"Go away..." Snap muttered. He was not in the mood to be talking to this red-shaded robot. He had enough worries on his mind right now.
"Not until you tell me where Rudy Tabootie is!" Craniac 4 told him. He followed close behind Snap. "I still want that instant matter materializer! The boy still owes me answers!"
Snap growled lowly. He couldn't believe, after all this time, this robot was still obsessed with the magic chalk. He still thought that, if he given the right instructions, that he could actually use it. Even after he was told so many times that only a human can use it, he still wouldn't believe those words. He still would pursue this delusional quest in weaponizing the chalk for his own purposes, or whatever the heck he planned to do with it.
Right now, Snap just didn't care about what Craniac 4 planned to do with the magic chalk. Craniac 4 was not of his concern. He needed to get back to the games. Going it alone was going to be hard, but he didn't have much time to let all that sink in. Right now, he was being pursued by Craniac 4. No matter which way he went, the red robot would follow. Snap had a feeling he wasn't going to stop following him even if he left the Future Dome, and that was going to be problematic. How would Bardot react?
The only good thing that happened from Craniac's appearance was the fact that he was the one who deactivated the acid. He was worried that this was breaking the rules, but he did not get a call from Bardot yet. Maybe it was because he didn't call for help. Craniac said he turned off the acid and reversed it so that it wouldn't destroy the Future Dome. This was his home after all. If he let it be destroyed, well, all his work would be gone. He had no intentions on saving Snap, and no surprise. He had no idea he was even here.
Of course, Snap couldn't tell him why he was here. No matter how much the robot demanded information from him, he refused to talk. Eventually Craniac stopped trying to get answers out of him in regards to why he was here. Even if Snap could tell him, he wouldn't. Craniac was still considered an enemy. While Skrawl had turned over a new leaf, Craniac never made any strides in improving his relationship with Snap or his friends. It was none of this robot's business why he was here, regardless if lives were at stake or not.
Craniac 4 had been following him for a while as he headed back the way he and Rapsheeba came in. He needed to get out of the dome. He had found the card for the next game, and he needed some place quiet to read it. It was too noisy in the dome right now. Some of the zoners realized what had been happening and were panicking. Their shouts made it hard for Snap to concentrate on his own thoughts.
In his other hand, he held the radio. He was certain Bardot was going to contact him pretty soon to give him 'updates', to put it mildly, maybe mock him on losing his only other team member. Snap swallowed as he thought about Rapsheeba. He could only hope that she would remain relatively unharmed. But knowing Bardot, she and Blocky would both recieve some injuries during their stay.
Then his thought shifted to his human friends, Rudy and Penny. He wondered how they were holding up. Badly hurt, he knew. He didn't know if they suffered any more injuries. He didn't know how bad off they were. Were they on death's door? He shuddered. He hoped that wasn't the case. If they were almost dead then...
...then he really had to hurry.
Snap hobbled along as fast as he could. It was hard to walk with nothing to assist him with. He hadn't been able to find anything useful while walking through the Future Dome. It surprised him. Usually he would find something semi useful around here. But not this time, at least not something he was looking for.
The pain in his leg had increased. Bending it was such a difficult task. That alone sent shockwaves through his battered limb. The burned spot on his foot was making things even more difficult. Granted, at least it was just the tip so he could still use the foot; he just couldn't put the entire foot down. Walking like this was making the back of his left foot ache, making it even harder to use his left leg. He wished he had hung on better to his walking stick. Moving slowly wasn't something he could afford.
Once on the grassy ground below the dome, he could probably find something. There were some trees nearby. He could break off a branch and use it as a new walking stick. It wouldn't take too long. Just a few minutes at most. Then he could continue on his quest to save his friends. He silently prayed that they were going to be okay, and he hoped that Bardot will get what he deserved in the end.
Suddenly, Craniac 4 increased his speed. He moved in front of Snap, forcing him to stop. Snap narrowed his eyes. This stubborn robot was going to be problematic. He needed to leave this 'game' area and continue on. But how can he when this delusional robot won't stop following him and now is blocking his path?
Craniac 4 spread his arms out, a clear attempt to make himself a blockade to prevent Snap from continuing. "You will go no further!" Craniac declared. He pointed his claw in Snap's direction. "Not until you assist me in getting the instant matter materializer! If you won't help me, then I'll just use you as my prisoner! Surely Rudy Tabootie will come to your aid, and then I..."
"Shut up!" Snap shouted at the robot. His patience with the robot had come to an end. He was so worried about his friends. He had so little time. And Craniac was going to make him run out of time at this rate. "How many times have we told you in the past? The 'instant matter materializer', as you call it, can only be used by a human! No amount of interrogation, examination, or information gathering is going to change that! Get that through your head, you delusional robot! Now, if you don't mind, I need to get out of here."
With that, Snap brushed back Craniac. The robot stared at Snap, his eyes widened a little at the outburst. He hadn't been expecting it. And honestly, neither did Snap. He hadn't planned on yelling at the robot like that. He was just so frustrated, he couldn't help it. He had to save his friends. He couldn't afford to waste time.
Surprisingly, Craniac 4 didn't pursue him after that. Maybe what Snap said finally got through to him. No...there had to be another reason. And sure enough there was. Glancing back, Snap noticed Craniac 4 heading towards what looked like...Craniac 3? Snap stared in shock. What was he doing out? He wondered if, when setting up the death trap, Bardot decided to have a little fun and activated the older Craniac versions.
He watched as Craniac 3, who some how had a Dumb Dart stuck to him, Snap had no idea how that could have happened, constantly rammed himself against the wall. Craniac 4 shouted at him to stop and started to drag him away.
Snap wasn't surprised that Craniac 4 abandoned him in favor of going after Craniac 3. He was adamant about keeping inferior technology kept locked away, and he had a bit of an ego on him. Like all the Craniacs, Craniac 4 prided himself in being the 'latest and greatest' and looked at the other Craniacs in contempt. He didn't want them roaming about, ruining his image or whatever else they could do. So he kept them frozen, which Snap could call a fate worse than death. These were living beings that he was keeping frozen for all time.
But he didn't focus much on that. As disgusting as Craniac 4 treated his own family, Bardot was still far worse, and he was the one he needed to focus on. He continued on his way, not sparing another glance at the Craniacs. He did hear a bit of their conversation as he continued walking away.
"I cannot believe you got out! And with a Dumb Dart attached as well! Just how you managed to capture Rudy Tabootie and friends escapes my circuitry. Come along, you failure, I need to put you back before you cause anymore trouble!"
"Why are you so red? Are you a lollipop? What flavor are you?"
"Ew no, get away from me! I must remove the Dumb Dart!"
"This isn't a dart. It's my hat. It's going to rain soon! Why don't you wear one too?"
"Wait, where did you get that Dumb Dart? No...stay back! Get away from me!"
Then Snap heard the whirling wheels of the two Craniacs as they began to pursue each other. His mouth ticked into a smile. It was pretty funny listening to the two of them banter like that. It did feel good doing something other than feeling anger and sadness. A little humor could brighten up any day, even if just a tad.
But the smile was gone pretty quickly as he found the way out, and got out of the Future Dome. Now that he was out of that place, away from that noise and commotion, he could look at the card and figure out where the next game was going to take place. He just hoped he could figure this out all on his own. It was going to be hard figuring out these riddles without the help of Blocky and Rapsheeba.
Before he could start reading the card, the radio buzzed. It was Bardot. Just the guy he was expecting to hear from.
Snap answered the radio. "Bardot. Why am I not surprised?"
Bardot chuckled. "I just came on to give you a quick heads up. I had a feeling you were going to lose your precious teammates at this point, so rest assured the remaining games will not require two people to complete. You should be able to finish them on your own."
"How thoughtful of you..." Snap said sarcastically. He glared at the radio. Oh how he wished he were there right now. How he wished he could slam his fist against this guy's jaws. "And what of my friends? What did you do to them?"
"Rapsheeba and Blocky are both placed in holding cells. Oh and you are going to love this part. The bars for their cells are the exact same types as the ones Mr. Cosmo used. You know...the electrified water bars."
At this, Snap's eyes widened in horror. The electrified water bars...he remembered those all too well. Mr. Cosmo used them to keep humans and chalk drawings at bay. He didn't know how Bardot managed to mimic them in ChalkZone. One thing it did do was make him realize that Bardot might plan to have a lot more victims. If he went through all that trouble to get the electrified water bars working without damaging his base, he must have a use for them.
"You are quite well acquainted with them, aren't you, Snappy boy?" Bardot sneered.
Snap growled. He was getting tired of Bardot calling him that. But the electrified water bars drew most of his attention. Bardot was correct. He had almost gotten really well acquainted with the electrified water bars on many occasions when he was Mr. Cosmo's prisoner. He had been forced to walk close to them many times, getting almost close to touching them. The memory sent shivers down his spine. He sometimes had nightmares about that, where he ended up touching the bars and watched his hand and arm slowly disintigrate. The thought of that caused waves of dull pain to surge through his arm. Oh yes, even in the dream, it hurt...
"And as for your human friends..."
Snap shifted his gaze back to the radio. "What have you done to them?"
"I got tired of how strong their spirits were. You see, I needed them broken for when you came." Bardot chuckled at this. Snap's eyes widened. "So I separated them. I wonder how long they will last when they no longer have each other for support..."
"You..." Snap wasn't sure how to respond to that. His mind swirled as memories of his capture with Mr. Cosmo flooded his mind. He had been alone during most of that time. Alone, and in pain... And how his friends were suffering the same fate. "You really are Mr. Cosmo's creation..."
"Indeed I am. I'm glad you're smart enough to know that." Bardot said, another chuckle escaping his throat. "But it's not like I care about him. He might have been my creator, but he wasn't going to bring me to life. In fact, it was Rudy who brought me to life with his 'erasing the ChalkZone' evidence spree he had. So you could say I'm a collaboration between those two."
Snap growled at this. How dare this zoner try to associate himself to Rudy in such a manner... Especially after all that he had done...
"Mr. Cosmo is the one who drew me. And Rudy is the one who brought me to life." Bardot said darkly. "Perhaps I should thank him...after he stops crying. I really did a number on him."
Snap gasped at this. "What the fuck did you do to him this time?!"
"Oh nothing much..." Bardot said innocently. "I just tore his right arm open and broke it at the elbow, that's all."
Snap clenched his teeth so hard he thought they would break. He breathed in ragged breaths in and out. His eyes, wide with anger and hatred, stared into the radio. If only he could reach through and grab this insane zoner...he could make him pay. He would grab him by the throat and yank him out and beat him up for what he did. Snap wasn't a normally violent zoner, but Bardot...the bastard deserved it.
Bardot's laughter filled Snap with more rage. Did he really think this was that funny? Did he really think this was an acceptable way to treat another living being? The thought that this zoner really did think stuff like this burned him up. And the way he talked about how he broke Rudy's arm so casually, like it was no big deal... Snap didn't think it was possible, but his hatred for this zoner went up even more.
"Penny is not much better off. Draow cut her up pretty badly. He slashed up her broken leg. Now it's even more useless than before. I believe he shattered her collarbone as well as he tore up her shoulder." Bardot said in a humored tone of voice. "Yeah, your friends won't be able to take much more. They'll die of their injuries before the dehydration. They will need to go to a hospital soon. I hope you hurry, Snap. You are almost out of time."
Snap's body shook in rage. "Not only will I make it in time..." He said through clenched teeth. "I will make you regret ever being erased..."
Bardot laughed cruelly at this. "Well then, you better hurry up!" Bardot paused for a moment. Snap thought he was done talking. But the radio didn't turn off. Instead, he heard Bardot give an amused humph sound, like he just realized something. "You have only five hours left to find them. Best hurry."
Then the radio clicked off, leaving behind a horrified Snap. He stood there, frozen in place. His eyes were very wide. Five hours left? There was just...five hours left to save them. Rudy and Penny had just a few hours left to live. If they didn't get out of there in five hours, if they didn't get back to the real world to be treated and given liquids quickly, they were going to die...
The realization caused Snap to cry. He couldn't hold it in. He just dropped to his knees and started to cry. He was so close to finding them. But knowing there was so little time left... He knew he had to hurry. But what if he got there too late? What if, despite his best efforts, he failed?
He wiped his tears away. He looked up at the Future Dome, the place where they visited on one of their earlier adventures. He looked around and soon found the tree where Penny had accidentally pulled him out of. Memories of their past adventures came flooding back to him. To think that it might really be over now...to think that he was never going to see his friends again...
No...
No he wouldn't think like that. He couldn't give up. He couldn't.
Snap rose to his feet. He turned his head towards the horizon, the direction where he saw Rapsheeba being taken. In that direction, he had a feeling that was where he was going to find his friends at the end of all this. His eyes narrowed slowly. Determination welling up inside of him. He wasn't going to give up. He wasn't beat yet. And there was still time.
He glanced down at the card, looking at what it said. As he read it and tried to figure out what it meant, one thought kept creeping into his mind. And, in a soft whisper, he spoke it.
"Hang on, guys. I'm coming..."
sss
Rudy lay on the ground in absolute agony. His arm, it was on fire practically. Every part of it radiated with pain. The agony in his broken hand now spread, connecting with the deep lacerations that Bardot had given him, extending all the way up to his shoulders. Blood continued to pour from it profusely. And that was just part of his injuries. Bardot had also broken his arm, twisting the elbow until it had popped.
Rudy was amazed he didn't faint from that. The pain was intense, one of the worst he had felt since he had been here. His arm lay uselessly at the side. He couldn't move it without feeling intense pain. Now he was even more immobilized than before. Now he had a broken leg and a broken arm. He couldn't really crawl before, but now that ability was even more hindered.
Pain still radiated from his other wounds, especially his shoulder and side. He knew they were infected, or would be infected soon. Already he could feel himself start to become sick. He started to shiver a little harder, and he realized, with dread, that a fever was starting to settle in. Just like what had happened to Snap...
Memories of what happened to Snap haunted him. That fever that he got that spiked up so high...how it caused him to pass out... It was a terrible memory and not something he wanted to remember. Snap had been so helpless, so sick... Now he was feeling the same thing his friend had gone through. He was in the exact same position. Injured, weak, infected... The only difference is that he hadn't been tortured with electricity like Snap had. But he knew that, if Bardot had thought of it, the insane zoner would use it against him.
But the worst pain he was feeling, even more intense than any of his injuries, was the separation from Penny. He knew she was hurt. But the worst part was...he had no idea how badly hurt she was now. He didn't know all that Draow had done to her. It wasn't like Bardot was going to give him the details of that. His lower lip quivered, wishing he could at least see Penny. But she was in another room, all by herself, just like he was.
Being alone in this place was the worst thing Bardot and Draow could have done to them. And he was certain they knew that, too. That was they they ripped them apart. It was why they had dragged Penny away into her own cell. They wanted to crush their spirits, and they knew that, so long as they were together, they would hold onto that spirit. But alone, separated, they weren't able to comfort each other anymore. And now remaining mentally defiant was going to be harder.
Rudy missed Penny terribly. They hadn't been separated that long, but to him, in this wretched place, it felt like an eternity. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to hug her. They needed each other. Being together was a big reason how they were able to remain so defiant against their captors. But without eachother, all alone... He wasn't sure how well they could manage mentally.
Being alone was mentally damaging to almost anyone for extended periods of time. And in times like these, where torture was involved, it was even worse. Rudy and Penny could manage their injuries when they had each other to comfort, to tell the other it will be okay. Now alone, there was no one Rudy could turn to. No one to try to help him feel better. He was on his own. It was up to him alone to keep his spirit up. But how long would he last alone...?
He realized that being alone was what he and his friends had to go through right now. They were all by themselves. All in pain. All suffering. Penny was in agony somewhere, all alone, and he couldn't comfort her. And she couldn't comfort him either. He was taken to his own cell as well, away from the one he and Penny were originally kept in. He was on the ground, moaning in pain.
And Snap...he was by himself as well. And unlike him and Penny, Snap couldn't rest. He and Penny could alleviate some of the pain by laying down and not moving much. Snap, though, he had to keep moving. No matter how badly hurt he was getting, he couldn't stop. He had to keep running to each of the remaining games. If he rested for too long, then he would run out of time.
Rudy knew that his time was almost up. He could feel his body becoming weaker and weaker by each second that passed. The additional blood loss was taking a toll on him. His head was spinning a little, and he was getting awfully tired. He did what he could to fight against it, but he knew, as time passed, he was going to get to the point where he was so weak, he couldn't stay awake. He didn't know exactly how much time he had left, but he knew it wasn't a whole lot.
Rudy shifted his eyes towards the ceiling. He sucked in a shaky breath. He never thought that ChalkZone might be the place of his death... No, he couldn't think like that. There was still time left. If Snap hurried, he could get them back home. Then everything would be fine.
"Please...hurry Snap..." Rudy begged, his voice scratchy and weak.