Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Goblin cursed as he smashed into the shelves at the back of the store. Agent Webb had kicked him hard enough that he went flying even further than he punted that idiot Venom.

Gwen stared at the blood bubbling from her father's lips. Pulling the blade free sprayed blood everywhere and she knew that he wouldn’t survive. “No Dad, please no,” she shook her head, and not caring she let Poison out.

An officer saw and backed away, lifting a shaky pistol but she didn’t care. She pressed her palms to his chest and injected him with a painkiller. As his breathing steadied and his eyes fluttered open she used webbing to stop the flow of blood.

George stared at his daughter. Even if the colours were different, the costume was the same. She was involved with Venom and it clicked. Peter, Peter was Venom and he coughed. The pain had gone but it was difficult to breathe. His body was numb but it was hard to stay awake.

He stared past her to look at Venom, and he smiled, “Be good to her son! Be good to her. She loves you so very much.”

As his eyes closed, he wheezed, “I love you,” and was still. 

Poison shook her head. “No, no, please no.” As his body went limp, Poison reared back and screamed.

Brushing off smashed packets and burst tins, Goblin stood and stretched out his limbs. He flexed his fingers and tried to call up any remaining weapon systems he had. The blade was gone and now all he had was the strength of the armour and that was it. Even that was failing. The combined assault of the ETF, then Venom, and finally Agent Webb had destroyed most of its systems. He needed an escape plan, or he would be captured before he got his revenge.

“Aww, poor little Gwennie. All sad that Daddy got dead. Now I know, know where you live, know where you are. You're next, and you too, you big black shit.” Goblin lined up to charge at Venom, but Poison screamed and leapt. She twisted in the air and sprayed a biting acid over Goblin's armour. Goblin reeled back, trying to wipe the caustic spray from himself.

The Goblin armour began to peel and smoke as the paint cracked and slid off. As Poison sprayed more and more chemicals into the air, Venom began to feel a prickle on his skin. “No, stop, it's too much,” but Poison ignored him.

Soon the supermarket was filled with a thick cloud of green-tinted gas that hung in the air.

The shelves and cans on the store's aisles began to wilt. The steel dripped as the caustic solution melted and corroded the metal and plastic. The paramedics and the police had grabbed who they could but were panting outside. Their unprotected lungs burnt from exposure to whatever gas she was spraying. It was pandemonium.

Goblin felt the armour begin to weaken. Red indicators flashed and warnings sounded in his HUD, showing him the damage. He knew that even the chemical defences would fail under such a relentless assault. Popping the emergency escape hatch, the back exploded off and Normal slid out. His skin had taken on a green tinge from the formula. Even after escaping, he’d continued to take it. and was beginning to suffer its effects.

As he lifted the corner of his coat to his face the acid stung his skin even more. Its green tinge deepened as the formula worked overtime to heal him. Grabbing at the emergency kit in the armour he slung a small bottle over his shoulder and pulled at the mask. With an oxygen mask over his face, the trio watched as he gave them the finger and then ran to the back of the store.

Poison screamed and shook as she sprayed a neutralizer and ran after him.

“No,” Venom shouted but she ignored him and Webb chased after her. “Shit, Liv?”

“Flash can get her. Peter, be practical, get that armour out of there and then go after him. Norman on his own is no match for Poison, she’ll be fine. I sent Huntress a message as well. Leave Norman to them and get that armour. If Norman booby-trapped it like the glider it could be a disaster."

Venom cursed. Seeing the police officers regroup and heading back this way he shook his head. He had to trust the one person he despised, but he had to admit Liv was right.

The Goblin armour had a small Arcstar reactor. If it was rigged the explosion would level several blocks. He flipped over it and grabbed the opened hatch, sliding into the clamshell. As it hissed closed the inside lit up as the HUD sprang into life.

“Systems online. New pilot accepted. Warning, structural integrity at twenty-seven per cent and falling. Warning power at fifteen per cent.”

System after system powered up as Venom flowed into its circuits. He had never tried to adapt to anything this complicated before. As he melded with its systems he could feel where it had been sabotaged. A simple misprinted circuit here. A wrong fuse there but right now he willed the back hatch to close and powered the armour back up.

“Goblin is still active. Power down and surrender, or we will open fire,” a voice shouted. The HUD scanned the area and he saw red flashing icons as they marked each person as hostile. In the helmet, he saw the flashing warnings. Every weapons system was offline. He sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally kill someone as he figured out how to work the suit. He was also glad the reactor warning was off. If there was a failsafe rigged to detonate, Norman had either forgotten or left it unprimed.

Venom shook his head. This was an escape mission, not a fight. He extended his symbarmour out through the weakened joints and over the whole thing.

Wonder if this'll work with Iron Man? Peter mused to himself. Focus Pete, steal now, plot later.

At least this time he didn’t have to worry about any of the strange Goblin warheads. Norman had exhausted all the ammo in the suit and was left defenceless. If Gwen had remained calm they could have captured him with little difficulty. Thinking back, he would have done the same if it was Aunt May laying out there.

He shook his head, No. I would have done worse.

“Stand Down, Final warning,” was shouted, As the armour whined and whirred, he heard the next order. “Open fire.”

He felt the impacts thudding against his armour. With heavy steps began to run out of the store, through the gauntlet of ETF officers.

As Venom weaved through the officers, covering his head with both hands, he hoped Gwen was okay.

Tying his headset into the internal systems of the armour he called Liv. “Anything from Huntress?” he asked, feeling a grenade impact against his back he stumbled but kept running,

Liv responded, “She doubled back, giving up on Conners, and is heading to her now. Don't worry Peter, Huntress will protect her."

Sending out a web line he swung up and into an alley, hoping the police would be unable to follow him. The armour was heavy and had no propulsion. It creaked as he lifted it through his own strength.

Leading them in a merry chase for several blocks, he managed to lose them on the higher rooftops. He kept low and in the shadow of a large gargoyle as a police helicopter shone a searchlight over the area. Powering down the armour, he covered it with symbskin to fool the thermal cameras they used.

Not invisible, he thought, but getting there.

⁂

Huntress had received a frantic call from Liv, shouting about Gwen's dad. She stopped following the Lizard almost immediately and headed back towards the supermarket. Even Liv didn't care about Conners or her legs if it meant losing one of their own. As she swung back along the skyline she heard the commotion below her. She could see Webb and Poison dealing with Norman and she only needed a few minutes and she would be able to help.

⁂

Norman was frantic. He had to escape those two freaks, escape the symbiotes who would devour his brain. He needed it to kill Harry and now Gwen and that little shit Parker. While the formula made him smart, it did allow him some enhanced physiology. With a grunt, he lifted the manhole cover and threw it at the pair. He would lose them in the tunnels, the smell and darkness covering his escape.

He wasn’t quick enough, and Webb struck him with two webs and pulled him back into the street.

“GRAHH,” he yelled and laid a punch into Norman’s stomach.

Norman wheezed and heaved, trying not to puke from the force of the impact. Webb had been faster than Poison and as she caught up, she complained

No fair. no fair. No runny runs, only treaty treats.

Gwen ignored the belligerent symbiote, no, treats after, I need you, and Poison just huffed.

Gwen had watched the others. She knew Poison was sensitive but had the same powers as the rest. As her fingers extended and elongated into wicked claws, she smiled.

“This is for my dad," As she raised a hand to slash open the back of his neck, Flash caught her hand.

“What the fuck Gwen? No,” he pulled her away but even so, he turned and kicked Norman in the stomach again. “No killing.”

Norman curled up on the sidewalk, clutching his stomach and rolling in pain.

“He killed my dad,” Poison screeched at him and struggled against his grip.

Webb just shook his head. “Mine too, but we can’t. If we do, then you have to run. You can't be like him. Be better.” Webb had learned the hard way that even an accidental death had consequences.

“FUCK YOU!” Poison screeched and grabbed a knife from his vest. She leapt at Norman, driving it into his shoulder. Webb grabbed her before she could stab him again and spun her around.

He threw her against the building. “No! Don't be like him.” He held her as she struggled against him. Webb was the stronger of the two, and she hissed and twisted but he held her tight. “I won't let you, I can call someone, someone who’ll put him in a hole he’ll never crawl out of.”

“Hate you!” She screeched at him, and he felt his palms begin to burn. As he let go, something dripped from Poison and even the sidewalk hissed as it splashed down. As he backed away, she struck out and punched him in the stomach.

“What the shit?” Webb asked, but she pushed him to one side and screeched in anger.

Norman had slid down into the sewers, the pair fighting enough of a distraction to allow him to escape.

“You, this is your fault,” Poison hissed and launched herself at Webb.

This time he caught her once more, twisted her arms behind her back and pushed her against a wall. As she struggled he had no choice but to pin her there, her enhanced strength building to be a match for his own.

“I don't want to fight you, Gwen. Stop, please,” he pleaded.

“Oh, you will stop, Webb,” Huntress landed behind him. “You will or we will hurt you.” a long thin blade extended from one of her hands and she pressed it against his neck.

“Shit,” was all he said and he released Poison's hands putting his own up in surrender. “All of you?” Huntress nodded. “Fucking Parker.”

Huntress slugged him. “You do not speak of Venom like that,” and leaning in whispered, “and not in the middle of the street, you fucking moron.”

As Webb staggered back rubbing his jaw, he was glad she hadn’t hit him full strength. He knew from the fight on the top of the building that she was just as strong as Venom. If she had wanted, he would be out cold right now.

“Do we chase him?” he asked but Huntress shook her head, holding Poison close to her.

“No, we help Venom with the armour, and we take her home. Unless you want to run through the sewer to find him that is?”

“Not really,” Webb said, “uh, warehouse? Cause technically I'm a wanted fugitive as well.”

Huntress clicked her comm “Flashole wants a safe place to hide for a few, is it okay?”

Liv commed back, “Peter is here and he nodded, we owe him that much." She could hear Peter laughing in the background.

“Asshole, really? That's the thanks I get?” Webb shook his head. He knew he’d never get forgiveness from anyone in that group, Peter's memories showed him just how bad it’d been.

He thought he was tormenting the boy. He’d been angry at his smug arrogant dismissal of sports. As captain of the football team, and a member of the wrestling, and boxing teams it had stung. Now older and with Webb showing him the truth he saw it.

It went past rebuke and into hell. Peter suffered. The pain and misery Flash knew he caused Peter was something much worse.

Saving Gwen barely scratched the surface of making amends. Being called Flashole was just a reminder of that.

With no words of comfort, the strange trio swung back to the warehouse in silence.