The Vespidian
Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 16
I peered around the room. It was good to know one’s surroundings after all. There were beds arrayed at various intervals around the dingy room. They were not really much to look at more or less just mattresses, laying on the floor. All of which were mildewy and stained with questionable fluids. This place was worse than a run down motel on the bad side of town. There was a table with some medical equipment. Something tells me this is the sort of place one wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and written on the wall in blood is “Get to a hospital!” Not my kidneys! Don’t harvest my organs and sell them on he black market. I wouldn’t put it past these people. Still, the medical stuff seemed out of place here, seeing as how it looked a bit high tech and expensive. If I didn’t know any better it almost looked like some sort of meth lab. Tubes and things running around between breakers and vials with some concoction dripping through it.
To the side, a space heater hummed lowly, plugged into a grungy outlet that did not look regulation compliant. I get the feeling it could start a fire or electrocute someone. It did however, keep, the room warm and humid. This sort of place was the perfect breeding ground for all manner of insects and fungi. Mosses spread on the wall where a slow drip of water leaked through the cracked concrete. Little critters scurried around trying to keep out of sight. The smell in here was rancid, putrid, like rotting meat… delicious. Eh, wait, what?
‘Sub? What was that?’
Nothing. I don’t know what you are talking about.
‘Sub.’
What? I am just hungry, ok? Just ignore it, it is nothing.
‘Well, alright.’
There was a fungus growing on the wall and it was unlike any of the others. It faintly glowed blue oddly enough. Dirt and dried blood coated the floor. This place is seriously not clean. Look, I get it, you live in a fucking sewer, but for fuck’s sake that is not an excuse to forgo anything reminiscent of sanitation. Cleanliness is akin to godliness, right? Ever heard of hygiene? Really, this is where they take the sick? They must have high mortality ratings on the converts. People probably get sick just from being here. Well, I guess it is a good thing I am not a person then.
The other converts were sticking to their corners of the room, avoiding any sort of confrontation with me. Especially eye lady. She just hugged herself crying in self-loathing. It made things easier since it left the roach and Maggie to my mercy. Astrea was getting distracted by the fungus, mulling around over there by it. She kept poking it and pulling little pieces off, eating them. I put my hand up to stop her, but lowered it, realizing that, she knows more than I do about this stuff. If she was eating it, then it probably wasn’t poisonous. At the least, not to us. Although, it might be a hallucinogen… There are spots and it is clear. I had seen one of those in the forest when I was kid. Granted it was not all radioactive, but it certainly looks similar.
I pulled her away from there like a parent having to drag her child from the candy store, Astrea didn’t want to give it up. I swatted the plant from the wall and stomped on it until there was nothing really left. Astrea had a very sour look on her face, though she did not say anything or vocalize a complaint. She didn’t need to, she smelled of malcontent. I smiled at her, petting her tentacles to calm her down. It worked rather well and soon she was purring and had forgotten all about the destroyed meal.
Now then, to the matter at hand. I turned to Dr. Crypto, newspaper in hand.
“Tell me.” I snarled, looming over the quivering roach.
“I don’t know!”
“Where are the plans to the rebel base!?”
“What rebel base? What are you talking about?!” he screeched in terror.
I picked him up by the carapace and shook him around like a rag doll, “Where is Hillary Duff!”
“I don’t know!” He screamed, backing into a corner. “You are crazy!”
“Like a fox.”
I slapped him and he started crying, ah the bug has feelings. I suppose, I should begin the real questions now that he is shaken up and willing to talk. “What is the source of Nuclear Knights power?”
He appeared to be dazed for a moment before it registered, “He is radioactive.”
“I know that stupid! I thought you were supposed to be smart? What makes him so damned strong?”
“I don’t know.” He replied and I raised my hand to slap his face off, “But, but Dr. Arbor was researching him!”
“Oh?” I lowered my hand, “Go on.”
“It is complicated, I don’t think you would understand even if I told you.”
I slapped him. “Just cause you are smart you think I am stupid?! I will have you know my brain is the size of a watermelon.”
He peered at me blankly… that is a look of pity, “That doesn’t mean you are smart.”
I shook him violently. “You calling me stupid?”
“No, please I will tell you, ok? Just stop with the violence.”
I eyed him, “Well get talking.”
“He is in a constant state of flux.”
“Flux you say? How so?”
“Basically, he is transitioning from one state to another. He is physically becoming a gas and reverting back to a solid.”
I rubbed my chin. What the hell does that even mean? The only thing I know that turns into a gas and a solid would be water. “So is he like water rapidly heating up and then cooling down?”
The bug seemed surprised. Hey! Don’t be so surprised. It is offensive. He answered as I contemplated smacking him again. “Yes.”
“So then how would you go about beating that?”
“From the testing, if you could contain his gaseous form in something it would render him useless, more or less. However, the radiation he emits is highly corrosive. There are not many materials that can withstand it for very long.”
“What the hell is his suit made of? That thing seems to be pretty durable.”
“Oh, that is a prototype from Dr. Arbor. He has had it for about a year now, originally it vented his radiation out to be used as a weapon when needed. Before the seals broke it fully contained his power to prevent exposure to those around him.”
“Well, if she made a suit then surely she made some sort of containment cell to keep him in.”
“Yes, she did. It siphons off his excess radiation to power a generator.”
So her fingers are pretty deep in this cookie jar. If she had something like that, then she could have stopped him a long time ago. Then why has she not trapped him and done intrusive studies of him? Or is there some other motive to keeping him running loose? I just don’t get it. If I had her power then I would have locked that wacko away a long time ago. I guess that is another question to ask her when I see her.
“Ok, so I am assuming that said chamber is not readily available to us to trap him inside of. So, what else could be used to take him down? Is it possible to disrupt his phasing?”
“Theoretically, it could be possible to lock him into either solid form or gas form if he were heated or cooled to a certain temperature. However, with how his body regulated temperature, it would be impossible. If you try to heat him, he will cool and if you try to cool him, he heats up.”
“Would it be possible to trick him into heating up too much?”
“It might be but, I am unsure. It is somewhat related to his psyche.”
“Ok got it. So I just gotta make him really mad to the point that he is literally steaming. Then what?”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“He would probably implode.”
I stared at him for a long moment, blinked a few times and then sighed, “So he would blow up?”
“Considering that the man is a walking nuclear reactor, yes.”
“And nobody has seen this as a problem?”
“Well, it wasn’t a problem at the least not until a few months back.”
“Meaning?”
“Dr. Arbor did an experiment on him and it augmented his powers. This would be why the suit’s integrity has failed.”
“What exactly did she do to him?”
“I am unsure.”
Dr. Arbor! Why you do this? Stop making Super Villains stronger! I mean I know it is your job, but for Pete’s sake make the heroes stronger! First, you monkeyed around with Glitter Kitten and them and now this? Are you trying to build an army of super freaks? Oh, wait, that is exactly what she is doing. Then she really is evil. She is the mastermind behind everything! I am going to have to give her a piece of my mind when I meet her again.
“Then we should freeze him. You wouldn’t happen to have any liquid nitrogen laying around would you?”
“I do not.”
“Ah, here I was thinking we could pull a terminator on him.”
“Terminator?”
“Don’t worry about it. Alright, so if you work for her, then you must know where her observation post is right?”
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He seemed to be hesitating on that. I raised my hand and he covered his face, “Yes, yes I know. Don’t hit me again.”
I nodded, “I won’t if you show me where it is.”
Dr. Crypto glared at me before sullenly agreeing. Well then, now that is out of the way, we just need to get out of here. My eyes fell on Maggie. She had more or less been hiding this whole time, but now that there was talk of leaving, she had emerged or rather was creeping along the side of the room to get to the door and escape. I can’t have none of that, so I pounced. Like some great bird of prey, I came down on her. She squealed like a rodent and scrabbled on the concrete in an attempt to escape. But I was faster and her spines had not grown back yet, making her easy prey. I dragged her back over and tied her hands and feet together with some of the surgical tubing that lay scattered across the floor. This place was pretty disorderly.
“Lord Pluton will get you for this!” She cried out.
Yes, yes, sure he will. I stuffed a sock in her mouth to shut her up. Now that the nuisance is out of the way I could actually think. The other converts were scared and kept quiet from fear of being eaten by Astrea. I mean, she did look famished, staring at Mr. Roach while drooling hungrily.
There were a few things that made our escape complicated. For one, well we would not be able to just walk out of here. There were mutants everywhere and the entrances were guarded. The wall was a bit thick so it would take a while to tunnel through. This was our main escape plan. I didn’t trust the little coward to not rat us out if he was used as a guide or something. However, I was going to be needing a distraction so that nobody noticed Astrea breaking down the wall. She was not exactly quiet and we didn’t have too much time to get out of the way before the Hero League showed up. Since I have a tracking device in my head and Sheila likely ran off to tell them that I have been child napped.
Still, I don’t know what the hell was in that sludge, but I feel sick. I should be immune to radiation, but if that wasn’t irradiated water, then I have problems. This fever won’t go away and I got the runs. I think this is the first time I have ever been sick since I transformed. Makes it hard to concentrate on things. The only thing that I could compare it to would likely be dysentery. Which isn’t good if I remain down here. With modern medicine, it is nothing to worry about, but we don’t have access to that down here. My regeneration should keep me from dying or anything like that, but who is to say something else might happen?
We would need a distraction to manage an escape. Just when I was stumped somebody entered the room, disrupting my plots and schemes. The guy with the tentacles. Astrea and I looked at him and he looked at us, rather happy to see us I might add. And by us I mean Astrea. This guy was giving her some rather passionate stares and from what I could tell, he wasn’t disgusted by what he saw. Wait, don’t tell me he is into her? I kept looking back and forth between them. They seemed to know one another. All be it, Astrea seemed less than enthusiastic to see him. She seemed neutral about the whole thing. Oh is she giving him the cold shoulder?
I broke up the awkward silence by clearing my throat, “Can I help you?”
He seemed a bit shy, “I came to check up on you two.”
“And?!” Said the boy from behind him, he recoiled a little.
“Ah right, Dr. Crypto can you fix Meld?”
“So unreliable, no wonder Packrat stole your spot in the commune. You really are a sucker.” Grumbled the half melted boy, dragging the frozen solid girl connected to him.
Oh? That sounds like there is turmoil in the happy little cult. I wonder if I could take advantage of this? It could be worth looking into. The roach was giving me a worried look, clearly asking for permission. I nodded and he seemed to relax. That is still a child, I am not heartless you know. Dr. Crypto made his way over and started inspecting the child Popsicle. Meanwhile, I looked back to the hazmat suit adorned man.
“Have you two met before?” I asked him.
He replied with a fond smile that turned to a grimace at the end, “Yes, we did. She tried to eat me though.”
“Well, I could imagine. She is a hungry girl after all. Speaking of which, you guys have food?”
“What is her name?” He inquired, looking upon my larger counterpart.
“I named her Astrea.”
“You named her?”
“Yeah, she rescued me from some spiders and we hit it off.”
“Oh, here I was thinking you were her child. Although it would be weird for you to talk and her to not if she was older.”
“She very well could be older than me. We have only been introduced since yesterday after all.”
“Have you been down here all this time alone?” he asked me.
I was about to reply when the prospect of him finding out that I am a hero kinda ruins my secret identity. “No, I was in the Slums for a while and wandered in here recently.”
“Are you having any symptoms of illness?” he seemed genuinely concerned.
“Well, just a little, but I don’t think it is serious. You have clean water down here?”
“Clean? There is nothing more clean than Pluton’s nectar. Drink of it and his power will flow through you.”
“What is that like Jesus Juice?”
“Ah, an MJ fan, I see.”
“Oh, you like him too?” I replied surprised.
“Of course, I grew up with that music.”
My stomach grumbled. “Food?”
“Sorry, I will be right back.” Sucker said, hurrying off.
How reliable. You know, he seems like a nice guy. I looked at Astrea, maybe… no, no, no. She is my waifu. I don’t care if he does have good intentions, that is mine. All of it clear from her claws to her tentacles is mine and I am not sharing. Besides, nice guys are pushovers and get taken advantage of by others. Speaking of which, that gives me an idea. He supposedly has a high position here right? If I could convince him to join my cause then my chances of success go up dramatically. I may have just found an errand boy. If I play my cards right, he might even escort us out of here and let us go on our way.
I glanced at Meld. What a poor creature. Actually, they are still people so that is a little offensive I suppose. It is like a physical manifestation of me and Sub how we are separate and yet the same. I am probably just personifying myself onto them. That is not a good habit, like attributing human characteristics to animals. I shouldn’t be getting attached or cozy with these people. This isn’t like the Mad Dogs where I stood no chance of breaking out on my own. As far as I heard, I am stronger than everybody here, save Nuclear Knight and maybe one or two others. Better safe to assume so anyway.
“How is she doing?”
Dr. Crypto replied, “She will be just fine after the ice melts. This sort of thing is a capturing tool used by the Hero League.”
“Do you know how the ice doesn’t give frost bite to those shot?”
He nodded, “The ice has an enzyme that puts cells into stasis, preserving them from the damaging effects of freezing. You ever heard of cryogenics?”
“I have actually. I thought that was science fiction though? Which now that I said it sounds silly since there are cyborgs running around. Still, it is amazing that they figured out how to get it to work. I mean freezing is the easy part, thawing is the hard part due to how the cells degrade from being frozen.”
“I am not an expert on it so I cannot say the exact specifics.”
Seeing as how I wasn’t going to get any farther with that I changed the subject. “So what is Meld’s power?”
Meld rubbed his nose, “I can melt anything I touch, well except metal.”
“How does that work?” I questioned.
“I don’t know,” the boy shrugged. How helpful.
For now, he was on the possible threat list. Considering I am not made of metal he could be problematic. I wonder though, how resistant is my carapace to that sort of thing? I almost want to ask to have him liquefy a finger or something just to see. However, Getting melted isn’t exactly high up on my to-do list. Then again it would be good to know how dangerous it was in case we ever got into a fight. On the other hand, since he said melt I can assume it is some sort of acid and as memory serves that is the bane of my existence and I can’t regenerate it. So I better just leave it alone.
Meld had drug over his better part and set her so that a little heater could blow hot air on her. Slowly but surely the girl was getting defrosted, like a frozen dinner in the microwave. It was no wonder either, the room was likely in the nineties almost a hundred degrees. It certainly was like a greenhouse in here. I sat in Astrea’s lap, letting her appendages coil around me. She seemed to have abandonment issues and didn’t want me running off. Not that I would, still I found it cute and gently rubbed her sensitive feelers. Now, this was skinship, pure and simple.
Sucker returned carrying some cans of food. I… I know those cans. The bold “Shake me!” on the side and images of chicken gave me all that I needed to know. Those are the same as the Hero League has. Why the hell do they have them? Did they steal from the League? But then wait a minute I thought those things were made on site in the cafeteria? I am confused. Either somebody is supplying them with food or they figured out a way to steal it. Both have heavy implications.
I can easily assume that Dr. Arbor is feeding them if that is the case. I thought she preferred minimal interference with her research specimens? Since it hinders their natural behavior if she does. Feeding animals inhibits their hunting instincts and they become reliant on the food givers. Humans are very much the same, we become complacent and lose motivation. If you are just given something then why would you exert effort into earning it? It is the old give a man a fish proverb. This just raises more damned questions. What the hell are you up to down here Dr. Arbor?
Putting all that aside, I had an insurrection to start. There would be holes and doubts in the followers. There always are, it is just a matter of finding the weak point and manipulating it. These people are crazy and so I must fight religious mumbo jumbo with religious mumbo jumbo.
“So Sucker. I heard that Packrat screwed you over.”
His face visibly tightened up at that, “It is in the past.”
I know a wound to an ego when I see one. “Oh? Don’t you want revenge? I mean he stole from you, didn’t he? He made a fool of you and took your place in the hierarchy right?”
Meld laughed cruelly, “Yeah before Packrat showed up Sucker was Reverend’s right hand, now he isn’t a toe.”
Sucker visibly shook with angry over the child’s words, but he managed to suppress it, “Lord Pluton teaches forgiveness and so I shall endure.”
“All that humiliation? He made a mockery out of you, didn’t he? I mean I heard about it and I just got here.”
“It is the test of a true man to not give in to such emotions.”
Hmm. Well, he is saying some admirable things here. I feel a little bad about this. Maybe I don’t have to trick him and just be honest. He seems like a rather righteous person. “Hey Sucker. I was wondering could you let me and Astrea out of here so we can visit Dr. Arbor?”
“Dr. Arbor?” He asked.
“Wait, you don’t know about Dr. Arbor? She is a person who has been watching over you guys. She sent this to help you.” I said, pointing to Dr. Crypto who nodded.
“Watching over us? A messenger of the Lord?!”
Oh, I can use this. “Yes a messenger of the Lord, but not Pluton. He is a false god.”
He stared at me in disbelief, “Lord Pluton a false God? No, I won’t believe it!”
I stood up declaring, “Lord Helix is the one true God! Through his tentacles, our salvation is assured. You bear his mark as I and Astrea do, your tentacles are proof enough. He fainted for our sins! Come brother join us as his chosen, cast down the vile Dome Fossil and tear down your false idol Pluton.”
“But, but Reverend said-”
I interrupted him, “Hear not the heresy of the False Prophet! Though peace might be his words, his actions lead you and the other lambs to slaughter. Join me, help me save them before it is too late!”
I could tell he was confused and debating over it. Damn, it wasn’t enough. I need to push it harder. I could hear Maggie struggling in the corner. No doubt trying to get free so she could scream me down with her brainwashed rhetoric. Unfortunately for them, I had first had experience with cults and how to deal with them. Make them question the leader. I guess College was good for something.
“Nuclear Knight has forsaken you. He has beaten you down and stolen your free will so that you could not rise against him. What Prophet of a true god would allow your suffering to have been so great? How could he have allowed Packrat to usurp your hard earned rewards? Undermine your devotion and integrity? Clearly, he cares not for your well being. He is using you, Sucker! Open your eyes. Take my hand and join me. Let us rejoice in Lord Helix’s embrace!”
“I- I don’t. I am faithful and yet I can’t just dismiss your words, they hold too much truth. I did all that I was asked. Yet why has Packrat been so favored? I was the one who found him and saved his life.”
Yes, yes! I have him questioning his faith. It is only a matter of time now. I suppose it just shows how vulnerable these people are. Normal people would just think I am crazy and brush me off. “Tell me, what has Lord Pluton been described as?”
“A glowing ball.”
“Do you not see? He is the Dome Fossil. An ancient evil, who would destroy the world! Packrat is an agent of evil, a demon set upon you to keep your spirit in check and bring you low so that you would never question the False Prophet. How else would such a treacherous creature rise so quickly to prominence? Has he not been a pestilence upon you from the very start? You have been deceived, but now you will know the true god Lord Helix. There is a reason you were gifted those beautiful tentacles. You have been chosen to cast off the veil and save your brethren from the lies of Nuclear Knight! He leads them to damnation. If not you, then who will save their souls?”
Sucker started crying. Oh, maybe I pushed a little too hard. I pat his head, smiling, “There, there Sucker. I know it is a lot to take in. I need your help. Your people know you, they will listen to you. They would never listen to me, an outsider, a stranger. Their eyes blinded and ears deafened to the truth. Take me to where Dr. Arbor is and all shall be revealed.”
Maggie wriggled across the floor and managed to get her mouth free, “She is lying! Don’t listen to her Sucker! Lord Pluton’s holy glow is our salvation. You can’t turn your back on it. Reverend won’t forgive you if you turn on the faith!”
Uh oh. Sucker was having a serious moral dilemma here. Damn you, you filthy porcupine! Don’t you ruin this for me. I had him, he was so close! I shoved a sock back into her mouth to silence her. “Don’t listen to this lost child who has been led astray. She knows not what she speaks. Do you not see? This is what the False Prophet has done to them. He has warped their minds. Sucker, only hellfire awaits the followers of the Dome Fossil. I need your help. Astrea needs your help.”
He looked between Maggie and Astrea. Finally, he came to a decision. “How can I save them?”
YES! Lord Helix be praised. Glory to the tentacles! Let the orgies begin! Oh, oops even I, am getting caught up in this.
You’re sick, you know that?
‘Shut it Sub.’
“Come my brother, there is much work to do.”