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Chapter 6 is finally complete!
Also, I would like to say most terribly sorry for the horribly long delay. College, Writer's Block, laziness...not a good mix. But as usual, I usually get back at the ball and plan a bit more, and then some! How? Well not only did I manage to complete the above chapter, but I have a special treat for you all. I'm aware that many wishes to see a certain fanfic back in full blast. While this isn't quite the beginning, consider this a flashback prologue of sorts. Enjoy!!
*smoke fills a flickering corridor in a large facility of sorts. The metal tiles on the floor are covered by the corpses of soldiers in uniform, accompanied by a lengthy puddle of blood. A large cylinder light bulb, the source of the flickering, is one of the few means of illumination as its casing is fractured, hanging and swaying by a single thin wire. The wire snaps, the only light source of the corridor of twisted metal and debris shattering into hundreds of glass shards as they cut through the already disfigured corpses. The darkness is now another obstruction in the rubble-laden hallway, the crackling of loose electricity from severed wires the only sound to be heard*
*The central lobby is virtually the only area of the facility that has been left unscathed. It was here that a brave woman made a stand, and stopped the monster from carrying out its reign of destruction outside the base. Unfortunately, she was rather hesitant to do so, and for good reason. Killing the monster—silencing its shrieks of immeasurable terror—also meant bringing a very premature end to a life most precious. Even now the lady is knelt next to the tiny near-nude corpse of the slain one as she weeps, her tears raining down from orbs of white and brown, hating herself for what she had to do. No measure of power she possesses can restore him. All she does now is cry and make tiny, painful whispers of the name of the life she extinguished so swiftly*
*standing around the body and woman, three more survivors bear witness to the aftermath of a dreadful accident. One man, a short person no taller then the other two, says nothing as he remains in sheer shock whilst staring at his sobbing wife. His hands are open palmed, shaking erratically. His eyes constantly blinked, as if forcing himself to believe that what he saw happen…didn’t really happen*
*the tallest survivor—also unscathed—dons a look of mourning, yet he does not cry. He refuses to cry. He knows full well that no amount of tears the woman sheds can bring reverse what has been done. He knelt down beside her. He checked the body’s pulse and then his watch. There can be no denying it. Not a single field of science can hypothesize a method of restoring the dead*
*the last survivor of the slaughter appears to be the most damaged one. There’s a gaping hole in the chest area of his brown suit, hinting that he took the full front of an attack that would’ve proved fatal, yet his chest shows no signs of injury. Nevertheless, his clothes are still soaked in what may be his own blood. One lens of his glasses is shattered. Unlike the looks of misery, shock, and apathy that the previous three survivors have, this man’s face shone with sheer awe, his mouth nearly agape. One can say that he was amazed with this tragic turn of events. Too bad no one else present feels anything close to that. They have seen the worst case scenario take place. The three men merely watched as the woman, still in tears, saved their lives, yet committed an irreversible sin*
*a child of just 3 years…has been murdered*
Claire: *still sobbing* Shaddy. Shaddy I’m so sorry. I…I…
Cranston: Claire, this was a situation all of us tried to avoid at every cost. He took several hundred lives, but had no idea what he was doing. Chemical X warped his mind. That monster you took down wasn’t the same toddler who you cradled in your arms.
Dimitri: *eyes in an almost trance-like state* Three years old…just three years…his first day…everything. Three years.
Dr. Brisbane: *still in awe* All that power. The first half-hour alone he decimated one-third of our forces. In the next half we had no one left. *looks down on Shad’s corpse* Yet it all ended in less then a minute. Still, at least we of the Global Defenders at last know the limits of Chemical X. If only we had a way of controlling others in that state…
Dimitri: *teeth gritted; seething* There is no “we”.
Dr. Brisbane: Excuse me?
Dimitri: …….
*Brisbane sees Dimitri’s back faced at his direction. He slowly walks toward him for an explanation*
Dr. Brisbane: I’m not so sure if I heard that. What did you say about…?
*CRACK!! There was a WHOOSH sound followed by small bones cracking. Dimitri punches his employer right at the face’s center, potentially breaking the nose. Shocked, Brisbane is toppled to the ground, yelping in pain as Cranston runs to him. Claire’s attention remains unaverted*
Cranston: Dimitri was that really necessary?! He’s your employer for God’s sake! What he did may have been unethical but he honestly tried to predict the outco…
*at this point, Dimitri is no longer in shock, but in a spiraling state of rage. Contemptuous, burning rage directed at the one he sees as responsible for the slaughter that occurred*
Dimitri: *fit of rage* Predicted? PREDICTED?! Did you PREDICT what would happen when you tricked Cranston into bringing Shad to you? Did you PREDICT how he would feel when he’s knocked out and shoved into an oversized tube?! Did you PREDICT what would happen when you syringed vial of vial of a volatile chemical into a human that hasn’t even left the toddler stage left, just to prove some fallacious theory of yours?!
Cranston: Dimitri…
Dimitri: *raising voice* And did you PREDICT that it would all result in the deaths of nearly our ENTIRE STAFF?!?! *now crying* HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST THANKS TO YOU!! Care to explain to all their families how their loved ones were just killed thanks to your arrogance?! Husbands, wives, fiancés, and the children?! Can you sense the grief they’ll soon feel?!
Cranston: Dimitri…
Dimitri: And now you expect me to fix all this? FORGET IT!!
Dr. Brisbane: How can you forget? You saw everything. Well, everything that occurred in the second half of the hour. Besides, even you knew that I’d go to any lengths to make our ideals a reality. *groans in pain as he holds his now bloody nose*
Cranston: *concerned tone* Dimitri. Brisbane…
Dimitri: Well then. Do you wonder what I think of them now?
*in a fit of fury, Dimitri rips off the Global Defenders emblem off his shirt, throws it on the ground and smashes it to pieces upon stomping on it. Cranston is a little startled, while Brisbane’s eyes widen with surprise*
Dimitri: THAT’S what I think of them now!! From this day forward I—Dimitri Staydamind—hereby resign from the Global Defenders. Translation: I QUIT!!!
Cranston: Excuse me…
Dr. Brisbane: Taken the coward’s way out I see. You have quite the superior gift Dimitri. Surely you won’t waste it on the commoners. After all, there isn’t another government-sponsored organization sophisticated enough to put it to use.
Dimitri: So despite all I’ve done for you, that’s what I was all this time; A tool in a giant dome.
Dr. Brisbane: Claire! I am in need of your medical prowess. Your husband doesn’t seem to have proper respect for his superiors.
Dimitri: You don’t even deserve her powers! Not anymore! NOT EVER!!
Cranston: Will you two…
Dimitri and Dr. Brisbane: WHAT IS IT?!?!
Cranston: Claire’s gone.
Dimitri: *turns around, only to see exactly what Cranston said* Where’s Shad?
Dr. Brisbane: Perhaps she’s preparing to dispose…*punches again, this time loosing a tooth*
Cranston: No time for that Dimitri! Let’s just look for her!
*elsewhere, in a medical room of sorts, the door opens as Claire carries her dead child. She places him on a hospital bed, flicks the (now dim, due to a failing power source) lights on and sits down on a nearby chair. Looking around, she’s aware that the room she’s in possesses medical tools that rivals most top hospitals, with some not even publicly released yet. Sadly, it makes not one difference. No matter how advanced they are, they cannot restore the one reason they exist. Life*
*Claire has stopped her crying. She raises a finger and thinks a spark within. It lights up, shines, and finally, glows an ambient cerise. The other fingers and thumb follow suit as the light spreads to them and the palm, making the entire hand shine. It was this power that saved several people at the Townsville Hospital. The power that mended bones thought to be irreparable, the power that donned the moniker “Angel of Miracles”, and the power that even went as far as regenerate organs that were once dying. She felt so powerful, so useful, so…God-like. And now all those feelings have been replaced by the exact opposite*
Claire: *head down* Me? Angel of Miracles? *sniff* Why can’t I make a miracle now?!
*after that sentence, the lights dim even further, just a few watts away from blacking out. A thin black mist comes almost from nowhere as it blocks out the little illumination the bulbs provided, sans Claire’s still glowing hand*
Claire: *looks up; startled* What? I thought the backup power would last longer then…
Voice: It is time.
*startled further, Claire jumps out of the chair and turns in the direction of the door, which somehow closes itself. Now scared, she slowly turns around and sees what would be her worst nightmare had she not been exposed to it on a daily basis. At the other side of the hospital bed, stands a figure even taller then the woman. He.—or it—dons a black cloak and the hood over a long, vertical skeleton head with a big jaw. The ghastly figure wields a scythe, the blade at the top of a long pole. Claire then realizes that this isn’t just some display model she frequently saw back in high school, but the very being she disregarded as fantasy alone*
Claire: *paralyzed with fear* The…Gr…gr…Grim Reaper?
Grim: You guess correct, woman. *looks down at the dead boy as he raises his scythe up high*
Claire: Wait! What are you doing?!
Grim: What does it look like? I’m reaping.
Claire: What for? He’s already dead!
Grim: True, but his soul must be separated from the body. If it stays in much longer it will atrophy and vanish. It is my duty to bring them out when it is their time. This child must be guided to…
Claire: *tears up once more* NO! It’s not his time! He’s only three years old!!
Grim: And I’ve reaped SIDS babies long before you lived! *voice becoming booming* No more interruptions!
Claire: *arms stretched; covers half her body over Shad’s* I can’t let you! He can’t be dead yet! There has to be some mistake!!
Grim: This coming from the one responsible for his death. I’m not one to rend the souls of those who haven’t reached their time, but should you persist…
Claire: I WON’T LET YOU!!! HE DIDN’T DESERVE THIS!!
Grim: You either get out of the way or die now! Don’t you think you’re being selfish?! What of your husband?!
Claire: Dimitri?
Grim: He’s pained that his only child was responsible for numerous deaths due to some sort of miraculous yet deadly chemical or something. Not sure on the details due to the mass murder, bit in a rush considering the bodies outside. What I’m trying to say is that despite all of your efforts, he is still dead. And dead he shall stay. For regardless of your massive angelic powers…not even you can bring back the dead.
*Claire’s mind sparked up a thought. That’s when she remembered a certain discussion between her and Brisbane. Her thoughts skim to the end when they finally spoke of the Chemical X’s possible properties. One presumed property intrigued Claire; if it was the same one that gave her near-immortality, then maybe…*
Claire: *gets up; seemingly letting Grim help himself to Shad* Fine. You win.
*Grim smiles a little, glad that Claire knew what he’s capable of. After all, no one cheats the Grim Reaper, especially not a mere mortal. Although he found it odd that the footsteps outside the room sounded a little fast when Claire exited. Oh well, it matters not. The spectral skeleton raises his scythe once more, the tip of the blade pointed at Shad. He swiftly brings it down, but…*
Claire’s voice: *screams* LEONAZIUM!!!
*a small shockwave is sent throughout the room, breaking counters and shattering tubes. Grim, taking the full blast, is practically flung backwards, crashing at the wall as the scythe flies out of his hands and lands atop the fallen counter amongst the test tubes. Now at the door is Claire, but not quite the same shaking woman just a few minutes ago. Her eyes display a mixture of malice and small traces of insanity. The latter is apparent by short, tiny chuckles. That is short lived as she falls down on her knees but raises her right arm up high. It holds a medium sized syringe filled to the brim with an obvious black substance*
Claire: Ugh…used too much power then. *grabs hold of the bed ledge, struggling to get up* At least that thing is out of the way.
Grim: If you honestly think you can wield my scythe…
Claire: What? *slight chuckle* Who said I was going to do anything with that?
*Claire bends down to the bed’s height. She takes out a tiny damp ball of cotton and rubs it on Shad’s arm*
Claire: Good. Rigor Mortis hasn’t started yet. It should be able to work. *points the needle at its target*
Grim: You wouldn’t?! The boy is dead. DEAD!! You are responsible for his death and now you must deal with it! Stick with the cards you’ve been dealt!
Claire: His name is Shad Staydamind. When I gave him life I promised him that I would never let it die! You exist to make sure that the living never keeps on living! You have no idea of the consequences death holds! The damaging emotions one feels when a loved one perishes! Man, woman, boy, or girl, it matters not! I’m already the indirect cause of one other life. I may not have been able to save her, but I will bring my son back RIGHT HERE!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!
Grim: *arm stretched towards the scythe, which flies back to him*NO YOU SHALL…
*too late. The syringe is stabbed into Shad’s arm. At that instant, the scene fades into black. After that, the only sound made was a terrified scream of a little girl*
Bubbles’ voice: SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
_________________ The Life and Times of Shad Staydamind PPG fic; finished. part 1/3
Dual Minds Think Alike PPGD fic, part 2/3; finished (trilogy is on an indefinite hiatus)
Hidden Angels Original, ongoing fiction. (also hiated. Stupid college!)
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thank you dp for this sig
omg that chapter is so awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!
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