Chapter 3

Kerri watched from the roof the apartment across the street as the police went through her apartment. She was horrified at what she had just done. She had literally ripped a man in half with her bare hands. She was frightened of what the symbiote could do. But she had taken Eddies advice. She didn't regret what she had done at all. The man had most likely been working for Dario; there was really no other explanation as to why he would try to kill her. He deserved what he had gotten.

Kerri decided that she had to move quickly. She would at least be wanted for questioning by the police, even if she wasn't made a suspect. She already knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to her apartment for a while. She fired a web at a nearby building and swung off into the night.

Dario Sanchez was in his personal gym running on the treadmill when his personal assistant, Nicholas, came up holding a cordless phone.

"What's this about?" Dario asked shutting the treadmill down.

"It's a Detective Linda Marshall," Nicholas replied. "She asked to speak to you personally."

Dario snatched up the phone. "What's this about?" he demanded.

"Sir, I have a dead police officer on my hands and this is the last number than he called." The female voice on the other end said. "I'd like you to come down to the station for questioning."

"Dead officer?" Dario asked quizzically.

"I will tell you when you get down to the station," the woman said. "Don't force me to get a subpoena."

Before Dario could say anything else she hung up on him. He handed the phone back to Nicholas.

"Get my car ready," Dario instructed. "I have to go down to the police station."

Kerri stood outside Dario Sanchez's mansion. Just looking at it she had some bad memories of the brief period when she had been one of Dario's slaves. Refusal to follow orders resulted in beatings, which often came from Dario's incredible cruel and vicious wife, Delilah. Kerri unconsciously rubbed her back as she recalled receiving lashings for refusing to perform lewd sexual acts on Dario's wife. She had been the subject of the couple's entertainment for the evening, as they had viciously whipped her back. Channelling her rage she leapt up to the roof of the mansion and crawled across towards one of the skylights, She quietly pried it open and dropped down inside, now dressed in jeans and black shirt.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked from behind.

In the blink of an eye Kerri spun around and grabbed the person by the throat and slammed them up against the wall. She recognized him as Dario's personal assistant Nicholas.

"Where's Dario?" she demanded angrily.

"I, don't know," Nicholas managed to choke out

"Wrong answer!" Kerri shouted as she squeezed hard.

"Okay, he's, at, the, police station." Nicholas said as he tried to desperately take in air.

Kerri tossed Nicholas to the ground leaving him in a heap. By the time he picked himself up off the ground she was gone.

Dario Sanchez had just arrived at the police station when his cell phone began to ring.

"What is it?" He asked rudely as he flipped the phone open.

"Sir, there was a girl just here," his assistant Nicholas said.

"A girl?" Dario repeated slightly confused.

"She somehow got into the mansion, she was looking for you." Nicholas said.

"What did she look like?" Dario asked.

"She was tall, red head, I didn't get a good look she started to strangle me immediately." Nicholas answered. "She knows where you are."

"She won't try anything down here," Dario said. "I'm at the police station for fuck's sake."

"Sorry to bother you sir," Nicholas apologized before Dario hung up on him.

Dario slid his cellphone into his back pocket. He was a little worried about how a girl had been able to get into his mansion undetected. She had probably caught Nicholas by surprise and forced him to squeal, he'd deal with Nicholas' failure at later point in time. Now he walked up the steps into the police station and went up to the reception.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I got a call from a Detective Marshall," Dario replied.

"She's waiting in questioning room three," the receptionist replied. "Officer Kwan will escort you back there."

Dario followed a large Korean officer to one of the questioning rooms. Inside was a female detective sitting down at the table. The officer let Dario in and shut the door behind him.

"What can I help you with?" Dario asked as he took a seat across from her.

"What was your relationship with Lieutenant Harris?" Detective Marshall asked.

Dario had run through a series of possible questions and come up with answers on the drive over. "It was strictly professional," Dario replied. "Lieutenant Harris used to do a little security work for me on the side, and last I checked there was nothing illegal about that."

Detective Marshall nodded. "No, you're right, there isn't, unless that security work involves illegal activities."

Dario looked into her grey eyes trying to determine if she was bluffing or not. There was no way she could no anything about what Harris had done for him. Sure that had probably been a slip up here or there, but it was covered up enough that it surely could not have been discovered this soon after Harris' death.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Dario answered.

"Does the name Kerri Cuthbertson sound at all familiar to you?" Marshall asked.

"I can't say it does," Dario lied.

"How about Russell Cuthbertson, better know as Rusty?" Marshall asked.

"Isn't he that writer that killed himself a couple months ago?" Dario inquired.

"So the story goes," Marshall replied. "But his niece suspected foul play and went looking to find out more about his death."

"That's nice," Dario said. "But how does this concern me?"

"Well you were a suspect in to Mister Cuthbertson's death, a case which Lieutenant Harris was rather involved in." Marshall answered.

"You're putting together a lot of circumstantial evidence there Detective," Dario warned her.

"If it turns out to be true you'll have a lot more charges on your head than just murder Mister Sanchez," Detective Marshall warned him, "There will perjury…"

She was cut off as the power suddenly went out.

"What's going on?" Dario asked.

Marshall pulled out her flashlight and made her way to the door. "Stay here," she instructed Dario. "You'll be safer. It might just be a power failure. But just in case…"

Linda Marshall stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. The police station was much too quiet. She unholstered her pistol and carefully scanned the corridors with her flash light. Seeing nothing unusual she cautiously advanced forward towards the front entrance. As her flashlight scanned the ground she saw two officers lying on the ground unconscious. She bent down, she could hear both of them still breathing, so something had knocked them out. Suddenly she felt a rubbery hand being cupped over her mouth from behind and an arm sliding up under her own and putting her in a half nelson of sorts.

"We don't wish to hurt you," a gravely voice said. "We just want you to tell us where Dario Sanchez is."

"Dario Sanchez isn't here," Marshall lied.

"Don't lie to me," the voice said, Marshall couldn't tell if it was male or female. It sounded like both. "We know that he's here. Now tell us where he is."

"What are you going to do to him?" Marshall asked.

"We're going to give him what he deserves," the person replied.

There was a noise down the hallway. Marshall then felt herself released. She spun around and shone her flashlight but there was nobody there. Marshall quickly made her way back to the questioning room, keeping her finger on the trigger of her pistol. When she arrived the door was already open and Dario was gone.

"Shit," Marshall cursed to herself.

Dario ran as fast he could towards his car, a black Ford GT. He quickly jumped in and gunned the engine and took off back towards the safety of his mansion.

Kerri watched in frustration as the car took off at too high a speed for her to match. She wasn't sure how Dario had gotten away; perhaps he had suspected something when she had shut off the power. Howling in rage Kerri slammed her fist into the nearby brick wall causing a fist sized crater of rubble to crumble to the ground.

Unknown Location near Death Valley

Two scientists, one a tall, skinny bald man the other a short, chubby man with white hair, and an average sized man in a brown business suit were standing in a laboratory.

"Is it ready?" the business man inquired.

"It is sir," the tall scientist replied. "But is this such a wise idea? When Drake tried this last time the experiment failed."

"The experiment didn't fail doctor," the business man retorted. "Drake made the mistake of trying to control the symbiotes. I just intend to profit from them. Do you know how much people out there are willing to pay to get their hands on these?"

"I would imagine quite a lot," the shorter scientist answered. "Given all the special abilities the symbiote can offer."

"Yes indeed. Now just to be sure we are in agreement, I get fifty percent of the profits and you each get twenty five." The business man said.

"I don't see why…" the tall one began to argue.

"I secured the Carnage symbiote, I am the one holding the auction, and I am the one who financed all of this." The business man said.

"That is a fair deal," the short scientist said elbowing his partner in the side.

"Good, then begin the aging process." The business man said.

On the nearby workbench were five transparent containers, each one had some form of emitting device on top. Inside each container was small colourful blob. At the end of the work bench was a control panel that connected to each of the emitting devices. The tall scientist pressed a button on the control panel.

"Device active, beginning emitting process." The tall scientist reported. "Device is operating at, twenty five percent capacity."

The emitting began to radiate the little blobs with energy. Each of the blobs began to expand.

"The process is working properly," the shorter scientist responded. "You can increase the intensity."

"Increasing to fifty percent capacity," the taller scientist affirmed. "Parameters seem normal."

The blobs continued to grow larger at much a quicker rate.

"Growth seems to be well within tolerable limits, increase the intensity." The shorter scientist said.

"Put it up to full power," the business man said.

"But sir that may cause cellular deterioration," the shorter scientist explained.

"I am a very busy man," the business man said. "Now do it."

The taller scientist looked at his partner and then began to increase the intensity. "Now operating at one hundred percent," he reported.

The symbiotes began to grow rapidly filling up their containers.

"Symbiote maturation process is complete, shut the emitter down," the shorter scientist said.

The taller scientist nodded and shut the machine down.

"Excellent work gentlemen," the business man said. "And now I shall give you an early word for a job well done."

Both men looked at him curiously but their curiosity quickly vanished and turned to panic when he withdrew a pistol from inside his jacket. He pointed it at the shorter scientist and fired a shot straight into his heart dropping him to the ground instantly. The taller scientist tried to turn and run but the man shot him in the back and he fell to the ground. The taller scientist rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. The last thing he saw was the flash of a pistol muzzle that was pointed at his forehead.

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Disclaimer: Drake and his process are taken from the Venom: Lethal Protector series (#4 & 5). Carnage is not my character.