Peter had a lot of free time lately.
Several months had passed since that last gathering at Avengers Tower.
"That Stark guy — nothing but useless nonsense!"
Venom grumbled irritably inside Peter's head.
Ever since the Ultron Global Defense Initiative went live, those mass-produced white iron soldiers had been flying all over New York day and night, rounding up every criminal in sight and stuffing them into police precinct jails. At first they only targeted people actively committing crimes, but before long, even the gang members just loitering on street corners became Ultron's targets.
Word was, the NYPD lockups had been overflowing for a while now — cells meant to hold a few inmates were crammed with over a dozen people packed in so tight you couldn't even bend over to pick up a bar of soap in the shower. Now Stark Industries had reached out to Plymouth to build several new prisons across the boroughs. There were just too many criminals — they literally couldn't lock them all up fast enough.
None of this had anything to do with Peter.
But now, with not a single person in New York daring to do anything wrong, he and Venom had been forced into idleness.
Especially Venom. He was no goody-two-shoes — his head was filled with violence and bloodlust twenty-four seven. Back when there were plenty of criminals around, even though Peter wouldn't let him eat brains, he could at least go out and blow off steam, breaking some scumbag's nose with a couple of punches. That much had been allowed.
And Peter wasn't the same as before, either.
Bant had taught him not to go soft on criminals, and after being subtly influenced by Venom over time, Peter had started to consider whether he should get a little rougher with them now and then. Of course, between the two of them, their combined strength was nearly a hundred tons — so "getting rough" was really just a light tap. But his methods definitely looked a lot more violent than they used to.
Still, that was all in the past now.
Without criminals, Spider-Man had become something of a phantom presence. Sometimes he'd swing across the entire city only to find absolutely nothing, and he couldn't help but feel that particular melancholy of a fisherman who comes home empty-handed.
Peter knew, rationally, that a drop in the city's crime rate was a good thing. But if this kept up, maybe no one would need Spider-Man anymore.
That thought left a bitter taste in his heart.
He knew it was wrong to think like that, because Uncle Ben had always told him — doing good wasn't about fame or reward, it was about helping people. And if the day ever came when the world no longer needed superheroes, that would truly be a good thing.
But Peter still felt miserable.
If no one in a city ever littered again, that would be wonderful — but at the same time, you wouldn't need sanitation workers anymore either. The sanitation workers would lose their value, tossed aside and forgotten.
"We've been tossed aside too."
Venom chimed in immediately.
Normally, a symbiote wouldn't pry into its host's inner thoughts without permission, but Venom had never cared about that kind of stupid rule. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted — no taboos whatsoever. And now, sensing Peter's inner frustration, he immediately poured fuel on the fire.
"This city doesn't need us anymore. Soon enough, they — every last person in this city — will forget us. Forget there was ever a superhero called Spider-Man!"
"Come on, how is that possible?" Peter's irritation only grew.
He was still struggling with the idea that Spider-Man might no longer be needed, and now Venom was already telling him people were about to forget him entirely.
"Not possible?"
"Haven't you noticed? News about us online and in the papers has practically vanished. Even the Daily Bugle, which used to trash you every chance it got, has almost forgotten we exist."
Venom spoke with relish. "Think about it — how many of your classmates still bring up Spider-Man in casual conversation these days?"
Peter pressed his lips together and said nothing.
But he thought about it. It really did seem that way.
Lately, his classmates were all talking about Iron Man, Ultron... talking about how many times those steel armies flew over their rooftops at night, or whose dad had been arrested because he was in a gang...
"That's just how it is," Venom said. "Think about those old gadgets — they only got phased out recently, and kids today already don't recognize them."
"Even if they still remember, they'll forget eventually."
"This world's got more and more shiny new toys. Who's gonna remember two nobodies like us?"
Peter was already upset, and Venom's words only made it worse. He snapped back, "So what exactly do you want to do about it?"
"I just feel like you're getting a raw deal!"
Venom's mouth stretched into a grin, and all the mischief in his gut started bubbling up.
"You've put in the work for this city! You've bled for it!"
"And what do they do? The moment they don't need you anymore, they toss you aside! Let's go teach them a lesson!"
Peter wasn't so easily swayed. He sighed.
"I know you're trying to get me to do something bad again. Forget it."
Even the Peter of now — who was, at most, a little rougher around the edges than before — would never actually listen to Venom and go commit a crime. If he ever did something like that, forget Uncle Ben and Aunt May — Bant would be the first one to take him apart.
"It doesn't have to be something bad." Venom immediately shifted gears.
He was afraid of Bant too.
"I think we should stir up some big news, just so people don't forget about us," he said. "We're both losers. If New York really doesn't need Spider-Man anymore, then what?"
"Go back to being nobody Peter Parker?"
Venom knew Peter's heart inside and out.
He knew exactly what Peter feared most.
The kid had never been able to let go of the Spider-Man life. Not just because with great power came great responsibility, but because he was also using the Spider-Man identity to fulfill his own sense of purpose. When he was Spider-Man, he was the hero all of New York looked up to. Even in a world with other heroes, he still held his own place in the city's spotlight.
But when he was Peter Parker, his life was utterly unremarkable.
"If you're not Spider-Man, what value do you even have?" Venom pressed. "Are you really willing to go back to how things were before?"
"Maybe on account of Bant, nobody picks on you anymore — but nobody takes you seriously either."
"Peter, just admit it!" Venom's words kept coming, relentless. "The person in this world who needs Spider-Man the most isn't anyone else. It's you."
Peter fell silent.
Because deep down, he knew Venom was right.
He needed the Spider-Man identity more than anyone did.
Without it, Peter Parker was just... Peter Parker.
He thought about it — when Little Bant wasn't being Spider-Man, he could transform into so many alien forms. He was still the leader of the Plumbers, he could go on missions in outer space, and not even Iron Man could tell him what to do. He was also brilliant — he'd started a successful company, invented so many things...
Both Felicia and Mary Jane, two gorgeous girls, were into him. Unlike Peter — after all this time, Liz still wouldn't give him the time of day.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a failure. Sure, he was a failure as Spider-Man too, but at least back then he was still Spider-Man.
Peter's heart churned with turmoil and bitterness, but he still didn't agree to go cause trouble.
Instead, he shook his head and said, "There just aren't any criminals anymore. I can still put on the suit and swing through the city. Everyone can still see us. Nobody's going to forget Spider-Man ever existed."
Venom: ...
I have never met anyone as spineless as you!
Fuming, he raged:
"So what, you're just gonna put on a show for people high up in the air? Do some circus tricks for them to watch?"
"Don't you realize that makes you look like a clown?!"
Peter didn't argue. He just found a spot where no one could see him and changed straight into the Venom suit.
"Alright, Venom."
"Don't overthink it. The crime rate went down. That's a good thing."
He was comforting Venom, but even more, he was comforting himself.
"We both didn't agree with Mr. Stark's proposal back then, but Ultron's done a great job managing the city. Have you noticed that the new Manhattan doesn't even have Hell's Kitchen anymore?"
"That's because all those low-level thugs who hadn't committed any crimes yet got swept out like garbage by those robots."
Venom replied with a sour tone.
He was exasperated beyond words by Peter's weak-willed personality. He'd been bonded to the kid for almost a year now, and he'd barely managed to change him at all.
But then again, it made sense.
This universe's Venom was more like the one from Lethal Protector than the purely villainous Venom from the old Spider-Man films. His personality came straight from Deadpool's bloodline — you could call him an absolute bastard, but not truly evil. By all logic, he and Peter shouldn't have meshed well, but somehow, he'd also inherited that genetic-level affection for Spider-Man that Deadpool carried. Even when it tormented him, he couldn't bring himself to leave.
And now, here he was — obediently transforming into a suit draped over Peter's body.
He relented:
"Fine, fine!"
"You're such a useless wimp!"
"Alright, quit complaining, let's just go for a swing." Peter was already launching himself into the air as he spoke.
He didn't want to break routine. After bonding with Venom, he had noticed his temper getting a little shorter, but he was still out here doing good. And now Venom wanted him to go do bad things — there was no way he could accept that.
"I'm not trying to make you do bad things."
Venom immediately defended himself.
"I just want you to stir up some big news. That mustache-wearing Stark got us fired — we could at least grab one of his robots and tear it apart to blow off some steam, right? ...Look, there's a wild Ultron bot heading our way. Let's trap it with webbing, twist its robot head off, swallow all its parts in one gulp, then knot all its wiring together and spell out 'F**K' on the side of Stark Tower."
Venom wasn't referring to Avengers Tower — he meant the new buildings Stark Industries had recently constructed. All the Ultron robots were being churned out of those buildings, and it drove Venom absolutely insane.
"Enough! I can't afford to pay for that!"
Peter shot back, annoyed.
A single robot like that — even a mass-produced model — cost tens of millions of dollars to manufacture. Sure, Bant had money, but Peter didn't think of Bant's money as his own. Those were two completely different things.
He then turned his gaze toward the Ultron robots streaking in from the distance.
It wasn't just one — there were five of them, flying in a V-formation like migrating geese.
Peter grew curious.
"Deploying five Ultron bots at once... what's going on?"
The thing was, even though the Ultron units were mass-produced, their technology had gone through several iterations — they were actually extremely powerful. Five of them had enough firepower to wipe out a small country. And in New York right now, you could barely spot a criminal at all. Even people with prior convictions who'd already served their time didn't dare draw attention. Someone had just recently been arrested on suspicion of planning to commit a crime — he hadn't even done anything yet.
So Peter found it very strange that a situation would require five Ultron bots to mobilize at once.
"Could there be a new supervillain?"
Both his and Venom's eyes lit up at the same time.
"Hey!" Venom was ecstatic. "This is our chance!"
"If we take down the bad guy before the Ultron bots do, then there'll be nothing left for them to handle," Venom said.
That was exactly what Peter was thinking too.
"Let me see if I can get some info out of them." Peter's mind started working.
He'd heard from Bant that Ultron's intelligence was highly advanced, and since Stark created it, he figured — respect for the maker ought to count for something. Going up and exchanging a few words shouldn't be an issue.
But what happened next caught Peter completely off guard.
The Ultron robot leading the formation suddenly raised its arm at him. In the next instant, a shot fired!
Bang!
Peter's spider-sense didn't trigger.
Because Ultron had aimed at Peter's web-line.
Still, Peter was stunned by the sudden attack. He plummeted, but quickly adjusted his body midair, shot out another strand of webbing, and yanked himself back up to the roof of a nearby building.
An instant later, the five Ultron bots, jets blazing, hovered above him, staring down like gods passing judgment.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Venom exploded with rage, a head bursting out as he started spewing filth at the Ultron bots.
"Did Tony Stark write the code in your brains with actual shit?! You don't recognize your granddaddy Venom?!"
Peter was also frowning, suppressing his anger as he demanded, "What exactly are you doing? Why did you attack me?"
"Spider-Man."
"You have violated traffic safety regulations!" The lead robot assumed an aggressive stance, its glowing palm repulsor aimed straight at Peter.
"This is your first warning. If it happens again, you will be placed under arrest."
Now Peter's spider-sense kicked in.
This piece of scrap metal — it really would attack!
Damn it!
Have you lost your mind?!
Peter cursed inwardly, but still refused to back down. He shot back, "What traffic safety regulations?! I'm up in the sky!"
"One month ago, the new Traffic Act was passed. Spider-Man, the airspace above the city is a designated corridor for hover vehicles and Ultron patrol robots. It is not a place for law-breaking insects like you to crawl around."
Peter was instantly tongue-tied.
He'd genuinely forgotten about that.
After all, barely anyone even owned a hover car yet — who was paying attention to that stuff?
Still, he had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender. "Alright. I'm officially out of a job now. Goodbye. I never want to see you tin cans again."
But the Ultron robots didn't budge.
The five machines formed a circle around him, raising their arms in unison. Weapon-like attachments rose from their limbs.
Peter immediately went on high alert, dropping into a combat stance.
"What do you want now?"
"We are mandated to monitor the alien viral symbiote!" Ultron spoke coldly. "Surrender immediately, Venom!"
/-\
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