Venomous

33. Waiting Game

(Natasha)

By the time I got to my feet, I wasn't me anymore. I don't think. I was seeing everything in razor sharp vision, a sensation that I was surprised to notice. I always thought my eyesight was good, but it was nothing compared to this. The first words out of my mouth, which felt strangely large, weren't words at all, but a low hiss – almost a growl. Wanda's hands were still clutched in horror against her mouth. Sam's wing shield had been lowered, and the man was running towards me and Parker as quickly as possible. Shit. Parker.

I glanced down immediately, crouching beside the woman beside me. She had pushed me out of the way, and she had no protection against a blast like that. AV was...my eyes widened in horror as I realized the full implication of what Parker had done for me. To save me. No amount of martial arts training in the world can be a useful defense against what Wanda had hit her with, even unintentionally.

Parker's eyes were closed, her mouth hanging open, blood pooling slightly in the corner. "Get help. Now." My voice, already rough to begin with, sounded deeper. Raspier. Dangerous. Sam glanced at me, his eyes betraying the cool, calm exterior that he presented.

"Natasha..." he stuttered. I had to hand it him – few things made that man speechless.

"Not anymore." I frowned. That wasn't my voice at all.

It is now. I blinked at the strange sound in my head – it felt similar to when Wanda planted thoughts or memories, but closer. More intimate. Coming from somewhere inside of me, rather than externally. I got to my feet slowly, attempting to get accustomed to being much, much taller. I glanced down at my hands, coated in translucent white goop. I had nails – talons, more accurately. I slid my tongue over my teeth, feeling their sharpness – and the sudden disturbing length of my tongue. That was new. I glanced over at Wanda, who was now watching me carefully. She still looked horrified, but now the reasons for the horror had compounded.

"If you thought a symbiote was dangerous in Parker, Wanda, I wouldn't test me." Our voice was little more than a growl, and Wanda's eyes went wide at the barely veiled threat. I genuinely liked the kid, but she had gone too far this time. If Parker...I shook my head.

She'll be fine. AV reassured me. I blinked rapidly, refusing to fully consider the alternative. I need to go back. I nodded to myself, crouching beside Parker again, trying to remember how the transfer process had worked not too long ago. Even though I hated the thought of further injuring the woman beneath me, I had to try to get her up. I lifted her easily into my arms, cradling her lightly. White tendrils began to move away from me, triggering a not-too-pleasant sucking sensation from inside my skin. I shuddered. This part I wasn't fond of. I watched as the white, semi-liquid goop faded back into Parker's body, expecting to see her blue eyes opening immediately. They didn't.

I glanced up at Sam, who was also watching Parker's face expectantly. I barely noticed when Steve came barreling around the corner, taking in the sight in front of him quickly. "What happened?" He asked, sounding clearly shocked. Sam and I exchanged glances.

"We need to get her back to the compound," I muttered. Steve made a move towards me like he was going to try to take Parker from me. I growled at him, and he retreated. Turns out, I didn't need the symbiote to growl effectively. I picked Parker up easily, balancing her weight. Despite the muscle, and the symbiote surprise, she was surprisingly easy to carry. I walked us towards the quinjet carefully. Steve and Sam followed behind me, and I could hear the two of them exchanging whispers. I guessed that Sam was catching the Captain up, and didn't want to disturb me any further by forcing me to relive the last several minutes. By the time we got to the jet, a firm look was set in on Steve's face as he cleared a path for me to bring up my cargo. Wanda was huddled in a corner of the jet, staring blankly at the wall. Her cheeks looked wet, like she had been crying.