From the Inside Out

Having successfully transferred his mind into the body of Deathlok, Silvermane fantasizes about how he will use this new body to take control of the criminal underworld and eliminate all superheroes that stand in his way. He has convinced Spider-Man and Daredevil that Deathlok is still in control in order to lead both heroes into a trap.[1] However, the two heroes aren't entirely sure that they can trust "Deathlok", because their enhanced senses are warning them of danger. Silvermane explains that if he wasn't really Deathlok he would have killed Scorpia instead of knocking her out. Unknown to Silvermane, the mind of Deathlok is still within its body. Frantically, the mind of Michael Collins begins working with the cyborg body's onboard computers in order to try and warn his allies of Silvermane's deception. However, the computer refuses to assist, as Silvermane is now in full control of its systems.

Still, Silvermane's own impatience with convincing Spider-Man and Daredevil into a trap blows his own cover. With his superior strength, Silvermane incapacitates both heroes, but he cannot kill them thanks to the computer's no-kill orders put in place by Deathlok. Unaware of this, Silvermane returns to his mansion to begin his legacy. He is also unaware that the body has one of Spider-Man's spider-tracers is on his new body. By the time Silvermane is gone, Scorpia has recovered from his sneak attack. She is furious that he shot her in the back and decides to double-cross her employer. When she finds the unconscious bodies of Spider-Man Daredevil outside, she begins working on reviving them, as they will help her get revenge against Silvermane. Meanwhile, the Punisher is making his way back into New York City. He watches a news report about how an anonymous tip has informed the authorities of bombs that Silvermane had planted on all of the bridges and tunnels leading out of Manhattan. With news about Deathlok's involvement in this terror plot, the Punisher knows that the cyborg is under the control of another. Frank Castle even knows where Silvermane is going and looks forward to stopping him. At that same moment, Spider-Man and Daredevil are crossing the George Washington Bridge. There, Spider-Man is able to pick up the signal from his spider-tracer and begins tracking Deathlok's body.

Meanwhile, Silvermane and his men arrive at a government warehouse that stores a large number of high tech equipment. With Mainframe cutting off all outside communication, Silvermane makes short work of the guards. In the main warehouse, other staff enters giant mech-armor to try and stop him. Unfortunately, Mainframe's powers allow him to incapacitate the mech suits allowing Silverman to make short work of him. That's when Spider-Man and Daredevil come crashing in. As they save the remaining staff members from Silvermane's attack, Scorpia arrives having followed the two heroes to this location. Unfortunately, she is just as vulnerable to Mainframe's powers, preventing her from getting the revenge she wants against Silvermane. He then takes control of her armor and uses it to attack the wall-crawler and Daredevil. While inside Deathlok's mind, Silvermane begins gaining more access to the computer files as Deathlok struggles to regain control of his body. While in the real world, Silvermane discovers the facility's experimental plasma reactor and gloats over how he can use this as a powerful weapon against the entire United States government. However, before he can access the plasma core, he is ambushed by the Punisher. While back at the scene of the battle, Daredevil knocks out Mainframe, allowing Scorpia to regain control of her armor. She then rushes off to confront Silvermane. Spider-Man orders Daredevil to make sure the civilians get out safe while he goes after her and Silvermane.

In the plasma chamber, he comes across the Punisher and disarms him while Scorpia attacks Silvermane. Inside his mind, Deathlok continues to try and regain control of his body. Ultimately, both Scorpia and Punisher are knocked out in the ensuing battle and Deathlok manages to purge the copy of Silvermane's mind from his systems. With the plasma generator set to explain, Deathlok manages to convince Spider-Man that he is back in control and the pair work together to stop the plasma generator from exploding. In the aftermath of the battle, the authorities arrive but Scorpia and the Punisher have escaped. In addition, nobody can find Silvermane's real body, and none of his arrested minions are talking. After Daredevil departs, Deathlok takes a moment to thank Spider-Man for believing in him. He then tells the wall-crawler to return home to his family, telling him that he won't realize how much he'll miss them until they are gone. By this moment, back at the Parker home, Mary Jane hears news reports about Spider-Man's battle against the Maggia and fears for her husband's safety. That's when Peter comes home to reveal that his alive and well, much to her delight. Peter decides that he is going to stay home so he can spend time with his wife and their unborn child.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Deathlok, Daredevil, Punisher, Maggia (Silvermane), Scorpia, Mainframe, Mary Jane Watson.

Continuity Notes

1. The narrative of this story mentions a number of facts about Spider-Man.

   • How Peter Parker got his powers and the murder of his Uncle Ben. These events happened in Amazing Fantasy #15.

   • 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.

   • It also mentions that Mary Jane is currently pregnant with Peter's child. At the time of this story, Mary Jane recently revealed to Peter that she was pregnant in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.