Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Six. Life In Motion

The days after the incident were quiet, life moved on for those in the warehouse but the women still took turns to make sure Peter was okay. Even if he made jokes about everything, even if their times together were the same, it felt different, he felt different and nothing could shake him from his mood.

MJ, however, was on cloud nine as she served a coffee to one of the regulars, the sweet old man thanked her and took off his glasses to clean the steam from them. She’d gotten an interview for a commercial. It was for skin cancer and she’d had to do several shots in nothing but a swimming costume. she’d lied and told the producer she had one and used Muse to shift into something appropriate. 

Even if Muse made a gagging noise in her mind when they smeared fake sun cream on her for a lighting test, she kept her professionalism and after she’d done their few tests they’d nodded to one another and a date had been set. The producer and the director both agreed that MJ was a natural and they both not just took her card but gave her their own. MJ called her agent and the contracts were going to be sent over and signed, all she needed to do was tell everyone the good news. Hearing another table ring for assistance, she grabbed her notepad and smiling went back to work.

At work herself, Gwen was daydreaming about Felicia. The analyser would take a while, long enough to be boring but short enough to wait for but right now Gwen had seen Huntress's new outfit. A slick black bodysuit, tiger stripes up each side and the half mask style she'd used a black cat and with the small cat ears on top Gwen discovered a new kink, women in tight leather with cat ears.

"Earth to Gwen," said a soft voice next to her and coming out of her daydream she saw her new supervisor pointing at the machine, it had finished its cycle and needed to be emptied.

"Sorry doctor, girlfriend issues."

The woman grinned, "when I was a student I had several boyfriends and girlfriends. Of course, I was a lot younger then and times were not as tolerant, but having said that, you really need to make sure you pay attention, that sample is ruined and needs to be redone."

Gwen soured, "sorry boss, I'll pay more attention next time."

"Next time is tomorrow. It's quitting time. While I won't write you up Gwen, you do need to be more careful." She shook her head, even though she knew a simple mistake like this at Oscorp could get her fired.

"I will," Gwen grabbed her jacket and left. Unaware of the shadow tailing her.

As she made her way through the parking garage to the west side exit, a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness. One hand over her mouth muffled her voice but surprisingly to the man, she didn't scream.

He pushed her down, "not so tough now bitch," he said, an evil grin on his face. As he pulled out a small revolver he pointed it at her, "they fired my ass you bitch, easier than a lawsuit they said. So now, yeah now I'm gonna do what you accused me of."  The gun clicked as he pulled back the hammer. "Make a sound and you die."

He pulled apart Gwen's legs and failed to notice the look in her eyes as he undid his belt pulling open his trousers.

There was no need to tell Peter about this, no need at all and she clamped one hand over his mouth the other grabbed his wrist and twisted the gun from his hand. Then she tore at him, a black claw extending and digging to the flaccid flesh at his groin. As he tried to scream the thick webbing smothered him but she made sure not to suffocate him. 

Rapists were scum, rich rapists were just rich scum, and as her fingers dug and ripped his manhood out at the root she let Poison envelop her. 

They would have fun, yes they would, no need to tell the Peetie Pete, no evidence for afters either and as urine and blood squirted out of the ruined hole in his crotch, the man passed out while Gwen began to take her revenge.

The bubbling decaying pile was left dissolving in the back of the parking garage. Poison shed all the man's disgusting blood and skin from herself and left it all to be washed away by the rain. A storm drain was the perfect place to hide all that remained of the body, not that with Poisons strongest acid web there was much left.

Gwen realised that she enjoyed that, and now she knew why Peter did his patrols. She could see herself revelling in taking out those who would rape or murder, a tragic irony considering she just killed someone. 

Gwen had no idea how many women fell victim to this man but she did know that there would be no more. She thought of Peter and she realised what he was hiding. It wasn't guilt at killing someone, it was the guilt of doing so for people who didn't or couldn't understand. She now knew though, some people deserved death. Rapists, paedophiles, and the lowest of the lowest scum, those that hurt their family. As she headed home she thought she would have a heart to heart with him, and if Poison behaved, show him just how much she appreciated what he did for them.

As Gwen went about her day, Felicia was also thinking about her, thinking it'd be great to have someone here who could make sense of some of this crap she'd found. In one of the drug dens, they found a light blue formula and keeping their promise of non-involvement Gwen wasn't told about it. Sure there were records of MGH in the books but not to say what it was or what it did. Just that a few of the street gangs had been buying it before territory wars.

The sheets of formulas were gibberish to her, and while Alexsi had scribbled "Oscorp?" in one corner there was nothing to indicate where it was coming from. It got added to the ‘Shit to end’ pile, the one Peter and she had made of the really bad stuff, list of kills squads or dens where rape and torture were a paid privilege, shit even she'd almost thrown up when she heard of a place called ‘the farm.’

The surface looked calm and clean but stick a hand down far enough and all the shit and filth the world had to offer was there waiting for you. Huntress and Venom would be busy for a while, there were still places that needed to be burned to the ground in New York. Hives of scum and villainy that went past the outlandish and straight into pure evil territory, and she would enjoy taking them out.

Maybe the house, the wife, and kids were just a pipe dream for people like her, while Gwen and MJ ran in cleaner circles, professionally working with their brains or their bodies she was daydreaming about working with her fists. Maybe once she found her dad she told him to shove his cat burglar schtick and go for the big times, be the boss, not the muscle. 

Maybe Peter was right, drugs, girls, a whole lot of shit stank in the world but maybe if there was a set of rules, a set of bosses that made sure the junkies got the clean gear and didn't steal or commit crimes, maybe if the girls were looked after and the sex industry was regulated, that both could coexist.

She stretched back in her chair, moaning as the ache in her muscles complained about being sat hunched over for too long. It had only been a week, but a week of paperwork was a lifetime prison sentence to Felicia, she was a thief, not an accountant and really, she wanted Peter here to do all this. 

She admitted to herself that with the symbiotes, the warehouse, and with both Gwen and Peter that she started to feel this was a home, not just a place for her to sleep. Even MJ, who she’d never had anything in common with, was warming to her and they’d shared a few good times together. 

Of course, Peter was the glue that bound them here, she looked forwards to his touch and she more looked forwards to him crawling into bed with her and Gwen, his hands gently caressing them both. Maybe she could ask if they could repeat Thanksgiving again, 

and maybe a back rub, Huntress thought and Felicia smiled at the thought of that and more, he was good with his hands after all. She stood and heard the door buzzer go, waiting and listening she heard who it was, oh fuck that she thought and went back to the paperwork she had been ignoring for the past 6 months.

With everyone at work and Felicia sorting out the files from Alexsi, Peter was by himself in the warehouse. The scene played over in his mind, he'd caused the accident, firing off webs at John but that fucker had shot Felicia in the head with a high calibre rifle. If that had been Gwen or MJ he'd be at a funeral right now. He clenched his fists and shook his head, no more.

He was drawn out of his musing when the door buzzer went, he flicked on the camera and gritted his teeth when he saw who it was. "What the fuck do you want Flash?" he spat through the intercom.

"Let me in shithead, we need to talk, and not out here." Peter considered telling him to fuck off, but no, he wanted to bring Flash here and finish it, maybe beating Flash for a while would lift his mood and he hit the door buzzer.

"What the fuck is this shit Parker?" Flash exclaimed as he saw the interior of the warehouse and Peter just ignored him, moving over to the breakfast table. "No coffee? Poor manners Parker," Flash snorted.

"Cut the shit Flash, why are you here? In fact, why aren't the cops kicking my door in with tanks and bombs?"

"Eddies gone, heard Philly but who knows right?"

"Or cares Flash. What do you want?"

"Yeah and uh, I'm leaving too, going abroad till this all settles. So the task force is gone, hear they're pulling in some real badasses to catch you though."

Of course, Flash wasn't about to admit that his father suggested dumping the whole mess onto Venom. Any reasonable lawyer would poke holes in the murder charges and even accidental death was pushing it. Venom on the other hand was already wanted and wouldn't step forwards to try and clear his name and now, while Eddie and Flash were under scrutiny, they were free.

"Your point Flash." Peter was losing his patience, maybe it was time for the beating.

"Parker, I didn't come here to fight, hell, I don't even want to be here but it, the uh, symbiote made me, it wanted to warn you, there's more of them, Peter, more than just the one you have. Like a whole bunch more."

Peter stroked his forehead, "fuck," maybe coffee was a good idea.

"Look Parker, we both know these things are fucking scary, and there's more? Even if the ETF was up and running we weren't ready, John," Flash paused and balled his fists, "John knew we weren't ready. So it's all on you now, nobody knows who you are, I swear. " Flash ran his hands through his hair. "Shit, why is this so hard? Why do I know all these things about you? Why do I hate you but feel like shit for everything I ever did, huh?" Flash shook his head. "Do you know? Does it get better?" and he stared at Peter, an unfamiliar look of vulnerability on his face, "aww, fuck it, " Flash stood and was about to leave when Peter put a black coffee down in front of him, and Flash started at him and sat back down, adding in 6 sugars and cream to the cup.

Peter snorted, guess they all like sugar huh? he thought to himself.

"So uh, you and MJ huh?" And Peter shook his head and glared in warning.

Flash raised his hands in surrender, "Okay okay," as Peter walked away to make coffee for himself he wondered what the hell he was doing, but he felt better. Maybe knowing that Flash and Eddie were in just as much crap for that asshole's death was a good thing, maybe a problem shared was a problem solved, plus if the feds were too busy chasing them around, he'd get some peace.

His own curiosity also got the better of him. He had realised long ago that he didn't have a symbiote like the girls and now he knew what happened to it. 

While it was just a pity it ended up with the shithead he hated more than anyone, he still wanted answers. After the incident, he knew if Flash started anything he was powerless to stop Venom from taking revenge and with that realisation Peter finally felt a sense of calm. He was right, what he said on the rooftop, Flash was nothing compared to him.

With a strange sense of understanding, hiding a razor's edge that told him he should just beat the shit out of him and throw the body in the bay, Peter began to explain.

~

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