URICH II

DISCLAIMER:

Still don't own the characters, never will. Sorry, folks!

CHAPTER ONE: GREEN WITH EVIL

Ben Urich stared in horror as the ceiling fell, pieces of rubble burning violently. His life seemed to flash before his eyes:

He was three. His mother was crying. His father shouted, beer running down his beard. Ben was twelve. His father hit him again. Blood. Ben screamed in terror. His mother hit his father. HARD. He crumpled up. Alive, but never to see his wife again. Ben was seventeen. A rookie reporter asking for a freelance job at the Bugle. He was thirty one. He had just published his greatest story, tying the former KINGPIN OF CRIME, Alexander Bont, to a series of murders. He was thirty two. Bont had taken everything- his reputation, his money… his wife was all that was left.

He was forty three. He could smell burning flesh. Jason Macendale's flesh. He could see nothing. But he could hear, oh he could hear… laughter. OSBORNE!

Ben tried to move; he couldn't. Osborne was standing just behind him, Ben decided… at least he was alive… for now. No dead man could feel this much agony.

"Still alive, Mr. Urich?" Osborne chuckled, "Impressive. You are more resilient than I expected… I wonder how resilient you will be to my methods of torture."

Ben felt Osborne's fist close around his ear. Osborne pulled, ripping Ben free of the rubble. The reporter was surprised the strain didn't tear his ear off. Osborne was laughing again… and Ben felt a hard kick to his stomach, like he'd been struck with a sledgehammer!

Osborne lifted him by the collar.

"Scared, Mr. Urich?" He asked amusedly.

"You… murdering bastard…" Ben managed to say. Osborne burst into forceful laughter and punched Ben away. The weak reporter crashed through a wall… and he moved slightly… well, he was in sheer agony but at least his vision was returning. Ben grimaced.

He saw Osborne walking towards him, and scrabbled to his feet. He stumbled drunkenly, trying to get away.

"Pathetic!"

The psycho was onto Ben again, punching, kicking, howling with sadistic laughter.

"Stop it!" Screamed Ben, "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Ben knew what was coming next, "This!?"

Osborne slammed him into the wall. Ben felt his leg snap.

"Or… this!?" The sadist punched him. Ben's jaw shattered…

"Osborne…" A groaning voice. Who…? Oh God! Macendale!

The smoking, wounded young man clutched two Pumpkin Bombs and was balanced weakly on Osborne's "Goblin Glider".

"See ya in Hell, Norman!" Laughed Macendale. He piloted the glider, fast. Ben kicked loose of the staring villain.

"Not again..."

The glider, Macendale and Osborne vanished in a massive blast. Ben scrabbled clear as the office began to collapse… and he limped out, leaning on anything he could grab onto.

As he stumbled into the front grounds and fell, crawling out of the mansion, Ben couldn't help thinking that he still heard laughter…

Doris Urich dashed into the casualty ward at the hospital. Ben lay on a bed, attached to pumps for both blood and morphine.

"Hi…" He gurgled weakly.

"Ben, what the Hell happened?" She gasped.

"Norman Osborne… they know now though…" Mumbled Ben, "…think he's alive anyway…"

"What about Osborne!?"

A nurse leant over to Doris:

"Mr. Urich has proven to the police that Mr. Norman Osborne, now deceased, was the Green Goblin."

Doris didn't smile proudly. She didn't lean in and contentedly kiss her heroic husband. She just looked sad. Tears came to her eyes:

"Ben. This is too much. First that Daredevil. Then Spider-Man… the Kingpin… now the Green Goblin. Honey, I can't live like this. I'm sorry, but… this is goodbye."

And tears then came to Ben's eyes. He stared at her.

"Doris…"

And Ben felt himself drift away. His heartbeat flat-lined.

NEXT IN "URICH II": Will Ben survive? And if so, what awaits our bold hero!?