"Millie, wake the fuck up!"

What?

Who's there?

An excruciating headache crept up from behind her eyes to the back of her scalp, Millie in too much pain to so much as open her eyes. Everything felt like it was spinning and falling, as if she was hovering in some empty void with a hurricane in the center, twisting her and turning her at every point. Her joints were stiff and sore, like she had been sleeping for days and her bones had been replaced with rocks. Even moving her head felt like a herculean task, an invisible weight hanging around her neck and dragging her down.

"Ugh…" she moaned, too tired to force too many words out, "What...happened?"

Nothing seemed right, unfamiliar smells and sensations surrounding her, far different from the apartment that she called home.

Slowly but surely, the memories crept back, flashing before her eyes as fragmented busts of color and sound.

She remembered going to dinner.

And the weird suited man showing up.

Then being in the boiler room.

Then the blood splattering against the wall.

Coming back with Moxxie.

Setting an alarm to sleep.

Setting an alarm.

Gasping suddenly, she jolted upright and opened her eyes, pain shooting up and down her body right as she did so.

Something was wrong, she knew it.

But what was it?

Blitzo's and Loona's pissed off faces greeted her, sunlight pouring in through the window next to the bed. She had to have been out for hours, since it had been dark when she fell asleep.

She didn't remember hearing the alarm going off. In fact, she didn't even remember dreaming while she was out, her brain apparently too exhausted to form any thoughts, no matter how disjointed they were.

Rolling over, she placed an arm over where she remembered Moxxie falling asleep, hoping that maybe he would have an idea on what happened. Plus, it never hurts to have company.

Turning to her side upon not feeling anything on her arm, his soft snoring noticeable absent, a terrible sight greeted her.

An empty bed. With Moxxie nowhere to be found.

"Where's Moxxie?" she mumbled, "He was here when I fell asleep…"

A thousand possibilities ran through her head. Perhaps he had gotten up to get some water, or was off looking for the book. Or maybe he was off in the bathroom, or up on deck enjoying the view. She knew he hated waking her up, so maybe he was just being courteous and letting her rest a bit longer. It would be in character for him, after all.

Concern flashed across Blitzo's face, "You're telling me that you don't know?"

What?!

Millie's confusion quickly turned to panic as the gravity of the new situation set in.

They don't know where he is?

Something's wrong.

Moxxie wasn't one to go off without telling anyone where he was going. If he had indeed walked off to explore the ship while she was asleep, he would've left a note, or told Blitzo, or at least something .

But there was no note to be seen, nor was there any indication that Blitzo or Loona knew where he was.

"Moxxie?!" she called out, ripping the sheets off of the bed, as if he was somehow hiding under the silky blankets, "Moxxie?!"

Nothing.

She tried to leap out of bed, only to collapse onto the floor as a sharp pain hit her head, curling up into a ball on the carpet. Colors danced across her vision as her arm took the blunt of the impact, leaving a nasty bruise that she knew was going to take awhile to heal.

"Woah, waoh, Mills," Blitzo knelt down by her side, holding her shoulder up, "What the fuck is up with you? You okay?"

No, bitch, I'm not okay! I feel like shit and my husband's missing! What the hell do you think?"

Her stomach lurched, nausea taking over as she dry heaved over the floor, Blitzo holding her hair back with his free hand.

This wasn't just a normal hangover, Millie had had plenty of those in her time. This was much, much more intense. Like how she felt after a trip to the hospital, all hopped up on IVs and more drugs than she could count on two hands.

But there was no way she was on drugs, she had to be sick or something. Maybe the beef wellington was undercooked. Her stomach wasn't used to rich people's food, maybe this was all just some bad reaction. The beef had tasted a little weird anyways.

Wait a minute.

Could something have been wrong with dinner last night?

Eating weird tasting food, feeling extremely tired, bitter aftertaste.

Wait.

No, it couldn't be.

She was just sick.

But from what?

"Blitz…" she gagged, "I-Something's wrong."

"No kidding, you look terrible," Blitzo said, not using a single obscenity and curse.

"N...No, it's something else. I-I just.."

That was a bit of a lie, but her brain was too overwhelmed to think rationally and clearly, instead feeling like it was on fire as she choked back bile, not wanting to ruin the perfect carpet spread out on the floor before her. The second one thought entered her mind, ten more came back and replaced it. This must be how Moxxie feels when he gets all nervous and overthinks.

It felt as if the room around her was slowly heating up, her body burning up as sweat poured down her forehead. And it wasn't like she was dressed to the nines, either, all she was wearing was a black crop top and pants, just like she would back home. It wasn't like her ridiculous dinner getup at all.

"Ah-" she uttered, breathing heavily, "I-I don't feel good."

"Loona, get some water!" Blizto shouted, "And make it fucking snappy!"

Groaning, Loona dashed out the door and down the hall, presumably to the bar to get some water since the sink water probably wasn't drinkable.

Another wave of nausea hit her, this one more intense than the last, not even giving her a chance to get up and look for her husband before it overpowered her, Blitzo grabbing a bucket from the bathroom in the nick of time as last night's dinner came back up.

Her throat burned, struggling to breathe as she clung to the ugly grey bucket for dear life, like everything in the universe depended on it. Her stomach cramped, far more than ever before, thousands of invisible needles pelting at the outside of her abdomen. She was by no means suicidal, but the pain was so bad that for a moment she wished she would die right there on the spot.

She heard Loona return, a glass of water placed at her side as the hellhound awkwardly shuffled away. And it came at the perfect time, too. The dizziness and extreme nausea was enough to tell her that she was dehydrated beyond belief, struggling to keep her hand steady enough to reach the glass that held the crisp, cool substance that her body was now begging for.

"Blitz…" she choked, "Hand that glass over, will ya?"

Even her voice was a disaster, the pitch dancing up and down as the sounds struggled to leave her mouth.

Blitzo placed the glass in her hands, Millie taking small sips as she clutched it tightly with both her hands so hard that her fingertips turned white. It would be a miracle if she managed to keep it down.

Clutching her stomach, she tried to force herself to stand up, pulling her entire weight with one arm. She wasn't about to sit idly by as the world fell apart around her, even though her body felt like it was on the brink of collapse. Either they would get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on, or she would die trying.

Lifting herself about halfway up, her legs suddenly buckled beneath her, falling into Blitzo and nealy sending them both to the ground.

"Woah there, Mills," Blitzo said as he propped her back up and onto the bed, "I don't want you dying on me."

She fought the urge to collapse, sitting up once again and trying to argue with her boss.

"I ain't layin' down!" she protested, "Not until...not until…"

The words were caught, Millie barely able to remember what she was about to say.

A vignette formed around her vision, the edges engulfing more and more of her eyesight until there was almost nothing left. Within seconds, she was out cold, still in last night's clothes and covered in sweat and bile.

. . .

"Millie?"

"Millie? Can you hear me?"

She felt herself being picked up, like she was being carried around, the bouncing of her carrier's feet triggering that familiar feeling of nausea.

Dammit, what happened?
Did I pass out again?

Aw, dammit, I did, didn't I?

There was a bitter taste in her mouth, one that was unfamiliar to her. She didn't know if something had been forced down her throat, or if maybe her taste buds had simply given out. Her stomach rumbled, but it wasn't an empty rumble, it felt like she had somehow eaten something. Something acidic.

Opening her eyes, she half-expected to find herself in some dark alley cornered by junkies, being forced to take drugs that she wasn't familiar with. It had happened before back during her early days in imp city, and in her half-lucid state, it almost felt like she was back.

But she knew she wasn't. The memories came back to her much quicker this time, forcing her to confront whatever reality awaited her.

Instead of junkies with needles, she was greeted by Blitzo holding a bottle of pills in his hand. Her eyes were too strained to be able to read the label on the front, but from the looks of it, it wasn't any sort of narcotic or amphetamine. Which was fine by her. She had been clean for years now.

"About fucking time you woke up," Blitzo said, having had to wake her up for the second time in twelve hours, "You feeling any better?"

He set her down on the bed, the light from the adjacent window now pink instead of golden, indicating that it was now either twilight or dawn. She could see orange streaks on the water outside, the sun just barely above the horizon.

"H-How long was I-?" Millie started, her voice still hoarse.

"All day," Loona responded, "We ran down to the medical ward and picked up something that might help."

Come to think of it, she wasn't in as much pain now as she was before. Sure, her stomach still felt like it was being pulled out of her, and her head still throbbed, but her legs felt more stable and the dizziness seemed to have dissipated. Lethargy and nausea still racked her body, but with far less intensity.

Blitzo sat down next to her and handed her a bottle of pills, "They said to take these if the pain gets worse, but only once every two tablets and three hours at a time."

"Once every three hours and two tablets at a time" Loona sighed, "Ignore the shit he just said."

"Alright." she responded, partially tuning the two of them out.

Millie turned around, a sudden stinging in her right arm. She looked down to see a white bandage with back stains over a vein, reeking of rubbing alcohol. Strange, considering it hadn't been there when he first passed out.

"What the hell is this?" Millie asked, pointing to the bloodied bandage.

Loona and Blitzo exchanged a glance before Blitzo stepped forward.

"After we went to the ward, and about three beers later, they asked for some of your blood, some freaky science shit. Anyways-" Blitzo was interrupted

"Not 'freaky science shit,'" Loona sighed again, "They needed a blood sample to see if she was sick or poisoned, and we figured something out. Maybe you should let me do the talking."

Millie sat up, crossing her arms across her chest, "And what would that be?"

Once again, Loona and Blitzo exchanged a worried glance, like two parents about to tell a child that they were getting a divorce.

"You didn't eat anything weird last night, did you?" Loona asked, "Maybe at dinner or something?"

The memory of her last meal came back to her, Monte's creepy face stil; burned into her memory. She could almost feel his breath on her shoulder, his looming presence never seeming to fully disappear.

And then, she remembered something else. Something that had been on her mind right before she had passed out.

After Monte left, she had noticed her beef tasting rather bitter, almost like an entirely different meal. Not thinking much of it, she brushed it off as simply being from the shock of the evening, or maybe her wine screwing with her taste buds. After all, what could he have done to her food in such a short amount of time? He had been in and out all within five minutes, most of which were spent harassing Stolas anyway.

But now she was wondering if something had happened. Something that had slipped right under her nose as she was too distracted by her intoxicated husband. Something that was meant to be kept secret.

"I'm not sure…" she paused, taking in a deep breath as her head began to throb again, "Why?"

I'm not sure I want to know.

Loona seethed, "Your blood test came back with traces of GHB. I trust that you know what that is. You've got some street smarts, unlike your jumpy husband."

Millie did indeed know what that was. GHB was known as the "date rape drug," something that you never want to have in your system. Ever. It was true to its name, knocking the unfortunate consumer unconscious and beyond the point of lucidity, leaving whoever dealt the drug to have their way with them. Hell was full of assholes who would either use it or sell it for others, and more than once she had to save Moxxie from unknowingly ingesting it, usually catching some prick slipping it in his drinks when the two of them went out to the local bar.

Now, how the hell she had ingested it, she wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but now she certainly had a suspicion.

She remembered Monte getting especially close to her and Moxxie back at dinner, although she had thought nothing of it. She had her eyes on the man's hands, and nothing had seemed awry, aside from his overall creepy presence.

Then again, the same man had managed to sntach Stolas's book without any of them noticing, and her mind began to wander. Could she have been poisoned? She had been awfully tired the other night, far more than usual, but she had just assumed it was from the exertion of the day, not being drugged.

The longer the thought simmered in her mind, though,, the more sense it made. The creepy dude at dinner, the weird taste in her food, and her unexpected exhaustion, it was clear that something was horribly wrong.

"T-That guy we saw at dinner…" Millie said, "Ya know, the creepy one with the black coat."

"Yeah?" Loona said, "And?"

"I-I remember my food tastin' weird after he left, and you were there when Mox and I went to bed. We were both pretty tired, weren't we?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw you nodding off while you were still putting your battleaxe away, so yes. You were pretty damn tired last night."

"I think he did somethin' to my food, or somethin'. Maybe he did it to Moxxie too."

Moxxie.

Almost reading her thoughts, Blitzo stepped forward, reaching out for Millie to take his hand, "Speaking of which, there's something else I want ya to see."

"What's going on?" she asked, "Where are ya takin' me?"

"It's about your disney-princess husband, now c'mon!" he tugged on her arm harder, "I'll carry ya if I have to."

Hopping onto her boss's back, Millie was carried out the door and down the hall, where there was noticeable mold on the wall, dark spots contrasting the white paint that surrounded.

Wait a minute.

That's not mold.

That's-

That's blood.

Blitzo dropped her off close enough to the wall so she could hold herself up, the sensation of standing making her dizzy as fuzzy dots filled her vision.

"Loonie showed me," Blitzo sighed, bending over and picking up a patch of white hairs from the floor, "We think...this might have something to do with-"

"Moxxie…" she said.

"Well, I was going to say that. But yeah, the microdick, that guy."

Horror gripped her as she examined the scene, the massive amounts of blood causing even more alarm. It was just like the nightmare she had had the previous night, blood everywhere with Moxxie nowhere to be seen.

For what felt like the millionth time, her stomach lurched and she had to resist the urge to throw up, although this time she was unable to tell whether it was from the sickness, or from nerves. The sight of your husband's blood on the wall would be enough to strike fear into most.

From the looks of it, there had been a heated fight, with holes having been pounded into the sides of the wall, filled with more blood and hair. She stepped forward, only for something sharp to poke into her foot, Millie just realizing that she wasn't wearing shoes.

"The hell is this?" she muttered to herself, before letting out a terrified gasp.

She hadn't stepped on a nail like she thought she had.

It was ten times worse.

In her hand was a tooth, one that she recognized.

Moxxie.

Blitzo heard her shout and rushed over, holding a roll of what looked like police tape in his hand, "Mills? What happened?"

Gore was part of her daily life, so the fact that she promptly fell to the floor after handling a simple tooth was more than embarrassing enough, once again nearly taking Blitzo out.

He groaned, "You've gotta stop passing out on me, it's getting old."

"H-His fuckin' tooth was on the floor!" Millie stammered, "How the fuck are you so calm right now? It's like you don't even care about him!"

Blitzo ignored the comment and took the tooth out of her hands, turning it around in his palm and examining it like some mad scientist in a lab, something that she would never have thought she would compare her boss to. Blitzo was much more of a "crack addict with a poor vocabulary and attachment issues" than he was a scientist.

"Well, shit…" he muttered, "That's definitely Moxxie's"

"I-Is that all you have to say?!" Millie nearly screamed, her strained vocal chords preventing her from reaching her full volume, "What the hell are we gonna do?"

"S-Shut up! I'm thinking!"

"We don't have fuckin' time for that! Moxxie's in trouble, and I'm not going to stand here waiting for you two to get your shit together."

She got up and began storming off, falling to the floor just a couple seconds later, forgetting about how dizzy and disoriented she still was. Her face hit the carpet hard, her hands barely breaking the fall.

Dammit.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was going to need help. At least until the damn drugs got out of her system. Nothing was going to get done if she couldn't even get up off the floor, laying on the carpet like a dead starfish.

"Blitz…" she murmured into the floor, "Can you help me up?"

This is embarrassing.

Blitzo giggled, "Couldn't even make it two fuckin' steps. Come on, we'll get a plan together and get him back in no time."

It had already been an entire damn day, how much longer did they have?

A day?

An hour?

Maybe it was already too late?

No, Millie, don't think like that.

That won't save Moxxie.

With Blitzo's help, Millie managed to drag herself back to the cabin, where Loona was doing something on her phone and effectively ignoring them. The ailed imp laid herself back down onto the bed, watching the sunset while her boss reached into a drawer and pulled out some pencils and paper.

"Here." Loona tossed an ice pack over to her side of the cabin, hitting her right between the eyes.

The impact left a mark on her face, but she didn't mind, it was the first time she had seen Loona being anything besides bitchy in what felt like forever. In her mind, Loona was always the vindictive receptionist with a great distaste for their job, always taking it out on the employees. Anything that deviated from that box was enough to raise the bar, even though it was practically on the floor.

"Thanks." Millie sighed, while Blitzo slammed the drawer shut and placed the pencils and paper on the nightstand.

"Alright motherfuckers and daddyfuckers, here's what we're gonna do!" Blitzo began aggressively scribbling, like he typically did whenever he had an idea, regardless of how relevant or helpful said idea was .

He continued, shouting at the top of his lungs like a madman on cocaine, "Moxxie was clearly taken by the same bitch that poisoned Millie, so we know he's planning something! I don't have a fuckin' what that is, but it's defintely something!"
"Thank you for so graciously restating everything we already knew," Loona retorted, "Very helpful."

Blitzo glared, "I was just getting to the good shit, if you'd let me continue. Alright?"

"Yeah, let the man speak," Millie said, "Anything that might help him."

"Anyways, he probably took Moxxie somewhere secret. So we're going to have to search up and down for him."

"Again, we already knew that!" Loona huffed, "We're not gonna get anything done if we keep working at this pace!"

He continued to scribble aggressively, "Quiet! I'm about to have a stroke of genius!"

"You're having a stroke alright…"

The longer Millie watched what was going on between the two, the more fucked she realized she was. Trusting her husband's safety to these two was like asking a butcher to babysit, and under other circumstances, the dysfunction would've been funny. But the constant threat of danger had removed whatever part of her body enabled laughter, now laser-focused on a single objective.

Blitzo stood up and slammed a piece of paper down in front of them, nearly breaking the nightstand with the force.

On the paper were poorly-drawn renditions of the IMP employees, along with Stolas and Monte off to the side. The figures looked like they had been sketched by a schizophrenic toddler, the proportions unnatural and the faces overly simplified, using only the most basic and rigid shapes.

Millie spotted her own sketched figure, with a round head, stick-like body, and frizzy hair that made her look like she had just been struck by lightning. She also noticed that her hips had been drawn just a bit too wide, and she couldn't tell if he had done it to be offensive, or just because he had the drawing skills of an epileptic spider covered in ink.

Also on the paper was a poorly-designed map of the ship. Arrows were scattered about the page, pointing to sketches of various weapons and rooms. At this point the drawings resembled a comic book more than an actual plan.

How anything on the paper was supposed to help them was beyond her. She wasn't much of a reader, but even she had trouble deciphering what exactly his sketches and words were supposed to portray. Mixing poor drawing skills, grammatical ineptitude, and illegible handwriting was a bad idea, and yet any hope of getting Moxxie out of whatever pickle he was in was resting on him.

Blitz, you'd better have something really fucking good.

Because if you don't…

I don't want to even think about it…

Her boss began speaking once more, this time with much more purpose and determination. She was all ears, hopeful that maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to snatch Moxxie and get him back home before anything happened.

"Alright!" Blitzo shouted once again, grabbing their attention, "Here's how we're gonna do this shit!"