It didn't long for Hobgoblin to spot them.
"My, my, Liz, you haven't aged a day." He turned his scarlet gaze to Normie. "Now you, on the other hand, you are a walking testament to the time that has passed."
"Don't you dare speak to him!" Liz said, ready to square up.
Normie grabbed his mom's arm. "What're you doing?" he hissed. Then, to the Goblin, "What do you want?"
Hobgoblin cackled. "Straight to the point. You may be a spittin' image of your father, but you're a lot smarter." Normie glared at him. "I want everything you have from your grandfather's research on clones."
Before Normie could tell him that research had been destroyed after Mr. Sinister had gotten his hands on it, an alarm sounded, taking everyone, Hobgoblin included, by surprise.
"What's this?" The Goblin asked, a rueful smile splitting his face.
Bright red lights pulsed with the alarm. Up in the top corners of the lobby, Normie saw parts of the walls shift, and some sort of machine popped out. They came to life.
"My God," Liz whispered, grabbing her son's hand. The machines were projectors. And the image they projected was the crisp, clear image of his father.
Harry Osborn loomed over the scene below. The video from the projectors showed his father from the chest up, and he was dressed as the Green Goblin. His father didn't wear the grotesque mask, but Normie found the wild look in his eyes much more terrifying.
"Norman, what is this?" Liz asked, desperate.
"I don't know!" He looked up at the image.
"Hobgoblin!" His father began. "You've invaded my life for the final time. I've designed an alarm system that will alert me of your location. And go ahead, try to escape." At that moment, a beam of light shot out from one of the projectors, hitting a spot on the Goblin's glider. "I am now able to track you down if you do. And now that I remember where I came from, now that I've embraced my father's legacy, I promise you this, you cheap imposter; I will destroy you!" And then his father laughed. It was a chilly, humorless sound.
For a moment, all were silenced by his father's promise of tracking the Hobgoblin down. That would lead him here, to Oscorp, to Normie and his mother. He knew his father was dead, but he still held his breath in anticipation.
Even the Hobgoblin looked weary, as he eyed the video. Then, his father's laughter ceased, the image glitched, and then the video started again.
Hobgoblin turned his gaze back Normie. "Empty threats from a ghost," he whispered. "Now, Norman. All I want is the research. Hand it over, and I am out."
"I don't have it, it was destroyed." He looked around. Where was Spiderling? Why wasn't she here yet.
"Fine," Hobgoblin sighed. He darted down, and grabbed his mother.
"Mom!" He shouted as Liz screamed.
The Hobgoblin flew higher, and with one arm, dangled his mother over the edge of the glider. If he dropped her, she'd be killed. He stood up, committed to catching her, but from that height, if he were to catch her, he'd end up hurt to. But that didn't matter. If injury meant a chance at protecting his mother, he'd gladly take it.
"Let me ask you this one more time." His voice was a low, dangerous whisper. "Where is the research?" Normie stammered as he tried to think of something. "Uh, I think there are backups of the research, but they're saved in the basement computers," he lied. There was no trace of that research left. "Put her down, and I'll bring you to them."
"Normie, just run!" His mother screamed. "It's okay, sweetie, just run!"
"He knows exactly what will happen to you if he does that. He's not going anywhere." Hobgoblin was right. He couldn't save his father, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let anything happen to his mom.
Then he heard a crash as someone barreled through the window. For a second, he expected to see the Green Goblin, standing tall on his glider, keeping the promise he made in the holographic video.
But of course, it was Spider-Man and his family. Normie felt stupid for assuming otherwise. A ghost couldn't keep his promises.
"Dad, you're always doing the most," Spiderling snarked, swinging through the hole already made by the Hobgoblin. Spinneret followed behind her daughter.
"Don't ruin your father's grand entrance," her mom replied.
Hobgoblin turned to face the Spider-Fam. "You," he seethed as they each perched on a wall, surrounding him. But for a moment Normie saw their gaze lock on the hologram of his father, who was again boasting of his legacy and swearing to make Hobgoblin pay.
I'll protect them Harry, Peter thought to himself. He took a steadying breath, fighting to keep the memories of his friend, his enemy, at bay. It was hard though, especially with a visual representation of Harry Osborn at his absolute worst.
He looked over at MJ, and could tell she was struggling too. She felt his eyes on her and glanced his way. He nodded his head ever so slightly, hoping she'd catch his message: follow my lead, I know what I'm doing.
"Surprised to see me?" Hobgoblin asked. His voice was low growl. He balanced perfectly atop his glider, not even bothered by Liz's thrashing form.
He truly was. Peter remembered their last battle. Hobgoblin was attacking Annie's school. So Peter stopped him. Of course, it wasn't that simple, and against his will, the memory flooded his mind: Hobgoblin holding a pumpkin bomb, ready to throw it; Peter webbing it to has hand, forcing the Goblin to take the brunt of the explosion. He could still smell the smoke, still hear the tortured cry.
Peter had been protecting his daughter, her classmates, her teachers. But his actions still weighed heavily on his soul.
"I honestly am." A quip didn't feel right in this moment. Facing all of these ghosts, humor felt almost sacrilegious. "Hobgoblin. Let her go. Then you and I can finish this, man to man."
Hobgoblin leered, as Peter again made the briefest of eye contact with his wife. Ready, he said with just a glance.
"As you wish," the Goblin whispered, and he let Liz go. Normie let out a tortured cry as his mother fell.
"Catch!" He screamed as MJ dove from her spot. She fired webline after webline, pulling them taught, forcing her through the air to reach Liz. Peter jumped from the wall as well, and fired his own web at the underside of the Goblin's glider, yanking it out from beneath his feet. The Goblin fell as the glider struggled against Peter's web. He tried to wrestle it away, and then Annie jumped on top of it, using her weight and strength to help Peter regain control. She also managed to shoot a strand of web, catching the Goblin as he fell.
For a second, Gwen flashed across his mind, but Peter pulled harder at the machine, forcing the memory of her back.
Annie yelped as the glider jerked beneath her feet.
Below, Peter heard Normie yell again. MJ and his mother had crash-landed together. With Liz safely on the ground, MJ zoomed up to join the fray.
"Dad, watch out!" Annie yelled a second before his Spider-Sense buzzed. A swarm of razor bats flew towards him. He tried to dodge them while not letting go of the glider, but a few ripped his costume, carving red gashes into his skin. One sliced through the webbing, setting the glider free.
"No!" Peter yelled. All he could hear was the sound of his heart as he saw Annie fall from the glider as it zoomed down to its owner. Annie still managed to hold onto the web attached to the Goblin, but as soon as his feet touched the glider, he was in control. He shot upward, Annie now being dragged behind him.
Come on Annie, let go! He thought to himself, but Annie stubbornly held on. Did she think she could take him?
He swung up, ready to grab her, but MJ was already ahead of him.
She also grabbed the web, and gave a good yank, causing the Goblin to lose his balance and fall. As he fell, the glider zoomed beneath him. Peter made a move and intercepted them. He grabbed the Goblin and punched like hell as they fell. The glider would bump beneath them, bring them higher, but Annie and MJ would fire their webs, pulling the glider out from his feet.
They crashed to floor, in front of Liz and Normie. Liz was on the ground, her leg looking pretty banged up from the fall. Normie had his arms protectively wrapped around her, shielding her from the debris.
"Normie, please run!" She said as the Goblin stood. "Spider-Man's here, I'll be safe."
"I'm not leaving you!"
Peter stood up, too slow for his foe. He fought the urge to rub the shock of pain out of his shoulder. The glider flew down, and Hobgoblin jumped on top and soared into the air.
"This ends Spider-Man!" And he reached into his satchel and pulled out a bomb. He threw it up towards Annie and MJ. Logic told Peter they would be okay. Their Spider-Sense would warn him in time, but father in him, the husband, panicked as he saw the bomb approach his world. Of course he jumped towards them, ready to save his family. But, of course, they didn't need saving, and dodged it easily, escaping the blast. But Hobgoblin flew down and ripped Normie away from his mother, as Peter cursed himself. If he had just trusted them, he could've intercepted the Goblin's attack. He flew higher and higher, and, as Harry's form loomed behind them, Hobgoblin pulled out a razor bat and held it to Normie's throat.
"Tell me were the research is," he growled.
"Easy there," Peter said. "Let's all bring it down a notch." He jumped to a wall and stood, hands splayed in peace. He was fast, but faster than a knife at Normie's throat? He wasn't going to risk that. MJ followed his lead, and grabbed their daughter, who looked ready to spring into action. Don't lose your cool, he wanted to say as Annie struggled against her mother's grip.
"Normie, whatever it is he wants, just give it to him, okay?" He said, hoping the Goblin would let him go after.
"I can't," Normie said, looking up into those red eyes. "I destroyed it. Everything connected to that monster. It's all gone."
"You lie!"
"It's all gone. The formula, the research. Oscorp. The Green Goblin is dead, and he isn't coming back!"
"No!" Annie screamed and tore away from her mother's grasp. Her tortured cry startled even their grotesque assailant, buying her a critical moment to strike before he could open Normie's throat. She crashed into the Goblin, knocking him and Normie off. MJ zipped towards the glider, as Peter dove for Normie. He had to be quick. His daughter couldn't handle this monster on her own.
He caught Normie and brought him down to his mother, then zoomed back, needing to help Annie and MJ. His wife was being dragged by the glider, but she twisted and turned with it, in a dance that was equally graceful and violent. He saw her fist filled wires and realized she must have punched into it, her strategy to destroy the machine. The more damage she did, the more control she got. Not bad, Red, he thought to himself.
Annie and the Hobgoblin were already on the ground, Annie on top of his chest, punching away.
"You would've done it, you son of a bitch!" His daughter seethed, as she pummeled him. "I saw it. I saw it!" She punched harder and harder. And he could tell she wasn't pulling anything.
He put his had on his daughter's shoulder, anchoring her. The Goblin was out cold.
"Annie," he whispered. "Stop."
"I saw it," she said, her voice cracking as Peter pulled her into a hug. MJ jumped down and webbed the Goblin's limp form. Blood gushed from his mask. If he hadn't survived that bomb all those years ago, Peter would have wondered if the Goblin was dead.
"What did you see?" Peter whispered into her hair, know she was talking about her visions.
"I saw Normie," she sobbed. "Laying on the ground. Blood everywhere."
Peter squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back his own emotion. It was horrible his daughter had to see that. But that terrible image had saved Normie's life.
"You saved him, kid," he thought of Gwen, Harry, Ben Reilly, his Aunt and Uncle, their faces flashing before him. He thought of their first daughter, baby May, the little girl he never got to know, taken before she could take her first breath. "You saved him."
Annie hugged him before breaking away, running to Normie. He stood so still, as if in a trance; his eyes locked on his father as he ranted and raved. The image flickered and glitched; one of the projectors had likely been damaged in the melee.
Annie threw her arms around the young man, who looked so much like Harry. Normie didn't even seem to register Annie's embrace
Peter looked up at the image and around the area, spotting the projectors. This wasn't the image Harry would want to be remembered by. Peter shot a few strands of webbing and yanked the projectors off the wall, causing the image of Harry to wink out of existence.
MJ helped Liz to her son and Peter joined the group.
"He loved you kid, so much" he said. But his words didn't seem to register.
"Normie?" Liz asked, placing her hand on his arm.
"He was awful wasn't he?" His eyes never leaving the space his father's image held.
Liz only sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Annie hugged him tighter. And, not for the first time, Peter wondered if there was something more than friendship happening between the two.
"Thank you all for your services today," Liz said through measured breaths. She place her arm around her son's shoulders, transferring her weight from MJ to him. "You can leave now."
"What?" Annie asked, likely confused by her icy tone.
"You can leave now. And take that," she indicated the Goblin's limp form, "out of here."
"Liz," MJ said, "You're leg, you need a hospital. Let us help you."
Even Normie seemed stunned by his mother's tone. "Mom, they saved our lives," he said.
"And now they can leave," she said fighting back tears.
"Mom, you need a hospital, Spinneret is right," he said.
"Then you can take me, or call the driver. They need to go. Now!" She struggled to hold back her emotion.
Normie looked to Spider-Man and his family. "It's your call," Peter said.
"No it's not! Go. Now!" Her blue eyes blazed.
"Go," Normie said, more gently. "I'll get her help."
"Call me," Annie told him, and he nodded.
Stunned Spider-Man grabbed the Hobgoblin, and they walked out of Oscorp.
"What was that about?" MJ asked. "You don't think she hit her head or something?"
"You take care of the Goblin, and I'll hang out here, just incase," Annie said.
"That's a good idea. Spiderling. You did great in there. I'm proud of you."
Annie smiled, but he could tell her vision still haunted her. MJ pulled her close and kissed her cheek.
"Let's get this clown were he belongs," she said. Peter and MJ walked one way while Annie headed back to Oscorp, or what was left of it.