Sensational Spider-Man #2

"No Respect" part 2 of 5

Story and Script by: Richard Gutierrez

Spider-Man TM and copyright Marvel Entertainment Group 1998

When last we left our web-slinging hero he was staring up the barrel of a weapon unlike any he's ever seen. The no nonsense mercenary known as Shotgun is holding the gun. Let’s listen in, to see how are hero gets out of this one….I'm kind of curious myself.

Spider-Man: Hey! Watch where you point that thing! What are you trying to do? Kill me?

Shotgun: If I had known you were going to be here, I wouldn't have answered the phone.

Spider-Man: I know how you feel. I tell you what, why don't you go back home to the wife and little pistols and I'll go home to the wife and little web spinners and we'll call it even. OK? OK. Be seeing you.

Shotgun:Not so fast.

Spider-Man starts to leave when Shotgun takes aim and fires the huge weapon at him.

A beam of high-intensity heat explodes from the weapon, knocking Shotgun off the top of the stack of crates he was on.

Spider-Man(dodging the blast, to self): Thank goodness for my handy Spider sense. If not for that I would have been an "extra-crispy wall crawler".

Meanwhile down below, the commotion doesn't go unnoticed by the crowd below. Ben Urich had come to the warehouse in search of his wife, who had been kidnapped by a mysterious man that wanted to use her to have Ben, a reporter for the Daily Bugle, bury any stories that might surface regarding his plans to take over the New York underworld. He has been supplying local gangs with weapons that look like the one Shotgun used to attack Spider-Man.

Man: It figures. Every time I come to this mammal-infested planet, I run into one of these costumed humans. If it's not the Fantastic Four or the Hulk, it's someone else. I don't want to be discovered and have the FF or Avengers coming after me. I'll let my troops deal with these two. Troops! Kill the intruders, but reveal nothing. Use only the weapons of the empire. Strike as one!

With that the "troops" pull out the same model of weapon that Shotgun used. They begin to fire at both Shotgun and Spidey.

Spider-Man (leaping and dodging the blasts, to self): What the heck was that all about? Where is that guy from? It's obvious I'm dealing with alien weaponry, but I'm not sure whose it is. Well, time to figure that out after I have gotten Mr. and Mrs. Urich out of harms way.

Spider-Man leaps down the cage and pries the bars open.

Ben: Thanks Spidey. Come on dear lets get out of here.

Across the warehouse, Shotgun is penned down by two of the "troops".

Shotgun (to self): If I didn't love the gunplay so much, I'd have to ask Fisk for more money.

Shotgun returns fire and kills them. He looks on as the two dead bodies transform into something not human.

Shotgun: What the ?! These things are…things! I've never seen anything with green skin…

Just then he is clipped in the shoulder by a blast.

Shotgun: AAARGGHH!

Spider-Man (swinging down on the gunman): Now, that wasn't very nice. Didn't your mother ever teach you that it isn't nice to shoot gun-toting crazy people? Kids these days.

Spider-Man punches the gunman knocking him unconscious.

Spider-Man (walking over to Shotgun): Here let me web up that wound.

TWIPP! TWIPP!

Spider-Man: I got the Urich's out of here now it's our…turn.

Spidey looks down and sees the two dead gunmen have transformed into green humanoid forms.

Spider-Man: Oh my…they're Skrulls?

Meanwhile across town…

The gorgeous Mary Jane Watson-Parker is heading home from ESU to meet her husband Peter, a.k.a. The Sensational Spider-Man.

Mary Jane (to self): One of these days I'm really going to have to convince Peter to let me buy a car. I'm just starting to get my modeling career back after the ba…so long. It's not good for the image to be seen riding public transportation. I know that Peter has his own "unique" way of getting from point "A" to point "B", but if a potential client were to see me get off a bus it could be awkward.

Meanwhile, at FISK Towers, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, is receiving an update from Shotgun.

Shotgun (through phone): Big Poppa, it's me. Listen, I didn't sign on to fight no aliens. I'll return your money, minus the cost of my time, cause I'm out of here.

Kingpin: You sign on for what ever I tell you YOU are signed on for. You will calm down and explain the situation to me. Understand?

Shotgun: Alright, sure. I rolled up on that warehouse you told me about and I ran into Spider-Man. He was following some Urich guy and the next thing I know, BLAM, we are surrounded by green skinned aliens who all had weapons just like the one you gave me.

Kingpin: Where's the wall-crawler now?

Shotgun: He left with one of the aliens to go see the Avengers or something.

Kingpin: You are free to go, Shotgun. I'll call you if I need your…services in the future.

Click

Kingpin (to self): This looks like it might get more complicated if the Avengers are brought into the scenario. The wall crawler I can deal with, but heavy weights like Thor or that goody two shoed Captain are a little more than this humble "spice-merchant" wants to deal with. I think I will distance myself from this and let the super heroes of the area handle the "green skin aliens".

At that moment outside of Avengers mansion, home of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, a certain web-slinger is using his "reserve Avenger status" to look for some help.

Spider-Man (to self): Think I'm going to take on the whole Skrull Empire by myself, someone better put down the pipe! Give me the Green Goblin. Give me Doc Ock. Give me a break! I hope the Avengers are home cause this alien is getting heavy. It's a good think that the automated security systems still have me as a reserve or getting this close to the door could have been a workout I could have done without.

DING DING

The web slinger rings the doorbell and waits with 350 pounds of Skrull warrior slung over his back. The huge oak door opens and a voice gently calls from inside…

Jarvis: Spider-Man what a surprise. Do come..in? I beg your pardon, sir. Is that a Skrull on your back?

Spider-Man: Why yes, it is a Skrull. Would any of the Avengers be around so I can dump this one off and then they can help me track down the others?

Jarvis: I'm terribly sorry, but Captain America and the rest of the Avengers are away fighting the Masters of Evil and the Lethal Legion. *

*Head on over to Avengers to read about this, but finish this one first the good stuff's coming!..Gute

Spider-Man: Figures. Are there any reserves we could call that have experience with these greenies?

Jarvis: The others are in space trying to find out who slaughtered the Eternals on Titan. *

*Head on over to Cosmic Avengers to read about this! Plug happy Gute!!

Spider-Man: Thanks anyway J. I'll go see if the FF is home.

With that the web-slinger slings away back toward Pier 4 and the warehouse that is home to the Fantastic Four.

Spider-Man (standing outside the warehouse): Hello! Anyone home? Torch it's me! The web guy! Damn! They're not home either. Let's try…

Spider-Man (outside the "Warhouse", home of the New Warriors): Nova!

BANG BANG BANG

Spider-Man (banging on the door): Come on guys, you can't be gone too. Where is everyone? If there was a huge crossover and I wasn't invited, I'll be so mad.

Skrull (waking up in a daze):

Spider-Man (slamming his head into a light pole): Quiet the noise, ugly!

CLANG

Spider-Man: Well, this little wall-crawler needs some help from some heavy hitters! I can handle a couple of these Skrulls. I mean, I know they can shape-shift into anything they want. I heard they once disguised themselves as cows! But a whole gang of them is more than I can handle. I need some real big firepower in my…corner?

Punisher: Did I hear you say something about "firepower"?

Spider-Man: I need this like Clinton needs another scandal. How did you find out about this?

Punisher: I ran across a drive-by shooting this morning and the gunmen where using this alien's popgun. I tracked down the supplier to a warehouse on the docks. I showed up just in time to see you and my old sparring partner, Shotgun, go your separate ways. I've been following you since. It seems none of your buddies are home. I guess it's just you and me.

Spider-Man (to self): No respect. None at all.