Sentinel

The apartment building is run-down, and in a rather undesirable part of San Francisco. You follow Eddie as he enters the building and climbs up the stairs. He walks down a hallway, pulling out his phone as he goes. He dials a number while he awkwardly pulls out his keys, struggling with the lock before opening the door.

“Skirth, yeah, it’s me, I just got back.” Eddie says into the phone. “Are you, are you alright? I haven’t heard from you so I wanna know if your alright. But yeah, this is a great call, wow your absolutely right.”

Eddie Grabs two bears from his fridge, while pinning his phone between his head and shoulder.

“Yeah, listen, I got a.. I got a guy, I’m gonna call him, and uh..” he takes a swig of the beer. “I got a bunch of photographs, but I need you to come with me.. Okay just call me back, call me back.”

His face scrunches up as he hangs up the phone.

He reaches for a glass of water, chugging it down. He steadies himself, one hand on his sink, the other on the kitchen island. His face is scrunched up in pain. After a moment he groans and stands, a hand on his stomach. He turns towards his freezer, and yanking open the door, he grabs a bag of frozen tater tots. He rips the bag open, and shoves handfuls of them into his mouth, before upending the bag over his head, tater tots spilling over the floor.

Eddie looks around, his attention landing on the trash can. Before you can stop him, he reaches down, pulling the remains of an old chicken out of the can and sinking his teeth into it.

“Ugh..” You say, covering your mouth to prevent yourself from heaving.

Venom is hungry. Their other host was not compatible enough, they lack strength. Sentinel explains in your head.

You watch as Eddie’s eyes change color, swirling with black and silver as he gnaws on the bones. He seems to hesitate, before jumping up and knocking over the trash can in the process. He runs towards a door at the back of the apartment, and barely makes it to the toilet before he throws up into it, splatter covering the seat.

You chase after him and after pausing for a second begin to rub soothing circles into his back as he heaves into the toilet bowl. He groans painfully.

“What is wrong with me?” He asks himself.

You continue to rub his back until his heaving stops. He looks up at you gratefully before standing. Turning towards the sink, he begins to brush his teeth. He spits once, and looks at his reflection in the mirror. As you watch, Eddie's reflection changes, his eyes turning completely white and changing shape. Eddie squeals and jumps backwards, tripping over his bathtub and slamming into the wall, knocking himself out cold. You lean forward, checking to make sure he’s alright.

He will be fine. Venom will heal him.

“So Venom really did move to him?” You ask.

Yes. This Eddie Brock is surprisingly compatible with Venom, much as we are.

“Huh.” You say.

You take one last look at Eddie, before turning and going back to the living room. You close the doors of the fridge and freezer. The floor is a mess, so you search for a broom and dustpan. You sweep up the spilled tater tots, and pick up the trash, trying desperately not to gag. You throw the tots away, and wash your hands. Taking a seat on the couch, you prepare to wait for him to wake up, Sentinel providing silent company.

~ ~ ~

After about an hour you can hear noises from the bathroom, and Eddie stumbles into the kitchen. He stares at the clean floor and mumbles “What the hell?” before picking up his phone and seemingly scrolling through the pictures.

You clear your throat, and his head swings towards you. He groans.

“Did you clean up?” Eddie asks you.

“Yep.” You nod, smiling.

“Thank you.” He answers with a grimace “Sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay.”

He seems to pause for a minute, before turning fully in your direction. You stand up slowly and move around the couch until you’re a few feet away from him.

“What.. happened to me?” He asks you, fear and confusion in his voice.

You pause, unsure how to begin. Taking a deep breath, you decide to start with your meeting with Eddie.

“Back at the Life foundation Lab, that woman we broke out-” You begin.

“Maria.” Eddie supplies. “She was a homeless woman living in this area.”

“Maria. She was hosting one of the Symbiotes.” You state.

Eddie gulps, the name obviously familiar to him.

“Do you know what a Symbiote is?” You ask anyway.

He nods. “Doctor Dora Skirth, the woman who let me into the building, explained to me that they’re aliens Drake found on his last expedition into space.”

“Dora Skirth. She was the one who led me to the testing chamber.” You recall.

“Testing chamber?”

You nod. You decide to quickly explain the Life foundation add, although you leave out your brother’s sickness.

“I see.” Eddie replied after a moment. “So you volunteered to help with a miracle cure and instead found yourself facing aliens.”

You nod again. “As I was saying, Maria was hosting one of the Symbiotes. When she jumped on you, that Symbiote moved to you instead.”

Eddie’s eyes widen at that, and he takes a step back.

“I.. am also hosting another Symbiote.” You say slowly.

At your words, you feel an odd sensation over your shoulder, and Eddie squeaks, stumbling backwards a step further. You look over your shoulder and see Sentinel’s usual blue-black substance, except this time it has formed into a small head floating next to yours, with pure white eyes and razor sharp teeth.

“We are Sentinel.” Sentinel says, their androgynous voice emanating from the small head.

Eddies eyes seem to pop out of his sockets as he stares at Sentinel’s head.

“That’s.. The goo from when we were escaping..” Eddie says, disbelief in his voice.

“Yes. We are not goo, we are a symbiote."

You smile at Sentinel’s words, even as Eddie continues to stare.

“Does the one inside me have a name too?” he asks, hesitation evident on his face.

“They do.” You confirm. You look towards Sentinel’s head. They seem to sense your intentions.

“They are called Venom.”