Chapter 12: Seed of Confusion

Peter was broken, his world had collapsed in front of him and he could do nothing about it. 

This made me think if all heroes suffered, but my answer was simple.

Yes. 

Almost all heroes had tragic backstories, most had a reason for choosing the path that they did.

Even villains had their reasons. 

But did I?

Honestly, I couldn't think of any.

"I-I—" Peter fumbled, unsure of what to say or how to handle his pain. 

MJ rushed towards him and gave him a tight hug, his aunt sitting in one of the seats near the ICU. 

"Uncle Ben will be alright, Peter." MJ assured. "The doctors are doing their best."

I didn't walk closer, I allowed MJ to have her time with Peter. Girls were much better than boys at comforting others.

"Why... why… did uncle Ben have to suffer?" Peter was broken, but I could see the rage behind his sorrow. 

It wanted to kill. 

As MJ loosened her grip on Peter, I walked closer, resting my arm over his shoulder. 

"We are here, Pete."

When people are scared, when they are in pain and when they break, the ones to provide their shoulders, their support becomes the pillar for the said person.

Peter didn't have many of them. 

Till this day, his uncle was his biggest pillar but now —with him in the hospital— his aunt, MJ and… I were his pillars. 

The one he could lean on and trust. 

We sat with the superhero for hours, giving him support as much as we could, acting like his pillar and his family. 

The ones he could pour his heart out to. 

MJ kept him company for a very long time, staying close to him. 

But it was getting late, his aunt wasn't in a fully healthy state either. So, I decided it was best that she took her home. 

"MJ, you should take Aunt May home." I said. "The hospital will not allow so many people to stay with the patient, Peter and I will stay the night."

Peter didn't comment and stared at the floor, however Aunt May didn't want to leave. 

"B-But I cannot leave Ben alone." She said with tears in her eyes. "And— And Peter hasn't been sleeping well recently, he should take some rest."

Peter smiled painfully. "It's alright, Aunt May. Harry is right, you should go. It's not like I can sleep anyways. And if you ended up falling sick, Uncle Ben would be sad."

"But—"

Peter shook his head. "Please, Aunt May."

May didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay by her husband's side. 

"Uncle Ben will be alright." MJ assured. "The doctors are doing their best. And Aunt May, if we go now, we can make some good food for Uncle Ben in the morning. If he wakes up soon, which I know he will. He will be hungry."

Mary Jane did her best to convince May and while the older lady didn't want to go, she knew Peter was not going to leave his uncle's side and the doctors wouldn't allow all of them to stay. 

"Take care of yourself, Peter." She said with a broken voice. "You too Harry. I will bring something for you two in the morning."

I nodded while Peter didn't reply. 

Giving us a sad smile, MJ took Aunt May with her to her house, leaving the two of us alone. 

Neither of us spoke a word, we just stared at the floor aimlessly, unsure of what to say. 

Minutes passed and we said nothing and soon an hour passed. Looking at the time, I decided to speak. 

"You must be thirsty." I said. "I will bring us something to drink."

Once again, Peter remained silent. But as I was about to leave, he asked. 

"Is it my fault?" 

I stopped and looked at him, he didn't lift his head. 

"If I wasn't out late, if I had been with him… would he be here with me laughing and talking about his younger days?"

I sighed and walked towards him.

"You didn't know that such a thing would happen." I said. "And even if you were with him, could you have done anything? The man had a gun, Pete. It's impossible for us humans to stand against those. So, stop blaming yourself."

My words made him clench his fist, realising that what I said was true. If it was anyone else, they would have been able to do nothing. 

But could he say the same for himself? 

Of course not.

He wasn't a normal human. He was much more. He had the ability to stop the gun from shooting, but he didn't. He wasn't there. 

It was his fault. 

And he knew it.

He felt it.

The guilt. 

The pain.

I stood next to him till he asked. 

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"Will there be justice? Will the police be able to catch him?"

"They will." I assured. "They will be able to put him behind bars."

"For how long?" He asked and this time, I couldn't answer. 

"In a year or two, the man would be out again, doing the same things… harming others."

I placed my hand over his shoulder. 

"That is the justice system, my friend." I gave him a sad smile. "Flawed."

"So what can I do?" He asked, no he begged for an answer. 

"Nothing." I answered. "There is nothing we can do. We do not have the power."

He clenched his fists. "And those that do have power, doesn't nothing."

I chuckled, although not in pleasure. "They do. They put the criminals behind bars. But that is not enough." I sighed. "I remember a quote that your uncle often says."

Peter looked at me for the first time in a long time. "With great power, comes great responsibilities."

He smiled, a painful smile.

"But the people think of those responsibilities as handing the criminals over to the police." I said, making Peter nod. "The responsibility of the people with power is to ensure safety. And if that safety comes at the cost of making sure that those criminals are never able to commit any crime, never hurt anyone ever again." I paused and smiled. "It is worth it."

Peter didn't say anything, contemplating my words. 

"Police do nothing." I sighed. "Someone has to. But who that someone will be…" I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Making sure that the criminals are never able to commit any crimes ever again…" Peter repeated my words. 

"They say revenge is evil, they only give us empty satisfaction. But if that revenge ensures that there won't be anyone that will suffer the same pain as the person." I gripped his shoulder hard. "That isn't revenge, that is justice."

I stayed next to Peter for a while as the boy looked over towards the ICU. 

"I will get us something to drink." I said with a smile. "You should rest a little, my friend."

Peter nodded. "Thank you… Harry."

Winking at my best buddy, I waved. "Will be back in a minute, so don't leave your place."

He smiled. "Yeah, I won't."

…

…

Sitting on the top of a tower, a man in a purple suit frowned. He stared at a hospital from afar. He sat in his suit but without his helmet. It was the first time that he revealed his identity in the open, even if it was at a place where no one could see him. 

He wasn't thinking of his secrets at the moment. He was shaken, he was amazed. 

He didn't know how to react to the things he saw. 

He was given one task, one very important task that he masterfully completed. 

And he was paid handsomely for it. 

But the actions that followed scared even him. 

Even Paladin.

"This boy… no this guy… is terrifying."

He was given one task by Harry. 

'Redirect the bullet to shoot Ben but not take his life.'

He didn't know how Harry knew that Ben would be shot. Neither did he know why he told him to stop the bullet from hitting his vitals instead of saving the man in his entirety.

Especially since the man was his best friend's uncle. 

In a way, he had a guess, an idea.

But he didn't know why his employer would do such a thing. 

"He is manipulating the boy…"

But why?

Paladin couldn't understand. 

The boy was his best friend. He was neither rich nor powerful but for his employer to go so out of his way to do such things.

Made no sense to him.

Should he look into the matter? Should he find out what his employer was thinking?

Or should he do what he always did? Complete the task for money and leave. 

Normally, that's what he would do. However this time it was anything but normal.

A boy, barely seventeen was playing such games. Games behind his father's back, behind the back of the powerful authorities. 

And he didn't even react after accomplishing so much in barely a few months.

The boy was not a human, he was something much more.

Much more dark.

And that's why he decided to let his curiosity take the best of him, and look into the matter. 

"Harry Osborn… Just what are you?"

Curiosity that often leads to disastrous fates.

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