Explanation



For Doctor Reed Richards working late nights in his laboratory was par for the course of being a world-renowned scientist. A man with several Nobel prizes under his belt, who used free patents and low-cost inventions to fuel his growing popularity. Although it helped some that he also known as Mr. Fantastic: Head member of the Fantastic Four

As he worked in his lab, Richards used his stretchy limbs to grab various tools around the room. Just as he was fetching a Florence flask. He heard a noise and carefully set the flask down.

"Who's there?" Richards called out

A dark figure appeared from the shadows outside of the room.

"Who are you?" He asked

"It's Spider-man" Spidey told him

"Oh right, didn't recognize the costume change. What brings you here?"

Spider-man came right over where Reed was working.

"I need help, Dr. Richards."

Richards gave a smirk. "How can I help you Spider-man?"

"I want to know what this suit is?"

"You don't know?"

Spidey shook his head. "All I know is I fell in some hole and then got covered in this black goo. Next thing I know I've got this suit on that I can't take off."

"Is that it?"

"No, for some reason this suit is making me act different."

"In what way?"

"Its make me more aggressive. In fact I just pummeled three jewel thieves to the point that one is unconscious."

Reed gave a look of shock.

"Exactly Doc, that's why I need to your help. To figure out what this suit is."

Richards thought about it and then nodded. "All right I'll see what I can do in the next 24 hours. Come back here around this time to see what I have. Now I need a sample." He pulled a pair of scissors off from the counter-top and was about to pull some material from the suit. But the suit regressed back into Spidey's arm, leaving bare white skin.

"Incredible!" He remarked

"I got an idea, put the scissors down."

Richards did and the part of the suit returned to where it was. Spidey then pulled some material in his fingers and let it stretch. "Cut it now!"

Richards grabbed the scissors and cut off a piece of the suit. The small piece appeared to squirm on its own. He took it, put it in a petri dish, sealed it, and then put into contained designed for foreign specimens.

"Be back in here in 24 hours. By that time I'll have run the gamut of tests."

"Thanks Doc."

"Not at all, Spider-man. It already appears that you gave me something new to play with it."

Spidey smiled under his mask and then left the way he came in, going back into the cool city night.





The next day in the frenetic City Room of the Daily Bugle. Eddie Brock was relishing his latest journalistic coup. The "SPIDEY SMACKDOWN!" story made front page. And Jameson was praising Brock. While he was unsure of what Jameson thought of the war-crawler. Brock knew that the article would see papers and intern sell ad space: The lifeblood of a newspaper.

Brock laid back in his chair and smiled to everyone. Even Ben Urich who was not receiving Brock's good fortune.

"Jealous?" Brock asked Urich

"No, not at all."

"You're jealous."

"Why would I be jealous?"

"When was the last time you made front page?"

Urich didn't answer.

"Oh, oh, oh. Mister-takes-down-the-Kingpin can't take a little competition. Well guess what Benny Boy? I'm coming up behind you quick. So if you want to be Jameson's golden boy I suggest you go out there and start pounding the pavement, like all us other journalists."

Urich fumed, he couldn't take the equivalent of having his nosed rubbed in it.

"Dammit Brock, I've had enough of this. You think your so hot cuz you slander Spider-Man."

"Whoa, whoa, back-it-up. I did not slander Spider-man. First of all I didn't have malicious intent. Secondly I've got information from many credible cops, paramedics, and doctors. I suggest you watch what you say. For at the moment the city likes to think of its cops as heros."

Urich was about to shoot back when City Editor Robbie Robertson appeared. His presence defused any tensions between Brock and Urich by putting back to work.

While Brock continued to bask in his glory, in a few cubicles away. Peter Parker was sickened to what he had done last night. He couldn't believe he had done so much damage to the jewel thieves. He found out from Brock's article that one had broken five teeth. The other two had to revived from near death, the second had his leg broken in five places and third guy had a broken pelvis, arms, and neck. In essence he had gone medieval on criminals he would've normal foiled their plans and left them gift-wrapped for the cops.

That was why he needed to Richards to find out what the suit otherwise these urges were going to get more frequent and possible even more intense. The downside of the suit was starting to outweigh the benefits. He feared the day he may act out on Aunt May, Mary Jane, or on the other people he loved. He had keep his emotions in check and not to fight crime until he got this thing taken care of. Despite all of the other things going on in his life, that was the one thing he kept on his mind for the entire day.





Peter felt grateful when made his way to Four Freedoms Plaza in Mid-Town. Hopefully Richards had some answers about his suit. When he arrived back into the lab, Reed Richards was standing by a projector had a file in his hands.

"So what is it?" Spidey asked

"It didn't take long to find out what the suit is, Spider-man. Basically it's a sentient organism-"

"You mean it thinks?"

"Yes, that it lives off a host organism and provides benefits to itself and the organism. In essence a-"

"Symbiote"

"Correct, Spider-man. But there is more this than simple symbioses." Richards went over and activated the projector. Rather than extend one his arms, he walked over and turned it on.

The room darkened and the screen appeared. On the screen was a clear mass of protein on the screen.

"This is a simple protein, now this what it was before I introduced a piece from that costume."

A probe appeared and injected some black fluid onto the slide. For a second it appeared to lay there lifeless, then it grabbed for the protein and began to mingle with it."

"As you can see, it's bonding to the protein's genetic structure."

"Bonding"

"Exactly, but after a certain amount of time. The protein takes on the characteristics of the symbiote until it has completely enveloped the protein."

"You mean it's destroyed?"

Richards nodded. "Yes. . .swallowed whole by the alien symbiote."

"What does that mean in my case?"

"Well it isn't exact it could mean a matter of months to a matter of days. It depends on the symbiote's metabolism."

"So unless I don't get this thing off. I'll be eaten alive?"

Richards had an extreme look of despair on his face. "Yes"





To Be Continued