Showdown at Slaughter Swamp

[newoutsiders]

Batgirl and Green Arrow have been riding for a few hours now, on their way to Slaughter Swamp: the last sighting of the mutated, truck driving zombie dubbed "Gingross." The red-tinged air pollution of Gotham fades behind you, giving way to the muted moonlight of a cloudy night sky. The swamp carries something of a supernatural reputation, as you're well aware- if the "hauntings" in Connor's building can be traced anywhere, Slaughter Swamp is as likely a point of origin as any.

Eventually, you run out of road and park the Batcycle. The nearest source of real light is coming through the window of a nearby, small wooden shack right on the edge of the swamp.

Comments

[glowymeatshield]

Starfire can survive in space. That doesn't mean being inside this thing is... pleasant, or isn't scaring the hell out of her.

Inside the dark, fleshy tomb of the inside of the zombie's mouth... stomach? Whatever it is, Starfire goes for a whole-body starbolt explosion.

She lets it build up in her for quite a bit before letting it finally go off, making it one of her stronger bursts, hoping it will burn and/or break through the thing trapping her inside it.

[newoutsiders]

It's super effective! The heat of your starbolts alone seemed to be irritating it, but the sheer force of the explosion releases you in a rain of goopy chunks of flesh. A now hollowed, open cavitied body with a startled human face stares back at you, struggling for its three legs to support it.

Longlegs scrunches up in concentration, attempting to regenerate- but instead, he crackles with electricity, sending a current through the swamp, as a flashing responsometer falls out of the open cavity and Longlegs collapses in a lifeless heap.

Toon Zombie spasms from the flow of electricity, as does Fleshflood, tensing up her hold on Steph. Connor gets a shock for the second time tonight, but stays on his feet.

[not_easy_being_green]

Sal...

Connor isn't really sure if those animated by the responsometers are "really" the people they were in life. But it's hard to watch Starfire just... demolish the man who he'd watched start crying over his family. Connor feels the urge to vomit, something not helped by another jolt of electricity, but he clamps down on it. Takes a brief breath to help him think.

He looks at the man next to him, still on the ground and disoriented by the blast of electricity. He recognizes it as Perry Veto, another of the missing tenants.

He could go for the responsometer on Perry now... what would that even do? If they can put it back, is it the same as killing him? Should he take the chance to take him out now and focus on getting Steph out?

Then again, given just what Starfire did to Sal, maybe it's the more merciful option.

Oh right. Starfire. Connor calls to get her attention, "Starfire! S-Batgirl's trapped! Can you get her out?"

He turns to Perry, and, making a decision, moves for his responsometer.

[newoutsiders]

The Responsometer is stuck on there good- but with a concentrated effort, you pluck it off him. Perry's body contracts to normal human proportions at your removal, and then goes completely limp. The responsometer in your hands starts blinking, as if in a panic- and shocks you again.

Now that one really hurt. It glows, as if amused with itself.

[stephbrown]

Steph forces herself not to panic, even when the thing contracts around her. She can get to her belt, but her arms won't move past that, so she has to go by feeling around. She opens a pouch and manages to pull out a cryorang. She remembers hearing that Plastic Man was pretty much screwed when it came to extreme temperatures; here's hoping these things have the same weakness.

She hits the button on the 'rang to start the countdown and braces herself for the cold.

[newoutsiders]

Making like Mr. Freeze, you feel the undulations of Fleshflood slow to a halt, mounds of flesh crystallizing before you. Her responsometer sends a shock through the ice- but your suit's insulation protects you from the current, and it only serves to shatter the already glue-hardened chunk of her grabbing you into pieces. You're free of her grip, and Fleshflood is on the ropes.

[glowymeatshield]

Starfire reaches for Batgirl, to pull her away from the remains of Fleshflood. Her movements are a little sluggish compared to earlier. Her solar batteries might just be running a bit low after that last blast.

"Are you alright? Is everyone alright?"

[stephbrown]

"Cold," Steph says. "And really, really happy for all of this nice oxygen. How are you?"

[not_easy_being_green]

"I'm... okay." He gestures vaguely at the remains of the captives. Or what's left of them. "What should we do about... them?"

[stephbrown]

"I don't know," Steph admits. "I mean, we can't just leave them here. They were people before all of this. They deserve to be buried, but... I don't really know how to go about doing that."

[glowymeatshield]

"I'm alright, though I'm fearing how much shampoo I'm going to go through later."

She frowns, looking at the remains. "Call in the authorities? Maybe Waynetech labs?" she suggests. "That's where I took the police officer who was exposed." A frown. "I imagine Oracle will be alerting Batman to what happened here as well. The Swamp isn't in Gotham, but it's close enough to be a concern for him." And Dick will be concerned, she knows that much.

[not_easy_being_green]

"Waynetech... sounds good." He looks down at the responsometer in his hand, then decides to secure it in one of the pockets of his belt before it can electrocute him again.

He looks back at the fortress. "Grundy's probably in there."

[stephbrown]

"We should secure the building before we call anyone in," Steph says. "If Grundy really is here, we don't want him crashing out and throwing cops around like confetti."

[not_easy_being_green]

Connor looks askance at Starfire, who's still showing signs of exhaustion from that starbolt earlier. She's their heaviest hitter here, by a large margin. "Starfire? Are you okay taking point?"

[glowymeatshield]

Starfire nods, and takes a few steps ahead of the other two. "Do we want to see if Oracle can send us anymore backup before we try to take Grundy on?" she wonders.

[not_easy_being_green]

"Batgirl? Do you think we can-"

He's interrupted by the flare of rocket engines.