Eddie had been walking for so long yet his feet never seemed to hurt. Was he in New York city? It was hazy, so he could not tell. All he knew was how quiet it was. No sirens, no people, no friends.

In a sea of buildings, one stood out from the rest; an old run down apartment. Lights flickered in windows made from broken glass and tattered curtains. It just barely passed safety inspections. The city was just looking for an excuse to condemn it.

When Eddie opened the front door, he found himself already inside one of the apartments. Everyone was slightly out of place, as though someone had stormed in and knocked into everything along the way. The faint smell of alcohol quickly became grotesque.

In the living room, he found his father stumbling around the carpet while his mother tried to protect a little boy behind her. He knew this night well; it shaped him into who he was.

The father spouted about not feeling appreciated, and how the mother and son were selfish for coming into his life. It did not take him long to swing a beer bottle across her face, cutting it up and scarring her for life. The boy was too scared to do anything, and the father hated it when he was afraid. That was an excuse enough to hit him, too.

Eddie remembered starting fights at school all the time, but not because he wanted to. He just needed an excuse to explain away his bruises and scars. His father threatened him and his mother if they ever went to protective services. Besides, his father was a respected veteran; who would believe a veteran was abusive?

The boy cried in a fetal position on the floor. Eddie wanted to help himself up, but the smell of alcohol coming off his father pushed him away.

"Always were a coward," The father scolded.

Eddie wanted to wake up, but wondered if he deserved to. Perhaps after all he had done and all he had chosen to be, this nightmare was his penance.

…

The hospital was quiet that night. Shifts were traded, patients were impatient, treatments were slow. The vending machine broke so no one could get their instant iced coffee.

None of this mattered to Eddie Brock.

Was he conscious? Was he dreaming? Eddie could not tell the difference. He felt cold, yet warm; there, but not there; sick, yet better than he had ever felt before. There was no light, yet he was blinded.

How long had he been there in that bed?

Eddie finally burst awake, gasping for air as his heart rate accelerated on the monitor. It was fight or flight, and he had always been a fighter.

No doctor bothered to see if he was okay, even when they got an alert from his monitor. A few looked in to see if he was alright, but never entered. Why would they? He was a villain; unless he was flat lining, they were not going to check on him, no matter how much of their code went against it.

If some of them were to be honest, they hoped they would be too far away when that finally happened.

It was only there, in the silence, that he noticed it.

Silence.

No second voice in his mind, no dark thoughts to tempt him, no hatred beyond his own. For the first time in so long, his chest felt light. He felt good; free.

His darker half was gone.

Eddie could not help but cry at that thought, that he was finally, truly free. Venom was no more.

Yet, something seemed to linger.

His senses suddenly heightened as his eyes were overstimulated in the dark. Despite the lack of illumination, he could see the room perfectly. His heart raced faster as he jumped from the bed, disconnecting from the monitor as it declared a flat line.

His muscles ached as though something was crawling underneath the surface. He felt his skin bubbling like a cauldron. Was he dying? It was the most pain he had ever felt in his life.

As it overtook him, he blacked out.

…

Mirko was called to the scene immediately. Thankfully, she had been close by, watching over the city and stopping muggers in her off time. Most street-level thugs who saw her simply gave up without a fight, which made things boring for her. Still, it passed the time.

Something like this was more up her alley.

"He was being kept over here," The Doctor said to Mirko as he trotted through the halls, "We got the alert he was flat lining and rushed over, only to find …"

Mirko ignored his sense of drama and entered the room herself.

Eddie Brock was nowhere to be found. In fact, not much could be found at all.

A sizable hole was created in the wall, as though the window had been ripped out and the rest of the wall went with it. Debris was scattered everywhere, both inside the hospital and on the ground below.

Had Eddie become Venom, again? Mirko was told he had been separated from the entity that turned him into that monster. If that was still true, what could have happened?

"Guess it's duck season," She commented aloud as he followed the trail of destruction out of the hospital.

It was all a blur for Eddie. He remembered people shouting in fear, running away from him, calling him a monster. Though he was used to that, this somehow felt different.

Eddie found himself limping through the alleyways of the city, still dressed in his hospital gown. Whatever wounds he got during his escape had healed miraculously, though, he had not seemed to notice. He only had one thought on his mind; getting as far away from where he was as he could.

"Brock!"

Mirko's voice shouted from above as she landed behind him. She had been prepared for a fight, only to find the monster that people ran from was nowhere to be seen. Eddie was just Eddie; what had they been screaming about?

"Leave me alone," Eddie spoke faintly, "I want to be alone."

"You need help, Brock," Mirko claimed confidently, "I don't think that symbiote thing is gone, yet."

"It is," Eddie reassured, "It's only my own voice in my head, now."

"If you're powerless, how did you break down the hospital wall? Doesn't add up, does it?"

"I don't know, just …" Eddie stumbled, "Leave me alone. I'd rather die on the streets than in a hospital."

"That ain't no way to go."

"It is for someone like me."

"Damn it, Brock! I'm tryin' to be a saint here and help you!"

Eddie's skin bubbled once again when the fear of capture ran through his veins. Mirko was almost afraid to get too close. Whatever was happening to him, it was clear he had no control over it.

Before either of them could make a move, they were interrupted when the light from the moon was suddenly eclipsed by a broad entity.

From up above, the muscular body landed between them, immediately striking Mirko and launching her into a nearby trash can. She only got a glimpse of it, but she knew immediately it had been a Nomu.

Eddie was too weak to stop the monster from picking him up, slinging him over his shoulder, and leaping back into the sky where they disappeared into the darkness.

"Damn it!" Mirko shouted as she got up, pushing on her earpiece, "I need backup down the corner of Slott and Romita! We got Nomu activity, and it just kidnapped our suspect!"

…

Eddie did not have the strength to fight against the Nomu as it carried him through the city. Leaps and bounds brought them soaring over the rooftops. What was it doing? Why did it not just kill him like all the other Nomu would?

The Nomu brought Eddie to an abandoned clock tower scheduled indefinitely for demolition; a common practice as frequent villain attacks increased the chances of property destruction. The gears had not moved in some time, having rusted over and blanketed themselves in dust.

The Nomu was surprisingly gentle when putting Eddie down on the top floor. Moonlight cut through through the front of the clock tower, forming the shape of the hands in shadow.

Eddie carefully walked over to a nearby couch that looked run down and overused with the stuffing coming out of the arm rest. Next to it was a small coffee table with a broken lamp. A picture frame rested underneath the lamp, with no photo could be found.

The Nomu had decorated the tower to look like a home.

It moved around the room like a gorilla, making sure everything was straight and in place. Eddie watched it with curiosity. It was as though it thought this was one big playhouse.

Finally, the Nomu came to a stop and sat down in front of Eddie, looking at him with those menacing, yet innocent eyes.

"...what do you want from me?" Eddie asked, assuming there had to be some sort of catch for his rescue.

The Nomu tilted his head. Eddie could not tell if the creature did not understand English, or just not the meaning of his question.

"Why did you bring me here?" Eddie asked, "What do you want?"

Finally understanding, the Nomu scurried around to the broken drawers in the corner, searching through tattered clothes for something. Objects went flying out of the drawer, falling onto the floor and out of mind.

It brought a small, stained photo over to Eddie; a photograph taken for a family of three.

Eddie knew little about the Nomu and how they were made; what he did know from his time with the League was that they were created from corpses. Each one of them were people before they died and were turned into monsters.

Did the monster remember?

"Is this your family?" Eddie asked, "Do you know who you are?"

The creature only grumbled in response.

"This you?" He asked, pointing to the husband.

The monster shook his head.

Looking closer at the photograph, Eddie found that the father was eerily similar to himself; blonde hair, sharp bone structure, faint facial hair. Other than coming from a different ethnicity, it was easy to confuse them at a distance.

Eddie looked between the photo and the creature, and finally understood.

"You're the kid …" Eddie realized, "You think I'm your dad, don't you?"

The Nomu nuzzled against Eddie, proud that it was able to make him understand.

This creature was a child; a boy, no older than 10 by the looks of the photo. The date stamped on the back was for a year and a half prior. Whoever the child was, he died a long time ago, and the League of Villains resurrected his corpse for their crusade against society.

Eddie hated society, too, but this was too far.

"No," Eddie gently pushed the monster away, "I'm not your dad. You …"

Even if the creature could understand, would it be worth it? The boy was dead by every meaning of the word. It was a freak anomaly that it could remember its past at all. Was it because of its age? A random glitch in the creation process? Something to do with its quirks? Whatever the case, it would have been merciful if he stayed dead. At least then he could have been at peace.

"What do I even call you?" Eddie asked.

The Nomu scurried around again, bringing back a dictionary with a bookmark on a random page.

"Saisei," Eddie read aloud, "Okay, Saisei …"

Saisei seemed happy to hear the name spoken, whether it was its true name or not.

The roof above them was punctured without warning. Debris fell around them as a shadow overtook the moonlight. Mirko – The Rabbit Hero – descended onto them.

She crashed between them and immediately kicked Saisei away, guarding Eddie with her body. The Nomu was ready to tear her apart if it meant keeping Eddie safe, and she was not afraid to put the monster down if she had to.

"Wait!" Eddie limped between them, "That thing isn't going to hurt me!"

"It's a monster, dude!" Mirko scolded.

"It remembers," He said, "It remembers being human. It thinks I'm its father."

Mirko looked at him with a puzzled face, as if he had just sneezed on her. Every Nomu she had ever fought wanted only to kill; the idea any of them would want to protect something was unheard of. He had to still be delirious from the coma.

The Nomu tried to step forward, provoking Mirko to move toward him. Eddie pushed her away and pointed angrily at the monster, "No!" He shouted, "Stand down, Saisei! I mean it!"

Like a toddler who had just spilled their milk, the monster backed away with a crying whine. It did not want to upset whom it considered its father, believing to have only just gotten him back.

"...Holy shit," Mirko uttered in disbelief.

"Right?" Eddie agreed, "I know the League made these things to be mindless, but I don't think it took with this one."

"Did you say it thinks you're its father?"

Eddie winced, "Yeah …it was a child."

Mirko did not need more reasons to hate the League of Villains, yet she was always ready to carry additional motivation.

What was she going to do? Her job was to bring Eddie back, and all heroes were told to dispatch Nomu on sight. She was not prepared for something like this. Her job used to be so much easier.

Helicopters flew over the clock tower, shining their spotlight across the streets below. By then, everyone knew a Nomu was on the loose, putting all the local heroes on high alert.

The hum of the helicopter's blades irritated Eddie, more than it should have. Mirko could see his muscles bubbling like a pot of soup, as though something was trying to break free of his skin. It was not too different from the symbiote anytime it was exposed to high frequencies. Was he still bonded to it, somehow?

"We need to get you to the hospital," Mirko said, "I think something is wrong with you."

She tried to help him, but Saisei growled at her, getting ready to pounce if she dared lay a finger on his surrogate father.

"I'm trying to help him!" Mirko scolded, "Ya' want him to die? Do ya'?"

The Nomu seemed to understand her, and slowly dropped its guard.

Saisei watched the two curiously. She was supposed to be a pro hero; Nomu were practically programmed to attack anyone in a flashy costume. This woman, despite her aggression, seemed to care for Eddie like it did. She caressed Eddie's shoulders, trying to ease the undetermined pain he was feeling.

Saisei crawled forward, taking in every detail of her, before trying to nuzzle against her head.

"Quit it," She pushed him away, though he kept trying, "Stop that! It's creepy!"

"I think it likes you," Eddie joked, "Maybe it thinks you're its mom."

"Ew, no. I hate what that implies."

"I know; being with me must be a nightmare."

"Not what I was referring to but yes."

"So nice."

"Pft, nice is for wusses."

"Just like teams? Heard you hate teams."

"I have an inherent bias against it, yes."

"Jackass."

"Asshole."

"Bugs Bunny."

"G.I. Joe."

"Oh good, you have that here."

The helicopter went over again, worsening Eddie's condition. It looked like his body was going to explode at any moment.

"Come on," Mirko lifted him by his shoulders, "Let's get you some help."

Saisei, though slow, eventually realized that the helicopter was causing Eddie pain. It looked to the hole in the ceiling, feeling the rage build up in its chest as it huffed and puffed.

"...Saisei," Eddie warned with a grunt, "Calm down. What are you doing-?"

The creature roared as it jumped and crashed through the ceiling with murderous intent.

Eddie and Mirko both looked at each other with a unified "Shit."

…

The Nomu leapt into the air after the Helicopter, which just barely managed to swerve out of the way. Officers from inside the metal bird loaded their guns and began firing at the monster. They knew full well what one of these things was capable of and were not willing to take any chances.

Every bullet bounced off its skin, being nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Saisei jumped again at the Helicopter and took out its tail. Smoke puffed into the air like a dying relative as it went spiraling downward.

Roots and tree branches sprouted from the ground spontaneously and caught the helicopter before it could hit the concrete. The officers inside were carried to safety by a large human hand.

"Another monster," Kamui Woods commented.

"There sure are a lot of these things running around," Mt. Lady pouted, "And I was hoping for a nice night out."

Saisei needed only to look at the colorful and complex costumes of the heroes for his rage to ignite against them. That uncontrollable voice in his head told him to kill; to rip them apart at all costs. The memories he cherished were pushed back to make room for its lethal instincts.

Mt. Lady tried to grab the monster, but it avoided her rather easily as it jumped to the street below. Kamui made an attempt to wrap the monster in bark, but one flex broke its containment.

Saisei aimed its rage at Mt. Lady, leaping forward passed her arms and struck her in the nose. His strength was enormous and more than enough to knock her back as blood flew from her nose.

Mirko had finally climbed out of the clock tower with Eddie, too late to stop the destruction.

"I gotta put it down, Brock," Mirko said, "You know that."

"It's alive," Eddie argued, "This one is different. It can remember who it was."

"It's a monster; there's no saving it."

"I was a monster," Eddie argued, "And I was saved."

She wanted to say that it was not the same thing, but the look in his eye was evidence enough against her.

"I'll …do what I can," She promised, before leaping high into the air after it.

Should Eddie just stand by? This monster wanted to help him. Most humans could never be bothered to do that for him. This creature– with barely a mind to call its own– showed him kindness.

No; he could not stand by.

…

Mirko leapt as far as she could, only just barely keeping up with Mt. Lady. Just one of the behemoths' steps took at least two and a half leaps for the rabbit hero. What was she going to say when Mirko finally caught up? She still found this situation far too strange.

"Hey! Pop star!" Mirko shouted as she leapt as high as she could to reach the mountain's rage of hearing.

"Hm? Oh!" Mt. Lady greeted, "Did you hear about the Nomu, too, Mirko?"

"And then some!" She shouted again as she fell back down, needing to leap again as she kicked her legs to stay airborne, "I know our orders and all, but I think we better lighten up on this one!"

"Lighten up? As in let it go?"

Mirko leapt again, "No, no! Just- It's hard to explain, but-" she leapt again, "I think it remembers being human!"

"That's ridiculous," Mt. lady judged, "Any of the other nomu we caught could barely form words."

"I saw it for myself!" She leapt again, "Trust me!"

Mt. Lady was not that close with Mirko. The rabbit hero had been at this gig for a few more years than her, and was known for avoiding most team ups if she could. If she was asking for help, it must have been serious.

"Okay," Mt. Lady agreed, "What do you need from me?"

Mirko leapt again, "Just get Kamui and the other heroes to back off! Give me a few minutes alone with that thing! If I can't make it stop, do what you gotta do!"

Mt. Lady was still uneasy about the Nomu, but she chose to trust the rabbit hero regardless as she shrunk back down to street level.

Mirko could see her stopping to speak with Kamui as she flew through the air after the Nomu. Five minutes; that's all the time she had.

The Nomu finally stopped running as it landed in the middle of an empty construction site. When Mirko landed on a rooftop nearby, she took a moment to watch it first. It looked to have been whimpering. She was so used to simply kicking in a villains face no question; so much had changed in so little time.

Mirko carefully leapt into the construction site and startled the monster. It was not sure if she wanted to hurt him or not. Either way, it did not wish to fight her, having identified her as her fathers partner. By extension, she was now his mother.

"Saisei, right?" She asked, "You're making quite a ruckus. Why don't we go somewhere more private?"

Saisei whimpered and backed away. The loud noises of the city were too much to handle. All it wanted was to protect its father from the helicopter that was causing him pain. It did not want to be attacked. It did not want to be hurt again.

The memories of those experiments came back to it– back to him. It was like being stabbed through the eye by an intangible dagger. Endless, surging pain through each and every one of his nerves.

All it could do to ease that pain was lash out.

The Nomu charged at Mirko, who leapt over it easily as it crashed into a pile of stacked metal support beams. There was barely a scratch on the monster as it quickly recovered.

"Look, I'm not sure you're really still in there or not," Mirko stated, "But I've been trying to give people more of a chance, lately, and I really need you to not screw that up for me! Brock says you ain't a monster, and while I might wanna kick your face in, I'm trying it his way first. Could ya' make this easy and work with me?"

Saisei wanted to listen to her, if not for the rage that blinded its heart. It was trying to fight against the Nomu programming and hold on to who it was. No matter how it tried, it could not remember its true name, only the monster that took its place.

"Mmm …" The monster uttered quietly, "Mmmm …Mmmaaa …Mmmootheer."

"Yes!" She cheered, "Well, yes to the speaking bit; I ain't your mother, but I do wanna help."

"Fff…faaatheer," The Nomu choked, tears rolling from its pried eyes, "Fffaatheer!"

The monster roared, breaking the flow of wind around it.

Another helicopter shined its spotlight on the Nomu as officers surrounded the perimeter. Guns were loaded and barricades were set up across the street. It was too soon; was her five minutes up already?

"We've got your back, Mirko!" An officer shouted, "Let's put this monster down!"

Mirko tried to shout for a ceasefire, but it was too late. The officers fired off endless rounds of bullets at the Nomu, all of which bounced off its body. Three spotlights now pinned the monster down as it was riddled with heavy fire.

The monster cried.

At that moment, Mirko no longer saw the monster that everyone else had. She could see the child inside; the scared kid crying out for their parents. Those sworn to protect children like them were instead trying to hurt him, as if he had not suffered enough.

Blind rage took control once more as the Nomu grabbed debris and hurled it at the officers, who just barely managed to avoid the impact.

Eddie finally arrived at the scene just barely holding himself together. Saisei was pinned down by bullet fire, with Mirko unable to move in close. Once the pro heroes arrived, it would be all over. They'd either take the monster in, or kill it. For heroes, there seemed to never be any other options.

"There he is!" An officer pointed at Eddie as his comrades charged and tackled him to the ground.

Eddie pleaded that they stop hurting the Nomu, but they did not listen to what they thought were psychotic ramblings. All they saw was an escaped convict and a monster that needed to be put down. Nothing else mattered to them when it came to their paycheck.

Weak and helpless; why did this seem so familiar?

That's right. He had been here before, with his father.

Eddie's mother had been crying. His father got upset at how hideous her tears made her.

He hit her.

Eddie tried to stop him, but he was just a boy at the time.

There was nothing he could do to stop his father from nearly beating her to death.

There was nothing he could do.

He was just a boy.

He was just a boy.

He was barely a man anymore.

…

Again, Eddie found himself within the dreamscape, back in that run down apartment. Again, his father beat his wife. Again, the son was helpless against him.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you!"

Eddie did not know what came over him when he rushed over and grabbed his fathers arm, standing between him and the boy.

"You need to know your place!" His father told him.

"And you need to go to hell!" Eddie struck him in the nose, sending him to the ground as he continued to beat him. This was all he had ever wanted to do, to end his father once and for all. Eddie cursed God every day for killing his father in a drunk driving incident, instead of letting him do it himself. If that was his plan all along, why did he wait so long?

"Eddie!" His mother shouted, making him stop with his fist in the air, "Don't. Don't be the monster he is."

Eddie looked between her and his father. For a moment, he saw not his fathers face, but his own. He saw the man who succumbed to the darkness of the city in hopes it would let him live. He saw the man who framed Spider-Man just to get good photos. He saw the man who let a parasite consume his anger and use it against him.

He saw a failure.

"...I'm not a monster," Eddie said as he dropped his father to the ground, "I won't be you, not now or ever."

His father faded away into dust, along with everything else around him. All that remained was himself, and himself.

The little boy pulled on Eddie's pants, wondering what would happen now. Eddie held his hand and led him forward. Wherever he would go, he would never abandon him again.

…

The bubbling under Eddie's skin finally gave way as something ruptured from within. White tentacles sprouted from his back and pushed the officers off as a sudden burst of strength snapped his cuffs. An unknown colorless substance spread all over his body, increasing his size.

All the officers seized their fire when Eddie–or whatever he had become– unleashed a fiery roar.

What stood where Eddie had looked similar to the monster known as Venom, only modified. The black and white colors he was once known for had been swapped. In the center of his black eyes held a red glow. Though he was roughly the same size as Venom, he was also thinner.

Eddie looked at himself, fearing he had somehow been taken by another symbiote. He fully expected to hear another voice in his head, commanding him to attack and kill everyone in sight. Yet, that voice never came. No murderous urges would arise, no evil intent to be found. There was just the power, and himself.

In fact, he felt something he had not felt in so long. Where the symbiote made him feel enraged, this had done the opposite.

He felt happy.

The police started firing at him. Eddie instinctively created a shield from his arm, blocking the oncoming fire. These new powers worked similarly to his old ones, only without the drawback. He had never felt so good in his life.

Eddie created a whip and knocked the officers guns away before jumping down into the construction site.

Mirko was uneasy when he landed near her. He looked too much like Venom for her liking, and hoped he would not try to fight her after she had tried to help him.

Saisei could not control his rage. When Eddie had arrived, the monster reacted on instinct and charged him.

Eddie caught the Nomu's hands easily. He did not feel as strong as he once was, but his reflexes were certainly faster.

"Sorry 'bout this, kid," Eddie said as he threw his first forward. The impact knocked Saisei back and dazed it momentarily.

"If we keep him here," Mirko pointed out, "The Pro's are gonna put him down!"

"I know where we can take him," Eddie suggested.

Eddie taunted Saisei as he led the creature away, jumping through the air and disappearing over the rooftops.

…

As Venom, Eddie had known incredible strength and speed. Though his strength lacked in comparison, his speed and agility in this new form were well beyond his former glory. He was able to outpace the Nomu with relative ease.

Eddie let himself land atop the roof of the abandoned church; the same one he held out in some weeks earlier. He had vague memories of Saisei rescuing him from the other creatures after he abandoned the symbiote. The monster had been looking after him, all this time, because of a false sense of family.

Saisei caught up and launched itself at Eddie, who flipped over the monster just in time as it went crashing through the roof and into the main hall of the holy house.

Eddie leapt down as Saisei recovered from the debris. He did not want to fight the creature if he did not have to.

"You gotta calm down," Eddie said as he approached the creature, "It's going to be okay."

Eddie reached out his hand to hold it against the creature's face. It was hard to imagine that it was once a child with a loving family, now turned into a monster. Did it think this was hell? Did it think it was dreaming?

As Eddie's hand touched the monster's head, small tendrils extended from his fingers and dug themselves into the creature's brain. He tried to release his grip, but the tendrils would not let go. The creature shook and cried out in pain, feeling every nerve in his body all at once.

Finally, Eddie managed to pry his hand free of the creature, watching the tendrils retract back into his body.

"...Yoouuu…" The creature uttered as it looked up at Eddie, "You …not …father?"

Eddie retracted the mask over his head seamlessly as he knelt down to the creature, "You remember now?"

"My head …clear," It said again, "Not …father. Am …sorry. Thought you …family."

"It's not your fault. The League did this to you."

"I …died," Saisei realized, "Should be …dead. Am …dead."

"We can get you help. The heroes-"

"No," Saisei denied, "Even if help …no helping me. No change back. No life. No before, only now."

"I don't know how I did it," Eddie admitted, "But I brought your mind back somehow, maybe I can fix your body."

"No want fix," Saisei claimed, "Boy once was, now gone. Only Saisei. Need find purpose. New one. Better one."

"Any way I can help?"

"No …done enough. Saisei thanks."

"Yeah …Saisei is welcome."

Saisei nuzzled Eddie once more as he stood up. Helicopters flew overhead with their searchlights. It would only be a matter of time before they were found.

"Get out of here," Eddie said.

"Be good," Saisei commanded, "Be hero. Be good man."

"I'm trying."

"No try," Saisei shook his head, "Already done."

Saisei leapt back out through the hole in the roof, intentionally attracting the attention of the helicopters as they chased him away from the church.

Even though the boy had been turned into a monster, he found clarity again and chose a new path. The life he once knew was gone, and though that was sad, he still wanted to live.

What did that mean for Eddie? Was there still a path for him to follow? Could he be the man Saisei believed he could be?

The only way to find out was to walk it.

…

Eddie retreated from the church and back to the clock tower where Saisei had been hiding. It was doubtful that the creature would come back here anytime soon, so he figured he would not let the place go to waste. He was still a fugitive, after all.

As he passed by a broken mirror, he took a moment to admire his new form. It was sleeker, brighter than his old self. His power was fueled not by his anger, but by his joy and love. If he wanted to be strong, he would have no choice but to find reasons to be happy and to love again, wherever they may drop from.

Mirko dropped in from the hole in the roof, being careful not to break anything as she landed, "Should probably fix that if you're crashing here," She commented.

"Are you here to arrest me?" He asked.

"That depends," She said, "Are you still you?"

Eddie looked at his hands, "I don't know what this new symbiote is, or where it came from, but it is not alive like the last one. It's like …an extension of myself. I don't feel as compelled to violence as I once was. In fact, I feel …cleansed. Cured. Complete opposite to before."

"Like an Anti-Venom?" She joked, "Heh …pun."

Eddie perked up, "Yeah …like an Anti-Venom. That's what I can be now; not the disease, but the vaccine."

Her mission was to find and detain 'Venom', as the order put it. As far as she knew, Venom was nowhere to be found.

"As long as you stay out of trouble," She crossed her arms, "I've got no reason to put cuffs on you, unless that's your thing."

"Unless that's-?" he chuckled, "Are you flirting with me?"

She gave him a side eye with a hint of a smirk. It was weird looking at him like he was; not because of his actual appearance, but because he was taller than her in this form.

"If I was," Mirko teased, "What would 'Anti-Venom' think?"

"Not sure," He said as he let the symbiote retract into his body, "Why don't you ask Eddie?"

"I'll ask him when he puts some actual clothes on."

Eddie realized that he was still wearing only his hospital gown, nearly shrieking as he reassembled the Anti-Venom suit up to his neck. Mirko laughed hysterically.

"Ya know," Mirko said, "I'm sure Parker would love to see you up and walking."

"I don't know if I'm ready to see him, yet."

"Afraid of a teenager?"

"This one? Maybe."

Mirko pulled out her phone, hoping to at least message her sidekick and let him know Eddie was awake. Instead, she found she had several missed calls from an unknown number. Apparently, someone had been trying to call her all night and left several voicemails.

"Spam?" Eddie asked.

"Unclear," Mirko pressed the play button.

"Rumi!" A familiar voice shouted through, "It's me! Mayume! I can't explain how I'm calling you, but listen! Someone broke me out of prison– someone powerful– and I think they're planning something really bad! I need your help! Call this number back ASAP!"

The voicemail ended, leaving Mirko with a color-drained expression.

"Mayume?" Eddie asked, "As in Lumina?"

"We need to go," Mirko commanded, "Now."

"As in both of us?"

"Want me to turn you in?"

"No?"

"Then come on!"

Mirko jumped again through the hole in the roof, accidentally making it bigger. Though Eddie did not know what was happening, he owed her regardless, and followed.