Amazing Spider-Man #442

By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

Out of the dark, rain swept night he swings through Manhattan. A blue and red costumed figures slides through he air on a thin strand of web-like filament, flipping diving, and hurling himself from building to building in a way that would send any high-wire trapeze artist running in fear!

But if they knew what he does in his heart of heart of hearts, if they faced the terror he does even now, would they do any different? If they knew what the driving force in his mad careening through the drenched New York night was, would they move any less quickly?

One driving thought propels this man, this wonder, headlong onward at a break neck pace. Only one thing could make him act so hastily, so carelessly for his own safety.

Spider-man careens past a well lit Italian restaurant. The wafting smell of pasta and sauce filling his nostrils, as he performs a triple roll through the air, culminating in a quick double tap on his left web shooter, which releases a thin strand of webbing, that instantly takes his weight, as he kicks both legs forward in a perfect arc.

But then a curious thing happens… ‘ My Spider-Sense just buzzed me, ever so slightly. What’s that about? I can’t be bothered with it now; I have to get home. Some one else can handle it, whatever it is. ‘

Spider-Man disappears into the night, swinging past, and away, towards the 59^th St. bridge.

The street is now silent, as a lull between passing cars allows an uncharacteristic quiet moment in the city…

And then Spider- Man is back…He swings around and lands in the darkness across the street from the restaurant, adhering unseen and silent to a buildings rooftop corner, in the darkness.

Spidey peers through the large glass windows from his vantage point, and sees everyone just sitting at their tables, hands at their sides, or on the table itself. Then from inside, another young thug with cornrows and tattoos locks the door from inside, nodding at his partner outside, simultaneously changing the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’, and shutting off the lights in the restaurant. The outside punk nods and begins to swagger around the corner, to ‘Luigi’s supply entrance.

*Amazing Fantasy #15

The outside punk, walks around the building, and taps three times on the back door. From inside a muffled "Yeah?" is heard.

"Open the door Carlos, is me." He answers

Suddenly a finger taps him on the shoulder. He spins around quickly pulling a knife from his jacket pocket as he does. When he completes his spin he’s staring at a familiar red mask, hanging upside down!

"Hey bunky, what are you doing with that knife? Don’t you know you should never carry those things blade up? You could hurt yourself."

The thug stammers "Spi-Spi-Spi-Spi…"

"C’mon tough guy you can say it. Spider-Man, emphasis on the man."

"Madre de dios! Get away from me crazy bug man!" The thug shouts as he swings the knife wildly towards Spidey, who immediately disappears up the webline. To land 15’ away in a crouch.

"Now you’re calling ME crazy? You’re the guy trying to stab a perfect stranger, who only wanted to ask you for the time because he left his watch at home. Talk about adding insult to injury. Oops, the injury part didn’t start yet. Let me fix that."

Spidey leaps the 15’in one smooth move, as the punk, in seemingly slow motion slashes the air, but Spidey simply backhands the punks hand away, snapping the knife from it like it was never held in any sort of grip. The knife imbeds itself up to its hilt in a stack of wooden pallets.

"Nighty night," Spidey taunts as he unleashes a left cross that immediately drops the thug to the ground in a heap. Instantly there’s a soft ‘thwip, thwip’ sound, and he’s bound in webbing from head to toe.

Inside two more gang members have their ears pressed to the heavy steel door. One turns back to another, clad in a long leather overcoat who stands leaning against a desk, while playing with a dagger. Nearby, the kitchen staff sits nervously on the floor. Looking at each other fearfully in the high ceilinged warehouse sized back room.

"I don’ hear nothin’ no more, boss. It got quiet real fast."

Then three taps are heard on the door.

Tap. Tap, Tap.

"Who’s dere?" The first thug growls.

"Orkin man" Comes the reply from the other side. "I heard you have a rat problem, and I’m here to clean them up."

"Wha" The other thug hugging the door asks the first.

Ba-KOOM!

Suddenly the heavy steel door explodes inward, tearing out of its hinges and the wall itself, bent in two, as a red and blue leg can be seen at the bend point, smashing the two thugs across the room, with the door atop them.

Spidey swings in and lands amid a circle of half a dozen punks. "Howdy folks, I heard there’s a party here, and I was wondering where my invitation was? I hope you didn’t forget me."

The obvious leader shouts, "Kill him" as he throws his dagger at Spidey.

"Uh, uh, uh. Children should never play with sharp things." Spidey catches the knife in mid air by the handle and then snaps the blade off like it was plastic.

The gang rushes Spidey who disappears beneath their flailing fists. And then…

BOOM!

They all explode upwards as Spidey tosses them away.

"C’mon guys, lets play nice. You all give up now, and I won’t break any more of your bones. Whaddaya say, huh?"

The leader suddenly grabs a machine gun from under his long overcoat and begins to spray the room with bullets, all aimed at Spidey.

"Sheesh, try to do a guy a favor…" Spider-Man quips as he leaps for the ceiling, a trail of bullets following his path.

He bounces off the ceiling, arcs his body towards a wall, then flexes again, bouncing away to the opposite wall. All the while the heavy ‘Budda, budda, budda’ of the machine fills the cavernous cooking area with mechanical thunder, as this time Spidey lands on the wall he was aiming at, crouches, and fires both web shooters towards the machine gun toting thug.

One web line has a hard end to it, and it knocks the gun to the floor, the other splats on the punks’ face, and spreads around him, pinning him to the desk where wide eyed, he struggles violently.

"Okay, anyone left?" Spidey asks as he surveys the room.

And from the doorway separating the restaurant and the kitchen ‘Cornrows’ answers. "Jus me you uppity punk. I’m gonna kick your butt good, web-man."

The punk runs towards Spidey, brass knuckles gleaming on each hand as he swings wide towards Spidey’s head. The Web slinger bends at the waist backwards, at a seemingly impossible angle. Avoiding the first punch, then he simply dodges and dives beneath every other the thug throws.

"Ho hum, you finished yet, Cornrows?"

"Huh? How you know my name?"

"Yeah, I’m sure you were born with that one." Spidey adds sarcastically as he leaps and swings above Cornrows right jab, to kick the punk in the head. Teeth and saliva spray the wall as the unconscious punk hits the deck in a heap.

"Wha?" Spidey spins towards the back of the restaurant. ‘My Spider-Sense, tingling!’

There he sees one of the first punks he dropped suddenly throw a gasoline filled bottle against the stove, then run for the door!

BOOM!

The explosion rocks the entire building, as Spidey quickly pulls himself from the floor where the force of the blast had driven him. Instantly he swings into the heart of the blaze, to pull the trapped workers, and crooks alike clear.

"Head towards the front, the back way is blocked by flame and debris, run!"

He shouts forcefully. One last sweep of the area to make sure no one else is trapped, and he leaps through the doors separating the two halves of the store, to find everyone, patrons, crooks and workers alike jammed around the locked door, crushing each other in a vain effort to escape the flames and smoke.

"Get back." he shouts as he picks up a table and hurls it through the big glass window, shattering it, then he quickly scoops up a person under each arm, and leaps through the window, executing a perfect roll to land in a heap, but on his feet with both people under his arms stunned, but safe. Police and fire sirens are heard getting closer as he leaps once again to the door of the restaurant and rips it from its hinges as people pour into the street from both the door and the shattered window.

"Is everyone here?" He shouts above the din of crying shaken families and dates. Once more he leaps, onto the restaurants outside wall to get above the crowd, this time he shines his spider light from his belt on them all "I said, is everyone safe?"

Everyone nods in the affirmative, as the Police and fire trucks pull up and immediately set to work.

Then a brown suited man, middle aged and balding walks out of the crowd, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. He turns towards Spidey and yells "YOU! Looka what you do to my a beautiful restaurant! This a alla your fault, you, you maniac!" You a ruin me!"

"You’re welcome, Luigi." Is Spider-mans only answer.

Spidey shakes his head and sprays a web line towards the 59^th street bridge once more, swinging away. ‘When will I ever learn, and MJ is STILL going to kill me… Ah the life of a super-hero. The glamour never ceases to amaze me. I hope I can wash the smoke smell out of this costume by tonight.’

Across town, a shadowed figure slams the phone down in disgust, practically grinding it to powder in one meaty paw.

"Again Spider-Man has interfered with my work. But no more. His constant attacks will no longer be tolerated upon my operatives. Spider-Man will be dealt with, and this time with finality. So swears the KINGPIN!"

The beginning…

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