The issue opens at Mt. Sinai Hospital, where J. Jonah Jameson is hospitalized, recuperating from a heart attack. Jonah's nurse humorously goes over what Jonah should be telling himself about what happened to the Daily Bugle, so that he doesn't get another stroke. Jonah repeats what she says, just like a child would. The nurse returns to the nurse station where she speaks to another nurse about how well she’s been able to "train" Jonah. Amusingly, and unbeknownst to either nurse, Jonah sneaks out of his room, in his gown and with his IV machine in tow, and attempts to leave the hospital by slipping out a side entrance. But as he opens the door, he is almost blown away by the raging blizzard wind and blowing snow. Unimpressed, he steps out into the cold night and tries to make his way through the snow but his IV machine gets stuck in the deep snow. Just then, Jonah's nurse and fellow custodians show up to haul his butt back inside.
Elsewhere, Spider-Man is battling the elements to try and find Dr. Rabin's research assistants. He cannot believe how unlucky he is to essentially be the only one out in that storm and he secretly wishes he had been bitten by a radioactive polar bear as opposed to a radioactive spider.
At the Fifth precinct police station, Dr. Rabin is trying to explain to officers Vin Gonzales and Alan O'Neil why he was with Spider-Man when he dropped off the Mayan warriors that were after him (they are now locked up in a cell). Narrow-minded Gonzales thinks Rabin is an accomplice of Spider-Man and doesn't believe a word he's saying. Rabin argues that he was rescued by Spider-Man and that he's not his accomplice. Just then, Carlie Cooper shows up at the station. When asked by Gonzales what she's doing there, she replies that she's still working on finishing her report on the "Freak" that attacked the Crowne campaign (in Amazing Spider-Man #553 and 554); she is actually surprised that the precinct is not close, seeing as the whole city is pretty much shut down because of the weather. Gonzales explains that Spider-Man and his sidekick – alluding to Dr. Rabin – dropped off a few perps, whom they are in the middle of processing. Dr. Rabin interjects and explains how he was attacked by Mayan extremists and would likely be dead, had it not been for Spider-Man rescuing him. He then indicates that Gonzales wants to throw him in the same cell as his attackers. Carlie asks Gonzales if Rabin is telling the truth. Gonzales replies that Spider-Man didn't stick around to give a deposition, so there's no way of telling whether Rabin is being truthful. As well, the three so-called Mayan warriors, as far as Gonzales knows, could well be in cahoots with Rabin and Spider-Man. Carlie asks O'Neil what he thinks of the whole thing. O'Neil responds that he has no idea; he's just there because he doesn't like to be snowed in on the clock. Sighing, Carlie turns to Dr. Rabin and asks that he tell her, from the top, why the men in the cell were trying to kill him. Dr. Rabin explains that he was spearheading the development of a computational operating system, using multi-dimensional algorithms as base code, and which works from a model of the universe that contains over ten dimensions, as opposed to the four typical dimensions one can perceive. Rabin continues explaining that an interesting side effect of his creation is that binary input commands become useless; instead of ones and zeroes, they input abstract shapes and symbols such as the ones found tattooed on the bodies of the Mayan warriors. Rabin continues explaining that soon after publishing an article about their project, they began receiving threatening letters in crude English, along with passages from a sacred Mayan text called the "Popul Voh". Carlie asks what the passages said. Rabin answers that it said that their algorithms were sacred hieroglyphs that communed with the gods themselves. Having said that, Dr. Rabin explains that today happens to be the end of a five day cycle called "Uayep" in the Mayan calendar. Mayas believe the divisions between the mortal realm and the land of their gods is at its weakest point, which means deities are free to mingle with man. The Mayan extremists thought he was communing with one such deity, that it would come looking for a "Kuhul Ajaw", a Mayan god-king who would purchase its eternal service with blood; Dr. Rabin's blood, if he's to believe the actions of the Mayan extremists. Carlie comments that it is rather ridiculous and Dr. Rabin replies that it is; though slightly less so to the ones that may lose their lives because of it, namely him.
As Spider-Man makes his way through the raging blizzard, he runs into a homeless man named Vern, who seems to be insanely paranoid about S.H.I.E.L.D. Vern is warming himself up over a small man-made fire pit; Spider-Man joins him. Vern points out that Spidey should be wearing layers, like he does, and pulls his coat open, revealing Peter Parker's New York Yankee's jacket, which he lost earlier. Spidey kind of freaks out and yells at Vern that the jacket's his, as he pulls it off Vern. Spidey, however, feels terrible about what he just did and realizes that Vern doesn't even have a jacket to call his own, and that he'll probably freeze to death without one. Fibbing, Spidey tells Vern he made a mistake and that it isn't his jacket after all. He hands it back to Vern.
Back at the fifth precinct, Carlie is working on some stuff when Vin shows up to tell her that Dr. Rabin’s story checked out and that he's letting him wait out the storm at the station, then he’s free to go. Carlie thanks Vin for that. Vin replies that he's not always a starched-shirt, prompting Carlie to respond that, though they don’t agree on Spider-Man, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate a cop that plays by the book. Seemingly "crushing" on Carlie, Vince thanks her and says that he respects her opinion, that he respects her. Having said that, Vin tells Carlie that he's looking for a roommate and is about to ask her to share an apartment, when Carlie – clueless to Vin's real intentions – mentions that her friend Peter Parker is also looking for a roommate for an apartment and thinks the two of them would make great roommates. Still trying to get Carlie to clue in, Vin says that he was thinking of moving with someone on the force (obviously her) but Carlie still does not get his subtle clues and goes on saying that she's never met someone with more integrity than Peter and that she really likes him. Realizing that he's simply just striking out, Vin kind of agrees with her suggestion about rooming with Peter and leaves, claiming to have to go check on his partner.
After packing his costume with shredded newspaper, provided by Vern, Spidey prepares to leave his new friend. Vern, however, insists on accompanying Spidey, because friends don't leave friends out in the cold, especially not on a night like that. After walking for a while, Vern suddenly asks Spidey if he seems kind of whacked out, like he might be having hallucinations or something like that. When Spidey asks Vern why he's asking such a strange question, Vern points to behind them where a giant monster-like creature is standing. The creature speaks and says that he's the one that walks the black road; he’s also the absence of warmth, the winter solstice, the darkest night and the whole word will apparently worship him with its blood. Spidey quickly turns to Vern and tells him to leave right away. Vern claims that he's going to go get back up (S.H.I.E.L.D.) and disappears into the night. The monster asks Spidey if he's the chosen one, his sacrifice. Spidey responds that he isn't. As soon as he finishes his sentence, the creature backhands him across the street and into a light pole. Spidey gets back on his feet and pulls a parking meter out of the ground to use as a weapon. Before Spidey can even attack his opponent, the creature- using some kind of large axe, grabs hold of a nearby snowplow tandem truck and proceeds to crush Spidey with it. Thankfully and luckily, Spidey is saved by the parking meter, which unbelievably withstands the impact of the heavy truck. The creature lifts the truck and tosses it aside. He then mentions that Spidey carries the sun-blood and is therefore not the sacrifice he's looking for. The creature grabs hold of Spidey in a chokehold and asks if he's a priest. Feeling is skull being crushed, Spidey lies and says that he is. The creature lets him go and flies away. Spidey struggles back to his feet and goes in search of Dr. Rabin's assistant. Perched on the ledge of a nearby building, the creature watches as Spidey disappears into the storm.
Twelve blocks later, Spidey finds the meatpacking truck he had been looking for and rips the back door open, revealing Dr. Rabin's research assistants, bound and gagged. Taking the tape off one of the assistants, her first words are "Rabin". Spidey replies that Dr. Rabin sent him to rescue them but the girl reveals that Dr. Rabin was the one that killed Dave, presumably the other assistant that's bound and gagged next to her and who appears to be in fact dead. She begs Spidey to stop Rabin before it's too late.
At the Fifth precinct police station, Dr. Rabin is now shirtless and taunting the Mayan warriors that are imprisoned in a cell. In a nice twist, Dr. Rabin reveals that he's the God-King, the so-called "Kuhul Ajaw", and tells the Mayan extremists that the customs of their dead culture will have no effect on him. One of the imprisoned extremists tries to grab hold of Dr. Rabin through the cell bars, only to be handcuffed by Rabin.
Minutes later, when Carlie returns upstairs, she is shocked to see that Dr. Rabin has killed the imprisoned Mayan warriors and that he – himself – is covered with blood and that his entire body is tattooed with Mayan hieroglyphs.
To be continued.
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