Talk Me Down // Spider-Man (BOOK 2)

Chapter 10 - Spider Hybrids

"Come in," Harry called from inside his office as I knocked on the door one morning. I'd woken up to a frantic message from him asking if I'd come to see him and talk. He sounded off, weird. Not much different to how he did a few nights before at dinner.

"Hey Harry," I called with a smile as I let myself in, wanting to gage his mood before I took it any further. "You sounded strange on the phone. Is everything ok?"

Taking a seat in front of Harry, sat quietly at his desk, I knew straight away something was wrong. Again, like the other night, his face was clammy, his eyes were bloodshot, his hands were shaking.

"I've got to tell you something."

Leaning forward I took one of Harry's hands in mine and searched his face. Whatever news this was had to be big. "What is it? Harry, you're scaring me."

"I'm dying."

To say I was shocked was an understatement. He didn't beat around the bush. He was blunt. To the point. How could Harry be dying?

"What? How?"

"It's the same condition my father had."

Standing up and moving around to Harry's side of the desk, I threw my arms around him and held on for dear life, not getting much response in return.

After everything that happened the last few months, Harry had been a god send. He'd been the perfect distraction. A friend who helped me forget all of my own drama. He didn't deserve this.

"Is there anything that can be done?"

"The Doctors say there is nothing they can do. It's just a matter of time." God, he looked so desperate.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I don't know what to say."

"I do. I know what you can say. Say you'll help me."

"I don't understand."

Reaching for a remote next to his computer keyboard and holding it up to the monitor attached to the wall, Harry loaded a video file, physically moving me in front of it so I could watch. "Just watch this. It's the answer."

The image that came up on screen confused me even further. It was Harry's Dad in a lab at Oscorp, another man also present at his side, "Is that Richard Parker?"

"Yeah. Just watch"

"You're looking at the worlds first human, spider hybrids..." Norman Osborn began.

"Our hope is to extract the venom from their glands and turn that into a cure, an agent that heals diseased cells," Peter's Dad continued.

As the tape carried on, I could feel Harry's eyes burning into me. I didn't understand what this had to do with me. How did I come into any of it?

"...and if I can be cured, imagine what this can do for patients with Alzheimer's or even cancer?"

Abruptly the video stopped, Harry jumping to his feet with frantic enthusiasm. "It never got to human trials. Fourteen years of research and nothing to show for it, except for this."