Back to GatefoldIssue #15 by Mike Exner III
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"PULLING STRINGS - Part Two - What's Up, Doc Ock?"
Previously in the Amazing Spider-Man: Peter finally found himself a permanent home as he moved in with Randy Robertson. The place wasn't exactly the crème of the bachelor pad crop, as Randy put it, especially when Peter discovered the disgusting state of his room. Randy left and Peter was paid a visit by not only Jill, but Smoke the cat as well, just as he got another photo assignment from the Bugle. There, Spidey ran into Stunner, that buxom babe with biceps, who was trying to acquire the Eye of the Sun for Doc Ock. Just as Spidey had her all wrapped up, who should happen on the scene? Why none other than Doc Ock himself true believers! You can guess what happens next.
May Parker was a strong woman, an independent woman, and sometimes admittedly even a stubborn woman. When Jill Stacey had suggested she head home and that Jill would check up on Peter in his new apartment, May had agreed. She'd gotten on the bus, rode it all the way to her home in Forest Hills, got in the door, picked up a phone and called herself a taxi to take her back to Peter's place. She'd honestly meant to take some time to herself, have a quiet evening at home, rest up a bit. But thoughts of what Peter had said when they'd spoken kept creeping into her mind. Mary Jane was dead, but Peter wasn't accepting it.* After all the heartache the poor boy had been put through as far as losing his child and thinking his parents had returned just to find they were imposters, May Parker couldn't bear to see her only nephew suffer this newest tragedy without her right there by his side.
[*As shown last issue - Will]
The taxi pulled up in front of the apartment complex and Aunt May frowned. It certainly wasn't the cleanest looking place in the world, or the safest. She didn't like the thought of Peter living in a place where he could get sick or hurt and not be able to get to her. If she thought Peter would have said yes, she would have gladly offered for him to move in with her. But Peter was strong, independent and stubborn too. May knew better than to ask. Still, that wouldn't keep her from visiting now and again. She stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk and paid the driver. As he was driving off she turned to walk up the steps. She didn't see the figure creeping up behind her in the night reach out for her until it was too late.
The metal arm snaked out and Spider-Man was just barely able to duck. The three-pronged claw slammed into the sidewalk, sending chips of concrete into the air. It flung back towards its master, swinging low, and Spidey jumped into the air to avoid it again just as another of the arms shot toward him. Spidey twisted out of the way, his body resembling a human pretzel. He landed lightly on the ground and crouched low, his spider-sense dancing forcefully through his head.
Doctor Octopus raised his body high above the ground with two of his arms while the other two snaked around his body. The web-slinger was an unforeseen obstacle to his plan to acquire the artifact. He needed the artifact. It was imperative that nothing stand in his way of acquiring it. Once he had the artifact his life would be complete. If only he could remember why the artifact was so important to him. When he tried to think about the significance of the Eye of the Sun his thoughts became muddled. He shook his head and wavered on his tentacles momentarily as his senses became dim.
Spider-Man watched as Octopus stared off into space as his metal arms danced rhythmically around his body. What the heck was Ock up to? It wasn't like him to daydream during a fight. Spidey knew from experience that the arms would go on autopilot even when Ock was distracted and he didn't want to risk attacking if Ock's momentary lapse in the fight was a ruse. Still, Spidey's spider-sense was only faintly buzzing now. It was as if Ock was only a minor threat. Suddenly Ock began to falter and his metal legs swayed back and forth. Spidey leapt up from his crouching position and flung himself head first towards Doctor Octopus. The time to end this fight was now.
"Yo, Doc! I know you're reaching retirement age, but taking a time out to look at the stars and appreciate the good things in life isn't the best idea when everyone's favorite wall-crawler is on your back," said Spidey as he shot past the twirling metal arms and tackled Octopus head on. He reared back his fist, aiming for Doc Ock's pudgy head, but was suddenly choked from behind and yanked away as one of the metal arms wrapped around his throat.
"I say again, Spider-Man. I need the Eye of the Sun. It is important that I acquire it. Once it is in my possession I will be…I'll be…"
"Able to form a complete sentence?" taunted Spider-Man as he grabbed at the coil surrounding his neck and pried it loose. Doc Ock was struggling in this fight. Something was wrong with him. Once he'd had Spidey around the neck the fight should have been over, but something caused his tentacle to loosen and Spidey was able to slip free and drop to the street again. Ock had turned his attention away from Spidey again and was looking up at the sky, apparently at nothing in particular.
"What is the purpose to my acquiring the Eye?" asked Octopus, but the question wasn't directed at Spidey. He seemed to be asking himself. Spidey had to fight the urge to slap himself on the forehead. This was getting mighty strange.
"Let me get this straight. You want the Eye of the Sun… but you don't know why you want the Eye of the Sun. Getting senile in your old age, Ock?"
"Stop your infernal prattling and be still so I can crush you. I must have the Eye," Octopus growled and his two upper tentacles once again lashed out at Spider-Man. This time Spidey was easily able to avoid them. Octopus was definitely distracted and Spidey had no problem using that to his advantage.
"Stop prattling? Be still? Your eyes must be aging as badly as you are, Ock. This is Spider-Man you're fighting here," said Spidey as he fired a web-line at Ock's face. "Maybe you should trade in those cool shades for some prescription specs."
"Blast you, Spider-Man. I don't need glasses to see you into your grave," said Octopus as his tentacles formed a makeshift barrier to shield his face from the shot of webbing. It blocked his view of the web-slinger and when he lowered his arms to restore his field of view again, Spider-Man was gone.
Suddenly, Ock felt all the wind rush out of his lungs as Spidey collided with him, driving his shoulder directly into Octopus' back.
"Hey, don't get defensive now. I know glasses will cramp that trademark style of yours. But trust me… those suits from - Tony's Plus-Size Clothes for the Deranged - are a dying fad anyway."
As Ock wavered once again from the collision and struggled to catch his breath, Spidey fired more webbing into his arms, tying them together. Ock tried to send his arms back to bludgeon Spider-Man but Spidey was easily able to avoid the strikes by keeping close to Ock's body. Spider-Man wrapped his arms tightly around Octopus' neck and squeezed, cutting off the flow of oxygen to Ock's lungs. Ock's struggles slowly began to decrease and his legs slowly began to lower the two combatants to the ground.
"That's it, Ock. Time to go beddy-bye," said Spider-Man as he let out an inner sigh of relief. This fight was going as smoothly as Spidey could have hoped to imagine. Even though he hadn't had a chance to set up his automatic camera to grab pics of this fight, he could still get pictures of them carting Stunner and Ock away. Hopefully even be able to actually complete his assignment with Ben. He glanced over Urich's way. Ben didn't look very happy and Spidey couldn't help but wince a little. Ben was going to chew him out big time.
May Parker sensed the creeping assailant behind her mere seconds before his hands made contact. She whirled around rather quickly for a person of her age, her purse held tight in her hands, and connected with the pervert's head. There was a loud thud and a cry of pain that was somehow familiar to May issued from her attacker as he landed on the ground butt first. If anything, she wouldn't have thought that any mugger in New York would have such a high-pitched voice. As she finally saw who the man was she took a surprised step back.
"Eugene!?" she cried in shock as the young man slowly rose to his feet, rubbing the side of his head. She reached under his arm to help him up and Eugene whose face was bright red from embarrassment smiled weakly at her.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Parker. I should have known better than to sneak up on you without saying anything in this neighborhood," said Eugene and Aunt May smiled back. Eugene seemed like such a nice boy when she met him. After Peter had lost his friend Harry not too long ago, Peter hadn't seemed to have found many new friends.* May hoped Eugene was the start of a change to all that.
[*Harry Osborn died in Marvel's Spectacular Spider-Man #200 - Will]
"Oh, don't be silly, young man. Here I am assaulting Peter's friends and they're apologizing to me. I'm a foolish old woman. Jumping at shadows I suppose."
No really, it was my fault. I just came here to check up on how Peter might be adjusting to the new place and when I saw you get out of the cab I assumed you were doing the same thing. Thought we might head up there together."
"It sounds like a splendid idea to me, Eugene. I'm sure Peter will be happy to see you," said Aunt May and when Eugene offered his arm to her, Aunt May slipped hers into it without hesitation. "What a polite boy you are. Peter is lucky to have you for a friend."
"That's just how I feel, Mrs. Parker. Peter's a great guy. I was really sorry to hear about all the misfortune he's been having lately."
"Yes, Peter has been through a lot in his life," said Aunt May with a solemn expression on her face. As she turned her look back to Eugene however, it brightened considerably. "With friends like you though… perhaps Peter's luck will take a turn for the better."
"I hope so, Mrs. Parker. I certainly hope so," answered Eugene, and together the two entered the front door of the apartment complex, arm in arm.
"Where the hell is Parker?" asked Ben Urich aloud to nobody in particular. He was seething at the core. Here he was, covering the donation of an artifact to a museum, bored out of his mind, when suddenly a super-powered slugfest erupts right in front of his nose. If ever there was a time for Peter to show up on time for something then this was definitely it. He could respect the fact that Peter was going through some tough times, but hell, everybody went through tough times.
If Peter wasn't going to be more responsible with the photo assignments he was put on then Ben would have to tell Robbie about it. Maybe even suggest Pete take another vacation from photojournalism. It was harsh, but hey, life was harsh sometimes. Everybody needed a wake up call now and then. Ben would be more than happy to provide Pete with one if he didn't show up pretty dang quick.
"Anybody here looking for a good photographer?" asked a decidedly feminine voice from behind Ben and he turned around and smiled despite himself. Looked like he didn't need to give Peter the wake-up call himself after all. Somebody else was determined to do it for him.
"Yin, get over here and start taking pictures damn it," yelled Ben as Angela Yin walked through the throng of reporters towards Urich. She sidled up close to him and began snapping away quickly as Urich turned back to the action. Spidey seemed to have things well in control and Ock was slowly losing consciousness. This fight was academic now. Ben found himself feeling a bit of a twinge of pity for Peter. It looked like this young cub photographer was going to be the next ace at the Bugle. Ben pushed those thoughts from his mind and began scribbling notes furiously again.
Randy walked up the fire escape steps running along the side of his apartment building. His shift at the Empire Heat had nearly been the death of him. There was no slow down whatsoever and he was dead tired. He smiled all the same as he felt the bulge in his pocket. The tips from all the beautiful women begging him for drinks all night long were definitely worth the aggravation. All he wanted to do now was take a quick shower, count his money and collapse into bed.
There was a light coming from his window. Randy was surprised Pete would still be awake at this hour. He must have been angrier about the mess in his room than Randy had thought at first. He really didn't want to deal with Peter making him help clean up that room tonight. He'd have to sneak in really quietly, skip the shower and head straight to bed. Oh well, he still wouldn't stink as bad as Peter would after a night of sleep.
He had to stifle laughter as he made his way up the last flight of steps. He reached the window and peered inside hesitantly. The TV was the only thing on in the entire apartment but Peter wasn't the one watching. It was Jill, Peter's friend he'd met earlier in the night. Randy smiled and slowly inched the window open. It was probably the only window that didn't squeak in the entire place.
Randy put both feet on the floor and made his way over to the couch. Jill was asleep. Randy considered his options. He could grab some wine out of the fridge, a couple of candles. Maybe make some dinner after dazzling her with a bit of his smooth lingo. Jill was one hot lady. He had to take this as a sign that this was his opportunity to bag her. He turned around to go get the candles and wine and suddenly something jumped right at his face.
Randy screamed in total panic. It was all hair and coarse fur and teeth and it was clawing at his face and making a horrible hissing sound right in his ear. He grabbed at it but it wouldn't let go. He whirled around and around in circles trying to get it to let go of his face and as he struggled to breath he could tell that whatever it was hadn't had a bath in weeks. He had to struggle no to vomit as he breathed in its foul odor.
Suddenly the lights switched on and there was Jill trying to coax the animal off of Randy as it yowled and spit and kicked its legs at him. Finally the thing calmed down long enough for Jill to get it away from Randy. Randy stepped backwards and fell over the couch, landing on the cushions and cracking the back of his head on the coffee table. Jill rushed over to help him to his feet.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Randy? I didn't think he'd go crazy like that," said Jill as she helped Randy up. He was going to have a huge lump on the back of his head and it felt like his face was scratched in at least a dozen places. He hoped he wasn't bleeding too badly.
"He? He who? What the hell was that thing?" Randy yelled and Jill flinched. He noticed it and tried hard to tone down his temper. He barely knew Jill and he didn't want to scare her.
"I'm sorry, Jill. I'm just freaking out here. I come into my apartment after a hard days work and I want to hit the hay and suddenly some creature from the depths of hell is attached to my face trying to tear it off."
"I know, Randy. I tried to warn Peter that keeping Smoke was a bad idea but he wouldn't listen and then he left and told me to stay and watch the cat and I knew you'd be home and want to know what was going on so I tried to stay awake but then I fell asleep and…"
"Whoa! Whoa there, girl. You're gonna have a nervous breakdown if you don't take a break to breath between sentences," said Randy. Jill had that sleepy look and she looked so sexy. He wondered how he looked to her right now, probably a mess. "Now what were you saying? Peter smokes?"
At that, Jill began to laugh. At first she'd been feeling embarrassed and a little worried that Randy might flip out, but when she saw Randy's face all messed up and his hair sticking out all over the place, the silliness of the entire thing hit her and she just couldn't hold back her laughter. He'd been beat up by a cat and now he was afraid Peter was a smoker.
Randy didn't look all that amused.
"I'm sorry, Randy. Really I am. Peter's not a smoker. He has a cat that apparently followed him home one day. Its name is Smoke and I guess it followed him here too. That was what attacked you when you came in," said Jill as she struggled to hold in her giggles.
"A cat? Pete never said nothing about no dang cat. Where is my darling roommate? We have issues," Randy asked.
"He's on a photo assignment for the Bugle. Told me to wait here for him and keep Smoke company and that we'd go out to eat later. Of course, that was about two hours ago," said Jill with disappointment evident in her voice. Randy wasn't about to let another golden opportunity pass him by.
"Well hey, if he missed the boat why don't you let me take you out to eat? I can get cleaned up and we can be out of her in like fifteen minutes."
"I don't know, Randy. Peter said he'd be back and…"
"And he's nowhere around. Trust me, if a guy stands up a fine woman like you he deserves to sit at home all night and wonder what kind of time you're having with a guy like me," said Randy and Jill smiled despite herself. Randy was a smooth one, she had to give him that. Maybe going out with Randy was a good idea. After all, she couldn't deny that she had feelings for Peter and she knew that wasn't good. Maybe she needed a little something to get Pete off of her mind for a while.
"Ok, Randy. But I'm not waiting all night. Hurry up and get ready."
"You got it, baby," said Randy. He wasn't used to women bossing him around, but he doubted that was going to last long anyway. Soon he'd have pretty little Jill eating out of the palm of his hand. He smiled to himself. Pete was the best thing to ever happen to him. Guy sure did run around with a lot of fine women. He couldn't wait until his next visit to the Bugle and his eventual meeting with Glory too.
"I'm gonna hop in the shower and I'll be back out quicker than you can say…EEYOUCH," cried Randy as Smoke attached himself firmly to Randy's leg. Randy began wailing like a cat himself as he hopped on one foot around the room, kicking the foot with Smoke in the air to try and detach the cat from him.
Jill made a move to grab Smoke but suddenly the cat let go and was thrown across the room. It twisted in mid-air and landed agilely on its feet near the door. Its back arched and it hissed deep within its throat in the direction of Randy.
One look at Smoke's fangs was enough for Randy as he glanced quickly over to Jill and then made a dash for the bathroom. Smoke darted after him but Jill got in the cat's way and Randy was able to shut the bathroom door in time. Smoke looked up at Jill with annoyance and then sat down on its haunches and licked its front paw. Jill looked at the cat in amazement but a heavy knock on the door pulled her attention away. She hoped it wasn't a neighbor upset at all the commotion.
"Aunt May, Eugene, what are you doing here?" said Jill as she opened the door. The expressions on both Eugene's and May's face conveyed that they had heard the commotion themselves and were curious.
"We came by to see Peter and it sounded like there was some sort of fight," replied Aunt May.
"Just a little cat fight, that's all," said Jill with a huge smile on her face. Aunt May looked into the room and saw the cat licking its paws and smiled, understanding on her face. Jill looked over to Eugene and caught him staring at her. As soon as she looked his way he lowered his eyes and flushed bright red. Jill smiled. Eugene was cute but his schoolyard way of flirting wasn't exactly the style she was accustomed to.
"Right, w-we just came by to see how Peter was doing," said Eugene as Jill stepped aside to let them into the apartment. Aunt May and Jill shared a look as Aunt May passed and Jill knew that Eugene had May's approval. It almost made Jill bust out laughing all over again.
"Peter went on an assignment about two hours ago. He said he'd be back but he wasn't sure what time. Randy is in the bathroom taking a shower right now but he should be out in a few minutes. We were going to go get something to eat. You two should come with us," said Jill who noticed that when she mentioned that Randy was in the shower, Eugene puffed his chest out and a look of jealousy came over his face. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude," said Aunt May and before Jill could say a word, Eugene chipped in.
"Hey, if she wants us to come along, I say we make a night of it. By the time we get back Peter will be here and we can all hang out together," Jill smiled as Eugene talked. Definitely hope for him.
"I'll let Randy know. You two make yourselves comfortable. This is going to be fun," said Jill and went to tell Randy. He wasn't going to be happy, but the thought of two boys competing for her affections while she ignored them and had girl-talk with May was definitely her idea of a good time. She knew she'd be entertained for most of the rest of the night.
Ben Urich smiled and began finishing up his notes on the battle in front of him. Spidey had Ock barely wavering on those metal legs of his and Angela Yin was snapping pics like a woman possessed. Ben finished and made to put his pen back in his breast pocket when suddenly Angela jabbed him in the ribs and pointed to the sidewalk.
Ben followed her finger and sighed. Stunner was breaking the cocoon of webbing that was holding her. It looked like the webbing was weakening and as Stunner flexed, it held her less tightly. Soon she'd have one of her arms free and Ben knew that Spidey would be in trouble if both Stunner and Doctor Octopus got their hands on him. Spidey needed to end this quick so they could all go home.
"Heads up, Spidey! Stunner's breaking out of the webbing," Ben yelled and Spidey turned in the direction of Ben's voice. He gave a quick thumbs up sign, only momentarily relieving the pressure on Octopus' windpipe. Still, it was the only respite that Octopus needed. His arms finally managed to connect with Spider-Man as Spidey looked over in Stunner's direction. Spidey hit the ground hard and got up shakily. Ock turned around to face him and coughed hoarsely. Ben could kick himself. This was all his fault.
Spidey got shakily to his feet. That last shot Octopus had given him had been a doozy. Ock didn't look like he was in the best shape either, but Stunner was pulling herself free of the webbing and Spider-Man wasn't sure he could take them both. Still, he had to try. There was no telling how many innocent people might get hurt if he wasn't able to stop them. Ock looked to be the worst for wear so Spidey focused in on him.
"That's one ugly cough you got there, Ock. Almost as ugly as you," said Spidey and lunged for Octopus again. He connected flush with Doc Ock's jaw and finally the metal legs buckled. Spidey could taste the victory. Not to mention the fat check he'd get from the pictures of Ock being carted off to jail.
Suddenly his spider-sense went off again and the next thing he knew, Stunner had thrust her knee into his back. Spidey tumbled off of Octopus and landed heavily on the ground again. He cartwheeled back to his feet and faced the two criminals. Stunner was helping Ock regain his senses and she glared at Spider-Man.
"You leave Otto alone, Spider-Man. He's confused and hurting, but he needs that artifact more than life itself. I won't let you hurt my love. And I won't let you stop him."
"Hey, I think it's sweet. You two crazy kids together despite your difference in age… not to mention looks. Are you blind or what, Stunner? I mean, Ock's no Monet."
"Otto's not the one wearing the mask, you web-headed freak," Stunner was practically screaming the words now and Spidey smiled under his mask.
"Speaking of freaks. I bet you're dreading that visit from the stork. Eight limbed, muscle bound babies coming out of the womb… ouch," said Spidey and tensed his muscles as Stunner let go of Octopus.
Stunner blindly charged Spider-Man, letting out a howl of pure rage. Spidey was anticipating just that and just as he was about to fire his webbing at her feet to wrap her up again, a sudden tremor shook the entire street. Stunner fell to the ground, as did most of the onlookers watching the battle.
"What the heck!" yelled Spidey over the rumbling and suddenly the entire street was cast in a light that penetrated the dark night and dwarfed the light from the streetlamps completely. It was blinding and Spidey had to shield his eyes. The light disappeared almost as quickly as it came and the shaking abruptly stopped. Spidey opened his eyes and sighed again. This was turning into the longest damn night of his life.
"Humans! I am Taneleer Tivan. The Collector. One of the Elders of the Universe. The stone you call the Eye of the Sun is mine by right of title and I will claim it on this day. Any who try to oppose me shall perish in a matter most harsh," The Collector's voice boomed over the entire assemblage and many began to run. The Collector himself wasn't all that intimidating at first glance. The army of robotic creatures behind him certainly was and they all had their weapons trained on the web-slinger. Maybe it wouldn't be such a long night after all. Time didn't matter so much if you were dead.
Next Issue: The Collector!? What the heck is the Collector doing in New York? You can bet he isn't there to watch the Yankees. Spidey was able to keep Doc Ock and Stunner from stealing the Eye of the Sun, but how will our hero fair against an Elder of the Universe? You've got to be here next issue for the conclusion of "Pulling Strings".
May Parker was a strong woman, an independent woman, and sometimes admittedly even a stubborn woman. When Jill Stacey had suggested she head home and that Jill would check up on Peter in his new apartment, May had agreed. She'd gotten on the bus, rode it all the way to her home in Forest Hills, got in the door, picked up a phone and called herself a taxi to take her back to Peter's place. She'd honestly meant to take some time to herself, have a quiet evening at home, rest up a bit. But thoughts of what Peter had said when they'd spoken kept creeping into her mind. Mary Jane was dead, but Peter wasn't accepting it.* After all the heartache the poor boy had been put through as far as losing his child and thinking his parents had returned just to find they were imposters, May Parker couldn't bear to see her only nephew suffer this newest tragedy without her right there by his side.
[*As shown last issue - Will]
The taxi pulled up in front of the apartment complex and Aunt May frowned. It certainly wasn't the cleanest looking place in the world, or the safest. She didn't like the thought of Peter living in a place where he could get sick or hurt and not be able to get to her. If she thought Peter would have said yes, she would have gladly offered for him to move in with her. But Peter was strong, independent and stubborn too. May knew better than to ask. Still, that wouldn't keep her from visiting now and again. She stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk and paid the driver. As he was driving off she turned to walk up the steps. She didn't see the figure creeping up behind her in the night reach out for her until it was too late.
The metal arm snaked out and Spider-Man was just barely able to duck. The three-pronged claw slammed into the sidewalk, sending chips of concrete into the air. It flung back towards its master, swinging low, and Spidey jumped into the air to avoid it again just as another of the arms shot toward him. Spidey twisted out of the way, his body resembling a human pretzel. He landed lightly on the ground and crouched low, his spider-sense dancing forcefully through his head.
Doctor Octopus raised his body high above the ground with two of his arms while the other two snaked around his body. The web-slinger was an unforeseen obstacle to his plan to acquire the artifact. He needed the artifact. It was imperative that nothing stand in his way of acquiring it. Once he had the artifact his life would be complete. If only he could remember why the artifact was so important to him. When he tried to think about the significance of the Eye of the Sun his thoughts became muddled. He shook his head and wavered on his tentacles momentarily as his senses became dim.
Spider-Man watched as Octopus stared off into space as his metal arms danced rhythmically around his body. What the heck was Ock up to? It wasn't like him to daydream during a fight. Spidey knew from experience that the arms would go on autopilot even when Ock was distracted and he didn't want to risk attacking if Ock's momentary lapse in the fight was a ruse. Still, Spidey's spider-sense was only faintly buzzing now. It was as if Ock was only a minor threat. Suddenly Ock began to falter and his metal legs swayed back and forth. Spidey leapt up from his crouching position and flung himself head first towards Doctor Octopus. The time to end this fight was now.
"Yo, Doc! I know you're reaching retirement age, but taking a time out to look at the stars and appreciate the good things in life isn't the best idea when everyone's favorite wall-crawler is on your back," said Spidey as he shot past the twirling metal arms and tackled Octopus head on. He reared back his fist, aiming for Doc Ock's pudgy head, but was suddenly choked from behind and yanked away as one of the metal arms wrapped around his throat.
"I say again, Spider-Man. I need the Eye of the Sun. It is important that I acquire it. Once it is in my possession I will be…I'll be…"
"Able to form a complete sentence?" taunted Spider-Man as he grabbed at the coil surrounding his neck and pried it loose. Doc Ock was struggling in this fight. Something was wrong with him. Once he'd had Spidey around the neck the fight should have been over, but something caused his tentacle to loosen and Spidey was able to slip free and drop to the street again. Ock had turned his attention away from Spidey again and was looking up at the sky, apparently at nothing in particular.
"What is the purpose to my acquiring the Eye?" asked Octopus, but the question wasn't directed at Spidey. He seemed to be asking himself. Spidey had to fight the urge to slap himself on the forehead. This was getting mighty strange.
"Let me get this straight. You want the Eye of the Sun… but you don't know why you want the Eye of the Sun. Getting senile in your old age, Ock?"
"Stop your infernal prattling and be still so I can crush you. I must have the Eye," Octopus growled and his two upper tentacles once again lashed out at Spider-Man. This time Spidey was easily able to avoid them. Octopus was definitely distracted and Spidey had no problem using that to his advantage.
"Stop prattling? Be still? Your eyes must be aging as badly as you are, Ock. This is Spider-Man you're fighting here," said Spidey as he fired a web-line at Ock's face. "Maybe you should trade in those cool shades for some prescription specs."
"Blast you, Spider-Man. I don't need glasses to see you into your grave," said Octopus as his tentacles formed a makeshift barrier to shield his face from the shot of webbing. It blocked his view of the web-slinger and when he lowered his arms to restore his field of view again, Spider-Man was gone.
Suddenly, Ock felt all the wind rush out of his lungs as Spidey collided with him, driving his shoulder directly into Octopus' back.
"Hey, don't get defensive now. I know glasses will cramp that trademark style of yours. But trust me… those suits from - Tony's Plus-Size Clothes for the Deranged - are a dying fad anyway."
As Ock wavered once again from the collision and struggled to catch his breath, Spidey fired more webbing into his arms, tying them together. Ock tried to send his arms back to bludgeon Spider-Man but Spidey was easily able to avoid the strikes by keeping close to Ock's body. Spider-Man wrapped his arms tightly around Octopus' neck and squeezed, cutting off the flow of oxygen to Ock's lungs. Ock's struggles slowly began to decrease and his legs slowly began to lower the two combatants to the ground.
"That's it, Ock. Time to go beddy-bye," said Spider-Man as he let out an inner sigh of relief. This fight was going as smoothly as Spidey could have hoped to imagine. Even though he hadn't had a chance to set up his automatic camera to grab pics of this fight, he could still get pictures of them carting Stunner and Ock away. Hopefully even be able to actually complete his assignment with Ben. He glanced over Urich's way. Ben didn't look very happy and Spidey couldn't help but wince a little. Ben was going to chew him out big time.
May Parker sensed the creeping assailant behind her mere seconds before his hands made contact. She whirled around rather quickly for a person of her age, her purse held tight in her hands, and connected with the pervert's head. There was a loud thud and a cry of pain that was somehow familiar to May issued from her attacker as he landed on the ground butt first. If anything, she wouldn't have thought that any mugger in New York would have such a high-pitched voice. As she finally saw who the man was she took a surprised step back.
"Eugene!?" she cried in shock as the young man slowly rose to his feet, rubbing the side of his head. She reached under his arm to help him up and Eugene whose face was bright red from embarrassment smiled weakly at her.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Parker. I should have known better than to sneak up on you without saying anything in this neighborhood," said Eugene and Aunt May smiled back. Eugene seemed like such a nice boy when she met him. After Peter had lost his friend Harry not too long ago, Peter hadn't seemed to have found many new friends.* May hoped Eugene was the start of a change to all that.
[*Harry Osborn died in Marvel's Spectacular Spider-Man #200 - Will]
"Oh, don't be silly, young man. Here I am assaulting Peter's friends and they're apologizing to me. I'm a foolish old woman. Jumping at shadows I suppose."
No really, it was my fault. I just came here to check up on how Peter might be adjusting to the new place and when I saw you get out of the cab I assumed you were doing the same thing. Thought we might head up there together."
"It sounds like a splendid idea to me, Eugene. I'm sure Peter will be happy to see you," said Aunt May and when Eugene offered his arm to her, Aunt May slipped hers into it without hesitation. "What a polite boy you are. Peter is lucky to have you for a friend."
"That's just how I feel, Mrs. Parker. Peter's a great guy. I was really sorry to hear about all the misfortune he's been having lately."
"Yes, Peter has been through a lot in his life," said Aunt May with a solemn expression on her face. As she turned her look back to Eugene however, it brightened considerably. "With friends like you though… perhaps Peter's luck will take a turn for the better."
"I hope so, Mrs. Parker. I certainly hope so," answered Eugene, and together the two entered the front door of the apartment complex, arm in arm.
"Where the hell is Parker?" asked Ben Urich aloud to nobody in particular. He was seething at the core. Here he was, covering the donation of an artifact to a museum, bored out of his mind, when suddenly a super-powered slugfest erupts right in front of his nose. If ever there was a time for Peter to show up on time for something then this was definitely it. He could respect the fact that Peter was going through some tough times, but hell, everybody went through tough times.
If Peter wasn't going to be more responsible with the photo assignments he was put on then Ben would have to tell Robbie about it. Maybe even suggest Pete take another vacation from photojournalism. It was harsh, but hey, life was harsh sometimes. Everybody needed a wake up call now and then. Ben would be more than happy to provide Pete with one if he didn't show up pretty dang quick.
"Anybody here looking for a good photographer?" asked a decidedly feminine voice from behind Ben and he turned around and smiled despite himself. Looked like he didn't need to give Peter the wake-up call himself after all. Somebody else was determined to do it for him.
"Yin, get over here and start taking pictures damn it," yelled Ben as Angela Yin walked through the throng of reporters towards Urich. She sidled up close to him and began snapping away quickly as Urich turned back to the action. Spidey seemed to have things well in control and Ock was slowly losing consciousness. This fight was academic now. Ben found himself feeling a bit of a twinge of pity for Peter. It looked like this young cub photographer was going to be the next ace at the Bugle. Ben pushed those thoughts from his mind and began scribbling notes furiously again.
Randy walked up the fire escape steps running along the side of his apartment building. His shift at the Empire Heat had nearly been the death of him. There was no slow down whatsoever and he was dead tired. He smiled all the same as he felt the bulge in his pocket. The tips from all the beautiful women begging him for drinks all night long were definitely worth the aggravation. All he wanted to do now was take a quick shower, count his money and collapse into bed.
There was a light coming from his window. Randy was surprised Pete would still be awake at this hour. He must have been angrier about the mess in his room than Randy had thought at first. He really didn't want to deal with Peter making him help clean up that room tonight. He'd have to sneak in really quietly, skip the shower and head straight to bed. Oh well, he still wouldn't stink as bad as Peter would after a night of sleep.
He had to stifle laughter as he made his way up the last flight of steps. He reached the window and peered inside hesitantly. The TV was the only thing on in the entire apartment but Peter wasn't the one watching. It was Jill, Peter's friend he'd met earlier in the night. Randy smiled and slowly inched the window open. It was probably the only window that didn't squeak in the entire place.
Randy put both feet on the floor and made his way over to the couch. Jill was asleep. Randy considered his options. He could grab some wine out of the fridge, a couple of candles. Maybe make some dinner after dazzling her with a bit of his smooth lingo. Jill was one hot lady. He had to take this as a sign that this was his opportunity to bag her. He turned around to go get the candles and wine and suddenly something jumped right at his face.
Randy screamed in total panic. It was all hair and coarse fur and teeth and it was clawing at his face and making a horrible hissing sound right in his ear. He grabbed at it but it wouldn't let go. He whirled around and around in circles trying to get it to let go of his face and as he struggled to breath he could tell that whatever it was hadn't had a bath in weeks. He had to struggle no to vomit as he breathed in its foul odor.
Suddenly the lights switched on and there was Jill trying to coax the animal off of Randy as it yowled and spit and kicked its legs at him. Finally the thing calmed down long enough for Jill to get it away from Randy. Randy stepped backwards and fell over the couch, landing on the cushions and cracking the back of his head on the coffee table. Jill rushed over to help him to his feet.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Randy? I didn't think he'd go crazy like that," said Jill as she helped Randy up. He was going to have a huge lump on the back of his head and it felt like his face was scratched in at least a dozen places. He hoped he wasn't bleeding too badly.
"He? He who? What the hell was that thing?" Randy yelled and Jill flinched. He noticed it and tried hard to tone down his temper. He barely knew Jill and he didn't want to scare her.
"I'm sorry, Jill. I'm just freaking out here. I come into my apartment after a hard days work and I want to hit the hay and suddenly some creature from the depths of hell is attached to my face trying to tear it off."
"I know, Randy. I tried to warn Peter that keeping Smoke was a bad idea but he wouldn't listen and then he left and told me to stay and watch the cat and I knew you'd be home and want to know what was going on so I tried to stay awake but then I fell asleep and…"
"Whoa! Whoa there, girl. You're gonna have a nervous breakdown if you don't take a break to breath between sentences," said Randy. Jill had that sleepy look and she looked so sexy. He wondered how he looked to her right now, probably a mess. "Now what were you saying? Peter smokes?"
At that, Jill began to laugh. At first she'd been feeling embarrassed and a little worried that Randy might flip out, but when she saw Randy's face all messed up and his hair sticking out all over the place, the silliness of the entire thing hit her and she just couldn't hold back her laughter. He'd been beat up by a cat and now he was afraid Peter was a smoker.
Randy didn't look all that amused.
"I'm sorry, Randy. Really I am. Peter's not a smoker. He has a cat that apparently followed him home one day. Its name is Smoke and I guess it followed him here too. That was what attacked you when you came in," said Jill as she struggled to hold in her giggles.
"A cat? Pete never said nothing about no dang cat. Where is my darling roommate? We have issues," Randy asked.
"He's on a photo assignment for the Bugle. Told me to wait here for him and keep Smoke company and that we'd go out to eat later. Of course, that was about two hours ago," said Jill with disappointment evident in her voice. Randy wasn't about to let another golden opportunity pass him by.
"Well hey, if he missed the boat why don't you let me take you out to eat? I can get cleaned up and we can be out of her in like fifteen minutes."
"I don't know, Randy. Peter said he'd be back and…"
"And he's nowhere around. Trust me, if a guy stands up a fine woman like you he deserves to sit at home all night and wonder what kind of time you're having with a guy like me," said Randy and Jill smiled despite herself. Randy was a smooth one, she had to give him that. Maybe going out with Randy was a good idea. After all, she couldn't deny that she had feelings for Peter and she knew that wasn't good. Maybe she needed a little something to get Pete off of her mind for a while.
"Ok, Randy. But I'm not waiting all night. Hurry up and get ready."
"You got it, baby," said Randy. He wasn't used to women bossing him around, but he doubted that was going to last long anyway. Soon he'd have pretty little Jill eating out of the palm of his hand. He smiled to himself. Pete was the best thing to ever happen to him. Guy sure did run around with a lot of fine women. He couldn't wait until his next visit to the Bugle and his eventual meeting with Glory too.
"I'm gonna hop in the shower and I'll be back out quicker than you can say…EEYOUCH," cried Randy as Smoke attached himself firmly to Randy's leg. Randy began wailing like a cat himself as he hopped on one foot around the room, kicking the foot with Smoke in the air to try and detach the cat from him.
Jill made a move to grab Smoke but suddenly the cat let go and was thrown across the room. It twisted in mid-air and landed agilely on its feet near the door. Its back arched and it hissed deep within its throat in the direction of Randy.
One look at Smoke's fangs was enough for Randy as he glanced quickly over to Jill and then made a dash for the bathroom. Smoke darted after him but Jill got in the cat's way and Randy was able to shut the bathroom door in time. Smoke looked up at Jill with annoyance and then sat down on its haunches and licked its front paw. Jill looked at the cat in amazement but a heavy knock on the door pulled her attention away. She hoped it wasn't a neighbor upset at all the commotion.
"Aunt May, Eugene, what are you doing here?" said Jill as she opened the door. The expressions on both Eugene's and May's face conveyed that they had heard the commotion themselves and were curious.
"We came by to see Peter and it sounded like there was some sort of fight," replied Aunt May.
"Just a little cat fight, that's all," said Jill with a huge smile on her face. Aunt May looked into the room and saw the cat licking its paws and smiled, understanding on her face. Jill looked over to Eugene and caught him staring at her. As soon as she looked his way he lowered his eyes and flushed bright red. Jill smiled. Eugene was cute but his schoolyard way of flirting wasn't exactly the style she was accustomed to.
"Right, w-we just came by to see how Peter was doing," said Eugene as Jill stepped aside to let them into the apartment. Aunt May and Jill shared a look as Aunt May passed and Jill knew that Eugene had May's approval. It almost made Jill bust out laughing all over again.
"Peter went on an assignment about two hours ago. He said he'd be back but he wasn't sure what time. Randy is in the bathroom taking a shower right now but he should be out in a few minutes. We were going to go get something to eat. You two should come with us," said Jill who noticed that when she mentioned that Randy was in the shower, Eugene puffed his chest out and a look of jealousy came over his face. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude," said Aunt May and before Jill could say a word, Eugene chipped in.
"Hey, if she wants us to come along, I say we make a night of it. By the time we get back Peter will be here and we can all hang out together," Jill smiled as Eugene talked. Definitely hope for him.
"I'll let Randy know. You two make yourselves comfortable. This is going to be fun," said Jill and went to tell Randy. He wasn't going to be happy, but the thought of two boys competing for her affections while she ignored them and had girl-talk with May was definitely her idea of a good time. She knew she'd be entertained for most of the rest of the night.
Ben Urich smiled and began finishing up his notes on the battle in front of him. Spidey had Ock barely wavering on those metal legs of his and Angela Yin was snapping pics like a woman possessed. Ben finished and made to put his pen back in his breast pocket when suddenly Angela jabbed him in the ribs and pointed to the sidewalk.
Ben followed her finger and sighed. Stunner was breaking the cocoon of webbing that was holding her. It looked like the webbing was weakening and as Stunner flexed, it held her less tightly. Soon she'd have one of her arms free and Ben knew that Spidey would be in trouble if both Stunner and Doctor Octopus got their hands on him. Spidey needed to end this quick so they could all go home.
"Heads up, Spidey! Stunner's breaking out of the webbing," Ben yelled and Spidey turned in the direction of Ben's voice. He gave a quick thumbs up sign, only momentarily relieving the pressure on Octopus' windpipe. Still, it was the only respite that Octopus needed. His arms finally managed to connect with Spider-Man as Spidey looked over in Stunner's direction. Spidey hit the ground hard and got up shakily. Ock turned around to face him and coughed hoarsely. Ben could kick himself. This was all his fault.
Spidey got shakily to his feet. That last shot Octopus had given him had been a doozy. Ock didn't look like he was in the best shape either, but Stunner was pulling herself free of the webbing and Spider-Man wasn't sure he could take them both. Still, he had to try. There was no telling how many innocent people might get hurt if he wasn't able to stop them. Ock looked to be the worst for wear so Spidey focused in on him.
"That's one ugly cough you got there, Ock. Almost as ugly as you," said Spidey and lunged for Octopus again. He connected flush with Doc Ock's jaw and finally the metal legs buckled. Spidey could taste the victory. Not to mention the fat check he'd get from the pictures of Ock being carted off to jail.
Suddenly his spider-sense went off again and the next thing he knew, Stunner had thrust her knee into his back. Spidey tumbled off of Octopus and landed heavily on the ground again. He cartwheeled back to his feet and faced the two criminals. Stunner was helping Ock regain his senses and she glared at Spider-Man.
"You leave Otto alone, Spider-Man. He's confused and hurting, but he needs that artifact more than life itself. I won't let you hurt my love. And I won't let you stop him."
"Hey, I think it's sweet. You two crazy kids together despite your difference in age… not to mention looks. Are you blind or what, Stunner? I mean, Ock's no Monet."
"Otto's not the one wearing the mask, you web-headed freak," Stunner was practically screaming the words now and Spidey smiled under his mask.
"Speaking of freaks. I bet you're dreading that visit from the stork. Eight limbed, muscle bound babies coming out of the womb… ouch," said Spidey and tensed his muscles as Stunner let go of Octopus.
Stunner blindly charged Spider-Man, letting out a howl of pure rage. Spidey was anticipating just that and just as he was about to fire his webbing at her feet to wrap her up again, a sudden tremor shook the entire street. Stunner fell to the ground, as did most of the onlookers watching the battle.
"What the heck!" yelled Spidey over the rumbling and suddenly the entire street was cast in a light that penetrated the dark night and dwarfed the light from the streetlamps completely. It was blinding and Spidey had to shield his eyes. The light disappeared almost as quickly as it came and the shaking abruptly stopped. Spidey opened his eyes and sighed again. This was turning into the longest damn night of his life.
"Humans! I am Taneleer Tivan. The Collector. One of the Elders of the Universe. The stone you call the Eye of the Sun is mine by right of title and I will claim it on this day. Any who try to oppose me shall perish in a matter most harsh," The Collector's voice boomed over the entire assemblage and many began to run. The Collector himself wasn't all that intimidating at first glance. The army of robotic creatures behind him certainly was and they all had their weapons trained on the web-slinger. Maybe it wouldn't be such a long night after all. Time didn't matter so much if you were dead.
Next Issue: The Collector!? What the heck is the Collector doing in New York? You can bet he isn't there to watch the Yankees. Spidey was able to keep Doc Ock and Stunner from stealing the Eye of the Sun, but how will our hero fair against an Elder of the Universe? You've got to be here next issue for the conclusion of "Pulling Strings".