False Truths

Following Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider's battle against the Jackal, Kaine searches through the rubble of the mad scientist's lab.[1] His fears that the entire facility was destroyed are put to rest when he finds a reinforced section of the facility still intact. Inside, he looks through the data on file and gets what he has been looking for, the information that will prove who is really the clone: Peter Parker, or Ben Reilly.[2] When he tries to make a copy of the information, the computers release a hidden genetic canister.[3] Suspecting that this is yet another clone of Spider-Man, Kaine opens the chamber and is shocked to see someone dressed like Peter Parker inside.[4]

This discovery is interrupted by the Jackal and his assistant, a Peter Parker clone named Jack. The Jackal is surprised to see Kaine here after all this time. When he begins mocking surprise by the contents of the cloning chamber, Kaine attacks him demanding to know when his creator will stop tormenting Peter Parker. He also demands that the Jackal reveal who is the real Peter Parker. The Jackal evades Kaine's attack and continues trying to sew confusion by suggesting that all three Parkers are clones. As he and Kaine continue to fight, Jack thinks that the information on the disc is important and decides to go and make a copy of it. However, before he can, he is frightened by the arrival of Scrier, who makes his presence known to the Jackal as well. While the Jackal is distracted, long enough for Kaine to take the data and leave, but not before noticing that the man who resembles Peter Parker has also fled. With Kaine gone, Scrier then teleports away. This leaves the Jackal to wonder if Scrier's sudden appearance had to do with Judas Traveller's recent attack on Ravencroft.[5] He fears that Scrier is running ahead of schedule and what that will do to his plans.[6]

At this moment, Ben Reilly is at the community center where Flash Thompson teaches sports to children. Seeing what Flash has become, Ben is proud of how far Thompson has come since being a bully in high school. Now that he has learned that he may be the real Peter Parker, after all, Ben decides that perhaps he deserves a second chance at a life as well. While on the rooftops of Manhattan, Kaine travels across the city, cursing himself for allowing the Jackal to continue to manipulate him. Suddenly, his mind is flooded with the image of Mary Jane murdered in the street. This hasn't happened yet, but Kaine knows that he and Mary Jane have a destiny together.[7] At that same moment, Mary Jane is in a meeting with her doctor who presents the results of her latest physical. He reports that Mary Jane is in good health. Although the baby appears to be healthy as well, initial screenings have found an anomaly and he wants to do additional testing as soon as possible.[8] This cause grave concern for Mary Jane who fears what her husband's altered genetics may have passed on to their child.[9] While elsewhere, the Jackal and Jack arrive at his new lab. There he continues to wonder what Traveller was doing at Ravencroft. He briefly considers attacking the facility to look for clues but decides against it.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker is trying to scrounge up some freelance work. Unfortunately, Joe Robertson has nothing for him, pointing out that Peter's recent refusal of work forced him to assign things to other freelancers.[10] This causes Peter great concern as he needs to make some money since he and Mary Jane have a baby on the way. On his way out of the building, Peter is stopped by J. Jonah Jameson who has some questions for Peter about Ben Reilly. While the Districts Attorney's office has agreed to allow NYPD detective Connor Trevane to go after a suspect and arrest them for first-degree murder. With his warrant, Trevane goes outside where he tells Jacob Raven, a detective from Salt Lake City, the good news.[11] By this time, Peter is walking home from his meeting with J. Jonah Jameson. Jonah had just warned him how the police are looking for someone named Ben Reilly and think that it is Peter Parker. Peter knows that the mix up is due to the fact that Ben Reilly is secretly his clone. He wonders what Ben would get him caught in the middle of. Thinking of the recent murders of Doctor Octopus and the Grim Hunter, Peter wonders if his clone is capable of murder.[12] It's then that Peter is confronted by Kaine, who tosses Peter hard copies of the files he stole from the Jackal. He tells Peter that he holds proof that he is not a clone and tells him to seek out a scientist who can confirm it should he be unable to decipher the data himself.

Back at the youth center, Flash's game is interrupted by the arrival of the Jackal who unleashes the genetically engineered creatures he calls the Genetrix. Jack wishes his master would stop fooling around long enough to solve his genetic deterioration, otherwise he may be compelled to give the copy of the Jackal's data to Ben Reilly. Just then, the Scarlet Spider comes crashing into the room. While the Scarlet Spider faces off against the Jackal, Spider-Man catches up with Kaine. He doesn't trust the information that the assassin has provided and demands to know the truth. Meanwhile, the Peter Parker found in the Jackal's lab is walking along the highway upstate. He is picked up by a trucker who asks him who is and where he is going. Unfortunately, this Peter Parker doesn't remember anything about his life, the only thing he knows for sure is that he feels that he should be doing something really important.

...This story continues in Web of Spider-Man #123.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, Mary Jane Watson, Jackal, Kaine, Jack Scrier, Peter Parker (clone), Joe Robertson, J. Jonah Jameson, Flash Thompson, Connor Trevane, Jacob Raven,

Continuity Notes

1. This battle occurred in Spider-Man #56 during the Smoke and Mirrors event.

2. The Jackal to sew confusion between Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider by leaving them uncertain as to who is the clone and who is the original, that was in Amazing Spider-Man #399.

3. Kaine states that he was going to store the data on a floppy disc. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timesceale of Earth-616 as this is an obsolete technology.

4. This story raises suggests the possibility that this is the real Peter Parker and that both the Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man are clones. This is yet another ruse created by the Jackal as revealed in Spider-Man: The Jackal Files #1.

5. Judas Traveller and his followers attacked Ravencroft during the Power and Responsibility story arc.

6. Scrier's connection to the Jackal is explored in more detail in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

7. Kaine has been plagued with the vision of Mary Jane being murdered since Spider-Man #55.

8. Mary Jane revealed that she is pregnant in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.

9. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.

10. Peter tried to abandon his civilian identity after his Aunt May suffered a stroke in Amazing Spider-Man #391 until The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.

11. Jacob Raven believes that Ben Reilly was responsible for the murder of his partner. The truth is explained in Spider-Man: The Lost Years #1-3. Their arrest goes down in Amazing Spider-Man #400.

12. Both villains were murdered by Kaine in The Spectacular Spider-Man #221 and Spider-Man #55 respectively.