Venom: License to Kill #1
Dr. Yes!
Now a government agent with a license to kill, Venom is dispatched to stop a hostage situation aboard a commercial airliner. Smashing through the roof of the plane, Venom catches the terrorists off guard. Since their weapons have no effect him, Venom makes short work on the terrorists slaughtering them in front of the frightened passengers. Monitoring this from the Pentagon, one of Venom's keepers -- Vivian Raintree -- is concerned by how much their newest agent revels in the bloody carnage he has created. However, her commanding officer General Dunleavy is satisfied that the passengers are too oxygen-deprived by the explosive decompression of the airplane to remember what happens and is now deciding what Venom's next mission will be. That's when Agent Darryl Smith enters and informs them that their mission to breach the fortress of Doctor Yes has failed, suggesting that they should use Venom to infiltrate the facility instead.
Later, Eddie Brock is being debriefed at a secret location in Virginia. He is told by Agent Smith that although the Overreach Committee assigned to him believes in his abilities, they need some assurances while he is on their next mission. With that said, Smith shoots Eddie with a dart that knocks him out for a few hours. When Eddie wakes up he finds himself on an operating table just as government surgeons have finished planting a thermite bomb in his chest. Agent Smith explains what has been done, telling Eddie that if he strays from his next mission they will activate the bomb and it will incinerate him and his symbiotic other. With this complete, Brock is briefed on his next mission. He is shown footage of a woman who was exposed to a chemical agent while white-water rafting in Colorado. Eddie watches in horror as the woman dies a bloody death 48 hours after being infected. He is then shown an image of the man who created this biological weapon: Doctor Sergei Yesenofski, who created it for the Russian military. Yesenofski made a fortune developing bio-weapons for Russia and lived a rich life until a recent political change cut him off from his continued wealth forcing him to go into business for himself.[1] Now calling himself Doctor Yes, the bio-engineer worked with the United States until this recent incident and Agent Smith cautions Eddie that they will have to tread lightly moving forward. Instead of killing Yes, Venom is being sent to deliver payment of 20 million dollars that the deranged doctor is demanding to prevent further biological attacks. When asked what kind of equipment he is getting, Eddie is given a watch that will activate the thermite bomb in his body in the event that he is captured.
Given a car, Brock then drives up to Maimi to make the exchange with Agent Smith and his operatives following behind incognito in order to eliminate their targets. Smith cautions Eddie to stick to the plan and let them do the dirty work. However, things start to go south as they are attacked by two car full of gunmen. Becoming Venom, Brock uses the tendrils of his symbiotes to force the two cars to crash and goes about slaughtering the men sent to kill him. Smith orders Eddie to stand down, threatening to set off the thermite if he doesn't. They quickly depart the scene before they are seen and soon arrive on a beech. There, Darryll gives Brock a rubber raft and the equipment he will need to get to meeting point out in the ocean. Out past international waters, Eddie is approached by a speedboat carrying three female mercenaries. When he tries to hand over the money, the three women pull out guns and open fire upon him. Furious over being shot at, Eddie emerges from the water with the weapons he was armed with and begins opening fire, forcing his would-be killers to flee. When they report back to Doctor Yes, he tells the women not to worry as he is sending someone else to collect the money. Meanwhile, Agent Smith is telling Brock to surrender so he can be taken to the secret hideout of Doctor Yes. However, instead of the three female mercenaries, Eddie is ambushed by a massive armored individual who comes up from the water below him.
Recurring Characters
Venom, Daryll Smith, Dr. Yes, Red Flag
Continuity Notes
This story specifically states that Yesenofski worked for the USSR and that the country cut him off following the end of the Cold War. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
