The Return Part 4
[The fic from the Picking on Sid poll!]
By CrystalQuirt
Description - Kong Li thinks he has found a way to infiltrate Wu's Garden and finally get the cookbook.
Warnings - mild language, violence.
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Kong Li forced Sid's body to run through Chinatown until he could barely breathe and the pain in his side made him really want to stop. If Sid had been in control, he would have breathed deeper and more efficiently and been able to run farther, but with Kong Li blindly driving his body to run on and on, before long he fell and rolled into a garbage can.
Tobey's blob got squished against his back, and on Kong Li's command it dug in deeper making him scream and people on the street stared at him. One person actually asked if he needed help, but Kong Li wouldn't let him answer.
Kong Li made him get up and keep running. Somewhere in the part of Sid's mind that still belonged to him, the pain caused by the relentless spasms of his diaphragm, made him a little more aware that Kong Li was in his mind.
The other times that Kong Li took over, he was completely unaware and didn't remember anything afterwards. Now Sid was more determined to stay aware and find a way out of this.
At the end of the deserted alley that he ran through a cab pulled in. Sue and Tobey got out first, followed by Nana. Tobey yelled for Sid to stop, and he certainly would have if he could, but Kong Li wouldn't allow it. As he got closer, Sue got into her Dragon stance and told him they were not going to let him pass. She gasped when she saw her brother was sporting Kong Li's pale blue eyes.
Sid continued to run right at Sue. Tobey moved up closer to Sue to help her stop him. Sid leapt up sideways and hit both of them at the same time. His knee hit Sue in the face. His elbow got Tobey in the neck and put him down for a moment. "Ow, that must be what a Vulcan neck pinch feels like." Tobey whined as Sid landed on his feet. Sue was helping Tobey get up behind him.
Sid thought he was home free, but Nana stepped in his way and blocked him with a palm to his chest. Sid's body leaned over on the hood of the cab, in pain for a moment before Kong Li could make him get up again.
Sid faced Nana, Sue and Tobey as they closed in around him next to the cab in the narrow alley, the driver was watching in awe.
Sid closed his eyes under his own control and forced words. "Guys! P-Please take me down, don't l-let Kong Li use me to hurt you . . .Aahgnnnnn! . . . Ha! Mei Hua - Sid is strong - you have trained him well for him to be able to resist me at all."
Tobey and Sue looked at each other after hearing Kong Li speak through Sid. They were very worried, and it made them a little slow to react when Sid leapt up to the roof of the cab and then to the lowest level of a fire escape.
Sue and Tobey followed Sid, while Nana paid the cab driver and went the other way. The three teens jumped back and forth across the alley from fire escape to fire escape until they were all three on the roof, Sid was running only as fast as Kong Li could make him, but it was still pretty fast.
Tobey was catching up and when Kong Li sensed him near through the connection he had with Sid, he made Sid stop suddenly and attack Tobey. Tobey ducked to avoid a punch, and took Sid's legs out from under him.
Tobey got to Sid and held an arm to try and hold him down, while Sue grabbed his other arm. Sid brought his heavy boot up and kicked Sue in the shoulder. She fell back and Sid brought both of his legs up and did a backwards summersault away from Tobey.
With a yell Tobey charged Sid again head first and wrapped his arms around Sid's middle to try and muscle him, even though he had no chance just using muscle on Sid.
Sid smiled, rolled back and kicked the lighter boy over his head. Tobey hit the short wall with his back as he went over it. He screamed and caught onto the edge with his fingertips. He was hanging from the roof of a nine story building by two fingers.
"Aahhgh! Sue-help!"
"Tobey!" Sue looked at Sid and their eyes met. She knew those cold eyes her brother looked at her with, belonged to Kong Li and Kong Li was between her and saving Tobey. He was also between her and saving Sid - and Kong Li himself wasn't even there!
She gritted her teeth and charged Sid, he cried out like he was in pain as he turned and ran before she even got close to him. He forced Kong Li out just long enough to run away rather than fight Sue. Sid leapt across the alley and landed in a roll on the roof next door. Kong Li forced him to keep running.
Sue ran over to the edge, threw herself on her stomach, and looked down at Tobey. Tobey had just reached the point where he couldn't hold on anymore and his fingers slipped off the crumbling old bricks. He screamed as he fell, Sue made a desperate grab and caught his hand.
"Sue! Please!"
"It's okay Tobey - I've got you - sort of."
"Sort of? Tobey cried.
She had him with her injured arm and it felt like something was tearing inside! She strained, groaning loudly to force her torn muscles to hold on tighter.
Sue rolled back and forth and scooted out a little more, the gravel grinding into her stomach as she went, but at least now so she could grab him with both hands. "I can't pull you up! Climb!"
"There's nothing to climb!" Tobey couldn't find a toehold, and couldn't reach the ledge above him.
Nana was hot after Sid and started to keep chasing him even after he shook Sue and Tobey off, but she looked back and they still weren't coming. Fearing something had happened to them, she went back. It was a hard choice, but she was sure they could catch up to Sid again.
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Kong Li made Sid run on even though no one was chasing him anymore. Sid was vaguely aware of Kong Li's will in his mind, controlling his body and even his thoughts. He was both scared and creeped out. The pain in his side was back, and the awareness from it also revealed the pain in his neck and back as Tobey's little, controlled blob dug into his spine.
He ran into a warehouse and finally stopped bent forward, gasping for air. Sid was vaguely aware that he was kneeling before a flat bed trailer, about four feet tall and forty feet long parked without being hooked up to a semi, near the manifest office in the center. Kong Li sat on an elaborate throne like chair on the trailer, holding his staff like a scepter.
"Welcome Sid! Come stand next to me up here boy. We will wait together for the arrival of the rest of your family." Sid groaned and went down to his hands and knees, trying to resist Kong Li's control.
"I see you are trying to resist again. Perhaps Tobey's little blob needs some more 'encouragement'." Kong Li grabbed a handful of red spice out of a jar by his chair and jumped down to stand in front of Sid. He was still on his hands and knees with his head hanging down, moaning. Kong Li put his staff down, just out of Sid's reach and leaned over him.
Kong Li pulled Sid's shirt up over his head and down his arms to reveal the blob attached between his shoulder blades. Kong Li thoughtfully smoothed Sid's hair where is was messed up and ran his fingers along Sid's bare shoulders near the flattened blob's edges.
"This little blob Tobey created turned out to be a great companion for me don't you think?" Kong Li admired it, but even the blob was looking ill. Its green color was faded, it was lumpy, it appeared to be leaking some sort of goo and Sid's blood stained its edges.
Sid went down to his elbows weakly trying to pull his shirt back on. He was not enjoying Kong Li touching his clothes, or his skin, but Kong Li's control intensified as he threw the handful of red spice on the blob and Sid couldn't do anything but clamp his teeth shut and moan as the blob tightened its grip.
The red powdered spice added to the horrible-looking condition of Sid's back and intensified the controlling magic. More blood ran out from under its edges from the new and deeper holes it made as it sank deeper into Sid's skin. Thicker strands entered all along his spine and grabbed on. Sid cried out and fell flat shivering.
Kong Li did a back flip that landed him back up on the trailer. Through the crystal ball he commanded Sid to rise and jump up next to him. Sid got up without putting his shirt back on and Kong Li smiled when he obediently kneeled next to him with his head bowed, eyes open showing the pale blue irises so unnatural looking for Sid. Kong Li patted his head like you would an obedient hound dog after a hunt.
Sid was lost again to Kong Li's complete control.
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Nana leapt up the fire escape across from where Sue was trying to pull Tobey up. The last level before the top Nana jumped across and landed by Sue. Sue was moaning loudly as she tried to hold on. "Tobey-Dammit!" she cried, he screamed when he felt his hand slipping. Nana reached over the side and grabbed his arm just in time.
"Are you two okay?" she asked as Sue and Tobey sat on the roof.
"Yeah Nana - thanks Sue!" Tobey grabbed Sue and hugged her like he would never let go.
"Get off Tobey, we gotta find Sid. I still have him on the GPS! Let's go." Sue, Tobey and Nana ran after Sid and for Kong Li's latest lair. Sue was slowed down a little as she cradled her arm protectively against her chest.
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Sid was still kneeling beside Kong Li's 'throne' on the flatbed trailer when Sue led the way into the warehouse. He looked so injured, no shirt, blood smeared over his shoulders. The blob attached to Sid's back, tapping into his spinal cord wasn't visible from where Sue, Tobey and Nana stopped and stood. Sue screamed "Sid!" and ran towards him.
Tobey tackled her and got her down on the concrete right as Kong Li shot green lightening like power from his staff. It went over them and exploded on the concrete floor next to them. the charge made the hair on the back of Tobey's head stand up, He hugged Sue keeping her under his body to protect her.
"Sue?" he whispered. She nodded indicating she was ok. "Spread out!" He jumped behind a stack of large iron pipe, thirty feet long. She rolled the other way down into a recess in the concrete used as a loading ramp.
Nana stood out in the open between Sue and Tobey and centered in front of Kong Li.
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Kong Li focused his attention on the crystal ball for a moment and Sid stood up. "Mei Hua, I suppose you have come to gather this one and take him home."
Nana said nothing to him, so he continued. "Well you know what I want."
"You will never get the cookbook Kong Li."
"Never is a long time and this little reject of yours has not even begun to suffer. I will keep him alive as long as possible, but he is already so weak without my influence, I don't expect him to last too long."
Sue and Tobey listened. Sue couldn't help but whimper quietly, nearly overwhelmed with concern for Sid. Tobey heard her sounds of anguish, and afraid she would try to do something careless again. He jumped out from behind the pipes and flipped toward her - not thinking about how careless his own action was.
Kong Li fired another bolt at him and Nana landed in front of him, absorbing the energy into her bare hand as she walked toward Kong Li. Tobey slid down into the dock with Sue and they watched Nana in amazement.
"Kong Li you will let Sid go now."
"No Mei Hua, I think not." Kong Li reached into the side of the chair and pulled out something like a long, thin knife, a short sword. He gripped the crystal ball tightly and handed the knife to Sid. Sid turned just enough that they could see the flattened blob on his back.
"No . . . Sid!" Tobey whispered. He felt terrible. He never thought Kong Li could use the little thing he created accidentally to hurt Sid and yet, there it was clinging to Sid's bloody back, obviously what was allowing Kong Li to take control of him. Sue said nothing, tears rolling down her cheeks.
When Kong Li gave Sid the short sword he called a wakizashi, they all thought he would send Sid down to fight with Nana. Nana even smiled knowing she could easily restrain her student and end the whole situation.
Kong Li stared into the crystal ball and Sid turned to face Nana. Staying on the trailer, he got back down on his knees as Kong Li smiled, watching for his enemies' reactions. Sid bowed his head and pointed the knife at his own stomach. Holding on with both hands, he got ready to plunge the knife into his own body.
"Yes Mei Hua, your little reject will commit Seppuku and die by the code of the Samurai if you aren't fast enough to save him. Although it is a medieval, Japanese method of suicide, it is an extremely painful way to die, and fitting for one who has caused me so much trouble."
"Kong Li - what happened to you to make you turn into such a MONSTER! - I will make you pay for this and for all the evil you have done."
"Well fine Mei Hua, and I promise you, after he drives the sword through his abdomen and his guts are sliced open, I will break the hold I have over Sid, and he will feel every moment of the agony he will go through while he dies at my feet - IF YOU DON'T BRING ME OUR MASTER'S COOKBOOK!"
[Tobey continued . . .]