Chapter Twelve

Brittany found it hard to concentrate on her

favorite songs when her sensitive ears were being assaulted

every second by ultrasonic waves modulated to effect a

Chipmunk's hearing and central nervous system.Bloodless

torture,but torture,nonetheless.

The squealing,high-pitched,pulsating

whine,which Humans would have found only annoying,drilled

through her skull like a physical thing.Her eyes watered

and she gritted her teeth to fight back the piercing pain

that enveloped her.

A single camera,mounted high in the ceiling and a

monitor set in one of the torture room's padded walls,were

the only other things there besides Brittany and she grew

quickly frustrated to see them every time she managed to

open her eyes.

The agony made it hard to keep abreast of the

time,but she figured a half-hour may have passed while she

was there.Remembering old songs,multiplication

tables,biblical passages and anything else she could force

into her mind helped Brittany focus and hang on,even when

she found herself clawing the walls or crumpling into a

fetal position.

A story up,in the building's uppermost floor,sat

the command center.Converted by the removal of all the

other rooms on the floor,it was large enough for a handsome-

sized crew of operators and the like.Now,only five ran it.

In the monitoring room,Bells quietly studied

Brittany.All she had to do was break and confess where she

hid the mask and he would stop all of this,but she refused

to do so.He didn't want to understand how she could allow

herself to be exposed to this torment.She was just a

girl,she should have given up at the first minute of sound-

pulses.Yet despite the ordeal,he begrudgingly witnessed a

woman comporting herself with a rare strength.

Libby.He knew she was doing all of this for

her.For the others,too,there was no doubt,but in his

eyes,he saw Brittany for who she really was.Her mother's

daughter.The same stubbornness...

"The same fire,"he whispered to himself.

He pushed the acknowledgement down in his mind and

looked at the clock.She withstood thirty-two minutes of

torture and the only sound that ever left her lips was the

occasional scream.Surprisingly,she was the only one on

Earth who was delaying him from finding The Archive,for as

long as she resisted,precious time was lost.He had to start

making moves now,while Duval didn't suspect.

He reached for the intercom.

Brittany's head throbbed so badly,she was afraid

that if she turned it,it would shatter.She clutched her

knees in a tight fetal position and prayed for it to

end,somehow,someway.Even if it meant her end,it would have

been preferable to the unending sonic hell.She couldn't

even hear herself scream anymore.

Then silence.It came so suddenly that it took

Brittany a minute or two to realize she was screaming

without the sound-pulses' accompaniment.

She wept openly because her nerves were so

nearly shot.Her throat was pained from screaming and crying

so hard,but it felt so good to her now.Her sobs and gasps

were the sweetest sounds she heard.And the quiet.It was

divinity,a blessing from on high.

It took long minutes to get the pain out of

her system and she was grateful for the time.She sat up and

the room wobbled sharply so she leaned back against one of

the soft walls and relaxed.She was too shaken to want to do

anything to thwart Bells at the moment.

When Brittany heard Bells' voice through the

hidden speakers in the room,she jumped,thinking she somehow

called him into being by thinking about him.

"Ya have yer mother's spirit,girl,"he said to her quietly.

That surprised her as much as the silence.What

was he playing at?If this was his idea of The Hot and Cold

Technique,she was too drained to care.She just wanted to

sleep forever.Eyes closed and drifting through the eternal

ether.

"When I get my...hands on you,you'll lose...yours,"she

managed.

His laughter rattled her nerves badly,even

though it was sincere."I like ya,girlie!Ya got brass.Let

nobody tell ya diferent.An',believe it or not,you're

actually inconveniencin' me by not tellin' me where the

mask is."

"B-Buzz...off!"

He continued cheerfully,and as calmly as if he

hadn't tortured her at all."Ya know,I don't know whatcha

were thinkin' about when ya tried to pull a switch on

me,but like I said,ya got brass,an' a heck of a bargainin'

chip.I can't finish ya off 'til I get the mask an' ya won't

tell me ta save yer life."

"Got it in...one."

"Ah,but I think ya'd tell me ta save someone else's."

Despite the painful dizziness,Brittany slowly

looked up towards the camera,fearfully aware of what he was

alluding to.

"See,I've got a bargainin' chip,too,an' mine's bigger an'

meaner than yours,my little sheila. Take a look at that

monitor,if ya please."

With painful slowness,she turned her attention to

the wall-mounted screen as it flickered to life.The image

was dim,black,steely wall were close together in right

angles,illuminated by a small light mounted somewhere above.

The image panned downward slowly until the tops

of heads could be seen.Brittany's heart jumped when the

image stopped at a level just low enough for her to see her

sisters,mother and friends still resting.Above their heads

and protruding slightly from one of the dark walls was the

mouth of a large pipe covered with a strong grill.

"Ya gotta hand it ta I.T.O.,darlin'.They think o'

everythin'.Interrogation and elimination in one buildin'.By

the way,yer people are in a water tank somewhere in the

buildin.I tried ta get yer mother with somethin' similar at

that spa,but I hear tell ya almost got it instead o'

her.Sorry,darlin'."

He ended that with a chuckle,but Brittany didn't

find it amusing in the least.So it was Bells,or someone in

his employ,who sabotaged the shower unit at Henri's.Well

that certainly proved that he wasn't above murder to

achieve a goal.

"Ha!If it was a woman in your position,it would have been

done right the first time,"she shot back with some

returning strength.

"Well,"he said slowly,menace lacing his words."If at first

you don't succeed..."

The instant he said that,the water started to

surge through the grated pipe in the tank,filling the floor

around the still sleeping victims.

"No!"Brittany called out,horrified."Wait!Please!"

The water continued to flow.Not quickly,but at

a steady pace that would have taken an hour or two to fill

completely.Brittany knew Bells could turn that trickle into

a deluge in a heartbeat.Bells had her in his mercy and she

had to come to terms with that.

"Please!"she begged.The thought of them dying before her

eyes gave strength back to her in the most agonizing

way.She knew what he wanted."I-I'll tell you where the mask

is!I'll tell you!"

"Where is it?An' ya better not be lyin' ta me."

Brittany never felt so lost and defeated."San

Michele.The cemetery island.I-I hid it in some stupid

potted plant in a mausoleum."

"Which one,fool?"

"I...don't know,but it said something about a doge,or

something."

The water still flowed and Bells was

silent.Brittany was hysterical.

"I've told you!Please stop!I've told you!I'VE TOLD YOU!"

Nothing changed.

"Please!"

The water receded immediately,then stopped and

she almost fainted with relief.The torture room door opened

and two of the SecuriMunks stepped in.

"We'll see,my little sheila,"came the voice from the

speakers.

The two troopers went to either side of

her,held her up from under each arm and carried her out of

the horrid room.She almost felt like laughing.

Alvin rested on the cold floor of the holding

cell,staring up at the ceiling.He had just recently

destroyed the cell's only table in a fit of rage and

panic,and he felt a little relieved.

However,taking his aggressions out on

inanimate objects didn't rescue him from what his heart and

mind were telling him.Like fear.Not from what might happen

to him later,but from something more immediate.

For even someone as charismatic and blessed in the

gift of gab as he was,had secrets.Entrusted to by his

sometime analyst,Dr.Ruda Weisenheimer,he harbored and was

haunted by two chief fears.The inner terror of being

alone,lonely and unloved,and the singular horror that came

with the knowledge,in *his* mind,that any endeavor he was

committed to,if failed,would not only bring irredeemable

shame and disgrace to himself personally,but to his closest

friends and loved ones,as well.

The doctor had chalked up his ego as a

substitute for confidence and a mask to hide his fear from

the world.But to him,right now,his failure to detect the

SecuriMunk ambush,stop Bells from interrogating Brittany or

prevent her from being attacked that morning or in the

spa,were the nails that were being driven into the coffin

of his own neurotic self-pity.

The fears he felt last night as he searched

the city for Brittany were resurrected with a vengeance.The

terror she had to have felt when she stared Death in its

eyes during those attacks and,perhaps,even now,under

interrogation,were not meant for her to face.

As her boyfriend and simply as a male,Alvin

swallowed hard the fact that he should have been more

protective and faced the dangers in her stead.He didn't

want to blame fate for his missing those opportunities to

do so.That would have been too easy.

He got up and paced around the room,running

his hands along the unforgiving walls.Listening to his

footfalls and his anxious,labored breathing that heralded

his phobias.

The silence was not the enemy,but the lack of

social interaction and stimuli.That was what he

needed,craved even.It may have sounded cold and

clinical,but he wouldn't have cared and he didn't think of

it along those lines,anyway.

Friendship,comraderie and closeness

were terms he could grasp and appreciate the most from

those he knew the best,considering that most of them were

unconscious and holed up somewhere on the premises.And

without Brittany,it felt too empty where he was.*He* felt

too empty.

And so the vicious circle turned once

more.He failed her.Failed everyone to this fate.If Bells

was intent on torturing Alvin,he was succeeding

admirably.If it was his fate to end his days here,then he

would rather it was in the company of the others,so they

could leave the world as one,when it happened.He couldn't

bear to die alone.

Alvin stood rigid in the shadow of a

particularly dark corner of the room,staring into it and

hoping to be swallowed by its illusory depths.Looking at

his life,the life of a young artist,the side of fame seemed

so empty to him now,and he felt as though he were bound in

heavy chain.Anxiety made him vulnerable and it made

concentration difficult.For the life of him,he just

couldn't see a way out.

"Alvin?"

He whirled to the sound,his first impulse was

to be on guard.He was so deep into his introspection,he

didn't even hear the door open.When he saw Brittany looking

at him with concern in her red eyes and disheveled hair,he

thanked God for her safety and thought she was the most

beautiful girl born.

"Brittany!"

She walked to him with some confidence,then her

steps faltered.He was quick to catch her.

"What did they do to you?Are you hurt?"he asked he walked

her to the rear of the room and sat her down on the floor.

"The next time Miss Miller tells me to turn my music

down,I'm gonna do it,"she joked weakly.

She regarded Alvin."I'm alright,Alvin."She could

see his eyes tell the tale of his worry,anger and loneliness

prior to this moment."Boy,you look bad.I thought *I* was

put through the wringer."Brittany put a hand on his soft

cheek comfortingly."Don't worry.I'm okay,really."

Alvin's mind went into conflict the moment she

touched him.The guilt was overwhelming.Judging from her

appearance,she had to have been tortured in some way,yet

here she was,soon after,worried about *his* feelings.She

should be gathering her strength for her own survival.Who

was he?He didn't deserve her tenderness.Not now.

He felt like the lowest of thieves.Taking what was

most precious of hers,her love,when she was too weak to to

do the right thing,which was to yell and denigrate him for

his weakness.He turned his face away from her."Don't."

"Why?What's wrong?"

Alvin got up and strolled lifelessly to the dark

corner."I don't deserve it.That's all."

Brittany had heard some strange things from

him before and certainly during their time here,but this

was perplexing and more than a little disheartening."What

do you mean,'you don't deserve it'?Why don't you?"

"I...should have done *more*,Brittany,"he managed to say

from the corner."For you.And the others.I didn't see this

coming.I should have been...smarter.Better than this."

Brittany said nothing,but listened intently.

"I hate to lose,you know that.I hate being a...failure.I'm

scared of it."He looked into her eyes from the dark."I

think of you.Of...all of you when I set out to do anything

important.And I don't want you to fall when *I* fall.I

don't want you to lose because I couldn't hack it out there

when it gets too tough.You understand?"

Brittany settled more comfortably on the

floor while she thought about what he

said."Look,Alvin,you're not the only one here.We're all hit

by this and considering what Simon and Jeanette told us

about these jokers,something like this was bound to

happen,anyway.Beating yourself up just because you couldn't

be Johnny Hero doesn't make any sense and it's not what you

should be about."

"I'm your boyfriend.I'm suppose to protect you and I'm

doing a lousy job of it."

"So?At least you're trying.If I could tell you some of the

horror stories some of my girlfriends told me about their

boyfriends..."

"Brittany,you don't understand..."

"Hey,Alvin.I do understand,but you've got to understand

that this is the Twenty-first Century,baby.We're all equal

opportunity heroes,here.I know you care,but there's ego in

there,too."

Alvin was about to protest,but stopped midway

when Brittany made a halting gesture."I'm an

egotist,honey,"she admitted."I know these things."

He sagged as if surrendering to a great

weight."I'm just feeling sorry for myself,huh?"

"Got it in one.Come here."

Alvin shuffled out of the corner,eyes averted

slightly and feeling a little foolish.He sat beside her and

she draped an arm over his low shoulder,smiling.

"Hey,don't let it get you down.Even Lois Lane bailed

Superman out some really bad scrapes from time to

time.Don't I rate?"she said.

Alvin looked at her when she asked

that.*Don't I rate?*He realized in that instant how selfish

he was feeling,putting all of their problems on his

shoulders,as if they weren't capable of relying on their

own strengths to see them through.It *was* ego,plain and

simple.

Then he realized that Brittany had talked him away

from the dark corner he was standing in.More figuratively

than literally.She had rescued him from himself,his

greatest foe,for a little while.*Don't I rate?*

He threw a grateful,lopsided grin."You're perfect,Brittany."

Even in the dim room,he could see her blush slowly

bloom."I know,"she joked.They communicated with a lingering

look.

The cell door opened suddenly,breaking

their spell,and a SecuriMunk stepped in as far as the

threshold,holding an obscure object.Both were in silhouette

from the light of the hallway.

Alvin tensed.If it was a weapon,he *would* stop

the trooper if he used it against them.That he swore.

The trooper tossed the object with a scoff and

left.It skidded by Brittany's feet and she picked it up

quickly upon recognition.

Alvin peered at it.It was the garish mask she

had brought with them.The object she was tortured because

of."What happened down there?What did you tell him?"

Brittany looked at the mounted camera in the corner

and shifted her body around so that her back was to

it."Don't move.The camera."

"Okay."

"I think it's fair to say that Bells is an untrustworthy

little cockroach.I told him that I hid the mask over at San

Michele."

"That graveyard island?"

"Yep.There's nothing like a little wild goose chase to keep

everyone off balance.You know,I think there're fewer people

here than I thought.I haven't seen that Duval creep yet and

I kept seeing the same guys who jumped us."

"I think you're right on that,Brittany,"he said."But,and

I'm sorry to say this,your so-called plan stinks."

Surprisingly,Brittany seemed to take the

criticism well."Well,I admit there were a few snags in it.I

hadn't considered how many people I'd have to trick with

this.It's a good think we only ran into Bells and his

crew.With so few people,it worked out even better."

Alvin was still confused and wondered if all of

these events,coupled with what happened to her downstairs

was making her a little loopy.

"What?You mean the Ol' Switcheroo you tried on Bells?It

didn't work."

Brittany flashed a grin."Oh,no?I told you,a wild

goose chase.We don't have to much time,but he's too busy

getting ready to go to the island to think.He believes me

because I held out for so long down there,he thought I had

something to hide.I figured if I let them know that I knew

something about the mask,they'd want to question me.Good

thing they thought I knew something,anyway,because I was

going to have to tell them,otherwise."

"But why,Brittany?"

"So I could be questioned,"she repeated emphatically."If

all went well,I'd give them false information and buy time

for an escape."

Alvin was floored.The audacity,the cunning and the

execution of such a plan was breathtaking.It displayed a

courage even he didn't know she possessed."That's why you

didn't want to tell us about it."She nodded.

"You might have tried to stop me or say something while we

were caught that might have warned them."

"Brittany,"he said in awe."That was super-brave.You've got

guts,girl."

She fought a blush as she explained,"I just wanted my

mother and the rest of us safe,that's all."

"Still,to risk your life for that cheap Mardi Gras

souvenier."He pointed at the mask between them.

"I couldn't have done it without it.In

fact,"She began to carefully peel and pull the

feathers,sequines and decals from the mask with a smug

grin."I know I couldn't have."

Alvin's eyes popped out and he was so surprised and

elated,he wanted to kiss her on the spot.There,in all its

possible glory,hidden from the camera's view,was The Mask

of Unmasking.He reached over and held her hands,saying with

unhidden affection,"Have I told you that you're

perfect,Brittany?"

"Not for...minutes,"she quipped lovingly.

The young SecuriMunk finished his report to one

of the higher ranking ones in the command center.That night

at the warehouse ended badly for him.His quarry out-smarted

and evaded him and he was severely reprimanded by his

superiors.Now he was relegated to duties that were minor

even to a trooper of his low rank.In this case,a courier.

As befitting a member of I.T.O.,he executed his

duties with little complaint,as least not within earshot.He

longed for another shot at Alvin and if he was lucky enough

to encounter him again,it would have to be a fistfight,as

his demotion had stripped him of his ThunderGun.

Off to one side of the room he could see Bells

and the other three SecuriMunks load portable equipment and

tools into Chipmunk-scale duffle bags.Then Bells palmed a

small device that,from a distance,looked like a thin

calculator,and slipped it into his breast pocket.

He called the officer the young trooper was

reporting to,over and spoke to him and the others out of

earshot.One would glance at the youth occasionally and

then return his attention back to Bells.

The SecuriMunk officer returned to the youngster

and,to the boy's surprise,handed him a fully charged

ThunderGun.

"Guard duty,with me,"was all the officer said.

"Yes,sir!"

He felt the familiar grip and power,both

technological and psychological,that came with wielding

such a weapon.His youthful face cracked into a wicked

grin.'Third times the charm,sucker!'he thought gleefully as

he pictured Alvin's body disintegrating from a Maximum

Setting direct hit.

He turned to follow the officer out of the room and

as he did,he noticed two large,faceted cylinders standing

on either side of the room.In their centers were tiny,dull

red computer screens.Black cables ran from their sides and

were linked to a computer terminal in the center of the

room.

Thinking no more of it,he followed the SecuriMunk out

of the room.

Despite the surroundings,the holding cell

sounded cheery.It started with Alvin passing the time

humming favorite tunes to ease away his nervousness.It

wasn't long before Brittany joined in and soon the two were

crooning in duet any songs they could think of and

sometimes cracking each other up by singing off-key.At the

moment,they were caught up in a rousing version

of "Mockingbird".

"I wonder how long we've been here?"asked Brittany after

their sing-along ended.

"I'm guessing...since you were brought in,"Alvin

figured."Maybe an hour?"

"We've got to get out of here."

"You're preaching to the choir here,but that door's pretty

tough and that camera's got us scoped."

Brittany got up and paced around the room."Are you

hungry?Did they feed you or anything?I'm hungry."Alvin knew

she was scared,just as he,and rightly so.Placating her

falsely wouldn't help her,even though he could easily see

that she was looking to him for emotional support.He

figured the best way to provide it was to provide an

example for her,so he lounged a little more on the floor

and answered with calm and an easy air.

"Well,I do feel a little peckish,but I don't think Warden

Bells believes in feeding the prisoners.When we get out of

here,we oughta sue him.What do you think?"

Brittany cracked a smile,but her eyes still shone the

fear."I miss them,Alvin."

"I do,too,and if we keep our heads and move fast,we'll all

come out on top."'So much for placating her falsely,'he

thought.'Guess I'll say anything to make her feel better.'

Brittany returned to her spot on the floor next to him

and he put his arm around her shoulder.She brought her

knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them

disconsolately.

"Some tough girl I am,"she sobbed lightly.

"Tough as nails."

"I don't think so."

"I do."He held her closer and she put her head on his

shoulder.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you,Alvin."

"Shhh.We're *both* sorry."

Brittany uncoiled herself and held Alvin,listening

to his heartbeat,feeling his chest rise and breathing in

his scent.The familiarity of him calmed her down and she

wished the circumstances for being held like this weren't

so dire.She could spend whole hours in his arms.

As one,they turned to the sound of static from

speakers hidden in the dark corners of the room.

"Bells,"Brittany moaned.

"Ya called?"came the oily reply."Sorry fer the

interruption,lovebirds."

"Hey,Bells,"said Alvin,mildly annoyed."To quote Billy

Joel,"Leave a tender moment alone",huh?"

"Ahh,youth,"Bells mocked."But this ain't a social call,I'm

afraid.I direct yer attention to the monitor."

"What monitor?"Alvin asked,and then turned his head with

Brittany to the sound of small motors coming from a wall

off to the side of them.

A small section of the wall parted,revealing a

closed-circuit monitor.The sight of the rest of their

families struggling to stay afloat as torrents of water

rushed from the grated pipe above them was terrifying.

"NO!"Brittany screamed.Out of impulse,she ran to the

screen,willing,wishing for them to hear her,to let them

know that she and Alvin were still alive and trying to

reach them somehow.

Alvin got up in a rage and ran to the

closest speaker."Bells!Shut it off,Bells,or I swear you

better kill us next,'cause I'll hunt you down and your own

*mother* won't recognize you when I done!You hear me,Bells?"

"Thanks for remindin' me.You *are* next!Thank ya,little

lady,fer the mask.I'm already on route to it and talkin to

ya by radio.No hard feelin's.Ya really are yer mother

daughter."

Then silence.

Enraged,Alvin went over to the remains of the

table,picked up a leg and threw it at the camera,smashing

it off the wall.

"Alvin,what are we going to do?!"Brittany was near

hysterics.

"Only one thing to do,"he said grimly,grabbing another

table leg."Come here.I got an idea."

The young SecuriMunk almost skipped when he and the

officer approached the locked holding cell.His hand almost

tingled with anticipation for the kill.Under his

insistance,he would be allowed to finish Alvin.

The officer opened the door and looked down to see

Brittany on the floor crawling away from the doorway in

apparent fright.Logical,he thought.There was no way out for

her and the others.

Smiling and anticipating a quick kill,he sauntered

into the dim room,the young SecuriMunk in tow.Just then he

noticed something.Or the lack,thereof.

"Where's your boyfriend?"he asked gruffly.

Before he got an answer,his perceptual world became

distorted by a savage blow to the base of the skull by

Alvin,hiding in the dark.

The ambush was so sudden,the junior trooper was

stunned into indecision before he had the presence of mind

to draw his weapon.Alvin,scooping up the fallen trooper's

gun,beat him to it.

Not since their first fight in the alley,had the

little trooper felt so inconvenienced.Not fast enough to

use his precious gun,he now saw one pointed unmistakably at

his chest with more than enough charge to kill him,being

wielded by someone who didn't seem to forgiving at the

moment.His guts turned to stone and his hands grew frigid

with fear.

Alvin felt some of the ThunderGun's power

twice.Even with a weak charge or set to Incapacitate,it

packed an unforgettable punch.Now,he could dish it out with

the best of them,one of whom was lying on the

floor,unconscious.

It was darkly intoxicating,holding potential death

in his hand.The smooth high-tech contours and details of

the gun,the sturdy,rubber grip of the handle,the well-

balanced heft of the machinery within and the slight

vibrations of its power systems that promised lethality

with a single trigger-squeeze.

"Maximum Setting,pal,"he muttered as Brittany

peered over Alvin's shoulder to see what he was

doing."You're fried."He didn't need to see where he was

aiming,so close was he to the target,but Alvin wanted to

see into the boy's face up close.See the boy's eyes widen

and twitch,fearfully looking for a way out and finding

none.Be close enough to feel the fear radiating from his

victim like a sun and bask in it.

Brittany's frantic plea to stop seemed so distant

to him.He barely heard her,the here and now was too lustful

to ignore.

"Alvin,don't do this!It's not worth it,"she entreated.

His arm never wavered,"Are you kidding?I've been hit twice

by these...thugs,and this is the same clown who shot at you

and Libby.Nah,I think it's time for him to know what it

feels like to be a target."

Brittany felt like she was outside looking at

herself.Between this situation and the peril their families

were in,she was feeling more than a little stressed.She

knew Alvin to be impetuous and even a little ruthless,at

times,but this was frightening.

Frightening because although the SecuriMunk did

deserve it,the SecuriMunk was a mere stripling and,most

frightening of all,Alvin was almost *enjoying* this.

The SecuriMunk,this child in an adult's skin,didn't

feel comfortable in it anymore.His mortality appeared as a

white canvas stretched to infinity,barely painted with a

lifetime.

"Alvin,please,"she begged."Look at him,he's just a

boy.I.T.O. did this to him."She placed her hands on his arm

holding the gun and stared into his eyes deeply."Don't take

away his life because he made a mistake while he was

young,"she said softly."You're young,too."

Alvin looked at her and saw a reflection of himself

and what he was about to do.In the space of heartbeats,he

could see himself giving in to the power of the gun.Killing

the boy in a technological flash,his dreams and the life to

pursue them gone for good by Alvin's merciless hand.He saw

himself a pawn of immediate,justifiable ends,and worse,a

burgeoning addict of the gun.He felt sick.

When he took hold of reality again,he saw that she

had lowered the gun arm.Although Alvin was no longer aiming

at the boy,the boy was still motionless with shock,the

touch of Death still lingering on his heart.

At once,Alvin realized just how terrified the youth

was and how much he and everyone in the room knew about

Life now,because of that.Despite his own flaws and

insecurities,he would not succumb to murder.He raised the

gun up again,scaring both his target and Brittany.

"Okay,Billy the Kid,drop the hardware."he commanded.

Slowly,with eyes still locked on Alvin,the

younger Chipmunk carefully placed the weapon on the floor

in front of him.

"Now start running and don't stop until this building's

behind you.*Way* behind you."

Despite the fear,Alvin and Brittany could see in the

boy's eyes and body language,a veritable speech of

gratitude.Then he turned and sprinted down the hallway and

hopefully towards a better life.

"Alvin,the water!"Brittany gasped.

"C'mon!"

They ran out of the cell,letting the feeling of

freedom course through them as they ran half-formed plans

in their heads.

"I don't know where they are!"Brittany shouted."All I know

is that they're in some tank,but we don't have time to look

all over the apartment for it!"

Alvin grimaced in thought.They could be anywhere,in

any room.But the water trap might be operated remotely,both

from within and from without.Bells proved that with his

operating the camera and the monitor in the cell while

already being out of the building and on Brittany's wild

goose chase.

"There's gotta be a control room or something,"he

said as they reached the stairwell.They could hear the now

fading footsteps of the young Chipmunk going

downstairs.Then the footfalls stopped and a voice rang from

below them.

"Upstairs!"Then the footfalls resumed into silence.

"He must've heard us,"said Alvin."C'mon!"

They reached the next and last floor of the

building and found the door leading immediately into the

command center opened slightly.Holding the ThunderGun,Alvin

ran through first,ready to cut down anyone trying to stop

them.Computers and monitors were turned off,save one

terminal,sitting in the center of the room.Just as

perplexing was the fact that no one was there.

"Where is everyone?"asked Brittany as she stepped in.

"Bells must've had a skeleton crew working here.They might

have left with him.Help me look for..."He went into shock

at what he saw.

"What?What's wrong?"

He motioned for her to follow him to the still

running terminal and monitor in the room.While the terminal

hummed quietly,the monitor revealed the horror.Dominating

the screen was the waterproof,closed-circuit camera shot of

their families fighting the water to live.

Below and to the right was a smaller window on the

monitor screen.In flashing red borders,the window showed

the numbers,00:10:00.They were gradually falling in value.

That's when the two noticed the black cables

snaking from the base of the terminal,running along the

floor and ending in one of each of the two large cylinders

on either end of the room.The red LED's in their centers

were counting down in sync with the terminal.

"Bells' got this placed wired!"Alvin yelled.

"Ya think?"replied Brittany.Indecision was creeping into

their minds.Too much was happening at once.If they could

just find the gang and get out.Love for them didn't give

them the option to abandon them,although self-preservation

was a great devil's advocate.

Brittany ran to a nearby sealed window.If it

was a bomb,or a series of them,she wondered how the other

buildings next door would survive.If there were anybody

living in them who would be casualties of Bells."At least

this side's got a great view of the river,"she joked

solemnly.

Alvin was debating feverishly on whether to

attempt a disarming or not.Actually,he knew he couldn't

disarm it to save his life.Or anyone else's,for that

matter,but he was getting desperate.

Then he heard something that Brittany said

that,somewhere deep within,gave him an instant recharge of

hope."River!That's it!That room downstairs!That must be the

pump room Bells was talking about taking then to!"

Alvin tore off to the window while Brittany stood

by,confused.He pressed his head against the glass and

peered down as far as the window and his depth perception

would allow.Jutting out from the first floor wall,was a

large pipe,perpendicular to the apartment.At a certain

length,it bent in a right angle and was submerged deep in

the canal.Above from where the pipe connected to the

wall,was a small window sill.

"Get down!"he yelled.Brittany crouched tightly on the

floor,wondering what he was about to do.

Alvin took measured steps from the window,raised

the ThunderGun with one hand and shielded his eyes with the

other.He squeezed the trigger and fought against the

unaccustomed recoil as lightning struck,shattered and

vaporized the window and some of the surrounding masonry

with a sudden boom.

A strong breeze moved through the room,blowing

loose objects into a maelstrom.Alvin helped Brittany to her

feet.

"Thank,Alvin,but how's blowing a *HOLE*..."she said before

suddenly being hoisted off her feet and slung over his

shoulder in a Fireman's Carry.With surprise and terror,it

dawned on her fast.

"Alvin!Alvin!No!No!It's too high!"

"No time!"

"It's too high!Alllviiinnn!!!"

One second she was kicking and struggling

desperately to get off this mad 'munk,the next,she was

holding on for dear life,her eyes shut,not daring to watch

the wall and windows of the building ascend in a rush as

Alvin,still holding her and the ThunderGun,stepped off into

a freefall and roughly land on top of the large pipe in a

crouch.

Bomb or no bomb,the terror of that wild ride took hold

of her."Are you out of your mind?!Are you trying to kill us?

Are you,huh?"she screamed while slapping at him.

Alvin fended her hysterical attacks and ignored her

protests as he lined up the gun to the small window above

the pipe.The weapon made short work of it and its section

of wall.

The blast brought Brittany back to her senses in

time for Alvin to say,"Stay put!"Then he bounded into the

room through the hole.

The interior was a simple affair.It was stoney,damp

and weather sealed with piped crisscrossing above and

around him.He could feel a vibration under his feet and

when he looked down,he found himself standing atop a large

industrial-sized pump's housing.The outside pipe was

connected to it from behind and another pipe extended from

the side to a large,black,square tank with a simple yet

strong bolt lock on its door,that dominated a corner of the

room.

Alvin leaped off the pump and ran to the metal

chamber.Through the thick walls and door,he could just make

out the sounds of screams and frantic splashing.

Realizing the danger of using the ThunderGun so

close to the others and the risk of electrocution,he tossed

it aside.He had his fill of firearms,anyway.Then he went

for the lock.

For a moment,Alvin couldn't understand why the bolt

wouldn't slide away without effort.Then it hit him.The

increasing water pressure inside the chamber pressed

against the door,and it on the bolt.It slide by half-

inches,but with difficulty.

Time flowed faster than the water and despair

was robbing him of his fortitude.His fear of failure,like a

vengeful wraith,came at him full force.This time,his

failure *would* doomed them,as he knew it would all along.

He almost wept in frustration until he felt another

pair of hands pull with him,hard.In surprise,he saw

Brittany tugging and straining with the lock.Inspired,he

redoubled the effort and with a squeal of rubbing metal

giving way at last,the bolt slid aside.

The door was wrenched open as gallons of canal

water cascaded into the room,knocking Alvin and Brittany

down as Libby and the rest of The Chipmunks and The

Chipettes tumbled out.

The duo waded through the flood to check on

them.They didn't seemed hurt.They were wet and winded,but

alive.Alvin was helping Simon to his feet when he noticed

his brother's watch.And panicked.

With yelling commands and quick herding,Alvin and

Brittany began moving everyone up on top of the pump and

out onto the pipe overlooking the murky water outside.Alvin

was the last to exit the pump room as he joined the others.

"What do we do now?"Libby asked weakly.

"Jump!"Brittany yelled as she leaped as far from the pipe

as she physically could.

Confused,but far too grateful to ask or complain,the

rest did likewise.

"Swim!"Alvin shouted as they formed a loose flotilla and

paddled away as fast as their aching muscle could

allow.They all submerged under reflex when the world

exploded around them.

The romantic couple had just finished their

lingering kiss in the gondola when the shockwave of the

explosion gently rocked them.

The woman's eyes sparkled in amorous surprise."Did

the Earth move for you,too?"

"Oh,yes,"gasped her paramor as he wrapped his arms around

her,allowing her to cuddle deeply.

The gondolier had seen it all before and was

happy he wasn't jaded by the experience.Romance was a

wonderful thing,but he couldn't understand why it was

suddenly getting harder for him to row anywhere.

The answer came from the sounds of consternation

coming from the center of the boat.The couple fearfully

clutched at one another as seven waterlogged and exhausted

Chipmunks surfaced on both sides of the gondola and with

some effort,climbed and flopped into the boat,water running

over the couple's shoes and lunch.

"Please,"Alvin said to the stunned lovers and

gondolier."Don't mind us."

Needless to say,it was a crowded and awkward ride

back to the quay.