Whether it was the original Shadow Spider-Man or Peter, now passively merged with him and absorbing everything, both struggled to believe what was happening.
Peter headed to the Daily Bugle, hoping to get some answers directly from Jonah.
But what he found was Jonah—dead—shot in his office!
And to make matters worse, he was caught on the scene holding a gun, just as a conveniently timed police officer walked in.
After narrowly escaping the cops, Peter broke into the police morgue and discovered some strange inconsistencies with the body.
Back in his little hideout filled with files from Ben Urich, he tried piecing together the clues—when another Peter suddenly merged with him.
Peter opened his eyes and blinked. The pounding pain in his head had completely vanished.
The fragments of memory were so thoroughly intertwined that he couldn't tell if he was Peter Parker the Shadow Spider-Man, or just a freshman high school kid from Queens.
Or maybe… both?
One thing he was sure of now: somewhere out there, in some version of reality, there were others like him.
Others who were bitten by spiders. Others who gained powers.
But compared to this version of Peter, codenamed Shadow, his own life had been far more fortunate.
Even if he'd never known his parents, he had someone—Aunt May—who loved him dearly.
"I can go back… right?"
He reached out mentally to the strange web floating in his mind.
Almost immediately, he confirmed it—he could go back.
All he had to do was sever that glowing strand connected to the light point, and his consciousness would return to his own world.
But now… he wasn't in a rush to leave.
He wanted to see more. More worlds. More Spider-Men. More stories.
Peter looked down at a few photos spread across the desk.
They were profiles of key members of the Goblin Gang:
[Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter – Profession: Beast Tamer – Nationality: Russia]
[Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, a.k.a. Wildman – Nationality: Unknown]
[Dmitri Smerdyakov, a.k.a. The Chameleon – Nationality: Russia – Half-brother to Kraven – Ability: Perfectly mimic any face or voice]
"The Goblin's inner circle all came from circuses or freak shows… no wonder they've got these weird powers."
The fusion with Shadow Spider-Man had drastically sharpened Peter's logic and deductive abilities.
"The Jonah that died—he was a fake. Which means the real Jonah must've been taken by the Goblin."
"But why go after Jonah?"
"Urich."
"Before he died, Urich was planning to expose the Goblin using Jonah's platform. But the Goblin found out. There must be a mole inside the Daily Bugle."
"They captured Jonah and had Chameleon pose as him. But then… someone shot the fake."
"Who pulled the trigger?"
"It had to be Felicia Hardy."
"She said she saw 'Jonah' shoot Urich. She grabbed the evidence and ran. They had a thing, so revenge tracks."
"Only… it was Chameleon, not the real Jonah. They didn't expect Felicia to act so fast. Result? The impostor's dead."
"But now she's in danger too. Just like Jonah was."
"And me. I'm a target too."
"I was Urich's closest partner before his death. I even got into a scuffle with the Goblin at Felicia's bar."
"They'll come to my house—"
"Aunt May!"
Peter bolted upright.
This Aunt May wasn't his Aunt May, but the memories he'd absorbed made her feel just as close.
The thought that she might be in danger because of him made his blood run cold.
—
Parker Residence.
Knock knock knock.
Aunt May stood in front of Peter's room, gently tapping the door.
"Peter? Are you home, sweetie?"
No response.
She hesitated, then opened the door.
She'd heard something in here a moment ago—wanted to check.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind brushed past.
The window was wide open.
She sighed in relief, muttering to herself, "This kid… how many times have I told him? If you're going out, close the window. Honestly."
She stepped forward toward it—
Thud!
A huge shadow pounced from behind.
Startled, May spun around. "Peter?"
"Nope. Toomes," the figure hissed.
The shadowy man tackled her to the floor. He wasn't anyone she recognized.
Dressed in a dark, ragged cloak, with a bald head, jagged teeth, and glowing, predatory eyes—he didn't look human at all.
Those eyes… they didn't see her as a person.
They saw food.
The Vulture leaned closer, sniffing her. "Tsk… just old bones. Your husband had more meat on him… much tastier…"
May's heart stopped.
What did he just say?
"More meat…?"
A horrifying thought crept into her mind.
Could it be that Ben… wasn't killed by stray dogs?
But by this thing in front of her?
"Let her go, Toomes!"
A new voice cut through the tension—a dark figure now standing in the doorway.
Toomes tightened his grip, turning to face him. "Sssspider-Man. You move fast, don't you? Real fast. But are you fast enough… to stop me from tearing her throat out?"
Peter froze for a second.
He was still just a kid.
But the part of him that was the Shadow Spider-Man took over.
Without thinking, he reached into his coat pocket and drew a revolver.
Aimed it right at the Vulture's head.
"I'm fast enough."
Bang!
The crack of the gun split the silence.
The revolver kicked back, the bullet slicing clean through Toomes' forehead. Peter's enhanced strength held steady.
The Vulture dropped like a rag doll.
In an instant, the creature's brain was scrambled into paste.
He hit the floor, dead.
—End of Chapter—
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