Despite the fact that his web-shooters are jammed, Spider-Man manages to tackle Randall Crowne out of harm's way before the monument thrown by Freak comes crashing down where Crowne was standing mere seconds earlier. After dropping off a very ungrateful Crowne at ground level, Spidey turns his attention toward Freak. Irate, Freak yells at Spidey to prepare himself to die. Having said that, he launches himself at Spidey. Spidey dodges his attack and lands on the side of a nearby building, where he clings, awaiting his opponent's next move. As Spidey ponders taking the fight away from Crown Plaza, Freak leaps upward and starts to scale the side of the building below him. However, just as Freak reaches Spidey, he stops and starts to smell the recognizable scent of crystal meth from a nearby apartment building (i.e. from Raymond's meth lab). He prepares to leave when confronted by Spidey. Before Spidey can even throw a punch, Freak delivers a backhand that sends Spidey flying off the building. As Spidey starts falling down, he manages to tag Freak with a spider-tracer, just before the fiend takes a giant leap that spans dozens of blocks.
Acting quickly, Spidey checks his web-shooters and dislodges a big chunk of thick webbing that was stuck in the firing chamber. Then grabbing hold of his camera, he takes off after Freak.. At ground level, Officer Vin Gonzales witnesses Spidey's departure and assumes he's escaping so he tells his partner, Officer Alan O'Neil, that he's going after Spidey. O'Neil tells Gonzales to go after the monster, not after Spidey, and proceeds to radio for back up to go after the monster (and Spidey).
Spidey tracks down Freak to Raymond's meth lab where Freak is in the process of smoking crystal meth from the glass pipe that belongs to the now-late Crater (Raymond is also dead). Spidey cannot believe his eyes. Freak realizes that Spidey is watching and before Spidey can even react, Freak tackles him to the ground, causing Spidey to drop his camera. Totally livid, Freak tries to crush Spidey's head into the floor. Managing to free his arms, Spidey shoots webbing in Freak's face, obstructing his view. He then kicks Freak off him and sends him flying into a pile of chemicals used to make crystal meth. Freak rips the webbing off his face and starts freaking out because all the drugs are going up in flames. He attacks Spidey once more but the wall-crawler avoids his opponent by leaping above him, while telling him that he has to get out of there, as the whole place is on fire. Freak's drug addiction is too difficult to fight off and he jumps in the flames to try and get another hit. As he's covered in acetone, he bursts into flames in a matter of seconds. Trying to escape the burning inferno that ensnares him, Freak throws himself out the window and, unseen by Spidey, Freak's next transformation is already underway. The whole building collapsing around him, Spidey must find a way to escape. Making matters worse, the building is surrounded by the police. Spidey's only option: throwing his costume into the blaze and wearing Raymond's coat to cover his nakedness. Then, holding his hands up, Spidey/Peter exits the building, telling the armed cops who he is and what he's doing there. Officer O'Neil, recognizing Peter from their encounter at the homeless shelter, tells his fellow officers to lower their weapons, as Peter is a good guy. He then asks Peter what happened. Peter explains that he took off after he go some pictures and, as far as he knows, the monster Spidey was fighting burned up, along with two drug dealers and his clothes. Office Gonzales asks Peter if Spider-Man killed any of them. Peter replies that Spidey did obviously not kill anybody. Gonzales retorts that their opinions differ.
A short time later at the DB, Peter meets with Dexter Bennett, the paper's publisher, to show him his pictures of the Crowne Plaza battle between Freak and Spider-Man. Bennett is quite pleased with Peter's photos and tells Peter that he's going to use them to promote a major spread in the following day's edition, when he appears on TV-8 News Talk later in the day. Bennett then turns to Betty Brant and asks that she issue a two thousand dollar check to Peter. He again gets her name wrong and calls her Mrs. Brandon. Angry, Betty tells Bennett that she's a reporter and is about to remind him that her last name is not Brandon when Peter interjects and tells Bennett that Betty's last name is Brando. Apparently a fan of Marlon Brando, Bennett immediately takes a liking into Betty when Peter blatantly lies and tells Bennett that she’s Brando's great niece. Bennett is so excited that he offers Betty the organized crime beat and heads into his office to get the file. On cloud nine, Betty kisses Peter on the cheek. Off-panel, Bennett yells at Betty to get Peter's check ready immediately so he can afford some new clothes.
His two thousand dollars check in hand, Peter walks aimlessly through the city. Getting his head back in gear, he returns to Crowne Plaza to pick up his clothes, wallet and phone, which he left behind earlier before when he donned his Spider-Man costume. After grabbing his stuff, he walks away from there, all the while wondering who the creature he fought was and why it's blaming him for its woes.
Forest Hills, Queens; the Parker residence. Peter is in the process of grabbing one of his spare Spider-Man costumes when he receives a phone call from Harry Osborn, who's in a car with girlfriend Lily Hollister. Harry is calling Peter to invite him to a gathering in honour of Bill Hollister, Lily's father, who recently announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City. At the same time, Lily is on the phone with Carlie Cooper, her best friend, to invite her as well. Peter accepts Harry's invitation and hangs up the phone. He then turns his attention to the television screen where Dexter Bennett is appearing live on TV-8 News Talk, talking about the Crowne Plaza battle between Freak and Spider-Man. Referring to Freak as the "Armadillo Man", Bennett claims that Spider-Man tried to assassinate Randall Crowne, according to pictures taken by "Parker Peterson", more of which will be available in the next edition of the DB. Though Bennett didn’t get his name right, which is kind of a good thing, Peter is more ticked off that Bennett is sinking to J. Jonah Jameson's level and making Spider-Man out to be something he is not. Peter knows that Jameson would never make up the news; he would twist the facts, and he always knew his name, at least. Peter wonders if he should pay him a visit, especially since he caused him to have a heart attack. The more he thinks about it, he realizes it's probably not a good idea, as Jonah may have another stroke when he sees him. He therefore decides to visit him as Spider-Man instead, to try and bury the hatchet, perhaps even make a peace offering that will sway ol' Jameson.
A short time later, at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Spider-Man enters the hospital nonchalantly and makes his way to Jonah's room. Most people don't think twice about his presence at the hospital and assume he's an impersonator who's there for a birthday party. When Spidey arrives at destination and Jonah sees him, he immediately thinks Spidey is there to gloat and kick him when he's down. Spidey replies that he isn't and hands Jonah some flowers and a box of cigars he brought for him. Jonah is so elated that he forgets all about his woes and actually mentions that he always knew Spidey wasn't all that bad. Spidey reciprocates the feeling and tells Jonah he's sorry about what happened. Jonah answers that it'll take more than a heart attack to kill him. He then says that he'll be back soon enough and he intends to wring Peter Parker's neck for putting him in the hospital. Spidey doesn't really say anything to that and goes on asking Jonah if the thing Marla (Jonah's wife) did with Dexter Bennett is only temporary. Not clueing in, yet again, Jonah asks what Dexter Bennett has to do with anything. Then comes the revelation by Spidey that Marla sold the Daily Bugle to Dexter Bennett, who renamed it the DB. When Jonah puts two and two together and realizes that the newspaper he's holding used to be the Daily Bugle, his heart rate starts to go up and he suffers another stroke right there and then. Spidey puts his head outside the door and yells for assistance. He then starts giving Jonah mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Medical personnel burst into the room to save Jonah's life and comment that Spidey is wanted for murder. Spidey replies that it's another guy, with the same costume, and rushes out of the window. As he swings away, he overhears the doctor saying that Jonah is now stable and that he doesn't believe that it was the real Spider-Man, because it is widely known that Spidey and Jonah hate each other, and there is therefore just not way Spidey would have shown up at the hospital.
A few hours later, at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Plaza, Peter meets up with Harry Osborn and Lily Hollister. Lily mentions to Peter that she is glad that it wasn't him that took those awful pictures of her father at his rally (it was in fact Peter that took the pictures but Dexter Bennett incorrectly credited them, as he has a difficult time remembering Peter’s name). Harry comments that Peter would never take pictures like that, because he has ethics and is one of the true good guys. Peter is somewhat speechless. Lily tells Peter that, since he works for the DB, an "enemy" paper, he could spy for her and tip her off to any smears his editor is planning, as long as it's not against his ethics. As she says that, she gives Peter a very flirtatious look and almost comes close enough to kiss him, though she doesn't. Lily's father, Bill, interrupts them when he hollers at Lily to join him for pictures with the press. As Lily leaves, Harry comments to Peter that Lily is one heck of a woman. Peter replies that she is and his thoughts reveal that he's pretty sure Lily was just hitting on him, even though she's going with Harry. Peter doesn't know what to do about that.
Bill Hollister takes the stage and begins his speech. After speaking for a while, he starts to talk about Spider-Man and the incident he was involved in earlier at Crowne Plaza. Hollister mentions that he's always considered Spider-Man a hero, but his failure to register and to turn himself in to the NYPD troubles him greatly. With the recent tragic death of councilwoman Lisa Parfrey at the hands of costumed vigilantes, he is left with no other choice but to join with his opponent, Randall Crowne, in calling for a crackdown. He is thus looking forward to working with federal authorities in enforcing the law. As Peter listens intently, he realizes that no matter who wins the election, he won't have any friends in the mayor's office. Carlie Cooper, who is in attendance, tells Peter that she'll keep her ears and eyes open for an apartment for him, assuming she can keep her eyes open, alluding to being tired. Having noticed that she does look tired, Peter asks what has been going on in her life. Carlie explains that Dr. Curt Connors stopped by her lab the night before, as he was interested in Freak's chrysalis thing. Peter reveals that he knows Dr. Connors, as he’s worked him, as his lab assistant. Carlie indicates that it seemed to her that Dr. Connors knew something he didn't want to tell her and intends to call him the next day to follow-up. Peter mentions that maybe he'll give him a call too, to see what he's up to.
Later, Peter, as Spider-Man, visits Dr. Connors to see what's going on with him. Dr. Connors explains that his lab was vandalized and that six hypodermic serums of animal stem cells were removed from a case and injected; he found the drug needles and has on good authority that it was probably a drug addict trying to get high. Dr. Connors continues explaining that the stem cells came from various mammals, amphibians and insects, which, when mixed with the drugs in his system, caused a mutation and then a re-mutation. Looking at two different pictures of Freak, taken on separate occasions, Peter points out that it can't be the same person, since the police blew the brains out of the first one. Dr. Connors responds that he didn't die and that his eyes prove it; he has one blue eye and one brown eye, a genetic condition not present in his lab animals, which means it was present in the addict. Dr. Connors goes on explaining that one of the serums that he injected himself with was caterpillar cells so, after he was shot in the head and fell into the sewer, he returned to the same chrysalis state. His volatile stem cells learned from his first experience and evolved, so he re-emerged bullet-proof. Understanding what Dr. Connors is saying, Spidey realizes that Freak must not have died in the blaze the day before and probably turned into another chrysalis, and is probably involving as they speak. Dr. Connors concurs and indicates that when he emerges from his cocoon, Freak will be fireproof and even more powerful. Spidey asks if he can be stopped. Dr. Connors reveals that he’s analyzed a fragment of Freak's first chrysalis and discovered that it is acidic during transformation; therefore, if they can neutralize it with high PH quicklime, while it is in its chrysalis state, he'll go into stasis. Spidey tells Dr. Connors that he really doesn't need him then, as the chrysalis must still be in the burned apartment, so Dr. Connors can just go there and inject the antidote he prepared into the chrysalis; that way, Dr. Connors will be a hero. Dr. Connors replies that if this incident gets back to his employer, he'll certainly lose his job. He intends to hire car and driver to pick up fifty pounds of maximum PH quicklime later in the morning but he needs Spidey to go to the burned tenement to make sure the coast is clear. Spidey asks if it is possible that Freak has already hatched. Dr. Connors replies that it is not possible, as it should take approximately 24 hours before he emerges anew. He then adds that, given the sudden cold snap, and Freak's amphibian and insect cells, it'll probably take twice as long for him to come out of his chrysalis. As Spidey swings away, he realizes that the drug addict he chased from the homeless shelter a couple of days earlier is probably the same guy that's become the monster he fought earlier at Crowne Plaza. Spidey starts to feel responsible for what happened to him but then concludes that Freak made his own bad choices and that his responsibility (i.e. Spider-Man's) is to stop him.
When Peter arrives at the burned apartment building, he finds nothing, as the whole place has been gutted and cleaned. The chrysalis is nowhere to be found and Spidey has no clue where the wreckage was taken. Spidey calls Dr. Connors and updates him on his findings. Dr. Connors tells Spidey not to worry, as he's sure someone must know where it is and the cold weather will help them by slowing down Freak's re-emergence. After hanging up with Dr. Connors, Spidey realizes that things are just not going his way and is optimistic that the snow will make everything look clean.
To be continued.
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