Welcome to Slavestown

Chapter Two

Meanwhile: Back at the Safe House

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Kea asks, watching as Isabella continues changing into all black attire, "I mean, you don't have to break into the city and risk your life just because Mr. Sexy Dreamboat told you to!"

Isabella turns to Kea, her face filled with confusion. "Mr. Sexy Dreamboat?" she repeats.

"Yeah, that's our codename for Vidcund now, because I know you have such a big crush on him," she states. Isabella sighs, stopping in the middle of putting on her jacket.

"Come on Kea, we've been through this," Isabella gently reminds her, "I don't like Vidcund anymore. Liking him brought me nothing but trouble in the last few months, and has distracted me from the real love of my life, Ripp."

Kea doubtfully raises her eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her body. "Yeah well, when you're done living in a fantasy world filled with nothing but your own denials, let me know."

Isabella sighs as she adjusts the black beanie that is situated on her head. She turns back to Kea and smiles slightly, gesturing at her outfit. "So, what do you think?" she asks.

"I think it's kind of odd to wear a hat when your hair is still sticking out the back," Kea comments, "But if you want my opinion, I think you could pull off anything."

"Thanks Kea," Isabella says, "But unfortunately my hair couldn't fit into the hat," she tells her, "But there's a lot of people that have red hair, right?" she asks her friend.

Kea shrugs. "Well considering there are currently fifty-six people living in this house and you're the only one of us that has red hair – I would find that rather unlikely," Kea says, taking out a piece of bacon from her pocket and biting it.

"You're right," Isabella says, reaching up to pat her head. She sighs, "Maybe I should've dyed my hair when I had the chance-" A knock is heard at the door. "Yes?" Isabella speaks, the pair turning their attentions towards the source of the sound.

"Hey Izzy, are you ready to go?" Vidcund's voice rings out through the door, "We need to get in and out of the city before Loki sends all of his troops out for the nightly watch," he states.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Isabella calls back, readjusting her hair underneath her beanie.

Kea smiles, gesturing Isabella towards the door. "Well come on, you don't want to keep him waiting!" she chimes, before moving her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Isabella shakes her head, slightly irritated, though she adored her. "See you later, Kea," Isabella replies as she heads for the door. She exits into the hallway and stops, finding herself face-to-face with Vidcund, who is dressed in all black as well, but is surprisingly not wearing his glasses.

"So, are you ready to go?" he asks.

Isabella takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. "Yep," she says, her hands shaking a bit, "Let's do this." Vidcund nods as the pair walks down the hall and heads towards the front door. They stop in front of Pascal and Lazlo, who are both carrying laptops and wearing headsets.

"Great, looks like phase two of Operation 'Take Back the City Before Loki Kills Everyone' is good to go," Pascal announces, smiling at his teammates. "Remember to turn on your headsets before you get into the city," he informs them, "We'll be monitoring you guys the whole time, so we can help you out if you guys run into trouble."

"Right," Vidcund states with a nod, "Thanks guys."

"No problem," Lazlo replies, adjusting the headset to cover his ears, "Now go out there and get those graves!"

Vidcund nods once more, "We'll do our best," he states. Vidcund and Isabella turn to their friends, waving one last time before they head out the door and into the night, nothing but the mission on their minds.

Meanwhile: At the Beaker Residence

Ripp is still tied up in the basement of the Beaker estate, groaning as he tries to adjust his body on the wooden chair. "Well, this is what my life has been reduced to now," Ripp states, talking aloud to keep himself from going crazy with loneliness, "I guess I'm not surprised, I always knew my life was going to be a complete and total failure. At least now I can live the rest of my short days in the basement of some weirdo's estate."

"Psh, please," Loki butts in, walking into the basement from the marble encrusted stairs, "You could've done a whole lot worse than this," he comments, "And who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy being a test subject. I mean, Nervous laughed sometimes…once every five years," Loki completes, trailing off a bit.

"Test subject?" Ripp repeats, groaning as he slouches down in his seat even further. "Why don't you just finish me off and get this whole thing over with?" he asks, desperation filling his voice.

"Because dear boy, you're worth more to me alive than dead," he states, pacing on the concrete-based floor in front of him, "Just think of yourself as live bait," he tells him, "By capturing you, I'll lure the others as they all attempt to save you. Of course they'll fail, and while they're doing that, I'll strike, killing everyone in the process!" Loki reveals, throwing his head up to the ceiling in a laugh, "Genius, isn't it?"

Ripp sighs, sinking further into his seat. "Yeah right," he claims, "They're not coming for me."

"On the contrary!" Loki interrupts, raising his finger up in point, "Vidcund wouldn't pass up the opportunity to look like a hero." Loki steps forward, "Look Ripp, I know you think Isabella will have no interest in helping you now that you've broken her heart, but I happen to know firsthand that that girl doesn't know when to take a hint," he snarls, clenching his fists a little as the warehouse rescue comes to mind.

Ripp slowly lifts his head up, gazing at Loki in shock, "How do you know that?" he asks him.

Loki laughs, turning towards his specimen for a moment. "Please," he begins, "I know everything."

Ripp looks down, a dreadful feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. "Please Isabella, please don't come," he thinks to himself, pleading silently with her in his head, "Save yourself, if it's the last thing you do..."

Meanwhile: At the Entrance of Slavestown

Vidcund and Isabella are standing crouched behind the divider fence, peering into the city, attempting to stay out of sight. "Man, you weren't kidding when you said this place was rundown," Vidcund whispers to Isabella, scanning the city over with his binoculars. He stops to gaze up at the hill, where his residence once stood tall, and sighs, finding the Curious estate reduced to a few flimsy walls.

Vidcund quickly puts down the binoculars, unable to look at the city any longer, finding it almost too painful to bear. Vidcund looks to Isabella and nods, re-focusing his attention on the task before him. "Come on," he states, "Let's get up this fence." Isabella nods. They switch on their headsets.

"Be careful, it's barbed," Pascal's voice rings into their headsets.

"Are you talking to Izzy? Hi Izzy!" Kea's voice chimes out in the background, "Here let me talk to them!"

"Kea, this is a very delicate operation-hey!" his voice rings as shuffling is heard in the background.

"So, how's it going?" Kea asks.

Isabella nods, "Pretty good," she reports, "We just have to get up this fence."

Vidcund stops in front of the barbed wire fence, staring up at the top of it. "Alright," he says, backing up a few feet, "Here I go."

Vidcund takes a few deep breaths before racing up the fence in one swift motion. He crosses over, looping his boots onto the other side, away from the wire. Isabella gazes up at him, clearly shocked.

He smiles, "What can I say? After General Buzz beat me up as a teen, I swore I would get into better shape," he comments, "Now come on, I'll help you up!"

Vidcund holds out his hands; Isabella grabs them before making her way up the side. She stops at the top, carefully avoiding the barbed wire as she loops her boots to the top of the fence as Vidcund had previously done.

"Good," Vidcund says, "Now here comes the hard part…" he states, gesturing to the landscape below. Isabella gulps as she stares down at the lake of mucky water that is situated beneath them; the water stretching over five hundred feet into the city.

"Do you think it's toxic?" she squeaks, the fog coming out of the top of the lake causing her to shudder.

"Does it matter?" Vidcund replies, his tone unsure as well, "Cause I'm still going in anyway."

Vidcund and Isabella turn to one another, giving a nod of confidence before staring back at the water below. The pair slowly stands, adjusting their boots on the fence so that they can properly launch off. Vidcund turns to Isabella, holding out his hand. Isabella slowly takes it and firmly nods. The two of them jump off of the gate at the same time.

Vidcund and Isabella land in the muggy greenish blue water, heaving their heads up above the surface to catch their breath. Isabella groans as she spits out some of the water, before swimming after Vidcund towards the other side of the lake. Fifteen minutes later, Isabella lets out a small cry, feeling her endurance fading.

"I can't, it's too far!" she struggles to speak between breaths.

Vidcund stops and turns back to her, swimming in place to stay afloat. "Yes, you can. Just grab onto me, we're almost there," he tells her.

Twenty minutes later, Vidcund and Isabella climb out of the water, having reached the shore. They stop and stare up at the city surrounding them, experiencing the destruction firsthand that, until then, they had only heard about. "Oh my gosh," Isabella says, stepping towards the Road to Nowhere, which has been reduced to painted dirt and rumble, "What happened to Strangetown?" she asks, looking up at Olive's residence, which now has the roof torn off of it.

"Loki," Vidcund replies, stepping further onto what used to be the road. He stops, a poster that is taped to a broken streetlamp catching his eye. "Crystal," Vidcund exclaims, keeping his voice hushed as to not draw attention. The poster has a picture of the young townie on it with the caption: If you see me, KILL. "Man, I never thought she'd be the one to cause a ruckus," Vidcund states, folding the poster up and tucking it in his pocket. "Let's get to Olive's," he states. The pair heads down the Road to Nowhere.

"Aren't you worried that someone will recognize you?" Isabella asks, as they make their way to the Specter estate, surprisingly out in the open.

"Nah," Vidcund responds, waving his hand down, "For some reason people can't recognize me when I don't have my glasses on."

Nearby, two alien guards are leaning up against a mailbox watching them walk down the street; one of them squints his eyes. "Hey, isn't that Vidcund Curious?" he asks, pointing his white-gloved hand at him.

The other alien guard narrows his eyes, watching as Vidcund and Isabella cross over into a private residence. "Nah, Vidcund has glasses," he informs him.

"Oh, that's right," the first alien guard replies, nodding in agreement from his standing position.

Vidcund and Isabella slowly walk onto Olive Specter's lot, go around the fence, and head into the backyard. They move forward, stopping when they come to the garden. "Okay," Vidcund speaks suddenly, "I'll get the ones in the back, you get the ones in the front," he tells her, stepping forward.

"Wait!" Isabella calls out, grabbing Vidcund by the arm and pulling him back. She picks up a rock from off of the ground and chucks it into the garden. A land mine explodes when the rock hits the ground, cracking the rock into a million pieces.

"Holy shit," Vidcund curses; his voice filled with shock.

"You knew he wasn't going to make it that easy," Isabella says, carefully moving towards the front of the garden. "Let me get them, I'm lighter than you. Maybe I can feel it out."

Vidcund watches as Isabella moves towards a gravestone, gently grabbing a hold of it with her hands. "Careful Izzy," he says as Isabella picks up the grave and carries it in her arms.

"Landmines are usually no more than three feet apart," Lazlo informs them from their headsets, "Mark where the first one went off, then go from there."

"Right," Vidcund nods. He takes a stick and draws a light circle marking the area. He picks up the graves that are situated within the circle. "Willow Nigmos, this is your lucky day," he states, putting the grave into his inventory.

One by one the pair takes the graves, slowly clearing out Olive's garden. "We're doing well, there's just one more to go," Vidcund says, eyeing the final gravestone that is near the back of the garden.

Isabella slowly tip toes over to the last grave, gently rocking it back and forth to nudge it out of the sand. She grabs it and pulls it out of the dirt, sighing as she successfully slips it into her inventory. "There," she states, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with her forearm. "That's the last of them," she announces, before delicately making her way out of the garden.

"Izzy look out!" Vidcund exclaims as the ground begins to shake beneath them. Isabella races out of the garden and grabs a hold of him, the pair ducking for cover.

Suddenly, a gigantic stream of sand bursts out from above the ground and knocks into them; Vidcund and Isabella both hit by a huge waterfall of sand. After a few moments, the sand ceases, leaving the sims covered with the dusty, tan substance from head to toe.

Vidcund steps back, attempting to shake the sand off of his arms and legs in one swift motion. "Well, that went better than expected," he sarcastically states.

Next to him, Isabella looks up, shaking her arms out as well – her face smiling at the sight of him. She begins to laugh, her laughter causing Vidcund to loosen up. In a few seconds, he is laughing along with her.

"There was no way that we were going to be able to disable these things professionally, huh?" Vidcund asks with a smile.

"Not a chance," Isabella replies, heading towards the exit of the estate with him.

"Actually, before we go – can we stop somewhere first?" Vidcund asks Isabella, stepping off the property. "There's someone I really need to see."

Five Minutes Later

Vidcund and Isabella are standing on the porch of a beautiful yellow townhouse, the front lawn remarkably still growing decent grass. Vidcund rings the doorbell, then steps back, waiting for the desired sim to answer. No one does.

"Huh," Isabella states from behind him, "Maybe nobody's home."

"No, she's here. She's gotta be," Vidcund replies, straining his neck trying to gaze through the door windows. He stops and begins pounding on the white wooden door.

"Who is it?" a voice sounds from the other side, sounding rather unwelcoming.

"It's me," Vidcund responds, careful not to say his name while he is still in public, "Open the door."

Vidcund and Isabella hear the person unlock the door. They slowly open it a crack, revealing the side of their face. "Vid? Is that you?" the woman states, her voice filled with shock.

"Yes, now can you let me in?" he asks.

Jenny nods, quickly opening the door and letting the pair inside before anyone can see. "Vidcund!" Jenny exclaims, throwing her arms around him and wrapping him tightly in a hug, "What are you doing here?!" she asks, putting him at an arms' length, "I thought you were dead!"

Vidcund smiles, "Well, as always, the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated," he says, stepping further into the house. "I mean, come on, you know Loki can never follow through on anything," he continues, noticing that Jenny is staring at Isabella strangely, "Oh uh, this is Isabella," he tells her, "She's my- my friend," Vidcund explains, gesturing Isabella towards Jenny, "She's the one that saved us from dying a bloody and tragic death."

"Oh," Jenny comments, leaning forward and shaking her hand, "Nice to meet you, Isabella. I'm Jenny, I'm Vidcund's older sister. I'm sure you've met my son, Johnny."

"Yes," Isabella nods.

Jenny nods awkwardly back before turning her attention to Vidcund once more. "So, how have you been? How's Pascal and Lazlo?" she wonders further, "Johnny said he saw you at a trial, but I thought he was just hallucinating because he missed you," Jenny explains.

"I'm fine," Vidcund answers, "Pascal gave birth to a girl. Her name is Amelia and she is adorable," he informs her, "And Lazlo has been tolerating us like he usually does."

Jenny smiles, "I'm glad. So what brings you to Strangetown?" she asks him, "I know it's not the most pleasant place to be these days…"

Vidcund nods, his expression dead serious. "We're taking back the city."

"What?!" Jenny exclaims, "Vidcund, that's a terrible idea! You'll get killed!" she proclaims.

"I know," Vidcund replies, letting out a sigh, "But Strangetown's dying, Jenny. And I need your help."

Jenny crosses her arms, "Nuh-uh, no way," she states, shaking her head, "This war is nothing but a petty feud between you and Beaker that has been looming in this city for years," She firmly articulates, "– And I want no part of it."

"Jenny-!" Vidcund objects.

"I mean it Vid, you two have been at each other's throats since grade school," Jenny reminds him, "I wasn't a part of your feud then, and I'm not going to be a part of it now – especially when I have so much to lose," she tells him, "I almost lost all three of you, I don't want to lose my husband and kids, too," Jenny confesses, tears forming in her eyes.

Vidcund steps forward, placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Look, I get it. I get why you don't want to take a stand, but what Loki is doing is wrong," Vidcund tries to explain, "This isn't just a petty feud, the well-being of our city at stake," he continues, "And I don't know about you, but I don't want my child to live in a city run by a corrupt dictator who kills anyone that's brave enough to speak their mind," Vidcund states; Isabella nodding behind him.

"Jenny, we have to do this now. We have to group together and rise against him. We may never get another chance like this again!" Vidcund pleads, looking straight into his sister's eyes. "Jenny, listen to me, we can win this. I've never lied to you before, and I'm not going to start now. This war is winnable, but we may have to make some sacrifices-"

"And that's it, that's the whole thing," Jenny begins, "I'm not willing to make sacrifices in this, Vid. I shouldn't have to!" she argues further, "I wasn't the one who caused the city to spiral. I had no part in that," she firmly states, taking a stand, "Vidcund, I love you, but this is your war, not mine. I can't stand beside you," she concludes, watching as Vidcund looks down at the carpet, visibly hurt.

Vidcund stands in silence. Isabella slowly walks over to him and places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. After a few seconds Vidcund looks up, staring into Jenny's eyes. "Your points are valid. That's fair enough," he states almost robotically; Vidcund turns to Isabella, "Let's go, Izzy," he states.

Isabella nods. Jenny watching as the pair makes their way to the front door. Isabella accidentally knocks into the end table, knocking over a small brass alien statue on the way out. "Sorry," she apologizes, picking up the small statue and placing it in Jenny's arms. Jenny glares, somewhat frustrated by the young woman's clumsiness.

Vidcund and Isabella make their way down the steps, Jenny lightly closing the door behind them. Isabella turns to Vidcund, reaching her hand out to her friend. "Vid, I'm so sorry-" she begins.

"-Don't be," Vidcund interrupts her, "I completely understand and respect her decision," he reassures her, "She's my sister after all."

The pair continue walking down the Road to Nowhere, the flickering of the streetlamps the only sound among them. All of a sudden a figure appears in the distance, holding her hand out towards them.

"Your future is rapidly approaching!" the old woman calls out, her white and red dress blowing gently in the breeze.

"Uh…?" Isabella replies, stopping in her tracks – not sure whether to run or talk to the elderly woman. Vidcund nudges her in the side.

"Relax," he tells Isabella, "That's just Margaret Collins. She's the town's Gypsy Matchmaker."

Isabella tilts her head, "You know her name?" she states, slightly confused.

Vidcund smiles, "Of course. I was the mayor, I know everyone in the city," he says, stopping in front of Margaret.

She gazes up at him, squinting her eyes. "Vidcund Curious, I had a feeling you were coming. I had a vision of your arrival," she informs him.

"Hey Margaret, how have you been doing?" he asks the Gypsy Matchmaker, "I was wondering, since you're here, if you would mind doing a few readings for us? With the war approaching and everything, it might do us a lot of good," he analyses.

Margaret ponders this for a moment, before looking back at him and giving a small nod. "Alright," she agrees, "Step into my office…"

Meanwhile: Back at the Safe House

Pascal, Lazlo, Brent, and Kea are sitting on the couch in the living room watching television while Vidcund and Isabella are on the mission. Tank walks into the room, carrying a bowl of noodles. "Hey," he greets, walking over to the couch, "What are you guys watching?"

"Loki started airing these anti-Strangetown Army ads against us to drive people away from offering us assistance," Lazlo tells him, "They're hilarious!"

"Yeah," Pascal agrees, "You can tell that he's really scrapping for material."

"Neat," Tank says, before taking a seat on the cushion next to Kea.

"Tank Grunt," the television blares in front of them, "Pees in his pants and cries like a little girl!"

Brent laughs as the television flashes a black and white photo of Tank looking angry on-screen. Tank glares at him. "What?" he speaks, "You have to admit, some of these are pretty funny!"

"Tank Grunt," the television sounds once more, "He sleeps with college townies!"

"Hey! That one's about me!" Kea exclaims, surprisingly excited by this fact. Tank groans, slapping his face in frustration.

Meanwhile, in the basement of the Beaker estate, Ripp is watching the ads as well.

He shakes his head, still tied up in the lair. "Twenty-five years of material and that's the best he can come up with?" he states, "Man, I can think of at least ten things Tank has done that are worse than that!"

Back at the safe house, the others are still watching the advertisements. "Even if you don't like Loki, you have to admit, he got these ads out pretty fast," Pascal says, stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth. "I mean, they've been airing these things for three hours straight and I have yet to see a repeat!"

"Vidcund Curious," the television speaks once more, "He peed in his pants on prom night!"

Pascal laughs, "Good to know that rumor's going around again."

"Just to let you know," Vidcund rings out from his headset, "I am glaring at you all the way from Strangetown."

"Duly noted," Pascal responds, throwing a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.

Meanwhile: Back in Strangetown

Vidcund and Isabella are sitting in a small black tent that is aligned with yellow neon stars, staring at a small table that is situated in front of them. The table is draped with velvet and has a small blue pillow on it, a crystal ball nestled inside of the luxury item. Vidcund and Isabella exchange intrigued glances with one another, both of them turning off their headsets before Margaret walks over to them and takes a seat down on the other side of the table. She hovers her hands above the crystal ball, her eyes filled with intensity. She closes her eyes as she waves her hands above the crystal ball, quietly humming a tune.

"So," Vidcund begins, scooting forward in his chair, "What do you see?" he asks.

Margaret continues to hum. She then opens her eyes, staring straight into the distance – wrinkling her brow. "I see…darkness ascending over Strangetown," she reads. "The city is in great peril."

Vidcund sighs, this news rather upsetting. "Oh," he says, "So we won't win the war?" he asks.

Margaret shakes her head, "Oh, you'll win the war," she answers, circling her hands over the crystal ball in a soothing motion. "But it'll be at a terrible price," she explains, gesturing between the two of them, "One of you two won't make it out alive."

At this news, Vidcund and Isabella turn to each other, their faces filled with sadness and dread. "Are you sure?" Vidcund asks, the pair still in shock.

"Ooh! Wait!" Margaret calls out, closing her eyes in a greater attempt to focus, "I see something else! I see love!" she beams, "It's so beautiful-"

"Yeah, great," Vidcund says, his mind still focused on the previous reading, "But about the death – is there anything we can do about that?"

Margaret sighs as she slowly puts her hands down, clasping them delicately in her lap. "I'm sorry, but the spirits have left us. That is all that I can tell you," she says, adjusting some of the bangles on her arms.

Vidcund looks down at the floor and nods, accepting this. "Alright," he states, "Thank you, Margaret." Vidcund and Isabella get up from out of their seats and head towards the door.

Margaret moves forward, the spirits calling her like the wind. She jumps up out of her seat, extending her hand out to Isabella who is about to exit through the door. "Beware of the balcony!" she proclaims. Isabella stops in the doorway and turns to her, a puzzled expression on her face.

The pair stops on the side of the road and looks at one another, their faces filled with uneasiness, as neither one of them says a word.