A/N: Hey, little change here. I was kind of specific about what has already happened in universe by the time this story starts, but I'm already having issues with that weird frame of events being barely outlined. So, if you remember at all what the first note said at the beginning of the first chapter, ignore it. It's not as if though for the most part what I had said there isn't true about what's going on in the background, it's just that I'd rather not bog myself down with that arbitrary limit.
Another change is that I described Felicia as a Platinum-Blonde in her civilian outfit when meeting Tommy at the bar in the third chapter. Flub on my part. She's got really light blonde hair, but it's not platinum or white or what have you. She's wearing a wig.
Oh, and when Tommy and the Symbiote speak in their minds now, while in the form of Venom and narration has turned to the plural, Tommy's thoughts will be in Italics and the Symbiote will be bold italics. This way, narration will remain normal. I figured there may be some confusion if I had left it the way it was before so, hopefully I'm right and this will keep things more organized and clear.
Thanks so much for the support by the way! Still don't have any views being tracked so barring favourites, follows, and reviews, I can't tell how many people are actually reading my fic and enjoying it, or at the very least giving it a chance.
Anyway, I hope you guys continue to enjoy.
"We... are Venom."
We introduce ourselves, and not a second passes before Daken lunges at us. He's faster than we anticipated, and he manages to drive his left claws into our shoulder, and his right into our chest. A sharp sting rips through the hosts nerves, registering pain in our minds. Our body is somewhat damaged, but can be healed quickly. If we allow Daken to keep up his offensive, he may be able to reach the host. That can't happen.
Being a foot taller than the Mohawk Mutant, we wrap our hands around his waist. He drags his claws into a cross shape, creating parallel lines depicting an 'X' as we remove him, and lift him above our heads. He starts to impale our arms with the intent up making us lose control and let go, but we form some tentacles on either arm, wrapping them around his torso and giving him too much "flesh" to cut through in order to be effective.
"Going down?" Without holding back we pull down and drill Daken through the floor, our tentacles unintentionally acting as a bit of a buffer, and throwing him to the floor below.
He tries to yell in agony but we are certain his ribs are piercing his lungs. It is likely he can heal from that, so continuing our assault would be ideal. Unfortunately, a bunch of guards have begun to fill the hall and surround us. We have a little time before Daken is up and running again, and these guards shouldn't prove a real threat. One makes the fatal error of lagging behind and checking on Felicia.
"Hands off." We use our right arm to launch a mass of wriggling limbs towards the unsuspecting guard, causing a yell of surprise and terror when it drags him back towards us. We don't waste any time before throwing him into the crowd and begin dismantling the team of Oscorp security.
"This is Norman Osborn. A group of people have infiltrated the building. Currently there is what appears to be a large Lizard fighting somebody with powers on the 17th floor, and a black and white monster on the 14th floor. Currently Oscorp security are engaging them, but I urge any remaining employees to evacuate immediately. I repeat. Whatever you are doing, it isn't worth your lives. Drop everything and get out. NOW!"
We recognize Norman's voice from the memories of the previous host. The warning is the least he can do for his employees. If they were to get in our way... we'd... we'd...
No. We won't hurt the defenceless.
We will kill any who get in our way.
Only those that are capable, and willing to fight us. The rest can be scared off.
Weakness.
I-I'll-, ugh.
Our head hurts. Why are we fighting?
As we have our internal struggle, a guard with an electrified weapon runs up on us and slams it against our back. We are taking gun fire as well, but of the two, the rod hurts most.It wasn't a high enough voltage to cripple us, but we yelp in surprise of the weapon, before turning around and swatting the guard against a wall.
"Electrified weapons are effective! Focus fire on the upper torso so the rest can get in close!" The hail of bullets are alarming now. Pistols and SMG's aren't much to worry about, but the high-calibre rifles and shotguns can cause some problems. Not to mention that they were providing suppressing fire for their allies, we had to do something about this fast.
In frustration we lift our hands above our head once more and focus much of our mass into our fists and slam them down to the ground, creating a vast amount of our wriggling appendages to shoot out from the ground, spreading and slamming into many of the guards, before they slither back to our body. All the guards that were dispatched by this method had a chunk of the tentacle that hit them leave behind enough material to web them to whatever surface they were slammed into. Not that all of them are likely to survive the attack. Some are definitely going to die from ruptured organs, or blunt trauma at the least.
They deserve it.
I don't know... they are just doing their jobs.
Don't stop! We need to keep going! Remember the Cat!
Shaking our head, we remember the reason we were angry in the first place. There are a few guards that either were lucky enough to not be in the radius of our attack, or somehow managed to avoid it last second. They were standing up and getting ready to charge us with their electrified weapons.
We give them no chance to even reach us. Swinging our right arm out, we reform those appendages and sweep the area in front of us. Taking out two guards while five more dove to the ground to avoid being hit. As they are scrambling to get back up, our right arm goes back to normal, and our left turns into an extended mass of appendages sweeping the other way, but lower. We take out another four in the process, one guard leaping over our attack to reach us. Unfortunately for him, we had raised our hand, switching arms again, and slamming the mass of limbs onto the guard's head. He crumples to the ground, defeated and broken and we are satisfied with the results of our fight.
Moving back to the hole leading to the 13th floor, we expect to see Daken getting up to continue our fight, but he's gone. Looking over to Felicia, we see that she is still motionless. Approaching her, we see she is bleeding profusely, and she may only have moments to live. We need to buy her time, so we pack her wounds with "webbing". Intent on getting her out of harms way we pick up the satchel, carrying case containing the serum, and instinctively store it inside of our body.
Useful
Picking up Felicia, we intend on finding the nearest exit, likely would be fine with just smashing through walls until we end up outside, but our instincts kick in and we leap to the side as Sabretooth and Lizard come crashing through the ceiling.
Sabretooth looks extremely injured, covered in blood and hunks of his flesh are missing. Most of his face looks to have been bitten off, giving him a zombie look. The Lizard backhands Creed, sending him flying down the hall, and roars in it's victory. It's head jerks towards us, it's motions aggressive and rapid. It roars at us, perceiving us to be the next threat. We salivate at the opportunity. Felicia's not going to bleed out at the moment, so we can take our time to have fun. Thinking about how we stored the satchel in our body, we figure placing the woman inside us will keep her secure enough. Appendages slither out and take the small human from our arms, and pull her inward, placing her with the host body, while our form focuses on combat.
The Lizard roars a battle cry as it charges us. It moves faster than we had thought it could. Faster than Creed and Daken. It manages to tackle us, but we use our now shared knowledge of hand-to-hand expertise to pivot and throw the Lizard to the floor. The ground below us crumples under our might and the both of us fall, but we use our webbing to readjust our trajectory and launch ourselves at the Lizard, tackling it through two more floors, and smashing through a wall. We end up back in the atrium in a free fall. We are clawing and biting at each other as we fall. Eventually we get an opening and start striking it repeatedly, angling the reptilian monstrosity towards the ground. We cease our striking, letting Connors land a few hits as we web the ground, place our feet against it's abdomen, and pull ourselves towards the ground at a faster rate.
With our strength, and the combined weight of the Lizard and ourselves, we crack the ground beneath us. The Lizard screeches in pain, but it didn't seem impeded by the attack. We intend to continue our assault, but it's tail wraps around our neck, lifting us off the our victim and slams us into the floor. Once, twice, three times, before throwing us at a wall. We rotate our body, landing on the wall and turning to yell in rage at it. It responds with a roar. We are interrupted by Oscorp security, who have taken to fighting both of us at once, opening fire with military grade weapons. One had the audacity to fire at us with a grenade launcher.
We grab the explosive projectile with our tendrils and try to send it back, but we are struggling to control... our...
No more death today. Subdue. Non-lethal. Try to get Connors under control an-
Kill. Maim. They wanted to hurt you. To hurt us. To KILL us! They deserve it.
Rrrragh! No! I won't let my rage control me.
The grenade goes off in our hands, blowing away some of our mass and pulling us from our internal struggle. We replenish our arm, and begin to produce more of our matter to replenish what was lost while observing the battlefield.
The Lizard has drawn most of the attention of the guards, due to our non-active position up high. Connors is tossing people around the room. Slashing men to ribbons, and... eating parts of them. We feel a hunger ourselves, but we ignore it for now. Neutralizing Connors, one way or another, is our priority. Then we get Felicia medical aid.
Lizard is currently crushing a man to death with his tail, and we leap from the wall with the intent to ambush him... but our head becomes fuzzy and our senses become muddled. We feel somebody slam into us, and it feels as if multiple knives are puncturing our back. We hit the ground hard, and We see Daken roll off of us. However it still feels like somebody is on us.
"Sabretooth."
"Oh I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Was knocked out cold for a minute there, and I've woken up to not just one, but two ugly sons o' bitches to kill!" Forming an extra appendage on our back, we force Creed off of us, knocking him into a wall.
Standing up, disoriented, we can make out Creed getting out of the man sized hole we put in the wall practically unscathed. He seems more durable than Daken. Fighting both of them shouldn't be hard, but we shouldn't get cocky. They are experienced killers.
So are we
Sabretooth lunges at us from our right, while in front of us, Daken begins circling to our left. I turn to face Creed first. The bigger of the two mutants seemed to be physically superior to the other, if only by a moderate margin. We send out a tendril with our right arm, but he manages to place his hands against the end of our wriggling limb and uses his strength and agility to push off and up. Daken manages to use this distraction to sneak up on us and slice at the back of our knees. We stumble a bit, but manage to maintain our footing. Turning around, we go to swat at the pest, but Creed comes down on us with a ferocious kick, sending us tumbling along the floor.
We manage to roll into a crouch, and look as both men rush us. As they do, we see the Lizard climbing a wall towards a hole, likely looking for an escape. We wish to pursue, but we can barely see straight. The mutants were doing something to us. It was making us vulnerable. Fighting one of them at a time like this would be difficult, but not a problem. Both of them at the same time?
We need to leave
Escape is our only chance at survival right now. We have the Serum and Data. We need to make a break for it.
Kill them later. Lester. Creed. Daken. Toomes for leaving us here.
...
This atrium is open enough that we could use our superior athleticism and our webbing to make space and ascend, escaping their reach. The alternative was likely losing a fight to them. We may be able to win, but we didn't want to take our chances with Felicia around. Bending our knees we leap from our position. Creed picked Daken up off the ground and tosses him with his arms outstretched and claws pointed right at us. We use webs to propel ourselves even faster and higher to avoid him completely, and Creed curses us at the top of his lungs.
Getting to the top floor, we smash through a window that over looks the atrium and land in a long corridor. We feel better, clearly getting away from the mutants was the right call for one of them was producing something, maybe pheromones, to mess with our senses. At the end of the corridor we could see a window facing the Manhattan Skyline, and decide to use that as our escape route.
We are met with no more resistance as we smash make it to the window, shattering it with our mass and launching ourselves out of Oscorp Industries. As we descend from the building, we look around for Toomes, but he's nowhere to be seen. Maybe he betrayed us, or maybe he was found by the Spider. Either way, we're on our own.
We feel our body shift and tentacles force themselves out of our legs, launching us up again, as if we jumped off a platform. The same thing reoccurs but from our back, launching us more forward. Good to know we can manoeuvre mid air. It will make traversal more efficient for us.
We begin to web-swing as we hear sirens heading towards Oscorp. Alternating between swinging, running along walls and launching off rooftops was freeing. I feel... I...
What's happening?
Landing on a rooftop, we fall to our knees, and it feels like our head is spinning. The host and Symbiote aren't cohesive in their wants anymore. We... we... are losing...
Ugh. My head.
Fine. I'll let you have control... for now.
Our form shrinks, and Black Cat is gently dislodged from our body, being placed carefully on the surface of the roof, along with her bag. We begin to... I... I'm my height again. Wearing the Symbiote Suit the way I did when it first bonded with me. My memory is... a bit foggy. I remember everything clearly until Black Cat was attacked by Daken... afterwards... I don't know. I got, bigger, stronger, faster... I know I fought Lizard, Daken, and Creed. But there's dark spots. Like a dream I only remember a portion of. There is one thing I remember clearly.
"Felicia!" Crouching down to check on the unconscious woman, I reach up to pull off my mask. The suit responds before my hands can reach the material however, uncovering my head and leaving no trace of the head piece of the Symbiote.
Kind of freaky really. I am 95% sure that it didn't seamlessly merge with the rest of my suit, but retreated into my body. Thinking about it, my knowledge of the suit grows, the longer I wear it. Especially by using it more and more. It bonds to me on a molecular level, so it isn't just something I've wearing over my clothing. In fact, my clothing seems to get consumed by the Symbiote, and stored, allowing me to wear it as a skin tight and more aerodynamic suit ideal for aerial mobility.
No time for musing. Jesus I've got a dying friend here and I'm making observations about my new power suit. Get it together Thomas!
"Felicia. Can you hear me?" No response. She's breathing evenly though, and looking over her person, I see no wounds. "What the hell?"
Where I clearly saw her get stabbed, there is no blood, or pierced flesh. Just holes in her costume and damaged plating. I check for her pulse, and without even finding the right spot, I'm fed the information of her heart-rate, breathing, O2 levels, brain function, you name it. Things at first I didn't really understand, but as the information is being fed to me, I become more... educated.
"Holy-"
"-Shit!" The unconscious woman's eyes rapidly open and she sits up just as fast. She looks around frantically before looking at me.
"So how many lives you got left, Black Cat?" My question causes a smile to cross her pink lips. A genuinely happy smile, and she lunges at me, planting a kiss on me.
She lingers a bit longer than I thought a "thanks for saving my life" kiss would last for, but admittedly, I like it. In fact, I'm flooding with the overwhelming urge to maintain the kiss. Deepen it even. To the point where I wrap my arms around her and we begin to continue our little make out session in earnest.
We kiss slow, going from what could have been a quick peck to a longer lip lock. I can feel her shiver a bit, possibly cold, she did lose a lot of blood before she miraculously healed, so I pull her off the ground, and squeeze her closer to me. Her luscious body pressed completely against mine, the only thing separating us was our skin tight clothing. Eventually her lips part, her hot breath and tongue send a tingling sensation across my lips, and a feeling of lust through my body as we taste each other. She tastes like a rich citrus fruit. Sweet and sour. I savour it as my mind becomes a fog of temptation.
Our hands explore each other's crevices, forbidden areas, before we pull away and look at each other with lulled and lustful eyes. We want more. I want more... and Felicia is showing me that she's willing to go further by reaching to undo her Black Cat outfit.
But I stop her by placing my hands on hers.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have responded the way I did. I jus-"
"Don't mention it." She giggles as she removes her hands from the fur collar of her costume. I let go of her hands and she places one on my cheek and smiles mischievously at me. "You've already proven to me that you aren't just some sleaze ball. If you ever feel like giving into you're wild side, I'll be around."
"Uh, right. Not likely, but... thanks?" I feel embarrassed, but even more importantly, I feel guilty. I can hear what I think is a growl, but don't sense Daken or Sabretooth anywhere, nor the Lizard. It goes fades away as quickly as it arrived, so I decide to ignore it. Probably just hearing things.
"As for your question a moment ago, I've lost count. Would rather live my life free of the worry that it was going to end too soon. Besides, I knew I could rely on... you... wha-?" Her eyes drift down as she speaks, likely checking me out, but she then seems to register something as she's looking at my suit. A perplexed look crosses her face and lingers for a second or two before a clarity, an understanding, washes over her.
"What's the matter?" The cat burglar raises her head slowly, a grim look on her face.
"How do you feel?" That's an odd question.
"Me? You were the one that was impaled by Daken's claws. That can't have felt very good. Unless you're into that sort of thing." She shakes her head and smiles. Her playful attitude returning.
"I don't mind a little pain when it comes to the bedroom, but I don't like blood. Or attempted murder."
"Didn't think so."
"Still, how do you feel?"
"Um... good, actually. Real good. I've never felt better! In fact, I'm pretty sure it fixed my concussion. Not to mention my fatigue from lack of sleep and lingering hang over is gone. The minute the suit was fully on, there were no headaches. I was lucky I opened that container when I did. A second longer, I would have been crushed into a paste with the combined body weight of Lizard-Connors and Creed landing on me the way they did."
"So, you weren't hurt when they came through?"
"Oh, yes I was. If not for the suit, if I had survived that, I would have been crippled for life. I wouldn't have survived it though. I was internally bleeding, all my bones were broken, and my lungs popped. I was choking on blood and teeth, my eyes were fucked, and I went deaf in one ear. It repaired me in such a short time. And on top of that it makes me waay stronger. I'm talking Spider-Man levels of strength." As I speak, Felicia goes from studious, to dubious.
"Is that so?" She seems unsure if I know what I'm talking about. Maybe she knows just how strong Spider-Man is.
"Yeah, watch." I crouch down to wind up and launch myself into the air. I haven't tried just jumping straight up yet, but boy can I get air. Looking down, I'm almost worried I won't survive the fall, but something about the Symbiote just feels like it can take the impact. So, I descend, with very little trepidation, and eventually land in front of Black Cat.
"My, my. It looks like you might be right. I was expecting it to make you stronger, but not that strong. Suppose it was for the best, if it saved our lives."
"Agreed... I..." I think about how worried I was, and how scared I was at losing her. Ridiculous. She and I aren't friends, or even real partners. We had one night of drinking and drunken fighting, followed by a night of criminal activity together. Sure we have the hots for each other but... okay I'm not saying any of this. I see she is hanging onto every word, and I can't bring myself to even mention how worried I was. So... I do the next worse thing. "...I would like to keep this. Do you think I'll be able to?" Felicia places her right hand on her hip and cocks her head to the side. A flash of disappointment on her face before it is replaced with faux innocence?
"Why wouldn't you be?"
"This suit belongs to Spider-Man, right? Plus it was at Oscorp... and we just trashed the place." Felicia rolls her eyes at the mention of the Spider, and then shakes her head before placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Trust me, stud. The Spider prefers being a flashy idiot in red and blue. As for Oscorp, Norman Osborn has enough toys to play with. It was practically collecting dust, and your actually looking to use it. So keep it. Master it. Use it for whatever you want. Live it up a little instead of being so stuffy."
"You think I'm stuffy?"
"Nope. I know you are."
"Prove it." Felicia gives me a look that sends shivers down my spine. I feel anticipation, or maybe anxiety. Do I like her? The way she is? The danger she presents? Or am I worried she's going to cause me more trouble than it's worth.
"Catch me." Huh?
"I'm sorry, wha-?" Before I can finish my query, the Black Cat, sprints to the edge of the building and... dives downwards.
My instincts kick in and I know she doesn't intend on using her grappling hook, so I use my webs to sip over the edge as my mask forms over my face again. Looking down I see that Felicia is actually nose diving, so I just shoot my webs as far down the building as possible. Once they find purchase, I sling shot myself downward. The added force of my strength allows me to descend a lot faster than the black clad woman, and she laughs as I grab her in my arms and begin to swing through New York.
"I don't know if you're insane, or are just that sure I'd catch you. Maybe both." The beautiful cat thief laughs with a level of glee I haven't heard from her yet.
"I like the second option better. Besides, I have grappling hooks, remember?" I roll my eyes at her response.
"Uh-huh." A small giggle follows my response as she wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. Freeing up my arms.
However, I know that the way the suit learned to stick to walls and ceilings when worn by the web-head, can be applied to any solid object in a similar manner. This includes people. Still, my hand finds its way up and down her back, and I swear she's humming in a way that almost sounds like purring. At some point I realize I can look at her with my suits eyes and still have full awareness of my surroundings. This suit is amazing.
"So, what should we call you?" She asks as she looks me up and down. Her right hand moving to my chest, tracing the white spider emblem. "Black Spider-Man sounds uninspiring."
"Maybe we don't use the word 'Man' at all."
"How about Ebony Spider? Or Stygian Spider?"
"Spider Noir?" She laughs at my suggestion. "What?"
"You going to narrate your adventures as 'Spider Noir' like a 1940's private eye." I laugh myself at her reasoning. It was a fair point.
"Her voice was the first thing I heard. Silk, sultry, with a sharp edge to it. I knew she was somebody that was looking for trouble the minute she looked me up and down. I knew I was in trouble when I did the same to her. Platinum-Blonde, legs for days and an ass that could suffocate the Incredible Hulk. What really caught my eye, were her emerald greens. She reminded me of a jungle cat. Unassuming, stealthy, hard rocker look but seemed harmless enough, until you looked into those untamed eyes. She was a predator, and I prey. Or so she assumed. She was ready to pounce, and like a fool, I let her. Now, I've bonded to a Symbiote Suit, whatever that is, and have gained powers similar to the resident masked hero. Somehow I doubt they'll refer to me as the Friendly Neighbour Hood Spider Noir. Or maybe Symbiote Spider-Man. No. Those names belong to heroes. I'm just a guy trying to protect and keep what I love. You come near me and mine, my bite stings with venom, and it will kill you. That's right New York. You've never had a friend like me."
"Well that's not a bad name."
"What isn't?"
"Venom. Actually, isn't that what they called you during your career?"
"Oh... yeah. It was. That was a long time ago though."
"Well, honestly, it's either that or Symbiote Spider-Man. Maybe Symbiote Spider. The former has a better ring to it honestly. It just makes the name a little longer, and if you guys happen to be in the same place..." She let the implications of what could happen linger and I sigh.
"I could avoid a lot of confusion if I just had a completely different name. Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"I usually am." I chuckle and lightly spank her. She gasps in surprise but smiles playfully at me.
"Smart ass." I just stare at her as she is smiling. She is one gorgeous woman, and on top of that she's a total bad ass. Hacker, super sleuth, cat burglar, intelligent, at he physical peak that a person can achieve naturally, sharp, sexy, she's got it all. And I couldn't stop staring at her.
She stares right back at me, and that look returns to her as she dives in for another kiss, and latches on to the outside of my mask, where my lips would be. Although odd, I am enticed again by her enthusiasm and attraction to me. I find it energizing and arousing that she can't keep her hands off of me. It's strange though, because normally I don't care for it when strangers do such things. I've only ever appreciated such behaviour from my girlfriend... but something's different about Felicia, and it makes me give in.
Gliding my hand down her back I rest it on her toned bottom, giving her a firm squeeze, and begin to kiss her through the mask. It seems to excite her a bit, getting her to grind against me, but when her eyes open, they go wide and she pulls away.
"Put me down." She looks upset now, and I worry that I did something wrong. Removing my hand from her ass I land on a rooftop and let her unravel herself from me.
Now that we are standing a few feet away, I feel nervous about what to say. She did say she was willing to indulge in my wild side with me, but something is clearly wrong.
"Did I... do something?" Felicia takes a moment, her back turned to me, and shakes her head. She looks slightly over her shoulder, but her hair is covering her face so I can't see what she's feeling. Her shoulders are slightly slumped, but other than that her stance is pretty much the same as it always is. Confident. So what's wrong?
"No. I just, forgot for a minute that you had that mask on. Though your version of the suit looks different to his..." She turns to face me fully now, a frustrated look on her face. "I know, how childish. How immature. Comparing you to my ex."
"It's okay. I get it. Best we don't take it further anyway. Maybe... maybe we should just stick to business?" Felicia's frustration fades to one of hurt. It lingers for a solid 10 seconds before she scowls a bit, turning away from me.
"Fine by me." Oh damn it.
"Felicia, that's no-"
"Let's get this serum back to Chameleon and get paid already." I try to protest, but she's already leaping off the building and launching her grappling hook. As she takes off, I can only sigh in defeat as I've screwed up in more ways than one. Perhaps dropping it is for the best, and focusing on the woman I love and why I did this job in the first place should be at the top of my priorities anyway.
Leaping off the building, I fire out a web line and begin swinging behind her.
1 Hour Later
After a few blocks of silence, I challenged Felicia to a race. She smirked, at me, and picked up speed without acknowledging that she was game. I played it off that I would gain on her, and then get stuck or lose speed because I was show boating, but really I just wasn't interested in destroying her in the race, which I probably could have done relatively easily. My superior strength and agility, as well as having my senses dialed to 11 gave me an unfair advantage. I just wanted her to have fun.
We come up to a pier on the south side of Manhattan, where Chameleon and our employer is supposedly waiting for us in a different warehouse than the last. Felicia ends up getting their first, and when I land, she marches up to me with a scowl on her face.
"You let me win."
"That obvious huh." She smacks me.
"I don't need you to baby me Tommy. Maybe your girlfriend wants to be treated like a fragile Princess, but I don't need a man to treat me like a child, or to feel sorry for me." She seems pretty agitated with me.
"That's not what I was doing."
"Bullshit." She crosses her arms and looks away.
"Seriously. I just wanted us to have some fun. I didn't care about who won, I just wanted to lift your spirits. If I realized you'd be upset about holding back, than I would have gone all out... and got here like 20 minutes ago. Maybe even faster." She regards me with a scrutinizing gaze before sighing and turning around.
"Whatever. Let's go." I go to follow her but she stops in her tracks and looks back.
"You should consider right now if you want to keep your identity secret. I'd say don't walk in there dressed like Spider-Man when he was wearing that thing, even if you're style looks a bit different. The emblem and similar look will be enough to sabotage this deal."
"Good point." Following her advice, I go to remove my suit, and remember as I do that the suit responds to my desires. I can command it to come off and it will.
I figure it'll slide off me, and become a writhing stygian mass again, but instead it slithers through my clothes, and recedes into my person, leaving me in the outfit I was wearing when breaking into Oscorp. Pulling my shirt up, I see that my abs and chest were bare. The suit didn't just go under my clothes, it went under my skin.
"I don't know if that's cool or creepy."
"It's useful. Though, a bit creepy." I can see Felicia has turned slightly towards me again, and is staring at my body. The attraction is there now, and it is mutual. I find myself fighting the urge to rip her clothes off and take her on the side of a building, out in the open. I can do that now. Damn. That would be fun. But, I shouldn't, and I won't. "You remember what I said earlier. Before you put it on?"
Thinking back, I remember my feline themed companion mentioning that Spider-Man was able to dress himself with the suit alone. Thinking she may just be looking for an excuse to strip me down, I smirk as I begin to slowly remove my clothing.
Of course, Felicia is transfixed. Her tongue slides out as she absentmindedly licks her lips, before biting the bottom one. Her eyelids were heavy with the weight of temptation, and I couldn't help but give her a show. After kicking off my shoes, I was clad in only my socks and pants. Grabbing the waist band of my pants and underwear, I peel both articles of clothing down my legs, releasing my semi erect member, exposing my balls, and then my muscular thighs, defined calves, and then my feet as I pulled off my socks with my other articles of clothing.
Standing straight up, I can see Felicia was practically drooling. Her eyes are focused mostly on my lower half, though she scans my abs every so often. Her head tilted to the side, she starts stroking her hair, and she makes a noise similar to that one would make when anticipating a delicious meal.
"Eyes up here, Felicia." The woman snaps up and looks me dead in the eye. Frustration and amusement mingle together, but both were drowning in the lust in her eyes. I feel good about getting her back for teasing me this morning, and I'm glad it gave her some enjoyment after that little tiff we had.
She looks about ready to jump me again however, so I start focusing on making myself a black jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, and black jeans and black Bruno Marc boots. I also conjure up a pair of spotless gloves and to contain my hair, a toque, or a beanie as Americans call it.
"Tease."
"You're one to talk." We laugh with each other before heading into the building. Eager to retrieve our millions and move on.
I want to ask her what her plans are next... actually I want to ask her if I'm involved with those plans, but decide against it. I need to get control of myself, and get this over with. Focus Tommy! If you fuck this up, all of that destruction and death will have been for nothing. What would Cindy think if she found out you were partially responsible for that mess, let alone being involved at all. It would devastate her.
I slap my cheeks and shake out the nerves. Felicia definitely notices, but doesn't say anything. We continue our trek into the building and we are eventually stalked by men and women of varied ethnicity. They aren't dressed like the Russians from before, which means these guys belong to whoever we're meeting tonight.
Their number varied in face paint, animal fur, and light-weight body armour. From what I can hear of those that are conversing, they all varied in country of origin, with a larger focus being from Russia and South Africa. Two of them, one wielding a high-tech looking spear, and the other a modern, expensive bow, step in front of us. Probably aren't allowed to see whatever it is they've got going on in this place. From what I can make out, they've mostly just got weaponry, and supplemental gear. Other than that I'm not very sure. There are a lot of people here though. Close to a hundred, if not more.
"We're here to see Chameleon and get paid." Felicia spoke. The man and woman look at each other, before the man with the spear turns around and heads deeper into the darkened warehouse. He's gone for several minutes, before returning and beckoning us with his hand to follow. Cat smirks and I keep a close eye on our surroundings.
Not all of the exits on the ground are easily accessible with how many people are working in here, but there are some high ground exits that I can now consider. Not to mention, the method of smashing through walls isn't out of the question.
I feel an elbow at my side, and look down to Felicia who is glaring at me. Signing to her, I just mention that I'm looking for exits, just in case. Nods in approval, but then throws her head in the direction I should be looking. Turning to the front once more, I see we've already made it to the boss.
Standing in front of a table with various implements, weapons, and what looks to be one of those military laptop cases, is a tall, but hunched, aging man. He is well built for his age, most of his muscles being pretty defined, and scars litter his body. Interestingly enough, they look more like they were earned through surviving animal attacks, even if barely. A few man made wounds here and there, but for the most part, this guy seems like a natural born hunter. His Salt and Pepper medium length hair is tied back, and he has a full beard to match it. He has a variation of animal teeth threaded onto a necklace around his neck, and he wears a vest that looks like... a lions face? Well, around the collar and shoulders is fur, so probably the mane, but on either side of his open vest there is one eye each, and what looks like a nose near the bottom. I've never seen anything like that before. Below he wears brown cargo pants and boots that look like he made them from yet another animal. Around his wrists are also fur bracers of some kind.
"At last. You have returned. Where is the rest of your crew?" Felicia and I look at each other quickly before I shake my head and turn back to answer him. I notice that looking at him directly in the eye sent a bit of a warning bell through me. I had an urge to challenge him all the sudden, but decide against it.
He seems disappointed by this.
"Who are you exactly?" I question. His hard stare doesn't change one bit, but I could see his predatory nature behind his hazel eyes.
"I am the one paying for this operation. Sergei Kravinoff. My associates know me as Kraven The Hunter."
"Ah. I'm Thomas. As for the rest of our crew, we aren't sure. Toomes and Lester went missing shortly after the alarms went off, likely trying to save their own skin. Maybe Bullseye got caught, but Vulture is anybody's guess. Sabretooth and Daken betrayed us, and attempted to kill Black Cat. Which leaves the two of us." At the mention of betrayal, I realize I never asked Felicia if Daken revealed anything to indicate why he was betraying us. Normally in situations with people like him they normally don't monologue, they just kill you. Sometimes without even letting you know it's about to happen.
"Unfortunate. I was hoping to come face to face with Victor Creed one last time." Sergei's tone doesn't allude to a positive relationship with the wild mutant. "No matter. He will be hunted as well."
"Good luck with that." Felicia chimes in. "Now, can we get to business? Places to be, millions to spend." Kraven chuckles to himself as he beckons a man over who then proceeds to type away at the laptop.
"Here is your payment. Fifty Million Dollars, each." Holy shit! It takes almost all of my will to not scream out in a mix of joy and surprise. I mean, wasn't this stuff super rare? I'd imagine the Serum was worth way more.
"Hey, not to sound like I'm complaining, but I am wondering how much this serum is actually worth. I mean it is rare, and since the guy who invented it died, nobody is entirely sure how to get it to work properly." Kraven looks at me with a frown.
"You make too many assumptions. How do you think those street heroes Jessica Jones and Luke Cage got their powers. They are not mutants like your former crew members."
"That's two people. I don't know that Jessica is as strong as Rogers, nor did she grow in height. Cage is definitely more durable, and maybe, no most likely, is stronger than the WWII vet. Still, doesn't convince me that it's not rare and understood completely." Kraven smiles, and claps me on the shoulder.
"You're reasoning is sound, but flawed. You fail to take into account genetic make up, and how our DNA would respond differently to the serum. Not to mention, you have never heard of the Winter Soldier. It's more likely than not, many more have attempted over the decades to replicate the serum's effects. Maybe Spider-Man was one such experiment." He makes a good point. We don't know how the Spider got his powers, and if it was through a similar means that Connors turned himself into a giant lizard... well actually, the Wall-Crawler doesn't have eight limbs or multiple eyes. At least none that are visible. He doesn't have mandibles either. So maybe it was something else.
"Okay. That's fair. Again, not looking to gripe about the pay. Fifty Million is more than enough." Kraven gives my shoulder a shake and turned towards the table.
"A man without greed. A rarity in this world." He briefly looks back to Felicia. Extending his hand. "And what of you, Black Cat. Are you happy with the amount?" Felicia steps forward, pulling the briefcase containing the serum out of her satchel and handing it to Kraven.
"I don't do it for the money. Much like you, my hobby is about the sport." Kraven grins and nods.
"Your game are objects with monetary value, your hunt taking the form of a heist. I can respect this. It is why I chose you." This statement brings questions to my mind.
"So why did you choose me? Or the rest of the crew?" Kraven sighs as he places the briefcase down on the table.
"You, Thomas Doyle, are a warrior. Not just some brute, or a deranged killer, like Benjamin Lester. Black Cat's passion for thievery, and mine for hunting, is only matched by your love of fighting. As for the rest of your crew? Chameleon, was the one who picked them."
"Wait, really? He sai-"
"He said what he had to. He is a manipulator, and hunts through deception and trickery. Though I can appreciate miss direction, he is a coward. Instead of opposing me directly, he infiltrated my ranks, and used his influence to sabotage your crew with blood thirsty beasts. Creed, Daken, and Lester, were seeds of corruption." Felicia hmm's at Kraven's words and cocks her head to the side.
"You guys rivals?" Kraven growls in what I can only assume is frustration and looks down.
"Worse. He's my brother." Felicia makes a clicking sound with her tongue before responding.
"Oh, sibling-rivalry than. Classic."
"Yes, wel-" Kraven's words are cut sort by a violent cough that erupts from his mouth. He quickly grabs a hanker chief from his pants and places it over his face.
"You okay?" I ask. Kraven takes a minute, pulling the fabric away from his mouth and looks into it. A sombre, disappointed look takes form on his features, and he looks back to me.
"No. I'm dying. Old age, and cancer. Though I am not afraid of death, I'd rather die on my feet, hunting the most dangerous predator. Instead, I'm withering away." Turning away from us, he beckons for one of his people to approach. A black woman with tied up dreads approaches and leans down. Kraven whispers in her ear, and she collects the briefcase, which has the serum and the data inside of it.
"I'll take this to the mystic right away." Kraven thanks her, and she hurries off to perform her tasks.
"Sorry about your condition, Sergei. The cancer that is. Old age isn't avoidable. Not really. I'm sure if Captain America wasn't frozen back in the 40's he'd have aged at some point, even if it was at a reduced rate." Kraven shakes his head.
"Maybe for humans it's unavoidable, but I'm sure there are beings out there, not just in our world but the universe as a whole, that are infinite. Sabretooth at the very least doesn't seem to age. He looks the exact same as he did when I first met him."
"How long ago was that. Felicia asks.
"Over 30 years ago." My eyes nearly bug out of my head, and looking over to Felicia, I can see that she is similarly surprised.
"Jesus Christ." I can't believe it, but it makes sense. Creed's healing ability, it regenerates damaged tissue. Why wouldn't it work to a certain degree on his cells that should by now be dying. Will it last forever? Or will it eventually slow?
"I have one last thing to offer the two of you." Opening the laptop, Kraven flips it towards us, revealing the security footage of our time in Oscorp. Currently of the footage where Daken was on top of Felicia, his claws sunken into her abdomen.
A spark of anger threatens to ignite my pit of rage again, but Felicia grabs my arm drawing my attention to her. Inspecting her healthy state relaxes me, and I turn back to the footage as Felicia addresses the Russian hunter.
"Is this blackmail?"
"Not at all. I'm just setting the stage. The world is becoming more dangerous by the day. Aliens, mutants..." Kraven hits a button and it rewinds the footage, then plays again, showing Daken pouncing at Black Cat from an incredible distance. A distance that a non-enhanced human couldn't make. "...gods..." footage changes to that of the invasion of New York. Clouds cover the sunny sky as alien transportation is seen racing across the city skyline, until lightning strikes them out of the sky, and a man with a hammer is briefly seen flying over head. "...monsters..." the footage changes again, this time to that of the green rage monster known as the Hulk. He is being recorded on somebody's phone, smashing through an office window, and jumping out to one of those alien monstrosities, somehow preventing it from crashing into the building. It switches again to Oscorp security footage. This time, revealing Curt Connors as the Lizard fighting with Sabretooth, causing massive amounts of destruction and death as they do.
Eventually the footage changes to the Atrium, Creed and Daken have tackled a large black creature to the bottom of the open space. Daken rolls off it, and Creed is continuously slashing away. A large tentacle like appendage forms on it's back and shoves him through a wall. The large monster stands up, and turns towards Daken, giving the camera a full glimpse of it's face. It wasn't until I saw the eyes and the altered spider emblem that I realized it was me. I don't remember... looking like that. I look to Felicia, and she's giving me a look of concern, but doesn't say anything as Kraven continues.
"...humanity is quickly falling behind on the food chain. Given the choice, would you prefer to be incapable of fighting monsters like this, or would you forge your own path through evolution, in order to keep up." So that's his angle. He isn't just trying to avoid death, or cancer, but to get back into his prime, with some enhancements, so that he can fight on a level playing field with the super powered individuals that have been popping up recently.
"I'm in." Felicia's immediate response took me by surprise.
"Really?" She turns to me with an incredulous look.
"I think my response to being turned into a feline shish-kebab is reasonable. I get to be stronger, faster, and more durable. I can give it back as good as they dish it out. Will probably make my lifestyle a little more interesting as well. Taking on new and tougher challenges. I'm excited actually." Kraven claps his hands together with a laugh.
"Wonderful! We'll go over the details with the Voodoo Priestess Calypso. What say you Mr. Doyle." Both Felicia and Kraven look at me expectantly. I'm not sure that I want to risk it.
On the one hand, I wouldn't have to rely on the symbiote to give me powers, should I ever lose it, I could use my own. You need me With both the serum and the Symbiote combined, I'd be incredibly powerful. The basic abilities of Spider-Man, along with the power transferred through the suit, and then the super soldier serum on top of that... pretty mind boggling actually. We'd be unstoppable Tempting to say the least. Maybe I should take the offer.
But what about The Hulk, Jones, Cage, and the Red Skull. Their powers manifested differently. The Hulk I still don't have any proof of being involved with testing radiation on the serum, but what if it was involved. Not to mention Connors was splicing animal DNA with the serum, hence his Lizard transformation upon injection. The serum we got is a sample that hasn't been tampered with, so maybe it's safer. Then again, Kraven was getting a Voodoo Priestess to do God knows what with it. Doesn't really strike me as a safe bet. Ultimately, all the different variables that something would go wrong are too high, and quite frankly, I'm still fixated on the still image of my monstrous transformation. Imagine that thing getting amped by a serum boost. Imagine it being twisted up inside by whatever the serum does to you.
I can't risk something going wrong and becoming a danger to Cindy. I accepted this job to get us out of the financial hole we were in, and mainly because it appeared I didn't have the choice to back out. Now, I'm a millionaire, and have a power suit. I think I should quit while I'm ahead.
"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Kravinoff, but I'll pass." Kraven doesn't seem to take any offence, nor does he seem disappointed. Rather, he shows understanding, and stands from his place at the desk. Felicia on the other hand, is a little baffled.
"Really? Are you sure? Is this because... you know...?" I shake my head. "This sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity Tommy. Maybe give it more thought first."
"Don't need to. Red Skull, the Lizard, that's all I need to see. It's too risky, and I'm not the esoteric type, so the mystic being the one to prepare the serum doesn't put me at ease. I'm going to count my blessings, be thankful for the opportunity, the pay out, and take my leave. If it's all the same to you guys."
"I can respect a man who appreciates what he has." Kraven stands up and shakes my hand once more. Before turning to Felicia and doing the same.
"Alright, if that's everything, I'm beat. Let's head out. Unless you needed anything else from us?" Kraven looks between the two of us, and then looks me up and down for quite awhile.
"Would you happen to know the identity or origin of the black creature with the spider emblem on it's chest, or the Lizard? You mentioned the latter as a reason for not wanting to take the serum. Why?" Fuck me. I should have been more careful.
"I never saw the guy in the black suit, and I don't know who the researcher was that took the serum that turned him into that Lizard. I just know Daken ran him through, and he took the serum to save his life. I don't know if his current state is reversible, like a Bruce Banner/Incredible Hulk situation, or if he's permanently a Lizard-Man now. Either way, he's not in control of the form." Kraven nods, with a gleam in his eye. I see passion, and a thirst for combat. I'd recognize that look anywhere.
"Alright. Cat. What direction did the creature go when it released you?" Felicia looks a bit perplexed at this and turns to me.
"Uh. He released me?" Kraven presses a few keys on the laptop and it shows the image of Venom encasing Felicia in it's Stygian mass, and pulling her into it's form.
"I don't know if I should be mortified, or grateful. For now I'll be grateful, on account of being alive." Mortified? Come on. That was cool. "Sorry, Kraven. I can't help you. I didn't see him take off. I just woke up on a bench. I was lucky Tommy found me. I was left laying there dressed like this, looking like I do, and with a satchel no containing a product worth millions. If he hadn't of found me and stood watch, who knows would would have happened." Kraven looks like he isn't fully convinced. I'm concerned for a minute that I'll have to suit up and fight him, but he just grunts and picks up Felicia's bags, handing them to her.
"Unfortunate you didn't get to see. Fortunate that nothing happened to you." He pauses a minute, looking between the two of us. I'm pretty sure I should be sweating right now with how stressed I am, but he shakes his head and smiles. "Alright. You two crazy kids get out of here, huh! Have fun!" Walking up to the table is another one of Kraven's men, offering shot glasses to us and filling each one with shots of what I could only assume is vodka.
"Vashe zdorov'ye, Kraven The Hunter." Felicia says as she lifts the glass. Kraven's face becomes solemn, and he seems to reminisce for a moment before bowing his head and lifting his as well.
"Vashe zdorov'ye, Black Cat, and Thomas Doyle." I nod my head, not understanding if it meant goodbye or not, which Felicia picks up on.
"It means 'To your health' Tommy."
"Oh. In that case, Vashe zdorov'ye, Sergei. I hope this works out for you." He smiles in appreciation and we all fire back the shots. We do a couple more, at his insistence, and then we get to saying our goodbyes.
"In just a few days, we should be able to make an elixir for you, Ms. Hardy." I look over to Felicia, gauging her reaction to Kraven's knowledge of her identity. She doesn't seem upset about it, nor does she seem surprised. "When it's ready, we'll contact you, so don't go anywhere for awhile. We'll set a time and place and meet. There you'll take the substance under our supervision, just so we can make sure everything is hunky-dory, as they say." Felicia nods and turns away.
"Sounds good to me. See you then." I give Kraven one last head nod as I turn away.
"Mr. Doyle. A moment." I stop in my tracks, watching Felicia continue, but tilting her head back a bit and slowing her pace. Little eavesdropper. I turn to face the man one last time, and he smiles.
"Don't be ashamed of what you are. Who you are. When we deny our nature, we become worse for it. Like we are constantly hurting ourselves over and over."
"Uh... okay?"
"Forgive me. It must seem strange, no? It's just that when I mentioned you had a passion for fighting, your demeanour changed. You seemed, uncomfortable."
"Oh. Yeah, well, I don't like violence."
"I think what you really don't like is excessive destruction and unnecessary brutality." He turns around, and presses a few keys on his laptop once more. Images of my fight with the guards before I got the suit, play out for us. He then hits a few more keys, and videos of my professional fights come up.
I feel drawn in. Studying, like I used to. Remembering with complete clarity how each fight went. Every mistake, and every blow, I could recall it all like it happened yesterday. I had always been told that I have a deadly focus during my matches. A sentiment that the crew I used to run with in my youth would claim I had when fighting in the streets.
"I... I don-"
"It's okay, Mr. Doyle. I struggled with my nature to. Just take solace in the fact that sometimes, men like us are necessary." I don't know how he thought we were the same, but I suppose the physicality and his thirst for battle is what he was associating with my previously chosen profession. "Just don't be so hard on yourself about it."
"Uh, yeah. Okay. Thanks." He bows his head before turning and walking away, deeper into the warehouse.
I stand there, staring at his back for a moment, contemplating his words, before shaking my head and turning back around. Felicia had at one point stopped altogether. She gives me a small smile before looping her arm through mine, leaving the building together. Once we had left the pier, we made sure we were out of ear shot of any eavesdroppers, and turned to each other.
"Well, tonight was... a mess." I am nervous. I'm not sure if I should tell Cindy that we're rich now, or if I should keep it to myself until I've laundered it properly. Something Felicia has already offered to help me with. A ploy I'm sure she intends on using to keep me in arms reach. Which I don't mind very much at all.
"Those are sometimes the best kind of nights. Least favourite part was definitely getting stabbed, but we made it out alive, and completed our job. Among other highlights." She's smiling coyly at me, and I'm grinning like an idiot.
"Yeah, those were good moments." We laugh a little together, before her smile become solemn and she looks me in the eyes. I think she's searching for something, but... I can't let her find it. "I should go. Cindy will be back in a few days, and my place is a mess." Felicia's smile changes. It is barely noticeable, but I can see she's no longer looking at me the same way. Likely just keeping up appearances.
"Last minute cleaning is always boring. Not nearly as fun as web-swinging through Manhattan." She would know, given who she dated before. This made me wonder if she was becoming increasingly attracted to me because my suit is similar to the web-head's. A good avenue to try and avoid developing any more feelings for her... but I hope that isn't the reason she's interested.
"Yeah well, I'll leave that to Spider-Man for now. If I suit up in the next few days, it's only to look for Connors. There's no telling if he will change back or who else he'll hurt as that giant Lizard." Felicia laughs mirthlessly for a good few seconds before shaking her head.
"I have terrible taste."
"What?"
"Nothing. You go be a good boyfriend and hero. I'll be go do my thing while waiting for Kraven's call." Apparently I struck a nerve. She offered up a good subject change though.
"Right. Well, when you get the call, let me know. I'll come by and make sure you're okay." Felicia drops her smile and full on scowls at me. What did I do?
"You asshole! Make up your mind!"
"What? I just said I'd come by to check in on you! What's the problem?!" She growls in frustration and turns away from me.
"Forget it! I told you earlier I don't need you to protect me. I'm capable of that myself."
"Felicia, having your back and showing up for what is essentially the equivalent of surgery isn't babying you or protecting you. It's showing support. Besides, I saved your life today. You even asked me to!" Felicia gets fed up and let's out a frustrated cry while walking away from me.
"Yeah! Well I won't need you or that bastard Spider-Man to save me ever again after I get that elixir. I'll look after myself, like always!" Without saying another word she fires her grappling hook and takes off. I'm tempted to follow her, but I'm pretty sure this is one of those moments where you leave things to cool off a bit before attempting a conversation.
Still, it's frustrating. Cindy and I used to have issues with this when we first started dating. I was more than relieved when we finally figured out how to communicate effectively and came to understand each other. All the more reason for me to feel like an idiot for almost throwing that away tonight.
I turn away from the pier and head to an alley where I can change my attire in privacy. When I do, I cling to the wall next to me and begin crawling upwards. I could just run, which honestly is a thrill on it's own, but there is something that speaks to my inner child when scaling a wall like this. No gear, save my suit allowing me to do this, making me feel free. The feeling of freedom being at it's pique when I'm web-swinging. Reaching the top of the building, I don't hesitate in running to the other side, and leap as high as I can, sticking out my hand to shoot out a web and begin to swing through Manhattan Island.
I run along walls and attach webbing to the corner as I come to the edge so I can make harder turns, I swing upside down, sideways, backwards, you name it. I take longer slower swings that send me higher, and shorter faster ones that send me sailing through the air. I hit walls running upwards using my webbing to zip upwards at a fast rate, and do the same when I'm about to hit the edge so I can propel myself over and forward without losing momentum. Web-zipping as I now call it, towards ledges or polls and propelling myself off of them with just my hands and I still gain incredible distance and height. I'm like an expert free runner/parkour practitioner, expert gymnast, on super steroids. I had decided not to do this too often in order to keep a low profile, but now, I feel like I was too quick to decide. This is too good. It feels really good.
And I'm not giving it up for anything.
A/N: Yeah, really long chapter. Sorry about that. I just didn't want to break up the Oscorp related stuff into anymore chapters. Realistically I would have done the beginning of this chapter with my last one, instead of stopping at Tommy and the Symbiote fully transforming into Venom, but the chance to end the chapter with Venom's most famous line, and with the anticipation of getting to "see" him in action, was too good to pass up.
Anyway. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks for reading!
