Spider-Man has been infected with a stolen virus, courtesy of the Vulture (who is working for the Owl). He is semi-conscious and is having mild hallucinations. Daredevil checks up on him and notices that his respiration is way up and that the poison is rapidly coursing through his bloodstream, doing great amounts of damage along the way (DD can tell all that using his enhanced abilities). Spidey suddenly comes out of his trance when his spider-sense kicks in, warning him of danger. Looking up at the skies, Spidey points to the Owl who is descending upon them. Ticked off at the Owl, Daredevil, leaps to his pursuit and demands to know what the Vulture did to Spidey. The Owl reveals that the vultures' talons were tipped with an experimental chemical virus developed by the military, which works quite rapidly. The Owl starts to fly (almost) out of range so Daredevil throws one of his Billy-clubs at him. But before the club can make contact with the Owl, the Vulture swoops in and grabs it in mid-air. Daredevil's radar picks up more (real) small vultures heading his way that are probably carrying the same drug they used on Spidey. Having climbed so high, Daredevil has left himself exposed and does not know what move to execute next. Thankfully, Spidey comes to his aid and webs the two vultures. But Spidey is way too dizzy to go after the Owl and the Vulture so he resolves himself to snag the Vulture with a spider-tracer so he can track them later; if he is still alive.
Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, Mary Jane Parker struggles whether to knock on the motel room door where her father is staying or go back. She finally does knock on the door and her father answers telling her that he is glad she came.
Back in New York City, in some old mansion somewhere, the Vulture calls the Owl "Owsley" and says that it was about time he came back. The Owl tells the Vulture not to call him that because Owsley is dead. The Vulture replies that he does not understand the Owl because when he offered him a plan that would truly bury his former self forever, his reaction was one of horror and revulsion, yet he (the Owl) keeps saying that Owsley is dead. The Vulture goes on explaining that he knew that he (the Owl) would see the genius of such plan and that he would return to embrace it. So, in honour of his faith in him, he's begun to erase his past first. The Owl is furious and asks the Vulture to explain himself. The Vulture explains that he infected one of the Owl's former business associates, a man called Paul Greyson, and he will die at midnight unless he is given the antidote, which does exist and which the Vulture lied about earlier. The Vulture throws the antidote to the Owl and tells him that he will let him decide whether Greyson receives it or not. The Owl immediately takes flight. On his way to save Greyson, the Owl is tormented with the question that has recently been his bane: "Who am I? The Owl…or Owsley?". He understands that Greyson's life means nothing to him, yet he simply cannot let him die like that, because that would be accepting the Vulture's madness. He wonders now whether to race to pass the Vulture’s test or his own, to prove once and for all whether they are truly two of a kind.
Meanwhile at the Parker residence, Peter has taken his mask off (in front of Daredevil) and is using his microscope to try and identify whether it is the experimental virus the Owl claims it is or how fast it is spreading. After a quick check, Peter confirms that it is in fact the virus that the Owl was claiming it was and knows he must find the antidote quickly. He puts his mask back on and they're off.
The Owl is secretly following Paul Greyson, as he comes out of some building. Greyson is starting to sweat profusely, unaware that poison is coursing through his bloodstream. The Owl recalls his previous encounter with Greyson and realizes that there was never a moment that his admiration for him had turned into hatred or that he had wished him dead. Yet, the Owl watches and remains inactive as Greyson falls to the ground, his hand clutching his throat, and passes away. By his inaction, the decision is made.
Back in Pittsburgh, Mary Jane sits on her dad's bed and asks if he is still writing. Her dad replies that he is doing some freelance work for a small weekly newspaper, which is enough to pay the rent. MJ asks what happened to the "Great American Novel" and he replies that it's not in him anymore and that it went dry years ago, maybe even before. MJ stands up and starts walking around the room. On a nearby desk sits an old Smith-Corona typewriter that she remembers her dad using when she was young. She starts retelling how her and Gayle weren't allowed anywhere near it when she notices a picture of her mother next to the typewriter. Furious, she grabs the picture and starts to yell at her dad, asking him how dare he keeps her picture lying around after the way he treated her and deserted her. Furious as well, her dad grabs the picture out of her hands and screams at her that he loved her mother more than he ever knew and that he isn't proud of the way he treated her. As he starts to cry, he explains that everyday, he wishes that there was some way he could change the past, because all he has to show for himself is a lifetime of regret. MJ feels bad for her father and touches his shoulder, telling him that she felt the same thing when she ran out on Gayle and that she does know how he feels.
Somewhere over Brooklyn, Spider-Man and Daredevil are tracking down the Vulture and the Owl using the spider-tracer that Spidey snagged the Owl with. When asked about how he feels, Spidey lies to Daredevil but the latter knows that Spidey is not doing very well.
The Owl returns to the old mansion to the delight of the Vulture who sees that the Owl hasn't used up the antidote he was given to save the life of Paul Greyson. The Owl jumps down from the window ledge through which he entered the mansion and as he lands on the ground, the spider-tracer is accidentally crushed.
Just then, a few blocks away, Spidey loses the spider-tracer signal. Daredevil tells Spidey that he’s got them covered from this point on and the two land on a rooftop, where DD sits down in a yoga-like position and starts to filter surrounding noises to try and locate the Vulture and the Owl. It takes a little while but he finally finds them.
Back in Pittsburgh, Mary Jane and her father have made amends and MJ is getting ready to leave. But MJ turns around and throws herself in her father's arms, telling him that she wants to make this a beginning and not another ending. He agrees and she walks away smiling and crying.
The Owl and the Vulture are going over plans to eliminate some of their former associates when Spider-Man and Daredevil come crashing through a window. Seeing this, the Vulture opens a nearby cage containing five small and real vultures whose claws have been dipped in the same poison that is coursing through Spider-Man's body. Daredevil tells Spidey to take care of the deadly birds while he takes care of the Vulture. As Spidey snags two of the birds, Daredevil takes out the Vulture using his Billy clubs and a solid punch in the face. The Owl doesn't stick around for his own beating and takes off into the night. Spidey captures a third vulture but the remaining two escape through the window. Knowing that he needs to stop those vultures because there is no telling how far the virus could spread, Spidey swings out into the night after them. He manages to snag one of them but the other one is too far out or range. In a spectacular turn of events, the Owl comes out of nowhere and takes the bird out. The Owl tells Spidey that his debt to Daredevil is now paid in full and the second chance he once offered to him, he now entrust to him – Spidey. The Owl throws the vial containing the antidote to Spidey and flies away. Spidey catches the antidote and heads back towards the mansion where he lands on the rooftop.
Daredevil shows up on the rooftop and tells Spidey that the Vulture is down and that, from what he saw, it appears that the Owl is trying to redeem himself. Spidey ingests the antidote and it appears to work. Daredevil is able to read Spidey's heartbeat and respiration and they seem to be calming down, which means that the antidote is already working. Daredevil apologizes for not being able to help him with his problems and tells Spidey that, whatever they are, to not let them tear him apart. He also suggests to him to find the things that are important to him and build his life around them, so as to make a life he wants to live. Spidey replies that, after coming so close to death, there is nothing in the world that he wants more...nothing. Daredevil takes off into the night.
The issue concludes with the revelation that the antidote was a fake and that Spidey is dying. As well, it appears that Mary Jane is ready to tell Peter something big...something that will change their lives forever.
To be continued...
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