Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Gwen and Felicia had both teased him about Talia visiting. Liv had promised to make herself scarce and MJ was off shooting her commercial.

Peter would be the first to admit that inviting Talia to check out the warehouse might be a mistake. She was a student. She was not one of them, but she was also a test. They needed to be able to have deniability if anyone came looking for the Symbiotes. What better cover than an actuarial normal person living with them? As long as they didn’t screw up and reveal their powers.

He would definitely not admit he was broke. MJ would soon be seeing her first paid job. She had finished the Iron Man movie and was now off to film a commercial. Both paid well, and MJ was beginning to get noticed by the press. Gwen was making money from the cream and her job at Stark-Tech. Felicia was making money from the cream and the Black Cats. Even Liv had some patents that she collected every month.

He had four tenants that paid less than market value for their rent. The warehouse was rich once the money was pooled. Nobody said anything about who paid for what, and it was working out just fine. It was only Peter with his “self-proclaimed macho bullshit” as Felicia called it, that felt guilty about not adding as much to the pot.

He was falling behind. With materials for the CLS and the cost of college, he was slowly running out of money. He needed the extra thousand Talia would bring in.

Which was why he was glad she was beaming at him as they walked around the outside of the building.

“So, the outside looks good, how about that tour?” Talia said with a small smile. She had taken a look around outside for any possible entryways. She had noted the main door was welded shut and the emergency exit at the back was firmly locked from the inside. A small police unit could break in, but they would make a lot of noise doing so.

Peter smiled, “Sure. The main door does open, just not fully. If you have a van we can open it, but we kinda don't want to.”

She saw what he meant. As well as the two homes on each side and the four at the back there was a carpeted-off area in front of the door. It had been sectioned off with gym mats set out in a square.

It was an open space with lots of manoeuvrability but no cover. An attacking force would need to bring riot shields or risk being caught in the open. The main door was welded shut but the corrugated iron of the shutter could be cut through in minutes.

“Sparring or gymnastics?” she asked, As she looked up, “running track?” she pointed at the rubber tiles glued in place over the grating.

“Yeah. We have a few people here who do yoga, but Felicia and her girlfriend do martial arts as well.” Peter smiled, “And yeah, we use the maintenance walkway as a track. Not so much dust with the mats down, so if that's your thing.”

“You?” The steps up to the walkway were coated in the same rubber and she ran a hand over it, “Run I mean.”

With the track coated in rubber, a team could infiltrate through the windows. She could see it was UV film on the inside and would aid any glass breakage. The coating on the floors might be great for running but it would also muffle boots. They just needed a few ladders.

“Yeah, a bit of keep fit as well. I mean, college is mainly sitting at a desk, so trying not to get out of shape,” Peter admitted.

Talia didn’t buy that for a second. Over time she got to know him. The file might say 'quiet dorky engineer' but the reality was much different. She had hugged him and felt his muscles. She had tripped, and he was quick enough to catch her. He was good at hiding his feelings but not good enough. He had a habit of checking out a room. Pausing for a second as he took it in. She knew what he was doing, he just wasn't as sly about it as he thought. Inexperienced but well trained.

He was definitely a suspect. There was no evidence of powers. Nothing came back on the various camera. He was a bit warmer than a normal person, but that wasn't proof of anything. Fury needed proof.

“Great, we can go running sometime. Is this communal?” she asked as they headed to the centre square.

“Yup, everyone has a drawer in the fridge. Don’t want anything to get eaten, keep it in your home. Some of the others aren’t picky when it comes to sharing.” Peter was pointing at the centre counter, which had a fridge under it. “Dishes are usually do your own, unless we eat together then I normally do them. Felicia, Gwen and MJ all work long hours and Liv, is. Well, Liv is in a wheelchair so we give her a pass.”

Talia smiled and nodded,

Liv? Who the hell is Liv? she thought.

Her file had the four here. Nobody called Liv and definitely not one in a wheelchair. Fury would probably have her head. She was to gather complete intel, so it was time to go digging.

The centre area could be ignored. The small fridge could be used as a barrier but it was small and only wide enough for one person. The kitchen unit was only three feet. Cover for one. Nothing would provide a barrier for an attacking force. It was a bunch of couches and counters. A single grenade would reduce it to scrap.

“Right, no problems. I mean, she stays here right, in one of the homes?”

“Yup, next to mine. I’m her unofficial carer, so don't panic if I suddenly rush off.” Peter pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the two homes at the end with the two sets above them. “That is me and Liv. MJ and Gwen got first dibs and had spare money so they got those two." He pointed at the two on the right wall with the decks on them. “The decks are theirs, so ask, and Felicia is over here, with the one you’d rent.”

“Right, so, let's see then.”

So far the place was as big a fortress on the inside as the outside. The manhole cover was under the mats. It would be simple enough to tear them up, but in doing so would be obvious someone had. Even the roof hatch was padlocked from below. Both the sewer and the roof were out for entry.

“Is the fire exit?”

Peter shook his head, “At the front, plus we have a sprinkler system. The fire department says we need two, but the system is industrial so we get away with just one door. It's still certified though, everything is up to code.”

Right, so no easy access at all.

This was turning out to be just as much of a problem as she thought it would be. There would be a lot of noise to get in if they needed to. Fury would have to run interference.

It was now time to see one of the actual homes. The outside was plain enough. It was two flat-packed offices pushed together so Talia wasn't expecting much.

The look of surprise on her face was genuine as she was the interior. She had expected a craphole with mismatched walls and chipped and broken floorboards. What she got was well painted and carpeted interior with smooth walls and no visible seams.

“Cream is all you get. If you want it differently, you can pay for it but I will do it. I've got a sprayer to make it easier. Carpets are included as is the washroom. The only thing I’ll do is remove the inner walls.” Peter pointed to two bolts, “I have one room plus a bathroom as it's just easier. Everyone else has a separate bedroom.”

Talia nodded as she went into each room, “And it's only a grand a month?”

Peter smiled, “Yup, plus utilities, which would be one-fifth. Maybe another one-two hundred depending on what you get up to.”

Damn, I would move here if you weren't a suspect.

She had seen the wetroom and was definitely impressed. Peter had tiled the whole thing and added a shower. It was nice to have a bath once in a while but standing under a decent shower was even better.

She ran a hand over the wall and checked its thickness. Both interior and exterior walls were only a few inches. Cold meant steel but at that, it wouldn't provide any cover. Small arms would penetrate with no issue. The windows were perspex and had shatterproof labels on them. Maybe a few shots to break but with simple seals, it would be easy enough to break. Simply strike a corner, push the whole thing in and then use a grenade to eliminate any threats.

“So, deposit and lease?” She asked, biting her bottom lip and acting coy enough he would fall for it.

“Deposit is one month and I have the lease here. You want a lawyer to look it over or sign right now?” Peter might have looked serious but inside he was jumping for joy. Another tenant would solve his cash flow problems. “Oh, one thing. The two units above my home are off-limits. I keep tools and paint in there. It's normally locked but even if it's open I don’t want anyone in there.”

Bingo, score one secret lab, Talia grinned to herself.

“Yeah, sure. No going into the dangerous storage room. Got it.”

A quick visual inspection showed there were simple padlocks on the doors. Windows were blacked out but there was nothing that she couldn't handle. Once Peter was out, even if Liv was inside, a simple knock-out drug in coffee should give her plenty of time for recon. Even if entry was impossible, given the rest of the security, a few minutes with a lock pick should have her inside.

He smiled at her and she gave him one back.

This is too easy, they both thought at the same time but for different reasons.

“Any chance I could meet Liv? I mean, I want to sign but I think meeting everyone first might be a great idea,” she asked. Liv was now a priority. An unknown variable in any infiltration could derail the operation.

“Sure, let me see if she’s free.” He half smiled, “she does paintings and stuff. She might be dirty.”

It was a lie. If anything Liv might be working on the harness and he really wasn't ready to try and explain that just yet.

He left Talia checking measurements with her phone as he knocked on Liv's door and then entered. She was quietly reading on the couch.

“All set for a new housemate?” She asked as she slid a bookmark into her book and closed it. Peter chuckled. Liv was a snob and preferred the tactile and aural sensations of what she called ‘real’ books. Not one of those rubbish e-reader devices.

“She wants to meet you. Says housemates are the dealbreaker,” he explained. He held out a hand to lift Liv into her chair but she waved him away.

Liv shuffled and made herself comfortable. “Why not. I can tease Gwen later about this buxom redhead that has taken our Peter's attention,” she joked.

Peter rolled his eyes, “the only asset she has I’m interested in is her ability to pay rent.”

Liv patted him gently on the thigh as she wheeled towards the door,  “Oh course dear. I’m sure they are quite bountiful as well.”

“I can only roll my eyes so far. See.” Peter exaggerated rolling his eyes at her as she chuckled. “Seriously. I’m not sleeping with every attractive woman I meet.”

Liv smirked, “So. She is attractive then?”

Peter huffed and threw his hands up, “Only an eleven or twelve. That's low by the standards in the warehouse.”

Liv snorted and shook her head. “Flatterer,” she said as she rolled past him.

The talk was the usual fair. Talia asked about life in the warehouse while Liv wanted to know about her studies.

It was only another ten minutes before the group broke up.

“I’ll let you know when Gwen, Felicia, and MJ are back. Uh, MJ is a bit harder. She’s a starlet, so she’s filming,” he tried to explain.

“It’s fine. I got what I needed.” Talia tapped the lease against her hand. “I’ll get my student rep to check this out, make sure the building is up to code and then call you, okay?” she said cheerfully.

He nodded and waved as she walked away.

Damn right I got what I wanted.

⁂

Back at Shield headquarters, Natasha sat at her desk, typing up a plan of action report.

Two teams. Blow the front door. One team head right to secure the two side homes. One left for the same. She would lead the charge to the rear. Liv would be easy to neutralise and would give them a hostage. Peter would be forced to comply if his housemates were threatened.

The mission report was filed and all it needed was Fury to finalise it. If Peter was Venom, which her hunch was telling her he was, then it would be a promotion for her. Fury might also get a swelled head for Shield capturing a dangerous and known felon.

“Shit,” she swore aloud. The search had come back.

This screwed up every plan she had. She now knew why the warehouse was a fortress and who was responsible. She now needed a new entrance strategy, one that wouldn't end up with a lot of men and probably her dead as well.

“God fucking dammit,” Natasha swore again. It was always a single variable that screwed everything up.

Natasha was currently looking through Shield's database of known desirables. 'Liv’ had just popped up. She looked healthier in person, but there was no mistaking that bush of hair, or the octagonal glasses.

Olivia Octavius. Lead Researcher at Oscorp.

Daughter of Otto Octavius the Second, Known KGB Scientist.

Son of Otto Von Octavius a.k.a ‘Doctor Octopus.’ Founding member of Hydra.