Chapter 13: Lingering Doubts

In which Peter asks questions and doesn't get enough answers.

"…Did that seriously just happen?!" Peter asked incredulously after Venom left, carrying his allies away.

He was honestly having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Venom had actual allies.

Lee seemed like a completely normal human. How the hell did she end up helping him?

And despite being a host to one of those monsters, Carnage seemed so… good-natured. (Though really, what the hell kind of name was that?)

And the way they interacted with each other… They were so concerned, so… caring.

Peter shook his head, still reeling. Venom caring about someone, imagine that! It honestly boggled the mind.

"Shouldn't you two be leaving as well?" War Machine asked, ignoring the question.

"Shouldn't you be calling the paramedics?" Peter retorted.

War Machine waved him off, "I've had worse. Now, what happened while I was out?"

Peter had quickly recounted everything that happened, including the information about Inferno's identity and the source of his powers.

"Damn, that would've been nice to know before he kicked my ass," War Machine muttered.

"Do you still think that allying with Venom is a good idea?" Peter asked.

"Enemy of my enemy," War Machine replied. "Besides, I've seen the other two helping the audience escape. That's more than some of the allies I've had to work with before could boast."

Afterwards, Peter took Dr. Kafka and carried her to a random rooftop where they could talk in peace without being disturbed.

"So what's your story?" Peter asked her. "Because I noticed that you called both Brock and Kasady by name."

"They are both my patients," Dr. Kafka replied. Her voice was quiet and she looked utterly miserable. "I'm– I'm a psychiatrist. I work in the Ravencroft Sanitarium for the criminally insane."

Peter raised an eyebrow under the mask. "Criminally insane? Is that where Brock had been?"

Dr. Kafka silently nodded.

"Why? I mean, I can totally see that for Kasady, but Brock? The guy is just a petty revenge-driven asshole, made worse by that evil alien he's wearing. Once I split them again, he'll get better."

At least, he hoped so. Peter had no idea how much the symbiote had corrupted Brock, who seemed to embrace it without a second thought.

Peter just hoped that Carnage wasn't as far gone as Brock was. If the symbiote really was only a day old, it couldn't have had enough time to corrupt its host.

Dr. Kafka let out a bitter laugh, "And aliens are completely normal to you? Just like that?"

"Well, yeah? I mean I have literal superpowers and so do most of the people I fight. And isn't one of the Avengers an alien too?"

She just silently shook her head.

Peter wasn't quite sure what her deal was, but if she really was a psychiatrist who had treated both Brock and Kasady, perhaps she would be able to offer some useful insight.

"So, what can you tell me about those two?" Peter asked.

"Cletus has only recently arrived to Ravencroft, so I can't say much about him. But from his files and my personal observations, I can tell that he's a very disturbed individual."

"You don't say," Peter drawled. "I never would've guessed that a guy who had tried to blow up a building full of people, himself included, might not be right in the head."

He had run into Kasady about a week ago, and he had barely managed to stop that maniac from setting off an explosion that would've killed everyone in the building, if not the entire city block.

Dr. Kafka pursed her lips. "According to the files, he hasn't displayed suicidal tendencies before. Something must have changed, but I didn't have the time to figure out what. I know it's a massive breach of patient confidentiality, but if it helps, I can bring you all the documents I have on him. I haven't yet read them in their entirety myself."

And yet, she still tried to reason with him, putting her own life in danger? It was… stupidly brave (with emphasis on stupid).

"Well, if you think it might help…"

Though honestly, Peter wasn't sure that trying to understand the warped mind of a psychopath was the best use of his time. Ultimately, Kasady was just a pawn. It was Mordo who was the brains of this operation, and Peter already knew what his goal was.

"What about Brock?"

Dr. Kafka looked away. "…I was wrong about him. And now I wonder if my attempts to help him have only made things worse."

That… didn't sound reassuring.

"What do you mean?"

"When I began treating him, Eddie was completely obsessed with getting this alien, his 'other' as he called it, back. I– I didn't believe it was real. I thought everything Eddie had told me about it was only a delusion."

"…You're not from New York, are you?" Peter asked dryly. "Here, this stuff is… kinda normal at this point."

"It was my biggest mistake," Dr. Kafka admitted. "I misdiagnosed him and attempted to treat the wrong problem. No wonder Eddie resisted all my attempts to help him… Because I wasn't helping at all."

"Well, now you know what his deal is. So what's your professional opinion?"

Dr. Kafka closed her eyes and slowly tapped her knee. "What can you tell me about this alien?"

Peter didn't like thinking too much about it, but if it helped him figure out what was going on with Brock… "That alien is a symbiotic life-form. It needs a host to live. It can grant a lot of power, but it also warps the host's mind: twists their emotions, makes them more aggressive… Makes them willing to kill. And, apparently, that thing can even talk."

He never thought it was intelligent enough to talk, but he had heard the way Carnage's voice shifted between almost-human (and young, he sounded so young) and the distorted, high-pitched screech of a monster, before settling into a mix of both.

Even Venom, who almost always spoke with a single combined voice, did this. One moment he sounded almost like Brock, with only a faint distortion in his voice, the next the alien itself spoke up in a deep demonic growl.

Dr. Kafka slowly nodded along. "All this power… It must be incredibly addictive. Especially to someone like Eddie, who was left feeling helpless after a string of misfortunes that ruined his life." She looked up at Peter, "He's not a bad person, I swear. Just a very unlucky and lonely one. Lonely enough to crave any kind of companionship and not care who or what it comes from." She chuckled bitterly, "Why do you think people find it so hard to leave their abusers, even if they have the opportunity? Because in their mind, the scraps of affection they receive make it worthwhile."

Peter hunched his shoulders. This was… uncomfortable to hear, but he could see the parallels.

He knew that Brock hated him for some perceived slights, but without the symbiote to stoke the flames, would that animosity have ever gone that far?

Honestly, when they first met, Brock had been just a garden-variety jerk. A slightly worse version of Flash Thompson. It was the symbiote that had driven him over the edge, just like it had nearly done to Peter himself.

"If there is any chance of helping Brock, we need to separate the symbiote from him," Peter said decisively. "And I know who can help us with that."

After wryly noting that she was probably going to get fired for this, Dr. Kafka had left to get the files from Ravencroft. Peter himself had changed into civilian clothes and went to find Debra and Dr. Connors, who had been with him at the demonstration, to let them know that he was still alive.

He had also called Aunt May to make sure she wouldn't worry about him. (Well, no more than usual.)

After switching back to costume and getting in touch with Dr. Kafka again, Peter took her to Dr. Connors' lab to ask him for help in removing the symbiotes from their hosts.

"I ran some tests on the piece of symbiote you brought me a few months ago," Dr. Connors explained. "And I've learned that a combination of ultrasonic sound and infrared heat might be enough to separate the alien organisms from their hosts. The main problem is… The equipment is stationary. You will need to bring them here."

Peter sighed. It really was too much to hope for an easy solution, was it? "I'll see what I can do."

He would probably need to drag Venom in kicking and screaming, but maybe Carnage would be more reasonable? If Peter could just prove that the alien was only using him…

"Maybe I could talk to them?" Dr. Kafka suggested.

"No offence, but I don't think they like you very much," Peter replied. Then he turned back to Dr. Connors, "What about Inferno? Do you have anything that might help us beat him?"

"Perhaps. I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, should I prepare the ultrasonic generator?"

Peter nodded, "Yes, please."

"Do you mind if I stay here and go through my files?" Dr. Kafka asked. "I feel like it would be easier to stick together."

Dr. Connors only shrugged, "Suit yourself."

"Keep an eye on her, will you?" Peter asked quietly.

Dr. Kafka still heard him. "I deserved that," she admitted. "But don't worry, I'm not going to seek out Cletus again. I– I just– I didn't realize that it wasn't just my own life I was risking."

…Well, that was one less problem for Peter to deal with. The last thing he needed was for her to get killed or kidnapped thanks to her own boneheaded choices.

After leaving the lab, Peter swung aimlessly through the city. He felt like he should be doing something, but at the same time, until he knew where Mordo was hiding, there wasn't anything he could do.

He landed on the roof of a random skyscraper and sat down on the edge with a tired sigh. He felt completely drained. And it wasn't just physical exhaustion: the fight might've been tiring, but Peter had dealt with worse. No, it was the emotional strain that he was having trouble dealing with.

He never expected to see the symbiote again. He never wanted to see the symbiote again.

And now he had to ally with that thing? After everything it had done to him? After it tried to turn him into a monster?!

Peter clutched the edge of the roof, digging his fingers into the stone until it started to crack. He had tried so hard to forget it, but now it was all coming back to him.

He remembered the euphoric power the symbiote granted him. He remembered the way it slowly poisoned his mind. He remembered the bell tower and the lightning-sharp realization of what he was about to become.

Uncle Ben had taught him that all life was precious, and Peter had tried to uphold this principle no matter which foe he was facing.

And that thing had nearly turned him into a murderer. It was a monster, pure and simple.

…So why was it acting so different now?

This was what Peter couldn't understand. Dr. Kafka had insisted that this unexpected care and concern Venom had shown towards Carnage and Lee was a sign that Brock still had enough kindness and humanity left to override the symbiote. And yet…

Peter remembered quite clearly that moment when the symbiote spoke for itself and its voice seemed just as concerned. Could that thing actually care about someone?

And he remembered what Carnage had said too. That putting himself in danger to save Dr. Kafka was a joint decision. Was it true? Was that symbiote really capable of doing something so… selfless?

Its host certainly seemed to think so, but then again, Peter himself had tried to use the symbiote's power for good in the beginning. And he had been just as reluctant to part with it, until he realized that it was forcing him to cross the line he never should have.

Peter pressed his forehead to his knees. Nothing was making sense anymore…

The last time they had seen each other, Venom had been utterly obsessed with revenge. But now, he hadn't even tried to attack until Peter provoked him. Had he actually been honest when he claimed that he didn't want to fight anymore?

Why?! It had been months of prison time for Brock. Months of hurtling through space for the symbiote. It should've made them even more fixated on revenge than before!

Was this all just some kind of a sick mind-game? Some twisted attempt to make Peter lower his guard so that they could stab him in the back later?

Then how did Lee and Carnage fit into this? Who were they anyway?

The new symbiote was the first one's offspring, Peter understood that much. And it made some sort of sense that it would help its parent. But the host wasn't under the symbiote's metaphorical thumb (yet), so how the hell did Venom get him to cooperate?

And Lee was just a normal human. How did she get involved in this? And why?

Peter hit the roof with his fist in frustration. "I just want some answers, dammit!"

"And I might be able to provide them," a familiar voice said.

Then an equally familiar purple smoke swirled around him, and Peter found himself standing in front of Madame Web.