NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: The Price of Truth
Chapter 12: The Price of Truth
The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with the hum of lingering electricity. Peter's senses were still on high alert, the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but his body was screaming for rest. The fight had taken everything out of him. His muscles ached, and his vision was blurry from the intensity of the battle. But he couldn't afford to let his guard down—not with Osborn standing just a few feet away, his face a perfect mask of calm.
Norman Osborn didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the chaos that had just unfolded in his office. He was unmoved by the creature's destruction, its body slumped and lifeless against the wall. His gaze was fixed on Peter, cold and calculating, like a predator sizing up its prey.
"You think you've won, Spider-Man?" Osborn's voice was low, almost disinterested, as if the destruction of his prized creation didn't matter to him. "You've merely delayed the inevitable."
Peter wiped the sweat from his brow, his fingers trembling slightly. He could feel the weight of Osborn's words, the realization that this fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
"What is that thing?" Peter demanded again, his voice firm, though his body still screamed for a moment of respite. "What was it?"
Osborn's lips curled into a smirk. "You're asking the wrong questions, Peter." He stepped closer, his shoes clicking on the polished floor. "What you should be asking is why you're still alive. After all, you should have died when you came to my door."
Peter's heart raced, but he didn't flinch. "So you were expecting me?"
"Expecting?" Osborn repeated, arching an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I'd use that word. Let's just say that I always prepare for every contingency. I knew someone like you—someone with your… potential—would come eventually. But," he added, as though savoring the moment, "I didn't expect you to be quite so persistent."
Peter's mind was spinning. Someone like me? He had a sickening feeling that he was more than just an inconvenience to Osborn—that he was a part of something far larger than he realized.
"I don't have time for games, Osborn," Peter said, his voice steady despite the chaos in his chest. "I came here for answers. I want to know what you're doing at Oscorp. What you've done to Gwen."
Osborn's eyes narrowed at the mention of Gwen's name, and for a brief moment, something darker flickered in his expression. "Ah, Gwen Stacy. I see you've been poking around in places you don't belong." His smile was tight, almost predatory. "She's… part of the bigger picture now, Peter. And if you knew what was good for you, you'd stop looking for answers."
Peter's fists clenched at his sides. He could feel the rage building inside him, but he couldn't let it cloud his judgment. Osborn was baiting him, trying to get him emotional, trying to get him to make a mistake. And if there was one thing Peter had learned over the years, it was that Osborn was a master manipulator.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know what you've done to her," Peter said, his voice icy with determination.
Osborn's lips twitched into a smile again. "You've been warned. Very well, Peter. If you insist on continuing down this path, I suppose I can't stop you. But you need to understand something." He stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Peter's with unsettling intensity. "This world doesn't belong to people like you. It belongs to people like me. And no amount of webs will change that."
Peter's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, the lights flickered once more, casting long shadows across the room. He immediately knew something was wrong.
Without warning, the entire building began to shake. It wasn't an earthquake, though—it was too controlled for that. It felt like a pulse, something rhythmic and unnatural, vibrating through the walls and floor. The air grew thicker, the temperature dropping as a new, more ominous energy filled the room.
"What is this?" Peter said through gritted teeth, his spider-sense going into overdrive. Something was happening—something far worse than he had imagined.
Osborn stepped back, his expression unreadable. "You're not the only one who's been busy, Peter," he said calmly. "The world is changing. I'm changing it. And if you want to survive, you're going to have to accept that fact."
The ground beneath Peter's feet trembled once more, and this time, he heard it—a loud, mechanical hum coming from deep within the building, rising steadily like an engine gearing up for something catastrophic. It was coming from below them, from the very foundation of Oscorp.
Peter's mind raced. He'd seen enough to know that Oscorp was more than just a corporation. They were working on something far beyond weapons and genetic experimentation. Something with the potential to reshape the entire world.
"What did you do?" Peter demanded, his voice rising with the urgency of the situation.
Osborn didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned, walking toward a large window that overlooked the city. Peter followed him, his mind already spinning with possibilities. But when he looked out the window, he didn't see what he expected.
Across the skyline, a massive structure was emerging from the ground—a dark, ominous tower, pulsing with an eerie, green glow. It seemed to rise from nowhere, a twisted mass of metal and energy that grew taller with every passing second.
Peter's heart sank. No. This isn't good.
"What is that?" Peter asked again, his voice barely above a whisper, the weight of realization settling on his shoulders.
Osborn turned to face him, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous pride. "That, Peter, is my legacy. The next step in human evolution. The final piece of the puzzle. And it's just the beginning."
The tower continued to rise, its form like something out of a nightmare, casting an unnatural shadow over the city. Peter's spider-sense screamed in alarm. Whatever Osborn had unleashed—whatever he was building—was going to change everything. And he was running out of time.
Peter stepped forward, his mind made up. "I won't let you get away with this."
Osborn's smile widened, but there was no humor in it. "You're already too late, Spider-Man," he said, his voice low and filled with an unsettling calm. "The world has already begun to change. There's nothing you can do to stop it."
Peter's fists clenched, but he wasn't backing down. "I'm going to stop you, Osborn. Whatever it takes."
End of Chapter 12