Sentinel

“Venom..?” Eddie asks.

You nod, your face grim.

“Venom is a lower ranked symbiote in our society.” Sentinel chimes in. “The woman, Maria, was not properly compatible with Venom. It is why she died when Venom moved to you. They had no choice but to take from her or die themselves.”

You swallow, a frown spreading over your face. “Sentinel told me it was pure luck that they are compatible with me. If it had been any other symbiote in that test chamber I would have died.”

Sentinel nods their floating head, the movement odd as there are no shoulders to define it.

Eddie's face now has a grimace matching your own on it. He turns and faces the countertop, his hand flexing into a fist.

“What..what about me?” He asks, his voice grim.

“You are compatible with Venom, surprisingly so. Venom is weak from the tests, and they need nourishment. We think that they recognize you as a good host and do not wish to kill you right away, hence your trash can incident.”

“Kill me right away?” Eddie asks, turning around, and surprisingly addressing Sentinel specifically. His hands are still balled into fists, however they are beginning to tremble.

“Symbiotes as a species usually use and then discard their hosts. We, however, did not agree with this and resolved that we would protect the next compatible host we found. For us, that was y/n. Venom agreed with us to an extent, conceding that some of the civilizations that we destroyed in the past may have had merit beyond acting as simple hosts.” Sentinel takes a break, studying Eddie's face before continuing.

“We believe that we may be able to convince Venom to protect your world. This will depend on their experience here, and what feelings they will develop for it.”

Sentinel seems to visibly hesitate for a moment, and you turn your head to look at their face. They glance at you, and you can feel waves of hesitation fill you. You send a wave of encouragement their way, and receive a warm feeling of gratitude in return. Eddie watches Sentinel, glancing at you. You smile at him tentatively. He doesn't return the gesture, his face having shifted into an unreadable mask.

“There is one problem, however.” Sentinel states, glancing at you as well.

“What else could there be apart from the fact that I now have an alien parasite inside me who may decide to kill me at a moment's notice?” Eddie asks, his expressionless mask slipping. He looks scared, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Sentinel flinches at the term parasite, but chooses not to comment on it at the moment.

“When the life foundation rocket crashed in India, one of us escaped.” Sentinel begins. “The one that escaped is called Riot. They are a warrior and a leader. They will want to bring the rest of our kind here, and decimate your planet just as We would any other. There will be no convincing them otherwise.”

You swallow at this, the noise loud in the silent apartment. Eddie stares at you for a minute before running a hand through his hair.

“But you and Venom.. You could defeat this..Riot?” He asks.

“If we alone, y/n and us, attempted it we would surely be killed. For Venom, their chances are even less. We were a protector, we have defensive capabilities. Venom, on the other hand, has no specialization. They were a common soldier. If they attempted to fight Riot, they would be annihilated in an instant.” Sentinel states. “If Venom and us worked together, however, it may just be enough to defeat him.”

“So, the survival of my, no our, entire race depends on whether or not we can convince Venom, who is currently unresponsive inside me, to fight with you.” Eddie states. He looks over at you, but you are busy staring at Sentinel, absorbing the information they just revealed.

“And I guess this is the first you've heard of this yourself.” He adds, shaking his head.

“Sentinel told me that one of the Symbiotes had escaped, but they never told me who they were.” You say, looking at Eddie.

“This is great. Just freaking fantastic.” He grumbles with a sigh. “I don't suppose you could find someone else to rope into your interspecies war?” His face is resigned as if he already knows the answer.

“It would be almost impossible to find another host as suitable as you to take in Venom.” Sentinel says simply.

Eddie sighs again, running both his hands through his hair this time. He glances out the window across his apartment. The kitchen is silent for a long moment.

With a loud breath outwards, Eddie says “Okay.”

“Okay?” you ask.

“Okay, I'll help you with your interspecies war.” Eddie states, his face looking as if he is already regretting his decision.

You smile at him, a real smile without reservation.

“Thank you, Eddie Brock.” Sentinel says, and you swear you hear relief in their voice. Eddie nods, his frown shifting into a grim smile.

“In the end, the life foundation is still killing people with their experiments.” You say sadly.

“I might just be able to do something about that.” Eddie responds. You can feel Sentinel’s curiosity mirroring your own.

“When I broke into their lab, I took pictures of the cells and subjects inside.” He states, his smile turning triumphant. “It's evidence of what the life foundation is doing. It can be used against them.”

“Evidence?” Sentinel questions, the word sounding foreign in their voice.

“It's proof. In our society, if someone is doing something wrong, you need evidence to show that they are truly doing this thing.” You explain to your companion.

“I see. It is to avoid false accusations then?” they ask.

“Exactly.” Eddie agrees. “And if it comes to it, you two are the greatest proof we have. And Venom of course, if they decide to make themselves known anytime soon.”

“They will.” Sentinel assures him. “They are simply resting.”

“Meanwhile, there is only one person I trust to help us with all of this.” He continues.

“Who?” you ask, curious.

“My Ex.” He replies, pain flashing through his eyes so quickly you almost think you imagined it.