Chapter 11 – Trial and Error
In an old chair he sat, his body sunken into the already worn cushions. The floors were made up of wood which had not been polished in in some time and would creek whenever the slightest bit of pressure was exerted upon them. The air smelled of spaghetti and butter which must have been coming from the kitchen located in the adjacent room. Every object within this room held some sort of significance, memories to a life that no longer existed. The environment radiated a comfort that was soothing to him but there was also a problem, these objects could not exist simply for the fact that they were destroyed by a house fire some time ago.
There he was, Peter Parker, sitting inside of the house which his deceased aunt used to own. The very house that he had the pleasure of growing up in. His hair was neatly combed and his face freshly shaven. His attire consisted of blue jeans and a red collar polo shirt. His sneakers were white and showed no dirt marks or creases from being worn excessively. All of it was fresh and new as was his appearance.
Though his surroundings were familiar he knew that he couldn't actually be in that house at that moment yet he didn't question his situation as two women emerged from the entrance of the kitchen. The beautiful red headed Mary Jane approached him with a plate of steaming chicken breasts smothered in gravy with a side of mashed potatoes Aunt May followed with a cheery smile and two hands filled with mugs of hot chocolate.
Steam rose from the plates, making its appearance all the more enticing and the drink in the mugs bubbled with foam touching the rim of the cup. Both women went back into the kitchen without any cares in the world to speak of. They hadn't paid any attention to the man sitting across from their beloved Peter.
"You know, this chair is pretty comfortable for a figment of the imagination" said a voice opposite of Peter.
Directly across the coffee table was Mephisto in his red suit, sitting in a chair while wearing a magnanimous smile on his face revealing his white fanged teeth. His red hair was now slicked back, giving the appearance of a businessman with his legs crossed. It seemed that even in his dreams Peter was still haunted by the demon lord.
"Well, well, well. I do believe this is your first good dream in a long while, aside from my popping in that is."
Peter's eyes pierced through Mephisto for disturbing his peace. His nails dug into the leather arms of the chair, breaking through it to the bare cushion, then scratching at the wooden skeleton. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone, to enjoy the sanctity of the dream his mind had finally granted him after such a long period of nightmares.
"Oh calm down, this isn't a hostile visit and even if it was what could you do? Even that Freddy guy never stayed dead for too long."
"I must say, you've done splendidly since our last chat" said Mephisto leaning forward in his armchair with a particular glee from his uttered words. "The way you got Venom to drop its guard and then a stinger to the chest was magnificent, decisive even and much better than your old red and blue days. Sure your old friends may not trust you but you've got my vote."
"Is that supposed to count for something?" sneered Peter
"Depends on who you ask. I have a gift for spotting talent… although I can see that the old spider is still lurking about."
Peter averted his attention from a pair of white spider eyes hiding behind a slightly opened closet door on the far side of the living room behind Mephisto's chair. Before he could look back in that direction the door was completely closed.
"I don't know what you're talking about"
"Don't play coy with me, it's so… uncharacteristic. You suffer from a resurgence of those old feelings. Feelings of loyalty. Now normally that isn't bad for you hero types but with an ambitious goal like yours, they can be a hindrance."
"I don't need any advice from you."
"You're doing so well but you need to widen your scope ever so slightly. Whenever you get a chance, pick up a newspaper. It wouldn't hurt to read something informative. I suppose I will take my leave now. Next time we meet I should have a top 10 list of your best moments but until then keep the hits coming Spider-Man ha ha ha."
From the peace of sleep the Spider-Man found himself awoken upside down with his hands and feet keeping his body in a crawling position on the ceiling of his room. He had no recollection of getting up from the bed, no nightmares to recall which startled him. His Spider-Sense did not give the impression that danger was around and his body didn't feel like he was in pain at all. This incident was the first of its kind and left him a bit unnerved. Had the demon's presence caused it to happen?
He crawled from the ceiling to the wall and from the wall to the floor. His eyes became transfixed upon his arms and legs and gave an ocular inspection of them. Nothing was out of order and nothing felt wrong so perhaps it was some case of sleep walking.
He saw the container of silver as it sat on the desk where he left it last. Immediately he called his mind to its attention as he was reminded that there was much work to be done. His eyes were then drawn to the Waldoes which were piled up on the floor and their web containment having dissolved hours ago.
With the prospect of a proper work station at hand and much work to be done, the thought of having to reattach the four limbs was troublesome but not out of his power.
Peter scrounged all of his things together, grabbing his duffle bag, Waldoes and the container that Marc stole for him. He made his way down to the lab which Luke had taken him to the night before. Along the way he avoided contact with anyone so that he wouldn't be bothered by anyone one who might want to talk to him about something, anything really.
The dark space was covered with tools and parts, either left behind by Nick Fury for a rainy day or acquired with the assistance and Danny Rand or some other ally in the fight against the Initiative. Surely there were parts here that wouldn't be necessary for Cage's project so why shouldn't Peter help himself to them? He set his things down next to the sole desk which stood next to a long slab in the room and gathered the stack of books in the far corner. They must not have known what exactly it was that was needed because there was a little of everything, even a somewhat aged microscope.
A rumbling sound roared from his stomach and he sighed in displeasure. He was hungry and there was no getting around it with his fast acting metabolism. He turned on his heel and walked back outside and into the hall.
The kitchen area was reasonably large with a counter top where up to six people could sit at the same time and had very few scratches on it. The sink underneath the large wooden cupboards which looked as though they were new when compared to the rest of the room as well.
After opening them, the cupboards weren't stocked to the brim but there was enough for him to take to get by. He took six slices of bread, along with peanut butter and jelly and made his way back to the lab. Along the way came the rousing sounds of many people radiating from the pseudo danger room. For a moment Peter could have sworn that he heard the name "cat" and felt compelled to investigate. The closer he got, the louder the cheers seemed to become.
The air began to smell of sweat and machine oil. The sound of buzz saws could easily barraged the ear drugs into submission had their speed become greater.
Once the door slide opened Peter could see a crowd of them, the avengers watching as the Black Cat leaped and dodged the obstructions presented by the obstacle course with utter grace and confidence. He found himself stuck in place and his heart weighing a bit heavier on his mind and Mephisto's words repeated over again. Connections to people weighted him down, that is what he told her on the rooftop where he last saw her.
She cleared the course without a scratch on her. For a moment her eyes met his and then looked away, as though in shame of showing her face to him so soon. The Spider turned to leave when she shouted out loud "What's the matter Spider, don't you want to go a few rounds?"
Everyone in the crowd looked at Peter, still wearing his Iron Spider suit including the young man with the flaming red hair and bad temper was standing next to a little dark haired kid wearing shades.
"I have work to do" said Peter with no enthusiasm.
"One quick round" insisted the cat
"Yeah Pete, show these kids how it's done" said Logan blocking his path out of the room.
There he stood with his sandwiches in his hands and wanting nothing more than to retreat to his work area.
"How about we make it interesting? A race through the course with me and web head" proposed the young red headed man. "If I win then I get to go on the next mission, no questions asked.
"I'll consider it, "if" Spider-Man agrees" said Logan.
The youth's name was Brendon Thomas and the dark haired boy next to him was his little brother Nathan. As it turned out the two siblings were actually Mutants and helping people was one of Nathan's dreams. He attempted to operate as an agent of justice but his older brother warned him about the initiative and their rules against unauthorized heroics but Nathan didn't listen until an agent was sent to collect him.
Rather than staying Nathan ran for it with his older brother attempting to get him to turn himself in, still Nathan refused out of reluctance to trust the government as his brother. Eventually even Brendon's opinion changed and the two joined the New Avengers in their crusade to save the world from threats and taking the name of Hot Spot.
More than power of pyrokinesis was also flares of anger and agitation. His training with Wolverine was supposed to help him have more control but then again, Wolverine wasn't exactly an expert in anger management. Since his arrival, Brendon had been trying to prove himself as a contributing member but that notion proved difficult because of his condition.
Peter agreed to run the race just to get everyone off of his back and handed his remaining sandwiches to Logan in a paper towel. He would run one race and then return to the lab for peace and solitude. The two combatants approached the starting point of the somewhat large room
"Looks like you lost your fancy arms" remarked Hot Spot while looking at the disk on Peter's back with wires sticking out.
"I guess that only makes it fair for you to keep up" replied Peter
Logan took his place at the command center which oversaw the area. As he pushed multiple buttons the field changed shape until it formed an obstacle course divided into two separate lanes.
Those who were amongst the crowd waited anxiously for the starting bell to ring. The boy with the dark glasses practically hugged the glass with anticipation.
Peter could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise up as if they were charged with static electricity. When the bell rang Peter made a mad dash down his lane without a second thought. The air flowing through the locks of his hair. It wasn't long after the first step that his Spider-Sense caused his skull to rattle. His eyes shifted toward the ground where a spiked pole was in the process of springing up. To dodge it leaped down unto his arms and catapulted himself over it with ease and landed onto his feet and continued on.
The red head had escaped the traps at varying degrees having no early warning for what might strike at him next. He watched as Peter easily gained the lead, dodging with mastery. While looking at his opponent, Hot Spot let his attention slip, allowing a padded mat to crash into him and force him back a few feet. Lying on his back he rolled back into his upright position and continued his sprint.
The anger swelled within him like a raging storm. A small blaze emanated from his left eye and spouting sparks. A deadly buzz saw the size of a trash car lid attached to a mechanical arm thrust toward him and shorted out before it could touch him. Everything that sprang up to invade his space would seize up and short out half way through their action. He was closing in on Peter steadily but time was running out. A blaze began to form on both of his palms. He faced his hands to the ground, acting as thrusters, forcing his body into the air.
The crowd was at a fever pitch as the two approached the home stretch. What they didn't see was a barrage of tennis balls coming from the left and right. Brendon set the spheres ablaze into cinders while Peter was struck in the temple and fell from the air, colliding with the floor
In the end Peter lost the race utterly. People began to encircle Hot Spot who was still smoldering from the heat and exhibited a certain smugness; the Spider brushed this off as Wolverine stepped down from the command center with Peter's sandwiches in hand and shaking his head in shame. "If you're going to lose at least make it believable."
Logan handed back Peter's sandwiches.
"What do I care if he wins? He's your problem now and did you bite my sandwich?" inquired Peter baffled look at Logan
"Despite what people think I'm not a complete animal, I cut off a piece. Don't worry we'll be making a supply run soon. I'll even make sure we have coffee just for you."
"I can probably help with that Wolvie" said Felicia approaching from Peter's rear."
"What are you doing here Cat, I thought you were long gone by now" said Peter.
"You should know me better than that Spider. I needed to get something from my place before I could join up with Luke, didn't think you would be here. I heard you've been busy since I left."
Peter didn't say anything as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"Now that I'm officially a part of your underground band of merry men when do I get to join one of your "Secret" escapades?" Asked Felicia. "I heard that you go to some exotic places."
Logan sighed deeply and rubbed his head with his face "I keep saying this, if a mission comes up where you're needed I will let you know. Everybody wants to join the club."
"I have no doubt that you'll need my talents. I'll be around, later boys" said Felicia as she turned around and walked away.
"I don't know how you handle that woman"
"I don't. Should be getting back to work"
Logan nodded his head in agreement. He knew that what Peter was tasked with doing and decided against holding him up any longer but whether the crimson new avenger knew it or not the race had served a purpose. The group of runaways crowded together cheering in hysteria that one of them could actually beat the Spider-Man. Surely this moment could help with their confidence and prove that anything was possible for them.
"Luke filled me in. You think you can do it?"
"As long as I don't have the run laps on obstacle courses"
"I can take a hint"
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Back inside of his work area Peter disassembled the four Waldoes piece by piece, keeping them all in place order so that he could put them all back together in the same place. The four of them were laid out next to each other like dinosaur bones. Wearing his mask for the use of the filter system to manage the fumes. There was the smell of burning smoldering metals being re-forged together. Extra strands on wire were tangled together into a lumpy mass. He put the pieces back together and ran the wires through them into the repulsor cannons. Finally was the task of making sure that the Waldoes compression process into the golden disk upon the Iron Spiders was functioning properly.
By this time the process had taken up the entire day and he only managed to reattach two. He would not sleep on this night as more work was needed to be done to prepare for Venom's separation attempt from Jessica's body. His work continued for so long that he lost track of time and found his eye wonder toward the liquid silver but still he worked. By the time he was finished his eyes felt like they had been filled with sand and still he persisted to remain awake with no thanks to the absence of coffee that Wolverine promised.
Suddenly there was the blaring sound of medical equipment in the distance. There could be only one thing that could cause a situation like this, the symbiote was making its move now. Peter ran down the hall as fast as he could to the source of the noise when he reached the medical bay. People were beginning to gather around, wanting to save Jessica from the apparent death that they were forced to watch. The equipment was more tech left by Nick Fury which was old but good enough attached to Venom as it laid on the sick bed, the machines read that Jessica's heart had stopped beating.
People were gathering quickly behind Peter
"We have to do something" said a voice from behind
Before anyone could move past him the four Waldoes sprang out his back and blocked their path like a barricade. Everyone took a step backwards for fear that the Iron Spider would begin to lash out at them if any disobeyed. With his face still hidden behind a mask with a blank expression could make anyone anxious.
"What is the problem here?" said Luke as he made his way to the head of the crowd.
"It's a trap" said Peter flatly.
"Care to explain it to me?"
What no one realized was that Venom was very cunning. So cunning that it could mask the pulse and/or heartbeat of its host to such a degree that even Daredevil's senses couldn't detect the difference between the real thing and deception. The Spider leered at Jessica's body as it lied motionless and the heart monitor, which was now flat lining.
Amongst the crowd was the red headed young man, Hot Spot pushing his way to the front with his younger brother.
What do you think you're doing?
"I'm gonna torch it"
"No, you won't" retorted Peter
"That thing hunted me and my little brother, stalked us like a snake until cage saved us. I'm putting an end to this"
"No!"
"Who do you think you are? Everyone knows that thing is evil and you let it into this base so it can attack us and report back to Iron Man."
Hot Spot attempted to push past the Iron Spider but instead the Spider clamped onto his wrist.
"Let go of me" said Hot Spot with an irksome tone as if he was violated in the most disrespectful way.
"Not going to happen"
Everyone in the crowd could see that Hot Spot's arm was beginning to smoke until a flame covered it whole. But the Spider didn't flinch because his suit was flame resistant.
"Are you done now?"
"Everything breaks with enough pressure" assured Brendon
"Hot Spot, cool off" Insisted Luke as he separated the two. "This is Spider-Man's responsibility so he will handle it. I understand that you have been through a lot but doing this your way will get Jessica Killed and I can't let that happen."
The spider walked inside of the sealed room watching the creature make no movement and the machines continued to sound off until he switched them off.
"Stop acting, I know you're awake" said Peter as he removed his mask.
Venom made no attempt to move and everyone continued to watch, waiting for the next action. Slowly it arched its head, staring at the Iron Spider.
"How did you know? It's as if we share a special connection"
"Time to give up Jessica's body"
"No, we are done with you dictating. Wherever this place is it cannot contain us, we will be free!"
The crimson suited spider broke out into hysterical fists of laughter out loud at his dark doubles remarks.
"Where do you think you'll go? Shield, not to mention Tony knows that you're still alive and now that you're out of his reach he is going to do the next best thing."
Venom's what eyes executed a sort of odd curve, causing the end points of the eyes to droop from confusion. Tony Stark came to Venom with the task of tracking Spider-Man, its mortal enemy. But if Venom defected there was only one who could catch it specifically.
"The "child" is no concern to us. No real spine to speck of"
"You think too highly of yourself. I remember he defeated you and Carnage at the same time"
The Toxin symbiote, Venom's "grandson" was fairly young but though it had less experience there was no doubt was stronger and held a grudge against both of its relatives. Capable of a rage like no one else which could be a danger if channeled properly.
"We can help each other. I stop registration and you get to find some place to live in peace"
"We want much more than that, we want you. You said that you needed us. We are sure it is to a great extent or we wouldn't still be here."
"What do you want?"
"What we have been saying, you, that is the deal"
Quietly the spider thought it over. The crowd outside hung on to hear his answer. What was there to think about? A few of the onlookers felt compelled to intervene.
"What is he thinking, we have to stop him" said the Felicia
"D, tell me something" said Cage in need of affirmation.
Matt couldn't tell what the answer really was but he wanted to know just as bad as anyone else but it was as if time had stopped moving and the answer was being prolonged "He has to answer first."
"Deal"
While everyone in the crowd felt colder, their leader waited on Matt's answer as to whether Peter was telling to truth or not.
"Are you kidding me?" Bellowed the red headed man "you should have let me kill it!"
"Enough! D, what's the verdict" said Luke looking at Matt
"It's ok, he's lying"
Felicia held her own chest in comfort knowing that the Spider was not completely out of his mind. There was still disagreement with the decision and now
"I'll give myself to you but only after I stop registration and dismantle the initiative. But you have to do exactly as I tell you, exactly, or the deal is off."
The she-Venom unraveled her tongue, allowing it to dangle from her mouth as if Peter said something that spiked an appetite.
"We think we will take our chances. Won't fall for your tricks this time."
Peter gave a stern look, unaffected by the denial of his baited offer. Folding his arms together to perpetuate his stance in the matter. "I have to say I thought you were smarter than that."
"Do you remember when you and Brock first started coming after me? You stalked me endlessly, to the point that I doubted there was any hope of protecting anyone close to me with you hiding behind the next corner and we ended up on the beach for our second battle. I was beaten in every way physically possible to the point that I nearly gave up, offering myself so that you would take me back."
The symbiote broke eye contact with Peter, looking toward those of the people on the opposite side of the glass without looking at them directly.
"I had my doubts but then you did it, you tried to leave Eddie and take me back but the stress of separating the two of you rendered you both unconscious so you were stuck with him."
"You're mistaken, we were trying to smother you"
"I'm not mistaken. Just finally started paying attention to the details and right now having you around is the best thing for both of us."
Venom got up from the bed and walked toward the door, attempting to leave the sealed room but the door would not more. Everyone on the other side of threshold were anticipating a fight.
"You're not leaving, not with that body" said Peter. "Although I might be inclined to let you leave everyone else isn't and that doesn't help you at all. If you're really serious about surviving then you'll help me stop Iron Man."
"How can we trust the spider? All you spout is lies."
"Mary Jane is gone, Aunt May is gone. I have nothing left except this fight."
"We can live with that but there is something we require, to seal the deal of course"
"What is it?"
"A hand shake" said the alien as it curled its mouth in the form of the most malevolent smile while holding out a scrawny black hand. Peter gripped its hand firmly to show dominance while the symbiote unraveled and snaked its way over the Spider's arm, examining it.
"ohh such rage. Emotion like this feeds upon itself and we have waited long for this moment, we can wait a little longer."
Peter pulled out the small red ball, made of his suits material in his left hand while his right was still in the clutches of his newest ally "Then do as you're told and get into the ball."
"Ha, so bossy. We like that, it will be just like old times"
"Wait. Before you go I want to know what happened to Jessica before she was put into the coma."
Venom squinted its large whites, attempting to fish out the memories Peter desired
"We can't. It's too fuzzy to tell what happened"
"You better not be lying to me"
"No lies, you will have to wait for her to wake naturally, if she ever does"
"Fine, lets go."
The symbiote unraveled and slithered into the box, filling it to the brim while leaving Jessica's body bare except for a white t-shirt and shorts. Without the support of her new "roommate" her torso and neck went limp and to keep her from falling over he swiftly moved forward and wrapping his left arm around her back. He laid her back carefully on to the bed and supporting her head until it made contact with the pillows.
He reattached the machines monitoring her heart rate to her chest. There beeping returned to be a steady and average pace when Peter called Doctor Strange from the crowd outside and look after Spider-Woman. The doctor looked her over, searching for anything that could indicate damage for the long term.
"Hook her up to IV fluid and she should be fine" said the spider as he walked out of the room. Everyone was still standing outside as they looked in awe of what they just witnessed only moments ago.
"I hope it was worth selling your soul for, Spider-Man" barked Brendon pushed into Peter and walked down the hall with his little brother on his heels.
Felicia averted her eyes. They knew that Peter was lying in his heart but what was happening in his mind? Considering who he once was this moment made him seem as if he was a completely different person. He was so different, what else was he planning to do and how could he use Venom if no one wanted anything to do with it. Everyone had fanned out while Luke stayed
"I know what I'm doing. One more ally means a better chance of avoiding problems later on."
"As if anyone would agree to let that thing get near them"
"This is only the first step Luke. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work"
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Not only was the suit unable to incorporate the nanites but the tiny machines had no code to speak of.
Back inside of his work area Peter placed the containment cube on his work table next to the cylinder he received from Moon Knight. Finally, he could see what exactly he was dealing with. At first glance it appeared to be anything but the way it danced said something more to his scientific mind. He took the container into one hand and unscrewed the top with the other. He dipped his pinky finger dabbing it onto a thin glass plate and slipping the glass under the microscope. After close examination under the microscope Peter discovered that what the substance which appeared to be silver liquid was in fact a swarm of nanites. They laid still like insects that had come under attack from bug spray.
The table ran a diagnostic scene of the tiny machines, finishing rather quickly. Like a computer scenes its system for software present so did the table scan the cylinder in the same manner. The reason that the scan was so short was because there was no software which occupied the nanites. Writing the code must have been a side project which Dr. Fillmore did not get around to doing. It would take Peter far too long to make up such complex code in a short amount of time and troubleshoot errors that could occur. There was a chance he could use a shortcut with what he had on hand.
The corner of his mouth gave a slight curve and he began to disrobe, wearing nothing but baby blue boxers and placed his Iron Spider suit upon the table with the cylinder of microscopic machines. Technology as versatile as nanites could come in handy and if applied to his suit the possibilities were practically endless.
With high tech instruments occupying both of his hands he introduced the Nanite colony to the suit, in the hopes that they would adopt the suits Waldo programing as their own. He inserted a dollop into his mask with steed hands, avoiding any unnecessary twitching. Sweat formed upon his forehead and proceeded to trickle down to the end of his nose.
If he could convert one nanite into a receiver, which gave commands to the others through his mask. If he was right, the suit's own Waldoe operating system could fill in the majority of the programming gaps but the hypothesis had to be tested. Once introduced to the proper spot in the processor a spark could bring them to life and teach them how to operate in one stroke.
We waited for the result of his action with his heart picking up speed. The sweat slid down and fell to the table, forming a small puddle.
The suit began to whine loudly, Peter jerked his body with anxiety and scoped up the mask; putting it on. The screen had been plagued with pixelated magenta colors. Frozen and unchanging at all and he knew he had made the wrong choice. He struck the suit, attempting to shut off the connection to the nanites before the damage was done. He pressed hard upon the abdomen section of the gold spider which was the battery which powered the suit, forcing him to quickly turn it off without proper preparation.
He stood with a slim gold plate sitting in his hand. The mask's visor was completely black by this time, indicating that the power was effectively removed. After waiting for several moments he slipped the abdomen back into its proper place. The suit, as well as the computer system needed time to reboot their functions prior to the insertion of the converted nanobots. He got the feeling that he shouldn't have attempted this. From agitation he donned the mask to see the extent of the damage and balled his hands into fists.
"System overload. Attempting to purge faulty additional hardware. Estimated time is undetermined at this time."
He had just fixed the Waldoes and now after his overzealous action had cost the suit from being fully operational once more. His fist collided with the cold metal surface of the work table and dented it while leaving a slight impression of it. The system needed to sever the connection from each individual machine, no wonder the process was undetermined. He began to think about working on something else while he had no choice but to wait for the suit to correct itself. Maybe it would never correct itself which could only make the silver colony more valuable in his eyes. Perhaps working on Cage's project which was presented to him days before now.
After dusting off the old textbooks, Peter did nothing but read while making notations for quick references. The pages were cluttered with theories which would seem too longwinded for the average person but his mind absorbed them like a dry sponge. He thought back to numerous times where, in dire need of solutions to stop villains, deduction and understanding were the keys one needed along with time and he had plenty of each.
Logan stopped by with coffee which was a care package from a woman called the Caretaker, some activist who provided people who live on the hard side of the tracks with essentials. And who didn't need coffee? He then looked at Peter, wondering what happened to wearing regular clothes and then to Venom's container. He didn't say anything, he didn't look sad nor ashamed of what Peter had done. No one could actually tell what was running through his mind and would not dare inquire the truth with the alien within close range. Logan simply gave a nod and took his leave.
The steaming from the hazel colored coffee rose high but Peter took a shot at drinking it anyway, it was a bit too hot to drink so he blew on it multiple times before another sip was taken. The supreme combination of cream and sugar cause his taste buds to flare up like Christmas lights and suddenly his mind began to travel back in time. Back to the days of Empire State University studying biophysics and the master's degree that he never got.
The more he drank the more memories poured into his mind, rushing him like a waterfall. His less hectic days with Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane. To remedy this, he continued to work with the many pieces scattered about the room. These abundant wires and plates had no order to discriminate against besides bare shape. Peter tore off the white covers and allowed them to drift into the far corner.
The metals were melded, bent and slide into place like a large puzzle. This work had easily stolen another day from him. Fine pieces are articulately placed where (or speculated to be) needed. It was beginning to look like a half circle. Even coffee couldn't help him to stay awake and nodded off while sitting in his chair.
In this sleep state there was no dream, only infinite blackness and Mephisto's words which seemed to echo from everywhere "Whenever you get a chance pick up a newspaper, wouldn't hurt to read something informative"
Once awake, Peter could not smell anything but the funky odor which imitated from his own armpits. Though he inhaled, Peter's nostrils did not flair do to being partially used to it. Wanting to keep busy he took the textbook once more into his hands allowed his eyes to scan the page but after continuing to read the textbook the words seemed to grow stale by the second. Interest in it dwindled until the book was finally placed down and replaced. Replaced with the thoughts of the surface and its happenings. One would say that it behooved him to investigate. The suit was out of commission so why not.
A pair of dirty jeans were fished out along with a shirt from the duffle bag. The bar of soap which Moon Knight passed on to Peter he came across made him want to wash up, however, enduring the stench wouldn't be a problem. Brown shoes with worn soles and a baseball cap created the natural appearance of a derelict. Perhaps a few hours topside had some point to it but if so then would he have to admit the Mephisto's information had some form of merit.
On his way out Peter looked back at the worktable and observed the scarlet orb and contemplated leaving it being only to remind himself on of individuals like the flame haired teen. Someone might do something which either resulted in the symbiote's death or rampage. He tucked it into his pants pocket and took his leave.
Peter averted his eyes from making contact with the small groups of kids until he came across Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. Without wasting time the spider asked how to pass through the green barrier. The mage first explained the teams system so that that they could find markings which indicate the entrance room to the base and recited words of ancient origin to find the entrance as well as the markings leading to the door and then repeated it for Peter to grasp better and with that the Spider turned on his heel to make his exit.
"We're still your friends" uttered the Doctor in a low voice
"I'm not so sure it's friends that I need. Allies, that's another story" relied Peter as he continued to walk toward the entrance of the base. He imitated the method of Marc Spector when to two first entered, leaving his hand outstretched and repeating the incantation until the green mystical energy blanked the room and left him in a simple room with four corners and a single door.
The smell of the sewage raided the sinuses like a mad mob but he pressed onward. The scene was so dark that the thought of a flash light had not crossed his mind. Admittedly the Iron Spider made many things easier and at that time even with clothes on Peter felt bare. The rats scurried away from the shadowed outline of him marching with his back hunched until he reached a latter leading to the street. Without even lifting the manhole cover the Spider-Sense buzzed with greater intensity as a car whizzed by.
After lifting the cover carefully, entering the middle of an alleyway. The sky was black and void of stars, drowned out by the overwhelming light radiating from the urban metropolis of Manhattan Island but there was hardly any light here compared to the sewer. The air smelled of exhaust from the pipe of a passing car and a slight breeze which combated the warm weather.
In the far end of the alley was the light of a burning flame which smoked from inside of an old barrel. Two men stood over the fire while heating up what seemed to be deli meat. Peter pulled his cap downward and took to the open street. There were few people outside at the ungodly hour which made going unnoticed convenient.
Screeching tires zoomed through traffic without any sign of slowing down. Rapid gunfire overwhelmed the ears with a sound comparable to jackhammers. Four men sat inside of a muscle car with the engine running so strong that the dust on the ground was literally kicked up from the back tires. Peter could see the vehicle bypass the red lights and weave through traffic.
As they approached he wondered if he should intervene as it passed by but that instinct was then repressed as soon as Peter caught sight of four silver limbs dropped from out of the sky in front of the car. They coiled, wiped and lashed. The car continued on its course in an attempt to run over the man wearing a green jumpsuit, yellow boots and a brown trench coat attached to the silver arms. His hair was brown with a sort of umbrella style haircut. His eyes were completely eclipsed by a pair of goggles and his name was Otto Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus.
Otto was one of Peter's oldest foes during his career as the Spider-Man. A man in possession of a brilliant mind but by the same token it was arrogant in nature and turned to a life of crime after an unfortunate accident bonded the four "octopus" arms to his body. At this current place in time Otto served as one of the Thunderbolts team, perhaps using these outings to help lessen his sentence.
Two of the four arms pressed hard against the front end of the car, stopping it dead in its tracks and propelling the driver and passenger through the front windshield. The doctor smiled at the poor souls covered in glass while readjusting his eyewear.
"Ha, those pea shooters could never hope to best one with my superior intellect"
Police Sirens drew closer by the second and Peter concluded that there was no reason to stay any longer, hiding in the shadows with his head down.
Two patrol cars drove up to collect the suspects and exited their vehicle with their cuffs and pistols drawn. The doctor took a few steps back, easing his presence from the scene.
"Here you are officers, these men won't be robbing convenience stores any longer."
"Hey Tim, these two geniuses forgot to wear their seatbelts"
"Ha ha. Didn't you guys get the memo? Even the bad guys are turning over a new leaf, the smart ones at least"
"If you require nothing further I will take my leave" said Otto.
"Yeah yeah, thanks for your help Doc"
Peter walked until he reached a Madison Square park on the corner of 26th street and 5th avenue. The bums had camped out by the many benches, using them as beds. He happened upon a man with a dirty beard and greyed beard with a stack of fresh newspapers.
"I'm looking for today's paper."
"Well ok but I want it back. Might be worth something someday."
In big bold lettering were three words on the Daily Bugle. "Scorpion Finally Stung"
Peter continued to read the article "Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion passed away late last night in NY Presbyterian Hospital after his separation from the fiendish Venom symbiote. Gargan was rendered paralyzed after his last encounter with Spider-Man killed the alien and left its most recent host hopeless to survive without it. The New York police department has called for citywide man hunt to assist in the efforts of apprehending the rogue web slinger."
He could hear Uncle Ben repeating his most famous line. That paper had to be what Mephisto wanted him to see but Peter continued to look through the pages but he didn't have to go too far.
"Reed Richards, Man of Science returns in a big way"
Looking toward the uptown section of the city yielded a sight of the Baxter building, home to the Fantastic Four. They saved the world from dangers which invaded from the deep space to distortions originating from the subatomic universe. Reed was the team's leader and well known in the scientific community for his knowledge and discoveries for technology such as unstable molecules. The article concerned Reed's involvement in researching the origin of humanity which allowed people to gain powers.
His mind raced with thoughts of a new plan. He seemed to have gotten so excited that he fell victim to a slight headache. Peter handed the paper back to the bum and walked back to the New Avengers base for his next move. He could feel his headache steadily persisted until he managed to slip back into the sewer. He walked in the dark tunnel, searching for the familiar looking corridor and the empty room. His Spider-Sense didn't sound off and he didn't see anyone behind him so he entered into the room and repeated the words that Stephen gave to him and headed straight to Cage.
"What's the situation with the Fantastic Four?"
"Why?" Luke inquired with a face filled with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism
"You told me to let you know when I was going to make a move. Your answer determines my next move."
"Which is?"
"I'm going to break into the Baxter Building."