Spider-Man: Breakout #5
At Haven Home, an apartment complex for single mothers, Spider-Man and Rozalyn Backus are at the mercy of Crossfire and his crew. With one of the Controller’s mind control discs on his forehead, Spider-Man is forced to pick up a gun and put it to his head and blow his brains out. He resists but the Controller assures Spider-Man that his will is stronger than his. However, Crossfire orders the Controller not to kill Spider-Man yet as the strength boost he is getting from the wall-crawler is giving him a boost to his strength, which they might still need. Crossfire isn’t sure if they are going to be interrupted but he wants to make sure that Controller and Mandrill still have control over everyone surrounding the building as the Corruptor isn’t answering his com-link and fears that the U-Foes might be on their way. With no time to lose, Crossfire asks Roz if what he is looking for is there. Unable to resist his commands, she assures him that it’s not in the apartment, nor does Spider-Man know anything about what he is looking for. That’s when Spider-Man’s cell phone begins ringing. Checking it, Crossfire sees that it is a private number and gives Spider-Man permission to talk and asks him to tell him who is calling. Spider-Man tells her that it is Rozalyne’s father, explaining that is how he was able to find her. Buying this, Crossfire answers and tells the person on the other line that Rozalyne has five minutes to live and then he is coming after him and then hangs up. However, Crossfire wasn’t talking to the father of Rozalyne Backus, but Captain America who is checking in on Spider-Man. He tells Iron Man that the web-slinger is in trouble and after Iron Man triangulates Spider-Man’s position, they both rush off to save him.
Back at Haven Home, the Mandrill continues to control the female tenants in the laundromat and passes the time by talking to them about his problems. That’s when Vapor comes in through the basement pipes. Since she is comprised of living gas, Mandrill’s mutant pheromones don’t have any effect on her. Fleeing outside, Mandrill tries to call Crossfire for help but is jolted by X-Ray and then pummelled by Ironclad and Vector. Back upstairs, Crossfire asks Rozalyn to tell him where the chamber is. The Controller demands to know what he’s talking about and Crossfire decides that he has to explain himself before continuing further. He tells the Controller about how when the U-Foes first got their powers they could barely control them due to overexposure to cosmic rays.[1] Vector funneled money on a special chamber that could reduce their powers to a manageable level, however, if someone was able to sit still in the chamber for over an hour they would be totally stripped of their power. Around that time, Crossfire was making a business in extortion and assassination. He was untouchable due to his influence until costumed superheroes began meddling in his affairs prompting him to look for a solution to that problem. At the time he was hired to help Vector to deal with an old business partner by manipulating him into selling off his stalk and killing himself. Crossfire intended on using his abilities to force superheroes to sit in the chamber until they were stripped of their powers so he could be back on top again. Unfortunately, both Vector and Crossfire were arrested not long after this. He concludes that the U-Foes had grown soft in prison and hoped to break out and use the chamber to become human again. Since then it has been a race to see who could get to the chamber first. When the Controller asks why Crossfire didn’t tell them any of this before, Crossfire points out that none of his crew can keep a secret. He says it was for the best, pointing out that anyone would kill to get their hands on a device that can de-power people.
That’s when the U-Foes arrive and Vector orders Ironclad to keep the Controller busy while he deals with Crossfire and Rozalyn Backus. Before Crossfire can begin speaking, Vector uses his telekinesis to slam him into a wall. Vector then asks Rozalyn what she did with the chamber and she reveals that it was too dangerous for anyone to have and she had it destroyed. This causes Vector to have a temper tantrum, unleashing his fury on Rozalyn. While outside, Ironclad and Controller are still duking it out when X-Ray arrives and blasts their foe. This causes feedback that shorts out all of the control discs that the Controller has been using freeing everyone from his control, including Spider-Man. Spider-Man then tries to save Rozalyn but is blasted outside by Vector. This is when Captain America and Iron Man arrive and help deal with X-Ray, Ironclad, and the Controller. Swinging back up to the apartment, Spider-Man overhears Vector and Vapor trying to come to terms with the fact that the chamber has been destroyed. When Spider-Man tries to resume his attack, Vector orders Vapor to tell the others to escape and she fades away by turning into oxygen. Before Spider-Man can stop him, Vector tells Rozalyn that she brought this on herself and uses his powers to bring the building down. Luckily, Spider-Man is able to grab Roz and swing her to safety before the building collapses. In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man tries to convince Iron Man and Captain America that Rozalyn isn’t a bad person. However, when the police arrive she agrees with what Vector said and willingly surrenders to the authorities. With everything over, Cap and Iron Man point out that while the U-Foes managed to get away, they managed to capture Crossfire and his crew. Considering this a job well done, Spider-Man admits that there might be something to being part of a team after all.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, U-Foes (Vector, Vapor, X-Ray, Ironclad), Crossfire’s Crew (Crossfire, Controller, Corruptor, Mandrill), Captain America, Iron Man, Rozlyne Backus
Continuity Notes
The U-Foes got their powers by trying to replicate the space flight that created the Fantastic Four as seen in Incredible Hulk #254.
