"Sebastian!"
"The other intruder, it couldn't be that kid, could it?"
"That's right, it's him! Probably because he's afraid we might mistakenly hurt his friend's father, of course, assuming Norman Osborn is indeed an innocent person."
"What do we do? Let's brush it off for now. I see he's running pretty fast, so we don't need to worry about him yet. Let's continue with our plan…"
Boom! Hearing the roaring sound from the communicator, Sebastian immediately knew Tony was likely under attack. He didn't hesitate, instantly casting Apparition and vanishing, reappearing on the rooftop of the Oscorp Tower. He looked up at the figure in the sky, locked in combat with Tony, wearing green armor and riding a glider—who else could it be but the Green Goblin?
"Tony, I'm here!"
"Sebastian, stay back. This guy's much weaker than I expected. I'll handle him soon!"
As Tony spoke, a chain of explosions erupted in the sky. The Green Goblin, caught in Tony's onslaught, was like a small boat tossed on stormy waves, barely holding on. Finally, one of Tony's missiles struck, blowing the Green Goblin's glider to pieces. The Green Goblin himself plummeted toward the rooftop.
Sebastian waved his wand, casting Wingardium Leviosa, slowing the man's fall and gently lowering him to the ground. With another wave, he cast Evanesco, causing the Green Goblin's armor to disassemble and scatter. Looking at the middle-aged man revealed beneath, Sebastian saw he didn't resemble Norman Osborn at all.
His face was rugged, his hair slightly disheveled, and blood trickled from his mouth and nose due to the explosion's impact, making him look even more battered. His hands were rough, with calluses in places, clearly belonging to someone who held a gun often—not the hands of a world-class company chairman. Of course, if shooting was Norman Osborn's hobby and he practiced daily, then Sebastian would stand corrected.
Sure enough, when Tony landed from the sky, he looked at the man on the ground and said with surprise: "Who is this guy?"
Looking up at Tony, Sebastian said: "He really isn't Norman Osborn, is he?"
"Really? How did you know, Sebastian?"
"He doesn't look the part. Look at his hands; those calluses aren't what a luxurious Oscorp chairman would have."
"Could it really not be Osborn? But I keep feeling something's off here."
Though Sebastian didn't voice it, he shared Tony's sense that something wasn't right, but for the moment, he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.
"Tony, we've caught the Green Goblin. No need to stay here. Let's take him back first. We'll figure out the rest when he wakes up. If needed, I can interrogate his soul directly."
"That works. Let's take him back. But what about that kid?"
Glancing at Tony, Sebastian smiled and said: "You really care about that kid. Don't worry, I'll handle it."
Raising his wand and giving it a slight wave, Sebastian cast and opening a portal beneath Peter, who was hiding in the Oscorp Tower. Peter fell through, but reacted swiftly, shooting a web to steady himself. At that moment, the portal closed, severing his web.
Peter landed on his backside. Jumping up, he realized he was back on his own rooftop.
"We're leaving. You don't need to worry about us threatening your friend's father."
Hearing Sebastian's voice in his ear, Peter exhaled, flopping onto the ground, chuckling to himself like a goof.
By now, Sebastian and Tony had brought the suspected Green Goblin back to Avengers headquarters. They locked him in a cell, called a doctor to check his condition, and, after confirming he was physically fine, felt secure leaving him detained.
Sebastian and Tony sat in a small lounge, one sipping soda water, the other drinking liquor, both wearing serious expressions.
"His timing was too perfect. We checked his fingerprints; he's a senior bodyguard from a security firm, no ties to Oscorp. He was hired by another company, has a fiancée and family—a typical good guy. Yet this guy became the Green Goblin. There's definitely something fishy here."
Nodding at Tony's words, Sebastian said: "The key is how he got that equipment. If we can trace where he got that gear, we should uncover some secrets."
"About the equipment, I found some issues. It looks impressive, but it's junk. The glider's parts were half-worn; it's a wonder it flew at all. The armor didn't use shock-resistant materials. If I hadn't held back in the city, I could've killed him easily."
Draining his soda water in one gulp, Sebastian toyed with the cup and said: "If he's the Green Goblin, it's simple. We wait for him to wake, interrogate him, and send him for trial. But if he isn't, we need to dig into what conspiracy is behind this and how he got that equipment. Either way, if he's not the Green Goblin, there's bound to be a bigger plot waiting. Keeping him here is like holding a ticking bomb that could blow up on us anytime."
Tony nodded slowly and said: "You're right. If he's not the Green Goblin, there's some scheme tied to him. So, Sebastian, what do you think we should do?"
"Hand him over, but keep his equipment."
"Hand him over? To who?"
"The military, the government, the police—anyone, just not the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Why?"
Sebastian pulled out a coin, flipped it into the air, and caught it, seeing it land heads up. He nodded and said: "I just did a divination, and the result shows my approach is correct."
"…"
Tony stared at Sebastian, at a loss for words.
Rubbing his hair, Tony looked at Sebastian and said: "Fine, we'll do it your way, Sebastian. I'll arrange to send this guy to the military right now. They're used to taking the fall; one more won't hurt. But once we hand him over, we won't get him back."
"No problem. We don't need him anymore."