Reggie's distraction worked well, at least for a time. As the teenager had raced down the hall, prompting the two guards to go after him, Terry, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez head down the opposite hallway, moving quickly so they wouldn't be in their line of sight when they turned around. Terry knew there wasn't much time so they hurried as fast as they could. Despite her injuries, she managed to lead them pretty well down the hallway, which would be confusing to anyone who didn't work here.
The first place Terry thought to check was the newscaster room, of similar design and appearance as the one where she almost exposed ChalkZone years ago. She imagined Vinnie was going to be there, waiting to get on the air. She hoped that he had the tapes with him, or at least the tapes were near that section of the building. If not, there were a few other places they could check. But it would take them a while, decreasing the odds of them finding the tape in time. She tried not to think about how little chance they had, and just focused on keeping moving.
They did a pretty good job, so far, of not getting caught. There were a few people, but none of them stopped them. Terry was a little confused at first. The two guards near the front stated that Vinnie wanted them to keep her out, and she was positive they mentioned her boss as well. She still found it hard to believe Vinnie swayed them to their side, but then, should she be surprised? He can be quite manipulative when he wanted to be. He probably found a way to blackmail them or something.
But it was still odd that no one else in the building, at least none that they ran into, really said anything. There were a few word exchanges, just the typical 'hello' kind of thing. Some of them did express concern, but most people going through the hallway were in a big rush and didn't take time to notice she was hurt. She wondered why they were all in the hurry. There was talk of 'it is almost time' and 'hurry we need to do this now', types of conversations that Terry would associate with a really big news report.
Whatever the cause of everyone's rush, Terry couldn't really stop and think about it for too long. With the other adults in tow, she moved quickly down the hallway. Fast, but not too fast as she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. There was a chance that these people were ordered to kick her out if she showed up and the only reason they didn't was because it just didn't cross their minds. Running would look suspicious and they might realize who she was and get her out.
Up ahead, she saw that there were two ways she could go. She looked up, noting the signs. She could see one for the news room. That is what she wanted. She gave a small smile when she realized they had gotten close. They turned down that way and headed down. While they did, Terry hoped that Reggie would be okay. She had no idea how long he would be able to stall the guards. And though there was the chance that the guards would just go back to guarding after getting Reggie out, they might take notice that her news van was there and realize she was in the building. If they sounded the alarm...
She and the adults moved closer to the news caster room. She could see the double doors ahead. She was happy to see that the 'On Air' sign was still turned off. That meant that they still had time to get that footage back. All they had to do was confront Vinnie, hopefully alone, and get him to agree to give the tapes back. It was easier said than done, but they had to try. She could not break her promise to Rudy and Penny.
But when the adults got close enough, that was when things went from bad to worse.
They had managed to get to the door. They opened it up and entered it. There wasn't much people there yet. She saw a few people making some preparations, but of course, there was no audience. All the seats were empty. That was another good sign. There was a little more time than she thought to get the footage back. She hoped that her conversation with Vinnie would go pretty smoothly. With these people there, there was that chance that the others around her would get suspicious if she acted up too much. And just talking about ChalkZone..it was going to be hard with these people around, even if there wasn't that much.
They weren't in the room for long before they spotted Vinnie. The billionaire-wannabe was sitting in a chair next to a round table. He was leaning back, relaxing before the airing would begin. Not far from him was a chalkboard, no doubt to demonstrate the use of the magic chalk. The sight of this panicked Terry. Had Vinnie also gotten the magic chalk? Or was it for a completely unrelated purpose? She tried her best not to fill her mind with too many questions and she and the other adults had approached Vinnie.
Terry was not at all surprised when Vinnie reacted poorly to her arrival. He hardly really paid attention to Mrs. Sanchez or the Tabooties. His eyes were soley on hers. He said that the guards should have kept them out. Terry would have been amused by his temper if the situation weren't so dire. She and the other aduls tried to get him to give the footage back. Vinnie, of course, was not very cooperative and outright refused.
But they didn't give up that easily. Ignoring the other people around, the adults ganged up on Vinnie, trapping him in the chair he was sitting in. He looked around, wondering outloud what they were going to do to him. They made it clear they don't want to hurt hi. As tempting as it was, Terry wouldn't allow it. She did not want to sink to his level. The pain she was in right now, she wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even someone as nasty as her brother. All she wanted was the footage. Still, Vinnie refused to hand it over. He made it clear he had no intentions on screwing up this chance of a lifetime.
Terry and the adults tried to reason with Vinnie. They tried to tell him of the consequences that would happen if ChalkZone were exposed. The man simply brushed them off. He didn't really understand the concern since the zoners were just 2D drawings. He admitted he wasn't even sure if they were really alive or not, but that it wasn't really a big concern to him if they were. He was interested in making money and ChalkZone was going to make him rich. He talked about how everyone was going to want to come to his chalk world theme park and he could charge them through the roof if he wanted to. It was clear he cared little of the well being of the zoners, and only cared about making as much money as possible.
Realizing this tactic wasn't going to work, they tried another angle. They tried to get him to understand potential consequences for the real world if ChalkZone was exposed. Since anything drawn in ChalkZone becomes real, and since this means new types of weapons could be drawn, crime rate in the real world might start to rise, since access to firearms and other types of weapon would become very easy. There was also the chance of the more dangerous zoners finding a way into the real world and attack out of retaliation. Whatever came to their mind that would make ChalkZone seem too dangerous to expose, they brought it up.
This did not have the effect they wanted. Vinnie, who had been in ChalkZone before, knows just how not dangerous it was. He was also aware of water being able to neutralize any zoner, so any that would cause problems could be dealt with swiftly. He also said that if ChalkZone was really a danger, then he could just have the whole place destroyed, horrifying the adults. It was clear that this plan was not working. Their only other choice was to be forceful.
But they never got a chance to do that. Not long after, the other adults in the room took notice of them. They came over, wondering what Terry and the other adults were doing there. Terry couldn't really answer any of their questions because her boss had come in. He shoed the others way, and then he noticed Terry. Terry would have tried to explain to her boss that Vinnie grabbed the wrong tapes or something and that they were trying to get them out. And they did try that angle, but her boss didn't believe her. And the reason was shocking.
It turned out Vinnie had talked with her boss before about the footage, as well as those two guards, which Vinnie hand selected due to their dislike of Terry. Vinnie revealed to her that he formed a partner ship with her boss and those two guards if they helped him keep her away from the news room, preventing her from stopping him from showing the footage. He had known that there was a chance that she would be able to get here, and he had a feeling that she might have found a way to get past the guards. So he had taken an extra security precaution.
Terry and the adults were horrified by this news. They tried to plead with Terry's boss, tried to explain to him why he shouldn't listen to Vinnie. But the boss had apparently seen the footage and he, too, wants in on it. Terry realized that was why the guards didn't care about her being injured. Their main goal at the moment was keeping her out. Her being injured was not on their list of 'things to care about'. If anything, it just made their job of keeping her out a little easier. If Reggie hadn't been there, she wouldn't have made it past them. And then making fun of her for believing in ChalkZone...it had just been an act to conceal their true intentions.
Then after that terrifying reveal, of her boss and the guards being in cahoots with her brother, the door opened up and she and the adults turned to see Reggie. They were shocked to see he had been injured. Not horrifically, just a few bruises. But still, the idea that the guards attacked the child was terrifying. Terry wouldn't doubt they dragged Reggie somewhere where no one would see them and started to beat him up a little as punishment for messing with them. They dragged him into the room, each holding onto one of his arms.
Her boss told Terry that he was not going to allow her to screw this up. They needed higher ratings and this chalk world was going to get them those ratings, that money that they needed. He expressed disappointment that she didn't want to be a part of it, as she had been so gun ho about it before. He tried to coax her back to his side, promising fame and fortune if she did so. But Terry, and the adults who were also offered a position, declined. The boss sighed regretfully and snapped his fingers.
In seconds, a couple of other guards, these larger and stronger than the ones that taunted Terry, showed up. Terry, the adults, and Reggie were escorted down the hallway. Terry quickly realized they were being taken to the storage room in one of the hallways furthest from the news caster room. They did try to escape a few times, but all escape routes were cut off, and they were forced to continue walking with the guards.
Soon they reached the storage room. When the door opened up, they could see it was filled with maintenance supplies, mostly cleaning stuff, like a few brooms, some soap, and a couple of mops. There was one light, pretty dingy and flickering constantly. There was a strong chemical smell in the room from the cleaning supplies that surrounded them. The room itself was pretty small, and with all of them in there, it felt cramped.
Her boss told her that they'll be locked up in this room until after the airing. Terry tried to stop him, but before she could reach the door, it was shut on her. She tried pounding on the door, demanding to be let out. But it was no use. The footsteps became fainter and she knew they were left alone here. She tested the door knob and it was locked.
And that was where they still were after twenty minutes had passed. Or maybe it was more. Terry wasn't sure. Her phone was been shut off and she hadn't asked the others what time it was. She knew a considerable amount of time passed, but she knew it couldn't have been time up yet. She did not hear anyone coming down the hallway to set them free after the tapes were aired. Unless Vinnie and her boss planned on keeping them in there for an extended period of time for some reason, them not showing up was indication that the tapes weren't yet aired. They still had time to get out, but not a lot.
Terry had kept quiet. The other adults, as well as Reggie, were discussing plans on getting out, but from the sound of it, they weren't having a lot of luck. And even if they did get out now, Terry realized the odds of getting to the other side of the building without getting spotted was going to be tough. Who knew how many people here were in on the little secret? They couldn't risk it. They needed an easier option, which Terry was busy trying to figure out.
Then a thought entered her mind. Why didn't she think of this before? It would have been the easier option instead of going to find Vinnie. She recalled, somewhere down this part of the building, was one of the video rooms. Although the odds of this video room having the footage, let alone being the one to play them for Vinnie when he goes on the air, were slim, it was their best shot at this point. And the video room was much closer, so it would be easier to get to without worry of resistance.
But the only problem was...they needed to get out of here first. She thought about trying to get the door unlocked, like she had at Vinnie's place. She still had that item she used before that let her unlock the door. But the problem was she didn't have that much time. The picking of the lock might take a while. They had to get out of here now. But how else were they going to do it? There was no other door here, no window either. This door, the one she stood a few feet away from, it was their only way out.
An idea hit her. She looked over at Reggie. He looked pretty well muscled, more so than Mr. Tabootie. He might have enough strength to him to get the door open. He could body slam against it a few times. He might be able to generate enough force to break it down. Yes, the act could, most likely would, draw attention to themselves. But the video room wasn't that far, and they could make a break for it and get there before anyone catches them. There was still the matter of getting into the video room, which wasn't that easy, but she'll think of what to do when they get there.
She did feel bad about asking him to do this while injured. The injuries he recieved didn't look bad, but him slamming against the door might irritate them. She could ask Mr. Tabootie, but he might not be strong enough to break the door down. Maybe if he and Reggie could work together...yeah that might work better. They all couldn't work on the door at the same time. There wouldn't be enough room. But Reggie and Mr. Tabootie, who might be the physically strongest people here, they might be able to break the door down if they worked together.
Terry walked over towards them. As she got closer, she could hear their hushed conversations.
"We have to get out of here somehow!" Mrs. Tabootie said.
"I know we do, dear. But...how?" Mr. Tabootie asked, his voice solemn. "The door is locked."
Mrs. Tabootie looked at her husband. Her eyes were wide with concern. "We have to do something, Joe! We..we promised Rudy we wouldn't..."
"I know, Milly...I know..." Mr. Tabootie said, lowering his gaze. "I don't want to fail Rudy either."
"And I don't want to fail Penny." Mrs. Sanchez said. "Which is why I'm not giving up."
Reggie looked over and took notice of Terry coming over. "Well it's about time you joined us." The other adults looked over, noting Terry walking over towards them. "I assume you were in the corner over there, figuring out a plan?"
Mrs. Tabootie stared at Terry and said, "If that's the case, we would love to know if you thought of anything."
"Did you come up with any plans? We haven't been able to so far." Mrs. Sanchez said.
Reggie shook his head. "Nothing that makes sense anyway."
Terry paused, thinking about what she was going to say. She could feel all the eyes on her, staring at her, waiting for her to speak up. She could feel the pressure, realizing that it might be all up to her now. The others hadn't thought of a way out. And now they were dependent on her finding a way. She had no idea if her plan was going to work..but at this point, it was the only chance they had.
Terry cleared her throat and said, "Okay, listen. Here is what we have to do. It's going to be difficult, but I think we can pull it off." She moved closer to the adults and began to tell them about her plan.
sss
Sophie struggled with all her might to get free. She kicked her legs. She punched wildly in the air. Nothing she did would land a blow on Ghadir, who held her tightly. She tried jerking herself left and right, but that did nothing to change her current situation. She went as far as try to bite her, and that still didn't make the woman let go, although it did earn her a slap on the head.
Sophie could hardly believe this was really happening. How did this happen? How could she let it happen? She could feel a sore spot on her head, dull and achy. It wasn't where Ghadir struck her either. It felt like she was hit in the head with something hard. She hardly remembered what happened recently. She recalled she was out with her mom at a local fitness store. They were picking up some kind of health drink her mom wanted to try. Then they left then..this.
She had no idea where her mother was. When she woke up, she was being carried through this large house by Ghadir. Too stunned to speak, she had immediately tried to struggle. It didn't work out so well for her. She still struggled, hoping that, somehow, she could get herself free. Nothing worked. Ghadir held a tight grip on her and continued to carry her through the house, heading towards a dark-colored door.
Sophie smelled something strange beyond that door. It was hard to describe to herself what the smell was like. It was sort of familiar, sort of not. It did smell foreboding, making her heart pound as they approached the door. Sophie began to struggle even harder, hoping that she would, somehow, force Ghadir to let go of her. She thrust herself left and right, only to be rewarded with Ghadir squeezing her hard against herself. Sophie's eyes went wide and she soon stopped, unable to breathe well. Only when she became completely relaxed did Ghadir loosen her grip.
"I recommend that you hold still from now on, little girl. Besides, we're almost there." Ghadir said, a dark smile on her face.
Sophie looked up at her fearfully. "Wh-Where are we?"
"That is none of your business, little girl." Ghadir answered. "I will say this. No one will find you here...at least...not before our next plan is in motion." She chuckled evilly. Sophie's eyes widened in fear. "Oh yes..I do have to wonder how your dear cousin will react to this..."
At the mention of Rudy, Sophie let out a gasp. She realized she hadn't seen Rudy in a while. She recalled that he was very sick and had to stay in ChalkZone. She had known about Rudy getting assaulted in ChalkZone, but last time she checked, he was doing better. From what this woman indicated by the tone of her voice, was it possible that...Rudy got into worse trouble...? Her heart clenched in fear at this. She looked up at her captor, wondering if she had anything to do with whatever else happened to Rudy.
Had he been captured? Was he hurt again? Was he..dead...? Uncomfortable thoughts swirled through her head. Her body started to shake from the emotion. She had to know what happened to Rudy. She just had to. She swore, if this woman and her lackeys did something else to him, she would find a way to make them pay. She knew she couldn't do much considering her small size, but she was willing to try something. She...she couldn't just allow them to get away with this.
Her struggles were renewed. She twisted against Ghadir more violently than before. She managed to scratch at her. She started biting her again. She did whatever she could to cause Ghadir pain and loosen her grip. The lunchlady was annoyed but this. Sophie continued trying to get herself free, ignoring any warning sign from Ghadir to slow down. This time, the slaps against her head did nothing. Soon, she managed to make Ghadir let go of her, at least one of her arms. With another twist of her body, Sophie managed to touch the ground.
She tried to run, but had forgotten that Ghadir still had a hold of her. Yanking her arm, Ghadir pulled Sophie back and lifted her up off the ground. She held her up and glared angrily at her. Sophie returned the expression, making it clear she was not going to submit so easily to her. The only thing that stopped her from glaring back is when Ghadir slowly smiled in the most twisted fashion she had seen. At this, Sophie's expression slowly changed into confusion and fear.
"You know...if you want to struggle so much, go ahead. But..." Ghadir lifted her up a little higher. "..I don't think mommy is going to appreciate it.."
Sophie's eyes filled with horror. "M-Mom...?" She felt panic rise up inside of her and, out of desperation, struggled, her body twisting back and forth in the air. "What have you done with her?!"
Ghadir shook Sophie hard and then slammed her against the wall. The eleven year old let out a cry of pain before becoming still in the air. She slowly looked up at Ghadir, a few soft cries emitting from her mouth. "So far..nothing. She is a guest here...though she will be staying elsewhere. She might prove of some use to us. However..." Ghadir put her face close to Sophie's. "If you continue struggling like a bad little girl, we may just give her the same fate we are...considering for Horace Wilter."
Sophie gasped. "What are you going to do to him...? To my mom...?"
"Well your mom might be lucky and get out of this situation...provided you cooperate." Ghadir said. She moved closer to the dark-colored door. She stopped a foot away from it. She kept her attention on Sophie. Her expression showed she was enjoying this mental torment, prolonging things just to watch her squirm a little in uncomfortable anticipation. "So if you be a good little girl, we won't hurt your mommy. She'll just be in our...custody for a little while."
Sophie spoke in a stammering voice, "Wh-What about Wilter...?"
At this, Ghadir narrowed her eyes hatefully. Sophie could tell this hate was not aimed at her, but at the old teacher that still taught Rudy and Penny after all these years. "That little pest has meddled in our plans too much. We know he told Rudy about where those cures are hidden. He just doesn't know how to stay out of these things... So.." Her eyes twinkled black. "...we are coming up with a more...permanent solution to our problem."
Sophie couldn't believe it. She stared at Ghadir with a terrified expression. The black chalk artists were going to..kill Mr. Wilter? No..they couldn't do that... He..he didn't deserve that. She had to warn him somehow. She also had to find a way to get her mom out of here. She had no idea if Ghadir was being truthful or not. What if her mom was horrifically injured?
And if what Ghadir said was true, then maybe Rudy was looking for them. If that's the case, she had to figure out something on her own. Rudy might not make it back in time to save her, her mother, and Mr. Wilter from the black chalk artists' wrath. There wasn't much window of opportunity. If she could just get free now, then maybe...
The door opened up. She was lifted higher off the ground. They went towards the door and walked into it. Sophie immediately gasped in horror at what she saw. A large cellar, but the way it was constructed, with the blood platforms, chains, cages..it looked more like some kind of twisted jail crossed with a torture chamber. The smell was much stronger now and she looked all around. Seeing the stains of blood, she realized it must have been that she was smelling. She realized it didn't smell like blood, though. It smelled...different somehow.
She was taken down the flight of stairs, which had a little bit of rust on them, making the place appear older than it really was. Aside from the blood and dirt stains, the place looked pretty new and polished. Kind of...it was hard for her to explain just how it looked. One word she could definitely use to describe it was 'terrifying'. The whole place gave her a creepy vibe. The smell was just one of the factors in that.
When they reached the bottom step, Ghadir carried her over to what looked like a cage, but with water and electricity for bars instead of metal. Sophie noticed there was already an occupant. She couldn't stifle her gasp of horror when she saw it was a zoner. Some kind of feathered snake with wings. He was laying in a curled ball, one of his wings at an odd angle. She realized it had to have been broken. She put two and two together and realized that the black chalk artists must have been kidnapping and torturing zoners, and this one was their latest victim.
Before she had a chance to say anything to Ghadir, the woman pressed a button on the side of the cage. With the front bars gone, Ghadir threw Sophie into the cage. She let out a surprised cry as she smashed into the ground, landing dangerously close to the back electric water bars. She looked at the bars, hardly five inches from her face, and backed up. She looked behind her just in time to see Ghadir press the button, effectively locking her in the cell with the zoner.
Ghadir folded her arms, staring down at the little girl. A dark smile coated her face, made of ice. "You will stay with us until we decide to make our next move. It may be a while. But we are willing to wait." Sophie's eyes widened slowly at this, her body shaking. "You and your dear mommy will be our guests for now. As for what we want you two for..." A dark laughter. "Oh you'll find out eventually..." She tilted her head slightly, her eyes brightening with anticipation. "I simply can't wait."
Without saying another word, Ghadir turned and walked away. Sophie watched as she headed up the stairs and disappeared out the door, leaving her alone with the zoner. As the door shut and the sound echoed off the walls, Sophie realized just how dire the situation was. What was she going to do? She can't get out of this cell, and the zoner here was injured. She didn't even have any kind of cell phone with her to call out, or any small object to push the button to free themselves.
Perhaps this zoner could be of some help. She looked over at him, watching him as he slept. She moved a little closer to him. She soon took notice of what appeared to be tears. She bit her lip. Had this zoner suffered mentally? Considering how the black chalk artists could be, she wouldn't doubt that. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the zoner. She hadn't even met him yet and already she could tell he suffered, and she wanted to do something to help him feel better. She made her way closer to the snake-like zoner.
When she got close enough, she reached out towards him. Being very gentle as to not disturb his slumber, she pulled him up off the ground. She set him in her lap, careful to avoid aggravating his wing injury. With the feathered snake zoner in her lap, still sleeping, she ran her hand along his head a few times, an attempt to comfort him even though he was still sleeping. She lifted her head and stared towards the 'door' of the cage. Somehow, someway, she had to get out of here. There was a way out, she was certain. And she was going to find it. She couldn't afford to just sit here and do nothing.
A life...possibly more than one, were on the line if she didn't escape.
sss
Terry's idea was a success. At first, the others were reluctant, considering that it could draw attention. This had been Terry's concern, but she managed to convince them that it was necessary to get out as soon as they could. She knew the fastest way to the nearest video room and it won't be very likely that they'll run into much resistance between this room and that. Knowing what was on the line, the others did eventually agree, especially since they had so little time left.
Reggie and Mr. Tabootie worked on the door. They smashed against it, using as much force as they could. Their shoulders were starting to ache. Still, they kept pushing themselves, applying as much force as they can to get the door down. Working together, they did eventually succeed. With one final push, the door came falling down, smashing against the ground. They all winced as the clang sound echoed down the tunels. Knowing that someone must have heard that, Terry gestured for the adults and Reggie to follow her right now.
The group rushed down the hallway, following Terry. The red-haired woman looked left and right, looking for the sign for the video room. She knew it wasn't that far. Her memory was a little fuzzy on just the precise location, but she knew it was in this general area. She knew it wasn't that far.
As they ran, she heard shouts from behind them. She cursed under her breath. Just as she feared. Someone had heard them. She wouldn't doubt it was some lackeys her boss sent to stop her. She and the others moved faster, not daring to look back. She came to the hallway she knew they had to be on. With a sharp turn to the left, their hearts pumping in their chests, they headed down this new tunnel. She could hear footsteps behind them, then some sliding. She knew their pursuers hadn't been shaken off yet. She would try to come up with a strategy to deal with them, but they didn't have time.
She ran down the hallway, the adults and teenager right behind her, not far. Heavy breathing filled the air. She could have sworn she heard everyone's hearts beating quickly, almost like they were going to burst open. The angry shouts from their pursuers was getting louder. She quickly realized, from the insults thrown at her, that it was the guards from before. She mumbled under her breath. She would be glad to deal with anyone but them right now. And Vinnie. If she ran into him, she had no idea how they would get out of their situation, especially since he seems to have her boss and some people here twirling under his thumb with the promise of fame and fortune.
Soon, up ahead, she could see the sign for the video room. They were so close. They just had to keep running for a little while. Almost there...
Suddenly she was yanked back. The guard that grabbed onto her arm sneered at her. "Where do you think you're going?"
Terry pulled, trying to get her arm free. "Let me go!"
"Oh I'm afraid I can't do that. You see...my partner and I..." The guard gestured with his head. Terry looked over and saw that the second guard had a gun out, typical of security. He had it pointed at the other adults, threatening to shoot if they moved. Reggie was included. Terry looked back at the first guard. "..we have our orders. You are to come quietly with us, or we will shoot. Our boss gave the okay."
Terry looked at him in horror. Her own boss said that these two could use deadly force? He had never issued something like that before. She realized just how desperate he must be to get that footage on air if he was willing to have one of his employees and a couple of civilians killed for it. She had to find a way out of this. She head to get that video room. Who knows how much time they have left? Vinnie might have it air earlier and...she just had to get a move on, fast.
"Please..you have to listen. You can't..." Terry started to say. She shut her mouth when the first guard pointed his gun at her.
"If I were you, I'd shut up." The first guard said with a sneer. He leveled the barrel to her forehead. "I have the permission to shoot your brains out if you resist. You are not to interfere with the broadcast. If you dare set foot inside that video room..." He laid his finger on the trigger, threatening to pull it. "I will shoot you."
Terry felt her heart beating fast. The others looked worried and terrified. She had to think of a way out of this, and fast. She turned her head towards the door. She could tell it wasn't that far away. Just a quick bolt over there and that's it. She looked back at the first guard. She needed some kind of distraction. As terrified as she was, she wasn't going to let that get to her. She knew the consequences if she stood here doing nothing, if she allowed this guard to scare her.
She didn't have a lot of time to come up with a brillian plan. She had to do something fast. She knew it would end up being impulsive. She didn't like to be that way. She would rather plan things out more. But with Vinnie having that ChalkZone footage, there just...wasn't that much time remaining. Anything she decided to do, it had to be done swiftly, within seconds. The sooner she got to that video room, the better. And there was really only one thing she thought of in that time frame. A risky move, but it wasn't like she had a lot of options.
Terry pulled her leg back and, as swiftly as she could, kicked the first guard between the legs. The man's eyes bulged open and he let out a pained grunt. He dropped down to his knees. Terry grabbed his gun from his hand and, without thinking, hit him with it against his head. Down the security guard went. She had a feeling she would get into huge trouble for this later, but she decided to worry about that later.
The commotion she caused from kicking and hitting the first guard caused enough of a distraction for Mr. Tabootie to tackle the second guard. Terry watched as he grappled the second guard, pulling the gun away from him. The second guard lunged for him, only to be punched back by Reggie. The man hit against the ground, too dazed and confused to get up. Reggie looked surprised, as if he did not mean to punch him that hard. Terry didn't dwell on that for long and she turned her attention back towards the door.
Terry rushed over to the video room door. Not bothering to wait for the others, she turned the door and she rushed into the video room. There were two people in the room, both sitting in chairs and heaving headphones on. There were monitors everywhere, and in a few, Terry could see the news caster room Vinnie was in. She could see him standing there, and now there was an audience. Time was almost out...
Terry rushed forward, holding her hand out. "Wait! Stop!"
The two people looked over at her, looking confused. One of them appeared to be doing something with his hands, but from this angle, she could not tell what that was. The tall chair obscured her view. Neither of them answered her as she rushed over towards them.
"Please don't air that tape!" Terry pleaded with them.
Still no response. Terry realized, with dread, that they must be listening to music. They might have been told to air the footage at a certain time, provided that they were the ones with the footage. She moved closer towards them, trying to get their attention. They just looked at her, confused. They were clearly not expecting her and didn't know how to respond. She tried to get them to remove their headgear. Either they didn't understand or they were ignoring her.
She realized that's what it was. They were ignoring her. Her eyes widening slightly, Terry had a feeling that this was indeed the right room. She looked over at the person who was moving his arm before. He must be preparing the tape. She had to stop him. She rushed forward, preparing to lunch at the man. She was not going to fail. She had to stop him. She just had to.
Then, out of the blue, there was a click. Terry froze as she heard the sound of a machine whirring. She stared at the two people in the video room, watching them as they gave an eerie smile. This not only confirmed that Vinnie did have more than just her boss and guards under his control, but it made her blood freeze to solid ice. Her breath quickening, becoming shaky, she looked up at the monitors, the one where she could clearly see Vinnie.
She became aware of the other adults coming into the room. She could feel them near her. She could hear their gasps of horror, cries of disbelief. She could hear a few shouts of 'no' and 'it can't be'. Terry...she herself remained quiet. She could hardly think or move. It felt like the world around her froze. She felt her mind going numb in shock. Her wide eyes remained locked on the monitors, wishing she wasn't seeing what she was.
The videos showed them shocked reactions from the audiences, look of shere disbelief, some of horror. A few people in the audience were jumping out of their seats. Vinnie looked pleased, and he looked like he was explaining something to them. There was no sound at all, but that didn't really matter, for Terry and the others didn't need to hear what Vinnie was saying to know what he was showing them. The middle monitor revealed it all.
There, on that monitor, showing Vinnie with a screen behind them, they could see footage of ChalkZone. There was absolutely no denying it. It was ChalkZone that Vinnie was showing them, the various footage that Terry had found two years ago in Bardot's lair. And now, that same footage was being played back for the audience, showing different sections of ChalkZone, the zoners, all the unusual and bizarre wild life...
The world around Terry felt like it broke in half and weighed down onto her shoulders. Feeling heavy, her legs wobbled and she fell down to her knees. She felt a cold chill rush up her spine, her body trembling. This was the moment that she had once wanted to do...and now the same thing did nothing but fill her with horror. Her breathing became shaky, her body unable to hold still. Emotion welled up inside of her, and she was unable to fight back the tears that formed.
Around her, she heard gasps of horror from the other adults. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see them shaking their heads in disbelief. Mrs. Sanchez had her hands over her mouth, her body trembling. Mrs. Tabootie and Mr. Tabootie held onto each other tightly, whispering soft pleading words, begging for this to not be real. Reggie stood here, horrified, unable to move. None of them could move from their spot. None of them could believe what just happened.
Terry couldn't believe it. She shook her head in denial. No..this did not just happen... No..impossible... Terry didn't want to believe it was true. She didn't want to believe that this really was happening. Maybe it was some bad nightmare and she'd wake up soon. But the longer she stayed in this room, frozen, the more she realized it was no dream. It was a nightmare, yes, but it was a reality nightmare. This was happening, and that realization caused her to shiver as a cold sensation swept through her body.
Terry turned her head, looking at the others. Besides Reggie, she could tell the other adults were crying. The wave of emotion must have been too strong for them, too. She couldn't blame them. They had all suffered the same fate today. They had all made a promise...and they had not been able to upkeep that promise. Now, the one thing they all dreaded was happening before their eyes, and they were helpless to stop it. Even if she pulled those two video people out of the way and destroyed the tape...the damage was already done. There was no denying it. Terry could not lie to herself. Her heart clenching, she had no choice but to face the harsh reality.
Terry lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Rudy...Penny...Snap...I-I tried..." She fell silent, letting tears stroll down her face, crying along with the others. They failed... They all had failed. That realization hung heavily in the air, stinging their hearts. The unthinkable had happened.
ChalkZone...had been exposed.
