The Shimmering Spider-Woman! Issue #9

>Your name is Anonymous Osborn

>Yeah, that'd been a big surprise for Sunset too
>As you stand in front of the ever-imposing Oscorp Tower, the morning replays through your head like some bizarre fever dream
>You'd waited until she woke up and you'd provided breakfast in bed to break the news
>Okay, to be honest, two pieces of toast and scrambled eggs wasn't much of a meal, but you weren't exactly a trained chef, so fuck any complaints she might have had
>You say "might have had" because because apparently her spider-sense had been giving her a low buzz until she looked you in the eyes and asked what was wrong
>Those eyes
>You'd wracked your brain for a clever, gentle deflection, a witty joke, a smile to plaster on your face
>Totally worthless when Sunny used those eyes on you
>Everything came spilling from your lips like a busted faucet
>Your childhood, your parents (boy, mom's reveal had been a surprise), everything
>You might as well have printed a fucking character sheet out for her
>Anonymous Osborne, Human Fuckup, Lazy Neutral, Level 2
>Sunset had had... a lot of feeling about this
>Confused, Angry, Uncertain, Sad
>Eventually she'd explained that a lot of trouble in her life had come from Oscorp
>Her powers (shouldn't a radioactive spider give her cancer?), some of her villains, and more than a few shady dealings with criminal scum that she'd broken up personally
>Yeah, that sounded about par for the course with dear old dad
>You even got a little, unpleasant surprise when Sunset admitted that, halfway through your confession, she'd thought you were an Oscorp plant or something
>Another mistake waiting to screw her over
>Yeah, that'd hurt
In the end, all you could ask was if she thought you should do it
>If you really should come crawling back to your successful father like some homeless, mistreated dog
>That'd struck something with her, something about a princess, and she told you that if you turned away now, it might be a massive mistake
>What if he wanted to make amends?
>What if he wanted to be a family?
>Could you take a chance on that, even if it was the smallest possibility?

>So
>We are
>The elegant spire of black-tinted glass and sharp, gleaming steel stood out in the otherwise normal city of Canterlot, dominating the skyline as the tallest structure around
>Most people thought it didn't match the aesthetic of the rest of the city, but Oscorp's public relations billed it as a glimpse of the future
>You thought it was fucking hideous
>You seized that little bit of petty hate to warm yourself against the chill in the air and started forwards
>'It's not too late to run' you think, parting past the ever-present flood of business people doing business things
>'Sunset would understand' floats between your ears as the automatic doors part for you
>'Coming back to him makes you look weak' fills your skull, a constant stream of the same thought, over and over, growing louder with every step you take
>'Don't do this'
>'Don't do this!'
>'DON'T DO THIS!'
"This is Anonymous Osborne... I have an appointment with my father?"

>You barely finish speaking before the secretary at the front desk wordlessly types something out and a pair of massive, well armed security thugs flank you, taking you to a special looking elevator, somehow... more impressive than the others
>The three of you step through, the space cramped by their over-muscled forms, barely concealed beneath the ill-fitting suits they wore
>The whole exchange had occurred without any other words, not even a glace to make you confirm if this was true or not
>Of course not
>Daddy 'only made one mistake', as he was fond of saying
>Who's bitter about it?
>Not you
>Nope
>Definitely not even a little
>Oh hey, you were moving
>One of the mooks looks at you, somehow turning his head without a neck, his fat finger still jammed into the highest numbered button inside the door
>Whoops, guess you were supposed to do that
>Kinda... lost track of things
>You mentally count the passing floors, tapping a finger on your thigh in time with the blinking lights as the elevator purred
>Not too late for the cables to snap and kill you
>Not too late for one of the mooks to just blow your fucking brains
>Not too late for-
>'Ding!'
>Way too late

>You step out into Sombra Osborn's office
>You two new best friends stop and instead take up their places on either side of the elevator door in perfect synchronicity
>Wonder how long they practiced that
>You brush the thought away and focus on the here and now
>No sense trying to distract yourself from what was going to happen
>Instead, you look around the office
>It'd been a while since you'd visited
>Things hadn't changed much
>Shimmering black, floor to ceiling
>Oscorp Green banners streaming down the walls
> It'd reminded you of an ancient king's throne room
>The only touch of color was framed by the deeper-still darkness of the glass behind him, a crimson throne (because what else could you call it?) behind a roughly-hewn desk made of obsidian, in front of it a much simpler, far less comfortable looking chair
>And sitting behind that desk, fingers lace and so still and pale you'd think he was a corpse, was your father
>You didn't bother waiting for a word or a gesture
>You knew the routine
>Taking a seat across from his desk, just far away enough that you'd had to move the chair to get it closer for uncomfortable conversation
>He'd probably intended for that
>The bastard
>Osborn's eyes drilled into yours, unblinking, until he was satisfied and settled back into his seat
"You're late."
>Of course, years pass in silence, and his first words to you are a complaint
>Typical.
>You grunt
"You didn't exactly leave me a specific time."
>His eyes narrow
"I said to be here in the morning. It's almost noon."
>Frowning, you get ready to lay into him
>How dare he?
>What right did he have to do this, to force himself back into your life, only to keep sucking any joy you had out of it like a bloated leech?
>How-
>But he waves a hand
"I suppose I can forgive it."
>Wait.... seriously?
>But he never-!
"I'd have trouble leaving my bed too, if it was being warmed by someone like Spider-Woman."
>Your heart stops
>How-?
>You don't even complete the thought
"How? It was almost pathetically easy. Really, she should do a better job of covering her tracks, if she doesn't want someone to get hurt."
>You've never seen you father smile before
>It was terrifying.
>If he notices your distress, or even cares, he doesn't show it
>Instead, he keeps talking as he rises from his throne, turning away from you to face the rippling black electronic wall behind him, arms gesturing to emphasize his words
>Like he was a stage performer, for a captive audience of one
"Spider-Woman. The name alone hints at her origins. The timing of her appearance, her physical attributes, all of it pointed to an incident in our genetics lab, where an experiment got lose. Coincidentally, a group from Canterlot High, that most mediocre yet intriguing of institutes, was visiting our labs for a field trip. to "inspire" the feeble educational pursuits of the masses."
>Osborn starts pacing back and forth, the electronic ebony mirror reflecting his actions and words, bringing up photos YOU had taken, news reports and internet posts and school documents
"Female, Canterlot High, part of a small group. That certainly narrowed things down. All that left was baiting her out. Thankfully, nature took its course. She started making a name for herself, annoying me by interrupting company affairs, followed by the creation of prototype super-criminals... But still her true identity eluded me."
>He twists on his heels, those venomous green eyes locking with yours
"But then, a most unexpected boon. You. My greatest disappointment, the no-name, do-nothing son of one of the most powerful men in the world."

"You did it."
>
>
>You feel sick
>You don't even notice your fingers digging into the armrests
>He's laughing
>There are tears in your eyes, streaming down your face, and he's laughing
>At you
>At her
"Somehow, some way, you got her attention. I couldn't care less, but when Spider-Woman took notice of your courting and reciprocated. And then, out of the blue, so was Sunset Shimmer."
>Osborn sneers as he goes on, again, the screen behind him illustrates his speech, just to play up your own reactions
"So now, I had a name. I had my people dig up everything they could about her. Used our military contracts to design a man-portable and stealth capable drone-wing to keep eyes on you. On her. Had "anonymous" contractors prod the new super-criminal elements to work together, test her abilities, her weaknesses."
"And there was you. My best tool. Unknowingly compiling and releasing vital data out into the open, without a thought of who would see it"
>Reaching into his suit, slowly, he draws something out
>For a moment, you think it's a gun, that he's going to make some grand speech about how your usefulness has come to an end, and just gun you down in his office
>When you see what it is, you wish that it really was a gun
>In your father's hand sits an unassuming note pad, like any you'd buy in any store around the world
>Your notebook
>Your handwriting, from back when you'd first really met Spider-Woman
>The notebook you thought had been lost during the Rhino's attack
>The pit in your stomach deepens
"Ah, and there it is."
>His shoes clack on the floor as he walks closer to you
"The guilt."
>'Clack', 'Clack'
"The self-hatred."
>He comes to a stop, inches from you, the note pad slapping to the floor as he drops it, right under your eyes
>Finally, he's silent
>So instead, you speak up, voice raw with anguish

"What.... what do you want?"
>His throne makes a muffled sound as he takes his seat again, waiting until you bring your watery eyes to meet his cold stare
"Sunset Shimmer."
>Wh-What-?
"As far as I'm concerned, her entire body is company property. Stolen company property, even. And that's not even beginning to count her status as an.... illegal alien."
>You really shouldn't even be surprised by this point
>He already knew everything else, why not Equestria?
>But still, you had to ask
"How...?"
>A snort
"Oscorp has been exploring the possibility of alternate realities for resource exploitation for quite some time. That.... statue at Canterlot High is hardly the first portal to our world."
>Reaching under his desk, you father removes... a crystal?
>Holding it out in the open, you get a good look at the thing
>It's jagged and tear shaped, with an inky-blackness that seems to swirl and pulse in the dim office lighting
>The older man talks slowly as he turns it in his palms, each facet seeming to shift and change, even when you were sure that you'd already seen that side of the dark crystal
"This came from one in Antarctica, which I'd been alerted to by a government organization named S.H.I.E.L.D. . We've no idea what it does, but it hold a tremendous amount of unknown energy in its liquid core. The team that found it went mad before it was recovered by Oscorp personnel, claiming a dark voice kept whispering to them"
<NIGHT
>The crystal...
>You blink, realizing that you'd actually been getting closer to the thing, hands rising to touch it's surface
>Slowly, you lean back into your seat
>But your father doesn't
>He clutches it, staring into the material intently, as if it would show him some great secret
"S-So, what? You want me to help you? Lure her into a trap or something? Threaten me? 'Cause I'm NOT going to give you Sunset!"
>You try to sound a lot braver than you are
>It's not really working
>His eyes return to you, that crazed intensity slipping from them as he looks away from the gem
"You won't co-operate?"
>You shake you head, not trusting your voice again
"No matter what I offer you?
>Another shake
"Money, power, a part of the Osborn family name?"
>Again
"Fine. You can go."
>He turns his throne away, the crystal left haphazardly on his desk
>What?
"Y-You're serious? After all this, you're just letting me go? After everything you've told me..."
>You hear a muffled snort from the back of the chair
"You're just a child, boy, what could you ever do to me? Run and tell your little girlfriend? Go ahead."
"I'm looking forward to it."
>With a parting glare, you turn away and start walking out towards the elevator
>You look at the security personnel before getting into the elevator, giving Sombra Osborn's back on last look
>Your eyes pass from the goons to the crystal

<FOREVER

>The elevator doors shut

>You have to tell Sunny
>You have to tell her everything