Chapter 01: Revenge of the Sinister Six Part One.

An alarm could be heard for miles around. The ringing echoed for all to hear. A security guard tried to stop the quartet of masked thugs, but he found himself knocked to the ground. He crashed with a sickening thud, and rolled over. A lump rose on the back of his head, but the masked thugs were uncaring of that. All they were concerned about was the fact that they were getting away with what they thought to be the perfect crime.

"Look at this score, I tell you, get in, and get this stuff!" yelled one of the thugs happily. The thug turned around, a sadistic grin on his face. His fellow thugs all nodded, and they continued to move. At least until they found themselves face to face with someone who was extremely familiar to the thugs of New York.

Dressed in red and blue, in a spider themed pattern, he arrived. For the past five years, he had been a constant thorn in the side of the criminals both petty, and large in New York City Criminals groaned when he turned up. He had fought them all, a number of colored foes. Some weird foes to be honest and now Spider-Man stared down the criminals before him.

He stood in a confident pose, before he broke the silence.

"The only thing you boys have really scored is a one way trip to jail," Spider-Man said, and he stood, his web shooters at the ready. The thugs all charged Spider-Man one by one.

"Spider-Man, get him!" yelled one of the thugs. The thugs surrounded him for battle.

'Yeah, that never gets old,' Spider-Man thought, and the thugs began to engage him in battle one by one. This was getting to be way too easy. He fought them off one at a time.

Speed and precision had allowed him to be his best ally in the battle against crime. Webbing wrapped around the thugs, and pulled them down to the ground. The thugs landed with a crash. One of the thugs swung a crowbar at the back of Spider-Man's head, which would have been a bit of a problem in most situations.

The one problem with any attempted skull caving was that his spider sense went off. That allowed the web slinger to be able to duck, and dodge an attack. He tucked his head, and did a forward roll. He propelled himself up, and shot his webbing out once again. It wrapped around a lone thug, and sent him down to the ground.

All of the petty thugs were down on the ground, and webbed up in no time. Just in time for the police to arrive to pick them up for a nice stay in prison.

'Yeah, here come the boys in blue, after I did all of the heavy lifting,' thought Spider-Man to himself. He watched New York's finest cuff the criminals he webbed up. 'Never mind, it just comes with the territory. And besides, a few more thugs off of the street, there might come a day where people would not have to double check to see if they locked their doors. Maybe not, but I can keep dreaming. Got to keep the dream alive Spidey, got to keep the dream alive. And maybe I'll be able to head home early tonight."

Spider-Man turned around, as the cops moved in to arrest the thugs. They gave their feeble protests, but they were wrapped up. Where else would they go? The web slinger turned around, and a couple of the officers of the law gave him a nod and a grunt of gratitude. He took that as his cue to book it on out of there.

His relationship with the police had been one that had its ups and downs. There were those officers of the law that called him a vigilante, and it was easy to see where they were coming from with those accusations. He did not agree with it. However, the web slinger understood what was happening.

He respected the work that the New York City Police Department did, every single day. It could not be easy dealing with some of the super powered criminals that had set up shop in New York City.

There were times where the police wanted to hunt him down just as much as the next criminal in line. And that interfered with his duties of saving everyone and everything like he did. That was annoying.

However, there were some cops who admitted that Spider-Man was a necessary asset to the city. For better or for worse he was out there every single day, patrolling the city. Making sure that the people were safe, and that no one gone too far.

'It's so easy to take that next step, and really give these guys what for,' Spider-Man thought, as he swung away from the scene of the crime. 'And the thing is, there would be more than a few people cheering me because of that. But it's just like Uncle Ben told me, with great power there must also come great responsibility. I just really hope there's not a time where I'm forced to make that tough decision. I've had some close calls. There were some times where I was tempted to take that final step. I just hope that there is not a day where I will be in that no-win situation."

Spider-Man did one more swing around the city. The streets were quiet, eerily so. Perhaps tonight he could actually go home early. Nights like this were few and far between, so he cherished them while he could. Every single moment could present a danger. He half expected his spider sense to go haywire, and someone to take a shot at him.

If he had a dollar for every time something like that happen, he would actually be a rather rich friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

It had been a long road as Spider-Man, through high school and all of the way through college, but he had many more years left in him. He was in the prime of his life. He was still going strong, and keeping the city streets safe.

He swung home, with a smile on his face, and determination in his mind. The city was safe for now, and that meant half of his job was done. Although he could not help, but think this was some kind of calm before the storm.

A blonde girl dressed in a black tank top and jeans, with a black headband in her hair leaned back, stretching her arms. The last couple of weeks had been hectic, for both her and her boyfriend. Yet there was no question about it. The two of them had an accomplishment to be proud of. She turned around towards her desk, where a red haired girl was shown on the other end of the web cam.

"Finals were stressful," the blonde said and a smile spread across her face. "But we managed to survive them. Peter and I just about have the degrees in our hand, just graduation left to go."

"Hopefully it's not as eventful as the last time you graduated," the redhead responded. "Remember that one?"

Gwen shook her head. It was hard to forget given the circumstances.

"No, MJ, I don't think that any murderous psychopaths on gliders are going to ruin our graduation this time," the blonde said, and a smile spread across her face. That was followed by a bittersweet expression. "Three years ago it happened, that night on the bridge. I can't help, but still think about it."

"Anyone would Gwen, it's hard to forget a near death experience. And Osborn trying to use your body as a javelin would be something that would rank high on the list of traumatic memories."

Gwen Stacy smiled at her friend, Mary Jane Watson from the other end of the web cam. They were on separate coasts. However, it was nice to talk to her. They had come a long way since their earlier tensions.

"So how are things going in Hollyweird?" Gwen asked her.

Mary Jane fired back with a smile of her own. She then decided to explain why she was smiling "Well film school is really wrapping up. I got a few projects. I got to play nice with some people who aren't the best pillars of society. But that's a part of paying your dues. I haven't been blessed with a stalker as of yet, but one of the girls in my class is being stalked. It scared the poor girl half to death. Some guys won't take no for an answer."

Gwen nodded. With her father being who he was, she had heard all kinds of scary stalker stories. Captain George Stacy might have been deceased, but the stories he told to his daughter lived on.

"Stay safe out there, MJ," Gwen told her in a serious voice.

"Always am," Mary Jane replied with a smile. "So how are you and Peter doing?"

"We're doing well," Gwen told her. "Just the usual insanity that surrounds our lives, but we've got it down to a sweet science. My little suit is out of commission. The last go around with the Beetle took it out, but the Iron Spider should be back on line before you know it."

Gwen hoped it would be soon. She hated sitting indoors. She wanted to be out there, swinging the streets with Peter.

"That's good to here, from what I've heard most of the usual subjects are off the streets, and back in prison or Ravencroft," Mary Jane said, and the door creaked open. Gwen turned around, and a smile spread across her face.

She saw Peter standing in the door. She rushed over to greet him, wrapping her arms around him, and kissing him. The kiss was returned by Peter. The couple broke the kiss.

"Hi, Pete," Gwen said in an excited tone of voice. "Busy night?"

"Not too bad actually, just a few petty thugs here and there, nothing that I couldn't handle," Peter said. He gave her one last kiss. "So what have you been up to?"

"Oh, I've been just talking to Mary Jane," Gwen replied, and with another moment she turned around to face the computer. "Mary Jane, Peter's here, say hi to him."

"Hi Pete, hope you've been doing well lately," Mary Jane said. "Are you staying out of trouble?"

Peter replied with a grin. "Oh you know me, and trouble. We just get along well. But there hasn't been anything big going down. After our battle with the Beetle a couple of weeks ago, the costumed criminal circuit has been getting some downtime."

"Sounds to me like you finally have some time to catch your breath," Mary Jane said.

Peter thought that was the nicest way to put things. He had another tact.

"Or a calm before the storm," Peter said. He was happy that the incidents of costume crime had been few and far between. A rare mission with the Avengers or the X-Men or even the Fantastic Four broke the monotony. With exams just wrapping up, both Peter and Gwen were about ready to really get back into the thick of things. No matter how much they cherished the downtime.

"I'd like to stick around and chat a while, but I've got an early morning tomorrow," Mary Jane said. "I'll catch you two later."

"Bye, MJ," Peter said.

"Take care, MJ," Gwen said.

"Bye, Pete, Gwen," Mary Jane said with a smile.

Mary Jane disappeared, and Gwen turned to Peter. She had a very important subject to discuss with him, and one that they had been avoiding.

"Did you hear about Harry?" Gwen asked Peter.

Peter just remained silent. Over three years ago their best friend Harry Osborn had been put into drug rehab because of an overdose. He had a high dependency for pain pills, and they wrecked his life. Peter and Gwen had been able to visit him a handful of times when he left the hospital. However, he was cold and unresponsive to them throughout his rehab. It was almost like he was an entirely different person, and it soured their experiences with them. They wanted to remember Harry as the friend he was, not what he had been turned in.

"What's up with him now?" Peter asked Gwen.

Gwen decided to elaborate. "All of his rehab is over, and he's checking out. The rumor is that he's going to take control of Oscorp any day now. The board has been running it with a skeleton crew over the past couple of years since Norman's death."

Gwen and Peter remained silent for a few minutes. Peter broke the silence after a time.

"He's an entirely different person now," Peter told her. "And it's really hard to see."

Gwen nodded. A frown spread across her face.

"Tell me about it. Dad always told me that drug use changes a person, and rehab changes them even more. It's not easy to get off something that you're hooked on. If it was easy, there would be a lot more happy endings."

She sighed, and continued.

"And let's face it, addiction ran throughout the Osborn family. Norman Osborn might not have been addicted to any drugs, but power was his addiction. I just hope Harry can shake it off, and can get back to some kind of normal life."

It was something that she hoped for over the past three or so years ever since Harry went through his rehab.

'A normal life, that would be a novel concept," Peter thought to himself.

"I hope so too, Gwen, for his sake," Peter said. He looked at her. "Maybe now that Harry's out of rehab, he'll be able to get back to the Harry of old."

"I hope so, I really hope so," Gwen told Peter. She turned around. The days of high school were so simple, but now the real world was different and a headache.

She hoped the story of Harry Osborn had a happy ending.

"We'll keep reaching out to him, no matter how many times he shoves us away," Peter told her.

Gwen shared those sentiments one hundred percent of the way. She put her right hand on Peter's, a ring glinting on her finger. Peter led her over to the couch, and the couple sat down. They enjoyed a rare quiet evening alone, devoid of any studying for exams whatsoever, or crime fighting. It was an experience that they welcomed, and cherished.

"City seems quiet," Peter said breaking the silence.

"A bit too quiet, I'm almost waiting for the other shoe to drop," Gwen told him.

Peter's eyes snapped towards her. A smile spread across his face, and he gave Gwen a teasing nudge.

"And people say that I'm supposed to be the cynical one in this relationship."

Gwen replied back with a smile. "Well, I think that over the years, a great deal of your cynical nature has rubbed off on me. And it's not being cynical if we're learning from past experiences. I guess that comes with the territory, the cynical nature, being the future Mrs. Peter Parker."

"Yeah, I guess so, but there are perks," Peter replied to his fiancée with a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, and do you want me to remind me of those perks?" Gwen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I can indulge you, my dear lady," Peter replied, and he placed his hands firmly on Gwen's waist. He leaned forward, and stared into her eyes. "If you're ready for it."

"I was born ready, Mr. Parker," Gwen replied with a smirk, and she pushed Peter on the couch. She kissed him fully on the lips as Peter laid back. She slowly pulled back, and a smile crossed her face. "But I guess you need constant reminders."

Gwen put both hands on his chests.

"I don't think your spider sense will save you from me," Gwen remarked.

"No, something else is tingling," Peter retorted back. "So, I guess…mmph."

Gwen silenced him with another kiss, and she worked her hands underneath his shirt, tracing his stomach muscles. Peter worked his hands around her, and Gwen found her shirt pulled over her head as they proceeded to get into their activities.

It was amazing how many of their verbal banter sessions ended like this.

A figure dressed in a lavender suit stood at the end of a hallway. A pair of heavily armed bodyguards stood on either side of him. The man had an unremarkable looking face, free of any blemishes. He was clean shaven. There was a hat pulled over his eyes, which had been focused on the two bodyguards. The man leaned forward. He kept calm, and tapped his foot eagerly on the ground.

A third bodyguard walked up. He turned his head towards his boss. It was time.

"Everything's in position, the package is about to be delivered."

"Very good, stand by," the man said. He shifted, and tapped his foot.

The man was known as the Rose. He had popped up on the New York City criminal underworld around a year ago. He had discreetly tried to grab one hundred percent control of the underworld. After the power vacuum left by the departure of the Kingpin of Crime, there were several factions who were grabbing for territory. The Rose had grabbed the biggest piece of the territory, but his control was not completely assured.

He held a walking stick in his hand. His control might not be one hundred percent on the level. However, he would take steps to gain that control. There was one nuisance he observed that had baffled many. Despite the fact that one hero in a costume should not make the hardened gangsters of New York sweat, the fact was that he did.

The name for the pain of many was Spider-Man. The web slinger caused many headaches to those in the criminal underworld of New York. And now the Rose was plotting to eliminate that headache. He could feel the web slinger closing in on one of his operations. While he seemed to be blissfully ignorant for the most part, there was a chance that he was getting closer and closer.

Then all of his carefully laid out plans would be destroyed.

That could not happen. It was nearly three years of hard work and dedication to gain him the control that he now had possessed. He could not afford to lose it right now. Too much had been invested, both with time and money. It was quite fortunate for him that he had a plan. And that plan would spell the end for Spider-Man.

The fact that the web slinger had many enemies proved to be an advantage. Many of them had gone a few rounds with the hero, and were a bit sore for it. Revenge would be first and foremost on their mind. All the Rose had to do was call in a sufficient amount of favors. Security around these criminals was tight, but even the most hardened guards had a price.

And those who did not have a price, likely had a supervisor that had a price. It was just a matter of finding the right buttons to push, and cash in. Then they would be ready for business. It was amazing how much influence they could buy. While their coffers were not as handsome as the Kingpin's, they still had resources that would make many criminals drool.

The Rose picked up the walkie talkie.

"They have the package," the Rose said in a low voice. After he received confirmation, he replied. "Excellent, it's time to cut a few deals. I want these six released from custody and brought to me."

The Sinister Six had been a group of criminals that had given Spider-Man trouble in the past. Spider-Man did defeat them in the end. The group did have promise, but the Rose felt they could be under better management. Doctor Octopus's vein ego suggested that the group was only going to be an extension of his vendetta against Spider-Man. The group was only to set him up, so Ock could swoop in to take all of credit.

"I want Shocker, Rhino, the Vulture, Mysterio, Sandman, and the Beetle, release all six of them. They will serve to be my personal extermination squad. I give them protection, and I get a cut of the profits from their schemes. Get it done, and get it done now."

"Proceeding to release these six, and staging the biggest jail break in New York history to mask the extraction," the man on the other side of the line said.

Doctor Octopus had vanished underground years ago. It was after a particularly violent battle with Spider-Man, during his brief black suit period. The rumors were that the cancer had left him a shell of his former self. Only a couple of people had an idea where he was. The Rose thought he was a relic of the past. He had a few good ideas, but for the most part he was extremely useless.

The potential members for new and improved Sinister Six were at his fingertips. He would mold this ragtag group into a deadly fighting force. They would serve to be the backbone, the muscle for his criminal empire. All six of them would understand the value of joining forces with his empire. They had suffered countless defeats at the hands of Spider-Man.

Each and every single defeat stung to the core.

"Failure is not an option," The Rose said. He drummed his fingers. He checked his watch. "By the end of the week, Spider-Man will be nothing but another blurb in the obituaries. The Kingpin could have taken him out at any time."

It was his greatest and most frustrated theory. The Kingpin could have absolutely taken Spider-Man out at any time. Yet the Kingpin chose to keep the web slinger around as a hobby. Something of interest, and the Rose only saw him as an annoyance.

The Rose gritted his teeth. The clock ran down, and each and every second Spider-Man was on of the street represented a danger.

"It has begun, sir. You can expect your guests within the next few hours. Once the dust has cleared we'll have them at your doorstep."

The Rose folded his hands. He adjusted his face, which in reality was a mask. It was just a very realistic one. It hid his face. If anyone knew who he really was, there would be two problems. The first one was that he would not get any respect because of who his father was. And he would pay for the sins of said father.

The identity of the Rose was one he cultivated on his own. This would be his reputation, not anyone else's. And he would make his mark as the man who masterminded the demise of Spdier-Man. The Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and others failed, but the Rose would succeed and win the day.

X-X-X

Gwen rocked back and forth. The twenty one year old girl was at work on her means to help join Peter in the field of crime fighting. She carefully took a look at the Iron Spider suit that she was busy making a few minor adjustments to. There were a many better suits of super powered armor on the market. Yet Gwen felt she had to go with the girl that had brought her to the dance. It had served her well over the past several years, and help her get both her and Peter out of some rather tight spots.

As Gwen continued to work on her suit of armor, the music listened to was interrupted. There was a special bulletin. Most of the times this was the latest political snafu, and that would not normally interest Gwen. However, the nature of the news brought her attention away from the work rather quickly.

"We repeat, there has been a breakout at both Ryker's Island and at the Ravencroft Home for the Mentally Unstable. We are uncertain the full number of escapees at this time. However, the super criminals known as the Rhino, Vulture, Mysterio, Shocker, Beetle, and Sandman have all been among those who have been missing from both facilities. If you see any of these criminals, they are considered to be extremely dangerous. Do not under any circumstances approach them, and instead contact the local authorities. Captain Jean DeWolff of the New York City Police Department was unavailable for comment, but we were assured that she is personally leading a manhunt."

Gwen let out the breath that she had been holding. There was only one thing that came to her mind.

'I guess that break was too good to last,' Gwen thought to herself. Frustrated, she shook her head. She began to make her way up the stairs. Peter was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. The urgency could be seen on his face.

"So, I take it you heard the news."

"Yeah, I heard it," Gwen told him. "Six of your most dangerous enemies just happen to escape on the same night."

"I guess it would be too much to hope that it's a coincidence," Peter said, and Gwen responded with a sad smile, while shaking her head. Peter's expression faded, and true worry set in on his face. "Yeah, I thought that would be too much to hope for. The real question is who decided to spring the criminals? Shocker, Rhino, Vulture, Mysterio, Beetle, and Sandman all in the same night, and…"

Peter and Gwen exchanged a look as Peter stopped talking. Both were hit by the same exact thought at the same exact time. It was a race to see who would be able to speak first.

"You don't think that it would be the return of the Sinister Six," Peter managed.

Gwen frowned. Her heart skipped a beat, and the memories of the past returned to her. The last time the Sinister Six was around, they kidnapped her and used her as a hostage. That was one of her main motivators to really take a step up that lead her to adopting the Iron Spider suit.

"Without Ock, I don't know," Gwen said.

"You heard the rumors about Ock, they say he's dying," Peter said. "They've found no corpse but…maybe this is one last revenge plot before he dies."

"You'd think that he would expand his resources to get him the medical care he needs instead of trying to kill you," Gwen said. She realized what she said at that moment. She could have slapped herself because of the stupidity. "Then again, knowing that it's Ock, he would think that your death is more important than his life."

A pained grimace crossed Peter's face. This was all too true, and Gwen had a grim point. The fanatical schemes Doctor Octopus pulled against him in the past were still fresh in his mind. It put countless lives in danger. Gwen knew that better than anyone. Her father was killed in the crossfire during one of those schemes.

"Sad, that's the truth, isn't it?" Peter asked her and Gwen nodded. "So I guess I'll go see what I can do to round these guys up before they are going to cause too much damage."

"If you hold tight for a little bit, I can help you," Gwen said immediately. Peter gave her a questioning look. Gwen saw this immediately. The blonde girl cut off the protests. "Pete, you know six against two are better odds than six against one."

"I thought that the Iron Spider suit would be out of commission for a while yet," Peter said to her.

Gwen shook her head.

"I just got it up and working before I heard the news," Gwen said. "It's been breaking down a lot more lately, but I think I know what the problem is. Trust me Peter, it's ready to go."

Peter shook his head. He actually had another complaint that he felt the need to state.

"Without, you know, testing it first?"

Gwen's expression became a bit more determined.

"There's no time like the present," Gwen replied to him. "Besides, we can't really test that suit too much, unless it's practical. All of the critical systems are working, and there is an entire city out there that needs our help. What else is there to argue about?"

A grin crossed Peter's face.

"Okay, okay, you twisted my arm," Peter said to her, and Gwen just smiled back. Determined looks spread across both of their faces. The pair of them was ready for action. There were six criminals on the loose, but they had the upper hand.

Of course, both of them knew in the back of their minds that the real threat was the person who sprang these criminals from prison. There were a few suspects, and their minds kept pointing back to the obvious one.

A group of costumed criminals walked forward, dressed in a number of colorful outfits. One of them wore a purple outfit, with a green cape, and a fishbowl over his head. He was known as Mysterio. He was the master of illusion, and was known for colorful schemes.

The second man was a man with sandy hair wearing a sweater and blue jeans. He could turn into sand. He was called the Sandman. He was always after the big score, and trying to steal all kinds of diamonds and rare antiques.

The third man was dressed in black with goggles. He had powerful gauntlets. He was called Shocker. He was a career criminal that had been upgraded by the Kingpin of Crime years ago.

The fourth man wore a grey bodysuit, with a rhino horn. The armor was thick, and could not be penetrated by any attack. He was called Rhino. He was a government super soldier that had been abandoned. He had gotten into crime.

The fifth man was an elderly bald man with sunken in eyes, and a beak like nose. He wore a black bodysuit, with red spiked wings. He was called the Vulture. Ever since Norman Osborn had stolen his inventions, he had turned to a life of crime. He made it his mission to kill Spider-Man for robbing him of his vengeance against Norman Osborn.

The sixth man wore a black and silver bodysuit. He was called the Beetle. He was a former employee of Tony Stark. He designed his own suit of armor to gain revenge. He also worked as a mercenary for HYDRA for a brief time.

All six criminals looked at each other.

The Sandman was the one that broke the silence. "So do any of you know why we're brought here?"

The entire group shook their heads Mysterio was the first one who answered in his own boisterous manner.

"I have no clue why I was brought here. However, this had better be a scheme fitting of the masterful magnificence of Mysterio!"

He said that statement in a booming declaration. The entire group of criminals shook their heads at his over the top demeanor. It was something that some were used to. He was really a large ham. The entire group stood around, and all blinked immediately.

"I grow tired of this game, I want to know answers, and I want to know them now," Vulture said in a rough voice. He held out his spiked claws, and spun around. His teeth gritted sadistically.

He did not have to wait very long to answer. They were about to go face to face with the benefactor of their breakout. A man dressed in a lavender suit, with a derby hat and leaning a silver cane stepped forward. His face was normal looking, unremarkable, and free of any blemishes whatsoever. He surveyed the entire group.

"Quentin Beck, Flint Marko, Abnor Jenkins, Alexander O'Hirn, Herman Schultz, and Adrian Toomes, I have called you here to present you with an offer that you cannot refuse," The Rose said.

Mysterio could not help, but offer his two cents. He stood, and observed this figure. He peered at him from behind his fishbowl. His cape fluttered in the wind.

"Just who are you?" Mysterio demanded. It was a surprisingly understated statement.

The mob boss stood on his feet, and leaned across his cane. A grin crossed his face. "You may call me the Rose. I'm the new ruler of the underworld of New York."

Rose's statement got a few whispers.

"I did here rumors that someone was trying to take control of the New York City criminal underworld," Vulture said. The old man stared at the Rose, through his beady little eyes. "But, what could you want with us."

The Rose answered immediately.

"At one time or another, you have all been humiliated by Spider-Man. It is absolutely alarming to see you embarrassed to such a degree. Men of your talents cannot defeat the web slinger one on one. This has been sadly proven. However, if you work together, we may find some kind of common ground, and defeat Spider-Man, putting him down once and for all."

The group of criminals talked to each other, and nodded. It was the Sandman who had the next concern that he was going to address.

"You mean form another Sinister Six," Sandman replied, and the Rose nodded. The Sandman continued to look skeptical and rather distrustful. Past experiences told him that this was not a good idea. "Been there, done that, done the team up thing twice before, and we eventually got thrashed. It didn't end well. I work better alone."

"The egos of the Mad Thinker and Doctor Octopus both pointed towards the fact that they would be the center attraction," The Rose argued. He hoped to sell them on this idea. "The Sinister Six is a sound idea, but you need discipline and focus. There is one common goal. It doesn't matter who lands the final blow on Spider-Man. It only matters if the final blow is landed. Am I right?"

The assembled group of super criminals stood. Some of them had their reservations, but others were ready to step into battle with Spider-Man one more time. Surprisingly, it was the Rhino who spoke up first. The large man spoke in a gruff, and determined voice.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to squash that bug for years now," Rhino said. His eyes narrowed.

"The six of us would make a formidable team," Mysterio agreed. He thought that he would need some back up for his latest criminal performance against Spider-Man.

"Yeah, I'm sick and tired of being the laughing stock of this city," Shocker said.

Vulture remained thoughtful, and he nodded, a foul expression on his face. "I do agree, Spider-Man needs to be stopped, and our collective will be the group to do it."

The Beetle nodded slowly, not saying one word. Sandman was convinced.

"You will have protection from every crime that is committed, after I receive a cut of ten percent for all proceeds," the Rose said.

The assembled group stood to let this sink in. That was unsurprising to them. They knew there had to be a catch. There always was. Each and every member of the new and improved Sinister Six all nodded. They were in this together, until the bitter end.

The Rose hid the smirk behind his mask. Everything was going according to schedule. In a number of days, the only thing he would be reading about Spider-Man was the web slinger's tombstone. Now it was time to wait, and to watch.

The plan would come into motion.

Iron Spider and Spider-Man swung down from the buildings. The two spider themed heroes have to find these six criminals. They had been going around in circles for hour after hour. They wondered if whatever plan that these six villains were plotting, if it was going to occur tonight. One of the worst things for any super hero is playing the waiting game. The two arachnids jumped down.

"Maybe we jumped the gun a bit too much?' Spider-Man asked. It sure did seem that way. The streets were quiet. Peacefully quiet, although perhaps it was not the good kind of peace. It was the eerie peace, the type that caused everyone to remain on guard. They took a few breaths, and stepped forward.

The sound of police sirens pierced the air. Iron Spider peaked forward, and tried to use the radio inside her suit to tap into the signal. She got it clear, so both she and Spider-Man could listen.

"An all points bulletin is being issued," Iron Spider said. She frowned beneath her helmet. She adjusted herself. "It's the Rhino. He's tearing up Time Square."

"Figures he'd be the one to have a temper tantrum," Spider-Man said. He clicked his web shooters into place, and a line of webbing shot out of his wrist. It latched onto a ledge. Iron Spider copied his movements with her suits. She had gotten the aim right after many missteps. The two spiders swung forward, and moved towards the scene of crime.

They were greeted to an ugly sight, in more ways than one. The police department surrounded Rhino. They had tasers in their hands. The gigantic brute lumbered forward. He was not going to go down that easy. He picked up a barrel.

"Just put it down, Rhino, and no one has to get hurt."

Rhino just laughed. "I'm not going to get hurt by anything you wimps do to me. You cops on the other hand, well you might have a problem."

He launched the barrel at the police who scattered. The panicked population ran around, frightened to death. Rhino strode forward, and cracked his knuckles. He grunted, ready for a fight. He stampeded forward. He was about ready to crush these officers.

A line of webbing shot forward. It wrapped around his horn, and yanked him to the ground. Rhino somersaulted forward, and landed with an absolute crash. He looked up, to see Iron Spider and Spider-Man. A grin cracked across his face.

'And I don't like the look of that,' Spider-Man thought. He could tell by Gwen's body language that she did not like the looks of that either.

Rhino cracked his knuckles, and stood. He laughed, and motioned forward.

"They showed up just as you thought, boys,' Rhino said.

"Predictable as always, but who could expect something from a mundane mind such as the web slinger. He does not have any way to match the wits of Mysterio."

Mysterio popped at this moment. The ground shifted beneath them. Sandman showed up, ready for a fight. A figure buzzed above him. He was silent and sadistic, he was the Beetle. His vocal cords had been damaged in a previous battle with Spider-Man, hence his inability to speak. Vulture took up the rear, and then Shocker appeared.

The group made six.

The new and improved Sinister Six, and they stood before them.

The spider themed hero and heroine exchanged an expression. They tensed up ready for battle. They knew no matter what they were in for a fight. And the fact that the group took hostages increased the peril.

It was time to find a way out of this one.

To Be Continued in Revenge of the Sinister Six Part Two.