Chapter 27: Venom
"What's going on?" Peter murmured to himself.
"Mr. Jameson, I need to take care of something real quick," Peter added, forcing a casual tone.
Jameson glanced at Peter and waved his hand dismissively. "Go. And while you're at it, think about why you wasted a once in a lifetime chance to interview Tony Stark."
"Peter, are you sure you're all right?" Ben asked worriedly. "You don't look so good."
"I'm fine," Peter replied.
After leaving the Daily Bugle, Peter slipped into a nearby alley and changed into the Spider-Man suit he always carried with him.
"What is this feeling?" Spider-Man muttered. "That strange pull. I've only been in this universe a few days. What could possibly be calling to me?"
The mystery gnawed at him. He knew he had to find the source of it. Whatever it was, it might be connected to his own universe.
That night, guided by the unseen pull, Spider-Man arrived at a small woodland area on the outskirts of New York.
He moved carefully through the trees. The moment he stepped into the woods, the strange attraction vanished.
"This place always reminds me of those horror movies Aunt May and I used to watch," Spider-Man muttered. "Right about now is when something supernatural jumps out."
He scanned every corner of the grove with meticulous care.
"Nothing," he whispered, puzzled. "Did I imagine it? The feeling was so strong just now."
At that moment, a mass of twisted black liquid flickered past behind him.
"Who's there?!"
Spider-Man spun around, but there was nothing.
He moved toward the tree behind him. He was certain something had flashed past his back.
Hidden in the shadows, the writhing black substance watched him intently. It sensed the presence of its own kind on Spider-Man.
What Spider-Man failed to notice was a faint smear of black, viscous matter clinging near his ear.
Back on the aircraft over the Arctic, when Agent Venom's symbiote had come into contact with Spider-Man, a trace of the symbiote had been left behind.
That fragment wasn't enough to fully cover Spider-Man, so it lay dormant, waiting for the right moment.
Today, that residue sensed the arrival of another of its kind in the woods outside New York.
The pull between symbiote and symbiote affected Spider-Man himself. He thought the sensation was his own, but in truth, he was feeling this universe's Venom calling out to the lingering fragment.
"Hey, spider sense," Spider-Man said, tapping the side of his head. "You working today?"
His spider sense allowed him to perceive danger in his surroundings. But here in the woods, it had been silent, making him wonder if something was wrong.
The instant he finished tapping his head, the spider sense exploded to life without warning.
"Spider sense, I wasn't asking you to—" Spider-Man cut himself off.
The sensation was stronger than ever before, so intense it felt like his head was about to split open.
Fighting through the ringing in his skull, Spider-Man lifted his head, trying to pinpoint where the danger was coming from.
He saw nothing.
Which meant the danger was everywhere.
He fired webs from both hands, anchoring them to the ground. Pulling them taut, he prepared to use their elasticity to launch himself out of the area.
In the shadows, Venom panicked when he realized Spider-Man was about to escape. The familiar presence on Spider-Man felt identical to his own. Venom knew that if he devoured it, he would grow stronger.
The moment Spider-Man released the webbing, Venom lunged.
"Venom?!" Spider Man recognized the writhing black mass as it slammed into him midair.
Moments after Spider-Man's departure, several rockets slammed into the spot where he had been standing.
Boom!
The explosions tore through the grove, blasting a massive crater into the ground.
On a nearby hilltop, Crossbones stood with a squad of heavily armed agents.
"Well?" Crossbones demanded, turning to the agent carrying the rocket launcher. "Did we hit him?"
"No," the agent replied grimly. "Spider-Man dodged it. We're reacquiring his position."
"Damn it," Crossbones snarled, slamming his fist into the tree beside him.
"How long until you find him?"
"Not long," the agent said confidently. "I'm sure he was caught in the blast radius. He couldn't have gone far."
"Good. We end this so called superhero tonight."
"Are we really capable of taking him down?" the agent asked, hesitating. "From what we saw earlier, he seems to have some kind of precognitive ability. Killing him won't be easy."
"No matter how strong he is, he's still just a man," Crossbones retorted coldly. "And the abilities he's shown aren't enough to stand against us. Anyone who stands in Hydra's way dies."
"Yes, sir. I'll do everything I can to bring him down."
"I don't expect you to kill him. You probably can't. All I need is a clean hit that slows him down. Someone else will handle the rest."
His gaze shifted to the man standing behind him.
The Winter Soldier, his metal arm catching the moonlight.
"Yes," the agent acknowledged.
Crossbones walked over to the Winter Soldier, stopping at his side.
As he looked at the powerful assassin before him, a trace of envy crept across Crossbones' face.
He also wanted to possess such power, but unfortunately he simply couldn't withstand the imperfect super soldier serum.
The Winter Soldier paid him no attention. He stared silently ahead like a robot.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Crossbones' phone suddenly vibrated.
"Crossbones," a mysterious voice spoke from the other end, "how is it going?"
"Spider-Man evaded the strike," Crossbones replied respectfully. "We're doing everything we can to locate him."
"How did that happen?" the voice asked sharply. "You had intelligence and still failed?"
"He appears to possess some form of precognition. It allows him to evade attacks in advance."
"So he really has that ability," the voice mused, then quickly regained its composure. "Still, it means nothing in front of the Winter Soldier."
"Agreed," Crossbones said. "Based on our analysis of Spider Man's previous fights, he's no match for the Winter Soldier."
"Crossbones," the voice continued, "Spider Man's appearance exceeds Doctor Zola's calculations. You must eliminate him. The world must follow the path Zola predicted. According to Zola's projections, tonight is the best opportunity. If you fail, Spider Man's continued existence will interfere with Project Insight."
"I'll take him out," Crossbones replied with confidence.
"This is your only chance," the voice warned. "Whether you succeed or fail, you withdraw afterward. Do not leave even a trace for Nick Fury to find."
"I won't leave Fury anything to follow," Crossbones assured him.
"Good."