VENOM

9 TWO VENOMS

The first soldier entered the chamber.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, the doorway was filled with Directorate operatives.

C.Y. stood in front of Maya.

Beside him, Subject 19 watched the soldiers with an expression that was almost bored.

C.Y. glanced at him.

"You seem pretty calm."

Subject 19 shrugged.

"After you've been hunted for eight years, you stop being impressed by men with guns."

Maya looked at him.

"That's Samuel Cross talking?"

He smiled.

"Samuel Cross died a long time ago."

C.Y. looked toward the soldiers.

"Then what should we call you?"

The man turned toward him.

"Call me Elias."

C.Y. nodded.

"Elias."

The lead soldier raised his weapon.

"Subject 19."

Elias didn't move.

"You're under Directorate authority."

Elias laughed.

"After all these years, that's still the best line you have?"

The soldier's expression hardened.

"Step away from Subject 20."

C.Y. looked at Elias.

"Subject 20?"

Elias nodded.

"They've never called you C.Y. when you're not around."

C.Y.'s expression darkened.

"Of course."

The soldier repeated:

"Step away."

Elias looked at C.Y.

"Your choice."

C.Y. looked at Maya.

Then at the soldiers.

Then at the machine behind them.

His father's image still remained frozen on the screen.

SUBJECT 20 — SUCCESSOR.

C.Y. slowly stepped forward.

"No."

The soldier frowned.

"No?"

C.Y. shook his head.

"I'm done being someone's subject."

The soldier raised his weapon.

"Then you're a hostile."

C.Y. smiled.

"That's fine."

The chamber erupted into movement.

---

C.Y. moved first.

He didn't charge blindly.

He watched.

The first soldier advanced.

C.Y. slipped past him and moved toward the second.

Maya stayed behind him, covering their escape route.

Elias moved differently.

He barely seemed to move at all.

Every time someone approached, he simply shifted aside.

An attack passed where he had been standing.

Another missed.

Elias redirected the attacker and sent him stumbling into a wall.

C.Y. noticed.

"You really are different."

Elias glanced at him.

"I've had practice."

More soldiers entered.

The chamber became crowded.

C.Y. and Elias moved together without planning it.

When one was surrounded, the other created an opening.

When Maya was pushed back, C.Y. moved toward her.

They weren't friends.

They barely knew each other.

Yet their movements seemed strangely compatible.

Years of the same training had created two fighters who understood pressure in almost identical ways.

C.Y. ducked beneath an attack.

Elias moved past him.

"Left."

C.Y. reacted instantly.

An attacker rushed from that side.

C.Y. stopped him.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me."

"Why?"

"Because I might need you alive."

C.Y. smiled.

"Fair enough."

---

The fighting continued for several minutes.

Eventually, the soldiers began retreating.

Not because they had been defeated completely.

Because something had changed.

Their orders changed.

A voice came through their communication devices.

"Fall back."

C.Y. heard it.

"Why are they retreating?"

Elias looked toward the ceiling.

"They're not."

Maya frowned.

"What?"

"They're making room."

A loud metallic sound echoed through the facility.

Something enormous was moving beyond the doors.

C.Y. looked at Elias.

"What is that?"

Elias's expression became serious.

"Something you don't want to meet."

The lights suddenly turned red.

An announcement echoed through the facility.

PROJECT VENOM CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL ACTIVE.

Maya looked at C.Y.

"Containment?"

Elias shook his head.

"That's not for us."

C.Y. frowned.

"Then what?"

The doors at the far end of the chamber opened.

A man walked through.

He wore no armor.

No weapon.

Just a dark suit.

C.Y. immediately recognized him.

Daniel.

The same man who had recruited him.

The same man who had given him orders.

The same man who had threatened his family.

C.Y.'s expression hardened.

"You."

Daniel stopped.

"Cyril."

"Where is my family?"

Daniel didn't answer.

C.Y. stepped forward.

"I asked you a question."

"They're alive."

"Where?"

"Safe."

C.Y. laughed bitterly.

"You people really love that word."

Daniel looked toward Elias.

"You shouldn't have come back."

Elias stared at him.

"You should have finished me when you had the chance."

Daniel's expression changed.

"You were supposed to be dead."

Elias smiled.

"That's what everyone keeps saying."

Daniel looked at C.Y.

"You don't understand what you're standing beside."

C.Y. glanced at Elias.

"Neither do you."

Daniel's face hardened.

"Subject 19 is unstable."

Elias laughed.

"That's your excuse?"

"You killed people."

"So did you."

"We had orders."

"So did I."

Daniel looked at C.Y.

"See?"

He pointed at Elias.

"That's what Project Venom creates."

C.Y. remained silent.

Daniel continued.

"People who stop caring."

Elias's expression didn't change.

"He's lying."

Daniel looked at C.Y.

"Ask him what happened to Subject 18."

The room became silent.

C.Y.'s eyes narrowed.

"What do you know about my father?"

Daniel hesitated.

Elias immediately stepped forward.

"Don't listen to him."

C.Y. looked between them.

Daniel smiled.

"Ask your new friend."

Elias said nothing.

C.Y. turned toward him.

"You knew my father."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Elias looked away.

"He died."

"How?"

Silence.

"Elias."

The older man finally answered.

"Because they pushed him too far."

C.Y. stared.

"Explain."

"He was the strongest subject before you."

C.Y. shook his head.

"Then why did he fail?"

Elias looked directly into his eyes.

"Because he believed he could protect everyone."

C.Y. didn't understand.

Elias continued.

"That was his weakness."

"Protecting people?"

"No."

Elias pointed toward C.Y.

"Believing he could carry everyone alone."

C.Y. went quiet.

Maya looked at him.

Elias continued.

"Your father tried to destroy the project from the inside."

Daniel interrupted.

"He betrayed the Directorate."

"He betrayed you," Elias corrected.

Daniel's expression hardened.

"And your father died because of it."

C.Y. stared at Daniel.

"Did you kill him?"

Daniel didn't answer.

C.Y. stepped forward.

"Did you?"

Daniel finally said:

"Mr. Confidence gave the order."

C.Y. froze.

There it was.

The first direct confirmation.

Mr. Confidence had killed his father.

Or at least ordered it.

C.Y.'s hands slowly tightened.

Maya stepped closer.

"C.Y."

He didn't respond.

Daniel smiled faintly.

"Now you understand."

C.Y. looked at him.

"I understand enough."

---

Suddenly, the lights turned white.

Every screen in the chamber activated.

Mr. Confidence appeared.

C.Y. stared at him.

For the first time, he was seeing the man directly.

Not through security footage.

Not through photographs.

Face to face.

Almost.

Mr. Confidence sat behind a desk.

Calm.

Perfectly composed.

"Hello, Cyril."

C.Y. stared at the screen.

"You killed my father."

Mr. Confidence didn't deny it.

"Yes."

Maya looked shocked.

Elias remained still.

C.Y.'s voice was quiet.

"Why?"

"Because he became a threat."

"He tried to expose you."

"Among other things."

C.Y. took a step toward the screen.

"You destroyed my family."

"No."

Mr. Confidence leaned forward.

"Your father did."

C.Y.'s expression changed.

"What?"

"Your father made choices."

Mr. Confidence continued.

"He chose rebellion."

"He chose your mother."

"He chose you."

C.Y. said nothing.

Mr. Confidence's voice became colder.

"And every choice had consequences."

C.Y. stared at him.

"You manipulated me."

"No."

Mr. Confidence smiled.

"I gave you opportunities."

"You took my freedom."

"I gave you purpose."

"You took my family."

"I protected your family."

C.Y. almost laughed.

"You're insane."

Mr. Confidence shook his head.

"No."

He looked directly into the camera.

"I'm practical."

C.Y. stared.

"Where are they?"

"Would you like to see them?"

The screen changed.

A live video appeared.

C.Y.'s mother.

His sister.

Both were sitting in a small room.

Alive.

C.Y. stepped closer.

"Mom."

His mother looked toward the camera.

"C.Y.!"

He stared at her.

"Mom, I'm coming."

She shook her head.

"No!"

His sister cried out:

"Don't come!"

C.Y. froze.

Mr. Confidence smiled.

"They know what happens when people resist."

C.Y. looked at the screen.

His mother's eyes were filled with fear.

But she wasn't afraid for herself.

She was afraid for him.

"Listen to me," she said.

"C.Y., you need to leave."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Please."

"No."

His sister moved closer to the camera.

"C.Y., don't trust them!"

The screen went black.

C.Y. stood completely still.

Maya placed a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't move.

Mr. Confidence's voice returned.

"You see?"

C.Y. looked at the screen.

"You want me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you're the final stage."

C.Y. frowned.

"Final stage of what?"

Mr. Confidence smiled.

"Evolution."

Elias stepped forward.

"Don't listen to him."

Mr. Confidence looked toward Elias through the camera.

"Still alive."

Elias smiled.

"Disappointed?"

"Not at all."

Mr. Confidence's expression changed.

"You've served your purpose."

Elias's eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I no longer need you."

The floor beneath Elias suddenly opened.

He fell.

C.Y. immediately reached for him.

"Elias!"

Elias grabbed the edge.

C.Y. caught his arm.

Maya grabbed C.Y.'s waist.

For a moment, the three were connected.

Elias looked up.

"Let go."

"No."

"C.Y."

"I'm not letting you die."

Elias stared at him.

Then smiled.

"You're just like your father."

C.Y. pulled harder.

Maya helped.

Together, they pulled Elias back onto the platform.

The opening closed.

Mr. Confidence watched silently.

Then he said:

"Interesting."

C.Y. looked at the screen.

"What?"

"You made the same choice."

C.Y. frowned.

"What choice?"

"Your father tried to save everyone."

Mr. Confidence smiled.

"And now you're doing the same."

The screen went black.

---

The chamber became silent.

C.Y. stood there breathing heavily.

Elias looked at him.

"Now you understand."

C.Y. turned.

"Understand what?"

"Why they chose you."

Maya looked between them.

Elias continued.

"You're not the strongest because you can fight."

C.Y. waited.

"You're the strongest because you care."

C.Y. frowned.

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does to them."

Elias walked toward the old machine.

"They've spent decades trying to remove emotions from their operatives."

He placed his hand on the machine.

"But they discovered something."

The machine activated.

"The people who care the most..."

The screen displayed C.Y.'s face.

"...adapt the fastest."

C.Y. stared.

Elias continued.

"Every time someone you love is threatened, your body responds."

Maya looked at C.Y.

"That's why your abilities increased."

C.Y. remembered the fights.

Every mission.

Every time someone had been in danger.

Every time he had been pushed beyond his limits.

He had always become stronger.

Not because he wanted to.

Because he had something to protect.

Elias looked at him.

"That's why they took your family."

C.Y.'s eyes hardened.

"They've been using them as a trigger."

"Yes."

C.Y. looked toward the black screen.

"They wanted to make me stronger."

"Yes."

C.Y. clenched his fists.

"And you?"

Elias looked away.

"I was their first success."

He paused.

"And their first mistake."

---

An alarm suddenly sounded.

Maya checked the tablet.

"We have a problem."

C.Y. looked at her.

"What?"

She showed him the screen.

A countdown had appeared.

FACILITY SELF-DESTRUCT — 09:59

C.Y. stared.

"Ten minutes."

Elias nodded.

"They're destroying the facility."

"Then we leave."

Elias didn't move.

C.Y. looked at him.

"What?"

Elias pointed toward the machine.

"There's something inside."

"What?"

"The original Venom data."

Maya looked at the machine.

"Can we take it?"

"Not all of it."

C.Y. stepped forward.

"Then take what matters."

Elias looked at him.

"You sure?"

C.Y. nodded.

"We need the truth."

They began removing the central data core.

The countdown continued.

08:31

Maya worked on the security panel.

Elias removed cables.

C.Y. watched the hallway.

07:45

Footsteps echoed.

C.Y. raised his weapon.

"Company."

Several Directorate soldiers appeared.

C.Y. moved forward.

"Go."

Maya looked at him.

"C.Y."

"I'll hold them."

Elias shook his head.

"No."

C.Y. looked back.

"Why?"

"Because you're still thinking like an operative."

Elias stepped beside him.

"We don't hold them."

He looked toward the exit.

"We leave."

C.Y. smiled.

"Finally, something we agree on."

They ran.

---

The three escaped through an underground tunnel just before the facility collapsed behind them.

The explosion shook the mountain.

Dust filled the air.

C.Y., Maya, and Elias stumbled outside.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Maya looked at Elias.

"So..."

Elias looked at her.

"What?"

"Where do we go now?"

Elias looked toward C.Y.

"That's his decision."

C.Y. stared at the burning facility.

His family was still being held.

Mr. Confidence was still free.

The Directorate was still hunting them.

But now he knew the truth.

His father had been Subject 18.

His mother had once worked against Project Venom.

Elias was Subject 19.

And he was Subject 20.

The final experiment.

C.Y. looked at Maya.

Then Elias.

"We need somewhere they can't find us."

Elias smiled.

"I know a place."

"Where?"

"Underground."

Maya raised an eyebrow.

"Again?"

Elias laughed.

"Trust me."

C.Y. looked back at the burning facility.

"Before we go..."

He pulled out the data core.

"We find out exactly what they made me for."

Elias nodded.

"And when you discover it?"

C.Y. looked toward the horizon.

"Then we take my family back."

He paused.

"And after that..."

His expression hardened.

"...Mr. Confidence."

Maya looked at him.

"You really want revenge?"

C.Y. nodded.

"Yes."

She stepped closer.

"Then don't let revenge turn you into him."

C.Y. looked at her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he nodded.

"I won't."

Elias watched them quietly.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Because he had seen that look before.

The same look C.Y.'s father had carried.

A man who had lost everything.

A man who had discovered the truth.

A man who was now preparing to fight an entire organization.

But Elias knew something C.Y. didn't.

Mr. Confidence hadn't shown them everything.

Not even close.

And deep inside the recovered data core was one file that hadn't appeared on any of the old computers.

Its title was simple.

VENOM: SUBJECT 20 — TRUE PURPOSE

The file remained locked.

Waiting for C.Y.

And somewhere inside the Directorate headquarters, Mr. Confidence stood before the same file.

He looked at it for several seconds.

Then quietly said:

"Let him open it."

An agent beside him looked confused.

"Sir?"

Mr. Confidence smiled.

"He's finally ready."

The agent asked:

"Ready for what?"

Mr. Confidence looked toward the city.

"To learn why he was born."

TO BE CONTINUED...