Wing and a Prayer

After blacking out during a clash with the Watchdogs and Public Eye, Spider-Man is pulled off the streets of Downtown by the Vulture. This is observed by Kasey Nash who tries to save the hero from the Vulture's clutches. The Vulture then uses his talons to wreck Kasey's hovercraft, sending her crashing. Seeing this, Spider-Man struggles to get free so he can save Kasey. The Vulture knocks him out and flies away. While Kasey manages to bail out of her crashing hovercraft.

Meanwhile, Dana D'Angelo goes to Babylon Towers to look for her fiancee Miguel O'Hara. There, his holographic assistant Lyla tells her that Miguel hasn't been home for a few days. In her concern, she ignores the strange things that Lyla is saying that would have given away his double identity.[1] Back Downtown, Gabriel searches the streets for any sign of his brother. Along the way, he runs into the Fenris gang who tries to steal his mag-lev car. Not willing to give up his ride, Gabriel plows through them, managing to take one of their guns. At that moment, Spider-Man wakes up in a cell and is feeling much better, however, something smells really bad. Realizing that he's been locked out, the reluctant hero decides to try and get out. That's when the Vulture's second-in-command, Seargent-at-Arms comes to bring him food. Spider-Man waits until the Sergeant gets close enough to be knocked out when he smashes through the cell door.

In the next room, he finds the Vulture drinking some crimson liquid from a bowl. He welcomes Spider-Man and introduces the hero to his gang, the Freakers. Spider-Man is also told that he is Downtown, a section of old New York that exists in squalor since Neuva York was built over top of it. It is viewed as the bottom of the "corporate ladder" and rival gangs of freaks and outcasts struggle in a game of survival of the fittest. The Vulture has gotten it in his head that Spider-Man was created by one of the many independent corporations (Indy's). Unfortunately, Spider-Mans' own ignorance of the outside world proves to anger the Vulture. While back Uptown, Sargeant Rico Estevez returns to his apartment after being fired from the Public Eye by Tyler Stone. There he discovers that all of his belongings have been repossessed and that he is being evicted from his apartment, courtesy of Alchemax. Furious, Estevez vows to get revenge against Tyler Stone.

Back at the Vulture's den, Spider-Man listens to the gang leader's proposals to take down Alchemax. As he listens to the Vulture's insane ravings, he looks around the room and notices there are a lot of human skeletons laying around. He quickly puts together that the Vulture and his Freakers are a gang of cannibals. This realization angers Spider-Man that he savagely attacks the Vulture. However, the hero is forced to fall back when Sergeant-at-Arms begins to open fire, prompting Spider-Man to retreat. Meanwhile, Tyler Stone is on a virtual sailing expedition when he is contacted by Hikaru of Stark-Fujikawa. The rival CEO is upset at what happened to his agent, the Specialist during his battle with Spider-Man.[2] Hikaru has figured out that Stone intentionally hired the Specialist because Spider-Man would get involved and remove him from the playing board. Seeing this as an insult, Hikaru warns Tyler that he will not forget this insult. With the call over, Tyler is interrupted by his assistant Winston who tells him that Miguel's fiancee Dana D'Angelo has come to see him. Terminating the virtual reality simulation, Stone agrees to visit her. She has come to confront Tyler for addicting Miguel with Rapture and has come to give her a piece of his mind.[3] However, Tyler Stone quickly manipulates the situation into making Dana sympathetic to him over Miguel's strange behavior.

Downtown, Spider-Man continues to flee from the Vulture's lair and ends up in the meat locker where the Vulture stores the bodies of his victims. The stench of the rotting meat is too much for the hero who makes a quick escape up an elevator shaft to get out of the stench. However, the Vulture isn't following closely behind. Even Spider-Man's attempt to crush the Vulture under an elevator car fails and their fight is taken into the air. Elsewhere, Gabriel continues to search for his brother when someone sneaks up behind him. Frightened, Gabe turns around and fires his gun. It's only then that he realizes that he has just shot his girlfriend, Kasey Nash.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Kasey Nash, Dana D’Angelo, Lyla, Gabriel O’Hara, Vulture, Rico Estevez, Tyler Stone, Winston, Hikaru

Continuity Notes

1. Lyla repeats Miguel's instructions and recounts various activities he engaged in during the events of Spider-Man 2099 #1-3.

2. Spider-Man battled the Specialist in Spider-Man 2099 #4-5.

3. Tyler seemingly addicted Miguel to Rapture in Spider-Man 2099 #1. However, as revealed in Spider-Man 2099 #25, this was a trick to get Miguel to maintain his loyalty to Alchemax.