Chapter Thirteen

Peter regained consciousness as he was being dragged through a long passageway. The Goblin was hauling him by his shirt collar down some kind of dark, musty corridor. His arms were tied behind his back, and his legs were bound as well. At full strength he could have broken his restraints effortlessly, but now he could barely move his fingers. The only thing he could feel was pain, throughout every inch of his body.

They continued their descent down the passageway. Peter got a vague impression of some kind of light up ahead of them. He thought he heard the Goblin whistling a tune of some sort, but he could not be sure if that was really the case or he was just that much closer to losing his mind.

Suddenly, Peter was thrown violently into a large, dome-shaped room as they reached the end of the tunnel.

They were somewhere far beneath the Osborn Mansion now, in the room where Harry had heard his father's voice for the first time since his death… first learned of his legacy as the Green Goblin.

Peter struggled to open his eyes, which were badly swollen. He wondered how long the Goblin had had him here already, and how many beatings he had endured in his unconscious state.

He realized he was not alone in this room. He was in the center of a semi-circle of people. Aunt May was there… so was Mr. Jameson, Mr. Robertson, and Mr. Urich from the Bugle, along with Miss Brant… Kids he had gone to high school with, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, they were there too.

All of them were on their knees, their wrists tied to their feet behind their backs. They all just stared at Peter, and at the Goblin standing behind him.

"I suppose you're wondering why I've gathered you all here today," the Goblin said. His voice didn't even sound like Harry's any more. It was sounding more and more like Norman's had, when he was the Green Goblin. "We are here to honor this man, who you see before you. Peter Parker, This Is Your Life!"

He kicked Peter in the back, forcing him face first onto the ground.

"…And Your Death!" the Goblin said with a wicked laugh. Everyone in the room recoiled in horror.

"Let the boy go, you miserable lowlife!" Jameson yelled. Good old Jonah… the man may not be a prince, but he was never afraid to speak up.

"Jameson," the Goblin hissed. "I'm glad I brought you here. You are unique among those in this room, as you are the only one that I am about to let live. Everyone else here is going to die, slowly and painfully, as Peter Parker watches. You, however, Mr. Jameson, will be set free when this is all over."

Everyone was looking at Jameson now.

"Why me?" he asked.

"Because," the Goblin said. "You are going to write about this. All of it. Everything that happens, you are going to publish in your rag of a newspaper, so everyone will know how the Green Goblin finally destroyed his greatest enemy, and how he will obliterate anyone who crosses his path."

Peter saw that Aunt May was crying.

"Please," she begged. "What in the world did my poor Peter ever do to you?"

"Ahhh… May Parker. You stupid old bag." He grabbed Peter by the back of the neck and hoisted him up again. "If you only knew…"

Now it was Flash's turn to speak up. "You better let us out of here, freak! I swear to God, I'll kill you, man!"

The Goblin let go of Peter and he slumped to the floor again.

"Wow, you really don't get it, do you, moron? You're not going to kill me. I am going to kill you, and everyone else in this room. It's really not that hard to follow, so try and keep up." The Goblin then kicked Flash in the teeth.

"Please…" Peter whispered. "Please just let them go…"

"Aww… did you hear that, everyone? Jameson, did you catch that? Are you taking notes? He wants me to let all of you go. How noble. A true hero to the very last."

The Goblin sat down on the floor next to Peter.

"The real problem, Petey, is how we're going to pick who goes first? Do you want to pick?"

Peter started to struggle against the ropes that restrained his hands and feet.

"I think that would be best, Pete, if you picked who gets offed first. It's really only fair, I mean, I certainly can't make that call."

Peter clenched his teeth and pulled against the ropes as hard as he could, but he couldn't break them.

"Come on. Either you pick… or I tell them."

"Harry, please…" Peter said.

The Goblin smacked him on the back of the head. "Now you know better than to call me that! That does it, you don't get to pick now… AND, I'm going to tell them."

The Goblin stood up.

"There is something that you really ought to know about Peter Parker before you all go to your early graves. And, Mr. Jameson, I think this will add a very nice angle to your article, certainly something of note in Peter's obituary."

Peter kicked and pulled and rolled around, tearing with all his might at the ropes that bound his hands and feet.

"You see, kids… I am not the only one who occasionally chooses to put on a mask and use a colorful nickname. Our boy Peter was doing that long before I was."

The Goblin folded his hands behind his back, and walked right up to Aunt May, sticking his face right in hers.

"YOUR NEPHEW IS SPIDER-MAN, LADY!"

Aunt May gasped, as did much of the rest of the group.

"Bullshit!" Flash yelled. "If he's Spider-Man, I'm the freakin' Green Lantern, man!"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Jameson scoffed. "Peter works at the Bugle! Don't you think I would've realized if Spider-Man was on my own payroll!"

"You make an excellent point, Jameson," the Goblin said. He then rapped on J.J.'s forehead with his fist. "Then again, having read some of your editorials, I'm sure that I'm not underestimating your intelligence."

"Why you…" Jameson gritted his teeth and started struggling against his restraints.

"Look," Mr. Robertson spoke up. "It's awfully easy for you to accuse people of being someone else, while you hide behind a mask yourself."

The Goblin paused and considered this. "You're right, Mr. Robertson. Thank you. How foolish of me."

He reached up, and removed the latex mask that covered his face.

"Harry Osborn!" Liz Allen screamed. "Oh my God… was I ever right to dump you!"

Harry looked at Peter. "I think I just figured out who's going first."

"Harry…" Aunt May was flabbergasted. "Why?"

"Harry Osborn is what was. The mask and costume have become unnecessary. I am the Green Goblin now, plain and simple."

Harry made a gesture with his arm, and a blade popped out from the wrist of his armor.

"The time for talk is over. Let's get started."

He walked over to Liz Allen, and grabbed her by her blonde hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck.

"Osborn!" Mr. Robertson yelled. "Just one more question."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he glared as Robbie, Liz whimpering and praying at his feet.

"What is it?"

"If Peter Parker is Spider-Man… then who the hell is that?"

Slowly, Harry turned around. Peter Parker was still lying on the floor, his arms and legs tied as the Goblin had left him.

And yet, standing in the entrance to the passageway was a figure clad in the familiar red and blue webbed uniform of the wall crawler.

The Goblin let go of Liz's hair and she slumped to the floor.

"Who… are… you?!" Harry screamed, his eyes wide with rage.

"Me?" the newcomer answered. "Why… just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"