Very nice. I like the point of view in this.
-This Space Intentionally Left Blank.-
Thanks...I wrote it months ago when the City Scoop sent out a hue and cry for fan fiction but never submitted it. Now that I have (and it's been tentatively accepted!) look for more stuff from me and my fevered imagination!
"Comics, you're not a Mastermind...you're an Overlord!"
Very sweet. I like how it was laid out. Mainly a psychological profile on a villain, rather than a story about everything that he's done. Not that I don't like the more "traditional" story. But, to tell the truth, the fact that this was different was what kept me reading it! 
Great work, and keep it up!
Just wanted to come in and say I saw the start of this in the Scoop, read the whole thing, and...
VERY good. I would read more about this juggernaut of evil.
August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012
Many thanks for all of the positive waves. Look for more in the near future.
"Comics, you're not a Mastermind...you're an Overlord!"
I was sitting at the table with the new shackles on when she came in. The shackles were new because Id broken the last pair last three pair actually. The table was a block of steel that probably weighed five tons or more with a knee hole carved out of it and lots of places to fasten shackles. My feet were fastened together as well as to the floor under the knee hole. My hands were completely enclosed probably because of that guards neck I broke when I grabbed him. Then the hand covers were fastened to the table. My arms were fastened to my sides and my thighs were banded together. I was beginning to think they didnt like me any more
Name? she said simply.
Schrupsher Slasher, I replied simply. She scowled at me and her pencil hovered over the clipboard she was holding. This will go much faster if you cooperate, she said pointedly.
My name is Violence, Total Violence, I said finally.
Your records here at the Zig are pretty complete Mr. Violence starting from when you were broken out. But the breakout and subsequent fire destroyed many previous records including yours. I would appreciate it if you could fill me in on who you were and how you came to be this way.
Why bother? I asked flatly. Ive racked up more prison time that Charles Manson. You guys would be nuts to let me go ever. So take me back to my cell, turn on my cartoons and leave me alone.
Mr. Violence , I could see that calling me that bothered her, Im trying to help you. Yes, youve been convicted of a number of crimes but Im here to try and make your stay here less painful if at all possible. Im trying to learn from you so that I might help others before they get as far down the road of crime as you are. Im trying to find out how I can help others not turn out the way you did.
Well youre honest at least, I said after a long pause. Last guy was some self-serving putz trying to get his name in the papers by working on a terrible case. Didnt care about me at all.
Is that why you killed him? she asked in a softer tone, sounding like she really cared.
No, I killed him because he took me off my meds just to see my reaction. Being a lab rat is top of my list of things I dont like doing.
Im not like him Mr. Violence really Im not. Please tell me what I need to know and Ill see to it that you get the best treatment we can provide.
I sat there in silence for a while, a long while it seemed. The lights hummed and her coffee got cold and the gears whirred in my arm and the metal creaked in my armor. Finally I decided to go for it.
Creed, I said simply, my name is Arthur Creed.
She did some fast typing on her laptop and pulled up my file. It wasnt very impressive, small-time mostly. Id been an enforcer for the Family a long time ago and not a terribly good one. I was strictly bottom rung until one day Tony calls me up and tells me to head over to this warehouse he owns. Seems he was paying some junior mad scientist for some new weapons and the guy hadnt delivered yet. When I arrived two guys hiding in the dark grabbed me and tossed into the big glass tank at the back of the building.
So you were taken for experiments? she asked as the guard brought us each coffee. Mine was the bigger cup and I drank it through a straw. The small hole in my faceplate didnt allow for much else. How terrible.
Yeah I guess the doc needed his lab rats and Tony had decided that I was expendable. So I get injected with all manner of things and the doc monitors my progress and the whole thing nearly kills me. I lost track of time in there must have been weeks I dont know. But when one of the guards slipped up one day and let me out I took my chance.
You escaped?
Hell yeah, but I got me some payback first. The doc and his goons tried to stop me but I guess I was stronger that he figured. I smashed him to a bloody smear guards too. Later that night I paid a visit to Tonys house and let him know I wanted to quit my job.
You asked him to let you go after all hed done to you?
Not exactly I turned in my resignation as I tore out all of his arms and legs and used the rest as a sofa cushion. I explained evenly. She looked frightened and I was glad. She wasnt all ice and steel, she could be afraid. Thats good everyone should be a little afraid once in a while.
So what happened next? she asked the obvious question. I tried to remember the early days two years or more ago and fill her in.
I started doing contract work for Arachnos, same old enforcer stuff but with higher stakes. They gave me a medi-port link, body armor, drugs to calm my head when I got over the edge. When I got shot up they put me back together. It was better than rolling bums in the gutter so I stayed around a while.
What about your other enhancements. Did they install those too?
I wasnt as tough as I thought, I replied as I pulled on the hand shackles a bit. The guards tensed but they knew I wasnt going to try anything. I had my left hand bitten off by a demon about six months after I started working. They hooked me up with a cybernetic one and I did a few bank jobs to pay for it. My legs got all mangled by the Warhulk I mixed it up with about a year ago. They gave me new piston legs to increase my jump distance and kicking power and I kept working. The big one was when my right arm was torn off fighting a Malta robot. I never knew it was gone until I tried to swing with it and nothing happened. They held me in Medical for a week after that job, hooked up a new cybernetic arm all the way to the shoulder.
According to the medical report youve also had a number of operations and replacements done on your internal organs, she read aloud from my file. One lung, a heart pump, several bones replaced with metal rods, one artificial kidney and some strange sort of replacement for your stomach. All this in the last two years?
Yeah they fixed all that and I still have to pee, I said dryly as I finished my coffee. Granted its only once a week or so but theres just enough organics in there to need the system. They also added a drug engine to process and inject my meds on regular intervals.
Tell me more about the meds, she said as she leaned forward. Oh but she was pretty. Weve tried to analyze them but we get nothing that makes any sense. It looks like youre on a stimulant and a depressant at the same time.
Thats complicated, I said and nudged my coffee cup. She motioned to the guard and he brought a fresh one for both of us. The docs experiments made me different in a lot of ways. My muscles are denser, my bones tougher. But in order to run it all I overproduce adrenalin. Basically my engine runs a little hot all the time. He did it as a motivation to work for him because its the only thing that fights the pain.
Pain? Your doctor said nothing about pain.
Remember that self-serving part? Yeah, he left out the pain for his little tests. Im in pain pretty much all the time. The more relaxed I get the more it hurts. But when I get charged up and the adrenalin gets to pumping I feel it less. When Im really fired up I dont feel it at all. So doc built the perfect fighting machine, a wind-up toy that only feels good when its breaking other toys.
Oh my god, she gasped. So you HAVE to exert yourself in order to stop hurting? How terrible. But how do you sleep?
I dont usually, I replied as I finished the coffee. The drug that you cant figure out acts as adrenalin to fool my body into thinking its all overworked. That keeps the pain in check most days. But at the same time if it didnt have the depressants Id go stir crazy just sitting. The synthetic is good but not perfect it still keeps me on edge all the time.
Is that why you volunteered for all of those work details since you were captured? she asked as she typed. You wanted something to exert yourself?
Yes, but for some reason they wont let me lift weights in my cell, I said flatly. She looked at me over the laptops screen and then resumed typing.
So tell me about the last crime you committed the one where you were finally captured and brought here.
Finally? Ive been nabbed a dozen times over the past few years. Trouble is cops never listen when their bosses tell them to be careful with proper villains like me. So I break out and return to my wicked ways eventually.
The crime Mr. Creed if you please? It was the first time Id heard my name spoken in over two years.
I was with a few others breaking into Portal Corp, I explained finally. We were looking to steal some technology to sell when Longbow showed up. Then the PPD showed up with the hard suits. Then some of those new Psy Cops showed up. My armor can take a lot of punishment but mental powers cut me like a hot knife through cheese.
Butter, she said absently as she typed. Hot knife through butter.
Hey you eat what you like and Ill eat what I like and I like cheese, I said firmly. She stopped typing and smiled before urging me to continue.
Well the rest of my crew were on the floor or using their medi-porters to get out but mine malfunctioned. I was stuck there surrounded by all the cops and Longbow so I just gave up peacefully.
It says here that you were beaten senseless after killing two officers and sending eleven others to the hospital, she corrected me.
The last time I was captured the count was nineteen killed, four in hospital and six forced into early retirement, I stated calmly. Not to mention untold millions in property damage. Compared to that Id call two dead plus eleven wounded a peaceful surrender.
So you say, she coughed and decided to let it go. Now what Im curious about is how you intend to spend your time here in prison. Are you going to try going to school or working in the shops or what?
Im just passing through lady, I said with a grin she couldnt see through my helmet. I plan on breaking out as soon as I can and resuming my burgeoning criminal career.
But surely Mr. Creed you must realize that there is no possible way you can escape now. Your past efforts have given us enough information to hold you permanently. We know how strong you are, what sets you off, how to control your medication, everything. How do you hope to escape under those conditions?
By letting people underestimate me, just like they always do.
How so? We know everything about you. What have we underestimated about you?
The depths to which Ill go to escape, I said as I quietly increased the pressure on the bands around my legs. I also pulled ever so slowly against the shackles holding my hands to the table. You see in your world Im just a thug, a stupid criminal with no sense of right or wrong. You think that Im violent because I was mistreated or my parents didnt love me or some crap. What you dont get is that I LIKE being a violent psychopathic killer. And when I get out Im going to prove it to you by killing you even though all youve ever done is be nice to me and try to help me.
She sat back in her chair and for a second I thought she was going to cry. Her hand covered her mouth and I saw it shaking.
Why why would you do that? she said softly. I would never hurt you in any way. Why would you even think about killing me?
You remember the story about the fox and the scorpion? I asked as I increased the pressure slowly. I could feel the metal stretching but it was taking so long. The scorpion needs a ride across the river and asks the fox to take him. The fox says hey, if I do that youll sting me. The scorpion says if I do that then we both drown dont we? The fox decides to carry him over and halfway across the scorpion stings him. As theyre both sinking the fox asks why and the scorpion says its just the way I am.
The telltale creaking is what gave me away. As the shackles began to give the metal protested and the creaking sound alerted the guards. They brought their big gauges to bear but the woman was in the way. As they moved to get a better angle I tore the shackles loose and swung them back and forth. One guard crumpled as I hit his stomach, the other went down with a broken leg. The nice lady, I suddenly realized that I didnt know her name, leaped back from her chair as I smashed the shackles down on the table. In another few seconds I was free.
Please dont hurt me, she pleaded as she backed away.
Why would I? I asked Youre not part of the job.
Job what job? she asked, apparently relieved that she was going to live.
I got busted on purpose to get in here, I explained as I opened the door and turned towards the cellblocks. It was the easiest way to get in to break out another inmate.
The alarms started blaring and two other guards came around the corner. Bad timing on their part. I straight-armed one against the wall and snatched up the other one by his collar.
Wait! Im your guy the inside guy! he shrieked as he dropped his rifle and struggled not to pee himself.
Youre the guy who slipped the speeders in my coffee? I snarled as I hauled him up eye to eye with me. Well, eye to digital optics anyway. He nodded so hard I thought his head would fall off. You make lousy coffee! I said simply as I folded him in half backwards over my arm. He shrieked so loud I was grateful for the sonic dampers I wore. I tossed him to the side and realized that the social worker was still cowering in the doorway.
He was on your side, she looked at the growing pile of bodies in horror. Why did you kill him?
I sighed some people just dont get me. Remember the scorpion? And I really did hate his coffee. Some days thats all it takes. If you really wanna live walk in front of me down this way. I motioned down the corridor with my head as I gathered up the bodies.
Then youd really kill me? she was crying as she stood up and began walking slowly.
Lady, Ive killed seven like you before breakfast and I havent even HAD my breakfast yet. Now you walk in front of me and open the door with these keys as we go.
She took the keys and began walking as I dragged the guards along by their belts. Twice we were jumped by more guards. I added them to the stack and we kept going. When we hit Maximum Security I held one of the guards eyes open for the retinal scan as she turned the key. Then the fun began. I found the cell I wanted, dumped the pile of guards and keyed the door open.
Youre late, he said as he stepped out. He was tall, taller than me even, but thinner. The grey and green mottled skin was pretty disconcerting the first time you saw him but the crown of horns was what really set him apart. That and his talent with magic.
Well last time you broke ME out you took your sweet time too so quit griping, We stood there scowling at each other for a few more seconds until we both started to grin. Good to see you again Draegul old friend, I said as we clasped arms. I brought you a present. He eyed the woman hungrily and I gestured to the pile of dead guards.
You never let me have any fun, he pouted as he began the incantation that would resurrect the guards and transform them into his slaves. The woman watched on as the guards stood up, even the one with the hairpin spine, and assumed the guises Draegul chose for them. He then laid down an inky fog that cloaked all of us from sight.
She yours? he asked as he hiked a thumb at my reluctant companion.
For now, I replied. You broke the last one.
I work with what I have not my fault she was of inferior construction. His grin had more teeth that Captain Mako and all of them sharp. Some days he worried even me.
Your lucky day you get to live, I said to her as I pushed her into Draeguls cell and shut the door. It was made of steel but it had a speaker and a viewport. I wasnt sure if she was feeling slighted or relieved since she looked a little of both.
You know theyll only treat you worse when they catch you again, she said as she pounded on the door. Then her voice lowered to barely a whisper. If youre so terrible then why let me live?
Because when they let you out I want you to tell everyone what we did, I replied. Tell them all how terrible we were, how we killed without mercy or hesitation. Tell them the next time they get the big gauges on us theyd better pull the damned triggers and get it over with instead of throwing us in prison over and over. Tell them well keep killing and stealing and terrorizing until they put us down like the mad dogs we are. Then maybe theyll get the point and do the job right next time.
We should go, Draegul said as we heard more guards approaching . Its a long fight out even now.
I looked hard at the woman and nodded once before we started down the hallway. Draegul kept his peace until we were out of earshot of her cell.
You liked that one huh? I nodded as we waded into the horde of guards that poured around the corner. Draegul made it too dark for them to see, too close for them to breathe, then his zombies and I crushed the life from them. He replaced his fallen minions as needed and slowly but surely we made our way out to the exercise yard. Once there he spread his wings and took flight while I leaped over the wall in a single bound and we headed for the river. We got into the sewer tunnels unseen and started back to our transport hidden off the coast.
So why did you let her go? he asked as we walked. She would have made a good hostage if nothing else.
Propaganda, I replied. Now when she tells them how terrible we are theyll be more afraid of us next time. Pirates used to do it all the time in the old days. Terrorize one shipload of people, murder a few, threaten the rest and the story spreads. Next time we tell someone to open a vault door theyll do it.
And you liked her, he said with a grin. She was pretty and all but she didnt seem to be your type not enough leather and muscle. What was it about her that made her so special?
She didnt call me a monster, I said simply. Nowadays thats a rare thing. Now shut up and walk its a long way home.
"Comics, you're not a Mastermind...you're an Overlord!"