Part Three
"Hey, you've seen Pete anywhere?" Ben asked walking into the living room with a look of mild concern across his face; it was getting dark outside now that the sun was beginning to set.
Mary Jane shook her head, checking the time, "He said he was going out."
"Oh." Ben stood still for a moment clicking his tongue anxiously, "Okay, I'm going to hit the bed, goodnight, MJ."
"Bye, Ben." She replied looking at the clock mounted on the wall again. "He's okay; he's probably just working out or something."
Peter spit out blood onto the floor of the interrogation room. The supposed hero he knew from the press as Hawkeye punched him forcefully across the jaw. "Okay, that's enough kid; you better come clean with us on the double."
"Listen if this is about that time I sent that letter to the President about me running as his VP that was just a joke, I swear." His hands were bound by a metal cable that he couldn't break which held him against a long metal pipe protruding from the floor reaching into the ceiling. His mask lay humbly at Hawkeye's feet.
Hawkeye hit him again with such force that blood poured out from his nose. "This isn't a game, kid. You don't come clean and we'll bring this up a notch."
"Please, I'm sorry; I'll tell you whatever you want; just don't take me to whoever dresses you." He replied only to be hit in the gut. Peter reeled and gasped for air while trying to maintain a smile. "I've fought Goblins, giant reptiles, men made out of Sand, but this is the first time I think I've ever met a transvestite. I have to say this has been much more pleasant than I would have anticipated."
Hawkeye raised his fist again when another presence made itself known. "Lay off of him, he's not here to be beaten; he's here to help us." Captain America, Steve Rogers, out of costume entered the room, "Go cool off."
"I'll be back." Hawkeye promised leaving the room. "Then we'll have some fun."
Steve stared at Peter for a moment, "Sorry about that, he tends to get carried away with things."
He raised his eyes lightly, "Oh thanks for the apology, hey, um, turn around and bend over and I'll show you were you can stick that apology."
"You've every right to be angry."
Peter laughed, "You jumped me, took off my mask, played kickball with my guts and you're telling me to be angry? Now I know the public school system is all screwed up."
"Calm down, you've been brought here for a very important reason." Steve said, "I want you to be a part of this."
"Cut the crap, Cap, I know the whole bad-cop good-cop thing and it's not going to take." Peter replied, "So get to the point so I can go home."
Steve nodded and generously broke Peter's bond with some cutters, "I think you no there's no real point to going all crazy right now and trying to escape, we'd be home before you got there. Follow me."
Peter rubbed his wrist rather irritated keeping a close eye on Captain America as he left the room. Realizing that an escape would be in fact futile he followed. Steve Rogers led him through several modest and dull corridors.
"Have you ever heard of the organization called S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Rogers coldly inquired.
Peter raised an eye, "S.H.I.E.L.D. why do I feel like I should know them." They seemed to have only been a whisper that Peter had either glimpsed at or heard whispered quietly in the past.
"You should." Steve answered, "That cloak and dagger group that I know you've seen Curt Connors with is S.H.I.E.L.D. you've crossed paths with them on a number of occasions."
"Wait, are they the clowns that were being led around by the guy with the eye-patch?" Peter suddenly asked remembering that fateful day on top of the Church.
"That's them; they're a really bad bunch too. I consider myself a patriot, Parker, I love America, but these people…if they had their way America would practically become the fourth Reich." Steve replied as they reached the door to an office. He opened it and led Peter inside. The office itself modest, apparently being used as a briefing room by Cap's group, a general approached him.
The General extended his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Spider-Man."
Peter grimaced, "I'd shake your hand but I'm weak from blood loss." He replied sarcastically, "Listen, can we cut to the chase, here?"
"You haven't briefed him, Steve?" The General asked somewhat surprised.
"I'm still in the process of it." Cap gestured to a plain chair to which Peter was all too oblige him by sitting in. "The guy with the eye-patch's name was Nick-."
Peter raised his head slowly, "Fury, Venom shared more than just a few of his secrets with me. What about him?"
Steve opened a file and looked at the picture inside for a moment; it was of Connors before his transformation, "When Fury died we figured that S.H.I.E.L.D. would eventually collapse without a strong leader. His second in command some mystery woman by the name of Jan, not her real name mind you, had been his protégé but she hadn't finished being groomed by Fury upon his death so we weren't worried."
"Something went wrong, I assume, otherwise you wouldn't have taken the time to bring me in and dance all over my kidneys." Peter remarked.
"We knew Curt Connors had been working with Fury's organization for some time, what we didn't anticipate was that he would fill in the gap left by Fury. In other words, your ex-science teacher is in charge of one of the most powerful terrorist organizations in the world."
Peter shrugged, "Small world; isn't it?"
Steve frowned, "Too small. Remember him?" He handed the web-slinger a picture.
"Yeah, I spent a nice few weeks with him in hell, Venom." Peter put the picture down.
"Well, Connors and S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to capture him and he's been able to continue the experiments he started." Steve sighed, "We don't know how he pulled it off but he's been able to create more symbiotes and he's using the formula that screwed him up in the first place as the basic DNA platform for it to form around."
Peter's face during that last bit of revelations had turned completely white, "How many has he made?"
"So far just twelve have been created. But he's also improved his original formula so there's no telling how strong they really are." Steve replied, "But that's one too many." He handed Peter a picture of a building, "It's supposedly the center of a large drug company, in reality it is the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., we tried to send in an assassination team but they failed."
"What are you planning to do? Why are you telling me this?" Peter asked worried no longer even feeling the stinging in his jaw.
Steve grimaced along with the general, "Our information's fragmented on certain areas. You did after all defeat Venom moments before Connors captured him. We had to make sure. As for what we're planning to do, I'll let the General take this one."
The general was a man who looked to have carried the burden of many difficult orders and years on his shoulders but his demeanor portrayed nothing but confidence, "We can't just bomb the building, we don't know what kind of contaminants could be released from the various bio-weapons labs at the heart of the building, instead we're going to have to go in more raw."
"I don't like where this is going." Peter said grimly.
"The Avengers will launch an attack on the lobby and work their way up, this will only be a distraction while you and Captain America enter from a higher floor, preferably eighty, any higher and you'll never make it past the electrified windows and other various defenses. Then you must reach the top of the building where we believe is Connors' breeding facility, he'll probably be there as well. Captain America will have several charges of C-4, destroy any and all data on this thing, including samples of his formula and if you get the chance take Connors out as well."
Peter lowered his head with his knees shaking, "You guys really don't need me for this."
"You're afraid?" Steve asked.
"Damn right, Connors is no pushover and a bunch of soldier Venoms running around augmented with reptilian DNA scares the crap out of me. I'd be soiling my pants if I hadn't done so already."
Steve nodded, "If you want out you can leave but we could use your help, we've never ran up against Connors before we could use somebody with experience."
"Hey, I said I was afraid." Peter answered, "I didn't say I was backing out. When are we leaving?"
"Tonight, they'll be less chance of civilian casualties then and probably less guards on duty." The general answered.
Peter sighed, "Can I make a phone call."
"Go ahead, there's one in the lobby, just don't say anything about this mission."
Peter walked into the bathroom and splashed his face with water and then looked into the mirror at his own exhausted reflection. "Dear God, all I ever wanted was a normal life and even when that didn't go through I tried to help people. So why are you throwing these bastards my way, I suffered enough and I made up for it, I never deserved the Green Goblin or the Sandman or any of those people."
"One of these days, I mean it; I've got a good mind to sock you." A sudden rushing swept through his stomach and he ran to the toilet shortly before throwing up his lunch.
"Mary Jane?" The voice on the other line said in almost a panic. The young and beautiful redhead frowned at his tone.
"What's wrong, Peter?" She immediately asked.
He sighed, "Listen, there's something I have to do, I just wanted to let you all know…that I love you and that you're going to come first for once, all of you are."
MJ grimaced, "Peter? What's happened? Why are you talking like this?"
"Just hold on, okay, I promise this is going to be over, I'm coming home, I promise you." He sighed, "I have to go now."