(A/N: Chapter 3! The chapter to end all chapters! Heh, j/k. Oh, and Tei-
Sama, I'm gonna try to do that thing that you told me about in your review.
I'll try. Not to. Screw it up. Too bad. Heh.)
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It was dark and stormy that night. No, really, it was….
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Kaz and Undro stood under the small makeshift canopy that was connected to the back of the Jettna garage. Kaz pulled his windbreaker up, wrapping his arms around himself. "Damn it's cold," he said, trembling, "this damn rain just won't let up, will it?"
Undro nodded silently, staring stonily off into the distance.
"Wonder if Treble and Frap are having any luck in the front." His words were met by another stiff nod. "Hope Nero gets his ass back here soon," he continued, rambling now, "It's been a damn long time since Bass came in, covered in blood, muttering about Nero. Hope the little guy's OK."
Undro shook his head slowly. "I don't think so," he said, breaking his silent streak, "It's been an hour since Volume, Luna and Trex went out looking for him. If he isn't back yet, I don't even wanna think about what happened to him….."
"Ah, don't be so pessimistic," Kaz said, a shaky, unsure grin on his face, "I'm sure he's just fine. Maybe he took a nap somewhere. A really long nap……"
"I think you hit it right on….."
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"THOSE LITTLE BASTARDS!" Onishima yelled, his arms flailing. "HOW COULD THEY DESTROY A COUPLE OF TWO MILLION DOLLAR HELICOPTERS THE FIRST DAY I GET THEM"
A steady stream of obscenities (not to mention lots of crashing noises) poured from the captain's office.
"Wait! What are you doing sir? No, not that! Ah! Put that down!"
CRASH (see?)
"Oh, my head….."
Bzzzt "Hello? Sir, we have a Code O. Please send backup. Over." Bzzzt
Bzzzt "Are you serious? Onishima again? Well, alright, backup's on the way. Over." Bzzzt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have five minutes," the nurse said, a grim look on her face, "the patient needs his rest." She pulled the white curtains closed and gave the equipment attached to her "patient" a quick look, before she made her way out.
"H…Hey, guys," Jessup greeted them with the biggest grin he could muster, "I….I knew you would come get me. So when am I getting out of here?"
Taeb, Roland and Wyle all had fake smiles on.
"Well," Taeb finally spoke, "The doctors say you should be out….in…a little while."
Jessup's grin faded. "Taeb, we both know that isn't true. Give it to me straight, man."
The Rudie let out a depressed sigh, unable to meet Jessup's gaze. "He told me that you won't be able to strap on your skates for a while….a long while. Like….forever.
The words hit Jessup like a sledgehammer. His face went pale, and his lips pursed together in horror.
The nurse entered, tapping her watch. As she glanced at Jessup, she turned distraught. "What did you do to him?" she asked, turning and pushing them out, gently but firmly, (A/N: sounds like a contradiction to me, too.) "he looks as if he's seen a ghost! Get out! Get out!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was now midnight. Volume, Luna and Trex had returned empty- handed. All of the remaining Jettna were now sitting in a small circle around the couch where Bass lay dormant, yet his eyes remained open
"We gotta find out what happened to the lil guy," Kaz said obviously, "All he been sayin' for the past couple hours is "Nero". That don't give us much to work with."
"Shhh," Luna cut in, turning her attention to Bass, lowering her voice to a whisper, "Bass…..Bass, are you OK?"
He lay silent for a moment, before shaking his head slowly from side to side. "Nero…."
"Nero," she repeated, her voice gentle and soothing, "do you know where he is?"
A nod.
"Can you tell me?"
His mouth looked as if it was trying to form a word, but couldn't make it out. "M…..M…M….."
"Come on," she whispered, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Morgue."
The room seemed to freeze. All the Jettna hung on that word, expressions of shock, disbelief, and fear covering their faces.
"The morgue," Luna asked, fighting back tears, "are you sure?"
Bass nodded, slowly sitting up like the undead rising from the grave. "The morgue. I saw him. The police helicopters came. They chased after us, but…but we managed to paint over their windshields. They were gonna crash. Did crash. But one of 'em….one of 'em shot their guns. He hit Nero. His body…..it looked like someone had thrown him into a pit of spikes….." he spoke all this as if he was watching it in a movie, his voice a mix of weakness and emotionlessness. Frap rushed into the bathroom.
"How did they know?" Bass thought out loud, his voice still empty and tired, "we were only there for ten minutes. It usually takes them an hour or two just to get a call." He gave his friends a quick look around, a strange expression on his face. His face brightened suddenly, the suspicious look turning into a grin….Nero's grin. "It was the Rudies. The Rudies ratted us out, and I have a plan that'll put them in their place."
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"Shit…..just shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit…." Indy said, banging his head against the wall of the garage with each word.
"Never be able to skate again?" Rayo asked, mortified, "that's terrible! I can't believe the Jettna could do something like that!"
Taeb nodded grimly. "It was so hard to tell him. That look on his face….I wish I'd never gone in their. He looked like we told him he was going to die."
"I'd accept a death sentence over that any day," Tank spoke up from behind them, "I can't imagine not being able to skate again."
"What he needs now is to know that we're there for him. He needs our support." Rayo looked down at the floor, pity flooding her voice.
"You're right Rayo," Taeb said quietly, "but not today. He needs time to get over the shock. We'll go and see him first thing tomorrow morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're here to see the Rudie who was brought in here recently."
"Why certainly. Right this way."
They were led down a narrow white hallway. "Right in here. You have five minutes."
"That'll be more than enough,"
Bass, Treble and Volume filed into the small room, crowding around Jessup's bed. "Now," Bass said, "revenge." He removed the short lead pipe from the inside of his pocket. He raised it slowly above his head, staring down into Jessup's closed eyes. "For Nero," he whispered. Then he brought it down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was dark and stormy that night. No, really, it was….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaz and Undro stood under the small makeshift canopy that was connected to the back of the Jettna garage. Kaz pulled his windbreaker up, wrapping his arms around himself. "Damn it's cold," he said, trembling, "this damn rain just won't let up, will it?"
Undro nodded silently, staring stonily off into the distance.
"Wonder if Treble and Frap are having any luck in the front." His words were met by another stiff nod. "Hope Nero gets his ass back here soon," he continued, rambling now, "It's been a damn long time since Bass came in, covered in blood, muttering about Nero. Hope the little guy's OK."
Undro shook his head slowly. "I don't think so," he said, breaking his silent streak, "It's been an hour since Volume, Luna and Trex went out looking for him. If he isn't back yet, I don't even wanna think about what happened to him….."
"Ah, don't be so pessimistic," Kaz said, a shaky, unsure grin on his face, "I'm sure he's just fine. Maybe he took a nap somewhere. A really long nap……"
"I think you hit it right on….."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"THOSE LITTLE BASTARDS!" Onishima yelled, his arms flailing. "HOW COULD THEY DESTROY A COUPLE OF TWO MILLION DOLLAR HELICOPTERS THE FIRST DAY I GET THEM"
A steady stream of obscenities (not to mention lots of crashing noises) poured from the captain's office.
"Wait! What are you doing sir? No, not that! Ah! Put that down!"
CRASH (see?)
"Oh, my head….."
Bzzzt "Hello? Sir, we have a Code O. Please send backup. Over." Bzzzt
Bzzzt "Are you serious? Onishima again? Well, alright, backup's on the way. Over." Bzzzt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have five minutes," the nurse said, a grim look on her face, "the patient needs his rest." She pulled the white curtains closed and gave the equipment attached to her "patient" a quick look, before she made her way out.
"H…Hey, guys," Jessup greeted them with the biggest grin he could muster, "I….I knew you would come get me. So when am I getting out of here?"
Taeb, Roland and Wyle all had fake smiles on.
"Well," Taeb finally spoke, "The doctors say you should be out….in…a little while."
Jessup's grin faded. "Taeb, we both know that isn't true. Give it to me straight, man."
The Rudie let out a depressed sigh, unable to meet Jessup's gaze. "He told me that you won't be able to strap on your skates for a while….a long while. Like….forever.
The words hit Jessup like a sledgehammer. His face went pale, and his lips pursed together in horror.
The nurse entered, tapping her watch. As she glanced at Jessup, she turned distraught. "What did you do to him?" she asked, turning and pushing them out, gently but firmly, (A/N: sounds like a contradiction to me, too.) "he looks as if he's seen a ghost! Get out! Get out!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was now midnight. Volume, Luna and Trex had returned empty- handed. All of the remaining Jettna were now sitting in a small circle around the couch where Bass lay dormant, yet his eyes remained open
"We gotta find out what happened to the lil guy," Kaz said obviously, "All he been sayin' for the past couple hours is "Nero". That don't give us much to work with."
"Shhh," Luna cut in, turning her attention to Bass, lowering her voice to a whisper, "Bass…..Bass, are you OK?"
He lay silent for a moment, before shaking his head slowly from side to side. "Nero…."
"Nero," she repeated, her voice gentle and soothing, "do you know where he is?"
A nod.
"Can you tell me?"
His mouth looked as if it was trying to form a word, but couldn't make it out. "M…..M…M….."
"Come on," she whispered, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Morgue."
The room seemed to freeze. All the Jettna hung on that word, expressions of shock, disbelief, and fear covering their faces.
"The morgue," Luna asked, fighting back tears, "are you sure?"
Bass nodded, slowly sitting up like the undead rising from the grave. "The morgue. I saw him. The police helicopters came. They chased after us, but…but we managed to paint over their windshields. They were gonna crash. Did crash. But one of 'em….one of 'em shot their guns. He hit Nero. His body…..it looked like someone had thrown him into a pit of spikes….." he spoke all this as if he was watching it in a movie, his voice a mix of weakness and emotionlessness. Frap rushed into the bathroom.
"How did they know?" Bass thought out loud, his voice still empty and tired, "we were only there for ten minutes. It usually takes them an hour or two just to get a call." He gave his friends a quick look around, a strange expression on his face. His face brightened suddenly, the suspicious look turning into a grin….Nero's grin. "It was the Rudies. The Rudies ratted us out, and I have a plan that'll put them in their place."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shit…..just shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit…." Indy said, banging his head against the wall of the garage with each word.
"Never be able to skate again?" Rayo asked, mortified, "that's terrible! I can't believe the Jettna could do something like that!"
Taeb nodded grimly. "It was so hard to tell him. That look on his face….I wish I'd never gone in their. He looked like we told him he was going to die."
"I'd accept a death sentence over that any day," Tank spoke up from behind them, "I can't imagine not being able to skate again."
"What he needs now is to know that we're there for him. He needs our support." Rayo looked down at the floor, pity flooding her voice.
"You're right Rayo," Taeb said quietly, "but not today. He needs time to get over the shock. We'll go and see him first thing tomorrow morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're here to see the Rudie who was brought in here recently."
"Why certainly. Right this way."
They were led down a narrow white hallway. "Right in here. You have five minutes."
"That'll be more than enough,"
Bass, Treble and Volume filed into the small room, crowding around Jessup's bed. "Now," Bass said, "revenge." He removed the short lead pipe from the inside of his pocket. He raised it slowly above his head, staring down into Jessup's closed eyes. "For Nero," he whispered. Then he brought it down.