In the war-torn nation of Nrosvekistan in Eastern Europe, the citizens flee from gunfire. When the United Nation’s Mega-Class Mega-Troopers arrive in Starktech armor they assure the locals that they are now safe. However, they are soon decimated by enemy fire that easily punches through their armor. The lone survivor of the unit is confronted by the killer, the new Jack O’Lantern who has just murdered the people he promised to protect. After he kills the last of the UN envoy, Jack’s employer, the new Crime-Master, tells him to focus on recovering Doctor Ferid Ekmecic so he can share his secret of turning Antarctic Vibranium into bullets like the ones being used in this conflict. This is because the Crime-Master has recently bought a large supply and wants to weaponize the unique material because it can melt through any kind of metal.

As Jack O’Lantern searches the war-zone for sign of the doctor the United States deploys their own operatives, Agent Venom. As Flash Thompson arrives on the scene to recover the doctor as well. However, Venom stops to protect some of the locals who are under fire. Using the weapons hidden inside his alien symbiote, Agent Venom rescues a woman and her infant child, blasting away all of the enemy combatants in his way. He just so happens to run right into the path of the tank that Doctor Ekmecic is piloting. Evading one of the mortars, Flash gets the woman and her child to safety and then forces his way into the tank. However, as Agent Venom tries to extract Ferid he is ambushed by Jack O’Lantern who absconds with the scientist.

Struggling to get free from the “ghost” he’s restrained in, Agent Venom uses the symbiote’s tendrils to try and blast his fleeing foe with the tank, but misses. With his adrenaline going up, his handles at Project Rebirth remind Flash that he needs to stay calm. Getting free, Flash calms himself but refuses to continue his pursuit until he gets the woman and her baby to safety. As he web-slings out of the hot zone, Agent Venom is ambushed by Jack O’Lantern again, sending him and his charges crashing to the ground. The attack causes Agent Venom to briefly lose control of the symbiote and as it starts taking control, Flash struggles with Jack O’Lantern. He manages to fend off his foe by placing a grenade in his pumpkin shaped helmet. Although the blast shatters his helmet and his lower jaw, Jack is still trying to threaten the lives of the people Flash is trying to save.

Flash saves them and as Jack tries to get away with the doctor, Venom fires a web-line and yanks the scientist loose causing him to fall to his death. His handlers consider this mission scrubbed and orders him to return to base. Rushed back to the Project Rebirth headquarters in the States, General Dodge refuses to debrief Flash until after the symbiote has been extracted and contained. Instead of chastising Flash for not following orders, Dodge instead has a private one-on-one where he expresses his concern over Flash being able to control the symbiote, reminding him that they had to eliminate the last soldier they tried bonding with the alien creature. He stresses to Flash the need to keep his temper in check because it will make it easier for the symbiote to assume control. He then tells Flash to go home and rest up before his next mission, but warns Thompson that if he screws up again he will pull him from this project.

When Flash arrives in Brooklyn, he heads over to the apartment shared by his girlfriend Betty Brant and her roommate Glory Grant. Flash is six hours late as he promised to take Betty to a Veterans Affair benefit and Betty is deeply upset.[1] Flash tries to come up with an excuse that he got caught up signing thank you letters to doners but Betty can see right through his lie and accuses him of drinking again.[2] When Flash tries to convince her that he hasn’t been drinking she doesn’t believe it and slams the door in his face.[3]

As Flash wheels himself down the street he thinks about how he had struggled with alcoholism, an addiction that he shares with his father. He briefly considers going to a bar to get a drink. Instead he hads to a nearby church that is hosting a meeting for Alcoholics Anonymous. He doesn’t go inside here either and continues down the street, the shadow of the Venom symbiote hanging heavily over him.

Recurring Characters

Agent Venom, Jack O’Lantern, Crime-Master, Kate Glover, Aaron MacKenzie, Brad Dodge, Betty Brant, Glory Grant, Samson

Continuity Notes

1. When Flash became Agent Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #654 his operations are secret in order for the United States to maintain plausible deniability. As such, Flash covers for his work as Agent Venom by claiming to work for Veterans Affairs doing charity work for war vets like himself.

2. Betty states that her ex-husband taught her how to tell if someone is lying. This would be Ned Leeds, whom Betty married back in Amazing Spider-Man #156. They had a rocky relationship until Ned was murdered by assassins in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1.

3. Flash has struggled with alcoholism for years, an addiction he shares with his father. An exploration into his family’s history with addiction was covered in Spectacular Spider-Man #-1, 242-250.