The splendor of the sun rises over the New York skyline, and a well-rested Peter Parker wakes up and hails a cab to the Daily Bugle. When he arrives, he sees Jameson barking to a reporter.
"I want stories not dribble! This is a newspaper not a circus magazine. If you want dribble try the New York Times!" Jameson yelled.
"Well aren't we all sunshine and happiness." Parker quickly quipped.
"Parker! Don't tell me you actually did some work, and got me some pictures of the car hijacking!" Jameson asked shocked.
"Actually I did do work, but it was for pics of Spider-Man stopping the small time thieves downtown last night." Parker said.
"Oh well, I guess I have to take what I can get. Let's see 'em." Jameson said sighing. "Is this it! I'll give you $50 for each." Jameson said.
"Whatever, I just figured you could use them to wallpaper your bedroom." Parker chuckled as he took his check.
"Wallpaper, I'll have you know I just finished an exposé revealing how Spider-Man caused that carjack..." Jameson continued as Peter closed the door to his office.
Before Peter reached the elevator, he noticed Ben Urich by the fax machine. Peter changed his course, and tapped Ben on the shoulder.
"Hi, any more info on the hijacking?" Peter asked.
"Well nothing much except some fragments from the missing chemical case. See ya." Ben said
"Thanks have a good one." Peter added
After exiting the Bugle Peter Parker ducks into an alley, and performs a quick clothes change into Spider-Man. Soon Spider-Man is seen swinging above the city.
"Might as well see if I can find any trace of the car jackers. The cops should be done with the crime scene. Maybe I can find something they missed. Executing a flip off his web Spidey twists around in midair and shoots another web at a nearby building ledge.
Within a few short minutes Spidey arrives on the crime scene. The roadway is still blocked off by police caution tape. So he flips off the building and lands on the ground. Spider-Man's spider-sense gives a hint of a tingle, as he walks passed the alley.
"Spider-sense tingling. Why. I don't see any danger." Spider-Man thought to himself.
As soon as he finishes that thought Spidey notices a small glimmer of light shining off a small fragment of metal.
"Hmmmmm, what's this? Looks like a small circuit board, but I can't tell for sure. Better take it with me and take a look at under my microscope. It's a promising start. Maybe Tony Stark can help me find out exactly what it's made out of." Spidey inquires quietly.
A quick web shot pulls Spider-Man up into the air towards Midtown Manhattan. Only a few moments away from Spider-Man The Broadway National Bank's alarm sounds. Seven men in suits and sunglasses take the employees hostage, and begin their attempt to break into the vault.
"Everyone keep on the ground and don't move!" One of the six men said.
Just over head the amazing Spider-Man's spider-sense is blaring at full blast. He looks down and notices the situation. Quickly turning on his web-line Spider-Man lands on a building across the street. Crawling down he sees the situation.
"Hmmm, this is tricky. The hostages are huddled together, and three of the seven are trying to open that vault. A direct assault should do the trick." Spidey thinks to himself.
Shooting a web across to the building, Spider-Man swings down and smashes into the front doors. Acting fast spider-Man shoots two web-lines tying up two of the men. The other five turn and before they know where or what the commotion was Spider-Man is on the ceiling. Spidey slowly crawls over head. Before he gets in place, the five men look up with guns raised.
"Well I guess you boys all have memberships in the NRA!" Spidey jokingly says, "This is odd my spider-sense didn't warn me why? No time for that now." Peter thinks.
Before shots can be fired Spider-Man jumps backwards off the ceiling, and springs off a wall nearby. As he launches forward, the five men vanish.
"What!" Spidey yells.
Spider-Man is unable to correct his movements so he quickly shoots out a thick web spray towards the wall. BAM! Spider-Man is slammed against the wall, but his hit is cushioned by the webbing.
"What was that I could've sworn there were five guys right in front of me!" Peter asks.
He quickly leaps off the wall, and checks to see if the hostages are okay. Just then the two webbed up men break out, and Spider-Man's spider-sense goes off. Quickly turning around Spider-Man confronts the men.
"Hey! You broke my webbing! Oh well there's plenty more where that came from." Spidey quips.
Quickly jumping upward Spider-Man shoots out four web-balls. All four make solid connections, knocking the men out cold. Spider-Man lands by the unconscious men. As he disarms the men, Spider-Man notices that part of the men's hands are missing skin.
"Wait a minute they're robots. Well that explains their ability to break through my webbing, but it still doesn't explain why they can pull Houdini's."
Exiting the bank Spider-Man sees several squad cars coming down the road. Spider-Man jumps up and swings off into the distance.
The five hostages Paul, Simon, the general, and his two guards are struggling to free themselves.
"Eghhhh, can't get myself free!" The general says.
"None of us can the rope is made out of some kind of steel polymer." Simon adds.
Just then through the shadow a tall man in a suit approaches the hostages. He sets down a small trapezoidal shaped object. One light appears on the object, and the man exits through a nearby door. A gas seeps out of the top of the object, and the men attempt to avoid breathing the gas. They fail, and small amounts are absorbed both into their circulatory systems and through their skin pores.
"What is this gas?" Paul asks frantically.
"Cough cough... don't know." Simon responds.
"Hahahahaha" a voice laughs.
From the door emerges four metallic tentacles, and then the sinister image of Doctor Octopus.
"What I thought you were at the Vault!" The general yelled.
"No prison can hold me! Now if you'll excuse me I have some important business to attend to." Doctor Octopus says.
Across town at Stark Tower Peter Parker analyzes the small fragment under his old microscope.
"No good, can't tell what it is with such a weak magnification. Better try the Avengers science lab. "
MJ I'm heading to the lab" Peter says.
"All right Peter." Mary Jane responds.
Peter Parker exits his apartment and walks down the hallway to the elevator.
"Hi Mister Stark." Peter says nervously.
"Pete I'm begging you call me Tony. You've gotta break that habit. Where you headed?" Tony inquires.
"Down to the chem lab to see if I can figure out what this fragment is." Peter explains.
"Come with?" Tony asks.
"Sure the more the merrier." Peter says.
Entering the elevator the two super heroes begin their descent to the lab.
"So everything going okay at Stark Enterprises?" Peter asks.
"Yeah. How have you been handling the move?"
"Well, it's sure beats the Ritz. Heck it beats any place. Aunt May enjoys it here, and MJ loves the room. So can't complain. I really appreciate what you've done for us." Peter says.
"No problem Peter you've not only earned it, but you deserve it!" Stark asserts.
The two scientists exit the elevator and walk towards the lab. Once they enter Peter's eyes light up.
"Man you guys have everything here." Peter says excitedly.
"Glad I could accommodate you Peter." Tony quips.
Peter places the tiny fragment under a powerful microscope, and begins a molecular analysis of the materials.
"Let's see what this thing is made of." Peter says to himself.
"Well lets see I'm reading a basic metallic structure. The computer is also picking up small electronic circuitry. Amplify it." Stark says.
"Sure thing." Peter proceeds to increase magnification.
"Hmmmm, the it's too smashed up to actually tell what it was and did. It looks like one of the wires led to a battery of some kind, but I can't tell. One thing's for sure it's a pretty sophisticated piece of technology." Stark says intrigued.
"Nothing. This still doesn't narrow down who was behind that car jacking." Peter says.
"Let's at least run it through the mass spectroscope and IR1." Tony says.
Peter places the mechanical fragment on the pad, the spectroscope performs the test, and the results print out. Peter then takes a small piece off the metallic device, and places it in the IR machine. Once the test finishes the results from both tests print out.
"Thanks Mr Sta... I mean Tony. I think I'll take a look at this, and get some sleep." Peter says.
"All right goodnight Pete." Tony says.
1IR- infrared radiation machine- used to find out the basic molecular structure of solids and liquids.