Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

If Matt hadn’t been sat with Peter an hour ago he still would have known this wasn’t him. The thing stank. It wasn’t just the dried blood he could smell or the unwashed body beneath the skin. Whoever that was was sick, starved, and dying.

It was just his luck that he had found it. The trio had taken a section of New York each.

Huntress was on Staten Island. It was the location of The Life Foundation, Harry’s company and was the most dangerous. If anything was set loose, they wanted someone who could identify, track, and neutralise it.

Hades was on Manhattan Island. Elektra refused to travel to Brooklyn, quoting that it was ‘beneath her’.

That left Brooklyn and Queens to Matt. The attack had taken place on Manhatten Island, but that didn’t mean the killer would stay there.

He would have preferred to stay in Hell's Kitchen. He knew the best hideouts, where the thugs hid in dark alleys that stayed darker than most. He had informants and a vast network there but god forbid Elektra went to suburbia.

If the Symbiote was targeting Peter specifically then all three locations were logical. The four at the warehouse were keeping an eye out on Sunset Park. Elektra was patrolling near the law office in Hells Kitchen, as his win against the city was well known. Huntress was scoping out MJ’s diner and Liv's old hideouts in Staten Island. His target was Peter and Gwen's college in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn had turned out to be where the monster struck next.

Matt had been sitting on a roof, listening to the college kids as they laughed and joked on their way home. A group of young women had picked up a follower, who was waiting until he could leap out at them. Matt had smelt his scent on the wind long before he sensed him. That acrid odour, unlike the sweet scent of Peter, betrayed him. His heart pounded as the fear chemicals lit up parts of his brain, but he was used to facing Venom, Huntress, and Hades. Whoever this was could hardly compare.

As the group was about to pass a dark alley, the creature tensed. Matt slid down his newly reinforced Liv-designed armoured helmet visor and Daredevil struck.

A baton whizzed silently over the heads of the girls and Khaos hisses as it stuck his outstretched arm. It snapped the bone in his wrist and as he slunk back a second followed and clipped his temple, stunning him. As he staggered back, Daredevil launched himself from the opposite roof. He wrapped a cable around the fire escape and swung, boots first, into the stumbling creature.

“I have the target,“ Daredevil reported into the built-in Mic, “four blocks due east of the college. Stunned but not down.”

They knew the Symbiotes were dangerous. While Daredevil knew he could hold his own against the creature, capturing it would be hard.

Khaos hissed at his attacker and a bladed arm shot forwards, followed by two tendrils. Daredevil had Hades fight him the same way and carried not just his clubs, but an extendable bo staff as well.

Fighting a Symbiote meant staying focused. Multiple limbs were a problem. Multiple limbs that could be a blade one moment or a club the next made it even harder. He needed the range of his staff and as he swatted away the blades, thumbed a flash bang and threw it at the creature.

Matt might not be able to see, but the accompanying noise would have deafened him. Liv's new armour meant he was protected. Peter had the same problem. Overactive senses and it was an easy fix. A palm small plate in his mouth let him adjust the amount of noise he was hearing.

Khaos screeched as the grenade went off in his face, and stumbled back. Daredevil spun the staff and struck him at the temple, the throat, and then in his solar plexus. Disabling strikes, excruciatingly painful, and hopefully crippling.

Daredevil dropped and kicked Khaos's legs out from under him, striking him in the chest once more and he fell.

He rolled and grabbed his thrown baton. Peter had equipped them with a vibration motor so Daredevil always knew where they were. Even as he moved quickly, Khaos was on his feet again, striking wildly.

The baton ricocheted from one side of the alley and struck Khao in the side of the head. Daredevil had already rolled and grabbed the second one and bounced it from the other side. Fighting Hades had taught him two things. One was to keep the Symbiotes off balance. Multiple tendrils meant multiple points to focus on. The second was that the symbskin they made was not infinite.

The bo staff twisted and a blade slid from its end, turning it into a guandao. Daredevil would make sure to thank Peter later. The small improvements he made to his equipment were paying off. As the first tendril was sliced from Khaos, Daredevil smiled.

What followed was a ballet of destruction. Daredevil tried to hide his smirk as the creature flailed and screeched. It was sloppy and slow as he cut tendril after tendril from it. Whoever this was, was not even on Gwen or MJ’s level. They relied on the Symbiote. They relied too heavily on their enhanced speed which was useless against someone just as fast. Each moment of blindness. Each stunning blow to the side of the head, and each tendril sliced off cost Khaos more and more.

Not that Daredevil was having an easy time. Multiple tendrils still needed to be avoided. Each one he blocked or attacked left him open to another scoring a hit across his new armour.

Daredevil was still fighting a battle, even if he knew he would win the war.

⁂

Khaos was jubilant. Even as his instructions burned in his mind he still obeyed. He was trying to kill the red pest, trying to hunt, but Osborn had never said how hard to fight, only to kill. Khaos was happy and a smile almost crossed his parched lips as the red pest moved in for the kill.

But he didn’t.

Khaos laughed in his mind as he went flying off his feet. His joy turned to anguish as the pest flipped him and pulled his arms behind his back. He roared in anger as he felt the bindings slide over his wrists.

Do not allow yourself to be captured. At any cost.

The man under the mask closed his eyes, and the Creature and its metal leash opened them.

⁂

Daredevil was panting as the monster lay still. Peter had given him polymer zip ties, that apparently even he couldn't break. Daredevil knew it was a matter of trust. He never knew with Peter as the boy's heart rate never betrayed him. His voice never broke, there were no tells, so it had to be a matter of trust. Peter shared weaknesses, strategy and containment with Matt. He wanted people to be able to defend against a Symbiote attack, as the creatures were more than just a voice.

Peter knew the Symbiotes were killers.

⁂

Khaos was trapped. The bonds that held him were strong. Khaos closed his eyes and raped the host's mind. Khaos didn’t care about children and had no care for parties or jewellery. The man had been a jack of all trades, dabbling in everything. Ignoring his host's screams Khaos found what he had been looking for. His host was also a fighter.

Khaos took the memories and the experience, and opening his eyes, he fought back.

⁂

Khaos ignored the snapping noise as his wrist not only dislocated but became a mash of his tissue and the hosts. He cut the nerves and the pulpy mess slid free from the bindings. The pest in red dived away, narrowly avoiding the blade that sprouted from Khaos’s back. He was weak. The pest knew to take his flesh, which meant a traitor. He would deal with them once the pest was dead.

Kill, eat, Obey.

He would rebuild himself by devouring the pest. He smelt strong and fought well, but he was nothing more than meat. An object flew at him and a tendril flew out and swatted it away. If the pest could remove his advantage, he could do the same. The blade sliced flesh, but the blade could be removed.

⁂

Daredevil rolled to one side and grabbed the baton, launching it at the wall. This time a single tendril sprouted grabbed it from the air and threw it down the alley behind him.

Well, no getting that back. Daredevil lamented, plan F it is.

He somersaulted back and thumbed four flashbangs. The coin-sized devices beeped quietly, to let him know they were active and counting down. When the timer was at two, he threw two on either side of the creature's head. Daredevil choked as he watched the sides of the creature's head ripple out and envelope them. a small waft of smoke escaping as the burnt tissue slid away.

Was it playing with me? He cursed to himself, Peter did say they were adaptable.

Daredevil dodged and weaved away from the creature as it darted forward. "Meat," it hissed and its movements were now more fluid.

No, it changed when I had it beaten. New orders. He guessed, so gloves are off.

He knew the others would want to find out who the host was. Elektra explained the joining was best done willingly but could be done either way. The Symbiote could reject the host, but only the strong of will could reject a Symbiote. Even if the host was innocent, handing over this creature to the police would result in a  blood bath.

Stick would tell him to wait for his allies, that facing a trained and unknown adversary was foolish. Matt snorted, he wasn’t called Daredevil for nothing. More importantly, he knew if he let the creature escape, it could kill an innocent person.

Daredevil ducked under a swing and struck out with his staff. The creature responded and as he brought the blade around to slice the tendril off, it went limp. The tendril flopped onto the blade and stuck fast, even as Daredevil tried to wrestle it free. The creature pulled, tearing it from his grip.

That's not good, Daredevil thought as he unhooked his last weapon. The billy clubs that folded out into his walking stick. Now he needed to get close.

⁂

The pest was quick, Khaos thought but he didn’t care. His armour was slowly thinning and maintaining more than two tendrils was a burden. The host was sick, and he had been forced to keep him alive for years now. He had no reserves to replenish, no reserves to help fight. He was winning. He knew he would as he scored another slash against the red armour of the pest. Unlike his skin, it was broken and weak.  Just like his host.

Useless, Khaos yelled at his host and he was forced to absorb another blow to the side of his ribs. He could feel the blood pooling under his armour and he hissed as he was forced back again.

He will kill you, his host feebly whispered but all it did was make Khaos angry.

He brushed the pest aside and yelled. Screamed out his anger and he saw the pest tilt and clutch his head.

"Sound," it hissed.

He took another deep breath and let out another scream, ripping the host's throat open and changing it. High-frequency sound waves tore his own flesh part but the pest stumbled and fell. Now he would feast.

⁂

Getting from Staten Island was easy enough, but it was slow.

When she arrived, Daredevil was on the ground with the rogue Symbiote pinning him down. She could only watch as it pummeled his chest. Not that the rogue was in better shape. She could see patches missing from its armour and a blade was sticking in one side of its chest.

She didn’t hesitate and dived, sending out a web to catch herself and swing feet first at the monster. Catching it in the shoulders it flew and thudded against a garbage can where it shook its head and hissed at her.

“No,“ Daredevil said weakly, “not that one.” But it was too late.

Khaos hissed in triumph and thick baked fingers ripped into the container. It shovelled the discarded flesh into its maw while the pair watched. It hissed as it gathered as much as possible and ran up into the fire escape.

“Chase it.” Daredevil coughed and his lips were stained with blood.

“Oh hell no. Hades is on her way here, we need to get you help.” Huntress could cover the bites and cuts with webbing, but the healing mix Poison made was hers alone.

Daredevil weakly pushed her off. “Go, I’m fine,” but as he tried to rise he groaned again and slumped back, coughing up more blood-flecked spittle.

“Hell no. Hades, it's heading south, towards Smith Street. I’m taking DeeDee for help.”

Daredevil heard Hades respond with a small laugh,

“DeeDee?” he asked weakly.

“You bitch like a girl, so you get a girl's name. Now shush.”

He groaned as Huntress undid something from a belt pouch and stabbed him in the arm. For a few moments, he felt great, floated on the high and then it went black.

⁂

Matt’s ribs ached as he slowly regained consciousness. He coughed and grunted as the pain reminded him they were probably broken.

“Shh, shh, shh,” a soft voice said, “You’re healing but will be sore for an hour or two.” Matt tried to lift a hand to lift himself, “Mr Murdock, what did I just say?” and he felt warm hands press down on his chest. “Peter is the same. Tell him he’s going to be fine in an hour and he counts seconds.” His senses returned enough through the haze of painkiller to know who was speaking and where he was.

“How long was I out?” he asked Liv. He could see the fuzzy outline of her Symbiote. A new addition they had neglected to tell him about.

“About an hour. Now, I am going to give you the news, and you are going to remain calm.” she gently scolded him. “Here, there is a straw, small sips.”

He slid up and winced but took the water cup and found the straw easily enough.

“First off, Yes I am now a host. We discovered Osborn was experimenting on them, and we saved it. Two, we removed the formula you were blinded by and reapplied a newer less costly one in its place.”

Matt coughed, “You what?” he opened his eyes but there was nothing, only the darkness and the fuzzy haze Liv was giving off.

“Re-Enhanced you. Your eyes were dead Mr Murdoch, The formula made sure of that when it gave you your powers. We removed the old one, saved your hearing and then gave you your powers back. As Elektra apparently has power of attorney, she allowed us to give you a better formula. Your ribs were caved in, now they aren't even broken.”

“I uh.” He began not knowing whether to curse them all out or thank them.  Liv clicked her fingers and the echo lit the room up. Small details flooded his senses and he could see everything laid out in a series of waves.

“Your powers are now stable. There is no deafening yourself with loud noises. With meditation, Peter assures me you can even tune out the noises from your own body.” Liv explained.

Matt leaned back, meditation was easy and as he shut everything out one at a time it was quiet. Blissfully peaceful as it hadn’t been quiet for Matt’s enhanced senses for over twenty years. He also found it unnervingly disturbing for the same reason. He was finally alone in the silent darkness.

“I will leave you to get used to it. We have food and, well, alcohol for when you are ready.”

Matt snorted. He thought he had been ready. He had fought and strategised and one maniac with a Symbiote took him out. New players were taking over the board and old ones were being either removed or left behind. He had new powers, it was now just relearning the game.