Spider-Man 2099 #40
Judas Goat
From his hospital room, Tyler Stone demands that his doctor put him in touch with Dana D'Angelo and President Doom.[1] Failing to get his patient to calm down, the doctor is forced to tell Tyler that Dana D'Angelo is dead. This brings Tyler Stone to an uncharacteristic silence and he begins to cry, then meekly asks how she died.[2]
Meanwhile, Miguel O'Hara has come to Downtown as Spider-Man at the request of his brother, Gabriel, only to be ambushed by the Goblin. Asking who his attacker is, Spider-Man learns his foe is called the Goblin and he intends to expose the S-Man for the fraud that he is. As the Goblin sees it, Spider-Man has betrayed the people of Downtown and deserves to be punished. As they battle above the city, the Goblin manages to throw a mechanized bat that latches itself onto Spider-Man, restraining the hero's arms, sending him falling to the ground below. At that same moment, Kasey arrives in the area with her friend Raff after receiving a message from the Goblin alerting her about the battle. As Spider-Man continues to fall, the Goblin offers to free the hero if he promises to leave Downtown and never return. However, Spider-Man isn't defeated yet and manages to fire some web-lines that attach to the Goblin. This manages to tangle up the Goblin and stick him to Spider-Man. With his own life in peril, the Goblin is put in a position where he has to release Spider-Man from the trap in order to save both of their lives. At that same moment, the Net Prophet returns to St. Patrick's cathedral looking for Father Jennifer. Learning that she is not at the church, he decides to return late and teleports away.
By this time, the Goblin has relented and frees Spider-Man so the pair can save themselves from a lethal fall. Free once more, the Goblin renews his attack on Spider-Man, bombarding the hero with projectiles that cause him to hallucinate and see multiple Goblins. As the two combatants brawl on the street, Kasey and Raff catch up. Tricked into thinking that the Goblin is altruistic, Kasey tries to stop Spider-Man from attacking her would-be alley. When Raff tries to pull her to safety, Spider-Man strikes Raff thinking him to be one of the army of Goblins attacking him. The Goblin tries to convince everyone watching that Spider-Man has turned against them. It's then that the S-Man realizes that the real Goblin is the only one talking. However, the Goblin manages to dodge this attack, much to Spider-Man's frustrated. The hero realizes that he needs to keep his eyes closed and rely on his other senses in order to take down his foe. While uptown, Xina Kwan is packing her bags with help from her assistant Jack. She explains to the robot that she is not sure if she is coming back as. She plans on staying long enough to attend Dana's funeral but then plans to take off soon after.
Back Downtown, Spider-Man manages to strike the Goblin with some webbing and begins beating on his foe. Seeing this continues to convince that Spider-Man has gone bad. This gives the Goblin more ammunition to discredit the hero, insisting that Spider-Man has sold out to the corporations. To prove his point the Goblin reminds everyone how President Doom offered Spider-Man a government position, that Miguel O'Hara told the Public Eye to stop pursuing Spider-Man, and how the S-Man also seems to be in the back pocket of Hikaru of Stark-Fujikawa. Spider-Man points out that he saved Hikaru's life recently, unaware of who he was saving, and is surprised that the Goblin knows so much about him.[3] Hearing all this prompts Kasey to deny the allegations. However, another bystander points out that they don't need Spider-Man as people always die when he is around. With Dana's recent death still on his mind, Spider-Man finally has enough. Calling the people of Downtown ungrateful, Spider-Man decides to depart. When the people tell him to come back, Spider-Man questions what they would do if he did. That's when the gathered mob pull out weapons and begin opening fire, prompting the S-Man to make a hasty retreat.
As Spider-Man returns uptown, it begins to rain. He can't believe how easily the people of Downtown came to accept the Goblin so easily. He then considers that President Doom was right about taking whatever power you can get. Suddenly, mechanical parts begin falling from the sky. Avoiding the falling debris, Spider-Man realizes that the parts belong to one of Doom's EMP crafts and wonders what happened to the President.[4] While back Downtown, the man who incited the mob against Spider-Man gloats over how easy it is to manipulate the people Downtown. Doffing his disguise, this man is revealed to be Spider-Man's old foe the Vulture. As he flies away he begins plotting the destruction of the Goblin so he can control Downtown all by himself.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Tyler Stone, Raff, Kasey Nash, Net-Prophet, Xina Kwan, Goblin, Vulture
Continuity Notes
Doctor Doom became President of the United States in Doom 2099 #28.
Dana was murdered by Venom in Spider-Man 2099 #37.
President Doom offered Spider-Man a government job in Spider-Man 2099 #34, Miguel O'Hara ordered the Public eye to leave Spider-Man alone in Spider-Man 2099 #36. Lastly, Spider-Man saved the life of Hikaru in Spider-Man 2099 #19.
What happened to Doom is revealed in Doom 2099 #33.
