Disclaimer: I do now own Venom

A/N: So, I initially spent the last couple of days writing a chapter on 2,900 words. However, before I published it, I got dissatisfied with it and decided to discard the chapter and rewrite it completely. So, I have spent the last five to six hours now writing a chapter on 4,500 words instead. Hope you enjoy it :)

+ Apologize for any writing mistakes. It's late and I'm too tired to read over it. I know, bad idea, but I'll do it tomorrow.

Chapter 10: The Parasite

She did not intend to admit it aloud in front of anyone present, but there was a heavy weight that had settled itself on the bottom of Evelyn's chest. It felt tight – to the point where she was physically able to feel her heartbeats through the tips of her fingers. Standing in front of the open cell did, for some reason, make her feel an indescribable sensation.

With her notepad in hand, she tried to dismiss this feeling as mere anticipation; stepping into the room which hosted a foreign lifeform was something she expected would cause anyone to experience something similar. Even the sight of Ms. Nordstrom back on the opposite side of the cell did not make the tightness cease to exist.

Volunteer T790129? It was primitive. Such a designation was meant to be applied for something non-human; an object or a piece of advanced technology that had yet to earn a general name for itself. But to call a human being such a thing was beyond ridiculous. Even if she had been foretold about these terms, she would not have expressed less of any internal disdain for them.

"Anything with a name has a soul of its own; it's alive, and it should be treated as such." That was something her mother had always told her when she was significantly younger, during the days she was still capable of thinking with anything but her head. It was a time of bliss for her parents, the time when they had two children who could look beyond the irrational and comprehend the incomprehensible.

But that was not the case this time. Souls were concepts of the human mind, nothing more than terms given to invisible energy that remained attached to a living organism. Evelyn did not believe in such idiotic concepts, but she did believe that anything that was alive should be treated humanely. It seemed hypocritical of her to state such when she was the kind of person who would treat almost anyone with mutual aversion.

"Do you intend to stand there until the chocolate melts or something, doc?" The Head of Security sardonically asked and nudged her sharply with the barrel of his gun (Lack of weapon safety protocol; Impulsive Tendencies; Relies on his personal opinions instead of logic; Conclusion: Aim for sentiment in case of direct confrontation.) "We haven't got all night, you know?" There was a low grow back in his voice as his words concluded.

The doctor, however, was unimpressed with his display of aggression and impatience. "I will have to be certain that the necessary cautions have been taken beforehand," Evelyn stated coldly and cast him a sharp glance over his shoulder. "Are the alarms intact in case of attempted escape?"

"Yeah, they are," Treece hissed petulantly (fingers curling around a weapon of choice; Breath growing jagged; Forehead crinkling: Irritability increasing) "Now will you get it on already?!"

But Evelyn was in no hurry. Even if the clock went well beyond twelve and she had an early shift the next day, she did not object against the prospect of aggravating Treece's uncontrollable anger just a little bit. Entertainment on her part seemed appropriate, especially considering his subtle threat a little earlier. Usually, she found herself above such childishness, but an exception was made this time.

"I hope so, certainly," she commented and made sure to keep direct eye-contact with him. "It would not look good on your occupation if it turned out that the Head of Security of the Life Foundation was anything but competent in his field. Would you not agree, Mr. Treece? I imagine that the proper term to use for such is 'mortifying'?"

What came next did not exactly strike her as unexpected, but it did nonetheless prompt her to quickly move out of the way in time for her to avoid being stricken with a raised fist. Without wasting a second, she dodged the oncoming hit, but was not quick enough to avoid a knee to her abdomen that struck her just as she managed to dodge the first fist.

The oxygen was knocked out of her lungs; there came a piercing sensation from her epigastric region; black spots appeared in her vision; her knees buckled to the floor, failing to keep her stance up; there was a brief moment where everything turned black; an inability to properly inhale any oxygen; chance of internal bleeding if left unchecked over a long period of time; plausible rupture in her abdominal organs;

Conclusion: Temporarily incapacitated.

Evelyn fell to her knees with her arm over her stomach, causing her to drop both the notepad and the chocolate from her grip. She was coughing violently, and a metallic taste befell her taste buds. Whether she was bleeding internally or otherwise, there was no way to tell at that moment. Her hearing grew distant and void, every voice and every tone resembling an echo. Drops of saliva escaped her mouth and fell to the floor as she continued to cough, desperate to regain the air she had just recently had stripped away from her.

A moment or so passed before she was able to slowly recollect herself. Her stomach was aching considerably, making each inhale more difficult than the previous one. There was a ringing in her ears that made processing any sound near-impossible, and though the dark spots in her peripheral vision were ceasing, her sight was far from restored. Everything her pupils mustered the strength to focus on was disoriented and lacked colors – or the correct colors.

"Did that hurt?" The words were barely audible, but they reached her in time. She lifted her head as much as she could, and saw Treece standing over her with a content look on him. She opened her mouth to try to utter something, but another cough built itself up in her throat and she experienced the urge to let it out. With her other hand over her mouth, the liquid that would have otherwise spilled on the floor fell on her palm instead. She looked down on it and spotted a few distinguishing red droplets.

"Doesn't look too good, now, does it, Doc?" came Treece's distinctively sardonic voice once again. Evelyn had barely a moment to process it before a hand proceeded to grab her by the collar of her coat and force her up against the glass wall. Her back was forcefully pressed up against it and the hand around her collar threatened to limit her air-supply.

A grunt escaped her, and she squinted her eyes as the face of her assailant became more sharpened. Her first reaction glare at him, but she stayed silent and decided to let him spew whatever he wished as long as it meant that he would finish what he had started with as little complications as possible.

"Look, Doc, that mouth of yours ain't winning you any favors," His grin grew wider. "So unless you're going to use it for something good, then I suggest you keep it shut." He closed in on her face a few inches until she could actually feel his breath on her skin. His stench carried hints of tobacco, as did what little color his teeth were covered in. "Got it?"

Her inability to give a proper answer must have contented him well enough, because he carelessly proceeded to drop her to the floor as though she was merely an expendable object. It was a short drop, but the impact caused the remaining ache in her abdomen to increase upon contact. Evelyn felt a few coughs build up again and she was subsequently forced to release them. A few more drops of blood stained the white fabric of her coat as she tried to cover her mouth with her elbow.

As soon as she was done, the doctor leaned her back against the glass behind her and took a few deep breaths. She lowered her shoulders as she did so, and she could feel the disorientation threaten to reappear again unless she decided to take it slow. If she was suffering from any internal bleeding or broken ribs, then she could only hope that it was not too serious. If Dr. Lewis or anyone else got word of it, then an explanation would be due.

It did not take long before Treece grabbed her by the wrist and forced her up again, summoning back the pain she imagined had ceased. "This isn't time for taking a nap, doc," he said jovially and promptly let go of her as soon as she was on her feet, seemingly oblivious to her lack of proper stance. Her right arm was still wrapped around her stomach, and the notepad and the chocolate bar was still scattered on the floor where she had dropped them. He quickly ushered her to the cell that was still open behind her. "Now, go do your thing. Quickly. The rest of us are leaving."

"Sir, you shouldn't –" one of the guards attempted to object against his superior's orders. He had not been able to finish before the Head was up to his face, glaring down at the Guard with every hostile intention planned.

"You have something to say, Axelson?" Treece challenged him gravely. "Questioning your orders won't do you any good either, you understand?"

The doctor imagined that any person in the Guard's shoes would take the first opportunity to correct their errors and defuse the situation. Had she been correct, the guard would have hurriedly come up with words to make up for his superior's shortened temper. He would have licked his boots and quickly stated that his words were simply misinterpreted.

But the doctor was genuinely surprised to witness the Guard doing none of the above. Instead, he stood his ground and shook his head, no traces of any fear being visible. Evelyn knew the physical symptoms caused by fear, which included uncontrollable shaking, stuttering, and lack of eye-contact with the source from which the fear originated from.

"I'm not questioning your orders, Sir," the Guard insinuated with the uttermost composure. "But leaving the doctor unsupervised with Volunteer T790129 would be impractical. If we lost her as an asset, it would mean having to undergo the same procedure with another one. Mr. Drake would not be pleas–"

But the Head of Security soon placed a firm hand on the Guard's shoulder, giving him every impression that silence would be preferable above logic. "Don't try to be smart and tell me what the Almighty does and does not want, Axelson. I preferred it when you shut up." But even though he was showing aggression, there was an unmistakable trace of thoughtfulness on Treece's face. Evelyn didn't think that was physically possible, but she was proven mistaken upon seeing him subsequently let go of the guard's shoulder.

Treece placed a contemplative finger under his chin. "But maybe you have a point there, Axelson. Not so stupid after all."

During this moment of appreciated silence, the guard cast a look over at the injured doctor. His protective mask kept the view of his mouth and jaw concealed, but left his dark hair and eyes in view. There was a hint of what Evelyn could only categorize as 'concern' in his eyes, but she did little to return the sentiment. Her own eyes remained firmly devoid of any expressions, making sure that it would summon as little reaction as possible.

Then Treece turned back to the guard and patted his shoulder almost 'affectionately'. "Very well, Axelson. I'm leaving you the responsibility of looking after our precious doctor since you so charitably volunteered for the job." His words rose a few chuckles from the other guards, but not from the Guard or Evelyn themselves.

With the dismissive wave of his hand, Treece gestured the other guards down the corridor and smirked over to the two that were left behind. "We'll leave you to get to work, then." He said. "Should anything unfortunate happen, I'm sure you will inform us beforehand. We'll be there within the minute if so were to occur."

"It won't," Mr. Axelson assured him, his words were distinctive under the sound of the fabric his mask consisted of. "I will make sure of that."

That was all that was exchanged between the Guard and his superior before the latter disappeared down the hallway with the rest of his squad, feeling undoubtedly victorious over the fact that the chances of him losing one of his least-liked inferiors and the bothersome medical bitch had just significantly increased.

It wasn't until their steps grew inaudible in the distance that Evelyn moved her eyes away from the corridor and to the items she had dropped on the floor moments prior. Despite the pressure that was seething agony through her stomach, she still bent down and prepared to reach for them. However, another hand reached her to it before she was as much as able to graze the surface of the notepad.

The Guard stood crouched down over both the pad and the unopened – but cracked – chocolate bar. He then got to his feet and promptly reached the notepad over to her, but only that. The chocolate bar remained in his other hand as he inspected it closely.

Evelyn merely scrutinized the notepad in his grip but did not take it. Instead, her eyes lingered sharply on the chocolate bar. There was a moment of mutual silence where none of them said anything, but she was not interested in engaging in trivial conversations with anyone. "I require that," she said curtly and reached her free hand over to the chocolate, almost completely ignoring the occupied hand he was reaching over to her in similar manners.

The Guard didn't say anything, nor did he do anything to indicate that he acknowledged her existence. Suddenly, he lifted his hand and clasped the chocolate bar down on top of the notepad in the other hand and reached it towards her again. "Here," he said, his voice sounding lower than it was minutes prior.

Without wasting any time, Evelyn snapped the two items out of his grip. She did not say a word, nor did she pay him any attention. Even when he suddenly reached her a piece of fabric, supposedly for the traces of blood on the side of her mouth, she did little to indicate that she held any sentiment towards his actions. If he had some trace of concern for another human being, then it meant little to her from the start. Considering how he was indirectly participating in genocide, one good deed towards someone else did little to change her views.

Evelyn merely cast the handkerchief in his outstretched palm a brief look from her peripheral vision before she returned her attention back to the notepad. "I don't solicit medical care."

"I wasn't offering any," the guard contradicted solemnly with his hand still outstretched towards her. "But it will not make Mr. Drake pleased to see one of his assets in such a pitiful state."

She shook this off with relative ease, shaking her head. "Blood is hardly a reason for concern,"

"I'm not taking any chances," he said, hand still out. "It would not look good if you were to perish from internal bleeding."

"I'm about to enter the cell with an unpredictable alien lifeform whose main attributes includes killing off any host that is incompatible. I suppose it hardly matters whether I perish to internal bleeding or not."

Once again, the Guard did not show any sign of relenting. His persistence was a trait which Evelyn found to be highly inconvenient. She simply dried the blood off with the hem of her sleeve and looked down to see a new but insignificant crimson stain upon the white fabric.

"If you truly wish to put your concerns to use," she spoke apathetically and turned to him, attempting her best to ignore the throbbing inside her stomach. "Then simply make sure that neither the patient nor the symbiote perishes."

"And if it tries to make use of you instead?" he asked cynically, eyes sharpened.

But she was not any more alarmed. "Then either I perish as well, or I endure contact for a short period."

"Don't think you're above being killed," he stated firmly and finally took back the handkerchief. "That thing will kill you sooner than it will try to merge with you."

"There's a higher chance of me being killed by you or Treece than there is of me being killed by any of those symbiotes." She said apathetically. "With the symbiotes, you either die in an instant or live in agony for a brief period. With humans, the outcome is … unpredictable."

"You're not making it any easier for yourself by antagonizing that piece of shit, you know." He muttered. "It's as if you want to be killed."

"My actions are my own, and so are the consequences."

There was nothing else that needed to be said. She was wasting time standing there, and so she decided that it was time to do what she had set her mind to. With the cell still opened, she walked inside and gestured for the Guard to shut it behind her. He seemed reluctant to do so, but with his mask covering half of his face, it was hard to tell what kind of expression he was making.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" he asked. "Volunteer T790129 is highly–"

"I am well aware of what kind of condition Ms. Nordstrom is currently in." She interrupted him. "I know what kind of actions are required in order to make progress. Exposing a patient to a weapon of any kind will most likely cause an increase in the chances of a mental breakdown, so I will have to ask you to remain outside while I do what is required. Understood?"

At first, he did not seem to know what to do. His expressions (whatever she could see of them) remained stern, but he nonetheless wrote down the code required to automatically shut it. The doors closed up, leaving Evelyn alone with Ms. Nordstrom, whose back had remained turned to them ever since the predicament began.

Evelyn was slightly surprised by the fact that she had not attempted to exploit the situation to her advantage and escape the place, but she did not question it. She did not lie when she said that humans were unpredictable.

"C-C-Can I turn a-around now?" the patient inquired hesitantly, looking over her shoulder with a twitching head. "I-It's really hungry now."

Evelyn nodded and crouched down to place the chocolate bar down on the floor, then proceeded to slide it across the ground until it landed a few inches by the patient's feet. As she was about to stand up again, the sensation of a piercing agony reached her again in her stomach. A low but distinguished gasp echoed in the cell as she struggled to regain her balance. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her weight and she mustered whatever strength she had left to not fall.

Between her heavy breaths and gasps, the Guard's voice could be heard from the other side of the glass. "Are you alright?" he asked, knocking on the glass with the back of his gun. "I'll open the cell, so just–"

"I'm stable."She made sure to interrupt him, each breath threatening to pierce something inside her. It hurt, that much could not be denied. It hurt to the point where she considered simply leaving in order to have a medical examination performed back at the hospital, but she still had work to finish. If Mr. Drake's satisfaction was not satiated, then there would be little chance of her being able to leave either way.

But there would be an even smaller chance of her being able to do any good if she remained standing. Unsteadily, she moved over to the wall and slid down, experiencing a small relief upon being able to settle down for a bit. Her breath slowed down, and the pain began to vanish, but never completely. It was always there, a sharp sting for each inhale.

"A-Are you h-h-hurt?"

She tilted her head to the side, but instead of seeing Ms. Nordstrom consuming the chocolate in one go, the older woman's focus was on her. Her brows were furrowed up and her hands were knotted together.

Evelyn let out a hollow sigh and shook her head. "A simple mistake on my side."

"That man hurt you," the patient persisted. "Why did he do that? Why would he do that to someone of his own kin?"

That question in particular had the doctor's eyebrow furrow. She looked at the older woman through her peripheral vision and did not break the eye-contact she had established with her – or rather – with them.

"Is this your inquiry or the symbiote's?" she asked easily.

There was a second of silence before it was broken. "It- It said it seemed strange."

"What is strange is that It does not take the opportunity to eat the chocolate or the doctor that's at Its disposal," she croaked just as another cough built itself up in her throat. She quickly covered her mouth and barked into her sleeve once, but by the time she withdrew it from her face, there were already new traces of blood.

Treece was really not holding back on her.

"Y-Y-You're really hurt," Ms. Nordstrom said softly and took a few steps towards her, but Evelyn instantly held her hand up.

"Please refrain from coming closer," she demanded calmly. "It's protocol, otherwise the guards will have to be summoned."

It would be problematic on both parts if that was to occur. None of them doubted Treece would be docile in his attempt to neutralize the threat and it was something both of them wished to avoid.

Ms. Nordstrom didn't move further, but she stayed where she was and sat down on her knees. Her dark hair hung over her shoulders, unbrushed and unkempt, and her malnourished features came to better view.

That view was… pitiable.

And Evelyn knew that she had become a contributing factor behind it.

"Now," Instead on dwelling on trivial matters any further, she pulled the notepad up to her with a pen from her pocket and prepared to write. "Please consume the chocolate bar and describe to me how you are–"

"It's asking what your name is,"

Evelyn paused before the tip of the pen could graze the surface of the paper. Her eyes fell back to the patient and she blinked. "Pardon?"

"What's your name?" Ms. Nordstrom repeated. "You never said it."

"It was of no relevance," Evelyn answered simply, returning her focus to the paper. "Now, could you–"

"I think I heard one of the guards c-calling you March. Is that y-y-your name?" Ms. Nordstrom inquired persistently, a small smile forming on her lips. "It thinks it's a strange name for a human."

"Perhaps," the doctor found herself complying. "But 'Venom' seems like an uncommon name for something extraterrestrial. From where was it acquired?" Perhaps exchanging answers was a suitable way to receive some questions. In spite of herself, Evelyn grew curious.

Ms. Nordstrom closed her eyes for a moment, her mouth uttering silent words before she opened them again. "It- It says It's always ha- had that name. It doesn't know how, t-though."

"But 'Venom' is a human word," Evelyn explained thoroughly. "It's usually a term which applies to the kind of substance animals such as snakes or spiders secrets. It's their primary weapon against enemies. How come something not from Earth has gained such a word as Its designation?"

Ms. Nordstrom chortled. "How did you get the n-name 'March'?"

"It's simply mine," Evelyn answered briefly. "I inherited it from my father, and I'm the only one who can pass it to childr–"

It was then that Evelyn realized that she was dwelling into matters that were not hers to study. There was no reason for her to engage in trivial conversations, only to observe the physical effects of the contact between them. She began to feel … strange, like something had been taken from her. There were no plausible reasons behind speaking in so personal manners, nor was there any reason behind starting a conversation like this in the first place. She could not afford to be distracted.

Shaking her head, she reached for her pen again, a firmer grip this time around the device. She started writing the name and general information about the patient, sighing. "But enough about this, let us proce–"

"You are a very …. Strange human."

In the middle of her writing, she stopped. The words she had written became disoriented letters as her mind wandered from them and back to the patient. Ms. Nordstrom was still sitting there, hadn't moved an inch, but there was something strange about her eyes.

The sclera of both of her eyes had morphed into a completely white color, her pupils were almost gone from sight.

"Very strange," Ms. Nordstrom continued, but in a voice that did not belong to her. Deep, dark, as though her vocal cords had been altered. "Very broken."

The doctor could not say anything at the time, but the heavy weight on her chest had settled down there once again. This non-human entity had a human designation, so perhaps it was more human than she had anticipated. For some reason, the prospect of that unsettled her much more than she thought possible.

It they were lucky, it did not have the same mindset.