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]

"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.

[newoutsiders]

The brickerang phases through the metal suit like it was passing through water. Apparently he has control over the viscosity of the metal. That's disconcerting.

[bat_by_another_name]

She can't help but think that it's a good thing she did not switch into the Batgirl suit earlier as she examines the wound carefully. The suit's shock absorbers might do wonders for the kickback of the blasts, but it's far from self healing. She'll manage with this wound, but she's not exactly interested in adding to her collection.

Her eyes narrow as she looks at the mechanical nightmare Grundy has become. Magnus. She thinks to herself. She's never had the pleasure of meeting him or his Metal Men.

But someone more experienced may have. She looks to Green Arrow. "Metal is acting like... water. Do you know Magnus? What he's... up to?"

It occurs to her that metals act different. "Metal Men." It occurs to her. She sets the HUD for analysis of what the construct is made of as she goes about.

Until then, she'll do what she does best: moving fast and hitting hard.

Mindful of her wound, she runs around a comfortable perimeter -- leaping onto any high ground she comes across, and throws multiple detonating Batarangs at him, never staying still to make herself a target if she can help it, but hopefully buying time all the same.

[newoutsiders]

Batman dodges all of the oncoming wall spikes, and Meta-Grundy's fists, as she maneuvers around the room. She goes into analysis mode, opening a connection with Jean-Paul. It crackles at first, but the connection comes through.

"-crcckstatman? Batman, do you read? This looks bad. The metal is some kind of titanium alloy- it's going to be hard to beat, especially with his control. But, generally speaking, Magnus stuff doesn't do well in the cold."

The detonating batarangs have no such properties, though- and they only serve to blow out super hot chunks of molten steel alloy from Meta-Grundy's bulk as projectiles- which all but Steph manage to dodge. That's a nasty burn.

[not_easy_being_green]

It's a desperate gambit. And not one he particularly likes the idea of. But it's all he's got.

Connor takes a breath, steadies himself... and runs towards Grundy, dodging the spikes as well as he can. He might take some punishment. He'll power through it. As soon as he sees his chance, within arm's reach of something resembling a stable surface, just for a moment, he reaches into a certain pocket on his utility belt and pulls out two two particular devices.

The Sensometers.

Maybe it'll do nothing. Maybe it'll just make things worse. But if he can just get them fighting for control of the body...

He braces himself... and slaps them onto the metal.

[newoutsiders]

Grundy ceases his maniacal laughter as, suddenly, his fluid suit seizes up.

"What? What's happening?"

A familiar wave of electricity washes over Meta-Grundy. The responsometer feedback.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Two additional metal heads bubble up from Meta-Grundy's shoulders. Connor recognizes them immediately as Sal Handy and Perry Veto.

"We're not gonna be your puppets anymore, you freak!" Sal shouts at him.

"I think it's time for some payback," Perry agrees.

Grundy howls in pain as the shock of the responsometers, now under his victims' control, continues to course through him.

Talking is a free action

[not_easy_being_green]

"Perry! Sal!" Connor calls out. "He can't move without the metal body! If you can push him out, it's over!"

Re: Talking is a free action

[newoutsiders]

Perry and Sal look at each other, not in unison, and concentrate.

"W-what are you-" Grundy stammers, as the body begins rolling and rippling, "Stop that!"

With a loud splurt, Grundy's motionless body is ejected. Prone on the floor, he coughs up a glob of titanium.

Re: Talking is a free action

[stephbrown]

Steph watches for a moment to make sure he's not gonna magically get up and start moving around before she goes over. She pulls a zip tie out of her belt and leans down to tie up his hands. "You're under so much arrest," she says. "So, so much."

She looks around. "How's the guy in the contraption doing?"

Re: Talking is a free action

[newoutsiders]

Steph's question is followed by a beeping, and the electric hum of the machine in the back ceases. The responsometer to which Lemmy was hooked up then begins to flash. It doesn't take a genius to piece together that whatever actually occurred on a philosophical level, whatever sentience is contained within that responsometer identifies as Lemmy.

An examination of the contraption to which Lemmy's body is attached yields some disconnected IVs, filled gingo extract.

Before you, the Meta-Grundy armor undergoes a strange mitosis, as it splits into two human sized, human shaped bodies. They look like Sal and Perry, made entirely from metal.

"All right," Perry says, examining the back of his new hand. "Looks like I'm back in the game! Wait 'til Flash gets a load of me."

[not_easy_being_green]

"How is he?" Connor examines Lemmy as well, not sure if he's going to - wake up, he supposes.

At Perry's words, Connor turns back, looking less than amused.

"Thank you for your help there. We can't hold you on anything, so technically, you're free to go. But you have a second chance. You can do more with your life now than you ever could. Don't waste it."

[newoutsiders]

"Whatever, nerd," he sneers. "Central City, here I come!"

Perry smashes through the ceiling, and launches away as a huge ball bearing at an unmatchable speed.

As for Lemmy- he's alive, but only in the basest sense of the term. In terms of brain activity, there's no putting the genie back in the bottle.

"Sorry about that guy," Sal says sheepishly. "Thanks for saving me from that nightmare. Hey- uh, if you need any help, with Kathleen and this new kid, I could spare some metal for their computer disk things. Least I could do. I'm... kind of densely packed right now."

[not_easy_being_green]

Great. It was worth trying, he supposes. "We'll have to give the Flash a heads-up about that..."

When Sal speaks, he nods. "Thank you. I think... that's the least they deserve, after all of this." He turns to Steph. "Batgirl? You took Kathleen's responsometer, right?"

[stephbrown]

Steph does her best to rename Fleshflood "Kathleen". It's gonna take some doing. "Yeah, I've got it."

[not_easy_being_green]

He takes the offered Responsometers from Steph, and turns to Sal. "Thanks. We'll have to do what we can to explain this to them... but at least they'll be alive."

[newoutsiders]

You apply the Responsometers to Sal, who splits them off from his body.

"Whoooooaaaaa-ho-ho-ho-hooooo!" Lemmy says, constituting into a metal version of himself- albeit in a little better shape. "This fuckin' OWNS!"

Kathleen's metal, though, just coalesces in a puddle. It bubbles a wordless, mournful wail.

[stephbrown]

"Oh no," Steph cries, all thoughts of drowning in Kathleen's puddle-ness going out the window. "What happened? What went wrong?" And, most importantly, "Can we fix her?"

[bat_by_another_name]

Behind the mask of Batman, Cassandra sighs with some relief that it's over for now. She's going to sleep very well when she gets back to the Temple, that much is for sure.

She frowns at the distress Stephanie is going through and slowly approaches the liquified metal that is supposed to be Kathleen. The cries cause Batman's heart to instantly break. She turns to Sal. "She's in pain. Is there another part to her that's... gone?"

[newoutsiders]

"I'm no scientist," Sal said, looking down at the puddle. "But I'm only looking like me right now because I want to. Maybe... maybe she's lost her will to be human."

[not_easy_being_green]

"Kathleen?" Connor asks. "Kathleen Elba? Can you hear me? Can you try to respond?"

[newoutsiders]

The spreading puddle contracts with a jolt at the mention of her name, like recoiling in pain, until she resumes spreading.

[not_easy_being_green]

"Kathleen? I know you've been through a lot, but it's safe now. We're here to help. Can you try to focus for me? Can you focus on what you look like?"

[newoutsiders]

Kathleen just bubbles angrily, like the very idea is repulsive.

[stephbrown]

Steph crouches down near Kathleen. "Hey," she says, reaching out. She doesn't want to actually touch her, in case that'll mess something up. "Hey, Kathleen. I'm Batgirl. My friends here are Green Arrow and Batman and Starfire. And Sal! You remember Sal, right?" She takes a deep breath. "We'd all really like to talk to you. Can you... focus? On what Kathleen the human looks like?"

[newoutsiders]

The puddle stops bubbling and spreading, becoming a still pool about the size of a manhole cover. Then, a woman's face appears in the pool.

"There is no Kathleen the human," she says, voice choking.