Redeemable Upon Request

Coming to the aid of his ex-wife, Anne Weying, Venom finds himself in a stand-off with the new Sin-Eater. Not only does the spree killer have his double-barreled shotgun pointed at Anne's head, but he is also rigged with explosives and has his thumb on the detonator. The Sin-Eater intends to kill Weying for being part of the legal team representing Fordham Rhodes, a video game developer of questionable morals.[1] When Sin-Eater pulls the trigger on his gun, Venom manages to leap in the path of the bullets. That's when police chief Eamon Reilly tries to distract Sin-Eater with his flashlight. The killer fries to shoot Eamon, but the bullets strike his flashlight instead, plunging the hospital room in darkness. By the time Reilly lights the room with his lighter, Sin-Eater has managed to escape. With back-up prepared to burst into the room, Eamon decides to let Venom leave with Anne, not wanting anymore bloodshed.

Leaping from the rooftops, Venom asks Anne where they can go where she will be safe and they can look after her wounds. However, she can't bring herself to look at him unless Eddie shows her his real face. He complies and soon thinks of someplace where he can take her. Meanwhile, at the Little Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Emil Gregg -- a man who once falsely claimed to be the original Sin-Eater -- checks in for the evening.[2] The woman working at the front desk is actually an undercover police officer, who reports Gregg's arrival to Eamon Reilly once he is out of earshot. When Gregg retires for the night, he earns the ire of his fellow bunkmates for repeating Bible verses too loud. Soon the police storm the room and check Gregg's bags. Instead of the Bible tracts that he claimed were in it, they find the Sin-Eater costume and his weapons. Figuring that Emil is the new Sin-Eater, he is quickly arrested unaware that the actual killer is sleeping in the cot next to Emil. Intentionally framing Emil for his crimes, the real Sin-Eater whispers Bible verses to himself.

Meanwhile, Venom takes Anne Weying down to a long-abandoned bomb shelter beneath Manhattan that was built during the Cold War. When they arrive, Brock explains to her that this facility once served as his base of operations.[3] Getting Anne into a bed, Eddie notices that her sutures have ripped open and she is bleeding again. To make matter worse, the painkillers keeping Anne at ease have also worn off. Wondering what to do next, Venom is surprised when his other suggests bonding with her to heal Anne's wounds. Although Eddie is willing to share his symbiosis with the woman that used to be his wife, Anne is horrified at the idea of being bonded to the alien symbiote. Eddie assures her that it is the only thing they can do, and he stays by her side as the symbiote bonds with her as well. The three beings find themselves in a symbiotic bond. As the symbiote heals Anne, Eddie comforts her and convinces her to keep calm.[4] While at Midtown Central police precinct, Emil Gregg is being interviewed by the authorities. Although Emil fully admits that he is the Sin-Eater, Eamon Reilly asks his colleague Detective Steen what she thinks. Steen doesn't like the full confession, especially without a lawyer present, but she is certain they will get to the truth once forensics comes back with the results from the evidence they gathered. With nothing else to do until then, Reilly orders Gregg to be put into isolation. As Emil is being walked through the bullpen, one of the officers on duty consoles the mother of one of the officers killed during Sin-Eater's attack on the hospital. When Gregg is identified as her son's alleged killer, the woman pulls a gun out of her purse and shoots Emil in the chest.

While back in the bomb shelter, Anne Weying's vital signs continue to fade and she goes into a coma. Realizing a partial bonding won't save her, Eddie orders his other to fully bond with her. At first the symbiote protests, not wanting to sever its bond with Eddie, but Brock threatens to abandon it forever if it doesn't comply with its wishes. With no other choice, the symbiote fully bonds with Anne, turning into a white shroud that covers her from head to toe. Standing over her body, Eddie promises that everything will turn out okay. While back at the police station, forensics come back with the results of their tests. As it turns out, none of it fits with Emil Gregg.[5] Checking their records, the fingerprints on the weapon actually belong to former Airborne Ranger named Michael Engelschwert.[6] Back at the homeless shelter, Michael Engleschwert climbs out of bed and begins packing his bags. Singing "Amazing Grace" he also annoys the other tenants, but they decide not to say anything to disturb him, as they know that something is wrong with the veteran.

At that very moment, Eddie Brock's vigil over his ex-wife is interrupted when two homeless men enter the shelter who have been using it as a secret hideaway. Seeing intruders in their domain, they pull out weapons willing to fight for the squatting rights. Although Eddie puts up a good fight, without his symbiote he is no match for his two attackers. However, before they can kill him, Anne wakes and fully bonded with the symbiote she is prepared to kill in order to defend Eddie, transforming herself into the She-Venom.

Continuity Notes

1. Rhodes financed a video game based on the serial killing symbiote known as Carnage, as seen in Venom Carnage Unleashed #1-4, Rhodes was murdered by Sin-Eater last issue.

2. The original Sin-eater was Stan Carter whose murder spree ran from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110. At the time, Gregg was Carter's next-door neighbor. Mentally disturbed, Emil convinced himself that he was the Sin-Eater and made a false confession that would have seen him incarcerated had the real Sin-Eater not been captured by Spider-Man.↑ Venom briefly used this bomb shelter as his hideout in Amazing Spider-Man #316.

3. Venom Vol 4 #12 indicates that this was when Anne Weying became pregnant with Dylan Brock. Eddie would not become aware of the fact that he had a son until many years later.

4. Gregg is laying on the floor, implied to be dead here. However, Gregg survived this. He would later die a homeless and addicted to drugs, as revealed in AXIS: Carnage #2.

5. The forensic scientist states that Engelschwert participated in the Gulf War. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

Past the Bars

An aircraft flies to an undisclosed location on a secret flight route. As it nears its destination, the flight attendant tells the passengers to put on sensory deprivation helmets so that the location they are heading to remains a secret. Among the passengers is a woman named Olivia Lentz, a new hire selected by Max Taylor and his organization, Equity Inc. Once on the ground, she is greeted by Taylor who welcomes her onto the team. He is pleasant for the time being, reminding her that when it comes to be trial time, he will be on the opposite bench. When she asks where the rest of the team is, he explains that nobody sees Gaval before trial and the Jury is currently out on their mission. At the same moment in the nation of Boca Del Dios, the Jury is busy fighting through an army of Dreadnaught robots in order to free a prisoner known only as El Caldron. With the local military preparing for a counterstrike, Sentry sends Bomblast, Wysper, and Firearm into the prison to complete the mission while the others hold back the attacking forces. In the prison, the members of the Jury mow down the guards. As they make their way through the cell block, one of the prisoners pleads Wysper to free him. The sight reminds her of the day her husband was murdered right before her eyes during a break out at the super-villain prison known as the Vault.[1] She is snapped out of it when Firearm tells her that Bomblast found the prisoner they are searching for.

Soon they rendezvous at the cell occupied by El Caldron, who is delighted that they have come to free him from his cell. However, he tells them that while he goes by many names, El Caldron insists that they call him by his real name: Luis Alvarez. They quickly rush outside where they help Sentry and Ramshot with the rest of the Dreadnaughts while they wait for their ship, the Justifier, to arrive for evacuation. The Jury gets on board with Alvarez and takes off as military reinforcements arrive. Before they can get airborne, one of the Dreadnaughts grabs onto Sentry. Wysper comes to his aid, but he orders her to let him go, as the added weight could make the Justifier crash. She refuses to abandon her commander. Ultimately, the Sentry's gauntlet slips off, causing the robot to crash to the ground. Once they are a safe distance away from the soldiers, Luis Alvarez thanks the Jury for freeing him from his prison. However, he quickly realizes that their reasons are less than altruistic when Sentry orders Ramshot to shoot Luis with a tranquilizer dart. Wysper is confused as to why they rescued Alvarez. When they arrive at the Jury's temporary base of operations, they explain that the Jury broke Luis Alvarez out of prison because his punishment for past crimes was far too lenient and he is going to be put through a new trial.

As Alvarez is prepared, Sentry explains that the world protects men like Luis and that true justice has not been served. When Luis Alvarez wakes up he finds himself dressed in the costume he wears when operating as the mercenary known as the Tarantula. With his arms restrained, the Tarantula demands to know what is going on. That's when the man known as Gavel appears on a massive television screen. He will be acting as judge in this trial in which the Jury intends to make the Tarantula answer for his crimes.

Continuity Notes

1. Jenny's husband was murdered during the events of Avengers: Death Trap, The Vault #1.