Chapter 1 Getting the Frontman

Liberty Apartments, Apt 2D.

Boston, Massachusetts.

November 11^th 2017.

His head throbbed in pain, eyes still closed, but at the very least he survived that party he attended the previous night, he needed to ease up on the tequila and jaeger the next couple of days, no maybe for the next two weeks. Groggily he opened his eyes, to see that his clock read 11:13 AM, he would have panicked if he had not remember it was a Saturday, and lucky for him the office closed up over weekends. Still, he truly had to stop letting others influence him so easily, or stop stubbornly proving to others what he could and could not handle. He raised his hands above his head, inspecting his knuckles; thankfully there were no bruises or any sign that he had been in a fight, which was good because he would hate to pay another tattooist to redo his ink. He rather liked the hazard sign surrounded by tribal markings on his right hand, along with jester skull connected to similar tribal markings on his left, however he had to admit they were both expensive and painful to get. But then again, just about every other tattoo of his was.

Having his fill of lazing around, he slowly stood up, checking the floor, hoping that it was at least a path clear of clothing and art supplies, and luckily there was just enough floor space for him to make for his bedroom door. If he remembered correctly, he had picked up some eggs and pancake mix earlier in the week, and dear god did both sound very appetizing right now, so long as he had clean pans for each. As he turned the knob, he felt this faint sense of something off, but he could not trace it. Was he forgetting something, if so what? Did he leave something out in the living area? Did he let another stray in through an open window again? No. What was it? He continued to mull the questions in his head, as he opened the door.

“Good morning, Jason.” A familiar feminine voice rang from the direction of his kitchen. Suddenly, Jason felt a lot more awake, jerking his head towards the voice’s owner, and sure enough she was there. His old classmate from New York Institute of Technology, Shizuka Joestar, was sitting at his small dinning table, drinking what smelled like black tea from one of his favorite mugs, and a newspaper neatly folded on the table. After the shock of her being in his apartment wore off, instead of anger or confusion, Jason just started chuckling, remembering how she always used to just come and go as she pleased back in college.

“Morning yerself, Shijo.” He replied with a halfcocked smirk, as he made his way to his cupboards to get himself a mug, and K-Cup of his favorite coffee blend, “So to what do I owe the pleasure of the youngest Real Estate Agent?” He silently hummed to himself, while he prepared his Keurig to make the sweet deliverance of caffeine, looking forward to washing out the aftertaste from last night. Shizuka smirked, sipped just loud enough too not be annoying or rude, before giving her own soft chuckle.

“You know even after all this time,” she mused, “You are one of the only person who calls me Shijo? Seriously not even my girl friends call me that. And why wouldn’t I wanna see my cocky friend?” Jason just gave her a glance of amusement, shrugged. The girl was only nineteen years old, and yet if he heard right, she’d graduated last year with honors. While it did not surprise him, he would be lying if he said she did not scared him, considering she started college at the age of sixteen.

“See normally I wouldn’t question that,” he smirked, “But I haven’t spoken to since I graduated, two years ago. Sorry bout that by the way, works been pretty crazy.”

“Yes, you’re working for the Speedwagon Foundation’s Commercial Advertisement Department aren’t you?” She asked without hesitation or curiosity, it was as if she was reminding him of the matter. He actually felt a little concern, he hadn’t even listed on Facebook where or who he worked for, and the only ones he told were his family and some friends from High School. So how in the world did she know?

“How do you-“

“Tell me,” she cut him off calmly, “Why exactly do you think the Foundation took you in? A position in that company isn’t just something anybody can acquire you know.”

“Y-ya know,” he stammered slightly, “I had thought it was my good looks, charm, and my work ethic.”  She smiled in response.

“Alright I’ll give you the work ethic,” she grinned, “But I’d be lying if I said me putting in a good word for you had nothing to do with it.” Jason just looked at her blankly for a second, as she sipped her tea very dignified.

“Oh that’s right,” she jested, “I forgot to tell you, the Foundation has been helping my family ever since it was created. Also, I used to babysit the current President and CEO’s kids, so you know my word carried a lot of weight.”

“So what,” he asked, “You here to tell me that I owe you or something?”

“Nah,” she replied, “I don’t like pointing out the obvious. No the reason I’m here is because I need your help.”

“Help?” He questioned, “What does the Joestar Company need help with, a new advertisement campaign? If that’s the case you could have just asked me during the work week.”

“While I am here on official Joestar business,” she answered as she placed the mug gently on the table, “I’m afraid it’s not something that requires your design skills, rather it requires your charismatic, and hidden skill.” Now Jason was getting nervous, before the atmosphere was that of friendly and nostalgic, but now it shifted to the kind that sent a shiver down his spine. He was really starting to hope that she was just playing some really terrible joke.

“Hidden skill?” He tried to chuckle, “Look I’m flattered, but come on I’m six years older than you, surely yo-“

“Jason.” She said very seriously, and suddenly the only thing Jason could think was how soft the Kuerig was squeezing his coffee out, “I know you have a Stand.” And just like that, for the first time to his memory, Jason was speechless. Suddenly, he felt like he was being the subject of an interrogation in his own home, and he felt his mind plotting out how to either run or change the topic all together.

“But don’t worry too much about that,” Shizuka smiled, “Not only do I know how to keep a secret, but you aren’t the only one with a Stand in the room.” She clasped her hands together upright, and rested her child atop them, suddenly a feminine figure with a green tri-finned helmet (that seemed right out of Power Rangers) with giant pink bug like lenses, seemed to almost shimmer into existence about five feet to Shizuka’s right. Before Jason could react, the rest shimmered into existence, a pink fur-like collar rested upon the humanoid body that seemed to be wrapped in green bandages, like a cat suit, with black wrappings around it’s forearms and hands.

“Shit!” Jason exclaimed as he fell out of his chair, and immediately felt the pain shoot up from his tailbone, and winced.

“Oh sorry bout that,” Shizuka apologized, “I didn’t think you’d be that startled, but this proves that I am right. Only a Stand User can see another’s Stands. Anyway, Jason, allow me to introduce Achtung Baby.”

“You know, she looks like a space alien, right?” He asked sarcastically, as he stood back up and walked towards his freshly brewed cup of coffee. “And I’m not talking a Hollywood alien, I mean early 90’s Saban Entertainment space alien.” Shizuka was silent for a moment, before she bust into laughter.

“Seriously?” She asked in laughter, “That’s your first thought when you see my Stand? Not how I knew you had one? Or how I hid it from you during the years we attended school?” Jason took a whiff and swig of his coffee, stopping abruptly as he realized it was still too hot, but attempted to play it off.

“Ya know,” he replied, “Those are all excellent points, and really good questions I should be asking. But to be honest, this morning isn’t going how I planned, so at this point I’m just rolling with it.”

“Fair enough,” she mused, “So how bout I get to the reason I’m here than.”

“Mmhmm,” he hummed as drank, “Yes, please that would be just wonderful.”

“Yes, well,” she explained, placing the newspaper in Jason’s reach, “Sadly I won’t be able to tell you everything today, but to put it bluntly, there a group of other Stand users out there killing people, and I need to put together a group to find and stop them. I trust you, so I came to you first.” From a glance, Jason saw that the Newspaper was from New York, and the headline read “Police Begin Hunt for the Phantom Killer” though he thought the headline was childish, the image of the murder scene was something else.

“Back up,” he interrupted, “Earlier you said you needed my charisma. So what exactly did you mean by that? If you needed investigators clearly you wouldn’t be in my apartment, drinking my tea, from one of my favorite mugs. So what made you think I’d be most suited for this?” She pulled out her smartphone, unlocked and showed it Jason; Mercury Royale Theatre, Sign-up Deadline January 12^th 2018, see links for audition locations by state.

“The Mercury Royale?” He questioned, “Yeah I heard about it, its supposedly funded by retired international star Pat Mercury, but no one’s been able to get an interview with her in years, so her company Mercury Arts Inc., is handling all the details and press relations. They estimate that the whole thing is gonna run anywhere between for four to six months, depending on the number of participating bands, and those that rank in the top ten spots get a record deal with a company of their choice. But what does that all have to do with this murderous Stand user?”

“The three men that were killed,” Shizuka answered, “They all were art historians, employed by Mercury Arts Inc. and rumor has it, these three had just come into the possession of a very interesting artifact, which we have strong reason to believe that has properties related to Stands. The room was searched thoroughly, but no trace of this artifact was found, nor any clues amongst the deceased to its location. From what my sources tell me, Ms. Mercury herself is in possession of the relic, but no one can find her. However, the winners of the Mercury Royale Theatre will be congratulated by her personally, her first public appearance in fifteen years.”

“And an opportunity for your people to search for the artifact?” Jason asked, to which he received a nod of confirmation. “So let me see if I got this right? You want me to enter a national battle of the bands, defeat this killer, along with earning a top ten spot in the process; all so your people can get their hands on an artifact that is tied to Stands? And who am I supposed to enter this thing with?”

“Well,” she answered rummaging inside a bag Jason had previous not noticed, “I have a few candidates lined up for you to pick from, here I have detail profiles.” She produces a stack of papers that did indeed look very detailed, and Jason did lightly scan a few of them, before tossing them all into the air behind him. This caused Shizuka to stand up so quickly that she nearly sent her chair to the ground.

“What the hell man!” She demanded, her cool, calm, and collected aura finally gone, replaced by disbelief and shock.

“Look,” Jason responded, as he leaned back and placed his feet on his table, “I’m guessing you picked out a bunch of guys with degrees in music, or were trained professionally? I’m sure each of them could play great covers of modern or classic songs. But Shijo, you seem to forget that despite being “properly” trained in singing, what type of genre do I enjoy out of all the rest?”

“Rock, Metal, and Punk.” She replied slowly.

“Exactly,” he exclaimed, “Not too mention some of the greatest legends in the history of music were not classically trained nor working jobs that you’d expect a famous musician to have. Freddie Mercury used to work at an airport, Hendrix used to steal food with his siblings and was mostly a self-taught guitarist, Ringo Starr worked in his family’s bakery before joining the Beatles, and Johnny Cash, he used to be an appliance salesman in Memphis. You just dropped a list of groomed and mostly financially stable people, and while I have no doubt that they are talented, you are asking me to put together a band that can be come the next biggest sensation. Not only that but to compete against thousands of other bands looking to make it big.”

“So what?!” She exclaimed, “You want to put an ad out on Crag’s List? All the candidates I had were all Stand users, they were suppose to help keep you safe.”

“Well,” Jason smiled, “Lucky for you I happen to know a few other Stand Users who also happen to be musicians.” Shizuka looked at him dumbfounded before she dropped back into her chair, while her Stand attempted to massage her shoulders.

“You’re telling me,” she huffed out, “That you know other Stand Users, and that they just so happen to be musicians too?” He nodded, still smiling.

“Not only that,” he added, “But some of them just so happen to be good friends of mine. However, you’ll have to leave gathering them up to me, and I’ll need access to resources that only the Speedwagon Foundation and Joestar Company are privy to.”

“Oh is that all?” She exasperated, “You know there are others I could ask for help with this?”

“Oh, I am fully aware,” he grinned; “Yet here you are, in my apartment, drinking from one of my favorite mugs. So obviously, there’s a very good reason aside from my singing voice that you came to me.”

“None of the candidates have any sort of experience in fighting,” she sighed, “And I figured after watching you fight at a bar we totally shouldn’t have been in, I figured you were an obvious choice.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, “Now all you gotta do is meet my conditions and I’m one hundred and ten percent onboard. Oh, by the way sorry, I was wrong there is one name on your list that I will take, but don’t worry I’ll get him.”

“Shoulda known this happen,” she sighed, “Alright I’ll make the arrangements, you just be at the Joestar Corporation Headquarters, New York by Wednesday, and don’t worry, I’ve already notified your superiors that you will be unavailable for the foreseeable future on official Joestar Corp business.”

“See ya then,” he smiled, “By the way how did you get into my building?”

“Same way I normally get into place I’m not wanted.” She smirked, before in an instant she disappeared from sight. Jason chuckled nervously, and resumed sipping his coffee, he did wonder if he had done the smart thing agreeing to this crazy mission, but he was never one to walk away from a fight, not too mention, there were other personal reasons for agreeing, but he would tell Shijo in due time. He shifted his attention to his fridge, and suddenly he remembered just how hungry he was. After cracking it open, he was disheartened to find he was mistaken about there being eggs.

“Well alright,” he sighed to himself, “Luckily my favorite steak and eggs diner is open until 2pm.” He quickly showered, fixed his hair, and got dressed; his torn up black jeans, studded steel toe boats, his white skull shirt, and his crimson leather mid sleeved jacket. Smiling at his reflection before leaving, just because he had a hangover did not mean he should let himself look like hot mess. He hummed to himself while exiting his complex, putting off this aura that made him seem untouchable to onlookers, hell even his gangster neighbor did not have it in him too bother him. Despite all this, Jason could feel something off as soon as he stepped out of the complex, and so he opted to take a detour, through about a dozen empty back alleys in the wrong direction of the diner. After twenty minutes of this, he finally stopped, reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small silver cylindrical whistle, and placing it between his lips.

“So,” he declared aloud, “You wanna tell me why you’re following me, and stop hiding behind that dumpster, it has gotta smell worse than shit.” He was answered with silence at first, then a sinister laughter emerged from behind the dumpster, and then a brightly color woman revealed herself. She was fairly attractive, bright green eyes, green and blue colored pixie cut hair, neon pink lipstick, a purple and neon blue colored fake fur coat, a tight black shirt a heart shaped breast window, matching black leather pants, and neon green tall boots.

“You’re pretty sharp,” she teased, “How else would you explain knowing I was tailing you.” Jason just started chuckling, before busting into laughter, earning a growl of anger from the woman.

“And what is so funny?!” She demanded.

“You must be an idiot,” he laughed, “All I did was watch the reactions of the people around me, they were all gawking at something, and I knew it sure as shit wasn’t me. Not too mention I heard you nearly bite it a few allies back. Even a deaf man would have known something was up. Now, I’ll ask again.” He finally composed himself, turning to face her, and he had this dark intent in his gaze as he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Why are you tailing me?” He asked grimly, “Or do I have to get rough with you?”

“Well if you must know,” she sneered, “I am a member of Heaven’s Progeny, since you were visited by that Joestar brat, that makes you an obstacle for our leader, and all obstacles to his dream must be destroyed!” In an instant, a feminine form sprung into existence, lank yet beautiful and elegant in appearance, with what could only be described as a multicolored peacock-like tail behind, but an aura that sang only malicious intent. Jason blew through the whistle between his lips, before removing it.

“That is one flashy Stand, lady,” he smirked, “But I get the feeling that looks are all it has going for it.” This seemed only to infuriate the woman more, eyes narrowed viciously towards Jason.

“Kill him, Purple Peacock!” She shouted, as ten feathers shot from her Stand, each emanating an ominous purple mist, which left a trail through the air, making a beeline for Jason, who just smiled calmly.

“Party Poison.” He calmly declared, and in a blur of motion, all the feathers had been thrown off trajectory into the building walls of the alley, before the woman could even utter a startle of confusion, she saw it. A red orange skinned humanoid figure, that appeared to be a mixture of synthetic and organic origin, sprouting pronounced lean muscles with two different quilted patterns on both it’s shoulder biceps and torso, a yellow mask with three pointed crown, with black and electric blue glaring towards the woman. She froze, feeling the fear shaking throughout her legs, and her frightened gaze locked onto Jason’s Stand.

“Ho-How did you, redirect my attack?” She stuttered, earning a smirk from Jason and he walked closer towards his target.

“So let me get this straight, you knew that Shijo came to me for a reason, but despite that you came after me by yourself with that pathetic excuse of a Stand. Either way, you, or your boss, are a bad joke. So let’s get to the punchline. Party Poison, Synaptic Rush!” Without a second of hesitation, Party Poison gave a battle cry and quickly shoved Purple Peacock aside with a barrage of punches, then closed in on the woman and dealt blow to her stomach, sending her gasping on the ground. Jason looked down at her as she attempted to gather her breath, before walking away.

“We are done here,” he simply said, “Tell your boss, to keep their distance if they know what’s best for them, okay girly.” As he took a few more breathes through his small pipe, before placing it back in his pocket, and dismissed Party Poison. Meanwhile, the woman struggled to get back to her feet, growling like an animal the entire time.

“My name,” she began to grunt, “Is Holla Beck, and I will kill you, HERE AND NOW!!!!” She suddenly shot up to her feet, and while she had a smile of victory, suddenly she found her running the opposite direct than she had intended. Confusion ran through every fiber of her being, it was as if her body was doing the opposite of what her brain was telling it. She kept shouting both in confusion, and for whatever was happening to stop, but they ended when she found herself in the middle of the street, hit by a car. All the while, Jason had turned around and watched the woman’s blunder, and could not help but feel a twinge of pity.

“Man, didn’t expect that,” he muttered, “Thought at the very least, 2P’s power would just make her curl up into a ball for the next hour, guess that power really is random chance. Anyway, time to grab some breakfast, and then gather up my band. Outta be a blast.” He smiled as he continued walking, but this time in the direction of the aforementioned diner, eager to get his work started, after a plate of delicious food of course.

STAND NAME: Party Poison.   STAND MASTER: Jason Gerard.  CRY: ODA! ODA!

POWER – C. SPEED – A. Range – E. Durability – B. Precision – A. Potential – C.

ABILITY [Cross Wired] Party Poison is able to interfere with a target’s neurological transmissions from the brain, causing the target’s body to behave in opposite of the way they desire. The time it takes for this ability seems to vary from person to person, and the Stand’s Master has yet to properly explore this aspect of Party Poison’s power. Party Poison also posses both inhuman speed and precision, more than making up for it’s lack of raw physical power common with most close-ranged Stands. Party Poison is also capable of traveling at least fifteen feet away from its Master.

Disclaimer: Shizuka Joestar is a character from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure created and owned by Hirohiko Akira, I do not own the rights to her, or any other character of the series. This is a fan project, in which I make no form of profit from, and is purely a passion project.