Chapter 99: Aftermath and Recovery
—
For a brief moment, everything froze.
The Green Goblin lay crumpled on the floor amid the twisted remains of his high-tech armor, his grotesque mask now split down the middle to reveal a very human, very stunned face beneath.
I was unsure earlier if this was Norman or Harry, but Williem Dafoe's face was unmistakable.
Even Spider-Man seemed at a loss for words, his white eye lenses widening to comical proportions.
"Did you just... with a hand gesture... wow. Omega Levels are just cheats." I finally managed, turning to Madelyne.
She shrugged, lowering her hand. "He was being obnoxious. And don't act like you're not the greatest cheater here."
"What does that mean?"
"Remind me never to play poker with you," Jessica said to Madelyne, already moving toward the other containment cells. "That was terrifying."
Spider-Man quickly webbed over to the fallen Goblin, checking him for serious injuries. "He's unconscious but breathing. Probably for the best – his monologues were getting repetitive anyway. Hmm, doesn't he look familiar? No way, that's…" he froze. "Normal Osborn."
"What?" Jessica was stunned. "Oscorp's CEO? That doesn't make any sense."
A short silence fell over the place. I didn't know if this Spider-Man knew Harry or not, but clearly a lot of things were going inside his masked head.
"Yeah… Anyways." A moment later, he shook his head and glanced up to look at Madelyne as if to change the subject. "Impressive telekinesis. You look familiar. You an X-Man or something?"
"Or something," she replied cryptically.
"Oh by the way," he turned to me. "Who are you?"
"...."
****
The brief moment of shock passed as the reality of our situation reasserted itself.
We had a dozen mutated test subjects, including Walter Hardy, who needed immediate evacuation and medical attention.
The Omnitrix had managed to stabilize Felicia's father, but the others were still in various stages of painful mutation. They weren't in a condition as bad as Walter, but it was far from normal.
I looked down at the device on my wrist. The red glow was already shifting toward orange – recharging faster than expected. Maybe it sensed the urgency.
"We need to move quickly," I said, taking charge. "Weren't there hunters too? They should be here anytime now after such a commotion. Jessica, contact whoever you can for medical support. Spider-Man, can you help secure transport?"
"Already on it," Jessica replied, phone pressed to her ear. "Trish has connections at Metro-General. They can arrange a secure ward with no questions asked."
Spider-Man nodded. "I know a guy with a van. He's... eccentric, but reliable. Plus, there's an abandoned warehouse near the waterfront that the Defenders used as a safehouse. It's got basic amenities and security."
"Perfect," I said, turning to Felicia, who hadn't left her father's side. "How's he doing?"
She looked up, tear tracks of worry still visible on her face though her composure was returning. "He's stable. His pulse is stronger." Her eyes met mine. "What you did... how did you do it?"
I glanced at the Omnitrix, which was gradually shifting from red to yellow.
Madelyne was right. What a cheat.
My voice softened. "The Omnitrix was designed as a preservation tool, not as a weapon. It contains genetic material from thousands of species. I've never tried using it for this sort of healing before, but hey, it worked. It used the general human DNA as a template to rewrite the corrupted sections of your father's genetic code."
"Can you do it for the others?" Madelyne asked, gesturing toward the remaining patients.
I hesitated, studying the Omnitrix. "I don't see why not, once it recharges. But it's going to take time. And..." I rolled my shoulder, wincing at the lingering pain. "It's not exactly a pleasant process."
"Better than leaving them like this," Spider-Man pointed out, already helping free a woman whose skin had begun developing a strange chitinous armor.
"Agreed."
Jessica rejoined us, tucking her phone away. "Trish is arranging everything. They can have a secure medical team at the warehouse in an hour. But we need to move now – security's regrouping on the upper floors."
Over the next few minutes, we worked with practiced efficiency. Madelyne used her telekinesis to safely transport the most critically unstable patients. Spider-Man secured them with webbing where necessary, creating makeshift stretchers that he and Jessica could carry. Felicia stayed with her father, monitoring his vitals as we moved through the maintenance tunnels beneath Oscorp Tower.
As for Green Goblin…
Spider-Man webbed him to the wall, unconscious with his mask off. People would come and find him here. If they didn't report him to the police, us doing that wouldn't help either. Norman would find a way out. Our hands were busy with other stuff.
As we reached the evacuation point, which was a loading dock serviced by a private service road, a battered van with suspicious-looking custom modifications pulled up. The driver's window rolled down to reveal a middle-aged man with wild eyes and an even wilder beard.
"You Spider-Man's friends?" he asked, glancing nervously at our unusual group. "Because I didn't sign up for a full-on superpower convention."
"They're cool, Mr. Driscoll," Spider-Man assured him. "Just a quick transport job. No questions asked, remember?"
The man – Driscoll – sighed dramatically with his arms in the air. "Fine, fine. But if my van gets disintegrated by laser beams or sucked into another dimension, you're buying me a new one."
"Noted," Spider-Man replied cheerfully.
We loaded the patients into the van, arranging them as comfortably as possible. By now, the Omnitrix had recharged enough for me to begin working on the other victims. One by one, I placed my hand on their chests, initiating the genetic repair sequence.
Each time, that same brilliant yellow energy flowed from the device, seeking out and correcting the damage caused by Oscorp's twisted experiments. And each time, it felt like my own cells were being torn apart and reassembled. By the fourth patient, my vision swam with black spots.
"Hey, Ben, that's enough," Jessica said firmly, pulling my hand away as I swayed on my feet. "You look like death warmed over."
"There are still three more," I protested weakly.
"And they're stable enough to wait until we reach the safehouse," she countered, crouching beside me and giving me a hug. "Come on. You're no good to anyone if you collapse, yeah?"
I couldn't argue with her logic – or rather, I lacked the energy to try. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest as Jessica helped me into the passenger seat of the van. The others crowded in the back with the patients, while Spider-Man announced he'd follow above to keep watch.
"I'll meet you there," he said, firing a web at a nearby building. "Try not to crash, Mr. Driscoll."
"No promises," the driver muttered as he pulled away from the curb.
****
There was a chase from some mercenary group. Spider-Man and Madelyne took care of that.
We arrived at our destination relatively safely. The warehouse Spider-Man had mentioned was indeed abandoned, but someone had clearly put effort into making it livable.
The main floor had been converted into a makeshift medical ward, with partitioned areas for privacy and basic equipment scattered throughout. Trish was already there with a small team of medical professionals who, true to Jessica's word, asked no questions as they began assessing the patients.
I slumped onto a folding chair, exhaustion weighing me down like lead. The last three patients still needed treatment, but the doctors assured me they were stable enough for me to take a short break.
Ah, dammit. Alien Force Ben didn't seem hurt from the DNA repair thing. Was this because I had the Classic watch?
"Hey man, you look like you tried to arm-wrestle the Hulk," Spider-Man commented, dropping from the ceiling to land beside me. "And lost badly."
"Feels like it too," I admitted. "Genetic manipulation apparently takes a toll."
"Tell me about it," he replied, tapping his chest. "Radioactive spider bite. Spent three days thinking I was dying."
I chuckled despite the pain. "Guess we're both poster children for 'science experiments gone weird.'"
"Excuse you," Spider-Man put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I usually go by the man who was miraculously gifted through unlikely circumstances, " He laughed, then added, "You… you're the Four Arms dude right? Seriously, man. Take some rest once all this is over."
Peter Parker. Spider-Man. He was a smart dude, one of the smarter people on Earth. It didn't take him long to realize the man who could transform into a ghost from a watch might be the man who could transform into a four armed alien, given they shared the same Omnitrix symbol.
"Thanks."
"Ben Tennyson, right? I think I've heard that name before…"
I nearly laughed. Maybe he should start calling me uncle. Or maybe he just knew Gwen? Spidey went to Midtown High, too.
"Relax," he lowered his voice, perhaps assuming things on his own since I fell silent. "Jessica called you that earlier. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Besides, we're in the same boat. Secret identities and all that."
"You're right about that, Peter."
"...Oh. How?"
"Ghost," I explained. He nodded.
I nodded back, happy that we stood at the same ground. Except he doesn't know that I know all about his life and many possible futures. I wouldn't be using it against him, of course. I wasn't a Spider-Man villain.
The superhero community had unspoken rules, and respecting secret identities was one of the most important.
"Oh yes. Speaking of boats," Spider-Man continued, "I managed to download some data before Gobby crashed the party." He handed me a small drive. "Oscorp's entire research database on the cross-species genetics program. Thought you might want it for leverage."
I pocketed the drive. "Should have given it to Jess, but thanks. This could help keep them from trying again with other victims."
"That's what I figured. Just be careful. Norman has friends in high places."
"So do we," I replied, nodding toward Jessica, who was deep in conversation with Trish on the other side of the warehouse.
Or Grandpa if that wasn't enough.
After a few minutes of rest, I managed to stand again. My body recovered quite fast. Was it because of the Omnitrix, or because of the enhancement from the Blitzwolfer transformation?
Now the Omnitrix had fully recharged, its familiar green glow restored. I approached the remaining patients, steeling myself for another round of pain.
First of all, I asked the doctors to step outside for a bit. It wouldn't hurt me for them to see this, but you could never be too cautious in this world.
I began my magic then. True to form, it hurt just as much as before. By the time I finished with the last patient, I could barely remain upright. But watching scales recede, chitinous growths soften, and distorted limbs return to human form… seeing these results made it worth every second of agony.
When the doctors returned, they were baffled by the result of medical miracle. But they quickly adapted, providing supportive care as the patients' bodies stabilized. Most remained unconscious, their systems overwhelmed by the rapid genetic restructuring.
"They'll need time to recover," one doctor explained as she checked a patient's vitals. "And there may be lingering effects. We'll monitor them closely."
Felicia found me as I finished treating the last patient. She'd changed out of her Black Cat costume into civilian clothes borrowed from one of the medical staff. Without the mask and tight leather, she looked younger, more vulnerable.
"Ben, he's awake," she said simply. "He's asking for you. Can you come?"
I followed her to a partitioned area where Walter Hardy lay on a hospital bed. The man looked frail but undeniably human again, save for the faint scale-like patterns that remained visible on his forearms. His eyes – normal human eyes now, not reptilian – fixed on me as I entered.
"So you're the miracle worker," he said, his voice rough but warm. "My daughter tells me you saved more than my life today."
I shook my head. "Not just me. It was a team effort. And your daughter did most of the heavy lifting."
"Modesty," Walter chuckled. "A rare trait in people with power." He extended a hand, which I carefully shook. "Thank you. For giving me back my humanity. And for helping my daughter when she needed it."
"Any time," I replied, meaning it.
Later, as the immediate crisis passed, our unlikely team gathered in a quiet corner of the warehouse.
Jessica had ordered an obscene amount of Chinese food, which we devoured like we hadn't eaten in days. The adrenaline crash left all of us ravenous.
"So what happens now?" Madelyne asked between bites of lo mein. "With the Oscorp data, I mean."
Jessica shared a look with Trish who'd found the time to join us. "We expose them. Carefully. Trish can break the story, but we need to be strategic about it."
"But Norman has too many connections," Spider-Man agreed, perched on a stack of crates. He'd rolled his mask up to his nose to eat, revealing a surprisingly young-looking jaw. So I might be right about him attending Midtown High. "Release everything at once, and he'll bury it. We need to be smarter."
"What about the patients?" I asked. "They'll need protection. I can't imagine Oscorp just leaving them be after they'd spend so much money researching them."
"I have friends who can help with that," Jessica replied. "People who specialize in keeping enhanced individuals off the radar."
"And my father?" Felicia asked quietly.
Trish smiled reassuringly. "Relax, catgirl. We already arranged a secure rehabilitation facility upstate. Officially, he's recovering from an experimental treatment for his condition. Which isn't even a lie, technically. Wow, it's so exiting to be a part of a superhero mission for once!!"
As the conversation continued, I found myself watching our strange assembly with a sense of wonder.
A private investigator with super strength. A telekinetic woman with cosmic power. A thief with a heart of gold. A popular RJ. A web-slinging vigilante. And me, a kid with an alien watch. Crazy world, isn't it?
"You look thoughtful," Jessica observed, sliding into the chair beside me. She leaned over to kiss my cheek as if to announce to everywhere I was marked.
"Just appreciating the company," I replied with a smile. "Not every day you end up having dinner with such an interesting group."
She snorted. "That's one word for it."
As the evening wound down, Spider-Man stood to leave. "Well, this has been fun and only moderately traumatizing. But I should patrol before heading home. Call if you need me, Jewel has my number."
"Thanks for the assist," I said, offering my hand.
He shook it firmly. "Anytime, Ben. Us science experiment disasters have to stick together." With a mock salute, he fired a web at the ceiling and swung out through an open window.
"He's certainly... energetic," Madelyne commented.
"You have no idea," Jessica replied dryly. "He's a good guy though. Really serious shout this hero stuff."
Later, as we prepared to leave for Jessica's apartment, I checked the Omnitrix one final time.
The device glowed a healthy green, fully recharged and seemingly none the worse for its unusual use today. Yet something felt different about it – a warmth, a resonance I hadn't noticed before.
Perhaps using it to heal rather than fight had awakened something new in its programming maybe. Or perhaps it was simply responding to my own evolving understanding of what it meant to be a hero.
Either way, I couldn't help but wonder for the first time how this universe's Azmuth thought of me, considering everything.
"Ready to go?" Jessica asked, keys dangling from her fingers.
I nodded, pushing the thought aside for now. "Yeah. Let's go home."
It had been a fantastic day for heroism.
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Author Note: It's a sunday send some stones🔥🙏