Watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve, though, reminded him that the electrically charged foe was still out there. He still needed to be brought in, just for questioning.

However, after finding him, Spider-Man had no clue as to how he would be able to handle Electro again. Their last encounter nearly resulted in the total destruction of Spidey's costume.

Spidey heard a click behind him.

"Well, if it's not the ever amazing Spider-Man," someone said.

Spidey turned. "Ms. Lane. I see you are well. What brings you to the roof?"

Lois walked to the side of the building, and leaned on the edge. "I needed a break. But the real question is why are you up here?"

"I'm looking for Electro."

"You mean Max Dillon? The guy who got electrocuted at the mall right before Christmas?"

"That's him," Spidey replied. "I figured I could use some of my built-in gadgets to find him." A second later he added, "It also gave me an excuse to use some of them."

Lois smiled. "That reminds me. I never thanked you for my Christmas gift."

"Ah, it was nothing. Parker asked me to do it, and I figured I owed him for all of his great publicity."

"Is that why you do it? The publicity?"

"No," Spidey replied, looking down at the street below. "I do it because I have to. A wise man once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. I learned that lesson the hard way soon after."

"Sounds like you haven't always had it easy."

"Not really."

Both were silent for a while. Something in Spidey's costume beeped.

"Nuts," he said. "Nothing. I can't find Electro anywhere."

"Too bad," Lois said, looking at her watch. "I better get back inside. I have an article due in a couple of hours."

"Good luck," Spidey replied.

"Yeah. Bye."

As Lois turned to walk back in, Spidey shot a webline and swung over the city.

He looked down, just in time to see a bolt of electricity strike his web, causing him to fall. Spidey didn't have time to create any sort of cushion, so he landed on the ground . . . hard.

Standing up, he saw Electro standing in front of him, now clad in a new costume. The electric villain was clad in a black bodysuit, with a white jacket. He wore nothing on his head. Electricity was shooting from his hands.

"I see you've been to the tailor," Spidey quipped.

"This suit contains my powers, and helps me control them," Electro replied. "That way, I can do . . . THIS!" He put forth his hand, sending a jolt towards Spider-Man's chest.

Spidey jumped sideways.

"Have you ever met some guy named Shocker? He ran with Intergang. At least, until my friend the Shadow busted them up."

Electro turned to Spidey.

"Wait a minute!" Spidey said. "Before you try to fry me, and make charred Spidey, can you at least tell me exactly why we're fighting?"

"I needed a test," Electro replied. "I need to see how my powers work. And you just happen to be here."

"Does this have anything to do with our conversation a couple of weeks ago?"

Electro chose not to respond to the wallcrawler and blasted him with another jolt of electricity. This jolt caused Spidey to be knocked to the ground. He watched at Electro walked over and stood above him.

And then, he saw Electro's lips move. But he heard nothing.

Electro was ready to blast Spider-Man, but he noticed something was wrong. He didn't hear himself speak.

Spider-Man stood up. Not only could he not hear what Electro said, he was unable to hear anything. Everything was total silence. Seeing that Electro was also distracted by the sudden absence of sound, Spidey took the opportunity to leave. He swung back to the Daily Planet and changed into Peter Parker.

"These things are awesome!" Jason was saying. "They're reason enough to come to Philly!"

Victor smiled as the vendor handed him the sandwich. "I'll take your word for it. I'm more content for coming here for other reasons."

He took a bite. "Uh, Jason, aren't these supposed to taste like meat and cheese?"

Jason looked up, disgusted at his sandwich. "These are terrible." He turned to the vendor. "Hey, buddy! Whatcha trying to pull? These sandwiches have no taste!"

"What's wrong with you kids?" the vendor spouted back. "Those are quality sandwiches. The best meat and cheeses in the state!"

"You better try one yourself, sir," Victor said, handing the vendor a piece he ripped off of his sandwich. The vendor took it and ate it himself.

"You boys are right. I am sorry. This is not normal. Here, I'll give you your money back."

The boys took the money, and handed the sandwiches back to the vendor, who proceeded to throw them away.

"Don't worry, sir," Jason said. "I will come back here. I trust that this is not your fault."

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry," the vendor repeated.

Victor and Jason turned and walked away.

"C'mon," Jason said. "Let's go get something else."

"Wait a minute," Vic replied. "Something's nagging me." He returned to the vendor. "Excuse me, sir, but may I have a soda?"

"Sure. And to make up for the poor sandwiches, it'll be on the house."

"Thank you."

Victor took the bottle of Coke that was handed to him, and took a large gulp. Nothing. The Coke was water for all Victor's brain knew.

"Sir, I think there's something wrong with us. This Coke has no flavor."

A few seconds later, though, he realized that he never heard a click. He pressed his intercom. It lit up, but the secretary did not acknowledge him. Nor did Luthor hear a click letting him know that the secretary was listening.

The door to Luthor's office opened, and his secretary walked in.

Luthor began to ask her why she did not respond to him when he realized that no words were coming out of his mouth.

Or perhaps they were, and the sound waves produced by his vocal cords were unable to traverse the air between his mouth and her ear and travel to her inner ear, vibrating the eardrum.

Another one of those crazies is at it again . . . he thought.

As he entered, he saw reporters typing away, but yet he heard no keys being pressed.

He walked to Lois's desk. When she realized he was there, she minimized the story she was working on, and pulled up Notepad.

"Do you know what happened?"

Peter leaned over and typed his response. "Not a clue. How far has this spread? Just Manhattan? The entire city? The whole state?"

"For now, we're sure it's happened to the entire city, but not much farther."

"As a photographer, there's not much I can do, so I'm probably going to head back home. I only came by to find out what's going on."

"For once, I can't tell you."

Peter stood back up, and Lois closed out Notepad, returning to her story. Peter quietly headed for the roof access.

When he reached the top, he felt a sudden buzz in his head. He realized it was someone trying to contact him telepathically.

{Peter, it's Victor.}

{What's up?}

{Other than the fact that I can't taste anything . . . }

{Where are you?}

{Philadelphia.}

{Things aren't much better here. The entire city of New York has lost their hearing.}

{This is too much for a coincidence,} Victor replied. {This has to be the work of a team.}

{And they're not done yet. I think I have an idea of who might be behind it. But I'm going to need some backup.}

{Like me?}

{And some others.}

{I'll try to get back as soon as possible.}

{No. Just contact me in fifteen minutes. I have a plan. If it doesn't work, try to get to the Hall of Justice. Oh, and have your Shadow get-up ready.}

{You're going to the Avengers League?!}

{One in particular . . . Batman. Peter out.}

{Good luck. I'll be in contact soon.}

Victor broke the "connection." Peter pressed the button on his watch which activated his Spider-Man costume, and swung towards the Hall of Justice.

As soon as he put a foot in the city, he was suddenly blinded.

"Oh, crap!" he shouted, suddenly skidding to a stop.

Slowly, he turned one hundred and eighty degrees and began running. Fortunately, he was fast enough to vibrate through anything that got in his way.

As he left the city, his sight returned.

He was ready to report the lack of sight in Newark via his membership card when he remembered that no one on the other side would be able to hear him.

So, Flash simply adjusted his path, and continued to New York.

No way to contact Oracle if he won't be able to hear me. It's gotta be something like a cloak of white noise. But I can't use my costume to filter it because it works on voice commands. Need to get somewhere else. Hopefully, Batman can help.

As Spider-Man finished the thought, he arrived at the Hall of Justice. He rang the doorbell. He was greeted by Jarvis, who was carrying a dry-erase board and red marker.

'Hello, Spider-Man,' he wrote. 'What can I do for you?'

Spider-Man erased what Jarvis wrote and replied, 'I need to see Batman and get away from the city.'

'None of the Avengers can be contacted from here,' Jarvis wrote. 'But the Watchtower on the moon is now functioning. Martian Manhunter is there now.'

Just then, Flash appeared behind Spider-Man. With lightning speed, he erased the board and replaced it with his own message. 'I'm with ya, Spidey.'

Jarvis led the two to the transporter room.

"It is so refreshing to hear something!" he exclaimed.

Martian Manhunter was watching a whole bank of screens, each showing a different news broadcast. He turned around when he heard Spider-Man.

"Greetings, Spider-Man," he said. "It is nice to see you again."

"Yeah. Sorry I had to decline your invitation to join the Avengers League last time we saw each other, but I need your help," Spidey replied. "I need to contact Batman."

"I will be able to establish a mental connection with him. We should be able to transport him shortly."

"So, Spider-Guy, what's the deal with everyone going senseless?" Flash asked.

"It's Spider-Man. Don't forget that. And I don't know for sure, but I think the Sinister Six are back."

"I recall hearing about their first outing. You and Batman teamed up to take them down . . . " Martian Manhunter said.

"That's right," Spidey agreed. "But they kinda got away. However, I think they might have been a little upset when they realized that we duped them."

"How?" Flash asked.

"We didn't give them real money."

"That would tend to tick villains off," J'Onn commented. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll try to contact Batman."

Ten seconds later, J'Onn walked over and activated the teleporter.

As Batman appeared, Spider-Man received a telepathic "call" from Victor.

{Peter, are you ready?}

{Yeah, I'm on the moon. Try contacting the Martian Manhunter. He'll get you here as well.}

Aloud, he said, "Martian Manhunter, a partner of mine in Philadelphia will be contacting you. If you could teleport him up as well . . . "

"It shall be done. And please, call me J'Onn."

"Nice to see you again," Batman said, walking past Spidey to watch the broadcasts.

"Same here," Spidey replied. "Nice to see you're still you're same cheery self."

"I try," Batman said. "What's going on?"

"I think that someone enveloped New York City in a cloak of white noise. It's so loud, no one can hear anything."

"Sensory adaption," Batman muttered.

"Excuse me?" Spidey asked.

"Sensory adaption is when one of our senses get exposed to a certain stimulus for a long time and we get used to it."

"Like when you go to a dump and stay for two hours. By the time you leave, it doesn't smell bad," Flash offered.

"Er, thanks for that . . . interesting analogy," Batman said. "But that's right."

"I have a feeling something like that might be happening," Spidey added. "Two cities have been deprived of different senses."

"Three," Flash interjected. "On my way here, I was blinded in Newark."

At that moment, the transporter hummed, and the Shadow appeared.

"Hope I'm not too late," he said.

"Nope, you're just in time. Shadow, meet Batman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter. But you can call him J'Onn."

The Shadow nodded to all in acknowledgment. "Ah, yes. Batman, Martain Manhunter, and I have met. So, do we know for sure who we're up against?"

"The Sinister Six," Batman said, confidently.

"You're master detective skills can tell you that for sure, already?" Spidey asked.

"No," Batman answered, pointing to the news broadcasts. "That does."

Everyone turned to watch the broadcast of Doctor Octopus. It was closed-captioned so the citizens of New York City could read what he was saying.

"And so, the Sinister Six will keep all six cities hostage until the desired amount of money is paid, and delivered personally by Batman and Spider-Man."

"Six cities?" the Shadow asked.

"I hate being right," Spider-Man said, hanging his head.

Dots had been placed over New York City, Philadelphia, and Newark.

"We know that there are six targets," Batman said, recapping what the heroes had learned on a recent news report.

"It appears that the attacks are all in different states," the Shadow added.

"So that eliminates any further attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey," Spider-Man commented. "But what other states are targets?"

"That's not what's bothering me so much," Batman said. "We're up against six villains. So far, they seem to be depriving each city of one sense."

"But there are only five senses," Flash noted.

"So where does that leave the sixth man out?" Spidey wondered.

"Sanity," Martian Manhunter said, breaking his silence. "Sense of sanity. It makes perfect sense, seeing as who the Sinister Six are."

"Who are they?" Flash asked. "Obviously, Doctor Octopus, but who are the other five?"

"Catman, Doctor Phosphorous, Mysterio, Stegron . . . " Batman began.

" . . . and Joker," Spider-Man finished. "It makes perfect sense."

"As much sense as the Joker can make," the Shadow added.

"We should also try to figure out which of the Six is in which city," Spidey suggested. "I think it's safe to assume that Doc Ock is in New York."

"Yes, he would want to stay near the home base," Batman agreed.

"How are we going to take them down, though, if they're blocking a particular sense?" Flash asked.

"We need to make devices that can block whatever they are using to deprive the cities of their senses," Spidey answered. "I can probably design something from what I have in my suit for some of the stuff, but I need some help."

"I have someone in mind," Batman said. "J'Onn, how difficult would it be to get Iron Man up here?"

"No more difficult that it was to get you."

"Bring him up," Batman ordered. "Then after that, I want you and Flash to cover New England to find any trace of the rest of the Sinister Six."

"Should we call any more help?" Spidey asked. "What about the rest of the League?"

"Most of them are on their own missions, or unable to be called for active duty," J'Onn said. "But Iron Man will bring our number to six, which should be enough."

"Six on six," the Shadow said under his breath.

"Why here?" Flash asked.

"It's the most logical place for the Sinister Six to strike," J'Onn replied. It borders New York, and is closest to the other two states that we know of."

"Point," Flash replied, as he continued to race along, amazed that the Martian could keep up with him.

Seconds later, they arrived in Hartford.

"Something feels wrong here," J'Onn said. "I've been scanning the thoughts of everyone who we pass, and a lot of confusion seems to be here."

"So nice of you to join me."

J'Onn and Flash turned around. They saw a fiery-skulled man standing before them.

"Doctor Phosphorous, I presume," J'Onn commented.

"Correct on the first try, Martian," Doctor Phosphorous replied. "I see that the rodent and bug recruited some help this time."

"What happened here?" Flash asked.

"Simple. No one in this city is able to feel . . . They've all lost their sense of touch!"

"Then how come we can still feel our clothes?" Flash asked.

"Because, simple fool, you were not exposed to the nanomachines, as everyone else was."

{J'Onn,} Flash said on the telepathic link, {we should probably get out of here before he does something.}

{Agreed,} J'Onn thought back. {When I give the signal.}

"But that can be easily arranged," Phosphorous rambled on, holding his hand out toward the two heroes.

{NOW!}

Immediately Flash and Martian Manhunter raced out of the city.

Spider-Man met up with him.

"I'm glad that you could come so fast, Iron Man," Spider-Man said.

"Well, my boss was done with his world tour* anyway. You have any idea what's going on down there? Total chaos all throughout the major cities on the Eastern seaboard."

*(Iron Man #14-16)

"Yes, I know. That's why we asked you to come here," Spider-Man said. "It's not a natural phenomenon, what's happening. We know that the Sinister Six are generating something that is causing the five senses to be deprived in each place."

"Then we need to cut off the signal somehow," Iron Man replied. "Or block it with something else."

"You're pretty smart for a bodyguard."

"I wear a billion-dollar suit all of the time that's like a walking nuclear arsenal. Tony Stark can't have a dummy flying around in this thing, you know."

The keen minds of Iron Man and Spider-Man set about developing a solution to the sense-blocking devices.

"Let me know how these goggles are working for you," Batman said. "I haven't used them against this kind of threat before!"

"Well . . . " the Shadow replied, " . . . even with the goggles, I'm having trouble seeing now!"

"Switch to the infrared spectrum, Shadow."

"Still nothing. Let me see if my mental powers will help any . . . "

Batman sniffed. "You just try your mental powers, kid, I'll find the spectrum that's being blocked!"

Batman kept adjusting his goggles, muttering something about cocky kid crimefighters.

The Shadow was concentrating deeply.

"Um, I think I'm beginning to be able to see, Batman, but it's not because of the goggles."

"What is it then?"

"I can sense that there's a mid-level mental block being broadcast. You don't have mental powers like me, Batman, but I know you have great strength of will. You can see . . . you can see if you try hard enough. You just have to believe."

"That is the hokiest, least scientific explanation . . . "

"I can see the street below, and the people wandering about. Most people are trying to stay inside."

"Okay, I'll try your way, Shadow. I'm willing myself to see, now."

Batman had powers of concentration that were the highest that they could be for a normal human. His will had been steeled through training by Indian yogis. He concentrated . . . and then he sensed that there was an illusion being perpetrated.

"Yes, I can see . . . it's just coming in and out, though. So hard to keep being able to see, though."

The Shadow was still concentrating. "I don't get to use these powers too much, Batman. I'm trying to find the focus of the illusion . . . the point from which it's being broadcast."

"If I was a supervillain, and I wanted to broadcast something, I'd do it from the highest point in the city. You know what building I'm talking about?"

"The National Newark Building? The one the radio stations broadcast from?"

"Let's go there. I think we'll find our illusionist there." The Shadow could see Batman struggling with the next words as the Dark Knight Detective tried to retain his sight. "You'll . . . you'll have to guide me if I suddenly can't see."

The Shadow knew that it was an honor to guide the Masked Manhunter, who normally would never accept such help. "You can trust me, Batman. Follow me."

The Shadow led Batman through the barren streets of Newark toward the National Newark Building. They dodged various homeless people who were walking around, dazed and clutching at their eyes.

"I'm making a specialized machine," Spider-Man said. "I have always known, with my costume being made of nanotech, that there would be some vulnerability to static electricity and magnetic energy. I've had my toughest fights against villains with those powers."

"Since nanotech is microscopic, it wouldn't carry any onboard protection against such energies."

"Right, it's like having an open computer case . . . the parts work, but don't go near it with a magnet or after scratching your shoes against the carpet."

"We can use this against the nanotechs that are blocking the sense of touch down in Hartford!" Iron Man paused for a moment. "It'll take a while before we can synthesize something that can emit these energies on a broad level, but not so high that it would hurt anyone."

"Well, I hope we get done before too long!" Spider-Man replied. He almost mentioned something about worrying about Aunt May, but he remembered that he was in his costume. His thoughts were half on the project he was doing and half on Aunt May sitting by the television, waiting for him to come home.

"We're going to make a lot of money, boys," Catman said to his cohorts as they drove off in an unmarked van.

Nobody in the whole city wanted to eat anything. Hot dog vendors sat idly in their vans, waiting for someone to come by and eat their wares. Empire Coffee, the largest coffee chain in the United States, saw only a few diehard customers come in for their coffee - it was a slow day for one of the most profitable businesses in Philadelphia. People were feeling very weak from not eating, and many of them were calling in sick. The loss of the sense of taste was causing a very bad day in the City of Brotherly Love.

"Any luck?" Iron Man asked.

"Actually, we found two of the Six," J'Onn replied. "Doctor Phosphorous is depriving Hartford, Connecticut of touch, and Stegron has taken the sense of smell away from Providence, Rhode Island."

"But no sign of the Joker?" Spider-Man asked.

"None," J'Onn replied.

"I don't like this. Whenever Joker's involved in something, I like to know as soon as possible. That way, less damage can be caused."

At the end of a not-so-good day for Spider-Man and his allies, a man with a large grin on his face strolled along the streets of Boston with his suitcase in hand.

Everyone he passed seemed to want to avoid him. He couldn't understand why. Maybe it was his unusually pale skin? Or perhaps his bright red lips? His lime green hair?

No, it had to be his reputation.

The man kept walking until he reached City Hall. He then sat his suitcase down and put his arms in the air.

"Hello, Boston!" he shouted. "Joker's in the house!"

And then, it hit the fan.

A tall middle aged man in a rumpled business suit howled at nothing in particular. Drivers were randomly pulling their vehicles off the road and smashing them into other parked cars. One driver smashed his car into another again and again until he could not extract the vehicle from the tangled mess. He then got out and started wailing at the top of his lungs.

Nobody could stop the insanity, because it was affecting absolutely everyone in Boston. All that they could do was somehow hope that someone from the outside would be able to find what had caused the mayhem. But nobody was really sane enough to care about that right now.

High atop Hancock Tower, the Joker watched the mayhem down below. He let out a mad cackle, which was joined by the cackling of guards who, had they been sane, would have attempted to arrest him.

A call rang through on the communicator that the Sinister Six had agreed to carry with them as they proceeded with their plans.

"How criminal to interrupt my enjoyment of this spectacle!" the Joker snarled. He looked again at the chaos. "My madness . . . spread across the canvas of an entire city!" The Joker beamed.

The communicator kept ringing.

"Fine! Fine! Anything to stop this incessant beeping!" the Joker said. He switched on the communicator.

"Our plans are moving forward," Doctor Octopus said. "We have the cities under our control. Our next steps are to establish rule over each city and then to fan out across the country."

"We've got the power shared six ways already, Octopus," Mysterio replied. "I'll be damned if I let anyone else in on this plan."

"We can't rule a country without an army of some sort," Catman said. "But if we let any of the other supervillains in on this; you know they would eventually attempt to seize power."

"I'm implementing an idea that Doctor Doom once helped me with," Doctor Octopus replied. "His genius was inferior to mine, thus the plan never came to fruition. But with the city of New York immobilized, I was able to gain access to the resources of S.T.A.R. Labs. I'll contact you when we move to the next stage of the plan - it will benefit us all greatly."

"See that it does, Octopus," Stegron said. "Otherwise I'll have my pteranodons hunt you down and carve out your liver with their beaks!"

"Save your brutality for the Avengers League, or Spider-Man," Octopus replied angrily. "We have yet to have seen a response from them, but they may be too busy dealing with the chaos to deal with us!"

"Stegron the Dinosaur Man will be ready for them!"

"Joker the Insane Clown will be ready too!" Joker remarked. "The Avengers League won't be able to get to me, through an entire city of madmen."

"We have the cities on their knees now, my friends," Octopus laughed. "I'll be giving you my plan soon for expanding our rule. The rest of the United States will fall to us within a month."

Both the Dark Knight Detective and the Shadow had tremendous endurance, so they were able to rush up the stairs very easily. But the stress of trying to break through the illusion of not being able to see made for very slow going at times.

The two of them took a break close to the top floor.

The two men caught their breath. Both of them were struggling against the illusion of blindness. "We're getting close to something, Batman!" the Shadow said. "The power feeding the mass illusion is right here in this building, very close by. How are you holding up?"

"I'm trying to keep myself believing that I can see . . . it's very hard. I'm not used to exercising this level of mental control!"

"We're going to meet up with something or somebody soon, Batman! Just hold on!"

They reached the top level of the staircase. They walked with practiced caution toward the middle of the level. Sure enough, there was someone there, orchestrating the entire illusion.

The orb-helmeted man was standing in the middle of the room, watching the madness that his illusion had caused on a group of large-size monitors. He heard the Shadow's hard breathing and turned.

"Superheroes!! I knew you would eventually come to challenge me."

Mysterio suddenly recognized Batman from the last time the Caped Crusader had tangled with the Sinister Six.*

*(Spider-Man #6)

"You again! This time you will pay for interfering with the plans of Mysterio!"

Mysterio pressed a button on his suit, and Batman and the Shadow were then suddenly battered by a perception-altering attack. Everything was psychedelic colors, and there was no up or down, left or right. The Shadow was particularly sensitive to sensory-based attacks; his concentration was also frayed from having to pierce through Mysterio's illusions. He crumpled to the floor, his psychic abilities burnt out.

Batman was also trying hard to hold onto his sense of direction. His iron will made him stagger toward Mysterio, but his total loss of perception prevented him from moving any further. He wandered close to the door to the open stairway. One bad step sent him headlong over the side of the staircase, plummeting down the levels of the building, towards certain doom.

"We need someone who's a good pilot to fly this thing," Iron Man said. "I've flown a few planes around. Despite the risks to my armor, I'll fly the craft down to Hartford and take out those nanotechs."

"You'll need backup, Iron Man," Spider-Man said. "I'll need to design a different costume - it'll give me something different to work on, after having spent all of this time on this weapon."

"How do you think the other guys are doing, Spider-Man?" Iron Man asked. "Nobody's reported in for at least an hour."

"I hope we find out soon, Iron Man."

Fortunately for the heroes, Stegron was very obvious about his domination of the city. Flash's quick eyes caught sight of him and a group of five velociraptors heading down Smith Street.

Stegron was about to let his velociraptors feed on a confused bunch of businesspeople standing at a bus stop when Martian Manhunter and Flash zoomed to where he stood.

"Stegron!" Martian Manhunter shouted. "This ends here and now!"

"It ends for you, Martian! Take them, my pets!!"

The velociraptors lunged forward, snarling and slashing with their claws. Martian Manhunter swooped up out of the way, then blasted two of them with his Martian vision.

Flash swept up the other three by charging at them at light speed, keeping himself vibrating so their slashing claws would not gut him. He zoomed the velociraptors toward a construction site, then dropped them into an open pit. In a matter of seconds he had constructed a girder pen to hold them in.

Stegron and Martian Manhunter were literally fighting each other across the entire city. Each titanic punch from the combatants sent the other one reeling down at least two city blocks.

They finally ended up in one of the rougher sections of town. Stegron's minions were all over the city, so it was easy for him to call two of his dinosaurs to his aid.

"Come to me, my ankylosaurs!! The buildings, my pets!! Bring them to the ground!" Stegron ordered.

Two huge ankylosaurs moved ploddingly toward an abandoned building, then began beating away at it with their clubbed tails. Their blows rocked the rotting structure.

Stegron moved toward one building, daring the Martian Manhunter to follow him. The Dinosaur Man nipped at Martian Manhunter as the Martian flew around him, grabbing J'Onn's cape in his jaws. J'Onn flew free of the Dinosaur Man's mandibles, and wheeled around to do him some damage.

But Stegron was still intelligent, for all his dinosaurian strength and weaponry. He used his clubbed tail to slam against a rotting building, then tried to leap out of the way.

Martian Manhunter grabbed his foe's tail and dragged him back.

But at that moment, the building fell on top of the Martian Manhunter. Flash zoomed about in time to watch Stegron and J'Onn J'Onzz get buried by tons of concrete.

"J'Onn?? J'Onn!!!"

"Chou, the Dallas Technology Expo is coming up and you still don't have that armor perfected yet?" Hammer barked.

"It's almost done, Mr. Hammer. It's only going to be a couple of days more than we had planned."

Hammer stared hard at Mei Chou. He had fired many people during his time, but this young engineer was someone who would be very hard to replace. She had, after all, knowledge of Hammer's most secret technological initiatives. He would have to hold back on his pride and on his habits and retain her.

For now, anyway.

"Just get it done. Surprise me by getting it done faster than you have estimated!"

Mei Chou returned to work perfecting the new armor that Justin Hammer would use to take his final revenge on Tony Stark.

Otto Octavius had returned to rule in the city that had once laughed at his theories and at his inventions. The revenge of the Sinister Six was almost complete - he had heard reports of superhero resistance, but it had not been effective.

The Sinister Six's revenge was complete. Now, the time for total domination had begun!

"About time," Iron Man said. "I've been monitoring the situation down there. It's not pretty."

"So, what's the latest?" Spider-Man asked.

"No one's reported in yet, since you left. Batman and the Shadow are in Newark, where the city has been deprived of sight."

"Most likely Mysterio," Spidey noted. "It suits his powers best."

"J'Onn's last report had Hartford losing their sense of touch and we know that Philadelphia has lost the sense of taste," Iron Man continued. "The Shadow told us that much."

"That could be almost any of them. It sounds like a chemical was used in both cases. Doctor Phosphorous seems like the most likely member to do that, considering what he did last time. So, he's definitely in one of those two cities."

"What did he do? I'm afraid I'm not completely up on my Sinister Six knowledge."

"He was the one who poisoned the water, or some such. I don't remember exactly."*

*(Batman #6)

"Hmm. But then again, these villains are not necessarily adhering to logic. Anyway, we have a deaf New York."

"Most likely Doc Ock, since he's the leader."

"I'll agree. I just saw something about Boston losing complete control."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone went insane."

"Joker," Spider-Man said. "So, where are Martian Manhunter and Flash now?"

"Providence, Rhode Island, which has lost the sense of smell."

"Dammit, J'Onn! Hurry up and get out of there!" Flash shouted. "Show me some green!"

{Flash, slow down.}

"J'Onn? Where are you?"

{About three feet to your right.}

Flash moved over three feet, and started digging. Finally, he saw the Martian's hand. He grabbed it, and pulled him out.

"Thank you," J'Onn said after he had brushed himself off. "Having a building fall on you can really put a dampener on your powers."

"Where's Stegron?"

"He's still under there. Should be right by where I was."

"I'll get him . . . "

"And then we'll take him up to the Watchtower. It's time we get on the offensive."

"You guys wouldn't have some kind of gas to keep him asleep would you?" Spider-Man asked, half-jokingly.

"As a matter of fact, I think we do," Martian Manhunter replied. "I'll send it in. We can't spare anyone to keep an eye on our dino-friend here."

"So, where's Batman and the Shadow?" Flash asked.

"They haven't reported in nearly two hours," Iron Man replied.

"Maybe we should go down," Flash suggested.

"Not yet," Spidey said. "You better tell us who you saw."

The three walked over to the main communications panel, and Iron Man brought up the map.

"Well, we first ran into Hartford, Connecticut, and saw Doctor Phosphorous."

"That's odd," Spidey said.

"And then you found Stegron in Providence," Iron Man noted. "Which lost their sense of smell."

Martian Manhunter walked back in. "So, are we ready to go down and take the cities back?"

"Yup," Spidey replied. "Ol' Shellhead and I finished the devices." He walked over to a table with loads of electrical components. He picked up a strange device, which looked something like eyeglasses. "These lenses are designed so that those of you with masks can easily slip them on underneath. That will protect your sight, while this little device that looks like a hearing aid will protect your hearing."

"What about the other senses?" Flash asked. "Like touch?"

"The lenses also produce a special aura which will protect you," Iron Man replied. "We could not come up with anything to counteract the smell and taste, but we figured that losing those senses would not hinder us much."

"Agreed," Martian Manhunter said. "But what do we do when we face Joker?"

"One problem at a time," Spidey answered. "First, we go help Batman and the Shadow."

Hard.

He looked up, and though the haze, he could tell he had fallen quite a ways. Fortunately, he had been able to fire his grappling hook, and it caught on something, slowing his fall.

That didn't do anything for the landing, though. As he stood up, he could feel the pain shooting up his spine.

Ignore it, he thought. Gotta help the Shadow.

Outside, four other heroes materialized. They had already activated the devices that had been made for them, allowing them to see.

"I'll go in first," Spider-Man said. "I've dealt with Mysterio."

"Agreed," Iron Man replied. "Good luck."

Spider-Man ran into the building. He saw Batman groping around, trying to find his way back up.

"Batman!" he called out.

Batman was slightly confused. "Spider-Man?" he mumbled.

Spider-Man took Batman's hand and handed him the lenses he made. "Here. Put these under your mask. It'll cut through the illusion, and you'll be able to see."

"Thank you," Batman said as he slipped the lenses under his mask. "Your friend and I had been using our willpower to overcome the illusion, but these will help focus us on defeating Mysterio. Where are the others?"

"Outside. Should I call them?"

"Not yet. We have to help the Shadow."

"I'll take on Mysterio, you untie the Shadow," Spidey said.

"On my mark," Batman replied. He paused for a moment.

"Mark."

Spider-Man crept out, and stood directly behind Mysterio. He attached a webline to the ceiling. Mysterio heard this and turned around, but as he did so, Spider-Man came swinging at him, sending both of them crashing through the window.

Down below, the other three members of the Avengers League were able to see the two falling. Martian Manhunter immediately sprang into action, shifting his body to a larger size, enabling Mysterio and Spider-Man to land safely. After they had done so, J'Onn resumed his default shape.

"Okay, Mysterio," Spider-Man said. "Talk. What's the deal? Why are the Sinister Six back?"

"Isn't obvious, wallcrawler?" Mysterio asked. "You screwed us out of money last time. We're here to collect."

"Kinda sick way to collect," Flash muttered.

Spider-Man punched Mysterio's helmet.

"Hey!" Mysterio shouted. "This isn't fair!"

Spidey punched it again, making it shatter. "And since when do you guys play by the rules?" He let up off Mysterio, allowing the villain to see his illusion fade away.

"No . . . " Mysterio said, falling to his knees.

"Two down, four to go," Iron Man said.

"Nice job," Batman complemented as he walked out into the street. The Shadow was leaning on him.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Spidey asked.

"I'll be fine," the Shadow replied. "Just a little tired."

"Sir?" Jenet Klyburn asked.

Doctor Octopus turned around. "I'm sorry, but I am afraid I was talking to myself. Nothing for you to hear." He turned back to the map. "It appears they have help from Spider-Man. Hmmm," he muttered. "I assume they will split up and take each of the six out. There are four of us left. Either Joker or myself will be last . . . "

Doc Ock continued to work out plans in his head.

"So, we have Doctor Phosphorous, Catman, Doctor Octopus, and Joker left," Spidey announced.

"Doctor Octopus is the ring leader," Batman added. "But the Joker is more dangerous."

"So we go after him last, after we've neutralized the rest," Spidey said. "That way, he can't call in reinforcements."

"Iron Man and I shall take Doctor Octopus," Batman said.

"And the Shadow and I will take Doctor Phosphorous," Spidey added.

"So that leaves J'Onn and me to fight Catman," Flash said. "Sounds like fun."

"Yes, just according to plan," Mysterio replied. "Now we just wait for them to get Catman and Doctor Phosphorous up here."

"They'll never know what hit them."

"Quiet, fool. The walls have ears. We have already said too much, anyway. We don't want to give them the upper hand."

"Whatever you say . . . "

Both members of the Sinister Six heard a beeping noise. It was their communication devices, as given to them by Doc Ock.

"Mysterio here."

"Stegron here."

"Good," Doctor Octopus said. "I see you are well."

"Yes, we are, for being locked up," Mysterio replied.

"Did you both accomplish your missions?"

"Yes," both villains replied.

"Excellent," Doc Ock complemented. "Your success shall be rewarded."

Except for Batman and Iron Man.

"The noise is deafening!" Iron Man shouted.

"Quick! Switch to the radio. We'll use that," Batman suggested.

Iron Man disabled his audio sensors and turned his radio on. He could now hear Batman, and Batman could hear him, but neither could hear the confusion of the city.

"Must be white noise," Batman said.

"So, these devices really are working," Iron Man commented. "Good hunch we had. Where do we start?"

"I would think that be returning the sound to New York, we would be doing the Sinister Six a great disservice."

"This feels so eerie," the Shadow replied.

"Don't worry, the nanomachines should counteract whatever it being used to prevent the citizens from touching."

"So, I was wondering how long before someone came back . . . " a voice behind the two heroes said.

"Well, you know us," Spidey said. "We hero-types can't ever mind our own business."

Doctor Phosphorous raised his arm up. "How unfortunate," he said as he polluted the air around the two heroes. Spider-Man and the Shadow fell to the ground.

"That's why Iron Man and Spider-Man did not bother to create something to neutralize it," Martian Manhunter replied.

"Kind of a shame. Here we are in the home of the world famous Philly cheese steak, and we can't even taste it."

"I'm sure a lot of vendors have lost bus - - ARRGH!"

"J'Onn!" Flash exclaimed, turning to help his comrade, who had fallen to the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Just a headache," J'Onn said. "Nothing to be concerned about."

"Don't give me that. You screamed so loud, they could hear you in New York."

"New York lost their hearing."

"I know. That's how loud you were."

J'Onn stood up. "I'm fine."

"You know, I've noticed that these headaches of yours are getting more frequent . . . and painful. I mean, there was that one time that you nearly spazzed out, when we got sucked into the mirror world.* Something's not right, man."

*(Avengers League #6)

"I said I'm fine. Let's go," J'Onn ordered. As he marched forward, he thought about the images which filled his head. Images of space, Mars, and strange gems.

Should have thought to make filters, Spidey thought. Forgot about poison . . .

When Doctor Phosphorous thought that the two heroes had been gassed enough, he stopped and gloated.

That was his first mistake.

Spider-Man leapt up and came down hard on top of the Doctor. He toppled backwards, dropping a remote control device to the ground. The Shadow immediately came up and grabbed it. Spidey kept the villain pinned to the ground.

"So, what does this do?"

"Why don't you push the button and find out?" Dr. Phosphorous spat out.

"Moron," Spidey said, punching the Doctor in the face.

The Shadow pressed the button. Nothing happened.

"Let's get him back to the tower." Spider-Man activated the transporter, and the three vanished.

As they left, a special rocket launched that had been on a timed delay. A minute later, a module detached from the rocket and began orbiting the Earth, where it joined with four other similar devices.

"It's great . . . " he said. "Pure insanity . . . no drugs. Just me!"

He felt something vibrating in his pocket. "Oh, me!" he shouted, jumping two feet off the ground. He reached into his pocket and found a strange device that looked like a radio.

"Wait, I think Doc Ock gave this to me." He pressed the power button.

"Joker," Doc Ock said.

"I'm here."

"Have you launched?"

"Yes. And I'm ready for phase three of my plan."

"Excellent. Hopefully, Catman will launch his, and we shall be one step closer to total domination!"

"This seems to be where the signal is being generated from," Iron Man announced. "Do we storm in, or take a more subtle approach?"

Batman looked at the top of the building. "I'm betting one of those towers is transmitting."

"Yeah, probably," Iron Man replied.

"Let's take it out." He fired his grappling hook, and ascended to the roof. Iron Man followed soon after. They landed, and Iron Man used his equipment to locate the antenna broadcasting the white noise.

"Idea," Iron Man said as he stopped beside one antenna. "We shut this down, and then get out, and let Doc Ock try to figure out what happened. Then, we bring all six of us back later to take him out."

"Sounds like a plan," Batman said, his lips twisting into a grin. "So, is this the one?"

"According to my equipment, it is," Iron Man replied. He raised his arm and fired his repulsor once. The antenna crumpled and melted.

"Good job," Batman said.

"Hey, boss," a voice called from the doorway.

"Didn't I tell you to go busy yourself with something?" Catman snarled. He turned his head to see the form of one of his guards standing in front of him.

"Well?" Catman asked after the guard stood there, not responding to his orders. "You heard what I said! Get out of here!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Catman."

"You call me Boss, or you don't call me anything, you hear?" Catman extended the claws from his gloves and got ready to teach his recalcitrant henchman a sharp lesson.

"No, he'll call you Loser!!" the Flash said as he zoomed in. He picked up Catman by his costume's tail and spun him around about fifty times.

True to form, Catman regained his equilibrium easily.

It was then, though, that the guard transformed into the shape of the Martian Manhunter.

"Superheroes!" Catman said. "Guards!" Catman called out as Flash and J'Onn J'Onzz closed in.

"They're all quite unconscious now, Catman," J'Onn responded.

"You're outclassed, Catman," Flash added.

Catman knew it. "No one can hold a cat who doesn't want to be held!"

Catman fired a small grappling hook from one of his gauntlets at one of the windows. He prepared to sail away when the Flash raced faster than light toward the window, undid the grappling hook, and sent the Catman falling to the floor.

Catman landed on his feet, of course. While the heroes were getting ready to finish him off, Catman pressed a small button on a control pad that was attached to his belt.

Martian Manhunter used his malleability to send his fist flying across the room; it impacted against Catman's jaw once and the villain was out cold.

"So, now we take Doc Ock, and then the Joker," Spider-Man said.

"Do we split up?" Flash asked.

"Negative," replied J'Onn. "The Joker is too dangerous, and we'll need everybody for Doctor Octopus."

The six walked over to the transporter. In a flash, they returned to New York City.

Meanwhile, in the holding cells, the four captured members of the Sinister Six took special devices out of their suits.

"On the count of three, we activate these," Mysterio said. "1 . . . 2 . . . 3."

Suddenly, the force fields holding them in were disrupted. The four were free!

Stegron used his spiked tail to smash through a nearby cabinet. If there was one thing the Dinosaur Man hated, it was being imprisoned.

Doctor Phosphorous and Catman kept their distance from their dinosaurian cohort.

Mysterio walked over to the computers, and began punching in a code that he had memorized.

Stegron had calmed down a bit, and was scratching his scaly chin. "This plan nearly rivals some of my own," Stegron boasted. "We definitely outsmarted the Avengers League this time."

"It's done!" Mysterio announced. The other three came up behind him, and watched the screens as they all changed.

"Beautiful . . . " Catman said.

"The Sinister Six now has control of all satellites orbiting the Earth," Dr. Phosphorous added.

"Cell phones are out!"

"So are televisions!"

"I'm not getting certain radio stations either!"

It was a madhouse as everyone ran back and forth, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

"So far, we know it's the Sinister Six, and that they deprived New York of sound," Lois said, as she went over the story with Ben Urich.

"And we've gotten many reports of Avengers League sightings, along with Spider-Man, and another hero," Ben replied.

"I'm betting it's the Shadow. He works with Spider-Man a lot."

"Let's get cracking. We can't afford to be scooped."

The Flash zoomed around the perimeter of the building before anyone could stop him. He zoomed back just seconds later.

"As far as I can see, it looks empty," Flash commented.

"Martian Manhunter and I can scan inside for life readings," the Shadow offered.

As the two did so, Batman commented, "Something doesn't feel right."

"I know what you mean," Iron Man added. "It looks . . . different from when we were here earlier."

"Nothing," Martian Manhunter said.

"Same here," the Shadow added. "There's no one inside."

"Doctor Octopus probably went to Boston," Batman suggested.

"That's most likely," Spidey said. "That way, he can regroup, and possibly get away from us."

"I'll lock onto the teleporter signal and move us there," Iron Man said.

Seconds later, the six heroes stood in the streets of Boston. They saw Joker and Doctor Octopus standing on the steps of City Hall.

Below them were thousands of Boston's citizens, all with the same pale white face, lime green hair, and disgusting red grin as the Joker.

"Welcome, Avengers and company!" Doc Ock shouted. "In case you didn't know, our partners are roaming free on your Watchtower, and they have just taken control of all of Earth's satellites!"

"He can't be serious!" Flash exclaimed.

"I think he is," Iron Man replied. "Some of my suit's information is gathered from satellites--and they're all blocking communications!"

"They really got us now . . . " Spidey muttered.

"Citizens of Boston!" Joker shouted. "Please welcome our new permanent residents!"

Instantly, all of the Bostonians came forward, headed straight for Spider-Man, Martian Manhunter, Iron Man, Flash, the Shadow, and Batman!

And to make matters worse, Mysterio, Catman, Stegron, and Doctor Phosphorous materialized behind them.

"There's no way we can stop them!" Shadow said glumly. "Not without injuring these people!"

The crowd lurched forward toward the heroes. Iron Man used his suit to generate a force field around himself and Spider-Man.

Batman pulled Shadow aside and whispered something into the younger crimefighter's ear. Batman fired a grappling hook at a nearby building and soared up above the crowd. The Shadow followed him, nimbly crossing over to near where the Sinister Six were standing.

The crowd began beating against the force field with anything that they could use.

J'Onn looked at the crowd. He had not seen anything this crazy since that time, years ago, on Mars, when he had to help quell the Valles Marineris food riots. He remembered what one of the older members of the Martian Super Police had done - it was a feat that J'Onzz did not know whether or not he could reproduce.

As he saw Spider-Man emerge from the force field and desperately try to hold the crowd back with his webs, J'Onn knew that it was at least worth a try.

"I have to go away for a moment, friends," J'Onn said as he soared up over them. He had to get to a quiet place to concentrate - he was going to use his powers as never before. He sent an urgent mental suggestion to the Flash.

"Use your super-speed to scour the city. Find the source of the insanity - it's probably gaseous fumes that the Joker has generated."

"But what about the other guys?" Flash responded.

"If you do not find the gas, my efforts will be in vain," J'Onn urged.

Flash zipped away, leaving Iron Man and Spider-Man to face the angry crowd.

"What gives?" Spider-Man said. "It's you and me against Boston, Iron Man!"

"These people can't stop themselves," Ben said.

"I almost don't want to take pictures of this," Lois replied. "Those heroes don't stand a chance."

But she did keep taking pictures - the on-the-scene reporting would make for one of the best selling issues of The Daily Planet ever.

Silently, the Batman and the Shadow began their coordinated attack.

The Shadow crept up upon the Catman, which was an incredible feat in itself. He pinned the villain's clawed arms behind his back and kneed him in the spine. It was then easy to beat the villain into unconsciousness.

Batman went for Mysterio. He threw a Batarang with deadly accuracy at the villain's helmet. The precision of the blow shattered the helmet, disorienting Mysterio. As Mysterio fumbled for the illusion-generating controls on his belt, Batman leapt onto him and knocked him out.

There were four of the Sinister Six left now.

J'Onn J'Onzz was deep in meditation. He had finally reached the level of concentration he would need to accomplish an incredible mental feat.

Unfortunately, his persistent headaches kept working against his efforts to pool his mental strength. But he had to gather his power - the lives of everyone in Boston depended on it.

"The pain! It is nearly unbearable. But I will prevail! H'ronmeer H'rah C'rnn C'rll n'aar n'aam!!"

At that moment J'Onn was able to make contact with the collective unconscious of the crowd, that mysterious area of the human psyche that all members of our species share. J'Onn began to mentally project an image of calmness and tranquillity, working against the feelings of madness that prevailed.

It was slowly working. People were stopping their attacks on Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Flash. Men, women, and children began to wake up from their insane rage.

Stegron turned around to see Batman leaping upon him. Batman quickly threw a fume-spewing canister down the Dinosaur Man's gullet. No sooner had Stegron swallowed the small canister than his eyes rolled and he fell to the ground.

Doctor Phosphorous turned to attack the two crimefighters. In a move that they had coordinated a few moments before, Batman doffed his cape and threw it to the Shadow. Immediately, the Shadow leapt upon Doctor Phosphorous and covered him with the cape. The Shadow held the ends of the cape around Doctor Phosphorous while Batman leapt forth. Batman punched the Doctor in the face repeatedly until he went unconscious, the cape preventing Phosphorous from using his deadly touch. The villain fell to the ground; there were only Doctor Octopus and the Joker left now.

"Here's hoping I can vibrate faster than those gas particles, or I'm going to be the Craziest Man Alive instead of the Fastest!"

Flash zoomed around the huge gas-emitting canister until he found a control panel. With lightning speed he ripped off the cover and triggered a manual shutdown.

The stream of gas began to wane, and then finally wafted away into the evening air.

Doctor Octopus and the Joker turned to see that four of their comrades had been quickly knocked out.

"Fools," he muttered at his fallen comrades.

The Shadow leapt at the Joker, who was quick enough to pull out his pistol and fire some shots at the superhero. The Shadow's supernatural quickness allowed him to dodge the shots, and he was able to knock the insane villain aside.

Batman had to deal with the tentacles of Doctor Octopus. Octopus slapped them together threateningly with a metallic crash.

Batman pulled a modified Batarang from his belt. Octopus grabbed it in his tentacles - but when he grabbed it, the Batarang exploded with a flash of light. The Doctor was blinded, and it did not take Batman long to leap upon him and beat the stuffing out of him.

The Sinister Six had been defeated again - and again, it had only taken two determined heroes to stop them.

Flash zipped forward and grabbed the satellite remote control from the ground. Since the crowd had calmed down, Iron Man was able to fly over and figure out how to return the satellites to their own control.

"We did it! Earth's satellites are out of the Sinister Six's control," Flash said.

The people of Boston, shepherded by the Boston police, started to go back to their normal lives.

Batman, Martian Manhunter, the Shadow, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Flash met in the Watchtower up on the moon.

"Spider-Man and Shadow, since you were instrumental in saving the world," J'Onn stated, "I'm acting on my seniority in the League to make you honorary members of the Avengers League, with all privileges included therein."

"Awesome," said Spider-Man.

"Wow!" Shadow exclaimed.

Batman had to smile grimly at their youthful exuberance. He wished he could be as enthusiastic as the two young crimefighters, but he knew that his life of tragedy and the scum he had to deal with daily would never allow it.

"We'll generate membership cards from the security computer here in the Watchtower," J'Onn continued. "Should there be an emergency great enough, would we be able to call on you?"

"Definitely," said the Shadow. He knew that his grandfather would be very proud of him when he heard the news. Spider-Man agreed to be available as well.

No, the next time, the revenge would belong entirely to Doctor Octopus. And a sweet revenge it would be.