Sometimes the world was cruel. Sometimes the good died young, the evil winning the day. Sometimes the winds howled and babies cried as their mother's life slipped away as they took their first breath of air. Sometimes loved ones never got the chance to say goodbye just one last time. Sometimes, I woke from my slumber crying because in my dreams my dear brother was alive again. Sometimes my nightmares took away my friends, they took away my sunshine and when I finally woke, the world was alright again. Sometimes though, the world was not alright and that was the true cruel nature of fate.
New York City was covered in shadows that night, every inch of the concrete jungle littered with fear and violence as the lights flickered off with the blackout. We had scurried through the darkness, our hearts aching in our chests with the horror that could unfold tonight. The journey into the heart of the city seemed almost impossible knowing what waited for us all at the Avengers Tower, the only building graced with bright light. It should have been a beacon of hope, but staring up at the tower, it only twisted my stomach with more uncertainly.
Once we reached the lonely building, we gathered just outside the entrance doors. Sirens echoed in the distance and it felt too strange standing in a sea of darkness where fear drove people to run and hide, while others took the opportunity to smash into stores and take what they wanted. It seemed when darkness truly descended, that's when the horrors deep within humans' hearts sprung to the surface.
"It's like the city's gone mad," Ned Leeds commented with a deep frown.
Apparently, that was Green Goblin's perfect time to strike. "When the lights go out, true darkness beckons." Cindy Moon noted quietly, her eyes slicing through the dark streets behind us. Although we hadn't even heard from Cindy in months, she seemed more adjusted to her powers than ever before. Whatever she had been doing with the help of Ezekiel Sims seemed to be working and that almost seemed like a silver-lining in all this mess.
Peter glanced up at the tower, straining his neck to spy the very top. Nothing seemed out of place and that was a scary thought tonight. I fidgeted with the zipper of jacket, feeling the cool air nibbling at my skin. Nerves were sparking in the bottom of my stomach and I just couldn't shake the terrible feeling covering my body like a blanket. "Okay. Are we ready?" Peter questioned.
We were silent with the question.
Ned had stopped staring across at Cindy Moon, who was decked out in her own white suit, which looked like it had been crafted with white webbing. He had bombarded her with a million questions on the way here and she had kindly done her very best to answer them while getting the run down on New Goblin and Midtown High gossip. Gwen was twisting her delicate ring around her finger, worry filling her eyes. Peter had squared his shoulders with courage and determination. I had moved in closer to him, just wanting to reach for his hand and remind myself we had faced worse before.
"Are we ready?" Gwen asked.
Ned sent our leader a little look as he began to freak out. "Wait, what's the plan again? I feel like I've forgotten everything. You know? It's kinda' like an exam, once you open the booklet everything just goes blank in your mind. I feel like that. But worse. Is that normal? Is that an okay thing to say before we go up against Harry? I mean, New Goblin."
Cindy gawked at him. "Deep breaths, Leeds."
"He's right," Gwen blurted out. "I feel like I've been on auto-pilot and now we're here and this all feels really real and scary. Too many things are going through my head right now. How do you do this hero thing, Pete? I feel like I might throw up."
Peter let out a little sigh, his shoulders sagging. He was so used to suiting up and leaping into danger. He had been swinging through the streets for so long, ready to put his life in danger without a question. He placed a hand on Gwen's tiny shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It always feels like this, okay? I'm scared all the time too. We bury that fear though. We remind ourselves that we can do this. You've gotta' have courage mixed in with the fear. That's how you get through everything."
Gwen gave a brief nod of her head. "Okay."
He gave her a tiny smile. "Can you do that tonight Gwen? Can you be brave for us? Be brave for Harry and Mary Jane? Can you be a hero just for a little bit?"
With Peter Parker's words, something shifted in her eyes. I couldn't quite pinpoint what was turning around in her mind, but it almost looked like Gwen Stacy had found the courage that soared in her veins, the very thing that gave her that incredible strength that I knew she had all along. She smiled ever so sweetly and in that moment, I remembered why we were friends, why we were family. She was sunshine. "Yes. I can be brave. I can be a hero."
"You already are," I reminded her. "We all are. Just in different ways."
Cindy clapped her hands suddenly, breaking the moment. She flickered back her curtain of black hair with a wicked smirk. She truly was fearless now and it looked good on her. "All that was very sweet and touching, but are we ready now? Gotta' get this show on the road."
Together we headed inside, courage seeping into our bones. Silence stretched out around us, just five kids ready to go up against a friend who's mind was twisted with madness. We had formed our little plan; perfected it as much as we possibly could. Cindy and Peter would go in search for New Goblin and save Mary Jane as we headed down to the sub-levels where we would reboot the power system, hopefully giving the city back its light and power to call for help if things were to go sideways.
Before Peter could sneak away from me completely, my fingertips curled around his wrist. Cindy Moon hung back a little bit, watching us with mild interest. "Don't do anything stupid. Please."
"When do I ever do anything stupid?" he asked playfully.
I fanned out my hands against his chest, tracing the spider design on the front. "I mean it, okay? I have a terrible feeling and we know that's never good. Just...be careful. Harry's not himself and he'll be reckless. So, you know, try to get inside his head and pull our Harry out. You tackle New Goblin, so Cin can focus on Mary Jane."
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"I swear if you're about to bring up me being bossy again--"
Peter kissed my forehead lightly. "I like it. Don't worry."
Before I could even try and offer some much needed advice, he was already slipping through my my fingertips and yanking his mask over his head. I watched as he followed behind Cindy, the two of them a matching pair of heroes. The elevator doors dinged open behind me, Ned and Gwen piling inside. The last thing I saw was Peter sending one last glance over his shoulder at me before the metal doors snapped shut as we descended towards the sub levels below.
Finding our way through the offices and labs downstairs was like a maze, the harsh florcennet lights not helping either. We had backtracked at least twice when we finally found the correct door. Ned had hurried inside, eyes scanning the huge system of backup generators. We circled around the main hub of database hardware, which practically covered the entire length of the room. A sigh escaped my lips. "This might be a little harder than I imagined."
Gwen was kneeling down, fingertips touching the cold metal and watching the tiny blinking lights with curiosity. "Who knew Stark had this kind of tech down here? He's got an entire platform of hardwired energy connected with, like everything in the city. He really is a bloody genius."
I glanced toward Ned, who had found his way towards a computer set up near the back. He was already hacking into the system, eyes glued to the screen and fingers typing against the keyboard like he belonged there. "He's a genius sure, but I've hacked into Pete's suit once before, this shouldn't be too difficult..."
"Once you get through the firewalls, do you think you'll be able to reboot everything quickly? Or will it have to be done manually?" Gwen asked, hovering over his shoulder now. "Because there is so much data and code in these hubs of software, finding the right key might take all night. I bet you didn't think Mr. Stark was a hoarder. Nobody needs this much data left in a sub level."
Ned snickered. "He doesn't seem like the hoarder type. Weird."
My hands graced my hips, time getting away from us. "Answer the question, Ned. Can you do it or not? If we've gotta' start manually searching for the right data, we can't waste more time."
Ned sent me a look. "Yes, I can do it. Come on, give me some credit, dude."
Before Gwen could even start smiling, an echo of sound was rocketing through the quiet room. My stomach was already dropping with the sound, knowing exactly what was going on upstairs. Ned clicked open another tab, searching the files for the security system. Gwen was chewing on her bottom lip. "What was that? Please tell me that wasn't what it sounded like."
I glared at the computer screen, watching as a tiny red light blinked on the floor plan of the building. "That was an iconic Goblin bomb, Norman used them all the time. It's probably radiating through the entire building but we can't feel the aftermath down here." My finger pressed against the screen. "It's coming from the roof. That's where they are."
"Do you think they're alright?" Gwen questioned.
I couldn't even begin to wonder. "Well, let's find out."
The soles of my shoes echoed on the flooring as I started for the doorway. Gwen followed behind me without question. Ned rounded in his chair, voice high pitched. "Where are you going?"
"Stay here, Ned. You said you can reboot the system without having to manually do it. Which means you really don't need us down here. You've got this, okay?" I told him. "Just...get it done quick and get help. We're gonna' go save our friends."
We were already leaving him alone before he could begin to question anything. As we hurried away, I could hear him mumbling under his breath but I had no time to wonder what he was cursing about. Weaving back through the maze of rooms was much easier the second time around and soon enough, we were climbing towards the rooftop, deciding against the elevator. Thankfully, no rumbles of explosions echoed through the tower on our journey up. Once we reached the rooftop, Gwen was heaving open the heavy door as cold air hit our faces. Wind whipped at our skin but it wasn't the turn of the weather that had my throat closing up. It was the very sight of New Goblin towering over Peter Parker.
Harry's skin was still tinted with green, his eyes almost completely filled with madness. Peter was scurrying away from him on hands and knees, his mask peeled away from his face with the fire of an explosion. Blood dotted his suit and it looked like he was trying to push away the pain that had already been inflected on his body. "Harry! No!"
The screams left my throat before I could even think and New Goblin twisted around to face us both, teeth snapping with terror. He barely even looked like Harry Osborn anymore. Gwen sucked in a deep breath, a curse slipping from her lips. Peter's head snapped around to face us too, a mixture of relief and anger flashing in his eyes.
"Come to save the day, too?" New Goblin cackled. "Wonderful."
He stalked away from Peter, who was struggling to get to his feet. My gaze swept the rooftop, finally noticing Cindy Moon, her white suit covered in black ash. She was lying close to Mary Jane, who was tied up against a nearby pillar. My arms curled around Gwen, pushing her towards Mary Jane who was gagged and trying to scream. "Go!"
Gwen tumbled away from me, her knees buckling as she fell against some rubble. She picked herself up though, running towards Mary Jane and Cindy Moon. My eyes steadied back towards Harry, who was smirking like he had won already. "I really wish you were smarter than this." he was laughing loudly, removing a tiny orange ball from his suit pocket. He balanced the bomb in his palm. "You could have saved yourself, but no. Stupid, stupid Florence Parsons."
I eyed the bomb. "Come on, Harry. I know you're in there, you've just gotta' keep fighting."
New Goblin rolled his eyes. "Your little friend is dead. He's gone bye-bye."
My back hit the wall behind me, meaning there was nowhere else to go. Behind me, Peter was advancing from behind, ready to attack. "Harry, please, I know it's hard. But you have to fight against him. You have to hang on."
"Do I have to slap some sense into you again, girly?" New Goblin sneered, now suddenly so close that I could feel his hot breath on my face. His gloved hand traced my cheek, his fingertips digging into the soft flesh of my chin and making me look at him. "I enjoyed hitting you. Let's do it again. Or better yet, let's see how pretty you'd look without a face."
He held up the orange ball with a gleeful laugh. His smirk twisted my stomach as my hands clawed at his face. He continued to laugh though, his hand moving around my neck and lifting my body off the ground just slightly. The air in my lungs began to dry up, my feet dangling off the ground. "Harry." I gasped out, attempting to wiggle free but it was no use.
Suddenly, his hand was loosing around my neck and my feet hit the ground once again. My waist bent over, my hands pressed to my knees as I struggled to breath in gulps of fresh air. When I managed to finally glance up, I found Spider-Man pulling New Goblin away from me. White webbing snatched around New Goblin's knees and his body hit the ground. Even tackled to the ground, he was laughing madly.
"Harry, come on." Peter was saying, pleading with him. "I know it's hard, but please fight. We can't do this on our own, you've gotta' help. You have to fight. You have to fight against your father's words, against the Goblin serum. Please don't make me do this."
New Goblin rolled around on the ground, laughing until he cried. "You can't win. Harry's gone. He's nothing but bones."
While blinking back hot tears, somebody was coming to stand next to me. Gwen had ash dusted against her cheeks and was steadying Cindy Moon against her shoulder. Mary Jane was the person to fall beside New Goblin. Cuts littered her skin, her clothing torn in odd places. She looked terrible, but she placed her hand on Harry's green cheek, her breathing heavy. "Come back to us, Harry." she spoke calmly, despite the tremble in her hands. "Fight back."
He randomly stopping rolling around, his cruel laughter dying down. The moment was drawn out, something flashing in his eyes. His body froze for a second, almost like something was controlling him. For a brief second, he was almost Harry Osborn again. But that second snapped and suddenly, the villain was kicking his legs free from the webbing and drawing his arm around Mary Jane. Her scream was almost silent as he dragged her towards the edge of the rooftop before any of us could even stop him.
"Don't move," he roared. "Move an inch, and she'll fly tonight."
Mary Jane wiggled against his tight embrace, fresh tears dribbling down her cheeks. Gwen made an attempt to move beside me but my hand was tightly snapping around her wrist and keeping her in place. Cindy stood straight again, despite her injured leg. Peter held his hands up, showing New Goblin he meant no harm. He stepped forward an inch and Harry moved backwards, Mary Jane screaming with the sudden movement.
"I mean it, boy." New Goblin barked out.
Peter backed up. "You don't have to do this. Let Mary Jane go and you can have me, okay? Nobody else has to get hurt tonight." he started boldly. "You want me, right? You want Spider-Man. Right?"
New Goblin narrowed his eyes. "Spider-Man dies tonight."
"Okay." Peter nodded. "Just...please, let Mary Jane go."
A beat passed, my heart galloping in my ribcage. New Goblin considered the deal, his head tilting to the side. True darkness had engulfed his eyes and I honestly believed that our Harry Osborn was truly gone. With a sudden jerk of his body, his arms untangled from Mary Jane, but he twisted his body around, letting her go over the edge. A terrible scream echoed through the night air. It took me a second to realise the sound wasn't coming from me, but Gwen. She struggled from my grip, her hand yanking free. I was holding her in place that tightly that when she slipped through my hands, her ring was the only thing left in my palm.
Everything slowed down. New Goblin holding up his hands. "You said let her go, and I did."
There wasn't even any time to process what was happening around me. The only thing that even appeared in my vision was watching Mary Jane Watson fall, her mouth open and her red hair billowing around her. I saw her falling and I saw Gwen Stacy racing towards the edge, her legs pumping faster than ever before.
The air in my lungs dried up as Gwen dove for the ledge, her body dangling. But she didn't fall, her hand grabbing onto the ledge and steadying herself. I could hear her crying from my short distance away and then the world was clicking back into focus and I was pushing myself towards the edge as Spider-Man hurled himself at New Goblin again. When I reached the edge, a flood of tears stung my eyes with seeing Mary Jane hanging there. Gwen's tiny hand had wrapped around her wrist, holding her in place. "I can't hold her up much longer." Gwen puffed out, cheeks tinted with red from trying her hardest to pull our redhead to safety.
Thankfully, Cindy Moon was bending down and extending a hand. With her incredible strength, much like Peter's, she was helping pull Mary Jane up and over the edge. Mary Jane was crying softly but when she finally hit the safety of the rooftop, her hands were pulling Gwen in for a long hug. "Thank you, Gwen."
She gave us a tiny smile. "I'm a hero, that's what we do. Right?"
With the very sight of Mary Jane sinking to her knees, her life very much still intact, New Goblin snapped. He let out a scream of pure anger and went for Spider-Man, who dodged his blows with ease. A clean punch to the chest had Green Goblin stumbling backwards, trying to keep himself up right. Back and forth the hero and the villain went, blows matched. While Spider-Man took care of New Goblin, Cindy helped Mary Jane get far away from the rooftop ledge, heading for the door that would take them both back inside. I was turning back to Gwen, helping her to her feet.
When New Goblin knew he was no match, that his night to destroy Spider-Man would not play out like he had hoped, he stopped. I watched from my spot next to Gwen as he admitted defeat. "Fine. Fine. You win." New Goblin said but twirled around to face me. He grinned suddenly, something new sparking in his mind. With a mad last effort, New Goblin running at me. "But she doesn't!"
Peter hurried after him, but he didn't see the bomb sitting within New Goblin's fingertips, blinking away as he activated it. I had barely seen the orange ball before Gwen was pushing me out of the way, my body hitting the ground at a terrible angle. The wind was knocked out of my lungs as pain flared in my knees.
For a split second, my vision blinked black.
Then I was pushing myself to my knees, finding the rooftop missing two people. A horrible cry sounded from my lips, my mind groggy like a thick smoke was trapped in my head. New Goblin had been running towards me with very intention to drag me down with him but Gwen had pushed me out of the way, taking me place.
Crawling to the ledge, I flung my head over the edge. "It's okay," Peter announced. He stood behind me, arm extended as white webbing climbed down below. "I got her."
While the city blinked with light again, Ned having had successfully rebooted the power system, my vision saw a body awkwardly lying on a balcony not far below. The explosion had gone off in midair, Harry Osborn's body being flung against the building. Now, he was lying on cracked pavement with rubble around him and his leg bent at an awkward angle. He was knocked out cold. Dangling in the air still, just inches above the ground was Gwen Stacy. I blew out a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."
Peter smiled. "We did it."
I nodded. "We did it."
We both looked back down at the ground, watching as lights blinked on over the city and sirens blared in the distance. A moment passed between us, noticing something was wrong. A strange feeling reached my heart. "Pete." I blinked back tears, staring down at Gwen. Her body was flopped backwards, her head tilted too far back. "Pete, she's not moving..."
Peter was shaking his head. "No, no, she's okay...this isn't...Gwen?"
Without another word, he was scurrying over the edge and crawling down the side of the Avengers Tower. I watched in horror as he finally reached her, cradling her body in his arms. I didn't even have to hear his cries to know that she was gone. A sob broke through my chest, watching as he brushed away her hair from her face and tilted his face up to me.
My body sunk to the ground, my back pressed against the tiled ledge. A shaky breath left my lips and I tasted salt on my tongue. Slowly, I unclenched my fist and noticed Gwen's ring still in my palm from where she had torn away from my embrace only moments ago. A fresh wave of heartache rained down on me with the realisation that Gwen Stacy had saved my life too tonight. Gwen Stacy had saved her best friends. She was a hero.