C228

Peter stepped out of the classroom, nervous but excited and full of anticipation. His heart nearly leaped with joy when the principal spoke.

"The reporter from the Daily Bugle is here again!"

The principal smiled and said, "Do you remember last time, during the Daily Bugle's New York Top Schools Rankings event? They mentioned that the top-ranked schools would have to conduct student interviews. This time, you're up. Just make sure to say nice things about our school."

"No problem, Principal!" Peter said, practically beaming. "I won't let you down."

"Good. Go ahead." The principal watched as Peter left, a proud smile on his face.

School Entrance

"Anton!"

Peter hopped into the passenger seat, grinning. "You're finally here! I thought you forgot about me!"

"How could I forget you?" Anton laughed, shaking his head. "Are you ready? What we're about to face won't be any easier than last time."

"Is it?" Peter asked, his eyes lighting up. "I'm even more excited!"

Anton smirked. "Even if you're up against Captain America one-on-one, would you still say that?"

Peter froze, his grin fading. "What?" He blinked, confused. "Captain America?!"

Washington

Pierce's actions, now officially sanctioned by the World Security Council, were quickly relayed to the Avengers.

From their earlier discussion, the team had agreed on their first target: Eddie Brock, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle.

As Rumlow had pointed out, Eddie wasn't just a journalist. He was also Venom, a veteran member of the Justice League and one of the first superheroes to ally with Batman. 

This meant Eddie likely knew many of Batman's secrets. Extracting information from him could prove invaluable.

The team mobilized immediately.

Tony Stark, however, frowned. Eddie was a friend, and this mission left him conflicted. He had no decision-making power in this situation, which only added to his frustration.

On one hand, Tony didn't want to turn against Eddie. On the other hand, capturing him might be the only way to uncover the truth.

Tony thought back to the message Eddie had sent him last night about Nick Fury. Eddie claimed Fury might have been replaced by someone else, but Tony hadn't responded after verifying the information.

He clenched his jaw. He had made up his mind.

Downtown Washington

At a high-end hotel, the Avengers team arrived in a convoy. They exchanged glances, activated their comms, and confirmed the signals before springing into action.

"The target is in room 2701 on the 27th floor," one team member reported. "He's alone."

"Be careful," another cautioned. "The symbiote, Venom, is highly intelligent and can sense danger in advance. He might already be aware of our presence."

"Meaning," said Rumlow, "we need to act fast!"

"Fast?" Tony interjected, his expression serious. "Leave it to me. I'll try to convince Eddie."

Eddie's Room

Eddie sat in his hotel room, deep in thought. He was analyzing the current situation, piecing together what he knew.

Nick Fury had been attacked, and Eddie had relayed the news to Tony, warning him that Fury might have been replaced by an imposter. Yet Tony hadn't responded after receiving the message.

Two possibilities crossed Eddie's mind:

Tony had verified the information and found it to be true. Tony had verified the information and found it to be false.

If it were the first scenario, then things wouldn't be as calm within S.H.I.E.L.D. as they seemed. There would be chaos.

But if it were the second…

Eddie sighed, his face darkening. That would mean trouble.

This would only push Tony Stark into Hydra's camp.

Eddie frowned. Suddenly—

"Eddie, run!"

The low, urgent voice of Venom echoed in his mind.

"What?" Eddie jolted, rising instinctively.

Crash!

A red figure burst through the open-air balcony of the hotel. Eddie turned his head sharply to see—

Iron Man.

"Tony!" Eddie growled as Venom's tendrils began to cover his body, leaving only his head exposed. The transformation gave him the appearance of a two-headed monster.

"What do you mean by this?" Eddie's expression darkened, his sharp eyes locking onto the man in front of him. Perhaps Tony was no longer a friend, but an enemy.

"Eddie, we need to talk," Tony said, landing on the balcony and opening his helmet to reveal his face. His expression was serious but tinged with helplessness. "Regarding Hydra, Batman has some... unresolved suspicions against him. Even Nick identified inconsistencies. I need you to stand up and answer some questions."

"Is that what you call 'talking'?" Eddie's tone was icy. "You broke into my home and came at me with force. This isn't the conversation I envisioned."

"I don't want to fight you, Eddie, but I had no choice but to come," Tony said with a resigned sigh. "But since I'm here, I'd prefer this doesn't escalate—as long as you cooperate."

"'Cooperate'? That's not my style."

Eddie's head fully retracted into Venom's body, allowing the symbiote to take complete control.

"ROAR!"

In an instant, Venom stood before Tony—a black, humanoid monster with bulging muscles, jagged fangs, and eerie white eyes.

Click!

Tony closed his helmet, his face hardening. A fight was inevitable.

"If I were Eddie, I wouldn't surrender either," Tony muttered to himself. "Putting your life in someone else's hands is a gamble that almost always ends poorly."

"This is the symbiosis…" Jarvis's voice broke through, analyzing the figure before Tony. "Sir, fighting this creature seems unwise. Shall I arrange an insurance policy for you?"

"Damn it!" Tony groaned. "Who taught you to say stuff like that?"

"You did," Jarvis replied smoothly. "You're my greatest teacher."

"Zip it!"

As Tony prepared to engage, Venom acted first. Both of Venom's arms morphed into massive sledgehammers and swung—not at Tony—but at the door behind him.

BOOM!

The wall crumbled as the door flew off its hinges, revealing Black Widow and Hawkeye standing on the other side.

"Tsk." Tony remained silent, but Jarvis chimed in, "Perhaps I should arrange insurance for your teammates instead?"

"Please, shut up!" Tony snapped, then lunged at Venom.

Venom, anticipating the move, reshaped his hammer-like arms into tendrils, wrapping them tightly around Tony's armor. 

With incredible strength, Venom twisted Tony's flight path, sending him careening through several walls.

CRASH!

Tony, unable to deactivate his thrusters in time, ended up far from the fight.

Whoosh!

Venom seized the opportunity, leaping off the balcony and onto the wall of the building across the street. Scaling rapidly, he disappeared from the team's sight.

"Can't let him escape!" Hawkeye gritted his teeth.

The bodies of Hawkeye and Black Widow, standing nearby, began to emit an intense heat. Red light burst forth, and the extreme temperature melted the metal door debris around them. 

Thankfully, they were wearing specialized heat-resistant suits designed for such situations.

At the same time, Captain America dashed after Venom's retreating figure. Without hesitation, he leapt off the balcony, smashed through the opposite building's wall, and continued his pursuit.

"He's heading to the rooftop," came the calm, commanding voice of Maria Hill, the acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Although Captain America was leading this operation on the ground, Hill, stationed aboard the Helicarrier, was actively coordinating the city-wide surveillance network to provide real-time intel for the Avengers.

"Go!"

Dr. Octopus arrived belatedly but wasted no time. Using his mechanical arms, he vaulted off the balcony and clambered across to follow Captain America.

Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Crossbones exchanged a brief glance before dashing forward at full speed.

Whoosh!

Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, flew past them with ease.

"Damn it!" Hawkeye muttered, his frustration mounting. "I knew I should've been outfitted with some kind of aircraft."

Rooftop

Venom's voice resonated in Eddie's mind.

"Eddie, they're catching up fast."

"Send an emergency signal to Anton. Get him to bring reinforcements," Eddie replied, irritation evident in his tone.

"All the Avengers are here... And this is Washington, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s home turf," Eddie added after a pause. "If the Avengers want a fight, then let's give them one!"

He had just received crucial intel from Anton—the military had approved Batman's request. The Justice League had full authorization to go to war with S.H.I.E.L.D. at any moment.

Eddie hadn't expected the Avengers to make the first move, but it didn't matter now.

"Fair enough," Venom agreed. "We're not exactly scared of numbers."

Venom retracted slightly, exposing Eddie's arm. On his wrist was a Justice League-issued teleportation bracelet, a tool Anton had provided. 

Not only could it teleport its wearer, but it also functioned as an emergency call device for reinforcements.

But Eddie wasn't planning on escaping. He activated the bracelet's distress signal, intent on summoning Anton and the Justice League. 

If the Avengers wanted to see who had the numbers advantage, Eddie was happy to oblige.

Whoosh!

Before Eddie could plan further, Iron Man rocketed onto the rooftop, landing just a few feet away.

"Don't even think about running!" Tony Stark called out, exhaling sharply.

"Run?" Eddie sneered, his voice now overlapping with Venom's deeper growl. "We were never planning to run."

"Is that so?" Tony landed lightly, his armor whirring as a missile launcher emerged from his shoulder. The small but lethal Sidewinder missile locked onto its target.

"Good," Tony said calmly, "because if you so much as twitch, I won't hesitate."

As he spoke, Captain America arrived, his shield in hand and his expression grim. He immediately positioned himself defensively, eyeing Venom warily.

Soon after, Dr. Octopus, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Rumlow joined them. The six Avengers surrounded Venom in a tight formation.

"You're outnumbered, Eddie," Tony said, his voice firm. "There's no way out. Surrender now."

Eddie—his voice blending with Venom's—replied coldly, "Opportunities aren't given. They're created. And as for who's surrounded…" He paused for effect, "…it's not us—it's you."

The Avengers froze, momentarily caught off guard.

Suddenly, Tony's sensors picked up a strange energy surge. Space itself seemed to distort and ripple around them.

"This... this is…" Tony's mind raced. "A teleportation device?"

He barely finished the thought when space folded, and a wave of blinding light enveloped the rooftop.

…

patreon.com/Vks_sh