Watching the muscular symbiote burst out of the building and leap straight through the wall, Shazam barely had time to register what was happening before the creature began its frantic escape through the city. The Xenophage was immediately on its heels, tearing after it with predatory determination, while Shazam and Spider-Man followed in pursuit, effectively turning the streets into a three-way chase.
"Oh, no you don't!" Spider-Man quipped, his voice carrying a mixture of amusement and determination beneath the urgency. He shot a web toward the side of the building and yanked himself forward, using the tension in the webline to propel himself through the enormous hole left behind by the two creatures.
Shazam had briefly slowed his flight to match Spider-Man's current pace, allowing the wall-crawling hero to catch up, but it was clear that the reprieve wouldn't last.
"It's best for you to pick up the pace, bug boy," Shazam remarked almost casually, glancing sideways at him with an amused smirk before suddenly accelerating. His body shot forward through the air like a missile, rapidly widening the distance between them as his supernatural speed left Spider-Man struggling to keep him within sight.
"Oh, it's on, Sparkie," Spider-Man muttered, narrowing his eyes behind his mask as he watched Shazam disappear farther ahead.
Rather than dwell on the obvious difference in their speed, he immediately began scanning the environment around him for anything he could use. Buildings, streetlights, traffic signs, construction equipment—anything that could give him a boost was fair game. If he couldn't match Shazam's speed naturally, he'd just have to find a more creative way to cheat the distance.
Meanwhile, Venom continued tearing through the city with the Xenophage relentlessly pursuing him. For symbiotes, there were few creatures more terrifying than a Xenophage. They were predators specifically adapted to hunt their kind, creatures whose reputation among symbiotes was built around one particular talent; finding them, chasing them down, and devouring them.
To Venom, the thing behind him was practically his species' equivalent of a walking nightmare.
Shazam, flying high above the streets, continued pursuing the two creatures while his eyes swept across the city below. He wasn't simply interested in catching them anymore; he needed somewhere suitable to contain the fight. A secluded location would allow them to deal with the creatures without putting civilians directly in the crossfire.
His expression became more focused as he searched the sprawling city for somewhere large enough to accommodate the fight. After all, prioritizing public safety was superhero 101.
"If only I had actual help instead of bug boy over there," Shazam grumbled, glancing back just in time to see Spider-Man swinging between the buildings in an attempt to keep up. It would certainly have been easier if he could concentrate entirely on the monster doing the chasing rather than worrying about the symbiote getting away.
Venom was fleeing like a bat straight out of hell—or, more accurately, like a drug dealer whose meth lab had just been busted by federal agents, somehow managing to slip through the perimeter while said agents remained hot on his ass.
Unfortunately, going after the Xenophage directly would give Venom exactly what he wanted: an opportunity to escape. Shazam wasn't about to let that happen. As much as the creature chasing the symbiote concerned him, he wanted Venom captured, along with whoever was currently bonded to it, so they could get some answers. Before he could settle on a plan, however, a voice suddenly crackled through his comms.
Shazam reached down toward his wrist and retrieved the small earpiece attached to his gear, placing it comfortably against his ear as he continued flying. "Hey, kid. What's your position?" Tony's voice came through, accompanied by the faint mechanical hum of his armor. Judging by the sound, Iron Man appeared to be flying somewhere nearby.
"Heading past the stadium," Shazam replied, his eyes still fixed on the fleeing creatures below.
'Wait. A stadium.'
The thought immediately clicked into place as Shazam spotted the empty football stadium ahead. His expression brightened slightly as he looked down at the sprawling structure.
The open field, surrounding stands, and lack of civilians made it almost perfect. If they could force the creatures inside, it would give them plenty of room to fight while drastically reducing the chances of innocent people getting caught in the middle.
"Is this line connected to the general channel linking the whole team?" Shazam asked Iron Man, his tone suddenly more purposeful.
"...Yeah," Tony replied after a brief hesitation. There was a noticeable pause in his voice, as though he was already wondering exactly what the kid had in mind.
"What's the situation?" Captain America's voice came through the comms, steady and authoritative despite the chaos unfolding around them.
"You know, overhead high-speed chase involving nightmarish monsters. Just another Tuesday," Shazam replied with a casual shrug, as though chasing alien predators through a city was just another item on his weekly hero schedule.
"Captain Marvel, focus." Black Widow's voice came through the channel, firm enough to wipe wipe away the humor. She sounded completely unimpressed by his attempt at humor.
"Yeah, right." Shazam cleared his throat before looking ahead again. "Everyone, help bug-boy in the red and blue spandex lead and contain the creepy monster with the tails. The one that looks like a six-tailed Jinchuriki."
There was a brief silence over the comms.
"A what?" Ironman finally asked, voicing the exact question that seemed to have formed simultaneously in everyone's mind.
"There are two?" Bruce asked, his voice carrying a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Still in his Banner form, he looked toward the others inside the jet. "I thought it was a militarized armed group pursuing a monster through the city."
"There are two of them," Shazam clarified, his gaze shifting between the two creatures ahead.
"Just go after the one with the multiple tails. Leave the other to me." His expression became noticeably more stern as he continued watching the Xenophage tear after Venom as he bolted across rooftops.
"I suggest Hulk, Thor, Cap, and Tony take this one. It's quite vicious and possibly too much for a normal human to handle. As for the other, it appears to be the same breed as the red one I took care of the other day."
"Don't engage the other one looking like black goo even if you happen to cross it," Shazam added, his voice becoming noticeably more serious. "It's possible it can infect humans or jump from one body to another. We don't know enough about it yet, so don't take unnecessary risks."
The warning immediately caught Bruce's attention. His brow furrowed as he slightly leaned forward in thought, seeming to have latched onto something far more interesting than the sheer absurdity of the situation. "From what you've said so far, it appears to display properties similar to a parasite. Try to get a sample for me to examine later. Even a basic understanding of what we're dealing with could help us prepare for future encounters and possibly figure out their origin and weakness."
Shazam nodded despite knowing Bruce couldn't see him. "Good idea." He replied, momentarily keeping to himself how these gooey beings could possibly be related to Knull.
"Where's this bug hero you mention?" Captain America asked, glancing around the jet as though expecting the aforementioned hero to suddenly appear.
"He goes by Spider-Man, but bug hero works fine," Iron Man immediately corrected, his voice carrying the faint amusement that suggested he wasn't particularly bothered by .
"Probably choking on the dust left by my trail," Shazam answered, a smug grin briefly crossing his face as he glanced back toward the distant figure swinging between the buildings.
"Go on with the one ahead, as you've decided. We'll handle the other," Ironman said through the comms. The increasing roar of his repulsors made it obvious that he was already accelerating toward the chase, moving considerably faster than the Avengers' jet.
The rest of the team, with the exception of Thor, remained aboard the aircraft as it surged forward through the city, rapidly closing the distance.
"Just what is that thing?" Captain America asked, turning his attention toward Bruce. Of everyone aboard, the scientist was presumably the one most qualified to provide some sort of explanation for the bizarre creature tearing through the streets below, and chasing a somewhat of a sentient parasite.
"I don't know," Bruce admitted, watching the creature through the jet's window with a mixture of fascination and concern. There was no obvious answer yet, and the lack of information clearly bothered him. Before he could say anything else, the jet swept past Spider-Man and moved into position above the monster pursuing the fleeing symbiote.
Spider-Man looked up just in time to see the Avengers' jet roar overhead, the aircraft's imposing silhouette briefly blocking out the lights of the city above him. His eyes widened behind his mask as he caught sight of the familiar heroes moving into position, and despite the urgency of the chase, he couldn't help the admiration creeping into his voice.
"The Avengers. Cool," Spider-Man said, his gaze following the jet for a moment before he shook himself back to reality. He fired another webline and swung forward, his body arcing between the buildings as he tried to close the distance. "Pick up the pace. Gotta make a good impression."
With that, Spider-Man released the webline at the peak of his swing and launched himself forward, determined not to be left behind while the Avengers took over the chase.
"Please don't screw this up." He pleaded with himself as he went on.
Having sensed the sudden increase in numbers behind him, Venom immediately began changing tactics. His turns became quicker and more frequent, sending him through increasingly confusing routes as he weaved between tight steel fences, squeezed through narrow gaps between buildings, and used anything else in his surroundings that could give him an advantage.
The Xenophage pursuing him initially struggled to keep up, repeatedly crashing and slamming into walls, fences, and other infrastructure as it tried to follow the symbiote's erratic movements. After the first few impacts, however, the creature began adapting. Its movements became more controlled, and rather than crashing into every obstacle in its path, it began leaping and skittering along the walls with unsettling agility.
At other times, the Xenophage extended its long, spiky tail-like appendages, using them to catch itself and suppress the impact whenever it came down from a leap. The creature would absorb the momentum, briefly swing around the obstruction, and then use that stored momentum to propel itself forward again, steadily closing the distance between itself and Venom. Its movements were becoming frighteningly efficient, and Venom could feel the hunter gaining on them with every passing second.
Spotting the metal cover of a manhole embedded in the street ahead, Venom's eyes immediately narrowed beneath the shifting white markings of its face. The sewers. If they could get underground, the maze of tunnels beneath the city might finally give them enough cover to shake the Xenophage.
"Nah-ah. Already seen that trick before," Shazam muttered to himself from above, his eyes narrowing as he recognized Venom's intention.
The symbiote suddenly dove toward the street, its body appearing to liquefy as its limbs and torso stretched forward in an attempt to squeeze through the narrow opening. Venom was almost upon the manhole when a violent bolt of lightning suddenly descended from above and struck him directly.
The impact erupted across the street in a flash of blinding light. Venom's liquefied form immediately snapped back into solid matter as the symbiote was hurled sideways, tumbling violently across the manhole and skidding along the paved road before crashing hard into the side of a nearby building.
The sheer force of the impact left the symbiote momentarily stunned, its body twitching as it struggled to recover from the effects of lightning infused with raw, unadulterated divine power.
The Xenophage immediately seized the opening as its monstrous body lunged forward, several of its long, spiked, tentacle-like appendages extending toward the dazed symbiote with murderous intent. Venom barely had time to lift his head before Mjolnir came roaring through the air and slammed directly into the creature's face.
The blow sent the Xenophage tumbling chaotically down the street, its massive body bouncing and scraping against the pavement as it was carried several dozen feet away. Spider-Man immediately recognized the opening and began firing webs, intending to pin the creature down and give the others a chance to follow up with their own attacks.
It was almost beginning to resemble an unrehearsed Avengers tag-team combo, each hero naturally taking advantage of whatever opening the previous one created.
Before Spider-Man could complete his first webline, however, Thor dropped directly into the path of the tumbling creature.
The god of Thunder landed heavily, his boots digging into the pavement as he turned toward the approaching Xenophage. His expression was calm, almost amused, as he extended one hand. Mjolnir immediately responded to his call, tearing back through the air and snapping into his waiting palm.
In the same motion, Thor twisted his body and swung the hammer with tremendous force. Mjolnir connected with the Xenophage and launched the creature straight upward, sending it soaring high above the surrounding buildings. Thor immediately followed, launching himself into the air after it with a powerful leap.
For a brief moment, the two figures disappeared into the night sky before Thor caught up with the monster. He pulled his hammer back and delivered another devastating strike, this time sending the Xenophage flying toward the nearby stadium. The creature sailed over the stadium walls before crashing down onto the football field with enough force to leave a noticeable depression in the turf.
It skidded across the grass for several more feet, tearing up the carefully maintained field and leaving a long, ugly trail behind it. Anyone responsible for maintaining the stadium was going to be very displeased with this.
"Now, that's what I call a home run," Spider-Man quipped, staring at the distance with an impressed tilt of his head.
Before he could admire Thor's handiwork for much longer, Iron Man flew in with an horizontal position beside him, hovering effortlessly in the air as the repulsors in his suit kept him suspended.
"Leave the black one to Captain Marvel and help us take the other one down," Tony instructed before blasting off, his voice coming through the suit's speakers as Spider-Man's eyes widened slightly behind his mask.
'Oh my God. Here it is.' He excitedly thought to himself hastened his advancement in the direction of the Stadium.
This was it. His assessment. His scouting exercise. The Avengers were actually watching him now, and this could very well determine whether they considered him worthy of joining the team. He could practically feel the opportunity hanging in front of him, and the excitement in his voice was difficult to suppress.
"Okay," Spider-Man replied, trying his best to sound calm and professional despite the excitement bubbling inside him. Hearing Iron Man specifically ask him to work with the team felt like a tiny glimpse of hope toward his occasional dream of becoming an Avenger.
Having reached the Stadium, Ironman continued, "Try webbing it in place from a sturdy location and restrict its movements while the rest of us go in for an attack."
Spider-Man's posture immediately straightened.
A tactical assignment from Iron Man himself.
This was his chance to make an impression.
"Got it," he replied, already looking around for the perfect anchor point. His eyes quickly scanned the stadium, light poles, and surrounding structures. If the Avengers wanted him to hold the creature down, then he was going to make damn sure it stayed down.