Author Note: I can't believe I managed to pull off a double chapter again. XD But I was still in a writing mood I guess.

sss

Penny struggled with all her might against the controlled zoners. It was all in vain. Two zoners, both which she did not recognize, were dragging her off somewhere. She didn't know how long she had been forced to walk. It seemed like hours, but that could be just an exaggeration.

One zoner looked a little similar to Lars, only he was black and wore armor. He gripped her right hand. The other zoner, holding her left hand, was a large red and orange stork-like being. Both wore controller bracelets. The sight of the controller bracelets, though still unsettling, was not as nightmarish as the nail put in Snap's head.

She couldn't believe that Cosmo was able to regain control of Snap so quickly. She wondered what happened to the others after Snap...no, Cosmo, tossed her down the hole. Was Snap forced to attack Rudy again? That seemed as though it was a likely possibility.

And if that is the case, she felt a pang fear in her stomach. Snap was banged up as it was. He couldn't handle being controlled so viciously forever. Being moved around like that was causing damage to his wounds, she was certain. If Cosmo continued using him like some puppet, Snap would surely die.

If Skrawl cooperated and helped Rudy, they might stand a chance at restraining Snap so he wouldn't hurt them or him. Skrawl was big and strong. He could hold down Snap, preventing Cosmo from attacking them with him.

Or...would that even work?

Penny thought back to when Snap was riding on her shoulder. Although his eye were closed, he wasn't sleeping. Rudy probably couldn't hear it, but she could. The poor guy had been whimpering much of the time, most likely from the pain he was in, and from the hideous experience he had to endure. With all that had happened, Snap was out of it, unresponsive. She had tried to talk to him. But there was no reply.

With him in such a weak state, it made no sense that his body was able to do what it did and restrain her so fast. Her theory was it had something to do with the device in his head. It forces zoners to do things against their will. Would it be too much of a stretch and say that it did so regardless of the zoner's condition? Penny didn't think it was farfetched. It would certainly explain how Snap was able to perform those manuevers if he were so badly injured.

The thought disgusted her. This meant that Cosmo could break Snap's leg and force him to walk on it. It would be like if she cut her foot open and walked on fire. The pain would be intense. If only they could find a way to block Cosmo's signal to Snap...

A sharp yank from the stork nearly caused her to trip on the ground. The black bear forced her straight up and pushed her roughly forward. They had come to a room with a roundish opening. There was no sign as to what room this was, much like most of the other rooms in this blasted building. And the room was so dark, she couldn't tell what it was.

In she was dragged and thrown to the ground. She collided with a heavy thud. She rubbed her head and coughed. She adjusted her glasses and looked around. Still too dark to see. She looked behind her. The two zoners stood, blocking her way out. One of them flicked a switch.

The room was illuminated, but it was a deep crimson so it didn't reveal too much. The room was pretty big. No machines in sight. She did spot what looked to be a large bowl...no two large bowls. She saw a couple of chew toys. She narrowed her eyes. They looked chalky in appearance. So did the bed in the corner. There was some kind of brown mass on it, also chalky.

The mass began to move. It raised its head. The ears twitched back and forth. It began to rise from the bed. Huge bat wings spread out.

Penny realized in horror who this was. She took a few steps back, her body starting to remble as the beast turned its wolf-like head at her. Upon seeing that face, as Rudy described to her, she had no doubts on who this was.

Draow opened his mouth and let out a roar. Penny turned her head away as his breath hit her face. The smell was the least of her worries. She took a few steps back as Draow began to size her up, bobbing his head up and down. She was certain he was trying to find the first part to bite first. And she was right. Seconds later, he lunged for her, snapping his jaws at her.

Though she managed to dodge, she didn't know if she'd be lucky next time. As the beast tried to get at her again, she dodged to the side. She made her way over to his chew toys. Maybe they could help her.

She gripped his bone in her hand and waved it in front of her. She hoped it would entice the beast to look at the bone and not her. She didn't have so much luck. Draow's piercing teal eyes were still on her, drool dripping from his mouth. It was clear that he didn't care about the chew toy; only her.

Draow leapt towards her. She threw the bone at him as his jaws started to shut. The bone was long enough that it got caught in his mouth. He shook his head wildly to dislodge it. He started to bite harder, and she could see it was starting to crack. She wouldn't have much time to spare. She needed to act now.

Penny raced towards the exit. The two zoners positioned themselves to block her attempts to escape. Penny jumped on the air. She placed her hand on the head of the stork and she flipped her body upwards like a gymnastic. She landed on the other side of the zoners. She heard something snap and, adrenaline rising, began to run.

The two zoners didn't stand a chance. Before they could get out of the way, Draow rammed into them. They were sent flying and crashed against the wall. They moaned as the winged beast stood over them. He pawed the ground and stuck his head in the air, sniffing. When he caught Penny's scent, he turned in the direction she went, let out a yowl, and chased after her.

As Penny ran for her life, Penny suddenly knew why she was brought here. She should have seen it coming earlier. Mr. Cosmo was desperate to get Rudy on his side. She knew it would be easier for him to do that if he had as little confidents as possible. He already had a hostage he could use to blackmail Rudy with.

He didn't need another...

Draow was gaining up on her. He was starting to flap his wings to gain a bit of speed. Penny screamed as he snapped his jaws at her again. She barely managed to get out of the way before the teeth sank into her elbow. She dared not look behind her. Her heart pounding, she continued to run. To where, she didn't know. Anywhere but here.

Without warning, something hit her on the shoulder. She tumbled to the ground. She was on her hands and knees as Draow approached her slowly. He emitted a series of threatening growls. She turned her head to face him. As he got closer, she realized her shoulder stung. She put her hand to it and hissed as she felt a stinging pain there. When she looked at her hand, it was covered in blood. When she looked over at Draow, it dawned on her what had happened.

She could see something red on the wolf bat's wing claw. She recognized it as her own blood. If the blood was hurting Draow, and she was certain it was, he wasn't reacting to it. She looked at her shoulder, and saw a deep gash cutting across under her collar bone to her the middle top of her chest. She pressed her hand against the wound, attempting to stop the bleeding.

She looked up and saw Draow up in the air. He brought out his talons towards her, roaring loudly. She got up from the ground and tried to run. He dove towards her and struck her down with his foot. The tip of the claws grazed her leg, stinging horribly. It felt like shards of glass were stuck in her leg. She tried to stand back up, but the pain caused her knees to buckle and she fell forward.

Draow got back onto the ground and folded his wings to his sides. His fur puffed up menacingly. His lips curled back in a snarl. He slowly cornered Penny against the wall. He pushed her hard against the wall with his foot. Penny grounded as the claws dug into her. She couldn't hold back the tears as the claws dug into her gash. She stared at Draow with fear filled eyes as she desperately tried to free herself.

Draow threw back his head and howled in victory. He then glared at her before tensing up his neck and struck out to bite her. Penny closed her eyes and waited for the blow.

It never came. Instead, something else happened that was unexpected to both her and Draow.

The wall opened up. Penny started to tumble backwards. A pair of arms wrapped around her and yanked her backwards swiftly. The wall closed and she heard a loud thud and a whine. Draow had tried to jump in after her, only to slam his nose against the hard wall. She heard the sound of him scratching, trying to get into the wall.

The tunnel Penny found herself in was pretty dark, though there were some pale blue lights illuminating it, if just barely. She turned around to see who her savior was. She gasped and took a step back. The light made it hard to see the person's face, but she recognized who it was.

"Ms. Saffron? What are you..."

"Surprised?" Saffron asked casually.

Penny was only in shock for a second before she remembered who this woman was. She backed up, narrowing her eyes. She ignored the pain in her leg and shoulder the best she could. Whatever tricks this woman had up her sleeves, she wasn't going to fall for them.

Saffron looked a little confused by her behavior. Penny believed this was just to put her guard down. Saffron worked for Cosmo. She had been there when Cosmo trapped Rudy the first time. That was enough for Penny to go on to know this woman wasn't to be trusted. And of course, she couldn't forget how nasty she was to Rudy when they first met. Juvenile delinquent...she would make this woman eat those words.

"Calm down, child." Ms. Saffron said, holding up her hands. "I am not here to fight you. I'm here to help you."

Penny narrowed her eyes. "Why should I trust with you? You work for Mr. Cosmo."

"You mean 'worked'. I don't work for that bastard anymore." Ms. Saffron said, noticeable venom in her voice as she said the word 'bastard'.

Penny cocked an eyebrow. It sounded like Ms. Saffron really hated Mr. Cosmo now. But she wasn't sure if she should trust her. This could all still be a trick. She might just be lowering her guard so she could take her to Mr. Cosmo. Or back to Draow to be torn apart.

"I still don't know if I can trust you..." Penny said cautiously. "You haven't done anything to earn my trust."

"I am the one who allowed you guys to escape." Ms. Saffron said with a small smile. "Or is that not good enough for you?"

Penny's glare softened. "That was...you...?" She asked in disbelief.

Ms. Saffron nodded her head once. "I was able to get into the system network and provide a temporary distraction. I am sorry I couldn't find a more permanent solution for your friend Snap. Cosmo had a workaround I couldn't figure out, so his freedom, if you could call it that, would only last for a short time."

Penny shuddered at this. It brought back vivid memories of Snap being hauled around like a rag doll.

Saffron continued, "Listen, we can't stay here. We...oh man..." Saffron took a step towards Penny. "Your shoulder... Draow got you, didn't he?"

Penny nodded her head. "He was going for my throat I'm sure..."

"No doubt." Ms. Saffron said regretfully. "Mr. Cosmo likely saw you as a threat to his plan, a probable distraction. So he sent you away to be killed." A chill went up Penny's spine. "No doubt he lied to your friend Rudy about this. He would want him to believe you were still alive. At least until he was ready to tell the truth, which he doesn't seem to do that often."

Penny let this sink in. If Saffron had told the truth, then she had been right. It was chilling to her to know she had been that close to death. Mr. Cosmo already made it apparent he didn't care if zoners died. But now he made it crystal clear he didn't care about killing his own species either if it meant getting what he wanted. Mr. Cosmo was a despicable being...

Ms. Saffron grabbed the end of her business suit and pulled on it hard. She grunted and strained, pulling at the tough material until it gave way into a tear. She repeated the same on the other side of the suit. She walked up to Penny.

"Please trust me...I just want to help you." She said softly.

Penny was still cautious around the woman. But she decided to give her a chance. It was a risk, but if she could win a potential ally in Saffron, she and her friends might have a chance.

Saffron wrapped the first cloth around Penny's leg. She tied it tightly, securing it there. She then took the longer piece to Penny's shoulder. She had Penny raise her arm. She wrapped the cloth up against the girl's under arm, as far as she could go. She then took a spare string she had in her pocket, a pretty small one, and tied it around the top part of the cloth, nearest to her shoulder. She tied the other end to Penny's neck, careful not to strangle her with it.

"I know it's not professional." Saffron said. "But it'll do until you get it properly treated."

Penny examined the makeshift bandages. She looked up at Saffron and smiled. "Thank you." She said, grateful for the woman's help.

Ms. Saffron smiled back, but then she frowned. She reached over and grabbed Penny's hand. "We have to get out of here."

"But...but what about Rudy?" Penny asked. "What about Snap? The others?"

Saffron looked at her. "We will help them soon. But first, there's someone we have to go get."

Penny was confused. Who was Saffron talking about? Who could help them here? "What are you talking about?"

By this time, the two were running down the tunnels. Penny was doing her best to keep up with Ms. Saffron's pace. She hated the feeling of being dragged by her hand, but she wouldn't doubt that, if the woman hadn't grabbed her by the hand, she would be lagging sorely behind.

"I was looking at Mr. Cosmo's files. I found something quite interesting." Ms. Saffron said.

"And what is that?" Penny asked.

"I found out about an artist whom had done battle with Mr. Cosmo in the past, and won."

Penny's eyes widened. "You know who this artist is?"

Saffron gave a knowing smile. "Yes. And we are going straight to him."

sss

Skrawl could not find the right words to express how much he hated being here. Every second wasted in this trash heap was less time he could be in ChalkZone devising a plan or training the Beanie Boys for more plans. With the artist boy and genius girl out of the picture, as well as their annoying comical sidekick, Snap, he could have taken over ChalkZone by now.

But no, he had to get hauled here as well. Not only that, but that man had the gaul to try to control him. Him, of all zoners! Did Mr. Cosmo have no idea who he was dealing with? If he were outside of this dreadful cage, he would be strangling Cosmo right now.

And how dare he try to mess with Master Tabootie's mind. That was his job. If anyone was going to torment Rudy, it was going to be him. Rudy was his to deal with. Rudy was his archenemy. Skrawl was not about to let Mr. Cosmo take the glory of defeating Rudy away from him.

He looked over at the boy. He scowled. It was pitiful how Rudy just sat there with his head lowered. Probably thinking about Snap no doubt. Skrawl understood enough about companionship to know how strong it was. He wasn't surprised Rudy was still upset. He fully expected it.

He remembered what he had told Rudy a short time ago. He was fully aware of how hypocritical he sounded when he told Rudy that he lied. And to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he could even call it lying. Regardless, it still enraged him. That was just one small reason why he hated Rudy so much.

Skrawl understood that Rudy was not entirely at fault for how he looked. He wasn't denying this. He was fully aware that Rudy was shoved aside in the collaboration process. He understood that Rudy had never meant for him to turn out that way. Rudy probably didn't know. With how he acted towards the artist boy, it wouldn't surprise him. He never gave Rudy much of a reason to believe otherwise.

What really angered Skrawl, which he had never mentioned in all these years, was the fact that Rudy didn't try to do anything to stop that girl from erasing him. He had expected him to say something, to correct him before it was too late. When Rudy said nothing when he was being erased... Skrawl felt betrayed by the boy.

It was for this reason that Skrawl continued to hold a grudge. He admitted, it was a bit childish. But he just couldn't help it. His very first experience at life was what he saw as complete and utter betrayal.

Skrawl kept his distance away from Rudy. He would be after him in a second if he didn't have this connection with the child. Keeping away from him was the only thing he could do to prevent the hate from overcoming him again. The genius girl had been right. They shouldn't be fighting. Not in their predicament. Keeping away from Rudy was the only thing he could think of to prevent himself from arguing with him. He wasn't stupid, and fully understood arguing would make things worse.

"Hey Skrawl...?" Rudy's voice cut through the silence like butter.

Skrawl grumbled. Master Tabootie wanted to chit chat with him? He thought that he wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. "What do you want?" He grumbled.

"There's...something I've been thinking about." Rudy said, raising his head to look at Skrawl. He paused for a few seconds. "This is something I sometimes think about."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes. "Spit it out already!"

"Do you think that..." Rudy bit his lip. Skrawl tilted his head slightly. Was it really that hard to state what was on his mind? Rudy eventually managed to continue. "Do you think that, if the situations had been different, that maybe we would have been...friends?"

Skrawl froze at that word. Was this boy joking? He wanted to laugh. He couldn't believe that Rudy would consider such a thing.

"Why would I want to be friends with you?" Skrawl snarled at him. "You constantly get in my way. You stomp all over my plans. You prevent my quest of ChalkZone domination. Why in the world would I ever want to be associated with the likes of you?!"

Skrawl was surprised when Rudy winced at what he said. The expression on his face...could it be disappointment? Hurt? No, it couldn't be. Rudy hated him. He reminded himself of that.

"I think we could have been." Rudy said softly as a reply. He turned his head away and stared almost blankly at the water bars. "I never mentioned this to you, or anyone, but sometimes I wonder how things could have been...if I had drawn you the way I wanted. If I had managed to stop the others from ruining the vision I had of you. It is a disappointment that I may have lost a potential friend in you, all because of some unfortunate event I did not foresee."

"Oh can it, Master Tabootie." Skrawl growled at him. "What done is done. Nothing you say or do will change what has happened to me! And let me tell you something..." He took a single step towards Rudy. "Even if I had been drawn correctly, I will never be friends with you. I would still have been your worse enemy, do I make myself clear?"

Rudy looked disappointed again. He looked away. "Whatever you say Skrawl."

Skrawl turned around and folded his arms. The very idea of being friends with the artist boy...it made him feel sick. Why would he want to be associated with someone like him? The person who had allowed himself to become this abomination...the same person who had kept getting in his way...the same person who sabotaged his plans...

Skrawl made it very clear to Rudy that, if he had the chance, the opportunity, he would kill him. He didn't care how. Just as long as he was out of the way. He was tired of Rudy's constant interruption. He was sick of Rudy robbing him of his rightful place as ruler of ChalkZone. He had little reason to want to consider Rudy a friend.

And yet, as he walked away, back turned to Rudy, his expression slowly softened up. He did not look back at Rudy. He just stood there, frozen in thought. He began to think about what Rudy had told him earlier.

Would he truly have still hated Rudy if things had happened differently? He said he would, but how could he be so certain? The whole reason that he became evil was because of how he was treated for his looks. If Rudy had finished the picture uninterrupted, then perhaps he could have turned out to be some fantastic creature. A butterfly perhaps? A dragon?

Skrawl realized how unlikely it would be he'd still hate Rudy if circumstances were different. If Rudy Tabootie had managed to finish the drawing, who knows? He might have been a pleasurable person. He could have had a lot of friends. He wouldn't have needed to force the Beanie Boys to help him do some dirty work.

Slowly, he began to have some second thoughts. Had he really taken things too far, like Rudy told him? Had he been out of line with constantly blaming him for what happened? Skrawl understood that it wasn't entirely Rudy's fault. So why was he still putting the blame on him? Skrawl had to admit, he no longer knew why.

He thought back to when Rudy gave him a good look. Rudy had given him quite a stunning appearance. He somehow managed to change it from an ugly jellybean into a classy gentleman. He did honestly like his new look, even though it was brief. Then...then he ruined it by betraying Rudy...

Skrawl shook his head. No, he couldn't let himself grow soft. Rudy deserved what he got. He...what had he done actually? Well now he did have a reason to dislike the boy with his constant interferences. But back then, what had the boy done to deserve what he got? Despite what he did, the boy was still willing to help him.

Skrawl felt something tug at his heart. Something that was uncharacteristic for him. Guilt? What did he have to feel guilty for? He soon realized why he was feeling guilty. Deep down, a part of him always regretted what he had done years ago. A small portion of him did feel bad about turning his back on his promise, even if he didn't show it. He buried that feeling long ago, but now it was resurfacing.

Perhaps...perhaps he should consider giving Rudy a chance. He may not have been as bad as he led himself to believe.

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard a scream. He whipped his head over and saw that Rudy was being dragged out of the cage. Part of the bars had disappeared to allow him to fit through. When Skrawl came up to it, the bars reappeared, trapping him inside.

Skrawl could only watch as a large white zoner, Lars he think it was, dragged Rudy away.