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Spider-sense warned him.
Peter dodged, dropping down as the metal beam shot past and embedded itself in the wall behind Mary Jane.
Peter turned. Doctor Octopus was approaching slowly, two mechanical arms supporting his weight, elevating him several meters in the air.
Looking down at Spider-Man, Otto's face was murderous.
"I should've known. Little Harry didn't have the guts to kill you himself."
Spider-Man ignored the taunt. "Shut it down! You'll kill everyone!"
Doctor Octopus smiled cruelly. "I'm willing to take that risk."
"Well, I'm not!"
Peter launched himself at the fusion device.
Doctor Octopus's mechanical arm shot out, grabbed Peter's ankle, and hurled him across the warehouse.
CRASH!
Spider-Man smashed through the ceiling and flew into the night sky.
Mid-flight, Peter recovered. He shot webbing back toward the warehouse, gripped it tight, and swung himself back down.
SMASH!
He crashed through a window and aimed straight for Doctor Octopus, using his momentum to tackle him.
Otto didn't react in time. Spider-Man slammed into him with full force.
The impact shattered the wooden floor beneath them.
Both fell into the water below.
Peter grabbed Otto's face and punched repeatedly.
WHAM. WHAM. WHAM.
Powerful blows rained down on Otto's head. The doctor couldn't defend himself.
Peter held back his full strength—otherwise, with his ton-level power, he could've turned Otto's head to pulp with a single punch.
Then Mary Jane screamed.
"AAAAHHH!"
Peter looked up.
Mary Jane was floating in mid-air, pulled upward by the chain on her ankle. The artificial sun's magnetic field was dragging her toward it. If the chain broke, she'd be incinerated instantly.
The reactor was destabilizing. Energy arcs lashed out, exposed to the air. The magnetic pull intensified.
Metal objects throughout the warehouse flew toward the sphere—all melting to ash on contact.
Mary Jane's chain was pulling her closer to the burning orb.
"Hold on!" Peter shouted. "I'm coming!"
He released Doctor Octopus and shot webbing upward, pulling himself out of the water.
Then shot another web strand at Mary Jane.
She stopped moving toward the artificial sun.
Peter's muscles strained as he fought against the enormous gravitational force.
Finally, the chain on Mary Jane's ankle—not properly secured—broke free from her leg.
Peter pulled hard. Mary Jane swung down to safety beside him.
"Run!"
CRASH!
A massive wooden beam slammed into the ground where they'd been standing.
Doctor Octopus had recovered.
Using his mechanical arms, he'd climbed from the water. While Spider-Man was saving Mary Jane, Otto had attacked.
After knocking Spider-Man down, Doctor Octopus grabbed him with a mechanical arm and hurled him against a wall.
Spider-Man took the hit hard.
Then Otto grabbed Peter's ankles and dangled him upside-down.
Doctor Octopus smiled cruelly.
"Let's see you escape this time."
SNIKT.
A long blade extended from the center of one mechanical arm.
Doctor Octopus prepared to kill Spider-Man with it.
Mary Jane saw what was happening. Suppressing her fear, she picked up a piece of wood from the floor and moved toward Doctor Octopus, hoping to catch him by surprise.
Watching invisibly from outside, Marcus knew it was time to act.
Mary Jane was brave—commendable. But with her normal human strength, attacking Doctor Octopus's mechanical arms would just get her killed.
Still, her courage was admirable. She'd earned all those times Spider-Man saved her.
BOOM.
Marcus broke the sound barrier, arriving above the warehouse almost instantaneously.
Through a gap in the roof, he shot a web ball at Doctor Octopus.
SPLAT!
The webbing covered Otto's eyes. He clawed at it with his hands.
The sudden change caught everyone's attention.
Mary Jane looked up at the ceiling. Another figure clung there.
"Another Spider-Man!"
She stared in shock.
The newcomer wore a costume almost identical to the Spider-Man Doctor Octopus was holding.
"There are two Spider-Men in this world?"
Mary Jane's mind reeled.
Peter also noticed the figure on the ceiling.
Even hanging upside-down, he could see clearly.
The moment he saw Marcus, Peter's spider-sense went wild.
Same kind. Same abilities. Trustworthy.
Peter was on guard, but his spider-sense insisted this person was absolutely trustworthy.
Peter knew this was the fake Spider-Man who'd been impersonating him.
Marcus sensed Peter's surprise.
Beneath his mask, he smiled.
Then he shot webbing at Peter. When it stuck, Marcus pulled hard.
WHOOSH!
Peter suddenly broke free from Doctor Octopus's grip and swung to Marcus's side.
Marcus caught him and they both landed on the ground.
Using a deeper voice, Marcus asked with concern: "You alright?"
Peter shook his head. "I'm fine."
He recovered quickly.
"Who are you?"
After recovering, Peter instinctively wanted to know Marcus's identity.
Marcus didn't answer directly. He gestured at Doctor Octopus, who'd cleared the webbing from his eyes.
"Let's deal with him first. Talk later."
Doctor Octopus stared at the two Spider-Men in surprise.
"Two Spider-Men?!"
Peter glanced at Otto and nodded. "Alright."
Since Peter agreed, Marcus outlined the plan.
"I'll stop Doctor Octopus. You shut down the machine."
Before Peter could respond, Marcus launched himself at Otto.
Peter had no choice but to accept the assignment.
He turned to tell Mary Jane to stay back, then approached the reactor from the side.
Doctor Octopus saw him and tried to intercept with a mechanical arm.
Marcus smiled slightly.
"Your opponent is me."
He shot webbing at the mechanical arm with perfect accuracy and yanked it backward.
All the arms were pulled away from Peter.
Then Marcus closed the distance and threw a punch.
Doctor Octopus instinctively blocked with a mechanical arm.
WHAM!
Marcus's fist struck the metal limb with tremendous force.
Doctor Octopus stumbled backward, unable to hold his ground.
"What?! How does this Spider-Man have such incredible power?!"