SPIDER SECRET
Whenever a spider moves, of the eight legs it has, four are always on the ground and four are always off the ground. Even with eight legs, it's best to not be caught flat footed.
With each passing year, the manipulation of DNA had grown easier within the field of bioengineering. Genetic material had already been extracted from Egyptian mummies – as well as from the hide of a quagga, a zebra-like African animal that had become extinct in the 1880s – the preservation principle had been long since ruled out. That is modern science. However, despite his doctorates and his lifetime of experience, Kyudai Garaki had never found quite the right fill-in for the commonality of dead and/or dried DNA remains. A genealogist can only do so much with what they are given, afterall.
Hence, his knack for splicing NEOgenetic materials and crafting his beings called Nomu came in handy. Whatever wasn't available could simply be replaced. This allowed him to salvage most of his projects in the past. But then, he managed to get ahold of Jin Bubaigawara's quirk. A DNA replicator in of itself. This had allowed him to up his genetic game to a true standard of cloning tissue and traits. Nothing could no longer be lost. Or… so he had been initially led to believe.
Even the villain Twice's tissue proved to be flimsy and failing. It too had a time limit. Not just that, but it proved to be more unstable than a regular sampling. It seemed back to the drawing board. Himiko Toga's proffered blood could prolong the inevitable but it felt truly inevitable. He had been on the verge of a breakthrough – of achieving something great – and now he's come full circle to find himself encountering the same technical concerns that had been causing him distress to begin with.
His own genetic structure is a combination of other coding. That's all The Jackal is. That's all any of his works have been and ever can or will be. There is no true perfect replica. He had tried. He had failed. Not even All For One could manage to create a pure copy of himself. The plan had been to prepare a near perfect body by using Tomura Shigaraki. That is a fascinating miracle in of itself and nothing for the scientist to be ashamed of but it's not what he had hoped to achieve.
But THIS … this strange substance … it's dark, a cross between a deep shade of violet and a dark tone of black, as though it is the decaying tissue of DNA in of itself. The liquid contains spores that feed off of other living material – by instilling more of those spores. It overrides and BECOMES rather than replicates. It's exactly what Garaki had wanted to create. A thing of symbiotic nature.
It demonstrates a more PARASITIC style, sure, but there's a difference. And it's in that very thin veil that the scientist wishes to study and find his answers.
The only issue is that the symbiotic substance requires consistent DNA to maintain its stabilized state. He had been feeding it Himiko Toga's blood as a regular supply, but now he is without her. He cannot supply the symbiote with his own blood since it has already been tampered with and he doesn't want those variances blending with this new pet project.
That leaves Spider-Man's residual DNA. After the cloning experiment fell through, it may as well have been disposed of anyway. He was hoping to store it for a future revival of some kind. But, well.. This.. This will have to do instead.
Oh, and it very much does.
The symbiote LOVES this DNA. Jackal is surprised to see the way the substance devours the blood tissue. It's not just a display of deprivation or starvation. It's craving this blood more than it would any other DNA sample. It has an acquired taste. A preferred flavor.
The symbiote requires structuring the way any other living organism does. If it has already experienced a particular framework, then that will always be the mainline basis. Somehow, that happens to be Spider-Man.
Jackal laughs, low and dark. He knows of a possible alternative that would be much easier to acquire under these circumstances. When he had first obtained the symbiote, it had been at Melissa Shield's living quarters, which only further proves his theory. The symbiote has a biological memory. She, as a sub-creator to her father, first came into contact with the symbiote long before Spider-Man did.
That means he'll have to acquire Melissa Gwendoline Shield as a specimen. Since she is quirkless and often left to her own vices these days, he doesn't deem that a problem at all.
When Toshinori pulls into the driveway of his home, he takes a moment to pause and rest before turning off the engine. Rest. That's something he never did before, and especially not during his time as a pro hero … but then again, that was when he was much younger and still had all of his internal organs. Now, he is older – run down and rugged – and he needs to rest. Even if that rest is for a mere moment.
The boney being totters as he trudges his way out of his vehicle and to the house. He finds the door already unlocked. Thankfully, he doesn't have to fumble with his keys. That's one of the perks of no longer living alone. Toshinori then kicks his shoes off. He waits there, expecting Melissa to come around the bend. When the seconds pass and he ventures forward, he finds her in the living room without having moved a muscle.
Toshinori assumes that she didn't hear him come in. She doesn't jump up to greet him even after his entry into the room either though. He sees that the girl is absorbed in her tablet – which, she CAN be as obsessive about her work as her father – but this is pushing it a little. She had always put that stuff aside for family first and foremost. Her behavior is … strange.
Toshinori tries probing her for acknowledgement by asking, "Hungry?", figuring they can eat together like old times.
But she doesn't bother to spare him a glance. "I already ate", her response comes colder than the food that has been left for him, "Remains are in the fridge."
"Thank you", he doesn't voice any sort of displeasure or disgruntlement though. He allows it to slide. Afterall, he's just her legal guardian.
But still… there's no 'long day?' or ANYTHING from her. Not during or after his rummaging through the kitchen. It's like they're roommates more than familially connected. Not even that. The cordialness is strained.
Toshinori runs a hand through his length of blonde hair – now stained with strands of grey. While waiting for his meal to reheat, he returns to Melissa. He asks her, "Are you doing okay?"
Melissa gives him another cold response, "I'm fine" But what proves even more chilling is her followup, "Since when do you care?"
Toshinori can hardly believe his hearing. "How can you ask that– ?", he cuts himself off by shaking aside his surprise so that he can answer her, "Of course I care."
Melissa looks away from him – her equivalent of a scoff or an eyeroll. "You don't show it."
Behind him, the beep of his food being ready makes Toshinori tense and jump. His shoulders fall and his already drooped face sinks even deeper into a strained set of wrinkles. "Sorry if I've been neglectful of you", Toshinori steps forward as he prepares to comfort her, "Between my new position of work and.." But he winds up trailing off – he finds himself unsure of how to bring up his successor's training.
Melissa raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "And what?"
Toshinori's tongue finds no saliva to swallow as his mouth runs dry. "I.." Telling Melissa that he has been showing attention to Itsuka regardless of his reasoning occurs to him that she won't take it well since this is still all about her not receiving that attention.
Melissa looks away – another silent scoff. "You can't even come up with a good excuse", she sighs and then stands. "I thought I'd be used to this after dad, or.. I don't know.. Maybe I thought it'd be different living with you.."
Toshinori finds himself still at a loss for words. So, he has no reason to chase her down when she walks away. Nor does he have the right response to give after she seals herself off in her bedroom.
It's been a while since he's actually taken his lunch period to eat in the school cafeteria. With friends, no less. With a GIRLfriend. It's unprecedented. Long before even the spider bite, during his time at Aldera, he didn't have friends to dine with. It's a strangely sobering experience to be able to do so now.
But it's also melancholy-like. He recalls a brief period of time where it had been like this before. Before.. Before he screwed up. Shinso. His first real friend, supposedly, is who comes to his mind. They used to eat together like this sometimes. Sure, Shinso had bonded with the symbiote and threatened Kyoka, but there's no denying the events that led to all of that. Plus, Aizawa seems to be making a breakthrough these days.
They mutually agreed it's not a good idea for him and Shinso to meet again so soon though. Shinso is still recovering. As great as Aizawa is, he isn't a therapist or a psychiatrist to fully wring or iron out those wrinkles. They would like to prevent a relapse, if possible. Marching in the guy that set Shinso on this course to begin with is obviously a way to do exactly that thing they wish to prevent.
Izuku feels something – someone – shaking his arm. He comes out of his thoughts. He goes from thinking about one indigo haired individual to another. Kyoka. She asks him, "You spacing out again?"
What can Izuku do besides give her a sheepish smile? "Yeah, sorry, force of habit.." He hadn't intended to ignore his girlfriend, but they aren't the only ones at the table either. Hagakure joined them, which he had thought would save him from having to do too much conversing – especially when it comes to more 'girly' topics.
"Let me guess.." Hagakure leans forward and keeps her voice low so only those at the table can hear her, "Spider-Man stuff?"
"Actually.." Izuku chuckles as he looks between the two girls that he is currently sharing company with. "I was just thinking about the total opposite", he puts his arm around the waist of his girlfriend, "About how nice it is that I don't have to run and go do Spider-Man stuff."
Kyoka blushes – squirming slightly – she nervously fidgets & glances around due to their physical contact. "Izuku.. We're in public and nobody is supposed to know about us.."
There's no telling what kind of expression Hagakure is making as she watches the two love birds fumble about. All they hear is her hum before she says, "Just another one of his many secrets."
Now that he doesn't need to wear a mask in order to hide it, Izuku has a way of busting out the charm when he can – at least, around these two. His freckled face suits his smile when he gives a rebuttal, "I think you mean to say… Just another one of the secrets shared between us all."
He now knows Hagakure is smiling – he can hear the smile in her voice. "Well, there is that."
But her smile is gone just as quick. Even with her being invisible, he can tell that she is looking over his shoulder. Izuku turns around to see a group of black suited men marching through the mess hall.
"And.. There's also whatever that is.." Izuku isn't sure whether his hand finds Kyoka's or if hers finds his – or whether it's to comfort him or her either – but he feels them making contact when they do.
The group of suited up agents stop at their table specifically – because, of course, that's to be expected. "Izuku Midoriya", and so is the reason for that being the case, "We need you to come with us."
Hagakure stands up, prepared to cause a scene over their lunch period's disruption. "Is there a problem here?"
But Izuku stops her by holding up a hand. "It's fine", he notices the other students in the cafeteria are already paying enough attention to the commotion and doesn't want things escalating, "I'll go."
Kyoka's fingers fall through the crevices of his when their hands separate. "Izuku.. ?" She too is worried about whatever this is.
But Izuku doesn't feel any telltale tingling from his Spider-Sense. Plus, he's pretty sure the badges on the insides of these agent's suits read 'S.H.I.E.L.D'. So, it can't be ALL that bad.
He gives his girlfriend a reassuring glance and says, "It's fine", even if he's not too sure if it actually is. He'd really hate for that to be a lie since he was hoping to be done with those.
When he is escorted through the facility's familiar sets of sliding doors, he feigns the feelings of a civilian seeing it all for the first time. A kid his age would be looking around in wide eyed wonder. Not squinting at everything he sees. Thus is the balance of a double life.
He never has to fake his admiration for the former number one hero though. When he sees All Might – despite the thinner frame of the man – he naturally perks up. Toshinori turns to greet him. The group that had tagged along begins to part.
"Midoriya, Izuku – Apologies for the abrupt summons" Toshinori bows, at the waist.
Shocked to see his idol bowing, Izuku hurriedly waves his hands in a motion for the man to stop. "I- It's okay!" He awkwardly laughs it off. "But, if you don't mind me asking–"
When Toshinori comes back up, he sports a small smile. "What this is all about?", he finishes Izuku's question.
Izuku blinks. He would reply, but he can only bring himself to humbly nod.
Toshinori motions for Izuku to enter the room further. When doing so, they are able to mutually share a screen's visualization. "I'm sure you remember Melissa", it presents records on the blonde inventor extraordinaire that Izuku became acquainted with.
Izuku looks over to Toshinori, unsure of where this is going. "O- Of course", but he goes along with it all nevertheless.
Toshinori starts to explain, "She was abducted recently–"
"What?!", and Izuku is instantly struck back by the first explanatory string of words.
"Gone – missing – vanished without a trace when I checked her room", Toshinori continues, unphased, aside from a small sigh, "It was after an argument we had, so I thought .. maybe she left to get some time away .. but it's been a long duration of time and my concerns got the better of me that my department deemed otherwise."
Izuku's face forms a frown as he mulls over the story that was shared with him, "They found something?"
"Nothing concrete", Toshinori gives a small shake of his head. But he seems too sure for it to be an assumption either. He gestures for the screen to then add additional records. These ones belong to another familace face. "We suspect it could be her father, David Shield, having come to.. Well, who knows."
"Makes sense", Izuku pensively stares at the information on the screen – before realizing he isn't donned in his Spider-Man getup – he does a floundering reaction to it all for dramatic effect before asking a genuine question, "But.. What do I have to do with any of this?"
Toshinori has the screen shut off before turning his full attention to Izuku, "Something similar happened before and we have reason to believe it could be bound to happen again", the callback to when a quirk virus ensnared all of Japan makes the boy shudder, "Your friend Spider-Man was able to track David down the first time and we are hoping he can do so again."
Well, there he has it. The close proximity of his private life meshed with his vigilante lifestyle has yet again crossed paths. "You want me to find Spider-Man and loop him in.."
Toshinori nods. His voice lowers. "It's off the record, legally we can't collaborate with a vigilante, but we are working out those quirk laws that the former Commission Chairs ruled to accommodate the matter."
This further surprises the boy. He could count on All Might to trust him and vice versa but for the vigilante laws to be adjusted in his favor again is a whole other thing entirely. "Oh, okay.."
Toshinori places a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Young Midoriya.. Do you believe you can find Spider-Man for us?", it's not rough but it's as firm as the request itself.
"Don't worry", Izuku can't help but grow a grin when he replies, "Spider-Man is easier to contact than you might think."
Whereas that very well may be the case for finding Spider-Man, finding David Shield will prove far more difficult. The first time around, it could have very well been chalked off as merely getting lucky. Not only did Izuku have Melissa – David's daughter – to assist with the search, but he had hints & context clues to work with as well. This time around, there's no remaining research lab from I-Island for the doctor to dwell in. Plus, he's pretty sure Tomura Shigaraki won't be as accommodating this time around either.
Izuku goes about his search with different partners for this occasion. His new colleagues consist of his girlfriend, his mom, and Hagakure. The bunch get together for a brainstorming session once he catches them all up to speed. It ought to be better than simply swinging around the city – it's not like Doc Ock will come out in broad daylight anyways.
If only he can get past his mom's embarrassing behavior first… She keeps beaming about how proud of her son she is for not only entrusting his identity to others, but to GIRLS. There's tons of doting over both Kyoka and Hagakure – hardly the time for tea, and definitely not the time for looking at his baby pictures – but it's to be expected.
"Mom..", Izuku groans as he drags a hand over his face – he considers using his 'adhering to surfaces' ability to rip it off – but a shake to jog his brain and get it right helps him to think better than that, "Can we please focus?"
"Oh! Of course, dear!" Inko claps her hands together as though she is going into thoughtful prayer – before she leans over to whisper, "But we gals are going to continue this conversation another time" She gives a wink to Kyoka. "Especially you, darling."
Kyoka gives Izuku a combo of a knowing glance & smile. "I'm looking forward to it, Mrs. Midoriya."
"Please, call me Inko" The elder woman places a hand over Kyoka's, further cementing their bond over embarrassing Izuku.
"ANYWAYS", Izuku raises his voice through gritted teeth when he can tell that they're getting off topic again. "Melissa's missing", he knows it's wrong but he's partially relieved to have an excuse to stop their talking, "Remember?"
"Right", Hagakure fortunately assists him by agreeing to change the topic, "So.. Any ideas?"
Kyoka shakes her head, "Drawing a blank", but she seems to be contemplating the matter still if her expression is in any way telling.
Inko clears her throat before chiming back in, "You said this 'Science Squid'-"
"Doctor Octopus", Izuku stops her momentarily to correct her about David Shield's villain honorific.
"Yes, whatever you say, Izuku" But she waves the disruption off without a care. Izuku pouts a little since she doesn't take Doc Ock seriously. But she at least takes Melissa's abduction seriously enough. "You say this man previously hid beneath the ocean, correct?"
Izuku nods, "Yeah.."
"Perhaps he would hide himself below the surface a second time for similar reasons", Inko makes a suggestion based off of the villain's hiding history that could still prove advantageous.
Hagakure jumps up, agreeing, "Oh yeah! One of our lessons was how villains go underground to remain hidden!"
Kyoka nods along. Their hero classes came with in-field experience to incorporate into their lessons. As such, she has a recent example to share. "The Yakuza supposedly had something similar setup."
Izuku hums as he considers the possibility of Doc Ock developing a labyrinth beneath Musutafu – it honestly does seem like something the mad scientist would do. But… "I doubt he'd have had a long enough time to develop anything that elaborate .. but an underground tunnel system of some type would make sense.."
Hagakure sits back down, also pondering the possibilities of alternatives. She comes up with one and takes another guess, "Like .. The sewers?"
Izuku can already catch Kyoka and his mom wrinkling their noses from the corners of his eyes. He himself doesn't wish to come back home with an odor that's hard to wash out. He sighs and says, "I really hope not."
After a moment more of mulling over the plausibility of David Shield's secret base being within the sewer system, Inko breaks the silence with a new suggestion. "Maybe he's utilizing Japan's old subway stations?"
Izuku looks up, perplexed. The idea hits him like a slap to the face. "Mom.. That's genius!", he thinks about how the convenient access would be more undetected by anyone over anything else, "How'd you come up with that?"
Inko blushes a bit, "Your father and I would sometimes explore them", she straightens her posture and her blush subsides when she sees the look that her son gives her. "It's apart of being a teenager, Izuku."
Izuku huffs out a breath and shakes his head, still in disbelief that his parents were ever adventurous in such a way. "Can't say I've ever gone exploring abandoned subways.."
Kyoka gives him a playful push with her shoulder, bumping him a bit. "Yet!"
Izuku looks over at her, and can't help but smile. "Yeah.. There's a first time for everything."
Hagakure sinks into her seat, "Now we just need to hope that we guessed right", not quite as enthusiastic about their theory as they are.
Izuku nods, getting serious again. He can agree with her that it's simply just that – a theory. They have no concrete evidence to go off of. Nonetheless… "It's worth a look, at least."
A lot of the looking that Izuku ends up doing comes from the aid of a flashlight. It's pitch black in the abandoned tunnels. Afterall, they are railways long since abandoned and unused since the pre-quirk era. But he's got to give the construction people credit where credit is due – nothing appears half as chipped or cracked as it should – and the system goes on and on and on and on and … on and on.
He stops periodically to take breaks. Despite his adamant protests to not go searching for a villain as Spider-Man with a backpack stocked full of snacks, he's glad that he gave in. Crawling around for hours, nonstop, can cause a wallcrawler to get some intense cravings. Izuku folds up the bottom of his mask to make for easy access to his mouth. Salt gets on his gloves but he doesn't care since he is delighted to devour a bag of chips.
This goes on for a while. He'll explore a tunnel that looks exactly like another tunnel, only sparingly seeing a new sight if it's a rat, and then he'll stop for a break when he's gotten over seeing the company of a critter. But then, he finds something that stands out. It's an actual station. A stop. There's an opening groove where train passengers would wait.
Spider-Man steps into the wider space. There's a row of stairs that are blocked off by some sort of sealant. Inoperable turnstiles cut the room in half. Otherwise, nothing appears TOO out of the ordinary for an abandoned subway station. Nothing that would lead him to believe that it has been crafted into a science lab – or a living space, at the very least. Spider-Man sighs before hopping back up to the ceiling and, again, resuming his continuous crawl.
His mind wanders back to the sinking of I-Island. The FIRST sinking. Not for the sake of nostalgia, but because of how reminiscent this feels in a way. Again, he's finding himself facing David Shield with Melissa caught in the middle. There's the uncertainty of what's going on with Shinso. And, call him grim or negative to think in such a way, but he fears for the life of All Might since all of his previous 'father figures' died when things had started to look up.
With Toshinori tossed into the mix – his guardianship over Melissa and his history with David being the key connecting factors – Izuku can't help but worry. Part of him believes that he should turn around and head for the HPSC Headquarters. But, this is the same man that fought the likes of All For One and survived. Plus, the HPSC itself is a secured facility with tight enforcement .. even if it had been compromised by villains before. He knows his time is better put to use actively searching for Melissa.
Spider-Man stops crawling when a noise brings him out of his thoughts. It was a soft tittering type of sound. Not the kind you'd hear from a rodent though. It was more … mechanical.
Spider-Sense!
Spider-Man jumps away just in time to avoid getting walloped by a large metal limb. Attached at the end of the silver stretched appendage are three more robotic tentacles and a man in a lab coat. David Shield – or, better known as Doctor Octopus – grimaces when light gets shone on his face.
"Well, what'd ya know, you take the subway too!" Spider-Man stifles a shocked gasp. He shouldn't be TOO surprised. He DID come down here to find the guy, afterall. But still, to do so like this is…
He doesn't get to finish that thought. He's too busy dodging another outstretched robotic arm. Which, within confined quarters such as this, proves much more difficult to do than usual. And Doc Ock knows that. With this advantage in his favor, the villain advances. "I'm not sure what you're doing down here, arachnid…" A metal arm slams into Spider-Man's side. "But you will regret it!"
Spider-Man hits a wall. But instead of sliding off, he sticks and stays. He also hangs onto the arm that pinned him there. The brief tug-o-war match between him and the arm's owner comes with a shared couple of grunts. "You thought you'd take your daughter and I WOULDN'T come after you?"
"You think that I– ?", Doctor Octopus oddly hesitates for a moment – that's all Spider-Man needs – the vigilante yanks on the robot arm in his possession before darting forwards. "Wait, you imbecile!" More limbs rise up to block the incoming attack but the collision sends the villain to the floor anyways.
"Wait? Wait for what?", Spider-Man bats an arm away before grabbing David Shield by the lab coat.
"For me to explain!", the scientist struggles under the vigilante's hold. Spider-Man swats the other mechanical limbs aside and doesn't let up. He doesn't quit until he hears, "I'm not the one who has Melissa!"
Spider-Man pauses midway through the motion of a punch, his hand formed into a fist and his arm cocked back. "...What?"
"Her abductor was not me", David Shield stops fighting as well – surprisingly. "They wished to use her as leverage against me, perhaps.."
Spider-Man remains slightly skeptical though. His eyes narrow as he fixes the man with a stare of suspicion. "Who?"
With the flashlight shining on his face like this is an interrogation, the villain glares back. But he doesn't protest any more about giving an answer aside from that look, "A former scientist I had worked with–"
"You sure know how to pick your partners in crime, Doc" Spider-Man can't hide his amusement, what with Shield's past associates being Doctor Doom & Tombstone. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson.
"Silence!", but there's something in the mix of the man's anger … something that gives Spider-Man pause and makes him reconsider circumstances. "I'm down here doing the same as you are.. Searching for my daughter."
"You..", Spider-Man loosens his hold on the scientist's lab coat, "You really do still care for her?"
David Shield straightens his posture, pushing Spider-Man back. "Of course I do!"
Somehow, Izuku believes the bad guy isn't so bad afterall. There had been a time where David Shield worked with All Might. And if there is a way to appeal to the man's senses again, it'd HAVE to be through his daughter. "Fine", Spider-Man holds out a hand, "Temporary truce while we team up to find her?"
Doc Ock warily eyes the held out hand. "You wish to form an alliance with me?", he holds still before bursting out into an immense release of laughter. Spider-Man patiently waits for Doc Ock to become recomposed. Once the laughing subsides, as if it had never happened at all, the man is back to being strictly serious. He takes the hand and says, "Okay."
Tubes thicker than those that belong to IV feeds plug & connect to the unconscious body of Melissa Gwendoline Shield. Different DNA variations filter through the funneling system. One part, Himiko Toga – to create a binding component that can match different strand structures through her quirk's unique mimicry and assimilation design. Second part, Jin Bubaigawara – to add a cloning composition that will allow adjustment and reassembly to her physical form. Third part, Spider-Man – to configure the segment and allow for bonding when adding the final touches. Which leads to the last ingredient … the symbiote sample.
Jackal moves from one chemistry table to another, carefully maneuvering containers so that they don't become ill-mixed. What had been a coat of black in the symbiote has started to turn a shade of dark crimson, the blend pulsating between purple and red 'veins' – a side effect of the blood tissue that it has been leaching off of, perhaps. It hasn't lost its properties or coding though. This means it still has its functional use. The mad scientist prepares to combine the symbiote with his near perfect masterpiece.
The villain takes a syringe along with the symbiote sample. But, before either of them can be utilized, a web latches onto the needle. Jackal wildly turns around when the string yanks the syringe out of his hand.
Spider-Man, clinging to an arched entryway, reels in a web line with the needle attached at the end of it. "You don't look like a doctor to be carrying one of these around", the vigilante confiscates the potentially deadly pointed tool.
Mechanical arms jut out from the same tunnel entrance, entering from below Spider-Man. They belong to Doctor Octopus, who comes flying into the subway station with the vengefulness of an angry father. Jackal can hardly fend off the incoming assault, becoming battered against his workstation.
Spider-Man follows suit, jumping down to join the fight. "Now THERE'S a doctor!" He does so by kicking Jackal away. Sure, he and Doc Ock are teaming up and Jackal is a creep – but he can't allow one villain to murder another villain, regardless of any of that.
Ock takes the intervention well enough, opting to move from the battle to his daughter. "Melissa..", he pauses while giving the unconscious girl a worry stricken look.
But Jackal sees this and seizes it as an opportunity to strike past Spider-Man. "Doc!", the vigilante tries warning his temporary partner before they collide into eachother but it proves to be a shout that comes much too late.
Two mad scientists tussle with eachother. Jackal growls when becoming tangled in his enemy's metallic tendrils. He cries out, "Neither of you know what you are doing!"
Spider-Man watches while the bad guy – well, the worst of the two bad guys? – gets restrained. "Same could be said about you and your freakish science experiments", he figures this is the better of two evils since this one is responsible for all those bio-engineered Nomu creatures as well.
Jackal ignores the vigilante. "Shield, you of all researchers should know what I am trying to do here!"
And he's right to do so. When Doctor Octopus looks around, he sees the 'science' of the study. One mad genius to another – he DOES get it. Especially when he sees the symbiote from his own previous research.
Spider-Man notices the hesitation from Shield. "Doc.. Don't.. You can't seriously be considering–"
Spider-Man jumps back, dodging a sudden swipe from the man's mechanical arms. "Silence!" He expects another attack to follow but Doc Ock pauses. "I'm thinking.."
Spider-Man waits with bated breath. He's not sure he trusts himself to say anything that would help his situation. Which leaves Jackal the opportunity to speak instead, "Just think of what this will accomplish."
Spider-Man barely has the chance to react after his Spider-Sense triggers. Doctor Octopus whacks him down from the ceiling with a swift strike of mechanized movement.
Jackal grins, "Wise decision."
Until… Doc Ock swats the fellow scientist aside as well. "I'm not choosing you over the arachnid", the villains oppose one another yet again, "I'm choosing my daughter."
Jackal makes a mad grab for the drawer to one of his many study desks. "No.. My research is MINE!", he then produces a handheld remote.
Spider-Man groggily gets up from his earlier taken hit. His Spider-Sense warns him of what's next. The vigilante looks up and deduces what the remote is for, "He's gonna–"
Controlled detonations take out the support structures of the old subway station. It's a failsafe.
"It's coming down!", Spider-Man hurriedly struggles to reach Melissa before she can be crushed by falling debris.
Just as it seems like all hope is lost – the roof is quite literally coming down on him – four metal arms serve as wedges to stop the collapsing ceiling. Doc Ock holds the place up, keeping it from crumbling around them too much further.
Spider-Man sees Jackal crawling away, trying to escape. He spins a series of webs to trap the villain there with them. Then, he turns to his 'partner'. "Doc–"
"Get my daughter and leave!", Doctor Octopus surprises Spider-Man with the intense urgency that comes from that shout – the desperation – it reminds him of his own when he had been put in a similar situation such as this.
That being the case, he can't abandon somebody the way Doc Ock had abandoned him back then. "But–"
"GO! NOW!" But he hears it. He HEARS it. He can SEE it reflected through the lenses of his mask's eyes and Doc Ock's goggles. Their eyes – their real eyes – meet. And he understands.
David Shield's destiny hadn't been to become a villain. Sure, he may have done plenty of things wrong. Who doesn't make mistakes? But he's a father first and foremost. Even before being a scientist or inventor extraordinaire. In his final moments, he may as well go out being as heroic as All Might.
Call it irony. Call it whatever you like. The underground lair breaking down with them still inside and only one left to hold it up until the other can make it out, all while their loved ones are at stake, comes full circle.
Spider-Man picks up Melissa. As he carefully undoes the wiring & cording that is connected to her, he notices the pigmentation to her skin is a reddish hue. She has a set of fangs now that makes her blonde haired complexion reminiscent to that of Himiko Toga. Part of him wishes it were a cruel trick done by Chameleon. He knows the truth though. Jackal was able to do something to her – incomplete or not.
This doesn't feel like a win to him as he carries her towards the exit. A lot of his adventures hardly ever do feel like a victory… As he goes, he passes the station that housed Jackal's symbiote sample. The sludge is missing. He can only hope that's because an explosion destroyed it.
Spider-Man gives Doctor Octopus – David Shield – one last glance. A final parting look. "I'll tell her what you did for us", and he does his best to give the man some peace of mind since there's no other way to save anyone here.
With that, Spider-Man leaves the subway station so that it can collapse & crumble with two mad scientists buried inside.
AUTHOR NOTES
Shoutout to CapoPerk and Guest for the awesome comments / reviews! I sometimes need those reminders of encouragement!
We're going to be starting the next story arc now: Symbiote Surge!
-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood author