GENERATION X SPIDER-MAN (Issue #34)

THAT GUY

APRIL 1992

The pain was extraordinary. Almost unbearable. With nearly ten thousand volts of electricity coursing through his body, Spider-Man rolled around the ground in agony. He couldn't get to his feet. Just a few moments earlier, the criminal known as the Vulture made an unexpected appearance. The winged villain fired a weapon at the costumed vigilante. A metallic object stuck to his back and sent a painful shock throughout his entire body. Zoltan Amadeus and Harry Osborn watched with interest. The pair of men stood outside the Kitty Cat Club in New York City late at night. They had almost come to blows until Spider-Man made an unexpected entrance of his own. He had trailed Osborn to the upscale gentlemen's club hoping to gain more information about his mysterious vice-president. However, before he could confront the young millionaire, he was attacked by this familiar foe. Adrian Toomes had become a regular thorn in the side of Spider-Man. Their clashes began back in September. During that time, the middle aged former Oscorp employee had been part of a growing surge in crime in the city of New York. Now, it seemed as though he had formed an alliance with Zoltan Amadeus. The Vulture was quite an impressive sight. A pair of large metallic wings came out from the back of his high tech exo-suit. They were part of a sophisticated jet propulsion system. He wore a green helmet with a tinted visor, while his suit was insulated with metallic body armor. A pair of powerful turbines were located in the middle of the wings, allowing him to gain flight. This impressive man had just landed on the pavement and was about to do what no one had ever done. Kill Spider-Man.

"That's it," Zoltan Amadeus encouraged him. "Finish him off once and for all."

"You've been working with him?" a stunned Harry Osborn asked. "All this time? Toomes tried to kill me at my home. He kidnapped me in Philadelphia and tried to get ransom money."

"Calm yourself," Zoltan sternly said to his business associate.

"No, I won't." Harry defiantly stated. "This man is a dangerous criminal."

"He's about to eliminate the man who killed your father," Zoltan declared. "You should be happy."

"I want answers," the nineteen year old owner of Oscorp bristled. "Tell me everything that you've been involved in, from the beginning. You've been keeping secrets from me."

"I'm so happy that I can finally drop the vapid, entitled party boy act." he revealed. "You don't know who I am or what I'm really all about. But, you're going to find out."

"What are you talking..." Harry began.

"Shut up," Zoltan interrupted him. "And, enjoy the show. This shouldn't take long."

Taking a cue from his new employer, the Vulture circled his prey. Spider-Man was still lying on the cold hard pavement, looking up at a star filled night. Adrian Toomes, the man beneath the helmet, smiled as he raised his forearm gauntlet and aimed it at his prone enemy. One repulsor blast would be enough to finish off the costumed vigilante. This was the end for the great Spider-Man.

"Go ahead, Adrian." Zoltan repeated. "Do what I told you to do. Kill him. Kill him now."

"You got it," the middle aged man agreed. "This is the end of Spider-Man."

Marshaling whatever strength he had left, the idealistic seventeen year old superhero rolled to his right just in time to avoid the powerful repulsor blast. Blam! The beam of electrostatic energy missed its target and a spray of concrete and debris went flying in all directions. Harry and Zoltan covered their eyes as the Vulture prepared to blast Spider-Man once again. At the last second, the dangerous criminal changed his mind. Instead he clicked a button on his wrist gauntlet and a pair of sharp metallic talons emerged from his wings. This would be how the wall crawler dies. With a fierce blow from the razor sharp talons of the Vulture. Adrian Toomes, the man behind the helmet, swung one of the wings in an effort to smash his enemy, but missed once again. Spider-Man deftly avoided the attack by rolling out of the way.