Chapter 8: Reunited, and It Feels So Good

In which Eddie makes some good choices.

The Ravencroft Sanitarium was located on the outskirts of the city. There was no straight route there, so after taking the subway as far as they could, the unlikely team of two humans and two Klyntar had to hike through the woods to their destination.

Two teenagers going to a prison-like insane asylum through a dark forest at night sounded like the beginning of a bad horror movie, Leslie thought wryly. Of course, in this case, they were the monsters.

V had transformed once again, fully covering Leslie's body. They were also currently in charge, since they were faster and had a much better reaction time than she did. Losing control of her body like this was rather uncomfortable, but Leslie understood the necessity. She wasn't the right host for V, and they had trouble syncing together. It was better to stay back than distract V at the wrong moment and run headfirst into a tree.

Their companions, on the other hand, had no such issues. Swinging between trees and jumping across branches, Carnage was clearly having the time of their life. They might not be able to create webs like V did, but they had formed several long tentacles that helped them move around.

And they were still arguing about their name with themselves.

"Give it a rest, Cam!" Leslie laughed. "Talking from experience, you can't out-stubborn a kid."

(In their childish innocence, Carrie reminded her so much of her brother… Her heart ached at the memory, but Leslie brushed off the old pain. Now wasn't the time to get lost in the memories.)

"Easy for you to say: you don't sound like a slasher villain," Cameron complained.

"But I do look the part," Leslie countered. "We both kinda do."

Cameron only sighed, "Don't remind me…"

Finally, they had reached the edge of the forest. Perched on a tree, half-hidden between its branches, they could easily see their destination.

Ravencroft Sanitarium was an old building that resembled a gothic castle. It was surrounded by a high stone wall and it was clearly well-guarded, with projector lights shining everywhere.

"Can't imagine this place being conductive to anyone's mental health," Leslie commented dryly.

"No kidding… Alright, so what's the game plan?" Carnage asked. Their voice was neither Carrie, nor Cameron, but a seamless blend of both. "Because the way we see it, it's in our best interests to stay quiet and unnoticeable for as long as we can."

Leslie nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm not in the mood to fight the guards either. I'd rather not hurt them if I can avoid it. They're just ordinary people doing their jobs."

Carnage drummed their claws over the branch they were perched on, "Agreed. Now, let's see… Only the gate is constantly under the spotlights, but we don't need it to get in. We can climb the wall anywhere."

"There might be alarms there," Leslie pointed out.

"We'll just have to risk it," V said through her mouth, their voice a deep rumbling growl.

"You have a point there," Leslie grudgingly admitted. "I guess we'll just have to be quick. Even if there are alarms, it would still take time for the guards to react. We should be able to cross the grounds in that time."

"Also, have you noticed?" Carnage added. "The projectors don't shine on the roof, so we can hide there."

They were right. The projectors were mostly directed outwards. And while the lights did swipe over the sanitarium grounds and even its walls once in a while, they didn't reach the roof.

"Huh. You're right. Good eye," Leslie noted.

Cameron shrugged, "All those years spent playing video games have to be useful for something. I'm good at noticing patterns." Then Carrie's voice joined his and they once again spoke as one, "We should stay outside. If we get inside the building, we'll be immediately noticed. As long as we're careful to avoid the projectors, we should be able to stay on the walls."

"And search the cells from the outside?" Leslie guessed. She tapped her chin with a clawed finger, "Yeah, this might be easier. This place is pretty big. We'll probably just get lost inside." Then she clapped her hands together and grinned, exposing all her sharp teeth, "Alright! Let's get a move on!"

It was time to reunite V with their partner.

Eddie sat in the corner of his cell, trying to steady himself after another fruitless session with Dr. Kafka. He had tried to be as calm and polite with her as possible, but her constant insistence that V had been just a delusion was too frustrating to deal with.

How could she be so utterly blind? They lived in a world where all kinds of crazy superpowers were almost commonplace, and yet, alien symbiotes were somehow impossible?!

Honestly, between the two of them, she was the delusional one.

Eddie slowly exhaled and reminded himself that losing his temper would do him no good. He had to stay on good behavior. If he could prove that he wasn't violent, that he had changed, then he had a chance of getting out of here and gaining the freedom to finally find V.

Even if Dr. Kafka thought that he was insane, he might still be released, so long as he wasn't considered a danger to himself and others. He just had to grit his teeth and swallow down his anger, until he was finally free of this place.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of light. A glowing translucent figure had appeared in the corner of his cell: a man in green, who Eddie didn't recognize.

"Who the hell are you?" Eddie asked warily. "How did you get in here?"

He reached out to touch the ghostly apparition, but his hand went right through it. It disappeared, then reappeared a moment later and a foot to the side.

Eddie frowned, trying to remember. Hadn't there been some illusionist running around committing crimes some time ago? "Mysterio, is that you?"

"I am not that stage magician and my powers are far beyond mere smoke and mirrors," the apparition said haughtily. "I am Baron Mordo and I came to you in my astral form to make you an offer. I want to restore to you that which is rightfully yours: the symbiote."

Eddie felt his heart skip a beat. V! He could get V back!

But suspicion immediately set in. Was this man really capable of reuniting them? And if he was, what would he demand in return?

Eddie narrowed his eyes, "How do you know about them?"

"My master Dormammu knows everything," Mordo said. "You need only swear to serve him and the symbiote would be yours once more. He can make you whole again."

The sheer amount of red flags in that statement was staggering. Master? Swear to serve?

If Eddie was still running on pure desperation, he might have chosen to ignore the warnings. If he was still obsessed with revenge, he might not have even noticed them.

But his mind was completely clear and if there was one thing Eddie was sure of, it was that the love he held for V could triumph over any hardships. They would find each other again, and they didn't need any deals with the devil to accomplish it!

"Hey, you in there, whoever you are!" the crazy guy from the cell next door called out. "Forget Brock! If this Dormammu guy can get me out of here, I'll do whatever he wants!"

"Will you shut up already?" Eddie snapped at him, leaning against the bars of his cell.

"Why are you hesitating, Eddie?" Mordo asked, frustration starting to seep into his voice. "Don't you miss the symbiote? Don't you care about them? Pledge your loyalty to Dormammu, and you will be reunited with the love of your life!"

So that both of them could be stuck as servants of this Dormammu, whoever that was? Like hell! Eddie didn't trust Mordo as far as he could throw him and he sure as hell didn't trust whoever this guy worked for.

(And that name was… distantly familiar. A memory of a memory, Klyntar knowledge passed through generations. One that warned him that Dormammu was beyond dangerous and not someone to be trifled with.)

But no matter how fishy this all was, Eddie couldn't allow a chance like this to slip through his fingers. He wasn't going to sign up for whatever Mordo wanted from him, but he might be able to get some information that could help him find V.

He was an investigative reporter. It was about time he started to act like it.

"What proof do I have that you are telling the truth?" Eddie asked skeptically. "The symbiote has been sent into space. How are you going to bring them back?"

"I have secretly gained access to the ground controls for the space probe to which the symbiote was attached. From there, it was a simple matter to guide it back to Earth," Mordo boasted.

Was. Past tense.

V was already back on Earth?!

Eddie swallowed down his excitement. He had a feeling that right now, any display of emotion would be a weakness. Instead, he tried to keep his expression neutral and somewhat skeptical.

"That's what you say, but I haven't seen any proof yet." He poked the apparition, making him dissolve again, then reappear with an increasingly more annoyed expression. "All I see right now is some mutant with intangibility powers who likes to tell tall tales."

Mordo narrowed his eyes. "I will forgive your impudence this time, but if you keep rejecting my generous offer, you will never see the symbiote again! Is that what you want, Eddie? To be utterly alone for the rest of your miserable existence?!"

Oh, so since he kept refusing the carrot, out came the stick? Why was Eddie not surprised? This was the oldest trick in the book.

Eddie raised his hands placatingly, "Sorry, sorry… But you gotta understand, this is the first time I've ever seen you in my life, and everything you say is a little hard to believe. So cut me some slack, will you?"

Mordo crossed his arms, "One would think that a man stuck in prison for the foreseeable future would be far more eager to accept help."

"By which you mean, I'm harder to manipulate than you expected?" Eddie thought, grinning internally. "I don't need help that has so many strings attached!"

"Well, being rash is what got me in here in the first place," Eddie shrugged. "So excuse me for trying to think things through now."

"The clock is ticking, Eddie!" Mordo hissed. "And my patience isn't endless! So make your choice, now! Either pledge your loyalty to master Dormammu or rot in here for the rest of your life!"

Eddie narrowed his eyes. Why was this guy in such a hurry? This was beyond suspicious.

He needed to stall for time and find out more.

"Can't say I'm very keen on becoming a servant of some guy I've never even met, but I'm willing to hear him out. If you introduce us properly, maybe he and I could work out some kind of a deal."

"I have already presented the deal to you!" Mordo snarled. "You don't get to choose its conditions!"

Eddie mentally patted himself on the back for riling him up like this. Angry people were prone to making mistakes, he knew it from his own experience. "I dunno, man… I don't like signing contracts that I haven't read."

"So you refuse?!"

"Well, I didn't say that. C'mon, man, can you at least tell me what this Dormammu guy wants from me? I mean, what if it's something I can't actually do? 'Cause I'll have you know, I'm a terrible cook and an even worse singer."

Mordo ground his teeth together, his eye starting to twitch, "Impudent whelp! How dare you make jests at my master's expense! Once he is free of his dimensional prison, he will make you regret–"

But before he could finish the threat, a loud roar echoed from behind the small, barred window of his cell. Mordo looked like he had bitten into a lemon, but Eddie…

Eddie was ready to cry, because he knew that voice.

He turned around just in time to see a black clawed hand grab the bars and rip them out, taking a good chunk of the wall with them. Then a familiar dark shape jumped into his cell. They looked just like he remembered: the same white eyes, the same glistening black skin, the same fangs exposed in a predatory grin…

"V?" Eddie whispered softly.

"My Eddie…"

There was so much love and longing in their voice, it was like a balm for his aching heart that could barely stand the sight of his partner being bonded to someone else.

Then they snarled, "You! Get away from him!"

V lunged forward and clawed through Mordo's translucent form, forcing him to disappear. He didn't reappear, perhaps realizing that with V back, he had no leverage over Eddie.

Eddie didn't care. He didn't care about anything other than his partner.

V moved, detaching from their host (their temporary host) in tar-black tendrils. The host, a girl who appeared to be in her late teens, staggered back, leaning against the wall, but Eddie barely noticed her. He only had the eyes for V.

To anyone else, the writhing oily black shape, like shadow given form, would've looked terrifying. Eddie had never seen anything more beautiful.

V rushed towards him, and Eddie met them half-way, wrapping his arms around them. V clung to him with the same desperation, engulfing him in a wave of black and swallowing him whole.

Eddie felt them seep through his skin, his blood, his bones, their mind twining with his own, until he was finally, truly whole.

"V, you're back! You're really back!"

"Eddie! My Eddie!"

"I love you, V. I missed you so much…"

"I'm here and I'm never leaving you again! I love you!"

Eddie didn't know how long they would've stayed like this, simply basking in each other's presence after being alone for so long, but an outside voice had brought them back to reality.

"Ahem. I hate to interrupt your reunion, but shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

Eddie looked at the teenage girl who had brought V to him. She stared back without a trace of fear, even though they were currently transformed.

"Leslie Gesneria," V whispered, sharing flickers of memories with him.

She had helped them willingly, with no ulterior motives, just because she sympathized with their plight.

"You know, she has a point," another voice said.

It was vaguely male, but high-pitched and inhumanly distorted. And it also came from the ceiling.

Eddie looked up and saw… another symbiote?!

They were shorter and slimmer than him, and their skin was a mix of colors, ranging from blood-red to deep crimson to pure black.

"Carnage, our child," V said.

More memories flickered before his eyes: the new symbiote being born and the host they had found through a strange twist of fate.

A child? They had a child?

For a moment, Eddie couldn't breathe, afraid that this was a dream too good to be true. One moment he had been alone and miserable, and now V was back and they had a child.

They had a family.

If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

Then he heard commotion in the corridor outside that was quickly getting closer to his cell.

"Oh, crap! The guards!" Leslie hissed. "Carnage, give me a hand!"

Carnage wrapped two long tendrils around her waist and effortlessly lifted her up. Then they gestured at the broken wall, "Don't know about you guys, but we'd rather not get shot at. So how about we bail out while we still can?"

For a moment, Eddie wanted to refuse. He wanted to stay here and tear apart this hellhole of a prison until there wasn't a stone upon stone left. He wanted to find Dr. Kafka and rub in her face how utterly wrong she had been.

But he already knew where the thirst for revenge would lead him, and he refused to go down that dark path again.

Eddie could feel V's happiness at the thought, and he knew that his partner wanted to leave the past behind them just as much as he did.

Together, they turned away from the approaching guards and smiled, "Then lead the way, kid."