Chapter Eleven

Peter Parker ran towards the Queens home that he and his aunt lived in. He'd changed into a spare set of clothes that he kept stashed on top of the Daily Bugle for emergencies. His head was still light, his muscles fighting him every step of the way as he ran as fast as his legs could manage in his current state. He hadn't yet thought up an explanation to give Aunt May for the bruises and cuts that covered his face. He only hoped that would be his biggest worry when he got in the front door.

All he could hear in his head was what Harry had said to him.

"I'm going to make you pay, Peter Parker! I'll take everyone that you love away from you!"

The words echoed in his mind with each frantic footstep on the pavement. He hadn't even noticed when it started to get dark out, let alone when it started raining, and he had no idea what time it was, or any concept of anything other than that he could not get to the house fast enough.

He raced up the steps and froze when he got to the door.

It was ajar. It looked like it had been kicked in.

Peter started to shake as he burst into the house. "Aunt May?" he called out. "Aunt May, are you all right?"

Tables had been knocked over. Vases and picture frames lay broken on the floor.

Peter bit his lip and shook with fear and with anger all at once.

In the living room, two words had been carved into the wall: "THAT'S ONE!"

Peter's blood boiled with a rage he had never felt before.

He ran back out of the house at full speed, adrenaline racing through his body, his heart pounding. Harry's father, the original Green Goblin, had attacked Aunt May as well, when he learned Peter's identity. She had been lucky to survive, given her weak heart. She might not survive another ordeal like that. She was the only family that Peter had left, now that his Uncle Ben was gone.

Two thoughts occupied Peter's mind as he ran. First, that the Goblin had Aunt May. Second, that there was no doubt in his mind who he would go after next.

. . . . . .

Mary Jane Watson was just getting ready for bed when she heard a knock at the door of her apartment.

"I'm coming," she called, pulling on a pair of sweatpants so she would not be answering the door in just her nightshirt.

The knock came again before she could get to the door.

"Who is it?" she called out, as she made her away across the living room.

There was no answer.

She looked at the clock. It was getting late, and she wasn't expecting anyone. Slowly, she tiptoed over to the door and looked through the peephole.

She couldn't see anything. Whoever was on the other side had their hand over the peephole. She began to back away from the door. The chain and the deadbolt were both locked. If she stayed very quiet, maybe whoever it was would just go away.

They knocked again.

"Oh, God," she whispered. "Please just go away…"

The door blew in off its hinges in a fiery explosion, and smoke poured into the room as Mary Jane screamed and ran.

The Goblin stepped inside. He was still wearing the black and green armor, but the mask, which had been destroyed in his fight with Lex Luthor, was gone. Instead, he wore a green latex Halloween mask, which was even more frightening than the old mask had been.

"Avon calling," he said, wafting the smoke away as he entered.

Mary Jane ran around to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife she could find. Then she hid up against the corner of the doorway and waited for her attacker to enter the room. She tried to breathe slow, deep breaths, even as her heart raced and her stomach tied up in knots of sheer panic.

She could hear his heavy footsteps coming closer. He rounded the corner into the kitchen, and she lashed out wildly with the knife.

It stuck into the armor covering his chest. The Goblin looked down at it, somewhat amused.

"Lovely," he said.

With one hand, he pinned Mary Jane's back against the refrigerator, and pulled the knife from his chest with the other. He pressed the blade up against her neck, and leaned his face in inches from her own.

"I need you alive for right now, Mary Jane," he said. "So let's not do anything else that will make me want to kill you, okay?"

They heard someone else run into the apartment.

"Mary Jane!" a voice yelled. It was Peter Parker.

MJ's eyes went wide. She wanted to yell to Peter to warn him, but the Goblin still had the knife against her neck.

Beneath his mask, the Goblin smiled.

Peter rounded the corner into the kitchen. The Goblin pulled the knife away from Mary Jane's neck and thrust it at Peter's face. His spider sense kicked in and he ducked the blade at the last possible fraction of an instant.

Lowering his shoulder, Peter slammed his whole body into the Goblin's stomach, and they both tumbled to the ground. The Goblin dropped the knife as he grabbed Peter around the throat with both hands. Peter punched at the Goblin's face and struggled to free himself from the death grip.

Mary Jane picked up the knife and stood there, watching the struggle. She wanted to help, but with Peter and the Goblin locked in combat, she didn't know what to do.

Finally, Peter got in a good strong blow to the Goblin's face and he released his grip on Peter's throat. Peter turned to Mary Jane.

"MJ, get out of here! Get as far away as you can!"

The Goblin got in a return blow, decking Peter across the face.

"Peter, he'll kill you!" Mary Jane screamed.

"Just go! Run! Please!"

Mary Jane hesitated. Then she ran for the door.

The Goblin pressed a button on his left arm. His glider tore into the room through the ceiling and began to chase after MJ.

As it bore down on her, she ducked and it flew right over her head. Then it turned and opened fire, blowing holes in the wall and floor on all sides of her. She screamed and threw her hands over her head as her apartment came crashing down around her.

Her large bookcase teetered back and forth, and finally toppled over, landing on her foot. She could hear the nauseating "crack" as well as feel it. She fought back the tears of pain and she struggled to free her trapped foot, the glider still circling her, weapons armed.

Back in the kitchen, out of Mary Jane's view, Peter fired a web at the toaster and yanked it towards him. Then he smashed the Goblin across the face with it, knocking him senseless enough for Peter to get away and run into the living room.

As he ran towards Mary Jane, the glider fired off a hail of small bat-shaped spikes in his direction. He leapt into the air and twisted his body into a contorted, acrobatic pose that allowed the spikes to pass harmlessly by and imbed themselves in the wall. He landed beside the bookcase and lifted it up, freeing MJ's trapped leg.

No sooner had she pulled her foot out than the Goblin jumped onto Peter's back and pinned him to the ground again. He smashed Peter's face into the bookcase.

Mary Jane stood up and tried to run. As soon as her foot touched the ground it almost buckled beneath her. Her ankle was definitely broken. She didn't even bother fighting the tears any more as she began running on pure force of willpower.

As she made it out the front door, the glider began to chase after her. Peter fired off another webline which snagged the glider and held it in place, immobilizing it.

"Now you've done it," the Goblin hissed. "You let her get away!"

He placed his hand over Peter's face, then released a blast of electricity from the armor. Peter was rendered unconscious.

The Goblin stood and hoisted Peter up by his shirt.

"Then again, you know what they say about a bird in the hand…"

The Goblin laughed the sickeningly blissful laugh of a man who has completely lost his mind.