In the Spider's Web
A/N: Placed after the events of Amazing Spider-man #15 and before ASM #16 (2015).
1
The wine was fine. Not good or memorable; it was just fine, and for people like Norman Osborn, fine wasn't acceptable. The taste went well with the ravioli, but it wasn't enough for a man who had been invited to France's top wineries as a special guest.
But no one knew that, since he'd been living as Mason Banks, Alchemax's newest executive, and wasn't supposed to know what the best bottle of red wine tasted like. It certainly didn't help improve his mood, since his once daughter-in-law had not arrived and he had been forced to sit down alone and suffer through the waiter's look of compassion and pity. The old Norman Osborn would have poisoned the man, or even waited around to break his neck, but he wasn't crazy anymore.
He just didn't leave a tip, and wrote a scathing comment on the suggestions box. Whatever the case was, he would never return to Robert, and would certainly avoid the Museum of Art and Design in the future. All those pretentious new artists and their messed up blotches they wanted to pass for art. He could have tossed a pumpkin grenade into a school and he would have made something more artsy than the things he saw that afternoon.
Norman headed towards Central Park, wanting nothing but to be distracted from the things that were bothering him, and especially trying to get away from mirrors and reflective surfaces. He knew he would have to change his face, once again, and dreaded the process now that he had his sanity back. It was much more difficult to withstand pain when unable to escape into dreamland.
It was dark when Norman walked into the park. He closed his jacket and pulled up the lapels, trying to get some cover from the cold air. He had expected Liz to come pick him up in her limo and had not thought about carrying a coat or walking back home, or more accurately, the Ritz-Carlton. He could have walked all the way down the 59th, but he wanted something different to ease his thoughts. Somehow, being surrounded by green helped him concentrate.
He walked slowly, taking deep breaths and savoring the normalcy of not having a strange voice inside his head at all times. He was smiling, truly content and feeling more relaxed than ever. Those who walked right past him would only notice a happy man.
As he walked past the bus station, he noticed he had been left alone in the path. It was something quite strange in such a busy part of the park, but he didn't give a second thought about it, lost in his plans and make belief scenarios.
A rustle behind placed him on alert. Even if he didn't have the goblin serum inside him, he could still fend off any assailant and could call the police with just a click on his mobile. He turned around, quickly even for someone normal, but found no one around. He looked around and only could see a couple of young men running away from where he stood. Feeling silly for being so paranoid, he took his hand out of his pocket and sighed. Smiling, he turned around and was suddenly lifted off his feet, feeling the air leave his body.
He closed his eyes and covered his face with his arms and hands, protecting his eyes from the branches he was hitting as he was pulled upward. He did not scream, not wanting to reveal his fear. When he stopped moving, he opened his eyes and looked down. It was fortunate that he didn't fear heights because he was hanging from one of the tallest trees in the whole park. He didn't have to look around to know who was responsible.
"This is different from your usual methods," Norman said. "It's not like you to kidnap an outstanding citizen in the middle of the park."
"You are a criminal," Spider-man replied, but his voice wasn't as joyful as always. "I think it's time we had a real conversation."
2
Norman felt curious about the change in Spider-man's attitude. The masked annoyance had always been quick to reply with cheerful banter and jokes, but the costumed man in front of him was eerily quiet.
"What do you want to talk about?" Norman asked, wishing he could press the emergency button in his mobile.
"Actually, I think it is best if only I talk," Spidey replied, his tone even. He pressed down on the palm of his right hand and a spray of liquid flew forward, covering Norman's mouth.
Now he felt worried. Spider-man had always played by the rules, even under the worst of circumstances. He had been acting differently, but he had been using a different costume.
"How many people have you killed, Norman?" Spider-man asked, moving very much like a spider, making Norman's skin tingle. "I stopped counting a long time ago. I don't feel like tormenting myself with the numbers. I can't understand how you can look at yourself in the mirror and not feel any regret."
Spidey settled on one of the large branches. It amazed Norman how well he balanced his weight, since the branch barely moved.
"I guess that's why you went for the plastic surgery," Spidey continued. "Not that it's much of an improvement. Do you even remember them, Norman? The lives you've taken?"
Norman raised his shoulders. Insanity was a great excuse. At least it worked on a trial.
"Of course you don't care," Spider-man said, his voice revealing barely suppressed anger. "You only care about you and your cursed last name. You have always felt so superior. So much better than everybody else."
Norman shrugged. He was secretly enjoying the situation. He always kept microphones in his clothes, recording everything that happened near him. It would be so sweet to publish the recordings and accuse Spider-man of harassing a regular citizen.
"You think you're so smart," Spider-man hissed. "You would be surprised to think that I'm so much smarter than you are."
Norman shook his head, as if saying he didn't believe it.
"I am, Norman, I am," Spidey said as he showed Norman a small device that looked like a small ipod. "I know you and how you think. Nothing I say will be recorded and no one will be able to track you, should the come looking for you."
Norman looked troubled for a moment, but he was also a very smart man. It didn't look like Spider-man was trying to murder him; it was more as if he was trying to scare him.
"Do you know how strong I am?" Spidey asked, and Norman noticed the small device was no longer around. Seemed like Spider-man could move faster than the eye could see.
"I have the proportionate strength of a spider, Norman," Spidey said. "The force needed to crush a human skull ranges between 16 and 196 pounds. A spider can lift up to eight times its own weight. I weigh 170 pounds. Can you do the math, Normie?"
Norman felt a single drop of cold sweat run down his back. In all their years of struggle, Spider-man had never issued such a blatant threat. It was quite unnerving.
"I can lift a car above my head," Spidey said. "I can tear a steel door apart. You have no idea how hard it has been not to punch your head clear off your shoulders. But I may change my mind if you keep doing what you have been doing, Norman. It doesn't matter what face you have or what mask you wear. I'm not going to let you keep ruining my life."
Norman struggled, wishing he still had the strength necessary to rip free from the web. In all their time as enemies, he had never feared for his life or his wellbeing. The Spider-man in front of him was more dangerous than he had ever been.
"I have your DNA, Norman," Spidey revealed. "I never thought about using it because I fought you on equal terms, punch to punch. But now, I will make sure you are never truly free. You can change your face all you want, but your DNA will always be with you. So it doesn't matter what you do or who you get to help you, I will always be there to stop you."
Spider-man leaned closer to Norman, to the point where their noses almost touched.
"Don't test me, Normie," Spider-man whispered. "I've seen you destroy too many lives and you have escaped your punishment for too long. I can give you one more chance, because I'm not the police and I'm not always an Avenger. Think about it, now that you are free of the baggage of the Green Goblin."
Spidey stood up.
"The web will dissolve in an hour," Spider-man said. "You can hold on to the tree from there. I'm sure you will be able to climb down on your own, or maybe call for help once I'm gone. Give it a good thought. It's just the rest of your life."
Spider-man jumped off the branch and disappeared, leaving Norman alone in the top of the tree. He felt genuinely threatened and for the first time considered treating Spidey as a real menace and a threat to his plans. Maybe he had been blinded by madness and had been toying too much with him and now the toy had bitten back.
It only meant he would have to be more careful about what he did and how he did it. Liz Allen was a good ally but she was too compromised. He would have to consider Spider-man a considerable threat.
3
Spidey swung without really thinking about it. He didn't stop until he took a breather atop the Chrysler Building. He sat down and suppressed the need to throw up. He had never taken the initiative when dealing with his enemies, but having seen Gwen alive and well had stirred old memories and opened old wounds. Norman had caused too much damage, but he couldn't bring himself to end that threat. It was something he wouldn't do, no matter the situation.
So he sat down in silence, until a siren brought him out of his thoughts. He might have threatened Osborn, but he still was New York's friendly neighborhood.