Rescuing Arnold
Rating: PG-13 (Swearing, weaponry, and violence)
Chapter 07
"Guns, Whips and the Truth"
~~~~~~~~~~
The screeching of the car breaks sounded and the car lurched forward, sending Arnold and Helga clear across the large backseat. Just as they pulled themselves up, the door opened and Alexander stood, his brow narrowed furiously. He glared at the two kids, and just as quickly as he had first captured them, he grabbed their collars and threw them inside the lobby of Future Tech Industries headquarters.
Helga and Arnold looked around the familiar building's lobby. Arnold mentally made note the only thing that had changed was the strong musty smell and the disgusting tiles from two years of rotting. The door to the far end of the left wing threw open, and Nick stood in the doorframe, a revolver held tightly in his hand. An angry look crossed his face as he laid eyes on Arnold. He growled deeply in his throat. Suddenly, his gaze turned to a look of pure terror. He backed away in fear as he stared disbelievingly at Helga. "Back from the dead." He muttered just as his back touched the steel of the wall. His hand jerkily held the gun and he forced it to point at her. "It's amazing."
Helga smiled her cocky grin. He just set himself up. "I'm a pretty amazing person, you ratfink." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Arnold looked over at her and grinned. "I'm pretty hard to kill, Nicky-boy." Nick scowled and turned the gun on Arnold.
"You may be hard to kill, but I'll bet anything your little boyfriend over there will be a snap with a single bullet. Care to see, you stupid little football headed kid?" The crack of a bullet being released from the stock sounded in the air, almost in slow motion. Helga's eyes widened in fear as she felt her own legs carry her towards her true love. She saw the bullet come shooting through the air towards her just as she ran in front of him. She saw Nick tumble over in pain and surprise as someone in a dark blue outfit came out of nowhere and knocked him over while another person in a tuxedo grabbed Nick's hand. She heard Arnold shout out her name and felt the sharp pierce of the bullet. She screamed out in pain and collapsed, feeling the rush of her warm blood.
"Helga! Helga, answer me!" Arnold shouted as he caught her in his arms, the warm blood from her arm engulfing his hands. He looked at his saviors, one to the others. There they were, the four that were mostly likely to never be there. Of course Gerald was in front of the others, still wrestling with Nick. Then she was there: Phoebe, Helga's best friend. Arnold never expected to see her there; and yet, here she was, clinging to Nick's arm, biting and clawing like the little mouse she was. Then there were the other two; two people, one boy and one girl he never in a million years thought would be there, Lila grabbing the first gun Nick while Brainy snatched a second from Nick's belt loop. Helga mumbled and pushed herself up from Arnold's arms, unconsciously with her good arm.
"Helga! Catch!" Brainy called out, in a strange non-asthmatic voice. Helga looked up and saw him toss the gun to him. She quickly reached in the air and grabbed it, wincing at the sudden jerk in her arm. "Guys, move!" Brainy called to the other three attackers. They nodded and dodged the older man's attempts to swipe at them.
"Freeze, bucko!" Helga cried out and swung the gun up to point directly at Nick's heart. He reached for the second gun, to which he found only an empty loop. He looked around for his first gun and saw Lila spinning it casually on her index finger. He glared at her and then at Helga. "I said 'freeze'!" She hissed and shot a warning in the air. A huge chunk of plaster fell in front of her, to which she didn't even flinch.
"What the hell is going on here?" A voice boomed over the commotion. Everyone followed the sound of the voice, spotting Sheck in the doorway to the right wing. Helga quickly turned the gun on him, just as Lila turned her gun on Nick, Alexander and Rebecca. Sheck growled and reached for his belt loop whip.
"Stop right there, you ass hole." She swore maliciously. "Don't even try it, bucko. I'm not afraid to shoot." Sheck narrowed his brow at the girl. "Hands in the air, right now!" He smiled, a vicious grin.
"You won't shoot." He stated, calmly which sent chills down everyone's spines. "You're too chicken."
Helga's hands eased their way to the trigger, firmly grasping the handle. She smiled too, only hers a disbelieving smile. "You have no idea whom you're talking to, do you?" Sheck paused and glanced up at Nick, who shook his head. "I am Helga Geraldine Pataki, and the only thing I am really afraid to do is tell Arnold how I feel. And here's a shocker: I already told him. Now, let's see. If I did the one thing I'm afraid to do, what would happen when I need to do something I'm not afraid to do." She shot a second warning signal in the air, to which a second clump of plaster feel down. "I'll bring the whole damn building down if I have to." She turned to her companions. "Brainy, Gerald, check Nick's pockets for extra bullets. I think we'll be here for quite a while, and I don't want them to get away." The two boys nodded and ran over to Nick, checking his pockets, his belt compartment, and even the inside of his shoes, anywhere he could hide bullets. Finally they found three packs of bullets, ready and fitting the two guns. Helga nodded her approval as they handed her two boxes and Lila one box of her own. "Good job, guys." She said, flashing them a thumbs-up. She winced in pain and fell to her knees. "Damn!" She swore, grabbing her arm. Sheck smiled and advanced on her, to which she quickly held the gun back up, despite the pain. "Don't move!" She screamed. "I'll kill you, Sheck! I swear to it! If the city doesn't kill you, I'll hunt you down and do it myself!" Arnold glared and quickly ran over to her, tearing a piece of his sweater into a long strip of cloth.
"Gerald, come here, please." Arnold said calmly as he pushed Helga's sleeve up her arm. Gerald trudged over to his best friend and awaited further instructions. "Take the gun for a few seconds. Move Sheck over with his.friends. Lila, Phoebe and Brainy, tie them all up with Sheck's whip. Make sure they can't get out. Lila, when you're done, call the police." Lila nodded and Gerald motioned to Sheck.
Helga winced in pain as Arnold took her into the hallway, down a corridor, and into a small room. Helga noticed the room was a bathroom and glanced over at Arnold as he took the strip he ripped off and ran it under some water. She sighed and sat on the toilet seat. Arnold turned away from her and rung out the cloth. "Lucky that bullet just pierced your arm." Helga laughed as Arnold turned back to her and dabbed the cloth at her wound.
"You mean as opposed to my heart?" She asked and grabbed Arnold by the hand. He smiled at her and leaned in, putting his lips against hers. She reached up to put her arms around his neck, but winced again as the wound moved in the fresh air. Arnold pulled away from her and shook his head. He took her arm carefully and finished dabbing her cut. "Think it's infected?" She asked.
"Nope, but it is pretty deep. You're going to need a real doctor to check this out. We'll go see one when we get out of here. But, for right now, I'm going to wrap this around you and it'll be sort of tight, but it'll help with the blood flow, to keep you from bleeding to death." Helga chuckled to herself.
"God, I've lost a lot of blood in the last day." She muttered. Arnold cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "Is the bullet still in there?"
"No. You're lucky, Helga. It just grazed you. If Phoebe hadn't attacked Nick, he wouldn't have flinched and you and I would most likely both have been dead by now. You owe your best friend your life, as I owe you mine." Helga blushed and turned from him as he finished wrapping her arm up in his torn sweater. She smiled as he sat down on the sink. "You really are an amazing girl."
Helga smiled back. "I know, Arnold. I've heard it many times."
"Helga? Arnold?" Phoebe's voice came from just outside the door. She pushed the door open and grinned at her two friends. "The police have arrived."
~~~~~~~~~~
The screeching of the car breaks sounded and the car lurched forward, sending Arnold and Helga clear across the large backseat. Just as they pulled themselves up, the door opened and Alexander stood, his brow narrowed furiously. He glared at the two kids, and just as quickly as he had first captured them, he grabbed their collars and threw them inside the lobby of Future Tech Industries headquarters.
Helga and Arnold looked around the familiar building's lobby. Arnold mentally made note the only thing that had changed was the strong musty smell and the disgusting tiles from two years of rotting. The door to the far end of the left wing threw open, and Nick stood in the doorframe, a revolver held tightly in his hand. An angry look crossed his face as he laid eyes on Arnold. He growled deeply in his throat. Suddenly, his gaze turned to a look of pure terror. He backed away in fear as he stared disbelievingly at Helga. "Back from the dead." He muttered just as his back touched the steel of the wall. His hand jerkily held the gun and he forced it to point at her. "It's amazing."
Helga smiled her cocky grin. He just set himself up. "I'm a pretty amazing person, you ratfink." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Arnold looked over at her and grinned. "I'm pretty hard to kill, Nicky-boy." Nick scowled and turned the gun on Arnold.
"You may be hard to kill, but I'll bet anything your little boyfriend over there will be a snap with a single bullet. Care to see, you stupid little football headed kid?" The crack of a bullet being released from the stock sounded in the air, almost in slow motion. Helga's eyes widened in fear as she felt her own legs carry her towards her true love. She saw the bullet come shooting through the air towards her just as she ran in front of him. She saw Nick tumble over in pain and surprise as someone in a dark blue outfit came out of nowhere and knocked him over while another person in a tuxedo grabbed Nick's hand. She heard Arnold shout out her name and felt the sharp pierce of the bullet. She screamed out in pain and collapsed, feeling the rush of her warm blood.
"Helga! Helga, answer me!" Arnold shouted as he caught her in his arms, the warm blood from her arm engulfing his hands. He looked at his saviors, one to the others. There they were, the four that were mostly likely to never be there. Of course Gerald was in front of the others, still wrestling with Nick. Then she was there: Phoebe, Helga's best friend. Arnold never expected to see her there; and yet, here she was, clinging to Nick's arm, biting and clawing like the little mouse she was. Then there were the other two; two people, one boy and one girl he never in a million years thought would be there, Lila grabbing the first gun Nick while Brainy snatched a second from Nick's belt loop. Helga mumbled and pushed herself up from Arnold's arms, unconsciously with her good arm.
"Helga! Catch!" Brainy called out, in a strange non-asthmatic voice. Helga looked up and saw him toss the gun to him. She quickly reached in the air and grabbed it, wincing at the sudden jerk in her arm. "Guys, move!" Brainy called to the other three attackers. They nodded and dodged the older man's attempts to swipe at them.
"Freeze, bucko!" Helga cried out and swung the gun up to point directly at Nick's heart. He reached for the second gun, to which he found only an empty loop. He looked around for his first gun and saw Lila spinning it casually on her index finger. He glared at her and then at Helga. "I said 'freeze'!" She hissed and shot a warning in the air. A huge chunk of plaster fell in front of her, to which she didn't even flinch.
"What the hell is going on here?" A voice boomed over the commotion. Everyone followed the sound of the voice, spotting Sheck in the doorway to the right wing. Helga quickly turned the gun on him, just as Lila turned her gun on Nick, Alexander and Rebecca. Sheck growled and reached for his belt loop whip.
"Stop right there, you ass hole." She swore maliciously. "Don't even try it, bucko. I'm not afraid to shoot." Sheck narrowed his brow at the girl. "Hands in the air, right now!" He smiled, a vicious grin.
"You won't shoot." He stated, calmly which sent chills down everyone's spines. "You're too chicken."
Helga's hands eased their way to the trigger, firmly grasping the handle. She smiled too, only hers a disbelieving smile. "You have no idea whom you're talking to, do you?" Sheck paused and glanced up at Nick, who shook his head. "I am Helga Geraldine Pataki, and the only thing I am really afraid to do is tell Arnold how I feel. And here's a shocker: I already told him. Now, let's see. If I did the one thing I'm afraid to do, what would happen when I need to do something I'm not afraid to do." She shot a second warning signal in the air, to which a second clump of plaster feel down. "I'll bring the whole damn building down if I have to." She turned to her companions. "Brainy, Gerald, check Nick's pockets for extra bullets. I think we'll be here for quite a while, and I don't want them to get away." The two boys nodded and ran over to Nick, checking his pockets, his belt compartment, and even the inside of his shoes, anywhere he could hide bullets. Finally they found three packs of bullets, ready and fitting the two guns. Helga nodded her approval as they handed her two boxes and Lila one box of her own. "Good job, guys." She said, flashing them a thumbs-up. She winced in pain and fell to her knees. "Damn!" She swore, grabbing her arm. Sheck smiled and advanced on her, to which she quickly held the gun back up, despite the pain. "Don't move!" She screamed. "I'll kill you, Sheck! I swear to it! If the city doesn't kill you, I'll hunt you down and do it myself!" Arnold glared and quickly ran over to her, tearing a piece of his sweater into a long strip of cloth.
"Gerald, come here, please." Arnold said calmly as he pushed Helga's sleeve up her arm. Gerald trudged over to his best friend and awaited further instructions. "Take the gun for a few seconds. Move Sheck over with his.friends. Lila, Phoebe and Brainy, tie them all up with Sheck's whip. Make sure they can't get out. Lila, when you're done, call the police." Lila nodded and Gerald motioned to Sheck.
Helga winced in pain as Arnold took her into the hallway, down a corridor, and into a small room. Helga noticed the room was a bathroom and glanced over at Arnold as he took the strip he ripped off and ran it under some water. She sighed and sat on the toilet seat. Arnold turned away from her and rung out the cloth. "Lucky that bullet just pierced your arm." Helga laughed as Arnold turned back to her and dabbed the cloth at her wound.
"You mean as opposed to my heart?" She asked and grabbed Arnold by the hand. He smiled at her and leaned in, putting his lips against hers. She reached up to put her arms around his neck, but winced again as the wound moved in the fresh air. Arnold pulled away from her and shook his head. He took her arm carefully and finished dabbing her cut. "Think it's infected?" She asked.
"Nope, but it is pretty deep. You're going to need a real doctor to check this out. We'll go see one when we get out of here. But, for right now, I'm going to wrap this around you and it'll be sort of tight, but it'll help with the blood flow, to keep you from bleeding to death." Helga chuckled to herself.
"God, I've lost a lot of blood in the last day." She muttered. Arnold cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "Is the bullet still in there?"
"No. You're lucky, Helga. It just grazed you. If Phoebe hadn't attacked Nick, he wouldn't have flinched and you and I would most likely both have been dead by now. You owe your best friend your life, as I owe you mine." Helga blushed and turned from him as he finished wrapping her arm up in his torn sweater. She smiled as he sat down on the sink. "You really are an amazing girl."
Helga smiled back. "I know, Arnold. I've heard it many times."
"Helga? Arnold?" Phoebe's voice came from just outside the door. She pushed the door open and grinned at her two friends. "The police have arrived."