Spider-Man 2099 #44
The Last Dance
Downtown has been flooded by Roman and his Giganto creature, leading to a clash with Spider-Man. As the two brawls, the S-Man notices that Giganto is about to crush them under its massive foot and manages to pull himself Roman to safety. Rising above surface of the floodwaters, Spider-Man manages to snatch away the Horn of Proteus -- the only thing controlling Giganto -- before it can be recovered by one of the Atlantean mutates. Meanwhile, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Gabriel O'Hara and Father Jennifer manage to escape the floodwaters by climbing up to the cathedral's attic. By this point, Spider-Man evades Roman and manages to blow the right tune into the horn in order to make Giganto return to the ocean. It's then that the Public Eye arrives at the scene to drive the rest of the mutates away. Roman tries to attack Spider-Man again, but the hero manages to get close enough to his attacker to bite Roman with his venomous fangs. With Roman knocked out, Spider-Man webs him up so he can be taken back to Alchemax.
Meanwhile, at Alchemax, Conchata O'Hara orders the staff to try to find her son so they can deal with the current crisis. That's when Tyler Stone pays her a visit to talk about Miguel's recent take over as Alchemax's CEO. She tells him to leave, reminding Tyler that he is a person non-grata at Alchemax now. That's when Tyler finally puts it together and remembers that it was Conchata who shot him recently, putting him in this position.[1] He begins mocking her but Conchata will not listen to it and tells him to leave. As she turns to go into Miguel's office, Tyler drops a bombshell on her: Miguel knows that Tyler is his biological father.[2] Elsewhere, Xina Kwan is driving away from her old life in Neuva York. Along the way, she picked up the Net Prophet as he was hitchhiking. While Xina feels like she is living on borrowed time, the Prophet tells her that he is regaining his lost memories and now remembers his real name: John Tensen.[3] When they drive into the path of a truck, John uses his powers to teleport them out of a dangerous crash. After this quick save, Xina feels that she and John are at the start of a beautiful friendship.
Back at Alchemax, Miguel has Roman contained in one of the labs where he tells Roman that his attempts at diplomacy are over and orders him to order his minions to surrender before Alchemax retaliates against the mutates of New Atlantis. O'Hara then leaves to let Roman think it over. When he enters his office he is shocked to see his mother has Tyler Stone at gunpoint. Back at St. Patrick's, Father Jennifer sends Gabriel on his way after their brush with death. When he asks her about his prophetic dreams again she tells him to pray for guidance. Left alone, Father Jennifer opens a chest that reveals the Goblin's costume. Talking to herself, she tells herself that the suggestions that come from prayers are not always what one expects.[4] Uptown, things are hitting a crisis point as Roman continues to try and break out of his cell. Meanwhile, Miguel tries to diffuse the situation between Tyler Stone and his mother. Tyler is threatening to go to the authorities to report her attempt to kill him. However, Conchata points out that Alchemax is the law and they will not act on the accusations. Miguel then orders his mother to have security to release Roman and return him to the sea. Unfortunately, this is when Roman manages to break out of his cell. Smashing his way through the facility, security informs Miguel that Roman has just entered the lab where the Venom symbiote has been contained.
If things couldn't get any worse, security is unable to stop Roman from bonding with the Venom symbiote and escape. Fed up with the stand-off between his mother and father, Miguel uses a web-line to pull the gun out of his mother's hands, blowing his double identity. However, Tyler Stone apparently knew the whole time and when Miguel opens fire on his father, they quickly realize that he wasn't there in person, but merely appeared as a holographic projection. Finally knowing the truth about her son, Conchata tells Miguel that she is very proud of what he has become. Miguel decides to take his mother out to dinner. Although he has so many enemies on the loose he is happy that revealing his double-identity his mother has made him happy and for the first time ever he sees his spider-powers as a blessing.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Father Jennifer D’Angelo, Concheta O’Hara, Tyler Stone, Xian Kwan, Net-Prophet, Sub-Mariner, Giganto
Continuity Notes
Conchata shot Tyler Stone in Spider-Man 2099 #34.
Miguel learned that he was the product of an affair between his mother and Tyler Stone in Spider-Man 2099 #25.
The Net Prophet has suffered from amnesia since he was brought to 2099 AD in Spider-Man 2099 #12.
This scene is suggesting that Father Jennifer is really the Goblin. However, a change of writers quickly quashed this hint when the Goblin's identity is revealed next issue.
