to the bed, but before he could get there, he heard the Goblin’s wicked cackle and jumped.

The Goblin had seen him jump and he only cackled harder.

“It must feel really odd to be without your spider sense right now, doesn’t it, boy?” The Goblin gleefully questioned as Peter turned around and glared at him.

“Are you going to say anything, boy? I know that you’re a talker. You like to joke and talk in order to distract your enemies. Or do you actually do that to hide that you’re only a fear filled child?” The Goblin mocked.

Peter grimaced but did not dignify the Goblin with a response. The Goblin huffed at the lack of response, but continued to speak.

“Well, then, I suppose that I could do all the talking. I bet that you have noticed that your senses are dulled. You can thank one of my dear minions for that. I’ll introduce you to them in just a moment, and they can tell you more about that Ethyl Chloride that’s keeping you from being your full Spidery self.” he said gleefully.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, my little Hobgoblin!” The Goblin called in a cheerful voice.

Peter watched as another Goblin-like creature stepped out of the doorway at the side of the room. This one appeared to be even more menacing than the Goblin that had kidnapped him. He had caught glimpses of the ‘Hobgoblin’ around New York before, but the Hobgoblin had always been too fast for him to catch. He really wished that he had worked harder to find him now. He had no clue that the ‘Hobgoblin’ was working for someone. He just thought that he was a drug dealer with a terrible costume that was extremely good at escaping his clutches.

Peter had caught the Hobgoblin before, but he always woke up to stories saying that the Hobgoblin had escaped his webs somehow. Now he knows that the ‘Hobgoblin’ had been working for this ‘Goblin’. Peter stayed silent as the Goblin beckoned Hobgoblin forward again.

Peter noted that the Hobgoblin seemed slightly reluctant to come over. The Goblin directed the Hobgoblin to stand right in front of Peter’s cell. He then shocked both the Hobgoblin and Peter by ripping off the Hobgoblin’s terrifying mask.

“Ned? What? Why? How?!” Peter stuttered as he saw his best friend’s shocked face looking back at him.

Ned turned back to the Goblin and angrily yelled “What the heck! You told me from the start that I would never have to reveal my identity to him! Otherwise I never would have agreed to do this!”

The Goblin cackled with mirthful glee and responded “Oh, dear Mr. Leeds, you have always been so naive when it comes to my plans. It has always been part of my plan to show the spider that his own best friend has been working against him! The betrayal of a friend is a great wound to one’s heart. My family and I know that very well, and I wanted to show this mewling imp what it feels like!”

The Goblin then ripped off his own mask and showed his sinister smile. This made Peter go white as a sheet. The one who kidnapped him just so happened to be Norman Osborn. The father of his best friend from before Ned and from before Harry had been sent off to some boarding school because of misbehavior when he was only six years old.

“Mr. Osborn! What? I didn’t betray you or Harry. I don’t know what you want, and I don’t know what’s going on other than my best friend has apparently been working for you!” Peter shakily said.

Norman cackled again and angrily responded “You may not have betrayed me, boy, but your parents did. Of course, I had to have them killed after they tried to shut down my company because of my illegal genetics research. It was all in vain though, as their spiders survived and went on to create you. In case you haven't already figured it out, I was the one to orchestrate the spider bite.”

Peter’s face paled even further as Norman continued to explain. Peter occasionally glanced at Ned whose face held a guilty expression.

“Your father was trying to help me create a cure for a genetic disease that Harry and I have. He came up with temporary solutions, and they are all that is helping keep me alive with the help of this terrible green and purple armor equipped to release the medication every few hours. We continued working on his research with the spiders, and I did something highly illegal that Richard hated. Richard was going to report me, but I had to stop him! The unfortunate part is that it took so many years to orchestrate that spider bite and get strong enough to attack you! I’m barely alive right now as it is! Mr. Leeds, why don’t you tell him what I did that his parents so strongly disagreed with?” Norman calmly requested.

Ned reluctantly spoke and said “Mr. Osborn injected Harry with your dad’s experimental spider serum. He had taken the enhanced spider’s venom and made a serum. He thought that it would keep the genetic disorder from harming Harry, but it ended up speeding up the process. Harry’s still alive, but he is really weak. He’s here, Peter, and Mr. Osborn needs your DNA to complete the new serum that could heal Harry. I’m sorry, Peter, but I had to help him with this or ---”

“Enough! You can tell him why you betrayed him later. I need his DNA now! Reduce the Ethyl Chloride flow so that his blood will be pure other than the nanites! I swear that if you use those nanites to hurt Harry instead of help him, I will kill you! I already injected Peter with nanites that deliver powerful shocks if he even tries to escape.” Norman yelled as Ned tried to explain.

Ned shut his mouth and walked further away from Peter’s cell. His face held a heavy solemn look of guilt. Ned then got out a tablet, clicked a few buttons, and Peter soon felt some of his senses returning to him. He had been horrified when Norman had said he had been injected with nanites.

“The nanites are set to only respond to Peter’s genetic code. If they get in Harry, they shouldn’t do anything. It will take about an hour for the effects to wear off since he was exposed to it for a prolonged period. He may show side effects of it later. I’ll keep an eye out for them, but they should not hinder your research to help Harry.” Ned said as Peter listened with mild fascination.

Apparently, one of his weaknesses is Ethyl Chloride. He really wonders how Ned found that one out. It really didn’t matter when he thought about it though. He just knows that his best friend betrayed him by hiding a villainous identity and conspiring with another villain to have him kidnapped for who knows how long. He really hoped that he got answers soon.

Osborn then replaced his mask and left the room. Peter and Ned were then alone to discuss the situation.

Peter began tearfully by saying “Ned, how long have you been pretending to be my friend?”

Ned sighed heavily and started his explanation “My family immigrated to America when I was about three years old. My father was only able to keep us in the United States because, as you know, he is a wealthy doctor who had been born in America and is half-white. He’s the reason that I even get to go to Midtown. What I never told you is that he worked alongside Mr. Osborn when I was young.

The United States threatened to deport my mother and I for some reason, probably because I was born outside of the United States, and my father went to Mr. Osborn for help because they had become friends. This was shortly after I turned seven, so everything with Harry and your parents had already happened.Mr. Osborn offered to help keep us in the United States if my father agreed to let him work with me.

My father unfortunately agreed, but he had no clue what he had gotten himself into. He never expected that one of his closest colleagues and friends would use his son to both experiment on and use as a pawn in his game. My father got his help, and in return for keeping my mother and I in the United States, he signed a contract that pretty much made it where Norman owns me. It’s all hidden of course, because it is illegal to actually own a human, but it didn’t stop him.

The first time my father tried to keep Norman from taking me, Norman slapped my mother and threatened to kill both of us while he watched. My father agreed to let Norman take me into his home every weekend in order to keep both my mother and I alive. It’s messed up, I know, but I am just a slave to him. I did everything he said. Norman convinced my father to enroll me in the same schools as you and in return I had to befriend you. He constantly threatens my family, and he still holds that power over me.

I never expected that I would actually come to be friends with you, but I did, and I never wanted to betray you, but this has been Norman’s plan since before you and I ever became friends. He’s a monster, and my father didn’t see that until it was too late. Now, you and I are both paying for my father’s mistakes. That’s why I drew you away from the group on that field trip to Oscorp. Norman directed me to lead you away and towards him.

I had lied and told you that I needed to go to the restroom and that I was afraid to go alone, and you foolishly believed me. We both froze when Norman approached us and talked with us as if he was interested that we were young interns in the making. You were so nervous that you didn’t even notice that stupid spider slip out of the small container in his suit’s jacket, over his hand, and onto yours. He planned for that bite to happen.

He just didn’t expect everything that came after. He had to wait so long for his plan to work because you had been noticed by Stark and then all of those ridiculous wars happened. The spider bite was necessary because it would only work with your genetics, and afterwards, Norman could harvest your DNA to come up with a cure for he and his son’s disease. Harry and I had disappeared during the Snap, but Norman had remained, and created a suit that continuously synthesized the drugs created by your father. He announced his withdrawal from public life, and became the Goblin.

When I got back, he kept his hold over my family and used it to create my Hobgoblin persona. I never wanted to become this or betray you, but I did it to help keep my family safe. I’m not sorry about helping keep my family safe, but I am sorry that I hurt you. Ever since the snap, Norman has made me go out and do his bidding at night, as he was afraid of being caught in the public’s eye as the Goblin, but he got impatient when I kept making excuses and refusing to kidnap you while you were out as Spider-Man. I figured out that Ethyl Chloride worked against you and I created his pumpkin bombs. I’ve been working for Norman Osborn ever since I was seven years old, and I still am. I will only be free of him once he is dead.”

Peter had been silently crying as Ned explained his side of the story. Ned was a victim of Norman Osborn as well. The betrayal still hurt, but it was slightly dulled by knowing that his friend was being forced/coerced to work with the monster who had his parents killed.

Ned then sighed again and with a hardened glare spoke again “Peter, I have to warn you before he gets back. He’s planning on revealing your identity to the world, breaking you down as much as possible, experimenting on you, and using you until you die. I never wanted this to happen. You have to escape. I can’t get you out. He’d know and then he’d kill my parents.”

Peter’s eyes widened at the revelation. He had known that Norman wanted to kill him eventually, but he had no clue about the identity part.

Ned continued with “He’s got cameras all over this room, and he has many examples of proof that you are Spider-Man. That was also partially why I was angry when he revealed my identity. When he releases everything, my identity will be released as well, and I will go to prison for all the crimes I have committed on his behalf. He’s planning on doing this tomorrow. He wanted to wait a little while after he obtained your DNA for testing. He’s going to reveal your identity and use you as much as he can. He’s going to use your blood to create more serums that most likely will not work, but you can’t tell a crazy man like him anything like that. I really hope that someone will come after you, because if they don’t, we’ll both be stuck here until you or him dies, and I would much rather someone save you or Norman dying, because the alternative is bad for both of us.”

“Ned, I came in here equipped with a tracking watch. Norman must have taken it off of me. We’ve been going to school together for a very long time, and I happen to know that you are an expert with coding as well as Chemistry. If you can find that watch and reactivate it, I will be found. I cannot get out of here on my own. This glass is somehow laced with Vibranium and I cannot break it. You need to reactivate that watch or send a message out to MJ about where I am. You’ve betrayed me, but you can help me now. You cannot take back what you did, or reinstate the trust we had, but you can still help me. Please, Ned.” Peter pleaded.

Ned shook his head and responded “Fine. I’ll reactivate the watch in the morning. I know where Norman stored it, and he won’t be here in the morning because he’ll be with Harry on one of the upper floors. He didn’t want Harry’s bed to be down here. He wanted to have Harry in a normal room, so that if he does wake up, he won’t look like a medical experiment. Harry’s been in a coma ever since he was six years old. You and I both know that there’s no way that he’d ever live a normal life anymore. Norman’s just prolonging he and his son’s inevitable deaths. Anyway, I’ll do it in the morning after he gets your DNA. If we do it now, no one would get here in time to help.”

Peter nodded at Ned’s plan even though he did not understand his logic. He figured that the watch may be in a location that he could not access until after Norman leaves the floor. Peter’s really nervous of the events that could come. Before Ned could say anything else, Peter’s body seized and he collapsed in extreme pain.

Ned’s eyes widened as he saw Peter collapse in extreme pain. He then heard Norman call him.

“Ned, has it been enough time for his blood to clear enough for the test?” Norman seriously questioned.

Peter groaned, but did not get up.

Ned responded and questioned with “Not quite, it should take a few more minutes. Why did you shock him if you were not sure yet?”

Norman grimaced and responded “I shocked him to test if the nanites actually worked, and they work perfectly. Your design was perfect, but if you question my actions again, there will be consequences, and I’m sure that you want to see your lovely mother again.”

Ned cringed, but he did not reply. He should have known better than to question Norman. He really hated that Peter now knew that those specific nanites were his creation. Nanites were meant to help people, not hurt them. Ned was ashamed that he had helped create something deadly that could work against more than just enhanced persons.

Ned alerted Norman when the decontamination time was up. Norman then sent another shock through Peter using the nanites. Peter convulsed again and finally passed out. He had not yet recovered from the previous shock. He would likely be out for a while considering that Norman had used the highest setting the second time he used the nanites.

Norman then opened the Vibranium cell door and entered with the materials to collect Peter’s blood. Norman drew enough blood from Peter for a couple of blood transfusions. It would have knocked Peter out had he been conscious.

Ned became nauseous when he noticed how much blood Norman had drawn. Peter’s pallor had paled significantly. He would be knocked out for hours, or maybe less, no one there really knew how that much blood loss could affect enhanced persons.

Norman soon exited Peter cell while humming “The Itsy Bitsy Spider '' under his breath. It really freaked Ned out. Norman then placed the collected blood into the refrigeration unit of the lab connected to Peter’s cell.

“Mr. Leeds, I no longer need you for this operation. You shall await further instruction, but go home as if nothing has transpired between us for the past few days. You will tell no one of this or your parents will die by my hand.” Norman demanded.

Ned nodded while saying “Yes, Mr. Osborn. I know the drill. My parents die if I tell anyone about anything that has transpired over the past several years.”

Ned then glanced mournfully at Peter’s prone body on the dingy cell floor. He told Peter that he could help him by reactivating the watch. He was wrong. He had not anticipated that Osborn would send him away.

Ned left the underground facility below Oscorp tower through the hidden entrance that had no cameras. He was never allowed to be seen on Oscorp’s property unless directly stated otherwise by Norman. Ned made his way out to the street. He made his way to the subway station and rode home. Norman had been in control of his life for long enough. He had just made him betray his best friend of many years. Enough was enough, he had to stop the madness regardless of who it could harm.

Ned no longer cared about protecting himself. He wanted to protect his family, but this was more important. It was better to be free of the madness than to live on under his thumb. Ned made the decision to contact Michelle Jones. He no longer had the right to call her or Peter his friend after everything he had done to them.

Ned left the subway station early and went to the closest payphone he could find. Norman could monitor his personal phone, so he couldn’t use that, but he knew Michelle’s number, so he could contact her easily. He’d call Mr. Stark, but he didn’t want to enrage the man further, and he knows that Michelle will listen to him before hurling any accusations or insults.

Ned quickly retrieved some change from his pockets and dialed Michelle’s number. Ned had already turned off his phone after hacking into it and changing his location as being home, but he knew that Norman would likely know that he had deviated from his path home. Norman may have been crazy, but he wasn’t an idiot. He was terrifying, and Ned was worried that he would be caught. He would be in so much trouble, but at this point, he was so done with everything. His best friend had just been tortured because he had knowingly created something dangerous.

It rang a few times and Ned could hear a fearful Michelle answer.

“Hey, Ned. I’m sure you’re calling because Peter’s been kidnapped. Stark’s working on finding clues and getting Peter home right now. I’ll call you back when we get more information, Ned.” MJ quickly said before Ned could say anything.

MJ went to hang up, but Ned practically shouted “Wait! Don’t hang up! I have some information that may be helpful!”

Ned could tell that MJ had paused for a minute and then she responded again.

“Ned, I’m going to put you on speaker, and you’re going to tell us what you know.”

Ned took a deep breath and began relaying information.

“Peter’s being held underground beneath Oscorp in a secret research facility. Osborn’s using him, and tomorrow he plans on revealing both his and my identities.”

Ned could hear Michelle suck in a large breath and he heard her tone turn deadly serious and cold.

“Edward Leeds, what did you do? You only sound like that when you have done something stupid! Tell me now, or I will come to you and make you wish that you were never born!” she responded.

Ned cringed and said “Well, Michelle, I’ve kind of been unwillingly working with Norman Osborn ever since I was seven years old. I cannot go into much detail right now, but you need to save Peter before Norman can reveal his identity and kill him via a live-stream tomorrow. He wants to experiment on Peter’s body after he’s dead. I didn’t tell Peter that Norman was planning on killing him tomorrow and doing post-mortem experiments. I wish that I had. By the way, you cannot threaten me with something like that, because I already wish that I had never been born. Had I never been born, Peter likely wouldn’t be in this situation. I’ve created so many things that have hurt him. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. Please help him.”

Ned ended the call before anyone could say anything else. He had heard Pepper in the background gasp a couple of times at the new information.

Ned then left the payphone and returned to his home. He then informed his mother of what he had done. She had cried and said that she was proud of him. She had always hated that Ned was being used by Norman. She hated that his father had even allowed it in the first place.

Ned’s father soon came home after a long shift at Oscorp where he was still being forced to work, and Ned revealed what he had done while they were eating dinner.

His father was furious.

“Edward Leeds, I did what I did to protect you and your mother, and you just ruined it because of one insignificant friend! You have ruined us!”

Ned interrupted his father’s rant and enragedly said “No, you're the one who ruined our lives when you practically sold me to that monster! You knew that I was being experimented on! I’m just lucky that I was never killed, or that I never gained any weird powers, unless you could guilt as an ability! You failed to read his illegal contract and report him! You failed to protect mom and I! You were afraid of his power! Had you not taken his deal, we could have been safe outside of the United States, but you just had to keep your cushy United States job! You got scared when he threatened Mom and I, but you could have done something to stop him early on, and you did nothing!”

Ned’s father yelled back “I thought that he was going to kill you two! I did what I thought was right! I didn’t want you two to be kicked out of the place we moved to for a better life, but you’re right! I ended up making things much worse, so why don’t we just end it all now!”

Ned’s father then proceeded to get up from the table and grabbed a gun out of one of the kitchen drawers where it was stored in case of emergencies. Ned froze in his seat, unsure of what his father’s words meant, and terrified of the implications.

Ned’s mother yelled out “No! Don’t! A gun won’t solve anything! All they do is cause more grief!”

Ned’s father didn’t listen. Ned watched as his father shot his mother in the heart. His mother’s face was set in a shocked state as her body fell off of the chair. Her eyes did not even close. Ned’s father had become near hysterical and was apologizing.

Ned got up to run out of the house, but before he could even make it out of the door, his father shot him in the same place that his mother had been shot in. Ned collapsed and died shortly after. His last thoughts were not about his family, but they were about Peter. He died thinking about how he and Peter had met for the first time.

Ned’s father was weeping hysterically after he had killed his wife and son. He continued muttering useless apologies and then he turned the gun on himself. He killed himself. His last thoughts were of how it had all been his fault. He had not wanted to kill them, but it was the only way for their family to ever be truly free of Osborn’s wrath. The entire Leeds family died that night.

~At the Compound~

MJ was furious. Apparently, Leeds had only been pretending to be Peter’s friend. She left the room, out of range of Morgan, May, and Pepper’s hearing. Once outside, she yelled at the sky and cursed loudly.

She did not cry. She was too furious.

‘Well, Miss Jones, I agree with many things you just said.” Tony coldly said as he stood outside the door she had come out of.

She turned around and angrily said “Stark? What are you doing out here? Didn’t your A.I. relay everything Leeds said?”

Tony sighed and responded calmly with dedication “Yes, she told me everything. Sorry about the slightly cold tone. I don’t usually apologize, but I’m really trying to keep calm right now, because if I race in there with no plan, I could end up hurting Peter. Rhodey’s been informed of the situation and he’s coming up with a plan. I’m going to be going no matter what though. I don’t care if the world knows I am still alive. He’s my kid, and I will get him back.”

MJ nodded and Tony motioned for them to return indoors. MJ followed Tony inside and watched as he turned the corner and headed to his lab where all of the clues and plans were being stored. Pepper asked a slightly more cheerful May to watch Morgan while she helped rescue Peter. May immediately agreed.

“It’s okay, Pepper. Happy and I can watch her while you get our kid back.” May said as Pepper smiled.

They soon had a plan formed, but they wouldn’t be able to strike until the next day. MJ was really worried about that part of the plan. She was worried that they wouldn’t get there in time to stop the identity reveal. They would have to perfectly time their attack. They needed Norman’s plan to broadcast Peter’s identity to backfire and show the world that he truly is a monster.

~Back at Oscorp~

Peter slowly woke up many hours after Norman tortured him and apparently drew blood. Peter could see the needle mark in his arm. Norman must have drawn a crippling amount of blood if the mark on his arm had not healed yet. Peter continued to lie on the floor. He did not feel like he had any strength left.

Peter felt really ill. His senses were once again dulled, so he figured that the Ethyl Chloride gas was being pumped into the room again. It was making him kind of nauseous and loopy. He felt like he could barely move. His head was hurting too. Many of those symptoms were most likely due to the fact that Norman drew so much blood though, as the Ethyl Chloride had not hit him near that hard the first couple of times.

Peter drifted off to sleep again. He had no energy to move. He only woke once again when he heard Norman enter the cell while obnoxiously whistling “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Peter would have rolled his eyes if he had the energy to.

Norman stopped whistling and picked Peter up by the collar, angled him towards the cameras in the cell and began talking “Hello, Spider-Man. Wave to the cameras. I’ve connected them to all of the screens in New York City. I’m surprised that you’re still living. I drew enough of your blood to kill a normal human. Of course, that’s probably why you can barely move right now. Well, since you cannot talk, I will do the talking.”

Norman then propped Peter against his chest and looked directly into the main camera linked to everyone’s screens.

“Hello, New Yorkers. I am the Green Goblin. I sent video evidence and photos of this boy being Spider-Man to the media and all over the internet. I also posted videos of some of his time spent here. Do you agree that it was glorious when his own friend turned against him? Oh, wait, he was never friends with my Hobgoblin at all was he?”

The Goblin laughed at his own words. He was having so much fun tormenting the almost dead arachnid.

“Well, since he’s already looking pretty bad, I think that I should end the little spider’s misery. So, Mr. Parker, say goodbye to the world. It wasn’t so nice knowing you!” Norman said as he reached to strangle Peter, but the ceiling of the cell burst inwards with a large red flash of melting metal.

“GET AWAY FROM MY KID NORMAN!” Tony yelled as he made his dramatic entrance.

Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey had entered slightly later than they had planned. They had been dismayed when Norman posted all of those videos and photos hours before starting the live-stream. It had also taken longer than anticipated to break through the underground lab’s roof.

Norman had lost his grip on Peter when the metal burst inwards. The cameras were still rolling, so the public was extremely shocked and in disbelief when they saw Iron Man storm in to save Spider-Man. Peter had slid across the cell as Norman had fallen forwards after losing his grip on the teen’s throat.

Norman yelled in frustration “You will not keep me from killing the spider, Stark! My Hobgoblin told me that you were alive, and I knew that you would try to interfere. The little rat was probably too weak to withhold information from the great savior!”

Norman then tried to launch himself towards Peter again, but Pepper was in the Rescue armor with Peter and Rhodey blocked Norman’s path with his War machine armor. Tony then engaged in battle with Norman. The people of New York were captivated by watching the drama unfold.

Gasps were heard all around when Tony Stark unmasked the Green Goblin. They had all heard him call the Goblin ‘Norman’, but they never expected it to be the head of Oscorp! Norman Osborn had terrorized a mall full of people and kidnapped a hero!

They watched on as Tony continued to fight the maniac and Pepper flew Peter away from the scene. New York now knew who Spider-Man was, but they were still captivated by the fight taking place in front of their eyes via a live-stream.

Everyone watched as Tony continued chipping away at Osborn’s armor. The fight was vicious, but Osborn was still very weak from his illness. Everyone watched as Iron Man defeated Norman Osborn. They watched as the Goblin collapsed in pain and screamed out with rage.

They listened as Norman Osborn promised to find Spider-Man, Peter Parker, again and kill him. They watched as Tony Stark shot one last repulsor blast at Norman Osborn. Norman Osborn howled in pain again, but he was not dead. They watched as Tony Stark talked to his A.I. and requested backup to the scene and flew away, presumably to join his kid who happened to be Spider-Man.

The video feed soon ended after Iron Man left the scene. New York was shocked, and soon, the entire world knew that Norman Osborn was an evil person and that Spider-Man was a teenager by the name Peter Parker. Less than ten hours later, Norman Osborn was reported to be dead, and that he had died from a genetic illness after missing a dose of his experimental medicine.

Only hours after that, his tower was searched, and they found the body of Harry Osborn, who was perpetually six years old. His body was emaciated, and he was dead. It had been obvious that the boy had died long after he was supposed to. The world now knew that Norman Osborn had been a very sick man. Many of the details of the entire story were not released to the public, but the public knew enough to know that Osborn had truly been a monster.

~Back at the Compound~

Pepper had picked Peter up gently and flew back to the compound as soon as she had him secure in her arms. He was very pale and sickly. He looked like he was on death’s door. She had already called ahead and had the Compound’s doctors on stand-by.

Rhodey followed behind her, as Tony wanted to be the one to take down Norman. Pepper touched down at the medical bay doors and a medical team had already been waiting for her. They gently took Peter from her arms as Rhodey landed near her.

Peter was put on a gurney and rolled into the building quickly as the medical team rattled off diagnoses and orders to each other. Pepper had a vague clue as to what they were talking about, but the words 'possible Hypovolemic shock’ worried her. She knew it meant that Peter had lost way too much blood.

Pepper was allowed to go into the med-bay, but she was not allowed to follow them as they wheeled him directly to their ICU. She hadn’t even disabled her armor yet. Rhodey disengaged his newer nanotechnology armor and urged Pepper to do the same with hers. Tony had developed it for them over the past few months, but they had never wanted to use it so soon, especially for something as bad as their current situation.

Pepper disengaged her armor and Rhodey led her to the waiting room. There was nothing that they could do for Peter except for wait. Pepper sat down and sighed. She had been extremely terrified when she had seen Peter in such a terrible state.

Rhodey sat beside her and alerted F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell everyone that he and Pepper had gotten Peter back, and that they are in the Compound’s medical ward. F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted him that May and MJ were on their way, and that Happy was watching Morgan. None of them wanted her to see her brother in all but blood in such a scary state.

Not too long later, they arrived.

May was not frantic, but she was heavily worried and she asked Rhodey where Peter was.

“Ms. Parker, Peter was brought here a little earlier, and he was immediately rushed to the ICU. None of us are allowed to go back there right now, especially while they are working on helping him. We have to stay out here in the waiting room.” Rhodey was reluctant to say to the distressed Aunt.

May groaned and MJ huffed. They hated that they had to wait to see Peter, but they were more worried because Peter must have been in pretty bad shape if he was immediately rushed to the ICU. May and MJ soon took another couple of seats in the waiting room. Everyone was anxious to get news on Peter’s current state of health.

Quite a bit later, Tony arrived in the waiting room. He was still in his armor, but his helmet had already receded. His face held a steely glare. Everyone could tell that he was still furious. No one said anything to him as he stood by Pepper’s chair without saying anything.

Everyone could tell that he was tense with worry. They were afraid that if they said anything, they could cause his strong facade to fail. They also knew that Tony was still coming down from the adrenaline rush of beating Norman Osborn and saving his kid.

Tony stayed in his armor until Rhodey subtly pointed out to him that they were in the most secure place they could be, and that he didn’t need to have it on to protect Peter anymore. Tony sighed, but deactivated his armor.

“Rhodey, everything was televised. The whole world knows that I am alive now. Everyone here had already signed NDAs, but I just blew all of that out of the window. You know what though, it was entirely worth it, and I would do it again if I had to. I had to get my kid back. He’s already been through so much, and life just keeps throwing more atrocities his way. I’ve been revealed to be alive, his identity has been revealed, his supposed friend betrayed him, and everything is just a mess right now. None of this will just blow over. The kid’s only seventeen and in his senior year of high school. I just want to protect him, but every time I try to do that, something worse happens.” Tony mournfully said.

Surprisingly, MJ was the one to speak up after hearing Tony’s small speech.

“Stark, it’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. There will always be evil in this world, and it will always target those who do their best to end it. Peter is one of the ‘purest’ heroes there is. He doesn’t kill unless there’s literally an alien invasion. He is a major target because he takes down the villains without killing them. We don’t know the complete circumstances of what happened this time, but we will eventually. We all know that Osborn was a terrible person driven to madness by a debilitating illness. You may think that you couldn't protect him, but you have to know that he is capable of protecting himself most of the time. He knows what the hero job entails. He knows the risks as well as you do. If he wasn’t ready to take the risks, he wouldn’t put himself in those situations. This time just happened to be run by an evil genius who was apparently working with one of our closest friends. Peter was betrayed in multiple ways, and we must be there for him in every way that we can. We’ve got to stop moping, and start trying to look at the good things. We’ve got to be strong for him, and he wouldn’t want us to blame ourselves for the actions of the villains or even his own actions.” MJ passionately stated to the whole room.

Everyone went quiet after MJ’s passionate words. They realized that she was right. She helped them realize that Peter would hate it if any of them blamed themselves. They sat in silence for another hour until one of the doctors came into the waiting room with news on Peter’s condition.

The Doctor spoke calmly to the waiting family “Mr. Parker has been stabilized. We are moving him out of the ICU, as his enhanced abilities are beginning to work properly again. We had some of his blood in storage for transfusions and we were able to stabilize him. We did test his blood soon after he arrived, and we did find something suspicious in it, but our main priority was to stabilize him before we came out to tell anyone anything. We have him hooked up to Oxygen as a precaution, but Mr. Parker is doing much better now than he had been. You should be able to see him shortly and a nurse will come by soon to take you to his room.”

“What was suspicious in his blood?” Rhodey and Tony questioned at the same time.

The Doctor frowned and said “Well, it appears that he had been injected with highly modified nanites. Nanites are generally supposed to help treat illnesses, but these ones are vastly different in structure than the medicinal nanites we use. I had my team keep the blood sample in storage so that you could take a look at them Mr. Stark. We were not able to figure out what their purpose was in his body, and we know how to flush them out, but we were not sure if we should do that yet, as we were not sure what they are doing to his body, or if it would hurt him when we flush them out. Please investigate them, and give us word soon as to if it will be safe to remove them from his circulatory system.”

Tony immediately got up and headed towards the medical ward’s lab. He would just look at them there. The Doctor did not even bother to try and stop him. Tony did stop to put on protective gear before entering the lab though. He put on goggles, gloves, and even a protective gown.

One of the doctors had already prepped a blood sample for him to look at. Tony looked in the microscope and took note of the many moving little machines in Peter's blood. They appeared to be weaponized nanites when he took a close look at them. They had small prongs on both ends of them that looked like extremely tiny tasers.

Tony gasped when he realized what they were. He then growled because he was furious. Norman had injected his kid with nanotechnology capable of electrocution on a large scale. He had no clue how volatile experimental torture machines like those could be. He had to get down to Peter’s room fast.

Tony quickly exited the lab and a nurse directed him towards Peter’s room. Without any explanations, he barged into the room and disconnected all medical machines connected to Peter. The Doctor and nurse present tried to stop him, but he was determined. Any type of electronic stimulation could set those things off for all he knew, and he really did not want to risk it.

“Tony! What’s going on?! What are you doing!” May and Pepper frantically questioned as they saw Tony disabling the equipment with a deadly serious and worried face.

“Norman injected him with weaponized nanites, and I have no clue what could set them off. For all I know, any electronic close to him could set them off. They could be highly volatile! I’d been working on using nanites in my suits and the ones in his blood are similar to a project that I abandoned when I was first trying to figure out how to integrate my repulsors into the suit. Leeds must have found my discarded plans and taken them to weaponize nanites. I didn’t use those plans because the nanites were highly volatile and risky when they were built. The nanotechnology I used to build my suits is much more flexible and made of less dangerous materials than my initial plans had been. Leeds betrayed more than just Peter. Leeds stole my discarded armor plans and used them to hurt Peter. I’m not sure how we can safely get them out of him.” Tony said worriedly.

The Doctor spoke up and said “We could try and flush them out like we do with regular medical nanites. It doesn’t involve electricity, and it would be highly unlikely to activate them. It would be the safest way to remove them from his circulatory system instead of trying to use any of your tech that could set them off. The procedure would take a long time, and we would have to sedate him, as he will likely wake up within the next hour, but it can be done now that we know what they are. We didn’t want to risk it before you had a look at them, but I believe that flushing them out is the best option.”

Tony nodded and said “Yes. You’re right. We need to flush them out, but we cannot use electronic technology. I’m going to be in there with you to collect the flushed out nanites. I need to study them to make sure they won’t have any lasting effects on him.”

“Mr. Stark, I must warn you that we will have to use a machine to make sure that we have flushed all of them out. We have to use scanners on cancer patients that we treat with normal nanites to get all of them out of their systems after treatments. We’ve used some of our scanners and electronic technology on Peter since he has been here, so it is unlikely that our scanner will set the weaponized nanites off. Everything concerning nanites here is still highly experimental when it comes to the medical field, but I assure you that my team and I will do our best to keep Mr. Parker safe. You will be allowed in the operating room, but you will have to wear all of the protective gear. We cannot risk infection, especially since Mr. Parker just went through a major blood transfusion and is still weakened.” the Doctor continued.

“Fine! Just get him ready! We need to get those things out of him as soon as we can. They’re extremely dangerous. We should still have some of his painkillers and sedatives ready.” Tony said as the nurse began to get things ready for transport to the OR.

The rest of the family were ushered out of the hospital room and back into the waiting room while Peter was prepped for the procedure. Sooner rather than later, Peter was rolled into the OR. Tony had already gotten ready. The Doctor had his scanner set up and ready for when he could check Peter’s blood.

Peter was knocked out and they began the procedure. They put him on a dialysis machine that would filter his blood.

“Wait, I said that electronic machines could trigger the nanites! They could be volatile!” Tony tried to say.

The Doctor calmly replied to Tony by saying “This must be done Mr. Stark. It is the only way. I know that I’ll likely lose my license for lying to you about the technology used to flush Peter’s system, but it must be done this way. I don’t want to risk his life, but these things are a problem, and this is most likely the only way we could actually remove them from his system. We’ve already begun the procedure, and it must continue. I’m sorry for lying, but it had to be done.”

The procedure continued and Tony was furious. The Doctor was correct in his assumption that he would lose his license after this stunt. That Doctor had no right to go against Tony’s orders. Tony shook his head in disbelief. The procedure had to continue though, as it had already begun.

Tony watched as the blood was filtered, and watched as the Doctor occasionally scanned his kid’s body to see what the status of the remaining weaponized nanites was.

“It’s going very well, Mr. Stark. The nanites are almost completely filtered out. You should be able to get them for studying soon.” The Doctor said hours after the procedure had begun.

Dialysis was a slow procedure, so it was taking a very long time to filter everything out. Tony had stayed there the whole time though, and he was glad that the enhanced medicine was enough to keep Peter unconscious. He really didn’t want Peter to wake up and see this.

The Doctor finally did another check with his scanner and announced that all of the nanites had been removed from Peter’s system. Tony was relieved to hear that the procedure was finally over. They just had to remove the equipment and move Peter back to his hospital room.

Peter was soon moved back to his hospital room while Tony took the Doctor aside after taking the disabled nanites to his lab because they really needed to talk.

“Hey, Doctor, I don’t know who you think you are, but you risked my kid’s life with that stunt. You withheld important medical information that could have caused a disaster to occur. You could have caused my kid more pain by using those stupid machines after I told you those nanites could be volatile when exposed to excess electronics.” Tony said as he pulled the Doctor aside.

The Doctor sighed and responded “I know that it was risky, but it needed to be done. Had they stayed in his body, many more complications would have arisen. Long term exposure to nanites is highly dangerous, especially ones that were apparently weaponized. I knew the risks, but it was better than the alternative.”

Tony frowned and said “What was the alternative! They weren’t actively hurting him, and I could have found another way to safely remove them from his system. Nanotechnology is still highly experimental, and it was a miracle that I even developed it enough to make suits for Pepper, Rhodey, and I. It’s still highly experimental in the medical field.”

The Doctor continued “I know that, Mr. Stark. I’ve been one of the ones working on using nanites in cancer patients. You should have read that in my CV when I applied to work here. I knew what I was doing. I also know that if nanites stay in the blood for too long, they begin to break down and start to cause Palladium poisoning because they are made with small amounts of Palladium. I had already seen a few indicators of the machines breaking down some and the beginnings of the poisoning. I didn’t tell you because I believed that I could save you from the excess worry and safely remove them before they caused more damage. I also know that you have had experience with Palladium poisoning and I didn’t want to terrify you.

Tony breathed in heavily through his nose when the Doctor admitted that the nanites had been causing palladium poisoning.

Tony shakily said “You should have told me anyway. I deserved to know that my kid was being killed by multiple factors. I am grateful that you have been helping him and removed the nanites from his system, but you will be fired after this. I will report you to the Medical Board, but I am grateful that you helped my kid. Are you sure that you treated the poisoning properly? I didn’t even notice that the nanites had been deteriorating. Did you have some of the antidote stored from when I had Palladium poisoning? Will Peter be okay? I wish that I had never created those plans! I should have known better than to ever work with Palladium ever again! Speaking of which, we really need to figure out a different type of nonhazardous metal to use in nanites, seeing as Palladium is harmful when overexposed.”

The Doctor nodded and responded “I understand. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I would do it again. You are right about nanites too. I’ve been trying to think of other things to build nanites with, but that part isn’t in my expertise, as I just know how to apply them, not build them. Perhaps one day you could come up with a better version of them that poses no health hazards. I injected Peter with some of the antidote to the Palladium poisoning that we had in storage. I’m sorry I lied about that. I did catch it early enough though, and he will make a full recovery. I’ll leave soon, Mr. Stark. Go be with your kid when he wakes up.”

Tony nodded and left for his kid’s hospital room while the Doctor went the other way. He had already been prepared to leave. The Doctor left, but he did not regret his decisions. He had saved his patient, and it was worth it.

Tony sat in one of the chairs by Peter's bed. May was sitting in one of the chairs across from him and she was holding one of Peter’s hands. Rhodey and Pepper had returned to be with Morgan for a little bit, while MJ had taken a restroom break.

It had been over eight hours after they arrived at the Medical Ward when F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted him that Norman Osborn had finally fallen victim to his debilitating illness. It was no loss to the world. There were still plenty of investigations to come. He knew that the media was likely going crazy, but all he cared about at the moment was making sure that Peter got better.

Peter soon woke up after the ninth hour. He was very groggy, but May, Tony, and MJ were all there and the others were on their way. Tony had allowed Happy to bring Morgan since Peter was not faring near as bad anymore.

Peter groaned and Tony smiled.

“Hey, kid. How are you feeling? Do you need more pain meds?” Tony quietly questioned.

Peter carefully sat up in the medical bed under his family’s watchful eyes. He then remembered everything that happened, and he collapsed back into the pillows. He didn’t cry. He was too emotionally exhausted to cry.

He said “I’m fine, relatively speaking. I’m not in pain, and my powers are back to normal. I can feel my healing working, and I am absolutely hungry. What happened after Osborn tried to kill me. I kind of passed out when you flew through the roof.”

Tony replied with “Don’t worry about that right now, kid. You just need to worry about recovery. Your little sister should be getting down here anytime now, and I know that she’s going to be excited to see you. You really gave us quite the scare though.”

Peter cringed and said “yeah, sorry about that. I wasn’t really expecting to get kidnapped, trapped in a dingy cell, and betrayed by my best friend since elementary school. Man, my life is so weird. I thought that things would calm down a little bit after the whole Mysterio situation, but No! Life just cannot give me a break. Now the whole world knows my secret and I have so much trauma to wade through!”

Tony sighed and said “I know, kid. I know. Just know that we will all be here for you non matter what though. Unlike Leeds, we all genuinely care for you and hate it when you get hurt by being your own sacrificial self.”

The family in all but blood continued to talk for a very long time. Morgan had given him a long hug when she had been brought to him, and it brightened his mood. Many days later, he was released from the hospital, but they all had to stay at the Compound. Peter was actually kind of happy about that.

Peter had seen all of the news concerning the Osborns once he had access to a tablet and he had seen that both of the Osborns had been found dead of the same genetic illness. It did sadden him to remember that Harry died because of Norman’s failed experiments.

A few days after learning about the demise of the Osborns, news came out that Ned’s entire family was also dead. Later on after he was healed, he visited their graves even though he had been betrayed by Ned. Ned had been his friend for a very long time, and he would greatly miss him even though he had betrayed him. He was saddened that so many lives had been ruined by Norman Osborn.

Peter’s physical recovery was quite swift, but his psychological recovery would take much longer. He was happy, but he was also traumatized. He had been betrayed by one of the people that he thought he could trust most. Peter wasn’t worried though because he had people who truly cared about him. Peter did his best to stay away from the media that was reporting about his identity and everything else surrounding the situation, but he would catch the occasional article about him.

Nothing would ever be the same again, and psychological recovery would be hard,but he was not afraid. Peter had already told MJ and Tony about everything that had transpired with Ned and Osborn. He had everyone he needed in his corner, though. He had a hard time trusting anyone now, but he would get better over time. Everything had changed, but he was still Peter, and that was what mattered.