Z-E-R-O (part 20)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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2nd January
18:18 GMT -6
"Sounds like you're having more fun than we are, Oh El."
"I somehow doubt that."
The Central State Hospital actually has some fairly nice grounds, thought I notice there isn't anything planted in them that would make hiding easier. My two 'guests' look increasingly nervous as we get closer, but there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I've already sent off the paperwork required for them to gain legitimate legal existence, and Robert Reed is supposed to be a model inmate.
Ninety nine percent of the time, anyway.
"No luck finding it, then?"
"Not yet. We found the guy who had it before Mister Hamill. He was a small time hood before he got the dial."
"I think I missed that intelligence report. Shouldn't a new supervillain-?"
"He just committed a few thefts, Oh El. He kept it low-key enough that Batman didn't make it a priority, then he got into a fight with his henchmen and handed himself over to the police. We actually knew about the guys who had it before him. We didn't know that they had something like the dial; my best guess was that Captain Chaos was a shapeshifter."
I nod. "Did he have any way to track the dial?"
"No. And I don't think any of the recent users will, either. Kid Flash is going to drop in on Christopher King to see if he knows anything, but based on the fact that he hasn't been active as a superhero since Infinity Inc. broke up, I doubt he'll know anything."
One of the orderlies waves to me, and I turn and walk in his direction. "I suppose they could just dial until they hit someone with 'find the dial' powers."
"I don't know, Oh El. Robert Reed and Victoria Grant both ended up in secure hospitals. I'm not sure that using the dial is all that healthy."
"We'll know more when we get the chance to examine it. I don't suppose there's been a sudden unexplained increase in superheroes anywhere?"
"Not that I've noticed. I've got Beryl watching the superhero fan sites just in case. We actually saw your fight in Littleville before you reported in."
"I'm not sure I'd call that a fight. More of a talking down." The orderly walks back inside what appears to be a glass-fronted day room and bends down to say something to a shrivelled man in the loose-fitting clothes of a long term resident. Robert Reed is only in his early sixties, but for various reasons he looks like Alan at his worst. "I'll talk to you if I find out anything."
"Ah, Oh El? I'm not making this an all-nighter. Unless you and Zatanna come up with something, we're just.. not set up for wide area lost property searches."
I nod. "You're right. Have you told Mr Hamill?"
"I've told him I don't think we'll find it just by looking. But we couldn't afford to just ignore something this powerful even if he didn't need it to change back."
"True."
"Catch you later."
I nod, lowering my hand as I walk through the exterior door and into the day room. "Mister Reed."
"Yeah." He looks up, tiredly. "That's me. I hear someone found the dial."
"Someone did, then it went to someone else, then someone else again…"
He shakes his head. "I didn't ever want to let that thing go. How the hell did so many people get it so fast?"
"Enquiries are still proceeding. Ah…" I look him over. "Are you..? Alright?"
"Compared to what?" He shifts position slightly, arms folded on his lap. "I spent a decade simultaneously as a superhero and a supervillain, then I got merged back together. And I was fine for a little while, just being me again. And then…" He takes a deep breath. "The transformations influence your personality. You're still.. you, but you're a little bit them as well. Wizard was completely selfless, but at the same time he was obsessed about working indirectly, or not clueing other people in that he was around. Sometimes I forget that I'm not him, and… That's okay, because he hated hurting people."
"And sometimes I forget I'm not Master." He takes a couple of deep breaths, looking away from me. "Those are the bad days."
"We don't have to talk about the Master-" He turns his head back to me, frowning. "-if you-."
"Yeah. We do. I might not know where the dial is now…" He shudders. "And thank God I don't. But I can still kinda feel where other users are." He leans to his right to get a better look at Ms Birchall and Mr Dow. "Who are you?"
Ms Birchall glances at Mr Dow for a moment, then returns her attention to him. "You don't recognise us?"
"If you're someone Wizard or Master met…" He shakes his head. "They keep me medicated so I don't start thinking like those two again. I wouldn't recognise you."
"You…" She trails off, staring at the man before her. "You -Master-you- made us. Do you remem-?"
His face falls a little. "The clones. I-. No, no." He closes his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath. "No. Master created so many… I didn't think there were any left he didn't kill."
"He told us to find the dial. We've.. been.. living in Littleville since…"
Mr Reed shrugs. "It's as good a place as anywh-." His eyes widen. "Oh God, you've still got the Horror Dials." Ms Birchall nods, holding up both hers and Mr Dow's. "You haven't.. used them, have you?" Ms Birchall shakes her head while Mr Dow nods. "Shit. Those, those…" He shakes his head again. "Don't use those."
"Mister Reed, where did they come from?"
"Wizard and Master both had the ability to make dials. Knock-offs of the original, but they still worked. Master preferred powered clones, they were more… Controllable."
"Do you know how to make them? Or where the original came from?"
He shakes his head. "No, no. I mean, I might be able to work it out if I really concentrated on their memories…" He shudders. "No. And I never knew where the original came from. It was… It was just there."
"Do you have any way of finding the original?"
"The dials give you the tools to do the job. Whatever that is. You talk to Chris?"
"One of my colleagues is."
"Take him to roughly where you think the dial is and get him to use his." He shakes his head. "It's the… That's the best I can do."
"Do you think he'll get a dial-finding power?"
"I once beat up a gang as a walking pinball machine. The application isn't always direct, but it ought to give him something he can work with. Or failing that, if someone else picks it up, he'll be able to find them just as well as I could."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to help us search yourself?"
He shakes his head emphatically. "I can't-. I can't become Master again. I can't risk it. You don't know how many people he killed-." He starts crying. "God. He just told them to walk into an incinerator and they did it!" He looks up at Ms Birchall and Mr Dow. "I'm sorry, but this… This is where I need to be."
18:18 GMT -6
"Sounds like you're having more fun than we are, Oh El."
"I somehow doubt that."
The Central State Hospital actually has some fairly nice grounds, thought I notice there isn't anything planted in them that would make hiding easier. My two 'guests' look increasingly nervous as we get closer, but there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I've already sent off the paperwork required for them to gain legitimate legal existence, and Robert Reed is supposed to be a model inmate.
Ninety nine percent of the time, anyway.
"No luck finding it, then?"
"Not yet. We found the guy who had it before Mister Hamill. He was a small time hood before he got the dial."
"I think I missed that intelligence report. Shouldn't a new supervillain-?"
"He just committed a few thefts, Oh El. He kept it low-key enough that Batman didn't make it a priority, then he got into a fight with his henchmen and handed himself over to the police. We actually knew about the guys who had it before him. We didn't know that they had something like the dial; my best guess was that Captain Chaos was a shapeshifter."
I nod. "Did he have any way to track the dial?"
"No. And I don't think any of the recent users will, either. Kid Flash is going to drop in on Christopher King to see if he knows anything, but based on the fact that he hasn't been active as a superhero since Infinity Inc. broke up, I doubt he'll know anything."
One of the orderlies waves to me, and I turn and walk in his direction. "I suppose they could just dial until they hit someone with 'find the dial' powers."
"I don't know, Oh El. Robert Reed and Victoria Grant both ended up in secure hospitals. I'm not sure that using the dial is all that healthy."
"We'll know more when we get the chance to examine it. I don't suppose there's been a sudden unexplained increase in superheroes anywhere?"
"Not that I've noticed. I've got Beryl watching the superhero fan sites just in case. We actually saw your fight in Littleville before you reported in."
"I'm not sure I'd call that a fight. More of a talking down." The orderly walks back inside what appears to be a glass-fronted day room and bends down to say something to a shrivelled man in the loose-fitting clothes of a long term resident. Robert Reed is only in his early sixties, but for various reasons he looks like Alan at his worst. "I'll talk to you if I find out anything."
"Ah, Oh El? I'm not making this an all-nighter. Unless you and Zatanna come up with something, we're just.. not set up for wide area lost property searches."
I nod. "You're right. Have you told Mr Hamill?"
"I've told him I don't think we'll find it just by looking. But we couldn't afford to just ignore something this powerful even if he didn't need it to change back."
"True."
"Catch you later."
I nod, lowering my hand as I walk through the exterior door and into the day room. "Mister Reed."
"Yeah." He looks up, tiredly. "That's me. I hear someone found the dial."
"Someone did, then it went to someone else, then someone else again…"
He shakes his head. "I didn't ever want to let that thing go. How the hell did so many people get it so fast?"
"Enquiries are still proceeding. Ah…" I look him over. "Are you..? Alright?"
"Compared to what?" He shifts position slightly, arms folded on his lap. "I spent a decade simultaneously as a superhero and a supervillain, then I got merged back together. And I was fine for a little while, just being me again. And then…" He takes a deep breath. "The transformations influence your personality. You're still.. you, but you're a little bit them as well. Wizard was completely selfless, but at the same time he was obsessed about working indirectly, or not clueing other people in that he was around. Sometimes I forget that I'm not him, and… That's okay, because he hated hurting people."
"And sometimes I forget I'm not Master." He takes a couple of deep breaths, looking away from me. "Those are the bad days."
"We don't have to talk about the Master-" He turns his head back to me, frowning. "-if you-."
"Yeah. We do. I might not know where the dial is now…" He shudders. "And thank God I don't. But I can still kinda feel where other users are." He leans to his right to get a better look at Ms Birchall and Mr Dow. "Who are you?"
Ms Birchall glances at Mr Dow for a moment, then returns her attention to him. "You don't recognise us?"
"If you're someone Wizard or Master met…" He shakes his head. "They keep me medicated so I don't start thinking like those two again. I wouldn't recognise you."
"You…" She trails off, staring at the man before her. "You -Master-you- made us. Do you remem-?"
His face falls a little. "The clones. I-. No, no." He closes his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath. "No. Master created so many… I didn't think there were any left he didn't kill."
"He told us to find the dial. We've.. been.. living in Littleville since…"
Mr Reed shrugs. "It's as good a place as anywh-." His eyes widen. "Oh God, you've still got the Horror Dials." Ms Birchall nods, holding up both hers and Mr Dow's. "You haven't.. used them, have you?" Ms Birchall shakes her head while Mr Dow nods. "Shit. Those, those…" He shakes his head again. "Don't use those."
"Mister Reed, where did they come from?"
"Wizard and Master both had the ability to make dials. Knock-offs of the original, but they still worked. Master preferred powered clones, they were more… Controllable."
"Do you know how to make them? Or where the original came from?"
He shakes his head. "No, no. I mean, I might be able to work it out if I really concentrated on their memories…" He shudders. "No. And I never knew where the original came from. It was… It was just there."
"Do you have any way of finding the original?"
"The dials give you the tools to do the job. Whatever that is. You talk to Chris?"
"One of my colleagues is."
"Take him to roughly where you think the dial is and get him to use his." He shakes his head. "It's the… That's the best I can do."
"Do you think he'll get a dial-finding power?"
"I once beat up a gang as a walking pinball machine. The application isn't always direct, but it ought to give him something he can work with. Or failing that, if someone else picks it up, he'll be able to find them just as well as I could."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to help us search yourself?"
He shakes his head emphatically. "I can't-. I can't become Master again. I can't risk it. You don't know how many people he killed-." He starts crying. "God. He just told them to walk into an incinerator and they did it!" He looks up at Ms Birchall and Mr Dow. "I'm sorry, but this… This is where I need to be."
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