Eddie Brock stood outside of a coffee shop, patiently waiting for Peter's arrival. He held two fresh coffees for their walk around the city, and also drop off a pay cheque into the bank.
"Eddie. . ." An all too familiar voice quietly spoke, "We sense him. He is close." Of course Venom had a habit of stating the obvious.
Brock chuckled, "Tell us something we don't know V." And right on que, Peter emerged from the corner, sporting a smile. "You're looking rather upbeat Pete." He said as his enemy turned friend approached.
"Well when you've had an awesome pizza and a milkshake for dinner last night, you'd be the same." He chuckled, thanking Eddie for the coffee. "So how have you been?" He asked as they took a slow walk.
"Not too bad Parker. I heard Spider-Man and the elusive Black Cat took down Rhino last night. Shame I couldn't see that." Eddie gave a knowing glance and smirk.
Peter winked, "I also heard he went down pretty quick too. But something's bugging me. . . How did he break out?" He pondered out loud, taking a sip of his coffee.
Venom placed a small symbiotic tendril on Peter's shoulder, joining the conversation, "Fisk maybe? He does have his sources." V's voice caught Peter by surprise, but welcomed the answer.
"It's possible. But he would need outside help too. . . Which means he could have the Maggia families and Hammerhead doing some of the dirty work too. Might be worth looking into."
Eddie nodded, "May we tag along when it's time?" Peter nodded back in agreement. Once they finished their coffees, they went off to the bank.
For a Sunday, the bank wasn't as crowded. A few security guards, dozens of cameras and metal detectors were all crucial in maintaining safety for both staff and its customers. "Gotta love the architect here." Peter said aloud.
"Nerd. . ." Eddie rolled his eyes, "We'll be quick in cashing in and then we're out." He approached the cashier with his cheque in hand.
"Payday, payday, PAYDAY!" V cheerfully sung, only to be shushed by its host. "Sorry." It whispered.
Everything seemed fine and dandy. . . Until Peter's spider-sense kicked in. "Of course it'd start today. . . Better suit up in the bathroom and fast!" He said in his mind, rushing off to the bathrooms, leaving Eddie to deal with the cashier.
"Is that all you needed to cash in today Mister Brock?" The lady in her thirties asked with a smile. Brock simply nodded his head, politely confirming. "Thank you for your patronage Mister-"
BOOM!!!
They were interuppted by an explosion at the entrance of the bank. Smoke bombs were thrown in as multiple masked thugs stormed the building wielding shotguns and assault rifles.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots were followed by shouting, "EVERYBODY DOWN!! THIS IS A ROBBERY." The gunmen were rounding up hostages, knocking out the security guards. They were soon followed by who seemed to be the leader of the group. Herman Schultz. . . The Shocker emerged from the smoke, wearing his iconic suit and his shock wave gauntlets.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We've come to make a withdrawal from this establishment! Do as my men say and you'll live to tell the tale! If not. . . well you better hope your loved ones can pay for your funeral!" Shocker ordered his men to gather the hostages, including Eddie and escort them to the vaults, where the money was stored.
"Do we attack now Eddie!?" V asked frantically. Just itching to come out to teach them a lesson.
"Not yet. Wait until we have the opportunity." Eddie whispered. Eyeing some of the gunmen who were looking for the security room.
One gunman grabbed Eddie aside, "I think we got an undercover cop here Shocker!" He tapped his earpiece to speak. His boss was quick to respond with a irritated tone.
"Take him to the security room and keep him there! You may as well rough him up too, and hurry up! I don't want the cops or Spider-Man catching us off guard!"
"Gotcha Boss." The skinny gunman acknowledge before pushing his gun onto Eddie's back. "Come with us tough guy. You're gettin' the V.I.P. treatment."
Brock played along, "You know the cops will be on their way right? What chance do you have getting out, even if you got Lord Spandex up there?"
Lanky scoffed, "With the boss on our side, we'll be outta here with the cash! And if everybody behaves, they'll all go home safe! You on the other hand. . ."
The Security room had another gunman, though he was much bigger than Lanky. "Whose the punk?" Biggy asked, finishing in deleting the recorded camera footage. Lanky pushed Eddie down to the ground before aggresively kicking him in the stomach.
"Some undercover cop. Caught him whispering into his mic, boss said we can kick him around until the job is done." Lanky kicked again, but Eddie didn't grunt nor yell in pain. He simply looked up and smiled. It angered both of the gunmen.
Biggy lifted him up by his shirt collar with one hand, "This little rat thinks he's tough." He said as he took out a switchblade, flicking the blade out. "Let's change that." Eddie was still unimpressed, almost laughing at the puny weapon.
The brute was ready to drive the blade into his stomach, but upon driving it in, it couldn't penetrate the jacket. "How in the-" Biggy was suddenly interuppted by a fierce punch, pushing him nearly onto Lanky who swiftly moved aside.
Eddie cracked his knuckles, "Normally we'd eat your brains. . ." His voice sounded demonic, the black jacket began to move, and expand, taking over his body. Lanky and Biggy loaded their guns as they recognised the symbol that formed as the being stood taller.
"So instead. . . we'll bring you to justice!!" Venom bore an intimidating glare, his large teeth forming into a terrifying smile.
Biggy stuttered, "We can take this punk right? He looked to Lanky, who swiftly ran out of the security room. "OH YOU SONUVA-" He was cut off by a black tentacle, which slithered around his throat tightly.
The large symbiote brought Biggy close, "We should kill you for threatening the innocent. Be thankful that you'll be in cell, because if you break out. . . We will start with your legs. . ." Venom's threat was loud and clear, the long tongue close to the thugs cheek. The thug passed out from the tendril and he was let go, followed by a large thud.
"We'll rescue the hostages whilst Spider-Man deals with Shocker. . ." Venom said aloud, webbing Biggy up to stop him from escaping.
Meanwhile, Shocker was too occupied in grabbing money from one of the vaults, not paying attention to his men who were silently being taken down one by one. The vault door itself was only partially opened, thus mufflling the sounds from the outside to a point.
The villain laughed in triumph as he filled the bags up with cash, oblivious to the stealthy figure hanging from his web. Spider-Man lowered himself, facing the back of Shocker's head. Turning around, Shocker stopped in his tracks.
"Sorry Herman." Spidey said, "But your withdrawal has been canceled!" Shocker's initial reaction was to punch him, aiming for the web-slinger's head, only to miss. He grunted in fraustration as his enemy dodged with ease. Releasing himself from the web, Spider-Man dropped to the ground and leapt with a kick which pushed Shocker to the wall.
Swiftly webbing Shocker up, he pinned both arms in the hopes that the gauntlets were rendered inoperable. "So Herman, care to explain why you're so eager to rob a bank today with some cheaply hired henchmen?" Spidey asked.
"Damned bug! Why do you always show up and ruin my good day!?" The now angered villain exclaimed, struggling to break free from the webs. "You should've taken the day off for once!"
Spider-Man chuckled, "Hah! It's the other way around Herman Sherman. But considering I've had a good few days myself? I'll always have time for my favourite yellow suited foe equipped with shockwave gloves." If the sarcasm wasn't obvious, Shocker probably would've taken the compliment. "So. . . did you hire those guys yourself? Or did someone give you those guys?"
Shocker grunted in fraustration, reluctantly giving up. "It wasn't Hammerhead nor Fisk. . . The guy didn't give me a name, just bailed me out, and gave me the goons and told me to do whatever I want. All I know is he's got money and he's new."
"A new criminal mastermind? Guess they're trying to take over Fisk and Hammerhead's turf right under their nose. . ." The Web slinger thought to himself, keeping cautious incase Shocker broke free. "Did he use a proxy to get you out?" He asked.
"Smart guy." Shocker answered, smirking underneath his mask. Just when Spider-Man turned his back for a moment, he revved his gauntlets fast and used them to blast free of the webs. With a swift swing, he punched the hero to stun him before blasting him through the vault door.
"Dammit!" Spidey thought as he was thrown into the main hall of the bank, barely landing on his feet. The vault door landed in the center of the room, with Shocker emerging with his overcharged gauntlets.
"Get up wallcrawler! I'm not done beating on ya yet!" He laughed.
Spider-Man leapt back up, shaking off any rubble. "Okay Herman. Now I'm closing your bank account permanently!" He managed a quip before leaping into action, dodging the incoming shockwaves.
"Hey Shocky!" The agile Web slinger exclaimed as he grabbed a piece of debris with his webs, "Think fast!!" With a big swing, he released his grip on the debris and launched it towards Shocker, who just managed to break it with a blast in time.
No letting the villain recover, Spidey grabbed another bit of rubble and threw it. "Throw, dodge, get closer and repeat. Those gauntlets lose their blast strength if used too much and have to cool down in order to be back on full power."
Whilst Spider-Man was taking care of Shocker, Venom crawled across ceilings, silently grabbing any gunman he found and knocking them out cold before webbing them onto the wall. It wasn't long until he found Lanky running into the room ahead, most likely where the hostages were being held.
"GUYS!" Lanky shouted as he burst into the room, his fellow gunmen turning with their guns at the ready. "We gotta get the hell out of here!" He added, only to laughed at.
One said, "What? Shocker's got the Spider in a chokehold and the cops will be too late to catch us. What's the hurry?"
Lanky frantically exclaimed, "It's that other guy! The scary one." His hands were shaking as he tried to explain, "He's out for blood and he's not stopping!"
"Carnage!?" A smaller gunman asked, "I thought that guy got shoved back to Ravencroft!" He double checked his magazine, a sudden cold sweat trickled down his spine. The hostages barely moved a muscle in the fear of getting shot, or worse. . .
Lanky was swift to correct him, "Not that one ya idiot! The other one!" He suddenly froze up as he heard a menacing laugh echo. The gunmen spread themselves out, whilst Lanky grabbed the hostage closest to him, the defenseless woman cried, only to be shushed. "That freak could be anywhere! Watch the ceiling!"
"Heh. . . They can watch the ceilings all they want."
As they moved across the room with their guns aimed high, they were more concerned for themselves over the hostages. "I don't like this guys. . . What are we actually up against?" One asked as he walked with a fellow gunman.
"You been livin' under a rock? You've heard of Carnage, but not Venom?" Another asked as his eyes were fixed on the open door. "You remember the biker gang that operated in San Fran?" Added another.
The one gunman gasped in realisation, "That was Venom!? I thought it was Spider-Man in that black get up he wore a few years back."
Lanky shook his head, "Spider-Man doesn't bite your damn head off, but Venom? The stories I've heard ain't for kids. . ." Fear took hold of the gunmen, one's hand was trembling, the others looked wary and almost paranoid.
"Much as we wish to eat them, it wouldn't be ideal. Especially now that we're trying to be better than that. . ."
Venom silently remembered his vow that he wouldn't cross the line. Snapping out of it, the symbiotic vigilante begun his plan of action. With the guards spread out within the offices, there were plenty of blindspots to take the gunmen by surpise.
Thanks to the symbiote's ability to camofluage into the enviornment, Venom began his silent hunt. The first gunman checked his corners, wishing he didn't take this job. "Work with Shocker they said, it'll be easy money they said. . . Nobody told me that I'd be crapping myself as some brain eating monster watches my every move."
"One. By. One." Venom begun his stealthy assualt, starting with the oblivious gunman below. With one tendril grabbing the thug whilst another slithered over his mouth, he was plucked up in a heartbeat. With him webbed up, his gun dropped to the floor, prompting Lanky to jump in fright, the hostage's discomfort was disrupted, leaving her on the ground.
"We gotta get outta here pronto!" Lanky shouted, hoping his fellow gunmen would agree.
One gunner replied, "I came here to get paid! I ain't going anywhere without the damn mone-"
"Nope."
He was dragged away, letting out a scream before being silenced with swiftness. Lanky began to frantically shoot the ceiling without thought. "SHOW YOURSELF!!" He cried, unbeknownst to him that his fellow gunmen were already plucked from the ground. The panicked thug broke into a sprint, leaving the hostages.
As he turned left to the staircase leading to the main hall, he tripped over a trash can, and just when he was about to get up. . .
"Going somewhere?" Venom menacingly asked as his face closed in on a petrified Lanky, who felt the symbiote's hot breath. The man's body refused to move, frozen in complete fear as tendrils began to silther around his arms and legs. Venom's smile grew wider and Lanky could only scream in terror as he was dragged back to the hostages. . .
As Venom dealt with freeing the hostages, he told them to wait until Shocker was subdued. They obeyed as their saviour gave them a poor attempt of an friendly smile. As Spider-Man continued to rinse and repeat the dodging and throwing, Shocker was starting to look tired. The gauntlets were overheating with each blast, the warmth soon became hotter and hotter, which also made Herman sweat heavily under the mask.
"Uh, are those gauntlets meant to cook up like that?" Spidey asked as he swung towards his foe, "Because I like my steak medium rare if you don't mind-"
"SHUT UP!" Shocker roared as he attempted to launch a barrage of waves. But the gaunlets had reached their boiling point, small sparks emitting furiously before completely shutting down. "How the-" He was interuppted as the Web Slinger landed a flying punch to his face, throwing him onto the ground. The villain landed hard on the broken marble flooring.
"Y-You sucker punched me." Herman stuttered out, feeling his conciousness fade.
"Don't ya mean, Shocker Punched?" Spider-Man playfully asked, crossing his arms. Shocker let out a groan before passing out. With Shocker and his gang subdued, and the civilians freed, Venom and the Spider left the bank for the police to apprehend them, not wanting to draw any uneccessary attention. Spider-Man quickly grabbed his webbed up backpack just before he left.
The duo made their way to a rooftop, taking the time to catch their breath. "Jameson's gonna have a field day with this one. First Rhino then Shocker? Man these bad guys pick their moments." Spidey said as he reloaded his web shooters, double checking his suit for any damages.
"Heh. Guess you're happy we were there to help you?" Venom asked, grinning almost menacingly at his "partner".
The Webbed hero nodded, "You guessed right Brock. . . But something about what Shocker said got to me." He removed his mask before sitting on the ground. "Someone other than Wilson Fisk or Hammerhead had bailed him out and provided the guns and thugs. I have a feeling they might've been involved with Rhino's escape too. . ."
Venom put his hand under his chin, narrowing his eyes in a curious thought. "Could it be. . . Adrian Toomes?"
"Nope."
"Otto Octavius?"
"Not a chance."
"Jameson?"
"Yeah, no."
"Chameleon?"
"Dude's smart but nah."
"Osborn?" The last one made Peter look up in surprise.
"Harry Osborn? No way." He said, "Why'd you pick him of all people?" He asked. Harry may hold a grudge against Spider-Man, but surely he wouldn't stoop as low. . . could he?
Venom gave an answer, "He does have money. . . And he hates you with a passion. If he were motivated enough, he'd do whatever it took to try and take you down. Of course, we know that he may also not be the type to stoop so low. . ."
Peter couldn't deny it. Harry has more than enough money to bail the worst of the worst out of prison, and obviously his hatred for the Wall Crawler was there. But was he truly capable because of the hatred he carries?
"We'll figure it out." Venom said as he stepped onto the ledge, "For now Spider, we'll stay alert and perhaps investigate other leads. But know this. . . we have your back!" He leapt off the ledge and swung off, leaving an amused Spidey behind.
As the day went on, Peter spent his time patrolling the city without a break. A few thieves here and there, the occasional mugging, but nothing too strenuous compared to earlier. His built in radio, tuned into the Daily Bugle, the obnoxiously loud booming voice of J Jonah Jameson made him roll his eyes as he slowed his web swinging before landing on the side of Trinity Church and decided to listen to the ramblings.
"If I had a nickle for everytime a bank robbery happened, I'd have at least five of em'. OR NONE BECAUSE THE BANK'S BEEN TURNED INTO A BATTLEGROUND!! Spider-Man was sighted by civilians within the building, fighting the Shocker! It wouldn't surprise me if that Wall Crawling menace and Shocker were in cahoots with one another, before deciding to stab each other in the back!"
Peter sighed, "Course you'd say that JJ. Some things never change. . ." He continued to listen in amusement.
"BUT that's not all citizens of New York! It appears that Spider-Man was ALSO swinging out of the bank with VENOM following behind! That's right folks, THAT VENOM!" JJ shouted. "As if things weren't bad enough. First the Web Headed fool wrecks Times Square with Rhino and that Black Cat, now this!? Gah I need a vacation. . ."
The Spider chuckled aloud, "Man. . . I better head back to the apartment. Summer Break is just one week away and I intend on making the most of it." He leapt off the wall and began to swing back to his home.
Elsewhere. . .
Gwen Stacy hated being in Harry Osborn's apartment. The creepy portrait of his father, depicted him on his chair, his eyes looking as if he could see through someone's soul. She wished she was back home in Queens, and at least she wouldn't need to listen to Harry's unneeded rants about his old man since he was currently occupied with a meeting. In the back of her mind, her thoughts were of Peter and how she wished she could go back to him.
But those bridges were burned long ago. . . She couldn't undo the damage, even after attending May Parker's funeral. Peter chose to leave her to it, a piece of him hoping she could save Harry from the consuming hatred he now felt. It didn't help that Mary Jane confronted Gwen not long after the day of mourning.
Flashback several days after the funeral . . .
With Harry leaving for Oscorp to begin his new job as CEO, this left Gwen alone in the University. It was just a regular break before the next class, and not wishing to interact with fellow classmates, she retreated to the bathroom facilities. Upon entering, she quietly took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her grey hairband kept everything in place, whilst she wore a dark grey sweatshirt and a long black skirt, complete with small black heeled boots.
Just when she thought she was alone, of the cubicle door swung open to reveal the one person she didn't want to meet. Mary Jane Watson blankly stared at her before approaching the sink to wash her hands. The silence spoke louder than any word, tension between the two was obvious and rising.
"Is Peter-" Gwen was stopped mid sentence by MJ's angered expression. "Don't bother Gwen." She said quietly, "First you stay with Harry after he buried his old man and didn't even bother going back to Peter. Second, you decide to cut us off while Harry goes all high and mighty CEO and not even acknowledge us."
The red haired young woman took a deep breathe, her face looking more sorrowful. "Then Aunt May. . . Who still thought there was good in you. Peter's been working overtime just to keep his mind off of everything, and were it not for me, Flash, Eddie and the others, he would've crumbled by now."
Gwen responded, "Eddie Brock!? You mean the one guy who nearly killed Pete!?"
"Well unlike Harry, Eddie's turned his life around. Don't you realise that Harry's hate for Spider-Man affects Pete?" This question struck a cord.
Gwen knew of Peter's alter ego and never uttered a word. If Harry knew the truth, then all hell would break loose. "Harry will never know that. Not even by me. What are you getting at MJ?" She asked.
Mary Jane sighed, taking a step back to the door to leave. "He may be Spider-Man, but underneath the mask. . . He's our best friend. . . But you've clearly made your choice." She left a disheartened Gwen behind, who sighed as she lowered her head.
End of the flashback. . .
If only she went back to Peter. If only she had mustered up the courage to stand up against Harry. But in truth, she was terrified of him, terrified that he'd lose control and hurt her or himself. Gwen was also conflicted when she spotted Peter, Mary Jane and a white haired young lady who looked new, but seemed to know Peter.
"It's too late. . ." She thought. Eventually Harry concludes his meeting and enters the living room, a fraustrated sigh left his throat.
He looked at Gwen, "I swear the board members must take me for a fool." He said, grabbing a clear shot glass and a bottle of whiskey. "They're trying to persuade to discontinue my current project." Taking a swig, he poured another glass for Gwen, who waved her hand in decline.
"Why would they do that?" She asked, "I thought you had gotten approval?" This made Harry grumble. He sat down on the couch and loosened his tie.
"They did not approve of my new project. . . Said the risks are extremely high and isn't worth pushing the funds into. Cowards, the lot of them!"
Gwen sat opposite Osborn, an alarm rang in her head. "Harry. . . this project you've been doing. It's obviously too dangerous and they're only concerned for everyone's safety. Don't even think about doing it behind their back. You know what'll happen. . ."
"Don't take their side Gwen. This project is beneficial for the city and I refuse to be denied the opportunity to do some good." Harry leaned forward with a glare, the kind that his Father often used.
"I'm not taking their side." Gwen snapped back, "Just don't do anything that's gonna cost you the company, or your dignity." That struck a nerve in Harry as he stood up.
He responded with a simple scoff, "You'll see that it's going to be for the city's benefit. Once I've finalised everything, you'll be at the top of the city Gwen. And I promise you, there won't be meaningless carnage to fear. . ." And Harry left for his room, leaving Gwen confused and worried.
"What did he mean by that?" She thought as she decided to leave the apartment, not wishing to look at the portait of Norman Osborn any longer.
Harry watched the city from his room in deep thought, his frown slowly turning upwards into a dark and malicious grin. Whatever his project was, it was clear it involved the Web-Slinger in question.
"Soon Spider-Man. . . Soon you'll learn what it means to cross me, and I will make you suffer. And I will force you to watch this city burn before I take my revenge!" Upon the reflection of the window, a glimpse of Harry's horrific smile resembled that of the villain that terrorised New York. . .
End of Chapter Three
Author's Notes:
Hello to my dear readers. Another chapter is in the bag! and just in time for the soon to be released Spider-Man 2 game too!
Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and I'll add more soon when I am able to!
