Excellent! You've got a real knack for fleshing out your characters and bringing them to life. I've enjoyed both of these stories.
Thank you very much! I hit upon the Rogue connection when it struck me how much easier it is to sway public opinion one way than the other. The next installment will be up late next week as I'm off to Colorado for a few days.
"Comics, you're not a Mastermind...you're an Overlord!"
This is the second in a series of stories revolving around a very well-meaning psychologist working with Villains in the Zig, Heroes of paragon City and two members of the fledgling Rogue Program. The first story dealt with Total Violence, a nasty character by any definition of the word. This one deals with Doctor Zombie, a former Villain trying to clear his name.
The World Through My Eyes
Stacey checked her watch yet again as she hurried through the corridors of the Zig. She hated to be late but the near-riot down in Cell Block 4 had detained her for over an hour. Still, she had been instrumental in talking the inmates down and none of the hostages were harmed. It looked like it might turn out to be a good day after all. At least she hoped so as she approached the counseling room. She suppressed a shudder as she approached the door the last time shed been in that room she had been afraid for her life. She was resolute in her belief that she could help some of these prisoners. Shed chosen Total Violence as her first case because she knew he would be the worst. This time would be different. This man wanted to be reformed.
She noticed the smell as the door swung open. Shed never smelled anything like it. Her new subject didnt seem to mind it though. In fact he was sitting upright at the table with his eyes shut. He remained that way as she took out her clipboard and warmed up her laptop. When she was seated she finally tried to get his attention.
Mister Zom? Im terribly sorry Im late. I hope waiting here wasnt too uncomfortable for you.
Nothing not a flicker of an eyelash. She waited, determined to win the silent contest of wills. It was several minutes before she noticed that he wasnt breathing. She suddenly reached across the table and felt no pulse at his neck.
This man is dead! she exclaimed as she checked again. Not only was his pulse still but his skin was cool to the touch. Hed obviously been dead for some time.
Alright Doc play nice, one of the guards said sternly.
You people have no sense of humor, the dead man replied as he opened his eyes. Stacey did her best to retain her composure and she was pleased that she didnt cry out. She was sure that the man had been dead and cold.
Im terribly sorry child I am allowed few distractions in here so I confess that I am something of a prankster with the new people, he smiled as he spoke. Please allow me to introduce myself I am Doctor August Zom at your service.
My name is she began and then one of the guards waved her off.
Uh uh Doc, not this one, the guard cautioned her. Tell him your name and youll be having nightmares for the rest of your life.
I saw nothing in his file about mental powers, she thought aloud as she reopened his file.
Not mental powers Voodoo, the guard explained. Doctor Zombie here practices magic as in black magic. Turned the last councilor into a toad.
Newt, Dr Zombie corrected him. I turned him into a newt. It was only for an hour and he is fully recovered.
Dr Zom I dont believe in magic, Stacey said flatly. If you possess some innate power then thats fine but black magic simply doesnt exist.
My poor child keep thinking like that and you will find yourself doing poorly in your chosen profession, Dr Zombie chided her gently. Hamlet said that there are more things in Heaven and on Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy did he not?
That he did, Stacey relented. Do you know why Im here Doctor?
Ah yes undoubtedly some dry and dreary report of my sanity or lack of it, Dr Zombie sighed as he placed his hands on the table. Stacey noticed that his fingers were bound together with a form of metal restraint shed never seen before.
Those look uncomfortable Doctor what are they for?
A little something whipped up by my friends over at MAGI, he explained as he wiggled his fingers. They allow almost full range of motion while restricting my spells. One of the main reasons I am still in your company. They would not trust me in your presence otherwise.
Well Doctor, youre assessment of my work is only partly right. It is my hope that by learning something of the truly hardened criminals that I can try to reform some of those with lesser sentences.
Spoken like a true optimist, he smiled again. He waved his hands briefly and produced a red rose which he began to hand to her. She absently reached for it when one of the guards slammed Zoms hands to the table. Stacey jumped and when shed composed herself she saw that the rose was actually just wire and paper delicately wrapped together. Still, the wire might have been used as a weapon and she leaned back to be safely out of reach.
Forgive me my harmless pranks dear lady, he apologized and shrugged his shoulders. Still, I am being a poor subject. I shall behave myself from here on lest I raise the concerns of my two armed friends here.
You know they will shoot you if you try that again, Stacey tried to regain control of the situation. Letting an inmate play games with her was a poor start.
Oh yes theyve done it before, he said sheepishly. Last month they managed a clean decapitation although I suppose thats something of an oxymoron isnt it?
They they shot you last month?
Blew his head clean off, the guard almost seemed to be bragging. He was working in the infirmary and he tried to steal some of the instruments. We cornered him with a scalpel and had to put him down.
But but if you shot him how is he sitting here? she stammered.
Doc, you really need to start doing your homework in here, the guard sighed. Our friend here cant actually die that we know of. Ive lost count of the times weve taken him out. Now we just shoot him and dump him back in his cell. Next day hes back to his old self.
Eleven, Doc Zombie said flatly. Ive been killed eleven times since I was incarcerated. Three times by inmates who disagreed with my opinions, seven by the guards.
Thats only ten, Stacey said as she tried to take it all in. You said eleven.
Accident in the machine shop during Mr. Creeds escape last month, he explained. We were in the middle of a lockdown and another inmate failed to properly shut down his saw. A piece of metal came in contact with the blade and struck me in the head. I awoke the next morning to find Mr. Creed gone and my head throbbing terribly.
Yes well , Stacey struggled to collect her thoughts. You volunteered for this assessment Doctor Zom so we might was well press on. Our files on your background are sketchy at best. Are you willing to speak about your past?
Since you asked nicely, he smiled. I was born August Zom to my parents who were American missionaries in Haiti. I was raised there while they continued their work. When I was old enough they sent me to America for my schooling where I eventually became a doctor. I had planned to return to aid them in their work but alas they were killed in a bus accident while I was in college.
I terribly sorry for your loss Doctor, Stacey said sincerely. According to your file you finished your residency and opened your own practice in the south.
Yes New Orleans to be exact. I practiced for a number of years before I met and married my wife Louisa.
Again Im sorry for your loss, Stacey said before Doc Zombie corrected her.
Oh but my wife isnt gone, he said simply.
But according to this she died of cancer in 1997, she recited from the file.
Yes, she died but then she got better, he grinned again. You see when Louisa took sick I tried everything to save her. Nothing worked but then I thought of my parents work. Theyd told me stories of the Voodoo religion and some of the healing mixtures that the priests used. I was desperate so I journeyed there and spent a year trying to discover something that would save my wife. I was taught the formula for a concoction that was guaranteed to revive her that was the term the Houdun used. I was cautious of course so I tried it on myself first. The result now sits before you.
So you claim to have died and returned from the grave is that right? she asked as she made notes.
Well I died but I was never buried so returning from the grave is something of a misnomer. he corrected her again. However the rest of it is accurate I died and then rose from the dead to entertain you this rainy afternoon.
And you say that your wife also recovered I mean rose from the dead?
Yes, but her process was a bit different, Doc Zombie explained. You see I was alive when I took the formula and thus it was what killed me. However Louisa succumbed to cancer before I could return with the formula so I had to perform a ritual in order for it to work. The dead cannot drink potions you see.
So you raised your wife from the dead?
Yes, after much trial and tribulation. It was a complex ritual and it took me nearly two years to gather the ingredients and master the necessary skills.
It also says that your criminal activities more or less stopped at that point. Why is that? she asked.
There was no point any longer, he explained patiently. My criminal career, if it can be called that, hinged on the return of my wife. Once Id completed that task and we were reunited there was no longer any desire to break the law. That is why I chose to come forward and clear my name.
So you dont feel motivated by revenge or anger or greed?
I was never motivated by those things dear lady. I wanted my wife back and I was willing to do anything to accomplish it. Now that I have the Isles are no longer safe for us. I know that as long as we are wanted criminals we can never be together so therefore I decided to try and earn my freedom.
You realize that some of these crimes carry life sentences? she asked as she referred to his file. Even if youre cleared of the minor offences you may still do heavy time.
Louisa has told me she will wait for me, he said with a faint smile. We spoke at length about this before making the decision. She also has some minor offences on her record and those will also be part of my negotiation.
What negotiation? she asked, somewhat surprised. All arrangements with prisoners in her program were supposed to be approved by her alone. If someone was cutting side deals she had to know about it.
The Rogue Program youve heard of it? he asked. Some less dangerous criminals are allowed to earn their freedom by working as agents of the law under proper supervision. They are often given consideration if they turn evidence against their former associates. I have agreed to do both and thus am considered a likely candidate. There are, however, some matters of my record that need to be cleared up.
I was not aware that you were being considered for the Rogue Program, Stacey said evenly. That damned program could undermine everything she was trying to do. Still, since they will be asking many of the same questions you might look at this interview as a sort of test-run if you wish.
Your optimism is entirely refreshing my dear, he replied with a somewhat eerie smile. Im ready when you are.
It says here that you were notorious for experimenting on human test subjects, she read aloud from the file. Is this true?
Absolutely not, he retorted with a huff. While I admit to practicing my craft on the recently deceased I never performed experiments on the living. There was no point Louisa was dead. Anything I needed to learn to bring her back would have to come from the dead.
There are several reports of you breaking into banks in and around Paragon City. Do you deny this as well?
Sadly no, he lowered his gaze. I regret that I was forced into a life of crime but I needed funds for my research. Being dead myself I knew that an appeal to the medical community would turn me into an oddity and I would never be able to perform my experiments.
Is that why you went to the Rogue Isles?
Yes, there were fewer questions and I had the freedom to do my work.
But you willingly worked for the Arachnos organization why? Stacey asked. Surely you knew that they would try to steal your research for their own purposes.
Another patent falsehood, he said with a scowl. Ghost Widow knows more about being dead than even I do there was nothing to be gained from my research that she could not tell them. However they had access to equipment and people that I could use to my own ends. Since my research was not useful to them they insisted that I commit certain crimes to defray my expenses.
There are rumors that you broke from them and even fought with Ghost Widow.
I do not wish to brag but yes we fought. In the end she was defeated by her own desire to return to the living. It was that lesson that taught me that Im better off as I am. You really cant go back
So youre saying that you can return to life but you choose not to?
No child Im saying that returning from the dead and returning to LIFE are not the same thing, he explained. I am an animated corpse capable of thought and motion but I shall never again be truly alive. My wife has fared somewhat better than I since I was able to restore her fully. She lives and breathes something I can never do.
You are accused of no less than eight bank robberies in your career, she continued reading. There were also four kidnappings and the theft of several million dollars worth of scientific equipment. How do you plan to make restitution?
I have agreed to pay fines equal to the value of the stolen equipment and also to make payments to the kidnap victims as well as anyone else harmed by my actions, he replied. I have also agreed, odd as it may seem, to assist the authorities in increasing their security measures at local banks and laboratories. You see making the vault door heavier does no good when someone like me can simply mesmerize the bank staff in opening it.
You also stand accused of killing no less than twenty people during your career Doctor, she said sternly. You cannot simply pay their families money and expect them to forget.
I agree, he replied with downcast eyes. I deeply regret the lives that Ive destroyed in my time. I cannot plead self-defense for they were mostly police performing their duties. I cannot plead insanity because I knew every minute what I was doing. However I have offered my not inconsiderable skills as a physician as well as my other talents free of charge for life. I hope to heal the sick and nurture life for as long as I can to atone in some small way for the harm Ive done.
You seem sincere Doctor but the public will not be so easy to convince, Stacey said in a softer tone. You might spend twenty years trying to make up for what youve done and still not be accepted.
I understand that dear lady, but I still must try. My wife and I now wish to simply live out our lives in peace. My actions have made me many enemies in the Rogue Isles more so than even here in Paragon City. We cannot remain there with any safety and to come here is to risk prison. Yet here there is at least a chance of redeeming ourselves. In the Isles our end would be swift, certain and painful. Having spent so long to bring my wife back I cannot lose her again. Thus I have come here in an effort to earn us some small measure of peace.
Do you think people will understand what youve done why you did it?
I think that many people would sympathize with my plight, yes. Imagine a loved one dying wasting away before your eyes. Youre so close to being able to help them and yet something holds you back. Not enough time, not enough research money, poor equipment you can feel them slipping away and you grow more and more desperate. Then someone comes to you one day with a glimmer of hope and you latch onto it. You do things you never thought possible all for that ray of hope. In the end Ive sacrificed everything for her even my life. I didnt do these terrible things for greed or hatred or a quest for power. I did them for love plain and simple. People may not forgive me but I hope that they might understand my motives and understand how I came to do what I did and be what I am.
Youre very eloquent Doctor I think youll make a good candidate for the Rogue Program. she said with a smile. You seem to be extremely contrite and honest to me and Ive dealt with prisoners for years. If we can somehow make the parole board and the Rogue officials see things through your eyes we might have a shot.
Its easier to do this the other way you know, Zom said half to himself. Stacey looked at him quizzically and he explained.
If you look around you can find plenty of examples of so-called dark heroes and others who claim to be good but who actually break the law while apprehending criminals. For many of these it would be so easy to go over to the other side to really become evil. A bad jury, an overly-harsh judge, a clever frame-up by a hated enemy and suddenly our hero is a convicted felon. Being housed in a prison where many of the residents were put there by you is not healthy for anyone. Then they get a chance to escape and they take it intending to simply drop out of sight you understand. They dont intend to become hardened criminals they simply cannot stand life behind bars. But now where do they hide? Their identities are known their funds likely confiscated. They can live like an animal or they can go to the one place where their talents and powers might buy them some small semblance of stability; The Rogue Isles.
Not everyone is willing to go to such lengths Doctor, Stacey tried to correct him. Some heroes are excessive yes but most are not willing to cross the line into being actual criminals.
True but for some the reality is that such an outcome is entirely possible, he said evenly. The trouble is that its easier for a good person to become bad than it is for a bad person to be perceived as good. In order for a hero to be perceived as evil all they have to do is commit a few crimes and get caught. But in order for someone like myself that is viewed as a fiend to be accepted in society will take years of hard work on my part if it happens at all.
As much as I admire your courage Doctor I do not envy your struggle. Im not sure I would have the strength to do what youre attempting to do.
Zom removed a small locket from his shirt and held it open for her to see. On the left side was a picture of Louisa lying in a hospital bed, obviously close to death. On the right side she was lively and smiling, with a gleam in her eye that Stacey found both exciting and disturbing at the same time.
Trust me my dear lady with proper motivation you can accomplish anything.
"Comics, you're not a Mastermind...you're an Overlord!"