Spider would never admit it, but he was enjoying this fight. The two heroes fighting him were... different from the others. Spider realized that when he started to attack them with the intensity of a predator, they never lost focus. They attacked him with levels of teamwork that kept him on his toes and tested the limit of his spider sense. They were warriors as much as they were heroes. Every punch and kick was calculated, trained, and honed.
"You know I was having a nice day off when you called me in." Black Widow said as she tried to shock Spider with her Widow's Bites. Spider was one step ahead of the spy and swerved out of the way. He felt he wouldn't like what would happen if she tagged him with those gauntlets.
"Sorry about that, but I didn't want to fight Spider-Man alone while he's like this," Cap admitted as Spider vaulted over his shield. He'd rather not fight Spider-Man at all, to be honest. For both personal and practical reasons. Spider-Man was his friend and a good friend at that. The wallcrawler had his back in dozens of battles and had defended him when many wouldn't. There was also the fact that you were in trouble when Spider-Man quit holding back. The few serious fights they had been in didn't end well for either of them. A Spider-Man bonded to a symbiote was a fight that Steve Rogers didn't want to do alone.
"Hold still damn it!" Widow shouted as she tried to roadhouse kick Spider. Spider brought his arms up in time to block the kick.
"That wasn't very nice!" Spider growled as he wrapped his arm around Widow's leg and lifted her into the air before throwing her across the room. Natasha flipped through the air and landed in a crouch. 'She's as dangerous as she's beautiful.' Spider noted with a smirk.
"Stay focused, casanova!"
Spider felt the familiar pulse go through his mind and ducked under Cap's fist. Cap continued his attack, and Spider was forced to jump back. Cap went to slam his shield down on Spider, but he caught it in time. It became a battle of wills as Captain America struggled to hold the shield down while Spider pushed back against him. Red eyes glared at blue.
Natasha snuck behind the dueling heroes and jammed her Widow Bites into Spider's ribs. Electricity surged into Spider, and he cried out in pain. A symbiote tendril formed on his shoulder and slammed into Black Widow. His muscles tensed, and with a savage roar, he pushed Cap's shield away, sending the super soldier into a wall.
"That was... Unpleasant..." Venom muttered tiredly.
"I know, buddy. I know." Spider agreed, shaking off the last bits of pain. A whistling sound caught his attention, and an arrow cut through the air before hitting the wall above Spider. "For the world's best archer, that sure was a lousy shot," Spider noted as he turned to see Hawkeye approaching.
"Wait for it," Hawkeye said with a smirk.
Spider glanced at the arrow to see a blue blinking light. The light began to blink rapidly, and his spider sense went off just as a sonic noise echoed through the headquarters. Spider dropped to his knees, grasping his head in pain. His suit rippled and surged as the noise seemed to grow louder.
"Hurts!" Venom screamed in his head. Spider felt what his partner's fear and deep rage formed in him.
"No..." Spider whispered as the symbol on his chest glowed a bright red. Energy flowed through him, and a primal roar escaped him. "NO!"
They wanted to hurt his friend! His partner! Perhaps if they were separated, the sound method might have worked. But with the energy coming from Spider, powering Venom, they only felt slight discomfort. Spider's arm shot forward, and a symbiote tentacle slammed into the wall, crushing the sonic arrow. His red eyes glared at Hawkeye, who sweated nervously.
'There goes that plan!' The veteran Avenger thought. Sound was supposed to be a symbiote's biggest weakness, and Spider-Man shrugged it off like he stubbed his toe or something. This time, Hawkeye reached for a different arrow with a bit more bang.
"Everyone, stop!" Julia interrupted as she teleported in holding her head in pain. She was still reeling from the images she saw. "This had gotten out of hand, Clint!"
"If you haven't noticed Julia. He's the one that has gotten out of hand!" Clint snapped with his bow aimed at the snarling Spider.
"Just wait, please!" Julia pleaded. She looked at Spider. "Peter, please just listen! We're trying to help you."
"Help me?" Spider asked incredulously. "I've been attacked, hunted, and electrocuted ever since I met you people, and you call that helping me?" Even with his fucked up mind, Spider knew that his supposed friends didn't do what they did.
"Okay, not our finest examples..."
"No shit!" Spider snapped with narrowed eyes. Hawkeye glanced nervously as Captain America and Black Widow rose to their feet.
"Outnumber and outgunned here, king..."
"The insane one makes a good point."
'Not helping, guys!' Peter replied mentally. There was only one clear option he just needed to wait for the right moment to do it.
"Peter, I know things have been strange the last couple of days! I know you're not acting like yourself! And I think I know why!" Julia said as she motioned for Steve and Nat to stand down. "I know something painful happened to you!" Julia stepped closer to Spider, who tensed up with his fist clenched. "We just want to help you!"
"I don't need help!" Spider said as he eyed everyone with suspicion before looking at Julia. "I need answers."
A familiar tingle alerted Spider just as a repulsor beam shot through the air. Spider ducked under it casually, and the large windows shattered. Iron Man flew at Spider with his faceplate cracked open, showing his bruised face. "I've got your answers right here!"
Spider jumped over the charging Avenger and fired webs at Captain America and Black Widow's eyes, blinding them.
"Oh no, you don't..." Hawkeye muttered as he notched his arrow.
"No!" Julia shouted. This isn't what she wanted. Peter wasn't wrong when he said he didn't have any reason to believe them, and they weren't giving him any reason to see if they kept attacking him. She pushed Hawkeye away and caused him to shift his arrow away from Spider.
"Oh crap!" Clint muttered as the arrow flew through the air. A device was attached to the arrow, and a blinking red light came off it. "Move!" Clint yelled as he pushed Julia out of the way.
The arrow pierced the wall, and Spider felt his spider sense go off. The arrow erupted in an explosion, and the building rattled from the force. The floor caved in, forcing Spider to jump out of the Avengers Tower.
"Doe my life always suck?" Spider said sarcastically as he looked down at the street.
"Yes/Yes/Yes."
"Now you three tell me..." Spider muttered as he shot out a web and tried to swing away.
"Not a chance, Webhead!" yelled Iron Man as he rammed into Spider. "That space gunk is coming off!"
"Hand's off rich boy!" Spider snapped as he and Iron Man grappled, each of them trying to overpower the other. Spider slammed his forehead into Stark's nose sending a wave of pain through the millionaire and distracting him long enough for Spider to plant his feet against Iron Man and send him into the side of the tower. Two webs shot out Spider's wrist, sticking Stark to the wall. Before Tony could rip the webs off, Spider's clawed hands shot into the arc reactor and violently ripped the battery out, shutting down the suit and leaving Tony to hang.
"Come after me again and this battery won't be the only thing I rip off!" Spider threatened before launching himself back into the city. Tony hung their growling under his breath.
Across the city, Mary Jane rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It had been a long night made even worse by feelings she didn't know how to describe. Peter was locked up in Avengers Tower, Julia, and the others seemed lost on how to help Peter, New York was a powder keg waiting to go off, and Paul... The less she said about Paul, the better.
Paul refuses to understand or forgive Peter for his actions the night before, openly relishing watching Iron Man and Madame Web take Peter away. It was a cruelty she wasn't used to seeing from the man, and the argument that came from it probably could have been heard throughout the city.
MJ climbed out of bed, walked to her bathroom, and turned on her sink. Water shot out of the faucet, and MJ cupped it and splashed it against her face. The water flowed down, and she grabbed a towel to dry off.
MJ wiped the tiredness from her eyes and glanced at her reflection in the mirror only to see a younger version of herself staring back at her. The younger woman, the younger her, looked at her angrily, and Mary Jane was left stunned.
"He's playing you!" The younger Mary Jane hissed in distaste.
"What are you-" MJ began to ask, but a shout from Paul distracted her.
"MJ, are you awake? I made breakfast." Paul called out from the kitchen, and Mary Jane turned to answer him.
"I'm up," MJ called back, still in surprise. When she turned to look at the mirror again, she found only a normal reflection. Was it a trick on her mind?
Mary Jane shook her head and tried to clear her mind. It was a figment of her imagination. The stress of the last few days had finally caught up with her. She finished her morning routine by getting dressed. She threw on a green blouse and a pair of jeans and walked out of her room with a fake smile plastered on her face. The savory aroma of bacon filled the kitchen. Paul stood by the stove and finished the food, and MJ sat at the table.
"Here you go, babe," Paul muttered as he placed a plate in front of her. Eggs and bacon covered it, and her stomach growled in anticipation.
"Thank you." Mary Jane replied quickly, digging into her food. Paul touched her shoulder, and a strange feeling filled MJ.
"I'm sorry about last night," Paul said as he sat next to her.
"I'm sorry too," MJ said numbly. Was she sorry? Or was it a lie? Is that what her life had come to?
"At least it's over, and Peter can get the help he needs," Paul said smugly as he grabbed a remote and turned on the TV.
MJ's phone went off as a news report flashed across the TV screen. She picked it up and saw it was a text from Julia. The second Madame Web had sent a short message, but it caused her heart to drop.
He broke out!
"What the hell?" Paul stated, and Mary Jane looked at the TV to see Stark Tower on the screen. Mary Jane didn't bother to hesitate. She stood up from her chair and grabbed her brown leather jacket. "MJ, wait!" Paul called out as he followed after her. "How could you want to chase after that psycho after he tried to kill us last night!"
Admittedly, Paul made a good point. Peter's rampage had left her shaken to her core. The words he used on her last night echoed what her father had shouted all those years ago when she was a teenager and the worst part was that some of her agreed with Peter.
"Peter wasn't himself last night." Mary Jane defended with a focused look in her eye. Maybe it was almost dying the other night, or maybe it was the symbiote controlling his mind, but Peter Parker was important to her, and she would do everything in her power to help him. When she returned from Wayeb's world, she had treated him coldly, keeping him at a distance he didn't deserve. MJ had been afraid then. Afraid that everything was ruined. That they were ruined...
"I'm pretty sure that was Peter's true self last! You know he never accepted us together! Face it, Mary Jane, your ex is as bad as the villains he fights!" Paul argued, and something snapped in Mary Jane. Her hand shot up and slapped Paul across the face, leaving him stunned.
"I-I'm sorry, Paul." Mary Jane mumbled, surprised at her actions, though she didn't regret them. Never would she allow anyone to treat Peter like that. Peter was one of the most self-sacrificing people that she'd ever met and wouldn't stand for Paul to talk about him like that. She slipped her jacket on and walked out of the apartment, leaving Paul stunned and silent.
"Well, that was eventful," Hawkeye muttered as he finished wrapping bandages around his arm. The blast from his explosive arrow was stronger than he had thought and almost took the entire room out from underneath them.
"Eventful?! We just had asses handed to us by Spider-Man of all people!" Tony shouted as he slammed his hands down on the table.
"Speak for yourself, Stark. Cap, Widow, and I got out with a couple of small aches. You, on the other hand, look like you got smacked around by Thor." Clint taunted with a smirk. Stark glared but didn't argue and instead turned to his dented helmet.
"Has everyone been alerted about Spider-Man's escape?" Steve asked Julia with a frown. "Has there been any sightings?"
"None..." Julia answered with her eyes closed in concentration. Communicating telepathically was a skill that she had yet to master fully. Her predecessor, Cassandra Web, was a master who could count herself in the same league as Jean Grey or Emma Frost. On the other hand, Julia might have had her abilities, but none of her skills or experience. Talking to so many totems was jarring and left her drained.
"He's laying low," Natasha remarked as she shot Clint a look. "I've never seen Spider-Man fight like that before. Have you?"
"No. His speed and strength were off the charts. He busted out of the cell like it was nothing, and that was before he bonded with the symbiote." Clint replied. "Something tells me you might know what we're missing here, Julia."
"I can only assume right now." The second Madame Web answered. "But I believe Peter's connection to the Great Web has been enhanced by his near-death experience. That's why he was able to resist your sonic arrow, Clint." The Great Web was a mystery, even to her at times and every time she thought she had a clear understanding of the Web, a new rule would pop up and shatter her perception.
"The Great Web?" Steve asked, confused before a memory popped into his head. "Wait, like the Spider-Island incident?"
"Adriana Soria was a false queen. A pretender who abused the power of the Great Web to create an army of false totems." Julia replied with distaste. Adriana was a sour note for her.
"So this Great Web really is that powerful?" Clint stated with his arms crossed. He had dealt with all manner of otherworldly energies, but this "Great Web" was something new. Something interesting that he wanted to understand fully. When you live the life of an Avenger it is better to know what you are facing.
"The ones that wield the power of the Great Web have access to the very life energy of the multiverse," Julia answered.
"And right now that power is in the hands of a symbiote-controlled Peter Parker," Tony said with a tired sigh, leaning back in his chair.
"It's time to bring more hands into this," Steve said as he stood up from his chair. "Before something, none of us can take back happens."
"We still have some things we need to talk about," Spider said as he finally stopped to rest beside a gargoyle. He put as much distance between himself and the Avengers Headquarters as possible and finally felt like he was at a comfortable enough distance to rest.
"And here I thought you were smart, king. What else is there to explain?" The dark doppelganger taunted from within Spider's mind.
"Ignore him, he's just trying to get a rise out of you." Peter voiced wisely. "Parker here is like a child. He likes attention."
"God, I hate you two," Spider mumbled tiredly.
"Newsflash! We're you dumbass!" Parker pointed out, and Spider could imagine the shit-eating grin on his face.
"Enough Parker," Peter said with finality. "What's bothering you, kid?"
"What's bothering me? What's bothering me?!" Spider asked furiously with his fist clenched. "You two say I was brought back from the dead! I have no idea who I am or what the hell I'm even doing! Everyone says they're trying to help me but that usually means they're just trying to hit me or electrocute me or some other fucked up ploy! And I'm angry!" Spider roared as he punched the building leaving a sizeable indent in the structure. "I feel like everyone is out to get me and my only friends are two voices in my head and a living suit."
"At least I'm good company," Venom said as he formed a head off Spider's shoulder. The symbiote gave Spider a reassuring grin. "That's more than you can say about the other two!"
"Most people wouldn't be angry about being brought back to life," Peter said, and Spider frowned in response as a pang of sadness filled him.
"Most people don't want to be done with their life..." Spider muttered with fists clenched.
"I've had it with the pity party!" Parker shouted. "You've been given a second chance here, king! Do you know what others would do in your situation? What would I do to be given the chance!? I would get justice!"
"Justice?" Spider said as Parker sent a mental reminder to him. Flashes of the night that left him in this condition filled him. Bullets, blades, and blood. Pain. "Alright, I get it! Jesus..." But Parker did have a point. He still wanted to hunt down those that hurt him even if it felt more like revenge than justice.
"Sometimes justice and revenge go hand in hand, King," Parker said. "And besides, didn't you promise a mother and son that you would take out one of our targets?"
Spider hated to admit it, but Parker was right. He had promised Tabitha and Bailey that he would bring Negative down. The fear in her eyes was real, and Spider hated to see it. "We'll retrieve the Webwear... And then we'll hunt Negative down and have our justice!" Vowed Spider. Venom laughed, then grinned before going back into the suit. Spider jumped off the gargoyle and swung back into the city.
Across the city, a meeting was going down. The Maggia were meeting to discuss the ongoing war for control of New York. And to Giuletta Nefaria, better known as Madame Masque, it was another constant annoyance. Masque had long brown hair that flowed past her shoulders and into the middle of her back. The tight white and black body suit showed off her curves, and the belt on her waist held her handgun. A solid gold faceplate covered her face. Before it hid her scars, but now it served as a reminder never to trust anyone and as a protective measure.
Masque had taken over the Maggia just as the Kingpin had allegedly taken himself off the board. Of course, no one believed the criminal genius that was Wilson Fisk was truly done with New York, but she would deal with him once she cemented herself as the next Queenpin of New York. The Maggia would rule, and she would see to it.
"So Tombstone had been taken off the board," Masque muttered as she read the report. "And Spider-Man was the one who did it..." Out of the heroes that would have defeated Tombstone, Spider-Man was the last person she expected. Mostly because by all counts, the man should have been dead.
"That's correct, ma'am. Spider-Man threw him out a window and then beat him to near-death for all of Harlem to see." One of her guards explained.
"And then he proceeded to embarrass several heroes in the aftermath of his rampage..." Masque said as she got to the part at the end of the report. A laugh escaped her as she looked at a picture of Tony dangling from a web, powerless. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy that. "But what is he playing at?" Was it revenge on Tombstone for the attack? To her knowledge, none of her agents had been there that night, so in theory, she should be safe. But playing it safe was never her style.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this," Masque mumbled as she looked at her bodyguard. "Get Grim Reaper in here. I have a job for him. And set up a meeting with Hammerhead."
Spider-Man wasn't an enemy to take lightly, and she would not allow him to ruin her empire before it even took off.
"I hope this is the right call, Steve," Natasha muttered as a sleek silver and blue Fantasticar landed before them. The large rocky form of the Thing, clad in dark blue trousers, was flying the vehicle.
"I'm not sure what else to do, Nat," Steve replied as the rest of the Fantastic Four stepped out. "Multiversal energies and symbiotes are a bit out of my wheelhouse." Spider-Man needed help, and if anyone could figure out a way to peel the symbiote off, it would be him.
"Captain Rogers." Reed Richards greeted. As always, he was wearing his blue jumpsuit with a four in the center. His brown hair was shorter than Steve remembered but still shaded white on the sides. "Your call sounded urgent. What seemed to be the problem?"
"I take it you four haven't been updated on the situation in New York," Steve said as he shook hands with Reed.
"I'm afraid not, Steve." Susan Richards answered. "We were off-world until early this morning."
Susan Richards, nee Storm, was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, and for good reason. She possessed long, blonde hair that reached her shoulders, clear blue eyes that could make a man stiffen, and a physique that could put a model to shame. Like her husband, she wore a blue jumpsuit that clung to her form.
"I called about Spider-Man," Steve revealed only to get a scoff from the last member of the Fantastic Four who landed in front of him covered in flames.
"And what kind of trouble has the Spider-Jerk found himself in now," Johnny said bitterly as his flames died away, revealing his tall form dressed in the same uniform as his sister and brother-in-law. "Did he go and lose another girlfriend?"
"Johnny!" Sue snapped and sent a glare at her brother. While she hadn't fully forgiven the spider-themed hero after the last time they saw him, she did understand why he did what he did. The year without her kids and almost losing Franklin to Krakoa was still fresh in her mind. Johnny on the other hand was still fuming about Peter's betrayal. The two hadn't talked in weeks and Johnny was keen to keep it that way.
"If you please step inside, we can explain everything better." Steve cut in as he led the four inside. The Four glanced at the destroyed room and wondered what had happened.
"Hey Cap, I don't suppose Starks got anything to eat here?" Ben rumbled as they walked through the Avengers headquarters and into a conference room
"Don't worry, Grimm!" Tony exclaimed as he and Julia were already sitting at the table. "I know how you think and I already have Jarvis whipping up some food for everyone."
"Appreciate it, Stark," Ben said as they sat down.
"So what's going on with Peter?" Sue asked with curiosity. The gathered Avengers glanced at each other before turning to Julia.
"Perhaps Julia can explain best," Steve hesitantly said.
"Leave me with all the explaining why don't you..." Julia muttered with a sigh. The last week had taken its toll on her mentally, and all she wanted to do was slam her head into the table in front of her in frustration. "Dr. Richards, what do you know about the multiverse?"
"An endless amount of worlds created every second as we live and breathe," Reed answered with a confused look. "We've dealt with alternate universes and timelines before if that seems to be the problem, but Tony should be more than capable of handling something like this."
"Then you don't know about the Great Web and its bindings that connect the worlds," Julia said.
"Get to the point, Carpenter. I've got places to be." Johnny snapped from his spot next to Sue, who reached over and smacked the back of her brother's head. "Oww!"
"Zip it, Johnny!" Susan scolded fed up with his attitude. "Please, continue Julia."
"Right... Anyway, the Great Web is what connects Spider-totems throughout the multiverse. It tethers us to each other and our worlds. We act as guardians, protectors... Heroes." Julia said with a sad frown. "We have to sacrifice everything and gain nothing in return."
"So you and Peter are some of these... Totems, was it?" Reed asked, brimming with curiosity. This was something new for him to learn, which is exceedingly rare nowadays.
"Yes, along with the other Spider-Man and Spider-Women that make this universe their home," Julia answered as she turned towards a screen. "And until a week ago, I thought that was all it did."
"What happened a week ago?" Ben asked as a short balding man in a butler's outfit stepped into the room with an extra large pizza pan in his hands. "I hope that's not a Deep Dish."
"Do give me some credit Master Grimm. It's New York Style or nothing." Jarvis replied with a smile that caused Ben to laugh.
"To answer your question, Ben," Steve said as the screen played a portion of the battle that shook Manhatten. The Fantastic Four's eyes widened in shock as they watched the shaky footage of Spider-Man being attacked by numerous foes, some recognized and others they didn't.
"Oh my god..." Sue said as she watched the villain known as Mr. Negative stab Spider-Man with his katana. Horror filled her as Peter smashed his fist into Negative's face and with his other hand pulled the sword out of his chest. The sword fell to the ground covered in blood and Peter seemed to struggle to stand.
"Where's the bug at? Is he in a hospital?" Ben asked, worried.
"No... Spider-Man... He's..." Julia struggled.
"Spider-Man has gone rogue," Tony said, taking a bite out of his slice. "Or crazy. We're not really sure at the moment."
"Tony!" Steve snapped, and Natasha sighed exasperated. "That's not..."
"What? Do you want me to lie, Cap? They need to know what they're getting into!" Tony shot back.
"That's not the complete truth, and you know that, Tony," Steve said as the monitor shifted to new footage.
"Whoa! Alright, you have my attention now." Johnny said as he watched his friend brutally beat Tombstone. Johnny had seen Peter fight enough times to know that something was very different with his friend. The suit he wore looked oddly familiar now that he thought about it.
"Is that what I think it is?" Reed asked with wide eyes.
"The Venom symbiote. And this time, Spider-Man supercharged it." Tony replied.
"When Spider-Man was attacked, it triggered an extreme response from the Great Web. This response combined with the Venom symbiote has created extreme aggression in Spider-Man. He can't tell friend from foe in his state, and he's lashing out at everyone." Julia explained.
"We managed to bring him here for observation, but-"
"He broke out and broke Tony's nose," Natasha said with a smirk, causing Tony to glare at her.
"Not the point I was going to make..." Tony muttered, annoyed.
"So what do you need us for, Cap?" Ben asked with a frown.
"Come on, Ben. They need us to clean this mess up." Johnny said with a smirk as he formed a fireball in his hand. "And I have just the thing to cure him of his symbiote problem."
"Johnny! Enough!" Susan snapped once more. She was tired of his attitude.
"He's right Sue," Tony said with a shrug. "Well kinda right. The cleaning up part not the fireball cure part."
"What Tony is trying to say..." Steve interrupted, "Is that Spider-Man has developed certain resistances to conventional symbiote weaknesses."
"You mean sonic noise, correct?" Reed asked as his eyes darted around the monitor.
"Right. Hawkeye used one of his sonic arrows and Spider-Man shrugged it off like it was nothing."
"Clint's sonic arrows give off a pulse more than loud enough to disable a symbiote and for a moment," Tony pulled up footage from earlier. "It seemed to work before Spider-Man ignored it and snapped the arrow like a twig."
"Can you zoom in on the spider symbol on his chest?" Reed requested with eyes narrowed. The camera zoomed in on the red spider symbol, and Reed watched as energy coursed through it and shone brightly. "My word, this is incredible!" Spider-Man has never been able to manipulate any energy let alone a multiversal one. It was a startling development.
"Do we know if fire will still work?" Susan asked. Fire was well known to be the only other weakness for symbiote though Susan was hesitant to use this method on someone she considered a close friend.
"No, and honestly, Susan, I don't want to try and get close to Spider-Man to find out," Natasha answered with a frown. While she had always considered Spider-Man a strong opponent, she had never considered him a deadly opponent, though that thought changed after this morning. They might have been killed if anyone else had been fighting Spider-Man this morning. Spider-Man wasn't holding back anymore, and that made him dangerous. Dangerous and unpredictable.
Natasha's thoughts drifted to the young man that had befriended at a time in her life when the Black Widow was lost and going by the name of Nancy Rushman. The young man, by the name of Peter Parker, was charming, goofy, and kind. The man she had fought this morning was known of those qualities and that frightened her more than anything. For the world to lose a man like that was a devastating loss.
"I don't need to get close!" Johnny said with a cocky grin breaking the Russian beauty from her thoughts. The youngest member of the Fantastic Four had created a fireball in his hand and looked at the gathered group idly tossing the fireball between his hands. "A couple of shots from these bad boys should take care of Pete's little parasite problem."
"Let's try to remember that Spider-Man is our friend and ally here, Johnny, " Julia reminded him with a frown. As she looked at the younger Storm sibling, she felt mistrust. Johnny was angry and doubtful, which made Julia weary of being around him.
"Julia is right. Spider-Man needs our help." Steve said, backing Julia up. Though he was still upset with him, that didn't mean he'd leave him to suffer.
"Has anyone contacted Strange about this? I mean, this sounds like it would be right up his alley," said Ben as he finished his slice and moved to grab another.
Steve answered, "I tried contacting both Strange and Wong, but unfortunately, I was unable to reach either of them. "
"Then how the hell are we supposed to find him?" Johnny asked, confused.
The door opened, and Jarvis stepped in. "Master Rogers, your other guest has arrived," Jarvis informed as a short dark-haired figure wearing a brown leather jacket, red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and biker boots walked past him.
"So I heard the Webhead is having a bad day..." James Howlett, better known as Logan or Wolverine, said with a smirk as he grabbed the last slice of pizza.
Spider held the Webwear up and saw that the tracer's location matched the building in front of him. Negative was hiding out in Midtown, of all places, like a rat waiting to be slaughtered.
"A juicy rat does sound quite good right now..." Venom muttered with a bit of drool.
"Gross bud. I'm starting to think I need to teach you some table manners." Spider teased as he stuck the Webwear to the wall and focused on the goons pacing around the building. A noise caught his attention behind him and faster than the approaching figure could comprehend, Spider spun around and kicked their legs out from underneath them.
"Oof!" Spider wasn't done. He grabbed the figure by their throat, and a growl escaped him. "Wait, stop, it's me, Spider!"
It was a woman—a beautiful woman with long platinum-blonde hair flowing from her head. She was wearing a tight black body suit that emphasized her large breasts and long legs. A black mask covered her eyes, but Spider could see her deep green eyes. A familiarity filled him, and he let her go, stumbling back as memories filled his head.
Memories of chasing her through the city, her taunting and teasing him, holding her close as he brought his hands up to cup her-
"Whoa, kid! Some memories need to stay with you!" Peter interrupted, breaking Spider out of his memories.
"Speak for yourself, old man! I wanted to see what the Kitty Cat was packing underneath all the leather!"
Spider ignored the two and focused on the woman before him. He knew her just as he knew Mary Jane. There was a feeling of love, but there was anger directed at her as well. She had hurt him. "Cat..."
"What has gotten into you, Spider? Never seen you quite so jumpy..." Black Cat asked with an eye raised in curiosity.
"Sorry. It's been a long week," Spider replied as he helped her stand. She gave him a once-over and smiled in appreciation.
"I gotta say. I love the new look. Very dark and mysterious~" Cat purred flirtatiously. Spider would have been lying if he had said her voice hadn't affected him.
"What are you doing here, Cat?" Spider demanded as he turned back to the building. Cat glided across the rooftop and draped herself across Spider's back.
"I was in the neighborhood and saw you brooding up here. I figured I'd drop by and check out my favorite Spider. And boy, am I glad I did." Cat answered with a smirk. She had nothing against red and blue, but black was so much better in her opinion.
Spider pushed Cat off of him, and she pouted. "I'm up here for a reason, Cat. Go home or go steal something..."
"Ah, c'mon, Spider. Lighten up a little!" Black Cat said as she hugged his arm. "Maybe you need a little help with your current problem?~"
"Cat, what are you doing here really?" Spider demanded as he looked into her eyes. He forgot how mesmerizing they were. But her playfulness quickly disappeared and was replaced with genuine worry.
"I've been seeing you on the news lately. The ambush and the fight with Tombstone... I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Spider-Man was one of the most important people in Felicia's life, and she hated to see him struggle with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"I'm fine," Spider muttered, shaking her off. "Hell, I'll be even better after I take down Negative." The mission is what he needed to focus on he reminded himself. Not the stunning thief in front of him.
"Slow your roll, Spider!" Cat said, pushing Spider back from the ledge. "Negative probably has a small army down there. What are you going to do? Fight all of them?"
"Yes," Spider answered blankly, and Black Cat quickly realized something. Peter Parker was way taller than she remembered. The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was always the same height as her, but now he seemed to tower over her. "Are you going to try and stop me?" A note of challenge was in his voice, a confidence Felicia hadn't seen in him in a long time.
"Do I need to stop you?" Black Cat shot back. A chuckle escaped Spider, the first sign of actual emotion from him during the entire conversation. Faster than she expected, Spider got close to her eye level and she could almost see the smirk hiding behind his mask. It was a hint of the Spider-man she was used to. That she loved.
"Have fun trying!" Spider exclaimed as he jumped over her and swung to Negative's base. Black Cat quickly followed after him. Their chase began anew.
And there's chapter 5 for yah. This chapter was more filler than action, but it was needed to add more key players. Madame Masque, The Fantastic Four, Wolverine, and Black Cat have entered the fray. Next time Spider takes on Mr. Negative for the fate of several characters. Will it be justice or revenge, I wonder?
I did like writing Black Cat. She's always a fun character to write so do expect some fun interactions with her next chapter. If I could add one more character tag it would have been her. Mary Jane seems to be haunted by something more than just her actions. That's going to be a fun mystery to delve into. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four are plotting. This arc is about to hit a fever point.
In other news, Ultimate Spider-Man continues to prove me right and is the better Spider-Man title. It's amazing how right the fans are compared to Marvel. The new Ultimate Wolverine is also pretty great and I'm eager to dive into more in the next issue. Current Marvel needs to get its shit together. The current Amazing Spider-Man run is officially bad in my book. Maybe bad isn't the word I'm looking for. Boring is more like it. Depressed Spider-Man is not my favorite Spider-Man. Especially a Spider-Man run where Spider-Man doesn't even feel like the main character. Do you know how Zeb Wells wrote a run where Spider-Man just constantly got his ass kicked? Well, now they're just trying to bore me to death with a run where nothing fucking happens.
So yeah Eight Deaths of Spider-Man is a major disappointment. I think the quality has dropped even further than before. Does anyone else think there are too many Spider-Man titles out right now? Shit gets confusing after a while. There's that strange Sensational Spider-Man comic with the weird Crime boss storyline (definitely not my favorite, though I do kinda like Webhead) and the Spectacular Spider-Men which is actually pretty good, not to mention One World Under Doom has dropped and it's alright for now, but Peter Parker is back in the red and blue which makes no sense considering he's all mopey and depressed in his comic. There's literally no connection or coherence with Spider-Man titles and it's frustrating as hell. Marvel needs to do itself a favor and fire Nick Lowe because I truly believe he doesn't like the character or the fans. It might be one of my missions in life to get him fired. That and find Bigfoot and the way things are looking I'm going to find that big hairy bastard before Marvel wakes up and fires that man.
I need to mention this here but if you haven't read Vita Sine Pulsu Cordis (Life Without a Beating Heart) by FelyciaSaint you need to because that's probably one of the best Spider-Man fics being written right now. Seriously it's a really good alternate universe dark Spider-Man story. Every time it's updated I'm blown away and satisfied.
Till next time, guys, and as always, I own none of this, but at the moment, I'm trying to steal Spider-Man away from Marvel. #SaveSpider-Man or some shit.