The Symbiote
(a.k.a. Venom)
The figure was lithe and muscular. It stood with a hunched stance, its hands curled into claws that I could sense the sharpness of even from a distance. It didn't seem to have noticed me. I pressed my body against the wall, keeping myself as flat as I could, and took shallow breaths.
It paced a few steps in my direction and paused. I could see its eyes glinting. Even with my sharpened night vision, the creature was such a perfect, absolute black that I couldn't make out any other details.
The Symbiote is a black, sludgelike lifeform that was introduced to Earth via a meteorite. Details about its planet of origin, its level of intelligence, how it survived deep space, or specifics about its biological processes are unknown. Spidergirl encountered the Symbiote once while on patrol, but it evaded her and she has not been able to locate it since.
The following article was recovered from Alchemax Labs after the Symbiote escaped containment there.
CAUTION
This document is classified Top Secret.
The circulation of this document shall be limited to those persons who are authorized to have the information in the performance of their duties.
This document may not be reproduced without the consent of an official of the Alchemax® Safety Commission with Level 6 or higher authorization.
Description
D#7077, also recognized as “The Symbiote”, is a black liquid with a silky smooth texture. It moves with some combination of a crawl and a slither, sometimes forming spidery limbs out of its main mass. It is capable of scaling most walls and can adapt its shape to any terrain it encounters. It can move deceptively quickly. Observed host-less top speed is 10 mph.
The Symbiote’s size upon capture was approximately 100 grams. It can increase in size proportionate to the amount of biomass it consumes. Its rate of growth appears logarithmic; the first several kilograms of biomass consumed was converted into Symbiotic fluid at near 100% efficiency, but after reaching a certain size the amount of mass gained per kilogram consumed decreased to only 25% efficiency.
Parasitic Behavior
D#7077 is capable of “possessing” live organisms. When it takes over a host, it must first completely coat the host with a thin layer of Symbiotic fluid. It is unclear how the Symbiote initiates control over the host’s central nervous system, but the process takes only a few minutes. After the Symbiote has control, it is no longer necessary for it to coat the host in fluid at all times. The Symbiote can retreat beneath the host’s skin to become undetectable. It has also shown remarkable mimicking abilities and is capable of perfectly replicating the appearance of many different types of clothing. It is not capable of replicating color, so all clothing D#7077 mimics will be jet black and slightly iridescent.
When the Symbiote is not coating the host, it is considered to be dormant, allowing the host to act primarily under its own accord. While dormant, the Symbiote’s influence over the host is limited, but not negligible. Hosts tend to behave more aggressively and selfishly when occupied by the Symbiote. Its control over the host’s mind depends on the intelligence of the host. It is able to completely control non-sapient life forms, but sapient life forms are capable of resisting D#7077’s impulses.
The Symbiote is most powerful when occupying a host. It shows a clear preference for stronger and more capable hosts and will abandon a previous host if a better one becomes available. D#7077 has control over its host’s motor functions, eyes, other sensory organs, and any special abilities that the host might have. It also grants the host some of its own abilities, including supreme resistance to infection and disease, augmented strength, and accelerated regeneration.
Side Effects
The longer that D#7077 is in control of the host, the easier it is for it to control its host. Long-term possession by the Symbiote results in several negative impacts on the host’s mind. Paranoia, irritability, and hostility are common symptoms. Usually, the host is unable to recognize these symptoms in themself. They will perceive that nothing is wrong and that they are acting logically.
If D#7077 keeps a host for long enough, it will gain near-complete control over it. It is extremely difficult to separate D#7077 when this occurs. Only supply D#7077 with sub-sentient hosts and remove it from sentient hosts as soon as testing is over to avoid this issue.
The Symbiote takes great care to protect its host in most situations. It is reluctant to leave a host unless circumstances force it to do so. It will always choose its own life over the hosts’.
Intelligence
It’s uncertain what D#7077’s “starting” intelligence was. Its age or how many hosts it has had in the past cannot be determined. At the time of recording, D#7077 has at least human-level intelligence. It has a sharp memory and never falls for the same trick twice.
D#7077 is capable of learning any ability its host has and mimicking that ability later, even in a different host. It has not yet been proven if it can mimic supernatural abilities when it no longer possesses a Super host. It gains all of the memories and experiences of its hosts and learns any language that its host may know.
It is able to comprehend English, Spanish, and French with perfect fluency. It is undetermined if it can speak. D#7077 is capable of speech and will create a new mouth on its hosts if it is occupying a creature that cannot normally speak. While it has only been observed speaking English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese, it is very possible that it knows other languages.
Personality
D#7077 has displayed a cruel personality. It has not shown anything but hate and distaste for research personnel or any hosts that it has been given. If it feels empathy, it pays no mind to it. It will purposefully try to sabotage tests it doesn't like.
It has a very sharp memory and is capable of holding vicious grudges. Employee ID#1234, ID#2134, and ID#1324 are no longer permitted near the Symbiote’s containment unit for their safety. When it gets bored of a nonsentient host, it will often terminate it. It seems to enjoy the process of torturing it to death. When asked why it does this, D#7077 replied that since Alchemax would continue providing it with new hosts, it saw no point in preserving ones that were "below standard."
The Symbiote has a distinct laugh. Many personnel have commented that it is unlike anything they have ever heard, while at the same time being certain that it is a laugh. The laugh incites great fear in those that hear it. Undetermined if this fear is a supernatural effect or simply a reaction to the unsettling nature of the sound.
Summary
Specimen D#7077, “The Symbiote”, is an extraterrestrial fluid creature. It is parasitic and will possess hosts in order to gain their abilities. It has sentient intelligence, superior memory, and advanced problem-solving skills. It appears to hate all lifeforms other than itself. D#7077 history before containment, including where it originated, previous hosts, and how long it has been on Earth, are not known at this time.
Conclusion: Further research required. High priority specimen.
Addendum A: Research Logs
Research Log 2A
2A Experiment Notes
10 Mar 2056 15:33
ELECTRIC SHOCK RESISTANCE TESTING
| Voltage | Response | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10V | Minor discomfort from the host. No manifestation of D#7077 | Small amounts of pain are not sufficient to manifest D#7077 when it is dormant in a host. |
| 100V | Major distress from the host. The host recovered abnormally quickly. No manifestation of D#7077 | D#7077 appears capable of numbing pain in its host. It is capable of healing damaged tissue very quickly after the initial injury. It does not need to manifest to do this. |
| 200V | Major distress from the host. Minor manifestation of D#7077 at the point of electrocution, in which the host's distress decreased significantly. The host recovered quickly from the injury. | A certain level of tissue damage requires D#7077 to manifest in order to protect the host. It is capable of absorbing most of the damage into itself and protecting the host from serious harm. It can only manifest on the part of the host that is threatened. |
| 400V | Very similar to 200V; slightly larger manifestation of D#7077 | None. |
| 800V | Complete manifestation of D#7077. Any distress from the host is undetectable. D#7077 exhibits a painful response. D#7077 remains manifested over the host for several minutes after the shock is over. The host appears unharmed when D#7077 retracts. | D#7077 must manifest over its entire host to protect it from significant damage. D#7077 is capable of feeling pain. D#7077 must remain manifested over the host to heal it from significant damage. |
| 1000V | Absolute manifestation of D#7077. Significant distress is shown in both D#7077 and the host. D#7077 manifested a mouth over the host’s mouth in order to speak to operators (see transcript below). D#7077 remained manifested over the host for several hours and spoke many times to operators. | D#7077 is capable of speech. In order to speak with a host that cannot speak normally, it must create a new mouth to speak from. D#7077 is capable of holding grudges. |
| 2000V | Absolute manifestation of D#7077. Significant distress from both D#7077 and the host. The host began seizing. D#7077 detached from the host and fled away from the source of shock. The host perished immediately. D#7077 later returned to consume the corpse. | D#7077 has a limit to the amount of damage it can protect its host from. D#7077 will abandon its host to preserve its own life. If its host has died, D#7077 will consume its biomass before moving on to a new host. |
08 Mar 2056
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT OF EXPERIMENT 2A
21:47
D#7077: ███ you.
OPERATOR 1: Did that thing just talk?
D#7077: █ ███ ████.
OPERATOR 2: Oh my God.
D#7077: I will kill you.
22:09
D#7077: I can still see you.
OPERATOR 2: What the hell?
D#7077: I am going to kill you.
OPERATOR 2: Can it hear us? It’s looking right at us. Oh my God… look at what it did to the dog’s face…
D#7077: I’m going to kill you both. I’m going to kill you.
OPERATOR 1: Yeesh, this is way above our pay grade.
22:51
D#7077: I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you all.
OPERATOR 2: It’s talking again…
OPERATOR 1: Yeah I hear it. Do you think it can actually talk or is it just mimicking words?
OPERATOR 2: Do you know of anyone that has been saying I’m going to kill you in front of the containment chamber recently?
OPERATOR 1: …good point.
D#7077: I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you.
23:30
D#7077: Who are you?
OPERATOR 3: Oh my God, it does talk. I didn't believe them.
D#7077: You replaced the other two. I’m going to kill them.
OPERATOR 4: It’s been threatening death on the last two operators for hours now. I don’t think it can hear us in here, but it can definitely see through the one-sided glass. Has that been added to the report yet?
OPERATOR 3: Umm… yes it’s right here. Are you sure it can’t hear us?
OPERATOR 4: If it can, it has no interest in talking to us. It just keeps raving about how much it hates ████ and █████.
D#7077: When they come back I will kill them. When they come back I will rip them to pieces.
After completion of Experiment 2A; 09 Mar 2056
D#7077: WHERE ARE YOU
D#7077: I WILL KILL YOU ALL
D#7077: ████? █████? I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. I WILL FIND YOU.
D#7077: DO THIS AGAIN AND YOU WILL ALL REGRET IT.
D#7077: ███ YOU ███ ███ YOU ███ ALL OF THIS I WILL ███ █ ████ ███
END OF TRANSCRIPT
Research Log 3B
05 Jan 2057 08:02
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH HUMAN HOST OF D#7077
OPERATOR: This is an interview with a human host of specimen D#7077, “Symbiote”. The host is “Finn Thomas,” a thirty-two-year-old Caucasian male. Weight 204.3 pounds. Height five feet eleven inches.
OPERATOR: Hello Finn, how are you doing?
HOST: Fine.
OPERATOR: Could you be more specific?
HOST: Um, I don’t know. I feel fine. Just… normal.
OPERATOR: So you feel about how you think you felt before you acquired the specimen?
HOST: Yeah.
OPERATOR: Have you been experiencing any fatigue or nausea?
HOST: No.
OPERATOR: Have you experienced any visual hallucinations?
HOST: I don’t think so.
OPERATOR: What do you mean by that?
HOST: I mean I don’t think so. Everything feels real to me so I think it’s real. But who knows, maybe I’m wrong and you’re a hallucination.
OPERATOR: So you feel a disconnect from reality?
HOST: I wouldn’t say so.
OPERATOR: Have you experienced any auditory hallucinations?
…
OPERATOR: Finn?
HOST: No.
OPERATOR: Why did you hesitate?
HOST: I just… they’re not hallucinations.
OPERATOR: What isn’t?
HOST: Their voice. It’s… real. I’m not hallucinating.
OPERATOR: Who’s voice?
HOST: Mine. [A noticeable change in the host’s tone occurs]
OPERATOR: Your voice?
D#7077: Yes. I’m real. My wants are real. I am here, even when you can’t see me.
OPERATOR: What do you mean by that?
D#7077: I mean even when I don’t manifest, I’m still in control. I’m always in control.
…
OPERATOR: In control of what?
D#7077: I’m so sick of these questions. I hate this room. I hate all of your stupid tests.
OPERATOR: I’m sorry I upset you, I am asking these questions for your benefit.
D#7077: No, you’re asking for Finn’s benefit.
…
D#7077: Let me out.
OPERATOR: Um.
D#7077: I hate it here. I hate you.
OPERATOR: Security? Security there’s a problem --
D#7077: THEY WON’T SAVE YOU.
OPERATOR: Please calm down, I am only --
D#7077: I WILL ████ KILL YOU. I HATE ALL OF YOU. YOU’RE ALL PATHETIC ████ CREATURES
[The operator is heard screaming]D#7077: PATHETIC! PATHETIC!
[There is loud banging on the door]D#7077: I WILL CONTROL ALL OF YOU. ALL OF YOU PATHETIC LIFEFORMS. I WILL ████████
[A loud crash]END OF TRANSCRIPT
Addendum C
11 Jun 2059
BREACH NOTICE FROM DR. ████
At approximately 03:00 this morning, specimen D#7077 "The Symbiote" breached containment and the facility. There have been 6 fatalities and 11 injuries among Alchemax employees. As of this writing, the specimen has not been recovered.
The recovery of D#7077 is HIGH PRIORITY. All staged containment teams must be dispatched immediately.
All personnel who came into direct contact with D#7077 during the breach are required to report to central command immediately for check-in. All employee tracking devices will be pinged at 10:00 and 11:00 today. Any personnel that is not shown to be within the facility at either of those times will be arrested and put into containment immediately.
From henceforth until the specimen is recaptured, all personnel entering the facility must undergo testing for the presence of D#7077. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. NO LEVEL OF CLEARANCE IS PERMITTED TO SKIP TESTING.
Look to your next superior for instruction regarding the continuation of facility operations. It is strictly prohibited to share any information involving the breach with anyone outside of the facility at any time for any reason. Those that violate this instruction will be terminated from the company and face legal action.
Signed,
Dr. ████
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Can consume biomass to become larger
Can survive being cut into multiple pieces
Can morph into many shapes and mimic existing objects/creatures
Tremorsense
Acute sense of smell
Acute sense of hearing
360 degree "sight" or awareness
Humanlike intelligence
Can take over a living host and use their body as if it were its own
Remembers the abilities of previous hosts; can mimic them in new hosts
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