Author Note: I managed another double chapter upload.
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Rudy tried to block out the sound of the sand slowly seeping into the bottom piece of the hourglass. He tried not to think about it too much. He tried to keep his thoughts clear, tried to keep himself calm. He tried to convince himself that everything was going to be all right in the end.
But who was he kidding? The sand's sound still seeped into his ears because he knew that, once he didn't hear that sound anymore, he would be taken back up to be forced into a decision he didn't want to make. No matter what he said, he would be disgusted with himself. No matter the choice he made, Snap would be disappointed in him.
He didn't want Snap to die...but he didn't want him to suffer at his hands, either. What choice could he possibly make that would help them? He was forced into two. A couple of horrible decisions that he would lose no matter what.
Mr. Cosmo had been smart to do this all in the real world. He never understood how Mr. Cosmo got that real world object into ChalkZone to seal the portal he and Skrawl came through into the classroom in the first place. But given all Cosmo had done, he wasn't surprised at what this man had accomplished. If Mr. Cosmo were more sane and not trying to conquer ChalkZone, he'd admire that about him. But now, all it did was make him more fearful of the guy, wondering what else he was capable of doing.
He had shown, quite clearly, how little he cared about zoners. He made it clear he was willing to kill to get his way. He knew exactly where to strike Rudy. And it wasn't on the arm, leg, or anything. No, he struck Rudy where it would hurt the most.
His heart.
The sand continued to scrape along the glass, slowly being squeezed through the tiny opening in the middle of the hour glass. Rudy looked over and stared at the object. He watched as the sand slowly hit the bottom of the hour glass, ever so slightly filling up more and more. By this time, there was a layer on the bottom, roughly 35% he guessed. Not at the halfway point, but Rudy knew it was just a matter of time.
The desperation of what was going on made it seem like time was going so much faster. He still had maybe 45 mintues left, but it felt like he only had 5. Every time he looked at the hour glass, it felt like it was going faster and faster. And before he knew it, it was going to be time to be taken back where Snap was.
And that may be the last time he would ever see him... No matter how he looked at it, he knew that, after he made the choice, he'd most likely never see Snap again. Either he would die, or Rudy would become corrupted, and he might kill Snap after that himself...
And...who is to say Mr. Cosmo would even keep his word...? Mr. Cosmo might still kill Snap anyway, just because he could. Snap was so hurt now, Mr. Cosmo would be unlikely to keep him around. He thought zoners were expendable, so why would Cosmo 'waste time healing zoners' when he could just 'have new zoners drawn to replace him'? Rudy wouldn't put it past Cosmo to do such a thing.
He thought back to Snap's cut on his arm, and thought, with a shiver, if Cosmo was going to hurt Snap even more. He had hurt Snap for no reason at all, without him being there. He was such a wicked man... For all he knew, he'd arrive in the room and Snap would have five more cuts on him.
And even if he didn't cut him, there were other ways that sick man could hurt Snap. He could kick him around. He could pour vinegar on him to listen to him scream. He could control him like a puppet again...
The only comfort Rudy had was that Mr. Cosmo would not kill Snap until he made his decision. So he was assured that he would get to see Snap at least one more time before...the unthinkable could happen. His regret as that he may not be able to comfort Snap. He wanted so much to put his arms around his friend and pull him into a hug. Snap had been through so much...he deserved some comforting.
Rudy stared at the door that kept him locked in. He had felt the bottom to see if Cosmo had placed something to keep Snap in. In the real world, Snap could use his two dimensional powers to slip through cracks. He had seen him use it when Terry tried to capture him. There had to have been a reason why he didn't do it this time, and he had been right.
There were razor sharp blades there. So sharp that a single touch caused him to recoil in pain. The blade had lightly cut his fingers. Tiny cuts with a little bit of blood could be seen. It wasn't too much damage, but it was enough to make him very angry.
Snap had already been injured before. If Snap had tried to squeeze through here...just what would have happened to him? Even in a flat state, there was no doubt he would have been ripped to shreds, like he was just a discared piece of paper. He guessed that was how Snap got those cuts on his hand. He must have been trying to escape, but quickly stopped when he realized there was something sharp under the door. If Snap went all the way through...would he still be alive...?
Rudy looked down on the bed he was sitting on. He could Snap's blood hardened on the sheet. It stood out quite easily from the white colored cloth. The sight of it made him wince. He wondered just how much pain Snap had been in. And he shuddered to think at just how much more pain he was currently in right now.
And Penny...where was Penny? She had been dragged down a hole just before Snap disappeared. He still didn't have an idea on what happened to her. Cosmo indicated he just let her out but..no..he wouldn't do that. Penny had seen too much. He was certain she was taken somewhere to be...
No...it couldn't be... Rudy felt tears well up in his eyes. Had she been...killed...? That was the only thing he could think of that happened. Penny saw too much of what was going on, and if allowed out, she could go inform the police and have an investigation on his hands. He must have had her killed, or her mind wiped, or something to keep her from talking.
The thought that he may have already lost one of his friends...it was heart wrenching. He tried to hold back his sobs. It didn't work. Tears came pouring down as he cried. Penny...he would never forgive the bastard if he had killed her.
And now he might be losing his other friend as well. This was a horrible day for him. Everything has been going wrong recently. Mr. Cosmo had truly been steps ahead of him. He had planned everything out almost perfectly. He had been making a fool of him since day one. And while Rudy tried to outsmart him, he only played right into Cosmo's little game constantly. And, in the end, it was going to cost him everything he cared about.
He wondered what he could have done differently. There were a lot of things he thought he could have done different. He could have gone to Biclops much earlier and ask him about Cosmo the moment the man started becoming suspicious. He could have not created that portal in the classroom and took his chances with Mr. Cosmo. He could have stayed with Snap when they faced Draow...maybe he could have prevented his capture...
After the hour glass reached the 65% mark, Rudy knew he had to do something, and fast. He pushed away his depressing thoughts of what he should have done. There was nothing he could do to change the past. But maybe...maybe he could still change the future. Maybe he can change his fate. He could try to open the door again. If he could get out, he could try to sneak back in the room and rescue Snap.
He had to try again...
He got out of the bed and glared at the door. There had to be a way to open it. Maybe if he had a hairpin he could unlock it... Unfortunately, he did not. He had to think of something else. Slamming against the door wouldn't work. He already tried turning the knob to break it. He didn't have the strength for any of those.
Then he saw it. He noticed something he hadn't tried before. The window... Could he break it? The window looked large enough that he should be able to loop his arm around to reach the door lock. He looked around the room, trying to find something he could use to break the window. Something...anything...
Laying on the ground, he could see a food tray, clearly made of metal. At least now he knew that Snap was fed while here, not that it made his situation much better. He lowered himself and grabbed the tray. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before, but he turned his attention to the door.
He raised the metal tray and started to bang it against the window. It was much harder than he thought. A few more bangs, and there was hardly a mark. But Rudy wasn't about to give up yet. He hit the window multiple times in the same place. He mustered as much strength as he could with each strike. And soon, his efforts started to pay off. Cracks were beginning to appear.
"Yes.." Rudy whispered with delight. "Just a little more..."
With another strike, the cracks became deeper and spread. Another, the hour glass was getting dislodged from the window. Rudy kept on hitting the window harder and harder. Soon he heard a loud crack and the window gave way. The hour glass fell to the ground and cracked, and he could hear the hissing sound of the sand spilling all over.
Rudy reached out the window. He paid no mind to the sharp glass cutting into his arm. He ignored the pain and the wetness from fresh cuts as his hand found the door knob. He fiddled around with it until he found the lock. He turned it and heard a click.
He was elated that he got the door unlocked. But he couldn't waste time celebrating. Carefully, he eased the door open and looked in the hallways. He didn't see anyone. He slowly walked around, walking softly on the ground. He needed to be sure no one heard him walking in the hallway.
He thought about which direction he had come into this place. He remembered he came in from the left. He headed down that way. Trying to remember all the directions he had taken was difficult. But if he wanted to find his way back to Snap, to sneak in and rescue him, he had to be confident in himself. He had only gone certain ways in this building. If he just remembered those ways, then he shouldn't have much trouble reaching Snap.
But this place was like a gigantic maze, and many paths looked the same. How was he going to be certain he was going the right way? For all he knew, he already missed the way to Snap and was heading towards some unknown place, maybe another hideous room with an equally horrible machine, or some room filled with blood, or some other horrific place.
He didn't get too far down the hallway. As his hands touched against the wall, he must have triggered something. In a matter of seconds, thick bars rose from the ground, both behind and in front of him. He screamed in surprise. He hadn't been expecting something like this.
"No..not now..." Rudy whispered in horror. He started to bang against the bars. "No please..." It was no use. He had no way of escaping the makeshift cage that surrounded him now. All he could do now was was wait for Cosmo to come.
And speaking of the monster, it didn't take long for Mr. Cosmo to show up.
The man looked very amused by Rudy's attempt at escape. He walked over slowly, nonchalantly, up to the bars. He stared at the teenager with a wicked smile. If the bars were thinner, Rudy would have grabbed Mr. Cosmo by the neck.
"I had a feeling you would try to escape." Mr. Cosmo said with a smile. "Ms. Saffron managed to get out of that room. So I thought I should increase the security a tad."
Rudy said, "Ms. Saffron?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why did you lock her up? I thought she was your ally..."
"She seems to have been...corrupted..." Mr. Cosmo said with a tinge of fake regretfulness. "It seems all that time chatting and being friendly with your blue pal has messed up her mind. She actually seemed to care for the little runt. So I had her detained here. But I must say...I didn't know she'd be able to send help so quickly..." He paused for a moment, and his smile broaded as he stared intently at Rudy. "But no matter...I'll let her have her little fun for a while. I'll take care of her later."
Rudy glared daggers at the man, clenching his teeth tightly.
"And as for you..."
Rudy felt his body tense up.
"Since you are so eager to see your friend..." Mr. Cosmo snapped his fingers. Rudy's eyes widened in horror when he saw Draow walk up behind the man. "My...companion and I will be more than happy to escort you back up. I will await your decision..."
"But...it's not even an hour yet..!" Rudy cried in horror.
"Oh, but all the sand had reached the bottom." Mr. Cosmo pointed behind the boy.
Rudy looked over. His eyes widened as he saw the sand spilled all over the place. In a way, Mr. Cosmo had been correct. The deal was that he had to make the choice when all the sand touched the bottom. And it sure wasn't doing anything but that all broken up and shattered on the ground.
He looked at Mr. Cosmo. "I...I can't...make this kind of decision..."
"Oh sure you can." Mr. Cosmo tapped a finger against his head. "You just gotta think real hard, and decide what is more important to you... free will...or your best friend..." He chuckled evilly as he opened the front bars. "Grab him, Draow."
As Draow stalked towards him, Rudy took notice of something red on his wing claw. He felt his heart freeze. Could it be...Penny's blood...?
He didn't have time to question it as Draow grabbed him by his left arm. He bit down hard, drawing blood from Rudy's already injured arm. He let out a cry of pain as the beast whipped his head swiftly to one side, the force putting pressure on his pained left arm.
Draow dangled Rudy in front of Mr. Cosmo. The man cupped his chin tightly and stared into his green eyes.
"I do know that you will make the right choice." He said with a smile.
On instinct, Rudy, in an attempt to defend himself, tried to bite Mr. Cosmo's hand. But he only ended up biting air as the man had pulled his hand back just in time.
"I should be careful. Could've lost a finger." The man said with mock concern. He turned around and began to walk down the hall. "Come, Draow. And don't let our guest go..."
Draow followed close behind, holding Rudy tightly in his jaws.
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Ms. Saffron held onto the hook above the car door. She hung on tightly as the driver made another sharp turn, the wheels squeeling against the road pavement. She heard Penny grunting, and knew she wasn't having as much luck at hanging on.
She understood they had to get back to the building as soon as possible, but this man could take more care in not driving like a madman. What if they gotten into a car accident? Or went the wrong way? This guy was driving so fast, she was amazed that he was still able to make all the right turns. How long would that last, exactly?
As they went through another four way intersection, she looked over at the man. She had some doubts that this was the artist that they had been looking for. Penny was not the only one to express doubt. But as soon as she mentioned Mr. Cosmo's name and what he had done...the middle aged man seemed to spring to life.
It was clear that he took all of this very seriously. Even though he wasn't sure if it was possible Mr. Cosmo really had returned...he wasn't going to take any chances. They had left almost right away to get back to the building. Ms. Saffron said she knew the building well and that she could tell them which path to take.
Up ahead, she could see the building come into view now. They were almost there. She could only hope that they weren't too late.
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Rudy seethed in pain as Draow dragged him into the room where Snap was being held prisoner. The beast obviously took no care to make sure he wasn't biting him too hard. He didn't hear his bone's break, so his arm wasn't broken. But it sure felt that way with the way Draow's teeth were tearing into his arm. His blood kept dripping on the ground, leaving a trail behind as Draow walked.
Mr. Cosmo was walking just in front of them. He kept a brisk pace, like he was excited to hear Rudy's answer. He paused, letting Draow walk out in front, and turned to shut the door. Draow carried Rudy towards the front of the room and dropped him. Rudy groaned in pain and held his arm tightly.
He could see Snap in the cage. His widened eyes were looking at him in worry and fear. Rudy was grateful that he didn't see any new wounds on his friend. But that gratefulness soon vanished as he reminded himself of what was about to happen.
He moved closer to the cage. The bars were not far apart enough for him to reach in and comfort Snap. All he could do was stare at his friend with great concern. It was painful for him to see Snap this way, deprived of his personality because of the pain he had to endure. He wanted to speak. He wanted to say something to put Snap at some ease, but what could he say? He had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess.
He finally manage to choke out, "S-Snap..." He didn't want to believe that this may be the last time he'll ever see his friend, alive or not.
Snap tried again to get to his feet. He did a little better, but only for a second. As soon as he took a step, he fell to the ground. He cried out in pain as he hit the cold, hard floor.
"Snap!" Rudy cried with tears in his eyes.
He had been wrong. Snap wasn't in the same condition as he first saw him. He was worse. Before, he could manage to walk, if just barely. Now it seems like even taking one step is too hard for him. Rudy's eyes trailed to the nail in his friend's head. Had it...had it damaged Snap enough that he could no longer walk...?
No...it wasn't the nail... Rudy's mind flashed back to the vinegar Snap was dipped in. The vinegar had done a lot more damage than he thought. He looked at Snap's feet and he felt his hearth wrench when he saw the burn marks. Deep red plastered all over his feet. He hadn't noticed it initially because of the angle Snap was in when he walked in.
Now he could see the burns quite clearly. As Snap laid there, he took notice of his feet twitching in pain. Rudy bit his lip, choking back a sob. He didn't doubt that Cosmo did that on purpose so that Snap couldn't try to get away from him this time.
Giving the room a quick look around, he could see the vinegar tank off in the corner. The smell still hung strongly in the air. Before, he never really thought anything of vinegar. It had never been a concern to him. When he did the experiment in school, he never thought that his best friend would be endangered by the stuff. With a pang, he wondered if Mr. Cosmo knew about the experiment and decided to use it for this occassion. If that were the case... Rudy felt horrible.
The vinegar tank had been placed where Snap could easily see it. It felt like a deliberate act, like Cosmo wanted to taunt him on what his fate could end up being. It was no wonder Snap was faced away from that one particular wall. He didn't want to look at his own death...
Mr. Cosmo opened up the cage door again, the bars vanishing with a sparking sound. Rudy immediately started to rush over, but Draow put his head in the way and snarled at him. Rudy backed up slowly, staring at Draow in fear. Unable to do anything, he watched as Mr. Cosmo went in to fetch Snap.
As Mr. Cosmo got closer to Snap, the blue boy raised his head and started to tremble. Snap's low cries filled the room, pulling at Rudy's heart strings. Snap couldn't do anything to get away. He pressed himself against the ground, as if doing that would keep him safe.
"D-D-Don't hurt me...p-please..." Snap stammered, holding back a sob. "Don't..."
Mr. Cosmo knelt down towards the zoner. When he had himself lowered, he turned his head over to Rudy. "Well, Rudy...have you made up your mind...?"
Rudy watched as Cosmo ran his hand lightly along the back of the shivering Snap's head. Petting him like he was some kind of animal... Rudy growled lowly in anger, but held his tongue. He was afraid if he said anything about that, Cosmo would hurt Snap again.
Snap cringed back, his body tense from the unwanted touch. He didn't try to scoot away. With his damaged feet, he couldn't get far. Rudy had a sad feeling that Snap would still lay there even if his feet weren't damaged. He was frozen in fear, the actions done to him by Cosmo traumatizing him.
"I..." Rudy couldn't bring himself to say more. He looked away.
"Look over here, boy..."
His mind and heart filling with dread, Rudy forced himself to look back over to Cosmo and Snap.
A twisted smile came onto Cosmo's face. He started to push a little harder on Snap. Rudy could see the look of discomfort in his friend's eyes. He saw his hands push against the floor in a weak attempt to get away.
"What do you want more...?" Mr. Cosmo asked slowly. "Your free will...or Snap...?"
In a second, Mr. Cosmo seized Snap again. His fingers wrapped around the blue boy's throat. He lifted him with a swift motion into the air. Snap let out a strangled cry and started to struggle. He pulled at Cosmo's hand in an attempt to get free.
Rudy watched in horror. "Snap!"
Mr. Cosmo smirked at the zoner trying in vain to escape. He looked back at Rudy. "It is your choice, Rudy Tabootie...so..." He began to walk over to the vinegar tank. As he positioned Snap over it, he said with a sneer, "..what will it be..?"
In desperation, Rudy cried, "No! Please...don't do this, Mr. Cosmo! Let Snap go! Please!"
"Oh I'll let him go all right..." Mr. Cosmo started to loosen his grip on Snap...while he was still hovered above the vinegar. "I'll let him drop right in here..."
"No!" Rudy's face was stained with tears. He reached out towards Snap, only to be held back by Draow. "No...please...don't do it..."
Mr. Cosmo tightened his grip again. He lowered Snap a little closer to the vinegar. "If you want him to live to see another day...you know what you must do..."
"I...I..."
But Rudy couldn't think of anything to say. Thoughts swam in his mind, confusing him for a moment. What should he do? He could say no, but lose Snap. He could say yes, but he might still lose Snap anyway. He couldn't win. But it seemed like...he didn't have much of a choice... He...he wasn't going to let Snap get tortured and killed like that...and if he wanted him to have a chance at survival...
Seeing no other alternative, Rudy lowered his head in defeat. The tears continued to fall form his eyes. He looked up at Snap. "I-I am so sorry...Snap...please forgive me..." Snap's eyes widened like he knew what Rudy was about to say. "O-Okay Cosmo...you...you win..." He let out a soft cry. "Just..please don't hurt Snap anymore..."
Mr. Cosmo grinned triumphantly. "I knew you would come to your senses." He began to walk away from the vinegar and towards Rudy. "I guess this chalk creature really means that much to you."
Snap's struggles increase. "No, R-Rudy...you c-can't..!"
"Shut up!" Cosmo snarled at the struggling zoner. He pulled out a knife and, with a single motion, sliced against Snap's right cheek. Snap let out a scream.
Rudy gasped in sheer horror. "No!"
Snap fell silent and began to whimper as fresh chalk blood dripped from the new cut. He turned his head away from the man, closing his eyes.
"Next time, I will take out your eye..." Mr. Cosmo hissed, glaring menacingly at Snap. "So keep your mouth shut..." He turned his attention back to Rudy. "Now...where were...?"
Suddenly there was a whistling sound. Draow's ears pricked up and looked around for the source. Mr. Cosmo frowned and looked around the room as well. After the whistling, there was a couple of clanging sounds, like something fell on the ground.
Then, a second later, a loud bang. Rudy and Snap cried out in pain. Mr. Cosmo hissed and staggered back, releasing his grip on Snap. Draow howled in agony and swayed from side to side. A strong smelling smoke filled the room.
Rudy struggled to open his eyes. He was starting to feel a little dizzy. He heard a thud and saw that Cosmo and Draow had collapsed on the ground. He looked over to where Snap was laying prone on the ground. The smoke grew thicker. He could see someone picking Snap up, but he couldn't recognize who it was.
Despite covering his mouth to try to avoid breathing in the smoke, it was a futile effort. Rudy's body was wracked in coughs. He noticed this mystery person was coming towards him. His mind eventually gave into the smoke and, as he was being dragged out, he fell unconscious.
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"Rudy?"
A voice called out to Rudy. It sounded familiar. All Rudy could see was darkness. He felt so tired, so weak. His eyes remained closed.
"Come on, get up! We need to get moving!"
There was that voice again. It sounded less echoy this time. Slowly, Rudy's eyes opened up and he struggled to sit up. He let out a groan and rubbed his head.
"Thank goodness you're okay! I wasn't sure if throwing smoke bombs was a good idea. But I didn't know what else to do."
Through Rudy's hazy state, his eyes started to focus a little. The blurred colors and shadows began to take shape. His mind slowly remembered what had happened. He looked over at the source of the voice. And he couldn't believe who he was staring at.
"Mr...Mr. Wilter?!"