Chapter 3
Wednesday considers herself a master of being able to read people. She studies their body language like a hawk, noticing the slightest wince on someone's face or shift in their stance that gives away whatever is going on in their head.
And judging by how Enid's been acting, Wednesday can tell she knows something is wrong. The guilt of lying to Enid eats her up worse than any parasite, but she feels like if she tells her, Enid would be afraid of her. That and she knows how dangerous she is now.
If you are not going to leave Enid, then you may as well reveal us to her, Venom growls, and Wednesday grits her teeth.
"We are going to leave her. Once we find the MorningSong CEO, we'll part ways."
But it doesn't seem like you want to do that. You don't seem to be concentrating on this case like you should be, Wednesday.
"You were the one who brought up leaving in the first place," Wednesday retorts, glancing around to make sure nobody sees her talking to herself.
I still do want to leave. But I can't when my host will stop me from doing so.
She knows Venom can hear all of her thoughts about Enid, both the good and the bad.
You don't want to admit you need her more than she needs you-
"Enough. There he is."
Eugene Ottinger is standing at the corner of a street, frantically checking behind newspaper stands and in between trash cans looking for his missing ID card. He's short, with curly hair and glasses too big for his face. Wednesday figures he must be in high school by how young he looks, but if he somehow works at a company as big as MorningSong, he must be useful.
He's fumbling around in his bag when Wednesday slides up to his side.
"Looking for something?" she asks, holding up his card in front of him.
"Oh thank goodness!" He exclaims, eyes going wide, "I would have been fired if I lost my badge!"
"Not so fast," Wednesday says, holding the badge out of Eugene's reach, "I need something from you first."
Eugene frowns, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.
"Look, I'm just an intern, alright? I don't know anything about all the secret stuff!"
Secret stuff? Venom ponders in the background. Wednesday clears her throat.
"But this is important, Eugene," Wednesday argues, and Eugene just shakes his head.
"Like I said, I'm an intern! I can't help you," he huffs, glancing down at the ground.
"What if I told you it's not just me that needs the help?"
Eugene looks back up and tilts his head, and Wednesday just smirks back at him.
---
"Ghost-Spider? No way!"
Eugene's in awe as Enid gracefully lands in front of him. He looks like he's about to pass out from excitement, grinning from ear to ear.
Wednesday had brought Eugene up to a rooftop for their meeting, him not believing Wednesday was actually friends with the superhero. Then she threatened to toss his badge into the river, and he had no choice but to follow her.
"Nice to meet you, honored citizen," Enid mumbles, trying to be confident by placing her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out. Wednesday just tries her best to not feel any second-hand embarrassment.
"Please, call me Eugene," Eugene nods with a giant grin, "But yes, I am very honored to meet you."
Enid giggles, and Wednesday groans.
"So, Wednesday says you can help with this uh, mystery we're investigating."
Eugene stands tall and crosses his arms. "I certainly can. What can I assist you with?"
Enid places a hand on Eugene's shoulder, pointing at him with a commanding finger.
"We need you to be our informant on the inside of MorningSong. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Let us know if you hear any leads about the missing CEO."
Eugene's eyes are wide and his glasses are sliding down his nose, him drinking in every word. It makes Wednesday realize just how much people in the city idolize Enid, and how she's literally a celebrity. Wednesday wonders if she's lucky to be one of the few to know her so intimately, or if that's something she should be worried about.
"Understood," Eugene replies, pushing his glasses back up with a stern nod.
Enid nods back at him, and then reaches for something off of her belt. She holds out a device to him, Wednesday watching closely.
"Now, I need you to take this. Press it and it'll alert me if you need help. I'll come as fast as I can."
Eugene takes the device gingerly, examining it slowly.
"This is so cool. I promise I'll use it only for emergencies."
"Thanks Eugene," Enid gives him another squeeze on his shoulder, "You're doing great work."
Wednesday can see Eugene trying to hide that he's flustered, and now Venom is groaning along with her.
"Like I said, it's an honor."
Eugene tucks the device into his pocket, looking content with his new responsibilities. Enid gives him her number too, and it seems like a done deal until Eugene gives her a quizzical look.
"Wait. I thought you worked alone? How does Wednesday know you?"
He looks back and forth between the two of them, Wednesday trying to hide how she's caught off guard by the question and how she also wants to strangle Eugene for asking.
Enid speaks up first, but she doesn't have an answer. "Um, we're, uh-"
"That's none of your concern, Eugene," Wednesday interrupts, shoving his badge into his hands, "Just focus on your task."
"Of course," he mumbles, "Apologies for asking."
Enid shakes her head at Wednesday, and she can tell Enid's frowning at her through her mask. Wednesday looks away and down at her feet.
Then Enid turns back and gives Eugene one last pat on his shoulder.
"Well, I'll see you around Eugene!"
She gives him a salute, and then dives off of the rooftop.
"Wow," is all Eugene can say, fixing his glasses again as he watches Enid swing away through the buildings. He turns back to Wednesday with a cheeky grin.
"Do you think-"
"You'll have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting with her."
Eugene's face scrunches up in disappointment, but Wednesday can't help but think about how much he reminds her of Pugsley, and if he's going to be helping them, she can't be too annoyed with him.
---
The two of them quickly learn that Eugene is very eager to help.
He sends Enid all sorts of texts about random things he's overheard that he thinks she should check out, but they all turn out to be false alarms. That and there's only so many places he has access to as an intern, so it's difficult for them to map out the building and figure out how they're supposed to get in or gain access to their servers without Enid having to spend hours hacking into them.
Instead, they try to focus on studying for midterms. Despite all of the distractions, Enid's passing all of her classes, mostly with Wednesday's help. Today though, Wednesday isn't talking to her, because Yoko's here studying with them too.
Wednesday just keeps quiet, reading through her textbook while Enid and Yoko giggle across the table. She doesn't get what's so funny about chemistry or how Yoko can be so hilarious.
I cannot put up with their squealing for much longer, Venom complains.
"You and me both," Wednesday mutters under her breath, and Enid's head shoots up.
"Did you say something Wednesday?" she asks, and even if her tone sounds innocent, her eye twitches so slightly that makes it seem like she heard every word.
"I said you two should keep it down," Wednesday retorts, keeping eye contact with Enid, "I'm trying to concentrate."
"Sorry," Enid replies sternly, and Yoko just glances between the two of them before going back to writing her essay.
Eventually, much to Wednesday's relief, Yoko finally leaves to go to work. Her and Enid decide to head back to their room too after they notice each other struggling to stay awake. Enid almost jokes about going to get coffee, but Wednesday seems irritated for whatever reason, and she doesn’t want to push it. That and she's still nervous about the slim chance that it could be poisoned again.
They're both quiet as they walk back, the only sounds coming from the traffic along the street. Enid keeps glancing over at Wednesday, wanting to ask if she's okay, but she knows she's probably going to get the same answer she always does.
"Hey, remember when I saved your life on this very corner?" Enid says instead, pointing up at the street sign above them.
Wednesday remembers that day as clear as the night sky above them. It seems that one moment set all of this in action, Wednesday realizing Enid was different than anyone she's met before in more ways than one.
"Yes," Wednesday replies after some thinking, "You got my favorite sweater dirty."
She nudges Wednesday with her elbow. "But it was impressive, right?"
"No."
Enid scoffs playfully, knowing Wednesday is lying, especially by how she chooses to avoid looking at her. They keep walking, and when they come to a stop under a street light Wednesday finally glances over at Enid.
The light illuminates her cotton-candy hair and the soft smile on her face. Wednesday finds herself caught up, staring for so long she feels almost frozen.
And then her eyes move down to the scars, faint in the light, and Wednesday suddenly remembers why she can't stay around Enid for much longer.
---
Enid's phone buzzes just as they step through their doorway.
"It's Eugene," she says, and Wednesday groans.
I overheard some employees talking about visiting a water treatment plant in North Manhattan. Not sure what they'd be doing there this late, it sounds suspicious!
"I know it's probably nothing. But I'll be quick."
Enid changes into her suit in a flash, Wednesday reminding her to take extra web canisters, and she's out the window.
Wednesday counts to ten, and then follows Enid as quietly as she can.
The plant isn't very far from campus. Wednesday keeps her distance as she watches Enid perch on a rooftop, surveying the area. Wednesday does the same, trying to see if there's anything she can hear or see that's of interest.
She can tell people are inside of the building Eugene was talking about. There are murmurs of sample sizes and something else about test trials but Wednesday can't exactly pick up what they're saying.
Then Enid jumps off of her perch and swings onto the building, finding a vent and crawling inside.
Wednesday doesn't hesitate to follow, Venom helping her navigate the rooftops easily.
It's been like this for the past week. Whenever Enid goes out on one of these calls, even if it doesn't seem serious, Wednesday will follow her. Usually, nothing happens, and she's back in their dorm room without raising any suspicion, Enid telling her what happened while she pretends everything she's hearing is news to her.
She tells herself it's just to see if there's anything out there that Enid misses that is worth investigating. Not because these tips from Eugene seem to be dangerous and she's concerned. Besides, Eugene's tips are always blown out of proportion.
But tonight, Eugene might actually have been right.
Wednesday stays in the shadows, watching Enid make her way across the ceiling and dropping down to hover over a group of guys trying to break into one of the machines.
"Not too much now," one of them whispers, "We have to save some for the other plants. We're not getting any more of this batch."
Not too much of what? Venom questions, and they slowly move closer, keeping an eye on Enid.
She looks like she's waiting for the right moment to pounce. The man pulls out a case, dialing in some code, and it clicks open.
For a moment, whatever is inside casts an eerie red hue around the room. And then Enid strikes, and the man and his case are knocked across the floor.
For Wednesday, watching Enid is utterly mesmerizing. Her fighting style is a deadly dance, and Wednesday finds herself seated in the front row for every performance, not wanting to look away.
She dodges every punch with ease. She uses her webs to stick guys to the wall, to the ceilings, even to each other. She flips and spins and moves like the wind.
Enid is very powerful, Venom chimes, I hope she doesn't try to use those moves on us when we tell her we're leaving.
Wednesday wants to yell at Venom for reminding her about that, but she's too distracted watching Enid send another goon flying across the room.
It's over so quickly Wednesday wishes more people would show up just so she could watch Enid throw them around.
But just as Wednesday is preparing to head back, there's a shout from somewhere in the room. It's the man with the case, whose eyes are glowing a bright red as he charges at Enid.
Of course Enid notices him. She dodges his first attack, and then lands a punch of her own. The man keeps going, swinging back at her, and Enid quickly dodges him and webs him up.
But it's like he's possessed, breaking through the webbing right as Enid's about to get a closer look at him, and he reaches out and grabs her arm so hard it snaps.
The sound is so loud in Wednesday's ears, echoing around the room like nails on a chalkboard, and she's not even thinking when she reveals herself to help.
Venom easily rips a pipe from the wall and uses it to smash the man over the head. He's out cold, and Wednesday stands over him, feeling the adrenaline rushing through her like a river.
That felt good, didn't it? Venom hisses in her ear. We need to do it again-
"Wednesday, what are you doing here?" Enid breaks her out of her thoughts, voice cracking, "Were you following me? How'd you get here so fast-"
Wednesday cuts her off, at her side in an instant, examining her arm as gently as she can.
"It's broken," she says, eyes going wide at how bad it is, wondering how that man was able to do this to someone who's almost untouchable.
"No shit!" Enid shouts back at her, impatient and clearly in pain, "It'll heal. Now how did you-"
"That's not important," Wednesday interrupts, pulling Enid to her feet, "We need to get you out of here. They have backup coming."
Wednesday gives Enid's hand a reassuring squeeze. She finds it comforting for a moment, until she realizes how unusually warm Wednesday's hand is when she's so used to it being cold.
She places a hand on Enid's back, taking one last look at the man on the ground, and then she guides them outside.
It's hard to not use Venom to help get them home, so they have to duck into an alley anytime they hear someone, Enid breathing heavily through her mask as they run through the streets.
Enid insists she's fine as they slowly make their way up the fire escape, but Wednesday can tell that Enid is hurting, her broken arm tucked in close to her.
Enid collapses on her bed as soon as she's through the window. Wednesday's already got a bottle of painkillers ready, and she digs through her cabinets and pulls out a sling.
"Have you always had that with you?" Enid questions, trying to ignore how the pain in her arm seems to grow worse.
"You know I am always prepared," Wednesday explains, handing the sling over to Enid. Enid just gulps and examines it.
"Right."
Wednesday turns away and gets to measuring out the painkillers, Venom itching to get back into action as it impatiently growls inside of Wednesday's head. She's about to tell it to relax when Enid clears her throat.
"You're gonna have to, um," her voice falters, "Help me out of my suit."
Wednesday stops what she's doing, fingers fumbling with the container of painkillers. She hesitates for a moment, and then grabs one of Enid's robes and sits next to her bedside. She avoids looking at Enid, who's trying her best not to wince every time Wednesday moves her arm. Wednesday's as careful as possible, careful not to tear her suit or move her arm farther than it needs to, keeping her eyes off of Enid as she drapes her robe around her.
She doesn't know why this feels so wrong when it wouldn't be the first time she's helped Enid out of her suit after an injury. But maybe it's because this time Enid is awake, and they're in some kind of relationship, and she's been lying to her-
"Why were you following me?" Enid asks, catching Wednesday off guard as she moves her arm into the sling.
Wednesday can't exactly lie right now. She doesn't have a good excuse for once. "To make sure you'd be safe."
Wednesday places the pills in Enid's free hand, but she doesn't take them.
"You know I can take care of myself."
"But tonight-"
"Okay, yeah," Enid finally stuffs the pills in her mouth, "It probably would have been worse without you. You don't need to lecture me."
She reaches for the water bottle next to her bed and takes a gulp, grimacing before she leans back against her pillows.
"But thank you."
Wednesday finally raises her eyes to meet Enid's. There's a twinkle in them, icy blue and bright, and then they grow dark.
"Seriously, though. You saw what that stuff did to that guy. How strong he was?"
She looks terrified. But not the kind of terrified when she sees blood or puts up with watching a horror movie. It's real, and raw, and it sends a chill through Wednesday like it’s the middle of Winter.
"If something happens to you. I don't want to be alone."
And suddenly Wednesday feels guilty about ever wanting to leave Enid, the thought feeling like she's been struck by lightning.
But Wednesday wouldn't let lightning hurt her, and she's not going to dig herself even deeper than she's already gotten. She reminds herself again that once this mystery is solved, she has to leave, even if Enid doesn’t want her to. She was so close to revealing herself and Venom tonight.
"I don't need you worrying about me Enid,"she says quietly, leaving Enid and moving back to her side of the room, "I can take care of myself."
Wednesday can tell Enid wants to say something, but she keeps her mouth shut and sinks back into her pillows, a lost expression on her face.
"Now. Your arm has to heal," Wednesday tells her, tone flat as usual, "Get some rest."
Enid finds her eyelids getting heavy as the medicine kicks in and the adrenaline wears off, and the last thing she remembers before she falls asleep is the sound of Wednesday shutting the door as she slips out of their room.
---
It’s pretty hard to stay asleep with a broken arm and painkillers that hardly have an effect on her. Enid drifts in and out of sleep, wondering where Wednesday could have gone so late, but thinking about it makes her more upset and confused about what's going on.
For now, she just wishes that instead of doing who knows what in the middle of the night, Wednesday was up on the rooftop playing her cello, the notes drifting in through their open window to lull her to sleep.
And then Enid realizes she’s been so caught up in everything that she hasn't noticed Wednesday hasn't been playing cello at all.
Enid groggily sits up, keeping her arm close in its sling, and peeks across the room. Wednesday’s cello isn’t even there, nestled up in the corner by her desk. In fact, she realizes it hasn't been there all semester.
Instead, the only thing there is her trash can, filled to the brim with crumpled up pieces of paper.
That image sets off alarm bells in Enid's head.
She knows Wednesday never makes mistakes when using her typewriter, yet all of the papers seem to be riddled with errors. And Wednesday is always adamant about taking her trash out before it becomes a problem, and yet the can is stuffed.
Enid is so frustrated with everything, with her broken arm that seems to be taking forever to heal and Wednesday ignoring her and these dangerous people taking over the city with no leads in sight that she kicks the trash can so hard it goes flying across the room and dents the wall.
She takes a moment to catch her breath, looking at all of the papers scattered across the floor.
Something laying among the papers catches her eye. She bends down and finds the box of matches she gave to Wednesday not that long ago with her handwriting still scrawled across it.
Enid wants to pretend that it's only in the trash because they've all been used up, but she can feel the weight of it in her hand and see it hasn't even been opened. She tries to think of an excuse as to why it's buried at the bottom of the trash can because she doesn't want to be offended that Wednesday actually doesn't care about her.
And then, as if right on cue, Wednesday walks into the room, her hair frizzy, dark circles under eyes, and a smudge of blood on her collar. She's got a briefcase in her hand, holding onto it tight.
Enid doesn't waste any time interrogating her.
"Where the hell were you?" she growls, fist clenched tight around the box of matches.
"I went to deal with the rest of your attackers."
Wednesday's tone is nonchalant, like it's no big deal, and it just frustrates Enid even more.
"And how did you know there were more coming?"
"I had a hunch."
"A hunch? Bullshit," Enid spats, "You think my spidey-sense is dumb. You don't go off of hunches."
"It doesn't matter now. It's all dealt with."
"Well, good. Then you can explain why I found the matches I gave you in the trash."
She holds the box up to Wednesday, but she had been holding it so tight it's now crumpled and the writing is smudged.
"Enid-"
"You've been acting so shady lately. You keep talking to yourself and disappearing for hours and you look like you haven't slept in weeks. Why don't you trust me enough to tell me what's going on?"
Wednesday's facade finally drops when she notices how watery Enid's eyes are. She takes a breath, eyes flicking to the floor so she doesn't have to look at her, and then finally back up when she musters the courage to reply.
"Because I don't want to hurt you."
Enid takes a moment to let her answer sink in, but she doesn't seem to find it satisfying at all, her face still hot with anger.
"Well, you not being honest with me hurts a lot."
Wednesday turns from Enid with a huff, dipping her head low as she ponders what to say next. Enid's rooted to the floor, the pain in her arm flaring up as she waits, and she wonders if she even should be wasting her time at this point.
"I've been hiding something from you, Enid," Wednesday announces slowly, and Enid just shakes her head.
"Yeah, no shit."
Wednesday bites her tongue, trying her best to hide how much Enid being angry at her is a form of torture she is not a fan of.
"The symbiote," Wednesday starts before Enid says anything else, "It merged with me. I'm its new host."
"What? But I thought we killed it?"
"We didn't," Wednesday explains, "It somehow found me that night. It's been a part of me ever since."
Enid's speechless for a moment, letting the fact that Wednesday's kept such a big secret from her sink into her like an anchor tossed into the ocean.
"And you weren't going to tell me about this?"
Surprisingly, her voice isn't angry anymore. It's quiet and it's shaky and it's like a knife digging deeper into Wednesday with each word.
"I wasn't planning to stick around after I learned to control it."
"You were going to leave me?"
There are tears in her eyes now, and she's breathing heavily, so Wednesday takes a step forward towards her, holding a hand out to her, but Enid doesn't move.
She just stares back at Wednesday, but it seems like this time her icy blue eyes are on fire.
"I thought you said we were equals, Wednesday," she says, voice darker than ever, and then she turns and cracks open the window, disappearing in a flash.
---
Enid ignores the ache in her arm as she weaves through the busy city sidewalks. It's hard to wipe tears out of her eyes with one hand, but nobody seems to notice.
She knew Wednesday was hiding something from her. But the fact that she didn't care to tell Enid, that she was just planning to hide it from her and then leave without a real explanation hurts her more than any punch, stab wound, or this stupid broken arm ever could.
She doesn't even care that it was because she was hiding the symbiote. After all, if Wednesday can control it, then the two of them could use that to their advantage, right?
Enid imagines them fighting crime together, side by side, nobody being able to stop them. Maybe Enid could make Wednesday a suit, just like hers, but all black-
No, that's never going to work. It's clear that Wednesday doesn't want to stick around and try to make that happen.
So Enid just keeps heading towards the Empire State Building, blending in with everyone as best as she can. She uses the walk to calm herself down, to ground herself and pretend she's just one of the thousands of other people on the street.
She starts making up a whole different scenario in her head to distract herself. She's just a college student going for a walk to take a break from finals. She's going to look out from the top of the Empire State Building because she's from out of state and it's been on her bucket list since she arrived to go to school here. She even spends her money on a ticket (which is of course disgustingly expensive) and gets into an elevator with a bunch of tourists, hoping they don't notice that she's been crying.
And then she finds an open spot along the edge of the building and gazes out into the city, the last rays of the sun dipping below the horizon.
Enid doesn't pay attention to how long she's been there. She just leans out and lets the wind blow through her hair as she looks out, ignoring the sirens in the distance. Her phone is dead in her pocket, so even if she wanted to help she wouldn't even know where to go.
Then there's a tap on her shoulder, and she's greeted by one of the workers.
He tells Enid they're closing for the night, and she nods, finally stepping back from the edge of the building.
She doesn't want to go back to her dorm. But she doesn't know where else to go right now, and she's tired, too tired and weak to even let her frustration out on some robber like she normally would like to.
She watches as the worker goes to talk to the other people still around, and then she disappears around the corner and up the side of the building. She figures that if she's going to stay out longer, she may as well do it in her usual spot, and see if that leads to anything productive.
But as she climbs up, the last person she wants to talk to is on the ledge in front of her, a dark silhouette against the side of the building.
"Seriously?" Enid shouts, "You really followed me up here?"
"I've been waiting here," she explains quietly, "I know it's where you come when you need to think."
"Well, yeah, it is. But I prefer to do that alone."
Enid huffs, staring Wednesday down, a gust of wind blowing between them, loud in their ears.
Enid sees Wednesday sway for a second, eyes fixated on the ground in front of her, not daring to look up past Enid out into the skyline, doing her best to keep her balance.
"I thought Venom would have helped you get over your fear of heights."
"So did I," Wednesday mumbles, slowly raising her head to finally face Enid, "But it was worth dealing with if this was going to be my last chance to talk to you."
For a moment, Enid's breath catches in her throat hearing that. But then she steadies herself.
"You're so persistent all the time. But now you're just wanting to give up?"
Wednesday takes a deep breath, keeping her eyes on Enid. They're dark, darker than the night sky above them.
"I told you, I'm dangerous. With these abilities, I don't want to hurt you-"
"You're so concerned about not hurting me with the symbiote that you've never thought about hurting me as yourself," Enid fumes, letting her anger at hearing the same excuse again take over her for a moment before she sinks back down.
Wednesday stays quiet. The wind ruffles her bangs, which are disheveled and covering her face. She's fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. Enid notices her eyes watering, just slightly, all of it so uncharacteristic of her.
"I'm sorry, Enid," Wednesday finally says, "You know that's the last thing I wanted to do."
Enid doesn't think she's ever seen Wednesday look this tired, this defeated, this... sad.
"I could have left sooner. But every time I thought about it, you'd do something that made it impossible. But that doesn't excuse what I did. So I understand if you don't want to be together anymore."
Enid realizes that Wednesday isn't just trying to make herself sound better. That she's so afraid of hurting her that she'll leave her just to make sure she's safe. She knows it must not be easy to think about doing that. That if Wednesday truly didn't care about her, she wouldn't be so torn up about the decision. She's right, she could have left Enid a long time ago, without any effort.
Enid thinks hard about what to do next. If it's going to be worth it to keep Wednesday around, even if it might hurt her in the end. She takes a deep breath, glancing out at the city, and then looks back at Wednesday.
"You know I like to give people second chances," Enid says quietly, "But you're someone who shouldn't even have gotten to that point."
Wednesday watches her closely, a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I'll give you a second chance. But that's it." Enid grits her teeth. "I don't even want to know what would happen for me to think about giving you a third."
---
Wednesday assumes they're moving in the right direction now. Enid's gone to stay with Yoko for the last week of school, but she at least tells Wednesday before she packs a bag and moves down the hall, and Wednesday thinks that's even more than she deserves at all. She's never been one to rely on luck, but she considers herself lucky that Enid's given her a second chance.
Venom's never been so quiet. When it does talk, it just tells her it's hungry. So then they go out to the lake in Central Park to find some ducks or into the sewers for some rats, Wednesday feeling too guilty about breaking into the zoo.
She thinks about how her old self would laugh at her. Too afraid to break into somewhere for her own gain. Sulking because she made her friend mad. Feeling bad about lying and manipulating someone.
And worst of all, constantly checking her cell phone for any messages from Enid.
It is not a bad thing to have these feelings, Venom tells her one night in the library, It means you are evolving.
Again, she’s surprised that Venom seems to be glad that they aren’t leaving anymore. She hates how likable Enid is, because if she was easy to hate, they wouldn’t be stuck in this weird purgatory right now. Enid avoiding her is a very unique form of torture, and each time Wednesday stares at a blank screen on her phone, she comes to realization that Enid leaving her is a real possibility.
So Wednesday's surprised when Enid joins her one night in the library, dropping a stack of textbooks on the table in front of her with a thud.
Wednesday stares up at her, absolutely puzzled as Enid sits down in her chair with a huff without a word.
"Was Yoko not available?" Wednesday asks drearily, and Enid looks up at her with determination on her face.
"No. She is very available," Enid starts, tone laced with annoyance, "But I'm quickly learning she does not make a good roommate."
"Really?" Wednesday questions, wondering what could possibly be so bad that it's caused Enid to finally hang out with her again.
"Yes! We stay up way too late watching Tik Toks together or gossiping or painting or nails and I don't get anything done. Not to mention I can't exactly change into my suit or fix my gear with her in the room."
Enid leans back into her chair, arms crossed, a frown on her face.
Wednesday doesn't know what to say. Enid and Yoko's problems are trivial compared to what the two of them have going on. But the fact that Enid's chosen to come to her to deal with these problems sets off a spark in her.
Meanwhile, Venom is chittering in her head, sounding almost hopeful because Enid seems to be herself, and then asking if it can eat Yoko for annoying Enid.
"How did you find me anyways?" Wednesday asks instead, genuinely curious.
Enid rolls her eyes, but Wednesday can see she's not upset.
"Oh c'mon," she replies confidently, "I know all of your hiding spots."
Wednesday wants to act like she's annoyed, keeping her face as grim as possible, but secretly she's glad Enid is here, talking to her like they always have.
But she realizes she has work to do, and Enid's not here for her. She's only using her as an excuse.
"I need to finish this so I can focus on other things," Wednesday explains, and Enid scoffs.
"Like breaking into the zoo?"
Wednesday's eyes go wide.
"Of course I figured that out," Enid quickly replies, thankfully not sounding as upset as expected, "But there has to be a better way to keep your, uh, friend fed."
Venom snickers inside Wednesday's head. Wednesday's intrigued that Enid wants to help, but also tremendously thankful.
"Unless you have an ethical way to get me brains, this is what works," Wednesday groans, but suddenly Enid's sitting up in her seat.
"Wait."
Enid quickly flips through the pages of one of her Chemistry textbooks until she stops, scanning the page closely.
"Brains contain a chemical called phenylethylamine. And you know what else contains phenylethylamine? Chocolate."
"Chocolate?" Wednesday questions, not as amused as Enid is.
"Yes! Look," Enid slides the textbook over to her, "So you should try eating chocolate and see if it helps with your cravings."
Wednesday ponders it for a second. It would be a lot more easier than what they're currently doing. And even if Venom is telling her it sounds dumb, she figures she might as well try it.
So Enid raids a nearby vending machine, and soon Wednesday is trying every type of chocolate bar there is.
This is delicioussss, Venom hums, and Wednesday can already feel the energy coursing through her, Not as good as the real thing. But it will suffice.
Enid grins from across the table, proud. Wednesday looks back at her, realizing it's the first time in forever that she's seen her happy, and it feels like there's a fire starting in her chest.
"Thank you," Wednesday says, "For figuring that out."
"Of course. Might as well put something from this dumb textbook to use."
Enid snickers, glancing down at the textbook, and then back up to Wednesday. Suddenly, it feels like the times last semester when they'd stay up late in the library, pouring over clues with their cups of coffee.
Wednesday misses it. She wishes that's what they were doing right now, on perfectly fine terms, both on the same page.
"Honestly, I feel like you could have figured it out without the textbook," Wednesday comments, and Enid laughs.
"Pfft. Sure."
Wednesday leans in over the table, keeping her eyes fixed on Enid.
"You are incredibly smart. I don't think I can name anyone who can develop such sophisticated technology that you have at your age."
"Stop complimenting me," Enid says, her face growing red, "I'm supposed to be mad at you."
"Right," Wednesday smirks, "Yet you chose to come find me when you didn't have to."
Enid's caught up, not sure how to respond because Wednesday's right. Somehow, she's gravitated back to Wednesday, like a moth to a flame, no matter how hard she tried to escape.
And she knows she has Yoko, and Ajax, and even Eugene is growing on her, but none of them are Wednesday. None of them know the real her and what she's been through and can put up with her.
"Well, if I'm going to figure out what the hell's going on in this city, it has to be with you."
"You're sure you want to work together?" Wednesday asks, surprised, and Enid shrugs.
"It's a lot more useful than us working apart."
Enid smirks back at her.
"But for now, we should get back to studying. All of these finals are a crime in itself."
And so Wednesday helps Enid proofread her notes, and Enid lets Wednesday google things on her laptop, and at the end of the night Enid's moved back into their room, Wednesday able to fall asleep to the sound of Enid's snoring.
---
Once they finish their last exams, Wednesday and Enid go right back to figuring out what's going on with the hypnotized people.
They examine the briefcase Wednesday had brought back the other night, discovering that it had a MorningSong logo stamped on the inside of it. It's a big revelation, knowing that whatever was in there that caused the man to go feral and somehow gain superhuman strength was linked to a company whose CEO also went missing when all of these hypnotized people started showing up.
Meanwhile Enid starts mapping out all of the locations where she runs into hypnotized people. They compile a list of their names and try to see if there's any relation. Besides a few people who know each have minor connections, they can't seem to find any other patterns.
Venom just thinks they should eat anyone suspicious. Enid tells Wednesday to tell it no. Venom assures her it's kidding, and Enid scolds it and tells it to shut up or she'll turn up the volume on her speakers and make it listen to more K-Pop.
Wednesday's just glad they've figured out the chocolate thing, because the last thing she wants to be is frustrated trying to solve all of this (and deal with Enid and Venom bickering over every little thing) on an empty stomach.
She doesn't like random. She likes things being orderly and predictable, yet everything about what's going on is the exact opposite of that. The people Enid deals with are being targeted for no specific reason. They don't know how or why it's happening. And most importantly, they don't know how to stop any of this.
Enid will try her best not to hurt anyone when she fights them, webbing them up and dodging all of their attacks, but they all seem to temporarily gain super strength that almost rivals hers.
Wednesday delves deep into trying to figure out what could be causing any of this, but it seems almost supernatural. The way they move and the way the expressions on their faces go blank make it seem like they're puppets, being controlled by who knows what.
Luckily for their efforts, it doesn't take long for Eugene to finally come through with some much needed news.
Enid drops down from the ceiling over her shoulder with an excited grin, passing her phone to Wednesday so she can read his text.
I seem to have found a door that's not on any of our maps while looking for printer paper. I think you should check it out because this seems very suspicious!
Wednesday is wary when she'd usually be excited that they seem to have a breakthrough. The last time Eugene had sent them info, Enid had gotten hurt. But she can't be mad at Eugene. It wasn't his fault.
Enid's already heading to get her suit, and so Wednesday goes to get ready too, Venom seeming to chirp with excitement.
I wonder what we'll find, it growls. The chocolate is good, but I'm craving something different.
"You ready?" Enid asks as she slips a jacket over her suit, "It's our first time like, out in the field all together."
"All together?" Wednesday questions, "I thought you told Eugene to stay home."
"I'm talking about Venom, silly."
Venom snickers, and Wednesday rolls her eyes.
See, she does like me, it chimes, and Wednesday's Relieved, and hoping it stays that way.
---
They wait outside of the building for a while, hiding in an alleyway around the corner while Enid hacks into the security system. Wednesday and Venom lurk in the shadows and take out the guards outside peacefully. Once Enid is certain they won't be seen, she leads them to a balcony where they're able to get inside.
It goes way smoother than either of them expected, both of their talents working together impressively.
"We're such a dynamic duo," Enid quips, and Wednesday quickly cuts her off.
"Don't say that."
"But, I guess we're not a duo, since there's technically three of us-"
Wednesday clears her throat and tilts her head at the security drones floating.
"Right. I'll take care of those."
Enid sneaks around the corner and uses some skillfully placed webs to take the drones down quietly. She makes her way back to Wednesday, and the two of them make sure to keep to the shadows.
"Okay. The door Eugene mentioned should be right... here."
Enid holds her phone up and starts typing away, and the door is quickly unlocked.
"Bingo."
Wednesday's impressed. Very impressed. She loves seeing Enid show off how smart she is, with all of the technology that she's built and studied over her years as a superhero. The web shooters, the suit, a phone that routes 911 calls to her seamlessly. Wednesday is always in constant awe of it all.
They creep inside and down a set of stairs, Wednesday instinctively going to reach for her box of matches before she remembers she doesn't carry it anymore.
Luckily she can see in the dark now, and it's not long before her and Enid find themselves at another door. This one looks much more older, and Enid wonders how long all of this has been down here.
"Our turn," Wednesday says, pushing past Enid.
Wednesday breaks the handle with ease, and Enid gasps.
"I thought you were going to pick it," she says, and Wednesday shakes her head.
"This was much faster," Wednesday explains, a devious smile on her face that Enid tries to convince herself isn't terrifying.
They're in a sewer tunnel now, cold and smelly and dark, and Enid gags as they step over puddles and down into the darkness.
"So, Yoko. Does she know?" Wednesday starts as they make their way towards the doorway at the end of the hall from them.
"Does she know what?" Enid asks, brow furrowed.
"About your... extracurricular activities."
"Oh, no. Of course not," Enid assures her, "You're the only one."
"Good."
Wednesday seems unconvinced, Enid catching the dreariness of her tone quickly.
"Look, if you think Yoko is a threat, she's totally not. I did my research. My senses have never gone off once around her."
"You must have forgotten your senses not going off around Tyler."
"Well, that was because Tyler was already merged with the symbiote," Enid reminds her, a bit stern, but Wednesday's eyes narrow back at her.
"And who's to say Yoko hasn't merged with one of her own?"
"That's ridiculous," Enid retorts as they come to a stop in front of the door. Wednesday's got that extra-grumpy look on her face, the one where Enid sees how there's the tiniest pout in her lip and her eyebrows are furrowed, and Enid realizes what she's so mad about.
"Wait. Are you jealous?" Enid asks, almost teasing her.
"Being jealous is just a sign of weakness," Wednesday answers, trying to conceal her actual thoughts by not making eye contact with Enid.
"That doesn't answer my question."
Wednesday bites her tongue. "We need to focus."
"But you brought it up in the first place!"
Wednesday ignores her and smashes through the door.
"I'm just saying that we should be careful about who we choose to trust."
She pushes the door open and slinks inside, Enid behind her, rolling her eyes with a huff. They can deal with whatever Wednesday's thinking about later, but for the most part, she's amused at the thought of Wednesday being threatened by Yoko.
They find themselves in what seems to be a laboratory. It's massive, with workstations and machines scattered all over. There are desks covered in piles of papers and notes, and lab coats and goggles hanging up as if someone was actively working down there.
The most notable thing is the bright red glow coming from across the room, their footsteps echoing as they both head over to whatever it is. There's a giant tube locked down to a table, filled with the same substance they saw in the plant. It shimmers in front of them, looking almost magical.
"Woah," is all Enid can say, bending down to get a better look. Wednesday's right next to her, examining it closely.
She wonders what it is, what it's made of, and how it's able to hypnotize people into becoming violent. It seems to dance around in the container, like it's itching to get out.
"So this is the stuff making people go crazy," Enid comments, still in awe, "But that can't be what they want it to do, right?"
"No," Wednesday answers, "The people you've been fighting must have been tests. They're working here trying to perfect it."
"Perfect it? To do what?"
"Mind control."
"Mind control?" Enid's face scrunches up at the thought, and she finally backs away from the container. "You really think so?"
"I don't see what else it could be."
Enid shakes her head. The way those hypnotized people had been acting, like someone else was controlling their body and how they didn't care if they were putting themselves suddenly makes more sense when she thinks of someone else doing it to them.
"But what would MorningSong need mind control technology for?"
Wednesday glances away from whatever it is and up and Enid with a dark grin.
"You'd have a whole city under your command," she explains, "Imagine what you could do with that."
There's a flash of something sinister behind her eyes, so quick Enid almost misses it. It sends a chill through her, and suddenly images of the boat flash in her head again.
"Enid? Are you alright?" Wednesday asks, her eyes now showing she's concerned instead of malicious.
"Yeah. Just peachy," she smiles awkwardly, "I'm, uh, going to see what else I can find in here."
Wednesday squints at her for a moment, and Enid is sure that she can tell she's lying, especially with whatever new powers she has. But she just turns back to look at the substance, as if she's in a trance.
It reminds Enid of when they found the symbiote in that closet in the chemistry building.
What is it telling her now? she wonders, Is it trying to convince Wednesday to use whatever that stuff is for their own gain?
She shakes her head.
No. Wednesday has it under control. She's not going to hurt anyone unless they deserve it. Right? Right. Yeah. I taught her better than that.
Enid doesn't want to think about how terrifying that look had been, so she stops mumbling to herself and starts looking around the rest of the lab for anything else to focus on.
She sits down at the first desk she spots, sifting through the papers scattered across it. A lot of it is jumbled nonsense, things that she figures only make sense to whoever wrote it.
She digs through the drawers next, but there's nothing but office supplies. Until she finds a voice recorder.
She examines it for a second, wondering who could have left it here, and then hits play.
Tomorrow we'll see if the substance is successful in a gaseous form. As of now, I am fearful that altering the substance from being spread through water to being spread through air could set back the progress we've made. It is possible it could have made the chemicals even more unstable. As of now, it seems to last for around five minutes before it wears off. We will see soon, but if it works, having both options will be great news.
- Gabrielle
"Holy shit. Wednesday, are you hearing this?"
Enid knows that voice, and the sign off confirms it. Not only have they found where the missing CEO's been, but she's the one working on whatever this mystery substance is, using it to poison people.
It all makes sense as to why those men were in the water treatment plant. Whatever this is, they're trying to get it into everyone in the city. But it's not stable enough to control anyone properly. At least not yet.
Enid looks over her shoulder, wondering if Wednesday's paying attention, but she's still looking at red substance, in a trance. She's on her toes, hand reaching out to it as she starts to pull.
"Wait, Wednesday, what are you doing-"
As soon as she rips it out of its casing, the substance explodes into a cloud in front of her, and she's on the ground, coughing heavily.
"Wednesday!"
Enid rushes over in an instant, trying to help Wednesday up, but it's like she's stuck to the ground. She's tugging at her jacket, Wednesday swaying as if she's going to pass out.
"C'mon, let's get out of-"
As soon as Wednesday turns around, she's flinging Enid across the room and she hits the wall, leaving a dent.
Enid's dazed, pulling herself off of the ground slowly, feeling pain radiating through her body. Across the room, Wednesday's staring at her with bright red eyes.
"Oh fuck."
Enid quickly zips herself to the ceiling as Wednesday charges towards her. Her eyes are glowing, an absolutely mad look on her face that paralyzes Enid to her core.
"Wednesday, it's me! I don't want to hurt you!" she shouts, but Wednesday doesn't respond, looking around frantically like she's trying to figure a way up to Enid.
Five minutes is what that recording said. She just has to outlast Wednesday for five minutes. But it seems like that's going to be an eternity.
Wednesday throws a chair at Enid, and she dodges it. She doesn't want to hurt Wednesday, doesn't even want to shoot a web at her. But it's like she's on a rampage, destroying everything in the lab to get to Enid.
"Wednesday!" Enid shouts again, ducking away from a microscope, "Wednesday, it's me!"
But she can't hear her. It's not Wednesday, it's someone else entirely, chasing after Enid with so much desperation it's scary.
Enid tries to figure out how many minutes have passed, but she can't concentrate. Because now, Wednesday is starting to be covered in black goo, fully transforming into Venom.
It's like Enid's stuck in quicksand as Venom turns around and lunges straight at her with bright red eyes. She barely manages to dodge Venom, her brain in full panic mode.
She can't predict Venom's attacks. And having to pay attention to where it's going to strike is getting tiring.
That and she's having a hard time trying not to think about the boat, her mind flashing back there every time she looks at Venom.
She's caught off guard again and is sent into a pile of cabinets. She hasn't forgotten how strong Venom was, its strength greater than hers. The only thing she has is her agility, but even now, she's breathing heavily, sweat and blood pooling on her forehead as she jumps from the wall to the ceiling and rolls away from every attack.
Time feels slower than ever as Venom manages to get another punch in. Enid scrambles away, ducking behind a desk. Her whole body hurts, it's like she's on fire.
Fire.
The memory burns bright in her mind. But she can't bring herself to even think about setting Venom on fire when she knows Wednesday's somewhere in there.
She's getting desperate, and she knows a web won't hurt Venom. But it will just help distract it and give her a chance to breathe.
She ducks away from a table flying at her, and shoots a web to slow Venom down and buy some time. But that just seems to make it angrier.
It charges at Enid, those eyes bright red and those teeth sharp as ever, and Enid's frozen in terror, feeling like she’s back on that boat again.
And that's when Venom scoops her up, grinning maniacally.
"You're- hurt-ing me-" Enid croaks, feeling how tight its grip is on her. She can't move, no matter how hard she tries, body feeling like cement.
"Stop-"
She's getting dizzy, gasping for air, the edges of her vision growing dark and fuzzy. Venom tightens its grip even more.
"Weds- Wednesday- please- it's me-"
Enid barely gets the words out, choking on air, her whole body feeling like it's been engulfed in flames.
Her eyes blink slowly, and she tries to say something else, but she can't.
Enid's head droops, and that's when the red light starts to fade from Venom's eyes.
They both sink to the floor, Wednesday confused about why the lab is a mess when she sees Enid's body on the ground in front of her.
"Enid?" she calls, rushing over, shaking her shoulder, but Enid doesn't move.
"Enid?" she says again, more desperate this time. She grips her shoulder tighter, nails digging into her pink hoodie that's stained with blood.
Wednesday feels her dark heart drop, she feels like she's been hit by a tidal wave and pulled out into the ocean, she feels like the air's been sucked out of her lungs when she sees that Enid still isn't moving, and it doesn't take her long to figure out the only person who could have done this was her.
This is why she needed to leave. This is why she doesn't do feelings. Because it absolutely hurts, from head to toe and from inside and out.
"Enid wake up," she chokes, ignoring a stray tear falling down her cheek, "Wake up right now. Enid Phoebe Sinclair, I swear, you are not going to die on me like this. Enid. Enid. Enid-"
Enid does not have a pulse, Venom interrupts, voice faint in the back of her head.
I am sorry, Wednesday.