Disclaimer: You know, I've been thinking about something lately. Reviews have been somewhat sparse over the course of this story and got me thinking that there are those who already know the endgame.
Personally, I think the journey is far more important and rewarding than the destination. Look at the Mass Effect Trilogy; that was a hell of a ride even if the ending was, meh. I'm just saying.
Like always, Spider-Man and all supporting characters are the property of Marvel Comics.
Chapter XXI
Peter was completely unprepared when he feet suddenly and violently left the sidewalk. If it was the Rapture, then it was the roughest sort of ascension to Heaven that Peter had to endure. When he was jerked around, he found the Green Goblin staring right back at him with that all too familiar, sick to death grin mixed with pure, unchecked hatred. It dawned on Peter right then and there and his worst fear was realized; the Green Goblin knew he was Spider-Man. He somehow, someway discovered Peter's secret identity without Peter even realizing it until it was too late.
Before Peter could even begin to comprehend how and when his secret was revealed, the Green Goblin drove his fist into his gut with the force of a charging bull. Every blow drove the oxygen out of Peter and made it all the more a labor to catch a breath. The Green Goblin didn't let up his assault. He laid into Peter as hard as superhumanly possible, every blow filled with rage. Peter couldn't even get his arms up to defend himself, not that it would've made a difference anyway. Then Peter found an opening when the Goblin halted his assault for a split second.
Peter pushed his thumbs into the Goblin's eyes to blind him temporarily and then tried to make his escape. But the Goblin recovered faster than Peter had hoped and snagged his leg as he tried to escape. The Green Goblin flew his glider near a building and threw Peter as hard as he could directly into the brick surface. Peter was embedded into the wall and had whatever was left of the oxygen in his lungs forced out in one gulp. His condition left him unable to move even slightly, while the Green Goblin hovered over him like the embodiment of Death itself.
The hum of the glider's engines stirred Peter awake, though he felt like he'd been hit by a Mac truck – twice. The Green Goblin inched close enough to Peter so they were face to face.
"Surprised to see me… Spider-Man?" the villain gleefully mocked his bewildered foe.
Peter was barely even capable of recovering when he replied, "You… you know who I am. How did you…?"
"…find out? It wasn't so difficult once I doused you with that very special concoction." The Green Goblin stated.
"That foul-smelling bomb; you designed it naturalize my spider-sense. Even if I was aware of it, I'd have still never seen you coming." Peter reasoned to his horror.
The Green Goblin came closer and grasped Peter's throat. "You have no idea how much pain-staking, back-breaking work went into the design of that bomb. But it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"
Then the Goblin pulled Peter off the wall by his neck and gunned the glider's engines. They rocketed along the skyline where the Goblin continued his onslaught of Peter and allowed him very little offense at all. Peter still tried to fight back by breaking free of his attacker's arms to no avail. The Goblin head butted Peter and knocked him out for a moment, and then he punched in the stomach to wake him again. A few more blows to the stomach followed before Peter tried to get free up until the Green Goblin literally threw him off the glider.
Peter spiraled in midair when he attempted to fire a web line and get as far away from the Green Goblin as possible. Nothing happened; no webbing came out of his wrists. It dawned on Peter that he didn't have his web shooters on. Then the Green Goblin snatched Peter in the air before banking straight down toward the streets. The Goblin recklessly flew around oncoming traffic while using Peter as a shield, even as they banked back and forth around the many vehicles on the road. It caught the attention of onlookers, most of whom produced shock of seeing a maniacal super villain manhandling an innocent civilian.
The Green Goblin banked up with Peter still in his clutches while repeatedly punching him in the kidneys. Peter eventually managed to drive his elbow into the Goblin's face and did so as many times as humanly possible. As soon as the Goblin released his death grip on him, Peter vaulted over and crouched over the Goblin's head and shoulder. Peter attempted to steer the Goblin without having the slightest sense of where he was even trying to go until they reached the rooftops of the next few buildings. Desperate, Peter started punching the Goblin in the side of the head to get him off balance.
It appeared to work for a time before the Green Goblin caught Peter's arm as it came. He activated his electric glove and sent a few hundred volts coursing throughout Peter's body. Then as they approached a nearby building, the Green Goblin grabbed Peter's arm and tossed him toward the roof. Peter hit the roof with enough force to leave impact crater, while the momentum carried his near-limp body across the length of the roof. Peter finally came to a halt near brick chimney and felt every bone in his body aching from sheer pain. The Green Goblin approached and jumped off his glider. He stalked toward Peter as he tried to rise.
Peter was on all fours when the Green Goblin kicked him in the stomach to put him back down. This time, Peter couldn't move and he could barely even breathe. The Green Goblin grasped Peter by the collar of his shirt and pushed him into the chimney. Another blow to the stomach doubled Peter over, followed by a haymaker to his face. The last blow nearly knocked Peter out when the Green Goblin hoisted him back up.
"No, no, no, Parker. You don't get to fade out on me yet, not after what you've done." the Goblin claimed.
"What are you…" Peter tried to say before taking another punch to his face.
The Goblin removed his mask part way to show the face of Norman Osborn. "Don't bother denying it, Peter. I know everything now. How could you possibly justify what you've done to me for so long?"
The Goblin hoisted Peter up inches from the ground before throwing him across the roof. Peter hit the ground hard and was nearly unable to move. The Goblin stalked toward him again, his face mixed with anger and sadness. Peter looked up at the Goblin but saw only Norman's face, seeing how Norman was seemingly struggling with his other self. In his attempts to rise, Peter fell back down time as if a mighty weight was laid on his back. Then the Goblin hoisted Peter back up and held him up off the ground.
"I nurtured you, Peter. I nurtured your unflappable intelligence, your fierce desire to make your own path. I treated like you were my son, my real son. And in return, this is how you repay me?"
"Norman, you have to listen to me," Peter claimed under labored gasps of air. "You need to find some help; you're losing yourself to the Goblin."
"Oh, I'm not the one who needs help. You're the one whose been lying to me all this time. Even worse, you've resorted to using Harry to get to me under the false guise of friendship. You, Peter Parker as Spider-Man, are the one who needs help."
Peter struggled against the Goblin's grip while the Goblin reached one hand into his bag o' tricks. He pulled out a serrated blade that gleamed in what little light was available. Pulling his mask back down over his face, the Goblin prepared to drive the blade into Peter's heart. He provided a twisted grin as he did. Then, out of the sheerest and dumbest of pure luck, Peter's spider-sense flared back to life and everything went nearest still in front of him… including the blade. Peter saw an opening and freed his left arm. He batted the blade from the Goblin's hand and then drove his head into his face.
The Green Goblin was stunned. Peter put his feet into the Green Goblin's chest and pushed as hard as his muscles would allow. The momentum sent the Green Goblin backward while he also took a heavy kick to the jaw. Peter back flipped as he freed himself and, seeing the Goblin was staggered and dazed, charged forward. The Green Goblin was unprepared to be tackled as hard as he was by Peter. For Peter, it was out of desperation more than anything. He took the Green Goblin down and pinned him down for all of a second before flipping over and rushing the other end of the roof.
The Green Goblin recovered in time to spot Peter rushing for the edge of the rooftop and remotely directed the glider after him, extending a razor-sharp, tongue-like weapon from the front end. Peter ran faster for the edge and leapt over the side. The glider missed him literally by inches while he reached the wall. Watching the glider flying away from him at least for a moment, Peter hastily applied his web shooters that were hidden away in his pockets. He spotted the glider returning and worked faster to apply his web shooters. Meanwhile, the glider returned to the Goblin and allowed him to mount it and take off for the sky.
Reaching the spot from which Peter had leapt, the Green Goblin prepared a pumpkin bomb with the intent to finish what he started. But Peter wasn't there anymore. While the Goblin searched for Peter, he was unaware that Peter was underneath the glider and crawling up behind him. Peter managed to get behind the Goblin and grabbed him, applying a chokehold with one arm around the Goblin's neck. The Goblin gunned his glider and took off with Peter holding on for dear life.
They rocketed above the busy streets, the Goblin trying to tear Peter away from him while Peter maintained his grip. Eventually, the Goblin removed Peter from him and tossed him off. Having managed to get his web shooters on beforehand, Peter fired a web line and swung away while the Green Goblin gave chase.
"Run all you want, traitor. I will catch you and I will make you suffer for what you've done." the Goblin bellowed from afar.
Peter ignored the boastful threat of his pursuer and focused on getting away from him. More than that, Peter knew he had to get out of sight of the public eye. It wasn't out of self-preservation as it was out of fear for the popular if the Goblin targeted them with Peter out of costume. If someone Peter knew personally were out on the streets below now, they'd know he was Spider-Man. The Goblin would've gone after them. Peter's mind raced back to Gwen; she knew his secret after he revealed it. She would've been in danger if the Goblin knew about her. He didn't know, for which Peter was thankful.
His thoughts of dread were instantly quashed after the Green Goblin tossed a pumpkin bomb that exploded too close for Peter to avoid it. The shockwave rocked Peter and caused him to lose his grip on the web line he was holding. Peter was able to fire off another line but then the Goblin flew his glider into him. Peter tried to fire another line but the Goblin prevented it when he slammed into Peter again. Another hard slam sent Peter spiraling into a wall for the second time since the first assault. Peter recovered in time to spot the Goblin racing toward him, the razor-sharp blade jutting out from the glider's gargoyle-like visage.
Flipping up while still on the wall saved Peter from being impaled, while the glider became embedded in the wall. The Goblin himself hit the wall but recovered fast when he looked up at Peter. He could see the fear in the young man's eyes, something he didn't see whenever he wore the mask. The Green Goblin made a grab for Peter, who slipped to the side. Undeterred, the Green Goblin made another grab for Peter and dug his entire arm into the wall when Peter moved again. Still relentless, the Green Goblin pulled his arm back and in doing so, ripped the section of the wall clean off the building. Peter held on to the section as it spiraled in free fall toward the street below, only to be broken apart when the Goblin smashed through it. Peter caught himself with another web line and attempted another escape with the Goblin still in pursuit.
"I'm still here, boy. You can't run from me forever." the Goblin shouted.
Damn right, I can't. Peter thought.
Peter released his line and spun his body around, and then he assaulted the Green Goblin as he came with an arsenal of web spheres. The projectile found their mark, almost causing the Goblin to lose control of his glider. With the Goblin distracted, Peter shot out a line and catapulted himself into the Goblin. They wrestled for control of the glide, diving straight down to the street through the traffic. They were moving too quickly for anyone to identify them, for which Peter was at least partly relieved.
The Goblin banked the glider back skyward while he and Peter continued to fight for control of the machine. After a back and forth trading of blows between them, the Goblin grabbed Peter and hurled him back into the air. Peter caught himself with a web line and swung away again with the Goblin following him closely. Knowing he had to get this fight away from innocent people, Peter attempted to lead the Green Goblin into a narrow alleyway. While Peter slipped into the alley, the Goblin halted his pursuit and banked up over the alley.
Looking down into the alley, the Goblin spotted Peter still swinging through the alley before he flew onward. The Goblin made it to the other end of the alley and readied a pumpkin bomb. Spider-sense or not, he thought, there was no way the boy would've been able to avoid a close range explosion. It wouldn't have mattered how agile he appeared to be. The Green Goblin waited for Peter to appear, even tossing the bomb up and catching it in his gloved hand while he was grinning with anticipation.
The Goblin waited for longer than he wanted and, frustrated and angered by the wait, hastily tossed his bomb into the alley. The bomb vanished in the shadowy alley and then was suddenly throw back. The Goblin had no time to dodge the resulting blast or avoid the shockwave that followed. A second later, Pete swung into the fray and grappled the Goblin in a chokehold. The Goblin gunned the glider's engine and sent the machine flying with the two foes fighting for control again.
Peter mounted on top of the Goblin's shoulders and attempted to direct his movements as he flew the glider while shouting, "You've got to stop this, Norman. You're taking this way too far."
"I'll stop when you're a greasy smear on the pavement. You lied to me. You used me and played me for a fool to gain my favor, pretending to be a boy scout." the Goblin spouted while missing a reach attempt on Peter.
"You're deluding yourself if you think that, Norman. And what about Harry? What about all the times you've treated him like crap?" Peter demanded.
The Green Goblin managed to grab Peter and toss him off. Peter clung to a wall while the Goblin hovered before him. "You don't get to judge me on my merits with that weakling of a son. I gave Harry everything and he squandered it. I did the same for you, Parker, gave you my respect and admiration and you threw it back in my face."
"That same respect and admiration you claim you gave me should've been for Harry, but you abandoned him. You turned your back on your son when he needed you the most. You're still doing it." Peter snapped back.
"SHUT UP!"
The Goblin flew into a rage and tossed a series of razor bats at Peter, which Peter avoided by back flipping up the wall as quickly as possible. Peter back flipped again to dodge more bats before he righted himself and started running up the wall toward the rooftop. The Goblin relentlessly tossed more projectiles at Peter with reckless abandon, blinded seemingly by too much fury to think straight. Peter hustled up the wall while the Goblin rocketed after him on the glider, which once again had the tongue-like blade jutting out.
Peter made to the rooftop just in time and literally threw himself there, narrowly avoiding being gouged by the Goblin's glider. While the Goblin was airborne, Peter surveyed his surrounding. Nothing about the rooftop stood out except for a water tower. Peter looked back and spotted the Green Goblin banking back toward him before making a beeline for the water tower. The Green Goblin tossed a pumpkin bomb down. It dropped dangerously close to Peter and detonated, but Peter was able to avoid the shockwave that followed.
The Green Goblin tossed a razor bat in Peter's path, expecting it to hit him without his being able to avoid it. Peter caught the bat in his hand. He felt the bladed wing slice the flesh but it didn't stop him from running. He made it to the water tower and climbed onto it, while the Goblin was firing electrical blast at him. Peter nearly lost his grip on the surface of the tower but continued to climb up until he was just near the apex.
"No more running, Parker. Tonight, you answer for your sins." the Goblin declared with boundless malic in his voice.
Peter wrapped the razor bat in a net of webbing. "I'm not the one whose sins needing answering, Osborn."
The Green Goblin screamed in pure fury before gunning his glider and flying forward. Peter waited for the right moment to strike, allowing the Green Goblin to get as close as he needed. Then seemingly at the last humanly possible moment, Peter leapt from the tower toward the Goblin. The Goblin expected Peter to try and wrestle for control of the glider again, and he wasn't going to have it. But Peter didn't land on the glider or even on the Goblin's shoulders. Instead, Peter bounded directly over the Goblin's shoulder to the rear of the glider. He jammed the razor bat into the engine and leapt clear of the glider.
Before the Green Goblin was aware of what happened, the engine blew. The glider sputtered smoke and fire from the rear. The Goblin fought for control of the wing, narrowly missing the tower and flying passed the roof. He banked back toward the, still relentless in his quest to kill Peter. More smoke billowed from the glider and by that point, it was too late. The Goblin lost all control of the glider and slammed into the top of the water tower. The impact took the top of the tower off and sent water cascading onto the roof. The moment sent the Goblin flying off his own glider, which exploded soon after.
The Green Goblin tumbled down to the roof and hit the ground head first before rolling to a stop just a few feet from Peter before laying still. Peter, who covered up to shield himself from the explosion of the glider, looked up to see the Green Goblin face down on the ground and seemingly motionless. Caution took precedence for Peter as he slowly approached the Goblin's fallen form. The Goblin hadn't moved an inch and Peter's spider-sense hadn't gone off – yet.
"Norman," Peter said, but the Goblin didn't respond. "Norman?" he said again, but no response came.
Peter knelt down and turned the Goblin on his back, his body limp. There was no danger; Peter would've known if his spider-sense went off. That was unless the method with which the Goblin neutralized it had taken hold again. Peter was taking a huge risk when he pulled the Goblin mask from Norman's face. Norman was still unresponsive, and Peter checked for a pulse. Nothing, and it was now at that point where Peter feared the worst. He began performing CPR based on whatever training he'd received in the past. He pushed down on Norman's chest to get his heart pumping again, periodically checking his pulse over and over again. Each time, there was nothing. After several tries, fear and turmoil washed over Peter's face and left him wondering a single, dreaded question…
What have I done…?
Author's note: Once again, it took me a long time to get this bloody chapter finished with all the distractions of my life. At least I got it done.
So in a nutshell, this second half of a two-part event was all about the Green Goblin attacking Peter, whom he now knows is Spider-Man. That means in due time, the shit's going to hit the fan. Okay, I'll stop with the clichés.
For the overall fight, I adapted a little bit of the Spider-Man 3 fight scene and a bit from Spectacular Spider-Man.
As for the outcome, it's not a question of if Norman is alive, but is he Norman again or is he the Goblin. Honestly? I don't know.
So, drop a line, leave a review and I'll be back with more of the story. Peace out and remember; it's not the destination, but the journey that matters most.