Chapter 11: Battle for Wasteland
"So, where do we go now?" Ginny asked Oswald as they walked down the Mean Street sidewalk. Oswald had been talking to the Usher about the Doc's whereabouts for the past fifteen minutes, so she figured he must have an idea of where to go by now.
While he was talking to the Usher, Ginny had taken the time to go buy ice creams for her and Jack and it had been the first time she'd entered the Ice Cream Parlor without being immediately shooed away. Guess being a hero pays off, after all. She thought contently as she liked her vanilla ice cream while holding Jack's chocolate one with her other hand.
"I'm thinking about Ventureland." Oswald replied. "The Usher said the pirates are raising a ruckus in those parts."
"Ventureland, then." Ginny nodded and looked around the wrecked square. Even if she hated Mean Street with all of her heart, this the place where she and Jack spent most of their childhood. Seeing it like this made her feel extremely depressed.
She spied Jack flirting with a pretty cat girl next to the Museum and smirked, shaking her head good-naturedly. Boys. Finishing her ice cream, she strode over to them, making it look like she was just passing by, yanked her brother's ear and pulled him away from the girl in the process.
"Ow! Ear! Ear! Ow! Ow!" Jack screeched until she made sure they were far away from the confused girl and released his ear. He clutched it and glared fervently at her. "What the hell's wrong with you?!"
"We have places to be, Casanova." she stated.
"Goddammit, you could have just said that instead of almost ripping my ear off!"
"But it wouldn't have been nearly as fun." she reasoned and laughed at her brother's frown. "Cheer up, little bro" she put an arm around his shoulders and handed him his chocolate ice cream "Here's your treat." he raised an eyebrow at her before taking it, somehow managing to look pissed and pleased at the same time.
"The pirates are fooling around in Ventureland and it is our duty to stop their fun." Ginny explained, putting her hands on her hips.
"Try yanking their ears. That puts an end to all the fun, believe me." he snapped, rubbing his sore ear again and she chuckled.
They both turned around at the sounds of Prescott's high-pitched yells of protest, watching as Mickey practically carried the gremlin away from two twin cows, who were giggling cutely at the scene.
"OK, folks" Oswald started, approaching the group with Horace. "The Usher said Captain Hook and his crew are destroying Ventureland at a quick rate. How about we pay them a visit?"
"I think we should stay." Prescott stated. "The ladies here don't seem safe enough."
"Prescott, you'll have plenty of time to try to get into those gals' pants after we kick the Doc's butt." Oswald said with a roll of his eyes.
"The key word being 'try'." Jack muttered smartly, receiving a glare from the gremlin.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, kid." Prescott said, his arms crossed.
"Let's just go, fellas. Ha-ha!" Mickey urged before a fight could start, and the six toons promptly made their way towards the projector screens.
:::
Ortensia inhaled sharply, already feeling her arms going numb with the force of the chains restraining her. She glanced at the small window, watching the dark clouds passing by. She didn't know how many hours it had been since she woke up in this hellish place, but it already felt like days. It didn't help that she was claustrophobic and constantly being locked amongst these four walls was slowly driving her crazy. It reminded her of her inert times; her body had been in some kind of coma state, but her mind had been fully awake. She remembered feeling lost in a complete void, as if she was the Blot's little prisoner.
The former queen of Wasteland looked at her cellmates. Only Gilda, Henrietta and other two horse toons had woken up. She sincerely didn't mind that Tony was still asleep at all; she didn't know if she could take another "Horace the Messiah" lecture right now.
Her thoughts drifted to Pete's last visit. Jack Kelly had chosen the most unfortunate time to wake up; Pete hadn't even stepped foot into the basement when the Wasteland's tabloid reporter started to scream for dear life. He had been immediately taken to the Mad Doctor, Pete's booming voice echoing from the outside in a way-too-pleased tone for Ortensia's liking.
After that, everyone agreed to stay quiet whenever the Petes were around. Less Toon-Blurs would be made that way. At least for now.
She perked up her ears at a low moan and looked at the far corner, wondering who was waking up now. She saw Gus and Jamface stirring and slowly raising their heads. Gus scanned the room, blinking several times, before taking notice of the chains restraining him. Jamface looked around and tried to sit up, making the metallic chains tingle.
"Sainte merde." the French gremlin said quietly while glaring at his restraints.
"What happened?" Gus inquired before looking in Ortensia's direction. Squinting, he whispered, "Ortensia? Is that you?"
"Hi, Gus." she greeted, giving him a weak smile. "Hey, Jamface."
"What are you doing here?" Jamface asked.
"The landlord kicked us all out, can't you see?" Gilda snapped from the other side of the room.
"Dry up, will ya? It's not their fault." Henrietta whispered to her. Gilda just rolled her eyes. Saying that she was pissed would be an understatement, but hell, who could blame her?
"What?" Gus said, looking more than a little confused.
"The Mad Doctor invaded the Refuge." Ortensia explained and frowned. "Where are Oswald and the others?"
"I have no idea." Gus replied with a shake of his head. "We last saw them at the Castle."
Ortensia stiffened as she heard footsteps and raspy voices from the outside. Oh, dammit, not again… "Guys, there's no time to explain, but whenever that door opens, you have to pretend you're still asleep."
"But-"
"Just do as I say – quickly!"
Ortensia leaned against the wall and closed her eyes just as the door burst open, the infernal creaking echoing throughout the large basement.
"Oh, Goddammit!" she heard Big Bad Pete's curse and knew that Gus and Jamface had followed her lead. Thank god. Can't lose any more of us.
"What the hell? Why aren't they awake?" Small Pete demanded.
"Y'think I know, idiot?" Pete hissed before groaning. "Shit, the Doc's gonna be pissed."
"C'mon, when's he not pissed?" Small Pete chuckled.
"Not the time to be a wise guy, Small Pete!" Pete barked. "The Doc ain't moving a stick until they wake up! And what happens if they don't? He'll use us as a replacement!"
If Ortensia could open her eyes, she'd have widened them. As irritating and frustrating as the Petes were, she didn't really wish for their death – or whatever the hell happened to toons after they were turned into Blurs. She wouldn't wish that to any toon, even the ones who betrayed her and Oswald.
"Y'think he'll do that?" Small Pete inquired, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.
"Oh, he will, trust me." Pete replied, exasperation in his voice. "Well, he's been having fun with that varmint. Maybe he won't be needing more toons for a while."
"You better be right, jackass." Small Pete said. "C'mon, let's check on the others."
And with that, they slammed the door shut.
Ortensia opened her eyes and looked at the three awakened toons. Others? What others? Does that mean there are more of us trapped here? How many? Were Oswald and the others with them? Wait, exactly how many Toon-Blurs are there?!
Several questions flooded her mind, panic instantly filling her chest and she began hyperventilating. Goddammit, they couldn't pretend to be unconscious much longer, or else the Doc would think they were dead and throw them into a thinner pool, or something. She knew he wouldn't leave extra luggage lying around.
They were in so much trouble…
"Calm down, Ortensia." Gus said suddenly, making her face him. "Oswald and Mickey must be on their way right now."
"What if they already got caught, huh? What if they're being tortured as we speak?"
Gus's chuckle made her fur bristle in irritation. "You've always been a drama queen. Just give them time; if there's anyone who can defeat the Mad Doctor, it's them."
Ortensia looked at the leader of the gremlins, desperately wanting to believe him. What was she thinking, of course she believed him. Oswald and his Hunters were the best around, and now that they had Mickey's help, it'd be a piece of cake… she hoped.
Oh, sweet lord, help my Hunny Bunny through this…
:::
Mickey looked around the deserted Tortooga, memories flooding his mind. The pirates' home didn't look like it did last time, but then again, it was the same with every other part of Wasteland. The buildings were colorless and broken apart, the glasses were shattered and the lanterns were scattered around, their light enabling them to see in the dark.
There hadn't been a soul to be seen in Ventureland, but Hook and his own blurry minions had definitely been over there at some point, if the demolished buildings, the colorless trees and the shades of dark ink everywhere meant anything.
Prescott had put the projector screen to Tortooga working, since not only was it the only exit out of Ventureland – apart from Mean Street – but it was also the likeliest place for Hook to step foot in.
As soon as they noticed four Toon-Blurs walking in their direction, the Hunters quickly burst the door of the shack near the projector screen open and hid inside. Mickey looked through the breach the door ajar left and scanned the area. All he saw was Blurs, Blotlings and some Beetleworx, but his angle of vision was quite limited from where he stood. Still, it looked like the village was under invasion as well.
"You see Hook anywhere?" Prescott asked behind him.
"No." Mickey shook his head. "But the place sure is crowded."
"How many are they?" Oswald urged.
"I'd say dozens." Mickey turned around as Oswald stroked his chin, deep in thought. Mickey looked around the old shack, wondering if anyone lived here. Probably, he guessed, looking at the scattered half-emptied bottles of beer and the cigarette ashtray on the floor.
"OK" Oswald finally said. "We need a plan."
"Oh, really? Whatever gave you that idea?" Ginny snapped sarcastically.
"Hush, Ginny." Oswald scolded with a frown.
Mickey bit his lower lip, thinking of their current options. They couldn't really race all the way around Tortooga without being spotted, and since most of the Blurs were toon-styled, he figured avoiding a big fight would be wise.
Hook could only have gone to the Jungle or Skull Island. Those places were both dangerous, though, so it would be stupid to venture through them without so much as a clue. Besides, the projectors were too far away and they couldn't really ask anyone, since there wasn't a non-Blur pirate to be seen.
But maybe…
"Ozzie?" Mickey called.
"Yeah?"
"If Hook were to go somewhere, do you think he'd go to the Jungle or Skull Island?"
"I'd say Skull Island." Oswald replied after pondering the question for some moments.
"Yeah, his ship's over there and he practically worships it." Horace added, snorting. "How stupid is that?"
"Says the guy who beats the ever loving shit out of anyone who touches his James Bond movie collection." Jack pointed out, smirking.
"Can it, brat! No one asked your opinion!" Horace snapped, a furious blush tinting his cheeks.
"Well, I guess I know where Hook's at, then." Mickey said. Oswald perked up his ears.
"Y'think he went to Skull Island?"
"It's just a hunch, but yeah, I think so."
"And how will we ever reach the projector?" Prescott chimed, crossing his arms. "If you haven't noticed, the place is flooded with inksplots."
Oswald scratched his head and, moments later, snapped his fingers. "I know a way to reach the other side.
"This oughta be good." Prescott mumbled.
Oswald made his way to the far wall of the shack and kneeled down. He took his left ear off and unlocked a small door on the floor that Mickey had failed to notice. The rabbit stood up and smirked at them.
"There are a lot of hidden passageways in every Underground of Wasteland." he explained.
"Am I to understand that we're taking the Underground to reach the other side?" Horace said, more shocked than anything else.
"Yeah. Why?"
"How long has it been since anyone used that passage?"
"How the hell should I know, Horace? I haven't been around here recently!"
"Does that mean it isn't cleaned?!"
"Neither was the Refuge and that didn't seem to bother you."
"That's different! I ain't stepping foot in a disease-infested hellhole!"
"Do you have to complain about every damn thing?" Jack said, his arms crossed.
"No asked you, brat!"
"Alright, enough, guys." Mickey said, glancing at the broken windows and noticing more Blurs approaching the shack.
"Yeah, those douches over there are getting too close for my liking. Care to hurry up?" Prescott snapped.
Horace kept complaining under his breath, but eventually went down the hole with everyone else.
:::
The Tortooga Underground was a little different from the Refuge. The walls were made of rusty metal that shielded the passengers from the thinner river outside. This place looked more like a drainpipe than a tunnel, though.
Oswald grimaced, listening to the rats and cockroaches running around. He should really make the pirates clean this up, when the war was over. He knew the chances of them cleaning whatever were none, but damn, this place was almost as filthy as the D.E.C.s.
He pointed the flashlight to each side, watching several bugs hiding inside of little holes. He tried to ignore the splashing sounds their feet were making as they walked, afraid they were stepping in something else other than mud. He also tried to refrain from muzzling Horace and end their misery. The horse's bitching was wearing everyone's patience thin – especially Oswald's – but, being the leader, he needed to control his temper and stay cool-headed, even though that was proving to be harder than he'd originally thought.
"Oh, shit!" Horace hissed, splashing in a dark puddle and making everyone stop to glare at him. "Son of a bitch! These were my favorite shoes!"
"Oh, for God's sake, buy some new ones!" Prescott snapped.
"Do you have any idea how much these cost?!"
"No one cares, Goddammit!" Ginny spat.
"It's easy for you to say, hobo! You poor people don't understand the meaning of a-"
"Horace" Oswald stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you want to attract attention so goddamn much, then please, help yourself and leave. We got enough on our plate right now and I'm really not in the mood to listen to you. Understand?"
Horace gave him a dark glare, but eventually shut up, which surprised Oswald. Normally, it took more than a lecture to shut the horse's loudmouth.
Thanking whatever deity was watching over them for this blissful silence, Oswald started walking down the pipe again. The Underground seemed to have no end.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw how astounded Mickey looked as he glanced around and smirked. Mickey probably had never been in a place filthier than a public restroom. After all, he did live on the "Happiest Place on Earth".
"Oh, God, finally." Prescott breathed out as they reached a big metal gate with a large pirate skull adorning it. Oswald inwardly cringed as he felt the skull's eyes staring straight at him, as if they were watching his every move.
"This is it?" Mickey asked, analyzing the gate closely.
"Yup." The rabbit said and then turned to Prescott. "Time to shine, Prescott. Will you open the gate for us?"
"Gladly." Prescott replied, moving in front of Oswald and Mickey and quickly beginning to work on the lock.
"Damn pirates." Horace hissed behind them. Oswald had to guess he was still trying to clean his shoes up, if the constant splashing meant anything. "I'll sue the shit out of them."
"Horace, it isn't such a big deal-" Mickey reasoned in a bored tone.
"Not a big deal?! Their reckless attitude towards this dump resulted in getting my property ruined! How's that not a big deal?" Horace shook his head disapprovingly. "Seriously, how the hell do they expect to gain some sort of recognition if they can't even turn their territory into something halfway presentable?"
"I'm sure there's room for them in the deepest pits of Hell, Horace." Oswald snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "But if I recall correctly, we have more important business to attend right now."
"Stuff it, bunny, you're the one who was supposed to ensure the happiness of all of Wasteland's inhabitants. Do I look happy to you?" Horace spat back, pointing to his scowling face to emphasize.
"You never are, why would today be any different?" Ginny deadpanned, crossing her arms. Horace sneered at her.
"I was actually relishing the several minutes you spent without opening your mouth, tramp girl." he told her disdainfully.
"Excuse me? You're the one who's been torturing our ears for the past twenty minutes, in case you haven't noticed!" she spat back. Before Horace could reply and start another fight, they heard a throat clearing and turned around to look at Prescott.
"If you guys are finished debating that utterly important issue given the current situation, can we perhaps get going?" the gremlin said simply. Oswald noticed with a smile that the gate was now open and there was an already plugged in projector screen on the other side, much to his surprise and relief.
"I found this baby here and kind of fixed it. Think we can use it instead of the one up there?" Prescott asked, gesturing to the top of the tunnel. Oswald nodded.
"This'll do just fine." he said. Hang on Ortensia, we're almost there.
.:END OF CHAPTER 11:.