The Other Symbiote

Purple Darth Maul

As the light diminished around them, the Avengers all rushed to help steady Bruce as he collapsed, with Clint kicking the gauntlet away and Tony spraying ice cold liquid nitrogen.

"Don't move him!" Raiva ordered, waiting patiently for Bruce's breathing to level out.

"FRIDAY, release the Barn Door Protocol."

"On it." The AI responded, light flooding back into the room.

"Did it work?" Bruce asked weakly as he gripped Thor's hand.

"We're not sure. But it's okay, it's okay."

Steve looked up at Raiva and saw her moving towards Nat, the hem of her shirt rising as she saw the bruising in her stomach begin to fade away.

"Give me a mirror."

"What?" Nat responded.

"A mirror, I need a mirror. Something to see my reflection." Raiva clarified before she saw Scott's hand dip into a pond of water by the small central tree.

She rushed over, leaning above the water to see her face in the reflection, her hope slowly waning before she saw small specks of dust.

*Ugh... what the...*

Raiva's eyes pricked with tears as she looked down at her arm, a dark gooey substance leaking from her stubby shoulder.

"Nem." She murmured, trying to get her symbiote's attention.

*Raiva? What happened?*

"I'll explain everything later. Come out here."

The symbiote slowly fell onto the floor next to her, her large stature brushing Raiva's single tear away.

"My God, you're a sight for sore eyes!" The host tackled her in a hug.

Nemesis was back, and she couldn't be happier, but the small voice inside her head spoke volumes.

"Raiva... what Stella did wasn't your fault."

"My little baby..." She murmured, placing a hand over her stomach.

"You will get the chance to have another child, Rai."

A scuff of boots behind them drew their attention to the Widow and the archer standing there, sniffles coming from both whilst only Clint teared up.

"Hi, Nemesis." Nat grinned, a short chuckle leaving her as the symbiote pulled them both into a hug.

However, their happiness was shortly lived when the place lit up in an explosion.

----

The world around Raiva rang in a high-pitched tone, but her body didn't seize nor did her symbiote. She sat up quickly, noticing Nat and Clint next to her, and she slowly shook them awake.

"WHAT THE-?!"

*You were a bit far behind in your evolutions.* Nemesis murmured in her mind, a strong fleshy hand growing from her right stub.

She looked at it in amazement, confused at how it felt so foreign and familiar at the same time. She turned it back and forth, touching her thumb to all of her fingers individually, chuckling softly to herself.

As Clint rose, Raiva moved to shake Nat awake but she didn't. Instead, Raiva pressed two fingers to the cut on her forehead.

"Hey, hey, come on. Come on, Mom." Raiva spoke as she looked down at her hand, her veins turning black before her fingertips jolted with electricity.