Chapter 8: Tricked
One week, he had one week to steal whatever he needed to pay off the organization for using equipment and to save Layla.
Ford groans as he walked through the damp streets, a liquid raining from the sky that defiantly wasn't water. He kept the goggles over his eyes, using his trench coat to cover his head. His black boots splashed in the puddles beneath him, the water splashing onto his pants, soaking them.
He didn't know the dimensions like Layla did, even with the printed instructions that were folded deep in his pocket. As whatever fell from the sky, the wind picked up, seemingly going through his skin and bones. His teeth chattered, wrapping the trench coat tighter around him. He wanted to stop and rest, but he felt like he had no time, he had to do the job and help Layla.
Ford finds an area to get out of the rain for a little bit, unfolding his instructions to see where to go. The instructions seemed simple enough, the only problem was how to get there. By the looks of the instructions it seemed that Ford had to travel all across this particular dimension to an alien research facility where they had the research at. The problem was… according to whatever maps he found about distance, it was at least a four day walk… which was more than half of his time limit.
Damn it… how the hell am I gonna get there?
He desperately searches around, finding something that resembled like a motorcycle. There were no wheels, making him wonder how it was supposed to move at all. For some reason the "keys" were in where he assumed the ignition was, making Ford barely think. He jumps onto the vehicle and turns the keys, the engine roaring to life sounding similar to a high pitch whine. Ford obviously didn't know how to drive this thing, let alone a real motorcycle.
I gotta wing it then…
Ford pushed a button and it then starts hovering over the street. Ford gasped as he almost lost his balance to cause the whole thing to tip over. He kept pushing buttons, hoping that it will start moving. There was a shout from behind him, a monster that resembled a giant sack of flesh with eyes and a mouth, it screaming at him in some language. This had to be its vehicle…
Cold panic began to pump through Ford's body, causing him to desperately trying to find a way to get this thing moving. As the creature came closer the more Ford's heart pounded painfully in his chest. He cussed under his breath as the vehicle still wasn't moving. The creature was about three feet away, it screeching loudly, it attracting other monsters in the area. With one last hope of desperation, Ford twisted forward on the handle bars where his one hand was resting.
The vehicle launches forward, causing Ford's head to be whipped back painfully. His surroundings became a blur as he moved through the streets, passing pedestrians precariously close. Finally on the opposite handle bar that he held for dear life, he twisted it and the vehicle came to a screeching halt, causing him to flip over the handle bars and land on his back onto the concrete.
Ford groans in pain as he slowly gets up. The thing he was driving was still revving, making its high pitch whine still. Ford didn't have time to think about how badly he was going to bruise in the morning, he had to keep moving to get the research. Even though Layla would tell him to just leave her and forget her to save himself, he can't bring himself to do it.
Layla Bartek may be an alcoholic, she may be crude and even rude at times, she may have the tendency to openly speak her mind about every subject they talk about, and she may be a tad annoying with her secrets. But there were the good things about her, like her humming when she was happy, or how she would absently sing if she thought she was truly by herself, and he could honestly say that he enjoyed her speaking her mind as it does open his thoughts up more.
That and he can't leave her alone after her sixteen years of solitude in this strange world.
Ford hops back onto the bike and slowly takes off, testing out the controls. After a few minutes of getting used to everything, he took out his instructions and a map he had found earlier. He found where his location was easily, and he made a mental route in his head where to go, seemingly memorizing the map and instructions. He takes off once again, the world becoming a blur of black, gray, and rain.
He drove for a few hours, his body soaked to the bone and the chill ripping through him. His body trembled and shivered, freezing, seeing frost glittering on the sleeves of his coat. He couldn't take anymore and decided to pull over, trying to desperately find anything to warm him up. Ford went into alleyways, feeling up the walls for any sign of Layla's secret alcoves, finding none. Ford was glad that he had his bag still with the blankets, thinking that he could just find an abandoned building or something to rest for the night or until he was warm enough to continue.
As Ford dragged his vehicle around in search of a warm place, he heard the familiar high shrill of Bill Cipher. His blood ran cold.
"There has been activity here in sub dimension 89, and I have a good feeling it is my good ol' friend, Stanford Pines." Bill says, his voice piercing into Ford's eardrums. "So remember, if you find him, bring him to me! And if you see a female meat bag like him named Layla Bartek, bring her as well!" the message ends with his cackling, something the vibrated Ford's very bones.
Ford ended up finding a small dead end alley way that had a door leading inside an old building. He dragged his little belongings inside with him, finally taking shelter from the rain. His chest ached and burned as he breathed, his body throbbed painfully, and he felt as if his fingers were going to fall off from frost bite. Ford managed to find small amounts of debris, using the lighter her had to start a small fire, him sighing with relief that the tiny flames brought some sort of warmth to him.
He felt his body give up on him, his eyes closing as he fell asleep. He was tense though, feeling as if he was sleeping with one eye open. Ford felt as if he only slept for a few minutes, seeing the light peeking through the old boarded up windows. He curses as he gets up from his curled position, his body aching terribly.
Ford drags himself and his few items out of the building he was in, squinting at the harsh light that greeted him. He gets on the vehicle he had stolen and started moving once again, putting the goggles over his eyes to protect from dust and debris that was whipping past him. Before he had left he checked his map and instructions again to make sure he was still going the correct way, thinking that he was actually making good time.
He follows his map and instructions, seeing that he was approaching a very large part of a city. It looked as if the residents were considered a high class or middle class, their clothing odd looking and uncomfortable. Ford pulls into an alley way and hides the vehicle, thinking that he should continue on foot.
He pulls the goggles over his eyes and lifts the collar of his jacket to obscure the lower portion of his face. Even though he wore his solid black gloves and these other creatures of many extra appendages, he hid his hands in his coat, knowing that him being a human with six fingers on each hand was a dead giveaway of who he was.
According to his map the research that was Dr. Bartek's was in a science facility. When he approached the building it was bright white, practically radiating its own light. It was tall with many sharp and pointed edges, looking more triangular than a traditional rectangle building. Glass windows decorated the surface, but instead of seeing people inside it was like a TV screen showing scenery of the town and nature.
"What the hell…?" Ford gasped as he saw the building, him just peaking his eyes out of the goggles to get a better look. "This… looks complicated…" He had no idea how he would break in, steal the research about portals, and then leave unscathed.
I have to at least try…
He decided to lay low until the dimension's sun set in the distance, making what was a bright yellow sky look like a disgusting dark green. Now that it was dark he figure he could sneak better as he was wearing all black. He knew that there had to be security here as well, so once he was inside he had to still be careful.
Ford had found a rock that was extremely heavy in his hand. He approaches the main double, glass doors that led into the building, seeing a window next to the door. Ford uses the rock and smashes the window, unlocking the door from the inside. Thinking that was too easy there had to be something else… which there was.
He was in the foyer of the building, another set of main doors in front of him. The doors were made of some type of metal, glowing buttons decorating it and a large panel with see through buttons and screens… something he had heard called a hologram before.
There was a code to get in…
"Damn it…!" Ford hissed underneath his breath as he let his hands hover above the panel. The buttons were a bunch of symbols he had no idea what they were. Sweat glistened on his face, him starting to panic. How was he going to get in?
"Hey dumb nuts, if you're finished with being an-an i-idiot then s-step aside s-so I can get in, shit for brains!" a voice bellowed from behind Ford, causing him to spin around, his gun in hand and aimed at the stranger in front of him.
The stranger had bluish looking hair that was brushed back, his with grayish looking skin, a white lab coat with a blue shirt with black pants and shoes. The man had his arms crossed and his unibrow cocked up like he was annoyed and impatient. The man was even tapping his foot impatiently.
"O-oh look at you! A-a tough guy huh?" The man snapped, taking something out of his inside pocket. Ford tensed up, thinking it was going to be a gun. The man pulls out a silver flask and takes a long swig from it, some dribbling form the edge of his mouth. "I-if you're done being a dumb j-jackass, m-move aside!" he then proceeded to stagger towards Ford, like he was drunk, and he pushed him away and began pressing the buttons at a high speed. Soon the door in front of them was opened.
"W-wait… what?" Ford sputtered. "How did you do that?"
The man turns around and rolls his eyes. "Duh I know the damn passcode, idiot." He curtly sys. "I've b-been-" he then belches in the middle of his sentence but continues on like it never happened, "-s-staking out this place for m-months, and I'm not gonna l-let another s-stupid human like you get in the way!"
It was Ford's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Staked out…? Are you trying to get Dr. Bartek's portal research too…?"
The man gives a hard glare. "Dr. Bartek? That asshole stole my research for weapons, took himself and his stupid kid in these s-stupid d-d-dimensions, got h-himself caught, them t-t-taking my and his research, and now they're t-t-trying to build a p-portal for a crazy f-f-flying chip!" He screams, him getting angrier and angrier.
"Wait… you're research?" Ford shrieks. "Who the hell are you?"
"Rick Sanchez, Earth D-Dimension C-137." The man replied, him not stuttering his words as much. "Now how the shit hell are y-you?"
"Dr. Stanford Pines…" Ford replies cautiously. "But… Ford is fine for short." He then lowers his gun, not seeing how this tall skinny man was going to be much of a threat.
Rick tilts his head. "Heh… I think I visited a dimension that had t-t-that name." he then shrugs. "W-whatever, I g-g-got-" he belches again, "-to get m-my s-shit back." He runs through the opening of the door, Ford following right behind.
"How the hell did you research interdimensional portals?" Ford questions Rick, his response being an annoyed groan.
"L-look dumbass, I'm just trying to get my shit back and s-save my own a-ass here!" Rick hisses angrily. "I-I d-don't need you riding on my asshole!"
Ford raises his hands in surrender and slowly backs away. It seemed this man was insane, but if he knew what he was doing then Ford might as well follow. The two were walking through the empty hallways, Ford thinking that why it was so empty.
"If you're w-wondering w-why it's empty, it's because I used an n-n-neurotoxin and they are slowly having th-their brains melted." Rick says suddenly, almost like reading Ford's mind.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
There was a sudden chatter and the sound of guns being cocked. Both the men stopped and threw their hands into the air. They slowly turned around to see fully armored monsters wearing some kind of masks.
"O-oh…" Rick whispers, almost in shock, "I-I d-d-didn't take into a-account that they would have those."
Ford just narrows his eyes and his face slacked into an annoyed expression. His goggles were forced off his face and one of the creatures pointed at him. He knew they recognized him from his wanted poster.
"W-whoa sci-fi, w-what d-d-d-did you do?" Rick asks him, kind of impressed.
"I made a bad deal with the crazy flying chip…" Ford responds solemnly. "And now I knew I made a bad deal with Magum…"
"Th-that guy is a-an asshat." Rick stutters as his hands were forced behind his back, same with Ford's. "H-he owns this place."
Ford's blood ran cold. "Wait… what the hell did you say?" his voice was very low and was practically dripping with venom.
Rick's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden aggression from Ford. "I-I said that Magum owns this place… he's a scientific researcher… b-b-but I k-know he's got a s-secret section for the p-portal shit, d-death rays… yadda yadda yadda…"
Ford's cold blood then boils with furious rage. "That bastard!" Ford screams as they were being dragged away. "He tricked me!"
"He's a d-demon…" Rick points out. "W-what did you expect? Rainbows? Cookies?" he then really thinks about something. "Personally I-I'd take hard whiskey…"
"He's probably gonna send me to Bill Cipher… he was working for him… or with him?" Ford admits, questioning who Magum really was. "But what does he want with Layla…?"
Rick scoffs, "That g-guy is messed up." The two were thrown into a cell, one of the creatures saying something that Ford only recognized as Bill's and Magum's names. "H-he's sees her as a-an exotic prize. I-Ive been around these dimensions when she was younger, and let me t-tell you, sh-she was like h-his property, and they w-w-were a thing." He gets his flask out again and drinks from it.
"Property?" Ford echoes. He then remembers her panicked expression when they were first caught, or how she was crying.
I'm a female human…
Her statement echoed in his mind, and it made his stomach churn. No wonder why she hated Magum so much…
"Damn it… God damn it!" Ford screams, throwing his fists against the black bars of their cell.
Layla… I'm sorry…
A/N: Hello everyone! So, I didn't write a POV for Stan in this chapter because right now this is the beginning, and it's literally the same thing over and over of him opening and working the Shack, then working on the portal at night. So, once we get further into the story he'll come up once events start happening, like his first Summerween or the Woodstick Festival, or even the Pioneer Day. His POV will come back.
And I've always headcanoned that Rick and Ford knew each other at some point, because the show's creators are actually best friends and put references in each their shows to the other. So, I thought maybe Rick would be funny to have.
Thank you for reading as always!
~Skye Hendersen~
