13493/Little Trouble in Big Downtown

Little Trouble in Big Downtown
Date of Scene:	03 December 2022
Location:	Downtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	A trio of young superheroes happen upon a drug deal crashed by a hungry Venom. A small confrontation ensues, which may or may not involve a high symbiote.
Cast of Characters:	Caleb Dykstra, Eddie Brock, Tommy Shepherd, Gabby Kinney, Bunny Macleod

---

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Downtown Manhattan, about late afternoon, early evening.

The Sun has set, leaving only a sliver of quickly-fading reddish to the west. In spite of people going to and fro to turn in for the night, it's amazing how the streets still manage to remain so active in New York.

'Not like Gotham', Caleb thinks. 'There, you find half the people, and twice the cop cars. With the sirens booming, more often than not.'

He sighs, putting aside his thoughts about his home city, and looks about. Four more guys are with him, arriving on a sedan to a secluded parking garage; arrangements must've been made for discretion, for clearly the number of people moving about has been steadily reducing across the block.

The sedan stopping to a halt, the group gets off. Every single one has stern, weathered features, all dressed in an elegant, if practical fashion. One can't really say the same for Caleb, who's half their age and seems more like he's wearing what he could scrape up on short notice. Once everyone's out, he's pointed towards the trunk, which he proceeds to open. He pulls two large suitcases from inside, and sets them on the ground.

Across from the place where the sedan parked, some fifty yards off, another vehicle arrives, a black SUV. From inside, five men in fancy suits come out - asian men.

"The Triads?", Caleb let's out under his breath. "Fuck..."

"Nobody gave ya permission ta speak, kid", one of the guys - clearly Italian - says. And Caleb, like a good boy (or dog), shuts up.

The pieces are set, the standoff is now. Next move?

Eddie Brock has posed:
Midnight was Eddie's preferred time to go out hunting. The cover of darkness was useful to hide his large frame whenever he let Venom take over, and it just so happened to be when the dregs and scum of society gathered together to deal their filthy business. Today was different, though. His other half had been getting hungry more often than usual these last few days- which worried him a bit. Due to this, as soon as the sun began to dip in the horizon Venom was on the prowl, leaping from rooftop to rooftop far above the heads of the public.

Downtown wasn't usually where they hunted, but Eddie had been snooping around for any opportunities. A mugging here, a robbery there. Whenever the police arrived, Venom made sure they never found the corpses whole- if he left any at all.

Tonight, it was a drug deal.

The large monster clinged to the side of a building overlooking a shady parking lot, using the chameleonic properties of its skin to better blend in. Several men had gathered here- from what his contacts had told him, apparently Gothamites had decided it was a good idea to throw in their lot in New York.

His pale eyes glared at the gathering below, drool pooling in his mouth as the Klyntar's hunger grew by the second. Whatever they were doing didn't interest him. He was merely waiting for an opportunity to strike...

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    Do you ever have one of those days where it just feels like the whole world is out to get you? Tommy's having one of those days. It started off bad, with a bird pooping on his head just as he'd stepped out onto the street this morning, and he'd been wearing his Albuquerque Isotopes hat, which is his favorite.

    Cleaning it hadn't gone well, and who knows when he'll get back to New Mexico. That's, like, at least a 3 hour run at top-speed, minimum.

    Then there'd been a mixup with some packages he was delivering over to Metropolis. Nothing that'd been his fault, far as Tommy can tell, but the receptionist had spent 2 hours solid on the phone with the company in NYC trying to figure it all out, and she wasn't willing to sign for anything until it was, so he was just... stuck there.

    And then they'd put sour cream on his tacos at Taco Bell, most infuriating of all. He sure as hell doesn't have taco supreme money, anyway! Why would they even do that?!

    So the trip to the furniture outlets downtown that he'd been (only slightly) peer-pressured into had to be delayed. At least New York is the city that never sleeps, so they'll still be able to get a couple of stores in.

    "Thanks for letting me borrow your family's van, Bunny," Tommy says as he closes the driver door. He thumbs the button on the keys before handing them back over to Bunny, while struggling half-into his coat with his other hand.

    The beep of the car alarm echoes through the parking garage complex, from one level above where the apparent shootout is about to happen. Tommy's the first into the access stairway and, given the givens, also the first one out, whereupon he stops dead in his tracks, blocking the doorway.

    He blinks once. Then he glances, lighting-fast, over his shoulder towards Gabby, giving her a little head-nod towards the whole situation as he side-steps. Knowing what he knows of her associates, Tommy's wanting her to get a read of things first.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Moving and furniture shopping was something Gabby had a bit of practice with herself recently, so jumping in to help out Tommy with his new place was hardly going to be an issue. What was the issue was the ride over here. It wasn't often that she was in a moving vehicle not in the middle of a high speed chase, shootout, or just as a passenger. The rythym of the vehicle had begun to lull her to sleep by the time they arrive in the parking garage.

Flipping off the seatbelt she rolls out the door to her feet where she pauses to stretch her arms overhead with a large, wide yawn--Only to catch a whiff of something familiar on the air.

Just as Tommy pauses to nod her way she starts to stride for where he stands giving a quick, "Hang on," toward Bunny as she does. That breath she'd drawn in is exhaled until her lungs were nearly empty so that the next break she draws brings in as many scents as she can manage.

"Gun oil. Hint of fear, adrenaline, and..." Here she pauses narrowing her eyes at the sight. "Drugs and Gotham smog. This may get messy," she ascertains suddenly wide awake and letting her green eyes dart around taking everything in.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Moving and furniture shopping was also something Bunny had practice with, and at a furniture second-hand store had actually remarked about a particular couch that was a good brand (and had shown on her cheap-ass smartphone that it originally was really pricy). Bunny had shrugged and caught the keys.

    "No problem. Not like we were usin' it. Dad pays too much for parking that beast anyway!" she commented, pocketiing the keys as the car alarm gives its sheery Beep, and then she pauses.

    "Aw fuck. Nothin' EVAH good comes outta Gotham." she mutters, bracing herself.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Alright, kid", the Italian goon says. "Y'know what ta do."

Caleb grabs the suitcases and starts to move in the SUV's direction, while at the same time a messenger of their own is sent, taken out from the SUV's trunk: an asian teenage girl, dressed in clothes that would barely qualify as wearable, her frame showing signs of malnourishment. Malnourishment and mistreatment.

As he walks, Caleb's eyes go wide in stupefying horror. 'Fucking animals', he bites his lower lip. He has a sister; /it could've been her on his side/!

Reaching halfway, he sets the cases on the ground. The girl does the same. Caleb can't help but look - the girl is visibly shaking, even stepping away unconsciously and hiding her face - the marks underneath, in fact; burn marks.

Something must've gone wrong, now, as one of the men from the Asian side begins to shout in Chinese. The girl says nothing, shaking his head, and the man pulls out a gun which he cocks and aims at her - or Caleb. The remaining four cock their machine guns; the Italians do the same.

The teenage girl says, "Eye contact... Do not look. I am nobody."

The Asian men point to the cases the girl brought, unnerved.

Moods are starting to boil here. Caleb goes for the asian suitcases; the girl starts to mumble, eyes closed - a prayer?

Eddie Brock has posed:
It didn't take long for them to make their move. They began by quietly sliding down the wall, clinging to the shadows and focusing on keeping their camoflauge up to par. Slowly edging towards back of the asian gangsters, their feet hit the ground with a barely audible smack. One of the men briefly turned to look, but seeing nothing, he quickly turned his gaze back forwards.

Venom's ever present smile widened into a rictus grin, their serpentine tongue dancing across dagger-like teeth. Falling down on four legs, the creature began to slowly stalk forwards, like a feline through the underbrush. One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Their heart beat with the thrill of the hunt, yet their movements remained slow and steady, only moving whenever another sound would muffle any noise he might make.

Then a commotion of sorts broke out amongst the two groups. The symbiote's line of sight didn't allow it to see exactly what was happening as the asian gangster's SUV was in the way.

Guns were cocked. Some shouts in chinese. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Then the symbiote reached it's first prey.

They grasped the man's gun from behind first, crushing it between their clawed fingers, before grabbing the man's head and savagely driving it into the pavement.

"Here's Venom." They rasped in a deep voice, before lashing out with their claws.

The hunt was on.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    If Tommy tilts his head up just a touch and tries to scent the air, well... he's just curious. All he can smell is old motor oil and gas fumes, though he knows not to question what Gabby's picking up. Instead he shifts the way he's standing, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it readjustment of stance.

    His center of gravity drops down, tension draining from his arms and torso so that there's no impediment to his breathing, balls of his feet pressed down firmly against the pavement. Hard enough that they squeak, a little, but that minute sound is lost amongst the sudden shouting. Tommy's no polyglot -- in fact he only speaks two languages, English and sarcasm -- but he knows fighting words when he hears them, it doesn't matter if he can understand them or not.

    And then he's off. Fast enough that this entire level of the parking garage is suddenly awash with wind in his wake, nearing (but not quite breaking) the sound barrier as to those with standard human perception he basically teleports from his spot at the stairway to right in the middle of the action.

    No cheeky comment or sarcasm here, though. Tommy's positioned behind and slightly to the left of the girl, one hand carefully cupping the back of her head to cushion it, the other bracing her by the lower back. Another quick-step dart and she's been relocated to the stairway where he'd left Bunny and Gabby, though tucked further back into the corner.

    It's not until he's making the run back again that Tommy spots the creature. Maybe because Venom announces themself (themselves?) and thus his rescue of Caleb is minorly delayed as Tommy stumbles over his feet from the shock. But he's seen enough terrible things that it's just the whole... big monster thing that really gets to him, not so much the violence that Venom employs.

    So a couple milliseconds later, Caleb will feel the same pressure (back of head, lower back) as Tommy steps in to usher him out of harm's way at superspeed. Warning, superspeed rescue side effects may include: vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and brief loss of consciousness.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Perfect. Gabby didn't have to say anything it seemed as Tommy had zoomed off the instant the shouting had started. Assuming she knew what he was up to her attention shifts back to Bunny with a flash of a grin meant to be reassuring to the other girl. "Protect them, yeah?" She suggests even as she starts forward herself with a quick clench-and-flick of her fists.

Tommy's likely already returned with the duo by the time she steps from the parking garage heading for the mafiaso's on the side of the street they were at. Claws break from the back of her hands illuminating the area around her with a pale blue moonlight glow as she lunges for the nearest gunman. Ducking low to keep her center of balance firm she swings her arm out intending to slice whatever gun this man had in half in the process with one upward swipe.

As for Venom? She's aware of his presence now, as well, and with a mutter of, "What the fuck...?" She continues to move in spite of the distraction.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny flicks her pink sweatshirt up, its little wings and stuffed horn showing now as she holds up her hands.

    "Yeah, but who's gonna protect you two?!" she asks in an incredulous voice, knowing that they have the situation well in hand.

    She turns over her shoulder to the two that Tommy deposits behind her.

    "Stay behind me -- I can shield you from whatever's comin' but it ain't BIG, natch?" she questions the two, holding her hands up.

    She hasn't activated her shield yet... still have a timer on it.

    ANd then she spots Venom smashing the person into the pavement.

    "... holy -- what *is* that?!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
So there's this slight hint of movement that the adrenaline pumping through Caleb causes him to register, and that's where his eyes linger. This gives him the chance to see... well, /something/ decking one of the asian men, for sure, so a frown emerges on his face. "Wha...?"

The sudden sound of face slamming into pavement and metal being crushed makes them turn and start firing on whatever is behind them.

The group Caleb came looks in surprise and amazement.

"Leo, whadda hell is that?"

"Like I have a fuckin' clue, ya moron! Let's go!!"

This is the order for them to get in the car and hit the road. Forget Caleb, it would seem!

Back to the boy, he is subconsciously reaching protectively for the girl, when she disappears in a blur! "Wha...?" And then /he/ disappears in a blur, finding himself outside the secluded parking lot. "Wha...!?"

And then, something warm his his feet! The malnourished girl, dizzy and motion sickened, can't help but hurl (!), right there at Caleb's feet! He grimaces, "AWww, gross...!"

Wait, there's the motion sickness hitting him too - with a vomit wave following!

*HUUUUUUURRRRRRRRLLLLLLMMMMPH!!*

Sorry, Bunny - it might be your feet that pay the price!

Eddie Brock has posed:
Claws dug into his adversaries as Venom turned to swing another gangster into the front of the SUV, cracking the windshield as the man's breath was driven out of his body. They snarled, before clenching their grasp until they heard ribs cracking before a hail of gunfire rained down upon them.

From the corner of their vision, they saw blurs moving, as well as several interlopers arriving. A growl, and a tentacle lashed out at a nearby man, throwing him against a wall before Venom turned to the new arrivals, who were closing in on the other group.

   <<Venom>> "Interlopers..."

   <<Eddie>> "They are just kids Venom. Don't hurt them."

   <<Venom>> "Then they better not take my meals..."

It's mood fouled by the intrusion, the symbiote turned to the remaining asian gangsters, claws sharper and fangs extended. Blood splattered the ground as they did their grim work, and several of them tried to escape only to find their heads and bodies encased in black webbing, left to suffocate on the ground.

"Leave." They hissed at the recently arrived group as the last remaining chinese thugs backed off in their direction, guns still spewing bullets at Venom to no effect. "These men are mine." The Klyntar growled, crouching down to pounce on the mobsters.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    Welp. It was bound to happen eventually. Tommy finds that it's usually easier to stomach (hah!) the sudden burst of speed if you have some warning beforehand, but emergency situations don't really allow for that.

    Admittedly Tommy could say something, but it would just come out as smashed-together syllable gibberish. Hard to talk at human speed while running at... Speed speed.

    Which is why he stops at Bunny's side to stammer out, "There'sagoopmonsterkillingthoseguysoutthere!" Pause. Breathe. "He'slikesnatchingthemupandshit!"

    ...okay, maybe sometimes it's hard to talk at human speed just in general.

    The sound of vomiting behind him makes Tommy's shoulders wrench upwards, and he's grimacing as he reaches to grab hold of Bunny's hand. He mouths out a "Sorry," at a more-or-less comprehensible speed, and then he makes a note to buy her a new pair of shoes. On his phone. Yes, he whips out his phone mid-whatever-situation-this-is and types a note. At superspeed, though! It's totally fine.

    A pause of consideration to his bank account and the purchases he needs to make, and Tommy winces before he ducks back out into the fray. To the bad guys starting to run. He comes up behind Gabby (while staying well out of range of her claws) to say, "Heysoshouldwestopthem?" as he catches up with one of the aforementioned fleeing mobsters and casually sticks out his foot to trip them.

    He does, however, actively stop and stare at first the sudden sprouting tentacle (which, no comment, but Tommy's face clearly implies that he WANTS to comment) and then the demand to leave.

    "Yeah okay, I'mtotallycoolwiththat." Tommy turns to hike his thumb back towards Bunny (and the exit) while making frantic eyeballs at Gabby.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney pauses as she watches the newly disarmed Mafiaso run down the street away from her. That was one less armed individual that could potentially cause trouble in New York at least. Her attention swings over to Venom as he lunges to claw at the man catching him off-guard with a sickening scrunch of bone and blood squelching in a way that made her stomach clench. Ew.

It takes a moment for Tommy's words to catch up to her before he's gone again. That just leaves her there, with random Mafia and Triad running around, and one goopy killer smooshing them all. Her mouth opens, a small noise coming out. "Ugh." Okay not her most eloquent there. She shakes her head quickly and stands up straighter to frown at the dark behemoth.

"Yeah, fine, but I'm taking those suit cases. Not gonna let more drugs get passed around this city. Who are you anyway?"

With all the courage of someone not afraid to die she strides over to where those cases had been abandoned in the street to scoop them up in hand. Unless someone stops her.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    What use is any bit of ninja training if you can't dodge a vomit wave? Bunny's also got younger siblings, she's used to dodging fluids!

    "Eew gross gross gross gross, 'AY GEDDIT 'WAY!" she states, shifting one leg up so that her pink chuck is out of the mess.

    There's the shimmer of gasoline on water in front of her as she activates one of her force shields, and she grits her teeth, looking at the creature that is spouting tentacles and EATING PEOPLE

    "-- THOMATHAN GEDDUS OUT!" she squeals, her stomach taking a dangerous bank as she makes A FACE with her nose wrinkling in the shadow of her flying unicorn hoodie -- and then GABBY decides to be... well. Gabby.

    Bunny MAKES A FACE at Gabby's back.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
In the heat of the action, Caleb just remains silent and shocked-like. His instincts of self-preservation quickly pull him back into reality - the reality that the whole deal has gone south, and Vittorelli will /not/ be happy. His quick wits call for him to skidaddle away when the heroes - and the goopy anti-hero - aren't watching. The next time they look for him... He's gone!

Eddie Brock has posed:
The symbiote leapt at it's prey, tearing the man to ribbons as he let out a shrill scream, before webbing the other chinese gangster's arms and legs and causing him to fall to the ground helplessly. Turning their head to glance briefly at the fleeing italian mobsters, Venom turns it's gaze to the young woman approaching the suitcase.

Planting its foot firmly over the suitcase, the symbiote briefly considers the girl before it before bending down to look at her eyes, it's grin widening.

"Not a chance, runt." It said, it's growling voice almost a purr thanks to its bemusement..

"Ti's gone to shit!" One of the fleeing mobsters shouted, firing his gun at the inky monster behind them. "Get outta m'way!" Another yelled, pushing past the girl and speedster guy in a rush to reach their vehicle.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    Whatever Tommy thinks about drugs, he doesn't get into it right here and now. But in the moment he does agree with Gabby, if only because these guys (whoever they are) shouldn't get to profit off of whatever messed up deal they were about to make. He's also totally supportive of her putting her foot down about it.

    Until the big monster tells her no.

    Also maybe Bunny's screaming to get them out of there has something to do with it.

    "Ooookay," Tommy says, sliding past Gabby towards the suitcases. His hand extends out, and with a pinch of concentration showing on his forehead, the molecules in the air beyond the outstretch of his fingers begin to vibrate at supersonic speeds. In an instant it's extended further to the suitcases, and then with an explosive BOOM it turns from vibrations to unstable fracturing at the atomic level. Particles of metal, fabric, and plastics puff out into the air like really, really ugly glitter along with atomized... well, whatever kind of drugs were in there. Probably the kind that's already in the form of dust? Well, now it's in the air!

    Task done, he turns to find what Gabby's gotten up to in the meanwhile, and he scoops her up in a more familiar version of the protective hold Tommy had previously applied to the civilians, hugging her close as he zooms them away. He takes a circuitous route, and given how fast he's running he's not quite bound to the same rules of physics as your average person so he and Gabby skirt up along the top of the stairwell wall, over Bunny's shield and then down behind, before up, up to the next level.

    Of course, he gets Gabby all the way to the van before he realizes he gave Bunny the keys back. "Shit," he says at superspeed, and then he doubles back (leaving Gabby by the driver's side door). The keys he lifts from her pocket, then he doubles back AGAIN, this time cradling the hostage woman. Which feels a little like a betrayal, not taking his friend first, but Bunny's shield's made of tough stuff. Several thousand dollars worth of IKEA furniture can attest to that much.

    One final double back (at this point it's technically a quadruple back) for Bunny, and then he comes back down to slow motion, panting as he frantically shoves the keys into the ignition from where he's leaning over the center console from the front passenger seat. "Drive!" he says to Gabby, then he turns to look back at Bunny and their new friend in the backseat. "I'm just going to order some crappy particle board stuff from the internet!"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
So close. She'd almost made it when Venom steps down on the case she was about to reach down to get. That one may have been the money though come to think of it. Somewhere in the chaos it had become a bit mixed up as to which case was which because it really wasn't her job to pay attention.

Standing again, facing Venom of all people who really DOES have to stoop to get to her eye level, her lips purse together in a frown. "Now listen here," she begins raising a hand with finger extended to make her point. "First, NO ONE calls me 'Runt'. Second--"

Feeling the rush of air behind her as Tommy explodes the other case that was actually filled with drugs she inadvertantly inhales the beginnings of the drug-cloud. She'd been mid-retort though. That, mixed with the realization of what happened, and the assumption that she was next to be swept away by the speedster she finishes off her point quickly.

By reaching forward to poke her finger where Venom *would* have a nose if he had one.

"Boop."

Then she's gone in another swift wind carried off to safety. Probably a good thing, that, all things considered. At the van she steadies herself feeling adrenaline begin to surge from the influx of drugs to her system. Gritting her teeth she climbs into the van, breathing quick and shallow by the time the keys are in her hand. Then in the ignition. The engine revs and she starts to drive as requested with a simple, "Right," as she focuses with wide, dialated eyes on the road.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Tommy disappears.

    The suitcases explode.

    Gabby disappears and she feels the sudden gravity shift back and forth on her shield. The girl behind her disappears, as Caleb disappears.

    "... ah so enjoy your Chinese and Italian buffet my m-" Bunny begins, from beneath her hoodie, but she doesn't finish the sentence because she too is now missing!

    And in the back of the family van again.

    -an-- oh hey!" she states, looking to the underfed girl. And then to Tommy in the front, then Gabby driving, and Bunny just looks at Gabby and:

    "THE FUCK GABBY you're supposed to be the smart experienced one 'a usan' THE FUCK was that gawddamnit that was the most TERRIFYING--" she kicks off her now ruined pink chucks, and she just throws them out the window. She hadn't opened them. They bounce back at her, and she gives a perfectly tantrumed scream, rolls down the window (because this is one old-ass basic van) and then LAUNCHES those shoes!

    "GAWD FUCKIN' DAMIT GUYS! I JUUST BOUGHT THOOOOSE!"

Eddie Brock has posed:
They stood still amidst the cloud of dust, unmoving, even as the blur ran past them and took the girl they'd just been speaking to. They didn't react as the italian mobsters fled the scene in their car, followed by the teens who had interrupted their hunt.

A low gurgling sound came from Venom's throat, slowly rising in pitch

   <<Venom>> "Oh Eddie, Eddie I feel FANTASTIC!"

   <<Eddie>> "I... I..."

They collapsed on their back amidst a bed of white, glittery powder- the gurgling turning into deep, warped /giggles/ out of all things. The last living chinese gangster they'd webbed up looked at them in terror, panic clear in his face as he let out a string of chinese expletives.

The grinning Venom turned it's head towards him, tongue hanging loose from it's mouth as they laughed. "Oh, we haven't forgotten about you." They said, rising up and looming over the man.

   <<Venom>> "Why did we NEVER try this before, Eddie!?"

   <<Eddie>> "V-Venom...!"

Wide eyed, the Klyntar let out another laugh as their pool-like eyes expanded, picking up the terrified thug with one hand.

Only screams punctuated by crazed laughter followed.