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

[stephbrown]

Well, that's... not good. Steph goes for a kaboomerang; hopefully an explosion to the face will take one of them out, and maybe distract the remaining soldiers from Starfire until she can shake off whatever that was.

[newoutsiders]

The kaboomerang brings the total number of soldiers down to six.

[bat_by_another_name]

It's apparent now what can take the soldiers down and Batman wastes no time putting her half-baked plan into motion. Taking off as fast as she can, she reaches into her utility belt and produces the capsules containing plastique.

She slides beneath the remaining soldiers, dropping the capsules beneath the robots, then halts by Starfire.

"Cover!" she orders, pulling the Tamaranean over her shoulder before ducking away, she presses the remote control for the C4 after making certain that Starfire is shielded.

[newoutsiders]

All heed Batman's orders as the plastique goes off inside the age, laser, and Starbolt worn Hall of Doom. The soldiers, however, do not- and where they once stood, a large hole now looms into the main chamber before them- a thirteen seat dais, with a higher podium in the center, seat turned away from you.

Connor also spots a familiar face, held captive in some kind of contraption in a far room: Lemmy Mason, would-be ghost hunter.

[not_easy_being_green]

Oh God. Lemmy??

"... they have a captive," he says quietly.

[newoutsiders]

"Hello, children," a growling, gravelly voice said from the turned around chair. "Batman. Or whoever you are. I suppose you're here for the bull. Well, you're too late. I don't have it anymore. But, as long as you're here... I might as well entertain."

The chrome chair- as opposed to the leather chairs surrounding- swivels around, and the podium sinks into the ground. You see Grundy reveal himself within- body atrophied, neck lolling to one side, face paralyzed.

"Pardon me for not getting up," he says through gritted teeth.

[stephbrown]

Wow, this keeps getting better and better. Steph was really hoping Starfire would be more awake for the Grundy thing. On the upside, it doesn't look like he's going to be beating up on them, unless this is all some sort of elaborate hoax to lull them into a false sense of security. That's probably Bruce levels of paranoia, though.

Still, as long as he's not rushing at them to beat them to a pulp, maybe they can use this as some sort of intel gathering mission. Steph takes a step forward. "What's going on here, Grundy?"

[newoutsiders]

"What's going on, Blondie," he grunts, "Is I just want my life back. I heard about these computers. The ones you could upload your brain to. They call it 'transhumanism,' maybe you heard about it in school. But I like being human, you know? I've gotten attached to this gross, gray, lumpy body. When it works, anyway," he scathes.

"So! I say, graft the computer with my brain on it onto the body, and the brain can't die! This way, my brain can stay stable every time I come back! No more mindless zombie Grundy! And I can finally take charge of my gang again. I honestly don't see what's so bad about that. We're just trying to get it right here. Sure, some people have to die, or turn into putty monsters, but it's all in the name of progress, right?"

[not_easy_being_green]

"No," Connor says. "I'm sorry for your condition. But these people are not your toys. You've kidnapped and tortured and killed, and you do not get to point to some vague concept of 'progress' to justify it."

"This is over. Let him go."

[newoutsiders]

"Eh."

He struggles for a moment.

"I was trying to shrug at you. But my point is, I'm already a monster. In for a penny, and all that."

[stephbrown]

Steph takes a look around the room, trying to get an idea for the layout. She whispers to Connor, "Think he can stop us if we just rescue the dude? We can arrest Grundy after."

[newoutsiders]

You hear a raspy, throaty chuckle from Grundy, like a chainsaw caught in a lawnmower.

"You want to grab the kid? Sure. Go ahead. He's right over there."

[stephbrown]

"Or not," Steph replies, narrowing her eyes. "You should be trying to stop us. Why aren't you trying to stop us?"

[not_easy_being_green]

Connor does not even slightly trust Grundy. Moving very cautiously, he steps marginally closer to Lemmy, examining his bonds more closely, but at a healthy distance.

"Batman?" he asks. "What do you think?"

[bat_by_another_name]

Technology is not Cassandra's strong point. She approaches, allowing the HUD to record everything and transmit it back to the Temple. If Jean Paul can give her a message with what he knows, she can decide if she wants to smash the computers now or later.

"We need to know..." she slowly responds to Green Arrow, leaning closer to the machine, "what stage it's at."

She looks to Grundy and huffs. Because while she can hope for some further technological know-how from Jean Paul, Batman has to always be prepared.

Cocking her head to the side, Batman stands tall before the atrophied body coolly. "How do you know?" she asks. "How do you know the computer... is still you. It is numbers. Words. How can that be a brain? Or, soul?"

[newoutsiders]

He wheezes a dry, bitter laugh.

"Ah, yeah, that old chestnut. You think just because sometimes I grunt about pants in the third person, I haven't read Sartre? You come back from the dead as many times as I have, especially when your brain's so different each time, you start thinking about if you're really the same guy you always were. But... hey. You ever hear the story of Swamp Thing? A mass of plant matter who thought he was a guy, because he was implanted with a dead guy's memories? Nice fella. You'd like him. Kind of a cousin of mine, I guess. But the point is: it doesn't matter how you were born. Your thoughts and memories, that's who you are. Maybe it's a new me each time I come back. Maybe this computer brain is an entirely new thing, that's just the same as me in every way that counts. I figure I'm already a sin against nature. Like I said: in for a penny."

[not_easy_being_green]

"Not that I can't appreciate the philosophy...." Connor starts, "But I'm more concerned about Lemmy right now."

He turns to Grundy. "What's going on? What are you doing to him? What happens if we unplug him?"

[newoutsiders]

"Test number four. If everything goes right, he'll live forever, in his own body! Hell, he might even get superpowers. Who wouldn't want a chance at that? If you unplug him now, well, you'll interrupt the transfer. I dunno what would happen, but probably nothing good. Wanna find out?"

[not_easy_being_green]

Connor is... less than amused. He gives Grundy a cold look.

"Where's the device you've been using to control them?"

[newoutsiders]

With superhuman effort, Grundy forces his face into a sickening grin.

"So. Glad. You. Asked."

On cue, Grundy's chrome chair begins to expand around him, until soon it's ten feet tall: an enormous chested but space age sleek mutagenic silver body armor, enveloping all but his head.

"You see... I'm sitting on it."

[Initiative:

Batman
Green Arrow
Grundy
Batgirl]

[bat_by_another_name]

Growling under her breath, Batman reaches up to her cowl, knowingly switching the HUD's focus so that she can see Grundy's face up close and personal. It's grotesque to see what he's become -- inside and outside the machine -- but Cass doesn't need reminders that she has human lives to save. And that includes Grundy. There won't be any blowing up this robot. Yet.

"Legs," she grunts to her companions before rushing forward.

Once she's slid beneath Grundy's legs and has turned to face behind the armor, she throws the remote detonating Batarangs for the joints behind the armor's knee space.

She may not be the most learned in robotics, but Cassandra has torn up her share of devices. She knows all her team needs is an opening.

"Grundy!" she calls out before pressing the button for remote detonation of the Batarangs. "Does Toyman know... you have his toys?" She narrows her eyes. "Does Luthor?"

Primary objective might be to save these souls attached to Grundy's machine, but Batman's still a detective. And she's seen too many Metropolis connections lately for comfort.

[newoutsiders]

"Not Toyman," he says.

Cass realizes as she throws the batarangs behind the knees that there are no joints. At least not apparent ones.

The batarangs are encased in metallic bubbles- which he shoots from the back of his legs with the power of a wrecking ball, both aimed directly at Batman. She dodges one, but the other is a direct hit- knocking her back with explosive force.

"Magnus."

[not_easy_being_green]

Grundy is a thoroughly vile man. He's personally responsible for the deaths of countless many, and the torture of even more. But Connor still hates to be this ruthless.

Still, his hand is steady as he draws the bow back, and aims an arrow for each of Grundy's exposed eyes.

[newoutsiders]

A metal dome quickly extends and retracts over Grundy's head, arrows deflecting impotently.

"Going for the eyes? Oh, that's dirty. Now... I've got to get dirty too."

Grundy extends his bulky arms, which make a metallic splash against the far sides of each wall. Each wall encased in his liquid metal, dozens of spearlike extrusions expand and retract from both sides at unpredictable intervals. Connor manages to sidestep them all- but an already staggered batman gets caught on one, piercing her armor and retracting, leaving a small but ugly wound- and Steph dodges the first few, only to be caught unawares by a pool of metal creeping below her- a spear extending vertically, catching her leg.

[stephbrown]

"Ow," Steph hisses. She does her best to ignore the pain in her leg in favor of the pain in her neck, also known as Grundy. She pulls a brickerang from her belt, activates it, and tosses it, hoping the extra punch behind it will help.