Venom: Sinner Takes All #4
...So Shall ye Reap!
In the basement beneath the New York Stock Exchange, the Sin-Eater is planting a bomb when he is interrupted by the arrival of Venom. Although the symbiote has the element of surprise, Sin-Eater manages to pull his double-barreled shotgun out of his gym bag and shoots Venom point-blank in the stomach. However, this does little to harm Venom thanks to his other, which acts like a bulletproof vest. When he lunges at Sin-Eater again, the spree killer pulls out an anti-tank bazooka and fires it at the symbiote. This sends Venom crashing through a wall. As he recovers from the blast, Venom is suddenly showered with grenades that are loaded with thermite and white phosphorous. When the explosives go off, they rock the streets above where police have already formed a cordon. Also on the scene are various news crews, including reporter Trish Tilby who is reporting live.
This live coverage is being watched by a hit-woman who has taken Venom's ex-wife, Anne Weying, hostage in her own home. While back below the Stock Exchange, Venom tries to find cover from the flames as he and his other are vulnerable to heat. While he figures out how to get past the inferno, the Sin-Eater gets back to work rigging the bombs to blow up the Exchange. Venom becomes tired of Sin-Eater's Biblical rhetoric and decides to use some allegory himself. Reminding Sin-Eater about the story of Samson, he uses his strength to bring the ceiling down on both of them, a move that also smothers the flames that are making him vulnerable. On the surface, the sudden collapse leaves the authorities and reporters wondering if Sin-Eater and Venom are still alive. Back at Weying's apartment, the hit-woman hopes that Venom is still alive as she still has a score to settle with him after he caused harm to her daughter.[1] While in the rubble of the Stock Exchange, the Sin-Eater pulls himself out of the rubble, determined to complete his mission regardless of the cost, just like when he was in the military.[2]
Sin-Eater's mind drifts back to the past when he was a military Ranger named Michael Engelschwert. During a conflict in the Middle East, he was the only survivor when the Blackhawk helicopter transporting him was shot down. Not far away he spotted a missile launcher pointed at the Jerusalem. A religious man, Michael could not allow the enemy to attack the Holy City and mows them down. Determined to complete his mission, Engelschwert set some remote charges to destroy the missile launcher. With his recollection ending, Sin-Eater works himself up to press the detonator and set off the explosives now, just as he did on that faithful date. However, before he can, he is ambushed by Venom. As the two battle it out, Cheif Eamon Reilly becomes tired of waiting and sends in a SWAT Team to stop both combatants. When they open fire, Sin-Eater fires back, taking down a number of the officers. When Venom tries to stop more bloodshed, Sin-Eater takes one of the officers' hostage. Unwilling to harm an innocent, Venom can do nothing but stand down as Sin-Eater escapes in a van. As the van plows through a police barricade, Sin-Eater appears to toss his hostage out of the passenger side of the van. This gives Venom the opening he needs to fire Sin-Eater's discarded rocket launcher at the van, blowing it up. Assuming that his foe is dead, Venom quickly flees the scene in order to check on his ex-wife.
Back at Anne Weying's apartment, the hit-woman is tipped off of Venom's survival by Trish Tilby's eye witness report. She expects that the symbiote will come to the home of his ex-wife and land right into the trap she has set for him.
Recurring Characters
Venom, Anne Weying, Eamon Reilly, Sin-Eater, Trish Tilby
Continuity Notes
The woman's daughter, Kristin, met Eddie Brock during the course of Venom Carnage Unleashed #1-4. During this encounter Eddie crippled Kristin's love Clive Gooch, prompting the young musician to ask her mother to get revenge.
Sin-Eater specifically states that he participated in the Gulf War. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Final Judgement
After escaping from his execution, the terrorist known as the Tarantula tries to escape from the Jury. The only person standing in his way is Jenny Stewart, who had just been kicked off the team. When she asks her former teammate Firearm to help, he refuses. That's when the Jury's de-facto leader, Gavel, appears on a monitor screen telling her that she must defeat Tarantula on her own. He reminds the two combatants that the battle is to the death, and if the Tarantula wins he will be free to go. As the two fight, the Tarantula slashes her with one of his poison-tipped boots. As the poison begins coursing through her system, Jenny vision begins to double, as the Tarantula tells her that she has ten minutes to live before the poison ultimately kills her.
Weakened, Jenny decides to flee the scene, slipping out of one of the floor panels. Pushing down one of the hallways, she is taunted by Gavel, who reminds her of her time as a security guard for the Vault, and how much promise she had in the Jury until she washed out.[1] Tired of his taunting words, Jenny uses her sonic gauntlets to shatter the television monitors. She is then found by Sentry and the other members of the Jury. The Sentry tells her that he has the antidote for the Tarantula's poison, but will only give it to her when she kills the Tarantula.
Upstairs, Firearm keeps the Tarantula occupied until Jenny returns to face him one last time. Regaining her determination, Jenny goes back into battle against the Tarantula while her former teammates cheer her on. As first, the Tarantula has the upper hand, striking her with his poisoned tipped shoes again. When she seems to be defeated, the Tarantula goes in for the kill. However, Jenny was playing possum so the Tarantula can get close enough for her to blast him with a concentration of white sound. Although silent, it completely disorientates him. She then beats the Tarantula into submission and grabs him in a headlock. She prepares to snap his neck but realizes she can't bring herself to kill him. Even the Sentry reminding her that they will only give her the antidote for the poison if she kills the Tarantula does little to convince her to cross that line. That's when Gavel shows her footage of the prison break where her husband was killed. At the time she couldn't see the face of the man who killed her husband, this footage is from a different angle and reveals the killer to be none other than Luis Alvarez, the Tarantula who was incarcerated in the Vault at the time pending extradition to his native Delvadia. Seeing this for the first time pushes Jenny to the point where she can bring herself to kill her opponent and snaps the Tarantula's neck.
After completing her final test, Jenny is welcome back into the ranks of the Jury as their newest operative: Wysper.
Recurring Characters
The Jury (Sentry, Wysper, Firearm, Ramshot, Bomblast), Gavel, Max Taylor, Olivia Lentz, Tarantula
Continuity Notes
Jenny's time as a guard at the Vault came to a tragic end when her husband was murdered during a breakout. The break-out in question was the one that occurred in Avengers: Death Trap, The Vault #1.
