N E E D
By DarkHououmon
Chapter 37: Paths
How strange is it if I choose the same direction as you, when you did not even tell me of said direction?.
sss
There it is. Their destination. They had finally reached it. It may have only taken about twenty minutes. But to the worried parents, it felt like it took at least three times longer. It didn't help that the traffic was a little worse than they thought it would be for this hour. Joe had to slam on the brakes at least three times as they tried to get here.
Now at last, after what felt like so long of driving, Joe could see the large, foreboding building in front of him. He narrowed his eyes as they approached it. He remembered this place quite well. This wasn't the first time that he had came here, although his real first time was unwilling. Dr. Von Doktor had just taken them over with no warning. To be fair, he and his wife did kind of agree and they kind of went along willingly. Still, this is the first time he and his wife consciously decided to come here.
The very idea of coming back here was rather unsettling. He couldn't take his mind off of what happened before. He could never forget how the man kept pestering his son for something about 'perpetual motion', which turned out to be a fluke, according to his son. Not that it made him look at his son any less, but he had to admit, he was a little disappointed.
That did not excuse the man's behavior towards him, however. But Joe had thought that it would be rather harmless. He never thought the man would ever go this far. He didn't think that he'd resort to actually kidnapping his son.
His gut twisted when he remembered Dr. Von Doktor's words earlier. He had nearly forgotten about them, and they faded away like an old memory. Now they echoed in his head, repeating the message that Von had given to them earlier. And now, he had wished he heeded it more.
"Oh no... We have barely...begun..."
Why didn't he listen? Why didn't he take that warning more seriously? He was so tempted to just slap himself in the face. He and Mille should have reported that vile man a long time ago. As soon as that man made that rather blatant threat, they should have called the police and have him arrested. Yet they gave the man the benefit of the doubt and had assumed he was just blowing off some hot steam. Oh how foolish they had been...
Well now they were going to correct that. They were going to go inside his building, find his son, his friend, and Mrs. Sanchez and get them out of there. If that evil scientist had harmed them in anyway, they will make sure that they get to the hospital swiftly.
And as for Von... He was going to face jail for a long time. If Joe could, he would make sure the man got sentenced to life in prison. After what he's done, he didn't deserve freedom. He deserved to be locked away. Especially if he had done anything to hurt the people that he cared about.
He knew Milie felt the same way. He could see it in her eyes as they continued to drive towards the building. She was antsy and nervous, and though she never spoke a word, she was wondering what happened to Rudy and if he had gotten hurt. He had done what he could to help her feel better, but he wasn't sure if it was enough. He could see his wife's tears still just barely forming. He knew that if he delivered just the wrong kind of news, that would be it. His wife's mind may shatter under the weight of emotion and she'd break down.
He wouldn't blame her if that happened. It would happen to him too, he was certain. He was doing his best to keep his emotions under control right now. But even now, that was difficult. The emotions were overflowing inside of him. It was getting worse by the second, especially with each new uncomfortable thought of what might be happening to Rudy and the others. If that man harmed them... His eyes narrowed.
Tilly didn't come with. She had stayed back Inez's place with Sophie. Joe wasn't really angry with her for that. She couldn't be blamed for wanting to stay with her daughter, and for not wanting her daughter to go anywhere near that vile person. Joe did not like the idea of having Sophie involved either. It was bad enough he took his son. He didn't want Sophie to come with. But they couldn't leave Sophie all alone either. Yeah, it was best for Tilly to stay home with her daughter. Keep her safe in case that evil man decided to strike back.
Joe still wasn't certain exactly how to feel about Tilly's claims of a chalk world. To him, it was all just a bunch of rubbish, and he was shocked that she would even pick up on Terry's wild tales. He thought no one was stupid enough to fall for her lies and delusions. Well, he did actually think there might be one person. He just never thought it would be his wife's sister.
The idea of sending her to a mental hospital was rather tempting. He was worried that she had suffered an injury recently and that made her more likely to believe such fairy tales. It would also explain why she lost her temper with Rudy and struck him, an act that she never did before and one that still left him with boiling blood. He and his wife did agree that calling the police for that was unnecessary since she had already cleared things up with Rudy. That didn't make him any less angry with her.
But sending her to a mental hospital... That still might be a good option. His wife insisted that they didn't, since whether or not this chalk world was real wasn't important. What they should be paying more attention to was helping Rudy get out of there. Tilly starting to believe in the chalk world was of little concern at this point.
Besides, regardless of this world being real or not, apparently Von now thinks it does, and him believing in it may have driven him to dry to grab recognition, to make up for his ruined reputation which he soiled himself months ago. It didn't matter just how fake this world was, how futile it was to prove its existence. Given Von's behavior, his threat earlier, he had no doubt in his head that he would do whatever it took to gain entrance and to claim the discovery for himself.
Even if it meant kidnapping his son.
There was a screeching sound as the tires of his car hit against the pavement of the driveway. He turned the car around, going into the nearest parking spot. He stopped the car, applying the brakes. He and his wife immediately got out of the car and they began to walk across the dark, hard floor that made up the parking lot of Dr. Von Doktor's place.
He looked up, pulling his head back and seeing just how immense and enormous the building was. It certainly looked a lot bigger closer up. It was so foreboding to look at, especially given the current circumstances. It felt as though the building would swallow them up in some kind of hideous shadow. He ended up freezing at one point, gritting his teeth and pulling his hands together.
"Joe?"
The man looked over and saw his wife staring at him with concern. He stammered, "Oh I-I'm fine..."
"No you're not. I can see you're scared." Millie said, her eyes narrowed softly. She took a few steps towards him. Her expression softened up. "Don't worry. I am, too."
Joe looked at her sympathetically. "Yeah I know..." He sucked a deep breath as he turned his head to the side. "I never thought we'd be back here again." He looked back up at the building. Uncomfortable memories shot through his head. "I wish I didn't have to come to this."
"But it did. I don't want to be here, but this may be where our son is. We needed to get him back. After that..." Millie put a hand on his shoulder. "We will make sure that Von never becomes a problem again."
It felt strange to the man. The fact that it was his wife offering support in an intense, emotional situation. Usually, it was the other way around. Not that he didn't appreciate it. He was grateful for his wife's words. She was right. This may be the last time they'll ever have to set foot in this horrid building. They're here to make a rescue and as soon as that was fulfilled, they can quickly leave, go to the hospital if need be, and then call the police.
Joe swore, Von would never lay a hand on his family again. He would see to that.
"Come on, Millie." Joe said as he turned his gaze towards the wretched building. The only thing that would make this more fitting was if there was a storm with lightning bolts striking the building. "Let's go save our son."
The two adults, the two parents, frowned at each other, their expressions holding the most determination they ever held before. They nodded in mutual understanding, and then they turned to glare at the building. After a few moments, they began to walk towards it, preparing themselves for whatever that man might have in store.
sss
Inez stared down at the unconscious form of Rudy laying on the ground. She watched as he was gently cradled in Penny's arms. Her daughter supported Rudy's body pretty easily, the extra muscle gained from her chores giving her a bit of a boost in strength. His body laid towards her, his shoulders touching her leg, his shoulders and head supported by her arms. Penny was stroking Rudy's face and hair gently, trying to soothe him despite the fact that he was unconscious.
Well not unconscious, but close to it. The tranquilizer given him did make him a lot more docile and tired, yet he hadn't actually fallen asleep yet. At least he wasn't squirming around anymore and it was a lot easier treating him this way.
Inez had done what she could for Rudy's wound. There was little that could be done to cover it outside of using clothing pieces. She and Penny both tore off bits and pieces as was needed. She knew there was a risk of infection, but what could she do? She had little supplies to work with here, and it was either this or they just leave the wound open and raw. And she wasn't about to let that happen. That would have made things worse.
Despite the limitations, she still did her job and treated Rudy the best that she could. The boy did save her life. If he hadn't intervened when he did, she would have gotten far worse than just chemical burns. She owed him her life. Now she was returning the favor. If she didn't do this, then Rudy might end up dying from his injuries.
At least no major blood vessels had been cut. There was bleeding, but it wasn't as much as it would have been had he gotten a major vein sliced open. Thank goodness it wasn't his aorta. That would have led to death in a very short amount of time.
But despite the fact that no major blood vessel was cut, that didn't mean Rudy was save. There were still several vessels sliced and there was plenty of bleeding already. It was under control for the time being. But that didn't even get into the fact that one or more of his organs may have been pierced. Inez wanted to check the damage more thoroughly and see what else could be done. But the equipment just was not available here. Rudy needed to go to a hospital and see if the damage was far worse than it appeared.
Then there was the infection from the nail that used to be present in the wound, the one Von yanked out cruelly. From what little she could see, the nail in Rudy was most definitely rusted. That alone warranted a trip to the hospital. That was going to cause some very serious infection if it wasn't treated fast enough. He might even need a shot or two, depending on what his family doctor recommended. And what if a piece broke off and stayed stuck inside Rudy...? The thought made her stomach lurch in nausea.
Well at least she was able to do what she could and the boy's outlook didn't seem as grim right now. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though. He was going to need a lot more help. If only they could get out of here...
That was still an uncertainty. None of them had figured out exactly how they were going to get out. They hadn't figured out any kind of weakness in his room, or any other escape method that they could use. They were still trapped like wild animals, and this realization made her blood freeze. What if they didn't get out in time? She didn't know how long Rudy had before...before... She didn't want to think about it.
She hoped they would find someway out of here soon. It might take a while, and it would require a lot of thinking. But she was certain there was someway to get out of here. A method that none of them thought of or were prepared for. Even if it meant going through the ventilation system, they...
Wait...that could be it. The woman's eyes widened in realization. Ignoring the chattering from Penny and the...zoners as she calls them, she turned her attention towards the far corner of the room. She could see a shaft covered up by a latch. A ventilation pipe that she knew was going to be part of a whole system. Maybe, if it was large enough, they might be able to squeeze through.
But what about Rudy? It would be difficult to move him in his condition. She didn't know how long the drug was going to work. At any moment, the boy could fully regain his senses, his mind, and he may start to freak out again. That was not something that he needed, given his wound. She thought about giving him another dosage, but that might make things worse.
No, the only way they were going to get out using the vents was if they moved now. The sooner they got a move on, the quicker they would be able to get out. It didn't matter where the vents led. So long as they landed in a room with an open door, they should be fine. It would only be a matter of time before they would find one of the doors leading to the outside. From there, they could try to find their way back to the hospital. That shouldn't be too hard. They weren't that far out, she didn't think.
She clenched her teeth as she looked down towards Rudy again. She watched as he pressed his head against Penny, looking so content thanks to the tranquilizer. She watched her daughter's worried expression as she spoke to him, and tried to strategize with her zoner pals. Snap, Rapsheeba, and Howdy, if she remembered their names right, were all arguing on a way to get out. So far, none of them came to a conclusion.
Well now was time to end that. They needed to get out of here fast. And if the ventilation system was the only way... Then so be it.
"Penny." Inez said as she got up from the ground. Her daughter looked up at her, falling silent as she waited for her to speak. "I think I know a way out of here, but it's going to be risky."
"I wonder if it's going to be as risky as Howdy's plan." Snap said, glaring softly at the puppet.
Howdy snarled back. "Well at least I had a plan!"
"Not a very good one!" Snap shouted.
Rapsheeba quickly got between them. "Enough, you two! We don't need this right now!" The female zoner glare at the two of them harshly, her lip curled up briefly in a snarl. "This isn't helping!" She turned her attention to Inez. "I apologize. What was your plan?"
Snap and Howdy stared at each other sadly for a moment. Then they turned their heads away from each other, folding their arms and snorted. Inez sighed. She hoped they didn't remain bitter at one another like this for long. They were going to need quite cooperation from everyone for this to work.
"I was thinking the ventilation shaft." Inez said.
"What?!" Snap spluttered. His eye were wide in shock. "But that was Howdy's plan! You can't be serious! Why are you taking his side?!"
"Oh I am serious." Inez didn't know that Howdy and Snap were arguing about the ventilation system, but that didn't matter right now. She stared at Snap sternly and said, "It's our only shot out of here. I'm not saying it won't be risky. But it's better than staying here. Unless you want to wait around for Von to let us out, if he ever bothers to do that."
"I..." Snap's voice trailed off.
Howdy gave him a smirk. "See? I told you."
Snap shot a glare at him. But he remained silent. He closed his eyes, lowered his head and sighed in defeat. "All right then..." He looked up at Inez. "How do you propose we go about this?"
"I won't lie. It will most likely be hard as heck. But it's all we have." Inez looked over at the ventilation opening. "We will need some kind of stacking over there so we can get up. We will need to work together on this. But I'm sure that we can..."
"But what if it's too high?" Snap asked. He folded his arms against his chest. "Not to mention, too slippery. I mean, we zoners can get up there just fine. 2D powers and all." He moved his hand in gesture a few times. Then he motioned to Inez. "But what about you?"
"We could use our 2D powers to help them." Suggested Howdy.
"Yeah, that could work!" Rapsheeba said. "We can get on the sides of the shaft and stick out our hands to provide support. We can gradually work our way up and we can get them to the top."
"Hmm yeah..." Snap rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That could work..."
"Yeah, but how do we go about getting him up?" Penny looked down at the sleepy Rudy's face. The boy stirred in her arms and let out a soft groan. "He might be tranquilized, but he's still going to need some help going up. We can't just drag him up like a sack of potatoes."
Rapsheeba rubbed her chin thoughtfully at this. "Well...we could see if there's any rope around here. Maybe we can find something that could help?" She suggested.
Howdy immediately zipped towards one part of the room. "I'm on it!"
"Hey! Wait for me!" Snap followed suit.
Inez watched as the two smallest zoners raced together and began to search the room for any items they could use. While they did that, she turned her attention back to Penny and Rapsheeba. "We need to talk further about how we are going to do this. You are right, Penny. We're going to need to be very careful." She looked down at Rudy sadly. "We can't afford to let Rudy bang against the walls of the vents. We can't let the wounds reopen."
Penny flinched at this and Rapsheeba looked at her worriedly. Both of them stared down at Rudy. The boy, of course, did not respond. He was unaware of what was going on and what kind of trouble he was in. Inez stared down at him sympathetically, knowing that his life wasn't out of the woods yet. There was still a lot more that needed to be done. There was still a ton of work they still had to do.
"Do any of you two have any ideas?" Inez asked, turning her gaze to Rapsheeba and Penny.
Penny frowned as she lowered her head. Inez waited, giving her daughter time to speak. She knew that look on her face. She was in deep thought. Inez trusted that her daughter would be able to come up with a response. She was a smart girl after all.
While her daughter continued to think, Inez let her mind wander a little. She wondered how they were going to stop Von. Could they simply report him and have the police arrest him? Or did that mad man have some kind of backup? If he was in ChalkZone and he could draw whatever he wanted, could he create somethign to help save his sleazy ass from prison?
She narrowed her eyes softly as she tilted her head upwards thoughtfully. They were going to need some kind of plan. They were going to need some method of proving what this man had done, and without exposing his chalk world that Penny and Rudy both seemed so fond of.
She knew the dangers of exposing ChalkZone. Not just simply for that world, but for the Real World as well. For obvious reasons, she had more worry for the Real World. The thought of monsters, unimaginable, horrifying, logic-defying monsters, coming into the Real World was just terrifying. And the idea of creating any kind of weaponry and bringing in over here... Unthinkable.
Her thoughts focused back on Dr. Von Doktor. She narrowed her eyes. She didn't know how, but she would make sure he paid for everything that he did. He would not get away with trying to kill her, kidnapping them, hurting Rudy, threatening her daughter...
"I think I figured something out." Penny said, breaking Inez from her thoughts. "I'm not sure how well it will work, though."
Inez knelt down beside her daughter. "I'm sure whatever you thought of is fine." She placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Go on, tell me."
Penny hesitated for a moment. Then she said, "Okay. This is what I had in mind..."
sss
Such a pounding headache... When was it going to end? It had been going on for the past hour, ever since she woke up. It still would not go away.
Ms. Tweezer had tried whatever she could to dull the pain. She had taken some of her strongest painkillers, but they didn't seem to be doing much for her. They only worked a tiny bit; most of the pain still pounded through her head like it was a fucking drumset. She gripped her head and let out a groan. She had never gotten a headache this bad since...that day...
She didn't know how this happened. She didn't remember falling asleep on the couch, or leaving her bedroom door partially open, or anything like that. There was no sign of an intruder and nothing was stolen. The only thing that was out of place was her insufferable headache. Oh why won't it go away?
She wished she knew why the medications weren't working all that well. She wished she knew how all of this happened. She haded being in the dark, especially when it comes to herself.
Well there was nothing she could really do about it. Maybe she was just really tired today and went to bed early and just forgot. No, that didn't seem to be like her. She can't honestly recall anytime when she would be like that. Even during her...mental relapse at the hands of that boy, she never got symptoms like this. She didn't get tired and fall asleep and then just...forget. Maybe some people d that. But not her. It just wasn't something she could imagine herself doing. Some would say she was being arrogant. She would say she was just being truthful.
Well enough about that. She needed to relax her mind. Maybe that's what was causing her headache. She was just thinking a little too hard. She stretched out her arms and legs and gave a soft yawn. Maybe some television can help her out. Watching her favorite documentary might help calm her down and soothe her mind.
She could put on one of her favorite documentary marathons. She remembered watching it nonstop for a few days months ago after the incident with Rudy. She still remembered how shaken up she was. Watching the marathon did play a part in soothing her mind. The unreal may have left her mind a mess, but at least that was over and she didn't have to worry about it again.
She sat down on the couch in her living room. She leaned back against the soft piece off furniture, taking in a deep breath and sighing. She lifted up the remote and turned on the TV. She began to flip through the channels, hoping that she would find the documentary playing today.
Something caught her eye halfway through her channel surfing. She caught a glimpse of something familiar. She backtracked, reversing by a couple of channels.
It was the local news. She wasn't sure why anything on here caught her interest. She didn't watch the news too much. It was often riddled with the unreal. Exaggerated drama, even the real bits were often nonsense too. Dedicating a manhole... What rubbish.
But wait, there she saw it again. That red hair, that green outfit.. Could it be...? Yeah it was. Terry Bouffant. She remembered her from months back. Her lip curled up in a snarl as she remembered what that foul woman had tried to do. She couldn't decide which one was worse. Her or Rudy. It was bad enough that the children were spewing nonsense. But a full frown woman? Terry should be ashamed of herself.
Terry had ranted on and on about some fabled chalk world. Ms. Tweezer scoffed at the idea. This was the kind of rubbish she would imagine a rapscallion like Rudy to come up with. Not a full grown woman like Terry. She wondered if Rudy had a hand in that. Maybe he pulled some 'harmless' prank and now Terry thinks that whatever happened was real.
Ms. Tweezer would have loved to help that woman. But alas, it might be too late for Terry. Kids, she could try to save. But there was a saying. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. She could try to teach Terry all she wanted to, but her mind was already poisoned, predispositioned to the unreal. There was no hope for her now.
Something seemed...different about her today, thoug. It was then that she realized that Terry wasn't even at some manhole or with somebody off the streeth. She was in a hospital and she was... wearing a pair of dark sunglasses...?
Ms. Tweezer blinked a few times. Why was Terry wearing those glasses? Was this some kind of fashion change? Rather strange, but she wouldn't judge. At least it wasn't something unreal or out of the ordinary. But no..that didn't seem very possible. The dark glasses combined with the whole hospital schtick told her somethign else was going on. Ms. Tweezer felt her body stiffen up at the one possibility that had crossed her mind.
She had been attacked.
Ms. Tweezer clenched her teeth. She hoped that wasn't what happened. She hoped that this usually peaceful town didn't see such a horrible attack. No, it couldn't be possible. Plainsville almost never saw such serious crimes. It was quite a peaceful little town. It didn't make sense for... Why was this happening now?
She watched in stunned silence as Terry began to explain what happened to her. Ms. Tweezer's thumping mind didn't hear most of what she said. The only details that came out were the bits about her getting hurt. Being slashed on both eyes, having a chemical poured into them. She was certain that she was also explaining who did this to her, but alas, that was one of the bits that she didn't really hear. Her mind had already figured out the solution, and it was not willing to let her sway from it.
It was that boy... She was certain that he had something to do with this. She wasn't entirely sure how, and she would admit on some level it didn't make too much sense. But...what else could it be? Rudy had been in cahoots with the unreal for a long time. All children were. She knew it was just a matter of time before all that unreal stuff would drive the children insane, and then they would...
Her eyes widened in horror. Oh no.. How many children were affected by this? She hoped it was just Rudy. He could be easily apprehended. But the others... If there were any others, how would she or anyone else be able tos top them? She didn't know who else might be involved, where they were, or how dangerous they were.
Well there had to be some way. As she watched Terry recount what happened, her mind continued to echo with several thoughts, each one worse than the last one. The unreal was getting stronger, and she needed to do something about it. If she didn't, it could spread. Who knows what will happen if it did? Ms. Tweezer was horrified with the prospect of such a plague spreading through the city.
The city needed a strong-willed, down-to-earth person to lead them now. They needed someone who can discern from the unreal and what actually exists. With her knowledge, she would be able to lead everyone elset o safety. She could restore sanity before it was too late.
But she would not be able to do much just laying around here. She needed to get going now. She got up from her couch and left the living room. She immediately went to work. She hoped that she wasn't going to be too late.
sss
"Joe..I don't like this place..." Millie whispered softly. They hadn't walked in the building for five minutes before she had tensed up. "It just...doesn't feel right..."
"I know. But we've got to keep moving. We've come this far." Said Joe.
Millie knew her husband was right. They couldn't just turn away now. Not after they came all the way here to help their son. If he was in trouble, if that evil man had taken him... There was really no choice. It was either this or they condemn their son to whatever fate the man had in store for him. True, they didn't even know if the man had taken him at all. But could they really take that chance? Where else could he be? For him and the others to just suddenly disappear...
Millie regretted not turning the vile man in when she had the chance. She and Joe would have had grounds to call the police after the man practically threatened their son. Yet they foolishly didn't take it. She never thought that Von would go this far. She wondered if her husband felt just as foolish.
As upset and confused as she was with Tilly, she was glad that her sister spoke up. It was her sister that alerted them to this possibility. Without her, they'd have no leads at all. Even if this turned out to be nothing, a dead end chase, at least it was something for them to work from. Tilly had also given them another possible lead, and that was Terry Bouffant, the reporter.
She had never had much of a problem with Terry in the past. She just seemed like any other reporter. At most, just annoying. She and Joe rarely had anything negative or positive to say about her, and the times they did interact, they got along mostly well.
She never thought that Terry disliked her son so much. Even though Tilly was the one who told her, one of the people she'd trust so much, she wasn't sure how much she should believe this. Tilly was talking about some chalk world just like Terry did. How truthful was she being this time? And even if she were being honest, she couldn't fathom any reason for Terry to hate her son. It wasn't like the boy had ever interacted with her in the past. This hatred seemed to have sprung out of nowhere.
Tilly did try to explain the best she could. She said that Rudy and Penny both knew of this chalk world and Terry knew that they had the knowledge. She had wanted them to spill the beans on it and apparently had been pestering them for a while. While Millie didn't want to think that Terry would be like this, but if she were desperate enough, was it possible that she could have taken Rudy?
She shook the thought out of her head. She didn't want to end up accusing every strange person of such an act. That would not only be unwise, but it would not bring them any closer to finding Rudy. For now, they will search Dr. Von Doktor's place. Hopefully something will turn up here.
But so far, nothing. As she and her husband moved down the hallways, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well aside from the fact that the building was strangely unlocked. Perhaps Von just forgot? He had lost most or all of his help ever since that incident a few months ago. He still had enough money to keep the building, but that didn't mean that everything was going to be on the up and up. If he didn't forget, then the locks might be broken. Not much of a concern; there probably wasn't too much here people wanted to steal. After all, how many people would want to take something that once belonged to a madman?
Okay so maybe there were a few people like that. Still, that didn't stop her from considering that being one of the possibilities.
She stopped when her husband suddenly halted his walking. He narrowed his eyes as he looked from the left and then to the right. There was a look of concern on his face. Millie bit her lip, wondering what he might have taken notice of.
"Do you hear that?"
Millie took a moment to look around the hallway. All she could see were white walls and floors, a few signs on the walls. Nothing unusual. The hallway did arch to the left up ahead. She stared at it long and hard, her pupils focusing on the corners and the blocky shadows that formed on them. She looked at some of the open doors of the hallway, trying to see if any of them were moving or if there were any shadows, no matter how subtle.
But no, nothing. It was quiet in here. It felt as though the whole place had been abandoned for a long time. There was little here to even suggest that Von still came here. If it weren't for the fact that she had seen him come in here before two weeks ago, she would have thought he left this place to right.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't hear anything."
Joe narrowed his eyes. "Exactly."
Millie blinked a few times. "What?"
Joe looked around cautiously. His body looked more tense than usual. "Where is the alarm? Why didn't it go off?" He clenched his teeth, hunching his back slightly as if he were expecting some kind of death trap to spring on them at any given moment. "Did this guy have his security system disabled or something?"
Millie froze at this. She looked around the hallways again. Joe was right. The security system didn't appear to have gone off. That did seem rather strange and out of the ordinary. It didn't seem like Von to not at least have a security system in place. Well he did leave the place unlocked. Maybe he just didn't bother with a security system?
No, that made no sense. The security system was already in place before. Losing all his workers wouldn't make Von suddenly tear down his security system. It had to be still in place, still active. Maybe she and her husband were just lucky enough to not have tripped it? That didn't seem like it made a lot of sense, but it was the only thing she could think of. But if they simply hadn't tripped the alarm, then how long did they have before something...
She and her husband pressed on. Despite their newfound reservations about coming here, they still had to get a move on. They were nervous about trying to go back. What if they slipped up and they hit something to activate the alarm? What if they accidentally get themselves trapped? Von could easily sue their asses for trespassing. That would be the one advantage Von would gain from them coming here.
The longer they stayed in here, the more the atmosphere started to weigh down on them. The various smells, the smooth white walls everywhere, the familiar plaques on the walls, just everything about this place reminded them of the last time they were here. Back then, it hadn't been a problem. But now, as they snuck through the building, hoping to find any sign of their boy, this place felt as foreboding as a haunted ship.
Suddenly, as they made a turn, they slammed against something. It was solid and hard. They let out yelps of pain and stumbled back. They shook their heads and looked at what they had run into. They blinked a few times, confused. Just what was this?
What was a wall doing here? And why did it look so out of place compared to the rest of the hallway? It looked almost like someone had taken a silver shield and glued it in place to make it look fancier.
But this wasn't right. Millie narrowed her eyes slightly. She remembered passing by a map earlier. She might not have the exact greatest memory of the world. But she was still good enough to know that this hallway should lead somewhere, not to a dead end. A give away was how there was a curve here, and even with the shield in place, she could still see that there was a bit of an edge sticking out.
This edge protruding like that didn't make any sense architectural-wise. It was almost as if the builders were going to put in a hallway here, but got lazy and stopped for whatever reason and just hastily covered up the hole. That wasn't something she would expect any professional builder to do, however. So something else was going on. And they were going to find out what it was.
Joe walked over towards the unusual wall. He looked at it up and down. He reached over and touched it. Then he formed a fist with his hand and struck against the wall. Millie winced at the sound that it was short-lived. Joe turned to look at her.
"It's quite hollow." He said.
She tilted her head at this. "Hollow? Are you sure?"
Joe nodded his head. "I struck it hard enough to tell." He turned his head back towards the wall. "It looks like it slides in from the top."
Millie took a step closer. She looked up towards the ceiling. It was hard to tell, but when she turned her head at the right angle, she suddenly took notice of how there appeared to be a tiny sliver of space there. The wall wobbled slightly, further suggesting that it wasn't originally a part of the wall when it was first constructed.
But why would it be like this? Why would the building be designed this way? It didn't make any sense to her. She and Joe didn't notice anything like this the last time they were here. Why would..
Something came to her mind. Turning her attention to her husband, she said, "Do you think this is a part of his security system? Maybe he changed stuff around?"
Joe hissed at this. "I suppose it's possible. But why would the doors still be unlocked?"
Millie frowned at this, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, is it possible that this place is in such poor condition in some areas, that the power simply doesn't work?"
"That could be. Maybe the door we went through simply didn't have any power running it to keep it locked. Dr. Von Doktor did have those fancy locks, right?" Joe replied.
Millie nodded her head. "Yeah I remember them. They needed a secret code to get through. I guess Von just didn't want to spend the money on some more conventional locks."
"Yeah, seems so." Joe said.
With that question out of way, it appeared to only bring more. Several questions swirled through the woman's mind as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Why did Von get a new security system instead of using the old one? Why install walls like these? How much did it all cost him? Did he really think that this would be a better idea as opposed to simple lock and sensor mechanisms? Just how did he think was going to break in here that they'd require thick wall shields to trap them?
One thing that she and her husband realized was that it was going to be a lot harder getting to their son now. How would they be able to find him if many of the hallways were blocked? They could still search the areas without power, but she had a feeling they would be rather small and fragmented, disconnected from one another. How would they be able to get to a new dispowered area to keep looking? What were they going to do if Rudy really was here and they couldn't reach him because of some stupid sheet of metal?
Well they weren't going to give up. Rudy needed them now more than ever. It would be wrong to just turn their backs on him now. If he was here, they needed to find him and get him out. Same with Inez and her daughter, Penny. There had to be someway that they could...
Joe's eyes were facing towards the ceiling. She noticed a particular expression on them. She frowned, tilting her head to one side. "Joe...? What is it?"
Joe simply said, "I think I know what we can do."
"Really? What is it?" Millie asked.
Joe responded by pointing upwards. Millie pulled her head back, her eyes tracing upwards as she followed his pointer finger. It didn't take her long before she spotted exactly what her husband had in mind.
The ventilation system.
sss
Penny couldn't believe she had been so stupid earlier. Despite her mother reassuring her that they had all made the mistake, Penny still felt she should have been more vigilant. If anyone was to keep track of this stuff, she should have been the one. If she couldn't even keep track of rather important details, how was she going to help Rudy or anyone else?
She attributed to her forgetting to the chaos that was going on around her. It was hard to keep track of all the details, what with Rudy being badly hurt, several zoners being killed, being strapped to that awful machine, among other things. Her mother did say it was undersandable that they'd all forget some details. That still didn't stop her from feeling guilty, though.
She wasn't going to let that get her down, however. She was shaken, but she was still pushing herself forward. She couldn't just stay in one spot. They simply didn't have the time for that. They needed to keep moving. If they hurried, then they might be able to get out of here and have a chance at getting out.
Provided that she remembered about the security system...
Penny had to remind herself so she wouldn't forget again. Dr. Von Doktor had activated his security system earlier to ensure that they wouldn't be able to get out. All exits were blocked, or so Von said. Penny wasn't sure how accurate this claim was, or if he was even being truthful. There might be some areas without power. Not all this building was in tip top shape, she was certain. They just needed to find the correct path.
But would that path even lead them to freedom? Or would they end up in circles? Or would they end up in a much worse situation? It was possible and she knew she couldn't dismiss it entirely. That would only make things worse.
Penny did her best to focus on the task before her. She grunted as she continued to move through the ventilation system. The smell was pretty bad, worse than she imagined it would be, and the metal was so cold it felt as if it was going to burn her skin. She did her best to ignore it as she crawled through. She constantly thrusted her hands forward to pull herself through the tunnel.
Her mother was in front of her. She was leading the way. As the adult, she felt responsible for their safety, so she took charge on deciding the direction. Penny didn't try to argue. Her mom might know a thing or two about architect that she wasn't aware of.
Behind her, she could hear the sliding of her friends. After Snap, Rapsheeba, and Howdy had helped them up the shaft initially, they remained in their 2D forms so they could follow at a steady pace and not worry about getting in the way. Penny felt a pang of jealousy. She never thought she'd see the day that she would want to be able to turn into a flat cutout. Well at least they were able to make some progress and sticking to the pipes meant that they wouldn't fall over so easily, so at least they'd be safe if something happened.
She clenched her teeth. She hoped nothing would happen. She hoped that her mother chose the right path and that this ventilation system was stable. She didn't want to think what would happen if they fell. Rudy didn't need more injuries than he already had.
As she crawled, her knees and shins scraping along the ground, she lifted up her head and looked out towards Rudy. He was strapped on her mother's back. They had found the right material for such a job. It looked pretty crude, but it was affective and it was working.
Tying Rudy to someone was her idea. It wasn't her best idea. She felt she could have come up with something even better. But for what it was, it appeared to be working. Having Rudy strapped to her mother enabled moving him without jostling him around too much. Her mother was capable of moving quite gently when she needed to, while still keeping up the speed. It also freed her mother's hands so she didn't have to hold him and try to crawl without arms. She couldn't begin to imagine how her mom would be able to pull that off.
The ventilation system had pretty high ceilings as well. Penny was surprised by their structure. This gave her mother more room to manuever and lessened the chance of Rudy getting hit even more so. Penny felt a sense of relief about this. She was worried that, even with her plan, Rudy would have gotten unnecessarily hurt. She was glad when that wasn't the case.
"How long is it going to be?" Snap asked, breaking the silence. "We've been moving along here for a while. Any sign of an end?"
Penny took a moment to look left and right. All she could see was the same silvery color of the metal pipes, but no places for them to turn off into. Other than that, the only other thing she could detect was the smell being stronger in certain places. She wanted to plug her nose. Just what were these smells?
Possibly related to Von's stuff, she was sure. Chemicals, perhaps. Some might have been recently used and Von didn't bother using the ventilation system more efficiently.
"No. Sorry, Snap." Penny replied. "It's hard to see too much in here. It's not like there's any map."
"Well there should be!" Snap cried out. "Are you sure there weren't, you know, plans or something?"
"There might have been, but they weren't in the room, Snap. We will just have to make do with what we have right now." Penny heard her mom say.
"But there has to be something that..." Snap started to say.
"Snap, she said there wasn't much we can do. So just drop it!" Rapsheeba snapped at him. Snap stared at her in surprise. She sighed and said, "Look, Snap, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. We just need to keep moving and..."
Penny tuned out the two zoners as her mind began to wander. She thought about what Snap said. Perhaps there was some kind of method they could use to figure out if there's any paths up here that they could take. Maybe if she could find some kind of crack, one of the zoners could slip through and search around. Then they could come back and report and then they could...
Wait, what if the zoners got lost? Or hurt? What if they slipped through somewhere and they end up captured by that awful man? Or gotten outside somehow and spotted by another human? They were at least human enough, but..what if someone notices something...off about them?
Penny was interrupted from her thoughts when she pushed up against her mother. She let out a grunt and shook her head. She pushed herself back. She could hear the sound of the zoners stopping behind her, despite them being in their flat modes. She stared out at her mother in confusion, wondering why she had stopped like that. Did she see something of great importance?
"Mom? What is..."
"Shhh!" Her mother held up a hand. Penny pressed her lips together as she kept her mouth shut. Her mother turned her head from one side to the other. Her mouth was partially open, a soft frown on her face. "Do any of you hear that?"
Penny blinked a few times. She turned her head and tried to listen to whatever had caught her mother's eye, or rather, ear. But no matter how much she tried to listen, nothing was coming up. It was just...silent. Well except for her and everyone she was with, of course. So what could her mother be talking about?
"I...don't think there's anything here." Howdy said softly. "Maybe you're just..."
"I know I heard something!" Penny's mom hissed. Not out of anger, but out...Penny wasn't sure what emotion it was. Determination perhaps? She turned her head to the right and held it there. She narrowed her eyes further. "Something is coming this way..."
Penny wasn't sure what her mom could be talking about. She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She could hear breathing mostly, maybe a grunt or two. Rudy wasn't entirely quiet either, but her mom couldn't be talking about him. But...what was her mother talking about if that were the case? What had her worked up?
The way her mom's eyes looked, the expression on her face... Yeah something definitely had her mom worked up. But what was it? What was causing the tension? Why did her mom look as if she were going to tell them to run at any second?
Suddenly, Penny's body jolted when she heard a loud scrape. It irritated her ears and she lowered her head, trying to cope with it. Thankfully it was shortlived. But even after it was over, she still didn't feel much better. She quickly realized that her mother was right. There was something going on here. There was someone else in the pipes...
Her eyes bulged at this. "Do you think it's...him?" She asked her mother, her voice barely a whisper. She heard the soft gasps from the zoners behind her. She could only imagine what their expressions look like right now.
Her mother kept staring to the right. Her eyes were narrowed softly, her lips pressed against each other tightly as she was in deep thought. She narrowed her eyes a little further, giving off a soft 'hmm' sound. "I don't think so. I don't see why he would come through the ventilation system."
"He might be trying to bypass his own security system." Rapsheeba suggested.
"True, but if he set this up, then he would know the weaknesses and how to get around them. After all, what person would set up a security system if they didn't know the ins and outs of it just in case?" Penny's mom said.
Penny wasn't entirely sure of that. Von might have hastily put it together and didn't read the memo. He might not be fully aware of how to get through his own activated system, or if there was even a way.
She could see him tearing through the paper-like walls that covered up the doors, but that would only lead him into another room. She wasn't sure if there could be any kind of secret passage through the blocked off areas themselves. Maybe Von did know, but how he's acted rashly so far, she wasn't going to hold out for it. She still thought it was possible that he was trying to get through using the ventilation system.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's someone else." Her mother's voice cut through the air. "We have to be careful. Until we find out who it is, we can't take any chances."
"Should one of us go and find out?" Snap offered. "One of us could slip through the cracks and..."
"No, it's too dangerous." Penny quickly said, cutting off her friend. She turned her head and stared over at Snap. "You might get lost, or hurt. It's better if we stick together."
"But Penny..." Snap stared at her, his expression softening up in worry. "If we're all together and if this person means business, what if he or she manages to trap us? It's easier to catch all of us if we're in the same spot."
"He has a point. It might be a safer bet if we send one of ourselves through any opening and try to find the source of the sound." Howdy said, nodding his head in agreement.
Rapsheeba nodded her head as well. "I'm sure we can..."
Her voice was cut off when, without warning, there was another creak. This time, unlike the other one, was from right underneath them. They all looked at each other in confusion, wondering what this meant. Then there was a sudden jerk, and the ground they were on suddenly became slanted. They let out a surprised cry as they struggled to keep themselves from falling.
The surprise jerk caused the three zoners to go back into their 3D forms. They laid on top of each other, groaning in pain. More creaking and more jerking, and soon they were all pushed up against each other. Penny felt pressure on her limbs and back and her arm was pulled out behind her. She couldn't keep track of who was where, who was touching her, who she was pushed up against. She gritted her teeth and struggled to get herself free. It was useless and all she could do was end up getting smooshed further against them as the structure they were on began to give way.
And then it snapped.
She and the others let out screams as they fell down from the pipe. They crashed against some of the internal structures of the wall, being flung from side to side. Penny yelped as she felt herself hit against something sharp, and she heard the others cry out in pain as well. Her head struck something hard, causing an ache to spread through it. She didn't have time to react to that as her shoulder hit against something. She knew it was going to bruise.
They hit against another pipe, this one breaking under their weight and allowing them to fall through. They all laid in a pile, panting heavily from their long drop. They looked at one another, smiling softly in great relief that it was all over.
But it would seem they thought too soon. The pipe they were in began to bend to the whim of their own weight. They dug their fingers against the ground as they struggled to prevent themselves from sliding. However all attempts failed miserably, and as the pipe began to tilt in a diagonal fashion, their bodies began to slide downward.
Penny clutched the pipe, ignoring the loud, annoying screech of her fingernails. She tried in vain to stop herself, her mother trying the same thing. Her ears were irritated from the screeches both their nails' produced, and it felt as though it was going to explode. But there was nothing she could do about that. Despite their best efforts, their attempts at stopping didn't work and they just kept rolling down the slanted pipe.
Soon, they reached the exit. Penny let out a yelp when she rolled through, a sharp tip of the pipe cutting into her. She rolled across the ground, tumbling across the floor painfully. She soon rolled to a stop, laying down on her stomach. She let out a soft groan, pushing herself onto her hands and shaking her head.
That was some fall. She wondered where they were now. How far had they fallen? And just where did they end up? As the others groaned and picked themselves up, Penny took a moment to look around, turning her head left and right.
It was difficult to see where they were. It was very dark here. She could make out some shapes, but not enough to determine their expact location. Maybe they were in the basement, or in some lower floor. They were still inside the building. That much she knew; she would recognize this smell anywhere. But the overall shape... She hadn't been here before, not even when she helped Rudy out of here a few months ago. It didn't look like any room she had been in before.
Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered about Rudy. She swiveled her head and looked down at where her mother and Rudy were. Her mother was laying on her stomach, gritting her teeth and groaning. She could see a cut on her mom's arm. Unlike her zoner friends, her mother did not escape the fall unscathed.
Rudy, thankfully, looked fine. He might have gotten hit a few times when dropping down, but other than that, he appeared to be okay. She let out a sigh of relief, smiling momentarily at Rudy before worry and concern caused replaced the expression. She knew what had to be down now.
"I'll go scout up ahead. I'll try to figure out our location." Penny said, straightening herself up, eyes remaining narrowed in determination. "I will be right back."
"Penny, are you sure that's a good idea?" Howdy asked nervously. His eyes shifted from side to side. "We can't even see anything... What if there's a trap waiting for you and..."
"I don't think Von would go through the trouble of setting up traps all over this place. The guy is so cocky, he probably thought that we'd never get out." Snap said.
"Besides, this place doesn't look like it's been used much." Rapsheeba noted. "I think this is one of the places without power. An area of the building that Von doesn't even use."
Penny heard her mom speak up. "We should still be careful." Her mother ground as she climbed up to her feet. Thankfully the straps still held Rudy to her back. Her mother provided extra support by looping her arms around Rudy's legs. "I think Penny has the right idea, but not alone."
Penny turned to her mother. "Who do you suggest I bring with?"
Her mother's eyes swiftly turned to Snap. "Him. You two seem to have the longest history with each other." Her mother looked at her for a few seconds before turning to Snap. "Can I trust that you two will keep each other safe?"
Snap nodded his head. He offered the most confident grin that he could muster. "No worries, Penny's mom. We'll be careful!" He turned to Penny. "Won't we?"
Penny nodded once. "Yeah. We will be fine, mom. I promise."
"Good. Now get going. Don't stray too far. Just get as much information as we can use. We will be waiting back here for you. If we don't where from you within the hour, we will assume something happened and we will take action." Penny's mom said.
Penny and Snap nodded their heads at this. They didn't waste anymore time. After glancing at the others, and then staring sadly at Rudy's still groggy form, they took off together.