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In the ruins of the corridor, Jack had Alice by the throat, holding her against the wall.
"Long time no see," he repeated, smiling as if it were a friendly reunion.
Alice stared at him, bewildered. "You… know me?"
He grinned wider. "Of course. We know each other very well. And soon, we'll be one."
"What are you talking about?" Her voice was tight, confused, edged with fear.
"You'll understand soon enough."
His body began to shift, melting, liquefying into a writhing mass. Black tendrils snaked out, wrapping around her limbs and torso.
As they coiled tighter, her clothes dissolved into nothing, the liquid molding itself against her skin like a second layer.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Alice shouted, thrashing violently, but the tendrils only squeezed harder.
"Don't fight me. We are one!" Jack's voice came from everywhere, his face half-formed in the liquid, smiling.
The black mass surged, swallowing her completely.
Alice screamed—"No! Ahh!"—as the darkness consumed her. And then, in the aftermath, she stood transformed. A figure clad in a sleek, black battle suit.
Alice looked down at herself in shock, unable to understand what had just happened.
From the shadows, the little zombie girl Jack had abandoned lunged at her, jaws snapping, eager to devour.
Alice didn't even think. Her fist lashed out.
The blow connected with bone-cracking force, hurling the creature across the corridor. It smashed through a wall and vanished from sight.
Alice stared at her own hand, trembling.
"…This power… it's mine?"
Alice stared at the massive hole in the wall, eyes wide in disbelief. She slowly looked down at her own hands, unable to accept that she had done this.
"That's right. This is your power."
"Who's there?!"
Her head snapped around at the sudden voice, but the hallway was empty. No one was there.
"No… it's not someone else. It's… the suit."
The realization hit her. The voice was coming from the black outfit wrapped around her body.
Memories surged back. The black liquid had engulfed her, and when she regained consciousness, she had become… this.
Now that she finally understood, panic set in. Alice clawed at the black combat suit clinging to her body, desperately trying to tear it off.
But it was useless. The moment she ripped it open, the fabric dissolved into liquid and slithered back over her skin like it was alive.
Alice dropped to her knees, yanking at it with both hands, but she couldn't break free.
"Why are you afraid of me? We're one and the same. You need me, and I need you."
The liquid at her feet began to ripple, pulling away from her body. In front of her eyes, it twisted upward, taking on the monstrous shape of Venom, grinning with a devil's smile.
"I don't need you!" Alice shouted, tearing at the suit. "Get off of me!"
How could anyone feel safe with some unknown creature stuck to their body?
"Alice, don't fear me. You need my power."
Jack's voice echoed through her mind, calm and persuasive. Without his strength, Alice wouldn't stand a chance of escaping this place.
"I don't want your power! Get off me, now!" Alice screamed. She wasn't about to let some alien thing possess her—not without knowing what it was.
"You'll change your mind, Alice."
Jack smiled, patient, almost expectant.
Just then, the sound of running footsteps thundered through the corridor.
Alice's head whipped around just in time to see several Lickers charging straight toward her.
"Alice," Jack asked with a grin, "when the time comes to choose… do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
Alice froze. She knew the truth—on her own, there was no way she could take on that many Lickers.
But… with the same power that had just ripped a hole through solid concrete? Maybe.
"Fine. Let's do this," she said firmly. First deal with the monsters—then she could worry about the rest later.
"Excellent. From now on, we are one."
Jack's smile widened as the black liquid rushed back over her, swallowing her body whole until she was clad once again in the living black suit.
The moment it sealed around her, Alice felt it—her muscles tensing, her speed and strength surging higher and higher.
One of the Lickers lunged at her.
Alice reacted without thinking, her body moving on instinct. She slipped out of the way in a blur, landing lightly as the monster's claws tore through empty air.
"So fast…" she muttered in disbelief. That kind of speed shouldn't even be possible for her.
It had to be the suit. Somehow, it was amplifying everything she could do.
"Now… let me show you how to use it."
Jack's voice pulsed in her head. She didn't just hear it—she could feel it.
Following his guidance, Alice quickly began to test the suit's abilities, adapting with frightening speed.
Her natural combat instincts, paired with the suit's raw power, turned the Lickers into nothing more than sparring partners.
Within minutes, their bodies lay lifeless on the ground. Alice stood over them, breath steady, already moving like she had worn the suit for years.
"....."