[Mercy] La Belle Dame sans Mercy

[John Doe]

Swells of heat drifted away from the fiery man, turning the hallway into an oven. Sweat beads formed themselves on Fightmaster's chin, languidly dripping to the blood covered floor. The old general was mildly surprised that the intruder was a regenerator, but to also be a flame-throwing psycho was something he could not have seen coming.

Before he could make anymore thoughts, Doe began his attack. He threw both fists into the general's ironsides, diving into his guts. The general's uniform caught fire and propelled him backwards, crashing into a pile of fallen militiamen. The flames began to spread all over Fightmaster, who rolled on top of his dead comrades to smother the blaze. A few seconds of tossing and turning put out the red embers. The old general rose back up over his slain subordinates, facing the laughing jackal down the hall.

"How was that?" Doe asked as he raised a friendless middle finger at the grizzly commander. The extended digit glinted and went ablaze, spreading the fire to the rest of Doe's fist. He threw his palm out, a baseball of fire floating in place a few inches ahead. "Steel liquefies at 2500 degrees. Did you know that?" Doe started to rotate his arm backwards, winding up the pitch. "You'll melt a hell of a lot quicker."

Doe chucked the smoldering sphere like a professional pitcher, whizzing through the air at Fightmaster's helmetless head. The mustached veteran flew himself back on the floor, only dodging the attack by a hair. The fireball connected with the metal doors leading to the command center, blowing up on contact. Embers sprinkled onto the bloody floor from the impact and dissolved into red mist; the doors themselves had been disintegrated.

The general arose and inspected the damage on his person. Fightmaster patted himself down, gruffly sighing with relief to find no obvious wounds. He reached his hand up to stroke his moustache with delight, only to fell bare skin where his mighty face bush used to be. Doe's fireball managed to scorch off the old general's whiskers, leaving him bare and ashamed. The hairless general snarled his teeth and roared "Nobody snuffs my MANSTACHE!"

Fightmaster relit his makeshift tobacco-staff, and held it in front of him. The grubby commandant stuffed the massive cigar into his mouth and drew in his breath as much as his old lungs were able. Packed with fumes of the dark tobacco, Fightmaster exhaled. Rivers of black cloud streamed out of the mustached maw and flowed their way at Doe. As the fumes surrounded the shaded saboteur, the dormant flames covering his sleeves caught a spark. The dark clouds detonated, surrounding Doe in a field of fiery death. Waves of explosive force sent the nearby militia, live and dead, flying back into the walls. Fightmaster held fast, rooting himself to the ground as the forceful gusts nearly toppled him.

The dust settled abruptly, leaving behind a giant hole in the floor. The chasm descended into a dark void that was the basements of the military station. There was no trace that even an atom of Doe remained from the massive explosion. Dead for sure. Right?

"Wrong!"

A pair of arms sprouted from the floor beneath Fightmaster's feet, grabbing his ankles. No further warning was given as they flared up and spread their flames all over the old general's body. The formerly mustached commander was cover head to toe with searing inferno, roasting every inch of his body. The flames spread so rapidly that the old man didn't even get a chance to scream. Instead, his scorched remains and his giant cigar fell forward, lifeless and with the pleasantly overwhelming scent of high-grade tobacco.

The burning arms drew themselves back into the shadowy abyss. Doe himself then crawled out of the giant crater in the floor in front of the former general His once fine clothing were now nothing more than shabby rags. Black sunglasses, nearly obliterated but still wearable somehow, concealed his eyes as he walked over his fallen foe. "Whew, you almost got me there. Good thing I'm indestructible!" The militiamen, who were observing from the sidelines, continued their idle watch as Doe brought his heel into their deceased commander. Having adding injury to insult, the tattered victor raised his arm and pointed at the soldiers surrounding him. "From now on, all you assholes are working for me!"

***

"Is this thing on?"

Sitting comfortably in a large swivel chair, Doe hunched over the freestanding microphone in the middle of the command tower. Refitted with a brand set of clothes and sunglasses, the suave dude grumbled as he operated the device. After a few moments of failed effort, he called over a few soldiers to get it going for him. All lights green, Doe cleared his throat and began his message.

"Attention to every numbnut on this planet. This is your fuck-mothering captain, John Doe, speaking. I am currently broadcasting on all channels to tell everyone that I am now in charge of this planet. If you'd like to change my mind, come to...um... Hey, you! Yeah, you, tell me where we are... Mercy? WHERE on Mercy? ... What? Don't give me it in code! ...stupid fucking- Alright.

"Attention shitheads, there's going to be a party in the Jolic dome! Everybody who's anybody is going to be there. I'll supply the kegs, you supply the bodies. It'll be a riot!"

Finishing his announcement, Doe crushed the microphone in his hands, cutting the line. He idly tossed the shambled contraption aside and turned to face the soldiers beside him. Doe nodded towards a familiar face. "Long time no see." A pair of soldiers held Mary Sue in place by her shoulders. Her brown hair was shabby and her fatigues disordered. Her eyes seemed empty, like she wasn't even there, mentally. Doe waved his hands in front of her face, provoking no response from the dazed woman. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, sir," one of the soldiers replied, "we just had to knock her out with one of these." He pointed to a stun gun pinned to his belt. "She was going crazy when she saw us coming. She flipped and started shooting at us. We lost Rick beca-"

"Not interested in the details," Doe cut off, "so you guys can leave. Now." He shooed the militiamen away with both hands, then pointed at the doorway. The men obeyed and piled out of the control room until all that was left was the man in the slick black suit, and a bewildered Mary Sue.

Doe gently lead his female companion into the corner of the large room. There, a plain spring bed had been set up, taken from a nearby bunker. A light push sent Mary falling into the plain white sheets. She regained her senses, peering around until she locked eyes with her captor. The young woman gawked open-mouthed as Doe crudely grinned down on her, loosening his tie.

"We have unfinished business."

[Chubbs Story Account]

"Johnson. Cut the bullshit. Exactly what the farming fuck is going on."

"Base Four. It's been taken over."

"By the invaders?"

"I...don't think so."

"Then by who?"

"That is currently unknown."

"What do they want?"

"Also unknown."



"Well, let's see what happens."

[John Doe]

Closing up the zipper, Doe shuffled through the tousled clothing strewn about the floor for his cashmere suit. Finding it, he started buttoning his ebony dress shirt as a mess of scarlet hair rose from the white sheets. "Hey John, where're you going?" Mary tilted her head to the side, shifting her long tresses across her face. She laid on the bed, her bare frame tightly covered by the thin sheets, and lightly brushed away the pesky red locks with her dainty hand. "I'm... ready to go again..."

"Sorry." The shaded man spoke curtly, finished with his buttons. "Prior engagements babe." Doe worked on adjusting his collar as he plucked his tie from the pile of women's fatigues. "I'm about to ruin the lives of millions of people. Can't afford to spend the entire day in bed."

"Oh, alright..." The woman clenched her hand around the bed sheets in-between her breasts. She watched silently while Doe tied the dark laces of his fine leather shoes together. Finished, the black threaded man stood up and reached for his overcoat. Mary couldn't lay idle anymore, throwing off her covers and revealing her naked body. She leapt after Doe, clutching her small hands around his sleeves. Feet planted on the cool floor, Mary wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her chest up against his. "Why don't you stay here with me instead?" The redhead brushed her cheeks against the man's neck, cooing as she kissed him fervently.

The immortal couldn't help but smile as he grabbed the petite young girl by her slender waist. "Ha!" Doe hooted as he tossed Mary back onto the bed, legs and arms spread. "You wish!" The man snickered as he threw on his dark overcoat and tramped out of the room.

***

Fully satisfied and neatly groomed, Doe arrived at the base's watchtower. A single soldier stood guard and greeted the new commander with a middle finger (their new salute as ordered by Doe). "Private Harry Wood reporting, sir!"

At first the man stared at the private for a moment. Doe then brought his hands up to catch his laughter. "You serious?!" The soldier nodded. Overwhelming childlike giggles spewed from the shade wearing immortal, hunched over and grasping his sides. "Your parents must have hated you!" It took a minute for Doe to regain his composure. When he did, he pulled out a cigarette and stuffed it into his mouth. He tapped the tip with his finger, igniting it, and looked over at the militiaman. "Ahem, so who showed up for my party?"

"The invaders, sir. The entire Jolic dome has been surrounded." Private Wood pointed towards a window. "There's millions of them, sir."

"The...the who?" Doe questioned with an arched eyebrow. He walked over to large windows perched around the watchtower. Glancing at the outside world for the first time, all he could see was red and yellow. The austere desert was covered by a yellow-clothed army, literally concealing the ruby sand with their mustard colored robes. In every direction, these oceans of soldiers expanded out as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of the invaders had taken their positions against the militia base, unmoving and unyielding. "Oh, those guys." Doe ruffled the hairs on the back of his collar as he leisurely turned his head, following the flood of troops encircling his headquarters. He moved it back and forth a few times before turning around to his subordinate. He pulled out the fag from his lips and exhaled.

"You have a white flag handy?"

***

Doe and Private Wood stepped out from the dome and into the harsh, red terrain. Wood held a long pole with a white bed sheet tied around it. The sandstorms blew the sheets to and fro as the pair marched closer to the endless waves of invader troops. As Doe reached the yellow sea, he shot up his hands and yelled "Hey! What's up everyone?" The invaders didn't budge; a space cricket was chirping in the background. "Not too big into talking, huh?"

A single, heavily-armored invader made its way out from the crowd, carrying a small device on its wrist. It seemed to be the leader of the invader's military. The alien brought the device to its mouth, speaking through it. "Our forces have surrounded you, Mr. Captain. Surrender or die."

The militia's new leader chuckled as he turned his head towards Wood, still waving his metal rod high in the air. He swiveled back at the large, armor-clad creature. "Hey hey hey, I have a better idea. Care to listen?" The alien commander stood firm at Doe's request. The shaded man grew impatient. "I'm not going to give you a love tap or nothing, just come over here." The armor-plated commander kept his ground until hesitantly taking a single step closer, wary of any sudden movements. Before long, the invader was a few steps away from Doe, who leaned in towards the alien, the back of his hand funneling his mouth.

"Ok, here's my plan. So you guys ever hear about the Trojan Horse?" The saffron armored commander stood silent, but Doe continued forthright. "Well, my plan is kinda like that. See, I've taken over this base here, right? Well, why don't I send these militia guys back to the other bases around this planet? The trick is, follow me now, you'll have your men mixed in their uniforms. This is your typical Son Zhu shit right here! That way, you can take their defenses out from the inside, and booyah, Mercy is all yours!" The suited man finished his proposal with a laugh, arms spread and teeth glowing.

The armored alien paused, then pulled its translator towards its mouth again. "You would betray your own kind? What will you gain from this?"

"Friends in high places, my man." He shot two index fingers out like a pair of pistols. "You control the planet," Doe thrust his thumbs back towards himself, "and I get the rewards!" He reached an open palm toward the armored invader, beaming ear-to-ear.

"We got ourselves a deal?"