Chapter 155: The Trap
The matter with Kaecilius had come to a temporary close. His original plan to steal the machine invented by Doom—one capable of bypassing the Sanctum and the Sorcerer Supreme to bring Dormammu into this dimension—had failed.
With the help of the private investigator from Hell’s Kitchen, Jessica Jones, Gene finally located the missing device that had disappeared from Mason Industries’ warehouse. To prevent Kaecilius from making another move on it, Gene personally transferred the dimensional traverser to the S.W.O.R.D. mothership, locking it away in the most secure arsenal the agency had.
That vault was filled with all sorts of dangerous artifacts and weapons seized from major and minor incidents over the years—including some truly bizarre and terrifying contraptions.
Naturally, under Gene’s invitation, Jessica Jones joined S.W.O.R.D. without much hesitation. Based on Gene’s knowledge of the original universe and his personal understanding of her character, Jessica still harbored dreams of being a true superhero. She had once tried using her powers to help people. Unfortunately, after a traumatic entanglement with a powerful supervillain, she had developed serious PTSD, becoming irritable and guarded.
But deep down, that desire to protect people never died. She just needed someone to give her a nudge in the right direction.
And Gene was more than happy to be that person.
What was more unexpected, however, was the arrival of that dark, slimy creature who called itself Venom. After being beaten back to its original form by Wanda, Venom was revealed to have bonded with none other than the long-missing journalist—Eddie Brock. He too joined S.W.O.R.D.
According to Eddie, his life had gone straight to hell. First, he lost his job at the newspaper. Then, he was diagnosed with cancer. And finally, by some cosmic twist of fate, he ended up bonded with an alien symbiote named Venom, who claimed it needed a host to survive in Earth’s atmosphere—and Eddie Brock had been chosen.
Host. The word left a bitter taste.
In that moment, Eddie wondered if he’d been cursed by the Entity of Misfortune himself. What else could explain all the insane things that kept happening to him?
But surprisingly, he and Venom actually got along quite well. The two had fallen into a bizarre but functional routine: wandering the streets, taking down criminals, and occasionally feeding Venom with the worst of the scum to keep him satisfied.