Penny stood next to her friends in silence. Her wide eyes stared at this newcomer in shock. Her body trembled, unable to fully believe what she was seeing. Yet she knew this was not an hallucination. As much as she wanted it to not be real, she knew, deep down, this was reality. A terrifying reality that chilled her to her core.

Standing not far from them, his eyes focused intently on Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap, was Rudy. Not the Rudy she knew, but Dark Rudy. The eighteen year old doppelganger of her friend looked so much like him, and yet so different. He stood up straight, making it easy for her to tell what kind of figure he had. He was thinner than Rudy, like he doesn't eat much, but he was not emaciated either. He looked like he was a tad more muscular, too, likely the byproduct of working for Mr. Cosmo.

His brown hair was unkempt and a little longer than Rudy's hair. He wore a full body suit complete with a few spikey armor pieces, most noteabley on his knees and elbows. He had some kind of pair of leather straps going across his chest and on his back, she could see he had some kind of weapon, a sword perhaps, or a laser. His face had a couple of small scars on them. Nothing too standout-ish, but she imagined he had a lot of scars all over his body after living in a place like this.

When he talked, his voice was chilling, sounding very much like her friend's. Dark Rudy's voice had a bit of a scratch to it, like he had a terrible cold. She could soon see why. There was a scar on his throat, similar to what Ms. Saffron has. She wondered briefly how he got that scar. Her mind immediately shifted elsewhere. She took notice of the boots he was weathering. Black leather, and at the tips, she could see a set of twin blades coming out of him. These boots were clearly meant to be used as weapons.

She, Rudy, and Snap remained frozen at the sight of this twisted version of the 'great creator'. Cold ice swam through their veins, making their bodies shake even harder. They couldn't tear their eyes away from him as he took a few steps towards Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. Sometimes, Penny had to glance back at Rudy for her to realize that there was indeed two Rudys. She had to remind her brain that Rudy had not turned evil, and that Dark Rudy was a different person, one who was taken down a different path in life.

Dark Rudy's mere presence was enough to make the room feel chilly. The wind that blew in, threatening to blow out the torches, added to the atmosphere. Penny and her friends wanted to move, yet they could not. So far, Dark Rudy hadn't spotted them. Or at least, he didn't act like he did. He was focused on Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. How long this would last, and just what was going to happen, she wasn't sure.

"I must say, it was fun tracking you down. I knew that, sooner or later, I'd find you in one of your hiding holes. But playtime is over." Dark Rudy said, a small smile on his face. He reached behind his back and grabbed the handle of his weapon. "I'm tired of all this running around, you two. I really don't get why you don't just lay down and let me kill you. It would be so much easier that way."

Alt-Snap held up a fist and shouted, "We won't surrender that easily!"

"Just what I like to hear." Dark Rudy sneered, his teeth exposed in a grin. "Nice to see that you are still as stubborn as ever, Snap. I suppose that's one thing about you that would never change. A little surprising, seeing how you lost your innocense, too. I wasn't the only one."

Alt-Snap growled at this, but didn't say anything. Dark Rudy smirked, staring intently at Alt-Snap. He slowly pulled out his weapon. They all could see it was a long sword. The blade itself was a little thin, but it looked incredibly sharp. It reminded Penny of a japanese katana, though the blade looked like it was more reinforced and sharper than she'd expect from a traditional katana.

"Do you really think you can stop us that easily, Rudy?" Ms. Saffron asked, narrowing her eyes at the intruder. "We managed to allude you before. We can do it again!"

"Ah just what I'd expect you to say, Saffron." Dark Rudy's voice was full of contempt. He glared hatefully at Ms. Saffron. "Too bad my master failed to dispose of you. He was right when he realized you would become a threat. Of course, maybe if you had seen reason and joined up, I wouldn't have to..."

"Oh be quiet!" Ms. Saffron snarled at him. She took a step forward, forming a fist with her hand. "Do you think I'd want any part of this?! Look at this place! Everything is destroyed and it's all because of your precious 'master'!" She took in a few heavy breaths as she and Dark Rudy locked eyes on each other. "Why the fuck would I want to help him destroy the planet?!"

Dark Rudy stared at her, gritting his teeth. Slowly, he smiled. The change, how fast it occurred, was disturbing. The smile he gave could chill blood. He moved towards Ms. Saffron slowly, making his way over. Ms. Saffron kept her defensive stance, fully prepared to protect herself if need be. "Stubborn as always as well, Ms. Saffron. The little blue rodent has made that much of an impact on you."

Alt-Snap looked visibly hurt by that comment, but his expression gave way to anger. The blue rodent insult also shocked Penny. Never before had she heard Rudy say something so demeaning about someone who was supposed to be his best friend. Seeing the way this Rudy and this Snap interacted, feeling their hate for one another, it was a jarring, stark contrast to how her Rudy and her Snap would behave towards each other. Even though they knew this was an alternate dimension, it was still unsettling seeing this display go on.

Rudy and Snap glanced at each other sadly, their eyes brimming with emotion. Penny watched, her expression solemn, as Rudy and Snap gave each other a reassuring hug. She couldn't blame them after seeing this horrible display in front of them. They needed comfort, the knowledge that they would never turn on each other like that. Penny moved closer and joined in the hug, wanting to provide some support for them. After their hug, they turned to watch what was going on.

By this point, Dark Rudy was getting very close to Ms. Saffron. A dark smile was on his face, his eyes flashing black for a few seconds. Ms. Saffron didn't move. She continued to glare at Dark Rudy as he made his way over. The only thing that stopped him was Alt-Snap, who jumped in his path and held his arms out protectively. Dark Rudy paused, looking mildly surprised by this, but mostly amused.

"So you want to challenge me, Snap? Okay then..." Dark Rudy lifted his long sword. He held it in front of him, a clear attempt to threaten Alt-Snap. The armored zoner's image reflected off the sword, showing his face contorted in anger. "I'll be happy to obligue..." Dark Rudy sneered, his voice and eyes overflowing with cruel intent. His teeth bared in a hideous smile, he steadied his sword in front of him, preparing to attack.

Alt-Snap stayed in his fighting stance. He held up his laser, preparing to shoot. The two former friends looked at each other, fully prepared to fight. Dark Rudy was about to make his move when he suddenly froze. The evil smile was replaced with a look of genuine shock. Alt-Snap looked confused, but then his eyes widened in horror, as if he realized what Dark Rudy had spotted. Ms. Saffron put her hand to her mouth, realizing the same thing. Dark Rudy stared in shock at his sword before he turned his head to the side.

Penny felt her heart freeze when Dark Rudy set his sights on her. They locked eye contact and she could practically feel something sharp burrowing though her sole. Dark Rudy's expression didn't change as he stared at her for several seconds. Feeling at unease, Penny took a few steps back. Rudy and Snap took position beside her, watching Dark Rudy with wary, wondering if he was going to suddenly attack.

Dark Rudy kept staring, mouth agape, at Penny. Then, after a few more moments, he finally spoke. "P-Penny...? How is this possible...?" Then his face contorted in anger, the rage practically boiling on his skin. "You're supposed to be dead!" Twisting his body around faster than anyone thought possible, the dark version of Rudy put his sword in front of him, aiming the sharp tip at Penny. "I'm going to kill you! And this time, you are going to stay six feet under!"

Penny let out a surprised cry as Dark Rudy suddenly charged towards her. He moved at astonishing speed. He held his long sword at his side, his arm muscles contorting as he prepared to strike out with the sharp object. He aimed at Penny's stomach, clearly preparing to disembowel her. Penny took a fighting stance, bracing herself for the chance to fight back. If Dark Rudy wants to kill her, he was going to have to fight her first. She would not go down easily. Despite being terrified, she would stand and fight.

Suddenly, when Dark Rudy almost got close enough to attack her, Rudy charged in from the side. He slammed his body against his evil counterpart and pushed him back. He was clearly in pain, his teeth gritted and a few tears moving down his face. Penny saw that he had pushed his injured shoulder against Dark Rudy. Still, he did not stop until he smashed Dark Rudy up against the wall. He gripped his counterpart's hands and pushed them against the wall, denying him the ability to use his sword. As Rudy held his evil counterpart against the wall, everyone else stared, stunned by this sudden turn of events.

At first, Dark Rudy did nothing but stare in shock at Rudy. Rudy's right eye glared with hatred at Dark Rudy, his teeth bared tightly. Dark Rudy's chest inflated and deflated at a rapid pace, and Penny could have sworn she could hear his heart beating fast from over here. It was clear that the appearance of another Rudy had shaken him up. Then, eventually, Dark Rudy's expression changed to a frown. Not one filled with anger, but one that indicated curiosity.

"Another me?" Dark Rudy asked in a soft voice. Rudy didn't answer and just continued to glare hatefully at him. Dark Rudy looked back over at Penny, and then he noted Snap. "And another Snap..." He turned to look back at Rudy. "You're from another dimension...aren't you?" Amused by Rudy's lack of a response, Dark Rudy smirked. "Oh this is too precious." He gave a sideways glance to Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron. "I see you tried sending for help, but I'm afraid you made a mistake bringing these three in. They're weak." He tilted his head a little. "And they will be easy to dispose of."

Rudy pushed harder against Dark Rudy, forcing his counterpart to grunt. "You won't be disposing of us! I'll see to that!"

Dark Rudy stared at him. He sneered, "Oh really now? That would be pretty fun. I must admit, though..." He gave Rudy a sideways glance, a nasty grin on his face. "I never would have imagined my weak white chalk counterpart would be able to hold me against the wall for this long." Rudy growled at this. "But of course, you can't keep it up for long."

With that, Dark Rudy pulled his foot back and kicked against Rudy. Rudy let out a howl of pain and staggered back. Penny and Snap cried out in protest and horror. They watched as Rudy fell down to his knees, holding his stomach. Upon closer inspection, Penny could tell that the blades did not penetrate his skin, which was a relief. But the kick to his stomach was still going to cause trouble. Dark Rudy took a few steps towards him, chuckling as Rudy coughed in pain, bits of blood spraying on the ground.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap took a few steps towards them, but they froze. Their eyes were wide with fear and shock. Penny guessed they were worried that Dark Rudy was going to do worse if they came closer. That caused cold dread to fill up inside of her. Just how far was Dark Rudy willing to go? How dangerous was he? She and Snap also wanted to help, but Rudy cast them a glance to stay back. Penny and Snap watched the scene in horror, both of them thinking the same thing. They had to figure out a way to help Rudy and fast.

Dark Rudy knelt down in front of Rudy. He grabbed his chin and lifted it up. The two of them locked eyes onto each other. Neither of them said a word. Rudy stared at his dark counterpart with an expression that was a mixture between fear and hate. Dark Rudy just smiled, clearly amused by this whole thing. He tilted Rudy's head, as if examining him, and stared intently at the eye patch strapped to his head. Dark Rudy reached down and grabbed onto it. Despite Rudy's efforts to turn his head away, he wasn't able to stop Dark Rudy from pulling off his eye patch.

The scratch marks given to him by Nile were still healing. Red marks indicating where he slashed him were clearly visible. They were raked across the cut that Jenny gave him prior. If it hadn't been for that crocodile zoner's attack, Rudy's left eye would have healed sooner. Now, with those new gashes, Rudy still couldn't open his left eye. Penny wondered if it was going to be permanent, with all these eye injuries he was getting. She and Snap watched in horror as Dark Rudy lowered his hand to Rudy's injured eye.

Dark Rudy placed his fingers against Rudy's eye very lightly, running his fingers along the injury. Rudy winced in pain. Dark Rudy was surprisingly gentle, never pushing too much to make Rudy cry in pain. He continued to touch the wound gently, putting his face close and examining the mark. After a while, he moved back and smirked down at Rudy.

"Your scar, it kind of reminds me of the one my master has." Dark Rudy said. "But of course, he can still use his left eye. Then again, so can you...am I right? Why don't you open your left eye for me? I want to see it."

Rudy growled at him and pushed his hand away. He took a defensive stance, preparing to fight. "Why don't you fight me? I know you want to."

"Sure, I do...but first.." Dark Rudy hunched over a little. "I want to see your eye!"

Dark Rudy charged forward and knocked Rudy into the ground. Rudy let out a cry of pain as his back hit the hard surface. The others cried out in shock and rushed over to help him, but Dark Rudy pulled out his sword and placed it against Rudy's neck. He glared evilly at every one in the room, silently warning them not to get any closer or he'll slash open Rudy's throat. Reluctantly, everyone froze where they stood, watching in horror at the scene playing out before them. Dark Rudy looked down at Rudy.

Rudy's right eye looked down at the sword pressed against his neck, his image reflecting off the sword. He looked back up at Dark Rudy, his right eye filled with fear, his teeth clenched. He looked like he wanted to try to push his evil counterpart away. The only thing stopping him was the fact that the sword was pressed so hard...just one wrong move, and he was going to get his throat slashed open. Dark Rudy leaned himself closer to Rudy, a smile filled with dark intent spreading across his scarred face.

"Turn your head to your right so I can take a closer look at your left eye." Dark Rudy said in a somewhat pleasant tone. Rudy shook his head, determined not to expose his vulnerable eye to this beast. Dark Rudy narrowed his eyes. "You seem to think you have a choice here..." He pressed his sword harder and Rudy let out a yelp.

"Rudy!" Penny called out.

"Let him go!" Snap shouted, holding up a fist.

Dark Rudy looked over at them, sneering. "Oh don't you worry. I'm not going to kill him. I just want to check his eye is all."

"I know what you're going to do..." Alt-Snap snarled, baring his teeth. "And if you do that, I'm going to...!"

"Oh shut up, you pile of chalk dust!" Dark Rudy said with a cruel tone to his voice. He gave a heartless smile to the zoner who was once his best friend. "If you don't want an...unfortunate accident to happen to your...ally here.. I suggest you shut your mouth." Alt-Snap growled angrily at this, but did not speak another word. Ms. Saffron was about to speak, but Dark Rudy halted her. "The same thing goes for you, toots. If you, any of you, speak another word, I will slice your friend's throat open."

This threat sent cold chills through everyone. As much as they wanted to do something to help, at the moment, they were unable to. They had no choice but to abide by Dark Rudy's 'wish' and remain still and quiet, forced to watch what he was going to do to Rudy. Clearly satisfied by the fact that they weren't going to move any closer, Dark Rudy turned his attention back to Rudy, smiling evilly down at him.

"Turn your head for me, and keep still." Dark Rudy said. When Rudy still didn't comply, Dark Rudy put his face close to his, pushing his sword a little harder against his throat. "I will cut your throat open if you don't do as I say. Turn your head." He narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Now!" Staring at him in fear, reluctantly, Rudy complied and turned his head so that his left eye was facing towards Dark Rudy. "Good boy...Now hold still..." He put his fingers against his eyelid. "This will hurt a little."

Dark Rudy started to pull Rudy's eyelids apart. He let out loud screams of pain as his eye was messed with like that. Penny felt her blood chill as she watched in horror. Her face was etched in terror and she wanted to do something, anything. Rudy's calls of pain sent pangs through her heart. It made her want to rush over and help him. Snap wanted to help. His body was shaking in fear and anger. He wanted to rush over and knock Dark Rudy away. But neither of them could move. With the sword against Rudy's neck like that, they couldn't rush rushing over, not without a plan.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap, even though they didn't know their Rudy as well, they wanted to help, too. She could see the look in their eyes. They were telling her the same thing. They didn't like being forced to stay back. They were in the same pickle as her and Snap. From their angle, they weren't able to move without Dark Rudy noticing. But then..right now his eyes were focused on Rudy. As he continued to pull Rudy's eyelids apart, his dark chuckling filling the air and intermixing with Rudy's loud whimpers and whines, Penny thought of a way to get Dark Rudy away. If she could just sneak around along the wall, maybe she'd stand a chance.

Slowly, she moved towards the wall. She didn't stop until her back was against it. The other three saw what she was doing. She raised up her hand and put her finger against her mouth, urging them to be silent. They obligued and averted their eyes. Penny knew this was because they did not want to accidentally draw attention to her. They instead focused on the uncomfortable scene before them. Penny felt her heart tighten even more as she watched Rudy kick his legs and crying in pain as Dark Rudy tugged harder on his eyelids, trying his hardest to break the scab.

Suddenly, without warning, Dark Rudy gave a very hard pull. There was some kind tear sound, something breaking, and Rudy let out a loud scream of anguish, tugging at the heartstrings of his friends and horrifying Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. Dark Rudy just smiled in satisfaction, staring down at Rudy's left eye. He had successfully pulled his eyelids apart, exposing the eye itself. Rudy's left eye moved around and then stared up at Dark Rudy, his pupil shrinking in fear. He tried to close his eyelids, but Dark Rudy's grip was tight. A little bit of blood started to pour from the reopened wound, moving along the side of Rudy's face.

"What a..pretty eye you have..." Dark Rudy said, his voice uncomfortably pleasant. Rudy's face contorted a little in fear. The comment had clearly unnerved and frightened him. "A shame you had it closed for all this time. Well now you can open it up again." Dark Rudy said. He released Rudy's eye, watching him as he blinked his left eye a few times. "There, isn't that better now?"

With both eyes open, his left eye quivering in pain, Rudy looked up at Dark Rudy, his teeth still clenched in fear. "I can't believe I turned into such a...such a monster..."

Dark Rudy narrowed his eyes at this comment. "And I can't believe you're still weak. I would have thought that, by now, you would have embraced the power of the black chalk. But I guess you're still brainwashed...no matter..." He moved his face so close he nearly hit against Rudy. "I know just how to fix that.."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. "No! I won't become like you!"

"Oh but little boy..." Dark Rudy laughed. "It's your destiny.."

Before Rudy or Dark Rudy could get another word in, Penny had managed to sneak up behind Dark Rudy. She looked her arm around Dark Rudy's throat and yanked him back. The dark version of Rudy let out a cry of surprise as Penny dragged him back. She then pushed him against the wall, keeping him pinned there. She glared hatefully at him. Dark Rudy was not pleased with her interference and struggled to get free. Penny managed to hold him, but barely. She was going to lose her grip soon, and she knew he was going to attack her with the sword, but she refused to back down. She was not going to let this monster turn her friend into a killer. No, she won't allow it.

Snap rushed over to where Rudy was. He knelt down and reached his hand out towards him. Rudy took Snap's hand and the zoner helped him up to his feet. Snap looked at Rudy worriedly and looked at him up and down to make sure he wasn't hurt. Alt-Snap stared at this. His eyes were narrowed and his fists clenched and shaking. The sight of Rudy and Snap still getting along must be like feeling salt being poured into an open wound. He only calmed down when Ms. Saffron put a hand on his shoulder. Relaxing, he turned his head up to her.

"We need to get them out of here." Alt-Snap said, his tone brimming with urgency. "If Rudy is here, our Rudy, then that means that Mr. Cosmo might not be far behind. If he shows up..."

"I know. We'll be in trouble." Ms. Saffron said. "Especially if he brings Draow..." She turned her attention to the others. She watched as Rudy and Snap rushed over to help Penny pin Dark Rudy to the wall. Ms. Saffron bit her lip. "They're not going to be able to hold him back for long."

"I know." Alt-Snap said.

Ms. Saffron pointed at where the others were. "Go help them."

Alt-Snap shook his head. "No." When Ms. Saffron gave him a shocked expressio, he continued, "Not yet I mean. I need to wait until the right moment. If I attack Rudy too soon, he might hurt one of them." Alt-Snap took position, his body hunched. "But as soon as I see an opening..."

Penny pushed against Dark Rudy's shoulders, keeping him against the wall. Dark Rudy had tried to attack her, but Rudy grabbed onto his arm and pinned it. Snap had a hold of the other arm. Working together, they kept Dark Rudy pressed against the wall. The evil counterpart was struggling to get free, jerking back and forth. Penny couldn't believe how strong he was. He didn't look like he'd be this strong. Even with all their efforts combined, even working together, it was taking as much as their strength as possible to keep this guy from getting away.

Dark Rudy growled in frustration, clearly not happy with being pinned against the wall like this. He pulled himself from side to side, trying to squeeze his way from them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap did no let up. They were determined to make sure he didn't try to get away. They had to keep him restrained. They couldn't allow him to escape. They only met him for a short time, and they already knew he was too dangerous to let go.

But as Dark Rudy struggled harder, as they started to lose their grasp, Penny wondered just how long they could keep this up. Rudy still had the arm with the blade pinned, but that won't last long at this rate. Something was going to give soon. If Dark Rudy got his arm free, all it was going to take was one well aimed strike and it was over. Out of the corner of her eye, she cold see Alt-Snap taking position. If they could hold him long enough, maybe Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron could launch an attack at Dark Rudy, something that could knock him out and he could be taken to...whatever custody constitutes in this world.

"Release me! You filthy mongrels!" Dark Rudy snarled. He twisted his body around. "Unhand me at once!"

"No way, pal!" Snap said, the word 'pal' said in sarcasm. "You're not going anywhere!"

"You're too big of a threat for us to just let go! You're going to surrender and you're coming with us!" Rudy shouted. His voice was laced in pain.

"Yeah!" Penny held on tighter. She put her face close to Dark Rudy, causing the black chalk artist to snap his head back. "There's no way we'll let you continue wreaking havoc on this world!"

"So struggle all you want to." Rudy said. "We're not letting go!"

Dark Rudy let out a loud shout of frustration. His eyes widened in anger. His eyes began to glow black. The sight of them was chilling. Penny felt her heart fill up with ice. She had a feeling that things were about to get bad..very bad. Dark Rudy's struggles seemed to get more violent when his eyes glowed black. He jerked back and forth with more force than he had ever exhibited before. Rudy, Penny, and Snap held on tightly, having a difficult time in restraining him.

Then, with a few more violent twists, Dark Rudy managed to get one of his limbs free. He jerked his arm hard, tossing Snap into the ground. With one of his arms now free, he grabbed onto Penny's throat, squeezing so hard she couldn't breathe. At this, Rudy shouted her name and moved in to help. This ended up causing him to loosen his grip on Dark Rudy's other arm. He pulled his arm back and pushed Rudy away. This didn't stop Rudy for long and he rushed back. Penny struggled to get free, her mouth open up, gasping for air.

Snap rushed over. Dark Rudy glared down at him. He kicked him away. Snap let out a howl of pain as one of the spikes slashed across his stomach. Blood spilled from his wound and stained the ground as he crashed down. He struggled to get up to his feet. The pain caused him to fall down. Rudy watched this in horror. Before he had time to do anything else, Dark Rudy, who had dropped his sword at this point, seized him by his neck and, like with Penny, he started to strangle him. Rudy let out choked gasp as he tried to free himself.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap rushed to Snap's side. They helped him up to his feet. Ms. Saffron held onto Snap's arm, using herself as support so he won't fall over. Alt-Snap gazed at Snap's wounds and shook his head solemnly. Snap looked at him with pain filled eyes.

"This looks bad..." Alt-Snap said, biting his lip. "He's going to need medical attention..." He looked over at where Dark Rudy was. He took a few steps towards him. "But first, we have to stop him. We can't treat anybody as long as he is here." The word 'he' was said with strong emphasis.

Ms. Saffron continued to hold onto Snap. She looked at Alt-Snap with worried eyes. "Please...be careful."

"Don't worry." Alt-Snap turned and gave her a smile. "I will." With that, he rushed over at where Dark Rudy was.

Dark Rudy tightened his grip, holding Rudy and Penny at a distance so they had less of a chance of hitting him to get free. He let out a growl. The glow from his eyes intensified. Penny struggled harder, trying to get herself free. But it was no use. She couldn't tell if this strength was natural or if it was being supplied by the black chalk. Either way, she and Rudy had to get away somehow.

Before she realized what was happening, Dark Rudy yanked her and Rudy away from each other, holding the two of them far apart. Penny barely had time to see Dark Rudy's smirk when he suddenly threw them together. Penny's eyes went wide as she felt her skull collide with Rudy's. Horrific pain swept through her head and she and Rudy let out cries of pain. Dazed and confused, the two teenagers, Dark Rudy no longer gripping them, fell to the ground. They laid on top of each other in a heap.

Penny's sensories were all jittery. Her vision was a little blurry. Her hearing a little echoey. She was confused, not entirely sure of just where she was. She did regain some of her senses, enough to know that she and Rudy were in trouble, that Dark Rudy was coming towards them with a sword. She looked up just as Dark Rudy held his sword over his head, an insane smile on his face. Penny, unable to get out of the way in time, put her body over Rudy to shield him. She shut her eyes and waited for the blow.

Dark Rudy never had a chance to strike them. Without warning, Alt-Snap jumped onto Dark Rudy's back. He grabbed onto his hair and pulled. Dark Rudy let out a cry of pain and stumbled back. He tried frantically to get Alt-Snap off of him. The little zoner refused to let go. Unable to see Alt-Snap, Dark Rudy was not able to land a hit on him, nor could he risk it unless he wanted to get hurt as well.

As he held onto Dark Rudy, Alt-Snap turned to Ms. Saffron. "Get them out of here! I'll keep Rudy here busy!"

Ms. Saffron didn't waste any time. Holding Snap with one arm carefully, she rushed over to where Rudy and Penny were. She used her free arm to help them up to their feet. Rudy and Penny took a little bit of time steadying themselves. A pounding headache spread through their skulls, and they were still a little disoriented from the blow. Penny rubbed her head, wincing as she touched the sore spot from where her head collided with Rudy's. She looked over at him sympathetically. She hoped that he didn't have a concussion. That was the last thing he needed in his current state.

But she knew they didn't have time to look at any of their injuries. They had to get out of here and fast. Once she and Rudy got enough of their bearings, they immediately started to follow Ms. Saffron. She could hear shouts of anger and frustration behind her, and she knew that Alt-Snap was doing all he can to keep Dark Rudy from coming after them. She hoped he would be able to hold him off long enough for them to escape.

Holding onto Snap, Ms. Saffron guided Rudy and Penny down through a back tunnel. It was longer and a little thinner than the entrance they took before, the one that Dark Rudy had destroyed. There was a little bit of debris in this tunnel, but thankfully they were easy to dodge. Penny was relieved. She was still a little wobbly and she didn't think she could handle much fancy footwork to avoid larger obstacles.

After some running, their hearts pounding against their chests, they reached outside. Penny flinched as she saw the foreboding red sky again. She looked over at Ms. Saffron. She looked left and right, likely making sure the coast was clear or to figure out which way was the nearest hiding spot. She turned to Penny and made a gesture with her head. Without hesitation, she and Rudy rushed after her. They moved around the debris the best they could as they headed towards a row of destroyed buildings. There appeared to be a makeshift path between them.

They didn't get that far when they heard a loud scream and a crash. They whipped their heads around. Their eyes widened in shock and horror when they saw Alt-Snap falling from a height. He crashed into the ground and rolled over. He shivered in pain and climbed up to his feet. It didn't take long for Penny and the others to see how this had happened.

Dark Rudy had climbed through the ceiling. His sword..it must have been sharp enough to cut through the twisted metal and he was able to climb his way out. He had thrown Snap from his current position, which was high above a piece of debris. Thankfully it wasn't a terribly high drop, but Penny knew it had caused some damage, especially when she saw Alt-Snap stagger and limp. Dark Rudy turned and looked at Penny and her group. His mouth ticked in a vicious smile and he jumped down. His knees buckled a little, but he managed to keep himself from falling down.

"Do you really think you can escape?" Dark Rudy taunted. He moved over deliberately to the group. "Perhaps it's time you three..outsiders...learned why Mr. Cosmo had chosen me to be his partner..."

"G-Get away from them..." Alt-Snap snarled. Dark Rudy paused and stared at him blankly. "Fight me instead! I'll take you on!" He leveled his laser at Dark Rudy. "Come on!" He shot at the ground, narrowly missing Dark Rudy's feet. Dark Rudy moved back but his expression hardly changed, remaining blank. "You want a piece of me?! Come get me!"

Dark Rudy stared at him for a few more moments. Then he smiled evilly. He slowly turned around and began to walk over towards Alt-Snap. "With pleasure..."