Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Peter stared at the printouts Liv handed to him.

"All of this is under your name?" he asked, flicking through the pages. There were at least twenty different patents, all laid out in excruciating detail.

"It seems Miss Hardy was correct. Norman used my name to patent a few things as well as launder money into various shell accounts. If I sign the relevant paperwork you should be able to act as a proxy." Liv said, wheeling her chair over to where he was sitting, she put a hand on his thigh. "But one thing is for sure. We have a lot of patents and blueprints if I can get a contract notarized. Oscorp loses a big chunk of research and I am willing to help Parker Industries."

Peter chuckled, "at least you don't have to worry about rent."

Liv smiled, "I was thinking of very inventive ways to pay for it. It seems my plotting was all for nothing."

Peter laughed. Liv had tried to seduce him after the pizza party. She just hadn't taken one thing into consideration. Gwen's brew was very strong, and Liv, thinking it was regular beer was blackout drunk before the night's end.

"The problem is though, we can't let you into a bank or federal building to get these all notarized. I’d bet any money that Norman is looking for you. If it was me, that's the first place I would check.”

Liv nodded. "I've already been into my accounts and emptied them. I had Felicia help me run the funds through a few shell companies. They did take a large cut but it's all clean and untraceable. I've been left with enough to live on for several years at least. While we can't take the patents, well, you can still use them for inspiration, can't you? The older designs for the Goblin mark one and two are still viable. Norman only wanted something big and flashy." She wheeled closer and patted his thigh, "but it's okay though, don't let yourself get into trouble over me. I'm a big girl now and can cope."

Peter shook his head, "No, while you've only been here a few weeks but I won't let them take you Liv. You can help get to Norman and you can help me with these, just uh, no nuclear reactors okay?" chuckling, "plus, you still owe a debt." Peter slid over a piece of paper to Liv who raised an eyebrow but then frowned as she saw its contents.

"Medical Report. Keemia Marko" was written at the top.

"Peter dear, I hardly think," Liv began but Peter raised a hand to stop her,

"choose your next words very carefully Doc."

Liv saw the look on his face, one that told her she was safe but her next choice would have consequences.

"I have the formula from Oscorp. If you let me use some of my equipment and borrow Gwen I can synthesise the very weak formula to cure her. I would suggest that, other than adoption, we leave her alone. Knowing how her father died isn't going to make her life better or easier." Liv sighed and looked at Peter, who was still angry. "I would then suggest that with Miss Stacy's help, we get her into a good care centre. I suddenly find myself with a large amount of money, courtesy of Norman. Let's put that to good use." She relaxed as Peter relaxed.

"That's what Gwen and I were thinking. She's already spoken to the adoption place," Peter explained to the worried-looking Liv. "Hey, it's fine, so stop it, Flint was on the books at Oscorp so getting him added to the list of killed was easy enough."

"So you thought you'd frighten an old woman for fun?" Liv asked, she knew she was still under suspicion but this was still hell.

"Nope, I wanted to see what kind of person you really were Liv. Not at the end of her rope but how you'd take care of a sick child who had nothing to do with this, so no, and old?" Peter frowned and shook his head, "I'm not even touching that. You know there are too many secrets here Liv for us just to trust you unconditionally. Too many people who'd be in jail or worse.”

Peter moved over and squatted next to Liv's chair. "Bottom line, you're welcome here. We'll protect you but one step out of line and well, you already know don't you?"

Staring at the floor, rubbing her hands together, Liv nodded. "So stop it. That was it, no more tests, just a new place and new life, okay?"

With misty eyes, Liv looked at Peter and nodded. "It's okay, you'll be okay," and of his own accord leant forwards and gently held her face and lightly kissed her. "See?" 

Liv nodded and rubbed her eyes. "It was still cruel Peter. Of everything that is what I worry about the most," she said, cleaning her glasses before putting them back on. "Norman and Harry weren't kind, weren't kind at all and this, this is."

"Okay, new rule, don't ever, ever compare me to those two lunatics. I killed Aleksei, yes, but Flint and Max were on you. I'm not a murderer Liv, not unless someone threatens my home and family, and now, that's you too. Shit, I don't just kiss anyone you know, so stop worrying." Peter moved over and put a hand on Liv's. "Sorry okay, we needed to be sure that old Liv wasn't the real one. We needed to be sure, okay?"

Peter stroked her hand and Liv nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's okay, it's all good now, no more games, I promise. Just more of this. More care, more of being safe." 

Liv grasped onto Peter's hand and snorted softly, "but that's it, this is too good. Am I dead? Are you some handsome angel, saving me before I plunge into the pits? I don't deserve this, I don't deserve any of it."

"Oh, will you two just fuck already," Peter and Liv heard Felicia yell from her home. "Stop dancing around and just do it, shit. Getting tired of the fucking sugary touchie feelie crap." It devolved into quieter swearing but both Peter and Liv could guess what she was saying. As they looked at each other they smiled and shook their heads.

With the tension broken, he leant forwards grabbing the harness "well, you can start by helping me with this."

As he moved he felt it, his symbskin extruded and slid over the harness. It flowed down his arms and covered the harness completely.

The schematics flew through his mind. Small tendrils seeped into the harness, and he felt the connection to the core processor. It hummed almost happily as he took control.

Liv stared at him as he just held it and the arms powered up. he picked her up with the limbs and they danced together, her laughter filling the room.

"How?" She asked and as he put her down he showed her. There were small black tendrils waving through the interface needles.

As the thin wires like extrusions of symbskin threaded through the interface sites. The needles started to squeak and unscrew themselves as Peter and Liv watched.

"Liv? Can you do an experiment for me?"

He handed her the harness and knelt down with his back to her. She placed the harness on his back and as it clamped shut and the interface kicked in he could feel through it.

It was now a part of his body, the symbskin flowing over it completely. He felt the systems respond one by one, their parts flashing through him like an instinct.

As he felt each component of the harness he began to understand it more and more. He stood stock-still and would tilt his head occasionally, shaking it or nodding.

As he stood, Liv watched as his back rippled. Parts of the harness began to drop out of him like unwanted pieces. The skin shed back, revealing each component in turn.

First, the waistband was severed by a microscopic blade. Gone were the thick titanium bars that once held her. Black tendrils snaked over them and they extended, becoming thinner but stronger. The black skin seemed to flow into them and the metal tarnished and repolished itself. White bands stretched and snaked over his chest, forming a new metal spider.

The harness itself made a creaking noise and she could hear a whine. The rivets holding the side plates snapped and then fell to the ground. All that was left were the four arms and the spinal column.

The bare spinal column looked alien against Peter's back. Thick oily symbskin seeped from his skin, covering it completely. Flowing into the joints and separating them out.

Liv could see the red LEDs in the device, signalling that the harness was in test and configure mode. It made a ‘chunk’ noise and the segments lengthened, snaking down Peter's back and up to the base of his neck.

To her, it seemed as if Peter's symbskin was compressing and duplicating the parts it needed. Once a piece had been copied it was shed, thunking to the floor. Only the more complicated parts, such as the processors or servos were left intact. Coated, but not replaced, by the black symbskin.

As the harness extended she saw a thin white band form around his neck. Symbskin snaked up and covered his eyes. Micro-glass, used in some of the processor's casings were repurposed into eyepieces.

They flowed into teardrop eyepieces. Mimicking the headset he created when Venom first started to patrol New York. The white eyepieces narrowed and widened. They changed shape as Peter's eyes adjusted to his new vision. The black continued to flow, covering his head and he tensed. There was a sudden pain in his back when the neural interface connected to his nervous system.

He saw and felt the commands given to Liv by Osborn.

Obey. Don’t question. Obedience,

Buried behind those three, hundreds more commands flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth as he sent his own back, obliterating them from the harness.

As if the program was alive it recoiled and its code shrank, moving into a copy on one of the backup processors.

From the side, where the tendrils hung loosely they snapped straight and Liv moved back.

The rings making up each limb began to circle, black oozing between them. Some spun off, sheared in the middle and thicker black rings took their place.

The whole arm mechanism changed and the end clamps were covered in a thick coating of black ooze. They spun and snapped with the sound of the machine becoming more scissor-like. The edges gleamed as they sharpened, showing their new deadliness.

The arms floated around Venom as they stretched and contracted. In the new pincer were nozzles in a small circle. Four golf ball-sized webs shot from the ends of each. As they thudded against the wall of her new home, Liv felt slightly annoyed. The four holes marred the nicest house she'd had since college.

The limbs retracted, folding back and sliding down the spine. They contracted and slid into the housing. The mechanism of the harness itself flattened across not just his spine but his sides as well.

Venom turned, showing off his new armoured look. Liv marvelled at what interfacing with the harness had done.

His suit was now matte black, losing its oily sheen. The white spider was now part of thicker armour plates that sat over his chest and shoulders. Not just his chest but now he sported thicker armoured leg and shin guards. Heavy gauntlets over each forearm. Not just his arms but now he was sporting heavy combat boots, with thick shin guards. All in a portioned web design, all in white.

Venom stretched, getting used to the heavier thicker armour. He raised a hand over his head. "Am I taller? or is it the helmet?"

His head was now encased in a thick helmet. The white eye ports crescent-shaped, curled up over his forehead. The integration complete he stared at Liv and raised his arms, showing off his biceps.

"We are VENOM!" He shouted.

Liv smirked. "Yes, yes you are dear but what did you just do to my harness?" She asked, seemingly unamused at the mess he just made.

Venom stared at the floor. It was covered in debris and shed harness components. He looked at where Liv was staring and saw the four holes.

Peter let the Venom armour retract and the last of the metal pieces fell onto the floor. They clattered and banged on the linoleum.

He still had the remains of the harness attached around his waist, chest, and up his spine. The four arms retracted back into it and were now lying flat. Twisting he saw it was flat, with new joints and hinges keeping them close to his skin. Once he dressed it would be impossible to tell there was anything there.

"Uh, sorry?" He shrugged.

"Sorry? Oh, you will be Mr Parker. Now get your toolbox and fix my damn walls. Believe me, I will be talking to everyone else and you'll be sleeping alone until you're done."

Peter laughed and let his symbskin flow out again, this time with the four extra limbs. Each one trimmed and smoothed the holes before filling them with a thick black fluid. Peter coated them with white web fluid, being careful to only cover the marks. As the pincers extended into a flower shape they sat flush on the wall and began to vibrate. Soon the holes were filled, sanded and almost invisible to the naked eye.

"I'll uh, need a box to put the bits in though," Peter said, pointing at the pile of loose components on the floor.

Liv just stared at him as the symbskin and harness retracted back into his body.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled.