"Fitz, these symbiotes are incredible. They can fuse with inorganic matter and expand their own volume dramatically," Simmons said, looking at a venomous cross-section under a microscope. "It's the first time I've seen a living organism that can exist at both a molecular state and as a coherent entity. They are simply amazing."
"And meanwhile, I have absolutely no clue," Fitz, a professional recruited by Coulson, encountered a problem he couldn't solve for the first time. "These alien organisms have almost no special radiation signals or energy signatures that we can detect. They can hide perfectly. I haven't found a way to detect them yet. If I had a complete symbiote, I might be able to make some progress..."
Meanwhile, Skye was searching for traces of the "Whip Lash" online. She wasn't foolish enough to watch every security camera in New York, and besides, the target might not have even gone to New York. So she chose the same method as Peter: searching for keywords related to supernatural deaths and crimes to see if they were connected to the so-called Whiplash.
Bored, she ordered a pizza—the standard American work lunch.
Then?
Then everyone heard Skye's scream. Ward was the first to rush out, pistol in hand, ready for a potential enemy, but he quickly realized it was just Skye's outburst. The mixed-race girl was so frightened that she was on the floor, gasping for breath, pointing at her computer. Realizing what had happened, Ward immediately went to the computer, saw the bodies on the screen, and rewound the footage. He watched as a bald white man stood up in a fast-food restaurant, bit off an MRD agent's head, and started a killing spree.
Coulson walked over with his gun raised, but seeing there was no danger, he lowered it. "Did you find the target?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. And Skye was scared."
"That person... he just bit off someone's head!" Still on the floor, Skye ran her hand through her messy hair and stood up, defending herself. "Anyone would be scared seeing something like that, okay?"
Coulson gave a comforting nod and then instructed Ward, "Inform Spider-Man and Silk. The Whiplash symbiote they're looking for has appeared. Skye, can you continue to track Whiplash's movements?"
"I... I'll try. I hope there won't be any other similar incidents."
At the Web Base, Harry, who was helping Peter, was surprised when the system received an unknown message. He asked curiously, "Um, where did this message come from?"
"It's from S.H.I.E.L.D., Harry. I'm helping them track a symbiote, just like Venom."
Soon, the bloody security footage appeared on the screen. Peter frowned, not showing much discomfort, but Harry was silent for a long time before letting out a shocked, "Oh my God!"
"That's... that's Mr. Adrian!"
"Adrian Toomes? Liz's father? Are you sure, Harry?"
"The footage is too blurry, I can't be sure..."
Harry tried to deny it, but after a moment, he reluctantly admitted the truth. "No, there's no doubt. That's Mr. Adrian. How could he do something like this..."
"Calm down. It's possible he's just being controlled by the symbiote. The Mr. Adrian you know wouldn't do this, right?"
Peter said this while quickly moving towards the location where Whiplash was heading. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team had provided Adrian's route from yesterday. Luckily or unluckily, he had indeed gone to Washington yesterday.
If they counted from the moment he boarded the plane yesterday, Whiplash had been with Adrian for no more than 48 hours. As long as it was under 48 hours, the fusion of the symbiote and the host wouldn't create a Codex, which was what Knull was after. In other words, as long as they could rescue the Vulture in time, there wouldn't be any risk—the risk of being targeted by Knull in the future, that is. As for rescuing Adrian from Whiplash, that was a given.
So, where was Whiplash at this moment?
It had arrived at Adrian's lab and, instinctively, used its palm print to open the security door. Whiplash couldn't help but frown. It had been bonded with the old man for too long, over 24 hours. Not only was Adrian being influenced by Whiplash, but Whiplash was also being influenced by Adrian.
Luckily, as a superior symbiote, it knew how to guide the host's inner desires to better match its own.
Tearing down the warehouse door that contained the modified gravity generator (the wings), Whiplash used the whips on its back to grab the wings and pull them to its front. Soon, the symbiote fused with the wings on its back. Dark green wings spread out, looking like real wings, with every feather clearly visible.
For a moment, Adrian's suppressed memories rushed into its mind, making Whiplash falter. It was its first time being bonded for such a long period, and the influence was greater than it had expected. It seemed it needed to satisfy the old man's desires a bit before it could continue.
Whiplash let out a strange laugh and then shot upwards, crashing through the ceiling and taking flight. It didn't dare to fly too fast, as it was worried the sonic boom from breaking the sound barrier would harm it.
Upon receiving the news, Peter landed on the A.I.M. lab, which now had a huge hole in its roof. He had no idea that A.I.M. was the new company Adrian had applied to, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had also mentioned that the American Avengers' robot, Citizen V, was their product.
But that was no longer important.
"Whiplash has left. Can you track where he went?"
"I'm... I'm verifying the situation..."
Harry was clearly in a panic. Peter quickly tried to calm him down and offered a clue. "Calm down, Harry. Symbiotes amplify a person's emotions. Can you think of anyone Adrian might have disliked or hated?"
Disliked or hated?
Harry's mind went blank.
"I... I got bored and looked into it a bit... My dad stole his previous patent and took his project... this..."
Peter cut off the communication for two seconds, defeated.
"Oh my God, Norman, I don't know how many times I've said this. Why is it always you?"