Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Black Cat was fading fast as the amphetamine she took started to wear off. The painkillers followed soon after and the pain was more than she could bear. She had managed to make a block before the strength in her legs went and she could only shuffle at a snail's pace.

She knew she was leaving a trail behind her. There had been blood smears on a wall she'd rested against but she couldn't stop. She couldn't let anyone find her and finish the job.

She'd pulled off her mask, trying to avoid smearing blood over her face. Hopefully, it'd buy her some time. The catsuit was a giveaway but with her normal hair colour and normal makeup, she might make it.

No, I can't, it's too much.

The pain burned through her like fire and it became harder to breathe. She felt her legs give out underneath her and she collapsed on the street.

She felt a hand lift her, "Shit MJ, it’s Felicia. Help me get her up."

She didn't recognise the voice but a cooling liquid was poured onto her waist, lessening the fire. It soon smoothed out into a mellow chill and she no longer cared who had her. She hoped they were nice and taking her somewhere, soft and warm. She giggled as the painkiller made everything feel comfortable and serene.

"Fuck Gwen, what did you give her?" one voice asked.

"Just, you know, some happy juice and a nerve blocker," Gwen's voice said.

Felicia didn't care. Her eyes had closed before they had started talking and she didn't even know if they were real. They were really nice and that was all that mattered.

"fuck she's heavier than she looks"

hey, that voice called me fat.

She tried to punch the mean voice but her arms didn't work. She didn't have arms just a head, she giggled again, just some head before the darkness took her completely.

⁂

Agent two watched the two girls manhandle his target along the street until they came to a warehouse. He noted the address before clicking on his radio.

"Sir, the target has entered a civilian location. Please advise?"

 "Negative Sir, the target is not alone, two civilians are with her, unable to identify. Orders?" 

The agent sighed as he listened. 

"Affirmative. Operational casualties are expected. Live fire is a go."

He unholstered his sidearm and checked the clip. It was full and filled with lethal rounds normally disallowed on a mission in the city.

His orders were to neutralise or capture the target. Right now, the two girls would be acceptable casualties. He was sure they would be classed as victims of the Target Black, or as the press named her Black Cat.

Reholstering his weapon he opted for a knife. Waiting until he found a way into the building he left himself unarmed for now. It was bad enough he would have to walk the property to find a way inside, but without a gun drawn. There was no need to arouse suspicion.

He stalked around the building till he found a good place to leap the chain-link fence surrounding it. Crouching low he had to walk around to the front before he found a suitable entrance. The side doors and entrance were welded shut and painted over. He noted the camera above the door and took out a small device pointing it up at it. The light on the bottom faded as it shorted out.

Listening at the door he could hear the two women inside arguing over something. In their rush, they had left it unlocked and when he gently pushed the door bar it swung open. The door was well-maintained and without a squeak, he gently pushed it further and crept inside.

One woman was holding her hands over the prone figure of his target while the other paced back and forth.

⁂

"Gwen, this won't save her, we need to call an ambulance," the redhead was shouting.

"She'll die in less than five minutes if I don't do something, someone shot her MJ. Like, with a big fucking gun, shot her. Now shut up, hold that and let me work."

⁂

He spotted another of the assets. He was not here for her but they had a file on her as well. Her hair and glasses were a giveaway. Doc Ock was in a wheelchair and she slowly pushed it towards the table. As the pair turned, he dived into the empty office across from them and waited.

⁂

“Let me see,” Liv shouted but Gwen stepped in front of her,

“No, she’s hurt,”

Liv interrupted her, “then move you stupid bitch. I’m a doctor, and a lot better at saving lives.” Gwen stared and shook her head, “do you want her to die?” Gwen hesitated, “then move.”

Liv wheeled past Gwen and up towards the table, “shit. Single gunshot. It's torn her kidney and a part of her intestine.” Liv peered over, “clever though, plugged it the best she could, but it's all internal.” Liv rolled up her sleeves. “Right, you, cut that free. Don’t mind the skin, we'll worry about that if she lives.”

MJ looked over at Gwen, who frowned and looked back at her. MJ’s eyes flicked to the empty home and Gwen nodded. Liv was barking orders and had her hands inside Felicia’s abdomen. MJ would have to deal with this herself.

⁂

From the doorway of the box, he could see there was no way to approach them without being seen, no matter how fast he was. His only choice was to duck into the doorway across from him and then he would have to use his gun after all.

The only thing he hesitated on was whether to wait for his target to bleed out and then attack or attack the trio. Even wounded and drugged the dossier on Target Black marked her as dangerous. He wouldn't take a risk by ignoring her.

Formulating a plan, he unholstered his gun and cocked it. Checking his line of sight he quickly ducked his head back around the door frame. Both women were now on one side of the table. It looked like they had been sticking something in the wound of Target Black. A stupid mistake as the wound would just bleed internally. He scanned around, seeking out the redhead, but she had vanished. It didn't faze him. A civilian would be no match for him anyway.

Taking a deep breath he counted. One breath, two breaths, and on his exhale raised his pistol and rounded the door preparing to fire. His finger sat on the trigger but the gun's muzzle was lifted. He was pulled out the doorway and thrown into the wide space of the warehouse.

"We hear you breathe. We hear the click-click of your gun. We smell you and now, now we hurt you." The pure white-skinned thing with flame-red hair pounced at him. Even as he raised and fired his pistol, she ducked and weaved, avoiding each bullet.

"Shit," his throat mic clicked. "Code Ten. I repeat Code Ten," As she barreled into him he went flying, hearing only static from his earpiece.

His slide backward was halted and he stared up into the face of another enhanced. This one was black and white, "Aww poor baby, our home is hidden."

He screamed as she punched down on his shoulder breaking it, and his grip on the pistol faltered. Rolling to the side he grasped for his knife. He dragged it from its sheath as the white enhanced looked like she skated forwards. He dropped into a combat stance and slashed outwards. She danced under the blade and grabbed his wrist and he screamed as her claws dug into his flesh.

With no feeling in his fingers, he dropped the knife. She'd got the tendon and he knew against two enhanced he was a goner. His mic clicked, "Code Ten Code Ten please God please Code Ten,'' he repeated over and over.

The black enhanced walked forwards. The other had him held fast and she sprayed his legs with a sticky fluid. He was pushed down and covered, feeling the whole of his body going numb.

"We wait for Venom," she said and the other nodded.

As they waited for him to fall unconscious, MJ straighten up. "Shit Gwen, what the fuck was that? A secret agent guy?"

"MJ I've got as much of an idea of what's going on as you do, I mean, it’s Nah, it can't be."

"What?” MJ asked, being out of the loop sucked but Gwen knew something.

"It’s Oscorp."

All the women jumped. Peter had come back and had come in through the skylight. He had a backpack full of folders, which he was about to dump on the table when he spotted the bodies.

"What the hell?" he pointed at the sleeping form of Felicia, with the blood he hoped she was just sleeping, "Is she dead?”

There was a lot of blood, over Felicia, Liv and Gwen. The wound on Felicia seemed to be covered with a fine layer of webbing. White against the very pale skin of Felicia's slowly rising chest.

"What the hell is going on, Pete? Why is Felicia Black Cat, why did some asshole shoot her, and why are you all so calm?" MJ was borderline hysterical, this had not been a fun evening so far.

Peter sighed, after the night he just had, this was going to take a while to explain. He put down the backpack and pulled MJ into his embrace, "shh, it's fine. Is Felicia dead?"

Liv shook her head, "no, she'll live."

Peter pulled MJ away and looked at her, "Thank you. Gwen?"

Gwen sniffed and wiped her eyes, but nodded, "We're fine Pete. Uh, yeah, coffee?"

Peter nodded, "yeah. Coffee. I'll sort this crap out and explain. Man, I liked that table."

Peter looked over at Felicia, she'd been stitched up with Gwen's webbing. It would stop the bleeding but by then it was too late. His coffee table was ruined, stained with thickening dark blood.

He sighed, "fuck this night. Gwen, take the mugs to your deck, I'll be up in a minute." He figured the table was salvageable though. It was only blood after all. With what all three of them had done on it, blood would not be the last thing split on it he would need to clean up.

He checked her pulse and it was weak but steady, the makeshift bandaging holding her. Liv had done some impressive work with the help of Poison. She could have let her die, and he figured they owed her a bit more slack. Felicia should sleep for a while, plenty of time to deal with this crap show.

First, he walked over to the prone agent. "We cannot leave you alive." After his night so far, he cursed. "I fucking hate this."

He put both hands on his neck and squeezed and twisted. His head rotated in a way that was unhealthy to anyone alive, not that this man was now.

As the body slumped Peter began to rifle through his pockets, finding only the pistol, ammo, and a knife. Several vials of liquid were slotted into his tactical vest.

Probably painkillers or something weird, he thought.

He had no way of knowing what they were and so he ignored them. Seeing the radio he looked around for its battery pack and unhooked it. He knew the cage around the warehouse had blocked any outgoing signals but it was better to be safe than sorry.

MJ shuddered as she watched Peter kill the man in cold blood. She didn't know exactly what was going on but she knew that they weren't going to let him go. Whoever he was, had orders to kill, probably because of Felicia.

"Right," Peter began, "Black Cat, a.k.a Felicia. We worked together a few times and she helped take down Ock." Liv glared at him and he coughed, "sorry, Liv."

Peter stared at the coffee cup in front of him and began to narrate the story of his evening.

⁂

Peter had gone back to the junkyard. He knew it'd be closed at his time of night but Aleksei trusted him enough with a set of keys. He could get in, find any evidence and get out before anyone knew.

He knew where most of the paperwork was kept, but it was a safe, and he had no idea how to get into it. He knew Aleksei sometimes used the second-floor office. He never saw another hidden area up there though.

It was then he realised. This office was too small. His room upstairs was huge, enough for several desks. This office was barely big enough for the filing cabinets and the desk.

He moved to the back wall and gently tapped on it. It was defiantly hollow sounding. Spying along the shelves he saw under one a switch. Pressing it he saw a panel in the back wall spring open.

Opening it wide, he was greeted with three sets of tactical gear. One thick and armoured, a dark grey colour. One with conduits and cables over it and the last, still sticky black and gritty from the fight.

"Aww, Pete, I wish you hadn't seen that." Aleksei was standing there.

As Peter turned around he watched as the man bulged and grew,

Definitely Rhino, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, Aleksei, you'll wish I hadn't either." Peter had had time to figure out their weaknesses. Rhino was big and strong but why wear armour if you're tough? He wasn't, he was just a man. As Peter let the symbskin flow over his fists, he used it to form the thick plates on his hands that he had used before. This time however he let them stretch out into a long thin blade.

A blade he plunged through Aleksei's chest and out his back.

Aleksei wheezed as the blade made breathing difficult and painful. Since his transformation, he'd never felt pain anything like this. The blade extended through his chest and pierced his thickening skin like it was butter.

Blood stained his lips as he spoke. "Oh shit Pete, so you're Venom huh?" he coughed, breathing was hard but the pain was fading and he knew that wasn't a good sign. "shit if I knew I'd have paid you more," he laughed at his own joke but the blade and the pain cut it short.

"You will tell us about Osborn, and we will make it quick." The black symbskin had fully covered Peter and as Aleksei slumped to his knees, Venom towered over him.

Aleksei coughed again, his breath short as he struggled to find air, "I don't know. Honest Pete, I don't. Shit, this hurts, please, just, 0324069, the safe, please, just."

He was cut short as Venom changed the blade in his chest back into a simple claw and pulled. Aleksei felt no more as his spine snapped and his insides spilt out onto the floor.

Venom took a deep breath. He'd promised himself he wouldn't kill so as not to involve the cops. He had hoped Felicia was wrong but if Aleksei was behind the bank break-in then his whole crew were too. It didn't matter right now though as the results were the same. Aleksei was Rhino, and he had just killed him.

Venom stepped back. He stopped and took a breath and let it out slowly. Aleksei had no idea he was Venom. Everyone was safe. With no ties, they were all safe.

Anything and everything in the safe was stuffed into a bag, including several thick wads of cash. Venom rifled through drawers, taking any paperwork he found.

All of Aleksei's files were bagged and once he had looted everything Venom stared at the body on the floor. He spied the propane heater in the corner. After moving it closer to the desk and into a better position he took Aleksei's lighter. "Smoking kills,'' he said deadpan to himself and knocked the pressure seal off the top of the tank.

After moving Aleksei's body near the tank, he set the lighter aflame and sat it on his desk. Swinging a line out he sat on the building across from the junkyard and waited.

Aleksei had been good to him, but life wasn't that fair. He would have to kill again to protect those he cared about. They were his family now.

Venom watched as the gas reached the lighter and the small office exploded in a fireball. Now there was no evidence he was ever there.