"I suggest you find a girlfriend soon. That way, I won't have to patch you up next time."
Bren packed away the first aid kit, tossing the blood-soaked cotton balls into the trash.
"I'd like to, but Liz doesn't even notice me." Peter sighed.
"Does it have to be Liz?" Bren quipped, handing Peter a vial. "Here's the antidote for the lizard serum."
"Thanks. Too bad I let the Doc escape." Peter said regretfully.
"You didn't just let him escape. You barely managed to get away yourself." Bren corrected, shaking his head. Seeing Peter's embarrassed expression, he added, "That's me being polite."
Peter hung his head, defeated. "You're right. I'm no match for him."
"Maybe your abilities haven't fully developed yet." Bren said thoughtfully. "Either way, we need to track him down quickly."
Peter nodded in agreement but then looked puzzled. "Them?"
"There's someone even crazier than Connors." Bren replied cryptically.
…
Meanwhile, in the sewers...
Dr. Connors, now the monstrous Lizard, was seething with anger after his intense battle with Peter.
Letting that pesky little bug escape was a mistake, but at least he wasn't leaving empty-handed.
Following the trail of webbing through the sewer pipes, he finally stumbled upon a clue, an old camera wedged in the wall.
Clawed fingers pried it free, and Connors inspected the device. Engraved on the back was a name:
"Peter Parker?"
The Lizard's voice dripped with surprise and malice.
Connors had always valued Peter's talent, especially after the boy had helped him crack the decay rate algorithm. Even as a monster, Connors couldn't deny Peter's genius.
He had once thought about sharing the "blessing" of his serum with Peter. But now, after Peter dared to interfere with his plans, there was only one thought left in his mind:
Kill Peter Parker.
…
The next morning...
It was a rare occasion for Bren and Peter to walk to school together.
"Oscorp Tower has been sealed off, and Norman Osborn remains missing." Peter muttered as he scrolled through the morning news, his brows furrowed with worry.
He glanced at Bren, confusion written all over his face. "Oscorp Tower sealed off? What happened?"
Bren, who had been at Oscorp the previous night brewing his serums, surely knew more.
"You already know." Bren said, lowering his voice.
"You mean the other crazy scientist?" Peter asked incredulously. "You said you fought some monsters he created. You didn't mention almost tearing the building down!"
Bren shrugged nonchalantly.
Peter sighed, concern etched on his face. "I wonder how this will affect Harry."
Of course, this incident would impact Harry.
The most immediate effect? A text from Harry informing Bren that their weekend plans to scout lab locations and buy equipment were canceled.
Bren understood.
For Oscorp, this incident was a massive scandal.
Though Norman Osborn often found himself at odds with his board of directors, he was still the founder and majority shareholder. Naturally, this was a time to lay low.
The real question was whether this fiasco would cause Norman to lose even more control over Oscorp.
…
At the Osborn estate...
Norman Osborn was surprisingly cheerful.
He popped open a bottle of champagne, his face lit with rare delight.
"You're not old enough for this yet." he remarked to Harry as he considered pouring him a glass. Shrugging, he sat down, loosened his tie, and sipped contentedly.
Harry, on the other hand, was bewildered by his father's demeanor.
"Father, the company is in crisis. Aren't you worried at all?"
Harry felt his father should hold a press conference or at least offer an explanation to mitigate Oscorp's plummeting stock prices.
But since the moment the news broke, Norman had shown no concern, allowing the scandal to snowball. He wasn't even answering calls from the board.
"Why should I worry?" Norman replied, calm and collected. His rare patience granted Harry a warm smile. "It's you who doesn't understand the situation, and that's what worries me."
"I don't understand." Harry admitted.
"It's simple, Harry." Norman said, slicing into his steak with precision. "I only worry when I'm about to lose something. But what if it was never mine to begin with?"
"But Oscorp is your company. If it doesn't belong to you, who else could it belong to?" Harry asked, perplexed.
Norman smiled enigmatically.
Harry didn't know that although Norman held the largest share, it wasn't a controlling one. The board had long since banded together to marginalize him.
The Oscorp of today was not the Oscorp of yesterday.
Norman suppressed a bitter laugh.
Those leeches wanted him out. Did they really think he'd go quietly?
"If they want me out, then no one gets to play."
Truth be told, Norman had been itching to upend the board for a while. The attack on Oscorp Tower provided the perfect excuse.
Too difficult to solve?
Then don't solve it at all.
As Norman poured himself another drink, a thought crossed his mind.
"Reach out to Bren." he said to Harry. "Tell him to expedite the launch of Primus Tech. When Oscorp's stock hits rock bottom, I'll fund him to buy back the shares."
Norman didn't expect to regain full control of Oscorp. He understood the company's issues ran too deep to restore its former glory.
It wouldn't be a profitable move, but Oscorp was his life's work. If there was even a sliver of hope, he wanted to reclaim it.
To S.H.I.E.L.D Bren from any risks, Norman planned to use his own funds, merely borrowing Primus Tech's name to avoid suspicion.
Harry nodded.
He didn't fully grasp the complexities, but he could follow instructions.
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