Experiment 86 Issue #1.n Test Run
Experiment 86
Issue #1.n
Test Run
The witching hour has struck in North East Philadelphia on Torresdale Avenue near the El as an unmarked van pulls into the parking lot of Dunkin Donuts and two men in black paramilitary uniforms get out and open up the back. Creatures make their way out of the vehicle as slowly as they can more to annoy their handlers than anything else. One of the men, an African American that looks he could been a basketball player if wanted to powers up a taser baton as if to say to the monsters: "Hurry up!"
A mass of inky blackness with all the consistency of pudding drops out first and then rises to look the impatient human eye spot to eye ball and roars at him before slithering off to the Dunkin Donut shop itself. Next out is a snake woman whose lower half is entirely serpentine and whose hair is smaller snakes like the classical image of Medusa redone for the porno set. She flicks her tongue and gives the guard a coy wink that makes him nervous.
The next monster to come out of the van is an angry Latino woman in light body armor, the wings and feet of a vulture who sneers at the humans before flying off past the donut shop toward the high school on the other side. A robot centaur whose non-human half is a scorpion then skitters out and out right confiscates the baton as its wielder just jumps back to make sure he isn't the victim. Finally a red furred grizzly man-bear with black eyes and hair in black cargo pants, Velcro sneakers and a dark Philadelphia Wings lacrosse jersey steps out, glares at the humans and walks on and into the donut shop that the blob thing opened for a snack before going on to the high school with the rest of the monsters.
"You had to start something, didn't ye, Jamal!?!" The white guard growls at his compatriot. "Puddinhead is going to cost us some cash because he opened the donut place out of spite. Good for us, Harpy knows better for her abilities, Stinger can't eat, Medusa is watching her figure but 86 will help puddinhead do some damage."
"Sorry, Karl," Jamal says, "I was thinking more on the mission."
"You were thinking of getting your rocks off abusing the monsters!" Karl yells. "There is a very fine line to walk here and you're close to getting us caught! If anyone one those things actually gets caught we're both in deep shit! If you're lucky, they'll just let Medusa make you a statue for her garden."
"Whoa! Experiment 86 and Puddinhead only took a minute to scarf down what they could find and go on to the school," Jamal says, "I'll assess what they ate and authorize payment. Call it in?"
"Sure, just watch yourself," Karl says as he reaches for his cell phone, "86 is a gentle giant but Puddinhead can be downright nasty." Then he calls a number on his cell. "Guardsman to Watchtower, Guardsman to Watchtower, come in Watchtower..."
"Watchtower here," a bored and annoyed British male voice calls back. "What is it, Guardsman?"
"Insertion complete," Guardsman reports, "Puddinhead and 86 had a snack before moving on; Black Guard is assessing now."
"I'm not going to ask what Black Guard to set them off," Watchtower states in the same tone of voice with a heavy sigh, "But it sounds like they didn't have time to eat much. I'll activate the cameras on Stinger and see what is going on. Sit tight, fortunately for us, Philly may think itself to equivalent of New York in everything but fortunately they lack the capes crowd of the rotten apple. It should be a quiet night, but keep me posted..."
"I heard this new flag fag, Captain Liberty, might be extending his patrol route to include the El line this weekend." Guardsman reports, "Any ideas on how to handle him?"
"Yeah," Watchtower instructs mockingly, "I have a simply smashing idea: let the monster handle him and any friends he might have. It will give the Monster Squad a little more seasoning. Watchtower out!"
"You know," Black Guard says to Guardsman when he comes out. "Just for shits and giggles, I'd like to see Captain Liberal come out here tonight. The regular guards in what's left of the high school will be a cake walk for the monsters."
"The lab is testing new super soldiers tonight, man," Guardsman states, "We get to see the fruition of that crackpot eugenics program we stole from the God damn Nazis back in world war two."
"They're still trying to make that work?!" Black Guard asks incredulously.
"Yup, and this next batch could be the one that gets the job done," Guardsman says then smirks at his partner. "And for your sake it better."
"What do you mean?" Black Guard inquires with a growl.
"Black Widow is one of the team members," Guardsman states.
"Whoa!" Black Guard says, "You can't be serious! My little sister is going into that meat grinder?" Guardsman just nods. "And Harpy loves shredding pretty girls like her."
"Just hope 86 gets to her first then," Guardsman jokes. "When he takes a girl out he makes sure she survives."
"Yeah, so he can fuck her again later," Black Guard grumbles. "Here comes an el train."
"Is the bell at Church station working?" Guardsman asks as they hear the tolling of a bell loud and clear.
"No," Black Guard says and moves for the van. "Quick, Karl, get in the van! We can watch the festivities in safety in here."
"Right," Guardsman says and runs in the van. "I'm activating surveillance now."
"Make sure we're in whisper mode," Black Guard cautions as a person in a star spangled battle suit flies down from the train accompanied by a trio of lion men in paramilitary gear, one of which has green fur, one has blue fur and the other has orange fur. "All three lions? What's next, the Flyer himself?"
"He's got his hands full in Center City," Guardsman reports. "And be thankful for that."
"Cap!" Green Lion snarls, "I smell trouble."
"Should we interview the idlers?" Orange Lion asks.
"Or just go to school?" Blue Lion asks.
"I see Red Lion!" Capt. Liberty states in a computerized voice, "He's going into the school. Join your brother and I'll catch up while I advise these guys to skedaddle. If they give me static, I'll know something's up."
"Right!" All three yell as one and then run towards the ruins of North Catholic High School.
"Hello, gentlemen," The synthesized voice of Captain Liberty says to Black Guard and Guardsman. "Out late tonight aren't we?"
"Just looking for a bit to eat," Black Guard lies. "Is there a problem?"
"Maybe; maybe not, I wouldn't stay here if I were you," Captain Liberty states. "In fact for your own safety I'm going to have to insist on it."
"On our way," Black Guard says and drives away.
"Drive around the back," Guardsman orders as he watches Captain Liberty fly off.
Inside the high school a fight is brewing as the Monster Squad is hunting the Shadow Brigade as the lions infiltrate the compound. All four members of Shadow Brigade, Black Widow, Widow Maker, Midnight Gamer and Doctor Delivery, skulk about careful to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves as they roam the halls as a group going from classroom to classroom to seek out the Monster Squad. Midnight Gamer is the tech guy of the team and he notices the new players almost right away.
"Keep sharp, gang," Midnight Gamer, a Japanese-American man who looks like your typical computer nerd who is enough into sports to be more fit than fat, "We go company. Looks like more monsters."
"See, the one, Hiro," Widow Maker, a man who looks like your typical red neck hunter with an assault sniper rifle among other things, answers back as he starts to fade into the shadows. "Red furred lion guy. I thought the humanimal on the Monster Squad was a bear?"
"That's not 86, Hank," The Hispanic man who looks like a cross between a surgeon and delivery driver. "That's one of the four lion men that call Philly home. I see the green one now."
"Orange one coming in the main entrance, Julio, along with a blue one?" Black Widow reports in a questioning manner. "Any word on whether Captain Liberal is gonna show?"
"He's on the roof, Tamara," Midnight Gamer states. "But he's got a surprise waiting there."
"Hey, Julio, gimme a window?" Widow Maker asks of Doctor Delivery.
"Which target?" Doctor Delivery asks as he prepares to open up a portal.
"I'm sticking to the mission," Widow Maker assures. "I'll take out Harpy and hopefully give Captain Liberal's armor a brown spot."
Up on the roof Captain Liberty actually has an easy time taking out Harpy harmlessly and has her secured for the police when the portal opens and then quickly closes. Captain Liberty registers the energy signature almost instantly but can't trace its source but it gives her an indication that someone here can open portals. In her suit, Elizabeth Ross is thinking of what else she might encounter and does her best to make sure that as usually she doesn't do anything to out herself as a female hero in an androgynous battle suit.
Green Lion sees red fur and assumes it to be his brother until he turns a corner and finds a bear instead of a brother lion. Experiment 86 pounces and pounds the Green Lion into slumberland before moving on. He watches covertly as Captain Liberty suspends a secured Harpy from the wrought iron fence surrounding the school on the outside facing Torresdale Ave.
Widow Maker rolls a smoke bomb down a hall that Midnight Gamer expands as much as he can given the gadget's parameters. Black Widow sprints down the hall with pistols blazing as a distraction and her tactic pays off as Puddinhead drops on top of her. Midnight Gamer tosses a soap bomb into the pool of Puddinhead's existence that forces it to flee as Black Widow and Widow Maker finish off in a crossfire as Stinger lines up its own shot.
Stinger thinks it has a kill shot that it doesn't hesitate to take which Doctor Delivery turns into a victory for his team as the rocket propelled grenade it fires goes in one portal to shoot the shooter in the back. The robot's ocular displays go wide when it turns its head a full 360 degrees to see the missile lock on and blow it to kingdom come. Doctor is getting ready to celebrate when he sees 86 come for him out of the corner of his eye and teleports upstairs.
Experiment 86 sees Doctor Delivery run away but Midnight Gamer has his back turned to the bear. Midnight Gamer is caught in a sleeper hold by Experiment 86 and rendered unconscious as Medusa approaches Widow Maker and Black Widow with a loaded crossbow. But Medusa gets pounced herself by the Orange Lion and rendered unconscious before she can properly react.
Orange Lion takes Medusa outside and secures her next to Harpy. Widow Maker gets a text from Guardsman to terminate Medusa and Harpy to prevent them from falling in the wring hands and he slips upstairs to do just that. Black Widow is told keep Widow Maker covered but she is being stalked by Experiment 86, but she is unaware of how close he is until he strikes.
For Experiment 86, Black Widow is the pay off as he sucker punches her to knock her out and then suspends her nude in the gym. Black Widow is awakened by the sensation of being fucked and having her rack fondled. Hank wouldn't jeopardize the mission for a quick fuck and most of the monster squad is not exactly a team of sex fiends which means she doesn't even have to turn around to know that Experiment 86 having his fun with her.
Tamara finds it weird having the bear's cock between her legs but in a perverse way she's enjoying it. She also knows that if she just lets the bear do what he wants; the worse that will happen is that Hank will find her later for sloppy seconds and maybe Julio as well. Experiment 86 may be into fucking random girls but she knows he'll make sure she survives with a load between her legs as a souvenir.
Widow Maker terminates Harpy and Medusa with headshots before Puddinhead eats him. Hank is amused as he opens a bottle of cleanser that forces Puddinhead to spit him out while foaming at the mouth while running to a bathroom to wash its mouth out. En route it runs into Captain Liberty who blasts it to kingdom come.
Doctor Delivery gets a message from Guardsman ordering them to collect Black Widow and Midnight Gamer before getting out of there. If they can take out Experiment 86 on the way so much the better. Since Experiment 86 is the last survivor of the Monster Squad, finishing him off will complete the mission but with half the team incapacitated, that may not be exactly doable, but the good news is that the bear is the least bloodthirsty of the Squad.
All four lions are chasing 86 around the track when Widow Maker finds Black Widow in the gym after Doctor Delivery finds the still sleeping Midnight Gamer where 86 left him. Experiment 86 runs out the one driveway onto Torresdale Avenue as Black Guard and Guardsman come careening around the corner to try and run him over but hit Red Lion instead. This draws the wrath of not only the other three lions but Captain Liberty as well.
Experiment 86 hides behind the Laundromat in the parking lot of the Dunkin Donuts while the superheroes trash the van. Unwilling to be captured, Guardsman hits the suicide switch and blows up their own vehicle, killing both occupants in the process. The heroes leave the scene when it becomes clear the occupants are lost but after they leave, Experiment comes in to steal Guardsman's keys and credit cards before he skedaddles.
Tamara identifies her brother's body at the city morgue in her civilian clothing but when Hank tries to claim Karl's effects as his "next of kin" which is a lie as Karl had no family, he notes what's missing and calls it in. Shadow Brigade has a new assignment given the next day as Karl's credit card was used to order pizza after he died. For now Moreau Laboratories Incorporated, the company responsible for the genetics program that created both the Monster Squad and Shadow Brigade lets 86 use the credit card to track his movements.
"Yo, Hiro!" Tamara calls to Hiro at 30th Street Station's food court with her dinner.
"Hi, Tamara," Hiro responds as he eats his Chinese food. "The lab must have a safe house in the northeast, 86 is still there."
"I think I was there once, actually," Julio says before biting into a burrito.
"Just one question," Hank says as he eats a hamburger, "After we find the bear what do we do with him?"
"Our orders are to bring him in alive if possible," Hiro states. "And personally, I'd rather not kill him."
"What are you thinking, Hiro?" Julio asks. "See if the brass will put him on our team?"
"I wouldn't mind," Hank says honestly. "That boy is built like a fucking tank. We could actually use him."
"I think I see where you're going," Tamara says with a nod. "You and I are pretty much blasters, Julio is transport and Hiro is our tech guy. But we don't have a bruiser."
"86 can fill that role in spades," Hiro says in agreement. "I'll put in a requisition before we go hunting tonight."
What Shadow Brigade does not realize is that the blonde woman behind them typing away on her laptop is actually Captain Liberty out of her battle suit. She seems to be listening to her mp3 player but she is actually eavesdropping on their conversation. She is also trying to find out as much as she can about the monster the Lions chased last night.
There is nothing to be found on the open internet but the fact that the four Moreau Lab headhunters refer to the thing as a he are promising. Asking the operatives would only raise suspicions, and Betty knows that. Hiro gets suspicious of Betty after a bit and convinces his fellow operatives to move.
When Betsy Ross goes back to her own van she finds Shadow Brigade waiting for her. The Blue Lion comes out the station at 30th Street to make his way to the food court which scares off Shadow Brigade but Betsy drives to her own place in the North East on Marsden street as quickly as she can. As it turns out the credit card 86 stole was being used around the Philadelphia Hospital for the Mentally Diseased in Byberry which leads Betty there to try and find the gentle giant.
Elizabeth Ross does not take her battle suit into the ruins of the asylum work farm but she does go armed. As she wanders the warrens of the wards she is mentally reminded of the legends about the labyrinth of Crete and the Minotaur that lurked within. A very different monster haunts these halls and eventually she meets him.
"Who are you?" The bear asks menacingly. "Why are you here?"
"My name is Elizabeth Ross," Captain Liberty says as calmly as she can when confronted with sheer size of the thing and thoughts of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears go through her head unbidden. "And you are?"
"I have no proper name," He answers honestly. "The scientists at Moreau Labs called me Experiment 86."
"And yet they kept you?" Betsy asks almost comically.
"OK, I know there is some slang with the number," 86 asks, "Would you mind telling me?"
"It's a restaurant term, mainly for refusing service to someone or throwing something out for various reasons," Betty answers honestly.
"And I was often used to eliminate other projects that were not deemed fit to continue," 86 admits. "Ironic, I'm not sure I appreciate the joke."
"There is a team looking for you," Betty says matter of factly.
"Of that I have no doubt," 86 says flatly. "Something like me is never meant to be released to the general public."
"How so?' Betty asks.
"How much are you aware of what Moreau Labs does?" 86 asks point blank.
"On paper they are a pharmaceutical and biological think tank," Betsy reports. "But there is a lot of speculation that they are a black projects company."
"It can't be proven can it?" 86 asks.
"No," Betty freely admits. "No evidence can be found..."
"You're looking at a piece of evidence," 86 states. "I was created as a super soldier and trainer for other super soldiers."
"A monster to practice killing on," Betsy says in a half questioning manner with great anger to which 86 just nods. "The one team wants you assigned to them."
"That would be an interesting development," 86 says with wry amusement. "A part of me wants to continue just to make them sweat. Especially if I can keep out of their hands and out in the open."
"I get a stipend under the table from the Philadelphia Police Department to act as a superhero," Betty admits.
"Captain Liberty is a human female?" 86 asks.
"What makes you say that?" Betty asks.
"There aren't many capes operating in Philly," 86 states. "You have the four lions and Captain Liberty and that's it. All four lions are male but Cap Lib is a power suit hero, so the user can be male or female."
"Dumb animal you are definitely not," Betty says as Red Lion joins them.
"Betty!" Red Lion yells excitedly, "That black ops team from the other night is on its way." The he notices 86. "Who's this?"
"Red Lion, this is Experiment 86," Betty says in way of introduction as the two shake hands. "Moreau Labs never gave him a more proper name."
"Like a certain other lion from a certain video game," Red Lion says with a smirk. "But I go by the Red Lion so who am I to judge?"
"Shadow Brigade," 86 says. "If the Lab sends anyone it will be them."
"All four lions and Betty here network to keep the city safe whenever a super villain passes through," Red Lion says. "You gave Green a good thrashing didn't you?"
"Yeah, I was on a training mission," 86 explains.
"I get it, if anything that proves you're powerful enough to fight off the bad guys," Red Lion says. "And if you're able to take one of my brothers down that quickly I'd rather have you on our team than the other side."
Puddinhead roars behind them.
"Hold on, Puddinhead!" 86 yells, "These two are potential friends."
"How sentient?" Betty asks while pointing at Puddinhead.
"Barely," 86 says. "He can understand when you talk to him but the nucleus is not that well developed. It's like dealing with a small child most of the time. And there is not much he can't get into."
"Does it have a gender?" Red Lion asks.
"Not really," 86 admits. "The rest of the Squad preferred to use male pronouns as it acted male for the most part and they called him Puddinhead after a character Samuel Clemens created."
"An alternate name for him would be Wilson?" Betty asks to which 86 just nods. "I see, a semi sentient ooze monster...he eats by absorption?"
"More or less," 86 admits, "Truth be told the rest of us used him as a garbage disposal."
"Why am I not surprised?" Red Lion says with a smirk.
"We gotta move," 86 says, "I can smell them."
"Is that them?" Red Lion asks to which 86 nods. "Where should we go?"
"I'll take them back to my place," Betty says and then sees Puddinhead, "He looks agitated."
"He hates soap and they just bathed," 86 states then addresses the ooze. "Puddinhead! Ball form!" It makes itself a huge slime ball. "Let's roll!"
The joke is not lost on Betty or Red Lion as they snicker as they make their way out. Red Lion goes back to his home on Red Lion Road while 86 and Puddinhead go back to Betty's place. Another joke comes to her that this is almost a reverse of the classic fairy tale, a pun not lost on the bear.
Betty gets drive through fast food on the way hope and the leftovers go to Wilson who eats them gladly. 86 gets invited into Betty's bed as she is curious as to how his cock feels between her legs. For his part 86 is glad to have a female willingly want his sexual attention instead of what would happen in the lab for the perverted entertainment of the staff.
86 licks and suckles at the breasts of Betty Ross as his large member invades her folds. Betty is amazed at how good he feels inside of her as she does her best to massage his scrotum. When they both climax Betty lays on top of 86 as they drift off to dreamland.