Return Of The Furry #140

'For a guy who doesn't want to kill, I sure do like using untested shit on other people...' I mused, my eyes twitching as I kneeled next to the flaming man to examine his vitals.

I sighed in relief as I discovered he was merely unconscious, even if his appearance suggested he was dead, what with his irises rolling back, showing the whites of his eyes as he lay motionless.

"That's that..." I remarked, shrugging as I got up and made my way to the Squirming bearded woman, who was still feeling the burn for the lack of a better expression

She noticed me and tried to get up, but I quickly closed the distance and knocked her out with a blow to the head since I didn't feel like jabbing my finger into her fat, sweaty neck.

"What about him? Aren't you going to check on him?" Nightwing asked after watching me knock out Big Top as he gestured toward the unconscious Professor Pyg.

"There's no need," I replied, shaking my head. "There are people even I'm not selfish enough to overlook," I added, sighing as I walked towards one of Pyg's Dollotrons.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nightwing asked, his expression turning severe as he ran towards Professor Pyg to see how he was doing, alarmed by my words.

"It means what it means," I blankly replied as I took a knee next to the Dollotron to examine it, starting with its creepy doll face. "Shit..." I cursed, grimacing as I realized it wasn't a mask but an actual fleshy face.

The demented piece of shit permanently changed those people's faces somehow, and I'm not even sure anyone can revert the process, not to mention their broken minds.

"He's alive...?" Nightwing remarked, his tone puzzled as he got up and turned to me, regarding me with a questioning look he and Cassandra shared.

"Define alive," I said as I got to my feet. "Breathing? Yes. Capable of independent thought? Yes..." I added as I gave the unconscious Pyg a cold glance.

"The other stuff... not so much..." I concluded as I looked away from the demented professor and went to examine the other victims, only to realize they suffered the same treatment.

It might come as a surprise, but even I had a (cripple on sight, or kill if not possible) list of several villains, and Professor Pyg was on top of it. Selfish as I might be, there were still people who were so evil that even I couldn't ignore and leave be.

There were also those who were too powerful, unpredictable, and fucking extreme to leave alive after getting the unfortunate displeasure of making their acquaintance like that time-traveling bitch in Central City.

Imagine waking up one day to find one of your balls missing, only for some mother fucker in yellow spandex pajamas to show up and say, "It was me, Gray. I went back in time and stole one of your testicles..."

Hell fucking no. I'm not dealing with that kind of bullshit, not today, not tomorrow, never, ever.

Still, Nightwing frowned at my words, seemingly conflicted, but he looked at the Dollotrons and swallowed whatever words he was about to say, merely sighing as he shook his head.

"These people... I don't think they can be changed back..." I blankly said as I turned to leave. "The right thing to do is to put them out of their misery..." I added as I started walking away.

"Either way... they're all yours..." I concluded, activating my phantom belt and disappearing from Cassandra and Nightwing's sight, leaving them to share an uncomfortable expression as they looked at the Pyg's victims.

...

Gotham

The Diamond District

Nightshade sighed, torn with hesitance as she leaned on a wall, observing a supposedly abandoned theatre full of people, going in and out, doing all kinds of chores around the place.

Though a hero, she still learned a thing or two from the various villains she worked with in the suicide squad. Nightshade knew who to ask to find someone and was willing to pay good money for the info. Unfortunately, all information brokers she found had any idea about Gray's whereabouts.

She had yet to find any leads toward Gray and started investigating everywhere he's been sighted, leading her to the theatre, hoping to find a clue to his current location or base of operation.

Nightshade had already investigated the docks and every place Gray was seen. The theatre was her last hope of finding him. However, she did not expect to find it occupied by this many people.

She did not know if those people were connected to Gray or if they'd simply decided to occupy the place because it was empty. Nightshade was at a loss at what to do, as she did not wish to give the wrong impression.

However, she did not get to overthink the subject as a woman in heavy clothing, covering her face with a hood, approached her while looking directly at the heroine.

"Excuse me, miss..." The hooded woman said as she raised her head and looked into Nightshade's eyes. "Would you happen to know the directions to the nearest supermarket?" the woman asked as a car passed by, shedding light on her, revealing her serpentine features and emerald green eyes.

Nightshade's body stiffened as she realized the danger and prepared to teleport away. However, it was too late as the serpentine woman retrieved a cylindrical spray can, which she raised to the heroine's face.

The serpentine woman squeezed the top, releasing a green gas, which immediately slithered into Nightshade's lungs, taken by surprise with her guard down as she was.

"Who...? Wha--" That was all Nightshade could say as her vision darkened and her consciousness slipped away. Her body went limp, and she fell, but the serpentine woman caught her body and hit the ground.

The serpentine woman smiled as she dragged the unconscious heroine to the closest alley and stopped to look around. "Abbot?" the woman called, and a man in a heavy trench coat stepped out of the shadows.

"It seems we have our piece offering..." Abbot blankly said as he stopped before Whisper, his gaze alternating between her and the unconscious heroine.

"Let's just hope it's enough..." he added as he kneeled next to the heroine, retrieving a metallic black collar that he attached to Nightshade's neck to inhibit her power.

"I'd say an enemy soldier lurking around his people is more than enough to get Wraith's attention at least..." Whisper interjected as she removed the hood, letting her red, smooth hair loose.

"Indeed. Now we only need to make our presence known..." Abbot said, giving Whisper a meaningful look before turning to the theatre, to which the latter chuckled.

"That's where you come in, big guy," Whisper said as she walked toward Abbot, stopping beside him as she playfully smacked his shoulder. "If he doesn't like our gift... well... you might be able to take a punch or two. I can't," she concluded with a shrug.

Hearing those words, Abbot could do nothing but sigh as he picked up Nightshade, put her on his shoulder, and started walking towards the theatre in resignation.

...

Gray's hideout

As I sat on my couch, blankly staring into the ceiling while patting Little Soot's head, I forced myself to contemplate the issue of whether to accept Martian Manhunter's offer.

I didn't want anyone inside my mind. Whether the person offering was trustworthy and genuinely wanted to help with no ulterior motives in mind did not matter. It was one of those things you'd have a natural aversion to, despite lacking prior experience. You know, like pineapple pizza.

You hear so many people say it's good, and you might even believe them, but in the end, it was still fucking pineapple on fucking pizza, and it sounds fucking horrid, so you never try it.

On the other hand, I didn't want to keep having sudden fits of psychotic rage because it almost fucking ruined me once already when I went ballistic on Virtuoso.

'Fuck... what the hell am I supposed to do...?' I mused, feeling the urge to punch something in my frustration as I squeezed my mind for an answer and found none.

"Now what...?" I wondered, snapping out of my musings as I received an alert and activated my personal computer power to see what was happening and where.

"Give me a break, man... the fucking furry piece of shit is back..." I groaned in annoyance as I put Little Soot in my lab aside and stood up, much to the black feline's displeasure.