Even in the deepest depths of Deadbird Studios, there was still more to go.
Hat Kid and the Conductor emerged from the elevator, only to be met with what they could assume was DJ Grooves' security detail. The girl watched as the Conductor cracked what she assumed were knuckles under those feathers for hands.
"Go find the lad, lassie!" said the Conductor. "I'll handle this!"
Hat Kid wasn't sure at first, but she didn't have time to really think about it when her shipmate was in danger. Besides, it looked like the Conductor had this fight in the bag. He was tossing around Moon Penguins like it was nothing. He was picking up other stuff to throw at them and sometimes would just break it on them.
Hat Kid whacked around a few Moon Penguins herself, but her way to the other side of the room. She went through another small hallway, with the blue carpet on the floor having small lights on the sides, then she came across some giant double doors and practically hit them off the hinges as she ran into a big spacious room.
The floor was lit up in squares of red, blue, yellow, and green with a moon design in the middle. On the sides, leaning against the railing of a two floor platform while some sat in chairs were Moon Penguins and even Express Owls were probably being forced to watch what was about to unfold.
"DJ GROOVES!" Hat Kid shouted. She stomped her way towards the center of the room. All eyes were on her, and she suddenly felt a familiar pressure, making her feel small. She kept her focus, however. She had to rescue Cloak Kid.
On the stage with the back wall lighting the number 20 and the name "Grooves" on it, with blue curtains and the spotlights shining down was no one other than DJ Grooves. By his side was Mustache Girl, who was way off to the side, keeping a grip on Cloak Kid who was still bound with his arms behind his back and a cloth covering his mouth. He was on his knees, just glaring while Mustache Girl was saying something to him.
At the sound of Hat Kid's voice everyone's eyes and even the spotlight fell on the small hat-wearing girl.
"Look who we've got here, darling," said the DJ. He locked eyes with Hat Kid. "I guess you found my little secret, huh?"
Cloak Kid, despite his toughened state, looked tired. He was shaking and sweat was dripping from his face. He didn't expect that she would listen to him despite telling her it was a trap, but regardless, he was kind of happy she came anyway. Seeing her shipmate looking so unwell only made Hat Kid angrier. She swung her umbrella forward and held it there.
"Let him go and give me the hourglass!"
"You mean this little thing, darling?" He pulled out the Time Piece from under his coat. "Thank you so much for what you've done for me, but please, this is just business, darling. So, don't take this personally, but this last Time Piece is all for me, darling. Unless, you're little friend there would like to tell me how to open that vault on your ship."
Hat Kid shook her head. Holding her umbrella out like a sword, she kept her stance wide. A bead of sweat was already racing down the side of her face. The DJ even knew that the hourglass was called a Time Piece.
"Well then, if you want it, I guess you've just gotta come and get it."
Cloak Kid shook, but just shut his eyes for a second.
Don't! he thought. No matter what! I will not crack! She's got this… She's got this… But his nerves did not help with the oncoming fever burning through him, causing him to sweat.
The boy jumped a little when music started to play. The DJ leapt to the bleachers and tried to lunge at her. Hat Kid was far too nimble to get caught up in that she dodged gracefully, whacking him and jumping away.
DJ Grooves leapt back onto the stage and then onto a golden disco ball.
"Here we… GO!" And it landed onto the ground. Hat Kid jumped into the air dodging the shockwave and blocking the shattered shards by holding out her umbrella. Upon receiving another good whack from it, the DJ jumped back onto the stage.
"You've done it now, darling!" he warned.
Then the captive child gasped when DJ Grooves pulled out a knife. His heart jumped, and his skin went pale. He dashed at Hat Kid, who managed to dodge, but it sliced without hesitation through her cape.
Cloak Kid yelped, watching their back and forth. He dropped more disco balls and made more attempts to actually stab her, but she seemed ready despite it, hitting him whenever she could. Mustache Girl held him back. Even if he had the strength to break free from her grasp, his arms were still bound, he didn't know where his staff was and he didn't have any of his cloaks.
"You know, this can end right now, if you want," Mustache Girl chimed as the fight went on. "Just spill it, and it'll stop." She then grabbed his chin and forced Cloak Kid to look at her. "And if I were you, I'd stick to the truth."
The boy held back a sob. He couldn't break. He promised his grandfather. Hat Kid was doing fine for now. She couldn't break, either. So he pulled away from the hand gripping his chin and shook his head.
He didn't need his cloak, to see the pure malice her determination had turned into. So much for wanting to be a hero…
Since when has being nice gotten anyone anywhere…?
"How could you do this to me, darling?!" the DJ yelled once, he leapt back onto the stage. Both were already tired out, but Hat Kid wasn't going to give up until he was down and her shipmate was safe.
Then the lights went out. Still, Hat Kid was vigilant. She may not have been able to see, but her hearing was still as sharp as ever.
A Moon Penguin walked out onto the stage and started playing relaxing music on a grand piano. DJ Grooves appeared at the center of the room, sitting at a table covered with a blue and white checkered blanket with two chairs.
"Let's have a little heart-to-heart. Have a seat, darling."
Hat Kid lowered her weapon slowly. DJ Grooves suddenly sounded more friendly, but she couldn't let her guard down. It had gone quiet on the stage, but she hoped Cloak Kid was still okay.
The girl walked up slowly and, despite everything telling her not to, sat down in the other chair.
"Ever since you arrived on this planet, these Time Pieces have fallen from the sky," said DJ Grooves.
"Well… of course," said Hat Kid. She was hesitant to make eye contact. "They power the ship we need to get home."
"Of course, darling. I understand if you feel they belong to you. I understand."
"'I feel'?" Hat Kid raised a brow. "They don't belong to anyone on this planet. An idiot from the Mafia opened the door while we were in space and they all spilled out."
"Well, do you ever feel that maybe it was for a reason?"
"Huh?"
"The little red-hooded darling told me that they can rewind time. Despite the shades he had on, Hat Kid swore his eyes sparked with ambition. "With just one Time Piece, I could reclaim all the trophies that belong to me darling. Every single trophy I've lost to the Conductor, where he has cheated his way to victory." The girl formed a glare as she listened, hearing the putrid hate in the voice as he said that last part. "I can't prove it, darling, but I'm certain the Conductor has been manipulating everything to make sure I never win." When his voice went gentle again, the girl gathered the courage to look at him once more. "I just need one Time Piece to fix years of cheating and fraud. Can't you spare me just one Time Piece, darling?"
Through the darkness, Cloak Kid could still see the pair sitting under the spotlight. The day he met with the Conductor, he accused him of fraud as if he commited murder. He goes to great lengths to achieve his goals, and puts himself and other people in danger for it. He's short-tempered, ill-mannered, and many other things.
But never did he ever see him cheat.
"No."
And somehow, Hat Kid felt the same.
"What?" DJ Grooves winced in disbelief. "But, darling!"
"Stop!" The girl stood up, her feet on the chair. "You know, when we met, I did feel sorry for you. The Time Pieces showed me everything. You were and are tired of losing to that owl. But, you crossed a line when you took Cloak Kid like that! I know what it's like to want to change the flow of time, but you and that Mustache Girl have no idea what you're messing with! So, no! I will not spare you a single Time Piece. They belong to no one!" Her palms slammed the table and tears began to well up in her eyes. "And that's a lesson I hope you don't have to learn the hard way."
Cloak Kid staring at him. His jaw dropped and tears from his eyes hit the floor.
"Hattie…" His voice was clear enough, even with the cloth over his mouth.
DJ Grooves just stared for a moment, and then he laughed. It further cemented Hat Kid's thoughts about this Moon Penguin. Sometimes, people were on the losing end for a reason.
"Darling, darling, darling…" he said through his chuckles. Hat Kid just stared on as his tone grew dark once more. "You're so persistently selfish. I've brought you to stardom, and all I ask in return is a single Time Piece… but you won't share? Well, darling, if you want this Time Piece back so bad, come and get it!"
The lights went out once more. She could feel people nearby, but no matter where she looked or swung her umbrella, she could not find anything.
Suddenly, all the lights were back on as they should be. Cloak Kid was pale and looked petrified, while he stared at his partner in crime, and upon looking at herself, she saw that a bomb had been securely strapped to her torn up cape.
The spotlight shined down on the DJ. "Remember this bomb, darling? I stole it from the Conductor's movie set, and now it'll be your demise!" He jumped down to fight the girl and the music started up once more.
Suddenly, the Express Owls and even the Moon Penguins cried out in terror. Knowing one another, and having been in several movies, they knew a real bomb when they saw one. In droves, they fled from the secret basement, running for their lives, knowing that if it went off it would destroy them, the kids, and even DJ Grooves himself.
Hearing a muffled scream, Mustache Girl just barely managed to hold back Cloak Kid. Despite his state, he was still pretty strong. But she knew that the strength he had was temporary.
"A bomb?!" Mustache Girl then yelled, clearly outraged. "That wasn't part of the plan!"
The DJ was moving around pretty fast, but Hat Kid still managed to get hits in. This time, the DJ was swinging back with his knife.
"Sometimes, you've got to think as crazy as the Conductor, darling!"
Cloak Kid was struggling to breathe. Every time he saw the bomb on Hat Kid he looked at the rest of the room and imagined it engulfed in flames. No matter how much he struggled against Mustache Girl, she just wasn't going to let go.
"Tik tok! Tik tok!" DJ Grooves practically sang. "When are you gonna blow?"
"Yeah, kid!" She gave him a small push before grabbing a hold of him again. "Either she blows, or you spill your guts on those Time Pieces. And frankly, I prefer the latter… Please?"
DJ Grooves jumped onto the bleachers and threw down saw blades that Hat Kid jumped over as they zoomed towards her, leaving dents in the ground. She used her hook-shot on a lighting fixture and swung over the Moon Penguin who tried to pin her down and landed behind him.
"Lass! Over here!"
Hat Kid ran towards the source of the voice, just as DJ Grooves turned around and tried to stop her.
Cloak Kid made another muffled cry, trying to struggle away.
"Are you seriously gonna let your friend die, over the Time Pieces?!" said Mustache Girl.
The boy shook his head… because she wasn't going to die. He nodded towards one side of the room and saw the Conductor run up and disarm the bomb with a giant pair of scissors. How did that work? He would never know.
For now, Cloak Kid was relieved, but DJ Grooves kept running at her, even as the bomb was disarmed and fell off her person. The Conductor jumped over the railing of the bleachers and stood in front of the girl, but then the lighting fixture that Hat Kid had swung from broke off from the ceiling and everyone barely managed to get out of the way as it crashed onto the floor.
Hat Kid cracked open her eyes, finding herself lying down on her stomach from jumping. She tried to reach for her umbrella, but then it was kicked away and then she was pinned down.
Cloak Kid screamed, yelling for this to stop. He managed to stand on his shaky legs, but Mustache Girl reached out and held him, arms around his waist.
DJ Grooves had Hat Kid on the ground. She was trapped with one strong flipper for a hand holding her and a knife raised with the other. Suddenly, her body and mind caught up with the situation and heart beat rapidly. He heard the Conductor yelling, his voice cracking into the highest pitches she had ever heard.
Cloak Kid managed to shimmy off the cloth on his face. "No…" He said. "NO! DON'T!" Was Mustache Girl really gonna let this happen?
"Say goodnight, darling," DJ Grooves said, as if this task would be as simple as shutting a door. He raised the knife, hearing Hat Kid's pleas and tuning them out. Tears overflowed from Cloak Kid's eyes and his mouth trembled. He lunged forward and screamed.
"IT'S TIME'S END! TIME'S END!"
The shriek came from Cloak Kid. He fell back down on his knees, shaking and crying. Everyone's eyes suddenly locked onto him. Mustache Girl was just stunned. She still held him, but the only thing she could do other than that was just drop her jaw.
"It's Time's E-End…" the boy stuttered, his voice shaking, but his eyes stayed on the girl who remained pinned. "You put those words in like numbers on a text… Just… Just let her go..." He sobbed. "Please…" He shook and he cried.
"Oh, darling…" DJ Grooves' voice softened. Hat Kid was still, her arms still over her head. "Thank-you! Thank-you! I promised you, you won't regret your decision." His smile then faded and he turned back to the girl. "Unfortunately, I can't let word of this get out. It was nice knowing you, darling."
Hat Kid screamed. She closed her eyes, arms were held even more tightly over her head for what was to come.
Cloak Kid's mind ran in slow motion. He saw the knife, remembered the flames and the shattered glass...
"NO!" Cloak Kid yelled. This time, he had enough. He stood, with the red-hooded girl trying to hold him back, but this time, he pushed back with her and slammed her into the wall behind her. The girl cried out, sliding down with her back against the wall into a sitting position.
The knife raised into the air.
Cloak Kid jumped off the stage. Everything swayed and spun around him, but he didn't care. It was as if he now had Hat Kid's top hat and could see his main objective clearly. The Time Pieces, for the first time in months, were now nothing but a distant thought in the back of his head.
He couldn't let her die.
"HATTIE!"
It was like a wrecking ball had hit DJ Grooves, but it wasn't. With his hands bound, Cloak Kid didn't have anything to stop him but with his own body. So he headbutted the DJ with all of his might and they both fell onto the floor.
That was it. That was the last of the strength he had. His vision was going dark, and he felt so cold...
There was a heavy breath. "Darling…" the voice was deep and filled with hatred.
"Get away from the lad, ya pecking-"
When there was a yell, Hat Kid dared to open her eyes, and snapped out of her fearful stupor. The Conductor was on the floor, his arm bleeding from and DJ Grooves was raising his knife at an unconscious Cloak Kid.
"N-No…" she crawled forward, struggling to get onto her feet. Her umbrella was too far away. She stretched out her hand towards her shipmate.
Then the knife swung down.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Suddenly, as if it had responded to her voice, the Time Piece tucked under the DJ's coat began to shine with an otherworldly light. It enveloped everything and everyone.
Hat Kid opened her eyes once the light had faded, and she was appalled at what she saw. Nothing and no one was moving. DJ Grooves was stuck in mid-motion, only second away from hitting Cloak Kid's unconscious body. Mustache Girl was on the stage, sitting still with her hands over her nose, but the bloody nose she had gotten had stopped flowing, as well as the wound on the Conductor's arm.
It was like time itself was frozen.
Hat Kid wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. She grabbed the Time Piece from the DJ, picked up her umbrella. Then, with all of her might as the Time Piece began to blink with light, like her time limit was almost up, she gave the DJ a few of the hardest whacks she ever delivered with an umbrella.
With the final hit, time's flow started again and DJ Grooves was sent flying across the room.
"I hate you!" he yelled. "DARLING!" And he crashed into the stage in the back. The knife he held had landed a few feet away from her.
Hat Kid clutched the Time Piece close to her chest. Tears filled eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She held out her umbrella, her clothes beaten up, cape torn and tattered, and body shaking from fear and adrenaline, as Mustache Girl stood, wiping blood from her dripping nose, growling.
"Pest…" she grumbled. "This isn't over." She cursed under her breath, when the Conductor stood up, too. "Well…" she started taking a few steps back. "I guess I should be hitting that old… dusty trail."
"Hey! Where do ya think yer going, lass?!" the Conductor spat. He made to run after her, until his heart sank at the sound of Cloak Kid beginning to cry.
"Cloak!"
Hat Kid ran over to her shipmate. He looked terrible. He was pale, body shivering, but sweat dripping down his face. The black eye from the door had gotten worse, but it just looked like a bad bruise. She untied his hands, feeling how cold they were and he moaned once she moved him onto his back. The ropes had been tight enough to leave marks on his wrists.
Cloak Kid shivered, feeling hands on his face. It was so dark. Voices were coming all warped and muffled. He didn't know what was happening, but he forced his eyes to open and saw Hat Kid and the Conductor hovering over him. His head ached and his vision was blurring, even more so, when tears escaped from his eyes.
"Ye'll be alright, laddie!" said the Conductor.
"It's okay," said Hat Kid. She picked up the Time Piece. "Look, I got the-"
"Ha… Hattie…" The boy reached his weak, shaky hand past the hourglass towards her. "Ha… Ha…"
Quickly, the girl set the hourglass down and gathered his hand in both of hers. "It's okay. I'm here."
"I'm… s-sorry…" he stuttered. He shuddered and began to cry. "I'm sorry… I'm so… sorry."
"It's okay… It's okay…" Hat Kid whispered it over and over again, as much as he kept apologizing, until his words began to fade into mumbling nonsense. She placed his hand back down, gently and picked up the Time Piece. "I'm gonna get his stuff… We need to get out of here."
"You know, for once I agree with you, lass," the Conductor.
Hat Kid stood up, when Cloak Kid panicked, reaching for her. "No! P-Please!"
"It's okay," said Hat Kid. "I'm just gonna get your stuff." She unclipped her ruined cape and wrapped it around him. "I'll be right back."
"N-No… No!" He reached out, seeing her run towards the back of the stage. "H-Hattie." As much as he didn't want anyone to know this, the Conductor felt bad for the lad who started to cry some more. He struggled to get up, let alone sit, reaching for her, calling her name, despite how quiet and weak his voice sounded. With the cape wrapped around Cloak Kid, the Conductor gathered the boy in his arms, rubbing his back. He couldn't really help his grandparental instincts, and the kid needed comfort of some kind.
"It's okay, little lad," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Ye'll be okay. Ye gotta be. The lass will come back…"
By the time Hat Kid came back, her shipmate had calmed down somewhat. His eyes had shut, but he was mumbling softly and neither her or the Conductor could understand him. Luckily, his staff and his cloaks were in the back of the stage, she got them all.
"Let's get out of here," said Hat Kid. "We need to get him home. Get him warm and hydrated."
The Conductor picked up the boy in his arms and Hat Kid acted as the armed escort out of the studio. No creature was stirring in sight as they made their way out.
Cloak Kid couldn't move. His arms and legs felt like they were weighed down by giant anvils, but he could see his shipmate. She was safe, but at what cost? He began to sob again, but his voice came out so tired and soft. After all of his training, and everything he had been told… he cracked.
He failed his grandfather...
Cloak Kid lowered his head, hiding his face in the Conductor's shoulder. He wasn't even sure if he was still crying at this point, but he couldn't even open his eyes anymore. Sleep was right there, calling for him. The voices of Hat Kid and the Conductor were growing fuzzy.
He found himself giving into it, willingly.