Brother's Keeper

Two Months Ago

David and Henry Kalen, brothers and environmental consultants, are on the outskirts of Green Lawn, Long Island, are leaving the Sanders Chemical Corporation's main processing plant. Their investigation has discovered that the owner of the company has been operation in violation of new environmental standards and Henry figures he can get them shut down. That's when they pass by a small lake filled with barrels of toxic waste. Horrified by this brazen disregard for the environment, the two brothers stop for a closer look. Pulling one of the barrels out of the water, both David and Henry discover that it has been rigged with a bomb that suddenly goes off as the container is disturbed cutting both men down in the blast.

Now

In Manhattan, Spider-Man is swinging across the city feeling fully liberated now that he has reclaimed his costume identity once again.[1] After testing out his new batch of webbing his spider-sense warns him of danger just as furniture is hurled through the windows of a nearby office building.[2] Swinging into the building, Spider-Man is shocked to discover some kind of muck-monster terrorizing the people inside the office. The creature, calling itself D.K. is demanding that the people in the office produce their employer, Mister Saunders.

When the wall-crawler tries to web up this monstrocity, his webbing dissolves harmlessly against its chemically based body. D.K. tells Spider-Man that he has no issue with the masked hero and then grabs the door jamb on the other side of the room. This causes a chemical reactions that makes the ceiling begin to melt. Fearing the harm this goop may cause the innocent people all around, Spider-Man begins webbing it back up to the ceiling, allowing D.K. to make his escape. Spider-Man is not looking forward to spending his day off hunting this monster. At that very moment, at the Daily Grind, Shirley Washington is trying to talk to her son Devon about his chores and homework assignments, but Devon is too focused on a television program that he doesn't hear a word that she is saying.[3] By this time, Spider-Man has learned that D.K. was attacking the corporate office of Sanders Chemical Corporation and learns that the owner of the company is at their main plant on Long Island. The wall-crawler races there in the hopes that he can get there before the monstrocity that is after Sanders. Sure enough, Spider-Man gets there first and stakes the place out. He spots Sanders in one of the windows and notes that the business owner is pacing around nerviously. He also can't help but notice how thick the air is will pulltion, although he figures that tight environmental regulations ensure that the company is running within acceptable levels.

Suddenly, Spider-Man's spider-sense kicks in and focuses in a nondescript man walking through the main gate. This is not the creature he has been looking for, but he decides to move in to keep a closer eye on Sanders. From his new vantage point Spider-Man witnesses as D.K. comes crashing into Sanders' office. As the muck monster closes in for revenge, Spider-Man leaps through the window and tries to tackle the abomination. Unfortunately, the wall-crawler passes harmlessly through the goop that comrpises of D.K.'s body. Once again, the monstrosity warns Spider-Man to say out of its affairs. Making itself solid again, D.K. batters the wall-crawler and then returns his attention to Sanders. He tells the corrupt business owner that he will pay for his crimes against humanity and nature. Afraid for his life, Sanders tries to strike the creature with a metal pipe, but it dissolves upon contact with D.K.'s body. Hearing the commotion, the plant's security force prepares to storm Sanders' office, but the steps leading up to it suddenly dissolve. Back upstairs, D.K. finally has Sanders at his mercy so the creature reverts to human form revealing itself to be David Kalen. Kalen reveals that the bomb killed his brother, but turned him into something more. Pulling himself back together, David vowed to tear down the Sanders chemical empire. After confronting the killer Sanders fired, Kalen was able to gather a great deal of damaging evidence that proves Sanders hired the hit on David and his brother as well as his illegal dumping operations.

While David is explaining everything, Spider-Man pulls himself out of the rubble and ambushes David. Pulling the tortured man outside, the wall-crawler webs him up to a flag pole. He tells Kalen that the damning evidence is enough to put Sanders away for a long time and that he doesn't have to resort to murder. David, in tears, tells Spider-Man that it is not enough, telling the web-spinner that Sanders is also responsible for the death of his brother, Henry. Spotting Sanders trying to make an escape, David turns back into D.K. and slips through Spider-Man's webbing. However, when he tries to dissolve the getaway car with Sanders in it, Spider-Man swoops in and rescues D.K.'s would-be victim. This infuriates the muck-monster who vows to kill Sanders even if he has to go through the wall-crawler to do it. thinking that Kalen won't kill an innocent man, Spider-Man calls his bluff and stands between the environmental horror and the crooked businessman. Although D.K. charges at Spider-Man, he quickly begins to lose his nerve and stops his charge, reverting back to human form. David agrees to do things Spider-Man's way and soon Sanders is taken away by the police. After the crisis is over, Spider-Man then puts in a call to Ravencroft Institute. Soon, John Jameson and Edward Wheland arrive on the scene to pick up D.K. for treatment and to help him regain his lost humanity.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, D.K, Shirley Washington, Devon Lewis, Edward Whelan, John Jameson

Continuity Notes

1. At the time of this story, Ben Reilly was convinced that he was the real Peter Parker all along in The Spectacular Spider-Man #226. After Peter Parker (convinced that he was a clone) retired as Spider-Man in The Spectacular Spider-Man #229, Ben took on the mantle of Spider-Man in Sensational Spider-Man #0. However, this is all one massive deception created by the Green Goblin as will be revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

2. Ben muses about how disasterous his last batch of webbing, made on a budget out of common household items, clogged his web-shooters. This happened in Sensational Spider-Man #0.

3. Devon's distracted gaze is caused by Mysterio's new Mystery Vision television station as we'll learn in the Media Blizzard story arc.