"What If…?" #134

"What If Spider-Man Killed Venom": Part 2 of 3


"The Battle"
By Bryant Kotyk


High above the streets of New York city, Spider-Man sits on the side of Four Freedoms Plaza. He picks up the tracking device tied around his neck with a cable. The tracking device is rectangular, with a small screen that shows directional arrows. Spider-Man raises his arm and points northward. "He’s that way."

"How does that thing work, anyway?" Asks the Human Torch, who is hovering in front of him.

"When you were holding the symbiote for me*, Reed says he found something. There’s something about the symbiote. Like a frequency. Reed made a note of it, and set the tracker here to it." Spider-Man explains.

[* AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #257]

"But isn’t there a chance that it might pick up Carnage’s ‘frequency’ by mistake?" asks the Torch.

"Every symbiote had it’s own ‘frequency’, based on Reed’s theory. If it’s wrong, which I doubt, then we just follow the second ‘frequency’ on the tracker."

"Well, we’re just wasting our time sitting here, Pete." Says the Torch, who extinguishes the flames around his head to reveal the face of Johnny Storm. "So let’s go!"

In her spacious 34th Street apartment, Anne Weying sits at her desk writing. ‘Hmm, "Brown vs. Quayle.’ Yes, that should provide suitable precedent for--."

Anne sighs and stands up. She walks toward the television and sits down on the couch.

‘I need a break. I’ve been writing all day. I’ll just watch a little TV and get back on it…’ Anne thinks to herself.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this news flash." A loud voice comes from the TV as a flashy picture that says "NEWS BREAK" takes over the screen. "We have just gotten word that the criminal known as ‘Venom’ and the vigilante Spider-Man were locked in battle in the middle of the Winterfest Parade. The battle moved into Macy’s and back into the parade, where Venom knocked Spider-Man unconscious and took off. Moments later, Venom attacked and kidnapped Richard and Mary Parker, the parents of Daily Bugle photographer Peter Parker in Soho. More as it develops.

"Oh my god!" Cries out Anne. "Eddie--?"

Anne leaps off of the couch and goes to the closet for her jacket. The television has gone back to "Ace Ventura".

‘I-I have to do something! I have to help them! But why would Eddie hurt innocent people? Has he changed so much that--?’

The television again fills the room with the loud voice and the flashy picture returns to the screen. "Just moments ago, Spider-Man and the Human Torch were spotted over the streets of New York. The two are most likely searching for Venom, who kidnapped Richard and Mary Parker earlier today. Richard and Mary Parker are the parents of Peter Parker, a photographer for the Daily Bugle. The connection between Venom and Parker, if any, is still unknown. More as it develops."

Anne drops her coat on the floor and walks slowly back towards the couch. ‘Spider-Man and the Human Torch will be able to take care of Eddie. They can save those Parker people. After all, they’re heroes."

In a dark corner of the employee’s building at the "Thrill World" amusement park, Eddie Brock sits on an old couch that used to be in the center of the room. He has the couch up against a boarded up window with a few cracks he can see out of.

Richard and Mary Parker are webbed up to the floor on the other side of the room.

"Richard…Brock says he’s going to kill Spider-Man…" Mary whispers.

"Yes…?"

"Well, then why is he just sitting there? Wouldn’t he be out looking for him?" Mary asks.

Venom leaps up off the couch and lands in front of them. "We can’t afford to leave you alone. You’ll just try and escape. And Spider-Man… He’ll come to us."

"How would he know where we are? No one does! If you just sit here waiting, we’ll be here for years!" Cries Richard. "Me and my wife just regained our freedom. And for what!? To be taken prisoner by you!"

Venom fires a strand of webbing that covers Richard’s mouth.

"You don’t seem to understand why we took you. We’ve explained this to you more times than we can count! We took you to keep you away from that web-slinging monster. To protect you! And this is the thanks we get. But don’t worry, we’re still going to protect you. We will until the bitter end…"

Spider-Man and the Human Torch stand atop a building across the street from the "Thrill World" amusement park.

"He’s here. In the park. That’s where he’s got them." Spider-Man tells the Torch.

"Then let’s bust in there and get them!" The Torch suggests.

"It’s not that simple. He’s got my parents in there. If I attack, he might…do something. He hates me. He’d do anything to hurt me. He’s killed innocents to hurt me before. If I attack, he might…"

"Then don’t attack." Says Johnny. "I’ll attack. You sneak in and get your folks to safety and join in the fight after that!"

"I should’ve thought of that. It’s a plan. Hmm, he’s in the employee’s building over there."

Without a word, Johnny Storm flames on and soars toward the employee’s building. Spider-Man leaps across the street and crawls toward the back of the building.

Inside the building, Venom is crouched on the floor watching the Parker’s. There is a knock at the door. Venom lifts the couch and places it in front of the Parker’s, blocking them from view. The alien changes shape so it looks like regular street clothes.

Brock opens the door and a blast of fire hits him dead-on.

"Eeaaarrghhh!!"

The alien covers Brock and Venom leaps toward the Human Torch. "We will feast on your innards!" Cries Venom.

Behind the building, Spider-Man is standing with his hand on the back of his head. "Sounds like Torch is giving Venom a good fight. Oh nuts, there’s no back door!" Spidey notices.

Inside the building, Richard and Mary Parker listen carefully to the sounds of the nearby battle. Suddenly, a fist comes through the wall behind them. Two gloved hands grab on to the wall through the hole and tear a large opening.

Spider-Man looks down on the helpless Parkers from the opening. Spidey grabs onto the webbing holding them to the floor and pulls with all his strength. It tears, and he grabs the Parker’s and starts to run out of the park.

Meanwhile, the Torch and Venom are locked in battle. "Why did you attack us?" Venom asks. "You kidnapped the Parker’s!" The Torch looks at the exit and sees Spider-Man carrying his parents across the street to safety. "And now they’re safe. You should’ve paid more attention!"

"What!?" Cries Venom as he leaps throught the doorway of the employee’s building. He lifts the couch up over his head and sees that the Parker’s are gone. "NO!"

Spider-Man is leaping from ride to ride, making his way back to the employee’s building. He jumps down at the building with all his weight put into it, and crashes through the ceiling. His fist hits Venom’s jaw with a thunderous "crack!"

"Finally!" Says Venom. "We will finally get the chance to put you out of your misery, you monster!"

Outside, the Torch is about to go in after Venom, when something captures his attention. An old Pontiac drives into the grounds and stops right under the Torch. The driver’s side door opens and a relatively young man comes out with a notepad. ‘A reporter. Does he have a death wish or something?’ Torch thinks to himself.

"Get out of here!" The Torch yells at him as he flies into the building.

Torch gets in the building to see Venom holding a broken Spider-Man over his head, about to break his back. "No!" Cries out the Torch as he surrounds Venom in a ring of flames.

Venom drops Spider-Man on the floor and looks at the Torch. "Stay out of this!" Venom cries. Venom catches the part of the wall Spider-Man tore off with webbing and pulls it towards himself. Venom hold the wall in two hands and swings it at the Torch.

The front wall of the employee’s building crashes down as the Torch flies out and hits the old Pontiac, lighting the back end of it ablaze.

"Now it’s just you and me, Spidey old pal…" Venom says as he picks up Spider-Man by the neck. "It’s about time we ended this…"


To Be Concluded!

Since there isn’t a letters page where I can respond to your questions and comments on the story, you can e-mail me at bkotyk@yahoo.com, and I’ll reply to your messages.

-Bryant Kotyk