Probably the biggest One Shot I've ever written, and it explains why it took so long getting this just right. Anyways I wanted to take a break from writing romance for a while so I wrote this action oriented friendship story.
I hope you enjoy this.
Lethal Saviour
Venom x Male Child Reader
One Shot
A bleak and cloudy night has fallen on New York City, the sounds of cars and sirens echo throughout of the concrete jungle. People going about their business, unaware of the large figure swinging high above them. Upon first glance they may assume it to be none other than their Friendly Neighbourhood Spider Man, and they would be wrong.
After a brief journey through the city the figure lands on a rooftop that overlooks a warehouse near the western docks, he can see people moving outside, people with guns. They are patrolling the perimeter, keeping an eye out for potential trouble. Upon seeing an opening the figure stealthily swings forward and begins crawling along the high wall, heading for a shadowy corner on a catwalk overlooking the warehouse itself.
A lone thug, armed with a rifle, patrols the catwalk. One of many who were hired to kidnap and hold a child hostage and for ransom earlier this day, their orders now are to wait until the hefty ransom is paid.
This same child is the son of one of Alchemax's investors and a good friend of it's CEO Liz Allan. Armed mercenaries had broken into their family home, kidnapped their only child and killed anyone who got in their way before leaving a ransom letter. Upon hearing of the dire situation she contacted and ordered a recent "ally" of hers to find and rescue the boy, hence why this mysterious and camouflaged figure is here.
He checks over the side, unaware of the burly figure creeping up behind him at first... Looking behind him he sees a familiar white spider symbol with jagged legs standing out from amongst the darkness of the corner that leads back inside, he recognizes it as Spider Man's symbol. He looks up and sees the white eye pieces and one name springs to mind immediately, a name that gives him a glimmer of reassurance that he will live.
"S-Spider-Man?" he asks, his voice carrying a hint of confusion as he points his gun at the figure.
His eyes widen and he feels a sense of foreboding overcome him as he sees the figure's head tilt ever so slightly, and he steps forward. In doing so reveals a hulking figure, broad, standing over seven feet tall and rippling with muscle. Below the eyeholes appears a large and wide mouth filled with sharp teeth, a smile creeps up his face as a long tongue slithers from one corner of it's maw to another...
"You wish." the figure replies it's voice very deep and equally booming.
Now terrified the thing is about to fire his weapon when a long thread of silk shoots from the hand of the towering being, gumming up the barrel and jamming it. A jet black hand thrusts forward and seizes the thug, strong fingers clasping his palm to his mouth. Silencing him as the figure lifts off the ground and speaks again.
"Kidnapping is one thing but, stealing away an innocent child just to make money off the parents' torment and despair is vile. Scum like you don't deserve to breathe..." He states before crushing the man's skull, killing him. The outward appearance of this being is monstrous but there is so much more.
They are the product of a symbiotic relationship between Eddie Brock, formerly a down on his luck reporter and a member of the Klyntar alien race. Separated they are weaker, alone and lost but together... They are more.
Having taken care of the lone guard patrolling the roof of the warehouse, Venom utilizes his ability to camouflage and sneaks into the building proper, crawling silently along the wall and then to the ceiling. As they carefully observe the armed men below them, they speak to one another silently. Two beings, two voices, two minds communicating through symbiosis.
'Good, my other. They don't know we're here. Let's try and keep it that way for now.' Eddie thinks.
'Felt good to kill that man, Eddie, but we could have gotten information from him first.'
'Yes, I know. But he might've shouted or screamed, raised the alarm. We need the element of surprise. The last thing we want is an innocent child's life being lost because of our carelessness.'
'Of course, Eddie. The more innocent lives we can protect the better!'
'Then we're in agreement. Now, where is the boy? They must be keeping him somewhere around here but I don't see...'
'Eddie, over there, look!'
As the jet black bruiser crawls across the ceiling, maintaining his camouflage, they spot one of the goons walking towards what looks like a large storage closet. He unlocks the padlocked door and stands in the doorway, staring down at a small figure bound to a chair.
'Found him.'
You've been in here for a long time now – that much you can tell. You're tied down to an old wooden chair by thick ropes, so tight they hurt even when you're not trying to move. A cloth gags your mouth and stops you from speaking, and a bag is placed over your head to prevent you from seeing anything.
'Why're they doing this? Why? I haven't done anything wrong! I wanna go home...'
The only useful sense still afforded to you is hearing: and all you can hear is the sound of footsteps outside the of the dark space where you're being held. One set of footsteps gets louder and louder, closer to the door. The door unlocks and the footsteps get just a bit closer.
'Please don't hurt me...'
Fearing the worst you start to tremble with fright. Small tears flow down your cheeks and you shut your eyes. Then a voice, one of the men who kidnapped you speaks in a mocking tone, "What's the matter? Missin' your mommy?"
"P-Please, Mister, let me go." you plead.
"Can't do that just yet, kid. You're worth a lot of money to a very, very mean lady, once your rich mom and dad pay her we'll let you go."
A glimmer of hope finds you and shows in your voice.
"Really?"
The only response you hear is an annoyed huff and the slam of the door, then a distinctive click telling you that the door is locked. You're alone again. The tears roll down your cheeks once more.
"Pfft, kids." the mercenary who taunted the child mutters to himself as he walks away from the door, continuing his patrol. All of this was not unnoticed by the lethal protector keeping watch on the ceiling. Both the human and the klyntar boiled with rage.
'He's going to pay for that.' Eddie thinks as he watches the man walk around, 'Tormenting a helpless child like that?'
'Makes us angry. We should save him for last, Eddie. He deserves it.'
'Yes. He does.'
From his vantage point Venom can see the entirety of the enormous warehouse's space: the left of the building has an abundance of crates all stacked high and in rows, to the point where it is difficult for people at the other end of the building to see the other side.
The right side has a series of small rooms: a locker room, a small office, a bathroom and a docking area for trucks to be loaded and unloaded. Two places that are good for hiding in and a possible exit.
Now having surveyed the area, the anti-hero gets ready to make his move.
"Y'know, David, you shouldn't have tormented the kid like that. There's no need for it." one of the mercenaries states as he walks alongside his peer, patrolling around the stacked crates in the warehouse.
"What? We're not allowed to have a little 'fun on the job' every now and then?" the aforementioned David states with a sickening grin.
"If your idea of 'fun on the job' is tormenting children then all I can say is you're scum, and I don't ever want to work with you again. Leave him alone, got it?"
David huffs in annoyance and scowls. "Fine, Bill." as the two men round the corner of the large crates and head to the other end of the building two more mercenaries come around the other side, repeating a pattern of movement to ensure security, keeping an eye out for trouble. Unfortunately for them the trouble is already close.
One turns to the other and asks, "Ever feel like you're being watched?"
His peer opens his mouth but his words are cut off by a deep voice from the wall next to them, the source of the voice is not seen. "That's because you are. We've seen all we can stand, but now..." The silhouette of a hulking figure with large white eyes begins to appear on the wall. Terrified, the mercs take their rifles off safety and are about to take aim when...
"...We can't stand no more!"
Venom lunges forward at great speed and fully uncloaks as he launches the two armed men through the piles of wooden crates at tremendous force. Splintered and jagged wood, hinges and nails fly through the air as the two goons scrape across the ground, bloodied and broken but conscious. Now there are only seven more mercenaries to deal with. All eyes immediately fall upon the towering, jet-black bruiser, his eyes narrowed in focused anger, his long tongue slithering freely among a mouth full of dripping fangs as he stands atop the rubble while dust falls around him.
"Mercenaries. Guns for hire. Killers who answer to greed, often paid in blood money. Now, for what you have done to the innocent..." Venom addresses them with a guttural snarl, "You will pay in your own blood!"
David panics slightly before regaining his composure. "Holy shit! That's Venom! Fill this big bastard with lead!"
Bullets fly. Rifle rounds tear across the warehouse straight at the bonded beings, the thunderous sound of powerful automatic fire fills the warehouse and echoes out into the night air beyond. Venom meanwhile is not halted in any way as the bullets merely bounce off of him.
"Ooohoohoo!~ It tickles us."
The mercenaries patrolling outside hear the commotion and make for the warehouse, they arrive at the doors in hopes of storming in but are impeded as they find they cannot open said doors. Unbeknownst to them Venom webbed the doors shut from the inside before springing into action, wanting to keep things controlled.
Venom, now somewhat bored with the onslaught of lead, shoots a web from his hand and onto one of the mercs' faces, he yanks him forward and off of his feet, with momentum his is then swung through the air in an arc to collide with one of his peers. Knocking them both to the ground the anti-hero leaps toward the rest of them, still not phased by the gunfire.
A powerful shoulder tackle sends a goon flying backwards into the locker room, and into one the lockers so hard that its metal door caves under the violent and audible impact. Said goon only groans in pain before losing consciousness.
What mercenaries remain begin to back away and fan out, some head for cover, some reload their rifles, one in particular spots a large fire axe in an stand nearby, he opens it and retrieves the weapon, his eyes set on the hulking anti-hero. He charges toward him, axe held in both hands and over his head.
The symbiote, having mimicked Spider-Man's spider sense, perceives the threat. 'Eddie, behind!'
"Does this tickle you son of a b-"
Just as he gets within range he attempts to swing the axe down... Only for Venom to turn around and catch the weapon just below the axe head. The goon's eyes widen as the towering figure's white eyes pierce his soul. "Trying to axe us a question, eh?" Venom asks with a sneer as he rips the axe from the man's hands and seizes him by the neck. "Here's one for you. Do you like heights?"
With very little effort Venom flings the man upwards, his back collides with the steel catwalk above with a large clanging sound mixed with the crunch of bone. The man then meets the ground, broken and bloodied but living. Barely.
Only three mercenaries remain now and they have all taken cover behind a crate, their weapons reloaded. One turns to his peer and asks, "Wait. Why're we even bothering? This sucker's bulletproof!"
"I noticed. But let's see how he likes these." his fellow mercenary states as he gestures towards his belt, specifically to the grenades hanging from it. Then he looks to the third gun for hire and tells him. "Keep that monster distracted for me."
"Hey, screw you, bud, I'm outta here!" the man states as he scrambles to his feet and runs for the nearest exit. Only to find the nearby warehouse door obscured with thick webbing. "Oh crap." Venom sees this, and fires a thick line of webbing that grips his back and yanks him backwards with tremendous speed and force.
The frightened mercenary finds himself trapped in the grip of one of the most feared anti-heroes in the universe. He is truly helpless as Venom turns him around so they are face to face, he is met with a head sat upon a strong neck situated between powerful shoulders. His eyes are immediately drawn to Venom's eyes then to the large mouth, the row of sharp fangs and the long tongue as he speaks.
"Going somewhere?" Venom asks sarcastically.
"I guess that's as good a distraction as any." one of the mercenaries says as both he and his peer lean out of their cover and one of them throws a grenade at their large and burly target, the pin having been pulled mere seconds ago. The grenade explodes mere inches from Venom, the burst of energy released does not harm him considerably but the sound it generates does. The symbiote momentarily pulls back from Eddie's body, exposing the man beneath as he and the Klyntar roar in pain – a sound that reverberates off of the warehouse's walls like a clap of thunder.
The mercenaries outside hear this, look to each other and fear can be seen in their eyes. Seem even decide to run for their lives. Others are remain, questioning whether any amount of money is worth dying at the hands of the enraged creature inside.
'That hurt us, Eddie! Hurt us a lot!' The Klyntar states in a pained voice, anger rising towards the end of said statement all the while reforming itself over Eddie's body.
'I know, my other.' Eddie replies, 'We won't let him do it again.'
"Hey, that actually did something!" the mercenary says with somewhat renewed confidence, "Hit 'em again!"
"On it! Keep him busy for me!"
Venom sharply looks to the two men, eyes narrowed in anger but controlled and centred. As the gun for hire goes to retrieve another grenade from his belt, he does so as his peer unleashes more ammunition upon the now angry anti-hero. The pin is pulled and the grenade is raised above his head an arc of trajectory planned but, before the explosive can be thrown, Venom raises his hand and shoots a thick globule of webbing at the mercenary's hand. Sticking the grenade to his palm.
"Fool us once." Venom quips as the grenade explodes, it's proximity to the man's belt of grenades creates a greater explosion as a chain reaction that obliterates him and kills his peer stood next to him. As the dust settles, Venom looks to the man he has in his grasp and realizes he is dead. Killed by the first grenade. His eyes become somewhat solemn as he places him on the ground, saddened but not completely.
The sound of a gun clicking gains the anti-hero's attention, he looks to it's source and sees the storage closet where the child was being held is now open. Stood in the doorway is a mercenary he recognizes as David, blood staining the side of his face. He has the boy held like a human shield, a pistol pointed at his bagged head. The boy himself is shaking with fear and whimpering. Venom's sympathy is now replaced with rage.
"Here's the deal, freak!" David states, eyes wild with fear, "You let me walk out of here with the kid, and he's yours. You give me trouble and I'll kill him. Got it?"
Venom's eyes narrow as he subtly takes a small step forward, teeth bared in disgust as he says, "Let the boy go."
"No way! I walk free, you get the kid."
Venom takes another small step forward, growling with clear anger. David starts to shake more as he sees the hulking creature is now a mere six feet away from him. The symbiote extends itself from Venom's foot and steadily, silently slithers across the floor and travels upwards and behind the desperate goon's gun.
"Stay back! I'll kill him! I swear I will! I'll blow this kids' brains out if you take one more step! I'll-"
David's words are cut off as the symbiote gums up the barrel of his pistol whilst also enveloping his entire head, cutting off his supply of air. Shocked and desperate, he drops the still blinded and restrained boy – whom falls but is caught by Venom before he can be hurt.
The goon suffocates on the ground as he desperately grasps to remove the symbiote but to no avail and dies. The symbiote retracts back into venom's form as he gently sets the child on his feet and proceeds to remove the ropes that bind him.
You feel yourself being held gently by large and powerful hands, no longer in the arms of the man whose voice you recognized from earlier. Your feet touch the ground for the first time in what seems like an eternity, all the while you feel the ropes around your sore ankles, wrists and arms being untied. A male voice speaks to you, a deep, rumbling one with a soothing being applied to it.
"Don't worry, little one, you're safe now."
"Th-Thank you mister-"
Just as you are about to ask who has saved you, the bag is gently pulled off of your head and your eyes sting for a moment as they adjust to the comparative brightness of your new surroundings. You rub your watery eyes and sniffle. Your eyes finally adjust, you see your saviour and your eyes widen...
First of all, your attention is brought to the various broken and unconscious armed men strewn about the warehouse floor. The blood, ripped clothing, broken weapons and general destruction is evident. It shocks you but then, your attention is brought to your saviour...
Standing before you is a towering figure of jet black muscle, a white spider symbol upon his chest. A face looks down at you with a wide smile that would be considered friendly – if not for the amount of sharp teeth on display and the long tongue flickering from side to side, and the large white eyes looking into your own eyes.
"Hi." he states in the now familiar deep tone.
In response... You scream and rush back into the closet as far back as you can, "Get away from me! Please, don't hurt me!"
Venom eyes raise in confusion, 'Why would he run from us, Eddie? We're here to help him.'
'I know. But to be fair, we do look scary.'
'What should we do?'
'Be more gentle and less forward. Last time we got maced by a clown, remember?'
'Yes, Eddie, remember that... Wasn't funny.'
'I know.'
Venom kneels down and retracts his tongue as he speaks, his voice though still deep and booming is slightly more calm and gentle than usual. "It's alright, little one. You're safe. We won't hurt you."
"No!" you cry out from a dark corner, "You're a monster! You hurt people!"
"Only the ones who deserve it." The Lethal Protector corrects as he raises a finger to accentuate his point, "And when we do, we do so to save lives. Innocent lives. Like yours."
"Y-You do?"
"Yes. All of these men out here, we could've killed every last one of them but, we didn't." he answers, referring to the many mercenaries around him. Of all of them only one is actually dead, the others are broken and bloodied but they still live.
"What about that mean man on the ground?"
Venom looks down to the mercenary in question. David. The one who tormented and even threatened to kill the child he was sent here to save and bring to safety. He feels no remorse for what he had to do, as in his eyes, it was deserving. The symbiote moves the body out of sight, so as not to distress the child more.
"He did not have to torment you. He tried to use you as a shield against us, threatened to kill you." Venom replies as he looks to the dark space of the closet, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. "We did what we had to do. We couldn't let him hurt you.
"We came here to save you, (Y/n). To bring you somewhere safe."
"You know my name?"
"Yes, little one."
Picking up what courage you have, you stand up, come out from your hiding spot and see Venom waiting for you just past the doorway. He turns his head in a manner similar to a curious dog, a friendly, toothy smile present as you slowly walk over to him. You are within his arm's reach of him when you ask.
"How do you know my name?"
"Do you know Liz Allan?"
"Y-Yeah. She's my dads' boss. People says she's mean and stuff but, she's always been really nice to me." you answer truthfully. Liz Allan, the C.E.O of Alchemax, has been a good friend of your family for some time now.
"Well she's... a friend of ours. She sent us to rescue you." Venom states, putting your young mind at ease.
"But... What if more of those bad men turn up? What if they come after us?"
"We will protect you."
You look up and into Venoms' white eyes, from what you can tell, he is telling the truth. Despite your first impression, and what you have heard about him, he seems to be genuine and honest in his noble intentions. The fact that he has not hurt you so far lends to this.
"D-Do you promise?" you offer your hand for a shake, still somewhat uncertain.
Venom smiles at you and gently shakes your hand, his own hand is huge when compared to yours. "We promise."
"Who are you?" you ask, now feeling a bit safer. "A-And what do you mean by we? I only see one of you."
In response the towering creature before you does something you never expected to see. His body reveals itself to be some kind of liquid as half of his face recedes, revealing a man's face beneath, he has reddish-blonde hair and a blue eye. The two halves speak at the same time, two voices, one being.
"We are Venom."
The moment is unfortunately interrupted by a groan of pain emanating from the warehouse floor, both of you look to it's source and see one of the mercenaries, though injured is still moving and has propped himself against a half broken crate. Venom shields you straight away as the symbiote covers his face fully again, he tells you to hide in the closet, you do so as he gets up and saunters over to the injured man. As he does you peak around the door frame, curious as to what will happen.
Venom makes it over to the man as he opens his eyes and sees him towering over him, teeth bared, tongue slithering back and forth from one corner of his mouth to the other. He recognizes him. The man's eyes widen and he immediately panics at the sight of The Lethal Protector.
"P-Please... D-Don't... Don't kill me."
"We won't." Venom replies as he leans down, closer to the man's face. To the point where the man can not only feel his breath but also smell it.
"Y-You... You won't?"
"No. You were considerate of the boy, you didn't torment him and scolded the scum who did. For that... we will let you live. For now. Don't make us look for you. We will find you."
Feeling just a tiny bit more relieved than scared, the man asks, "A-And if you do?"
Venom's eyes narrow in seriousness, his lips pull back more to reveal even more pearly white, glistening fangs as he simply states.
"We'll. Eat. Your. Brains."
The man gulps audibly and nods very slowly. "...Okay..." he says meekly, "I'll just stay right here then. N-Not bothering you."
"Good." Venom replies in a surprisingly upbeat tone as a smile pulls at the corners of his large mouth. He turns and walks over to you, kneeling down again and extending his arm outwards to you as he states. "We need to get going. Don't want to keep your parents waiting."
With a polite nod you head over to him as he gently yet firmly wraps his arm around you, by looking at it you can tell that he could very easily crush you and yet is being very considerate of your small form. He stands up and wraps the other arm around you, supporting your weight near effortlessly and reminding you of a time when your father used to playfully hold you like this, before he had to spend more time at work.
You put your mind back in the moment as you look around the warehouse. The mercenaries outside are still trying to get inside, bashing against the doors, the sound muffled slightly by the thick webbing that covers them. This prompts a question in your mind.
"Um, Mister Venom?" you ask as you look up to his face.
"Yes?" he asks as he looks down at you, his head turned ever so slightly in manner similar to puppy.
"How are we getting out? The doors are... y'know." you reply pointing out the obvious obstructions.
Venom smiles. "We're not using doors."
Outside the warehouse the many mercenaries continued to try and pound on the large sliding double doors that bar their way inside. Despite the occasional dent or sliver of wood there has been no effort made to enter the building. The men clad in combat attire and carrying weapons angrily venting their frustration through curse words, one of them looks to another and says, "Hey, Wilhelm, head 'round the side and get up that ladder, see what's goin' on in there."
"On it." Wilhelm states as he slings his rifle over his shoulder and ascends up the ladder in question. He reaches the top and readies his rifle as he quietly walks over to one of the angled skylights dotted around the roof. Peering over the rim he sees inside and soon wishes he had not looked, or even ascended the ladder, as his eyes meet an enormous black shape rocketing straight towards him.
All Wilhelm can do is scream as the skylight and the frame around it erupts, shards of wood and glass fly upwards at tremendous speed and force – so much so that he falls off the roof as he screams. The resultant cacophony draws the ears and subsequent eyes of the armed men on the ground, they look up and see a hulking black figure arcing high into the air and towards the many shipping crates at the other end of the dock.
"I'm startin' to think we're not getting' paid enough for this..." one mercenary states as he cocks his rifle.
As Venom clears the skylight, the roof and much of the dock in a single bound he made sure that you were not harmed by the shards of glass and splinters, even the symbiote covered you partially though you did not notice as out of instinct you covered your eyes and head with your arms. But now, as you feel the cool night air against your skin, you open them again and see that you are outside of the warehouse.
You barely have time to register the air rushing past your ears, into your hair and the feeling of weightlessness before the sound of metal creaking and deforming hits your ears. It's then that you realize Venom has landed on a dark red shipping container, one of many that you can see ahead of you, many stacked high on top of each other.
"That was so cool!" you tell him with wide eyes and a huge smile.
Venom smiles back, slightly taken aback by your enthusiasm. 'Huh. I'm starting to like this kid. It's nice to put smiles on faces other than ours for a change.'
'It is, Eddie. It is... -Eddie, behind us!'
The sound of gunfire can be heard as bullets pelt and ping off of Venoms' back, no damage done. Immediately he shields you with his body, looks back and sees the mercenaries advancing towards him and unloading lead from their rifles. Venom looks around and quickly determines a safe route through the many shipping crates, with a single leap he finds himself on the side of the crate in front of him with one hand and both feet flat against it, the other arm still shielding you from the gunfire.
"Not time to celebrate yet!" he says as he proceeds to wall-crawl at great speed, hopping from the side of one shipping crate to the other. The mercenaries do their best to give chase but all they perceive is a bulky black figure with a white spider symbol on it's back moving back and forth between the walls of this corridor created by shipping crates, bullets spark and ricochet off of said figure and the metal crates. Venom is not concerned with his own safety, rather he is worried about a stray bullet hitting you.
"Mister Venom," you whimper, "I'm scared!"
"We know, little one. We're almost in the clear." Venom replies, still holding you close and shielding you from the gunfire. With a powerful bound Venom clears the row of shipping crates and lands on top of another, far from the goons that gave chase. He gently takes hold of you again and places you on his back, instinctively you lock your arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?" you ask.
"We need both hands free for this. Now hold on tight."
"Already am."
Another bound and Venom leaps forward, high into the air; higher even than before. Your eyes see the ground become more and more distant than before and that familiar weightless feeling takes hold of you once more, the walls of the pier pass far underneath, then the streets of New York come into view... the the ground starts to draw closer and closer. Tightly you shut your eyes.
But then... you feel momentum carry you forward, the ground comes closer and then shrinks as you are carried forward over the street below. This motion repeats another time, you look behind you and can only just see a thick line of white webbing behind you. Looking forward and over Venoms' shoulder you see that, just like Spider-Man, he is web-swinging through New York.
"Are you alright back there?" he asks as he peers over his shoulder, meeting your gaze and still maintaining his motion through the city.
"Are you kidding?" you reply with a wide smile. "This. Is. Awesome!"
Venom chuckles deeply before replying, "Well, keep your grip firm, little one. You'll be home in no time. Until then, enjoy the view."
Back at the warehouse activity has dropped considerably following Venoms' arrival and departure. Some of the hired guns have moved on, deeming the situation below their pay grade but most are just happy that they survived an encounter with such an imposing figure. Only a few remain behind and are still trying to get into the warehouse where the boy was being held.
As the somewhat token number of mercenaries contemplate giving up their attention is seized by the sounds of a large car pulling into the pier and slowly driving towards them. The vehicles is a dull grey colour, windows blacked, it's headlights blindingly bright in contrast to the darkness of night. It stops about ten feet from the mercenaries who now have their weapons at the ready, from their perspective anyone could step out of the vehicle though they expect it could be Black Cat, Hammerhead or anyone else on her payroll.
There is also the possibility of it being a rival to Black Cat's criminal empire. Kingpin, perhaps. The precaution still warrants their being on guard. The door on the driver's seat opens and out steps a man with a muscular figure, tanned skin visible even on his bald head. Those who have perceptive eyes even notice a stitch-line running from the corners of his mouth, not crude, surgical, the kind of operation meant to reattach a jaw.
"It's you Gargan." one of the mercenaries says as he puts himself at ease, his words doing the same for the others present.
Indeed this is Mac Gargan. The Scorpion. An enemy of Spider-Man, former host of the Venom Symbiote and now on the payroll of Black Cat, the new kingpin of crime in New York. Undeterred, he closes the car door and eyes the scene before him.
"What happened here?" he asks, his tone one of suppressed annoyance.
"Venom turned up. He got inside the warehouse and took off just before you arrived. We've been tryin' to get inside but somethin's blockin' the door, we can't get inside."
Gargan casually walks around his car and to the back of his car, he pops the trunk and inside is what he needs: his new Scorpion Suit. In it's compacted form it only just fits in it's space but as it's owner types in the security code a light flashes on the small screen, two open handles appear on the front. He grasps them before turning his hands clockwise, this initiates it's program, the mechanical suit covers his hands and begin covering his arms, then his shoulders and so forth.
His Scorpion Suit encases his body completely as he now stands at just over six feet seven inches in height. The suit itself is a dark, metallic green in colour, bright yellow insect-like goggles cover his eyes. Large pincers cover his torso and are retractable so he may use his hands when necessary, his boots have toes akin to those of an insect to provide grip and stability, completing all of this is a long tail with a viciously hooked blade at the end.
"Step aside. I've got the key." The Scorpion states with a smirk as he steps towards the enormous warehouse doors, and the mercenaries indeed move aside. Some further then others.
With one fluid, fast and violent snap of his mechanical tail the warehouse's doors are rendered asunder. Wooden splinters, webbing and even the door's handles fly, where they once stood is now a massive opening in which stands The Scorpion. He walks inside and sees the destruction that Venom left in his wake.
"Damn, he left one hell of a mess." one mercenary states as he follows Mac Gargan inside.
Gargan does not reply.
The sight of all of this reminds him of his time as the Venom Symbiotes' host, the slaughter he enacted upon many, many others. He remembers the rage, the aggression and... foremost... the hunger. A near endless appetite for flesh and bone. It is then that he is reminded of how grateful he is to no longer be trapped within that waking nightmare, he brings himself back from those memories that even today plague his dreams and walks further inside.
"Where'd you keep the kid?" Gargan asks.
"In here." the same mercenary from before states as he walks ahead of him and to the closet where indeed the boy was tied to a chair. The door is open, Gargan peers inside and with his night-vision sees the ropes and chair tossed aside.
"Gone." a pained voice states from behind Gargan. He turns around and sees that a mercenary he thought dead is very much alive. Bloodied and battered, but alive and leaning with his back against a wooden crate. "Venom took him. Jumped through that skylight up there."
The hired gun who followed Gargan into the warehouse is at his wounded comrades' side in seconds and seeing to his wounds. Though they are not fatal, he tries to at least make him more comfortable.
"We tried to stop him but the damn guy's bulletproof... We were outmatched."
"Hey, you survived though." his fellow mercenary states. "Not a lot of people can say that."
"How did you survive?" Scorpion asks coldly, holding back much of his annoyance and anger.
"David over there." the wounded man says as he gestures to a mangled body across the warehouse floor. "He tormented the kid, I scolded him for it. Venom said I did the right thing, and let me live."
"And you just sat there and let him take the kid?"
"W-Well yeah, of course, I couldn't do anything to stop him."
"You were supposed to call me if anything went wrong!" Gargan shouts at the man, extending his tail at great speed, embedding the bladed tip into the crate mere centimetres from the man's face. The man does not move, petrified by the sudden action even as the tail is withdrawn and Gargan walks over to what remains of the warehouse doors.
He uses his pincers to tear a small piece off of the webbing Venom left behind, a small compartment on his other arm's armour opens up and he place the piece inside before it closes sharply with a click. The Scorpion Suit's User Interface displays the words: Symbiote Sample Analysed. Subject: Venom. Tracking Bio Signature.
'You're not getting away this time, Brock.' Gargan notes as a small map appears on the interface, it shows Venom's exact location. 'I'd hoped these morons I hired would've called me in when you showed up so we can have our rematch, but I guess I'll have to track you down instead. You literally took the bait. I can deal with the little brat later. Then there's these idiots...
Gargan looks over his shoulder at the mercenaries he hired.
'Cat can't know I set all this up. Then again, the more time I waste here, the more I have to catch up.'
The Scorpion Suit's tail extends menacingly and points straight at the group as he readies his pincers and slowly walks towards the armed men.
'I'll have to make this quick.'
Venom continues his traversal of New York City through the use of his web-swinging, much to the glee of the innocent little boy he was sent to rescue. Said boy even now has a strong hold around the Lethal Protector's neck as the buildings rush past and the wind fills his hair. All the while he audibly shows his elation with a laugh and a smile brought upon by awe.
"This is the most fun I've ever had!" you exclaim with delight.
"It's like a roller coaster, isn't it?" Venom asks as he peaks over his shoulder and sees your smile, "Just when you think you're going down – up you go!"
"I wouldn't know actually, Mister Venom, I've never been on a roller coaster before."
Saddened ever so slightly. The Lethal Protector asks, "Oh. Really?"
"Yeah. But it's okay, this is way cooler!"
Venom smiles and turns his attention forwards again. "We're happy to hear you're enjoying yourself." he replies as he spots an empty rooftop. "We're going to have to take a quick break though, okay?"
"Okay." is your polite response, even though you are admittedly disappointed that this rollercoaster of an experience didn't have to end.
With an upswing and added momentum The Lethal Protector lands on the roof with a slightly audible disturbance to the gravel now beneath his feet. He gently picks you up from his back and places you on the gravel before him, and notices the small pieces of wood and dust in your hair; the hulking beings' response is to give your locks a brisk ruffling to get rid of it all – and it does.
"There you go." he says as he gently pats your head. Despite your initial fearful and terrified impression of Venom he has shown himself to be almost nowhere near as monstrous as he, or rather they, appear to be. In the brief time you have known each other you feel as though you are making a friend in them.
"We just need to make a call to Liz, let her know we're coming." Venom states as the Symbiote peels back from his body, he shrinks and the rest of the man you glimpsed before stands before you, now clad in a white shirt, jeans, boots and a bomber jacket with the spider-symbol on it's arm.
"You just sit tight and we'll get going, understood?" the man asks, his voice not as deep as before. You reply with a nod as you sit down, still smiling as you take in the rush of recent events. He smiles while he pulls a phone out of his pocket.
Eddie dials the number. The dial tone meets his ears and soon enough Liz Allan's voice speaks through. "Eddie, is that you? Have you found (Y/n)? Is he safe?"
"Yeah, it's me, yes, I've found him and yes, he's fine." The former journalist replies with a wry smile. "He's with me right now."
"Can I talk to him?"
Your ears perked up when they picked up upon hearing Miss Allan's voice as it emanated from the man's phone; the man you now know to be named Eddie. Still though, for the sake of politeness and good manners you make a mental note to still call him Mister Venom.
"Is that Miss Allan? Can I talk to her, please?" you ask.
"By all means." Eddie replies, both to you and to Liz, as he leans down and has the symbiote extend a small tendril over to your ear as it holds his phone. Normally he would not allow his other to show itself in this way while in public, however they are rather well hidden and away from prying eyes; not to mention you have seen enough at this point in time to be frightened or disturbed. And both he and his other want to keep it that way.
"Hello? (Y/n)?"
"Hello, Miss Allan!"
In her office Liz Allan smiles with relief and relaxes for the first time in a long time. She finds herself taken back to when she first met you, your parents were unable to find a babysitter for you and had to bring you to Alchemax with them. You were asked to remain in a waiting room while they were in a meeting, and you got bored, thus you started wandered the building. After a small amount of time you happened by Liz's empty office and strolled in curiously, Miss Allen herself found you there.
Despite her slight annoyance at first your innocence and cheeriness wore down her walls, and before she knew it, she was smiling and the two of you were conversing. Rationality meant that she needed to send a message to your parents to inform them that you were safe and where to find you, and indeed she did precisely that; keeping an eye on you until your parents came to collect you. From that day onward both your parents and their boss, Miss Allen as you politely refer to her, have been firm friends.
"Are you okay, (Y/n)?" Liz asks as concerns flows from her tone.
"My wrists and ankles hurt a bit, but I'm okay, Miss Allan. Mister Venom saved me and we went web-swinging. It was so cool!" You reply. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. Just worried about you is all. Listen, Mister Venom will bring you to my office and we'll call your parents, okay?"
"Okay. See you soon, Miss Allan."
"See you soon. Can you put Mister Venom back on the phone, please?" You look to Eddie and give him a nod before stating, "Okay."
The symbiote retracts the phone and places it back in Eddie's hand, he continues the call on his phone. "By the way, any more word from Black Cat's organization?"
"If by word you mean still demanding a ransom? No. But here's something you might wanna know."
"What's that?"
"I have a few contacts in Black Cat's little group. When I asked about the kidnapping no one knew what I was talking about."
"Well, they could've been lying, Liz, they're criminals."
"I know that but listen, from what I've put together: the call didn't come from Hammerhead or Cat herself. Someone else inside the organization made the call and kept it quiet."
While this conversation continues both Eddie, his other and yourself are unaware of a figure looming nearby. It's large frame moves with surprising stealth as it crawls down the side of the building just behind the store roof you are all on, a very long snake-like appendage extends at a deliberately cautious pace. It moves towards you.
A sound meets your ears – mechanical in nature, like a piston moving; it's faint but unmistakeably close. Confused and slightly worried you look around, all you can see is the gravel roof, the brick railing, the door that leads down into the store itself and Mister Venom talking on his phone to Miss Allen. With a shrug you dismiss it, thinking it to be a sound coming from the streets below.
The sound meets your ears once more, it's closer this time. Another glance about you and there is nothing new to the scene before you. You are now more confused than before. "Mister Venom?" You ask. "Did you hear that?"
Eddie looks behind him and to you. Concern evident on his features as he scans the area. "Hear what?"
"That noise. I heard it twice. You didn't hear it."
"No, we didn't. It's probably nothing, (Y/n)." He says trying to reassure you.
You raise an eyebrow and think hard for a moment before answering, and you do so with a nonchalant shrug of your shoulders. "I guess you're right. It's probably nothing."
Eddie smiles faintly, turns his back to you and looks out over the street below thinking it was most likely a car that you heard. He continues his conversation with Liz.
That same sound meets your ears for the third time. Only it is much, much closer now. And behind you. Looking behind you reveals a long, segmented tail that is green in colour; you follow it up and see it's end and the shining bladed tip pointing straight at you. It's silhouette and form reminiscent of an angry cobra snake.
"M-Mister Ven-"
Within the blink of an eye the appendage lunges forward and rapidly wraps itself around you like a huge constrictor snake, holds you tight, lifts you off of your feet with a jerking motion and all you can do is call for help as you are pulled closer to the building opposite the store.
"Mister Venom! Help me!"
Eddie immediately snaps his attention to your direction and sees a familiar green tail wrapped around you, you're struggling and kicking but to no avail. His eyes are then drawn to the figure to which the tail is attached, and recognizes him. "Gargan!"
"You want the brat?" The Scorpion sneers. "Then follow me." And with that he quickly starts to scale the building across from the store, leaving marks on it's side.
"Eddie?" Liz asks in a worried tone. "Eddie, what's going on?"
"We're gonna have to call you back..." Eddie closes the call without looking, his eyes firmly on the helpless boy he has grown fond of. The symbiote immediately covers his body and with a single bound Venom starts rapidly wall-crawling after The Scorpion.
Reaching the rooftop Venom sees Gargan has already gained distance on him, nearly three blocks away, leaping from rooftop to rooftop and still holding (Y/n); who promptly calls for The Lethal Protector's help. Venom leaps forward as he makes sure to keep his quarry in sight, it doesn't take him long to start gaining ground. Seeing his enemy getting closer, Gargan leaps from a rooftop to the side of another building, using his suit's claws to his advantage.
"Mister Venom! Help!" You cry out.
"Hang on, (Y/n), we're coming!" he shouts back as he starts to gain on The Scorpion.
Hearing this Mac Gargan smirks in a sinister manner as he leaps from the side of the building, clearing the street below with ease and scaling before grasping the side of a tall building on the other side, small shards of glass erupting under the impact as he scales the building. Venom sees this and follows suit, leaping across the street and following him close behind. Upon reaching the roof Venom sees Gargan make for a construction site nearby, anticipating this he leaps forward and web-swings in an arch attempting to cut his foe off.
Venom arrives at the construction site and quickly scans the area around him. He is stood on top of what appears will be a large mall upon it's completion; but for now it is a mere skeleton lacking both organs and flesh. On the ground, fifty feet below, are various cranes, a cement mixer and a bulldozer. There is no sign of Gargan or (Y/n)...
'Where are they? Do you see them, my other?' Eddie wonders as panic and worry sets even further into him.
'No, Eddie... But we will find them. We will save (Y/n) and- Behind us, Eddie!'
Just as Venom swiftly turns to acknowledge and thus react to the danger he barely has enough time to register it as Scorpions' tail as it erupts from the roof behind him, the blade is red with heat as it stabs him through the back. Out through his chest and pulls him down through the roof. The roof crumbles and rubble falls as Venom does, the burning stinger still embedded in his body as his other cries out in pain. Venom then feels the tail jerk sharply, wrenching the stinger from his body as he is flung to the side of the now empty space he is in.
Venom tries to grab at the wall he finds himself growing closer and closer to with each millisecond, his strong grip finds purchase but just in time and wastes none as he pulls himself up. While the symbiote heals the damage done by the burning stinger, he looks around and sees what can best be described as a honeycomb of floors separated by great metal pillars. Between the floors is an enormous empty space that leads straight down to a concrete floor.
All floor spaces empty say for one as he follows Scorpion's tail and sees that just across from him is Mac Gargan himself, still holding (Y/n), only this time in one of his huge claws. "Gargan! Let the boy go!" Venom roars as he stands to his feet, still clutching his healing chest.
"You sure, Brock?" he asks in a reply laced with condescension and sarcasm as he stretches his claw outwards, dangling the terrified (Y/n) above the cold, harsh concrete below. A fall from such a height would kill him. "'Cos I don't think that's such a good idea."
'Keep him talking, Eddie, I will heal you.'
'I will.'
"M-M-Mister Venom..." The thoroughly terrified (Y/n) stammers, his watery eyes on the black and white being across from him. "I-I'm scared... P-Please... Please help me..."
Eddie feels his heart break with every syllable, the symbiote, too, if it had one. Venoms' face forms an expression of sympathy and kindness. "We know, (Y/n), we know. You're being very brave."
"Shut it, kid. The adults are talking." Gargan states as he loosens his grip on you slightly, making you squeal in fright upon feeling gravity's hold on you increase just a bit more.
"Why did you take (Y/n)?" Venom demands, eyes narrowed in malice at Mac Gargan.
"I had to get your attention somehow. I wanted to put an end to our little scrapes of late, settle the score by killing you, Brock. And burning that nightmare on your skin 'til noting's left."
Venom then realizes something, two pieces of a puzzle suddenly align. "It was you... You had (Y/n) kidnapped." the Scorpion smirks. "It wasn't about the ransom money at all, you just wanted us all along. He was just bait."
'Are we healed yet?'
'Not yet, Eddie.'
"Figured it out, huh? Not bad. Yeah, I put it all together just so we could have our rematch. The money would've been a nice bonus, I'll admit. I might keep him alive for now..." The Scorpion answers as he glances at your small frame, clutching his claw desperately. "But... Now that I think about it..."
"I think I'll just settle for killing you instead!" And with that Gargan releases his grip on the boy. He screams as he falls, reaching his hand up and screaming for help.
"No!" Without a thought, Venom leaps forward, throwing a thick globule of webbing into Scorpions' face as a distraction while he leaps down after (Y/n).
Venom grows closer and closer to you but so does the ground, he reaches out for you, barely within reach. He shoots a string of webbing onto you and pulls you towards him, then he pulls you close as he turns his body, his back meeting the ground with a loud crashing sound as the concrete gives under hi weight. He is barely breathing but you are safe.
You notice your protector's arms become limp and you open your eyes, seeing you are alive. Then your eyes fall upon Venom and see he is indeed hurt but not at death's door. "Mister Venom?" You ask as you uncurl yourself from a fetal position so that you are now on you hands and knees, looking down into your friends' face. "Mister Venom? Eddie?"
His eyes open with strain and he sees you. "...(Y/n). You're okay."
"I am. Thanks to you." you reply with a smile.
"Brock!"
Mac Gargans' voice cuts through the air with rage so audible it echoes throughout the empty building.
"Run, (Y/n). Hide." Venom states as he stands up and gently places you on the ground. Rather than question him you give him a nod, turn and run as fast as you can. Your direction being that of the construction vehicles outside.
'Almost healed, Eddie.'
As Venom looks up he sees the familiar shape of The Scorpion growing closer and closer, he readies himself for the fight to come. 'Good.' Eddie notes. 'Because we might need just need it.'
Gargan lands on the ground, the concrete caving under the immense weight of his suit and kicking up dust around him. His heads up display scans the environment around him, searching for his opponent. It pings and displays a hulking figure's outline in the dust cloud, which he swings his tail at - "Where are y-Gotcha!" - sending the figure flying through two pillars meant to hold up a section of the floor above them before a third bends under Venoms' weight.
Venom uncloaks as he regains his senses and winces in pain, his strategy was to step just out of Scorpions' view and spring on him. The plan obviously failed and a new one was needed, urgently. 'How did he see us, Eddie?'
'It must be his new suit, it can track us. Probably his visor.'
Gargan charges forward in an attempt to decapitate Venom, and The Lethal Protector ducks just in time to avoid the attack that cleaves through the pillar behind him. Venom takes advantage of this by landing a strong punch to Gargan's suit, the metal giving way ever so slightly and making him recoil backwards slightly. Another step forward leads to another punch, then another and another directed at the suit's faceplate – trying to damage the visor and disable it's tracking abilities.
Anticipating this, The Scorpion brings his claws up to protect his faceplate in a manner similar to a boxer. Venom grabs both claws and tries to pry them apart. "You're delaying the inevitable!" He says, "My thoughts exactly, Brock" But just as their eyes meet, his tail extends, wraps around his opponent's neck and flings him away and out of the building.
You maintain your sprint despite your tiredness and hide behind a porta-potty, peaking your head out and waiting for the fight to be over. And just in time as you see Venom come careening out of the mall and skid along the ground near the gate that allows entrance to this fenced off construction site, seeing him like this makes you want to run over and aid him, but you know better than to do so. "Mister Venom! Get up!" you call out.
The Anti-Hero stands up, a slight wobble in his step as he quickly looks to you. "Stay back!" he calls back in reply, "We've got this!"
A loud crash is heard as Mac Gargan lands across from Venom, still smirking. He snaps his claws and brandishes his tail menacingly as he asks in a cocky tone. "You sure about that?"
"We've dealt with you before, and we'll do it again." Venom states.
"That may be true. But in case you haven't noticed, my new suit is designed and made for one thing and one thing only: killing you."
Venom's eyes narrow. In a brazen and determined tone he states only two words. "Prove it."
"Gladly!"
The two towering beings rush at each other with great speed, the ground around them almost shakes as they clash, the sound that follows is one of twisting metal mixed with the impact of tough flesh. They both throw blow after blow at each other, dodges, kicks, punches, claws and tail blur together as some land while few others do not. They circle each other before clashing again, that same sound hitting your ears even from your distance away and echo throughout the backdrop of industry alongside cries of pain and frustration.
Seeing an opening, Venom shoots a string of webbing that attaches to the nearby portable cement mixer and swings it into Gargan's side. The impact sends him backwards but he manages to catch it when Venom tries to hit him with it again, and crushes it with his pincers. The cement mixer's parts fall to the ground before they resume their brawl.
A stalemate seems to be in sight when Venom throws a punch at Scorpion, only for his fist to be caught in a huge pincer. He throws another and the same happens again, both of his hands are trapped in Scorpion's pincers; which maintain a powerful hold on him, trapping him in place. The hydraulic muscles in his suit work hard to maintain his grip but succeed in aiding the effort to pin Venom in place and force him to the ground.
"...It'll take more than that to stop us!" Venom states as he plants his feet firmly into the ground and begins to regain control of the grapple.
"I know." Gargan states, as he does so panels on his suits' arms and chests slide back to reveal what appear to be speakers. His tail looms over his back and it's bladed tip are replaced with a nozzle that spews forth a cone of fire. The speakers activate also, emitting a loud and sustained sound straight at Venom.
The mixed bombardment of fire and sound hit both Eddie and the symbiote hard, simultaneously peeling the symbiote off of Eddie's body while burning both. A pained and wretched scream fills the night air as Eddie tries to pull away in vain. All the while the symbiote tries it's best to shield Eddie but pays the price. "Go, my other! Save yourself!" Eddie cries out.
'No, Eddie! We've only just bonded again! I won't leave you!'
Eyes wide with fear for your new friend you feel utterly helpless and powerless at the sight of their suffering and inevitable death. You find yourself reminded of how Venom came to your aid; how you were helpless and in fear for your life. The panic that threatened to grip you fades as a stern look falls upon your features, and your eyes upon something else...
Gargan smiles sinisterly and ceases his bombardment for a brief moment, taking in the sight of both the dying Eddie Brock and the symbiote. "Say goodbye. Both of you." And continues to lay on both the sonic assault and the stream of fire.
The sound of metal crashing against metal meets Gargans' ears and his suit registers damage has been done from behind, he ceases his combined assault on Venom. Confused, he looks behind him and down only to see you there, hammering away at his back and legs with a rod that likely came from the now destroyed cement mixer.
"No! Leave them alone!" you scream with rage as you continue to strike him as hard as you can. Unfortunately you are still just a child and thus only scratch the metal armour.
"...(Y/n)..." Eddie says in a weakened voice, barely above a whisper. The symbiote slowly, weakly begins covering him again. "...Get out... of here... Run for it..."
"No! You saved me, it's my turn to save you!" is your reply as you continue wailing on the metal suit before you despite how tired you're feeling. Both perplexed by this sight and somewhat amused by it, Gragan leans down towards you, still clutching Venom in his pincers. "Aaw, well ain't that sweet?" he says mockingly with a smirk, "The monster has a little hero. Face it, kid, there's nothing you can- Agh!"
Upon seeing just how close his face is to you, you swung the rod straight at Scorpion's face. The rod struck true and just hard enough as it hit the red visor, cracking it as Scorpion recoiled in both frustration and pain. Unbeknownst to you a shard of his visor is now embedded in his cheek, and bleeding.
As he recoils in pain and surprise, Gargan brings his pincered hands up to his face instinctively, thus freeing Venom of his grasp as the panels on his suit close again. Eddie just manages to prop himself up off the ground by his arms, the symbiote begins to cover him just a bit more, he's still weak. He sees Gargan flailing around and feels a sense of pride at what little, innocent (Y/n) has accomplished.
Now finished flailing and screaming in pain, Gargan can barely see out of his damaged visor and his heads up display stutters and glitches irritably. His anger rises and his attention turns to the one who caused all of this. You. He stomps over and swipes at you with one of his pincers.
Thankfully his aim is off due to his now poor vision and you anticipate what is coming and attempt to run away. "You little shit!" Unfortunately you are too slow and tired as Gargan's backhanded attack loses momentum and much of it's power by the time it hits you, but you are still knocked off your feet and sent careening across the ground.
'(Y/n)!' '(Y/n)!'
Your body goes limp and from the distance you landed, it's hard to tell if you are still breathing. Both Eddie and the symbiote saw all of this. The symbiote rapidly envelopes Eddie's body as Venom stands up...
"I hate kids." Gargan states in annoyance.
"Gargan!"
Mac Gargan turns to see Venom now standing up upon hearing his enraged voice shout his name, but barely has time to do so before he finds himself on the receiving end of the most powerful haymaker he has ever felt. He meets the ground with force and feels his faceplate cave under the strain, his bleeding cheek now being home to a few loose teeth.
"You're going to pay for that!"
Venom, thoroughly enraged at the sight of an injured innocent; not to mention one he cares for, takes long strides over to Scorpion as he tries to get up. He stops him by stomping squarely on his back, forcing him to the ground again. Using this to his advantage, Venom takes hold of Scorpion's tail as it whips around to strike him, his fingers dig deep into the metal and with a strained roar he rips it from the suit and throws it away.
"He was an innocent!"
Then Venom grabs Scorpion by his back with one hand and throws him into the front of the nearby bulldozer, the large construction vehicle caving under the force and weight. The Lethal Protector is not done yet. Gargan barely has time to open his eyes when Venom shoots two thick lines of webbing onto his suit, with tremendous speed and momentum he is then swung around and into the side of the crane on the opposite side of the construction site. The impact nearly makes the vehicle topple before the web-lines become taught again and he is swung in an arc through the back of the mall.
"A child!"
All pillars caught in the swing cave and shatter under the sudden impact, what few walls were built crumble and shatter as the swing does not loose momentum in the slightest. Just as Gargan is brought out of the mall half of it crumbles and collapses without supports, a cloud of dust rises from where it once stood. Still attached to the two web-lines, Gargan is then swung into the rubble itself. What remains of that section of the mall parts and crumbles, but his momentum ceases as his body hits a pillar which bends under the strain.
Dazed, limp and nearly unconscious from a level of pain he never thought possible, Gargan looks up, peering through his suit's shattered visor. He sees a familiar, towering, muscular figure walking towards him through the cloud of dust. His steps echo, crunching the bits and pieces of armour and concrete beneath his feet.
Venom's white eyes narrow in a mixture of hatred and disgust as he stands before Mac Gargan, not since witnessing the death of a homeless man in San Francisco many years ago has he felt this rage. He stares down at him, teeth bared and tongue coated in saliva as it slithers from one corner of his mouth to the next. Reaching down he grips what remains of his Scorpion suit with one hand and keeps him just below his eye level, looking down at the literally and figuratively broken super villain.
"You killed him..." Venom states with a tone that sends chills down Mac Gargan's numb spine. "It was our job to protect him. Now he'll never see his mother and father again... All because you wanted to 'settle the score.' Well, we're going to. Once and for all."
Through his bloodied throat The Scorpion replies weakly, defiantly. "...What... A-Are you saying?"
"(Y/n) deserved better. And you... You deserve more. Much more."
Venom lifts Gargan higher and slowly opens his mouth wide, wider. Gargan's eyes are fixed on an abyss of tongue and teeth, in an ironic twist of fate it seems he will now soon be nothing more than sustenance for that which he fears and despises the most. He does not even have the energy to scream or call for help as Venom's maw draws nearer, and nearer.
A sound breaks the moment. A small voice, barely above a whisper, it's tone of pain and pleading. It is familiar to all three beings who hear it.
"...M-Mister... Venom?"
Venom stops. He lowers the broken and bloodied Mac Gargan as he closes his mouth and turns to the source of the voice. His eyes wide in a mixture of hope and disbelief.
"...Mister... V-V-Venom?"
A smile spreads across the The Lethal Protector's face as he puts Gargan back against the pillar, webs him to it and runs over to the voice's source. "(Y/n)?!" Rounding a pile of rubble, he finds him, exactly how he was when Gargan struck him, he's barely moving but he's breathing. He kneels down as the boy turns his head to look at the Anti-Hero.
'He's alive!'
"(Y/n)!" Venom says in surprise and happiness at the sight of you. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Your eyes flood with tears and you manage a pained smile. "Y-Yeah, my back it..." You wince as you try to move but the pain stops you from doing so. Hot waves of pain travel up and down your back. "My back really hurts..."
Venom's eyes form a look of concern, his tongue retracts and he looks to your back. 'If it's what I think it is then... Man, I don't know what- Wait... Can you?'
'We can try, Eddie. We have to at least try.'
'Yes, my other, do what you can.'
"Hold still, (Y/n). We're going to help you. Just... Just don't panic." Venom very, very gently places his hand on your back. You wince and sob just a bit, but he holds his hand there. Part of the symbiote flows down from his fingertips, through your clothes, onto your skin and goes further. Yet all this time you do not feel pain from this, rather a wave of pleasant warmth comes over you and you can feel yourself relax.
"What's... What's-"
'Relax, (Y/n). You are being healed. It will not take long.' a voice speaks in your mind. It is clear, almost like a soft whisper. You are startled at first but then you realize who or rather what you are talking to. The warm feeling culminates along your spine. And the pain dissipates.
The symbiote leaves your body and retracts back into the rest of Venom's mass. "Stand up." He tells you.
Uncertain at first, you slowly but surely press gather yourself and stand up again as if your spine was never injured. The pain in your back is completely gone, even when you turn to look around, your back does not hurt. "M-My back... It's-"
"Healed. Yes." Venom answers for you, his face peeling back to reveal the man you now know as Eddie Brock, smiling. "My other can do that. In fact, my others' already healing me. It takes time depending on how bad it is but, you need it more than me."
You smile in response.
The symbiote covers Eddie's face again as he speaks and gestures for you to jump onto his back. "Let's go."
You nod, comply happily and hop onto his back much like before and lock you hands around his neck. Venom then stands up to his full height and strides to the rubble, where he is in sight of the still conscious and thoroughly beaten Mac Gargan. His demeanour is stern and serious as he speaks to him.
"If you ever come after us again-" The Lethal Protector glances over your shoulder at you, momentarily smiling before adopting his previous presence as he looks to Gargan again. "Any of us again, we promise you won't be so lucky. Isn't that right?" He asks as he looks over his shoulder at you.
"Yeah!" You reply before looking straight at Mac Gargan and make use of a loud and mocking Bronx Cheer/Blowing a Raspberry. Venom does so, too. Adding to The Scorpion's utter humiliation.
The unmistakable sound of police sirens grows closer, Venom and yourself leap off into the night.
In her office at Alchemax Liz Allan paces it's length, the sound of her heels are the only audible sounds echoing throughout the room. In her mind however is a whirlwind of worry and concern over the safety of both her recent acquaintance: Eddie Brock, and the beloved son of her friends: (Y/n). It takes her nearly everything for her to not panic, to keep calm and stay as rational as possible.
'Where are they?' She wonders as she runs a hand through her long blonde hair. 'He said they'd be here soon. What am I supposed to- No, wait, calm down, Liz. Don't jump to that line of thought. Focus.'
She then starts to rub her brow in worry, all the while walking over to one of the windows in her office. "I need some air-Aah!"
Her words are replaced by an audible indication of both shock and surprise when she looks out of her window, who is there beyond the glass. She can't help but feel a mixture of confusion and relief.
The sight before her is that of Venom, hanging upside down by a thread of webbing and holding a familiar little boy in one of his arms firmly. She recognizes the boy as (Y/n), who is also smiling and waving at her as he cheerily says. "Hi, Miss Allan!"
"Hi!" Venom adds in an equally cheery tone.
"Can you open the door, please? My head's feeling funny." (Y/n) asks politely.
All Liz Allan can do is silently nod as she hurries over to the huge window and opens it as wide as she can. A breeze comes into the room, as does Venom who crawls on the ceiling while still holding the innocent little boy very gently. Venom then drops down softly and places (Y/n) onto the floor.
Alchemax's C.E.O rushes forward and kneels down as she hugs the boy, he hugs back as she states. "I was so worried about you two. Are you okay? Were you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Miss Allan." You reply as she pulls back to take a good, long, detailed look at you. She notices the bits of dust in your hair and immediately starts clearing it up.
"How'd you get all this dust in your hair? And... is this... concrete?" she asks as worry sets itself into her voice, she looks to Venom for an answer. An eyebrow raised as if ready to scold a child; but not the one whom she is cleaning up.
The symbiote retracts from Eddie, disappearing into his clothes to the point where only Eddie Brock himself is all that is stood where Venom once was. He shrugs his shoulders awkwardly. "...It's kind of a long story."
"Well, make it quick, Brock, 'cause I've got to call (Y/n)'s parents."
Soon after calling your parents to inform them that you are safe, Liz even let you talk to them for a bit before sitting both yourself and Eddie down so the two (or technically three) of you could explain what had happened earlier this night. You go into lots of detail, some of which does prompt Eddie to explain a bit further, all the while Liz's reaction range from shock, to concern and then to laughter all the while she absorbs every piece of information.
Upon telling her the whole story, Liz sighs in relief before asking that you never tell anyone about how you were rescued by Venom. Despite your young age and innocence you understand why and reluctantly agree, even though you would love to tell the truth it is indeed better that no one knows. She eve suggests that you say you were rescued by Spider-Man, as it answers a lot of questions people may ask; and it fits with the story that she is going to use as the 'official story.'
Before long a call comes through Liz's office phone. She walks over and answers it in what appears to be a very rehearsed, very proper side of herself as she asks who it is. Her mood changes and she smiles faintly while lancing over to the two of you, her eyes on the two of you. She notes how comfortable the two of you are around each other, the similar smiles and is reminded she technically has two children in the room.
It's plain to see that a strong friendship has been forged between your saviour and yourself. And now you must say goodbye to the only real friend you have ever made. It pains her to know that; it almost makes her feel guilty but, she has to do the right thing.
"Yeah, okay. Send 'em up. We're in my office." she says. "Okay. Bye."
"Are my parents here?" you ask.
Liz nods with a small smile.
"Awesome! I'm going home!" you cheer as you throw your fists in the air. "You hear that Mister Brock, I'm going home!"
Eddie smiles at your enthusiasm but realizes that the time to say goodbye is drawing near, and thus his smile drops as he replies. "Yeah, I heard. I guess it's time for us to say goodbye."
"You mean 'us' as in you and your other, right?"
Eddie looks to the ground for a brief moment, drawing worry to your features as you look to Liz for answers but receive none. You look back to Eddie as he looks to you and states. "I'm afraid not, (Y/n)."
"What? But? Are you saying I can't see you again?"
He nods with a sad look on his face. Rather than argue or question, you just accept the clear fact. Eddie gives you a sad smile and opens his arms for you and, without hesitation, stand up from your seat on the couch and hug him; to which he returns.
Your eyes closed, you can hear the symbiote envelope Eddie and soon you feel Venom's gentle but warm embrace. He pats you on the back, in an attempt to reassure you that all will be fine. All the while Alchemax's C.E.O looks on in silence and can't help but smile at the surprisingly heart-warming sight before her; a towering union between man and Klyntar many rightfully consider a monster and an innocent little boy sharing a moment.
"I'll miss you, Mister Venom."
"We'll miss you too, (Y/n)."
Venom pulls back from the embrace and stands up from the couch. "Take care."
"I will."
Suddenly the handle on Liz's door makes a clicking sound as it begins to open, in worry of what they might see you look to Venom and see... that he is already gone. A feeling of sadness would come over you if not for being reunited with your mother and father, whom briskly scoop you into their arms and shower you with affection. They thank Liz profusely for 'calling in a favour with Parker Industries.'
To your surprise, as your parents leave with you being carried by your father. You see Venom uncloaks for a brief moment and see a smile upon his face, a genuine, happy, yet toothy smile as he waves you goodbye. You smile and wave back tiredly. And then smile as you fall asleep in your father's arms. And after the night's events, it is a rest well earned.
As Liz's office door closes with a distinct click Venom drops to the floor before standing to his full height again, his body language telling of how sad he is to see you go. Adding to this he lets out a sigh.
"You're really gonna miss him, huh?"
"Yes." Venom replies as he makes his way over to the same window where he and (Y/n) entered in by.
"Eddie."
Venom halts and looks back to Liz, Eddie's face revealed as the symbiote peels back just enough to do so. "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Anytime. Little guy really grows on ya, doesn't he? Kind of like a fungus."
Liz Allan smiles fondly. "He does. You'd know all about that, huh? You and that parasite of yours."
'Parasite?!'
'Not now.'
"So. See you around?"
"Still need treatment from Doctor Steve?" Liz replies with a wry smirk.
"Yes. But not now."
"Then yes. You'd better get going. Probably more innocents need protecting."
With a nod the symbiote envelopes Eddie's face again. "Yes. And brains to be eaten."
"...Brains? What?"
And with that Venom leaps out of the open window and web-swings into the night, smiling.
'Y'know, saving (Y/n) proved something tonight, my other.'
'Yes. Yes it did.'
'Apart we can only do so much. But together... Together we can do so much more; we can be so much more.'
'Together...'
"We are Venom."
The End.
What can I say? I love Venom.
I've been a fan of the character since I was a kid, and now that I'm older and more mature (not really) my love for this character has only sky rocketed. As of now I own trade paperbacks of Venom: Lethal Protector, the first three volumes of Frank Costa's run (which this is set in) and Venom Inc. All of which I recommend giving a read or a buy if you can.
And yes, I saw the film - funny enough it came out on my birthday - and I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel. Tom Hardy was brilliant as both Eddie Brock and Venom (no surprise there).
I like to think my knowledge of the character shows in parts one and two, I made sure to pepper in a few references to Venom's history here and there. And I even managed to sneak in a reference to the film near the end.
Aside from all that I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I had writing this. Please do let me know if you thought I handled the characters well, I'm really curious to hear what you have to say. Tell me what your favourite part was. maybe?
By the by, if you want a bit more of this story I would be willing to write a small epilogue if people are interested.
See you later. :)