I wasn’t a what you’d call the most graceful person under pressure. So, when asked by a bored god what I’d like to take as a sort of bonus to my new life in a new world after falling off a cliff and having a long think about it…

I said I wanted to be like Venom of the spider-man verse. If the suit wasn’t insane and I didn’t go eating people, the sheer power it contained and could even gain was immense. There was a reason Venom was considered one of the more dangerous foes.

And that wasn’t even touching what the offspring could do later… well, it was a pretty fun choice.

The problem was I should have been more specific when I said this particular request. I considered my wording to be maybe not as clear as my human self began to loose physical skin… I was shrinking as my hair, my skin, my bones… it all became a single black puddle that could only stare up in horror as even my voice vanished.

I wanted to wear the suit! Not be the suit! But I was already being ushered off to my new life.

Now, I was maybe a bit confused and turned about. I just went from a healthy 27-year-old gal to a puddle of the symbiote. Now, the good parts of this was I was original sexy black. No looking like I was an ugly sweater or urine yellow or puke green.

Black never went out of fashion after all.

The second good thing was despite my monkey paw wish… I wasn’t being sent to hell and instead got a new life with a new twist.

The bad parts were that I was now a very needy puddle with sensitive ears and a no chance of getting a tan any time soon. Oh, I was also falling from the atmosphere to the polluted covered city below. I twisted and turned, able to keep most of my body into a rough ball with many flailing little tentacles. I felt the cold air… I felt the rushing wind. There was the logic here that despite my rising panic that I would feel pain too if I hit the ground.

I couldn’t really go splat because I already was a splat, to be honest.

‘Think! Think!’ I warned myself. What could I do in this state? Venom, the fully bonded human/symbiote version, had many options. I was only just one half of that equation right now and that meant…

Wait, what version of Venom was I? Was I Ultimate? 90’s?

Oh God… was I Spider-man 3 Venom!?

‘Mind, you are wandering again. Please focus on rapidly approaching ground!’ you screamed. Right now, all I had was the power to get a host and… wing it.

Wing it… host…

Wings. WINGS!

I had almost perfect 360 vision was a nightmare when you were falling but I soon spotted a shadow below. A seagull floating on a rising draft.

I gathered myself into a pinpoint mass and gathered speed. I hurled myself at the unaware bird, an eagerness not to hit the ground making me a silent hunter.

I was almost about to bring the creation ‘Venom Gull’ when my mass was moving in a fast motion in an almost spear-like shape did what spears did best at high speeds.

I shot through the bird in a cloud of feathers and bird guts.

I screamed louder.

‘When trying to get a host! DO NOT IMPALE THEM IN THE PROCESS!’ I told myself off and thankfully I had a second chance as the raining gore attracted more gulls like famished alcoholics to a buffet.

Seagulls would really eat anything… I shifted and when I was near an unsuspecting gull, the tops of buildings looking pretty damn close at this point, I spread myself like a sheet and soared gracefully like a flying squirrel right over it.

As amusing as it would be to just be a flying black sheet in this city and scaring people… as a Symbiote, I kinda needed friends.

Hosts, if you wanted to be rude about it.

And boy… let me tell you something. Having a host was like crack cocaine inside a birthday cake covered in chocolate as strippers, also made of chocolate, burst out and danced in celebration… with more chocolate.

I nearly sagged and laughed as I bypassed skin and sinew. Into the feathers and eyes. I infected and invaded the small light bones and brain…

I saw my self spread over the bird, protecting the soft host bird inside. My black skin smoothed and I saw that my default state it seemed was sleek and shiny.

I was wondering if I’d hulk people out like Venom or go more sorta swimmer as Spidey wears it. Maybe it depends on the person? The seagull was darker than the black sky. I flexed myself as the birdbrain just gave up control as if unable to really handle my sudden input of the senses and thought.

Sorry, little guy, this won’t be for long. The wings now had some very fine feathers, needing a lot less effort to move as my body gave the bird ample power to move. I was actually aware of my self purifying the chemicals in the bird that would cause exhaustion, repairing the body’s source of energy as I went.

I managed to use myself surface to get a clear picture of Venom Gull. It looked like a huge raven now with almost metallic beak and webbed claws. The tail feathers were also kinda odd as they were firm when in flight but became long lashing whips when in glide. The black film over the face was a bit creepy for myself so I tried to rearrange the pigments, a little trial and error by moving parts of tiny white specks within myself to the eyes.

Viola! Venom Gull now had two white patch eyes. The nice solid kind of Spider-Man. Not the claw-like gashes venom had that broke off to enhance his scariness.

Venom Gull was a force of good!

Then we were flying.

The darkest of nights! The strongest of birbs! VENOM GULL WILL CRAP ON YOUR EVIL!

I was laughing a little madly but I couldn’t help it. I was here… I was Venom! Give or take a few metres in height and fingers.

But still. Venom Gull was cool. After doing barrel rolls and some flips, were in the middle of that the bird itself became a little more awake and nudging us back into ‘safe’ space away from narrow alleys or where buildings lay. Memories of hawks and cats were ingrained hard into this bird. I couldn’t exactly talk or really share intent with my host. It was a bird after all. But it did seem to notice it wasn’t just an average seagull.

The sharp wing tips… the clawed feet… and yes… somehow I gave the bird fangs. I don’t even what to tell how kinda scary a seagull with fangs is. But he was my host and I was just along for the ride for now as I tried to push the need to explore the city a bit. I knew that I was in the world of DC comics and most cities weren’t looking like Edgar Allen Poe designed them so I have two ideas on where we were.

Bludhaven which was just depressing or Gotham which was depressing but had Batman. So it was like depression but you kinda get ice cream to make up for it.

Eventually, after getting nowhere with the bird I finally used a tentacle to just lasso the bird inwards and rewards it by flooding what little pleasure centres it had. Manipulative but the bird had claws and fangs. If I didn’t get some carrot and stick working, it would try seeing if it could eat people now.

I had to be strict if it wasn’t gonna listen.

The bird flew in and the small gap I had to look around confirmed it. Gotham City.

Home of well... a lot of things.

A lot of really screw up things.

Still, I couldn’t get rooted in ideas and things I had no idea about. DC had a few universes. This could be one with dark ‘trust no one and loose everyone’ Batman or it could be ‘scary but human’ Batman. Rule one was to assume nothing.

Rule two was not to impale hosts. Rule 3 was pending and I’m sure I’d get it figured out before the night was done.

I was loving flying and I knew this was a great time to just… relax and think. I was a Symbiote in DC Gotham. I was a brand new thing that just got turned loose into a city that had no idea I was here.

A girl could get away with a lot in these circumstances but… deep down I knew I could never be Carnage or Venom at his worse. I don’t think so anyway.

I don’t like pain. I mean fighting is fine if the person needs an ass kicking but that torture mental thing with Carnage was Cassidy the killer’s fault. The fucked human who fucked up a perfectly good Symbiote.

Eddie Brock was furious at Spider-Man that it fueled the Symbiote Venom’s own hurt at rejection and pain of being turned away into endless hatred.

Gotham City was below me like a playground and I knew I could do a lot of damage… worse if I was clever about it but I didn’t want to be another shitty thing in Gotham.

I wanted to be amazing.

Amazing Spider-Venom-Gull!

I made a mental note to check if I had any Spider-Man gifts… they would make or break my day. But I knew if I really wanted to test limits and see what was going on. I need something with two legs.

Wait, this universe had talking gorillas. I meant human! I waited for bored gods to throw giant apes at me but nothing happened.

Well, that was a small mercy.

I urged Venom Gull over rooftops and enjoyed the wind on our feathers. Sure, the city stank but at least it wasn’t green smoke and laughing gas.

I pondered my issue. I, the most humble and awesome puddle of awesomeness, needed a slightly awesome human to work as Venom Gal… or guy if I went inside a guy which was weird.

Something to think about later.

The issue was that Gotham had a lot of people. How did I just go about getting a host?

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Did I knock on windows with Venom Gull and ask if they want to talk about our lord and saviour, Venom Gull? It had potential but I decided to maybe try that as a last option.

What I needed was someone in need… but maybe I didn’t need to just choose my one and only host right away?

Maybe I should try helping and seeing how I find people?

I mean, not to brag because I am a humble puddle but I do give amazing powers just by living inside someone.

I mean Venom pretty much helped Brock with his cancer. But I didn’t know how fast I fixed human bones to giving someone a cleaning over and ridding them of a hangover. I needed facts. I needed science!

I needed sick people.

I turned Venom Gull to the hospital in the distance. An almost spooky building in itself.

‘Amazing-Doctor-Venom-Gull-Gal is on her way!” I cheered.

I think my bird just sighed.

Can birds sigh?

--

The plan was simple and Venom-Gull actually listened to me ramble I think. It was late and I was going to sneak in. Bond with someone, fix them up, and de-bond before I get attached and give them nicknames.

I was going to be cool beans about this. I detached from Venom-Gull, which was his name now. The normal seagull tilted its head and flapped its wings, watching me with beady red eyes as I slipped into the first room I had scouted out.

I did think Venom-Gull was going to leave but it… didn’t. It watched me as if something in it had changed.

Damn, I might have made an intelligent seagull. Was that a good thing? Questions for later. I was being a ninja puddle that about to humbly kicked illness’s ass. I slithered in… oozed in? Slucked in?

God, there were not good words to describe being a puddle in motion.

The person asleep was a middle-aged woman with a breathing mask. My eyesight was pretty good for the night. Her chart read as ‘Mary Allen’ and she suffered from…

Collapsed lung. Well, no illness but injuries were what a symbiote was good for as well! I gently crawled on to her bed and began the first contact.

I had a vivid flashback to Spider-Man 3 and if Mary Allen did an angry emo hair thing and danced in public, I’d set myself on fire and end this curse before it could spread.

A seagull was not the same as a human being.

I know this sounds rather stupid to state but I need to express how my body was just… keenly aware of how much better a human was than a bird.

Then I felt bad because Venom-Gull was awesome.

Then I was getting a rush of memories and scenes. I was still and lost as Mary Allen… Me… her… us? Her life was teased and as I flowed into her body, keeping blood from spiking as not to set off the monitors. I nearly wanted to just stay and hug this wonderful woman. A mother, a sister… a daughter. She loved bran muffins and thought giraffes were the best thing ever.

I loved Mary Allen more than I could ever explain.

I looked at her lung and almost snarled at how something had caused a mark upon this gentlewoman. The lung made sucking noises and the bone reset. I saw how something had impacted her hard. Her memories of a car.

Pain. I chased that memory away and let good dreams fill her wandering mind. Then I knew I had to go.

It hurt more than I was expecting but then I pictured forcing her to wear my suit. To fight and worry about her children. Force her to confront evil she didn’t deserve to see. Mary Allen would be powerful but I knew what that would do.

That thought made it easy to leave. Because I loved Mary Allen and I wanted her to have the best damn life.

That wasn’t with me. Not right now.

I slunk back to Venom-Gull and took haven in his body once more. He seemed to be waiting for this and took off.

Mary Allen would wake up to be 120%! Take that modern science! I felt pride but as Venom-Gull flew up and I saw the many… many windows of ill an sick people. My heart clenched at the thought of loving them all… and leaving them.

That was a whole lotta pain I wasn’t sure I wanted to do but… at the same time, knowing Mary would be pain free made me feel like a million bucks all the same.

Hm, I urged Venom-Gull to a Ward. This one I had zero problems breaking my heart over and over again. I had Venom-Gull nudge open the window and I slipped inside, with a lot more awareness than before.

The dark walls had large cartoon animals and cars, and other things.

But the many room occupants didn’t seem to match the cheer. It was good to see there wasn’t that many. Too many would be too much but the sleeping parents that lingered… and the nurses worked until they stopped jumping at shadows still made me feel like I had to do this.

I moved to the first bed and I cured cancer in an 8-year-old child with no hair.

I wept and I loved and I was happy.

I was gone before the sun came up.

----

“That’s nasty!” I cried as Venom-Gull eat a mouldy cheeseburger. The bird didn’t care and after last night. I was in no mood to do anything but just be.

I was in disguise as a black spot on Venom-Gull’s belly. In daylight, seeing a giant nightmarish seagull with fangs was probably not a good idea so Venom-Gull was being a normal seagull for time being.

I was so damn drained and I missed my humans. It was creepy but they were my humans! I knew them… learned of them… held them… let them go and I wanted ice-cream and a crappy sad movie for three weeks now. It was like a jagged raw hole in my head from jumping from person to person.

But as a general rule. Making 6-12-year-olds into fighters of crime was kinda morally dubious.

Sorry, Batman, I really don’t wanna throw shade and you had a good reason but it feels real shady to have a kid as a host.

Since sleep was kinda not happening it seems, I decided to have a little think party to myself to distract myself from the fact I don’t have my humans.

So, I thought about my weakness. If I was a new genetic sym, did I even have the ole fire and sound weakness? That had to be tested. What about kids? Was I going to be popping out little better versions of me? Venom-Gal and her 30 kids!

Adopt one now. Assholes need not apply.

Still, that little factoid was making me nervous. I could be as moral as I want but offspring were a little… well, let’s be blunt. They bond and then shape a personality.

I could maybe stop one generation down. If I was good and clever but what about the third or fourth? I’d be outmatched by my own offspring if they turned nasty. Which given the average plot twist or dumb luck in DC… was likely.

The only time to really deal with them was straight after birth when it was at its weakest but… killing innocent puddle babies was also rather shady as fuck. Potentials and what-ifs are good but I can’t be paranoid that much that I kill first and then feel bad…

I wanted to yell or scream in frustration.

Venom-Gull swallowed something that looked like a thong and I had clean his stomach before he died of blockage.

‘I got enough kids to worry about,’ I mumbled in my own head. From the local trashcan on Clark and Ables street, someone glared at Venom-Gull before chucking his crumpled newspaper at the ground.

Litterbug!

Venom-Gull hopped down and I stared at the front page.

“Miracle in Children’s Ward!” the headline screamed. A large picture of your humans! Venom-Gull stamped on the crumpled corners so it spread.

“5 children in the St Katherine Ward for Terminally Ill awoke this morning to find themselves cured of their various illness. Including one 5-month-old baby who had a defective heart. This has stumped local doctors and people are claiming Gotham has an angel watching over them.

“My baby boy is alive. I thought there was no chance. I was ready to say goodbye,”

The quote was from the exhausted mother in one of the chairs I had seen last night.

If I had a mouth or if Venom-Gull didn’t have a mouthful of banana peel, I would have smiled.

Now that was some good news! Amazing-Venom-Gull-Doctor-Gal kicks ass! Gal one, Death -

An explosion rippled along the street as an armoured truck raced along the sidewalk, making people scream as actual money notes floated out the back of the truck as a masked man opened fire on a chasing police car.

There was a hiss and the ground near the police cruiser exploded in fire and heat.

I stared, slack jaw as my black form emerged from the spot and just stared. I slowly turned to meet Venom-Gull’s blank expression. A bootlace halfway down his throat.

“Gull… spit that out or so help me- Never mind! Let’s go! Venom-Gull is going to shit all over their fun,” I ordered. I stretched and Gull became his black nightmarish bladed bird self. He stretched his wings. And he eyed the boot lase and I groaned as a long fleshy tongue lashed out from the beak and swallowed it before taking off.

I didn’t think Venom-Gull could take on rockets and all those guns but I was also pretty sure I wasn’t going to play fair. And… I actually didn’t know what I could do yet and sitting around being sad was just depressing.

If nothing else… this would let me know if I had danger senses. Sure, there were less extreme ways to test it but people needed me.

I was going to be amazing.

We were going to be amazing.