Creature comforts

For the first week after Carlton Drake was killed in his attempt to bring the rest of the symbiotes to earth, Eddie Brock was holed up at home. When Venom had said goodbye during the fire, he was sure that his new protector and friend was gone forever. He saw Annie every other day as she tried to cheer him up and help him recover. Unfortunately, it didn’t help as much as he thought it would. He spent every day scarfing down food and sleeping. He couldn’t remember being so tired or hungry since he had been in college studying journalism. Without even realizing it, Eddie ate Venom’s favorite human delights at least one a day. Then, it happened.

When are you planning to let me have control again? I can’t survive solely on your cuisine.

Eddie jolted in bed and fell to the floor. He had been dozing prior to hearing Venom in his head. Surely, he was dreaming about his badass, snarky space demon again. Afterall, there was no way Venom survived the fire from the rocket- right…?

If you don’t answer me, I’m going to take control from you with or without your consent.

Eddie couldn’t help it as he burst into tears. It was just so incredible to have the one thing back that made him feel like he was worth something and that he could make a difference- with or without the support of others.

What is this? Why are you crying?!

“I thought you were dead!” Eddie sniffled, scrambling up off the floor to look in the mirror. If Venom wouldn’t show himself, he’d have to settle for the reflection trick. “Holy shit, it’s good to see you alive…”

If you want to keep me alive, you’ll take me out.

“Shit! Right, okay, but we gotta wait for nightfall. It’s the middle of the day,” Eddie qualified. “We have to be discreet or we’ll get caught and it’ll be like the whole Drake thing all over again but a million times worse.”

Fine. Then we feast.

“Definitely.” Eddie grinned.

After spending most of the day catching Venom up on Eddie’s meager activities since the explosion, Eddie got cleaned up and practically ran to the streets. He didn’t necessarily like killing, per se, but he did like doling out justice to douchebags in Los Angeles. The murder was to quell his partner’s thirst for blood and flesh. The more Venom fed, the healthier his host stayed. They wandered to the rougher neighborhoods and watched for someone, anyone, to expose their true colors. It took two laps around the neighborhood before they finally caught some skeezy drug dealers in the act. They had agreed the best way to be discreet was to stick to the areas where crime was typical and keep it clean.

“Whatcha got there?” Eddie snooped as he sauntered up to the group of guys standing around a car’s open trunk.

“You lookin’ for a good time too?” A skinny, bleach blonde guy that looked like the definition of thirty something year old virgin pothead spoke up. He was starting to show signs of meth mouth. “I’ve got everything you need to reconnect with the universe and get the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had.”

“Nah, I’ve slept most of the past week away,” Eddie dismissed, eying the clearly underage kids that were watching on. They looked terrified and uncomfortable, like they knew they were screwed. “You guys don’t even look like you’re old enough to have the kinda power to decide to ruin your own lives. By that I mean, you look like you’re in elementary school.”

“Hey we have our permits and we work.” The scrawniest spoke up. He looked strung out already. “We can do whatever we want as long as we keep our grades up.”

“Are you aware that you’re gonna look like him in a couple years if you keep this up?” Eddie questioned, tucking his hand under his chin in contemplation.

“So what?” The oldest looking pushed.

“So you want to look like you’ve been festering in your mom’s basement for nearly forty years?” Eddie prompted, genuinely perplexed.

“Maybe we do. It’s not like we have much else to look forward to.” The twig spoke up again.

Before Eddie could question them further, Venom took over. He loomed over the group of kids and the dealer like a skyscraper. The symbiote’s tongue snaked out for a moment like a bug’s antennae feeling out the air before curling back into his mouth.

“Then you won’t mind feeding my future.” Venom commented, snagging the oldest and biting his head off.

The next few moments were excruciating for Eddie as he listened to the drug dealer insist he didn’t mean anyone any harm and the kids crying for their moms. The scene triggered some unwanted memories for the host. He remembered growing up without his mom since she died giving birth to him… How he used to cry to himself at night that he wished his dad was dead instead of his mom… Before he could stop Venom, it had already been done. The symbiote must’ve been famished because the only sign that something happened were a few splatters of blood. There were no bodies left behind.

Why do you mourn for a death peddler and his delinquent customers?

“Because those kids… they were kids!” Eddie answered, disgusted with what they had done. “We don’t kill kids!”

What happened to no witnesses? The offspring would have only caused more trouble for us. I’ve done what you asked.

“Fine. You’ve eaten and now I wanna go home.” Eddie sighed, running a hand through his hair.

No.

“No?” Eddie double-taked. “What do you mean no?!”

I have been dormant because I was on the brink of death. If you really do value my life, then you will take me to my next meal. If you refuse, I’ll take over.

“I thought you needed a willing host to survive?” Eddie panicked, looking into the rear window of the car next to him.

A willing host lasts longer, but a rejecting host does just fine for the short term. I can find a new life, but you only have one. Just because I like you doesn’t mean I’m willing to starve myself.

“I’m not gonna let you kill anymore kids tonight!” Eddie snapped, his heart and mind racing as memories ran through his head. “It’s not their fault! They didn’t do anything to deserve the shit they got!”

You’re taking this too personal, Eddie. Looks like I’ll be doing things my way.

Eddie found himself being unwillingly engulfed in Venom, losing all control over the situation. He found himself being encased in the symbiote so thoroughly that he was no longer in control no matter what urgent message of protest his brain sent to his limbs. Once Venom was sure that Eddie would be incapable of stopping his feeding frenzy, the chaos began. The killing was indiscriminate and brutal. Venom’s first victim was a teenage mother coming home for the first time with her baby. He started by biting her head off- it was kinder that way- then ripped the limbs from the body to consume before devouring the remainder. Not long after, the baby began to screech for its mother, which is what drew Venom’s attention. He approached the car and, with some delicacy, removed the newborn from the car seat. Venom examined the frail, tiny human with interest before consuming it in one bite. He had yet to learn much about human offspring, but what little he did know told him that was one. His attention was grabbed by another potential meal before he could process the odd feelings that arose from eating a defenseless being.

After a decent blood bath had begun in the impoverished neighborhood, the cops showed up. They marveled at the strange, horrifying and yet impressive specimen before them. As Venom made to rip the head off of one of the officers, he recoiled in pain. The lawmen had whistles that tore at his very core. He was nearly dislodged from Brock when the sound stopped and he was able to retreat into his very delirious host. Before either could process the immense trouble they were in, Eddie was shot full of tranquilizers that had even Venom struggling to stay conscious of the surroundings. Eddie was hauled into an armored transport vehicle and shipped off to prison at the first green light from the superiors.

When Eddie awoke, he was beyond lost. He looked around the padded isolation cell. His heart sped up and his head spun with the panic that set in. Why the fuck was he in prison?! He sat up and got to his feet. They hadn’t bothered with a straight jacket, which he was thankful for, but they stripped him of his own clothes and personal effects. He was in a baggy orange jumpsuit that had no pockets, but was very scratchy. Eddie wondered if anyone knew he was missing. Wasn’t that a terrifying thought? Would he be left to rot for God knows how long? Was there anyway to explain that he had another being controlling his actions? He had know idea what law would dictate in his case since it had never before occurred that a human was controlled by a stronger, violent creature. He supposed he’d just have to wait.

==>  

It was nearly a month before anyone bothered to confront Eddie about his killing spree. The first few talks addressed whether he was in his right mind when it happened. Then they addressed the thing living inside him. That didn’t go over well.

“Eddie, the officers claimed to have shot you with enough tranquilizers to take down a herd of elephants,” The warden pointed out. “They reported that some sort of inky, piranha- faced creature had you sucked into its core.”

“That’s true.” Eddie agreed. “I have a parasite that is very deadly to others.”

“APOLOGIZE!” Venom growled, his face materializing outside Eddie’s body to get his point across. “I AM NOT A PARASITE!”

“You feed off of me if I don’t feed you right!” Eddie argued, unconsciously shrinking back in his seat. “That’s the definition of a parasite!”

“I am a superior life form that can adapt to any environment given the necessary resources.” Venom spat, ignoring the freaked out warden across from them. “I coexist with my host.”

“While trying to kill me!” Eddie reminded him. “You see what I have to deal with Mr. Warden?! He’s impossible!”

The warden, bewildered by the sight before him, said nothing. Slowly, he reached down and pulled up his gun, aiming it at Venom’s ‘floating’ head.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Eddie warned cringing as Venom stretched closer to the warden’s face.

“If you want a fight, you’ve come to the wrong place. Your head will be gone before you can pull the trigger,” Venom promised, his tongue snaking out of his mouth and writhing towards the officers face.

The door to the interrogation room opened and then slammed shut to reveal a man with an eye patch and a leather coat. He spoke up as he stared down Eddie and Venom, “I’ve seen enough. You’ve clearly gotten all the clarification that these two numbskulls are going to give you. I’ll take over from here.”

“That one will be harder to kill,” Venom grumbled as he retracted closer to Eddie so only his host could hear.

“Your killing spree is what got us into this mess!” Eddie snapped.

“Listen to the big mouth, parasite,” the man spoke up as the warden backed out of the room. “If you play nice, we might even let you feed again.”

Before Venom could make a move, the man lit a match and waved it about.

“Didn’t think I would know about this, did you?” He challenged. “ I have two of the world’s leading scientists under my thumb and they are very good at telling me what I want to hear.”

“Who are you?” Venom questioned, glaring at the mystery man before them.

“My name is Nick Fury. I am the director of Shield.” The man introduced himself. “Word got back to me in New York that a nosy reporter got a new bloodthirsty vigilante companion. When I heard about it, I knew it was time to get involved.”

“Fuuuuck!” Eddie groaned, rubbing his face in frustration. “Why me?!”

“Because you could be useful, but you’re a bit of a loaded gun at the moment.” Fury answered, putting out the match.

“What are you gonna do to us?” Eddie sighed in resignation.

“Many things, but we’ll talk about the details when we get you back to New York and set up in your new home.” Fury dismissed, gesturing to an unseen camera. “Meet your new best friends: Agent Romanov- also known as Black Widow- and Agent Coulson.”

As he made the introductions, a tired looking man and a red-headed woman entered the room. Everyone knew about Black Widow but still no one expected her appearance. Most knew of Coulson, though Eddie was sure the man was under appreciated in his line of work. Both were dressed fairly casually for being on a mission to convert him to the no-kill side.

“Coulson will be overseeing your transition into your new life with the Widow’s aid,” Fury further explained.

“Woah, wait a minute!” Eddie spoke up as Venom eyed Black Widow as she came towards them. “Don’t I get a say in all this?”

“You do, but the way the law sees it you only have two options,” Fury qualified, giving him a hard stare with his one good eye. “You can stay in here and rot until you both die or you can accept my offer and be retrained. If you complete the missions and accept your new lifestyle- including your infuriating new best friends- then your parasite will have plenty of opportunities to feed and you’ll be able to sleep in a comfortable bed instead of a padded cell. It’s your choice, Eddie.”

“What do you think you’re doing, spider?” Venom questioned Natasha as she came in close to study the parts of him that were visible.

“Getting a closer look at the thing that landed a sad little reporter a life sentence in prison,” She answered, her face inches away as she studied his.

“Aren’t you scared?” Venom pressed, trying to understand her.

“Honey, I married a man who turns into a not so jolly green giant when he’s pissed,” Natasha smirked. “I've fought aliens bigger and scarier than you. Not to mention an Artificial Intelligence army that ripped a city off the planet and murdered thousands designed by the world’s leading tech creator in his attempt to make the world a safer place. You. Don’t. Scare. Me.”

“Eddie, I like this one,” Venom grinned, pulling his host from his thoughts about their precarious situation as Natasha pulled back and circled behind Eddie to wait for further instruction.

“What exactly are you going to do with me if I agree to go with your crazy ass?” Eddie prompted, glancing between Coulson and Fury.

“You will be set up in the Avengers tower. They will do their part to retrain both of you to be more amiable to the public. They will also teach you any fighting styles and provide you with any technology that may be necessary or desirable in future missions,” Coulson elaborated at Fury’s nod. “In addition those that have submitted to the lifestyle that you will be agreeing to live by whenever you aren’t on missions or covering stories or exposés, will be helping you learn and adjust as needed in addition to keeping you company. If at any time we believe a different handler would be better suited, we will make the necessary adjustments.”

“You have five minutes to think it over and for the both of you to come to an understanding.” Fury notified them. “For the record, we wanted Drake out of the picture as badly as you. Any high tech rockets with top secrets missions should only come from Stark himself. At least we can monitor that one. Drake had no business trying to find the others out there.”

“You refer to my kind?” Venom clarified.

“There’s a hell of a lot more out there than just your sorry bottom feeding ass, Inky,” Fury responded. “Five minutes starts now. Get your shit together. Romanov, you know the plan.”

With that, Fury and Coulson stepped out and waited for Eddie to decide. The director set a timer and waited. Inside the room that had Eddie thoroughly cuffed and chained the table, Natasha Romanov circled around and sat across from the two. Venom grinned at her while Eddie sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“I’m guessing you’re still in here to get me to take the bait?” Eddie assumed, looking her over. She wore a long black hooded sweater, black leggings and heeled ankle boots with a heathered charcoal v-neck shirt. She certainly was attractive, but he was still head over heels for Annie. With her reputation, she was either part of this to seduce him or to subdue him.

“Yes, but not in the ways you’re assuming.” Natasha smiled. “I’m here to tell you the best parts of this offer. You’ll be living in luxury with a floor of the tower all to yourself. You’ll finally have friends that will support you when go after people like Carlton Drake. In fact, Tony was nearly ready to ruin Drake’s livelihood himself. Tony’s seen all kinds of horrible things and been put through the worst. He understands better than most the importance of staying the hell away from whatever’s beyond our solar system and stopping anyone who might bring any unwanted guests home. I’m sure you two will get along well. On top of all that, you’ll have access to the best equipment designed by the tech genius himself. You’ll be allowed to investigate to your heart’s content so long as you meet the requirements for continuing on the retraining program. Once the program is complete, you’ll have two options. You can either join the Avengers- given that you haven’t made them your enemies- or you can be owned by Shield.”

“And if I don’t complete it?” Eddie pressed, disconcerted by the lack of detail about the other possible outcomes.

“You die.” Fury interjected. “Times up. I’ve got shit to do.”

“He’s being overdramatic.” Natasha dismissed. “You rot in jail for the rest of your miserable existence. If you’re lucky, you’ll get shanked early on and your parasite will be burned alive.”

“Listen and listen well, Spider. I am not a parasite.” Venom growled. “I am what your kind calls a symbiote. The healthier I am the more you thrive.”

“The more you behave, the longer you live.” Natasha shot back. “Make your decision. Rot or thrive?”

“Thrive. I’ll try your damn program.” Eddie submitted, not meeting her eyes as he contemplated what would become of Annie.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still have contact with your mistress.” Natasha smirked.

“What are you?! A Goddamn mind reader?!” Eddie demanded.

“Just a spider that’s good at her job.” Natasha replied, stabbing him in the leg with a needle under the table and emptying the contents into his veins. “It might burn for awhile. Nighty night, Little One.”