BOOOOMM! Explosion! Or at least that's what it felt like as Peter entered the building frantically, very nearly running over a lady slightly older than him. "Sorry Miss!" Peter shouts and runs.
The lady crosses her arms. "The nerve of him!" She turned her head and walked straight out of the exit.
-000-
Peter enters his boss's office to find Jameson, frowning as usual and-Eddie Brock! What was he doing here? He was by Jameson's desk with a snow white envelope in his hand and seemed to be in motion of presenting something. Both men noticed Peter.
Brock waves. "Hey Parker."
"What are you doing here?" Peter replies rather rudely.
Both Eddie and Jameson frown. Then Eddie bursts laughing. "Parker what is wrong with you today? First you're late and now you're openly insulting the new guy? Do you think I pay you to do insult people and come up with excuses for your tardiness?" He gave Peter no chance to answer. "Get back to work!" he commanded with the force of a lion's roar.
Peter sighs angrily and storms off. Eddie stops laughing and frowns. He looks at Jameson. "So…am I in?"
"I don't pay you to stand around cackling like a witch. Find out what's wrong with Parker!"
Later- at around lunchtime to be exact-Eddie talks with Peter who confesses he has no idea what's wrong with him. "Tired I guess," Peter replies. Part of it was the truth at least; the symbiote did keep him awake for quite a while last night asking questions about absolutely everything. Eventually Peter gave up and forced himself to ignore the alien's rumbling. On the one hand he wasn't up for that long; just until one in the morning. On the other, the symbiote did ramble with question after question for forever.
Eddie, being Peter's childhood friend knew that it couldn't be the case. Before he could respond though a coworker appears. "Mister Jameson wants all off campus employees to return to the building asap."
"Or we're all fired?" Eddie guesses.
"That's right," the coworker nods. "You're really catching on new guy." Then he's gone.
Peter takes a deep breath as he debates on whether or not he should tell Eddie, yet he hesitates. Brock would like the suit, but maybe… no! That suit is reserved for him and no one else! And if Brock had a problem with it, well, he better be ready to jump in a lake 'cause he's not giving up that suit for the world!
Brock notices Peter's incoherent grumbling. "Parker?" Now he was really confused. Something must be terribly wrong.
Peter snaps out of it and faces his friend with an angry frown. Then stood to his feet. "Parker!" Eddie yells. When Peter doesn't respond Eddie hurries after him, grabbing him by the arm. Parker freezes. "Got something to hide Parker?!"
The brown-haired boy kept his face solemn and, without taking his eyes off Brock, hits Brock's arms with enough force that he releases his grip on him, giving Peter enough time to slither out. As the man walks away, Parker whispers in an icy voice. "You're really catching on new guy."
Friday evening
Every Friday Peter comes over to Eddie's house where they watch whatever movie they feel like watching. Tonight Brock plans on talking to Peter and hoping that he will tell him what's bugging him so they can solve the problem together. Or at least that's what Eddie planned.
But tonight Peter did not show up; at first Eddie figured that since Peter was almost always late, that this was nothing to be worried about. Minutes crept by. Then an hour. Then another. Brock gritted his teeth; okay now this was really getting out of hand. First Parker acts funny now he refuses to show up for movie night. Something's really wrong and before Brock knew it, he was dragging his half on coat through the door straight into the black night. Only one way to find out.
As Brock stomped down the streets of New York, he heard loud ringing over yonder. It appeared to be coming from- oh no! Brock ran now, splashing dirty puddles onto his slim jeans straight to the church, the source of the racket. He crashed into the doors with so much force that they gave in. Inside Brock could hear nothing but the sound of big bells and screams. Wait, screams?
The tall man hustled over to the bell tower with noise. Just screaming everywhere. It was so loud even a deaf man would hold his ears in pain. How loud it was! Brock was about to get out of there when he saw the source of the screamer: Peter Parker! Since Parker was so high up in the tower, it was hard to see what Peter was doing up there. And…what was that on Peter? The black slimy substance enveloping his body?
Before Brock could to process what was happening, the goo fell toward the ground, landing right at Eddie's collar. Eddie flinched at the cold sensation running through his body as the goo attempted to expand. Brock flicked it off only to have more land on his shirt. Even more of the substance landed on the man. By this point, Eddie could easily out-scream the screamer of the bell tower.
The bells stopped ringing and Parker silent. In fact every inch of the church became dead silent. A few thwips later Spiderman was gone. Then a new lifeform emerged from the darkness with a thirst for vengeance.
Later that evening
The buff black Spiderman phony soared through the air of New York City, Mary Jane and Felicia Harding slung over his each of his shoulders. The girls howled through the air with desperate cries for help. Venom only laughed; what good did it serve them? No one looks up anymore and a screaming girl is music to their ears. An additional screaming girl is a bonus to Venom's- the symbiote and Eddie's brand new name- amusement.
The symbiote made his way over to a convenient unfinished building, with a parked taxi cab right at the edge of the curb. Too easy Eddie swung over to the cab and forced the door open. Inside was the taxi driver, petrified in his seat.
Venom grinned like a madman. "Pardon us but may we have this car?"
The taxi driver couldn't say a word so Venom grabbed him by his collar and threw him like a hammer at the Olympics. Quite the distance the poor guy went. "That's better," Eddie spoke to himself and shoved the girls in the backseat.
"My dad treated me better than that," MJ complained.
"Silence if you know what's good for you," hissed the large black villain.
"What's that smell?" Harding said suddenly.
A moment later, MJ and Venom could smell it also: pizza and a lot of it. In fact, there was a perfectly good box of pizza right at the girls' feet. "Oh pizza," Felicia digs right in, grabbing the first sliced her hand touches.
Venom, not caring in the slightest of the presence of pizza, continued. "We know you two are allies to Spiderman in some way so we're using you two as the bait to attract the insect."
"That's all we are?" MJ demands. "Chopped liver?"
Venom studies the young girls' faces as though determining then shook his head. "No. It sounds so delicious though. To us." Then he threw his head back as he filled the large car with laughter.
"Why do you do that?" Felicia spoke up.
"Why do we do what?" Venom asks as he recovers from his laughter.
"That! Referring to yourself in third person."
Venom shimmies to the other side of the car. He grins. "Oh that. Because we can and we find it amusing when people give us strange looks."
Once at the window where the girls peek their heads out, Venom decides to take it one step further and made the black ooze uncovered the area revealing Eddie Brock's face. MJ recognized him instantly. "Eddie?!"
"Yep," Eddie's voice sounded. "I got my new powers from my alien friend. I don't have to do anything for myself and as long as my new friend and I both get what we want in order to be…content."
"You mean you want Spiderman?"
"Not just Spiderman," Venom's reply came as smooth as silk. Venom leaned over to the red head. "We want to send New York's only super hero-aka Peter Parker- to his doom."
"Who?" The would-be Blackcat asks.
Venom stares at her. "You just ruined the moment!" he whined.
"The photographer for the Daily Bugle." Mary Jane tells her calmly. When Felicia doesn't answer, she continues. "The only person who can get close enough to Spiderman in action. Does that sound familiar?"
Harding shook her head. "Sorry, don't have time to read newspapers. And who is this Peter Parker guy?"
Both Mary Jane and Venom groan. "She's not gonna get it is she?" Venom comments to the redhead.
"'Fraid not," MJ replies.
The black buff spiderman whipped his head out from the window then leaped on top of the car. The car bobbled in protest of Venom's weigh, the girls' heads mimicking the car's shaking."Come and get us Spiderman!" the tow ladies heard Venom call out. Felicia got curious and leaned out. Then bit her lip from laughing out loud. The black he-spider was shaking his booty right at the night sky!
Once Harding got her head back into the car, she cackled aloud. She laughed for a good five minutes and the whole time Venom was still doing his thing, unaware that he was giving a show. The girl even thinks that Venom couldn't hear her; the SWAT team arrived as well as a crowd of New Yorkers. Felicia quickly made a decision and leaned out again, this time with her Iphone, a red button flashing with record underneath.
Thwip thwip Pow! Spiderman is here! The two collided and rolled off the car. A bump, a bang than gone. Felicia snapped her finger, like Swiper would. "Aw man!"
Mary Jane, who appeared to be in deep thought about something, whirled her head over to Felicia. "Aw man what?"
"Nothing," Harding replies quickly as she touches what she hopes was the record button on her phone and shoves it in her bag. Mary Jane snatched it up just before the phone could drop to the bottom of the bag. She frowned. "What were you doing, recording...?" she gasped as she dropped the phone to the ground. "My friend shaking his butt!?" She cried. Felicia wheezed in laughter again.
"Yeah," Felicia wiped away some tears that snuck up to her eyes. "Funny right?"
Mary Jane flashed her a weird look. Then picked up the phone faster than you could say, "Wait I need that!"
-000-
And that ladies and gentlemen takes us right to the very beginning; you know Spiderman and Venom fighting each other- Spiderman trying to save the girls and Venom trying to get rid of the Spider pest. A scream from Mary Jane refocused Peter's concentration; spoiler alert: She screamed because she saw a part of Eddie's face through the slick symbiote from Blackcat's video. "Mary Jane!" Peter hollered only to be kicked in the stomach by Venom.
"Pay her no attention Parker," he hissed. "You have to fight us first."
Spiderman clutches his stomach in pain, then notices something almost immediately. "Hey it's the Green Goblin!"
"Oh no Parker. We're not-" A hovercraft hit Venom, sending him splashing against the wall with tiny symbiote bits scattering. Riding on that hovercraft was someone that looked familiar. "Harry!" Peter exclaimed.
"Shhhh...I have a secret identity." Harry jokes.
"Funny I could-" Venom gets up, the bits of goo molding each other like Play-doh. He didn't get a chance to attack as Peter knocked him over in one kick. "Get the girls from that taxi," Peter points to the car. "I'll take care of that...thing!"
The New Goblin saluted and flew directly to the taxi cab. He opened the door to the cab, pressed a button on his craft that allowed more spaces for the car and carefully got the girls on the car. Or at least that what he was going to do only to find the car completely empty. He sniffed the air. "What were the girls doing when they got captured?" he wondered.
Meanwhile Spiderman and Venom were in a heated fight as they punched, kicked and dodged one another's moves as swift as the last. Eventually Venom slammed Spiderman to the poorly painted metal bar holding up the constructed building; Venom still had a firm grip on Peter's throat. He groaned in pain.
Venom leaned in close to Spiderman's ear. "Why bother fighting us?" His snaked tongue accompanied by his arrogant attitude. "You know that it's useless in the end."
"You…you kidnapped two innocent people," Spiderman whispered. "I was only trying to save them…and you, Eddie."
Venom's grip on Spiderman's throat tightened and sent him to the metal with much more force. "You will not call us that! That name is dead to us, now there is Venom! You better get it through your head because that is not about to change. But…" The black villain lowered his voice as he said it. "It will however, change everything for you."
"Snap out of it!" Harry is here, and he has bombs equally as ticked as he. Venom drops the lithe man and dodges. Spiderman joins Harry on his board. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, but where are the girls?"
"I already looked," Harry replied. "All I found was pizza. Perfectly fresh and everything."
"What?" Spiderman squeaked. "But I saw them in there-Eddie-" Spider sense tingled: Sand hand! Spiderman pressed a button on Harry's craft with the end of his toe and the hovercraft rapidly ascended. Harry's protests died at his throat as sand mixed and molded into a giant man. The Sandman.
"Aw great," Spiderman sighed. "New problems."
"And new allies," a silk voice joined. The two heroes looked up to see Felicia Harding-now dressed as Blackcat. Alongside her is Mary Jane Watson.
"Mary Jane!" Spiderman couldn't help it he was relieved. "Blackcat?"
ARRRAAAGGHHH! The battle cry of the Sandman.
"Less talking more fighting," Blackcat said.
No one needed to be told twice and they leaped into action; Harry aimed his grenades at the Sandman, Spiderman and Blackcat to Venom (you really expect her to fight something as big as that Sandman? You're insane.) Mary Jane pretty much sat there. "Um hello? Aren't you guys forgetting something?"
But everyone was too busy to hear her. Eventually the Sandman attempted to hit Harry but missed and hit Mary Jane instead. She flew through the air, screaming her head off. Then she was webbed back to the action, with not Spiderman's web but Venom's. As soon as the redhead landed on her own two feet, Spiderman, Blackcat and Mary Jane stared at Venom, who was on the ground clawing his head.
If you could see Peter's face right now, he would be beaming. "You're doing it Eddie. You're fighting it! Lemme help you." Spiderman pulled the bits of goo off but Venom punched him in the stomach. Spiderman clutched his stomach as he tried to not throw up.
"Don't do this to us, Parker," Venom's voice had a mixture of his own and Eddie's."We can fight it on our own. The power, raw…" Then let out a high pitched scream as the symbiote reattaches itself onto Venom. Everyone covered their ears. "Getting the suit off is impossible!"
"Like when pigs fly?" Blackcat asks.
Suddenly Venom was on the edge of Harry's hovercraft, soaring through the air. Venom and Harry screamed.
"More like when Venom flies," Spiderman comments shading his eyes.
"I didn't mean literally!" Blackcat protests.
"Get your board off my face!" Venom yells.
"Get your face off my board!" Harry returned.
Suddenly the pieces of the building contraption were hit by a ton of sand. "Now I finish you off!" the Sandman declares.
"Daddy?" says a coo of a little girl.
The Sandman freezes then molds his sandy self until he was mortal and normal. He embraced the little girl. "Penny!" He looks over to the heroes no longer angry. "Okay, no need to attack you guys. Bye bye." And off they go in a sandy wind.
Mary Jane blinks. "What just happened?"
"Duck!" Blackcat interrupts, grabbing MJ by the shoulders and lowering her down to the ground. Spiderman instantly did the same. Venom! He collided with the walls then composed himself just as quick and advanced to the friends.
"Finally," Venom's voice. "I'll get to finish you off."
"He's right, he wins," Spiderman says.
"Whaaaatttt?" the girls' jaws dropped.
"What are you doing?" Mary Jane hissed in a worried whisper.
"Don't worry I know what I'm doing," Spiderman whispered back.
Even Venom seemed surprised. If he wasn't too busy mentally gloating with the symbiote. :Did you hear that?: an excited Eddie cries. :We win, we beat 'em.:
Of course we win. Those heroes were foolish thinking they could beat us.
:Yea- Hang on! Parker just said something:
"Isn't that what the symbiote wants?" Spiderman was saying. "A home, trust, and maybe some French toast?"
:What in the- what is he doing? Who does he think he is, your boyfriend?:
We don't know but we are quite tempted by the French toast.
:Don't do this! I'm gonna get you out of this.: Venom clears his throat. "The symbiote found a better partner. In me!"
"Doesn't the symbiote need someone special? Maybe a hero?" Peter ensured to emphasize every word in his sentence.
Well that did the trick. No need for the extra weight called 'Eddie Brock.' Bye bye.
"What? No! Don't leave me! We had something…never mind." Eddie, completely naked in his own skin passes out. The symbiote crawls onto Peter Parker's skin, throwing slimy black tentacles from his thighs and upward as they alien reattaches itself to the original host.
You liar the symbiote yells in Peter's head. You never wanted us back, you tricked us!
:Yes, yes I did.: Peter didn't even sound sorry; he's just relieved to get the dangerous life form off his friend. Despite his head spinning from all that has happened, Parker manages to keep his head in the conversation. :You don't have a lot of options at this point symby.:
Oh yes we do. We'll take over your mind then we shall use you to destroy the ones you care about!
:I see French toast: Peter lies.
We're not falling for that the symbiote replies haughtily. You've proven yourself competent against us; very impressive but we still have the power to destroy those who try and fool us.
:Then prove your so called 'power'; destroy one of my friends.: Peter challenges.
With pleasure the symbiote replies, then unstuck itself off Peter's body and proceeds to Blackcat.
"Oh no you don't," Mary Jane jumps into actions and scoops up the symbiote with her oversized tote bag. She zipped up the bag firmly and tossed it in a box of cement. The bag sank deeper and deeper slowly until it was gone. Blackcat and Spiderman glanced over at her meaningfully.
"Good thinking MJ," Peter compliments her.
Mary Jane smiles. "Thanks tiger."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute," Blackcat frantically ran over to the cement.
"What?" the other two ask.
"My phone!" she wailed. "It was in the bag!"
"No no, I had it in the bag," MJ jokes, earning a high five from Spiderman.
Felicia turned to her. "Yeah, and you made the bag sink into the cement never to be seen again!"
"It's no big deal," Spiderman tries to reassure her. "You can get a new one."
"But my old one had…Venom booty!" Blackcat cries as she jumped off the building vanishing into the night.
Peter opened his mouth to ask what the heck made BlackCat so crazy for her phone but Mary Jane beat him. "You really don't wanna know."
"I made up my mind as soon as she said 'booty'." Spiderman replies as Jane laughs. The hero clears his throat. "We got other things to take care of other things first." He motioned to Eddie Brock.
"Yeah but where's Harry?"
"Hogwarts?" Peter laughs.
Mary Jane punched his arm playfully. "That's your own best friend you're talking about!"
Meanwhile
Blackcat soared through the air, grappling from ledge to ledge, ensuring that no piece of something valuable gets dirty or wet. She gets home and holds out the piece she tried so hard in protecting: her Iphone with the image of Venom's booty. She wasted no time and logged onto YouTube.
Back at Harry
Harry was unconscious in the dumpster. Venom made them crash there. Don't worry Harry's okay; just some minor injuries. He won't remember a lot, but one look from a certain video on YouTube and he'll remember everything.
To Eddie 3 a.m.
Eddie woke the next morning, stretching and feeling slightly sore for some reason. For some reason he could not remember anything from last night or what happened prior to the night. He threw the blanket off and found he is in his a white undershirt and his blue boxers. Funny, he doesn't remember owning any white shirts like that or even any boxers like this pair. Huh.
He walked over to the refrigerator, yawning. Eddie stretches out his arm to open the fridge only to find it mostly empty; French fries and some French onion dip all opened with some of the contents spilling out. Eddie's stomach rumbled. He took a look at his belly and noticed a rather noticeable bulge.
Keep eating like that and you'll be as fat as Uncle Bruce Brock thinks to himself. He sits down on his black wooden chair, slouching; he always thinks better when he's slouching. He scours his mind for anything that might get him to remember anything from last night. Nothing though he did have an odd feeling in his gut that Peter and Spiderman had something to do with this-
Brock's eyes widened; impossible! There is no way this could be right none of this makes any sense. And yet somehow…it does. Brock took out a recent picture of Spiderman from the Daily Bugle, squinting his eyes at the small print underneath the picture; it said photography by Peter Parker.
Eddie, now tired of seeing-even thinking of that name- ripped the picture in half, teeth clenching. He knew Peter had something to do with all this and- he may not be able to prove it but somehow, somehow he knows that his best friend-excuse him his ex best friend- is Spiderman. And he has an intent on exposing him for who he really is, and finding out more of what really happened last night.
Eddie dashes out the door, getting dressed far out of his to do list. He runs down the sidewalks of New York, the air tickling him, giving him the present of freedom; since it is early in the morning he didn't need to worry on who's watching, just who's exposure is at stake. Brock laughed aloud, a new persona settling in his sanity.
