#venom arc

[adam-sadmon]

Man I woulda loved to have seen 90's animated Spider-Man in Across the Spider-Verse. Just imagine Miles' escape from the Spider society only in the distant background you can hear:

MIIIIIIIIIIIILES! YOU CANT ESCAPE ME! I'LL CHASE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EAAAAAAAAARTH

[ask-spider-girl-cynthia]

So recently I’ve been struggling with coming to terms that the symbiote Venom is, in fact, not good for me. I’ve been bonded with this gooey alien for some time, on and off. At first I thought that I could control it, but god, the power rush…

Long story short, I got…addicted for lack of a better word. I started lashing out at everyone, but mostly Peter and Miles. They sat me down and told me their concerns and, well, I may or may not have let Venom take control and Venom may or may not have attacked them. It’s a little blurry to me, but I do know Peter has Venom locked someplace safe where I can’t get to them.

I know I’m doing better now, but I still crave that power sometimes.

[spiderscience]

Shedding Darkness

Dimly Peter held awareness of what happened around him.  Most of his attention currently tied up in the struggle for control between him, and this alien symbiote that enshrouded his body.  It clung to him, living of his energy and nutrients. Fighting for dominance to control the body to its needs and desires.   The disharmony between the two of them too great for any type of partnership, in the end one must win.  Either the symbiote would win control and figure out a way to escape this place, or Spider-Man’s friends and allies would find a way to banish it from him.

The symboite’s emotions turned to discomfort and apprehension.  Right now all Peter could do is try to keep it from lashing out too hard.   It couldn’t escape, not when locked in to a battle of wills between them.  Stalemate, but sources outside of them worked to break that stalemate.  Arguments, words of encouragement aimed his way, they all came through distorted.  It could not block his awareness completely, but neither could Spider-Man react to his surroundings.

Then pain ripped through the pair, some external force being focused on human and alien.  It surged over them and they symbiote screamed through Peter.   One corner of his brain realized most of the hurt, not actually his own.   Instead it came from the creature.  The black mass that entombed his body rippled, and then slowly started to peel away.  Inch by inch his slightly too thin human body emerged from under the inky black covering.

It retreated reluctantly; thin tendrils remained hooked around his flesh.   Peter could feel the two imperatives it struggled between.  It could not give up him, its host, and retain its relative independence and ability to survive.   However the immediate threat demanded that it flee from the source of its raw pain, and he wouldn’t allow his body to do that.  

In the end the last tendril pulled away leaving Peter feeling completely exposed and vulnerable.   The barrage of sound stopped and he could hear more clearly now those that spoke around him.  

“Make sure it doesn’t get away!”

“Got it, it’s not getting out of this.”

“Lock it down, put it over there.   We’ll deal with it later.”

Peter curled into a protective fetal position, letting the voices wash around him.  He felt both light with the symbiote gone from his body and heavy with the knowledge of what he under its influence had done.  He shuddered, drawing his arms up to hide his face.  A blanket was dropped over him, the soft warmth soothing against his skin as his head shifted a fraction to look at his benefactor.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now, it’s over.”

No, Peter thought, it is just beginning.

[spiderscience]

Phone call

@thefuturistknows

While he would have been more comfortable in a different perch, Peter sat cross-legged in the middle of the containment cell.  At the moment while not free of the alien life form wrapped around him, he did seem to be clear headed.   How long that would last, he couldn’t know.   

He needed to make the most use out of what he could do, so he managed to talk his way into a call to his aunt.  Just to reassure her he was okay.   That talk didn’t go particularly well, but hearing his voice at least gave her some reassurance.   

Now, he felt he owed one more phone call.   Peter could only hope it wouldnt cause anything to go horribly wrong.   A beat of silence met his request for a particular number to be dialed.   He couldn’t be sure if he felt relief, or more anxiety when he heard the familar sound o phone ringing, and a very familiar voice answering.

“Hey Tony, its, um, me.   My phone kinda got smashed a bit ago.  Don’t know if that sent an alarm to the tower or not, sorry if I worried you.”

[spiderscience]

Spark of Light

He sank into the darkness.   Cold, barren, it seemed to pull what little energy he had from his very bones.  They ached with a depth of weariness that left room for little emotion.  Only the lingering resentment of despair echoed here.   And Peter continued to sink.

Alone with his thoughts and snippets of memories that weighed him down, they caused him to sink deeper, faster, into the darkness.   All the things he did, the people he hurt, the escalating violence echoed around him.   What had he done, what had he been brought to.  A foolish choice made simply for the desire to safely get home.  Then compounded by the fact he dismissed other’s concerns.  Peter could almost hear their concerned voices calling to him, urging to fight this monster that enveloped him.  It hurt, the knowledge that he had failed them.  What hurt even more, not having enough energy to try and fight his way free.  Peter couldn’t even feel his own body anymore.

A small glowing speck pushed back the darkness.   It crawled towards where he hung.  It touched his foot, and its light revealed the outline of his battered sneakers.  Each movement forward revealed more of himself, and he felt more solid.  Peter really didn’t feel any urge to respond, he just watched as he started to recognize a shape within the warm glow crawling up the leg of his jeans.  A spider, specifically it looked at least in shape, exactly like the spider that bit him.

It continued to climb along his body, making him feel somehow more real.  Peter let it continue, that tiny tickling sensation tracing over him as his whole form became dimly outlined in the darkness, a comfortable hoodie and all.  It crept around his shoulders again making its way to the back of his neck.  He sat still, until the sharp sting of a bite caused his body to jerk.  Soundlessly he cried out, but felt no urge to swat at the small form.  The outline of his body lit up with light, shining more brightly in the darkness.   Energy seemed to surge forwards filing his veins in a sparkling rush.

Illuminated lines wrapped around him as webs of light spun into existence around him.  The lines crossed over him, forming the patter of his chosen uniform.  Peter could feel the warmth, enveloping and shielding him from the bitter cold of the darkness.  “You know, I was really starting to miss this look, but you know, with colors.  Not that I’m complaining!”

As he twisted his head around he could see a single strand of webbing, leading off.  Tilting his head he considered it.  The spider suddenly reappeared from over his shoulder, crawling down his arm before dropping to the line.  It scuttled along the bright  line as it lead off into an infinite.  “Okay not to be ungrateful but if this ends up being a bad idea, I’m totally blaming it on you.”

Peter followed the small glowing arachnid, without really any way of judging distance or time.  He simply put his faith in this tiny form as the darkness started to distill around them, giving way to increasingly lighter shades of purple.   At first the going was easy, but eventually he started to feel stretched.  His body movements became more difficult, as if the air around him thickened.  As he slowed, so did the small spider that he followed.  “This probably has some sort of deep meaning to it, but I totally don’t have my dream journal with me and I’m going to forget this when I wake up.  Just to warn you.”  The line continued to lead off into the distance, but the spider drew to a stop.

He didn’t exactly feel the need to breath here, but if he did, Peter had the sensation he’d likely be panting with exertion.  “I think I might be literally at the end of my rope.  Can’t go much further.”

While he had only addressed the spider, the space around him brightened.  A sort of tingle swirled through his head as he jerked it up. Not anything painful, but it did demand his attention.   Whipping his head back and forth he couldn’t see anything solid around him.  “Hello?”

Nothing seemed to answer him back, only the sensation of being watched, that he managed to grab some sort of attention.  Peter’s gaze dropped down the spider which had crawled back towards him.  “I’d like to complain to management about a distinct lack of signs and instructions.”  The jokes helped him ease his nervous tension.

Looking back up around him, it felt like something coiled around him, a tug back the way he came.  Trusting his instincts, he called out to the space around him.  “Well, if anyone is out there, I could really use some help.  I don’t know how much longer I have.  And if it takes me over completely, a lot of people might get hurt.  Please,” he hung his head, “I don’t want to hurt anyone else.”

A sudden jerk pulled him off the web-line. It felt like he was being sucked back the way he came.  His little spider sprung for him, somehow growling larger as it did.   Peter hurtled backwards, the purple rapidly darkening to bleak black, but the spider was faster.  It landed on his chest, clinging to him and sinking into the symbol of his suit.  Apparently it had no intention of letting him go.

Peter broke through to consciousness with a gasp.  After a moment of disorientation he recognized the confinement area he worked with Sue to create in the Baxter Building, the one that should hold him.  Dropping his gaze to his black clad hands he sighed.  “Great, wake up from a weird dream back to the living nightmare.  At least, for the moment, I’m me.”

[bonetoadamantium]

To Catch a Spider Send a Wolverine

For most people it would be a rather suicidal task, tracking down a violent and super-strong individual in the woods at night.   For Logan, it was just a Tuesday.   Okay Spider-Man didn’t normally come under the category as violent, but the thing taking over the kid sure was.   So this task edged beyond dangerous for most people.  His adamantium coated bones and healing factor that this task might end up painful at some point, but not probably not fatal.  Add in his skills as a tracker and enhanced senses, it made him the best person for the job, especially since it needed to be handled quietly.

The world already in turmoil about anyone beyond “normal  human” it made it important to keep this thing quiet.  No reason to add more fuel to the fire made of fear that burned inside so many.  The thought made Logan wonder crankily if he perhaps had been spending too much time around the Professor, or Rogue, or any of the rest.  Somehow he actually started caring about shit like that.  Fuck, the kids wormed their way inside him and he’d be damned if he didn’t try whatever he could so their lives could be easier. Not like his, not to be used as an experiment, not to be hunted down like an animal.   

Of which, unfortunately he needed to hunt Spider-Man down.  Help the kid before he hurt anyone else.  As mouthy as that vigilante could be, he also had a very soft and vulnerable heart.  When he got back to himself, it would kill him to know he hurt others.  Not that Logan cared about that per say.  Just everyone would be better off if this could be handled without a lot of fanfare. 

Which is how he ended up nearly fifty miles north from New York City, tracking the alien influenced Spider-Man through fucking Bear Mountain State Park.  Yes they apparently named a mountain after bears and slapped a bunch of state parks around it.  He didn’t really object much to the name, just found it somewhat amusing.  At the same time it told him that Spider-Man still retained some control if he could keep himself away from heavily populated areas. Now he made his way through the wilderness following the stench of the black thing that covered the young vigilante. Surrounded by natural scents, it stood out sharply to the feral’s senses.   

The scent grew thicker as Logan silently slipped his way through the foliage.   It also came from above him, high in the trees, which made sense considering the kid had an affinity for tall buildings.  It didn’t make his job any easier.   Slipping his phone out of his pocket he turned on the glow standing out like a tiny beacon in the woods as he fired off a quick text. 

[SSR: Text]  Getting close, follow my signal. Going to see if I can get him to come quietly but I’m no diplomat, be ready. 

The use of that particular nickname in his phone amused him to no end. Logan knew his history, lived some of it, and researched other parts to try to bring memories to the surface. So using it for Sue, well just made him smirk.  Tucking the phone back away he tilted his head as sound reached his ears. 

With his sharp senses, he could pick up on the things well before anyone else normally would.  The feral part of him also threaded a quick warning in the back of his head.  It crept along his spine making him alert to the fact he may no longer be the only thing that hunted here.   Instinct thrummed inside him, for even predators could be hunted by those stronger than themselves.  The animal side, kicking some adrenaline through his system as it picked up on something potentially more dangerous than Logan.  Adding to that, the forest had gone utterly silent, as what animals moved about sensed something deadly that stalked through it. 

With a deliberately relaxed air, he shifted to lean against one of the tree trunks.  Handy that the kid would come down actually come down.   Both handy and slightly worrying since the last message he left instructed people to leave him alone.  So the choice to approach someone, plus the chill that ran along his skin didn’t bode well.  The black clad figure stopped, a inky blot barely visible through the silvered shadows of the moon’s light filtering through.  Logan didn’t need to see him to know the kid hung there. Instead he pulled out a cigar and lit it, the tip a glowing ember that stood out in the darkness.  The dampness of the fall meant little chance it would cause something dangerous.  He let the smoke curl around him as he waited to see which way the kid would jump. 

“Why are you here?  Go away, leave us alone,” the harsh voice finally shattered the silence.  Refusing to do as much as tense a muscle in response, Logan coolly pulled the cigar away from his lips regarding it before he took another pull.  Inwardly he winced at how the voice twisted the sound of the smart-mouthed kid he knew into something else, something deeper and rough. It comprised of both a bad and good sign as a warning was issued and not a simple attack.  The use of a plural, he didn’t miss that, and it brought its own level of disquiet. 

“Well now as much as I would like that, there are some people worried about you.”  The older mutant’s gaze finally flicked over the black clad figure as he calmly replied.   Something decidedly openly off about that suit now.  It looked like parts of it might be actively moving, which he found very disturbing.  Still, he needed to try to talk the kid down. 

“So how about you come the rest of the way down here and come with me.   See a lady about keeping a promise?  Now I don’t know about you, but I was taught not to keep a lady waiting if I could help it.”  Taking one last pull, he then pinched the end of the cigar out.  The burn a brief flash and then his skin healed.  No use in wasting a good cigar if this went south. 

The eerie quiet fell again as the alien influenced vigilante considered his words. Even chances as to what might happen here.  Either the kid would flee, come with him, or the creature would attack.  As the seconds ticked past it indicated to him that a mental struggle for dominance likely occurred within the young man that effortlessly clung to the side of a tree. 

A splintering sound came as the wood groaned under talons that dug into the wood.  Yes, definitely talons by the sound and sight of them. Wolverine’s eyes narrowed as he casually tucked his thumbs in his pockets.   His stance shifted just slightly, perhaps that touch of getting prepared enough to tip the balance. 

That is when the creature flung itself at him and the quiet shattered once more.  “We warned  you! Now we will destroy  you!” 

“Not that much of a warning bub, and you can try, but tougher things than you couldn’t kill me,” He grunted as the pair crashed through the underbrush.   

Swift and brutal the attacks came, and Logan tried to remember that he really didn’t want to hurt the kid under the black alien suit.  They smacked into trees, broke bushes and saplings as the fight raged on.   “Come on kid, I’m trying to help you, and I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“We’ll kill you,” screamed the harsh angry reply. 

Stuck on defensive movements Logan grabbed the other’s wrists, trying to control the slim but extremely strong figure.  He would fail and knew it.  The mutant’s job simply to hang on, take the punishment and keep the kid there until he picked up that whisper of sound that would clue him in to the third party’s approach. When it finally came he rolled to his back and used his feet to kick his opponent free. 

Almost immediately the creature sprung back at Logan, only to smash into an invisible wall.  Dazed for a moment it felt all around itself.   When it realized that a bubble trapped it, a rage filled cry escaped as it tried to find a way to break free.  With a grunt Logan picked himself up, brushing off broken vegetation from his clothes.  “Took you long enough,” he complained.   The injuries he took closing over and healing to nothing.   

With a sigh he stood next to the slim blonde figure.  Disquieting to see the familiar distorted into the darker version.  So unlike the cheerful wisecracking young hero he knew. One that could be surprisingly gentle and always kind-hearted.  What struggled in front of them a living nightmare. 

“Don’t worry Doc, you’ll get him back. You are too stubborn not to.  And if you need help, well I know a few people that would be willing.”

[spiderscience]

Warning

The black clad vigilante fled the scene, his mind mentally reeling in shock.   He almost killed that person.  No, not him, the suit actually tried to eat them.  Peter barely managed to wrest control back.  His first instinct to get far away, find a place and try to figure out what happened.   Instinct drove him to seek out someplace high, which to him meant safety.   He swung towards one of the highest buildings.  When he hit the side of it he swarmed up to the roof.  Once he reached the top he started to pace.

What just happened, how could he have lost control?   Even if he managed to stop, he still lost it.  Peter could still feel it rippling under the surface, the urge towards violence and raw sort of hunger that ached all the way to his bones  He should have let Sue study the suit more fully, and he should have listened to others that expressed concern.   Instead he dismissed everything, but maybe the symbiote caused that? He needed to get it off.

Peter got a grip and yanked, trying to see if he could peel any of it off.  Pain lanced through him causing him to lose his grip.   He doubled over as it felt like something gave an angry yowl in the back of his head.

~No, ours. You belong to us.~

What. The. Fuck.

Peter staggered back, as he struggled with the implications of what just happened.   Oh god, he might be in over his head, it might be in his head. But if he went to anybody, he might hurt them.  It might influence him again to hurt them like how it tried to get him to kill.  He needed to warn someone.  If word got out they’d come after him anyways.  If he issued a warning, they might just leave them alone.  Wait, no, they  might just leave him along.  No them, just him. Singular.  

The surge of anger, aggression, hunger battered at his concentration again.  He just needed to get away from everyone.  He couldn’t be trusted.  

Peter snatched for the hidden phone, hoping the suit would release it.  Nothing happened for a moment, then the material parted and the device fell into his hand.  Likely he could get away with one call, one warning.  Focusing intently at the fact he hoped it would make people stay away, he tried to deeply bury anything else. Unlocking the phone, he quickly brought up the number and hit the dial button.   The phone rang, and then went to voicemail.  

“Sue it’s me, I hope you get this soon because you were right.  The suit, something’s wrong and it . .”  The words almost choked in his throat and he took a deep breath.  “We’re dangerous.  You need to stay away.  We’re even stronger than before.  Just, tell people it’s not safe to come near me, I don’t want to hurt anyone.  But it might take ov-“  Peter never got to finish the thought as tendrils of the suit suddenly encircled the phone and crushed it.  Apparently it decided to end the call before he might give anything away.

A hysterical bubble of laughter tried to escape his throat as he looked down at the pieces of his phone. Well, he guessed the distress signal he built in to the phone to alert Tony’s AI if the phone got destroyed would get a test.  Peter designed it to happen when a low level signal got cut, no way of knowing it actually worked or not.  He had to get out of there now, in case it did work and someone came there. Dropping the pieces of the phone he shot off a web-line, trying to figure out where to go.  All he could come up with, away from people.   He had to try to get out of the city.

@susanstorm-richards @thefuturistknows

[spiderscience]

Blackened Spider

@thefuturistknows

Peter still carried his battered backpack.  Even though he didn’t need a change of clothing anymore, it kept his camera and tablet in it.   Useful for when he felt like doing work with either outside of the lab.   He hadn’t been sleeping at night, just after dawn until noon.   His preference to late hours had only intensified lately.  Sometimes he found inspiration during the time he couldn’t sleep and his mind remained active.  It worked just as fast as normal.

Though that had happened less lately, instead he preferred his crime fighting.  His body thrummed with the need to move, to fight, to be around people.   Which old Peter would have considered a bit odd because he did like his solitude and decompressing time away from people.   Now, he just disliked being trapped deep inside the building where he could feel everything thrum around him.   The whine of electricity, and the threat of confinement made him feel edgy.  

He still put his hours in, barely.   He did some work outside and brought it in.   His lab itself, his lair, so easier to be there than anywhere else in the building.  Dressed all in black, he made his way inside the building.   He had a handful of updates he worked on on his tablet.  

Peter would transfer it over to his workstation in the lab.   Not his spider-silk project, that been a bit neglected at the time.  The predictive algorithms been much more fun to work on.   The medical monitoring project continued to be a priority.   Anything to keep his Aunt safe, that actually brought  a feeling of calm quiet to him.   None of the angry buzz. 

Finally making his way to the lab, Peter punched in the code and let himself in.