My lungs burn like someone's poured molten lava down my throat. Sweat streams down my face in rivers, soaking through my already drenched t-shirt as my feet pound against the concrete path winding through campus. The November night air should feel refreshing, but it just makes the sweat on my skin feel like ice water.
"Fuck cardio," I wheeze, stumbling to a halt and doubling over, hands on my knees. "Fuck running. Fuck fitness. Fuck everything."
It's nearly 11 PM, and the campus paths are mercifully empty except for the occasional security guard making rounds. Most students are either studying, partying, or sleeping, all of which sound infinitely more appealing than this self-imposed torture session.
But I can still hear Ellie's voice in my head, the symbiote's clinical assessment. "If you worked on your cardio, you'd be able to push yourself farther without literally dying when you teleport."
Great advice from the alien parasite.
I straighten up, wincing as my side cramps in protest, and check my fitness app. Thirty-two minutes of running, just over two miles. Pathetic. My high school gym teacher would be having an aneurysm right now.
"Just one more lap," I mutter, forcing myself to start jogging again. "One more and I can go back to my sad, empty dorm room and collapse."
I'm only a few steps into my pitiful jog when a distinctive thwip sound cuts through the night air. Something white and sticky lands on the lamppost beside me with a wet splat. Before I can even process what's happening, a red and blue blur swings down from above, gracefully landing just a few feet away.
"Out for a midnight run?" Spider-Woman asks, her masked head tilting curiously. "You know it's not exactly the safest time for guys to be jogging alone on campus, right?"
My heart nearly explodes, partly from the surprise, partly from my pathetic cardio session, and partly because I'm face-to-face with Spider-Woman again.
"I… Uh.. I'm just trying to get in better shape," I stammer, suddenly hyper-aware of how disgusting I must look with sweat pouring down my face. "Cardio and all that."
She steps closer, her mask's expressive eyes somehow conveying concern. "Noble goal, but maybe stick to daylight hours? Or the campus gym? We've had reports of assaults in this area."
"Are the assaults happening on campus?" I ask, trying to sound casual despite my ragged breathing. My lungs still feel like they're on fire, but talking to Spider-Woman has a way of making me forget physical pain.
She shakes her head, the white eyes of her mask narrowing slightly. "Not directly on campus, but close by. The last three happened just beyond the university boundaries."
I wave my hand dismissively, trying to project more confidence than I feel. "I'm honestly not worried. I can handle myself."
Spider-Woman crosses her arms over her chest, her stance shifting to something more authoritative. "Really? No offense, but you look like you're about to collapse from a light jog. What exactly would you do if someone tried to jump you right now?"
"I'd call for my local hero to come and save me, of course," I say with a grin, gesturing toward her with exaggerated jazz hands. "Maybe she'll swing in dramatically at the last second. I hear she's pretty good at that."
Spider-Woman stares at me for a long moment, her mask's white eyes narrowing even further. The silence stretches between us until I start to fidget uncomfortably.
"Hey," she finally says, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The other night I saw someone on the rooftops wearing a ski mask. Someone who could teleport." She takes a step closer, her posture suddenly tense. "That was you, wasn't it?"
My stomach drops like I've just teleported off a skyscraper. Sweat that has nothing to do with my run breaks out across my forehead.
"What? Me? Teleporting?" I force a laugh that sounds pathetically fake even to my own ears. "That's... that's crazy talk. I can barely run two miles without dying."
Spider-Woman steps closer, her head tilting in that distinctive way that somehow conveys skepticism despite the mask covering her entire face.
"I'm not going to out you," she says, her voice softening. "Look, that night on the roof... you told me you wanted to be a hero. Now I find you out here pushing yourself through cardio training at 11 PM." She gestures at my sweaty, exhausted state. "I just want to know if you're serious about this."
There's no point denying it anymore. She knows.
"Yeah," I admit, straightening up despite my protesting muscles. "I am serious. I want to be like you. I want to help people."
The white eyes of her mask widen slightly, and she lets out a small sigh that sounds almost... resigned.
"You should know that I make a lot of sacrifices to do what I do," she says, her voice taking on a gravity I haven't heard from her before. "It's not easy, Shane. My personal life is a constant wreck. I miss classes, I lose jobs, I stand up friends and family. People I care about get hurt because of what I do."
"Oh wow, you're really trying to scare me off, huh?" I say with a dramatic sigh, placing my hand over my heart. "The world's greatest future superhero stands before you, eager to join the forces of good, and you're hitting me with the whole 'it's a tough job' speech? Really inspiring stuff."
"This isn't a joke, Shane. People die in this line of work."
"I almost died teleporting across a couple of rooftops," I counter, wiping sweat from my brow. "Trust me, I'm well aware of the risks."
Spider-Woman seems like she's about to lecture me further when suddenly, a massive black form crashes into her from behind, sending her flying across the campus path. The impact is so violent it knocks me backward onto the ground.
"What the fuck?" I gasp, scrambling to my feet as my heart rate skyrockets.
Venom stands where Spider-Woman was just a second ago, her massive form rippling with barely contained rage. Those blank white eyes fix on me for a split second before turning back to Spider-Woman, who's already flipping to her feet.
"Stay away from him!" Venom roars, her voice a horrifying blend of Ellie's familiar tone and something ancient and alien.
I freeze in place, suddenly remembering a crucial fact from the comics, Spider-Woman can't sense Venom coming. The symbiote doesn't trigger her spider-sense. That's why she was completely blindsided by the attack.
Spider-Woman crouches in a defensive stance, her head tilting in confusion. "Venom? What are you…"
She doesn't finish her sentence as Venom launches forward with frightening speed, claws extended and jaws wide open. The two collide in a blur of red, blue, and midnight black. Venom's massive hands wrap around Spider-Woman's throat, slamming her into the ground hard enough to crack the concrete.
"Don't fucking talk to him!" Venom snarls, her elongated jaw inches from Spider-Woman's face. "He's mine!"
My mouth falls open at her possessive claim. Did she just call me hers?
Spider-Woman kicks upward with both feet, catching Venom in the chest and sending her flying backward. She fires two web lines, yanking herself to her feet in one fluid motion.
Spider-Woman flips through the air, landing in a crouch behind Venom. "What's wrong, Venom? Jealous I got to him first?" she quips, dodging a massive black tendril that whips toward her face. "Or just mad your dating profile isn't getting any matches?"
Venom roars, the sound vibrating through my chest like a bass drum. "He's mine! Not yours!" She lunges again, those massive arms swinging wildly as Spider-Woman dances around her attacks.
"Weird, I don't see your name on him," Spider-Woman retorts, firing web after web at Venom's limbs, trying to immobilize her. "Though I'm pretty sure that's not how people work anyway."
I watch in horror as they trade blows, my heart hammering against my ribs. Spider-Woman is quick, but Venom's raw power is overwhelming. For every hit Spider-Woman lands, Venom connects with two more powerful strikes. Despite her quips and acrobatics, Spider-Woman is clearly struggling.
"Damn it," I mutter, my legs carrying me forward before my brain can catch up with what I'm doing. "Stop it! Stop fucking fighting!"
They break apart momentarily, both turning toward me with identical expressions of alarm visible even through their masks.
"Stay back!" they shout in unison, which would be comical if the situation wasn't so dire.
"She's not safe, Shane," Spider-Woman calls out, her voice strained from exertion. "Get out of here!"
Venom uses the distraction to lunge at Spider-Woman again, catching her in a crushing bear hug. "Too slow, little spider," she hisses triumphantly.
I step closer, my hands raised in a placating gesture. "Venom, if you don't stop fighting her right now, I'll…"
"You'll what, Steele?" she snarls, not even looking at me as she and Spider-Woman grapple, their forms twisting in a deadly dance. "Yell at me some more? I'm not afraid of you."
My fists clench at my sides, frustration and fear bubbling up inside me. "I'll teleport myself even further than last time," I threaten, my voice steady despite my racing heart.
Venom's blank white eyes flick toward me momentarily, her massive jaws twisting into what might be a scornful smile. "Yeah, right. You're not dumb enough to kill yourself."
"That's where you're wrong, Ellie," I say, my voice steady despite the fear racing through my veins. "I most certainly am."
I take a deep breath, focusing on a spot at the far end of the quad, easily three hundred feet away. The familiar tingle of power builds beneath my skin, electricity crackling through my nerves as I gather every ounce of energy I can muster.
"This is going to fucking suck," I mutter, wincing as I release the pent-up energy all at once.
The world warps around me, stretching, compressing, tearing apart and reassembling. The sensation is a thousand times more violent than before, like being ripped atom from atom and haphazardly put back together.
When reality snaps back into focus, I'm exactly where I aimed, but my body immediately rebels. Hot, copper-tasting blood erupts from my mouth in a violent spray. I collapse to my knees, then fall forward onto all fours as more blood pours from my nose, dripping onto the concrete in thick, dark splashes.
My heart stutters in my chest, beating with a terrifying irregularity that makes breathing nearly impossible. Each desperate gasp brings less oxygen than the last. Something warm and wet trickles from the corners of my eyes, tears mixed with blood.
Through the haze of agony, I hear a feral roar of rage and fear. The ground trembles beneath massive footsteps racing toward me. Strong arms scoop me up, cradling me against a chest that vibrates with fury.
"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?" Venom screams, her massive form sprinting away from Spider-Woman, who's frantically swinging after us. The symbiote pulses around me, tendrils reaching out to touch my face, my chest, my bleeding eyes.
I can't answer. Can't form words. Every ounce of concentration goes into dragging precious oxygen into my failing lungs. My vision tunnels, darkness creeping in from the edges as Venom leaps over a campus wall, her powerful legs carrying us both far away from the fight.
"He needs a hospital!" I hear Spider-Woman shout from somewhere behind us, her voice growing fainter as Venom puts more distance between us as she keeps taking turns seemingly at random.
"We can help him!" Venom snarls back. "You'll only slow us down!"
The world spins sickeningly around me as Venom's powerful strides jostle my broken body. Each heartbeat feels wrong, too fast, then terrifyingly slow, like my cardiac muscles are forgetting how to function. I can't focus on anything beyond the copper taste flooding my mouth and the warm wetness spreading down my chin.
"Stay with me," Venom growls, her voice sounding impossibly distant despite her face being inches from mine. The symbiote ripples across her body in agitated waves, tendrils reaching out to touch my face with surprising gentleness.
I try to respond, but only manage a wet gurgle as more blood bubbles up my throat. My eyelids grow heavier with each passing second, like they're being pulled down by invisible weights.
"No, no, no," Venom hisses, her massive form picking up speed. "Don't you dare die on me, Steele. Not after such a stupid fucking stunt."
My vision narrows to pinpricks of light surrounded by encroaching darkness. Venom's face wavers in and out of focus, those blank white eyes somehow conveying panic despite their featureless appearance.
The last thing I register is the symbiote spreading across my chest, tendrils slithering beneath my blood-soaked shirt, searching for my failing heart.
Then consciousness slips, and everything goes black.