I gave Peter a sharp look, our unspoken understanding passing between us in an instant. I nodded firmly. "Mask," I shouted, and Venom surged forward in a swirl of inky black tendrils, enveloping me in an instant. The symbiote coiled over my body, its familiar weight settling as it completed the transformation. My voice deepened, laced with Venom's guttural growl.

"Copy this," I snarled, and I launched myself at Taskmaster.

The mercenary was fast—lightning fast—but I was faster. The symbiote heightened every move, every reaction, allowing me to strike with precision and speed no ordinary human could match. Taskmaster's blade sliced through the air, but I ducked, my tendrils whipping out to grab his arm. His skull-like mask tilted, assessing me, his stance fluid as he attempted to counter my movements.

But Venom was unpredictable. The tendrils lashed out in chaotic, erratic bursts, each attack forcing Taskmaster to defend rather than retaliate. His infamous ability to mimic fighting styles was useless against the symbiote's ever-shifting arsenal of strikes.

"You can't copy what you can't predict," I growled, slamming into him with enough force to send him skidding across the floor.

Taskmaster grunted as he struggled to regain his footing, his sword spinning in his hand before he lunged again. But I was already on him, tendrils wrapping around his weapon and yanking it from his grasp. He stumbled back, visibly frustrated.

Peter, now fully suited up in the Iron Spider armor, joined the fray. His mechanical arms shot out, boxing Taskmaster in as I advanced.

"Not so clever now, are you?" Peter quipped, the grin clear in his voice.

Taskmaster's mask turned toward him briefly, but it was all the opening I needed. I surged forward, striking him with a powerful kick to the chest, sending him crashing into a wall.

He groaned, slumping against the cracked surface, his mask slightly askew. "You think you've won?" he rasped, but his tone lacked its earlier confidence.

I stepped closer, Venom's tendrils flickering menacingly. "You've lost," I said coldly. "Walk away now, or the symbiote and I will make sure you never come back."

For a moment, Taskmaster hesitated, his fingers twitching as if weighing his options. Then, with a low growl, he grabbed a smoke grenade from his belt and hurled it at the ground. Thick, choking clouds erupted, obscuring him from view.

When the smoke cleared, he was gone.

Peter let out a long sigh, retracting his mechanical arms as he glanced at me. "Well, that was intense. And, uh, thanks for not letting him get the suit."

I smirked, the symbiote retracting from my face to reveal my own. "No problem. Just don't bring Stark tech to school again, okay? You're going to give me a heart attack."

Peter chuckled sheepishly. "Deal."

SCEMEHNREAKL

Hours later, I was patrolling the streets, enjoying the quiet hum of the city when my peace was abruptly shattered. Out of nowhere, the Iron Spider suit came soaring toward me, its sleek frame glinting under the streetlights.

I leapt back instinctively, landing on a nearby water tower as Venom growled in my mind.

"What the hell, Spider?" I barked, tendrils coiling protectively around me as the suit hovered menacingly. Its thrusters whined, adjusting its position to aim squarely at me.

Then I heard it—a voice crackling through the suit's speakers. But it wasn't Peter's.

"It's me! I can't control it! Help, please!" The voice was frantic, panicked. It was familiar, too, but I couldn't place it immediately.

I frowned, suspicion prickling at the edges of my mind. Venom rumbled lowly, his voice thick with recognition. That voice... it's familiar. That new kid at your school. The one who's all over the place with his intelligence. This reeks of him.

Realization dawned on me, and I growled in frustration. Venom was right—it had to be Amadeus Cho, the kid everyone at school couldn't stop talking about. A genius, sure, but this? This was reckless.

The suit fired a repulsor blast, narrowly missing me as I dodged and shot a web of thick black tendrils. The sticky strands wrapped around the suit, pinning it down against a rooftop. I landed beside it, pulling the struggling figure closer with a sharp yank of the webbing.

The faceplate opened, revealing Amadeus's terrified expression.

"How the hell did you get the suit?" I snarled, my voice laced with Venom's guttural growl. "And why are you attacking me?"

Amadeus winced, his hands raised defensively. "I didn't mean to! I swear! It—it activated when I was working on it. I just wanted to study it! But something went wrong, and now I can't control it!"

Venom hissed in my mind, unimpressed. This child is dangerous. His meddling will bring more trouble.

I narrowed my eyes, leaning closer. "You just wanted to study it? Do you have any idea how stupid that is? This isn't a toy!"

"I know, I know!" Amadeus stammered, his voice trembling. "I didn't think it would actually— Look, I'm sorry, okay? Just help me shut it down before it does something worse!"

For a moment, I considered letting Venom take over entirely. It would be easy to scare the kid enough to keep him from pulling a stunt like this again. But I sighed instead, loosening the tendrils slightly.

"Fine," I muttered. "But if you ever mess with Stark tech again, I'll make sure Venom teaches you a lesson you won't forget."

Amadeus nodded quickly, his face pale. "Understood. No more suits. Promise."

Now came the tricky part—disabling the suit without letting it go haywire again.

A web shot out of nowhere, pinning the suit's arm just as it prepared to fire again. Spider-Man swung down gracefully, landing on the rooftop beside me with his usual flair.

"Having fun without me, Shadow? That's not nice," he teased, wagging his finger playfully.

I rolled my eyes, letting Venom peel back slightly from Amadeus. The kid groaned as he stumbled free of the symbiotic grip, his body tangled in webs as he tried to regain his footing.

"Just... just help me, please," Amadeus stammered, his voice shaky. "I think it's infected. Some kind of virus—it's taking over the suit!"

Peter tilted his head, his mask's lenses narrowing as he assessed the situation. "A virus? Oh boy, Stark's not gonna be happy about this." He crouched beside Amadeus, his tone shifting from lighthearted to serious. "What exactly did you do, Cho?"

"I-I didn't mean for this to happen!" Amadeus said defensively, tugging at the webs restraining him. "I was studying the suit—trying to understand how it works. But something activated, and now it's out of control!"

Venom growled in my mind, unimpressed. This child's arrogance will cost lives. Perhaps we should teach him a lesson.

"Relax, big guy," I muttered under my breath before turning back to Peter. "Can you shut it down? He's lucky the suit hasn't fried him yet."

Spider-Man tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I might be able to. But if it's a virus, it's probably affecting the AI core. I'll need to connect to it directly."

Amadeus looked panicked. "Wait—what if it fights back? It's already resisting me!"

Peter shrugged, his tone deliberately casual. "Well, then I guess we're in for a bumpy ride." He shot a web at the suit, securing it further before glancing at me. "Cover me, Shadow. If this thing goes haywire, I'm counting on you and Venom to keep it in check."

I nodded, stepping forward as Venom's tendrils bristled, ready for action. "We've got your back, Spider."

Peter wasted no time, reaching for the suit's central panel. "Okay, let's see what we're dealing with here..."

A blade sliced through the air, its sharp edge biting into my side. I yowled in pain as Venom recoiled, tendrils lashing defensively. Blood trickled from the wound, and I barely had time to process the hit before a familiar, sickening scent reached my nose.

The weight of a body slammed me to the rooftop, pinning me down. My eyes widened as I recognized the voice that followed, dripping with malice.

"You won't get the better of me now, sweet girl," Taskmaster snarled, his blade poised dangerously close to my throat.

Venom roared in my mind, his fury surging like a tidal wave. This fool again! Let us tear him apart!

I struggled beneath Taskmaster's weight, my body twisting as tendrils began to rise, snapping toward him like coiled vipers. "Get off me, you copycat hack!" I spat, venom—both literal and figurative—dripping from my words.

Taskmaster chuckled darkly, pressing the blade closer until it grazed my neck. "You're feisty, I'll give you that. But you and your little symbiote tricks won't save you this time."

Peter's voice cut through the tension like a lifeline. "Hey, Taskmaster! Didn't your mom ever teach you not to pick on people your own size?"

Taskmaster turned his head just in time to see Spider-Man launch a barrage of webs at him, forcing him to release his hold. I took the opening, surging upward as Venom exploded from my form, slamming Taskmaster with a massive tendril that sent him skidding across the rooftop.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" I growled, rising to my feet despite the pain in my side. Venom surged around me protectively, his deep growl echoing through the night.

Taskmaster wiped blood from his lip, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. "You're going to regret that."

"Bring it," I snarled, crouching low as Venom coiled, ready to strike.

Without hesitation, I shot out my webbing, snagging Taskmaster square in the chest and yanking him forward with a sharp tug. He stumbled, but not before I drove my knee into his mask with all the force I could muster.

He groaned, clutching his face as a sickening crack echoed through the night. His nose was broken—I could see the blood dripping from beneath his mask. But I didn't care. Adrenaline surged through me as I spun back into the fight, landing quick, precise kicks and punches to keep him off balance.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man was focused on Amadeus, working frantically to shut down the malfunctioning suit. I could hear him muttering under his breath about viruses and Stark's overly complicated tech, but I didn't have time to listen.

A sharp crack split the air, and I felt a searing pain shoot through my shoulder. A bullet had grazed me, the heat and impact making me stumble. Venom roared in my mind, his rage nearly overwhelming. Pain! They hurt us! Let me take over—I'll destroy them!

For a brief, terrifying moment, I almost let him. The pain was unbearable, and his fury felt like a comforting blanket, promising to make it all stop. But I forced myself to hold on.

"Keep it together, Venom," I growled through gritted teeth, clutching my shoulder as blood seeped through my fingers. "We're not losing control. Not now."

Venom hissed, his tendrils writhing in agitation, but he obeyed, his voice a low rumble of reluctant agreement. Fine. But they will pay for this.

Taskmaster, seeing my momentary lapse, lunged toward me with his sword raised. But I was ready. Venom surged to meet him, our combined strength slamming him back with enough force to crack the rooftop beneath us.

"You messed with the wrong team," I snarled, bracing myself for the next move.

SCENEBREAK

In the end, we managed to subdue both Cho and Taskmaster, leaving them wrapped in reinforced webbing until S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived to take them into custody. Taskmaster was his usual snarky self, muttering threats about how he'd escape soon enough, but I knew they wouldn't let him go without a fight.

As for Cho, the malfunctioning suit was safely returned to him after Spider-Man did some quick rewiring to shut down the rogue AI. Cho looked sheepish as he cradled the Iron Spider suit in his hands, his eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry," Cho said quietly. "I shouldn't have taken it. I didn't mean to mess things up—I was just curious."

Spider-Man crossed his arms, tilting his head as he considered Cho's apology. Then, with a small sigh, he straightened and handed the suit back. "It's alright. You look pretty good in it, honestly. Think of this as a learner's permit—just don't take it out for joyrides again, okay?"

Cho's face lit up with a bright smile, and before Spider-Man could react, he flung his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Spider-Man grunted, awkwardly patting Cho's back. "Hugs aren't really my thing, buddy."

I chuckled softly and gave Cho a reassuring pat on the head. "Stick to the rules this time, genius. You've got potential—but no more stealing tech."

Cho nodded enthusiastically before stepping back, still beaming. I turned to Spider-Man with a smirk. "Guess you've got a fan."

Peter shook his head, exasperated but amused. "I don't know how I keep ending up with protégés."

With one last glance between us, I shot a webline into the sky and swung off into the city, leaving the chaos behind.