Shiver Part Two

At the Ararat Research Facility located near the Arctic Circle, a man in a suit and tie and sunglasses examines the dead bodies, scanning them with a device built into his cellular phone. Exiting the facility, the man uses his phone to call his superiors to tell them that he is too late and that it is gone. The mystery man concludes that it could have gone to Christmastown, a nearby military facility, and heads that way in the hopes of capturing it before it can get away again.

Meanwhile, at Christmastown, Patricia Robertson has brought the lone survivor of the Ararat massacre back to her base where he has suddenly started having a seizure. As her colleagues — Colonel Michael Malone, Daniel Jackson, Jerome Delacroix, and Harold Saunders — try to secure the man, the Husky dogs outside begin howling. Michael orders someone to shut the dogs up when the man suddenly passes out. Michael then orders Patricia to go out and see what’s got the dogs so excited. She takes Saunders with her as the others try to figure out why this lone survivor was so strong that the rest of them could detain them.

Outside, Saunders admits that he was unnerved by the situation inside and Patricia tells him about how the scene back at the research facility was a slaughterhouse. When they get to the dog pen, they see Ivan — the lead Husky — laying on the ground and the other dogs cowering away from him. When they open the gate, all of the other dogs flee the scene. Concerned about Ivan, Patricia and Saunders discover that the dog is still alive and carry it back inside. As Saunders carries the dog he almost tells Patricia when he sees a strange black liquid dripping out of her ears, but tells her it was nothing. They talk the dog to the infirmary where Delacroix and Jackson have just put the man from Ararat to bed. After examining the dog, Jackson determines that the husky is in a catatonic state and dismisses rabies as a cause, pointing out that there isn’t enough life this far North for a chain of infection to reach Ivan. Having had enough for one day, Malone orders Jackson to keep an eye on their civilian, Saunders to contact the Greenland station to prepare for a civilian evacuation, and the rest to bunk down for the night. As for Ivan, Jackson can’t do much except suggesting they keep the dog inside and hope for the best. Later that evening, an unexpected visitor drops in on both Colonel Malone and Jackson.

The following morning, Patricia wakes up and after a shower goes down to the mess hall for a bite to eat. She finds Jackson there as well as the civilian is awake but won’t come out from under a nearby table. Jackson explains he was startled when the man suddenly approached him in the motor pool the night before. Patricia is concerned and suggests that they quarantine the guy, but Jackson reminds her that only Colonel Malone has the authorization to make that decision, but he hasn’t been seen this morning. That’s when the Colonel enters the mess hall and orders both Robertson and Jackson to leave him with the survivor. The pair decide to go check on Ivan. Along the way, Patricia admits that this whole situation is starting to creep her out. Her feeling of unease isn’t helped when they find Ivan outside digging in the snow. Going in for a closer look, Patricia is concerned when she sees blood on the dog’s mouth. Looking in Ivan’s mouth he finds a severed finger inside. That’s when they hear screams coming from inside.

Running back inside, they run into the man from the Ararat facility as he is trying to flee the base. Patricia stops him and asks him what’s the matter. He explains that it has followed him here. That’s when a massive black humanoid creature with sharp teeth, a long tongue and a spider-emblem on its chest descends hanging upside down from the ceiling begins to hiss at them.[1]

Recurring Characters

Patricia Robertson, the man in black, Michale Malone, Daniel Jackson, Jerome Delacroix, Harold Saunders

Continuity Notes

1. As we’ll learn in Venom #11-14, this is not the Venom symbiote, but a clone of the alien creature.