Chapter 2
(When last we left them, Dib and Daz were outside upon DibÕs lawn, only just realizing that Ally and Tinew had arrived. Overreacting as usual, the two trench coat-outfitted young persons were about to wage war with the alien menace. But let us take a break from THAT scene, and move to THIS oneÉ)
In the beginning, there was darkness. Then pain. Then light.
To be more precise, Kat was unconscious, and woke with a splitting headache to greet her. She immediately noticed two things when she finally opened her eyes.
The first was that she was upside down, held several inches above the ground by shackles that dangled her by the ankles. It was quite uncomfortable, as she would discover only seconds later.
The second thing she noticed, in her small, little cell were the guards. They were quite small, and wore curious little black-and-white suits. At first, Kat believed herself to be hallucinating, and blinked a few more times to clear her blurred vision. That was then she realized what the guards were.
They were penguins.
Cute penguins, Kat observed, but still penguins. And right now, these penguins had left her chained and immobile, without reason.
ÒBad penguins!Ó She screeched at them. They paid her no mind, bred to be obedient but stupid.
So there Kat dangled, helpless, hopeless, and without a cause. Why she was here left her wondering. She hung there for quite a bit, until the pain in her legs became almost unbearable and the headache grew worse from the rushing of blood to her head.
It was also terribly cold, she noticed, shivering. And just when things were at their worst, the iron door was heaved open.
A flood of light shone in KatÕs face, so bright that she shut her eyes, even when she heard footsteps entering the cell.
They werenÕt very heavy footsteps, Kat believed. Sort of light, but with a purpose. Kind of like a prancing deer. Opening one eye, she found herself staring at a pair of black pants and the sharp edges of a trench coat.
Gazing upwards, she strained to look into the face of her captor. And there, due to a lot of pain in her neck, she gazed into the eyes of-
ÒYou?Ó Kat began, confused.
Jhonen Vasquez smiled down at her. ÒMe.Ó He said calmly. It was not a very nice smile either. It was a smile that plainly said ÒI donÕt really like you, but IÕll smile and be happy for you until I find a means of disposing of youÓ
But Kat was oblivious to all this. She was still trying to get past her first instinct, ÒYOU?Ó
Now Jhonen was visibly irritated, ÒYes, me.Ó
ÒW-why? Why would you do this? YouÕre my idol!Ó
He glared at her. ÒWhy? ItÕs simple, really. But right now, as a means of annoying you further and of leaving you clueless to my schemes, IÕm not going to tell you.Ó
ÒBut then why did you come in
here?Ó
ÒIÉdonÕt know. To taunt you, I guess.Ó
Kat glared at him. ÒYou know, up until this point I would have done anything
for you. But thisÉthis just isnÕt nice.Ó
Jhonen sighed. ÒThat is
partly the reason youÕre here. IÕve been trying to live a normal life, and
conquering the world seemed like a good hobby. But with all these fans, like
you out there distracting me, I never have the time. So IÕve just decided to
obliterate you all.Ó
Kat stared at him, a little
overcome for words, but not quite. ÒI thought you werenÕt going to reveal you
plans.Ó
Jhonen blinked, then groaned. ÒI did, didnÕt I?Ó She nodded. ÒVery well then! IÕll just have to make short work of you first, then I will continue my plans!Ó
ÒI canÕt believe youÕre doing this to me, Mr. Vasquez.Ó
Jhonen laughed. ÒAll part of my plan. YouÕll understand whenÉwhen I feel like explaining it.Ó And with that, he strode out of the room. The penguins locked the door behind him.
Kat stared straight ahead. That was the only direction she could stare at without breaking her neck.
(And thatÕs it. A bit angsty, I know. The next chapter will be longer, promise!)
