CHAPTER 24: THE LAZARUS EFFECT, PART 9
For an unknown number of years, the ancient civilization known as the Green-Eyed People held a secret within the walls of their city: A secret that makes one greater than man. Their secret is the secret of the Spirit Master; a special formula and path of teaching that enhances one's own natural abilities according to their own passions, and strengthens them to that purpose.
Arnold Shortman has been shared that secret. His passion is to end the pain of others, and this led him to become one of the most powerful Spirit Masters that existed in their lineage. Coupled with the knowledge and power of the Spirit Master, he is also tasked with the mission of keeping the most forbidden knowledge secret and see that no one else tries to become a Spirit Master without the proper guidance.
Buckley Lloyd is one of Arnold's comrades-in-arms, part of a superhero team called the Hillwood Heroes. His daughter, Rhonda Lloyd, is dead, and he wants to bring her back. He has dabbled in a select number of interests to succeed in that goal, but none have gotten him the solution to his problem as what he now uses.
He is aware of only some of Arnold's powers, but never had thought about what kind of potential it would have in applied purposes; trying to replicate that power.
Never before now.
Now, for less than a week, Buckley Lloyd has been experimenting with Arnold's blood in an attempt to try to bring his daughter back from the dead. The project has already bred some fantastic results, and given him the first few steps needed to give him his daughter back.
As secretive as he has tried to keep the project, however, his attempts to cover the secret have lost their effectiveness, with Arnold finding out this secret via a telepathic viewing of another created Spirit Master brought about from raising a dead body. With this information in his mind, he now has the task of putting a stop to these experiments.
After overcoming a mental assault of pain and taking a viewing of this message, Arnold shares this information with Gerald; both trying to deduce it clearly.
"So, somebody's trying to make Spirit Masters and it's at Membrane Labs. I'm guessing you mean Buckley's behind this?" Gerald asked.
"I don't know. I don't understand why he'd be behind this. Why would he be trying to make more Spirit Masters?" Arnold asked.
"Maybe he wants your powers? Doesn't like you having all the superpowers?"
"No, I would have sensed something like that from him. What really baffles me, though, is the Spirit Masters when I sensed them."
"How so?"
"When I first got my powers, I didn't go through any sort of pain like that at all. What I felt from them, it almost felt like dying."
"How do you figure that?"
"Every part of me was hurting, and my whole body felt like it was... I can't describe it clearly, but it felt like something completely different, even though it doesn't feel new. It was like every part of me was starting to wake up, or something."
"Maybe it was like being born again, or something?"
Arnold thought over Gerald's question for a moment, drawing different deductions and implications of the emotion to a new theory.
"Maybe... That would explain a few things." Arnold said.
"Like what?" Gerald asked.
"Well, all these feelings I get, and the visions I've had, it feels like whoever's been experimented on like this... I don't know, I just don't understand it. For someone to get that kind of feeling, they'd probably have to be-"
"Dead, maybe? Like, the stuff that made you super-powered, would it work on someone who's dead?"
"But you'd be talking about not making Spirit Masters, but-"
Finally, with this revelation coming to his mind, Arnold understood the true nature of these experiments, and how Buckley Lloyd fit into the equation.
"...raising the dead." Arnold said.
"Rhonda." Gerald realized.
"He's trying to use the power of the Spirit Master to bring her back to life."
"Then that means we gotta stop him, right?"
"Right. We'll head to Membrane Labs, and we'll-"
Before the two could make good on their plans, Arnold received a call on his cell phone. Though his first instinct drove him to nearly hit the 'ignore' button, the caller ID showing his father drove him to pause from this automatic response. Selecting the 'answer' button, Arnold received the call to speak to his father.
"Dad, this is really not a good time, can I call you back?" Arnold asked.
"Arnold, it's important. It's about 'Little' Nicky." Miles said.
"What?! What happened?"
"He knows who you are. He came to the diner to give a warning, saying he's going to give you a fight, but he didn't say how or when. He's planning something big."
"Damn... Thanks, dad, I'll take care of it. You and mom stay locked up tight at the boarding house, and take care of the tenants. I'll handle things."
"Okay. Please be careful, son."
Hanging up the phone, Arnold began quickly reworking his plans, thinking on how he would handle both of these affairs at once.
"Hey Arnold, what was that about?" Gerald asked.
"Something's wrong. 'Little' Nicky's planning something, and I've got to deal with him." Arnold said.
"But what about Buckley and the Spirit Master thing?"
"I'm going to leave that to you. I want you to get all the rest of the Hillwood Heroes back here, suit up, and then storm Membrane Labs. Find out where they're keeping the research data, and destroy it. You can't let him tamper with it any further."
"Why can't we all just handle 'Little' Nicky and you handle Membrane Labs?"
"'Little' Nicky knows who I am. I can't risk any of you guys losing your secret identities, too. Besides, we have no idea where he is. It'll be easier for me to track him alone with my powers. You just worry about destroying that data."
Though he was not comfortable with leaving his friend to handle the dangerous mob boss alone, Gerald still respected his best friend's wishes, knowing that he had the best strategy to handle these two separate issues. Extending his fist and thumb out, Gerald prompted their special handshake, which Arnold returned.
"Alright, bro. You just watch yourself out there." Gerald said.
"I will." Arnold said.
Taking his harlequin mask and placing it over his face, Arnold completed the last part of his costume change, taking him out of the ego of Arnold Shortman and into the alter-ego of the Green Eye, the man without pain. Grabbing hold of his staff, the Green Eye began making his way to the city of Hillwood, heading on his manhunt for 'Little' Nicky.
As the Green Eye began his own mission, Gerald soon put himself on his. Heading to the Hillwood Heroes' main computer terminal, he began sending a message to the rest of the team, calling them to all join back at base to prepare for the task of putting an end to the experimentation on the powers of the Spirit Master.
"This is G-Funk, calling all Heroes. Get back to base. This is a Level 5 emergency. Drop what you're doing and get your butts over here." Gerald said.
During the midst of Gerald's message, his transmisson not only was sent across high-frequency channels to the personal devices of the other Hillwood Heroes, but also to the ears of the white knight of Hillwood, Valiance. Following the urgency to deal with this issue, neither Arnold nor Gerald had stopped to check it Valiance was present or not.
Unfortunately, he was present, and, now, he sought to prevent his plans from being stopped.
Preparing to move his plans ahead of schedule, Valiance moved to the secret location on the wall, pressed the code, and opened the section, revealing the deceased body of Rhonda Lloyd once again. Gingerly taking the body into his arms, Valiance picked it up and carried it in his arms, heading out of the base in secret.
The city of Hillwood is as lively and rumbling by night as it is day; mostly by crime once, but, thanks to the Green Eye and the Hillwood Heroes, it has found a new, healthier nightlife. Young people explore the streets in search of fun and carelessness, older people seek some temporary company in bars, and commerce thrives not on drugs and prostitution, but drinks and food.
The empathic powers of the Green Eye are open to these experiences, and he feels the pleasure, joy, and happiness that the citizens of Hillwood partake in. Though he normally loves to take in such positive emotions like these, it is not the simple indulgence of the joy of others he seeks out.
Hillwood has a cancer cell inside her, seeking to grow and expand itself into a threat to the life of the city. This cancer cell has a name: 'Little' Nicky Russotti, and it is waging a war against the Green Eye. His goal is to gain the revenge for his son's death, and the Green Eye stands in his way of that accomplishment.
Now, the Green Eye seeks out the cancer so he may snuff it out before it can grow. His mind and heart are open to the others in the city, and he seeks out the threat by looking for the dark thoughts within it. Standing atop a skyscraper in the middle of the city, he keeps ever-observant for the cancer, ready to attack.
Below, in a restraraunt, a middle-aged couple enjoy a steak and shrimp dinner together; their food is delicious and their company makes each other happy. Not him.
In a bar, a bitter old man who has chased away his friends seeks solitude after his wife has died; he feels a sense of sorrow drowned in the numbness of alcohol. Not him.
In an apartment, a young woman crams 4 classes worth of material in her mind all at once for a big test; she feels distressed and pained at the stomach from eating bad Chinese leftovers. Not him.
Then, on the street, inside a car surrounded by two others and a motorcade of bikes, a large, burly man plans an attack on a warehouse where his business rivals lie with the intent of taking over; he feels a sense of purpose and professionalism clouding out his thoughts of emptiness and loss. That's him.
Without any more pause on his mission, the Green Eye began his pursuit of the motorcade, seeking to prevent this attack before it can happen.
Back at the base of the Hillwood Heroes, the aforementioned team came to the call of G-Funk; all coalescing to the threat as called. Once each member had suited themselves up for the task at hand, all ears turned towards G-Funk himself, awaiting the purpose of why they were called together.
"Gerald, what's this all this about?" Lady Tetsu asked.
"Gettin' to that, Pheebs. Alright, everybody, listen up. Like I said, this is a Level 5 emergency, so I need all hands on deck." G-Funk said.
"Shouldn't we wait for Valiance?" Insect Girl asked.
"That's the problem. Valiance's gone rogue."
"What do you mean, 'rogue'? What'd the guy do?" Bad Boy asked.
"You all know Arnold's a Spirit Master; all those powers and Jedi mind tricks and stuff, that's from his time in San Lorenzo. Valiance's trying to copy his powers so he can bring back Rhonda."
Hearing this unbelievable news come from their teammate's mouth, the Hillwood Heroes went silent; all processing the damning information they were given.
"Wait, how's he doing this?" Mauve Avenger asked.
"And how do you know?" Star of David asked.
"It's a long story, but I can tell you that Arnold knows it's goin' down, and he specifically asked me to handle this and call you guys up." G-Funk said.
"Then what are we supposed ta do?" Dirt Man asked.
"That's the easy part. We storm Membrane Labs, and we put a stop to this crap. We find Valiance, we knock him down."
Just as G-Funk spoke his words, the lights in the Hillwood Heroes' base suddenly went dark, with the emergency lighting coming on shortly after. The sudden instance of the base switching to emergency mode gave the team a startle, but their fear was soon redirected to a specific person upon hearing him speak.
"Hillwood Heroes, this is Valiance. Don't bother trying to locate me; this message has been prerecorded. The base is now in lockdown mode. No one can get in and no one can get out unless I authorize it. This will keep you under wraps until I do what I need to do. Remember: All I wanted was my daughter back. I didn't want this." Valiance said.
As brief as the message was, it served its purpose well on warning the Hillwood Heroes. Now, the only things that laid on the minds of the team were to escape from the base, by any means necessary. All started to fall into a panic following their surprise capture, and most rushed straight to the door to try to get out.
Just as the message said, however, their attempts were ultimately for naught; they soon realized that there was no way out of the base, and any other attempts they made would be mere wastes of energy. Stuck in this isolation, the team continued on their panic, but G-Funk sought to calm the lot down.
"Hey, hey, you guys, cool it! We can find some way out of here!" G-Funk said.
"We can't, the door won't open. The password won't work." Bad Boy said.
"Fine. Dirt Man, can you make us a tunnel out of here or something?"
"No can do. This whole place's underground; I screw up the foundation, we'd all be buried deeper than a garden a' radishes." Dirt Man said.
"What about the hangar? That still work?"
"He sealed that, too." Mauve Avenger said.
"Can't Phoebe hack in and open it up?" Star of David asked.
"No, I can't. This place was designed with a fail-safe against any hacking attempts. Explosives are placed around the foundation of the base; I try anything, they blow, and we're buried." Lady Tetsu said.
"Wait, what about sending Arnold a message?" G-Funk said.
"My phone doesn't work; reception's blocked." Flower Child said.
"I can handle that. Remember when I sent that S.O.S. back in San Lorenzo? I can try it again here." Lady Tetsu said.
"You heard the lady. Hand over your phones. Star, B.B., get us screwdrivers." G-Funk said.
Complying with the order, the Star of David and Bad Boy sought off for screwdrivers, while the rest of the team handed over their cell phones to Lady Tetsu.
Elsewhere, at the warehouse and intended destination of 'Little' Nicky's motorcade, a collection of mob bosses gathered at this location, but none fully knowing who had summoned them here or why. Together, without anything else to do, the collective ponder on the purpose of this meeting.
Gathered here, many rivals and sworn enemies; the Irish, the Italians, the Triads, the Yakuza, and several sects consisting of Blacks and Hispanics; all different gangs of different races, both the leaders and a handful of their subordinates each, are at peace for one moment simply out of sheer confusion.
"So, nobody has a clue as to why we're all here?" An Italian leader said.
"No, nobody has a clue. I thought for sure one of you set this up." A Black leader said.
"Like I'd wanna be in the same room with your ass." A rival Black leader said.
"Hey, hey, let's cool it here. We're all obviously here for a reason; all we gotta do is wait. Besides, I came prepared." A Hispanic leader said.
The Hispanic leader pulled out a joint of marijuana, lighting its paper and beginning to smoke it. Some gang leaders got a chuckle out of his gesture, but others were not so amused.
"This is a waste of our time. We have other business to attend to, and we have no purpose being here." A Yakuza leader said.
"Maybe this meeting is for a lucrative measure. We would be wise to wait to see what happens next." A Triad leader said.
"Dirty Chinese, of course you would only care about profits over all else."
"What did you call me, Jap?!"
The angered Triad member reached for a gun in his jacket, prompting the Yakuza leader to reach for a gun of his own. Before either could draw a weapon on each other, they were both stopped by the efforts of the Irish leader among the group; none other than Daniel 'Danny Boy' Cavella.
"Hey, hey, will you assholes cool it down?! I'm telling you, this has to be something 'Little' Nicky set up!" Danny Boy said.
"Oh, c'mon, 'Little' Nicky starting more trouble? He just broke out of prison, he's probably halfway to Mexico by now." An Italian leader said.
"Goddamnit, do none of you know anything about 'Little' Nicky? He's not somebody who just runs away and hides. He broke out of prison just because he wants to get revenge for his son. He tried a hit on the guy who did it, but the Green Eye stopped him. Now, he wants us for something. I don't know what, but he's obviously not gonna let us live. This is a trap."
"If that's the case, why are you here?" A Yakuza leader asked.
"Because he's my friend. There'd be no point; he'd get me sooner or later, and I can't say 'yes' to what he wants to do. You guys still have a chance, get out while you-"
Before Danny Boy could finish his sentence, the sounds of heavy motors began to rumble in the distance, growing louder by the second. Upon hearing the sounds of the motors, the gang leaders all looked to the noise in confusion, but Danny Boy knew better, now only sitting back as he knew the carnage would unfold.
"Hey, Irishman, why so shy all of a sudden? Weren't you so adamant about getting out of here a minute ago?" A Hispanic leader asked.
"It's too late. We're already dead." Danny Boy said.
[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Glory]
As the sounds of the motors reached their loudest volume, a motorcade of bikes began entering the warehouse; all those riding with guns held high and aimed straight for the leaders. Rushing into the building, guns ablaze, the motorcade began firing on the gang leaders.
The leader of the pack of motorcycles was the one and only Lars Rodriguez, now calling himself the name 'El Cucuy', after the folk tale of the same name. Changing his robotic arm to its machine gun form, El Cucuy led the attack, firing first upon the leaders and taking several out at once.
With many of the others falling dead, the surviving gang members began to take cover behind whatever they could find, having only objects like pallets, crates, and their own cars to choose from. Some fell dead in the midst of their flight, but most made their way to cover, drawing their own weapons and firing back.
Huddling behind whatever cover they could find, their weapons drawn on these attackers, the opposing gang leaders found a temporary alliance against a common foe; both the leaders and their own bodyguards and soldiers working with their enemies to surivive.
As the last of the motorcycles made their way inside the warehouse, the 3 cars following the bikes parked at the entrance; blocking any means of escape for those inside. Stepping out of the car, 'Little' Nicky drew a Cuban cigar and lit it, choosing to sit back and enjoy the show of violence, with Weston at his side.
"Sir, I still don't understand why you felt the need to recruit Mr. Rodriguez. He's a dangerous man, and a complete wild card." Weston said.
"Of course he is. That's why I hired him." 'Little' Nicky said.
"He's also been beaten by at least 2 different superhero teams."
"Well, these aren't superheroes he's fighting. Not yet, anyway."
Taking notice of various gang leaders and their subordinates hiding behind 2 parked cars, El Cucuy thought of a way to handle these cowering enemies. Driving his motorcycle behind the cars and leaning to the side, El Cucuy slid across the floor with his motorcycle still between his legs, firing at the cowering gangsters behind their cover and downing them all in seconds.
Balancing himself up once again, El Cucuy turned his motorcycle a surviving gang member that evaded his bullets, aiming to attack him in a different way. Driving his motorcycle at full speed, El Cucuy rammed into the gang member; the metal build of the front fender piercing through his body and into a crate behind him.
Dismounting off his bike, El Cucuy continued to fire on the gang leaders and subordinates, continuing to gun down various enemies that stood in his way, stacking up a body count far higher than the others on their bikes. Though a few of the bikers caught a stray round or two and fell off their bikes, El Cucuy had no such trouble; wading through the gunfire without a scratch.
With cars exploding behind him and his other teammates falling dead under gunfire, however, it was clear that he needed to make the gunfire come to and end. Changing his arm to its grenade launcher form, El Cucuy began shooting grenades towards the cowering gang members, destroying their cover and annihilating them where they hid.
Following each blast of his grenade launcher, various objects around the warehouse were blasted to bits in seconds; cars, crates, and pallets blown to pieces along with the gangsters hiding behind them. Not much left of any sign of human life after his attack, save for some bits of burning flesh and limbs left over.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Finally, with the gunfire coming to a stop, the warehouse was taken, with all gang leaders inside put to death. Having completed their job, El Cucuy and the bikers reunited around the center of the warehouse, dragging the various bodies of the dead gang members with them and gathering them up.
As El Cucuy dragged one of his kills, he noticed that a marijuana joint fell out of the body's pocket, having only partially been smoked. Taking the joint and setting it in his mouth, El Cucuy approached a burning car and stuck his face near it, coming just close enough to light his joint; taking a moment to enjoy it.
While El Cucuy smoked his joint, one of the other motorcyclists, a female member, took notice of his t-shirt. The shirt's design was a parody of a Wheel of Fortune puzzle, reading: 'I EAT C_NT. Would you like to buy me a drink?' The crude design led her to give a scowl at El Cucuy, but he simply replied with a smile.
"Oh, I totally do." El Cucuy said.
El Cucuy followed his offer by making a 'V' with his fingers, and placing them between his lips, moving his tongue quickly between it. The lewd gesture drove the motorcyclist away at a faster pace, continuing on her task of dragging the corpses to the center.
Back at the Hillwood Heroes' base...
Thanks to some jury-rigging and compromised work by Lady Tetsu, the collection of pieces from the team's gutted smartphones were put together to build a stronger antennae, designed to breach through the thick walls of the base and reach the Green Eye to warn him about Valiance's plan.
"You think this'll work?" G-Funk asked.
"It's worth a shot. Most I can manage is probably a text message." Lady Tetsu said.
"Do it."
At the order, Lady Tetsu began typing up a message to the Green Eye, keeping the message as concise but as informative as she could.
Green Eye. Valiance locked us up in base. Get to Membrane Labs on your own, then help us. Stop him first. Lady Tetsu typed.
"Oh, I really hope this works." Lady Tetsu said.
With the message ready, Lady Tetsu hit 'send'.
Back at the warehouse...
After all the bodies and pieces of the bodies were gathered, a handful of survivors were drawn back to the center as well, all being placed before 'Little' Nicky. Taking a look at his captives of war, he made sure to carefully choose which ones he needed for his next task. With most of the survivors adhering to the specific races he needed, 'Little' Nicky began making his selections.
"Let's get down to business. All your leaders are dead and/or in pieces. You are all part of the inner circle of your gangs. You all now work for me. I'm going to pick just one of each of you, one of each race, to report back to the rest of the gangs, and spread the news. Japanese and Chinese I'll count as 'Asian', and Italian and Irish I'll count for 'White'. Any volunteers?" 'Little' Nicky asked.
One of the survivors, a Yakuza member, voiced his dissent right away.
"[You won't get away with this, you overgrown maniac! You think you're the only one that lost family? What makes you so goddamn special than the rest of us?!]" The Yakuza survivor asked in Japanese.
Rather than answer his question, 'Little' Nicky shot the Yakuza member in the head, leaving only one Asian survivor remaining. As such, 'Little' Nicky turned his attention towards him for his message.
"[You just got selected to represent the Asians.]" 'Little' Nicky said in Japanese.
"[I don't speak Japanese.]" The survivor said in Cantonese.
"[You just got selected to represent the Asians. You'll go to the Yakuza and Triads and tell them their branches report to me.]" 'Little' Nicky said in Cantonese.
Every part of his being wanted to protest the demand, but the dead body of the Yakuza member made him swallow whatever words he had to say.
One other survivor, however, was not so hesitant to speak up. Out of the other gang leaders to survive, Danny Boy still remained of the group, standing up from his place to voice himself to 'Little' Nicky.
"Nicky, you don't wanna do this, man. Just quit while you're ahead, head to the Bahamas or something." Danny Boy said.
Danny Boy was forced straight back to the ground once again by the other members of 'Little' Nicky's motorcade, once again sitting on his knees. Taking notice of the surviving Danny Boy, 'Little' Nicky made an approach to his old friend, putting out his depleted cigar to focus his attention on him.
"Danny Boy. You really should listen to your own advice. I only need one white to talk to the other gangs, and I'd like you to still live." 'Little' Nicky said.
"No, Nicky, you listen to me. This is going too far. You're right, I don't know what it's like to lose a kid like you did. But I can tell you that you're messing with the very laws of nature doing this. The other gangs are not gonna take kindly to this. You comin' back is shaking everyone up enough, but you takin' over a whole damn city is another. There's talks up in the city of calling the Washington National Guard. Are you trying to start a damn war, Nicky?!" Danny Boy asked.
"I already have."
No longer wishing to have this conversation, 'Little' Nicky pulled out his handgun again, aiming it at the head of Danny Boy. Instead of pulling the trigger, however, he instead threw the weapon down in front of him, leaving the handgun where it could be picked right up and used against him, and stepped back.
"I'll let you go out like a man. Pick it up." 'Little' Nicky said.
"No, Nicky. I don't wanna do this." Danny Boy said.
"Pick up the gun."
"Nicky. You're my friend. I can't do this to you. We can all just walk away from this clean. No sweat. Please. I'm begging you."
"Pick. Up. The. Gun."
It was all too obvious now that his old friend would not hear any more of his protests, and Danny Boy had no choice but to take the gun. His reach for the gun was not immediate; he instead looked back and forth at 'Little' Nicky and the gun, deciding just the right moment to grab the weapon.
His pause lasted something lasting a minute, with 'Little' Nicky waiting patiently for his opponent to make his move. While Danny Boy acted nervous and edgy about his decision, 'Little' Nicky stayed calm and cool; his hands by his sides and his breathing steady as ever, but his stare not breaking even for a blink.
After a long period of waiting, Danny Boy reached for the gun, grasping his hand around it and pointing it at 'Little' Nicky.
Before he could make a proper aim or even pull the trigger, Danny Boy noticed a gun in the hands of 'Little' Nicky, with smoke coming from the barrel.
Then, he started to notice a liquid pouring down his face, looking down at its drops to see it was blood.
In the midst of realizing this, he started to get a very bad headache.
It was then he realized that he was shot in the head.
Then, everything went black and silent.
Within Membrane Laboratories, the team working on Project Lazarus still continued their study over the Green Eye's blood and its effects, checking on the two living test subjects and how they interacted with one another. The results of the test were intriguing to say the least, and confusing to say even less.
The two test subjects, Frank and the revived woman, lock hands and stare at one another. Their heart rates and their breathing are both completely in sync. When one moves, the opposite mirrors. They act completely as one, operating on the exact same wavelength.
More interestingly, their brain readings also show the exact same, as displayed on screen to the scientists; leading them to even more baffling thoughts.
"I don't understand this. It's like they're both the exact same person." One scientist said.
"Their brain chemistry's completely altered to an exact match." Another scientist said.
"Maybe their minds have... collected somehow?" A different scientist asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, it's like you hear about in a sci-fi movie. Maybe their brains have both reached some kind of... collective conscious, like they're both operating the same for means of peace."
"Hey, kid, if you'd like to be serious, I'd be more than happy to hear your thoughts. Otherwise, if you're just gonna dick around with us, I'll be happy to-" The first scientist said.
"Wait... Perhaps he's got a point." Dr. Combs said.
"What? Seriously, doc?"
"From what we know of the Green Eye, he has some empathic abilities, and can actually experience the emotions of anyone else. Maybe they're both 'reading' off of each other in some way, and found a connection. It'll take some more testing, but-"
Before Dr. Combs could continue with his theory, a maskless Valiance walked into the room, carrying the body of Rhonda Lloyd in his arms. Seeing their employer come into the building with his dead daughter in his arms, they instantly knew what he was about to ask of them, but could not believe it here and now.
"Get the sample. We're doing it now." Valiance said.
"What?! Mr. Lloyd, are you insane?! We're not anywhere near ready!" Dr. Combs said.
"We don't have a choice. The others are onto us now and the Green Eye could be here any moment. We have to do it now."
"Mr. Lloyd, I've done far enough in this already, but I can't permit that. We've only been at this for a few days, and the research we've been doing is akin to... poking in the dark with sticks. We have no idea what this could do to your daughter."
"Did it bring back the other two?"
"...Yes, sir."
"And are there any side effects besides the screaming?"
"N-No, sir, not that we've seen so far, but it'll take some time to-"
"Then it works. We use it now."
"Mr. Lloyd, I cannot and I will not do it. If this is done incorrectly, we could potentially destroy your daughter's body, and then you'd never see Rhonda agai-"
Before Dr. Combs could finish his sentence, Valiance pulled out a handgun and pointed it at him, causing him and the other scientists to all step back in fear.
"Give me back my daughter. Now. Any problems, you fix it. Got that?" Valiance asked.
"F-Fine, sir, as you wish. If you, uh, if you will, place her right there. We'll get started right away." Dr. Combs said.
As requested, Valiance gently set Rhonda's body atop a metal slab, which the other scientists all moved to and began prepping for the sample to be injected. While the team began their work, Valiance took notice of the two living test subjects in their room, pondering on what to do with them.
"Something you'd like done with the test subjects, sir?" Dr. Combs asked.
"The furnace works, right?" Valiance asked.
"...Sir?"
"Judging by the Green Eye's powers, he can theoretically be killed if there's nothing left of him to grow back. I want you to throw these two in the furnace, then I want you to burn or delete any files you have regarding Project Lazarus. Leave nothing left."
"Sir, you're asking me to kill these people."
"They were already dead. Do it."
Back at the warehouse...
Following the gunshot to his head, Danny Boy fell on the ground, dead in an instant. Having made his kill, 'Little' Nicky looked down on the corpse of his friend. Though he would not dare show it, making himself a man of stone, he felt every bit of pain inside from ending his friend's life as he did hearing his son had died.
Noticing a splatter of blood on the gun, Weston handed his employer a handkerchief, which 'Little' Nicky took and wiped down his weapon with.
"Thank you, Weston." 'Little' Nicky said.
Before anything else could come from the massive mafioso's mouth, a series of smoke grenades began to drop from the ceiling, exploding in front of 'Little' Nicky and the motorcade. With all becoming encased in smoke, all began to panic at the sudden attack; shouting and yelling and shooting in a frenzy.
"Hold your fire. Hold your fire!" 'Little' Nicky shouted.
"Sir, I do believe this might be our cue to leave." Weston said.
"No, not just yet. I was counting on this to happen."
The soldiers and armed motorcyclists of 'Little' Nicky's motorcade all continued to hold their weapons up high, all preparing for whatever attack would come their way. The thick veil of smoke clouding the room made any threat impossible to see as it was, but, with an opponent like the Green Eye, there was no chance for the gunmen whatsoever.
One gunman fell under a dropping blow on his back, being sent to the ground by the Green Eye in one instant. Another gunman who huddled next to him began pointing his weapon at the sound of his scream, only to have a shuriken land in his rifle, then be struck down himself.
The confusion still managed to sink into the minds of the henchmen of 'Little' Nicky, all aiming their guns blindly and waiting for a sight or even a sound to shoot at. The sounds of two different voices letting out pained grunts gave them a good start, leading most to fire in its direction.
Small glimpses of a silhouette showed in the smoke from the flashes of their guns, but it was not enough to give the henchmen a target. All it served instead was to let them see just a taste of their doom as it made its way to them in the image of a shade of green knock them down and out.
Though he too only managed to catch a few glimpses of the violence behind the smoke, 'Little' Nicky carefully observed the action as it unfolded; taking in every punch and kick delivered from the Green Eye, and carefully noting down his fighting style. As educational as the viewing was to him, he also got a large sense of enjoyment of the show, not unlike a Roman emperor observing lion kill a gladiator in his colesium.
One gunman managed to escape from the smoke, firing into the vague haze that held his enemy. After the magazine in his machine gun ran dry, the gunman reached for another one, only to feel bolas wrap around his leg. With a hearty pull at the string, the gunman was pulled back into the smoke, screaming in terror as he returned, only for his screams to silence shortly after.
As the smoke began to dissipate, stepping out from the disappearing haze was the Green Eye, standing with his staff still in hand, with an assortment of henchmen down on the ground behind him. His eyes glowing as green as ever, the Green Eye stared at 'Little' Nicky with a judgmental stare, marking him the next target.
Rather than display any sort of fear, 'Little' Nicky instead smiled and applauded the Green Eye's efforts, rewarding his work with a standing ovation.
"Very impressive, my friend. I gave my men the benefit of the doubt when I heard they ran into you at that nuthouse, but I never would have guessed you to be a man of this talent." 'Little' Nicky said.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Nicky." Green Eye said.
"Very true. I managed to make my way up with hard work, and I had to learn that lesson the hard way. Nonetheless, I have to give credit where it's due."
"Enough games, Nicky. You're going down."
"Now, now, let's keep this conversation on more polite terms... Mr. Shortman."
Although he was already informed that 'Little' Nicky knew his true identity, the Green Eye still found his breath quiver in shock at the statement.
"Yes, that's right, I know who you are. I try to make it a point to know my enemies as well as my friends." 'Little' Nicky said.
"You're not going to scare me like that. I know what you want, but you can't have the Freak. He's under my protection. I don't know what you hoped to accomplish here by taking over Hillwood's gangs, but that's about to end. Now, either you come quietly, or I'll take you down and drag you back to prison." Green Eye said.
"Oh, no, I'm afraid I'm not going to do that. But what is going to happen is that I'm going to be driven out of here, peacefully, while my messengers do their job and I take back my city, and you deal with my new little mad dog."
Just as 'Little' Nicky finished his sentence, a wall of flame shot between him and the Green Eye, preventing him from capture. Turning to see the source of the flame, the Green Eye was met with one of the most bizarre threats he had encountered, but certainly not the least dangerous.
Standing before him was the hired gun El Cucuy, still dressed in his obscene t-shirt and wearing a stitched-up and scarred face, with his mechanical arm changed to its flamethrower mode. As he held up his arm, he took one last puff out of his depleted marijuana cigarette, tossing the roach to the ground.
"I believe I'll leave you two to it. Have a nice day, Mr. Shortman." 'Little' Nicky said.
'Little' Nicky took a seat back in his car, which drove off out of the warehouse; leaving the Green Eye unable to pursue. Now, alone with the dangerous and comically insane El Cucuy, the Green Eye once again readied himself for a fight, gripping his staff tight and keeping his fighting stance low.
"Sup? So, you're the Brown Eye, huh? That white boy who started the whole superhero craze around the country? Not bad." El Cucuy said.
"And who are you?" Green Eye asked.
"You probably heard of a guy named Lars Rodriguez once or twice; I fought those Rocket Power dorks as they were uncovering that whole 'Zero Gravity Zone' conspiracy, and then I fought this punk-ass retarded kid named Ace Savvy. He got me sent to an alternate dimension or some shit with twerking ducks, and burned my face off. Anyway, I figured I should have a cool-ass name like you guys, so the name's El Cucuy."
"Oh, I think I heard of you. You shot up that karaoke bar, right?"
"What?! No, I'm telling you, that wasn't me! Why the hell does everybody think I did that?!"
"Well, it doesn't matter, because you're not leaving here without some handcuffs and a trip to jail."
"Been there, done that, became a registered sex offender. The only thing I'm not leaving here without is your head on a stick!"
Changing his arm to its chainsaw form, El Cucuy began swinging it towards the Green Eye, aiming to lop off an arm or other limb with his swing. Having only a piece of wood to run against his weapon, the Green Eye could not use his staff so simply against the running blade of his arm, so he had to change his strategy accordingly.
Holding his staff in a spear-like stance, the Green Eye began jabbing the end of his weapon at El Cucuy, landing several well-coordinated strikes to his stomach and face, poking at some pressure points near his weakest muscle and joint connections, and making a hit at his nose as well.
Groaning in pain at the sudden strike of hard wood to his nose, El Cucuy stepped back and yelled at the pain he was delivered, holding back a nosebleed.
"Not the face, I just got this, you asshole!" El Cucuy shouted.
Changing his arm to its machine gun form, El Cucuy began firing at the Green Eye, aiming straight for his enemy as he stood before him. Before El Cucuy could fire off a single shot, however, the Green Eye pole vaulted himself above his head, aiming for a ladder on the wall behind him.
Reaching the ladder and swiftly climbing up it, the Green Eye faced more gunfire from El Cucuy, trying to hit his target in motion, with no success. As the Green Eye reached the balcony atop the warehouse, he took notice of several oil barrels stationed on the balcony, giving him an idea for a counterattack.
Grabbing a barrel and picking it up, the Green Eye tossed it towards El Cucuy. Though El Cucuy managed to dodge the strike, the barrel busted open and oil began to spill on the ground, leaving a fire hazard waiting to happen for him. Nonetheless, he was not intelligent enough to take notice of this threat, and continued firing at his enemy.
Moving onto the other barrels, the Green Eye continued tossing barrel after barrel after El Cucuy, with none of them landing at him directly, but all spilling their contents on the concrete floor of the warehouse. Though he still did not notice the hazard as it laid on the floor, El Cucuy was soon given a reminder of the presence of the oil.
Taking a step back to gain a better aim, El Cucuy soon began slipping on the oil, losing his footing and eventually falling on his back, now drenching himself in the oil. He still did not seem to take this as a priority; still keeping his attention focused directly on the Green Eye.
The Green Eye prepared one last barrel in his arms, his muscles beginning to grow sore under the heavy barrels tossed towards his enemy, but retaining enough energy for the next throw. Preparing himself for the throw, El Cucuy changed his arm to its grenade launcher form, foolishly readying a grenade round to the barrel.
With one hearty throw, the Green Eye tossed the last oil barrel towards El Cucuy. As the Green Eye sent the barrel flying towards his enemy, El Cucuy fired a grenade towards it, creating an explosion even larger than the grenade normally would have and sending burning oil flying straight towards him.
As slow as ever to realize his own mistakes, El Cucuy realized his problem far too late.
"Oh, shit." El Cucuy said.
The flaming oil hit the ground, mixing with and igniting the oil already on the spilled on the ground, creating an inferno inside the warehouse with El Cucuy directly in the middle of it. Being set aflame in an instant by his own mistake, he screamed in agony at being set aflame, quickly running out of the warehouse to escape the flames, trying to put them out during his flight.
The threat was at last over, and, though the Green Eye felt some remorse from using the effort he did against El Cucuy, he knew somehow that this injury would only turn out to be minor to someone like him. With his troubles over, the Green Eye escaped from the burning warehouse, moving to the outside.
Moving to a building rooftop a few blocks away, the Green Eye allowed himself a moment to rest, letting the smoke clear from his lungs and his mind calm from the stress it had put itself through. He had not managed to stop 'Little' Nicky, but it was clear that he had his attention, and he was on the right track for fighting him.
"So much for him. At least the guys are taking care of Valiance." Green Eye said.
His relaxation, however, did not last long. Feeling his pocket vibrate, the Green Eye took out his cell phone, seeing that he had received a text message. He presumed nothing much would come of the message, but found that its contents gave him a more dire warning that he had realized.
Green Eye. Valiance locked us up in base. Get to Membrane Labs on your own, then help us. Stop him first. The message said.
Whatever sense of temporary peace he had found was swiftly swept away now, leaving only fear over the truth it had delivered. Now, his one and only focus was to get to Membrane Laboratories before something truly ugly could come about from Valiance's experimentations.
Taking a leap off the building's roof, the Green Eye made his course for Membrane Laboratories.