Part I: The Awakening/Mission: The Deep Dark Venomous Depths

==Mission: The Deep Dark Venomous Depths==
Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel are using C.E.N.T.R.A.L. to analyze Faustus' notebook when Caretaker, Blade and Hunter approach. Caretaker asks for an update. Carol tells the team that they have located an underground shipping facility that may house some of the artifacts stolen from the Sanctum.
Seeing the facility on screen—a large hole in the ground—Blade realizes that they want him to lead the infiltration due to his expertise in dirty work. After some teasing from his friends, he begrudgingly admits that he is the right choice with a sigh, and says, "Let's go."
On site, the heroes see Hydra troops lifting a large container out of the hole. They realize that this must be how they are smuggling artifacts out of the Sanctum. The heroes start to make their approach. Blade jumps down and quietly knocks out a guard, proud of his stealth. A moment later, nearby doors fly open and a team of Hydra troops rush out.
A battle ensues and the heroes emerge victorious. After recovering the Hydra supplies, they peer down the hole, wondering where it leads. Blade seizes the initiative and jumps down; the others soon follow. 
The team lands in a tunnel of dirt and rock. One of the side tunnels is filled with tendrils that they recognize from the Sanctum. Fallen Venom appears and attacks.
The heroes battle with Fallen Venom but they realize they can't withstand him forever. Hunter leaps on top of Venom and plunges a blade deep into his chest. Green energy begins swirling and a crack develops in Hunter's collar. Hunter can hear Lilith's voice in their head, urging them to return to her. Hunter resists her call but is thrown off of Venom and enveloped in a burst of dark magic as everything goes dark.
== Several Days Later ==
Hunter wakes up to Charlie's licking back in the Abbey. Caretaker is sitting in a chair next to Hunter's bed, and catches them up on what they missed. 
The surge of energy that knocked out Hunter hurt Fallen Venom as well, causing him to retreat and giving Blade the opportunity to rescue Hunter. It's been several days since then, and the other team members are starting to worry about their leader. Caretaker says that they need to find a way to counteract the volatile effect of Fallen Venom's combined alien and mystical energies before making another attempt. 
As Hunter rises from bed, Lilith's voice rings in their head urging them to come home. Entering the Common Room, Hunter finds most of the team gathered, concerned about the state of the fight against Lilith. Several teammates suggest that Hunter talk with Blade who still seems shaken up by what happened on the mission.
Hunter finds Blade at Hunter's Folly, and thanks him for what he did. Blade was disturbed by what he saw that day—Hunter crying out for Lilith while dark energy swirled around them. Blade was sure that they were going to Fall and was relieved to see the Light in their eyes when they awoke. Hunter asks Blade not to tell the rest of the team what he saw; Blade agrees, saying it's not his to share.
Hunter visits the Forge. Tony and Strange need a sample from Fallen Venom so they can analyze it to determine how to protect Hunter from the reaction that occurred in the last fight. They begin work on the Symbiote Sampler.
Strange and Caretaker both check in with Hunter to make sure there are no lingering effects from the explosion. Carol strikes up a conversation and expresses her relief that Hunter could withstand such an explosion, but the subject quickly shifts to Blade.
At night, Hunter dreams again of Lilith. She expresses her concern that Hunter was hurt in the battle with Venom. She says that the explosion was an unforeseen and unintended consequence of their resistance to her. She sees the crack in Hunter's collar as a positive thing, to make it easier to throw off the shackles of her sister's control. Hunter seeks more answers but wakes before they come.
== The Following Day ==
The Symbiote Sampler is ready and Hunter starts heading to the Forge to collect it. Peter is in the Common Room, lamenting that he is the only one who knows what Eddie is going through, yet it's Stark and Strange that are deciding how to handle the situation.
Down at the Forge, Tony hands Hunter the Symbiote Sampler. He's confident it will work; just stick the pointy end in Venom, and the device will extract a sample of the Symbiote, keeping it alive indefinitely. However, he doesn't have a plan on how to get close enough to use it. Hunter brings up Peter, but Tony says he has been keeping Peter away from this project. Tony is concerned that Peter's heart will cause him to get distracted much like Tony's friendship with Bruce distracted him. 
Hunter heads to the Mirror Table, passing Peter, who is still upset that he's being left out of the Venom plans, and Steve who pressures Hunter to get the sample so that they can put a stop to whatever Hydra is doing in the Sanctum.
Next: Part I: The Awakening/Mission: The Bell Tolls...
Category:Story