Young Harry had ambition, but he was not foolish. His thoughts were known to no one but his mother, Emily.
That included Peter as well.
The boy had no idea what Harry was really thinking. His mind was still immature, and all he knew was that after visiting Stark Industries that day, he had gained a new friend, Harry Osborn.
Due to the other boy's deliberate efforts to get close, Peter soon came to trust his new friend. Even though he was kind by nature, as a genius, he could only truly find common ground when he was with Harry.
This wasn't something that happened only on his side. Harry himself felt the same way. He vaguely sensed that being with Peter was comforting. It eased the hatred and darkness buried deep inside him.
But not everything went unnoticed.
Reid would never ignore Peter's existence.
Back when he first sought to recruit Richard, his target had been clear from the start: Spider-Man, Peter Parker.
Across the numerous Marvel universes, Spider-Man carried enormous weight. The Spider-Verse wasn't a joke.
Countless versions of Spider-Man, each with their own unique traits, had woven a vast web throughout the multiverse. Naturally, Reid had to keep the Spider-Man of his own world firmly under control if he wanted true peace of mind.
People might see Spider-Man as just a superhero with a base strength of twenty to twenty five tons, but in the multiverse, there were versions of him with strange and powerful abilities.
So, Harry approaching Peter was, of course, within Reid's observation.
"Interesting. I didn't expect Harry to have such ideas."
Harry thought his existence wouldn't catch Reid's attention, and for the most part, the boy was right.
After Norman's death, the Osborn family had fallen completely outside his notice. To him, Harry did have some talent, otherwise, he couldn't possibly share such topics with Peter, but that talent was limited.
At best, he was a second Norman. And since his nature was gentler than his father's, his achievements would likely fall short.
Because of that, Reid had never considered Harry worth watching. But now it seemed the effect of his arrival in this world was greater than he had expected.
A change in his family circumstances had pushed Harry to reveal gifts beyond Norman's, rivaling even Peter's. That was something rare.
Still, it was only enough to surprise Reid a little.
No matter how great Harry's ambition was, he could never threaten LexCorp. The company's growth was far faster than anything he could keep up with.
And more importantly, Harry had gone out of his way to get close to Peter.
Reid believed that the environment shaped people. Harry's hatred for LexCorp and Luthor would not fade, but neither would his bond with Peter or the natural kindness in his heart.
"If this genius, destined to join LexCorp, were to become the friend who's willing to give his life for you… what choice would you make then, Harry?" Reid smiled faintly as a new thought surfaced in his mind.
Some Hydra operatives who had failed to shield themselves from his psychic perception seemed restless. Before going into hiding, they wanted to stir up trouble.
It was an opportunity, a chance to shape the lives of those two boys.
"Let me see… Harry, will you entrust your heart to the friend willing to risk his life for you?"
* * *
A few months passed quickly. Under the influence of LexCorp, the world began to change at an astonishing pace. Yet those sweeping shifts did little to affect Peter and Harry, two children still attending elementary school.
The former enjoyed his childhood without a care, while the latter kept himself hidden, quietly honing his abilities. At the same time, he tried to study Peter's spider, which was obviously different from his own lizard.
Today, the two had arranged to meet at the park, each bringing along the pets they had gotten from Stark Industries.
For Harry, it was the perfect chance to obtain the spider's DNA.
As for why the two thought it was reasonable to let a spider and a lizard play together, only they could explain that train of thought.
Things went smoothly at first.
After several moments of the lizard trying to eat the spider, Harry finally succeeded. When Peter wasn't paying attention, he managed to collect some strands of web and a few loose bristles shed from the spider.
The sample was small, but considering the spider was not that big, this was already quite a harvest.
Just then, Harry realized something was off.
"Peter… does your family have something special planned for today?" he asked, frowning.
Peter looked up in confusion. "No. Even though the dividends from our shares are more than enough to live on, Uncle Ben and Aunt May still insist on keeping their jobs."
"I see. Then is it LexCorp? But… nothing like this has happened before."
Harry didn't think Peter would lie to him. He already knew well what the boy's home life was like.
Thanks to the LexCorp shares Richard left behind, Peter's life was secure. He didn't need to worry about food or money, and he could have lived like a wealthy heir.
But his guardians, Benjamin and May, had never chosen that lifestyle. Most of the dividends were stored in an account under Peter's name, while only a portion was used to cover his daily expenses and ensure a healthy and modest upbringing.
There were no luxury cars to pick him up, but bodyguards protecting him in secret were never lacking.
Now, though, the vast park around them felt strangely empty. Within dozens of meters, there wasn't a single person in sight.
Harry refused to believe this was a coincidence. Someone had cleared the area on purpose.
But if Peter's family hadn't arranged it, then who else could have?
Were they targeting him? Or Peter?
Either way, Harry was on high alert. It was the only way he knew to protect himself. Since his mother had gone to Kansas to work at a tech company, he had no one to rely on in New York.
"Peter, call the Hero Association. I think the bodyguards your family assigned are already—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, a thunderous boom sounded. A figure slammed through a tree, snapping it in half, and crashed to the ground beside them.
Harry recognized him instantly. Peter had once introduced the man as one of the bodyguards responsible for his safety.
But now, the guard's chest had been blown open by some kind of special attack. Most of his organs, including his heart, were already gone.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!