Spider-Man: Friends and Enemies #4
Fire of Freedom
Spider-Man, Speedball, Nova, Darkhawk, and the Metahumes are all prisoners of the Hostiles..[1] They have all been placed in stasis cylinders to drain their superhuman abilities. Able to see he data on a nearby computer, Spider-Man learns that the process will kill them all. Using all of his effort, the wall-crawler manages to break free from his confines. After the three New Warriors are freed from their own confines, Darkhawk uses a visor blast to free the Metahumes all at once. Although their prisoners are now free, the Hostiles leader Honcho, warns the heroes that they will flee and use the knowledge of the Metahume's true identities to go after their family members. Unwilling to surrender again, Crystal Hammer activates his powers, turning into his crystalline form. Increasing his mass, he lunges at the Hostiles, but is incapacitated by their weapons. That's when Mekina uses her powers to lock up the Hostile's cybernetic armor. Honcho then threatens that they have allies who can still go after their families. A quick mental scan from Assault proves that Honcho is lying. This angers the Metahumes who are willing to kill their captors in order to ensure that their families remain safe. Unfortunately, Spider-Man, Speedball, Nova, and Darkhawk get between the two groups, unwilling to let anyone commit murder, let alone the novice Metahumes.
Suddenly, the crystals that gave the Metahumes their powers begin to glow in a dazzling light display. Getting to them, Honcho gets close enough to absorb the energies. Merging with the crystals, Honcho is evolved into a massive crystal based life form. He learns that the purpose of the crystal is to assimilate all lifeforms and transform them into crystal-based beings. To kick off this process, Honcho then absorbs his fellow Hostiles into his physical form. The Metahumes blame themselves for what is happening, but Spider-Man tells them to focus as they need to stop this new threat and free Honcho's prisoners. Although the heroes put up a good fight, Honcho has also emulated their powers, allowing him to fight off his attackers. The Metahumes, however, manage to hold their own against the monstrous creature. Darkhawk, accepting personal responsibility for bringing the crystals to Earth, intends to use his powers to destroy Honcho.[2] However, before he can, Spider-Man stops him, warning of the potential danger to the city if the crystal energies in Honcho are unleashed. Darkhawk realizes that Spider-Man is right, but asks how they are going to stop him. While the others keep Honcho busy, Spider-Man goes over the computer data and learns they can stop the crystal creature by reversing the polarity of the energies that power it.
Passing off this information to Darkhawk, he uses his own crystal powers to reverse the polarity of Honcho's power. Suddenly, Honcho and the other Hostiles are restored to normal in a blinding flash of light that also separates them from the crystals. When Darkhawk tries to reclaim the crystals they suddenly teleport away. Before they disappear, they pass along a telepathic message to Assault, telling him that they are returning to their homeworld. In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man and his allies ask the Metahumes what they plan on doing next. Hardnose says that his group needs time to figure out what they want to do. This is mirrored by the other members except for Crystal Hammer who decides to part company. Hardnose wishes him luck, even though he knows that when they meet again it will probably be on opposite sides. After the Metahumes leaves, Spider-Man, Nova, and Speedball are all disappointed that the Metahumes were so quick to consider murder to solve their situation and wonder what they will do next. In the end, Spider-Man suggests that perhaps they can learn by their own actions. After the New Warriors depart, Spider-Man hopes that what he said did get through to the Metahumes and swings for home.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, New Warriors (Speedball, Nova, Darkhawk), Metahumes (Hardnose, Assault, Blazeye, Hyperia, Makina, Diamond Hammer, Honcho)
Continuity Notes
Everyone thinks that Speedball is Robbie Baldwin, however, this is an impostor taking his place as revealed in New Warriors #68-69. He took Speedball's place in New Warriors #50.
Darkhawk brought the crystals to Earth in Darkhawk #47.
