THE goblins are coming.
Their screeches echo through the crumbled city like sirens—masses of them converging on Oscorp Tower from every direction.
"We don't have time," I say quickly, scanning the streets, the skyline, the chaos. "They're gonna be on us in minutes."
Rhino glances over the edge. "Minutes is generous."
"Then we use them," I say quickly. "Vulture, Electro, Rhino, Scorpion—you hold the line here. Buy us time."
Electro frowns. "Wait, what about Norman? You know he's in there."
I hesitate for a beat. "We find him after. The city comes first. We get this cure into the air. Fast."
Octavius speaks next, his voice sharp. "He's right. Who knows if Norman is even here."
I nod to the rest. "Hold them off as long as you can. We'll meet you back here."
And with that, we move.
I leap into the shattered interior of the tower, swinging through broken beams and shredded wires. Connors and Octavius follow, careful but fast.
The halls are worse than I remember—walls scorched, lights flickering overhead. The deeper we go, the more we see.
Blood. Everywhere. Trails of it. Splattered across the walls. Drag marks down the halls. We move fast, but I can't help the uneasy feeling growing in my stomach.
I land hard on a floor halfway up, pushing open a twisted metal door. Inside is a massive open space—clearly once a lab. I pause.
"This machine..." I ask aloud, glancing around. "If it can spread a gas across the entire city, where would it even fit? What room is big enough?"
Connors wipes grime from his glasses, scanning the ruin. "I've never seen anything like that at Oscorp. Not officially."
"Great," I mutter, ready to move again.
But then—
BOOM.
A deep explosion from somewhere above us. The tower shakes. Dust rains down in thick clumps from the ceiling, and we all freeze.
And then—
Laughter.
Twisted, slow... familiar.
Wrong.
A high-pitched, hacking cackle echoes down through the ventilation shafts, bouncing through the walls, distorted by the building's broken skeleton.
It's not coming from one place. It's coming from everywhere.
I turn sharply. "Its him..."
After five months, I thought I'd be more prepared, thought I'd have steeled my heart more for this. But, all the horrible memories of this...man, come crawling back as his laughter fills my ear with its unpleasantry.
The lights flicker out completely.
A moment of blackness. Then:
CLANG.
Something lands behind us with a metallic crash.
I whirl around, web-shooter ready—
A severed Oscorp security drone, its face screen still glowing, rolls slowly across the ground to our feet.
Looks like...a surveillance...drone?
From above, hanging upside down like a bat, comes a silhouette.
Thin. Twisted.
Arms too long. Legs too sharp. Wings like cracked glass.
The Green Goblin drops in front of us with a sickening grace, landing on all fours, head slowly craning upward until his manic, glowing eyes lock onto mine.
His mouth stretches into an awful grin.
"Miss me, Spider-Man?" He hums.
He looks wrong. Even more wrong than before. His suit has been warped—patched together with bits of torn armor, surgical tubing snaking along his limbs like veins.
"I've been waiting for you my dear boy," he rasps. "You never called." He frowns, then in an instant his crooked smile is back. "I knew a fall like that wouldn't kill the amazing Spider-Man."
I can't move. The last time I saw him, I was bleeding out, stabbed in the back, falling into darkness.
That laugh returns. Full, broken, echoing off the walls.
Octavius steps forward, arms raised in defense. "You look unwell, Norman. The sins of your actions finally out there for the world to see all over your disgusting face."
Norman cackles at this.
Connors stumbles back, clutching the cure bag.
Norman's voice cuts through the stillness, low and gravelly, his attention still fully focused on me. "You're too stubborn to die, aren't you?"
He steps forward, circling us, as if savoring the moment. "It was only a matter of time before we clashed again. I always knew we'd come full circle. What I didn't expect, however, was all the company you brought." He eyes Octavius and Connors, his lips curling into a sneer. "I must say, I'm a bit surprised. But I suppose you're all here for your own selfish reasons, aren't you?"
Octavius's voice is dripping with sarcasm as he raises an eyebrow. "You make it sound so inviting. I'd say we're all just here for a family reunion."
Norman's smile widens, eyes flashing with contempt. "I do love a good reunion. But some reunions are better left unhad." His gaze shifts back to me. "You're not the man you once were, Spider-Man. Oh, I know you must still be furious with me. But I also know that deep down, you'll realize this is all for the greater good."
I step forward, my voice shaking with the weight of everything I've been holding back. "Do you even realize what you've done? What you've taken from the people of this city?! Or how about your son?! Where is Harry?!" My eyes bore into him, trying to find some trace of the man I knew. "Is there any part of the man I used to know still inside you?"
Just looking at him makes my blood boil. This isn't just anger. This is something deeper. I feel a rage building inside me, a fury that scares me.
The part of me that just wants to end him right here.
Right now.
Norman's expression hardens for a moment before it's replaced by a sickening grin. He calls out, almost mockingly, "Its funny you should say that, I've got someone who has been dying...to meet you. Come out and greet our guests!"
There's a sickening moment of silence before he steps into view.
His skin is yellow, contorted, almost as if it's been stretched too thin. His eyes glow faintly—vacant and empty. His body is unnaturally tall, more monstrous than human. His movements are jerky, like something out of a nightmare. A figure that shouldn't be walking, let alone be alive.
I freeze.
As its face comes more into view, I can see the resemblance...oh god, no.
It's Harry.
But not the Harry I remember.
This... this thing is nothing like my best friend. His skin has been stretched tight, pulled over his bones like something barely human.
He's hooded, the cloak hanging from his body like it's trying to hide his grotesque form. His hands, clawed, twitch at his sides.
"Harry?" My voice cracks as I step forward, instinctively reaching out, but I stop myself.
What's left of him isn't my friend. Not anymore.
Norman's laughter fills the air, booming and triumphant. "Ah, yes. Harry Osborn. My son, my perfect failure. But this—" He gestures to the monstrous figure at his side, "—this is what he could have been. I've improved him. He's stronger, better. The Hobgoblin, as I've decided to call him."
My heart drops. "What did you do to him, Norman?!" I shout, my fists clenching. "This is your son, and you turned him into this?!"
Norman circles Harry, clearly proud of what he's done. "Harry Osborn was nothing but a disappointment. Weak. He could barely stand up to his own father. But look at him now," he sneers, stepping aside as if showing off a prized possession. "This... this is power. This is strength. He could teach you a thing or two, Spider-Man." He stops in front of Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder with too much familiarity. "This Hobgoblin is my true son. The one who will carry on my legacy."
I don't hear anything after that. All I can hear is the blood pounding in my ears, the anger rising inside me, hot and unbearable.
I feel my breath catch in my throat.
This isn't Harry anymore. This is a monster, a shell of the person I once knew, twisted beyond recognition.
It's all I can do to stop myself from rushing at Norman right then and there, tearing him apart.
But when I look at Harry—the Hobgoblin—all I see is my best friend's face, distorted, broken, nothing but a hollowed-out vessel for Norman's madness.
The rage inside me burns brighter than ever, and I realize I've reached my breaking point.
"You did this," I growl through clenched teeth. "You turned him into this." My voice is low and guttural, shaking with the fury I can no longer control. "You took everything from him. From me. From everyone! And now... now you're gonna pay."
Norman's laugh cuts through the tension, but it's no longer the self-satisfied chuckle of a madman. There's something darker in it now—more dangerous.
"You think this is something to save?" he sneers. "This is salvation, Spider-Man. This is what Harry needed to be. It's what you should've been. You had power! And you wasted it!"
I can barely see straight through the haze of rage.
I'm so close to snapping.
I can feel it.
This monster standing before me—the man who ruined so many lives, who destroyed everything I cared about—he's going to get what he deserves.
I don't know if I can stop myself.
But then, the Hobgoblin steps forward, his movements stiff and jerky, and I stop. My breath catches in my throat.
This isn't my Harry. It's something worse.
And yet... I still can't help but feel that pang of guilt.
I'm barely holding it together as I face the monster in front of me.
The question burns inside me: Will I be able to save him?
Before I can answer it, Norman grins once again, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Ready for the final show, Spider-Man?" he taunts. "It's time to finish what we started."
"You two get out of here, we don't have time to sit here and fight them. Go find that machine, and get that cure out into the city." I say, without even looking at Octavius.
The moment Octavius tears through the wall and vanishes with Connors, the building feels like it holds its breath.
Then I break the silence.
I launch forward, boots cracking against the floor as I drive my shoulder into Norman's chest. He flies back, smashing through a set of glass panels that once looked important—now just jagged edges and dust. I barely hear him groan.
Hobgoblin's on me a second later, blades flashing in the low light. He moves like a shadow—silent, sharp, deliberate.
One slice barely misses my cheek. The next? I catch his wrist mid-swing and twist. The blade clatters. He doesn't even flinch.
"Harry—" I try, but he's already spinning low, kicking for my legs.
I jump—higher than I expect. The suit kicks in without a word, like instinct woven into fabric.
I flip over him and land hard behind, swinging a leg into his side and sending him tumbling into a collapsed pillar.
Norman's laugh slithers back into the room.
"I was hoping you'd come back stronger," he says, voice jagged, wheezing. "You're finally everything I wanted you to be."
I grab a chunk of debris and hurl it. He ducks under, flipping forward unnaturally fast.
His glider screams through the side wall, smashing apart the ceiling, and he hops on mid-slide like it's second nature.
I leap, punch through the glider's wing, and send us both spinning. We crash into the elevator shaft, tangled in cables and wreckage.
I hit first, but land clean. He doesn't. I hear the metal hit his armor.
He coughs and growls.
Hobgoblin's already above me, dropping down from the shadows with both blades drawn now—jagged and crude.
I dodge left, slide under him, grab a live cable and snap it across his back. Sparks fly. He staggers, but doesn't make a sound. Still no words.
I hate that silence more than Norman's laugh.
"I know you're in there," I say, slamming him against a wall. "You have to be. Harry—come on—say something!"
He jerks his head forward—tries to stab. I catch his arm. I twist. He drops the blade.
I kick him back and web him to the nearest support beam, wrapping the coils tighter and tighter until he's not moving.
"I'll fix you," I mutter. "I swear I will."
I turn.
Norman's gone.
Only leaving behind a blood trail.
The blood trail leads me through what's left of Oscorp—splashed against walls, smeared across twisted steel. It's quiet, except for the hum of the emergency lights and the pounding in my chest.
I follow it, step by step, up a warped stairwell until I reach a heavy steel door—scarred, half hanging from the hinges.
I push through.
Darkness swallows me whole.
I blink, switching to night vision, and the world sharpens—outlines of machinery, shattered consoles, old wiring hanging like vines from the ceiling. It's a graveyard of science and ambition.
Then I hear it. That laugh.
That damned disgusting laugh.
"Hello, Peter," Norman says, somewhere in the dark. Calm. In control.
I scan the room. "It's over. Octavius and Connors—they're probably already at your machine. The cure's going out. This ends tonight."
"You still think you're playing offense," he replies, voice gliding along the shadows. "That's what's always fascinated me about you, Peter. You play the hero in a game you don't understand."
I turn slowly, tracking movement, but he's not giving me anything.
"If I'm honest with you, Peter. I could've spread more of this serum to the rest of the world already." He continues. "I'm sure some part of you must've wondered why I hadn't. Did you ask yourself why I waited? Why I let you run wild? Why I allowed you to even wake up at all? It was never about just evolving this world. It was about you."
I freeze, jaw tight.
"You think I spent five months hiding? No. I was watching. Waiting. I realized my victory wouldn't come with just killing you. I needed you to witness what it was you could've been. What it is you're going to lose."
He steps into the dim light at last—tall, hunched, but regal in a way that makes your skin crawl.
"I don't want to kill Spider-Man," Norman says. "I want to break him. I want him to know he never really had control. That all the choices he thought were his... were mine." He finally appears before me, but with a small device clenched firmly in his hand...
I don't wait.
I lunge.
His hand flicks up—and I snatch the device from it before he can react. Some kind of detonator. I crush it in my palm, metal bending like paper.
But Norman just...smiles.
"You always play your part," he murmurs. "Without fail."
My heart skips. "What did you do?"
"No, it's what you did. That was a deadman's switch, Peter."
Silence.
He tilts his head. "Which means you've just started the countdown. Twenty minutes, give or take. After that, that little sanctuary those poor civilians are tucked away in? Gone."
I take a step forward, fists clenched.
"Remind me dear boy, isn't that where you left your lovely aunt?" He says, like he's reminding me. "For safety...was it?"
I freeze.
"And while we're on the subject of loss," he adds, "I've sent some of my children to the facility. The girl. The thief. And that worm Virgil. I wonder who'll last the longest."
"You're bluffing."
"I don't bluff."
He starts pacing, slow and casual. "And as for your genius friends upstairs... you didn't even stop to ask why everything went so smoothly. Why you could approach this tower so easily. Why the doors opened for you."
I feel the air squeeze out of my lungs.
"Otto and Curt aren't about to spread a cure, Peter," Norman says, voice like glass under pressure. "They're about to complete my work. The second they activate that machine, without even realizing they'll turn this world into something... better. Controlled. Purified. Obedient. And it doesn't matter whether or not they injected the Goblin pills, this time...everyone will be remade in my image."
He leans close, eyes locked to mine. "And you led them there. You walked every single one of them right where I needed them."
My fingers curl into fists.
He's wrong.
He has to be.
But I can see by the look on his face....he's not.
His grin spreads wider, and quieter this time, he says, "So... what'll it be? The city? The girl? The woman who raised you?"
I don't answer.
Because I don't know.
I drop to my knees, the sound of my fist cracking the floor echoing through the empty dark.
I don't know what to do.
It feels like I've already lost. May. Gwen. Felicia. Virgil. Everyone... And it's my fault. I played right into Norman's hands. I let him corner us.
But then—I hear it. A voice that isn't spoken but felt.
It's all of them. Aunt May. Gwen. Felicia. Captain Stacy. Harry. Hell, even Flash Thompson.
Every person who's ever believed in me—who's looked at Spider-Man and seen more than just the mask. More than just the screw-up.
I've fallen before. I've failed before.
But I've always gotten back up.
And there's no room left for fear.
I am Spider-Man.
I have a responsibility.
I don't hesitate. I hurl myself through the side of the building, glass and steel exploding around me as I plummet toward the ground.
I see them—just like Norman said.
Goblins. A tide of them, rushing like wild animals toward the facility. Toward the people I swore I'd protect.
I hit the ground hard, right at the tower entrance. The Sinister Six—or what's left of them—turn, battered, breathing heavy.
"What the hell's going on?" Scorpion growls.
"No time," I snap. "Vulture—I need you."
He raises a brow. "Excuse me?"
"There's a bomb—underground. Old subway station. On 49th, you'll find it there. It's not hard to miss. Civilians are down there. You need to find it, now."
Vulture scoffs. "That wasn't part of the plan."
I step up, eyes locked. "Plans change. You wanted to help your own family didn't you? Your granddaughter? Well, why don't you start by saving someone else's."
He glares, tension thick in the air. "How am I even going to find it? Not like I can track that sort of thing."
Electro steps forward, eyes lighting up. "I might be able too. Bomb's gotta be powered, right? Maybe I can feel the charge... trace the current."
"Then get moving!" I shout. "You've got less than twenty minutes!"
They take off—Vulture flying, Electro riding the nearest conduit like lightning.
I turn to Rhino and Scorpion.
"The goblins are heading to the facility. That's where the others are."
They hesitate.
"I get it," I say. "You don't owe me, or even them anything. But Virgil is there. He's the only one who understands the formula. If this cure fails, and Norman wins today, he's the only shot we have left to fix it. Or you, and the rest of the world will turn into those things."
Scorpion curses under his breath.
"We won't beat those things there in time," Rhino grunts.
"Then you better haul ass," I say. "You don't need to win, just find them and get them out of there. They're not weak, I'm sure they'll find a way to hold out until you arrive. Just please, get them out."
Scorpion snorts. "You're lucky I hate that green bastard more than I hate you."
He takes off, Rhino charging behind him.
"End this," Rhino calls back.
I nod once—and launch myself skyward.
The wind howls past me as I climb, swinging higher and higher until I reach the roof. I crash through the ceiling—and find nothing.
No Otto. No Connors.
Dammit.
I keep moving, smashing through floor after floor, tearing through concrete and steel.
Finally—I land in a room so massive it doesn't make sense. Like it was built in some other dimension and stitched into this one.
And there they are.
Octavius and Connors.
Too late.
The machine is on.
I rush forward, boots slamming against the floor as the machine hums with quiet menace.
"Tell me you didn't start it," I say, chest heaving. "Please—tell me it's not running yet."
Octavius doesn't look up. His arms twitch, fingers tapping commands.
"It's started," Connors says, voice low. "Sequence initiated. Transmission's already broadcasting. Why? What's...what's wrong?" He asks, eyeing me with confusion.
"No..." My stomach turns.
"You don't understand," I say quickly, stepping between them. "Norman tricked us. That thing doesn't send out the cure—it sends out a trigger. A final mutation. Everyone infected... they're going to change again. Permanently. Worse."
Connors stares, stricken.
Octavius slowly looks up at me. His expression is cold.
"You played right into his hands," he says.
"I didn't know—"
"Exactly," Otto snaps. "You didn't know. And now the world burns because you were too naive to see the game."
He slams one of his arms into the console. A monitor flares to life.
A digital map pulses with red signals—New York, Paris, Hong Kong. Oscorp's satellite relay is feeding the machine's signal across the globe.
Connors swallows hard. "This is global... the entire world they'll....they'll receive the mutation trigger and just like New York...." He trails off.
"Unless we shut it down," I say. "Can we?"
Octavius's eyes flick toward the power systems. "Not fast enough. But, Maxwell, if he were here he could—"
"He's gone. With Vulture—tracking a bomb. There was no time."
The room falls into silence—tense, choking silence—until I see something shift behind Otto's eyes. A gear turning.
He turns slowly, reaching for the back of his neck—where the base of the neural harness feeds into his spine.
"Wait," he says.
Connors and I both glance at him.
"This system—it's not just mechanical. My arms interface directly through a neural feedback loop. Thought into motion."
He begins typing, fast, controlled. "If I can reprogram the uplink node to accept a neural command... I could overwrite the signal directly. Inject a counter-frequency. Scramble the mutation before it finishes."
Connors frowns. "You'd be linking your brain directly to the broadcast network."
"I know."
"You could suffer neurological damage. Seizures. Death."
"I know," Otto repeats. Quiet, but firm.
I step forward. "There has to be another way—"
"There isn't." He turns to me. "Don't you understand? I built this machine. I might not have realized it, but he's been using my research, my designs, my failures to create this device. If I can do one thing right—it's this. I can fix it. But I need time."
He looks me dead in the eye. "Buy me that time."
The air shifts.
The doors groan open.
All three of us turn.
There stands Norman Osborn—his posture upright, his movements unhurried. His clothes are singed and torn, his face partially shadowed. But in his hand, glinting beneath the harsh light, is a vial.
"I thought I might bring a parting gift," he says, voice smooth. Calculated. "Just enough for one final dose."
He lifts the vial between two fingers. The fluid inside glows a sickly green.
"A higher concentration. Refined. Perfected. I'd hate to leave before showing you what real evolution looks like."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virgil paces by the equipment, gnawing at his thumbnail. He keeps glancing toward the door like it'll suddenly burst open with good news. Gwen stands nearby with her arms crossed, her fingers tapping against her sleeve.
Felicia sits on a metal crate, elbows on her knees, eyes fixed on the floor.
"I'm sure it's working," Gwen says, though her voice isn't convincing anyone—not even herself.
Felicia doesn't look up.
Before Virgil can offer anything, the floor beneath them rumbles. It starts subtle—just a soft tremor. Then another hits, this one deeper, angrier. Loose equipment rattles. One of the overhead lights swings, casting long, shifting shadows across the room.
They freeze.
Gwen steps toward the doorway, slowly. "Did you feel that?"
They don't answer. They don't have to. The next quake is worse. Louder. Like the earth itself is growling.
Virgil turns pale.
Felicia and Gwen rush outside.
And then they see it.
Pouring over the horizon like a tidal wave of madness, the goblins are coming. Hundreds of them, climbing over each other, clawing, shrieking—flesh tearing, wings unfurling, fire spilling from twisted mouths.
Gwen's breath catches.
Felicia stares in horror. "Oh.....shit."
~~~
Vulture and Electro circle a crumbling alleyway, arguing.
"I'm telling you, this ain't the place," Vulture snaps, scanning the surrounding buildings with a frustrated groan. "There's nothing here."
Electro growls. "You're not looking. The power surge is strong, it's pulsing underground. It has to be close."
Vulture squints toward the edge of the block. And then he sees it.
A rusted sign. Faded paint: SUBWAY ENTRANCE – EMERGENCY ACCESS ONLY.
"There," he says, pointing. "That it?"
Electro nods. "That's it."
Without another word, they take off toward the entrance.
~~~
"Dr. Octavius—focus on stopping the signal," I say. "That satellite can't go live."
"I'll handle it," Otto mutters, already moving toward the neural interface. His hands tremble, but his focus is razor-sharp.
I nod, then look to Connors. "You should find cover. Just in case."
He shoots me a look. "You want me to hide?"
"You'll be safer—"
"I didn't come here to be useless, Spider-Man."
Before I can argue, he clenches his jaw and lets out a low growl. I already know what's coming. His body starts to ripple, shifting under the skin—bones twisting, muscle bulging. His eyes go wild just before he drops to the floor, screaming. Claws burst from his hands, his tail slams into a nearby console, and a guttural roar shakes the walls.
I flinch. "Woah..."
"There's not much time now, and I must say all of this makes the game so much more exciting." Norman says, voice cool, smooth, he's enjoying every second of this. "Didn't expect you to make so many friends. Not like this."
His eyes flick across the room—the Lizard, Otto hunched over the terminal—and finally land on me.
"You've gotten rather good at attracting strays."
I don't say a word. I just watch him, my chest tight with tension.
He takes a step closer.
"But me?" he continues. "I got here alone. Built everything from nothing. No one handed me anything. No one believed in me. I made myself into something greater—through my own strength. My own...power."
He raises the vial. The serum inside shimmers like liquid madness.
"And now?" A faint grin curls at the corner of his mouth. "Now I'll become something more."
Before I can move, he jams the injector into his neck.
"No—!"
Too late.
His body jolts, seizing up.
The change is instant.
Veins go black beneath his skin. His muscles stretch and tear. I hear bones snap, crack, reform. His spine bends in ways it shouldn't.
His coat shreds as wings burst out.
Horns rip through his skull. Scales spread across his skin like armor forged in hell.
He grows in size before us, his fingernails sharpening into razor claws.
The Lizard snarls beside me.
I take a step back, every muscle in my body tensing. My fists clench without thinking.
Right in front of us, Norman Osborn becomes something else.
Something monstrous.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TIME REMAINING UNTIL EXPLOSION:
[10:01]
The lab lights flicker as the Goblin's roar echoes off the walls—low and guttural, like metal grinding against bone. Lizard charges first, claws slashing, jaw unhinged in a primal scream.
Norman meets him mid-sprint, talons colliding with scaled flesh. I don't hesitate—I dive in too, webbing his arm and yanking with all my strength.
We barely move him.
Norman slams Lizard into the floor.
I hear something crack.
[09:43]
Oscorp Facility
Gwen's hand is trembling.
Felicia paces behind her.
Virgil stares out the reinforced window as another tremor rips through the structure.
"...They're coming. They're coming," Gwen whispers.
Then they hear it—screeching. A grotesque cacophony of goblins, hundreds of them, swarming over hills and rooftops like insects toward a light. Gwen's breath catches.
"They're coming."
[09:30]
Underground – Subway Entrance
Vulture and Electro leave the main part of the subway, where all of the survivors had held up, moving even further into the station following the surge that Electro could feel coming from the bomb.
Vulture grunts. "Damn, we wasted a lot of time dealing with those guards. Are we close now?"
Electro steps past him, static curling off his fingertips. "There's a power signature ahead. Big one."
They exchange a glance. Then they continue on.
[09:15]
I swing around behind Norman and web his wings, yanking him off balance just long enough for Lizard to leap up and slam into his side.
They crash into a console—glass shatters, sparks rain down. Norman snarls and rips free, his claws tearing through Lizard's arm.
Blood sprays.
Lizard stumbles back, and I see it—his right arm is gone, just a ragged stump trailing crimson. He howls.
"Doc—!"
But he's already back on his feet. Still fighting.
[08:49]
Oscorp Facility
Gwen barricades the main door. "We can't hold them off. Not like this."
"It can't be much longer now," Felicia snaps. "We just have to buy time."
Virgil tightens the straps on his backpack, clutching a canister close to his chest.
"The-They'll get in here," he says, voice shaking, "they're going to kill us. If only we had that device I had given to Mr. Spider-Man, it would've warded off this attack."
Gwen turns to Felicia, and she can tell they're both thinking the same thing. The device she used at the prison...but in all the chaos that happened there it was lost when the Goblins came rushing out of the front entrance.
Now...they were truly helpless.
[08:26]
Norman's tail slams me into the floor. Pain shoots up my spine. I roll just in time to avoid his claws carving through the tile. I web his eyes, jump, twist mid-air, and slam both feet into his face.
It only makes him angrier.
He grabs me mid-flip and hurls me into the ceiling. My ribs rattle.
Below, Lizard rips into his leg, teeth sinking deep. Norman screams and slams him down again—and again—until the floor buckles beneath the weight of it all.
[08:00]
Underground – Terminal Level
Electro's hand glows bright. "I see it. Timer's wired into the station's main grid."
Vulture peers through the smoke. "Can you disarm it?"
"Maybe. Or maybe I try and fry it and risk blowing half the block."
They stare at the blinking red light.
07:59. 07:58. 07:57.
Electro curses. "We don't have time to argue."
[07:45]
Oscorp Facility
Felicia pulls Gwen aside, voice cracking. "If they break through—"
"They won't."
"You don't know that!"
"I do," Gwen says softly. "Because he's out there. Peter's out there. He'll—He'll stop this."
[07:30]
Norman's talons slash open my side—I hit the ground hard, vision flashing red. I can barely breathe.
Lizard lunges, dragging Norman back, biting into his shoulder—Norman roars and drives a spike through Lizard's thigh.
The Lizard shrieks, blood pouring onto the floor. He stumbles but doesn't fall.
Neither of us do.
[07:12]
I rise again. My body's screaming, but I don't stop. I can't. Because they're counting on me. Gwen. Felicia. Everyone.
I'm Spider-Man.
I don't break.
I swing into Norman, webbing both arms, driving him into the wall—exposing a bit of the city skyline beyond.
He laughs, blood in his teeth.
"You think you can stop what's coming?"
I clench my fists. "I know I can."
[06:58]
I duck just in time—the Goblin's claw carves through air where my head was a second ago. Behind him, the Lizard lunges, tail snapping across the lab like a whip. He grabs one of the beast's legs, dragging him down.
The Goblin laughs—a deep, guttural sound. He twists, teeth like blades, and bites into Connors' shoulder.
The Lizard shrieks.
I don't even think. I drive both feet into Goblin's head and tear him away from Connors with a surge of adrenaline. We hit the floor, tumble, then I'm back on my feet—barely.
Connors stumbles, blood pouring from his shredded shoulder. His arm's already gone. He's losing too much.
"Stay with me, Doc!" I yell.
[06:30]
Screaming. Metal bending. Gwen grabs Virgil and yanks him behind a pillar as part of the ceiling collapses under impact.
Felicia slides into cover next to them, two small knives she pulled from her some random drawer. "We can't hold this much longer."
"Why aren't they done yet?" Gwen asks, voice breaking. "They should've done it by now. Right?"
"We hold out," Felicia says through gritted teeth, "until they do."
Outside, the goblins descend. Dozens. Sprinting, clawing, devouring everything in their path. Shadows stretch across the facility walls.
Death, coming.
[06:02]
"There," Electro shouts, pointing. "That's the core. I can fry the connection."
Vulture glares at the panel. "You sure it won't blow early?"
"I'm not sure of anything!" Electro snaps, electricity dancing off his fingertips. "But we're running out of time."
[05:47]
Goblin grabs me by the throat and slams me into the floor so hard the concrete caves in. My whole body screams.
"You're breaking," he hisses, saliva dripping. "Same as always."
I reach up—blindly—and jam a web-shooter into his eye.
He roars, stumbling back, and I claw to my feet.
Connors lunges again from the side, but Goblin is ready this time. He swings wide—and rips into Connors' side.
The Lizard crashes across the lab, landing in a heap. Motionless.
I stare.
No. No, no, no—
[05:21]
Gwen's back slams against the wall as one of the goblins claws through a side corridor.
Felicia drives a knife into its neck—blood spurts—and kicks the dying beast away. "I'm-I'm sorry...I'm sorry."
"More incoming!" Gwen yells. "We need more weapons, traps, something!"
Virgil pulls a panel off the wall. "There's an emergency generator in here. I-I might be able to rig—"
"Do it!" Gwen screams, hands shaking.
[05:00]
I fire a webline, swing wide, and punch Goblin across the jaw hard enough to crack bone—but it's like hitting a mountain.
He grabs my leg mid-swing and throws me skyward.
Glass explodes as I crash through the ceiling into the upper level. I tumble, groaning, everything spinning.
Below, I hear Goblin's wings unfurl.
He follows.
[04:43]
Electro plants both hands on the bomb casing.
Power erupts from his body, flowing into the wires. The lights flicker violently. Sparks shoot across the subway station.
"C'mon, c'mon—talk to me," Vulture growls, watching the countdown flash.
[04:20]
The goblin flies up, grabbing my leg and launching me through the hole I made coming down here earlier, high into the sky.
The goblin meets me in the air.
Fist to claw.
Blood to blood.
My knuckles split. His jaw dislocates. He cackles through it.
"You think you're close, don't you?" he growls, locking arms with me mid-air. "You think you're going to win?"
He drives a knee into my ribs. I feel something break.
He flips me mid-grapple and slams me into the rooftop. The world spins.
[04:01]
Inside the facility, the goblins break through.
Felicia pulls Gwen behind a barrier just as one of them crashes in, screeching.
Virgil screams as he wires two cables together. The generator sparks—electricity flows.
A pulse of power surges into the outer defense grid.
Half the corridor erupts in a shockwave of heat and light, frying three goblins instantly.
Gwen breathes hard, looking at Virgil like he just pulled a miracle.
"More where that came from," Felicia pants.
[03:44]
Vulture shouts: "The clock's still running!"
Electro grits his teeth, overloading the circuitry. "I can feel it—it's not enough! We need another surge!"
[03:21]
Goblin lifts me by the throat, wings beating furiously.
We rise above Oscorp, high above the city.
The sky burns behind him.
"You remember this, don't you?" he says. "Me holding you just like this."
My fingers claw at his wrist, trying to break free.
"This is how it all started, wasn't it?" he whispers. "The moment everything fell apart."
I try to fight, but my arms are heavy. Blood in my mouth. My mask cracked.
"This time, you get to watch it happen again," he hisses, and turns my head toward the distant horizon—toward the subway station.
Toward the people I failed to save.
[03:01]
The countdown ticks lower.
03:00
02:59
02:58
And falling.
[02:57]
Felicia slams her back against a pillar as another goblin slashes at the air where she just was. Her pulse races.
"Move!" Felicia hisses at Gwen, yanking her behind a metal barrier. Gwen's hands are shaking, but they keep moving. Virgil follows, eyes wide with fear.
Behind them, goblins rush in, relentless.
Felicia grits her teeth and grabs a metal pipe, swinging it at the closest goblin. She doesn't want to kill it, but she can't stop. She has to survive.
[02:50]
I punch the Goblin hard, the crack of bone echoing through the sky. The force of the blow sends us both tumbling, crashing down the side of the building. Glass shatters beneath us, raining down as we grapple mid-air.
Goblin laughs—his breath ragged. "You think this ends with you, Spider-Man? No, this was always meant to end with my perfect victory!"
My vision is blurred from the blows, but I'm not done. I web the Goblin's wings to the building, then I swing again, landing an uppercut. Goblin stumbles, but his claws lash out, catching me across the chest breaking through my suit.
[02:30]
Electro stands at the heart of the subway station, sweat dripping down his face as he focuses. Sparks fly from his fingers, his body crackling with power. The bomb's countdown flashes brightly.
"Come on... just a little longer," he mutters, electricity surging through his body. His hands touch the wires, sending one final surge into the system.
The countdown timer flickers.
[02:20]
Felicia's hand tightens around the pipe as another goblin leaps at them. She swings, catching it across the face, knocking it back. The others are closing in.
"Get to the exit!" She yells to Gwen and Virgil. Her heart pounds in her chest, the pressure building as they near the end.
Gwen nods, pulling Virgil toward the door.
[02:00]
I slam a punch into Goblin's chest, knocking the wind out of him. The glass of the building shatters as we continue our fight in the air, our battle making its mark on the side of the building.
Goblin snarls, a sick grin on his face.
"Not so fast," he sneers, grabbing me by the throat, his claws digging in. "You'll watch everything burn... again."
I claw at his hand, gasping for air. My fingers slip under Goblin's wrist and, with a final surge of strength, I web the Goblin's face, pushing him back. Goblin stumbles, trying to retaliate.
[01:45]
Electro grits his teeth. The bomb's timer ticks closer to zero, but he's starting to feel the strain. The wires spark wildly beneath his hands. "C'mon... stay with me," he growls, his voice strained.
[01:30]
Felicia and Gwen sprint for the door, dodging goblins at every turn. Felicia doesn't stop. She can feel them closing in, but she's not slowing down. Not now.
A goblin lunges, but Felicia drives the pipe into its chest, sending it crashing back. "Go!" she orders, shoving Gwen and Virgil through the door.
[01:00]
I drive my knee into the Goblin's chest, sending us crashing down another level. Goblin grabs me again, dragging us both through another floor of the building, but my punches grow more ferocious.
"You won't win this!" I hiss, slamming a fist into the Goblin's face.
The Goblin's laugh is sickening. "I always win!"
[00:45]
Felicia pulls Gwen and Virgil down a corridor, her breath ragged. The walls tremble as more goblins flood in. She swings the pipe again, knocking a goblin back, but she knows it won't be long before they're overwhelmed.
[00:30]
Electro raises his hands again, sending a shock into the bomb's core. The timer flickers again, the seconds ticking by agonizingly slow.
[00:20]
The Goblin and I crash through the building, flying down the side of the skyscraper, punching and slashing, neither one of us willing to give an inch.
The ground is rushing up to meet us.
I slam a punch into Goblin's face just as we hit the ground floor, cracking his jaw as we land hard on the pavement.
[00:10]
Felicia is almost to the exit. Gwen and Virgil are ahead of her, but Felicia feels the sweat on her brow, the exhaustion setting in. They're almost there. Just a few more steps.
[00:05]
Electro's body shakes with the effort, but his fingers send one final jolt into the bomb's circuitry.
The countdown timer flashes.
[00:03]
Everything freezes.
Then—nothing. The bomb is deactivated.
[00:03]
Felicia, Gwen, and Virgil stumble out into the open air just as Rhino and Scorpion leap down from the top of the building, roaring for them to get moving.
"Told you they'd try for the back exit!" Scorpion calls over to Rhino.
"No matter! We leave now! Too many of the beasts!" Rhino orders, picking up Gwen and Virgil with one sweep of his arms, then Felicia with another.
The three have almost no energy to even question what's happening as he begins charging fast away from the onslaught of Goblins chasing after them all.
Scorpion follows behind swiping away at the trailing Goblins.
[00:03]
I watch from the ground as Norman groans beneath me, his monstrous form finally subdued.
Finally.
Defeated. He's... He's...
But it doesn't matter now. There's no time to dwell on that. The bomb—Gwen—everyone else. I shake my head, pushing aside the momentary relief.
I can't afford to waste another second.
I force myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that tries to claim me. Webbing Norman's massive body to the ground.
I give it all I've got, just in case.
He's down for now, but I can't take any chances.
I glance at the sky, my mind already racing. The timer must've hit zero by now... has the bomb already gone off?
No. Focus.
I web myself up the side of the building, exhaustion clinging to every movement, but I push through. There's no time to slow down now. Not for me. Not for anyone.
I reach the hole I made earlier and swing down toward where I left Dr. Octavius. He's still standing, but I can see the wear on him—how much of this whole mess has taken a toll. And then I notice the Lizard, thrown aside like a ragdoll. He's missing an arm, still down. A part of me wants to help him, but there's no time.
I get to Octavius, still, like the man's tethered to his fate. "Doc?" I ask, my voice strained from the fight. "Did you... Did you stop it?"
He looks at me, exhausted but steady. "Yes. The easy part, I suppose," he says with a hint of dry humor. "I'm currently neurally linked to the satellites that were supposed to spread the virus. The connection's draining me, but it's done."
For a brief second, the weight of it lifts from my chest. The city is safe. We're going to make it. But then the reality of what he's saying hits me.
"So... what now? Can we use the cure? What're we waiting for?"
Octavius shifts uncomfortably, and I see it in his eyes—the understanding that this might be the end for him. "Yes, and when I initiate the cure, the discharge from controlling all these systems will likely kill me, as we discussed. Even if I survive, I'll be little more than a vegetable, trapped in my own mind."
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I want to argue. I want to find another way. But I can't. Not this time.
I try to think of something—anything—to say to make it better. But there's nothing. So, instead, I just say, "Doc, if you don't want to—"
He cuts me off, shaking his head with a grim smile. "There is no other choice. I've made my peace with it." His eyes soften, and for a moment, there's something almost human in his gaze. "Just... tell them. Tell them it was Otto Octavius who saved this miserable city."
I nod, fighting the lump in my throat. "You got it, Doc. I'll make sure everyone knows." I don't know what else to say. How can I say anything more to a man who has made so many mistakes, but who, in this moment, is giving everything to fix them?
He gives me a slight nod before closing his eyes. And then, slowly, the once-blinking lights on the monitors begin to fade, one by one. Blood trickles from his nose, his eyes—then his mouth. I see the pain in his face, the toll of his decision.
"Doc—" I start to move toward him, but he raises a hand, stopping me.
The machine that was poised to destroy everything falls silent. The virus, the chaos—it all halts.
But I don't have time to celebrate. Not when he stumbles back, gasping for air, before collapsing into my arms.
"Doc? You... you did it, right?" I ask desperately, but he doesn't respond.
His head lolls to the side. No. No, no, no.
I check for a pulse. Nothing. He's not breathing.
I squeeze my eyes shut, a surge of emotion I can't control flooding through me. How did it come to this? How did the man who once sought to control the world end up sacrificing everything to save it?
I gently rest him on the ground, a mix of admiration and sorrow welling up in my chest. "I'll make it right, Doc. I promise. You didn't die for nothing."
I reach into his coat pocket and pull out the vial of the cure, my fingers closing around it with determination. It's small, unassuming, but in my hands, it feels like the last hope for the city.
I'll make sure his sacrifice means something. I'll make sure he's remembered, even if he didn't live to see it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Felicia clings to Rhino as he runs, her breath sharp, her heart racing. The city closes in on them, the horde of goblins relentless, cutting them off at every turn. She feels it—the end is near. No way out. No escape.
"We can't outrun them," Gwen mutters, clutching Virgil tightly. Her face is pale, the weight of the situation sinking in.
Felicia's throat tightens, her thoughts a blur. She can't shake the gnawing sense of helplessness, but there's nothing more to do. Nothing more to give.
Rhino swerves, charging down another street, but the goblins are everywhere, swarming, cutting them off.
They're trapped.
Felicia's heart sinks as she glances over her shoulder, her grip tightening. But then...
A flicker of blue appears in the sky.
At first, it's barely noticeable—just a subtle shift in the air. But it quickly grows, spreading, the color filling the sky like a gentle fog. It rolls across the city, weaving through the streets, swirling like mist in the early morning light.
Gwen's breath catches, her eyes wide. "It's him," she whispers.
Felicia follows Gwen's gaze, and in that moment, she knows. There's no doubt.
Peter.
The fog continues to spread, the air around them growing thick, soft—heavy with the scent of something unfamiliar.
As it touches the goblins, their frantic movements slow. They stop. Their eyes glaze over, and one by one, they collapse, falling unconscious as the cure works its quiet magic.
Felicia watches, breathless, as the chaos around them fades. The goblins are gone—no longer enemies, but just people, broken and unconscious, their twisted forms returning to normal.
And then, like a dream, it happens. The city begins to shift. The fog, once heavy and overwhelming, lightens, settling into a peaceful calm. It isn't just the goblins being cured—it's the entire city. The air, the streets, the very pulse of the place feels different.
Gwen looks up at the sky, a single tear slipping down her cheek. Her voice barely a whisper: "He did it. Peter... he saved us."
Felicia doesn't speak, but her chest tightens with something she can't quite place—relief, awe, gratitude.
The air is still. The chaos has stopped. The city is quiet, as if holding its breath. And in the distance, the blue fog continues to roll, softening the edges of the world.
It's over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I swing up to the rooftop, the wind whipping past me as I land softly, my legs shaking with exhaustion. I set Dr. Connors down gently, making sure he's stable, before I step back, taking in the scene before me.
The city is quiet now, a strange calm settling over it. I can still see the remnants of the blue fog lingering in the streets, the mist of hope slowly fading, but the destruction is gone.
The goblins, the chaos, it's all behind us.
The fight is over.
I take off my mask, feeling the cool breeze against my skin. The weight on my chest starts to lift, but it's not quite gone yet. My hands tremble slightly, but I force myself to steady them.
I look down at the entrance below, where Rhino, Scorpion, Gwen, Felicia, and Virgil stand together, safe. Vulture lands beside them, carrying Electro.
They're alive.
I take a deep breath, letting the calm of the moment settle in. The city is still, the chaos has quieted, and for the first time in what feels like forever, there's no danger looming.
I look back to the sky—clear now, the faintest trace of the blue mist lingering like a memory. The night, once filled with fear, now feels peaceful, as if everything is finally at rest.
I let my gaze fall down to the city below, to the streets that were once a battlefield. Everything feels different now. I look at the faces of my friends—people who fought beside me, who are still standing, still breathing.
And then, in the silence, I ask the question I've carried with me for so long: "Am I...Am I finally living up to what you hoped, Uncle Ben?"
There's no answer. But I know, somehow, that I've done what I could.
The nightmare is over.
The world is safe.
For the first time in a long time, I allow myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, I've finally earned the right to say that...I've done good by this city.