Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #18
Trade Secrets
Spider-Man has raced to the security center at Parker Industries where he has found Sajani Jaffrey in the clutches of the Ghost, a notorious industrial saboteur. He tries to tackle the Ghost, but the villain is totally intangible. Needing to save Sajani’s life, he uses his web-shooters to pull her out of the Ghost’s grasps. That’s when the Ghost tosses a number of explosives at them. Spider-Man just has enough time to shove Sajani out of harms way before he is caught in the blast.
Meanwhile, Anna Maria Marconi has led the rest of the Parker Industries staff into Peter’s private lab. There she instructs them to use the secret exit to get clear of the Ghost’s jammers and call the authorities. Only Anna and Clayton Cole remain and Clayton takes the time to admire the different tech Peter made for Spider-Man. At the same time, Anna Maria checks on the Living Brain, as the vintage robot was damaged in the Ghost’s opening attack. It informs her that it can use the nanites stored in its body to repair and upgrade itself and she gives it permission to do so. The Living Robot also informs them that there are three life signs registered elsewhere in the building. Deciding that Spider-Man could use some help, Anna Maria suggests that she and Clayton load up with Peter’s Spider-Man gear to lend a hand. While Clayton takes Spider-Man’s sonic suit to modify,[1] Anna Maria puts on the web-shooters that were designed to fight Venom with flame throwers and sonic webbing.[2]
Back in the lower levels, Spider-Man has deduced that the Ghost had come to sabotage Parker Industries prison project and demands to know who hired him. However, the Ghost reveals that he was actually hired to tear the business to the ground. That’s when Spider-Man notices that his foe has planted bombs all over the building. When he tries to reach the explosives the ceiling caves in on him, pinning Spider-Man under tons of rubble.
The Ghost decides to use this opportunity to try and unmask Spider-Man. Unfortunately for him, Clayton Cole arrives on the scene and uses the modified stealth suit to knock the Ghost away with a sonic blast. While the Ghost is disorientated he becomes tangible, allowing Anna Maria to web him up. When Spider-Man frees himself he scolds Anna Maria at first until she reminds him that she and Clayton saved his life. When he goes to recover the security guard and Sajani, Anna Maria tosses him a backpack telling him to look for “Peter Parker” as well. Spider-Man is impressed with the way that Anna is able to think ahead in order to preserve his secret identity.
Eventually, everyone is evacuated out of the building. When the police arrive, Anna Maria has Clayton keep mum about their involvement, reminding him that using Spider-Man’s tech would have been a parole violation.[3] That’ when Peter comes out with Sajani and the security guard. Although Peter insists that she get medical attention, Sajani scolds Peter for the attack, blaming it on his insistence on building a new prison for super-villains. Anna Maria decides it is also time to own up to the fact that Sajani has secretly had her working on the scrapped nanite project. Anna Maria then tries to get them to see how secrets can be harmful for the business. Peter agrees to be honest about things that are “important” in the future, but Sajani is still unsatisfied.
Suddenly, the Parker Industries building collapses, leaving nothing but rubbel. All the employees are devastated seeing all of their hard work being turned into rubble. Peter, to his credit, tries to convince his staff that Parker Industries is an idea that can’t be destroyed and that they will rebuild. However, his speech doesn’t do much to instill anyone with confidence, least of all himself.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, the Ghost, Anna Maria Marconi, Sajani Jaffrey, Clayton Cole, Living Brain,
Continuity Notes
Peter Parker first designed the stealth Spider-Man costume in Amazing Spider-Man #650. That suit was taken by Kaine, Peter Parker’s clone in Amazing Spider-Man #573. Clearly, Peter has built a second version of that suit in the time in between.
The flame-throwing/sonic web-shooter was actually designed by Otto Octavius when he was in possession of Spider-Man’s body. See Superior Spider-Man #22-25.
Clayton has a criminal record stemming back to his brief career as the Clash. See Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1.1-1.5
Nothing Left to Lose
Peter Parker realizes that Sajani Jaffrey is right to be upset with him after everything that has happened. Even though it is late, Peter decides to pay a visit to his Aunt May and her husband, Jay Jameson to tell them the bad news about Parker Industries. Unfortunately, nobody comes knocking at the door making him concerned. Using his spare key, Peter goes inside and discovers that the entire apartment has been torn apart. He searches the apartment but finds no trace of his Aunt or Jay. He also notices that the only thing that has been removed was a small statuette that they recently won in an auction.
The statuette was stolen by the Black Cat, who has been recovering all her possessions that were auctioned off since her arrest.[1] She has also kidnapped the people who bought the majority of these items from a recent auction: Regina Vanderkamp, Aunt May, and Jay Jameson. The Black Cat has kidnapped them in order to show them that nobody can and will ever take anything that is hers ever again. She then douses all the priceless items in gasoline and lights them on fire, a ritual that makes her finally feel free.
By this time, Spider-Man has figured out that the Black Cat was responsible for his Aunt’s kidnapping and scours the city for any sign of her. He hopes that he can get through to Cat, the old Cat, before anyone gets hurt.
That’s when he spots a penthouse apartment on fire. He crashes in and finds his Aunt, Jay, and Regina tied up in the inferno. The Black Cat is waiting in the flames as well. She sticks around long enough to tell Spider-Man that nothing of her old life exists anymore and that her destiny is her own. She then disappears in the flames, allowing Spider-Man to get the Black Cat’s prisoners to safety.
Once Spider-Man has gotten his Aunt May to safety, she tells him that she has renewed faith in the web-slinger and appreciates all the times that Spider-Man has saved her and her family. She then tells him that she no longer has a problem with Spider-Man being associated with her nephew or Parker Industries. Hearing the name of his company, Spider-Man tries to find the best way to tell May about what happened to Parker Industries earlier in the evening.
Meanwhile, the Black Cat meets with her gang and issues them one warning: If they cross her from here on out, they will pay with their lives. She then promises them untold riches from here on out as she now believes there are no limits to what she can do.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Black Cat, Aunt May, Jay Jameson, Anna Maria Marconi, Regina Venderkamp, Beetle, Jack O’Lantern, Killer Shrike, Melter, Shocker, the Spot, the Tarantula
Continuity Notes
The Black Cat was arrested after getting busted by the Doc Ock Spider-Man in Superior Spider-Man #20.
