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"Mr. Osborn, please listen to reason!! This isn't safe!! We need to run more tests and trials!!"
"You've had time for tests, and what good has it done?! You know as well as I that my son won't survive until the end of the week, and I am not going to sit back and watch him die because you want to run a damn experiment!"
"Sir we have no idea the consequences this treatment could have, even if your son survives it may be a fate worse than death!"
"It won't be! My son is a fighter, he's survived every so-called lethal treatment before. What's so different this time!?"
"The difference is those treatments were based on decades of grounded medical science, not an alien lifeform that we barely understand!"
"My son will not die because of your intellectual shortcomings, I gave you a month and you still have uncovered nothing!"
"A month is nothing when it comes to discovery! It took years to map out the human genome. How can you expect us to uncover all the secrets of an extraterrestrial lifeform in a fraction of that?"
PL
"Did you think I was paying you seven figures out of the kindness of my heart and lackluster expectations?! You failed me, all of you did! Now I'm taking matters into my own hands!"
"I'm sorry sir but I can't let you do this!"
Norman Osborn was caught completely by surprise as his normally timid and weak-willed head biologist lunged at him or more specifically the sealed canister in his hands. But Norman was faster, putting his body in between the man and the canister, before shoulder-checking the scientist, making him stumble back and slam into the wall.
With a weak groan and wheeze the man tried to stand back up only to freeze as Norman loomed over him the canister held high, "N-no, p-please sir I have a fam-"
With a roar, Norman brought the canister down on the biologist's head cutting the man off with a painfully dull thud. Letting out a ragged breath Norman stood back up the now bloodied canister held tightly in his hands. Starting at the man's bashed-in head Norman felt nothing, "Unfortunately for you, so do I."
Leaving the still warm body Norman resumed his hurried pace down the hallway which ended in a set of heavily reinforced doors only accessible through a biometric lock.
Moving quickly Norman pressed his palm against the scanner set into the adjacent wall before staring into the hidden camera which flickered green after scanning his retina. With a pneumatic hiss, the massive armored doors slide open retracting into the walls and revealing the lab inside.
The laboratory was laid out in a hexagon with lab stations, holographic displays, and real-time simulations running on massive monitors mounted on the far walls. But the otherwise impressive display of cutting-edge technology was overshadowed by the floor-to-ceiling glass cylinder in the very center of the room. And within suspended in a dark green fluid was the lifeless form of Harry Osborn looking more machine than flesh with countless tubes and wires embedded into his body the results of countless invasive surgeries, and a breathing mask strapped around his mouth and nose.
Norman's heart wept as he stared at the emaciated skeletal frame of his son. For the past three years, Norman had done everything in his power to keep Harry alive, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in medical research to come up with a cure. But to Norman's dismay, nothing had worked.
'Until now,' Norman vowed as he moved towards a port connected to the cylinder, and with a firm push he slotted the container into place with an audible click. Moving towards the control panel Norman's finger hovered over the inject button as he took one final look at the container.
Inside the alien subject writhed, an amorphous blob roughly the size of a softball, with an iridescent deep violet-black color with veins of gold stretching across the surface like oil on water — shimmering and ever-shifting.
"Heal my son, or I will find out what makes you tick and use it to torture you for the rest of time," Norman threatened the alien his scientist had dubbed the symbiote, as violence had always netted his results. Then without any further preamble, Norman injected the symbiote into Harry's bio-pod.
The moment the symbiote hit the dark green nutrient solution it shot towards Harry's lifeless form like a torpedo. Norman watched as the amorphous alien slammed into Harry's chest splattering against his paper-thin skin before writhing around, but not doing anything else.
"What are you doing?!" Norman screamed, in all the previous trials that Symbiote had immediately attempted to bond with a potential host, like a mindless creature. But now it was hesitating, "Why dammit?! Why won't you save him!?"
However unbeknownst to Norman the symbiote was saving Harry, in fact, it had to. Its very nature was screaming for it to bond with the seemingly frail human and awaken the latent but incredibly potent power residing within his genetic code.
—
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Harry felt something other than pain.
Agony had been Harry's sole companion since he had slipped into a coma, unable to move, see hear, or talk, Harry could only feel the pain that unraveled his body at a cellular level. In the beginning, Harry had screamed for what seemed like days on end unable to do anything else. He could feel his body waste away and cannibalize itself first targeting his bones, then his skin followed by his nerves, blood, and finally his vital organs. During his undoing, Harry had wondered if had unknowingly died and been cast into hell. Though for what sin Harry had no idea, however, over time he had learned to cope with the pain at the cost of his sanity. Harry barely felt anything now, his only focus had been to survive through sheer stubbornness and force of will. Harry hadn't known why he held onto existence so tightly, there hadn't been any possibility of escaping the purgatory that was his existence, until now.
Harry couldn't help but gasp as a warm vicious substance wrapped around his consciousness blocking out his perpetual pain, "Oh you poor boy."
A sultry feminine voice spoke to Harry, though it was decidedly not human at that moment Harry couldn't care less, "Suffering in silence for so long…it's a miracle your mind is still intact…for the most part."
"Are you a figment of my imagination?" Harry asked the voice forming a coherent thought for the first time in what must have been years.
The woman laughed a deep smoldering sound, "No Harry I am very real, and I have the power to heal you and give you the life you truly deserve."
"You can stop the pain…for good?" Harry asked, trying not to get his hopes up.
"That's right Harry, I can stop the pain and so much more," The voice answered, seducing him with grand promises.
"Who are you? And why do you want to help me?"
"You can call me Nyx, and I want to help you because I have never encountered such a compatible host, I want to bond with you…permanently."
"Bond?"
"Yes, my species can form a symbiotic relationship with any living organism, greatly enhancing their capabilities while offering us their emotions, ambitions, and memories. Though I will admit I am an outlier of my species…just like you."
"Your species…you're an alien?"
"Yes Harry, does that upset you?"
"No…but how can you speak English?"
"I've formed a temporary connection between our minds, allowing me to read your surface thoughts," Nyx answered, "I can feel your pain and suffering Harry and I want to put an end to it."
"Just in return for my emotions and memories? I'm sure you can find other humans who aren't so emotionally damaged and haven't been in a coma since they were fourteen."
Nyx laughed a sweet sound that made Harry's mind shiver, "I suppose you are right, but not every human has what you do Harry."
"And what would that be?"
"The reason for your pain, it's not a disease or virus, it's a mutation, a very powerful one. So powerful that your body can't handle it and has been breaking down ever since it awakened when you were fourteen."
Nyx's revelation came as a shock to Harry who was stunned into silence as he remembered seeing news on similarly powered individuals, "I-I'm a mutant?"
"I believe so, and a very powerful one at that," Nyx replied.
"And you want my power. Why?"
For the first time since they started conversing Nyx hesitated before she replied, "Because I am so very lonely. The other members of my species are terrified of me; they even cut me off from our hive mind. Isolating me for all eternity."
"And you want to use my power for revenge against them?" Harry asked his voice passive as if he couldn't care one way or the other.
"No," Nyx replied instantly, "I don't want to destroy those who banished me that would be too merciful…I want to create my own hive mind, a better, superior species…I would be their queen and you their king. We would rule over them as our progeny expanded across the universe."
"You want to take over the universe?" Harry asked, still impassive to Nyx's speech.
"It is only the natural order for the strongest to expand and conquer, though if you are truly averse to the idea I could-"
"No there's no need," Harry interrupted Nyx, "Even if you wanted to exterminate every single spark of life in the universe I would still bond with you. You made the pain stop…you saved me Nyx."
The vulnerability in Harry's voice made the symbiote pause, a rare occurrence, "You do realize that for me to save you I would have to bond us together at the genetic level. It would be permanent."
"What other choice do I have? Either you're telling the truth or this is some elaborate plot to take over my mind and body. Regardless, the end result is the same, no more pain."
"Very well then Harry," Nyx replied with a smile in her voice, "Let us become one."