Venom surveyed the scene before him.

There were two men. One in a full suit, covered head to toe in a thick, almost army-issue containment suit with a huge backpack. As he spoke his voice crackled as it came out from the helmet.

The other was wearing thick body armour. All grey with a helmet covering everything except his mouth. He must have really liked the Rhino theme, as it even had a stylised horn on the front.

He was huge and he towered over the chemsuit guy and the terrified woman. He was standing next to Gwen, and the trio looked terrified as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Look. Just give us the key, the code and we'll get out of your hair," he repeated. "Or otherwise I'm going to let Rhino here make your life short and very painful."

"Yeah, and it ain't gonna be pretty." Rhino said with a small smirk. "an' these kids are next."

Venom sneered as he threatened his friends again. He could imagine the grin on the lug's face, big dumb and violent. Just the type he wanted to beat up to get rid of some stress.

Looking around the diner he saw an empty booth and whipping a line out he angled himself. Leaping into the air he glided down, gaining momentum as he swung through the diner window.

Showering Gwen and MJ with shattered safety glass, his feet connected with Rhino. The impact sent him flying across the diner and smashing against the bar where he folded and went limp. The bar must have been reinforced as while the wood splintered it stayed mostly intact. 

One down. Ven thought as he prepared to deal with the other.

The chemsuit guy stood stunned, "Impressive. You know Marko said a big black man. What he failed to mention was a big spider sign on your chest. You're Venom aren't you?"

A whine started and two massive steel arms extended from his backpack. Each ended in three-fingered pincers which snapped open and closed menacingly.

"You are a distraction, nothing more." He backhanded the woman in front of him and she crumpled like a house of cards. One darted out and Venom ducked under it, avoiding the second as it followed.

"Ock here. We have resistance at the Diner, Switch to plan B." Ock spoke into a hidden headset. "No, stay there and finish your job."

The two mechanical arms darted forwards again and Venom ducked to one side. He covered them in webs, trying to gum up the pincers.

I need to get them out of the diner, no space to fight here. Venom thought.

Venom shot two lines at Ock. Which he caught with both mechanical arms. As they wrapped his arms he sprung out through the diner door and into the street, pulling Ock out with him. He then spun Ock around and crouching he leaned back and then with a leap, punched after him.

Ock had already freed himself and as the Venom barreled into him, the pair tumbled along the street.

"That hurt," Ock yelled angrily and the two arms arrowed straight towards him.

Venom ducked under both and was caught on the side by an extra two pairs, one grasping his arm and the other his leg.

Venom was thrown into a parked car, its steel and plastic frame crushed by his weight. He coughed and felt bile and cider rise in his throat, being thrown into a car had hurt, and now he was mad.

He stood roaring at Ock, who was now standing on the four arms, lifting himself off the ground. Venom punched a hole in the side of the car and ripping off the door he hurled it Ock.

Ock laughed, "Pathetic," as the car door flew past him. Such an obvious move wouldn't hit anything. Then pain exploded in him as Venom webbed the door and pulled it back towards him,

stupid, Ock thought to himself as he fought to right himself again, stupid stupid, not a fighter, and I won't win.

Venom was eyeing up another car when a huge grey armoured muscle freak ploughed into him

"Forgot about Rhino huh? Don't worry freak, I gotcha." Ock watched as Rhino straddled the stunned Venom and began to hammer his fists into his sides.

Ock's comms clicked,

"Doc, we have the code and the password, beginning the vault run now," the voice at the other end stated. There were two teams, and while the code and the key would have been nice, they were not necessary.

Ock clicked his comms twice, sending an affirmative. He didn't want to remain distracted. This black monster was dangerous and a moment's hesitation could kill them both.

As if Venom had heard him, he rolled and threw Rhino off him. Standing and roaring, the already bulky monster seemed to grow even larger. His arms and legs thickened and the black mask on his head stretched and split into a tooth-filled maw.

"We are VENOM!" His clawed hands dug into the trunk of a car behind him and he lifted it off the ground slamming it into the Rhino.

"Yeah, you ain't shit pal."  Rhino was back on his feet, and he wiped away a small trickle of blood from his mouth. "You want strength, there ain't nobody stronger than Rhino."

As the car came down Rhino let out his own punch and the car disintegrated into a pile of scrap. leaving Venom holding the car's trunk.

Tilting his head to one side, "that all you got?" Rhino banged his fists together and advanced. Venom grinned with a razor maw and swung the car's truck door at Rhino, sending him flying back into another car.

Rhino shook his head, shaking off the daze and grinned. “Two can play at that game,” he reached behind him and hoisted up the crushed car and tossed it at Venom.

Venom grabbed the car by its undercarriage and simply swung it back at Rhino in a perverse game of catch.

Rhino, seeing the tactics failed, tossed the car to the side and instead lined up a charge. Roaring as he drove his heavy bulk into Venom, who began to rain blows down on his back.

Ock wasn't stupid. Watching these two fight it out was a show unto itself, but he could feel as each hit thrummed through the air. His reinforced suit could take a few hits but this was something else.

Rhino ducked and weaved under Venom's punches and struck back with an uppercut. Venom just shrugged off each blow and returned his own.

Fist versus fist.

There was no finesse, no tactics here. Just brute against brute and the victor would be the one that hit the hardest. Right now, as dents were left in Rhino’s body armour, it seemed that Venom would emerge triumphant.

He tapped the side of his helmet, "Once the vault is open, convene on my location."

Too long and the cops would show. Even longer and the army would show once they knew supers were involved. This was supposed to be an easy snatch-and-grab. Announce their presence, intimidate the target and make a clean getaway.

"ETA one minute, vault penetrated, securing the package," came the reply.

He needed to stall Venom. After checking the police scanners he heard no chatter about the diner. At least that was still under control, five minutes and he formulated a plan.

"Rhino back off, get him to stay away from you. The others are on the way,"

Rhino grunted and kept his eyes on Venom as he moved away.

"We don't think so," Venom said as he followed.

Ocks arms intercepted him. They began to snake and dart out without warning, forcing Venom back, away from Rhino.

If he tried to go high, Rhino intercepted the leap and brought him back to the ground. He didn't fight back, he just retreated into the safety of Ocks arms.

The monster was strong and fast but he was alone. With two they could keep him contained long enough for their friends to finish with the vault. The job was on a timer, and they didn't have time to play games with the muscled freak.

I wonder if he is one of the ones who escaped, or if he's something else, Ock wondered. I would like to see what's under that suit.

Venom was getting tired of their stupid game. He sprang up and spun webs at Ock, trying to disable at least one of his arms.

As he leapt, his back exploded into a ball of pain. His muscles tensed from the electricity that stunned and paralysed him. He had been too focused on Ock and Rhino that he'd never noticed the pair sneaking up behind him. He knew he'd been played.

Through the haze of pain, he saw there were two more men.

Wearing the same style of armoured suits, one had a tan helmet on, covering a gritty and rough-looking face. The other had a skull cap, flickering with current as his skin shimmered blue.

Doc Ock lurched forwards and incapacitated Venom, wrapping all four limbs around him. He could feel the strain on his harness but for now, it was holding. "Well, don't just stand there, help me." Rhino saw the links of Doc's arms flex and buckle as Venom's muscles bulged.

Venom strained against the limbs but they had coiled around him, holding him tightly. He'd been too wrapped up with Rhino to notice the others moving behind him.

Venom had never considered electrocution would bypass the symbskin armour. Now he had another issue to solve.

"Electro, light him up, Doc, aim for the Prius on the right," Rhino called out, pointing off to a parked car.

Doc Ock lifted Venom to the complaint of his harness and launched him at the car.

The sudden pain brought him back to his senses. He shook his head, spotted Ock and tensed to leap. He felt the lightning arc its way towards him. Pain flowed through his body and Venom screamed as it lit his nerves with sparkling agony. The electricity arced to nearby cars. As it set off their alarms, the piercing sounds filled Venom with mind-splitting pain.

Steam rose off his body as the gauntleted villain let the arcing electricity die. "Hah! Take that you freaky fuck," he called and before Venom could recover, he was punted by Rhino towards Ock.

Taking him by the foot he slammed Venom over and over into the pavement. It cracked the thick concrete with each slam and Venom felt himself back out.

"I have an idea. Bring him," Ock slammed him into the ground once more and motioned back to the diner. "Marko, this him?” He motioned to the unconscious Venom,

"It’s Sandman now, and yeah, that's him."

"Good, have fun, Sandman. Electro get the package and let's move. Rhino, are you staying?" Ock had already guessed that Rhino would stay. He had issues with being the biggest and toughest and Venom had pushed that button.

"I'm staying boss, got meat to tenderise." Rhino flexed his hands and then balled them into giant meaty fists.

Ock snorted, "Have fun you two. Oh, and get his mask off, let all these nice people see who's under there"

Rhino grinned. "Sure boss, won't take long."

The two of them, Ock and Electro, made their way to a van parked across from the bank. Ock checked the police scanner and several units were now on the way. The car alarms had alerted the authorities to the fight. Even if Rhino and Sandman got cornered there was nothing to tie them to the bank job they'd just pulled.

Sandman had wrapped his gritty body around Venom. He held him and Rhino was using him as a punching bag, laying heavy blows to his chest and stomach.

The electricity had stunned him long enough, he was now trapped in Sandman's grasp. He wasn't even registering each of the blows being rained onto him. It was all just pain.

But even through all that, there was an intense agony that brought him back.

He coughed and blood filled his mouth.

Through half-shut eyes, he saw Rhino digging his thick fingers into the symbskin on his chest.

As he worked his way through the armour, he pulled, and a large chunk came free. He had ripped the white spider emblem on his chest away and grinning, Rhino threw it into the diner.

"There's your fuckin' hero," he yelled. Screams followed as the patrons backed away from the oozing pile of goop.

The pain drew him back to the land of the living. It was strange though, as the pain had focused his mind. He no longer was full of rage and anger, and only cold hatred for those who were trying to hurt his friends.

He saw Gwen and the others standing at the broken window in shock. Watching him being pummeled by these two monsters. He had to protect them. He had let his anger get the better of him, he was not a fighter, he was a planner. So, he made a plan.

Sandman laughed as Rhino landed punch after punch into Venom's bare chest. "Yeah fuck that asshole up, Rhino," he hollered in joy watching Venom suffer as he had.

Venom laughed, asshole? There are only two assholes here.

He thickened the skin on his chest, drawing on all the dead material around his body. A heavy plate formed on his chest, and his forehead.

Rhino was strong, but he still needed time and an immobile target to hurt him. thickening it into something that Rhino's fists couldn't break.

He slammed his head back first, stunning the Sandman and then forwards. As Sandman's grip loosened ever so slightly Venom's head slammed into Rhinos.

The horn on his helmet crumbed with the impact and Venom laughed.

"Aww, seems you lost your horn. The ladies will be disappointed."

He started to exude web fluid, thick tendrils from his back snaking over Sandman. A sticky thick gel, like tar, and Sandman found himself the one being held.

"Yes, we are Venom and you are nothing." Freeing his hand, a thick gauntlet of hardened skin coated it and he slammed it into Rhino's jaw. Sandman was trying to free his body but the thick tar was holding him fast.

Venom began to cover them both in more of the tar and Sandman began to panic, moving his core body away from Venom.

Screaming he had to leave several chunks of himself behind but it was too late. He could move but his powers were severely limited.

Rhino shrugged off his blow, "So you still got some tricks huh?" before Venom slugged him again,

"No talk, more fight," he retorted and his hardened fists began to slam into Rhino. He was the first one he needed to deal with. Sandman was Gooman now, and with time the tar would harden, trapping him as a statue.

He heard Sandman yell, "Move," at the people behind him and he turned to make sure Gwen and the others were okay.

Rhino capitalised on this and body-slammed him into the ground. Lifting him by the ankle he swung and threw him back into the diner. The panicked crowd of people scattered as he smashed through the door.

Gwen and the others were still inside. He had hoped they would be sensible and use his distraction to escape. As the phones flashed and clicked around him, he knew even they were mesmerised by the fight.

Venom shook his head as she pulled himself up on one of the beams in the diner. "Run idiots," he yelled, but Rhino stood in the doorway, grinning. Behind him, he could see Sandman struggling to move.

Sandman was more of a messy blob but he still lurched towards Venom. As he walked he gathered up more and more glass until it covered his arms.

Like a giant rubber band, the arm stretched and wrapped around Venom's arm. The shards, sharpened to a razor's edge, acted like a saw as he pulled it back and it cut through his flesh. The symbskin tore and slid off like dead flesh. Blood poured from the exposed wound, the muscle and hints of white bone showing just how deep the glass had cut him.

As it detached itself the pain flared through Venom's arm and he could do nothing but cry out in agony. The black tar rushed to cover the huge gash in his arm and the bare limb.

"We will hurt you for that," Venom screeched and prepared to launch more web at Sandman.

Sandman grinned, "uh-huh," but Venom flipped and clung to the ceiling as Rhino lined up a charge.

It took him through the support Venom was in front of, smashing it to rubble.

"You fucking idiots," Sandman yelled as the other supports buckled and then crumbled.

For a few seconds, the whole restaurant froze. Then as chunks of the ceiling began to rain down, the screaming started.