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Part One
Zombie Swamp
In the Augusta area, there were two swamps. One, Phinizy Swamp, became a nature park, spreading approximately 1,100 acres. The other, known only as Zombie Swamp, became a home for ghost stories. It is a swamp that takes it's revenge on man for destroying nature. A mobile home community, built on what was thought to be in a safe area near the swamp, was eventually drowned out by the swamp. It was the home to many of swamp wildlife, alligators, herons, tree frogs, and it was also the home of one person. A person who at times had become more feared than the haunted swamp that he lived in.
The boat slowly chugged it's way through the swamp. Sheriff Mann sat at the front of the boat with a nervous look on his face. He turned to look at the two other people in the boat with him, one man wearing a suit and tie, the other, the driver of the boat.
"No sane man," the sheriff said, "should have to face The Gray Zombie this early in the morning sober."
The driver of the boat pulled out a whiskey flask and took a quick swigs. His mother always told him to be prepared.
The other gentleman merely shook his head, "I can't believe that one person can be as bad as everyone says he is."
"Well, believe it," the sheriff continued "In the past, he's always had a nasty temper. People tried not to piss him off. Fortunately, he always took his anger out on inanimate objects, but there's no telling what he'd do to a person if he got hold of them."
"But you say, he's our best choice for this situation?"
"Yea. I saw him downtown yesterday, so I know he's back from....wherever he's been."
"I've heard he's always disappeared for awhile."
"No, after this problem had last happened, back in '95, he disappeared for two whole years. Nobody knows where he went to, then he just came back. Talking as if he'd never left."
"We can trust him? Sounds like he may be a problem."
"If we catch him on a good day, Gray Zombie would be the most trusted person around."
"And if we catch him on a bad day?"
"We leave him alone until he cools off. Sometimes that's been known to take a few weeks."
The Home of The Gray Zombie
The Gray Zombie's home was located in what was left of the mobile home community. Several mobile homes had been welded together to form one big home, with a dock, and a walkway leading to Gray Zombie's car (the road was well hidden, only Gray and a couple of others knew how to reach it from the main road).
Gray Zombie walked out of the house, carrying a leg of lamb. Despite the early morning, he was in a good mood, mostly because he hadn't slept in 24 hours, the sleep deprivation affecting his mood, placing him in a good mood.
"Edgar" he called out, "Where are you, boy?"
Nearby, an alligator was playing with a chewtoy made to look like Animal Planet's Crocodile Hunter. Upon hearing Gray's voice, it jumped into the water and headed for Gray.
"Come on, Edgar," Gray continued "I got breakfast for you."
The alligator crawled up the steps of the dock and started jumping around Gray, acting like an over excited dog. Gray held up the leg of lamb tossing it from one hand to the next.
"Here you go, Edgar. Want it? Huh? Ya want it?" Gray tossed it into the swamp, "Go get it."
Excitedly, Edgar the Alligator jumped into the water to get his breakfast. Gray turned around to find Animebabe and Opus1432 standing on the porch, having just teleported there. Gray's smile quickly faded as he headed to them.
"I'm on vacation. Whatever the Kortac are doing, you guys can handle it without me." he said.
"I missed you, too, Gray." Anime said, " Besides, I'm not here to recruit you, you're on vacation, and I respect that. It's Opus."
Gray looked sternly at Opus, who gave a faint smile.
"What did you do?" he asked
"Nothing" she said, "I swear it."
Anime shook her head, "She's been doing fine. Tolstoy, however, feels that she needs to learn what it's like to be a regular teenager. I mean, she's seventeen years old, but she's been a soldier since she was 13..."
"She's from that alternate future," Gray said "In her 2045, the Kortac had conquered Earth. Only thing she was taught was how to fight."
"Yes, but she needs to know about dating, and boys, and things other than the Kortac and Capping. You haven't been online since you started your vacation, have you?"
"Nope. Question, why are you here?"
"We're all busy right now. I have to lead a group of Cappers to Easter Island due to some Kortac activity, Dan and a few of the others are in some other dimension helping a few Technican refugee's escape from a Kortac slave camp. Tolstoy wants to know if you'd let her stay with you, and learn what it's like to be a normal teenager."
Gray walked over to Opus, looked at Animebabe, then back at Opus, "Man, they won't let you have any fun, will they?"
Opus smiled, "Nope. I'd rather go help DanZero and the others."
"Well, too bad, you're not. Tolstoy's right."
"Uncle Gray," Opus pleaded "I'd thought you'd be on my side on this one."
"Have you looked in your quarters at Caption Central? There are no posters featuring the Backstreet Punks, N'Stynk, or who ever the hell girls your age listen to. You need time to learn to be normal. We're hoping on ending the Kortac invasion early, ya know?"
"Ok, Uncle Gray" Opus muttered, "I'll try to learn."
"Good. Okely dokely, A-Babe. We'll be fine. Have fun getting shot at. Hope you escape death without any trouble."
Animebabe quickly kissed Gray on the cheek. "Coolness, you guys have fun. See you when your vacation's over, Gray. I got a puppy the other day, Tolstoy said that I can keep him at headquarters. I want you to see him. I named him Hodgson."
"When my vacation is over. I'll see him."
And with a click of a button on her wrist band, Animebabe teleported out. Gray turned and smiled at Opus.
"Don't sweat it, Opie, all ya gotta do is go out, meet some people your age. And see if you can have some fun. End of the week, I'll send you back to Capper Central and you can go back to kicking some Kortac butt. Ok?"
Opus smiled and hugged Gray, "Ok. You do have cable don't you?"
"Believe it or not, yes. Amazing how they can get cable out here to the swamp." Gray Zombie then turned and looked out in the distance. A couple of heron flew off from where they were perched. "Company's coming."
Opus looked and before she could ask how he knew, saw a boat coming from around the bend.
"Anyone you know?" she asked
"Sheriff Mann the elderly guy with the gut. Black gentleman steering the boat is Jonah, he's probably a little drunk since he's gotta bring people to see me at this hour of the morning. The other guy, I don't know. Looks more like he's a government agent."
The boat made it up to the dock. Jonah merely sat in the boat as Mann and the other gentleman got out. Before they could get far, Edgar jumped onto the dock and growled at the two.
"Edgar!" Gray Zombie snapped, Edgar turned around and looked at his master, "No, we do not try to eat the Sheriff. Bad 'gator, bad."
Edgar slowly walked behind Gray and Opus. Opus watched Edgar and then turned to Gray.
"You have a pet alligator?" she asked
"Gray Zombie" Sheriff Mann said, "I'd like you to meet Agent Erikson of the FBI."
Gray turned to Opus, "You told me the guy was dead when you got there."
"I would of remembered cutting someone open and pulling out his intestines." she replied
Erikson looked a little confused, "What?"
Mann chuckled, "I think we caught Gray Zombie in a good mood."
"Well, Sheriff, that's just fine. But we do have a situation on our hands here. Now if you think that Gray Zombie can help, then fine. But if he's going to be making jokes...."
Another growl from Edgar and Erikson quickly shut his mouth. Gray Zombie smiled down at the 'gator and then turned to Sheriff Mann.
"What's the situation, Sheriff?" Gray asked
Sheriff Mann took off his hat and wiped his forehead, "Gray, they're back. The Shadow Boxers are back in Augusta."
Without a word, Gray Zombie walked over to the home and punched a hole in the wall.
Opus1432 looked down at Edgar, who had moved closer to Opus after Zombie did the punch.
"I take it this is a bad thing?" she asked
To Be Continued
Next week, we learn a little of the Shadow Boxers and people from Gray Zombie's past show up