Just saw the "Q&A Orientation" video! Needless to say, still so many questions. Though made a few things clear. "Dementia came barefoot"...wonder if she was escaping from a mental asylum?
How did I manage to get this chapter done so fast? I'd already written a huge chunk of it while the idea was still fresh. I'd recommend listening to the song "Straight On" from the movie Strange Magic, as it was a huge inspiration for this.
At some point during the ride in the hearse, Ricardo had passed out. He couldn't remember whether Black Hat had drugged him or he'd fainted from the overwhelming situation. But when he came to, he was in complete darkness. The sack was still over his head. He found that he couldn't move his arms from his sides, as they appeared to be restrained by metal cuffs of some sort.
"Wha—?" he said, his voice muffled by the bag. "Where—?"
"It would appear our guest is awake, sir," said a male voice he didn't recognize.
"Well then," said the oh-too-familiar voice that made Ricardo shiver. "Let's give him a proper welcome. Shall we?"
At that moment, the sack was removed from his head and Ricardo was face-to-face with…a paper bag and goggles. The bag was attached to a body wearing a lab coat over a blue t-shirt with a picture of an exploding airplane. Ricardo had never met Dr. Flug, as the two of them hadn't worked for Black Hat at the same time, though he recognized him from the commercials. Somehow, the paper-bag-wearing scientist looked a lot less ridiculous in person. Perhaps it was the low lighting, or the fact that Ricardo was lying vertically on what appeared to be an operating table.
"Welcome to Black Hat Manor, Mr. Gris!" Dr. Flug said brightly, pressing his hands together. "I read your file, and I must say the work you did for the organization thirty years ago was quite impressive! However did you manage to steal a model of a B767-300?! That's only the rarest—"
"Flug," Black Hat said. "What are you doing?"
Dr. Flug glanced back at his boss, who had both hands on his cane. His eyebrow was raised, unimpressed.
"I-I was merely, uh…" Sweat started dripping over his bag. "Being ironically chipper? To, uh…throw him off?" He tapped his fingers together nervously. "Too much, sir?"
"Immensely." Black Hat used his cane to push the scientist aside. "Move aside, you fool, I'll show you how it's done."
During their exchange, Ricardo had taken in his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of lab, though a small one. Blue prints and sticky notes decorated the walls. Ricardo froze as his eyes fell upon a table next to him. On top its purple cloth was an array of menacing-looking tools. Including, but not limited to a scalpel, a drill, a mace, a hacksaw, and syringes. A whole lot of really big syringes!
There was no doubt this was the end. Ricardo knew he should've never dealt with Black Hat, even before he'd met Linda. He shouldn't have gotten involved with him again, had he not been desperate to save his wife.
His blood ran cold as Black Hat approached the table.
"Welcome to my home, Ricardo," he said mockingly. "I hope you are quite…comfortable."
"Please!" the poor man cried. "Have mercy!"
"Mercy?" Black Hat let out a demonic chuckle. "You act as if you've only just met me, Ricardo." He leaned forward onto his cane, making sure the victim could see his minty-green teeth. "Don't take this as anything personal. I have no grudge against you." He poked the man hard in the chest with his finger. "It's just that you made a promise to me that you failed to keep. And if there's one thing I simply cannot forgive, it's a broken promise."
"I'll get your money!" Ricardo said, tears coming into his eyes. "Please! I just need a little more time!"
"More time?" Black Hat tsked as he shook his head. "My friend, you've had fifteen years to pay your dues!"
"It wasn't my fault! It was that blasted interest rate!"
He realized his mistake too late as his throat suddenly tightened, preventing him from breathing. Black Hat had his claw-like hand gripping in the air, using his telekinesis to strangle him.
"P-Please!" Ricardo choked. "My daughter…she…has no one…"
Black Hat showed no sign that he cared. "You should've thought about that before putting yourself in debt." He let go of the man's throat, allowing him some air. "But I'm not going to kill you just yet." Moving over to the side, he leaned his elbow onto the table, right beside Ricardo's head. "Oh, no. I'm going to make sure your death is slow and painful. I'm going to make sure you spend your last moments regretting that you ever double-crossed—"
Suddenly, Flug's tablet, which sat beside his tools, started ringing. Growling in frustration, Black Hat snapped his head towards the scientist as he picked up his tablet. Another thing the villain simply couldn't stand was being interrupted. Especially during an evil monologue.
"Flug!" he shouted, stomping towards his minion. "How many times have I told you to keep your electronics on silent during our torture sessions?!"
"I-It's the intruder alert, sir!" Flug exclaimed, pointing to the tablet screen. "S-Someone just rang the bell to the front gate!"
He pulled up the live feed from the front gate's camera. With a growl, Black Hat snatched the tablet from Flug's hands.
"Who would have the audacity to be ringing my bell at this hour?!" he hollered, his hands gripping so tight that Flug worried his boss would break his precious tablet.
The unexpected guest was a young woman. Through the black and white footage, Black Hat couldn't make out much of her facial features, but she appeared to be in her mid-20's. Using the gate for scale, he deduced that she was rather short. She wore a zip-up hoodie and dark jeans. A ponytail hung over her backpack. She kept her hands in her hoodie pockets as she waited for someone to open the gate.
"Flug, who in the hell is this?" Black Hat demanded, thrusting the tablet towards the scientist.
"I-I don't know, sir," Flug said, adjusting his goggles as he gazed at the screen. "I've never seen her before. Sh-Should I wake Dementia up? I mean I gave her a heavy dose of tranquilizers, but I could—"
Black Hat groaned. "No, no, I'll deal with it. I want to make that little worm pay for interrupting me!" Glancing sideways at Mr. Gris, he whispered to Flug, "Don't do anything excruciating until I get back. But…don't make him too comfortable either."
"Understood, sir," Flug said with a salute.
Once Black Hat had stormed out the door—which looked like one you'd find in an airplane—and slammed it behind him, Flug turned his head slowly towards his trembling victim. Ricardo watched in nervous anticipation as the scientist made his way towards what looked like a defibrillator. The poor man's breath quickened as the machine was wheeled up beside him.
"Tell me, Mr. Gris," Dr. Flug said, his goggles glinting as he picked up a pair of suction-cupped electrodes. "Have you any history with electroconvulsive therapy?"
When Black Hat reached the front door, he glanced up at the security screen hanging above it. The girl was still standing there, pressing the buzzer over and over again. He was so glad Flug had hooked up the tablet to the front gate's bell so that he wouldn't have to hear that annoying sound over and over.
He really should just go down there and wring that woman's neck for wasting his time. But, in his experience, it was best to know a person's business before outright killing them. Otherwise, he would've lost plenty more clients.
So, walking up to the intercom beside the door, he pressed the speak button and screamed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
At the gate, Lita jumped back at the sudden voice coming from the intercom. From its furious tone and raspiness, there was no doubt who the voice belonged to.
She looked back up at the massive hat-shaped house on the hill. She wondered if he was watching her through one of those crimson-glass windows.
It probably wasn't a good idea to be angering the most dangerous being in the universe. He was already mad enough. But so was she.
She shouted at the intercom, "My name's Lita Gris! My father's Ricardo Gris! Do you have him in there?"
Ah, so that's his daughter, Black Hat thought as he watched the woman on the monitor. My, how that spunky little brat has grown.
He spoke into the intercom. "And what if I do? What are you going to do about it? Certainly not call the authorities. You know they can't touch me."
Lita fumed as she heard this. "You give him back, right now! Or I'll—"
"You'll what?" he said with a chuckle.
Taking her hands out of her pockets, she faced the intercom fully. "I'm coming in after him!"
Black Hat made sure she could hear his amused laugh.
"I'm not kidding!" she exclaimed.
"My, my, my," he said, smirking at her frustrated image. "Isn't this just sweet? The little girl has come to save her dear, old daddy!"
And here he thought tonight was just going to be a simple debt collection slash torture session. It had just turned into a rescue attempt…one he was going to enjoy foiling. Of course, he doubted she was going to last a minute, but it would be fun to watch her try.
"You have guts, Miss Gris," Black Hat said in a mocking tone. "So, I'll give you a sporting chance and make you a deal. I'll let you in to see your father."
He pressed the button that opened the gate.
Lita stepped back as the gate suddenly swung open. There had to be a catch, because there was no way he would give into her demands this quickly.
"All you have to do," Black Hat said, pressing the big red button next to the intercom, "is ring my doorbell."
Just then, an assortment of machines and guns sprung out of the hat-shaped house. Lasers, cannons, something that looked like a giant squid, all pointed at the stone steps leading up to the mansion. Lita sighed.
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy."
"Like my new home security system?" said Black Hat's voice over the intercom. "It's state of the art. The button to turn it off…is right at my fingertip."
"I get it," Lita said. "Only way in is straight through."
"It's not too late to turn back. You'll still see your father…one way or another. Of course, if you'd rather end up in pieces like him—"
"Will you fucking shut up?! I'm trying to concentrate!"
Inside, Black Hat stiffened at this command. He moved his finger away from the speak button and gazed up at the screen. The girl appeared to be focused, her gaze on the path ahead of her. Her eyes were moving about, as if watching the massive pieces of machinery.
Her reaction to his security system was strange. Why didn't she seem frightened? Or at least surprised?
Meanwhile, Lita was surveying the obstacle course before her. Finding a rock on the ground, she picked it up and threw it ahead. Lasers shot at the rock, a drone with a buzzsaw sweeping down to slice it. If the rock hadn't been so small, it would've been vaporized immediately. That honor went to the shark that leaped out from a trapdoor within the step the rock landed on. Lita made a note to avoid that particular step.
So, everything was triggered by motion and pressure sensors. That much she knew. The squid cannon made her raise an eyebrow, but she suspected it would have a similar effect as the shark.
"It's okay, Lita," she muttered, zipping up her pockets so nothing would fall out. "Just remember what Papi taught you." She knelt down to retie her shoes so that they were tight. "All those years of gymnastics," she said, standing up, "and jewelry heists," and buckling her backpack across her stomach, "have come down to this."
She rolled up her sleeves. "It's been a while," she said, tucking her ponytail into her hoodie before pulling her hood over it, "but a leopard never changes her spots."
Black Hat hadn't been pressing the listen button, so he hadn't heard her speech. But he'd watched her strange ritual. Again, she seemed unphased by the mass weaponry. Not even the shark had made her jump.
It was as if…she had done this before.
She started backing away from the gate, as if to get a running start. Black Hat moved from the door to the window.
"This I have got to see," he said, genuinely intrigued.
Eyeing the front double doors, Lita crouched down into a starting position, as if she were at a track meet. This was hardly anything like those home invasions, or the store robberies, and she was a little rusty. But her father was counting on her.
So, taking a deep breath, Lita sprang towards the gate, not even slowing down as the lasers started firing at her.
She zigzagged in all directions. She could hear her father saying, If you run in a straight path, they'll be sure to hit you. Don't be an easy target for them.
As the drone with the buzzsaw came by, she dropped into a somersault, moving to the left to avoid the trapdoor with the shark. I knew it was a good idea to stay in shape. When she sprang back to her feet, the yard suddenly erupted into flames, the stairs the only safe path. Pressure sensors or not, she was now forced to stay on the steps.
The lasers were still firing, so she flung herself forward into a handspring, followed by a cartwheel. She came up just in time to see another buzzsaw sweeping down, though she couldn't see what kept it up. Ducking down, she went into another somersault.
Black Hat watched this display from the window, his mouth agape. Who was this girl?!
He should've been furious that she was weaving effortlessly through his security system, yet he couldn't help but be…impressed. True, Flug had done the same thing, but that had been dumb luck, and he had come out looking like a fried paper-bagged chicken. This girl wasn't getting a scratch on her. Except for one laser grazing her shoulder, though it had only gotten her clothing. And she just carried on as if it was nothing.
It seemed that his guest had been holding out on him. He'd only met Ricardo Gris' brat once. In fact, he remembered how she had kicked him in the shin and run off.
Seems she had even more gumption than I'd thought.
As she went through the last leg of the trek, Black Hat grinned as he rested his finger on the red button.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
After dodging the last snowball—how he'd managed to get so many kids to throw them, she had no idea—Lita landed on the front porch, panting as she gazed up at the double doors with the circular knockers. She wasted no time in standing up and pressing her finger against the gold button.
Wow, that was a rush.
The doorbell had just started its first tone when one of the double doors, the one closest to her, creaked open. It revealed a darkened hallway. Behind her, she could hear the clanging of metal as the weapons were retracted into the mansion.
Lita gulped, but remembered why she was here. Reaching into her hoodie pocket, she found her switchblade, took it out and tucked it within the cuff of her sleeve. Just in case Black Hat didn't keep his word. Taking in a deep breath, she entered the mansion.
The hallway stretched far ahead of her, the walls reaching up high. The wallpaper was a deep red with a repeated pattern of—naturally—black top hats. Black columns lines these walls, giving the hallway an almost Victorian look.
Before she could fully take in her surroundings, the door slammed behind her, making her jump. The lights started flickering on and off. At the end of the hallway, she could make out a tall, lean figure. She gripped the hilt of her blade.
"Congratulations, Miss Gris," the figure said in that same low, raspy voice that had greeted her on the intercom. "You've made it past my front door."
I may have added some details to the mansion's exterior that weren't in the shorts. I realize the teaser trailer shows someone ringing a bell next to the front doors, but given the security system, I doubt anyone can just walk on up and ring the doorbell. But there must also be a way for clients to enter, so I put a buzzer and intercom at the front gate. I also think Flug would've installed a way to turn the security system off after that first incident. And maybe added some new features as he'd managed to survive just by running straight on through. Shark idea was taken from "Despicable Me."
I think Flug might be my favorite character so far. Though I'm well aware as adorable as he can be...he's not completely innocent. Oh boy, did I love playing with that concept here!