by Joseph Harris
and ChrisCross
by Joseph Harris
and ChrisCross
And away we go...starting off with Spider-Man reading the newspaper on the side of a building - can't this guy just sit somewhere normal? - and the paper tells about the Slingers' heroic train rescue bit last issue. He comments "They don't look that silly," and jumps down to the crowded street below, where Ricochet is sitting on top of a bus. Spidey sees Ricochet, and slowly makes his way down to the bus...
Ricochet senses Spidey somehow, and flings a disc at him before Spidey knows what's happening. Spider-Man, of course, being who he is, dodges the disc nicely, but Ricochet gets away by dashing off on the car rooftops. Spidey gives chase, they both run down into the subway, and Rico gets away by jumping into one of the trains. He's wondering why he's running from Spider-Man, he thinks it's because of Dusk....
Brief cut back to the Black Marvel, back in his old abandoned film studio. Apparently, he used to be a big time hero, back before all the heroes had superpowers. Now, he's old and forgotten. He watches a film about himself, who he used to be. It hints that he will be a hero again...interesting.
That night, the three fully alive Slingers are just outside a massive drain pipe near a construction site that Prodigy thinks is something more. Ricochet is complaining about having to go into smelly sewers as part of the hero bit. Prodigy hears nothing of that, tells them to spy on the Maggia, at some place underground that the pipe leads. He hands Ricochet a radio thingy, then takes off, leaving Hornet wondering - as well as the rest of us - "if he flies or jumps."
At the construction site, Prodigy hides and listens to some mafia-types. Apparently, the Grand Royale Hotel is almost done, and it'll be a classic-type hotel. However, there's something more to it. Back down in the sewers, Rico and Hornet are making their way through, and they've gotten out of the sewers and into what looks like a mine shaft. Something smells funny. Ricochet's danger sense goes off, just as some giant rat-looking thing goes past behind them. Hornet comments that he's not afraid of little rats... A bit later, they're at some train tracks underground. A train goes by, almost taking Ricochet's head with it. They head further down the tracks, and find some other mafia-types arguing about hiding barrels....
Cut to the former home of Dusk, in Salem Center. The cops are telling her parents that her body is gone. They tell them that she was wearing a costume at the time of her death...her parents don't know what to make of that. Dusk herself is outside, looking at a picture of herself and her parents. Apparently, the picture is from before Cassie went goth, because she seems to have blonde hair in it. She still has no clue what's going on with herself, or how she came back to life. She disappears.
Back with Ricochet and Hornet, the mafia-types are muttering about having to guard the barrels down underground. One steps out to use the bathroom, and the other is promptly devoured by giant rats. The two Slingers don't see this, and take the chance to look at the barrels, and see what's in them...they're labeled "Biohazard." And to add to that bit of wonderfulness, they're oozing green stuff. Just as they're further wondering about that...a giant mutated rat attacks Hornet. Rico gets the thing off of Hornet with a disc, but more of the rats just keep coming....
Back outside at the construction site, Prodigy is being extremely patient and watching the mafia-types below. He accidentally kicks a rock, and they hear him.... This isn't helped by Ricochet calling him right now on the radio that he has. Naturally, because of the voices, the mafia-types find him, and have their guns aimed at him....
Down underground, Rico and Hornet are barely holding thier own against the rats. While Ricochet gets no response from Prodigy, Hornet realizes that the vibration of his suit's wings hurts the rats. Nice. Up above, Prodigy is now getting shot at, good thing his suit's bulletproof. Ricochet and Hornet hightail it out of the underground place, and get chased by the rats all the way down the mine shaft. Rico leaps ahead, and tosses a disc into the fray...it bounces around and off the roof, making said roof fall, and come back to him. Just as he and Hornet congratulate each other, the roof starts falling in. Oops. Once again up at the construction site, Prodigy kicks some mafia-type butt by letting them hurt each other. The ground starts shaking....
Hornet and Ricochet try to run from the collapsing ceiling. Rico leaps, and just barely makes it away...leaving Hornet buried under tons of rock! Prodigy is extremely pissed off that his mission failed, and crushes the radio, then flies/leaps off. Ricochet still tries desperately to contact him, as he stays next to where his friend is buried....