Not long after, Darren successfully activated the Stark Tower teleportation point.
Finally, no more tedious commutes back from Asgard to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ every single time.
He didn't bother exploring the remaining floors; instead, he waved Gwen over, hopped into his car, and headed straight for Midtown High.
...
The school was still standing, miraculously.
After the whole Hulk incident, half the place had been reduced to rubble, and reconstruction had dragged on for months.
Only recently had the repairs finished enough for students to return to class.
Of course, the student body wasn't exactly grateful.
Many muttered in frustration:
"If that green guy was gonna smash stuff, he could've at least finished the job."
"Seriously, who trashes half a school? You think we're not worth a full demolition?"
Unfortunately for them, world-ending rampages weren't exactly things you could schedule twice. No one wanted a sequel to The Incredible Hulk: School Edition.
Darren and Gwen presented their credentials at the gate, entry granted instantly.
That's when Gwen noticed something odd on his badge.
"You're a sports student here?" she asked, blinking.
Darren nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Transferred here right before classes got suspended. So I took a little time off... got a PhD... joined Oscorp."
Gwen: "..."
That was not a career path, that was a speedrun.
...
Gwen slipped easily back into her guide role. With her prior experience at Oscorp and her internship at Stark Industries, the faculty treated her like royalty.
As they walked through the halls, Darren couldn't help noticing how quiet things were. Class was still in session, so the corridors were empty, perfect for exploring.
Gwen herself didn't even need to be in class most of the time. Her grades and credentials had earned her "Academic Freedom" status: she only had to attend core subjects; everything else was optional.
Truly, the perks of being a certified genius.
Midtown High itself, though, was disappointingly normal. Ordinary hallways, standard labs, boring lockers, nothing remotely magical or supervillain-y.
Except for one thing.
In the library, Darren froze. Sitting by the window was a familiar-looking old man with silver hair and kind eyes.
He looked very familiar.
"I swear," Darren muttered under his breath, "your game designers are getting lazy. They're just copy-pasting the same old man model again and again. Didn't they promise all NPCs would have unique appearances?"
[System notice: Character model duplication detected. The issue has been logged. We apologize for the inconvenience. A fix will be implemented shortly. Thank you for your feedback.]
"Uh-huh," Darren sighed. "At least you admit it."
He couldn't even be mad. Bugs were just part of the experience. At least this game had customer service.
After finishing their walkthrough, Darren asked Gwen to stop the tour so he could activate Midtown High's teleport point. Once that was done, he finally had an alternate route home.
No more spawning inside Fury's office every time.
...
The bell rang.
Instantly, the corridors flooded with students escaping their classrooms like inmates on parole.
In the crowd, Darren spotted a familiar mop of brown hair, Peter Parker, chatting beside a tall, sharp-featured young man with a confident grin.
The system helpfully provided a readout:
[NPC: Harry Osborn]
[Alias: Green Goblin (Second Generation)]
[Favorability: 0]
[Description: Son of Norman Osborn. Future "Little Goblin." Spider-Man's best friend and destined nemesis.]
[Status: Suffering from inherited genetic disorder.]
Darren blinked.
Of course.
This kid must be cursed.
Every single one of Peter's major enemies turned out to be someone from his inner circle.
Family, friends, classmates, it was like a cosmic prank.
Darren strolled up, greeting them with a grin.
"Hey, Peter! So... that little situation, you know, your friend's romantic dilemma, how'd that go? Did he... succeed?"
Peter looked startled to see him. Then his expression turned complicated, like a man reliving emotional trauma.
"What's wrong?" Darren asked. "Don't tell me your 'friend' still hasn't confessed?"
Peter scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... no. Not exactly."
"Why?"
"It's... complicated."
He hesitated before continuing, "My friend found out that the girl... actually likes his real identity."
Darren's brow lifted. "That's great, isn't it?"
"And... she also likes his other identity."
"Two wins at once. Double jackpot."
"But... she doesn't know they're the same person."
Darren paused.
Then blinked.
Ah. That explained Peter's face.
This man wasn't in a love triangle, he was a one-man polygon.
Only Peter Parker could manage to cuck himself.
Harry burst out laughing. "Man, your 'friend' sounds like a tragic legend already! Who even lives like that?"
Darren shot him a look. You shouldn't be laughing, kid. That 'girl' is your current girlfriend.
Truly, Mary Jane Watson was playing a game on a difficulty setting no one else could survive.
Peter, panicked, hurried to change the subject. "Right, uh, Harry, this is Darren. Darren, my best friend, Harry Osborn."
Harry smiled politely, offering a handshake. "Pleasure to meet you. Funny coincidence, Oscorp had a missing researcher once... with a name exactly like yours."
Gwen: "..."
No coincidence there. Same name, same guy, same chaos.
Harry's gaze shifted, noticing Gwen. "Wait, I know you, you were an intern at Oscorp, weren't you?"
"Yes," Gwen said evenly. "Until your father fired me because of that same researcher."
Harry's face reddened in embarrassment. He wasn't quite the corporate monster his father was, not yet, anyway.
"My apologies," he said sincerely. "There was a major incident that day. One of our senior researchers vanished, along with several classified prototypes. My father... overreacted."
"It's fine," Gwen replied lightly. "I already have a new internship at Stark Industries."
Her tone was casual, but the subtle pride in her voice didn't escape Darren.
Rightly so, Oscorp's loss was Stark's gain.
For what it was worth, Peter was just as gifted, but his interests skewed toward photography rather than lab work. His dream was to become a photojournalist, ideally one who could take professional glamour shots of his would-be superstar girlfriend.
"So," Gwen asked curiously, "did they ever find the Oscorp thief? I heard rumors it was... Stan Lee's ghost."
Harry groaned audibly. "Don't even mention that."
That rumor had spread through the business world like wildfire, and he was sick of it.
"No," he said, rubbing his temples. "But we do have a prime suspect now. Actually, I'll let you in on it, the thieves were the Green Goblin and the Phantom. The weapons and armor they used? All stolen Oscorp tech."
Peter's eyes widened. "But they didn't seem like partners to me."
He'd seen them fighting at Queensboro Bridge, after all. Even with Mary Jane screaming her lungs out nearby, he could tell those two weren't allies.
"Of course they weren't," Harry said grimly. "One of them was my father... and the other was the real thief."
"WHAT?!"
Peter and Gwen said in unison.
Darren stood quietly, watching their jaws drop.
First Tony Stark, now Norman Osborn, apparently CEOs in this universe didn't do board meetings anymore. They just flew around in armor causing chaos.
Gwen, wide-eyed, asked, "Then who was the thief who stole Oscorp's research?"
Harry clenched his fist, anger flashing in his eyes. "Who else? The damn Green Goblin!"
Darren froze, expression blank.
He pointed at himself internally.
Wait a second... that's me.