"So, the last symbiote is named Riot?" Ward looked at Simmons and Fitz, who were conducting their experiments, and sighed in exasperation. "The last thing we need right now is a riot."
"Exactly. New York's defenses are at their weakest. We can't stop any possible supernatural enemies. All we have is Spider-Man."
After Coulson's statement, Skye immediately countered, "Doesn't New York have a bunch of other heroes? Like... the Defenders? Can't we contact them?"
"First, they have no formal connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. or any official agency. The only contact point we have is Jessica Jones's detective agency under a fake name," Coulson explained wearily. "Second, they aren't immune to symbiote possession. Also, it seems they don't use any weapons. Almost every member of the Defenders we know of fights with their fists."
Since they all used their fists, they wouldn't be able to deal with a symbiote. In contrast, Spider-Man was already protected by his own symbiote, making him more reliable and safer.
Ward glanced at the clock. It was 6:40 PM. At the end of October, it was already getting dark, and New York's nightlife was about to begin. But he felt something was wrong with his mental state—he was starting to see a hallucination of his mentor, Garrett, which was clearly not normal.
What's wrong with me?
"Perhaps you've just realized that in this era, the power you hold is no longer enough to protect yourself." "Garrett" stood beside Ward, whispering with a smile. He spoke to Ward in a low voice, "The thing I'm most proud of is teaching you the skills to protect yourself."
"But in this new era, your old skills are useless. So what are you going to do, Ward?"
I need to acquire the power to protect myself...
"Ward?! Agent Grant! What are you doing?!" Coulson's voice snapped Ward back to reality from his hallucination. Ward jolted awake and saw everyone in the team except Skye pointing their guns at him. He looked down at his own hand reaching for the three symbiote canisters behind the protective glass, and he was stunned, staring at his hand in disbelief.
What's happening to me?
"Are you okay, Ward?" Skye, who wasn't an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent yet, hid behind Melinda May and asked. Ward didn't know how to answer. He just looked at the clock.
6:42 PM.
He felt as if... something had merged with him. His past, his thoughts, everything about him was now shared with another being. He felt the other's longing—a longing for an all-powerful father, just like his own.
"I feel..."
"He feels great." The voice that came out of Ward's mouth wasn't his own, but a different one—a low and raspy voice that he'd never heard before. Then Ward felt his vision rapidly being taken away, and a new consciousness quickly replaced his. A dark gray biomass spread from under Ward's skin, forming a human-like creature that wasn't very tall, almost the same height as Ward's original body.
"We feel great... We are Riot!" Riot said, transforming his arm into a massive war hammer. He swung it and smashed the protective glass, then grabbed the three canisters. At that moment, Coulson activated the sonic emitters in the room.
The intense sound waves made everyone uncomfortable, and they instinctively covered their ears. Coulson, enduring the high-frequency noise, looked at Riot and said, "You were lurking in Ward, just waiting for this moment, waiting for S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrive so you could take all your companions. But it's a shame. None of you will escape."
"Oh, poor Coulson. We know every single one of you. I, Grant Ward, we are Riot together. Just like Spider-Man and poor Venom are only a complete Venom when they're together. You don't understand symbiotes. For example, even though almost every symbiote fears sound waves and fire, I..."
Riot smiled and extended his hand. His arm turned into a gray fluid, which pierced through the roof of the secure room, destroying all the sonic emitters inside. Flames instantly surged out, but Riot still smiled within the fire.
"I am not afraid."
He then turned his hand into a blade, sliced open the canisters containing the other three symbiotes, and threw them out. Phage and Agony quickly lunged and went after Simmons and Fitz, who were less agile than the others. The science team had no time to escape. The purple Agony attached itself to Simmons, and Fitz turned into a short, chubby Phage.
"Besides, the reason I stayed here is because where else can I find so many excellent hosts, each with a unique skill?"
Riot laughed. As the other two symbiotes slowly got up, Coulson immediately told everyone to take cover. He pressed the self-destruct button for the secure room and shot Lasher, who was pouncing on him, with a sonic gun. Poor Lasher was instantly turned into a puddle of goo and was scooped up by Agony.
Coulson quickly fled and called Spider-Man. Agony was about to give chase but was stopped by Riot. Riot looked at Agony smugly. "Why stop him? Besides Spider-Man, who else does he have to turn to for help?"
"He will bring Spider-Man right to us."
As Coulson walked, he told the people around him to evacuate. He then quickly connected to Fury's phone. "Director Fury, we've found Riot."
"Then why are you out of breath?"
Fury was looking at the situation with the symbiote dragon, which was showing signs of an increase in its molecular activity, a risk of it coming back to life. They were still about an hour away from the New York port.
"Riot possessed Grant Ward and was hiding in the secure room. Now half of my team is gone, sir."
"...There's a new development with the symbiote dragon. We can't spare any forces for you."
"I understand."
Helpless, Coulson called Spider-Man and explained the situation: Ward had become Riot, Simmons and Fitz were controlled, and only he, Skye, and May had escaped. Spider-Man had no other support; he was on his own.