章 97: Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Seven. Retaliation
As Norman limped through the sewers he gripped his shoulder and Norman winced as touched the wound that little shit had given him. Green blood pooled on the wound and then solidified and the inch-long gash in his shoulder sealed and was reduced to a scar in minutes.
He cursed, if those two shits can hurt me. I'm not strong enough, and he lamented the loss of his armour and glider. Even with both of them, and his superior intellect, he was beaten, by fucking Gwen Stacy of all people. Flash had at least been a football player and he could understand his strength but that little bitch not only had a symbiote but had the know-how to use it.
Fucking Harry, he thought to himself. This was the reason he shut down the symbiote research but one thing the boy had been right over was the formula and as he trudged through the sewers he began to smell something. A smell of ozone, and he noticed a flicker of light in the deep darkness. He grinned when he came into the makeshift camp. Eyeing the rows of blue liquid in tubes along one wall. He had found salvation and he intended to use it. In the darkness, as an injector gun hissed over and over the laughter echoed around the tunnels, and the creatures of the sewer fled into the black.
Above ground in the warmth of a calm spring day, the crowd wore black and to Gwen it made the day seem bleaker. She nodded and thanked them as they came and gave condolences, but all she wanted was to be at home. There was nothing, no pain, no grief, and no tears. Peter had leapt forwards and taken over planning the funeral and the wake, but even then the City paid and planned it. A Captain who fell in the line of duty was to be honoured and not forgotten.
The warm spring day did nothing to lift the mood, a flag-draped coffin was lowered and a gun salute was shot, Gwen holding onto a stoic Felicia. Peter with MJ stood back from the main crowd. Gwen had told him it would be okay if he shared the graveside with her, and as much as he wanted to be there for her, he needed to make sure she was safe. Norman wasn't the most stable of people, and with his discovery of Gwen's identity, Peter didn't put it past him to attack her here.
The funeral was, as expected, a quiet affair and even the press was kept back behind barriers. A small mercy as everyone wanted pictures of a grieving Gwen. They had tried to approach the warehouse but Peter threatened with trespass and then strangely enough, at night stakeout cars and news vans were vandalised by an unseen assailant and soon they got the message.
Even as the interim Chief of Police came over and shook Gwen's hand but she didn't care, she didn't care about any of it. Pictures were snapped, articles professing 'Brave Daughter Of Murdered Police Chief' littered the headlines for a few days and then with the rest of the victims, life moved on and they were forgotten by most. J.J stung her, using it in his rhetoric that enhanced and unlicensed vigilantes had killed a fine officer, spewing more hate and Gwen stopped reading the news.
Even at the house she stared blankly as they packed her fathers things into boxes, his medals and uniforms went back to the precinct, and then Gwen simply phoned a house clearance firm and had the place emptied. There was nothing here for her, she didn't even want to deal with any of this, he was dead and that was that. It was only Peter and Felicia hounding her that she got it done, setting the house up for sale and then forgetting about it. It was one of those quick sale places that only gave you 75% of the value but it sold right away, she just didn't care.
What she did care about was hurting that smug fucking bastard Norman Osborn, all her grief had been channelled into a rage and in the mornings she had begun to join Peter and Felicia as they sparred. She learned to avoid a hit, rather than absorb them as Venom did, she learned to be fast like Huntress rather than powerful like Venom.
She researched various chemicals that she could spray in a fine mist, something caustic she was immune to, sleeping gases, vomiting agents, anything that didn't rely on Poison and her fucking stupid over sensitivity. Even her symbiote had learned to be quiet. When Peter had punched her and Poison wanted to recoil and had cried, Gwen screamed at her in her mind and the symbiote quieted down and Gwen felt something from her for the first time, fear.
Gwen, having taken some time off from college, worked herself like a dog. She studied anything she could make without killing herself and trained, more and more. Elektra had taken over Peters training routine, and slowly he was improving. Switching to various forms she felt would be beneficial to his fighting style, he was now starting to win most of the times he and Felicia fought.
Today was the day she finally got to put that training into practice. Goblin was slow but strong, and if anyone was a match for him it was Venom, and so he had been chosen as Gwen's sparring partner.
Poison stood on the other side of the warehouse from Venom, The rules were simple, no crippling injuries, no external tools, and the fight lasted until surrender.
Poison took a breath and began to run towards him, she knew she could do this, she could win and Venom flowed like water towards her. he was big but fast and Poison darted away, she threw out two web lines, they were useless as a way to move but she watched a ribbon twirling competition and now she had whips to fight with. Venom ducked and weaved as Poison's arms seemed to move in unnatural ways, the concrete scuffing with each crack of her whips.
Then as he moved closer, she slapped her arms together and the whips twirled around each other in a spiral and as he ducked under the bulbous ends, he was thrown across the warehouse by an explosion.
"Shit time out, time out," yelled Felicia as she ran towards Venom, he was fine, burnt and covered in scorch marks but fine.
"What the fuck was that Gwen? no weapons we said. Fuck, you could have killed him," Felicia ran over and was screaming at Poison.
"We had no idea, we are sorry," she said, looking at the ground, Venom shook his head and took a look at himself
"That was AWESOME!" He yelled and ran over, lifting Poison up and spinning her around, "let me guess, two non-reactive chemicals that explode when mixed right?"
Felicia shook her head and began to yell at him, "don't reward her, that was stupid and dangerous. What if she got it wrong? What if she hurt you?" she was yelling.
"Shit Fel, calm down, it's Gwen, she wouldn't have, would you?" and as the Symbskin slipped into normal clothes they started in shock, Peter was covered in a massive chemical burn, stretching from his neck down to his waist. His neck from Adam's apple to his navel, all on his right side, was a deep red colour and was already starting to crack and blister.
"No, shit no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," was all Gwen said as the tears fell.
"Liv, Chemical," Fel shouted, and Liv wheeled herself out of her home a few minutes later with a first aid kit and another bag.
"Oh my god, what caused that?" she said as she pulled out a plastic bottle with a long tube attached. Filling it with pure water she had Peter retract all his symbskin and began to wash him down with the purified water.
"It was Gwen, being stupid," Felicia said, crossing her arms.
"Now Felicia dear, you know as well as I do that Gwen would never hurt Peter, never intentionally, Do I have to remind you that you tore one of his ligaments last week? And did we complain? No, we did not."
"She wath?" Gwen said, wiping the tears and snot from her face.
"Uh, I might have overextended an armbar when we were sparring and torn his shoulder muscle, uh, I said sorry."
"Fuck Fel, don't give me shit for stuff when you're just as bad," Gwen yelled back,
"I didn't fucking blow him up though did I?" Felicia retorted.
Peter shrugged, "I thought it was cool, and you know, this doesn't hurt, it just looks bad."
Liv came over and pulled on a pair of gloves. "Hmm, it is bad though, it doesn't hurt as its full thickness, you cant feel with dead nerves dear. What exactly did you do Gwen?"
"Uh, I've been using my webs as a whip and I figured that I could make drops of chemicals at the end, you know, to poison or paralyze and uh, I thought, why not a reactive explosive, so it doesn't explode while I'm fighting, well, you know."
Liv shook her head, "that's brilliant dear, absolutely brilliant, but you know, maybe next time, try on something disposable first." And she frowned at Gwen who rubbed her arm,
"Sorry," Gwen said guiltily, but a small part of her was celebrating, she had just knocked Peter on his ass, and if that was just one, she could imagine what several would do.
"Well, I can already guess what Peters punishment for you will be but I for one think you should go get food for us all, Peter needs his fuel to heal these burns and I guess Felicia and I are on clean up duty. Peter dear, sorry but no physical activity until you're healed, and stop picking it." she smacked Peter's hand as she picked at the forming scabs.
"It's itchy," was all he said as Liv shook her head.
"Now, food Gwen, and lots, Peter dear, your choice." Liv shook her head at Gwen, while Felicia just sighed and heard into their home.
"Uh, anything Gwen, it's fine, really."
Gwen let her symbskin shift and grabbing her bag she headed out. She'd never meant to hurt Peter but it proved that she wasn't as weak as they said, that she could hurt Venom, the strongest of them all. As she walked with her head held high to the burger stand that Peter loved, she failed to notice the shadow tailing her.
Gwen was too preoccupied to notice as Goblin stepped out of the shadow and laughed at her as she froze. The four bags of burgers dropped to the ground and her breathing became short and ragged.
"Ahh, Miss Stacy, I'm so glad to finally catch you," Goblin said as he towered over her and he stretched out an arm to finish what he started weeks ago.
He had found several vials in that den and he had taken them all. His frame was now huge, a massive muscle-bound true Goblin at over 8ft tall. Thick muscular arms and tree trunk legs covered in pale green skin. He had stared in a puddle at his new face. Stretched and horned it was a mix of lizard, rhino, and other species, fanged and contorted into a true Goblin but he didn't care. None of it mattered as long as he had power. Now, he would show that fucking bitch just who was strong, just who would get a fucking beating.
Gwen slid out from his grasp, backflipped and he stood, mouth open as Poison slid out over her, "fuck YOU!" she screamed at him, and two thin but painful webs whipped against him, he recoiled, not expecting to be attacked and as he backed off she followed him, each whip slapping and slamming into him with pinpoint accuracy. He shook his head and grabbed one, expecting to pull her forward but instead, it stuck to his hand and just detached, spreading a caustic liquid that burned where it touched.
"Come catch me you big green shit bag," she taunted him and flipped him the bird before running off. He roared at her insolence, she was just a woman, a weak and frail thing that should cover before the mighty Goblin.
Poison wasn't stupid, though, she dialled her phone hitting an emergency app Peter had set up on all their devices, it pinged her location and alerted anyone that they needed help.
In the warehouse, Felicia's phone buzzed with a specific tone and she looked at Peter before Huntress slipped over her, "Gwen," was all she said before heading to the door.
Peter winced as Liv started to remove more of the dead tissue from his body. It was going slowly to make sure she didn't harm the still-living flesh but now he had no choice, "sorry Liv,'' and he leant over and gave her a kiss, "you'll have to finish peeling the skin from my bones later." and Venom spread out and chased after Huntress.
Goblin was frustrated with this stupid symbiote bitch, she ducked and dived away from him. If he only had his armour, if he only had his glider she would have been a smear on the sidewalk. Instead, she was leading him on a merry chase across MidTown. He needed somewhere he could fight her on his terms, one where she couldn't whip him with those damn things, one where he could trap her and rip them from her.
"Aww, did poor gobby get hurt by whittle Gwennie,'' Poison taunted him, she was leaping from building to building, leading him away from the warehouse. If Norman found Liv who knew what he'd do to her, even with Venom and Huntress there was too big of a risk.
She was leading him back into New York, if she could get him to somewhere like Life Incorporated she wouldn't feel so bad about him trashing the place and with the emergency signal sent she knew it was only a matter of time before Peter and Felicia joined her. He sent out another fist and Poison dived over it and up onto a building where she leapt onto the adjacent one,
"Aww, miss me miss me now you gotta kiss me." She knew from Peter taunting her that it was infuriating, and as Goblin roared at her she ducked out the way as he started to pick up trash cans and other street items, shit, she thought as a bench was ripped from the ground and hurled at her.
Poison leapt once more knowing that she had to run. It was maybe 20 blocks to the Life Foundation HQ and it would be the perfect place to fight. Harry had built it on Staten Island after bidding on a building on 5th avenue only to have it taken from him by a last-minute bidder, it had been all over the news just after he sold his shares in Oscorp.
She took a deep breath, one last time baby, just one last time, and Poison growled within her,
We want the treaty treats for this and the petie petes, no fair no fair
Poison howled as Gwen worked her to her limit. Avoiding Goblin was thankfully a lot easier than fighting him, as long as she kept an eye on where her whips were and made sure he had nothing to grab onto, she could outrun him.
Norman knew exactly where Poison was taking him, he knew this area, he'd knew Harry's pathetic little company was nothing, he never realised that while the formula was brilliant it was flawed, it did things, but a stupid bug like Harry would never understand that. He let her take him, he let her think she was guiding him to his son. Norman scoffed at the idea that he was being led anywhere. He went where he chose to, not where some bitch in black and white symbiote skin led him. He would devour her whole, rip that skin from her and eat the tender flesh from her bones.
As Poison stood panting outside Harry's office she saw Goblin laugh as he strode forwards. "What, you thought I'd be shocked? That I'd lament 'oh no, not my poor son, not my little Harry.' Well, Gwen, after you, he's next, him and all the petty little bugs that you love, I took your family, I took your life and everything you cared about, anyone who crosses me gets OOPH-'' Goblin was sent flying through the glass doors of the office, steel buckled and fell on him as he shook off the broken safety glass.
"Oh blah blah blah, give it up, you pompous windbag," Venom was stood, and another black and grey symbiote was with him. "You, stupid and ugly, stay there while I check on my girlfriend," Venom pointed a long claw at him.
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