◉◉◉◉◉
The moment Peter spoke, the others around him paused. His logic cut through the noise like a clean web line.
Reynolds scratched the back of his head. "Huh… yeah, that actually makes sense. Guess we've all been too panicked to think straight."
It was becoming clear that this mysterious Dr. Nolan from another universe wasn't here to conquer.
He was here to fix their apocalypse.
---
Heading Toward the Osborn Compound
"I'll bring them back myself," Peter said, his voice lighter now human again.
The strange warmth in his veins hadn't faded since the injection. He could feel his heartbeat, feel exhaustion, even fear. Things he hadn't felt in years. His muscles were weaker, sure, but his soul finally felt alive.
Reynolds nodded. "Good. I'll prep the second vial for Banner. If we can calm Hulk's hunger before it spirals, we might avoid another catastrophe."
---
When Peter reached the outskirts of the Osborn encampment, he froze.
The city had grown.
In less than a day, the once-bare plateau had transformed into a metallic metropolis a fusion of Earth and alien engineering.
Hover-crafts patrolled the skies, blue thrusters cutting streaks of plasma through the night. Drones mapped terrain, sentinels lined the walls, and every structure pulsed with clean, sustainable energy.
He'd seen technology like this before on dying alien worlds, during the forty years of horror when the infected devoured planet after planet. But Earth? Never like this.
Even Galactus's stolen cosmic energy hadn't built anything this precise. Those "zombie gods" had used their borrowed power to eat, not create. Only Hulk's brute strength had carried them across worlds.
Now, before his eyes, stood a civilization that had done in hours what the living couldn't in decades.
---
"Identify yourself," came a synthetic voice.
A squad of armored troops in humanoid exo-frames with Osborn insignia marched forward. Their scanners swept across Peter, green light flickering.
"I, uh… came to see your—uh—Dr. Nolan?" Peter stammered, raising his hands slightly.
The lead soldier's helmet whirred. "The Director is currently off-world. Interim command belongs to Mr. Osborn."
Peter blinked. "Osborn…? Wait—you mean Norman Osborn?"
The soldier paused. "Correct. Osborn Industries. Director Norman Osborn. You know that name?"
Peter's chest tightened. "You could say that."
"Protocol requires containment," the soldier continued. "Though you've been injected with the anti-virus serum, we must ensure no contamination risk."
"Yeah, no problem," Peter said quietly.
When the restraint cuffs snapped shut, his body instantly felt heavier. Power muted. Strength dampened. The web-slinger's reflexes dulled, leaving only one thing intact: his spider-sense.
They led him deeper into the facility, past glowing corridors and magnetic rails carrying containment pods.
Inside those pods… faces he recognized.
"Rhino… Wolverine… Cyclops…?"
Each bound and sedated, zombified yet alive. Villains and heroes alike, captured not destroyed.
The sight hit him harder than any punch.
They'd done what no one in his world ever could contain the infected superhumans.
---
Peter stopped outside a sleek office door.
"Go in," the guard said.
The door slid open.
At the far end of the room, a man in a tailored black suit looked up from a holographic display of Norman Osborn.
Peter froze. His breath caught in his throat.
"Mr. Osborn…" His voice cracked. The memories the pain flooded back.
Norman smiled warmly. "You made it."
He gestured toward the guards. "Unlock him. He's no threat."
"Sir—"
"Now," Norman said calmly. "This is Osborn ground. He's safe here."
The cuffs clicked open. Peter rubbed his wrists, unsure whether to cry or run.
"Sit, Peter," Norman said, gesturing toward the seat across from him. "You're not my Peter, but you're still him in every way that matters. Even as a zombie, you fought to protect what you loved. That's something no virus can erase."
The words broke something inside Peter. Tears welled up, spilling freely.
"I… I watched you die," he whispered.
"You and Harry. The whole company. I—"
Norman waved a hand gently. "That wasn't me. And in that world… you did what you had to. But here, things are different."
He leaned back. "Our director, Dr. Nolan, saved me from becoming what I was destined to be. No Goblin, no madness. He cured my genetic flaw. He even restored Dr. Connors's missing arm using Wolverine's regenerative DNA."
Peter's eyes widened. "He cured you?"
Norman chuckled. "More than cured. He elevated us. Under his guidance, Osborn Industries became the foundation of a multiversal empire. If he hadn't stepped into our timeline, I'd still be the monster who killed his best friend's father."
Peter swallowed hard. "So… he's your boss now?"
"In every sense," Norman said. "Without him, there'd be no us."
He smiled, the kind of smile Peter hadn't seen on Norman Osborn's face in decades.
"If you ever tire of this place, we can authorize a transfer to visit another Earth. See your Aunt May. Gwen. Even another version of yourself. We've built the technology to make that possible."
Peter's hands trembled. "But… look at me," he said quietly. "What if I scare them?"
"Don't worry," Norman replied, voice steady. "Once the final Serum-Z Omega batch is complete, Nolan will finish what he started. You'll be human again. To him, this virus is just another puzzle, and puzzles never beat him."
Peter looked up, eyes glimmering with tears and awe.
"If we'd had someone like him in our world…" he murmured. "Maybe… maybe all this wouldn't have happened."
Norman nodded slowly. "That's what we're here to fix."
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!