Title: Parasitic Empire
Summary: At the age of twelve Chester Lee Baker creates a formula that augments the rotting process of dead vegetation. As we all know, that has… escalated. One-shot for now.
Genre: Romance/Horror
Pairings: One-sided Kid Rot/Abby, Abby/Chester. Ty/Naomi.
Disclaimer: I do not own Grossology characters, baddies, environments etc, etc. Any OC, baddy or location not recognisable is mine.
Rating and Warning: T for some gore, horror, angst, swearing. Things that might not make sense. Some OOCness. AUish, so not everything might make sense considering the storyline of the series and this fic.
A/N: For now this is a one-shot, but it's not complete. I will update more chapters once I've written down enough of the story. I recently made a promise to myself never to start a story until it's nearly finished. That way, all I have to do is update every once in a while when I get bored with the subject. However, when I do update, it will be this story, and you will know. This chapter will become the Prologue for the story, to give you an idea of what happened without me having to rely on too many flashbacks in future chapters. For now, enjoy, en let me know what you think.
…- Parasitic Empire -…
"As you are well aware, our Grossologists have been unable to capture this man thus far." The Director pauses, letting the words sink in. He stands in the front of a small room, giving a presentation to the best of the best. The screen behind him flashes, showing a few pictures of their target.
"Kid Rot is… dangerous. In the past few years studies have shown us that the parasite is not only becoming increasingly hostile, his powers are also expanding. There seems to be no limit to his power. It will only be a matter a time before things will escalate." The balding man turns back to his small crowd. He fumbles with a small stack of papers on the desk, a look of worry crossing his features. "I take it everyone present here has seen the news of two weeks ago, of the Bah Sing Sei Zoo in China. Over eight hundred people were decomposed, not to mention the countless animals that lived there. Thank heavens this happened off season, or else the death toll would have been in the thousands."
In the small conference room, sitting amongst sixteen other Grossologists Abby and Ty exchange looks with each other.
They were in school when it happened. Suddenly one of the teachers burst into the room, yelling something about a disaster hitting China. The school is usually assembled when something bad happens and is world news. Especially now when three classes had been on a field trip towards the zoo in question.
All the news cameras had shown was a gigantic pool of black and rot. The zoo had been wiped clean of any life. People were gone, leaving only their possessions of steel and metal and gold and silver. Animals had vanished, not a trace of hair or claw or bone had been recovered. The cages were empty, disgusting enclosures filled with rocks, sand, metal bars, playthings and a thick layer of black ooze. Everything was deserted and quiet, just a little 'how do you do?' that had Kid Rot's signature all over.
So brother and sister were summoned by the bureau of Grossology, along with sixteen other experts. As a group they were the best of the best, covering every aspect from the sterility of the labs to the revulsion of the fields. Lab Rat is present as well, hanging off to the side and waiting for his turn to speak. All Abby and Ty know is that he has been working on a weapon against Kid Rot, and like the rest in the room they're eager to see what the young scientist has created.
The Director finishes his speech, stepping down to give the other a chance to speak. The teen begins pressing a few buttons on the computer, the screen flashing a few times. A complicated formula appears, one too complex for most of the agents to understand. Hermes II shows himself for just a second, quickly ducking for cover inside his master's hoody.
"Our last encounter with Kid Rot was three months ago, along the border of Russia. As you all know that mission, Operation Black Mass, was a complete failure…"
"Like every other operation to kill this psycho is a failure." One of the agents speaks her mind, and others agree with her. Lab Rat himself concurs as well, softly nodding his head up and down.
"You're right. No matter what we do, no matter how many Grossologists we send after that parasite, everyone meets the same fate as their predecessors. Until today…" The young man leans down to lift a black suitcase from beneath the table. He swiftly opens it and turns it towards his crowd, showing them a double barrelled gun. The people in the room look intrigued, especially when the Director lowers a curtain hanging around a suit. The suit, a camouflaged green looks exactly like the standard Grossology protective suit, except for the helmet and small containers on the back.
The Director gives the teen a little elbow to the side, whispering something along the lines of starting at the beginning. The teen nods softly, knowing very well that most of the agents here have never been in contact with Kid Rot himself and only know the parasite like that. The young man inhales softly, quickly deciding where exactly he should start.
"At the age of twelve Chester Lee Baker creates a formula that augments the rotting process of dead vegetation. Because he is the youngest expert on Microbiology, he is allowed to continue his research under the watchful eye of the bureau of Grossology. Doctor Harry Mason, who has been our contact for years kept a close eye, especially because Chester could well be onto something that could change the world. As you know we are always looking for more candidates and talents for our little gross family, and Chester appeared to be a natural. However, at the age of fourteen we believe an accident occurred, giving Chester the 'Rotting Touch', the ability to increase the speed of the rotting process, nullifying it to literal seconds. Dr Mason's records showed us a swift and steady increase in Chester's ability, even though those powers were unstable and only responded to heavy emotion. Three months later Chester is moved to Ringworm Junior High. There he meets two of our other agents, Tyler and Abigail Archer."
The youngster pauses for a moment, pressing a few more buttons on the computer.
"They convince Chester to visit our labs where we could see what caused the rotting. I was the scientist performing the scan. What we discovered was a parasitic life form manifested at the back of the frontal lobe of Chester's brain. Because the parasite was still in an early stage of development it would have been easy to remove it before it would anchor itself inside the brain and nervous system."
On screen appears a movie of the security camera of that day. It has been years ago, but even Lab Rat remembers it like it was yesterday.
Chester is sitting in a chair, patiently waiting for the scan to complete while Lab Rat, Ty and Abby are standing behind a computer, intently staring at the screen and waiting for the machine to finish. There is no sound, but the picture clearly displays Chester's displeasure when Lab Rat offers to remove the parasite. The blonde suddenly attacks, making all of the samples in the lab rot and eventually he escapes, leaving the three teens tied up to fend for themselves.
"What we believed to be a heavy case of schizophrenia later developed into the classic 'two minds one body' syndrome. The parasite, dubbed Kid Rot, is able to control the body through the brain and nerves. We believe the parasite also 'borrows' it's intelligence from Chester."
"What about the boy himself?"
"Chester is still present, on a more subconscious level. Because if Chester were to die his brain activity would become too much for the parasite to handle alone, resulting in actual death."
Without any other questions at the moment Lab Rat continues, grabbing the gun from the suitcase and showing it off to the people in the room.
"As some of you already know our colleague, Doctor Alessa Gillespie was killed by Kid Rot not one month ago. But Doctor Gillespie was working on a way to neutralise the parasite along the nerves. Unfortunately, she was forced to test her theories herself. However, she has given us a fighting chance. Because her formula, Lunatic Pandora, works."
The camera displays Doctor Gillespie, an aging woman hurrying inside her lab. She's trying to reload a gun as quickly as possible, her hands shaking in fright. The small room only has one exit, a door barricaded by a desk and filing cabinets. The film is silent, but it's still obvious someone bangs on the door judging from the way the doctor jerks and looks at the door.
She quickly moves, throwing a table on its side, hoping is shields her from whoever is slamming against the door. The heavy frame, made of presumably metal has already dented on several places, and the lock that is supposed to keep the intruder out finally breaks after the assault. The furniture that was supposed to keep the trespasser out proves to be useless as Kid Rot pushes them aside as if they were made of papier-mâché, and not metal.
Doctor Gillespie and Kid Rot begin a conversation, the parasite beginning to look quite concerned when the woman aims the gun and tells what is inside. The blonde makes a sudden move, causing the older woman to fire. Kid Rot flinches because of the loud bang, not because of the impact. After a few still seconds he raises his arm to inspect the new wound in his lower arm. He begins to poke the hole, prodding it with a finger while confusion clearly runs over his face. After a moment of digging and nudging he fishes the bullet out of the wound, a little round object barely visible on the camera. As the parasite averts his gaze towards the doctor she doubles over, collapsing onto the floor and spazzing. Within seconds her body is disintegrated.
The parasite carelessly discards the bullet into a forgotten corner. He begins to walk around the small room, seemingly uncaring for the furiously dripping wound in his arm. His moves are swift as he glides through the room, as if looking for something. The youngster eventually leans down to inspect a piece of paper on the ground. When he reaches for it, when he touches it he jerks his injured arm back as if burned, free hand shooting up to the injury in his arm and covering it as he gets back onto his feet. The colour of his arm begins to change rapidly. What was once a sickish green/yellow becomes a ghastly white. The pale colour begins to spread up his arm, slowly pulling up all the way over his arm and towards his shoulder and beyond his sleeveless shirt. The parasite backs into the wall as if that will somehow dull the pain, hissing at an invisible enemy. The ailing colours are beginning drain from his face as well, turning it a soft grey, changing his look from incredibly sick to just plain dead.
Suddenly Kid Rot jerks back to the door, startled from a sound. He quickly disappears through the broken door again, only leaving what remained of Doctor Gillespie and a trail of blood.
"The bullets…" Lab Rat continues when the film ends. "…Doctor Gillespie made are filled with a toxin that attacks the nerves the parasite is attached to, breaking the enzymes of the parasite down and causing local paralysis without damaging the host. Not only does it take Kid Rot's powers away, it also destroys the parasite itself, leaving no trace of the parasite whatsoever until the toxin is washed out of his system and the parasite regrows and reattaches itself to the nerves again. This means we can get rid of the parasite and save Chester."
"What about just killing him?" Someone speaks up, as things don't seem to add up.
"We tried killing him, doesn't work as well as you might think." Ty replies that question, seeing as the woman who asked it is sitting to his right. "A police officer even shot him through the head a couple of times, and well… you saw the result on screen…"
The Director wheels the suit to the front of the room, giving everyone a good look. Lab Rat continues. "I call this one the X-Y-Z-Suit. It is specially designed to shield you from Kid Rot's decomposing techniques. It's a bit like a space suit, only it's lighter, easier to use and bullet proof."
"What does the X Y Z stand for?" One of the Grossologists queries, earning a shrug from the dark skinned teen. "Doesn't stand for anything, I just thought it sounded cool."
Abby rolls her eyes at that one and Ty sniggers. Others, who don't know Lab Rat personally are left confused.
"So where are we headed?"
"Rottingham Forest…"
…- Parasitic Empire -…
"B-Area clear."
"F-Area clear."
"Civilians have been evacuated. Team three head to C-Area, we will meet you there."
"Roger that."
"Looks clear from the sky."
"No sign of him in E-Area."
"Wait, weren't we supposed to scout the E section?" Ty frowns, giving his sister a questioning look. The redhead holds her hand up against her headset, shielding it from her words. "We did the E-Area at the start remember?"
"I thought we started at A?" Abby rolls her eyes and smiles, shaking her head at her brother's silliness.
The forest is quiet. It's most likely the animals have fled long ago. Because it is so quiet now, the air has become thicker brining a heavy feeling of dread with it. They have been searching the area for six hours straight with a big team of Grossologists, so far no encounters. Today, Kid Rot is very patient.
"Target is heading for D-Area from the North!" But even his patience will wear thin eventually.
"Everyone move out. Remain cautious. Maintain radio silence."
"We're searching D…"
"Do you think he knows it's us, here?" Ty's question is answered when the tree trunk he's leaning against softly begins to dent from his weight. The raven haired male backs away, moving closer to his sister who has retreated to a small clearing herself. Rain, is the first thought that crosses Ty's mind, but of course raindrops aren't black and come from the sky, not from the trees themselves. The trees around them begin to creak and whine under pressure, branches begin to break off and fall, leaves begin to melt away causing a soft drizzle. The grass and already dead leaves on the ground begin to die and shrivel, turning all shades of brown and grey.
"I think he knows…" Brother and sister stand back to back, awaiting their target's move.
"We made contact…" Abby softly whispers over the radio, eyes darting back and forth over the dying foliage.
"Roger that. Back-up is on its way."
"Not fast enough…" Tyler takes a deep breath to calm his growing nerves. The air is growing thicker once more, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. Trees are beginning to crumble, slouching and breaking under their own weight. "What's he waiting for?" The stench of rotting plants is suffocating.
"Alright, I have a plan… Ty?" When the redhead turns around, her brother is gone. "Ty!" She turns a full circle, trying to locate her brother. Not trace of him, no marks whatsoever. There was no struggle, she would have heard him if there were. Not even footprints.
"Ty?" She whispers, aimlessly stepping about. She feverishly looks around, scanning the dead area for any sign of life. 'get out get out get out' is softly drumming through her head. She knows she's not in direct danger, as in going to die danger, but it has been a long time since she last met the blonde psychopath, and he had been quite hostile towards her then. He didn't touch her with a finger but he did look like he wanted to either mount her or kill her. Though dying isn't very high on her to do list, Abby is unsure which option she prefers over the other.
Something moves in the distance, she can't see if it's an animal, her brother, a member of the team or Kid Rot himself but she is so focused on it she doesn't notice the presence behind her until she bumps into it.
And on instinct she knows it's not her brother.
A sudden move could cost her a limb, which is why Abby is so careful when she turns around. She has seen him lash out at people who made sudden moves, the parasite is quite tense, ready to pounce at any moment. Whatever his motives, the blonde lets her step away from him, if just for a little distance. Abby still hopes her brother will turn up at any second now, making a heroic entrance which he so loves to do. Although Kid Rot doesn't seem very fond of the black haired youngster, the parasite has never made a move to kill her brother. Be it because of Abby or a completely different reason.
"It's so good to see you again."
"I'm warning you…" She begins, pulling the special gun and aiming it. Kid Rot doesn't seem fazed in the slightest, even raises his eyebrows in question. "I'll shoot." Not even Abby believes that…
It's not Chester…
But still…
Will it even work?
Her finger twitches, and he notices it. She has never seen anyone move as fast as he just did. He is in her face within the blink of an eye, has already grabbed the gun and pried it from her fingers. The parasite doesn't seem to care for the piece of metal as he throws it over his shoulder, uncaring where it lands, or even what kind of gun it is.
"Why are you here?" She begins stalling time, backing away again. With every second ticking, her team-mates will get closer and closer. "Same reason as last time…"
"What do you want?" The parasite gives her a confused look. "That's the same question isn't it?"
…Since when did Kid Rot start playing mind games?
"Then you know the answer. A million times no and one yes doesn't make it a yes."
"Too bad…" He begins softly, eyes softening a bit in lament. "I'll miss you." He suddenly starts, a soft smile growing on his face. He looks at her, regret flashing across his slender features. There is a dark green glow emitting from his fingers, dancing like jade fire. "I will make this quick." He promises, smile dropping slowly.
Abby herself has backed into what's left of a tree, unable to believe her ears. The phrase 'he's joking, he's joking' keeps repeating itself over and over inside her head. The voice, which sounds a bit like her mom's is growing louder and louder the closer the parasite gets. She closes her eyes, not wanting to see this. Kid Rot has killed so many people, rotted so many people away. She doesn't want to know what that feels like, even if he promises to make it quick.
Cold fingers brush beneath her chin, stroking the skin softly. He probably can't help himself, one last touch, first ever touch, before he kills her off.
She can hear him take a deep breath, probably to steady himself. She can hear metal clicking twice, but what it is doesn't register. The question doesn't even cross her mind until a gun is fired from somewhere behind the blonde psycho. The fingers holding her chin twitch at what seems the sound, or the impact.
Kid Rot releases his breath in a quiver, and the redhead finally opens her eyes to see what is going on. The parasite is looking to the left, head twisting to look straight behind him. Over his shoulder Abby can see her brother standing behind the blonde, gun still aimed. It takes her a moment, but Abby quickly realises it's Lab Rat's invention.
But seconds are flying by, and Kid Rot seems unfazed. The parasite takes a step away from her and begins to turn fully, Abby's eyes falling on the dark red blotch growing on his white shirt, in the middle of his left shoulder blade. The hole where the bullet hit seems clean other then the blood dripping out of the wound. "Get away from her." The black haired male hisses and fires again, hitting the parasite in the same shoulder, but in the front this time. The blonde only jerks at the impact, no longer seeming to care about the loud sound. He doesn't seem to recognise the gun, but whether or not that is in their favour, Abby doesn't know.
All three teens stand in awkward silence...
Ten seconds passed long ago. Eighteen… nineteen… twenty seconds…
Finally, Kid Rot becomes annoyed.
"Just give it some time." The raven haired male tries, fondling with his belt to reload his gun. Shooting the psychopath in the face won't kill him unless they blast his head clean off, Ty has discovered that two years ago. Although even that might not kill him, the parasite is just full of surprises. "Some time…" The teen mumbles as he begins to step down, backing away from the blonde who in his turn begins to advance, looking ready to tear him a new one. There is a small green glow emitting from the palm of his hand, and for a moment Ty's life flashes before his eyes.
"Just a little… more?" The Grossologist gives the dangerous male a pleading look, inwardly begging for the toxin to start already. Kid Rot however remains silent, no longer looking at Ty but seemingly looking straight through him. The Grossologist takes a few more steps back, acknowledging the sudden change in the parasite's behaviour. Only when Kid Rot raises his right hand to his wounded shoulder, confusion en pain crossing his eyes does Ty dare to smile. He releases a breath he didn't know he was holding, utter relief washing over his face when the parasite lowers his free hand and the green glow steadily disappears.
"What did you do…?" The blonde forces out with difficulty. His voice wavers.
"Just gave you a little something Lab Rat cooked up. You remember him right? He's the guy that's going to get rid of you. With kind regards of Doctor Alessa Gillespie." The parasite growls at the memories, teeth baring in anger.
"Not when I…" He halts, face contorting in pain. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, grip on his shoulder growing stronger. "Not if you… what?" The Grossologist taunts, finally finding the nerves to do so. Kid Rot only grunts, free hand also clenching into a fist.
Ty gives his sister a firm nod, and she replies by giving the signal over their portable radio. "It won't be long before this forest is filled with Grossologists, so I suggest you surrender now." The redhead moves until she's next to her brother.
The blonde hisses, trying to recollect himself but failing miserably as the pain begins to crawl down his arm and chest and through his back. A steady pounding is beginning to set in his head, no doubt because the toxin is also attacking the parasite itself. His skin is changing colour, becoming a ghastly white once more. Ty pats his sister on the shoulder, signalling her to get back as the other male takes a step forward.
Their enemy snarls, once again raising his free hand and once again a green glow emits from the palm. The Grossologists need to duck for cover as he fires, their dead environment completely disintegrating on impact. The damage is immense as the rot begins to tear at everything, spreading quickly and turning everything into a black, empty mass as the parasite begins to absorb the nutritions.
Abby gasps when she realises he's going after her, trying to take her down quickly. There is nowhere to run to or hide behind. The rot is slowing down in its path of destruction, but Kid Rot creates more pools where the decay sprouts once again, gripping around and spreading like fire in a dry field.
He only stops when Ty fires his gun a third time, the blonde yelping when he's hit again. The parasite turns towards the black haired male again, screaming in surprise when Ty empties his gun again, hitting him low in the gut. TIf the impact actually hurts him now, then the toxin must be taking its effect. The other wound, on the back of the parasite's leg just below his knee is bleeding viciously. It will take some time for the bullets to take effect, but at least the pain will be spread more, and will neutralise quicker. It will be a matter of time before the psycho will collapse from the agony alone.
"I'll kill… the both of you…" He promises. "And then I'll kill everyone… that dares challenge me…" Strong words that would have more meaning if the blonde didn't look like fainting.
"How about you get to it then? I'm getting old here." Another taunt that has the parasite growling in anger.
"Watch me!" He shouts, raising both arms, ready to end the young man. The blonde doesn't have time to collect his powers when Abby nearly throws herself on his back, nearly knocking him off balance. Kid Rot growls again with uprising anger, trying to throw her off but failing miserably. Abby tries her best to hold on, but the parasite is still strong. She cries out when he grabs a hand full of red hair, yanking at it. But he doesn't pull her off. Instead he groans pathetically, collapsing when the new bullets begin to release their poison.
The parasite grunts when the bullet in his guts begins to make full use of the intestines, spreading quickly through the bowels.
"Damnit!" He screams and finally manages to push himself back up. Abby is pushed off, dropping onto the ground in an undignified heap. Kid Rot has already turned to her, but before he can even begin to do something he's tackled to the ground by a Grossologist she doesn't recognise. Someone, probably her brother begins dragging her away from the parasite as more Grossologists emerge.
He might be injured and weakened severely, it still takes five Grossologists to pin the blonde to the ground.
"Come on, we're done here." Tyler helps her up quickly. He turns to leave, doesn't see what Abby sees. Only when the parasite releases a surge of energy, knocking the five Grossologists off does he turn back, paling in shock when no one is making a move to get back up.
The suits aren't working.
"You…" Kid Rot struggles himself back up, no longer able to stand straight because of the substance streaming through his blood. "I will not…" He groans again, no longer able to use his left arm. His legs finally give in and he collapses to his knees, the hand he can still use subconsciously going back up to his shoulder again.
"We have you surrounded! Put your hands behind your head or we will open fire!" Within second the remainder of the team of Grossologists are surrounding the parasite, each of them equipped with a custom made gun. The blonde bares his teeth again, breathing as if he's just finished a marathon. A wild look flashes through his eyes and he begins to laugh, no longer caring if he'll die today.
"Hands behind your head, now!"
"Stop wasting my time. Shoot me!"
So they shot him. But Kid Rot didn't die.
He is, after all, just full of surprises.
-TBC Eventually
Comments, ideas, questions and suggestions are always welcome. Let me hear you! Let me know if you like it and why or what you like, and even if you don't like something let me know. I want to get better, so suggestions are just as welcome as praise.
Hermes II (2): Hermes the Second. As you might be aware, rodents, and especially rats, don't exactly live very long. Especially not long enough for this story line, of which several years (I'm thinking of making it… 6 or 7 years) have passed since the ending of King of Rottingham Forest. I'm estimating rats live between 3 and 5 years. So the original Hermes is dead. But I still feel like Lab Rat needs a mate to talk to, so I gave you, Hermes II. Because Hermes rocked.
Chester Lee Baker: Since Chester doesn't have a last name, I decided to give him one. I hope you fans don't mind. It's obviously not his real last name, but since I couldn't find it I decided to just pick one out myself. Hell I don't even know if I will ever use it again XD. But it sounds cool enough ne?
PHD in Microbiology: Because let's face it, no normal teenage boy can create a cocktail of evil parasite that can make everything rot with the snap of fingers, even if they're a genius. I figured that Microbiology, which is literally the study of everything that is alive and can be seen under a microscope, would be good enough to at least give the impression Chester has what it takes to create a parasite. Oh well, it's shaky. If you have another idea let me know!
Rottingham Forest: I don't even know if it's called that! Oh well, don't care. At least everyone knows what location I'm talking about ne?
Harry Mason and Alessa Gillespie: Two doctors and OCs no one gives a damn about anymore, since they're both dead now. In case anyone was wondering where I stole the names from, Googling Silent Hill gives you all of the answers.