Spider-Man: The Darkness Within #3
SPIDER-MAN VS. THE CHAMELEON
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"How can you defeat a man who can change his identity before you can catch him? Perhaps you don't know the answer, but the Spider-Man was determined to find out – no matter what the cost!"
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Okay, I admit it. That's a great introductory remark for the second part of Amazing Spider-Man #1. And, of course, the Fantastic Four also appeared in this issue. Of course, I'm not that big of a Chameleon fan. Nor am I a Fantastic Four fanatic.
But I'm getting off-topic.
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This exciting issue will be based upon the classic second part of Amazing Spider-Man #1, in which Spidey attempted to join the Fantastic Four, and then went head-to-head with the Chameleon! However, will the story be laid out in such a fashion, or will Spider-Man's lack of responsibility override in:
Spider-Man: The Darkness Within #3
XXX
Peter Parker wakes up one day, pondering over his money issues, when an idea pops into his head. Say! Why didn't I think of it before? There's the way I can make some money – by joining the Fantastic Four! But wait – if I do that... then I would have to risk my life every single day... and there would be no more secret identity... What would Aunt May and Uncle Ben think? But think of the rewards! Payment by the hour! A skyscraper to live in! I'll have to think about this...
And think he does for the days which follow...
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And now our scene shifts to a defense installation at the edge of town... A janitor is tied up in a closet with his attacker, a pale-white man with enormous goggles hovering above him.
"With my multi-pocket disguise vest, it will be an easy matter for the Chameleon to become you, friend janitor!" the attacker, named the Chameleon says, as he puts on a mask which looks exactly like the janitor! Leaving the closet, he works his through the complex.
So far so good! the Chameleon thinks to himself. Disguised as the janitor, it was easy to gain access to this restricted area! And now, another fast change and I will take the identity of Professor Newton! (Typo! I just caught this – on page five of the second story in Amazing Spider-Man #1, "the" is written twice, reading " I will take the the identity of". Sorry, I just had to point that out.) Ha! Nothing can stop the Chameleon! With the right disguise, I can steal anything from anywhere, unchallenged! And with that, Chameleon swipes a few missile defense plans.
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Later, at the Chameleon's hideout, he plans out another robbery.
The iron curtain countries will pay a fortune for these plans! Hmm... a TV new bulletin...
Earlier today, declared the reporter, eyewitnesses saw the Fantastic Four once again save the city from the infamous Doctor Doom!
Hmm... the Fantastic Four... Chameleon thought to himself. Yes, they will make perfect fall guys – for me! When I steal the second half of these missile plans, I'll have them put the police off my trail! They live in the Baxter Building, so I will send a message to that address...
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Meanwhile, in the Baxter Building, home of the world-famous Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl, her brother Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, and Ben Grimm, the Thing, receive the Chameleon's mysterious message...
Calling the Fantastic Four! Meet me on roof of Lark Building at ten tonight! It will be very profitable for you!
"I don't know, Reed," Sue said, "it could be a trap..."
"True, but still..." Reed decided, "we don't get paid for taking on Doom or the Mole-Man, and we can't afford to pass up a chance for profit!"
"I'm with Suzie," Ben grunted. "I mean, the runt didn't even leave a name!"
"Hey," Johnny laughed, "c'mon guys, there's nothing that we can't handle! I say, let's go for it!"
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By now, you must be thinking that I've forgotten who this comic is about, but don't worry! 'Cause here comes Spidey!
"Okay," Peter decided, "I suppose that joining the FF would be to my advantage... Besides, it would get the police off my trail, so... They'll probably jump at the chance to have a teenager with super-powers working with them! It'll be a natural!" Peter Parker steps inside and searches for the elevator. Here's their private elevator, but the blamed thing isn't working! Uh-oh – I forgot! It can only be operated by one of the Four using a special electronic beam! Well, that won't stop Spider-Man! Forcing a couple of locked doors open is mere child's play for me!
Pete leaps into the elevator and presses the buttons for the correct floor. When he arrives, he opens up the rest of the doors and charges into the Fantastic Four's private skyscraper headquarters!
But, before then, an alarm rings in the ready room of the Fantastic Four...
"The alarm!" Reed bellows. "Someone is trying to sneak in!"
"He must be some kinda nut to think he can take us be surprise!" Johnny laughs, bursting into flames as the Human Torch.
"There's his picture on our view-plate! It's some kid..." Reed announces.
"Why didn't he phone for an appointment, like anyone else?" ponders Torch.
Thing grunts. "'Cause he's a teen-age, cornball show-off, just like the Torch!"
And so, when Peter arrives with his, "Greetings, group! You shouldn't make it so easy for people to drop in on ya!", a plexi-glass cage drops from the ceiling!
"Got new for you, loudmouth – it ain't that easy!" Thing declares.
"Ha!" Peter guffaws. "This gizmo may keep out the riff-raff gruesome, but it's a joke to me!"
Mr. Fantastic stares in awe. "How did you do that, kid?"
"Don't worry, rubber-face! This squirt's gonna be taught some manners, right now!" Thing charges at Peter.
"Ow! Ya big ape – who do ya think you're pushing around?" Peter grabs Thing and hurls him at Torch, who barely gets out of the way in time. "I'm Spider-Man!" And on that note, Pete sheds his civilian clothes, and puts on the Spider-Man mask.
Ordinarily, he thinks, I wouldn't tell anyone that, but the FF never got my name, so I'm safe!
"Now hold it, son! We don't want to fight with any strangers – at least, not till we know what we're fightin' about!" Mr. Fantastic says, stretching out his hands in an attempt to maintain Spider-Man.
"Who's fightin'?" Spidey bellows. "Just consider this a little exhibition!" Spidey then shoots his webs at Mr. Fantastic, who stretches out of it, somewhat impressed.
But just then, Spider-Man's spider-senses go off, and he jumps out of the way in time to see a rope lash out. It must be the Invisible Girlhe realizes. Well, I'll just give 'er a whirl for her money! Spidey then snatches the rope and spins around the Invisible Girl.
"That's it, you animated insect! Fun's over!" screams the Human Torch. "I'll settle you now! FLAME ON!"
He's got me in a circle of flame! Spider-Man observes. Well, I'll just jump over that clown's little trap!
"Hey!" Torch shouts out, annoyed. "Stay still, darn it!" (Man, do I love that fight... Spider-Man kicks the Fantastic Fours' butts one-by-one!)
Finally, Mr. Fantastic stretches into a barrier to end the fight, with Thing pounding behind him, shouting, "Get outta the way killjoy! Gimme another crack at 'im!"
"Okay – that's it!" Reed shouts out. "No more fun and games, fella! Someone might get hurt! Now, suppose you tell us what you're here for!"
"It's about time someone asked me!" Spidey sighs, relieved. "I came up here to join up with you! I wanna be a member of the Fantastic Four!"
"Ah..." Reed sighs. "Well... we're not exactly the Avengers, allowing new members to join at anytime... We're more of a family..."
"But I can help out a lot! I just single-handedly beat you all!"
"Besides," Sue explained, "aren't you wanted by the police? This isn't 'Outlaws Anonymous'!"
"I might have known!" Spider-Man screams, exiting through a window. "You're just like all the rest! Ready to believe the worst of anyone! Okay, keep me out of your group! Who needs you? I'll make you guys look like pikers!"
"Wait! Come back!"
"Too bad he left so suddenly!" Sue said. "Perhaps we could have helped him!"
"We've got enough problem kids to worry about now!" Thing snorted.
"Say, wait a sec – he could have helped us!" Mr. Fantastic mused. "After all, he definitely has sheer power."
"But how do we know that he's not a spy for Doom?" Human Torch pondered.
"Johnny!" Sue moaned. "He's just a kid! And he seemed... confused..."
"What do you say we put him to a test?" Reed declared. "Remember that phone call from earlier? Maybe he can come with us and if it's not a trap, we'll find something else..."
"Sure, I'll go get him!" Johnny said, and flew out the window after Spider-Man.
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"Hey, Spidey!" Johnny shouted out to the masked man on a building-top.
"What is it, Torch? You here to make a comeback?"
"No, I'm here to make an offer! We were thinking, and decided to put you to a test. Howsabout you come with us on a mission? You see, earlier, we received an anonymous phone call..." After explanations, Spider-Man nods and says:
"Fine. I'll meet you at nine, okay?" And on that note, he swings away.
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As ten PM approaches, we shift our focus to the Lark building, where the Chameleon attacks an unsuspecting guard and, once inside the elevator...
So far, my time-table is running right to the split-second! Now to change to my Human Torch guise! Soon, he arrives in the office of a military commander.
"Torch?" gasps the commander. "H-how did you get in? W-what do you want?"
"Those missile defense plans which you're holding!" Chameleon then ejects a flamethrower which burns the ducking officer.
"I can't believe it! You – a traitor!" While the officer ducks underneath his deck, Chameleon swiftly changes into the Invisible Girl!
"Okay, Johnny," he says, "take these missile defense plans and go meet Reed and Ben on the rooftop. I'll make sure that this guy doesn't escape!"
Chameleon then ducks underneath the desk, slowly, giving the commander just enough time to press the alarm button and warn his fellow officers of the break-in via walkie-talkie. Chameleon takes his gun and shoots the officer.
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On the rooftop, Chameleon, still in Invisible Girl's disguise, appears and jumps into his helicopter just before the real Fantastic Four, with the unexpected Spider-Man, arrives in the Fantasticar.
"Strange..." Spider-Man says to the Fantastic Four, "that helicopter must have just left the roof we're heading for!"
As the Fantasticar lands and the five costumed heroes step out, armed guards arrive on the scene as well...
"Look! There they are!"
"Spider-Man? What's he doing here? He wasn't in the report!"
"I dunno... but he's either with us or he's against us, and from the looks of things, he's in league with the FF!"
"Freeze! All of you! We want those secret plans you stole!"
"Aha!" Thing observed. "I told ya fellows it was a trap!"
"We don't know what this is all about," Spider-Man announced, webbing up the officers, "but nobody's framin' us for anything! That'll hold you till we can get away!"
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Later, in the Fantasticar, Invisible Girl realizes that the helicopter pilot must be the man the police really want!
"But how can we track him now?" Reed questions.
"Don't worry, gang!" Spider-Man declares. "If he hasn't flown too far, I can use my spider-senses to 'tune in' on the ship... get its location! Got 'im! He's out towards the waterfront! Let's stop him!"
XXX
Ah, yes, finally! I have action! I hope you're enjoying my twist of having Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four take on Chameleon!
XXX
Later, the five find the helicopter and, once close, Thing charges out and bashes the engine!
"There we go!" he shouts out and Mr. Fantastic reels him back into the Fantasticar as Invisible Girl uses her forcefields to stop the she from falling into the water.
"Web him up, Spidey!" Torch orders, and Spider-Man obeys, trapping the Chameleon into a web-bag and recovering the missile defense plans as well.
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And so, before the police have even left the Lark building roof, the Fantastic Five arrives...
"Here's the guy you're looking for!" Mr. Fantastic explains to them. "The guy who stole those plans and impersonated us!" But, in the next split-second, the wily Chameleon drops a tiny smoke pellet, and breaks free in the confusion...
Before they know what happened, I'll have taken a new disguise, and be free the Chameleon thinks.
"He can't get out of the building!" says a guard. "All exits are guarded!... Search every room!"
"I'll head in here!" says the Invisible Girl.
"I'll take this corridor!" says Mr. Fantastic.
And I'll head for the street under your very noses But again, the Chameleon has reckoned without Spider-Man's supernatural spider's instincts...
That tingle I feel! My quarry is close – within striking distance! he realizes.
He's wise to me! the Chameleon stammers in his head. If I can just pull this fuse –
And just then, the lights go out... But Spider-Man can still sense him!
I'll just shoot my web over – oh no! I'm all out of web fluid! I've got to reach that exit before he does! That figure – leaving the others – it's him
But, just then, the lights go on again, revealing Spider-Man attacking what seems to be a police officer!
"Help!" the Chameleon shouts. "Grab him! It's the Chameleon, disguised as Spider-Man!"
"Wha -?" And as Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Thing, Human Torch, and a load of cops attack Spidey, the Chameleon sneaks away, accidentally tearing his shirt in the process...
Thinking fast, Spidey leaps onto the ceiling.
"Say, it really is Spider-Man!" Human Torch realizes. "No one else can do that!"
"Sheesh!" Spidey grunts. "Every time I try to help, I get into worse trouble!"
"Yeah, sorry about that..." Invisible Girl apologizes.
"Found him!" shouts one the cops, showing the others a police officer whose ripped uniform reveals a Fantastic Four costume beneath. "Here he is, Captain! I spotted him by his torn uniform – I could see his other disguise beneath it!"
"Blast it!" complains the Chameleon. "I must have ripped it in my scuffle with Spider-Man!"
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Later, at the Baxter Building, Mr. Fantastic presents Spider-Man with a replica of his costume, only featuring blue and white colors and a Fantastic Four emblem in place of the red and blue and spider emblem.
"Welcome to the Fantastic Four!" he says.
"Thanks, Reed!" Spider-Man thanks. "So now, let's get down to business... How much does the job pay? I figure I'm worth your top salary!"
"I knew it!" Thing declares. "That kook has rocks in his head!"
"Afraid you made a mistake, Spider-Man! We're a non-profit organization!" Sue says.
"We pay no salaries or bonuses!" Reed explains. "Any profit we make goes into scientific research!"
"You came to the wrong place, pal! This isn't general motors!" Torch jokes.
"We just keep enough money to pay our expenses! Every other cent goes into developing the most effective super-crime-fighting apparatus we can create! Sorry..."
"Oh, fine!" Spider-Man rampages. "In that case, I'm outta here! And you know, it would've been real nice if someone had told me this sooner!" And so, Spidey makes his leave...
XXX
NEXT: Here comes the VULTURE in DUEL TO THE DEATH WITH THE VULTURE! 'Nuff said.