Disclaimer: I do not own Venom
Edit: 13.10.21
Chapter 3: The Proposal
There were many things she wanted to say, yet not a syllable vocal was able to make it past her lips. An ... extraordinary creature was positioned in front of her, separated solely by a containment made of sturdy glass that seemed likely to break at any moment, but it didn't.
At first, she imagined that it was only a sample of some kind of extraterrestrial organism, benign and docile.
That all changed upon observing its movements; twisting, turning, moving like kinetic sand against a magnet. It had a distinctive black color, reminding her of a decomposing carcass that had melted together into a mass. Its unpredictable yet consistent movements inside that container made approaching it seem like a threatening move.
"What is that?" Evelyn asked, finding herself both marveled and threatened by what she was seeing.
"We call them 'Symbiotes'." Mr. Drake stepped forward until he was just a few inches away from the glass, observing it with a marvel in his eyes that could only be compared to a parent looking at their offspring. It was a morbid comparison, but it was the only metaphor which seemed appropriate.
"Symbiotes?" Evelyn eyed the specimen as the words left her lips, feeling a foreign sense of uncertainty tremble through her body as she watched its movements continue relentlessly. "What are they?"
"Extraterrestrial life-forms that requires oxygen-breathing hosts to survive the exterior of our world," another voice added, a subtle nervousness being evident in her tone. Dr. Skirth entered proximity of the container but stood a few more steps away from it than Mr. Drake.
Evelyn, despite herself and lack of significant reaction towards the specimen that had just been presented to her, had to admit that this situation seemed direr than it had initially appeared to be.
She shot a side-glance to Dr. Skirth, taking note of her trembling hands and uneven posture. Dr. Skirth was afraid of their discovery, that much was obvious from the eyes of an underdeveloped fetus. Had it not been for Mr. Drake's focus on his specimen, he might have noticed it himself. Either that, or he might have simply shaken off her concerns. It did not seem like something he was above doing.
But what Evelyn had heard caused her to ponder. "They require oxygen-breathing hosts?"
Dr. Skirth nodded, hesitantly. "They are unable to withstand the oxygen and therefore needs to bond with something that requires oxygen so that they don't perish."
"Like an organ donor?" Evelyn inquired, eyes trailing back to the specimen. "An exact match is required for the transfusion to be successful."
"Exactly." Dr. Skirth confirmed. "We've kept them contained in an oxygen-deprived environment, but they won't be able to survive for long unless they have a host with an exact match of what they need. We have tested them on animals, and most of the fusions have been successful, but …." There was a pause and she turned to the floor, afraid to look up for some reason. That fear had rendered her mute, her arms were shaking, her fingers continued to tremble (nausea? anxiety? distress?)
A part of Evelyn could not blame the other doctor for being fearful of their discovery. The oldest and strongest kind of fear was the fear of the unknown. Even so, she needed more information on her part. She had a vehement dislike towards being left in the dark with an empty answer.
But whatever answer she was waiting for, Mr. Drake seemed to have the appropriate one in mind. "This is where you come in, Dr. March." He got up to his feet, his back still to her for a moment before he turned around and his gaze met hers. However, there was a distinctive difference between their them: Whereas his fave was filled with amazement and anticipation, hers threatened to shift into a scowl.
"For Project Symbiosis to proceed, we have to test them on something other than animals."
"Am I allowed to make assumptions, Mr. Drake?" she asked, voice evenly distributed between monotony and doubt. She cast one glance over Mr. Drake's shoulder and had her eyes fixated at the creature that was still shifting against the glass. What he was requesting of her and her role in this wasn't as subtle anymore as it had been a couple of minutes ago. The reason why he required a doctor for this, and what kind of 'unethical' methods he was referring to.
"You wish to expose human subjects to these organisms." It was not a question; it was a statement, and a firm one. It was one she knew was not incorrect, and if it was, it could not be too far away from the truth she was looking for. The affirmative look in Mr. Drake's eyes confirmed her suspicions, as did his nod.
"Think about the million possibilities we could have if we somehow managed to create a link between humans and these symbiotes," he explained, eyes widening to an inhuman point, filled with an amalgamation of ravenous fascination and ruthless ambition.
This prompted her to take a step back, but it was a subtle move and Mr. Drake did not seem to pay it any attention.
"It would be mutually beneficial; the symbiosis make them able to survive her, but they would also allow humans to live out there, in space. They could also potentially cure everything that aligns us here on her; disease, overpopulation, everything. We could evolve, decrease the boundaries which keeps us from completion. We could bring humanity to the new stage in evolution." He took another step towards her, arms moving unpredictably as he continued to speak. "Humans are weak, incomplete, filled with flaws that could easily disappear if we just dared make decisions most people would never dare consider.
"Mr. Drake, these are pure speculations." She retorted, voice sharpened, and eyes matched it with a glare. "Your hypothesizes are not confirmed unless you actually try bonding it to a human. What you suspect may be proven incorrect."
"That's why we require sacrifices, Dr. March. That's why we require you." Another step forward. "You're despised for your practical approach towards what most people would deem inhuman, because you are willing to take risks towards the greater good. Dr. Janine Skirth could not see it, your colleagues are unable to open their eyes towards your achievements, and your patients are incapable of appreciating the decisions you make because they think of you as evil because of it."
He spoke of her as though he had been acquainted with her for far longer than a couple of minutes. A part of Evelyn's being wished to snap at him for his insolence to try to analyze what kind of person she was, yet another part caused her to refrain from committing such a spontaneous act. Instead, she stood there, focus aimed solely towards him and arms crossed over her chest as a sigh escaped her.
"What you require are not sacrifices, Mr. Drake. You require martyrs." She told him, feeling her fingers tighten against her arm.
He raised his shoulders. "Is there a difference? Both contribute to the advancement of the human race."
"Sacrifices are only initiated if the results are certain, never otherwise." It was almost disturbing, and from her perspective, that was saying something. "But tell me why you need a doctor specifically for this?"
"We need someone to keep track of the symbiote's progress through its host; what changes, what improves, what doesn't improve, what kind of physical enhancements are produced from the result." He reached forward and placed a hand on top of her shoulder, eyes staring directly at her. "We fail, and we learn, Dr. March. That's what you said, and that's what is needed for this to work out. We need someone who is willing to make sacrifices. Someone who is aware of the consequences but continues because they know that it will benefit millions if it succeeds."
So this was what this was all about?
Evelyn's mind began to contemplate on the information she had finally been able to obtain about all of this: The project, her role in it, Mr. Drake's means and results. With the help of alien lifeforms, he wanted to enhance humanity. The results were not what surprised her, as they were basically common knowledge around the entire state of California, but it was the means that were confidential.
And she had just been let in on it.
Mr. Drake must have truly been desperate if he was willing to share such intel with someone whose loyalty he was uncertain of. She was a doctor at San Francisco's general hospital, an excellent one, but a common oncologist regardless. The information they had gathered on her was just descriptions they had acquired from others, not form her personally, but the purpose behind his persistence to drag her along now made sense.
They needed a doctor; more specifically, they needed someone who would not shy away from the inevitable consequences of their experiments, someone who would keep on working even if it meant sacrificing lives in order to do so, someone who knew about cell development. She did not toy with the lives of others, not deliberately, but she was willing to push boundaries if the potential results have proven themselves within her reach. There was a distinctive difference between her methods and the methods Mr. Drake presumed she possessed.
Sacrificing human lives on an experiment that was based on speculations and assumptions, with no certain ends other than possibly the survival of both species. That was a risky move, an extremely risky one. She was a doctor whose duty was to keep people alive, not balance their lives. That was what this experiment regarded.
"Asking a physician to give up their current occupation for a new one is a bold request, Mr. Drake. It's an even bolder one when it's an occupation where the objection is to use human specimen as a means to achieve their goals."
There was visible disappointment on his face as she said this, and he released her arm and took a step back in visible shock. "I assumed you were one who was willing to sacrifice few in order to save many."
"Not on conclusions that are based on theories that are not backed up by facts," she stated plainly, ignoring his distraught expression. "The functions of an animal differs severely from a human, as you might know. These organisms may not be compatible with humans at all. What you are asking me to do is gamble with lives, and that differs in perspective from being willing to make sacrifices. You are dealing with something that no humans have dealt with before, and we all know the plausible results from such contact. You use radiation to kill cancerous cells in the body–"
"Yet there are chances of the radiation hurting healthy cells in return." He contradicted her. "It's a fifty-fifty chance of destroying the cell entirely, just like this procedure."
"But we know the risks of exposure to radiation, but we don't know the risks of exposing humans to alien lifeforms." Her final answer was brief but stoic, efficiently shutting the CEO up before he could retort to anything else. The rumors of the Life Foundation using human test-subjects in order to evaluate their effectiveness was not something unheard of, but she now understood that there was a possible chance that it was not just all false information anymore.
Calming herself a bit, she shook her head. "I apologize, Mr. Drake, but what you are asking of me is something I cannot comply with." There was no point in staying anymore once she had made her decision. The sight of the black organism behind Mr. Drake was the last thing she glanced at before she turned around and prepared to leave.
But something stopped her before she was able to take the first step.
"Humans are filled with flaws, flaws that people like us are tasked with taking care of. How many people have died under your care, Dr. March? How many have died even though you tried your hardest to save them?" He paused for a second, weighing his words for what he was about to say next. "I've read about what happened to your brother, what you had to do to save him, and how no one understood the sacrifice you made for hi-"
Evelyn didn't grant her another second to finish that second before she was up in his face, teeth nearly gritted. "Consider your next words with extreme caution, Mr. Drake," she warned with as much vehemence as she could gather, almost tempted to make her threat physical.
However, he did not seem threatened in the slightest, though his face conveyed no feeling of mockery. "What if we could keep what happened from happening again? What if we could evolve what is modernly defined as 'human', even if we only are human?"
His next words caused her to regain some amount of self-restraint, but she continued to shoot a disdainful look his way. She decided to put her grudge on the side to focus on the question at hand.
"You're only human,"
That phrase had been repeated countless times by countless people; it had sometimes come in the form of a threat whereas others had used them as a means to get her to regret the decisions she made on a daily.
"It wasn't your fault, Evelyn. Don't blame yourself."
"You can't save them all."
"We're only human. We have boundaries."
Dr. Lewis' words kept on ringing through her head like voices in a tunnel.
"With these symbiotes, we can save people, make them better. We can cure diseases that still have no cure, repair damages that could otherwise last permanently, keep them from dying on this inhabitable world." Mr. Drake continued. "With them, we have a chance to survive. Humans are filled with boundaries; boundaries we will continue to work on and make progress with until they are no more. Whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes?"
Was this truly worth it? Could this potentially save people? Sacrificing few in order to save many, was that a decision she could take? Did she have the right to? She was no God – she didn't believe in any deity – so what kind of right did she have to experiment on people?
The image of him lying in a bed whilst wasting away struck her.
She was a doctor, yet despite the countless people whose lives she had managed to save and improve, there would always be those whose ends had been written in stone.
That young man she once recognized as healthy and happy was now sitting on top of his bed with iv-fluids attached to his arm like wires attached to a machine. Even though his bones were showing and his hair and discarded his scalp like a barren meadow, he was still smiling at her like he always did when they were children.
She returned back to reality and snapped her head back to face the CEO, glaring but contemplating. There was a heavy silence lingering between them before she opened her mouth, "I make no promises, but grant me some time to think about it."
A smile crept across his lips, satisfied, victorious. "Of course."
Much like Mr. Marley had promised her, she was escorted home without any fuss after she had given her answer to Mr. Drake. For the entire ride, her mind deliberated between her options, debating the advantages and disadvantages of her situation and what could potentially occur if she agreed or disagreed with their proposal.
Another image that failed to leave Evelyn's mind was that black substance she had watched sprawling around in the container. It was unlike anything she had seen, twisting like a worm yet behaving with what seemed like sentience. An organism such as that was … truly fascinating, but just as terrifying.
Evelyn had, despite her denial towards the fact, always had a fear towards the unknown, or things which's existence she could not comprehend. As a child, she used to cry whenever her brother showed her some kind of bug he had caught in their garden. It didn't help that he would chase her with it in his hand, teasing her immensely for it in the years to come.
But this was a different occasion; it wasn't a bug or some kind of insect the situation regarded. No, it was an alien species, one that could potentially bring ruin to them all or great enhancement that provided humanity with numerous benefits. For whatever reason, she was now contemplating whether to join them in their project or reject it entirely.
Had she been the same young and idealistic child she once used to be, she would have jumped through the roof with joy. She lived in a quiet neighborhood, so it didn't particularly matter if she did it now. However, there was no joy going through her, no sense of entitlement towards such a vital job. Even though she had not accepted anything yet, it didn't help her feel safe.
She lived in a quiet outskirt of San Francisco, separated from the rest of the city and surrounded by people who knew how to avoid trouble if they knew what was best for them. The silence was a virtue here, which was the primary reason why she favored this spot above any other place in the city that had been offered to her by the estate agent that first showed her this place.
"Oh, Ms. March. Late night as always at the clinic?"
Glancing to her left as she reached for her keys, Evelyn spotted her neighbor, Mrs. Rodriguez, crossing the streets to get to her. She was a middle-aged woman, greying hair and wrinkles to accompany her age. There was not a trait of evil in that woman; she was married to a prominent congressman, mother to three children - all of whom were in college at this point - and was well-liked in the neighborhood for her inability to say no to others.
A selfless human being; the idealistic example of a proper person in the eyes of dreamers.
"You know how it works, Mrs. Rodriguez. Late evenings, lots of patients."
When Mrs. Rodriguez came closer, the doctor noticed a couple of subtle changes in her behavior. She was halting in her steps, putting more weight on her right foot than on her left, and there was an exaggerated amount of make-up concealing the left side of her cheek. It might have been the trick of the lamp-post outside, but there was a bright blue spot peeking from behind the spot where the concealer had been applied that didn't go unnoticed by the doctor's scrutiny.
Oblivious towards her inspection, the elderly woman merely smiled. "You work so hard, dear, I'm starting to become worried. Are you eating well? Sleeping?"
"You are aware of my occupation. It's quite self-explanatory," Evelyn had to ask, finding her inquisitiveness to be highly unnecessary.
Mrs. Rodriguez rolled her eyes. "I'm aware of that, Doctor, but that doesn't mean you're not prone to neglect like everyone else."
"Neglect comes naturally, and be that as it may, my work tends to keep me occupied for most of the time," Evelyn explained, her hands fumbling in her pockets as she searched for her keys. "It's not that I don't want to eat or sleep, I simply don't acquire the time."
"Then maybe you ought to become the patient instead?" The older woman playfully suggested, giggling like a young school girl who had just spoken to her temporary crush. She then proceeded to place a warm hand on Evelyn's cheek, reminding her of the way her mother would use to whenever her brother used to tease her.
How she hated to be reminded.
"But at any rate, you should take some time to yourself. You're not invincible just because you're smart."
Evelyn let out a weary sigh and shook her head, shaking the hand off her. "It tends to become easy to forget."
"Which is why I now order you to go straight to bed, young lady, after you have eaten something." And like that, the older woman gestured to her door and linger before she skipped back to her home and shut the door behind her.
It didn't take long before the silence once more enraptured the environment; distant sounds from traffic was the exception. Evelyn found herself ensconced in that soundless exterior for a couple of seconds before she opened her door and entered her house.
How simple things would have been if everyone had the same view on life as Mrs. Rodriguez did.
But blissful were the ignorant.