Link to Chapter 3
“Damn!” Norman Osborn snarled.
The news replayed events recorded at the airport. How was I to know he’d have his costume? No matter. The world might not know him as Peter Parker, but now everyone knows he’s back. The deregulators will soon make him a top priority. Let him run. They probably won’t catch him, but the Green Goblin can. Then when I show back up in Mary Anna’s life, she’ll be mine once more. I just can’t let him reverse his fortune and have the old time Avengers bail him out.
He grabbed an old style cellular from his breast pocket and attached a small magnetic device. Utilizing cutting edge technology, the signal was rendered undetectable to broadcast pirates. Satisfied, Norman dialed a private number. Across the Atlantic, an unregistered phone rang in London.
“Hello,” a burly voice, lacking an accent, answered.
“Has Spider-Man been brought up yet?” Norman asked.
“No, Sir. That topic is set with the panel for tomorrow. How do you want it played?”
“Definitely, no aid. If you think you can get the votes, push for Avenger intervention. At least sanction the Deregulation Committee to use any means necessary to bring him in.”
“Will that be all?”
“For now.”
The mysterious man hung up. Norman walked across the vast living room, dropping articles of clothing. Elegant paintings and expensive sculptures lined the walls. He had wealth and power beyond the dreams of most men, but still lacked something money could not buy, something he planned to extract from his father’s enemy. Vengeance.
From the base of the stairs, he leapt up the entire flight and entered a room filled with Green Goblin paraphernalia. A large vat filled with a greenish solution rested in the center. Wires ran from it to a computer terminal. The capsule stolen from Pym Labs hummed nearby as the internal temperature was slowly raised.
Norman slipped on a black glove covered with wires. Next, he stuck electrodes to his face, chest, and thighs. Their circuits were linked to the computer. Norman punched an access code into the keyboard and said “Goblin.” The computer beeped, acknowledging his voice patterns to allow system entry.
Climbing a ladder next to the cauldron, Norman slipped into the translucent liquid and sank to the bottom. He inhaled the solution, breathing it in. Lying at the bottom, he plotted revenge. Electrolytes and chemicals from the compound absorbed through his skin and the lining of his lungs. After a thirty-minute dip, the computer shut off and the solution was rendered inert.
Norman crawled out of the tank, a crazed look on his face. Approaching the stolen Pym capsule, he tapped a crease in the metal. A small section opened, revealing a digital display: –216 degrees. Complete Thawing in 57.8 hours.
After donning his goblin suit, he boarded the glider. A section of ceiling slid away. The full moon’s glow shined on the refrigeration unit. Soon we will return to New York, the place of your reign, and get our final revenge. The Green Goblin rose through the portal and disappeared into the night.
#
Peter shivered under the covers, reliving the last time he had seen Harry Osborn alive. Harry, as the Green Goblin, had captured Mary Jane. Peter came to her rescue in a building rigged with explosives. There, the Green Goblin defeated Spider-Man, but then Harry defeated the goblin insanity. Seconds before detonation, Harry snatched Peter and MJ from certain death and raced for safety. Outside, the goblin formula burned through Harry’s system. Refusing to succumb to madness, he resisted with all his might. The stress caused a seizure that claimed his life.
Peter stirred awake. Bandages covered most of his body. Mary Jane had played nursemaid for the last several hours. Bushed, she sat next to him.
“We have to call Liz and see what’s going on,” she suggested, referring to Harry’s widow.
“I know. But it can’t be Harry. We were there when he died. Maybe somebody found his old records and is using them against us. We can’t even be sure that a Green Goblin is behind this.”
“I won’t sleep any better whether there’s another Green Goblin or not. Your identity is out and somebody’s trying to ruin us. We need to protect our children. Whoever it is can strike at them. I told all of them to be extra careful, that a crazed fan of mine may be stalking them, but they think they can handle anything.”
“Should we tell them the truth?” Peter asked. “They deserve it.”
“Yes,” Mary Jane answered. “I wanted to tell Richard so bad at the airport, but the decision is up to you.”
“First thing tomorrow, I’ll call them.”
The doorbell dinged. “Wait here,” MJ requested. “It’s probably the new flat panel or the tow truck returning your broken-down car.” As she left, Peter propped himself up and pulled a robe over his pajamas. I look like a mummy with all this wrapping. Ignoring his wife’s appeal, he climbed out of bed. Muscles strained and joints popped. A wave of dizziness washed over him. He shut his eyes for a moment, allowing the spell to pass. Finally, he scaled the stairs just as the deliveryman finished the connections.
“Geez, Mister Parker. Looks like you’ve been ten rounds with the Avengers.”
“Just a car accident. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
After the deliveryman lugged the destroyed unit away, MJ glared at her husband. “I thought I told you to stay put.”
“You knew I wouldn’t. I need to see if the security cam picked up what happened.” Peter grabbed the new remote and pushed SYN, simultaneously saying “Peter” to synch the television with his voice. MJ then synched it with hers.
Accessing their security records stored elsewhere in the home, events from earlier replayed on the screen. Peter watched MJ receive the mysterious card and slide it into their old unit. After the Green Goblin rant, the flat panel exploded and Mary Jane panicked. Peter shut the system down. “That’s not Harry.”
“How do you know?”
“When we were at odds, he was only after me. He believed in family and would never endanger ours.”
“What if it is him? What if he didn’t die?”
“What do you want me to do, MJ?” Peter raised his hands. “Go back to New York and dig up his body?”
“Maybe we should call Liz,” Mary Jane suggested. “She should know if somebody is impersonating her ex-husband. She might be a target.”
They called Liz Allen Osborn Henderson. Since Harry’s death, she had remarried, but had no more children. Norman was her only child. Peter also thought that her son might be a target.
Liz answered her vid-phone. Most of her blond hair had left for white and she had gained a few pounds. Excited to hear from old friends, she grew grave upon seeing Peter’s bruises. Though she knew Peter’s secret, they did not mention it due to the possibility of vid-pirates monitoring their transmission. Liz was aghast by the recent developments with the Green Goblin.
“I haven’t heard anything,” she said. “I’ll beef up security on the estate and warn Norman. I’ll also make a few calls. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Liz.” They disconnected.
“There’s one call I can make. Since the authorities are after me, he’s the only one who can help.” Peter dialed a private number.
#
Steve Rogers, formerly Captain America, spearheaded the commission on superhero regulation. Without him at the helm, super beings – heroes and villains alike – would be treated much worse. He was distressed over recent developments concerning the reappearance of Spider-Man. The powers that be were out for blood. Later that day, a vote was scheduled to authorize lethal force in hunting him down. His position was in jeopardy. Already, outside forces were gathering to have him removed and deregulated. Siding with Spider-Man might be the last straw.
He had reviewed the footage and realized Spider-Man was not to blame. Others saw it differently. How often do we lay our lives on the line? We use to be considered heroes. Now we’re scapegoats for political battles. I’m half tempted to flee before I’m thrown out and fight from the other side. I did it once before, but can I ask Natasha and Clint to join me? They’re relying on me to hold the fort. I don’t know if I can any more.
In addition to heading the world’s Superhero Commission, he was still a reserve member of the Avengers. The super soldier serum in his blood had extended his life longer than anyone thought possible. Recently, the formula had been thinning in his system. Less than fifty percent remained.
While he contemplated, the com-unit on his hip chirped. “Hello. This is Rogers.”
“Steve, it’s Peter.”
Steve remained silent for a few seconds, hearing the torment from across the ocean. What should I do? He cleared his throat. “I’ll call back on a secure line.” He hung up. Withdrawing a magnetic circuit from his pocket, he stuck it to his com-unit and returned the call.
Peter answered. “I need your help.”
“Talk to me.”
Steve listened as Peter related events of the past day. He closed his eyes as fear tinged Peter’s voice. He knew Peter was a good man. He had earned a life free of deregulation. He never asked to become Spider-Man, yet has unselfishly risked his life countless times. He relies on me so much. How can I let him down?
“I’ll hold off the dogs as long as I can,” Steve promised. “I wish I could do more, but I would lose all credibility. I can’t authorize the Avengers to find this Green Goblin until he makes himself known. Even then, it takes a two-thirds majority vote of council members to pursue. My hands are tied, but I’ll do what I can.”
“That’s all I can ask. Steve, remember the good old days? Less bureaucratic red tape. Registration was one thing, but complete power removal? This hysteria has gone too far.”
“I agree. I’m trying to change it from this side of the fence. Others are trying from the other. Until then, we’ll just have to work together and ride the storm.”
“You’re right. Maybe once I wrap this up, I’ll recruit help to bring about a change.”
“Sounds great. Nice talking to you, Peter.”
“Just talking to you works wonders. Goodbye, Cap.”
Steve disconnected as a knock sounded from his door. “Come in.”
Following scraping, the door slowly creaked open. An elderly red-haired woman guided a wheel chair by remote control. Only her left arm and neck moved. The rest of her body was paralyzed.
“We have to talk.” Natasha Romanoff, formerly known as the Black Widow, agilely spun the chair around and knocked the door shut. “The council’s putting pressure on me to go along with their pursuit against Spider-Man. They said it would increase our image and make us seem fair in the world’s eyes. They almost have the vote anyway.”
“We can’t become their patsies,” Steve affirmed. He stood up and grabbed his shield hanging on the wall. “I just spoke with Spider-Man. He saved 316 people today. Talking to him livened my mood, raised my spirits. Justice needs to be brought back into the world. And I’m its symbol.” While talking, he pulled an old trunk out form his closet and withdrew his old costume. “After returning from my apparent death, the world has been in a tailspin. Captain America is needed again to fight for what’s right.” He donned the Red, White, and Blue.
“I’m proud of you. You know it will be an uphill battle?” Natasha smiled, savoring the challenge.
“I wouldn’t want this victory any other way. Let’s show them the ideals that the Avengers were based on.”
They left his room and entered the assembly hall in the embassy. A person could hear a pin drop when Captain America approached the podium. Though blind, Clint Barton, the ex-Avenger Hawkeye, knew what was happening. “Well it’s about damn time.” The archer stood up and applauded. Only a few other hands clapped from the gathering.
“It will be a long road…” Captain America began.
#
The goblin carried a hapless victim back to the penthouse and set the young woman at the foot of the capsule. She had been in the parking lot of a diner after closing. Reaching her car, she was swooped away. The madman had jolted her with enough electricity to subdue her. Starting to revive, she cringed. Terror caught in her throat. The green demon laughed.
“Your rebirth will be bathed in blood,” the goblin spoke to the cryogenic unit.
A scream finally freed from her throat. The Green Goblin reached into his bag of tricks and threw a handful of razor bats. They gouged her, tearing chunks of flesh, nearly disemboweling her. Blood splattered the capsule. Before her suffering grew worse, the goblin blasted her with his glove. Her charred body slumped to the floor.
Stepping over the corpse, he observed the blood dripping down the capsule. It froze within moments to an eerie version of perverse art. The goblin traced its frozen path with his finger. He flipped open the display box. -202 degrees. Complete Thawing in 55.2 hours.
“That’s too long,” the goblin addressed the dead woman.
He lifted the capsule and submerged it in his rejuvenation vat. Within minutes, he reconfigured the computer to enhance the solution and hasten the process. Satisfied with his handiwork, he picked up the corpse and dropped it down a chute to the basement’s incinerator. Opening the moon roof, he rejoined the night.
Filled with maniacal glee, the goblin glided over the city. Wind whipped past him. He removed the mask to feel the rush against his face and inhaled the city’s fumes. The polluted air filled him with a fond remembrance of home, where his grandfather had died, where his father had died, where Spider-Man would die – New York City.
Stealthily, he slipped through the night, in and out of alleys, along major stretches of roads, and the shores of the Potomac. Arriving at Christina May Parker’s fourth floor window, he peeked inside.
The Green Goblin slid the window up and climbed through. It’s time. As he approached, the symbiote sensed another’s presence and seeped back into Chrissy’s pores. Her nightshirt stuck as sweat blanketed her body. He picked her up. Too fatigued from fighting the Carnage infection, the movement did not wake her.
The goblin blasted rays of electricity into the bed to form a message. Next, he left an inert pumpkin bomb. You will follow me, Peter Parker. And you will die. He stifled a laugh. Chrissy stirred in his arms. The palm of his gloves emitted a weak shock, rendering her unconscious. Carrying her, he eased through the window and flew back to the penthouse.
#
“Chrissy!” Peter banged on her door first thing in the morning. “Wake up sweetheart. It’s Dad.” He waited a few seconds and pounded again.
“She must really be sick,” a porter said.
“Are you sure she’s still here?” Peter asked. “Maybe she left.”
“No, Mr. Parker. Security checks show her car in the garage and that she never left the building. Allow me.” He scanned a passkey over the locking mechanism and the door opened. A cool breeze rushed out.
“Chrissy!” Peter stepped inside and shut the door. “What are you doing? It’s freezing.”
He crossed the living room and passed the kitchen. Wind blew from the bedroom. A chill crawled up his spine as his worst fears were realized. The window stood open. Initials seared the bed next to a ceramic pumpkin. NY . GG.
“No!” Rage overwhelmed him. He came to warn her, to tell her the truth, but it was too late. “No!” He kicked the bed. It flew across the room and shattered the drywall. Get a hold of yourself.
“Mr. Parker!” The porter shouted from the living room, hearing Peter’s cry.
I don’t want to see anybody now. Peter leapt out the window and affixed to the wall. That was stupid. What if someone sees me or I’m picked up on video cams? Shielding his face, he scurried around the side of the building to a narrow alley. His hands started slipping, but that didn’t matter. He wanted down anyway. At the bottom, he ran to his car. Damn you, goblin, whoever you are! You want me in New York, you got me! To hell with the deregulators! They don’t know who they’re playing with and neither do you!
His Lexus roared, but did not move very far. He stewed in rush hour traffic. The crawling speed drove his blood pressure higher. His heart pounded. A sharp pain ripped down his left arm. No! Calm down. Deep breaths. Easy. You won’t be able to save her if you have a heart attack. Though knowing what he had to do, he could not restrain his rage. I have to call MJ.
When she answered, Peter railed against the Green Goblin. Just as concerned about her daughter as she was her husband, she sensed him snapping. Through tears, she talked him down, soothed his anger. By the end of the call, Peter was crying too, feeling that he had failed Chrissy. MJ kept him calm, not hanging up until he pulled into the driveway.
Peter burst through the front door and clutched Mary Jane. They sobbed on each other’s shoulders, trying to unite their strength.
“What should we do?” MJ asked, drying her eyes.
“First thing – we need to warn Richard and Mary Anna.”
“What’s second?”
Peter grit his teeth. “I’m off to New York.”
“No.” New tears surfaced in Mary Jane’s eyes. “You can’t risk yourself as well.”
“I have to.” He brushed her cheek. “It’s because of Spider-Man she’s been taken. I have to get her back.”
“But Peter, can’t you get any help. The police?”
“What would I tell them? That I’m Spider-Man and the Green Goblin kidnapped my daughter? They’d eat me alive. I’m on my own.”
“No, you’re not. I’m going with you.”
“No way!”
“Yes,” she reiterated. “What if this is a trick to get me alone? You’re off in New York while that lunatic strikes here.”
“I don’t know!” he yelled. “I can’t think straight. I don’t mean to take this out on you. I’d rather take it out on whoever’s behind this.”
“I know.” MJ embraced him. “I need you, Peter. We need each other.”
After the tears subsided and reason asserted itself, they prepared for the upcoming calls. The new flat panel did not have the homemade phone signal scrambling capabilities of the old one. This one had some protection, but an experienced vid-pirate could intercept and decrypt the signal. His family’s lives were at stake. He had to take the chance.
In the Swiss Alps, Mary Anna did not answer. Remaining calm, trying not to panic, hoping that she was safe, Peter contacted her agent and informed him that it was urgent she call as soon as possible. Next, Richard answered his vid-phone half dressed. He was running late for work while Amanda slept.
“What’s going on, Dad? I’m in kind of a hurry.” He buttoned a white shirt.
“I think you better sit down,” Peter said ominously.
Richard stopped buttoning and stared at his parents. Seeing the bloodshot eyes and puffed cheeks, his voice trembled, “What happened?”
“Chrissy’s been kidnapped,” Peter exhaled.
“What?” Richard gasped.
“Kidnapped by an old enemy of mine.”
“Enemy? What enemy?”
“Son, I don’t know any other way to tell you. She was taken by the Green Goblin.”
“The Green Goblin?” Richard’s thoughts raced back to high school history lessons on the Heroic Age. “Didn’t he die? Wasn’t he an enemy of Spider-Man?”
“Yes.” Peter’s gaze penetrated the screen straight to his son’s heart.
“You?” Richard pointed at his father. “You’re…”
“Spider-Man,” Mary Jane finished.
“I don’t know how he’s alive,” Peter continued. “But it’s very important you listen to us. Get out of there. Right now. Find a place. Go underground. Don’t let him find you. Take your cell. We’ll keep in touch. Do you understand?”
Richard stared wide-eyed, noticing the gauze wrapped around his father, seeing the cuts and bruises on his face. “You were at the airport. Spider-Man tried to kill us.”
“Your father saved you!” MJ rebuffed. “He saved all the passengers. The Green Goblin planted the bomb. Take Amanda and Emily and run! Get out while you can. Please.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Don’t let what happened to Chrissy happen to Emily.”
“Is she dead?”
“I don’t know,” Peter answered, stroking his wife’s hair as she buried her face in his chest. “You don’t have much time. Please do what we ask.”
“I will,” Richard guaranteed. “Nobody will hurt us.”
“Good. Now, go!”
“I love you both.” Richard pressed his hand to the screen.
“We love you too. Take care.” Peter disconnected the call. “Come on, MJ.” He nudged her. “Don’t crack on me now. We have to get moving. If vid-pirates picked up the transmission, it’s only a matter of time before they find us.”
Mary Jane pulled herself together and started to pack. Peter retreated to his study. From the rear of a closet, he withdrew the original chemicals used to create his super adhesive. Altering the mix slightly, he combined enough for fifteen vials of web fluid.
“Ahem,” Mary Jane cleared her throat from the door. Peter spun around. She held up a Spider-Man costume. “Where did you get that?”
“Reed Richards specially made it. After your spider sense faltered, I feared you’d continue being Spider-Man. It’s composed of a space age polymer resistant to tears and stretched to fit. As thin as your original costume, it’s strong enough to repel small caliber bullets as well as being fireproof and waterproof. It also absorbs the brunt of energy weapons.”
“Mary Jane, I don’t know what to say.” He took it and held it up. “Why’d you keep it hidden all these years?”
“I guess I always knew this day would come.”
#
Joshua Duncan hung over his computer, depressing keys in conjunction with voice commands. He was a product of the information age. Literally. His parents had discovered each other on one of the many dating sites. Knowing only each other’s cyber name, they planned a rendezvous. Living five hundred miles apart, they met halfway at a cheap motel. Joe Stud and Madonna hit it off. Afterward, Joe Stud disappeared from the online scene. Madonna had no way of finding him.
Josh was a whiz with computers, but a flop with people. Being cooped up with a computer all day gave him no social awareness. He had met others with his intense passion, but that passion was what kept them preoccupied with their machines.
After the Spider-Man incident in Virginia, Josh programmed his pirating equipment to scan as many calls as possible from the Washington D.C. area, searching for the key word Spider-Man. In the last hour, dozens of calls had registered and been recorded. Only three were scrambled. As his machines tapped broadcast waves, he worked on deciphering the coded signals.
Another call came through with a scrambling code he had already cracked. After the conversation, he ran its recording through the voice modulator attached to his CPU. Joshua froze as he heard the revelation that someone was Spider-Man. Then he began working on the hardest part of his project, tracing the signal. Once found, the Deregulation Committee paid big bucks for information leading to the acquisition of a super-powered individual. Josh knew that Spider-Man would double, if not triple, their regular payout.
#
Peter and Mary Jane were loading the car when the vid-phone rang. Peter leapt from the head of the driveway to the door and then bounded to the flat panel.
“Answer,” he ordered.
Mary Anna loomed to life in a purple ski suit, her hotel room behind her. “I just got your message. What’s so urgent?” She saw the ashen look on her father’s face. “What?”
“You better sit down, honey.” Mary Jane came in next to Peter. Mary Anna leaned back on the bed. “It’s a long story and we don’t have time. Your sister’s been kidnapped.”
Mary Anna mouth dropped. “How… Why…” Tears shimmered in her eyes.
“Because I’m Spider-Man.”
“Dad, this isn’t funny.”
“I’m dead serious. I didn’t want to tell you this way. I thought that part of my life was over. A foe from my past has found out and already tried to kill Richard and…”
Mary Anna slid off the bed onto the floor, no longer listening, absorbing what was just revealed. “Daddy, what’s gonna happen to you? How can I keep this secret?”
“You can’t,” Carl’s voice came through. Mary Anna spun around. A second later he entered the screen.
“Carl,” Peter implored. “If you love Mary Anna like I think you do, you’ve got to hide her. The Green Goblin is after my family. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need help. While I’m going after one daughter, I don’t want my other jeopardized.
“Mr. Parker,” Carl said. “I’d be honored. While pregnant with me, my mother was accosted. Two men dragged her into an alley, intent on doing God knows what. Spider-Man swooped from the shadows and saved her. I’ve heard this story countless times and always wished to repay the debt.”
“Now’s your chance,” Peter accepted. “Stay away from New York. That’s where I’m headed to save Chrissy.”
“No,” Carl contradicted. “I can help you there, Mr. Parker. I have many connections. I can hide there more efficiently than anywhere else.”
MJ turned to Peter. “We have to trust someone. I need a place to be safe as well. A hotel won’t do. Come on. You’re not alone in this.”
Contemplating, Peter finally responded, “Okay.”
Carl made arrangements for Peter and Mary Jane to meet an associate at the airport. In case anybody was monitoring the call, he kept details of their hideaway a secret. Thanking him, Peter signed off.
He and Mary Jane finished loading the car, locked up the house, and headed for their fight with destiny. Two minutes later, their vid-phone rang. Liz Allen left an important message.
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Go to Chapter 5
Not Yet Published (but I am trying) 