Spider-Man: Marvel Knight

Chapter: 15-Goblin Makes His Mark

It was Saturday...thank God.
Peter woke up to his alarm clock. Why did he still use it? Ever since the whole thing at the lab happened, he felt so relaxed; his anxiety and OCD were completely out the window. It was a Saturday after all. He could relax all day or be Spider-Man when he was needed to be. Ben was still in his mind, but his new life helped him not think about it.
He got dressed and walked down the stairs. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the house. God, May was a cooking woman. She could make the worst food taste good.
"Morning, Aunt May," he greeted while entering the dining room.
She looked up from her cooking. "Morning, Peter," she said with a smile. Peter kissed her on the cheek. He bent over the stove and smelled the delicious breakfast that was in the skillets.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said. "That smells delicious."
May laughed at her nephew's compliment. "Thank you, Pete." She swatted him away playfully. "It's not ready yet, though. Go see what's on TV while you wait."
Peter grabbed the controller and sat down on the living room couch. "Let's see what's on the news today," he said to himself. He turned it to their local news, and of course he was the only thing they were talking about.

"This week, the mysterious vigilante known only as Spiderman has been sweeping NYC in triumph. Although the police have him on a wanted list, many New Yorkers have stood up for Spidey, saying that he is doing the right thing, and that the streets have never been safer..."

"Oh, they're talking about that Spiderman again," May said still having her attention completely on her cooking.
Peter smiled at her recognition of him, even though she had no idea it was him. He lowered the volume. "What do you think about him, Aunt May?"
May kept on cooking breakfast. "Oh, I think he's a good man, although his methods are a tad unorthodox." There was a small pause. "He brought Ben's killer to justice, probably saving his life in the process. The police said that he was an extremely suicidal man. I think that he's a simple man trying to make the world a better place. Don't you think so, Peter."
Peter felt good about himself after hearing May's words. "Yeah...I do." It was nice that people thought that he was making New York a better place.
Soon, breakfast was ready and of course, as always, it was delicious. After they were done, May said, "Oh, Peter, could you do the dishes for me? I promised that I would go with Anna to the mall today."
Peter smiled, picked up the plates, and carried them to the sink. "Of course, May," he responded with a smile. "You and Mrs. Watson have fun." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the house. Pete went over to the sink and turned on the hot water on the tap so it could run over the dishes. He was about to start cleaning them but he began to barely hear the breaking news beacon. He walked over to the couch and turned the volume up.

"We have breaking news, everybody. Police are in Brooklyn right now responding to a pile of... My God... A, um, a pile of dead bodies in the middle of Fourth and Decker in downtown. On top of the bodies is a...a note that says only, 'Either Spiderman meets me on the Empire State Building, or more people will die. And that is a promise. Signed, the Goblin.' Reports are also saying that the dead bodies are those of the workers from Oscorp that went missing about a week ago who were all working directly under Norman Osborn himself. Mr. Osborn has not given a statement yet. We can only hope that this carnage can stop here. If Spiderman is a hero, he needs to stop this. More on this will be coming shortly..."

Peter shut off the TV. He couldn't watch anymore. "What have I done?" he asked himself out loud. He ran upstairs and grabbed his spidey suit. Quickly, he swung to the NYPD in Brooklyn. He needed to stop this...now!
In front of the building, the chief was briefing her officers to go hunt for Spiderman. Spidey, who landed on the roof above her, slowly crawled down the front of the building.
"Ok, guys. This goblin guy isn't gonna stop until he sees Spiderman, so go out and find him," she announced. "Do whatever it takes to bring him in...alive."
One officer spoke up. Peter recognized him. He was the officer whom he helped stop the banking truck: Jeff. "Chief, this ain't right," he said. "I get that he's a vigilante and stuff, but he's not the enemy. He's taken out so many criminals quicker than we ever could. What makes you think He won't help us stop this goblin dude?"
The chief shook her head. "I've dealt with these vigilante types before. When the cards are on the table, they'll tuck tail and run." She seemed like a very sour person to be around.
"You're wrong, chief," Spidey said. They all looked behind the chief and saw Spider-Man standing. All the officers, including the chief, drew their weapons except the ones whom he helped that day with the bank robbery.
"Put your damned guns down, boys," Jeff said. Slowly they complied. "I knew you'd do the right thing, Spidey."
Peter nodded with a smile. The chief, obviously disappointed with her fellow officers looked at Pete with annoyance. She kept her gun raised at him. "You surprise me, Spider-Man," she said. "I didn't think that you had it in you."
"Well, chief," he replied, "I'm not a fan of bullies, and Goblin sure sounds like the kind I don't like." He walked towards her very slowly. "I've dealt with a murderer before, but I've never dealt with someone like him before." Thinking about all of that death reminded him of Ben dying in the street. It sickened him.
"He won't stop until you meet him," she responded, still holding her gun up. "Turn yourself in, and we'll deliver you to the empire state building."
Spider-Man shook his head. "Sorry, chief, that can't happen. If I'm with you, then your whole department could be in danger." He stopped right in front of her gun. "I can't let there be any more death on my account. If he targets your men then we're both responsible for what happens to them."
Her annoyed look soon turned into a serious one. She hated that he was right. She slowly lowered her gun and holstered it. "So what's your plan, vigilante?" she asked. "If you're not gonna turn yourself in, then what's up?"
Spidey thought for a moment. He really hadn't thought it out a the way. Suddenly, he came up with a conclusion. "Hold a live press conference and say that I agree to his terms. Tonight, hide your snipers in the surrounding buildings and if it gets crazy, don't hesitate to give the order to fire upon him." He scratched his head. "I hate the thought of killing as much as the next citizen, but this is more serious than we want."
She looked back at her officers and most of them nodded in agreement. She turned back to him. "What if this doesn't work?" she asked. "This could all go wrong."
"Don't worry, chief. It'll work." He leaped onto the building. "I hope." With that, he swung away. The chief looked on as he swung through the city Was he ready for this? Of course not. Something in him was telling him it was the only way though. It felt like a bigger sense of responsibility. He could do it.
He could do it for Ben.

~elsewhere~

Harry was over at Gwen's for the night; he never even went close to Peter's house yesterday. They discussed their theory over their friend being a superpowered vigilante, and it kind of perplexed them. As they talked, they were watching the news. They were was mortified when she saw the breaking news bulletin this morning. Someone wanted Peter to turn himself in? Why I'm the world would this happen. Suddenly, more breaking news came on the screen.

"Police chief Yuri Wantanabe is holding a press conference about today's midtown slaughter. Let's tune in to what she has to say.

'Today, NYC just became a little less safe. This new criminal, calling himself *Goblin*, is obviously a dangerous person and a force of what we can only describe as true evil. We have met with the one who calls himself Spider-Man, and convinced him that he should meet this Goblin. To the Goblin, if he or she is watching this, meet Spiderman at the top of the Empire State Building at 9:00 tonight. We hope this slaughter can come to an end. Thank you...'"

Harry looked at Gwen with his jaw dropped. "Gwen, do you know what this means?" he asked. He didn't even wait for an answer. "If we're right about this, then Peter is turning himself in to a dangerous psychopath!"
The more Gwen thought about it, the more she wanted to cry. So much was happening this week and it sucked so much. She stood up from her couch and walked towards her door. "We need to get out there and help him." She grabbed her coat. "We need to stop him."
Harry followed her. "As stubborn as Peter is, we're going to have a hard time convincing him otherwise."
"I know," she said. "But we have to try."

~elsewhere~

"'...aughter can come to an end. Thank you...'"

Norman switched off the TV in the lab and grabbed his new mask. He rubbed the green latex between his fingers. He didn't want to do this, but the Goblin ha pushed him too far. It was too late to turn himself in. He had to do this whether he liked it or not. His consciousness exited as the Goblin took full control.
"Checkmate, Spider-Man... Checkmate."