JLA Watchtower (Archive)

For every decent challenge, there had to be that first blow, that shot across the bow, the opening salvo. And for Murmur, there was a certain humor in telling Roulette to have her people watch E!. Especialy when he thought about the conniption fit his erstwhile rival will have at not getting to him first.


After all, the man's views on the entire field of Psychiatry have been well documented, and somewhat insulting. Even to a former man of medicine such as himself. And going by as much word of mouth, well.. as Murmur was able to tolerate without killing anoyone, the actor's last few movies were a disappointment to theatergoers everywhere.

As for the infection, it was remarkably simple to pay Calculator to track down one of his regularly clandestine affairs and arrange for a trojan horse. A neuralviral load with a very exacting genetic trigger. Such a pity, really, considering the attractive wife he was cheating on. But the man brought it on himself just by the very nerve of existing.

And sure enough, timed down to the last minute, Thom Cruz appeared on screen. Apparently already talking sequal to a movie based on The War of the Worlds of all things! And even when Murmur forced himself to watch television, the thought of such a classic sample of literature being... defiled in such a way.

In the vernacular of Heatwave.. the bitch has gotta go.

The funny thing about this perticular creation was the effect on the body's metabolisim. Pronounced sweating, increaded adgitation, and a surge in almost rambling dialoge as the brain tried to catch up with the body it was trapped in. And it seemed almost ironic that nobody really noticed.

Now, when stage two struck, bringing on a visible twitch and eyes that suddenly seemed to have trouble focusing on anything. That probably got the camera crew a little worried. But then, that was the fun of this perticular genetic cocktail, the initial effects occured so suddenly, that by the time it turned terminal.. it was untreatable.

By the time poor Thom started talking about that damnably goofy religion of his, aliens and thetas and the book they were based on, Stage three exploded. In a fit of almost incomprehinsible babble as the first of many epic seisures started ripping through his body. The initial design had been based off an 'al Ghul strain that had been used during that Babel virus fiasco. Epilepsy on methamphetamines, bodyquakes that had been designed for a body accustomed to high speed movement, shook him apart on a cellular level.

In the end, he was all but bouncing in his seat, feet and arms flailing, and for some bizzare reason, shouting one perticular catchphrase over and over again..

"I want the Truth! I want thetruth! Iwantthetruthiwantthetruthiwantthetruth!"

And those final moments, before the camera switched off, when the first drips of mingled red and grey fluid started leaking out of his nose. Murmur liked to think that Thom Cruz got the Ultimate Truth at the very end.

And there were no aliens involved..