PREVIOUSLY: Joe Robbie Robertson is found guilty of misprision of felony and sentenced to three years in prison at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately for Robbie, his troubles are far from over when he finds out that Tombstone, whom he helped put in jail, is assigned to the same cellblock. To make matters worse, Tombstone appears to have a lot of influence on the prison guards and on his fellow cellmates. Fortunately for Robbie, a humongous black man named Bruiser comes to Robbie's rescue during a particular incident with Tombstone, and the two become good friends. Still, that doesn't stop Tombstone from plotting to "take care" of Robbie when Bruiser is not around to protect him. In Spectacular Spider-Man #152, the reader gets a taste of what Bruiser is capable of when Tombstone sends a half-dozen men after him. Bruiser mops the floor with them and is consequently sent to solitary for a week.

Crawling on the ceiling, Spidey makes his way to Robbie's cell and finds the latter sitting on his bed, lost in thoughts. Spidey gets his attention and asks him why he wanted him to come over. Robbie oddly replies that he was afraid he'd come. Spidey is confused and asks Robbie what is going on. Before Robbie can answer, Spidey's spider-sense kicks in and he has but a fraction of second to evade a massive punch coming from Tombstone, who shows up behind him. As Spidey dodges the punch, he asks Robbie why he didn't tell him Tombstone was also in Lewisburg. Tombstone answers for Robbie and tells Spidey that Robbie didn't tell him because he – Tombstone – told him not to. Too busy fending off Tombstone's attack, Spidey does not see Robbie take out a syringe but he does feel it; Robbie injects Spidey with some kind of drug and within seconds, Spidey lies on the ground semi-conscious, Tombstone towering above him. Tombstone grabs Spidey by the neck and explains how he planned this whole thing and how he easily convinced Robbie to play his part in the plan (Robbie was too scared to refuse...again). Very weak, Spidey implores Robbie to help him but Tombstone tells Spidey not to bother yelling for help, as he owns the trustee for the cellblock. Having said that, Tombstone punches Spidey with all his might, to the cheers and applause of the other felons.

Back in Forest Hills, Queens, Mary Jane and Aunt May are heading to church for an evening of Bingo. May is glad that MJ was free to join her as it’s been ages since she's played Bingo. May tells MJ that Peter used to love Bingo when he was a kid but after Uncle Ben died, it seemed that he never had time for games anymore. She adds that "we have to enjoy life while we can" which makes MJ realize that May is talking about her illness and makes her wonder how she can let May know that she understands what she's talking about. As the two of them arrive at the church, May realize that she must have gotten the nights confused, because a huge banner reads "Senior Citizens for Service Meeting Tonight". MJ asks her if she wants to go home but Aunt May replies that since they're already there, they might as well check it out. As they walk through the church, MJ is quite impressed that there are so many senior volunteer groups helping out in hospital, schools and homeless missions. May is equally as impressed and tells MJ that she's going to have a look around to see if there's something she can do. MJ stares in amazement at Aunt May and cannot believe that, with six months to live, she is talking about volunteer work. MJ realizes that it's time for her to take some actions of her own, because life is too short to waste it regretting yesterday, and worrying about tomorrow.

Meanwhile at Osborn Chemical Company, the reconstruction of the facilities is underway – they were destroyed during the whole Inferno storyline – and current owner, Harry Osborn, is showing Flash Thompson around. Harry tells Flash that he's been spending all his days and half his nights supervising construction and that, with Liz and Normie back in New Jersey, it has become a real hardship. Flash tells Harry that if there's anything he can do to help to just name it. Harry replies that he actually asked him over to offer him a job as a construction supervisor, until him and Liz find a place in Manhattan. Flash politely replies that he doesn't know anything about construction and Harry tells him that it's his "hurt ego" talking, not him. Harry explains that both him (Flash) and Peter have short-changed their lives, in different ways. Flash replies that back in high school, he used to think Peter was a real loser and that being captain of the football team meant something. He adds that Peter is now married to the foxiest lady in New York and is back in college while he (Flash) is single and practically unemployed. Putting his arm around Flash, Harry tells him that life is full of surprises and asks him to at least think about his offer. Flash reluctantly agrees to consider Harry's offer. All that time, a shadowy figure has been following Harry and Flash across the facilities: the Black Cat.

Back at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, Spider-Man regains consciousness and finds himself chained up to a wall by his arms and legs, Tombstone standing across from him, surrounded by other convicts, a prison guard named Otto, and a very ashamed Robbie Robertson. After exchanging a few pleasantries and telling Spidey that he is going to help them escape from prison, Tombstone starts to punch him with all his might once again. After four to five hits, Otto, the prison guard standing behind Tombstone politely recommends that perhaps he should slow down if he wants to keep Spidey alive long enough to escape. Tombstone agrees and as he and Otto take their leave, he tells him to get back to his post on the guard tower and to warn him when he sees his people coming in. One by one, the other convicts return to their cell, all but Robbie Robertson, who stays behind and apologizes to a bruised and battered Spidey. Bleeding profusely from the mouth, Spidey asks Robbie to make him understand why he betrayed him. Robbie replies that he was afraid of him and has always been afraid of him, from the day Tombstone forced him to spike an articled he'd written about him in the high school newspaper to the day he testified against him in court. Spidey tells Robbie that he has to fight back, otherwise Tombstone is going to destroy him. Robbie replies that he had a friend named Bruiser, who wasn't afraid of Tombstone and fought back, but Tombstone ultimately killed him. As Robbie walks away, he tells Spidey that he’s already destroyed. Spidey implores Robbie to help him but Robbie takes off.

Outside, as dawn breaks over one of the guard towers, Otto returns to his post. Seconds later, two choppers with heavily armed men aboard appear in the sky above the penitentiary. As planned, Otto hits the alarm, which is the signal for Tombstone and his men to break out of the penitentiary. Grabbing hold of a shackled Spider-Man, Tombstone and his men go for it. Atop the prison walls, the guards prepare to shoot at the fleeing convicts but Otto yells at them to hold their fire, as they have an hostage: Spider-Man. As the other prison guards ponder about what they’re going to do, the men aboard the choppers start shooting at them. On the ground below, Robbie Robertson tells Tombstone that he must be insane, and that "it's like a war". Tombstone replies that he has friends on the outside and that it was their idea to drug Spider-Man and bring in choppers. Spidey, who has regain consciousness, asks Tombstone who his friends are. Tombstone replies that his friends are from New York and that they want him free and Spider-Man dead. At that moment, Spidey breaks free from his chains, to the astonishment of Tombstone and his men. Realizing that Spidey was faking it and that he tricked him into telling him who his outside connections were, Tombstone orders his men to kill him. The men pile on Spidey but the latter disposes of them quickly and efficiently. Tombstone grabs Robbie by the arm and drags him inside one of the choppers that has landed. The chopper immediately takes back off to the disbelief of the other convicts but not to Spidey who has managed to grab hold of the underside of the chopper. Tombstone has noticed this and begins kicking Spidey to try and make him loosen his grip and fall to his death. Robbie tells Tombstone he can't do this and threatens to stop him. Tombstone laughs it off and tells Robbie that he lost his last chance to be a man years ago. Enraged, Robbie grabs Tombstone in a chokehold and pushes himself and Tombstone out of the moving chopper. Spidey cannot help but watch Robbie and Tombstone fall to their death in the forest down below, his web-shooters having been damaged when he was shackled up earlier. Suddenly, his spider-sense kicks in. As he turns around, one of the men in the chopper is just about to shoot him. Unfortunately for the convict (and fortunately for Spidey), the magazine jams up, giving Spidey an opportunity to take him out with a solid double-feet kick in the face. Spidey then turns his attention to the helicopter pilot and tells him to turn around and take him back to the spot where Tombstone and Robbie fell. The pilot replies that they'll never find them, as it is all forest down there. Spidey tells him to shut up and just do it. As the pilot turns the chopper around, Spidey realizes that the pilot was right. The hills below are hooded in trees and foliage and there is no way to locate the place where Robbie fell. And if he does find them, in what shape is he going to find them. Could Robbie have survived a fall from this height? Could Tombstone? Could anyone? Spidey finally realizes that whatever Robbie's fate is, he met it as a man.

To be continued.