Chapter 38: Sinister Six - Part 6

A hulking black figure charged through the night streets of Midtown.

Its body pulsed and rippled erratically.

Extending its tendrils, leaping forward, ignoring the terrain entirely to take the shortest route.

『Hey, Eddie! That damn Goblin’s beating us to it!』

Venom’s voice echoed inside me.

“Not much I can do—he can fly.”

『Then learn how to fly, damn it!』

“Easier said than done…”

It was a few months ago that I, Eddie Brock, met Venom.

We crossed paths at a Life Foundation research facility.

The Foundation had long been surrounded by dark rumors.

Illegal human experimentation... That’s what people whispered.

Back then, I was a journalist working for the Daily Globe. To land a scoop, I snuck into the Foundation’s lab.

And what I found there really was human experimentation.

But it was far worse than anything I could’ve imagined.

They had ragged-looking people—probably homeless folks or immigrants—locked in cages and exposing them to some disgusting black liquid.

I found out later... that liquid was a parasitic lifeform called a Symbiote.

I tried to escape.

But bad timing… That’s when S.H.I.E.L.D. raided the facility.

In the end, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were driven off, but they did manage to seize one Symbiote.

And in the chaos, they destroyed the containment chamber that held the original Symbiote.

That original was... Venom.

So, Venom and I had to work together to escape the Foundation.

Fortunately, our biomatrix compatibility—whatever that is—was apparently excellent, so we broke out with way more power than expected.

Since then, Venom and I have been living in symbiosis.

Symbiotes feed primarily on adrenaline... and phenethylamine.

Phenethylamine is found in brains—or chocolate.

We usually substitute with chocolate, but sometimes… he eats human brains.

When that happens, we head into the city, find a criminal, and feast.

But Venom wanted to eat brains more often, so he came up with an idea: vigilantism.

We patrol the streets, find bad guys, and slaughter them.

Then once they’re dead… well, can’t be helped—he eats their brains.

It’s a twisted moral compass, sure, but it’s efficient.

He calls himself—and me—a Lethal Protector.

Claiming he’s awakened to justice!

…A bit self-serving, sure, but honestly, I was fine with it.

But there’s always an exception.

And for Venom, that exception is—

『Spider-Man’s mine to kill! I ain’t lettin’ anyone else have him!』

Spider-Man.

Apparently, Venom came from space and first bonded with Spider-Man when he got to Earth.

Symbiotes amplify the power and psyche of their hosts.

There’s no malice in that.

They’re just trying to help their hosts—pure biological instinct.

But for Spider-Man, it was too much. He couldn’t handle it… and abandoned Venom at a church.

As a result, Venom was captured by the Life Foundation and turned into a test subject.

That’s why he hates him.

Hearing all that made me feel kinda sorry for the guy, and… well, I figured I could help him out a little.

That’s how I got roped into this so-called Sinister Six cosplay gang.

…New Goblin and Spider-Man crashed into an abandoned building while locked in a grapple.

We arrived shortly after, stepping into the same ruined lot.

I formed small tendrils from my arms, shaped like spikes, and used them to scale the wall.

『Lemme kill him right now—』

“Sorry to disappoint, but killing’s my specialty.”

Click—a metallic scrape echoed through the air.

Turning toward the sound, I saw a man in a skull-emblazoned outfit dangling from the wall by a wire.

In his hands—

『Huh?』

A rocket launcher.

I’d only ever seen one once, while reporting in a war zone.

It’s an anti-tank weapon.

…Definitely not something you fire at people.

Venom hadn’t noticed it yet—the danger that weapon posed.

The warhead launched.

…Shit!

This wasn’t someone else’s problem anymore.

I tried to shield myself with a tendril—just as it hit.

An explosion roared.

Unreal levels of heat energy.

And the blast.

All of it—lethal to a Symbiote.

Layered tendrils were incinerated on impact.

I crashed into the abandoned building, barely conscious, with flames licking my body.

『H-Hey! Eddie—this is bad!』

“Hot! It’s so hot!”

Venom tried to talk, stumbling over his own words, the blast hitting our weak point dead-on.

The heat pierced Venom and scorched my clothes underneath.

The man on the wire dropped into the same floor of the building.

“You’re tougher than I thought… But don’t worry. I’ll finish you off soon enough.”

I squared off with the fully armed man in the skull suit.

『You cocky bastard! I’ll make you regret that!』

“Come at me, vermin.”

『We’re not vermin! We’re—』

I—we—dug our feet in hard enough to crack the ground and launched ourselves at the man in front of us.

『VENOM!』

“Oh yeah? Well I’m… the Punisher.”

The Punisher leveled his weapon.

---

An explosion echoed from the upper floor.

Most likely the sound of the Punisher engaging in battle.

Sitting before me—Jessica Jones—is a girl in a red mask.

“Nice to meet you… Should I call you Redcap?”

She sat perched casually on some rubble.

…I’d been briefed by Matt beforehand.

A battle-hardened assassin.

Possessing both superhuman powers and deadly skill.

And—she’s a teenage girl targeting Spider-Man.

That last part, I’ve intentionally kept from Peter.

He’s still just a kid.

If he knew the enemy was a girl, a teen like him, even subconsciously—he might hold back.

But this opponent isn’t someone you can afford to go easy on.

Let your guard down, and she’ll kill you without hesitation.

That’s what Matt and the Punisher both said.

…I’d heard the rumors too. But now that I’m face to face with her, I get it.

There’s something eerie about her. You can’t read her. Can’t tell what she’s thinking.

『…Yeah, that’s right. And you’re… Jessica Jones, huh?』

“Well… not like I need you to remember it.”

Surprised she knew my name, I slowly closed the distance.

『…I’d rather avoid combat outside the mission.』

“You might not have a reason—but I do.”

Another step closer.

“You’re one of Fisk’s, aren’t you?”

『Technically speaking, no… but yeah, close enough.』

Redcap stood up.

“Let me ask you something… Ever heard the name Purple Man, a.k.a. Kilgrave?”

I inhaled sharply.

…The Purple Man.

Real name: Zebediah Kilgrave.

A scumbag with mind-control pheromones—one of the worst people alive.

He’s the reason I quit being a hero… and the one I can never forgive.

I’ve been hunting him ever since.

『Purple Man… Kilgrave, huh… Nah. Doesn’t ring a bell.』

…Liar.

That pause—he definitely knows something.

A sudden glimmer of hope, a lead on my nemesis—I felt my heart race.

The urge to beat the truth out of her flared up.

I took another step forward. Then another.

“Be honest with me, and I’ll leave you half alive.”

『…Can’t be helped, then.』

Redcap drew a knife.

It was pitch black—didn’t reflect a trace of light.

『We’re short on time. Let’s make this quick.』

“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time once you’re locked up.”

I kicked off the ground.

Combining flight and my leaping ability, I shot forward like a bullet.

---

I dodged a bat-shaped shuriken—one of the Razor Bats.

They weren’t being thrown this time. New Goblin was wielding them like knives in his hands.

I sensed the attack with my enhanced Spider-Sense and evaded it at the shortest possible range, creating distance as I moved.

“Harry! You’re being manipulated!”

…To be honest, I’ve never liked Harry.

He showed up out of nowhere and started getting all buddy-buddy with the girl I liked… Of course I couldn’t stand him.

“What manipulation?! You killed my father!”

I dodged another strike.

I didn’t strike back.

I didn’t want to hurt him more than necessary.

…Harry’s a friend of Michelle’s.

I don’t want to do anything that would make her cry.

“That was Mysterio’s lie! He calls himself a sorcerer, but he’s just a con artist!”

“And what proof do you have of that?!”

“It wasn’t me who killed your father—it was Redcap! She pretended to be your ally and stabbed him in the back!”

“Shut up! Don’t confuse me any more than you already have!”

One of the Razor Bats grazed me, slicing open my suit.

Blood began to seep out.

“You stubborn idiot!”

I steeled myself—and kicked Harry—New Goblin—in the gut.

I had to snap him out of it.

Either knock him out or restrain him—one or the other.

Like his father, the Green Goblin, he’d enhanced his body with a serum.

And just like the strength, his mind and reasoning had been twisted.

…but maybe not as badly as his father. He’d taken a smaller dose, it seemed.

He hadn’t killed anyone indiscriminately.

He was directing all his rage only at me—because he truly believed I was his father’s murderer.

There was still time.

This could still be fixed.

Before it’s too late… I have to restrain him here!

I fired a web from my right hand, sticking it to Goblin’s arm.

Then yanked it, reeling him in.

“Gh—!”

Our fists passed each other’s cheeks.

A piece of Goblin’s mask cracked off at the side.

Close range.

Goblin stomped forward, trying to crush my foot.

I stepped back, dodging, and pulled the web again.

Goblin lost his balance.

“You—!”

I tried to slam a punch into Goblin’s gut with my left hand—but he blocked it.

I reared my head back…

…and delivered a headbutt.

“Guh!”

“Ugh!”

Goblin’s helmet was tougher than I expected. It cracked, but the impact shook me too.

But it was a blow I chose to land.

I was ready for the recoil—I could endure it.

But what about Goblin?

He hadn’t seen it coming. He was stunned—caught off guard.

That difference was huge.

I was the first to move.

I severed the web still attached to my right hand—and kicked Goblin square in the stomach while his guard was down.

He was blasted backward and slammed into a wall with exposed concrete.

The head-on headbutt—followed by the back of his head striking the concrete.

Cracks split across his mask—front and back.

The mask shattered.

Revealing Goblin’s—Harry’s—bare face.

Our breathing was ragged.

In moments of extreme tension, human fatigue multiplies.

Even just a few minutes of fighting drains your stamina like crazy.

I steadied my breath and sprinted toward Harry.

Harry raised a Razor Bat to counter.

“You killed my father!”

“I told you—you’re wrong!”

I dodged and punched him in the face.

His handsome features twisted in pain.

“You’re just trying to cover up your grief by turning it into anger!”

“Shut up!”

Harry’s punch landed on me.

“If you keep this up, your friends are going to be the ones hurting!”

“I don’t have any friends! I’m alone!”

My kick struck Harry again.

“That’s not true! You still have people you care about!”

“Shut up!”

Harry’s swinging hand struck me across the face.

“Try to remember!”

“I’m the son of Norman Osborn! I have to avenge him!”

“No! You’re Harry! You don’t have to forget Norman—but you can’t let him control you!”

“I am—!”

Harry’s kick landed on me.

“Are you really okay with not being able to face the girl you like!? Harry!?”

“I—I… I don’t deserve that…!”

I remembered what Harry whispered to me back in the hospital.

‘I don’t deserve to protect her… Right now, I’m trusting you.’

…What the hell was that?

That low self-worth—it reminded me of the girl I liked.

That same insecurity… It made me furious.

“You don’t need permission to love someone! You can still make it right! You don’t have to follow the same path as Norman!”

Harry’s attacks… stopped.

“My blood… my father’s blood runs through me. Do you know how many people he killed? 147! That’s unforgivable…! I even hurt a friend of the girl I liked! How am I supposed to make up for that!?”

Harry looked like he was about to cry.

He lowered his head.

“...All of that is your father’s doing… No, the fault lies with the Green Goblin—driven mad by that drug. It’s not your fault.”

“The world doesn’t see it that way! I don’t, either!”

“Even so… I don’t blame you. And neither does Michelle.”

The moment I said her name, he looked up.

“...Why?”

…I took off my mask.

“…Peter?”

“That’s right. It’s me.”

I knew I had to face him directly. No mask. No lies.

“…Why?”

“Because, just like you… I gained power. And now, here we are.”

Yeah.

No one knows what to do when superpowers are suddenly thrust upon them.

I messed up, too.

But I had people to guide me.

Uncle Ben… and Aunt May.

But Harry… he didn’t have anyone.

He was alone.

And that loneliness—Mysterio exploited it.

I remembered Uncle Ben’s words:

“With great power… comes great responsibility.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s something my uncle used to say. He’s… gone now.”

Thinking of my uncle, I stepped closer to Harry.

“What matters is what you do with that power. I get that you feel guilty. But… if you’re going to hold power that strong… then you have to use it for good.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Even if you inherited your strength from the Green Goblin… there’s no rule saying you can’t use it for good. That’s just in your head. Don’t let it control you. You still have a chance. You haven’t killed anyone.”

“Peter…”

I pulled my mask back on.

“I’m your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. A hero. And you can be one too.”

Harry nodded.

“…Sorry, Peter. I guess I lost it for a bit.”

“It’s okay. Understandable, really… But I’m Spider-Man right now, so uh, maybe don’t use my name out loud.”

As I hurriedly corrected him, Harry let out a soft laugh.

“Then why’d you take your mask off…?”

“W-Well… you were a little out of it, so I figured a shock might help bring you back.”

“…That all?”

“And… I wanted to look you in the eye. To have a real conversation.”

“I see…”

He nodded, seemingly satisfied.

The madness in his eyes was gone now.

“…So we’re clear—I didn’t kill Norman, right?”

“Of course not. You’re Michelle’s friend. You’d never do something like that.”

“…Haha.”

Michelle again, huh…?

I couldn’t help but let out a weird laugh at how often he kept bringing her up.

Trying to reset the mood, I spoke up.

“Let’s go, Harry.”

“…Where?”

“To where Mysterio and Redcap are. We’re heroes now, right? Gotta catch the bad guys. But—just so we’re clear—no killing.”

He chuckled at my last note.

“Got it. I won’t kill anyone.”

“Good. Then let’s move. My team should already be fighting.”

I offered Harry a shoulder to lean on, and we stood together, side by side.

…See?

Anyone can start over.

As I thought that, it felt like I was pushing back against something Redcap had once told me.