Chapter 10: Old Grievances

In which the past comes to haunt and burying the hatchet is harder than it seems.

MaximumCarnage: BRIAN

MaximumCarnage: when that demonstration you told me about?

MaximumCarnage: and where

BrainsBrainsBrains: ?

BrainsBrainsBrains: u need invitation

BrainsBrainsBrains: can't just come in

MaximumCarnage: I KNOW

MaximumCarnage: where & when?

BrainsBrainsBrains: ?

BrainsBrainsBrains: today 2pm

BrainsBrainsBrains: stark hq

BrainsBrainsBrains: the one in manhattan

BrainsBrainsBrains: cam why do you care

MaximumCarnage: brian

MaximumCarnage: don't go there

BrainsBrainsBrains: lmao. you think stark is gonna explode us?

MaximumCarnage: DON'T GO

MaximumCarnage: im serious

BrainsBrainsBrains: cam you know how hard it was to get this invite

BrainsBrainsBrains: im not gonna miss this

MaximumCarnage: brian. remember how many crazies are in this city

MaximumCarnage: you think someone like doc ock or hobgoblin is gonna miss the chance to get their hands on interdimensional teleport?

BrainsBrainsBrains: i thought ock was in prison? and stark has security

MaximumCarnage: stark has. you dont

MaximumCarnage: don't go

MaximumCarnage: at least promise me that if anything happens

MaximumCarnage: you get out of there. immediately

BrainsBrainsBrains: cam. why you acting so weird?

BrainsBrainsBrains: do you know something?

BrainsBrainsBrains: cam?

"The demonstration of the interdimensional teleporter will take place in Stark Industries headquarters today at 2 PM," Cameron reported.

"Huh. How did you find this out so quickly?" Leslie asked. "I thought we'd need another trip to the library."

Cameron swallowed thickly. "My friend got an invite there. And he insists on going."

Despite having seen Inferno's power, it hadn't quite hit him how dangerous this all was. But somehow, knowing that his friend, who had nothing to do with this madness, would be there too made everything feel more real.

"We will protect him," Carrie promised, wrapping around his neck. "We will protect everyone."

Cameron convulsively buried his fingers into the soft mass of his symbiote. "I hope so, Carrie…"

Leslie squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get your buddy out."

"What's this we?" Eddie interrupted.

Leslie scowled at him. "What, you think I'm just gonna leave you the moment things get hard?"

"You should," Eddie bluntly replied. "I'm not comfortable with Cameron and Carrie being there either, but at least they have powers. You don't."

"I'm not an idiot!" Leslie snapped back. "I know I can't fight like you do, but I'm not planning to run headfirst into danger. I have a gun that I know how to shoot, so I can at least stay on the sidelines and play distraction. Or help the audience to evacuate, because there will be a lot of other people there who are going to need a hand."

Then she smirked. "Also, I'm going to follow you whether you want it or not. So wouldn't it be better if you at least knew where I was and could keep an eye on me?"

Eddie clenched his fist, V covering his arm up to the elbow, and pointed it at her. "We have a better idea. How about we web you up so you can't follow us?"

"So that I could be easy prey for Mordo?" Leslie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Face it, Eddie: none of us know what he is really capable of. He knows things he shouldn't and he can appear wherever he wants. Until we take him down, it's not safe to split up."

They had argued some more, but Eddie eventually had to admit that Leslie had a point. They didn't know when Mordo could be spying on them, so there really was safety in numbers.

But before they went to Stark Industries, Leslie needed to return to her apartment and grab some stuff. And since they refused to split up, Eddie and Cameron followed along.

Both of them chose to stay in human form: after all, it was easier to remain unnoticed in a crowd of pedestrians than attract attention swinging between rooftops. Eddie had also used V's abilities to temporarily disguise himself, changing his features just enough that no one should recognize him as a recent prison escapee.

"Home, sweet home," Leslie muttered, when they finally reached her apartment. She unlocked the doors and waved her guests in. "Come in. And please, ignore the mess."

"Did you just recently move in?" Cameron asked curiously.

It was a valid question, considering that her tiny apartment had more packed boxes with her stuff piled in than actual furniture, but Leslie still bristled. "Yes, and I had better things to do than unpack! I don't even need half of this stuff, I just didn't want to leave it behind."

Though if Leslie was honest with herself, she had plenty of time to unpack. She had been living here for months, ever since she graduated high school. She just… didn't have the energy.

She never thought that grief could be so draining. Ever since her brother went missing, Leslie often found herself unable to do things she had previously found easy.

Hell, she barely even managed to graduate. If some of her teachers hadn't taken pity on her, sometimes giving her additional time to hand in assignments, sometimes helping her study for exams, Leslie definitely would've been held back a year or two.

…Funny. Her teachers, borderline strangers, had shown more sympathy to her than her own mother.

The only thing Leslie ever heard from her was disappointment. 'You need to keep your grades up, Leslie. You wouldn't have failed your college exams if you just tried harder, Leslie. You had enough time to grieve, Leslie. You have to move on, Leslie.'

As if it was that easy! As if Leslie could just switch off her emotions with a snap of her fingers!

It had only been two years! Her brother could still be alive. He could still be waiting to be rescued. How could her mother just arbitrarily decide that he was gone forever and they should all forget him and move on?!

Eventually, Leslie just couldn't take it anymore. As soon as she got her high-school diploma, she had moved out.

Her mother didn't approve. She considered the menial jobs Leslie had taken to pay the bills to be beneath her. She asked Leslie to move back home, offered her an easier and better-paying job at her company, told her to focus on preparing to retake admission tests for the college she had been pushing Leslie to…

It was like her mother couldn't even comprehend that Leslie didn't want to go into business like she did, didn't want to study in the same college she had, didn't want to forget David like she did…

That Leslie was her own person, with her own needs and desires, not just a copy of her mother.

"…Leslie? Are you alright?" Eddie asked.

Leslie flinched and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off her memories. Dammit… She hated getting stuck in her head like this. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thinking about what I'll need to take with me, that's all."

Judging by his expression, Eddie didn't believe her, but he didn't press the issue. For that Leslie was grateful, and she quickly busied herself with digging through her wardrobe: unlike her companions, Leslie couldn't change forms, so she had to disguise herself somehow.

She soon found a dark blue scarf and wrapped it around the lower half of her face like a Wild West robber. She pulled it down, letting it rest around her neck, but she could lift it back up to hide her face when she needed it.

Leslie pulled her hair back and tied it into a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. Her hair wasn't distinct in any way, but she should probably hide it too… And she actually had just the thing for it.

Leslie dug deeper into her drawers and finally pulled out a black bandana patterned with violet geometric designs. She put it over her head, tucking her hair underneath. (Even though she hadn't worn it in years, her hands still remembered.)

"Looking good, Leslie!" Cameron called out and gave her a thumbs up.

She smiled slightly. "Thanks. And call me Lee: my real name isn't that rare, but it's still not a good idea to throw it around."

She supposed she could've made up some clever alias, but Leslie really wasn't in the mood. For now, her childhood nickname should suffice, until she could think of something better.

Leslie looked down at herself, but her jeans and shirt looked generic enough that she probably didn't need to add anything more to her makeshift disguise.

Then she walked towards the small safe she had next to her bed. She knelt down and opened the lock, reaching inside to take out her gun.

Both the gun and the safe were presents from her father. Ever since David had been taken, he had been very insistent that Leslie learned how to protect herself. He had signed her up for self-defense classes – which didn't help her grades in the slightest, eating up her already limited time and energy – and taught her how to shoot.

…Leslie missed spending time with him. When her mother buried herself in work, determined to move on and forget that David ever existed, her father had always been there to reassure Leslie that of course her brother was still alive. Of course they were going to find him…

But as weeks and months went by, it became harder and harder to hold onto hope. And at some point… Leslie had given up. She still believed that her brother was alive, she just… didn't think she would ever see him again.

Her father didn't agree. Even when the cops stopped their investigation for the lack of leads, he kept searching. He hired private investigators, even managed to get in contact with some of New York City's vigilantes, but it had all been in vain.

Leslie sighed heavily. At first, she had been glad that her father was so determined to find David, but somewhere along the way that determination had turned into obsession. He only talked about David, only thought about David, and nothing (no one) else mattered to him.

Her mother hated it, hated him for his obsession and refusal to move on. And he hated her back for giving up, for trying to make him forget and let go.

And Leslie was stuck in the middle, listening to them argue and scream and threaten divorce.

Was it any wonder that she ran from her home when it no longer felt like home? That she could barely talk to her parents when they no longer felt like her parents?

Leslie shook her head and slowly exhaled, trying to ground herself in the present. This was really not the time to dwell on her issues when she had an evil wizard, a superpowered serial killer, and an interdimensional demon to fight.

Leslie loaded the bullets and put her gun in its holster, then grabbed a jacket to keep it concealed. She grabbed her permit too, by habit, but quickly put it away. Carrying anything that could identify her was a stupid idea.

Besides, if she was caught, she'd be in a much bigger trouble for both vigilantism and helping a wanted criminal than for carrying a gun. After all, ever since various superpowered lunatics started attacking New York City on a daily basis, gun laws for regular citizens became far less strict. It was seen as a way to help ordinary people protect themselves from extranormal threats, though its effectiveness was rather debatable, considering how powerful some of these criminals could be.

"Alright, I think that's all," Leslie announced. "We should–"

"Leslie, who's that?" Carrie asked suddenly.

"Put it down, Carrie!" V hissed at them.

Leslie dug her nails into her palms and felt bitter laughter bubble in her chest. She didn't even need to look at them to understand what they were talking about. Of course. Of course they noticed the photo and got curious. Why wouldn't they?

She wanted to ignore the question, wanted to shove them out of her apartment and keep pretending that everything was fine and she wasn't broken inside…

Leslie walked towards them and took the small framed photo that Carrie had been holding in their tendrils. The photo pictured a younger Leslie who was grinning bright and carefree at the camera, holding a skateboard under one arm. (How long had it been since she had enough energy, since she felt enough like herself to skateboard? It seemed like forever…)

The Leslie in the picture had her other arm wrapped around a younger boy who had the same brown hair and eyes that she did. He was smiling just as brightly, having no idea what awaited him in the future.

"…This is my younger brother, David," Leslie explained. Her voice didn't crack only because she couldn't drag it above a whisper. "Two years ago he disappeared. He was only twelve. Just an ordinary kid. And some fucking monster kidnapped him and no one could find him and I don't even know if he's alive or dead!"

Leslie squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears, and felt Carrie's warm mass wrap around her shoulders.

"God, Leslie… I'm so sorry," Cameron whispered.

"I'm sorry too," Carrie added through him. "We didn't know."

Leslie cracked an eye open and forced herself to speak. "V did, after they ruffled through my head when we bonded. I thought you'd know too."

"I didn't transfer all of my memories to Carrie," V replied. "It wasn't my place to tell." They reached out, coiling a black tendril around her wrist. "But I promise you: once this mess is over, we'll look for your brother."

"You have helped us so much," Eddie said. "We'll do all we can to help you in return."

"I don't know first thing about investigations," Cameron added, before Carrie joined his voice, "but we'll do our best."

"…Thanks, guys," Leslie whispered. Then she forcibly shook herself off and shoved her feelings back under lock and key. "But first, we have to make sure that Dormammu doesn't break free and Inferno is back behind the bars. So come on! We have work to do!"

All the way to Stark Industries, both Eddie and Cameron had been giving her worried looks and unsubtly hinting that she might be better off staying home, before Leslie told them to knock it off and focus on the problem at hand. She was touched by their concern, but she had two years of experience managing her personal issues. She could deal with it.

They had arrived early – and thankfully, there was still no sign of Inferno – but without invitations, they could do nothing but loiter in the park outside. Stark Industries had good security and they didn't want to trip any alarms by breaking in. Granted, they could've tried to talk to the guards and warn them about Inferno, but it wasn't like they had any tangible proof. Leslie highly doubted that 'a recently-escaped supervillain told us so' would get them anywhere. (They did call SI beforehand and left an anonymous tip that the presentation might get attacked by a fire-slinging homicidal maniac, but it was impossible to tell whether anyone took the warning seriously.)

Cameron kept fidgeting, constantly glancing at the main entrance and the road leading towards it. No doubt, he was looking for his friend, intending to stop him. But as time kept ticking by, it was becoming increasingly clear that most likely his friend had arrived before they did and was already inside. (There was a tiny chance that he had listened to Cameron and didn't come at all, but Leslie wasn't going to bet on it.)

Leslie herself was nervous too. She knew that she was completely out of her depth, and she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she would be of much help in the impending battle. Nonetheless, she was determined not to be a hindrance. Leslie had good aim, and even though Inferno looked like he could easily shrug off bullets, it might at least distract him and give her teammates an opening. And if that didn't work, she could at least help the bystanders get out of the line of fire.

In contrast to both of them, Eddie looked nearly bored. He was leaning against a tree with an impeccable poker-face. Leslie doubted that he really was that calm, but it looked like he was pretty good at hiding his nerves.

That was why it was so surprising when his expression distorted in rage and he let out a downright animalistic snarl.

Cameron nearly jumped out of his skin and Leslie saw his fingers changing into claws. "Are they here?"

Leslie warily looked around, but she couldn't see any flames or ghostly glow. Everything was quiet, which meant that Kasady couldn't be there yet: he didn't seem the type to go for subtle.

She tried to follow Eddie's angry gaze, but all she could see were two visitors approaching the building. It was a little hard to tell from the distance, but they both seemed completely normal: just an ordinary young man and woman, slightly older than Leslie herself.

"Do you guys know them?" Leslie asked quietly.

"Yes," Eddie growled, V's distorted voice mixing into his. "He destroyed our life."

Leslie whipped around and stared at the normal-looking guy. Now that she looked closer, she realized that she could recognize him. She had seen him in V's memories!

"Are you telling me that's Spider-Man?!" she hissed.

Cameron gasped, "Really?! No way!"

"It's him," Eddie growled. Oily black tendrils crawled out of the collar of his shirt, creeping up his face. "Here to ruin everything again…"

Leslie immediately elbowed him in the side, "Calm down, both of you! I thought you didn't want revenge anymore?"

V's tendrils stilled, then abruptly retreated. Eddie sagged against the tree and buried his face in his hands, "I– We didn't. We shouldn't. But we– we hate him so much…"

Cameron clasped his shoulder, "Listen, man. I only got the cliff notes of what happened between you, so it's not like I'm in any position to judge. And the way I see it, your feelings are your own business. Just… try to think it through before you do anything you might regret later, okay?"

"And if there is anything I learned," Leslie added, "it's that you can't let one negative emotion dictate your entire life. It's not worth it."

"I know," Eddie whispered, before V's voice joined his once again. "We know. We want to let go. We want to forget and move on–"

"But it's hard to forget when the reminder is staring you right in the face," Leslie sympathized. (It was another reason she had left home and found herself a new place to live as soon as she could: it was hard to stay where everything reminded her of what she had lost.)

"If Spider-Man being here is really such a big deal, maybe you should sit this one out?" Cameron asked.

Oh, the irony…

"…No. Stopping Kasady and Mordo is more important. And we're not going to let you deal with that psychopath alone. We can– We will work with Spider-Man if it means taking down Inferno."

Leslie pursed her lips. She had no doubt that they would honestly try, but their change of heart was still recent. Who knew what might happen in the heat of the moment?

And besides, even though Eddie and V had decided to abandon their animosity, it didn't mean that Spider-Man had done the same. The last thing they needed was for the hero to attack them.

Cameron scratched the back of his head. "Well, Madame Web did say that we should keep our enemies close. Maybe that's what she meant."

"Let's just hope that Spider-Man agrees," Leslie commented.

…Perhaps, she would need to run some interference on that front too. Leslie had a feeling that to defeat Inferno, they would need all the help they could get.

It was one thing to claim that they wanted to turn their lives around when they were stuck in prison or floating in space. But seeing the object of their hatred right before their eyes had ripped open the barely-healed wounds and brought back every negative feeling they had tried so hard to bury.

The pain of rejection, the humiliation they suffered… It was all back, stoking their desire for revenge.

But they couldn't go down that path again. They refused to.

Hate wasn't all they were. They had people they cared about, who cared about them in return.

They would move the damn world for those kids.

They slowly exhaled, steadying themselves. They knew full well that they got angry easily and tended to act rashly as a result.

They needed to keep a clear head and remember that this wasn't about Spider-Man. This was about stopping an interdimensional demon and keeping everyone safe from a mass-murderer with superpowers.

"Feeling better?" Leslie asked.

They nodded in response. "Yes. And don't worry: we'll keep ourselves in check."

And just in time too.

"Incoming!" Cameron shouted, pointing at the sky. Carrie spilled out from beneath his skin in a wave of red.

They looked up and saw Inferno falling from the sky, like a meteor wreathed in flames.

Venom growled wordlessly, calling up their own transformation.

Their enemy had arrived. It was showtime.