Avengers:

Infinity Aftermath

By Kristopher Rose

The world was in pain. His head was particularly painful. Alexander Shaw, Xander to his friends, felt like he had his head bashed in by a burly biker. One that obviously had a beef to give him such a splitting headache. Though he didn't remember getting into bar fights recently; he tried to avoid those. The man got up, not more than twenty-five, he was no stranger to adversity. As he did, his balance left him and he ended up staggering over to the bathroom.

Xander's head swam, but with practiced efficiency, he pushed the pain down. His life hadn't been easy, and he was used to pushing through pain. It was just his hope to make it to the bathroom before the pain became unbearable. As whatever was causing it didn't look like it was content to leave him be. Another wracking wave nearly sent him to his knees, but he managed to grab the bathroom sink. For the briefest of moments, the counter held his full weight.

Then the pain began to recede. At first, it was barely perceptible, but then it began to drain like a massive river. Finally, he could open his eyes, and the world came into focus. Which was as much a relief as it also brought up new questions. Things were wrong, even as his mind said they were right.

Looking at his counter, the set up was similar, but different. He couldn't quite place it, but he had a recollection that it had been different. The tap had been more to the left, then the right. The water tap being closer to the shower, not with standing, the shower was wrong too. It faced the wrong way, and many more small things. Yet, try as he might, the memories said everything was normal.

As his wits returned, he thought of Mara, and immediately he stumbled out of the bathroom. Rather drunkenly he made his way around the apartment searching for her. Thankfully he found her on the couch, dealing with her own headache. Her eyes shot up to his, and he held her tight.

She was safe, and he didn't know why he would have thought otherwise. They had their own adventures, angered several groups, and even made a fair share of enemies. This feeling didn't feel like that though, this felt bigger and deadlier. So relieved, he held her tight, even past the time her pain had receded and his was just a dull ache.

Memories assaulted them, both coming from their minds, but also from experiences that didn't match up with their current reality. The words "miracles," "mutants," "abominations," and one phrase, "sent to help." What stood out the most, even amongst the words was one thought.

"We're alone," Xander said.

Mara nodded in his arms, "mutants are rare it seems."

It was then that both of their cells rang, but it wasn't any ringtone they had heard before. Xander looked at his, and instead of a picture or a number, a video played. In it an older man with wire glasses, a mustache and a benevolent expression spoke.

"Greetings, Mr. Shaw and Ms. Zeltros," the older man said. "You don't know me, but something terrible has happened. Thanos has completed his task, and half the universe is gone. In his calculations, he made a mistake, which allowed me to bring you and a few others here. It is now up to you to set things right."

The video ended and the phone went black. Mara and Xander sat there, wondering how they were going to set it right. The television turned on and a harried reporter was screaming about planes falling out of the sky. They both looked at each other, at least they had somewhere to start.

Moments later, a 747 was plummeting to the ground. Inside the navigator was trying to get to the pilot's seat. Both the pilot and copilot had disappeared, and if he couldn't pull the nose up, everyone was going to die. Physics was working against him, as he was being pushed into his chair. Despite his heroic efforts, his mind instinctually knew he was moving too slow to make it. The controls were just out of his reach, and he yelled in frustration.

Then the jet stopped, albeit slowly, but it came to a stop. Floating above the city, the passengers and the navigator all were shocked. The engines were still running, and now not trapped, the navigator reached the controls. Pushing the engines, he felt a slight resistance, before it fell away. The jet burst forward, while the navigator's training took over.

It wasn't but five more minutes before he was on the ground. At that time, and only after the passengers were gone, did he even stop to think how they had all survived. It had been a miracle. The question was, what had happened, what had made his pilot and copilot disappear?

Down on the street, back in the city, a van careened wildly out of control. It was one of many, whether they were vans, cars or buses. This one had three screaming children in the back. Their father had been there one minute, gone the next. Now their trusted vehicle was dangerously running through crowded streets. It smashed into a building, and the children were thrown against their safety restraints. Unable to breath, the oldest watched in horror as flames sprouted around the outside.

The people on the street gasped as the van began to burn. A blur of a lithe woman darted by. With three flicks of her wrists, a hole appeared in the van and she dove in. Dressed in a black leather material, she didn't feel the pain from the flames immediately. That didn't bother her. She took the brunt of the damage, as the citizens around made a chain to receive the children inside.

Fire crews eventually made it to put the fire out, and by then Mara was gone. Her burns healed and not a single person on the street could say where the mystery woman went. The story repeated several times that day, all across the eastern United States. As the news reports came in, the scared populace had that one bit of good news. Most interested were the governments of the world, who suddenly feared there were a new set of super beings they couldn't control.

"General Ross, find out who they are and bring them in," a shadow speaker said. "Any word from the Avengers or Colonel Rhodes?"

"No, Sir, Rhodes and the Avengers are still out of communication," General Ross reported. "As soon as they are, Colonel Rhodes will be brought up on charges. However, we must contend with the thought that we have lost them all. The criminals, Captain Rogers and his associates are still at large."

"Are you saying we no longer have any assets to protect the Earth?" the shadow speaker growled.

"We are currently trying to acquire Stark's suits from Stark Industries," General Ross continued. "We are meeting resistance from the lawyers and local authorities. Apparently Stark has endeared himself to New York City, despite the damage caused by the invasion."

The shadow speaker paused for a moment, "General, we may need Rogers and his people. Bring them to heel, whatever the cost. As for our other plans, what are their status?"

"Project: Hulk Reborn is still incomplete," Ross sighed. "We have also sent out negotiators to Hydra for their weapons, and we have the data from their and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on these so called, 'Inhumans.' We have begun trials to recreate them, based on Hydra's work. So far there have been no successes, like the Scarlet Witch."

"Keep trying, General Ross, we'll be in touch," with that the shadow speaker left.

General Ross checked his messages before heading out of the meeting room. His people were still working on the identity of the new heroes. They wore masks, and none of his intelligence operators had any leads on them. It was as if they had just appeared out of the blue. When that happened, bad things were sure to come. That's how it had been with the Avengers, with Loki's attack preceding them coming together.

Eddie Brock was shaken. Though he was in San Francisco, he felt the change. His other half, the symbiote, had cried out in anguish. What came next was incomprehensible, but he knew it was furious. As he listened to the news reports, he too was beginning to feel the same way. Planes falling from the sky, ships sinking, cars crashing and electrical grids at the point of collapse. All of this and where were the Avengers?

There was still hope, two mysterious figures were being played up on the news. He was watching footage of one right now. The man floated in the air, his helmeted head obscuring his face. Like a grand maestro, he lifted his arms and a plane stopped its fall from the sky. In another shot, a train was barreling down upon unsuspecting traffic at a crossing. The cars lifted into the air, and the same figure was seen. He stopped the train next, the authorities soon had it cleared and another engineer on board to take over.

Eddie watched the television as a knock came at the door. The booming sounds resounded off the small apartment. Again they came, louder, fiercer this time. He looked over, his face slowly switching from calm to angry. The knocks became insistent, nearly smashing the door off the hinges. They weren't knocks, they were the sound of a battering ram. Too bad the door had been reinforced, at more expense than he cared to admit.

"Eddie," the other said.

Brock stood, "Yes, let's greet our unwanted guests."

Black tendrils erupted and wrapped themselves around Eddie. Quickly the visage of Eddie Brock, photojournalist disappeared and a lethal protector came into focus. Giant maw opened and a long prehensile tongue lashed out. Needle teeth dripped viscous saliva and large while eyes streamlined against his head. On their muscled chest a white spider symbol formed, and that was the first sight the invaders saw as the door finally broke.

The second thing they saw was a monster slamming into them. Dressed in military style tactical gear, the team of eight were given high caliber squad weapons. They weren't enough, and the squad knew it in an instant.

It might have been as the first one in was thrown back like a ragdoll, barreling the next two. Like bowling pins they went, and the three providing cover saw their bullets hit. Then they promptly repositioned as the thing came after them. They fired again, but this volley was no different than the last. The only hope was the two in the rear, armed with commandeered Hydra rifles.

The thing danced around their shots, but they got close one time. Venom glared angrily at them as he shot out some of his suit's webbing. Connecting, he yanked back hard, sending the two heavy hitters flying right towards him. One went through a wall, his legs spasming violently before coming to a dead stop. The other connected with a large black fist, his vertebrate snapping from the force.

Two of the first three were back up, but they faired no better. One was sent down the hall, crashing through a window on the other side. Luckily the fire escape stopped their fall, but there were still several rib fractures, broken limbs and one shattered ocular orbit. Another found herself thrown into the three that had been providing cover fire.

One dropped his weapon and Venom knocked him out cold. The thrown woman lay on the ground clutching her sides, in too much pain to move. Venom webbed up the last of the first three through his door, making sure she was secure. That left two, and he smelled fear on them, they were drenched in it. They symbiote and he roared, a deafening sound that woke the whole building.

"Eight little toy figures, six went down and now two remain," Venom snarled. "Which one dies first?"

"Y..you are commanded to come with us, but order of General Ross and the…," the gunman would have said more, but Venom's clawed hand lifted him into the air.

Venom spat, "We go where WE WANT TO!"

The captured man's partner took the initiative to slash out with a knife. It buried deep into the combination of man and symbiote, but Venom's next move truly instilled fear. Reaching over, they pulled out the knife and threw it pinpoint into the sill of the window down the hall. They looked over at the one who had knifed them and screamed, the long dagger teeth prominent and deadly.

Venom knocked his attacker out, "Bullets don't work, but sure, a knife will hurt us. They didn't pick you guys for your brains did they?" He incapacitated the other in his hand, before turning back to the webbed up one. "You are saved this day because of the innocent inside. We will not harm the innocent, but if we ever see you on our trail again, we will eat your spleen."

With that Eddie Brock and the symbiote leapt out of the apartment building. Gone in two bounds, launching off a wall and straight through the window. Part of Eddie was sorry to see the apartment go. It had been his longest stay since being bonded with the other. He didn't blame the other, they just attracted attention wherever they went.

He had gotten used after a while to moving from place to place. The nomadic lifestyle hadn't been that much different than when he had been working a beat for the Daily Bugle, back in New York, a lifetime ago it seemed. Having to chase a story for that tightwad J. Jonah Jameson gave him plenty of time to get used to moving from apartment to apartment. Mostly because Jameson always underpaid, unless he could get pictures of these new superheroes the public wanted. Jameson paid better for those images.

Venom's attention was drawn from his thoughts to a family being carjacked at gunpoint. Eddie felt the symbiote's glee at getting a chance to punish more people, he felt the same way. Down they swung, followed by bloodcurdling screams. In horror the victims watched as their attacker was demolished before their eyes by a monster. Before leaving the monster smiled at them, rose of needle teeth shining as it leaped away.

Templar was listening to the radio waves in the air. Being electromagnetic in nature, the waves were perfectly legible with his gift. He saw, heard and felt the vibrations around him, and through his gift deciphered them. He was searching, and he was sure he had just found what he was looking for. Reports of a gruesome attack filtered in from the West Coast, and they matched a being he was looking for.

"How would you like to see the San Francisco Bridge?" Templar asked his compatriot, Wildcat.

Mara in her uniform shrugged at Xander, "It's on the bucket list. We are stopping for some sourdough though!"

"Oh yeah," Xander said under his Templar helmet. "Than I think it's time to stop in at Stark Industries."

"What are we picking up there?" Wildcat asked as she jumped up and stretched.

Xander's voice dropped and became Templar's again, "Something that should never have been taken from the Captain."

The Watcher saw them leave, its eyes recording everything for posterity. It kept vigil, a record keeper of deeds of those on this planet. Alien eyes, that looked slightly human on a bigger than natural head, blinked. In that blink was just the slightest bit, just the tiniest bit of wetness. The closest the Watcher ever got to crying, and more brought on by the heroes having to seemingly failed. Just for a moment, and then the Watcher returned to the vigil.

The next morning Eddie relaxed outside of a Starbucks in San Francisco. He knew that he had a few days before the cops got even close to him. His landlord barely saw him, he paid by cash, and dropped off his rent early. The one time she had seen him, the other had changed his appearance slightly. Another benefit to the partnership they had, and one that came in handy at times like this.

He sipped on his coffee, feeling uneasy. Since it was Starbucks, there was a squirt of this and that, half mocha, half chocolate, with a spoonful of mint. Wasn't necessarily his preference, black coffee was, but that order would have stood out. Another rule of blending in, don't make waves. Despite that he was tall and wide, with is baggy clothes most took him to be smaller than he was.

The other's sense was tingling again. Someone was watching them. Eddie kept his cool and nonchalantly looked around. He didn't see anything, and he didn't hear anything. The fact remained that someone was definitely interested in him. The danger sense began to tingle harder, not really signing danger, but it still made him uncomfortable. He made the decision to finish the coffee and then made his way.

There were too many people around, and his sense of being watched only continued to grow. The other was ready to come out, but he waited. It was still daylight, and he wanted to draw out those who were following him. So, he went down an alley or two, each becoming narrower. This would work to his advantage and to their disadvantage.

"Hold, we mean you no harm," came a voice that was a mixture of authority and geniality. "I am, Templar, and this is my partner, Wildcat."

Eddie smirked, "Well I forgot my camera today, so you'll forgive me if I don't stay for pictures."

"Listen, Mr. Brock," the woman called Wildcat said. "We know you are special, and we are here to ask your help."

Eddie felt the other surge forward, but held it back, "Listen girl, you don't know me."

"We know enough," she shot back. "I can smell the other part of you, it doesn't smell like anything from this world."

With that Eddie let the other come out and Venom stood before them, "Come at us if you dare."

"Listen," Temlar said gently. "We aren't here to fight you. You and your symbiote are free to say 'no,' but hear us out before you do."

"We work best alone," Venom said, but not with the same aggression before.

Wildcat pushed back her instinct to attack, "Our world is defenseless, innocents are in danger if someone like Loki, Ultron or Hydra attack. Not to mention any threat from the stars that we don't know about, or caused the recent devastation."

Venom's eyes shrank to slits, "We aren't heroes."

"Come now, we can be heroes, you and us," Templar countered. "Hear us out, remember you are free. We won't help those after you, nor will we fight you if you choose not to join us."

"We…are..listening," Venom sighed.