Die Free or Live!

Mercury Team — A Special Forces unit that has been augmented with symbiotes — has until sunrise to liberate the town of Doverton, Colorado from the control of Carnage. Otherwise, the US government will annihilate the town. Their first stop is the Ralsby Meat Packing Plant where they find the Spider-Doppelganger feasting on cattle carcases. Marcus Simms sends in his symbiotically enhanced dog Lasher inside first and it chases the doppelganger away.

They let it go because they know the wounded creature will return to Cletus Kasady. Marcus orders everyone to be mobile in five minutes. Meanwhile, Scorn has spent her time in the slaughterhouse’s tool shed. When asked what she is doing, she tells James Murphy, aka Agony, that she is window shopping.

At the Last Chance Church in downtown, Cletus Kasady holds a mock ceremony. After cracking up during his sermon, he tells his flock that he wants payment for keeping them safe. He then forces them all, through their bond with the Carnage symbiote, to start pulling out their teeth. He forces Captain America to watch this horrific display as the Star-Spangled Avenger is also enslaved by the symbiote. Carnage tells Captain America that he won’t beat him like last time, as hatred rules Doverton.[1]

While at the Ralsby Family Estate, Spider-Man is woken up because Eric Morrell has spotted his wife Hannah, and two children outside the perimeter and insists on going out to them. When the others try to stop him, he pulls a gun on them and leaves in his truck. He is so desperate to see his wife and kids he rams the front gate to get to them. However, when he reaches them, Hannah explains that Carnage promised to let her and her children go if she killed him. She then transforms into her symbiote form and attacks him. Luckily, Spider-Man arrives, but he is stopped by Cole and his infant sister, leaving the web-slinger stymied on how to deal with two kids that are symbiotes. Surprisingly, Eric is willing to sacrifice his own life to save his wife and children and tells his wife to kill him. Unfortunately, Hannah loses her nerve and flees with her children. In the aftermath of this encounter, Spider-Man promises Eric that he’ll save his family.

By this time, Mercury Team has arrived outside the church in the middle of the deserted town. When one of the locals comes running out of the church, she tells them to leave. When they don’t comply, this woman turns into a symbiote form. Suddenly, Rico Axelson’s symbiote controlled gun goes off and strikes the townie in the chest. The alien creature acted on its own because the symbiotes hate each other. The civilian is still alive, as the Carnage symbiote makes them bulletproof. This comes as good news James Murphy, aka Riot. When the rest of the locals come pouring out of the church in their Carnage forms, he begins opening fire on his symbiotically enhanced railgun.

Inside the church, Hannah Morrell has returned with her children and begs Cletus for mercy. Carnage decides to kill Hannah’s kids and tries to force Captain America to do it. However, Steve Rogers manages to break free from the Carnage symbiote by sheer force of will. While he is free he calls in an order requesting a spike drop. Carnage subdues Captain America again and demands to know who he called. All Cap will tell him is that his order is a secret.

At an undisclosed location, Flash Thompson gets the order to deploy to Doverton. As he transforms into Agent Venom he looks forward to taking a crack at Carnage and vows that he’s going to take him down.[2]

Recurring Characters

Carnage, Spider-Man, Scorn, Mercury Team (Marcus Simms, Lasher, Riot, Agony, Phage), Captain America, Spider-Doppelganger, Agent Venom, Eric Morrell, Hannah Morrell, Cole Morrell

Continuity Notes

1. Carnage mentions how “last time” Captain America and his allies defeated him with the “power of love”. This is a reference to the Maximum Carnage event. Carnage’s crew was defeated when the assembled heroes built a device that amplified and flooded their foes with positive emotions. See Spider-Man Unlimited #1-2, Web of Spider-Man #101-103, Amazing Spider-Man #378-380, Spider-Man #35-37, and Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203.