A. N. - Very close to the end now! Just a heads up, the current plan is to end with chapter 30!
Chapter 28: Escape Attempt
"Just...A few more…Pieces…" Kowalski grunted as he reached as far as he could from the cage for whatever hay he could reach. He bit his tongue as he barely managed to grab a few pieces of straw. He then sat up with a sigh and braided these strands into the short rope he had woven. "There." He held up the rope and tugged on the ends, checking its sturdiness. It wasn't as long or as strong as he would have preferred, but it would do. He then coiled it and hid it behind his back.
He looked up as he heard the barn door open and took a deep breath. For a brief moment, he hoped it was some of his teammates...or ex-teammates. However, that hope quickly dissolved as he saw it was only Blue.
"So...Have you made your decision, Kowalski?" She stepped over towards the cage. He could see the key now, dangling from a red ribbon around her neck.
"I have, yes." He leaned against the bars, facing her, and sighed. "After crunching the numbers, I decided your offer was perhaps the better bargain." He glanced at her.
Blue stepped closer to Kowalski. "Oh? Which part of it?"
"The part where I'm not diabologized and get to be a parent, of course." He glanced at her again, this time with a smirk. "After all, that would be the smart choice. A genius with a diabologized telepathic helmet would be virtually unstoppable. I would be an idiot to let myself just be diabologized and used…" He looked away, towards the barn door. "As you said...Francis and Skipper have just been using me. And you, you said you'll accept me as I am...Subgenius and all."
"Oh Kowalski," she chuckled and stepped completely over to the cage. She stroked his cheek with her wing tips. "I didn't expect such a disloyal and intelligent decision from you. But I suppose there isn't much for you to be loyal to Skipper and the others about anymore is there?"
"Not really, no…" He looked towards the key at her neck again.
"But I'm afraid I can't let you out of the cage, Kowalski. For your own safety and to make sure that you do not change your mind and try to interfere with my plans, you have to stay here. You understand, right?"
Kowalski nodded and sighed. "Of course..."
"Good." She smiled and leaned in to kiss him.
Kowalski leaned in as well, but instead of kissing her, he slipped the rope around her neck and tugged her against the cage bars. "But I hope you understand that I hate being stuck in isolation and will do anything to get out." He then sneered.
"You…" She coughed, choking as Kowalski more firmly pulled on the hay rope.
"I'm afraid you've lost your touch." He slipped the key from around her neck. Keeping a firm grasp on it with one flipper, he unlocked the cage with his other. He then dragged her into the cage as he jumped out and slammed the door shut. "Bet you didn't see that coming you mental hen, did ya?" He locked the cage back.
Blue growled at him, trying to grab the key, but he jumped back from the cage, slipping it around his own neck. "I will have my revenge, Kowalski. This time, it'll be personal."
"It's been personal since the very first time you called me a subgenius, Blue." He rolled his eyes and then turned and looked at the inventions. There really wasn't anything keeping him from diabologizing the helmet anyway just to see what it may do, was there?
Oh right, it could become sentient like the MP3 Player had and go on a rampage. Yeah no, bad idea.
Kowalski then paused. Something wasn't right with this. Blue hadn't been working alone, obviously, because how else would she have the Diabologizer? And she wasn't what had kidnapped him either. That had been…
He noticed the sound of scurrying little crustacean legs coming from the barn door and turned. Sure enough, two turncoat lobsters were walking in, each carrying a kelp-net blaster. "Ah fishsticks."
The lobsters raised the net blasters, taking aim.
"Come on! Do you really want to work for this chicken? Wasn't working for Blowhole better?" Kowalski jumped behind the Diabologizer.
"It was until you entered the picture," one of the lobsters said, aiming the blaster again.
"What, you don't like the doc having a life outside of villainy?" He ducked down as the lobster shot at him. "After everything he does for you lobsters? I mean, insurance! Vacations! A fricken paycheck! I bet Blue isn't offering you any of that, is she?" He peeked back around at them.
"Shut up, penguin. Parker was right. You're just going to get in the boss's way. We're not working for the hen; we're working with her."
"Right, right...Because Dr. Blowhole is going to be over the moon that you helped some other villain take over the world, knowing full well that is his aspiration to achieve," he scoffed. "No, you're obviously still her henchmen. Just now, you're working pro bono and when Blowhole finds out, you'll be buttered and boiled."
The other lobster hesitated. "...You really think the boss is going to be that mad?"
"It doesn't matter, we're doing this for his own good. He's bound to thank us later."
"What if he really is that mad?"
"...Well, we are too far in to turn back now."
Kowalski during this has started sneaking for the door. Perhaps he could make a slide for it then alert the others of Blue's plans.
"Boys! Boys! He's getting away!" Blue clucked from the cage. "Get him and get me out of here!"
The lobsters quickly took aim and shot their net guns at Kowalski as he slid for the door. The first one missed, but as he swerved around it, the second net got him. His combined sliding velocity with that of the net threw him into the wall, hitting his head and back
Kowalski gasped and blinked hard against the stars he was momentarily seeing. That was going to leave a few bruises he'd still be feeling later...If there was a later for him to feel it. As the lobsters skittered over and picked him up, he tried weakly to wriggle out of their grasp, but it was to no avail. One took the key from him and opened the cage, releasing Blue. The other tossed Kowalski in, net and all.
Blue closed the door and clucked, shaking her head. "Such a shame, Kowalski. You and I, we could have ruled the world together."
"There will never be a you and I, Blue." Kowalski scowled. "You're not my type."
"Too bad." She sighed and walked over to the Diabologizer. "Because now, you're just going to be stuck as my little diabologized pet." She began to press buttons on the ray's console. The lobsters retreated behind her as they watched her aim the ray at the cage.
"I'd rather be a monster than by your side any day. I just hope karma bites you in the tail, hard." He narrowed his eyes at her before looking back up at the Diabologizer and swallowing. He then closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable.
