Chapter 2: The Black Rose Initiative

It was a cool September morning when a black car pulled up in front of Smith's Grove Sanitarium. After a few minutes of sitting idly in the car, the two passengers it held left their vehicle and walked side by side toward the entrance.

"Do you think they'll cooperate?" One of them, a woman wearing a black suit dress with red buttons and high heels, asked the other.

"Whether or not they do doesn't matter." Her partner, a man with a black suit and fedora with a red ring around it, answered gruffly. "We'll get the subjects one way or another."

"Right." The woman agreed as they entered the building. The receptionist was quick to notice the duo as they approached her and greeted them accordingly.

"Hello. May I help you?" She asked in the friendliest voice she could muster.

"We would like to speak to the Head Doctor of this facility." The man requested in an almost inhuman voice. This sent shivers down the receptionist's spine but she ignored this and pressed the buzzer to her left. "Dr. White? There are some visitors here to see you."

"Very well. Send them to my office." A male voice replied. Then the device clicked off again.

"His office is the last door down the hallway to your left." The receptionist answered. "Is there anything else I could do...for ...you..?" As she was speaking, the newcomers began marching toward Dr. White's office. She trailed off as she watched them vanish down the hall. Once she was sure they were out of earshot, she scoffed and flipped them off before going back to her game of Solitaire. "Fuck you too then." She muttered under her breath.

Once the duo reached the door, the man pounded on it exactly three times as hard as he could. "Knock on wood." He muttered with a semblance of a smirk on his face. From underneath her black sunglasses, the woman rolled her eyes as a voice from behind the door spoke. "Come in." The man opened the door and stood aside as the woman entered before following her into the office.

It was a fairly big room with a maroon paint job that had been completed not but four months ago. At the yellow-brownish desk sat a heavy-set man in a white overcoat smoking a cigar. Before the desk were two chairs which the pair quickly took advantage of and waited in as the man finished with his puff and began speaking.

"I'm Dr. White." He wheezed. "I may not look it but I'm the Head Doctor around these parts."

"I can't say I know of many doctors who smoke." The woman responded flatly.

"Trust me, lady. If you had any idea what kind of monsters we have to house in this joint, you'd be begging for a cigar to take the edge off."

"Monsters huh?" The man spoke. "Such as Michael Audrey Myers?"

Dr. White suddenly sputtered as he had just placed his lips on the cigar for another puff when the man spoke the name of the most feared inmate of Smith Grove's. He coughed up a messy ball of phlegm blackened with the tobacco he'd been sucking on for the past few hours and quickly grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk. Neither the man nor woman showed the slightest bit of disgust or amusement on their faces. Once he had recomposed himself and wiped the last bit of drool from his mouth, Dr. White dropped the messy tissue into the trash can at his feet and cleared his throat. "Please forgive that...unpleasant display. It's been a little more than a year since we incarnated that monster here and none of us are still used to the idea."

"You dislike having to hold him." The woman stated more than she inquired but Dr. White answered all the same.

"Of course! What sane person wouldn't be? That man. no, that thing has killed more people than Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy combined! You might as well be asking us to keep a nuclear bomb in this place."

"I see." The man rubbed his chin as if to think and then continued. "Dr. White, what would you say if we offered to take Michael off your hands."

One of Dr. White's bushy eyebrows rose an inch. "What are you talking about? Taking him off my hands? What for? Who are you people?"

"We work for another sanitarium stationed in Texas." The woman explained. "The Black Rose Sanitarium."

"Our Head Doctor is currently conducting a rather ambitious series of experiments concerning human psychology with people like Michael. It's her hope that, with these experiments and the right subjects, she can finally unlock the secrets behind why humans turn into serial killers."

"And by the right subjects, you mean Myers?" Dr. White asked Both the man and woman nodded but he didn't notice this and he turned away from them in a huff. "Forget it! I can't in my good conscience turn Michael over to someone else, especially someone who has no idea what they're in for." He turned back to the duo. "Michael isn't just another whackjob who stabs women because Mommy brought a friend over who wasn't Daddy one night. We are talking about pure evil made into a man! Oh, Doctor Loomis tried to warn us but nobody would listen to him! Oh, how Loomis tried to warn us God rest his soul!"

The man and woman looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Mr. White. "Believe me." The woman spoke. "We understand the danger involved in dealing with Michael Myers. That's precisely why the Head Doctor needs him for her experiments."

"If we can find out what causes Michael to be the way he is," The man continued. "We could finally uncover what makes humans evil in general. We could end the concept of criminals entirely. But we need Michael in order to try."

Dr. White put his hands to his mouth and looked down at his desk.

"These people are serious." He thought. "They really want to take Michael off our hands and bring him to their own sanitarium. Even though they know the risk involved, they still want to take him." Dr. White thought back to the incident last week when one of his employees, a shy girl named Michelle, had a panic attack just from being near Michael's cell. "It would be better for all of us, for Haddonfield itself, if Michael were gone for good. And even if he escaped their sanitarium, why it's all the way in Texas! That's quite a way from Haddonfield. Michael might never make it back home."

Dr. White choked again, suddenly realizing what a dark thought he had, wishing the Curse of Michael Myers on another town and state just so his's would be safe. He pondered if this was simply out of his own fear of Michael or if somehow, Michael's evil was starting to rub off on him after being in such close vicinity for so long. Either way, the answer became clear to him.

"Very well." He said. "But I don't want you bringing him back once you're through with your experiments."

"Of course not." The man promised. "We intend to keep him locked up at Black Rose until he's nothing but a bag of bones."

"Of course, your sanitarium will be receiving a generous donation as thanks for your cooperation." The woman added.

"I see." Dr. White muttered, money being the furthest thing from his mind right now. In truth, he'd be happy to take a penny and a used piece of chewing gum for Michael's transfer. That's how badly he wanted Michael out of here and he knew he shared that exact same sentiment with not just the staff of Smith's Grove but with all of Haddonfield. At the same time, he was tortured at the thought of innocent people dying far away from here because he had let Michael go. He pushed those feelings aside, deciding that the safety of his own people was more important. "Just promise you won't let him escape."

"Don't worry," The woman promised through a fake-looking smile. "We won't."


I'm sorry." Warden Marcus responded with the most quizzical look on his face. "Can you repeat that for me?"

"Very well." The woman said. "We wish to relive your penitentiary of the inmate you call Fredrick Charles Krueger.

"You can't be serious," Marcus replied.

"We are more than willing to pay you." The man interjected as Marcus waved his hands.

"Money's not the issue here." The Warden of Springwood Penitentiary argued. "The issue is that this son of a bitch has been killing the youth of Springwood for almost 30 years. Why on God's green earth would you want someone like that?"

"It's simple really." The woman replied. "We're with the Black Rose Sanitarium back in Texas and our Head Doctor is currently conducting experiments in human psychology that would benefit from people like Krueger."

"Just what kind of experiment is your Head Doctor planning?" Marcus asked, feeling a lump of ice form in his throat with each passing second.

"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to discuss that." The man answered. "What we can tell you is that the experiment will go a long way in preventing the creation of monsters like Krueger and as a result, will save many innocent lives."

Marcus sighed heavily and sat back at his desk. He contemplated what his visitors had told him for a moment before continuing. "On one hand, I do see your point and in any other situation, I'd be on board with a project like this in a heartbeat, believe me."

"And on the other hand?" The woman inquired with an air of impatience in her voice.

"On the other hand, this is Freddy Krueger we're talking about. Freddy Fucking Krueger! This man has taken more lives both in life and apparently in death than we can even count. And a lot of them were teens! Children! Think about that! All those hopes and dreams for the future destroyed by a monster who ain't good for nothing but killing."

"And your point is?" The man interrupted, prompting the man to slam his fist on his desk.

"The point is that every man and woman in this town, with children or without, wanna see this son of a bitch pay for what he did! Now look, we might be having a difficult time sorting everything out because of this supernatural dream demon bullshit but as God as my witness, we will sort it out and when we do, the whole town will want to see the life leave that bastard's eyes for good. I know I do and as much as I want to help prevent more monsters like Freddy from appearing, it's not fair for you to ask me to deprive Springwood of the justice it deserves!"

Warden Marcus gasped as he finished his speech and took long breaths as the man and woman watched emotionlessly. Once he stopped heaving and looked as if he was ready to speak again. The woman spoke up.

"I can completely understand your sentiment as well as that of the town's. But let me ask you this. How do you know you aren't just sending more of Springfield's youths to their deaths?"

Marcus's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Part of the reason our Head Doctor is so interested in Freddy is because of the unusual nature of his apprehension. Until last year, all rumors of him haunting the dreams of your town's youth were just that, rumors. Myths. Legends. But now he stands as living proof that dreams are so much more than random thoughts our sleeping minds have. That they're a gateway to a different plane of reality. A reality, need I remind you, that Freddy's soul has been living in since his original death."

Now it was Marcus's turn to interrupt. "Just what are you getting at?"

"How do you know Freddy's soul won't just return right back to the Dream Realm after you kill him again?" The woman asked roughly. "How do you know by frying him up in that electric chair, you're not just freeing him to continue his slaughter of innocent children?"

Marcus's lips trembled as he process the woman's words in his head. He gripped his temples and lower his face toward the desk. "Dear God she's right." He thought. "What if he returns to the Dream Realm and comes after our children? After my Emilia?" Horror seized the warden's entire body as the thought of his 6-six year pride and joy being eviscerated in her dreams by the Springwood Slasher and him being responsible for it smashed through his mind like a bullet train. He almost jumped when the man spoke up.

"If you surrender Krueger to us, not only will we be able to unlock the secrets of what makes a maniac a maniac, we'd also be able to uncover how Krueger's connection with the Dream Realm works and more importantly, how to sever it for good. Give him to us and I promise he will pay for what he's done." There was a hint of serenity in the man's voice that served to comfort Marcus, at least enough to push the thoughts of his daughter out of his mind. While he still had his reservations, he came to the conclusion that this was the best thing for Springwood and so said: "Alright. You can have Krueger on one condition."

From behind his glasses, the man raised an eyebrow "Oh, and what's that?"

"Make sure you record him when he croaks." Marcus smiled coldly. "I want to make sure we have definitive proof that the Springwood Slasher is dead and gone."

The man returned an equally cold smile as he shook the warden's hand. "Very well. You have a deal."


"Y-You can't be serious!" Sarah protested as she and Dr. Crowler stood with their back to a giant steel door. Behind this door, Subject 13-4, also known as Jason Voorhees, lay in a dormant state, awaiting the next experiment when and if it ever came. Standing before the scientist, dressed up in his military uniform, was the man who up till now had been funding the experiments, General Marx.

"I'm afraid I am." He snorted. "You eggheads have had your fun playing doctor with Mr. Voorhees for long enough. Now it's my turn."

"You can't!" Dr. Crowler snapped. "Not yet! We're nowhere close to completing our research on his regeneration. We still need to perform more tests!"

"Oh believe me! They'll be plenty of tests for Mr. Voorhees back at base." Marx laughed. "And we'll be putting the results to good use."

"You mean for war." There was venom in Sarah's voice but Marx simply scoffed.

"No. I mean for the hottest toys for children come Christmas time. Of course for war! Just think about it! Armies of unkillable soldiers at our disposal! No country in the world would be able to stand against us! Can you imagine a world like that?"

"I'd rather imagine a world where people no longer have to watch helplessly as their loved ones die from cancer and other horrible diseases." Sarah retorted. "That's the world you're trying to steal from the American people by taking Voorhees away!"

Marx once again scoffed. "What good is a cancer-free America if it's run by the terrorist! I'm the one calling the shots here and I say Voorhees comes with me!"

"No!" Sarah barked as Crowler held her back.

"Are we interrupting?" A voice spoke out from the hallway to his right. The scientist and general turned their heads and watched as a man and woman dressed in black and red approached them.

"Who are you?" Marx asked. "How did you get in here?"

"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to say." The man responded. "In any case, that's not important. What is important is what we're offering."

"And that is?" Crowler asked with uncertainty in his voice as he tried to theorize how these two managed to break into his high-security lab and failed miserably.

"$100,000,000 for both your lab and your military." The woman responded pointing to the scientist first and then to the general as she spoke. "If you turn Jason Voorhees over to us."

"What!?" Sarah gasped. "Y-You must be joking! You can't possibly have that kind of money."

"And in any case," Marx repeated as he shoved the scientist aside and marched toward the newcomers. "Where do you get off thinking you can bribe a general of the U.S army?"

"You're mistaken." The woman spoke calmly. "We're not trying to bribe you. We simply represent a facility that hopes to experiment with Mr. Voorhees for the good of mankind, much like you two were doing."

Dr. Crowler and Sarah looked at each other before the former spoke. "Does your experiment concern his regeneration?"

"That is a topic of interest. There's no denying that," The man confirmed. "But mostly, it's a psychological experiment meant to discover why people do what...will...what Voorhees has been doing for the past 40 years."

"You mean killing people," Sarah spoke sadly.

The woman nodded. "Surely, you can see the merit in such an experiment. With your help, we can prevent the emergence of serial killers in future generations. So what do you say?"

The scientist turned to each other in the hopes of talking it out but General Marx already had his answer.

"Sorry young lady, but that undead hunk of flesh is coming with me. You can fight over what remains with the other eggheads once we're done with him."

"I strongly urge you to reconsider." The man warned. "Believe me, it's in everyone's best interest that you surrender Mr. Voorhee-

Marx suddenly dealt a blow to the man's face, knocking out one of his teeth. "Now listen here, you cocky piece of shit! I am a General for the U.S Army and out of everyone in this room, I'm the only one with any real legal control over Jason Voorhees! Frankly, there shouldn't be any debate." He turned back to Crowler and Sarah. "I've been paying you to keep Jason warm for us. Don't you forget that!" He then turned back to the newcomers. "And as for you, they'll be more where that came from if you don't go on and get!" As he spoke these final words, General Marx pointed behind them toward the door.

The man and woman said nothing in response. The woman simply bent down and picked up her partner's tooth, placing it in one of the pockets of her suit dress as if it were a coin she found on the street. The man, who remained on his feet despite how hard the General had punched him, turned back to him and rubbed his cheek. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the man sighed as he reached into his pocket, "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way then."

Marx's brows furrowed as he watched the man dig through his pocket. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't take bri-

It happened within the span of a single second and before the General could comprehend what had just happened, he found himself staring at the man's right hand which now held what looked like a sharp blade. The weapon was dripping blood onto the floor in droplets and it was upon seeing it that Marx suddenly realized his throat hurt. He clutched it, feeling a warm wet sensation flatten against the palm of his hand. He began to gasp for air but was unable to take in any as he fell to the floor, his head landing in the puddle formed by the blade. He looked up at the man who watched on emotionlessly and gripped the leg of his pants. The man responded with a single stomp on his arm with the free leg, giving General Marx the final sensation of pain he would feel in this life as it drained away from his neck.

Sarah, who had watched the whole sequence unfold in silent horror, let out an ear-piercing scream. This scream was cut short by the sound of a gunshot and the newly-formed hole in her forehead as she fall back against the steel door and slid down into a sitting position. Crowler looked down at his deceased partner and back at the woman standing before them. She gave him only enough time to see the gun in her hand and let out a fretful yelp before she ended his life as well, this bullet ripping through his chest and heart and sending him falling over his assistant.

"Great." The man whined as he examined his suit. "I think I got blood on my best suit again."

"That's why you should invest in a gun license." The woman taunted in a sing-songy voice.

"No thanks." The man replied. "I hate that loud noise they make. You know that." He slipped the blade back into his pocket and the woman followed suit and lifted the hem of her dress to place the gun back in its hidden holster. As soon as she fix the hem back into place, the man's phone started ringing and he quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Did you secure The Juggernaut?" A somewhat raspy female voice asked on the other end.

"Yes." The man responded flatly as he looked down at the General's corpse and gave it a small kick. "Although you will have to send the clean-up crew here. Things got a little messy."

"They'll be there soon." The voice promised. "As well as the transport. Will you have the Juggernaut ready to go by then?"

"Yeah." The man said as he and the woman stared at the door that separated them from the single deadliest serial killer in history. "I think we will."