Web of Spider-Man Annual #8

Issue Details

Synopsis

While searching for the other New Warriors at a secret Target Technologies lab, Spider-Man and Silhouette are ambushed by the Rhino, Bombshell, and Stiletto. While Spider-Man dodges attacks from both Rhino and Stiletto, Silhouette uses her abilities to meld into shadows to sneak up behind Bombshell and knock her out with one of her crutches. While elsewhere in the facility, Night Thrasher faces off alone against Blacklash and Boomerang. Thrasher manages to deflect an explosive boomerang back at his foe. The blast knocks out Boomerang but leaves Night Thrasher open to attack from Blacklash. As the pair prepare to resume their attack on Night Thrasher, he tosses down a pile of ball bearings and spurs. As the villains trip themselves up, Night Thrasher continues on his search looking for his missing teammate Speedball. Meanwhile, Spider-Man manages to take down Stiletto, but Bombshell manages to set off a flash bomb that eliminates every shadow in the area, leaving Silhouette open to being attacked by the Rhino. In yet another part of the facility, Nova and Namorita face off against Discus, Speed Demon, and the Beetle. While Nova tricks Speed Demon into running into a shipping crate, while Namorita turns Beetle into the path of one of Discus' weapons. Discus and Speed Demon flee the scene, leaving Beetle behind. Demanding answers, Beetle doesn't know where Speedball is being kept. The pair leaves him tied up while they continue their search. At that moment, Rhino runs off with Silhouette. Still having to deal with Bombshell, Spider-Man tags his ally with a spider-tracer so he can track her down later. The wall-crawler then uses a web-line to toss a stun bomb back at Bombshell, knocking her out, allowing Spider-Man to follow after the Rhino. While in another part of the facility, Firestar is ambushed by Hydro-Man and the Constrictor. She uses her microwave blasts to evaporate Hydro-Man's body. When Constrictor tries to crush her in his coils, Firestar channels her powers through the villain's coils causing him enough pain to let go. Slipping into the next room, she shuts the door and uses her powers to seal it shut. Looking around, Firestar spots the dissected corpse of Auric of Gamma Flight. Seeing the hero in this state, Firestar begins fears the worst about her teammate Speedball. Meanwhile, at the boardroom of the secret consortium of businessmen who have put this plan in order, their mysterious leader learns that everything is going according to plan. Back in the facility, Spider-Man manages to find a control room and uses it to find Silhouette faster than tracking his spider-tracer. At that moment, Night Thrasher and Firestar are reunited only to be chased down the hall by Rhino, Speed Demon, Discus, Stiletto, and Bombshell. By this time, Spider-Man can't find any information on his ally and decides to continue following the signal on his spider-tracer. Finding himself at a crossroads, he finds himself having to choose following the signal down one corridor or following the sounds of battle going down another. In another part of the facility, Nova and Namorita find a kinetic dampener and suspect that Target Technologies are developing devices to counter the abilities of super-heroes. Continuing their search, they are ambushed by Hydro-Man and the Constrictor. Creating a massive tidal wave, Hydro-Man washes the pair down the hall to where Night Thrasher and Firestar are in the middle of battle. The addition of more villains to the fight starts working against the New Warriors. However, the tide of battle turns when Spider-Man arrives to lend a hand. By this point, the villains' retreat, sealing a door behind them. After recovering from the attack, Spider-Man and the New Warriors decide to follow after the villains. Smashing through the door, they enter a room where Silver has been suspended in a massive globe. She tells them that her kidnappers have been conducting horrible experiments on her. When they offer to free her, she warns them that her containment unit is rigged with alarms and tells them to move onto the next chamber and free the others first. As they continue down the hall, Spider-Man begins picking up the spider-tracer he planted on Silhouette. They continue on until they enter a darkened room. From there, Firestar uses her powers to illuminate the room. They are shocked to discover that it is a dead end and that there are a group of men watching over them. Suddenly the door behind them closes, and the floor opens up trapping the heroes into a sphere. Unable to break free, they spot Speedball contained in a cylinder and Silhouette locked into a chair. That's when the mysterious leader of this group reveals himself as the Sphinx. He then shows the heroes the success of their work. Activating a device, it begins siphoning Speedball's kinetic energy that causes Spider-Man and the other New Warriors to begin bouncing around inside their trap. Soon the kinetic force will increase in strength threatening to smash the heroes to a pulp.