I really hope that this chapter doesn't turn out awkward again. If anyone is out of character please tell me.
Chapter 9: Hantrax
The Hantrax facility was located in the middle of the Alaskan tundra, a desolate wasteland where the first sign of life wasn't in a hundred miles. It was constructed in the shape of a chess piece, a rook to be exact; in fact it was rumored that the designer was the famous chess player On Pasount. Another rumor was that the buildings commissioner, Fredric Chilton felt inadequate to his fellow man and as a result had the builders add an extra six stories to the already towering one hundred and twenty-three story structure making it the tallest manmade structure in Alaska. Despite its intimidating size the building also seemed rather majestic especially when frost would adhere to the stone which made the building sparkle when light from earths heavenly bodies hit it.
Internally the building was once split into two main parts the first nine floors were devoted to staff members; who worked in large offices, each with its own stain glass window and kitchenette to go with the employees six digit salary. The rest of the building was devoted to housing patents. The reason Fredric Chilton was able to maintain such a vast number of patents was due mostly to the fact that he didn't really spend a lot of money on them. In fact the conditions under which they were living were so bad that few of them managed to survive the winter. Each patent was housed in a five by five foot sell each of which contained a bed of straw and little else. In the summer months these cells were bearable, but in the winter freezing drafts would enter from unseen cracks in the stone and drift across the floor chilling the occupants to the bone causing them to huddle under the straw and pray for better weather. Meals consisted of
a sort of grayish gruel whose ingredients didn't even resemble anything even remotely edible. And the absence of bathroom facilities caused many outbreaks of dysentery among the occupants.
At least that's how it was eight years ago; but after several lawsuits were filed by the parents and relatives of dead patents the facility had to limit the number of patients they took in to one manageable by the staff. This resulted in the facility dropping its number of patents to thirty and increasing the number of orderlies to ten. So when Johnny and the others arrived around November, thirty patents lived on the first three floors of the patent ward in ten by ten foot cells complete with a cot, a toilet, and regular meals.
Despite their family ties Dr Fredric hated his older brother with a passion and when his brother called him to notify him about the transfer at first he wouldn't take them. "Why would I want your hopeless rejects" he shouted "Listen" said Chilton quickly losing patience with his younger brother "right now our funding is drying up and we can't afford to keep them any longer. So stop acting like a child and take them" he said angrily. "Who's acting like a child?"Fredric shot back indignantly, "I believe that you made it perfectly clear that you wanted to sever all ties with me the last time we met. Now you think you can just come barging into my life and expect me to take care of your patents" Fredric yelled, "besides", he added, "even if I wanted to we don't have enough room to keep them anyway". "What about all of the floors above the ones you're using?" Chilton asked. "There all being used for storage" said his brother quickly. Chilton however, didn't want to hear anymore of his brother's excuses, "bulls" he yelled angrily, "just stick them on one of the floors above and stop complaining." "Fine, but I'm not going to waste money on them because there still your patents and therefore your responsibility" Fredric responded angrily slamming the receiver down and storming out of the
room. "Goddit", Chilton muttered picking up a walky-talky, "Barney" he shouted, "have the patents been prepared for the flight?" the radio crackled with static then Barney responded calmly "yes sir. I just finished putting Todd and the other two kids in hand cuffs and I've got Johnny and Naruto sedated and strapped to their baggage carts". "Excellent", Chilton replied curtly "I'll be waiting with several anesthesiologists for your arrival at the airport our plain will depart at noon and if we're lucky we will arrive at the Fairbanks airport in Alaska by noon tomorrow."
After an insanely long plane ride during which he and the blond had been sedated Johnny awoke to find himself locked in a small jail cell "If they think this can hold me there nuts" he thought as he approached the bars in preparation to slip through them. Unfortunately when he was a foot away from the bars he found he could go no further. Puzzled he looked down at his waist and found that they had locked a metal cuff around it like a collar this was intern attached to a metal ring on the wall with a length of heavy chain. S#, he thought as he tried several times to squirm out of the cuff before he collapsed onto the dirty pile of straw behind him exhausted.
Once his eyes grew accustomed to the dark he saw that he wasn't the only one in the room, for flanking him on his right and left side were two other cells one holding a shivering Todd the other a snarling Naruto, opposite him stood two other cells where Conan and Ai were being healed. Just then the door at the far left side of the room opened and in walked a thin but heavily muscled man, "Welcome to Hantrax I am your new caretaker Dr. Fredric Chilton he said with a malicious grin. It seems that I have forgotten to officially welcome the old patents of my brothers he said brandishing a long whip and grinning manically. He then began to beat them one by one mercilessly starting with Naruto. While he was beating the demon boy Johnny
noticed that the whip seemed to have the ability to produce cuts upon contact his suspicions were confirmed when the whip got entangled in one of the folds of the boys jumpsuit this slowed it down long enough for him to see a metal ball about the size of a large marble at the end riddled with small spicks that glistened in the moonlight. Once he finished with Naruto he moved immediately on to Johnny, who seemed to have grown preoccupied with rooting around in the straw pile that would serve as his bed. "Come on Johnny", Fredric said mockingly, "let me welcome you to my humbled abode". Johnny could feel his temper rising but just as he was about to fly off the handle he looked down at the scar on his arm where he had stabbed himself, as part of his first escape attempt, and smiled as a plan began to form in his twisted little mind. Turning around he hid his hands behind his back, stepped forward, and readied himself for the first strike. All the while planning a way to make sure none of the children especially Todd would have to endure this punishment. He watched as Fredric razed the whip over his head then with a flick of his wrist sent the metal ball flying through the bars towards him. Johnny's arms shot up instinctively to protect his chest as he attempted to doge the blows wale at the same time retreat into the shadows at the back of his cell intending to lure the man as close to the bars as he could. Soon Fredric was leaning against the cage with his arm dangling between the bars in his determination to get at him. Johnny all the while had been mentally timing the amount of time the ball took to reach him. By the time he is back bumped into the stone wall at the back of the cell he was sure of the man's rhythm and made his move; quickly his hand shot out and caught ball as it was about to cut a gash between his eyes. Once he caught it he quickly tied it around the metal peg connecting him to the wall; unable to use his whip without fear of pulling the chain out of the wall and not willing to drop his precious whip Fredric decided to use the remaining material to strangle the man he started to move the whips handle in small circular motions to
create loops in the line. Meanwhile Johnny laid flat on his stomach and began to craw towards him slowly using the darkness as cover and all the while watching the man's wrist as it continued its circular motion. Once the wrist was vertical he rose up into a kneeling position so the man's heavy hand was hovering over his head and reaching upward he plunged the sharp rib bone he had been holding through the man's wrist; trapping it between the bars. Roaring like an angry bear Fredric, who had believed that Johnny had still been lurking in the shadows at the back of his cell, jerked his arm back in pain causing the bone to crash against the metal bars with a sickening crackling sound of old wood. Before he could rotate his arm to free himself Johnny pushed another bone through his thick wrist horizontally directly behind the first, forming a cross with his hand in the middle. While Fredric was occupied with removing the bones trapping his arm; Johnny took yet another rib that he had been hiding in up his sleeve and used it to retrieve the ring of keys from the man's pocket.
After retrieving the keys he began testing each one in the lock on the front of his "belt" until the cuff snapped open with a soft clicking noise as soon as he was free from the chains he slipped threw the bars to his left into Todd's cell reaching through the bars he quickly unlocked the door and approaching Fredric from behind using the rib as a knife stabbed him several times in the neck. Gurgling sounds came from deep in the man's throat as blood spurted out from the punctured jugular and poured from his mouth in a great fountain. As he slumped against the bars Johnny walked over and freed Conan and Ai. Than once he was sure that both them and Todd were as close to the exit as possible he turned and addressed the dying my pleasantly "It's been a pleasure meeting you but I'm afraid that had you not tried to harm us all of this could have been avoided entirely. But alas you decided that just because we were once in the care of your idiot of a brother we weren't deserving of your respect. However there is still a chance to redeem
yourself", he said as he unlocked the cell holding Naruto, "now apologize" he shouted as he flung the door wide open and the demonic child came bounding out and immediately began to devour his tormenter. As the sound of tearing flesh permeated the air Johnny turned and smiling with content calmly herded the children through the exit into a long stairwell that spiraled downward towards freedom.
