"Five minutes," insisted Eddie, "That's all I need."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Brock," said Ms. Cooper, "but Ms. Hollister isn't seeing anyone at the moment."
"You don't even have to let me in!" continued Eddie, "I can just talk to her as she leaves real quick."
"Mr. Brock," said Ms. Cooper, now more stern, "if you continue to insist I will have to call security."
Eddie Brock stood across the desk from Ruthie Cooper, where the two were at odds over Eddie's intent: to get an interview with Lilly Hollister. Eddie was a reporter from the Daily Globe and was investigating an alleged arms treaty violation within Alchemax's special projects division. Lilly Hollister was the head of that division and Ruthie Cooper was her personal assistant.
Alchemax was one of the biggest corporations in the country. It's divisions ranged from financial to technology and they had name recognition around the globe. The company already had a spotty history with worker's rights and ethics violations, but if the recent allegations were true they were crossing into war crime territory.
"What?" scoffed Eddie, "Hollister can't stand up to a few simple questions about her recent projects?"
"Have a good day, Mr. Brock," said Ms. Cooper simply.
"Come on," he insisted, "Just hear me out-"
"Alright buddy," said a security guard, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder, "That's enough."
A second guard approached as well and grabbed Eddie's other shoulder. Eddie was a bigger guy, but these guards were both a good bit bigger than him. There was no way he could break away from them, let alone fight them off.
Just then, the door behind Ms. Cooper opened up and Lily Hollister emerged. She was a confident-looking woman in her mid-30s who wore a sharp white pantsuit with black accents. As she walked out she gestured to the guards to wait for a moment as she turned to Ms. Cooper.
"Good afternoon Ruthie," she said, "How'd Carlie's exams go? Those were this week, right?"
"Yes," nodded Ms. Cooper, "but ESU had to shut down their science building for the week after a chemical spill. So they got delayed for next week."
"Hey!" shouted Eddie indignantly, "Hollister! I- Mmmph!"
One of the guards had clasped his hand down onto Eddie's mouth, silencing him. Eddie tried to pull his head away, but the guard easily kept ahold of him. Lilly Hollister smirked at him briefly before returning her attention to her assistant.
"Well wish her luck for me!" she smiled before turning to Eddie, "Now, who do we have here?"
"Eddie Brock, Ms. Hollister," said Ms. Cooper, "from the Daily Globe."
"Was he causing you trouble?"
"Some."
"Mmph!" grunted Eddie through the guard's hand.
Lily Hollister nodded to the guard. He took his hand off of Eddie's mouth to allow him to speak.
"Hollister!" shouted Eddie as quickly as he could, "What do you have to say regarding the whistleblower who leaked your meetings with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Oh please," sighed Lily Hollister, "not this witch hunt again. There's no proof of any wrongdoing in those accusations."
"Then you wouldn't mind telling me what was discussed in those meetings?" pressed Eddie, "Given how many civil rights S.H.I.E.L.D. was violating before it was shut down, isn't it reasonable for the public to expect an explanation for these meetings?"
"I'm a busy woman," said Lily Hollister plainly, "I don't have time to play 20 Questions with a third-rate journalist. Get him out of here."
"Third-rate!?" cried out Eddie as security dragged him off, "Yeah, well like I care what a corrupt labor abuser like you thinks!"
Lily Hollister casually waved as Eddie was roughly escorted out of the room and into the elevator. They forced him through the lobby before shoving him onto his face on the sidewalk outside. They chuckled to themselves as they returned inside, leaving a frustrated Eddie to pick himself up and dust himself off. He would have to go back empty handed now.
"Are you kidding me, Eddie!?"
"Barney, come on! They restrained me and dragged me into the street just for asking questions! They're clearly hiding something!"
Eddie was in the office of Barney Bushkin, his editor at the Daily Planet. The two were in a heated argument over Eddie's recent actions at Alchemax.
"You were trespassing!" shouted Barney, "They expelled you because you were TRESPASSING, Brock! On the property of one of the most powerful organizations in the country, I might add!"
"That's what this is about," scoffed Eddie, "isn't it?"
"Excuse me?"
"If I was investigating anyone making under 100K a year," said Eddie, "You'd greenlight this no question, wouldn't you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes!" snapped Barney, "Eddie, we've told you repeatedly not to pursue Alchemax. Even if you discovered something, publishing it would get us buried by their lawyers in a matter of days. We'd drown in the legal fees alone."
"So what!? We just let them get away with war crimes!?"
"You're out of line, Eddie!"
"And you're a cowardly old man, Barney! Just like everyone else at this sham of a paper!"
Barney stared back at Eddie for a moment. He sighed.
"Clean out your desk, Eddie."
"Barney-!"
"You're a liability to this paper!" shouted Banrey, "You need to learn to compromise, Eddie. If you can't bend, you're going to break. I'm not going to let it be at my expense."
"...fine," said Eddie after a moment, "...fine, it's probably for the best anyway."
"Eddie…"
But Eddie had already left and slammed the door behind him. He stormed out, not bothering to gather his things from his desk. What did he care? It wasn't like there was anything there he cared about anyway. Not anymore.
He made his way back to his girlfriend's apartment. Eddie had been dating Elena for almost a year now and he had already made a habit of going straight to her place from work. Of course he normally did that at the end of the workday, not in the middle of the day on account of being fired.
When Eddie arrived Elena was still at her laptop, phone to her ear, talking with one of her clients. Elena was a successful saleswoman who was very successful at her firm. She made a face as Eddie walked in early, trying not to let her voice waiver on the call. Eddie sat on the couch and waited patiently for Elena to finish.
"Eddie?" she said after she finished with the client and hung up, "What are you doing here so early?"
"Barney let me go home early."
"That was nice of him."
"...because he fired me."
Elena stared blankly at Eddie for a moment.
"...that's not funny, Eddie."
"It's not a joke," sighed Eddie.
"How!?"
"Him and I got into it over the Alchemax thing," muttered Eddie, not wanting to think about it.
"Wait," said Elena, "did you trespass on Alchemax again?"
"Yes, but-"
"Jesus, Eddie!" cursed Elena, storming away across the room to relieve her tension, "What were you thinking!?"
"I was thinking it'd be nice to hold those dirtbags accountable," snapped Eddie back.
"This isn't how you do it Eddie!" cried Elena, "All you did was cost yourself your job and your income! Do you understand!?"
"Of course I understand," yelled Eddie, frustrated.
"I don't think you do," continued Elena, "We're not just talking about your income here. You cost yourself insurance, professional credibility, and paid time off! All because you were too proud to back down."
"...I'd do it again," said Eddie after a moment.
"...do you really mean that?"
"Yes," said Eddie.
Elena took a deep breath.
"Then… Then I can't be with you anymore, Eddie," she said.
"Wait-"
"I need someone I can depend on!" she shouted, "Someone who won't throw their entire life away because they can't get what they want!"
"That's not-"
"I need some space," said Elena suddenly, turning away, "Please leave. We can talk about it more tomorrow if you like."
"...no," said Eddie weakly, "...no, I think I understand everything perfectly. Good-bye, Elena."
Eddie tried to keep himself together as he made his way home. He lived alone in a cramped studio apartment. Since he usually spent his time at Elena's, his own place was a mess. Dirty clothes were strewn across the floor and dirty dishes sat piled up in the sink.
Eddie stared out at the pathetic room. Then he remembered that Elena had left him. He remembered that he was alone. He remembered that he no longer had a job. He tried to hold it in, but let out a sob and a few tears. Trying to shake it off, he went into the bathroom and washed his face.
Eddie looked at himself in the mirror. There were rings upon rings under his bloodshot eyes. He had been working himself to death on the Alchemax story. Now it had cost him his job and his girlfriend. Why'd he even bother with something so trivial?
No! thought Eddie defiantly, It's not trivial! Alchemax could be making something seriously dangerous. I can't let it stay a secret
So Eddie went to bed that night alone, but resolved to do everything in his power to expose Alchemax for their crimes. He clung onto that resolve. After today, it was all he had to cling onto.
Eddie walked briskly through the lobby of Alchemax. The building was crowded and busy enough that no one paid him a lot of mind.
In some ways, being fired from the Daily Globe would make this easier. He no longer had to worry about how he reflected on his employer. He could take more risks. He had nothing to lose at this point. He intended to find what he was looking for no matter what.
Eddie made his way to the special projects wing of the building, being sure to avoid anyone he might have seen the last time he was there. He noticed that there was one door in the wing that few people entered, but those who did were always discreet about it. The door required a card key to open, so Eddie wouldn't easily be able to go in and see.
Eddie made the rounds on the wing, every once and a while eyeing the door. On one of his passes he managed to align himself directly behind another employee who was headed directly for the door. The employee opened it and both he and Eddie entered.
No sooner had the door closed behind them that the employee turned around, saw Eddie, and said "Wait a minute, you're not-" before Eddie put him into a chokehold and squeezed until the man slowly passed out. Eddie had been in more than a few fights in his life. This man wasn't prepared for the attack, so Eddie was able to quietly subdue him without much noise.
The victory was short-lived, however, since a pair of security guards rounded the corner the very next second, seeing Eddie still holding the man in a choke hold.
"Goddamnit," muttered Eddie.
"Freeze!" ordered the security.
Eddie tensed up for a moment. He considered running. He considered using the man in the chokehold as a hostage. He even considered going out in a blaze of glory by charging the security guard directly, but none of these ideas would solve anything. He had failed.
Eddie released his grip on the unconscious man and raised his hands. Soon a few more security guards joined the first. They cuffed Eddie's hands behind his back and led him down the hall, they brought him to an empty room with nothing in it but a single metal chair. They forced him down into the chair with his hands still cuffed behind him. Then they attached the cuffs to the chair and walked out of the room, leaving him there.
Eddie shifted around. The chair seemed to be bolted to the floor, so there was no way for him to get free. He would just have to sit here and wait for them to turn him over to the police. Then he'd be sentenced to who knows how long in prison, all because he had to prove Alchemax was up to something. He didn't regret a bit of it.
The door opened and Eddie grimaced as he saw Hollister walk in, wearing a nearly identical white pantsuit to what she had been wearing the other day. She was flanked by two members of her security. These guards were more heavily armed than the ones Eddie had seen earlier; both held rifles in their hands in addition to the sidearms on their belts.
You don't militarize your security unless there's something important to secure, thought Eddie, Not that it matters. I'm through anyway.
"Mr. Brock," said Hollister, "I should have known you'd try something like this. I take it from your complete lack of self-preservation that you're no longer employed by the Daily Globe?"
Eddie turned away, avoiding eye contact.
"That's what I thought," smiled Hollister, "Well you're in luck, Mr. Brock. You wanted to find out about our special projects?"
Eddie looked back at Hollister.
"Bring it in, Johnson!" she ordered.
A large guard walked in behind Hollister, carrying an enormous canister with both hands. The clear casing between the metal caps showed the canister to be filled with a writhing black liquid, moving completely on its own accord.
"What the hell is that?" asked Eddie.
"Let me know how the subject reacts," said Hollister to one of her guards as she left.
"Wait!" called out Eddie, "Wait! What do you mean by subject!?"
"If you're lucky," chuckled the guard as he placed the canister on the ground, "It'll kill you instantly. Most of the subjects were consumed over the course of hours."
"Kill!? Consumed?!" exclaimed Eddie, tugging at his restraints, "What in the world is Alchemax up doing here!?"
"Relax," said Hollister as the guards joined her outside the room, "No one is going to miss a third rate former journalist anyway."
The guards shut the door as the canister slowly opened. Eddie dug his heels into the floor and tried to push himself away, but the chair remained bolted to the floor and Eddie remained bound to the chair. The black ooze inside the canister began to move like a living thing. It crawled out onto the floor, extending tendrils and dragging itself closer and closer to Eddie.
"No," whispered Eddie, "No, no, no, no, no…"
The black slime latched onto his leg, creating a warm sensation against him as the tendrils pulled the being upward as it climbed Eddie's legs and approached his face. Eddie strained his head back as far as he could, but there was nothing he could do to stop the advancing black mass. The creature made it to his face as Eddie tightened his mouth shut and held his breath.
Eddie thought he heard the being hiss before tendrils extended and clung onto his lips. Eddie's eyes widened in horror as the tendrils forced open his lips and squeezed in between his teeth, pulling his jaw down to force his mouth open. Eddie let out a scream as the entire mass of ooze raced between his lips and filled his mouth.
For a moment the only sensations Eddie could feel were a taste and smell that reminded him of rubber. His vision went black, his hearing became nothing but distorted, faint, echoes and for a moment he felt as though he was no longer a part of his own body. Then he felt a string of incohesive thoughts followed by a warm, pleasant sensation that surged through his entire body.
"What the hell!?" Eddie heard from the other side of the door.
"Johnson!" screamed another voice "What the hell is that!?"
"He's not dead!" cried another in fear, "That thing is-!"
"Get in there and kill him!" ordered another, "Before Hollister finds out!"
The door burst open as four guards rushed in, rifles all pointed at Eddie.
"Open fire!"
They did. Dozens of bullets rained down on Eddie. When they had emptied their clips they were left to stare in awe at the monster sittinging before them, unharmed. Eddie was now considerably larger in size, completely covered by the black liquid, with distorted white eyes and a gaping mouth filled with fangs. He effortlessly tore his arms free of the restraints and stood up, towering over the fearful guards.
Eddie, run past them! Now!
"What!?" cried Eddie out loud, "Who said that!?"
"Johnson," ordered one of the guards, "call for backup."
Now, Eddie!
"Who are you!?" he cried in response.
Oh, for the love of…
Long tendrils grew out of Eddie's back, grabbing the guards and slamming them into each other and the wall until they were all out cold. The tendrils retracted.
There. I took care of it. Now move!
"Are you…?" asked Eddie weakly, "Some kind of bioweapon?"
Hey! Show some respect. I believe the word your kind has chosen for my kind is "symbiote." Now PLEASE, get us out of here.
"Wait!" cried out Eddie, running out of the room and aimlessly down the hall, "You're bonded with me now!?"
Take a left here. Yes, I've bonded with you, so to speak. I'll explain it more once we're not in imminent danger. Look out!
"Die, freak!" cried a guard as he ran out from around the corner.
The guard fired his pistol over and over again directly at Eddie. Eddie cried out in fear and recoiled, but looked down at his chest to see the bullets lodged harmlessly in the slime of the symbiote.
"You're a monster!" realized the guard angrily, "Why won't you die!?"
Bite his head off!
"I'm sorry, what?!" exclaimed Eddie.
Bite his head off so we can be done with him and move on. We need the nutrients anyway.
"Listen, let's just hold up for a moment and-" began Eddie.
Fine. I'll do it.
The symbiote extended off of Eddie's head, unmasking Eddie while forming a fearsome face at the end of a long neck. The guard screamed just before the face descended on his head. Eddie turned away as he heard the bones crunch.
"MOTHER OF GOD!" cried Eddie at the sight.
He's dead. Now run!
"What did you do!?"
I bit his head off. I thought that was clear.
"WHY!?"
We need the nutrients to survive, Eddie. Besides, that man was willing to gun you down on sight just because he was paid to do it. This was self-defense. His death was no big loss.
"How do you know that!?" demanded Eddie.
Because you already believe it to be true.
"How do you-?" began Eddie, "Wait a minute, are you in my head?"
The short answer is yes.
"What!?" cried Eddie, "That's not cool!"
We have bigger problems right now. And you don't have to talk out loud for me to hear you.
They heard the sound of more guards approaching them. Eddie sprinted off, thankful for the enhanced strength and speed this symbiote was providing. They were on the final stretch to the hallway. Four guards stared them down with heavy weaponry, waiting at the exit. There was no way out except through them.
What's gonna happen now!? wondered Eddie.
Just keep running. I'll take care of the rest.
Eddie did just that. As he approached the guards he threw up his arms. They opened fire, but the bullets all stopped harmlessly in the symbiotic outer shell. Then as Eddie ran past them, a tendril swept across on either side, clotheslining all of the guards before they rushed out the door.
What now!? asked Eddie, sprinting out of the lobby and onto the street.
We have to find somewhere we can talk. I obviously have to catch you up quite a bit.
You're the clone of an alien parasite?
Symbiote. NOT a parasite.
So what, are you feeding off my life force or something?
No, I'm feeding off the head of that guard we ate.
That YOU ate! You killed him, not me!
Symbiosis is mutually beneficial, Eddie.
Mutually beneficial!? Those guards said you killed every other subject!
Eddie was standing on the top of a building behind a billboard, nervously pacing back and forth. He might have escaped the guards, but he was certain news of a monster breaking out of Alchemax had already made headlines.
I didn't kill them; the bonding process failed.
Then what am I doing alive!?
Something about your DNA. We're a genetic match; practically meant for each other!
Yeah, right! I'm through with this.
Eddie turned to walk away, but the suit fought against him. It quickly pinned him to the back of the billboard, forming black cuffs around his wrists and ankles to keep him there. Eddie strained to get free, but the suit expanded to cover every inch of his body and wouldn't let him budge.
"Hey!" protested Eddie.
I can leave, but I think you'll want me to stay, Eddie.
Oh yeah? Based on what?
Your memories.
Wait, you can see my memories!?
Of course! You can see mine too if you'd like, but most of it was just being experimented on in a test tube so if I were you, I'd skip it.
...how much can you see?
Oh, Eddie… I can see everything.
Even…?
I don't care about your porn collection, Eddie.
Eddie's face turned red under the mask.
I do, however, find your rejection for your senior prom interesting. Especially how it parallels your recent rejection and termination.
Hey!
I mean getting fired and dumped all in the same day? That's rough, buddy. No wonder you're feeling so insecure right now.
Come on! That's personal!
Eddie's face was red hot now.
I can help you, Eddie.
What, by eating my old boss and my ex? No thanks.
No! With me you'll be stronger, healthier, and… supported.
Supported?
I'm extremely loyal.
What's in this for you?
I need your help.
What makes you think I'll help you?
Because I know you were at Alchemax to help people, Eddie. And I think there's somebody who could use your help.
...who?
Another symbiote.
You want me to free another one of you!?
We're a peaceful race at heart, Eddie.
How would you know that!? You just said you spent your entire life in a test tube!
Symbiotes have a shared genetic memory of sorts. I can tap into my ancestors' memories the same way I can tap into yours.
Why should I believe you?
Oh Eddie… You already do.
Eddie grunted in frustration. The symbiote was right; he did have direct access to Eddie's thoughts after all. Eddie was convinced. Something about being bonded to this being made Eddie believe him. It was almost as if he could read the symbiote's thoughts the way he could read Eddie's. Neither of them could lie to the other, so Eddie trusted the symbiote. The suit's restraint on Eddie lifted, allowing him to remove himself from the back of the billboard.
"You're right," said Eddie out loud, "Let's go break back into Alchemax."
Spider-Man swung through the city, zipping from building to building as fast as he possibly could. He couldn't believe there was another symbiote out there again. Spider-Man would bet money on it being the one that Olivia Octavius had tried to forcibly bond to him. He should have destroyed it when he had the chance.
Now he had to find the symbiote and find some way to stop it. He had a vague idea of the direction it had gone after the incident at Alchemax, but nothing beyond that. These things seemed immune to his spider-sense, which made tracking them down even harder.
That's when he saw the black figure swinging from building to building in his direction, headed directly for Alchemax. It had the distinct facial features of a symbiote. That had been easier than Spider-Man thought it would be. He adjusted his swing and collided feet first with the symbiote, knocking it down into the alley across the street. Spider-Man leapt down after it.
"Alright, let me guess!" quipped Spider-Man, "You're the original symbiote's mother come back for revenge, right? Grendel style?"
"Spider-Man!" cried the being, "What is this?! What do you want!?"
"Hey, that's my line!" snapped Spider-Man, "What were you doing at Alchemax?"
"We don't have time for this," they said.
The symbiote made a leap over Spider-Man's head.
"I don't think so!" cried Spider-Man, pressing a new button on his web shooter.
The device emitted a loud and high-pitched screech. The being shrieked in pain as they collapsed to the ground, white and black ooze peeling back to reveal a screaming man underneath.
Peter had encountered enough symbiotes at this point that he had worked out this contingency plan. He got some help from Mockingbird, setting up a device that would emit a sound at the precise pitch necessary to disable a symbiote without causing substantial harm to human ears.
"Stop!" cried the man under the symbiote, "Please!"
Spider-Man squinted as he stared at the man, suspicious of his claim. The longer he held on to the sound though, the more pain this man seemed to be in. Maybe Spider-Man would give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there was something going on here that he didn't understand.
"Start talking," said Spider-Man, ending the sound, "If I don't like what I hear though, I turn it up to 11 again."
"This symbiote was experimented on," said the man as the symbiote crawled back onto him, "He was cloned in a lab and then poked and prodded for his entire life."
"Cry me a river," dismissed Spider-Man, "Every supervillain has a tragic backstory these days. You're not special."
"We're not a supervillain!" the two insisted as they joined again.
"Listen," sighed Spider-Man, "Human: what's your name?"
"Eddie Brock," they responded.
"Cool," nodded Spider-Man, "Eddie, you've got to listen to me: that thing will mess with your head. It'll manipulate your thoughts and control your actions until you have no control left."
"No!" cried Eddie and the symbiote, "He'd- I'd never…"
"I'm speaking from experience, Eddie!" snapped Spider-Man, "I had one of those things in my head once. It slowly bent my mind towards violence and eventually took away my autonomy completely. That isn't a person, Eddie. It's a bioweapon!"
"My progenitor…" said the symbiote, sliding away from Eddie's face to speak directly to Spider-Man for a moment, "That was different."
"That wasn't the end of it, either!" continued Spider-Man, "Then it bonded with my childhood tormentor and went out of its way to ruin my life. Then it's spawn took over another one of my childhood tormentors and- Listen, these things are bad news."
The symbiote wrapped back around Eddie's face. Then they made a face of contemplation before looking up at Spider-Man sadly.
"Please," they said, "understand that this symbiote is not the same as that one. The Phalanx experimented on him and altered his psychology. We are different."
"...what did you want from Alchemax?" asked Spider-Man quietly.
"We believe that there is another symbiote in there," they said, " another clone being tormented the same way that this one was. We want to free him."
"Alchemax has another one?" asked Spider-Man in concern.
"We… could use your help," they added.
"Are you kidding me?!" cried Spider-Man, "You expect me to completely disregard my past experiences and trauma just so that I can help you free another symbiote to do who-knows-what!?"
"...will you?"
"Well yes!" groaned Spider-Man, "Obviously that's the right thing to do. I've just had a long week and am not in a great mood to have my worldviews challenged at the moment, you know?"
"We understand."
"So what should I call you, anyway?" asked Spider-Man, "I mean, I know one of you is Eddie, but…"
"We believe our name," said the symbiote, "is Venom."
Spider-Man let out a long, pained sigh.
Spider-Man and Venom stood atop a building across the street from the Alchemax building, which towered far above their heads. The glowing Alchemax logo radiated from the top. Eddie stared at the building and thought about what Alchemax had already cost him. He had lost his job, his girlfriend…
You're still upset about Elena, aren't you?
What? That's not-
I understand. Heartbreak can be difficult
Listen-
Or is it sexual frustration? Because I can relieve that if you'd like.
Excuse me!?
We share a pleasure center; it'd be mutually enjoyable. I see you have a vagina. I could create a phallus or fingers that could-
Nope! Nope, that's fine. Really.
"You okay, buddy?" asked Spider-Man.
"Fine," said Venom, "Just… thinking."
"Any idea where the symbiote is?" asked Spider-Man, "I'm not keen on searching the entire building."
"Lily Hollister will know," said Venom, "The project was her idea. She oversaw the whole thing."
"Got it," nodded Spider-Man, "Don't worry, we'll take her down."
"And us?"
"Us?
"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Venom, "You almost killed us earlier."
Spider-Man paused for a moment. Then he removed one of his gloves and began to fidget with his web shooter. He pulled off a small device from the side and handed it to Venom.
"Here," he said, "This is the sonic weapon I used earlier. I'm giving it to you so you know I won't use it against you. Sound good?"
"Yes," said Venom, "Thank you."
"Now," said Spider-Man, firing a web onto the Alchemax building, "Let's get Hollister! She's one of those top offices, right?"
"Yes," said Venom.
"Wait a minute," protested Eddie from under the suit, "We're going to scale the building?"
It's the fastest way.
"It's the fastest way," explained Spider-Man.
See? This guy gets it. Be more like Spider-Man, Eddie!
Spider-Man swung to the face of the building and began running on the side on all fours, moving with the proportional speed of a spider scampering across the floor. Venom hesitantly fired a string of symbiote onto the building and prepared to swing over.
I don't know about this… thought Eddie nervously, I'm still not used to these powers.
Don't worry, Eddie. I'll keep us safe.
Great. The alien parasite has my back.
Call me a parasite one more time and I WILL drop you.
Alright, alright. Sheesh. Let's go.
Venom swung over, clung onto the side of the building, and began to bound up the side on all fours. Even though they started a good 20 seconds later than Spider-Man, they had caught up to him within seconds.
"Our stop is coming up!" called Venom to Spider-Man, both slowing their pace.
Venom leapt at the window in question and punched through it, sending shattered glass flying into the office as Spider-Man leapt in behind them.
"You know, we could've asked to be let in," sighed Spider-Man, "The police will be here any-"
"They don't want the police here," said Venom, "but they might call security."
"I'm guessing it's too much to ask that Alchemax staffs their security with puppies and kittens?"
"They will shoot to kill on sight," said Venom.
"Figures."
The two of them were in an empty office. Spider-Man carefully stepped over the window shards as they made their way into the main hallway. Venom suddenly recognized where they were and began a run towards Hollister's office. Spider-Man followed. Venom broke down the locked door and rushed into the office. To their surprise, Hollister was standing in the middle of the room as if she was expecting them.
"You know for someone whose office just got broken into by two superhumans," said Spider-Man, scratching his head, "you seem oddly calm."
"I'm not stupid," said Hollister confidently, standing up straight, "I knew the Venom symbiote and its host would come for us next."
"Us?" responded Venom.
"Yes," smiled Hollister as a purple and black ooze emerged from her back and engulfed her body, "Call us Scorn."
"I know it's not my place," added Spider-Man, "but for the record, you symbiotes all have really bizarre names."
"Why?" demanded Venom, "Why would he bond with you!?"
"Because he isn't like you," said Hollister, her face now covered by the symbiote mask, "You lacked your progenitor's aggression and lust for power. It slows you down. This symbiote, on the other hand, has been conditioned to promote those traits, just like the last one was."
"You mean tortured," whispered Venom, "The only way to change his psychology so drastically was to torture him."
"What do you want with a symbiote anyway?" asked Spider-Man, "Especially a hyper aggressive one?"
"It's not one symbiote, it's many. Once we've perfected the process, we'll mass produce. The world is changing, Spider-Man," said Scorn, "Aliens are invading, government agencies are falling, mutants and supervillains popping up everywhere… There's a market for super powers and we intend to break into it."
"You would clone an army of our people just so you could brainwash them!?" demanded Venom.
"I don't expect you to understand," said Scorn, "After all, your symbiote was a failure. It never lived up to its predecessor."
Venom let out a roar as they rushed at Scorn. The two symbiote coated bodies clashed, with purple, white, and black slime moving in all directions. Spider-Man tried to get an idea of what was happening, but they were moving too fast even for him.
Scorn got ahold of Venom and threw them across the room, slamming them into a wall. Spider-Man, now able to clearly see his target, ran at Scorn. Scorn dodged Spider-Man's punch and retaliated with a punch of their own to his chest. The force sent Spider-Man flying straight back into the window, shattering it and falling backwards.
"Spider-Man!" cried out Venom in concern.
Spider-Man plummeted for some time before firing a web onto a far building, allowing him to transition the force into the swing and prevent him from dislocating his shoulder. Still, by the time he had righted himself he was dozens of stories below. It would be some time before he made it back up.
"You know," mused Scorn as they turned to Venom, "In a way, you two are perfect for each other. The failure of a reporter bonded with the failure of a symbiote."
Venom rose to their feet and clenched their fists. Both of them were furious.
"We are perfect," continued Scorn, "You on the other hand… Well, you're just a cheap imitation of the original."
"No…"
Scorn converted their arm into a long spear using and thrust it into Venom. Venom managed to catch it on either side and hold it back as Scorn tried to press it past them into their chest. Venom pushed back hard to keep it from piercing them.
"No…" they repeated, "Now we understand… We're not a cheap imitation. We're not some bioweapon either. We... are... VENOM!"
Venom let out a roar as their suit released black tendrils in every direction, defecting the bladed arm and throwing Scorn back across the room as well. The tendrils returned to Venom and wrapped around their body.
Scorn rose to their feet. The two symbiote-clad fighters ran at each other. They clawed and bit at one another, trying to pull away the symbiote on the other to get a clean shot at their opponent's flesh. The fight continued until the two locked arms and found themselves face to face.
"You're just a pair of losers!" growled Scorn, "Neither of you are strong enough to beat us!"
"Maybe," hissed Venom, "but together we are!"
Venom slammed their shoulder into Hollister's chest. Venom continued to momentum and tackled them out the hole in the window Spider-Man had fallen out of. The two symbiotes were plummeting down to the street now, clawing and biting each other in the air as they did.
We have to use Spider-Man's sonic weapon!
Won't that affect you too?!
We're out of options, Eddie!
But I don't want to hurt you!
DO IT NOW!
Eddie cursed and squeezed the sonic device he still had in his pocket, emitting a loud high-pitched screeching. Venom and Scorn both screamed and pulled away from the other. The symbiotes began to peel away from both of them. Eddie couldn't stand to watch his symbiote in pain. He only held the button down for a moment before releasing it.
Eddie's symbiote immediately returned to him, wrapping around him and forming Venom once more. Hollister's symbiote, on the other hand, continued to scream and peeled away from her completely, leaving the business woman falling with no form of protection. They were now only a few stories from the pavement. Venom grasped onto the side of the building, halting their fall as they clung to it. Hollister fell past them.
We have to try to save her!
Ugh, fine.
Venom pointed their wrist at the falling Hollister and fired a line of adhesive symbiote webbing down at her. The webbing stuck onto the seat of her pantsuit. Venom did their best to slowly reduce the momentum of the fall, but the result was still Hollister's slacks being pulled powerfully into her crotch. She was left suspended like that, dangling inches from the ground by the seat of her pants with her face still contorted in discomfort.
"...ow," she whimpered.
Venom attached the other end of the web to the building, leaving Hollister hanging as police cars began to arrive. Venom swung off into an alley where their black form easily allowed them to hide in the shadows. They watched as the officers laughed at Hollister's expense before cutting her down and bringing her into one of the cars as she tugged at the seat of her pants.
Are you sure saving her was a good idea?
No, but it felt right.
Venom turned behind them as they heard a stirring. The other symbiote was sliding down the side of the building. When Venom made eye contact the symbiote froze. He seemed to recognize that he had been seen.
Should we do something?
No. He deserves a chance, doesn't he?
Yeah. Yeah, that feels right too.
Venom nodded. The symbiote slithered away.
"I've gotta say, you did good, kid."
Venom turned around to see that Spider-Man had joined him in the alleyway.
"I hope you'll forgive my doubting you," added Spider-Man, "It's just that you look and act like a number of people who have tried to kill me."
Venom looked at Spider-Man for a moment. Then they pulled the sonic device from Eddie's pocket and handed it back to Spider-Man. Spider-Man took it, looked at it for a moment, and then looked up at Venom.
"Do you trust us?" asked Venom.
"Sure," shrugged Spider-Man cheerily, "Why not?"
"Look!" cried a police officer, "It's Spider-Man! And some sort of monster!"
"That's my cue!" announced Spider-Man, leaping and swinging away.
"Ours too," said Venom quietly, leaping and swinging off in the other direction.
Eddie sat on his couch in his cramped apartment, staring at a blank TV screen.
So what now?
Well I'm pretty sure my old life is over.
Not that you had much of one left anyway.
"Hey!" protested Eddie aloud
Kidding! Mostly. So what do you want to do now?
Well if I can't help people as a journalist, maybe I can as a superhero.
YES!
What?
I knew it! I knew you would be into this! We make such a good team!
You didn't read my mind to find out for sure?
No. You said that made you uncomfortable.
I did. Thank you.
So who are we going to kill first?
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. No more killing. Got it?
Even the ones that deserve it?
Only in exceptional circumstances.
Then what am I supposed to do for food?
Can you only eat humans?
Pretty sure. Is there anything else like it?
Anything else like humans?
Yeah. Like the place we passed on the way here! That smelled even better than humans!
We didn't pass a butcher or anything…
This one.
The symbiote projected the image of a chocolate store into Eddie's mind.
Chocolate? That's what smells like humans to you?
Better than humans. Is it easy to find?
...yes. Are you saying I can dissuade your appetite for human flesh with chocolate?
Yes.
Alright then, thought Eddie, Cool.
Eddie continued to stare at the blank TV screen, anxiously tapping his foot on the carpeted floor.
What is it?
What?
There's something else on your mind.
Nothing it's just… I still miss Elena, is all.
I'm sorry, Eddie
Thanks… Hey, you remember what you offered me just before we fought Hollister?
Yes. I offered to pleasure you.
Eddie blushed under the suit.
...is the offer still on the table?