(Target: Venom)
Gamelover41592: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I can imagine Venom was a surprise for many, but with good reason. You'll see what I mean soon enough.
Spectacular Webhead 11: I'm trying to give Mikey a good character arc here, and show what each of the Turtles can do when they go on separate missions. In this case, Leo on his own getting a team up with Scarlet Spider and Daredevil. Eddie has his part to play. Roman is a lot of things, but he's not a fool, and he knows what the Mutagen is capable of. Scarlet's history with Mr Roman will be explored in due time, and trust me, I've got a lot in store for that.
XaralandoWyattWyatt: Nice job catching the Owl House references. Venom has his own arc to go through, so you'll see what I have in mind there. Mikey is definitely coming into his own as the Turtle Titan. That's a good point about the X-Men and their alien encounters, I'll be sure to address that in a later chapter.
Awesomerebel55: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Mikey is definitely going through a fair bit, but it shows how much he's grown thanks to Peter's influence as well. Scarlet Spider's story is slowly being built up over time, the same with Venom. You'll see more of Wasp and the rest of the Avengers in due time.
Draco Mercer: Nice job catching the parallels, I wasn't sure how many people were going to pick up on that. Yeah, Mr Roman is just as nasty as Belos is, no question. As for the phenomenon you mentioned, it sounds like an interesting idea, but I don't know a lot about it, so you'd have to give me some more details beforehand.
Moheart7: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Nice job catching the Owl House references, and I think Mysterio was very fitting here. I've definitely got some ideas for the true identity of Scarlet Spider being revealed.
C.S. Allen: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Everyone had a part to play in their own various plots, including the likes of Wolverine and his confrontation with Venom, which actually did happen at least once in the comics, so I took inspiration from it. I do have some ideas for how I would incorporate Deadpool, but if I do it won't be for awhile. Scarlet Spider is an interesting case, seeing how I'm trying to do my own unique take on it. Regarding his plot here, I needed a villain that I knew would be willing to do just about anything to make himself look good, and so I thought of Mysterio. And you're right, the Dracodroid fits way too well. As for the rest of the clones, we'll see in due time. Mikey/Turtle Titan won't get his own rogues gallery per se, but we'll see him go up against a variety of villains from different rogues galleries. But yeah, he's grown a lot and it's taking the rest of his brothers awhile to understand that. Silvermane as a cyborg is… an interesting idea. I'll see if I can incorporate that at some point. I definitely will with fat jokes towards Vizioso though. And yes, we all know Raphael is an asshole during this part of the series, but that's what makes his character development later on mean that much more in the grand scheme of things. At this point I think the Hamato clan is just resigned to respecting Peter's wishes to leave Jameson be, even if he is a pain in the ass.
5FingerDeathFist: Good guess, and I'm glad to see you approve. Mr Roman and the original Spider-Man will be addressed in due time, the same with his recruiting other supervillains to his cause.
Godzillaboy2021: Yep, that's about the sum of it.
TheIrishman1999: Shredder and Mr Roman meeting is an interesting idea, the same with seeing how he treats Harry, and while I doubt that Shredder would actually open up or anything of that sort, it would be interesting to see him display some measure of humanity. It may be twisted and based on lies, but he does love Karai… just not enough to put aside his quest for vengeance. But Norman is a whole other level of evil. Your ideas regarding Ghost Spider and Karai are fairly interesting if nothing else, but I can't guarantee anything, so we'll see how it plays out.
Shakespeare RZA: I actually saw the trailer for Echo not long after it came out, and it did not disappoint. I haven't really given much thought to Echo's involvement in this story, but that's not to say I would be against including her in some way.
V for Vendetta: Such things should be remembered, but never emulated.
Frosty Wolf: Velma in the main Scooby Doo stuff is a great character. As for the series named after her, the less said about it the better. George Stacy has ups and downs in terms of portrayal, but the version in Spectacular is one of the best if you ask me. As far as the whole helping Doc Ock thing goes, what would you do in his situation? As far as Mikey goes, he's got his good and bad moments, but I'm doing my best to give him a solid character arc. The scene with Wolverine and Venom was actually based on something that happened in the comics. I did think about the similarities between that and Eddie's talk with Matt, but to be fair, punching and clawing is sure as hell Wolverine's style. It's pretty obvious Scarlet's dad is you know who, but I didn't want to just flat out say it before I was ready. As for who's more important to him, the real question is who will stay loyal to him.
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The night was restless, and the tension in the air was thick in a certain secret facility.
"Well that's definitely irritating if nothing else." Warren rolled his eyes as he made his way into a certain isolated room, the walls lined with weapons and a special gas chamber "It seems that our allies have suffered yet another setback thanks to the failure of one Scarlet Spider."
"His failure is unfortunate, but it won't make a difference in the long run, provided that our main plans go smoothly." Roman glanced over at him from where he was lying on an operating table without his shirt on… revealing the burn marks across his torso "To that end, it's fortunate for all of us that you managed to escape from the Vault during the exodus created by the Technodrome incident. Speaking of which…"
"I know." Warren reached into his lab coat and pulled out a syringe… and a canister filled with a green-colored mutagen, which he then filled the syringe with "It's a good thing that I was able to escape when I did, the last Mutagenic treatment you recieved has nearly worn off. I hate to say it, but I think you did too good of a job on those pumpkin bombs of yours Norman."
"I'm well aware of that, and the last thing I need is a lecture." Roman (Norman Osborn) rolled his eyes as he reached up to his face and grabbed it, then proceeded to rip it off… revealing a head of short red hair, the horrific scars covering his face "At least I've discovered the cure that I need to undo the damage. Finally I found the source of power I need in order to make my dreams into a reality. The only difficult part is using their mutagen in the formula without the unpleasant side effect of turning myself into a mindless monster."
"And yet you chose to include some of them in your ranks."
"Rhino is all brawn and little to no brains yes, but that makes him easy to control. I can imagine that Octavius saw the same in him when he chose to recruit him to his Sinister Six. Which brings us to one of the more prominent tasks we need to undertake."
"Expanding our ranks you mean?"
"Exactly. Rhino and Mysterio have their uses, and I'm confident in our other recruit joining us with a bit of… tinkering."
"I've already done it once, what's a bit more?" Warren gave a shrug.
"Your enthusiasm is always inspiring." Norman rolled his eyes "But as I said, Mysterio and the Rhino have their uses, but being influential and following protocol is not among them. On top of that, Scarlet Spider has proven as of late that he's not up to the more delicate tasks that I need to accomplish…"
"Which leaves us with a variety of questions." Warren frowned in thought and what appeared to be frustration "I can't fathom what went wrong with the ones that came after him. If only I had a more substantial amount of the Spider's DNA."
"We won't be able to do anything on that front without finding the Spider first, and that will take time. But getting back to the task at hand, our current forces aren't trustworthy enough to handle such a delicate task… which at the moment, leaves me with only one option."
"I take I'll be going out in the field then?"
"Assuming you're up for it."
"Come now Norman, you know better than anyone how little I get to truly stretch my legs when I go all out."
"Very true. But I don't want you going alone, given how slippery this creature is known to be already" Norman slowly reached out towards a nearby table and grabbed a tablet, which then showed a holographic image of a hulking masked robotic figure "Thoughts?"
"I take it this is meant for that ninja organization?"
"The Foot Clan, yes. Call it a piece offering of sorts, a way of getting them to cooperate with us when the time is right. Of course it will need a proper test run before we can move these into mass production."
"And how long before that can happen?"
"It should be ready within a matter of hours, and when that happens it will be sent to you. Before that however, tomorrow night I want you to take a squadron of Kraangdroids and head out to capture our other quarry." he removed the image of the robot and pulled up another image on the tablet… the image of a hulking black figure with a white spider logo "Yes, Venom will make a fine addition to our ranks… whether he wants to or not."
"I can imagine the Kraang will be pleased to have this on their side." Warren let out a chuckle "I know they haven't been pleased with how much damage that creature has done to so many of their bases lately."
"True, this should provide a degree of catharsis, hence why Subprime wanted this to be dealt with as soon as possible."
"Speaking of which, where are they exactly?"
"Oh they're tending to another undercover operation to gather information. After all, that is the backbone of this line of work."
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Meanwhile, with the mastermind in question…
"Another night in the suburbs huh?" Irma glanced over at April as the two of them made their way down the sidewalk of Queens "Do you ever find it dull being so far away from the city, in an area that just seems so… boring?"
"I don't really look at it like that." April gave a shrug "It's kind of nice to be away from all of the hustle and bustle of the city, not to mention away from the litter, the thugs, the smog and all of that… It's just really peaceful if you ask me. Honestly if I have to stay anywhere, I'm glad it's with my cousin and her aunt."
"At least you have someone aside from me to talk to. I do happen to have a thriving social life after all." Irma gave a playful smirk, but it quickly faded away "But in all seriousness, I don't see you hanging out with many people. You don't get out much, do you?"
"Well I tutor Casey still, and he's not that bad… I'm hoping. Aside from that…" April let out a sigh "I did have a few really close friends, but I don't really talk to them anymore."
"Have a bad fight or something?" Irma glanced over and took notice of how much April had tensed up "Sore subject?"
"Something like that… Okay, I don't like talking about this for a few reasons but… They did something not long ago, and because of it I lost my dad in an… incident."
"You mean when those people went missing the night those green things started falling out of the sky?"
"Wait what?" April's gaze snapped towards Irma "How did you know about that?"
"Oh, um… I saw one of them myself the night it happened. I was lucky it didn't get anywhere near me though, the stuff inside looked pretty nasty."
"It is, trust me. Anyway the point is my dad's gone, and it's their fault… They didn't do it on purpose, but…"
"But it was still their fault." Irma frowned and crossed her arms "Sounds about right. I think you're making the right call."
"You do?"
"Oh yeah. Accident or not it still happened, it's their fault and you chose to cut ties with them over it. Makes sense to me." Irma's gaze softened slightly "Call this harsh if you want, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe this is a sign that you're better off without them in your life, that you have to move on."
"Move on to what?"
"To bigger and better things. After all, you have me as a friend now."
"That… That does make sense I guess but-" April was cut off by Irma gripping her by both of her shoulders.
"You don't have to worry. I've got your back, and I'll help you out with whatever you may need from me, okay?"
"...Okay, I got it." April still seemed uncertain, but gave a small smile regardless "Thanks for the talk Irma."
"Anytime. So do you want to do something else?"
"Tempting, but I really should get my homework done already. We'll talk tomorrow at school, okay?"
"Suit yourself." Irma gave a shrug and walked away in a different direction.
What went (mostly) unnoticed however, was a certain Stealth Bike parked in an alley a short distance away from this conversation, with Donnie poking his head out, casting a sad glance the direction of April as he watched her leave 'April… I wish you could understand… There are some things that are just beyond our control…' and yet he chose to rev the engine and speed into the distance away from her.
All the while, Irma glanced over at the retreating form of the Stealth Bike, to which she gave a smirk and pulled out her cell phone "So far so good, the O'Neil girl continues to sever her ties with the Turtles. When the time comes, that's going to make it all the easier."
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Meanwhile, in the Lair…
'Come on, come on…' Gwen on the other hand was spending the night in the kitchen area of the Lair, scrolling on her phone in search of information regarding a certain someone 'He's still wandering around out there, I know that much, but if I can find some clues as to where he is then maybe I can get through to him.'
"You doing okay?"
Gwen looked over to see Mikey pulling a slice of pizza out of the fridge "I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but I wouldn't exactly put okay very high on the list."
"Thinking about that black alien goo guy again?"
"Eddie, yeah. I've been scouring news reports over the past few days for some kind of way to track him down."
"Any luck?"
"I did find a few stray mentions of some giant black slime monster lurking in alleys around the city, so that's better than nothing."
"You think it's really him?"
"I think it's the only lead I have to go on." Gwen's expression hardened slightly "Venom is one thing, but I do know Eddie, at least on some level. Even without a Symbiote messing with his head, he's never been what you'd call an unsore loser. And plus, when I went after him a few days ago it turned brutal pretty fast."
"And there hasn't been any sign of him since then?"
"Barely. Even Wolverine hasn't been able to get a solid read on his scent, which means he knows how to cover his tracks. It only makes sense though. Given everything Peter's told me about his fights with Venom, he tends to lay low before making a move. The thought of him being on the loose, even if he's licking his wounds…" Gwen shuddered at the thought "I know last time could have gone better, but to be fair I had Wolverine with me so… I think it might be for the best if I went after him myself. Alone."
"You sure about that? I don't want you rushing into anything or being crazy, you do that and you're gonna get burned. Look at what happened to me and the guys because of it."
"I know that, I do. It's just… I want to help Eddie. I have to." Gwen's face fell "Peter's Uncle Ben said to him that with great power comes great responsibility. Now I have the power myself, but I think my first responsibility should be to the people I care about. Eddie is one of those people, regardless of whatever he's done. I don't want to give up on him."
"...Alright, I get you." Mikey breathed a sigh "But don't go crazy over it alright? You got other stuff to deal with too, tomorrow's Thanksgiving and your dad is gonna want you home. I'm probably gonna check on May and stuff myself."
"You're welcome to join then, since Peter is still gone my dad and I were gonna go to May's for Thanksgiving, just so she isn't alone."
"Sounds like a plan, but me and the guys and Splinter had ours already."
"Really?"
"Yep, in Japan we always do Kinro Kansha no Hi on the 23rd. Kind of a private thing."
"Huh."
"Yeah."
"Guys!" this was when Donnie rushed into the kitchen with his T-phone in hand "The Kraang Communication Orb is going off, we've got a new mission."
"On it." Mikey rushed off to gear up and get ready.
"Gwen hold up." Donnie grabbed Gwen by the arm before she could run out "I think it's about time for me to show to show this." he held out a key to her.
"Um… this is what exactly?"
"The key to the Spider Cycle that Peter and I built."
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A few moments later, in the Shellraiser…
"I've got the translation up here." Donnie held up a piece of paper and glanced over at the rest of them as they made their way in the Shellraiser "From what I've been able to translate from the orb, it seems like the Kraang and their mysterious benefactor have been building some sort of advanced heavy weaponry."
"Benefactor huh?" Leo frowned in thought as he cast a glance back at Donnie "You think it's the same guy that has Mysterio and Scarlet Spider working for him?"
"It doesn't give any specific details, at least none that I was able to translate properly. For all we know it could be some sort of giant mechanical monster."
"Considering I saw them give Mysterio a two-headed robot dragon, nothing surprises me with them anymore."
"So what's our plan?" came the voice of Gwen over one of the T-phones.
"Even if we don't know what the weapon is, we know what we have to do. Once we get to the base, we find the weapon the Kraang are working on and destory. After that we can go and get Mexican. Pizza."
"What exactly is in a mexican pizza?"
"Oh it's awesome." Turtle Titan gave a grin from his navigating position "You gotta try it for yourself, everything on it just blends so well together. A lot better than that Hawaiian stuff with pineapple."
"Pizza with pineapple is a pretty low bar to clear, but I'll take your word for it."
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Meanwhile, with an aforementioned Symbiote host…
'Well this is kind of a surprise huh?' Eddie glanced up at the sign above him, then made his way through the doors below it 'Midtown ice rink, didn't expect to find myself here tonight. I didn't expect a lot of things that have happened in recent times. Or to find some company.'
"Casey Jones shoots, and he scores!" as it turns out, Casey was out on the rink practicing his hockey skills, a confident smirk plastered across his face as always, until he noticed that he wasn't alone "Well I'll be damned, Eddie Brock in the flesh. Here I thought you were never gonna show your face around Midtown again. Figured you thought you were too good to hang around the normal people, am I right?"
"...Am I supposed to know who you are?" Eddie just stared at Casey for a moment, and left him taken aback and somewhat salty.
"You… You seriously don't know who I am?"
"Am I supposed to?"
"Kid with the gap tooth? Midtown's top hockey star? Future pro hockey player and/or future international bounty hunter? The dude who sunk the winning goal in the hockey playoffs last year? Come on dude, that's gotta give you something."
"...Seymour O'Reilly?"
"No you dipstick, that's the guy who does the freaking football commentary! I'm Casey Jones for god's sake!"
"Oh. Oh wait, now I get it." Eddie paused and looked Casey over again "You're that kid with the gap tooth and the ridiculously rich fantasy life."
"...Screw you man." Casey gave a scowl and slammed his hockey stick against another puck hard enough to send it hurtling into the net, and then he took a breath to calm himself "So what are you doing here? I'm guessing you didn't come around to see the infamous Casey Jones in action without the crowds swamping the place."
"Definitely not that. Figured I'd come somewhere without too many crowds, give me a chance to clear my head."
"And get away from the… unpleasant noises associated with crowds."
'Yeah, you've made that point clear.' Eddie cut short any conversation with the Symbiote in his head and looked back at Casey "I didn't think anyone was gonna be here."
"And yet you found yourself alone with the infamous Casey Jones." Casey gave a smirk as he spun around on the ice.
'Unfortunately. Practicing for a game?"
"Nah, just wanted a little bit of me time before Thanksgiving and all. Seriously though, what's your deal Brock? Nobody's really seen you around these parts for like a year? Antisocial and all that huh?"
"That's… one way to put it. I didn't really have a ton of close friends at Midtown to begin with, mostly just stuck around Peter and Gwen, kept tabs on them. It was mostly them that made it bearable" Eddie gave a small smile at the memories, but then his face fell "Me and Pete kind a pretty bad falling out last year though, around this time actually. We don't really talk anymore. I haven't talked to him or Gwen in awhile."
"Yeah… that sort of thing sucks, but it happens." Casey's face fell slightly "Kinda talking from experience too."
"How so?"
"Me and my best bud Nick went up against Tromatown in the playoffs last year, right? I didn't see him when he was coming up behind me, just as I was about to sink that winning goal I told you about, and wham! I wound up smacking his helmet right off. We won it in the end, but he ended up with a swollen face and a split lip. Lost a few teeth too. He was my best friend since second grade… He never spoke to me again after that."
"Oh yeah… I remember hearing about that." Eddie cringed at the thought "But… I mean it's not like you meant to do it."
"I didn't. I guess there's a lot of stuff we just can't control. You gotta learn to deal with it one way or another." and on that note, Casey made his way off the rink and over towards the locker room to change.
"I guess…" Eddie paused and looked down at his torso, covered by a black t-shirt 'Some stuff we just can't control…'
"Do not let yourself become lost in sentimentality. You already committed yourself to this mission. We will not waver because of putrid emotions. You know who must suffer."
'The Kraang obviously, for what they took from us.'
"And once they have been annihilated, Parker will suffer for his transgressions as well. For his rejection of us, and the pain he has caused you."
"Yeah. He did cause us pain, but… it's not like he meant it…'
"Intentional or otherwise is irrelevant! He is the cause of our suffering! Together we are better off without him, and anyone associated with him!"
"Pete is one thing, but… What about Gwen, or May? They haven't done anything to hurt us, they aren't like him…' Eddie paused and glanced out at the rink "I'll probably hate myself for saying this, but maybe that Jones kid is right."
"I think you should listen to him." it was at this moment that another figure made their way up alongside Eddie, taking him by surprise.
"A…Ashley?"
Sure enough, before him stood Ashley Kafka, clad in her usual blue blouse and skirt, albeit with a long gray coat covering her attire "Hi Eddie."
"What the… How did you find me here?"
"I may have a degree in psychology, but that doesn't mean I haven't dabbled in other forms of science and medicine. I believe in variety, and right now it looks like it's paid off."
"Really?"
"Okay no, I actually tracked your cell phone, assuming you still had it in there, but that didn't sound as good."
"Huh. So that's what that annoying vibrating in my ribcage was about." Eddie paused and cast a glance down at his ribcage, and a moment later a black tendril emerged and dropped his cell phone in his hand "Glad that's over, it's been driving me nuts. But seriously, what are you doing here?"
"I don't want to start trouble. I just want to talk to you." Ashley gripped one of Eddie's hands in hers and gently squeezed it "I've heard a lot from you in our time in Ravencroft. And a fair bit just now."
"...Crap, I was talking out loud again wasn't I?"
"A little bit. That boy is right though, there are things that we can't control. What matters is the way we choose to deal with them, because that's a true test of our character."
"Ashley… You know I've done some really screwed up stuff. And that's not just because of the Symbiote either… a part of me wanted it to happen." Eddie took a breath and lookd her directly in the eye "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you. As more than just a therapist I mean. I doubt you feel the same way though." he looked away from her.
"Eddie, I-" Ashleydidn't get to finish, given that his response before a sudden explosion went off behind them… and they turned around to see a group of Kraangdroids standing at the newly formed hole in the wall, laser guns in hand, causing him to let out a snarl as his shirt began pulsating with pure anger.
"What's going on?"
"Those wrethces… Ashley get behind me." Eddie motioned for Ashley to get behind him as a few tendrils emerged from his shirt 'You wanted to make the Kraang suffer right? Well now's your chance, but don't let them get anywhere near her.'
"You had us at making the Kraang suffer!"
"Good enough for me." Eddie braced himself as the Symbiote overtook his body, and Venom then surged into life once more "YOU!"
"Come that which is known as quietly." the first few Kraangdroids readied their blasters and made their way towards Venom… not that they got very far.
"We will have VENGEANCE!" Venom let out a primal roar as he grabbed one Kraangdroid by the head in the middle of its assault, using a series of tendrils to smash it against the rest of the Kraangdroids around them, with the claws of his free hand being used to rip through the one that tried to blast him from behind, eventually leaping out onto the ice rink to fend off the next few that closed in, until…
"Yo uglies!" this was when Casey chose to show up on the scene "If Casey Jones known for having one thing, it's crackerjack timing."
"Wait don't, stay out of there!" Ashley tried to ward him off, with little success.
"And what, let the big ugly and the Men in Black rejects get all the fun?" Casey leapt out onto the ice and shot a few pucks forward, knocking out two Kraangdroids and hitting Venom in the face… only for it to be shot back out at him, forcing him to duck "Hey! Clear out freak, these dudes are mine!"
"You are… irritating, but courageous." Venom rubbed the spot on his face the puck had struck as his gaze hardened "Leave if you don't want to die. This is our fight, not yours." it was then that he saw a Kraangdroid closing in on Ashley outside the rink "ASHLEY!"
"I got her!" Casey shot a single puck at the Kraangdroid, knocking its head clean off and letting its body fall to the ground "Okay, so they're robots… Totally knew that the whole time."
"Hm… That's a decent shot."
"No chance in hell I'm clearing out robot, this is my turf. Speaking of which, cross checking, two minutes!" Casey knocked a Kraangdroid to the ground with his stick and backhanded another one, throwing it to the ground and slamming it in the chest with his stick, causing the Kraang inside to squeal in pain and scamper away "It ain't a penalty if they deserve it." but then his overconfidence was met with another Kraangdroid grabbing him by the ankle and throwing him to the ground, and then getting a blaster aimed at his face "Aw crapbaskets."
"KRAANG!" Venom grabbed the Kraangdroid by the face and proceeded to crush its skull, leaving it to fall to the ground and its pilot to run off "I'll snack on it later." it was then that he held out a hand to Casey as the face of Eddie Brock emerged "You okay kid?"
"Brock?! Okay what the hell is going on?" Casey accepted the hand, then paused and looked at the next few Kraangdroids closing in on them "You owe these guys money or something?"
"There's only one thing I owe them." the mask of Venom formed back over Eddie's face as he let out a roar "You said it's justified if they deserve it, and you were right. They deserve it more than you can imagine."
"So it's personal."
"More than you know. But this isn't your fight, so run while you can."
"Like hell I'm doing that. Do you have any idea what this is? This is Casey Jones versus evil Stormtrooper rejects disguised like dudes from Men in Black. That's the coolest sentence I've ever said in my entire freaking life!"
"Hm. We were right, you do have a rich fantasy life."
"I choose to take that as a compliment. GOONGALA!" and then he charged into the fray, dodging and weaving around every attack being thrown at him by the Kraang… until one blast managed to snap his hockey stick in half "Oh come on!"
"...Well if nothing else, at least you have spirit." Venom rushed forward and used his claws to rip through, but paused and looked over to see Ashley hiding behind the stands 'That woman is in the way.'
"Don't even think about touching her, she's innocent. They don't have anything to do with our grudges."
"We will NOT pass up the chance to make the Kraang suffer!"
"Don't put words in my… your… our mouth! Besides, no one else should have to suffer thanks to the Kraang! Let's just lead them away and rip them apart in an alley or something. Then we can eat them. You do need the chemicals they have in their brain, right?"
"What you would call phenethylamine, yes. And admittedly, their brains are… delicious. Very well. Lead the way."
'Gladly.' with that in mind, Venom turned to the remaining Kraangdroids as the face of Eddie Brock emerged "Hey Kraang scum, if you want me then you can come and get me!" and then the face of Venom returned as he pounced out of the ring and through the ceiling of the rink, with all but a few of the remaining Kraangdroids following after him.
"Eddie wait!" Ashley could only watch in horror as the chase began, and once she steeled herself she promptly ran out of the rink to chase after him, pulling out her cell phone as she did so.
"Huh. okay, so that's a thing I guess." Casey just watched the cavalcade take their leave, but then he turned his gaze towards the remaining Kraangdroids, as well as a few more that showed up on the scene "But this works for me, cause now the fight is fair. So suck on my pucks!" and so he borught down his stick and let a puck fly forward.
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Meanwhile, with the other Kraang hunters…
"Okay, this is the place." by this point, Leo and the others had reached the Kraang base and were staking it out, with only a small group of guards outside "Looks like we've got our entry point there, now we just need a distractio
"Oh trust me, I'm way ahead of you. I've been working on this." Turtle Titan stood and pulled out a light post from a nearby billboard "Go ahead and feel slightly nauseated if you want, but part of being a ninja is the element of surprise. Check this out, I've been practicing." he stuck his hands up to the light, allowing them to hear the Kraang's reactions down below.
"Kraang, creatures known as rabbits have infiltrated Kraang's lab."
"No Kraang, clearly a small but obese pachyderm has breathed Kraang's security."
"Kraang are both wrong. It is a belly dancer wearing what is known as a flamenco dress."
"Actually you're all wrong. It's us." this was when Ghost Spider leapt down onto the street and proceeded to take all of the Kraang down with a single blow to each of them, the Turtles joining her on the ground not long after "I gotta give it to you Mikey, I didn't think you could make shadow puppets work like that."
"Like I told my bros, the element of surprise." Turtle Titan gave a smirk "Now let's get in there and find this new weapon so we can trash it.
"For once him and I are on the same page." Raph gave a smirk of his own, and the five of them made their way inside the base.
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Meanwhile, with the chase scene…
"Phase one is complete, the creature is on the move." Warren peered through a set of binoculars to see Venom on the move, then glanced down at a group of Kraangdroids beside him "He's on the rooftops heading North, now go and corner him so I can deal the finishing blow."
"That which is known as understood." the Kraangdroids locked and loaded their blasters "The creature known as Venom will be captured by Kraang, for that which is known as-"
"Okay we really don't have time for this, just go." Warren gave the order, and the Kraangdroids went on their way, during which he let out a sigh 'I told Norman that the Kraang needed some proper translators, if for no other reason then to avoid the migraines that come with having to listen to them, but did he listen to me? No, nobody ever listens to the big green one on the team with the brain. Perhaps this is what the Hulk feels like with the rest of the Avengers.' he was about to follow after the Kraang… only to stop when he saw Ashley chasing after Venom 'Well what do we have here? None other than one Dr Kafka from Ravencroft. This should prove to be interesting.' and so he transformed, his body growing and being covered with green fur and a set of pointed ears as he strapped on a set of gauntlets, and then the Jackal leapt off the roof to pursue his target…
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Meanwhile, in the Kraang base…
"Okay, here we are." Ghost Spider and the Turtles made their way through the tunnels and into the hideout, where they found several Kraangdroids bustling around the lab, and to be more specific, a large metallic hulking figure "Well if I had to guess, I say we just found this secret weapon they're working on."
"It won't be for long, just hang on and let me shut it down." Donnie gripped his staff and moved to advance towards the robot… only to be stopped by the sound of vibrating, which earned him a few looks from the other Turtles "Okay I swear to god, it's not me this time."
"Actually it's me, sorry." Ghost Spider let out a nervous chuckle as she pulled out her phone and pulled her mask up over her mouth "Dr Kafka hi, now isn't really a good-"
"Gwen I'm sorry, but this is urgent! Eddie, the Symbiote, robots in suits with blasters and now they're-" then there was a scream and a crash, and then it cut off.
"Dr Kafka? Ashley? Hello?" Gwen stowed away her phone and turned to the others "We've got a big problem."
"What kind of problem?" asked Turtle Titan.
"It's Eddie, I didn't get it all but the Kraang are after him. I'm sorry, I have to go. I swear I'll make this up to you guys later." and so she took off running.
"Gwen wait, we need your help here!" Leo's cries went unheard as they watched Ghost Spider swing her way out of the hideout "Why did I know that wasn't going to work?"
"Alerting of one known as intruder." it was then that the alarm began sounding, which alerted the Kraang to the presence of the Turtles.
"...Yep, this is gonna suck."
"Meh, gotta do what we gotta do, so let's do it!" Turtle Titan brandished his nunchucks, and then the four of them charged into the fray as the Kraang began blasting at them.
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Meanwhile, with a wayward kunoichi…
'It was an accident, but they caused it… but they're trying to fix it, so…' April's musings were cut short when she noticed something hit her foot, and she picked up the source 'An apple? Okay what's with the-'
"Oh dear." as it turns out, May was ahead of her, kneeling on the sidewalk and picking up other food items that spilled out of her bag "And they said those reusable bags were reliable."
"There's one over here too." April made her way over to May and handed her the apple "Hey Mrs Parker."
"Oh, thank you April dear. I appreciate the help. Glad to see you're doing well." May gave her a smile… until the bag she was holding ripped and the contents spilled out.
"...Having one of those days huh?"
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A few moments later…
"One of those days… That describes a number of days I've had really." May let out a sheepish chuckle as she and April made their way down the sidewalk "Sorry to inconvenience you over this."
"Don't worry about it, I'm happy to help." April waved her off as she held most of the spilled groceries in her arms "Doing a little bit of last minue Thanksgiving shopping huh?"
"More like late grocery shopping in general. I've been putting in a lot of hours at work, so I've been a bit behind on other things."
"Oh right, Peter mentioned you had a new job before… Anyway, how is it working at the FEAST center?"
"It's wonderful really, a lot of work but it's so rewarding. Plus it does help me to pay the bills for the time being, but combining that with writing another cookbook and I've been fairly busy as of late."
"I can imagine… Sorry I haven't been around to help you much lately."
"Don't blame yourself dear, you had a lot of responsibilities to deal with yourself. I am lucky to have some help with other things though."
"Really, from who?"
"Hey May, I got that stuff you- Oh crap." as it turns out, Flash Thompson was waiting for May by the front door to the Parker residence, and paused when he saw April with her "Hey."
"Hi. Flash, right?"
"Yeah… O'Neil?"
"Yep." the two of them shared a few glances in awkward silence.
"Well I should really put these away before they get spoiled. Thank you again for the help dear, and get home safe. The same to you Flash, take care." May accepted the groceries from April and quickly made her way into the house.
"So… what are you doing here?"
"Just dropping a thing off." Flash paused and looked up at April "You helping her out?"
"I just ran into her on my way home. What about you?"
"Just dropping off some crap for my mom, no big deal, nothing suspicious." Flash began to sweat slightly under April's gaze and raised eyebrow, and he quickly caved "Oh the hell with it, fine I've been helping out Parker's aunt while he's missing. You happy?"
"About you breaking down like that? Not really, but if it means May's getting some help so she's not all alone, then sure. But what brought this on? Last I heard you and Peter were at each other's throats for years."
"None of your business, but… Look, I learned a thing or two about Parker a few weeks back, and I don't know, maybe it just made me feel like I was being a dick to him for awhile."
"You were."
"I know that! Anyway she's got a lot on her plate working and living on her own, she's older and she gets tired a lot easier, and I didn't want her to get another heart attack or something, so I just figured I'd help her out a little bit."
"Okay, that is pretty cool of you." April paused and looked him over "Then why would you get so freaked out about me finding out about this?"
"I got an image to keep up, the big bad football star. I just… I don't want them to think I'm soft, you know?" Flash composed himself and let out a sigh "The only people that actually know this is going on are Sha Shan and Hobie."
"Hobie is in on pretty much everything."
"Tell me about it." Flash cringed at the thought "But seriously, don't go spreading this around, alright?"
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." April patted him idly on the shoulder and walked away from the Parker residence, though as she did she became lost in her thoughts 'He said he found out something about Peter… does he know Peter is Spider-Man? No I can't assume that, but I should probably tell Gwen or MJ about it when I get the chance. At least I'm still on, well not horrible terms with them.'
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Meanwhile, with the lone vigilante…
"Wrist shot, slap shot!" at the same time, Casey Jones was tearing through one Kraangdroid after another with surprising levels of ease "Hey take my advice assclowns, you might wanna get that looked at." he even blitzed through a barrage of kunai being hurled at him and ripped the head off of a Kraangdroid with ease before hurling it into a goal post "One to nada, home ice is in the lead. Whoever wants to be next, come and get some."
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Meanwhile, with the hunted…
Venom finally touched down outside an abandoned warehouse, and soon found several more Kraangdroids surrounding him, earning a loud snarl of anger "You will NOT take us! We will eviscerate all of you for your crimes!"
"Now now, let's not be too hasty with our approach here Mr Brock, or Venom as I'm sure you prefer to be called." it was at this moment that a loud crash drew Venom's attention, courtesy of the Jackal as he landed in front of him, wearing his grey armor and matching gauntlets, a smirk spreading across his face "After all, you wouldn't want to do anything you'll regret."
"There's only one thing we're going to regret after today, and it's taking so long to rid this world of YOU!" Venom latched onto Jackal with one of his claws and sent him crashing into a metal container behind him.
"Such power… it seems our benefactor was was right to choose you to join our ranks, whether you want to or not." Jackal unleashed a series of vibrations from his gauntlet, leaving Venom to roar in agony and fall to his knees… only for Jackal to be swept up by a set of tendrils and thrown to the ground, but it didn't stop him from clawing his way through the Symbiote and then unleashing another series of vibrations from inside it, causing Venom to scream in pain until he was brought to his knees "That's much better. It seems I was right to take the initiative and put the prototype of our sonic disruptors to good use. Now then, as I was saying before you had so rudely interrupted me, we don't want to do anything we'll regret."
"We have… no regrets for ripping you to shreds… and all of those who stand in the way of our revenge."
"No regrets for yourself perhaps, but you never know how your impulsivness can make others pay the price." Jackal gave a smirk as he pointed to a finger at a specific Kraangdroid… who was holding a certain someone in its arm with a blaster to their head.
"ASHLEY!" the face of Eddie Brock broke through the mask of Venom, his expression one of horror at the sight of her in danger, but then it quickly morphed into rage "LET HER GO!" he was about to pounce on the Kraangdroid, only to be stopped by the Jackal slamming one of his gauntlets onto his back and sending another sonic burst coursing through him, causing him to scream in pain.
"Yes, that should calm you down a bit. Now then, I think my benefactor is looking forward to finally meeting you face to face." Jackal's smirk widened as he took a few steps towards the downed form of Venom, until…
"HEY!" a webline suddenly latched onto the Kraangdroid holding Ashley hostage, and then subsequently yanked it away from her, sending it crashing into the Jackal and both of them hurtling to the ground, courtesy of Ghost Spider as she dropped down onto the scene and went on to rip through the remaining Kraangdroids with a single blow to each of them, leaving their remains to fall to the ground with a thud. With that out of the way, she quickly knelt down next to Venom and helped him to his feet "Are you okay?"
"He is pounding… feels like it's on fire…" Eddie let out a groan as the Symbiote retracted itself into him, but he quickly shook it off and glanced at Ghost Spider "How the hell did you know I was here?"
"Dr Kafka over there put out a call, to a Ms Stacy, eventually she managed to flag me down and tell me what was happening, then I rushed over here as fast as I could."
"Really?" Eddie cast a glance over at Ashley, breathing a small sigh of relief she was alright, but then he turned back towards Ghost Spider "You being here raises another question. Why come all this way to save me?"
"You know who I am, I know who you are, that should be enough to- Oh crap, get down!" Ghost Spider threw Eddie to the ground leapt over towards Ashley to do the same with her, before a powerful surge of electricity shot overhead.
"Hm. I suppose sneak attacks don't work even if you don't yell them out loud." the Jackal gave a scowl as retracted one of his gauntlets, but he was quick to compose himself as he was joined by another group of Kraangdroids and turned towards Eddie "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot at first."
"You mean you guys jumping me and trying to blow my brains out?" Eddie asked dryly as he pulled himself back to his feet.
"Yes, that. The main reason I came here is to offer a… proposition to you."
"Just go ahead and spit it out already."
"Very well. My benefactor and I are forming an organization of sorts, and we need powerful recruits to join our ranks."
"And you picked me?"
"Essentially yes. We know a great deal about you Mr Brock, both you and your other. You're tough, strong and have quite the chip on your shoulder. But most of all, your well known hatred for Spider-Man. The way we see it, you're a perfect addition to our organization. Join us and you can bring him to his knees."
"Hm. So join up with you guys for the sake of Spider-Man into bloody paste?"
"The prospect of revenge, and so much more." Jackal gave a smirk as he held out a hand "What do you say to that Mr Brock? Can we count on Venom's support for our cause?"
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Meanwhile, with the other Kraang hunters…
"Booyakasha!" at the same time, Turtle Titan and the others were busy ripping through one Kraangdroid after another, as well as the Kraang flyers, until they had only one thing left standing against them, in the form of the massive robot "Woah, that thing is awesome. In an evil kinda way. Anyone else think it kinda looks like Bradford did back before he got turned into some kinda giant Furry?" this was almost immediately followed by the robot, which shall be referred to as Chrome Dome from here on out, being released from its charging station and hitting the ground with a loud thud.
"Um guys, I hate to be that turtle right about now, but the giant hulking robot ninja just finished charging." Leo pointed out dryly.
"Yep, definitely looks that way."
"Yeah well, that thing doesn't look so tough!" Raph barred both of his sais and quickly charged towards Chrome Dome at full speed, only to be struck by it using its plasma whip and sent crashing into a wall.
"Raph!" Turtle Titan was quick to rush over to Raph's side, with Leo and Donnie avoiding an oncoming eye blast from Chrome Dome before charing at it with their weapons barred, ready to cut it down.
Chrome Dome was able to fend off both of them with ease, barely even flinching at the sensation of Donnie smacking it over the head with his bo staff, kicking him to the ground with a single move, and just as easily moving behind Leo to dodge a slash of his katanas and throwing him to the ground using its plasma whip, and then it moved in to finish him, but then it stopped as its eyes turned white and it turned away from them "Subroutine programming taking over. New target: Venom, has been located." and then it sprouted rocket jets in its boots and blasted off into the skies of New York City.
"Wait, that thing is going after Venom?"
"Gwen just went after him, come on we gotta move!" Turtle Titan was the first one to take off, with Leo and the others following close behind him "She's probably there already, we gotta help her!"
"You know that we're gonna give her hell for bailing on us like that." Raph told him dryly.
"Forget about that, Chrome Dome and Venom together? I'm not letting that happen.
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Meanwhile, with the hunted…
"The prospect of revenge, and so much more." Jackal gave a smirk as he held out a hand "What do you say to that Mr Brock? Can we count on Venom's support for our cause?"
"...You wanna know what I have to say to that?" Eddie glanced over at Ghost Spider beside him, then to where Ashley was taking cover behind some crates, and then he shot a pissed off glare at the Jackal "I say that we don't need anyone's help to take Spider-Man down, and that right is ours and ours alone. And if joining up with your little club means working with the Kraang, then you and your buddies can go straight to hell."
"Hm. Disappointing, but it doesn't matter much. Time to go to plan B." Jackal pushed a button on his gauntlet as he cast a glance over at the Kraangdroids "I'll be capturing a sample rather than bringing the subject in, you do what you have to do to keep Ghost Spider busy until I've completed my task." and that was enough to send the Kraangdroids charging forward with their weapons drawn, leaving Ghost Spider to fend them off as he turned his attention towards Eddie and Ashley, prepping his sonic disruptor as he did so "This will be between us now, and this is to make sure your other half won't be interrupting us."
"Hate to break it to you, but the Symbiote isn't the only thing I have going for me." Eddie picked up a nearby led pipe "Come at me you goddamn elf."
"Is that right? Then I suggest you do what you can to back up that talk."
"Gladly you Grinch reject!" Eddie charged at the Jackal and let the pipe fly forward… only for it to be ripped out of his hand by the Jackal's gauntlet, then for his leg to be grabbed and almost immediately electrocuted, causing him to scream in pain as he was thrown to the ground.
"All things considered you're a fairly impressive specimen Mr Brock, even without the aid of the Symbiote. But I've managed to transcend myself beyond normal human limitations. I'm stronger and faster than you could ever dream of being on your own" Jackal made his way towards Eddie and prepared to bring down one of his gauntlets… only to be stopped momentarily by a loud crash, and he looked over to see Ashley holding a metal pipe of her own "Tsk tsk. That's quite the disappointment Dr Kafka. I was led to believe that the first law of medicine was to do no harm." he grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground with a thud.
"Ashley!" Eddie tried to scramble his way over to her, only to be grabbed by the Jackal with his other hand and thrown to the ground next to her.
"They say the power of love gives one strength, but me? I say it just makes you vulnerable. But I suppose I should be grateful, considering it gives me the chance to do this." Jackal then knelt down next to Eddie with a blade extending from one of his gauntlets, until…
"Get the hell away from them!" as it turns out, Ghost Spider was latching onto the Jackal with a webline, using it to pull him away from the others and deal him a kick to the face, only to be forced to dodge a series of electrical bursts from one of his gauntlets, but she soon found an opening and managed to latch onto his face with a webline and throw him to the ground "You're not going to hurt anyone else Warren. Not the Connors, any of the people you mutated, or him."
"The Connors huh?" Eddie spat out a small amount of blood as he pulled himself back to his feet and did the same with Ashley "So you're the bastard that stole their lab from them."
"Among other things."
"Sacrifices have to be made for the advancement of science." Jackal was about to launch another attack with his gauntlets, only to stop at the sound of loud whirring, and he cast a glance over to see Chrome Dome drop down onto the scene, to which he unleashed a suge of electricity to knock the others away, allowing him to retreat over to its side "Adding onto that, the Kraang are proving to be key instruments in advancing in that field, especially technologically speaking. On that note, go and capture the Symbiote and its host." he cast a look over at Chrome Dome as it made its way forward.
"That's not gonna happen!" Ghost Spider charged at Chrome Dome, only for it to grab one of her legs and throw her through a nearby shipping container.
"Target Venom has been located. Target will be delivered to Kraang." Chrome Dome was quick to pull Eddie in using his plasma whip and tried to take off with him. The key phrase here being tried to.
"Get away from him!" Ghost Spider latched onto Chrome Dome with a webline and used it to yank it back to the ground, leaving Eddie to fall out of its grip.
"New threat detected. New threat must be eliminated." Chrome Dome then went to set his sights on Ghost Spider, drawing a plasma katana from its sheath and preparing to advance on her, forcing her to go on the defensive.
"Eddie!" Ashley took the chance to rush over to Eddie's side and help him back to his feet "Are you okay?"
"I just dropped on my head. So I've been worse." Eddie gave a shrug, then scowled as he looked down at his torso "Still nothing."
"The Symbiote?"
"It retreated into me because of the sonic blasts that freak had on his gauntlets, it needed time to recover, so that means we're more or less sitting ducks for the next few minutes." Eddie cast a glance over to where Ghost Spider was fighting off Chrome Dome, prompting him to brace himself as it turned towards them "Aw crap, this is gonna be bad."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Ghost Spider latched onto Chrome Dome's back with a webline and hurled it towards where the Shellraiser had screeched onto the scene, blowing it back through multiple shipping containers.
"Oh yeah, time to fire some manhole covers! Suck on this Chrome Dome!" Turtle Titan didn't waste any time in firing a barrage of manhole covers at Chrome Dome… only for them to barely make any impact.
It was then that Chrome Dome started slicing through the manhole covers with eye beams, used his plasma whip to grab Turtle Titan and throw him aside, and after that he lifted the Shellraiser up and threw it onto its side with a loud crash.
Fortunately the other Turtles were able to leap out before the impact, but Leo was less than thrilled at the result "Oh come on, and I just waxed her too!"
"Got bigger problems right now bros!" Turtle Titan was promptly sent crashing to the ground next to them, and he let out a groan as he pulled himself back to his feet "Okay, that definitely hurt, but I'm kinda jealous of the plasma chucks. Hey Donnie-"
"Not the time." was all he said.
"Right. So what do we do?"
"Try not to get hit by him for starters, because he hits HARD." Ghost Spider rubbed her arms as she landed next to the Turtles… and immediately took noticed the dirty looks she was getting from three of the four Turtles, with Raph giving her a certain finger gesture "And you're still mad I ditched you."
"Buy us a pizza later and we'll more than likely call it even." Donnie told her dryly, then cast a quick look at Chrome Dome and saw sparks coming from a panel on its back "I think I found a way to take that thing down."
"Yes well, good for you." the Jackal forced the Turtles and Ghost Spider back with a quick surge of electricity, then turned back towards where Eddie and Ashley were trying to hide amongst the shipping containers "Fortunately that should keep any unwanted intrusions out of the way, and leave me free to go about my business."
"Eddie! Dr Kafka!" Ghost Spider wasted no time in rushing over to their aid
"I'll go help out Ghosty, you guys take down the robot." Leo was quick to rush after Ghost Spider, leaving the other three turtles to deal with Chrome Dome.
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Turtle Titan cast a glance over to see Chrome Dome tear through the large stack of shipping containers as it advanced on them "So the first part is that we make sure it doesn't kill us right? Yep, I can dig that." and so he was the first one to charge into the fray, with both Donnie and Raph by his side, and he was quick to use his kusarigama chain to grab hold of the plasma whip, with Raph doing using another set to grab hold of Chrome Dome's arm, leaving him bound in place "So what do we do now?"
"Now you keep him still while I do this!" Donnie dropped down onto Chrome Dome's back and pried open a panel on it, then ripped out the various wires included.
"Did that do it?"
"Error. Error. Error." Chrome Dome started malfunctioning as a result of this, and its torso started spinning around wildly, causing the three of them to scream as it did so.
"I take that as a no!" Turtle Titan was sent hurtling to the ground, with Raph being sent flying into a wall, and then he looked around at the surrounding chaos 'Leo and Gwen are off taking on the Jackal dude, so I guess they're good. Chrome Dome lost that plasma sword… Which could probably cut right through it if I could get close. This is it!' so with the reflexes and stealth of a ninja, he quickly maneuvered his way around and behind Chrome Dome, and with one swift movement he used the plasma sword to stab Chrome Dome from behind, leaving it to fall to the ground and shut down in an instant "You know I gotta admit, part of me is really tempted to keep this thing."
"Don't even think about it." was all Raph said.
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Meanwhile, with the other end of the fight…
"You know Mr Brock, you yourself are turning out to be a great disappointment. You and your companion could be so much more than this" Jackal let out a sigh as he warded off yet another attack from Eddie and threw him to the ground, just in time to avoid a slash from Leo's katanas and toss him aside next to him "And pray tell me reptillian friend, what did you think that was going to accomplish?"
"It's called a distraction!" Ghost Spider used a webline to latch onto the Jackal by the face and throw him across the dock, sending him crashing to the ground "Also a little something we like to call teamwork."
"And this is what I like to refer to as retribution!" Jackal grabbed Ghost Spider by the throat and slammed her to the ground, electrocuting her thoroughly with his gauntlet and simultaneously stomping on the back of Leo's shell, causing both of them to cry out in pain… until his other arm was grabbed by a set of black tendrils "What?!"
"About time… we were wondering when we'd finally get back the strength to fight!" Eddie gave a smirk full of confidence as the form of Venom took over his body "And now, we're in the mood for some payback!" he latched onto Jackal's other arm with another set of tendrils, freeing Ghost Spider in the process, and with a mighty roar he ripped off both of the Jackal's gauntlets, crushing them under his feet in a single move "That's better… now we can hear ourselves think again!"
"Too bad you won't live long enough to enjoy that!" Jackal leapt back to his feet and used his claws to slash at Venom… only to be pulled back by a webline from Ghost Spider and another kusarigama chain, courtesy of Leo, yanking him back to the ground. However, he managed to quickly rebound and used his enhanced strength to pull Ghost Spider and Leo forward, causing their webs and chains to wrap around Venom, allowing him to advance towards them as he pulled out a small device… and stabbed Venom in the side with it, causing him to scream in pain for a moment.
"You… will pay… YOU WILL PAY FOR THE PAIN YOU CAUSED US!" Venom let out a primal shriek of rage and latched onto the Jackal using his own black webline, with Ghost Spider using a webline of her own "You will pay for the crimes you've committed against us, and for your association with those ABOMINATIONS!" so they pulled the Jackal towards them, with Venom slashing him across the chest, Ghost Spider kicking him in the face, and then the two of them dealing him simultaneous uppercuts to the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground in a battered and bruised heap.
"Not going to lie, that actually felt pretty good." Ghost Spider breathed a sigh "At least it's over now."
"Not quite. There's one more thing to do." Venom barred his claws as he prepared to advance on the Jackal, only to be stopped by Ghost Spider latching onto him with a webline.
"Take it easy big guy, we just beat him. We won, it's over."
"That's where you're wrong. It won't be over until he's dead." the mask of Venom faded only partially to reveal the face of Eddie Brock amidst the black tendrils "You know what the big problem with you and the others spider is? You're soft. You got all these amazing powers, but you're both too soft to use them to the extend they're needed. You know who this trash is, you know what he's done. You've ripped apart these wastes of flesh, but you don't finish the job when you have the chance, and so they keep coming back. More people keep dying! More people keep suffering because of them! They take everything from people!"
"...You're not just talking about the Jackal or about other people, are you?"
"No. The Kraang took everything me. From us." the mask of Venom reemebered "And we're not going to stop until they and all who associate with them are annihialted."
"Quite the lovely sentiment." the Jackal spat out some blood as he pulled himself back to his feet and reverted back into Miles Warren "But I'm afraid that will have to wait another time, seeing as I have what I need."
"We already made our point clear, we will not be used by you, and so long as you work with the Kraang, we will make you suffer!"
"Yes yes, I've already heard your speech about necessary brutality. But it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, because I already have what I came for. If Venom isn't willing to be cooperative, we'll just have to create a new candidate." and with that Warren pushed a button on his wrist, causing a purple doorway to appear behind him, which he promptly walked through, the doorway shutting behind him before Venom's black webs could touch him.
"He got away… for now…" Venom let out a low growling noise, but then the hulking form retracted until only Eddie Brock was left, panting heavily "Next time I see that Grinch wannabe, I'm smashing his skull into the pavement."
"I'm sure that… won't be too difficult." Ghost Spider breathed a sigh as she helped Leo back onto his feet, just as the other Turtles came onto the scene "Is everyone okay after that?"
"Nobody here is dead, so that's a win for us, but there's one more person to consider." Eddie then turned his gaze over to where Ashley was coming out from behind one of the large shipping containers "Are you okay?"
"I… I'm alright, at least I think. Until the post traumatic stress kicked in. I just need to catch my breath for now." Ashley breathed a sigh as she glanced around, causing the Turtles to duck out of her line of sight "I take it your friends over there don't like to be seen?"
"Never actually met them before today, but I know they're one of those "better off if people don't know about us" kind of things."
"I see. Well considering that some of my patients have included the likes of people referring to themselves as Doctor Octopus and Electro, it's really not that much of a stretch."
"He's not wrong though." Ghost Spider was quick to intervene "Can I ask that you don't tell anyone about them?"
"Given that they helped save my life today, I'm not really in any place to object."
"So… do you need a ride?" Eddie cast a glance over at her "I mean you ran here until you got grabbed right?"
"I can hail a cab, but I am worried about the Jones boy."
"You wanna head back to the rink and check on him? Then hop on." the form of Venom once again materialized he took Ashley into his arms, but the face of Eddie Brock reappeared as he cast one last look over at Ghost Spider "So um… Let's talk later, okay? About a lot of things I mean." and on that note, the mask of Venom formed once more as he took off swinging into the night, with Ashley in his arms.
All the while, Ghost Spider could only look on sadly as she slowly took off her mask to reveal the face of Gwen Stacy 'Eddie… I'd tell you not to go, but I don't think you'd listen. Still, I can't help but wonder, where will you go from here?'
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Meanwhile, with the anti-hero in question…
"GOONGALA!" as it turns out, Casey was doing pretty well for himself, knocking out the last Kraangdroid with a hockey stick to the face, causing the Kraang inside the suit to crawl out and run away from him "Okay no idea what those things are supposed to be, but now you know that right there is the right way to play hockey."
What he didn't notice however, was that Venom and Ashley were watching him leave the rink through the previously formed hole in the roof, and the former's mask receded to reveal the face of Eddie Brock as he let out a low whistle "Huh. Taking out a whole squad of Kraangdroids on his own? I gotta give that Jones kid more credit."
"He has a lot of spirit, I have to give him that." Ashley let out a chuckle, but then her face fell as she glanced over at Eddie "Now that things are finally quiet again, I've been thinking. About what you said to me before the Jackal and his men showed up."
"Oh yeah. That." Eddie paused, but then his gaze hardened "You might as well just forget that I ever said it."
"Eddie-"
"If you don't feel the same way then it's fine, but it's better for you and for me if it doesn't happen, at least not right now. There are… things that I have to do before I can even think about anything like that." Eddie looked down at the white spider symbol on his chest "I know it's not going to be easy, and frankly I can't do it alone. Not without this Symbiote. For all I know it may even be impossible. But I have to do this."
"You mean those… creatures don't you?"
"They call themselves the Kraang. After what they did to me, to us, I have to make them pay, or else I'm never gonna be able to live with myself. It's not just for selfish reasons either. They took everything from me. I want to make sure they don't do it to anyone else, ever again. I think you would be better off with someone else. Someone who doesn't have all of the baggage that I do, or has done all of the horrible things I have."
"...You know Eddie, my job usually involves listening to my patients. I've spent a lot of time listening to your side of things. Now I think it's about time I tell you what I see." Ashley took a breath and turned Eddie's face towards her as she cupped his cheek "I see a good man who had a difficult lot in life, but managed to build one for himself from the ground up. He never tried to confront his inner demons though, and eventually they overcame him. He lost his way. But a long time ago, a wise man told me that just because someone stumbles and loses their way, that doesn't mean they're lost forever. With or without the Symbiote fueling your hate, I don't see a monster. I see a man in pain, someone who needs help, people in his life that cherish him, to help him move forward." she gently pressed her lips against his "And I want to be one of those people too, if you'd have me."
"Ashley…" touched by this, Eddie gently held her close to him as the Symbiote receded from the rest of his body, until only the black t-shirt was left "In that case… do you already have plans for Thanksgiving tomorrow?"
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Another day came, and the time for Thanksgiving dinner was growing ever closer.
"There we go, that should do it." May was busy bustling about the kitchen as usual, only to stop at the sound of knocking at the back door, which she opened to find MJ and Anna Watson, as well as April, both standing before her "Oh wonderful, come in you three."
"Thanks May, and happy Thanksgiving." April gave a small smile as she followed the others into the Parker household, but paused when she found Gwen and George setting the dining room table "Oh, hey."
"Hey." Gwen looked rather sheepish at the sight of her 'Right, haven't seen her since I kind of tore into her over the whole Turtle thing. Happy Thanksgiving."
"You too, I guess. You and your dad joining us?"
"Yep, kind of continuing things from last year. Same with you guys I guess."
"Yeah, we uh… We thought it was only best, you know?"
"Uh huh." fortunately for them, this awkward conversation was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing 'Oh thank god.'
"Well that's odd, we aren't expecting anyone else." May poked her head out of the kitchen "I hate to impose, but could one of you get that?"
"I got it." Gwen was quick to take the out and made her way to the front door… only to freeze in place when she saw who was there "Eddie…?"
Sure enough, standing in the doorway was Eddie Brock, clad in a black long sleeve shirt with a box in hand, and with Ashley by his side, and he gave a small smile "Hey Gwen."
"Is that who I think it is?" May was at the front door in a matter of seconds and wasted no time in pulling him into a hug "Eddie, hi."
"Hey May, long time no see."
"That's an understatement, where have you been all this time?"
"I know it's been awhile, more than that really, and… I had a lot of stuff that I needed to work through on my own. Sorry I wasn't around more. I didn't wanna impose on you guys today or anything, but if it helps, I didn't come without barring contributions." he held up the box in his hands "I got an apple pie, probably doesn't compare to anything you'd make, but better than nothing, right?"
"Come now Eddie, give yourself a bit more credit, and of course you and your companion here are more than welcome to join us."
"I know how hard it is to say no to you." Eddie let out a chuckle, but then his face fell upon seeing the… less than stellar looks he was getting from a few of others "But before all of that, I actually need to talk to Gwen about something. In private. You mind?"
"Um… sure." despite the uncertainty, Gwen quickly followed Eddie out onto the front porch, the door shutting behind them "So… this is awkward."
"Yeah I already get the feeling that I'm not wanted." Eddie jerked a thumb at where April, MJ and George were all glaring at him through the window "Not like I didn't bring it on myself in a few ways."
"Don't take it too personally, my dad is just really protective, which isn't really that surprising given my track record with supervillains. And that was before I became Ghost Spider."
"The other two are a different story. But don't worry, I'm not here to start a fight. I come in peace."
"I figured, otherwise you probably would've by now." Gwen let out a chuckle, but then her gaze softened "So, are you… okay after all of that?"
"All I'm gonna say is thank god the Symbiote has a healing factor. I guess I have you and your new Turtle friends to thank for that. Which kind of brings me to the point of why I wanted to talk to you tonight." Eddie's face fell at the thought "I've done a lot of screwed up things over the past year or so, with or without the Symbiote. Kinda why Watson thinks I'm a dick, and there's a good chance it's why the other O'Neil does too." he was met with silence from Gwen "I'm going to assume your silence means you know I'm right. I've done a lot of things that I'm not, that I shouldn't be proud of."
"But that's not who you are. Not who you really are."
"Yeah. I know. It just took me awhile to realize that. So during all of the chaos last night, and then after I was sitting here… or in there really, and thinking… I tried to kill you, make Pete's life hell, and despite that, the second you heard I was in trouble you rushed over and saved me and Ashley from the Jackal and the Kraang… So I think it's only right that, at least for now, we kinda try to put all of that stuff behind us?"
"Really?" Gwen's expression was filled with uncertainty, but with a hint of hope "So does that mean…?"
"The whole thing with Pete, we've got some shit to work through, with or without the whole Symbiote thing, there's no getting around that. But the Kraang take priority, so I wanna call a ceasefire until that whole mess is taken care of. Until we make sure that they can't make anyone else suffer like they did us. I mean, that would make the most sense wouldn't it?"
"Honestly?" Gwen looked over to see MJ and the others still peering through the window and used a hand gesture to make them leave, then turned back to Eddie "I can live with that."
"Cool, that… that works for me." so Eddie held out a hand to Gwen… only to be left stumbling back by her throwing her arms around him.
"I missed you, I really did."
"Yeah. Me too." Eddie slowly returned the hug, though after a moment he broke away "Well in the meantime, I wanna get in there before all the good food is taken."
"Now that sounds like the Eddie I know." Gwen let out a chuckle, and the two of them made their way back inside.
All the while, Eddie glanced around at the various people around him and couldn't help but give a small smile 'This… This feels nice actually.'
"Do not allow yourself to become lost in fruitless sentimentality." the voice of the Symbiote hissed into Eddie's ear "Do not forget that they are a means to an end. They will help us to annihilate the Kraang, but once that is done, Parker is next. If they will stand in our way, they will die with him."
"You think I don't know that? Plus I'm sure at least Gwen bought into my act back there, hook, line and sinker."
"Good. Because the things we are setting into motion cannot be stopped."
"You say that like I'd want to stop." Eddie cut the mental conversation short as he sat down with the others, though his expression shifted into one of uncertainty…
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Meanwhile, in a certain underground facility…
"Oh good, you're back." Norman looked up from the operating table to see Warren return to the room through a portal, only to noticed how wounded he was "I take it your mission didn't go as well as we would've liked?"
"Honestly, it was a bit of a mixed bag." Warren let out a sigh "The bad news is that Venom has a bit more of a complicated history with our business partners than we were led to believe. He also made it quite clear how willing he was to work with us if we were associated with them."
"I take it you also have good news."
"Given that Venom was less than cooperative, I had to resort to Plan B. I was able to attain a sample of the specimen." Warren pulled out a smal vial, containing a squirming black substance, and he promptly handed it to Norman "At the very least I was successful in that."
"I see." Norman studied the specimen in his hand, a smirk spreading across his face "The fact that Venom was so unwilling to cooperate is disappointing to say the least, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. With this, we can choose the Symbiote host as we see fit, to fulfill our goals as needed. With this on our side, along with everything else, no one will be able to stand against us. Now the question is, who would make a suitable host?"
A/N:
Now comes the first significant divergence in the Ninja Turtles canon, but with good reason, two mainly. Instead of Karai and the Foot targeting April again, this time it's the Jackal and his own group of Kraang going after Venom in an attempt to "recruit him to their cause" as he puts it. However, Venom has made it clear he would rather die than side with the Kraang. To that end, he's willing to put aside his personal grudges in the name of bringing them down. In short, Venom has begun his proper transition into being an anti-hero.
I can imagine that a few of you aren't happy that April didn't make up with the Turtles yet, but I do have a few reasons for extending that arc. First, the point that I made with Venom. Second, it has to do with Casey Jones, which I'll elaborate on in a later chapter. All I can tell you now is that I know what I'm doing, so please trust me on this.
