Venom by James R Tuck

Author:James R Tuck
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Titan

DEADLY BIRTH

1

Mojave Desert, California

EVERYTHING HURT.

Everything.

He hung in a globe of sonic energy generated by twin apparatus that hung at forty-five-degree angles above him. Floating in the center of it made him feel as if he’d been dipped in a vat of fire ants.

Angry, biting fire ants.

The sonic cage was suspended nine feet above the floor of a high-tech lab in the secret desert base. Advanced equipment surrounded him on all sides, every wall covered in technology that was beyond his understanding, with more tech scattered on counters around the room. Scientists and technicians moved past quickly, and rarely did they look his way.

He didn’t care about any of them.

His only concern was the grim-faced man wearing the sunglasses and suit, standing below his cage and peering up at him.

“You!” he bellowed. “Carlton Drake!” Venom lunged forward as far as the confining sonic energy would allow. “Come closer so we can suck your lungs out through your nose.”

“Very colorful, Mr. Brock.” Drake tilted his head. “Or should I say ‘Venom’?” He chuckled, low and quiet. “Thank you for your offer, but the Life Foundation prefers to keep me intact.” He moved closer to the ball of energy and the snarling figure it held.

“Indeed, our clients pay handsomely for our goods and services, for the emergency quarters we provide them against the event of world chaos. Made-to-order survivalism without all of the fuss, so to speak—and they expect to be protected, should they enter that sheltered environment.

“Which is where you come in.”

Drake turned and spoke to a man who stood at a control panel.

“Proceed.”

The man nodded and his hands moved, making adjustments to the array of dials and knobs and switches. After a moment he seemed satisfied, and tapped a large button on the left side of the panel. A tubular device rose from the floor, aiming at the ball of sonic energy.

Aiming at Venom.

“No!” Venom cried. “Not again!”

A needle-thin beam—the same beam that had appeared four times before—crossed the space and pierced the sonic globe, striking Venom in the chest.

“Pulling at us—it, it…” Man and symbiote thrashed involuntarily, writhing as much as the containment field allowed. Limbs trembled with the enormous effort of trying to get away from the pain. The symbiote’s mouth pulled back, toothy jaws wide, revealing the face of the man beneath. Pain was etched there. Each half of Venom twisted and screamed, their shared agony doubled, their screams echoing off of the walls.

It felt as if the beam was rooting around inside him, digging in with needle-sharp precision, cutting a part of him away. A thin strand of symbiotic material rode back down the beam toward its source.

The agony seemed endless. Brock screamed, releasing a primal, animal noise, a wild inhuman howl. The symbiote bubbled and rippled on his body. The face they wore went liquid and peeled back in fleshy folds of teeth and gum and loosely flapping tongue.

Throughout the process Drake watched the symbiote and its host without any indication of emotion. When he spoke, his voice was calm, matter-of-fact.

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