Okay friends! There's this chapter, and then one more, and then this story will be complete! However, I've already got most of my next story completed, and I've begun working on the sequel to "The Friend of My Enemy"!

Also, I've got Comic Con this weekend, so the update will come on Sunday instead of Saturday.

Still not mine.

So what is the sinister secret?

The lie he will tell you is true?

It's that each man you meet on the street

Isn't one man...

But two.

"Wake uuup," a voice cooed above Peter. Spider-Man's eyes fluttered open as someone slapped his cheeks. "Spider-Man!" the voice said again, sharper this time. A groan escaped Peter's lips, and the voice above him chuckled. "Good morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?"

Peter struggled to get up, panicking slightly when his limbs barely responded to his brain's commands to move.

"Oh please, don't try to get up," that same cackly voice from before said. Suddenly everything came rushing back to the high schooler, and he struggled to get up again, only to be rewarded with a slight twitch of his arm, as well as a punch to the stomach. "I said stay there," the Goblin hissed before he turned and walked away from the hero.

Peter groaned in pain, desperately wanting to lift his head and stare up into the face of the Goblin. However, the only thing he could do was cast his eyes about, taking in his surroundings. He had been taken to what looked like a parking garage, though it was completely empty. There were pillars placed evenly throughout the space, and Peter began wondering how he could use those to his advantage. Thankfully, Peter could tell that his mask was still on; he could only hope that that meant that the Goblin hadn't lifted the mask and found out who he was.

"Karen?" Peter whispered, hoping to have his AI help him out a little bit.

"Your fancy high-tech suit won't do you much good in here," the Goblin informed Peter; he'd apparently heard the hero trying to activate the suit, and Osborn held up a small remote. "OSCORP really does have some amazing things," he observed. "This fancy little gadget prevents all outgoing and incoming electrical signals, meaning you're a fish out of water," he explained. Peter's heart fell slightly, but he knew that he could still function without the suit's full capacity.

"Wh-why can't I move?" Peter asked, still desperately trying to get any of his limbs to respond, even though he knew he was risking another punch from the armored hand. He heard stomping footsteps as he assumed the Goblin began walking back towards to him, and soon, the green-clad boots appeared in his line of vision.

"You were dosed with a special concoction that I worked up just for you," the Goblin cackled, grabbing Peter's chin and lifting his head up, finally giving Peter a good view of the masked man. Up close, the mask was just as terrifying as he'd previously thought, and he wanted nothing more than to web the face in front of him. "Sleeping gas paired with a temporary paralyzing agent. You are at my mercy," the madman chortled.

"Lucky me," Peter muttered, sort of wishing his captor was able to see the glare Peter was shooting at him from under his mask.

"Lucky you indeed," the Goblin confirmed, much too gleeful for Peter's comfort. "I've got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to offer you, Spider-Man," Osborn/the Goblin said. "Wanna hear what it is?"

"Not really, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me anyway," Peter retorted.

"Right you are," the Goblin cackled. Suddenly, a fist was rammed into Peter's gut again, making the poor kid wheeze. "Stop."

A fist was rammed into Peter's stomach once again, making the teenager groan.

"Chasing."

This time, the fist was rammed into Peter's cheek, whipping his head to the side.

"Me."

On the last word, the Goblin grabbed Peter by the throat and lifted him up; the young man was powerless to stop the armored man, or even lift his arms to grab at his throat to try and relieve the pressure.

Goblin brought Peter closer to his face, and through the yellow lenses of the mask, Peter could see Osborn's eyes, though he could tell they didn't belong to the CEO anymore; there was a deranged, devil-may-care look in the brown orbs, and if Peter hadn't been so occupied by the fact that he was being strangled, he would have felt a shiver go up his spine at the emptiness the eyes held. As it was, the teenager was choking in the Goblin's grasp, and spots began dancing in front of his vision. His eyes were just beginning to shut once more when the Goblin grunted in disgust, flinging the hero away from him. Peter crashed into the wall, unable to control his body to stop himself, though for the moment, he was more concerned with taking in deep gulps of air.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," the Goblin explained as he began pacing back and forth in front of Peter, who had thankfully landed in such a way that he was able to keep the Goblin in his sight. "Because if you don't agree to it, I'm going to kill you."

The Goblin stated it as if it were the most simple thing in the world. Peter would have been glad to make some snarky remark, but instead he kept coughing, still recovering from the Goblin's choking, making him unable to respond to his captor's proposition. The masked villain growled in frustration when the hero didn't answer, and he turned away, taking a few steps away from his captive.

While the Goblin was facing the other way, Peter once again tried to bring his arms up to his face, and he almost cried out in shock and relief as the limbs actually responded slightly. He didn't have much mobility back, but he could feel the control slowly returning to him. He saw the Goblin turn around to face him again, and he quickly made sure that he still looked as limp as before; he didn't want to give himself away before he needed to.

"Whaddya say?" asked his green-clad enemy, holding his hands out to his side.

"What? Take you up on your offer to leave you alone to run rampant in the city?" Peter clarified, trying to give himself as much time as he could for his limbs to gain more movability. "I mean, it's a tempting offer. Ah man, lemme think about it...You know man, I think I'm gonna have to say no this time," he said, very unapologetically.

"Once-in-a-lifetime doesn't offer second chances, Spider," the Goblin growled, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

"Then I guess I'm cashing in my offer," Peter replied snarkily. Peter's captor let out a feral snarl, and he began stomping towards the high schooler, who was still on the ground where he'd fallen after crashing into the wall. "I gotta tell you though," Peter continued as he watched the man come towards him. "You've got the whole crazy, intimidating bad guy gig down, all the way to the determined stomping," he said.

The Goblin ignored the hero's taunts, and he began speaking as he got closer and closer. "You know, I left your mask on because I didn't want to make you a martyr if I had to kill you," the Goblin said as he approached. "But seeing as how everyone will find out who you are once they find your body anyway, I don't think it hurts if I take a sneak peek."

The armored hands reached out for Peter's face, and the high schooler saw his opportunity. He didn't know how much control he had over his limbs yet, but he figured that now was as good a time as any to find out. He brought his hands up as quick and as hard as he could, smacking the Goblin's hands away from his face. He was disappointed to find that he didn't have as much strength back as he thought, though he knew he couldn't let that stop him.

"Ooooh, we've got ourselves a fighter!" the Goblin cackled as he stepped back, watching Peter try to get to his feet. The teenager's arms still felt weak and wobbly, as did his legs, and when Peter finally did get into an upright position, he had to grab onto the wall behind him for support.

Peter looked over at the Goblin, then up towards the ceiling, and he tried firing a web; however, the only thing that happened was his web shooter emitting sparks, and suddenly the high schooler remembered that the Goblin had crushed the web devices when he first grabbed Peter. Letting out a tiny groan, Peter went to move forward, but before he'd even taken two steps, the Goblin appeared in his vision again, grabbing him by what would have been the lapels, had the Spider-Man suit had those.

The Goblin lifted Peter into the air as if he weighed nothing, and though Peter was gaining back mobility in his limbs, he still wasn't strong enough to fight off Osborn's hold. "I can't believe the city thinks you're a hero," the Goblin said in disgust as he looked at the struggling hero in his grasp. "You're weak," he spat.

"To be fair, you did feel the need to drug and paralyze me in order to keep me down," Peter pointed out. "I'd say that means that at least somewhere in your twisted mind, a part of you thinks I'm strong enough to be a threat."

The Goblin growled at Peter and flung the teenager away from himself. Peter flew through the air once again, but thankfully this time he had the ability to put his hands up and block his face, though when he collided with the pillar that stopped him, it was his torso and stomach that impacted with the hard cement, not his face. Peter fell to the ground with a groan, clutching at his ribs; he'd felt several of them crack, though he didn't think they were broken...yet.

He started to roll over, but as he did, he heard a cackle above him. Goblin flew straight overhead on his glider, crashing part of his glider into the pillar right above Peter. The teenager knew what was going to happen next, and he moved as quickly as he could, trying to get out of the way of the collapsing rock, and he was mostly successful. However, one large piece fell and pinned his upper thigh to the ground, stopping him in his tracks. Both his pain and his spider senses were going off like crazy, and for a moment he had a hard time functioning because of all the static and noise going off in his head.

"What is it with you and your friend's dads dropping large, heavy things on you, Parker?" Peter thought to himself as he started trying to crawl out from under the rubble of the destroyed pillar. He managed to get a few inches on his own, even though he knew Goblin was just standing there, watching him with more than likely an amused look on his face. Peter finally pulled himself free of the rubble, his arms struggling with the demand he was putting on them after being paralyzed for who knows how long.

"I applaud your effort, Spider-Man, I really do," Peter heard the Goblin say as he flew over the high schooler. "You're a tenacious little insect, I'll give you that much."

Peter thought about correcting him and telling him he was an arachnid and not an insect, but the Goblin swooped down and grabbed the young man by the biceps and lifted him off the ground. Spider-Man struggled against the hold, but even if he'd had his full strength, the Goblin was strong, and Peter would have had a hard time getting out. He felt the glider start to rise, and he flinched for a moment, thinking that Osborn was going to throw him again, but that didn't seem to be in the Goblin's agenda at the moment.

The Goblin switched his hands from holding Peter's upper arms to once again grabbing his wrists, though this time Peter's back was facing the Goblin. To make sure his hold on Spider-Man was as strong as it could be, Osborn crossed the hero's arms over his chest and gripped them tightly. Peter kicked his legs, trying to do anything to wiggle his way out of the Goblin's grip, but all he succeeded in doing was rocking himself back and forth.

The Goblin cackled at Peter's attempts to free himself, but when he grew tired of the hero's struggles, he simply squeezed his arms, pressing Peter further into his chest and preventing the young man from moving anymore. Peter grunted as he felt the pressure around his chest increase, and he felt his already-cracked ribs protest under the strain even more.

"I think it would be better if we did your unveiling in a more public location, don't you?" the Goblin sneered as he began to steer his glider out of the garage.

"What about...not making me...a martyr?" Peter grunted as he continued his futile struggle against the Goblin. With each passing moment, he could feel more strength returning to his limbs, but he knew it would be a few minutes at least before he had enough strength to fight back. Peter felt the Goblin shrug as he replied.

"People already detest me," he pointed out. "By unmasking and killing you, I will show just how powerful I am, and people will know that the Green Goblin is the name to fear."

"Why are you...doing this?" Peter asked, wondering if the Goblin had some hidden agenda, or some form of revenge he was wanting to take against someone.

"Why?" the Goblin repeated with a cackle. "Do I have to have a reason? You protect people because it's the right thing to do; I terrorize people because it's the fun thing to do."

The Goblin's words made Peter shiver. When bad guys had a reason for doing things, Peter felt like he might be able to work with them, appeal to their humanity, but Osborn...he was doing this just because he wanted to, and Peter knew that there would be no changing the Goblin's mind about his ways. Peter looked down at the passing scenery beneath him, and after a few moments, Peter realized where the Goblin was taking him. His stomach plummeted, and he began struggling against the Goblin's hold again.

Osborn felt Spider-Man's struggles growing stronger and stronger, and he growled, pushing his glider faster.

Peter felt the glider speed up slightly, and he renewed his efforts to get away; he needed to get free before the Goblin got to where Peter was worried the maniac was heading. Despite his best efforts though, Spider-Man was unable to get his arms free before his suspicion of their destination was confirmed.

The Osborn mansion appeared before them, and Peter heard the Goblin cackle as they flew over the large home. "Let's see if anyone's home, shall we?" he asked. A mechanical arm appeared from under one of the wings of the glider, and the Goblin lowered Peter down until the mechanical appendage clamped around Peter's wrist, at which point the Goblin released the hero. Peter heard metal sliding against metal, and he looked over to see a small drawer opening up, revealing a large selection of the round bombs that the Goblin was so fond of throwing.

"No," Peter said, trying to free his arm from the metal clamp. He felt stronger than before, but he still wasn't strong enough to pry the metal completely open, though he did feel it shift slightly. "Osborn, you can't!" he yelled up at the man on the glider.

"You're right," the Goblin replied. "Osborn wouldn't, or couldn't. Thankfully, I'm not that pathetic weakling. I'm the Green Goblin!" he announced as he threw one of his bombs down at the house. Peter watched in horror as the bomb exploded, blowing a hole in the roof of the mansion.

From below them, Peter could hear the screams and confused yelling from the people inside the house, and everyone began pouring out the front door. Peter saw Harry exit the house, covering his mouth to prevent himself from inhaling the smoke, and Peter could almost feel the Goblin zero in on Osborn's son.

"Goblin, don't!" Peter shouted, yanking once more on the metal clamp around his wrist. Unexpectedly, Peter's last yank on the clamp was strong enough to finally break the metal, and the high schooler immediately began plummeting for the ground. Instinctively, he tried firing his web shooters, forgetting that Osborn had crushed the devices.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap," Peter muttered to himself. He twisted around in the air, throwing his hand out as he fell past the roof, finally catching ahold of a piece of the roof still attached to the house. He let out a shocked yell as his shoulder was almost pulled out of its socket, but he pushed past the pain. Looking down, he knew that the drop to the ground was definitely doable, so after another second of hanging onto the roof, he let go and dropped, landing in a crouch that ended with him on the ground. He'd forgotten about his injured thigh.

"Spider-Man?" he heard a familiar voice ask. The hero looked up and saw Harry Osborn staring at him in confusion.

"Harry," Peter croaked out, remembering to change his accent slightly to disguise his voice. He pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his leg protested, but thankfully he didn't fall again. "Harry, you've gotta get out of here," he said, limping towards his friend.

"Why?" Harry asked, backing away slightly. "What's going on? Why is that creep here?" he asked, pointing up at the sky where the Goblin was still flying around.

"It's a long story, but the short of it is I think the Goblin is here for you," Spider-Man explained, hoping that the young Osborn would stop asking questions and just run.

"I can't leave everyone," Harry said after thinking over Spider-Man's offer for a moment, gesturing at the staff standing on the front lawn.

"We're not going to leave anyone," Peter promised. "We just need to get everyone away from here, fast," the young hero repeated. Harry looked from Spider-Man to the staff again, finally nodding.

"Okay," he agreed. "Can we use your webs to swing away?"

"Uuuhhh…" Peter looked down at his destroyed web shooters, his stomach dropping again.

"What happened?" Harry asked, following the hero's gaze to his wrists. The young Osborn's eyes widened as he took in the crushed devices, and Peter waved off the questioning look.

"Long story," Spider-Man repeated. He thought for a quick minute, looking around at all the rubble. "Listen," he finally said, picking up a heavy piece of brick. Thankfully, it seemed like most of his strength had returned. "I need you to get yourself and the staff off the property; use cars, run, I don't care. Just get away from here. I'll give you a distraction."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Peter simply turned and chucked the brick at the Goblin on his glider. After a few seconds, Harry decided not to waste Spider-Man's distraction, and he turned towards the staff, calling for them to get off the property.

Peter's aim was true, and the brick collided with one of the wings of the glider, and though it didn't do much to dislodge the Goblin, it was enough to get the maniac's attention. After throwing the brick, Peter had immediately bent down and picked up another piece of debris, this one being a long metal pipe, which he threw at Osborn as soon as the masked man turned to look at him.

Goblin batted the pipe away with a flick of his wrist, though that was something Peter had expected. He knew that from this distance, he wouldn't be able to actually hurt the man, but he was hoping to give Harry and the rest of the Osborn staff enough time to get away.

Thankfully, when Peter looked back at his friend, he was indeed making sure everyone was hurrying away from the property, and Peter felt a small sense of relief. He turned his attention back to the fight, dodging out of the way just in time as the Goblin threw his own brick at Spider-Man.

Suddenly, the Goblin reached down into his glider and pulled out a round object and tossed it towards the ground. Peter's eyes widened and he ran forward, fingers outstretched to their fullest as he tried to catch the bomb. He felt the small device fall in his hands, and without thinking, Spider-Man turned and chucked the bomb back up into the sky in one fluid motion.

He got the device far away from the ground that it didn't cause any more physical damage to the property, but the aftershock of the explosion did throw Peter back several feet. The young man landed on his back, and though he was sore and desperately wanted to just lay there and sleep for a week, he kicked himself back up, preparing to face Osborn again.

However, when he made it back to an upright position, Peter saw that the Goblin had turned his attention away from the hero, focusing on something behind Peter. The teenager turned, and his heart suddenly felt like it was stuck in his throat. Harry had turned back after making sure the staff got away, and had taken a few steps back towards the fighting couple, which the Goblin noticed. Osborn immediately began flying away from Peter and towards the other teenager, and Peter saw sharp prongs appear from the bottom of the glider.

"NO!" Peter shouted, taking a few running steps and lunging in front of Harry, pushing the young man out of the way right before the glider collided with him. Peter expected to feel the sharp prongs pierce his stomach, but when he was slammed against the side of the house without the pain, he looked down and realized that the prongs had simply pinned the young man under the arms and around his chest, keeping him stuck to the brick. "Harry…" Peter grunted as he struggled to draw in breath. "Run!"

"A bold move, Spider-Man," the Goblin said, actually sounding slightly impressed, if also disgusted with how noble the young arachnid was being. "But futile," he added. Another mechanical arm identical to the one that had held onto Peter earlier sneaked out the other side of the glider and grabbed the young Osborn as he tried to run. The arm flung Harry around and smacked him into the side of the house next to Peter and pinned him there as well.

Peter could tell that Harry was unconscious, and he almost felt relieved. At least Osborn's son wouldn't have to see his father do whatever he had planned. Even though Peter knew it wasn't actually Osborn acting out the atrocities, it was his face, and Peter didn't know how Harry would be able to handle that revelation at the moment.

"I've got an idea," the Goblin said, drawing Peter's attention back to the man. "I'm going to let Osborn be in on this little conversation, just so he can see what happens when he fights against me," the Goblin cackled as he raised the mechanical arm holding the young Osborn. Harry was limp as he was lifted up, and Peter heard a snick as another blade appeared from the Goblin's wristbands. Spider-Man knew he had to do something.

"Mr. Osborn," Peter called out immediately, still fighting against the glider pinning him to the side of the house. He knew he had to get through to the CEO, otherwise it would be too late for Harry. "Mr. Osborn, if you can hear me, your son needs your help!" he called out, pushing down on the glider to try to get free. He felt the machine budge slightly, and his heart leapt as he realized he only needed to push a little more.

"Shut up!" hissed the Goblin. Peter ignored the Goblin's angry words, instead choosing to try and get through to the real Norman Osborn.

"You can't let the Goblin win this easily; Harry needs you, and if you don't take control of your own body again, you're going to lose yourself, and your son, for good!" he cried.

"Noooo…" the Goblin grunted, placing his hands against his helmeted head as if he were trying to stop a massive headache. "You...can't…"

Letting out a pained yell, Osborn's form doubled over on the glider, still clutching at his head. Suddenly, the CEO's head snapped up, and when he looked around, the high schooler couldn't tell if they were facing the CEO or his maniacal counterpart. That question was soon answered though as the man began speaking.

"H...Harry?"

The voice was normal, not cackly and splintery like the Goblin's was.

"Mr. Osborn?" Peter asked, just wanting to make sure. Osborn's head snapped towards the hero, as if he were just alerted to the Spider's presence.

"Spider-Man?"

"Mr. Osborn, you have to help Harry!" Peter said, using one hand to point towards the CEO's son. Osborn looked over at Harry again as if just realizing what was happening to his son, who was beginning to stir.

Peter used Osborn's distraction as the perfect opportunity to finally free himself from the grasp of the glider. He shoved as hard as he could, and he was able to get himself unpinned from the wall. The mechanical arm that had been holding Harry suddenly released the teenager, but thankfully Peter's reflexes took over and he front flipped so that he landed right underneath his friend to catch him.

As Peter gently lowered his friend to the ground, making sure that he didn't smack his head as he laid flat, Peter heard the whirring of the Goblin's glider, and he looked over at the CEO.

"I have to leave," Osborn said, almost to himself. "I...I can't stay here. I have to get help."

"Mr. Osborn, wait," Peter insisted, standing back up and facing his friend's father. "Stay here, answer for what you've done, and you can get help here."

"I can't," Osborn insisted. "If the Goblin comes back, I know he won't hesitate to kill Harry; I can't let him do that. I need to remove myself from Harry's life, at least until I can either get rid of the Goblin, or learn to control him."

"Running away isn't the answer!" Peter said loudly, clearly frustrated. "You can't just leave your son here alone!"

"It's the best way to keep him safe," Osborn said, looking down. Peter could almost see the dramatic pout on the man's face, and his patience broke.

"That's crap, and you know it," he snapped. "You're just choosing to take the easy way out by avoiding all responsibility, both as a CEO who made mistakes, but also as a father who can't face his son."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Osborn growled, turning on Spider-Man with his fists clenched. "You don't know the extent you'd go to save a son, do you?"

"Seeing as how I don't have kids, no. No I don't," Peter agreed. "But I do have people I love, and I know that your son would rather have you here so you can work on repairing your relationship."

"How I deal with my family affairs is none of your concern, Spider-Man," Norman yelled. A groan sounded from the ground, and when Peter glanced down at Harry, Osborn took advantage of his distraction and surged forward. Peter's senses gave him enough warning to duck out of the way of the punch aimed for his face, but the Goblin seemed to have anticipated that, and he released another bit of gas from his glider, spraying it right into Peter's face.

The hero clutched at his throat as he began coughing again, though thankfully he stayed conscious and kept control of his limbs this time. The gas was asphyxiating him though, and he collapsed to his knees as he struggled to breathe. From above him, Peter could hear Osborn speaking.

"I'm sorry, Spider-Man. But I can't have you getting in my way. I need to do this for Harry and myself. Once I'm better, I'll come back."

The next time Peter looked up, Osborn was a speck in the sky as he flew away, and the teenager closed his eyes in disappointment. He looked over at his friend, still lying unconscious on the ground next to him, and he couldn't help the feeling of pity as he thought about Harry's reaction to finding out his father had left him; the worst part would be that Harry wouldn't understand why. Peter wasn't going to tell Harry that his father was the Green Goblin; that would crush the young man even more, and it wasn't Peter's secret to tell.

Suddenly, a distant thwap thwap thwap got closer and closer, and when Peter looked up, he saw a helicopter coming their way. Knowing he needed to get away, Peter quickly situated Harry so that he would be comfortably seated when he woke up before Spider-Man turned and ran for the side of the house, where he could stay out of sight for the time being.

Emergency staff hopped out of the chopper and hurried over to the unconscious Osborn, and when Peter was sure that his friend was going to be taken care of, he turned and climbed the side of the house, melting into the darkness.