Venom

"Are you busy plotting?" Vixen asked as she walked into the room. Venom glanced up but said nothing as she sat down beside him. She crossed her legs then raised her dress a little. Venom watched her for a moment then turned his attention back to the pile of papers he was reading. Vixen picked up his wine glass and ran her fingers over the rim.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Venom inquired and Vixen looked at him innocently.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" she inquired then glanced at a paper that Venom had just laid down. "Are you still hung up about that Cobra person?"

"I'm just planning my big attack. There's got to be some way to trigger August fifteenth in Cobra's mind."

"I'd like to trigger something in your mind."

"Not here, Vixen. My room would be better for what you want."

"So when are we leaving?" Vixen inquired as she unsnapped the front of her dress.

"Soon. I don't think I can ignore you for much longer," Venom said as he shuffled his papers.

"What kind of wine are we having?"

"I suppose I can open a bottle from the Leiani region. It's got a sweet delicate flavor much like yourself."

"You are so good with flattery."

"I can only tell the truth in your case," Venom said as Vixen climbed into his lap.

"Keep talking like that and I don't know if I'll be able to wait for the bedroom," she said.

"You'd better force yourself. This place is too open to do anything intimate. Besides, my equipment is in my room," Venom said as he placed a hand inside her dress and stroked her breasts. Vixen's face grew flush as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Let's get going, then," she whispered as she gazed into Venom's eyes.

"You're going to look good standing beside me when I claim this planet for my own. After wiping out Viper's group next week, there will be nothing to stop me. Not even the World Militia will come close to my strength," Venom said as Vixen stood up.

"I can hardly wait for that day. Imagine me waking up beside the ruler of the world."

They walked out of the room as a small mouse scurried out down another hallway. It stopped in an alcove and stretched up its front legs as it sniffed the surrounding area. A gloved hand reached down for the mouse and picked it up. A second hand carefully removed a small electronic device from around the mouse's neck then gently patted the mouse's head.

"You have done well, my friend," a soft voice said as the mouse was gently placed on the ground. "Now let's hear what his highness has to say."

The stranger placed the device into what appeared to be an audio player. He took out a pair of headphones and stuck them into his ears. He was an average sort of man with no true distinguishing features. He was not overly tall or overly thin. He was, as stated before, average and that suited his purpose just fine. Because he was average, he was able to hide in crowds and sneak away from crowds simply because no one would notice his absence. He listened to the information on the recording and frowned. What was so important about August the fifteenth and who was Cobra? Perhaps it was in code. He would sent the information to a friend of his on the outside of the syndicate. The group his friend in had, it was said, one of the best computer technicians in the business. He pulled out a small transmitter from his back pocket and plugged in the electronic disc. He waited for the information to load then converted it to a send-able format.

"Let's hope this information is useful to Wolverine. I'd better leave this area before I'm found out," he said and walked off. A few eyes glistened in the darkness as a pair of mice watched the stranger leave. Only they knew of his existence and they would never tell.

******************************************

"Now I know you don't want to talk about that incident but we have to," Viper said as Cobra glanced out the window.

"Rane, I can't tell you about it. I can't relive that part in my life," Cobra said and Viper sighed.

"Venom's got something on you and if we don't straighten this out, you won't be of any help in the fight."

"Rane, I really don't want to put this on you. I don't want to burden you."

"I don't mind. Tell me what happened, Stallion. Tell me everything you can remember."

"All right, but let me know when this unsettles you," Cobra said and sat down. Viper sat beside him and placed his arms around Cobra's waist. Cobra sighed and closed his eyes. He did not want Rane to know the truth but there appeared to be no other choice.

"I was eighteen when I joined the World Militia. Actually I was barely legal when I was thrust into action. It was about a year after I joined that I got transferred to Ardatia, the large desert region to the west. My company was sent to stop a terrorist uprising. When we got to the capital city, Vanoore, the destruction was more than we could believe. Buildings were burned, clothes and dead bodies lay in the street. We had no idea where to begin. We were directed to a building that had once been used as a church. That was where we were to set up base. After we threw what little we had in our barracks, a few of us were placed on sentry duty. I was one of the first lucky men to get picked for the job. A few hours into my shift that night, there was movement outside the city. Now the innocent people inside the city had been given strict orders to stay inside after ten o'clock so I wasn't sure if the stranger was someone who had just lost track of time or an enemy. I hailed the stranger to identify himself or be prepared to die. The stranger did not respond and I lowered my weapon. I took aim and pulled the trigger but something went wrong and..."

Cobra paused and blinked his eyes. Viper stroked his hair as Cobra struggled to continue. He clenched his hands in frustration then opened his mouth again. He shook his head as he tried to pull away from Viper.

"Finish what you were saying, Stallion. I want to hear what happened," Viper said and Cobra shook his head.

"I can't go on, Rane. I just can't tell you what happened."

"Hey Viper, are you busy?" Wolverine asked and Viper glanced up at a small communications screen that Spyder had brought up.

"What do you want, Wolverine?" Viper asked and Wolverine paused.

"Well I just got a message from one of my friends in the syndicate. He overheard Venom say something about August fifteenth. He thought it might be in code so he sent the information over for you to look at."

"He did find something out," Cobra said softly and Viper looked at him.

"Thanks for the information, Wolverine. I'll check it out when I get a chance. Block all communication, please Spyder," Viper said once the computer had shut down the communications screen. "Now what's so important about August fifteenth?"

"That's the day I was killed, Rane," Cobra replied and Viper stared at him.

"What?" he asked and Cobra nodded his head.

"It's hard to explain but I was actually killed that day."

"How?"

Cobra paused as Viper pushed aside his long sleek hair. He kissed Cobra's neck and Cobra sighed. Viper kissed his ear and brought his hand up to Cobra's chin and caressed it. Cobra leaned back into Viper's arms and Viper placed his hands back on Cobra's waist.

"My weapon backfired," Cobra replied and Viper looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Viper asked and Cobra sighed.

"I went to fire my weapon and it backfired. The last thing I remember aside from the extreme pain I was in, was that someone was screaming for help. I don't know how long it was before I became conscious again but I knew that something was different."

"What do you mean?" Viper asked as he pushed up Jei's shirt.

"I was no longer myself. I was no longer what I used to be. The SED added things to...enhance me. I am no longer a normal human. Surely you realized that when we first started working together," Jei said and Viper shrugged his shoulders.

"I knew you were different but I didn't care. You are very cute, Stallion. Don't let the past bother you. You've got so much going for you now. Plus, you've got me and you don't want to lose me, do you?"

"No," Cobra replied as Viper ran his hands over his lover's stomach.

"Then let's get ready to kick Venom's ass," Viper said as Cobra turned around and kissed Viper.

"Thanks for being so loyal, Rane. I've never had anyone like you before."

"You're welcome. Now if we don't stop what we're doing soon, then I'm afraid I'm going to want to get dirty."

"Why don't we? Some physical activity may be the therapy I need."