In response to That Guy's review, I know that the DC heroines hold onto their beliefs, but they will still join Venom some time in the future if he manages to convince them. Even though they still won't kill, they're just not gonna save some random psychopath from Venom's wrath.

Even though, as you said, Galatea IS supposed to be Power Girl, I'm just going to make them into separate people, if it still counts.

Anyway, this chapter will introduce Dragonlord0's OC, Sean Ashburn Kruger and his company, Global Tech, which makes things interesting for Eddie/Venom and complicated for the Justice League.

Enjoy!

Newcomer in Gotham City: Hero or Villain?

We have recently become aware of a new arrival in Gotham who goes by the name of Venom. As you can clearly see by the appended artists' rendition of him, he does not appear to be human and has unknown motives for coming to our city. What we do know about him is that he has mostly been sighted in San Francisco since last year.

His first known action in our city was to save a young woman from being raped, brutally killing the men who assaulted her and then leaving the police to take the woman home.

In spite of saving a young woman from sexual assault, we are hesitant to label him a hero due to his 'take no prisoners' attitude, which is a marked difference from what we are used to from our heroes. Additionally, he seems to be entirely indifferent as to whether people know his name and appearance.

Only time will tell which side of the law he is on and what he is here to do. Readers are however encouraged to vote on our poll and give your opinions on whether Venom is a hero or a villain.

Bruce Wayne, otherwise known as Batman, put down the week old newspaper article with a frown, once again trying to puzzle out this new mystery.

Since that day, an ever increasing amount of people had started turning up dead, some of them known criminals and some of them not. Public opinion indicated that people thought of Venom as a sort of anti-hero, someone who had no faith that the law would do the job it was supposed to, so he was taking matters into his own hands.

To his surprise, and dismay, most of the police force were on board with Venom's activities, saying it made their jobs much easier and the streets cleaner. Commissioner Gordon was the most neutral; even after asking questions to the people the monstrous vigilante had saved, he publicly stated he was unsure whether or not Venom was a public threat, and that a decision to carry out an arrest warrant was still in progress.

He didn't believe that slaughtering every criminal was the right way. Venom's behavior was erratic and unpredictable though, he killed some and spared others with no readily apparent reason.

One thing was for sure though… he definitely had the average crook in Gotham shaking in their boots.

Bruce hadn't been able to get any information on the creature at all aside from videos and pictures of him in San Francisco and neither had he managed to confront him. This Venom was remarkably slippery and hard to pin down. He would find him though, find him and put him behind bars.

There was no place for people who killed so easily in Gotham, even if those killed were criminals. After all, how long would it take before he turned his attention on the innocent?

'Wake up.'

Eddie turned around on the small bed. "Just… give me a moment or two…" He said half-awaken.

Venom sighed. 'In a moment or two we might end up caught. We need to move.'

"You are over-reacting. We'd been in this hotel for a week or so. And nothing happened." Eddie said, sitting up and stretching his arms. "Aside from the occasional crime in progress, and of course laying low from Batman."

A year has passed since the 'incident' and Eddie and Venom are having a double life, saying in one way.

Their lives had changed. By day, they walk across the city, trying to avoid attention and to buy food. By night, they become Venom. They hunt down any type of crime and eliminate it.

Permanently.

Eddie still can't understand why no other hero does this. This is a better solution than just putting criminals behind bars. This takes them out of the map!

'They are afraid. They have an image to maintain. If they kill someone, villain or not, in front of a group of people, that image would go down the gutter. We don't have that fear.'

"Pussies." Eddie scoffed as he walked over the fridge and opened it. "The League puts their egos above everyone else's life and they think it's gonna be that way. I'm just surprised they recruited other heroes who have killed before." he grabbed a can of Fanta and opened it before closing the fridge.

'Really?' Venom asked. 'Name them.'

"Well, there's Wonder Woman." Eddie listed off as he took a sip of his soda. "From what I've heard, she comes from an island full of women with a 'take no prisoners' type of attitude. When she joined the Justice League, she toned down the violence for some god awful reason."

'Just as I thought. Her time with the League has made her soft and weak.' Venom growled. 'Who else did they corrupt with their shitty ideals?'

"Then, there's Huntress." Eddie continued. "She also used to be one of those 'take no prisoners' type of heroes operating in Gotham, hunting down big time gangsters and putting them in an early grave. She and Batman worked together a few times, even. Now she's softened up a bit too, but not entirely. She still kills on the occasion, rarely. Except the League doesn't like it one bit, especially Batman."

'Did she ever hear of resignation?' Venom scoffed. 'So, who's next?'

"Red Arrow. Green Arrow's ex-sidekick, yet another former 'take no prisoners' type of vigilante from Star City. Heard rumors that he's joined a team of the League's sidekicks." Eddie went on. "Even though he's toned down the killing, you know, 'cause the League's watching him, he still believes there's a permanent solution for taking down the scum of the earth, like Huntress does."

'Is there anyone else who can see through the League's lies?' Venom snarled.

"Actually, there is. They call him Red Hood." Eddie finished. "He still goes after big time criminals here like Huntress did, and thankfully he's the only one who's not convinced by the League's words. He went after Joker a few times, but the Batman keeps stopping him for some reason. It's almost like he's got a grudge or something. He's even formed his own small team of vigilantes that think like him and-"

'Wait.' Venom stopped him. 'Formed his own team?'

"Yeah. That's what I said."

'Now that you mention it, we need a team of our own… better yet, a league of our own.' Venom insisted. 'If we want to deliver justice, we must do it the right way.'

Eddie took a moment to ponder this. Having a vigilante team of his own sounds like a good idea, but he wasn't sure who was willing to join, and asking a few members of the Justice League who were on board with murder was definitely not an option. Not with the primary League members keeping them on watch.

But the biggest problem of all is that this group needs to be government sanctioned in order for scum like the Joker to be taken down.

He needed to find someone with the biggest connections to the government and military. Someone with the most funds to do just that.

'Don't tell me you forgot about old faces.' Venom said with mock disappointment.

That was when it hit Eddie like a ton of bricks.

"Sean? Sean Ashburn Kruger?" Eddie asked, "How'd you…?"

'Like I said, I know everything.' Venom reminded him. 'Your parents were friends with his, and you watched over him when you were older than him. Inseparable. Like us.'

"Yeah, like us." Eddie said with a smile. "His parents died in a car crash six years ago, and mine couldn't take him in. The only family he has are his two sisters, Sarah and Dawn, maybe even me, not counting that deadbeat drunk he calls an uncle."

'What happened to that shitstain anyway?' Venom asked.

"Oh, he won the lottery one day. Won big." Eddie said when his expression turned grim. "Except he tried to take it for himself and tried to kill the twins, but Sean was old enough to man up and haul his ass to jail."

'Where he belongs.' Venom finished. 'What happened then?'

"Sean used the money to create Global Tech, all at the age of fourteen." Eddie explained. "He said he made the company to bring out some new tech to clean up every street in the whole world of crime and pollution for good. Believe it or not, but this guy has the whole freaking government and military backing him up!"

'Really now?' Venom said. 'How did he manage that?'

"His dad was a five star general in the army." Eddie answered. "After he died, his position was given to Talbot. He's a family friend, and he got along well with Sean when he was five, roughly the time I was eighteen. When Global Tech formed, he instantly stepped in to help Sean with his world peace project."

'I'm liking this guy already.' Venom said with clear interest. 'What about the people who are against this?'

"Well, there's only one place that's not on board with Global's big project." Eddie said with disdain as he growled the next two words. "Arkham Asylum."

'That sorry excuse of a nuthouse?' Venom asked with surprise. 'What do they have against a humble man seeking true justice in the world?'

"Well, Sean wanted to press for the death sentence for known killers like the Joker or Scarecrow, but the doctors, guards, freaking janitors, every one of those idiots said they needed a chance to 'rehabilitate' those freaks." Eddie explained, quoting "rehabilitate" with his fingers. "But every time those psychos escape to kill more people and then put back in their loose cages, the staff kept dropping on their knees for more time, then the cycle repeats. Can you believe that?!"

'Then they are just as guilty.' Venom hissed. 'We'll silence them soon enough. Just you wait.'

"You wanna know something else?" Eddie asked. "Sean's entire company supports people that do what the Justice League won't. Funny thing, though: Sean says he hates violence."

'If we can help him, then he can help us.' Venom insisted. 'That way, people won't lock themselves up at night to keep the monsters away, nor will they rely on cowards in capes and tights who refuse to do what is necessary, just as long as they embrace us, as have you.'

That was when another concerning thought crossed Eddie's mind. "What about the League? What if they find out?"

'The League can kiss our ass. Like I said before, the way I see it, we can do whatever we want, and neither the Bat nor the other caped idiots can tell us otherwise.' Venom hissed. 'Now, how about a little reunion between old friends?'

"And here I thought you'd might want some more to eat." Eddie said with a smirk before looking at the pile of four empty bottles of chocolate syrup.

Venom was silent for a moment before he used a tendril to open the door before retracting back into Eddie. 'Then what are we still here for, Eddie? Let's go.'

Eddie chuckled as they headed out the door, ready for their big reunion.

Metropolis, Global Tech

The 20-year-old CEO was in his office looking over the files and photos of the latest Venom attack. And he couldn't help but smirk.

"Good riddance." he said before a beep on the phone next to him was heard. "Yes, Vic, what is it?" Sean asked kindly.

"Sean, you have a guest right here in the lobby waiting for you." Vic said. "Says he's an old friend."

"Really?" Sean asked with a raised eyebrow. "Who?"

"Eddie Brock."

Sean's eyes widened at the mention of his old friend, and a smile formed on his face before he answered, "I'll be right down!"

He hung up and headed for the door, but not before looking at a picture of both him and Eddie in their younger years, the former five and the latter eighteen, which had them smiling at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders.

He smiled back before heading out, excited for his reunion.

Eddie paced around in the lobby waiting for his old friend to show up.

'If we scare him, should we run like hell?' Venom asked.

"No, we never run from an old friend like that, and neither should he." Eddie said. "If he can take it, we can."

"Eddie!"

Eddie turned around to see Sean, with a smile on his face, rushing towards him before wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

"Whoa! Sean!" Eddie shouted excitedly as he returned the gesture before they both let go. "You haven't changed a bit!"

"Speak for yourself! You look like you locked yourself in your room for who knows how long." Sean joked as he pointed at Eddie's stubble.

"Trust me, we've been through worse." Eddie joked back.

'Understatement of the year.' Venom quipped.

"Come on! Let's head to my office. We'll catch up there!" Sean said as he guided Eddie towards the elevator.

Later…

"Six years of being apart can slow down business, can it, Eddie?" Sean asked as he poured a bottle of Sprite into two glasses before taking one for himself and giving the other to Eddie.

"Trust me, you don't know the half of it." Eddie said as he took a sip.

"I heard what happened at your old job, but I'm glad you got it back now that the Life Foundation's in the dust." Sean said. "I'm still a bit disappointed you decided to post than host, am I right?"

"Oh, hosting is the least of my problems." Eddie replied with a chuckle.

'Better not give ourselves away too soon.' Venom said, but Eddie ignored him.

"So… anything happened here lately?" Eddie asked. "Anything unusual? Anything… bloody?"

"Oh, yeah! You must be talking about those Venom attacks!" Sean said. "People have been talking about him lately. People on the streets are calling him a hero for doing the unthinkable, what the Justice League couldn't do, thanks to your posts."

'Looks like our reputation precedes us.' Venom said.

"So… what do you think about him?" Eddie asked as he took another sip.

"Well, someone needs to get rid of the filth that infects the streets. Permanently." Sean answered, making Eddie surprised at his response.

"That's funny, coming from a guy who hates violence so much." Eddie joked before chuckling as Sean laughed along. "So, I've been hearing a few people are not on board with your ideas. Like…" he gulped and said the next word, "…Arkham."

Sean's smile faded at that part as he spoke, "Oh, yeah. Arkham."

"Do you have anything against that hellhole nuthouse, aside from poor security and repeated escapes?" Eddie asked.

"Well, my company has already developed the appropriate technology to cure certain inmates from their conditions, like Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Clayface, Mr. Freeze, anyone who can be saved." Sean explained as he grimaced further. "But those idiots at Arkham are so desperate for their jobs that they keep saying there are other ways of 'curing' their patients. Hmph. Yeah, right."

'What an ego that place has.' Venom said with disgust as he and Eddie watch Sean walk towards the view of the city.

"Even though the entire city of Gotham took Global Tech's side of things, these types of prisons hold their reputations over the safety of innocent lives for the sake of rehabilitating their inmates." Sean said before sighing. "There's gotta be a way to tell them otherwise."

'Perhaps we should tell him.' Venom advised.

"Hey, Sean." Eddie spoke up, grabbing his friend's attention. "Call me crazy, but… we can help you."

"Really?" Sean asked with surprise before it turned into confusion. "Who's 'we'?"

Taking the question as a cue, a long black tendril extended from Eddie's shoulder. The end shifting into a familiar face that grinned at the young CEO.

"…Holy shit…" Sean muttered.

"What's the matter, Sean? I thought you admired us?" the symbiote asked.

Sean looked like he either wanted to freak out or geek out at seeing it, muttering "My best friend's Venom" over and over again.

"To put it short, once we shut the Life Foundation down, we decided to stick together, walking every city, looking for a thrill, and looking for bad guys to maim." Eddie explained.

"Though we rather enjoy it when they beg." said the symbiote, licking its chops. "We're never short on snacks that way."

Sean cleared his throat, "What… uh, what exactly are you?" he managed to ask.

"My kind is called the Klyntar. Our homeworld is several lightyears from Earth. We're a symbiotic lifeform who bonds to a host to live. In exchange for our… residence, the host becomes stronger, faster, with many other attributes to sustain both our lives." replied the alien.

"Didn't you bite some asshole's head off?" asked Sean, having heard details of the event himself.

The symbiote grinned again, "Fuel in the tank. Even though we survive through our host, we still require sustenance. Though, Eddie has convinced us to only devour those who are 'bad'. Those that kill for kicks fit the bill."

"Oh, thank God." Sean let out a sigh of relief, before another thought came to his mind. "You're still not planning some sort of invasion, are you?"

"Never had any plan on doing that." Venom said. "Besides, I already said I like it here. After all, what's to hate?"

Suddenly, they heard an alarm coming from down below the streets, prompting them to look out the window to see a group of armed men entering a building as they exited their van.

"Apparently, that." Eddie said.

"Ah, shit! Intergang!" Sean cursed. "That's the second time this month that they hit this bank!"

"What's so special about it anyway?" Eddie asked.

"There's a large deposit of unrefined gold that would be worth millions." Sean said. "We can't let them get their hands on it."

Eddie looked at him as if his best friend swallowed a jar of peppers. "What are you bitching about, Sean? You forgetting something?"

Sean looked at Eddie, and then at the symbiote, who grinned at him.

"How about we give this city a wakeup call?" Venom asked in a sly tone.

And Sean smiled.

The quick police cars flipped off their sirens and lights as they gracefully stopped in front of the large bank. Eight police officers showed up in total to scope the banks, as the group slowly walked up the bank's large marble steps.

A strong cop kicked the door open as the group rushed in, guns out in defense as the whole bank had scared civilians on the ground at the mercy of over ten masked gunmen.

"Hahaha! Look, it's the police!" A mercenary holding a rocket propelled gun cackled with a cocky demeanor as he aimed his missile straight at the cops who had just entered into the bank through its entrance.

"Give 'em hell, Randy!" the mercenary in front of him shouted with glee.

The only response he got was a weapon dropping to the ground.

Confused, the mercenary looked to where Randy was, only finding the gun laying on the floor.

"Dammit, Randy! Why you gotta bail on our big payday?!" the mercenary complained as he picked up the gun.

And soon his hand was caught by a thick black tendril shooting from the ceiling, and he didn't have time to look up as he was dragged into the air screaming.

This of course brought everyone's attention as they looked up to the screaming thug, he was suddenly dropped down from the ceiling by the tendrils, letting him fall to the floor with a loud thud.

"Is this some sort of police trick?!" A mercenary with a rifle shouted as he aimed his weapon at the police officers and began to fire off several rounds. The officers took cover as the loud bursts caused civilians outside to scream and run in terror.

A half a minute later the man smirked and stopped firing his weapon, "How many of ya survived that?!" As soon as those words left the criminal's mouth, another black tendril shot from a darker corner of the room as it hit the man's gun and pulled it away, the mercenary slightly panicking with his weapon stolen, "W-What was that?!"

A mercenary holding a pistol shrugged his shoulders as he guarded several bankers, "I don't know what the hell is going on here!"

The questions of the confused mercenaries and cops about what was going on were quickly answered, as a huge black figure jumped from out of a dark corner in the ceiling, and landed in between the cops and mercenaries.

A shocked elderly woman keeping herself calm and unmoving on the ground looked up at the person who landed before her, taking notice of the muscular figure, and the black viscous material surrounding his whole body.

But the most interesting, and frightening detail noticed by everyone, was the face with menacing white eyes and mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

"What the hell is that?!" A mercenary shouted out as he aimed his machine gun at the hulking figure, until a long tendril shot out from its torso and snatched the gun away before tossing it aside.

Venom let out a beastly roar before lunging at the mercenary, rolling across the floor and then tossing the thug into a wall.

The other thugs opened fire on the monstrous vigilante, but nothing seemed to faze him as he smacked a few aside and slammed a few to the ground while the others quickly recovered.

A couple of shots from behind prompted Venom to turn around to see one of the mercenaries on the second floor aiming his gun at him with a panicked expression as the symbiotic anti-hero looked up at him with a snarl before jumping towards the thug and then throwing him down the lobby floor.

Venom jumped from the ceiling and onto another panicking thug before grabbing him by the leg and slamming him to the ground several times, even swinging him into a few other thugs, knocking them out before throwing him into a corner across the bank.

Venom then dodged an over the head attack from another attacker with a stun baton and quickly grabbed the wrist holding the weapon and shoved it into the man's chest, making him scream as the volts of electricity coursed through him before Venom tossed him out into the open.

The two remaining mercenaries charged at Venom from both sides, when two tendrils shot out from Venom's sides and grabbed two thugs by the ankles before hoisting them in the air, leaving a cue for Venom to jump into the air and spin them around before tossing one into the wall and the other out the window and into the streets.

The thug attempted to regain his footing when a strong hand pinned him back down before hoisting him up, and soon he was met with the grinning face of Venom.

"Nothing more refreshing than a hired gun in the morning." Venom rumbled before his tongue slid out and licked the side of the thug's face, leaving a trail of drool in its wake.

"Venom!"

The symbiotic anti-hero slid his tongue back into his mouth before looking up at the last person he wanted to see.

"Great. You." Venom snarled as the Man of Steel descended from the sky with a glare.

"Put him down." Superman ordered.

Venom looked at him for a moment and then back to the thug before giving his answer.

"As you wish."

Without warning, he slammed the thug's face to the ground, and an audible crack was heard around the area for all to hear. With a hiss, Venom turned to Superman.

"Now, what do you want?" he growled. "We have places to be."

"You're taking things too far. You have no right to kill someone just because they don't follow the law." Superman stated with a hint of anger.

"Is this how you thank us for stopping a crime before you? Besides, nobody died today... yet." Venom asked as Superman glared even further. "One second please."

Venom knelt to the ground and picked up one of the weapons the thugs have dropped.

Examining it closely, he saw the Lex Corp label on the side of the gun.

Frowning to himself, he tossed the gun to one of the cops. "You should probably question Lex Luthor about why these thugs have his tech." Venom stated before popping his neck and started walking off when Superman stopped him.

"Hold it." the Man of Steel said in an authoritative tone. "You have a lot to answer for. The people you've killed. You know you'll have to be taken in."

Venom merely snorted. "First off, we can do whatever we want when there aren't enough good people to stop the evil ones. Second, what the hell are you going to do about it? In case you forgot we're both doing this outside of the law. Third, there's no warrant for our arrest so what are you going to do? Beat up and then lock us in one of your personal prisons? That's called assault, kidnapping, and holding someone against their will, blue boy. Fourth, maybe make sure the people we're helping actually want you to stop us before you do anything, otherwise not only are you breaking the law but you're not even doing it with public support."

"You know that's not how we do things around here." Superman argued. "I'm going to ask you to stand down and surrender yourself!"

Before the argument could go on, Sean stepped between the two with his arms out.

"Gentlemen, I assure you we can discuss like civilized people." he said, prompting the Man of Steel to direct his glare at him.

"Stay out of this, Kruger. This doesn't concern you." he said.

"Who are you to judge someone that helped make the world a better place?" Venom snapped. "Don't look at him like he's Lex Luthor 2.0 or some other shady businessman, we don't want you making the same mistake again, do we?"

It didn't help that even the cops around them didn't want Superman to try anything either. Superman grit his teeth as Sean smirked at him before he started to leave with Venom until a crowd of reporters start to surround the both of them. Superman crossed his arms, knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

"Venom! How can you justify killing criminals that you fight?"

"Venom, are you working with Superman and the other heroes?"

"Is it true you bite your victims' heads off?"

"Do you plan to kill the criminals of Metropolis like you've been doing in San Francisco?"

A young woman with black hair, a purple shirt and white skirt was pushing her way through the crowd to be the last to ask her question, pulling out her tape recorder as a young man holding a camera followed behind.

"Excuse me. Lois Lane; Daily Planet. I have a question about your dark scary friend." Lois said.

"Go ahead." Sean said.

"Well, it's about the string of killings in San Francisco and the more recent ones in Gotham. Venom, what did the people that you killed do to warrant their deaths?"

Venom paused and turned towards her and Lois froze slightly feeling his jagged eyes boring into her soul.

"You're a smart and resourceful woman, Miss Lane, we're sure you could find out." Venom stated as he turned and kept walking away before moving as Superman tried to put his hand on his shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere." Superman said firmly. "You still have to answer for the murders you've caused."

"On whose authority?" Venom snapped. "We got off on a rocky start with the police of San Francisco when we made ourselves known, but it was no sooner when they realized we were in the right. They needed us to put a stop to the crime infesting that city, just like the Bat in Gotham, unlike you and your old school morals." he growled out the last of his sentence, making Superman grit his teeth while the reporters backed up but kept different cameras rolling while others were taking notes.

"If you'll excuse us, we're going to take a stroll. In the meantime, feel free to throw these men away." Venom said as he turned away from the Man of Steel. "Those scumbags are lucky this arguing made us lose our appetite."

With an inhuman leap, Venom charged off into the city, as the whole block watched him leave.

"Well, guess things are gonna be different around here." one of the cops spoke up, making Superman look at him with an incredulous expression.

"He committed murder in Gotham, maimed a few robbers, and you just let him get away with it?!" he said sternly.

Once Sean had a moment away from the reporters, he was in earshot to hear what Superman had said about his best friend.

"What the hell do you know? Venom already told you why he does what he does! I'm thankful he saved one of my company's banks from these trigger happy nutjobs." Sean said. "On a different note, you should be thankful he stopped these thugs before you."

Superman just looked at him; he knew that Venom now had a supporter, and it was a young CEO who no doubt might make things worse for the other heroes.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting in an hour." Sean said as he turned to leave. "Have a nice day."

Superman could only watch as Sean walked back to the Global Tech building. This man obviously wanted to rile him up as much as Venom does. Not to mention he just befriended the monster. This could not go on. He needed to tell the rest of the Justice League.

From the top of another building, Venom watched with a grin as Superman flew off in another direction as soon as Sean left.

'Hell of a way to make a first impression.' Eddie spoke subconsciously from within the symbiote.

"At least we know how stubborn the Man of Steel can get." Venom sneered. "Can't wait to push more of his buttons if he crosses us again."

'So, what now?'

"Meet with Sean, form a team, leave the League in the dust." Venom listed off. "No big deal."

'You think they'll back off?'

"For now." Venom replied. "In fact, let them come after us. They're as stubborn as they come."

With another leap, he landed on top of the Global Tech building while overlooking the city.

"Besides… the world has enough superheroes. Let's see what kind of heroism is deemed fit for it."

That last part… I couldn't resist.

Next time, Sean decides to give Eddie a bigger place to settle in, where the reporter/vigilante will meet an old flame. Meanwhile, Batman and the rest of the Justice League will begin their search for Venom in an attempt to capture him. How will this fare in the future? Stay tuned, and leave a review!