N E E D
By DarkHououmon
Chapter 38: Reunions
Let us all come together.
sss
Snap kept his back hunched up slightly as he and Penny walked down the hallway. It was so dark and it was so difficult to see. The zoner kept close behind Penny, one hand on her shoulder, the other towards his chin as he looked left and right, trying to make sense of where they were in the building.
The damp smell did indicate this was a basement of some kind. Or at least, it seemed like it was. It was difficult to tell. There were no maps here and even if there were, it was way too dark to see anything.
"Buckette?" Snap asked. "Can't you draw a light or something?"
Penny nearly stopped in her path. "Snap, you know I can't do that in the Real World."
Snap felt like an idiot. Of course it wouldn't work here. "Oh...right..." He grinned nervously, unable to believe just how much of an idiot he had been.
Snap was not used to adventuring in the Real World, if it could even be called adventuring. He had grown used to the magic chalk's help, and often relied on Rudy and Penny to be able to draw whatever it is that they needed. He never thought he'd see the day when they would be needing to explore something without the help of the magic chalk. It was so foreign and strange. He might as well be with a bunch of zoners, cause it felt like that.
He wasn't really angry with Penny or anything. He couldn't blame her for the situation. Until they got into ChalkZone and they got some magic chalk, there was little that they could do when it came to getting what they needed. He hoped they would be able to find something soon.
Seeing the damp areas on the ground made him nervous. The wet places were likely the result of some old pipes starting to crack a little. There were only a couple tiny puddles on the ground and they were all up against corners. They rarely saw them. But that didn't lessen his nervousness whenever they came close to them. Snap could feel his heart beating faster everytime they passed on, and his grip on Penny would get tighter.
"Snap, please don't do that. You're hurting me." Penny said.
"Sorry." Snap said quickly. He relinquished his grip on her and held his hands towards himself. Teeth clenched nervously, he turned his head from right to left, his eyes sweeping the area, using whatever scrap of light was available to see whatever that he could.
The sight of the small puddles reminded him of what happened with those zoners earlier on. He shuddered as he remembered how they were all washed away, their bodies melted, burned, faded away from existence from a mere clear fluid substance. He would never forget the sight of their melting organs, their distorted muscle and bones...
To make it worse, they hadn't been the only ones who got hit. He knew the zoners fleeing must also have gotten hit as well. Unless they were lucky enough to head into the ventilation system, or got outside somehow, they were all dead. The mere thought of that sent cold shivers up and down his spine.
The advice from Biclops had been of little help. The zoners seemed to all but forget about it as soon as they confronted Von. Their anger and hate towards the man caused the giant's advice to slip from their minds.
And when Helga was killed... That just made things even worse.
The death of Helga, their toughest leader, had shaken the foundation of their confidence. It had sent shockwaves of horror through their bodies, and many of the zoners lost the will to fight. Seeing Helga die like that broke something inside most of them. While a few remained that tried to be brave, that wasn't enough.
Add to the fact that Arnold was also murdered, and that would have broken whatever was left of their confidence. It had reduced most of the zoners into scared, 'wild animals' as Von would have put it, and as soon as they were given the chance, they ran off, desperately trying to save themselves.
A part of Snap felt sorry for them. He knew what it felt like to be so scared. He got a taste of that when he was trapped with Blocky and Howdy. But he knew that Howdy understood better than him. He was trapped longer. Then there was Blocky..
The poor rectangular zoner had been trapped for several days, likely not having much to eat, tormented by experiment after experiment, his mind clouded with a shroud of pain... If any of them understood what it felt like to be terrified, afraid, helpess, it would be him. Snap could hardly begin to imagine just what the poor zoner had felt during his stay.
But the blue and white zoner could not feel only sympathy for the zoners that fled. There was also anger there.
As much as he didn't want to blame the zoners for their own demise, a part of him just couldn't help it. The zoners had been warned how dangerous Von was, and they were still so blinded by their desire to stop him that they just cast aside that logic. They should have stayed home and let him and his friends handle it. Perhaps then, they would at least still be alive.
Well there was nothing that could be done about that now. With a pang in his stomach, he knew those zoners were gone forever. Nothing would bring them back. All he could do now was focus on stopping their killer from harming more zoners. It was going to be difficult, but if it wasn't done soon, then...what was going to happen to ChalkZone...?
He and Penny continued to move through the hallway slowly. They took their time, the darkness preventing them from seeing many things until they were much closer. They had passed by a few rooms, but the doors were shut and stuck there, likely from rust as this portion of the building seemed more in neglect than other parts.
He and Penny thought about entering the rooms, but decided to pass it up. Finding where this led to was more important. Perhaps there was an exit somewhere. If they could at least find their way out, then they could get away from here and get help somehow.
Something soon caught Snap's eye. As they had turned with the corridor, there was a door far down that appeared to have some kind of light in it. It seemed this place had some kind of power available to it. He wasn't sure how much, though. Maybe just from a generator for all he knew.
"Do you see that, Penny?" Snap asked, his eyes focusing on the room further down. There was a dull glow there. Not very noticeable compared to, say, a brand new fluorescent light, but still visible nonetheless.
"Yeah I do." Penny whispered softly. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, staring at the light. "Do you think we should go check it out?"
Snap paused for a moment. A part of him just wanted to continue looking for an exit. If they were to just explore any random room, they might just end up in bigger trouble. Von might be in one of these rooms, if he didn't head into ChalkZone first. He might also have set up some traps just in case. If he and Penny got stuck out here, then how would they be able to tell the others?
Then again, these rooms might contain items that they could use for their escape. This room might have something that they could possibly need. And if that's the case, then perhaps it was worth the chance to check it out and see. Just a quick look wouldn't hurt, right?
"Yeah, it might have something that can help us." Snap said as he started to cautiously walk forward.
Penny followed suit. "Just be careful, Snap. Don't just go around touching anything."
Snap smirked at this. "Don't worry. I won't."
The two friends headed towards the open door slowly. They took their time, just in case Von got crazy with booby traps here. They were careful to watch out for lasers and pressure points. So far, they didn't find anything, but they were still on the alert just in case.
Soon they reached the room. They stared inside. They didn't see anything that looked like a trap. But they weren't stupid. They would still treat this room with the utmost caution. They looked at each other and frowned, nodding their heads to send silent messages to one another. They then looked back towards the room. Slowly, they began to enter it.
The room appeared to be some kind of lab. Another one. Not that it surprised Snap or Penny. They both assumed that this place would have several labs, considering what it was used for. It looked similar to the room that they had been locked up in, save for a few changes, such as a distinct lack of that chair.
There appeared to be a large chalkboard in this room. The smudge marks and dust that collected on the board indicated very recent use. Maybe a few days at most. There were some symbols on the board, but Snap could not make heads or tails of it.
Penny, however, could. At least a little. "This is some kind of formula..." Penny whispered softly. She stood in front of the board, her eyes scanning it up and down. "I bet Von was trying to figure something out. Perhaps perpetual motion. None of this data looks like what would be associated with chalk."
Snap replied, "I still can't believe that he remained obsessed with perpetual motion for all this time. You'd think he would have moved onto better things."
Penny nodded her head. Then she turned her head to do a quick, visual sweep of the area. "Let's look around for a little bit. Maybe we might find something. But be careful."
"Careful is my middle name!" Snap said with a grin.
"Of course." Penny said before she began to look around. Snap glared softly at her for a few seconds, unsure if she was being serious or not. He then looked away and he began to look as well.
The room didn't seem to have much that was interesting to them. Von appeared to have cleaned this room out. Well mostly. A few items remained, but none that they could use for an escape, and certainly no maps or anything regarding the building itself or a security system. Snap guessed that Von decided to change rooms after he found out about zoners. It certainly did seem like this place was abandoned swiftly.
Snap dropped down onto his knees and began to look around. He turned his head from right to left, looking for any items that may have fallen down. Paper, tools, anything. But no, there was nothing. Just the coldness of the ground, some dust, not much else.
There weren't too many things to look at here, and it didn't take long before he and Penny searched most of them. They had even checked for the possibility of a back exit in the room. A fire escape of some sort. No, nothing like that here. This room was just a dead end, a waste of time. The only thing they learned from here was that Von was really a nutcase about writing formulas for perpetual motion. Perhaps it was time for them to leave and...
Wait, what is this? What was that over here, sitting in the cabinet?
Snap noticed something familiar about the object. It was hard to tell what it was at first. It was obscured by the shadows, and yet, there was still something about it that seemed so...familiar. Curious, ignoring Penny's questioning statements, he walked over.
His eyes were glued on the object as he approached. Even as he got closer, it didn't seem to get any clearer for him. His eyes trailed up and down, looking for any kind of clue as to why this object was so familiar to him. It was box-shaped..kind of. It stretched out and he saw some other structure to it. It didn't seem to remarkably stand out, but...oh why did it seem so familiar to him? Just what was it about it that caught his attention?
"Snap? What is it?" Penny asked as she walked over to where her friend stood. "What do you see?"
Snap shook his head and shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not sure, Buckette. But..." He pointed his rounded hand at the cabinet. "Isn't there something familiar about that thing in there?"
Penny turned her head to look. "What is? Oh you mean that square-ish thing?"
Snap nodded his head. "Yeah. Doesn't it seem to ring a bell?"
Penny stared at him for a moment and then turned her attention back to the object. She reached forward and grabbed onto the doors of the cabinet. She attempted to open it, but the doors would not budge. "Hmm...it's locked."
"Allow me."
Snap never did this before, but it was worth a shot. He saw it in movies before. Maybe it would work? He reached his hand gainst the cabinet. Concentrating hard, he was able to turn just that portion of him flat, and in went his 2D hand and arm. He stretched it in as far as he could go and soon he found the lock. He began to pick at it, trying to grasp the..whatever they were called, and repositioning them for it to be unlocked.
Soon, much to his surprise, there was a click. His eyes widened slightly. It had worked? He turned to Penny. She looked as shock as he did. A few seconds later, he smiled broadly. Well of course it worked. Why did he ever have any doubts that it wouldn't?
"You're welcome!" Snap cried triumphantly as he pulled his hand out. "Please, no pictures!"
Penny gave him a quick, playful push. "Cut it out, Snap. This is serious."
"I know." Snap said, still smiling at her. That smile soon faded as a look of contemplation came over him. He looked at the object that had been stored in the room. "What do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure." Penny opened up the door and began to reach for the object in side. "But maybe if we pull it out and...oh!" Suddenly Penny froze, her hand positioned only about half way to the target. Her eyes widened in shock. "D-Did he...?"
Snap looked up at his friend worriedly, biting his lip. "P-Penny...? Are you okay? What's going on...?"
Penny withdrew her hand from the cabinet. She stared at the object long and hard. Then she turned to face Snap, taking in a few slow breaths, as if she were trying to clear her mind and figure out what to say. The longer she stared at him like this, the more his heart clenched. Just what did she see?
"Snap..." Penny whispered. "I-It's that device Rudy drew on that day. The machine that made bobble-headed yous." She paused for a moment. Then she said, "The one that he was convinced was capable of perpetual motion."
Snap gasped at this, taking a step back. "What...?"
They didn't get a chance to finish their thoughts when a loud clamor caught their attention. They swiftly turned their heads. Their hearts nearly froze in their chests when they saw a shadow forming on the wall. They turned around to face the door and they took a few steps back.
Snap couldn't believe it. Did Von know that they would be coming here? Did they fall for one of his traps? Did they just come here at the wrong time?
Regardless of the reason, that didn't change what was going on right now. Von was coming into the room and they had no place to hide. There wasn't anywhere in this room that was sufficient enough to hide the two of them. He gritted his teeth, his body tensing up for the inevitable fight. He turned to look at Penny, and he saw just how scared she was. He then turned his attention back to the door and took a few steps forward.
"Snap, what are you doing?" Penny whispered softly.
Snap didn't answer her. He continued to move forward until he positioned himself in front of Penny. If that creepazoid wanted Penny, he'd have to go through him first. The only way that the man was going to have any access to her was if he went through his dead body. He didn't want to die but if it came to that, if it meant buying some time for her, then he was prepared for it.
The tall shadow began to grow shorter, indicating that the man was getting closer. It didn't seem like he was carrying anything at first. But then another shadow emerged. It was so close to the first shadow, and so long... Was it a gun?
The thought sent chills through Snap's body. He never thought that the man would go as far as trying to shoot them. His body trembled at the thought. All it would take was one shot of that gun to him or Penny and the situation would rapidly become much worse than it had been before. He hoped he was mistaken, and that it was something else entirely. Maybe a broom or something.
He still stood his ground, not moving further away from Penny. When the shadows got even closer, and he began to see the shapes more distinctly, knowing what they were about to arrive in the room, he spread out his arms, waiting for the man to come in and try to make his move. He was not going to make things easy for him.
Then the figure arrived in the room. Snap tensed his body up, his adrenaline fully prepared for an attack. Unable to hold it back any longer, he began to rush forward, letting out a yell.
"Snap! Stop!"
The sudden shout from Penny wasn't what stopped Snap. He skidded to a stop and stared out in shock when he saw not Von, but Rudy's parents walking in.
He hunched his body forward, his arms dangling down, as he stared at the two shocked adults, just as surprised as they were. Many questions ran through his mind. Just how did they get here? Where did they come from? And why were they covered in dirt?
Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie stared down at the blue and white zoner in shock. They were silent for several moments, their eyes filled with so much shock, Snap thought they would burst open. He took a small step backwards as he watched them. Uncertain of what to expect, he kept his eyes on them. He had no idea how they were going to react to meeting a zoner.
Mrs. Tabootie was the one who spoke first. "Snap...? But I...I thought you were just a..."
"We thought you were a creation of Rudy's." Mr. Tabootie finished, his voice soft, filled with so much shock. He raised a finger and pointed it at Snap. "Did Rudy base the character off of you?"
Snap shook his head. "No, I'm the real deal." Snap clenched his teeth tightly, realizing what a mistake it may have been to say that. He could just feel Penny's glare on him.
"How is that..." Mrs. Tabootie started to say, overwhelmed in emotion. Then she stopped and turned her head. "Penny...? Are you okay? Where is Rudy? Where's your mother?"
Penny didn't answer right away. She just stared at Mrs. Tabootie, still clearly rearing from the shock of running into her so fast. She stared at Snap, as if she thought that he would have any answers. All Snap could do was shrug and look back at the adults. The questions that bombarded their heads made it difficult for either of them to formulate words.
Mr. Tabootie appeared to understand. He gently nudged his wife and spoke softly to her. Snap and Penny couldn't understand what was being said, but they guessed that he was discussing something with his wife. He then looked back at them, giving an apologetic expression.
"We're sorry if we surprised you so much. We're...rather surprised as well." Mr. Tabootie rubbed the back of his head. "We weren't expecting to see you guys here..." He backtracked. "Well in this spot."
"Neither were we." Snap managed to say. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. A cold thought came to his head. "You...weren't captured, were you?"
Mr. Tabootie shook his head. "No, we came here."
Penny took a step forward. "How did you get in?"
Mr. Tabootie said, "Through one of the doors. It was still open."
Penny's eyes widened slightly at this, and then she swiveled her head towards Snap. "Did you hear that Snap? One of the doors is still open. We can get out!"
"Yeah, but..where is it?" Snap held his hand out in gesture. And just how did you get here?"
Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at one another, and then back at them. All their expressions held the desire to gain more information, to answer confusing questions, but also to share information as well. They had some catching up to do so they could all fully understand the situation that they were in.
Snap hoped that the two adults were able to find something that could help them. An open door was nice, but if there was no path to get there, it was useless. Still, this was a chance at possible freedom, and if they can help, that would bring them a step closer to stopping Von.
But first, so much confusion had to be taken care of and gotten out of the way. Things needed to be straightened out first. Hopefully they will be able to do that very quickly. They didn't have all the time in the world.
"Well you see... It all started when..." Mr. Tabootie began to tell his story.
sss
Dr. Von Doktor felt a rush of energy surge through him. He couldn't wipe the smile from his face. Everything that had happened lately... It just filled him with a sense of accomplishment. He couldn't help but suck in a deep breath and releasing a loud, content-filled sigh. Today had just been marvelous. Better than he had expected.
For him anyway. He imagined that his 'guests' felt differently. Both the ones he trapped in the Real World and Blocky, whom he now had tied down on a surgical table that he drew. Yeah, they were definitely not enjoying this. But he didn't care. It was all about him, after all. Not them.
He wondered if they were going to escape. He had made sure that they couldn't, but there might have been a flaw or two that he had overlooked. Well if that were the case, well, not much he can do about it now. Besides, even if they were to get out, they wouldn't know where to find him here, and they would not be able to sneak in either. These walls, he drew them to be one-way, allowing him to see out but no one in. That would make it much harder for them to try to get in without him noticing.
He turned his attention back to Blocky. The small zoner was squirming against the binds, ignoring the pain that he was in. Normally, he would want to try to settle him down. Before, he didn't want Blocky too badly hurt as he wanted to experiment on him. However, with that restriction removed, it no longer mattered to him. He can make his own test subjects now. Blocky was not needed anymore. It didn't matter if he died.
But Blocky still had a purpose to him. A use. If he really wanted to, he could perform a dissection here, or a vivisection. He could run tests on Blocky, and any future test subject, that he was unable to in the Real World. He would be able to learn their bodies on a much deeper level.
There was a tingle sensation in his chest as he felt so excited. No one had ever done this before. No one had ever studied chalk animals like this. He was the first. It was so lucky when a scientist got to study a new animal. He felt like the luckiest of all. How much chance did he have to get the opportunity to study a new species made out of material that no one had ever thought possible for a living creature? Oh he was going to be famous!
He could feel his heart thumping with excited desire. He had come to close to obtaining his dignity back and the thought of him gaining so much more was just irresistable. He couldn't wait to see the looks on those scientists' faces. They will rue the day that they made fun of him. Everyone would be sorry.
But enough about the petty stuff. He will have his revenge soon. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. He still had a lot more studying to do, and he had his test subject all strapped down and ready to go. His smile broadened as he stared down at Blocky.
As the zoner shivered and whimpered in fright, he began to think of what he should do. What should be the first test to try? Should he test a chemical reaction on him? Should he cut him open to get a glimpse of how his insides look? Should he force feed him some kind of poison?
"P-Please...don't do this... I-I beg of you..." Blocky whimpered as he stared up at the man in fear. "Please...why does it have to be this way? Why can't you use an x-ray machine or something?"
Von smirked at this. He turned his head to one side. "Well I could. But zorry.. It'z juzt not good enough for me. I need a more...perzonal view for myzelf. I'd get more data out zat way."
Blocky began to struggle harder against his binds. He let out a few yelps of pain as his attempts were in vain. Even as he clearly was losing strength, he still struggled, trying to break himself free and get away. Von couldn't help but smile at this. It was incredible how much energy he still had despite what he had gone through. Maybe he will discover the secrets of that through his cutting up the zoner. Maybe it can be applied to humans somehow.
"No! Come on! Let me g-g-go! Please!" Blocky wailed. He pulled harder on his legs, the small shins banging against the metal cuffs that held him down. "There has to be another way! Please!"
"Oh why don't you juzt zettle down, Blocky? I hadn't even begun yet." Von began to circle Blocky. His mind ran with different thoughts of what he could do. There was so much he could try and it was so hard to choose just one. "Juzt zink of all the benefitz you may bring to zoziety. Zink of how much zings will improve. Izn't that worz zomezing?"
Blocky did not reply. He merely let out a scream as he kept pulling on his limbs. Adrenaline was really kicking in how. If he had a heart monitor hooked up to him, he'd imagine the zoner's heart would be racing, pounding against his chest.
The man continued, holding up his hand in gesture. "I can juzt zee it now. Maybe I could make a profit off of zelling your meat."
"No!" Blocky cried in horror.
"I know it won't do anyzing, but zome culturez do believe that eating animal partz helpz zem heal from dizeazez and zuch. Who knowz?" Von's eyes gleamed as he stared down at the frightened zoner. "Maybe zome of them will zink that zoner meat can help zem out. I'm sure many people will flock to purchaze ground or powdered zoner. Wiz what you guyz are made of, zat shouldn't be too hard to make."
Blocky tried to shake his head in protest. The metal bar across his forehead prevented that. "No! Please!"
Von chuckled as he watched the zoner squirm. It was almost comical to him how the zoner still tried to escape, despite his condition and his predicament. Did he still really think that he can get away that easily? Did he really think that he would be able to break his binds if he just struggled hard enough?
He decided to leave the zoner alone for the time being. He still hadn't figured out exactly what he wanted to do with Blocky, and some of the experiments he thought of doing couldn't be performed on him, partly due to his injuries. He needed a fresh subject. One that has been untouched. At this, his smile spread further. Yes..he knew exactly what he could do while he tried to figure out what will be done to Blocky.
Without saying a word, he turned and left the zoner alone. He ignored the zoner's confused cries as he headed down the hallway. There were more rooms in this place. He didn't design it with just one. He had a feeling he might need some other areas, and this was one of those times that proved that.
The place was structured similiar to the building he had in the Real World, only much smaller. He had only made a few rooms because this was simply an experiment. He would need to test a few subjects out first before he expanded on something bigger.
It didn't take him too long to reach his destination. There was a room on the far end of the hallway. He turned into it and walked inside. He immediately shut the door behind him. Despite the fact that he didn't expect anyone to find him, he locked the door anyway.
The room looked similiar to the room where he had tried to test out his perpetual motion ideas. Only this room would, later on anyway, have more supplies and more tables. This was to be one of his major dissection and vivisection rooms. Soon, the shelves will be stocked full of different chemicals and jars and needles and scalpels. It was going to be incredible.
He walked up to one of the tables. He noticed the super strong straps he had drawn. Designed to hold down tons of weight, it should make it easy for him to subdue his test subjects. Especially if he drew them first. He could prevent them from being too strong, ensuring that they would remain subdued.
He pulled out what remained of the magic chalk. He frowned slightly. He had used up so much of it. Oh well, there was still enough for him to do what he wanted. Gripping it tightly, he began to draw.
Lines rapidly filled the air, twisting around, forming a distinct shape in the area. He added a sharp turn here and there, then a swirl and soon he was finished. As soon as he stopped, color filled in the empty void, and flesh materialized in an instant, just like the building and everything else had. He was fascinated by how similiar the process was, and just how quickly and easily he had practically given birth.
Here, standing before him, was a brand new zoner. One that he had created. This realization gave him a sense of power over this particular life form. This zoner, which looked like a cross between a zebra and a peacock, was his property. He was free to do whatever he wanted with this zoner.
And he knew just what he wanted to do.
"Hello there. It's nice to meet you." The zoner said in greeting. He bent down on one hoof and bowed to him. "I'm so glad to meet my creator."
Dr. Von Doktor flinched slightly at this. The zoner spoke like... Well it was hard to explain. Almost like a child and a foreigner strung together. There was emphasis put on the wrong words at the wrong time. Was this what happened when he didn't concentrate hard enough on the personality and behavior of the zoner?
Oh well, this will have to do. After all, he did not create this zoner to study his vocalization and grammar. No, he had something much more...interesting in mind for him.
Von grabbed onto the zoner's arm and tugged him. "Come on." He spread his hand out towards the table. "Please...take a seat."
The zoner stared down quizzically at the table. He tilted his head to one side. "What is this for?"
"Oh it'z a game." Von said with a smile on his face. "A game of knowledge. And you're going to help me get it."
The zoner stared at Von for a few seconds. Von wondered if the zoner understood what he meant and if he was going to try to get away. Instead of looking horrified, the zoner looked excited, an energy rushing through him as if he were just a little child. Well he was new to the world after all.
"Really? When do we get started?" The zoner asked, his voice high-pitched and energetic.
"Climb into zee table and you will zee." Von said. He again motioned to the table, this time with more force, indicating to the zoner exactly what he wanted.
The zoner nodded his head. "Okay, creator. Sure, I'll do it!" Immediately the zoner climbed into the table. With a motion from Von, he turned himself onto his back, spreading out his arms and legs as if he were about to make a snow angel. "How's this, creator?"
"Perfect." Von said. With a snap of his finger, the cuffs activated. The zoner let out a yelp as the cuffs strapped in him down. A few more appeared, holding down his body and his head. "Zank you for your cooperation."
The zoner began to struggle. A nervous smile spread across his face. "Creator? This...this is kind of tight..." He gave a quick chuckle as he stared up at Von. "Is this part of the game?"
Von's smile grew twisted. "Yez, it iz."
The zoner's face paled at the sight of this. It was almost amusing to see this child-like zoner experience fear for the first time. If the zoner thought this was bad, the true fun had not yet begun.
"B-But...creator... I-I thought we were going to have some fun together..." The zoner whimpered, sounding so much like a frightened little child.
Von chuckled at this. "Oh we are. I plan on having zo much fun wiz you." He leaned forward, putting his faced close to the zoner's. "Now I would appreciate it if you didn't zcream. Ziz will go more zmoozly if you didn't diztract me." Von quickly began to sketch.
"B-But I..."
The zoner was silenced when Von drew a muzzle and slipped it over his mouth. He tightened the straps and buckled them down, securing it against the zoner's face. This prevented the zoner from talking or screaming. The only thing that he could do was whimper and whine.
The zoner tried to shake his head in a vain attempt to get free. After a few times, he appeared to realize it was futile and he fell almost limp against the table. His chest rose and fell rapidly and he looked up at Von with wide, innocent and frightened looking eyes. There was a strong question of 'why' in them. The zoner reminded him so much of Blocky.
Well..it was time to get started.
"Juzt cloze your eyes, little one. It will be over before you know it." Von cooed to the scared creation of his. A short while later, the room was filled with the muffled cries of his test subject.
sss
Joe was still surprised by what had happened. He certainly wasn't expecting this turn of events when he and his wife explored around this area. He was so confused and a part of him hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Penny. It was just...he didn't think she'd be out over here. He and his wife thought this part of the building was abandoned. He didn't think that Von would use any part of this area, and would have instead focused on the areas that looked more functional. That seemed to make the most sense to the man.
He and his wife had traveled through the ventilation system, which hadn't exactly been a real joy. It was dirty in a few places, and some areas were rusted and sharp. Going across them was tricky and dangerous. They had to be extra careful as they moved through the vents. It was a little roomier than he thought it would be at least, so it made it a tad easier. He wasn't sure just how long he and Millie had been traversing through the metal tunnels. It could have been anywhere between just several minutes to an hour.
After a while, they did discovery a hole in the elevated tunnels that they could not cross. Evidence of neglect from Von. They had no choice but to get out. They both climbed down from the vents, which wasn't easy, with the jagged opening and moist ground there and such. But working together, they did manage to get down and then they were able to explore around a little and see where they were.
He and his wife were convinced that the area was left abandoned by Dr. Von Doktor, so they searched around unhindered, not expecting any kind of trap from the man, or being worried about getting caught.
When they came over to this room, they had realized there was someone there. They thought they could hear voices, and they were immediately put on edge. They had glanced at one another, and asked each other just what was happening. They both thought that perhaps it was Von or Terry. Who else could it have been? They knew of no one else who could be likely culprits to have taken their son.
They approached the door, prepared for a fight. Joe had taken position in front of his wife. His eyes had narrowed when they got closer. Their bodies remained tense, expecting Von or Terry to jump out at any given moment. Although they were both afraid, they were also both very determined to save their son from this...this madman.
But when they had turned the corner and they got to see just who it was that was here, they were both taken aback, neither of them expecting Penny to be there, staring them in shock.
Penny wasn't alone. There was some else with her. A blue and white figure that had rushed towards them, only stopping when he seemed to realize they weren't who wanted. When the person stopped, he and his wife were taken aback when they saw that it was Snap, Rudy's star in his comic. His appearance filled them with so many questions, especially after Snap asserted that he was real.
He and his wife had liked Rudy's work, and he recalled how popular Madcap Snap was. He never would have dreamed that Snap would be real, though. He thought that Snap was just a made up character. To see him standing before them, it was hard to take in. They both began to wonder if it was just a really good costume or something.
But the shock of seeing Snap being real was pushed in the back of his head when he realized that they really needed to catch up. To better understand their situation, they needed to exchange knowledge with each other and tell one another just how they gotten to this point.
Joe and Millie had told their story first. They did their best to explain everything, from how worried they were that Rudy hadn't come back, how they tried to contact Penny's mom, going to her house and finding them all missing. During the explanation, Penny looked a little guilty, confusing the two adults. They weren't sure why Penny felt so bad. Maybe she was just guilty for contributing to them worrying; she was missing, too.
Penny and Snap both looked horrified when they brought up ChalkZone and the silly story Rudy's aunt Tilly said about it. Joe was confused by their responses, and the way they looked at them... He had glanced over at his wife and she didn't have any idea of what to make of it. Their reaction made it seem as though...they had learned something they shouldn't have...
But..it couldn't be true, right? ChalkZone couldn't possibly be real. Tilly was just a little crazy, perhaps watching Terry too much. There was no way that such a world could exist. It violated too many laws of physics. It was..impossible...right...?
But Penny and Snap's expressions suggested otherwise. These expressions held no deception, and they couldn't be mistaken for anything else except shock and worry about their discovery.
He and his wife had gone silent for a few moments upon seeing their expressions. They had looked at one another, both exchanging a look of confusion with each other. He and Millie then continued their story, moving on from the subject of ChalkZone. They told the two about how they had found a way in and how they had been searching through the building to find any evidence of Rudy, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez being held captive here.
And their hunch appeared to be correct, considering Penny's presence here, and how she and Snap seemed defensive in the first split second they had shown up in the room. Snap's reaction suggested that they had been waiting for a fight, and he knew it couldn't possibly have been with him or his wife.
Now it was time for Penny and Snap to tell their story.
"We told our story. Now it's your turn." Joe said sternly, folding his arms against his chest. There's several unanswered questions that he and his wife really needed to know. "Tell us, how did you get here?"
Penny and Snap looked at one another. Joe and Millie stared at them expectantly, not making a move to rush them. It was clear they had a lot to say, and they would need a little time to organize their thoughts. Joe hoped that some of the stuff they would say would reveal whatever happened to their son and just what Von was up to.
Speaking of Von, he wondered where he was. Joe turned his head from left to right and repeated this once. He didn't see any sign of Von in here, and he and his wife didn't even hear him or find any signs that he was here. While he expected that in this more abandoned area, why was the parking lot devoid of any cars except his own? Where was Von? Was he even here? Was he hiding from them? He tensed up, prepared for a confrontation with him.
He turned his attention back to Penny and Snap. Hopefully, they can answer that question. Right now, he didn't care if Snap was a chalk creature or not. He didn't care about the chalk world. That, as amazing as it sounded, was irrelevent at the moment. What mattered more now was finding Rudy and their friend, Inez.
"We'll have to tell you later." Snap said at last. Joe and Millie stared at the little guy in shock. "We don't have time right now."
"We had time to tell you what happened." Millie said, narrowing her eyes as she held out her hand in gesture. "What do you mean you can't tell us your story? How isn't there enough time?"
"Is Von up to something?" Joe said, interjecting. "Is he doing something really horrible right now?"
"Look we'll tell you all later." Snap waved his hands out in front of him. "Right now, we need to..."
"No, you listen here!" Joe glared at the chalk creature. He didn't care if he was Rudy's creation at the moment. He didn't have the authority to tell them when they'd get the information. They were going to get it now. "Millie and I are worried sick about Rudy and Inez! And if you're not going to tell us, then..."
"It's not like that at all!" Snap cringed away from the man, grinning nervously. "It's just that..."
Joe narrowed his eyes dangerousy as Millie folded her arms against her chest. "It's just what?" Snap was quiet and after several moments, Joe said, "What's with you, Snap? Don't you even care?"
Snap's eyes widened at this. He frowned as though he had said some great insult. "Of course I do! Don't you dare say such a thing!"
Millie growled. "Then why aren't you..."
"Because we really don't have time! We need to head to the hospital!"
This caused the two adults to freeze. They stared over at Penny in shock. The hospital? Was someone hurt? They looked at Penny's arm and they felt their hearts skip a beat when they saw that she had several puncture marks in her right arm. They stared at this for several moments before looking back at Penny. They took in a few quick breaths, finding it hard to speak at first.
"Penny..." Millie was the first of the two to regain her voice. "What happened to you...? Did Von do this?"
Penny looked at her arm. She then nodded her head. "Well yes, but I'm not the one who needs the most help."
Joe felt hesitant to ask. But he knew there was very little choice. He and his wife, they both needed to know. "Who...who is it...?"
Penny and Snap looked at one another. They then looked back at them. Joe and Millie felt their hearts start to race when they saw the looks in their eyes. Their faces held gazes of utter sympathy. After a few seconds, Penny was the one who responded.
"It's Rudy." Penny whispered softly. Joe and Millie gasped in horror at this, putting their hands to their mouths as their eyes widened. "He's hurt."
Joe took in a deep, sharp breath, his mind swirling with thoughts. He could hear his wife gasp in horror. They looked towards each other, both exchanging looks of horror with each other. Hearing the news confirming that their son was injured caused them both to freeze, making it hard for either of them to say something, or even move. Their heads ran with many questions.
What happened to their son? How bad was it? Did Von do it? Did someone or something else do it? How long would he be in the hospital? Was the wound fatal? Had they gotten here in time or were they too late to do much to help him?
Joe finally found the strength to turn his head and looked back towards Penny and Snap. He breathed in and out slowly, his eyes moving from left to right. Then he said, "What..happened to him...?"
Snap narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Dr. Von Doktor impaled him, the bastard..." The chalk creature's voice was filled with venom.
Millie took a step back, tears forming in her eyes. "He's been what?!"
Joe, his eyes wide with alarm, took a step forward swiftly. "Where is he now?!"
Penny quickly mothered with her arm. "He's over this way. My mom and two other zoners are looking after him."
Joe and Millie didn't bother with asking what the term 'zoner' was, or trying to remember if they heard the word before. Right now, their only focus was getting to Rudy. They immediately followed Penny and Snap as they led them down the hallway to where Rudy apparently was being kept.
They were both grateful that Inez was with him and looking after him. That helped to drive away some of their worries. But it didn't help them to fully relax. How could they when that evil, vile man had impaled him? The thought sent chills up and down their spines. Their minds filled with all kinds of horrific images at that thought.
The fact that he was impaled was horrifying enough, but there was still the matter of what he was impaled with and where. They both knew that there were all kinds of complications that could..no..would arise from this. They could only hope that the object in question missed all or most of his more important body stuff. And that wasn't getting into the infections and whether or not this could affect him for the rest of his life.
The two parents pushed those thoughts aside. They could speculate more once they had seen Rudy and could assess for themselves what was necessary. The group of four disappeared down the hallway, towards where Rudy, Inez, and more of those zoners awaited.
Joe formed a fist as they went down, his thoughts growing dark. If Von did anything that horrible to Rudy, if his son was going to be permanently crippled because of this...
...well he hoped the man had really good insurance.
sss
Rudy let out a soft groan. He tried to open up one eye, but found that he could not. He never felt so weak in his life. Just..what had happened ot him? Why did he feel this way? Why did his mind feel so muggy and tired?
He would have tried to figure this out if he didn't feel so tired and sleepy. A part of him just wanted to go right back to sleep. He wanted to close his eyes and allow the darkness to overtake him again, bringing him back to that peaceful slumber he had been in earlier. He didn't remember how long he had been out, a short time or a much longer time, but he hardly registered any concern with that. Right now, sleep...
He felt himself being moved around. He could feel something underneath his body, and he could have sworn he was suddenly floating. He looked around to figure out what was going on. But his vision, it was so blurred, he could hardly make anything out. He struggled to try to make any sense of the blurred mess of colors and shadows all around him, but nothing worked.
Normally, if he were more awake, he'd be worried, panicked, something. He wouldn't just lay here and act as if all was right with the world. Right now, however, he hardly had any care about what was going on. Being lifted up by, as far as he could tell, was air felt...nice. Yes, nice was the word he'd use. Very calming and relaxing. Then he began to move through the air, which felt even better. It reminded him of the car rides with his parents. He remembered on long ones, how he would just fall asleep in the care, the movement along the road just so relaxing, especially on sunny days.
Rudy could feel his eyelids grow heavy. He wasn't sure how long he could stay awake. Not much longer, he knew. He had a feeling that, within a few moments, he would pass out, returning to the slumber that he had so desired for.
He did stop for a moment to look around him, trying once more to at least figure out where he was. He could start to recognize some shapes and at least tell there were people around. They seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite identify them yet. He noticed some white dots of fuzzy blobs, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say that they were looking right at him.
Then one large fuzzy thing filled his vision. Pale peach color with yellow mixed into it. Compared to the other shapes, this one was large and...either muscular or just hefty. He wasn't sure which. His eyes flickered when he saw more peach coming towards him, and for a split second, he wondered if he should move.
Then, seconds later, he felt something against his cheek. He jolted in surprise, not expecting the blob to touch him. He thought about jerking himself away, but...no... This felt nice. He let out a soft sigh and pressed his head against the thing. He could feel it moving along his cheek, caressing it gently. Yeah, he liked this. He wanted it to do more. Then the thing moved up to his head, and he could feel his scalp come alive with pleasure. Slowly he shut his eyes and leaned even further against the blob, letting out a sigh of contentment. He didn't care if he had no idea who or what this blob was. All he wanted was for it to continue, for a lack of a better term, petting him.
But sadly, it didn't last very long. When the thing withdrew, Rudy let out a frustrated groan. He opened up his eyes again, staring towards the blobs, giving them all a longing look. Won't one of them touch him like that again? Please...?
Then after a while, he started to get his vision back. Well more of it anyway. Not all, but enough that he could now start to make out details. He stared up at the blob that touched him, and he started to see the face. He tilted his head to one side, his eyes frowning in confusion.
"M-Mom...?" He whispered softly.
The blob responded, but the voice was so distorted and echoey that he wasn't sure what to make of it. He was certain that she at least said his name, and possibly how he was.
Although he had no way of knowing for certain, Rudy still replied to what he percieved to be his mother's question. "I'm...fine.. Tired... Just want to sleep..." He began to close his eyes.
He was stirred when his mother, or was it his father, shook him. He let out a groan, but did not open his eyes. He shook his shoulder to one side, jerking himself free of their grasp. It wasn't that he was unhappy to see his parents. It was just...he was too tired. His head ached from the lack of sleep, or too much there of. He needed to rest.
His eyes shut completely, and he curled up into a small ball on the ground. He thought he felt something nick him in his stomach, but he was so out of it, he didn't really notice.
"Sleep time...good... Sleep..." Rudy mumbled under his breath as he closed his eyes completely. It didn't take long for the voices to rapidly fade away, and he was overcome by the darkness. Yes, all he needed was some more nice, peaceful sleep.
sss
"Rudy! Wake up! Please!" Millie called out to her son. No..this couldn't be happening. Not her little boy. No...
But no matter how hard she shook him, Rudy wasn't waking up. He just remained still, unmoving. She refused to give up at first, and she kept trying. But soon she had to face reality. Slowly her shaking stopped and she stared down at her completely still son. Reality sank in, weighing down on her shoulders.
Her son had...passed out. Succumbed to whatever internal bleeding was going on. The only thing that kept her heart from shattering into tiny pieces was the fact that his chest still rose and fell, albeit shakingly.
Despite the bloody spot on his chest, still visible despite the bandages, there was no expression of pain in the boy's eyes. It was just so...peaceful. The look of it made the large woman shudder. It was such a contrast, seeing such a bad wound and seeing her son look so peaceful. He was even smiling, something she didn't expect him to do if he was in so much pain. She wanted to lift him up and hold him in her arms, but she did not want to make things worse.
She looked over solemnly at her husband. He looked over at her sympathetically, reaching out and touching her shoulder. It took all of Millie's strength not to pull her husband into a big hug and cry into his shoulder. She kept telling herself that everything will be okay. They just need to get out of here and get Rudy to a hospital.
Inez had told them what she could, about Von's actions. Each thing she had listed made the woman and her husband feel more and more hatred towards the vile man. Neither of them thought he'd go this far, do something this horrible. Him trying to murder Inez, experimenting on Penny, and impaling Rudy... He crossed the line three times over. Well they would make sure that he didn't get a fourth chance with them.
And then there was his torture of these...zoners... Millie wasn't sure how sad she should feel for them. She wasn't sure how to take them or view them. But regardless, even she felt a pang of disgust when she learned how this Blocky character was treated. If he was sentient, then shouldn't he have been treated with some amount of dignity?
But for the moment, she couldn't concern herself with the zoners. Her son was more important right now. She knelt down beside him and stroked his hair gently. She wished that he would wake up. Him sleeping made her very nervous and she kept fearing he would not wake up again, despite reassurances from the others.
Seeing her son like this was just horrible. She and her husband had a feeling something might have happened. But..neither of them thought it would...be something like this.
Their son had been impaled through the stomach, right below his ribcage. It did not pierce his aorta at least, but there was likely other things it ripped through. The fact that the man had ripped out the rusty nail horrified them, as that would have caused extra damage on its way out. And rusted... Millie found herself imagining all kinds of diseases that would come from the rust of the nail. She did her best to try to remain calm, but..how could she with all of this?
But...at least the worst of it appeared to be over. Rudy's wound was bandaged up and she and Joe were here. They knew a way out and they could take him through there. They could get their son to a hospital where he can be treated.
And after that, they could take care of Von. They could report to the police what they had found out and this place will be searched. She was confident that the police would be able to find evidence linking the man to the kidnappings. Then there was no doubt in her mind that the man would be locked away for a very long time. There was no doubt about that.
"There...this should do it." Inez said, cutting through the silence. She took a few steps back, staring at her handiwork. "It's not the best, but it should help you carry Rudy out just fine. Just be very, very careful. He may have suffered more damage than we thought."
Joe nodded his head. "Thank you. We..can't tell you how much we really appreciate this."
Inez smiled at them. "Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on getting him to the hospital."
"And don't forget, we will be helping you." The zoner named Rapsheeba said. The other two, Howdy and Snap, smiled and nodded in confirmation at this. "Rudy is our friend and we will do whatever we can to help."
"Me too." Howdy said.
"Rudy is my creator. I'd never abandon him." Snap said.
Penny took a step forward. "Working together, we should be able to pull this off. We can get out of this wretched place and get Rudy the help that he so desperately needs."
"Then we take care of that creepazoid." Snap snarled, slamming a fist against his palm.
Penny glared down at him. "Only after we secure Rudy's safety."
"I know." Snap said as he looked up at her. "Come on, we better get going."
"Agreed." Penny said.
Millie didn't attempt to say anything. Neither did her husband. Now wasn't the time for discussions. Now was the time to help Rudy. She watched as Inez and her daughter carried the item over towards them. The item in question was a roughly made man-powered transporter. Well whatever it was. She had seen them before, but the name of them evaded her for the moment. The vet lowered it towards the ground and motioned to the parents to put Rudy in it.
She and Joe were as careful as they could. They gently lifted Rudy into the air, Joe holding his front and her his legs. They did their best not to move his body around too much, keeping him as still as possible. As they carried him over, Millie couldn't help but stare at his face. He might look peaceful now, but her heart twisted when she realized that, once the drug completely wears off, he was not going to be so relaxed anymore.
They lowered Rudy down onto the transporter. There wasn't any straps, so carrying him was going to be difficult. Especially going through the ventilation shaft, which they had no choice but to do. At least they had more help this time, but that still didn't make the task any less daunting.
Working with her husband, they hoisted Rudy up into the air. They steadied him as best as they could. They then turned their attention to the others.
"It's this way." Joe said.
Without saying another word, they all headed down the hallway. Millie still wasn't sure exactly how they were going to handle the ventilation system issue, but she was certain they'd figure something out on the way there. Only time will tell.
sss
Dr. Von Doktor took a step back and smirked as he looked at his handiwork. This experiment turned out better than he had thought. Other than it took longer than he hoped. Oh well. The important thing was it was a success. He had wanted to see the anatomy of a zoner and he finally got to do just that.
It was a little difficult with his creation squirming around, whimpering like a little baby. The muzzle did little to completely mute him. The zoner thrashed around wildly. If the muzzle were off, he was certain that he would have tried to bite him. The straps, though thick, almost appeared ot nearly break as the zoner struggled violently to get free. Perhaps he had made him too strong or the straps too weak. He will have to fix that later.
At least right now, it was nice and quiet. He stared down at the unconscious form of his creation. Well sort of unconscious. He was still breathing, but there was no way he was going to survive for long after this. He was definitely dying, on his last legs. Even if he were to get to a hospital now, there was no way he'd live.
And the experiment wasn't even done yet. He was maybe half way through. There was still so much more he wanted to do. So much he wanted to know. He had learned a great deal already, but he knew there was more to learn, more that he should be excited for. He couldn't wait.
He looked down at the tray filled with sharp instruments. Most of them had bleed on them. Most of them had been used to cut open this zoner's body, allowing him to see his insides. Quite fascinating, they were. He had removed a couple non-vital organs for further steady. He had made sure to use clothespins to stop major bleeding. He wanted his victim alive for however long he could make him last. It was a way to test endurance and see how much a zoner can take before even assistance won't help them anymore.
He let out a sigh of disappointment when he saw that most of the sharp tools had dulled. He was going to need to draw some more. He didn't have a lot of magic chalk left and he needed to conserve them. Perhaps he could figure out where he could find more. Blocky might know. He smiled. Yes, the little run would tell him exactly what he wanted to know. But first, he needed to finish his exploratory vivisection. He turned his attention back to his strapped down creation.
The zoner had all but stopped struggling. The only movements that he made were some faint, shaky breathing and he saw a twitch or two. The zoner's eyes were partially open, but they were glassy and unseeing. His nostrils flared wildly as he struggled to breathe, each breath signalling just how much pain and agony that he was in. A quick look at his body made it easy to tell just what caused this expression.
The zoner's chest and stomach were completely open. The skin was stretched and pinned at the sides and the sternum was cut in the middle and opened up. The abdomen wall had been sliced and stretched apart. The internal organs were exposed, in plain sight. And it wasn't just that. One leg and one arm had been skinned, and some of the exposed muscle was cut up. The scalp had also been partially removed, letting him see the bare skull of his creation. He was going to wait until he died before he would do anything with the brain.
As to be expected with something like this, there was blood everywhere. He did his best to keep it clean. He didn't want the heavy stench of blood to distract him from his work. No, he certainly wasn't interested in that.
He stared down at the dying zoner. He listened to his pitiful breathing, the way his gasps of air sounded raspy, like someone was trying to scrape against something. It was a rather pitiful sight, causing him to narrow his eyes deeply. Despite the fact that he knew that zoners could always be redrawn and that death didn't matter to them, he still felt some pang of sympathy for him.
After all, he was simply a child. Well, child-like. The zoner was clearly an adult, but he had a child-like mind to him. Everything had been brand new and he was ready to explore the world. Yet he had been born only to die a short time later. His only experience in life was pain and agony. He felt almost sorry for the little guy.
Oh why should he care? It didn't matter. The zoner wasn't really suffering as much as it looked. He needed to remind himself of the immortality these zoners surely had. One death would be like the nine lives with cats thing. They can just be redrawn like nothing happened.
But..would it really be right to keep the zoner alive for the rest of the experiment? He would just be depriving himself of going in much further. He really wanted to look at that brain and there was also the heart and lungs he wanted to look at as well. Besides, the zoner was going to die soon anyway. Why not just speed up the process?
Von took one of the scalpels and he pressed it against the zoner's neck. He pierced it with ease, despite the dulling tip. The zoner was so weak, he barely gave out a whimper as the knife pierced his flesh. The eyes looked up at him, trying to see him but failing. Von froze for a second, feeling another pang. He shook his head, gritting his teeth as he sliced the zoner's neck open with a quick flick of his wrist.
The blood gushed out quickly, dripping down the table and over the side. He had made sure to slice both major blood vessels located in the neck, allowing for the quickest death. The zoner gave a few small twitches, a few small death throes, and then just passed away. The eyes closed and his head turned to the side. The still chest and the fact that he could see his heart wasn't beating anymore told the scientist that he was dead.
It wasn't much of a show. The zoner had died rather unspectacularly. A part of him couldn't help but be disappointed. He had hoped for something more...satisfying than that. Oh well, it didn't really matter that much. Time to continue cutting the zoner up.
As he proceeded to use the saw to cut into the skull to expose the brain, his thoughts wandered a little. He started to think of what zoner he should draw next, and what he should do with it. Chemical testing perhaps? Yeah, that sounds really good. After he studied this body a little more, he would have more data to work with. Then he really could experiment with all kinds of chemicals and see how they interact with the zoners.
Soon the saw cutting was finished, and he could feel the skull plate wobbling slightly in his hand. He lifted it up and gently set it on the bloodied table. He stared down, taking in the sight.
There was the zoner's brain.
It was pretty large, with a lot of grey matter and wrinkles. It looked similar to a human brain, except a different shape and slightly smaller. It was pretty impressive overall. Picking up the sharpest scalpel he had left, he proceeded to remove the brain from its boney casing for further study.