Well it certainly has been a while. Big writers block I guess you could say. :) Enjoy

All characters are copyright to their respective owners.


I'm falling so fast. Where is the ground? I can't see a thing.

Steadily as Dwicky concentrated, small details became more focused and he was aware of the bottomless sucking sensation in the pit of his chest that came with the exhilaration and terror of freefalling the way he was now. He felt the ripping wind pulling his char-black hair violently toward the back of his head, the force of the rushing air pressing against his body and his eyes, the pressure making it almost impossible to open his eyes. But even when he managed to crack his eyes open in the slightest, he saw nothing but a vast bright white that blinded him, wordlessly commanding his body to knit his eyelids back together tightly even as his mind rebelled and wailed for them to open and let him see.

It seemed like hours that sifted past, the milliseconds like the tangible air combing through his open fingers, flowing by with an immeasurable speed and yet still not fast enough to go by quickly. Then finally, a change came. Hope for some kind of alteration from this falling nightmare that was eating a fear-lined hole in his belly, no matter how fractional or grand, was something Dwicky had no doubt been encouraging for some time now. However, the change that did come was not exactly the kind he was asking for; his mouth wrinkled up slightly as his head tucked into his chest a little at the feel of a tingling, stinging sensation around the left side of his waist. Abruptly, the stinging flared into a white hot shot of agony that bit into him with a furious rage, scorching the invisible edges of a hole he was sure he could feel opening up in his side. Opening his mouth against the force of the pressing wind, Dwicky erupted with a visceral cry that rose to a raw crescendo…

…half deafening himself as the scream poured from his throat and rattled off the walls, leaving his throat searing as if he had just swallowed a bottle of ninety proof liquor. The smells that immediately assaulted his senses was enough to make bile rise in his sore throat, amid the many of them the scent of burning flesh was the most sinister and disturbing of all. Coughing dryly, Dwicky shifted against a carpet that had long ago lost most of its color, and now surrendered to a moldy blackish-green shade. In fact he wasn't entirely sure that was just the color, as the smells that were emanating from the fibers suggested an entirely different story. He pulled his right arm out from its snug place tucked under his body, pressing his hand into the carpet which—to his undefined horror—sank in with a grotesque squelch, cold, black translucent fluid flooding out from the braided hairs around his skinny hand to pool on top of his knuckles and between his fingers.

"AUGH!!" Dwicky shrieked, scrambling backwards across the carpet, sending small curtains of water spraying up into the air where his hands or shoes dragged across the soaked fabric. "Oh.. Oh god.." He pressed the back of his wrist to his nose and mouth, the material of his shirt sleeve there still mostly dry. The odor was suffocating. He gagged in response to the permeating scent of mold, mildew, rot and an underlying coppery tinge that reminded him of the tang that came with generous amounts of blood in open air.

From all around him a sudden raucous thundering laughter boiled up crudely into the air, causing Dwicky to flinch and cower back against the wall behind him, his eyes darting wildly around trying to make sense of the gray, undulating masses surrounding him. Out of the corner of his eye, a large patch of the jiggling, laughing mass separated itself from the chaos, moving towards him in heavy thudding steps. Dwicky swung around just in time for an enormous meaty appendage he could only assume should be a hand to grab him by the scruff of his wet shirt, lifting him dripping and limp from the floor.

"W-where am I-I.. Its so c-c-cold I need to—to—ggkkak!!" Dwicky's shuddering sobs tapered off into a gasping choke, as the creature that had pulled him from the floor lifted him into the air, a few extra fingers that were definitely not normal to human anatomy extending out in gross proportions to wrap around his throat and squeeze in such a way as to cut off most of his air flow. The panicked counselor instinctively flailed, scrawny legs kicking at the open air below him as his lean fingers reached up to writhe desperately across the slimy surface of the arm that held him, his eyes wide with bewildered shock.

"Nnnnot sssso harrrrrd, Yllsla. I sssstill wannnt him alllllive." The lilting voice simmered out into the room, irresistibly beautiful and as treacherously dangerous as mercury. Dwicky gagged once more, before he felt a lift of the pressure to his trachea, and he gulped in a rancid breath of heavy, humid air. Although now that he knew who was standing in the room with him, he kind of wished that whatever was holding him would have just clenched a little tighter and gotten it over with.

A rippling, lucent figure distinguished itself then from the group lining the dimly lit room, striding slowly but determinedly towards the pair at the center. Dwicky unconsciously released a tiny whimper, his body convulsing in minute spasms that only faintly resembled the frantic thrashing from only a moment ago. This one was not slimy, or meaty like the others around him. He wasn't grotesque or odorous; before Dwicky stood a man of about six and a half feet in height, his finger length rosy flaxen hair pressed back to his head in glistening, waving locks. His steely blue eyes were subtle but indifferent, the mouth closed in a straight line bordered by soft looking lips, leading down to a strong jaw line that framed his entire serpentine visage. As the man eyed Dwicky, the counselor could literally feel his body growing colder. The smallest of smiles crept into the corner of the blonde man's mouth.

"I missssssed you ssssso much, counnnnsssselor." His voice slithered around Dwicky's ears, seeming to lick at his cheeks obscenely.

"You h-h-have n-no right t-t-to be he-here… to c-capture me l-like this a-a-and my f-fr—" Dwicky's eyes grew large then as his words reminded him of something excruciatingly important, so much that he burst out with more sound than he truly had the energy for. "WHERE IS HE!?, WH-WHERE IS D-D-DIB WHAT H-HAVE YOU D-DONE WITH HI-HIM!!" The end of his outburst tailed off in a pathetic squeak, as he fell limp again, panting into the slick arm of the monster holding him up.

Out from the chest of the man standing before him, Dwicky heard what he swore were two vocals entwined closely together, bubbling around each other into a joyless laugh. He lifted his head with some effort, his tired eyes seeking out the cool steel of the other man's.

"I assssure you, your friennnnnd is ssssafe with ussss." Midway through his sentence, the man extended one bloodless pale arm out to the dangling shrink, his fingers reaching out to brush along the thinly veiled skin beneath the clinging wet shirt, savoring the subsequent tension in the muscles of the spots he touched. "I cannnnnnot sssay the sssame for you, howevvvvver."

Dwicky bit back the hiss he felt surging up in his aching throat as the beast in front of him ran its sinful appendages across his torso. His eyes seemed to darken in fear watching the creature he wished he never knew so well. This sickening façade to try and look human only made the counselor want to retch even more, the true image of the man etched severely into his memory.

"P-please just l-l-let D-Dib go.. he isn't a part of th-this. You c-can't hold hostages on th-this planet its illegal—"

"Ssssince when did I ansssswer to annnnyone?" The blonde snake had veered frighteningly close to Dwicky's face, the voice vehement and his breath frigid on the counselor's cheek. Dwicky opened his mouth as if to shriek, but no sound emerged. Instead he directed his eyes as far down to the floor as he could, holding his breath for fear of inhaling something that would make him gag or sneeze or do anything other than hold as still as possible so close to the pale man.

"I havvve to admit, the chasssse you havvvve led me onnn hassss been quite pleassssing…" The man cocked his head, bringing his icy mouth close enough to numb Dwicky's ear. "I'm ssso prouuud of you."

"But, I'm afrrraid," The snake pulled away allowing Dwicky to release a quiet, shaky exhale, "that yourrrr little game issss up. I founnnd you, I caughtyou, annnnd nnnnow, you will come home with me.." He stood up straight and settled his inhuman eyes on Dwicky's, seeming to feed on the childlike terror that had taken hold of the counselor's entire frail body.

"Where you belong."


The solid black muck that could only assumedly be water had long since soaked through Dib's pants and shoes, and was working on thoroughly saturating his skin. He sat on a chair that groaned in agony with each tiny movement he made, submerged up to the bottoms of his kneecaps in the chilly lake that filled the entire floor of the basement. Bound by several painfully tight knots in a number of places along his body to the chair behind him, Dib had given up for now on pulling loose from the wet rope that was eating into his thin flesh. He sat still on the dark-soaked wood of his throne, panting in soft shuddered gasps and watching his breath drift up in a visible cloud to the ceiling. His lips had darkened to a muted shade of blue and his eyes hung half closed, his body seemingly stuck in a never ending shiver.

He couldn't completely remember how he'd gotten here. The evidence of his memory loss burned dark red and ugly purple on his jaw, running in a dark jagged line up his swollen cheekbone. Whatever had clobbered him had hit supremely hard; Dib had been in many a fist fight before, but the person—if it had actually been human, which he severely doubted—who had landed the blow that knocked him out had been utterly underestimated by Dib.

The unexpected rapid surge in vocals through the floor above him caught Dib's attention though, pulling him from his thoughts abruptly. The scream seemed to rip through the water laden floorboards and electrify Dib in his seat, causing him to sit bolt upright in the chair and strain to listen to the first sound he'd heard in hours besides the incessant musical drip of water from the soaked ceiling.

Steadily, muted voices wafted down to Dib in spontaneous blurts and whispers. Amid the irregular conversation, a subdued hissing resonance began to rise. The more he listened, the more it occurred to Dib that the hissing wasn't coming from just the floor above him. It seemed to be sticking to him, buzzing around in and about his head, vibrating his thoughts and shaking his concentration loose. Shutting his eyes as the drone grew louder, Dib opened his mouth and cried out, his expression twisting in angry discomfort. Just when it became unbearable, Dib felt it subsiding and dissipating into the background of his mind, no more annoying than the post ache of a receding migraine. Dib moaned softly in relief, his exhale causing tiny rivulets of cool breath to wash up over his face, channeled by curves and dips of the material pressed to his mouth.

It was then Dib realized there was a warm black glove held against his mouth; more specifically one with a hand sheathed inside it.

Instantly Dib tensed, a growl rising in his dry throat as he thrashed with all his waning strength against the body standing behind him, intent on causing some fraction of damage, however menial. The black glove clenched, gripping both of Dib's shallow cheeks in one firm hold and serving to mute any sounds that might exude from his bared mouth. From behind him came a long arm, sleeved in heavy black cloth which wrapped around Dib's skinny upper torso, directly severing all movement the boy had created with his weak flail.

"Cool it kid, before you wake up grandma." Hot breath warmed Dib's numb ear, causing him to close his eyes in bliss for a second before the voice began to speak again. "You need to get out of here before you catch your death."

Why does that voice sound so familiar?

Dib steadily realized that somewhere between struggling to get free and sitting half submerged in icy water, he had lost his own voice. He gasped shortly at the stinging sensations that rushed into his arms as his unknown liberator made quick work of his ties, gently slipping the ropes individually into the water so as not to make the slightest of sounds. Now that Dib thought about it, he hadn't even heard them come in through the heavy timber door that stood wedged between the grimy black stone of the walls in the basement, nor had the person made a sound slipping in or moving about in the shin-deep water filling the floor. At least, that's what a half frozen boy with most likely a concussion could recall.

The man—so Dib assumed it was by the baritone ring in his words and sounds—grunted as he cut the last of the bonds beneath the water that stayed impervious to the dim light reflecting off its murky surface. Exhilarated to finally be free from the rocklike chair, Dib pushed off the waterlogged wood to stand, and promptly began to fall over.

Once again those heavily coated arms encircled Dib's slim midsection, securely holding him upright in a warm, loose embrace. Annoyed at his need for help to stand upright, Dib struggled to nod his thanks to the man even though it allowed him a closer look at his rescuer's face.

A slight and almost gentle looking visage betrayed the strength that hid beneath the man's arms and body. His eyes watched Dib not in the way a concerned and worried person might look at someone about to slip into hypothermic shock, but more like how a stern parent watches their kid right before an important event, silently bestowing the pride and confidence in them that they know their child can accomplish this task with ease. Dib was taken aback by the sincerity in the eyes, the diminutive rise in cheekbones, and the strikingly beautiful blossom of mild flushed color that was the man's mouth. He opened his mouth to ask, who are you? Unfortunately, it came out sounding more like,

"Hnng auu uua?" Dib stared dumbly at the man for a moment, and the man stared back with equal confusion before smiling a bit uncomfortably, and hoisting Dib a little more into his arms.

"Come on kid, let's get out of here and warm you up." Bill began as quietly as possible to slosh through the thick water towards the door. Hauling the waif of a boy around wasn't hard, he barely weighed a thing. Something he was sure hadn't changed since the kid had been in Skool. He still couldn't believe his rescue mission involved a civilian, let alone one he knew. Holding Earthian hostages was extremely illegal, and neglecting them so much as to leave them down in a cold, flooded basement made the crime all the worse. Cautiously, Bill leaned Dib up against his body and cracked open the door fractionally, peering out as far as he could look in both directions. It seemed like the inhabitants of the building had gathered in a central room upstairs to discuss something. Hostage negotiations no doubt. Or slave trade. Filthy marketers. Bill felt a tiny sneer edge along his mouth as he edged the door open a little wider, scooting both himself and Dib outside the cold basement and into a slightly warmer hallway.

As he shut the door silently behind them, Bill wrapped his arm securely around Dib's waist, draping the kid's arm around his shoulders for extra support before starting down the heavily carpeted and squishy hallway. A tug at his lower arm stopped him, his eyes swiveling around to the kid cradled against him. Dib's wide eyes caught Bill's attention instantly, causing him to lean in close with narrowed eyes.

"What? What?? What's wrong, Dib? Are you injured?" Dib's reply came in swift, short shakes of his head and his eyes shut tightly, his mouth working desperately to form audible words. Bill leaned in close, so that the boy's chilled lips rested right beside his ear, the bloodless skin almost making him jump.

"N-n-nother.. p-pers-s-on… n-need h-h-help…" Dib shivered as the water squishing around in the carpet began to flow out over his feet. He brought his eyes up as Bill pulled away sharply, pinning Dib with an intensely shocked and angry gaze.

"There's someone else here? With you?" Bill whispered hastily. If there was someone else to be rescued, it needed to be done quickly. Dib was already moving into the more severe stages of hypothermic shock, and he needed to get out of this freezing, wet hellhole.

Dib's nod confirmed his fears and Bill growled, glancing around the hallways again to note his options. He looked back at Dib, leaning close so he could speak quieter. "Do you have any idea where they might be?" The boy's discontented shake of his head spurred another scan of the hallways. Mentally shaking himself from the clinging fears that would send him running towards the exit he knew was there, dragging the boy screaming if he had to, Bill pressed Dib close to himself willing his body heat to warm the kid and pull Dib up from his freezing temperatures.

Humoring himself with a quick game of Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe, Bill chose a direction—preferring to go the direction they were already facing, instead of putting Dib through the hassle of turning around—and began shuffling down the soggy red-carpet laden hallway cradling Dib in a firm one-armed embrace that held the teenager weightless against Bill's side, rather than supporting his feeble walking.

If—no, when we get out of here kid, I've got some catching up to do with you. Bill thought absently to himself, feeling Dib's head drop down against his shoulder as the boy fell unconscious. Hold on til then.


Chapter 10 up soon. :)