Two days later Peter and MJ were in the Harry's palatial condo the news that Peter was to attend the Hardy gathering was a shock to none more then it was Peter. Mary Jane slapped his arm. "Relax Peter, these parties are a breeze, just laugh at the right jokes, fake interest in the person running the party and gossip relentlessly"
Peter winced and cradled his arm. " I should be fine my Aunt May tells me she used to go to these things all the time when she was younger."
Mary Jane looked at him for a moment " What's with your arm its been bruised for a day or so now"
"I was trying to catch a ride downtown the other night. The guys didn't want to stop."
"Man that is the one thing that I don't miss about living in Manhattan." The red head replied and stroked her hand down Peter's aching arm soothingly.
The couple moved into the main living room and surveyed the room filled with well-heeled guests. At the center of it all looking as if the world belonged to her was Felicia Hardy. Harry stood at her side looking lost until he caught sight of Mary Jane and Peter entering the room.
"Guys how's it going, thanks for making it MJ. It classes the place up to have a real star here.
"Not for much longer according to my sources in Hollywood" the blond haired Felicia was in full bitch mode and she found a ready opponent in the feisty Mary Jane Watson.
"Getting your news tips from the same cheap end stores you obviously buy your clothes."
"This is a Donna Karin original not that I'd expect you to tell the difference."
"Of course I can tell, I have to listen to Donna whine about the bastardized versions the so-called high end stores made her knock-off."
"Ladies lets retract the claws, This is a social occasion." Harry made placating gestures between the two hissing women. Peter latched on to MJ and began dragging her away from the ensuing battle
"Why didn't you let me punch that little bit…"
"Because Harry is counting on us to make him look good. Felicia influences her mother who in turn influences the rest of the Oscorp board. If this goes well the board might back off of Harry's father for a while and give us a chance to unearth who is ripping off the company."
Mary Jane nodded and Peter steered them toward a buffet table. Looking at her appraisingly, he reached for the healthful canapés and low cal treats. Mary Jane looked at him. "Think again Tiger, if I have to endure an afternoon with the Felicia the she-beast I want real food."
***
The two wondered into the living quarters and from there to a big office study looking out over the city. Peter poked his head in the door and spotted a computer on the desk.
"This is great just like on Secret Hospital."
"MJ if this was Secret Hospital a major clue would be sitting right out in the open. That doesn't happen in real life."
"Oh really Mr. Doubting Thomas, well for your information, we had a detective consult on the series. She says that criminals leave clues right out in the open all the time its how they manifest their desire to be caught."
"Well I hate to burst your bubble but the only thing we are going to find on Norman's computer is the porn sites he cruises when he supposed to be negotiating business deals."
The two sleuths looked at each other and then dashed as one to the computer. Peter booted it up and they looked at some of the files.
"It will be the movie files."
"Here's something a big piece of V-Mail"
"What is it?"
"I'm pulling it up …here we go."
The V-Mail panel opened and a tired looking man with a mop top haircut and sunglasses faced the camera.
"Who's the stiff?" Mary Jane asked.
"I think that's Dr. Octavius, Otto Octavius he works for Oscorp." Peter supplied as the scientist continued talking.
"Mr. Osborne, pursuant to our conversation I have continued the tests on the samples of the test subject. The gene mutation is progressing at an uncontrolled rate. The …mental aberrations you were mentioning are most likely a symptom of this. That would be backed up by the EEG readings you provided. I must strongly recommend that you bring the test subject in. God alone knows what that hell he is seeing."
The panel closed as figures started scrolling across the screen. Peter looked at some of the figures and whistled. "Osborne has been backing some heavy gene manipulation research."
Mary Jane looked at the screen. "What's he trying to do build a better capitalist?"
Peter shrugged his shoulders "What ever it is it's illegal. This type of gene research is supposed to be strictly controlled."
MJ started at more of the file unfolding in front of them. "These are the brain pattern readings right?" Peter nodded and she continued. "These look a little erratic for a normal person."
Peter looked at the readings and nodded "These are erratic for a serial killer. Whoever this guy is he is completely nuts."
MJ stepped back her mind racing with all the new information. "I know you don't think much of soap opera scripts, but consider this. Oscorp scientist comes up with a great drug or chemical. They want to test it, but they wouldn't be able to test it legally since human testing is banned. Norman finds a patsy, someone willing to go under the knife and the experiment works."
"Of course…the guy goes nuts and wants revenge against Norman. He escapes."
"Can you get a list of the things that were stolen from the warehouses."
"Give me a sec…" Peter pounded keys soon a list of parts came up on the screen."
"What the hell is this stuff." Mary Jane looked at the screen amazed.
"Military prototypes, Anti-personnel devices, look a single manned glider."
"Goblin weapons." MJ whispered as the pieces fell in to place for her
"Remember the Green Goblin went after Harry." Peter reminded her "He must have been trying to revenge himself for Norman screwing with him."
"Does this mean we just solved the mystery of the Green Goblin?" MJ asked him excitedly.
Yes Shaggy, I think we can call this case officially cracked." The two amateur detectives high-fived one another. One of Mary Jane's earrings jostled loose and fell under the desk and she stooped to get it.
Peter spotted Harry as he poked his head through he door. One of the serving waiters was with him and standing just behind Harry. Peter's Spider sense went off. "Harry I think I know who has been stealing from the company and why the Green Goblin has been after you." He forced MJ under the desk to keep her out of sight.
"Peter we have bigger problems." Harry said quietly motioning him to follow him into the hall.
"If you people could head down the hall this will all be over very quickly." The gun toting waiter said and the three headed in the living room. Two other men were standing covering the room with guns.
Peter looked around and turned to Harry. "Any idea why the waiters are armed and dangerous."
"This ladies and gentlemen is your typical low maintenance stick up. Your cash, credit cards and jewelry if you please."
One of the men at the party piped up you don't think your going to get away with this do you."
The leader looked at the man and sighed " There's one in every bunch." He then pistol-whipped the man who crumpled to the floor. "Does anyone else have anything to say."
Peter felt his spider sense amp up to a screeching hum in his head he looked around and caught sight of movement out side the window. "Yeah duck."
He hit the floor as did Harry. Therefore, they weren't actually watching when the bay window blew inward.
Peter looked up at the dust clear and saw a green clad figure moving slowing into the now blasted room perched on his glider. "Well, Well all the people I so dearly want to see dead, and thoughtfully they are all here."
***
There was a moment where Peter briefly lost it. Frankly, in the old days when he was poor pathetic Parker and a situation like this presented it self, his only obligation was to stay alive. Then it occurred to him that to his knowledge situations like this never happened before he was bitten by a genetically enhanced spider. The thugs, in true thugs style, started shooting at the Green Goblin. The Goblin threw out his arm and a laser blast took one of the thugs and turned him in to a pillar of flame.
Peter was shocked like everybody else but unlike everyone else needed a way out of the room so that he could change. The crowd instinctively headed for the door so Peter sprinted for the backrooms already pulling his shirt open to reveal the Spider-Man costume underneath. He was near a room window close to the office where MJ was hiding when The goblin caught site of him making for the office "Oh no you don't Junior." He cried out and fired one of his smart bombs down the hall.
MJ was crouching in the office trying to get someone on the telephone when she heard movement in the hall she popped her head up from under the desk. She caught sight of Peter standing in the hallway near a window and was shocked to see the scarlet and blue costume of Spider-man under his jacket.
Peter saw the bomb and dived through the window as the bomb exploded behind him. He twisted in the air grabbing the side of the building. He yanked off the rest of his clothing then he swung away from the building coming around and flying through the hole in the bay window.
"Hey Gobby you took off so quick the last time that we didn't get a chance to really dance."
"Fine insect tango with this" goblin hurled a pumpkin bomb at him. Spider-Man fired a web-line at the bomb snagging it and swinging it around his head throw it out the window where it exploded harmlessly.
The web slinger dived toward the goblin. The green menace swirled to the right dodging his attacks. Spider-Man fired a web-line snagging the glider. "Your grounded goblin"
The goblin powered up the gliders engines and drove right at Spider-man. The slinger leapt sideways and was still in the air when the goblin switched directions and fired himself out the window and out over the downtown traffic centre. The web-line went tight for a half second before spider-man was dragged outside behind the glider.
They began chasing throughout he sky. Spider-man weaving and trying to evade the bolts the goblin fired trying to eight force him to let go or blast the line he was holding on to. The problem was that he was also driving the glider and this meant his attention could not be diverted long from the task of keeping them both from flying into one of the surrounding buildings.
"This is not an air taxi." The goblin snarled
"Are you sure you drive like a maniac, you don't know where you're going, and you smell repulsive." The webslinger quipped.
Goblin spied a construction sight below and dove at it sharply. " Time to squash you like the bug you are." The glider began to weave in and out of the metal framework for the building. Spider-man already having his hands full trying to keep from being blasted now had to avoid slamming at full speed into metal girders.
The worker on the site scrambled for safety as the fight worked it's way through the building. Spider-mans senses went high alert. Glancing ahead, he saw The Goblin would clear the next girder only by inches. Making a quick choice, he released his hold on his web-line. He grabbed the passing girder and flipped himself up to a higher level. He ran across the skeletal platform, the goblin glider just beneath him.
The goblin sailed out the other side of the building swerved around and fired a bomb at one of the support struts for the structure. A worker on a floor above slipped and fell grabbing on to a metal beam. The beam started pulling away from the building.
Spider-Man leapt out on a hastily fired and secured web-line. He swung around the building. The worker finally lost his grip and began to fall. Spider-Man fired another web-line and snagged the back of the man's shirt, arresting his fall. Spider-man was now in the center of a pendulum. One web-line connected him to the building while the other was lowering the worker to the ground. The wall crawler's spider-sense screamed a warning; he turned and saw the goblin barreling toward him. He was still attached to the worker and the building so at the last second the spider released his hold on the man who crashed harmlessly to the earth. The Goblin Glider slammed into Spider-Man and continued through the building and out the other side.
"You know how I feel about hitchhikers Spider-Man." The Goblin laughed and brought the glider to a dead halt in front of a tenement. Momentum carried the spider crashing though window to sprawl at the feet of an eight-year-old who just that morning had been complaining to his mother that nothing fun ever happened in his neighborhood
The goblin watched as Spider-Man climbed weakly to his feet. "This building has a spider infestation time, time for a through bug bombing." He fired off the last of his smart bombs. Spider-Man moved instantly grabbing the child and hurling himself and the boy through a door into the hall outside. The explosion took out the whole room and started a fire that spread quickly to the rest of the floor.
Spider dropped his pint-sized burden. "Kid does anyone live up stairs."
The boy nodded. "An old lady she's the only one."
Spider-Man nodded "Ok here's what I want you to do get everyone on this floor and the one below out of here get them to the street and have somebody call the fire department. With that he sprinted up the stairs two at a time and ran down the hall. He found the apartment and knocked on the door.
His spider sense went off again and he stepped to the side and evaded a shotgun blast the tore a hole in the door.
"You punks won't get Me." a crotchety voice from inside the apartment screamed before another shotgun blast went off. Spider-Man kicked the door open. The old lady was armed and watching the entranceway he ran inside and then up one wall across the ceiling landing on the floor behind her. Snatching the gun out of her hands, he threw her over his shoulder. "Look Grandma, we got to get out of this building. How's about we bare arms later." He ran with the struggling woman down the stairs that were on fire at this point. Spider-man sensed the staircase giving way and leapt to another one lower down. Firing a web-line he secured it and lowered himself and the grandmother to the floor.
As he let her go he cried out "Get lost Granny." He cried out. He was about to follow his own advice when the stair he was hanging off gave way and crashed down around him, followed shortly by the floor dropping him into the basement of the burning building. Rolling to his feet, Spider-Man spotted a manhole cover. He ripped it loose and crawled into the sewers that ran under the building. Running for a short time, he found a ladder the lead to the surface. Looking out the sewer grating, he saw the little boy and old lady as well as everyone else seemed to be fine and fire trucks were starting to appear to fight the fire.
"Lets see, an armed psycho is trying to destroy a friend and wants to kill me. I had to run out on MJ again. Moreover, I managed to destroy not one, but two buildings, almost roasting the tenants of one of them alive. I'd say it's been a full day I can't wait to see what JJ has to say about this.
***
The next morning's Bugle carried a picture of the burned building, With the headline Arachnid Antics Leave Tenants Homeless.
***