Staring off in what seemed like shock, the ambulance screeched to a halt in front of the dazed Phil Urich. Phil had used his cell phone to call 911 and collapsed on the sidewalk across the street from the burning warehouse.
Two paramedics raised his Uncle Ben’s unconscious form out of Phil’s arms, after placing him on a stretcher they moved him into the ambulance and started to treat him.
“Unconscious, but pulse is regular, some contusions, nothing major, a few scrapes. He’s alright, kid, he’s probably got a mild concussion but like I said, he’s alright. You look a little worse for wear too, get in and ride with him to the hospital.”
Phil followed the man’s advice. Seeing himself in the reflection of the ambulance door, lit by the adjacent fire, Phil saw a pale and exhausted reflection. His outward appearance masked his secrets well; the shaking, wide-eyed thin man surrounded by paramedics would never be mistaken as the reborn Green Goblin.
Lightheaded excitement and downhearted with stress, his fingers fumbled on his cell phone to call his Aunt, Ben’s wife, to meet them at the hospital. He called Meredith afterwards and likewise she took off for the hospital.
The whole ordeal had taken a couple of hours, as darkness began to creep over the fantastic cityscape, the two women arrived.
Ben was still sleeping, he had been given an IV with vitamins and water, his bruises and cuts had been taken care of, Phil sat next to his uncle in a gray hospital chair cushioned with uncomfortable rough material, he shifted in his seat as two police officers questioned him about the incident.
“I went with my uncle to investigate a warehouse he thought might be a lead. He wrote a book awhile ago about Norman and Harry Osborne, I guess this warehouse was indirectly owned by Harry before he died. My uncle was hoping to get some more information for some newspaper articles or maybe a revision of his book. After we’d been there a little bit something happened,” Phil said, he took a sip of water from a small plastic cup and stared at the ice cubes spinning slowly in the cup.
“What happened? I know it’s been a rough day kid, once we finish up we’ll be out of your hair. Most of the guys at the precinct know your Uncle a bit, we all like his articles, I’m not trying to pin anything on you, we know it had to have been an accident or something,” one of the officers added some encouragement.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, I thought I saw something, a small shape or something out of the corner of my eye, then it felt like a grenade went off. There was a loud bang, the fire started and the floor began to cave in. I saw my uncle get hit with a chunk of concrete, I fell below the floor and I guess rolled away before most of the rubble came down. After that it got kind of hazy, everything was disorienting with the fire and smoke. I saw my uncle, he had a slab of concrete on top of him, but it was kind of being supported by some other debris, so all the weight wasn’t on him. I managed to get him out from underneath. I found a staircase that hadn’t been touched by the fire and carried him out.
It got smoky and hot in there, I think I might have passed out for a bit because the drop to the floor below us must have been eight feet? I don’t know. I got lucky somehow and wasn’t really hurt. I’m sorry I don’t have more information for you. Anyways, we fell through the floor, I carried my uncle out and watched the warehouse burn down afterwards.”
“You think a grenade went off in there?”
“I don’t know, that’s what it felt like…it all happened so suddenly, I don’t want to grasp at straws but something…weird happened.”
“We’ll check it out. I don’t doubt you though, my partner always rolls his eyes when I bring this up, but it could be one of them costumed freaks or something. Especially if it had to do with the Osbornes, y’know? Anyways, don’t sweat the details, you got lucky, kid, it happens. I’ve heard of weirder stuff, especially in this city.”
Phil nodded and managed a small smile. He would have liked to see the police officer’s face when he told him all about the Goblin lair and how he had really escaped…Phil figured that might rank up there in some of the weird stuff the cop had seen. For now though, he was exhausted and ready to go home.
=====
Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA) Headquarters:
Jason Macendale stood in front of the Cache as Henry Peter Gyrich stood next to him with a smile on his face.
“This is the Cache, all the weapons the CSA has collected or confiscated over the years from superhumans. A goblin glider for limited flight, various weapons and munitions. The suit we’ve fashioned has a Unicorn beam in the helmet, Leap-Frog and Stilt-Man tech in the boots; the gauntlets utilize Pym particles to keep all of your weapons on hand at a second’s notice. You’ll find almost anything you can imagine here,” Gyrich informed him.
“So what’s the catch?”
“The catch is you answer to us. We implant a sub-dermal chip in your skin and keep a lock on you at all times. As a criminal you know how criminals work and we want to use that. You’ll be given this equipment to take down any super criminals we can locate. If not, then you go back to rot in your cell. Your choice.”
“Any actual super enhancements? I want super strength, speed, the whole nine yards.”
“No. The suit will enhance your strength, speed and durability a bit. The weapons we have built into it will take down just about anyone if utilized correctly. You have a tactical, military mind; we figured you’d be a good fit.”
“I’d prefer innate super enhancements.
“Would you prefer your jail cell?”
“No. You win. Another question, if I happen to have information regarding some criminals, could I submit them to you to take them in?”
“Look, the aim of this program is to help get some of these super criminals off of the street and into prison where they belong. After the Onslaught debacle crime has been steadily on the rise. If we have to use criminals to bring them in, I don’t care. That just means when something goes wrong and our operative takes a bullet in the head, I don’t have to feel bad. If you want to go turncoat on some of your old associates for revenge or whatever reasons you have, go for it. I could care less. You’re the prime operative in Operation: Scourge of the Underworld. Bring down the bad guys and bring them down hard, that’s all we care about. You try to screw us on this, your constitutional rights are void—meaning we have some cruel and unusual things planned.”
“Sounds like fun, Gyrich. You have a deal. I’ll be your Scourge.”
=====
As the sun sets:
*Beep*Beep*Beep*
Scott’s cell phone vibrated and sounded off as he bounded and slung his way across the rooftops of downtown New York City. A symbiote tendril shot out from his hand, latching itself onto a flag pole, Scott swung down to build up momentum and launched himself into the air, performing a dizzying array of twists and flips.
As the cell phone began to buzz another tendril extracted it from an inner pocket created by the living suit, acting as a makeshift appendage, the tendril held the phone up to Scott’s ear.
“Hello,” Scott answered, waiting for the deep, serious voice on the other end.
“We’re a go for the night, meet at my headquarters. There’s some interesting stuff on the agenda.” As quickly as it started, the phone call ended and the Shroud’s voice disappeared. Scott’s symbiote folded the phone back within itself as the super hero known as Hybrid swung around and propelled himself towards the Shroud’s building.
After fifteen minutes of swinging across town, Hybrid landed atop the building owned by the Shroud’s company that the team had been using as a makeshift headquarters. From the opposite direction Spider-Woman touched down then Shroud and Nocturne emerged from the doorway that led into the building.
“What’s going on, boss?” Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman asked, getting ready for the night ahead.
“Another warehouse went up in flames last night,” Shroud began.
“Same as last time? Drugs, guns and a costumed perp?”
“No, oddly, this one was empty.”
“Coincidence? Freak accident?”
“That’s what I thought, but police reports said the fire looked deliberate. Shifting through debris, they found some interesting shrapnel. Bits of grooved orange metal, resembling the outside of a pumpkin. See a pattern emerging?”
“So someone with a Halloween motif is going around burning up old industrial warehouses. Why?”
“I don’t know why, but both were owned, through a labyrinth of dummy corporations, by OsCorp. Norman and Harry both used to moonlight as the Green Goblin. I’m wondering if one of them is back and trying to cover something up?”
“Others have used the Goblin weapons, maybe one of the others—Hobgoblin, Jack O’ Lantern, somebody like that, trying to take out Osborne’s infrastructure should he ever come back. Maybe they’re looking for something and don’t want any clues left behind,” Hybrid offered up.
“Whether they mean to or not, they’re leaving a trail. If you see a Goblin, hit hard and fast, ask questions afterwards.
=====
Phil:
Although he felt bad about it, Phil was glad he’d managed to ditch Meredith. There was too much on his mind and he needed some time to himself. Luckily, a glider ride always helped clear his head, even more luckily, he was now in the possession of a brand new goblin glider, his powers and gear restored, Phil was antsy to get suited up.
After flying to safety with the glider, Phil had loaded the glider up with his suit and gear. So long as he kept the mask on he retained all of his powers and could use the mask to remotely pilot his new glider. He’d maneuvered it into the spillway by which he’d exited the old warehouse. Then he’d stashed the mask in his jacket and hid it from the cops.
Phil mulled over his thoughts while he walked quietly to the subway, after exchanging trains a couple times he was down near the waterfront district, a block away from the warehouse he was headed for.
Dashing across the street and under the police tape Phil hid behind the back of the warehouse and donned the Goblin mask. He almost yelled out in shock as the mask delivered a zap to his brain, giving Phil his powers. The science was beyond him, but he enjoyed the results: super strength and speed, great durability and stamina. He linked into his glider and flew it out of the spillway. Maneuvering it towards himself, he set it down and quickly donned the goblin suit. The green armored suit went on easily and enhanced his strength and durability even further, he pulled on his gloves and boots afterwards before fastening his belt and strapping the satchel of goblin weapons over his shoulder. To finish it off he put the cape and hood over his head. Fully dressed and reborn Phil Urich, the Green Goblin, took to the skies on his glider.
He flew around in circles, spinning about, soaring upside down and back again, testing out his new glider, feeling the pitch and yaw of the machine and remembering how to use it like an extension of his own body.
=====
In the shadows, unbeknownst to Phil, the Hobgoblin stood and frowned. This Goblin presented a problem, the Hobgoblin had no use for allies, especially if this Green Goblin was as uncanny as those preceding him. He hoped to find some way to use this Green Goblin as a tool. If worked correctly he might be able to get the superhumans who trailed him a few nights ago off of his track.
=====
The Night Shift:
Scott drove Max under the guise of his chauffer while Spider-Woman and Nocturne flew overhead. The two women kept an eye out and could be first responders should something go wrong en route or on any average patrol.
While a sometimes cumbersome form of transportation, the Shroud’s car was outfitted with many gadgets and machines that proved helpful when in the field. There were medical supplies, computers and survival equipment that had come in handy dozens of times. While Scott wished he could be out in the Hybrid suit swinging through the city, the car was a valuable asset.
“We’ve got movement near the skies by the warehouse. Moving in further. There’s a light and exhaust trail just like the other night. This could be our Goblin, guys,” Nocturne reported down through a radio link.
“Go ahead Nocturne and Spider-Woman, try to nab this guy,” The Shroud encouraged his team mates onward.
=====
Phil:
Phil was having fun; he was running high on adrenaline like he hadn’t in a long time. A green blast of electricity shot past him, he ducked instinctively and performed a barrel roll on his glider, accelerating forward and flying around in a wide arc, these maneuvers would hopefully avoid any other fire and bring him face to face with his attacker.
There were two women in front of him, about one hundred yards away but closing fast, as they got closer one of them fired again and he recognized the figure as Spider-Woman, the other woman with her was a mystery to him.
“What’s your problem?” Phil shouted.
“We’re bringing you in!” Spider-Woman shouted, she fired another of her bio-electric venom blasts. Phil retuned in kind by pointing the index finger of his left hand out towards the women and unleashing an energy blast. They both dodged easily.
“I haven’t done anything! You attacked me!”
“We know you’ve been destroying old Osborne warehouses, give yourself up,” Nocturne shouted back.
“It’s not me, I swear,” he replied, engaging in different flying maneuvers to make himself a more scarce target. “I honestly don’t know what’s going on.”
The two women were upon him now, both had super-strength and were fighting in concert, trying to take him down. Phil threw out a host of razor bats, the bladed weapons didn’t find their mark but scared the two off for a second, he threw a couple pumpkin bombs in the air and flew upward, Spider-Woman and the other woman gathered themselves and started an ascent to chase him. The pumpkin bombs were brought down by gravity and exploded, Spider-Woman and her partner were caught in the brunt of the concussive blast and sent hurtling to the ground. Neither were injured terribly, but both stunned and stripped of pride.
Suddenly Phil was engulfed in an inky black fog that swirled about him. From within the fog, a larger figure, someone new chasing him struck. The figure was strong and fast, hitting Phil hard and latching onto his glider. Swinging down around it and coming back up with a kick to Phil’s midsection, the fog cleared and Phil saw his attacker.
Hybrid was tackling the reborn Goblin, symbiote tendrils holding onto the goblin glider to keep him near his target.
They punched and scuffled back and forth. Hybrid was a bit stronger and more experienced, quickly overwhelming Phil in a pure physical contest. Phil felt himself losing the fight he unleashed a blast from his gloves at a low level which stunned Hybrid. Hybrid’s tendrils started to ensnare Phil and as a last resort he unleashed his lunatic laugh.
A cacophony of powerful sonic waves bombarded Scott Washington in his symbiote guise. The symbiote screamed in pain, a primordial sound that Phil could only describe as harrowing.
Hybrid’s tendrils slipped off of the Goblin and his glider and the hero fell.
Throwing out another grenade Phil turned tail and flew off into the distance, zigging and zagging between buildings, hoping to lose his attackers.
As his symbiote recovered, Scott reached out with tendrils and attached himself to a building, swinging around and clinging to its side, trying to recuperate. He’d forgotten just how badly sonics could hurt him.
Phil stopped when he was sure that no one was chasing him and he landed on a building top. Despite his enhanced durability and stamina, Phil was panting and trying to catch his breath. It wasn’t physical exhaustion though, he was anxious, nervous, frightened and elated. Back on the glider and already he was in the thick of it.
Some superheroes thought he was the one who had destroyed the warehouse and attacked him. He needed to figure it all out and plan his next action. It was time to restore the Green Goblin name to the glory it deserved!
Or at least wipe some of the dirt off. Phil could be a jerk, but he was no arsonist. While the fire had given him his Goblin powers back, it had also injured his Uncle Ben. Sure Ben would be fine, but Phil wanted to make sure the culprit would get the lumps he deserved and be held accountable for his crimes because…as corny as it sounded and as immature as Phil felt in a green and purple costume, he knew it was the right thing to do.