ACT 1: The story opens up with Peter Parker arriving to school late and being confronted by the principal for his tardiness. Peter explains that his first class doesn't start until later and that he's only technically late for the staff meeting. The principal replies that Peter should have checked his phone messages because he called him earlier that morning to come in early to substitute for Mr. Cavenaugh, the Remedial Citizenship and Social Studies teacher. Peter explains that he got distracted – flashback to Mary Jane and him fooling around – and makes his way to the classroom where he finds a bunch of ungrateful little brats that try to test his patience. As he begins to teach the class, he looks out the window and recognizes a man with glasses standing against a car down in the parking lot; a certain Charlie Weiderman.

ACT 2: Through a flashback, courtesy of Peter, some background information about Charlie is provided: Charlie was a new student at Midtown High School who was an even bigger geek than Peter. While Charlie tried to fit in and fend off constant attacks from the jock population, Peter shamelessly shied away from fraternizing with him since he did not want to get "re-geeked". Back in the present, after class, Peter goes down to the parking lot and meets with Charlie. Charlie tells Peter that he needs a favor and explains that after the death of his father, a few years ago, he invested his inheritance into purchasing some science equipment to do some research with the intentions of landing a military contract. He goes on explaining that he conducted experiments with polymers in order to create a substance that would allow soldiers to become invulnerable and impervious to harm while on the battlefield. He adds that he has everything figured out except for one thing: he needs Vibranium to refine the substance and make it perfect. And for that he needs Peter's help. Peter replies that he can't afford to purchase Vibranium; after all, it can only be found in Wakanda, the home of the Black Panther. Charlie replies that money is not an issue but that he needs to use Peter as a reference to get a shot at an interview with Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man), whom, if he is successful, might give him the funding he requires. Peter reluctantly agrees to help him out and asks why he chose him out of anybody else. Charlie replies that he chose him because he's always been a good friend to him and then he takes his leave, telling Peter that he will talk to him after his interview with Tony Stark.

ACT 3: Through another flashback, courtesy of Peter once again, we see Peter use Charlie's newfound title of "resident geek" to his advantage by joining the jocks into bullying him during a game of volleyball. For the first time in his life, Peter has never been treated better. All eyes are on the new kid and nobody seems to notice him anymore. Though he enjoys it at first, he soon begins to feel ashamed of himself about how he was treating poor old Charlie. Later that day, during their chemistry class, Peter approaches Charlie and apologizes for his earlier behavior. Charlie asks Peter if it was personal to which Peter replies that it wasn't. Having said that, Peter realizes that Charlie is experimenting with substances not usually found in the classroom. Charlie explains that he is trying to create a serum similar to the Captain America super-soldier serum using vitamins, steroids and other substances. Peter is impressed and asks Charlie where the steroids came from. Charlie replies that he took them from his father’s cabinet and something else he says leads us, readers, to believe that his father physically abused him. Moving ahead to three weeks later, we find Charlie at the hospital where he is being held for attempted suicide...or so they think. In reality, Charlie tried the serum he was creating on himself and it simply didn't work very well. After a few weeks at the hospital, Charlie is released and he comes back to school, where the bullying continues and intensifies.

ACT 4: Back in the present, at the offices of Tony Stark, Charlie shows up for his interview. He struggles to present his case to Stark but when Stark sees that Peter Parker will be involved with the project – a fact that is substantiated by Charlie, although he never asked Peter to be involved in the project – he pulls out his checkbook and asks Charlie to tell him how much "funding" he needs.

ACT 5: A few weeks pass and Peter doesn't hear anything back from Charlie. One day however, as he returns home after work, he gets a call from Molly St. Jude, the new projects manager at Stark Industries, inquiring about the status of Charlie's projects. Peter is very surprised when he realizes that Charlie has been using his name to get ahead so he heads over to his laboratory to confront him. When he arrives at the laboratory, he finds Charlie bent over his table deep into calculations. Peter is angry with Charlie and asks him why he told Stark that he would be involved with his project. Charlie replies that it was the only way Stark was going to give him any money. Looking around the laboratory, Peter is surprised as to all the equipment that Charlie has been given access to, simply because he mentioned his (Peter's) name to Stark. Charlie tells Peter that he is at a critical part of his work and that if Peter tells them the truth about it, they will surely pull the plug on the whole operation. At that moment, Peter realizes that Charlie has been using shortcuts with the Vibranium and that it is the reason why he hasn’t been returning the calls from Stark Industries because if Stark Industries finds out what he's been doing, they'll most likely shut him down and take away his funding. Charlie asks Peter if he told them anything when they called him to which Peter replies that he didn’t say anything because he wanted to see what was going there first. Charlie implores Peter not to tell them anything as he is on the verge of a breakthrough. Peter replies that his name is attached to his project – against his wish – and that if something went wrong, it could take out the whole neighborhood, something that he is not willing to let happen. Peter prepares to take his leave and tells Charlie that he has until the next morning to tell Stark Industries the truth or else he will tell them. Charlie yells at Peter that he thought he was his friend to which Peter replies that he is his friend and that he is trying to save his life and both their reputations. Peter leaves the laboratory.

ACT 6: Minutes after Peter is gone, a desperate Charlie activates the equipment, which begins pouring the Vibranium polymer compound into a mold. Suddenly however, something goes horribly wrong. A spark ignites one of the instruments and the whole place blows up. On the last page of the issue, admist the wreckage, Charlie lies on the ground, covered in the Vibranium substance. To be continued.