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The roar of a huge crowd echoed through the old tunnels as Eddie slipped past the questionable security and headed deeper into the crowd, inwardly agreeing with his Other's uneasiness as the symbiote crawled over his skin, anxious and hungry for a fight. Three more drug related deaths had been discovered since he had last tried to corner one of the drug ring's lackeys. Two had been street children who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time during a gun-fight. All had been residents of the underground sanctuary of old San Francisco which he had vowed to protect.

Still, even the mix up with Stray had given him results. While the mutant hadn't been the prey he had been hunting for, she had given him the location of this place, this fighter's tournament. It was a filthy, dark hole, with the smell of blood and sweat thick in the stale air. Almost everyone he passed was either drunk or high, which made his part of infiltrating the group much easier. With the symbiote's ability to imitate the more abused style of street clothes some of the people wore, he was able to weave his way to the front with minimal effort.

Blue eyes narrowed as he stopped at a railing and looked down into a pit, where two fighters were doing their best to kill each other. Across from him, at the other side of the pit, he saw a blackboard listing the odds for and against each fighter. He didn't need to guess what had happened to the fighters whose names had been stricken through.

A crunch and a scream announced the end of the current match, and he carefully watched the exchange of money, trying to see if he could spot one of the high rollers. Surely someone had to be funding this, and through them, he hoped to track down the rest of the members of this savage club. And if he happened to come across any of the people that were involved with the drug ring in the process, all the better.

As he let his gaze travel over the crowd that were gathering to watch the next fight, the symbiote tugged at his attention, forcing him to turn his gaze down to the ring again. His breath left him in a curse as he numbly watched the familiar form step into the ring. The detailed tribal drawing on her otherwise white cast glowed under the few lights that were trained on the pit. What the hell is she doing?!

The drone of a badly wired PA system captured a small amount of his mind, and he listened numbly as he stared down at the woman who was casually leaning back against a scarred wall, patiently waiting for the next fight. Pinpricks spread across his back as the symbiote shuddered with discomfort when the PA system loosed a loud hi-pitched shriek of static, and Eddie did his best to keep both of them calm when Stray's opponent stepped into the sunken fighting ring.

"Facing tonight's current champion is Stray! She's a regular here, though as you can tell from the cast, the little lady isn't in tip-top shape! The odds are against her, as Gino aims to permanently remove her from the standings! And considering his five wins in a row tonight, against Stray's three, this girl could be in serious trouble! Finish your bets! This is our last fight for the night! Winner take all!"

Jasmine studied Gino from under lowered lashes, not moving from her position against the wall as the large man swaggered into the ring. He was almost five inches taller than her conservative five foot seven height, and he easily outweighed her. But the wolf within her rumbled scornfully, not in the least intimidated, and Jaz bristled defiantly as she let her wolf rise to the surface. The stench of the place kept her from properly dissecting his scent, but her hearing easily picked up his too rapid heartbeat. He had probably shot himself up with something before re-entering the ring, which could cause a problem for her.

The mix that was invading his veins would make him almost immune to any pain she might inflict on him, which left her choices severely limited. Either she could knock him out, or draw out the fight until the drugs wore off and he crashed. The former sounded best, since it would be too dangerous for her to draw out this fight longer than she needed to, especially since her broken arm would be a severe liability.

Already, her fangs had sharpened, heart pumping strongly as she lowered her arms from where they had been folded across her chest. Her left arm ached, but the pain kept her mind sharp. The piece of rebar that she had slipped into the cast to strengthen it pinched her skin, but it was a fair trade for the security it gave her. While the cast wouldn't protect her arm from a hit, the metal would at least help brace her arm, maybe even keep it from being broken again.

The roar of the crowd doubled as Gino flexed, showing off, the sight making her roll her eyes in exasperation as she pushed away from the wall and took a single step towards him, her sneakers making little sound on the cracked cement. Her shoulders worked under her skin as she loosened tense muscles, not breaking from her calm stance as she closed her eyes and centred herself, a feral grin spreading over her lips as she embraced her wolf and let herself meld with it.

She opened her eyes as the PA system screeched again, the announcer's voice blaring loudly in an attempt to be heard over the static. Already, the crowd was shouting for blood, her blood, and she gave a wolf-like chuff of laughter at the mere thought that these humans could kill her. Still, overconfidence could get her killed if she didn't take things seriously.

"Fight!"

Gino lunged at her, and Jaz was ready for it.

With a smirk, she sidestepped his charge and spun, landing a solid kick right in his solar plexus. He staggered, then righted himself again, and she frowned, knowing that he was indeed on a drug-induced high; she had knocked other opponents to their knees with such a well-placed kick. Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, she took the initiative, crouching a little before springing. He tried to duck out of the way, but she anticipated his movement, enabling her to twist in mid-air so that she could somersault over him, rebound off the wall, then slam both feet into his back.

He was much slower in recovering this time due to the fact that she had hit him hard enough to drive the air out of his lungs. Not wanting to get within his reach - opponents who were high with drugs sometimes had inhuman strength - she kept to the sidelines as he pushed himself to his feet, his eyes wild as he glared over at her and rose a hand to wipe the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Bitch," Gino growled, hands curling into fists. "You'll pay for that!"

She merely smiled, trying not to laugh when his face darkened even further with rage. He looked somewhat like a beet now, and the image that came to her mind made it impossible to muffle a snicker. Less than impressed, he threw himself at her again, the pitiful roar that left him nearly making her laugh hysterically as she ducked his punch, turned into his body, grabbed his outstretched arm and threw him across the ring.

"Let me guess," Jaz snickered as he struggled to get to his feet in a timely manner. "I'll pay for that too, hmm? Now, is that bill gonna come before or after I hand you your ass?"

The crowd erupted in derisive screams and curses, and a whistle of air made her spin on her heel, her good hand shooting up to catch the brick that someone had thrown at her. Silence blanketed the arena as she casually juggled the brick in her right hand, her sharp gaze cutting across the mob in search of the fool that had tried to brain her with a brick. Instead, her eyes widened when she spotted a very familiar face, her shock melting away when she met the familiar human's gaze. Well, well, well. It's about damn time he shows up! This is my fourth fight! Bastard took his sweet time.

Her internal thoughts were thrown to the winds as Gino, who had recovered, fisted a hand in her hair and lifted her off her feet before he smashed her face against the wall. His free fist planted itself into one of her kidneys, and she loosed a feral snarl of anger as he moved to slam her against the wall again. This time, she caught herself on her hands and knees, shifting a little to get her legs under her before she shoved off of the wall with all the strength she possessed, sending both of them flying across the ring until Gino hit the opposite wall with enough force that a loud crack of breaking cement and breaking ribs echoed throughout the arena.

His fingers tightened their hold on her hair, but she didn't notice. Instead, she slammed her right elbow into his stomach, growling as she followed it up by slamming the back of her head into his face, breaking his nose with an audible snap. Now he released her, and she leapt away, shaking her head so that her hair resettled itself over her shoulders before she turned to look at him again, a snarl on her lips.

Blood was pouring down his face, but he didn't even seem to notice as he swung, uppercutting her right in the jaw. Her head rocked back, and she automatically rose her arms to protect herself, a feral grin spreading over her lips as his right fist crashed into her cast. It hurt, but the sound of his knuckles hitting the piece of rebar hidden within the cast more than made up for it. He lashed out with a kick, and she retaliated by dropping into a crouch so that his left leg passed over her head, a growl leaving her as she braced herself on her arms and lashed out, both feet hitting his right knee with a satisfying crunch.

In the same movement, before he even started to fall, she twisted, rose into a handstand, and caught him under his chin with her right foot, then pushed off the floor with both hands and flipped into a fighter's stance. Gino wobbled, somehow still on his feet, elicting a snort from her as she reached out and poked him in the chest with her right index finger, smirking as he fell backwards and hit the floor, out cold.

A roar of anger erupted from the spectators, and she turned towards the loudest of the bunch, a snarl leaving her when a sharp clap of sound preceded the hot pain that cut into her cheek. Startled, she rose her right hand to touch her face, blinking when she felt warm blood trickle through her fingers. The ominous clicks more guns being pulled and cocked made her hackles rise, and the wolf within her howled in warning as she crouched and leapt, easily clearing the twelve foot high edge of the ring.

She landed on the end of a bench just in front of the blackboard, her weight sending one hapless spectator flying. Growling, she lashed out, kicking the guns out of the two guards that were standing between her and the unofficial 'banker'. Once they were disarmed, Jaz swatted them aside and snatched the money out of the banker's hands, smirking at him before she launched herself towards a tunnel.

Bullets filled the air, and it was only by rebounding from wall to floor and back to the wall that she managed to avoid them. She twisted in mid-air, tucked and rolled, barely avoiding a thrown bottle of whiskey that exploded against the wall next to her, peppering her with shards of glass. Wrinkling her nose at the sharp smell of cheap alcohol, she crouched low to avoid a sloppy punch, ducking under the swing and kicking her attacker's legs out from under him.

The roar of gunfire made her turn, a yip of surprise leaving her as a huge black form grabbed her and spun to shield her from the shotgun's blast. Her senses immediately recognized the unique scent of the one who had hunted her just a few days earlier, and really, being pressed up against his very muscled physique wasn't sending her thoughts, or her wolf's, into any coherent directions.

"Are you insane?" The voice was right next to her ear, and Jaz fought down a shiver; if she had found Venom's voice eerie before, it was even creepier when he was snarling in her ear.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" she retorted as she slipped out of his grasp and watched him backhand the one with the shotgun, sending the gunner sprawling. "Now c'mon! I know which escape tunnel the higher ups are going to take. The crowd's just about reached the right level of pissed that'll send 'em running." Her eyes widened a little in shock as she turned to stare at him. "Wait, did that shotgun blast actually hit you?!"

He chuckled, only his pale 'eyes' and the spider across his chest visible in the shadows as the symbiote expelled the metal slugs, each tiny metal piece making a small sound as they hit the ground. "Bullets can't harm us," Venom told her smugly, seeing her gaze drop to the crumpled bullets that lay at his feet. "Is that fear we see in your eyes?"

"You're bloody bullet-proof, you have enough teeth to make a shark jealous and you damn near outpaced me a few days ago. I'd be stupid not to be afraid." Jasmine turned away from him as she spoke, shoving the wad of twenty, fifty and hundred dollar bills into various pockets in her cargo pants, zipping each pocket closed afterwards. "I haven't lived this long by trusting people blindly."

A low growl left Venom as she headed deeper into the tunnels, and he bounded forward to silently land by her side, easily keeping pace with her. When the symbiote and Eddie were in this form, it was the symbiote who was the more dominant mind. Eddie Brock was still there, but his personality and knowledge was mostly dormant, creating a vastly different being; creating Venom.

And this being was curious about the mutant next to it. She moved like a predator, with a fluid grace that even he couldn't match. Eddie had watched her fight, and Venom found it interesting that it had been her opponent, and not her, that had been badly outmatched, despite her obvious injury.

Sighing, Jaz glanced back at him to make sure he was following, able to see in the dim light almost as easily as she could see in the sunlight, a definite perk. He caught her gaze and smirked, chuckling when she growled at him. "Quiet you, or I'm outta here, and you can try to track down those higher up's on your lonesome."

Venom grinned. This was getting to be fun. "Snippy much?"

"Shaddup. We're getting close. And if you get me killed I swear to any and all Gods that you hold dear that I will come back and haunt you, kapeesh?"

As if we wouldn't protect you. "It is kapeeshed." Silence fell over them, and once it did it was easy to pick out the sounds of voices ahead of them. The darkness was slowly giving way as they approached an adjacent tunnel, the dim light that poured from it illuminating their path. He frowned down at Stray as she froze, just barely managing to side-step so as to avoid knocking her over, barely smothering a hiss when she bristled. "What is it?"

She rose her hand to silence him and crept forward, daring to take a quick peek around the corner. Their scents had already given them away, and she smirked as she took note of the five fight managers and their bodyguards. The former were completely involved in counting their emmense share of the money and bickering, while the latter were muttering about Gino's pitiful match. Still, the bulk under the guard's jackets gave away the weapons they carried, machine guns if she guessed correctly. The managers didn't look armed, but she wasn't about to count them out of a potential fight.

"There's ten of them," she whispered as she ducked back into the shadows. "Five managers and their bodyguards. The guards are armed with machine guns, but the managers are so distracted that they'll probably panic before they think to defend themselves. The guards smell like they've got drugs in their systems though, so their reactions might be slowed by a few seconds."

"Perfect," Venom hissed, talons itching for blood. "We'll handle them. You are to stay here."

Jasmine snarled at him. "I am not a delicate waif in need of protection!"

"Perhaps, but you are hurt." Snickering at the glare she gave him, he patted her on the head, then lunged into the adjacent tunnel with a roar. One guard dropped to the ground as webbing wrapped around his face, suffocating him. The second joined him mere seconds later, his throat ripped out and his last breath rasping past his lips. Bullets filled the air, but they did nothing to slow his charge as he slammed into the third guard, snapping his head from his shoulders with a satisfying crunch while the symbiote expelled the spent rounds as fast as they hit him.

Blood and bullets rained down around him as Venom sent a tendril out to snatch up the fourth guard, chuckling darkly as the symbiote flowed into the gunman's lungs, ripping him apart from the inside with knife edged pseudopods. The last bodyguard, having lost his bravado at the rapid and grisly deaths of his peers, turned to run, and before Venom could leap after him, Stray stepped out of the darkness and delivered a savage kick, knocking the guard back to bonelessly smash up against a pipe.

Anger rose in him. "We told you to-!"

"Fuck off!" she snarled, fangs bared. As she spoke, the sound of movement behind her alerted her to the gun that was being pulled, and she tilted her head to look over at one of the managers, a low warning growl rising from her as she glared over the barrell of the gun to the one pointing it at her. He hesitated at the feral, animalistic look in her eyes, and she didn't hold back as she lashed out to close her right hand on his wrist, eyes narrowing as she twisted his hand and squeezed.

The scream that echoed through the tunnels almost drowned out the crunch of broken bones, and she stared down at the man that was now on his knees for a long minute before she released his broken wrist with a feral snarl of contempt. Unaware that the green in her eyes had vanished, leaving only predatory wolf-gold behind, Jaz turned to look at the dark muscled form that was staring at her in surprise. "Don't you ever pull that macho bullshit with me ever again."

Rumbling deep in her chest, she turned and snatched up the money that the fight managers had dropped in their panic, shoving the bills into her last empty pocket before she headed for the shadows. A taloned hand closing on her cast stopped her in mid-step, and she struggled not to lash out as she glanced back at the narrowed pale eyes that studied her, not liking how close those rows of fangs were.

Venom growled and snatched up a twenty dollar bill, waving it in her face. "Is this what you came here for?" he hissed, not needing to worry about the five managers getting away since he had securely webbed them to the walls. "Were we just a diversion? A means to an end?"

She tried to jerk her arm free, but he held fast. "Hey, I didn't have to come here at all!"

"Then why did you?" When she tried to wriggle free, he tightened his hold on her. "Answer us!"

"Because for some reason I decided to abandon my sanity and help you!"

He frowned. "You... came to help us?"

"No. I came here for my health. Of course I came to help you! And I'm really starting to regret it!" This time she managed to yank her arm out of his grip, and she barely managed to smother the snarl that threatened to escape her throat when her arm sent a wave of pain through her, obviously unimpressed at her rough treatment of her injury. Cursing, she gingerly tugged the piece of rebar loose of her cast and tossed it over her shoulder, ignoring the surprised look that her unlikely companion was giving her as she massaged feeling back into her fingers.

Sighing, she turned to look at Venom, wondering if she was out of her mind for helping him as she glanced at the five managers that were hanging in the mass of webs. "Those five aren't high up on the list of people who run the drug territory, but if you get inventive, they should give you enough information to lead you to the ones who are. If not, there's many other Fight Rings in this city, and those five hanging there certainly know about at least half those." She paused, wondering if she dared to tell him more, then shook her head and turned to leave. "I'm out of here."

"Wait. What else were you going to tell us?"

"I've told you all I can," she frowned, glancing at him over her shoulder and hiding a shiver when she noted that he had moved closer to her without her knowledge. "Do you realize what I've risked by helping you? This used to be one of my haunts. People here know me. And now that I've lead you here and helped you catch those fools, I'll have a price on my head in as little as forty-eight hours. So you'll excuse me if I don't want to stick around."

Venom growled, mentally kicking himself for not reaching that conclusion on his own. "We can protect you. There is a place we can bring you, a sanctuary of sorts. You and yours will be safe there."

"I don't trust people so easily," she frowned, casting a look at him. "And there is nowhere in this city where my Pack and I can be safe."

Even before she was finished speaking, he lost sight of her. She just seemed to melt into the shadows and vanish, and while he wanted to chase her down and continue their conversation, he didn't want to risk losing his five 'prizes'. But, he could still sense her through the symbiote, so he figured he'd be able to track her down after he was done.

Riled up now, annoyed at both her, and his own lack of insight, Venom turned and hissed at the five men who were dangling in his webs, licking at his fangs as he advanced on them, talons gleaming, dark knife-edged symbiote tendrils reaching for his prey. "Let's chat."
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tbc