Chapter 9: The Laws of Nature
Truth be told, Jessica Carradine was happy that Spider-Man was not dead.
When the wall-crawler had vanished for a time following a bout with Deadpool, Jessica had feared that the mercenary had succeeded where so many others had failed in doing Spider-Man in. In hindsight perhaps it wasn't a justified fear, considering that Spider-Man had faced threats just as dangerous as Deadpool and some even worse and survived every time. But even so, Jessica always worried just a bit whenever Spider-Man faced a particularly challenging foe. She did not want to be robbed of her revenge.
"I'll get him one day." She kept telling herself. "I know I will."
But of course getting that revenge was not the easiest thing. Plenty of small-timers with delusions of grandeur and/or an axe to grind had tried to take on Spider-Man and others like him, and they never got all that far. Mere mortal men and women could not challenge these kinds of people, not unless they were people who had the training, gear, and resources needed to make their revenge fantasies a reality. Jessica didn't have any of those things though. She was just a normal woman with no remarkable skills, or at least none that would serve her in any kind of fight. She needed an edge of some kind if she wanted to have a shot at Spider-Man. She needed powers of her own.
It was of course, a conclusion she had come to many times before, but acquiring such powers proved to be no less difficult a task than her planned revenge. Even though it seemed like there was a new costumed face popping up every week at this point, Jessica had apparently been passed by on that count. There were no magic potions, hyper-advanced technology, or even that prized (or reviled) Mutant X-Gene for her to call upon for powers.
Jessica slammed her fist down on the table. It wasn't fair. Spider-Man had taken her father from her and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. He probably didn't even know she existed, and probably didn't even remember her father. He and her were like ants to him.
And everyone knows what spiders do to bugs. Jessica thought, then laughing bitterly at the joke. If only there was something out there that could eat him.
-X-
With everything that had happened to Peter Parker as of late, the idea of clearing his head and just swinging around as a means of letting off steam became a highly appealing one. So it was that when night descended on New York, Peter once more donned his Spider-Man costume and took to the air on his web-lines, as he did silently hoping that there would be no trouble on this night. That this could be one night that he could have all to himself.
Swinging through the New York skyline like he had on so many a night before, Spider-Man realized that besides the general familiarity of his surroundings, it seemed that each part of New York he swung through brought back some long stored away memory or another. Some were of past battles with everyone from the Green Goblin to common street thugs, others were of his time in the black costume, a time when he became a more nocturnal creature consumed by negative emotions the symbiote went out of it's way to exacerbate. And finally, others still were about one very special woman. One who had, like his darker self always preferred night to day.
He'd chased her across New York so many times back in the day that Spider-Man wondered if there was a part of the city the two hadn't traversed in his pursuits of her, or else alongside her as allies and lovers.
Lovers. Had it really been only a few years ago that they'd ended their relationship? It had seemed to Spider-Man to be longer than that. The memories had been painful. It was not as if theirs was a completely unhappy or unloving relationship. Quite the contrary Spider-Man had loved her quite a bit. More than he had ever loved anyone else except for Gwen and Mary Jane. In fact, it was a love that after Gwen's death he didn't know if he ever could feel again. And yet for all of that he had still been the one to end it. Felicia had had love for him to spare, but only for one half of him. Feeling that that would never change, Peter reluctantly ended the relationship.
But now that Felicia had professed her continuing love for him and he was no longer with Mary Jane, what was Spider-Man to do? Should he leap on this chance, accept Black Cat's love as he had before? He wasn't sure. There was, after all the matter on whether or not Black Cat could do now what she could not in the past. However he still felt about her, Spider-Man was adamant on this matter. In order for him to love Black Cat again the way he had in the past, she would need to be able to accept both men this time around. There would be no picking and choosing like there had been before.
The problem, Spider-Man felt, was that he wasn't so sure that his old flame could do that.
-X-
She watched him from beyond.
Nestled in her own shadowy residence, itself located in a dimension parallel to the one she viewed now, an inky black form watched the red and blue human swing through the city, traversing via his webbing like a true spider, the animal whose very image he wore proudly on his chest. The image of her natural prey.
For Shathra was a Spider-Wasp, a natural enemy and evolutionary superior to the basic spider. And as with all predators, Shathra needed prey to sustain herself. More specifically prey of a totemistic variety, prey that was filled with the energies that she and other beings like her consumed and lived off of. This then was why Shathra viewed Spider-Man now. It was feeding time, and the wall-crawler was just about to become the main course.
-X-
As Spider-Man continued his swing through New York, as he did continuing to think about Black Cat and where he stood with her, he heard a male voice call out to him: "Lovely night for a swing isn't it?"
Turning to the source of the voice, Spider-Man saw nothing. Then, swinging in from overhead was none other than a man traversing via web-lines much the way Spider-Man himself did, also clad in completely white garments. He was an older man, with white hair and a face that showed it's age. However, it was also a rugged face, and the man's body was not in any way an infirm one.
"W-who are you?"
"Follow me down there if you want to talk. I don't converse in the air."
Spider-Man followed the older man as he swung down to a nearby rooftop. As he landed, the man turned to face Spider-Man, who landed shortly after him. "Now then, this is a much better place for conversation is it not?"
"Who are you?" Spider-Man asked again. "And how can you…?"
"Web swing the way you do?" the older man's wrinkly lips formed into a smile. "Oh, that's simple: because I possess the same powers you do."
Spider-Man blinked behind his mask. "What?"
"Why so disbelieving?" the old man asked quizzically. "You've spent over a decade now fighting against and alongside all manner of colorful characters. What makes my existence so hard to believe?"
Spider-Man sighed. The old man did have a point. "Alright, touche. But that still doesn't answer my question."
"Ah yes, who am I. My name is Ezekiel. And as I have already emphasized, I am like you. Well, at the very least I am like you in respects to my abilities. Identical to your own, if not quite up to your level. But then that's old age for you." Ezekiel sighed before continuing: "I've been watching you for some time. Ever since I became aware of your existence ten years ago. I've seen your fights, your adventures. Your tragedies and your triumphs. For ten years I've been watching you. And now finally I choose to intervene."
"Gee, thanks for that. I'm really flattered." Spider-Man said sarcastically before adding: "I'm not sure I like the idea of someone watching me like, well, a spider in a jar for ten years. Why the big interest in me Ezekiel? And why are you only just showing yourself now?"
"Because the time when the predators go on the hunt is drawing near. And there are predators out there Peter Parker, make no mistake about it."
Spider-Man's eyes widened in horror at the mention of his real name. "How do you-?"
Ezekiel continued, unfazed: "...predators who will not stop hunting you until they're dead...or you are. For you see Spider-Man, you are the prey these predators seek. The prey that they must feed upon every so often to keep themselves sustained."
"Sounds like a cheap, dollar-store version of Galactus. Or a vampire. Look Ezekiel, I don't know how you know who I am, or what you honestly think you're hoping to get out of me, but I…"
"This is no joke or charade that I indulge in now, I assure you." Ezekiel said sternly. "Everything I tell you now is very, very true. I have had run-ins with these predators myself. Run-ins that nearly ended my life right then and there. But I got lucky. I'm a tough old bastard you see, and my stubborn refusal to die allowed me to overcome them. And from that I know that they can be overcome. They can be defeated. And we, the prey, can conquer our supposed betters. But to do so we must be careful and precise about it. Lingering out in the open like a fool will make you nothing but a target."
"And why should I believe anything you're telling me right now?" Spider-Man demanded, still not content to trust Ezekiel in light of his knowing far more about him than he would have wanted.
"Well look at it this way: what could I possibly stand to gain from telling you all of this, and taking up your time and also my own, if I was simply out to deceive you? I am not one who spends time casually or wastefully Peter Parker. Every word I utter now is sincere."
Spider-Man paused to consider everything Ezekiel had said. The old man's motives, if not what they seemed, were hard to discern, and Spider-Man was forced to concede that Ezekiel did have a point. Why would he go through this whole charade if that was in fact all that it was? Why would he waste his time like that? And to come up with such an elaborate story too? In the end, Spider-Man had to admit that there seemed to be no logical reason for Ezekiel to be doing and saying what he was doing and saying unless it was in fact the truth.
So it was that Spider-Man sighed deeply and said: "Alright fine. I'll trust you for now. You said that some 'predators' were coming to hunt me down, and that they've hunted you down before. Why?"
"Because we are what are called 'totemistic individuals'. Beings that possess the powers and abilities of another member of the animal kingdom, in our case, spiders. It is these totemistic beings that our enemies require to survive for as long as they do. They must feed on a pure totemistic source once in a while. As individuals who possess the powers of spiders, we are two such totemistic beings."
"Wait, are you saying that my powers are some kind of mystic thing? That's ridiculous. I got my powers from being bitten by a genetically engineered 'super-spider' that transferred some of it's DNA on to me…"
"And you actually thought that that was all there was to it? You actually thought that it was mere happenstance that gave you your powers? Come now. There are no such coincidences or accidents boy. You were meant to get the powers you have now. It was your destiny."
"I don't believe in destiny." Spider-Man said. "I believe in choice."
"Believe or don't believe, it does not matter. The fact is, you're getting your powers was no accident. You're becoming a costumed do-gooder was your choice yes, as was what you chose to do with your gifts prior to that. But the acquisition of those gifts was meant to be. It was not just a mere miracle of science that turned you into who you are today, nor was it for me."
"Which reminds me…" Spider-Man said, continuing. "How did you get your spider powers?"
"The old fashioned way." Ezekiel said bluntly. "I was a young man travelling abroad at the time, already possessed of a fairly affluent existence. During my time in Africa, I came upon a man who was in fact the generation before mine's bearer of the spider's powers. He told me that his time of death was approaching, and that he had selected me as the new bearer. I told him that I wasn't the right person, but he assured me that I would suffice. And so it was that I was given the powers of the spider in a ritual that Anasi performed, the same ritual he himself had underwent as a young man. Afterwards he trained me in how to use my powers, and sent me on my way. Less than a month later, I learned he'd died."
"Anasi?"
"Not the figure of African myth if that's what you were wondering. Merely named after him."
"And you're saying I'm next in line?"
Ezekiel nodded. "Yes. I was the spider of my generation. But as you can plainly see, I'm not getting any younger. Whether by the ever-persistent predators or a more mundane cause I'm destined to die fairly soon. Perhaps if I'm lucky I could make it for another 10 or 20 years, but nevertheless I am past my prime. And a spider past his prime is hardly a spider worth keeping around. There must always be a fresh new one running about. You'll probably be succeeded yourself in about the same time I've got left to live."
"Uh, just out of curiosity, how old are you exactly?"
"77. I was born in 1936, the first of June. I got my powers when I was 21, in the summer of 1957."
"So the next spider person comes along every, what, 45 years?"
"Roughly." Ezekiel said. "There's no uniform pattern though. Some successors come right when the previous one is about ready to give up the ghost, which is how it was for me and Anasi. But others like you are early arrivals. Typically though they first appear shortly before the death of their predecessor."
"Which would mean…"
"Like I said, I don't have long to live. And even if I do manage to get in a few more years of life, the line of succession is not one for taking chances. There must always be a bearer of the powers of the spider. At this point there just happens to be two. How long that will last I cannot say. As I said, there is no uniform pattern. As it is, you should be grateful that I'm here to help you now. Most of us aren't so lucky to have our predecessor to hold our hand. I had to fend for myself."
"I'm still not sure I believe that I'm supposed to be the next 'totemistic spider' or somesuch, but I will believe that something's after me. What exactly? Can you give me any kind of details on these predators?"
"The thing you must know is that there are two kinds of people who would do us both in if they could. The first, mercifully, we have yet to encounter and with any luck will not for a little while more. Perhaps not even within the year. But the other, I fear has already crossed over into our plane of existence from her own..."
"Wait, what?"
"The second kind of predator, and the one we will be dealing with first, is another kind of totemistic individual. But in contrast to our representing the spider, she represents one of the spider's natural enemies, the spider-wasp. Simply put, she, like any predator is hungry and out to feed on her natural food source."
"Great." Spider-Man said sarcastically. "So the thing out for my head right now is to spider-wasps what we are to spiders?"
Ezekiel nodded. "Correct."
"Okay then, how do I stop it?"
"Leave that to me." Ezekiel said. "I've been preparing a trap. But without bait a trap isn't worth much. You'll need to draw the creature to the designated site."
"Wait, so you're saying I've got to be the bait?"
"The creature is going to come for you regardless. When it does, lead it to the coordinates I give you, and it'll go right into the trap I've prepared. I'll even give you a radio so we can keep in contact." Ezekiel then produced a small device for Spider-Man to put into his ear. Even though Ezekiel already knew who he was, Spider-Man still saw fit to only raise up part of his mask to expose his ear. As he did this, Spider-Man asked: "And...you're absolutely sure this trap will work?"
"Pretty sure."
"Pretty sure? That isn't good enough."
"Would you rather have a solid chance of escaping this creature and living to fight another day, or no chance at all?"
"Point taken." Spider-Man conceded before adding: "I suppose I can't just punch this thing out huh?"
Ezekiel shook his head. "No. Remember, spider-wasps are higher on the food chain then the basic spider. You will be outmatched."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Still, can't blame me for asking."
"Be ready for the creature's arrival. I am going to finish preparing my trap."
"But wait, what about-?" But before Spider-Man could even finish his sentence Ezekiel took off and was soon web-swinging away. Spider-Man's first instinct was to follow him but he remembered that Ezekiel didn't converse while web-swinging, so he'd just be wasting his time. With a sigh of frustration, Spider-Man turned in the opposite direction and swung off.
As if I didn't have enough to worry about… he thought ruefully.
-X-
Entering the spider's world was not difficult. Once the portal to it had been made it was a simple matter for Shathra to fly right through it and arrive in the brightly lit metal jungle of New York City.
All of the light and noise all at once irritated Shathra, causing her to hiss loudly and her wings to beat more intensely. But she was hardly rendered helpless by this. No, no this was an inconvenience, nothing more. It would not hinder her for long.
She sniffed out her prey. The spider's scent was somewhere in this city, and his having explored the whole of it during his many years of web-swinging ensured that just about everywhere she looked Shathra could make out the spider's aura. It would only be a matter of time before she found him.
And so, with another fierce fluttering of her insect wings, Shathra went zipping off after Spider-Man.
-X-
It came to her the day after her once again bemoaning how completely incapable of getting revenge she was. She could feel it call to her before she even saw it. Whispering to her almost. Whispering promises. It had felt her anger, her hatred. And it had liked that feeling.
So it was that Jessica made no attempt to resist when the slimy black substance slithered towards her and then bonded with her body. And in that moment Jessica Carradine felt an incredible surge of power beyond her wildest dreams. She howled in a darkly ecstatic joy as the symbiote merged with her body and turned into one half black, one half navy blue. Cruel claws jutted from her fingers and a piranha-like mouth and flicking serpent tongue appeared where her human mouth once was.
This is the edge I've been needing. Jessica thought with savage glee. This is the power I need to at last kill Spider-Man and take my revenge. Then, flinging her head back and roaring in fury, Jessica shouted: "POISON IS COMING FOR YOU SPIDER-MAN!"
"Not just yet."
Whipping around, Poison saw New Goblin hovering in front of her window on his glider. With a single punch he shattered the window and then flew through the hole made by it, the broken glass failing to pierce either his costume or Poison's symbiote-granted durability.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Poison demanded angrily.
"Your benefactor." New Goblin said matter-of-factly. "That symbiote you're bonded to was made by me. And that means you work for me now."
"The hell I…"
Poison shrieked in pain as New Goblin activated his sonic emitter and the artificial symbiote threatened to be blasted clean off of Jessica. She sank to her knees and wailed in fury and pain both before New Goblin turned the sonic emitter off.
"Make no mistake my dear. I gave you this power, and I can just as easily take it away. If you want to remain being something other than a complete nobody, you'll do as I say. And that starts with following me."
-X-
It was night when Shathra went out on the hunt once again, and also when Spider-Man decided he wanted to talk to Black Cat again, to at last figure out once and for all where he stood with her, and to see if she could do what she could not before. As he was making his way to her penthouse though, Shathra at last caught up with him.
As always his spider-sense alerted him to the danger, and this time it was such that his head felt about ready to explode as the ink-colored creature drew nearer. Clearly, Shathra's being his natural enemy resonated with his Spider-Sense.
Shathra came zipping in so fast on her insectoid wings that Spider-Man found himself hard-pressed to evade her. The spider-wasp turned and darted forward again with such quickness that she appeared to Spider-Man as being almost a blur, and once more he struggled to move out of the way in time. Remembering Ezekiel's instructions, Spider-Man began taking off, with Shathra in hot pursuit. She gained on him quickly, and twice his web-lines were sliced clean through by Shathra's claws before Spider-Man recovered and began swinging forward again.
"Ezekiel, Ezekiel! I think I've met that spider-wasp predator you were talking about. Is that trap ready yet?"
When Spider-Man got no answer, he swore under his breath before having to move out of the way of another attack from Shathra, who was already right behind him slashing and clawing at his back. One slash managed to cut Spider-Man's costume and skin both, causing the hero to howl in pain and plummet as he let go of his web-line. Another web-line managed to save him, but as he continued to swing, Spider-Man began to feel light-headed, and his arms and legs seemed to grow stiff and less responsive as he continued to swing.
Oh, that's not good…
Shathra came at him again. Spider-Man managed to avoid getting slashed again, but his web-line was not so lucky. Shathra tackled Spider-Man before he could shoot out another one, and Spider-Man in turn punched Shathra as hard as he could. His fist collided with Shathra's shadowy face, but he did not feel as much force as he had thought or wanted. Cursing how numb his limbs had become, Spider-Man moved his head out of the way of Shathra's retaliatory claw attack. Pressing his legs against Shathra's body, Spider-Man kicked himself off of the spider-wasp before she could pull him into a grapple, but once more his numbed limbs betrayed him. Not falling back as much as he wanted, Spider-Man was dismayed to see Shathra recover quickly and then pursue him once again. It was at that moment though that Ezekiel's voice at last came through: "Spider-Man? Spider-Man! Are you there?"
"Yeah, but I'm not doing well. I think Shathra poisoned me. Head's spinning and my limbs are starting to feel sluggish and numb." Spider-Man punched and kicked Shathra once more, but it took several blows to get the spider-wasp to release her grip and allow Spider-Man to swing away again.
"It's all to weaken you and make you easier prey. I'm amazed you're limbs haven't stopped moving altogether."
"Guess I'm just tough huh?" Spider-Man remarked, even though at the moment he didn't feel all that tough. As had been the case from the very beginning, bravado masked fear and uncertainty.
Sure enough, Shathra came flying towards him again. Deciding to see just how well the spider-wasp had come to know the city, Spider-Man began going out of his way to swing through narrow passes and through twisting alleyways, using everything he knew about New York to put some distance between himself and Shathra and keep out of sight. Judging by how his spider-sense buzzing in conjunction with Shathra's poison was no longer such that he felt about ready to take a power-drill to his own head, Spider-Man's strategy seemed to be working. A few more turns followed by a trip through the subway for good measure and Spider-Man's spider-sense had stopped buzzing completely, telling him he'd lost Shathra. Letting out a sigh of relief, Spider-Man slumped up against a pillar in the middle of the subway, with dozens of people now looking at him and pointing at him. Most of them seemed to find his current situation, or at least his being in the subway of all places, amusing. When a few people began getting closer and closer, some also taking out their phones, Spider-Man reasoned he needed to get up before someone unmasked him. But then as he tried to move he realized he could no longer feel his arms, as though they'd completely fallen asleep.
Oh no...Shathra's poison finished running it's course.
Or so it seemed. Fortunately, Spider-Man's legs retained enough feeling that he could stand up. Once he did, the people inching towards him had the good sense to back away. Annoyingly shoving past them, Spider-Man went back out of the subway and into the streets of New York. Once he did, everyone in view turned to look at him. Ignoring the plethora of remarks ranging from awe to derision to everything in between, Spider-Man trudged past them all and ducked into a less densely populated area, which just so happened to be an alleyway. Walking up the wall, he camped himself up on a nearby roof.
"Ezekiel? Are you still there? I lost Shathra for now, but I get the feeling she'll find me again soon. I could really use that trap of yours right about now…"
"I know. I'm in an old, abandoned section of the city's train systems. I'll guide you to it. Where are you now?"
"Near one of the subway entrances actually." Looking back down, Spider-Man was able to see what the specific number was and gave it to Ezekiel. From there the older man laid out a direction for Spider-Man to take. The hero's limbs still being numb didn't do him any favors though, and he said as much. "I'm not really sure how much longer I can go before my legs give out. I can't move my arms at all. Can you come to me?"
"That's a rather dangerous proposition, especially for me given that I'd be putting myself in harm's way."
"So you're just going to leave me here?" Spider-Man asked incredulously.
"You said you lost Shathra for a time. The poison will likely work through your system in the time it takes for her to find you again."
"I hope so. Otherwise my web-swinging days are over."
"You continue to joke in the face of your own death?" Ezekiel asked curiously.
"Not much else for me to do at this point is there?" Spider-Man retorted.
Ezekiel did not directly respond to the remark, instead giving Spider-Man directions to follow for when he was able to move again. Each minute that ticked by only caused Spider-Man's heart to race all the faster. His spider-sense was still not going off, but even so he continued to look about warily, all the while cursing his lack of mobility. He was completely helpless in his current state, and if Shathra did come…
It seemed to be several minutes more before at last Spider-Man felt feeling return to his legs. To his relief he found he could move them to at least some degree. But he was still not able to stand in full.
Come on, wake up already!
It was a few more minutes before Spider-Man was at last able to retract his legs and then stand up on them. He wobbled a bit as he did though, his legs still feeling like jello. Willing himself to keep moving rather than collapse again, Spider-Man also felt his spider-sense begin to go off again.
Oh no…
Instinct taking over, Spider-Man leaped over the edge of the building and carried himself to safety via web-line. Daring to look over his shoulder he saw a small black figure in the distance coming towards him. Knowing it was Shathra coming back for another go, Spider-Man began following the instructions Ezekiel had given him, as he did finding to his relief that his limbs began to regain the rest of their lost stamina. And a good thing too, as Shathra was quickly closing the distance between herself and her prey. Knowing what would happen if she managed to successfully cut him again, Spider-Man made sure to keep evading the spider-wasp as she closed the distance in full and began slashing and clawing once more.
The chase continued through first more of the city and then through the subway. Spider-Man didn't like luring Shathra into an area so densely packed with innocent people, but the spider-wasp had no interest in these people and flew right over their heads, single-minded in her pursuit of Spider-Man.
Deeper and deeper into the subway system the two went, away from the crowds and moving trains and off into the more abandoned and remote parts of it. Shathra smashed through barricades that indicated closed off areas without effort and reduced them to splinters, unceasing in her pursuit. Spider-Man for his part was thankful for being able to now move at something a lot closer to his top speed than before, when Shathra's poison was still in him.
Not that he was leaving his pursuer in the dust though. Quite the contrary Shathra proved able to keep up with Spider-Man, the sound of her wings buzzing ever-present in his ears. He suspected the only reason he was keeping any kind of distance between them at all was because of the more narrow confines of the subway tunnels.
Finally at long last the chase took them to a station that had been abandoned well over forty years ago. One train still rested on the tracks, now in complete disrepair and neglect. Looking around frantically, Spider-Man spotted Ezekiel keeping watch from a wall he'd stuck himself to.
"Ezekiel! I hope that trap's ready because Shathra's…"
The spider-wasp pounced on him before he could finish. Spider-Man turned to face her but for once he was too slow and too late. Shathra's claws slashed at his chest this time, and after shredding through part of his costume and drawing blood she gave him a second cut followed by a swing of the arm to knock him to the ground.
Shathra was right above him now, claws bared and wings buzzing loudly in his ears. Her glowing blue monochromatic eyes narrowed as she stared him down. She began to get closer and closer.
This time he couldn't move a muscle. He'd gotten too much of Shathra's paralyzing toxin in his veins. And with her right above him he had no chance of escaping and healing.
No, no, no….I can't die here. Not like this. Not like this…
But Spider-Man knew this was it unless Ezekiel's trap was sprung, and sprung soon. Unable to move, struggling to so much as stay awake, and completely and totally out of tricks, Spider-Man braced himself for the end. And as he did, he saw...her. He saw Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat.
Spider-Man's eyes widened in shock behind his mask as he realized this. Shathra surged forward, ready to plunge her clawed hand into Spider-Man's chest. But right before she could, she felt something sticky and adhesive stick to one of her legs. Whipping around, Shathra let out the first sound Spider-Man had ever heard her make: a screech of pure fear.
Thrashing about violently, Shathra was helpless to resist as the source of the web-line began pulling her towards it. Looking out at it, Spider-Man could see that it came from a spider easily twice the size of a grizzly bear, with massive bulging eyes that were each almost as big as his own head. Looking into those eyes made Spider-Man's blood freeze as he saw the creature Ezekiel had summoned.
Shathra hissed and screeched loudly as it cut the spider's web-lines, but the spider merely shot out more and kept unleashing them until soon Shathra was completely entangled, her wings rendered useless. She tried clawing her way out of the web cocoon, but too slow and too late. The large spider had lumbered towards her, it's jaws snapping. And the still immobilized Spider-Man had no choice but to lay there and bear witness to it. Turning his head away, Spider-Man shut his eyes behind his mask. The sounds of Shathra's ever-loudening screeches became sickening crunching and biting, until finally there was a grim, eerie silence. Spider-Man's ears could still pick up the presence of the spider, but his spider-sense was not going off. Spider-Man however did not take that as any kind of proof he was safe.
But then, Spider-Man heard the spider inch away, retreating on it's eight legs back into whatever place Ezekiel had summoned it from. Finally, Spider-Man dared to open his eyes and look around. He saw no sign of the spider anywhere, but he did see Ezekiel standing over him.
"You're welcome." he said bluntly.
"What...what was that thing?"
"The trap." the older man replied, again bluntly. "As you can plainly see, the food-chain can run in both directions sometimes."
"You...you killed her."
"As surely as she would have killed you, yes. Are you complaining?"
Spider-Man shook his head. "Not exactly. I'm glad you saved my life, it's just...I wish we hadn't had to kill her."
Ezekiel shook his head and chuckled. "Ah, you superheroes and your insistence on holding such a moral high ground. It's amusing."
"That's strange, considering I'm not laughing."
Ezekiel looked directly at Spider-Man and said seriously: "We have won this battle. And you live to fight another day. Be warned though that this was one battle, not the war. Other predators will soon come. But for now at least you have earned yourself a respite."
Spider-Man made a humorless chuckle. "For someone who's been watching me for ten years, you should know by now that I never get a respite." Spider-Man trailed off before saying: "So...how long am I gonna be like this?"
"The paralyzing agent should wear off in no more than an hour."
"Great…"
-X-
New Goblin had led Poison back to his lair, where he at last resumed his earlier conversation with her.
"This is where you will be staying when I'm not sending you off on whatever mission or task I see fit to give you. You will do everything I tell you to do, exactly as I tell you to do it. And in return for those services, you can get the power and vengeance you've always sought."
"What is this thing anyway?" Poison asked. "It makes us so strong. So powerful…"
"Well you see my dear, in the time that my associate Hybrid has been in my employ, I have taken the liberty of studying his symbiote, or rather symbiotes, to see what makes up their being. And from this, I found a way to...shall we say, make my own. What is bonded to you is one such specimen. An artificially grown Symbiote, based on the DNA I acquired from the Venom and Carnage symbiote samples that make up Hybrid's being. It takes mostly after the Venom portion, and while nowhere near as powerful as the true Venom symbiote, it still serves it's purpose quite nicely. Or rather it would, if it had a host…but I can see that that particular issue has been resolved. You are now a symbiote being, with power all your own."
"Yes...I can feel it. The symbiote's giving me strength beyond anything I've ever had before. It feels great. I feel like I can take Spider-Man."
"Don't let your taste of power dull your common sense. You may be superhuman now, but you're also not as powerful as the symbiote whose DNA makes up yours. And Spider-Man is by this point no stranger to facing symbiotes. If you want your revenge, you're going to have to come up with a plan a bit more well-thought out than just running after him and hoping for the best. Lucky you, I already have a plan. Always do."
"And what plan is that?" Poison demanded.
New Goblin smiled behind his mask. "Well for starters, you'll be hunting in packs." And then, with the push of a button New Goblin had a wall slide back to reveal a quintet of figures in the shadows. The pack of either hunching or towering figures came out of the shadows and revealed themselves to be symbiote beings same as Poison. The two most muscular both bore a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, with the biggest of them all looking much like Carnage only blue in color instead of red and also more muscular. The other bulky one was a mustard yellow, with large, almost oversized clawed hands. He hunched over while the blue one stood upright, showing off a massive thorax with pride.
The third male of the group was of a more average size, height, and build. He was a forest green in color, with chartreuse colored eyeholes akin to the white ones on Spider-Man's mask. Writhing, green whip-like tendrils protruded from his back and upper arms.
And finally there were the two females. One was mostly a purple so dark it might as well have been black, with a lighter, amethyst purple representing her torso, hands, and "hair". Her face was like a dark purple, female version of Venom's face and she snarled upon seeing Poison.
The second female was mostly yellow with blotches of dark orange on her legs and arms, as well as part of her hair. Like the purple one, her face looked like Venom's, and unlike the purple one her face was ebony black.
"Meet your fellow bearers of artificial symbiotes: Riot, Phage, Lasher, Agony, and Scream. Each of you will have a role to play in my own revenge against Spider-Man, among other prizes. When the time is right, I intend to unleash you on Spider-Man and at last remove him from my hair. And in addition I also seek the removal of Venom, the one symbiote being I don't see myself making any good use of."
"But we'll still get to kill Spider-Man right?" Poison asked.
"Assuming your colorful cohorts here don't beat you to the death blow, yes. But the time for that hasn't come yet. No, right now I have a different mission for you."
"And what's that?"
"Hybrid claims to have sensed the emergence of a new symbiote, the spawn of Carnage apparently. You and the others there are to retrieve this symbiote and bring it to me."
"What if it's already gotten it's own host?"
"Isn't it obvious? Convince him to join us, and if he refuses, kill him. No matter what, I will have that symbiote."
Poison nodded. "Alright fine. And then we get to kill Spider-Man right?"
New Goblin smiled and nodded. "But of course."
Author's Note: Introduced a lot of new characters here, so let's just get right to the trivia:
Shathra and Ezekiel are characters in 616 that first appeared in the early 2000s during the John Romita Jr./JMS run of Amazing Spider-Man. Shathra was pretty much exactly the same in 616 as she is here, whereas Ezekiel was more of a selfish, amoral jerk. My version of him is more of a clear-cut ally to Spider-Man.
Riot, Phage, Lasher, Agony, and Scream are all actual Symbiote characters that were created in the 1990s when Venom was basically becoming a victim of his own popularity. They weren't exactly great or well-thought out characters, but I figured I could still include them in my Marvel Universe as superpowered flunkies to New Goblin. In 616 they were not artificially grown symbiotes but rather spawn of Venom just like Carnage.
Continuing from the above, I thought I'd take the time to point out that this and the previous chapter will likely segway into a Toxin-centric spin-off that will also feature Agent Venom. But that's not coming until later. Gotta finish this story first after all. But hey, this one's almost two thirds done. That's worth something right?
