[WEDNESDAY, 0545 HOURS - TRAINING FACILITY, DAY THREE]
Eddie Brock was already in the training room when Peter arrived for the morning session, drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
"How long have you been up?" Peter asked, watching Eddie pummel a heavy bag with methodical precision.
"0400. Couldn't sleep." Eddie didn't stop hitting. "Haven't been able to sleep properly since they took him from me. Six months of nightmares."
HE SUFFERS. THE SEPARATION WOUND DOES NOT HEAL.
Can you help him? Through me? Some kind of... connection?
PERHAPS. IF HE PERMITS IT.
"Eddie," Peter said carefully. "Venom says he might be able to help. With the nightmares. The phantom pain from the separation. It would require physical contact—symbiote to human—but it could ease the symptoms."
Eddie stopped mid-punch, turning to face Peter. "Do it. Please. Anything to make it stop."
Peter approached, letting the symbiote flow across his hand. "This might feel weird."
He placed his palm against Eddie's shoulder. The symbiote extended tendrils, touching Eddie's skin, and Peter felt the connection snap into place—
—screaming, always screaming, something vital torn away, emptiness where wholeness used to be, searching desperately for the voice that's no longer there, the presence that made him complete, two days of perfection followed by six months of hell—
Peter gasped and pulled back, Venom retracting quickly.
THE TRAUMA IS SEVERE. WORSE THAN I THOUGHT. HIS BODY REMEMBERS THE BONDING. CRAVES IT. THE SEPARATION WAS... VIOLENT. CRUEL. THEY DID NOT SEVER THE CONNECTION CLEANLY.
"What did you see?" Eddie asked, his voice rough.
"Pain. Loss. How they separated you—it was like ripping off a limb while you were conscious. Eddie, I'm sorry. I had no idea it was that bad."
"Now you know why I can't stop looking. Why I'll do anything to get him back." Eddie's eyes were haunted. "When we were bonded, I was whole for the first time in my life. Every mistake I'd made, every failure, every regret—it didn't matter. We were something better together. And then they took that away."
I CAN EASE THE PAIN. SLIGHTLY. BUT ONLY REUNION WILL TRULY HEAL HIM.
Peter relayed this. "Venom can help a little. Reduce the phantom pain. But you won't be whole until you're reunited with your symbiote."
"Then let's make sure that happens. Soon." Eddie returned to the heavy bag, hitting harder. "Training. That's what I can control. Making myself strong enough, fast enough, good enough to get him back. So let's train."
HE HAS WARRIOR'S SPIRIT. BROKEN, BUT UNDEFEATED. HE WILL BE VALUABLE.
The rest of the team filtered in over the next fifteen minutes. Gwen looked more awake than yesterday—apparently her symbiote was helping her adjust to the brutal schedule. Harry, Ned, and MJ looked progressively more dead inside.
"I hate mornings," MJ groaned, nearly walking into a wall. "I hate exercise. I hate everything about this."
"You love being part of something important," Norman countered, appearing with his usual energy. The man never seemed tired. "Now, today's focus: integration. Eddie joins team exercises. Let's see how he fits."
The morning workout was even more intense with Eddie added to the mix. The man was in excellent shape despite months of deteriorating living conditions—clearly he'd been training obsessively.
Norman had them running partner drills. Peter was paired with Eddie for obstacle courses that required coordination and trust.
"Left side!" Eddie called out as they approached a wall.
Peter went left, webbing the top and pulling them both up. Eddie grabbed the edge, using Peter's momentum to swing himself over. They landed in sync, already moving toward the next obstacle.
GOOD. HE ADAPTS QUICKLY. ANTICIPATES YOUR MOVEMENTS.
By the end of the session, they were operating with surprising efficiency. Eddie's decade of extra life experience showed—he was tactical, patient, and despite his desperation, he stayed focused on team objectives.
"Not bad," Norman admitted. "You two work well together. Natural synergy."
BECAUSE HE UNDERSTANDS. HE HAS BEEN BONDED. HE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO SHARE YOURSELF WITH ANOTHER.
During breakfast, Eddie sat with the group, and for the first time, Peter saw him relax slightly. Ned was explaining his monitoring systems, and Eddie was offering suggestions based on his journalism experience.
"When I was investigating corporate corruption, I had to track multiple data streams simultaneously," Eddie said. "You need redundancy. If they shut down one surveillance source, you have three backups."
"That's smart," Ned said, already typing notes. "I was relying too heavily on hacking into existing systems. I should be creating our own network."
"Exactly. Trust nothing you don't control."
MJ was studying Eddie with her journalist's eye. "You were good at your job. Before the scandal. I read your exposés. They were solid work."
"Thanks. Doesn't change the fact that my career ended because I trusted the wrong source." Eddie's expression darkened. "Learned that lesson the hard way."
"Trust is complicated in this line of work," MJ said. "But this team—we have to trust each other. No secrets. No going rogue. Can you handle that?"
"I'm here, aren't I? Letting strangers help me with the most important thing in my life." Eddie met her gaze. "I can handle it."
The power development session brought new revelations. Norman had Eddie working with specialized equipment designed to detect residual symbiote traces.
"Even though you're not currently bonded, your body retains cellular memory of the symbiote," Norman explained, attaching sensors. "Your DNA has been slightly altered. Not enough to grant abilities, but enough to create compatibility. If you rebond with the same symbiote, the connection should be even stronger."
"How much stronger?" Eddie asked.
"Potentially powerful enough to rival Peter's bond with Venom. Maybe exceed it, depending on how your symbiote has developed in captivity." Norman pulled up the readings. "You have elevated adrenaline production, enhanced pain tolerance, and your neural pathways show unusual patterns—like your brain is still trying to connect with something that isn't there."
"Story of my life for six months."
PETER. ASK HIM ABOUT HIS SYMBIOTE. WHAT IT WAS LIKE. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND MY CHILD.
"Eddie," Peter said. "Can you tell us about your symbiote? What it was like when you were bonded?"
Eddie's expression softened—the first real peace Peter had seen on his face. "He was... intense. Aggressive. But protective. He called himself Venom, actually—took the name from my memories of what the pharmaceutical company called him. A 'venom sample.' He liked the irony."
MY CHILD TOOK MY NAME. THIS IS... SIGNIFICANT.
"He was angry," Eddie continued. "At the people who imprisoned him, at the researchers who experimented on him. But with me, he was different. Gentle, almost. He understood my pain—my failures, my isolation. We were both outcasts. Both alone. And together, we weren't anymore."
"What could you do together?" Gwen asked. "What abilities?"
"Strength—maybe fifty tons, the researchers estimated. Speed. Enhanced healing. Shape-shifting, though we didn't master it in two days. And this... this sense of knowing what the other was thinking. We didn't have to talk. We just knew."
COMPLETE BONDING. RARE. BEAUTIFUL. MY CHILD FOUND A WORTHY HOST.
"Venom says that's rare," Peter relayed. "Complete bonding where host and symbiote are perfectly synchronized."
"It felt perfect," Eddie said quietly. "For two days, I was perfect. Then they tore him away, and I've been broken ever since."
The emotional rawness in his voice made the room uncomfortable. Harry cleared his throat. "So when we rescue him—this symbiote—what happens? You just... bond again?"
"If he wants me," Eddie said. "If he hasn't been too damaged by what Alchemax did to him. If he even remembers me after six months of torture."
HE WILL REMEMBER. SYMBIOTES DO NOT FORGET THEIR PERFECT BONDS. NEVER.
"He'll remember," Peter assured Eddie. "Venom says symbiotes never forget perfect bonds."
Eddie's eyes closed briefly, relief washing over his face. "Then we get him back. Whatever it takes."
[1400 HOURS - TACTICAL TRAINING]
Norman had set up a complex scenario: hostage situation with multiple civilians, armed hostiles, and a ticking bomb. The team had to coordinate rescue, neutralization, and evacuation simultaneously.
They failed the first three attempts.
"AGAIN!" Norman's voice was harsh. "Eddie, you went for the bomb without securing the hostages first! Peter, your webbing blocked Gwen's line of fire! MJ, you broke cover without communicating! AGAIN!"
By the fifth attempt, they were starting to sync. Eddie's tactical experience helped coordinate movements. Peter and Gwen worked together, her electricity stunning enemies while his webs secured them. MJ and Ned disabled the bomb while Harry coordinated from overwatch.
"Better," Norman admitted. "Still sloppy, but better."
"How many scenarios do we have to run?" Harry asked, exhausted.
"Until you can do it in your sleep. Until it's instinct." Norman pulled up a new scenario. "Again."
During a break, Peter found Gwen in the locker room, staring at her hands as electricity danced across her fingers.
"You okay?" he asked.
"My power is growing faster than I expected. This morning, I accidentally shocked Ned when he handed me coffee. Didn't mean to. Just... happened." She looked up at him. "What if I can't control it? What if I hurt someone?"
CONTROL COMES WITH PRACTICE. TELL HER THIS.
"Control comes with practice," Peter said, sitting beside her. "A week ago, I accidentally broke my locker door. Yesterday, I caught an egg without crushing it. You'll learn."
"How do you stay so calm about all this? The pressure, the training, the upcoming mission—you act like it's all manageable."
"I'm terrified," Peter admitted. "Every moment. But I have you. I have the team. I have Venom. I'm not alone. Neither are you."
Gwen leaned against him. "The connection between us—through the symbiotes—it's getting stronger. Sometimes I can feel what you're feeling. Your fear, your determination, your..." she trailed off, blushing.
SHE SENSES YOUR ATTRACTION. YOUR DESIRE. THE BOND DOES NOT LIE ABOUT SUCH THINGS.
Privacy, please.
I AM PART OF YOU. THERE IS NO PRIVACY. BUT I CAN... MINIMIZE MY AWARENESS. TEMPORARILY.
Venom's presence receded slightly—not gone, but quieter. Background instead of foreground.
"My what?" Peter asked, turning to face Gwen.
"Your feelings for me. They're... intense. Through the bond, I can feel how much you care. How much you..." she met his eyes, "how much you want me."
Peter's face burned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable—"
"You didn't." Gwen's hand touched his cheek. "Because I feel the same way. The bond works both ways, Peter. You can feel me too, if you pay attention."
Peter focused on the connection between them, the thread linking their symbiotes. And there it was—Gwen's emotions, flowing through like music. Attraction. Affection. Desire. Trust. Love.
"Oh," Peter breathed.
"Yeah. Oh." Gwen smiled. "We should probably talk about this. About us. About what we want this to be."
"I want you," Peter said simply. "However you'll have me. As a teammate. As a partner. As... more."
"More," Gwen agreed. "Definitely more."
She kissed him, and the connection between them flared—two symbiotes recognizing their hosts' union, celebrating it. Peter felt Gwen's joy mixing with his own, felt her desire matching his, felt the rightness of it all.
When they broke apart, both were breathing hard.
"Tonight," Gwen whispered. "After training. Come to my room. We need to... talk. Properly."
SHE DOES NOT MEAN TALK.
I know what she means.
GOOD. DO NOT WASTE THE OPPORTUNITY.
[1900 HOURS - INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING]
MJ had made a breakthrough.
"I found him," she announced, pulling up a photo on the main screen. "Dr. Aaron Strickland. Current location, identity, everything."
The image showed a man in his fifties—sharp features, cold eyes, the look of someone who saw people as data points rather than humans.
"He's not at Alchemax headquarters," MJ continued. "He's operating out of a private facility in upstate New York. About two hours from here, actually. The facility is listed as 'abandoned' on official records, but satellite imagery shows heat signatures, power consumption, and vehicle traffic."
"That's where they're keeping the symbiotes," Eddie said immediately, leaning forward. "That's where he is."
CAREFUL. HIS OBSESSION MAKES HIM RECKLESS.
"We don't know that for certain," Norman cautioned. "It could be a secondary facility. A decoy."
"Or it could be exactly what we're looking for," Eddie insisted. "We should hit it. Now. Tonight. Rescue the symbiotes before Phase Two launches."
"Bad idea," Harry said. "We're not ready. We've only been training for three days. We don't know the facility's defenses, the personnel, the layout—"
"I don't care!" Eddie's voice rose. "Every day we wait is another day he's suffering. Another day they're torturing him. I'm not waiting."
"You don't have a choice," Norman said firmly. "We do this smart or we don't do it at all. Rushing in unprepared gets people killed."
Eddie stood abruptly. "Then I'll go alone."
HE WILL GET HIMSELF KILLED. AND MY CHILD WILL REMAIN IMPRISONED.
"Eddie, sit down," Peter said, his voice carrying Venom's authority. "I know you're desperate. I know you want him back. But if you go alone, you die. And if you die, who rescues your symbiote? Who gives him a host to bond with? Think."
Eddie's fists clenched, his entire body trembling with barely controlled emotion. For a moment, Peter thought he might bolt anyway.
Then Eddie collapsed back into his chair, head in his hands. "I can't... I can't do this anymore. Knowing he's close. Knowing he's suffering. It's killing me."
THE SEPARATION WOUND BLEEDS. IT WILL NOT STOP UNTIL REUNION.
Gwen moved to Eddie's side, her hand on his shoulder. Small sparks of electricity danced across her palm—not harmful, but soothing. Peter felt through their connection what she was doing: using her bio-electric powers to calm Eddie's nervous system, ease the panic.
"We will get him back," Gwen said firmly. "But we do it together. As a team. You're not alone anymore, Eddie. You have us."
Eddie took a shuddering breath, then nodded. "Okay. Okay. Together. But soon. Please. Soon."
"Four days," Norman said. "The gala is Saturday. We use that as our distraction. Half the team infiltrates the gala, gathers intelligence. The other half hits Strickland's facility, rescues the symbiotes. Two-front assault. Alchemax can't respond to both simultaneously."
"Who goes where?" MJ asked.
"Peter and Gwen at the gala—you're the most presentable, the most controlled. You can pass as my protégés without raising suspicion." Norman looked at Eddie. "You, me, and Harry hit the facility. Harry provides tech support. You and I provide muscle. MJ and Ned provide remote overwatch and coordination for both teams."
"I should be at the facility," Peter protested. "I'm the strongest—"
"You're also the face of The Web," Norman countered. "Spider-Man is known. If you're spotted at the gala during the facility raid, it provides alibis and confusion. They can't figure out how you're in two places at once."
STRATEGIC. HE THINKS LIKE A GENERAL.
"What about security at the facility?" Eddie asked. "Guards? Defenses?"
"Unknown. Which is why we need reconnaissance." MJ pulled up satellite imagery. "I can use drones to scout the perimeter over the next three days. Get us thermal imaging, security patterns, entry points."
"Do it," Norman ordered. "Harry, work with Ned on electronic countermeasures. We'll need to disable communications and alarms when we breach. Gwen, Peter—you need to learn high society behavior. The gala will have hundreds of wealthy, powerful people. You need to blend in."
"I'm from Queens," Peter said. "I don't know how to blend in with billionaires."
"I'll teach you," Harry offered. "I've been going to these things since I was eight. It's mostly just knowing which fork to use and pretending everyone's opinions are fascinating."
"Fantastic," Peter muttered.
The briefing continued for another hour—details, contingencies, backup plans. By the time Norman dismissed them, everyone was mentally exhausted.
Eddie caught Peter before he left. "Thank you. For stopping me from doing something stupid. For..." he hesitated, "for understanding. About the bond. About what it means to need that connection."
"I get it," Peter said. "If someone tried to take Venom from me, I'd burn down the world to get him back."
AS WOULD I. FOR YOU.
"Four days," Eddie said. "We can wait four days."
"We can wait four days," Peter agreed.
[2200 HOURS - GWEN'S ROOM]
Peter stood outside Gwen's door, heart hammering. Venom had receded as much as possible—still present, still aware, but giving them privacy.
I WILL NOT OBSERVE. THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR CHOSEN MATE.
Thank you.
BUT PETER? DO NOT BE FOOLISH. YOU ARE ENHANCED. YOUR STRENGTH COULD HARM HER IF YOU LOSE CONTROL.
I know. I'll be careful.
GOOD. NOW GO. SHE WAITS FOR YOU.
Peter knocked softly. Gwen opened the door immediately—she'd been waiting just on the other side. She wore simple sleep clothes, her hair down, face scrubbed clean of the day's sweat and grime.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey."
They stood there for a moment, the weight of what they both wanted hanging between them.
"Come in," Gwen said, stepping aside.
Peter entered. Her room was identical to his—small, functional, sparse. But she'd made it more personal: photos of her father, books stacked on the desk, her laptop showing equations she'd been working on.
"So," Gwen said, closing the door. "We should talk."
"About?"
"Us. What we want. What this is." She sat on the bed, patting the space beside her. Peter sat, carefully maintaining space between them.
"I like you," Gwen said simply. "Have for over a year. And now, with the bond, I can feel that you like me too. More than like."
"I love you," Peter said, the words coming easily. "I know it's fast. I know we're young. But I love you."
"I love you too." Gwen's smile was radiant. "And I want this. Want us. Want to see where this goes."
"But?" Peter heard the hesitation.
"But we're about to go into combat. Real combat. Against people who want to kill us. And I'm scared that if we do this—if we're together like this—and something happens to you..." She trailed off.
"Then you'd rather not have this at all? Not have us?"
"No. The opposite." Gwen turned to face him fully. "I'd rather have this. Have you. Have us. Even knowing it might end badly. Because not having it—not taking this chance—that would be the real tragedy."
Peter cupped her face gently, mindful of his enhanced strength. "Then we do this. Together. Whatever comes."
"Whatever comes," Gwen agreed.
She kissed him, and this time there was no hesitation, no holding back. Peter felt the connection between them flare, felt their symbiotes' joy at their hosts' union, felt everything align perfectly.
Gwen's hands found the hem of his shirt, pulling it up. Peter helped, tossing it aside. Her touch on his bare skin sent electricity through him—literal electricity, her powers responding to her emotions.
"Sorry," she gasped. "I'm trying to control—"
"Don't," Peter said. "I like it."
PETER. REMEMBER CONTROL. YOUR STRENGTH—
I know. I've got this.
They moved slowly, carefully, learning each other. Peter was hyperaware of his strength, constantly monitoring his grip, his movements, his pressure. Gwen's electricity danced across both their skins, adding sensation that was almost overwhelming.
When they finally came together, it was perfect—not because it was smooth or practiced, but because it was them. Two enhanced teenagers figuring it out together, connected by more than just physical touch. Connected by symbiotes that celebrated their union, by emotions laid bare through their bond, by love and trust and the certainty that this was right.
Afterward, they lay tangled together, Gwen's head on Peter's chest, his arms around her, both their symbiotes settled and content.
"That was..." Gwen started.
"Yeah," Peter agreed.
"The connection. I felt everything you felt. Every touch, every emotion, every moment. The bond made it... more."
THE BONDING ENHANCES ALL EXPERIENCES. PLEASURE. PAIN. JOY. SORROW. YOU ARE MORE ALIVE NOW. BOTH OF YOU.
"Venom says it's because of the bond," Peter relayed. "We feel everything more intensely."
"I'm not complaining." Gwen kissed his chest. "Peter?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me something. Promise that no matter what happens—at the gala, at the facility, after all this is over—we stay together. We fight together. We face everything together."
"I promise. Whatever comes, we face it together."
They stayed like that for hours, talking quietly, occasionally kissing, mostly just being together. Eventually, they both drifted off to sleep, still intertwined.
Through the bond, their symbiotes maintained a gentle connection—Venom and White Widow, parent and offspring, watching over their hosts with ancient, protective awareness.
The week was halfway over.
The storm was coming.
But tonight, Peter and Gwen were simply together.
And that was enough.
TO BE CONTINUED...