Venom, Episode 2
#2 of Venom
I'm having another one of those out of body experiences, watching myself flying through the air in my Firefly guise. I'm going pretty fast, I apparently need to be somewhere quickly. An emergency. There'd been a gang raid, I remember now. Well, it may be gang related. The Skulls are a gang at least, their supposed rivals this evening are more of an urban legend then anything else.
The Vipers, no one has actually seen one, but we've all seen their tags and we've all felt their influence. They have no history in Megalopolis, they just came out of nowhere one day, and the next we had the street dealers selling Venom.
Venom, yeah, that's what this was all about. It's the newest designer drug, just about perfect from all points of view. It's cheap, the effects are dramatic, there are almost no risks involved, and it's non-addictive to 90 percent of the population. But that ten percent really get pulled into it.
There aren't any real withdrawal symptoms, it's just that the damn stuff boosts things so well that that 10 percent feels like they're only truly themselves when they're under the effects of Venom.
It starts out with a calming effect, proceeding into a sense of contentment and euphoria. That lasts for the entire eight hour span of a normal dose. After that there are a number of effects that kick in at certain points, at the one hour mark there's a noticeable increase in mental clarity. ARMOR's tests show on average a twenty to thirty point increase in IQ, but the effect is more powerful in brighter individuals.
An hour and a half into the Venom high the senses begin to sharpen, everything seems more vibrant and alive. At two hours the body begins to run more efficiently somehow. Strength, reflexes, stamina, an increase in metabolism. The munchies are about the only side effect Venom has, but with the metabolic boost, nothing usually comes out of it.
Again, the effects are more pronounced in those that are already strong, fast, and tough. While it won't let you bench press buses like the Minotaur unless you've already got parahuman levels of strength, it's enough to make a small, frail girl on par with your average professional wrestler.
From there the effects remain at their peak power until around hour 6 or so, when they begin to slowly taper off. It's not at a rate that anyone would notice. The user begins to feel fatigue building around hour 7, and by the time they come down entirely in the eighth hour, most are interested only in taking a nap.
Though Venom does have one really nasty use. In almost all powered individuals it can actually strengthen just about any ability. Again ARMOR found that Venom was capable of boosting 90 percent of powers by a rating of 1 or 2 on the Tesla Metahuman Ability Scale. Now THAT is capable of making somebody with minor strength enhancements able to benchpress a bus. In some users it's just a single ability, in others they find all their powers enhanced.
I shiver as I watch myself flying, I have no idea how I know so much about Venom, I don't remember researching it. I'm hoping it was prepared data that I read in order to help deal with the gang fight aftermath.
-o-
"Venom. That's what that scent is." Hiss says softly, giving me a concerned look, "You're completely saturated with the stuff.
My eyes widen and I bite my lip, thinking for a moment. "It shouldn't have much of an effect. ARMOR tested huge doses of the stuff in all the forms it comes it, liquid, powder, capsule, the amount didn't seem to have any baring on the effects."
"It's gooey, like jelly. I've never heard of it in that state despite all of my snooping in other people's minds. It smells strong too, really pungent, not like the stuff Director Henson uses. I think it's the pure stuff. I don't have any idea how much they dilute it before putting it out on the street. And the only way I can think of for you to have it covering your entire body is to have taken a swim in it. And if that's the case, you might've swallowed a bunch more then got stuck to you."
"And more could've gotten into me though my burns and cuts. Great. We don't know how much I've got, how powerful it is, and no antidote for any of it." I sigh, "And you said there were 'weird things' going on inside me?"
Hiss looks down at the floor. "Uh... they've kind of stopped being entirely inside now. There was some pulsing and writhing under your skin for awhile, now you're sweating this thick blue-gray gunk. I think it's a cocoon."
"You mean I'm changing into something else?!" I say in a choked whisper. Being purple is bad enough without having horns or hooves or twin rows of razor sharp spines going down your back. They tend to make matters of fashion notoriously difficult. That is on top of being a big glaring neon sign that flashes "MUTANT" to anybody who so much as glances in your direction.
"I'm sorry to say that you are, and I can't even give you a hint as to what. The stuff seems to be blocking all of my attempts to see through it. I'm going to let a little bit of sensation though. Tell me what you feel."
Hiss reconnects my mind to my body, letting only a tiny fraction of sensory input in. My eyes widen as I find this small piece entirely overwhelming. "CUT IT!" I yell, "CUT THE LINK!"
As she does so I begin to pant, breathing hard and sweating even in the mental realm from the exertion of what I'd just felt.
The serpent looks at me with concern as I shiver with aftershocks from the overwhelming feelings I'd just experienced, "Are you burning up inside again?"
I clench my teeth and shake my head back and forth, every muscle in my mental body tensed up. It takes me a moment before I'm able to release. "No, Gods no. No pain at all. It felt incredible, wonderful. How much did you let me feel?" I ask, taking deep breaths.
"Ten percent." is Hiss' puzzled reply.
I shiver again. "I can't imagine what that would feel like ten times as intense."
"I should've cut you off from it sooner, but there didn't seem to be any problems at first. You just suddenly started shouting. You just turned and stared at the screen for twenty minutes after I opened the connection, I didn't sense any problems with you."
"No way. You opened the connection then maybe a second passed, then I couldn't take it and yelled for you to stop." I shake my head, none of this is making any sense. Though if whatever is happening to me is making me black out, maybe it has something to do with the huge gap in my memory.
-o-
There's a sudden flash and I find myself entering the building where the gang fight had taken place. Not watching myself going in. There's a sense of detachment though, I feel my body moving, but I'm not directing the motion.
I take a look around the run down apartment complex, though sealed, boarded up and abandoned, it seems that someone has decided to take up residence here. I realize I know where this is, it's the Lakeview apartment complex. I suppose there used to be a lake view. If you stood on the roof thirty years ago you might be able to see a sliver of Platinum Lake over the hilly area of Emerald Heights.
That's all isolated now. Governer Kincaide had it all sealed off right after the Fallen War was over. The whole thing was a pretty nasty conflict, but Platinum Lake now houses a virus that alters people into 'living works of art,' at least according to the Fleshshaper. Emerald Heights, once the place where the newly wealthy flocked to, got blasted back to the stone age. Kinda.
Electricity works fine and all, it's just that everything kind of got turned all Flintstones-like. Emerald Heights is probably the reason for the quarantine. Basically anything with a motor became a dinosaur or something of the like. It's a big jungle now, filled with dinosaurs and sabertooth tigers. Of course some of them still commute to work out in the rest of Megalopolis. Every near-human became some sort of anthropomorphic animal.
The effect that caused the changes in Emerald Heights is still in effect, though weakened. Sure, you start growing fur and fangs the moment you step over the city limits line, but it's not permanent. Five minutes a day in Platinum Lake is enough to stave off permanent transformation forever. It takes about twelve hours to change to and from forms. Though the process is much quicker on animals, only taking an , and even less on technology. Depending on how complex it is, it could be a couple minutes, or happen in seconds.
Kincaide's Dev-Bots put the walls 100 yards out from the furthest visible effect, but he evacuated and condemned all the property 100 yards from where the wall is just in case of some sort of lingering energy.
Emerald Heights actually sees a lot of new residents, some are big game hunters up for a new challenge, others are interested in studying the place, others like the back to nature lifestyle, while others find living amongst other beast-people to be much more comfortable then out amongst the human residents of Megalopolis. There's also the tourism trade, the novelty of being a big fluffball for a few days without any side effects afterwards is a big draw. Heck, some people stay a solid week inside Emerald Heights so it DOES remain permanent. Damn sight cheaper then the Body Shops' Feral Formulas, and you don't have to keep shelling out the dough.
I have the sensation of a mental shiver as I feel something slip into a corner of my mind, having milked that information from me. I don't particularly care for the feeling. I think whatever it was has been looking for information before, having me call to mind some other bits of knowledge. It seems to be growing more eager, as I feel it now, it isn't being as subtle as it was.
I'm in the middle of the apartment complex now, it seems to be where the fighting occurred, as I see puddles of dried blood about. The police have come and gone, and the crime scene is open to investigative heroic types, like myself.
The rest of the group are already here, I see the BEETLE Sisters over in the corner looking at something. Alexandria and Trigarr on the other hand are walking around the outer edge of the once pristine plaza, Alex more then likely doing her Sherlock Holmes thing, while Trigarr sniffs about.
Knowing better then to talk to the sisters when they're occupied, I walk over to my fellow metahumans, who seem to have found something. "Smells like sex here." Trigarr choruses quietly, for such a large creature she has a extremely meek, quiet voice.
"That's nice, Trig." Alexandria says, scowling at the three headed tigress and putting a finger to her lips. Trigarr's mental programming includes a number of nonvocal commands, the downward wave the follows the finger to the lips telling Trig to drop the subject.
Alexandria and Trigarr would be the perfect team if they could communicate efficiently. Alex tends to speak in scientific terms and has difficulty trying to decipher Trigarr's simplistic phrases and thought patterns. I find myself to be an effective translator.
"Smell-type smell, or color-smell?" I ask as I walk up. Trigarr's able to sense, I don't know what the exact specification is, auras, energies, stuff like that. She can't explain exactly how she does it, to her it feels like she's using her nose, but what it tells her are sort of like colors too, thus color-smell.
"Both." she says with a trio of nods, "Girl-girl sex."
Alexandria chuckles, "And where, do tell, did you sample that aroma?"
Both Trig and Alex live in the group base we bought with grants from ARMOR, as Trig needs constant supervision and Alex never sleeps. As shy as Trig is, and as information hungry as Alex is, they don't leave the base very often.
Rather then reply Trig turns the gaze of one head towards our teammates in the corner.
"Oh ick!" I say, sticking out my tongue. "I seriously didn't need to know about their incestuous ways!"
Alex strokes her chin for a moment before speaking, "I presume that it is the only intimate relationship maintainable due to their less then stellar attitudes, predisposition towards browbeating and bullying any disagreeing parties, and permanent delusions of grandeur in regards to the correctness of their cognitive functions."
Trig blinks and looks at me to make sense of that jumble. "She means that no one else can stand them, and that they're a bit bullying and always think that they're right."
The tigress brightens and nods, "Aaaah! Bullying. Being mean, like when Lady steps on Trig's tail, even when she makes sure to keep it under her chair."
Alex pats her shoulder comfortingly, "Don't worry about it, charted behavior patterns indicate the choosing of a heroic lifestyle by only 2.84 percent."
I hold my forefinger and thumb about an inch apart, "They're this close from being supervillains."
"Nah, more like this." Alex says with a chuckle, making the same gesture, but half the size. Trig puts her handpaws over her mouths to stifle some giggles as she walks on. All three of her faces take on puzzled expressions.
She sniffs the air, taking in deep breaths. "Funny smell here. Funny sex smell. Like girl-girl sex smell but not quite. Girl and not-quite-girl."
"Androgynous? Lacking true gender identity?" Alex suggests.
"Hermaphrodite?" I add, "Boy and girl in one?"
Trig points to me and nods. "Uh huh. Like that. Though not a people smell. Smells like 'Nita, like a snake, but not as fuzzy."
'Nita being Juanita Lopez, who rents space from ARMOR down the hall from our base. Though 'base' is what we call it, it's essentially a large, armor plated apartment with some scientific equipment in the biggest room. The whole building is similarly constructed for supers.
Miss Lopez and Trigarr have similar difficulties in most human build places, low ceilings, small furniture, and easily breakable surroundings. A daughter of Quetzalcoatl, she looks the part. Essentially like a big feathered snake crossed with a human. She's about nine feet tall, and has the enhanced strength and durability one would expect with a super that size. Funny how you never see any eight foot tall, five hundred pound speedsters.
"Snake color-smell all over. All not-quite-girls. Dead human smell, boy humans. No dead girl humans though. Girl humans left with snakes, all happy and purring."
"Purring? How's that?" Alex asks, again not understanding.
"Purring-happy. Sit in the sun, purring. Getting scratched behind the ears, purring. Fish sticks and French fries for dinner, purring. Very, very happy." Trig says with a wistful sigh, naming off several of her favorite things. "Maybe girl-girl sex if Alex is interested, Trig's never tried before."
I wince at the thought of it. To my horror Alexandria had her head tilted to the side, looking slightly upward, another of her thoughtful poses. "Well I do have vast reservoirs of carnal knowledge in function, mechanics, and technique, and I have yet to use them. Though a bit of personal experimentation and analysis would be in order to ascertain the chemical content of my secretions in order to determine the relative safety of the procedure. Calculating resource allotment to the current task, time for gathering and chemical analysis, as well as television broadcast schedules for the next few days... How does Wednesday night sound?" says the green humanoid shape with a smile.