Amazing Spider-Man #356
After Midnight!
Aboard Moon Knight's Moon-Copter, the hero plans with Spider-Man, and Night Thrasher about their next course of action to rescue Nova from the Secret Empire. They were able to track their cyborg operative Midnight until he destroyed the spider-tracer that allowed them to track him. Recovering from an attack by an energy leech, the Punisher warns them that they need to stop the Secret Empire immediately as they are planning to build an army of cyborgs. Night Thrasher blames Moon Knight for this situation because Midnight was his former partner.[1] this almost leads to both men coming to blows, but Spider-Man gets between them. Suddenly, Night Thrasher remembers that all members of the New Warriors have emergency communicators on them, including Nova. With this new lead, the heroes begin working on a means of tracking down Nova's radio signal.
Meanwhile, at the Secret Empire's secret laboratory, Eliot Franklin concludes the painful upgrades on Midnight's body and leaves the operating room. Nurse Lynn Church then instructs the other technicians and surgeons that they have one last item to install. When they balk at her orders, they suddenly change their minds when they look her in the eye and what they see frightens them. Although they are worried at being caught, Lynn assures them that she has devised a distraction for them. Elsewhere, Eliot Franklin checks on the equally painful examination of Nova's physiology to determine if cybernetic enhancement would enhance the young hero or not. However, the members of the Secret Empire are unable to determine the origins of Nova's powers. That's when Franklin notices that someone had disengaged the signal jammer in the lab, leaving them open for detection. Although the jammer is reactivated, it is too late, as, at that moment, Frenchie manages to lock in on Nova's location. Realizing it was too late, Eliot Franklin storms out of the lab to warn his employers about this recent development. He interrupts the high ranking members of the Secret Empire as Number Seven continues to state his case to take the place of their deceased leader Number One.[2] Franklin warns them the heroes are coming and recommends that they leave this facility. However, Number Seven refuses to give up this location and orders that their position be fortified.
At that moment, the Moon-Copter attempts to land on the building that acts as a front for the Secret Empire, hidden weapons begins to open fire. As Frenchie lands the copter somewhere nearby, the Punisher insists on going along, even though he is still weak after his ordeals. However, Night Thrasher convinces him to stay and continue recovering and act as back up. The other crashes through the false business front and are confronted by an army of Secret Empire soldiers. However, the combined forces of Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and Night Thrasher make short work of these foot soldiers. As the heroes continue to fight there way into the facility, the heads of the Empire are joined by Lynn Chruch who is uneasy on her feet. Dismissing her condition, Number Seven orders her to send Midnight in to stop the heroes, even though he just recently has gotten out of surgery. Lynn then goes to Midnight and tells them that his masters want him to fight the heroes again. However, she reveals that she sabotaged their pain-inducers and he now has the freedom to choose his next actions. Midnight thanks her and assures her that he will repay her soon. As the heroes draw closer to the heart of the facility, Number Seven demands to know where Midnight is. That's when the cyborg enters the room and makes his bid to take over the Secret Empire. When Number Seven tries to activate the pain-inducer, he is shocked to discover that it no longer works. Midnight then murders Number Seven and tells the others that he will get them out of this situation.
By this point, Spider-Man and the others have defeated all the soldiers. Spider-Man's spider-sense goes off, barely warning him and the others of Midnight's ambush. The cyborg focuses on Moon Knight, intending to kill him for leaving him for dead. The other heroes pile on. Night Thrasher tries to relate to Midnight, telling the cyborg about the death of his parents.[3] However, these words do not get through to Midnight. Ultimately, Spider-Man ends up wrecking one of Midnight's arms, forcing him to flee. Night Thrasher tries to go after him in an effort to save Nova, but the wall-crawler pulls him back. Night Thrasher is furious, but Spider-Man explains that going after Nova alone wouldn't help either of them. Moon Knight suggests they get back to the Moon-Copter to follow after them. Meanwhile, the ranking members of the Secret Empire flee in a ship. Inside, Midnight informs them that he is taking over, warning them that if they protest he will kill them all as easily as he did Number Seven. Midnight then tells Lynn Church that once he is repaired he will build an army of cyborgs to take over the world in her name. Back on the rooftops, the heroes return to Frenchie at the Moon-Copter. It's there that Spider-Man discovers that the Punisher slipped away during the battle, and they quickly realize that he must have stowed aboard the Secret Empire's ship.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Night Thrasher, Secret Empire (Midnight, Lynn Church), Elliot Franklin, Punisher, Frenchie, Nova
Continuity Notes
Midnight was Moon Knight's partner from Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5-24 when he was seemingly killed in action. However, as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #353, Midnight survived and was turned into a cyborg by the Secret Empire.
Number One was killed during a battle with Moon Knight in Marc Spector: Moon Knight #24.
Both of Night Thrasher's parents were murdered as revealed in New Warriors #25.
