Just like he had predicted, Mumbo Jumbo wasn't entirely thrilled that Skrawl came back for questioning. He flat out told the jellybean that his friend had been through enough, and that he wasn't comfortable with talking about Bardot. But the king was understanding enough of the situation and hadn't tried to kick him out of the room. That didn't stop him from glaring at the jellybean during their conversation, making it quite clear that he wasn't pleased with him.

Barney wasn't happy either. He didn't seem to react in anger towards Skrawl. That was how he would have reacted had he been healthy and perfectly fine. He was never pleased with people coming to him for information. This time, it wasn't because Skrawl came for information, but because he did so regarding someone he was terrified of. It had been difficult for him to talk about Bardot at all, even if it was just regarding one of his inventions and not Bardot himself.

This gave Skrawl an uncomfortable thought earlier. Had Barney been taken to Bardot's hideout at least once and tortured there? That would explain why even Bardot's inventions made Barney uncomfortable. If he had to see them up close and personal...no wonder he was upset. He could certainly sympathize with him. Though his stay clearly wasn't as horrific, his encounter with Mr. Cosmo did help him understand Barney's fears on some level.

However, that thought he had before, it made Skrawl realize that Barney might be able to help them find the hideout. If he really had been there, he might be able to take them there, or give directions or something.

But even if Barney knew the location, that didn't mean they could get there. Skrawl reminded himself of their other problem. The cameras. He needed a way to hide himself and anyone else he brings with. They needed to find a way to go undetected. The EMP pulser worked well, but only in confined spaces. If they tried the same thing outside, sure it'll stop cameras within the radius, but any camera outside that area would still see him. And Bardot would still know what was going on.

With Barney's huge collection of knowledge, he must have something that would help them. Something that he could use more than once, would last for a long time, and let him bring more than one zoner with him. And it had to be portable, too. Nothing heavy that could be seen from a mile away. Something stealthy...

But getting information from Barney now was not going to be easy. The centipede had grown even more wary about talking to him regarding Bardot. After being abused by the hybrid zoner for so long, it came as no surprise to Skrawl nor King Mumbo Jumbo when Barney froze and whimpered even at just the mere mention of Bardot's name. Both of them could only imagine what he had gone through. Mumbo Jumbo got a taste of it when he confronted Bardot at the hospital. Skrawl never saw it, but from the king described, it was horrific.

And to think that was just a small display... Barney said that the monster had done a lot worse to him before. And how he did it over and over again. Each time he spoke about Bardot, he grew more and more distressed. Even in the safety of his friend's company, he still acted like Bardot would show up at any moment.

The promise of stopping Bardot was the only thing that gave Barney enough strength to talk about him a litle more, or anything Bardot-related. Barney was the only zoner who had the information they could use to stop the crazed zoner. He was the only one who could have even the slightest chance of helping them to find the hideout he and Draow went to.

But all the questions asked earlier, and now Skrawl came again for more... The jellybean began to realize that he must be sounding an awful like like Bardot right about now. That evil zoner had came after him time and time again for information. And he would beat the information out of him even if Barney was going to give it up willingly.

And now here Skrawl was, doing the same thing. Well almost. He hadn't tried to harm Barney for the information. He was just asking for it. But him coming again and again...that was something Bardot was doing. Skrawl realized that his behavior might also have contributed to Barney's nervous behavior. Skrawl would stop but they had some important issues to take care of first. They had to find Bardot and Draow and stop them somehow.

He knew Barney and Mumbo Jumbo understood this well enough. They knew what danger they posed to other citizens of ChalkZone. Yet, despite that, Mumbo Jumbo was growing irritated with Skrawl coming for more information again, and Barney was getting more and more nervous every time Skrawl came back for information. But it wasn't like Skrawl had much of a choice in the matter. It wasn't like he had a wealth of knowledge regarding Bardot.

Out of the three who stood in the hospital room, only one of them had information they could use to their advantage. And that was Barney himself.

"Look, I understand you want to stop this guy. I completely sympathize. I want him stopped, too, especially after what he did to my friend after all this time." King Mumbo Jumbo said. "But isn't there a way to do it without having to consult my friend so many times regarding...that guy?" He carefully avoided saying the evil zoner's name for fear of freaking out his friend. "In case you didn't notice, he's in no position for..."

"Yes, I know." Skrawl raised his hand to silence the turtle. "But what do you want me to do? He's the only one I know of who knows a lot about this guy. And he has Rudy and Penny captured. We don't have much time to be feeling sorry for ourselves. We..."

"Feeling sorry for ourselves? Is that what you think this is?" Mumbo Jumbo growled. He walked a few steps towards Skrawl and jabbed a stubby, clawed finger in his direction. "Well I'm sorry if the abuse of my friend is just some trivial boo-hoos to you!"

Skrawl took a step back. "That isn't what I meant!" He rubbed his forehead with one hand. "Okay, look, we need to find where this hideout is, and figure out a way to get there without being seen. Barney is the only one I know who has enough knowledge and might be able to help in such a short time frame. I'm sorry that I keep coming back for information. I'm sorry I keep talking about Ba...him. But what do you expect me to do? Lives are on the line here!"

There was a bit of silence for a few seconds. Skrawl gave them some time to think about what he said before he continued. He wanted them to let what he said sink in. They knew how serious it was. Now he hammered it home, making sure it stuck.

"I'm no more happy about this than you are two are. But right now, we need to stop those two zoners. If you don't help me, then there'll be a lot more who will end up like you, Barney." Skrawl said, narrowing his eyes. "Could you really live with that?"

Barney let out a soft whimper and tears dripped down his face. Mumbo Jumbo took a step in front of his friend, glaring at the jellybean. Skrawl took a step back just in case the king decided to get physical with him. He didn't like the way he was looking at him.

"Now that's enough!" King Mumbo Jumbo shouted. "You're upsetting him even more! Do you know a thing about sympathy?"

"Do you know how many zoners will end up hurt if he doesn't continue to help me?" Skrawl retorted back. He did feel a little bad for getting a little rougher than before. But he needed the information and fast. "And if Rudy and Penny are killed, that leaves us with no creators. And with no creators, with this..Bardot guy having creator powers in the form of blue chalk, and with the blue chalk so hard to find...we will be at a disadvantage."

Skrawl turned his head to Barney. The centipede zoner had his head turned away. His face was pointed to the ground. He couldn't tell if he was feeling guilty about something or what. His body was shaking a little. Skrawl knew he might be getting a little too aggressive, and made an effort to talk a little softer and gentler.

"Look I'm sorry I keep trying to pry information from you. I'm not trying to get like Bardot." He noticed the centipede shaking a little harder at the mention of that name. "But if you don't help me, other zoners may suffer horrific fates, like you and the two creators. I know you aren't the most social zoner, but I also know you do care about Rudy, Penny, and Snap, and I know you wouldn't want others to suffer what you went through. You wouldn't want to feel responsible for their deaths and suffering, now do you?"

At this, Barney took a step back away from Skrawl. He kept his head faced away from the jellybean, even though he couldn't really see him. His antennas curled downward and his head lowered. He started to cry a little harder.

At this, the turtle had enough. He took a step towards Skrawl, glaring at him angrily.

"Enough!" Mumbo Jumbo growled in Skrawl's direction. "You're making him upset!"

"At ease, old friend.." Barney spoke. His voice was shaky. He took a step towards his tortoise friend and put a hand on his arm. "He's right... I do need to help stop Bar...Bar..." His voice trailed off. Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo knew what he was talking about. Barney sniffled and wiped his nose. "I want him somewhere where I know that he'll..never harm me again..."

Mumbo Jumbo's expression softened up. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He put a hand on his friend gently, carefully avoiding his wounds. "Because if you don't feel comfortable, I can..."

Barney shook his head. "No...no I'll be fine. I'll be fine..." The centipede turned his attention to Skrawl. He walked towards his direction. "I'll tell you what else I know about...Bardot..."

Skrawl nodded his head. "I'm listening."

sss

Even Snap had to be amazed at how he managed to dodge the charge, especially since Bardot wasn't that far away from him. The jump did hurt him, and it aggravated his chest would. He still managed to pull it off, if just barely, letting Bardot land on the ground next to him.

Bardot quickly changed direction and went after him again. Snap narrowed his eyes and pulled his fist back, the opposite one this time, and prepared to punch. He waited until Bardot got a certain distance, then he moved around to the side. He slammed his fist against Bardot's injured shoulder, causing the zoner to screech and crumple on the ground. Snap took this chance and jumped onto him.

Bardot being smaller did make it easier for Snap to slow him down with his weight. He wrapped his arms around Bardot's neck, like he had with Draow, and pulled tightly. There was a gagging sound and Bardot began to try to force him off. However, Snap had made a miscalculation, one that almost cost him dearly. With him being roughly the same size as Bardot, it meant that he was a larger target, and since he was a larger target...

Snap screamed in surprise when Bardot slammed his jaws shut next to his arm. The sudden attack was enough to make him let go. He slid around Bardot's side, his head almost touching the ground. Bardot then stopped suddenly and, mustering up strength, flung Snap's body into the ground. Snap let out a scream as he rolled across the floor. He shook his head and looked over as Bardot rushed towards him. Snap stood up shakingly and tried to punch him again.

Bardot, however, learned fast. He got the best of Snap this time. He moved out of the way as the blue boy tried to deliver a punch. He went around to Snap's side and struck him down with his claws. Blood splattered the ground as Snap was flung into the hard, unforgiving floor again. Bardot struck a second time, making his back wound even deeper. He then jumped back, landing a bit aways from Snap, and sneered at him.

Snap raised himself off the ground with his arms and he looked in Bardot's direction. He refused to believe that this is all that Bardot had to offer. Granted, he was still vicious, but he expected him to fight harder than that. He had expected more. And he had a feeling he would get more. He must be deliberately holding back. He must be prolonging the fight. Snap knew that had to be the case. Bardot was just playing with him like he was just some inanimate toy.

That notion appeared to be proven when Bardot started to run around him. He didn't run quite as fast. The injuries he sustained did slow him down. He was still, however, faster than Snap himself in his current state, and it was still a little hard to keep up with him. Snap looked left and right, watching as Bardot ran circles around him. He tensed up, preparing for him to lunge at him at any given time.

And then he did, but not in the way Snap expected. Rather than pin him down, what Bardot ended up doing was jump at him and bump him with his head, pushing him down. Again and again, Bardot headbutted him, only to pull back away before he could land a blow. And where he would strike was randomized. He might hit him from the front, the side, or his back. Snap had tried a few times to get onto his feet, but each time, Bardot would come at him and strike his legs with the back of his paw, deliberately holding back by not using his claws.

Yeah, he was playing with him. Bardot wasn't fighting seriously. He was so confident he would win, Snap was so injured, that Bardot got a little 'playful', if that would be the right term. For a little while longer, Bardot would just run around Snap and strike him at random. He wouldn't bite or slash him. He would just use enough force to knock him across the ground, all just for the 'fun' of it.

Snap growled softly. He couldn't believe he was being treated like a toy. He couldn't believe that Bardot was wasting his time. The zoner was just delaying him. He was keeping his distance and wasn't using lethal force because he didn't want him to die just yet. He wanted him to witness his friends dying. He wanted to make sure that he couldn't land a blow on him until it was too late.

Snap grew tired of this delaying game. He started to rush towards where Bardot was sitting. He prepared to punch him. As he ran, his movements were a little awkward, the blood loss and weakness taking a stronger hold now. Bardot just grinned as Snap got closer to him. Then he just jumped out of the way, letting Snap punch nothing but empty air. The blue zoner whipped his head around and growled as Bardot landed a foot away from him and then ran off, putting more distance between them.

Bardot smiled at him, tilting his head to the side. He lifted up his paw and waved at him mockingly. Snap rushed towards him again. His second attempt to punch him did no good. Bardot, using whatever remained of his speed, still managed to keep out of the way. Snap wasn't sure how he was going to beat this guy if he couldn't even get close enough to him to attack.

When he tried to run again, he was forced to stop. His head started to spin again, this time worse than before. A dull pain throbbed through it. He stopped in his tracks and started to rub his head. Then his chest started to hurt really bad, and it became a little harder to breathe. He started to cough, blood getting into his lungs. He fell to his knees, a hand on his head and another on his chest. And those were just two areas being wracked with pain.

He was only on his knees for a second. When he put pressure on his injured leg, he let out a cry of pain and fell on his side. His body shuddered in pain. He realized that the full effects of his injuries were starting to come into the fray now. The one thing he didn't want to happen... Now was a bad time for this... He had to try to fight back against the pain somehow...

But this time, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ride out the pain. He remained frozen on the ground, his body shaking from the pain. Unable to hold back, he let out a few whimpers, his eyes shut tightly. He heard laughter and he opened up a pained eye. He saw Bardot walking towards him slowly, his lips curled back into an evil grin.

"See what I mean? Too much pain to move. Looks like your...adrenaline is starting to wear off." Bardot taunted him. He walked around him in a wide circle, his eyes going over Snap's injuries. "Ah yes...it won't be long now... You won't be able to take much more. And fighting me...well that's going to send you to your grave sooner."

"If I save my friends by doing so..." Snap growled. "I-I will do it..."

Bardot chuckled. "Oh I know that. That is why this battle is going to be fun. I get to see here, more than anywhere, just how much of a beating you can take." He licked his lips slowly and he took another step towards Snap. His eyes bore into his. "I have to wonder what you taste like..."

Snap's eyes widened in horror at this. This just made Bardot's creepy smile grow broader.

"What? You thought I only ate humans?" Bardot asked coldly. He shook his head once. "Oh no. I've eaten a few zoners myself. I prefer humans, but zoners are much easier. No need to dehydrate them..."

Bardot moved around behind Snap. He pressed his paw against Snap's back and held him down. He lowered his head to Snap's injured back. He licked along the gash, causing Snap to let out a pained and terrified whine. Bardot then backed off, getting out of the way before Snap could land a defensive blow on him. He moved around until he stood in front of Snap.

"I like the taste of your blood, Snap." Bardot said in a creepy voice. "Perhaps I should kill you know before you lose too much..."

Snap bared his teeth. "Y-You're sick..."

"And you're delicious." Bardot said tauntingly. "And oh so naive. You still think you can save your little friends? Look at yourself." Bardot made a gesture with his paw. "You're covered in wounds. You've lost a lot of blood. You can barely move right now. What hope do you have..." He placed a paw on his chest. "...to defeat me..?"

Snap didn't bother replying. He narrowed his eyes at the monster. He watched as Bardot paced around him once more, taking another note of his injuries. It was like he was a vulture and he was examing his prey. That was very well what he was doing. Bardot had announced his intentions on eating him as well. He truly was a monster.

Snap glared at Bardot as he was being examined like a piece of meat. The way Bardot looked at him, he could tell Bardot saw him as just an object. He had made that perfectly clear. He could see him licking his chops slowly. His tail moved from side to side. Bardot stared at him eagerly, venom and saliva dripping from his fangs.

Then a cold shudder went up Snap's spine as he realized Bardot was staring at him hungrily. Oh no...was he going to try to kill him now? If he tried to bite with those fangs..would he be able to get out of the way in time? Snap's eyes widened as Bardot gave him a creepy grin, almost like he was reading his mind and confirming what he was about to do.

Snap struggled up, and managed to get on his knees without falling over. He opened his mouth a little wider, taking in quick breaths. He coughed up a little more blood. He looked over at Bardot as the zoner came back towards him again.

"Perhaps...I should change my plans a little..."

Snap's heart started to pound. He glared hatefully at Bardot, doing his best to hide his fear. He raised up a fist defensively, threatening to strike him if he got too close. Bardot didn't even acknowledge this. He continued walking towards him as if nothing had happened.

"I don't need to do anything more to your friends. They will die soon enough. I care not about blood loss with them. The less fluid they have in their bodies, the better." Bardot said as he got even closer to Snap. "But with you...the more blood you lose, the less...tasty you will be. Maybe I should speed things up a little."

Snap's eyes widened. He attempted to get back up. Though he managed to stand on his feet, he didn't stay like that for long. A second later, Bardot jumped on him. He knocked Snap onto his back. Bardot stood on him, using his weight to hold him down. He pressed his paw against his chest wound, causing Snap to cry out in pain. With his other paw, he gripped his arm and yanked it up. He stared at it, vicious intentions glowing from his eyes.

Snap struggled to get his arm free. He yanked on it again and again. It wouldn't budge. Snap watched in fear as Bardot opened his mouth and started to move his jaws towards his arm. Snap struggled frantically to get away. He pounded his fist against Bardot's shoulder. This time, Bardot remained there. He did flinch in pain, but he remained focused on this task. In just a couple seconds, the fangs would go into Snap, and he will die. He had to find a way out of here and fast.

Then, as time seemed to slow down as Bardot was about to inject him with venom, Snap took notice of something. Bardot's body wasn't straight as he stood on him. Rather, it was curved, probably to concentrate his weight on one area, his chest and stomach, to make it harder for him to move. While it did work in Bardot's favor, it was also a mistake because his tail was close enough for Snap to reach.

He looked up at the approaching jaws. Then back at the tail again. He wasn't sure if it was going to work. It was risky, but he didn't see any other options. As he saw the jaws start to close, he reacted as quickly as he could. Taking the tail in his free hand, he yanked it over and straight into Bardot's mouth as it shut all the way.

Bardot's eyes flew open as his own teeth, minus the fangs, sank into his tail. Blood dripped from the small puncture wounds he gave himself. The fur on his tail puffed up, his ears and crest straightened. He threw his head back and let out a screech of pain.

Snap took this chance and punched Bardot off of him. He struggled to his feet again. He let out a few groans of pain as he stood there, his body shaking from the pain. Though he was in great agony, he managed to stay on his feet. He panted a few times, staring at where Bardot had fallen into the ground. He watched as the yellow and red zoner got up to his feet.

Slowly, Bardot turned his head towards him. His expression was chilling. A mixture of anger and demented delight. His pupils shrank and a psychotic smile spread across his face. He started to laugh. A cold laughter nothing like he heard from this guy before.

"You know...that was a really smart move..." He said in a creepy tone of voice. The smile broadened for a second. Then he turned his head to the side, his muzzle pointed to the ground. He stared at Snap with a single green eye. "Too bad it will be the last move you'll ever make. Be prepared, Snappy boy." He raised his head up, his teeth bared in an evil smile. "You're luck has run out... because now the gloves are off. I have been holding back...but no longer..."

Eyes growing wide, Snap took a step back, staggering a little from the pain. He already had known Bardot was holding back, but he could barely manage against him when he was using just part of his strength. If that was what he could do when he wasn't even trying that hard...

...what was he like when he wasn't holding back?

"Time to die, Snap..." Bardot laughed.

He pawed the ground, claws scraping along it, preparing to rush towards him. Snap, despite being afraid, took a fighting stance. This fight was far from over.