The Second Master Part One

Several Months Ago

An oil rig on the Gulf of Mexico suddenly erupts with energy from it’s central shaft causing work crews to scramble. One of the rig workers reports that something snapped their drill after it exposed a pocket of something that he warned wasn’t oil. However, his superiors at the Roxxon Oil Comapny refused to listen and this is the end result. As they watch energy arc up into the evening sky one of the rig workers makes a prayer for the Lord to forgive them for what they have done.

Now

The Scarlet Spider is web-slinging around Houston on patrol. The day is humid making things very uncomfortable, making web-slinging feel like he is swinging through steam. Suddenly a missile rips out the upper floors of a building he passes. Then there’s another explosion that sends flaming debris raining down onto the street below. Quick thinking, Kaine leaps off the side of the building and spins a net out of webbing to catch the debris. As he rebounds back to toward the building he spots a woman falling out of the building. He rescues her and the rush of being saved from sudden death prompts the woman to kiss him for saving his life. At first he resists, but when the woman pulls up his mask to kiss Kaine on the lips, he doesn’t resist.

Despite his better judgement, Kaine takes the woman back to her home where they have sex. It’s only after that he learns her name, Zoe Walsh, and that she was the one who fired the rocket. This comes across as a shock to Kaine who decides to make a quick exit when someone starts knocking at the door. As Zoe gets up to answer the door, she is surprised to learn that Kaine was just there by chance and not because of something that happened in Galveston. Before he can get any more answers, Kaine has to leave before Zoe opens her door. On the other side Zoe greets two stern looking men.

Kaine returns to the hotel he has been staying at and spends the entire day trying to convince himself to stay out of it because it is none of his business. That night as he tries to sleep Aracely barges into his room to tell him to do something already because she is tired of hearing his thoughts about not caring. Kaine goes back to Zoe’s apartment as the Scarlet Spider and discovers that it has been cleaned out with no trace that anyone had previously lived there. He decides to go back to the building, owned by the Roxxon Corporation, and discovers that that repairs are already well under way.

He decides to pay a visit to the home of Donald Meland and Wally Layton. Wally can’t sleep because his husband is snoring loudly. When he wishes for death, Kaine announces his presence by telling Wally to be careful about what he wishes for.[1] This startles Wally who is then asked to look up everything the Houston police has on Roxxon. Wally takes the Scarlet Spider into his office where he uses his laptop to access the police records that Kaine seeks. Wally is able to pull up a report on the explosion at the Roxxon Building, which has been reported as a gas leak. This raises Kaine’s suspicions and learns from Wally that Roxxon has been a major employer in Houston for decades. He then asks Wally to look up what this has to do with Galveston, a place he has never heard of before. Layton resigns to the fact that he has to explain a lot because Kaine apparently has a lot to learn about the area.

The following morning, Jacob Johnston arrives at work at Roxxon Tower. After getting through the heavy security he reports to his work station where he is confronted by the Scarlet Spider who has managed to sneak into the building thanks to the stealth capabilities of his costume. He stops Johnston from signaling the alarm and demands information on the explosion at the oil rig a few months back. Johnston access the files, but has limited access because he is just the IT guy. Just as Jacob is telling him that the CEO, David Walsh, is the only one that can access the files he needs they are interrupted when armed guards come barging in under orders to kill both of them. The Spider kicks Johnston out of the path of the bullets and attacks the guards. Their battle spills out into the main office where Kaine quickly subdues the guards. He then learns that Walsh’s office is on the top floor of the building.

Upstairs, Walsh’s head of security suggests that they leave for his own safety, but he refuses because he is working on some important contacts. That’s when the Scarlet Spider comes crashing in and demands access to the files. Unphased by the dramatic entry, David tells the Scarlet Spider that the authorities have been contacted. He then explains that the gas leak story was to prevent his company from embarrassment. This is because Zoe is his daughter. Upon this revelation, Kaine suddenly becomes aware that Zoe is in the room with them. He then tells the Scarlet Spider this is not his concern and that he should leave before things escilate further. That’s when the Rangers, the resident superhero team in the state of Texas, arrive on the scene. Their leader, Texas Twister, orders the Scarlet Spider to back off before his team forces him to comply.

Recurring Characters

Scarlet Spider, Roxxon (David Walsh), Rangers (Texas Twister, Firebird, Living Lightning, Fifty-One), Zoe Walsh, Donald Meland, Wally Layton, Aracely Penalba

Continuity Notes

1. Kaine states here that he has died before. He’s not mincing words. He was used as a sacrifice by the Kravinoff family in order to resurrect Kraven the Hunter. Although Kaine was killed he was resurrected shortly afterword because he was chosen as the new host for the Other. See Amazing Spider-Man #634-637 and Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #14-15.

Topical References

• The hotel Kaine stays at is identified as the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston, Texas. This should be considered topical as it is a real world business.

• Likewise should references to using Google be considered topical since, again, Google is a real world business.