To Thine Own Self...

This story continues from Amazing Scarlet Spider #1...

Following a battle with the new female Doctor Octopus in cyberspace, the Scarlet Spider rushes his friend Seward Trainer to a hospital as he has been in a comatose state.[1] After delivering Seward to the emergency room, the Scarlet Spider waits for forty minutes for a prognosis. He is told that Seward is physically fine but soon learns that he is catatonic. The doctors were forced to contact the authorities, but the Spider leaves before they have a chance to question him.[2]

Meanwhile, a hired assassin called the Pro arrives outside a large mansion on the north shore of Long Island. Checking his devices, he quickly learns about the security systems on the property.[3] He approaches the gate and incapacitates the guard and goes inside. He then intentionally sounds the alarm, leaving his target alone as his bodyguards go and investigate the source of the alarm. Getting the drop on his target, the Pro orders him to cease his operations and leave the country, sparing his life but telling the man that he will be back if he is hired to kill him later. On his way out, the Pro gets job offer to assassinate mobster Jason Tso. At that moment, Ben Reilly is leaving Seward Trainer's apartment after a shower and feels like he can handle waiting for news on Seward Trainer. He wants to go searching for Doctor Octopus, but without any leads, such a hunt will be pointless. On his way out, he sees his neighbor Carrie Bradley fighting off a man in a padded suit. Reilly pulls the man off of her but learns that she hired him to act as an assailant for her self-defense class and that she was in no real danger. Seeing that Ben was embarassed by all of this, she tells him that it was sweet and asks him to join her for coffee some night. It's an offer that Ben decides to take her up on.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Bugle, Ken Ellis gets an e-mail from his contact but discovers that it is from another unidentified source.[4] The tip is regarding a meeting of underworld types at Club Noir later that evening. Seeing a story here, he interrupts one of J. Jonah Jameson's rants to drags photographer Angela Yin to take pictures for him. While in Cyberspace, Doctor Octopus meets with her ally, the Master Programmer. Although she wants to see Jason Tso dead, she wonders why the Programmer tipped off Ken Ellis at the Bugle. The Master Programmer explains that Ellis is going to send a message to their rivals as a warning of what happens if they are crossed in the future. As they discuss their plans, they are unaware that Seward Trainer is watching them. As he watches, Trainer realizes that there may be a benefit to his mind being trapped in cyberspace.

Later that evening, Jason Tso is hosting a meeting with a group of underworld leaders. Acting as the waiter for this meeting is Ben Reilly, who is still distracted by thoughts of Seward Trainer. That's when Tso's assistant Orlando Kannor tells Jason that he has a call on his private line. As he excuses himself, Jason bumps into Reilly, causing the waiter to spill wine on his suit. Furious, Jason tells Orlando to deal with this, and Ben finds himself fired on the spot. In his office, Jason Tso speaks with his mysterious employer. This man warns Jason that Doctor Octopus is targeting him for his involvement in the thefts of various computer processors that are vital to his plans.[5] Tso is unconcerned as security at Club Noir is high due to the number of mobsters in the building. However, outside the building, two of the guards are incapacitated by the Pro. He then threatens them with a detonation device so he can get them to talk. Back inside, Ben Reilly wonders what he is going to do now that he is unemployed. That's when Seward Trainer's face appears on the digital prompt of one of the club cash registers. However, before he can explain what happened to him, Seward suddenly disappears leaving Ben to wonder if he hallucinated the whole thing. Suddenly, his spider-sense begins going off. He then notices Ken Ellis being barred at the door by a bouncer and is concerned about being spotted.[6]

When Orlando tells Jason Tso that Ellis and his photographer are here, Tso invites them in. Ben is relieved when they walk by without Ken notices him. This is when the two guards outside enter the room. With the Pro's explosive charges attached to the back of their heads, they have been forced to try and eliminate their boss with grenades. As Tso is rushed to safety, Ben leaps undercover to change into the Scarlet Spider unseen. However, he is witnessed leaping away by Angela Yin, who recognizes Ben Reilly as Peter Parker. Meanwhile, the Pro manages to get hold of Tso. That's when Doctor Octopus appears on a nearby screen and she reveals that she sent the Pro after him. That's when the Scarlet Spider leaps in and stops the Pro from eliminating his target by knocking him out a nearby window and stringing him up by the arm. With his free hand, the Pro lobs a grenade back inside the club. This allows the Pro to escape while the Scarlet Spider is pulling Ken and Angela to safety. When Ellis asks the Spider for an interview, the hero escapes. Later, Ben is emptying out his locker when Jason Tso comes and tells him that Ben is being rehired, but this time not as his waiter, but his bodyguard. Although he accepts the job offer, Ben wonders what he is getting himself into.

... This story continues in The Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1.

Recurring Characters

Scarlet Spider, Seward Trainer, Carrie Bradley, The Pro, Doctor Octopus, Master Programmer, Jason Tso, Orlando Kannor, Alistair Smythe (unidentified), J. Jonah Jameson, Ken Ellis, Angela Yin

Continuity Notes

1. The battle in cyberspace against Doctor Octopus happened in Amazing Scarlet Spider #1.

2. The Scarlet Spider quips that he is saving answers for Barbara Walters. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, particularly since she retired in 2015.

3. The Pro is depicted using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This should be considered another topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. This is because PDAs are an obsolete technology.

4. Ken talks about how his sources have all gone digital as though this is a recent development. Since this story was published during the early days of the public internet, this should be considered yet another topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

5. The identity of Jason Tso's employer is revealed in The Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1.

6. Ben Reilly is a clone of Peter Parker, as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #149. He is concerned about Ken Ellis confusing him as Peter Parker since Parker -- a former Bugle employee at the time of this story -- had recently left New York as seen in Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #1-4.