There Must be Some Way out of Here

Venom is in the middle of beating on some crooks when he thinks he sees Carnage behind him.[1] He is shocked to discover that this is actually a poster advertising an officially licensed video game on his foe. He is disgusted by the fact that they would make a video game based on Carnage and takes out his frustrations on the muggers. Meanwhile, at Ravencroft Institute, Cletus Kasady spends his session with Doctor Camille Pazzo by obsessing over the video game that was created about him. Pazzo insists that he focus more on his session as she will have his computer privileges revoked. She asks him to talk about the time he was caught digging up the graves blonding to his parents. Cletus changes the subject by saying that his mother was a liar, saying that she loved the family dog more than him. When Camille asks Cletus to explain himself, he simply says that the dog died after making a mess in the basement. As he thinks about how he killed the dog with a power drill, Cletus puts on a ghoulish smile, and tells her that he was blamed for what happened to the dog, and says nothing more on the subject.

That evening, Eddie Brock is taking a bus into New York City. He tries to sleep but the singing of the woman sleeping next to him keeps him up. Critiquing her lyrics, the young woman -- named Kirstin -- tries to explain the brilliance of the song. While at the offices of Extreme Violence Video Games, owner Fordham Rhodes is excited for the launch of the latest port for the new Carnage Unleashed video game. This excitement is mirrored by his colleague, Sherman Oaks, who is surprised that Doctor Ashley Kafka agreed to sell them the rights to use Cletus Kasady as the subject of their new video game. This is also the subject of conversation at Ravencroft Institute, as Camille Pazzo questions the ethics of dealing with Extreme Violence Video Games. However, Ashley Kafka explains that they can use the royalties to help fund their work. Pazzo also expresses her concerns about Cletus being given computer access. Ashley insists that there is no risk, as his computer has restricted access that only allows him to access the Extreme Violence video game server. Ashley reminds Camille that it was the condition that Cletus demanded in order to sign off his rights. Still, Pazzo finds that allowing Cletus to use the computer has its benefits, as it has made him more open to her questions and she is finally learning what makes him tick.

Back aboard the bus heading back to New York, Eddie Brock continues t o talk ethics with Kristin. She refuses to subscribe to his negative world-view, saying that life is too short to be sad. She then begins telling Eddie about how she is going to meet with Clive Gooch, a man she began corresponding with she met during a visit to the East Village. As she tells Eddie about how he is a talented poet, Brock looks at his photo and doesn't like the look of the tell-tale scars of a habitual heroin user. At Ravencroft, Camille continues her interview with Cletus Kasady. She wants to know more about the day the family dog died. Cletus tells how she tripped over some furniture and tried to harm him. She pulled a knife and was about to stab him when Cletus' father came home and beat her to death with a hammer.[2] When Camille asks Cletus how he feels about that, he tells her that he is pumped. In the excitement, Kasady digs his fingernails into his hands, breaking the skin and drawing blood. This allows him to transform into Carnage. However, when he tries to attack Camille, he discovers that he has been talking to a holographic projection and is bombarded with microwaves for his trouble. The experience is disturbing, but Camille refuses to take away Kasady's computer privileges because she is making great progress.

It's at this time that Sherman Oakes logs into the game server and tries to start a match with Cletus. Recovering from the microwave blast, Kasady logs onto the computer. However, instead of simply playing the game, he sends microscopic lines of his tendrils into the computer, allowing him to send them through the computer and attack Sherman directly. With his life at risk, Sherman is forced to hack into the computer database at Ravencroft in order to allow him to send his influence across the internet. By this time, Eddie Brock and Kristin have arrived in New York City. Spotting Clive, she departs wishing Eddie well. He is concerned about her fate for a moment when suddenly his attention is turned to the sight of someone being tossed out a window of a nearby office building. This turns out to be Sherman Oakes, and Venom instantly recognizes Carnage's tendrils as they toss him out of the window. Brock finds himself torn between investigating this murder and making sure that Kristin doesn't get in over hear head with her drug addicted lover. While at Ravencroft, the alarms go off becuase the security systems keeping Carnage in check have failed. Ashley Kafka and Camille Pazzo follow security to Carnage's cell to discover that he has just freed himself.

Recurring Characters

Venom, Carnage, Camille Pazzo, Ashley Kafka, Fordham Rhodes, John Jameson, Roscoe and Louise Kassady (in flashback)

Continuity Notes

1. The advertisement says the video game Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage will be released on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis video game consoles. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as these gaming consoles have long since been retired. All the technological references in this story should be considered topical.

2. The story here contradicts a flashback in Carnage #12. In that tale, Cletus' mather was accidentally killed by her husband when she tried to stop him from beating their son. One could assume that Cletus' accounts here are delusions or sick fantasies of what he wished happened.