Rudy was thankful that it didn't take them long to find Rapsheeba and Blocky. They had been nearby when he and Penny came through. The two zoners were happy to see them, and they asked if they had any updates. Rudy and Penny relayed to them what happened in the Real World earlier, but weren't able to provide anything about Snap. Rapsheeba and Blocky weren't upset. After all, why would they be? They were quite sympathetic and were eager to help them figure out what to do.
They all agreed to go to Raspeeba's New Place. Blotz and Zibble were away at the moment, leaving the place all to themselves. They preferred it that way. Not that they hated the two children, but they needed to concentrate on coming up with a plan; they couldn't afford to get side tracked by their antics.
Okay so maybe they would understand and try to help. But at the moment, Rudy would feel better if it was just him and these two zoners. The less zoners he involved, the better. This was a dangerous mission. He didn't want to put any more zoners in danger than what was required. If something were to happen to Blotz or Zibble, or to any other zoner... He shuddered to think about it.
Rudy looked all around as he stepped into the large living room. It still remained mostly the same ever since that day they had arrived there. His eyes focused on the large piano. He remembered what had transpired here, how he and his friends encountered what they thought were ghosts, but instead zoners stuck between worlds. He remembered the piano song that Rapsheeba played afterwards, and the fun they had and...
He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the past right now. He looked out ahead and spotted the couch. He moved over towards it, Penny following close behind. The two of them sat down in the couch, side by side, and leaned against one another for comfort. Raspheeba and Blocky took position in two chairs situated not far from them, even scooting closer so they were near their human friends.
For a while, they were silent. They stared at one another, giving each other an understanding look. No words needed to be spoken to know what was on everyone's minds. Anxiety and worry filtered through the air, making them all quite nervous and unsure of what was going to happen. There were a number of things going on they had to be concerned with, and who knows how many more will make themselves known? There was that saying, how everything that can go wrong will go wrong. They could only hope that it didn't become so.
First and foremost, they had to stop that memotrice. Right now, that's what was giving Skrawl a dangerous edge. He had no idea how many zoners he used that thing on. Was Biclops the only one or was there someone else? Rudy wouldn't know unless he encountered these zoners, or if he got the truth from the monster's mouth. What he did know for sure is that once he had the thing recaptured and sent back to jail, Skrawl would be greatly weakened. Then he just had to take care of Skrawl. A comparitively easy task. He was used to fighting Skrawl. He and Penny could easily take him down.
There was the question of the jail. He and Penny had heard news, he forgot when, of zoner deaths. The subject made his blood chill. He was certain that was related to the memotrice's escape. He wasn't sure how many of the guards were still alive. He would need to do something to make that place more secure and to protect the guards more.
The fact that the one thing they thought was the monster's weakness didn't work... Rudy wondered if the thing had any weakness at all. The thought chilled him.
Then, once he got the memotrice taken care of, once he took care of Skrawl, then he and Penny could rescue their friend. He would normally do this first, but with that memotrice running around... He wanted to at least stop it first so it couldn't be used against Snap.
That is, if he's even still alive...
He tried not to hink about it, but he knew full well there was the chance that Snap wasn't around anymore. But he wanted to hold onto the belief that he was still alive. Until he found proof of Snap's...demise... He would hold onto the plan to rescue him.
"So..."
Rudy turned his head so he could see Blocky. The green zoner had gotten a little nervous of the prolonged silence and decided to break the tension.
"What are we going to do?"
"That is the question, isn't it?" Penny furrowed her eyes with concern. "We have a memory-altering zoner roaming about. We have no idea what Skrawl is going to use it for. We are certain at least Biclops is a victim, but we have no reason to think that Skrawl would target anyone else."
Rudy looked over at Penny. "You think Skrawl would only target Biclops?"
Penny nodded her head. "Without Biclops's support, it'll be much easier to get into the Chalk Mine."
"That does make sense. I had similar thoughts." Rudy furrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Skrawl knows that, sooner or later, we'll use up the magic chalk that we have. Or it will rot. Whichever comes first." Rudy held up one of his last pieces of magic chalk, staring at it intently. "It does work in Skrawl's favor to simply brainwash the most important zoner and sit down and wait for everything else to fall into place." Rudy closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Skrawl can be quite clever."
Rapsheeba looked over at the two children worriedly. "How do you plan on getting more magic chalk if you run out?"
Rudy and Penny glanced at each other. They gave each other a wordless statement, spoken only through their eyes. They both knew what the answer to that was going to be.
"We will have to sneak in." Rudy looked downwards. "A hard task. Very risky." He looked back at Rapsheeba. "But we have no choice, no do we? It's either that, or we lose all access to it...even get trapped here..."
Penny clenched her teeth nervously at this. "If that happens, then it doesn't matter if Skrawl gets us or not. Rudy and I would eventually starve and dehydrate to death."
"Oh my..." Blocky stared at them with frightened eyes. "We can't let that happen!"
"Indeed, we can't. Otherwise..." Rudy's voice trailed off. He paused for a moment as he let the reality of the istuation sink in. "...other wise, Skrawl may win..."
None of them wanted to think of what things would be like if that mad zoner took over. They had seen how ruthless he could be, the cruelty levels he'd sink to. And they were certain he could be a lot worse. There was nothing to suggest that he would do much worse than he already has done. None of them wanted to imagine what Skrawl's rule was going to be like. They had to stop him before things got that far.
But first, they needed to figure out a plan. And that wasn't going to be easy. Especially since none of them know where Skrawl was hiding right now. Without a location, it didn't matter what kind of plan they came up; it would fall flat if they didn't know where the memotrice was.
Rudy let out a low growl of frustration. The others looked at him with concern etched on their faces. "If only we could figure out where they are hiding.." He pressed his back against the couch further. "Then we could figure out a plan and get those creepazoids and.."
"But how are we going to find out where they are?" Blocky questioned, biting his lip nervously. "We can't just go up and ask someone."
"True. But...perhaps there is a way." Rapsheeba said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. She looked over at Rudy when she noticed he was staring at her with curiosity. "Rudy, do you still have that spy bot thing?"
Rudy sadly shook his head. "I lost it earlier. I don't know what happened to it."
"You could always draw another, right?"
"Well yeah, but Skrawl might have the whole place rigged. He might have figured out that I'm onto him and taken precautions. He's quite intelligent. He might have a little trap set up or at least set up jammerse so my creations won't work."
Rudy didn't mean to sound like a downer. He hadn't meant to put down Rapsheeba's idea. He thought it was quite a good idea. But before he could even accept it, he couldn't help but realize that Skrawl might have done something about that. He didn't want to underestimate that jellybean. Past experience provided a painful reminder for why he shouldn't. No, best to act as if Skrawl had thought of everything and figure out the loophole in that.
"I know this is unconventional... and even morally questionable..." Penny paused for a moment. The look in her eyes told everyone that she going to regret what she was about to say. Yet there was also understanding in her eyes, as if she truly believed this was the better option. Whatever that option was going to be. "But maybe we could...send someone to..."
"You mean find a zoner and see if they could find Skrawl? Send them into danger?" Rudy asked. Penny nodded her head. "Penny... We can't deliberately put another zoner in danger. That's...that's horrible..."
"I know. I'm not happy about it either." Penny hung her head in shame. "I really...really don't want it to come to that. But.." She looked at Rudy in the eyes. "We might not have a choice. If what you say is true, then getting a camera to fly around won't help. As soon as it would get close to the hideout, Skrawl might destroy it. Then he'd be alerted and he could move or take some other course of action." She paused for a moment to allow everyone around her to understand what she was saying. "But if we were to send a zoner in our place... Create a sentient zoner that hates us, who doesn't know that we are its creators, put a tracking device inside of it before it realizes, we could follow it."
"Deliberately create our own villain..." Rudy whispered as he exchanged worried looks with Rapsheeba and Blocky. The thought was uncomfortable. He still remembered his own encounter with Skrawl, and how bad and scared he had felt then. "I can see your point, but..." He raised his hands up. "I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable with that."
"It does seem..risky." Blocky placed his finger tips against his lower lip. "If you go through with this...what would you do with the zoner later?"
Rudy flinched at this. He really couldn't think of an answer to that. What else could be done? He knew there were only two options. Arrest or death. And both of them, he'd feel incredible guilt about. It would be his fault the zoner was like that. He would have created a zoner that was purposely too dangerous to have roam around, that would hate his guts. It would be his fault that the zoner would end up trapped or destroyed.
He wished there was another way. There had to be another thing they could try. Something..anything else... He turned over to Rapsheeba. Surely she had thought of something, right?
But Rapsheeba had a small frown on her face. Not out of anger, but out of sympathy. She was looking at him that that expression that told him many things in one go. The sight of it was enough to make his stomach twist. She did not need to speak a word for him to realize what she was going to tell him. He looked away, lowering his head and letting out a soft sigh.
"This might be our best chance." Whispered Rapsheeba softly. "I...I know you don't want to... I wish you didn't have to either... But if we could feel Skrawl into thinking he has another viable ally..." She raised her hand up in gesture. "..and if we put a tracking device..." She lowered her hand and intertwined her fingers. She shifted her feet nervously. "Well...we could finally put an end to this."
The more Rudy thought about it, the more he realized that Rapsheeba and Penny might be right. He didn't want to admit it, but...this might be their best chance. After all, there was really no way Skrawl could know the newcomer was a phony, in a sense, and the memotrice wouldn't figure out where the zoner came from as it would be created without memories. Well none other than a hatred of him and Penny. He was going to feel incredibly filthy after all this, but... There wasn't much of a choice, now was there?
"All right then... I'll do it." Rudy whispered. "I'll use this plan of yours."
Blocky placed a hand against his mouth and tried not to gasp. "A-Are you sure...?"
"No, I'm not. But..." Rudy looked out the window. He stared at the outside, noting the portion that shifted into the nearby Night Zone. The darkness of that area only accentuated his uncertainty. "We need to find them. And this is the safest way." He looked back at Blocky, giving him a saddened expression. "I'm sorry."
Blocky stared at him for a few moments. He sucked on his lip a little. Then he slowly nodded his head once. "I-I understand..." He gave Rudy a nervous smile. "I'm with you all the way."
"Yeah, me too." Rapsheeba said.
"Me three." Penny placed a comforting hand on Rudy's shoulder. "Do what you have to do, Rudy." She pulled him a little close. She comforted him with her warmth. "Everything will work out in the end."
Rudy wanted to believe her. He wanted to feel comfort in his friends' words. But a part of him still felt horrible for doing this. He didn't want to use a zoner as a tool like this. He would have preferred using the camera. At least that didn't have thoughts or feelings or anything of the sort.
But if there was the chance that Skrawl could figure a workaround, if there was a slight concern that Skrawl could see through that plan and stop him in some way, whether it be jam the device or whatever, then he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to go for that route. He could end up making things worse, even just by taking the route he assumed to be the most moral.
He looked down at the magic chalk. Well, there was no time waiting any longer. He needed to begin drawing the zoner now. Get it done and over with before he felt too much regret and stopped himself. He gave one more glance at his friends. They each gave him a reassuring nod. He smiled at them the best he could, but that smile soon faded as he remembered what he was going to draw. He took in a deep breath, steadied his arm, and he began to draw, lines rapidly filling the air.
sss
"So let me get this straight." Skrawl rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You want to allow Rudy and Penny to figure out where we are. You want them to be able to come over here, and make them believe that they gained the upperhand?"
The memotrice nodded its head. (Exactly.)
"And you want to...yank their chains, so to speak... At the right moment, launch the trap?" Skrawl added on. At the bird creature's nod, he scratched his chin more, his claw moving back and forth. "An interesting idea..."
He had already gotten the gist of the memotrice's plan. But he wanted a repeat of it so he understood where he was coming from. He wanted to make sure it was still practical. He didn't want to go through with this plan just because of the temptation of knocking Rudy and Penny down a peg. He needed to make sure that it was functional, and would be worth it. He didn't want to waste all this time, only for a slip up to be caused by something as stupid as just wanting to see their reaction.
It turned out that the memotrice's plan did seem pretty solid. It ahd mentioned that it didn't want to launch the trap until there really was no way out. At that point, it didn't matter if Rudy and Penny still tried to get out. They would be helpless, at their mercy. They could then reveal what they had done without worry of those two getting out. Oh how much that would be fun...
He could see the look in Snap's eyes. He could see how the little zoner was very eager to get started. He felt almost bad for him. He wouldn't be able to make his move for a while. It was too early for him to go anywhere just yet. He would need to stay here and wait. He trusted that he wouldn't do anything insane. Snap had shown understanding to the plan. Even if he were eager, a little impatient, he did understand the importances of sticking to what was decided. If he were taken away by those two children, it would be difficult to lure them where they want them to be.
But there was still one part of the plan that Thoughtless hadn't yet gotten around to.
"How do you propose we do this?" Skrawl asked, motioning towards the memotrice. "How do we get Rudy and Penny here? Without them getting suspicious?"
The memotrice raised a foot up and began to scratch behind its head. (I suspect they might try to figure a way to find this place anyway.)
"Well no shit." Snap muttered under his breath. "We all know that."
(I know. I was just pointing out the obvious. Now...) Thoughtless placed its foot on the ground and shook its head and body once. (We just need to have someone lead them here...rather discretely of course. How about your Beanie Boys?) Thoughtless stared over at Skrawl. (I assume they are pretty fast, right?)
"That is true. I did use them to lead Rudy over to my other hideout once." Skrawl took pause at this. He frowned deeply. "And for that reason, I think we should consider something else." He raised his hand up in gesture. "Rudy has seen that trick before. He may figure something out if we just...lead him to where we are."
Thoughtless furrowed its eyes at this. (I see. Well yes, that could be a problem, then.)
Snap folded his arms against his chest. "Perhaps you have another way? I'm sure there's more than one way to...trap a mouse.." He clasped his hands together, rubbing back and forth. "If you catch my drift..."
Snap was indeed correct. There were multiple types of traps they could try. They just had to think really hard to try to figure out which one would be the best fit. He took a moment to think about the circumstances that were presented to them. They needed a way to get these two children from point A to point B, a long distance, without them getting suspicious. Leading them here directly, via some kind of chase, might not be a good idea. So what other options were available to them? What else could they try?
Well, there was the option of setting up a fake location. They could find a place that was easy to locate and put some stuff there to make it look like a hideout. Then do little to actually hide it and hope that Rudy and Penny would stumble upon it. Hmm, no... That might not work very well. Wouldn't those two brats get suspicious if a hideout was just...out in the open like that? He knew if he were in their position, it would certainly seem strange to him. No, he needed to try to figure something else out. Would teleportation work? No... A bit risky. He remembered hearing rumors of what happened to Snap when he went through such a machine. Hmm...but what else could he try...?
His eyes suddenly twinkled when an idea came to him. A smile spread across his face. He stared at Snap and at Thoughtless, both glancing back at him, waiting for him to speak up. He believed he finally figured out a solution to their little dilemma. And it may be easier than trying to force Rudy and his genius girl friend to give chase.
"Thoughtless!" Skrawl took a few steps towards the memotrice. "You mentioned before that Snap here could be helpful in 'yanking the rug' so to speak?" The memotrice nodded its head once. "Well, think he would be useful a few steps earlier?"
Thoughtless tilted its head. (What is your plan?)
"I'm with the bird on this one." Snap stared over at Skrawl. "What are you thinking? I thought I needed to wait before..."
"Yeah you did, but..."
"Then why are you making this suggestion?" Snap asked, his eyes furrowing in confusion.
"I'll explain if you just shut up!" Skrawl snarled at him, hooking his fingers inward. He glared down at Snap for a few seconds, who was staring up at him with widened eyes. Skrawl forced an exhale out of his mouth, trying to force himself to calm down. "Okay, look, I understand this is going against what Thoughtless suggested, but... It's really not all that different. It would make it even better actually."
"Uh huh..." Snap, who had quickly recovered from the little scare earlier, folded his arms against his chest. "I'm listening."
"Well, what I'm suggesting is that we tear off a part of your clothing. Like say...your cape for instance." Snap lifted up his cape and stared at it, frowning. He looked back up at Skrawl, who continued, "Give it to one of the Beanie Boys and send them out to do some discussion. Have them talk about you and the name of a new location. I haven't yet decided where, but somewhere secluded, a place where a hideout would more likely be, and we can set up the trap there. Perhaps a pit or something."
(What did you want the cape for? To entice Rudy and Penny?) Asked Thoughtless.
Skrawl nodded his head once. "Exactly. You know how determined they would be to get back at Snap. Their idea of a rescue mission..."
"Don't call it a rescue mission." Snap hissed through clenched teeth. "We both know that's not what they'd be trying to do."
(Regardless, they'll still call it that.) Thoughtless pointed out. Upon seeing Snap's expression, Thoughtless took a step back. (My apologies. I did not mean to upset you.) Thoughtless raised its head up, forming an S shape, its brown eyes narrowing slightly. (Nonetheless, on some level, they might still care enough for you to be emotionally affected. Perhaps out of the pain of losing control, but an effect regardless.) Thoughtless placed a wing against itself. (Which is what I am hoping for...)
Snap rolled his eyes. "Well if they felt sorry for what they did, they hadn't done a good job with convincing me." He turned his head away. "Besides, I could never forgive them for what they've done to me." He shut his eyes tightly. "I don't care how sorry they are." He seethed through clenched teeth. "They're not my friends anymore."
Skrawl smiled at this for a few seconds. Then realizing they were getting a little sidetracked, he said quickly, "My idea was that they would be determined to get you back. You and I both know how they are. This would give them a bigger reason to try to find the hideout. The Beanie Boys would slip out just enough information that they could use to find us. Then we get the trap ready and we could get them!"
Snap stared at him for a few moments. Slowly a smile spread across his mouth. "That...could work. Except or one thing."
Skrawl stared down at Snap in confusion. "What would that be?"
Snap narrowed his eyes. "You're still having the issue of trying to outsmart them. Rudy and Penny are clever. And your Beanie Boys aren't usually out by themselves. Don't you think they would notice?"
"Well they might have noticed them flying around, trying to find those swords..." Skrawl looked down at Thoughtless at this. "Which, by the way, they hadn't yet found."
Thoughtless shrugged at this. It was not the kind of response Skrawl had expected, but he didn't question it. (Just keep looking. You'll find it.) The memotrice took a step towards Skrawl, motioning a wing out. (So what are you going to do now?)
"Yeah." Snap looked up at him. "Sure you have another brilliant idea in the back of your head, right?"
As much as Skrawl would love to say yes, at the very moment, he did not. He furrowed his eyes and scratched his chin as he tried to think of another plan. He thought he had it with this one, but Snap did remind him of that one flaw he was trying to avoid. How could he get past Rudy and Penny's cautiousness? There had to be something he could do. Despite the frustration eating away inside of him, he continued to think as hard as he could. Sooner or later, an idea would pop into his head.
He then recalled that they didn't have just Snap on their side now. There was also the matter of Biclops. For the moment, the giant was staying in the Chalk Mine, guarding it. The chances of Rudy and Penny having to deal with him as is were low, especially with the plan to capture them and deal with them quicker.
But...perhaps it was time that they put Biclops into good use. After all, what was the point of having a giant on their side if they weren't going to use him? The giant could chase them around, try to attack them. He knew that Biclops likely wanted to crush both of them. He would need to make sure he didn't do that. A meeting with the giant was in order. He could speak to him and get him to understand just what he needed to be done. He had a feeling that Biclops would be willing to listen to him if it involved stopping Rudy and Penny.
He didn't want Biclops to chase the two children to his hide out. That would take a little too long, and the children may get too exhausted and resort to drawing. They could get away unless he figured out how to get rid of their magic chalk faster. He needed to figure out a solution to that as soon as possible, as well as some way to get them to the right location, either here or in that spot he was thinking about, and trap them. But he needed a way that Rudy and Penny wouldn't be suspicious of. He needed...
He glanced down at Snap. All of a sudden, many thoughts rushed through his head. His mouth ticked into a wider smile. Yes... that just might work...
He looked over at Thoughtless, his eyes narrowing and his lips curling back into a grin. "I hope you don't mind, Thoughtless. But..." He looked over at Snap, giving him a similar look as Thoughtless did before. "I have a better idea..."
(Oh? And what might that be?) Thoughtless asked.
"I think we should use a little..." Skrawl reached over and place his hand on Snap's head. "...live bait..."
"Bait?!" Snap took a step back. "Look, you might be my savior, but that doesn't mean I'm going to walk around like a worm on a hook!"
Skrawl waved his hand in front of him. "No, that's not what I meant. What I mean is..." Skrawl leaned in towards him, staring at him in the eyes. "...Rudy and Penny would probably be less defensive around you. They probably think you're weak, unable to defend yourself..."
Snap clenched his teeth at this, breathing in shakingly. He spoke again, his voice slightly growly. "Yeah... and what is your point...?"
Skrawl smiled at this. He glanced at Snap, then at Thoughtless. He saw their looks of confusion. Neither of them fully understood where he was getting at. He tried not to laugh at this. He instead stood in an almost prideful manner, folding his arms against himself. He leaned backwards, giving them a look that told him he was up to something.
He couldn't help but feel some sense of pride of what he had thought of. Yes, only a true genius could have thought of something like this. He couldn't be more proud of himself. He doubted that Rudy or Penny would see through this clever plan. He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out they had been tricked. He would love to see how they would react when they find out that they had fallen for a trap. He wanted to see their expressions when they saw that their own friend, whom they thought they could rely on, had utterly betrayed them. Oh how rich that was going to be...
But for now, he needed to relay his plan so these two understood it. He grinned broadly, tapping his fingertips together. He gave a soft, low chuckle, his body rattling slightly with each laugh. He shifted his eyes left and right, giving himself an almost mischevious kind of look. Snap smiled at this; he could tell he was scheming.
"I think...we can use this to our advantage..." Skrawl said, his eyes mostly focusing on Snap. "If we play our cards my way, we will have both of them on a silver platter." He gave a short chortle. "Then, Snap...you could have your way with them..."
Snap grinned darkly at this.
sss
Countless thoughts ran through Snap's mind. They circulated around, swimming as if his mind was one big ocean. Even as he stared at Skrawl and Thoughtless, even as they continued their discussion, he still couldn't help but get stucked into his own mind.
He couldn't believe his luck. After all this time waiting, he was going to get his revenge on those two kids. Okay so he needed to wait first. That was fine. He could wait. So long as he was able to get them at some point, he was fine. All good things come to those who wait, right? Or something like that. Despite his growing impatience, he was able to keep himself calm. The prize of getting those two back was worth waiting for.
He wondered how he was going to react when he was able to come across them again. Would Rudy and Penny pretend to care? They did that before, after they tortured him. They acted as if everything was fine and dandy. The memory heated up his blood. How dare they pretend everything was okay... How dare they pretend they did nothing wrong.. If they tried it again, he wasn't sure how well he could hold back.
But for the plan to work, he was going to have to. He needed to play dumb, make them believe he didn't know anything. He needed to make them believe that he still thought they were friends. He can pull the rug out from underneath them later. Oh how satisfying that was going to be...
His mind became swumped with memories of that horrible day. He could still see their sadistic smiles, still feel the pain of the experiments, still feel the fear that they struck in his chest. He still found it hard to believe he had actually trusted those two. How could he have been so naive? He should have listened to Biclops. He knew what he was talking about. If he had just let Biclops take care of Rudy two years ago, none of this would have happened. Instead, he chose to be an idiot.
Well, soon it was going to be time to correct that. Soon, they wouldn't have to worry about those two anymore. If they played their cards right, as Skrawl had put it, then they would no longer have to fear them. And Rudy and Penny would finally get the punishment they deserved.
ooo Then again, did they really do anything? ooo
Snap jolted at that thought. He looked left and right. At first, he thought someone had spoken it. The sentence had been quite clear. But when he stopped to think about it, he realized that it was...from himself...
No, that wasn't possible. Why would he think such things? He knew Rudy and Penny had betrayed him. He recalled what they had done to him. Why would he even think of questioning this? They were the enemy. He needed to remind himself of that. If he didn't, he would end up in another trap set up by them. The ones he thought he could trust...
ooo Why would they wait so long to make that kind of move? ooo
Snap hissed at this new thought. He couldn't tell if Thoughtless or Skrawl were looking at him. He didn't know how well he was hiding his frustrations. He focused on what was going on inside his head, not really caring in that moment who saw him. He let that thought repeat itself a few times, each time making him grit his teeth harder.
What kind of stupid thought like that? It was obvious that Rudy and Penny had waited so they could build up trust with him. He had heard about how some bad guys operated that way. They pretend they are good and friendly and then they backstab the person who had trusted them so much. It was actually not all that uncommon. As a result, it was quite easy for Snap to see Rudy and Penny doing something quite similar.
He had to admit, it did come out of nowhere. But then that's the way it plays out sometimes, right? There was the saying 'expect the unexpected' when it comes to villains. Or well anyone really. You never know who you can trust these days.
ooo So am I trusting Skrawl? ooo
This thought caused his gut to twist. He felt a sense of nausea briefly wash over him.
How could he think that? Skrawl had saved his life. Of course he would feel comfortable around him. He wasn't like Rudy or Penny. He hadn't tried to hurt him in the past. Well okay there were a few times, but that was back before, when he was still an idiot. That didn't mean anything.
He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head and focus on what they were discussing. He tried his best to listen to Skrawl and Thoughtless's input on the plan. He tried to listen for them calling out his name. Such a task was difficult, but eventually he found that he seemed to have banished the thoughts, allowing him to focus on the plan making.
"I imagine that Rudy and Penny will still act like they care, and they would follow you to keep up the mask." Skrawl said.
Snap nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds like them." He narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the ground. "They probably think I'm stupid... just like when they had tricked me..."
Suddenly another thought came in, striking him like a sledgehammer.
ooo If they had already betrayed you, why would they pretend to be your friend again? ooo
Snap tried his best not to hiss or growl at this comment, not wanting to draw attention to himself as Skrawl turned to Thoughtless for more ideas. His eyes shifted left and right. He was thankful for not being created with pupils; that made it impossible for these two to tell what was going on.
(That sounds good. Perhaps we could...)
Snap hardly heard the memotrice's mental voice when his own clouded over it.
ooo Something about this seems odd. Something is not adding up. ooo
Snap tried his best to push the thoughts out of his head. He couldn't let himself give into doubt. That was only going to cause problems later. It was not good to begin to doubt his savior and go back to those..those traitors. They were the reason that he was hurt. They were the reason that he nearly died.
ooo Well one of the Beanie Boys briefly called Rudy the Great Creator... ooo
It was just a Beanie Boy. That didn't count. Snap heard all kinds of weird stuff from those zoners. It didn't really matter what they thought. They weren't a reliable source of information. He had to stop having these doubts and fast, otherwise they were only going to cause problems later on. He shook his head a few times, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind.
"Snap, is everything all right?" Skrawl asked, his voice having a slight tinge of concern.
(You look upset.) Stated the memotrice as a matter of factly. (Is anything wrong?)
Snap looked at his two allies, his two real friends. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes wide as he realized he had accidentally pulled their attention away from the planning process. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and gave a soft chuckle. He couldn't believe he had done that. He thought he had been so careful. A wave of guilt struck him as he realized he hadn't been as careful as he thought. He hoped he didn't distract them for too long.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry." He said quickly.
(Are you sure? I could...) Thoughtless took a few steps closer to him.
Snap took a small step back, waving his hands in front of himself. "No, I'm good! I just...got distracted by what Rudy and Penny did to me, that's all."
Thoughtless narrowed its eyes slightly. (I...am sorry to hear that.)
Skrawl gave Snap a sympathetic look. "I know what it feels like, being duped by Master Tabootie." To this, Snap nodded in agreement as he looked at Skrawl's design. Such a cruel joke by Rudy. "I understand you completely. That is why we are in this together." He reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. They will pay for what they did."
Snap nodded his head. "I know.."
Skrawl gave a slight smile before he stepped back. "Okay that's enough of that..." Snap chuckled at this. That was Skrawl for ya. "Let's get back to our planning. We need to get everything ready before..."
Snap listened intently to the jellybean's words. His comfort and reassurance helped him push away his previous doubt. He was no longer plagued by those annoying thoughts, feeling them vanish from the back of his head. He was grateful for those two's kind words. It allowed him to refocus on the task at hand, and soon he joined in on the conversation.
As he did so, one brief thought ran through his head.
By the time that they were able to get Rudy and Penny, it would not be quick enough.
sss
Rudy stared at his latest creation. He was silent, unable to think of anything to say. Normally, he would be proud of his newest creations, using them to help ChalkZone. Even sentient zoners like Howdy, he felt pride and happiness for.
But not this time.
This zoner was not created for any purpose he would have liked. He didn't like creating deceitful zoners, or ones that he had to lie to even since the creation day. This zoner's whole life was going to be messed up because of him. And there was nothing he could do to change that. If he dare do anything to help this zoner feel better, it may ruin their plans.
Despite knowing he was doing the right thing, despite knowing that this would eventually help them stop Skrawl and the memotrice, Rudy couldn't help but feel sick. Wave upon wave of guilt kept striking him, reminding him of what he had done. This zoner was his creation. This zoner's whole life was his creation. His doing. It was through his fake memories he gave the zoner that this zoner was going to be troublesome.
None of the others spoke. They kept quiet, hanging back as Rudy finished up his creation, allowing it to sift into life. Rudy watched as the zoner immediately began to struggle against the binds he had made for it. An attempt to make sure that the zoner still saw him as an enemy. And it worked. He could hear the zoner's curses underneath the binds that held the jaw shut tightly. Listening to it made his heart sting, but, remembering the plan, all he could do was glare at the zoner and act like he didn't care.
He looked over at Penny, Rapsheeba, and Blocky. They gave him expressions that were mostly blank, but he could detect a hint of sympathy in them. He focused on Penny, searching her eyes for any kind of statement. She simply nodded her head, gesturing for him to bring the zoner to the location they had agreed upon while he had been sketching the zoner.
Rudy stared down at the zoner, pretending not to care as the creature squirmed about. Rudy fought back the stings of guilt as he lowered himself and scooped the zoner up into his arms. He struggled to hold on as the zoner thrashed left and right. A few times, Rudy flinched as he felt the zoner's claws threaten to cut into him. He briefly regretted adding that feature.
Turning to the others, he said, "Let's drop this zoner off. Hopefully someone will stumble upon it."
Rudy felt sick for saying such a line, especially in that tone. But he knew it was necessary. And so did the others. They nodded in agreement and they began to leave. There was a place not far from here where almost no one goes. That would be the place to leave this zoner. The claws should be useful in escape later on, after they leave. And, if all went according to plan, this zoner would head straight for Skrawl. The tracking device, which the zoner knew nothing about, would then reveal where that jellybean was hiding.
"Don't worry. You will be fine, Cornerstone..." Rudy said softly as he stared down at the zoner. Despite it being a truth he really hoped would come to fruition, the way he had spoken it made the zoner believe there were hidden promises underneath. The effect Rudy wanted, but not one he was proud of.
Without saying another word, they all disappeared out of the house and began to head towards the designated location.