Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 2) #11
At the apartment building where Miguel O’Hara lives, his super-intended Tempes Monroe is on the phone with her mother. She promises her mother that she’ll go in for testing for her cancer just to get her mother off the phone.[1] As she goes to bed for the night, she cannot understand why her mother can’t make peace with the fact that she is dying as she has.
As she goes to sleep, she is unaware that Spider-Man 2099 is clinging to her ceiling waiting for her to fall asleep. Miguel can’t help but think that perhaps Tempest’s mother is trying to make up for being a terrible person in the past, thinking of his own terrible past. After an hour, he figures Tempest is asleep and climbs down so he can administer a cure for her cancer that he picked up when he was in 2099.[2] However, when he goes to spray her with it, Tempest wakes up and screams at the intruder in her room. Recognizing Spider-Man from their previous encounter she accuses the wall-crawler of being obsessed with her.[3] He is shocked when he pulls a gun out of her night table. Realizing he made a huge mistake, Spider-Man webs up her hand and then flees out the window. As Spider-Man scurries back to his own apartment, he is relieved that he was able to cure Tempest although the situation was a huge mess, and considers his efforts were a wash.
The following morning, Miguel reports to work at Alchemax. All thoughts of Tempest are replaced with what Miguel learned from the Maestro in the dystopian future he just escaped from.[4] The former Hulk told him that the nuclear holocaust in that reality was caused by Alchemax. The prospect of trying to stop this apocalypse from happening is a huge endeavor. Once Miguel gets off the elevator he is pulled into the office of Liz Allan, his boss. Also, there are Miguel’s grandfather Tiberius Stone, and Mac Gargan. They are overlooking the holographic designs for Alchemax’s new super-villain prison. When Miguel asks why the Scorpion is there, Mac tells him that he has been hired on as a consultant because he has broken out of many prisons in the past.[5] As they go over the designs, Liz tells Miguel that they are going to propose their design to the city, but they have competition from Peter Parker of Parker Industries.[6]
Meanwhile, Peter Parker — as Spider-Man — is attempting to stop the Spot from robbing a museum. Spider-Man is surprised when Miguel arrives and helps him take down the Spot. When asked why he isn’t back home in 2099, Miguel takes Peter to the top of the Empire State Building so they can talk about what happened in the future.[7] After telling everything to Peter, Miguel suspects that the nuclear apocalypse he saw was somehow connected to the Alchemax prison he inspired. Spider-Man isn’t sure, pointing out that Miguel’s presence in this era is a paradox on its own. However, before he leaves, Peter tells Miguel not to worry about the contact as he is confident that Parker Industries will win it. Watching his friend go, Miguel wishes he could be as optimistic.
That evening, Miguel returns to his apartment to check on Tempest. When she answers the door she is already drunk on a bottle of wine. He carries her inside her apartment and asks why she is getting drunk. Tempest tells him that she went for another test and was told that she no longer has cancer. Considering this some kind of miracle, Tempest has been drinking to celebrate, which is why she is so drunk. She then decides she wants to see what Miguel looks like without his sunglasses on.[7] She is shocked to see that he has red eyes. She finds this beautiful then blurts out how she thinks Spider-Man cured her. Miguel tries to convince her otherwise as he carries her to bed so she can sleep off her drunkenness. That’s when she starts kissing him, Miguel gives in to this until he stops himself because she is drunk.
That’s when Tempest suddenly starts screaming in agony. She the begins undergoing a strange transformation. As her body grows armor and wings, Miguel has Layla drop his holographic projection of street clothes so he can change into Spider-Man. As he rries to get his mask on Tempest — who has been transformed into a wasp creature — stands before him and tells him that she is hungry…. for him!
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man 2099, the Spot, Tempest Monroe, Liz Allan, Tiberius Stone, Mac Gargan, Spider-Man, Lyla, Cecilia Monroe (voice only, unidentified)
Continuity Notes
Tempest is dying of a rare form of cancer as we learned in Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 2) #2. Tempest’s mother is kind of a bitch, but with good reason. For more on her, you’re going to have to wait until Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 3) #2-3, 8-10.
Miguel picked up this cancer cure in Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 2) #7.
Tempest previously met Spider-Man back in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1, and is currently unaware that he is her tenant, Miguel O’Hara.
For more of Miguel’s time in Dystopia see Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 2) #9-10.
It’s noteworthy to mention here that Mac Gargan has stitching scars around his jawline. Gargan’s jaw was snapped clean off in Amazing Spider-Man #700. It has since been replaced by cybernetic implants by the Spider-Slayer as seen in Superior Spider-Man #11.
For more on Parker Industries’ bid to get the prison contract see Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #16-18.
When Spider-Man last saw Miguel, the Master Weaver was sending allegedly sending him back to his own era. It didn’t turn out that well. See Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #15.
As explained in Spider-Man 2099 #1, Miguel’s powers include enhanced vision. However, a side effect of this ability he is sensitive to light and thus has to wear sunglasses.
