The explosion leveled the warehouse completely, but there was a stirring within the rubble. Slowly but surely, Spider-Man emerged from the debris, a little wobbly, but alive nonetheless.
"Did anyone get the number of the building that just fell on me?" a momentarily disoriented Spider-Man asked as he looked around at what was left of the warehouse. As his mind cleared, he remembered what had happened just before the explosion. "Elektra!" he shouted frantically, looking for his friend. With all the smoke and dust rising from the rubble, he couldn't see a thing.
All of a sudden, he heard a tapping sound coming from where he had shoved Elektra, Matsuo, and Takashi when the bomb went off. He quickly started yanking away debris, using his webbing to remove huge chunks of broken concrete and twisted steel. It did not take him long to locate the source of the tapping.
"Elektra. Are you alright?" Spider-Man asked as he cleared away the remains of a large metal storage shelf. Although Elektra was very close, a mountain of rubble still remained between them.
"I'm okay as well as my two charges, but they're both out of it for the time being. How long will it take to get us out of here?" Elektra asked coughing a bit.
"It shouldn't take me long since I'm right on top of you."
"Good because the debris around us has been shifting every once and a while and I think this little air pocket we're in won't last much longer."
Spider-Man came across a couple of beams that must have come from the roof of the warehouse. He carefully lifted one of the beams out of the way. After the dust had settled, he was able to see Elektra and the unconscious forms of Matsuo and Takashi.
"Elektra, move off to the side while I move this other beam out of the way just in case some of the debris comes down," Spider-Man said.
"OK," came her response.
Spider-Man then moved the second beam out of the way, giving him more room to get Elektra and the others out. Once the beam was gone, Spider-Man fired a web line down to them.
"I'll take the unconscious guys up first," Spider-Man called down to Elektra. "Tie them to the web and then I'll haul them up."
"No problem," Elektra replied.
Elektra tied the Takashi securely to the web line and gave it a tug so that Spider-Man could start to bring him up. They then did the same thing for Matsuo. Once Matsuo was safely up, Spider-Man lowered the web line one last time for Elektra. It didn't take Elektra long for Spider-Man to pull her up.
Putting Matsuo on one shoulder and Takashi on the other, Spider-Man shot two strands of webbing onto a nearby building. "I hope you can swing off here without any difficulty since I kinda have my hands full with these two guys."
"That shouldn't be a problem," replied Elektra.
Giving Elektra one of the web lines, the two of them swung off what was left of the warehouse, and out of danger. Landing a safe distance from the warehouse, Spider-Man and Elektra got a good look at what had happened.
"Do you think anyone of the Hand ninjas made it out of there alive?" Elektra asked.
"I don't think so. Take a look over there," Spider-Man said pointing to the right of where they were.
Elektra looked where Spider-Man told her to and saw what he meant. There was a green mist rising from the pile of rubble left by the explosion.
"That's one less thing we have to worry about. What about these two?" Elektra asked.
"We'll turn them over to the cops and let them deal with 'em," Spider-Man replied as he began to hear sirens off in the distance. "Actually, I think it might be a better idea if you tell the police what happened since they don't see eye to eye with me. Some of them are okay with me, but I don't want to take a chance on being hassled by some cop. Just tell them exactly what happened."
"OK. What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to pay a visit to an old friend and see if I can straighten this out once and for all."
"Before you go, take this," Elektra said tossing Spider-Man a key.
"What is it?"
"It's a key to a safety deposit box. I took it from one of 'our' friends. It has the name of the bank and the box number on the key so you should have no trouble finding it."
"What good will it do?"
"Well, they won't need it where they're going. You can do anything with it I guess."
Spider-Man thought about what Elektra had just said and an idea popped into his head.
"I think I just came up with an idea on what to do. Since it's the morning now, I'll go to the bank and retrieve the money from the safety deposit box after I change out of my Spider-Man duds. Once you're done dealing with the police, you can go and freshen up and then meet me over there in case there's some trouble that I can't deal with on my own," Spider-Man said.
"Good luck, Pete, and be careful," Elektra said before he left.
"Don't I always?" came the reply followed by a brief chuckle.
Spider-Man then took his leave as he saw the flashing lights of several police cars coming over to where the warehouse had stood.
It didn't take Peter long to get home. The first thing that he wanted to do was to get out of his costume and take a shower. Once he took off his costume, he gave it a quick inspection and noticed a few tears.
"Why do I always rip and tear my costume when I fight the bad guys? Don't they know it's not easy fixing it?" Peter said to himself.
After a quick shower, Peter changed into his regular clothes and grabbed a bite before heading out to the bank. Just before he left the apartment, Peter thought about letting Mary Jane know what had been going on during the last twenty-four hours so that Mary Jane wouldn't worry about him. Fortunately for him, Mary Jane was just outside his door.
"Nice to see you, M.J." Peter said.
"Peter!" Mary Jane exclaimed as she jumped into Peter's arms to give him a warm hug and kissed him soundly on the lips.
When they finally broke apart to catch their breath, Peter said, "Whatever that was for, I wouldn't mind doing it again." Peter went to give Mary Jane a kiss when his spider sense tingled. Mary Jane punched him on the arm. "Ow! M.J., what was that for?"
"For being a smart ass, but the kiss was for coming back home safely. I heard on the news about what happened at the warehouse by the docks and I had the feeling it was you. Was it?"
"Yeah, it was. Come on inside and we can talk about it privately."
Mary Jane gave Peter a nod and he led her into his apartment and told her everything, from how he and Elektra set the whole thing up to how the explosion occurred.
"You know you're lucky that you made it out of there alive, don't you?" Mary Jane said, trying not to become overwhelmed by worry.
"Yeah, I know. It wasn't our intent to blow the place up." Peter replied. "Those Hand ninjas came prepared if things didn't go their way. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work out the way they thought it would."
"That's terrible."
"I wouldn't say that, MJ. Elektra told me that the ninjas were mindless slaves who only served the Hand. When they 'died', the ninjas disappeared into a green mist so they wouldn't suffer. Take my word for it, they're better off."
"I guess that's good news then and now you don't have to worry about them again. What about Elektra? Did she make it out of there?"
"Elektra made it out with me. We also saved those two guys from the Hand who were after us. I told her to turn them over to the police. I'd have done it myself, but you know how well I get along with cops."
"That's good, Peter. What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to go pick up the money that Harry used to pay those guys to kill me with and give it back to him. Maybe we can talk and get things straightened out between the two of us."
"If you want, I can go with you."
"That's alright, MJ. This is something that I have to do alone. I told Elektra to meet me there just in case."
"Good move, Tiger. Be careful and remember that I love you."
"I will and I love you too, MJ."
Peter gave Mary Jane a kiss goodbye and left for the bank and to confront Harry.
Peter left as Spider-Man to retrieve the briefcase from the apartment rented by Matsuo and Takashi.
In no time at all, Spider-Man was at the apartment and he entered it just like he had before, through the window. Since his spider sense wasn't tingling, he knew it was okay to enter. He spotted the briefcase on the living room table, grabbed it, removed the spider tracer that was still inside, and then left the apartment the same way he entered it. Spinning a web line to the nearest building, Spider-Man left the apartment.
Peter had made up his mind to retrieve the money, which he knew was being held in a safety deposit box at a nearby bank. As soon as he changed into his street clothes, he was off to the bank. The First National Bank on Madison Avenue was the same bank that had so callously turned down Aunt May's loan application, forcing her out of the home she and Uncle Ben shared for over thirty years. 'At least I was able to keep her alive', he thought grimly as he recalled in vivid detail their first, and her last, encounter with Doc Ock. He hoped that this time, things would work out in his favour.
Once inside, Peter waited in line to see the teller. He had a briefcase in his hand. Fortunately, there were only two people ahead of him, so he didn't have to wait that long.
"Good morning, how may I help… you?" Her voice trailed off as she stared at Peter for a few seconds. There was a gleam in the woman's eyes that signaled recognition.
The teller's reaction momentarily caught Peter off guard. He wasn't sure of what to say. Then he too felt the shock of recognition, and he was able to recall exactly where he'd seen her before.
"The train," they both said to each other. If any of the other customers in the bank heard that, they'd have no idea what was meant by it.
"I never thought I would see you again," the banker said to Peter. "My name is Sara by the way." Sara held out her hand. Peter shook it.
"It's nice to see you again, Sara. I haven't seen anyone from that day until today," Peter said softly, not wanting to be overheard.
"Thanks for what you did that day. If it weren't for you, none of us would be alive today."
"Your welcome. I was just doing what was right."
"How can I help you today?"
Before Peter answered Sara, he took the safety deposit box key out of his pocket and placed it on Sara's desk. "I need to get into the safety deposit box that this key opens."
Sara picked up the key from her desk and then asked, "Is the box yours?"
"No, it's not."
"That could be a problem," Sara informed him. "Why do you need to get into that box?"
"Let's just say that it happens to be related to my extra curricular activities, if you know what I mean."
Sara knew exactly what he meant. "Just sit tight and I'll see what I can do."
Sara stepped away from her desk to confer with her supervisor. After a few minutes, she came right back.
"If you'll follow me, please," she said as she led Peter towards the vault.
"How were you able to let me get to the safety deposit box?" Peter asked as he followed her, amazed that she was able to respond to his request so quickly.
"Lets just say that I called in a favour," Sara replied.
"Thanks."
It didn't take them long to get to where the bank's safety deposit boxes were. Just before Sara opened the vault, she handed Peter the log. "Please sign and date on the blank line," she said. Peter quickly obliged and handed it back to her as soon as he was through.
"You're Peter Parker!" Sara exclaimed as soon as she checked the log sheet.
"That's me," replied Peter.
"I'll assume that you are the same Peter Parker that takes pictures of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle."
"Yeah."
"Why do you do that, Peter?"
"I needed a job to help pay the bills while I attend university. An opportunity came up for me to get my foot in the door at the Daily Bugle. I've got a portfolio full of interesting sights around the city, but unfortunately, Jameson, the Bugle's publisher, just wants my Spider-Man pictures."
"I can understand that. Well, let's get you to your box."
Without further ado, Sara produced the master key. She motioned for Peter to insert his key and turn it to the left. Once the customer's lock was opened, Sara opened the bank's lock. She opened the box, pulled out its drawer, and placed it on a table inside the vault. After placing his briefcase on the table and opening it, he opened the drawer. Sara was surprised to see that it was stuffed with cash, stacks and stacks of bills.
"What are you going to do with all of that money?" Sara asked.
"I'm returning it to its rightful owner," Peter answered as he transferred the money to the briefcase.
"Do you need a hand with that?"
"Sure," Peter answered and they both filled the briefcase until all the money was out of the drawer.
Sara then returned the drawer to the box and locked it using both keys.
"Thanks for your assistance, Sara, I really appreciate it," said Peter.
"Think nothing of it. It was just a little something that I could do for you for what you did for us on that train. If you need anything at all, here's my card," Sara said giving Peter her business card.
"Thanks, Sara. If there is something else that I need from the bank, I'll let you know."
Sara and Peter said their goodbyes as she escorted him out of the building. Once out of sight, he changed into his costume and put his clothes inside a backpack made of webbing. Making sure that the briefcase and the web backpack were secured, Spider-Man took off in the direction of the Osborn mansion.
Arriving at his destination, he landed quietly on the balcony and looked inside to see if Harry was there. Seeing no one, he entered through the French doors, making as little noise as possible. To avoid being discovered by Harry's servants or his security guards, he crawled along the ceiling, searching until he found Harry in what used to be Norman's office. Peter cleared his throat to let his one-time best friend know that he wasn't alone any longer.
Harry looked up. "Well, well, well," he sneered. "Look who it is, the bug. What is so important that you decided to pay me a visit?"
"This," Spider-Man said, tossing the briefcase at Harry.
Harry awkwardly caught the briefcase and placed it on the desk. Opening the briefcase, he saw stacks of money inside. "Where did you get this?" Harry asked, having a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be.
"I got it from a couple friends of yours who tried to kill me. Do you really hate me that much, that you had to hire people to kill me?" Spider-Man asked, more in sorrow than in anger.
Yes he does you web headed do-gooder. It's because he doesn't have the courage to do it himself, Norman raged. He was visible only to Harry.
Harry ignored his father, shaking his head to clear it and answered, "Yes . . . No . . . I don't know," he stammered, utterly confused as he struggled to break free of Norman's pervasive, oppressive influence and begin to think for himself.
"Come on Harry, talk to me. I want us to be friends again," Peter said, removing his mask in a desperate effort to recapture the bonds of trust they'd once shared.
"I want that too, Pete, I really do," Harry replied, looking at Peter with a new determination.
You have the insect right where you want him, Harry. Now's your chance to finish him off, an angry Norman silently shouted.
"Shut up!" Harry exclaimed while Peter gave him a quizzical look.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Peter asked.
"I'm fine. But there is one question that I want to ask you, Peter. Did you kill my father?"
Of course he killed me you fool. Why else would your so-called friend bring my body back to the house?
Before Peter could answer Harry, he barely heard Harry say, "Be quiet." Peter was starting to think that there was definitely something wrong with Harry despite what he said.
"I didn't kill your father, Harry," Peter answered, becoming concerned about Harry's mental state.
Don't believe a word he's saying, Harry. Who else could have killed me?Again, Harry shook off what his father said. "Well, if you didn't kill him, then who did?" he asked Peter pointedly.
Peter didn't answer right away because he wanted his answer to come as close to the truth as possible in order to satisfy Harry and keep his promise to Norman.
"The Green Goblin killed your father, Harry," Peter answered. Peter hoped that Harry would accept that answer even though it wasn't the whole truth.
Harry gave Peter a surprised look and said, "That's kind of hard to believe, Peter."
"Why is that?"
"My father was the Green Goblin."
Peter was stunned to hear that from Harry and didn't know how to respond to that.
"How did you…" Peter began but was cut off by Harry.
"Know that he was the Green Goblin? I'll show you." Harry said.
Harry then led Peter to a mirror on the far side of the office, swinging it aside to reveal his father's hidden workshop.
Nice thinking Harry, lead Parker in there so that you can finish him with one of my toys, Norman sneered.
Ignoring his father's ranting, Harry continued to lead Peter until they were face to face with the Green Goblin's armaments. Peter's eyes widened in shock as he saw hundreds and hundreds of pumpkin bombs lining the walls and then he saw something he never expected to see again: the Goblin's glider and mask.
"Good God," was all that Peter could say, as he continued to stare at all the weaponry.
Now's your chance Harry, finish him off! Norman demanded furiously.
"I can't do it," Harry replied weakly.
"You can't do what, Harry?" Peter asked.
"Nothing."
It's not nothing you fool! Norman ranted. With all of my beautiful weapons at your disposal, you can finally become the man I always knew you could be. Kill Spider-Man! Avenge me!
"Stop it. Stop it! Stop it!" Harry yelled while covering his ears with both of his hands.
Peter went over to Harry, grabbing him by the shoulders saying, "Snap out of it Harry and tell me what's wrong."
But all Harry kept saying was "Stop it."
Still holding Harry by the shoulders, Peter gave him a quick shake to try to snap him out of it and Peter was finally able to do just that.
"Harry, I know there's something wrong, so why don't you tell me what's bugging you?" Peter asked.
"It's my dad, Pete," was Harry's reply.
"What about your dad?"
"He has been constantly nagging me to get revenge on you."
Of course I have been nagging you, you dolt. I gave you one simple request and do you have the guts to do it? No!
Peter gave his friend another quizzical look saying, "Let me get this straight, you're saying that you have done all of this because your father told you too. How can that be possible?"
Harry answered, "Ever since the day I found out that you were Spider-Man, he's been after me to avenge him. Day after day, week after week and month after month he has been saying anything and everything to get me to kill you until I finally gave in. The thing was that I couldn't do it myself so I hired someone to do it for me. I can't do this anymore, Pete. I need to get rid of him for good." He looked up at Peter with desperate, pleading eyes.
That's when Harry heard his father's voice again. You'll never be rid of me you simpering fool because I'm your father and you have to obey me. So, kill that fool Spider-Man and be done with it. Be a man for once Harry, be a true Osborn and kill him. Kill him! KILL HIM!
"No. No. No! NO!" Harry screamed falling to his knees and clasping his head.
Peter went over to Harry saying, "What's the matter Harry?"
"I can't take it any more, Peter. I have to get rid of his voice its always in my head. You have to help me. Please Pete, help me."
"Of course I'll help you, Harry." Peter said picking him off the floor. "I'm with you buddy. You're going to be alright."
Peter then started to lead Harry out of the hidden room. As he did so, Elektra had finally arrived at the mansion and slipped inside unnoticed. All she had to do now was to find Peter.
Observing the hidden passageway behind the mirror, Elektra went up to the opening and said, "Hello. Is anyone in there?"
She didn't expect an answer to her question and Elektra didn't get one. What she got was two people making their way out. As the two figures began to make it into to the light, she recognized them as Peter and Harry.
Once they were out of the secret room, Peter brought Harry over to a couch so that he could compose himself. Elektra followed them over and asked, "What's the matter with him, Peter?"
"Harry is trying to deal with a lot things now especially about his dad. It's going to be tough for him, but with his friends by him, it shouldn't be too bad," answered Peter.
"With you and Mary Jane to help him, I think he'll be fine. What was in that room?"
"That's another thing that Harry has to deal with and for that matter, me too. That room was filled with Goblin weapons. Hundreds of pumpkin bombs lined the room's walls, another glider was sitting on a stand and last but not least, another Goblin mask that is just as ugly as the original. I'll have to talk to Harry about what to do with all of that but first I have to get him some help coping with all of this."
"Peter, if you need any help at all with any of this let me know. I'll assist you in any way that I can."
"Thanks Elektra, I really appreciate that and I'll probably need your help with some things."
Peter turned to Harry and said, "You know Harry, there's only one thing that I can think of that would be of help to you."
"I know what you're thinking about and you're right. I need to talk this out with someone and that is a psychologist."
"I was hoping you were going to say that and I'll help you find a good one."
Once that was decided, Peter went over to the passageway and closed the secret door. That was another thing he would have to talk to Harry about because if someone ever found those weapons, Peter shuddered at the thought.
"Pete, do you mind staying here tonight? I really don't feel like staying here by myself," Harry asked.
Peter didn't hesitate in answering, "No problem, Harry. I was planning to take Mary Jane out tonight but she'll understand. I'll just let her know that I had a change in plans. Can I use your phone?"
Harry gave Peter a nod and showed him where the phone was. In no time at all, he had Mary Jane on the phone and told her what had happened. There was a huge sigh of relief from her when Peter finished. He then told her that they couldn't go out tonight so that he could spend the night with Harry.
Peter stopped talking to Mary Jane and asked Harry, "Do you mind if MJ stays over too?"
"Sure, why not. The more the merrier," Harry answered.
Peter told Mary Jane that it was okay to come over and he also asked her to bring a change of clothes over for him for tomorrow. Mary Jane gave Peter a chuckle before saying she would be over as soon as she could.
"I guess with everything taken care of, you don't need me around so I'll be heading home," Elektra said preparing to leave.
"Elektra, wait!" Peter exclaimed.
Elektra stopped and turned around to face Peter and said, "Peter, you don't need me. You and Mary Jane can keep your friend company."
"But you're our friend too. At least I hope you are."
"Yes, I'm your friend, Peter."
"Good. You do know that friends help each other and this is a perfect example. Harry could use all the support he can get to handle what he's going through."
"OK, I'll stay as long as Harry agrees to it."
"Hey, Harry. Do you have room for one more?"
"Sure, one more will be just fine," answered Harry.
It wasn't long until Mary Jane arrived. Once Peter changed out of his Spider-Man costume, between the four of them, they were able to come up a very good solution on how to help Harry. Getting the help he needed, Harry knew that he would have to take a leave of absence from Oscorp so he notified the Board of Directors of his plans. He didn't give the board all of the details but just enough for them to know he needed to get away from the rigors of running the company for a while which the Board agreed to. With that major hurdle taken care of, it was now easier for them to find a place for Harry to go to work out his problems.
Talking things over with Harry, Peter made the arrangements for where he would go for his treatment. The place that Peter found was a renowned facility called Ravencroft and he was able to talk to lead psychiatrist there, Dr. Ashley Kafka. Dr. Kafka gave a good explanation of what all was done at Ravencroft and Peter liked what he was being told. It was a good thing that he used Harry's speakerphone while talking to Dr. Kafka so that Harry could judge for himself if Ravencroft would be suitable to stay at.
Harry liked what he was hearing from the doctor as well. Harry took over the conversation that Peter was having with Dr. Kafka and asked when he would be able to check himself in. He was pleased to learn that he could do so tomorrow. Peter and Harry then made the arrangements to do so and they would see Dr. Kafka tomorrow morning. Now that everything was taken care of, the four of them were now able to relax and enjoy the company of each other.
The very next day, Peter and Mary Jane accompanied Harry to Ravencroft to get him checked in. During that time Dr. Kafka greeted them and assisted with any problems or questions they may have had concerning Harry's stay. Once Harry was settled in, Peter and Mary Jane stayed with Harry for a while until it was time for them to leave but they promised him that they would come by to visit as often as they could. Peter and Mary Jane left Ravencroft hoping that Harry would get the help he so sorely needs and to be able to be the friend they once knew.
For the next several weeks Peter, Mary Jane, and even Elektra went to visit Harry who was making wonderful progress. The news of Harry's progress was good to hear and meant that he would be able to return to his duties at Oscorp and to his normal life very soon.
"Hey, Harry," Peter greeted as both he and Mary Jane entered their friend's room.
"Hi guys. It's nice to see ya," Harry said enthusiastically.
"My, someone sounds very chipper today," Mary Jane said with a smile.
"I do and I've got you guys to thank. You stood by me when I needed help and it was through your encouragement that I'm getting better."
"That's not entirely true, Harry. We may have helped steer you in the right direction but it was you that realized that you needed to get some help," Peter said.
"I don't care what you say, Peter. You two really did help me out."
"There's one thing I would like to ask you, Harry."
"Good ahead, Pete."
"Have you thought about what you're going to do with the cache of Goblin weapons at your place?"
"I haven't really thought about that since I got to Ravencroft. Since your asking me about it, I bet you have. What do you think should happen to those weapons, Peter?"
"I think they should be destroyed. Elektra and I could…" Mary Jane clearing her throat interrupted Peter, "Did you want to say something, MJ?"
"I can help too, Peter," Mary Jane told Peter, not wanting to be left out.
"Are you sure? I didn't want to volunteer you if you had any reservations about doing this."
"I'm sure, Tiger."
"Okay then, you can help. Harry, can you arrange a time so that there's no one at your place so that we can get rid of everything?"
"That shouldn't be a problem, Peter. All you have to do is come up with a day and you're all set," Harry replied.
They finished making the arrangements to get rid of the weapons and spent some time with Harry letting him know what was currently going on in their lives. When it was time to go, Peter and Mary Jane bid Harry good-bye promising that they would be back. On their way out, they ran into Dr. Kafka.
"Mr. Parker, Ms. Watson. It's nice to see you again," Dr. Kafka greeted them.
"It's nice to see you too," Peter and Mary Jane said together.
"Mr. Osborn should be glad to have two good friends like you since you are always visiting him."
"The three of us go back a long way and Harry would do the same if one of us was in the same situation as he is," Mary Jane said proudly.
"Dr. Kafka, how is Harry doing? He says he's doing fine but I want your perspective on how Harry is," Peter asked curiously.
"He has come along way since he first came here. The root of Harry's problem was his relationship with his father. We have been slowly chipping away at that and the more we talk about it the better Harry gets."
"What about him hearing his father's voice?"
"That has been the tough part of his recovery. The voice has been plaguing him for a while now but he is slowly getting rid of it, with the help of anti-psychotic medications. I believe that the two of you have helped in this aspect. I am very optimistic that Harry will be able to make a full recovery."
"When will Harry be able to leave Ravencroft, doctor?" Mary Jane asked.
"I don't think it would be too long but I can't say for certain. It could be a matter of days or even weeks. But the outlook for him is good. Once he leaves he will be able to resume his life. I will recommend that we keep in touch so that Harry doesn't suffer a relapse."
"We'll make sure that he does that, Dr. Kafka," Peter said gladly knowing that Harry was being taken care of very well.
Mary Jane and Peter said their good-byes to Dr. Kafka and left Ravencroft. Hearing Dr. Kafka's prognosis of Harry reassured them that he was in good hands and receiving the best possible treatment.
A few days later, Harry had arranged that the mansion's staff would be away so that Peter, Elektra and Mary Jane could get rid of the Goblin weapons. Prior to this, Peter had asked Elektra to see if she could get a hold of some type of unmarked truck so that they could transport the weapons from the mansion to a remote location where they would destroy the full complement of Goblin weapons and glider. Elektra had no problem getting a truck and told Peter that she would meet him and Mary Jane outside their apartment building early in the morning the day they were to take care of the weapons.
The night before, Peter went over to the mansion as Spider-Man to make sure that all of the weapons were present and accounted for. He was able to slip into the mansion without being seen and made his way to the secret room where the weapons were stored. Spider-Man flipped on the lights and once again saw all the pumpkin bombs lining the walls. Seeing that not a pumpkin bomb was out of place, he continued to survey the room. Looking around, Spider-Man found another a door, which he thought could be another way in. He opened the door and webbed it up so that it wouldn't close on him. Following the passage, Spider-Man found another door which lead outside. Webbing that door to stay open, he looked around and noticed that he wasn't far from the mansion. He thought that by using this other entrance, they would be able to get the weapons out without being noticed. Spider-Man then removed the webbing from both doors so that they could close and left the mansion in order to tell Mary Jane and Elektra what he had found.
The following morning, as promised, Elektra had an unmarked truck and she didn't have to wait long for Peter and Mary Jane to meet her in front of their apartment building. They immediately headed to the Osborn mansion and Peter gave Elektra directions to where the back entrance was located. Just outside the entrance, Elektra backed the truck up as close as she good get so it would make transporting the weapons out of the room to the truck that much easier. Peter then went around to the back of the truck and opened it up and notice that there were empty boxes in the back. Good thinking, Elektra, Peter thought to himself knowing that those crates would make it easier to load the pumpkin bombs and glider onto the truck.
The first thing that Peter did was to web the doors open to make it easier to get in and out. Grabbing some boxes, they entered the room to begin taking out the Goblin's arsenal.
"Be very careful on how you put those pumpkin bombs in the boxes so that you don't accidentally set them off," Peter warned.
"Okay," came the reply from both Mary Jane and Elektra.
While Mary Jane and Elektra started packing away the pumpkin bombs, Peter went over to the glider. He knew that he would be the only one capable enough to take the glider out. Looking over the glider, Peter thought, Norman must've been crazy going around the city on this thing. Grabbing the nose and then the tail of the glider, he lifted it off the stand that it was on and took it carefully out to the truck.
Mary Jane and Elektra were still carefully putting the pumpkin bombs in the boxes and Elektra asked, "Mary Jane, do you know what any of these things do?"
"When I saw the Green Goblin throw them, they just exploded on impact. If they do anything else, ask Peter because he would know," Mary Jane answered, feeling slightly anxious at reliving that awful day at the World Unity Festival.
Peter came back into the room to start helping the girls with the pumpkin bombs when Elektra asked him a question. "Peter, Mary Jane told me that the bombs exploded on impact. Is there anything else that they do?"
"I have seen the pumpkin bombs fry a person instantly when it lands in front of them. The same thing can happen on a timed bomb. I have also seen one that releases a bunch of razor bats and those things are nasty," Peter answered, rubbing his left arm remembering that a razor bat clipped him.
"Now I understand why you wanted us to be careful with those things."
"Yeah."
Peter started loading up pumpkin bombs into an empty box. Using his spider sense, he made sure that he packed the bombs safely.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the pumpkin bombs were all packed and the three of them carefully loaded the bombs onto the truck. Peter made sure that he was the one that put the bombs onto the truck since his spider sense would warn him if something went awry. Once everything was loaded, the three of them surveyed the room to make sure that they had got everything.
"It looks like we got everything," Peter said looking over the room.
"Looks like it," Mary Jane replied.
"Where are we going to take all that stuff, Peter?" Elektra asked.
"I know a place where we can take all of this stuff and blow it up. It's a secluded place and should do the job. Let's go," Peter said as all of them made their way to the truck.
Unbeknownst to them when they closed all of the doors a canister filled with some type of green liquid suddenly rolled out of nowhere onto the floor where they had just taken the goblin weapons from.
Peter gave Elektra directions to where he wanted her to go and it didn't take her long to get there. It was a place Peter knew really well. This was where he had his final battle with the Green Goblin. In a way it felt appropriate to bring the weapons here since this was the place that the Goblin's madness came to an end.
When they arrived, they unloaded the truck as carefully as they loaded it. Everything was put in some sort of pile so that all of it would be blown up together. The glider was put in the center while the boxes of pumpkin bombs were stacked around it. With everything now in a pile, Peter took Mary Jane and Elektra to an abandoned building where he and the Green Goblin last fought so that they would be protected from the blast.
"You two stay here while I blow everything up. You should be safe here," Peter told them.
"What about you?" Mary Jane asked with a touch of concern in her trembling voice.
"I'll be fine, MJ. Once I set everything off, I'll hightail it back here before the big explosion."
"Just be careful, Tiger."
"I will."
"How are you going to set everything off?" Elektra asked.
"I'll just use one of the pumpkin bombs to set everything off. I'll be back as quick as a spider," Peter said while giving Mary Jane a kiss on the cheek for reassurance and leaving the ladies so that he could destroy the weapons.
Going over where the weapons were piled, Peter grabbed one of the pumpkin bombs. Using his spider sense, he was able to pick the appropriate bomb that he wanted to use. Standing back a few feet from the pile, Peter fired a web strand to prepare for a hasty exit. He then tossed the pumpkin bomb towards the pile and got out of there as quickly as possible.
In a few swings, Peter sailed through a window where the girls were and shouted at them, "Get down, she's going to blow!"
There was a huge explosion just after Peter said that. Knowing that the danger had passed, Peter, Mary Jane and Elektra went out to see if there was anything left. Surprisingly there wasn't except for a fair sized crater where all the weapons once were. Hearing some sirens out in the distance, the three of them got back to the truck and left before they would be spotted and asked questions that they didn't really want to answer.
The next day, Peter went back to where they destroyed the weapons and made sure not a trace of them was left. Finding nothing there, Peter was satisfied that they had done the right thing so that no one could use those weapons against anyone else.
Several weeks later
Now that the weapons were taken care of, Peter, Mary Jane and Elektra were able to concentrate on what they personally had going on in their lives. Ever since, the three of them had been getting together on a regular basis either to just hang out or talk about what's going on. This time, they had a nice dinner over at Mary Jane's.
"What are the two of you going to do now that school is over?" Elektra asked as they finished doing the dishes and went to the living room.
"For the next few weeks, I'll be going over some scripts that have been recently sent to me. There have also been some modeling opportunities as well. All I have to do is decide on what I want to do and go from there," Mary Jane replied.
"I'll be able to continue working at Stark Enterprises over the summer thanks to the work study program I got the job for. But I was able to get a couple of weeks off before I start back and I'll still be able to freelance for the Bugle. Now that the semester is over I can concentrate on that and my extra curricular activity," Peter said
"That's great you guys. I'm really happy for the both of you," Elektra said with a smile.
"What about you, Elektra?"
"I'm not sure what I want to do. At the end of the semester, Professor Ling asked me if I wanted to come back for a full year in the fall and I told her that I wasn't sure and I'd think about it. One thing is for certain though, I'm done with assassinations and I have you to thank for that, Peter."
"Why do you say that?"
"As Spider-Man, you do some amazing and incredible things and you don't do it to get thanks, you do it because it's the right thing to do. That's a quality that I really admire in you."
"Coming from you, Elektra, it means a lot to me. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Have you really thought of anything that you wanted to do?"
"You must've thought of something you always wanted to do," chipped in Mary Jane.
"Not really. Do you guys have any suggestions?" Elektra asked.
Both Peter and Mary Jane thought for a moment on what Elektra could do.
Then an idea popped into Peter's head and he said, "With your skills you could work for any government agency. I have heard of this group called SHIELD that could use your talents and some guy called Nick Fury runs it. Another organization, called SAFE is out there that deals with things that happen in the country while SHIELD is more of a global outfit. Those are a couple of possibilities for you."
Mary Jane added, "If you didn't want to do that, you could do something else. The thing that sticks out in my mind is doing something involving martial arts. You did a great job with that demonstration that you put on for our Japanese History class."
"Both of your ideas are great. Thanks you guys, I'll just have to think on it for a while and then decide on what to do. Since I have so much thinking to do, I'm going to head on home. Thanks for the great time Peter and Mary Jane," Elektra said as she got up and went to the door.
"Have a good night, Elektra," Mary Jane said.
"Take it easy, E," Peter added.
When Elektra heard Peter say that, she froze at the door.
"Did I say something wrong?" Peter asked very puzzled.
Elektra turned around and addressed Peter, "The last person who called me E was a very good friend and I didn't think that I would hear that from another person."
"You definitely have a good friend here."
"That goes double for me," Mary Jane added with smile.
"With Mary Jane and myself as your friends, you're never alone, Elektra. Remember that."
"I will, Peter. Thanks," Elektra replied. Peter and Mary Jane went over and gave her a hug before she left.
"What do you think she's gonna do, Pete?" Mary Jane asked.
"I don't know, MJ. But whatever she does, Elektra knows that she has two friends that will support her in whatever she decides," replied Peter.
Peter took Mary Jane's hand and went to the couch. The snuggled together and turned on the TV to see what was on and to just enjoy being alone together.
A few weeks later, Peter and Mary Jane learned of what Elektra had decided to do. She told them that she had purchased a place and decided to start a dojo. Peter and Mary Jane were very pleased to hear this and offered whatever help they could provide. In no time at all, Elektra's dojo was up and running. Of course Peter and Mary Jane were her first two students. She wondered why they would take her classes and found out that Peter could hone his skills as Spider-Man and could better protect others that way. As for Mary Jane, she wanted to know how to defend herself in case she was alone. Elektra understood both of their reasons and decided that she would teach them for free because of everything that they had done for her.
Elektra had learned a lot from Peter and Mary Jane. The most valuable thing that she learned was something that Peter had learned from his uncle: with great power comes great responsibility. She took that to heart just like Peter had and was willing to live up to that example.
The EndAN: That's it and I hope everyone enjoyed reading this. I would like to thank the following reviewers: Jenn1, htbthomas, Georgia Kennedy, conan98002 and SpartanCommander. I would also like to thank two very special people. The first, Georgia Kennedy, her help on the last few chapters was great and appreciated. Last but not least, Jenn1. She assisted me from the beginning and I was able to bounce some ideas of her. Her encouragement for this story helped a great deal. Thanks a lot, Jenn. All that's left to do now is to review and let me know how you liked the way this tale came to an end.