Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Two Weeks Ago

As Norman limped through the sewers he cradled his shoulder. He winced as he touched the wound that little shit had given him. Green blood pooled on the wound and then solidified. and the inch-long gash in his shoulder sealed and was reduced to a scar in minutes.

He cursed. If those two shits can hurt me. I'm not strong enough.

He lamented the loss of his armour and glider. Even with both of them, against his superior intellect, he was beaten, by fucking Gwen Stacy of all people. Flash had at least been a football player and he could understand his strength. It was that little bitch who not only had a Symbiote but had the know-how to use it.

Fucking Harry, he thought to himself.

This was the reason he shut down the symbiote research. One thing the boy had been right over was the formula. As he trudged through the sewers he began to smell something. A smell of ozone, and he noticed a flicker of light in the deep darkness.

He grinned when he came into the makeshift camp. Eyeing the rows of blue liquid in tubes along one wall. He had found salvation and he intended to use it. In the darkness, as an injector gun hissed over and over, the laughter echoed around the tunnels. As the laughter became more guttural and turned to roars, the creatures of the sewer fled into the dark.

⁂

Present Day.

Above ground in the fading warmth of a calm Autumn day, the crowd wore black and to Gwen it made the day seem bleaker. She nodded and thanked them as they came and gave condolences, but all she wanted was to be at home. There was nothing, no pain, no grief, and no tears.

The Mayor's office had taken over planning the funeral and the wake. A Captain who fell in the line of duty was to be honoured and not forgotten. It just meant she had to be there. Looking suitable upset. Cry for the camera. Shake some asshole's hand and listen to the fake platitudes of sorrow at her father's death. The same assholes were in the paper the next day calling it a tragedy and calling for the Powered to be contained.

The warm spring day did nothing to lift the mood. A flag-draped coffin was lowered and a gun salute was shot, Gwen holding onto a stoic Felicia. Peter with MJ stood back from the main crowd.

Gwen had told him it would be okay if he shared the graveside with her. As much as he wanted to be there for her, he needed to make sure she was safe. Norman wasn't the most stable of people. So with his discovery of Gwen's identity, Peter didn't put it past him to attack her here.

The funeral was, as expected, a quiet affair and even the press was kept back behind barriers. A small mercy as everyone wanted pictures of a grieving Gwen. They had tried to approach the warehouse but Peter threatened with trespass. At night, news vans were vandalised by an unseen assailant and soon they got the message.

Even as the interim Chief of Police came over and shook Gwen's hand but she didn’t care, she didn't care about any of it. She tolerated her part. She ignored the articles professing ‘Brave Daughter Of Murdered Police Chief’. Then after a few days, there was another tragedy and life moved on and they were forgotten.

J.J.'s articles stung her the most. He used it in his rhetoric that Enhanced and unlicensed vigilantes had killed a fine officer. He spewed more hate and pushed the Human Majority agenda with every article. Gwen stopped reading the Bugle.

Even at the house, she stared blankly as they packed her father's things into boxes. His medals and uniforms went back to the precinct. Once everything personal was gone Gwen simply phoned a house clearance firm.

There was nothing here for her, she didn't even want to deal with any of this, he was dead and that was that. It was only Peter and Felicia hounding her that she got it done. She set the house up for sale and then forgot about it. It was one of those quick sale places that only gave you seventy-five per cent of the value but it sold right away. She just didn't care.

What she did care about was hurting that smug fucking bastard Norman Osborn. All her grief had been channelled into a rage and a desire for revenge. In the mornings she had begun to join Peter and Felicia as they sparred. She learned to avoid a hit, rather than absorb them as Venom did. She learned to be fast like Huntress rather than powerful like Venom.

She researched various chemicals that she could spray in a fine mist. Something caustic she was immune to. Anything that didn't rely on Poison and her fucking stupid over-sensitivity.

Even her symbiote had learned to be quiet. When Peter punched her and Poison wanted to recoil and had cried, Gwen screamed at her in her mind. The Symbiote quieted down and Gwen felt something from her for the first time. Fear.

Gwen stopped going to college. Working with the cream at Stark Industries took up her daytime. Sparring with Peter and Felicia was her evening, and then she fucked anyone who wanted her. She was numb and she knew it was grief. She just didn't care. Sex was the only thing that made her feel. It wasn't healthy. She knew it wasn't healthy but until she got her revenge, she didn't care.

Today was the day she finally got to put that training into practice. Goblin was slow but strong, and if anyone was a match for him it was Venom. Gwen had used him as her measuring stick.

Poison stood on the other side of the warehouse from Venom. The rules were simple. No crippling injuries, no external tools, and the fight lasted until surrender.

Poison took a breath and began to run towards him. She knew she could do this, she could win and Venom flowed like water towards her. He was big but fast so Poison darted away. She threw out two web lines. They were useless as a way to move but she watched a ribbon twirling competition and now she had whips to fight with. Venom ducked and weaved as Poison's arms seemed to move in unnatural ways. She scuffed the concrete with each crack of her whips.

Then as he moved closer, she slapped her arms together. The whips twirled around each other in a spiral. As he ducked under the bulbous ends, he was thrown across the warehouse by an explosion.

“Shit time out, time out,” yelled Felicia as she ran towards Venom. He was fine, burnt and covered in scorch marks but fine.

“What the fuck was that Gwen? No weapons we said. Fuck, you could have killed him,” Felicia screamed at Poison.

“We had no idea, we are sorry,” she said, looking at the ground, Venom shook his head and took a look at himself.

“That was AWESOME!” He yelled. He ran over, lifting Poison up and spinning her around. “Let me guess. Two non-reactive chemicals that explode when mixed right?”

Felicia shook her head and began to yell at him. “Don't reward her. That was stupid and dangerous. What if she got it wrong? What if she hurt you?” She shouted.

“Fel, calm down. It’s Gwen, she wouldn't have. Would you?”

As the Symbskin slipped into normal clothes they started in shock. Peter was covered in a massive chemical burn. It stretched from his neck down to his waist. His neck from Adam’s apple to his navel, all on his right side, was a deep red colour. Even with his regeneration, it was already starting to crack and blister.

“No. Shit no. I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” was all Gwen said as the tears fell.

“Liv! Chemical,” Fel shouted.

Liv wheeled herself out of her home a few minutes later with a first aid kit and another bag.

“Oh my god, what caused that?” She said as she pulled out a plastic bottle with a long tube attached. She had Peter retract all his symbskin and began to wash him down with the purified water. It was flaking away as he healed but it was still scary to see Peter so badly hurt from one attack.

“It was Gwen, being stupid,” Felicia said, crossing her arms.

“Now Felicia dear. You know as well as I do that Gwen would never hurt Peter, never intentionally. Do I have to remind you that you ripped one of his ligaments last week? And did we complain? No, we did not."

“She wath?” Gwen said, wiping the tears and snot from her face.

“Uh, I might have overextended an armbar when we were sparring and almost tore his arm off. Uh, I said sorry.”

“Fuck Fel. Don't give me shit for stuff when you're just as bad,” Gwen yelled back.

“I didn't fucking blow him up though did I?” Felicia retorted.

Peter shrugged, “I thought it was cool, and you know, this doesn't hurt. It just looks bad.”

Liv came over and pulled on a pair of gloves. “Hmm, it is bad though, it doesn't hurt as its full thickness, you can't feel with dead nerves dear. What exactly did you do Gwen?”

“Uh, I've been using my webs as a whip and I figured that I could make drops of chemicals at the end. You know, to poison or paralyze. So, I thought, why not a reactive explosive, so it doesn't explode while I'm fighting, well, you know.”

Liv shook her head. “That is brilliant dear, absolutely brilliant, but you know. Maybe next time, try on something disposable first.” And she frowned at Gwen who rubbed her arm.

“Sorry,” Gwen said guiltily, but a small part of her was celebrating. She had just knocked Venom on his ass, and if that was just one, she could imagine what several would do.

“Well, I can already guess what Peter's punishment for you will be but I for one think you should go get food for us all. Peter needs his fuel to heal these burns and I guess Felicia and I are on clean-up duty. Peter dear, sorry but no physical activity until you’re healed, and stop picking it.” She smacked Peter's hand as he picked at the forming scabs.

“It's itchy,” was all he said as Liv shook her head.

“Now, food Gwen, and lots. Peter dear, your choice.” Liv shook her head at Gwen, while Felicia just sighed and heard into their home.

“Uh, anything Gwen, it's fine, really.”

Gwen let her symbskin shift and grabbing her bag she headed out. She’d never meant to seriously hurt Peter but it proved that she wasn't as weak as they said. She could hurt Venom, the strongest of them all. As she smugly walked to Peter's favourite burger van, she failed to notice the shadow tailing her.

Gwen was too preoccupied to notice as Goblin stepped out of the shadow and laughed at her as she froze. The four bags of burgers dropped to the ground and her breathing became short and ragged.

“Ahh, Miss Stacy, I’m so glad to finally catch you,” Goblin said as he towered over her. "I believe we missed our chance to dance." He stretched out an arm to finish what he started weeks ago.

He had found several vials in that den and he had taken them all. His frame was now huge, a massive muscle-bound true Goblin at over 8ft tall. Thick muscular arms and tree trunk legs covered in pale green skin. He had stared in a puddle at his new face. Stretched and horned it was a nightmarish mutated visage. Fanged and contorted into a true Goblin he didn't care. None of it mattered as long as he had power. Now, he would show that fucking bitch just who was strong, just who would get a fucking beating.

Gwen slid out from his grasp, backflipped and he stood, mouth open as Poison slid out over her.

“Fuck YOU!” she screamed at him.

Two thin but painful webs whipped against him. He recoiled, not expecting to be attacked. As he backed off she followed him. Each whip slapped and slammed into him with pinpoint accuracy.

He shook his head and grabbed one. He expected to pull her forward but instead, it stuck to his hand and just detached. He growled and squashed it but it burst and spread a caustic liquid that burned where it touched.

“Come catch me you big green shit bag,” she taunted him and flipped him the bird before running off. Goblin would pay, and this time, nobody would stop her from getting revenge.