Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12

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Synopsis

DOWN AND DOWNER Investigating the activities of Target Technologies in New Jersey, Spider-Man, Nova, and Namorita find themselves confronted by the latest models of Dreadnaughts. The robots are armed with the newest in liquid, solid, and gas weapons.  The trio are having trouble fending off these robots until Silhouette, Night Thrasher, and Firestar arrive to lend a hand. After taking down the Dreadnaughts, Spider-Man asks how Night Thrasher and the others found them. Thrasher explains that he was looking into the kidnapping of his teammate Speedball. Tracking Speedball's unique energy signature brought them to the Target Technologies facility. As they take down the rest of the robots, Spider-Man realizes that they are dealing with Advanced Idea Mechanics, the criminal science organization. As the New Warriors struggle to stop the robots, Spider-Man notices that the Dreadnaughts seem to be particularly sensitive to Firestar's microwave powers. Noticing antennae on the robots heads, Spider-Man decides to investigate. Going through the ventilation systems, the wall-crawler finds the technicians operating the Dreadnaughts. Spider-Man ambushes the technicians and destroys their control computers.   Without human control, the Dreadnaughts begin going berserk, allowing the New Warriors to easily destroy them. With the robots destroyed, Spider-Man returns to the New Warriors and points out since they made a connection between the attack on the town of Fortune, Target Technologies, and Speedball's disappearance he suggests that they check out the administration building. When they enter the facility they stop one of the staff from dumping all the data from their computers. Nova pulls her away and allows Night Thrasher to try and learn what he can. He discovers that the wave cannon was developed for a private installation in upstate New York. Before he can get any additional information, a failsafe built into the computer wipes out the rest of the data. While at a private meeting room among some of the heads of the world's leading corporations, a status report is being made on the debacle at Target Technologies. Learning that Spider-Man and the New Warriors may have learned the location of their secret lab. Their mysterious benefactor asks the others if they have any suggestions on how to deal with this latest development. That's when Justin Hammer speaks up, offering to enlist his super-powered operatives to defend the lab.   Meanwhile, Spider-Man and the New Warriors are heading to the lab in the New Warrior's helicopter. On the way, Spider-Man feels like they will never be able to stop such a large organization like AIM. Silhouette points out that she lost the use of her legs thanks to criminals. Instead of giving into the grief and pain, she decided to use her powers to try and stop as much evil as she can.[Continuity 2] When they arrive outside the facility, which turns out to be what appears to be a cow pasture. Thinking this is a waste of time, Nova accidentally sets off the perimeter security. Ambushed by the various defenses, most of the heroes are separated by the various traps and trap doors in the ground, leaving only Spider-Man and Silhouette on the battlefield. Recovering from the assault, the pair looks for a secret access in order to infiltrate the facility. While inside, Night Thrasher, Firestar, as well as Nova and Namorita begin looking around the facility. Back at the boardroom, the masterminds behind this scheme are satisfied that everything is going according to plan. Justin Hammer contacts his operatives and orders them to earn their pay. In one room, Nova and Namorita find themselves confronted by Discus, Speed Demon and Beetle, while in another Night Thrasher faces Blacklash and Boomerang. In a third room, Firestar is ambushed by Hydro-Man and Constrictor. Lastly, Spider-Man and Silhouette find themselves face-to-face with the Rhino, Bombshell, and Stiletto. FIRST KILL! Discovering the death of his neighbor Ernest Mendez, Eddie Brock is interrupted by the police who think he is responsible for the death. Becoming Venom, Brock easily incapacitates the officers. Promising the dead man that he will find his son Pablo, Venom escapes back into his own apartment and makes his symbiote turn into street clothes while he sorts out what to do next. There is a knock at the door and Eddie answers it. It's a police officer canvassing the neighborhood to learn what they can bout Ernest's murder. After the officer is gone, Brock vows to use his talents to try and find those responsible for the murder of his friend.   Brock finds this harder than when he used to be a reporter. While trying to learn what he can about the Markham Machine Company, he is turned away wherever he goes. Attempts to get help from his former employer, the Daily Globe, are turned away. When he tries to use his press pass to get an interview with someone at the company, he is rejected.   Having exhausted all official channels, Eddie decides to take matters into his own hand. Becoming Venom once more, he goes to the Markham Machine Company factor that night. His entry alerts security who tries to stop him. However, he makes short work of them. Looking around, Venom finds Pablo and thinks that he escaped and armed himself. That's when one of the guards dumps out a vat of molten metal. As the liquid metal causes flames to spring up, Venom's symbiote pulls away to keep him away from the flames. SONS OF THE TIGER While investigating the disappearance of homeless people near the site where a skyscraper his employer is building is located, Hobie Brown brings his brother Abe along with him. In the neighborhood, they meet a homeless vet named Shark, who fought in Southeast Asia with their father when they were both in the military. Shark tells them how "Tiger" Brown was wounded by a sniper. Shark was sent to get the sniper and left Tiger alone. Tragically, when Shark returned with the enemy sniper, he found that the enemy murdered Brown and left his body hanging from a tree.  After leaving the army, Shark has been living in Hogan's Alley ever since. Hearing how his father died angers Abe, who blames Shark for leaving his father to die. Hobie pulls Abe off the man, pointing out how Shark has clearly been eaten up by guilt for the past twenty years. Abe is angry that Hobie could act so casually about the death of their father, but Hobie was only an infant when their father was killed in action. Abe decides that he is going to come back in the evening to see what he can learn, and warns Hobie to stay out of his way.   That night, Abe clashes with members of the Flying Dragon gang to learn what he can about the disappearance of the homeless people. As some of them flee, the Prowler arrives on the scene to lend his brother his hand. As the gang members flee, Abe is struck in the leg with a knife. He tells the Prowler to leave him and go after the others. As the Prowler gives them the chase, Abe is confronted by the Flying Dragon's leader, the White Dragon. Abe tries to get out of the way of the villain's spray from the White Dragon's mask, but can't get far due to his wounded leg. While the Prowler rounds up the fleeing members of the gang he hears the sound of a gunshot. Fearing for Abe's safety, he doubles back and arrives to see that Shark has shot the White Dragon in the shoulder. This enrages the gang leader, who has been hired to eliminate the local homeless population in order to stop the construction of a homeless shelter on valuable land. That's when the Prowler arrives to battle his foe, dousing him water. This is when the homeless population arrives to defend their home, sending the White Dragon fleeing.   In the aftermath of the battle, Abe makes peace with Shark, thanking him for saving his life. 10 MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS... THE HUNT BEGINS At the Genetech facility, owners Chadwick and Rosen argue with each other over who was responsible for allowing Lightmaster into their facility. Meanwhile, at his secret hideout, Lightmaster has Dagger prisoner. When she wakes up, he explains that he is going to boost his power by draining her light powers. Despite her protests, Lightmaster activates the machine that transfers her light energy into him.   At that moment, Cloak has arrived at Genetic, after learning that Lightmaster was being held at the facility after his last arrest. He confronts Chadwick and Rosen and demands to know where Lightmaster is, wrapping his cloak around their throats. He learns that they had tracked him down to a nearby hydroelectric plant and that they had developed a weapon to stop him. Cloak takes the weapon and warns the two scientists that if Dagger has been harmed, he will be back.   Back at his hideout, Lightmaster stops the transfer to allow Dagger to replenish her strength. However, she manages to break free from her restraints and staggers her foe with a light dagger. She then uses another to destroy his machine. That's when Cloak arrives and blasts Lightmaster with the weapon. Instead of stopping Lightmaster, it makes Lightmaster grow to titanic size, making him stronger than ever. Realizing that he made a huge mistake, Cloak wonders what he had done.