Feed the Pyre

Venom has been trying to find Gray Russell in time to stop him from taking a human life. Unfortunately, he has arrived too late as Russell was forced to participate in a drive-by shooting by the Jadoo gang. To make matters worse, when he thought the Punisher was trying to catch him and subjected himself to a Hydra developed super-soldier chamber. Now the microwave generating Pyre, Russell blames Brock for arriving too late to save him. Blasted by the microwaves weakens Venom's symbiote. With Pyre distracted, the Punisher tries to recover his weapons. When the vigilante opens fire, his bullets melt before they even touch Pyre. While Pyre is distracted by the Punisher, Venom manages to slip away. Pyre goes after the symbiote, allowing the Punisher to slip out and return to his van. As he treats his wounds, he contacts Microchip, his technician, to get advice on how to neutralize this new threat. Microchip comes up with a means of reworking the sonic blaster on the roof of the battle van into a counteractive device.

Back inside the gang hideout, Pyre continues hunting down Venom, putting the symbiote on the defensive. When he gets a look at his reflection and sees how he has been transformed, he becomes even angrier. Suddenly, the Punisher comes crashing through the wall in his van. He then activates his anti-microwave blast. which Pyre tries to deflect. The conflicting microwave frequencies begin causing Venom a great deal of pain. Blaming the Punisher, Venom breaks into his van, but Frank Castle reminds him of the danger that Pyre poses. He begins pelting Pyre with grenades, but they don't have much of an effect. Venom leaps out of the van to try and help Pyre only to be blasted again. Realizing he cannot survive being blasted again, he uses his webbing to bring down a machine on Pyre, crushing his legs. Venom offers to free him, but Pyre is even more furious at being crippled by Venom on top of everything else. His powers cause the chemicals in the machine to ignite. As the building turns into a blazing inferno, Punisher puts his van into reverse and pulls out. Venom tries to save Pyre, but the combination of flames and microwaves proves to be too painful and is forced to flee as well.

Furious at the Punisher, Venom tries to confront him about his interference on his rescue mission. However, before they can come to blows, they hear the approach of police sirens and both part ways. From the flaming building, Pyre's screams suddenly turn into laughter.

Recurring Characters

Venom, Punisher, Pyre, Microchip