Penny struggled with all her might to get free. She jerked her body around, thrashing with her arms and legs, trying to force the Beanie Boys to release her. But they held on tightly, and she winced as her right arm was twisted roughly as a warning. Eventually, realizing that there was no escape, she stopped altogether and just scowled at them.

They were moving down a long corridor that twisted and winded towards the bottom, deep underground. It was poorly lit with just torches and small lights, but it was enough that she could make out the shape of this place. As they continued going in deeper and they reached the bottom step, it was then she realized that they were in some kind of dungeon. Whether or not Skrawl built it, she didn't know. But it was not out of place; Skrawl would have something like this. It suited him quite well.

There was a main corridor that had multiple cages. She could barely see it in the light. It was then she realized that the Beanie Boys must have some good night vision. How else would they be able to navigate such a dark and gloomy place?

To her surprise, they didn't take her to that big corrider with the multiple cages. Not even towards the one that was open, which was where she thought she would be going. Instead, they turned to another side, this one having a narrower hallway with no flickering lights, unlike the other hallway, and ended with a split on either side. As she was being forced to move through here, she couldn't help but feel her dread rising up inside of her. She wanted to get away, but she couldn't bring herself to even struggle.

Soon they reached the end of the thin hallway. Penny took a moment to look left and right. One hallway was bathed in darkness, while the other had a red tint to it. She didn't know which place was worse. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see which way the Beanie Boys ended up taking her.

Reluctantly, her eyes opened up as they gave a turn. She couldn't help it. A morbid curiosity prompted her to open her eyes to see which direction she was being taken in. She looked left and right and it took her only moments to realize that she was being carried down to the red side of the hallways. She gritted her teeth, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. There was something about this place that seemed almost permeating, like it was going through the inside of her, freezing her solid. Something was just...off.

The Beanie Boys continued on their way, seemingly unaffected by the red light. Soon, as they headed deeper still, their whole bodies seemed to glow with red. Penny looked down and was horrified herself to find her skin aglow as well, bathed in the horrid red light. Looking around, she struggled to see where the red light was coming from. Even as she craned her head almost beyond its capacity, she couldn't see anything that told her much. She clenched her teeth tightly. What was going on here?

After about five minutes of walking down the hallway with a red glow that seemed to come out of nowhere, she and the Beanie Boys soon came to a door on the end. The only door that was present here. Penny pondered in humorless amusement of why they would have such a long hallway if it only led up to here. She didn't have time to seriously ponder this question before the door was opened up and she was brought inside. Once inside, Penny looked around and she couldn't stifle her gasp of horror at what she saw.

Red chalk...

This place was filled with red chalk...

Fear clutched at Penny's throat. Her struggles increased greatly as she was being carried towards the center. There were two dark red poles here, likely made of metal, with silvery red loops around them with chains hanging down. It almost reminded her of a sacrificial altar. If this is anything like that...

Letting out a few terrified screams, intermixed with determined shouts, the girl struggled to get away. She fought against her Beanie Boy captors, her growls intermixing in the air. She tried to pull one of her arms free so she could strike. She tried to wrench a foot free to strike at another Beanie Boy. She went as far as try to bite them. She could hear her teeth clanging in the air as she struggled to sink them into a Beanie Boy's arm.

But her attempts were futile. Even if she could land a bite on a Beanie Boy, it was meaningless as there were several with her. The ones that weren't holding her were hovering close, ready to move in if she caused problems. Once she started to struggle, they joined in, aiding their fellow companions in holding her still. One even held her mouth shut so she couldn't attempt to bite anymore, or turn her head for that matter. All she could do now was watch as she was being carried towards the altar.

The Beanie Boys weren't exactly gentle as they hooked her up to it. Her arms were the first ones to go. The painful metal pinched her skin as the cuff was clamped around her wrists. Her arms were then stretched upwards at at their sides. Her legs followed suit. She winced as she felt the tight cuffs around her ankles pulling her legs down and out with some weight. Then a third shackle around her stomach attached her to both poles, and finally, her head was immobilized by a thin metal band that, like the waist band, attached to both poles. Well not totally immobilized, but her head movements were quite restricted now.

As she struggled to free herself, her mind's eye sifted through the images she had seen here. No blood or gore. No dead bodies. But something about this place just smelled wrong. She just couldn't quite place it. And the red chalk was everywhere. It grow mostly on the ceiling, but some also grew on the ground in bunches, almost like bushes she would see outside. The walls were red, or at least they glowed red thanks to the red chalk.

The room itself was round. Mostly anyway. It had a point at two ends, one in front of her and one behind her. The ceiling arched inward above her, creating a round tip. She thought she could see a flash of day light up there, indicating just how deep the hole is.

No...it wasn't daylight. She realized that it was light from a chalk chamber. But it was colored different from the main Chalk Mine that she and Rudy had visited. Her mind raced, struggling to come to terms with what this meant. How could there be another Chalk Mine? Was it possible that there were rogue patches in different spots? The thought of this filled her with conflicthing thoughts. A part of her was elated, but another was suspicious. What could lurk in these rogue mines?

The only thing she knew for certain is that this, no doubt, is where the red chalk here was growing from. She could traced the pattern of growth back up there, twisting around in small circles. Her thoughts began to piece together what must have happened. Skrawl must have known about this and he drilled up there but...why would he want red chalk?

Furthermore, why would he want her tied up like this, almost like a sacrifice? There was nothing to feed here, and though the red chalk was vicious, it was harmless unless a creator was touching it. Chained up here in midair, far away from the red chalk, she could feel relieve knowing that she would not have to worry about having to touch one of those vile things. But then a thought clicked in her mind.

How long would this last?

It was then that she heard a loud hiss. She turned her head and, to her horror, she could see something long and snake-like slither into the room. Even before those horrible red eyes were upon her, Penny recognized that it was Cornerstone. But...what was she doing here?

"I see you are confused."

Penny turned her head to the source of the voice. She could see a Beanie Boy situated near the center. The other Beanie Boys parted away from him to give him room. Though he looked no different than any other Beanie Boy save for the small scar visible on his cheek, Penny could tell there was something more significant about him. She glared at him as he got closer.

"My name is Delta, if you are wondering." The Beanie Boy said. His voice was surprisingly a little deeper and more pleasant to listen to than the other Beanie Boy's. "I know you are wondering why you were brought here."

Penny tried to be quiet, but her curiosity got the better of her. She struggled to move her chained head up and down. "I thought Snap told them to lock me up."

"Well technically yes... But Snap isn't the only high ranking general here."

Penny felt toxins in her mouth when she heard him refer to Snap as 'general'. Her mind swam back to what Rudy was saying before, about how it was Snap who was altered. She felt her heart beating and twisting at the thought of having been tricked. Could both of her friends had been so twisted? Or had it been just Snap all along?

She didn't have time to fully register this when Delta suddenly grabbed her chin. She hissed at the contact, but could do nothing as the Beanie Boy's face was put close to hers. He had a nasty grin spread along that rounded face. Unlike most, this was not a goofy smile. But one filled with pure malice and intent. He certainly wasn't like the other Beanie Boys. It was little wonder that he seemed to be in charge here.

"Snap outranks me...for now. I do plan on winning back Skrawl's favor." Explained Delta. "But enough about that. Let us talk about you..." He tilted his head to one side. "We've got plans for you."

"What are you going to do?" Penny asked. She did her best to sound brave. But her fear still rattled through her voice. "What did Snap tell you to do?"

Delta was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Snap has nothing to do with this. He did not order you to be taken here. But..." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like he'd care anyway."

"So this is Skrawl's doing?" Spat Penny.

Delta smirked. "Well...him and Thoughtless, if that's what you mean..."

Penny couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of listening to this Beanie Boy talk this way, like this was no big deal. She struggled against her chains, gritting her teeth. She tried to pull her arms out of the cuffs, only to yelp when she nearly tore her arm from its socket. She didn't give up just yet. She continued to struggle as hard as she could, trying to get the cuffs loose.

All the while, Delta just watched. The Beanie Boys watched him carefully, awaiting orders. But Delta did nothing but smile as Penny struggled. His arms folded behind his back, looked quite content, he did not appear concerned that she would break free.

And he was right. After what felt like many minutes of struggling, Penny's body finally gave out. Her heavy pants filled the air as she just hung there, several feet in the air, her head lowered. Her face was flushed from the effort and she could feel sweat moving down her forehead and cheeks. She found it difficult to move her eyes away, locked into a vicious glare with Delta. The smile creeping on his face unnerved her, but she was forced to remain staring into it.

"Why don't you stop struggling? You're only going to waste your energy." Delta said in a calm, quiet voice. "Then how could you be..." He raised his head up. "...accepted..?"

Penny stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

Catching the look in her eyes, Delta chuckled softly. "You really have no idea where you are, do you?" His voiced carried a false sympathy and confusion. "I thought you were the brains of the group. I thought you would piece together exactly what you are here for."

Penny hissed at him. "You going to sacrifice me to the red chalk?"

A pause. Then another chuckle. "Well...not quite that." Then his eyes widened in surprise. "Don't tell me that dear old Biclops didn't tell you!"

"What are you saying? Tell me what?" Penny demanded. She was about to continue speaking when a loud hiss from Cornerstone below her stopped her in her tracks. She looked down at the beast, her eyes slowly widening, and then she turned back to Delta.

The lead Beanie Boy folded his arms against his chest, looking all smug and proud. "I am confused by this plan myself, but Thoughtless insisted this is what Skrawl wanted. For you to be chained here in the... Travergence Circle. One of these hasn't been used for...oh how long has it been...?" He tapped his finger thoughtfully. "Tell me, do you remember how long ago Biclops was created...?"

Although she had no idea just where Delta was getting at, that didn't stop the chilling feeling from rising up inside of her. Penny felt a lump in her throat, licking her lips nervously. Just what was this zoner implying? What was this place? What were they going to do to her here? What was going to happen?

Many thoughts swam through her head rapidly. She struggled to turn her head right and left to look around the room again. She looked at all the red chalk around her, watching how they sparkled and glowed a menacing crimson. It was then she started to realize that the red chalk seemed to glow a little brighter now that she was inside. What significance did any of this have?

She looked back at Delta, whose expression and posture never changed. He just smirked at her darkly, a knowing expression on his face. It was clear that he knew what was going on, and he was deliberately withholding information from her, as if to torment her. The thought sickened Penny but also worried her. The fact that she didn't know what was going to happen ate away at her stomach and made her feel nauseaous. She almost wished that Skrawl would burst in here and explain his 'evil plan' to them all. At least he was a bit more direct than this.

Delta stared at her for a few moments, and then he flew in around behind her. Penny shuddered as she felt his hands on her shoulders. His mouth was placed next to hears and she could hear the harsh whisper in her ears. "Haven't you ever wondered where the red chalk came from...?"

Penny tried to jerk her head away. But the metal strap kept it in place. She forced her eyes to one side so she could look at the horrid Beanie Boy out of the corner of her eye. "No. Why should I care where this...this disgusting stuff came from?!" She ignored the angry flare of the red chalk around her when she said that.

"Well neither did I...for a time. But Thoughtless had made quite an interesting discovery." Delta said. "It hasn't yet told Skrawl, although it won't be long I imagine. After all, Skrawl was the one who ordered the research."

Penny wasn't sure how much of this was true. She had a feeling that this was Thoughtless's doing alone. It might be manipulating everyone around it to get whatever it wanted. She still wasn't sure what the beast's goal was in the end. All she knew was that it was an untrusthworthy creature that needed to be locked up. But she wasn't about to say that to the Beanie Boys. It wasn't like they were going to believe her.

She thought back to Snap. She felt a sting in her chest. She couldn't believe she had thought he was all right. She should have realized something was off quicker. Yet she had been so happy to see him again, it just never crossed her mind that he was corrupted. And Rudy...

She struggled not to cry at the memory of him. Regardless of his state, she still hurt him real bad. She had likely, most definitely, caused permanent damage to his right eye. She couldn't even tell if it was there anymore. There was just too much blood from that deep gash. It was an accident, but she couldn't help but wonder if they would ever remain close friends after this.

Delta placed his hand on her cheek, now directly in front of her. "Don't worry about your friends. Right now, you will have so much more to worry about." His grin darkened. "I can guarantee that you will never forget this."

With a low growl, Penny attempted to bite Delta. Her hand missed, her teeth clanging together, but she still continued to snarl at him, a low growl rumbling in her throat. Delta only looked at her with mild surprise. This casual reaction only seemed to increase her anger, and she felt her lips curling back into a snarl.

"My, my... quite a primal reaction you have there. I never thought that the most intelligent one could revert to such an animalistic state." Mocked Delta. "Could it be that you really aren't as 'together' as you like to think?"

Penny hissed, "Oh shut up, you floating piece of filth!"

Delta only chuckled at this, a fact that increased Penny's growling. "It would seem it's working already."

Penny immediately stopped at this, confusion replacing her previous anger. "What do you mean?"

"Take a look around you, Penny Sanchez." Delta spread his large hands and arms outwards, indicating the room that they were in. Penny looked around the best she could, but she still couldn't see what he was talking about. She looked back at him. Delta smirked at this. "You really don't see it, do you? You cannot see the red chalk clawing for you? Into your mind and body?"

"The only thing I notice is the bright glowing." Penny replied, her voice surprisingly calmer than she thought it would be. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Delta gave her a serious, stern look, though a smile still graced his face. "You mean you haven't noticed your skin?"

Confused, Penny looked down at her arm the best she could. It was hard at this angle, but she was able to see enough. She had to move her hread over as much as possible before she coud get a clear view. She ignored the pain in her head and neck as she did this, and soon she saw her skin a bit clearly. It was then that she noticed the small glow that appeared to be spreading through. Her heart nearly stopped beating.

"I-I'm..." She choked unable to finish. She looked at Delta in horror.

"Yes..." Delta smirked darkly. "You are going to become one with the red chalk."

"N-No! I-I won't...!" Penny immediately started to struggle. Delta hardly react, acting as if this was just a minor annoyance. "Please...I can't...!"

"Well, not without proper help of course." Delta clapped his hands a few times.

In that instant, Cornerstone slithered over towards her. The beast's jaws held something that Penny soon recognized as white chalk. She then began to climb up one of the poles holding Penny. The girl watched with apprehension as the long, snake-like zoner managed to place the white chalk against one of her hands. Her paws closed around it, forcing her to grip it tightly. With the cuffs, Penny couldn't draw anything even if Cornerstone wasn't holding onto her hand.

"This will help things along." Delta moved around in a slow circle, watching Penny's horrified face the whole time. "Soon, you will join the others."

Penny's frozen mind began to process what this meant. She thought of all the red chalk around her. A terrifying realization creeped along her. She didn't want to believe it. A part of her wanted to keep denying it. But she couldn't fight back the truth for long. And once it reached its toll, all she could do was collapse, her head hanging low. Tears from the intense emotion began to stream down her face.

"Oh don't be too upset."

Penny looked up and stared at Delta. She couldn't even muster up the strength to frown at him. Her face held only despair and fear.

"I'm not too sure of this myself. This is quite a...strange thing to do." Delta admitted. "But if this is what Skrawl wants, then it's what Skrawl will get." He looked over at the other Beanie Boys and nodded to them, saying, "Report to Thoughtless. Let him know the Altar Ritual has begun."

Penny watched as the other Beanie Boys left. They flew out of the room rather swiftly. A part of her dimly wondered if this was because they were afraid of what was going to happen here. Most zoners seemed to carry an innate fear of the red chalk. She wondered momentarily why Thoughtless didn't seem afraid, or Cornerstone. Those thoughts were fleeting as she shut her eyes, not caring if her captors saw her cry.

"Oh Penny, Penny... It's not going to be so bad..."

Penny looked at Delta, letting a few tears stroll down her face.

Delta smiled at her. "You will be immortal soon, in a sense. That should make you happy, right?"

Penny didn't bother replying. She just looked downward the best she could, keeping her eyes shut. She didn't want to listen to this zoner anymore. All she wanted was to be alone for a while, to contemplate what happened, to make sense of all of this. She just wanted to be alone. Almost fortunately, Delta seemed to see it that way, too. Almost.

"I will leave you here. It shouldn't take too long, I promise. Oh it will hurt eventually, but then you will feel no more pain. And don't worry, you will have Cornerstone here to keep you company. I'm sure she will be most pleased to help make this process so much easier. And don't worry about what will happen to your body. We have a place for it."

Penny didn't bother looking when she heard the footsteps retreating. She didn't bother opening her eyes when the doors were slammed shut, leaving her in the heavy red glow. All she could do was remain silent, her mind becoming a blank as despair and horror gripped her tightly. Uncaring about Cornerstone being there, no longer able to hold back, she opened her mouth and she began to sob.

sss

Pain and agony..

Darkness and misery...

That's all Rudy could feel at the moment. His world was dark all around. He could see no shapes. He could percieve nothing. He could feel nothing. Well, nothing except the powerful pain in his head, and the crushed emotion that now occupied his mind.

He laid on the ground, not daring to move. He had been a wake for a while, but in that time, he could only see darkness and feel pain, both physical and emotional. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, the emotional pain. He felt as though someone had done him a great injustice, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what that was. Did it have something to do with his head? Maybe if he opened his eyes...

Suddenly he let out a loud scream and clutched where his right eye should be. He could feel something soft there. Something was tied around there. Was this causing the pain? No, it was too soft. He felt nothing sharp in his eye. A previous injury? He removed his hand and stared at the red blood that now clung to his palm. The sight of it caused his mind to flash.

Snap...his corruption..

Penny, who didn't believe him...

The struggle... the fight...

Trying to save Penny...

Penny trying to stop him...

The collision with the shelf and the pain that followed...

Rudy shut his good eye tightly as the horrible memories came flooding back to him. Along with that, a mixture of puzzling emotions. He felt something warm coming out of his left eye and he realized that it was tears. Not just of physical pain, but emotional as well. When he reopened his left eye, he could see that he was...somewhere. But where, he didn't care to think about at the moment.

Penny.. She..she was the one who hurt him... She was the reason he was like this... She was the one who attacked his eye.

No...it was an accident, wasn't it? He vaguely remembered her words. It was an accident. She had only been trying to get him away from Snap. She didn't understand what was really going on. He couldn't blame her for what happened, could he? It was just an accident...

But he couldn't stop the burning, sickening feeling of anger and betrayal from rising up inside of his chest. He couldn't stop the burning sensation from spreading throughout his head, fighting back any positive feeling he had for Penny. The anger was stronger than the happiness, and it soon won out. All he could do now was thinkg bitterly of Penny and hope that she eventually got some karma to strike her for what she did. How could she have betrayed him like this...?

Rudy pushed himself up from the ground. He ignored the pains in his body, from both old and new injuries, and sat himself up. He pressed his back against what he realized was a rocky, cold surface. He turned his left eye upwards towards the ceiling, looking at the pretty rock formations before him. The sight of them was a bit pleasant, and it was enough to start ebbing at his previous anger towards Penny. He lightly shut his eye, feeling some moment of peace amidst his pain.

This was short-lived when he heard footsteps somewhere in the cave. Rudy looked left and right, trying to find the source. The footsteps were a bit far away, but this was of little comfort to him. With his mouth drying, his mind snapping back to full reality, he looked around the room again and he quickly realized where he was.

He was in the Chalk Mine. With a corrupted Biclops not too far away.

But..how did he get here? He didn't recall walking here at any point. He didn't remember trying to seek this place out, and certainly not all by himself. Just..how did he get here? His mind swam rapidly as he struggled to find the answers. Somewhere in his skull, there had to be answers, right? There just had to be an explanation for all of this. He just had to think harder and maybe it would come to him.

Then he could feel a memory coming in from the back of his head. It floated up towards the front of his forehead, pulsating, helping him remember another detail that he had nearly forgotten about. At this realization, his eyes widened.

There was a machine in the room he was in before. He couldn't recall all the details, but he did remember that it was a teleporter. Snap, he was trying to get them in that teleporter, wasn't he? He had succeeded with him. And he was brought here, in the center of the Chalk Mine, no doubt riddled with traps now, since Biclops no longer saw him as a friend. And Penny...she might be in here as well.

He felt a conflicting sensation grip his chest. A part of him felt fear for Penny. He wanted to find her, wherever she might be in here, and help her. He wanted to be there with her, and the two of them could work together to get out of here. They had always made a good team before. Why should this be any different?

But then he froze, and a dark glare moved across his face. Why should he care about Penny? She was the one who half-blinded him. Even if he had a piece of white chalk now, it would be hard for him to draw anything as he no longer had any depth perception. And it was all because of her. He felt his teeth baring as he thought about her, and her traitorous act. He tried to remind himself it was an accident, but those thoughts were banished by his burning anger.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do if he saw Penny in here. Would his rational side win out and help her? Or would he be too consumed by his own anger to even begin to help her? He wasn't sure, and in the moment, frankly, he didn't care. All he wanted to do right now was begin to walk, to traverse through this danger-filled cave, and hope that he found a way out of here and soon.

His biggest concern right now was Biclops. He knew that he had been altered. There was no doubt about that. He remembered their last encounter. The memory still chilled him. He gave a small shudder, trying to push back the image of such a vicious Biclops out of his mind. After so long of seeing Biclops's friendly smile and his gentle disposition, to see him in such a dark state frightened him to his very core. He didn't fancy the idea of running into Biclops deep in the caverns, the tunnels that he didn't know well but Biclops did.

Now on his feet, steadying himself against the wall, Rudy swallowed nervously. He could taste the bitterness in his saliva, and he could feel the fear situated in his stomach, making him want to throw up. He had to force himself to hold it together, reminding himself that he needed to focus on getting out of here. All he had to do was try to find a familiar tunnel and he could probably sneak through the caves without Biclops noticing.

There was something else he realized that caused his eyes to light up. The magic chalk... He could finally get some magic chalk.. All he needed was a single piece and he could finally defend himself. He could subdue Biclops safely, keeping him from hurting anyone, and he could do something about the memotrice, and of course Skrawl.

But before he could, of course he would need to figure a way out of this place. There wasn't much he could do while he was trapped over here, unsure of which direction to go. He didn't recognize this part of the Chalk Mine, which meant that getting out was going to be quite tricky. How was he going to be able to pull this off?

Then he realized, he did have some sort of guide. Biclops's voice just might work. He could finally tell where it was coming from. It wasn't getting any quieter or louder, indicating the giant had at last stopped. If he could just locate Biclops and stay out of his sight, he might be able to find his way out of this place. He could follow the giant until he was near the entrance. After that, all he would have to do was wait until the giant came in, and then he could make his move. Grab some chalk and flee.

With that plan in mind, Rudy began to make his way down through the tunnels. Moving along was a bit slower for his taste, and he couldn't help but wince in pain as he felt the throbbing in his body, strongest in his damaged eye. Trying to walk through here without depth perception was difficult, and the boy found himself using his hands as guidance, allowing him to know just how close he really was to the walls.

But despite the difficulty, he was able to make slow, albeit painful, progress. He kept moving down the tunnels at a steady pace, making his way ever closer to wherever Biclops was. He tried to move quickly yet quietly. He didn't want to lose Biclops's location, but he also didn't want to give himself away. In his state, Biclops could easily get him.

So far, the trip down seemed to be pretty easy. He hadn't had too much difficulty. Even with the pain rattling through his body, making progress around here wasn't too bad, and he was able to keep up the pace. He stared ahead intently, looking for any signs of shadow or traps along the walls and ground. He didn't know if Biclops had any allies in here, but he was not going to take the chance. Rudy occasionally did a full visual sweep of the area, looking for anything that looked dangerous. Even when he was sure he was alone, he was still quite unnerved.

Miraculously, he soon came to a familiar tunnel. He remembered this one, back when Snap had first shown him the red chalk chamber, before they even knew what it was. The memory made Rudy grit his teeth. He wished he hadn't gone into that stupid chamber. If he hadn't, then he and Snap could have avoided that whole mess. But on the positive side, it was that very incident that allowed him to figure out that he was near the front of the mine. He slowed his pacing and continued forward, soon coming to the end of the tunnel that stretched out in large expanse of a room, one that he instantly recognized.

It was the front of the cave, as well as the white chalk chamber. There was no mistaking it. This was the one room he had been in when he first arrived at the mines. He knew this place quite well. As if to confirm, he could see the colorful sparkles that indicated the white chalk's presence. He lifted his head up and stared up at the ceiling, which was decorated with overhanging structures of white chalk.

The sight of them made him smile. He could feel his chest flutter, filling with hope. All he had to do was walk over to one and take a piece of chalk, and he no longer had to fear being defenseless. The chalk was right there, ripe for the taking. All he had to do was walk out there and...

He stopped himself, his eyes going wide. He had nearly forgotten about Biclops. The giant was still present. He could see him off to the side. He looked like he was cooking something. Perhaps some kind of meal or snack most likely. The giant's back was turned to him. There was no indication that Biclops even know that he was there. His two large eyes, hidden from Rudy's view, were focused only on whatever he was cooking. Rudy watched him warily for a few moments before turning his attention to the nearest bunch of white chalk.

It was such a huge risk. He knew that if he messed this up, he was in big trouble. The entrance might not be far, but would he even make it over there before Biclops grabbed onto him? Just how far was he going to get before Biclops's huge strides carried him over? Just how was he going to pull this off?

He couldn't wait too long. He needed to act swiftly. There was no telling if the giant was going to go outside or not. For all he knew, he might come over this way, and then he'd spot him for sure. At least if he grabbed a piece of white chalk, he could try to create some cover for himself so the giant wouldn't notice him. He just had to be quick on the draw with it. A difficult task when he had only one eye, but he still needed to try.

He looked over at Biclops for a few moments and then he turned his head back to the white chalk batch that was close to where he was. Licking his lips nervously, casting aside the pain, he began to make his way over to it slowly, carefully. He made sure that each footstep was a tiptoe. A soft touching of ground, his fingers sliding along the wall silently, his presence creating no noise for Biclops to catch up on. His eyes focused at the batches of white chalk, getting closer and closer to them as he moved along.

Soon he reached the batch of white chalk. He was only a few feet in front of it now. He stared at it intently. The sparkly rainbow bits that bounced off were both exciting and calming to look at. He slowed his pace and took his time getting over there. He knew that he should hurry, but a part of him didn't see the reason. After all, he was right here, wasn't he? Right in front of the chalk. There was no way Biclops could get to him before he grabbed a piece.

Speaking of the giant, he turned his hand and he looked behind him. The giant didn't even seem to know that he was there. A small smile came over the boy's face. He was so close now. He could almost taste it. He turned his attention back to the white chalk. Licking his lips, he reached over, preparing to grab a piece.

But when his hand came to touch it, something unexpected happened.

His hand went through.

Rudy's eyes bulged open. What..? What was going on here..? He tried to reach for the chalk again, only to have his hand move through the pieces of chalk once more. It was a weird, tingly sensation as he moved his hand through the empty space that he could have sword had magic chalk in its presence. He moved his hand around almost frantically, trying to see if he could grab at least one piece of chalk. But try as he might, he just couldn't.

He withdrew his hand and stared at the batch of white chalk. Why couldn't he grab onto any of them? Why was there nothing solid here? He could see the chalk. It was practically beckoning him to grab and pull. But there was...there was nothing there. Just a blank space.

Suddenly a chuckle ripped through the room. Rudy stiffened up, feeling his blood run cold. He knew that voice all too well. The voice that he'd normally be happy to see, but now was terrified of. He looked left and right, hearing Biclops's laughter bounce off the walls.

"You really think it would have been that easy, Rudy Tabootie?" The voice scowled with a mixture of harshness and amusement. "I didn't think it would be this easy. Then again, Snap did design these traps for me. I must say, he did a good job, don't you think?"

As Rudy looked around, trying to undersatnd how the voice could be bouncing this way, he began to notice that everything around him was starting to ripple and shake. His eyes widened as he looked left and right, noticing the imagery around him being to fall down like someone had sprayed it with a water bottle. As it all came down, he soon realized that he wasn't where he thought he was.

He was in a large, dome-like prison.

"The Illusionary Receptors worked surprisingly well." Biclops said. Rudy turned his head and saw that the giant was leaning against the structure, a smug smile on his usually amiable face. "He is quite the genius, smarter than I ever gave him credit for." He could see the questioning look in Rudy's eyes and he pulled his head back, that same smile still on his face. "You were being decieved, Rudy Tabootie. You were being led right into a trap. You fall for it, hook, line, and sinker. I thought you would be tougher than that. I see that I was wrong. A little disappointing, but it does save me the trouble."

Rudy's mind raced as he processed what had happened to him. He looked all around, seeing the thick glass that now encased him, the brilliant lights above him indicating that they could show him anything the giant wanted him do. Including things out of his nightmares. He breathed heavily as he realized this, taking a few steps back. The fact that the room he was trapped in was empty did little to alter his opinion of the situation. He looked back up at the giant, his mouth having dropped open in fear and shock.

"Wh-What are you going to do...?" Rudy found himself whispering softly.

Somehow the giant was able to hear this, and he sneered at Rudy, "Exactly what you deserve." His glare grew colder and harsher. "You've caused enough trouble. I think it's time that you suffered some karma. And I believe I know just where to start..."

Rudy was silent as he watched Biclops go towards a panel that was hooked up to the dome. It was near one of the walls of the cave. The dome was located in what Rudy guessed was one of the largest rooms in the deepest part of the cave tunnels. This dome just barely fit. He didn't pay much attention to that as he watched Biclops press something. He could hear varying clicking sounds and he realized the giant was crunching in a number of some kind.

No. He realized he wasn't a number. It was some kind of command. His eyes widened. Just what was this giant going to do?

"There. It will take a few moments to warm up, but I believe this will keep you entertained for a while, Rudy Tabootie." Biclops said as he took a few steps back, his arms folding against his chset. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to...watch."

Before Rudy knew it, everything around him began to grow bright. He had to shield his left eye from the light, which seemed to penetrate and burn his pupils. He could hear the sounds of whirring and clanging as the device began to create a new scenario for him. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and he took a look around. As soon as he did, he instantly regretted it. His neck hairs raised, a shiver went through his body, and his pupil shrank into a tiny dot, almost invisible on his face.

He was surrounded by zoners from the Night Zone. The zombie zoners who could tear their limbs off with ease. The same zoners that had nearly tried to kill him not so long ago. And there, standing in front of them, gleaming viciously in his direction, was the zoner who led them. White claws glistened in the light as they were raised, a nasty grin spreading across the orange head, glowing yellow eyes staring into his soul.

It was Jacko.

Rudy found himself taking a few steps back. His racing mind remembered what happened during his last encounter. Despite him having defeated Jacko, any confidence he had before was gone. For some reason, all he could feel towards him right now was fear. It was as if the cold icy grip of terror had him by his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't free himself. He couldn't even attempt to run when Jacko, or the illusion of Jacko, started to walk towards him.

"Well, well, well... look what we have there. It's Rudy Tabootie!" Jacko sneered. He looked at Rudy up and down, examining him, before he spread his hands outward. "I knew you would come! I've been hoping that you'd be joining us. We are going to have so much fun...you and I..."

Rudy only gulped and looked up at Jacko with a wide, terrified left eye as Jacko came even closer. He stared at his claws and his mind flashed to when Jacko had tried to use them against him. As they were being raised again, all he could do was watch, his shivering body glued to its spot.

At first, he thought he would feel nothing. After all, this was just an illusion, right? Surely it wouldn't be able to do anything...

Suddenly the claws struck and Rudy let out a cry of pain. The claws passed through his body, leaving behind no mark. But the pain... Oh gawd, the pain... It really felt like Jacko had just ripped into his side with his claws. He knew they would hurt, but he never thought just how badly. He dropped down onto his knees and clutched his side, tears dripping down his face.

"If you think that was painful, Rudy..." Jacko chuckled. "Wait until I target your head!"

The boy forced himself to look up and he stared at Jacko in horror.