Chapter 8 [Three Minutes Earlier]
Spider-Man put the finishing touch on the web barrier. He touched it to affirm that the girls would be protected from the Goblin's mayhem. "We really need to stop meeting like this. You know that?"
The Goblin sniggered. "If you'd been at that apartment, we wouldn't be here! I looked at your apartment and hers!" He tossed a pumpkin bomb. "Let's see how that webbing holds up to this!"
Spider-Man snagged the annoying incendiary with a web line. "You know that there's a cure for the Halloween fetish." He slung the pumpkin back at his adversary. "TAG! YOU'RE IT!" The momentum of his toss pushed his weakened legs back toward the wall.
The blast knocked both Goblin and the bat glider out of the air. The crazed antagonist hit the tile and skidded against the wall. "My glider! It…It's…"
"Awww! Poor Gobbie! Maybe next time you'll remember more important stuff?" Spider-Man flung himself toward his fallen adversary. Despite the other's apparent condition, he knew better than to take the Goblin lightly.
The reference to Harry's condition infuriated the Goblin. "For that, Parker, I will kill you slowly!" He reached into his bag. Three razor sharp metallic bats flew through the air.
The Wall Crawler twisted and turned. The bats nicked small tears in his costume and scratches in his arms and side. He dodged another pumpkin bomb which exploded against the far wall. "As a friend of mine likes to say, I can do this all day, Normie!"
Still it was a front. The flu sapped him even at that point. Even spider strength had its limits.
"Maybe you could, Insect. But you're barely standing!" The Goblin forced himself to his feet. "I so look forward to shutting you up forever!"
Spider-Man ground his teeth. The numbness flowed up from his feet and to his legs. "Bring it on! At least I'm fighting for the people I love. You let Harry rot in that bed!"
"YOU! YOU!" The Goblin sprang at him. He fired several electrical bursts from his fingers. Fury pushed him ever onward. He swung blindly at the Web Head.
Spider-Man evaded the left hook. Then his fist found the Goblin's chest and face. He grabbed onto the Goblin's gloves and wrecked the sparkling devices underneath them. He tore the bag of tricks away and flung it across the room. "Enough, Osborn! Just stay down!" He kicked the Goblin into the wall.
The Goblin coughed. He spat blood against his gloves. "You…think you've won, Parker?" He sent a mental summons to the devastated glider.
The bat glider managed to rise from the floor. Its mangled front twisted into two daggers. It flung itself toward the hero's back.
Spider-Man frowned. "Won? WON? Osborn, your son overdosed. He could have died! You tried to kill two women and hurt two others today. You think this is about winning and losing? Are you serious?" He smelled the exhaust…
His Spider Sense blared at him.
Instinct shoved him toward the floor.
The glider streaked through the space. It just nicked his shoulder and kept going. With that target gone, it found the next available one. It rammed right through the Goblin's chest and buried its prongs into the far wall.
"NO! YOU COULDN'T STOP! HARRY NEEDS YOU, OSBORN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Spider-Man demanded. He pulled off the Goblin's mask to find Norman smirking at him.
"He's weak…like you, Parker. Bet…ter to die than…be like you, Do…gooder." Osborn's head drooped off to the side. His eyes glazed over. His last breath hissed from his lips.
Spider-Man stared at the body. Shock set in. "He wouldn't stop. He just wouldn't stop." He rubbed his head. He forced himself back across the bullpen toward the web barrier. "Hey, Gwen! MJ! You good back there?"
"It's really drafty with this broken window, Spidey!" MJ called back. "Is it over yet?"
"Are you all right?" Gwen called through the barrier.
"Everything's over. You know me. A few more bruises and scrapes for the collection." He tore the webbing open. There he found the girls leaning against a desk. "Sorry about the landing. I was just thinking of getting you both away from him. I…"
Gwen grabbed onto him. "I'm just glad you're all right! I know we need to talk. Thank you."
Her touch strengthened him. "Any time, Gwendy. Any time." He raised his mask to expose his nose and mouth. Then he pressed his lips against hers.
She returned the kiss pushing her mouth tighter onto his. For almost a minute, she kept this up before breaking it off. "MJ explained the whole thing to me."
"MJ did what?" He turned to MJ. "You knew?"
"Uh yeah I have." Mary Jane shrugged. "You weren't the most careful the night Ben Parker died. I saw you come out of the house." She smiled. "Hey, Tiger. There was nobody who can make me spill. I didn't until Mr. Green Whatever over there started calling you by name. Got room for another of your fan club"
"You aren't serious, are you?" He pulled both girls into the embrace. Relief washed over him. "I'm just glad you two are safe." He led them away from the broken window. "You might brace yourselves. We have to figure out how to tell Harry."
"Tell Harry what? We…" Gwen stared. "Mr. Osborn? He's…."
"Yeah. He's the Green Goblin." He pulled his mask back down again. "He has breakdowns. When he does, the Goblin personality comes out. I didn't want this to happen."
"What happened? We heard the glider hit the wall and his scream, Spidey." MJ grimaced at the impaled body.
He sighed. "I had him down. I told him to stay down and that Harry needed him. Next thing I knew, he sent that glider to skewer me. I ducked just in time. It got him in the chest."
"We heard you begging him to stop. This isn't your fault." Gwen frowned. "My Dad? What happened with him?"
He exhaled sharply. Regret slammed another weight on his shoulders. "Doctor Octopus flung a chunk of brick toward the street. A little boy was in the path. Your father pushed the boy out of the way. I was a split second too late. He died in my arms, Gwen. At least today, I could fulfill his last wish."
"His last wish?" Gwen felt her eyes misting up. Once again, she'd allow Assumption to blind her to the truth about her heroic and special guy.
"To take care of you always." He held her tightly. "I'm doing my best."
"I say you did more than your best today." Gwen looked into the mask's eye whites. "You do your best every day, Spider-Man." She leaned close and whispered, "Got to keep appearances. Right?"
"Yeah. You got it. Let's check on Robbie and Betty." He squeezed Gwen's hand in his. He led the girls over to where their friends lay unconscious. He rolled up Betty's coat and slid it under her head like a pillow. "Just a minute." He rubbed his head. He staggered for a heartbeat. Then he made himself go into Robbie's office. Getting the City Editor's coat, he fashioned an impromptu pillow out of that as well.
"They'll be okay now."
"We're…in one piece." Robbie grimaced. He slowly blinked his eyes open. "Spider-Man? What are you doing here?"
"I found out the Green Goblin was loose. I chased him all over the city. I stopped him from killing Miss Stacy and Miss Watson. I tried to stop him. Peter Parker told me about his son's overdose when we were in Montreal. Really sad," Spider-Man replied half-truthfully. He helped Robbie to sit up on the desk.
"So what about the Goblin? Did he get away?" Robbie asked. He rubbed his forehead.
"No, Mr. R. He didn't." MJ motioned to her right. "Spidey tried not to hurt him. Mr. Green had other ideas. He sent that flying thing to kill Spidey and got himself instead."
Robbie turned toward the body. His eyes went wide. His jaw dropped. "Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin?"
"He sure was. Look, I didn't want him to kill himself. It's just like every other time he and I have fought. I tried to get him to snap back into his normal frame of mind. I want his son to have a Dad. I know what he meant to everyone. Even as he was giving Parker a hard time, Osborn was important to him too," Spider-Man explained.
"Speaking of Peter, did you see him?" Robbie stepped closer to Osborn. He shook his head. "Jonah's going to have a conniption."
"I'd rather not hear Flat Top go off again. It's been a long enough couple of days between the Hulk and Osborne." Spider-Man staggered again. His head spun. Adrenaline wore off. "Maybe I should get out of here before the cops show up?"
"There's a dead body there, Son. You have to say something," Robbie pointed out.
"Uh, Spider-Man?" Gwen pointed toward the door. "The police! They're…."
Spider-Man staggered a couple of steps back. The colors flashed in front of his eyes again. "Of all the times…." He felt his whole body shaking. Heat and Chills unsteadied him. "Can…barely stand. Of all the…."
The doors slammed open allowing six SWAT members in full body armor to spill into the bullpen.
"NOBODY MOVE! I…FREEZE, SPIDER-MAN!" the first cop ordered. He pointed his weapon.
"Yeah. Hi, Boys. Don't mind me. I'm just going to talk from up here." Spidey flipped himself up to the ceiling. He walked across the plaster to the corner. There he webbed himself up a hammock and sat down. "All right. I'm here."
"You're not helping, Masked Man. We need you downtown!" the cop ordered.
"For what, Officer?" Gwen walked up to them. "I'm Gwen Stacy. I don't know if any of you know me or knew my father?"
"Lieutenant, she's the Captain's daughter," another of the police contingent interjected.
"Fine. Miss Stacy, what happened here? We got a call about a terrorist attack in this office. It looks like a hurricane came through!" the Lieutenant insisted.
"Mary Jane Watson, Mr. Robertson, Betty Leeds and I were in here when the Green Goblin stormed in here. He threatened us. Then he used some sort of gas to knock Mr. Robertson and Betty unconscious. He grabbed Mary Jane and me. He was going to throw us out the window. That's when Spider-Man swung through that window."
"Really?" The Lieutenant glanced up at the reclining hero. "And you were here…why?"
Spider-Man rubbed his forehead. He slumped against the wall to brace himself. "As I just told Mr. Robertson, I heard the Goblin was loose. I chased him across the city. I found him here. I saved these folks."
"And you impaled him with the glider?" the Lieutenant supposed.
"What? NO! Oh come on!" Spider-Man slapped himself in the forehead. "You see these tears in my sleeves? Those are from those little bats sticking in the walls! There are fragments from at least four pumpkin bombs around here!" He pointed to the webbing by the window. "You see that? That's my little handiwork right there!"
"Watch your tone," the Lieutenant told him.
"Watch the insinuations, Officer." Mary Jane pointed to Osborn's body. "We heard Spidey telling him to stop. Mr. Osborne made that thing fly at his back. He ducked. The thing went through Mr. Osborne's chest instead."
Spider-Man turned so that the officers could see the tear right above his right shoulder. "That's where it got me. Sorry. I didn't kill him. Like she said."
The Lieutenant shook his head. He hit the talk button on his walkie talkie. "This is Lieutenant Rourke. The situation's stable up here. The assailant took his own life. What's the next course of action, Captain?" He listened and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Spider-Man, Captain wants to talk to you." He held up the walkie talkie.
"Thanks." Spidey crawled down toward Rourke. "Yes? This is your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."
"So I hear. Thanks for showing up when you did, Wall Crawler. Everyone all right up there?" Jean DeWolff expressed.
"Other than Gobby, yeah. As I've told everyone else, I tried to stop him before he killed himself. He tried to kill me first," Spider-Man noted.
"You're no killer. I know that. Anyone who can vouch for you?" DeWolff pointed out.
"Joe Robertson and a couple of young ladies up here. One of them's Captain Stacy's daughter. They'll back me up. And the Goblin? You have to see who he is." Spider-Man rested his head against the wall. At least Captain DeWolff won't give me a hard time. She'll understand!
"I will in just a minute. I'm just coming up the elevator now. Just stay put, Spider-Man. We're almost done with your statement," DeWolff signed off.
"Tremendous." He handed the walkie talkie back to Rourke. "Your Captain's on her way up. Thanks for letting me use it."
"It's his pleasure. I'm sure of that." Jean DeWolff walked briskly into the bullpen. "You SWAT guys are set. I'll take it from here."
Rourke almost said something to his superior. Still, with the daughter of the former Captain and the current Captain standing there, he stopped that reply cold in its tracks. "Yes, Sir!" He motioned to the other armored officers. "You heard the Captain! Move out!" He led them back toward the elevator.
"Rourke's seen one too many John Wayne movies." DeWolff put a cigarette in her mouth. "Anyone got a light?"
Robbie struck a match and lit the cigarette. Then he relit his own pipe. "We're down one person. Peter Parker's around here somewhere."
DeWolff narrowed her eyes. "Didn't see anyone in the hall or elevator. I'll have my guys check the lobby."
"I did tell him to go for help," Gwen interjected. She restrained herself from stealing a glance at her boyfriend in the process.
"I've seen his pictures. Guy like that has to have good instincts. I'm sure he's fine." DeWolff puffed on her cigarette. She walked over to the impaled Goblin. "Yeah." She put a pair of gloves on. Then she removed the torn shred of costume from the glider's underside. "That confirms your story, Wall Crawler." She put it in a plastic bag.
"Thanks, Captain. I appreciate it." Spider-Man crawled slowly down the wall and lowered himself to the floor. He staggered again. "Wow."
"Easy!" Robbie supported him. "Take a seat for a minute and catch your breath. That must be some flu going around in Montreal."
"Yeah. Thank the Hulk for getting me all wet and out in the brisk air up there. Just what a growing Spider needs." Spider-Man eased himself out of the chair. "Hey, Captain. If you can do me a favor? Maybe you can give Miss Stacy and Miss Watson a lift? I've got something else I need to check out." He hacked loud enough into his fist for everyone to hear.
"Sorry. You're getting a ride as well. You still live at your Dad's house, Miss Stacy?" DeWolff supposed.
"That's right, Captain. Spider-Man, I know my Dad and you were close. He'd insist on helping you. No questions asked or unmaskings. How about you come back with Mary Jane and me to my house? We'll get you some soup and rest."
Spider-Man nodded. Nice! The lady's thinking quick today. "Yeah. It would sure beat web slinging across town like this."
"Say, Gwen, can you do me a favor?" Robbie rushed into his office. He brought the completed voucher out. "This is Peter's voucher for his check. I don't want it getting lost. Can you give it to him?"
"Sure thing." Gwen tucked the voucher into her purse. "Well shall we? I'm sure Peter will show up at some point. Can someone check on Betty?"
"I'll radio for a doc from the car. Are you going to be all right, Mr. Robertson? I have three uniforms downstairs. The crime scene unit will be up here soon," DeWolff explained.
"I'll be fine." Robbie grabbed a paper cone. He filled it at the water dispenser. "Suddenly I'm parched."
"Robbie?" Betty grimaced. She slowly opened her eyes. "Where? What?" She looked around. "The Green Goblin! Where?" She stared at the impaled figure. "Mr. Osborne?"
"It's a long story. I'll let him catch you up. Thanks, Everyone." Spider-Man wobbled a little but managed to get out the door.
"Easy does it there!" Gwen directed. She snaked her arm under his shoulder. She arched an eyebrow at him.
"Not every day a swinger like you gets escorted by his fans, Spidey," MJ quipped from the other side.
"Yeah. All in a day's work." Spider-Man allowed them to lead him into the open elevator. "Thanks, Captain."
"My pleasure. You've helped me in the past. Least I can do is keep an eye on you too." DeWolff motioned to the officer in the hall. "Brown, watch the crime scene until the lab boys show up. I'll be back." She stepped into the elevator and pressed the down button.
At least for a certain Wall Crawler, he could manage a few breaks here and there….