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***
With a willful effort, I pull myself together and start responding to Urih's gibberish.
-...I certainly expected that you might pull something like this, but to do it on your first case! Are you even listening, Parker?
- Yeah, yeah, sorry, Ben, it just kind of came out of nowhere.
- "It just kind of did." All right, get in the car.
- Aren't we staying?
- Why? - The reporter's puzzled.
- You know, interviewing witnesses for the interview, that sort of thing.
- No, we're going to the party venue. Nothing's cancelled.
- You think there's gonna be any more celebrating after that Elf attack?
- Are you kidding me? Lincoln Thompson gave us his tower for the party. It's one of the safest places in the city. Even Fisk admits that. If there's anywhere the elite will go when they're scared, it's there.
- And if the psycho attacks again?
- No one can be that crazy," Ben says as a matter of course.
"Oh, Gobby can."
We each spend the rest of the journey in silence.
*
We get to Tombstone Tower in less than an hour.
Ben was right. This place is jammed. All the elite have really come here.
We're waiting for everyone to disperse.
Where do we go, the press?
Finally, we take the lift to the right floor.
I look round and my eye is immediately drawn to Lincoln Thompson standing upstairs.
The king is in his castle, I can't help but think. Remarkably, there's no sign of Ambalus.
Moving on.
- Mr Parker?
I turn round.
My eyes widen, as I certainly didn't expect to see Felicia here.
- Miss Hardy?
My partner looked gorgeous. A long black dress, smoothly enveloping and emphasising her major assets. Especially the cleavage. Though her hips were just as attractive.
Slightly off the hook.
- You look marvellous.
- Thank you," the girl blushes, though I think it's fake.
"How can you blush fake blush?"
Well, it's Cat, I'm sure she can.
- Are you a guest?
- А? 'No,' I pull out my journalist's pass, 'Daily Bugle, socialite, a smile?
Felicia raises her champagne glass slightly as I take her picture.
- 'I'm glad there's at least one person here who isn't a fake, have a good evening,' the blonde says softly as she says goodbye.
She doesn't seem to like 'high society' very much. I can understand that.
Oddly enough, Harry and Norman aren't there.
I notice that about half the guards are starting to carefully leave their posts.
My gut tingles warningly in the back of my head.
I begin to move just as carefully towards the fire escape.
As I reach the stairwell, I suddenly hear a shout.
- Stop!
I turn round and see a security representative in front of me.
- Where are you going?
- I just wanted to get some air.
- Get back inside!
- Sure.
I start to approach and when I get close, I punch the guard in the jaw. It only takes one straight punch for the man to sprawl on the floor.
I take off and run down the floors.
I've got to hurry, I've got a bad feeling about this.
After running through all the cells, I find myself at the exit, climbing under the last flight of stairs, I put on the suit in the shadows of the corridor.
Putting on the mask, I start climbing up the outside of the building.
Seven floors up to the Penthouse, I notice that the window on the top floor has been completely blown out.
I climb up and look inside.
- Ladies and gentlemen! I apologise for interrupting your merry evening, though I've already ruined the day," the Goblin burst into laughter, "I'm a great mischief-maker, a naughty and incorrigible one!
While the villain is scolding the guests, I note that there are at least fifteen men with weapons and pumpkin masks in the hall.
- I would ask you to leave and not disturb these honourable people," Tombstone stepped forward.
- Oh, Mr Lincoln Thompson, our noble host for the evening! - But we both know who you are, Bigman," the villain said, smiling at the two of them.
Tombstone grimaced.
While everyone is distracted, I crawl into the room and disarm the two "pumpkinheads" with my web. After that, I get noticed.
- Hey, Green Elf! Costume party downstairs.
- Well, well, colourful costume, but huge bug eyes. I've heard of you Spider, nice to finally meet you! - clapped the villain's hands at the way I disarmed two of his men. - I wouldn't be a hero if I were you, though.
Green pointed his finger at the remaining pumpkinheads, who were pointing their weapons at the guests.
- Oh, lad, you see, morality is your greatest weakness," the Goblin wailed, flying around me, "deny these restrictions! People like you and me don't have to follow the rules of ordinary people, for we are not like that. The strong do not obey the weak, they rule over them!
- If everyone lived by such a principle, then nothing in this world would be worth saving, - I calmly answer the Goblin.
- Do you really believe that?
- With every fibre of my soul.
Suddenly, Goblin's men began to be attacked by the guards, who had previously been disarmed and tied up.
Chaos ensued.
- Looks like the fun's on! - Completely unperturbed by what had happened, the villain laughed as he began firing shock rays from his fingers.
I fired a web at the glider, but the machine's thrust was powerful enough to lift me off the ground.
- I think it's time for some fresh air! - shouted the sharp-eared man, ramming the window with his flying machine.
We begin to fly through the night sky of New York City.
Trying to pull myself up as I'm being slowed down.
- Still holding on? Then let's do this.
The glider starts to wiggle, doing dead loops.
"I think I'm going to be sick."
Finally, "grasping" my centre of balance, I pull myself up onto the glider.
The Goblin, who was waiting, grabs my arm and, lifting me up, elbows me in the jaw.
I try to retaliate with a punch to the torso.
We keep flying and finally the glider goes off course.
We hit the roof and Green and I are thrown forward.
- Soft landing.
I get up and I see the enemy in one piece.
- Ha, that's funny!
The villain aims at me and fires shock charges from his "finger-pistols".
I successfully dodge, getting closer to the enemy.
In a leap, he kicks me in the body.
- No more jokes, green. I know you're Norman Osborne underneath that mask.
The Goblin only laughs in response.
- We all wear masks, Spider-Man, but the question is, which is closer, the mask you wear or your own face?
It's called intuition.
Using my inhuman agility and reaction, I dodge the Glider attacking me from behind.
Jumping on his flying machine, the Goblin is once again in the air. Taking his pumpkin bombs out of his bag, the enemy starts throwing them at me.
I run along the rooftops, trying to dodge the grenades.
Trying to get lost in the narrow articulation of New York high-rises.
But the enemy flies into this nook with brick walls.
Deciding to change tactics, the pilot stops scattering bombs and activates the machine gun on his glider.
I dodge the shots while trying to figure out how to eliminate the Goblin.
I fly upwards, towards the rooftops.
Water tower!
I hide in the sash and wait for Green to fly closer.
But Osborne is smarter than that. He climbs even higher and starts blasting the tower with machine guns.
- Come on, Stenolaz, is that the best you can do? - Shouts Gobby in between firing bursts of bursts.
While I was thinking how to make a witty reply, the unexpected happened.
To our collective surprise, the rope begins to wrap around Goblin's ankle and, he is abruptly pulled off the Glider.
- I wonder why everyone in town is so drawn to Halloween costumes?
- Cat! - I didn't think I'd be so happy to see my partner.
- Hey, honey," the girl stands next to me, "who's that clown?
- Green Elf, I think, but I'm not sure...
- Goblin, please - mentor tone with a slight smirk corrects the enemy, - but we got distracted, although your girlfriend appeared just in time!
The villain presses the buttons of his glove and the glider begins to spin sharply, scattering small capsules.
As it does so, Sense begins to ring wildly.
- Cat, look out! - I pick up my partner and, clinging to the water tower that miraculously survived on the sashes, try to get out of the target zone.
There are massive explosions.
I try to fly to another roof, but the Goblin throws something, and in the air the thread of the web is cut.
My partner and I begin to fall from a height of fifteen floors.
I grab onto the wall of the building and try to shoot a second thread at Felicia, but the Goblin crashes into me with a glider.
- NO! - I try to free myself, but Green seals me against the brick wall.
I feel a rib break.
- Tsk-tsk-tsk, and I told you caring for others was your weakness," the Goblin said, lifting me up by my chin.
- I'll...kill...you," I try to punch my enemy, but my fist is intercepted.
The green one starts laughing gleefully.
- Maybe someday, kid.
As he finishes his line, the Goblin twists my arm.
There's a crack. The bone breaks.
-AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
However, the pain is also empowering.
Releasing the claws on my other palm, I try to slash at my enemy's cheek.
In response, the villain only grabs my face with his other hand and lets out a powerful shock pulse.
- Nice try, hero, but weak.
I begin to chuckle lightly through the pain.
- Did I cheer you up? - the masked villain asks in bewilderment.
I touch the Goblin's torso with my healthy hand.
A powerful pulse of bioelectricity throws Green to the roof of a neighbouring building.
- You're not the only one who knows tricks," I say quietly into the void, trying to get to my feet.
"Oh no, Cat!"
I run to the edge and look outside.
Felicia is standing below, leaning against the wall.
I jump to the ground and run up to my partner.
- You okay?
- This psycho owes me a manicure," the girl shows her hand. Fingers bloody, a few nails missing. - I tried to slow my fall as best I could.
- You're a good girl," I hug the blonde, "I was afraid that-
- Easy, Spidey, - the girl hugs me back, - cats always land on all four paws.
I open the hug.
- I have to...
- Ask him.
- Yes, ma'am.
I'm bandaging my arm with webbing. Fixing it will speed regeneration.
I crawl up the wall to the roof.
- That's it, Gobby," I say to the still disorientated villain.
- Yes, you got me, hero, congratulations," said Osborn, lying on the roof, "it's a shame the hostages are still doomed.
- That's funny. We both saw your pumpkinheads disarmed, I'm sure there's no one left in the hall by now.
- Oh, yeah? Maybe my guys fought back and the hostages are still waiting for their fate. It'd be funny if all those rich people painted the walls of the room the colour of their blood. The explosive gift I left behind may not be as big, but it's powerful, I guarantee it! - laughed the Goblin.
Approaching the villain and grabbing him with my healthy hand.
- You wouldn't have time to leave the bomb, it's a bluff!
- You'd risk everything to deal with my humble self, that's what I mean!
I throw the enemy onto the roof and wrap him in spider webs.
Jumping down, I fly towards the building.
The Goblin's laughter echoes in my head.
Hurry up.
"How far back could the timer have been set?"
There are a few buildings left.
"What if the explosion's already gone off?"
I see a familiar high-rise. Only the windows are broken, no explosion.
I'm flying in.
Pumpkinheads have been neutralised.
The guests are still there, but the police have arrived.
- Spider-Man?
- There's a bomb in here, evacuate the building now!
Confusion ensues.
By all rights, the cops take the guests to the fire exit.
"Where?"
Tables, maybe?
Shooting out cobwebs, knocking them over - nothing.
Chairs.
Bar.
Next door, I hear another table toppling over.
- What are you doing here? - I turn to Tombstone, who's checking the chairs.
- My party, my problems," the bandit smiles, "by the way, everything is in order, you were there as you needed to be, I didn't forget anything.
- Has he been in contact with anything, for a sufficient amount of time? - I don't respond to Bigman's comment.
- The chandelier.
Clinging to the ceiling.
Examining the chandelier, I come across a small glass ball shaped like a pumpkin and a note - 'Gotcha.
He was bluffing. I knew it!
- Anything? - Thompson asks.
But I'm already jumping out the window.
You're an idiot.
You're an idiot!
I knew he wouldn't have had time to plant the explosives.
But he set a trap, offering me a choice.
So, of course, I ran to save the people.
Quickly I reached the place where I'd left my enemy, but all that awaited me was a torn web.
- Run, run, Osborne. I know where you live!