The issue begins on a cold spring evening in London England where we find mobster Bertie Flynn running away from someone and praying Lord that that someone doesn't catch him. Suddenly, some kind of greenish fog surrounds Bertie and it somehow materializes itself into a human being who goes by the name of Fogg and who exhibits fog-like properties. Fogg is after Bertie because Bertie double-crossed their mutual employer. Bertie grabs his gun and starts shooting at Fogg but the bullets go right through him without results. Petrified, Bertie takes off but he suddenly runs into Fogg's partner, an armored humanoid named Knight. Bertie fires his gun at Knight but his bullets ricochet off of Knight's armor. Knight lifts Bertie off the ground and informs him that the penalty for breaking his oath is death. He then proceeds to impale him using the retractable blade on his left wrist. Bertie's screams echo through the night and all the way to a local tavern where other Englishmen are assembled to "shoot crap". As tavern-goers ponder about the scream, Knight and Fogg, in their civvies, enter the bar, sit down at a booth, and have a few drinks. The waitress, a lady named Jennifer, who seems to be "crushing" on Knight, tries flirting with him but Knight is too concerned with having just killed another old friend (i.e. Bertie) that he barely pays any attention to her. Fogg tells Knight that all he needs is a change of scenery and informs him that their employer got a request from a man in New York wanting to kill someone who is somehow associated with Spider-Man.
Thousands of miles away in New York City, Spider-Man makes his way to the Kingpin's tower to meet with the Kingpin's second-in-command, the man known as the Arranger. When he arrives at the tower, he finds a very nervous Arranger who begs him to protect him from his employer, the Kingpin, who blames him for the gang war with the Lobo Brothers and for the loss of territory to Hammerhead and the Chameleon, and for his failure to eliminate him as a continuing threat to their operations. Spider-Man is taken aback and cannot believe that the Arranger has the guts to ask him to protect him after he sent the Beetle after him in last issue. Dropping down to his knees, the Arranger implores Spidey to help him but Spidey refuses to help and takes off into the night.
A short time later, we find Peter and Mary Jane Parker in the elevator leading to J. Jonah Jameson's penthouse where they have been invited for a social evening. Peter is a bit uncomfortable about spending the whole evening with Jameson but the worse has yet to come because, as the elevator door opens, not only are Peter and MJ having dinner with Jonah and his wife Marla, but they are also having dinner with Martha and Joe Robertson, with whom Peter had a fallout over a faked photo, which was not really fake but Peter had to pretend it was fake because it shown him in the Spider-Man costume and he did not want to reveal his secret identity (as seen in Web of Spider-Man #64). Peter whispers to Jonah that he should have told him Robbie was going to be attending the dinner. Jonah asks Peter if he would have come if he had mentioned it. Peter replies that, after the way Robbie treated him the other day (he fired Peter), probably not. Jonah replies that he thought so and pushes Peter towards Robbie and tells the two of them that they are old friends and they should reconcile. Robbie tells Jonah that they are not friends anymore because he can't be friends with a fraud. Turning around, Robbie walks away. Jonah tells Peter that perhaps the whole dinner idea was a mistake. Peter sighs and tells Jonah that mistake or not, they are both there and they might as well deal with it. Having said that, Peter takes off after Robbie and finds him inside a room staring out the window. Peter tells Robbie that they need to talk but Robbie immediately replies that there is nothing to say and that Peter knows where he – Robbie – stands: "You're a photo-journalist, Peter, and you faked a photo". Ticked off, Peter replies: "And in your book that's unforgivable, no matter how extenuating the circumstances. Great ethics coming from an ex-con".
Meanwhile across town, the Arranger is desperately trying to save his hide so he calls both Hammerhead and the Chameleon to try and sell them all the Kingpin's secrets in exchange for their protection against the fat man. Both villains want nothing to do with him because they know that he will not live for much longer. The Arranger then calls Detective Frank Farrow and tells him that he wants to turn state's evidence about the Kingpin. Farrow replies that he'll call the District Attorney and get back to him in the morning. Talking to himself, the Arranger says that the morning will be too late and that he needs protection now. A voice answers and tells him that "it's already too late, mate". Stunned, the Arranger turns to look out the window and sees some kind of greenish haze outside the window: Fogg. As Fogg starts seeping through the cracks around the window, the Arranger picks up the phone and calls Jameson's penthouse to speak with Peter Parker.
Back at Jameson's penthouse apartment, Robbie cannot believe that Peter has just said that. He tells Peter that it is true that he broke the law by concealing his knowledge of a crime Tombstone committed twenty years ago and that he went to prison for it. He adds that he was wrong but tells Peter he cannot understand the pressure Tombstone brought to bear. Peter replies that because he – Robbie – was under pressure, he was allowed to make a mistake he later regretted but God help anyone else who acts like a human being. Robbie turns to face Peter and yells at him that he doesn't understand. He explains that he devoted his life to a code of ethics, a standard of behavior as rigorous as that of any religion, and because he failed once, to honor that code, to his shame, he sworn he would never let his standards slip again…never. Peter replies that everybody needs standards but also compassion and understanding. He adds that human beings make mistakes and that if he cannot forgive himself for being human, then how can he forgive anyone. Robbie is about to say something when Marla Jameson suddenly walks in the room and tells Peter that there is a phone call for him. Peter picks up the phone; it's the Arranger. The Arranger begs Peter to contact Spider-Man, as he needs his protection. Suddenly, Fogg breaks into the Arranger's office by crashing through the window. The Arranger's screams echo into the night and are heard by Peter over the phone. Realizing that the Arranger might be dead and that he should have believed him when the two of them met earlier, Peter quickly takes off to check on him.
When Peter, as Spider-Man, arrives at Kingpin's tower, he finds the Arranger dead with a broken neck, some kind of green mist still floating around the office. Suddenly, his spider-sense kicks in, warning him of impending danger. Suddenly, Fogg materializes himself behind Spidey and starts strangling him. As Spidey tries to break free, Knight shows up, grabs him by the arm, and throws him out the window. Fogg follows him as he starts falling down towards the concrete pavement below and continues strangling him, preventing him from saving himself. When Fogg finally lets go, Spidey manages to shoot a web-line to try and break his fall. The web-line snags the side of a nearby building but Spidey is already too close to the pavement and he smashes violently into the pavement. As Spidey slowly catches his breath, he notices Knight and Fogg making their way out of Kingpin's tower. He takes off after them and manages to snag Knight with a web-line. But Knight takes out his retractable blade, cuts Spidey's web-line, and then cuts a whole section of a nearby brick wall. Spidey dodges the falling brick wall as well as Knight's incoming blade but then Fogg shows up and strangles Spidey once again. Spidey is just about to lose consciousness when Knight tells Fogg that it is time to leave. Fogg acquiesces and the two villains take off, leaving Spidey to catch his breath, as police officers arrive on the scene.
Later that day at the midtown office tower of Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin of Crime, the Kingpin is on the phone with Knight and Fogg's London-based employer, telling him that he is very pleased with their work. Outside the Kingpin's office window, Spidey eavesdrop on the conversation. He knows that he now has to go to London...
To be continued.
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