Slipping, her focus was slipping away in a golden haze of warmth and lucidity. Lizzie wanted to relish in the fleeting stillness as long as possible before the haze released her and pushed her towards the harsh reality. But luck wasn't on her side. A large commotion of arguing drove away what little was left of the drug in her system and Lizzie's eyes snapped open to see a grinning chiseled Colonel J. E. F. holding a dozen roses and a few nurses behind him swooning.
One doctor, the one that woke her up, angrily stated, " I've told you, you can't go in!"
"Of course he can!" A nurse chided. "He saved her."
Ignoring them, Colonel walked in and set down in a hospital chair by Lizzie's crisp bed. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Colonel Justice Eagle Freedom. "
"I'm...Lizzie..." Lizzie absentmindedly began scratching at her ribs over her cotton hospital gown, not noticing the needle in her arm. "Where's Lucy?"
"The pleasure is all yours. " he smirked, annoyingly arrogant. Lizzie, even with the drugs, couldn't keep the sneer from her face as her scratching intensified. "It's so good to see you dealing with your condition so well!"
"Condition?"
Lizzie watched in turmoil as nameless paparazzi filed in with flashing cameras and notepads. "Alas, I was able to save this fair maidens life but was unable to stop the horrible effects of dr. Horrible's shenanigans. Look, she's hideous underneath!"
With that, the hero proceeded to pull back her gown, revealing to everyone patches of sparkling, glistening red scales where her burns were. Lizzie's hand trembled, her breath stopped, her heart raced. Lights on cameras flashed, reported barked questions, and something inside Lizzie snapped. She yanked out the needle in her arms and scrambled out if bed to run past all the intruding human beings, no longer caring that the thin gown gave passerby's a clear view of her new disfigurement. A new panic entrapped her mind as she frantically searched rooms for the one person she needed most.
Voices called out to her but she ignored them. Lizzie only stopped when she burst into a room and froze upon seeing the woman lying in the bed, eyes black as obsidian, seemingly nothing but hollow sockets. "Lucy.."
Lucy lifted her head up, "Lizzie?" She asked meekly, her arms reaching towards the sound of her friends voice.
Lizzie approached the bed slowly. "...What happened to you?"
"Do you not remember?" Lucy asked. "There was an explosion and my experiments fell on us. I've been disfigured from the solution of a lizard disease I was trying to cure."
"But..Your eyes.."
"Some lizards are born with malformations such as missing eyes or extra limbs...Are you alright? No ones been answering my questions. "
Lizzie gave a dry sob before crawling into the bed next to her disfigured friend. "...I have scales...where the fire burned me..." Saying it out loud finalized it and Lizzie felt the thing strings of control she held on to snap. "What's happening to me?!" She cried.
Lucy's head fell and her voice was deadly quiet. "I'm sorry, I believe the Amazeranium mixed with my solution...You're DNA has been changed but I don't know to what extent."
"We have to get out of here. " Lizzie stated while wiping her face, suddenly noticing the red tint her now pointed nails had.
Both the women turned toward the door at the sound of Colonels obnoxious voice. "Probably self conscious, the poor girl! I mean, those scales are atrocious!"
Lizzie groaned. "Can you walk?"
"Yes, I just need to be led..."
"I'll lead you. Do you trust me?" Lizzie grasped Lucy's warm hand striking in her icy one.
"Lead the way, Lizzie. "
Lizzie couldn't help the small smile as she helped Lucy to her feet and slyly maneuvered their way out of the hospital and through the busy city with little notice. Lucy remained silent throughout the ordeal until Lizzie stopped. "We're home...and it's all ruined..."
"The animals!" Lucy cried out, letting go of Lizzie's hands to stumble forward. She began crawling through the charred wreckage while frantically searching for her beloved reptiles.
Lizzie's heart sank as she watched her beloved childhood friend care so much not for herself and her misfortune but for the helpless animals under her care. She began picking through the wreckage as well but not for animals. She found one of her dresses, a small black thing that she never wore, and then found a lab coat of Lucy's that would give her more cover than the flimsy hospital gown. Lizzie changed into the tight dress behind a tree before returning to find Lucy coddling an albino Black Mamba that had two hissing heads.
"Lucy, that thing-"
"I know. " her voice was so grief stricken as she gently stroked the snakes back. "It has two heads. The only one to survive the blast...which one is it?"
"Sthenno...and I guess Euryale now." The two heads slithered towards the sound of their names and as Lizzie stared into their beady eyes, she knew they were content. "They're fine, Lucy. Set them down and you can change."
Lucy did as told and the albino snake slithered towards Lizzie until she picked them up, letting the reptile curl around her neck loosely. With no words, Lizzie helped Lucy dress in her lab coat. They stood in a comfortable yet weighted silence as Lizzie stared across another burnt home and Lucy was alone in her darkness.
"...Do you honestly believe it was Dr. Horrible?" Lucy asked quietly.
"No, it was definitely Colonel Idiot." Lizzie replied bitterly, those hateful, evil feelings but towards a much more tangible target. "...I can't let him get away with this, you know that right?"
"Neither can I." Lucy nodded. "But what can we do?"
"I don't know about you, " Lizzie gave a twisted grin. " but I wouldn't mind being evil if this is justice."
"Are you suggesting we become like Bad Horse?"
The snakes hissed in agreement as Lizzie answered, "worse."
Lucy was silent for a moment before straightening her shoulders. "Where do we start?"
Dr. Horrible paced back and forth in his apartment while the tv news replayed the disaster that had happened only hours ago. "Dr. Horrible strikes again, nearly a repeat of what happened to Captain Hammer's deceased girlfriend, what's-her-name. " He choked back a sob at the mention of Penny and the memories it once again forced up to the surface.
"Colonel Justice Eagle Freedom saved the day, rescuing a girl from near death, Lizzie. She was horrible disfigured and has now grown patches of scales! But the heroic man looks past it, claiming he loves her!"
The news woman swooned and Billy's head snapped up at the mention of a familiar name. The screen showed the picture of a pale woman with long black curls and green eyes. Lizzie from the laundry mat, Lizzie who states at him every time, who seems to see below the mask he wears everyday. A new wave of guilt washed over him and billy collapsed into his large armchair, hiding his face in his hands. The tears, no matter how much he wished they would fall, never came and Billy was left with the swirling memories of Penny's last words. A fleeting thought bitterly went through his mind, she probably thinks the same. That he's a hero.
"Breaking news!" The anchorman called out, "Lizard girl ran from the Colonel when he came to declare his love!" Billy looked up in time to see an unfamiliar woman running out of shot, sprinkles of crimson scales glinting in the light on her skin. "He's been searching for her since this afternoon, yet none have seen her or her eyeless side kick."
Something deep within Billy slowly rose to the surface, a strange kind of impulse bubbled up in his chest to go and find her. He didn't think, he just acted. The feelings inside had been numb and now it felt as if they were thawing. Billy rose from his chair then gathered a few gadgets in case Colonel Idiot made an appearance before heading out in search for the woman. He received a few calls from the League but ignored them, considering this more important. It didn't take long to find both girls, they were still gathering things from the rubble of their destroyed home, and when he did find them, Dr. Horrible approached slowly.
"Um," he blinked, "uh..."
Lizzie and Lucy turned towards him, Lucy backing up slightly while Lizzie remained strangely calm. " Dr. Horrible? What brings you here?"
Dr. Horrible couldn't answer at first, he was stuck on how different Lizzie looked. She was no longer this frumpy, isolated girl with a pudgy face, instead she had morphed into this thin, graceful creature with slender and elegant limbs, a sharp face, and brilliant scales littering her ivory skin. There were curves that didn't exist before and the only thing familiar about the girl was her venomous green eyes. Billy stood there, blinking in his odd way and unable to speak for the first time in six months.
"Doctor?" Lizzie asked once more.
"Uh, I've come to..tie loose ends. " His voice slowly returned to him and he continued in stride with his best demanding look, " You see, I can't leave witnesses behind so you're coming with me. "
"Why on earth would we do that?" Lizzie countered, her eyes narrowing into thin slits as the two headed snake hissed.
Dr. Horrible then proceeded to aim a small lethal looking gun that honestly did nothing at the two. "Or I'll vaporize you instead. "
"...fine. " they had no choice but to follow this villain, Lizzie knew that. But she couldn't help feel something inside lash out, wanting to fight.
Lucy must have sensed her inner struggle as she held tightly to Lizzie's cold hand during the frustrating trek to their new prison. Billy kept the harmless gun pointed at them all the way to his apartment.