18 CH-18: A Masked Rival

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I stood on the rooftop, surveying the building before me. The warehouse-like structure seemed innocuous enough from the outside, Its sleek glass exterior reflected the city lights, a facade of elegance but I knew it held the prized possession I sought.

The royal heirloom awaited within those walls.

"Are you in position?" Caliban's voice blared through the coms.

"A moment." I growled back and kept forward.

I usually worked alone but Caliban seriously suggested that I needed a man in the chair for a heist and he was starting to grate on my nerves. I already have a voice in my head, I don't need another one.

My black suit melded seamlessly into the shadows as I assessed the security measures in place.

Guards patrolled the floors, their footsteps echoing through the empty corridors. My enhanced senses allowed me to pick up their movements, their heartbeats pulsating like a symphony in the darkness.

I had faced obstacles before, gangsters more dangerous than mere securities, this heist is going to be a walk in the park.

[Don't fucking Jinx it.]

'You shut up.' I muttered back mentally.

"There is a shaft on the right corner." Cal mentioned, I landed on the roof and looked around a bit before finding a big ventilation shaft. "It leads you down the floor."

"Fuck." I grumbled as I carefully made my way to a ventilation shaft near the edge of the roof, with a quiet hiss, I unscrewed the cover and slipped inside.

"Language Ethan." Cal reminded.

"Don't you fucking call me that." I barked as I got into the pipe.

It wasn't that I was being hypocritical, using a fake name while not allowing Caliban to call me Ethan. I simply preferred to go by Venom on the job.

"Geez, sorry." Cal apologised.

The confined space was suffocating but I pushed forward, crawling through the narrow passage.

"Take the right." I followed his directions as Cal guided me into the vents until I finally reached a maintenance corridor.

"That's your entrance." He announced as I got out.

Silent as a ghost, I glided through the dimly lit corridor, cautiously and carefully.

My steps halted as my heightened hearing picked up the boot taps of a guard approaching from the corner.

I pressed myself against the wall and waited like a hunter.

As the guard approached my eyeline, I coiled a tendril around his ankle, yanking him into the darkness with a swift motion. I silenced him, his unconscious body slumping to the floor.

No alarms raised, no commotion.

"Ah Venom? What did I just hear?" Cal asked.

"The silence of a successful takedown." I whispered back with a smug grin.

"Sure…" He trailed. "Take the hallway."

Moving with the grace of a predator, I continued along the hallway.

Two more guards stood at the end, engrossed in conversation.

They never saw me coming. My tentacles wrapped around their throats, squeezing gently until they fell into a deep slumber.

The journey continued, navigating the labyrinthine corridors, taking down guards one by one.

Each time, I relied on stealth and precision, ensuring not a single sound escaped their lips.

The element of surprise was my greatest weapon right now.

If it were a kill mission, I could have easily stormed through the front entrance without much thought. But this was a heist, and the goal was for people to only discover the theft after I had made my exit.

"V, the room at the end of the corridor." Caliban said and my eyes narrowed on the door of the said room. "I'm gonna cut off the electric grid, you got two minutes."

"Got it." I nodded, finally reaching the chamber where the heirloom was said to be kept.

The door creaked open under my touch, revealing a treasure room with various artefacts placed under the darkness.

I looked over at the room before something caught me off guard.

Another figure, masked and mysterious, stood beside the chest containing the shining silver necklace.

They were already in the process of opening it.

The masked figure turned towards me, surprise flickering behind their disguise. Another nod that my presence hadn't gone unnoticed.

Time seemed to slow as we locked eyes, each realising we were after the same prize.

"Looks like we have some competition." I remarked into the earpiece, my voice laced with a mix of amusement and determination.

"Fuck the thief guild!" Cal yelled into the coms.

I would have loved to hear more of his angry ramblings but I didn't really have the time for that now.

The masked figure smirked beneath the cover, clearly unimpressed by my presence.

"I'm afraid you've been beaten." He retorted, his voice cold and calculated with a touch of British accent?

"Well, the prize is still in the case, so how do we know?" I asked as we stood locked in a tense standoff, each waiting for the other to make a move.

But time was of the essence and I couldn't allow the necklace to slip through my fingers.

In a split-second decision, I lashed out, towards the masked figure as he reached for the case.

I caught his arm under my grip as he dropped the jewel.

The necklace spilled onto the floor, a flash of brilliance amidst the chaos and the lights came back in the room.

He suddenly looked up at the lights and so did I as reality set in for both of us.

""Fuck.""

Alarms blared, piercing the air, signalling the intrusion.

He flexed his arms out of my grip and reacted quickly, snatching up the necklace before I could reach it.

Our eyes met once more, determination burning in both our gazes, without a word, we turned and raced towards the exit.

I didn't see any guards, they should possibly be running towards the room rather than trying to stop us, that's just instinct to check on what went missing.

The sound of chaos echoing through the halls as we raced towards the roof, an intense chase through a labyrinth of steel and concrete.

The masked man ran ahead while I followed behind. He was definitely not faster than me but he was more flexible and that made him more agile.

After a period of running, he broke through a door and we finally emerged onto the rooftop, the cityscape stretching out before us.

Adrenaline surged through my veins as the masked figure and I stood face to face, our eyes locked in a silent standoff.

Both of us knew the necklace held immense value but only one of us could claim it.

I lunged at the masked figure, aiming to seize the necklace from his grip but he was prepared, his movements agile and precise as he dodged my attack.

"I didn't plan on killing anyone tonight." I growled in a threatening way as I extended my hand. "Give it."

"And I didn't plan on dying anytime soon." He chuckled. "Take it if you can."

A tense moment passed as we assessed each other, weighing our options.

Time seemed to hang in the balance, the city's heartbeat pounding in the background.

Then with a sudden surge of movement, the masked figure made a break for it.

I blinked, stunned by the way the staring contest ended and followed suit.

"Hey, that was too cool of a conversation to finish this way." I yelled as our footsteps echoed across the rooftop.

The night air whipped against my face as we raced toward the building's edge.

In one swift motion, the masked figure leaped off the rooftop, their body disappearing into the abyss below.

"What the-." I shook my head and jumped down, I knew I was safe and I can't leave without the necklace.

I leaped after them, my body hurtling through the darkness. The wind rushed past, engulfing me in a whirlwind of adrenaline.

Below, the masked man landed gracefully, his figure shrouded by the night.

As I touched down, our eyes met once again. The standoff continued, the necklace dangling between his grip, its allure shimmering under the moonlight.

The next move would determine who would claim the prize.

"You don't intend to let me leave, don't you young man." He asked as he exuded confidence, his body poised with the grace of a seasoned fighter.

"Nope." I answered by pulling a southpaw boxing stance.

Without warning, the masked man lunged forward, launching a swift combination of strikes.

His movements were fluid, a testament to his acrobatic and martial arts but I was no ordinary opponent. With my powers I could anticipate his every move.

I was prepared for anything but the masked man had skills, that much was evident.

He lunged at me, his fists a blur as he unleashed a barrage of strikes but I dodged and weaved, my symbiotic suit flowing with each motion.

"Nice try but you're gonna have to do better." I mocked.

The man responded with a roundhouse kick, his leg a blur of speed. I blocked his attack with my suit absorbing the impact effortlessly.

"I've seen better acrobatics at a circus." I taunted, a smirk playing on my lips.

Undeterred, he continued his assault, his strikes coming from all angles.

He was fast, I had to give him that but I was faster as my enhancements allowed me to react with lightning speed, evading his blows and delivering powerful counters of my own.

At this point I was just toying with him and he seemed to know that as I sensed his frustration.

He couldn't land a single hit on me unless I let him, thanks to my mind-reading powers. I could anticipate his every move, his every intention.

With a sweeping kick, I knocked him off balance, sending him stumbling backward.

"Having trouble keeping up?" I smirked, a hint of sarcasm lacing my words. "Maybe you should consider a career change."

"You talk a lot don't you?" He panted, holding his chest and taking deep breaths.

"Not really." I answered, ruffling my head. "But something about you just ticks me off."

"That's all well and good, but you can have this conversation after the necklace is in your hands." Cal reminded me of the objective, and my gaze shifted toward the shiny jewel in the man's hands.

"Right." I nodded as the man regained his composure, a glimmer of determination in his eyes.

He pressed on, launching a series of acrobatic flips and agile strikes. It was an impressive display but it wouldn't be enough to defeat me.

I countered his attacks with precision, my symbiotic tendrils extending to augment my movements.

With each strike, I could feel his frustration growing, his anger fueling his desperation but I remained calm, allowing his emotions to cloud his judgement.

He attempted a high-flying kick, aiming to catch me off guard but I sidestepped, grabbing his leg mid-air and slamming him onto the rooftop.

The impact reverberated through the night as he grunted in pain but he wasn't finished. He rolled away, springing back to his feet with renewed determination.

"Man, you are stubborn." I quipped.

"Arghhh!" He yelled as he charged at me once again.

I deflected his strike and swiftly delivered a powerful blow, connecting with his jaw.

The force of the blow sent him sprawling, his body crumpling onto the floor.

He grunted in pain as he lay defeated on the floor, his mask slightly askew.

The fight was over.

I calmly approached, swiftly grabbed the gem and began walking away.

"Wh-Who are you?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to glance back at him one final time. He remained on the ground, his gaze fixed upon me, his neck tensed, his arms maintaining a firm grip.

"I'm Venom."