Beep-beep-beep-beep…
Mad Dawg groaned as he pulled himself up. His head felt heavy and his body felt exhausted. He didn't know why. He had slept well in the makeshift hammock he had made for himself in the supply closet. When he looked around, he would groggily see that the supply closet had been traded out for some sort of operating theater. What… what just happened? Turning about, he felt terror grab his spine and snap it like a twig. He saw lab equipment, computers, tables… everything he had seen when he was made… everything Talon used to create him, mutate him, and mutilate him…
"Ffffuuuuuuu…" Mad Dawg moaned, his body feeling weak. He growled and scratched at his arms, focusing his mind on the pain. It was a harmful habit, and not one he liked. But in emergencies, it was great for pulling his mind back to what mattered. And right now, survival was what mattered. "Wait… where am I…?"
Looking around, Mad Dawg felt his heart rate slow as he took in the derelict lab. This most definitely wasn't Talon, the tech was too… steam-punky, for lack of a better term. Everything Talon had was either chrome, sleek, or covered in blood. The technology here seemed older, outdared, broken… That meant he was in a lab from this world. Okay.
"What does THAT mean?" Mad Dawg asked aloud.
Skitter
Whirling around, Mad Dawg saw… nothing. Normally, this would be followed up by a joke or fourth-wall break, but Dawg didn't feel like that right now… He wasn't sure if he was being watched, stalked, or just going crazy. Tentatively, Dawg began to walk towards the worn-out and smashed computers in a corner, deciding to try and remain out of sight for the time being. He reached for his messenger bag… but it wasn't there.
"Crap." Mad Dawg mentally cursed. That meant he was rolling solo, and without weapons, aside from the one inside him, but that just seemed like a bad idea. Once he was at the wall of computers, Mad Dawg froze, hearing something skitter about once more. He held his breath and tried to focus like Genji had taught him, trying to hone in on even the smallest sound, the slightest shift in the air… but nothing.
"Think rationally." Dawg ordered himself, having to do something he wasn't the biggest fan of. "This place seems abandoned, there's most likely no way anyone's still here… so, that means it's either a hobo, or rodent infestation. Wait. Is that… no, no. Focus. Contemplate being cancelled on social media for inadvertently saying something offensive later…"
Deeper into the darkness Dawg descended, the light gradually growing fainter and fainter, until the inky-black surroundings swallowed Dawg whole. He didn't have some sort of super-vision that would kick in and allow him to see in the dark, so really, he was taking it slowly and cautiously. Even after everything he had been through… Dawg would be lying if he said he wasn't kinda scared. Hospitals and laboratories always had a bad stigma with him, and he knew the former was a place where lives were routinely saved… he had nearly lost his in them before. As for the latter? Husks. That was all he needed to say.
"Walls are concrete, floor is marble…" Mad Dawg began listing off small details he was picking up, his bare feet touching the floor and making a very faint sound as he walked. This may seem pointless, but right now, keeping one's mind as clear as possible was what mattered most. As he kept walking, Dawg felt the smooth stone suddenly dip jaggedly inwards. "Wait… what did this?"
Stopping, Dawg inspected the wall as best as he could with his limited vision. These were scratch marks, clearly some sort of blade, perhaps… blade-claws? It was similar to his Beast form claws, but that didn't add up. If he was having a nightmare about his Beast form, why would it be waiting and drawing this out? Was it trying to frighten him and take control of his body? If so, why?! When had that ever been an option for him?! Another inhuman screech and skittering sound echoed around him, and Mad Dawg's breath quickened.
Truth be told, Mad Dawg didn't mind being alone, and he didn't mind being in dangerous situations, but he didn't like feeling, well, naked was the wrong term, but having nothing to defend or fight back with was an issue. It was…
"SkReEAaACHH-!"
Jumping again, Mad Dawg looked around, taking a defensive stance, ready to fight or run, depending on who, or what, was chasing him. With a loud screech, something lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. He felt something impale him- Thunk! Mad Dawg suddenly jumped awake, finding himself lying face-first on the floor. Groaning, he took several deep breaths, his heart racing as he fought to re-gain control of himself. He growled, pulling himself up. This was nothing new, nightmares and flashbacks were upsettingly part of his life, and since going to hell, and then the mess with X-Force… nightmares had become his alarm clock. Groaning, he looked around. It was only nine twenty-three? He blinked, confused, then sighed, remembering he had decided to go to bed early after finishing work. One of the staff, Minette, had asked if he wanted to unwind in the staff lounge with the others, but he had declined. He just wanted to sleep.
Frankly, he wasn't thrilled with how the day had gone, the snake-parasite being a real pain in his ass, and most likely going to continue to be one. Still, all he had to do was avoid that zombie chick, and that would sort itself out. If he didn't need to get involved, or cause an issue, then he'd be boring and not do that. Then, there was the issue of some of them suspecting he wasn't just from out of town. Thankfully, they seemed to be kind enough to not press too far into that, but understandably, they wanted to. Mad Dawg couldn't blame them, he had questions too! But was it worth swapping baleful backstories to try and dredge depressing memories from recurring further? Heck if he knew…
"That was the first one in a bit though." Mad Dawg mused, the nightmares had been slowing down a before he got here. Heck, since getting here that was the first! That was a good sign. Deciding there wasn't much to be done right now, he pulled on his hoodie and left his 'room'. The soft squish-squash of the flip-flops he had scavenged echoing lightly off the walls. The carpet pressing underneath his feet. As he wandered the well-lit halls, he listened for something, anything to do. But all he heard was the laughter coming from the staff lounge. He walked up to the door, and then paused, wondering if he wanted to go in there, but after about a minutes' deliberation, he shook his head. He returned to wandering the halls, finally finding an empty one and leaning against a wall. He cracked his jaw, deep in thought about how the flipping hecc he was going to get out of THIS world, when he heard something, or someone sniffing. This was followed by the sound of nervous whimpering. Despite his gut telling him to go back to bed (or to raid the kitchen), but another turn led to the source of this soft whimpering.
"Uh… hey…" Mad Dawg awkwardly coughed. The young, black-haired boy gasping in shock as he looked up at Mad Dawg. Clearly, he hadn't expected someone would hear him, let alone come looking! The boy tensed, and Dawg could read his mind, he was debating running, or calling for help. Mad Dawg took a step back, hands raised. "Whoa, I didn't mean anything, little dude." Keeping his voice low, Mad Dawg was going to leave well enough alone and just get outta here. But the kid finally found his voice.
"Um- m'sorry… I-I didn't mean-" He trailed off, awkwardly. Mad Dawg tried to rack his brain for the name of the boy, but he had no clue. All he knew was there was a kid named…
"Uh, Harry. Right?" Mad Dawg asked, and Harry slowly nodded. Mad Dawg gradually slid down against the wall until he was sitting on the floor, trying his best to not seem intimidating. "I'm Mad Dawg." He then realized that he blew that one because of his name.
"Mad… Dog? Are… are you angry with me?" Harry asked timidly. He seemed more confused than anything, but everything about his demeanour told Mad Dawg that he had to take this one very, very carefully. Clearly, he had a nightmare as well, which probably meant Mad Dawg was gonna be here for a bit.
"No! No… kid, I just met you." Mad Dawg laughed. Then realized how that might sound. "And I ain't angry, either, it's just a name! That's all there is to it. My friends usually noted I was pretty relaxed most of the time." He lied.
"Oh. Okay… M'sorry…" Harry mumbled, not making eye contact with him. Something about this kid- no, almost EVERYTHING about this kid seemed off. He thought back to Isabelle, Effi – okay, she was an acceptation – the Louds… sure, nightmares could make a kid scared, but something seemed broken here. Before he knew it, he had begun to talk again.
"So, what are you doing up? I kinda thought you'd be asleep." Mad Dawg asked, deciding to change the subject to something more… casual. He wasn't sure why he was talking to him, but at the same time… he could tell the kid needed some help. While the teenaged mutant didn't want to get involved in this world, he also wasn't a monster. Usually.
"Um, I'm looking for my Mama." Harry mumbled, clearly not trusting Mad Dawg enough to go into much more detail than that. "Why are you up?"
"I had a nightmare." Mad Dawg admitted, knowing the real reason Harry was awake. He was taking a gamble, but he didn't mind.
"You did?"
"Yeah."
"…you wanna talk about it?" Harry asked, timidly, and Mad Dawg had to suppress laughter. The kid's inquiry was so pure and genuine, he didn't know how to react. Mad Dawg considered it, was it a good idea to talk to a young, frightened boy about a nightmare he just had? Probably not.
"I just, well, I woke up in this abandoned place. I was all alone, and… I was scared." Mad Dawg began with a sigh, leaning against the wall with Harry sitting across from him on the other side of the hall.
"You get scared when you're alone?" Harry asked, relating to that.
"No, but I get scared if I'm alone in a new place." Mad Dawg replied with a shrug. "I travel a lot, and some nights I'll wake up and I won't be used to where I am… and then I'm afraid I'll wake up in the bad place again."
"Same…" Harry mumbled, a picture snapping into place for Mad Dawg, and it was an ugly, one. One he knew all too well. He felt anger rise up in his gut, but he kept his expression neutral.
"Yeah, it's reasonable to be afraid of that. See, in my dream, I was trapped in this building, and every door just lead back to the building. There was no escape, no way out, I didn't know what to do."
"Oh… that… that sounds scary." Harry mumbled. "H-have you ac-actually been lost like that?"
"Well, the truth is kid, I've been in that situation for real." Mad Dawg confessed. "A while ago, I was… I was being hunted by a bad man. He didn't like me because of something that happened years ago. He wanted me to be in pain, so he left me in this building, and no matter where I went, there was no way out."
"But you're here now… so how did you get out?" Harry asked, curious.
"Well, two of my friends came to help, even someone who hated me was there to help!" Mad Dawg explained. "Sometimes when there's a bad guy, there's someone even worse. That was the case of where I was trapped, we needed the good guys, and one of the bad guys to get me outta that fix."
"What happened to the bad guy?"
"…you're too young to understand everything." Mad Dawg said honestly, not wanting to recount the gruesome details of how he melted, mutilated and massacred Virus. "But the bigger bad guy was defeated, and the other bad guy… well, went back to being a bad guy." He chuckled. Deep down, he felt sorry for Gabriel. Dawg didn't know his whole story, but could tell there were a lot of bad choices.
"It's like in Annie. They had to ask Fantoccio for help one time, and after that, he ran away to try and take over the world again." Harry said, thinking about something.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but yeah." Mad Dawg nodded. The two sat in silence for a minute, Mad Dawg watching Harry and gauging his reactions. He wasn't a podiatrist (was that what they were called? Dawg didn't remember) but he could tell something was wrong with the kid. "So… what was your dream about?"
"Huh!?" Harry looked up, shocked. "I-I-I-"
"I know you didn't say you had a bad dream, but I can tell you did." Mad Dawg spoke in a calm, reassuring voice. "Look, if you don't wanna talk about it, fine. But I'm here if you want to." While he didn't know why, there was a flicker of hope, joy and thankfulness in Harry's eyes, and it made Mad Dawg feel something fierce. A wonderful, warm feeling that he couldn't put into words.
"Um- I-I'm okay…" Harry mumbled. "M-M-Mr. Dawg, um, is- is it okay if we- we keep this to ourselves?" He mumbled, clearly feeling awkward about this. "I-I-" He trailed off.
"No problem." Dawg nodded. "Just between you and I." He said with finality. Forcing himself up, Mad Dawg looked around, seeing Harry rise as well. "You gonna be okay?"
"Mmhm, I'm gonna go find my Mama." Mad Dawg was about to ask who his Mom was, but Harry had already left, moving silently, with the skill of someone who knew how to move without being seen.
"Holy s**t that kid is in a bad place." Mad Dawg thought, deflating as his eyes widened in horror. He couldn't be older than what, five?! Why was he in such dire straits?! Sure, it made sense for Mad Dawg – kinda, not really – to be in such a bad place, as he was bred and experimented on since birth! Why did this kid look like he had been treated like a slave?!
Mad Dawg had no idea how close he was with that thought…
Shaking his head, Mad Dawg decided he needed some more sleep. Thankfully, he had tomorrow off, so he could sleep in, and then sleep through the day. Maybe he'd try and talk to Harry tomorrow… or, that might make things worse.
"Knowing me, what's the difference?" He scoffed, heading back to the supply closet.
"Heeey~! He finally shows up!" Nadia laughed, looking over to see Mad Dawg flip up over the side of the building onto the roof. "I was beginnin' t'think you got cold paws and bailed on me!" She had fully expected Mad Dawg not to show, but she was more than happy that he was here!
"What? And miss THIS?" Dawg laughed. "No chance!" He laughed, then paused. "Uh, what is this anyways?"
"We're gonna race." Nadia smirked, stretching out. Mad Dawg raised a brow, and she continued. "Hey, don't act like getting on the roof is no small feat! Security cameras didn't show you going through the fire exit, so you somehow climbed up there! Am I right?"
"Yeah." Dawg shrugged.
"So, you know a thing or two about urban exploring, don't you?"
"Yeah?"
"Therefore, I wanna see which of us can get across town faster!" Nadia concluded.
"Yeah!" Mad Dawg grinned. "I'm in!"
"Awesome!" The feral fist pumped. "There's a flag on the roof of a resturaunt, you'll know it when you see it, first one there wins!" It was simple enough, the path seemed almost non-existent, but if Dawg could 'skywalk' like she thought he could (and had seen him do) then there was a path!
"Uh, I told Filia I was gonna be gone for ten minutes-" Mad Dawg coughed. He was all for skimping responsibilities for something more fun, but he kinda didn't want to make things worse with the casino. "I think I don't have time-"
"GO!" Nadia shouted, jumping off the roof. However, Mad Dawg had taken off a moment before she shouted 'Go' and had stolen the lead. Nadia was annoyed, but couldn't help but laugh. Dawg smiled, feeling the wind rush by as he landed and took off running across the next rooftop, a sort of 'Rooftop Run' one might say. She soon overtook him, using her more nimble body to her advantage.
Nadia had to admit, she was impressed! She watched Mad Dawg running along the edge of a building, only to cartwheel and then backflip off the roof, rolling backwards when he hit the next roof. Continuing with his momentum, he spun upwards and around, taking off running as if nothing had happened. Sure, she could do better, but she'd give credit where it was due! He rushed past her, launching himself forward and swung off a flag pole! Flying upwards, he grabbed a ledge pulled himself up and- wait a second, he was ahead of her!
"Oh, no you don't!" Nadia snapped, running after the teen who had taken the lead. She realized he wasn't as clueless as she had assumed. He knew how to use the environment, and he knew how to take advantage of an opportunity! But, she wasn't about to lose!
Rolling up into a spring, Mad Dawg laughed, feeling the wind rushing by him as he tumbled through the air onto the next rooftop. The adrenaline, the thrill, the uncertainty of each jump and the possibility of it to be his last… This was what he had been MISSING! When he had Toxin, he could fly about the city like it was no-one's business, but that extra risk, the knowledge that he didn't have a symbiote to back him up? That was part of the thrill to him.
Gradually, he noticed the concrete jungle he had fallen into begin to dissipate around him. The unlit neon signs and skyscrapers shrinking in size as he traveled away from what he assumed to be the heart of the city. As he ran, the overwhelming scent of fish and salt water began to fill the air. To some, it was obnoxious, but Dawg rather liked it. Be it from the sushi he ate with Don Kim, or the fact that he would use markets to keep a low profile, it felt… right. Jumping again, Mad Dawg swung off a tall lamp post, flying by a random woman on her terrace.
"Hihowareyagottagobye!" He called. The woman blinked, surprised, until a brown-and-blue-blur shot by.
"DontmindusjusthavingaraceDawgimgonnakillyouifyouwin!"
Landing and jumping off a billboard for some show called 'Annie' Mad Dawg began running along the long rooftop, seeing Nadia vaulting over chimneys and smokestacks not too far away, keeping pace with him. He waved to her like an idiot, and she waved back, missing her next jump and stumbling. Laughing victoriously, Mad Dawg ran ahead.
The stone rooftops began to change to wood and stone, and Mad Dawg looked around at the lanterns and design of what he assumed was a port town. It was incredible, he almost wanted to stop and explore this part of the city… But that was when he heard a woman scream. Skidding to a halt, Mad Dawg looked around in a panic, hearing a woman scream again and ran to the edge of he building. He looked down to see a woman backing away towards the end of an alley, while a man seemed to be approaching with a knife.
"Just gimmie the bag, and you go free." He snarled, Dawg just able to pick up on this. The woman seemed terrified, and Mad Dawg looked around for a weapon, before stopping.
Why? Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to get involved? Shaking his head, Mad Dawg turned to walk away. This wasn't his problem… he didn't want to get involved. As he walked off, the woman cried out for help again, and his guts twisted into a knot, and then it felt like they were flash-frozen.
"This. Doesn't. Concern. You." He thought, and immediately heard a voice, his voice, begin screaming at him.
"It doesn't?! Do you recall what we DID for a living back home?!"
"Yeah, and do you remember what happened when we pushed that too far?! The damage we did?!"
"What the hell happened to you, man!? You were a freakin' HERO back home! This ain't about you revealing yourself! It's about being a decent person!"
"I…"
"Right, right, right. You're not a human, are you?"
THAT was what Mad Dawg needed to hear, running back to the building's edge, ready to jump head-first off, the side and pile-drive the jerk who thought he could rob an innocent bystander… Until he saw the thug face down, beaten into submission. Some woman in an outfit that reminded Mad Dawg of the magazines Wrench thought he hid from him was standing on top of him, whip in hand. Dawg blinked, not having expected that. As he began to back up, the woman looked up and saw him. She could tell he wasn't part of this, but wouldn't pass up a chance to have some fun, and blew him a kiss. Mad Dawg kept backing away.
"Huh, backing away from a woman? Can't say I blame you after Velvet…"
"Shut up, you stupid son of a bitch."
"Er… right… Still, feels like you could've done something there…" The voice in his head kept talking.
"Shut up."
"Fine. I won't mention the edge of the building."
"The what."
Nadia watched as Mad Dawg skidded to a stop and seemed to walk away slowly, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have. She saw his mouth moving, as if he was talking to someone, but couldn't explain who or what he was talking to or about. Then, she watched as he kept walking backwards… and right off the side of the building. Realizing what was happening a moment too late, she jumped after him to try and catch him, only to see him fall. "DAWG!" She cried out in shock, watching him careen down into an open dumpster, the lid slamming shut once he landed. "Oooh…" She hissed, wincing as her body cringed, remembering a similar event to when she first took up parkour. She hoped the kid was alive, and that nothing was broken too badly. Unlike her, the kid didn't have the powers of a Life Gem. At least, that's what she assumed. She clambered down and ran over to the dumpster, opening the lid, only to see… nothing. Mad Dawg wasn't there!
"Kid?! C'mon man, this isn't funny!" Nadia said aloud, looking around in concern. She swore he landed in here! There was no possible way he hadn't! And yet- he wasn't there!
"Hey, you wanna buy a watch?" Mad Dawg asked, appearing from the garbage, opening a filthy trench coat which had several cans hanging on the inside. Nadia blinked, then snorted. "Whats? Yous thinks yer too good for pure grade garbage?"
"I- I have no idea-" Nadia sputtered, unsure how Dawg survived, and set this up so fast. "Mad Dawg, how are you-" She then realized he had jumped out of the dumpster and took off running. "HEY! THAT'S CHEATING!"
"BITE ME!" Mad Dawg laughed like a mad man, jumping and swinging up onto the fire escape, crawling up the outside of it like a sugar-rushing spider. If her pride and record weren't on the line, Nadia would've been impressed! As it was, she was just annoyed. Chasing after him, she saw the rooftop of Wu-Yan's ahead and decided to take Dawg up on his request. Ripping her head off, she threw it like a fast ball right at the mutant's back… Mad Dawg looked over his shoulder, and saw this happening… horror filled his eyes, and he acted without thinking.
"Hup!" Mad Dawg spun and jumped, catching Nadia's head like a football and landed on his back. Pushing himself up and off, he kept running… carrying Nadia's dismembered head.
"Uh, Dawg, the heck are you doing?!" Nadia's head had to ask.
"Teamwork makes the dreamwork!"
"This was a contest!"
"I can chuck you into the water then." Mad Dawg commented, positioning his arm (and her head) to slam-dunk her into the water when he jumped.
"N-no, teamwork! Teamwork!" Nadia cried out in a panic. The mutant laughed and made the final jump, landing on the roof and grabbing the flag pole, spinning around it before dropping suddenly to the roof. Breathing heavily and sweating a fair bit, Mad Dawg looked to the head in his hand.
"So… was this a draw?" He asked, tossing the head over to Nadia's body, which had caught up and scrambled up onto the rooftop. Screwing her head back on, Ms. Fortune shrugged.
"Sure, I mean, we both got here at the same time~" She said with a cheeky grin. Mad Dawg sighed, in annoyance.
"Well, great. Guess we have to race back. I refuse to accept something that isn't my own victory."
"Okay." Nadia shrugged, more than fine with that.
"Wait, no. No! I was joking!" Mad Dawg wheezed, and the feral couldn't help but laugh. "No… not today at least." He looked out over the port town, the sea salt and smell of wet wood wafting about. "So, what's this place?"
"Little Innsmouth." Ms. Fortune remarked, reclining on the roof. "I was born and raised here, a lot of ferals and dagonians live in these parts! If you're ever in the mood for sea food, you won't find a better place to get it!"
"Dragonians, like Minette?" Dawg asked.
"No, Dagonians. It's like how you go be 'Dawg' instead of 'Dog'. You'd think there'd be an 'R' in there, but there ain't." Nadia raised a paw, explaining her point. Nodding in understanding, Mad Dawg lay back and looked up at the sky.
"Hey, Ms. Fortune?"
"Yo."
"…sorry about saying you were stalking me." He confessed, awkwardly.
"Pfft! Ha! You think I was offended?! Kit, you're a joker, like me! You have any idea how happy I am to not be the only one who can make a joke?"
"Heh… yeah, I can imagine." Mad Dawg laughed himself. "Hey, what do you call a fish with no eyes?"
"Uh, a Grampa fish?"
"No, a fsh."
Nadia paused, scrunching her face for a second, trying to figure it out. A fsh? What was he- Without warning, she burst out laughing, finally cluing into the joke.
"Oh, that is BAD!" She laughed. That was such a bad joke! How had she not heard it? Mad Dawg was surprised by how funny she found it, most people hated it. Or they hated him. Or, they hated him because of that joke. Either way, he grinned. I felt good to laugh…
"…this was fun." Mad Dawg smiled, watching the clouds drift by. "I remember I used to do races like this when I was little."
"Dang, you were jumping rooftops as a kid? That's far out!" Nadia commented, impressed. Dawg scoffed, but smirked.
"Well, it wasn't rooftops right away. Sitara nearly broke Marcus' neck when she saw me jump from our roof onto the donut shop the first time. They had to take me to an indoor free running gym, and they'd train me there…"
"But let me guess, you and your old man kept sneaking out to do the REAL deal when your Mom's back was turned?"
Mad Dawg was quiet for a moment. Sitara- she wasn't his Mom. He had been through this many, many times. He really wished she was, and in many ways she had been! But, at the end of the day, she was his guardian, not his parent. Perhaps that had been his fault…
"Yeah." He nodded, deciding not to correct Nadia on this.
"I like him. I hope I can meet him at some point!"
"Yeah… me too." Mad Dawg said softly, not noticing Nadia's confused look. Subtly, she reached over, putting a hand on his arm.
"So, what can I help you two with?" Filia asked, sitting at her desk. Big Band looked to Peacock, not sure how to begin this conversation.
"Did someone crash through the roof like two days ago?" Peacock asked, bluntly. "And if he did, is he dead? We have a bet going."
Filia paled a bit, both at the question concerning Mad Dawg, and the fact they were betting on his life! Ben shot the younger girl a look that clearly said 'you weren't supposed to mention that'. Peacock shot him a look that said 'did you expect anything else?' because this was Peacock we are discussing, a dangerous sociopath with a long history of violence and being really annoying to go against online.
"Uh…"
"Well, one of you lost. He's alive." Samson spoke up, deciding to take the lead on this one. The two across from him seemed absolutely shocked. "Also, what took you two so long to get here to ask about this?"
"HOW?!"
"Eh, we got caught up with some other stuff."
"He is, that's all there is to it." Samson remarked, not giving a clear answer. Mostly because he wasn't a snitch, but also because he wasn't quite sure himself. Whatever the kid's story was, it was clear he didn't wanna tell it, so Samson wasn't about to throw him under a bus. Mostly because if the kid survived crashing through a roof, there was a good chance he could survive fighting him.
"I'm sorry, there's no possible way that someone could fall from that height through solid concrete and metal and be 'okay'!" Big Band said dismissively. "Filia, if he's dead, we need t'know! We don't want people thinking you guys are hiding dead bodies in the vents or somethin'!"
"Well, I can assure you, there aren't any corpses in these vents!" Everyone looked up to see Mad Dawg hanging part-way down from the ceiling. "Hi." Mad Dawg said, waving from the air vent in the ceiling. Filia blinked, her eyes widening in shock.
"Mad Dawg, what are you doing up there?"
"Cleaning the vents."
"How did you get up there?"
"Vents."
"Yes, but how?"
"Vents."
"…why?!"
"Vents."
"Why are you like this?!"
"Vents."
"Y'mind comin' down here?" Samson asked. Mad Dawg then dropped like a rock, landing in a weird pose as he stood up. He then noticed the other two in the room aside from Filia and blinked.
"Hey."
"Yo."
"Hi."
"…" Mad Dawg said nothing else. Perhaps attempting to establish dominance, or perhaps feeling socially awkward, or yet, perhaps simply having had a major brain fart and not sure what to say or what to make of the two newcomers. The larger of the two looked like he was some old-school detective crossed with one of those Transmorphers toys Marcus was a fan of, and the other… looked weird. Sure, Dawg wasn't one to judge – and he didn't exactly look the greatest either – but she seemed almost more cartoon than human? He didn't know how to explain it, other than she reminded him of Junkrat, and that was a good thing. Well, to him. To almost anyone else it would be a sign to stay far, far away. But to the maniacal mutant, it meant maybe making momentary movements more… uh… marketing? Look, it meant she seemed like someone Dawg would wanna hang out with. From the look on her face, she thought the same thing.
"Huh, so this little dude's the one everyone at Lab 8's been gettin' outta tune over?" The giant… robot? No, his face looked human. Cyborg? Maybe? Omnic?! No, no… that was just a robot, with a soul. Whatever this thing – No, person. Dawg kicked himself – was, he was addressing him. Mad Dawg, possibly for the first time in who knew how long, genuinely had no idea what to say. So, he just stared, awkwardly, seeming like a broken animatronic. "You trying to pull a fast one, Nadia?" He asked, looking to Ms. Fortune.
"Nope! This kid's the one who crashed through the roof the other day!" The feral smirked, having heard the crash from half-way across the casino! Sure, most did… but at the same time. Cat-hearing.
"I don't buy it." He said, flatly. "No way this kid survived that, let alone is up and running around like nothin' happened. Even if he did somehow survive that impact, every bone in his body would be shattered so much they'd be apple sauce."
"They were, I just got better." Mad Dawg commented, munching on the slice of pizza he now had. The giant looked to him, then to Nadia, then back to him.
"Sure."
"He's… not lying." Filia piped up. She didn't know how, and she knew this was probably a subject Dawg didn't wanna delve to deeply into due to personal reasons. But, she felt the need to support his claims with her acknowledgement, maybe that would convince them?
"Seriously, I heal stupidly fast." Mad Dawg said with a dismissive shrug. He looked up, sensing that whoever this was didn't believe him in the slightest, so he shrugged. "You got a gun on you?"
"No."
"Yes." The girl with him said.
"Shoot me." Mad Dawg ordered.
"Yes."
"NO!" The giant man turned on her in annoyance. "Are you outta your mind?!"
"What?! He asked me to!" Peacock whined, setting the gun down.
"I'm serious. I've been blasted apart by shotguns, stabbed and impaled with meat hooks countless times, drained of nearly all my blood, been run over by a van, broken my jaw at least three times, and got a can of spray paint suck in my-" Bang!
Everyone jumped as Mad Dawg's chest exploded, painting the wall behind him an inky-black-purple-and-red colour. His blood didn't seem normal, and- wait, why were they focusing on that!? He slumped back against the wall, letting out a rattling cough.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Nadia screamed, turning on Peacock. Yes, the girl was somewhat psychotic, but just shooting someone like that wasn't her usual M.O. Peacock, for her part, seemed equally befuddled and horrified.
"He told me to shoot him!" Peacock retorted defensively. "Also, I DIDN'T! I put the gun down and it fired!"
"Yeah, but you just shot-"
"OWWW…" Everyone snapped back to Mad Dawg, who pulled himself up and looked down at the hole in his chest. Thankfully, it had gone through the upper-left side of his chest, and while it bled, it wasn't lethal. Mad Dawg hissed in pain as the wound seemed to rapidly scab over then change into skin. After a moment, he let out the breath he had been holding in. "Fu-"
"How…" Nadia muttered. She had heard/seen Mad Dawg get up and walk off the fall earlier, but this?! That should've killed him!
"Like I said, it takes a lot to kill me." The mutant groaned, cracking his back. Either he had read the previous line the author wrote, or could tell that she was thinking that by her slack-jaw expression.
"Should you be concerned that you just got shot in the lung?" Samson asked, ignoring the looks of amazement and horror on everyone else's face.
"I get beat half t'death and stuck in an iron lung, this kid takes bullets to the chest and walks it off?! How the HELL does that work!?" Big Band wanted to demand, but kept his mouth shut.
"Nah, I'm good." Mad Dawg shook his head. "Part of the way I work is being able to survive some really crazy stuff. I've been shot in the lungs, gut, stuff like that, but I'll live." He nodded, then added: "Thanks for askin' tho Sam. Most amigos just ask what happened or how. Not if I'm okay."
"So, if I shot you in the face, you'd live?"
"Peacock!"
"Probably. And If I did, you're next." Mad Dawg said warningly. "…er, sorry. That came out wrong… but you didn't shoot me." He frowned, looking at the gun. It had been pushed back by the way it fired, but when it fired, he had sworn it had moved… someone else had done that. Not Peacock. Thankfully, the gun's cartoon logic had made it so it wouldn't be heard by anyone outside the room. How that worked, Dawg didn't know, and he didn't much care.
"Wait, do you wanna die?" Peacock asked with a raised brow.
"Kinda? I dunno." Mad Dawg shrugged dismissively. "It varies day to day. Sometimes even hour to hour." He remarked, almost dismissively as he picked up his iced coffee and took a sip from it.
"Where did you get that?" Filia asked.
"Mmhm." Dawg shrugged dismissively. Those in the room felt like there were more questions than answers, but no one bothered to ask them.
"Filia, I don't know where he came from, or how he's alive, but I think he should come down to the Labs and let the doctor-"
"If you try and take me to a Lab, I will burn the place to the ground." Mad Dawg cut Big Band off, the detective looking to see the cold, downright disturbed glint in Dawgs' eyes. "This isn't a joke, it's a warning."
"Look, we just wanna help-"
"If you wanna help, then don't try what you're thinking about." Mad Dawg said, coldly. "Last time I was in a lab, a LOT of people died. I ain't ready to have that on my conscious again." This kind of talk would normally make enemies, or leave those in the room more concerned than anything, and it did.
Except for the one who said warnings were addressed to.
"All right, I'll drop it." Big Band nodded. "I meant nothing bad by it, just wanted to see if you were up for trying to understand how this all works."
"I know how it works, and it works badly." Mad Dawg said, the tremble in his voice betrayed the stoic seriousness he was going for.
"Hey, forget I said anything." Big Band conceded, knowing this wasn't the answer he wanted, but he also wasn't about to start something when he didn't have to. This was a mystery he'd solve at a later date. Granted, he had an idea and it wasn't a pretty one.
"Wait that worked." Mad Dawg blinked. "Crap. I just burned a bridge before it was built, didn't I?"
"What was your name, anyways?" Peacock asked.
"Th'name's Mad Dawg!"
"Ha! Nice." Peacock nodded. "I'm. Peacock, Tuba Gooding Jr. over there is Big Band." She nodded to the metal giant.
"Hey." Dawg nodded to him. "I'm gonna get back to work…"
After he left, Big Band turned to Filia. "Keep an eye on him." He remarked.
That night, Mad Dawg was awoken by the same nightmare, the only difference was this time, the thing chasing him had been visible, for about two seconds. He had seen some sort of mask, and bright red eyes. He swore there was some sort of blade coming at him, but again, he had pulled himself awake and had fallen off his hammock. Growling, he got up and decided to go wander the back halls for a bit. His flip-flops silently slapping the clean carpet, Mad Dawg looked around, seeing the different rooms for the staff, his mind wandered back home, to the nights where he had been forced to help McCree find his room after a few too many drinks, and how one time he had simply given up and dumped him in Zarya's room.
…and he remembered how he ended up having to spend the better part of a day hiding from her, despite her claims she just wanted to 'talk'. It hadn't worked out too well, and he needed Roadhog to fish him out of the pool after she tossed him in there. He could swim, no problem, but Zarya had teamed up with McCree, and the latter hogtied him with pool noodles, and then the Russian weightlifter chucked him in. It was impressive teamwork actually, which is why Winston made no move to stop it.
"Eep!"
Mad Dawg stopped and looked down, noticing he had walked right into Harry.
"Oh, sorry little guy! Didn't see you there!" He remarked, awkwardly. Harry seemed off, and Mad Dawg assumed it was another nightmare.
"M'sorry… I wasn't looking…" He mumbled. Mad Dawg was about to ask him something, then noticed something seemed off. The kid's neck seemed… damaged? Yes, it had faded tremendously, but Mad Dawg had a sixth sense about this, and knelt down, lifting the kids shirt up. Harry seemed to protest, but it was too late.
"Qué coño…!?" Mad Dawg breathed, his jaw dropping in horror at the sight before him. It wasn't as bad as his chest, but this kid looked like he was four! Why in the unholy name of Cthulhu's tentacled beard did this kid have so many scars?! "Eso no está bien. Madre ten piedad, eso no está bien."
Harry shook, afraid he'd done something wrong. What concerned him was he didn't understand a word Mad Dawg was saying, and while his expression and tone seemed similar to that of the staff at the hotel when they found out what he'd been through, he couldn't tell if Mad Dawg was angry, amused, or something else.
He got his answer when Mad Dawg gave him a gentle hug. "Nunca más. Te prometo que." He realized Harry didn't know him that well, and let go, sitting down next to him. "Kid, I'm so sorry… that… that's horrible."
Harry seemed like he wanted to run away, but he saw something in Mad Dawg's eyes, something he could relate to, so he sat down next to him, timidly.
"I'm sorry if you weren't okay with me hugging you, that was just a reflex." Mad Dawg coughed, awkwardly, unsure if he should apologize for that or not. Harry looked up and gave him a timid smile.
"Th-thank you." He managed to get out. "I'm- I'm sorry if I upset you though…"
"You didn't Harry, you didn't." Mad Dawg shook his head. "I just- I can't imagine who would do that to you." Dawg frowned, knowing who would do it to him, but not thinking on it right now.
"Can you keep a secret?" Harry all but whimpered after a long moment.
"Sure." Dawg leaned down to hear it.
"Itwasmyfamily…"
Despite his want to keep a low profile, Mad Dawg felt the sudden urge to commit murder. And he was about to act on it, before Harry quickly added:
"They're not here. My Mama takes care of me, and she's my REAL mama!"
Dawg put a lid on his anger, and nodded, exhaling. "Mierda." He muttered. After a long few moments, he nodded: "I know what that's like."
"You do?!" Harry blinked, gobsmacked, looking up in utter astonishment. Mad Dawg considered a few things, he REALLY didn't want to go into his past. He wanted to keep things surface level. But, the kid needed this.
"Yeah, my Mom was not a good Mother. She hated me. She made that clear all the time. Even now, I sometimes remember the things she said." He looked up to the ceiling, then decided to leave it at that. "Is that what's got you up tonight?" He asked.
"It's just… I'm happy! Mama's so nice to me, and everyone here is!" Harry finally got out, seemingly going off in another direction. "But I'm still scared, and I don't know why… I keep having these dreams of me alone, or everyone I care for getting hurt, and then… and then…"
"That's normal, little dude." Dawg shrugged, cracking his neck. He was probably saying what someone shouldn't say to a distressed child, but Dawg could tell this kid was a bit wiser than his age would suggest. "No one's gonna go through everything you did, and then just… walk away. I know I sure didn't."
"Huh? I didn't say anything…"
"Yeah… just from looking at you, I can tell what happened. Let me guess: physical abuse? They told you that you were a monster or something? Never treated you as a human?" Mad Dawg bluntly asked, and noticed Harry shrink back in fear. Yup. That was the case. "Hey, I get it. I got some real bad scars kid… I've been nearly killed more times than Sean Bean at this point!"
"W..why did they hurt you?"
"I dunno. Sometimes it was because they were angry, sometimes it was because I hurt them… sometimes it was just because they thought I was a freak." Dawg answered, looking at the underside of his arm, at the 'T' that was forever marked onto his flesh. He turned his arm over, and Harry saw the scars.
"Yeah..." Harry mumbled. "Immafreaktoo…"
"Wait. That's why they hurt you? 'Cause you've got some powers no one else has?!"
"Yeah… they said I was a freak, and I wasn't normal…" The small boy mumbled, then felt hurt when Dawg started laughing. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"I'm not! I'm not!" Dawg replied with a wave. "Sorry, the 'I wasn't normal' thing is hilarious. Because no one is normal!"
"Really? But… not everyone can do what I do. Doesn't that make… I mean, Mama said it doesn't…"
"Nah… truth is kid… everyone's a freak." Mad Dawg smirked with a shrug. His words didn't seem to reassure Harry much, so he added: "You, Me, Miss Filia, Beatrix, Cerebella and Nadia, even your Mom… whichever one she is, in their own way, we're freaks. But ya can't let that get you down."
"What do you mean?"
"Okay… let's take me for an example." Mad Dawg said, pulling his legs back and cracking his neck again. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Yeah."
"I'm a living weapon." Mad Dawg said. "I was made to be used to hurt people. I'm not technically human."
"But, you're human!" Harry seemed so confused, so Mad Dawg decided to try and break this down for him.
"Man, I wish I was…" Mad Dawg shook his head. "I was made out of science stuff, bred in a tube, and nearly made into a monster. I'm honestly… honestly more akin to a plant than a person! I can stab myself in the throat, and I'll just walk it off. I've been shot, stabbed, impaled, set on fire… how 'Normal' is that?"
"N..not very…" Harry mumbled, then squeaked: "I'm sorry!"
"Whoa, I ain't upset kid." Dawg smirked. "I mean, I asked. Anyhow, I used to think my freakishness was a curse, that no one would ever understand what I was, or what I went through. I shut people out because I was scared… then I started meeting people who were in a similar place. They were scared, they shut the world out… and I realized… what made me a freak, made me able to help them!"
Harry nodded, beginning to understand what Mad Dawg was getting at. "This… this really wise old man once told me something…" Mad Dawg said, a sad smile on his face. "He told me that 'Each scar we had, was a struggle we survived. Each scar could help us become stronger, and it could help others overcome their scars.'
"So, what makes me different… makes me strong?" Harry asked. "I was told that by Mr. Leviathan, but I don't really know what it means…"
"Exactly!" Mad Dawg laughed. "Exactly! But don't get me wrong, scars hurt… and they're not fun to get. Don't go lookin' for em'… But maybe someday when you're older, you'll meet someone with scars of their own. Scars like yours, because they have powers. Maybe that person won't know how to feel like they aren't a freak, to feel normal."
"And I can help them?" Harry asked, looking up to Mad Dawg.
"Now you're gettin' it!" Mad Dawg smirked.
"But… I don't know anyone I can help."
"Well, you don't have to help anyone, kid." Mad Dawg shrugged. "Sometimes someone'll show up in your life who needs help, sometimes you'll need to go looking for that person… but you don't have to do either. Look, this is all stuff that'll make more sense as you get older. What I'm trying to say is, being different, or being a 'freak' ain't nothin' to be ashamed about, hombre."
"Oh, I get it." Harry said, giving Dawg a small smile.
"And Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Let me tell you another secret. I've been around for like, sixteen years now, and I STILL don't know what I'm doing!" Mad Dawg laughed. "I act like I've got everything under control, but the truth is… I don't. I don't understand myself. I don't understand my powers… and it's not weakness to admit that. It's not wrong to ask for help." Harry nodded, listening to his words, then finally spoke up again.
"Uh, Mad Dog?"
"Si?"
"Can… can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"What happened? After you were made?" Harry timidly asked. "I don't think a weapon would be cleaning the floors and bathrooms like you do, so how did you get free?"
"Well, that's a LONG story." Dawg smirked. He was fine telling Harry this, it might help him. "The short version is, there was a mistake made, and I managed to break free. I ran for my life, and ended up getting a huge thing of metal clean through my head!" Mad Dawg explained, hearing Harry gasp at that last fact. "I know that sounds scary, and it was painful! But it both removed my memories, and destroyed the control the bad guys had over me. Without those memories, I didn't know who I was. I had no name, no home, nothing!"
"That sounds really lonely…"
"Well, I got picked up by these people, and they made me part of their family!" Mad Dawg continued, seeing Harry brighten somewhat at that. "So, I was part of their family. I didn't know where I came from, but I didn't much care. See, it gets weird though, one day, those bad guys found me. They didn't know who I was, they didn't know I was their weapon once, they only knew I could heal. So, they captured me, and I escaped again. This time, I ran into my other family, a group of heroes I was designed to kill."
"Did… did you kill them?"
"Ha! Nope!" Mad Dawg laughed. "I joined them!"
"Really?!"
"Yeah. I joined them, and helped defeat the bad guys who made me. I had a choice, and I chose to be more than a weapon. It turns out, one of the people who helped make me, she joined with them too! So, I got to meet someone from my past, and we both worked on bettering ourselves with our scars. I chose to take my scars, and help people with it. It wasn't always fun, and there were a lot of days where things looked really bad, some days where I gave up… but in the end, I clung to it regardless. And in the end, we won! We saved the world!"
Yes, that involved Dawg committing suicide, but he didn't feel like Harry needed to know that. Also, talking about it made Mad Dawg realize something. He missed that feeling… he missed being able to help people… it hadn't been that long since his last encounter with heroes and villains, had he been selfish? Incorrect in his choices? He could've done more to help X-Force… but…
"You didn't." A voice spoke in his head, speaking bluntly, harshly, and honestly. "And you don't know what happened because of that. Maybe it's time we got back into what we do best."
"Which is what!?"
"Being a hero. Even if it's just talking to someone who needs it."
"Yes, and no. I'm done. No weapons, no killing. Not anymore."
"Wow…" Harry said quietly.
"You feelin' better?"
"Yes, thank you." Harry smiled up at Mad Dawg. Mad Dawg returned the smile, feeling better himself.
"You think you can go back to bed now?" The mutant asked.
"Uh, I dunno…"
"Well… You wanna watch that Annie show people have been talking about?" Mad Dawg asked, trying to think of something to do. "I've never seen it."
"Okay!"
Three episodes later, Mad Dawg had to admit, the show was kinda dumb. But man, the action had no right being this good! It honestly reminded him a bit of Dragon Ball, where the stories could be questionable to downright dumb, but the action and characters more than made up for it. Either way, Harry was enjoying it, so Dawg kept his criticisms to himself.
Currently, Annie was fighting a puppet named Fantoccio, who had a villain song that was way, way, WAY better than it had any right to be. Heck, Fantoccio himself sounded oddly similar to Dawg's demonic spider friend… Fantoccio reminded Dawg of Moira and Reaper, if the edginess and self-righteousness were rolled into a cartoonishly enjoyable villain that Dawg didn't want to kill. Wait, he knew exactly what that reminded him of! The dapper doom-bringer of hell, Sir Pentious! Or Alastor. But less cannibalistic and sadistic. So… nothing like Alastor, actually.
"…you're going up against him!?" Doc exclaimed.
"Yes! Of course, I am!" Annie nodded.
"Annie, are you insane!? There's no way you can beat him!"
"Doc, I was given these powers… and I don't know why. But the way I see it, I have a chance to do some real good. And if you aren't going to be the hero, who will?" Annie remarked before rushing off, sword in hand to fight the evil theatrical puppet.
"If you aren't going to be the hero, who will?"
Dang. Why was this hitting him? Mad Dawg frowned with a sigh, thinking things over. Maybe he was right, maybe he needed to be better, maybe he needed to be a hero again; not stopping terrorists, but just… being better. Ugh… there was no easy answer, was there? What was he supposed to do? Face down the Skullgirl with a chainsaw and shotgun? He'd totally do it! But…
"Wow. That's a big change compared to when you got here." The voice spoke up again.
"I think it's a good change though."
"What about this not being your problem?"
"…I mean…"
"Hey, hey. Sorry. That was mean. Whatever you wanna do, I'm here for you. But like it or not, we both know who we are, deep down."
"Maybe you're right…" Mad Dawg thought, looking down at Harry. "But… damn it, I'm done with that."
"You sure about that?"
"Awwww…"
Mad Dawg was chilling on the couch, watching… whatever it was he was watching, but Harry was asleep next to him, seeming content and Happy. Squigly picked up her son, and smiled, kissing him good night before taking him back to her room. Mad Dawg didn't say anything, he didn't feel a need to, he just nodded with a smile, and got one in return from Leviathan. Okay, progress. Granted, the look of bewilderment on his face spoke volumes.
"Okay. So. She's his Mom." He thought. "Great. Cool. That's not gonna make things kinda awkward at all."
Shutting the TV off, Dawg decided to go back to his room, but as he walked to the door, a voice called out.
"Hey! Dawg!"
He turned to see Feng coming towards him, smiling. He nodded to her and waited.
"Listen, we're gonna be playing cards in the staff lounge, we were wondering if you wanted to join!" Dawg, surprisingly, seemed more awkward than anything. He wanted to reply but seemed to try to find the answer he wanted, and couldn't.
"N-No, I'm good." He shook his head. "Thanks for the offer though." Before Feng could ask again, he had left, but unlike his usual exits, he clearly seemed awkward, almost like he was embarrassed. Feng wanted to try and talk to him, but decided against it.
"No. Don't come tonight. Yes. I know. There's something happening… look, I'll let you know when."
NEXT TIME: Building Bonds, and a BEACH EPISODE!
Kinda.
Back to work on Goku v Superman for now. Join my discord to see how it's coming and chat! Link in bio!