The Amazing Spider-Man 3

Chapter 36

"Hello again. Welcome back!" Pepper Potts said, approaching us. "Mr. Stark is waiting upstairs." We followed her into the elevator.

Our ascend was smooth and peaceful. It was actually a little awkward; none of us said a word. The doors slid open, revealing a long hallway. Pepper stepped out of the elevator, and Gwen and I followed. The doors slid closed behind us.

"Right this way." Pepper motioned to the right with her hand, and we headed down the hallway. Then, she stopped in front of a door marked 918. It was cracked open, so she pushed it forward with a creak.

The room was a classic meeting room, with a long glass table surrounded by fifteen or twenty chairs. Large windows overlooked the city. Tony Stark sat at the far end of the table, reclining in his chair, arms crossed.

Pepper made a grunt, as if she was clearing her throat. Tony looked at us with lazy eyes. He sighed, sitting up straight, dropping his feet, which were propped up on another chair, to the ground.

"You can come in," he said sarcastically, although we were already standing by the table. "Sit down." He yawned out his words.

I gave a half smile and pulled out a chair for Gwen. She sat down, and I sat beside her. Pepper chose a seat beside Tony.

"So you wanted to talk, huh? I heard you two were smart. Especially you." Tony looked at Gwen thoughtlessly. She blushed.

"Yes," I said. "We just had a few more questions." Tony forced a smile and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from saying something rude. He was never happy to see us, not at all.

"I'm listening," he said.

Gwen began asking more questions. Tony answered most of them. Then, we had five minutes left.

"...but that is actually at my house," he finished answering Gwen's last question.

"Anything else?" He asked. He was smiling again, but, this time, I was pretty sure it was a real smile.

"Yes. I have a question," I said, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out the small jar, setting it on the table with a clink. "Do you know what this is?"

Tony's eyes widened. He reached for the glass, and I handed it to him. He analyzed it, and, with a gasp, he spoke.

"Where did you get this?"

"A crime scene. You know that guy Spider-Man fought the other day? With the weird head...?" Gwen said.

"Umm..." Tony thought for a minute. "Yes, I do. I remember. He called himself 'Mysterio.' Did he have some?"

"Yes," I said. I looked at Pepper. There was a look of fear plastered into her eyes. "What is it?"

"It's the Venom Symbiote," Tony explained. "It requires a living host in order to survive. It has special abilities, providing them to its host when it is bonded, such as shape-shifting and enhanced strength. Also, if its host has special abilities, like one of the Avengers, for example, then the Symbiote obtains the abilites for future hosts.

"I haven't seen one of these in person before...I've only heard of it. Thor probably knows more about it...it's from one of the other realms." Gwen and I exchanged alarmed glances. Also, if its host has special abilities, like one of the Avengers, for example, then the Symbiote obtains the abilites for future hosts. The Symbiote could do anything that I could, plus some things, if anyone had access to it. Except shoot webs, of course, since I had webshooters.

"Do you have any more of this? Did you see any more? It has to be destroyed before it gets into enemy hands." I looked at Tony. I had a Spider-Man suit that was soaked in it. I decided I would destroy it when I returned home.

"No," I lied.

"That's good. Maybe, then, this is all. Do you think Spider-Man got any of it?" I gritted my teeth. Gwen gulped.

"It's possible. Maybe by accident."

"If he is a host..." Tony shook his head, burying it into his hands. "I've said too much. But, it can take over your body if you aren't careful. Turn you evil. And, if you're a host too long, it can bond to you permanently." Paranoia shot through me like chills. I scratched at my arms, feeling as if it was creeping through my skin. I glanced at the time. Our appointment was over. Tony and Pepper were too shocked to notice. Besides, this was more important than a schedule. "I wonder how Mysterio was able to..."

My spider senses were triggered, and my head jerked to the right. The windows crashed, showering glass everywhere. I heard Pepper scream. I leaped from my seat, grabbing Gwen and rolling to the side. I heard Tony shout. My back slammed to the floor, Gwen on top of me. She stared into my eyes for a moment with appreciation, but then she turned as she heard another noise.

A dark figure loomed over us. It resembled my black Spider-Man suit, except the head was bigger, and long white teeth were bared. The creature had claws coming from its fingers and toes, and it licked its lips with a long pink tongue. My Spider-Man symbol, only bigger, shone on its chest, a bright white.

"It looks like Spider-Man got some. And, someone else got it from him," Tony muttered from the other side of the room. He was sitting up, after falling down. Pepper was huddled in a corner.