Zombies in Chicago!

Disclaimer: "From hell's heart, I stab at thee." - Captain Ahab, Moby Dick

Chapter 7: Run For It!

Location Unknown

A woman sat in what appeared to be a throne in an underground bunker. Her long green hair fell over one eye as she contemplated.

She was Madame Hydra, the leader of HYDRA, the mysterious terrorist organization, known for their slogan: "Cut off one head, and two more shall grow in its place", referring to its mythical namesake. Madame Hydra was one of the most single dangerous women on Earth. Her ruthlessness and nihilism made her a dangerous foe, knowledge that was possessed by Nick Fury and Captain America.

Among her many talents was a one for escaping death. Madame Hydra's green-tinted lips formed a smirk as she remembered her encounter with X-23, the Hydra-created clone of Wolverine. X-23 had believed that Madame Hydra had died that day. However, the young clone had no idea of the truth. Madame Hydra had managed to escape.

Ever since then, she laid low. She wanted to give the clone, whom Madame Hydra considered her property, a false sense of security. She wanted to give X-23 the feeling that she was free. Madame Hydra smirked at the thought of being able to take away that feeling from X-23, or as she was now called...Athena.

It took a lot of work, but HYDRA managed to learn where she was. The clone now lived in Malibu, under the care of a West Coast-based contingent of GI Joe. She was now a member of their group of mutant wards known as the West Coast Misfits.

The clone had found herself a life and a family. Madame Hydra relished the idea of taking all of it away from her. The Joes made a huge mistake when they took the clone in and made her one of their own. She would get back HYDRA's property, and she had just the weapon.

"Is the weapon ready?" She asked an agent. The agent nodded.

"She is." The agent answered. "But if I may, Madame Hydra..."

"Go ahead..." The green-haired woman answered.

"...Why are you creating a clone of him? Why not just use the donor himself?" The agent inquired. Madame Hydra smirked.

"Because the donor is unpredictable. We don't know what he'll do. Besides, he wants Wolverine, not the clone." Madame Hydra answered. "But our new weapon will want her." She then laughed. "Besides, I find it rather humorous that a clone of Wolverine be captured by a clone of Sabertooth, don't you agree?" The agent nodded.

"Yes, Madame Hydra." He bowed and walked away. This is a bad comic book plot in the making...

Another agent ran in.

"She escaped!"

Bayville Mall

"WAHHHHHHHHH!" A group of members of the Friends of Humanity screamed as they ran through the mall.

"This is insane! We're supposed to be fighting the mutants, not running from them!" One member yelled.

"Dude, I think only the lead nut is a mutant! The rest must all be drinking buddies or something!" Another countered.

"Oh, God! Somebody save us!" A third screamed.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Beast roared as he charged into the mall, his fellow Spartans behind him. "ONWARD, SPARTANS! WE HAVE THOSE PERSIAN DOGS ON THE RUN!"

"Somebody tell him we're not Persians! SOMEBODY TELL HIM WE'RE PERSIAAAAANS!" An FoH member screamed. A short while later, the X-Van drove up to the mall.

"Jean, tell me why you can't just knock him out with a psi-blast?" Scott Summers sighed as he pulled up to the mall, clad in his Cyclops costume.

"I don't feel comfortable psi-blasting a teacher, Scott." Jean sighed, clad in her black-and-neon green costume. "Besides, the Beast's mind is so chaotic that I can't seem to get a mind of him."

"It can't be that hard, Jean." Scott frowned. "Just find the mind that has the visions of dead Persians."

"Cute, Scott. Real cute." Jean rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying." Scott shrugged.

The S-Mart in Chicago

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Raven yelled as she, Trouble, and Ash raced towards the Native American Joe pilot's pick-up truck. "Get in!" She ushered Eric and Ash inside. The powerhouse mutant leapt back into the passenger seat, Ash found himself in the back seat, and he noticed Lisa duct-taped up.

"Uh..."

"She's insane. We'll explain later!" Raven told the dark-haired man. Ash looked over at Lisa.

"Hi!" The red-haired pyrokinetic grinned sweetly. "I'm Lisa. I burn things."

"Huh." Ash blinked. "And they say I'm crazy."

"Let's get out of here!" Eric yelled. "Those things are coming!" He heard a clinking. The young drummer turned around and saw that Raven held out the swear jar. "You're kidding me."

"You cursed when you busted us out of the store." Raven explained nonchalantly.

"NOW?!" Eric yelled. "Aw, come on Raven! Do you see outside?!"

"I ain't going until you put some change in the jar." Raven told the super-strong invulnerable drummer.

"And they say I am nuts." Ash shook his head.

"Hey, those zombie people are coming here." Lisa noticed. "Can I give them some chips?"

"For the love of-!" Trouble grumbled as he rummaged in his pockets. "Here!" The growling Eric threw some change in. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Good boy." Raven grinned as she started up the truck.

"I hate you." Eric grumbled. The pick-up truck raced out of the lot and zipped away.

"Where are we going?!" Ash exclaimed.

"WHEEEEEEEE!" Lisa whooped in excitement.

"We're going to the firehouse!" Raven answered.

"The firehouse?! What makes you think firemen can stop these things?!" Ash blinked.

"This firehouse was abandoned." Raven explained. "It's the home of the Southside Misfits."

"Southside Misfits?" Ash blinked. "Okay, I've heard of the East and West Coast guys...I've heard of the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, but never the Southside Misfits."

"We're...unofficial." Eric explained.

"I like setting fires." Lisa grinned.

"Fine, toots. Just don't be anywhere near me when you do it." Ash told the redhead pyrokinetic.

THUNK!

A Deadite leapt on the pickup truck's hood, and it snarled at them through the windshield.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" The truck's occupants screamed.

"Get off our damn truck, you decaying dimwit!" Raven yelled, activating the truck's windshield wipers.

"I'm gonna eat your brains, you agh!" The wipers whapped the Deadite in the face repeatedly.

"Here!" Ash handed a shotgun to Eric. "Blast him off!"

"Nah. That ain't my thing. I like beatin'." Eric smirked. He leaned out the truck and bashed the Deadite's head in with the butt of the rifle. The windshield wipers took care of the rest. Without the Deadite struggling, and with Eric's aid by pushing on the Deadite's body with the shotgun, the wipers removed the Deadite's body.

"Thank you, Eric." Raven sighed as the drummer leaned back into the cab of the truck.

"Ya should've blast 'im, kid." Ash admonished.

"I wanted to set him on fire." Lisa pouted. "And can you get this duct tape off of me? It's itchy."

"Not till we get home, Lisa." Raven answered.

"Is everyone on your team like this?" Ash winced, jerking his thumb at Lisa.

"Not really." Raven shrugged. "How's your hand?"

"Fine, considering that it was a prosthetic that that Alzared freak blasted." Ash grumbled. "I made that hand in medieval England."

"What's an Alzared?" Lisa blinked. "Is that a new medicine? Everybody always said I needed Ritalin."

"Abdul Alhazred." Raven explained. "Some guy who claims to have something called an Army of Darkness."

"That...sounds like a movie." Lisa blinked.

"Story of my life." Ash grunted.

"What happened to your hand?" The redhead blinked at the supermarket worker. Ash blinked.

"It got blasted."

"Oh." Lisa nodded. "Johnny B can fix it. Johnny B can fix anything!"

"Who's Johnny B?" Ash blinked.

"You mean you never heard of us?" Eric blinked. "We're on the news, man!"

"I don't watch the news." Ash answered. "I watch TV to be entertained. And as I said, I never heard of the Southside Misfits before."

"It's...a long story." Raven explained.

"How hard can it be?" Eric scowled. "You a Joe!"

"Joe?" Ash blinked. "Wait, you one of those GI Joe guys?"

"...yes." Raven sighed. Ash laughed.

"Oh, I heard about you guys. I think we're in for one helluva night, then."

Well, well, well! Looks like the team-up may go without a hitch? Can Johnny B fix Ash's hand? Can our heroes stop the Army of Darkness? What is Madame Hydra up to? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!