Chapter 15 – Long Way Home
The team of four were all together in a small circle of four. Symbiote Iron Fist hung from a tree as Luke and Hot Spot sat on the dirt and grass. The symbiote looked down on its teammates with a wicked smile of sharp white teeth as Spider-Man stood up. At the edge of the forest they had remained as Spider-Man took the few minutes needed to think as his hands rubbed his head. His eyes roamed the landscape, the trees, and then the ground where the eight Mimikai bodies were piled on top of one another.
He knelt down to the bodies and looked at their wounds. A pinkish mass was penetrated. Then it hit him, if the creatures were once shapeless then they couldn't be unlike cells and the pink mass could have been the nucleus. Nuclei were capable of dividing so that could have explained the Mimikai's multiplication, but everyone else had multiple foes while he had only one. Why didn't his Mimikai multiply like the others had? What were their experiences?
First he turned and asked the one person who would be the most difficult, Hot Spot. The young man said nothing and kept silent as he nursed his gunshot wound on his left shoulder with his right hand. Luke expressed distaste for his reaction and gave protest.
"Remember what I said before we started Hot Spot. Answer him"
With a scowl, he said "After we appeared in the 51st street station and one of those things in the shape of my aunt appeared and starting talking about… things… specific things"
It had dug into the boy's mind and drafted "specific" information, no doubt personal as his was, so there was no need to press him further about that. Still he needed to ask at least one more thing. "Was the station significant?"
Hot Spot shot a chilling look at the symbiote Iron Fist "It was the first place me and my brother ran to-"
"To hide from us" completed Venom. "Oh yes, good times kid."
Hot Spot had personal history with that environment and the Mimikai took the shape of people he knew. He turned to ask Luke and received a similar experience so it was easy to assume that the same thing happened to the unconscious Iron Fist. The only difference was that their enemies actually managed to multiply and his didn't.
Was it their fear? Wong said their anxieties would cause swarms and everyone appeared to be beaten mentally and physically.
Fear brought the Mimikai to a frenzy and then multiply into greater numbers. Perhaps the only reason it didn't work on him was because Peter's anger outweighed his doubt, at least enough to strike before the multiplication process could begin.
He shared his thoughts with everyone and they listened to him. These thoughts went on uncontested and were shortly agreed upon. And if it was true the only way to win was to strike fast, and ignore whatever words come from the enemy's mouth.
Venom gave a bit of a shiver, causing the tree to shake a bit and its leaves to fall before leaping to another branch.
Luke gave a nod of confidence and stood up on his own two feet and helped Hot Spot to do the same. He then pulled up the compass in the center of his open palm. The needle pointed stiffly into the dense forest.
Slowly the team stepped further into the wilderness. There was still a feeling of fear hanging over at least one member, enough to breed paranoia and paranoia into vigilance. Less light was able to penetrate the leaves so it became a little harder to see so the group slowed down.
Further down the way was an area touched by light and so they moved closer to it. It must have been four yards in diameter
A giant spider creature with six legs dashed out from the bushes the size of a Volkswagen beetle with six eyes which were lined horizontally. It rushed for Hot Spot but Luke stepped in, keeping the monster at bay by grabbing its two front legs and using them as leverage to keep it off balance. He held it without problem but noticed that the legs had hairs on them and those hairs were moving. miniature versions of the same creature crawled onto Luke's arms, neck and back. He could feel them as they attempted to bite into his skin, however they didn't hurt.
"What the hell is this thing?"
"Looks like a spider"
"Duhh" Mocked Venom
"Luckily I ain't feeling anything from these little ones but it is creepy as hell. Spider-Man, give me a hogtie"
Peter fired web-lines from both his wrists and Waldoes, wrapping the legs all together in a tight and secure bind. It fell to the floor and rolled onto its back, struggling to break free.
Luke began to brush the normal sized spiders off of himself with casual swipes.
"It's strong but not Mimikai strong" noted Luke as he stood by the arachnid. Parts of its legs were scarred, leaving the hair unable to grow back. Its children skittered across the ground and back into the confines of their parent's hair for cover.
The group looked upon it and for a moment Peter thought he could hear something come from the spider creature. Step by step he approached it until he was on one knee trying to catch the sound again but nothing.
Hot Shot wretched at the spider as it squirmed and wiggled. He then threatened to burn it and the babies with a large fireball which ignited from his left hand. Spider-Man got in his way to stop his teammate from killing it.
"Wait… did you hear that?"
"All I hear is the giant tarantula screeching"
It must have said something Peter thought. His senses were sharp or maybe he was still shaken? No, that couldn't be.
More rustling came in from off in the distance, this time from different directions. Three more large spiders emerged from the bushes with baneful vengeance. They screeched at the sight of their comrade on its back and bound by webbing then started toward the interlopers with their fangs bared.
Luke put himself in front of the barrage in order to hold them back "Hot Spot, see if you can just focus your flames on these three"
"Stop!" interjected Spider-Man loud and clear.
The spiders stopped dead in their tracks on high legs and took a step back. They hissed at the group of four foreigners. Little spiders covered these larger one as well. One of them approached the hogtied brother while the other two never let the Avengers out of their sight.
Acid splashed out of its mouth and ate away at the webbing, freeing the captured spider and bringing the total number of giant spiders to four. Every direction was blocked off by one of them.
"So what's your big plan now Parker?"
"Can I burn them now that we're about to die by acid?"
Spider-Man took a step forward. "We are not here to hurt you. These creatures, the ones who become what you fear. They have something of ours and we want it back."
Each spider looked at the others and made some screeching noises as though they were deliberating Spider-Man's statement. The group was tense as they weren't sure what to expect.
Three of the spiders were shifting in their places. Everyone drew closer to one another but the fourth spider positioned itself higher than the others and made the loudest. It was as if it commanded to attention of its comrades and as a result they stopped their rapid movement. Slowly they began to walk away in single file further into the forest.
"Parker, how did you do that?" said Venom.
Spider-Man was taken aback as he said "What are you talking about?" and followed the troop of arachnids.
Luke looked to his compass. The spiders were going into a different direction with Peter and Venom right behind them. Hot Spot looked to him with a snarl and didn't budge from his spot until the supposed leader began to follow, leaving the young man with reluctance as he scowled in the back of the line.
Steadily they followed the leading spiders to the edge of the forest. Again they were back on the rocky side of the landscape with the light returned their constricted pupils as the large spiders became blurs on the rocks. Still they followed until the spiders approached a rather large cave opening covered by a boulder in similar size. The four of them cast their nets of webbing and pulled on the rock in a team effort until it was at least three feet from its original position.
Everyone watched the spiders enter the cave of darkness.
"Are we really about to follow giant spiders into a dark tunnel?"
"Aww, does the widdle Powerman need his tiara to feel better?" mocked symbiote Iron Fist.
"You wore a tiara?" joined in Hotspot
"It was a headband, a headband!" said Luke
"Keep telling yourself that, Danny here isn't so convinced and neither are we."
"I used to think it was a tiara" said Spider-Man.
"Look whatever, Hot Spot will light the way."
The inside of the cave was pitch black until Hot Spot lit the flame to reveal spiders of different sizes covered every inch of the walls, gazing at them with what appeared to be hungry eyes. Thick cobwebs draped the walls and ceiling. The air was musky and hard to breathe until their sense of smell adjusted to it. All of the team members seemed to mind their steps as tiny arachnids attempted to escape the invading giant's heels. A path was lead out into the deeper end of the cave. As they stepped further in the spiders moved back onto the path, cutting off the way back to the outside.
"It's starting to feel crowded in here" said Venom.
"Relax, Spider-Sense isn't going off" Said Spider-Man.
The path ahead of the group continued to clear as a voice called out from within the darkness.
"My children…" said a tired and heavy feminine voice in the distance. It sounded like such a strain to talk that she had to take breaths every so often. "I see that you have brought food… and what's this? …Another spider?"
Peter was caught off guard those last words. "Who said that?"
Hot Spot kept his fire burning and made it larger, brighter. What was revealed was a giant spider lying lazily, drained of its zeal. Two of its six legs were missing and what legs were left had been covered in a multitude of scars so that hair wouldn't grow back. Its head lifted slightly to get a view of the four new presences but focused upon Peter's shape and his four Waldoes.
"Never thought that I would see the day… you have an aura like ours but eight legs. And such a strange shape… you are almost like those others behind you. We are known as the Ari, what is your name?"
"You can call me Spider-Man."
Venom grabbed Peter's shoulder and pulled him around so that the two faced each other "Parker, you're doing it again."
"Let go of me, what are you talking about?"
Luke stepped in to the two and spoke in a whisper "Peter, I don't know what you're saying to the Spider-Mommy but whatever it is you're not saying it in English."
Peter was taken aback by Luke's words. What Peter thought was clear English, was actually a raspy growl with no clear words and the occasional hiss.
"Is there a problem Spider-Man? Your food seems to be agitated" inquired the larger Spider.
Spider-Man looked at him team for a moment before turning around to confront the Spider Queen once more.
"Everything is fine… these are not food they're my teammates. We are in a hurry to find another of ours who was taken by the Mimikai"
"What are these Mimikai you speak of?"
"The ones who become other creatures"
"Oh… you mean them. We simply called them prey… fuel to nourish us. Even now I smell them. My children say they followed the scent to you, apologies"
"That makes sense, we were all attacked-"
"No… you misunderstand. They did not attack you but the anxious one furthest from you… he carries a Mimikai."
Peter's head gravitated toward Brendon who was still in pain as he held his arm up. He looked back at his red and gold teammate with his usual animosity.
"What is it now?" said Hot Spot with an uneasy voice "Am I offending your new family?"
"How did you get that wound?" said Peter
"I was shot. Why?" Hot Spot trailed off, his mind thinking back to his encounter with the enemy. He was shot but with what? Fear came over his face as he thought of the grim answer as the spiders continued to look upon him.
"Oops, looks like juniors carrying baggage. Don't worry kid we specialize in maiming unwanted offspring" Said Venom as he gave a large grin. His fingernails changing into sharp blades.
Brendon extinguished the flame on his hand, allowing the darkness to envelope them until Venom gathered chi into his hands to make a flickering light. Then, everyone watched Brendon as he threw off his coat and shirt before placing his right hand over his bare wound, heating that area of his chest. Smoke rose from his hand as it began to glow red.
There was something squirming underneath his skin. Everyone heard a little pop sound as a little Mimikai no larger than a baby's fist twitched on the ground. In moments a swarm of little spiders converged upon it. They crawled over each other to devour it as a muffled squeal was let out, and then nothing was left.
The Spider-Queen gave a weak chuckle and breathed deeply "They say that it is… what was that word… crispy? Perhaps I will try it myself one day."
"I am sorry to rush you but how do you know the Mimikai?" asked Peter
"We had hunted them for many years, these Mimikai as you call them." Began the Spider-Queen. "They were capable of blending into an environment by reshaping themselves but still we could find them and the cycle of life continued… but then… one day they were different. They fought back and hunted us in these new shapes with four limbs, capable with the ability to know our minds."
"They pushed us… to the brink and suddenly stopped. As if they were being more careful to avoid us. I… I am not sure how long I will survive like this. I have lost so many of my children. They… have been dying too fast for me to teach them to live without me."
That settled it. Because of the Mimikai's interaction with humans they were forced to evolve and by doing so changed to order of the food chain in their home dimension. They wanted to be stronger in at the same time adapted the human form, to become superior. Even their nuclei were located where the brain was supposed to be.
Peter relayed the queen's story to the rest of his team.
"Do they want to be human?" questioned Luke "This is starting to sound like invasion of the bodysnatchers."
"Invasion of the what?" questioned Brendon as he slipped his coat back on
"Careful Cage, your age is showing" said Venom.
"But it makes sense when you look at it from Charles Darwin's point of view. In order to survive they learned to use magic but maybe whatever force they were tapping into is running out and that's why they need Strange. After they're done with him the next stop might be Earth."
"Wait, hold up Wong said these things made illusions" Said Luke as he tried to process the information. "If shapeshifting is their natural ability what do they need the magic for?"
"From what we've seen, mind reading for emotional tethers or possibly just mind reading in general. The second is bending reality to recreate settings from our past."
The Queen made an unsettling groan of discomfort. She grew tired of watching her guests talk amongst themselves, talking in a different language.
"By chance could you tell me where you left those bodies? My youngest are hungry and it is past time they feed"
"We can. But we need something in return, your help" replied Spider-Man "As I said the Mimikai have one of our people and if they kill him it is likely you and your children will be wiped out. They'll be too powerful.
The Spider-Queen grew quiet "How can you expect me to answer that?"
"As a parent, you can't possibly make that decision. But as a leader you have to choose, for better or worse."
The queen hung in silence
"We… need to move. A search party may follow… if the enemy is bold enough."
Peter pointed in one direction outside of the cave, back to the numerous enemies he had slayed. "If your children go in this direction they will find them. We'll wait outside for your answer but not too long"
Once the group outside of the cave Peter pulled Brendon aside and drew close towards him, invading his personal space.
"I don't care if you hate me but I care if you fold under the pressure."
"What do you want from me?"
"For you to be smarter. I'm just saying you need to focus. Do not let your rage cloud your judgement, use your anger to keep yourself motivated and mind sharp."
"So what can you do? Besides shoot flames?"
Peter locked his eyes upon Brenden, contemplating a way to talk without rousing the youth's anger.
"My point is that the world already has a human torch, a Pyro. What makes you different from them?"
"…I can fly and shoot flames"
"Is that all?"
"That's it."
"Show me"
Just outside of the cave Stood Spider-Man and Hot Spot amongst the rocks as a line of six spiders emerged from the cave. They marched into the forest with the smaller ones covering them, no doubt to find food.
Hot Spot fired a stream of flames toward the rocks. Peter walked behind the youth and observed his form. He ordered the boy to increase the intensity and he did. The heat was great but not quite finished.
Hot Spots arm was beginning to lower but Spider-Man approached and used his had to raise it up again
"Channel the fire to one spot, burn hotter."
"Why am I doing this? It's just wasting my power"
"Fine, try spreading it out like a shield"
Slowly the flames began to thin into a thin fountain of fire two seconds died out. Hot Spot was exhausted and breathed heavily. Both Luke and Venom whistled at the same time and then looked at each other with surprise.
"Ahh I…" said Brendon gasping for air hunched over. "I burned myself."
"Too bad, with practice you might be able magnify the intensity of your powers. What you've done is funnel heat into a steadier stream for more concentrated energy. In short that focused flame would be able to burn better than your usual flames."
The youth looked back at him with indifference, no glimmer of thankfulness, only exhaustion and sweat.
Luke began to approach Spider-Man from the rear. "We'll take five minutes and then get movin'. With or without the queen's help."
Spider-Man nodded in agreement with Luke and proceeded to turn toward Hot Spot who was trying to catch his breath. "It isn't much but you get the idea. You can probably use it one more time so don't be careless."
Walking a few paces brought Peter to the border between the forest and the rocks. With a leap he was among the tree branches and silence, a silence that was disturbed by Venom who appeared agitated.
"Parker, we hate this body. We feel the need to find "balance" and to consume tea, large amounts of tea!"
Peter gave a laugh "That's the best thing I've heard from you. Maybe some of Danny's charm will rub off on you, literally."
Venom cringed at Peter's laughs and made a scowl which stayed for a few moments and then crawled down. Perhaps Peter was reminded of their past antagonistic relationship and the present reversal but after the symbiote left he grew quiet again. The rocky landscape was not unlike Earth's, it was quiet and peaceful but not without its own wars to be fought.
The Spider-Queen knew about him, what he was. It must have been the other that she sensed within him. What difference would it really make if the Mimikai was right and he was the other? He was still alive and he still had goals that needed to be met so why think about it? He remembered that even Mephisto had mentioned something about the other his first night back on the rooftop before Moon Knight showed up. The image of Marc Spector in his dirty cape and cowl lingered
It had been some time since Peter last saw Marc and in that time he never thought to ask about his progress. After thinking further, Cage himself wasn't sure what had happened either since he gave Logan his phone in case Marc finally called. Even on a mission into the unknown, Marc Spector chose to do it alone but was he right for doing it? Was he free from the weight of guilt?
Those five minutes of peace seemed to pass by fast and no spiders emerged from the cave. Luke was already walking out with Hot Spot right behind him while Venom stood at the bottom of the tree trunk. He was waiting for the Iron Spider who was still looking into the distance.
"Enough daydreaming Parker. You can think of our union later"
Peter snapped out of his mind and back into the foreign realm. The spiders weren't coming. He leaped from one tree branch to the next to catch up with Luke with Venom behind him. The two of them moved amongst the trees, high above Luke on the off chance something was coming.
Once they got a certain distance away from the spider cave, that's when the air started to smell musky. The decaying bodies of spiders were locked into curled positions on their backs. There were puncture holes in their chests, cuts on their legs which were dry crushed skeletal husks as though carved by savage butchers. Death's stench grew stronger as they got closer.
Peter signaled for Venom's attention, ordering it to use camouflage.
One of the remains must have been the same size as the spider-queen. It was nothing but bare bones stretched out half submerged into the ground. The group pressed onward through the trees and to the next border. This was the separation between the forest and what could only be described as another version of a city.
Massive stones were carved into towering structures reminiscent of Midtown. Their exteriors were decorated with swirls and curves. Its streets were not that of concrete but dirt and more stone to form sidewalks. The streets were so vacant it would be considered a ghost town.
From the cover of the forest the Avengers watched for some sign of their enemy lurking but there was nothing. Luke's compass pointed deeper into the city and then he looked at Peter who was still in the trees. Peter shook his head, there were no dangers just yet which only made Luke more uneasy. Luke and Hot Spot crept out from behind the trees and into the streets while the still invisible Venom leaped from the trees to the nearest building.
For the first time in more than a year Peter was able to swing great wide distances, to feel the high winds against his mask. As he let go of the web he swayed with his old grace like flying for a brief moment before going back into another swing. After swinging a few times, he allowed his body to drift on the air currents and glide using a part of the Iron Spider suit's capabilities, something he almost forgot about. He stayed close to the buildings until he reached what was the center of the city. In his wall-crawling position with his gold eyes facing the town square.
In the center was a town square with a mass of movement. Mimikai swirled around each other in a restless manner, gathered around a giant slab which towered high. Both sides slab had symbols carved into it as well, each one glowed in a yellow light. After Peering closer, he could see Doctor Strange laid out flat on his back in front of the slab as a Mimikai had fingers dug into him as he screamed in pain. Light shined from his entry wounds in the color or red, then green, blue, yellow, white.
Luke had become unnerved by the large sight. He poked his head out from the cover of a building. The screams cut into him so much that he was compelled to walk out into the open street leaving Hot Spot behind.
"What the hell are you doing?" said Peter as he watched Luke
"Luke, look out!"
From high up descended at least half a dozen Mimikai which splattered onto the dirt like gel. They began to gather themselves up.
At that same moment a flock of bird-men with wings of green feathers and large talons for feet, swooping in to scrap Peter off the side of the building. His arm was slashed across the left bicep, blood rising slowly from his flesh. They squawked furiously with what sounded like half-words, as though they were trying to become the vulture from his past or gave up on becoming true imitations.
With Waldoes and stingers at the ready he leaped from the stone skyscraper. The Waldoes fired their reserve webbing and made contact with one of the birds, reeled it in and pierced its head. Its body went limp and started a slow decent from the air as Spider-Man leaped off of it and toward the next target.
On the street of the city Luke and Hot Spot were too busy fighting off their batch of enemies when Venom stepped in. Luke never broke sight with the sorcerer's position
"Sorry baldy but you move too slowly for our taste and your own good." Symbiote Iron Fist began to bulk up at will. After shooting two web-lines to opposite sides and tying them together it grasped Luke and placed him on it. "A little trick from our time with Wolverine, slingshot special!"
After Venom let go Luke was launched ahead with both of his fists forward like a battering ram into the chaos. Hot Spot flew through the air with his flames followed Luke's path to provide back up, leaving the symbiote warrior to fend for itself when a voice called out to it.
"Well, well, if it isn't dear old dad. Finally outgrown your man-whore Gargan I see?"
Symbiote Iron Fist's skin shivered like a cat to the sound of a guard dog. Four imitations of its symbiote offspring stood together in a line,
False Hybrid, the culmination of four symbiotes into one Crimson complete with eight large tendrils coming out of its back. Scream, the yellow and burgundy daughter with wild hair down to her waist. Toxin, the grandson whose top portion of the body looked like it was splashed with red paint and the bottom half was black. But in front for them all was also the worst, blood red with trademark white eyes and a sinister smile from ear to ear.
The pseudo Carnage wasted no time, swiping sharp elongated fingers.
"You're such a sentimental old fool, crawling back to the spider. I knew you were spineless but this is surprising or maybe not at all. You always did have a soft spot for that bleeding heart and now a part of you likes your little arrangement. Maybe I can help with a lobotomy, the family discount makes it free of charge hahahhahahahah!
Venom was caught by a slash but barely, only the symbiote was cut while Iron Fist's body was left untouched. Fake Carnage made a look in awe, soaking in the moment to see that his enemy was not invincible and then attacked again. It was then that the other children joined in the fight, Slashing and stabbing at Venom but he evaded barely. They started to multiply mid battle taking up the surrounding space with more symbiotes of different colors.
"ENOUGH!" shouted Venom at the top of his lungs. "We are tired of you imitations, constantly trying to be what you are not but we will educate, we will show you savage."
With a fist like a thing of iron struck fake Carnage in the face, taking it off with a glowing yellow blur. The chi in his fist had then flickered and went out like a weak light. Venom lost the chi somehow but he wasn't out of options. In a rage it got down on its knees like a turtle and black spines grew from its body in all directions
The black spines were random and only a few Mimikai too damage to the head while others shrugged off the holes in their bodies.
"Time to die Pops, the spider won't even miss you. He doesn't care about you the way you do about him, consider it a favor" mocked fake Scream.
Before the false Scream could land the finishing blow a bolder crushed her under its weight. On top of the rock landed Spider-Man in his crouching position.
"You're getting sloppy"
"Our hero"
The spider engaged the symbiote swarm with all eight limbs. If he cast webs they were cut, if he got close there were chances of injury. Though he fought hard and fast the Mimikai kept coming, multiplying but why. Venom was still down on its knees. Were they feeding off of its fear?
Spider-Man attempted to make space between Venom and the enemy, grabbing him and taking to the sky and on top of a tall structure.
"Parker, we are of no use in this form, we must go back"
"You're serious?"
"Yes, the Iron Fist is waking and we can't truly tap into his power. These creatures grow too fast for even you."
"Fine."
The symbiote slithered back into containment and Peter placed it back into the golden disk on his back. Iron Fist's body was left in his yellow and green suit
One moment later Danny had awoken groans of exhaustion. He gathered his bearings
"Whoa, what happened and why do I feel like I just ran a marathon?"
"We found Strange. C'mon we need to regroup with Luke and Hot Spot in the town square. Can you fight?"
"I have enough chi to do some damage"
The duo leaped down to join their allies in the center of a limited space. Spurts of flames melted the enemy into pools of mush which made it easy to find them.
"Danny, thank god you're back"
"Of course I'm back, wait where did I go?"
"From what I got you were knocked out so Venom did the driving."
"I feel the intense need to do a full body scrub but for now let's just get through this"
With the four reunited each struck blows in a huge mash up. Spider-Man couldn't help but look at the giant tablet, still absorbing the energy from the Doctor. They needed to clear a path before it was too late.
The Iron Spider used his stingers with precision. He didn't strike to kill but only stun a small number of nine Mimikai collected into a tight web net and called for Hot Spots attention. "Give me a light but not too hot"
Hot Spot threw red flames onto the net, burning it at which point the Iron Spider smothered the most intense parts of the blaze with more webbing from the Waldoes. With his new flaming web ball he passed the line into Luke's hands which he began flailing around once Hot Spot was clear of him. Luke smashed as many as him could, hoping that the webs wouldn't give out just yet but then he saw Danny waving his hands to gesture that he was open.
"And a beautiful pass to Iron Fist from downtown!" shouted Iron Fist with the large ball in his grip, charging it with chi energy before allowing it to collide with the ground below and exploding with a golden blaze.
"Oh yeah, check out the new wrecking crew!"
The Mimikai standing outside of the area affected by the explosion stood in place, morphing into symbiotes with host bodies of different colors.
Hot Spot took a deep breath and breathed out a torrent of yellow flame at the section of the crowd between his team and the tablet, turning them into puddles before aiming it at the tablet itself. As the flames forced themselves upon the stone structure they were reflected into an upward direction. When the fire stopped he was exhausted and sweaty, struggling to breath in as much oxygen as he could.
The Mimikai standing over Doctor Strange gave a look of distain. The stone tablet ceased to glow as the creature drew its fingers from the sorcerer's body and appointed another to take his place by the doctor's side. Its grey body turned Caucasian, its head grew dark hair which turned grey on the sides of its head. Black pools for eyes glowed green and a goatee formed around the mouth area making the transformation into the doctor complete. The only difference was that it wore a sleeveless garb made of black leather.
"Today we will end all opposition" said the Mimikai leader as he pointed an open palm toward the interlopers. A large glowing circle opened up just before web-lines were cast, covering its hand.
The team looked toward Spider-Man who looked back at them with no explanation for what happened. His spider-senses said to look to the sky. A vast army of six legged spiders had entered the stone city. Webs were fired from high above, connecting rooftop to rooftop as more arachnids traversed across the lines in conquest.
Spiders on the ground marched into the city, converging onto the square and attacking the enemy stronghold. However, moments after the arrival of the spiders came another metamorphosis from symbiotes into scorpions. They had to be at least a quarter larger that the spiders. Their pincers were like large vices and their bodies had long thin hairs protruding from the shelled exterior. Many were killed simply by the sheer level of mobility a symbiote had possessed but they had also held part of the enemy's attention.
"Looks like we might catch a break" said Luke.
Iron Fist moved behind Hot Spot, placing his hand on the teen's back in order to heal what fatigue was done.
"Is anyone else seriously hurt?" inquired Iron Fist.
Both Luke and Peter declined.
"The tablet seems to be drawing in energy from Strange" said Peter.
Chaos had broken out around them, a war between Spiders and Mimikai but the spiders were still at a disadvantage. The avengers were left to face an imitation Dr. Strange emanating its strong presence.
"You four have wasted your time. The sorcerer will reignite the flame we need to dominate our realm"
"Thing is, he's not your property"
"He became ours once you opened the portal, just like Richards said that you would."
"We're the New Avengers, pal. Beating impossible odds is what we do"
The large ground around the team became a modest circle of seven yards in diameter floating in the middle of space. The team stood on one end and the on the other was Mimikai Strange when energy bolts burst from a magic circle projected in front of him. In an arc the bolts traveled toward the team, forcing the team to separate. After performing an evasive somersault, the spider's Waldoes fired two lines of webbing while at the same time Hot Spot retaliated with a stream of flames.
With the webs coming at him from his left and flame on his right, Mimikai strange simply swept his hands causing both attacks to collide with each other and fizzle out. It was in this moment that Luke appeared before him while bringing down both of his arms like two sledgehammers as he shouted "Sweet Christmas" only to be blocked by a crystalline shield which partially cracked.
The shield around Strange came down and with formed hand gestures which caused Luke to thrust over the edge behind him.
"Hot Spot" called Spider-Man
"Yeah, I got him" replied Hot Spot as he dived off the ground and out of view.
Iron Fist dashed in to make a fierce sweep kick in mid-air aimed at Strange's head only to be evaded. The momentum from his kick caused his body to swivel, leaving his back briefly vulnerable to his opponent. Strange stamped a circle onto Danny's back causing the New Avenger to float into the air and vulnerable to the anti-gravity. Spider-Man cast a web-line to attach to Iron Fist's leg and reel him in.
Now on the offensive, the Mimikai made a slashing motion with his left hand to cut the web and with his right hand projected another spell toward the crimson and gold avenger. An immense pressure built up around him and caused his knees to buckle with his hands barely able to keep him from the ground. It felt like three elephants had dogpiled on top of him. The joints in his bones creaked, it became increasingly hard breath in. His Waldoes and stingers retracted back into their respective hidden positions.
"Even with a small fraction of your wizard's power I am beyond you" said Strange as he walked toward Peter and bent down to observe his prey. "You can't even use those precious stingers. Once you're gone I can finish the ceremony"
Luke grabbed the head of his opponent from behind with both hands and squeezed.
"Hot Spot" called Luke while looking at the drifting Iron Fist
"Yeah, I got him"
Luke had caught the pseudo Strange and he wasn't letting go. He was going to apply pressure until it was dead but then his hands smacked together after Strange became intangible. Luke was struck dumb as Strange was aloft.
The pressure bearing down upon Spider-Man began to weaken, making his body lighter once again. Air rushed into both of his lungs as he breathed deep. Slowly he rose up to his feet to avoid dizziness as much as possible.
"Get ready for round two ya spineless jellyfish!" shouted Luke.
"We need a new tactic" added Spider-Man.
"He hasn't even divided yet"
The sorcerer before them then began to split into four identical figures, each without as much as a smile. Each one touched the ground just as Iron Fist and Hot Spot rejoined their comrades.
"You jinxed it" said Spider-Man to Luke without taking his eyes off the duplicated enemies.
There wasn't much but for an instant the Mimikai's face had tensed up after Luke had shouted his insult. And then it hit him, this whole time these creatures were feeding off of the misery of others but that didn't mean they themselves were immune to such tactics. Magic like Strange's required concentration which might explain why it decided to deal with them personally and away from the tablet. If he wanted to win he would have to find his humor again.
"You know what? Aside from aside from becoming anything you guys have no imagination at all. We came all this way, the least you could do is turn into something scarier."
"What are you doing, Peter?" murmured Iron Fist with a perplexed look on his face.
"Follow my lead"
"I know what you are doing, it will not work."
"Are you sure? Cause it looks like somebodies flexing their frowning muscles."
"So let me get this straight you want to annihilate the human race and then replace it?"
"Sounds like an identity crisis to me" chimed Spider-Man. "Having juggled four different personas I can say it's not fun.
"Enough!" spat the four Mimikai in unison as they dashed forward. Each one singled out opponent
"Then again if I looked as bad as they do I would change my face too" Commented Luke.
"Let's say you guys beat us" said Hot Spot. "There is a whole planet of heroes probably waiting to stop you. The Mets have a better chance getting into the World Series"
"Ya gotta love an underdog" finished Luke.
"You want to talk about underdogs? How about retribution for our ancestors slaughtered for mere target practice!"
Everyone was growing tired. The fighting wore on each of their muscles but the compulsion to survive was at its peak as well as well as the need to occasionally taunt. Hot Spot was running out of energy. The some could have been said for Iron Fist but if he used the last of his power he couldn't heal the real Doctor Strange, marooning everyone in turn.
There was a sort of surreal feeling to fighting side by side. The mind seemed to take in visual and sound simultaneously and their bodies reacted like the neurons sent information to the brain. Evade and attack were all they needed. As they continued there was a decrease in the use of magic, less energy bolts to dodge and more shape shifting.
First it was Danny's foe succumbed to a hard right hook to the head leaving a hole in it. Next was Luke's, then Brendon's leaving Peter's the only Mimikai left. It attempted to must the power for another attack energy blast but nothing came of it. Its power was spent and like anyone without options it backed off like a cornered animal. All four heroes took small steps forward.
"NOOOOO" howled the foul chameleon. "I was so close"
"Looks like you spent too much on the light show pal" teased Iron Fist. "Next time I'd suggest taking an accounting class"
"That's enough Danny" said Spider-Man while still making eye contact with the Mimikai. "Tell us about Reed Richards."
The Mimikai gritted its teeth and scowled at Spider-Man but ultimately yielded to his demand.
"One day, a hole was ripped in this dimension leading to yours. It is said the man appeared and collected my ancestors in herds through the hole."
"He asked about Reed, not a story" said Hot Shot with little patience.
"You would do well to listen since one cannot tell one side without the other" said the doppelganger. "Once there they were taken for some ritual to show the humans worth in combat but eventually one escaped containment and took the form of a human girl. Left to wander the land it stumbled upon a hermit who taught her the ways of human speech and customs."
"She could have chosen a simple life but instead held a desire to know more, be more. So in her search for power and found a Mage and became his apprentice but found that she couldn't use the power without the aid of endowed objects. She was frustrated, at being limited to a single object and one day while her master was away she discovered two spells. One stole magic from the living and the other turned emotion into reproductive energy. When her master returned she killed him and returned to the death camp, slaughtering the wizards that wronged her and released her brethren to conquer the land."
"They were a force of nature but eventually stopped by some unknown means and returned to their home dimension where they exercised their new tactics to kill old enemies like the Ari. The only problem was that the magic would eventually run out."
"Fast forward to the present, your Reed Richards appears with three others in uniform like him. We couldn't enter their minds but we felt his and he knew of us. He wanted to make a deal, barter your mage for a pact of peace between dimensions. He said there was a chance our power would be restored. A new source of power for us to continue our work. All we had to do was wait around one spot and a portal would appear and lead us to him."
"Then what did you do?" asked Luke with his arms crossed
"One of ours attacked him and his people, causing them to flee but we waited in the place he disappeared. Many of us worried but sure enough it happened. I was there when he arrived, I saw him as he was"
"I only wish that we could see the human race destroy itself."
Mimikai Strange began to laugh manically as if he was overcome with madness until the spider stinger penetrated its head. The astral sky scattered like glass and the Avengers were returned to the center of the stone city. They saw the dead bodies scattered about the ground, both scorpion and spider shaped. The stone tablet still stood and before it was the body of Doctor Strange still lying flat, his body still being drained.
Luke dashed for the Sorcerer Supreme and attacked the shield surrounding him and the tablet. With all of his strength until it shattered into pieces and dispatched the Mimikai draining his friend's power.
"Get clear" shouted Spider-Man as he took to the sky. "I'll take care of that stone"
Quickly he rose high on top of a building where some spiders appeared to be gnawing upon their enemy's limp bodies. After telling them about the stone the spiders latched their webs to the giant tablet and pulled together. As he glided around nearby rooftops he repeated the process. Flying Mimikai attempted to interfere, to cut the lines. Spider-Man kept them busy to the best of his abilities. He couldn't stop all of the lines from being cut but with enough timee it would all be over.
Slowly the stone structure tilted over until it reached the point of no return and collided with the ground, killing a great number of Mimikai. With their greater dead and the source of their power gone the remaining Mimikai scattered in every direction. The dirt kicked up created a lingering brown mist. The city grew quiet without the pitter patter of movement echoing through its avenues.
The three avengers ascended one of the stone buildings with the real Doctor Strange in arm. They continued until it seemed that the brown dust would follow them no more and set the body down. There were holes dug into his chest. Blood rising to the surface of each, spilling over the side of his ribcage and darkening his blue shirt into a maroon color.
Iron Fist gently tapped his friends face in the hopes to get a reaction but he didn't even receive a groan. He placed his left ear upon the mage's chest and heard a slow heartbeat. After this he placed his glowing hand onto Strange's chest. His skin began to close the holes at a rapid pace after the last ounce of chi energy was fed.
"C'mon doc, I'm running out of juice"
Strange gave a weak cough and struggled to open his eyes to catch the sight of three comrades standing over him. A weak smile was made to give the sign that all was well before passing out again.
Peter descended from high in the sky and into the dirt. After looking through the Iron Spider's lens he concluded that no one from the team was on the ground level. There was however movement amongst the dust. Arachnids approached him from all sides but made way for one who was a bit larger than average sized spider. It had the fresh cuts and bruises but marched toward Peter all the same.
"So your mother changed her mind"
"Mother never came to a decision. She died shortly after you left, I am in charge now."
"I see and what will you do now"
"We rebuild by taking over this realm. The future hatchlings will know of the Spider-Man, his friends and how you helped us defeat our enemy on this day."
Luke and the rest out of the team returned from hiding with Strange limp in Luke's arms. Luke called out to Strange attempting to wake him long enough for him to open the gate.
"It seems that you are leaving now"
"It would seem"
"Safe travels then. The Ari thanks you"
Spider-Man walked through the Crowd of spiders to reach the rest of the Avengers as Strange opened to the portal back home
"Once we get back I am going to start training again… right after I take the world's longest nap" said Iron Fist as he yond.
"Ditto" affirmed Hot Spot attempting to dust off the dirt from his coat
"And I almost forgot that anti Symbiote scrubbing. By the way, did Venom do anything with my body while I was out?"
"Nothing much, just that you thought Luke's headband was a tiara"
"Can we not talk about that?"
"Ok but technically it did fit around your forehead" joked Iron Fist "but if you had put it on upside down?"
"Says the guy that let Venom wear him like an overpriced suit" retaliated Luke.
"Hahaha oh right. I forget all about that, truce?"
"Truce"
The blue whirlpool opened before them team of five stepped through, Vanishing from the Ari's sight.
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Steven Strange laid down in his bed with his head supported by two pillows. Linda Carter, the night nurse was at his side watching over him like a hawk. Her keen ears informed her to look towards the door, where Spider-Man stood over the threshold. Before she could shoo him away the Doctor held her back but clasping her arm with his weak hand.
"Give us a moment please"
"Had I known that such injury meant an audience with you I might have fallen ill sooner" said the Strange as he tried to muster a weak laugh.
"It was my fault you're here. Getting you back was a way to make it right"
"Are you saying that if you weren't involved with my capture you would have left me?"
"I…" Peter paused as he tried to find the right words.
"Do you know where I was when the fighting started last year?" began Strange as he propped himself up, letting the sheets fall and reveal bandages covering his chest. "While you all were down here on Earth fighting I was on the moon fasting… fasting! As if not eating would cure the conflict. If I had only intervened none of this would have happened to begin with. So I suppose I am to blame for your current path and that of the world in some capacity. I deserve this."
"The team still needs you, I put your life in danger and it was only that I get you back"
Peter turned around to face the doorway and crossed the threshold as Strange called out to him.
"I'm sorry. For being unable to help your aunt"
"I know you are but it happened. She can't come back and neither can I change what has happened. Not even so sure what I am"
"What does that mean?"
"It means that when you're ready Doc, I need your help to understand what I am exactly"
"I will do my best"
The Spider-Man left the room. Again the sorcerer was alone and to himself. He couldn't help but think and give the slightest smile of optimism.