Post by jackalope on Jun 26, 2011 17:39:49 GMT -5
Ultimate S.H.A.D.E. #1
The Devil Went Down To Jersey
The Devil Went Down To Jersey
Bordentown, New Jersey
The sign reads Happy Pines gated community, with a smiling cartoon tree doing a thumbs up. He pulls himself up and over the giant iron fence. The crunching of gravel under his boots is overwhelmed by the sound of sirens passing behind him, in the distance. More than any other developed way of living, it is suburbia that unsettles him the most. The white street lights cast his shadows across the white picket fences that separate the lightly coloured houses. At a crossroads he stops. The silence, he turns right towards a cul-de-sac, Barrens Place, No Exit. Walking, he can sense he is getting closer to the evil, in the bones of the men that make up his skeleton, he feels it. An unearthly howl in the distance. He sprints. Along the moonlit path a woman speed walks towards him, hips swaying with the music blaring in her ears, her small white poodle starts to bark. The woman screams, falling onto the soft green grass in front of a fence. The giant figure stops, under the street light his skin is light blue, the scars and stitches that cover his body are accentuated by the shadows. His giant hand reaches out towards the woman. She screams louder.
He grabs her hand from which she tries to pull away, her poodle yapping incessantly at her side. “Lady of this neighbourhood, please refrain from your screaming. It is not for you that I hunt but a beast,” his voice rumbles. He lifts her to her feet and lightly releases her hand. She pulls it back, quiet now, she rubs it, looking at him, fear still in her eyes. The unearthly howl emanates again from the distance. He pulls a mighty looking sword from over his shoulder. “Do you not hear its hellish cry?”
“Oh that, that's just the Leed's place. They have a new dog or something. There's a petition going around to get them to get it to stop making so much noise at night, you know have its vocal chords cut. I would sign it, but he's head of the neighbourhood watch, and she's on the school board.” She rolls her eyes, calmer now, her thoughts now on more comfortable things.
He points to the street light, “and those?” On the pole of the street light there is a layer of missing posters. The faces of smiling children.
“Oh, they haven't got rid of those... We had a vote last week, the city council said it would now classify them as vandalism in our area,” she says, exasperated. “...but people just keep sticking them up.”
“Those children...” he looks at her, “...how long?”
“Them? I don't know, a couple of weeks... I mean, I'm devastated for the parents, but most of them are like 12 or 13, they're practically adults. They probably just ran away.” She shakes her head. “Some people just aren't responsible parents.”
“What number is this Mr Leeds place?” He turns away from her, revolted by her physical beauty.
“13, why?”
–
The fearsome howl starts again. He presses the small white button and hears the echo of bells from within the door, and the howl stops immediately. There is a shuffle, and hard sounding footsteps. Then after a moment the door opens. A middle aged man in a red dressing gown opens the door, and sleepily looks up. His eyes widen as he has to continue to lift his head until he sees the face of the 8 foot man that stands in front of him.
“Er, is there something I can help you with there buddy?”
“Indeed, Mister Leeds I presume?” The hulking tilts his blade to the man's neck and slowly walks forward. The man stumbles back, eyes fearful. “It is an interesting name, Leeds. Do you take your mother's name?” The man nods, body shaking while he does it. “I too now bear the name of my Father...”
“W..w..what's that?” The man stutters out.
The huge man leans back as he bellows, “FRANKENSTEIN!” The light bounces off the bolts in either side of his neck. He looks down at the man.
At the top of the marble staircase, the figure of a blond woman appears. “Tom, what is it? Who is this man?” She whispers loudly, “should I call the cops?”
“It's ok Bev; I'll handle this, go back to bed.” She looks at him a final time and then heads back into the dark corridor. He turns back to Frankenstein, “So Mr Frankenstein, you live?” The man's voice no longer showed fear. “And why are you paying me a visit at quarter to twelve on a school night?”
“I feared what may occur if I did arrive on the midnight...” Frankenstein looks over the man. “You stole this body? This man's flesh?”
The man laughs. “This? No, this is all me buddy. Technically I'm still mostly human. Over 250 years you learn a thing or two about the world. One thing is they don't take kindly to people looking like you...” The man drops his robe. His neck stretches, then elongates a full three feet. His pyjamas are torn as his body bulks into muscled flesh, his arms and legs twist at unnatural angles, claws grow from his hands, leathery wings stretch out from his back. Finally his face stretches into a long, fearsome horse-like muzzle, “...or Me.”
“Hellish beast,” Frankenstein commands the twelve-foot creature, “kneel before my blade and I will give you a merciful end.”
The creature raises a claw to his mouth. “Shhh, you'll wake the children.” He leaps to the side with a hellish speed.
“...children?” Frankenstein spins to face him, holding out his sword with both hands, “How?”
The beast shrugs, “...the old fashion way, sometimes doggy-style. Beverley's a very loving and understanding woman. Eleven kids, can you imagine? Although personally I'm waiting for number thirteen, I'm sure that he'd be a special one.”
“The missing?”
The beast crouches down, claws readied. “Eleven is an awful lot of mouths to feed.” The Beast leaps. Frankenstein jumps, sword pulled back over his head. The beast whips around kicks his chest sending him into the marble staircase. Frankenstein rolls before a claw slashes at his head. The beast hoof slams his chest, making the sword fling out across the floor. Frankenstein roars, grabbing both of the creatures from under him. He stands, pulling them and spinning him around into the opposite wall. He nimbly leaps to the sword, picking it up with one hand and turning to face the beast.
The creature is not there. Frankenstein spins, but his face is kicked by the hoofed foot, sending him to the ground. The creature's unnaturally long arms pin Frankenstein, his claws puncturing through his elbows. The beast's face makes a demon grin, “You think I'm the monster?” Frankenstein rolls up his legs and kicks the beast off him. The beast's wings flap powerfully, letting him remain in the air. Frankenstein swings his sword, which the beast nimbly dodges. “Look outside if you want to see the monsters. With their war and P.T.A. Meetings, fast food, gossiping, and the ignorance! Don't get me started on the ignorance.”
Frankenstein strikes again, but again, the blow is dodged. The flying creature kicks the sword out of his hand and a long forked tail suddenly wrapping around his neck. The beast flaps his wings lifting Frankenstein off the ground, choking and struggling. “Listen to me, I love my family, and I will not let you ruin everything I've worked so hard to create.” Frankenstein whips up a giant ancient looking pistol from his belt. The barrel a good two inches thick, a mechanism on its back starts to whistle, and he cocks it. The beast swiftly throws Frankenstein with his tail as the shot is fired. It grazes the beast's wing, blackish blood splatters across the floor, hissing in making contact.
The beast lets out a hellish sound, and turns, heading for the roof. Frankenstein leaps to his feet and sprints to the stairs, jumping onto the banister and running up it. He leaps and turns in midair. His hand grabs the creature's foot, as it breaks through the layer of roof into the night sky. The beast twists and turns in the air, kicking at the monster man who will not let go. Frankenstein grabs the other hoofed leg and starts to climb the creature, whose clawed talons slash at his back. Frankenstein continues up until he grips the devil creature's neck with both hands. The creature rises higher and higher into the sky, the air becoming freezing cold. Its neck bends to look at Frankenstein with eyes that burned with hatred and hot sulphuric breath rushes out from its snout.
“I will not let you destroy my family.” His voice cracks, “I'm a good father! I will be a better parent than my mother ever was, I will be there for my childr...” His voice cuts off as Frankenstein squeezed harder with his hands around the beast's throat. There is a crack. The last words scratched out of his mouth. “...fuck you...” The beast goes limp, and its wings drop. From below multiple hellish howls erupt, and as the two begin to fall tears flow out from the horse-headed creature's eyes.
There is a dampened thud as a strange dead devil hits a soft green lawn. Then a wet crash as Frankenstein hits the concrete road nearby. The blue giant groans and pushes himself up. At that moment the sound of sirens fast approach and several police cars pull up, surrounding him in the centre of the cul-de-sac. Officers pull guns and point, shouting orders at him. He stands and looks about.
A black coloured car pulls up and dark haired woman in a black suit steps out. Walking around the car, she opens the back door. An Indian man, with a grey beard, a turban and holding an umbrella, emerges from the vehicle and both he and the woman walk to the nearest police vehicle. Frankenstein watches as the two newcomers flip out badges, whisper in ears, and phone calls are made. The commanding officer calls for the others to stand down. The police get back into their cars and drive off, sirens silent. The Indian man walks up towards Frankenstein, as behind him three more black cars and a black van pull in. Suited men disperse from the cars, half entering the howling house and the other half surrounding the dead beast's body.
The Indian man stops a couple of feet from Frankenstein. “Mr Frankenstein, or would you prefer junior?” He smiles, looking casually up at him, “I have a proposition for you.” Frankenstein narrows his eyes, his mouth neutral.
“What do you ask of me?”
“Actually, my boy, it is what I can offer you.” Two suited men walk from the house towards them, one carrying a huge sword, the other a massive pistol of some kind. Frankenstein slowly takes the sword and slides it into the scabbard across his back. “The sword of the Archangel Michael if I'm not mistaken...” The Indian man takes the gun, turning it over in his hands, “...and this, this looks like it could take down an elephant... steam powered?” He hands the gun over, handle first. “What I am offering you, is a chance to do what you do now, except better, with backup, equipment and information. A job my boy.” The Indian man holds out a card.
Frankenstein takes it, flips it around, “It is blank.”
The Indian man smiles, shaking his head, “you're holding it in the light, look.” He covers it with his hand. In the shadow underneath, glowing letters read S.H.A.D.E. Super Human Advanced Defence Executive.
“Some man made the offer of this job before...”
“1940, Berlin, Germany,” the Indian man strokes his beard, “you should have been leading Project M.”
Frankenstein turns, “I did not join you then, why would I now?”
Suddenly, from above a helicopter flies in, hovering over them. A figure in a long black overcoat drops down from it, landing on her feet. “...because it's not just me who is asking.” The figure walks towards them, her jet black hair standing up with a white streak on either side.
“Hello Frankie,” she smiles tentatively.
Frankenstein almost chokes, “El...”
She quickly interrupts. “Bride. That's my name now.” She walks to him; her large eyes look up at him. “What do you say?” She sticks out her hand, “Friends?”
He looks at it, at her, and turns away. “I must think.” She nods and turns, pausing, then walking away. From behind him the Indian man is lighting his pipe.
Drawing in a few puffs, he looks at Frankenstein's back. “Why did you kill the infamous Jersey Devil tonight?” In the background, men have wrapped the giant corpse in a black tarpaulin and are transporting it to the helicopter.
“The beast had started feeding on the innocent.”
“Shame really, I always fancied having a devil dude on the payroll, some sort of hell-guy.” He walks up beside the blue giant. “And his kids in there, will you kill them too?”
“They are innocent...”
The Indian man lets the smoke swirl out of his nostrils. “They tasted human flesh...”
“They did not know better...”
“Exactly,” Father Time says touching Frankenstein's shoulder with his umbrella, “we do. Look about you, these people; they would not hesitate to kill the children inside there. They would not understand, but we do. The truth is these people couldn't handle the truth. We are the ones who keep them in the dark. He was right about the ignorance, you know this, but thing is, it is a good thing. Do you think the world could keep going if these people knew what was going on underneath them, do you think they could work knowing what lurks in every shadow? We are the repairmen who fill in the cracks in the reality, we are the bogey-men in the closet waiting for the monsters under the bed, we are the men behind the curtain. We deal with what the world doesn't even know exists.”
Frankenstein turns to the Indian man. “And who are you in all of this?”
“I'm just the man holding the umbrella.” Father Time outstretches his hand.
Frankenstein grasps it.
“Excellent,” he turns making his way to the cars. He points to one, “You will go with Bride and Robotman. He's got some interesting ideas for upgrades... What size hat are you? Have you ever been to Thailand? Big bats there. I'm going in this car; we'll talk more on the way. I'm sure you and Bride have some catching up to do... Do you know anything about vampires? Anyway, Frankenstein,” he opens his door, “…happy to have you aboard.” His quick fire patter stops, as he smiles and gets in his car.
As the car drives off the dark haired woman, Laura De Mille lifts an eyebrow. “Seems like that went well.”
“Quite.” He holds up the pipe, “too much?”
“I think it suits.” She opens a palm pilot and starts typing. “So what are you going to do with all the devil kids?”
“You know how I said I wanted a hell-guy on the team?” He smiles, looking out the window, “well one day I might have eleven of them...”