But Fate Had Other Plans
[???: ๐ ๐ข๐ธ๐ฏ. Jeez, how boring can this day getโฆ]
A boy says as he jumps and lays onto his bed. Today was, indeed, a boring day, so it wouldn't be unusual for him to kick back with the time he had. Maybe take a nap or eat some pizza later too. Or, maybe go visit M.J. later in the day.
[???: ...๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ...]
Normally, he would go around the city looking for crime and take criminals to prison. Some were just random thugs, others were villains that posed a threat to New York itself. For five straight years, he's been the one and only Spider-Man of New York City. Or at least Brooklyn.
He had no reason to dislike his hero status, in fact, he loved it. He loved being the Neighborhood Hero who went and saved the day because just he wanted to help people out. He wanted everyone to be able to live to their fullest without having it cut short.
But now since he's all alone, degrading thoughts wouldn't be so unusual.
[???: ...]
๐๐ฐ ๐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ช๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ...?
...
๐๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐'๐ฎ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต... ๐ต๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ช๐ต...
...
๐๐ฐ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ต...
Was it because he didn't know if he really was "Spider-Man?" If he really was the one to be the hero for this city? If he could, he would help and save everyone, it's just in his nature to do so.
But was that really possible?
Could he really do it?
There were many superheroes far stronger than him, superheroes that have powers that can save far more people than he ever could.
...
[Radio: ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ]
[???: โ!]
Before his thoughts could take hold over him, he hears the radio release a garbled message, one that's unable to be heard by anyone. He quickly sprung off his bed and tuned the radio perfectly to listen in to the conversation.
[Radio: ~ โere exactly...? It's at Subway 321, pal. Oh okay, thank yโ ~]
The radio suddenly cut off by his own admission.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฃ๐ธ๐ข๐บ?
He knew exactly where that place was. Located near Fisk Tower, a seemingly ordinary subway station was built next to it for transportation purposes. Now, Fisk was using it for something big and grand. He had heard about it prior, a machine called "The Collider."
The reason how he heard about it was completely by accident. A few hours prior, he had taken what he called a "Goober" from one of the Kingpin's goons, and overheard their conversation and critiques about the machine. It was surprising to Spider-Man that most criminals have morals. But then again, he knew that far too well.
And, coupled with the fact how rich Kingpin is, it's not surprising that he'd be able to make something like this. And now that he knew where the location was, his sitting around in his room was no longer needed at this moment.
He instantly reaches for his costume, putting on his mask and suit. The fabric perfectly fitted onto his skin, despite his well-built appearance.
...
The thoughts he had earlier... were they really true?
...
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ...
Surprisingly, he was laughing about it. Laughing at his own thoughts, laughing at him being so "pathetic."
Because, in the end, he already knew the answer. After all, it was selfish to think otherwise.
He smiled, as he looked towards his window. The sun shining into his apartment as he looked towards the evening sky.
His smile grew bigger, as he stepped away from the window, next to his doorstep. In the next instant, he jumped out the window. The sun shined down upon him, displaying his red & blue outfit to the world around him. He pondered upon his question...
Was it possible?
Could HE do it?
Could he be THE Spider-Man?
He'd known the answer for a long time now. It had been right in front of him. After all, he's lived it for the past five years. There's no reason for him to doubt himself now.
After all, He was, in fact, the one and only Spider-Man.
And he responded to his questions with the answer that had been dangling in front of him for so long. That answer was-
[Spider-Man: Hell yeah!]
๐ง๐๐ช๐๐ฃ.
A web shot out from his wrist and onto the building beside him. Spider-Man gripped onto it tightly, as he swung forth from his apartment building. Another 'THWIP' and another, as he swung into New York.
[Spider-Man: WHOOO HOOO!]
Spider-Man pulled on the web thwiped out another web onto a skyscraper, and pulled back with as much force as he could muster. In the next instant, as a result, he was in the sky with a perfect view of everything. He could see Central Park, the Empire State Building, and most importantly, Fisk Tower.
He held out his palm toward the tower, with his hand nearly encapsulating the sight of it.
[Spider-Man: Okay, Fisk... let's settle this.]
Spider-Man clenched his fist, as he began to descend back towards the ground from gravity. He had no reason to care though, as he'd done this thousands of times before. Diving down towards the floor beneath him, he couldn't deny that each time he swung around, the thrill would never get old.
Another 'THWIP' rang out, and Spider-Man found himself swinging through the towers and streets towards the tower. He pulled back on his web, and began running along the windows of the skyscrapers, leaving his footprints upon them. The people inside noticed and pointed toward him with smiles on their faces.
Another jump, another swing, another day. Some would say it would get boring. Some would say it would be annoying. Some would say it would be a burden upon their shoulders to do this for New York.
But for Spider-Man, those words were never said. They never existed. Only in the mind were they allowed to wander. Those words aren't allowed anywhere else besides there.
Because that's never what Spider-Man thought.
[Spider-Man: Fisk Tower, here I come.]
He muttered as he swung towards the tower. Around a kilometer away was that Subway he had heard about earlier. Subway 321 was supposed to be a transportation center from Brooklyn all the way to Huntington. If that radio was correct, then that's where the "Collider" was being built.
It's odd to think about. Having something that's built by the city's most powerful crimlord right beneath your feet is a scary, yet interesting thing to think about. It's almost like a hidden meaning. The truth of evil and it's whereabouts right beneath the pavement.
And he knew, that he was the only one who could stop such evil.
He stared at the entrance as he swung between two towers. His mission to save New-York had begun at that very moment, as he swung towards it, and entered the Subway.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Spider-Man: Hmm...]
Spider-Man examined his surroundings, as he crawled upon the ceiling of the subway. His vision has become above a human's potential since the radioactive spider bit him, allowing him to even see in the dark.
The subway was an old, dark, and damp place, with rats being commonplace wherever he went. A once bustling place filled with the life of the populace was now a dilapidated remnant of what used to be. There were trashcans scattered along the floor and graffiti was all over the walls.
Spider-Man ignored the messy sight and turned his focus in front of him. He spotted the entrance into the subway tunnels and went through.
The tunnels once used to transport people from place to place, were now as wrecked as the main station. Not that he cared though, as he continued his pursuit of the Collider room.
But as he proceeded deep into the tunnel, he noticed something.
There was an atrocious smell coming from further within.
[Spider-Man: Whoa... that's gross... 'Think I'm gonna barf.]
The smell seemed to be a mixture of vomit, and oil. The smell was bad enough to the point where his nose began to twitch out of disgust from the violation brought upon his nose.
โ But...
[Spider-Man: ... ]
๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ต...
Spider-Man noticed that there was another scent, a scent that had a hint of Iron, No, Copper, mixed with the oil. The scent was not strong enough to be smelt beforehand, hence why he smelled it so suddenly. It was more or less odorless as if it was a hallucination. But at the same time, the smell was clearly there.
It seemed to be of natural origin, coming from organic, living. being, one that once housed life and a soul. One that used to walk around and live a life.
โ Or in simpler terms, a rotting corpse.
[Spider-Man: ...Ugh...]
Spider-Man's insides churned at the sight laid before him, letting out a small groan of disgust as he observed it.
It's not a common occurrence that Spider-Man sees a corpse, so this sight and odor was quite nerve-wracking. Fortunately, it was only a rat, which relieved Spider-Man of any fear he had currently. Including that feeling in his stomach.
Proceeding through the tunnel, Spider-Man became unnerved a little as more dead rats appeared, littered around him.
[Spider-Man: Jeez, no wonder this place was abandoned]
More rats, more dead rats, more of that nasty scent. It was gross. In fact, worse than gross. The sight was enough to send a shiver down his spine as he proceeded through theโ
๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐!!!
[Spider-Man: AH!]
Spider-Man instantly jumped as he smacked the foul beast crawling upon his face. As he looked down to the ground, he realized that was a live rat. A very fat rat
[Spider-Man: Jesus... Tch, get the hell out of here!]
Spider-Man said as he shoved the rat with the front of his foot. The rat scurried across the room and into the darkness. Spider-Man was so tempted to kick the shit out of that fat rat. The thought of it launching across the room at high speed's made him chuckle to himself. Not out of sadism, but just the sight of it would make him laugh.
โThat was until the rat laid in front of him dead.
[Spider-Man: ...]
He had failed to realize it sooner, as the smell of something far more atrocious flooded his nose. It wasn't the rat that was producing the scent. Rather, it was what was right in front of him.
The hero stopped in his tracks, sensing a disturbance in the environment around him, as the smell flooded his nose more and more.
[Spider-Man: ...Goblin... ]
โThat scent was all too familiar for him.
Spider-Man slowly moved forward, putting much-needed focus and emphasis on his senses. Even the slightest movement would put him on alert.
...
...
[Spider-Man: ... ]
๐๐ญ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฌ.
The sound of a metal can hitting the floor rang out, causing Spider-Man to stop in place almost instantly. That was the only noise he heard, nothing else.
Staring into the darkness, listening for anything and everything. Any sound, any movement, even their breath.
...
...
Silence.
The only noise was the small hum of the outdated air-conditioning. Nothing else, just pure, complete silence. Even though one movement from him or the one in front of him would break the silence instantly, and morph it into chaos.
...
...
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฑ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฑ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฑ.
The sound of quiet footsteps retreating made Spider-Man release a small, soft sigh of relief. But his journey was far from over, he still needed to make it towards the Collider. That was his goal, and nothing will stop him until he does so.
It's said that the machine is able to make rifts between dimensions and multiverses. At the cost of, well, almost the entirety of New York if it goes full power, turning it into an incomprehensible mess of glitched geometry.
More importantly, however, the rift could possibly bring people from other universes into ours. In that case, it could connect to people from the unintended universes, which could bring more destruction than just New York being destroyed beyond repair.
Such a risk is one Spider-Man could never take.
๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ...
That was the only feeling Spider-Man had thought about the machine. Kingpin had lost two things that he loved, something he held dear to him. But what purpose was there if the cost would be the entirety of New York?
Then again, Kingpin didn't exactly have what's called "morals." In fact, Spider-Man was quite sure that he'd never have them. He knew damn well that if his real identity was known, then his family, including him, would be dead by daylight.
Then again, Spider-Man was only wasting time pondering about it. The more he waits, the less time there is to stop Fisk, and the less time New York will live.
Spider-Man proceeds forward into the tunnel, paying careful attention to his surroundings. His vision, smell, and sound were all critical factors in his safety.
[Spider-Man: ...I must be close...]
He said as he entered a massive room. Inside was a major amount of shipping containers, cranes, and metal-repair parts. This clearly was the construction room for Kingpin's machine, or "The Collider" as he called it.
Spider-Man took in the sight before him, examining just how truly big the room was. It was about an acre in diameter, with most of it being made up of said metal materials. Near the right wall of the room seemed to be a control center for the crane. The window panels were quite damaged and dirty as if worn out from use.
[Spider-Man: Could this be...?]
Spider-Man approached the window, assuming that it may be the entrance to The Collider room. He peered into the window.
[Spider-Man: ...Hmm...]
The room, as usual, was nothing more than a wreck, with wires and machinery scattered across the floor of the control room. He also noticed a map inside the room nailed onto the wall. Fortunately, it showed a map of the construction room.
[Spider-Man: Alright, show me where this thing is. Take a left past the containers... Go straight... and then... Bingo.]
in a surprising stroke of luck, Spider-Man found a detailed way to the Collider. It's like his luck has only been improving in the past few years. Maybe he could get out of this unsca-
[Spider-Man: โ!]
Spider-Man noticed a figure staring back at him through the glass. No, rather, it was glaring back at him from the glass. Its reflection plastered on the window, towering over Spider-Man.
[???: Hey.]
The voice pierced Spider-Man's ears with fear, as he realized who it was standing behind him. That monstrous figure, Those sharp teeth, that revolting green skin. Unfortunately, it was an exact match.
๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ...
He thought, as his Spider-Sense began to blare.
๐๐๐ !
Before Spider-Man could even react, a massive claw slashed along his side, sending him flying into the wall beside him. The impact was enough to leave a dent in the metal plating.
[Spider-Man: Agh... my back... I need a chiropractor after this...]
๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ.
Spider-Man jokingly remarked as he got up to his feet. He rubbed his back and popped it in response to the mild pain and discomfort. Spider-Man glared at Green Goblin with a slight intensity in his eyes.
Normally, Osborn was an orange-haired businessman with no defining traits about him at all, besides his great intellect. Now, however, Osborn was a towering 15-foot monster, with green skin, yellow reptilian eyes, and wings protruding from his back. he was, at this moment, the visual definition of a monster.
[Spider-Man: Alright Gobbie, let's get this over with.]
Spider-Man leaped off the ground, launching toward Osborn with incredible speed. Spider-Man wound up his fist and in the next instant delivered it straight into Osborn's stomach. The force of the impact sent ripples throughout his body and knocked him back a good distance. Osborn took the hit without much resistance and slid across the ground with the soles maintaining their grip.
[Green-Goblin: HAHAHA, That all you've got?!]
Osborn laughed as he stomped off the ground and charged toward Spider-Man, his monstrous footsteps cracking the concrete beneath him. One would expect that someone as large as him wouldn't be able to run fast, let alone sprint, but that was far from the truth.
[Green-Goblin: Grraah!]
Osborn slashed his claws at Spider-Man, leaving claw marks along the wall next to him. Spider-Man simply dodged them without much effort, using his acrobatic skills to evade his attacks. One after another was targeted toward Spider-Man, but he still gave little effort into his evasions, even yawning to provoke Osborn's rage further.
Spider-Man kept backing up from Osborn's onslaught, and as a result...
[Green-Goblin: HA!]
...Osborn had pushed Spider-Man back so far that he was corned between the walls and a pile of shipping containers. He had been so immersed in taunting Osborn that he hadn't even realized his mistake.
Osborn raised his right hand and prepared to deliver a slash to Spider-Man's body. But...
[Spider-Man: โ!]
The slash instead was the full turning of Osborn's body, which allowed him to strike at Spider-Man with his tail. His Spider-Sense was blaring in his head, a side effect of when danger is about to strike. He wasn't afraid at all, though.
Spider-Man touched the tail with his palms and hand-springed off of it and onto the wall beside him. He got a little bored of toying with Osborn, so now was time for his counter-attack.
๐ง๐๐ช๐๐ฃ!
A string of web shot past Osborn's face and stuck onto the ceiling behind him. Spider-Man pulled back on the string with enough force to send him soaring at Osborn. He wound up his fist, and-
๐ฃ๐ข๐ช!
A left hook to Osborn's jaw was delivered, causing him to stumble on his footing from the knockback. The speed of the attack was enough to surprise Osborn, but the assault was not over yet.
Spider-Man spun himself in mid-air from the force of the punch and shot 2 strings of web from both wrists that attached to Osborn's chest. He pulled back hard on the strings, causing him to not only pull Osborn towards him but also launch himself toward the green foe.
[Green-Goblin: Gwoah!!]
Before he could even react, a double-legged kick was delivered to the center of Osborn's chest, the sheer force of the knockback causing him to fly backward into a stack of shipping containers. Spider-Man used the recoil of the kick to perform a backflip and land directly on his feet.
[Green-Goblin: Hah... Hah...]
Osborn began to breathe raspily, or rather, began panting as he stood up from the wreckage caused by Spider-Man's strength. The reason for his labored breathing was not from pain. Rather, it was the pain he was about to unleash.
โโ!
The Spider-Sense blared inside his head, but he'd already known what to do. He shot out his webbing at a nearby sheet of metal, about a few inches thick, and held it in front of him like a shield.
[Green-Goblin: RAHHHH!!!]
A stream of green fire was unleashed from Osborn's mouth, scorching the pavement itself. Spider-Man braced himself, and pushed forward with the "shield." The metal blocked all the flames but in return, the metal began to heat up. The heat of it caused Spider-Man's hands to feel like they were about to burn off.
[Spider-Man: Augh, Norm, brush your teeth man!]
Despite the pain, Spider-Man pushed forward, hiding it by shooting a sarcastic insult to Osborn. He mustered enough strength from his quip to throw the metal sheet itself at Osborn. Osborn didn't care all too much about this, as he simply ceased the stream of fire breath and swatted the sheet of metal away. His grin stretched across his face as he stared at Spider-Man.
[Spider-Man: Seems like you're having a jolly good time.]
[Green-Goblin: Who wouldn't be? I get to kill the Spider, and Kinpin'll make me so damn rich, I could probably buy New York itself!]
๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ? ๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด?
Spider-Man cringed under his mask at his words.
[Spider-Man: You do realize that Fisk never lives up to his promises, right?]
[Green-Goblin: So what? I could always kill him for the money.]
[Spider-Man: Yeah, but then you'd have to get through his lackey's too.]
[Green-Goblin: HAH! Then I'd just do the same to them! In fact, I have no doubt that it'll be fun too!!!]
๐๐ช๐ด ๐๐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฅ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด...
One would assume that's his transformation into the Green Goblin that made him like that. Just a monster with some basic evil ambitions. It completely bamboozled Spider-Man that money was his goal. He had believed that the Green Goblin wanted to kill for fun and sport, but nope, it was just money. Perhaps millionaires do rub off on each other.
Spider-Man shook his head in disappointment and scoff as he thwiped his webs onto two of the metal crates on each side of Osborn. He gripped the threads tightly as he noticed Osborn's lack of expression.
[Spider-Man: Great chat pal, but it's Mimi time.]
Spider-Man yanked the containers together with as much force as possible, sending them crashing into the sides of Osborn's head. Such an impact would knock even the strongest of monsters out instantly.
โHowever...
[Green-Goblin: Oh, now I'm pissed...]
Osborn snarled as he extended his hands to his sides with the claws extended, causing the metal containers to not only break but slide onto his hands firmly as if they were a glove. He grinned back at Spider-Man as he raised his hand swiftly.
[Green-Goblin: Take this!!!]
Towering over Spider-Man, he swung his arm down. The combined range, width, and size of the container made it difficult for Spider-Man to dodge, as the container slammed onto the floor below.
๐๐๐ !
The sound of the container slamming onto the ground created not just an echo but shook the ground itself. Such an act was just a feat of Osborn's strength as the Green-Goblin.
More and more attacks were launched at Spider-Man. Even with his acrobatic prowess, it took some effort to dodge the massive impacts of the shipping containers. Blow after blow was dodged, as the loud impacts pierced his eardrums.
[Green-Goblin: Grrr, Stop movin' around!!]
He swung both containers together in an attempt to crush Spider-Man like an insect, fitting his own title. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, he shot out a web and pulled himself away before Osborn could even hit him. The sound of the two containers colliding echoed throughout the room, rattling his eardrums once more.
It infuriated Osborn, made him frustrated and full of rage that he couldn't land even a single hit on him besides that one surprise attack. Maybe it's because he wasn't trying enough, maybe he wasn't using his full potential.
[Green-Goblin: ... ]
Osborn thought of a way to corner him, to get him into a position where he had the full advantage over Spider-Man. If he could do that, then there existed the chance of killing him.
And to do that...
[Green-Goblin: TAKE THIS!!!]
Osborn lifted his left arm and smacked the container out of his right arm towards Spider-Man. Its aim was true, as it soared towards Spider-Man in what appeared to be an instant death if it landed due to its speed.
[Spider-Man: Whoop.]
Spider-Man leaped over the container easily, as his Spider-Sense told him exactly what action to take next.
[Green-Goblin: And... ANOTHER!]
Osborn's claws tore through the metal with relative ease, as his right hand entered the left container and was tossed toward Spider-Man's body. He dodged it easily mid-air, and used the force of his evasion to leap toward Osborn with a punch that would knock him out for good.
โIt was all a part of Osborn's plan.
He grinned menacingly as he began breathing in deeply, preparing his breath to turn into the green fire from before. He had cornered Spider-Man just as planned, and he's not going to let a chance like this pass.
If Spider-Man wanted to live, he needed to act fast-!
[Green-Goblin: RAHHH!!!]
A torrent of hot, green fire was unleashed from Osborn's mouth once again, as it soared toward Spider-Man. A physical manifestation of his wrath toward Spider-Man, as it scorched the very air itself.
[Spider-Man: โ!!!]
He extended his arm towards the wall to swing away, but it was already too late. Spider-Man's body was engulfed in a green flame that took his body ablaze. It was worse since Spider-Man was nearly right in front of him, meaning he got the full brunt of it all.
The fiery torrent continued for as long as Osborn could keep exhaling. After a short moment, he began to reduce the size of the flames until he could breathe out no more.
๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ?
Osborn pondered, as the last sputters of flame flew out of his mouth. In front of him was the scorched remains of the walls and containers, and no trace of Spider-Man. Without question, he had incinerated Spider-Man into nothingness itself.
[Green-Goblin: ... Heh... heh heh heh... HAHAHAHAHA!!!]
Osborn cackled maniacally as the Spider had been vanquished by his hand. It had been a long 3 years that he'd wished a day like this would come. The laughter continued, growing louder and louder.
He, Norman Osborn. No, Green Goblin, had killed Spider-Man.
Ever since he'd met Spider-Man, ever since he'd first fought him, ever since that day, he'd wanted to kill him with his own bare hands, desecrate his corpse, and turn him into ashes. He'd already skipped to step 3, so the satisfaction wasn't as great. Never-the-less, it was still satisfying.
[Green-Goblin: Ha... That's what you deserve...]
He thought back to the past. About that fateful day. His son was just a kid, a kid who had dreams and ambitions, a kid who had a whole life ahead of him.
Spider-Man took that away from him.
Not just his son, but he took something away from Osborn as well. The one thing that held him together was that child, that child that wiped away his sorrows, that child that he could pour all his love into with his heart and soul.
...
๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ, ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
Osborn thought to himself, as he began to feel the anger building inside of him.
๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ? ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต? ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด?! ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ. ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ.
๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐๐ข๐ฏ... ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ-๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ... ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ.
He poured more rage and anger into his speech, a speech only heard by him in his mind. A speech full of volatile hatred that no one could comprehend.
๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฆ, ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด... ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด... ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข "๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ" ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด... ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ญ๐ข๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ด๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ.
That money wasn't just for buying New York. He wanted to use it for something wonderful, something that could be used to help others. Something that could help his son.
But the people would never want that. They could scream "Monster!" All they want, but it won't change a thing. It won't change his goals. It won't change who he is.
...
[Norman: There's a difference between a monster... and a villain...]
...
[Spider-Man: Wow, that was the most amount of brain power you ever put into a sentence.]
[Green-Goblin: โ!!!]
Osborn spun his head around the instant he heard Spider-Man's voice. That voice... it angered him, infuriated him... but also scared him.
Spider-Man had leaped up from behind the containers and began his descent on Osborn. His suit was burned, but not too badly. The worst of it was on his left arm which had its fabric nearly non-existent, and it had multiple burn marks on it.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐-
Before even his thoughts could even process the situation before him, a punch was delivered to his face. The force was so great that it sent him flying across the room and onto the metal entrance behind him, as a loud clanking sound was heard. Spider-Man landed on his feet and began examining his suit thoroughly.
[Spider-Man: Aw man... My suit's all torn up... Dammit...]
Spider-Man said as he held up a piece of torn fabric from his left arm. It had been burned all over but it wasn't too bad. When Osborn shot his fire-breath at him, he had shot his web at the wall behind him and pulled himself toward it, and jumped off to the side. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to come out unscathed.
[Spider-Man: Jeez, do you know how long it took for me to make my suit!?]
Spider-Man yelled at Osborn. But he laid there at the entrance in silence, allowing his thoughts to wander, and consume him.
[Green-Goblin: ...How... Are you alive... Why...?]
[Spider-Man: Simple! Because Spider-Man never gi-]
[Green-Goblin: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?!?]
Osborn had cut off Spider-Man's sentence with his own words and a loud slam on the side of the entrance. Behind him was a massive room that seemed bigger than the one Spider-Man and Osborn were currently in.
[Green Goblin: I'm going to kill you... Right here... Right now...]
[Spider-Man: Ooo! Scary! Does that come with the costume?]
Spider-Man wiggled his fingers tauntingly, as he pretended to look "scary."
That sarcasm, that damned sarcasm, was enough to drive Osborn completely insane.
[Green Goblin: JUST DIEE!!!!!]
Osborn launched off the pavement and used his wings to gain tremendous speed. The speed of his approach was enough to surprise Spider-Man.
๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐!
The sharp sound of claws scraping the ground echoed inside the room as Osborn attempted an uppercut slash to Spider-Man's jaw. Unsurprisingly, he dodged it with little effort.
Osborn flew up after his slash and grabbed something from his hips. When Spider-Man squinted and took a closer look, he could see exactly what they were.
โThey were bombs. Pumpkin Bombs to be exact.
๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ !
The explosions shook the ground itself, as Osborn threw each one of his bombs directly at Spider-Man. Before they could hit him, however, he used his webshooters to swing up and around the explosions in a circular motion upwards. Spider-Man thanked the stars that there was a pole to swing from.
He launched from his swing and thwipped toward Osborn and wound up a punch, a punch that was ensured in its form and aim towards Osborn's jaw. But...
๐๐๐ !
Osborn grabbed Spider-Man's fist and pulled him into his own counterattack. A massive punch that launched Spider-Man into the wall beside the entrance into the other room. He felt the full blunt force of that punch.
โAnd it hurt.
[Spider-Man: ...]
Spider-Man slowly got up out of the dented metal wall and popped his bones in a small stretching motion. If Green-Goblin's not going to hold back, neither is he. Well, maybe put a little more effort in.
๐ง๐๐ช๐๐ฃ
A web shot out from Spider-Man's wrist and towards the ceiling. His plan was to thwip up and land a decisive blow that would knock out Osborn the moment it landed.
But it wasn't going to be that easy.
[Green-Goblin: Get OVER HERE!!!]
Osborn grabbed the web itself and yanked it back with full force, sending Spider-Man flying past him.
Osborn swung the web around himself, almost like he was playing with a whip while spinning, causing Spider-Man to be dragged across the burnt walls. It felt like his skin was being grinded against the walls, akin to having been grinded against a cheese grater.
๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต! ๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต๐ต๐ข...!
Spider-Man managed to press his fingers down upon his webshooter trigger, causing the web to detach from his wrist. He sprung off the walls and on top of a shipping container. But Osborn's wrath was far from over.
๐๐ข๐ข๐ !
More explosions began echoing around him, as Spider-Man ran and jumped across the containers towards Osborn. The explosions were about to catch up, but Spider-Man shot his web above, sending him above Osborn's explosive bombs. He prepared his wrists to shoot a thread of web.
โOr so Osborn thought.
[Green-Goblin: Gah! What the?!]
Spider-Man rapid-fired his web-shooters, causing him to ensnare Osborn in his webbing. A web was shot at his eyes, blocking his vision as he stumbled around. Another was shot at his legs, causing him to nearly fall over.
And, right after, a punch was delivered to his face that sent him flying toward the entrance to the other room.
๐๐๐ !
The sound of the door being crashed open by Osborn's flying body was enough to hurt Spider-Man's hearing. Needless to say, he had overdone it a little with the force of the punch. It hadn't been what he had in mind, but it was still worth it in the end.
[Spider-Man: ...Wait a second...]
Spider-Man swung his way over to the entrance, and took a peek inside the room.
Just as he suspected. The room was the one described on the map from before. It was about twice as big as the room he was currently in. And inside was a massive machine. He knew exactly what it was.
Spider-Man extended his wrist and began to swing forth towards the Collider. If he was correct, he would be just on schedule for the testing of the Collider. Disabling it before that was his primary objecti-
[Green-Goblin: GRAAHHHHH!!!]
Spider-Man felt his neck being crushed by a large, green hand, as Osborn lifted him up and grinded his skin against the wall of the Collider room. He was being lifted far up towards the ceiling.
[Green-Goblin: I'm going to kill you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!!]
[Spider-Man: Yeah, and I'm putting you to sleep for good!]
Spider-Man grabbed Osborn's hand and crushed it with his grip. The pain was too unbearable for Osborn and as a result, Spider-Man had the chance for a counterattack.
[Green-Goblin: โ!]
launched a string of web to his chest, pulled Osborn towards him, and landed a downward punch that sent Osborn crashing through piles of construction materials. The support beams and machinery around him started to collapse from the impact.
Osborn laid there amongst the wreckage, barely able to stand. When he had been knocked down there, a sharp piece of metal pierced through his abdomen, not giving him a chance to escape.
๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต...
He thought to himself, as he saw Spider-Man making his descent towards him. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to get up out of this pit and smash him into bits and pieces of gore. He wanted that so badly.
...
Spider-Man drew closer and closer. Closer to Osborn's death. Or, maybe he'd be sent to The Raft again. Locked up in a cage like a dog, barely living off of scraps.
...
Did it really have to be this way?
...
๐ ๐ฆ๐ด.
That was the answer in his heart, the answer that he believed to be true. It was his fault, Spider-Man's fault. It was his fault that he turned into the Green-Goblin. It was his fault that Harry took that damn thing and became one with it. It was his fault that Emily had to pass. It was all him. That was his faith, that was his belief, that was his one truth in a sea of lies.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต... ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ด... ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต... ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต. ๐๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต.
๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ญ๐ถ๐ช๐ฅ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด. ๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ "๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ"
๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ข๐บ... ๐บ๐ฆ๐ด?
The voice cackled inside his head. The thought was wonderful, magnificent, a joy beyond joy, a satisfaction beyond satisfaction. At this time, Osborn had nothing. Nothing to cling to, nothing to help him, nothing to save himself except the fluid. It's like a miracle was made into a drink, and he'd always relish that day when he took it.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐๐ข๐ฏ'๐ด ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐บ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐บ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ด... ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ซ๐ฐ๐บ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ?
๐๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ด๐ถ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ. ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ธ๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ด๐ฒ๐ถ๐ข๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐บ.
Osborn gave into those thoughts, as the voice kept feeding him more and more rage and joy. Excitement built up inside of him, as Spider-Man was about to land his blow.
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ-๐๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฐ.
[???: AAAHHHHHH!]
The voice of a young boy screaming echoed throughout the room. He, like Osborn, had been falling down into the pit of broken machinery. The only difference was that death was certain the moment that boy hit the ground.
[Spider-Man: โ!]
Spider-Man instantly changed course and pulled back on two webs to launch himself towards the boy falling to his death. In an instant, the fall turned into an ascent, as the boy was in Spider-Man's arms instead of Death's.
[Green Goblin: ... ]
He watched as Spider-Man swung up and planted the boy down next to the yellow machinery above him. He had saved him, saved him from certain death.
...
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต... ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ...
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ...
...
He pondered the thought... The thought of it all being Spider-Man's fault.
...
Was the blame really his?
...
Was it really the truth?
...
๐๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ... ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ข๐บ?
His mind was broken, torn between the voice inside his head, and his own, as he asked the heavens itself for the answer. He didn't want it to be him, he didn't want to be blamed, he didn't want to know that he caused all of this.
As, of course, the thought would tear at his soul if he even dared to question it.
...
๐๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ... ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Spider-Man: You do realize your shoe's untied, right?]
[???: ...U-Uh huh...]
Spider-Man spoke to the boy lying in front of him who had rested against the railing of the construction platform. Right after he had saved him from certain death, they engaged in a rather awkward conversation
[Spider-Man: This is a onesie for me, so I don't have to worry about it too much.]
He said in regards to the uncomfortableness of his costume as Spider-Man stood up and put his hands on his hips in an assertive, dominant pose. Uncle Ben used to teach him how to be a great father, so this moment calls for his greatest father skills...
... By asking this kid's name.
[Spider-Man: So, uh, kiddo... what's your name?]
[Miles: Um... It's Miles... Miles Morales.]
๐๐ข๐ช๐ต ๐ข ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ...
[Spider-Man: Hey... aren't you that one kid who punched the hell out of me?]
Miles' face instantly turned to fear and shock, as Spider-Man's shadow loomed over him.
[Miles: What?! N-No I'd never hit Spider-Ma-]
[Spider-Man: No no no no, you were that one kid who got ganged up on, and I had to teach you how to fight, right?]
Miles had been around 16 at that time, in high school at the prestigious Vision's Academy. He was a bright kid, Spider-Man could see that clearly. Though, unfortunately, he got into some trouble and tried fighting back. As expected, he got his ass laid out until Spider-Man saved him.
[Miles: Man, do you really gotta tell me about that...]
[Spider-Man: Nah, just thought it was a good memory.]
Spider-Man looked towards the Collider. He had a little bit of time left to spare. So, as per usual, he was gonna waste it doing nothing.
[Spider-Man: So, how's your fighting improved so far?]
[Miles: Uh, pretty good so far, yeah.]
[Spider-Man: Okay, then Imma need you to do a favor for me.]
Spider-Man pointed up towards a yellow ladder, and then to the entrance.
[Spider-Man: Go up there, and run as fast as you can away from here. I don't want you getting hurt, and it might get hectic if things go south.]
Miles nodded his head, as he began climbing the ladder to escape the facility.
[Spider-Man: By the way, why were you here?]
[Miles: Just doing a little art project, what about you?]
[Spider-Man: I'm here to destroy that "little" art project.]
Spider-Man pointed towards the massive Collider. The machine itself was split into two parts, with each looking like a massive gun barrel attached to a large mechanical wheel implanted in the wall. The room itself was devoid of color, just a solid white with what appeared to be lights. Spider-Man had noticed this since Osborn had been dragging him against the lights.
He made one last glance at Miles, who gave him a thumbs up. That was the motivation he needed.
[Spider-Man: See you later.]
The moment those words left his mouth, he leaped off the railing of the construction zone, and towards a poll. He jumped off it, and off another as if he was parkouring his way up.
๐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ... ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฅ'๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ.
He thought as he thwipped his web to another pole, and generated enough force to swing off of it and onto a section of the collider. Unfortunately, the Collider was starting to power up, so he needed to get up and shut it down immediately.
He swung around the giant barrel of the Collider and propelled himself upwards to the ceiling, landing on it with his hands and feet and crawling across the ceiling towards a small metal plate. With his Goober in hand, he began smacking the ceiling with his fist, trying to find that sweet spot.
[Spider-Man: Is it here... Oop, nope, it's right here.]
Spider-Man remarked as the metal cover fell out of its socket right as he hit it. Inside was wiring, electronics, circuit boards, and a small socket that fit perfectly with the Bypass Key.
He lifted his hand up and attempted to insert the Goober.
[Spider-Man: Ah, I always get this wrong.]
He joked as he flipped the bypass key over onto its other side. Like he said, he always inserts it on the wrong side of the-
โ!
His Spider-Sense began to blare within his mind once more, signaling a danger right behind him. He turned around and saw something purple in the distance.
In an instant, that purple object took the shape of a human right in his face. It wasn't that it was transforming. Rather, the shape was moving so fast that looked as if it was a missile.
[Spider-Man: Oh boy...]
In an instant, Spider-Man lost his ability to breathe, as a metal gauntlet crushed his throat and blocked his airway. Not only that but he was being dragged along the ceiling at the speed of a car.
[Spider-Man: Prowler-!]
He blurted out his name as he attempted to get out of The Prowler's chokehold. It was difficult, but nothing is too hard for Spider-Man. Prowler sent a punch was delivered to his gut, knocking the wind out of him as another one was delivered to his chin, sending him flying into the ceiling above.
[Spider-Man: C'mon man, I was in the middle of something!]
Prowler used his boots, ones that were able to use "jet boosters," to propel up toward the ceiling and try to subdue Spider-Man, putting him in another chokehold.
Spider-Man landed an elbow to Prowler's gut, which softened the grip on his neck and allowed him to slide under his arm and resume a counter, landing 2 kicks to his abdomen to fully escape his grip.
But...
๐๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐!
Just as Spider-Man had been removed out of the chokehold, Prowler lifted his knees and delivered a kick with both feet. Combined with the boosters helping blast Spider-Man away, it was enough to send him flying backward into the Collider's rotational charging barrels. He laid down as the chargers moved above him.
[Spider-Man: Auughhh...I should've just eaten those tacos... Today's tuesday after all... Ack!]
He remarked as he held his stomach. Normally, a "minor" tummy ache wasn't a problem for Spider-Man. But today was a different story. The pizza from before had been stirring inside his stomach, and coupled with the intense fighting, it had been making its way back up.
He swiftly jumped out from underneath the chargers and stood up, looking for the port of the Bypass Key. Unfortunately, it would not be that easy.
The Prowler landed in front of him and bared the claws on his gauntlets, as he sprinted towards Spider-Man. A punch was sent to his skull, but Spider-Man dodged it. In an instant, he felt a pain shoot through his leg as a kick had been delivered to his shin, causing him to tilt into another kick aimed at his head.
[Spider-Man: Wow, you're not in a good mood are you?]
Spider-Man slyly commented as he blocked the kick with his forearm. Prowler stayed silent as he launched a punch to Spider-Man's gut, and a slash of his gauntlet to his chest. Both were parried easily but countered by Prowler as he grabbed Spider-Man and suplexed him onto the floor.
๐ช๐๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐!
A punch missed Spider-Man's head by a mere inch as he grabbed the arm and delivered a punch to Prowler's solar plexus. The pain caused Prowler to arch back and allow a punch to land toward his skull.
[Prowler: โ]
Prowler in return unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, with their speed increased by the small thrusters attached to his gauntlets and boots. Spider-Man parried and dodged them with relative ease, until-
[Spider-Man: โ!]
A pull counter landed on Spider-Man's chest, causing him to fly back underneath the charging barrels of the Collider. (๐ ๐ฝ๐๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป)
๐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ...
Spider-Man thought as he put his hand up and stopped the massive charging barrel with ease. An intimidation tactic that always works well for Spider-Man.
Usually.
[Spider-Man: That all you've got?]
He slyly asked as he shot out a web from his wrist and pulled back on it, propelling him towards The Prowler as he wound up a punch from his left arm. The speed would be enough to catch him by surprise, and probably knock him off the Collider and down to the ground if he was lucky.
โBut
[Green-Goblin: AHAHAHA!!!]
Osborn descended towards Spider-Man at an abnormal speed and pinned him onto the floor of the Collider. The force of it caused a dent on the floor as Green-Goblin screeched at Spider-Man, his tongue slobbering all over him.
[Spider-Man: Augh, so gross...]
[???: Spider-Man... Spider-Man... Does whatever a Spider can...]
[Spider-Man: โ]
A voice rang out from the Collider room as if it was on a loudspeaker. Of course, it belonged to the man behind this whole testing operation.
โKingpin.
[Kingpin: You like my new toy? It cost me a fortune to make but, hey, can't take it with you, right?]
His humor barely made Spider-Man crack as much as a smirk.
[Kingpin: You came all this way, so watch the test. It's one hell of a light show, you're gonna love it.]
Kingpin snapped one of his fingers at the female employee in front of him. She knew exactly what his order was without him even saying it, as she typed the command key on the monitor before her.
[Spider-Man: No, don't do this! STOP!]
His cry was in vain, as the lights that made up the walls of the Collider facility began to turn on, illuminating the entire room with a bright colorless light.
[Spider-Man: You don't know what it can do! You'll kill us all!]
[Green-Goblin: So what? Spider-Man always saves everyone, right?!]
Osborn retorted with a snide remark towards his plea's for Kingpin to stop The Collider. In spite of his hatred, Osborn applied more pressure to Spider-Man's head on the floor of the machine, as a small, white box slowly descended from the ceiling of the room.
Slowly, and slowly, it descended down, as Kingpin, Prowler, Green-Goblin, Spider-Man, and the rest of the employees watched.
...
In the perfect aim of the Collider's barrels, it stopped, and ceased it's motion. A loud whirring sound began to echo from the room, as the charging barrels began to spin faster, and faster, until...
๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐!
The sound of the Collider's trans-dimensional beam was so loud, it made Spider-Man want to claw at his own ears, but that was not at all what he was worried about.
๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐
The room began to shake. No, rather, the earth itself began to shake as the beam turned into a multitude of colors, with each swap of light causing the earth to shake more and more. It was enough to cause lights to fall from the ceiling and the construction zone to be dismantled entirely.
๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต... ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต!!!
[Female Employee: I see multiple dimensions opening! That was three, four... Five... no... Seven separate dimensions!]
The employee spoke in horror as the screens flashed with the sight of multiple earths uniting with our own. Kingpin stared at the screen, as his eyes widened at the prospect of "them" coming back.
[Female Employee: It's unstable! We should stop immediately!]
Kingpin paid no heed to her warning, as his jaw dropped at the sight of the screen.
Spider-Man thoughts were terrifying himself as the geometry of the world around him began to glitch and contort into unnamable masses of shapes and sizes. He wondered how New York looked right now. The thought made him shiver, but...
[Spider-Man: Gah... Norman, what's your take on head trauma?]
[Green-Goblin: Hmm? 'The hell are you talking ab-]
๐๐๐๐ก๐!
A giant metal plate of light hit Green-Goblin dead-center on the head, making him lose consciousness nearly instantly, as his body began to slide off of the Collider.
[Spider-Man: Tried to warn ya pal, but...]
Spider-Man shrugged at Osborn, as he swung off the Collider and towards the port of the Bypass Key.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ?! ๐๐ฆ๐ต ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต! ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐บ!!!
The voice echoed throughout Osborn's brain. It was a strange feeling. He felt like he wasn't in control before, but now, he could move and think "freely."
๐๐ฆ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐๐ข๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด ๐ช๐ด.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐!
That was enough to send Osborn into a rage, as he flew up to Spider-Man at an alarming speed, with pure malice and hatred in his eyes. He extended his hand, and-
[Spider-Man: Woah!!]
He felt Osborn's hand crushing his torso. His ribs, arms and spine felt like they were going to snap if he kept this up. His body was dragged across the ceiling, causing his skin to feel like it was ripping off.
[Green-Goblin: This is for Emily... for Harry!!!]
๐ฃ๐ข๐ช!
A fist was sent crashing into his stomach, sending him far across the room and only stopping because he had slid across the ceiling with his palms.
[Spider-Man: Hah... hah...]
Spider-Man had taken the full brunt of that blow, and with it, exhaustion plagued his entire body. He knew he couldn't give up now, but the pain was enough to make anyone who was human to give up.
Not him though.
[Spider-Man: HRAAAGHH!]
A fist was directed towards Osborns's face, but he effortlessly caught it, and retaliated with a downward slash that sent Spider-Man crashing down.
[Green-Goblin: Does it hurt, Spider-Man?! Do you want to give up, Spider-Man?! Do you feel like dying, Spider-Man?!]
Osborn taunted Spider-Man as he barraged him with kicks and punches that knocked him up and down the room.
[Green-Goblin: Let me tell you something reeaally important. It's because of YOU that my wife died in that fire! It's because of you that Harry abandoned me! And it's because of you that I became the Green-Goblin!!!]
[Spider-Man: โ]
Those words tore through Spider-Man's heart. They were like a sword that cut through his pride and soul itself. He had never even considered the possibility that Osborn cared for his own wife and son, let alone as the Green-Goblin. The thought made his guard go down, allowing Osborn to land more and more blows to his body.
[Green-Goblin: I spent years trying to find him, trying to bring him back, trying to find that one ray of light in the world of darkness. But you, YOU! You took that away from me, you took everything away from me, and what you're looking at now is the result!]
๐๐ข๐ข๐ !
A pumpkin bomb exploded right in front of his face, causing him to be sent flying backward. His suit was torn and burned, including his skin. It hurt, and it was painful. He wanted to give up right there as his torso felt like it had been completely broken.
But...
[Spider-Man: ... If that's true... Then... Then why did you stop me from saving Emily!?]
[Green-Goblin: โ!]
The assault from Osborn ceased, as now it was now his turn to be stunned by the words that cut like a sword. He had never even considered that Spider-Man had an angry side to him. It was always just quips and sharp retorts that got on people's nerves, but this was different. And the fact that he even remembered his wife's name struck a cord in Osborn's heart.
It was only natural. After all, Spider-Man had no tolerance for hypocrites. Those who blame others for something they did, especially if it was their fault, are not someone to be easy on.
[Spider-Man: If that's true, then why did you let Harry take the Symbiote!?]
[Norman: ...Stop...]
The sudden verbal attack on Goblin was met with a punch to his face, as his brain began to lose track of what was even going on. More and more punches were launched, as Osborn tried to reject his outrageous claims.
[Spider-Man: Harry was my best friend! I wanted to give him the best friendship I had, and you took it away from both me and him!]
[Norman: Shut up... You don't know a thing about him or me... y-you...]
๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ? ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐บ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต!? ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐บ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ!?
The thought angered him beyond compare... but... There was another thought. Was he right? Was Spider-Man right about what he just said?
[Spider-Man: And... if it was true... Why would you become the Green-Goblin, and kill the people around you!?]
[Green-Goblin: SHUT UUUUUP!!!!!]
A grip was placed around Spider-Man's skull and he felt the wind brushing past him as he descended toward the Collider's quantum beam. He squirmed and tried to break free, but it was already too late.
๐๐ฆ๐๐๐!
[Kingpin: GOBLIN, NO! Get him out of there!]
The sound of the Collider's quantum beam grinding against Spider-Man's skin screeched across the room. Osborn cackled as he drove Spider-Man's face deeper inside the Collider's beam of quantum particles. The monitors inside the control room of the Collider were beeping at an alarmingly loud volume, as warnings flashed across the screen.
[Spider-Man: ร ฬดฬวฬดฬณวตฬถฬขhฬดฬ ฬ.ฬธฬฬ.ฬธอฬฟ.ฬถฬปฬ ฬทฬอAฬดฬฑอrฬถฬชอวฬธฬซgฬตฬฎฬhฬดฬอ .ฬตอฬ.ฬดฬฬ.ฬธอฬ ]
Spider-Man felt a pain that was completely unbearable, to the point where he couldn't even consider it pain as the contents of his skull literally shifted in its geometry and shape. He couldn't even tell if it was pain or not. In fact, he couldn't even control his body properly. But something else concerned him.
Inside the Collider's ray was a void of complete darkness, opposite to the massive array of colors the beam appeared to be on the outside. What was shocking, however, was when the void began to gain color.
[Spider-Man: ... ]
Inside the void was a web, a blue shining web that seemed to grow larger, and larger, until Spider-Man couldn't comprehend its size. It's as if he was looking at the size of the universe itself.
[???: Wฬทฬฬศฬตฬแธฝฬทอศฬดฬวซฬทฬnฬถฬ! ฬดฬฉฬWฬทอฬhฬตฬผอeฬธฬบอrฬธฬฆฬeฬถฬอ ฬถฬฬฬaฬธฬฬrฬธฬฬeฬธฬฒฬ ฬธฬอแบฬทอeฬตออ?ฬดฬผฬ]
A female cried out for Fisk's name, as she appeared to be desperately seeking an answer. More and more voices began to be heard, until eventually, they became full-on realities he could see, hear, smell, and feel. Despite his incorporeal body, he felt as though he was floating in the air.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
The sound of wind rushing past his ears invaded his brain, as his vision was met with a new sight, something unnatural to his world.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด...?
Spider-Man pondered, as his vision was somewhere else. It appeared to be the inside of a dome made of the earth itself. Large rocks were jutted out of the earth, forming a circle around someone within.
A lone man clad in dark, purple apparel stood within the dome, leaning against the earth wall and peering through the cracks of the dome. His skin was completely pale, and his eyes were devoid of life, as well as his skin, which was unusually thin around his bones, especially near his gaunt cheeks. His hair was abnormal too, as the bowl-cut trimming was a natural dark shade of green. It was unique only to this person, or perhaps to where he was from.
His clothing consisted of a dark purple cassock whose sleeves were more than saggy and within was a lovely peach color with frills protruding from the sleeves ending. Above the clerical clothing was a purple robe with dark red seams. Inside the cloak (the view one would see from the wearer's front), was a pinkish interior that was nearly as dark as the seams of his cloak.
Despite his unnatural appearance catching Spider-Man's eye, it wasn't what he was focused on.
[???: Burn fighting spirit, howl magic ball! When I get serious, I can pitch like a pro!!!]
The voice of a young boy barely past 17 cried out as a small red glint was seen in the distance slowly approaching.
[???: What is thi-]
๐๐ข๐ข๐ !
The man muttered his question to himself, as a sharp reddish rock was thrown at the dome and upon impact exploded. The force knocked the man back towards the cliff behind him and created a crater massive enough to allow entrance for one person to enter and attack.
Which was exactly what happened.
๐ง๐ต๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ง๐ต๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ง๐ต๐๐บ๐ฝ
The sound of a person sprinting echoed out, as the smoke began to clear, revealing who it was charging at the robed man. A young male with gorgeous purple hair and a handsome face to boot, paired with an elegant outfit rushed towards the man with a sharp, shining sword. The sword itself was charged with what appeared to be the rainbow itself.
[???: Ah, Eep!]
The robed man began to panic as the boy rushed towards him, prepared to pierce the very soul of the man itself, when...
[???: ...Impossible...]
...The man was no longer there, as only a dark purple portal remained there.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
In an instant, Spider-Man was switched to another perspective. The feeling was disorienting to Spider-Man, as his mind was literally traveling across time itself.
A man with a relatively forgettable appearance was flying up into the air. He would be forgettable, if not for the high classiness of his clothing, which matched his unusual white hair and skin. The man's skin was a sickly pale white as if he had fallen ill. His hair was also abnormal, as it was naturally white, despite his young age.
His clothing, or rather a dress, seemed to resemble the formalities of a wedding ceremony. A white tuxedo that had an overcoat-like appearance, as its backside stretched down to his ankles. A blue & white striped undershirt, white gloves, trousers, and boots made up the rest of his outfit, complete with an earring attached to his left earlobe that resembled a water droplet.
The high-class man had an expression of shock and fear on his face, as he spoke to someone else above him.
[???: M-Monster!]
The white-haired man yelled at the sudden sight of another standing upon his back in mid-air. The sheer relaxed nature of the person was puzzling to Spider-Man.
The man was as young as the purple-haired boy, if not younger. He had red hair, sharp eyes, and a regal white suit that fit the word "elegance" perfectly by its very description, with the symbol of a shield and dragon at his shoulders. At his hip was a sword that appeared to be able to slash through anything that stood in its path.
[???: Yes, I'm a monster who hunts monsters, and it's high time you accepted your fate.]
The next moment, the elegant man hopped off the white-haired boy's body and delivered an arm strike that sent him rocketing downwards into the ground.
[???: OOHHHAAAAAAAH!!!]
Surprisingly, the boy took no damage from the attack, as if it was completely negated by some unseen force. Unfortunately, the plunge toward the ground would be nowhere near painless. However...
...Instead, a portal opened beneath the ground, and swallowed the man whole.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
Another view, but this one was different. Within the dark walls of a tower, a dark-skinned boy who was badly injured wrote down something on the brick wall behind him... with his own blood.
[???: Please do accept, our feelings, Tsu~! Please do watch over, our wishes, Tsu~!]
Needless to say, the sight was nothing short of disturbing.
His long dark hair was in shambles from cuts and blood, and so too was his body. His hair was long enough to reach the ground, sliding across it like a snake. The tips of his hair, which dragged across the ground, had blood stains that had been dried up from age. He bore a purple bodysuit that clung tightly to his body, exposing his chest down to his stomach, along with a cloak that hid the back of his body. The boy, who looked around 15-14 years old, was shockingly muscular, with abs, arms, and legs that seemed to be expertly toned.
What was interesting, was that his hands had been severed from the wrist down, and more massive injuries to his body, as blood dripped down to the floor.
[???: Buha~ Hk~]
The boy gagged on his own blood, which had been foaming within his throat and dripping down the sides of his lips. The gurgles of his labored breaths disturbed Spider-Man deeply.
He couldn't read the words written on the walls as they were of a different dialect. However, judging from his words prior, it seemed to be a confession, a confession to one who wanted him dead.
[???: Ah, love y--]
[???: -- Fula --]
A woman's voice rang out, as a blade made of the wind itself soared toward the boy's neck, ensuring his immediate death.
As per usual, his body was swallowed up by a portal beneath him.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
The dark shadow was all that Spider-Man could see, as a young, dark haired boy laid in the center of the "room." It was so dark, that the lighting of his body was clearly unnatural. Maybe it was his buffed senses that helped him see the boy.
The boy looked very similar to the one he'd seen before. Dark skin and long dark hair that was more well-kept than the muscular child, even having a little ponytail in the back. Normally he would've thought this kid to be normal if it wasn't for the revulsiveness in his green eyes.
He also wore a dark green uniform, similar to robes. The top looked akin to a polo with an extended front and back that looked torn off, and green trousers that looked as if they were a part of the uniform itself.
Unfortunately, he looked a little distraught and saddened by something.
[???: ...]
The boy observed his surroundings, nothing but pitch-black shadows surrounded him. He looked as if he'd already accepted this fate, as he examined his blood-soaked hands and body.
[???: Is he...]
His voice was more high-pitched than the other boy's, marking their resemblance even more. Spider-Man jumped to the conclusion that they may be twins or siblings.
He moved his arm to his chest and closed his eyes. It was as if he was searching for a soul inside himself, or a connection to his supposed brother.
In an instant, his eyes jolted open, as terror struck himself.
[???: ...A-As expected... We knew that... something like this would happen...]
He said, as the grip on his chest began to soften. A moment passed while he had begun to fully loosen his body.
[???: ...Brother...]
The boy suddenly began to well up tears in the corners of his eyes, which then formed into tears. Despite his revolting appearance which reeked of a sinister, foul aura, Spider-Man showed sympathy for his own loss.
...
A small, sliver of light reached into the room, one that took the shape of a circle.
[???: ...?]
The boy stood up slowly and began to limp over to the light, extending his hand over to it as if it was his only hope at that moment. He walked further, slowly running and then sprinting, as he reached for that hope in front of him.
As he was swallowed by the portal.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
[???: Phew, that was lucky. Very lucky indeed! Kya ha ha ha!]
The manic laughter of a petite woman rang out, as she soared across the sky above the city beneath her.
She looked like a midget hooker, with her torso and thighs exposed to the world around her, save for her breasts and private area. She wore a pink and black bikini with long black latex gloves that stretched to her collar, and black, leather leggings. Her hair was a beautiful blonde color, and her eyes were red like an intense fire, the complete opposite of her lewd appearance. Interestingly, however, were the deformities on her back, hips, and arms. She had the tail of a dragon, the wings of a bird, and the claws of a black lion.
[???: That Al boy sure got me a~ll worked up...~]
The midget spoke, as she flapped her massive wings to soar up high into the sky. Her appearance was beautiful, aside from her choice of apparel. Her personality, however, was a different story.
[???: Ah, and sure enough, the two dumbasses of Greed and Wrath up and got themselves killed. ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ... If only we had actual smart people instead of ambitious jackasses... Which is where I come in! Kya ha ha ha ha~!]
...
A shadow appeared in front of her, enveloping her vision.
[???: Huh? What the hell is-]
And like the rest, a dark portal swallowed her whole.
๐ช๐ข๐ข๐ฆ๐
[???: Ah, this is most certainly boring...~]
[???: Yeah, whatever. Keep quiet freak.]
The view was of the inside of a carriage, with two drivers and a hostage.
The drivers were clad in iron armor as if they were knights. They were leading the carriage with what appeared to be a mixture of a dragon and a horse.
Inside the carriage was a woman tied up in bright, golden chains. She had a tattered purple robe, similar to the robed man from before, with it being shorter and only covering her torso and arms. Her whole body was covered in bandages, with the only exceptions being her left eye and mouth. She looked exactly like a mummy if it were alive and depraved of sanity. At the head, long strands of silver-white hair protruded from the small crevices of the wrapping. She also had golden chains coming out of her robe, which matched precisely with the ones tied around her. Perhaps she was forced to tie herself up?
[???: ... So... Would you two like to learn more about love? It's quite a wonderful thing, you know~]
[???: Oh brother, would you shut the hell up?]
[???: I-I'm sorry for coming off the wrong way! But that's no way to treat a lady, now isn't it? Being a polite, young gentleman is surely the way to act in this situatio-]
A dark, purple portal opened in front of her and consumed her body, as she disappeared from the world itself.
[???: Hmm? HUHHH?!?! Where the hell'd she go?!]
The knights began to panic, as their hostage had escaped by sheer luck itself.
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All of that happened in a mere 10 seconds as if the realities were all happening at the same time.
[Spider-Man: Gk, Gah! Ahhh!]
Suddenly, the pain of the Collider's beam suddenly rushed back into his body, as he felt each and every one of his cells morphing into something different. It was akin to someone peeling off your skin whilst playing with your own nerves.
๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐ - ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: ๐ฑ% - ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐
An automated voice rang out in the facility along with the sound of alarms and sirens, as the beam of Quantum physics itself started to expand larger and larger as if it was about to implode.
๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต... ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐!!!
Spider-Man thought as he channeled all his focus into his right arm.
...
Suddenly...
๐ง๐๐ช๐๐ฃ
A single, lone web shot out of his wrist and towards the ceiling of the facility. One small sliver of white hope, as it made it's ascent to the ceiling.
It stuck to the roof of the facility, and, with all of his might, Spider-Man pulled back and made it out of the Collider's beam in one piece.
๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: ๐ณ๐ฌ%
The beam morphed into its original state of a thin laser that Collided with the universe itself. Spider-Man shared a glance at Osborn, and in an instant, the places were switched.
[Green-Goblin: AHHH!!!]
Osborn's entire body was being engulfed by the Collider's quantum beam, as pain flooded his entire body. He couldn't move, couldn't move a muscle. He could only accept his fate, as he would slowly meet his demise.
๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐ - ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ญ% - ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐
...๐๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด...?
Osborn thought to himself, as he knew that he was about to die. He was going to die by the one he hated the most in this world, the one he wanted to kill the most in this world.
...
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฆ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ต๐ฆ... ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ... ๐ง๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ...
The thought crossed his mind again. Only this time, he was left to ponder it with no voice to support him, no voice to torture his mind.
Only his broken heart and resolve.
...๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ด... ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ... ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ.
๐'๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ... ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐บ... ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐บ...
...
[Norman: ...You really are... A monster...]
And with that, the sound of an explosion rang throughout the building, as Norman Osborn died with his ambitions incomplete. He did want something great, something grand, something that would help the people around him.
It was the Goblin that wanted hell on earth, whereas Norman, wanted peace on earth.
If only he had realized it sooner... Maybe things could've been different...
...
[???: What the hell was that?]
A civilian shouted from inside the massive skyscraper, as the entire city lost power for a full 3 seconds, before regaining power as if nothing happened.
But that was not his concern.
In the distance, near Fisk Tower, the sight of 9 figures being launched into the sky and onto New York could be seen...
... As the most vile, vicious monsters from another world were unleashed onto New York.
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[Spider-Man: ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ, ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ... Aw man... that's not a good sign...]
Spider-Man said as he gagged on his own saliva accidentally. He had fortunately survived the explosion of The Collider with not-so-minimal injuries. In exchange, his cough would persist for a while as dust had entered his throat and damaged his windpipe.
๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ข๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ'๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ.
Spider-Man thought to himself, as he stared in awe at the wreckage before him. The Collider had been damaged only slightly, with a red hue coming from both barrels, steam still exiting from the inside. The rest of the facility, however, wasn't so lucky. The wreckage of lights and construction materials was scattered across the room, turning the room into a fog of dust and debris with a grey tint.
Spider-Man mustered the strength to walk through the wreckage, examining the ceiling above as he did so. If he could find the entrance, he could easily escape through there and his mission would be complete.
[Kingpin: --Find him, now.]
Kingpin's voice rang out from behind Spider-Man, as two figures walked alongside him. The Prowler, and Tombstone. Green-Goblin would've made four... But...
[Spider-Man: ...]
He dwelled on the thought for a good, long while, as he narrowly avoided the gazes of the villainous trio. The fact that he not only didn't save him but also killed him, tore at his heart.
He knew that Osborn was good at heart, that was for certain. It was his methods that were unacceptable. Green-Goblin was a different story, as he was, indeed, a monster who sought only the blood of others scattered across the floor.
It was never supposed to be this way, or so his heart and mind believed.
[Tombstone: We're gonna need another test for this one, aren't w-]
[Kingpin: No, no. Tombstone, we're done with tests.]
Kingpin instantly retorted with his own statement. The next experiment with the Collider would be the real deal, which made Spider-Man's resolve waiver slightly.
Just how damaging would the full-powered Collider be?
[???: Kingpin! I-I mean, Sir!]
A woman walked alongside Kingpin and awaited his orders.
[???: Puff... Puff... Y-You requested my presence?
[Kingpin: Get that thing up and running again, and soon.]
[???: Yes sir...]
[Kingpin: Run fasta'!]
The woman ran towards the control room at the sound of Kingpin's order. The control room which powered The Collider had it's windows broken and monitors were scattered across the floor. That didn't deter Kingpin though, as anything could be fixed with enough cash. Money makes the world go round, as they say.
[Kingpin: Come on out Spider-Man!]
๐๐๐ก๐!
Kingpin yelled as he shot a bullet from his pistol at the ceiling. Another cheap tactic to intimidate Spider-Man. Chuckling to himself, he ushered Tombstone to lead the path forward.
[Tombstone: Tch...]
Kingpin cocked a brow at Tombstone's expression of annoyance. Tombstone had always been a prideful man at heart, so being used as a meatshield was something he was far against doing.
A light shined past the wreckage, illuminating the dust and smoke around the trio.
Spider-Man knew the second he stepped into his line of sight, he would be dead in an instant. He carefully snook past them, making sure that they wouldn't be able to see him. If he got the jump on them from behind, then maybe...
.... No, that was stupid, he needed to escape immediatly.
Even if his acrobatic prowess was nigh-impeccable, it would be no much for the aim and prescision of Tombstone's gun. Plus, with his nigh indestrucabillty, it'd be impossible for him to properly fight without cracking a knuckle or two. He recalled a previous battle in which Spider-Man broke his own fist from punching Tombstone with an imperfect technique. Breaking through his diamond-like skin was an issue he was not ready to face, especially while injured.
Prowler was another issue. The dude could take a beating and still always get up, maybe even stronger than before. Coupled with his agility and rocket thrusters attached to his boots and gauntlets, it's safe to say that he would be the most troublesome to defeat. He had also learned prior that his mask contained X-Ray vision and heat signatures, along with built in lock-on systems and advanced hearing implanted on the sides of the mask. He was basically a purple Predator. All that was needed was for Spider-Man to change into an Alien suit, and make the perfect film.
Then, there was the big bad himself, Kingpin. Otherwise known as Wilson Fisk, he had head-started his underground criminal empire and had become what was supposed to be a menace to society. However, with the money generated from his empire, he wouldn't hesitate to let some money slip out of his pockets for whatever Brown-noser was behind him, thus leading to him becoming a beloved figure of New York.
What was interesting, or rather bad for Spider-Man, was his physical physique. Kingpin was nearly 98% pure muscle mass, with the rest being body fat. Coupled with his massive stature and appearance, made him a terrible foe to fight against in Spider-Man's eyes, especially since he resorted to firearms more than bare fist-fighting.
He knew that he stood no chance against them, especially in his injured state right now. He began to lower his posture into a crouching position, and slowly snuck towards a pile of wreckage in front of him. If that light shone upon him, it was game-over for Spider-Man.
In a stroke of luck, however...
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ
The sound of someone moving in front of the group was heard by all three of them, including Spider-Man, as those footsteps... Weren't his own...
[???: What a strange-looking place...]
The man said as he walked around the wreckage with a slight goofiness in his steps, right into the line of sight of Kingpin and his crew.
[Tombstone: Oi, who the hell are you?]
The man simply looked towards the trio... and grinned.
He looked exactly like the man seen in the Collider's beam. Dark green hair, a purple robe, and a pale, white aged face. The only difference was that he was far more giddy than when he had last seen him. He tilted his torso to the side and wagged his finger at Tombstone.
[???: Now now now now nownownownownownow...! That's no way to introduce yourself to someone you've just me~t! Although, it seems I've forgotten most of the social trivialities myself! Teeheeheehee~!]
The man giggled in excitement as he hugged his own body and swayed side to side. One look from a distance could make anyone know that this man was far more than just insane.
[Tombstone: ... I asked you for your name, jackass... Now tell me it.]
Tombstone had a level of authority and assertiveness in his voice, as the barrel of his pistol was aimed directly at the robed man's head.
[???: Ah! How unfortunate!!! How unfortunate indeed!!! A terrible misunderstanding must've crossed your mind, as I am in no way looking for conflict, I assure you~ Though if you insist... Then I implore you!! Hee hee hee hee hee!]
Tombstone's eye twitched from irritation, but the man continued to giggle once again.
[???: Hah... Most generous, merciful love... such is the way of the witch. I take it you haven't received her love yet? No, I take it you haven't a clue who I'm speaking about, do you? Hee hee hee hee...]
The man asked, as he began to bite down on his fingers, drawing blood from the wound inflicted upon himself. The robed menace grinned more as the blood dripped down to his shoes. The sight made Spider-Man flinch as his teeth dug further, and further into his flesh...
[Tombstone: ...I asked... For. Your. Name. I'm already having a bad day to begin with, so don't make it worse. Fucker.]
Tombstone began to clench his fist, demanding the man to present his name to him. Kingpin had to move his arm between him and Tombstone as to prevent the conflict from resuming to a more... volatile state.
[???: Ah, how diligent of you to ask again! If you insist on knowing my title so much, then I cannot refuse your request, now can I? Hahahahaha!!! How wonderful! How kind of you to ask, yes!! Though... Asking sooner would've fitten with the virtue of diligence and love, including the use of more polite words... Such action is slothful indeed... Such actions is the ideals of one such as myself... Yes, yes indeed!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!]
The pale face regained some color, as a red streak of blush spread across his face. His voice was muffled from the chewing of his fingers and the cracking of bone.
He let out a sigh of pleasure, as he tilted his head forward and bowed courteously, opposite of his outlandish behavior from before.
[Petelgeuse: ...I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult... Representing Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanรฉe-Conti... YES!!!]
As the man introduced himself, a loud crack came out as his neck twisted a full 90 degrees. The disturbing sight brought a small level of shock to Kingpin and his men. Had this been any normal person, he would've been killed on sight.
But this man was different. The aura he produced, the grim sight of his bleeding fingers, the manic cackling with giggles, and the grin of a man taken to the depths of depravity were enough to shake anyone to their core.
[Spider-Man: โ]
Spider-Man shivered a little, as the man's aura was... of complete and pure malice... A malice that seemed to destroy all hope and joy around. An impression that stuck true with the Witch Cult.
...And, unbeknownst to Spider-Man... His life would be changed forever at that very moment. Everything he knew, everything he loved, would surely cease to exist...
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐ฅ
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PHEW, That was a doozy!
Hey ya'll! It's the author of this story. I just wanted to share some information about this chapter real quick.
Firstly, I've had this in the works for a LOOOOOONG time, but never had the time or motivation to work on it until now. To those of you reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Secondly, mostly all of the chapters will be way shorter than the one you just read right now. I have a lot of time, but not that much.
And third, for those of you who are Re:ZERO or Spider-Man fans. I really hope that I can live up to your expectations and bring this story up to its fullest potential.
That's all folks, until next time!