Prologue: Not even an episode of the Brave and the Bold
".ey! A.e .ou aw... in ...re? An. ..dy ...e?"
What the heck was that? I've gotta get up but it feels like I was just being used as a pincushion. I need to open my eyes, I need answers.
The man made an attempt to force his eyes open and move to get up, but every twitch felt sore with stiffness. With every try he was able to get more accomplished and by the time he was able to sit up he became aware of an insistent chattering that was most certainly aiding his headache. He finally found the strength to open his eyes.
"Has anyone every told you that you don't die very -"
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The previously unconscious man flung himself backwards and ungracefully flipped over trying to run away from the monstrosity that was hanging over him. His escape attempt was almost immediately thwarted with the realization that with one more step he'd go careening off the side of an apartment complex to his death. He turned around and weighed his chances against the clownish freak that was starting to stalk towards him.
The freak in question was a man of terrifying features. Large eyes with tiny near nonexistent pupils, head topped a wild mess of green hair, abnormal yellow skin visible due to a rather scant outfit, and tailing down his back a crazed mass of red fur to the passing eye might mistake for a boa. But for all those terrors none could top the insanely wicked grin that seemed permanently fixated to his face, full of jagged teeth the ensemble came into complete view when he laughed. Such laughter had more in common with roar and cries of wild animals capable of chilling their prey to the bone and, in the case of the Creeper, cause actual harm.
The man still stuck on the edge of the roof decided to take his chances with the fall.
I don't like my odds up here. I can jump, try to make it on to the next building over or fall to certain death. He'll either give chase or give up, either way I'll end up in the clear.
While the creature was still taking his time to come over, the man ran back before rushing forward to make the leap off the building.
"HOLD IT!"
The man could feel the terror and the rush of adrenalin that came with no longer having your feet be able to touch solid ground, but within a second his heart got caught in his throat as he felt his momentum come to a complete halt. His entire being was now held up by the collar of tattered coat and shirt.
"Wooow I don't think I've ever met someone so eager to die twice in a row!" The man was baffled as to how the creature was able to close the gap between them in seconds and still catch him from the middle of his jump. He was shocked into silence as the monster, rather comically, swung his arm around to keep the man away from the edge of the building, carrying him like a kitten.
"Other than me of course, and maybe any other superhero on the beat? Either way don't feel the need to try so hard, the other heroes won't look down on you for not dying as many times as they have. You're a rude one by the way upstart. I asked you a question and you didn't even answer. "Aaaaaahhhhhh," is not applicable in 31 states."
The creature unceremoniously dropped the man to floor and gave him a rather pointed stare, all the more terrifying considering his features. The man could only stare back in awestruck terror. "You asked a question?" He said half in confusion, half in fear.
This guy's a complete loon! Why hasn't he been tossed to Arkham already? Wait. What's an Arkham?
"Why can't more people be attentive when unconscious? I asked if anyone else has every told you that you don't die very well."
The man groaned and brought his hand to his temple in an attempt to nurse the headache he realized he still had. "Yeah sure, I guess so. Look I'm clearly not caught up to the situation I just woke up in, can I plead for a couple of seconds so I can think before you kill me again."
The creature flung his arms in mock astonishment before leaning forward to menacingly stare down the man and offering a chance to get a better look at this claws. The man could only gulp and stay silent. "Hah! Kill you again? Don't make me laugh, I found you dead. If I wanted you dead I could kill you ten times over Or, 'ya know, I just could've just let you fall." The creature leaned back and made himself comfortable on a nearby water tower, while the man considered his words. "I might be one of the more unscrupulous members of the league, but I'm still a hero and if I killed, Bats would be on me faster than you can say Superman is really Clar-" the creature was abruptly cut off.
The man jumped to his feet. "Waitwhat?! Hold on, you're a hero?"
"What?! You've never heard of this yellow-skinned wacky man?! HAHAHA HAH HAAAA!" The creature jumped up and committed several feats of acrobatics to climb the water tower and laughed the whole way until he made it to the very top and stuck a pose. "I could be none other than Gotham City's very own Creeper!"
Yeah a total lunatic,
"Fine I'll believe you."
But he's been saying some useful information.
"It's the truth, you better!"
"So I guess this means we're in Gotham right now."
"Ladies 'n gentleman we've got a real genius in the house tonight folks."
Hmm.
The man muttered several inaudible words and contemplated The Creeper's words.
I'm in Gotham, huh. Why Gotham? Was I always here? I was... What was I doing? Who am I anyway? I'm...oh. OH.
It was at this point the man snapped out of his thoughts and realized the Creeper was back at eye level and staring him down. "Er, can I help you?"
The Creeper huffed in a way that seemed exaggerated, but still quite serious. "You know mistaking me for a villain is rude, but I'm cutting you a tiny break. Now I bother to introduce myself and show you just what I'm about and you don't even return the favor?! What am I chopped liver?!"
"Er well," the man still baffled but now coming to terms with the Creepers eccentricities. "Well I didn't honestly know who I was until right this moment."
The Creeper raised an eyebrow in disbelief, while his eyes eerily narrowed.
"It's the truth really! I've got a case of amnesia and sometimes dying makes it worse."
The Creeper now spoke with confusion, "Amensi-what?" and before the man could clarify the Creeper spoke up again, "A partial or total loss of memory you say? What if he's faking?"
The man could only silently question the Creeper's sudden choice to talk of him in third person. "I'm not, can't exactly prove that though, you would just have my word."
"Oh well taking that into consideration I can believe him. Totally," The Creeper said much to the man's surprise.
"Huh?!" The man almost reeled back.
It was that easy to convince him?!
The Creeper sudden took a posture more befitting a hero. Jumping closer to the man and swinging an arm around his neck. "Hear that buddy, I believe you! Now why don't you tell your friendly neighborhood Creeper, the details you do remember."
The man fidgeted and attempted to worm away from the Creeper and gain a big of personal space. "My name's Shelley, Mitchell Shelley."
"Mitchell Shelley? What an odd hero identity, but I can appreciate the forethought you put into it."
Mitchell finally escaped the Creeper's grip. "It's not a hero identity. Don't get me wrong, I do good when I can but I'm trying to find more pieces of my past. The name's basically all I know for sure."
"Well doesn't that just break my heart," The Creeper let out in sympathy, or what passed for sympathy when the Creeper was involved. "And the thing with the dying and coming back to life all perfect like?"
"The other thing I'm trying to find out. I can die from anything and come back completely healed. Don't know how or why, but that's not even half of it. I get a new super power, a different one, every time. The only one I keep is the fact I can't die."
The Creeper let out a whistle, "No kidding, huh? Sounds like someone won millions in the superhero lottery."
"Not really perfect, everything still hurts and it get's to be a hassle real fast. I certainly wouldn't mind losing my abilities so long as it's after I get my answers."
The Creeper waved his hand dismissively, partially to catch Shelley's attention. "Yeah yeah sure. Do you, by any chance, just so happen to remember what power you got last time?"
Mitch put a hand to his chin in thought. The moments before he died could always be pretty sketchy, if he didn't snap out of it immediately. On top of that, he still couldn't even remember what he was doing or where he was.
"Enhanced agility, I could perform extraordinary feats of acrobatics."
The Creeper most definitely made a "tch," noise. "Not really too special nowadays, but that certainly explains a bit."
Mitch raised an eyebrow and took a guess, "How I died?"
"I found your body practically stapled to a wall and riddled with holes."
"Not exactly super interesting."
"Well goes to show someone really hated you flipping about and being annoying evasive. Thought you'd make a better slice of swiss cheese."
Mitchell groaned and once again remember the pounding in his head. "Glad you see the humor in this. Why don't you tell me where you found my corpse, or better yet why where you there to begin with."
"Well if you must know, I gotta tip from a small time crook I was currently teaching a lesson to. He said dirty business was being dealt in a seemingly abandoned metalworks factory."
"Hold on, you got a tip? Crook? Dirty business? What are you a noir detective?"
"Technically I'm something far more brutal, a reporter. But that's currently not here or there and certainly a different bag of cats at this moment. Now do you want to hear the rest or not."
A nod.
"Good, stuff it until I'm done. Now when I got to the building I could certainly see things where not abandoned. The place was pretty high tech, lots of important looking gizmos, gadgets, and monitors galore. As I was investigating, everything was dis-shelved and on the verge of exploding, clearly the building was in in self destruct mode. That's when I heard several guns goes off and I tracked it to a room of already fleeing criminals and your body stuck to the wall. Time was short so I took your body off the wall and ran out with your corpse. I was going to look for any clues that might be on you before And then find a place to bury you, but you started healing right before my eyes. So I found my favorite rooftop and waited. Fast forward and here we are now with story time."
"Did this whole thing just happen?! If I get back there we could-"
Creeper spoke up to cut him off. "Everything went caput, if you know what I mean. Won't find much there anymore and the place is probably crawling with police picking up and shelving what's left. As for the criminals they'd be long gone now with a dead trail."
Mitchell slumped in defeat. "Well...That's just perfect. Again I'm back to square one. I suppose I should say thanks though. Saving me from a minor mess."
The two stood in silence for a bit. Mitchell contemplating his fate while the Creeper had a seemingly spirited conversation with the air. Surprising none the Creeper was the first one to break the silence. "You're not entirely at a loss friend."
"How do you figure?"
"Simple you've made an ally with the Creeper, and more importantly I've come up with an arrangement to suit both our needs."
Mitchell narrowed his eyes and attempted to judge the Creeper's words through disbelief.
Isn't there some sort of saying that goes, "Don't negotiate with crazy?"
"At the very least you owe me by now and hearing me out certainly can't hurt," Mitchell doubt that considering the Creeper was sporting one of his trademark slasher grins.
"What did you have mind?"
The Creeper once again sprung with action. "I'm glad you asked Shelley, my man!" Mitchell's regret
was practically palpable. "Tell me Mitch, do you remember having a place to stay?"
"No..."
"And you know whatever trail you where following ended up in Gotham right?"
"Yes... Where are you going with this."
"Why not stay in Gotham and become my partner."
"…What!?"
"You know, like a sidekick! Be the Robin to my Batman or Aqua Lad to the Aqua Man!"
"You're kidding right? Or at the very least tell me this is all a nightmare?!"
"Not at all. I know a place you can stay, do what you want in the morning and come night-time we team up to investigate to past your and fight every single criminal on the way. We don't even have to be around each other all the time and you can split whenever you want provided you at least leave a note."
"I'm still not very sure, I can agree with arrangement."
"Tsk, I'm not so bad once you get to know me, and besides how well were you doing on your own?"
Mitchell certainly pondered for a bit. On one hand the Creeper was a mental case, on the other, while he doesn't remember much he can certainly remember several dead ends.
He said he was a reporter right? I suppose I could use a bit of professional help.
"Fine, I guess I can be your partner for a bit."
The Creeper jumped up and almost invisible to the naked made his way to Mitchell to, rather violently, shake his hand. "Well then, it's a done deal mi amigo! I can promise you your days from here on out will certainly be most interesting."
"H-Hey! Cut that out," another fight to be free of the Creeper's grasp. "None of that anymore! So where do we start?"
The Creeper, ignoring Mitchell's plea, once again roped his arm around Mitchell's shoulder. "Well first off by hitting the sack, it's close to morning and it's been a rather long day for the both of us."
"I wanted to ask about that, you don't live in a loony bin by any chance?"
"What?! No! I'd drive the Arkham staff practically mad if that where the case!"
No one would be able to catch the sigh of absolute relief Mitchell let out.
"I'm one of those alter ego types complete with a secret identity, all very hush hush, but you'll figure everything soon enough. We'll head over there right now."
The two unlikely heroes took off into towards Gotham's dawn, running and bounding from the roof tops unaware of the odd misadventures that would take place from such a unique partnership.
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Creeping back from the Dead, Extras!:
T.C: You know, Mitch I think you're gonna need a super hero name
M.S: What? Why?
T.C: To keep your real identity secret, duh. All the coolest superheroes have one.
M.S: Yeah I don't think so, I'm trying to find people who know me, even villains.
T.C: Well whatever to what you say, I'll just do it myself. How do you like Reboot-Man!
M.S: What?! Heck no, that's awful!
T.C: What?! That's that's pure gold right there! Maybe you just don't get it. So you die and then come back like nothing ever happened! And what's this? A new ability as well! You see it's like when writers-
M.S: ...
T.C: Bah, everyone's a critic. Okay then how about Never Dead Shelley! Or-
J.R: If I was doing a segment for him on, "You Are Wrong!," I'd probably go for something like, "Resurrection Man, he won't let death tie him down."
T.C: Resurrection Man? That I'll never make it to the final cut.
M.S: I kind of like it.
T.C: Your opinion's invalid!
Author's Note:
Hello! First I'd like to say thank you for reading this first chapter, If you decided to stick around and read whatever comes next an even bigger one!
I haven't written Fanfiction in awhile and the first one I made was a crack, so starting fresh after so many years I hope I can keep this one up. My writing style's a bit in development so if this first one comes off as rough or there's things I can do to fix it up a bit, don't hesitate to drop by in the comments and let me know.
This is, as it might be obvious now, a team up with The Creeper and Resurrection Man. It's drabble based (barring this chapter and the next having more of a narrative) and will eventually have cameos and misadventures with other characters in the DC universe, and who knows maybe other things outside of comic books. If you have any chapter ideas or want to see some of your favorite DC heroes or villains show up, feel free to drop into the reviews and let me know. I started this just because I don't get to see some of my favorite characters often enough.
Once again thank you for your time.
Enjoy Everything~