Right-Hand Man

Doctor Elias Wirtham has re-opened the FEAST Center, renaming it the HEART Clinic. Interviewed by Norah Winters of the Daily Bugle, he tells her that despite the fact that the FEAST Center was a front for Mister Negative, he re-opened the facility because there are still homeless people who need help.[1] After the interview, Wirtham goes back inside where he changes into Cardiac and enters one of the secret rooms. His decision to publicly re-open the clinic is to cover for the fact that he has a secret team of doctors performing medical miracles outside the regular medical establishment.

His team is working on various experimental medical processes using materials stolen by Cardiac and being used outside of FDA approval. He checks on his patients and all are doing well. That’s when he brought to a young girl named Amy Chen. She has suffered brain damage and the doctors tell him that her only hope of recovery is in a device that Cardiac must steal.

Meanwhile, Otto Octavius sleeps as the spirit of Peter Parker — a prisoner in his own body — watches.[2] He still can’t believe how Octavius took over his life. He has been trying to find a way out of this situation. Now as Otto sleeps, Peter begins trying to use his will power to take control of his body. Surprisingly, this starts work and Peter manages to take control of his hand and tries to write a message on a nearby notebook. Unfortunately, his motorskills aren’t that great and he only writes jibberish. When Otto is later woken up by an alert from one of his spider-bots, he knocks the notebook in a nearby garbage can. Checking the alert, Otto learns that one of Spider-Man’s old foes is up to something and he quickly changes into costume.

No far away, at Yardale Storage, aka “the boneyard”, Cardiac is trying to find an object stored here from the US Atomic Research Center. However, the storage facility is poorly organized and he can’t find what he is looking for. That’s when Spider-Man arrives and tells the guards to stand back while he deals with this situation. Peter Parker tries to tell Otto that Cardiac is more of a vigilante than a villain but, as usual, his words fall on deaf ears. He ambushes Cardiac from behind and as he pops the talons and orders Cadiac to surrender. When the vigilante doesn’t comply, Otto prepares to slash him, but Peter shouts at him to stop. Surprisingly, Otto hears this and demands to know who else is in the room. This allows Cardiac to knock the web-slinger aside. After a brief scuffle, Cardiac spots the crate he came for and tries to escape with it.

Spider-Man pulls the crate away with a web-line and discovers that it is a neurolitic scanner that was confiscated from him when he was Doctor Octopus. Otto recognizes it as the technology that allowed him to create his mechanical arms and considers it one of his greatest inventions. He is furious that Cardiac would try and steal one of his inventions and renews his attack. However, he faces more resistance from Peter Parker, making him miss a punch meant for Cardiac’s head. As Otto wonders what’s wrong with him, Cardiac blasts him aside with beta energy before grabbing the scanner and running for it, but not before Spider-Man tags him with a spider-tracer.

In the aftermath of the battle the guards come rushing in an ask Spider-Man if he is okay. Otto is furious and tells them to leave him alone. Otto then rushes back to Horizon Labs where, as Peter Parker, he begins working on counter-measures for his next battle with Cardiac when, suddenly, his Avengers ID Card begins giving a priority one alert. Changing back into Spider-Man, Otto goes to Avengers Tower where he finds the other Avengers waiting for him. However, they haven’t called him because of any emergency, but to do an intervention as the team has become increasingly concerned about Spider-Man’s recent bouts of violence. After seeing Spider-Man almost using lethal force against Cardiac, Captain America has decided that it is time to step in.[3] The Avengers are deeply concerned, but Otto dismisses them. Peter Parker, however, is exstatic because he hopes this will finally expose the deception that Otto has been perpetuating for some time. When Captain America insists on giving Spider-Man a full physical inspection, Spider-Man decides he has heard enough and tries to walk away.

When Cap puts a hand on his shoulder, Spider-Man tells him to get his hands off and flips Captain America onto the ground. This angers the rest of the Avengers who prepare for a fight.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Cardiac, Peter Parker, Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Wolverine, Spider-Woman), Norah Winters, Phil Urich, Amy Chen

Continuity Notes

1. Martin Li ran the FEAST Center from Amazing Spider-Man #546 until he was exposed as Mister Negative in Amazing Spider-Man #664.

2. Otto Octavius took over Peter Parker’s body and took over his life. See Amazing Spider-Man #698-700.

3. Captain America rhymes off a number of Spider-Man’s more problematic behavior of late. These include:

   • Brutally beating Boomerang, which happened in Superior Spider-Man #1.

   • His similarly brutal beatings of both Screwball and the Jester in Superior Spider-Man #6.

   • Even more alarming is how Spider-Man killed the mass murdered known as Massacre. See Superior Spider-Man #4-5.