Patterns Part Three

Not Too Long Ago[1]

At the Ararat Corporation’s research facility in Northern Canada, scientists have been working for months to unlock the secrets of a cloned of the Venom symbiote. However, due to incomplete information, they are unable to learn anything new. This frustrates one of the scientists who feels like they’re are working around in circles. They decide to take their research a step further by taking a tissue sample of the creature even though they are under orders to not do that. Before they can take the sample, they are interrupted by one of their colleagues who tells them that Bob has called in via teleconference and has called a meeting. In the meeting, the head scientist makes his case about taking a tissue sample. Bob says he agrees and after releasing the symbiote, tells the scientists that their tissue sample will be coming shortly. The symbiote makes its way to the conference room and begins slaughtering all the scientists.

At that same moment, at SHIELD headquarters, Nick Fury has just learned that Eddie Brock and his symbiote have escaped from the Vault. He calls Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four to tell him he has the situation under control. Fury goes into the lab and is told by his lead scientist that their man in black construct is not ready yet. and that they need more tests. However, when Fury shoots the man in black and its body begins repairing the wounds, Fury is convinced that nanites are ready to go out into the field. Ultimately, the scientist concedes that they have no choice since the escape of Venom is triggering a worldwide catastrophe that they need to contain. Unnerved by the man in black’s empty eye sockets, Fury puts on a pair of sunglasses on its face.

Back up north, the surviving scientists manage to lock themselves in the lunchroom while fleeing from the symbiote. However, they have only succeeded in trapping themselves as the symbiote is able to push its tendrils under the door and kill one of the scientists. While one of the others hides in a closet the others try to figure out what to do next when the symbiote forces its way in and begins slaughtering them one-by-one, a task made easier when it uses host bodies to isolate and kill individual scientists.

At this same moment, Nick Fury has arrived above the facility in a SHIELD transport. He then coaches the man in black to tell anyone who asks that he is not part of any organization, but comes from a planet far away. Once the construct has its story down pat, Fury tells it to get going. It leaps out of the plane and crashes on the frozen tundra and begins its hunt for the symbiote.

Back at the facility, the lone survivor cowers in the closet while the symbiote taunts him. That’s when Patricia Robertson arrive to return some movies she borrowed from the Ararat scientists. Deciding to have some fun with this, the symbiote response to her over the intercom calling for help.

Recurring Characters

SHIELD (Nick Fury, the man in black), Bob, Patricia Robertson, Mister Fantastic (voice)

Continuity Notes

1. This story states that these events take place a month prior to Venom #1. However, as pointed out in issue #11, the measurement of time used in this story arc is based on publication dates, not on the passage of Marvel Time. Per the Sliding Timescale, this story would have actually have taken place a week prior to Venom #1 instead of a month.