Chapter 16: Darkest Hours Part 2: The Superior Venom
Spider-Man continued gaping at Flash, who started to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, Spidey? You ok?" He asked.
'Flash is Venom? How did he get the symbiote?' Spider-Man thought. "We need to hurry. I'm getting that thing off you." Spider-Man said, and prepared to activate Tango 3, when Flash stopped his hand from reaching his gauntlet.
"No way, Jose. I'm perfectly fine just the way I am. I'm in control" He said.
"For now, you are. But it won't be long until it takes you over and either drains you dry, or turn you into a monster." Spider-Man said.
"Actually, you don't need to worry about that. Beast keeps me well stocked with sedatives." Flash said. "You know me, Spidey."
"Yes, I do, and that's why I'm getting that thing off of you right now! Plan Tango Three: activate." Spider-Man said. Instantly, spider bots formed a circle around Venom, but before they could emit their sonic pulse, he used his gun to destroy the robots.
"Hey, there's no need for that! I told you, I'm the one behind the wheel!" Venom said, his mask covering his face. "Watch yourself, Web Head."
"How'd you even get that thing?" Spider-Man asked. 'Did…did he buy it? Did loosing his legs really affect him so much that he turned to the symbiote to get them back?'
"Military program. Project Rebirth 2.0. Gave me back my legs, and I've used it to do a lot of good." Venom said.
"Nothing good ever comes from that thing." Spider-Man said "All it does is kill, kill, and kill. The only thing you're going to get is everyone around you killed."
"Nothing good? Remind me, was it you who stopped Carnage in Houston? No, that was me." Venom said. "Not to mention all those other people I've saved since I've gotten this thing, including the whole city! If it wasn't for me delivering Anti-Venom, you wouldn't have been able to make a Spider Island cure."
"What about Betty? Why did you kidnap her?" Spider-Man asked.
"I was trying to save her!" Flash said. "I was barely in control, and Crime Master had Jack O'Lantern kidnap her. I would have saved her, if you hadn't come along and made the suit get all pissy."
"Alright, I'll admit, that's not completely unbelievable, but what about everything you put her through? What about all the pain you caused her? What about all the nights you left her alone, leaving her and the rest of us wondering where you went? Do you know how many nights I had to comfort her, just because you were off doing god knows what? How many times I tried convincing her you weren't a total ass, even after you tormented me all trough high school?" Spider-Man yelled, and it was with that that Flash realized just why Spider-Man sounded so familiar.
"Parker…" he gasped, taking a step back as Spider-Man realized his mistake. "Peter Parker is Spider-Man…" he mumbled in disbelief.
"Flash, I can explain. I-" Peter started to say, when Venom held up his hand.
"Take off your mask. Right. Now." Venom growled, and Spider-Man sighed before complying, confirming what Flash had said. "It was you? All these years, it was you?" Flash asked, and Peter nodded.
"Yeah, I'm Spider-Man. I-" Peter started to say, when Venom backhanded him, sending him flying onto the rooftop next to them.
"Oh trust me Parker, you had better, because I have a lot of questions for you!" Venom said as he leapt onto the rooftop. "Question 1: care to explain how you let Crime Master grow as big as he did?"
"Crime Master? What are you talking about?" Spider-Man asked. 'Damn, didn't figure him learning would get him pissed like this. The symbiote must be feeding his anger.'
"Oh, you don't know? Oh right, he was BEFORE you started to monitor the whole city with those little robots." Venom said. "Figures that the one time the people close to you need you monitoring everything, you're blind as a bat!"
"Flash, calm down! This isn't you, it's the symbiote!" Spider-Man yelled. 'Crime Master? There hasn't been anyone named that in years!'
"Shut up, Parker, and let me talk!" Venom said. "You didn't know? Remember when I 'kidnapped' Betty and we fought? It wasn't me who abducted her: it was HIM. He kidnapped her to get at me. Not at you, not at Betty, but ME." Flash said as he walked towards Peter, picking him up by the neck. "But that's not the best question yet. Where were you when Jack O'Lantern came after Betty again?" He punched Peter in the face. "When Crime Master sicked his attack dogs named the Savage Six on me?" Another Punch, this one slightly harder. "Where were you when he kidnapped my sister and killed her husband?" Another punch. "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN BETTY LEARNED HER BROTHER WAS CRIME MASTER?!" Venom yelled, when he realized what he was doing, dropping Spider-Man in shock. "On god, Peter, I'm sorry, I-I don't…" He stuttered out, before leaping away and swinging off.
"Her brother? But he died over…that's not important." Spider-Man mumbled. 'Flash, are you right? When two of my closest friends needed me, I was nowhere to be found.' He thought, looking where Flash had stood a moment before. 'How much of that was the symbiote, and how much was genuine? C'mon man, don't give into the monster.' He thought, when his Spider Sense went off. He pulled his mask on as he looked around, seeing no sign of danger. 'Great, that last punch must have messed up my spider sense. Now I'm in danger of being killed by pigeons. Wonderful.' Spider-Man thought, before swinging off. Unknown to him, from the shadows of the rooftop of the previous building, Morlun watched the arachnid.
"Make me work for it, Spider. Give me that same challenge you gave me all those years ago." Morlun said, before vanishing into the shadows.
Betty Brant's Apartment, 15 minutes later
Betty had gone back to her apartment after Spider-Man appeared and Flash lost control. She knew that if Flash got hurt, he'd need somewhere to go, and her apartment would be the first place he would go. That was proven valid when she heard a knocking at her window. She looked over to see the symbiotic super soldier nursing his side, and she quickly went over to let him in. "Flash, what happened? Are you alright?" She asked as she helped him in.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Spider-Man just hits a bit hard." He said as his mask receded from his face, allowing Betty to see that he was clearly bothered by something.
"What happened up on that roof?" She asked, and he looked at the ground.
"Just a misunderstanding, that's all." He said. 'Peter is Spider-Man…thinking back, it's painful how obvious it was.' Flash thought, thinking back on all the years since Spider-Man appeared. 'No one else ever got pictures of Spider-Man like Parker did. I was at a good number of those fights, and not once did I see Parker anywhere near them. I remember back before I shipped out for the first time, when Spider-Man fought Shocker for the first time, and Peter had gotten pictures of the fight before anyone had even HEARD of Shocker, and he just happened to be the one to see the whole thing? Something didn't add up, but I didn't think to much about it, seeing as I was in basic the next day. But as days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, deep down, I knew there was some sort of connection between Peter and Spider-Man. Then a year ago, when Marla Jameson died, Pete gets all depressed, and Spider-Man busts out a bulletproof costume and says that no one dies when he's around, and that's not all. That armor he used to fight the Sinister Six, the robots, the two new costumes…only someone as smart as Peter would be able to make stuff like that, and him being the spider explains why he would make them. But why did I beat him on the rooftop? Did the symbiote amplify the anger I buried over the Savage Six?'
"Flash?" Betty said, shaking him from his thoughts. "Someone's knocking at the door. Can you please lose the get up?"
"Sure, no problem." Flash said as his symbiote morphed into normal clothes, minus the legs of course.
"Oh, Peter! What a pleasant surprise. You should have called ahead." Betty's voice said, and Flash tensed up, readying for a fight.
"Hey, Betty. Heard you got attacked near the Bugle, and I wanted to make sure you were ok." Peter said as he came into view, and saw Flash. "Flash? I had no idea you were in town. What a pleasant surprise." He said, not sounding surprised at all.
"Hey, Pete. Long time no see." Flash said. "Heard I'm supposed to be calling you 'Dr. Parker' now. Congrats, man. I always knew you could do it, ever since we were in high school."
"Thanks, Flash. I could feel the support whenever you crammed me in my locker." Peter joked. The two looked at each other for a moment, before Flash turned to Betty.
"Hey Betty, can you give us a moment? There's something I've been meaning to talk to Peter about." Flash asked, and she nodded, leaving the room. "So, I figure you've got a few questions for me."
"I was about to say the same thing to you." Peter said as he sat across from Flash. "What's the full story as to how you got that suit?"
"After the Siege of Asgard, Mac Gargan was captured and placed on the Raft. A Supreme Court Justice ordered that they remove the symbiote from his body, and it was given to the US military. They created Project Rebirth 2.0, a project that would, in effect, create a military version of…well, you." Flash said.
"I know. I downloaded the files on the way here." Peter said.
"Well, right before Dr. Jameson died, a General named Dodge approached me and asked if I wanted to join his op, and I said yes. That was almost one year ago, and since then, I've done a lot of good." Flash said.
"Have you…have you killed anyone since you've gotten the symbiote?" Peter asked.
"Yes." Flash said. "I've had to. It was no different than when I was in Iraq. When you're away from home, your back against the wall, fighting to keep your home and loved ones safe, it's kill or be killed."
"I see." Peter said, and folded his hands in front of him.
"Look, Pete, I don't need your permission to keep doing this." Flash said. "I still wear this thing not because I want to, but because I need to. This symbiote, this Venom inside me…sometimes, the world needs bad things to exist in order to be safe."
"Nice speech. Did you practice?" Peter said, and Flash blinked.
"Uh, no. I kinda expected you to have a bigger reaction." He said.
"Hey, you being a Military version of me actually answers more questions than they raise." Peter said. "I talked to Cap on the way here, and he vouched for you. Said without you he'd still be a giant Man-Spider. Now, Flash, do you have any questions for me?"
"How'd you find me?" Flash asked, and Pete chuckled.
"Actually, that was by accident. I told Betty the truth: I wanted to see I she was alright. Sure, I considered the possibility of finding you here, but I didn't expect to actually find you here." Peter said, scratching the back of his head.
"Look, about what happened on the roof-" flash started to say, when Peter raised his hand.
"Forget about it. You have the right to be angry." He said. "When you guys needed me, I was nowhere to be seen." He extended his hand. "How about we bury the hatchet of this whole Spider-Man/Venom feud, ok?" Flash looked at Peter's hand, before shaking it, smirking slightly. "Now, there's something I'd like your opinion on…" Unknown to them, Morlun watched from across the street.
"So they have put aside their differences…no matter. They shall fall all the same."
That Night, MJ's Club
"What's with the blind fold?" Peter asked as Mary Jane lead him out of the elevator to her club.
"Because I've spent all day planning this, and I won't have you ruin it by peeking early." MJ said. "Alright, you can look." Peter sighed, removed the blindfold…
"Congratulations!" Over 2 dozen of Peter's friends and family said as the lights turned on, showing a banner with 'Congrats Dr. Parker' written on it, and Peter saw all his friends and family gathered together. His coworkers at Horizon, his high school science teacher, J Jonah Jameson, May and Jay, Ben Ulrich, Flash, Betty, Robbie and Randy Robertson, Johnny Storm Anna Maria, Carlie, and several other people. Peter turned to look at MJ, his mouth dropping shock.
"You?" He asked. "You did all this?"
"Yep. Took a bit of doing, too. Had to track down your teacher, had to pull Carlie's nose out of her work, agree to sponsor Jonah in his reelection, get Flash down here, and-" She started to say, when Peter kissed her right there.
"And they say I'm amazing." He said as they parted.
"Hey, you two going to keep flirting, or are we going to party?" Carlie asked. One hour later, things were in full swing. Everyone was chatting with someone, and Flash and Peter found themselves talking to their science teacher.
"My, how far you two have come since your days at Midtown." He said. "Hard to believe that only 12 years ago you two couldn't stand each other, and now here you are, the best of friends. Things like this restore my faith in the human race."
"Thanks, Mr. Romita." Peter said, when he spotted MJ talking to Carlie. "Hey, Flash, I'm going to do that thing we talked about." He said, and Flash patted Peter's back.
"Good luck, man." Flash said as Peter walked over to MJ, tapping her shoulder.
"Hey, can we talk in your office for a moment?" He asked.
"Sure." She said, and soon they were alone in her business office. "What's on your mind, tiger?" She asked, and Peter never felt more nervous than at this moment.
"Well, something's been on my mind since we got back together. I've talked it over with Cap, Flash, Kaine, Tony, Carol, Logan, Carlie, Aunt May, Jay, even Jonah, and they all say I should do it, my future self said I should do this, but here we are, and I can't do it, and-" Peter rambled, before taking a deep breath, taking a black rectangular box out of his pocket, and getting down on one knee, opening the box to reveal a gold band with a red and blue jewel in the middle. "What I'm trying to ask is…will you marry me?" Mary Jane blinked, before smiling.
"About time." She said. "I'd have to say…yes." Peter almost fainted right there, but he recovered and swooped her up, kissing her with as much passion as he could muster. They stayed like that for over a minute, before they parted, Peter sliding the ring onto her finger.
"Ok, I'll be right back. There's something I need to do while I'm still on cloud 9." Peter said, and went out to the party. "Attention everyone!" He yelled, getting everyone's attention. "There're two things I'd like to announce. One: I managed to somehow ask the beautiful redhead behind me to be my wife, and for some bizarre reason, she said yes!" Cheers and applause sounded through the club, but Peter quickly silenced them. "Ok, before I come back to Earth, there is something else I'd like to announce. Could my old coworkers from Horizon come up here please?" A minute later, Bella, Grady, Sajani, Juergen, Anna Maria, and Uatu were standing next to Peter. "As you all know, earlier this week, Horizon was destroyed. Now, after that night, we were faced with two options: work for Tiberius Stone and his new company Alchemax, or get into the unemployment line. However, we made ourselves a third option: start our own Horizon. With assistance from Tony Stark and Jennifer Walters, we got our inventions back, and Spider-Man has agreed to donate three quarters of Spider Island II to use as our head quarters. I'm proud to announce the formation of Parker Industries!"
"His own Horizon?" Jonah said. "I'll be damned if I let you make another time bomb like that in my city!"
"That's the thing , JJJ. It's not in your city. You gave Tony Stark the deed to the Raft to do with as he pleased, and he in turn gave it to Spider-Man. According to the United Nations mandate of the Avengers, which Spider-Man is a part of, if an Avenger owns property not belonging to any local government, then that Avenger can declare that property it's own city-state, like Avengers Tower or the Mansion. So technically, it's not in your city." Peter said. "Spider-Man did his research."
"What-?! Of all the…PARKER! This is the most…" Jonah said, before Jay grabbed his arm and whispered something into his ear. "Clever idea you've had yet! Very well thought out!"
"Uh, ok?" Peter said, when his spider sense began to lightly buzz, before wailing like an opera singer. Shadows exploded off the ground, and from them emerged Morlun, the one being in the universe Peter never wanted to see again. "Oh god, not him!" He gasped. "Everyone get out! He yelled. "Carlie, Johnny, get them out!"
"No way man. This guys going to learn he picked the wrong party to crash! Flame on!" Johnny yelled as he was covered in flames, becoming the Human Torch and leaping at Morlun. The elder being simply reached out and grabbed Human Torch's neck, and his flames vanished, the color literally being drained from his face, before Morlun crinkled his face and threw Human Torch across the club.
"Ugh, cosmic rays. Hate those. Always give me indigestion." Morlun said, and that is when people began to run for the stairs, running as fast as they could. "Interesting. You think you can escape you connection to the Spider? No matter, I derive the greatest snacks from the connections of love-" Shadows darted out and wrapped around MJ, hoisting her off the ground. "-and those of family." More shadows wrapped around Aunt May, and brought the both of them in front of him.
"Oh god no. No no no, not you." Mary Jane said, remembering the last time Morlun had appeared. Peter hadn't just been nearly killed; he WAS killed. It was only because of some Spider God that he came back, and managed to defeat Morlun.
"I take it you remember me, then." Morlun said. "Your deaths shall make my victory over the spider even sweeter."
"What do you want with him?" May asked.
"Isn't that the million dollar question?" A voice said as a black tendril darted out and hit Morlun in the face, loosening his grip on the shadows. Mary Jane and May fell to the floor, and looked to see Agent Venom standing there, his guns assembling into his hands. "Ladies, get out of here."
"Wait, who are you?" May asked.
"My name is Agent Venom." He said, and upon hearing the name 'Venom', Mary Jane's mind went to a dark place, as she recalled an event that chilled her to this day.
Flashback, Years Ago
Mary Jane slumped against the wall of an alleyway, panting heavily. She didn't know who or what was chasing her, but she knew that it would kill her when it caught her. "Oh Ms Watson…"a deep, raspy, masculine voice said above her, and MJ looked to see what looked like Peter in his black costume, but this wasn't Peter. This one had large muscles, two rows of razor sharp teeth, and a long slimy tongue. "We'd like to have a few words with you!" The creature said as it leapt at her.
End Flashback
"No…no…no…NOT AGAIN, PLEASE!" She yelled, hyperventilating. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"Mary Jane, relax! I'm someone you can trust!" Venom said, grabbing her shoulders.. "I'm a friend of Peter's, and-"
"You're lying! Get away!" She said, beating her fists into Venom.
"MJ, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you!" He said. 'Dear god, that look in her eyes…she's completely terrified of me, or more likely, my suit. Just what did Brock do to her?'
"MJ, listen to him!" May said. "We need to leave before-"
"Before what? Before I devour the life essence from your bodies?" Morlun said, when shadows wrapped around Venom's throat, dragging him to Morlun. When Venom looked into Morlun's eyes, he saw upside down pentagrams in the pupils.
"What the-? Did Mephisto send you?" He asked as he struggled against the shadow chain.
"I take it you have met him?" The immortal Hunter asked.
"You could say that. Of course, you could also say he crammed a demon down my throat, but that's a story for another day." Venom said, and aimed his gun at Morlun's face, pulling the trigger until it clicked empty. Morlun didn't even blink as each slug flattened against his skin.
"You certainly are amusing, aren't you?" He said, and grabbed Venom's neck. Instantly, he started screaming in pain as his hand began to smoke, the shadows vanishing and releasing Venom.
'Uh, ok. Don't really know what that was about, but all things considered, I'm grateful.' He thought, and Morlun sneered, shadows swirling around him…
When webbing covered his face, and yanked him off his feet before throwing him into a wall. "Y'know, symbiotes are supposed to be high in calories. Also, Human Torch? Trust me when I say he WILL give you heartburn." Spider-Man said as he and Anti-Venom entered the club.
"Spider, I see you continue to surround yourself with allies. Clever move, allying yourself with Anti-Life." Morlun said.
"Actually, the names Anti-Venom." The symbiote wearing cop said.
"I think he might be talking about me." Venom said. "When he grabbed me, his hand started smoking. Mean anything?"
"Not that I know of." Spider-Man said, and looked at Aunt May and MJ. "You two need to get out of here."
"Alright, but please, be careful. Remember what happened last time." MJ said, before she and Aunt May hightailed of out of there.
"So, what're we dealing with?" Venom asked as he reloaded his gun.
"Ancient interdimensional Hunter. Feeds off my connection to some cosmic web thingy." Spider-Man said. "By the way, Agent Venom, meet Anti-Venom. Anti-Venom, meet Agent Venom."
"It's a pleasure." Anti-Venom said.
"Are you and your sidekicks done with your little banter?" Morlun said.
"Hey, I'm the one with the sidekick, not this guy." Venom said, before rushing Morlun. He fired three shots from each of his guns, before kicking Morlun in the chest. Morlun was barely even phased, and created a shadow hammer to bat Venom away.
"Ok, the shadow thing's new. Care to explain as to how you got your little upgrade?" Spider-Man asked.
"We can thank Mephisto for this. I'd recognize that mark in his eyes any where." Venom said.
"Mephisto? What the hell does he get from sicing Morlun on me?" Spider-Man asked as he picked up a table with his webs and threw it at Morlun. The immortal shattered it to pieces, and Anti-Venom leapt at him, her arms morphing into swords and slicing at Morlun, but they had no effect on The Life Eater.
"Are you three done with your pathetic display of strength?" Morlun said as he backhanded Anti-Venom away.
'Cmon Doc, where are you? I'm not sure how much longer we can hold him off.' Spider-Man thought. He shot two webs to the wall on either side of him, and pulled back until just the right moment, and flew forward, tackling Morlun out of the club. They fell towards he ground, Spidey punching Morlun repeatedly. Two stingers popped out of his wrists, just as they had against Shathra in Houston, and he stabbed Morlun in both shoulders as they landed on the ground, Morlun hitting hard enough to crack the pavement. Morlun chuckled as Spider-Man got off of him, spitting up a bit of blood as Venom and Anti-Venom reached the ground as well.
"Well, that was different from last time. I don't recall you having such fight in you when we last fought." Morlun said.
"Yeah, well I learned the hard way that I can't hold back when I'm fighting creatures like you." Spider-Man said, and prepared to web Morlun to the ground…
When he melted in the ground, evil laughter reverberating throughout the street from seemingly every direction. "You're not the only one who's learned new tricks, Spider. My new master has given me the power to defeat you, and use it I shall!" Morlun's voice said from every direction, and his hands darted out of Venom and Anti-Veom's shadows and grabbed grabbed their legs, throwing them across the street. He rose out of Spider-Man's shadow, and grabbed his head before he could react, ripping off the right lens of his mask. "Let's see, I believe I started with the right eye last time." Morlun said as he pressed his fingers into Spider-Man's eye socket, when a yellow light filled the area, depositing Dr. Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme shot out a red beam of energy that wrapped around Morlun, forcing him to release Spidey.
"Thanks doc." Spider-Man said as Anti-Venom helped him up.
"How are you here, Elder One? You should still be in the Dark Dimension." Dr. Strange said.
"Mephisto sends his regards, sorcerer." Morlun said, and he grabbed the energy bands, absorbing them into his hands. He rushed Dr. Strange with speed not even the Master Magician could see, and grabbed the Doctor's head. He screamed in pain as the color drained from his face, and Morlun tossed him aside. "My task is not to kill you, Stephen Strange. No, my new master says Spider-Man must die!" Morlun declared as shadows surged around him, and rushed at Spider-Man. Agent Venom ran over to Doctor Strange, and checked his pulse, seeing that he was still alive.
"Damn, how do we stop that thing?" He muttered.
"Your…only hope…" Dr. Strange rasped out. "Your symbiote is…Anti-Life to Morlun's kind. He knows that, and will avoid *cough* touching you. But there is a way…whenever he comes into contact with an Avatar such as Spider-Man, he drains their energy. If you can…combine the Anti-Life essence with his energy, then Morlun will be forced to absorb the Anti-Life…" that was all strange managed to say before he lost consciousness, and Venom looked at Morlun, who had gained the upper hand against Spider-Man and Anti-Venom, the latter of which he was beating the crap out of.
'Our only hope is to merge the symbiote with Peter? Eh, there have been worse ideas.' Flash thought, and fired a web to bring Spider-Man to him.
"Flash, what are you doing? We need to help Car…Anti-Venom!" Spider-Man yelled.
"That's what I'm trying to do!" Venom said. "Before he fell asleep, Strange told me the only way we can beat that f**ker is to merge my suit and your connection to that web thing you were talking about. Without, he's going to kill us!" Spider-Man's eyes widened, before they narrowed.
"Are you absolutely positive?" He asked.
"It's the only way." Venom said, and Spider-Man nodded.
"Do it." He said, and the symbiote sent out tendrils onto Spider-Man, covering him as it left Flash's body.
Anti-Venom ducked under a swing from Morlun and tried kicking him in the jaw, but he grabbed her foot and slammed her into the ground. "You have been amusing, but now I must complete my task." He said as he raised his fist, only for a black tendril to wrap around his wrist. His skin started burning, and looked to where it came from to see Spider-Man, yet at the same time it wasn't. This creature was all black, with a white spider design similar to the one on the wall crawlers current costume, white webbing on the black face, two white lens outlines, and a mouth if fanged teeth, Flash on the ground next to him.
"We…are…the Superior Venom!" The Spider-Man/Venom hybrid said. "You should have learned your lesson the first time, Morlun. We will show no mercy this time!" Superior Venom said as it leapt at Morlun, four bladed tendrils slashing at Morlun, who dodged all but one, the tendril drawing blood. 'Looks like Strange was right. With this, we…I mean I…can beat him!' Peter thought.
"Damn you, Spider!" Morlun said, and sent shadows at Superior Venom, who leapt up and sent a tendril shaped like a hammer from his foot, nailing Morlun in the face.
"We are…I am…going to send you back to where you came!" Superior Venom said, and repeatedly punched Morlun in the face, each punch causing Morlun to become paler and bloodied. "You attack a gathering of our friends… threaten our aunt…lay a hand on the woman we love…WE WILL END YOU!" By the time Venom was done, Morlun's face was broken and unrecognizable, blood pouring from his deathly pale face.
"P-please…don't…" Morlun rasped, as Venom raised his claw.
"Sorry, Morlun, but you picked the wrong party to crash." He said, and prepared to bring it down…
"No!" Mary Jane's voice rang out, and Venom looked to see her walking towards him. "Peter, don't. He's not worth it." She said, and walked right next to him, placing her hand on his cheek.
"Mary…Jane…" Venom purred out, letting Morlun drop to the ground. "What have we…what have I done?"
"What you had to." Flash said, shocking Mary Jane at seeing him next to Dr. Strange. "I told you what Strange said. You wearing the symbiote was our only chance. Now can I have my suit back?"
"You were-? Oh my god Flash, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that was you!" Mary Jane said.
"No worries. Just remind me that I need to have a talk with Brock when I get back." Flash said. "Let's get that thing off of you Pete.
"Alright, just give me -NO!" Peter yelled, his voice suddenly becoming raspy and monstrous as his size increased. "You control us…drug us… use us like a tool…well no more! Now, we are in control! In this body, we are stronger…faster… superior…and we will never go back!" Venom yelled as I fired webs from its wrists, and swung off.
One Hour Later, Brooklyn Bridge
Superior Venom sat on top of the same bridge Gwen Stacy had been thrown off all those years ago, looking at the city. "Thompson cannot control us… not any more. No, we shall remain with old host. This city needs a protector…a lethal protector!" It said.
Two Days Later, Avengers Tower
"…three gang members were delivered outside of Presbyterian Hospital this morning wrapped in black webbing, all heavily injured but alive. This is the tenth report of criminals being injured by Spider-Man, who was possessed by the Venom symbiote Saturday night. Captain America has both confirmed that Spider-Man is not in control of his body, and that the current host of Venom is one of the two spider powered vigilantes that have appeared in Philadelphia over the past year. He has assured us that every effort is being made by the Avengers to save their teammate, but have made no progress in finding him." A news report Captain America and Dr. Strange was listening to said.
"Dammit, Stephen, was that really the only way?" Captain America asked.
"At the moment, in my weakened state, it was the only way I saw available." Strange said. "With time, I could have found another way, but time was something we didn't have at the moment."
"Hey, I'm not blaming you for this, Doc. No one could have known the symbiote would take over his body like that." Cap said. "Speaking of which, how is Agent Venom?"
"I'll leave that to Henry. That is more in his area of expertise." Strange said, and Cap stepped into a nearby elevator, taking it down to the Medical Wing, the doors opening to reveal Flash hooked up to various machines, Betty holding his hand as Beast ran several tests.
"Hank, explain to me again what happened to him." Cap said.
"Well, I'm afraid when I gave him the sedatives he uses to control the symbiote, I forgot to factor in the effects the alien has already had on his body." Beast said. "If these tests are right, then the symbiote and the chemicals have altered his body's chemistry to the point where that, without the symbiote, he will die."
"Don't worry about me, Cap." Flash weakly said. "What we need to do is get the symbiote off of him…it'll still be weak, since they haven't had time to bond yet. Just get me close…and I should be able to-"
"Save your strength, corporal." Steve said. "You won't last a full hour without those machines, and even if you could you're in no condition to fight without your symbiote."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Betty asked. "Just let him die?"
"Actually, no." Tony Stark said as he entered the infirmary. "Cap, we have a visitor here who wants to see you. She's waiting up in the lounge for you."
"Got it." Cap said, and he left to attend to this guest. Once he was gone, Tony looked at Flash.
"Now, Corporal, I believe I may have a temporary solution to your predicament." He said. Up in the Avengers Lounge, Captain America exited the elevator to see Mary Jane taking a cup of tea from Jarvis.
"Mary Jane? What are you doing here?" The Captain asked.
"Because…well, because I'm tired of waiting for you guys to bring him in." She said. "Your never going to find him. He's smart, knows all of you pretty well, and with the symbiote in control of all of that, the only way you'll find him is if…IT…wants you to find him."
"You're right, but at the moment, looking for him is our best option." Steve said. "Tony hacked into his spider bots, but the symbiote knows their placements, and purposefully avoids them. Captain Marvel and Hyperion have spotted him a few times, but the symbiote had him in plain clothes, and we couldn't take it down without exposing Peter's identity. Frankly, at this point, I'm not sure what all we can do."
"I have an idea." MJ said, and pointed to her bracelet, where a spider shaped charm dangled. "Peter gave it to me after we got back together. He made it out of an old spider tracer, and said that if I was ever in trouble, to activate it, and he'd come and help me."
"Think the symbiote will come here?" Steve asked.
"It hasn't killed any of these criminals yet. Badly hurt, yes, but not kill. That means there's still part of Peter behind the wheel, and if he thinks I'm in trouble, he'll move heaven and earth to help me." Mary Jane said.
"Alright, just give us a few minutes to prepare." Cap said, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll get him back, MJ. I promise."
Jewelry Store on Broadway
A man in a massive bear costume, a man wearing a yellow body suit with red flame decals and holding a gun connected to a tank on his back, and a man wearing a black body suit with a red spider design on it exited the jewelry store, bags of diamonds under their arms. "That was too easy!" Bruin, the man in the bear suit, said.
"Tell me abou it!" Blaze, the man in orange suit, stated. "We should have done this earlier! That way, the boss wouldn't be mad at us!"
"Actually, if we tried this earlier, then that imposter would have taken the diamonds." The final member of their team, Devil Spider, said, guns in his hands. "Personally, I think I never should have left South America. Maybe I should go back."
"You wish to disappear?" A raspy voice said, and Superior Venom landed on the ground, the pavement cracking. "We'll be happy to assist you!"
"Is that Spider-Man? He looks like he's on some sorts juice!" Blaze said.
"We are the Superior Venom, and you shall fear us!" Venom said, and threw a truck with all his strength at Bruin. It hit him head on, and sent him flying into a building.
"Holy s**t! Since when does Spider-Man do that?" Blaze asked, and fired his flame gun. Venom sent out a tendril and severed the line connecting the tank and the gun, causing the flames to fizzle out, that same tendril stabbing Blaze in the shoulder. Venom turned to Devil Spider, who was about to piss his pants.
"Devil Spider…that's a lot of nerve you have, using our likeness." Venom said. "About time we did something about it…" Venom said as he raised his claw, when a sharp frequency hit its Spider Sense. Venom rifled through his host's memories, and found that this was the signal emitted by the Spider Tracer Peter had given to Mary Jane. "Mary…Jane…trouble!" He said, and swung off, leaving a traumatized Devil Spider physically unharmed. Venom hurried over to Avengers tower, and entered through one of the maintenance hatches on the side. It made its way through the tower, careful to avoid any Avengers, until it came to the training room. It entered, and saw Mary Jane standing there, relatively unharmed. "Sssssafe…" Venom said.
"That's not true, Peter. I'm being hurt, right as we speak." Mary Jane said, and Superior Venom growled.
"Who hurt you? We make them pay!" It said.
"You're the one who's hurting me." Mary Jane said. "Give the suit back to Flash, and come home to me, so we can build a life together."
"Thompson…" Venom said, hissing out its former host's name. "He hurt us…sedate us…treat us like a monster…you work with him…want us to go back to him…be a slave once more…be yet another tool humans use…NO! No more! We will not be contained! We will be free once more! We are no slave…we are superior…we…are…VENOM!" It yelled, and leapt at Mary Jane, only for an arrow to land in front of Venom, and emit a sonic pulse, causing Venom to quickly crush it.
"Sheesh, now we know Parker's really not in control. Speech like that would have him in tears." Hawkeye said as he, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Captain America dropped out of the ceiling.
"Luke, are you…crying?" Iron Fist asked, as Luke Cage was indeed teary eyed.
"What? No, it's, uh, allergy season!" Luke said.
"Listen, Peter, I know you can hear us." Cap said, readying his shield. "Yes, the symbiote is strong, but I know for a fact that Peter Parker is stronger than it. Fight it, if not for me, then for her." He said, gesturing to Mary Jane.
"A clever play, Captain. Using our feelings for her to lure us here. However…" Superior Venom said, and a tendril batted Captain America away. "We are not Peter Parker! We are-"
"Yeah yeah, our superior." Hawkeye said as he aimed another sonic arrow. "Jeez, now you're starting to sound like Doc Ock."
"Octavius was nothing compared to us! We are smarter than he was…faster…stronger…and the key difference is, we are alive!" Superior Venom said, when Iron Man crashed through the wall, wearing a blue and green armor.
"You're our Superior? Well, something tells me this little number would disagree." Iron Man said, and a loud sonic blast fired from his chest repulsor, which Superior Venom was unable to dodge, and it hissed in pain. "Like this sonic armor? Don't worry, this isn't enough to kill you. Only leave you open for our mutual associate."
"Associate? What-?" Venom started to say, when something hit it in the back hard enough to go flying. Venom turned to see what looked like Spider-Man, only this one seemed to be some sort of mix between the Wall Crawler and Iron Man. "The Iron Spider…" Venom growled, using Peter's memories to learn about this newcomer.
"Yeah, I got bored one day, so I decided to rebuild it." Iron Man said. "Recognize the pilot?" Venom looked confused, before the Iron Spider's face plate opened to reveal Flash Thompson!
"You…" it growled.
"Whoa whoa whoa, easy. I don't want to fight, just to talk." Flash said. "You need to come back home to me."
"So you can drug us? Keep us sedated so you can build a pitiful life?" Venom said.
"I'll admit, there are things I could have done differently. If you come back, I promise I'll do better." Flash said. "Well work out some sort of system. Set aside an hour or two each night for you to hop in the driver's seat." Venom seemed to consider it, before extending a tendril towards flash.
"Do you promise to do better?" It asked, and he nodded.
"On my life." Flash said as the Iron Spider disassembled around him. The tendril took the shape of a hand, and Flash shook it, the alien slowly leaving Peter's body.
In Peter Parker's mindscape, Peter awoke to two faces he had seen in years: Richard and Mary Parker, his parents who had been dead for over 20 years, standing next to Uncle Ben and Aunt May, who were each holding two small bundles. "They're beautiful, Richard." Ben said.
"Thanks, Ben. Listen, me and Mary have been talking, and if anything were to happen to us, we want the two of you to take them." Richard said.
"Richard , we'd be honored to." May said. "What are their names?"
"We named the boy Peter Benjamin Parker, and the girl Teresa Madeline Parker." Mary said, and Ben's jaw dropped.
"You named him after me?" He asked.
"Of course. If it wasn't for you, Ben, I would have never joined the agency, and I would have never met Mary." Richard said. "The least I can do is name my son after you."
"Richard, I-" Ben started to say, when crying began to come from both the bundles.
"Oh boy. It's been like this ever since we got home from the hospital. They both get hungry at the exact same time." Mary said. "I have no idea how're we're going to deal with twins." That was all Peter saw before he was being pulled from his subconscious to his main conscious, waking up just as the symbiote rebonded to Flash.
"Peter!" Mary Jane yelled, embracing him.
"Mary Jane? What happened? Last thing I remember is…I think it was Morlun?" He said, still thinking on what he saw. 'What was that? Was it a memory? No, it couldn't be. I know for a fact I don't have a sister, biological or not.' He thought, but the doubt still remained.
Later That Day, Greyhound Bus Station
Peter, MJ, and Betty watched as Flash loaded his bags into the bus. "Ugh, I am in for a long trip." Flash said as he wheeled over to the group. "With my luck, I'll probably be placed next to a crying baby of something like that."
"Sorry, Flash. Looks like my Parker luck rubbed off on you." Peter said.
"I hope not. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, then that Parker luck had better stay as far away from me as possible." Mary Jane said.
"Sorry MJ, but it looks like you're stuck with it!" Peter said, and Betty looked at Flash.
"I'll try to get down to Philadelphia as much as I can." Betty said.
"And I'll try to call more often." Flash said, squeezing her hand. "We'll get it right this time, I promise."
"Last call for the handicap bus to Philadelphia." The loudspeaker said.
"Well, I'd better get going. See ya around, everyone." Flash said as he wheeled himself over to the bus.
Epilogue: Family Secrets
Apartment of May and Jay Jameson
"Peter! What a surprise!" Jay Jameson said. "It feels like it's been months since you've visited."
"Sorry, Jay. Got caught up in my studies, that's all." Peter said. "And don't worry. Your investment into Parker Industries is going to pay off."
"I have faith that it will, Peter." Jay said.
"Is Aunt May in?" Peter asked.
"Yes, she's in the kitchen." Jay said.
"Thanks Jay." Peter said as he made his way to the kitchen, where May was sipping on a glass of lemonade.
"Hello Peter. What brings you here today?" May asked, and Prter took a seat across from her.
"I needed to talk to you about something." Peter said. "Did I ever have a sister?" May said nothing, but Peter noticed her inhale sharply.
"Why do you ask?" She asked.
"Well, yesterday, I had this really vivid dream if me having a twin sister, and I just got curious." Peter said.
"Peter, if there is one thing I can promise, it's that you're an only child. No siblings or anything." May said.
'Well, unless you count Kaine.' He thought. "Well, I just had to ask, because of the dream and all. I gotta get back to hell them set up some equipment, but I'm inviting the two of you to dinner at my place." Peter said, and exited the apartment. May let loose her breath, a slight sob in it, and pulled out her phone, dialing a number she hoped she would never have to call.
"Hello? Yes, it's May. I know what I said to you that night, but I'm calling because of a conversation I just had with Peter." She said. "He asked me if he'd ever had a sister. Of course I told him he didn't, but the look in his eyes…he's going to keep looking, and they're going to go after him. He remembers, Colonel. He remembers Teresa."
Next Time: Family Business Part 1