Look Down

This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man #405...

Now

While staying at Seward Trainer's cabin in Vermont, the Scarlet Spider has been ambushed and taken prisoner by a mysterious individual. Restrained in a darkened room, the Spider is interrogated by his captor. They want to know who he is and what his connection to Seward Trainer. However, the torture causes the Scarlet Spider to black out once more. As he drifts into unconsciousness, his mind drifts back to his days on the road when he first met Seward Trainer.

Then

Ben Reilly wakes up in a strange bed after losing his temper at a local inn in Vermont. He is introduced to Seward Trainer, the man he has sought out. Seward took Ben home after he passed out the night before. With Reilly now awake, Seward offers him a change of clothes and to the amenities to his cabin...

Now

... The Scarlet Spider is snapped out of this dream by a powerful jolt of electricity. His captor demands to know what his connection with Seward Trainer. The web-slinger doesn't understand why he is being tortured by this person, especially over the man who changed his life.[1] His captor explains that this has nothing to do with the masked hero, they only want access to Seward Trainer's research. In order to get the web-slinger to talk, his captor's minions wheel out a holographic projector that shows that Seward is also a prisoner, and his life is at risk as the room he is contained in is slowly filling with water. Still, the Scarlet Spider has no idea what his captor wants. Believing him, the captor then jolts the webbed hero once more, causing him to black out again.

While back in New York City, Peter Parker stands on the roof of the home that he shares with his wife Mary Jane.[2] He is thinking about his recent trials and tribulations and how he now looks forward to the next chapter of the rest of his life. His thoughts are interrupted by his wife, Mary Jane, who wants to spend time with him. Unseen by his wife, her presence cause Peter to put on a maniacal grin and tightens his grip on the side of the rooftop, cracking it under his strength.[3] When Mary Jane feels him tense up, Peter says he spaced out for a moment and holds her close. At that moment, high above Manhattan, the Vulture stalks the city. He has just recently regained his youth thanks to a Juvinator device, but it is now fading away again.[4] As such, he now hunts for new victims so he can maintain his newly acquired youth.

Then

Thanks to Ben Reilly, Seward Trainer has been able to get his brand new lab up and running in record time. Seward is grateful and has been in desperate need of an assistant. He offers Ben the back room of his lab, although it is not much, Ben accepts it as he needs Seward's assistance. That's when they get a warning that the main power core is experiencing an overload. When they rush into the next room, Seward discovers that the heat has fused the access hatch to the power core shut. With no time to lose, Ben uses his enhanced strength to rip the hatch off, revealing his powers to Seward. This comes as a shock, and Ben promises to explain himself to Trainer later.

Now

The Scarlet Spider wakes up from another period of unconsciousness and refuses to let anything happen to Seward, especially after everything that Trainer had done for him over the years. With the last of his strength, the Spider rips free from his bonds and incapacitates his captor's minions. As he does so, his mind drifts back again...

Then'

Although Ben manages to get to the computer core, the data is still at risk of exploding. As he tries to remove the hard drive, there is a small explosion that pins Ben with debris. Seward offers to pull Ben out, but with things about to become critical, he tells Seward to leave him. Trainer refuses and pulls Ben out. The pair manages to get out and seal off the computer core before it explodes. It will take time to rebuild from this disaster, but Seward is glad that they are both alive. Having determined that Ben is a good person, he decides to continue working with him but has Ben promise not to pull a stunt like that again. Reilly accepts Seward's offer and promises to not do something like this again.

Now

The Scarlet Spider thinks about his promise and how he refuses to let Seward down. As he fights through the complex, he runs into a number of octo-drones. Spotting a done camera, the Scarlet Spider realizes that this is the eyes and ears of his captor and destroys it, cutting off their ability to monitor his actions. As the Spider fights through this current threat, Seward's cell continues to fill with water, and time is running out. However, before Trainer can be completely submerged, the web-slinger manages to get to him and free Seward from his cell. In the aftermath of the battle, Seward asks how the Scarlet Spider managed to find him. Ben explains that he recognized that he was in Seward's old lab and that helped him locate where Seward was being held. When he asks who their mystery attacker was, Trainer says he doesn't know. Seward wants to go back to New York to make sure his files are still intact. When Ben offers to tag along, Seward reminds him that he wanted to get out of the city. Reilly explains that while this is true, he also made a promise to never let Seward down.

... The Exiled concludes in Spider-Man Unlimited #10.

Recurring Characters

Scarlet Spider, Seward Trainer, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Doctor Octopus, Vulture

Continuity Notes

1. The Scarlet Spider mentions "getting his life back". He is referring to the allegation that he is not a clone, but the real Peter Parker, as told to him in The Spectacular Spider-Man #226. However, this is a lie orchestrated by the Green Goblin, as revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

2. 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.

3. This is alluding to the fact that Peter was brainwashed by the Jackal to try and murder his wife. This is revealed in The Spectacular Spider-Man #228.

4. The Vulture regained his youth in Amazing Spider-Man #388.