Author's Note: I have also revised chapter's 1-4

Chapter 10: Exit Wounds

Inside of the New Avengers base of operations, the recently returned Secret Avengers team sat on chairs along a long table within the conference room. Each of them had long before removed the masks which covered their faces. Logan wore a new shirt depicting the word "stud" to replace the black one which had been ripped to shreds while attempting to cut the Venom symbiote from his body just shortly before returning to base.

Marc Spector slouched in his chair, shifting from the gnawing pain which struck from his wounds underneath the bandages on his right side he had received from the symbiote Wolverine. He was still wearing his hood with the mask laid on the long conference table with the various, pistols and tools he kept on his person. He was tired and on edge from the last mission. Though his adrenaline dulled the pain, he was no longer active and attempted to keep himself together by baring the pain since he was not bleeding out severely.

Matt Murdock sat with his head aimlessly arched toward the ceiling with his red colored shades covering his eyes, not that he could see. His black leather suit was also torn with cuts from the adamantium blades of the symbiote but nothing too severe. His wrist blades sat in front of him on the table with dried bleed upon their edges. One would think he was avoid the shame of the act which he had commit with those blades.

Peter's torn Waldoes were bundled together within a sack of webbing in front of him next to his chair on the floor. Like the others he waited for Luke of somebody to come through the door. He was the only team member who was still wearing his mask.

The door off to the right side of the room slide open and the four heroes looked up to find Danny Rand, the Iron Fist standing there.

"Somebody order a healer?" he said as he attempted to bring humor to the silent room with an uplifting smile.

Rand walked into the room in green pants with yellow trimming. The symbol of the dragon Shou Lou on his bare chest like a black tattoo. In his left hand was an old leather-bound book. The corners of it were tearing and the pages inside were dark brown from aging over an extensive amount of time. He approached Marc first because of all the four, he had taken the most damage which put him in front of the line. Danny sat on his knees next to Marc and laid his old leather-bound book on the floor open to a specific page littered with ancient and strange text.

Danny read the ancient text with his forefinger reading moving across its smooth surface. While maintaining silence he meditated in the floor with his hands pressed together. Within him laid great powers that until recently had gone untapped. Rather than simply fighting with Martial Arts, Danny realized that he could do more than simply throw a dense punch. By channeling his Chi, the natural energy of life which coursed through his body could in fact do other things such as heal. Sweat began to build up on his forehead.

As he pressed his hands against Marc's bandages, the golden light flowed through it and into the cuts. Torn flesh is mended and cells reconnect as though they were never apart slowly. Marc groaned in discomfort as he tried to stay still as the pain intensified during this time.

"Try not to move so much."

"Just finish it"

The light from Danny's hands fed into the wound and began to fade when the healing was close to finishing. Danny took a moment, breathing deep three times before standing on his two feet. He picked up his book as Marc checked his bandages to find that his skin was as good as new.

"I didn't know you could do that" said Marc with a surprised look on his face.

"Neither did I, but I recently got this book, the book of the Iron Fist. Kind of cliché but I have a lot more to learn."

Recently Danny had acquired an item of immeasurable value, the book of the Iron Fist. The ancient tome within his hands was a written record from all of the predecessors of the Iron Fist's secrets and techniques for the next generation to learn and decipher. It was his predecessor, by the name Orson Randal, had found Daniel and handed him the book for the purpose of bettering him for the threats that would come from the future of the future. Healing was only the first of many new possibilities for the young Dragon and the use of his chi. He was not simply a weapon but a being of universal understanding.

He then turned his attention toward Matt who waited patiently in his seat. He became a bit dazed after he repeated the process on Matt Murdock. Sometimes after taxing his powers he couldn't use them for hours at a time such as that moment. Perhaps there was a part of the book to make up for those drawbacks and make him stronger but only time would tell.

With his book in hand, Danny looked to Peter who gave no gesture that he was injured as he never made eye contact. The Iron Fist took it as a sign of good faith and made his exit from the room as Luke was entering.

Luke entered the room alone, wearing his black t-shirt and blue jeans. He took a seat at the head of the table and didn't say anything at first but rather let the moment sink in for a bit before asking what happened on the ship. Logan was about ready to stand from his seat to make a statement when Cage put his hand up, gesturing that the man would have his chance to speak his piece but this was not it.

Having just come back from learning of Jessica's present state with the watchful eye of Doctor Strange it was time to hear the teams story.

He asked the team to recount the events which unfolded on the freighter. They played through everything that they could, starting with Peter's decent from the plane to the details about the N.S. soldiers. The ambush shortly after which led to the methods used to secure their mission and complications that venom presented were discussed, including the part when Peter stuffed a grenade in to symbiote Wolverine's mouth; which Logan was not too keen on hearing. Luke hung onto every word.

"In his defense" said Logan. "I think the kid's heart was in the right place, aside from blowing me up."

The MGH operation had turned out to be bigger than expected and Fillmore, the doctor responsible for the N.S. serum had gotten away but the team Managed to retrieve Jessica Drew which was a win despite her missing arm. Cage had been ecstatic, a teammate thought dead was in fact alive and now under the watchful eye of friends but there was one problem that everyone was waiting to come up. The proverbial elephant in the room that was waiting till last to be discussed. A code of ethics which had be violated and nearly put the entire team in danger and why was that? Perhaps simply because of good intentions and without the aid of forethought.

The spider probably meant to do some good but from a lack of being in the thick of the war for civil liberties, such caution must have slipped his mind. The way that the news broadcast played venom died And Mac Gargan was rendered without the use of his legs by damage to his spine which was most likely self-inflicted.

"Did you know he had that thing with him?" questioned Luke as he looked Marc directly in the eye.

Marc looked back at Luke without blinking, unaffected by his tone. Folding his arms, Marc lazed back in his chair "It wasn't my place to say."

"Wasn't your place?" retorted Luke shocked at the lack of urgency of the situation. "A man brings an alien (that's supposed to dead) to a black ops mission, putting all of your lives in further danger and you didn't think it was pertinent to share?"

Peter could feel it, that nagging sign of guilt in the back of his mind again. Even with his new approach to dealing with pain and hazards like venom he could still feel the slightest guilt for Marc as he took heat from cage for a secret that he kept. Why was this the case? Marc could defend himself, clear and simple and if anything it was surprise that he didn't tell him when they first arrived to the base.

Peter interjected Luke's questioning with a curt demeanor "I had a clear chance at saving her so I took it. I did the same thing to Marc in Harlem and it kept us alive."

"But you said it yourself, you almost lost your life and Jessica after it crushed your sound device and because you failed to inform the team that you had it they weren't equipped to stop it if you failed. That thing is supposed to be dead anyway, why do you still have it."

The Spider-Man said nothing as he was corrected. Cage had been right after all. For all of his actions, peter was still sloppy but why debate about it?

"Though Venom may be dangerous its abilities can help us."

Cage looked away from his team. He couldn't bring himself to tell them the bad news to their faces after just bringing home a win. It turned out that Jessica was in a comatose state which could last for an undetermined amount of time surmised by Doctor Strange. It was discussed that if left unchecked, Venom could seize control and suppress Jessica's mind and all of the information she gathered would be lost within the depths of her mind, held ransom by the alien.

"We should get ready for a separation attempt in a few days" said Peter

"A few days!"

"That is about the amount of time it takes Venom to permanently bond to a host. It took too much damage on the ship and Jessica is weak too. There is a chance that separating them now may kill both and we don't know what Jessica found out while on the ship."

The male formally known as power man gave a long and hard look, plagued with thoughts by weighing the pros and cons of his decision. On one hand the creature could die which was one less variable to worry about but on the other, the gift of having Jessica back alive would have been an utter waste.

Peter was always smart, maybe not so much as Reed Richards, but the kid had a way of turning the tide in his own way. Luke stood up from his seat, while still looking at Peter. "Just explain to me why? I want to hear why did you keep it alive."

Peter recalled the day that he separated from the Symbiote at the bell tower. The heavy ringing of the bell had purged it from his body but the noise was exceedingly difficult to overcome and Peter fell unconscious. He was sure to die in his desperate attempt but then somehow later he found himself alive. He had awaken a considerable distance away from where he was. It could only mean one thing, the alien saved him from certain death.

That incident coupled together with recent events confirm the love/hate relationship. It was daredevil that once asked Peter the question, "What if Eddie Brock was a victim of the Symbiote's rage"? During a court case where Matt was Brock's attorney, attempting to stop the death penalty but the question persisted over time until Eddie sold it. Now he was a sickly man, allowing the cancer to eat away at his body and paying penance for his past until his life's conclusion.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

With a lump in his throat Luke swallowed his pride and had agreed not to press the subject. "Alright, we'll do this your way. But if Jessica doesn't make it, your alien friend doesn't either."

"That's fair" Peter nodded.

Now Marc Spector rose from his seat as he pulled a book from under the cover of his hoody and placed it on the table, pointing at it as he spoke his piece. "Now that that's over we need to talk about the Shadow Man, he is a problem waiting to happen."

As far as Luke was concerned the incident was sure to remain fresh within his mind for some time to come but the notebook had his attention.

Marc just watched the other four men as their eyes were drawn to the book. Logan and Matt were stunned. Marc hadn't told anyone about the discovery he had made. In the middle of a discussion about keeping secrets, the fist of Khonshu had held one himself. Looking at the book on the table was a small personal journal with no brand and no special markings.

Back on the ship, while Matt chased after Wolverine, Marc noticed the book by the board full of equations amongst glass and dust. Its pages were filled with encrypted notes which were indecipherable and wherever the key was being kept it was kept separate from its counterpart. However, upon further investigation there was a single line of digits in the back of the last page, perhaps coordinates.

A hologram of the Earth formed in the center of the table in an array of blue lights. Luke took hold of the journal and input the digits at the computer console and everyone waited for result.

A sliver of hope rang out as everyone gauged the globe, except for Daredevil who listened for everyone else's reactions. It took a moment but an answer finally came. A red dot flared, sitting in an unfamiliar area of South America, somewhere with that seemed to be void of vegetation. Upon further investigation, the only town close by was Humberstone, a saltpeter refinery located in Chile, South America which had remained abandoned since 1960.

Could more answers be waiting for them? The doctor's ship was close to Europe before it went down and there weren't any ports close by there. Perhaps some kind of clue or maybe nothing at all but there was a larger scope developing and this information warranted a investigated and just two days of breakthroughs.

Wolverine suggested they wait a few days for Jessica's separation to organize the Secret Avengers for another mission but Moon Knight had a different idea. The logic was simple, you don't send a team to an unconfirmed location in another country without intelligence, for there was still a chance that the numbers meant something else entirely. Recon was essential in their current war with the Shadow Man, having now crossed paths with his forces twice in such a short amount of time, they were surely on his radar now. The former proposed plan was too reckless to follow through.

Marc had a plan, he alone would travel to investigate and report back his findings. Cage was a bit shocked to hear that the former mercenary had offered his services this time around but in truth, black ops work was always a part of him. He lived a hard life before dawning the white cape but even more than that was a voice urging him to take the mission. Khonshu, the moon god whispered into his ear like a wise advisor.

He could afford to make the trip himself with money he hid in storage for a rainy day but it would take time to get there. The New Avengers leader agreed with Marc but was reluctant to send anyone there alone. The former Spider-Woman was hurt at the hands of the Shadow Man, so it felt like there was a personal stake in finding some inkling of her oppressors but was it worth losing another?

Moon Knight had taken that choice from Cage, it was he who found the journal, and with the location it was his choice to decide if he would go or not because he wasn't really a New Avenger. If anything Marc was freelance and could do what he wished and his mind was already made up.

Still, if he couldn't keep Marc from going but perhaps he should send someone with him to keep him alive. He flapped his hands up and down, signaling for his team members to take their seats as he thought on the matter. Finally Cage nodded in approval to allow him to go.

"Fine, have it your way. I can't stop you but I want to keep in contact, I'll see what Strange can cook up for communication."

"I think I will just use a burner as a dead drop, you know, like humans do."

"Then how do we get the information?"

"I'll give you one too but never pick up and only check for voicemails."

In the world of espionage a system was necessary to keep off of the public eye's radar much as possible. No actual calls meant that shield had no calls to trace and a disposable phone made it easy to escape being tracked through a sim card.

The leader of the New Avengers took the small leather bound book and went through the process of scanning each page until the whole of it was in digital form on the control console behind his chair. He then handed the book back to Marc and dismissed all of his associates from the board room, all except for Daredevil who was stopped by the sound of a low whistle.

Luke was still looking at the text on the digitized pages when Matt approached him from behind.

"How was he on the mission?" said Luke in a curious way as he slightly squinted his eyes "I mean Peter."

Murdock ran his right hand through his ember colored hair, ruffling it. He wanted to be careful with his words, being sure not to rouse suspicion toward a person he considered a friend for a greater part of his adult life.

"I know how you and Logan feel" said Luke with assurance as he continued to sort the photos into a file. "It's like getting a family member back but I'm not talking to you as a leader. What was your opinion of him on the ship?"

"He seemed shaken a little by Venom but something did happen. Toward the end when he spoke to Venom, threatened to use a grenade and risk killing Jessica in the process if it didn't give up."

"And was he lying?"

"Not too sure. His heart did beat fast but it may have just been the adrenaline. You don't think he would have done it do you?"

"I hope not but in a year a lot of things can happen" said Luke as he rubbed the back of his own neck in discomfort. "Notice that when he came back he never mentioned a thing about his wife but made a statement about taking down Registration no matter the cost. Try to keep him within an earshot."

"Ok but are you really going to let Moon Knight go to South America alone? I know he is a loner but this "Shadow Man" plays rough."

Luke allowed Marc to go but he wasn't about to risk the life of another ally to anything else. Even at the risk of losing two, the thought of knowing that two people out in the field his mind more at ease. Even though he technically survived twice his life was still on the line against an army of super soldiers

"Hell no, he needs backup whether he wants it or not. Luckily we have just the guy for the job."

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

The Iron Spider found himself separated from Logan and the rest of the team, walking back to his room for peace and quiet to plan his next move. Now there was the trouble of re-capturing the Venom symbiote and few house hold materials to make the process run as smoothly as possible.

He entered his room and tossed his red and gold mask on the bed, left his web sack of Waldoes in a corner and went straight for his duffle bag. Shifting around the cloths until he fished out a partially worn photograph and sat at the foot of the bed. He soaked in the moment for some time until the door slid open with Marc, still wearing his reaper uniform. Peter simply looked at him in silence, wishing to be alone for a bit longer without intrusion. He assumed that the Mysterious Marc wanted nothing more than to say goodbye but he was mistaken. Marc walked inside of the room as if he had done nothing wrong and approached Peter's desk which stood against the far wall.

Once he reached the desk, the lunar warrior dug his left hand into his pocket and place a container filled with silver liquid upon it. Peter's eyes narrowed. Apparently the journal wasn't the only thing Marc took from the ship. He must have seen Peter looking at the object when the team first entered the lab and then again after the team was under attack. He also must have seen his own reluctance to take it and figured it was something the Peter wanted and might need at some point. After leaving the object in his comrade's possession, Marc made his way back to the door when Peter stopped him with his words.

"Where is the syringe?"

Marc stopped dead at the threshold of the doorway, only turning his head slightly to look Peter in the face. "Sorry, that was all I got. I'm sure you can figure something out. By the way, we're going to celebrate the mission in a bit so don't be surprised when Logan sniffs you out."

Peter still had his head arched low but his eyes still fixed of the former mercenary. "You're going after Shadow Man?"

"Like I said on the ship, I answer to a higher power. Khonshu sees the MGH and NS as a blight that needs to be dealt with vengeance, which is what I do best. You do what you came here to do and give Stark hell in the meantime."

Marc disappeared behind the sliding door and once again Peter was left to his thoughts after looking at his photograph some more before laying back with his hands folded underneath his head. Simply attempting to clear his mind and just drift into the veil of sleep.

It wasn't long before a knock sounded at his door. He lazily rolled onto his torso into the right side up position and weakly invited the guest.

Luke, in his large form did not enter the room but instead gestured Peter to exit after him.

The spider shook off the sense of drowsiness and rose to his feet. Side by side the two walked down a vacant hallway, the personal effects of captured comrades were left in the rooms they occupied, untouched and left to gather dust. The doors were left open to serve as reminders to those who still needed help, trapped in the grip of the enemy.

One on the rooms had a poster which had been torn at all four corners. It exhibited Captain America during the World War II era, leading the charge on the battlefield. In his bright colors the picture brought back more memorable moments than the statue which stood in the Stark tower lobby. At the Captain's side was the young boy, Bucky Barnes in his matching red white and blue colors to his mentor.

This little tour must have been to make a sort of point. To show the extent to which the team was pushed, that everyone was pushed to.
The walked up a small case of stairs and stopped at a balcony which oversaw the lounge area. Down below were swivel chairs and even a couple couches. A small group of young teens gathered in a circle and wide awake though it was late. Word of the Secret Avengers recent mission was all they could talk about until cage told them to get to bed; at which point they dispersed to their rooms.

Peter assumed that this conversation might have something to do with the ethics and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"So what's this about Luke?"

"When you first got here you asked me what happened, to my wife" said Luke as he leaned onto the railing.

Peter nodded in agreement.

"It happened after the team moved to the Sanctum Santorum. The Hood raided the place with a bunch of thugs scared my wife Jessica. She was so fearful for our daughter Danielle's safety that she ran to Stark for Protection and we stopped talking afterwards. At that point I was about ready to pack it in."

"So why didn't you?"

"Old fashioned stubbornness I guess. In the past, Civil Rights leaders went through hell just so that a man like me could sit at the same table with a man like Stark. They didn't give up, even after all the death threats. One year ago we were divided into two sides but I believe we will make it right at some point. We have to sway the hearts of the people to see our view, to see that we don't need to get paid to do the right thing or take responsibility."

"That was a good speech but how do you plan to accomplish it?"

"We figure out what Phase two is and get our people out of the negative zone. I even have something for you see"

The spider followed Cage to another part of the seemingly vast domicile down into what seemed to be a basement. The room was dark and white tarp covered heaps of tools and metal parts of different shapes.

Whatever they were for, the parts were accumulated over time. The construction of something that had yet to see completion had already begun. Nuts and bolts littered the floor, screws and wiring were grouped together in bungles. Cage led Peter to the tarp covering the largest mountain of parts and lifted it so that they could get a better look. Peter's interest had instantly reached a fever pitch.

"You built one?" Said Peter, straining to suppress the curiosity of his scientific mind.

"We tried to, but the problem is none of us had the brain power to make it work. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Luke also pointed out that there were thick books staked in a corner, waiting to be read.

"You can get started when you have the time. For now there is the Jessica/Venom situation and I saw the damage to your suit. It's going to be really busy around here from now on, do you think you can handle it?"

"It's what I came back for."

Luke thought that having Peter on board was a given at this point.

"I know that something happened to you and it's cool so I won't pry. I just need you to be more careful and inform me if you do anything else "unexpected"."

Peter agreed but noted that Luke might not like what he hears.

As the two walked up from the basement Logan came up from behind the two and places his large hairy arms around their necks like a hopeless drunk. He had come to steal Peter away from cage on the principle that regardless of the circumstances a celebration was in order for the Secret Avengers. He tore the two apart from each other, dragging Peter away with the beer splashing out of the bottle.

"C'mere Pete, Team meeting over in the lounge"

Marc and Matt both had taken seats at the chairs in the lounge area with a cooler in between them filled with a variety of beers. Everyone seat together in a circle, the beers exchanged hands until everybody had one. Because he had interrupted the bet between Matt and Marc, Logan had been gracious enough to supply the beers from his stash to celebrate.

"Seeing as how I interrupted the bet between a former lawyer and mercenary it only seemed right to do this but I ain't made of money, just hard to replace."

Jokingly, everyone laughed except for Peter who only gave a light smirk chuckled.

"But seriously, this team has seen a lot of people close to us taken away. I know Cap wouldn't approve of the way I get things done but I know he would appreciate how much good we do. We do this for him and all the good of the world. A toast… to Cap."

The four team members clanked their glasses together, causing the resulted noise to echo through the hollow room. The air smelled of ale, the room was filled from laughter which made it hard for others to sleep. They drank and played dominos, talked about what was to come for their resistance until dawn had long since passed.

Do you really think you can control it?" inquired Logan about the alien lifeform.

I never said I could control it completely but you never know. The Avengers did have the Hulk for a time."

"Until he was sent out into space" added Matt.

"Yeah well, he's going to be pissed if he ever gets back" said Peter. Everyone looked at each other picturing that a battle with the Hulk would surely level Manhattan Island.

All was well and everyone enjoyed themselves until Logan put a stop to their gathering when the last beer floated in the cooler whose ice had melted into a miniature pool of cool water. He appointed himself the only one to sip the last of the bottled brew as the group said their goodbyes to one another and broke off.

Marc helped the dazed Spider back to his room and guided him to his bed and let himself out.

"I think the kid has grown on me Khonshu, Does that make us Friends?"

"You must remain focused. The Spider has his own task ahead of him, as do you"

With his goodbyes said, the white knight took all of the things that he needed and left the New Avengers base behind in a flash of green light as a black feline made her entrance through the veil.