Chapter 8

Loud sounds of hard knocking against wood erupted as Peter kept slamming his head against his desk at the Daily Bugle. Venom--She-Venom--was back, Jameson was angry, and sightings of MJ were becoming more and more sparse. It was 2:00 P.M, and work, or lack thereof, was dragging on. Looking down, Peter saw that his head had begun to make an indentation in the wood. A bowl shape was forming. He looked into it and pictured Venom wreaking havoc over the city, Jameson firing him for real, and MJ giving a passionate kiss to ol' John-boy. Peter screamed in frustration, got up, and ran to the low—traffic hallway he usually patronized when he was going to go web slinging. Pushing open a window, Peter jumped from the high-rise window, feeling the freedom of the rushing wind as it blew through his hair. Quickly, he shot a line of webbing and caught himself before he reached the ground.

Peter always went web slinging when he was angry or frustrated. The skies were his sanctuary; no one could get to him there. Among the rooftops he found time and silence to think and relieve his frustration.

Finally Peter returned to the windowsill he had jumped from and walked back to his desk. Only minutes after he returned, he could hear the eruptions of Mr. J. Jonah Jameson as his boss brooded about his leaving his desk during work hours. Before he could bang his head again, Peter looked up at his answering machine and saw he had a message. Pressing the button, Peter heard MJ's soothing voice say that she wanted to see him for dinner that day. His spirits instantly lifted, Peter got up from his desk went for the stairs. Despite the increasingly loud explosions coming from the corner office, Peter was up, up, up. Nothing could spoil this day now. So as not to draw attention to himself, Peter hopped on the elevator andmade his way to the bottom of the building.

Walking out the front door of the Bugle, Peter stood upon the threshold of the busy Manhattan street and took in a deep breath. Things were alright. Suddenly, a relentless Jameson poked his head out from the tenth-story window and shouted, "Parker-r-r-, You're fir-r-r-r-r-" Jameson didn't get any farther as his secretary pulled him back into the office. It's a good thing he's not the symbiote host, Peter thought, or I'd be in over my head! Pondering again, he mused, Man, that secretary sure is something. She always manages to cool off Jameson and help me keep my job. She deserves a raise. SHE deserves a mint. Maybe tomorrow I can—

Peter's voice was cut off by a swift kick that sent him reeling into an adjoining alleyway. Looking out at his assailant, Peter saw a black—clad figure with the traditional white eye splotches and spider insignia across the chest. It was She-Venom alright. Taking his brief moment on the ground to regain his breath, Peter got up, pulled his mask over his face, and prepared to fight the monster that had nearly enslaved him only days ago.

"What are you waiting for Peter? We are here for you…" the new host remarked slyly. With that remark, Peter leapt to action. Firing two lines of webbing, Peter aimed at the hosts eyes, but the host quickly liquefied into a puddle, avoiding the webbing. That's new, Peter thought. Why couldn't I do that what that thing? Suddenly Peter felt a tug on his web lines. The woman had materialized while he had paused for a beat to think and grabbed his web lines. Before he could let go, the symbiote flung Peter through the first story window of the Bugle. Peter got up, took a breath, and went back to fighting the host woman.

As he fought the host, Peter made some observations about the host's behavior. The symbiote woman seemed to be playing with him, toying with him in order to get the best of him. She would toss him to the ground time after time, but never with great intensity. And then she wouldn't even follow up her long—range attacks with another fist or so while Peter was on the ground. Peter was frazzled, but then he began to wonder, is this some sort of trick? What if the new host is someone I know? But he quickly dismissed his second thought. Thunk! Suddenly a huge black sledgehammer threw Spiderman into a nearby brick wall. Spiderman was actually beaten, for he expired there. Upside down from the landing of the throw, just before Peter lost consciousness, he saw the symibote woman walk up in front of him, hands on hips, and begin to reach out one black hand to start webbing him into a black sac. But, the woman suddenly started to jerk around erratically. The normally smooth black goo rippled across the host's frame as the two began to twitch. By the time the woman shot out a first web line, it was off target just enough for the webbing to fly over Spiderman's head. Suddenly the goo smoothed again and the host shot another line of webbing—this time towards a neighboring high-rise, and swung away. A relieved Spiderman stumbled up, shot a web line in the opposite direction, and proceeded home. Oh man, Peter thought, this creepy girl has just made me late for my dinner! A certain anger Peter had not felt since parting with the symbiote started to brew in Peter's gut, but he quickly dismissed it and flew off to his apartment to get changed for the dinner.

"What in the world was that all about?" a frustrated Mary Jane screamed at the symbiote as the pair landed on top of a small building.

"Fun," the voice of the symbiote curtly replied.

"Fun! We nearly knocked unconscious my best friend! That's fun!"

"Calm down, you are overreact—"

"I don't think so! I thought it was really cool to fly and be a puddle, but hurting Peter…I This isn't fun anymore. I think I want you off—"

Listen, the symbiote spoke softly, this is just a way to get to know Peter better.

What? MJ began to communicate with it in her thoughts.

Peter has this alter ego. One he's had for nearly a year now. One he kept from you until just recently. What does that mean?

Well, I guess it means he has been hiding things from me…but he did it to protect me!

We don't protest the point. But, isn't Peter more than just the average college student you thought you knew?

…

Isn't he?

…Yes. Mary Jane felt tears welling up within her as she realized she had no idea who he, as a whole person, truly was. There had always been this half she had never known.

It's okay you're upset. But you have nothing to fear. We have bonded now with you and Peter. As you stay bonded with us, you will continue to experience the impressions Peter left on us.

MJ remembered back to the very first day she knew shewas bonded with the symbiote. She remembered seeing the pain of Peter's every day life. She remembered the frustrated and anguish, the conflict between his desires to be with her and his connection to the common person. MJ began to weep. What fight she had in her was being replaced by sorrow for Peter.

You see, you are getting to see Peter as he really is. As for today, we are encouraging him to be better, to have a bigger voice. Soon, he will come to the point where he will stand up to Jameson and be free of his tyranny. And all that will be because of us, our bonding, our encouragement to growth by a little fun.

MJ slowly stopped crying and formed a new emotion—anger. Anger at the people who had oppressed her lover, anger for those who hated Spiderman, anger toward all the merciless high school kids that had picked on Peter prior to his day of reckoning with the mutated spider. Fueled by aggression, MJ now knew that she really was looking out for Peter by fighting with him. He would be stronger, faster, smarter after fighting the symbiote. He would be new. Smiling, MJ found herself at peace.

Now hurry. We don't have much time until our dinner with Peter tonight.

Right right! Dinner! But what will I wear? And my hair, I know I'm gonna have hat—er—symbiote hair when I—

We'll take care of that. And with that, the symbiote formed itself into a short black dress, a pair of stiletto heels, and finally receded from MJ's head, revealing a tightly pulled up hair masterpiece. MJ couldn't help but be impressed. Quickly, MJ climbed down the side of the building and emerged from the alleyway. MJ looked into the window and saw an exhausted Peter being seated by a maitre'd. MJ opened the door and walked inside.

"So the brick says, who's spading you!" Peter quipped as he finished a joke. The two had worked their way through cheeseburgers and sodas at their favorite diner.

MJ noticed Peter's bruises, inflicted by their little "bout of fun", and coyly asked, "Where'd those come from?"

Peter started to stammer over his words. "Uh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Well, remember the black suit I had for few days last week?"

"Sure." This was becoming fun for her.

"Well, some poor woman must have run into it after it separated from me. Now s-s-she's running ra-rampant across the city and I—"

As Peter continued, MJ watched him talk without taking any of it in. She remembered that this was what made her find him so cute. She remembered secretly adoring him as they grew up next to each other. Now, she was just so taken in by him. Gazing into his eyes as he kept talking and sometimes stuttered, she wanted to just jump over the table and kiss him. Wait a minute, she thought, since when have I been passionate about Peter like this? Maybe this is just some added effect from the symbiote.

Right again, answered the symbiote.

But why, continued MJ in thought-conversation, in the world would I want that?

Our gifts and abilities cause the host to be more passionate than reserved, more impulsive than restrained. In essence, you will follow your goals, ambitions, and desires more because of this. You are just experiencing this now because only now have webeen together long enough.

Oh…well, I guess that's alright. But I don't wanna freak him out. Not until we reveal to him our identity.

Right. We agree.

"..it will be a problem in the future. What do you think, MJ?" Peter asked.

"Huh? Uh, sure," MJ covered. She didn't realize she hadn't been paying any attention to him over the last few minutes. "Well tiger," she continued, "I'd better go. I have another audition for a play tomorrow. Beauty sleep, ya know? Of course not; you're a guy. Just kidding. But anyways, I love you." Then MJ got up, came around the table, and kissed Peter on the cheek. Quickly she walked out the front door of the diner and out of sight.

MJ has been really weird, Peter thought. On the one hand, she has been doing things like that kiss to suggest she really loves me, but on the other hand, she sure has been distracted lately. I wonder if something is going on. Maybe I should check out her apartment tomorrow afternoon, just to be safe. And with that, Peter got up from the table, paid the tab, and left.

Excellent; we like the situation of our host, the symbiote thought to itself. Things are going along swimmingly. She is completely none the wiser. Soon it will be time to act; soon it will be time to arise…