The alarm clock started to blare. Ben Reilly growled deep in his throat. He was still very sore from the massive electrical shock he’d suffered after his fight with the new Lizard. He’d spent some time on the phone with Curt Connors about the break-in that stole the lizard formula. Flint Marko was the burglar, but it reeked of the Pride. The Sandman hadn’t been detected until he was actually in the lab, and he didn’t have any buddies that were that good with computers.

“Ben… turn off that damn alarm.” He jolted out of his thoughts and turned to see Jessica Carradine, one eye open, staring at him.

“Oh, yeah…” He rolled back to the alarm and slapped the snooze, turning it off.

“How you feeling?” she asked. She sat up and leaned on one elbow. She adjusted her tank top and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Remember me saying that I felt like my skin was burning?” he grumbled. He slid a little bit towards Jessica. “Well, now it feels like burnt hamburger.”

“Ugh,” she grumbled. “Great mental image.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry nothing really happened last night… you know? But it was great to have you right here. How’d you sleep?”

“Next time I stay over, remind me to fall asleep before you do,” she joked. “That way I can sleep through your snoring.”

“Gee, thanks,” he laughed. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Is there going to be a next time?”

“Do you mean, have I forgiven you?”

“Yeah.” Jessica leaned into him and he breathed in the scent of her.

“I don’t know, Ben,” she said. “I just don’t know completely. But the fact I cuddled with you last night…”

“Yeah, I know.” He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. “I know.”

A few hours later a shower and breakfast had completely turned his attitude around. Now in his lab, Ben took a sip of soda as he read over the results of the chemical analysis he’d just run on the Lizard’s blood from the traces left on his costume. The chemist in him loved an opportunity to look at the Lizard formula like this. Curt had been a close friend and ally for both him and Peter, but the Lizard had been one of his most dangerous enemies. In all that time, he had never had a chance to look at the formula that had started it all up close.

“So what do you think?” Ben looked up from the computer analysis at Ezekiel Sims, his boss.

“Well, it’s kind of funky,” he replied. “Good morning, by the way.”

“You too,” Ezekiel chuckled. “Funky?”

“Well, I’m comparing this chemical analysis to Curt’s notes, and there’s an interesting discrepancy,” he said. He leaned over to his keyboard. He struck several keys. “So Curt based his original serum on lizard limb regeneration. A lot of the genetic material in the serum is from those regenerative cells. Now, I went over the genetic stuff in the new guy’s serum.”

“And?”

“Not regenerative material. I’m sending it to one of our geneticists to check exactly what it is, but it’s something very different.”

“Let me know, Ben,” he said. “I have a feeling that there’s a link between this incarnation of the Six and the Pride. Have you talked to Peter about it yet?” Ben’s face fell and Ezekiel knew the answer. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay,” he muttered. “I need to-“

“Ben.” The intercom sparked to life. “We’ve got trouble.” Grateful to get away form the uncomfortable situation, Ben pushed away from his desk to the intercom at another table.

“Talk to me, Ollie,” he said. Ollie Osnick had quickly integrated himself into the team, working closely with Julia Carpenter, who Ben had hardly seen since his trip to Genosha. Ben had come to realize he was a great asset for his team.

“Looks like the Six is trying to make a name for themselves,” Ollie said. “We’ve got two lady friends of your old New York City crowd.”

“Hunh?” Ben asked, shrugging at Ezekiel.

“Scorpia and the woman Doc Ock,” he said. “Lady Octopus, whatever. They’re robbing a bank downtown.”

“I’m on my way down,” Ben said, glancing at Ezekiel again. Sims nodded and Ben stood and rushed out of the room.

Comfortable in his old costume, Ben fired a webline and tugged it tight, propelling him forward. His mind was racing over and over, especially about his “brother” Peter. It had been a long time since he’d left New York now, and he was further away from that life than he’d ever been. So why was he so reluctant to contact Peter? What was it about a simple phone call that just filled his gut with dread?

He flipped through the air and fired a pair of weblines, which he pulled simultaneously, firing him forward like a slingshot. He somersaulted, then fired another line, swinging directly through traffic and back over it. He let go and allowed himself to fall for several seconds before firing another line and swinging close to the bank.

“Having fun?” Ollie asked in his earpiece.

“What?” Ben asked.

“We’ve been listening to you laugh like a madman for ten minutes,” Julia chimed in.

“Oh, have you now?” Ben laughed. “Am I close?”

“Practically on top of it,” Julia said. He smiled.

“How you doing Jules?” Ben asked. “Been a while since we talked. Want to go get a cup of coffee after I beat up a pair of girls?”

“You’re asking me on a date while in costume?” she laughed. “Isn’t that kind of improper?” Ben could hear Ollie chuckling in the background.

“Not really,” he said. “How about it?”

“You’re there, Ben,” Ollie said. “You should be seeing a-“

“Police barricade,” Ben finished. “Dropping in.”

Chief Alia Detores stood at the barricade, holding her pistol at her side and her cell phone to her left ear. She’d been hired to take over LAPD two weeks previous from San Bernadino. Considering that San Bernadino was approximately twenty times smaller than LA, it was a challenge adjusting.

“Look, we’re dealing with SPB’s,” she growled into her phone. “We’re not trained for that. I need SWAT down here, and anyone with Powers experience. Anyone at all.”

“How about me?” Detores spun and raised her gun arm, then relaxed.

“Get those people down here,” she growled. “I’ll call you back.” Scarlet Spider lowered his hands, and she thought she saw him grin beneath the mask.

“I heard we had a new Chief of Police but I hadn’t heard that you were so hot,” he said.

“Gee, thanks,” she smirked. “And I hadn’t heard that you were such a jackass Spider.”

“Awww that hurts,” the Spider said. “And I’ve always thought of myself as Spider-Man’s funnier and sexier younger brother. So… do we have any hostages?”

“Surprisingly not,” she said. “They allowed all the patrons and employees out pretty quick. I think they’re waiting for you.”

“We got a back door?” he asked. Detores nodded. “I’ll head right in. Be seeing you after.”

Ben leapt over the police cars, and moved quickly around the back of the building. He found several armed officers standing at the back door, pointing their guns at the door.

“Heya guys,” he said. “How’s guard duty?”

“At least you get to see action,” one of the cops said. “Detores said to let you in. Anyone but you comes out and we’re supposed to open fire.”

“Well…” Ben stopped and looked at the door, then back at the officers. “Make sure it’s not me before you shoot.” The cops nodded, and Ben slipped into the back door of the bank. He heard voices almost immediately as he snuck inside. He recognized Lady Octopus first, then Scorpia a few seconds later.

“-telling you, Electro has it planned all out,” Scorpia said. “We just need to get the Spider’s attention and get the hell out of here.”

“Just need to get his attention?” Lady Octopus growled. “Just? It’s a foolish plan, Scorpia. Does he really think the Pride can be trusted?” Ben glanced around the corner. Scorpia was closer to him, while Lady Ock was standing behind the counter, not far from the vault.

“I don’t think so myself,” Ben said, stepping into view. “They’re just not nice. At least in my experience.”

“Hey, it’s just who we’ve been waiting for!” Scorpia said as she spun. “Finally some fun!” She swung at Ben quickly with her biomechanical tail. He jumped over it and grabbed it as it passed beneath him. He fired a line above him, and pulled himself up, taking Scorpia’s tail with him. She fell forward and was yanked off her feet. Ben let go of the line, dropped, then kicked her with both feet, striking her shoulder. She landed on her back, the air in her lungs escaping all at once. Ben landed on his feet, and started to turn towards Ock. A loud crack filled the air, and Ben’s spider-sense screamed at him. The vault door flew through the air and Ben jumped, narrowly avoiding it. He spun, threw his hands out and fired a pair of weblines. The thin strands caught the sides of the door, and Ben pulled as hard as he could, yanking it away from the exterior wall and back towards Lady Ock.

“Special delivery!” Ben called. He swung the lines, sweeping the vault door back along the floor, and straight at Ock.

“Dammit!” she growled, pushing off the floor with her tentacles as the vault door crashed through the counter. Ben jumped towards her and tackled her mid-air. He landed on top of her, and she promptly threw him off with her tentacles, then was back on her feet, rushing Ben.

“You know, if it were up to me, we’d just kill you!” she growled. Ben dodged as she slammed the ground with one of her tendrils.

“Then I’m glad it’s not up to you,” Ben said. He fired a line and pulled himself back up into the air. He swung down and kicked Lady Ock in the back. His spider-sense flared again, and he dodged, narrowly avoiding Scorpia’s tail.

“Ladies, ladies!” he exclaimed. “You can’t both murder me!”

“We can sure try!” Scorpia growled. She swung at him again, and Ben sprayed her with a net of webbing. She struggled with the sticky goo, and Ben turned to Ock again, dodging as he did so. He grabbed one of her tendrils, and pulled her forward. He dropped and tripped her, sending her sailing forward.

“Come on, girls, you’re not giving your team a good showing.”

“I will.” Ben’s spider-sense flared again, and he turned to see a fist of solid sand. Sandman hit him hard and sent him sailing. A sandstorm then filled the room, forcing Ben to flatten himself against the ground. The storm continued for several seconds, then stopped. He began coughing, and pushed himself up. Of course, Sandman had to end it before it escalated even further.

“Ollie, Jules, you there?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Julia replied.

“Can we track them?” he asked.

“No can do,” she replied. “They disappeared under the street pretty quick.”

“Damn,” he muttered. “Damn, damn, damn!”

Julia Carpenter tugged her sleeve over the purple bruise on her arm, then picked back up her coffee cup. She inhaled the scent of the Columbian roast for several seconds before looking back up at Ben. He was already distant and distracted. She reached out with her free hand and snapped several times in front of his face.

“Earth to Reilly,” she said. “You’re on a lunch date.” Ben shook his head and turned back to Julia. He laughed sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m just…” He paused, thinking of the right words.

“Taking the weight of the world on your shoulders?” Julia offered.

“Yeah,” Ben said. “I guess so. It’s the Sinister Six, Jules. I mean, they’ve nearly killed Spider-Man a thousand times. I do have Living Lightning to back me up, and there’s you and Ollie too… but I can’t help but feel that this is just something very, very bad and it’ll only get worse.”

“Worse how?” Their server interrupted them to give them their plates, then slipped away.

“There’s definitely a link between the Pride and the Six, but I can’t help but think that the Pride opened a can they won’t be able to put a lid back on. If they can force the Pride out…”

“So… much worse,” Julia said ominously.

Alex Wilder was soundly asleep when the tapping started. It grew loud enough that Alex shook himself awake. He looked around his room, before looking out the window. A face of sand smiled at him, and a hand waved. The glass exploded inward, rushed around the room, and picked Alex up. He was out the window and being drug away before he could scream. When the Wilders rushed into their son’s room, they simply found a note.

You know who did this. Your time is over. You should have never welcomed us here.

~Electro

In Web of Scarlet Spider #9: The Sinister Six have fired the first shot. The Pride begins the war.