Just as it seemed like some light was finally shining, something dakr came in and ruined it. Paul managed to reach Ling and he stopped Balancer from causing so much havoc and destruction. They also had the cure in their hands. However, Hydra came in and stopped them from really doing anything.

"I say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. No matter what I do, you always find a way to undo all my hard work, you rotten arachnid." Hydra said as he lowered himself to the floor.

"Spencer?! Oh my lord!" Christoph said as he was astonished at what he was seeing with Hydra's appearance.

"Surprised, White Streak?" Hydra said. "Many are quite surprised by my return, but someone as brilliant as me found a way to cheat even Death himself."

"No. He's more surprised by your ugly new appearance. So are the rest of us here." Thomas said as he and Lindsay were a little surprised themselves by Hydra's new look.

"What are you doing here, Hydra?" Paul said as he was making sure the cure was safe. That's just something he can't let be taken away.

"You're actually holding the answer." Hydra said as he pointed to the cure. "I'm also here for him." He turned his look towards Christoph. "You and I have a little unsettled business."

"Too bad you're leaving here in cuffs!" Paul said as he shot a line at him, but Hydra caught it easily with one of his dragon heads and threw it around with Paul being thrown and having him thrown against the wall.

"Spider!" Lindsay called in concern.

"That's it! Let's take this punk down and finish this!" Thomas said as he charged right at him. He jumped up and tried to strike him with his fist, but Hydra had one of his dragon heads smash against him and knocked him away. Lindsay tried being the brave one. Hydra tried to fight her off, but she used acrobatics and nimbleness to move around. When she got close enough, she tried kicking him in the gut, but that didn't work so well. If anything, all she really do was hurt her own foot.

"Okay... Maybe that wasn't the best idea." Lindsay complained before Hydra knocked her out of the way.

"I'm not the same as I was before. I'm stronger than ever, but you three appear to be the same as you were." Hydra said as he walked over to Paul. "Now, give me that antidote. I'm being nice here, but I've become rather impatient over the years."

"Why do you want this antidote? You were the one that poisoned the city with the virus." Paul said.

"Call it leverage or insurance." Hydra said. Paul tried to get back up, but Hydra smashed one of his dragon heads to keep him down. He was going to take the antidote, but Thomas shot a couple lines at him and pulled Hydra away from him with all his might. However, Hydra didn't even turn to look at him. He fired some lasers at him, but Thomas jumped out of the way.

"This guy is just as annoying as ever. Say, isn't this the part where you tell us how you did it? How did you come back?" Thomas questioned.

"Not much to say exactly." Hydra said. He remembered him falling down a shaft and an explosion went off with him hitting the bottom. "You thought you finished me off, and I'm a little surprised you actually attempted to. What you didn't do was confirm my death. I was able to survive, but I gave the illusion that I was dead." After his last battle, Hydra was barely alive, but he made it look like he was dead. When his body was taken away, he covered his tracks and was able to escape. "No one reported anything because they all believed I wouldn't have lived much longer with my injuries. Even I knew I wouldn't, unless I rebuilt myself." It wasn't easy, but he was able to keep himself alive. Of course, he had to rebuild his body into what it is now to do that. "I knew I couldn't return until I was stronger, better than how I was before, but now I am. I'm back to get vengeance!"

"So another boring revenge story that you're just going to fail in the end." Lindsay claimed.

"What I'm really looking forward to is silencing the three of you for good!" Hydra said as he took aim at her and fired all five lasers at him.

"No!" Thomas called as he jumped in the way of the lasers and took all of them. He got hit pretty hard and smashed against the wall and was knocked out. He got fried from that attack. Even the symbiote was in pain from that.

"Venom!" Lindsay called as she hurried to him, but Hydra attacked her again. He smashed one of his dragon heads right in her head and she was knocked out in one hit. Hydra walked over to finish them off, but Paul swung in and smashed his fist against them.

"Stay away from them!" Paul said.

"Very well. Give me that cure!" Hydra demanded as he tried to take it. He unleashed his dragon heads at them, but Paul kept jumping around and tried to stay out of his reach. Paul moved his way around them and got close enough to Hydra. He tried to hit him, but Hydra grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"No way!" Paul said as he couldn't believe it. Hydra's never been able to do something like that before. He really is stronger than he was before.

"You can't beat me as easily as you did before." Hydra said and attacked him again. He smashed one of his dragon heads against him and knocked him down. Another tried smashing against him, but Paul jumped out of the way. However, Hydra did manage to get one around one of his legs. When that happened, Hydra constantly smashed him against the floor and wasn't showing any mercy. Still, no matter how hard he got hit, Paul wouldn't let go of the antidote. Hydra gave him a good throw and had Paul smash against the wall.

"Damn..." Paul groaned as he tried getting back up, but Hydra coiled one of his dragon heads around his neck and brought him over to him.

"You fought well, Spider-Man. You've been a worthy adversary, but it just wasn't enough." Hydra said as he took Paul's arm and gripped it so that he drop the cure and Hydra took it.

"Don't make the city suffer..." Paul said with what little breath he could.

"A hero till the end, aren't we?" Hydra mocked. He then smashed Paul against the wall once again and he could tell Paul passed out. He dropped him to the ground and now nothing can stop him. Hydra turned to Christoph with Christoph getting a little nervous. "You're coming as well." Hydra said as he stretched one of his dragon heads and took a hold of Christoph.

"No! Spencer!" Christoph called as he tried to stop this, but Hydra wouldn't listen. Hydra climbed out of the building and took Christoph and the antidote with him, leaving the three heroes battered, bruised, and beaten.

"Spider-Man! Are you all right?!" Sabella called when she came running into the lab, but she saw the damage that was done and saw her friends were hurt. "Spider-Man! Can you hear me?! Say something!" She said as she tried to help him, but those injuries weren't looking good.

"Damn..." She looked and saw Thomas was getting back up, but he was greatly hurt.

"Venom! Can you move?!" Sabella said. "We need to get you and the others medical help!"

"Sure. Ask the guy that just got shot by five lasers for help moving." Thomas complained, but he fought through whatever pain he was feeling and tried to help them.

...

The Shelter

Paul and his friends were brought to the shelter since the hospitals were all packed with those infected by the virus. All three of them were treated for their injuries. Paul was able to awaken and saw where he was, but he was in a great deal of pain.

"You're awake!" Monica said as she and Harris hovered over him and saw him moving.

"What happened?" Paul asked.

"You and the others were brought here by Sabella. All three of you were hurt pretty badly." Harris said. Paul tried to move, but the two of them tried keeping him down. "Easy. You're in no shape to really move."

"My... My mom... How is she?" Paul questioned. They were afraid he would ask something like that. They did take him to her, but she wasn't looking good. Marcus stayed by her side, but it was pretty bad. Seeing her like that made Paul all the more worried.

"She had the virus much longer than we thought. The doctors say she could go at any moment." Monica claimed, but Paul refused to let that happen.

"I've... I've got to go after Hydra! He's got the antidote!" Paul said as he tried moving, but he ended up collapsing with Harris and Monica helping him.

"Paul, you're in no shape to fight. Thomas and Lindsay are out of commission, too. You can't take him on alone." Monica said.

"I've got to do something. Hydra has the antidote, and he took Christoph Silvio." Paul said. "I have a feeling Hydra's planning to kill him. If we lose Christoph, we might lose the only cure as well."

"Paul, we get it. You're scared on what might happen to her, but maybe the key to fighting this is smarter, not harder." Harris said.

"What do you mean?" Paul questioned.

"We've been best friends for a long time, I know how you think." Harris said. "You're going to storm out there without thinking, but you're going to end up dead if you do that. Think about it. What would Peter Parker do if he was in your position? Hydra's incredibly strong, stronger than ever before. Even if he is, he's got to have a weakness or something. You need to figure out what that is if you actually want to beat him." Paul thought about that and could see what Harris was trying.

"That's why you are my best friend. You always know what to say. Either way, I've got to get that antidote back." Paul said as he took his chances and kept on going.

...

Times Square

Times Square was where it all started when Hydra released the virus, so it's fitting that this might be where it all ends. One escaped criminal was trying to make a run for it, but Ray chased after him. He ran through the streets, but the police cut him off with Ray tackling the guy to the ground.

"Enough of this! You might be the last one." Ray said as he tried restraining him. "Just need to..." He was complaining about the work, but stopped when he heard something. He looked up and could see Hydra making his way through the buildings and had Christoph with him.

"Spencer! Stop this!" Christoph demanded, but Hydra wouldn't let go. Hydra climbed his way up to one of the tallest buildings in the area and made his way to the top.

"This is a fitting place. I surely want a lot of eyes to see this." Hydra claimed.

"Spencer, what are you trying to do?!" Christoph questioned. "What is the meaning of all this?!"

"I want everyone to see the resurrection of White Streak! The city is now yours for the taking!" Hydra claimed.

"What?" Christoph said as he didn't get it. "What do you mean the resurrection of White Streak?!"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Hydra claimed. Christoph couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Don't tell me... Don't tell me all of this was for me?! Have you lost your mind?!" Christoph said.

"I think you're the one that has lost it!" Hydra said. "Spider-Man has poisoned your mind! I admired how you never let anything stop you from getting what you wanted! You didn't care if it was immoral, unethical, or anything! As a scientist who wasn't looking for boundaries, I could perform the experiments that I wanted! Become that person again!"

"Spencer, you really have lost your mind!" Christoph claimed. "Are you really going to let the city be destroyed for something like that?!"

"I'm giving you the city just like you always wanted!" Hydra said. "We have the antidote! They'll have to give us the city for this! We can rebuild it all, just like how you always wanted!" Hydra was truly devoted to Christoph that he did so much for him, and it looks like that hasn't really changed. "Have you forgotten all that I've done for you?! I made some of the villains, YOUR villains! YOU turned me into Hydra, remember?! You finally have a chance to have it all! All you have to do is declare your return, your triumph over New York! Forget whatever it is Spider-Man told you that made you turn back on who you really are?!" Hydra has made some points. Control over New York is what White Streak always wanted, but not Christoph Silvio.

"Spencer, that's not who I am anymore!" Christoph shouted with Hydra shocked. "That might have been before, but not anymore! I can't go back to that life! I won't!" Hydra was shocked. He admired this guy, but he's no longer how he remembers. "You are washed-up! You're a has-been scientist! Look at what you've done to yourself! Look at what you've done to the city! Give the antidote and cure the people now!"

"I can't believe how weak you've become." Hydra complained and just dropped him, watched the person he formerly admire plummet to the ground with disapproval at what he's become. Christoph fell and was going to hit the ground, but Spider-Man came swinging in at the last minute and dropped him down on the roof. After he did that, he climbed his way up to the building as fast as he could with him jumping right over Hydra and landed down on the roof.

"Hydra! Give me the antidote! Now!" Paul demanded as he was done playing around.

"You have constantly meddled in my affairs and in others lives that are no concern of yours." Hydra said as he turned around. "No matter how many times I knock you down, you keep coming back. Enough is enough! It all ends here!" He declared as he sees Spider-Man the object of his disdain and hatred, and inteds to finish it. This is where the final battle happens.