Shackler's Revenge
The R'lyeh hadn't changed much in the twenty years that passed since Marie Mjolnir had first met Franken Stein behind the dimly lit stage that played host to his band. The bricks, while faded, had taken on a natural and earthy red hue, and the dimly light sign was almost covered by the vines that surrounded the building. Times were tough in Death City, and everybody and everything was feeling the effects of it.
"Well, guess I should stay here tonight. At least there are people instead of test tubes," Stein said, hoping that anyone in earshot would care to hear him and keep him interested in life that didn't get dissected for research. The band playing held a familiar face to Stein; a beautiful woman who Stein had cared for, before he had discovered that she was experimenting on her child while they were helpless to defend themselves. Stein's call to Protective Services allowed him to sleep better at night, but Medusa was furious, vowing that she would have her revenge, in this life or the next.
He never knew why she wasn't locked away but he assumed bribes were involved. As for the child, they were sent into the foster system, where they had remained for over ten long years. Stein felt terrible about it, but he knew better, He wasn't fit to care for a child.
He began to light his cigarette, but heard a familiar song coming from onstage:
"Don't ever try to tell me/How much you care for me"
"Don't ever try to tell me/How you were there for me"
The words rang in his ears, as they were no doubt intended for him. Medusa continued to amplify the aggression in her voice, the words dripping like venom from her lips. She had locked eyes with Franken, and she had no intentions of letting him leave tonight unaffected by what she sang. He slumped in his chair, ashamed of what he had put her through, but more ashamed of himself that she could reduce him to such a state so easily.
"Marie, wait up! You're going too fast, are you trying to get run over?" Azusa shrieked as she was dragged through the streets by Marie's earnest endeavors. "I've waited twenty years to come back here, I'm not going to wait a second longer!"
As she arrived at the R'lyeh however, the smile disappeared from her face. Inside she saw the man she knew as Franken Stein slouched in his seat, almost on the verge of tears.
He hadn't shaved recently, due to his desire to not put a razor near his face, for fear of what his thoughts would tell him to do. His bearded face had an exasperated look, as Medusa sang on throughout the night, trying to break him down through words instead of swords.
Marie, however noticed the serpentine smile on Medusa's face as Stein began to well up with tears, and quickly made her way to the rear of the building. "What are you doing Marie?" Azusa asked, hoping that the answer wasn't going to be "Kicking the singer on stage's ass."
"We're pulling the plug on this little performance. The club looks like it could use a little change of pace." Quickly, she reached for a nearby hammer, and brought a thundering blow down on the P.A. system, causing Medusa's performance to be cut short. From backstage, she could hear a flurry of obscenities and Medusa hissing to her roadie. "Eruka! Get my stuff, we're leaving!" she spat, as she headed for the door. "Have a nice night, Franken." she whispered as she touched Stein's shoulder and headed out into the night.
Backstage, Marie was ecstatic with her success. "Yes! I knew that would work! One and done, baby!" Azusa was less than thrilled however. The first words to come to her mind were; "This is going to cost us a fair amount of money Marie" and "Are you sure you can pay it?" However, she merely sighed and said "I'm happy for you, Marie. Now go see him. He looks like he could use a smile."
As she made her way back to the bar, Franken had finally decided to look up, now that Medusa had left and he could be alone with his thoughts. As he looked up, his face turned from one of sadness into one of complete surprise.
"Marie?"
