Let Me Go - Chapter 3 – Prolonged Use May Result in Permanent Damage
I don't own ADVENTURE TIME or any of the characters contained within. I will claim this twisted piece of fiction as mine.
WARNING - RATING T/M - TRIGGERING CONTENT - descriptions of gore, self-harm and possible SU topics are contained within.
Haters welcome, comments welcome.
Marceline stood in the center of the hall, listening to the various sounds coming from down the way. Beside her stood the small form of Peppermint Butler. They both look at each other, then back down the hallway. A loud crash echoes, followed by some rather colorful cursing.
"I thought that was a dead language?" Marcy muses out loud. She had fled the room PB was searching through after the third item came sailing dangerously close to her head.
"It is, but the Princess still uses it from time to time." Marcy would always be surprised by Bubblegum. The woman was a mystery, wrapped in ….in….something?
"Dang it." Pep But looks up at her, but sees that she wasn't directly addressing him. She mutters softly to herself. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she checks the screen. More than an hour and a half has passed since she called Finn. Knowing she woke the boy up, he would be somewhat late.Where was the little wennie? He was the calming influence she needed to get PB to behave like a normal person, rather than a screaming manic. A screaming destructive manic!
"Wasn't Master Finn coming?" Pep But asks, flinching as another loud crash is heard. This time something flies out the open door, smashing against the opposite wall.
"Yeah, but I woke him. You know Finn takes forever to get moving." She smiles, remembering some of the drastic measures over the years she has had to use against the human. One thing she could say about Finn is he never did anything half assed. Including sleeping, eating and being colossally late.
A muffled boom sounds from the end of the hall, she swore she could feel a mild vibration through the floor matching the sound. If he didn't get here soon, PB was going to destroy half of her castle trying to find whatever damn piece of "super important" scientific crap she lost. If it was so damn important, why didn't the woman remember where she put it! A voice from behind breaks her out of her thoughts.
"What was that sound?" Startled, both Marcy and Pep B spin around, coming face to face with Finn.
"It would appear the Princess is having difficulty locating …ah, some item that she deems important." Peppermint Butler answers, wringing is hands. Another loud crash comes from down the hall, causing him to jump. He looks at the vampire, distress clear on his red and white striped face.
"If you and Master Finn have things in order, than I shall take my leave." He quickly mutters, already starting away to move. By the time he got next to Finn, he breaks out into a jog, fleeing the area before his nerves were completely shot. Finn watches the little candy man run away, envious that he could escape dealing with the Princess so easily.
"Wow, he sure gets worked up, huh?" Marcy snickers, shaking her head. Floating up she drifts over toward Finn, circling around him once before dropping down beside him. She eyes him, taking in the details of her friend. Over the last few years, Finn finally got his growth spurt, shooting up like a bean stalk. He was now as tall as her and she knew he was still growing, he would end up taller than her. Along with the height, he lost his cute baby fat and picked up some true muscle, which even under his two shirts, she could see. Tonight he showed up wearing those black jeans she knew he hated, two layered blue shirts and his white hood. A scruffy pre-beard made the hood look odd, but it still was all Finn. At his side was his trusty sword, still housed in that ancient scabbard. She gave him a perfectly good, new, metal one, but he still wore that battered wooden monstrosity. One day, she was going to make sure that thing befell a horrible accident. Looking up at his face, she sees he looks tired, no, strike that, exhausted was more like it. Dark circles frame his blood shot blue eyes, his pale complexion making them all that more noticeable. If she didn't know better, she might think he was ill.
"Damn Finn, you look like you are half dead. No wonder it took you some time to get here. You must have been out cold, huh?" She elbows him in the side, making him grunt and stumble to the side. He regained his balance fast, turning to glare at her while rubbing the new sore spot.
"Yeah, been busy and was trying to catch up on my sleep. Sorry I took so long." She watches him, he seems off, but she couldn't put a finger on what could be wrong.
"You alright man, you look under the weather?" A pang of guilt worried her thoughts. Maybe he was sick after all.
"Naw, just uber tired." He yawns, putting up a hand to half hide it.
"You not suffering from insomnia again, are you?" He blinks a few times then leers at her, maybe that was his issue. He went through spells of insomnia that left him awake for days, only to finally drop where he was when his exhaustion became more than his body could deal with anymore. She gives him what he calls the "Mothering Eye", complete with the obligatory frown.
"No, I was just out doing things all week. I didn't realize how tired I was until I hit my bed." He had to distract her before she tried more aggressive methods of getting information out of him. He just wants to get whatever she wanted done and over with. Taking a few steps down the hallway, he points toward the only open door visible.
"So what is causing all the noise?" Sighing, she gives up trying to get Finn to fess up. Finn would be Finn and they had more important matters to deal with. Floating up, she flies past Finn, turning to face him.
"Bubblegum lost some science thingie," She waves a hand through the air, rolling her eyes, "and has been tearing up the place trying to find it." She continues flying backwards, letting Finn match her pace.
"Any clue as to what?" They both knew PB could get destructive when she lost things.
"My spectrum sample analyzer, that's what." Marcy rotates mid-air, spying the resident candy monarch standing in the open doorway. Finn takes the last few steps, stopping between them.
"Ok, as I said, Science Thingie." Bubblegum groans, throwing both arms up into the air in defeat.
"It's NOT a thingie, it's a tool and I NEED to FIND IT!" The candy woman shouts, clearly worked up into a royal tiff. Her hair was wild, tangled mess. Her lab coat had random stains covering it, as well as a few burn marks and rips. She had her glasses on, but they were sitting low on the bridge of her nose, one lens dusted in a white powder. It was her eyes that gave him the understanding of why Marcy had called him. Bubblegum had that manic gleam Finn recognized as marking one of her infamous Science Binges.
"Ok, PB. Explain to me what you are looking for, I'll help search." He offers up a weak smile, hoping to placate the annoyed monarch. Bubblegum closes her eyes, takes a deep breath before putting her arms down at her sides. Opening her eyes to holds her hands up in front of her, about a hand width apart.
"It's a metal box, roughly this big." She moves her hands to give a visual example of the items dimensions. "It has various knobs on the front, plus a small screen. There is a larger bulb sticking out of the top." Finn nods, keeping his smile plastered to his face. Her description was vague, not horribly helpful and could describe more than half of the machines in one of her labs. This was going to take considerably longer than he had both patience and stamina. He could already feel a slow creeping weakness spreading through his body. He had to wait till the last minute before taking another dose, his best guess was there was only two good mouthfuls left.
"Alright. Where have you already looked?" Marcy watches Finn handling Bubblegum. She knew he would be able to calm her down, even if they no little chance in hell of finding her gadget.
"Labs One-A and One-B. Labs Two-A is destroyed, so if it was in there, it's gone. Oh…I wonder if I should dig out..." Marcy reaches out and snaps her fingers in front of PB's face causing the woman's eyes refocus.
"Concentrate Bubbles. Any other places?" PB blinks, then reaches up to push her glasses into place.
"Lab Two-B. That only leaves the four labs on this floor." She whirls around, waving one arm at the open door. "It's not in this lab." Marcy can't help but roll her eyes again. From what she can see inside the door, there wasn't much of said lab left. It looked more like a dump, the place was totally trashed. She was not helping her clean.
"Ok. Good. You take," Finn looks around the hall, spying three other doors. Turning to look past Marcy's shoulder, he points at the door opposite of the room she just finished. "You tackle that one. Marcy and I will look in," He points to the remaining doors. "Sound good?" Bubblegum nods, digging into her coat pocket and pulling out a large key ring. Flipping through the multitude of various keys, she finally pulls two off, handing one to each of them.
"If you spy ANYTHING that looks like it could be it, yell. I'll come and check." She rotates another key out. Brushing past Marcy, she unlocks the door behind her. Marcy looks down at the key in her hand. How do I get caught up in crap like this?
"Well, you ready?" Looking to Finn, who slightly nods, still looking weary. It would be nice if they found PB's device fast, but she has a sinking feel that luck wasn't on their side. She hopes he can tough it out. He was her Ace to deal with Bubblegum, especially while she's eyeballs deep in science. They turn to the remaining doors, each going to stand before one. They both put in their keys and turn, only to find the lock won't move.
"Switch." Finn says, already turning around. They switch doors and repeat the motion. This time both locks click open. Marcy snorts, tucking the key into a pocket.
"Good luck Finn, I have a feeling we are going to need it." He nods, realizing she was very correct. Opening the door before him, he steps into the darkened lab. Lifting his hand, the pats the wall by the door until his fingers land on a switch. A quick flick and the lab is bathed in bright white light.
The place was clean, to a ridiculous level. In the strong light, everything that was made of metal reflected brightly, like tons of glittering little gems. Sighing, he walks into the room, leaving the door open. Scanning the room, he works on figuring out where Bubblegum would put something like she had described. It was a tool, but it sounded important. It couldn't be something she used regularly, since it wasn't in a place she could easily access. That meant it was packed away. A glance around the lab left him feeling that this was a hopeless endeavor.
There where counter tops lining three out of four walls, the last taken up completely by a massive whiteboard. Each countertop had a set of cupboard above, drawers and more cupboards below. One wall had a massive sink set into the counter, another had what looked like a glass doored cabinet tucked at the end. Add to that the island in the center of the room, which had drawers built into the sides he could see. There was an insane amount of places to look.
Rubbing his temple, he turns toward the first countertop closest to him. He head was beginning to ache, the weakness was continuing to spread. His exhaustion was getting harder to ignore, but he had to wait. Even just to search this room, it would take a couple of hours. Forcing his body to obey, he starts opening doors, digging though the contents of each one, before sliding over to the next. He left the cupboards he searched open, a marker so he wouldn't forget and research them endlessly. By the time he finished the first set, his headache had grown, making his eyes hurt in the screamingly bright light.
Closing his eyes, he leans both hands against the countertop. Why the hell am I here? A wave of nausea hit him, making his head pound harder. At the rate he was going, it would take the rest of the night. If he even lasted that long. Anger boils up, making him open his eyes and stare sightlessly at the empty counter before him. He was so sick of being her puppet. Her servant, her damn tool. She would have him trapped here for hours, caught in a worthless search for some pathetic trinket. If we Globbing find it! After, she would snatch it away, hustling back to whatever lab she had been holed up. She wouldn't offer one word of thanks, or even consider what type of effort had gone into helping her. Nope, we are nothing but tools to her. Use it and put it aside.
He grabs the handle of a drawer, yanking it open. He didn't expect it to come off its tracks, pulling completely out. Once out, it falls free of his hand, spilling its contents across the floor. The loud crash made his head feel like someone smacked him, hard. The nausea rose up, this time his stomach wasn't in a mood to play. Turning, lurching toward the sink, he staggers over to lean in head first and vomits. His vision blacks out, the force behind his retching drives the pain in his skull to new levels. He feels his knees give way and slides back and down, landing hard on the cold floor. Unable to see or move, he forces his hand to the pocket holding the vial. Fingers brush against the glass, closing tightly. It takes everything he has to pull it free and up to his mouth. He grips the cork in his teeth, although he knows it will cause his head to get worse, he can't use his other hand. That was the only thing keeping him upright, it was his pillar. Slowly working the cork free, it lets it drop from his mouth. Raising the vial, it knocks it lightly against his teeth, but seals his lips around it. Summoning up one last push, he leans his raging skull back and swallows back a mouthful of the vile concoction.
Gagging, he lowers his hand, making sure to keep it upright. All he needed was to let the remaining potion spill on the floor. Sitting there, he doesn't move until the pain starts to recede. It was slow going, the weakness left first. Then the headache lessened. When he felt like moving was doable, he opens his eyes. His sight was back, the first sight he saw was the vial in his white knuckled fist. He saw the cork, lying next to his other hand. Carefully he pushes up, finally having enough strength to hold himself up. Grabbing the cork, he stoppers the vial, returning it to its pocket.
That was close, he waited too long. Let himself get too worked up, too stressed, which probably caused the potion to wear off sooner. Gently, he reaches up and grabs the edge of the sink, pulling himself back up to his feet. Once on his feet, he saw the mess in the sink. Turning on one of the taps, he waits as the mess flushes down the drain.
"Finn?" It startles him, making him grasp the edge of the sink tightly. He tilts his head slightly, managing to spot the intruder as Marcy. She was hovering in the doorway, watching. Great, how much did she see?
"Yeah?" His throat burns, his mouth had the aftertaste of stomach acid. Stable enough to let go, he reaches out, cupping his hand under the running water. He rises his mouth with the first handful, swallows the second. Turning off the facet, he takes a deep breath.
"Hey, are you alright?" Her voice was nearer, meaning she was intent on checking on him. Turning from the sink, he faces her, managing to twist a smile on his face. Sadly, it must have broadcast something other than what he planned. She finishes crossing the room quickly, landing next to him.
"Finn, really, are you alright?" She reaches out to touch his forehead, but he leans his face away from her.
"I'm fine Marcy. Did you find it?" All he can do is hope she did, allowing him to flee. She doesn't answer, just keeps standing there, eyeing him, entirely too close for his comfort.
"You're lying, Finn." A hard look came over her face. He never could lie to Marceline. Somehow she always seemed to know when he wasn't telling her the truth. Why now of all the times, did she seem to give a crap about him? Giving her an annoyed sigh, he pushes past her, hoping she would take the hint and leave well enough alone. He got almost out of her reach when her hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder. His left shoulder.
Instantly pain coursed through his arm, making him cry out and wrench himself forward. Marcy was stunned by his reaction, but managed to keep her grip on him. Reacting to the continuing pain, Finn twists, using his good arm to shove Marceline harshly back, this time freeing himself. Marcy stumbles back, smacking into the sink and falls, landing hard on her butt. Finn wobbles, his balance shot, but manages to keep his feet. Pausing to look down at Marcy, he stands there panting.
"Finn?" Marcy asks softly, concern on her features. He shakes his head, stumbling backwards toward the door. He's had enough, he's done.
"Just leave me alone." He turns and flees out the door. Marcy just sits there, stunned by what happened, by Finn's reaction. Why would he act like that? She puts her hands against the floor, attempting to stand and her right hand slips, dropping her back to the floor. Lifting her hand up, she holds her breath at the sight. Instead of the pale skin, there was red. A lot of red, fresh and still wet. She looks over to where her hand rested on the floor, there was a red hand shaped smear. Why was there blood on her hand?
In a daze, she floats up, righting herself. She looks out the door, flying over to hover in the middle of the hallway. The place was barren, empty.
"Eureka!" Comes a scream from behind her. Footsteps come racing out in the hall as Bubblegum emerges from the lab, holding a small silver box in her hands.
"Finally I found it. Hey guys, you can stop looking now." She shouts, her gaze never leaving the surface of the box she held. She could now continue her experiment, her excitement almost making her miss the startling lack of reply. "Guys?" She looks up from her prize, seeing Marcy hovering in the middle of the hallway. Slowly she turns toward PB. If Bubblegum didn't know better, the vampire looked like she was lost.
"Marcy, are you alright? I found my instrument, we can stop the search." She holds up the box as she walks over to join her. Marcy lands as she draws near, still looking out of it.
"Hey," She waves a hand in front of the other woman's face. Marcy blinks a few times, then focuses on Bubblegum.
"You alright." Marcy nods, unable to voice any words. Slowly she raises her hand at Bubblegum, palm out. She gets it halfway up before her voice returns.
"I'm fine, but I think Finn's hurt." Bubblegum looks from the vampires face to her raised hand, noticing for the first that it was red.