Chapter Two: Venom, Part Two

"There will be dark days ahead of us too."


POV Peter Three

Peter awoke to Venom's yelling and the sound of something smashing. A quick look around revealed that his alarm clock had been beeping- not that he'd heard it, wow, his enhanced hearing only works when he doesn't want it to apparently- and that Venom had cracked it against the floor with a tentacle.

Peter rubbed his eyes. "You have serious anger issues, man." And then, the reason for the alarm- "Oh shit! I have to get to work."

NO! The device! NOW!

Peter felt tendrils of annoyance. "Look, I can't just skip out on my job." Jobs. Plural. "I need the money so that I can eat. And pay rent. And if neither of those things happen, the hopper doesn't happen. Capisce?"

The only response Peter received was low growling from within. Guess having that Eddie guy as a meat puppet had at least made the alien aware of human necessities.

Peter rushed to get dressed in his first uniform, put the second job's uniform in his bag, and then grabbed his wallet. He paused.

He'd completely forgotten, but yesterday's lack of train fare on his metrocard returned to his mind. He was also out of web fluid materials as well, so swinging to work when he was going into his web reserves wasn't ideal.

Black goo encased his body. This time, there was no panic, only frustration and annoyance.

What are you doing?

"We are going to your pathetic job so that we can eat your disgusting human food," Venom hissed.

Venom…was going to help him out? Much to Peter's horror, he felt grateful for this. That horror was quickly brushed away. Peter still thought it was horrifying, though.

Don't forget, this is an evil alien who wants to kill your brother.

He is not really your brother.

Peter vaguely felt Venom move their shared body. Venom must have discovered the location of his job in his head again. Why was he becoming used to this already? That wasn't a good sign. Not at all.

Peter then heard what Venom had said. A quick little pang of sadness hit him before he, himself, pushed it away.

Well, close enough.

He did not even respond to your proclamation.

Peter would have frowned if he'd been in control of his body, but instead wary confusion was his response. The memory replayed itself in his mind without warning.

"I've always wanted brothers." No answer. Just a look. Of pity- no, it wasn't pity, stop it Peter. He was clingy and got attached easily, Older Peter was clearly more reserved, that was fine, he knew this.

And then again.

"I've always wanted brothers." No answer. Just a look. Of hidden annoyance. He was a hindrance to the other Peters. The odd one out. He didn't belong with them. They didn't want him there.

And then another memory.

"I love you guys." Said a bit too desperately, hands on their shoulders as a reminder of what he was fighting for, as a way to show that they were all united. The timing was wrong, they could all sense their adversaries arriving, but he had to portray how he felt.

"Thank you." Both said awkwardly, but he knew by now that Older Peter was more closed off than he was, that Small Peter had recently lost someone he'd cared about and so perhaps was scared to get attached to someone that would leave soon. He could see in their eyes- they appreciated the words, appreciated him, even if they weren't comfortable saying it back.

But had it happened that way?

"I love you guys." Said too desperately, hands clinging to their shoulders, weighing them down in his need for their approval. The timing was wrong, would always be wrong, their still shoulders and blank stares silently judging.

"Thank you." Both said dispassionately, a way to get him to let go. Older Peter's eyes were cold. Small Peter's eyes were annoyed. They'd only known each other for a few hours but already he was the extra one, the unwanted one, the useless one.

Peter would have cried if he'd been able to.

That's not true! That's- They care about me! he yelled indignantly in his mind

A third memory. Peter dreaded what he would see. Had he really misinterpreted their reactions all along?

"You're amazing." Said with a soft smile, eyes determined to convince him that he was special. Repeated twice more as Peter refuted it then brushed it off, embarrassed but pleased.

Replay.

"You're amazing." Said with a laugh, eyes cruel as they looked down his nose at the Peter sitting near the rails. Repeated twice more, taunting Peter that he would never be good enough. He was broken, after all.

Peter blinked as sudden brightness surrounded him. Oh- he blinked. He was in control again. Where-?

He stood on the roof across the street from the grocery store. Right. Work. Why did that suddenly seem so unimportant? He recalled the memories Venom had pushed forward. Venom had twisted them- right?

No. Only showed you that they think you are weak. But you can be stronger than them. With ME.

Doubt tickled Peter's mind as he climbed down the side of the building into an alley. Maybe he had misremembered their actions. It wouldn't surprise him. He was so desperate for brothers, he'd pushed himself onto them- no wonder they were so quick to call him 'Peter Three.' The worst of them all.

He clenched his fists once he'd finally gotten to the ground. He didn't like the number system, but in the heat of battle, it had made sense. Small Peter being 'Peter One' made sense, too- it was his world. But- But he had met Small Peter's friends before the Old Man had. Why was he 'Peter Three'?

We will show them they are wrong.

Peter faltered in his step as he crossed the street. He- He didn't want to hurt them. Just…maybe ask them why? Why he was the third, why they hated him, why he wasn't good enough for them.

You are not the problem.

That was…surprisingly kind? Peter distractedly punched into work, unaware of his coworkers greeting him. Maybe…maybe he'd misjudged Venom?

No, Venom was in his head, twisting his emotions. He couldn't let his guard down. Especially since a creature like this one had fought Older Peter in his world. Wasn't that proof enough that Venom wasn't a good guy?

Then again, was he even a good guy anymore, not pulling his punches, beating people far beyond what they deserved?

And besides all that, he was the common denominator when it came to the other Peters' dislike of him. Clearly, he was the problem, not them.

Wow. Talk about a depressing morning. Peter sighed as he restocked soup cans. He was so lame. Bet the other Peters didn't have to deal with all this self-doubt.

Yes. You are lame.

Gee, thanks.

But where I come from, I was also lame. A loser, you could say.

Peter tilted his head, intrigued. A scary black goo monster was… a loser? He couldn't imagine it.

We are…not so different.

Apparently not.

"Lost in thought, there?" one of Peter's coworkers joked as she walked past.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"Whoa, someone's in a bad mood today." In Peter's mind, the teasing tone sounded like an attack.

Peter slammed a soup can onto the shelf, rattling the others. "Well, that's not any of your business, is it?" he spat.

His coworker stared wide-eyed at him before hurrying away without another word. Peter felt a few tendrils of regret stir deep inside him. But those tendrils were overwhelmed by waves of accomplishment and power. He felt bad he'd snapped at his coworker, but it had felt good. It still felt good.

He didn't like it.

She deserved it.

No she didn't! She was just-

Pestering us. We should have punched her.

No! No punching people!

Peter couldn't explain why temptation to do just that filled his body, though.

He spent the entirety of his five-and-a-half-hour shift- not six hours, oh no, because then they'd have to give him a lunch break- in much the same manner. Sticking to himself, but having a short temper to anyone who spoke to him.

Although Peter felt guilt and regret each time, he couldn't bring himself to apologize to any of them. Or stop himself.

What was Venom doing to him?

There was an hour between his first and second jobs, during which Peter traded his usual fast food run for the most prestigious chocolate shop that side of the city. Venom had insisted, and honestly Peter would rather become diabetic than eat people. And if he spent way too much money, well, that wasn't his problem. Budgeting? Who's she? It hadn't worked for him, anyway.

His second job was only a couple of blocks away from his first, a small pizza joint that was actually best known for its sandwiches. What a bummer for the owners. Peter continued to be easily irritated by coworkers and customers alike. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? Why didn't they see he was trying his best? That he was the best?

One of his coworkers had already gotten on Peter's nerves since he'd first been hired. The guy was lazy; Peter almost always ended up doing both their jobs. Before today, Peter had tried talking to the guy and to the manager about it. No luck. So Peter had dealt with it. He needed the money, after all.

Well, not today.

When the lazy coworker didn't cook the fries in time for a customer's chicken parm sub, Peter snapped. He left the front counter to the third coworker to man, and grabbed the lazy coworker tightly by the arm. Peter knew it would bruise.

"What's the big idea?" the coworker demanded, trying to shake off Peter's grip. Peter tightened his hold instead.

"I told you fifteen minutes ago there were fries with this order," Peter hissed lowly. "Fifteen! That's more time than you need!"

"Lay off. Just do it yourself next time."

Peter clenched his jaw. "It isn't that hard. You take the fries." He reached around to grab a bag laying on the counter- where it shouldn't even be, Peter thought to himself, his irritation and frustration skyrocketing. "You put them in the deep fryer." He ripped the bag open with too much strength. Fries were flung everywhere. Peter haphazardly dumped a large portion of them into the deep fryer basket, which was already in the oil. Bad practice but it would do, Peter smirked as oil splattered onto his coworker's shirt.

"Watch it!"

"But you see?" Peter gripped the back of his coworker's neck and bent him over so his face was near the oil. "It's not. That. Hard."

"Whoa, man, I get it, I get it!" His coworker struggled to escape Peter's grip again. Peter responded by dipping the man's face closer to the hot oil. Probably not sanitary, but did he care? Not at all. "Okay! Okay! It's not hard! I'll make the fries on time!"

"Better." Peter released his coworker. He backed up a couple steps. "Well, what are you waiting for? Chop, chop. Hungry customers and all."

The power Peter experienced was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It was stronger than when he'd finally gotten a grip on his abilities. He felt untouchable. While earlier in the day, Peter had been fearful of this power, now he thrived on it.

Peter wiped his hands on his pants. He'd done enough work for the day. In the past, he'd done both his and the lazy coworker's jobs. They could handle the rest of the shift without him. Peter hopped over the counter.

"Hey, where are you going?" the third coworker asked from the register. "It's the dinner rush!"

Sure enough, the small restaurant was booming. The line was nearly to the door and every booth occupied. Peter didn't particularly care. He did enough for this restaurant, not to mention New York City itself. He deserved to be selfish for once.

"I see that. Have fun!" Peter took a couple steps away, then returned the counter. The third coworker's brief look of relief turned to dismay as Peter reached into the tip jar and grabbed the few dollars laying at the bottom. "I'm taking this." He waved goodbye as he walked out.

He was probably fired.

Good riddance.

He wasn't sure exactly what Venom was doing to him that he was acting like this. Peter knew it wasn't him; he'd become bitter over time, but he wasn't cruel. Honestly, it scared him a bit.

And yet.

Do you see now? We are powerful together.

Peter looked down at his hands, as though he could see a physical manifestation of that power. The spider and the alien.

He kind of liked it.

Yeah, Peter thought as Venom once again enveloped his body, this time to bring them to their apartment. It no longer felt suffocating, but like a hug. Yeah, I see it.


Several hours and at least seventeen failed tests of the hopper later, Peter was exhausted and Venom was frustrated. Not a great combination.

I am hungry!

"I know, you've said that every thirty seconds for the last hour," Peter groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "But I'm finally making progress on this thing- which you want done, by the way. Also, completely unrelated note, I'm not down for killing people so you can eat their brains."

Hungry!

"So eat another one of my organs! Wait, actually, don-"

I already did!

"You did what-"

It is not enough! I want real food!

"No, hang on, which organ-"

Food!

"Oh my fuc-" Peter slammed a hand on his desk as he stood. "Fine! Let's go!" Wait, what did he just agree to? "Not humans! Like, can you eat animal brains instead?" Venom made a noise of disgusted miscontent. "Well, can we at least try?"

Not chickens.

Not- Peter shook his head. Fine, whatever. He'd managed to have some sort of compromise with Venom. He'd take it.

Peter donned his Spiderman suit despite the fact that Venom would cover him anyway. Hey, there could be a mugging or something along the way to feed the alien, and Peter wanted to stop it as Spiderman, not as Venom. Spiderman being spotted was also a good way to deter some people from committing crimes as well, Peter had discovered. Probably had something to do with how we wasn't so friendly anymore.

Venom controlled their shared body while he ate; Peter, much to his relief, didn't experience any of it. All he knew was that Venom had found a few stray animals, and while Peter felt a bit bad about it, he'd much rather a couple dogs and cats get eaten than humans.

Predictably, Venom and Peter heard gunshots. New York City never sleeps, indeed.

"Yes!" Venom yelled as he bounded towards the crime. "I will eat the bad guy!"

No eating anyone! Peter protested. Besides, this isn't your job- it's mine. I'm the vigilante here. You're just a creepy alien.

"I am not 'creepy'!"

Nevertheless, Venom reluctantly allowed Peter control over the body as they neared the scene. Peter quickly observed what had happened- some dumb kid with a gun who looked shaken he'd even fired it, but it appeared the elderly lady was unharmed. Purse snatcher with a gun? Overkill much? Probably the kid's first time, wanted some sort of security in having the gun. Panicky, trigger-happy because of it.

Well, can't have that.

Peter shot a web at the gun and easily plucked it away from the teen. The kid stumbled backwards.

"You know, you really shouldn't play with guns," Peter quipped as he jumped down to the last level of the fire escape. He crouched on the railing. "They're not toys, kid."

Said kid scowled and tried to puff himself up. Peter raised an unamused eyebrow, which could definitely not be seen beneath his mask. Okay, so there were downsides to the anonymity. Like lack of facial expressions.

"I'm not a kid," said the kid.

Peter glanced over at the elderly lady. "You good, ma'am?"

The lady nodded stiffly, strengthened her grip on her purse, and hobbled away without so much as a thank you.

Man, even the people he was rescuing didn't think he was worth their time.

Wrong! THEY are not worth OUR time! Now let's EAT HIM!

"We're not eating him," Peter snapped. The blood drained from the kid's face.

"Y-you're crazy!" the kid stammered. He threw a rock at Peter, who easily caught it. "You're actually, literally insane!" The rock crumbled in Peter's hand.

"Nah, you know what's insane?" Peter jumped down. The kid backed away. Peter saw red. He was just talking. No one ever listens. Not until- not until-

"A stupid kid-" Punch. "-trying to rob-" Punch. "-an old lady-" Crack. "-and then try-" Snap. "-to shoot her!"

Peter beat the teen until suddenly- What was he doing? Peter jerked away, clarity beginning to wash over him. The would-be purse snatcher lay unconscious in a heap at his feet. Bones were absolutely broken- shattered, even. His face wasn't even recognizable. And the blood-

"Head- Head wounds bleed a lot," Peter swallowed thickly. His mouth felt like sandpaper. "It's not- It's not that serious. It's not."

Can we eat him now?

"No!" Peter pulled out his burner phone, the one he used to inform the police where he'd webbed people up. "He's just a kid, he didn't mean- I didn't mean-"

He was going to shoot that lady!

…Yeah. Yeah, that's true.

The panic and fear ebbed away.

And he insulted us!

Peter ground his teeth. He hesitated another moment longer.

An annoyed sigh, but Peter pressed the phone to his ear.

At least Venom didn't eat anyone.


Peter looked around blearily, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. He'd actually woken up before his phone alarm had gone off-

That alarm is more annoying than the other one!

"You mean the one you broke yesterday?" Peter asked dryly. He turned off the alarm before it could ring, showered, then prepared for his job. Just one today. Probably only one indefinitely, if the seven missed calls from the pizzeria meant anything.

Who is Gwen?

Peter paused in the middle of putting on his shirt. His heart ached. He quickly recovered and resumed getting dressed. If his fingers shook, it was just a bit chilly, that was all. "Can't you look into my mind and find out? That wasn't an invitation to do that," he tacked on when he felt Venom poke around in his head. A few random memories flashed in his mind's eye: Gwen laughing, Gwen smiling, Gwen kissing him, Gwen dyi-

"Stop!" Peter shouted, eyes burning. He opened his mouth, but no more words came out.

I am sorry.

Peter scoffed wetly. No you're not.

A pause, then, I don't understand. Why do you not just take the Gwen from another universe?

The world shifted out of focus. Peter licked his lips. "What?"

If we are going to kill the other Peter Parker-

"I, uh, never agreed to do that," Peter whispered, but his mind kept thinking Gwen! Gwen! Gwen!

-then why not take the Gwen Stacy of his universe?

"What?" Peter repeated quietly.

It- It kind of made sense, he supposed. But it was still wrong and weird. To take a Gwen from another universe… Peter hated just how much he wanted that. It wouldn't be the exact same, of course not, look at how different the Peters were. But…But maybe she'd be similar enough. After all, as different as the Peters were, at their core they were all awkward scientists with superhuman abilities. A Gwen from Older Peter's universe? A bit of an age difference, but in the right direction- he would never go after a teenaged Gwen, that was disgusting- but…

He's not even with her!

A quick flash of a memory- right, Older Peter had made it work with his MJ. No mention of a Gwen.

So. She wasn't in the picture.

But Peter believed wholeheartedly that there was a Gwen in that universe. There was no reason there wouldn't be.

Peter knew he shouldn't give into temptation- Gwen was her own person, no matter what universe, he couldn't just 'take' her, as Venom had said. But if he could befriend her, talk to her, get her to like him, then maybe they could date again? Or…begin dating? Peter rubbed his head. The multiverse was confusing.

Was he giving up on his Gwen's memory, though? Peter had been stuck in his grief for years, unable to let go of the past. He'd only just come to terms with not being able to catch her- when he'd caught Small Peter's MJ. But he couldn't bring himself to fully let go of Gwen. Would he be spitting on her grave by chasing after another world's Gwen?

Peter wavered.

On the other hand, he knew that Gwen would want him to forgive himself for her death, to move on. Peter had never thought he'd be able to. How could he move on from Gwen? She was great, perfect, even- no one could ever measure up to her. But another Gwen? Maybe…maybe he could lay his past to rest. Maybe moving on was possible- with the Old Man's Gwen.

Peter removed his shoes and sat down at his desk.

Gwen was his.

He just needed to finish the device first.


Venom was in control of their body once more, on the hunt for stray animals. Peter refused to let Venom murder and then eat anyone, even if they were a 'bad guy' as the alien called them. Peter had a feeling that was Eddie's doing.

He wondered if he and Eddie would get along.

As per usual, whenever Venom and Peter came across a crime, Venom would reluctantly allow Peter- as Spiderman- to web them up. After a few vicious beatings, of course. Peter couldn't find it in him to care anymore. It also didn't help that Venom actively encouraged him.

Peter had been working almost nonstop on the machine for over a day now, stopping only for brief naps here and there and for food- for both him and Venom. Being out with Venom now brought a sense of relief. Fiddling around with the hopper was frustrating, and both him and Venom were quickly growing impatient. As failed test after failed test resulted, Peter was close to doing something drastic.

And something drastic, he did.

A fun little game of cat and mouse, with Spiderman chasing after a group of muggers. He'd webbed up or knocked unconscious most of them, and was toying around with the last one- hey, it wasn't always fun when he got them right away. Venom also found the chase exciting; his eagerness and thrill blended with Peter's.

And then it went wrong.

A bystander had a phone to her ear- Peter could hear a 911 operator answer- and the mugger saw. In his panic, the mugger turned and shot the woman. Peter watched the woman drop to the ground, blood staining the front of her shirt.

Peter's thrill turned into absolute rage.

He jumped down and landed a hard punch to the mugger's shoulder, disarming him as the shoulder shattered.

"She was innocent!" Peter shouted. The mugger's eyes widened, as though just realizing just who he was messing with. "You didn't have to kill her!"

For just a moment, just a split second really, Peter had seen his Uncle Ben in the woman. And now, he saw his uncle's killer here in the mugger.

Peter already didn't pull his punches. But now, he didn't hold back at all. Venom's approval egged him on with each punch, each kick, each broken bone. Soon, there wasn't a person in front of them, but a bloody corpse.

What did he just do?

Peter fell to his knees a few feet away from the body. He was barely able to tug his mask off before vomiting.

Disgusting!

He'd- He'd just killed someone. On purpose. That's murder. He's- Spiderman was a murderer.

Peter would love to think he would never do it again. He'd taken a life. Spiderman doesn't kill. But then again, he wasn't just Spiderman anymore. He was also Venom.

And so it happened again.

And again.

By the fifth time, Peter felt nothing at all.


As it turns out, allowing the alien sharing your body to eat his primary source of food made him stronger. Peter felt the effects of this almost immediately. He thought he'd felt powerful before- no, that was just a taste. Venom's true strength, brought about by eating the people either he or Peter killed- not Spiderman anymore, Spiderman wasn't a killer, Peter couldn't wear that suit anymore without feeling tainted- Venom's strength melded in with Peter's own superhuman abilities... They worked together now, rather than against or even one at a time. It wasn't one or the other that hunted criminals to kill, it was both of them.

Peter was no longer sure where he ended and Venom began. He kind of liked it that way. A true symbiotic relationship. He didn't want to give it up. Not even to Eddie, who Venom thought fondly of though he denied it.

Well, once they were in the other universe, Eddie wouldn't be there. Peter wasn't sure what he could do to keep Venom attached to him, but he would do his hardest to prevent the alien from leaving.

That, however, was a problem for another day.

For now, the two had a common goal, and they were so close to victory they could taste it.

Just one more test of the device, and-

"It worked!" Peter laughed in disbelief. "Holy shit!"

Let's go right now!

"Hey, wait a sec-" A tentacle reached over and shoved the portable half that was made out of a cell phone into Peter's hand. Another tentacle activated the portal.

Nausea, disorientation, and unbearable pain ripped through Peter. His agonized yells echoed Venom's. And then the pain stopped. Peter kept his eyes shut- when had they closed?- until he no longer felt like toppling over. He knew they were no longer in their apartment, though. He could feel the cement beneath his fingers and smell car exhaust.

Okay, Peter. Where the hell are we?

Peter pushed away the remnants of nausea and opened his eyes. They'd appeared in an alleyway- but was it an alleyway of a different universe? Peter stood, a bit unsteadily, then crept to the corner of the building. He looked around.

Same, same, New York City's always the same- wait. That Statue of Liberty had a gigantic shield attached to it- finished this time, not currently under construction.

Peter rested his pounding head on the brick wall. "Wrong universe. Wrong Peter. Your fault."

Well, how was I supposed to know?

"It's my machine!" Peter exclaimed, walking a bit further into the alley. He glanced at the portable device in his hand. It glitched a bit. Great. His nausea had subsided, which was perfect because now he could pace.

Fix it!

"Shut up, I'm thinking!"

This was the problem Peter had been concerned about. He and the other two Peters basically had multiverse dust sprinkled all over them- mainly him and the Old Man, since they'd been the ones to travel through to another world. It was essentially what allowed the device to lock onto one of their worlds. Peter hadn't had the chance to double check the device was synced up to the Old Man's universe before Venom had activated it.

And now he needed to find a couple spare parts to fix his end of the device.

Which he had no money for because his wallet was still in the apartment.

…Garbage run, maybe? It was appalling what people threw out these days. Yeah, okay, that was Plan A. Plan B? Well, he'd figure that out if Plan A didn't work out. Right, then.

Peter walked down the sidewalk to the street corner to better orient himself. The nearest waste facility was a bit of a walk away, Peter realized after reading the street signs. He ducked into another alley for a moment and checked his web shooters- the only part of his Spiderman suit he'd taken to wearing anymore. He sighed at how low his reserves were. Walking it was, then.

I can get us there faster.

You also stick out like a sore thumb, Peter argued. This place has all sorts of crazy heroes. Let's not get on their radar.

Peter may also want to avoid attracting the attention of Small Peter. Because if Small Peter showed up, he'd ask questions. Questions that Peter didn't exactly want to answer.

Several hours of garbage-hunting and dumpster-diving later, and Peter had gotten the few pieces he needed to fix the device. Venom prodded at him impatiently, both from the inside and the outside.

"Would you stop?" Peter snapped as another prod nearly made his hand slip. "I'm almost done, geez."

Peter was fully immersed in fixing the portable device and in trying to manage Venom. They were hidden in the back end of an alley, but unfortunately it was late afternoon so the sun cast shadows rather than provide light.

"See? Just need to close this and reboot it, and our multiverse adventure will continue," Peter went on. He used a rusty butter knife he'd found to slowly replace the tiny screws. A lot harder than it looked, considering the size of the screws compared to the knife's blade.

And then we will have our revenge!

Peter's Spidey-sense tickled the back of his neck, but whatever it was picking up didn't register as a threat. Peter shrugged it off. Unless someone attacked him, he really couldn't be bothered to stay in this universe for any longer than necessary. He had a Gwen to track down.

"Okay, almost there, you can stop complaining now." The device sat on the ground as it rebooted. Peter stood and stretched his arms. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ouch. This has not been good for my posture." Only moments later, the aching in his muscles disappeared. Peter smiled gratefully. "Thanks, man."

We need to be in perfect shape if we want to kill Peter Parker.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Okay, one? That's weird because I'm also Peter Parker. Makes me think you're going to kill me as well."

I may do that.

Peter snorted. Venom was joking. Probably. "And second, I agreed to making the device- after you threatened to kill me, might I add- I even agreed to hopping universes with you. Quite frankly, I don't care if you want to fight Old Man Parker." Peter felt a quick rush of approval and smugness from Venom. Peter was quick to add, "But we're not killing him! He's not a bad guy." Not like he'd become.

Why do you still hesitate? You have killed others. We are strong!

Peter bent down to grab the portable half of the device. "Listen, I may have come to terms with murdering people, but killing another me is not on my list!" He clicked a few buttons to reconnect it to the stationary half of the device that still sat in his own universe.

He will keep you from Gwen if we let him live.

Peter paused. Was that true? He tapped his fingers on the sides of the device as he mulled it over. He shook his head, tried to focus. "I don't know that." The device was finally ready to be activated again. "Aaand green means go!"

There is not a speck of green on that thing.

Peter waved a hand dismissively. "It's just an expression. Now, hold onto your socks, folks, we're hopping universes again."

Holding onto our socks would not assist-

Peter pressed the button, cutting off the rest of Venom's reply. Ah, yes, there was the excruciating pain. He'd almost forgotten how awful it was.

And then, just as it had before, the pain abruptly stopped. Very disorienting. Peter refrained from speaking as he pushed down the nausea; instead of words, he was sure vomit would come out instead.

Venom took advantage of this and, without any warning, took over their body, black goo and all. Startled, Peter instinctively fought for control for a moment. Seconds later, he felt calm, and he recalled what, exactly, he was attached to. Venom ran forward out of the alley they'd arrived in.

Wow, you really have no patience.

"Peter Parker!" Venom shouted, gaining the stares- and screams- of passersby. Peter sensed as Venom ignored them and bounded through the streets.

Yeaaah, pretty sure that won't work, Peter said. New York is huge. And Peter Parker is probably a common name.

"Don't care," Venom growled as he smashed through a car. More screams and honking horns.

Geez, be careful! You'll break the device at this rate.

A pause- not physically, as Peter could still feel their shared body moving. But Venom's silence couldn't mean anything good. Irritation crept up on Peter.

You don't have the device, do you?

It will be fine.

It's made out of a phone! People will steal it!

So you'll make another one.

Make another- Dude, my calculations are in another universe!

Calm down. It's probably still in the alley we arrived in.

Peter forced himself to stay calm. Venom was right. They'd most likely dropped the device in the brief struggle for control. He just had to hope that no one came across it.

Peter mentally shrugged.

Well, the device had possibly glitched again, anyway. And if it hadn't, then no one would know that it wasn't exactly used for phone calls. Yeah. It was fine. It wasn't like anyone could go through it, right?


POV Peter One

Peter laid in a heap on the ground, head pounding. He feared moving, lest his lunch decided to come up to say hello. He blinked a couple times at the sky before slowly- ever so slowly- getting to his feet.

Where was-

Oh shit! Right! Peter Three! Peter looked all over the alleyway. No sign of him.

His foot kicked what looked like a cell phone. Oh- it was the thingy Peter Three had been working on back in his world. The dimension jump thing? Peter grabbed it.

"Please don't send me to, like, an underwater universe or something," Peter pleaded to the phone-thing. Unfortunately, the Spiderman suit didn't have pockets- he really should add those in, it could come in handy- so he'd have to hold onto it for now.

But there were slightly more pressing things to deal with than this maybe-glitching not-phone.

He'd been on his way to F.E.A.S.T. for a hot meal when his Peter-ting- Spider-sense- distracted him. And it hadn't been just a little nudge, a little 'hey, there's danger, careful!' No, this had been a big blaring siren of 'WARNING: YOUR LIFE IS IN IMMINENT DANGER'. Last time it had been that strong, May had-

Peter gently slapped at his head, as though to physically push those thoughts away.

Point was, Peter had known something serious was up. He'd taken after Peter Two with wearing his Spiderman suit underneath his clothes- why hadn't he thought of doing that before? Less awkward than being caught undressing somewhere. He'd hidden his clothes on a rooftop and swung where his senses led him.

To say he'd been surprised to see Peter Three was an understatement.

He'd almost jumped down to say hello- and maybe also freak out a bit because how was he here, was the multiverse exploding, was it his fault again- but his senses had him on high alert.

And so he'd done the very un-Peter-Parker-like thing and waited. Quietly. Like a ninja.

He was also concerned that- maybe what he was seeing wasn't real. Maybe he was dreaming, or hallucinating, or poisoned, or-

But Peter Three had been talking to himself. Peter had kept an ear open for anyone else, but he never heard any replies. So. Peter Three had cracked a bit, maybe. Peter couldn't blame him- and, really, he himself talked aloud when trying to figure things out. So it really wasn't too big of a deal.

Until it was.

"I agreed to making the device- after you threatened to kill me, might I add- I even agreed to hopping universes with you. Quite frankly, I don't care if you want to fight Old Man Parker."

"But we're not killing him! He's not a bad guy."

"Listen, I may have come to terms with murdering people, but killing another me is not on my list!"

At that point, there'd been no hesitation. Whether this was really the Peter Three he knew or not, the teen knew he'd had to do something. Peter had already leapt from his perch when Peter Three hit a button on the handheld device. He'd reached out a hand- should have been able to grab him- but instead his hand went through the older man with a flash of light.

And then he'd been here. Presumably in Peter Two's world. Where Peter Three was apparently going to hunt him down.

What was going on?

Peter took a shaky breath and swung onto the nearest rooftop. From above, he could see the destruction on the street. Wrecked cars, cracked concrete, a broken fire hydrant spraying water. He swallowed thickly at the dead bodies, but he could already hear ambulances on their way.

No sign of the Peter he'd followed.

That left him with two options and only seconds to decide which to follow. He could follow possibly-new-Peter-Three-he'd-never-met and…what? Fight him? Eying the destruction below, Peter didn't think that would be a good idea. It would be easy to follow him, even though he clearly wasn't swinging. Maybe he didn't have his web shooters? Or maybe this really was a new Peter who just happened to share the same face as Peter Three, and so maybe he had different powers, like a kangaroo or something weird like that.

And if he didn't fight this new Peter, he could try to befriend him? Talk him down? Peter scrunched his face up. He'd done that before, with Dr. Octavius and Dr. Connors and- He clenched his fists. No. If he'd learned one thing from that fiasco, it was that he couldn't blindly try to befriend and fix everyone who needed help. Because the new Peter clearly needed it- a Peter Parker wouldn't say those things unless something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

So. Option two it was.

Find Peter Two before maybe-Peter-Three did.

In New York City.

When he had absolutely no idea anything about Peter Two's life besides the fact that he was Spiderman and had freaky organic webbing.

Peter shot a web in the opposite direction the destruction trail went. Hey, if maybe-Peter-Three found Peter Two first, it would be on the news, right? Otherwise, maybe Peter would find Peter Two first.

"Man, this is getting way too confusing," Peter muttered as he swung on.

He was tempted to write a giant sign and hold it in front of a news camera asking for Peter Two's help.

Very tempted.

Wait a second.

Peter slapped his head as he stuck to the side of a building. He was an idiot. A complete and total idiot.

If news cameras followed and reported where maybe-Peter-Three was going, what would Peter do in that situation?

"Such an idiot," Peter complained, and began swinging towards the destruction.