Khan Plaza
Dr. Holden coldly ran a sponge along her bloodstained neck and shoulder. The symbiote had healed the wound quickly, but she liked to remain clean whenever she could. The creature couldn't heal her bruised ego, however.
"He caught us off guard..." she calmly explained to Adrian Khan. "We weren't expecting a symbiote tailor-made for a child to be so strong..."
"We gave it a lot of time to seethe..." Khan sipped from a coffee mug full of blood, offering it to the lioness. "We don't imagine being trapped in a corpse to be a pleasant experience. We most likely drove it to the edge of insanity before it was finally picked up by Mr. Brock."
"A vengeful host most likely doesn't help either..." Dr. Holden spoke, taking a moment to sip her blood. "We make no apologies for doing what needed to be done, to further our research, and our cause..." She then stared at Khan. "But this one mistake, if we're not careful, might spell the undoing of all our work..."
"You forget, we have the strength of numbers on our side." Khan sipped from another mug, unshaken. "Just a few of us are worth more than dozens of their officers and weapons. You proved that yourself, just recently."
"Still, Eddie Brock and Venom are a major impediment to our efforts." Dr. Holden held up a fist, as her symbiote's green flesh appeared on it. "We must kill them both, before we can go any further with our plans..."
Khan nodded as he set down his mug, licking his lips. "True...and to that end, myself and Carnage shall finally step forward to assist you. As well as our latest ally..."
The large form of Victor Abrams, a black bear in suit stepped onto the scene, cracking his neck a little. He was another bonding success from a few hours prior.
"We are ready to kill with you..." he spoke in a deep voice. "Myself, and Riot..."
Savanna Central: Pride Technologies.
Judy and Nick walked off the elevator, onto the impressive top floor of the skyscraper. They were soon greeted by the form of a lioness in a suit, flanked by two male lions in suits and sunglasses. Personal bodyguards.
"Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde..." She smiled as she extended a paw. "I'm Kiara Monroe. CEO of Pride Technologies." Kiara had the look of an optimistic young female, but her eyes showed an executive with a good sense of reality at the same time.
"Charmed..." Nick smiled, as Judy chuckled and greeted Kiara as well, shaking paws all around.
"So you know Chief Bogo?" Judy asked, an obvious reference to all the calls the chief had made earlier.
"Actually, I called him." Kiara answered. "We've been waiting for Adrian Khan to finally make his move, and after yesterday's incident, I figured now was the best time to respond."
"Wait..." Judy quirked her brow. "You knew what Khan was up to?"
Kiara nodded as she walked with the officers. "Of course. He approached us with his plan a few weeks ago."
"What?" Nick's eyes widened. "He offered those specimens to you?"
"He saw it as an act of solidarity between predators." Kiara explained. "Once I saw the details, however, I saw it as completely unethical, and refused his offer. He then said that we were weak, lacked vision, and that one day the strong would come to take what was theirs...you can imagine that we've been keeping an eye on Mr. Khan since then."
"Wow..." Judy shook her head. "So he's willing to even kill other predators to get what he wants..."
"He seems sick and crazy enough to do it, especially after what happened yesterday..." Nick added.
"Our sentiments, exactly..." Kiara nodded as she walked into a lab, using her access card to open the doors. The trio were greeted to the sight of a male lion, tirelessly tinkering with a few circuits, looking up and grinning at them.
"What's happening, bro?" Kiara asked with a smile.
"Quite a bit, sis..." He set his tools down, to greet himself to the visitors. "Kion Monroe. Head of R&D."
Nick's eyes quickly got a look at a suit of armor, floating in a large tube. "Whoa..." his childish side lit up at the sight of the new toy. "What is that? It looks so cool..."
"Nick please, this is police business..." Judy scolded, though smiling as she did so.
"Nah, it's OK. It IS pretty cool, actually." Kion grinned.
"It's also our new weapon against the symbiotes." Kiara added. "They're made of a special poly-alloy, polarized at the push of a button to be flexible, but also very tough. Weapons are the result of two possible weaknesses, based on our research."
"You mean, it IS possible to kill these things?" Judy asked, hopefully.
"We hope so." Kiara nodded. "One possibility is high-frequency sound. Just enough may be able to strip the symbiote from its host, and possibly overload its senses. The other is intense heat. If we can't rip the creature off, then we just might be able to melt it off of the host."
Kion then tossed two watch-like devices to the officers. "Here. Transmitters. The suits are actually made up of nanomachines, and this is the control center for them."
"Sweet..." Nick spoke, eagerly toying with all the buttons.
"Uh..." Judy quickly stopped him. "Let's take a moment to figure out what these things do, before we accidentally blow up the building..."
Kiara chuckled. "Good idea..."
Nick Smirked. "Killjoy..."
Tundratown
Staying hidden wasn't a problem for Eddie Brock. A simple gray hoodie, and some jeans, and he could mix in with any crowd. His friend was always inside him, and he could change almost instantly. All he needed was a quiet spot.
Of course, his little friend had a constant hunger, but he found that the occasional fish, and even a few blueberries, seemed to keep the creature happy. It was initially tailored for his daughter, so maybe its bloodlust wasn't quite as heavy as it was with the other symbiotes, he figured.
Eddie chomped away hungrily on a raw fish, careful not to be too noticeable, as he turned a corner into a snowy alleyway, not far from the fishtown market where he got his meal.
It was then, in the snowy distance, that he saw a figure standing, apparently looking right at him.
He walked closer to the motionless figure, throwing away the wrapper for the fish, as his gaze narrowed, getting a good look.
He then frowned, nostrils flaring at the familiar face.
"You've been a thorn in our side long enough, Eddie..." Adrian Khan spoke as he stepped closer, wearing a fancy winter coat, coldly staring at his rival.
"And you'll be one for the rest of our lives, living or dead..." The panther growled.
"Again with your bloody daughter..." Khan sighed. "Is that the limit to your vision?"
Eddie seethed as the tiger spoke.
"It's only natural for the weak to die, and the strong to continue. You could have so many other children, standing next to us, saving this sick world...Of course, we can understand the base instincts behind your actions, that tired old adage of an eye for an eye, a life for a life. But you are so much smarter than that Eddie. You're capable of looking beyond the scope of one small, insignificant speck of life, that was not meant to live long. You were a rising star on the ZPD for god's sake, until you let your child's own weakness get the better of you."
"Shut the hell up!" Eddie barked, "I don't care what you think of us, or what you thought of her! You KILLED our little girl! You lulled us into thinking you could save her. We let you take her away from us, thinking we'd see her again...but we never did!"
"It was our kindness that allowed her to die with dignity!" Khan showed a flash of anger now. "Even if we did save her, would you have wanted her to live in a world like this? One where predators like ourselves become more and more obsolete, to the point where even a fucking sheep can take us down?"
"We don't care about politics!" Eddie roared. "Fuck politics! We were law and order in this city...you are just a psychopath with money to burn!"
"Perhaps...perhaps we are crazy..." Khan narrowed his eyes. "But we would not want to be what passes for sane around here. Not if it means being a slave to the grass eaters, like you!"
The same red and black fluid that only Dawn Bellwether had witnessed soon began to cover his body. Eddie jumped back as he saw this, letting Venom slowly make his appearance now, his body growing in size, as the teeth of the black creature swallowed up his head.
"Let us be kind once more...and end your suffering, so you can join your daughter, rotting on a slab!" Khan growled as his symbiote finally took over.
Venom witnessed it, the appearance of the creature known as Carnage.
Khan's form grew taller, and muscular, as his body was covered in red, with tiger-like black stripes. Numerous tendrils shot and wagged chaotically from his body, as his head was replaced by one that looked vaguely feline, but contained the same rows of deadly, sharp teeth that Venom possessed.
With a deafening screech, Carnage leaped into the air, charging into Venom. Venom was ready, however, and caught the flying symbiote, as the two tumbled onto the open road together, scratching and clawing at one another furiously.
A van carrying more fish drove right into their path, honking its horn. Carnage turned, and grabbed it with a single claw, which grew larger for a moment, flipping the van onto its underside, causing a huge pileup behind him.
Venom took advantage of this opening, and punched Carnage, sending him crashing into one of the downed cars. The black creature then ripped a bumper off of another downed car, and ran over to Carnage, swinging it down towards him.
Carnage grabbed the bumper with a series of tendrils from his arm, yanking it away from Venom. He then charged in and sent Venom flying with a well placed kick to the chest, making him tumble, and crash into another moving van, causing an explosion.
Two polar bears who worked for Mr. Big rushed onto the scene of violence, looking to stop anyone disturbing the peace within the shrew's territory. Carnage quickly took action, grabbing both of them in multiple red and black tendrils, ripping into their flesh as the screamed and dripped with blood. Carnage laughed with glee as his host gave into his murderous instincts, crushing both of their heads like bloody melons in the tendrils as they collapsed in his grasp.
Venom charged back from the wreckage of the van, and sliced Carnage across the face with a well placed claw. Carnage screeched and fell back, blood rushing out from under his face for a moment.
Venom moved in for another slash, before being knocked away by another unseen force.
He turned in midair, and landed on his feet, looking at the form of the enormous gray skinned symbiote now standing before him.
"We'd like you to meet another friend!" Carnage growled in his sickening voice. "Let's tear him to shreds, Riot!"
Riot roared at Venom, holding out his large arms, as the ends of them quickly took the form of giant axes. Venom shot tendrils out from his wrists, trying to grab the new symbiote, only to have Riot slice them to pieces with his axe arms.
Carnage used the 2 on 1 situation to his advantage, sending multiple, sharp edged tendrils towards Venom. Venom jumped and slashed at them with his claws, trying to avoid them and the new symbiote at the same time.
Riot took advantage, and charged in towards Venom, slashing at him with one axe arm, and then the other. Venom managed to avoid one, but was caught in the chest with the other, gasping in pain as blood quickly shot out from the wound, the gash too deep for the symbiote to fix quickly.
Riot then reformed his large, clawed arms, and began to pound Venom mercilessly with them. Venom was stuck in the snow now, as he felt the huge fists slam, and slam, and slam into him, causing more and more pain under his black facade.
Carnage rejoined the fun, as he slipped more tendrils onto Venom's body, penetrating parts of the symbiote itself, as Riot joyfully continued to pound and slam into him with his large fists, before grabbing onto Venom's head as he tried to bite in return.
Carnage was now drawing blood with his penetrating tendrils, as Riot began to rip Venom's head away from Eddie's. The revealed head of the panther roared in frustration, his normally green eyes still all white at the moment.
He used the full power of his symbiote to push both creatures away, creating a bed of spiked tendrils all around him. Venom then reformed himself quickly, and charged at Carnage in a rage once more...only to be stopped by something else...
Riot had taken advantage of the opening, and had completely severed Venom's right arm with one of his axe weapons. Blood now poured freely from the wound, as his black flesh did its best to seal it up.
Weakened, Venom dropped to his knees, clutching the spot where his arm had once been, looking up at Carnage, who laughed as he walked over, lapping up some of the spurting blood with his long tongue.
"Ah...nothing like the sweet taste of failure, Eh Eddie?" Carnage gave the weakened beast a sickening grin. "We commend you for your effort, but you're still weak compared to us. Oh, if only that damned compassionate and caring part of you wasn't stuck to your psyche, dragging you down. Tsk tsk tsk...such a waste."
Venom shook in frustration, wanting to strike once more, but lacking the strength to do so, as Carnage licked his face a few more times, preparing to take a deadly bite, as Riot silently watched.
It was then that something from outside struck Carnage like a truck...
A high pitched wailing sounded in his ears.
Carnage shrieked loudly and grabbed at his head, the symbiote's hold beginning to weaken on his body, as Riot turned to see two figures in gleaming metal armor standing near them, one of them holding out its paw, as the gauntlet of the armor was creating the noise directed at Carnage.
Knowing his boss was in danger, Riot sprung into action, knocking the wounded Venom over, and scooping Carnage into his arms, the symbiote beginning to slip off of Adrian Khan's now unconscious body, as the large gray symbiote ran off with it.
One of the two figures ran off towards the two, as the other spoke up.
"Let them go!" Judy's voice sounded within the other suit, as she ran towards the downed form of Venom. "He's hurt, bad!"
Nick nodded quickly, running over, as the form of Venom slowly vanished back into the now arm-less form of Eddie Brock, the symbiote unable to sustain him now, as blood once more began to flow.
More cop cars rushed onto the scene in Tundratown, as Judy pulled some cloth from her suit's field dressing kit, and used to apply pressure to Eddie's wound.
"Get a goddamned ambulance down here, now!" Nick shouted from under the helmet of his suit.
Eddie was slowly going light headed, as he looked up at the sky, and the snow falling down around him, faintly hearing the shouting, and the yells from Judy to stay with her. In that moment, only one thought crossed his mind.
"We're sorry, Tina...we're so sorry..."