The night after their meeting, Shocker, the Interceptor and Froggy had agreed to meet up again in the same spot. A similar-looking fire was glowing softly; Shocker, as usual, was staring at it. It was as if his soul were being reflected right back at him.
"So what's the plan?" the Interceptor asked, eager to get on with this supposed 'resurrection'. He hoped—wanted—it to work. It was about time that he got the revenge he deserved. "It had better be good."
"Oh, it shall be good, my friend," Shocker replied, his expression unchanging. The child seemed to be so blank. Like his life had been sucked right out. Quite ironic, considering his immortality. "You can count on that. In fact, it will be brilliant."
"How are you going to resurrect the dude?" Froggy asked, hopping up and down excitedly. "I hope it doesn't take too long—I want my revenge!"
"You won't have anything if you don't shut up," Shocker snapped. The frog was slowly becoming intolerable. He was considering shocking him into oblivion and allowing only the Interceptor to share in his revenge scheme. At least he had a brain. "Now be silent, or be sorry."
Froggy frowned, turning away from him. How rude, he thought.
"As annoying as the creep is, he asked a good question," said the Interceptor. "How will you bring Scar back to life?"
"It is a simple process," Shocker replied, much to the Interceptor's surprise. "With the right power, of course. Although I will admit that finding his body was something of a difficult task."
"Where was he buried?" the Interceptor asked curiously.
"Deep in the Outlands," Shocker told him. "It took me more than an hour to dig his skeleton out. But here it is."
It was only then that the Interceptor and Froggy noticed the skeleton lying beside the fire. They both took an instinctive step backwards.
"And how on earth did you manage to bring it all the way out here?" the Interceptor exclaimed.
"Easy," said Shocker. "I fused the bones together with my powers. You'd be surprised what a little bit of electrical heat can do. Then I just carried it to this very spot—and here we are."
"So how do we go from that"—the Interceptor pointed at the skeleton—"to a full body?"
"I have… connections with certain aspects of life," Shocker informed them. "I could transfer a small portion of my immortal life into his body, thus bringing him back into the world of the living. It's not exactly like it will matter. I cannot die—no matter how much I would like to."
"How long is it gonna take?" Froggy blurted out. "I have busy things to do!"
Shocker grabbed Froggy in a paw, crushing him tightly. "If you speak one more syllab le, then I'll transfer your life into Scar's!"
"I'll be nice," Froggy choked out.
Shocker dropped him to the ground, before staring at the remains of Scar. "All that evil—reduced to nothing," he said.
"But not for much longer. We can bring him back, and make sure that he does what we have failed to do."
"Are you sure he will listen to us?" the Interceptor asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. He knew about how volatile Scar could be; as soon as he came back, he might just kill them.
"He'll listen to us," Shocker assured him. "I'm just as smart as he is. We'll have common ground together. As long as the frog keeps his mouth shut, then civilised beings like me and you won't have a problem with Scar."
"I hope so," the Interceptor mumbled, still a little doubtful.
Shocker reached out with a paw, smoothing the forehead of Scar's skull. "The time is nearly perfect," he said, glancing up at the sky. A full moon was coming into place, glowing brightly in the night. "Soon it will be midnight. The opportune time for a resurrection."
"Have you done resurrections before?" asked the Interceptor.
"Not necessarily," Shocker replied. "Although I have knowledge of how to perform them. I myself have been resurrected. Why, I cannot say. But I would give anything to find out."
What makes you so special? the Interceptor wondered. How come no one else gets to live for ever?
Shocker stared at the fire, embracing the heat. He closed his eyes and took a deep sigh, as if inhaling the evil atmosphere. This particular night was even nastier than the one that had preceded it. "It is time."
"Time for—?" But before the Interceptor could say anything more, Shocker's claws were beginning to crackle with electrical power. He wondered how the cub managed to contain it all. Shocker was an impossible being. A freak of nature. Something about him… just wasn't right.
"Place the skeleton in the flames," Shocker commanded, not even looking at the Interceptor or Froggy. "Now."
The Interceptor shrugged, and did as he was asked. He picked up the skeleton—thankful that Shocker had fused the bones together so they wouldn't fall apart—and hurled it right into the fire in the centre of the clearing.
"Now stand back," Shocker ordered. The Interceptor did so. "And now we can begin."
Shocker reached out with his forepaws, and began to fire his trademark electricity right at the fire.
Instantly, the flames seemed to grow in intensity. The fire became brighter—so much that the Interceptor and Froggy had to squint in order to keep their eyes open. Evil forces were clearly at work. Evil that they just couldn't understand.
Shocker continued to launch electricity into the fire. He wasn't squinting—his eyes were wide open. The Interceptor was amazed to find that the cub hadn't gone blind yet. His eyes should be fried!
This can't b e healthy, Froggy thought, as he watched the unusual resurrection. He felt a pang of fear in his stomach. If the resurrection was this fierce, then what was Scar going to be like when he returned?
Focused firmly on his work, Shocker opened his mouth, and began to speak. Whatever it was, neither the Interceptor nor Froggy understood it.
"Ameanguka maovu moja, kutoka wafu… Njoo nyuma maisha!" Shocker cried at the top of his lungs, seemingly bursting with passion. He was going to bring this evil lion back from the dead—no matter what he had to do.
The fire began to explode with electrical energy. The flames danced around the clearing. The Interceptor and Froggy jumped back as a series of fireballs began to shoot out, attacking the nearby trees. A burning branch fell down in front of them, nearly crushing the two.
"Whoa!" The Interceptor couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He'd seen some weird things in his life, but this really took it to a whole new level. This was insane! "I don't know whether to hate it or like it!"
More branches began to plummet from the trees, reduced to smouldering crisps by the random fireballs. The electricity was firing out like lightning bolts in a storm, scorching the tree trunks and turning them an unpleasant black colour.
It all seemed to be building up. In noise, intensity and power—all at the same time. It was a nightmare of unbelievable proportions. It looked more like a ghastly murder method than a resurrection.
The noise was so loud that the Interceptor and Froggy covered their ears. The flames were so bright that they shut their eyes as tight as they possibly could. From within the carnage, a loud, sinister laugh could be heard. Unlike any laugh they had heard before. It wasn't coming from Shocker. It came from someone else…
The flames became noisier, and the electricity became more powerful. And then—everything exploded, and there was silence.
The Interceptor and Froggy waited a few seconds before opening their eyes, afraid of any hidden danger that might be waiting to hurt them. When they did dare to look, what they found was sight most disturbing indeed.
Only a few faint, crackling flames remained on the ground surrounding the inferno that had since been extinguished. A thick red mist obscured a figure stood where the fire had been.
Cackling evilly, the figure emerged from the horrible mist.
Shocker grinned.
The Interceptor looked stunned.
Froggy looked terrified.
Scar stared back at them.
At long last, he was reborn.