Chapter Seven

Snakes had long ago mostly blanked out of his current situation. He was lying on the floor by now, staring ahead as Deadeye straddled him and attemped to choke him. After a moment Deadeye grew impatient and climbed off, his face a storm cloud.

"Why doesn't he do something?" he snarled. "He's not even fighting me any more. It's no fun torturing somebody who won't react. I might as well be practicing on a dummy."

"Poor Mr. Tolliver has most likely flashed back to those dreadful years when he was tortured among the dead," Count Manzeppi intoned. "He doesn't react because he remembers breaking down at long last and having no choice but to accept his fate. Unfortunately, if things proceed in that vein, we may end up killing him while we still need him."

Another figure emerged from the shadows of the large room. "If you want, Master, I will take over now."

Manzeppi glanced over. "Do you have the formula prepared, Benji?"

"Yes, Master. I have just finished it." Benji held up a small vial.

"Oh, very good," Manzeppi smiled. "But we won't bring that out just yet. We'll wait until the last bit of hope has been stripped away from our unfortunate guest."

"He doesn't look like he's got any more hope to lose," Deadeye retorted.

"Somewhere in his mind he still prays for deliverance," Manzeppi said. "When his friends come to save him and they fail, then we will present him with the one way left to preserve his pathetic life."

"But you haven't even called them with the instructions for the ransom meet," Deadeye pointed out.

"I don't need to," Manzeppi said smoothly. "They are already looking for our little hideout. And thanks to my strategic selection of its location, I would imagine that our neighbors have already informed Mr. West and Mr. Gordon of where to come."

"And what if they don't bring the chicken?" Deadeye did not look pleased. "They're probably hoping to ambush us."

"I'm certain they are," Manzeppi agreed. "They won't bring the chicken to an ambush. But after they are all dead, we can commence our search for the chicken. It must be at that golf club."

"That's true," Deadeye mused. "But they'd better show up soon. I'm itching for some more action."

"And you shall have it, Deadeye," Manzeppi smiled. "We shall all have it."

xxxx

Lucrece and Pinto were on the front porch by the time Arte pulled up in front of their house. They came down the steps to meet the other group, Lucrece tense and Pinto fairly at ease.

"We don't know what's happening over there right now," Lucrece said to Arte without so much as a Hello. "It quieted down shortly after I called you."

"I don't like the sound of that," Arte frowned. "Either Snakes passed out or they've stopped for some other reason."

"Whatever it is, you can bet it's not good," Coley supplied.

Arte's group exited the car and came onto the sidewalk. Jim immediately took control of the situation. "Miss Posey, we want to cut through your backyard to the other lot," he declared. "It might give us an element of surprise."

"Oh, feel free," Lucrece said with an irritated gesture. "We would like this madness cleared up as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Jim said with a nod. He started towards the backyard, the others trailing after him.

"Of course, you realize this Count Manzeppi may be waiting for you," Lucrece remarked. She kept to the side of the house, her arms folded, as she and Pinto walked alongside the procession.

"We realize," Jim confirmed. "But that doesn't change anything."

"For you, it wouldn't," Lucrece said. "You're always the noble swashbuckler."

Arte glanced back at her. "It would help if you and Pinto could sort of stand by, just in case it is a trap and something goes wrong. It would be comforting to know that someone was aware of our little predicament."

"What makes you think we'd do anything to help you, especially with Snakes involved?" Pinto drawled. "We only helped that other time because the whole world was in danger and we would've kicked the bucket too."

Arte just gave a faux awkward smile as he continued, "Yes, but you still don't want to get in trouble for knowing people are getting hurt and doing nothing about it."

Lucrece scowled. "We'll stand by."

"How generous of you, Miss Posey," Arte said with a mock bow.

Lucrece and Pinto watched as Jim jumped over the fence, followed by Arte and the rest of the crew. Then, his eyes glinting, Pinto crept closer to the fence as well.

"Just how close are you planning to stand by?" Lucrece asked.

Pinto smirked. "Hey, as long as we have to, I'd like to see exactly what's going on."

"What you really mean is that you'd like to see if there's going to be any more torture," Lucrece bluntly pointed out.

A shrug. "I can't fool you. Not that I'd ever try." Pinto grinned at her and then looked back to the group. Having found the back door unlocked, Jim and company were trouping inside. The door shut quietly behind them.

"I should hope not," Lucrece retorted in what she hoped was a stern voice. She knew she could trust Pinto. And she knew that spying on what was happening was actually a logical idea under the circumstances.

She, however, preferred to stand by near the fence.

xxxx

Arte looked around uneasily once they stood inside the abandoned factory. "That was a little too easy," he worried. "Surely you agree."

Jim's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Manzeppi's expecting us."

"And that means you've walked right into a trap," Luther sneered as he stepped out from behind a stack of crates.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Coley grunted.

"Where's Snakes?!" Ray demanded. "We know you have him here."

"You'll see him soon," Luther said smoothly. "The Count wants you to see him. It's all part of his plan."

"That really isn't very reassuring," Arte declared.

The fight started without warning when Luther and also Dodo lunged at the group. Jim and Coley lunged right back, leading the charge. Punches and kicks flew on both sides, as well as the people they were directed against. At length Luther and Dodo had managed to lead the others deeper into the building. As Jim moved to attack again, a cage came down from the ceiling and trapped him and the rest neatly inside.

"What the . . . ?!" Coley leaped for the side as the cage clanged down, but he wasn't quick enough to leap out. And the bars, once down, were immovable.

Ray backed up, his eyes wide in horror. He couldn't be trapped in a cage. Even after all this time, that was still something that made him flash back to the torture he had endured at Dr. Portman's hands for over two years. "Let us out!" he screamed. "You can't lock us up like this! Let us out!"

Coley spun around and hurried back to him. "Ray, it's alright," he tried to tell him. "We're going to get out of this."

Ray took a deep, shuddering breath, trembling as he tried to calm down. "I don't see how," he said morosely. "Not unless Posey and Pinto actually do something. And I don't trust them!"

"West and Gordon always have tricks up their sleeves," Coley reminded him. "Posey and Pinto probably won't jump in unless there's clearly no other way. Let's wait a few minutes and see what happens."

Jim looked to them in concern before turning his attention to the room outside the cage. "What's going on, Count?" he called. His voice echoed, giving an eerie sense of isolation.

After a moment, heavy footsteps filled the room and a large shadow grew in size on the floor as Count Manzeppi approached. "Ah, good evening again, Gentlemen," he purred. "It was so good of you to join us, and all for the sake of your cowardly little friend."

"I wouldn't have ever thought I'd hear myself say it, but Tolliver's changed a lot," Coley retorted. "He's still afraid of death, sure, but he doesn't let that stop him when something needs doing."

Manzeppi grimaced. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear you say that, Mr. Rodman. Only I'm not, because it makes things all the more deliciously ironic." He smiled in his cruelly knowing way.

"What have you done, Count?" Jim stepped forward, the angry, warning tone in his voice signaling that he had been pushed too far.

Manzeppi half-turned, gesturing to someone just out of their view. "Bring him."

Presently Deadeye dragged a limp and hopeless Snakes just in front of the cage and deposited him on the floor in a sorry heap. Snakes flinched, pushing himself up to his knees. His bangs came loose, drifting over his right eye.

Arte stared in sickened horror. "Snakes . . ." He gripped the bars. "Count, I was never sure how low you'd stoop, but this has to be the most sickening thing you've done yet. Both Snakes and Mr. Norman have been badly tortured in the past, which I'm sure you know, and tonight you've deliberately put them in situations where they've had to relive their worst fears!"

"Oh, I'm afraid it gets much worse than this, Mr. Gordon," Manzeppi replied with that same smile. "Benji?"

Jim tensed as Benji stepped out from the shadows, a hypodermic needle in his hand.

That was too much for Ray. "What are you doing?!" he screamed, running over to the bars. "You can't do it! You can't!" He shook them with all his might, desperate to get out and stop whatever cruel thing was about to happen next. But it was no use.

Deadeye stood by, smirking in sadistic enjoyment as Benji knelt to be at Snakes' eye level. Seeing the needle, Snakes turned and stared at it in confusion.

Count Manzeppi stepped closer. "You see this, Mr. Tolliver? The substance inside it is something you know all too well. It's the same poison with which Miss Lucrece Posey ended your life in 1871."

Coley swore. Ray and Arte and Lafe stared in shock and horror. Jim desperately ran through a mental list of the gadgets he currently had with him. There had to be something in his possession that would stop this!

Snakes shook his head, pushing himself away from Benji and the needle. "No . . ." He backed up into Deadeye's legs and froze. He was boxed in.

"I would hate to see your restored life ended so unnecessarily and abruptly," Manzeppi continued. "But there is a way to save yourself."

"Count . . ." The anger continued to mount in Jim's eyes and voice.

Arte tried to inconspicuously search his pockets. There was a smoke bomb or some other type of distracting device in there, if only he could find it! It wouldn't help any of them in the cage, but maybe it would give Snakes enough time to get away . . . if he wasn't too badly hurt to stand up.

Manzeppi ignored them. "Join us, Mr. Tolliver!"

"What?!" Snakes looked up at him in shock. "You've been beating me up. Why would I want to join you?!"

"To keep yourself alive." Manzeppi smiled. "As I understand it, you made many alliances in the past just for that purpose. What's one more?"

"Don't listen to him, Tolliver!" Coley snapped in mounting panic. Now it was starting to make some semblance of sense. Manzeppi had wanted to weaken Snakes' willpower until he was desperate enough that he might revert back to some of his old behavior. But . . . why? What use would Snakes be to him?

Snakes was clearly wondering the same thing. "Why would you want me in your organization?" he frowned. "After what I did to Posey, how could you trust me?"

"I could if you do something to prove yourself," Manzeppi replied.

Suddenly Jim got it. "You want Snakes to kill us," he realized.

"Oh, very good, Mr. West. I wouldn't have expected anything less from you." A revolver appeared in Manzeppi's gloved hand. "There are five bullets in here, Mr. Tolliver, enough for every one of them. But really, I only want you to kill Mr. West and Mr. Gordon. The rest are of little consequence to me."

Lafe gaped. "Snakes won't do that," he objected. "Not now, not after everything they've been through!"

Snakes stared dumbly at the gun. "And if I don't do it?"

"Then Benji will immediately inject you with the poison and you will be dead once again." Manzeppi nodded to Benji and he advanced, bringing the needle dangerously close to Snakes' neck.

Snakes held still, frozen in terror, unable to look away from the needle.

"You surely remember just like it was yesterday," Manzeppi said, almost hypnotically. "The feel of Miss Posey's fingernail raking across your cheek. The immediate introduction of the poison into your system. The sensation of every part of your body shutting down. . . ."

"Stop it, Count!" Arte cried.

Manzeppi went on as though he hadn't heard. "I've heard this poison is very painful, even though it kills so quickly. And then of course, death is only the beginning. Then you're left with an eternity for other lost souls to seize upon you and mutilate you day after day until you're quite out of your mind. After that, perhaps you don't care as much anymore. Perhaps by then you've resigned yourself to your fate. . . ."

Snakes' shoulders slumped and he looked down. He was quaking now, and Arte realized in sickened horror that he was sobbing. The Count and Deadeye had definitely broken him. And from Ray's expression, this was all too much like deja vu for him. Coley gripped his shoulder.

"Alright," Snakes snarled without warning. He got to his feet almost in one movement and snatched the gun out of Manzeppi's hand. "I am not gonna die again! Not now, not like this. Not for a long time!"

Arte shut his eyes tightly. "Oh Snakes . . ."

Jim wasn't about to give up. "Snakes . . ." But he trailed off as he really took in the scene.

Snakes wasn't pointing the gun at them at all. Instead he fired point-blank at Manzeppi, who had no choice but to promptly vanish. Snakes had snapped, alright, but not in the way Manzeppi had planned. Next he turned the gun on Benji, followed by Deadeye. The fourth bullet was collectively aimed at Luther and Dodo. All of Manzeppi's lackeys were forced to dive for cover.

The fifth bullet was aimed at the lock on the cage. As it broke and Arte cheered, the now-empty gun fell from Snakes' hand. The adrenaline rush over, he fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands.

Jim pushed the door open and hurried out to look for Deadeye in particular. Knowing the demented robot as he did, Jim feared that he would circle back and try to gun Snakes down. Being shot at without warning by someone he had supposedly broken would make Deadeye furious and vengeful.

Coley had similar ideas, but he was worried about Ray and didn't like to leave him at this point. "Are you alright?" he asked as they walked out of the cage.

Ray gave a shaky nod. "Y-Yes. It was Snakes who went through the worst trial. . . ." He looked to their friend in concern.

Arte and Lafe were kneeling down beside Snakes. "Snakes?" Arte gripped Snakes' shoulder. "Snakes, it's alright. It's over."

Feeling awkward and worried both, Lafe touched Snakes' other shoulder. "Snakes? Hey, you did really good. You didn't give in to what he wanted."

Snakes finally looked up. "I hate him," he spat. "I hate him and Deadeye and all those other creeps who ganged up on me. I hate that he was using me to get rid of his enemies. I hate that he thought I was so weak it'd work." He clenched his fists. "I hate that it almost did."

"Were you going to go through with it?" Arte quietly asked.

"No," Snakes admitted. "I never considered that. But Deadeye got me broke down enough that I checked out of reality. I just couldn't take the torture happening to me again, even just for a couple of hours or however long it's been. Then Manzeppi let me see all of you coming in and I thought everything would be okay, that you'd rescue me. I hated being so weak that I needed rescuing, but I was so grateful I didn't care about how it would make me look. And you all got caught instead. . . ." He shook his head. "I lost any hope at that point."

"Which was just what he wanted you to do," Arte said with new and mounting anger towards Count Manzeppi.

"He offered me that one ray of hope by joining him, and I'll admit I considered that for maybe a split-second. I thought maybe I could join just long enough to make the pain stop, you know? But then I realized he'd never let me in for free, not when he thought I was nothing. Even if I'd done what he wanted, he probably would've killed me right after." Snakes slammed his hand on the floor. "I should've been stronger! I should have held out better against the torture. Then maybe it never would have got to this point. And it never would have happened at all if Manzeppi hadn't known what a weak-kneed idiot I've been in the past! Or if I hadn't been one for him to find out about."

"Hey, hey!" Lafe came around to look into Snakes' eyes. "We've all done things we're not proud of. I think the past has come back to bite all of us sooner or later. But the important thing to remember is that you were strong tonight. Okay, you checked out of reality, but you came back in time to figure out the Count's game. You didn't let him fool you. And you actually sent him running. Not just anyone could do that!"

Snakes looked at him doubtfully, yet gratefully. "I guess. . . ."

"He's right," Coley said gruffly. "You did good tonight, Tolliver."

Snakes managed a ghost of a smile, but it was genuine.

Jim ran back at that point, frustrated and disgusted. "They've all left," he reported. "Either they sneaked out or Manzeppi teleported them."

"And Posey and Pinto did nothing," Coley stated.

"Pinto was out there," Jim reported. "He was watching through the window. He claimed he would have shot Snakes down if Snakes had really turned the gun on us."

"I don't believe it," Arte proclaimed. "Having us out of the way would be only too good for them."

Jim nodded. "I agree, Arte. But there's no way to prove that what he was saying wasn't true. Miss Posey would side with him, of course."

"If they'd really wanted to help us, they would've got the whole gang together and stormed the place after we were caught," Coley pointed out. "They wouldn't have let things get to the point where Manzeppi was trying to manipulate Tolliver into doing his dirty work."

Snakes shuddered. He didn't know if Pinto had been training his gun on him from the window, but he could easy enough imagine it was true. And that was definitely not something he liked picturing on top of everything else that had just happened.

"Wait a minute," he gasped. "Why's Pinto out there?! Did Manzeppi invite him to watch?!"

"No, but we're in back of their house," Arte told him. "I'm afraid he watched uninvited before we got here."

Snakes groaned, passing a hand over his face. "Great."

Arte sighed. "Oh well. Everything turned out alright overall." He started to stand, drawing Snakes to his feet at the same time. Snakes stumbled but soon got his balance.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight," Ray said in a kind and knowing way. "Come back to the club, Snakes."

Snakes looked to him in surprise, but slowly nodded. "Okay. Thanks." He spoke quietly, still mortified on some level, yet realizing Ray was right. He didn't want to be alone tonight.

Jim looked him up and down. "Maybe you need a hospital."

"No," Snakes exclaimed. "No, I'm alright. A lot of what happened was more psychological than physical." He shuddered. "Please . . . I don't wanna go to the hospital. I just want to feel safe." He shut his eyes tightly. He felt so vulnerable right now. But he trusted every one of the people in the room. They wouldn't judge him for his fears.

"And you will," Arte assured him. "Count Manzeppi will think twice before he tries to hurt you again. Maybe thrice."

"Yeah, but will the golf club be safe?" Jim wondered. "Where do you think they all went after they left here?"

A sick look spread over Arte's features. "Back to Oak Bridge to find the chicken," he moaned.

"They won't find it," Lafe insisted.

Coley started and looked to him. "Yeah? Why not?"

"Because I hid it while everybody was looking for Snakes." Lafe slowly pulled it out of his vest pocket.

Everybody stared. "You had that with you all this time?!" Arte cried in horror. "What if Count Manzeppi had thought to have us searched?"

"He didn't, though," Lafe grinned. "He figured we were all coming in for the ambush and wouldn't bring it with us, so I thought I'd try some of that reverse psychology stuff. Coley and me used to pull tricks like that a lot."

Coley gave him a hard look. "Part of me wants to say that was a really bad idea. After all, West says Manzeppi's an expert on figuring out what people are gonna do." His expression lightened. "The other part says it was a good job and a great way to thumb our noses at that loony magician."

Arte shook his head. "I have to admit, I rather like the irony."

"Well, Count Manzeppi won't," Jim pointed out. "We're going to have to hide it again in case they're at the golf club when we go back."

"Maybe some of us should take out a hotel room in the city under assumed names," Ray suggested. "The chicken could be kept in the room or in the hotel safe."

"Perhaps," Arte mused. "The Count might be expecting a move like that if he realizes the chicken isn't at Oak Bridge."

"But he wouldn't be likely to pick out the right hotel or the right names," Coley pointed out. "This isn't some hick town in the 1870s; this is a sprawling metropolis. I'd hate to count how many hotels there are in town."

"Rodman has a point," Jim declared. "It's a good idea, at least for tonight."

"So how about Coley and I'll take Snakes to a hotel and you, Gordon, and Mr. Norman will go back to Oak Bridge?" Lafe suggested.

Jim and Arte exchanged a look. "Alright," Jim agreed. "We'll try it."

"I don't like the three of you going off without one of us along, though," Arte frowned. "Just in case the Count does manage to find you by some amazing shred of luck."

"If both of you don't show up at Oak Bridge and Manzeppi really is there, he'll suspect something's up with the chicken," Coley said. "If you guys are both there and it's just me and Lafe and Tolliver who're gone, he might think we're just trying to calm Tolliver down after what happened."

"He might," Arte said, "or he might not."

"We'll have to take that chance," Jim said. "And it might be a good idea to have one of those decoy chickens on hand. I'll talk to Mr. Lindsey about it."

"The filming has stopped by now," Arte objected. "He must be in bed. And we didn't think to get his contact information."

"Then I'll have to go to Mitch Cantrell," Jim realized. "Mr. Lindsey said he has a house right on the lot. He might help me get one of the decoys."

Arte winced. "Oh, I don't envy you that task."

"Me either, Arte, but someone has to do it," Jim said.

They headed out of the building, all on alert in case of a new surprise. But none came.

"I see you're both still standing by," Arte said to Lucrece and Pinto as they reached the fence separating the properties.

"And no one came out this way, just as I told West." Pinto folded his arms, looking thoughtfully at Snakes.

Snakes just stared. He had hoped Pinto would have left. He was the last person Snakes wanted to see after what he had just been through.

Jim tried to defuse the awkward moment by climbing over the fence first. "Can you make it?" he asked Snakes, who gave a shaking nod.

"Yeah." Gripping the fence, Snakes forced himself up and over to the other side. It hurt, but he wasn't going to show weakness around his old enemy.

The others quickly followed. "Thanks for your help," Jim said when they were all across.

Lucrece gave a slow and wary nod. "I hope it won't be necessary again any time soon."

"Me too," Snakes muttered under his breath.

"You should be grateful to us," Pinto sneered. "Lucrece called your friends and told them you were here."

Snakes looked up, pushing his hat back. "Sure, I'm grateful for that," he retorted. "But we both know you didn't do it out of any concern for me. I wouldn't expect you to."

"No, we sure wouldn't," Pinto agreed. "But that being said, it was surprising in a good way to see you lash out at those characters."

Snakes cringed. "I figured you'd watched that when I realized you were out here."

A shrug. "That was the only way we were going to see if we needed to do more than stand by."

Lucrece looked bored. "We never would have recruited Snakes into the board if he hadn't shown that he could be valuable." She looked hard at Jim. "Now, if you would all kindly leave . . ."

"Of course," Jim said with a calm touch to the brim of his hat. "Goodnight."

The group quickly made their way back to the vehicle they had come in. There were a lot of plans to be made in the next hours.