The Wicked One
Chapter 7: Gateway
XxXxXxXxXxX
"I didn't ask for any of this you know. I didn't ask to be born with a mind craving for science, for truth. Hell, when I was a kid I wanted to be the wind. Yes, something never seen but always felt, always giving life…Perhaps that is what she saw in me when we first met. A child with foolish ideas, a man with even more foolish ideals. She did stay with me though, until the very end of it all…I dare not think about what she would think if she saw me now…risking my life…going against the military…kidnapping children! God! I have become quite foul in these last few years, haven't I? Yes, I do believe I have, and I don't expect to see any bright light when I finally pass on, but I must see my boy before I do, I must. You understand don't you?"
The little girl inside the cage stared at him wide eyed for a moment before breaking out into a wide smile. He looked on in mild surprise for a moment but couldn't help but smile in return.
"God, you are quite the listener, I'm sure I have been prattling on for hours now…I need to get back to work."
"I want to be wind to." A soft voice spoke up; the man looked back towards the cage to see one of the boys had finally stepped away from the back corners. Though when he realized the man was looking at him he immediately blushed and began to retreat.
"And whys that?" He ventured, sitting up from his seat and walking towards the cage, though the boy only pushed himself further against the corner with the rest of the children.
"Benny says he wants to be wind cause it once blew the roof off his house," The girl who still stayed closest to the man, smile still on her face, "He says he wants to be that strong to!"
"Did not!" Benny argued, before realizing the man had caught sight of him again and quickly retreated back to the corner.
"He did!" the girl whispered to the man. He couldn't help but smile again.
"Well you can tell Benny that I think that is very admirab- er, nice of him to say."
The girl nodded before turning around and yelling out: "Hey Benny, the man said-!"
"I heard what he said Marie!" The boy shouted back, not moving from his corner.
"Benny's just mad cause he misses his mommy," Marie whispered to the man. The man looked on at the cowering children in the cage before sighing and walking back to his seat.
"I understand." He said simply before sitting back down.
For the next few minutes he worked at his seat, doing things too complicated and flashy for the young girl to understand, though she watched any way.
"Hey mister." The girl called out softly after a while, "How's this supposed to save Adam?"
The man flinched at that name, and how the girl had remembered it. He had barely said it once, in passing, and he couldn't even remember bringing up the fact that he was trying to rescue him.
"I…am not sure to be honest Marie." He said after a moment of silence, staring at the bright symbols, "I'm not even sure what's going to happen when it all starts…but it's my best chance…my only chance…"
"I understand." The young girl's voice replied. The man felt his heart skip a beat, he knew this girl was only a child; she was only mimicking what she heard him say a few minutes ago and didn't know its true meaning. But for one instance, one tiny space in time, the young girl spoke as if she was reading his very heart.
"God, you are quite the listener." The man spoke as he finally allowed a single tear to escape his eyes.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Well, that's another floor down." Red-X commented with a slight bored tone as we stared into a room so filled with holes that it looked like Swiss cheese.
"You do know how to use that think, right?" Bosko asked as he looked from the tattered rooms to Red-X's hand.
"Hey, if the roof hasn't caved on us yet then we're fine." The thief assured, making his way to the stairs. "Up we go, dead weights, only a few floors left if the scientist is right."
"It's Bosko," Bosko said for almost the seventh time that night, which clearly showed in the way he glared at Red-X's back, "And of course I'm right."
"Yes, yes, of course."
"Does he always have to get the last word in?" Bosko hissed to me as we approached the stairs to the next level.
"I don't know, you tell me." The thief spoke standing directly in front of Bosko as the crippled scientist turned back around, giving him quite a scare. Red-X chuckled before racing up the stairs, his cloak flowing behind him like a living shadow. Bosko mumbled darkly as he limped slowly up after him, using Robin's bow-staff as support.
"Now I know for whatever reason that you can't answer me so just consider this a rhetorical question," the scientist spoke to me as we slowly ascended the stairs, I nodded to show him I was listening, "Do all villains have to wear the dark, flowing cloaks and crap? I thought that went out of style years ago."
I looked quizzically at the back of the man's head. It was an odd question to be certain, out of all the ones I could imagine him trying to ask me.
"I know the look your probably giving me, and yes I know it is a weird question," Bosko replied without turning to face me, he simply continued to ascend the stairs, "To be honest I have always been interested in being a super hero myself, probably just in my blood, cousin of mine is a big time hero, ever heard of a guy named Rorschach?
I shook my head. A name that strange I would definitely remember if I had heard it before.
"Never even met the guy myself, and like most people, only know him as the man in the coat and freaky mask thing. Anyways, point being, I find it very humorous for a man of my standing and beliefs to be depending on villains such as yourselves."
"Bore us with your life story when my time isn't so precious." Red-X called down from the entrance of the next floor, "Last time I checked the only thing keeping you alive is your knowledge of where this scientist might be, and so far, all I am seeing are empty rooms."
"It's best we make sure not to leave anything unchecked before we reach the room in question," Bosko countered, glaring up at Red-X, "I know the mind of this guy better than anyone, he wouldn't box himself in like this unless he had a way out."
"Yeah, well-." Red-X began though a sudden violent force shook the very building, almost forcing us to the ground. Down below, I heard the distant noise of crumbling construction.
"Sounds like Bradley is still making progress as well." Bosko muttered darkly. Red-X peeked into the room through the doorway.
"Gotta watch our steps now, looks like the roof downstairs caved-in in a few places, there are holes everywhere."
"'The roof hasn't caved in on us yet' eh?" Bosko mocked, smirking up at Red-X.
"Hey, hasn't caved in on us just around us, pretty big difference believe it or not." And with that the thief disappeared through the doorway.
"Can't believe I'm finding any humor at all in this, must be going crazier than I think." Bosko muttered to himself, rubbing his head before limping the rest of the way up the stairs and through the doorway, with myself following close, but not too close, behind; he did still smell after all.
The three of us walked through the darkened halls, being careful to avoid the gaping holes in the floor. After some lengthy prodding Bosko finally managed to convince Red-X that putting more holes in this room would not be such a good idea. Though at each doorway we looked into, not a soul was found, just empty desks and lab tables.
"Ok, I can understand not finding one particular scientist," Red-X commented after we looked into yet another empty room, "But how is it that we are finding absolutely no one in any of these rooms?"
"Well soon after our man disappeared Bradley had almost all of the scientists locked up at the sub level below this building. I'd imagine they are still down there unless they tried to leave through a door and ended up mashed up inside a wall or something."
"Cheery thought." Red-X mused as he stepped into the empty room. He ran a hand along the desk, shuffling lazily through the papers scattered on it. "So, while we're here, mind if I ask what a bunch of scientists and the military are doing in this shabby little warehouse in the first place? My…employer seems very interested but refuses to give me any details."
I to found myself curious about why Blackfire had us running around this almost life threatening building. Yet when I turned to look at Bosko all I could see was a face of immense shock.
"I…can't remember…" the shaggy scientist mumbled, staring at nothing in particular as he ran a hand through his thinning hair, "Damn him! I spent nearly ten years of my life working here on something I can't even remember working on! Damn it!"
I watched the man struggle with his own memories and couldn't help but pity him. Though in the back of mine I wondered how long Red-X and I had before our own memories started to disappear.
"Well, no sense in standing around here then." The master thief said simply, stepping past Bosko and I and into the hallway, "Onto the next-."
However, before he could finish his sentence another terrible rumble shook through the warehouse. This one managed to tremble with enough force to send Bosko and I to the ground, not long after we heard the sounds of crumbling walls once again echo their force through the air. Only this time, a scream mixed in with the noise of the crashing stone and steel. A cold wave washed through me as it invaded my head.
Red-X.
"Damn it all! The floor has completely caved in out there!" Bosko exclaimed, trying to use his bow-staff to stand back up. He looked over at me, sweat pouring over his face, "We need to get out of this room, it isn't safe in here!"
I quickly nodded in understanding. Though no sooner did I stand up then a sudden loud noise tore into the room. It was the sound of creaking and collapsing metal. Bosko and I stood there, completely still, waiting for the noise to pass. My heart beat pounded almost too fast for me to keep track of. Finally the noise stopped, only to be followed by a low rumble.
"I have…a bad feeling about this…" Bosko whispered just loud enough for me to hear. An instant later, my entire world came crashing down.
With the force that sounded like some violent tornado the entire room seemed to fall from its foundations in a dead drop. Bosko and I were once again thrown into the air, this time with that weightless feeling one gets from going down those really fast roller coasters. A heavy impact hit the side of the room as we fell, sending us both into a wall, smashing the table as we fell on top of it. I heard Bosko cry out in severe pain as I felt the wind leave my lungs.
It was impossible to get my bearings again. We fell through a shattered mess of furniture and horrible noises. I knew if I didn't act fast we were both going to die, and not in the quick, painless way either.
Another impact hit the crumbling room, taking away the wall Bosko and I had just been rammed into and sent us rolling across the floor. I watched in horror as the opposite wall (the one we were rolling rapidly towards) was instantly taken out by another thunderous force. Bosko was first to go sailing out of the room through the newly exposed hole, and I quickly followed.
It was a split second of time. Bosko's limp body threatened smash into some sturdy looking railings and other deadly looking supports. With every bit of strength I had left in my beaten body I reached out a hand and managed to grab the scientist's wrist.
A sharp pain suddenly resounded through my entire body. Reminding me all too late the bullet wound I had taken in my shoulder. Doing my best to ignore the creeping blackness that was now starting to fill my vision I quickly used my free hand to grasp the cape that billowed around us. We were less than seconds away from becoming a bloody mess when I pulled the dark cloak around us. Yet even as we disappeared to wherever we were being taken to a horrible blunt object rammed into my forehead. One of the supports I was too late to disappear from. Even before the coldness of teleportation touched my skin I was pulled down a different kind of blackness, the loud, thunderous noises slowly fading away until they were only a buzz ringing in my head.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Marie why are you bein' so nice to him?" Benny asked, they were the only two children who were still awake. The others lay curled up in the darker corners of the cage, the ones furthest away from the man at the desk. "He's just a big bully!"
Marie didn't seem to have heard the young boy. She remained where she was, standing against the bars of the cage, watching as the man on the desk slept, a faraway look in her blue eyes. After a few seconds of silence Benny let out an angry huff at being ignored and sat himself down on the cold cage floor folding his arms, an angry look on his face.
"Hey Benny, you awake?" Marie asked after a while, still not facing away.
"…Yeah." Benny said after a moment, his face still in a pout.
"Did your momma ever tell you the story about the Fox and the Rabbit?" Marie asked softly.
"No…" Benny said with a sniff, thinking about his momma left a sick empty feeling in his stomach.
"Do you wanna hear it?"
Benny thought briefly on this. He had not been able to sleep very well the last few nights. His momma usually read to him every night before he went to bed, her soft voice always putting him to sleep before she could finish the story.
"Does it have a happy ending?" He asked softly, hugging his knees to his chest.
"Mhm." Marie said with a nod of her head. She then turned around and walked over to Benny, sitting cross legged in front of him.
"...Kay." Benny said, staring at the ground.
"Once upon a time there was a momma fox and a bunch of baby foxes. They were all a big happy family for a long long time. The momma fox would hunt rabbits and squirrels for her baby foxes and her baby foxes would play and eat and make their momma happy. But then, one winter, a terrible storm came, and the momma fox couldn't feed her babies, so all of the momma fox's babies passed away…"
"You mean they died!" Benny asked in a frightened whisper, his eyes wide. Marie simply nodded before continuing.
"…and the momma fox was very sad, for weeks she wouldn't eat or drink or anything. The other foxes tried to make her better, they tried making her happy with their own fox babies, but the momma fox only wanted her own baby foxes back. A long time later, while the momma fox was walking through the forest, she found a small baby bunny lying on the ground. The momma fox had not eaten in days, so she was very hungry. She walked up to the baby bunny and was about to eat it when the baby bunny looked up at her. The momma fox stopped trying to eat the baby bunny, cause she saw that it had the exact same looking eyes that her baby foxes once had. And, instead of running away, the baby bunny walked over to the momma fox and hugged her cause she had the same eyes as the baby bunny's momma who also passed away during the same bad storm. The momma fox hugged the baby bunny as well, feeling happy for the first time since she had her baby foxes."
"…Is that it? That's the end?" Benny asked after a moment of silence.
"Yup. The End." Marie said, standing back up and walking back over to her usual spot by the bars.
"Wasn't that good…" Benny whispered mostly to himself as he curled up on the floor of the cell. He soon fell into a deep sleep.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Red-X awoke from his unconscious state with a heavy moan. He couldn't remember the last time his body felt so bad since his last fight with the Teen Titans, and that had been months ago. The master thief sat up, groaning softly as his aching body protested the action. Directly in front of him was an almost blank white wall with what looked like a painting of a boat resting on the water, and floating gently beside that painting was an all too familiar looking black orb.
"Failed your mission I take it?" Blackfire's mocking voice echoed in the room.
Red-X could sense that that red lens was staring at something past him so the thief turned to see that the other half of the room had been thrown into utter chaos. The ceiling had completely collapsed, the floor was littered with debris that piled up through the gaping ceiling, and bodies, of scientists, soldiers, and what looked like the receptionist lay lifeless amongst all the carnage.
"A minor setback." Red-X commented, forcing his strained body to its feet, "Nothing a few well placed detonations won't fix."
"You're joking right?" Blackfire asked as the robotic orb watched the thief walk over to the massive pile of rubble, rubbing his hands eagerly, "I thought you might have learned by now that blowing up things is not the best of ideas."
At that Red-X froze in place. "Nope." He replied, slowly turning his head around to face the floating robot, "Though I did learn that this place is quite dangerous."
"Really now? Learned that all on your own did you?"
"I mean more dangerous than you first implied." Red-X explained, folding his arms with a twinge of pain, "I would also like to add that I'm pretty convinced that this building is out to get me, am I crazy? Or is that not far from the truth?"
At that the hovering robotic orb fell silent. Red-X waited patiently, arms still folded and watched the android through his skull mask.
"To put things as simply as possible, this building is basically on the line between our dimension and another one, threatening to implode if too much of the other dimension creeps its way into ours."
"Pardon?" Red-X asked, leaning in closer, "Maybe I am going crazy, but did you just say that we are…in between dimensions?"
"I'm having Fixit trying to find out more information as we speak," Blackfire replied, exasperated more like, her tone clearly indicating she knew little more than he did, "But it's been very tiresome, wireless communication is dangerous as we don't know if the properties of this dimension have a way of traveling through electronic waves and entering ones head."
"Er…they can do that?" Red-X muttered, remembering clearly the little device Blackfire had him put in his ear.
"I've been to planets where its species had such capabilities, better safe than sorry."
"Right…" Red-X then started pacing around the room, standing still in one spot too long always make him antsy, "So if we can't leave this room, or contact anyone who may be outside this building then…what do we do?"
"We wait." Blackfire responded pointedly.
"Wait!" Red-X exclaimed he then looked around the room, quickly spotting the doors that led outside, "What about those doors? If we get outside we can try to find another way up."
"Not an option." Blackfire insisted, the red lens surveying the doors as well, "I tried earlier and simply opening them sent me plummeting out of this rooms ceiling."
"Damnit!" the thief swore, hitting a large chunk of rubble with his fist, he then thought for a moment, "Could I perhaps-?"
"You cannot blow down the walls."
"Damnit!" Red-X cursed again, falling to the ground on his back, he then fell silent as he lay there.
The room was quite for a time then. Both villains accepting that all they could do was wait for their comrades to try and find a way to finish the mission. After awhile Red-X let out a heaving sigh. He held out a hand in the air above face, staring at the red x shape on his gloved palm.
"I almost wish the Titans were here." He commented, with no immediate reply from Blackfire, "They always manage to find some do-goody way to clean up someone's mess, and I could just take what I wanted and slip away while they do it."
"You really have a one track mind don't you?" Blackfire's voice asked, disappointment clearly evident in it. Red-X chuckled.
"Stealing is what makes the world go round…well my world anyways."
"Idiot."
"And what makes your world go round Ms. Ex Tamaranian Princess?" Red-X asked, looking over at the floating orb, "Power? Money?...Men?"
"I don't see how that is any of your business." Blackfire shot, the robot turning pointedly away from him.
"Ooooh, touchy tonight I see, well how else do you plan to kill time? Sitting all quiet like in that cell of yours?"
"That's what I was trying to do until your annoying prattling interrupted me!"
"Oh right, of course, how completely terrible of me."
"…You'd better hope you don't live long enough to see me escape from here."
"Oh? What are you going to do, chide me to death?"
"…Do you even know what my kind is capable of?"
"Well if it's anything like what your sister is capable of then I can't say I'd be all that impressed."
"Hah! Do not even attempt to compare me to that little nobody. My sister is nothing but dirt underneath my boots."
"Uh huh. And that's why she's in a warm home surrounded by friends while you're rotting away in a cell?"
"She grows weak with such comfort while I only grow stronger! How dare you even suggest-!"
"Yeah, yeah evil villain speech, very frightening and all that."
"…I hate you."
"That nice honey. So, I've been wondering something, why Wykkyd?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I know what happened down there, I know him, the Brotherhood of Whatever, and most of the villains worthy of note were frozen down there, but why did you unfreeze him out of all the others? I will admit his cape thing is useful but he's just a kid with much less experience with the kinds of things you're trying to have us pull off than most of the others that are also frozen."
"Well, not that it's any of your business." Blackfire spoke, the red lens reflecting Red-X fully in its scope, "But Kyd Wykkyd is more than just a boy with a fancy cape."
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just know that I did my research before choosing who would take part in my escape, and who knows, live long enough and you might even see it yourself."
"Right…" The thief muttered, already starting to lose interest in the conversation he moved back to lean against the mass of rubble. Though he found himself distracted with the bodies that littered the ground and it wasn't long before he found himself rifling through their pockets.
"You have got to be kidding me…" Blackfire breathed when the orb took notice of the thief. Red-X busy opening a scientist's wallet hardly paid her any mind.
"So this is how the great and terrible master thief makes his living I take it? Rifling the pockets of the dead."
"Oh please." Red-X scoffed, still digging through the wallet. "When you're this good, you don't need to steal money."
"Well from what I know of Earth customs they normally keep their money in those small leather pouches, don't they?"
"Yep." The thief replied, shaking out the contents of the wallet and watched as some bills, coins, and several cards fell out from it, "But you'd be surprised what other little goodies you can find in these things, notes of passwords, photos of family, phone numbers, that sort of thing. But sometimes, if you're really lucky, you can find what you least expect…"
Red-X then reached for something on the ground and picked it up.
"Aha!"
"What? What did you find?" Blackfire asked, the robot edging in closer to the thief's hunched over back.
"Condoms!" Red-X cried out triumphantly, showing the robot his small square prizes.
"Con-…what's?" Blackfire asked quizzically, the robot edging in closer to the things clasped between the thief's fingers.
"Oh? You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?"
"Oh I see…" A wide smile then grew beneath the master thief's mask, "Well Blackfire, let me do you a great service and tell you all about these things we call condoms…"
Red-X would be damned if he let a simple collapsing building ruin his fun.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Marie lay against the bars now as quite darkness slowly began to enclose her eyes. All of the other children had fallen asleep, Benny still passed out on the cell floor. The scientist man, head face first on his desk, had fallen asleep hours ago. The machine that took up most of the giant room hummed soothingly, it reminded Marie of her fish tank back in her room. Thinking of it now calmed her tense body more; it wouldn't be long now until she fell into a deep, calming, sleep…
But just as Maries eyes began to close something materialized out of thin air. It flew through the air in the corner of the girl's eyes and hit a series of filing cabinets with a silence shredding crash. At once all of the children awoke with cries and tears.
"What the-!" the man at the desk cried out, jumping straight up from his seat. Marie watched, her eyes wide open now, as he grabbed something small and metal from a bottom shelf. The young girl instantly recognized it as one of those guns her daddy always carried around.
"Who's there!" the man demanded, walking slowly towards the destroyed filing cabinets, his gun pointed straight out. Marie strained to see, but large tables obstructed her view.
"Wh-what's going on?" Benny asked, sucking his thumb fearfully. Marie did not answer, her wide eyes focused on what was happening in front of her. The man had now reached almost exactly where the impact had occurred.
"I said whose-!" the man cried, but then the girl heard him let out a low gasp, his gun lowered a bit, "My god! Bosko! Is that you?"
"Y-you…" Marie heard a low voice respond, it sounded weak, in pain, "You…BASTARD!"
Marie let out a low squeak of surprise at the outcry and watched in horror as a shadowy figure lunged at the man. There was a short struggle and then the man shoved the figure off him, his attacker falling against a table, he immediately gripped it, struggling to stay on his two feet.
"I don't know how the hell you made me forget," the rather short figure spat as he held on to the table, "But now I remember it all, just as clearly as how I can see your ugly mug right now."
"Bosko…" the man breathed, he then gripped his forehead and let out an angry moan, "This isn't right, you shouldn't be here…you should be…"
"Should be what! Dead!" the one called Bosko shot, gripping the table as if he was prepared to launch from it.
"What? Dead?" the man breathed, white horror coloring his face, "What in the world are you talking about Bosko?"
"Dead!" the short man yelled as if that was all that needed to be said, "Dead you bastard! Dead just like Stanley and Collins, dead like our colleagues, dead like all these children's parents!"
"Marie, what is he talking about?" Benny asked, tears in his eyes as they watched one man yell and the other man turn white, "What is he talking about?"
"This…this has all gone so wrong…" the man spoke, his entire body shaking, "I just wanted…to keep them away…I just wanted my son…."
"Yeah? Well I just wanted a simple life of research and discovery." Bosko breathed, his voice dripped of anger and hate, "And what did I get? A bullet shot to the leg, two friends dead, and some crazy ass general blowing down the world around me. And guess who I have to thank? MY FUCKING BEST FRIEND!"
Without warning the small man lunged at the man. In a panic the man fired his gun. The shot rang out through the cries of the frightened children in that room. The small man stood there for a moment, frozen in time, before falling wordlessly to the ground and out of the tear stricken eyes of little Marie.
"Oh god!" The man cried, collapsing to the ground himself, "God…no…Bosko….god…what have I done…I didn't want this for you…god…no…Bosko…I'm so…I'm so sorry…"
Young Marie stood struck to her core as she listened to the man cry and sob over his dead friend. Benny lay on the ground beside her, crying frightened, confused tears, most of the other children doing the same.
Only Marie saw it. Saw the second dark figure rise from the ground. Cloaked in shadow, eyes red as blood, it made its way slowly to where the man had collapsed. In a panic Marie screamed with all her might.
"Mister Adam's dad! Look out!"
Yet whether the man had heard her or not did not matter. As soon as the second figure realized it was noticed it vanished, as quick as that. A second later the scientist man was falling, screaming from the ceiling, the dark creature gripping him by the collar, Marie watched wide eyed as they fell, then, right before they hit the ground, they vanished. Marie stared at where they had slipped out of thin air in her amazement she was unprepared for the sudden force that rammed into the bars of the cage. The brute force sent her off her feet and unto the ground, her head hitting the steel floor hard, instantly pulling her into cold, sharp darkness.
XxXxXxXxX
"Wh-what do you want from me!" the scientist cried out as I pinned him against the cage. I knew I had almost over done it with all the teleporting but I did not care. All I could see was Bosko, lying face first in a pool of his own blood, bullet in his skull. I gripped the collar tighter as I picked up and slammed the scientist into the cage again. I heart small voices cry out in fright, but I paid them no mind.
"Please stop!" the man begged, sweat and tears streaming down his face. I only pushed him further against the cage, wanting nothing more than to mash his body between the small spaces between the bars.
"Kyd Wykkyd, that's quite enough I think." A stoic voice spoke over the cries of the scientist and children. Surprised, I looked over my shoulder to see a tall, pale scientist standing only a few feet away.
"C-Castro?" the scientist gripped in my hands mumbled.
"Good to see you again, William." The scientist deemed Castro returned with a casual nod before focusing his unblinking gaze back at me, "Kyd Wykkyd, if you would be so kind to release him, I believe you've made your point."
Just then, I realized who I was and where I was. Instantly the blinding anger left me, the dark cloud passing. I released the scientist who fell to the ground in a shameless heap. I stood there dumbfounded, before finally deciding the best thing to do was help the man up.
"I…ah…thank you…" William muttered, taking my extended hand as I helped him up. He then looked from me to Castro. The anger gone I could now easily see how beat up and worn out the man looked not including the scarring I had recently gave him. Dark bags hung from his eyes, his forehead had endless wrinkles, and a permanent frown seemed etched on his mouth and in his eyes. He looked like some un-dead creature struggling to live. Castro chuckled just then.
"How amusingly accurate." He said as if out of nowhere. I looked over at him, half confused, half amazed. He didn't just…
"Oh, but I did." Castro said with a smile and a wink. It looked odd, as if his face was not used to expressing emotion. Which, through all my sudden shock and awe, I guessed wasn't far from the truth.
"Professor Castro." William spoke up, his eyes fixed on the ground, "I…"
"…have made a complete mess of things is how I hope you planned to finish that sentence. Because you certainly have." Castro commented, looking over at Bosko lying dead on the ground and the cowering children in the cage.
"I…"
"You could have at least told me," Castro continued, looking down at his fellow scientist, "I would have told you what this was a lost cause from the beginning."
"But…but it's not a lost cause!" William argued with a sudden sense of determination. He then walked over to a machine that shocked me that I could have possibly over looked it.
For one it was massive. Reaching from the top of the expansive room to the very bottom, it resembled a circular gate with tubes intermingling around it. Stairs led up to its giant opening, which only led into the wall it was built into. William walked up to a number of consoles that had their wires linked up with the massive device.
"It's only minutes from being ready Castro! Only a few minutes until I can bring my son home again!"
Castro looked at the machine, his face expressionless.
"Was it worth the lives it cost?" Castro spoke evenly, looking at William. His fellow scientist looked at the ground, his face looking slightly whiter.
"Bosko said that to, what lives are you talking about? All I did was kidnap the children and lock myself in with the machine. I waited until it was near ready…though it took longer than expected to set up..."
"But what of what you have done to the properties of our dimension?" Castro pressed, though there was a note of doubt in his accusation and I to was beginning to see what was transpiring, "You allowed whatever your trying to open up to seep into this building, twisting its properties and killing unsuspecting innocents."
"I…what?" William responded, dumbfounded as he stared up at the machine, "I did not even think this thing was capable of doing that! Until just a few minutes ago I didn't even have it running!"
"You…" Castro began, though he quickly drifted off, I could only imagine he was doing whatever he had done to read my mind to the one named William, "…you blind fool. How else do you think you managed to avoid being caught for days?"
"I…thought I was merely lucky…" the scientist spoke with a meager shrug. Castro gave him a dead look.
"More like, doors that should lead to the next room led to the basement. Windows sent you tumbling through ventilation systems. You could take the stairs forever and never get anywhere. The list goes on my friend."
"Fascinating!" William suddenly breathed, wide eyed. Though he quickly lost his enthusiasm when his eyes locked with Castro's cold ones. "I mean…ah…how awful…"
"Yes. But what is most awful about this situation is that our dear general has decided to take very drastic measures to reach you now."
"Now…when you say drastic…"
"I mean suiting up in a battle mech and ordering his men to blast through walls with grenades drastic."
"Ah…I see…"
"That is good." Castro spoke evenly, his gaze focused on a door on the far side of the room, "For in less than two seconds you will be seeing those very same men come blasting through that door."
"Now…when you say two sec-."
In that moment a great blast tore its way through the door that all three villains were looking upon. Even before the dust cleared squads of men with guns and armor came storming out, forming lines around the hole, guns trained at the trio that stood directly across from them.
"Well, well, well, well, lookie what we have here." A jeering voice called as a massive mech marched its way through the hole. It stood a good twelve feet tall, decorated in heavy metals and black soot, it held a large Gatling gun in one hand, and the other was shaped into a sizeable looking blade. And seated in the center behind bars of metal was a heavy set man with a shaggy beard and a victorious smile, "The exterminator is here, and he finally found his little lab rat!"
"I really hope he doesn't mean me…" William mumbled, hiding slightly behind Castro.
"Hey there William, I finally remember you, you sonofabitch! No more mind games of yours now! And is that tall fellow Castro? Always knew you were too sly for your own good, gone and slithered from your little cage eh?"
"Good to see you to General." Castro greeted with a polite nod.
"Sir, the children." One solider near the mech spoke up, his eyes on the cage in the corner of the room.
"Aha! So there's where you've been hiding 'em." The General exclaimed, his wide eyes fixed on us, "You know a good number of my men died to find their sons and daughters, Jerry's daughter is locked up to, isn't she Jerry?"
"…yes sir." The soldier who had spoken up replied, his eyes still on the cage.
"Still alive and all in one piece I hope?" the General asked, his mech taking a step closer in their direction.
"Yes…" William began, though Castro through a halting arm out to him and took a step forward.
"The children are still alive." The scientist replied, "And still under our custody. So I suggest this, you let us leave here peacefully, and we will hand over the children."
The room grew quite then. A few seconds passed before the solider deemed Jerry started to speak.
"The hell we-!"
But he was caught off by a low chuckle emitting from the General. The small laugh soon erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter as the large man guffawed in his mech suit.
"You make me laugh Castro! Hear it! After all the hell you and William put me through and I can still laugh like this? You're too much I tell you! Too damn much!"
The General laughed like this for a few more seconds before dying down to a wide smile. Looking straight at Castro.
"Now here's how this will really go. We are going to take the children, then gun you all down for betraying the American government. How's that sound?"
"I think I'm going to be sick…" William mumbled behind us.
"Kyd Wykkyd." Castro whispered just loud enough for me to hear. I took an immediate step towards him, to show that I was listening. "Your teleportation works properly in here, correct?"
I quickly nodded.
"Good, William?"
"Y-yes?" William muttered, still hiding behind Castro.
"How long until that thing is ready to go?
"J-just a minute or so, but I would need to be ready to put in the activation sequence as soon as it's primed, otherwise it will just reset…"
"Then here's the plan." Castro said immediately, "Kyd Wykkyd, I want you to teleport us above the general and drop me on top of him, from there take out as many of his guards as possible. Meanwhile William head for cover and call Kyd Wykkyd when the thing is ready. Kyd Wykkyd, when you hear the call head over to him immediately and ensure that he gets the thing working and open…"
"What then?" William asked when Castro didn't continue.
"Well, if we actually manage to live that long you guys will just have to improvise, William, I trust you know what to do when that thing is open."
"I…yes I do." The scientist said with determination.
"Good, good, alright then…on my signal."
"If your little huddle group is over I believe its time a clear out some vermin and get outta this shit-hole." the General called, smile on his face as he held up his Gatling gun, his soldiers taking point as well.
"I think I'll go find a nice sturdy table to hide behind now…" William whispered. Though I paid him no mind. Now was the time of life or dead. Kill or be killed. I felt the blood rush through my veins, the adrenaline pumping through my system. Castro and I faced the General and his small army. Time stood still, and, for the second time since being unfrozen, I felt truly alive.
"Now." Castro spoke.
"Fire!" the General hollered.
I reached for my cape and time exploded back to life with the General's manic laughter and thunderous gun fire. In a flash I swept Castro and I beneath my cape and for a flash of time all sound fell silent. There were only us and the cold darkness. A flash of time later the world opened up and we were hovering above the General's giant mech.
"Don't forget the plan." Castro said simply before falling through the sky and landing on top of a surprised General. I didn't stay and watch what proceeded next, already I felt the call of my cape and I once again fell into darkness, reappearing in the midst of the confused soldiers.
There is a part of my life that I do not enjoy thinking about. A part stained by true bloodshed and violence. It was a short life, like most of them are, but it was all I knew at the time, being so young. A killer in the dark, an assassin for hire. I left that life when the H.I.V.E let me into their home, but sometimes it still came to haunt me. In my dreams…and in my violence. It was a life stained by true bloodshed and death. A stain that could never truly be cleaned away. When fighting against death, one must learn to kill.
So when I marked my first target. In the midst of confused soldiers, I picked the one with the knife strapped to his chest. I appeared before him, I suspect it seemed like his own shadow reached out to attack him, and grabbed said knife, ramming my head full force into his before he knew what had grabbed him. Knife in hand I slipped back into darkness, letting the stunned man fall to the ground. I reappeared again, behind a man who had turned to see the one who had fallen so suddenly, and hit him on the back of the head with the hilt of the combat knife. He fell and I vanished again. I entered the carnage again, the soldiers still trying to get their bearings and rammed an elbow into another soldier's gut. I marked the soldier's who were beginning to take notice of Castro still clinging to their General's mech. Into the darkness I jumped again, landing on a soldier's back and slamming his head into the ground. His companion turned and tried to fire, but I had already vanished, reappearing an instant later at his side, using the full force of the travel to send him to the ground, dagger at my belt I grabbed the assault rifle from his stunned hands and quickly beat him over the head with it. No sooner had I finished than bullets began whizzing past me, pulling the cape around me I disappeared again, and again, and again. Each time taking out a soldier as I reappeared.
The soldiers cried out in confusion. Shooting in every which direction, glancing hits at each other, all to get at me. Faster and faster I vanished and reappeared until all but a hand full of soldier's remained. It was then that I heard William's call. Slightly frustrated that my fun was being stopped I halted where I had appeared and ran headlong into the back of yet another unsuspecting solider. Throwing us both through my cape we reappeared before a table at which the man hit full force with his gut. The soldier let out a groan which I quickly silenced by slamming his head onto the table.
The man slumped to the ground and I stood there. Breathing heavy and sweating for the first time in perhaps…ever. I looked over to see William standing at his consoles, wide-eyed and slack jawed.
"You…you fought like some sort of unstoppable demon…" the scientist breathed, looking me up and down now, "…guess that explains the creepy costume."
I gave William a hard look to which he quickly averted his eyes from.
"Right then, this thing will be ready any second now…I suppose I can just trust you to keep those soldiers off my back?"
I nodded my assent before turning to where said soldiers still stood. Only about four of them still remained, and they were mainly busy moving around either trying to find me or tending to their fallen brethren. Meanwhile, Castro seemed to have fallen from the General's mech and was busy dodging his deadly looking blade. The Gatling gun lay where it had been brutally torn off on the ground.
The gentle hum the machine had been emitting suddenly grew a lot louder. Green lights started glowing from the circular portal, the glow streaming through the pipes and through the buttons of the consoles.
"I can't believe it…it's working, it's working!" William cried, typing in numerous combinations on the keypads, almost faster than I could follow.
"Blast it you worthless maggots! Stop them! Stop them!" I heard the General cry, I turned to see Castro pinned against a wall, though the General was focused on us, rousing his remaining men who were quickly starting to see the picture.
"Just another second or two!" William shouted over the loud machine and the General's yelling, "Hold them off if you would!"
I watched as the four remaining soldiers approached us, guns held ready to fire. I reached beneath my cape and gripped the stolen combat knife. These soldiers won't be taken by too much surprise, they had seen enough of what my abilities can do to their friends. I took a calming breath to steady my nerves. To fight death, one must learn to kill.
I ran full force at the soldiers. They aimed at me, but didn't fire, waiting for me to teleport, waiting for the tell-tale signs for me to grab my cloak, to hunch over. That's what I wanted. In mid step I twirled my body around, like some dark dancer, my cape flowed around me with the force of my actions. The soldiers realized too late my intentions and fired into the air where I once was. I reappeared before one of them and with a swift move shoved my knife through his gut. The man let out a cry of pain but, in an unexpected move he reached out and gripped my cape.
"I have him, he's here!" the soldier cried out, holding me close. I watched as his comrades turned and, acting quickly, shoved a leg between my captors' feet and tripped him, making sure I hit the ground back first as I fell. But, instead of hitting solid ground, I fell through my cape. In the brief darkness I twisted the knife in the soldier's gut releasing a final cry from him and loosening his grip.
We reappeared above another soldier and fell upon his unsuspecting head with a sickening crack. Ignoring the pain now spreading through my back I rolled as soon as I hit the ground. Hearing the gun fire whip past me, I gripped my cape as I rolled and vanished once again. Back into action I rolled across the ground, my path now colliding with the ankles of the third solider, falling down with a cry of surprise. I stopped rolling, preparing to leap back through my cape when a gunshot tore through my leg. With a silent gasp I fell to the ground only to have another shot glance my shoulder, tearing the skin. I lay there, dazed and in pain, feeling warm wetness seep through my costume.
"Finally fucking got you." The soldier who had fired swore, stepping up towards me, gun pointed at my head. Behind him his fallen companion was starting to get up. I watched as he walked towards me, finger on the trigger. I watched as his careless foot treaded on top of my cape that rested beneath me.
Without warning the man's entire leg vanished beneath the ground, and as he fell I struck out with the knife still clenched in my hand. The blow struck the man straight through the forehead. Blood shot out, splattering my face and costume. In surprise I rolled away from the carnage, forcing the trapped leg to separate from the body. The leg went flying out of some random wall while the nub that remained bled fiercely. The remaining soldier seemed to have lost whatever fighting spirit he had left and fell to the ground, his face chalk white as he stared wordlessly at his mauled comrade. I averted my eyes from the scene, finding it impossible to move now with my injured leg now numb I looked over to where Castro was pinned to see he had been left alone. The General was now making his way towards the still glowing and humming machine.
"Gotta do everything around here don't I!" The General exclaimed the blade out and ready to cleave the entire thing in two. I looked over to the man and his machine. Surprisingly, I did not see William cower away from the giant mech steadily making its way towards him. Instead, the man stood his ground in front of the flashing consoles, his finger resting on a particular red button.
"It's over Bradley, all of your men are dead and there's nothing left to stop me from pushing this button and finally seeing my son!"
"You press that button and you're a dead rat, you hear me William!" the General shouted, the mech advancing, blade raised.
"No! You don't scare me anymore Bradley!" William returned, he then brought out a pistol from his coat aiming it dead center at the man in the mech suit. Bradley froze.
"Son…" The general spoke, hands raised in surrender, "think about what you're doing…"
"I've done that all my life Bradley." William spoke calmly, gun still aimed at the general, "Think but not act, and look where it's gotten me. So I had a new thought, what if I did the opposite? I did so when I enlisted for your team, I did so when I suggested making a teleportation device, and I did so when I deceived you all and kidnapped the children. And now…I am going to do so again."
With that William pressed his finger down on the button. Immediately electricity surged out from the consoles and through the wires that connected to the machine. With a loud wail the portal device exploded to life. Where it had once opened simply to the wall, vibrant greens and yellows began swirling inside it.
"Yes! Yes! Take me to my boy! Take me to Adam!" William cried out in delight, leaping over the consoles and racing towards the giant swirling machine.
"Nooooo!" Bradley roared, firing up his mech he began the pursuit, only to be blocked from his path my Castro leaping in front of him.
"Out of my way damnit!" The general shouted, the giant blade swinging through the air, missing the scientist by mere inches.
I once again tried to stand but my injured leg refused. Pain coursed through my body at the attempt and I fell back down to the ground. Looking around, I caught sight of Robin's bow-staff, lying still beside Bosko's corpse. Yet just as I made to go towards it a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned towards it to see the remaining solider standing over me, gun pointing at my head. Without a word the man pulled the trigger, but only a faint click answered him. The man stared at the gun in horror.
"Damnit!" He cried, continuously clicking the trigger at me. Giving him a stern look I pulled my cloak over me and reappeared myself by the fallen staff. Doing my best not to look at the bleeding body nearby I gripped the staff and using both it and a table I managed to bring myself to one foot. However, nearly all the adrenaline had worn off by now and I could now feel the pain in my shoulder from Sherman's bullet wound and it was all I could do to remain standing beside that table.
I looked across the room to see the soldier still trying to fire his gun, though a sudden cry broke his and my attention.
"Daddy!" a shrill voice from the cage called.
"Benny!" the soldier exclaimed, I watched as he ran over to the cage, "Benny my god!"
I turned my attention from the cage to Castro and Bradley. The general cursing and swinging while the scientist seemed to dodge the blade with little effort. From there I looked to the giant machine, William now stood before the mass of swirling greens and yellows still calling out to it.
"Take me to my son! Take me to Adam!"
I was about to turn my attention away, believing William to have gone insane, when he saw the thing spring to life, but just as I did a streak of red appeared, swirling through the greens and yellows. I watched, amazed, as more reds appeared, as if the previous glowing colors were parting to let the other colors take over. In mere seconds all traces of yellows and greens vanished, what now rested in the portal was a scene of what I would imagine was in some of those science fiction movies Gizmo always tried to make us watch.
The sky was all reds, blacks, and whites. Large chunks of rock floated in mid air as if gravity had all vanished from the land. William let out a cry of joy.
"Yes, yes! It worked! It's open!"
"William, step away from it!" Castro called; I looked over to see he had taken his eyes of the battle for a moment, focused on William. I watched in horror as the general took this opportunity to strike. With a cry of triumph, the mech swung its bladed arm, Castro immediately realized the danger and tried to leap away, the blade missed cleaving him in two, but still caught him on the shoulder, instantly slicing arm from body. I averted my eyes as Castro's body hit the ground, looking over to see William still standing before the portal, oblivious to what was transpiring around him.
"Adam!" William called into the portal, shouting in joy, "My son, I am here, you do not have to do this alone anymore!"
And then I watched as William leapt through the portal and into the strange dimension, instantly disappearing from sight.
"No, damn you, no!" Bradley cried, the damaged mech racing towards the portal, "You aren't getting away from me you little rat!"
I tried moving from the tables. There was no more sense in sticking around here; I would only end up dead. But moving proved a lot more difficult than standing; I only made it a few feet from the tables when a great and terrible cry roared through the portal.
"Let's give them an entrance they won't soon forget!"
The voice itself nearly shook me off my feet. Bradley, now situated directly in front of the portal, now took a step back.
"What in the name of…"
Just then a small figure flew through the portal. I watched as it flew straight over the mech and went straight for me. I did not have the time nor the ability to move out of the way and I was thrown off my feet when the body hit me. As I fell, I saw flames suddenly erupt from the portal, instantly consuming the mech and its rider. The fire quickly expanded through the rest of the room, barely missing me and the one who had rammed me as we fell back into my cape and into the cold darkness.
XxXxXxXxX
An instant later we were thrown back out, skidding across grass and dirt until the momentum finally left. When it did I simply laid there, body pulsating with pain, warm morning sun on my face. After a few minutes I heard movement from the person that had fallen through the portal and hit me. Slowly, See-More sat up beside me, lens damaged and small smile playing on his face.
"Well, hey there Wykkyd, long time no see."
I couldn't help but smile slightly in return, nodding in agreement, before closing my eyes once again. Again silence stretched on for a few minutes before See-More spoke up again.
"So um, where are we?"
"Your outside what remains of an American governmental building." Blackfire's voice answered. I opened my eyes to see the black floating android and Red-X standing over us. The master thief chuckled.
"Damn Wykkyd, those guys sure did a number on you didn't they?"
I merely huffed in reply, shutting my eyes again.
"Red-X is right, you're bleeding, did you get shot?" Blackfire asked. I shrugged in reply, not bothering to open my eyes. It was quiet for another moment before Red-X broke the silence.
"So, who are you kid, from that get up I can assume you aren't a soldier or a scientist."
"No way!" See-More exclaimed, "I'm a member of the H.I.V.E Five! Just like Kyd Wykkyd! I was trapped in this weird dimension place until just like a few seconds ago. Honestly I don't even know how I got here…did you bust me out or something Wykkyd?"
I shook my head, already accepting that I couldn't explain to them what had transpired even if I wanted to.
"Well this is getting nowhere fast." Red-X commented with a bored sigh.
"Wykkyd." Blackfire spoke, causing me to open my eyes and see that the android was floating directly over me. "Did you find Fixit in there?"
I stared at the orb for a long second before seeing myself shake my head in its round red lens. I heard Blackfire sigh through the droid.
"Then he's…"
"Actually, Kyd Wykkyd did find Fixit." A familiar, calm voice spoke up, I leaned up, amazed to see Castro walking towards us. One arm missing, the other cradling a small girl. We all watched as he changed before our eyes as he walked. The tattered lab coat and handsome face dissolved away to reveal a figure with a long black robe that hid away most of his body, and a blank, bluish face with red eyes and black lines tracing down. He smiled at my shocked expression.
"Surely Blackfire told you of my undercover disguise?"
"I did." The droid assured, I could hear the chiding tongue that spoke behind it, "Apparently he did not pay much attention."
At that I averted my eyes. I had completely forgotten about Fixit's disguise.
"Aw you guys can't blame Wykkyd. He's always day dreaming, even in class back at H.I.V.E academy! Our teachers used to get so mad cause he was never paying attention-."
At this point I had no choice but to throw See-More a silencing glare. Though the damage had already been done.
"Did he now?" Red-X asked with a chuckle, "Good to know creepy quiet boy still has his flaws."
"Back to more pressing matters." Fixit cut in, much to my relief. He adjusted the child in his arm. "The device is completely destroyed, along with most of the building as you both have seen. I have searched what was left of the warehouse and the only survivors are us and the one I am currently carrying. I hope, Blackfire, that this isn't too much of a setback for you."
"No, no." the droid replied with a sigh, "While the device would have saved us all a lot of time, what is important is that we have Fixit and can leave this place without anyone being the wiser. And you…See-More was it? If what you say is true, and you were a former teammate of Wykkyd's I'll expect that you will join in his mission seeing as the others were friends of yours as well."
"Wait…what mission?" See-More asked, standing up now he looked from the floating robot to me, "Wykkyd…what is she talking about…and where are Mammoth, Gizmo, and the others?"
I felt my throat tighten when he said that and suddenly no longer had the will to look up from the ground.
"I'm sorry, but we do not have time for this right now." Fixit spoke softly, "Kyd Wykkyd is losing a lot of blood and we are doing ourselves no favors by standing out in the open like this."
"Right." Blackfire agreed, "Red-X, See-More help Wykkyd and let's go, I will explain the next phase of the plan when we get back to the headquarters."
I felt my body tremble when See-More and Red-X lifted me. I never felt more useless than when they had to basically drag me back, my entire body feeling as numb as the leg that got shot. Though it wasn't long before a soothing blackness began to settle over my eyes as they dragged me. I welcomed it, longing for anything to ease the pain that still tore through my numerous bullet wounds.
At this rate, I might have been better off frozen in my cell; at least in there I would never get shot… and never be embarrassed by my horrible school habits…
Stupid friends.
XxXxXxXxX
To Be Continued…