PreludeNatalie groaned as she shifted under her blanket, rolling out of the bed and onto the floor. She untangled her messy ginger curls as she stood up, and walked to her large bathroom. For the last year or so, she'd lived in New York after moving from England, and she'd been working as a photographer for a magazine. Natalie lazily picked apart her red hair, smoothing it over to one side. She gargled mouthwash and spat it down the sink, as she quickly washed her face with a damp flannel before jogging to her bed; She picked up a tight pair of black skinny jeans, and a green crop top. Hopping into a pair of converse trainers, Natalie slipped her phone into her back pocket along with her keys and some change; She grabbed her leather jacket and sunglasses, as well as her camera, and slung her rucksack on her bag as she jumped out the door. She skipped into the street, putting her earphones in, making her way to the magazine office.
No less than half an hour later, she arrived, passing the receptionist – Nate – with a flirty wink. He smirked as she walked by, shaking his head.
"That girl's crazy" He smiled.
Natalie rode jogged up the stairs, putting her earphones away as she felt into her comfy office chair. She set her camera down, starting up her laptop and turning on her mouse. Before she could do much else, a couple copies of the Daily Bugle landed on her keyboard. Highlighted on all of them were pictures of Spider-Man, captioned with the regular 'Masked Menace' crap, and her name credited in the bottom right. She looked up at her 'Boss', Jillian, who had a half-smirk-half-frown on her face.
"Natalie," She scowled disapprovingly, "You've been cheating on us".
Natalie shrugged, "C'mon, Jilly bean... It's just a bit of money on the side – Anything to put food on the table".
"I'm not disputing that, Nat, it's just that you've worked here for six months; You're part of this family – we all welcomed you. It's a bit painful to look at" Jillian sighed.
Natalie detected a hint of sorrow in her 'Boss's' voice, "What are you insinuating, Jillian?".
"The editor – in his own convoluted ways – has decided that if you aren't fully devoted to the company, then you aren't worth keeping on. He said, and I quote, 'If she wants to send her crap to the Bugle, then she can get her ass out of my office and work there'" Jill explained.
Natalie looked at her in disgust, "You're firing me".
Jillian sighed, "We're not fir-"
"No, don't bother – I'll be out by the end of the day" Natalie muttered.
"Nat..." Jillian started.
Natalie looked back at Jillian with a scowl, shaking her head in dismay. Natalie dumped a few post-it notes in her bag, a couple photos and a few flash drives. She frowned again, looking at Jillian.
"Tell Bingham he can bite my ass" She spat, turning on her heel and leaving.
Jillian sighed as she opened her phone, looking at a photo of her and Natalie kissing from roughly eight months ago. Putting her phone away, she was again painfully reminded as she looked at Natalie's laptop, only to see the same image as the wallpaper.
Natalie walked on down the street, devoid of her cheery manner. Hopping down into the subway, it didn't take long for her train to arrive. In a few minutes, she was just a block from her large apartment. She grumbled profanities all around, as she picked up the day's newspaper to look for Job offers. The hours slipped away quickly, as she made phone calls left and right, but to little avail. Ironically, she only found job offers at the Bugle or her old Magazine, presented like a twisted ultimatum, designed to mock her.
She groaned, resting her face in her hands, "God, what am I going to do?".
As it was, she had not long been paid, and having called earlier to confirm her resignation, she was due her severance cheque in a week. On top of the money from the Bugle, she realistically had a month until she'd been on the curb. Her phone quickly buzzed, and she grabbed it off the nightstand. The caller ID stated unknown, but the number was familiar.
"Hi, Nate" She called, putting it on speaker phone.
He chuckled, "Hi, Natalie – I heard you quit; What happened?".
"Difference of opinion" She frowned, darkly.
Nate sighed, "Eddie?".
"Yup, all five foot five of him" Natalie laughed.
Nate smirked, "It may be a stretch, but Eddie's a lifelong friend – I'll appeal to his little-less-than-human humanity for you, see if I can soften him up".
"I appreciate the gesture, Nate, I really do, but..." She looked at her apartment, with the job offers in front of her, "I'll manage; I reckon I've still got a few weeks until certain death".
Nate cleared his throat, "So, the other reason I'm calling...".
"I know, when we did it. Look, I was a bit drunk in the bar, and needed a release" Natalie lied.
"Oh..." Nate sighed, "Okay, well... You're welcome... I guess".
Natalie smirked sadly, "It's not that I'm not into you, it's just that boobs are kinda more my thing".
"No, no, I get it – I've seen you with Jillian; But – not to sound like an asshole – if you ever change your mind, you've got my number" Nate smiled.
Natalie laughed, "Yeah, you never know... Well, I'm going to go and make myself some noodles, or ramen, whatever you yanks call it".
"Okay, well, hope to be seeing you Natalie" Nate replied, and the line went dead.
Natalie flopped down on her bed, defeated, and tossed her phone on the nightstand. The day had already slipped away unfathomably, and she found herself looking at a dark sunset as clouds began to gather and rain began to fall. Not far across from her apartment was the Trinity church, where she often found herself when in tight spots. Grabbing a green and grey hoodie, she put her jacket back on and casually strolled out the door. It didn't take long to leave the building, back into the rainy streets, and she pulled her hood up. The Midtown church stood tall and ominously, as a deposit thunder boomed in the background.
"God, that wasn't creepy" Natalie muttered.
She hoped through the lanes of cars and taxis, which were at a standstill, and over to the foreboding chapel that dwarfed the tiny apartments. As she stepped inside, she was struck by an air of warm wax, and observed the hundreds of candles lit in prayer. She silently dipped her fingers in the basin, and waved them over her body in a cross. Silently gliding to the pews, she stepped down to the front and sat down, clasping her fingers together and resting them on her knees.
"I'm not a particularly... Religious woman, but, I'd like to think you do exist up there, big man" Natalie quietly chuckled.
She looked up at the tagged depiction of Jesus on the cross, with a crown of thorns upon his head.
"You've helped me in a lot of difficult spots and I'm grateful for that. Now, I'm asking for another hand; I'm looking for a new job, but I haven't had any luck – I can't win anyone over. I just want one last chance" She grimaced, with a sign of hope.
She sat for another while, before she stood up, with a mildly renewed faith. Natalie was then distracted by the tolling of the church bells. Ordinarily anyone would dismiss it, but being so close to the Bell Tower, she could hear an indistinct conversation and yelling to accompany it. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, she pushed the heavy, oak, doors open and looked up into the winding staircase. She was unsettled by the sight. Crashing through the stairs by the bell were none other than Spider-Man and Venom, locked in vicious combat. It was definitely a losing battle for the black and white villain, who seemed to writhe and contort as the web-slinger beat into him with a series of blows that could kill an ordinary person.
"Give it up, Brock! You've let the suit corrupt you with its power" Spidey yelled.
Venom screeched as his suit seemed to peel and waver, "Never! Not without killing you!".
Spidey's eyes thinned into a pained squint, as he uppercut the creature in its toothy maw, up into the bell. The resounding clang made Venom's suit peel away entirely, as the man who Natalie recognised as Eddie Brock was revealed. He dropped defeated onto the wooden platform above, and Spider-Man zipped up, away from sight.
The web-slinger knelt down by his old nemesis, who groaned in anguish. He whipped out a small, phone sized device, which took a scan of Eddie's vital signs. It revealed no abnormalities, which confirmed the destruction of the Symbiote.
"No... The Symbiote! What did you do to me! I can't feel it! What did you do!" The disgruntled reporter yelled.
Spidey squinted, "I freed you from that... Thing...".
Brock lunged at him, but was webbed by his hands, feet, and mouth.
"And now you're going to enjoy a nice life sentence in The Vault, where no Symbiote will ever reach you again" The Web-Head muttered.
He picked the former villain up by his jacket, and jumped out of the bell tower, unaware of the transformation below...
A moment earlier...
Natalie looked as the Villain dropped defeated onto the wooden platform above, and Spider-Man zipped up, away from sight. She tried to peer up, but couldn't see anything. Unbeknownst to her, the Symbiote slinked through the wood, and dripped down to the floor. A few drops landed on Natalie's jacket, mildly blending in, but the large chunk that was the Symbiote's main body fell towards her. It splashed down on her hoodie and latched on, quickly slithering out to coat her. She tried to scream, but was silenced as her face was entirely coated by the black liquid. It coated her arms, torso, back, legs, hands and feet, as it became a Skin-tight black body suit. Natalie writhed as she tried to tear it off, but a meek voice cut her off.
Please don't. Don't like loud noises
Natalie looked around widely as her vision cleared in completely new definition and clarity. A million thoughts raced through her mind as she looked at the black bodysuit. What was it? Where did it come from? Was it Venom? How did it come off? Did it come off? The suit slowly shifted and squirmed, as it sank into her skin, as if it never existed. She blinked. Was it gone?
Not gone. Part of you, now. You're my new host
Natalie jumped, as the feminine voice came in surround sound.
Don't be afraid. I didn't like being Venom, with Eddie. All the senseless killing...
Now Natalie was terrified, "No, no... I'm delusional – It's the adrenaline! I'm not insane! I'm just stressed – leaving the magazine just did a number on me! I bet the fight didn't even happen".
She quickly jogged out the church, passing through the lines of cars, as she ran to the apartment building. Dashing up the stairs and through the door, Natalie paced up and down her apartment, running her hands through her hair as she panted anxiously. She dumped her clothes on the bed and marched into the bathroom, turning the shower on. As the water heated up, she looked at her misted reflection in the mirror. Wiping the condensation away, she jumped in terror, seeing the black suit once again. Rubbing her face with her hands, she jumped into the shower, hoping that the water would help her clear her mind. The water dripped down her body, and she smoothed her hair back, allowing herself to be soothed by the warmth. However, once again, the Symbiote coated her body and left it purely black, with no trace of humanity underneath. Natalie's eyes remained closed, but when she opened them, she shrieked, seeing the black once again.
Please! No loud noises! Sound between four to six thousand Hertz is dangerous for me
Natalie panted, turning off the water, and jumping out of the shower. Not bothering to put on a towel, she ran into her bedroom, attempting to tear the black away, clawing at it. However, it wouldn't budge. She fell onto the bed in tears, choking on her sobs.
"Please... Just go away..." She coughed, with puffy eyes.
Don't cry... I just want to help...
Natalie sniffed, looking into open space for the incorporeal voice.
"Why? Why do you want to help me?" She sniffled.
You are sad – sad about losing your Job... You think nothing will go right again; I want to help change that...
Natalie blinked away her tears, pulling her knees to her chest quietly, "Are you even real?".
I am as real as you are... I'm what made Eddie into Venom
Natalie recoiled, "Then you're responsible for all his murders?".
NO! Eddie used me! Used me for his misdeeds; I was a slave – his enabler – his will dominated mine!
Natalie slowly sat up, cross legged on her bed. She remained silent for a moment, before looking at her body.
"Are you... Inside me?" She inquired, drying her eyes
I am. In your blood, your bones... All of you...
"Why me?" She asked, "Why not Spider-Man?".
The Symbiote seemed hurt.
Spider-Man thought I was evil – using him. I knew so little then; I wanted to help him. Instead I just pushed him further away...
Natalie was silent for a minute more.
"Well, I know a thing or two about that..." She sniffed, recalling the last eight months.
That woman... Jillian? You loved her?
"I did," Natalie chuckled, "But, she was tied to the job... I guess, it was better for us both if I broke it all off...".
I understand all too well...
The pair didn't speak for a short while, both figuring out what to say.
"So what... Who... Are you?" Natalie inquired.
I come from a planet – far, far, beyond your galaxy... Klyntar...Images flashed through Natalie's mind of the Symbiote's memories.Our race of Symbiotes need hosts to survive outside of our atmosphere – many of the chemicals in your air are toxic to us, so we need to bond with someone used to this planet to survive. The match has to be good enough, or we could wind up killing the host; It's not pleasant to bear witness to...
Natalie pulled the blanket over her to keep warm, all the while keeping an inquisitive look, "And your first host was Spider-Guy?".
He was, and he was a good one. However, he didn't know I was alive, and the thrill of my power altered his mind – a negative effect of the bonding process; Symbiotes tend to feed off of emotional responses, and unwittingly amplify host emotions
"And when he found out, he got rid of you, and you found Eddie?" The young photographer could guess a few things after that.
Indeed. At first, I hated Spider-Man for rejecting me; Eddie's mutual hatred made him a perfect match. But, time went on, and I began to understand human emotions. I wanted no more part of it. That's why Eddie overpowered my will – we were too well bonded. The church bells were thankfully enough to make Eddie's body reject me; I made him feel all the pain I did
Natalie smirked, "Karma's a bitch".
It is
"So, do you have a name?" Natalie inquired
No
The answer seemed to casual and unemotional that it shook Natalie. How could such a seemingly benevolent creature be so devoid of such an important aspect, and be unaffected?
"Well, what should I call you?" She asked.
The Symbiote seemed to think for a few moments.
Call me... Sym... Short for Symbiote...
Natalie smiled, "Sym it is... Now, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship".
Me too...
Sym's tendrils slowly oozed out of Natalie's body, and formed the black suit, but now devoid of the mask, as the black faded up her neck. Natalie smiled.
She ran a hand over the shiny, rubbery material, "This does feel nice... Like a warm bath...".
She cooed contently as Sym continued to warm her body and she drifted into a deep slumber.
The next morning Natalie groaned awake, in her usual daily fashion. She found herself completely naked, and arched a brow.
"Was it... All just a dream?" She asked aloud, inspecting her body.
Nope, it was real
Natalie jumped at the female voice again, clutching her chest, "Jesus, Sym, give a lady some warning...".
Sorry. Thought it was best to let you wake up undisturbed
Natalie smiled, "It's okay. Now, on Today's agenda," she walked to grab her camera, only to pause and defeatedly fall back on the bed, "Absolutely nothing, because I'm out of a job".
I have an idea
The young photographer arched a brow, "Do pray tell".
She quickly shivered, covered in Goosebumps as the warmth of Sym's tendrils enveloped her.
We talk suit design
Natalie blinked.
"Say what now?" She asked, hands on hips.
You want to do something? I've come to learn that Vigilante heroics pass the time. So, suit design – what do you want?
"Are you serious? I can't be a vigilante! I'd be dead in a gutter in five minutes" Natalie scoffed.
You wouldn't
Sym showed a variety of memories – both Spider-Man's and Venom's.
Spider-Man was already a developed fighter when we met, with training from a myriad of heroes and mentors, and Eddie was a born fighter. I can give you access to all their moves – their techniques and tactics. With the combined knowledge of both of them, we'd be brilliant
Natalie didn't know what to say. She'd always entertained the idea of super heroics as a child, but the reality that she understood now scrapped that idea for her. But, like Sym said, with the combined abilities of the prior hosts at her disposal, they could make a difference.
"Well, I always knew that GCSE in Art would come in handy" The plucky Brit chuckled.
About an hour passed by, and hundreds of scrunched up balls of paper flew over Natalie's shoulder as she sketched up possible designs. She sighed, taking her own off the paper, tossing it down and leaning back in the chair.
"Alright, what says 'Spider powered Vigilante', but also says me, and differentiates me from both Spider-Man and Venom?" She asked.
I think they all say you, you just don't see it yet
Natalie paused, and looked down at what she had unwittingly drawn. Mainly a combo of previous designs, and what she'd seen in art of both Spider-Man and Venom, she'd made a basic sketch of a very vigilante looking suit; The mask had a black patch on it, based on some concept art of 'Anti-Venom', with two green eyes piercing said blackness. At the neck, a black stripe surrounded the lower neck, and a green stripe above it. The shoulder pads consisted of black armoured pads, highlighted by green outlines, and a set of long gloves stretched up to the elbows, ending halfway to the shoulder pads. The spider consisted of two black diamonds, with two smaller green ones in, and two green legs wrapped around the breasts, and two around her waist. They led to an identical spider on the back, which she drew in a similar fashion. Leading to the waist was a similar black and green band to her neck, but in a symmetrical, jagged pattern. She also drew in a set of green knee pads, black shin guards, and green boots. Sym observed it, with an approving hum.
Now that's you – just give me a minute
Natalie felt herself enveloped in black tendrils again, embracing the change. As her body was completely engulfed in the black, second skin, it slowly faded to grey, as the drawing's contents began to become a reality. Patches of dark grey formed in the way of armoured padding, alongside the shoulder pads, gloves, stripes, and knee and shin guards. Natalie let out a gasp, as she turned to her mirror. She ran her hands down the leathery rubber, especially checking out how it seemed to exaggerate her ample curves.
Checking yourself out? I bet Nate would love to see you in something like that...
Natalie blushed, "Like I told him, I'm not into guys, and I'm not really sure about Jillian for now".
Well, you look stunning. Now, time for a lesson in powers; Number one – wall-crawling
Natalie let out a light yelp as she unwilling jumped higher than a natural human being, and landed on the ceiling – her fingers sticking like glue.
"Whoa... This is so cool!" She awed, gently removing her fingers.
She now stood – on the ceiling – on her two feet, looking at her upside down reflection in the mirror. She yelped again as Sym made her flip off the ceiling and onto the floor in a three-point crouch.
Number two – webbing
Natalie's vision was directed by Sym to the top of her wrists, and she was given the general idea of what to do. Aiming her wrist at a wall, the black substance fired causing Natalie to jump, making her miss and the web hit the mirror – essentially shattering it.
Aim with your hips – it's better to lean into the shot
Natalie listened as she adjusted herself accordingly – standing at a 90 degree angle with her wrist aimed at the wall – hitting it otherwise exactly where she aimed. Practicing a few more times at varying ranges, using web lines, nets, and general shots of webbing, she quickly became adept with Sym's guidance.
"That's awesome" She smirked, tossing a ball of webbing between her hands.
And lesson three: Fighting
Images quickly flashed through Natalie's mind of Spider-Man's fights with various crooks and villains, and Venom's encounters with gang members and various heroes. She was show a basic number of moves that she practiced, including stuff with tendrils, spikes, and melee weapons; In the space of half an hour, she had the collective experience of both a vigilante crime fighter and a notorious supervillain, and all their techniques and tactics.
Now, for extra credit... Web-Swinging...
Natalie paled as she looked to the large glass windows with no latches, "Nope, let's go to the top of the building – it's higher".
The suit dissolved into her casual clothes, a fact which Natalie found helpful, and she ascended the stairs to the top of the semi-tall apartment. The door opened into the cloudy morning, as rain still fell hard. Sym shifted into Natalie's suit, shielding her from the droplets, as they walked to the ledge of the building. Natalie peered down and paled, looking at the street roughly 20 stories below. She breathed deeply.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay... You're not gonna die, you're not gonna die..." She assured herself, pacing back to the door.
Don't worry, I'll catch you
Natalie nodded quickly, "Okay, okay – right, right; Got it".
She limbered up and shook herself awake, ready to run towards the lip of the building.
"Aim with the hips... Aim with the hips..." Natalie muttered.
She took one last breath, before running full throttle towards the edge. Jumping with inhuman strength, she leapt off the building, falling towards the street. Having – on one occasion – been skydiving before, she angled herself down to pick up speed. Everything slowed to a stop, as Natalie gradually opened her eyes, watching the raindrops fall in slow motion. She witnessed her arm moving, and the black web firing towards the apartments. She watched it splatter against the brick, and time sped up as she pulled taunt on the line and went flying into the air.
"This is amazing!" She yelled over the rush of the wind.
She reached the peak of her swing and let go, with a slow back flip for style. Diving down again, now more confident, she fired another web and swung low through the traffic. She yelled in exhilaration, and gradually became used to the repetitive cycle – even adding her own tricks and style to each swing. Firing one last web, she dipped in between the cars, and pulled herself up. Natalie went flying from the web line, and landed on the corner of a large skyscraper. She panted excitedly as she looked back at her apartment building – tiny and insignificant in the distance. Natalie placed her hands against the wall, and tensed before pushing herself off the edge and falling towards the earth. Falling into the mind-set of Web-Swinging, she slowly incorporated wall running too, and in a few minutes she was just as accomplished at swinging as Spider-Man himself.
Time for a lesson in crime prevention – two blocks over; Look for an alley; Mugging. Give 'em hell
Natalie smirked, as she continued in her current direction, arcing gracefully through the streets. Enhanced vision showed the aforementioned alley, and her enhanced hearing proved the words to be true. Dipping into her swing, Natalie launched herself to the wall of the alley and ricocheted off. Springing down, she saw ten thugs, and began calculating variables on her mind. She finally hit the ground with a plan of attack, and smirked.
"Oh boys?" She called, in a sing-song voice, which was warped by Sym - much like Venom
The thugs turned to see her leaning against a dumpster, her arms folded. One of them – presumably the leader – pointed his gun at her, in a poor attempt at looking intimidating.
"Yo, you better get your ass out of here, Bitch" He growled.
Natalie scoffed, "Now, is that any way to treat a lady?".
She fired a web line at his hand, yanking him towards her, and twisting her leg up to kick him in the face. He flew into the wall, dangling by the webbed hand. The crew looked from their leader to the female vigilante.
"Yo, Get her!" One yelled.
Gunshots sounded as bullets flew – some missing, some grazing Natalie, only for her wounds to heal – and Natalie flipped through the small projectiles. Landing on all fours, roughly a dozen tendrils spurted from her back and yanked the guns from the criminals. Said tendrils encircled the weapons and crushed them like paper. Natalie smirked, as she tossed the weapons aside, withdrawing the appendages. The same gang member growled.
"Let's cut this bitch up" He cried.
All of them stylishly drew switchblades – something that all of them undoubtedly practiced in the mirror – and held them in crude combat stances.
Natalie blinked, "Boys, guns didn't freaking work on me – what chance do you think you have with knives?".
None of the gang responded as they ran at her, and Natalie squinted. One took a slash at her gut but she caught his arm, and twisted it behind his back, kicking him into another thug. Two more charged at her from both sides but she jumped, webbing their faces, and kicked them into both walls. One more wielded a machete, swinging it viciously and untrained, but Natalie flipped back and kicked him into two more – like bowling pins – webbing them down. The final two thugs looked at the carnage around them, and charged at Natalie. Again, it was pointless, as they were both sent back by a pair of spinning kicks. Natalie looked back at the victim of the mugging – a young woman in her twenties, probably just her age – and rappelled from the fire escape.
"You okay?" She asked, in her normal voice, hanging upside down.
The woman nodded, "Yeah, thanks, I thought I was dead before you arrives".
Natalie chuckled, "Nah, you could've taken them. Anyway, I'm going to web these guys up in an orderly fashion, and you – my good friend – are going to call the Cops".
"Okay, Cops, right... Hey, do you have a name?" She asked.
Natalie flickered, realising she never made it as far as creating a codename. She could almost hear the cogs turning in her brain.
"Hmm, I never actually got that far... Call me... Anti-Venom..." She mused.
The young woman smiled, "Anti-Venom is is...".
She drew out her phone, and punched in 911, hearing a thwip-splat as Natalie swung away. The female vigilante carried on through the city, spying the Chrysler building nearby. Twisting through a water tower, Natalie landed on the building and proceeded to run up – using webs like slingshots. As she flew up, she realised her phone was in her suit, and grinned.
"Vigilante photo shoot time" She exclaimed.
Leaping up to the building's towering spire, Sym separated her tendrils and passed Natalie her phone.
You realise you basically can't show this to anyone?
"I know, I know... But, it'll be something to look back on" Natalie smiled.
Sym held the phone out with a tendril, catching a shot of Natalie – holding up her fingers in a peace sign, with an eyebrow raised (one eye lense wider than the other) – against the Manhattan skyline. She reeled the phone back in, and observed the photo.
"That is a hundred percent my new wallpaper" She grinned.
You're going to get found out so quickly...
Natalie smirked as she absorbed the phone again, and sprang off the tower. Diving towards the ground, she cast out a web, only for Sym to go on full alert.
Spider-Man – he's close by!
Natalie flinched, "Jeez, you have to yell?".
You can help me explain to him! Tell him I'm not bad!
Natalie frowned, "And, what, you'll try and go back to him?"
Yes! I'd love nothing... More... Oh...
Sym realised her blunder, quieting down. Natalie sighed.
"It's okay... You can go back of you want..." She murmured.
Sym was silent for a minute.
No... I belong with you... You're the only one for me
Natalie's eyes widened, "Really?"
Sym let out a lovely coo.
Yeah; Who needs a man?
Natalie giggled, "Amen to that".
Natalie swung low and ran along a wall, as Sym directed her towards the Web-Slinger. In a matter of seconds, she saw the red and blue hero swinging down the street before her. Sym predicted his most likely pattern, giving Natalie a short cut. Zipping over roof tops and through alleyways, Natalie found herself several blocks ahead of the absent minded wall-crawler. Sticking to an office building, she waited till her was a block away to push off and attempt to introduce herself.
"Spidey! Hey! Spidey!" She yelled, from her perch.
Spidey looked around, noticing her on the building with a look of confusion.
"Hey, you new in town?" He asked politely, landing beside her.
Natalie smirked, "First day on the job. Listen, not to sound forward, but I've got someone who wants to speak with you".
"Sure," He smiled, expecting a Skype or Phone call, "Who is it?".
Natalie allowed Sym control, as her mask warped into the a toothy maw – a feminine equivalent of Venom.
Sym grinned, "Hey, Parker".
Spider-Man took an offensive stance, on the window, "The Symbiote! What have you done with that woman?".
"Whoa-whoa, calm down – she's okay, I've done nothing. I want to talk about Brock" She answered.
He wasn't convinced, "He's in the vault – you aren't getting back to him!".
"I don't want to – What he did as Venom wasn't me; He dominated me with his mind, forced me to give him power... To kill..." She spoke.
Peter flinched for a moment, "What do you want?".
"For you to understand – when we were bonded, I didn't mean any harm... You wanted to be a good hero, I just tried to help. I knew so little then, and tried to control you – make you go out at night. I know it was wrong, now... I'm sorry..." She explained, perfectly still.
He slowly rose out of his combat stance, "Why should I believe you?".
"You don't have to..." Her maw slowly closed, "Just ask her...".
Natalie blinked as her features became normal, and she was faced with Spidey.
Her mask flowed back from her face, and she smiled, "It's true... Sym is reformed – she wasn't even evil to start with, just... Misunderstood. She truly is sorry".
"That symbiote corrupted Brock, how do I know it isn't doing it to you?" He hissed.
Natalie's mask flowed over again, "You don't, but I can't actually prove it to you. Anyway, Sym just wanted to say sorry, okay?".
Spidey squinted, "I'll be keeping tabs on you; The second some mangled corpse turns up, I'll come for you. Both of you".
Natalie nodded solemnly, holding out her hand. Spidey shook it, quietly flicking a spider-tracer to her side, before flipping off the building and shooting a web-line to a building. In a matter of seconds, he vanished from sight, swinging into the city. Sym held out the tracer on a small tendril, allowing Natalie to observe it.
Shall I ditch it?
"Nah, keep it. He's a dick, but a good dick" She shrugged, as Sym absorbed the tracer.
What do you want to do now?
Natalie sighed, "We are going to have a relaxing day at home, and do absolutely nothing".
Sounds nice – what about vigilantism 101?
"I think that we stopped a mugging today – made our introduction as Anti-Venom – and we've semi-earned the trust of Spider-Man. That's a win in our book, i should think" She smiled.
Natalie jumped off the wall, firing a web to the adjacent offices, and swinging back in the direction of her apartment. Several minutes passed, but she jumped as a loud a loud boom distracted her. Natalie quickly began swinging towards the source.
Office block, a few blocks away
Landing on a radio tower, she saw a flickering green circle that looked like a portal.
What the...?"What the...?"
Fighting in front of it was a man in a suit inexplicably identical to her own, and another in the same suit, but with a reversed colour scheme; The green was red, and black and grey had been swapped; He held a much sinister aura. The man they were fighting wore a grey scale version of the suit too, and was visibly winning. Natalie frowned, as Sym became battle ready.
"Hey, dipshits – plagiarism is a crime!" She yelled, jumping to the floor, gesturing at her body.
The newly nicknamed grey scale turned with a hiss, "Ah, the subject of my mission... If I cannot kill you two, she will do just as fine...".
He lunged at Natalie, but Sym reacted for her, and she dodged the punch and kicked him into a wall.
"Give it up, you rancid imitation... Tell your siblings that they're done" The red copy commanded.
Grey Scale let out a low growl, "You have no idea what's coming... Fools...".
He pressed a button on his wrist and disappeared in a flash of white light. Natalie turned to the male copies of herself.
"Alright, broody is gone – who the fuck are you guys?" She asked, growing more muscular as Sym's toothy maw opened.
The green copy sighed, "Long story short, Multiverse; We're the Anti-Venoms of all the different universes. He was one of the Poisons – a race who want to take our Symbiotes and become their 'perfect hosts'".
Natalie slowly shrank back down, "That's reasonable".
The others looked at each other, with the red one blinking, "Wow, she was the easiest to convince".
"I know, even Phantasm took an hour" The green one shrugged.
Natalie frowned, "Wait, others?".
Greenie chuckled, "Come with us, kid".
They stepped through the portal and Natalie follows, marvelling at what she saw. Dozens of men and women in costume, all like her – with Symbiotes. The one in the suit matching hers – greenie – allowed his mask to retract, revealing the face of Nate.
Natalie retracted her own mask, "Nate?".
"Not your Nate," He corrected, "30 of us are Nate Thurlow, 5 are Natalie Alden, and one of us," He looked at the red one, with a frown.
Natalie sensed the distrust from a mile off, "You got issues with him?".
Nate watched as the red one walking away, "He's my clone – Flipside; He was created to kill me, but took someone close to me instead – your doppelganger. He's since reformed, after we undid his mental programming, but I can't truly like him".
"That's your problem – Why was broody after me?" Natalie scowled.
Nate sighed, "He was tasked with tracking down the newer Anti-Venoms – the ones with no experience. We're not asking you to fight, just to stay here until we've won".
"And what are the odds of us winning?" Natalie asked.
Nate sighed, "I ask myself everything day...".
Alright, I'm happy with this – I don't know about you guys, my non-existent patrons, but I'm proud. As the title states, this chapter was a Prelude, so there'll be more to come. Natalie was a set-up character more than anything, like Spider-Moon-Man, or most of the Venom-Verse comics, but we'll hear from her again. I've got all my characters already, and seeing as this is completely original, you might not get it. Any questions, just ask – I'll be happy to explain. Until then, GMV out...