Limelight

Paizley: Adjustment

(So I've had this one in my plans for ages. It doesn't really even have any plot or anything. It's just a moment between Paizley and Zed that fits into the movie. I guess this is a sequel to that one-shot in Beyond The Barrier, Do I Look Green?)

______________________________________

The last thing Paizley expected to see upon answering the door was Zed, his hair coloured black with... something... his right hand gripping his left arm right below his Z-band, his breathing staggered and his skin flushed a horrific shade of... pink.

She almost thought it had been a human knocking on her door.

She caught herself before she could scream, but she was still about to slam the door closed again when she actually recognised him.

"Paizley!" he held up a hand in caution, "It's OK. It's just me."

At first, she didn't even dare to step out onto the porch. She held back, looking him up and down uneasily, "You don't..." her voice was shaking and she gulped, "You don't look like you..."

"I know. I adjusted my Z-band, Eliza hacked it to help me with football, it's a long story," he explained through gritted teeth, "I'm supposed to meet Addison's parents in, like, twenty minutes and they don't know I'm a zombie so I kinda have to do this."

"Do you...?" she asked, visibly disturbed.

"Look, I'm in a lot of pain right now, can we just get to explaining why I'm here? And maybe letting me inside? I don't want anybody else to see me."

Paizley hesitated for a moment but then stepped aside and let him in. She closed the door and turned to find him leaning against the wall.

"OK, so, why did you come to me?"

"You know tech."

Paizley frowned, "So does Eliza. You could've gone to her."

"Eliza specifically told me not to do this!" Zed's arm twitched and he let out a short, painful grunt, "She'd kill me."

"If adjusting your band doesn't kill you first."

"Paizley."

"Sorry!"

"Is there any way you can stop it from shocking me? I don't think I could get through meeting her parents and a potential date in Seabrook like this."

"You're going on a date in Seabrook?"

"There are more important things right now, Paizley!"

"OK! OK, uh..." she stepped forward and carefully lifted his Z-band up to take a look, making him flinch, "I don't think I can do anything about it. The shocks speed up your heartbeat to a more human pace. If they stopped, your heart would stop, too. At least, stop beating so fast-"

She looked ready to keep talking and Zed bit his lip. He didn't have the time for an infodump right now, "I get it. So, I can't stop it hurting me at all?"

"Well..." he could tell she was thinking it over. She had to know something; she knew everything about Z-band technology, "... You might not need to, actually. The shocks are more intense right now because they're essentially restarting your heart from almost nothing. But once it evens out and your pulse regulates itself, the shocks shouldn't come so often. I don't know if they'll still hurt as much, it could be a little better. Or it could be worse. I don't know. But it won't shock you while your heartbeat's steady. You'll only feel it when it starts to drop again. I mean, in theory."

Zed nodded and pushed himself from the wall. Another shock hit and he flinched again, "That... That's good enough, I guess. I mean, if I really can't do anything about it."

Paizley shrugged, "Sorry, but you really can't."

"I'll live," Zed huffed and straightened up, "I better just go and get it over with. It's only for a couple hours."

"I would come to check on you at the homecoming game but..." she trailed off, cringing, as she followed him back to the door.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, shaking his hand against the next shock, then again, more to himself, "I'll be fine..."