Venom: Tooth and Claw #2
Vollied and Thundered
Briefly possessed by Dirt Nap, Venom wants revenge for the insult and follows the rodent shaped creature through one of Landau, Luckman, and Lake's Warp Chambers and has crossed over into a bizarre dimension where the normal laws of physics do not apply. Following him through the portal is a ship carrying Donna Diego -- a fellow symbiote -- and a pair of skateboarders name Jerry and Rocky. Adding to the mix is Wolverine and LL&L's office boy Emmett, who have followed after Dirt Nap as well as he can lead them to their foe, a woman named Chimera. Upon catching up to Venom, the Xenophage ship resumes its normal size and ejects Donna and the skateboarders from within.
Meanwhile, Venom and Wolverine are fighting over who gets to catch Dirt Nap. That's when Dirt Nap turns into the form of a child he consumed previously, making Wolverine hold back.[1] However, Venom isn't so reluctant and resumes his attack on Dirt Nap. Wolverine rushes in to stop Venom, not wanting to free the boy from Dirt Nap's grasp. Fleeing, Dirt Nap runs into Donna and the kids. Fearing for their safety, Donna turns into her symbiotic form but is consumed by Dirt Nap, allowing him to take on Donna's genetic template. Dirt Nap then chases after the boys until Venom, Wolverine, and Emmett catch up. By this point, the sound of battle has attracted the attention of Chimera who has arrived to see what is going on. While Venom deals with the Dirt Nap-possessed Chimera, Wolverine turns his attention to Chimera, as he is looking forward to a rematch.[2] However, Chimera has not come alone and sends a pair of Plasma Wraiths to deal with the invaders.[3]
While Wolverine and Venom are busy, Rocky and Jerry try to escape in the Phage ship. Unfortunately, they are captured by Chimera who also takes Donna/Dirt Nap prisoner and escapes through a doorway portal. Soon, Venom and Wolverine destroy the Plasma Wraiths and agree to put aside their differences until they defeat Chimera and Dirt Nap. With Emmett in tow, the two men enter the portal that Chimera escaped through and find themselves in a dimension that is even more warped in the last. This makes it difficult for Wolverine to track Chimera and the others by scent. However, they are able to pick up the trail when Emmett uses one of LL&L's technology to pick up Chimera's heat signature. Not far away, Chimera explains that she intercepted a memo from Landau, Luckman and Lake's Expediter -- Zoe Culloden -- and arranged for Dirty Nap to crash the meeting with Wolverine and LL&L. Things would have gone according to plan had Dirt Nap not made the mistake of trying to take possession of Venom. In the meantime, Chimera has come up with an alternate plan to destroy Wolverine. She leads Dirt Nap and their hostages back to the warp chamber and returns to Earth. There, Chimera attaches a Lepton Imploder that will turn the portal into a black hole. She explains that when Wolverine and Venom try to follow them through the portal again, they will find themselves sucked into oblivion instead.
Not far behind, Venom and Wolverine are closing the gap between themselves and their foe. It's then that Logan pulls Venom aside and gets him to agree to not harm Dirt Nap until they manage to separate the kid that he has been holding hostage this whole time. As they climb up to the warp chamber, Wolverine detects the trap set by Chimera. Forwarned, the trio cross through the portal. On the other side, the Lepton Imploder begins trying to suck them back through the gate. With a combination of Wolverine's claws and Venom's symbiote, the trio manages to stay on the Earthside of the portal long enough for Emmett to disable the trap with Quark Emulation Disruptor. Using his heat signature device, Emmett leads them through another doorway into yet another dimension. There, Chimera has set up another trap by having Dirt Nap take on the form of the young boy he has in his possession. She then strings Dirt Nap upside down, making him an appealing trap for Wolverine. Chimera, joined by more Plasma Wraiths now wait to spring her trap.
Recurring Characters
Venom, Wolverine, Scream, Emmett, Dirt Nap, Chimera,
Continuity Notes
Dirt Nap consumed this child in Wolverine Vol 2 #95.
Wolverine last fought Chimera in Wolverine Vol 2 #97.
The narrative notes that Wolverine last fought Plasma Wraiths in Wolverine Vol 2 #52.
