Spider-Man: Irregular Reflection

ISSUE 5: Lightning in a Bottle!

"It's just...I thought me and Harry were suppose to be a team y'know? He says that he trusts me and then the next minute he sics Quire on me to get inside my head instead of talking man to man," Peter lamented.

"Harry can be...a complicated fellow," Mortimer stated.

"Heh! You can say that again," Peter snorted as he was re-calibrating another one of his web-shooter on his other wrist.

"But there was a time when he wasn't always like this. I'm sure you have your own fair share of tragic events that shaped your life?" Mortimer asked as Peter himself haven't really thought of it that way.

"We all have a story, Mr. Parker. Each of us have a beginning, middle and an end. I'm not here to absolve Harry's mistakes or trying to seem like I'm simply taking his side. Nothing of the sort. The reason why I came out here is to try to see things through his perspective," Mortimer placed the tray on the table and on it was Mary Jane's Journal right next to the teapot. The amphibious butler handed the book on over to Peter, and went back inside the penthouse to clean up.

Peter thought back to what Mortimer said about how tragedy affected both of them. While Peter was dealt a bad hand in life, he somehow was able to face adversity when the going gets tough. He looked down at the table and gazed upon the journal. Peter was hesitant to read it at first, and he didn't understand why Mortimer gave it to him in the first place. After he was done fixing his gear, Peter picked up the book and decided to take a look at how Mysteria really came to be.

"Well, time to burn the midnight oil I reckon," Peter stretched his muscles and sighed as he took a sip from his teacup and decided to get a little reading done because after all it was going to be long night.

TWO DAYS LATER...

It has been two days since Mysteria's rampage, and the crime-fighting duo were both eating their breakfast at the dining room table in absolute silence much to the disappointment of Mortimer who came in the room to deliver mail to Harry.

"It's for you, sir," Mortimer handed the letter over to Harry who opened it up to see what was in it.

"Dear Mr. Osborn, you have been cordially invited to a charity gala which is being held at the Macro Science Museum tonight at eight o'clock. You're welcome to bring a guest as your plus one," Harry read the invitation for both of them to hear.

"That sounds like a really good bonding activity for the two of you. I'm sure it will be fun to mingle with your peers," Mortimer said hoping for Harry and Peter to reconcile with each other.

"Don't wait up," Peter got up from his chair and leaves the plate on the table to go to the balcony. Harry got up from the table as well to see what was up with his friend. He got out to the balcony to see Peter already in his costume without his mask preparing himself.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked.

"What does it look like? I'm going on patrol," Peter answered while putting on his mask.

"...We need to have a word, Peter," Harry suggested.

"Oh so now you wanna talk. Are you sure that you don't want to continue this rousing game of telephone with your psychic pal?" Peter sardonically said.

"I'll admit that I never should've gotten Quentin involved in our business. It wasn't fair to the both of you," Harry said with remorse.

"Honestly, you're kinda sending me mixed signals here, Harry. You claimed that you trusted me "one hundred percent" back in the Parlour, but you didn't have to guts to be upfront with me concerning MJ," Scarlet Spider vented.