"This time, I will succeed. There must be more specimens out there, and soon, I can create a new world." Late at night in the Life Foundation, Carlton Drake sat alone in the control room, fixated on the screen before him, his eyes gleaming with ambition and desire.
The screen displayed data from the previous space mission of the exploratory spaceship, highlighting a particular route to an asteroid where the parasites were first discovered. However, it wasn't technically the spaceship that "captured" the parasites; instead, the parasites intentionally exposed themselves to be taken, all in an attempt to locate a planet teeming with life. As a race capable of destroying their own planet, they certainly weren't fools.
The parasites had even deliberately revealed the coordinates of their asteroid to lure in more explorers. Had it not been for the spaceship's unexpected failure that brought them to Earth, the parasites could have caused far greater destruction.
The universe isn't just brimming with resources; it's also fraught with danger. Earth had its own protectors; otherwise, it might have already been obliterated by predators infamous for preying on countless civilizations that hadn't yet ventured beyond their planets.
At this moment, Drake was already planning a return mission to that asteroid, indifferent to any risks it might pose to Earth.
"You people, always wanting to save the world or create a new one. Aren't those excuses a bit overused by now?" As Drake was basking in his daydreams of fame and countless admirers, a strange voice broke into his reverie. Naturally, the intruder was Daniel Davis.
"Who are you?" The sudden voice startled Drake, and he immediately reached for the nearby alarm. As a research facility, it naturally had robust security measures.
But before he could press the button, Drake felt something tighten around his neck. A steel chain had wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground. He gripped the chain around his neck, kicking and struggling desperately.
"Who I am doesn't matter. Since you're so eager to create a new world, why don't you try it yourself?" With those words, Daniel released Drake. Just as he tried to speak, another chain tightly sealed his mouth. Daniel then proceeded to use his psychic abilities to delve into Drake's memories.
"So, quite a few people know about the parasites, huh." Daniel considered covering up the parasite issue by eliminating all Life Foundation personnel involved in the research. That would be the simplest and most efficient approach, but it would involve excessive killing, and Daniel was not one to resort to such ruthless measures lightly.
Drake, however, had no such qualms. He'd coerced his team, including Dr. Dora, who had no choice but to obey his orders to protect her own life, even at the expense of others'.
"Mmmph, mmmph!" As Daniel led him toward the containment door for the parasites, Drake frantically struggled, sensing what was about to happen, but the chains held firm.
"You want to create a new world? How about you take the lead?" With a slight smirk, Daniel shoved Drake into the containment chamber and used the access codes he'd extracted from Drake's mind to open one of the parasite storage units.
The exploratory mission had brought back five parasites. With one having escaped, four remained, though two had already died, likely from a lack of life energy. Only two were still alive, one of which was likely the parasite that would become Venom with Eddie.
"No, please, help!" Released from his bindings, Drake frantically tried to flee as he saw the black liquid ooze from the container, pounding on the glass walls just like the victims he had previously lured into the lab.
"This is just the necessary sacrifice for creating your new world. Don't worry; history will remember you... Actually, no, it won't. Your name will never be recorded." Daniel's voice echoed through the chamber.
"No—ah!" Drake tried to shout, but before he could, the black liquid sprang onto his chest, seeping into his body in seconds. As the parasite took hold, Drake screamed in agony, partly from the pain and even more from his terror. He had never cared about the suffering of his test subjects, but now that he was the one being experimented on, it was a different story.
"It actually worked! This fool chose homeless people as hosts, no wonder the trials failed. Parasites drain their host's life force, so the younger and stronger, the better," Daniel observed.
Drake's trials had failed because he had chosen old homeless people to avoid complications, a fatal mistake.
"I'm…alive? What…is this?" After the initial pain, Drake found himself infused with newfound strength and a surge of excitement filled his eyes.
Boom.
He struck the reinforced glass before him with a single punch, causing a network of cracks to spread across its surface.
"Haha! I knew it! I was right. This power!" With another punch, Drake shattered the glass completely and twisted his newly empowered body out of the chamber. Thanks to the parasite's ability to access memories, he now instinctively knew how to use Venom's abilities.
"Bet you didn't see this coming." Outside the lab, Drake looked at Daniel with a smug grin.
"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have obtained this power. From now on, I am the god of a new world. Don't worry, I won't let you die too easily."
Drunk on his newfound power, Drake's arrogance ballooned, even calling himself a god. If this was all it took to be a "god," then the Avengers were filled with them.
Drake's left arm morphed into a massive hand, extending like rubber, reaching out to grab Daniel.
As Drake's attack neared, Daniel simply smiled. Without any apparent movement, the temperature in the room suddenly plummeted. Drake's extended arm froze in place about a meter from Daniel, covered in an icy blue glow.
Not just his arm—soon, the entire lab was encased in ice. Drake's legs, torso, and finally his upper body, were all immobilized, leaving only his head unfrozen.
If this were a movie, freezing him just before his attack landed would be a dramatic effect. But in reality, there was no need for theatrics. Being cautious was simply practical.
"A god? You, a useless piece of trash, dare call yourself a god? Haven't you been keeping up with the news? With Asgard already on the scene, dreaming of a new world is as foolish as Hydra's empty ambition."
Daniel raised his right hand and flicked his fingers.
In the next moment, Drake's frozen body shattered into countless shards, scattering into the air, leaving only his head behind.
"Y—" Drake managed to get out a single word before falling silent forever. In theory, as Venom, he could regenerate even if turned into mincemeat, but that was just theory. Drake had clearly not reached that level.
To regenerate, Venom would need life energy, and the parasite had been weak even before bonding with Drake. If Drake's injuries were only superficial, the parasite could use life energy to heal him. But with his body completely destroyed, there was no chance.
As Drake died, a pool of black liquid seeped from his head. This was why Daniel hadn't frozen Drake entirely; complete freezing might have killed the parasite as well.
"Time to take care of the others." After Drake's death, Daniel summoned two shadow clones to deal with the other Life Foundation staff who knew about the parasites. Their task wasn't to kill them but to erase any memory of the parasites. However, Drake's key accomplices would be eliminated, and Daniel planned to expose his human experimentation scandal, bringing the Venom incident to a close.
"Nice equipment." Daniel decided to take the Life Foundation's research equipment and Drake's remaining assets, anonymously donating half to international charitable organizations.
This was his typical approach with "found money" in the Marvel universe. The donations went to genuinely altruistic organizations, especially those combating bioweapons, like Chris and Jill's international anti-bioweapon coalition.
When the Life Foundation's scandal broke, the media immediately turned against it, condemning Drake as if they'd never praised him before.
"Eddie got rehired at the Daily Globe? I suppose that's a decent ending for him." Eddie, who had been fired for crossing Drake, returned to work as soon as the Life Foundation scandal came to light. The Globe heavily promoted this, claiming they had long been suspicious of the Life Foundation. As for Eddie's firing? "Did that happen? No, you must be mistaken."
"What an incredible species." Back home, Daniel ignored the media frenzy and focused on researching the parasite.
With Life Foundation research notes to aid him, Daniel gained a deeper understanding of the parasites.
The parasites were indeed remarkable but not invincible. Fire and ultrasonic waves were their primary weaknesses, as well as extreme cold. Their strength also depended on the host; a parasite bonded to a regular person was far weaker than one bonded to Spider-Man or Captain America.
Their regenerative powers were formidable, capable of restoring themselves from severe injuries as long as they had enough life energy. The parasite could also enhance strength, shapeshift at will, and mimic abilities like elasticity.
Not only could a parasite vastly amplify the host's power, but it also offered Daniel an interesting bio-armor prospect.
"And they wanted to conquer Earth? Perish among the stars." After interrogating the parasite, Daniel learned much about its species. Although more bio-armor could be harvested from their kin, three parasites were enough for him.
Having already turned White Zetsu into bio-armor, creating a Venom armor was just a matter of time.
"The world is full of madmen." Daniel was about to start work on the Venom armor when a news story caught his eye
: an outbreak in Raccoon City had reoccurred. This time, it wasn't in a remote area but in a bustling city—Busan.
"A real-life Train to Busan, huh."
Fortunately, a cure for the bioweapon virus had been developed, and thanks to the timely military intervention and UN assistance, the outbreak didn't escalate. With the cure available, there was no need to resort to nukes to contain the virus.
"Sigh." Daniel could only shake his head. This crisis didn't require his intervention; it was a matter for the countries involved.
The Busan incident soon settled down, but it led to a surge in demand for the bioweapon virus cure, which quickly sold out.
"Murderers! Killers!"
Driving his car to Stark Industries, Daniel noticed a group of protesters across the street with banners, loudly condemning the company.
"This is why I never wanted to be a superhero."
Daniel was attending a memorial event for victims of recent terrorist attacks. Like the Busan incident, similar attacks had erupted worldwide, involving suicide bombers and bioweapons. Although the Avengers worked tirelessly to prevent casualties, even Quicksilver could only save so many in a suicide bombing.
Stark Industries hosted the event to honor the victims and support survivors. Sadly, some people blamed the Avengers for the casualties rather than the perpetrators.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
[+100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]