Electra Posted May 27, 2010 Posted May 27, 2010 "That's none of your business," Erin told him coldly, forcing herself to meet that unsettling regard. It wasn't the kind of zombie she'd dealt with, and whatever threat it posed, it wasn't the kind she could recognize and deal with. And it hadn't been a drug, if the zombie could be believed. What reason would it have to lie? Maybe this world really had escaped altogether from the drug cocktail that had destroyed what the hero flu had left of her home world. She spun the bat closed and returned it to her belt. "All right, you can go," she told the zombie. "I'll leave you alone."
Dr Archeville Posted May 27, 2010 Posted May 27, 2010 Dead Head The emerald flames in the creature's eyes flared up briefly. "None'a my business?," it repeated in an even more annoyed tone. "Girlie, d'ya even know what it is I do since I got changed? I help people -- oftentimes I'm the only one what can help 'em -- an' you need help!" It cocked it head to one side, as if it was looking for something, but not finding it. "The heck? Girlie, where is you from? None'a the local haunts or spirits know a thin' about ya. Like yer from some whole 'nother world... hey, are you an alien? You one'a Physicus' folks?"
Electra Posted May 27, 2010 Posted May 27, 2010 Erin's hand went for her bat as the creature's eyes flared, but before she could do more than grab it from her belt, a cone of sickly green light spilled forth from the zombie's burning eyes. It spilled over her, and suddenly she was dragged helplessly back into her own past while Dead Head got a good look at her memories of everyone she'd ever lost or killed. It started off slow, a child's memories of the loss of her first dog to old age, a grandmother's passing, and the understanding that things don't live forever. Then, without warning, the trickle became a flood of images and memories, watching trucks full of bodies leaving the local hospital as the line at the emergency room stretched out the door, then watching from a passenger side window as her father, doubled over with coughing, was left behind to perish in the hopes that his family would be spared. News programs reporting on the death tolls skyrocketing into the millions, and the phone call reporting that her father, her best friend, most of the people she'd known all her life were all dead. And then the zombies began appearing. The memories that had before been tinged with dread were now soaked in blood, starting with the screaming, frantic memory of her mother being torn apart by a mob of zombies while Erin and her sister hid shaking inside a compost heap. The memories of that loss were nearly unbearable, splashed across her mind as vividly as the day it had happened. In the present, Erin's knees buckled, and she leaned on her bat to hold herself upright. There were more memories of the zombie-eaten dead, her uncle, people she'd made friends with, the only adults left in her life. Then the killing started, as she used her new powers to protect herself and her sister from the zombies, clumsily at first, but with a steadily increasing finesse and focus. Erin tried to fight back against the mental assault, but her command of her mind was far weaker than her command of her body, and she couldn't break free. She cringed as another set of memories unfolded, losing the last thing she had left in the world, her little sister, even as she'd fought her way through yet another crowd of zombies to try and find some medicine, some anything that would save her. That was the loss that had broken her, and for a long time there was nothing but the memory of violence, destroying as many zombies as possible, hundreds or maybe thousands, a useless effort in a world where there was nothing left to save. There was more after that, the brief coda of her time in this world, fighting with Young Freedom, staving off the end of the new world that was now her home, but it was nothing compared to what had come before. It was overwhelming to live through it all again, and for a moment after it was done, Erin just stood there, dazed and with tears running down her cheeks.
Dr Archeville Posted May 27, 2010 Posted May 27, 2010 Dead Head It cried out in pain and anguish -- things it should be inflicting, not feeling, right? -- reeling back and covering its eyes with the heels of its hands. "Jesus, Mary an' Joseph... you... you..." It reeled back more as the memories kept coming, eventually tripping and falling to the ground. His head actually hurt from that. No wonder she lost t when she saw me! It uncovered one eye, propped itself up with its free hand, and looked at Wander. "I am so sorry, girlie, I truly, truly am, sorry fer all yer loss an' sorry fer makin' you relive it all jes' now. Which probably means squat to you, but... well, that, right there, what you went through, is what I spend every wakin' moment I have tryin' t'avert. I aim t'make sure no one else suffers what you went through, an' there's been plenty'a attempts."
Electra Posted May 28, 2010 Posted May 28, 2010 It was hard to shake free of the memories even once the mental assault let up; Erin had to struggle her way back to reality even as the voice of the zombie droned in her ears. When she could focus again, all she saw was the thing laying there, saying something about trying to avert something. "You son of a bitch," she hissed, hands still clenched around her bat, tears still running in wet trails down her face. Digging the bat into the ground and using it as a pivot point, she kicked the thing twice, once in the chest and once in the head, right where it had hurt her. Without waiting to see whether anyone had witnessed any of that, she ran off once again, this time in the direction of the school.
Dr Archeville Posted May 28, 2010 Posted May 28, 2010 Dead Head "Whoa, wait! WAIT!" he pleased before the first kick caved in his ribcage. "Fine, go ahead an' beat me if it'll make ya feel better, bu-" Her second kick actually kicked the Revoltin' Revenant's head clean off, sending it sailing several dozen feet into a nearby open dumpster; the force of the impact caused the lid to slam down. The lights mostly went out in Dead Head's eyes. A close look would reveal they still glowed faintly.
Dariusprime Posted May 30, 2010 Posted May 30, 2010 With all the excitement, Fulcrum could barely keep up with all that was happening. She waved goodbye to Dead Head, "Yup. 1313 Pelican Lane. Nice to meet you, Dead Head." And with that out of the way, and several arguments flaring up around the arena, Fulcrum sighed and flew back up to sit next to Dr. Archeville. "I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea. Super heroes have very extreme personalities, generally speaking, and cutting them loose in no-holes-barred fights may not work out." Looking down to Lukos and Avenger, she asked quietly, "Viktor, what do you know about this Avenger guy? Is he really a true-blue vampire?"
Dr Archeville Posted May 30, 2010 Posted May 30, 2010 Doktor Archeville "Dere is some preening und posturing, ja, und after vhat ve haff all been through, some relish de chance to let off steam in a place dat is relatively safe from external assault. It is a good place to meet, too; it seems events like dis are de only place some of us can meet." "Some," he reached out and squeezed her hand, and smiled, "but not all." "Besides, if dings get too hairy, I can help. I am, after all, a Doktor," he said with a smirk. Entertain me, minions! Fight like the gladiators of old for my amusement! I told you, that is not why we are here! Pft, you never let me have any fun. I let you have fun all the time! ... Under controlled and limited conditions... "And as for Avengers..." he replied quietly, "... well... he has many of the powers associated with vampires, specifically with the vampires of Bram Stoker's novel. And the few tests I haff been able to run show that his body is, clinically speaking, dead, und yet he moves. However, dere is much I still do not know about his condition, in part because most of mein eqvipment vill not register de existence of de samples he has given me. His inability to be seen in reflective surfaces seems to extend to all mein scanners und sensors. Vhich makes his condition all de more..." He shuddered a bit, his eyes bugged a bit, and a lopsided smile crept onto his face, "... maddening."
Dariusprime Posted May 30, 2010 Posted May 30, 2010 She squeezed his hand, but looked a little unconvinced, "That's true. We do have a well qualified doctor if things go awry. Maybe I'm becoming a bit of a worrywart, but those two," she said, motioning to Lukos and Avenger, "Look like they have more than a rigorous training match in mind." "At this rate I'll being as uptight as Dark Star." Shaking her head, she smiled, "I'm sorry, that was mean spirited. Dark Star is a very nice person, just...a little set in his ways. I'm sure people say the same thing about me behind my back. Thankfully I have a thick skin at this height." Turning her attention to the younger heroes, she looked at him slyly and asked, "Okay, what do you know of Claremont Academy then?"
Dr Archeville Posted May 30, 2010 Posted May 30, 2010 Doktor Archeville Archeville chuckled, "Avenger und Lukos will be fine. Lukos has a fantastic regenerative quality, von he has graciously allowed me to study, along mit other aspects of his 'condition'. It is quite fascinating, really, de cellular mechanisms of some of his abilities-" The findings of which I couldn't share with you -- even if I wanted -- because you're too dumb to grasp them! She is not! She is not as hyper-intelligent as us, granted, but she is no dummy. She can at least keep up with our rapid-fire thinking. Besides, she has other skills we do not, things we can learn from her. He chuckled again, this time a bit softer, "Oh, dere I go again, going off on tangents. Ja, Dark Star is a fine man, an inspiration to many, but I do not dink you could ever be as uptight as he is. It... it is von of de many dings I l-" Ohhh no! Don't you say it! Don't you dare say it! I must! "dat I love about you." You weak fool! This won't work! It can't work! It can and it will, and you are not going to sabotage it. Oh, I won't have to do a thing! This whole farce'll come crashing down around your ears all by itself!
Geez3r Posted May 31, 2010 Author Posted May 31, 2010 Dynamo stepped out for some air, tearing himself away from the conversation with Gossamer and Mongrel Angel. OK, that was a lie; he hadn't been paying attention to their words for a while now. Though they did have other assets requiring his rapt attention. Somehow they mistook his intentions. Suffice to say, he decided it was in his interest to be elsewhere for a little while. That was when he stumbled across Dead Head's headless body. Assuming this was some kind of prank, Dynamo scoured the surrounding area looking for Dead Head's head. Finding it in a dumpster, he noted that it wasn't actually moving about. Dynamo cast a weary eye around, trying to figure out what was going on. But then an idea clicked, and he had to try it. Setting DH's cabeza down next to his body, Dynamo was now clad in a borrowed lab coat and goggles, holding what appeared to be jumper cables. Dynamo was then suddenly wreathed in arcing lighting as he held the cables aloft, loading proclaiming "Stand back! I'm going to try Science!" before cackling madly.
Dr Archeville Posted May 31, 2010 Posted May 31, 2010 Dead Head Doktor Archeville looked on as Dynamo used some long bolts to pin Dead Head's body & head back together, before applying the juice. The Frankenstein-ian treatment worked! The Revoltin's Revenants eyes lost much of the far off stare quality, and focused on Dynamo. "Whoa! This is new! Thanks, feller. Mind tellin' me yer-" To Dynamo's dismay, the power flow did not stop. More and more energy kept pouring into the zombie, particularly into the metal bolts now in his neck. They were already glowing cherry red. "Uh, you can stop now, y'know," he said, his voice warping due to the electrical current playing havoc with his vocal chords. And then the bolts in his neck exploded from the influx of energy. Dynamo was of course able to avoid the spray of molten metal, but now Dead Head's body was headless again, and his smoking braincase hurtled through the air....
Dariusprime Posted May 31, 2010 Posted May 31, 2010 Fulcrum wasn't what you'd call an overly emotional woman. Hers wasn't a Buddha calm, but few things really tugged at her heart strings. Tugged at them hard enough to elicit a strong reaction in public. Hearing one certain word did that though. On the surface, she looked surprised, even shocked. Although he didn't say it directly, he just said he loved her. That was something completely unexpected, especially at this stage of their relationship. She didn't know what to make of this revelation, or if she was over-reacting. But she hoped he meant it. Regardless, her throat tightened and she tried her best not to tear up. She put one arm around him and pulled him into a quick, passionate kiss. Leaning back with a big smile, "That's what I love about you too. You're honest with me and your emotions." "So what are these cellular mechanisms of which you speak?"
Geez3r Posted May 31, 2010 Author Posted May 31, 2010 "Uhh.... that didn't go quite as planned." muttered a rather bemused Dynamo. He would have been a bit more freaked out, but there's a bit of emotional disconnect to causing a zombie harm. Besides, all he really managed to do was behead the zombie again, something he had just proven he could come back from. "Now where the heck did his head get off to this time?" Dynamo took off scouring he area for the zombie head. Note to self, leave Science! to the professionals, or at least keept practicing on the dead. Sidenote: must incorporate lab coat into traditional costume, it's bad-ass.
Dr Archeville Posted June 1, 2010 Posted June 1, 2010 Dead Head Dead Head's fried head hurtled through the air. It arced up over Avenger and Lukos, and hit its apex right over Dr. Archeville's hover-barcalounger. It passed over Dynamo and Jack of all Blades as it came down, but was knocked off it course by an errant blast by some flexing, posturing metahuman. It stopped when it struck Wesley Knight on the head like a coconut, and rolled onto the ground such that it was looking up at him, eyes slightly bugged, mouth agape, and tongue lolling out. And smoking.
Sandman XI Posted June 2, 2010 Posted June 2, 2010 Wesley is startled when he enters the building. What was that? he wonders. His curiosity is answer when Dead Head's dead head falls to the ground. Wesley takes a step back to examine just what hit him in the head. Wait, isn't that the zombie superhero guy's head? Should he pick it up. He has to know what happened. But it's a zombie head! He doesnt know where it's been. Ah, compromise. Letting out two tentacles, he sticks one in the head's ear and another in the other ear. Picking it up he looks around. Seeing if anyone knew what happened.
Gizmo Posted June 2, 2010 Posted June 2, 2010 Jack blinked in surprise as the young dreadlock wearing man inspected Dead Head's severed namesake. "Oh, nertz, that can't be good." Jogging quickly over, the fencer called to the man with the tentacles, waving to get his attention. "Hey, buddy, careful with that! Jeez, anybody see 'Head's body around here?" he called to the gathered heroes as he moved to inspect the rotting cranium, concerned.
Sandman XI Posted June 2, 2010 Posted June 2, 2010 "Oh, sorry about that. It sorta violated my personal space," Wesley chuckles looking at the head. "Am I not supposed to be touching this," he asks looking over to swashbuckler. "Jack of all Blades," he asks with a happy inflection reaching out a hand of greeting, "Nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you. My name is Knight." Looking to the severed head in his tentacled grasp, he ponders, "So this is Dead Head, he's not hurt is he?" Wesley tries to examine the dismembered head with his 'sight'. but nothing comes up.
Geez3r Posted June 3, 2010 Author Posted June 3, 2010 It was about that time that Dynamo slinked into the arena, shutting the door quietly behind him as he scanned the area. The gathered heroes noticed that Dynamo now was sporting a lab coat, a pair of goggles, was carrying some jumper cables and seemed to be moderately smoking. This wasn't good. Spotting the zombie's head, Dynamo dashed across the room, sliding up to Wesley and Jack. "Oh good. Ya found him." says Dynamo speaking a bit faster than normal. "Don't appear to be much worse for wear, good. So uh, can I have him back? It's kinda urgent and stuff. Please?"
Gizmo Posted June 3, 2010 Posted June 3, 2010 "If you heard bad things, it's all lies; if it was good, every word was true," Jack told Knight absently, as he looked at the severed head, brow furrowed. "Normally I'd say something scathing about asking if the decapitated guy is hurt, but it's actually really hard to tell with 'Head. Normally he'd still be talking and not, uh... smoldering. Yee." The swordsman winced, partly in concern and partly in response to the horrible smell of sizzling flesh. He looked up when Dynamo spoke, jaw hanging open slightly when he spotted the jumper cables. "You didn't..." he said flatly, resisting the urge to smack himself in the forehead.
Geez3r Posted June 3, 2010 Author Posted June 3, 2010 "Hey it worked!" said Dynamo, sounding just a bit too enthusiastic, and still talking a bit too fast. "Up-up until it didn't." he added sheepishly. "But no seriously, Dead Head can come back from this. I swear! I just saw him do it. Kinda. Ya know it's kinda hard and junk to do this. But hey I figured if Frankenstein could do it so could I and I did. Isn't it awesome?! But seriously, if y'all see any real big bolts laying around gimme a holler. Turns out Doc knew what he was talking about. So uh... can I have him back?" Dynamo clicked the jumper cables a few times while waiting for a response.
Sandman XI Posted June 4, 2010 Posted June 4, 2010 Wesley hands the head to Dynamo. "Wait. Who did this to him," he questions the two on-scene heroes looking to both of them one time, pointing to the head, "Is he going to be OK? He's not 'dead dead' is he?" Wesley is quiet for a second, he weighs his options, thinking about how he could help the really dead Dead Head. He speaks up, "I can bring him back to life if he is. It's what I do, you know?"
Dr Archeville Posted June 4, 2010 Posted June 4, 2010 Dead Head "Hey! Don't I get a say in this?," the head suddenly said, its eyes now wreathed in tiny orbs of emerald flame. From the alley where Wander had decapitated him (and Dynamo had recapitated, then re-decapitated him), Dead Head's headless body rose up and slowly but surely shambled towards the Arena. A rat, thinking it had found a new home, quickly scurried out of his pants leg. "Hey, fella, hold me up, wouldja? I gotta see where I'm goin'," he asked nonchalantly. "Oh, hey, Jack. How ya doin'? Ya see what Sparky here did?"
Gizmo Posted June 5, 2010 Posted June 5, 2010 Jack let out a sign of relief which he played off as a sarcastic snort. "Not exactly subtle, is he?" drawled to Dead Head, with a nod toward Dynamo. "Did you see what happened? Looked pretty out of it for a minute there." The zombie hero had looked positively, permanently dead, in the conventional sense, but the swordsman kept his tone laconic. After all, it was always a tough line to find with Dead Head.
Geez3r Posted June 5, 2010 Author Posted June 5, 2010 "Oh hey, you're alive and junk. That's cool." said Dynamo to Dead Head, sounding a bit disappointed. "Sorry about the uh whole zap fry thing. I kinda over Science!'d ya there. It was totally cool though, and then you exploded, so that was kind of awesome. And you came back which is neat too. I should really stop talking now shouldn't I? Kinda digging my own grave now huh? ... Yeah, definitely passed the time for shutting up."
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