Last issue, Spider-Man saw Flash Thompson taken into a
car by what seemed to be military personnel. Thinking he may have been
kidnapped, Spider-Man follows the car, before it’s cut off by a large truck.
The car Flash is in gets boxed in while gas is sprayed to force them out of the
car and conceal their attackers’ movements. Not knowing which side are the bad
guys, Spidey decides to just keep everyone away from Flash and tackles the
foreign ambushers. While the gas helps cover his own movements as well, Spidey
still gets blindsided by an enormous man dressed as a chauffeur! Spidey turns
the tides on his attackers and webs them all up. He checks on Flash before
swinging off with him, still not sure he can trust the men who initially drove
off with him.
Spidey asks Flash what’s going on and he clarifies
that the men who initially grabbed him were only trying to protect him!
Starting from the beginning, Flash recounts how he was injured and separated
from his platoon some months ago in Vietnam. He happened upon a hidden temple
where the head priest and his daughter Sha Shan nursed Flash back to health.
Overhwlemed by their kindness, Flash eventually set out but promised to never
forget them. He eventually made it back to his base where he learned that they were
about to shell the very area that the temple was in! Flash tried to explain to
his superiors but they thought he was delirious given that there was no record
of the temple on their maps. Flash rushed back to the temple in an attempt to
warn them about the incoming shelling. The head priest refused to leave though,
and the temple was destroyed, presumably killing everyone there!
Flash woke up later back at his base and since then,
the supporters of the temple got the impression that he deliberately pinpointed
the temple for the shelling! Now Flash has a price on his head, as the
followers of the temple are willing to do anything to exact their revenge, as
evidenced by the attack earlier! Flash gets the strange feeling there’s more to
the story that he can’t remember, and Spidey drops him off at the Federal
Building to be looked after. Meanwhile, Peter heads back to his apartment, where
Aunt May has been waiting with Harry. Aunt May and Harry notice some of Peter’s
web formula leaking out from under the door and Peter plays it off as an
experiment on paste he’s conducting for his Master’s thesis. While he’s
cleaning it up, Gwen comes rushing in looking for Peter. She tells him what
happened with Flash, and Peter has to pretend to be hearing it for the first
time.
Aunt May suggests the two of them go see Flash, while
she waits at the apartment with Harry. Peter and Gwen head over to the Federal
Building, when suddenly Peter’s spider-sense goes off. He recognizes the large
chauffeur from earlier and realizes they’re making another play for Flash!
Peter excuses himself from Gwen and slips outside to plant a tracer on the
giant man. Just then, a huge explosion rings out which shuts off all the
lights. With not enough time to change, Peter uses the darkness to intercept the
Vietnamese men trying to capture Flash, sans costume! Peter tussles with the
enormous man again, who’s able to stun Peter while the rest escape with Flash.
With Gwen nearby wondering what happened, Peter stumbles out, pretending to
have gotten caught in the explosion. He tries to excuse himself again but Gwen
isn’t having it. She’s noticed how he always disappears when danger occurs and
wants confirmation that he’s not a coward. She asks him to stay with her, if he
really loves her, and they’ll face the problem together! This puts Peter in an
impossible dilemma: either chase after Flash, or reveal to Gwen that he’s
Spider-Man! To be continued!
For the special marvelite in you