Author's Note: So far so good. Thank you all for reading, and here lies the next chapter of the first episode. It'll be short but serve as tension building for the rest of the chappies to follow.

Chapter 3 – Secrets

Captain George Stacy engaged himself in finishing up on reading reports of increased criminal activity over the past few days. He already knew that Tombstone was being closely monitored by the major federal agencies; specifically Homeland Security, the NSA and the FBI. Due to his exposure during the fight at the opera house, L. Thompson Lincoln painted himself as a major target of the U.S. government. His criminal activities rendered him inert, since the government seized much of the finances that funded his criminal empire.

What bothered the captain were the recent trends in the reports. Cases of high-tech circuitry stolen from various military research firms. In the past few months technological thefts were happened on only a few occasions, since villains like Dr. Octopus and the Vulture were always interested in gaining whatever edge they could get to take New York City by force or put an end to its local hero: Spider-Man. He couldn't put his thumb on who exactly were behind the thefts unless he could uncover more evidence.

"Evening, Captain Stacy," a young voice called.

Stacy turned to find the vigilante in his usual red/blue attire perched on the office window. "Spider-Man, what brings you here?"

"I was hoping we could get a chance to talk in person about something. I need your input on something important."

"How can I help?" the captain asked with sincerity.

"What do you know about a group called S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

George clasped his hands against his desk and invited the web slinger to enter. The captain stood on both feet and stepped to the front door. He peeked through the blinds to make sure no one was watching and flipped them shut. His attention turned back to his young ally, whom he was thankful for saving his daughter on more than one occasion. A furtive glance gave the web slinger an indication of the nature of the organization's status. "I don't even know if I should even be telling you this."

"So they're really that secretive, huh?" Spider-Man said.

Stacy rubbed his temples and exhaled a heavy sigh. "Yeah. They're a clandestine group with a lot of government funding. I only happen to know them through my contacts at Homeland Security."

"Wow, never thought that a group like that existed."

"Now you know," Stacy said. The captain paused for a moment, considering what he should tell the wall crawler next. "Are you familiar with mutants?"

"Well, I remember reading research papers about them," the young man answered truthfully. The captain wondered what expression the boy hid behind that mask. He suspected it was one of curiosity and opted to enlighten him on the subject.

"There were a group of them that helped saved the world during what was called the Apocalypse event."

"The Apocalypse event?" Spider-Man said confused. George figured that the red-blue clad hero haven't kept up well on world events in the past year.

"Yes. S.H.I.E.L.D. was the organization that coordinated the operations in the defense of countries worldwide with these individuals against some form of invasion by a superbeing known as Apocalypse. To make a long story short, these mutants were successful in their endeavor, which led to Colonel Fury's promotion as director of the agency. While S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary mission revolves around counterterrorism, I've also heard reports that they've been engaging in illegal missions akin to the CIA. Whether it can be confirmed or denied remains to be seen.

Spider-Man's eye slits narrowed. Suspicious by nature, the wall crawler suspected Fury to have an ulterior motive in the capture of the Venom symbiote.

"If you don't mind, may I ask what this is all about?"

"Have you ever heard of an organization called HYDRA?"

The name caused George to arch an eyebrow. They never reached the major news networks or publishers, but he heard the rumors about them through his friends within the FBI. Such connections made it necessary in order to keep the citizens under his watch safe.

"A terrorist organization. Other than that, not much else came my way. Usually information like that goes to the commissioner. Why?"

"Well, Fury came to me asking for help in finding the Venom symbiote because HYDRA's looking for it."

George remained in his seat. "I'm pretty sure I didn't hear what I just heard."

"You did, and I'm going to need your help, because I don't know how ugly this situation's going to get. With Venom still on the loose, there's no telling who it could take control of next. If HYDRA's looking for this thing, they're most likely going to get help from someone inside the city."

Stacy didn't even hesitate to provide an answer. "Alright, I'll contact police units within the other precincts and have them on standby."

"Thanks, Captain," Spider-Man said, and waved George a quick farewell before he swung his way into the night.