Disclaimer: Hey, ya'll. This is it; this is the final battle or at least one part of the main event. I'm sorry for taking so long to getting to it since I've distracted… again.
Before we get into it, as I've always done in the past, I'm dedicating this chapter to the legendary Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, who recently passed away at age 83. Thank you, Mr. Spock for the great memories. You will be greatly missed.
Chapter XXIII
It didn't take long for the Quinjet to reach the mainland from Riker's Island. With Hawkeye and Black Widow in the cockpit, Spider-Man was out on the hull. He wanted to be wrong. He wanted to be so wrong when he returned to his apartment. He wanted Gwen to still be there, waiting for him. But the riot at Riker's; it was too convenient. That generator in the Vault was shut down by an outside source like Octavius implied; and OsCorp provided it. The pieces fell into place; the Green Goblin caused the riot, and it lured Spider-Man away from Gwen. That meant what he already knew to his terror; the Goblin was going after Gwen.
Once the Quinjet settled near the city, Spider-Man was already set to disembark when Hawkeye called out to him, "Hey Spidey, I don't know what's going on, but if you ever need help, feel free to give us a call."
"Thanks, Hawkeye. But this is something I have to do alone." Spider-Man replied before he shot out a web line swung off out of sight.
Spider-Man was back in the city within a matter of seconds and he traveled as quickly as possible to return to his apartment. Knowing that the Goblin was aware of his identity meant the Goblin knew where he lived. That meant that the Goblin was going to target Gwen. Spider-Man cursed himself for being so careless even as he literally raced across the city skyline to get home. He prayed like a madman that he'd get there first, and yet he knew in his soul that wasn't the case. Spider-Man kept swinging across the city, kept hoping that he'd make home in time.
Eventually, Spider-Man reached the apartment and swung toward the large window that led into his bedroom. He opened it and rushed inside, but he his spider sense didn't immediately go off. At first thinking that Goblin neutralized it again, Spider-Man quickly realized that the danger had come and gone. The first thing Spider-Man noticed was the closet. The door was opened wide and had a gaping hole in the lumber. Instinctively, he deduced that Gwen had hidden herself in his closet, but the Green Goblin found her. There was other evidence of a struggle leading out into the hallway.
"Gwen," Spider-Man called out to no response. Taking his mask off, he rushed out into the hall. "Gwen, c'mon. Talk to me, honey. Tell me where you are. Gwen…"
In the living room, he found more evidence of a struggle and a bloodstain on the floor. He feared the worst. He studied the stain, deducing that it was still fresh. It was recent. Peter continued to look around the apartment for any more evidence. Suddenly and inexplicably, his phone ringed. Peter initially suspected it was either Mary Jane or Harry or Aunt May. It might even have been Jameson for all he knew, and either way, he didn't think to answer it. But he changed his mind once he read the ID; it was Gwen. It didn't seem to make sense to Peter, unless Gwen somehow was able to evade the Goblin. The phone kept beckoning Peter to answer, and answer he did.
"Gwen? Gwen, is that you?" he asked.
But instead of Gwen's voice, it was the Goblin. "Can Spider-Man come out to play?"
All the blood drained from Peter's face coupled with tremendous anger. "Goblin! Where is she; what've you done with her?"
The Goblin was heard snickering over the line when he replied, "Take a little peak out your window."
Peter did that when he looked out the window in the living room. Across the way from the apartment and atop the roof of an adjacent building, Peter found the Green Goblin looking right back at him. The Green Goblin had Gwen, who appeared unconscious, in his right arm along with her phone set against his pointed ear. He was mockingly waving back at Peter, who was too shocked to respond in kind. Peter couldn't mask the outrage on his face, but he couldn't make a move while the Goblin was holding Gwen hostage.
"Can you see us now?" The Goblin asked over the phone, and across the way, the Goblin light kissed Gwen on her forehead.
"Goblin, if you so much as harm a hair on her…" Peter threatened.
"You'll do what, boy? Crack a one-liner? You know, from here, I can see you're pretty upset right about now. It's actually quite amusing," The Goblin mockingly claimed. "But fun time is over. If you want her, then by all means come and get her."
The Green Goblin ended the exchange and, from the top of the roof he was on, dropped the phone. Peter watched the device fall toward the street below, glinting all the way down. When the phone eventually hit the ground, it shattered. The line was still going at the time of impact, and Peter could plainly hear the brief static shock of it. When he looked back up, the Green Goblin was on his glider with Gwen slung of his left shoulder. He gestured Peter to follow before rocketing away down the skyline. Peter could plainly hear the vile cackling of the villain as he flew. Wasting little time, Peter pulled his mask on and bounded out of the window. Shooting a line, he raced after the Green Goblin.
Knowing full well what the Green Goblin was capable of doing, Spider-Man immediately picked up the pace. The sense of urgency was beyond the realm of overwhelming, as was the fear of what Goblin could and would do to Gwen if Spider-Man didn't stop. The Green Goblin was well ahead, but Spider-Man could still hear his demented cackling from blocks away. The Green Goblin dipped low toward the streets and Spider-Man, even more fearful of Gwen's safety, followed them down. Then the Goblin climbed back up, further filling Spider-Man with fear. He banked sharply into the next street and got even more ahead. Spider-Man wasn't ready and missed the turn, but he quickly shot a line back and rebounded back into the turn.
Into the turn, Spider-Man was alerted by his spider sense, and he spotted a pumpkin bomb coming right at him. He released the web line and ducked down when the bomb exploded, and then shot a new line to continue the chase. The Green Goblin was still ahead of him and still laughing, almost mocking Spider-Man's efforts to catch him. He gunned the engine of the glider to rocket further on and further frustrate Spider-Man. Or maybe, Spider-Man was too hesitant to get any closer with risking Gwen's safety.
Either way, the Green Goblin had the advantage when he banked around the next corner. Spider-Man was able to make the turn this time, but it didn't stop the Goblin from tossing another pumpkin bomb at him. Again, Spider-Man was able to avoid the detonation of the bomb, but not the pair of razor bats that followed. The razor bats zipped passed Spider-Man and cut the fabric of his costume's right arm and left leg. There were lacerations in the flesh under the fabric and because of it, Spider-Man briefly lost his grip on the web line.
Spider-Man was able to recover and shoot out another web line to continue the chase, while the Green Goblin flew further out. The Green Goblin traveled above the rooftops to gain altitude, and he likely believed that he'd make Spider-Man think he was going to drop Gwen right then and there. But he instead surveyed his surroundings for a more suitable battleground, and found the George Washington Bridge a few blocks away. Grinning wickedly to himself, the Green Goblin banked the glider toward the bridge.
"Catch me if you can, little spider!" the Goblin shouted as he flew to the George Washington Bridge with his hostage.
Spider-Man perched to the side of a building to regain himself and thought, Goblin, what are you doing?
Firing a new line, Spider-Man swung after the Green Goblin with newfound urgency. The Goblin was headed for the George Washington Bridge for some reason and Spider-Man knew it wasn't a good one. Another pair of razor bats came flying toward him, but Spider-Man was able to avoid and continue the chase. The Goblin flung a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man, but Spider-Man dodged that also. He couldn't avoid a second bomb and the shockwave hurtled him into the side of a building. Spider-Man recovered and continued pursuit.
The Green Goblin flew further out toward the bridge, forcing Spider-Man to pick up the pace. They eventually made it to the bridge, and the Goblin ascended all the way up to the top of the nearest archway. Spider-Man followed, swinging as high as he could until he was more than halfway up the side of the structure. He climbed up the rest of the way. He wasn't getting the familiar tingle in the back of his head, but it didn't do much to quell the overwhelming fear in his heart. By the time Spider-Man made to it to the top, he found the Green Goblin waiting for him. The Green Goblin was standing over Gwen, her face down on the ground. Spider-Man feared the worst and took a step forward, stopping when a razor bat struck and embedded into the ground in front of him.
"Come no closer, Parker, lest you bring about great harm to this lovely young lady." the Goblin threatened.
"Osborn, please don't hurt her." Spider-Man said.
"Hurt her? I'm going to hurt you, just like you and this little harpy bitch hurt Harry," the Goblin claimed and knelt down beside Gwen's limp form. "Do you have any idea what the two of you have done to my son? How you both betrayed him?"
Spider-Man narrowed his view of the Goblin, and he made some sense of what he was talking about. "You've got it all twisted, Osborn. We're Harry's friends; we'd never betray him."
"Don't bother denying it, boy," the Goblin snapped. "This… girl… broke my son's heart by running into your arms."
"What about you, Norman? You never cared about Harry. You looked down on him, treated him like crap." Spider-Man retorted.
"Because he was weak. You claim that I never cared about Harry, but I did care in my own way. Yes, I treated him as if he was nothing but garbage, but I did it to make a man out of him."
"And you think that justifies kidnapping somehow who loves him?" Spider-Man asked.
"SHE BETRAYED HIM," the Goblin shouted with rage and pulled a dagger from his right boot. "She broke Harry's heart, so I'm going to return the favor… BY BREAKING YOURS!"
The Green Goblin reared his arm back with the dagger in hand before he started the drive down. The dagger, and his hand, was suddenly snagged by a web line fired by Spider-Man, who pulled hard on the line. The Goblin was pulled along with the dagger, stepping uncontrollably forward. He was unprepared to have Spider-Man leap onto to him and tackle him to the ground. They rolled over each other with each trying to gain the upper hand until the Goblin was dominant. He still had the dagger in his hand and he tried to drive it into Spider-Man chest. Spider-Man blocked the attempt, but the Green Goblin pushed relentlessly until the tip of the blade touched the fabric of Spider-Man's costume. The Green Goblin pushed harder and the tip pierced the fabric, and Spider-Man felt the sting of metal into flesh. It was slow and painful and he screamed at the feeling. The Goblin sneered before Spider-Man started to push back on the dagger.
Spider-Man still felt the stinging pain in his side from the dagger piercing into his flesh, but he pushed back on the dagger. The Goblin wasn't prepared for that, nor was he prepared to take the dagger's hilt into his face. He staggered back while Spider-Man hopped up, shot a web line and yanked the dagger away. While the dagger was thrown over the side and fell down to the river, Spider-Man renewed his attack and tackled the Green Goblin again. They rolled over each other again, this time with Spider-Man gaining the upper hand. The Goblin tried to roll to his guts while Spider-Man held on with a chokehold with the intent to render the villain unconscious.
"Osborn, you have to stop this." Spider-Man said, trying to reason with Osborn.
"I'll stop when I've eradicate you and everyone you love, Parker." the Goblin snarled.
"I can get you help. You don't have to continue this madness." Spider-Man claimed.
"You right; I don't have to. I just want to."
The Goblin reared his right back and blinded Spider-Man with a blast from his glove. Then he grabbed the hero and tossed him across the length of the archway. Spider-Man landed with as hard a thud as his body could take, but he recovered in time to avoid a series of laser blasts from the Goblin. He managed to dodge most of the blasts while trying to get closer to the Goblin, but a stray blast knocked him back to the ground. The Green Goblin used to the opportunity to run to his glider. He made it there, gunned the engine and took off. He was unaware that the sound of the glider's engine had stirred Gwen back into consciousness.
Gwen started to rise but very slowly and dazed and confused. She couldn't recall anything beyond the last few moments in Peter's home. Then she realized she wasn't there anymore. Gwen remembered now; the Green Goblin found her and knocked her out. As she stood up, her equilibrium was off and staggered around. Her head ached and she tapped her temple, finding trickles of her own blood in her finger. Gwen was still dazed when she wandered to close to the edge, stopping only because of the ledge. It quickly dawned on her just how grim the situation was before she looked to the other end of the archway.
The Green Goblin was airborne and raining down a series of projectiles, from laser blasts to pumpkin bombs, on Spider-Man. Spider-Man was dodging and ducking around the incoming attacks and doing all he could to stay ahead of the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin gunned the engine of his glider and flew down and in an upward curve, missing Spider-Man as he flew by. Spider-Man responded and fired a web line to the Goblin's back. He pulled as hard as he could, and the result saw the Green Goblin pulled right from his glider. The villain fell back to the archway with a hard thud while his glider continued to fly overhead. As he tried to stand, Spider-Man tackled him. Again they tumbled over each other trying to gain the upper hand, but the ensuing struggle caused them both to fall over the edge. The glider, under remote control, followed them down.
Spider-Man and the Green Goblin tumbled end over end and traded blows as they fell until the Green Goblin won out. It was at that moment that his glider arrived and saved him. The glider came dangerously close to incoming traffic, causing several vehicles to swerve and crash into each other. The Green Goblin laughed off the near collision before Spider-Man grabbed hold of him. They flew back up toward the archway while fighting for control of the glider. The glider was sent into a frenzy banking right to left and back again as Spider-Man and the Goblin fought back and forth. They fought as the glider dipped and flew under the archway before making an ascent back up top.
They returned in full view of Gwen, and she watched as the Green Goblin threw Spider-Man to the ground. Spider-Man hit the ground hard while the Green Goblin appeared to be flying away. It appeared as though he landed on his right shoulder and he wasn't moving. Against her better judgment, Gwen rushed to Spider-Man side. She knelt beside him and tried to get him moving again.
"Peter! Peter, get up. C'mon, talk to me, Peter. Please, tell me you're okay." Gwen pleaded for Peter to reply.
Peter budged slightly and whispered, "I thought I was here to save you."
Gwen smirked at the remark before the Green Goblin returned and jet right for her. He was cackling as he always did and making beeline for Gwen. Gwen didn't have time to move when the Green Goblin suddenly grabbed her and jetted for the far end of the archway. The sight of Gwen being taken right in front of him stirred Spider-Man into standing up. He saw the Green Goblin holding Gwen over the edge by her throat, and it appeared like he was one move away from snapping neck. Spider-Man made a move and the Goblin squeezed on Gwen's throat.
"I wouldn't do that, boy. Take one more step and I swear to you that she'll be dead long before she even reaches the river." The Goblin threatened, and Spider-Man knew he wasn't bluffing.
"Goblin, I'm begging you; don't drop her." Spider-Man pleaded and took one step. He stopped when the Goblin squeezed on Gwen's throat again.
"You're begging me? Begging: the ultimate show of weakness. I'm almost moved to tears here, really I am. Just… not enough." the Goblin claimed and inched his arm outward with Gwen trying to hold on.
Spider-Man reached out his arm but didn't shoot a line. "No, don't do it, Goblin. Look…" He removed his mask so it was Peter who was speaking. "Look, I'm the one you want, Norman. I'm right here; you're fight is with me."
To further prove his words, Peter threw his mask over the side of the ledge. The mask fell down toward the river. Peter still didn't make a move out of fear that Gwen would've been hurt by the Goblin. The Goblin leered at Peter with the same unhinged gaze that he'd always had. Then he started to giggle at the turn of events. He looked at Gwen, looked into her terrified eyes that were looking back at his and laughed loudly. Peter had to maintain his composer if only to not drive the Goblin into harming Gwen. Then the Green Goblin stopped laughing and looked at Gwen, and he was relishing the tears in her eyes as she returned his mad gaze.
"Isn't that precious, little lady? Your boyfriend is willing to sacrifice himself for you. So touching, so noble and oh so… predictable," The Green Goblin leered back at Peter. "It makes me sick if I'm to be honest."
"You're pathetic, Osborn!" said Gwen in a cold tone.
The Green Goblin appeared surprised but he still smirked. "I'm impressed, Ms. Stacy. I didn't expect you to figure out my identity."
"It wasn't that hard. You have all that power, all the intelligence and the technology. And all you do with it use it for intimidation and murder. What would Harry think if he saw you now?"
"You are your father's daughter, Ms. Stacy." the Goblin claimed with a smirk.
"Osborn, it doesn't have to go down like this. We can get you help but please; don't hurt her." Peter said, and he took another step forward.
"Stay where I can see you, Parker," the Goblin demanded, unaware that Gwen was reaching into the pocket of her coat. "If you even think about taking one more step, she dies."
Gwen suddenly pulled out a taser, which she'd snuck into her coat prior to her abduction, and jammed it into the Green Goblin's arm. The effect was instantaneous, causing him to release his grip. Gwen still fell over the edge but she was able to grab hold. Peter acted fast with a web line that snagged the Green Goblin's other arm and pulled hard. The Green Goblin was pulled forward while he was still on his glider, but he suddenly gunned the engine and rushed Peter. Peter ducked out of the way and let the Goblin pass over him. While the Goblin was airborne, Peter looked back toward where Gwen was holding on to the ledge. Gwen saw Peter looking toward and for a fleeting moment hoped he'd reach her. Peter was about to make his move when his spider sense went off.
The Green Goblin was rounding back with a pumpkin bomb in hand. He tossed it toward Peter, who was able to avoid the explosion but not the shockwave. Peter was pushed further to Gwen while the Green Goblin was still flying above them. He banked around and made another pass while tossing another pumpkin bomb. This time, Peter was able to avoid the explosion and the shockwave along with a razor bat that was tossed directly after the bomb. Peter knew he was running out of time to get to Gwen, who was starting to lose her grip on the ledge.
Peter took his eye off the ball when the Green Goblin tossed a razor bat toward him. The razor bat cut deep across Peter's right leg and caused him to stumble and drop to the ground. The Green Goblin banked back and passed over Peter and then narrowly missing Gwen. It was a deliberate move, because Gwen was now barely holding on to the ledge. Peter tried to stand despite the wound in his leg while the Green Goblin was banking back around. The Green Goblin gunned the engine of his glider, which also extended a duel pronged blade rom the front. The Goblin flew into range and at the last second, Peter ducked under the glider. As the Goblin flew off, Peter shot two web lines that snagged the Goblin's back. Then Peter pulled as hard as possible.
The Green Goblin was literally ripped from his glider with too much velocity to handle. The crash to the ground was far worse for him. Peter heard the blood-curdling scream when the Green Goblin hit the ground. The Goblin knew instantly what had gone wrong. He instantly held his right side that was in agonizing pain and he coughed up blood from his mouth. The injury was internal as the Green Goblin writhed in pain. Peter was stunned at seeing his foe in that much pain and was compelled to help him, but Gwen came first.
Gwen was losing her grip on the ledge, inch by inch dropping further to the point. She started wondering if this was the end and if she'd still be conscious before she hit the river below. Or maybe, the shock of the fall would kill her long before the impact. Either way, Gwen was a heartbeat away from losing her grip. Then she did, but Peter was there already and grabbed her arm just before he long fall.
"I've got you, Gwen." he declared and pulled her up onto solid ground.
"Took you long enough." Gwen replied and embraced Peter.
Across from the pair as they embraced, the Green Goblin pulled a razor bats from his pouch and threw it with every once of strength he had before he collapsed. Gwen saw the projectile coming, but Peter was spent form the battle and couldn't react. At the last moment, Gwen shifted her body and spun Peter around just as the razor bat was close to them and then… time went completely still.
Gwen felt her body arching back in the most unnatural way, her mouth was agape but not a sound came from her lungs. But the pain was there. The feeling of cold steel in warm flesh was too great to describe. Peter was stunned at what had just happened. Everything slowed to a crawl as Gwen threw Peter to the ground. A moment later, she fell over the ledge and out of sight.
"GWEN!"
Peter leapt from the ledge and fell after Gwen, who was already halfway down as she fell toward the river. He shot a web line to catch her. The line snagged her leg while she continued her free fall. Peter fired another line and then another, and he used the line to pull himself further down. He eventually caught Gwen in his arms but they were too close to the water for Peter to react accordingly. So he shifted their weight so his back hit the water first, coming down into the river with a mighty splash. The pain raced through Peter as he and Gwen sank to the bottom. Peter recovered enough to start the swim back up to the surface, carrying Gwen's near limp form along with him. Once they broke the surface, Peter swam frantically for the shoreline.
From atop the archway, the Green Goblin dragged himself to ledge where the pair disappeared. Though he normally took to grinning madly, the Green Goblin was grimacing in pain from his own injury. He left the ledge and started for his glider, but he collapsed from the pain and coughed up more of his own blood. It was going to take a while to reach his glider.
Down below, Peter made to the shoreline with Gwen in his arms. He removed the razor bat from her back, causing her to react to the sudden pang of pain. Peter looked at the projectile that was embedded into Gwen's back for a fleeting moment before throwing back into the river. He then held Gwen in his arm; she was still coherent but her breathing was shallow and erratic. She looked into Peter's eyes with her own, and Peter saw the fear in hers. They knew it wasn't long, but Peter didn't want it end like this.
"Gwen… Gwen, Gwen, look at me, okay? Just look at me, stay with me." Peter pleaded and fought back tears.
Gwen didn't try to fight off the tears in her eyes. "Peter, are you okay? Tell me you're okay. Please!"
Peter wasn't sure how to react when he replied, "I'm… you… you saved my life."
Gwen smiled weakly and replied under shallow breathes, "It's what my father would've done," She felt weak from the pain. "I… I'm so scared, Peter."
So was Peter, and he was failing at not showing it. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me, Gwen. You're going to be alright. I'm going to get you help. You're going to be alright, and then… we're… we're going to fly to London just like you wanted. Just you and me and no one else."
Gwen smiled even though she knew otherwise. "You're a terrible liar, Peter Parker." Gwen was fading after those words.
"Gwen…"
With a final breath and taking Peter's hand in hers, Gwen whispered, "I… love you, Peter. I love you so much."
The tears were starting well up in Peter's eyes. "I love you too, Gwen."
Gwen smiled at Peter for the final time before she finally went silent and her body went still. Peter didn't want to believe it or accept it, but he knew he'd just watched the woman he'd loved most pass away in his arms. It was too eerily similar to the way George Stacy passed. There was no stopping the tears from welling up anymore and Peter finally broke down. He buried his head and face into Gwen's limp form and cried his heart out. He didn't even care that his mask and washed up nearby.
At the same time atop the archway, the Green Goblin made it to his glider. The second he gunned the engine and took into the air, still holding his side, he looked down to the shoreline. He saw Peter cradling Gwen's limp frame. Instead of feeling gleeful enjoyment, the Goblin felt a pang of remorse. That remorse quickly gave way to the familiar cackling as he jetted away.
Peter heard the sick laugh and within moments, his grief turned to anger. "Goblin… he said and looked up at the Goblin as he vanished. Than his anger quickly turned to rage and he screamed out that one name… "GOBLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIINNNNNNNNNNN!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's note: This took a while, plus it was a bit longer than the previous chapter. Also, this is going to be a multi-chapter event, so bear with me.
I need to be honest; I didn't want to do this but I knew I had to. At the same time, I had to make that… scene unique to the story while also retaining some of the key elements from the comics. I won't get into the details.
Anyways, I'd appreciate some feedback while I work on the next entry. In the immortal words of Mr. Spock; Live Long and Prosper.
IN MEMORY OF
LEONARD NIMOY
1931-2015
