The story began in May Parker's house in Queens.
Harry Osborn, who is the current host for the Venom symbiote, paid MJ a visit. When Peter arrived on the scene, Venom revealed himself and attacked him and MJ. In the process, he infected MJ with a symbiote. Instead of turning her into another of his minions, MJ's symbiote was different. Instead of gray or black, it was a mix of red and yellow and it had long hair-like tendrils on its head. This new symbiote was Scream.
After she fully enveloped MJ, she got up and revealed herself to both Venom and Peter. Scream looked at her claws before looking at Venom and then at Peter. Scream has bonded with MJ and now she was her host. However, she was…different from the other symbiotes. She wasn't corrupted like Venom. Instead, she was benevolent. She recognized the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.
"Let her go" said Peter.
Scream knew that Venom was too strong to fight, even with Peter there as backup. So she had no other choice but to attack Peter and hope that Venom would leave. She quickly grabbed Peter with her hair-like tendrils and threw him outside, holding back so she didn't hurt him too badly. She jumped out after him and Venom stepped outside as well. Just then, a few more symbiotes arrived and surrounded Peter as he put his mask back on.
"Show him what he is missing" said Venom.
He then turned around jumped away. Scream looked over and simply sighed. Peter braced himself for the fight when Scream attacked the other symbiotes and quickly took them out, much to his shock and confusion. Scream turned to face him and went away, giving MJ back control of her body. She fell to her knees as Peter quickly ran to her aid.
"MJ, are you alright? Are you hurt" he asked her.
"I'm…fine" she replied.
"What just happened? That symbiote you had on you attacked me, then attacked the others after Harry left" said Peter.
That was when MJ heard the symbiote speak to her in her head.
"Do not fear, Mary Jane. I mean neither you nor Peter any harm" it said.
"I hear it talking to me in my head. It doesn't want to hurt us" said MJ.
"What" Peter uttered.
That was when a red and yellow tendril came out of her back and Scream finally appeared to talk to both of them.
"Do not threat. I mean neither of you no harm" she said.
"OK…mind telling us why you attacked me and then attacked the others after Harry left" Peter asked her.
"Venom was simply too strong to fight, even with you there as backup. I had to make him leave before I could reveal myself" she replied.
Peter was cautious after the horrible and unpleasant experience he had when Venom took him over as a host and made him aggressive to the point where he was hostile, attacking his friends and girlfriend and even tried to make him kill Kraven. MJ was equally as hesitant for the same reason but they both decided to let the symbiote explain itself after it saved Peter.
"OK…go on" said MJ.
"I am Scream. Unlike Venom, I prefer to see the good in my hosts rather than the bad. Venom does make his hosts stronger and faster but at the cost of bringing out the worst within them. He makes them more aggressive and hostile, to the point where they aren't themselves anymore" said Scream.
Peter was having a tough time hearing all of that after the influence Venom had on him and made him do when he was his host. MJ did too but she could somehow sense that Scream was different.
"Across the stars, my kind are known for being benevolent. The truth is that only half of us are benevolent, the rest are malevolent and malicious" she said.
"Let me guess: Venom falls into that second category" MJ asked her.
"Bonding with hosts is what makes us klyntar, or symbiotes as you call us, who we are. Venom and many others symbiotes like him get into the minds of their hosts and twist their desires" she replied.
"Wait, twist their desires" Peter asked her.
"Yes and that's what is currently happening with your friend, Harry. Venom is taking his desire for healing the world and twisting it. His way of healing the world is infecting others and turning them into mindless and savage symbiotes, all under his control" she replied.
"How come he can't control you" MJ asked her.
"The others are just drones. I am not" she replied.
"Are you and the others in a hive mind of somekind" MJ asked her.
"Yes. The hivemind is where all symbiotes are telepathically connected, enabling us to mentally perceive our surroundings. Every last innocent person taken over by a mindless and savage symbiote leads straight back to Venom. He commands them and they follow his lead" she replied.
Peter took out his phone and saw a message from Miles, informing him that he's at city hall.
"Miles is at City Hall and-" MJ cut him off.
"Go. I love you" she said.
"I love YOU" said Peter.
They both embraced each other and kissed. Scream, still present, smiled, finding their relationship to be adorable. Before he left, Peter looked over at her.
"Keep her safe" he said.
"That is what I am made to do. You have my word" said Scream.
Peter then left, leaving MJ and Scream to go do their own thing. While swinging away, Peter got a call from Miles.
"Hey, you get my text? City Hall is…it's bad, man. Heading there now" he said.
"Yeah, sorry, things got…complicated. I'll be there soon" said Peter.
"You think this is Harry" Miles asked him.
"It has to be. I just saw him in Queens, along with a few more symbiotes. He turned MJ into a symbiote but…instead of attacking me, it saved me" Peter replied.
"What" Miles asked.
"Yeah. The symbiote that she got saved me from the others after Harry left. It spoke to both us. Said that it wants to help us stop Harry" said Peter.
"Really" Miles asked him.
"Yeah. It- SHE said that she's benevolent and nothing like the symbiote Harry has" Peter replied.
"Well…at least that's a bit of good news. MJ has her own good symbiote now" said Miles.
"The same can't be said for me. Connors thinks I had the suit on too long and…now some of it is left inside of me" said Peter.
"You really meant it when you said things were complicated" said Miles.
"One thing at a time. See you soon, Miles" said Peter.
"I hear that. See you" said Miles.
He hung up and was rushing to City Hall.
"Reminds me, I owe someone else a call" he said to himself.
He then called Rio, Miles' mother.
"Peter" she asked.
"Hey Ms. Morales, you uh, make it home safe? I was just – you know, I wanted to make sure…" she cut him off.
"We're fine, we're fine. And Peter – we're fine too. But next time, answer my calls" she said.
"Trust me, I'll be on my best behavior" said Peter.
"You'd better be. Now go help my son" said Rio.
She hung up as Peter was almost at City Hall. He and Miles arrived and found all of City hall covered in black symbiote biomass with more mindless and savage symbiotes running around.
"Harry's been busy" said Peter.
"Yeah, well, good thing the clean-up crew is here" said Miles.
They arrived and started fighting the symbiotes. During the fight, they got a call from Ganke telling them that there were people trapped inside City Hall trying to evacuate onto the roof. Peter tells Miles that there's an emergency exit on the roof and they start clearing a path up to it.
However, when they got to the roof, Peter was immediately swarmed by symbiotes. Miles saw it happen and jumped in to try and save him but he was quickly swarmed as well. It seemed like it was all over at that point when a familiar hand grabbed Miles' hand and pulled him out.
Martin Li.
