—Spider-Man (Ben Reilly)I don't remember right from wrong. I don't remember all the lessons that taught me how to live. But Janine, all my memories of her --those are mine. Only mine. That's what I've got to anchor me. I'm not a bad person. I can't be. For her. Because she's had enough bad people in her life. So it's time to get my memories back and be who I should be.
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Creature Z ⏵ (Name revealed)
- Beyond Corporation
- Maxine Danger
- Langston (Destruction)
Other Characters:
- Dr. Curt Connors (Mentioned)
- Morbius the Living Vampire (Michael Morbius)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Monica Rambeau (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Staten Island
- Asset Analysis Headquarters
- Manhattan
- Staten Island
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
- Hell (Invoked)
Items:
Synopsis for 1st story
After Creature Z begins attacking Spider-Man and Misty Knight, his arms are dismembered by Colleen Wing only to regenerate them back seconds later. While they debate whether or not it actually is Dr. Curt Connors, they fall back to another room and lock themselves in. Deducing Creature Z's default abilities with its pale complexion and wings, Colleen concludes that this enemy is a vampire-lizard after Beyond merged Morbius's powers with it. Within the room, Colleen's theory proves correct as they find the Morbius the Living Vampire strapped to a medical bed. Overseeing an unconscious Morbius, Misty and Colleen debate waking him up until Peter hurries them giving the issue of Creature Z trying to breech the door to their room.
At Beyond Tower, a mentally degrading Ben Reilly tears through Langston's security systems and leaves the A.I. in busted pieces. But as he walks along, he knows he should be feeling bad about it like Peter would, yet doesn't knowing that the missing memories in his mind are likely a factor in his growing apathy. But coming upon Beyond security, Ben is partly glad to be unfeeling to his guilt, making their takedown all the easier for him. In her office, Maxine confirms to a Beyond Board member that all procedures to erase incriminating evidence and protecting from legal and public backlash are active. With the call ended, groaning over a cliché big red button, Maxine is alerted to Spider-Man's breech realizing he's come for her.
Removing the medical equipment, Morbius immediately wakes up and finds he is behaving like himself again. Explaining he was out of control and Beyond stabilized his condition, he maintains his enmity of Beyond as they treated him to make their experimentation on him easier, so Spider-Man directs him to help throw his enmity at Creature Z. However, when the banging on the door stops, Peter grows concerned that Creature Z is targeting employees within the facility. Misty plans that she will go with Colleen and Michael to stop Creature Z, while Peter goes to stop whatever is affecting Ben, voicing that a giant vampire lizard is well within their wheelhouse. After also noting that "Mike" is with them, Peter takes their word and they head out, as Morbius asks about "Mike" and Colleen explains that's him, still referring to him as such despite his request for his proper naming.
With Security down, Ben moves forward rationalizing in his head that he had to free Creature Z from containment, whatever it may have been. Desperate to get back his formative memories, the shared memories he and Peter share, he moves forward and comes under attack from a horde of Living Sandwiches. Attacked on all sides, Ben is rescued timely by Janine, ready to go back on the run with him like the good old days if it means saving him and Ben promising to punch through anything that tries stopping them. Meanwhile, Maxine frees Marcus, livid about his circumstances, but she points out that he'll stop Ben from killing her out of his own principles and care for his friend. Marcus reluctantly agrees, more so for Ben's sake with no care for Maxine, much to her disgust for his morality.
Driving, Colleen asks Morbius his confidence in stopping the vampirized Lizard, with him asserting his ability given his Nobel Prize in biochemistry and the lifelong study of his condition. Although he corrects her again about calling him Doctor Morbius, she offers a compromise of "Doctor Mike" and he begrudgingly accepts before Colleen does a header onto Creature Z. Crashing the car and creature into the ground, it recovers in time to attack again after throwing away the car. Colleen's precision attacks to the feet and hands with little damage get the monster's attention and she directs the monster's movement to her, stating that it is already dead but doesn't know it yet.[1]
Back at Beyond, Ben inquires Janine's confidence in knowing the layout of the building, with her affirming to know more than what Beyond thought she'd know. Ben recalls much of the layout still, but Maxine knows he is after her for his memories and those are her only bargaining chips to broker her safety from him. As a fork in the path, the pair divide tasks as Janine goes to look for Marcus to dave him from Ben's demolition of the building. With a parting kiss, Ben is unsure of himself without his formative memories which impart on him right from wrong. But he anchors himself on his memories with Janine, choosing not to be a bad person for her sake as she's had too many such people in her life. He races to find Maxine, to get his memories back and remember the kind of man he should be.
Solicit Synopsis
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIZARD?! And what could he (or more accurately, it, after recent ASM events) possibly have to do with what has been battering Ben Reilly around?
• Only one issue to go, so you know, BIG STUFF IS HAPPENING HERE!!!