Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

‘Mary Jane Watson. Model, Actress, Spokeswoman, Secret hero?’ 

In shock, I found myself facing Miss Mary Jane Watson. Proven actress, once linked to Tony Stark.

Uh, no, that was a rumour and a false one.

My apologies, falsely linked to Tony Stark, and now spokeswoman for AIM. But, not many people realise, you are actually powered?

I am a host as well. My Klyntar is called Muse.

And does being a host give you an advantage?

Mary Jane laughed at this. Muse keeps me looking young, but I still need to learn my lines, just like everyone else. Powers don't mean you can act.

She keeps you looking younger? A side effect or is that one of her powers?

A side effect. The Klyntar can cleanse their host of tumours and other biological ailments. Since being a host I haven't had the cold or been sick. She keeps me healthy, and I keep her alive.

And, your associate mentioned that they are different. Does she object to your taking a more passive role?

Muse loves the spotlight just as much as I do. She is asking if she can be in the pictures.

I don't see why not. Our first alien artiste. Of all the Asgadians we have met, and the Nova Corp, we have yet to see examples of their artwork. Is Muse willing to show us?

Miss Watson seemed to sigh, and have some kind of internal argument, which as she was talking to her alien, she was.

Muse says yes, but she wants to use me as the canvas.

What followed is only a small selection of what we could print. Not because of decency but simply because it was bizarre. Make no mistake, Even the Asgardians may look human but they are not. They have their own ideas, thoughts and feelings. And in this case, the Klyntar had their own idea of what Art is.

Most of the pictures show MJ posing, carefully selected to highlight each part of her body in turn. With Muse, nothing is shown MJ does not want to be shown.

The last picture is of her with Muse spreading over her. Her armour is half exposed, covering her pubic area and stomach. Around her breasts, the armour splits, leaving her ample chest bare. From there, the armour climbs up, covering her face with the wide-mawed mask. Two lines travel down her arms, and each hand is covered in a razor glove of long fingers.

⁂

‘Olivia Octavius. Super Hero, Super Genius, Super Villian?’

We now meet our final hero. Or well, I say hero as Olivia Octavious, our second unmasked hero, is actually Doctor Octopus.

You know I hate that name, my grandfather coined it, and he was a nazi.

So, a bad start then, We did some research, and your father also took the moniker, So what was different for you?

It was simple really. Both my patriarchal figures were *****. (Sorry readers, what Miss Octavious said we are not allowed to print). Add in that I am a woman and I was suddenly deemed...unsuitable.

But you still became what you hated?

I did. I was young, full of hope and naive. Norman Osborn took that and used it against me. We are often told not to speak ill of the dead, but he was not a nice man.

So. The robberies. The assaults, and finally, we have a report of a bomb threat that would have destroyed most of New York. A villain, or just a pawn in a bigger game?

I was held against my will, forced by means we now take great care to watch for. In an age of powered individuals, not all of those powers are nice, and not everyone wants to help raise Humanity up. I was a victim, just like everyone else.

And, it says here, it was Venom who saved you.

He did. It's not a pretty story, but he did.

And can you embellish that tale, or is it super secret?

Secret I’m afraid. There is a reason Venom retired, and it is not my place to say.

Which is fine. We want to know about you, if Venom wishes to come forward, we do have our sister publication, aimed at a female audience. I’m sure he would be very popular.

Olivia laughs, Oh he would be, he is spectacular.

But, we are here to talk about you. Are you like the others? A strong woman, wanting to prove that she is able to rise above society's expectations?

Oh heavens no. If I can be candid, I am an exhibitionist. This is all very exciting, isn't it?

I will admit, that yes, it was.

So, you have no issue being naked?

I am a host, and I know you have talked to MJ and the others. What they will not have said is they do change your perception. They don’t know shame or, sadly, guilt. We are not them, but they do make us…different.

If I have one shining moment in my career as a journalist, it is being able to talk candidly with these five women. Each one was a delight and a joy to photograph.

The pictures show Liv behind a desk. In the first, she wears a lab coat, her breasts peeking out from underneath it. The next shows her leaning forward, her nipples brushing against the fabric. The last, Liv is in nothing but a pair of octagonal goggles and the coat, pulled to one side. It shows off a flat-toned stomach and her perfectly pert breasts. But, the pictures also show the scars, unhidden, from her time in the harness. The wounds up her spine, from where the needles burrowed into her. Liv is not afraid to show off those, as they are her badge of honour. Her proof that she survived

**Olivia posed for a second series of pictures. To see her full portfolio, go online to playdude(.)com, and sign up for a free account.**

**Over eighteens only, terms and conditions apply.**

⁂

I was then treated to a rather spectacular event. Once the day was over, Ghost Spider, Black Cat, Miss Watson and Doctor Octavius approached me. They had a simple request. Could do a series of group shots? This was not contracted for, and while they had no issue in them being published, they hoped they would remain, at least, mostly private.

Having spent the best part of two days with the group, I immediately agreed. And I do not regret it for one moment.

Are there any questions you would like to ask me? Or anything you wish I had asked?

Olivia. I am rather surprised you never asked about our sex lives.

I had to smile. It was a massive invasion of privacy, and could potentially betray who these four women were. Do you want to tell me? I am sure there are curious readers who would like to know if powers do affect things in the bedroom.

Oh yeah, Ghost pipes up. Super Stamina makes things bad sometimes. So do super senses. I mean, you think being able to hear really well is great. Try hearing your neighbour yelling for Daddy as her husband spanks her. And you hope that’s her husband.

And Super Strength?

Black Cat answers that one. Oh yeah, that's an issue as well. I mean, We have a super-powered boyfriend, and he worries about getting too strong. I mean, imagine being a Hulk and losing control. There's big and there's oh hell no big.

So Powered individuals tend to date with certain circles? Is that why most of the time, it's rare to see anyone such as yourselves out on a date?

MJ nods. It's also being recognised. I mean, I'm not as famous as Stark but I still get the odd paparazzi tailing me. Shifting from movies to AIM helped, but I still get recognised.

I have to smile, and yet...I leave the question hanging.

The nudes? We're proud women, proud of our achievements, proud of our bodies and we're not afraid to show it. Plus, uh, we're the first to really do this, so the signing bonus was off the charts. Black Cat says with a laugh.

She is right of course. We paid a hefty sum for the rights to the pictures, and it was worth every penny of it.

The last shot is the group together. Each one of them, barring a mask on Ghost and Black Cat, is completely naked. They are in a row, with their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling and laughing for the camera.

⁂

So. Heroes? Villains? No, just women.

Even in a society that has these fantastic powers we still see the existence of sexism. We see tabloids and paparazzi trying to snap our female heroes in their underwear. We have private investigators trying to uncover their identities. Even this issue, while it was a delight, shows that these women will be judged, not on what they can do, but on how they look.

How can we as a society go forward when a young woman like Yukio can control electricity? Where some powered are able to lift a building.

The idea of them being weak, of being some damsel to be saved is long gone, and these ladies prove that.

Move over Iron Man, these women don't need armour to prove how tough they are.

⁂

"What the hell is this?" Quentin yelled as he stormed into Zander's lab.

Raising his head from the microscope he was looking into, Zander pointedly said, "It looks like a newspaper," before going back to his work.

Quentin growled, "I know it's a newspaper, it's the article."

"I barely read what you Yanks call the news, so." He sighed and stood motioning for Quentin to show him the cause of his upset." Quentin folded the paper and slapped it into Zander's outstretched hand. Zander raised an eyebrow. "I am not one of your flunkies to abuse when you are in a snit. Kindly remember that." He unfolded the newspaper and saw what was so offensive. "Oh look, bare breasts. I can understand why your poor American sensibilities are offended. They don't have guns stuck to them." He rolled his eyes and threw the paper into his trash can. "Now, if you are finished, I have work to do."

"They're stealing my headlines!" Quentin yelled. "I'm creating art, fighting monstrosities that they created, and this." he grabbed the paper from the can, "It takes a group of...of...sluts and all my work is undone."

Zander stopped. closed his eyes and sighed. "No, if you don't understand why attractive women taking their clothes off is news, you never will. Now, I am busy, kindly leave."

"NO! You're going to help me. I need the Ravagers, I need an Oscar-winning performance to woo the public back."

Zander sighed again, "No you need to actually give the public what it wants. Pick a new hero, and change your costume. Mysterio is a gimmick, and once someone figures it out, you'll be captured." Zander stood and leaned over Quentin, "And if you expose my work, you will make the headlines." He leaned in close to Quentin and whispered, "Body found in pieces baffles the FBI."

Quentin growled and pushed Zander away, "You don't get to threaten me. You make candy bars, I fight real monsters."

Zander stood, took off his lab coat and slid on his long overcoat. "The only thing you fight is the media attempting to name you Magic Wand. You would get more publicity if you didn't resemble a roll on deodorant. I will be out of town for a few days. Donald will be told..."

He never finished as Quentin suddenly appeared behind him. With a roar of anger, he smashed him over the head with a fire extinguisher. "I Do Not Look Like A Sex Toy!" He raised the extinguisher again but knew if he killed Zander that would be it. There were cameras everywhere in the AIM buildings, and even using an overlay he would be caught. But he could use an overlay to get what he wanted. Without the helmet, he couldn't broadcast to a large area, but he could change himself.

He dragged Zander into the middle of the floor, ignoring the blood. As he stood back, his eyes glowed blue and he scanned the prone form of the man. Light flashed out, and a solid image slowly built up around him, "Vocal scan, initialise." A beam of light hit Zander's throat, "Test one." The pitch and tone of his voice changed, "Test two." His accent changed, "Final check." Now he sounded exactly like Zander. "And that, you stupid English prick, is how we get what we want."

Zander had said he would be away for a few days. That would be long enough for him to get a performance of a lifetime and cement Mysterio as a grade-A hero. He could fake a fight, save New York and reveal his identity, slamming Stark at the same time. He would prove his work wasn't a gimmick, and he would prove that he was just as smart as Stark.