Chapter 3

When Peter woke up the first thing he realised was how sore he was. Each muscle seemed to be more painful than the last and his mouth was filled with the faint taste of strange metal.

Groaning, he slowly lifted himself from the bed. He paused for a second as he caught sight of himself in the clothes-strewn mirror he had leaned up against the wall.

Moving the dirty laundry onto the floor he gazed in marvel at himself.

He was still skinny, but now his muscles rippled under pale skin as if he spent hours at the gym rather than the library.

He raised a hand over his head, he wasn't sure but he might be taller?

Peter shook his head, that wasn't possible. Hell, the muscles he saw were impossible. The more he stared at the strange reflection in the mirror the more he thought he was dreaming.

He looked over at the door frame. It had been a while since he and May had measured him but as he stood next to the marks he saw he was taller. The last mark, with fourteen next to it, marked his height as five foot eight. Using his fingers as a rough judge, it was now closer to five-eleven.

He cursed, didn't quite make the six-foot mark.

He straightened up, and the extra height made a difference, especially when he didn't slouch.

Rubbing a hand over his face. It was something he couldn't explain, or deal with right now.

He used his hands to brush the still unkempt bed hair. It hadn't changed and was still its normal light brown colour and still hung loosely in front of his eyes.

Aunt May had been threatening him with scissors but he liked it a bit long. It hid his eyes and some of the expressions he made, it was a little shield he could hide behind when he kept his head low.

He knew he was the geeky sort of handsome, no matter what Aunt May said. As he stared at his reflection it seemed that the once pale skinny boy was now a fit muscular man. He was still pale though.

He groaned as he slowly stretched his arms and legs, moving from side to side. He was still stiff and closed his eyes as he worked through the pain.

He tried a few times to flex like the advert gym members. Pulling poses to show off their fitness, but his muscles screamed in stiffness at him.

He would figure this out, he could figure this out, but first, he needed to get some food and maybe a banana into him.

Stripping all the way down, to get dressed for school he paused.

Well, that's definitely new, he thought.

Staring at what was now less of a pickle and more of a cucumber as he tucked it into his boxer shorts. Shaking his head and leaving it alone, for now at least, he went back to dressing for school. Picking out some baggier clothes to hide his new physique.

Slowly making his way downstairs, he noticed Aunt May sitting at the breakfast table. She was holding her cup and as she saw him, a sullen scowl crossed her face.

Easing himself into a chair he slowly reached for some fruit and cereal.

"Well?" His aunt spoke first.

"Oh yeah. Thanks for getting me Aunt May, I dunno what happened. I guess I ate something or I uh dunno." He said, hoping that would smooth over whatever was wrong.

She leaned back in her chair. "Thanks? You're gonna say thanks? You storm home at three am, rant on about your uncle, break a chair, and then pass out and you're saying thanks?" She had stood up and was pacing behind her chair, waving her arms as she talked.

"Uh, what? No Aunt May, no, I got sick at Oscorp. I think I threw up, and then I was home, you didn't come to collect me?" Peter couldn't have looked more guilty,

Three am? He thought to himself, what the hell happened?

"You got sick huh?"

"Yeah, Aunt May, I got sick. I puked and uh, I think someone took my clothes," Peter sat bolt upright, "my wallet and camera. Aww, man. They took them."

Peter slouched back down. When he had woken up there was no sign of his clothes, bag, or camera.

The camera had been Oscorp's so he didn't care too much. It was the waiver he signed that if he lost it, he would have to pay for it that bothered him.

He'd always wanted to be a photographer. But he found a passion for mechanics and electronics he'd never had much time for it.

Normally, it was just for fun. But Flash found out about it somehow and volunteered him to photograph the Oscorp field trip. Peter guessed he thought it would be funny.

Aunt May pointed a finger at him, "You, you stay quiet and sit there." She reached over she pulled the phone off its recharging cradle.

"Yes, Midtown High. I need to speak to the person in charge of the class trip to Oscorp yesterday, Student Peter Parker. ID 1469902. This is his aunt."

She paced back and forth.

"Yeah. So Peter didn't come back last night and I heard he got sick and, uh-huh, yeah that's right, uh-huh. YOU LEFT HIM AT OSCORP. What the hell were you thinking? Leaving a student without supervision and without calling me."

Aunt May was silent on the phone and Peter could hear the other person's muffled voice. "Yeah, well you bet your ass I will," before she hung up.

"Uh, Aunt May?" Peter looked up from his cereal. He had seen her mad before. Anytime Peter came home with a torn book or ripped clothing she would scowl and try her best not to yell.

Peter didn't know her exact age but he knew the wrinkles and calluses on her hands were from working too hard. That the lines and small grey hairs were from stress.

She was, as Flash taunted him often enough, an attractive woman. Thin but not skinny, she had the bearing of a tiger and the attitude to match. Petite frame, long brown hair, a shade darker than Peters, and a warm and kind smile.

Peter knew she had kept her social life on hold, not because of lingering loyalty to his uncle, but to Peter.

She spent her time and energy making sure Peter's life was as good as it could be, and Peter loved her all the more for it.

"You aren't going to school this week Peter, no phone calls either and no social media, you stay quiet about this. I'm serious." She warned him.

Peter kept his head down and just nodded. It was then the door buzzer sounded. Peter looked up and May just glared at him.

Slinking down in his chair Peter knew to keep quiet when Aunt May was mad. It might not have been him her anger was directed at. But the fire didn't care who it burned and he knew Aunt May was a fire right now.

Tilting his head slightly, he could hear the voices at the doorway as if he was sitting right next to them,

"Well, Mr Osborn. Are these papers to make sure we don't sue your ass? Your staff let an eighteen-year-old, who was exposed to god knows what, get home alone in a taxi?"

Aunt May was fuming. Not only did the school just leave him there but now Norman was trying to cover it up as well.

"I can sue. Any lawyer will take this pro bono and if anything, anything shows up on a blood test you know you'll lose." She said smugly, and she was right.

Peter panicked. Whatever had happened to him was probably  Oscorp's fault. But all that meant was it would be test after test and no freedom. Especially if it was an experimental drug.

While his curiosity about what was happening to him was high. The desire to stay out of a lab and any government research facility was greater.

"Mrs Parker, these are a formality," Norman said with a smile.

Norman was a smooth talker. Years of kissing ass and plying money out of gullible investors had made him king at getting his own way.

"With Peter's sudden illness, Harry was concerned. His friend Gwen collected his things and was on her way to help him. Some over-enthusiastic staff, making a simple mistake shouldn't need lawyers. Should it?"

Norman smiled again and held out the papers once more. "We can settle this without dragging it through the courts, can't we Peter?"

Peter leapt from his chair, "Mr Osborn, can I see that?"

Peter skirted around Aunt May and took the papers from Norman.

It was standard stuff. But Peter found, buried within the small print were several liability clauses. Once he signed he or any offspring would be unable to sue Oscorp, Norman or any of his offspring, forever.

"Sir, this could be bad if it gets out. Even if it's just a stomach bug, the liability to your insurance alone will cost you millions." Peter kept the papers. If he could make some money, college would be paid for.  "Two-hundred and fifty thousand settlement. I'll sign this plus an NDA. If anyone asks, it never happened." Peter was shaking, he was trying to blackmail Norman Osborn.

Norman Osborn was not someone you usually bargained with. He was used to getting not only his own way but anything he wanted.

But Peter was right. Not just that, but the cost of his lawyer alone would be more in retainer fees. But that didn't mean the kid would get his own way.

He snorted. "One hundred and fifty, and you sign today."

"Two-fifty, to take care of taxes, and I'll sign today," Peter said, with a stern look on his face.

Norman reached into his jacket. He could argue, but why waste time to save a few thousand? The costs of cutting whatever idiot caused the accident would cover it.

He smirked as he took out his chequebook, signed his name with a flourish and ripped out the check. "Sign."

Peter took a pen from next to the phone hanging on the wall. Each section was marked and he signed his name next to each cross. Six times in total and taking the check from Norman, handed him the papers.

Norman snorted and walked away without saying anything.

Peter had been right. The insurance alone would have totalled millions. Even bribes to keep the Health Department happy would be more if word got out a student had been poisoned there.

The creatures that escaped had all been caught, so contamination hadn't been an issue. but even after testing each student's blood, they couldn't be 100% sure none of them had been bitten.

Even that could cause a lawsuit. Medical procedures on underage kids were bad enough. And he knew not everyone there was over eighteen. He was just lucky Peter was.

Five years ago he had personally made sure that every one of those freaks was caught and killed. He wouldn't let the incident happen again, not after so many people died. He clenched his fist in anger just thinking about whichever idiot did this and how bad it could get.

He had personally fired the dumbasses that bundled them into taxis to get them home. Now he would find someone to take this hiccup out on. Someone screwed up and he was going to find out who.

If Hammer or, God forbid, Stark found out, he'd be a laughing stock.

No, He needed this to be done quietly and quickly, and as he walked down the street to his limo, he flicked open his phone. "Liv. You have a new assignment."

⁂

Peter closed the door and with his back to it, slid down sighing. "Sorry Aunt May but Norman can be tough. Harry gets in trouble for everything and if we didn't back down, he'd make sure he got what he wanted. Plus, you know, at least this way we got some money."

He smiled at her, hoping she wasn't going to be too hard on him. She looked like she had aged a hundred years when Norman showed up.

Peter knew they could fight and win a much larger settlement but it would ruin Aunt May's health. He would also have to endure a medical, and that could be a disaster.

She and Uncle Ben weren't that old when he began living with them and they had a good life. When Uncle Ben died having to raise even the quiet Peter had been difficult for her.

Aunt May had aged before her time and Peter hated himself for having helped. It was his fault Uncle Ben died, it was his fault Aunt May had to work every hour she could.

Now though, now he had money, now he had the means to pull himself and her up out of this place. Even with Norman's scowling face, Peter didn't care.

He had capital, a good head and most of all, someone who loved him. He still had to figure out what exactly happened at Oscorp though.

A new physique was great but the memory loss and the ranting at Aunt May might be a symptom of a much bigger problem. Peter needed to figure out exactly what was going on, and that meant away from prying eyes.

If anyone found out, especially Oscorp, he could end up in a lab or worse. Reduced to a series of slides, carefully catalogued for study.

Sitting down on the floor next to him, "You sure Pete? Cause it's not me that has to deal with this. I mean, I'll help to spend the money but, if those bastards did anything you're the one who'll have the problems."

Peter just smiled and leaned his head against Aunt May's shoulder. "I dunno Aunt May, I think, I think I'll be fine."