Corridors of the Mind
by Shell Lee
Tony slowly woke up for the second time that day. At first all he could feel was the pain. It started in his wrist and slowly he became aware of more including a splitting headache. Then he became aware of people passing him. As if moving through a fog his mind registered that he was no longer laying down. In fact he was moving. Either that or the objects and walls were passing him. That just didn't seem very likely. As to where he was going, Tony had no clue. He was still trying to wake up and figure out what was going on when he finally came to a room. Lt. James Brody's room.
***
"Hey Brody can I talk to you for a min?" Tony's voice came filtering through that door. Jim hadn't been expecting it and was just getting ready for bed when the knock came.
"Sure. One sec." He walked up to the door wondering what possed Tony to come knocking at this hour. It was nearly... eight. Ok maybe not that late but late enough. With a swish the door opened up reviling a seemingly distraught Piccolo standing there. "Come on in."
After Tony came inside the door swished shut behind him. "I need to ask you something but I don't how exactly to ask."
"It's ok. You can talk to me about whatever on your mind." As Jim turned around he came face to face with the same gun Mark had pointed at Lucas.
"I don't feel like talking right now. All I really want to do is kill you." Jim quickly checked his escape routes. Just in case Tony wasn't kidding. Damn, the only one was straight through Tony.
"Don't worry this wont hurt. I'm not sadistic just greedy." A slow smile crept across has face. If Lucas hadn't known of Piccolo's past chances were Jim hadn't either. Oh how Mark liked to make people squirm.
"I know what you're thinking right now. You thinking, 'What is Piccolo doing? Why does he want to do this?' You are. I know it. Don't try to deny it. You see the thing is I'm not Piccolo right now. I'm a murder for hire. Piccolo here is so perfect for this job. I couldn't have invented someone better for this." Mark paused so the poor man he was about to kill could get a word in edge wise.
"They will never believe Tony could've done this." Franticly Jim's eyes searched the room for some thing he could use in getting out of here. Something to help him get away from Tony or whoever it was.
Just the kind of comment Mark had been hoping for. People were just so cliched when scared shitless. "Ahh but they will. You see Tony was convicted of murder and got thrown in jail." When Mark saw the look of utter disbelief on Jim's face he couldn't help but add, "What? You think just hitting a officer is enough to get you thrown into jail. And even if he was can you really believe that his sentence would have to be bad enough for the guy to risk his humanity for his freedom."
"Look whatever. You do know we can fix it. Don't do this." One last plea for his life wouldn't go amiss. At least that's what Jim hoped. "Just put the gun down. You don't want to do this."
***
Ortiz was waking down the hall to do something and heard some talking coming from Jim's room. Funny that didn't sound like friendly talking. Hearing a "Put the gun down. You don't want to do this." he quickly he opened the door hoping that whoever was in there wouldn't decide it was open season on all seaQuest crewmen.
***
Tony heard the door open and thought that he might watch himself not only kill Brody but some other poor slob in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one would believe him. How could they? He now had a gun in his hand along with a witness to the crime if he didn't end up killing them too. They would lock him up for sure.
"Piccolo. Freeze." It sounded like Ortiz but Tony couldn't turn his head to see weather it was or not. He could hear his own voice say, "Fuck off. This doesn't concern you."
"The hell it does. Just put the gun down and no one gets hurt." Ortiz had his own gun pointed at the out of control and obviously insane ex con.
"You don't understand." Mark laughed. "He doesn't understand either. How dense can you be?" Without warning Mark pulled the trigger. Tony hadn't seen it coming and therefore couldn't try to stop the inevitable from happening. Ortiz did and shot just before Mark could shot Jim, hitting Tony in his side.
Mark couldn't feel any of that and surprised Ortiz by body checking him to get out the door. Running down the hall to find someway to get into the aqua tunnels. If he could get and figure out how to use Tony's gills he'd be home free.
"Brody are you alright?" He probably should get Piccolo first and then see if Brody's alright.
"I'm fine. Go get Piccolo. And don't hurt him!" Jim hollered down the hall after Ortiz. He was just starting to believe that crazy ass story Tony was trying to make him believe.
Racing down the hall way Ortiz caught up with Tony just as the ex con was about to jump into the moon pool. Just missing his shirt when Tony dove under the water.
"Shit," he swore. Not only did Piccolo get into the aqua tunnels but Darwin was out side the ship feeding.
***
Tony could feel his lungs become tight with the lack of oxygen. This guy didn't know how to let the water inside. He's instincts were that water was bad when it got into your body. Tony was going to drown. He had gills but he was going to drown.
This fear gave him a strength he didn't have before. A strength to fight. Tony fought with everything he had and then some. He fought against being trapped in his own body and against this guy that tried to kill his friends. This guy that was about to kill him.
A sensation came over Tony and he felt like he was standing at the top of a very large building and hanging over the edge was the guy that been controlling him for the past couple of days. Tony could almost see the man hanging by his finger tips and knowing that he couldn't hang on forever. Deciding to help this process along Tony put his foot down on top if the fingers. In his mind the ex con could hear the screams as his toucerer fell.
Then it was over and sweet water filled his gills again and Tony was safe. Dead tired but safe. He was tempted to just go to sleep here in Darwin's tunnels but he had to get out of there and see to the bullet wound in his arm. Ortiz deserved an explanation to along with a thank you.
Painfully Tony pulled himself up and over the edge of the moon pool. When this was done Tony just collapsed with exhaustion. Getting that son of a bitch out of his head was harder than it seemed at the time.
by Shell Lee
Tony slowly woke up for the second time that day. At first all he could feel was the pain. It started in his wrist and slowly he became aware of more including a splitting headache. Then he became aware of people passing him. As if moving through a fog his mind registered that he was no longer laying down. In fact he was moving. Either that or the objects and walls were passing him. That just didn't seem very likely. As to where he was going, Tony had no clue. He was still trying to wake up and figure out what was going on when he finally came to a room. Lt. James Brody's room.
***
"Hey Brody can I talk to you for a min?" Tony's voice came filtering through that door. Jim hadn't been expecting it and was just getting ready for bed when the knock came.
"Sure. One sec." He walked up to the door wondering what possed Tony to come knocking at this hour. It was nearly... eight. Ok maybe not that late but late enough. With a swish the door opened up reviling a seemingly distraught Piccolo standing there. "Come on in."
After Tony came inside the door swished shut behind him. "I need to ask you something but I don't how exactly to ask."
"It's ok. You can talk to me about whatever on your mind." As Jim turned around he came face to face with the same gun Mark had pointed at Lucas.
"I don't feel like talking right now. All I really want to do is kill you." Jim quickly checked his escape routes. Just in case Tony wasn't kidding. Damn, the only one was straight through Tony.
"Don't worry this wont hurt. I'm not sadistic just greedy." A slow smile crept across has face. If Lucas hadn't known of Piccolo's past chances were Jim hadn't either. Oh how Mark liked to make people squirm.
"I know what you're thinking right now. You thinking, 'What is Piccolo doing? Why does he want to do this?' You are. I know it. Don't try to deny it. You see the thing is I'm not Piccolo right now. I'm a murder for hire. Piccolo here is so perfect for this job. I couldn't have invented someone better for this." Mark paused so the poor man he was about to kill could get a word in edge wise.
"They will never believe Tony could've done this." Franticly Jim's eyes searched the room for some thing he could use in getting out of here. Something to help him get away from Tony or whoever it was.
Just the kind of comment Mark had been hoping for. People were just so cliched when scared shitless. "Ahh but they will. You see Tony was convicted of murder and got thrown in jail." When Mark saw the look of utter disbelief on Jim's face he couldn't help but add, "What? You think just hitting a officer is enough to get you thrown into jail. And even if he was can you really believe that his sentence would have to be bad enough for the guy to risk his humanity for his freedom."
"Look whatever. You do know we can fix it. Don't do this." One last plea for his life wouldn't go amiss. At least that's what Jim hoped. "Just put the gun down. You don't want to do this."
***
Ortiz was waking down the hall to do something and heard some talking coming from Jim's room. Funny that didn't sound like friendly talking. Hearing a "Put the gun down. You don't want to do this." he quickly he opened the door hoping that whoever was in there wouldn't decide it was open season on all seaQuest crewmen.
***
Tony heard the door open and thought that he might watch himself not only kill Brody but some other poor slob in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one would believe him. How could they? He now had a gun in his hand along with a witness to the crime if he didn't end up killing them too. They would lock him up for sure.
"Piccolo. Freeze." It sounded like Ortiz but Tony couldn't turn his head to see weather it was or not. He could hear his own voice say, "Fuck off. This doesn't concern you."
"The hell it does. Just put the gun down and no one gets hurt." Ortiz had his own gun pointed at the out of control and obviously insane ex con.
"You don't understand." Mark laughed. "He doesn't understand either. How dense can you be?" Without warning Mark pulled the trigger. Tony hadn't seen it coming and therefore couldn't try to stop the inevitable from happening. Ortiz did and shot just before Mark could shot Jim, hitting Tony in his side.
Mark couldn't feel any of that and surprised Ortiz by body checking him to get out the door. Running down the hall to find someway to get into the aqua tunnels. If he could get and figure out how to use Tony's gills he'd be home free.
"Brody are you alright?" He probably should get Piccolo first and then see if Brody's alright.
"I'm fine. Go get Piccolo. And don't hurt him!" Jim hollered down the hall after Ortiz. He was just starting to believe that crazy ass story Tony was trying to make him believe.
Racing down the hall way Ortiz caught up with Tony just as the ex con was about to jump into the moon pool. Just missing his shirt when Tony dove under the water.
"Shit," he swore. Not only did Piccolo get into the aqua tunnels but Darwin was out side the ship feeding.
***
Tony could feel his lungs become tight with the lack of oxygen. This guy didn't know how to let the water inside. He's instincts were that water was bad when it got into your body. Tony was going to drown. He had gills but he was going to drown.
This fear gave him a strength he didn't have before. A strength to fight. Tony fought with everything he had and then some. He fought against being trapped in his own body and against this guy that tried to kill his friends. This guy that was about to kill him.
A sensation came over Tony and he felt like he was standing at the top of a very large building and hanging over the edge was the guy that been controlling him for the past couple of days. Tony could almost see the man hanging by his finger tips and knowing that he couldn't hang on forever. Deciding to help this process along Tony put his foot down on top if the fingers. In his mind the ex con could hear the screams as his toucerer fell.
Then it was over and sweet water filled his gills again and Tony was safe. Dead tired but safe. He was tempted to just go to sleep here in Darwin's tunnels but he had to get out of there and see to the bullet wound in his arm. Ortiz deserved an explanation to along with a thank you.
Painfully Tony pulled himself up and over the edge of the moon pool. When this was done Tony just collapsed with exhaustion. Getting that son of a bitch out of his head was harder than it seemed at the time.