Author's Note: The following chapter contains violence and dark themes. Read at your own discretion!
Welcome to Slavestown
Chapter Ten
Meanwhile: Infiltrating the Beaker Estate
"I'm telling you, Isabella, there's something about this whole takeover that makes me feel suspicious," Brent's voice rings out from Isabella's headset. Isabella and Kea are standing outside of the basement in what used to be Nervous Subject's bedroom. Isabella is pacing as she continues with the team's hourly status updates.
"Brent, there's a lot of things in this takeover that are suspicious, which one in particular are you referring to?" she asks, her hand propped up against one of the earpieces.
"-Circe," Brent speaks suddenly, his tone sounding cold as he says her name, "No one trusts her, Izzy. And I'm starting to think that her role in this is more than what she leads us to believe."
"Well, she did try to kill us earlier," Isabella adds, seemingly in point with what her brother is suggesting.
On the other end of the line, Brent sighs. "Just be careful, okay?" Brent's voice rings out, "She may have half the town fooled, but if she's up to something seedy, she's not going to get it past me."
"Right," Isabella responds with a slow nod, "Now gather everyone up and head over here. I may need you guys sooner than I thought," Isabella states, taking a peek out at Loki through the doorway, who is pacing around a few of her friends.
"Will do," Brent rings back. After a few moments, Brent speaks once more, his voice softer and more endearing, "Oh, and Isabella…?"
"Yes?"
"I know I don't say it a lot...with me being your brother and all," he rambles on, "But you know, I-I care about you," he continues, before pausing a bit to release a small sigh, "Thanks for being in my life."
Isabella steps back, the seriousness and danger of this whole situation finally hitting her hard. "Brent, you're scaring me," she begins, the taste of copper forming in her mouth, "We're not going to die."
Isabella is met with silence on the other line. "Brent?" Isabella calls out to him.
"Yeah, I know," Brent says suddenly, though Isabella can tell that he does not believe what he is saying. Isabella sighs, giving her older brother a quick goodbye before disconnecting the transmission. She turns to Kea, watching as her best friend kneels at the base of the doorway in front of them. Kea reaches into her backpack and pulls out the familiar pair of pink binoculars from their very first secret spy mission. Kea holds the binoculars up to her eyes and gazes through the window.
"Do you see anything?" Isabella asks, crouching down next to her, "Is Loki really keeping them in there?"
Kea nods, putting down her binoculars to look at Isabella, "Either that or he has a rather creepy obsession with life-sized dolls," she answers.
Isabella slaps her forehead, clearly frustrated. "Oh gosh."
Kea nods, slowly getting up from off the ground and placing her binoculars back into her backpack. "So, what's the plan?" she asks.
Isabella looks up from the ground and at her teammate. For the first time in her life, Kea looks as though she is taking a situation seriously. "We have to get them," Isabella says, turning towards Ripp, Tank, and the others, who are all shackled to chairs on the other side of the door.
Kea nods and pulls her backpack up onto her shoulders. "Alright," she states as she turns towards the door, not skipping a beat.
Isabella stops her, preventing Kea from placing her hand on the door handle. "So that's it? You're just going to follow everything that I say? No questions asked?" Isabella blurts out.
Kea moves her head up and down in agreement. "Yes," she states as if it were obvious. "Since when have you ever steered me wrong?"
Isabella begins to tear up a bit as she looks up at what may be the most loyal friend in existence. After a few moments, Isabella steps back a bit, wiping some of the tears from her eyes as she is finally able to find her voice. "Well, alright then," Isabella comments, before moving back a tad to allow Kea to gain access to the door.
Kea turns to Isabella, giving her best friend one last nod. "Alright Izzy," she begins, grabbing Isabella's hand as she gazes up at their target in confidence, "Let's do this thing!"
Meanwhile: Near the Absolute Center of the Beaker Estate
Vidcund is walking through the Loki and Circe's second living room conversing with his brothers in what he knows may be the last time. "Hey, does Loki still have that statue of himself in repose?" Pascal's voice rings from Vidcund's headset. Vidcund hears shuffling from the other end as Pascal raises his voice. "And over here we have the lovely kitchen, with an excellent view of the entire city to your left!"
Vidcund groans, leaning up against one of the light-wooded antique cabinets, "Yes. Unfortunately, I am standing right next to it," he replies, stopping to peek around the corner, making sure that he still is alone. "And are you giving a tour of the house?" he questions his eldest brother.
"Uh…well, you see-" Pascal begins as more shuffling is heard in the background. "Hey uh, why don't you talk to Lazlo!" Pascal quickly counters, pushing his little brother on the line.
"Hey Vid, what's up?" Lazlo asks, swiftly picking up the conversation from Pascal's departure.
"Not too much," Vidcund informs, "Just wanted to make sure that you two were still alive," he notes, "I haven't run into Loki since we tied him up, and it's pretty quiet around me," Vidcund continues to document, "Unfortunately, that might be bad news for our friends."
"Geesh, you can say that again," Lazlo rings back, "Isabella told us a few minutes ago that our army is tied up, and she and Kea are going to go into the basement to rescue them."
"By themselves?" Vidcund calls out, his voice in a panic, "Lazlo, you can't let Izzy do that! That basement is armed with every weapon I can think of!"
"You should tell her then. She'll take it a lot better from you than me," Lazlo tells him.
"I can't! Our connection is busted," Vidcund explains, "I tried to fix it, but I can't seem to get a clear signal. I had to get Brent to try to warn her about Circe, and Kea's not answering her headset. She probably turned it off to focus!"
"Ah," Lazlo sounds from the other end, "Well, we'll try our best, but there's no guarantee that Isabella will listen."
Vidcund nods, though at this very moment, his mind appears to be elsewhere. "Hey uh, Lazlo?"
"Yeah?"
"I know this may seem extremely off-topic but – how accurate is Margaret Collins in her readings?" he asks him.
"Scary accurate," Lazlo responds, "Why else do you think mom went to her all the time? Other than them being friends and all…"
Vidcund's stomach sinks as his throat begins to feel dry. "But there is chance that she could be wrong, right?" he says, finding himself almost pleading with his brother.
"Hardly," Lazlo replies once more, "That woman sees everything! Now what is all this about?"
"-Nothing," Vidcund quickly states; he looks towards the ground, "Nothing at all. Just warn Izzy, okay?"
Shuffling is heard from the other line. "Okay," Lazlo promises, "I gotta go now, we have to head back," he informs him, "See you later, Vid."
"Yeah," Vidcund speaks, the uneasy feeling of dread forming in his stomach as he knows that he is about to lie to his brother, "See you later."
Vidcund disconnects his device before leaning back up against the wall and releasing a heavy sigh. "I wonder if this is how inmates feel when they know they're about to be executed," he thinks to himself as a wave of fear washes over his body. Vidcund moves forward, eyeing the clear exit that is situated across the living room. He feels himself drawing towards it as he stands up from the carpet. "I could leave right now and no one would know," Vidcund's mind races, though deep down he knows that something – or rather, someone - is holding him back.
"No. I can't abandon her," he reinstates firmly in his head, swiftly dismissing all doubt. "She didn't abandon me."
With that, Vidcund takes off his headset and cracks it open, attempting to locate Isabella's transmission signal.
Meanwhile: In the Basement of the Beaker Estate
Ripp, Tank, General Buzz, Sheba Hugs, Crystal, Pollination Tech #9, and Gramma eXtreme are still locked up in Loki's basement, shackled to dark wooden chairs. "You couldn't have just called for backup," Ripp complains to his brother, "No! You had to go and be the hero!"
"No need to get cold with me, I was just trying to rescue you," Tank replies, well aware that their conversation was all but private. In front of him, Loki is pacing the floor, a sinister grin plastered across his face. "Okay, no offense man, but that face has me very concerned."
Loki laughs, stopping nearby the window to gaze out at the barren cityscape. "Soon all will be right with the world, for it is destined that I do the same to Vidcund as he has done to me."
"Uh…and what does that mean exactly?" Tank questions as his surrounding teammates begin to ponder this as well.
Loki leans forward, crouching down in front of General Buzz's eldest son. "Now that's really none of your business, boy. But let me just say one thing: Your friend is about to go down in history as one lucky girl!"
"You're talking about Isabella, right?" Tank asks, his face filled with uncertainty. Loki nods, his evil expression growing stronger and more apparent as the situation finally clicks in Tank's brain. "Oh God!"
Next to him, Ripp moves forward in his seat. "What? What?" Ripp calls out, looking towards his brother, whose face is filled with a mix of both dread and disgust. "I don't get it!"
"Don't you remember what Vidcund did?" Tank asks him, "Loki's saying that he's going to sleep with Isabella as payback for what Vidcund did with Circe!"
"Oh God!" Ripp spews in response, a monstrously uncomfortable feeling spreading throughout his body as he fills with both hopelessness and fear. Ripp turns to Loki, clear pain in his voice, "I'm begging you, please reconsider. This is a terrible, terrible idea!"
"Sorry Ripp, but she's caught herself in a web of trouble," Loki concludes, turning back towards the window, "It has to be done."
Tank scrunches his eyebrows, clearly not buying it. "But don't you think that's really unfair to Isabella?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize supervillains were supposed to be fair!" Loki replies exuberantly, his voice filled with sarcasm as he rolls his eyes up at the ceiling.
"-But that's not even the same!" Ripp fires further, "Isabella doesn't even like Vidcund!"
"Psh, please," Loki says, rolling his eyes once more, "She wouldn't have gotten caught up in this mess if she didn't at least have some feelings for him!" he exclaims, before pacing into the back room.
Ripp turns to Tank, struck hard by what he has just heard. "Do you think that's true?" he wonders, "Do you think Isabella has a thing for Vidcund?"
Tank shrugs, "I don't know." Ripp looks down at the floor and sighs.
A Few Minutes Later – Outside of the Basement Door
Kea and Isabella are still standing outside of the door intently watching their captured friends, hoping to find the right moment to dive in and save them. "Alright. It looks like Loki's gone," Isabella tells Kea, "Let's go in there quick, before he comes back."
"I don't think so!" a voice rings out from behind the pair. Isabella and Kea freeze in place as they lock eyes with a small group of Loki's guards. "Step away from the door, Kea!" one of the alien guards commands.
"Kea?" Kea speaks up, loosening up a bit, "I'm not Kea, I'm Mia – Mia Gluestick!" she announces, turning to Isabella with a small smile, "And this is – Mizzy – and we're Loki's plastic surgeons!" she continues, trying her best to make her lie sound convincing, placing a delicate hand on her chest, "I apologize because I know we obviously haven't done a very good job."
"You honestly expect us to believe that?" the alien guard that seems to be in charge states, his arms crossed in disbelief.
"Well yeah, I mean, haven't you seen his face?" Kea wonders. The alien guards continue to stand there stationary. The one in charge steps forward and reaches into his pocket, pulling out what appears to be a black laser gun. Kea and Isabella step back, their hands up towards the ceiling as they walk as far back as they can go.
"Well, that could've gone better," Kea comments as the alarm system starts to sound around them.
The alien guards frantically glance around the area, searching for a possible trigger.
"Intruders?" one of the other alien guards states.
"We're dealing with intruders!" the head alien guard counters.
"More intruders?" another one suggests.
The head alien guard shrugs, "Never mind that, just take them down! Blondie first, she's the smarts!" he orders.
"Man, I never thought I would hear that sentence!" Kea beams, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation. Two of the alien troops step forward and corner them, throwing their weapons back to strike.
Isabella rushes over and throws herself in front of Kea, blocking the guards from her stomach – the clubs hitting her instead. Isabella moans and falls to the floor.
"Izzy!" Kea shrieks, bending down next to her best friend, who is now holding her newly bruised midsection – her hand over her stomach.
"Nice job, troops. Now let's go in for the kill!" the head alien guard commands, moving in on them. Kea tightly grips Isabella's hand as she swiftly types away on her cell phone with the other. The head alien guard raises an eyebrow before slapping the silver rectangular device from Kea's grasp.
Kea looks up, rather offended. "Well, that was rude."
"Hey! What are you people doing in my corridor?" an angry, yet oddly familiar voice rings out from behind the troops. The crowd steps back, revealing two black-cloaked individuals. "I, Benji, the leader of this cult, will not stand for this!" Pascal continues, "Isn't that right, my Mexican lover?" Pascal states, turning to Lazlo.
Lazlo groans, "I told you never to call me that again."
"Right, right," Pascal recalls, "And yet the leader of this cult listens to no one!" he exclaims, dramatically pointing his hand in one of the guard's faces.
The head alien guard steps out from behind the others and stops in front of the pair, crossing his arms in irritation as he scans them over. "What the hell is going on here?"
"What the hell is going on here?" Pascal repeats, his voice growing stronger and his volume clearly out of control. "I'll tell you what the hell is going on here!" he shouts, throwing his arm up into a fist. All of a sudden, he pauses, quickly moving his arm back down to his side, "Actually, could someone tell me what's going on here? Cause I honestly don't know," he calmly requests.
"We were about to kill these intruders," the head alien guard says, gesturing towards Kea and Isabella who are still crouched down on the floor. Pascal's eyes widen when he sees them.
"Ah yes, killing intruders," Pascal begins, "But, you know, that's really more of a cult thing. So why don't you guys leave and we'll kill them, because this is our corridor after all."
The head alien guard shakes his head, "Why would you do that, when we can just do your work for you?" he questions.
"Hey, I don't go around here telling you how to do your job!" Pascal exclaims, poking the head alien guard a few times in the collarbone.
"Uh, you just did," Lazlo comments.
Pascal glares at his little brother. "Thanks, Jorge."
The head alien guard huffs, giving Pascal a sassy smirk. "Yeah, we're not going to do that. There's no way that we're going to let you guys get credit for our dirty work!"
Pascal sighs, looking over the head alien guard a few times before lingering back to his original standing place. "Well, in that case, you leave me no choice-" Pascal begins. He throws his arm back and slaps the head alien guard straight in the face. The head alien guard falls backward, hitting his head against the wall. Pascal turns to Lazlo and shouts, "Run!" The pair race down the hallway at full speed, Pascal dropping his first set of backup glasses on the way.
The head alien guard groans as he picks himself up, rubbing his aching head as he glares at the departing cult members. "Get them!" he commands to his troops, "No one slaps me and gets away with it!"
The troops nod and race down the hallway after them, the head alien guard leading the pack. In no time at all, Kea and Isabella are once again alone.
"So, Pascal and Lazlo joined a cult," Kea speaks into the silence.
"Yeah," Isabella nods.
"Are you surprised?" Kea says suddenly, still hanging onto her best friend's hand.
Isabella smiles, "No."
Kea moves up a bit as Isabella pushes herself up off the ground, still hanging onto her stomach. Isabella sighs as she makes eye contact with Kea, whose facial expression continues to be filled with utmost worry. "I'm fine," Isabella states, "But I need you to go."
"What?"
Isabella takes a few steps away from Kea, stopping at the center of the door. She places her hand onto the door ledge and sighs, before turning to look her friend directly in the eyes. "Kea, you once did something very difficult to save me - you pushed me into the dirt," Isabella clarifies, "- At first I didn't understand why, but now I get it," she informs her, "So now it's time for me to pay you back for everything that you have ever done for me as a friend," Isabella states, tears forming in her eyes, "I have to go in first. I have to go in alone," she informs her, "You mean more to me than anything in this world. I can't let you get hurt."
For a while, Kea says nothing. Finally, she sighs and begins to speak, her eyes shining a bit as she does so. "Oh Izzy, you really don't understand anything about friendship, do you?" she asks, "That's never going to happen, because when you're best friends with someone, you stick by them through every hardship, even if you have zero chance of making it out alive – because that's what friends do," Kea softly tells her.
Isabella steps back, these familiar words hitting her hard. Isabella looks down at the floor, attempting to emotionally calm herself. "You're a good friend, Kea. But you need to listen to me, I'm in charge," Isabella reminds her best friend.
"I know," Kea nods.
"-So please, just stay here and stay safe," Isabella tells her, "Pascal and Lazlo should be back here soon. Then I want you to-" Isabella begins, stopping herself short when she realizes what she is doing. "Actually, you know what? This is your decision; I trust your judgement," Isabella says; Kea perking up a bit at this news, "When they get here, do whatever you think is right, and if you need help, I'll be there for you."
"Sounds like a plan," Kea replies. She wraps her arms around Isabella and gives her a caring embrace. "Good luck, Isabella."
Isabella nods as she pulls away from the person she knows better than anyone in the world. "Thank you," she states, feeling her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She is scared, but she knows she needs to be strong for the others. "Here I go," she states, letting out one last exhale before slowly creeping through the double doors.
…
Isabella enters the basement and slowly rounds the corner, doing her best to scope out the situation. She walks forward, gasping when she sees Ripp. His flushed face and matted clothes look as though he has been there for days. "Ripp!" Isabella exclaims, rushing towards him. She stops in front of Ripp and kneels – his forehead sweating immensely. Isabella gently grabs his head and lifts it up, brushing a few stray hairs away so that she can plainly see his face.
Ripp groans and opens his eyes, still slouched down in his chair. "Izzy?" he moans, squinting his eyes a bit, "Is that you?"
Next to him, Tank tries to jump up in his seat. "Izzy! Quick! You have to get out of here!" he warns.
Isabella tilts her head, confused. "What? Why?" she asks.
"Because Loki's going to sleep with you and then kill you - probably!" Tank exclaims, "If he finds out that you're here then-"
"Well, well, well, isn't this an honor," Loki's voice rings out from behind them. Isabella tenses up as she slowly turns to look at the one man that she has heard so much about, but never actually met. Loki walks back into the room and towards her, an evil grin shining on his face. He crosses his arms in front of his torso as he eyes Isabella near her ex-boyfriend. "Do you like what I did to your boyfriend?" he smirks.
Isabella turns towards him as she looks into Loki's cold, dark blue eyes. Her body begins to shake as a strange new emotion spreads throughout her body. Isabella clenches her fists. All at once, she walks forward and throws a punch at him, knocking Loki square in the jaw. Ripp opens his mouth in shock, unable to believe what he is seeing.
Loki steps forward, brings his hand up to his jaw and rubs the side of his face. After a few moments, he ceases, readjusting his stance, seemingly unfazed. "Ah, Isabella eXtreme. I was wondering when I would finally get the chance to meet you," Loki says as he begins to pace around the room, Isabella carefully watching his every move, "I'm so glad I get to meet the girl who saved the Curious brothers," he completes, his tone turning terrifyingly sinister.
Loki's expression grows darker as he storms closer towards her, "You have committed multiple crimes against the Slavestown government," he rages further, "You freed the Curious brothers, you hid four wanted criminals in your bedroom, and fought in court against me," Loki continues to list, "You formed an army to start a revolution against my government. You broke into my estate and ruined the value of my floor!" Loki shouts, gesturing down to the scratched-up floor pieces. Loki stops for a moment and exhales before continuing with his rant.
"But your most treacherous crime – the reason why you must suffer – is because you love my greatest enemy," Loki proclaims, stepping towards her. Isabella looks back in a panic, finding herself now backed up against a wall. "And anyone who chooses to love and respect such a monstrous beast is the sickest sim in the universe!" he yells. Loki grabs Isabella by the shoulders and throws her against the wall. Isabella lets out a small cry as her already injured small frame thuds against the concrete. She falls to the floor, the others that are tied up around her watching helplessly in horror.
"STOP IT! STOP HURTING HER!" Ripp screams, his eyes red with tears. Loki ignores him as he storms over to Isabella's weak body. She shakily lifts her head at his arrival.
"I spent years crafting the perfect plan to tear Vidcund apart," Loki speaks out, "I took his city, I took his girlfriend, I took his career – I took his will to live," Loki emphasizes, "I beat him up and reduced him to nothing! Then you came along and built him back up! You gave him hope! You made him think that he could beat me!" Loki rages on, his voice echoing throughout the basement, "That this whole thing wasn't over!" Loki stops and briefly scans the broken face of the girl that had ruined everything. "You make me sick," he states, spitting on her. "You love him, don't you?"
Isabella moans, but says no distinguishable words.
Loki leans down and grabs her from behind, placing the young girl into a choke hold. "Isabella eXtreme…loving my greatest enemy," Loki snarls, spitting her name out like dirt. He tights his grip around her as Isabella struggles to break free. "Tell me, does it take your breath away?" he questions, whispering tauntingly in her ear. He steps back, releasing his arms from her neck, causing the young girl to fall to the floor once more.
Everyone looks down as Isabella struggles to get up, her face bleeding as Loki stops just inches away from her. "I hate people like you, Isabella," Loki remarks, his voice filled with rage, "I hate people that go around thinking that they can do whatever they want – that the rules somehow don't apply to them," Loki continues, "That you can just go around saving prisoners and garbage sims without any consequences whatsoever! Did you honestly think that you were going to get away with it?" Loki shouts, talking to the injured Isabella who is crouched down in the corner of the room, holding onto her bleeding face, "You don't even deserve to live in this neighborhood!"
Isabella groans as Loki leans down towards her, his shadow barely covering her. "I'd banish you, if I knew that there was even a slight chance of you never coming back, but I'm no fool," Loki remarks, turning away to pace in front of her once more, "The only way to stop you is to get rid of you for good! The punishment fits the crime for someone who spends their life hanging around with garbage," Loki declares, turning his back towards Isabella, seemingly satisfied that he has put her in her place.
The young girl begins to stir, his words striking a soft spot in her body. Isabella slowly sits up with one hand up against the wall, and the other rubbing her injured throat. "My friends are not garbage," she mutters through her shortened breath; barely able to speak.
"What?" Loki states, turning back, unsure if he has heard her correctly.
"I said my friends are not garbage!" Isabella raises her voice even further, her body seemingly filling with adrenaline as her voice grows even stronger. Isabella gradually gets up, leaning up against the wall to support her body, accidentally knocking the side of her headset into the wall, turning it on. Isabella notices that Ripp is signaling to 'stop talking' behind Loki, but she ignores it.
"How dare you talk about my friends when you even know them!" she shouts, staring right at the supervillain, "What about Pascal?" she questions, "You've known him for fifteen years and you still don't even see how bright he is!" she reminisces, a smile growing on her face as she talks about him, "All the light and the positivity that he brings to every situation!"
Loki tilts his head, clearly confused as Isabella continues on, her eyes brightening a bit more as she talks about them. "And Lazlo. Oh Lazlo, he is such a great friend – he would do anything for his family," she tells him, "And Tank? He's so determined and driven to do the right thing – he's proof that anyone can change." Behind her, Tank smiles. "And of course, I couldn't forget about Ripp," Isabella says, gesturing behind to him. Ripp gives Isabella a small grin. "He's a sweetheart, just a really great sim – and I've always thought that," she tells Loki, although Ripp feels as though she is talking directly to himself.
"Okay girly, that's enough – I think you've made your point-" Loki begins.
"-And Kea Kalson!" Isabella shouts, completely cutting him off, "The first college townie to ever break the cycle and my crazy meat-loving best friend," she continues, smiling extra wide when she says this, "God I would do anything for that girl. She's been through hell and back but she's got this pure goodness inside of her. You tried to kill her and you still couldn't break her smile. And you know what? You never will," Isabella states matter-of-factly, "I know you won't," she firmly assures him.
Isabella sighs and looks down at the ground, wiping the tears from her eyes as she prepares to say the hardest words to the coldest person that she has ever spoken to in her life – but for some reason, she can't stop smiling. "And Vidcund," Isabella begins, looking intensely into Loki's eyes.
"Izzy no-!" Ripp shouts out.
"I don't even know where to start," she begins, staring straight into the eyes of his greatest enemy, no fear on her face, "He's just so nice and warm, and he made feel like I actually mattered, when deep down I thought I didn't," she confesses, "Vidcund's the best mayor this town has ever had, because he cares about everybody and he cares so much for all of these people – even you. And he's got such a big heart, and he came here and risked it all to save a town that doesn't even like him. And if that isn't dedication, then I don't know what is," Isabella says, finding herself getting rather emotional by this whole confession.
Loki steps forward, clearly unfazed by all of Isabella's comments. "Let me tell you something about Vidcund, Isabella," Loki says, his hands clasped tightly around his back, "He's a cheat, a liar. He'd screw you over in a second just to save himself!" he declares, "He made up all these lies just to get you to do his dirty work! He's using you, Isabella, leaving you to face the punishment while he runs away!" Loki rages on, "Vidcund doesn't care about you – he never did. And if you truly think that he does, then you're delusional!"
"No. You're wrong," Isabella boldly states, "Vidcund would never do that!"
"Oh really?" Loki cooes, strolling towards the young college graduate, "Then where is he?" he says, putting his arms up and over-exaggeratingly looking around the room, completely oblivious to the fact that the man himself has just walked through the door behind him, "Why, he's fled the scene! Letting you take the blame for what he did, just like the coward he's always been!" Vidcund steps behind Loki, his arms crossed in front of his torso, eyebrow raised. "Look around Isabella! This is what happens when you have faith in a liar!" he declares, stepping closer and closer to the red-haired girl.
Loki lowers his voice, making it cold and sinister. "I'm going to enjoy killing you-"
Vidcund storms forward, grabbing Loki roughly by the shoulders and thrusting him around to face him. "Touch her once and you're dead," Vidcund warns in a chilling tone.
"Vidcund…" Loki growls, aggressively grabbing his enemy by the shoulders and throwing him back towards the wall.
"Vidcund!" Isabella shouts as Loki punches Vidcund in the gut, causing him to fall at the backdoor. He lands at the base of the concrete stair steps. Isabella reaches up towards her headset and presses the small green button. "Brent, now!" she commands, her voice attempting to rise above the chaos. Isabella races over to help Vidcund.
Suddenly, Pascal, Lazlo, and Kea burst through the double doors. "Freeze, Loki!" Pascal commands, facing in the opposite direction of his nemesis.
Lazlo sighs and turns him in the right direction as Vidcund tosses over a new pair of glasses. Lazlo catches them and hands them to Pascal, who carefully places them onto his forehead. "Ah, thank you, gentlemen!" he beams.
"-More like thanks a lot," Kea corrects him, watching as crowds of alien guards begin surrounding them on all sides; one of them holding up a large picture frame.
"Sir! We have caught the criminals," the head alien declares, gesturing at the tied up and the trapped beings behind him, "What would you like us to do with them?" he asks.
Behind Loki, Isabella is tearing off her black shirt sleeves and tying them together, before wrapping the newly-freed fabric around Vidcund's injured waist. "You don't have to do this," Vidcund tells her between breaths.
Isabella nods, continuing to frantically wrap the piece of clothing around his body before Loki notices. "I know," she states with a stiff smile, "I want to. I live for helping my friends!"
Vidcund nods, giving a small smile as he pulls Isabella into a delicate side hug. Isabella sighs.
"It just sucks, you know?" Isabella speaks into the distance, "I sucks that everything is being fueled by hatred," she says, "Hatred accomplishes nothing." Vidcund weakly nods, these words hitting him hard. He doesn't know why, but all of a sudden he feels very uncomfortable.
"…Oh yeah, and we also found this!" the head alien guard talks on to Loki. He turns the picture around exposing the dictatorial photo of Loki with the words 'I eat cat poop!' coming out of his mouth.
Pascal bursts out laughing. "Hahaha! Cat poop!" he laughs, covering his mouth with his hand and nudging his youngest brother in the side, "It's funny cause it's true!"
Loki turns around, shooting Pascal an ugly death glare. "Pascal," he states, "You have got to be the dumbest, smart person that I have ever met!" he exclaims.
Pascal turns to Lazlo, a look of pure content on his face. "He likes me!" he chimes. Loki groans and shakes his head, before pointing his finger at the three stray sims standing in front of him. He moves his finger towards the center sim and narrows his eyes at her.
"Well, look who we have here…Miss Kea Kalson," Loki sarcastically coos, seeing the college townie in person for the first time.
Kea steps forward and turns behind her to Pascal and Lazlo as she points excitedly at the supervillain. "Hey! It's the evil guy!" she announces, circling her hands in front of her torso, his name escaping from her mind, "You know-?"
"-Loki," Loki finishes, crossing his arms.
"No, that's not it." Loki rolls his eyes. "Hey Izzy, check it out! This guy is wearing a blue sweater!" Kea exclaims, gesturing at a photo of Loki that is on the wall, "See? I told you blue sweaters were for evil people!"
Loki cocks his brow, clearly confused. "Right," he states.
"Hey! Do you remember me?" Kea asks him, sounding surprisingly friendly and positive in tone, "You tried to kill me!"
"Uh, you're going to have to be more specific," Loki tells her, "I've tried to kill a lot of people."
"Right, right. I mean, professional supervillain isn't really a profession I would choose, but you know, to each their own," Kea casually replies. She snaps her fingers, a great idea popping into her head, "Hey! We should form our own club! The 'Loki tried to kill us' club! Of course if we did that then we'd all be in it, am I right?" Kea questions, enthusiastically throwing her arms out in front of her. She moves her eyebrows up and down.
Loki groans; slapping his hand to his forehead. "Oh great. A female Pascal," he comments, "That's just what the world needs…more crazy," he completes, before gesturing over to his army of alien guards.
"Cease them!" Loki commands, stopping halfway across the room to pull out his most dangerous weapon: the death ray, "I'll take care of hero boy!" he growls, stopping when he notices Isabella trying to help him up. Loki charges forward, knocking Vidcund back onto the stairsteps; Isabella losing her grasp on him.
"Vid!" she shouts, attempting to reach him on the floor. Loki kicks her backward, knocking her into the basement wall once more. The impact causing her to shriek and fall back down to the floor.
"Isabella!" Vidcund shouts, reaching out for her.
"Nuh-uh-uh," Loki scolds him, "We can't have her getting in the way again now, can we?" he questions, yanking down a rope on the side of the basement. A pile of rocks falls from the door frame, blocking the others from the outside. "Now it's just you and me, boy," Loki says, staring his enemy straight in the eyes, "The city is mine. Just try and stop me!"