Spider-Man's Trail

Acting on advice from a black, one-eyed man who claimed to be a government agent, Spider-Man returned to where Norman Osborn had been found and searched for traces of Doctor Octopus.

From the spot where Old Osborn had been hung, Doctor Octopus had taken two possible routes: one coming in, one leaving. Spider-Man could not tell which had been Doctor Octopus's departure route, so he searched both.

The first led to an abandoned factory devoid of people. Dense marks left by mechanical tentacles showed that Doctor Octopus had once stayed there. Judging by the urine stains and grime on the floor, this might have been where Norman Osborn had originally been held captive.

So this was Doctor Octopus's route in?

Returning to the starting point, Spider-Man searched in the other direction, tracking the trail all the way to a large sewer outlet.

Just as Spider-Man was about to enter, he heard strange crashing sounds. Even the ground trembled.

With a leap, Spider-Man jumped to a high spot and hid in the blind spot of anyone emerging from the drain. It couldn't be this perfect, could it? Then he saw Doctor Octopus use his mechanical tentacles to take huge strides out of the sewer.

Perhaps Doctor Octopus wanted to leave as quickly as possible and avoid traveling along surface roads. Unfortunately, his chosen route was precisely where Spider-Man was hiding. Thus, the moment Doctor Octopus turned around and looked up, he met the gaze of New York's friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, clinging high above on the wall through bioelectric static.

"Hello, Spider-Man."

"Doctor Octavius, I am taking you to the police. Put down your weapons and do not resist pointlessly."

"Hand me over to the police? What did I do wrong, Mr. Spider-Man?"

"Robbing a bank, kidnapping Mr. Norman Osborn, destroying public