| For alternate versions of the Attack on the Damage Control Truck, see the Attack on the Damage Control Truck's Event Hub |
- "All of a sudden, this little bastard in red tights shows up, and he thinks he can tear down everything I've built."
- ―Vulture[src]
The Attack on the Damage Control Truck was the result of Vulture and his associates trying to steal advanced weaponry from the United States Department of Damage Control.
Background[]
- "I put a tracker on someone. He's a bad guy."
"Tracker located. Plotting course to intercept target." - ―Spider-Man and Suit Lady[src]
Peter Parker and Ned Leeds observe the core
Peter Parker took a discarded Chitauri weapon left behind Adrian Toomes' Crew to his shop class at school the day after retrieving it, using a hammer to destroy its case and leaving just the pure core. However, hitting the core emitted a pulse, which was picked by Randy Vale and Herman Schultz. Tasked by Adrian Toomes to recover the lost weapon, Vale and Schultz made their way to Midtown School of Science and Technology, curious as to why the weapon was at a high school. Remembering Schultz as the man who tried to shoot him before, Parker warned best friend Ned Leeds about the intruders and manages to stealthily place a Spider-Tracer on Schultz.
Peter Parker and Ned Leeds decide their next location
Parker and Leeds returned to the Parker Residence after school, where Leeds used the Web-Shooters, which displayed the Tracer's location, to track Schultz. Staying the night, Leeds notified Parker that Schultz had stopped moving and was in Maryland, which Parker believed to be the location of their lair. However, when Leeds mentioned that Maryland was far away from New York City, Parker responded that it was not that far from Washington, D.C., the location of the Academic Decathlon National Championship, and thus rejoined the team in order to get to Maryland.
Peter Parker and Ned Leeds find the tracker
The students were set up at a motel in Washington, with Parker and Leeds sharing a room. As Happy Hogan had tracked Parker's location to Washington through the Spider-Man Suit, with Parker explaining that the decathlon was in Washington, Parker decided to remove the suit's tracker in order to prevent Hogan from discovering that he was headed to Maryland. However, while going through the suit's features, Leeds discovered that the suit had multiple hidden capabilities, which were being blocked by the Training Wheels Protocol. Angered that Tony Stark had placed "training wheels" on him, Parker asked Leeds to remove the safeguards, thereby activating the suit's fullest capabilities. As the other students, including his romantic interest Liz, headed to the motel's pool, Parker donned the suit and swung to Maryland.
With his Spider-Tracer still on Schultz, Spider-Man tracked their location to an empty gas station. While trying to observe their actions, he was surprised when a voice greeted him, revealed to be none other than an A.I. system embedded within his suit. Referring to the A.I. as Suit Lady, Parker questioned how he could eavesdrop on the crooks without them noticing, to which she responded by activating an advanced reconnaissance mode, which allowed him to overhear them discussing the Battle at the Triskelion.
Deciding to handle the goons, Spider-Man prepared to sneak up on them, with Suit Lady offering to activate the suit's enhanced combat mode. Initially enthusiastic, Spider-Man was stunned to discover that his suit had an Instant-Kill option and told Suit Lady to deactivate it, as he did not wish to kill anyone. Spider-Man then tried shooting a web to get on top of the gas bar, but ended up firing rapid web balls.
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Karen notifies Spider-Man's web-shooter selections
Karen notified him that the rapid fire setting was a default setting on enhanced combat mode, and alerted him that he had a total of 576 different web-shooter combinations. Spider-Man picked what he believed what his default setting, but ended up firing taser webs, which lit up the gas station. Desperate to remain incognito, Spider-Man told Karen to choose a setting for him. Phineas Mason received a dispatch from the crew's base and replied that they were on schedule, after which Vulture appeared over the dark, night sky, ready to begin the heist.[1]
Attack[]
Spider-Man witnesses Vulture's robbery
- "Hey, Big Bird. This doesn't belong to you!"
- ―Spider-Man to Vulture[src]
Vulture followed three United States Department of Damage Control trucks driving behind one another on the lone road, and aimed for the last one in order to remain hidden. Using an anchor, he tethered himself to the roof of the last convoy, detached himself from his exo-suit and used four Matter Phase Shifters to create an opening large enough for him to go through. Entering through the intangible opening, Vulture went through the truck's contents, stealing a few items that would make the heist worthwhile but would not be noticed as missing by Damage Control. However, Spider-Man had followed him to the truck, and as Vulture placed the bag of stolen equipment on the roof of the convoy in order to reattach himself to his harness, Spider-Man grabbed the bag away from him, notifying the scavenger that the items did not belong to him.
Spider-Man is knocked out inside of the van
As Vulture got into his suit, Spider-Man attempted to stop him by firing a web at him, but ended up shooting three strands in separate directions. With his Web-Shooters not on his preferred setting, Spider-Man was knocked by Vulture back into the truck, although his landing caused the Matter Phase Shifters, which were attached to the roof of the convoy, to detach, thereby trapping Spider-Man and the bag of stolen items in the truck. Unaware that the opening had closer, Spider-Man leaped up, hitting his head on the roof and knocking himself unconscious, giving himself a mild concussion, while Vulture was forced to fly away empty-handed.[1]
Aftermath[]
Trapped at the Damage Control Deep Storage Vault[]
Spider-Man inside the Damage Control Deep Storage Vault
- "Wait a minute. He must have hijacked the truck and taken me back to his evil lair."
- ―Spider-Man[src]
Spider-Man awoke early the next morning inside the truck, with his A.I. unable to pinpoint their location. Believing that Vulture had commandeered the truck and had driven them to their base, Spider-Man broke open the rear doors and jumped out, preparing himself to fight his way out of captivity. Instead, Spider-Man was surprised to find himself in a warehouse and asked his A.I. where they were, to which the A.I. replied that they were in the most secure facility on the Eastern Seaboard – the United States Department of Damage Control's Deep Storage Vault, in Washington, D.C..
Spider-Man relaxing in a web hammock
Spider-Man attempted to pry the doors open, but was notified by the A.I. that the doors had a timer lock which would not open for a couple of hours. Realizing that he was trapped there for quite some time, Spider-Man decided to spend time talking to his A.I., which he named Karen, as well as going through a refresher course on all 576 different types of web-shooter combinations, practicing his favorite types and familiarizing with them. After completing the course, Spider-Man discussed his interest in Liz Toomes and contemplated revealing his identity to her, but was snapped out of his reverie when Karen notified him that only thirty-seven minutes had passed.
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Spider-Man manages to unlock the door
Deciding that the best way to kill time would be to go through the items in the vault, beginning with the ones Vulture had placed in the backpack, Spider-Man came across another Chitauri Energy Core. However, when Karen notified him that the energy core was explosive, Spider-Man realized that he had to escape as his best friend Ned Leeds had one of the cores on his person, and that he was in a room full of people at the moment. Spider-Man had Karen lower the voltage on the timer lock and ran through over 250 different sequences before successfully opening the doors. Asking Karen to map out the quickest route to the Washington Monument, Spider-Man rushed to save his classmates.[1]
Returning Empty Handed[]
Adrian Toomes sees a news report on Spider-Man
Returning to their base, Tinkerer notified Vulture that while they had enough materials for their next order, they would be unable to fulfill any more requests without the new materials that were on the truck. Enraged that his years-long operation, which had remained below the Avengers' radar, was being thwarted by Spider-Man, Vulture vowed to find him and kill him. However, Shocker immediately responded that he found him, and pointed to the television, where a Fox News broadcast was airing, reporting that Spider-Man had rescued an Academic Decathlon team from impending death. Realizing that his daughter was there, Vulture gained mixed feelings, wanting to kill Spider-Man for thwarting the truck hijacking yet simultaneously being grateful that the web-slinger had saved his daughter's life.[1]