Rudy didn't look back. He didn't stop. He could feel his chest burning as he continued to run. He didn't know how long he was going to be able to handle it, but he couldn't stop. Not now. Neither could the others. He could hear their heavy panting, their feet hitting the ground. Even as they headed up the debris hill and through the uneven ground, they still didn't slow down.

A few times, they would nearly trip as pieces of rock and metal were stuck above the ground. It didn't help that they were going in some place pretty dark and not very well lit. He could barely see what was in front of his face. But he had no choice but to keep running. He had to get moving. None of them were safe here. They were never safe, and seeing what happened earlier, that just cemented that belief. They had to get out of here as fast as they can, despite how tired their bodies were getting from the running, from the dodging.

Rudy's mind was numb. Even though a lot happened just a short while ago, the fight, the trash talk, the blood, the death... None of that fully registered in his mind right now. His mind was a blank, and the only thing that he could think of doing now was run. His body was pumped with adrenaline. His legs felt like they were on fire. He wanted to sit down and relax. The danger present prevented him from doing this. He had to keep moving, despite his body roaring at him to slow down.

He hardly registered that Penny, Snap, and Ms. Saffron were with him. He knew they were there. He knew that he was not running alone. But his mind barely took notice of them. Just enough that he knew they were there. But he still hardly noticed them, his eyes mostly seeing just a vague interpretation of where he was running. The shock value of what he had just witnessed was the cause of this. His mind was still reeling from witnessing what Dark Rudy had done to Alt-Snap. It was an unexpected and shocking event, a part of his mind was in denial.

He heard a loud roar behind him. His heart pumping faster, he pushed himself harder. Then there was the scrape of claws and Rudy felt a rush of air behind him. Without looking, he knew that Draow had just tried to grab him. It was shere luck that he had been able to dodge the claws. Rudy dared to look behind, and his mind suddenly snapped back to reality when he saw Draow and Dark Rudy heading right for him, preparing for another attempt to grab him. This time, Draow was leaning his head forward, his jaws split wide open. Rudy realized, in dread, that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time.

Before Draow could grab him, he felt Penny pull him to the side. The jaws slammed shut right next to him. He winced at teh sound of teeth clanging together with such shere force. He looked at Penny, giving her a shocked but grateful expression, and they picked up the pace. He and Penny followed Ms. Saffron, holding Snap, down the dark tunnels. They were grateful that she still wore the armor; the slight glint to the metal made it easier for them to see her as they navigated the dark tunnels.

Unfortunately, this also meant that Draow could still follow them. Not that he couldn't follow them before. Being part wolf, his eyesight in the dark was better than theirs. Even without the glinting armor, Draow could still follow them. And follow, he did. He kept chasing them through the tunnel. At least he couldn't fly in here. Not enough room. But that was of little comfort to the fleeing group as the beast got closer, hearing shouts from Dark Rudy for him to hurry up and get them. Rudy had no idea just how they were going to shake off Draow and Dark Rudy.

Draow slashed the ground as he tried to grab them. He fired his smaller lasers, trying to collapse the tunnel. It almost worked at one point and the group nearly got trapped with those two on their tail. Luckily they were able to get out of the way in time. Draow then started to fire at them, specificially their feet. This made Rudy realize that Dark Rudy wanted them alive. But why? It didn't take him long to realize what that was. He wanted to take them back to his master, Mr. Cosmo. At least, him, Penny, and Snap. He did seem to indicate earlier that he wanted to get them to join him.

Draow let out a roar of frustration. The roar echoed throughout the tunnel, causing small pieces of debris to fall down. Rudy wanted to cover his ears so much, but he had to focus on running. He then heard another shout, this one from Penny, followed by a loud thud. He stopped and he turned. His heart froze when he saw Draow upon Penny, opening his gaping maw to seize her up.

"No!" Rudy shouted. He rushed over, picking up a piece of twisted metal. He slammed the piece against Draow, making him jerk his head to the side with a painful screech. "Leave her alone!"

Draow shook his head. He glared down at Rudy, baring his sharp teeth. He raised his wing claw and struck forward, hitting Rudy in the chest. Rudy let out a grunt of pain and backed up. He looked at his chest, seeing a line of red across it. He held onto it and stared at Draow and Dark Rudy with one eye. He didn't stand there for long. He turned to Penny, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Rudy asked.

"Yeah I'm fine..." Penny steadied herself with her cane. She looked back as Draow spread his wings as far as he could, the fur on his back ruffling. "Let's get out of here!"

The two friends started to run towards where Ms. Saffron. The woman had stopped and seen that they had fallen behind. A horrified look was on her face as she watched them being chased down by Draow. The bat wolf pounded his feet against the ground, getting closer to them. Ms. Saffron didn't start running again until Rudy and Penny caught up with her. Once more, the group ran together down the dark tunnels, Ms. Saffron leading the way.

Rudy had no idea how they were going to shake off these two. The lasers were making this complicated. If they get trapped behind a collapsed tunnel, what were they going to do? Only Ms. Saffron had weapons and she can't take on both Dark Rudy and Draow. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were all injured and would have a tough time fighting back in their current state. No doubt those two would take advantage of their wounds and target them. They needed another way to get out of here. But how?

Without warning, there was a rush of air behind them, a dark shadow casting over them, and before they knew it, Draow slammed onto the ground in front of them, causing the ground to shake and crack. The group screamed and skidded to a stop just as Draow slammed his jaws in front of them, narrowly missing Penny. Dark Rudy smirked evilly at them as Draow spread his wings once more, not to fly, but to block any attempt for them to run around them. The group froze, and moved back as Draow started to advance on them.

"Give it up, you four.. I have you trapped." Dark Rudy said. A snort from Draow caused him to add, "We have you trapped... You have nowhere to go. You could try running the other way, but then..." He snapped his fingers.

At this, Draow pointed his cannons up towards the ceiling of the tunnel behind them. He snapped his fingers and, seconds later, the laser pummeled through the ceiling. Pieces of metal, wood, and concrete came crashing down on them, kicking up dust and causing them to cough. Rudy and the others took a step back and they saw that the tunnel had collapsed. Not completely; there was still a way out. But it was so difficult to get to, and by the time they'd get there, Draow would have grabbed them already. They looked back at Dark Rudy and Draow, their breaths quickening as Dark Rudy hopped off of Draow and started to approach them.

"Nowhere to run to now. You can either try to run, but get captured..." Dark Rudy said. "..or you can do the sensible thing and just surrender now. We'll go easier on you if you come with us willingly. Won't we, Draow?" Dark Rudy turned his head to Draow. The bat wolf gave a low growl, but nodded his head once. The corrupted teenager then looked back at the group. "See?" He used his hand to gesture. "Now..come along..."

Rudy looked around, trying to find a way out of this situation. With them trapped, it didn't seem like they had anywhere to go. They could try fighting back, but how well would that go? Ms. Saffron might be able to hold her ground, but for how long? Dark Rudy could easily kill her, just like he had with Alt-Snap. Running away wasn't going to work in here, though. Those two monsters were blocking their paths. They could surrender and be able to live long enough to form another plan, but...that may not work. Whose to say that those two won't cripple them so they can't fight back?

Rudy felt so confused. He wasn't sure what they could do to get out of here. He moved back with the others. They pressed their backs against the debris wall behind them. Ms. Saffron had set Snap on the ground and took position in front of them. She held out her new long pole, fully prepared to fight. This just amused Dark Rudy and he continued to approach them. Rudy looked all around once more, trying to find any kind of weak point, any place they could escape to, or any kind of weapon they could use to slow down Draow and Dark Rudy. Dark Rudy got closer. Draow moved in and snagged Saffron, holding her so that Dark Rudy could continue walking towards the trio.

He wasn't able to think of anything before Dark Rudy stood in front of him. It was unsettling having his counterpart this close to him. It gave him chills looking at this boy's eyes, seeing them so full of hatred and evil...no ounce of kindness in them. Rudy felt his stomach lurch a little as he stared at the person he had almost become a few years ago. The person standing before him was him...and yet he was not. It gave Rudy conflicting feelings as Dark Rudy still more or less sounded and looked like him, yet his personality was more like Mr. Cosmo's. This Rudy was not the kind-hearted person he was, but instead he was a manipulative monster. It was scary seeing just what he would have become had Skrawl not been there to knock the black chalk out of his hand.

"Hard to believe I used to be so weak..." Dark Rudy said, eyeing Rudy up and down. "I feel almost sick looking at you, because all I can see is wasted potential."

Rudy growled at this. "And you are all I never wanted to be. I'll never join you."

"Not like you have much of a choice. You see, after I take you to my master's, the first thing he'll do is drag your sorry ass into ChalkZone and make you use the black chalk." Dark Rudy sneered, folding his arms against his chest. "After that, you'll make a fine assistant..."

"I won't let you do that!" Penny snapped at him, moving up next to Rudy to offer support. "You're not going to use him like that!"

"Oh I know..it's not just him..." Dark Rudy stared intently at Penny. He reached out and cupped her chin. "I'll convince Cosmo to...initiate you too, sweetheart. I do so miss your company at times." Penny's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. "Yes...Your intelligence was of..most useful asset. I'd love to have that back."

Penny pushed his hand away. "I'd never help you!"

"Yeah! Why would anyone help a loon like you?" Snap shouted at him, showing him his fist.

Dark Rudy stared at him for a few moments. Before Rudy or Snap could react, Dark Rudy reached over and grabbed Snap by his scarf again and yanked him forward. This time, he didn't try to lift him up. He just held him in place, refusing to let go. Snap grunted and tried to make Dark Rudy let go, pushing against his hand. Dark Rudy put his face close to Snap's. He glared at Rudy and Penny, silently telling them he'll hurt Snap if they made a move. Then he looked down at the zoner.

"Ah...Snap.. I'm sure you'll be more useful than my Snap.. He never saw the light. He never understood progress..." Dark Rudy reached over with his other hand and gently ran it along Snap's head, from the top and to the back. "But perhaps you will be different. Maybe you will be of some use to me."

Snap turned his head to the side, growling. "Why would I help you?"

"Oh, no reason..." Dark Rudy said in a calm voice. Then when he spoke again, his voice was suddenly deep, the scratchiness adding a whole new level of creepiness to the sudden shift of tone. "...except I'd hate to be responsible for the death of another future servant!" With that, he suddenly threw Snap into the ground, causing the zoner to cry out. Dark Rudy pressed his foot against his back and held him down. "And besides...I don't think you'd want anything to happen to your...friends, now do you?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Snap asked, his eyes widening.

Dark Rudy grinned evilly. "Well, Snap, you see..."

He didn't have time to finish. There was a sudden scream that echoed through the air. Everyone looked over to see what was going on. It didn't take them long to see that Draow had released Ms. Saffron. He staggered back. The way he was limping back suggested that Ms. Saffron had used her pole to smash against his right foot. The sudden pain the bat wolf experienced caused him to release the woman. Once on her feet, she whirled around and smacked Draow in the head again. Draow shook his head and roared at her. In seconds, he charged for her.

Ms. Saffron rushed over to where Dark Rudy was. Rudy looked at her, confused. What was she doing? Why was she running towards Dark Rudy? Rudy soon noticed that his counterpart also looked confused and hadn't tried to hurt Snap more. Had Ms. Saffron never done something like this before? Did it really take Dark Rudy by this much surprise? Either way, this temporary distraction is just what he and Penny needed. The two of them lurched forward. Penny grabbed onto Snap while Rudy shoved his counterpart away.

Dark Rudy stumbled. When he regained his footing, he looked over and saw that Penny was holding onto Snap protectively. The trio were all glaring at him. Rudy had taken a fighting stance. Dark Rudy growled angrily at this. He took a step forward but then stopped as he felt something brush by him. He looked to see it was Ms. Saffron. Dark Rudy's eyes widened, as if he remembered what happened seconds ago. He turned around, but by then it was too late.

Draow, in a desperate attempt to get at Ms. Saffron, had lunged forward. His teal eyes widened in shock when he realized he was heading for the wrong target. It was too late to stop the attack. Before anyone knew it, Draow had slammed against Dark Rudy, crashing into the ground. Dark Rudy let out a cry of pain as one of Draow's claws accidentally cut into his side. Shouting in anger and pain, Dark Rudy started to slam his fist against the side of Draow's head, prompting grunts of pain from the large zoner.

"Get off of me, you fleabag!" Dark Rudy snarled. He punched Draow in the head again. "I said off!"

"I'm trying!" Draow called out. "But my legs..." At this, there was scraping sound, Draow's feet trying to regain their footing. "They're at an odd angle..I can't get up!"

"Draow, sometimes you're worthless!" Dark Rudy hissed as he tried to wriggle his way out from underneath the bat wolf.

Ms. Saffron took a stance by Rudy, Penny, and Snap. The trio were watching this scene in shock, not expecting something like this to happen. They only moved when Ms. Saffron tugged at Rudy's arm. The boy looked up at her, his eyes still wide from what he had witnessed.

"Come on! While they're distracted!" Ms. Saffron shouted.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. They then looked at Dark Rudy and Draow. For now, the two were still more or less tangled with each other. Draow's feet were angled too far to the side. It looked painful, but Draow was hardly reacting to it, probably due to the fact that his attention was on Dark Rudy, who was hitting him. Rudy could see his counterpart trying to get out from underneath Draow. The beast's chest and stomach laid across him, his body weight pinning him down.

Rudy had no idea how long this was going to last. As soon as one of them got free, they were in trouble. He turned to Penny and gave her a nod. They looked over at where Ms. Saffron was running. Without wasting anymore time, they headed out in her direction, rushing past Draow and Dark Rudy and continuing on their way. Penny cradled Snap in her arms while they ran. Rudy ran along behind Penny, determined to offer protection to his friends and Ms. Saffron in case Draow or Dark Rudy got free and came after them. So far, though, they remained trapped on the ground, but that wouldn't last long, he knew.

They continued to rush down the tunnel, noting how much darker it was getting. It got to the point where they could hardly see the glint of her armor. This worried Rudy. What would happen if they went further and they could no longer notice her? Rudy really wished that she had set up lights down here. Or maybe this place wasn't used that much and she saw no need for lights? Rudy tried to ignore what might go wrong, and instead focused on following Ms. Saffron the best that he could. He could still see Penny in front of him. Noticing her limping, he moved closer to her.

Now running along her side, he gently touched her arm. When she looked over at him, he made a gesture with his hands. Realizing instantly what he wanted, Penny moved her arm over, the one that she had looped around Snap's body as gently as she could. Rudy took Snap into his arms. Now that Rudy had Snap, Penny had an easier time with moving. Then, after getting Snap onto his back, the zoner holding onto his neck for support, Rudy went over and grabbed Penny's arm. Using himself as support, Rudy helped get his two friends away from the danger faster.

They soon heard a loud roar and they knew that Draow was back on his feet. This thought was proven correct when they heard the pounding of feet heading in their direction. Their eyes widening in horror, they pushed themselves to go faster. Ms. Saffron then veered off to the left, a sharp turn. Rudy and Penny nearly stumbled off to the right, but they soon regained their bearings and headed to the left where Ms. Saffron disappeared to.

They froze and looked around. Where did Ms. Saffron go? They looked left and right, but saw nothing. It was so dark now. Had it gotten so dark to the point where the armor no longer glinted? The thought chilled Rudy's blood. How were they going to get out of this if they didn't have any idea where they were or how to get out? Draow's footfalls came closer, accompanied by a lighter pair. Dark Rudy was coming towards them as well. Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other, unsure of what they were going to do.

Then something happened they did not expect. The side of the tunnel opened. A hatched was lifted and there was bright light. The sight of this caused the trio to gasp and turn their heads, the bright light hurting their eyes after being in the dark for a while. Then a dark shadow formed from the light. They were startled at first, but soon relieved when it was just Ms. Saffron. There was some strange movement with the shadow, and they realized she was gesturing for them to come on in. Hearing Draow and Dark Rudy shouting behind them, they rushed over.

The trio entered through where Ms. Saffron was. Seconds later, as the entrance closed, they heard the sound of scraping and footsteps. They all froze, waiting to see what would happen. Rudy was very worried, and so were the others. They all watched, tension rising in their hearts, hardly breathing. Draow had a great sense of smell. If he caught whiff of them, then he might...

Just then there was a loud beeping sound coming from the other side of the 'door' they just came in from. Not a loud one, but one that was constant, continuous, and kind of reminded them of a ring tone. The footsteps stopped and they heard the sound of clicking.

"Hrm..." Dark Rudy said. There was another click, like he was shutting something. "We'll have to call off the hunt for now, Draow."

"Why is that?" Draow sounded very disappointed.

"The master wants to see us. I am guessing he has, somehow, become aware of our... 'guests'. He must have noticed them coming in or something. You know how he tends to notice things we don't." Dark Rudy stated. Footsteps. He was walking over to Draow's side. "Let's get going. We can always get them later."

Draow let out a frustrated sigh. "I still can't believe Mr. Cosmo put you in charge of this instead of me."

Dark Rudy laughed. "There's a good reason he chose me, Draow. You're too impulsive." A low growl from Draow. "Now quit your complaining and let's get going. You know how the master does not like it when we are late to return."

"Yes, oh wise one." Draow said, his voice laced in sarcasm. There was the sound of footfalls, and then, as seconds passed, nothing.

The group remained frozen where they were. They weren't sure yet if it was safe. Something could still go wrong. Draow and Dark Rudy could still come back. They remained still, quiet. Their breathing was very slow and calm, trying to make as little noise as possible. Their eyes were glued onto the 'door', waiting, half expecting Draow to suddenly tear through it like it was nothing. Then, after a few minutes, and with no sign of Draow or Dark Rudy, the group have a small sigh of relief.

Now knowing that they weren't in danger anymore, Rudy took the time to look around the room they had come into. This one had a large light. He noted the chalky outlines and realized this was made in ChalkZone and brought in here. This room was a little larger than the other hideout they were in. The large light, in the shape of a cylinder, was located in the center, and the room itself was a ring around it. There were a few places to sit and a couple of dressers where he guessed their supplies went. Then he noticed something that made his heart stop.

There was a small desk on the other side of the light. He walked around slowly, staring intently at it. He saw that there were two chairs there. Just two, one for Ms. Saffron, and the other... Alt-Snap... The realization made his stomach nearly lurch out of his chest. Alt-Snap...he was gone... He looked over at Ms. Saffron. She was standing away from them, leaning her back against the strangely smooth metallic wall that surrounded them. Rudy would have taken the time to admire at how well constructed this place was, if he wasn't full of sadness over what had happened with Alt-Snap.

Rudy glanced at his friends. They had taken notice of Ms. Saffron's expression, as well as the desk, with the one chair that would never be used again. Tears pushed against the back of his eyes, and he did his best to fight them back. Both Penny and Snap looked remorseful for what happened and he couldn't blame them. They had just witnessed the death of someone, a version of Snap, right before their eyes. He had died in such a horrific manner, and the fact that the one who broke his neck used to be his friend...a version of Rudy himself...that made the situation all the more horrific.

Out of them, he imagined Snap probably felt the worst. He was the one that Alt-Snap saved right before he was killed. Dark Rudy had tried to kill Snap, but Alt-Snap kept that from happening. Then, seconds after that, Dark Rudy managed to skewer Alt-Snap like he was nothing more than cubed meat for a barbecue. Snap might be blaming himself for what happened. Alt-Snap pretty much gave his life for him. If it hadn't been for that risky move, Snap wouldn't be here. Rudy wished he could have thanked him for that.

As much as Alt-Snap acted like a jerk, he really wasn't such a bad guy. Sure he rubbed them wrong way and was pretty rude a few times. But he had good reason to be like that, and he did apologize to them. He was helpful to them, offering them aid. Rudy stared at the black liquid that Alt-Snap had given him. This might have been the last bit of medicine he had, and he had given it to him... Rudy felt the tears start to move down his face as the realization started to hit him. There really was some of the old Snap left in Alt-Snap. It was a shame that this had to happen to him.

As he sat Snap on the ground, helping him maintain balance, he could hear footsteps. He looked over and saw that Penny was walking over to where Ms. Saffron was standing. It took her a while, her limp causing her to move more slowly, irritated from the run they were forced to go on earlier. Soon she reached Ms. Saffron's side. She reached up and touched the woman on the shoulder. It took a little while for Ms. Saffron to register this, and she looked down.

"We're...we're..." Penny bit her lip, her voice laced in sadness. "We're so sorry for what happened to your Snap..."

Ms. Saffron's eyes watered more, and from this distance, Rudy could see her tears. "I-I know..." Ms. Saffron wiped her eyes. "I know.." She sniffled and she looked up towards the ceiling. "I-I knew our luck would run out someday.. I just never imagined it'd be like this..."

"I feel awful." Snap lamented, his gaze facing downwards. "I-If I hadn't been so stupid..if I hadn't put myself in danger, he..he wouldn't have..."

"Don't blame yourself, Snap." Ms. Saffron spoke up, her voice cracked with emotion. She took in a shuddering breath and continued, "Y-You didn't nothing wrong..."

"I still wish we could have..." Rudy said, biting his lip. "I mean..if we had acted faster..maybe..."

"Please don't try to guilt yourselves. No matter what you did, our Rudy would have..found a way to kill our Snap eventually." Ms. Saffron said. She shed more tears as she turned her head to look at Penny, and then back at Rudy. She wiped her runny nose and cleared her throat. "We...we can't let ourselves fall into despair...that's what they would want us to do... We need to focus on getting that cure for you, Rudy. There isn't much time left to get it."

Rudy and his friends, though they knew how devastating Alt-Snap's death was, even more so to Ms. Saffron who had known him better than they did, understood that the woman was right. They didn't have a lot of time to grieve about what happened. As hard as it was, they had to keep moving forward. They needed to locate that cure. If they didn't have it when they were flung into the next dimension...they weren't sure what they were going to do.

Ms. Saffron walked over to one of the dressers. She opened it up and pulled out what looked to be a dirty, torn map. Rudy, Penny, and Snap approached, looking down with looks of a mix of sadness and curiosity. Ms. Saffron wiped her eyes and sucked on her lip. She was doing her best to fight back her tears and focus on the task at hand. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were doing the best they could to control their tears, but they found it impossible. Poor Alt-Snap... The only comfort any of them had was that his death blow was at least swift. He didn't suffer for long. But they'll never get his death scream out of their heads, or that sickening crack...

"Okay.." Ms. Saffron's broken voice spoke up, catching their attention. She pressed her finger against the map. "We are located here." She moved her finger along towards the right. "Mr. Cosmo's stronghold is here. A few miles away."

Rudy looked carefully at the map. He noted that the stronghold wasn't in the same spot as Mr. Cosmo of his dimension was. This one was located a little further out of the city. He wondered if Mr. Cosmo decided to build his own place of operations instead of using that one news station.

"The cure you seek, the zebra chalk, it's located somewhere in there." Ms. Saffron said.

"In there?" Rudy asked, looking at the flat details of the stronghold. Just looking from this, he knew the place was going to be massive. "How do you know this?"

"Because Snap..." Ms. Saffron paused, staring blankly for a few seconds. Then she forced herself to continue. "...and I overheard some of the zoner slaves who used to be around here talk about it. There was some mention of Mr. Cosmo receiving it from an anonymous source, but we didn't hear much else. We knew, from the start, it was important." She looked at Rudy. "It wasn't until you arrived we realized just how important it was."

"Just what is the zebra chalk anyway?" Penny asked.

Ms. Saffron said, "From what Snap and I were able to find out, based on what we heard from zoner slaves and from listening in on Mr. Cosmo's conversations with our Rudy and Draow, the zebra chalk is made up of purified black chalk laced with white chalk."

"A hybrid chalk?" Snap asked, his eyes wide. Ms. Saffron nodded her head. "I..hope it isn't dangerous."

Rudy and Penny looked at each other with unease. They understood what Snap was talking about. The last time they had encountered hybrid chalk, it was with Bardot. The zoner was part red and part white. He was a very nasty zoner, one of the most terrifying individuals they ever met. Would the zebra chalk create something similar? Did it have the potential of creating mentally unstable zoners like that?

Ms. Saffron looked at them sympathetically. "I'm aware of your encounter with Bardot, the hybrid zoner." She said solemnly. She closed her eyes. "With that kind of encounter with hybrid chalk, I can see why you would be so hesitant with the zebra chalk." She reopened her eyes. "But far as I know, the zebra chalk isn't quite so dangerous."

The trio looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I do not know the actual function of it, but there as never any talk from Mr. Cosmo or our Rudy to use it. If the chalk had some kind of dangerous function, believe me, they would have used it, perhaps in the war that tore both the real world and ChalkZone apart. But I do know that the black portions of this chalk are harmless. Being wrapped around and fused with white chalk like that, it makes the black portions more stable, less poisonouss." Ms. Saffron explained. "In otherwards, black chalk that won't corrupt you."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. Black chalk that wouldn't corrupt him? He never thought he'd see the day. This didn't make him want to go and use the zebra chalk. He was still quite wary about it and for good reason. He had nearly lost himself to it, and he had seen what he would have become had it used it too long. Still, the idea that the zebra chalk contained traits of non-corrupting black chalk that wouldn't drive him insane...

His thoughts were interrupted when Penny spoke up.

"So the white chalk 'tames' the black chalk?" Penny asked. "Fascinating..."

"It sounds a little too easy to me." Snap said under his breath. "Nothing is ever easy for us."

"You'd be correct on that." The trio looked back at Ms. Saffron. "The zebra chalk is very rare because combining the two types of chalk is very difficult, so I've heard. The white chalk is able to tame the black chalk by absorbing...something... You see, the black chalk has the potential of being rather harmless, just giving some new level of knowledge to aid chalk users without driving them into madness. But there's something in them that makes them this way. The white chalk simply removes that."

"So the white chalk can be used to cure black chalk users?" Rudy asked. It was a sudden, out of the blue question. But it needed to be asked.

Ms. Saffron shook her head. "It's not that simple. The black chalk keeps a strong hold on its..victims..." She leaned back and folded her arms. "The only real way to revert the change is to destroy the black chalk. Combining it with white chalk isn't practical on a large scale. The black chalk is in multiple places, and it would be hard to find them all. Obviously 'taming' one area of black chalk is not going to help."

Rudy nodded solemnly, understanding. It would be too easy if they could just go to one spot and 'cure' the black chalk of whatever gave it its corruptive side. Of course if one area of black chalk were changed, it wouldn't affect the other areas. So there goes that plan of stopping the black chalk. But it still gave him some level of hope. Now there was potentially another way of stopping at least more corruptions. And he still believed there was a way to stop the black chalk for good. He refused to believe that there wasn't.

Rudy turned his head to Ms. Saffron. "So...how are we going to get the zebra chalk?"

Ms. Saffron looked at him. "The only way...is to get to Mr. Cosmo's stronghold." She stared at the three intently, her eyes narrowing slowly. "And unfortunately, there's only one safe way to do that."

"And that is?" Snap asked hesitantly.

"Well, let me put it this way." Ms. Saffron said. "If we mess this up, we could all die."

Horrified silence fell upon the room.

sss

Dark Rudy grumbled to himself. He was so close...so close to bringing in more allies to Mr. Cosmo's cause. So close...but it was snatched away from him. And why? All because of his own stupidity. If he hadn't been so easily distracted, he would have succeeded. Those idiots had nowhere to go. He should have remained more vigilant. He should have realized what Ms. Saffron had been doing and gotten out of the way. He could have made her little plan backfire and have Draow hit the dimensional hoppers instead.

Then again, Draow was also to blame. He shouldn't have chased after Ms. Saffron like that. If he hadn't, he would have stood a better chance at forcing the trio to come with him. All of them were trapped with nowhere to go. They were so close to nabbing them... And just where had they snuck off to? They seemed to just disappear into thin air. He would have spent more time trying to find them, but when Mr. Cosmo calls, he has no choice but to answer.

Ah well, there was always next time. As angry as he was at their escape, he convinced himself he could always go after them later. Draow, as much of an idiot as he could be, could always track them down later. There wasn't a lot of hiding spots left for those dimensional hoppers and Ms. Saffron could go. They would be found sooner or later. And when they were... Dark Rudy smiled darkly. They would not escape this time. He would make sure of that.

Plus, their little encounter hadn't been all in vain. He had finally managed to get rid of one of the two pests that had been standing in his and Cosmo's way for sometime. He had dreamed of this moment. He replayed the moment over and over in his head. The way he grabbed onto the zoner, how he twisted his head until his neck snapped. Oh yes...that felt good. Finally, Snap was no longer going to pester him. A part of him was a little sad as he had enjoyed mentally tormenting him. Oh well, all good things must come to an end.

He held onto Draow was they flew over the ruined city. The smell of smoke was constantly in the air. This had taken sometime to get used to, but now the smoke and smell of it no longer bothered him. It was almost comforting in a way. It reminded him of Mr. Cosmo. A lot of this destruction, in a way it was his work. Indirectly, of course. Mr. Cosmo never intended something like this to happen. Not that it matters anyway. Mr. Cosmo wasn't really to blame for this. It was those idiots who blew themselves into oblivion.

Besides, this ripped apart world could always be rebuilt. They had assumed control of ChalkZone. The zoners were all under their command. They can rebuild this world, but they would rebuild it right. The black chalk would help with that. The black chalk held the knowledge they needed to recreate the world as something more worthwhile. No longer would the weak exist. Only the strong. Yes, it would be a remarkable new world.

He did still recall the times when he used to hate Mr. Cosmo. The thought made him feel at unease. He was not comfortable with thinking about those times. It made his stomach twist in knots. At least the black chalk showed him the right path. It showed him that he was wrong about Mr. Cosmo, and now he seeks to help him in any way he can. He loved Mr. Cosmo now. The man had taken him in, gave him a new home, after he completed his first task and killed his parents. Yes, to some that would seem strange, willingly going with someone who ordered them to kill their parents. But Dark Rudy understood it was necessary. They were going to be in the way anyway, and sacrifices must be made sometimes. His white chalk self would have felt disgusted by the act, but he, enlighted by the black chalk, felt no remorse when he sliced his parents' throats open.

He could see his master's stronghold now. Among the broken, shattered trees and charred landscape, he could see the large grey building. It stuck out like a sore thumb. It was large and rectangular, made of solid silver. It rose high above the ground, having many levels to it. There were multiple windows, barely visible, but they were there. The top part of the building became a little more rounded and smooth, and a few sharp spikes rose from the edges of the building.

All around, there were bright white lights, making it easy to spot the place. With no fear of resistance, it didn't matter how noticeable Mr. Cosmo made this place. It wasn't like anyone was going to come over and break in. Still, there were some measures of security. A row of lasers were positioned all around, ready to shoot down any unwanted intruders. They took aim at him and Draow. But after doing a quick scan, the lasers lowered themselves and turned off. Not long after that, he and Draow landed in front of the building, facing a tall, thin door, just barely wide enough for Draow to fit through.

The two of them entered and they walked down the long hallway. The inside of the building was sort of like a palace crossed with a dungeon. It looked pretty, but it was warped and twisted, with some dirty spots and chains hanging. The inside was also made of silver, mixed in with some brick and metal. He and Draow made their way into the large room. It was sort of like a throne room, but this was not where Mr. Cosmo hung out. This was just a place where he kept some of his records. Nothing too important; he wasn't dumb enough to keep important documents laying about.

Behind this large, square-ish room, there was a long, twisting staircase, looking like it was made of marble and lacked a hand rail. He and Draow made their way up. It took them a few minutes, but they soon reached the top level. They were now in another hallway. The silver glinted as they walked down it. Despite being a little heavy, Draow made little to no noise. Dark Rudy knew why that was the case. He did not want to upset Cosmo. The man disliked it when Draow made too much noise walking down here. Dark Rudy never understood why. Maybe it distracts him or something. He never bothered to question it though. His master has reasons for what he did, and he felt it was best not to pester him too much.

They soon reached Mr. Cosmo's door. It was square-ish at the bottom, but like the building itself, it rounded at the top. Dark Rudy reached up and grabbed the metal handle on the door. He pounded it against the door a few times. He took a step back and he waited. Slowly, the door creaked open, granting him access to his master's main room where he hung out in most of the time. Draow slowly walked behind him, his head low in submission.

The room was long, cylinder-shaped. There were rows of books, computers, and other equipment around them. There was one corner that was stashed to the ceiling with magic chalk, mostly black, for whenever they needed to rendevous with the destroyed ChalkZone. Up ahead, there was a desk made of black wood, and a tall spinny chair. Dark Rudy approached until he was a few feet in front of the desk.

"Master, I have returned." Dark Rudy said. He lowered himself onto one knee and lowered his head in submission. Draow did the same, hunkering down. "I came as soon as I got your message."

"Ah..Rudy...Draow.. my faithful servants." Mr. Cosmo said. Dark Rudy could not yet see the man, but he knew he was there. He lifted up his head a little, just enough to barely see the chair. Slowly it spun around. "I am glad see you both returned faster than I would have expected."

Dark Rudy could now see his master. Mr. Cosmo wore a dark green business suit like he always had, accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans. In addition to that, he did wear some armor. He didn't always sit up in his stronghold. He did take action, and that armor helped to protect him. Rudy could see his weapon of choice behind him, a long sword equipped with a laser function. Mr. Cosmo had a scar on his left eye, an aspect that made him, somehow, more intimidating.

Dark Rudy did not dare lift his head up any further. He waited for further instruction from Mr. Cosmo before he got up. He did not want to be rude, and he knows what happens if he upset his master. When he saw Mr. Cosmo motion with his hand, only then did he get up. Slowly, he rose to his feet. He still kept his head turned downward, a sign of submission. He heard Draow take a few steps back, settling back further behind him.

Mr. Cosmo tapped his fingertips together, a broad smile on his face. "I take it you two ran into the...dimensional hoppers...?"

Dark Rudy nodded his head. "Yes, we did."

"I knew you would at some point." Mr. Cosmo turned his head, his grey-blue eyes staring out the window, towards the broken city. "They landed in one of the most exposed parts of town. I saw them as they fell. I couldn't believe it...but then again, many bizarre things were accomplished here, so..should I be surprised?" Mr. Cosmo shrugged his shoulders. "I think not..." He paused for a moment. "I take it you weren't able to catch any one of them?"

Dark Rudy shook his head, a look of regret on his face. "No, I'm afraid not." He hated bringing his master bad news. He did not want to be a failure to him. Then he remembered something else. He smiled and said, "But I still bring some good news. I finally gotten rid of that zoner pest, Snap. He won't be causing us trouble anymore."

Mr. Cosmo tilted his head. "Oh really now...? You got rid of him?"

Dark Rudy nodded his head affirmatively. "That's correct. I managed to catch him offguard and mortally wounded him. And when he was in that weak state, I snapped his neck in two. He's dead as a doornail now."

Mr. Cosmo stared at him for a few seconds, and then smiled darkly. "Excellent...now we just have to take care of..dear Ms. Saffron... Then there'll be no resistance left."

Dark Rudy smirked. "Give me the word, and I'll take care of her."

"Not now." Mr. Cosmo said. "First...I want to..meet these dimensional hoppers, these other versions of the people we knew. The other you...the other Snap...the other Penny. They might prove useful to us."

So it seemed Mr. Cosmo came up with the same idea. It did not surprise him. His master was intelligent, after all. It would make sense that he'd come to the same conclusion as he did earlier. At first, he thought about killing the trio, but thinking about it, he had realized they could serve a practical purpose. They all had some kind of potential. Even though there was little resistance, having more people join them would be a good thing. And who knows? Maybe their potential allies could convince Ms. Saffron to give herself up to the black chalk. After all, just how long does she think she can still fight, after she had lost so much?

Mr. Cosmo got out of the chair. He walked around the desk and headed towards Dark Rudy. He reached over and touched him on his shoulder. Dark Rudy once would have pushed his hand away in disgust. His weak white chalk self would have done that. But now, he welcomed his master's touch. He stared at the hand for a few seconds, and then looked up at him. Mr. Cosmo usually only did this when he had an important task for him to complete.

"Let us give those...newcomers..a proper greeting, shall we?" Mr. Cosmo asked.

Dark Rudy gave a dark grin.