Chapter 8: In Pursuit of an Enemy

A huge crowd had gathered all around the Daily Bugle, and atop the building stood Spider-Man with one hand holding the web line that suspended J. Jonah Jameson in mid-air. Every channel's news crew was gathered along with Daily Bugle's own video crew shooting the whole scene. The police had put a blockade from preventing people from getting too close to the building, and their helicopter hovered around the rooftops to try and get a clean shot at Spider-Man but it was of no use, the police couldn't risk shooting him otherwise Jameson would most likely to fall about 60 storey's down to his death.

"Aren't you gonna say anything you bastard!?" said Spider-Man to a frightened chief editor. He wiggled around in mid-air as Spider-Man shook the web line.

"Oh please…please…let me down will ya?" he begged, but Spider-Man ignored all his whimpering. There were tears in his eyes that Spider-Man has never seen, and he loved every minute of it.

"You are just as much responsible for ruining my life as other low life scums in this city; tell me why should I let you go?"

"I…I…" if anything Jameson was still persistent about was trying to apologize to someone else, but it came out; this time, "Forgive me…I am sorry for whatever I did."

"Too late for apologies now Jameson, my life is ruined and so is yours. Oh wait, you will no longer have a life…" he said in cheery yet evil manner. "No life at all."

Just as he was about to let go of the web-line, he felt a slight tickle in his back. Eddie Brock stood behind the edge of the roof of the building holding an iron pipe which is what probably what the tingling sensation was a moment ago.

"Brock, why on Earth would you ever wanna try that, on ME?" Spider-Man said with a feeling of dissatisfaction. With the other hand, he fired a pressurized web ball at Brock which sent him flying across the floor of the rooftop. "Well now, where was I?"

A sudden shot of pain went through his body; it was like being on fire. The suit was in pain again. What the hell? Not now, he said in his mind. The grip on the web-line that held Jameson began to get loose. The symbiote suit began to revert back from his face revealing it. Eddie Brock, who had just got up from the floor, shook his head in disbelief. Jameson too, stared at his torturer in total shock. "Parker?" Jameson whispered under his breath. Peter looked at Jameson with blood shot eyes, consumed by hatred and rage as he struggled to hold the web-line and bear the pain brought on by the suit.

Eddie saw this as the chance to push Spider-Man off the edge of the roof, regardless of who he was, and so he dashed towards him. But it was futile, the limbs that projected out of the alien suit caught him and he felt a great force push him backwards, and he was slowly sinking into total darkness.

Spider-Man felt great relief as the pain disappeared and the alien reformed into the suit. Jameson still hadn't recovered from the shock of comprehending all those thoughts that ran through his mind and which related to the fact that Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

"Well, look on the bright side; you got your wish before you plunge to your death, you know who Spider-Man is." Spider-Man sneered.

"Peter, you…" he couldn't find anything to say, for he was in shock, felt betrayed and- saddened.

"Good bye Mr. Jameson!"

And he let go of the line. Through those white eye pieces he saw Jameson fall, fall to his death. It was relaxing sensation to have finally removed one obstacle from his path, the path to happiness.

There was now a deathly silence among the crowd, for everyone was surprised and frightened. The police helicopter opened fire, but Spider-Man was already swinging way ahead of them and then he disappeared around the corner of a building.

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Peter stared at his horrid reflection, if that was him at all in the water, looking back at him with piercing white eye pieces that were not the same as before. His suit looked different, for a moment it seemed as if the mask had a mouth opening, but he settled with the thought of it being his imagination.

He couldn't go back to his apartment, if the media had caught his face on camera during his little inner struggle with the suit, he might not be safe anywhere. He had to find some place safe to hide, to rest.

Then he felt something, it was not his spider sense, it was just an inner feeling. Something was near. He hopped out of his hiding place, behind a large central fan unit, and surveyed the rooftop of the building, nothing. Out of nowhere a hand came down and punched him in the guts. Spider-Man quickly recovered and saw his attacker.

"IRON MAN!" he shouted, enraged. "You'll betray a friend?"

"No, it is you who has betrayed us all," Iron Man replied. "You're not the same Spider-Man I knew."

"Yeah, that weakling is gone. I am the new and improved Spider-Man"

"Richards told me all about the suit; he said it is controlling you."

"Richards was right the first time, but now I control the suit. We – are – one!"

"Then you have ignored your responsibility and now I have to do what I must."

The word responsibility stirred up some unpleasant memories which only made Spider-Man more furious than ever.

"AND I'LL DO WHAT I SHOULD! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Spider-Man lunged at Iron-Man, almost like a wild animal lunging at its prey. But Iron-Man was fast enough to take off into the air. Spider-Man followed him quickly, swinging faster than ever.

"Richards, get ready!" Iron-Man spoke in his intercom, as he navigated through various buildings with Spider-man hot on his tail.

As Spider-Man fired another web-line, he got bombarded with intense pain, his grip on the web-lined loosened and he fell. Iron-Man broke his fall but Spider-Man was unusually able to recover much too quickly, he punched Iron-Man in the face, cracking his helmet. Iron-Man reacted by dropping him, as blood poured from his cracked helmet.

"Damn! This was my new helmet." Iron-Man said to himself. Richards brought his airship beside Iron-Man, who hopped in. "You okay?" Richards asked.

"Nothing I haven't tasted before. Where's our friend?"

"He got away. But we have to find him and quick."

"I agree, things have already gotten outta hands."

Richards pulled on the lever on the controls and thrusters came alive. The airship pushed forwards with great speed and the two left on a pursuit of an old friend, now an enemy.