Justice Force: Enter Zombie Universe. Options

[Danny Fyre]

Okay, I can't super-dash out of this because I'm falling through the air.

As Danny falls in slow-motion, his super-naturally accelerated mind peruses his options.

I have a degree of super strength, but that probably won't protect my skull from cracking open like a bad egg. Not even the good doctor's protective magic...er...whatever that was is powerful enough to save me from that.

Danny feels a looming, churning sensation in the pit of his stomach. The ground is slowly approaching with deadly force.

Nothing really to grab onto...I'm a good couple yards away from the tower I was tossed from, and even if I directed my fall back toward it, none of those ledges are large enough to be helpful.

Danny closes his eyes.

I guess I had a good run. Never really expected my final battle to be with a sidewalk, though.

Danny waits for the impact. It doesn't come.

Okay, I know my mind operates at super-speed, but this is getting ridiculous.

Danny opens his eyes and sees the ground. It's not moving anymore, and he's about two feet above it.
"What?"
Danny looks up and sees Dr. Malkovich's frightening nurse standing before him. She tilts her head to the side, and a chunk of sidewalk explodes behind her from a bullet's impact. Danny tries to get out of the way, but the odd being in hospital garb has him held in place, in mid-air at that. As if performing some eccentric dance, the nurse moves her leg rigidly, avoiding another bullet from the tower window. She then turns her head to Danny, and gives a slight nod. Danny continues his on his path to the pavement. He hits the ground with a smack.
"AUGH! COME ON!"
I suppose I should be thankful but all I wanna do is take that weird mask of hers and
I'd advise against it.
Oh, uh...sorry. Wrong number.











Okay, I think she's gone.
I'm not.
Danny jumps to his feet, and almost falls over from dizziness.
"STOP THAT!"

MEANWHILE...

Immortal's veins strain against his white skin, his black eyes bulge with primal fury, every muscle in his body rages against this ancient being's grip, and fails to overpower it. He has come face-to-face with the last thing he expected in this grim wasteland: one of his own. One far more powerful than he. He had been there when his own clan had been wiped out in the first wave of hero zombies. He had seen the sunlight lay waste to many in open caskets, tossed out at daybreak by the infected, seeking only destruction. He had even witnessed and almost perished in the final battle - the last of the vampires, immune and legendary, standing against a foe they had no hope of destroying: the Statesman himself, insane and hungry only for living flesh and anarchy. Immortal had seen all of these things, and now he sees this; another creature of the night, older than he could imagine, dressed as a healer...aiding the undead. It makes him insane with anger.

The filth leans an inch from Immortal's face, muttering garbage that he does not care to heed. Immortal sees red. It takes a long, sharp finger nail and drags it along his neck. If he could, he would bite that finger off. The old vampire speaks.

"Now, who are you, and please tell me why I shouldn't diablerize you on the spot?"

Immortal's jaw relaxes. He wishes only to reach for the scum's soft neck, and break it, but he is still unable to move. He settles for a less glamorous method, and spits in the vampire's face.
"We fought atop the towers of Paragon and deep within its rancid underbelly. WE were entrusted with this - this task was ours alone to complete. No one else is left. I watched Lord Dragos torn in two. I held Nightwalker's ashes in my gloves. The Brotherhood fell, but they were ended on their feet. We warred with every ounce of our beings, and we died just as fiercely..."
Immortal's eyes are filled with fiery hate. He begins quivering. His body begins to shake in spite of the old vampire's invisible hold.
"And you..."
Immortal bares his fangs with menace, and roars.
"...ALL THIS TIME, YOU WERE HELPING THEM!"

[Dr. Malkovich (a...]

Dozens of zombies continued to move forward over their fallen colleagues, only to be dispatched as quickly as they came. But the waves of assailants seem endless, and they are starting to take their toll on Justice Force's finest. Mother Darkness, RetributionGirl and Energycrush were wailing on zombies left and right; M'jolnir, Efreeti and Soulshine were blasting away those that attempted to flank them; Digitizer was doing his best to keep the rest at bay with his illusions, all the while he was keeping his teammates refreshed; Emerald Sky kept those that were incoming within his stalagmites, while blasting them with his storms; Quasar Lad let his fire imps burn those that were immobilized by his flames, while he was taking care of an unconscious DangerWoman and a triumphant kitten.

"More waves are coming," said Emerald Sky. "I think they're trying to overwhelm us."

"You're right," replied Digitizer. "We can hold on for a while, but we need to return to the Foothold Base right now, while we still can."

Mother Darkness grinned with glee. "I'll take this as my cue to forge a path for us. Follow me!" She dove headlong into the throngs of undead, with Retri and EC in tow.

M'jolnir fiddled with the communicator integrated in his suit. "Rescue Team to Foothold Base. We're on our way back, with some casualties. Please prepare for our arrival." He waited for a response, but none came through. "Foothold Base, this is Rescue Team. Please respond."

"Are we being jammed?" asked QL.

"No jamming on our end," verified M'jolnir, after a few moments. "I'll try the reserved JF frequency." He tapped a few keys, then said, "Rescue Team to Dr. Malkovich. We're on our way back to camp with casualties. Requesting emergency transport. Please respond."

They waited a few moments while they continued their way to the base.


====================

Nurse, knowing that the assailant had been subdued, concentrated on making sure her telekinetically-held charge landed safely on the ground. With a *thud* followed by a few choice swear words from Danny, she felt that her work was done.

~ * Do not think of removing my faceplate, young hero, * ~ she mentally communicated to Danny. ~ * or you shall suffer the full ire of my bedside manners. * ~

"I will," he replied," if you get out of my head!"

She composed herself, ready to join her master's side. She blinked, and saw...

++ ... a JF member landing behind Danny, who grabbed him by neck and started biting his shoulder ... ++

++ ... Danny turning into a zombie before her eyes ... ++

++ ... both Danny and the newcomer feasting on her body, while she resisted the taint of zombification ... ++

She blinked again, and Danny was standing up, brushing dirt and ash from his suit. She projected her mental acuity in his direction and shouted telepathically, ~ * Young hero, attack from above! Blast the zombie now! * ~

Startled, Danny shot searing flames above him before looking who it was, then saw the shadow of Steel Bus as his flames enveloped him as he tried to land on him.


====================

"Ingenious setup you have here," said a shape in the shadows, surrounded by an eery green glow.

Magni lifted his eyes and squinted at the newcomer, and recognized him by his silhouette: Positron.

The only problem with that was his armor was shattered in some places, and radiation was leaking from his body.

"Time for you to become one of us, stranger. I'll even make changes to the containment unit to allow only zombies through it, leaving the untouched cornered here for our... needs."

Magni stood up, even after his injuries, and opened his communicator.

"Don't bother," said Positron, chuckling wickedly. "My radiation distorts any radio signal. There's no way that you can receive or transmit." With that, he flew at Magni, attempting to charge him!


====================

"...ALL THIS TIME, YOU WERE HELPING THEM!"

The doctor stared at him for a moment after his rant, then threw his head back, cackling madly!

"Do you really think, " the good doctor responding, within his fits of laughter, " that, as a doctor, I would help the diseased against the clean humans?"

Immortal stared at him with pure hatred. "Do you take me for a fool? There aren't any more clean humans on this world!" He tried to struggled free, but the hold felt stronger as the doctor laughed like a madman.

"True, since we rescued only a handful." he replied, wiping blood-stained tears from his eyes. "But the forces you see below are from another world. A parallel Earth. Can't you smell the untainted blood coming from them?" He stared at Immortal, his humor dissipated instantly. "Have you been deprived of vitae for so long, that you can't tell the difference between a zombie and a mortal?"

That's when his PDA beeped. He grabbed it while staring at Immortal, and clicked on the Receive button on it. A voice came out of it:

"Rescue Team to Dr. Malkovich. We're on our way back to camp with casualties. Requesting emergency transport. Please respond."

The doctor quickly glanced at the PDA screen, then replied, "This is Dr. Malkovich. Please stand by for emergency transport. Do not stray for your current position." He then turned off the channel.

After tucking his PDA away, he showed his opened hand to Immortal, from which a blood bag materialized before his eyes.

"Drink this," he opened the bag and placed it on Immortal's lips. "As a vampire, the fresh vitae in this bag should give you enough power to cleanse your senses."

Immortal wanted to resist, but knew that the doctor may, and will, force the liquid down his throat. So, eyes closed, he took a few sips of the aromatic blood.

[Dr. Malkovich (a...]

Dr. Malkovich looked at the held vampire, devouring the blood ravenously, despite his anger and caution.

He just received a call from M'jolnir on the JF Emergency channel, and he mustn't delay the mass transport to the base.

~ * My Lord, * ~ Nurse broadcasted mentally with a tone of urgency. ~ * We are being assailed by an infected Steel Bus. He's from our world. * ~

Steel Bus, infected. Another casualty in this struggle for survival.

~ * Request the aid of some Longbowmen, under my authority. * ~ he replied, obviously saddened by the news. ~ * Make sure he has a swift death. We owe him that much. * ~

~ * Understood, my Lord. I shall beseech the Longbow for assistance. * ~ Nurse ended the telepathic conversation with overtones of disgust.

He blinked after the conversation, and saw that Immortal emptied the bag, and seemed very surprised by his hunger. The good doctor grinned. I hope he believes me about parallel Earths, because there's no other real explanation, he mused.

Then it hit him at full force! The original SOS came from a Portal Corporation of this world! This world had Portal technology! If the smart zombies took control of it and knew how to jury-rig the controls, no Earths were safe!

He grabbed his PDA and opened the JF Emergency channel. "Dr. Malkovich to Rescue Team. Change of plans. This world has Portal technology! We must destroy it, or no world is safe from the zombies!"

A moment later, he heard a reply from M'jolnir: "Rescue Team to Dr. Malkovich. Team is splitting in two. MD, Digi and I will go for Peregrine Island, the rest must return to base. Call sign for new team is Gatekeeper. Please respond for confirmation."

"Understood, Gatekeeper Team. Rescue Team, stand by for transport." With this, he turned off the channel.

Dr. Malkovich stared back at Immortal, then removed his hold on him. He said to him, "You have a choice to make: continue your willy-nilly assault on the people under my care, or help me isolate the zombies to this world."

He started to summon the entire Rescue Team, concentrating on the lengthy procedure. "If you hate the zombies as much as I do, " he grinned at Immortal, "you should choose the latter. It's the healthier option."

With that, he chuckled to himself.

[Danny Fyre]

Fyre stares in shock at the burning form crouching on the ground before him. There's no mistaking this man's features. He's large and built like a tank, with thick boots and camouflage pants to match the intensity on his face. Fyre's seen him many times before.

An article in the newspaper - the same man, surrounded by children, lifting a broken-down car over his head. Something about helping to rebuild a learning center in Faultline.

Now he slowly rises to his feet, as Danny's energy-based flames dissipate and the man's shirt falls in ashes to the ground. Dry blood covers a gaping wound on his shoulder, and is spread down to his chest. His eyes are hollow, and his skin is pale and cold. He looks to Danny, seemingly unfazed by the young hero's onslaught, and hunger fills his eyes.

"No..."
Danny steps back, shaking his head. The man steps forward, staggering a little.
"You gotta be kidding me..."
The man stretches his mouth open, and bares his teeth. His eyes grow wide, and his muscles flex. The veins in his neck pop up disturbingly. He crouches down, coiling up and preparing to leap.
"Dude..."
The huge man launches himself at Fyre, roaring like an animal.
"STEEL BUS!"
Danny darts backwards, narrowly avoiding the former Justice Force member's vice-grip. Steel Bus howls, and jumps again, faster than Danny is prepared for. Steel's towering mass hits Danny with all his weight, blocking out the sun and knocking the hero straight to the concrete. Bus comes down with his teeth first, and Danny yelps as he throws his hands up, grabbing Steel Bus' face and pushing it away with all his strength.
"SON OF A - HEY! CREEPY NURSE! HELP! Turn him into a cucumber or something, just get him off!"

Oh, God. Please tell me this isn't our Steel Bus.

Danny stares into this husk of a man's eyes, and is gripped with uncontrollable fear and disgust. Somewhere in there is a real person...somewhere in there Steel Bus is trapped, and screaming. Despite the hunger and the deadness in those eyes, Danny can feel the screaming. He begins to feel an immense uneasiness in the core of his being. It burns more than fire.

An explosion rips through the sidewalk and the street, throwing debris everywhere as Steel Bus flies into the air on a fountain-like inferno. Danny is at its peak, applying more and more energy into the monstrosity's chest with one hand and propelling the both of them further into the air with fire from his other hand. They soar upwards, passing rows of windows as they go. Danny's face is contorted with rage and sadness as he takes them higher. Finally, mustering strength he didn't think himself capable of, Fyre grabs Steel Bus and hurls him into the side of the building. He crashes through half of a window, taking the wall next to it with him. Danny, momentarily hanging in mid-air, shoots fire out behind him like jet thrusters, and flings himself into the gaping hole after his old team mate.

MEANWHILE

Immortal drinks ravenously, hardly believing how thirsty he's been. Fresh blood drips down his chin, staining dark crimson on his white skin. This isn't like what he's been living off of for so long...this blood carries none of the stench of the disease, none of the stale taste that comes with time spent in storage. As he drinks, he feels as if he's regaining something. He feels stronger, more alert. His senses are fresh, his muscles are loose and strong. A subtle shade of color returns to his face, like the ghost of an age he doesn't remember. He finds that the old vampire has released his body from most of his invisible control, and Immortal drops to his knees, draining the bag of all remnants. As he finishes drinking, the stranger's voice comes into focus as he speaks to someone using some sort of PDA. Immortal feels warm, and the world is doused with clarity. He doesn't miss a single word the stranger says, nor a word of the responses from the other end. Malkovich calls himself "Doctor," and he communicates with a "rescue team." The old vampire mentions the world-reknowned Portal Corp. headquarters on Peregrine Island, and Immortal wonders why he would be surprised by its existence. Malkovich wants to destroy it... "or no world is safe from the zombies."

"Or no world is safe from the zombies."
"Can't you smell the untainted blood coming from them?"
"Can't you...tell the difference between a zombie and a mortal?"
"...from another world. A parallel Earth."

"Or no world is safe from the zombies."


Immortal stares blankly into space. He senses Malkovich's attention before the ancient takes a step. The rest of Malkovich's psychic grasp disappears, and he speaks. Immortal continues to stare into space.
"You have a choice to make: continue your willy-nilly assault on the people under my care, or help me isolate the zombies to this world."
Immortal looks as if he is still paralyzed. He is expressionless. His fists are clenched.
"If you hate the zombies as much as I do, " Malkovich grinned at him, "you should choose the latter. It's the healthier option."
The vampire chuckles, and turns away, his attention drawn away from Immortal and to something internal. Immortal's eyes burn, but he doesn't blink. He stays this way, on his knees, for five minutes, completely silent, his fists balled tight. His eyes betray little of his internal processes, but much is obviously happening within him.

After this silence, he stands to his feet. He stares down at his boots. They're old and worn. It takes him a moment to recognise them through the layers of dust and filth, the scorch marks and the scratches. He pauses to admire them; they've stayed durable and strong since long before the infestation began. He thinks he purchased them from a friend in the military, but he can't remember for sure. They're good boots.

Immortal looks up, and turns to the window. Below, two people are fighting. One of them feels different than the other. Immortal steps forward to the window sill, and peers down below. The fast one is fighting a new one. The new one is large and fierce, and he wants to kill the fast one. Zombies don't fight one another. But neither of them are vampires. There is an explosion, and the two rise up into the air. The fast one's name is Danny. Danny generates incredible power, launching the fierce man into the side of the building, six floors below Immortal. Danny heads in after his opponent, flying on his own power. The man inside is not hurt badly. Danny is not prepared for this.

Immortal takes off his belt, with all his weapons, and lets it drop to the ground. He climbs up onto the window's ledge, and turns back to look at Malkovich.

"My name is Draco. Or you may call me Immortal, of the Brotherhood of Eternal Night."
He stares down at the crumbling hole in the building's wall. A stray fireball flies out, and there is a great rumbling. He turns back to the doctor.
"Thanks for the drink."

Immortal dives out the window. The world before him is crystallized and simple. He grabs onto the ledge where the fighters entered, and yanks himself into the room. It is dark. This is not a problem for Draco. He sees the large man in the shadows, crouched over something. He is eating something, and making lots of noise. Blood splatters against the wall as he rips into his meal. Immortal's eyes light with fire, knowing that this is a zombie. But he does not sense Danny.

A red and yellow blur drops through the ceiling, landing boots-first on the big man's head. He groans as he falls face first into his food. Immortal sees through the darkness that the zombie had been devouring the corpse of a stranger...
A...survivor...
Danny slams his foot into the zombie's face, flipping him onto his back. Fireball after fireball hits the monster in the face as it screams. Immortal stares at the beast, and back to Danny. They are not the same. The zombie suddenly leaps to its feet from the ground, catching Fyre by surprise and clutching him by the skull. The zombie winds back, and throws Fyre across the room, into a desk that collapses instantly. Fyre is his last name, and the alias that he sometimes goes by. Immortal remembers this. He is silhouetted by the red sunlight pouring through the wall. He watches, confused.

The big one is a zombie. Danny Fyre is not the same as the big one. He smells different. He smells completely different from anything Draco has smelled for a long time. Danny Fyre is definitely different. Danny Fyre is...

"Danny Fyre is alive."
Immortal stands motionless. The hulking zombie makes his way across the room. He throws the wreckage out of his way as Danny struggles to get to his feet. Immortal knows he's not strong enough to win this fight. He's too worn out, too unprepared. Danny recognises the dead one; he's not fighting hard enough. He will die.

He will not die.

Immortal is no longer standing. He is behind the zombie. He grabs it by its waist, and lifts it off the ground. It howls like a wolf, and swipes at its back. Immortal's grip tightens like iron, and something within the zombie's body cracks and pops loudly. It is heavier than he thought. He musters his strength, and throws it across the room, toward the crumbled wall. It rolls a few times and tries to get to its feet. Something is wrong with its hips - it cannot stand properly. It roars, and leaps toward Immortal as well as it can. Immortal catches its face with his fist, his other hand ready and reaching around to its back, using its momentum to then launch it against the back wall. It lands head-first, and there is another loud cracking noise. Immortal leaps through the air and lands on its back. He grabs the zombie's head, and slams it into the floor. Once, then twice, and then even more, faster.

Danny stands on his feet, holding his head in one hand as he dazedly watches this primal shadow of the past brutalizing its prey.

Immortal is expressionless. He slams the zombie's head into the ground one final time, and hears the satisfying thunk he was waiting for. The monster isn't moving. Immortal stands, and looks to Danny.
"You're not dead."
Danny looks at Immortal incredulously.
"No. I'm not. Thanks to you."
Immortal stares down at the corpse.
"You knew him."
Danny averts his eyes. It doesn't resemble his old team mate any longer.
"Sorta...
Yeah."
Immortal's jaw tightens. He looks to the city outside.
"I'm sorry."
Immortal walks to the ledge, and leaps. He's gone.

Danny stands, alone, sharing the shadows with Steel Bus' crumpled body. As far as he can tell, he's finally dead. He stares out after Immortal, and shakes his head.
Some questions aren't worth asking.

[Dr. Malkovich (a...]

Quasar Lad led the Rescue Team toward the portal to their world, accompanied by the remainder of the Longbow and military personnel. Most of the equipment and materials of the Foothold Base were on transport vehicles, while the rest were left behind due to damage. Explosives were set in place to completely remove all trace of the base once the entire team crosses over.

Dr. Malkovich teleported the team some time ago, then was on his way. He gave Quasar Lad instructions for the return home. He had also ordered his Nurse to accompany them back. If she disliked those orders, she did not show it.

As the group of heroes approached the portal, they saw the unhealthy glow of a superpowered zombie, holding Magni by the throat.

====================

He was tracking the lightning-fast signature of the running hero, as he was heading away from the portal. He seemed to sidestep most of the obstacles with ease, as he sped away toward the others. He listened in on the conversation on the JF channel earlier. He knew about the Gatekeeper Team. He knew how vulnerable he can be in this place. But he also had some advanced technological expertise that would be of help.

Besides, this was his home. He wouldn't abandon it, and wouldn't flee to save his life.

The people from the other Earth that came over here gave him some hope. It was time to give something back in return.

Making sure his leg was set in his cast and his stealth device working, he brought out his raven-motif grapple line and started swinging from building to building, following the good doctor.

====================

"Do you think this is wise to have such a small group to go to the Portal Corporation?" M'jolnir asked, while flying toward this Earth's Peregrine Island.

"I think so," replid Digitizer. "We have better mobility as a small group. Besides, having more people around might attract the zombies to our location more quickly than we want to."

"I hope some zombies find their way to us," commented Mother Darkness. "I find a certain joy in shredding them." She looked at their grim faces. "Don't worry. While you eggheads figure out how to disable the portals, I'll cover your backs."

"Dr. M will be joining us over there," continued M'jolnir. "With him and MD being resistant to the zombie plague, I feel a little better knowing that they'll protect us from harm... hopefully."

"Just focus on the task at hand," Digitizer said. "To save our Earth, this world must be isolated. Failure is not an option."

"Ay ay, mon capitaine," replied MD, with a mock salute.

Digi looked at her with a funny look, "You know, I think the good doctor is influencing you too much..."

MD stuck out her forked tongue at him, then grinned, showing her sharp teeth.