Disclaimer: I own Emilia, Jacon, Pryce, Cat, Mitch and Aaron. All the others belong to Team Starkid.
A/N: I'M SORRY IT'S TAKEN SO LONG! I blame myself. Or my Maths teacher, or my History teacher. Or both. ANYWAY, I'M SORRY! It's here now!:D
Song of the chapter: You Me at Six, Little Bit of Truth
"I just lost control, I just wanted you to know, when I'm on my own, I feel invisible
I just lost control
I just needed you to know, when in front of you, I feel invincible."
February looked at Specs. Specs looked back at February.
"It's been nearly half an hour," she said. Specs knew, of course, but it needed to be said or no one was ever going to accept it.
"What's happened to them?" Specs asked. She knew, of course, but it needed to be asked or no one was ever going to be able to bring themselves to think about it.
"I don't know," February replied. Lie.
"In this situation, I would think that the Commander, Krayonder and Bug have been taken captive by Space-Claw. I can only presume, since she has not contacted us, that Lieutenant Taz is in much the same position."
Both girls looked at Mega-girl. They'd known that, of course. Of course though, if Mega-girl had not said it, they'd never have admitted to knowing it.
"What do we do?" Specs questioned.
"Guuuuuuuuys." Tootsie's voice came as a whine from the door to the main system room. February looked at him, she could only see his silhouette in the dim light from the doorway. She couldn't see his face, but she guessed he didn't look happy.
Specs rolled her eyes. "Tootsie, this is not the time," she sighed, turning back to the February.
"Well you kind of need to make it the time," Tootsie responded, his voice sounded worried. Actually, February decided, he sounded a little more than worried.
"Tootsie, be quiet!" Specs scolded, obviously not registering the tone of Tootsie's voice.
Tootsie didn't say another word, instead walking into the room, closing the door behind him and heading towards the back, to the other door that led straight into the engine room. Specs stared after him, annoyance clear on her face. He was meant to be guarding the door. He opened the door and was immediately engulfed in the red light and steam seeping through the door.
"Tootsie, what do you think you're doing?" Mega-girl asked, her metal head tilted to the side.
"I'm sorry, guys, but unless y'all want to become Space-Claw toast you're gonna wanna come over 'ere right now!" Tootsie said. Though his voice still sounded as simple and calm as always, there was an undertone of firmness that made the hair on the back of February's neck stand on end. He never talked like that. The room suddenly illuminated, the door behind February having been swung open. February didn't want to look behind her. She didn't end up having to.
She shrieked slightly and ran straight through the door into the engine room, dodging this way and that away from the lazer beams skimming past her head. Specs shoved her harshly through the door, dragging Mega-girl behind her, whose feet were stomping on the floor much louder than was necessary. February ducked behind one of the machines, screaming as a lazer beam hit one of the panels, sending sparks flying everywhere. Tootsie shoved the door closed, the lazer beams at once dissolving to nothing. He leaned against it with his shoulder, attempting to stop the mass of people forcing through from the other side. Specs went to help him. Tootsies face was clenched together in determination, his teeth gritted. Specs had her back against the door and was clenching her toes into the floor and her fingers into the door. Their feet were sliding on the floor, slowly being pushed away from the door. They weren't going to last much longer, February knew, but she couldn't seem to drag herself from her place behind the machine. She was shaking, her hands seemingly unable to work properly, her body refusing to do as she told it.
"Out of the way, puny human and Tootsie," Mega-girl called out. She pulled Specs away from the door, sending her staggering away out of breath, before pressing two fingers to the lock system, twisting her hand round once. The door immediately appeared to become firmer, the frame stronger. Tootsie instantly fell to the floor, the pressure that had been put on the door now taken away, sending him toppling over uselessly.
February took a deep breath. They were safe. For now, at least. "We got to get going," she decided, climbing to her feet unsteadily, her whole body still feeling just as controllable as a rag doll.
"And where exactly are we going to go?" Specs demanded, looking at February with an agitated expression.
February narrowed her eyes. "We're going to save our friends!"
"Feb, you couldn't barely survive almost getting shot. How are you going to be able to cope with trying to break them out of wherever Space-Claw's put them?" Specs asked, her eyes accusing.
February glared. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I know we're not leaving them!"
"Puny humans, if we do not go now we aren't even going to be able to pick our course of action because we will be captured."
February nodded. "I ain't got a clue what MG just said, but it sounded like she was on my side, so I agree."
There was a crash on the door.
"Come on, Specs," Tootsie whined, his hands held in front of his as he turned, looking around with trepidation. "You're a enginney person. How do we get out of this place? It's spooky. I don't like it!"
Specs rolled her eyes. "Come on, then."
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Specs screeched, her arms working like windmills as she ran down the corridor with all the speed her short legs could muster. The were lazer beams skimming past her, burning little holes in her cloths and occasionally brushing her skin and making it sting like hell. February staggered along beside her, Tootsie and Mega-girl behind them. Specs rounded a corner, her legs burning for a rest that she didn't know when she was going to be able to give it. She sprinted onwards, concentrating instead on the corridor in front of her.
It was a dead end.
Specs nearly died of panic; she stumbled slightly, only just managing to keep her balance.
"Specs, what do we do?" February asked, there was fear in her voice as they all slowed down. February looked at her, her eyes wide and her eyebrows furrowed. Specs could see she was trying to look brave, and despite her best efforts was failing dramatically.
"I don't know," Specs said. She looked around, there was no way out. There were loud footsteps from round the corner and February yelped slightly.
"Specs! What do we do?" she repeated, her voice becoming more frantic.
"I don't know!" Specs cried, spinning and looking around again. Anything, anything would do right now. The slightest bit of hope.
Tootsie saw the desperation in her eyes. "We're doomed, ain't we?" he asked. The calm in his voice made Specs look at him. He looked back, not even appearing phased by the fact they were all probably going to die.
Specs nodded slightly before her head shot to the left, watching the Rangers as they came charging round the corner towards them, their guns held high. They began shooting immediately, making February scream and throw herself into the security of one of the doorframes. Specs did the same, shooting back at the Rangers as she leaned around the doorframe. She looked across the corridor and saw that both Tootsie and Mega-girl had found safety in one just across from her.
Specs leaned round the doorframe again just as she felt a hand grab her upper arm. She shrieked, fear shooting through her body as she turned round and wrenched their grip from her arm. Her gun was raised, ready to shoot.
Pryce gave her a look, shoving the gun aside with his hand and dragging her through the doorframe, quickly propelling her over to Emilia, Cat and Jacon.
"TOOTSIE!" Pryce called, his hands raised to his mouth. Tootsie looked round, clearly puzzled. Pryce shook his head with exasperation and waved his hands around for a bit until Tootsie noticed him. Tootsie's eyes lit up like light bulbs.
He sent Mega-girl over first, just as Pryce had suspected he would. Pryce smiled at Mega-girl slightly as she past, still kind of intimidated by her presence. She rewarded him with a smile that was so strange to see on a robot that Pryce had a hard time not freaking out. Tootsie came next, charging across the corridor and throwing himself at Pryce without even looking where he was going. Pryce caught the younger ranger by the shoulders, steadying him as his legs buckled slightly.
"You've got to get February," he said, sounding slightly breathless. Pryce frowned. "She's too scared to move," Tootsie explained. "I tried to get her to move, but she's too scared."
Pryce grabbed Tootsie's gun off him, realising then that there were footsteps, coming down the corridor. "Keep the door open," he instructed. "And shoot anyone that tries to come in."
"Okay." Tootsie nodded.
And Pryce was gone. He charged out of the door, heading into the corridor and immediately beginning to shoot at the Rangers that were coming down the corridor to the doorway. Pryce ran forwards, shooting wildly. The Rangers looked at him, realising what was going on and beginning to shoot back. By the time they were all shooting, Pryce had already reached February's doorway. The Rangers stopped shooting and were making their way towards the doorway. Pryce leaned back and shot two of the Rangers down before ducking back into the doorway and narrowly missing getting shot in the head. February whimpered.
She was a sorry sight to see. Her mascara was running down her face as she cried, her cheeks becoming nothing more than continuous black streaks. Her hair was messy, like she been clutching at it in her terror, and her blue eyes were looking even bigger than usual. Her fear was undeniably obvious, despite her attempts to hide it.
"Come on!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist and hoisting her to her feet before she even recognised who was coming to save her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, dragging her out of the doorway and meeting the Ranger's gunshot with his own. All the Rangers were coming forwards again, making progress against Pryce and February. Pryce shoved February behind him, pushing her harshly towards where Tootsie had his hands held out to grab her. He did so, pulling February into the room before immediately grabbing the still shooting Pryce by the back of his uniform and dragging him unceremoniously backwards into the room. The Rangers ran forwards, turning to the door just as Pryce slammed his fist into the button. For five seconds, the only sound that filled the air was gunshot and screaming. Then the door was closed.
"Is it working yet?" Taz questioned, pacing back towards the wall, her expression irritable.
Krayonder breathed through his teeth and looked up from the radio and at Taz. "No. For the last time: It. Won't. Work."
"Why not?" Taz demanded, throwing her arms up in the air. "Jou're a mechanic kind of guy! Can't jou make it work?" She gestured a flailing hand towards the radio, her eyes wide with exasperation.
"No! For the millionth time: It doesn't work like that! He's put a lock on the signal down here!"
"Can't jou override the lock?" Taz asked, her voice high.
"NO!"
"WHY NOT?"
"BECAUSE YOU NEED SIGNAL TO OVERRIDE A LOCK! SO WITHOUT SIGNAL, WE CAN'T OVERRIDE A LOCK ON THE SIGNAL AND CAN THEREFORE NOT CALL FOR HELP! SO WE'RE SCREWED!"
"WELL WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE COME UP WITH AN OVERRIDE FOR A LOCK ON A SIGNAL?" Taz screamed. She was glaring at Krayonder like was all his fault, which of course it wasn't, but she had no one but Bug to glare at, and Bug would probably faint if she glared at him. Taz really didn't need the extra hassle of a passed out bug.
"BECAUSE NO ONE'S THAT BLOODY CLEVER, DUDE!"
"DON'T CALL ME DUDE!" Taz looked at the ground, fuming silently. "Can jou not try?" she asked, her voice slightly desperate. She cleared her throat.
"I have tried!" Krayonder protested, leaning his back against the wall and throwing the radio irritably onto the bed in the corner of the room. Bug followed the radio with his eyes as it landed beside him. Taz snatched the radio up immediately. She looked at the screen, taking in the complex series of buttons and option choices. Her expression turned cold. What on Dead-God's earth did any of this mean? She pressed something cautiously with her fingertip. The radio made an angry beeping sound that made Taz yelp slightly and hold the radio away from her, stabbing at the buttons wildly for a few seconds before the beeping died down. She groaned, her eyes glaring at the radio with intensity. She took another glance at the radio, growled, and threw it harshly onto the ground.
"Dude!" Krayonder exclaimed, kneeling and scooping the radio back up. "Don't do that! If this breaks there's no way we can possibly sort it out!"
"I thought jou said jou couldn't sort it out!" Taz accused, glaring at Krayonder her arms folded.
Krayonder looked at her ludicrously. "I CAN'T!"
"JOU MUST BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING!" Taz screamed.
"TAZ, I CAN'T!"
"JOU'VE GOT TO DO SOME-"
"Do you two do anything but argue?"
Both people turned to the orange bug that sat on the bed. The bug's eyes widened ever so slightly, a nervous looking crossing his eyes. Both people were glaring at him, and though Krayonder's glare held nowhere near the sheer ferocity and hatred that Taz's did, he still looked damn scary and together they looked a force enough to commit genocide.
"WHAT DO JOU MEAN?" Taz demanded, her lips pursed. "WE'RE DEBATING, NOT ARGUING!"
"Since when has debating included furious glares and screaming at each other across the room?" Bug questioned.
"SINCE FOREVER!" Taz replied. "GOOD DEAD-GOD, BUG! HAVE JOU NEVER WATCHED A POLITICAL DEBATE?" She glared at him for a second, before her glare softened into a frown when she realised the stupidity of her statement.
Bug rolled his eyes. "Can I see?" he asked.
"I don't think you'll be able to..." Krayonder trailed off when he saw the hard look in Bug's black eyes, and the impatient wavering of his orange claw. Krayonder passed the radio over without further statement.
Both him and Taz watched Bug with interest as he pressed a few buttons. Their faces held a look of discontent and skepticality. Bug pushed a few buttons, his face pinched with concentration. After a few seconds, his eyes widened slightly and handed the radio back to Krayonder. His eyes were glittering with pride.
Krayonder took one look at the radio and threw it violently onto the bed sheets. "HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT, MAN?" he yelled, throwing his arms around and looking like he seriously wanted to throw his arms around the orange bug.
Bug held his hands up in surrender. "I don't know," he said. "That's just always what I used to have to do back on Bug Planet."
"Why did you have to do that?" Krayonder questioned.
Bug's eyes held a glint that could only be described as a smirk. "Not everybody has as good a connection as Mega-girl."
Pryce knelt down beside February; he shot Cat a look and got a glare in return. Why was she making him do this? Did he have to? Well, according to Cat, since he was the one who saved her, yes, he did. They were currently hiding in some storeroom on the other side of the Academy to Jacon's room, having found a way out through the vents and out of reach of Space-Claw's Rangers.
Pryce sighed. "You okay?" he asked cautiously.
February glanced at him. She didn't really look okay. She looked like she was in shock, her hands clasped tightly together under her chin to stop them from shaking. Her eyes were slightly glassy and unfocused.
She smiled at him slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay." Her voice quivered.
"Are you sure?" Pryce asked, frowning. February looked down in time with her little nod. It made Pryce even more certain that she was not okay. "It's okay to be scared, you know," he said slowly, not wanted to offend her.
"I'm fine," she said defiantly. She took her hands away from her chin and immediately put them on them on the floor as they were still shaking. "Just feeling a little…uh…shocked, I guess."
Pryce opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance. There was a beep that suddenly sounded from February's belt, and both people exchanged a look. There expressions were one of recognition.
"February? Specs? Are jou there? Over."
Every person in the room had suddenly gone very quiet.
"Who was that?" Specs asked, her voice suddenly very quiet and equally slow.
"It sounded to me as though that was Lieutenant Taz. Maybe they are not dead as I had originally predicted they would be by now."
"Mega-girl, I know you're trying to help and everything," Specs began, turning to look at the robot. "But shut the hell up!"
"HEY! Don't talk to my wife like that!"
"Tootsie, you can shut up too! I need to think!"
"What's to think about? Shouldn't we be replying to Lieutenant Taz. That seems to be the most sensible option available to us in this situation."
"MEGA-GIRL, WILL YOU-"
"Hey, Taz? Yeah, we're here. Where are you? Over." Specs turned her head and looking at February angrily. February shrugged. "MG made sense, Specs."
"February! Thank dead-god! We're stuck in the cells down below. Jou know, where dey put all the traitors and stuff before they get shipping off to the prison ship? But dat's not important. They've got Up, and dey're torturing him or something! And he's hurt, he got shot. Jou got to save him! Over!"
"Right, Taz, calm down," February began. "Uh…Do you know your cell number? Over."
"Uh…I think it's thirty-something, thirty-three? Or thirty-seven…" She trailed off. "But dat's not important! What are you going to do about Up? Over."
"Do you know where Up is? Over."
"No. But jou've got to find him!" Taz sounded half desperate and half furious. "He's hurt, over!"
"Okay, Taz, not to be insensitive or anything. Promise you won't get annoyed? Over."
"JUST FREAKING GET ON WITH IT, OVER!"
"Uh, okay! Well, is he close to where you are? Can you hear him, like…screaming? Or something? Over…"
There was a pause. It lasted so long that February decided it could no longer be called a pause and that it had, in fact, to be called a 'prolonged silence.' And it was an awkward, and slightly nerve-wracking one too.
"No."
"You forgot to say 'over' then, over."
"I DON'T REALLY THINK DAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW!" Taz toned off.
"Holy shit," Pryce muttered, his eyes wide.
Taz toned back on half a second later. "OVER!"
"Okay Taz, calm down," February said, shaking her head at the radio. "Do you have any idea where they might have taken him?"
"If I knew dat I would have told jou, jou fool!" Taz cried, her voice becoming agitated. She sighed; the sigh was exaggerated by the strength of the radios microphone. "Can jou just please try and find him? We're fine here. Jou can get us after. Just get Up, please…over."
February decided to ask what she'd wanted to since Taz's first radio in. "Okay. Is Bug with you? Over." February felt selfish for asking, but then, Taz was being selfish demanding them to save Up. February figured things like this were what made people selfish.
"Yeah…he's fine…over."
February wanted to ask if she could talk to him, but she decided after a few seconds that that would be going to far. She could talk to Bug later. If they didn't go to save Up now, she would have taken that privilege away from Taz forever.
"Okay, thanks," February said. "Tell him…actually, it doesn't matter. I'll get Up for you, T. Over and out."
Krayonder hit the floor with a crash, his head smacking into the stone, pain spiking through his head and turning his vision blurry. He groaned, unable to control his hands that shot up to his temples in a feeble attempt to stop the oncoming headache.
"Stay there," Mitch growled angrily.
"Where else am I meant to go?" Krayonder questioned from the floor, his hands still on his temples. Mitch threw the radio at his head. Krayonder groaned again and lay back against the floor, convinced that he was about to pass out. His head was pounding, and the cell seemed to spinning around him.
"And don't be so damn cocky," Mitch added. "This teach you for trying to communicate with that radio now won't it?" Krayonder lifted his head and glared at Mitch, wondering why the hell he'd taken the blame for trying to communicate through the radio instead of Taz. Was it really worth this? "You'll be brought in, in a while."
"What for?" Krayonder asked, his head rolling slightly from being held up for so long. He lay it back against the ground.
"We need to see how much you know. Whether we can kill you, or use you."
"I would vote use," Krayonder mumbled, almost incoherently. He shook his head, attempting to shake off the feeling of nausea. "But then, I'd probably just betray you." Krayonder rolled over, lying in his front and refusing to respond to any of Mitch's attempts to annoy him. He didn't even really hear what Mitch was saying; he was too busy having a headache.
He heard the door slam and drearily lifted his head, picking the radio up from beside him. Smashed, just as it had been when Mitch stamped on it, just before he attempted to punch Taz. Again, why Krayonder had chosen to jump in front of that punch he had no idea. He decided right then and there: he was going mad.
Krayonder dragged himself to his feet, staggering over to the bed in the corner and slumping down. He had…how long? He didn't know. However long it was, he doubted it was long enough. They were going to kill him, especially after the comment he'd just made. This meant he had 'a while,' as Mitch put it, to live. How to spend it…? Sat on the bed nursing his banging head? That didn't seem like something Krayonder wanted to do in his last few minutes of aliveness.
So he started singing.
Under normal occasions, Krayonder's music taste was somewhat…rocky. He liked rock, and metal, and on occasion indie. What he began singing, was none of those things, and was certainly not the kind of thing that suited his voice type.
"First I was afraid, I was petrified, kept thinking I could never live without you by my side!" He sang it high, falsetto. He sounded like a little girl, or possibly a dying cat. Either way he didn't sound good, but either way he didn't really care. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he decided he was either in shock or was having a side effect of being punched and smacking his head on the floor.
"I will survive, as long as i know how to love, I know I will stay alive, I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive. I will survive!" Krayonder decided now would be a good moment to stand up and start dancing. He strutted up and down, almost certain that there was some kind of CCTV in the cell. Ah well, they'd just have to enjoy the show. He spun round, jumping up and down and waving his arms like he was in some mosh pit. Those were the good days.
"I used to cry, now I hold my head up high and you see me, somebody new, I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you!" Krayonder began whipping his head, like some kind of idiot and promptly felt so dizzy that he could barely stop himself from walking straight into the wall. He laughed out loud before continuing to sing and prance around and click his fingers.
"I would ask what you're doing, but for some reason I don't think I'd get a sane answer."
Krayonder stopped dead, his head still spinning slightly and his arms still raised. The note fell from his mouth too quickly and came out as a squeak. He turned his head slowly, suddenly feeling more exposed than he had when Specs walked into his room when he was naked. Aaron raised an eyebrow and Krayonder let his arms drop, spinning on his heel and falling back against the wall.
"Hi," he mumbled, steadying himself.
Aaron frowned and shook his head. "Come on." He began to turn.
"Are you going to kill me?" Krayonder tried to stand up and promptly slid to the floor.
"No, I'm no- are you drunk?"
Krayonder looked up, swaying dizzily. "No," he replied. "I am having a side effect of being punched and smacking my head on the floor."
"You have concussion." It was a statement, not a question.
Krayonder didn't care. "Possibly. I like to call it- temporary insanity."
Aaron opened his mouth, then closed it again. Instead of responding he walked over to Krayonder and dragged his almost limp body off the floor. He put his arm around the guy and pulled him towards the door.
Krayonder frowned, looking puzzled. "Where are we going?" he asked. He shot Aaron a glare. "Are you sure you're not going to kill me?"
"I'm positive I'm not going to save you," Aaron said, irritably. "For some ungodly reason I've decided that it would be worth my while to save you're stupid butt- ah shit-" Krayonder had gone limp again just as they were about to cross the doorframe. Aaron pulled him back up harshly. "-can you please stay upright?"
Krayonder ignored him. "Did you knock them out?" he asked, staring at the three guards who were sat hunched over in their seats. They had been playing cards.
"No, I kissed them all and they died."
"Oh."
"Of course I bloody knocked them out!" Aaron cried, looking at Krayonder in horror.
Krayonder blinked. "Chill dude."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go find your mates."
"Mates?"
"Yeah, you know, your friends."
"Why are you helping me?" Krayonder asked suspiciously.
"Would prefer it if I were going to kill you?" Aaron questioned.
Krayonder narrowed his eyes. "No."
Aaron gave him a triumphant look. "Come on."
"Let go of me, I can walk."
"You sure?"
"I'm positive."
Aaron willingly let go of Krayonder's waist and Krayonder promptly fell to his knees and cursed.
"Still sure?" Aaron asked, his eyebrow raised.
"I think I need medicine," Krayonder decided, his hands on the floor. He was looking very pale and looked as though he may be sick.
Aaron sighed and pulled him to his feet again. "Let's go, dude. I'm sure you'll survive." There was a smirk in Aaron's voice. Krayonder growled and glared.
A/N: I hope you liked it :D