Peter Parker froze at the sight before him.
On one side hung the woman he loved. On the other side, dozens of terrified children clung to a school bus suspended over open water.
Between both hostage groups stood the Green Goblin and the Sandman.
For a moment, Peter felt utterly helpless.
The Sandman stepped toward him.
"Spider-Man."
As he spoke, his entire body dissolved into a swirling storm of sand before reforming into a towering giant of living earth.
His massive size left Peter stunned.
A colossal sand-filled palm swung toward him. Peter dodged just in time. The blow slammed into the bridge, making the cables tremble violently.
The Sandman might not have a solid body, but the force of his strike still left Peter staggered.
His spider-sense flared. Peter did not stop moving.
He knew what he had to do.
Against two powerful enemies, defeating them outright was impossible. His only chance was to slip past the Sandman and rescue Mary Jane and the children.
Using the momentum of the Sandman's attack, Peter rolled forward and cleared the massive sand figure.
He fired a webline toward the Green Goblin, preparing to leap.
But just as he was about to take off, something yanked him backward with brutal force.
"Spider-Man!"
The Sandman roared. Being ignored enraged him. He had once been an ordinary man, but now he possessed power. No one had the right to disregard him.
The overwhelming force not only dragged Peter back, but nearly hurled him over the edge of the bridge.
Peter shot a webline upward at the last second, anchoring himself to the railing.
A second web shot across the bridge. With one hard pull, he launched himself back onto solid ground, barely avoiding the Sandman's next strike.
There was no time to celebrate. Peter sprinted toward the Green Goblin.
The Goblin looked at him with cold amusement, as though staring at a fool.
"Spider-Man, it is time for you to understand real pain."
With calm cruelty, he loosened the cable beneath his foot.
Mary Jane and the school bus dropped toward the water in the same instant.
The Goblin's voice remained icy.
He had long known that his own formula was flawed. Nolan Locke's Super Soldier serum had already reached a near-perfect level, so the Goblin had turned his attention to Spider-Man's genetics. When Spider-Man refused, the Goblin saw it as a death sentence.
He had never forgotten that insult.
And now, he believed his revenge had arrived.
But at that exact moment, Peter fired two web strands at once.
The lines latched onto both falling hostages. The force nearly tore his arms apart. His suit ripped under the strain.
But he held them.
Gritting his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, Peter refused to let go.
The world could see the struggle on his face.
The Sandman surged forward again, reforming into a whirlwind of sand before materializing directly in front of him.
A massive fist slammed downward.
The punch hit Peter head-on. The impact shattered the sand fist entirely, but it reformed within seconds.
Blood poured down Peter's face. The Sandman's condensed fist was larger than his entire torso. Peter could not dodge. He did not dare dodge. Taking the blow was the only way to keep holding the webs.
Before he could recover, another punch crashed into him.
His grip faltered. His hands slipped a fraction.
Screams erupted from the children below. Their terror echoed across the bridge.
Bystanders watched helplessly. The situation looked impossible. Spider-Man could not fight back. Spider-Man could not win.
The Green Goblin drifted toward Peter on his glider.
"Prepare to accept your fate."
He cackled, then ripped Spider-Man's mask away.
"Peter Parker?"
A flicker of surprise crossed his twisted face. Of all people, he never expected Spider-Man to be Harry Osborn's friend.
From a distance, a news helicopter zoomed in, broadcasting the moment live.
The host's voice trembled as the camera tightened on Peter's battered face.
"Spider-Man... is just a kid."
New York erupted in shock and anger.
People were horrified. Furious.
Two grown superhuman criminals were torturing a teenager.
Across the city, inside the Parker household…
May Parker and Ben Parker stared at the screen in disbelief.
Only now did they realize that Peter was Spider-Man.
"Peter!" May cried. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. All she could do was watch as the Sandman punched her nephew again and again.
She could tell that Peter's spirit was nearly broken. If not for sheer willpower, he would have already passed out.
Ben Parker did not cry, but his jaw clenched. Peter had followed the principle Ben taught him: with great power comes great responsibility.
But what came next?
Peter no longer cared that he had been unmasked. He no longer cared about fighting. His world had narrowed to a single thought:
Do not let go. No matter what, do not let go.
But with every strike from the Sandman, his fingers loosened.
He was reaching his limit.
The hearts of countless viewers tightened painfully.
Who would save him? Who could save Spider-Man?
Who could save this kid who looked like he had only just left high school?
No one. Everyone watching understood this.
They could only watch a public execution unfold.
The Sandman lowered his fist.
But the Green Goblin raised his glider like a spear.
"Die, Peter Parker!"
He thrust downward.
A single sound tore through the air.
Bang.
A gunshot.
The bullet struck the Goblin's helmet, snapping his head to the side. It failed to penetrate the armor, but it stunned him.
"What a pity. Looks like you're harder to kill than I expected."
A calm voice drifted across the bridge.
Both the Goblin and the Sandman turned toward the sound.
Nolan Locke stood there, clad in his Thunder Hammer armor. His expression was hidden behind the helmet.
But Nolan himself knew one thing.
He was furious.
"Nolan Locke!"
The Sandman roared.
The Green Goblin reacted instantly. With Nolan present, Spider-Man had lost all value. He moved to kill Peter Parker immediately.
But Nolan would not allow it.
"Red Queen."
Two drones descended, weapons deploying in an instant. They fired at the Green Goblin as Nolan launched forward at impossible speed.
The Sandman charged first. Nolan's kick tore through his massive body, scattering him like smoke.
Nolan spun and punched the Green Goblin hard enough to send him flying.
Then he looked down at the near-unconscious Peter Parker.
Nolan exhaled softly.
"It's over, Peter."
He stepped forward.
"Leave the rest to me."