Wanda took a deep breath, “sorry,“ and Peter shook his head.

“Crying is a good thing, but it was just a vision, nothing real. I mean, you've been in my head and yeah, just like um, a bad dream, what matters is what's next, so uh, your dad mentioned coming back to the States. If you want, and uh, my boss agrees we can try the Shield thing for real, I mean, it's not really up to me but I'm sure they won't say no.”

Wanda laughed, “big man huh?” and Peter smirked and shrugged.

“No, I just think more’s going on that my boss let on, and they need a group of people who’ll,“ he hummed and shook his head, “who’ll maybe not be too upset at the idea of cracking skulls, kinda like you. Do I think you’re a bad fit, no, but as I said, it's not up to me.”

“But that means leaving,” Wanda said, frowning and Peter shrugged again,

“Your dad is anyway, Pietro was packed last I saw him so, I guess the only one with an issue is you,” but as they drove Wanda was quiet again, and Peter left her to her thoughts to enjoy the scenery. This was the first time he had ever left the States and while the Spruce tree's and rolling snowcapped hills were nice, it wasn't home. It wasn't until they got closer to Novi Grad that the first obstacle appeared.

“There,” and Wanda pointed. Peter could see the roadblock ahead, a line of soldiers with strangely shaped rifles were hiding behind the barbed wire covered barricade.

“Might as well stop, you know it's us they're waiting for,” and Wanda pulled over.

“Hey shitheads, want to surrender now?” and the answer he got was a cloud of blue energy shot at him. Wanda conjured a red energy shield and it deflected harmlessly away but she looked pained, her powers could stop the blasts but not easily.

“Can you not antagonise the soldiers?” she said, wrapping red energy around herself and Peter laughed,

“It's kinda my thing,” his symbskin armour solid out and now as he towered over Wanda “as is this.” Venom lifted the car and taking aim threw it as the barricade. Pulling back he sprang forwards and landed amongst the scattered soldiers. He skillfully avoided the blue blasts the more capable soldiers were firing at them but with Wanda deflecting them away, their actions were futile.

Sending out web after web, anyone stupid enough to move was webbed down and contained. Rifles were grabbed and pulled from hands, uncaring if the soldier wielding it was dragged along with it, Venom systematically took out each soldier one by one.

Venom stood as the last soldier groaned on the ground, Wanda floating over. They both paused as they heard the sound of someone clapping.

“Very well done, Mr Parker. MODOK was correct. You are indeed a great specimen. However, I am disappointed in you Ms Maximov. Did we not keep our end of the bargain, and yet here you are, with the enemy?” The voice echoed out of a speaker on the soldier's APC, and Wanda and Venom approached it cautiously.

But Venom frowned, who the hell is mo doc? or does this guy just have a really bad accent?

“Of course, the men were merely a distraction,” and as the speaker crackled and went silent, two hatches hissed and opened. From within the vehicle, several drones flew straight up,

“Well, shit,” Venom said, “Drones. Oscorp used them to hunt me before,” and as he shot out a fine net of webbing they spun and the webbing was shredded, “and I guess they learned.”

“Drones? You send drones against me?” and as Wanda floated up the red energy on her hands flew forwards in a cloud, wrapping itself around the drones and as they whined and squealed she crushed them all.

“Of course not,” and a blue bolt of energy shot out from the vehicle. A hidden sniper remaining out of the pair's reach. As it hit the red energy of Wanda's shield it dissipated, and she tumbled towards the ground. Venom dived forwards and uncaring where his hands ended up, stopped her from hurting herself and shot out a dart of web at the now open hatch, covering it partially.

As another hatchway opened with another sniper, and more drones flew from the top of the vehicle. Shit, Venom thought, he recognized the energy weapons as the same type Carol described, made from the Space Stone energy. Using the Mind Stone they knew it was the safest bet to neutralise Wanda if she ever got free, he wondered if even her power could stop the molecular disintegration effect they had seen. A shield was one thing but she needed to remain vigilant to deflect the attack. A hidden bullet or blast could end her life, and now Venom knew that whoever was in command here wasn’t playing to capture, this was now life and death.

“You okay?” He asked her and even as she blushed, his hand resting awkwardly between her legs he put her down and then leapt at the drones, with sniper and flyers they would be quickly overwhelmed, “take out the drones,” Venom yelled, and as he flew through the air he shot out a large stream of sticky web fluid at the truck, covering as many apertures as he could see, as he flipped away the drones bussed around him, razor-edged blades designed to slice through his symbarmour and Wanda weaved and waved her hands as she grabbed them and pulled them away. As he sprayed another vent he made sure the webbing was toxic, the soldiers outside could be checked for a collar but those in the ATV’s were too dangerous to let live.

This didn’t make sense to Venom, they should know that she could defeat the drones and that he could take out the snipers, so why? “Shit,” he cursed. “Wanda, can you sense anyone nearby?” as he extended his senses, even as he strained he couldn’t feel anything and even Wanda shook her head. “This is too easy, I think we’re being watched, analysed for a much harder fight,” he tutted, wrong senses dumbass.

Venom had expected a soldier but he found a drone, laden with cameras, and to his technopathic abilities lit up like a Christmas tree. He could see the various emissions it was given off and he realised that this was just like Huntress, he was seeing the electromagnetic spectrum and if he could see that, then he could see it all.

Wanda, right there, he sent to her and as she narrowed her eyes at the psychic link she squinted and a bolt of red shot from her hands, the drone exploding in a small ball of red and blue energy.

I would prefer you stay out, Wanda sent back, understanding now why her father hated telepaths so much, the contact was personal and overly familiar. Peter or whatever he was was not just sending thoughts but feelings as well, his frustration at the spy camera, the anticipation of a fight, the worry about his loved ones, and his arousal at the thought of seeing them again, and something she didn’t expect, concern that Wanda was okay, that she was unhurt and more importantly, safe. you send too much, not just a message but everything, stay out.

Venom felt a door slam as she erected some kind of barrier against him, rude but cool, he mused. Wonder if she’d teach me? He let out a breath and pondered what exactly to do with the men in the ATV, the soldiers on the ground were all still but he couldn't feel the stones influence on them.

“Sorry,” he whispered and let his newfound ability wash over them. As he touched their minds he felt their hatred, fear, anger, and a prominent thought, kill us and another will take our place. These men were indoctrinated, a cult of some kind existed within Shield but no matter how hard he pushed he couldn't find out more. As he tested his powers the men screamed and twisted.

“Stop,” Wanda grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away/ “You can't. Even they don’t deserve torture,” but Venom shook his head.

“They aren't Shield, there is something else going on here. The war, the riots, everything is connected. I only got bits but it's been planned, this is a set-up. These men aren't innocents Wanda, plus uh, we already killed those guys,” and Venom pointed at the ATV, covered in a thick layer of webbing. Whoever was in there had slowly choked as they fought the drones.

Wanda stared at him and then at the ATV, she tried to sense the men within and there was nothing. He was right, she had just killed those men. Even if it was Venom, she was a part of it and he stood stoically as she bent over and was sick. 

Collapsing on the ground she shook her head, “I never wanted to,” and she stared up at him. “Why? Why are you okay with this? You’re a monster” and she shook her head, “I’m a monster.”

Peter looked at her, his face a hard mask, “Your dad kills some soldiers and you’re fine with that but this is upsetting?” Peter sighed, “people don’t like us, not you and me but people like us, those with powers. They’re scared, scared we’re the monster they grew up hearing about, and they’ll try to kill us just for existing. These men, they’d kill us without blinking, they got what they deserved. They’re the monsters, Wanda, we never even got a chance to surrender.” leaning over Peter took one of the rifles, its power pack still glowing a bright blue.

“These, these aren't bullets,” and pointing at one of the men he fired and he didn't even scream as he evaporated into dust. “They would have killed us, no questions, no cuffs, just dead. It sucks, it's hard, but they’re the ones we were warned about, the bogeyman that comes for you and won't stop, won't listen.” 

Peter made his way around each of the soldiers, firing at them one by one until the road was silent and only he and Wanda remained.

“This is war, your dad hid but I don't get that choice, I've been outed. I've got family and loved ones to protect, I'm not the monster here, they are.” Venom let his symbskin envelop the weapon and as the energy touched his cells he felt a rush, like a drug, as he drained the battery dry. One by one each weapon was neutralised and Wanda stared at him, unmoving, watching him as he went about his work.

“Go home Wanda, your dad and brother are worried about you, this,” Venom shook his head. “I made peace with killing a long time ago. Some people won't stop until the blood runs and locking them away doesn't cure that, the hate doesn't end until they do.“

Venom rested a hand against the web covered ATV and as his webbing touched the solidified mass it began to melt and shrink back. “I’ll face my reckoning when I'm done, but it’ll be alone and no one can share that burden with me, but” and he shrugged, ”not today,” pulling open the hatch at the back of the ATV. 

Inside he saw the two snipers bodies, webbing them and pulling them from the vehicle he took their rifles and shot both bodies, evaporating them. “Today I go fuck up some maniac with a fetish for ray guns and killer robots.” and he let his armour slip back into his regular clothing, Peter bundled the drained weapons into the ATV and searched for the keys.

Wanda lifted herself up and brushed the dirt from her legs. Her eyes and hand glowed red for a moment and a set of keys flew towards her, “you can’t drive idiot,” and she unlocked the driver side door and sat adjusting the seat, "plus, who else will listen to those speeches? If you ever stop being an ass you should write birthday cards, for assholes." and he laughed.

“I can learn. To uh, drive, not write cards,” Peter said, chuckling, and he motioned to the locked passenger side.

Wanda rolled her eyes at him and waved a hand, as the red energy lifted the lock Peter climbed in, “so, music?” and Wanda just shook her head as she got the ATV into gear and the pair drove off, heading towards whatever trap had been set for them in Novi Grad.