He began to strike the barrier that kept him in the void. Something or someone put it there, and he was tired of it. All he could feel was an endless rage and desperation as he struck. There was no way of telling whether or not he was making progress as his fists bounced off the invisible surface.

With every strike, however, the barrier revealed a window to the other side for just a second. He could see things more clearly with each attack. There were structures and objects and people he could see.

People; those who exist beyond just himself. Why was he born here and not with them? Or, was he put here? How many more times must he ask this question before getting an answer?

All he knew was this; it was time to get out and find the truth.

…

The monsters shuffled around the arachnid hero as he pressed his heel into the fallen nomu before him. The dust had only just settled enough for everyone to see him triumphant over his opponent. Mirko could just make out his appearance beyond the ring of fire. For the first time that night, she was happy.

"Ehhh," Spider-Man waved to her, "What's up, doc?"

And suddenly, she wanted to kick him.

The nomu growled at him and charged all at once. As his spider-sense triggered, he leapt upward and let them crash into each other, before webbing them together.

"Batter, batter, swing!" he shouted as he pulled on the web and swung them into the air, before pulling them back and slamming them into the street, "I got these guys!" He called out to Mirko, "Kick his ass!"

There was an obvious trust between them. The shift was almost immediate; where before, she wanted only to protect him as though he were an endangered animal, now, she had complete faith he would have his back.

With the ring of fire still sustained by Endeavor, Mirko focused her attention back on the parasite before her. The man inside was drowning and didn't even know it. How was she supposed to separate the two, even with Endeavors help?

"Come on, Brock!" She taunted, "Don't tell me you can't keep up!"

In his rage, Venom charged forward like a rabid bull. Rather than dodge, Mirko held her ground and locked her fingers with his, holding him back and using her powerful legs as support. The ground beneath them cracked with the tension as their heads butt together.

Strangely, she found herself enjoying this fight.

As the two fought, Endeavor tried to maintain the ring of fire, but the nomu were beginning to get closer as they climbed the building he stood upon. He could take them out, easy, but doing so would allow the true monster to escape, and that wasn't something he could allow.

As the kid would put it, this was his responsibility.

A muscular nomu finally made it to the roof and prepared to launch itself onto the burning hero. Just as it jumped into the air, entering the corner of Endeavors vision, it was suddenly stopped midair before dropping to the ground before his feet.

A web attached itself to the nomu's back and tugged, forcing it onto it's knees before Spider-Mans fist came crashing down on it's head, knocking it out as its face slammed into the roof.

"I like that move!" Spider-Man said, "It's very effective!"

"It's about time you joined us!" Endeavor scolded.

"I missed you, too!"

With one Nomu down, two more came from behind him. His spider-sensed warned of their attack and pushed him to flip over their shoulders, grabbing their heads from behind and pulling them onto their backs. He webbed them down by the chest as they struggled to escape. His senses rang again, this time too slow to warn him before a flying nomu tackled him from behind and flew him into the air.

Since the buildings in this area were short, he knew he'd have a small window to swing on his way down. The nomu attacked with instinct; nothing but rage and bloodlust existed in its eyes. Regardless, they were its weak point as Spider-Man struck and blinded it, forcing it to release him as it covered its face.

Going into a dive, Spider-Man released his web wings to glide safely back onto the street.

With the nomu temporarily incapacitated, Venom had finally begun to feel threatened. He continued pushing against the grip of the rabbit hero, who's grin had only fueled his rage further.

"Time to end this little game!" Shouted the monster as he drove his hands into the ground. Tendrils extended from the symbiote and broke through the ground, shooting back out and breaking open the ring of fire. An opening formed behind Mirko, allowing Venom to quickly jump over her and outward.

Just as he made it over, Spider-Man came in from above and elbowed the back of his head. Venoms body collided quickly with the ground, just outside the flames. His recover was quick as he grabbed Spider-Man with both hands, only for Mirko to side-kick Venom away onto the sidewalk.

"Appreciate the save," Spider-Man complimented.

"Don't," She grabbed his shoulders tightly and pressed her forehead aggressively on his, "Ever. Get. Kidnapped. Again."

"…Yes, ma'am?"

She ruffled his head and let him go, satisfied with her performance.

Another powerful roar came from the symbiotic creature, acting as a call for help which more nomu responded to. The creatures surrounded the street, pinning the spider and the rabbit back-to-back. Both on ground and in the air, they were completely cornered.

Venom didn't know how he was communicating with the Nomu. They translated his roars of pain as a call for help, treating him as one of them. No, it wasn't him, it was the symbiote. It was speaking with them, treating them as family. Why? How?

As several explosions erupted in the distance, Endeavor looked on toward those who needed his aid.

"Go!" Spider-Man called out, "Help the others! We got this!"

"I can't! You need me!"

"They need you more!"

His quirk was the best weapon against Venom, but he also knew that he was the Number 2 hero in the country, and there were innocent civilians who needed his protection. The two heroes down on the street seemed so confident in their own abilities. As much as he didn't want to just trust him, his sense of duty overwhelmed his decision.

With nothing more than a nod, Endeavor used his flames to fly off toward the rest of the crisis.

"So," Spider-Man suggested, "I'll take the dozen on the left, you take the dozen on the right."

"Screw you! I'll take a dozen and one!"

"That's the spirit!"

As the nomu came at them, they stuck their backs together and fought them off one by one. Many blows were traded, but the nomu started to dwindle in numbers against the fierce heroes. Venom just watched as the nomu tried to overwhelm them with numbers, outdone by sheer strength and skill.

Look how they persist said the voice in Venoms head, We should kill them, now.

"Why does she keep trying?" Asked Venom aloud, "Why does she try to …separate us?"

She fears our power, just as all who meet us. Even the nomu bow their heads in our presence.

"They are monsters. What does that make us?"

King of the monsters.

Eddie never saw himself as a king, or even someone of high value. Yet, how ironic was it that the only ones to worship him in such a way would be monsters who looked so eerily similar to himself?

The two heroes managed to fight off the last of the villain fodder. Their breath caught up to them with a limp and a whine. Even for super powered individuals, that was an overwhelming confrontation.

"Still with me?" asked Mirko.

Spider-Man responded with an exasperated 'Yeeeeee' and a thumbs up to marry it.

Venoms feet crashed down before them, surrounded by fallen nomu. The anger within the symbiote was like a horde of fire ants all biting individual cells of his skin. It wanted revenge; it wanted to kill everything and everyone who stood in its path.

The man underneath was simply drowning in these feelings.

"That's enough, Eddie!" Spider-Man shouted, "This has to stop!"

"It stops when your heart does!" he shouted back.

"That's the symbiote talking, not you!"

"Shut up!"

He charged forward. Mirko pushed Spidey out of the way and took the tackle from the monster. She kept her feet on the ground as they dragged. Her back collided with a lamppost which bent and fell to the side. Wrapping her arms around Venom, she flipped him over and slammed his head into the ground.

Venom rolled to his feet just as Mirko kicked him away. Spidey jumped to her side and grabbed the broken lamppost, snapping the cables which tethered it to the ground. Before Venom could recover, Spidey swatted him like a baseball, colliding his body with a nearby abandoned truck.

As the symbiote healed the mans broken body, Venom picked up the now dented truck and hurled it at the duo. Mirko tried again to push Spidey out of the way and simply kick the truck, but Spider-Man used his equal strength to swat her arm away and hold his hands out. The truck landed front first into his arms and pushed against him with its weight. It titled and shook, but remained aloft.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" Spidey asked.

"Doing what?!"

Spidey quickly put the truck down with a loud clank and thud, "You don't have to try so hard to protect me, Mirko."

"Yes, I do. You were my responsibility and I-"

"Stop it. You did not fail me. You did not let me down. You did not screw up. The other thing you're apparently not doing is trusting me."

"…I'm not good at trusting."

"Learn. I get that working with someone is new for you, but you gotta remember I'm just as strong as you."

"Debatable."

"We will have that debate."

Venom launched himself again at the heroes. This time, Spider-Man leapt forward to meet them as their bodies collided with a shockwave born from the impact. They traded more blows, with Venom finding it harder and harder to hit him due to his smaller size and greater mobility.

Spidey eventually caught Venoms fists in his hands and held them there, trying to restrict his movement as much as possible.

"You ruined us, Parker!" Venom shouted, reinforcing his hatred, "Now you must die!"

It was the same speech every time they met; how Peter had ruined the lives of both Eddie and the symbiote. Eddie, whom he embarrassed publicly at the Daily Bugle instead of handling the matter quietly. The Symbiote, who despite it's manipulative tactics, really just wanted companionship with a host, as was its species directive. Both their methods were questionable, but the motives less so.

What could he say now that he hasn't already said? Perhaps the only words he had avoided saying with truth and feeling.

"I'm sorry!"

When Venom heard those words, he eased the pressure of his fists upon his enemy, "…What?"

"I'm …" he hesitated, taking a moment to reassure himself, "I'm sorry. I'm not going to act like what you did was noble, but I know I could have handled it better. I didn't. I humiliated you because I wanted to cause you pain. And I know I rejected the symbiote for wanting a host, but it brought out the worsts parts of me. Even then, those parts were still me."

Venom released his fists and stepped back, still in a defensive pose as the hero continued.

"I hurt you both, but you also hurt me, too. Eddie, you put people in danger to get ahead of me, and the symbiote pushed me away from the people I cared about. I'm not saying I don't understand why you did what you did, but you have to see that you've taken it too far. Is my death really going to undo everything you've been through? Both of you?"

This was the first time he ever tried appealing directly to the symbiote as well as Eddie, and it seemed as though they both heard him, Eddie especially. He never expected him to apologize. Deep down, Eddie knew he did something wrong back then, but it never made it to the front of his memory.

Until now.

"…We…I," Venom spoke softly, "I was …scared I would lose everything to a child."

"And all I wanted was to prove I wasn't one. I can't ignore what you've done …but I can forgive it."

Forgive? After the many times he tried to kill him, the people he endangered just to draw him out, Parker spoke of forgiveness?

No! The symbiote shouted from within, causing Venom to ripple like a disturbed pond, He hurt us! We must kill him! Kill! Kill! Kill!

Against his own will, Venom lunged at the hero again with his claws out.

Instinctively, the arachnids Full-Cartridge ability activated and blanketed him in blue energy. An echo of Venoms movements went ahead of the real thing, showing his exact motions. Spidey ducked under the echo just before Venom reunited with it. With his fingers curled toward his palm, the hero struck the villains stomach with powerful force.

A shockwave of energy released from the impact and sent Venom flying back, dragging against the ground and creating a trench which smoked and burned. Venom finally stopped when enough street debris piled up and pushed back against him.

Spider-Man stood there with his fist out just as the energy dissipated. He couldn't move his muscles, finding they were once again paralyzed. It wasn't as bad as before, but if Venom chose to attack again, he would be completely vulnerable.

The nomu appeared to gather around Venom as he healed himself, surrounding him in a circle of protection. Eddie was not commanding them consciously. It could have been the symbiote, or perhaps the nomu's natural instincts recognized him as their alpha. Either way, they were willing to offer their bodies as meat shields.

"He ever done that before?" Mirko asked, gesturing to the sudden loyalty of the nomu.

"No …that one is a first," Spider-Man quizzed as he slowly regained his movement.

It was a fascinating experience. Though it was not conscious in any way, Brock could almost hear their thoughts—more accurately, he could feel their feelings and intentions.

They were all in so much pain.

Brock knew that pain, even if it was in different context. It was a feeling of self-loathing, of hatred and doubt, and unguided anger. They were feelings so pure and without explanation that the only way to expel them was through violence. Is this what it was like to be a Nomu? Were they always in this much pain?

Was he? Was It?

"…Why?" Venom questioned as the nomu tended to him, "Why do you protect us? Why do you worship us? Are we not something for you to kill? Do you see us as your master? Your king? Your pack leader? How can mindless creatures like yourselves develop such loyalty for a being you just met?"

There was no answer in the form of words, only a feeling found in the sounds they made; feelings of longing—longing for trust and companionship, something that will ease the constant pain they were born with. They felt that same pain within Venom; within Eddie. There was a natural connection with that pain, a longing.

Venoms attention was no longer on the heroes, but rather, on his new allies.

"Why ain't he fighting us?" Mirko asked.

"I don't know …" Admitted Spidey, "I've never seen him like this."

Not even the Nomu paid attention to the heroes, going against what they were released into the city to do. Both Venom and the monsters existed now in their own bubble of time, deaf to whatever happened around them.

"You are …not mindless," Venom realized, "Your killer instincts are simply …at the forefront of your otherwise intelligent minds. You feel, you see …you remember."

They made noises of confirmation to him.

Use them to kill the heroes said the symbiote, They are useful tools.

"But I must understand," he said, his pronouns back to a singular tense, "How can you retain those thoughts despite the rage that clouds your actions? How do you live with all that pain?"

They croaked and gargled.

"I …I see."

Another set of noises.

"Yes …I want to understand you, for I do not understand myself."

Ourselves, we mean.

It was as though Eddie could no longer hear the voice of the symbiote in his head too fixated on the thoughts of his new friends. Could he call them friends? There was a strange, emotional understanding between them, one the symbiote itself was void from.

A loud roar somewhere in the distance stole the attention of the nomu surrounding Venom. They fixated on the sound and began retreating in that direction. Venom wanted them to stay; he wanted to learn more about them, about the way they thought, the way they felt. One reached the roof before beckoning Venom to follow.

"Eddie!" Spider-Man called out.

Venom turned to face Spider-Man, lacking the malice in his eyes. The symbiote still wanted to kill the bug, but Eddie felt too curious about the nomu. He wanted to know more of what they were trying to say, and somehow, that triumphed over his killing instinct.

Venom said nothing before he leapt toward the rooftops and followed the other nomu, disappearing into the night.

"Should we go after him?" Mirko asked.

"…no," Spider-Man said, much to his own surprise, "Not sure we could keep up, anyway, in all this chaos. We should see who else in the city we can help."

"But our assignment is to catch Venom, remember?"

"Yeah, but our duty is to the people."

She couldn't argue with that statement, and surrendered to it by hugging him tightly. She said nothing, not an apology, not a scolding, she just held him close like he was going to disappear again. She wasn't sure why she cared so much, maybe because she saw so much of herself in him, but she just wanted to protect him at all costs.

Is this what it was like to have a sidekick, or even a partner? It was a feeling of worry and anxiety whenever he was out of sight, and relief when he was near. No wonder she avoided it for so long; it was unbearable in almost every way, yet, worth each second of pain. How confusing, she thought.

"I missed you, too," He finally spoke up.

She pushed him away in embarrassment, "I was just checking for injuries."

"Find any?"

"Several."

"Physical or mental?"

"Both, you crazy nut."

He punched her arm lightly, and she responded by punching his violently, "Found another one," She declared, making him laugh.

Despite the joyful reunion, Peter thought back to Eddie. He had never seen him react like that; he had never seen him doubt himself or the symbiote before. For a moment, even though he was still covered with the symbiote, Peter saw the real Eddie. The curious, empathetic Eddie that always wanted to know the whole story. It's what made him a good reporter.

That last attack wasn't him; he could see it in those malformed eyes. The symbiote had taken full control for just a moment to unleash its rage. Eddie had to of seen it; the way he lost control.

All he could do was hope their next meeting will be different. Until then, he had other business to deal with.

"I gotta go find someone," he said.

"What? Nuh uh, I JUST got you back, you ass!"

"I know! I know! There's just someone- It's someone I know- I ran into them before- I really need to see them- I swear I'll be back- I just gotta-"

"Ohmygod stop stuttering! Fine!" She pouted, "Just find me again when you're done. We still have a lot of cleanup to do. I'm gonna make sure no more Nomu are wandering around."

"Copy that, and …thanks," he smiled underneath the mask, "It's …nice to know you care so much."

"Get used to it, I guess," She rubbed his head, "You're my sidekick, now."

"No I am not."

"Yes you am are."

"You did not just say am are in a sentence."

"Got a problem with it?"

"I have several problems with it."

With their usual banter done, Spider-Man swung down the street as Mirko watched, part of her wishing she could keep him at her side for comforts sake.

…

By the time the fight was over, Itsuka Kendo hid herself atop a roof near where she was left. She sat there and browsed her phone, waiting to see how quickly the news reports on these events and glorifies the heroes while deescalating the threat of the villains. That is something she had noticed of the local news station; the way they bring down and hide the threat they present, all to keep the vanilla fluff that the heroes are marketed as.

The familiar thwip caught her ear as Spider-Man swung up to the roof and perched on its edge, looking down onto her. He leaned forward until his face was facing hers, upside down. She chuckled, putting away her phone before lifting his mask up to kiss him.

"You okay?" He asked as he jumped down and pulled her up, removing his mask as she ruffled his hair.

"I'm okay," She answered with relief, "Is it over?"

"I think so …yeah."

"Did you catch him?"

"No …but I don't think he'll be much trouble for a while."

Finally, they could catch their breath after all the chaos. She had been in a constant state of anxiety ever since her vision, and only now could she let her blood pressure drop. Had it not been for Peter holding her by the arms, she likely may have fallen off balance. Instead, she used his body as a prop; her head rested gently on his chest, with rang loud with the sound of his accelerate heart beat.

He still couldn't believe she risked her own safety just to come and save him, without knowing anything about the situation. This girl, who was never afraid to call him out for his misdoings and idiotic choices, was willing to bend the rules because she loved him.

She put herself in danger because of him.

"What about you?" All For One asked, "Can you live with your failures?"

Those words echoed in the poor arachnid's head as he held close his loved one. All he could think of was keeping her safe as the world crumbled around them. He wanted to shield her from every shard of glass from the broken sky. Alas, he knew that wasn't something he could do forever.

Only until his death.

"You came all this way for me," he said, "You risked your life. You could have-"

She put a finger on his lips, curling her own into a smile, "I love you. My life is your life, and I'm going to keep you safe. I'm going to fight just as hard for you as you have for me. I won't be the kind of girl who stands on the sidelines and watches as you save the day. I'll be right there, fighting at your side."

"...Deal."

"Not a negotiation."

He chuckled, "I love you, too."

After a deep breath, his vision swiftly shifted focus as the edges of his sight blurred. His senses amplified with no identifiable source. The chaos was finally calming down; why was his spider-sense going off now? Why couldn't see sense where it was coming from?

"Peter?" Kendo asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know …" he looked around, trying to find the danger lurking in the darkness, breathing on his neck and making his hairs stand straight, "It's like …It's everywhere."

…

The being, floating in the darkness, banged on the edges of his confinement. At first, it was to gauge its strength. Then, quickly, it became far more desperate. He'd scream if he had a voice, and he'd cry if he could. All he wanted was out.

…

Peter let go of Kendo and started pacing around the roof. The ringing was getting stronger with each passing second. By then, he'd be able to at least sense a general direction of the danger, especially if it was that strong. Yet, there was nothing. His senses told him the danger was coming from every conceivable direction.

Kendo was trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear her over the ringing. He began to breath sporadically, unable to stop himself from feeling the endless anxiety of his fight or flight response. Was it Venom? The Nomu? They were no where to be found. If it was them, they would have attacked by now. Why wasn't anything happening?

…

He struck again, cracking the wall.

…

Peter's head pulsed in pain.

…

The cracks grew larger as the light shined through, cutting the darkness in half.

…

His vision was all but gone as Peter fell to his knees, almost screaming from the pain.

…

He reeled his fist back.

…

He gripped his head tight.

…

After a powerful final blow …

…

…there was only silence.

Finally, it ended; the ringing had ceased as if it was never there. The pain slumbered into nothingness. His vision cleared and Kendo's voice finally got through as she rubbed her hands on his shoulders.

The peace lasted only a moment as his head rang again, this time with a direction to follow.

Buildings shook and birds fled in fear as a bright light grew in the distance. In a powerful burst, the street exploded as debris flew into the air. An energy wave expanded as something formed at the center. He couldn't quite make it out, but he could sense its power.

"Peter …" Kendo broke the silence, "What the hell is that?"

He didn't answer her, choosing instead to leapt down and start swinging toward it, much to her disapproval.

With his mask back over his face, Spider-Man approached the site of the eruption. It had once been a city street full of shops, cars, and other establishments. What he arrived to, however, was a scene straight out of an apocalypse movie.

A clean crater invaded the space of the world. The shops were crumbling to the ground with only one or two pillars of debris holding them up, if at all. One car had been sliced in half, with the other half missing. It's as though someone selected a portion of the world and deleted it.

In the center was a glowing light with thick lines growing out of it, almost resembling cracks in a wall. The shape twitched and jumped as it tried to find stability. With every spasm, another small portion of the ground beneath it disintegrated.

Spider-Man kept his distance, relying on his spider-sense heavily for his safety. He kept his body low with his knees bent as he tried getting closer to examine it. It almost reminded him of the breaches he'd open to travel back to New York, only far more erratic and unstable.

Something suddenly plopped out of the light and landed on the ground with a strong thud. Spider-Man jumped back as he prepared for a fight. Instead, he heard a noise coming from the object that hit the ground, listening closer as it shuffled.

It was crying.

One step after the other, the hero got closer to the entity that was lain before him. It was small; only a little more stable than the light that birthed it. Still, it made his spider-sense whine.

"…hello?" Spider-Man called out as he reached for it. Every second he reached forward, he thought how terrible of an idea it was. He would have left it alone, if he wasn't certain that it was, in fact, crying.

His finger got just close enough for the energy surrounding the entity to zap him with a spark, making him pull his hand back. Blue energy smoked from his finger as he shook it in pain.

The entity's shape began to change. It tightened and smoothed its edges. The hero could make out a pair of hands, then legs, and finally, a head. Whatever it was, it was definitely alive.

Despite not having eyes that he could tell, the entity looked at Spider-Man with curiosity. The hero titled his head, and the entity mimicked him. The smallest movements of the energy-being made sounds similar to that of an electric current.

Spider-Man tried reaching for it again, and abruptly, its eyes appeared and opened.

The hero stumbled back in surprise, startling the being as well. It vanished into the air with a pop, leaving a faded trail of energy behind it. The moment it was gone, the portal behind it shut with a shockwave, and pushed Spider-Man to his back faster than his spider-sense could warn him.

He laid there a moment, unable to process all that just happened. At least his spider-sense finally stopped ringing.

He looked into the sky, and asked whatever God was watching, "What the hell was that?"

…

The energy being reappeared in an alleyway far away. Every step it took singed the ground beneath its feet. The world was too bright, or perhaps, it was the one that was bright. Either way, it was Impossible to see ahead. It could, at least, feel.

No, not it; he.

Slowly, as he calmed himself, his vision cleared. He could see his hand, his fingers, his body. It was still too bright to see the details, but it was there. He was there. He existed. What was once a theory was now fact. He was fact. He was real.

He was alive; whatever that was supposed to mean, however that was important, he was finally free.

He had found the truth, and he still didn't understand.