Let's reach 250 Power Stones for an extra chapter
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The Oscorp lab felt sterile, a stark contrast to the chaos they had just escaped. It was too bright. The equipment hummed with silent efficiency. Peter and Ethan walked into the lab, exhaustion etched on their faces, where Gwen waited. She shot to her feet, her eyes wide with concern.
"What happened? Is Harry okay?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. She chewed on her lip.
Ethan let Peter take the lead, knowing that the story was his to tell. Peter's voice was strained as he recounted the events at the mansion: the Goblin's taunts, the armory, and the explosion. His near-death experience was difficult for him to talk about. He kept pausing, lost in a swirl of conflicting emotions.
"It was Norman," Peter blurted out, his voice thick with guilt. "He was there… and he's… he's really the Goblin, Gwen. He tried to kill us."
Gwen gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Harry… oh, Peter, what about Harry?" Her eyes, wide with horror, sought confirmation. "Is he…"
Peter nodded grimly. "He's alive, thanks to Ethan. But… he saw his father. He knows."
Gwen sank into a chair, her face pale. "Poor Harry. He's lost everything."
Peter slumped into a chair, his shoulders slumped. The weight of his conflicting emotions pressed down on him. He had looked up to Norman, seen him as a mentor, even a father figure. Now, that image was shattered, replaced by the horrifying reality of the Green Goblin. A monster. He couldn't fathom it.
"I… I feel responsible," Peter admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "He was my friend. And I couldn't…"
"It's not your fault, Peter," Gwen insisted, her voice firm. "You couldn't have known. None of us could have." Her voice had a slight edge.
Ethan stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, Peter. We will find a way to stop him. We are here now."
A renewed sense of purpose settled over the lab, a shared determination to fight back against the darkness that threatened to consume them. They had the Goblin Serum data now, their best chance at finding a cure.
Peter pushed himself to his feet, his eyes focused. "Let's get to work."
With renewed resolve, Peter and Gwen dove into the complex data, their scientific skills meshing seamlessly. Gwen, with her sharp analytical mind, dissected the chemical formulas, while Peter, drawing on his knowledge of biology and genetics, explored the serum's effects on the human body. They were a team.
Ethan watched them work, his anxiety simmering beneath the surface. He felt out of his depth. Magic, monsters, dimensions he could handle. The science eluded him, a complex language he didn't speak. He hoped. They had to find a cure.
…
Across town, the sterile calm of the Oscorp lab was a world away from the bustling, chaotic energy of the NYPD headquarters. In his cramped office, George Stacy sat hunched over a mountain of paperwork, the dim overhead light casting long shadows across his weary face. The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly onward, marking the slow passage of another night spent wrestling with the city's growing chaos.
Reports about the so-called Spider-Man were piling up, alongside increasingly bizarre accounts of some kind of blue and yellow armored figure that people were starting to call Cipher, and rumors of a "Green Goblin" terrorizing the skies. George was a law-and-order man, a cop who believed in procedure, evidence, and tangible threats. But these… these were different.
He rubbed his tired eyes, pushing aside the files detailing petty theft and drug busts to focus on the more pressing matters. Vigilantes operating outside the law were one thing, but a flying green monster that could level city blocks? It was something else entirely, something that strained the limits of his understanding. How was he supposed to fight what he could barely comprehend?
A sudden, earth-shattering BOOM ripped through the building, shaking the very foundations of the precinct. The wall of George's office exploded inward, sending him flying backward in his chair, scattering papers and debris across the room. The force of the blast knocked the wind out of him, and his head slammed against the floor.
When George's vision cleared, he saw a gaping hole where his office wall had been, the night sky mocking him with its vast indifference. Perched on some kind of winged, mechanical contraption hovering in the opening was the Green Goblin. He realized the reports he was reading were real.
The creature radiated menace. His skin was a sickly green, twisted into grotesque, almost demonic features. Horns jutted from his forehead, and his eyes gleamed with a sinister, unsettling intelligence. He was dressed in a torn, makeshift suit of dark purple armor, but his inhuman physique bulged, making him look too big for it.
"George Stacy," the Goblin hissed, his voice a gravelly rasp that echoed in the shattered remains of the office. "I've come to collect a debt."
George scrambled to his feet, his mind reeling. What was going on? Who was this creature? He recognized a familiar face from the news, but up close, he was horrifying.
"What do you want?" George demanded, his voice strained.
The Goblin chuckled, a chilling sound that sent a shiver down George's spine. "I know about your daughter, George. Gwen, isn't it? A bright girl. A Chosen Child."
George's blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?" He thought about what the Goblin said, what kind of monster would threaten a kid?
The Goblin's grin widened, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth. "Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. You will lead me to her."
"I won't help you," George spat, his jaw tight. "Whatever you want with her, you won't get it." He needed to protect Gwen, even if he didn't understand why this monster wanted her.
"Oh, I think you will," the Goblin said, his voice laced with menace. "Or perhaps... you enjoy this view."
George lunged forward, drawing his service weapon, a desperate act of defiance. He fired, but the Goblin simply swatted the bullets aside with contemptuous ease. A hail of green fire exploded from the Goblin's hands, narrowly missing George, sending splinters of wood and shards of glass flying through the air.
The Goblin descended from his glider, his inhuman strength evident as he moved with terrifying speed. He disarmed George with a swift kick, sending the weapon skittering across the floor. Before George could react, the Goblin seized him, his grip like a vise.
"Such bravery," the Goblin sneered, hoisting George into the air. "But misplaced. I will have my Chosen Child. And you, Officer Stacy, are going to help me get her."
With a powerful leap, the Goblin soared back onto his glider, George clutched tightly in his grasp. The machine roared to life, and the Green Goblin shot into the night sky, leaving behind a trail of smoke and destruction.
Below, in the shattered remains of George Stacy's office, silence descended. The city lights twinkled mockingly in the distance, indifferent to the abduction of one of its most dedicated protectors. The night had just taken a dark, dangerous turn, and the fate of Gwen Stacy, and perhaps the entire city, now hung precariously in the balance.
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