Goblin cursed as he smashed into the shelves at the back of the store. Agent Webb had kicked him hard enough that he went flying even further than he punted that idiot Venom.
Gwen stared at the blood bubbling from her father's lips, pulling the blade free had sprayed blood everywhere and she knew that he wouldn't survive. "No dad, please no," she shook her head, and not caring she let Poison out. An officer saw and backed away, but she didn't care. As she pressed her palms to his chest, the spray of painkiller and then the bioadhesive webs stopped the flow of blood.
George stared at his daughter, that even if the colours were different, she was involved with Venom and it clicked. Peter, Peter was Venom and he coughed. He stared past her to look at Venom, and he smiled, "Be good to her son! Be good to her. She loves you so very much."
As his eyes closed, Gwen shook her head, "no, no, please no." As his body went limp, Poison reared back her maw and screamed into the store.
Brushing off smashed packets and burst tins, Goblin stood and stretched out his limbs. He flexed his fingers and tried to call up any remaining weapon systems he had, but with the blade gone, now all he had was the strength of the armour and that was it. Even that was failing, as the combined assault of the ETF, then Venom, and finally Agent Webb had reduced the armour to little more than powered scrap. He needed an escape plan, or he would be captured before he got his revenge.
"Aww, poor little Gwennie, all sad that daddy got dead. Now I know, know where you live, know where you are. You're next, and you too, you big black shit." Goblin lined up to charge at Venom, but Poison screamed and leapt, twisting in the air and sprayed a biting acid over Goblin's armour. Goblin reeled back, trying to wipe the caustic spray from himself.
The Goblin armour began to peel and smoke as the paint cracked and slid off. As Poison sprayed more and more chemicals into the air, Venom began to feel a prickle on his skin, "no, stop, it's too much," but Poison ignored him. Soon the supermarket was filled with a thick cloud of green-tinted gas hung in the air.
The shelves and cans on the store's aisles began to wilt, the steel dripped as the caustic solution melted and corroded the metal and plastic. The paramedics and the police had grabbed who they could but were panting outside, their unprotected lungs burnt from exposure to whatever gas she was spraying.
Goblin felt the armour begin to weaken, and as red indicators flashed and warnings sounded in his HUD, he knew that even the chemical defences would fail under such a relentless assault. Popping the emergency escape hatch, the back exploded off and Normal slid out. His skin had taken on a green tinge from the formula, even after escaping he'd continued to take it and was beginning to suffer its effects.
As he lifted the corner of his coat to his face the acid stung his skin even more and its green tinge deepened as the formula worked overtime to heal him. Grabbing at the emergency kit in the armour he slung a small bottle over his shoulder and pulled at the mask. With an oxygen mask over his face, the trio watched as he gave them the finger and then ran to the back of the store.
Poison screamed and shook as she sprayed a neutralizer and ran after him.
"No," Venom shouted but she ignored him and Webb chased after her. "Shit, Liv?"
"Flash can get her. Peter, be practical, get that armour out of there and then go after him. Norman on his own is no match for Poison, she'll be fine. I sent Huntress a message as well. Leave Norman to them and get that armour. If Norman booby-trapped it like the glider it could be a disaster," and Venom cursed. Seeing the police officers regroup and heading back this way he shook his head. He had to trust the one person he despised, but he had to admit Liv was right. The Goblin armour had a small Arcstar reactor powering it and an explosion would level several blocks. He flipped over it and grabbed the opened hatch, sliding into the clamshell and filling it with symbskin.
"Systems online, warning, structural integrity at 27 per cent and falling, warning power at 15 per cent. New user recognised."
System after system powered up as Venom flowed into its circuits, powering and adapting to its strange design. He could feel where it had been sabotaged, a simple misprinted circuit here, a wrong fuse there but right now he willed the back hatch to close and powered the armour back up.
"Goblin is still active, Power down and surrender, or we will open fire," a voice shouted, and as the HUD scanned the area, he saw red flashing icons over all the weapons systems as they marked each person as hostile. He sighed with relief, if there was a failsafe rigged to detonate, Norman had either forgotten or left it unprimed.
Venom shook his head, this was an escape mission and he extended his symbarmour out through the weakened joints and over the whole thing, dying it black.
At least this time he didn't have to worry about any of the strange Goblin warheads, Norman had exhausted all the ammo in the suit and was left defenceless. If Gwen had remained calm they could have captured him with little difficulty but thinking back, he would have done the same.
"Stand Down, Final warning," was shouted, and as the armour whined and whirred, "open fire." He felt the impacts thudding against his armour, and with heavy steps began to run out of the store, through the gauntlet of ETF officers.
As Venom weaved through the officers, covering his head with both hands, he hoped Gwen was okay.
Tying his headset into the internal systems of the armour he called Liv, "Anything from Huntress?" he asked, feeling a grenade impact against his back he stumbled but kept running,
Liv responded, "she doubled back, giving up on Conners, and is heading to her now, don't worry Peter, Huntress will protect her," Sending out a web line he swung up and into an alley, hoping the police would be unable to follow him.
Leading them for several blocks, it was only on the higher rooftops, where he could attach a web line and hide amongst the gargoyles that he finally lost them, keeping low and in the shade as a police helicopter shone a searchlight over the area. His symbskin providing a way to fool the infrared and thermal camera they used. Not invisible, he thought, but getting there.
Huntress had received a frantic call from Liv, shouting about Gwen's dad and she stopped following the Lizard almost immediately. Even Liv didn't care about Conners or her legs if it meant losing one of their own, and as she swung back along the skyline she heard the commotion below her. She could see Webb and Poison dealing with Norman and she only needed a few minutes and she would be able to help.
Norman was frantic, he had to escape those two freaks, escape the symbiotes who would devour his brain, he needed it to kill Harry and now Gwen and that little shit Parker. While the formula made him smart, it did allow him some enhanced physiology and he lifted the manhole cover free and threw it at the pair. He would lose them in the tunnels, the smell and darkness covering his escape.
He wasn't quick enough, and Webb struck him with two webs and pulled him back into the street.
"GRAHH," he yelled and laid a punch into Norman's stomach. Dropping him, Norman wheezed and heaved, trying not to puke from the force of the impact. Webb had been faster than Poison and as she caught up, she complained
No fair no fair, no runny runs, only treaty treats.
Gwen ignored the belligerent symbiote, no, treats after, I need you, and Poison huffed.
Gwen had watched the others, she knew Poison was sensitive but had the same powers as the rest, and as her fingers extended and elongated into wicked claws she smiled.
"This is for my dad," and as she raised a hand to slash open the back of his neck, Flash caught her hand.
"What the fuck Gwen? No," he pulled her away but even so, he turned and kicked Norman in the stomach again. "No killing," and Norman curled up on the sidewalk, clutching his stomach and rolling in pain.
"He killed my dad," Poison screeched at him and Flash shook his head.
"Mine too, but we can't. If we do, then you have to run. You can't be like him, be better," Flash had learned the hard way that even an accidental death had consequences and that even being spotted in New York could lead to his arrest.
"FUCK YOU!" Poison screeched and grabbed a knife from his vest. She leapt at Norman, driving it into his shoulder. Flash grabbed her before she could stab him again and spun her around, throwing her against the building.
"NO! Don't be like him," and he held her as she struggled against him, Webb being the stronger of the two, she hissed and twisted but he held her tight. "I won't let you, I can call someone, someone who'll put him in a hole he'll never crawl out of."
"Hate you!" She screeched at him, and he felt his palms begin to burn, letting go, something dripped from Gwen and even the sidewalk hissed as it splashed down. As he backed away, she struck out and punched him in the stomach.
"What the shit?" Flash asked, but she pushed him to one side and screeched in anger.
Norman had slid down into the sewers, the pair fighting enough of a distraction to allow him to escape.
"You, this is your fault," Poison hissed and launched herself at Webb, but this time he caught her once more and twisting her arms behind her back, pushed her against a wall. As she struggled he had no choice but to pin her there, her enhanced strength building to be a match for his own.
"I don't want to fight you Gwen. Stop, please." he pleaded
"Oh, you will stop, Flash," Huntress landed behind him. "You will or we will hurt you." a long thin blade extended from one of her hands and she pressed it against his neck.
"Shit," was all he said and he released Gwen's hands putting his own up in surrender. "All of you?" and Huntress nodded
"Fucking Parker."
Huntress slugged him. "You do not speak of Venom like that," and leaning in whispered, "and not in the middle of the street, you fucking moron." As Flash staggered back rubbing his jaw, he was glad she hadn't hit him full strength. He knew from the fight on the top of the building that she was just as strong as Venom, and if she had wanted, he would be out cold right now.
"Do we chase him?" he asked but Huntress shook her head, holding Poison close to her.
"No, we help Venom with the armour, and we take her home. Unless you want to run through the sewer to find him that is?"
"Not really," Flash said, "uh, warehouse? Cause technically I'm a wanted fugitive as well," and Huntress clicked her comm
"Flashole wants a safe place to hide for a few, is it okay" and Liv commed back,
"Peter is here and he nodded, we owe him that much," and she could hear Peter laughing in the background.
"Asshole, really? That's the thanks I get?" Flash shook his head. He knew he'd never get forgiveness from anyone in that group, Peter's memories showed him just how bad it'd been.
He thought he was tormenting the boy sure. He'd been pissed at his smug arrogant dismissal of sports, and as captain of the football team, a member of the wrestling, and the boxing team as well it had stung but once he saw it. It went past rebuke and into hell. Peter suffered, the pain and misery Flash knew he caused Peter was something that even saving Gwen he barely scratched the surface of making amends for. Being called Flashole was just a reminder of that.
As Poison and Huntress held onto each other, the strange trio climbed and then swung to the warehouse in silence.