PREVIOUSLY: A local thug named Joey Z. was found by the police suffocated by web fluid. Consequently, Spider-Man was wanted for murder and a price of millions placed on his head by the Daily Bugle newspaper.

Despite the danger of appearing in costume, the wall-crawler went out in search of young Normie, the grandson of his greatest enemy, Norman Osborn, who had been kidnapped by the Green Goblin it seemed.

Once in public, Spidey was besieged by bounty hunters, though thug Jimmy Six came to his rescue to erase a debt he had to the webspinner. Jimmy even escorted one reluctant bounty hunter Clarence Felding, away from the scene of danger.

Cornered in a warehouse, the amazing arachnid faced down a group of bounty hunters, including the Punisher and Shotgun until the Green Goblin appeared and tossed an explosive device inside, blowing up the warehouse. Now, there is only rubble…

Outside the warehouse, police and firefighters race to the scene, all of them holding little hope that anyone could have survived such a devastating explosion. So it's all the more surprising when Spidey emerges from the building, carrying the Punisher and a handful of others that were trapped by the blast; men, who moments earlier, had tried to kill him. Despite his heroic efforts, Spidey is ordered to surrender – at gunpoint – but he leaps out of harm's way before they can arrest him. Though still webbed up, Punisher uses the distraction to sneak out unnoticed. As he disappears into a dark alley, he vows to get his revenge on Norman Osborn. Spidey, meanwhile, is trying to put some much-needed distance between himself and the law. He wants time – just a few minutes – to rest, clear his thoughts and plan his next moves. However, as he comes to rest on a rooftop, his spider-sense suddenly shrieks, making it painfully clear that he is not going to get it. Out of nowhere, the Green Goblin appears, and swoops by him. Spidey could engage him right there and then, but, weak and exhausted as he is, that would be idiotic. He therefore grabs one of his spider-tracers and wields it at his opponent, hoping that it will lead him to his secret lair. In mid-flight, however, the spider-tracer is suddenly blown into pieces. As Spidey tries to figure out what happened, the culprit behind the shattered tracer is revealed to be none other than the mercenary known as Shotgun. Shotgun starts to shoot at Spidey.

Across the city, in the penthouse apartment of Norman Osborn, six men – soldiers of fortune who make their living trafficking in blood and death – gather around a man who knows the stink of the grave better than most. Norman tells the men that he wants his grandson back and the man responsible for it brought to justice; the one who achieves that will be handsomely paid. He also tells them that, while they are out there, they should keep an eye out for Spider-Man, who has a five million dollar bounty on his head. One of the mercenaries interrupts Osborn and asks how he could be thinking about Spider-Man in a moment like this. The question is a logical one, but the hypnotic gaze that meets the questioner's eyes is so filled with rage and loathing and contempt that it takes all the man's willpower just to turn away. He will remember that gaze for the rest of his life. Looking into the devil's eyes, he will say later, could not be worse than looking into Norman Osborn's.

While Norman concludes the briefing, his daughter-in-law, Liz Allan-Osborn anguishes over her child's fate. Flash Thompson, now employed by the Osborn family, comes over to her side and tells her not to worry, that Norman will find her son. Liz asks Flash why he is supporting Norman, seeing as he – Flash – is the president of the Spider-Man fan club. Flash replies that Norman has given him a chance, when no one else would, despite knowing about his drinking problem. As far as Flash is concerned, Norman is as big a hero as Spider-Man; the kind of man who would put himself on the line to help other people. Having eavesdropped on their conversation, Norman comes up behind them and reminds Flash that Spider-Man recently tried to kill him, which are hardly the actions of a misunderstood hero. Flash argues that it could not have been Spider-Man and that it was probably the Chameleon, or even the Green Goblin. Norman admits that perhaps it was and goes on reminding Flash that they have to go, as he has meetings with both the mayor and the police commissioner. Turning to Liz, Norman tells her that he loves his grandson and that he would never do anything to hurt him. Though she may think otherwise, he would be willing to sacrifice his own life a thousand times to get him back.

Speaking of Little Normie, the young lad has seen more than his share of turmoil and suffering through his short life than many souls witness in a lifetime. For Normie, the pain of losing his father is still fresh and utterly incomprehensible. He knows his father was a good man but does not understand why he acted so badly. He also knows his father loved him and cannot comprehend why he left him. Ever since his father's death, he has dreamt, night after night, that – one day – he would return and that the two of them would leave and find a place where they could be happy. As he stands inside a dilapidated building located in the middle of a junkyard, her hears a noise outside. Peering out the window, his eyes grew wide and he utters his father's name.

In a lower Manhattan hospital room, Greg Herd stands helplessly by his wife's bedside, as she clings to life. And it's all his fault. Had he not convinced her to don the cybernetic costume he'd designed for her and hunt down Spider-Man as the super-powered mercenaries Aura and Override, she would not be laying in a hospital bed. Greg had thought the reward money for Spidey's capture would have put them on easy street; however, he now finds himself facing inestimable medical bills. The reward money now takes on far more urgency. Now, he isn't just playing...he is playing for keeps. Grabbing his protective helmet, he leaves the room.

In Forest Hills Queens, Mary Jane and her live-in aunt, Anna Watson, are glued to the television screen, horrified and fascinated by the fate of Normie Osborn. MJ knows Norman too well and considers what part he played in the kidnapping of his own grandson and what he has to gain from it, if he were indeed involved. As Anna comments that perhaps Spider-Man is responsible for the kidnapping, a loud noise is heard coming from the attic. MJ pretends that it was the wind, and bolts upstairs as fast as her feet can take her. As she opens the door to the attic, she is startled to see Peter/Spider-Man, bloody, bruised and battered, staggering across the room on trembling legs. All she wants to do is rush to his side and hold him, but circumstances will not allow that just yet (i.e. Aunt Anna). Closing the door behind her, MJ turns around and heads back down the stairs, where she runs into Aunt Anna, inquisitive about the noise. MJ explains that Peter is developing pictures up in the attic, prompting Aunt Anna to comment that she didn't even know he was home. MJ replies that Peter is quiet as a mouse when he works and steers her aunt back down the stairs and into the kitchen so they can grab some lunch. MJ vows to herself to hurry back up and help Peter as soon as Aunt Anna calms down.

Clarence Fielding is not accustomed to excitement. His life has always been mundane, quiet – and he liked it that way. But all that changed when Clarence, urged by debt and unemployment, decided to go after the reward money on Spider-Man, only to discover that he didn't have the stomach for bounty-hunting, but that he like the wall-crawler, identified with him, and now wants to do everything in his power to help him. The man in the Cadillac that just dropped him off disagrees. The man, Jimmy-6, has paid his debt to Spider-Man and he has no intention of teaming-up with Clarence to save the webspinner's butt. He tells Clarence to forget about him and Spider-Man and drives off. As Clarence stands there, he knows he should go and crawl back into his hole of a life, and forget about the whole thing, but will he?

At the Daily Bugle, Ben Urich and Jacob Conover are having a heated discussion over the recent quitting of Joe "Robbie" Robertson. Jacob sees it as an opportunity to advance whereas Ben sees it as the Daily Bugle having lost its’ soul, something Jacob would not understand since – as Ben puts it – he doesn't have a soul. Jacob retorts that Ben should focus on exonerating the Osborn name, as he was requested to do by Norman Osborn, as opposed to attacking his character. If Ben keeps ignoring Norman, he risks losing his job for real, which could have happened earlier had it not been for Norman being such a saint, even after Ben wrote a book about him being the Green Goblin. Ben tells Jacob to keep his opinions to himself, as they are has valuable as a used roll of toilet paper. Walking away with a smirk on his face, Jacob tells Ben to keep him updated on his findings about the real identity of the Green Goblin, as he finds it quite interesting. Before the discussion can escalate into a fighting match, J. Jonah Jameson appears and starts to yell at them to get back to work and get him information on the Osborn kidnapping, as Norman is on his way in.

Meanwhile, in a Queens hospital, Jill Stacy is recuperating from a recent attack on her person, though the recuperation is anything but restful, as her brother Paul is spewing bile at their father, Arthur Stacy, brother to the late Captain George Stacy and uncle to the late Gwen Stacy. Paul insists that his father tell him whether or not he is working for Norman Osborn but Arthur refuses to discuss this with him. Paul surmises that the answer is yes and continues to berate his father, until Jill speaks up and tells Paul that their father never acknowledged working for Osborn; what he has been trying to tell Paul – kindly – is that it is none of his business. Jill goes on saying that he – of all people – should know that their father is a man of integrity and that it should suffice to appease his qualms. Paul retorts that the Stacy family was destroyed by the Green Goblin, who – by all accounts – is Norman Osborn. Arthur speaks up and tells Paul that Norman hired him to figure out the true identity of the Green Goblin. Paul cannot believe that his father would believe Norman's lies and side with him. Arthur replies that he’s always admired Paul's willfulness; however, Paul sometimes astonishes him with his inability to see any viewpoints other than his own. Paul replies that he is not being willful and that he is only trying to save him from falling into the hands of a master manipulator like Osborn. Storming out of the room, Paul tells his father that he is only trying to protect him. Paul slams the door behind him.

Back at the Parker home, Peter comes out of the shower and informs MJ that he is heading back out to search for Little Normie Osborn. MJ cannot believe him, as he is covered with bruises and cuts and can barely stand. Peter, however, explains that he would never forgive himself, should something happen to Normie, so he must continue to look for him. MJ reluctantly agrees to drop the issue and goes to grab a fresh Spider-Man costume. But when she turns around, Peter is lying on the bed, sound asleep. She covers him up with a blanket.

At the Daily Bugle, Norman Osborn tells J. Jonah Jameson that he doesn't have much faith in the police for rescuing his son, as he does not have much confidence in law enforcement in general. Jameson sarcastically asks a rhetorical question to Norman as to why that is. Osborn finds Jameson's comment to be insensitive and points it out to him. Jameson doesn't apologize and tells Osborn that he thinks he is involved in the kidnapping of his own grandson and that he would be willing to bet his mother's pension on it. Osborn applauds Jameson's honesty but swears to him that he had nothing to do with his grandson's kidnapping. Osborn asks Jameson if they can at least get along for the duration of this so-called crisis. Before Jameson can complete his answer, the Green Goblin unexpectedly comes crashing through the window. As both Osborn and Jameson dive to safety, the evil Goblin tells them that he hurried over as soon as he heard Osborn was offering a one-hundred thousand dollar reward for the return of his grandson so as to tell him he is a bigger cheapskate than Jonah. As far as he (the Green Goblin) is concerned, the one surviving heir of the Osborn family is worth at least ten million dollars. And he wants Osborn to have the money delivered to him later that night in the center of the Brooklyn Bridge. Or else, he's going to break Little Normie's neck and hang his lifeless body from the Daily Bugle building. Having said that, he tosses Norman across the room and flies off in a hurry. Having witnessed the attack, Betty Brant comments that it seems to prove that Norman is not the Green Goblin, but Ben Urich is still skeptical and argues that anybody could wear a silly costume and utter believable threats. Betty, however, is convinced that Norman cannot be the Green Goblin, because he appeared to be genuinely scared of the Green Goblin. Flash Thompson is happy that Betty is seeing what he has always known, which is that Norman is one of the good guys.

As word of the Brooklyn Bridge midnight rendezvous between Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin spreads throughout the city, Osborn's hired mercenaries prepare themselves to take down the Goblin and claim the reward money. In other parts of the cities, the many players in this game of life are also readying themselves in their own way. Greg Herd, a.k.a. Override, is donning his cybernetic costume and hoping to cash in on the reward by taking down both the Green Goblin and Spider-Man. Jimmy-6, known ally of the Spider-Man, vows to avenge the death of his friend Ben Reilly for as long as he breathes life himself. Having been used for fool by Norman Osborn, Punisher is loading his weapons and preparing to deliver justice in his own warped fashion. Similarly, the mercenary-for-hire known as Shotgun is polishing his weapons, hoping to hunt down the wall-crawler and come home richer. Even Clarence Fielding is on his way to the Brooklyn Bridge, simply hoping to help out Spider-Man, albeit lacking any super-powers or weaponry.

At the Parker home, Mary Jane would like nothing else but to allow Peter to sleep longer and get some well-deserved rest. But she knows that Normie Osborn needs Peter and so, she wakes him up.

The Brooklyn Bridge surrounded by the police, Norman Osborn, a hefty bag of ransom money in his hands, makes his way onto the bridge. Reaching the midway point of the bridge, Norman drops the bag to the ground and yells to the Green Goblin to show his face. On cue, the green menace appears and tells Norman that not only does he intend to take his money, he also intends to keep little Normie, and kill him in the process. At both ends of the bridge, the cops realize what is going on and start to move in to protect Osborn. Before they can do anything, however, the Green Goblin grabs hold of Norman and starts to fly up. He then throws a series of pumpkin bombs at the cops, who are sent scattering for cover. Things finally take a turn for the better when Spider-Man finally arrives on the scene, though the cops are quick at linking him to the Green Goblin.

As the above scene takes place, Shotgun watches on from a nearby rooftop, using binoculars. Suddenly, he feels the pressure of cold metal against his temple. Slowly turning his eyes toward the source of said pressure – a rifle – he is shocked to see the Punisher at the other end of the weapon. Punisher tells him that the two of them need to have a talk. Shotgun has no other choice than to agree.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Clarence Fielding walks by an electronics store with a television display and hears the news that Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn in tow, are heading into Brooklyn. Which is where Clarence is presently located. Clarence knows destiny is coming his way, and this time, he is not going to let it get past him.

The Green Goblin is gliding over Brooklyn, trailed by Spider-Man. Witnessing the chase, Override makes his move. Using the cybernetic powers of his costume, he overrides the central system of the Goblin's glider, causing it to lose power. The Green Goblin attempts to remain on course and regain control of his glider but fails and crashes through a window and into a warehouse; Norman Osborn alongside for the ride of his life. Spider-Man performs a series of somersault and follows the Goblin and Osborn inside. As soon as he's in, he is accosted by a barrage of pumpkin bombs, courtesy of the Green Goblin. Using his trusty spider-sense, he maneuvers out of harm's way and manages to get close enough to the green menace to kick him hard in the head. The Goblin retaliates with shots from his finger zappers; however, Spidey contorts his body and remains unharmed. Before Spidey can strike back, the Goblin jumps back on his glider, which is now working, and flies out the warehouse through the broken window. Appearing legitimately scared, Norman implores Spidey to stop the Goblin and get back his grandson. Pondering whether or not Norman is actually involved in the whole kidnapping, Spidey takes off after the Goblin. Norman gets back to his feet and starts to look for his bag of money when Override shows up to help Norman.

While Override makes the necessary introduction, a breathless Clarence Fielding is in pursuit of the Green Goblin, on foot. Clarence follows the flying demon to the junkyard where Little Normie was seen earlier. He realizes that if this is where the Green Goblin is hiding, then there is a good chance that Normie will also be there. But Clarence isn't the only one who has come to that conclusion. As the Green Goblin approaches the dilapidated building in the middle of the junkyard, he is accosted by Spider-Man, demanding to know where Normie is. Before the Goblin can answer, Spidey punches him with all his might and sends him flying into a pile of old cars. The Goblin retaliates by throwing broken car pieces at him, taunting him in the process. Spidey dodges the car parts and performs a series of acrobatic moves that allow him to kick the Green Goblin in the head. Suddenly, his spider-sense kicks in, warning him of danger. As he leaps out of harm's way, a shot is heard and a projectile hits the Green Goblin right in the middle of the chest, sending him crashing into the car pile once again. Realizing that the shot was not meant for him, Spidey wonders who did it.

In an alley that borders the junkyard, the answer is revealed. Jimmy-6, long-range rifle in hand, prays that Ben Reilly is resting in peace easier now, even as the sound of cocking guns makes it clear that – in a matter of seconds – he may be resting right beside Reilly. Turning around, Jimmy-6 come face-to-face with Norman Osborn's heavily armed hired mercenaries. The men are gloating about the prospect of collecting the reward money for Jimmy-6's capture but their wallowing is cut short by the arrival of an unexpected duo: Punisher and Shotgun.

Back in the junkyard, the battle rages on between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Distracted at trying to kill each other, neither Spidey nor the Goblin notice Clarence Fielding heading into the junkyard main building where he finds Normie Osborn, safe and sound. Outside the building, pumpkin bombs explode all around Spider-Man, as the Green Goblin taunts him about who is really behind the goblin mask. Resting atop a pile of cars, Spidey notices Clarence Fielding storming out of the junkyard main building with Normie in his arms. As Normie struggles to break free from Clarence, he screams that he wants to stay with his father. Overhearing this, Spidey wonders if this Green Goblin could be Harry Osborn, despite the fact that he is dead and buried. Pondering the absurdity of such thought, he realizes that he needs to buy Clarence more time to allow him to get Normie out of there safe and sound. Spidey takes it up a notch and starts to pummel on his opponent. The Goblin fights back but Spidey gets the upper hand and sends him flying into the junkyard main building. Ticked off, the Goblin jumps on his glider and takes off full speed toward Spider-Man, intending to kill him. But just as the Goblin is about to clash with his opponent, the wall-crawler leaps upward, causing the Goblin to crash into a car pile, which explodes on impact. Looking in utter horror, Spider-Man wonders if the Goblin is gone for good.

A short time later, at the Daily Bugle, it is cause for celebration, as Little Normie is reunited with his mother and grandfather. Giving a press conference, Norman Osborn commands the people of New York for their wonderful support and introduces both Clarence Fielding, the man who saved his grandson, and Greg Herd, who saved him from the Green Goblin's clutches. He tells the reporters that each will receive a hundred thousand dollars for his effort and that he intends to pay all of Greg's wife's medical care. Watching the spectacle from afar, Ben Urich, Peter Parker, and Mary Jane, watch in total disgust, none of them believing one word of what Norman Osborn is saying. Worst for Peter, he cannot show himself as Spider-Man anywhere in the city anymore, thanks to Norman. MJ tells Peter not to worry, as she has a few ideas that can change that.

In an unidentified location, Doctor Angst is working on repairing the damage the Green Goblin sustained during the explosion back at the junkyard. Angst comments that he was lucky that they had an escape plan for him, or not even his ministrations would have been able to save him from being cremated in the explosion. As Angst continues to heal the Goblin, Norman Osborn appears out of the shadows and tells Angst to have the Green Goblin remove his costume, as he has served his purpose for the moment. Norman explains that things didn't work out exactly as he had planned them, namely the interference of Override and Clarence Fielding, but he turned the unexpected to his advantage and, in the end, his identification with the Green Goblin has been broken, the public sympathy continues to be swept in his direction, and Spider-Man remains a wanted criminal. The man underneath the Goblin costume finally speaks, though his face is not revealed, and he asks Norman if he played his part well. Putting a hand around his shoulder, Norman replies that he did to perfection and that he is proud of him...very proud.

The end...for now.