As the sun dipped below the horizon, shadows stretched long and thin across the city.
In Queens, on a bustling pedestrian street less than twelve miles from Osborn Manor, Norman Osborn shrouded himself in a stolen dark gray bedsheet, using it as a makeshift cloak to hide his Green Goblin suit. As dusk deepened, the street teemed with commuters hurrying home. Norman wandered aimlessly, head bowed, occasionally swiping an apple or orange from a vendor's cart to quell his gnawing hunger.
Two nights ago, Batman had breached the secret chamber in his study at Osborn Manor. After a frantic escape, Norman had been holed up in a stranger's attic, lying low.
"How long do you plan to live like a vagrant?"
A voice slithered into Norman's ear, sharp and taunting. He froze, scanning his surroundings in panic before his gaze dropped to a murky puddle at his feet.
The reflection wasn't his own. Instead, the Green Goblin's mask stared back, its sickly yellow eyes glinting with malice.
"Poor Norman," the reflection sneered. "You can't go home. You can't show your face at the company. What's the plan? Skulk in the shadows forever?"
Norman's teeth chattered as he averted his eyes from the puddle's accusing stare. In a trembling whisper, he hissed, "You're the one who ruined me! If you hadn't done those things in the third sublevel, if you hadn't slaughtered the Spencer family, Batman wouldn't be hunting me!"
"I'm not going home because I won't drag Harry into this," he continued, his voice barely audible. "And I'm staying away from the company to keep others safe."
A shrill, mocking laugh cut through the air. Norman's head snapped toward the sound, his heart lurching. In the glass of a nearby shop window, the Green Goblin stood, pointing at him and cackling wildly.
"Protecting Harry? Sparing the company?" The Goblin doubled over with laughter. "Then tell me, two nights ago in that secret room, when I aimed the missile at the pumpkin bomb, why didn't you stop me?"
Norman's lips moved, but no words came out.
"You claim you're protecting others," the Goblin's voice mocked, now echoing from the reflection in a passing woman's watch. "But have you seen today's paper? Take a look."
As if summoned, a copy of the Daily Bugle's evening edition drifted toward him, landing at his feet. The headline screamed of that morning's chaos: Kingpin, the crime lord of Hell's Kitchen, had made a bold move to seize control of the Osborn Group, proposing a vote to oust Norman from the board. The CEO of Silver Sable Security had hired a lawyer to block Kingpin's scheme, and in the ensuing chaos, Batman himself had confronted Kingpin in the boardroom.
"This… this can't be…" Norman sank to his knees, spreading the newspaper out on the pavement. He pored over every line, oblivious to the crowd bustling around him. Footprints marred the paper, and more than once, a careless shoe stomped on his hand. He didn't flinch, his eyes locked on the report of Kingpin's betrayal.
"Look at that," the Goblin's voice purred, now dripping from the puddle again. "One day away, and your empire's crumbling. Harry's useless—you know that. You need me, Norman."
"You need me."
The words coiled around Norman's mind like smoke. "Are you really going to let some bat invade Osborn Manor? Let the company you built slip into the hands of outsiders?"
"No!" Norman's voice cracked with defiance, his face twisting with anger. "I won't let that happen! Kingpin's already in police custody. My only enemy now is Batman!"
In the puddle, the Green Goblin's metallic mask gleamed, its smirk dripping with mockery. "Exactly. We track him down. Start with the people closest to him. Make him suffer. End him in pain and despair."
Norman echoed the words softly, almost entranced. "Track him…"
"Track who?"
The Goblin's reflection vanished. A new voice—cold, flat, and mechanical—cut through the air behind him. Norman spun around, heart pounding. The crowd on the street had scattered, leaving a wide berth. Dozens of meters away, onlookers whispered and pointed.
There, less than ten feet away, stood Batman. The last rays of twilight framed his silhouette, golden light spilling from the pointed tips of his cowl. Norman stumbled back half a step, the evening breeze grazing his face. Batman's cape billowed gently, a dark specter swaying in the wind.
"Norman Osborn," Batman said, his voice devoid of warmth, "you're coming with me."
Before tracking Green Goblin to Queens, Batman had visited Parker Industries. There, he'd acquired a new cape crafted from their advanced materials, tailored for this confrontation. Now, he stood ready.
"Ho ho," a sinister chuckle rasped from Norman's throat. His hand darted beneath the bedsheet cloak, retrieving the Green Goblin mask. With a snap, he fastened it over his face.
His greatest fear had been an ambush, like the one in the secret room two nights prior. But now, with Batman standing before him, the Green Goblin felt a surge of confidence. His glider might not be his usual model, but it was armed with miniature missiles and bullets. His suit concealed a razor-sharp green blade. And with so many bystanders nearby, a single hostage could turn the tables on Batman.
Just a few more seconds until his glider arrived…
"Don't bother stalling," Batman said, his voice low and steady, his body still as stone. "I've already hacked your suit's systems."
Plan B: Infiltrate the Green Goblin's battle suit, disable its programs, and neutralize his mobility.
Green Goblin's heart sank. He reached for the controls, only to find them dead. The suit's power systems were offline—no glider, no enhancements. It was little more than armor now, offering protection but no functionality.
Woo-wah-woo-wah—
Sirens blared as Queens police swarmed the scene, dispersing the crowd. Patrol cars screeched to a halt, blocking the street. A dozen rifles trained on Green Goblin and Batman.
"Hands up! You're surrounded!" an officer barked.
Trapped, his suit disabled, Green Goblin's eyes darted around. Then, with a desperate snarl, he leaped.
A thunderous crash echoed as he landed on a nearby building. Fueled by the Super Soldier Serum coursing through his veins, Green Goblin's physical strength far surpassed a normal human's, even without his suit's enhancements. His fingers clawed at protrusions, sometimes digging directly into the brickwork as he scaled the wall.
New York's skyline was a labyrinth of towering structures, and Green Goblin navigated them with feral agility. But his smirk had faded, his mind no longer buoyed by the thrill of escape. Batman was never far behind, a relentless shadow trailing him. The Dark Knight's cape flared wide, slicing through the air like a vulture circling dying prey.
Worse still, Green Goblin realized too late that his path wasn't entirely his own. As night fully descended, he found himself near the East River, a desolate stretch of the city. The silence was oppressive, the emptiness like a tomb he'd unwittingly chosen for himself.