Chapter 54:
The first thing Blu became aware of when the world returned from the brink of nothingness was the pitch black emptiness of the room around him. The darkness was thick and suffocating, greeting his eyes and his nostrils like the putrid and foul embrace of death. A foul odor clung upon the nonexistent and yet surprisingly stale air which permeated around him. That smell greeted him as the only hint that he still existed within the land of the living. He opened his eyes wide as he tried to peer through the darkness but found himself unable to see anything even his own wings. He rolled his head forward, groaning as a sharp pain flooded through his central nervous system. His head hurt him majorly as it drummed around within his thick skull. He coughed and sputtered, spitting as he tasted the bitterness of blood from an open mouth wound which left the bitter taste of copper and metal within the back of his throat. Even his tongue felt unusually swollen and heavy, upon spitting a second time he felt something jolt loose and hang from the end of his beak. If he had to guess, he would have imagined it being a large lump of cotton balls to soak up the blood which now filled his beak. He groaned, rolling his head around as he tried to move his wings. A sharp chill greeted the macaw from the sheer effort. For some reason his wings and limbs felt unusually cold and they would not move upon command. Upon further investigation he found himself pinned to a brick wall, a large spreading of translucent greenish mud held him in place. He struggled to break himself free, however the more he tried, the further his wings sank into the endless green abyss.
"Where am I?" he found himself asking, he laughed weakly forming a quick though very uncertain smile. He could feel his energy beginning to fade and he knew then that his body had been seriously damaged. He lulled his head forward admitting his defeat. Even though he could not remember anything from the few minutes before he blacked out, he still knew that he had been trapped on several different occasions. Eventually he would find a way to escape again. His smile faded as he felt the darkness spin around him. His energy drained from him like water through a spaghetti strainer. He closed his eyes and found himself speaking a single sentence. "How did I get here?"
He groaned once more as he tried to rip his wings free of the mud which held him captive. They shifted a bit before the muck gurgled and shifted sucking his limbs back in and sucking them down even further than they had been previously. As hard as he tried, he could not move them again. Lowering his head, he let out a sigh and admitted his defeat. Whoever had brought him here had done a good job of making sure that he would not be escaping this time. He was trapped until whoever had captured him had decided to finish whatever evil deed their minds could come up with. That thought filled him with dread. He could only imagine what his wife would think.
"Jewel," he said in a defeated tone, "I'm sorry that I have failed you and our children. It really looks like I am not going to bring Rose home."
From the corner of his eye, Blu caught sight of a large black lump shifting amongst the darkness. At first, it looked like a piece of his imagination, some phantom which haunted the dark thoughts of a child's overactive imagination. However the more he strained his eyes the more he could see it. It was a figure of some creature just slightly taller than he was and around the same weight. He swallowed a large lump in his throat as he felt a set of eyes staring down upon him. The large black lump drew closer until Blu could tell it was only a few inches from his face.
"How is our little prisoner doing?"
Blu focused his attention through the darkness, glaring back at the figure he could hardly see. It looked like it was wearing a robe with a hood though he could not be certain on if that was the case. Behind him, he caught sight of a group of several other creatures. He did not need to guess what these ones were, he could tell right away from the way they circled around him that they were margays. The room brightened for a few seconds as they dropped a bucket which created a series of sparks as the metal impacted the stone floor. In that short amount of time he could make out a large collection of monkeys peering at him from further away.
A solitary dark lump moved forward. A high pitched squeaky voice rang through his ears. Blu knew almost immediately that he was listening to one of the many monkeys he had spotted just a few short seconds ago. "He's doing just fine. He has just regained consciousness and is awaiting the ritual."
"Ritual?" Blu echoed as his beak hung ajar, not from his surprise but because he really could not bring himself to find the energy needed to keep it closed. His eyes narrowed as the horror of the situation weighed upon him. They were not going to let him escape. Instead, they planned to do something to him. His head fell forward as tears welled in his eyes. Whatever it was that they intended to do, it would not end pleasantly for him. Would he ever see his family again? What were they intending to do to him? Would he even be alive after they finished? His heart sank deep into his chest as he realized that he could not answer any of these and he would not be able to fight back in his current condition.
A small computer monitor clicked on brightening the darkness a small amount, though it did very little to help Blu see anything except for the two creatures who stood directly in front of him… a robed bird and a monkey… he smiled at the thought that wherever he was, there was some form of electricity within the room. That meant the room had to have been manmade. His eyes narrowed as he put the pieces together, with the distinct smell, faulty lighting and manmade nature of the room, he was back within the abandoned subway tunnels deep beneath the city of Rio. The computer system beeped as a large machine powered on beside him. A series of lower pitched noises followed suit.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Blu breathed a huge sigh of relief as he recognized the sound. It was a heart monitor measuring his breathing and heart rate. Somehow this made Blu feel a bit more relaxed. His mind circled around a single thought which helped him remain calm. If there were measuring his bodily functions, they wanted him alive.
"Is he able to respond to me?" The robed figure asked. "I wish to indulge him a bit before we proceed with my plans."
"It shouldn't be a problem." The monkey admitted. "He has a bit of cotton swabbing in his mouth but that was to stop the bleeding inflicted from your little battle. You did a real good number on him."
Blu watched the robed creature step forward, stopping mere inches from his face. He slapped Blu with a single wing, laughing as the macaw made a very audible gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. Blu's head lulled forward as he tried to keep himself conscious. The robed bird had held nothing back and the ferocity of the attack, even by a simple slap had been damaging enough to almost lure him back to the brink of unconsciousness.
"Wake up and talk to me!" The creature cackled, "I have some questions for you."
Blu rolled his head to one side and opened his eyes a crack. "Why did you bring me here?" Blu asked, "What did you do to my daughter?"
The robed creature slapped Blu once again, not bothering to dignify the macaw's questions with an answer. "You had better learn your place, bird. I ask the questions and you give the answers, got it?"
"Who are you?" Blu asked, spitting blood from his beak. "Please, I must know. Are you Marco?"
The robed creature formed a wicked smile and held up his wings. He removed his hood revealing a sadistic looking hawk. His dark bloodshot eyes burned through the darkness like wildfire. He nodding, laughing as he held up his wing to reveal a glowing mark very similar to the rest that he had seen previously, this one resembled a hawk in midflight. His voice rang out cold and cruel, hissing at saliva drifted from his beak. "I see that you have heard of me. Is it by reputation or through other means? I must say that I am shocked to learn of that little fact. I did not think a spix macaw could be smart enough to even comprehend one such as me."
"Yeah, I've heard of you," Blu muttered weakly, "I had a nightmare about you. A robed creature told me about your arrival."
Marco drew back for a moment, his face darkened with vengeful fury. "So, you have spoken with the sage eh?" his eyes narrowed. "Yes… I can see it… how else would you even know about me? I am after all a member of the Dark Robed Society that you had never met before, at least until we fought in Rio."
"Maybe it was one of your team mates," Blu shot back, "Amber's spirit is the one that told me."
Marco raised his wing, striking Blu across the face once again. "Lies! Amber is dead. Killed by the very shadow mark I helped design. She was nothing more than a stupid, useless spix macaw!"
Marco clapped his wings together and turned to an approaching monkey. "We must act quickly just in case anyone is on to our whereabouts. Begin the torture immediately."
"TORTURE?!" Blu gasped, his eyes widening in horror at the word. "MARCO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!"
The hawk turned back, peering over his humerus. His wicked smile widened as his voice rang out cruelly. "I am sure a spix macaw could never truly understand my goals, but to put it as simply as I can, I am going to… kill you…"
Blu's eyes widened in horror as his body fought against the mud which kept him glued in place. He grunted and groaned as he struggled to free himself in a useless power struggle. The mud gurgled and shifted with each movement but he could not free himself from its grasp. He could not escape! He could not move! He watched as two monkeys hurried over carrying several sharp knives, Blu did not need to guess that these were probably items stolen at one time or another from the humans. The sharp steel blades glowed a bright red as the metal remained heated to an extreme one thousand degrees. A single monkey saluted to the hawk.
"Operation blow torch is ready."
"Good, proceed with the torture." Marco commanded, "And be quick about it."
The monkey chuckled and raised the heated blade and slashed it inches from Blu's face. The heat surged across Blu's skin instantly blistering the flesh tucked beneath his cerulean feathers. He could feel the skin bubble and pulse as it scabbed over within seconds. Blu's eyes widened in horror, the steel blade had not even touched him and it had managed to cause severe burns. The heat alone was enough to cause him pain.
The monkey with the knife peered down at the weapon in its clutches. A wicked smile appeared upon his face. Without a word he glanced up and studied the work he had done. The bright blue feathers burned away the longer they sat within the affected area, a patch of pinkish flesh began to emerge as the feathers fell out. The monkey chuckled once more and raised the heated blade and slashed it across Blu's chest. The macaw cringed as he felt the blade penetrate his flesh. There had been no effort not to stab him this time around. The scent of blood flooded through his nostrils, however he could ignore that, what he could not ignore was the sharp intensity of his veins boiling and surging, popping and convulsing upon impact with the intense heat. Like before, his skin blistered almost instantly as the wound cauterized. His bright blue cerulean feathers fell from the impact spot leaving traces of pinkish flesh. The sheer pain took his breath away or he would have screamed, instead he found himself silenced by the pain. He continued to escape but found it next to impossible. He lowered his head and cursed under his breath… something he would not normally do… but the intensity of the pain coursing through his body made him feel he had no choice. The monkeys continued their work, dragging the heated blades across his body, cutting and cauterizing the wounds in a ritualistic form of torture.
Blu's eyes rolled in his skull as he struggled to remain conscious. Every fiber of his brain told him to pass out and submit to death, his heart skipped beats as it agreed with the notion, his soul however remained strong. His chocolate brown eyes focused upon Marco who stood back with his wings folded, a smug smile blanketed his face. He enjoyed watching the macaw suffer.
"I'm not going to die like this," Blu managed to choke out, "Just watch Marco, I'll make sure you pay for this."
The hawk cackled and spit with disgust. "Ooooooh I'm so scared, a macaw is going to take down a hawk. Now that is something I would love to see."
He snapped his wings like a pair of fingers. His eyes narrowed. "Continue the torture. Do not stop until you break his spirit. Shatter it like glass."
The monkeys nodded their heads in understanding and turned their attention back to their work. The blades were beginning to cool, the glowing red steel settled back to their original metal frames. Marco's smile widened even further as he noted the fact. Now they would draw some real blood. "This is the end for you." Marco hissed, "So much for making me pay, eh, macaw? And to think, I had such high hopes that we would face each other again. But hey, don't feel too bad, I'll ship you back to your family, piece by piece. It'll probably break their little hearts, don't you think?"
Blu's eyes narrowed as his anger began to rise. He struggled against his binds. "If you lay even one claw upon my family, I will make sure you…"
"You'll what?" Marco snapped back, "Make me pay? Haven't we already covered that? You're going to die, Blu."
With a clap of his wings, Marco shoved a third monkey forward. "Paint the runes and sealing symbols upon him."
"But sir," The monkey protested, "He's not bleeding, the mud will have no effect unless it mixes in with his blood."
Marco held up his wings. "Cutters, do your things."
The two monkeys with the knives stabbed the blade straight into two main arteries of Blu's body, dragging the knife along several veins and flesh. Blu started to bleed heavily. The thick red liquid surged across most of his torso, changing the blue and pink to a bright solid red. The blood flowed down every square inch of the macaw until it created a large puddle at his talons. The macaw's head fell forward, his eyes fogged over into death. Marco's cold eyes fell upon the monkey who almost looked to be in complete shock towards what had just transpired. "DRAW THE SYMBOL AND DO IT NOW! AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT BEFORE HE REALLY DOES DIE, IDIOT!"
The monkey nodded his head and rushed forward, pulling out a sharpened stick. Dipping it into one of the buckets attached to the margays' tails he pulled out a bunch of the thick greenish muck. Without a word he proceeded to his assigned task.
"Don't move, this will sting quite a bit." The monkey explained to the macaw who almost groaned a reply.
Marco's smile faded as he backed away. "Well… well… well…. it seems as if our macaw has a bit of life left within him after all. Continue with painting the sealing symbols. Then see if you can wake up our little friend, won't you?"
The monkey nodded his head and rushed forward. Pulling out a sharpened stick he dipped it in a bucked and pulled out a bunch of the thick greenish muck. Without a word he began to paint the blood red body of the macaw. He dug the sharpened pain into the side of Blu's face and proceeded to draw a small character upon the macaw's face. Blu cringed despite no longer being conscious. Marco leapt forward, striking Blu across the face. "I told you not to move, stupid bird." He growled. "The symbols must be perfect, and you're making this much harder than it needs to be."
Blu cringed somehow feeling his skin ripping under the dragging friction of the sharp stick. The muck itself felt unusually cold, it sent a chill down his spine which swept through his very soul. He opened his eyes coming awake once more. He moaned but was silenced from another slap to the face from Marco. "I told you not to move, bird." He growled. "Continue with the sealing symbol, monkey. Be quick about it, I don't have all day."
The monkey nodded and finished his drawing on the left side of Blu's face. He studied his work for a moment. "Yep, that is definitely the symbol of fire."
"Great," Marco grinned, "Get on with the rest of them."
The monkey jumped to Blu's opposite side and proceeded to draw the next rune upon his face. Blu cringed as he felt the sharp stick once again tear his flesh. This time the muck seemed to sting as it sunk into the open wound. "That's the symbol of impurity done."
"What's left to do?" Marco asked.
"I still have to draw the rune of darkness and the circle of sealing. Blu won't know what hit him. But I advise against this, there must be another way."
The hawk shook his head. "I didn't ask for your permission. Draw the symbols!"
"But sir," The monkey protested, "What you're doing is creating a monster! The creature he is now will be completely destroyed, perhaps forever."
"Do it!" Marco commanded. "I don't care who he is now, his soul can be destroyed for all I care. I will worry about reforming him and then no one will be able to stop him. Not Jewel, not the sage, no one."
Reforming me? What does he mean by that? Blu thought to himself finding himself unable to speak.
"But sir, we're not talking about an empire or someone's favorite toy." The monkey argued, "We're talking about destroying a soul here! Who knows how he'll respond. He might even become stronger than you."
"He might be stronger than me?" Marco raised a suspicious eye, raising a wing to reveal the mark which glowed bright upon his wing "I think you'll find that to be quite impossible. Just continue on with drawing the runes!" Marco commanded, "The sooner his soul is destroyed the better for me."
The monkey sighed and continued to draw the final rune. He stabbed the stick into Blu's chest, drawing the rune. He traced it, pushing it down. Blu winced as he felt it move into his heart. The greenish muck filled him with an intoxicating pain. He didn't faint, but he couldn't stop himself from twitching. "There that's the final rune. It's been placed upon his heart. I'm going to proceed drawing the circle of sealing now."
"Do it!" Marco nodded.
The monkey dipped the bloody stick back into the bucket and scooped up another batch of green muck. Without a word he traced a circle around Blu's talons. At that moment everything for the Blu macaw changed. His vision became surrounded by a pitch black veil as if he was no longer peering out of his own eyes, he could not control his thoughts or brain functions, the only thing he could do was become engulfed in whatever was happening to him. It all seemed like he was trapped deep within an invisible barrier which he could not cross.
"There he's been sealed." The monkey growled. "Let's finish this once and for all."
"Wait," Blu called out, slamming his wings against the invisible force field. "What are you planning to do?"
Marco peered down at the mark on his wing. It glowed bright. His smile widened as if he had heard Blu speak, something which was now physically impossible. "I'm very glad you asked, now that you're sealed, there is no point in not telling you, it's not like you can get away now." His eyes glistened as a wicked smile formed upon his face. "I am going to make you into my obedient little puppet."
Blu looked on in horror as Marco proceeded to pull out a big black book with a demonic looking skull pictured on the cover. The very look of it sent shivers down his spine. Blu found himself peering away, despite the fact that he could not escape from his captivity. Somehow, the circle kept him from moving.
The gathering of creatures started to stamp their feet in a catchy rhythm. Marco shifted his wings out and proceeded to sing.
"I am Marco, yes.
Marco, that is my name.
I am Marco, yes
Controlling you, that is my game
It's a game I have mastered
For I know psychology well
Ask me how I got this way
I'll never, ever tell.
Muahahahaha!
I am Marco, yes
My intentions are not pretty
With you as my puppet
I'll soon rule the entire city
I am Marco, yes
My evil plans are done
Most people don't like evil
But YOU'LL think it's fun"
The group of margays danced around Marco, acting as background singers. Their eyes burned viciously at the macaw. They carried on the next part of the little song. Their cruel laughter rang out in unison.
"Evil guy! He's such an evil guy!
His name is Marco, yes
Nobody knows why
He'll flip you inside out
Make your conscience swell.
You'll do his evil deeds
And nobody... will know why."
Marco gave them a cold glare and issued for silence. He carried on the next bit of the song alone. He slapped the macaw who attempted to block out the cruel intentions of the song. They quite clearly explained his fate. He would not be able to avoid becoming a henchman of evil. Especially to one as powerful as what the hawk boasted himself to be.
"Now I will get revenge
For all my brother's deaths
Think you can stop me?
I highly doubt you can.
From now on, Rio city
Will know our evil names
I won't tell you how I got them
But they deserve the fame!
The margays continued on performing as backup dancers and singers and carried on the final bit of the song.
"Evil guy, he's such an evil guy.
His name is Marco, yes
Nobody knows why
Can anybody stop him?
They shouldn't even try.
Cus you'll do his evil deeds
And nobody... will know why!"
Marco cackled and raised the book to his face and proceeded to read the words out loud. Blu strained his ears as he attempted to hear the strange sounding language. The darkness around him continued to grow thicker as if he stood in quicksand. It sucked him down so he could no long witness what was happening. The circle at his talons started to glow like wildfire. The mud and gunk which kept his wings bound to the wall as well as the painted runes upon his face erupted into flames singing his flesh, burning his feathers, blackening and blistering the skin across his entire body. He could feel the blood in his body boil and surge. The open wounds caused by the knives convulsed and twitched surging pain throughout his entire body, heart and soul. Blu found himself jumping as his body surged from the pain. Even with the recent torture, he had never felt something this extremely painful. It coursed straight down to his very soul filling it with an intensifying surging pain.
Chunks of his flesh fell to the floor revealing exposed muscle and bone, his face contorted and transformed into a bloodied monstrous version of his previous self as more and more of his facial tissue dissolved away. It smoked as it hit the cold stone. The heat continued to intensify. His skin bubbled as it continued to boil and cook. The smell of rotting flesh flooded through his nose, followed by the smell of cooking meat. Blu did not need to guess that the smell was him. Whatever was happening was causing him to die.
The runes on his heart started to pulsate. His heart picked up the pace. The beeping of the heart monitor quickened.
"Heart rate is at 70… 75… 80… 95… 150… 200… 350…. sir, his heart beat is skyrocketing over 400 beats per minute." The monkey shouted, "Sir, Blu is not going to survive… heart rate is 500…. 550… 600 beats per minute."
Marco's cold calculating grin widened as he watched the bird struggle and convulse as his skin continued to drip upon the floor in liquid form. The searing heat flowing within steamed as it tried to cool itself off upon the stone floor. The macaw twisted his body, snapping the bones within his wings… however he did not scream. In every way he felt like he was dying, but he would not give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. Blu convulsed, his saliva dripped from his mouth, evaporating amongst the flames. He could see the monkey hold up his paw and point at the margays. "Get him back up on his feet! Be quick about it!"
Two margays sprung forward as fast as their paws could carry them. Blu's eyes shot open, with all the strength he could muster, he ripped his wings free from the muck on the wall and grabbed the first of the two margays to reach him.
"Get away from me!" He growled in a voice that didn't seem to be his own. Blu's eyes widened as it rang in his ear. He formed a smile and tossed the felines away from him. Blu forced a scheming smile. The pain in his heart continued to intensify. But the pain seemed to be moving more towards his skull. The two marks on his face seemed to glow bright, blinding him temporarily. His hearing intensified. He could hear the turning of the pages amongst the confusion which erupted throughout the room. The monkey that had drawn the runes upon him continued to shout.
"Get over there! Hold him down! Do not let him move a muscle. Destroy him if you have too. I don't care."
"NO!" Marco hissed. "Do not kill him! I need him alive!"
"But he's going to-"
"Delay that order!" Marco repeated. "Restrain him but do not kill him!"
The margays and monkeys continued to rush through the room attempting to keep Blu pinned down. None of them could. Blu continued to toss them all across the room one after another. The last monkey flew through the heart monitor, shattering the computer. Sparks and fire erupted through the room as the electricity continued to surge through the busted conduit. His evil wicked smile deepened as the runes dissolved into his flesh. His heart stopped beating. He could feel nothing but hatred flowing through his very soul. His head rolled to the sound as he fell to the ground. The monkey who had drawn the runes rushed over to him bending down and examined a nearby rock from where the muck had been. The very stone itself had been scorched and melted. His eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropped in shock.
"What on Earth happened here?"
"Never mind the rock," Marco rolled his eyes. "Is he alive?"
The monkey held a paw to the bird's chest. He shook his head sadly, at the burned marks in his otherwise perfect face. Any and all damage done to him had healed perfectly with no signs of any trauma, broken bones, or other permanent damage.
"Well, out with it, is he or isn't he?"
"I-I-I-I don't know," the monkey admitted.
Marco slapped the monkey in the back of the head. His eyes burned viciously at the unfortunate creature. "What do you mean you don't know? Is he alive or isn't he?"
"He has no pulse," the monkey frowned. "Not even a weak one, it's just not there at all. He also doesn't have a heartbeat. His breathing is normal, it's like certain parts of him died, while the rest of him remained alive."
Marco chuckled and folded his wings together. He could only really say one thing which slipped his mind.
"Excellent."
#
Jose stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to peer at the jungle of Borneo. His heart seemed to suddenly surge with the most intense pain he had ever experienced. He could not explain why but he could feel a sharp chill and stabbing sensation forming deep within his very heart and soul. He peered down at his mark which appeared to glow like wildfire. It's light shifted, growing from a bright purple to a deep crimson red. Its energies warned him of some terrible force surging from the mark itself. It warned him to stay away. "That's new." He said. "It's never done that before."
His eyes narrowed as he could only begin to guess where the dark power emanated from… the heart of Rio…
He peered at the trees and stared confounded by what he had witnessed. The trees and clouds were all moving away from the wind. A cold breeze moved away from the wind. The whole force of nature seemed to be off balance.
"It's time,"
Jose turned around and witnessed the ghostly image of Amber appear at his side. The monkey nodded his head.
"You know I've never been too good at playing the hero." He admitted, "However, I will make the exception for the macaw."
Amber nodded, "All of our fates depend upon that macaw, only he can awaken the power of the Dark Robed Sage. If he falls, we're all doomed."
"Yeah?" Jose arched a curious eye, "It looks like I am going to have to do some damage control."
Amber's eyes narrowed as she peered out towards the strange weather. "When you get to Rio, you must find my sister. Only she will be able to undo what Marco has done. It seems every member of that family has an important role to play in what is too come. The fate of the future depends on all nine macaws. You must protect them, even at the cost of your own life."
"I got it," Jose nodded, swallowing a large lump in his throat. "Right, it looks like I'm finally coming home. Next stop, Rio."
Author's Notes:
So obviously this is one scene that had to be drastically cut down in the alternate timeline. Blu being carved up with 1000* knives was something I always intended to show, but due to complaints had to be removed. I did not want to give the readers the sad reality that Blu is actually killed in this scene. The transformation scene has a lot more detail thrown into it, the melting of the skin, the boiling of the blood, the clumps of flesh falling to the ground, this is all to signify the DEATH and DESTRUCTION of the Blu we know and love, needless to say from this point onward he will never be the same again.
The death of Blu is very important for the rebirth of his character, as most of you know I truly believe true love can overcome and overpower anything. This is no different... if Amber gets her way, we'll have a stronger Blu than ever before and he'll have just taken his first steps into being the hero to save the future from whatever evil is about to descend upon the city.
If this is too graphic, please remember I am always working towards a happy ending for our favorite macaws. Things are just dark right now.
