Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Vol. 2

Chapter 16

Walking alongside his head scientist, the Goblin heard the results of his work before he saw it, the sound of destruction evident even as they turned the corner. Coming up to the window, he peered down at his "project," excitement building within him already based on what he'd heard. He observed as the young man, now dressed in similar gear to the Goblin's own, zig zagged around various foes, constructs created to simulate real life situations. This room was designed to challenge and push those who needed it, and right now, it was serving its purpose well. At one time, the young man would have never survived against such obstacles, but now he seemed to be handling it with ease as he sliced through them with razor bats, blew them into next week with pumpkin bombs and occasionally tore them to pieces with a single punch.

"I take it that you are pleased with what you see?" the doctor questioned.

"Very!" the Goblin replied enthusiastically. "He is ready."

"You believe that he can defeat Spider-Man?" the doctor questioned.

"Permanently? Not yet," the Goblin answered as he glanced to the doctor. "Besides, that is a pleasure I will only allow for myself. But there is more than one way to hurt a hero, and any such opponent must be approached this way."

"Oh?" the doctor questioned. "And what way is that, if I may ask?"

The Goblin glanced back down at his work, his protege now standing in the center of the large room, destruction and flames around him.

"The heart, doctor," he finally answered.

---

Releasing his web, Peter landed against the side of the building, peering in through one of the many windows of the Osborn mansion. After a few moments of not seeing anyone and once his lack of spider sense warning confirmed the same, he stuck his fingers to the glass, slowly lifting it open before slipping inside. He'd contemplated showing up as Peter Parker; it certainly would have made his entrance less work, since he was on a first name basis with half the security team, but he wanted to be ready in case the Goblin should arrive upon the premises. His opponent had demonstrated there was no length he wouldn't go to anymore, so he needed to be prepared for anything.

For now though, he would settle on finding answers as to the Goblin's location. Peter didn't know exactly what he expected to find, though he was hoping he'd manage to discover at least some indications of his enemy's current whereabouts. Granted, he knew the odds of finding a map to the various Goblin hideouts across the city were next to impossible; his arch nemesis was unquestionably insane, but one thing he wasn't was a fool. The elder Osborn was still a brilliant man who would undoubtedly cover his tracks well, but if he could find any indications at all, such as recent property purchases, it would at least be something to go off, which would be more than he currently had.

Once inside, Peter quickly found his way in through the nearest vent entrance and began crawling in the direction of Norman's home office. Years of coming here with Harry had led to a surprisingly good memory of the place, despite its seemingly overwhelming size and various twists and turns. Peter's mind lingered for a moment on his best friend, concern starting to creep up in his mind. He also hadn't heard from M.J. in a few hours...

"Stop," he said privately within his own mind. As hard as it was, he couldn't let himself dwell on the what if scenarios right now. His brain was already occupied enough with what happened at the Bugle; though his rage and anguish had at least come off its peak, it was still lurking beneath the surface, simmering enough to give him a heightened sense of focus off the adrenaline it was producing within him. It had also given birth to paranoia regarding his remaining loved ones, but he knew dwelling on such things wouldn't help anything right now. Granted, his brain didn't seem to be fully comprehending this truth, but he pressed on anyway.