Riot roared in frustration, especially as he was being beaten relentlessly. He couldn't understand how this useless being, this "reserve food" he had captured, had become so strong, so terrifying.
But Riot's not-so-clever brain quickly put the pieces together. It wasn't the useless being who was strong; it was his host. Not only that, but the host hadn't taken control of his body. Maybe he couldn't, or maybe he didn't want to, but in short...
This wasn't a worthless black symbiote that had taken over a human body; it was a powerful native being enhanced by a symbiote. And this being was hitting him, again and again. The immense power raining down on his head left Riot dazed and confused.
This was too much.
Feeling the terrifying power of the human, Riot finally unleashed his own. But instead of knocking out Spider-Man, he broke through the floor to escape. After punching through several floors, Riot and Spider-Man fell to the ground. By now, the S.H.I.E.L.D. evacuation broadcast was on, and agents were retreating from the area.
Riot sprouted a large number of biological whips from his back, lashing out at the agents who hadn't gotten away yet. Peter immediately intervened, shooting out webs from his hands while Venom sprouted tentacles from his back, trying to block as many whips as possible. But the symbiote whips created by Venom were far fewer than Riot's. Four of them managed to become blades and pierce the bodies of four tactical agents.
Then, a shocking scene unfolded. The four whips didn't just pierce the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; symbiote biomass spread from them, instantly engulfing the four agents. They, too, became monsters covered in symbiote, though they were smaller and needed to be connected to Riot by a whip.
Peter's eyes widened. "What the hell is that?"
He hadn't read many comics, but wasn't Riot supposed to be a guy who got one-shotted by Anti-Venom? How did he have this move?
"You didn't think I was called Riot just because I'm good with whips, did you?" Riot said, then paused, thinking for a moment before grinning with his sharp fangs. "Yeah, I am good with whips. All kinds of whips!"
"Let them go!"
Peter used his superior strength to pull Riot back and landed another punch. Riot was furious that the worthless symbiote had found such a powerful host, and even more so that it was subservient to his will. He roared, "You coward! Make him come out! Let the coward come out!"
[Is he talking to me?]
Venom seemed to realize something and became a bit flustered. Peter asked, "Are you afraid of him?"
[Now? No.]
Venom instantly let go of the tentacles that were holding back Riot's whips, snatched the weapons from the controlled soldiers, and transformed into a symbiote form even larger than Riot's. He roared at Riot, the immense sound making Riot a little unsteady. He looked at the tall and fierce Venom and, in a fit of jealousy, let out a roar just as loud.
"You stupid idiot! I'm far stronger than you now. I'm not a coward."
Venom charged forward, taking large strides, and kicked Riot. "I am Venom! And I'm far beyond you now!"
Riot, who was kicked a great distance, let out a cackling laugh. He took advantage of the distance to unleash his whips, piercing more and more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and turning them into his puppets.
Venom awkwardly said, "Oh," then charged at Riot, his back tentacles holding four assault rifles. He fired a series of shots at Riot, the bullets making his symbiote surface extremely unstable. Then, Venom roared and leaped high, his hands morphing into claws, and he slashed a huge wound across Riot's chest.
Riot was stunned, then burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
"Hahahaha! Is that it? Is that it? You found such a powerful host, and all you can do is make your claws sharp?!"
Riot mocked him mercilessly, then pulled one of his controlled symbiote soldiers and fused it into his own body. His tentacles then turned into a cannon and he pointed it at Venom's jaw, firing bullets made of human bones one after another. Venom awkwardly dodged them, then simply swung his fists and started pummeling Riot.
Riot summoned his controlled minions, and they all swarmed Venom. Venom roared, tearing them apart one by one, but there were too many of them to deal with. Riot turned his arm into a blade, ready to finish him off. But at that moment, a figure fell from the large hole they had made. Cindy, with a mask covering her face, kicked Riot away. The kick dazed Riot for a moment, but he quickly realized that this girl was a superhuman, too.
Isn't this a perfect host?
Riot lunged at Cindy, but an arrow flew past him. Riot, who had read human memories, smiled disdainfully. A bow and arrow? What could a bow and arrow do?
In the next moment, an incredibly sharp, high-frequency sonic blast echoed among the symbiotes. The whips Riot had used to control the others all snapped due to the sound waves. Both Venom and Riot showed signs of immense pain, but Venom was able to quickly retreat into Peter's body, while Riot was met with Spider-Man's iron fist.
"Just like every time, these superhumans always need a little surprise in the end," Hawkeye said as he walked over, bow in hand. But Riot was already being pummeled by both Spider-Man and his webs. Peter grabbed the sonic arrow and punched Riot in the face again and again.
For some reason, Riot was incredibly tough and still hadn't collapsed. It wasn't until he fell onto a manhole cover that he quickly separated from his host and escaped down the sewers. Peter opened the manhole cover, but there was nothing inside. He dropped the sonic arrow down, but there was still no sound from Riot.
"A symbiote causing a riot in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters." Peter looked at Hawkeye. "What does Nick Fury say?"