Kent Paranormal
Episode 4: The Return of Steven
I'm a Cowboy
On a Steel Horse I ride
I'm wanted
Dead or Alive –Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
It was 2 am Saturday Morning at Kent State. Bitter cold winds blew through the night sending snow off into the peripherals of campus, crevices where only the black squirrel would venture. The elevator made a dull whirr as it opened on the steps of Kent Hall, stepping out was a pale man with long brown hair and a woman dressed in a uniform suited to Japanese school girls. The man was wearing a long red robe than now in the harsh fluorescent street lamps looked as if it was being dusted by some mythical fairy queen, he was the stuff of legend, The Crimson King. He walked down the steps and drew his robe closer to him, he hadn't been cold in a while although winter was his preferred season over summer or spring; the warmth reminded him of hell. Yuki looked at The Crimson King his eyes bright blue and shinning in the darkness, "What do we do now?" she said, The Crimson King smirked, a pair of gleaming fangs augmented his smile. "Yuki my beloved," he said, "Had we had the time I would ravish you right here in the snow. We have bigger things to focus on though, destruction, pestilence, and most of all death itself." he said and then smelled the scent of Gillette body wash and Axe Fever. Spinning around he saw Jasper and Emmett walking towards him and getting down on one knee. "My liege, you have returned!" Jasper said searching for Edward's presence and finding him missing. "My brother, Edward, have you seen him?" Emmett said he said, The Crimson King smirked, "I do fear that your brother will be in dispose for a spell. Never fear though, he shall return." he said remembering bursting the vampire's heart with his powers. Jasper got up, "The rest of us are waiting for you my lord, please follow Me." he said, and The Crimson King followed, and tried not to breathe through his nose. He could smell that these two were just like Edward, peons and nothing more. The rest of their ilk would be the same way and they would need to be removed. His work was never done.
The bodies of security guards lined the walls of the Kent Paranormal Society's underground headquarters, their heads either now splattered against the wall or laying in their hands. Tilden Ryan and the others walked down the hall to the elevator where Lance was kneeling, his sobs echoing the in the vast space like a choir. "Lance, it's going to be okay, we'll get him back." Tilden said rubbing Lance's back and as Kagura helped him to his feet. Stein needed a cigarette, bad. Being discovered in a Vienna Austria medical school in 1859 as a project by two grad students, Stein was a mix of parts from different cadavers they would exhume during their classes. He had no parts of criminals to speak of but he did possess an unlikely electroknetic ability one that was greatly exaggerated when Soul Eater was released in Japan. Neither anyone in the anime world, nor the otaku fan base of Soul Eater Knew, Stein was a real person that happened to be sitting next to the Manga's creator on a park bench feeding birds stale bread. He also had a penchant for Marlboros. The red hard pack was preferred and he used to smoke them all the time. Being a long time smoker Stein, had not once developed symptoms of any sort of diseases associated with smoking, and as the others gathered around Agent James he pulled a cig out of his pocket and prepared to light up. It was when he saw his BIC flame go out he knew he wasn't alone. "Do ya mind, I don't want to get fucking lung cancer here!" Steven said, Lance turned around, "Steve? Steve, where are you?" he said, "Next to Stein, Lance, sorry this is the only form I can take once I am separated from myself." Steven said, Stein looked, and saw nothing but air and poked it, in the eye. "Ow, fuck man, that's my goddamn eye there screw head." Steven said. Stein shook his head, "Inconceivable! Agent Shroyer, we thought you were the," Steven finished his sentence "Crimson King? Yeah I know it looks that way but I was able to separate myself from him. Of course it was Matt's fault." Dr Pleasance looked at the invisible agent. "Agent Shroyer what are you trying to say?" He said Steven continued, "Before Yuki drained the last ounce of blood from my body I had a vision. Matt and I were standing on a cliff overlooking the Smoky Mountains National Park where our dad would take us on Vacation. He said I could fuse with him or die. I chose death. Then he pushed me off and here we are. Quite simple really, I mean would you want to fuse with that psycho?" Stein Clapped his hands "Agent Shroyer I believe we have something in the lab for you. Something we have been saving for a special moment, and I think this qualifies!" He said and ran towards the lab with the others keeping in step; Steven didn't know if he would even like what he saw. "They could turn me into a walking suit of armor like Al Elric from Full Metal Alchemist! Oh well, that's life" He said and smirked kicking a severed head into an overturned waste basket. "GOOOOOOALLLLLLL" Steven said mimicking a Mexican Soccer announcer; it was good to be back.
"My brethren, our lord has returned to lead us into a new age!" Jasper shouted all around there were signs, "BUS supports the New World" one read, "Kent Has 'Pride' in our King "said another. Of course these groups were not really there for the Crimson King, all were organizations to make life for minorities better on campus and it just so happened some of their members were vampires. Black United Students and Pride, Kent would not have supported such and evil man. The ones with signs were not reps for the whole group. That being said none had any clue what would happen next. "Please rise for your lord and savior The Crimson," Jasper stopped and clutched his chest; his heart was in immense pain. Soon he began to cough up blood and then collapsed, his heart just burst. Emmett was already on the ground killed just as Jasper walked on stage the King stood at the podium and looked at the throng. "I am afraid I have some good news and bad news," The Crimson King spoke, " The good news is I love you all, the bad news is that in actuality I hate every single one of your wretched maggot filled guts! You are nothing but peons. You are Worthless in my new world, useless as the religions on this planet, as the air, as the sky in this forsaken globe!" The Crimson King waved his hand over the auditorium, and clenched his fist. The crowd moaned in pain and agony, one was heard shouting, "Father, father, why hast thou forsaken me?" The Crimson King smiled and remembered a Jewish carpenter who tried to fight him and ended up saying those words just as he lost the battle. Then the bodies collapsed in a heap, the smell of blood was in the air. Walking across the corpses like a flesh, pulp filled carpet, The Crimson King smiled, "Why did you do that? I thought that they were your followers?" Yuki said. The Crimson King stopped long enough at the door to look at Yuki. "My beloved, they were useless, they wanted me for their own personal gain. If they truly believed in me they would have remade this world days ago. I would be sitting on a throne not preaching from a pulpit like a despot. Come, we must make haste to my castle." Yuki looked at him, "But you don't have a castle here?" She said The Crimson King laughed, "Yuki my beloved, I am the Crimson King, I can do anything!" He said and walked towards the library. Yuki was starting to hate the new Steven.
"About seven years ago I was called upon to work on a secret government project code named 'Lazarus'. The goal was simple; resurrect soldiers who were fighting in combat into an indestructible body to keep casualties low and victory closer." Stein said. Lance looked at him, "What happened?" Stein continued, "Before we could test the project President Bush got wind of it and said it was witchcraft and pulled our funding before combat." Steven spoke, "Now you know why I voted for Obama!" and watched as Stein punched in keys that sounded like the opening of "Funkytown" Inside stood a singular pound of silver. "Mercury, you're going to encase me in Mercury?" Steven said. Stein shook his head, "Not Mercury, Agent Shroyer, Adamantium, this is one-hundred percent pure weapons grade Adamantium, I also have filtered your blood beforehand to combine more Adamantium into a skin for your body." Stein said. "So basically you're turning me into Cyber with fake skin?" Steven said Stein was puzzled, "Who?" Lance spoke, "Cyber is a villain from X-men, and he rarely appears anymore." Stein shrugged. "All we need you to do is touch this blob and you'll have a new body, we'll apply the skin after." Stein said Steven reached out and touched the blob; it was cold, ice cold. He could feel it cover his body. The Team watched as a silver brain and nervous system formed, then a heart and circulatory system. Silver muscle and tendon formed over silver bone and soon a silver skin formed over Agent Shroyer. He looked like the 'Silver Surfer" with hair. "Stein then ushered Agent Shroyer into a pod and pushed a red button. A mist of flesh colored liquid that was part skin cell part Adamantium covered his body later forming the whites of his eyes. Steven stepped out and looked at himself in the mirror. "Well Agent Shroyer, what do you think?" Stein said. Steven smirked. "Groovy!" he said and pulled one of his kimonos off a chair.
The Crimson King stood in front of the fountain at Risman Plaza and began waving his hands, soon the stone structure began to disassemble and break into smaller pieces, those pieces began to form around the library making turrets and arches. Soon more stone rose up from under the library, a small drawbridge appeared with two beasts with tentacles and glowing slits for eyes standing guard. "Ah Brick and Brack my two favorite guards, long days and pleasant nights my two favorite old ones." The Crimson King said, The Cthulhu spoke back their voices sounding as if they were gargling water, "And may you have twice the number my lord, welcome back!" The Crimson King turned to Brick, "I can smell that it is Cthulhu mating season is it not? Hast ye found a mate? Brick shook his head, "The Mortal Realm has many options but none for the ancient old ones." The Crimson King pulled out and address from his pocket, "Here my friend, have yourself some fun!" Looking at the address the Cthulhu gurgled and walked toward the Tri-Towers. "Send me some pictures!" Brack said and lowered the gate for the Crimson King. Walking inside he saw his royal court had arrived from the dark realm, his assistants Kuchiki and Bacchi-Gu bowed to him and walking to his office he heard his phone ring. "Yes?" The Crimson King said. "Hello Asshole!" Steven said, "I thought you were gone from here, just a specter?" The Crimson King hissed, "Nope," Steven said, "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you won this time; the bad news is I am going to kick your ass up and down this campus until you give me my body back. I have my team ready and they will attack if you try anything stupid, like what you're doing now! Come here!" Steven said and The King heard Brick Gurgle on the phone, "Please, please doesn't kill the Cthulhu! He just wants to mate, wants to reproduce!" The Crimson King bolted up, "Don't even think about it!" he shouted, "Are you going to give me back my body?" Steven said, The Crimson King stammered. "Yes or no CK it's a simple question, your friend's life is on the line. You have three seconds, one, two," Steven shouted The King caught himself, "Never!" He hissed the sound of a katana slicing through slimy skin and an ear piercing shriek filled the phone. "Wrong answer King, sleep with one eye open, you're next." Steven said and walked towards Kent Hall. He put on his headphones, and turned on AC/DC's "Back in Black" and banged on his chest, listening to the metal clang. "Great to be back!" he said.
TBC