Within Reach
Chapter 14: L.N.W.
Vesper considered himself a rather patient person, but this wait was excruciating. There weren't any distractions in the blimp so it was a matter of pacing around the control room and occasionally looking out the front window to see if he could see anything. He hadn't considered bringing a book since he had assumed he would be doing something more than this. Though it wasn't like it would've been better if he had; he had to stay vigilant, he couldn't get distracted.
There was this lingering dread that Abe, Alf, and Toby wouldn't make it back that continued to cycle through his mind. So aggressively, in fact, that his ears began to twitch, and he started to furiously groom his fur back. There were just so many variables to worry about. Abe could come back without Alf and Toby, Alf and Toby could come back without Abe, none of them could come back at all, or that squad of Sligs Abe worried about could show up.
Needless to say, he was thrilled when he caught sight of what looked like a blimp coming in his direction. Then was absolutely elated when he concluded that was exactly what it was. A relief smile pulled at his mouth as he left the blimp so he could watch as the second one landed very closely to it. The blimp was a slightly different model to the one they were using, with a longer bow, more glass windows, and a blimp branded with a faded wiener shaped logo.
Vesper waited outside the blimp door with excitement in his eyes and words biting at his lips, which pulled back to a toothy grin. He wanted to know all the details and he could barely wait for Abe to come out.
Except that it wasn't Abe who came out the door, but Alf followed closely by Toby, who Vesper almost walked into trying to slip past Alf.
"Hey, glad to you both made it back in one piece," he greeted with a cordial smile before starting to head inside. He got as far as the entryway before Alf's voice stopped him.
"He ain't in there if that's what you're looking for," he called back, knowing good and well that he was exactly what the Chiromor was looking for. He sounded mildly disgruntled. "Abe's still over in Evenwurst clearing it out. He'll catch up later."
"Oh… Right, that makes sense. I was thinking that was a little quick considering all he wanted to do," Vesper said. That was part of the plan, or he assumed it was. Abe sneaking around over a couple dozen Sligs in a dangerous factory. He couldn't help his smile from growing tighter and increasingly more nervous looking. "…But are you sure that was a good idea? Letting him go on his own."
"No," Alf said bluntly. He turned back while crossing his arms across his chest and gave a firm, "But I trust Abe."
"I do too, obviously. That doesn't mean I'm not going to worry about the guy," Vesper defended, still managing that smile. He tried to reign in his concerns, clasping and massaging his hands as he looked out towards the factory. "You're right, I'm worrying about nothing. Abe's gone through a lot worse. I'm sure this is a stroll through the atrium for him!"
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Over there, where I don't have to listen to it," Alf remarked, pointing off to some bushes. "Or help us get this fuel moved. One or the other, you ain't doin' both."
"Sounds good. Point me where you need me."
Alf started to lead them around to the back where they would be doing the refueling. It was then that Toby decided to speak up. Not just to assure Vesper but to somewhat reaffirm his own beliefs.
"He's not really alone. Once he rallies up the workers, he's going to have plenty of help," he said with a small but sure smile. "There wasn't much going on in there. Abe's gonna make it out, no sweat."
"Yes, I know. He does that; picks up help wherever he goes, works with whatever he has. I'm just overthinking it all," the Chiromor said as though convincing himself. After a moment, he turned and sent a grin to Toby. "Thank you for that."
Toby nodded with a smile and followed to the back of the ship where he began to work with Alf to get the fuel tank open. While Vesper waited for direction, he kept sending glances back in the direction of the factory. Sure, he would see or hear some sort of sign if something was going wrong in there. Then shook his head and turned away when Alf shoved a thick coil of hose into his arms to carry.
At least he was going to be pulling his weight now. Maybe even literally.
Things in Evenwurst had been as quiet and productive as usual. The workers were keeping up like they were supposed to, and security was manning their posts with the disinterest they usually showed. There was no reason to believe that something was about to happen. Even with the increased security, attention was at an all-time low after the days of silence since the RuptureFarms incident.
Except that was about to change, and it started with a small thump. The Slig who heard it was one stationed by the side entrance into the main production floor and had been watching the workers, silently daring one of them to step out of line or slack off, when he heard the noise. What was even more strange was that it came from directly beneath him.
He looked down only to see what looked like a mine sitting between his legs. Unbeknownst to him, it wasn't the explosive kind- but it was already triggered to go off.
With a loud pop and jolt, the Slig gave a short cry before collapsing to the floor unconscious. Within a second, Abe darted out from the nearby entranceway and slid onto his knees beside the Slig to hastily tie him up in tape. He was about halfway through when he heard a cry- "Hey, what was that?!"- and the sound of another Slig coming over.
Abe hopped up and took a few steps back to give him room as he reached into his bag. By time the Slig came around the edge of a vat, he was already ready with a handful of hard candies. He caught him off guard with the first one, causing the Slig to stagger, and threw the next two in quick succession. The third being what caused the Slig to tip back and sprawl out on the floor. Down for the count, but not for long.
He was on him in a heartbeat, wrapping him up just as tightly as he did with the first Slig but getting a chance to check him over for anything useful. He kept an eye out as he did and spotted a Mudokon walking by. The worker didn't seem to have heard the commotion. From the dead eyed look on him, he had probably shut out a lot of what was going on around him and instead focused on managing some levers.
"Hey," Abe called through a cupped hand, keeping his voice as low as he could. "Over here."
The Mudokon looked over and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The sight of what looked suspiciously like the rumored Abe crouched over a downed Slig woke him up instantly.
"Come with me. I'll get you out of here," Abe said, beckoning him with his hand.
Instead, the Mudokon fumbled in place, looked off somewhere, and then suddenly darted away. This was not an expected reaction and Abe hoped to Odd he wasn't about to go tell security on him. He had never had anything like that happen before, and just as quickly he was up and running after the worker. Following him through the hot, humid space between the wiener smokers and the spray-on flavor enhancer.
What he found on the other side was that the Mudokon was telling someone, but not the Sligs. It was a small group of other workers who he caught up to and was currently retelling to, even pointing back to Abe as he came through. The whole group eagerly rushed towards their would-be savior, including the original worker who was leading another, significantly shorter Mudokon by the hand.
"You're really Abe, aren't you?! We didn't think you were gonna come for us!" one of the Mudokons exclaimed. Abe shushed him gently and said Mudokon understandably clammed up with an, "Oh, right."
"Stay close and stay quiet, so if we run into any Sligs we can get the jump on 'em," Abe instructed. The group all seemed eager at this. One even punching into his hand like he was itching for a fight. "Follow me."
Which they did and the group made their way back to the outer wall of the production floor. Abe had seen the Sligs stationed around the outside and, considering what he needed to do, he was going to have to take out each one. Thankfully, the lockers had been more than generous with tape, so as long as he could methodically knock them out, he could secure them without any unneeded bloodshed.
Of course, this plan was immediately compromised by the fact that there were three Sligs standing around the main door into the production area. They had yet to notice any of the Mudokons had stopped working as there were still a few going about their tasks in front of them, manning the controls for the skin stuffing conveyor line. They still had the element of surprise for a little longer.
Abe passed out a couple of hard candies to his followers with the direct instructions to only use them if the Sligs got close, if they were in immediate danger, reiterating this repeatedly until he was sure they got it- to the point where one even concernedly offered to give the candy back, which Abe declined. Must've assumed they were rare or something, though in this case Abe was starting to run a little lower than he would like.
"I'm going to take control of one of the Sligs and bring him over here, then knock him out and tie him up," he informed the others. Not wanting them to get the wrong idea and blow their cover. They nodded in understanding, though some of them looked excited or wary depending on their reaction of what was coming. Abe put his hands together and began to quietly chant.
He got ahold of the closest Slig without the others noticing. After taking a brief moment to right himself, he turned the Slig and started to discreetly make his way back towards his own body.
"Where're you goin'?" one of the other Sligs suddenly asked. It was so unexpected that Abe stopped in place and stared forward a second longer than he would've wanted.
"Er, goin' to… smoke," he said. He mentally scolded himself for how suspicious that came out and hoped his nerves didn't show on the Slig's body. Apparently, it didn't, with the Slig puppet stiffer than anything.
"Eh, whatever. Just hurry it up," the Slig dismissed. It didn't care, it didn't notice, and it looked away as Abe continued walking away from the scene and to the group of Mudokons.
Even when knowing it was controlled by Abe, the Mudokons looked at the Slig with distrust. Those hard candies he had passed out were all in hand and being gripped tightly, ready to be unleashed in a barrage if the Slig suddenly snapped to alertness. Save one Mudokon who was slowly licking his with a fierce glare. They seemed a little more comfortable when Abe released the Slig and rendered it immediately unconscious.
He just barely managed to catch it to keep it from hitting the ground loudly, lowered it to the floor, and began to swiftly tape up its limbs and tentacles to subdue and silence.
There was one unfortunate catch to this plan that had started out so well. Abe had put his focus towards dealing with the three Sligs in front of him and while he knew there were others in the room, he just assumed that there was a dozen or so more eyes to keep watch for him. Except those extra eyes were now aimed at the Slig who he was currently taping up.
So, nobody knew when an unaccounted Slig showed up behind them until it suddenly announced its presence.
"Hey, what's goin' on over there?!" the Slig barked. Unable to see Abe, all he saw was a group of Mudokons huddled together and not working. "Get back to work, ya slackers!"
It turned out that the Mudokons were just as trigger happy as the Sligs when they had the means. Whether it be protectiveness of Abe or of themselves, the group turned and all it took was one thrown candy to provoke the others into unleashing a barrage of sweetened stones upon the hapless Slig. It was knocked down and out long before the assault stopped.
But this released a chain reaction as Abe, watching in alarm, heard the two Sligs from nearby take attention and start to come over. "Did you hear that?!" and "Whazzat?" respectively.
Abe's heart started to pound, and he whistled to get the Mudokons' attention quickly, then threw the tape to the one closest to the Slig.
"Tie him up quick! He's won't stay down long!" he warned in another shout whisper. The Mudokon nodded and hurried over to do so as Abe hastily reached into his bag and felt through the bottles until he felt one with sticky glass.
During his time coming back down from the heeliopad, Abe had been grabbing whatever he could and trying to work with whatever he had and had gotten an idea when coming across some of the thickening agent used in the wiener slurry. Curious to see if it would react to brew, he had added some to one of the bottles and found that the mixture came out excessively sticky. Even sticker than brew typically was. Now it was time to see if it would come to any use.
Right when the Sligs came close enough and using the sound of their pants to judge this, Abe leaned out and tossed the bottle at the closest one. It cracked on its pants and splattered its contents all over the Slig and even across its accomplice.
"Ugh! I've been hit!" the Slig yelped. Abe peeked out to see his work and was stunned at the result. The Slig he had hit had its legs and chest lathered in the viscous fluid. It was already struggling to pull its arms away from its chest, like it was stuck in a gooey green tinged web. "It's like some kinda glue!"
Abe glanced to the other Slig before ducking back and reaching into his bag. The second Slig was trying to peel a glob of the stuff off of his chest and then trying to shake it off his hand, but he was perfectly free, and he still had his gun at hand. As soon as he felt a ball of bands he leaned out and launched it, striking it head on and knocking it clean out.
"Crap!" the other Slig yelped. He started to fight harder against his binds until he began to teeter back. "Oh no, NO!" he cried as he fell flat on his back.
Two more down, but more waiting in the wings, and it was a miracle the alarm hadn't gone. Abe's mind was already scrambling a mile a minute when he began hearing the Mudokons behind him asking what they were going, where to next.
He floundered a moment longer until the worker with the tape popped up beside him and stretched it out with a sharp, sticky sound, raising a brow questioningly. Abe gave him a thumbs up and a nod, then beckoned the others forward.
"Wait here, keep an eye out," he warned quietly, then darted off before they could complain. He decided to leave them there as he made his way through the rest of the production floor, gathering up any other workers he could find. Eventually making it back to the group to find the knocked-out Slig bound and the sticky one just with its tentacles and eyes taped over. More than good enough, he decided.
"You're gonna lead us out of here, right?" one of the newly acquired Mudokons asked anxiously.
"That's the plan," Abe agreed, doing little circles in place as he looked up to check the walkways.
"…Then let's go! Come on, we ain't got all day! There's gonna be more Sligs where they came from…"
"Not yet. Almost, but… Okay." He looked around at the group and began to lead, "We need to get to the meat locker or wherever they take all this sausage to pack it up for shipping out. We're going to need it."
"For what?" a somewhat impatient sounding guy asked.
"For, well, everybody! It's a long story, but I'm going to need you guys to help me get as much stuff as we can out and back to the other freed Mudokons. Food, tools, just whatever you can find. We're going to need it all once we get out there."
"You want us to work?! What happened to you getting us out of here?!" the guy argued back. He pointed a thumb back at the downed Sligs. "In case you forgot, we all almost just got shot!"
"I know, I'm sorry, but if you could just-," Abe began to defensive and apologetically say, only to be cut off by another.
"Hey, you be quiet! Abe's saying he needs our help and that's what we're going to do!" another Mudokon snapped. This one he recognized as the first whom he had approached. "'Sides, don't you start complaining about work. I've picked up the slack for you twice this week!" The irritated guy quieted down quickly and the defending one turned to Abe attentively. "We're right behind you, Abe!"
Abe inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, you guys." Then followed their directions as he led the group to the storage sectors.
As he had predicted earlier, the warehouse was towards the back underneath the heeliopad. He wouldn't have been entirely surprised if there was a lift somewhere that directly connected the two, but he didn't need to worry about that now. All he had to focus on was continuing to collect slaves and take out Sligs, with some close calls along the way. Twice he had actually been identified but had managed to use what he had to subdue them. The alarms were still not triggered.
They had gotten to the last connecting annex when they came across an open door with staticky light coming out of it. By now Abe had about twenty-five Mudokons following him- a larger group than normal, but he needed them to move stock- and he stopped them in the hallway before creeping towards the door. He could hear soft snoring even before he peeked inside.
It was the surveillance room. A Slig was slouched back in an office chair fast asleep while rows of screens set in front of him. This almost worried Abe until he got a good look at the cameras. Some of them were out, but the quality on the others was fuzzy and colorless. That wasn't to say that they wouldn't be able to identify him if they looked closely, but that pop of blue wasn't going to show up like he anticipated.
He got out his roll of tape and started to quietly peel some off when he stopped. The roll was down to its last layers, not enough to wrap up the Slig without opening a second roll. Which Abe had but he was starting to run low on. Possessing and releasing was a surefire way of knocking it out, but the material used to subdue these Sligs was precious. He couldn't afford to run low when he was heading to Vykker's Labs so soon.
He had to make a decision and he knew either way it was going to come back to haunt him. So, he took a moment, then slipped the tape back into his bag and pressed the button to close the door. He listened against the door as best as he could and couldn't hear the Slig wake, so he drew back from the door and beckoned the others.
The group started to thunder down the hallway until he stopped them with a wild wave. He put a finger over his lips and beckoned again. They got the jest and began to sneak down the passage instead and then all moved on.
They continued on their way, passing a break room, and heading along another walkway against the wall at the far side of the production room floor, high above the once churning vats, now left unmanned with their half-chewed meat abandoned in their gaping maws. Abe was too busy looking upwards and caught sight of some birds hanging around an upper level. It was a good sign that he would be able to open a portal nearby.
Soon they arrived outside the heavy door of the main storeroom. It was shut tight and sealed with an electronic voice lock.
"They don't let us into the storerooms without a supervisor watching… But that doesn't mean we don't get in," the first Mudokon said almost cryptically. He then walked to a vent cover on the wall beside the door and dug his fingernails into the edge before slowly working it off, revealing that it wasn't screwed in. He set it aside and gestured for the short Mudokon to come over.
It was only now that Abe noticed how young the small Mudokon looked. He couldn't have been more than a couple of years younger than the other Mudokons, but it was the youngest Abe had seen in a while. He felt a little pang of protectiveness as he watched him squeeze into the vent and heard him clamoring around inside.
"Is he going to be okay in there?" Abe asked hesitantly.
"Oh yeah, he's done this plenty of times! Just watch and see," the other Mudokon said. Hands on hips, he watched the vent before looking to the door expectantly.
Abe looked around at the others and noticed they didn't seem too concerned either. Instead, they were keeping an eye out, having learned their lesson after nearly getting caught earlier. He guessed he was just overthinking it again, like he usually did, and rubbed the back of his neck before looking to the guy beside him. Still the same one who defended him earlier. "I, uh, didn't catch your name."
"Huh?" The other Mudokon looked over a little surprised. Abe was looking back inquisitively. "Oh! Uh, yeah. I'm Ernest and that's Philly," he said, pointing at the vent. He then offered his hand to shake, to which Abe quickly accepted. He noticed Ernest glance over his hand scar and watched for his reaction and was relieved when he didn't really have one.
Right at that moment the storehouse door opened beside them and the short Mudokon, Philly, came out with a triumphant smile. Ernest got a proud look and ruffled his feathernet while Abe stepped into the storeroom and took a look around. He had to admit that for a place that seemed so mediocre they had plenty of stock- and this was only one storeroom. Though that could've been to catch up with the demand.
Crates and boxes filled with stacks of wiener packages or cans of weenies, barrels stuffed to the brim with pickled or smoked sausages, product crowded in the corners of the chilled room, with the only cleared area being for a lift that probably raised to the heeliopad. Not that they were going to need that now, and once he was sure it was clear he turned back to the other.
"Alright, listen up, guys! Grab whatever you can carry and follow me! I'm gonna be heading back to that last turnoff; I think I can open a portal there and you can just hop through to safety. You're all gonna be free really soon!"
There were some excited cheers and the Mudokons eagerly filtered into the storeroom, almost knocking him over as he stumbled out beside Ernest and Philly. The former tapping on his shoulder for his attention.
"You said we'd need tools?" Ernest asked. Abe gave him a nod and he returned it and called out. "Hey, anybody up to raiding the maintenance room?" There were a few Mudokons willing to volunteer and came over to join him while he gently pushed Philly towards Abe. "Stay here and help out. I'll be back in a few."
"Wait a minute," Abe barely stopped the group before they could hurry off. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yeah. Don't let his size fool you, he can carry his own weight."
"No, not that! I mean, I can come with you. Just in case we missed any of those Sligs back there," Abe explained, pointing a thumb back and getting a more concerned look.
"I think we got it covered," Ernest said with some confidence. He plucked a hard candy out of his pocket, tossed it in the air, and caught it. "It'll be five against one. I can live with those odds."
"But not up against a hundred bullets," Abe thought but didn't say. He put that aside and let the group go. If he wasn't needed elsewhere, he would've followed with them, but he had to stick with the larger group anyway. Philly too, who ran into the storeroom to start gathering supplies. He had to remind himself that they had a handle on the situation, that this was nothing like RuptureFarms was- or anything like Vykker's Labs was going to be.
Right when Abe was getting totally lost in his thoughts, one of his followers sidled up beside him carrying a crate filled with Meep Mince Weenie Tins. He leaned over to casually ask over his shoulder, "So, about that portal thing…?"
Snapping out of it, Abe led the way back to where he had seen the birds. It felt further away than he remembered- it wasn't- but there was enough room to open it. He checked one last time for any Sligs before pressing his palms together and chanting just like he had when possessing the Slig earlier. He focused on the mental image of the Mudokon village as the birds flocked to him and a portal burst to life in a brilliant glow.
The eager Mudokon was the first to come forward. Regardless of his readiness earlier, he cautiously approached the portal one step at a time, sidling towards it as he readjusted the heavy box in his arms. He took a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing!" he exclaimed. Then he sprinted a few steps and hopped through the portal. Abe smiled a little while chanting; if only he could've seen the look on his face when he was dropped out into freedom. He couldn't break focus to look, but it seemed like the crate had gotten through with him.
After this success, more Mudokons began to make the trip through without hesitation. They brought as much as they could carry, which didn't seem to affect the portal at all. Abe didn't feel a difference when they went through either, so it seemed like this was going to go smoothly. The hardest part would be holding open the portal longer than usual, and even that wasn't usually taxing.
The key words being 'wasn't usually', because usually he only held portals open for a few seconds and in this case, it was much longer. It was drawing something out of him, like he could feel it physically sapping his energy. His calm, rhythmic breathing turned into shaky panting as his body demanded more oxygen. His head started to ache and weirdly enough his hands started to burn. He felt like a flame about to flicker out.
Then all at once he caved and dropped the portal. The birds flew off as Abe hunched over, hands on his knees, and took in a few deep breaths. There were already a few Mudokons waiting for their time to go through, and he raised a hand.
"Just give me a sec. Just need to catch my breath," he assured them.
"You okay? You ain't lookin' so hot," one of the others asked.
"Yup! Just- Just need a short break. That's all."
He tried to recover as fast as he could, worried their concern would turn to impatience, and after a short while he was able to lift back up and reopen the portal. Immediately the action felt heavier than usual, and he felt that sapping sensation return. A few more Mudokons made it through. One even managing to toss a couple of sacks of something through before hefting up a heavy crate and following in after them.
But then something very strange happened. Abe suddenly felt a weird sensation course through him. It rolled down his spine and pushed back against his hold, but he continued chanting through it, confused and disturbed by the sensation until he suddenly got his answer when a form hopped out of the light. It was another Mudokon, but not dressed in the same netting as the workers from Evenwurst. It was one of his freed followers.
He had never had someone come back through the portal before. That was going to be a hard feeling to get used to, but he continued to hold out as another came through and the two, without needing any direction, went to work on helping their brothers move out more supplies.
The second time Abe had to stop he actually fell back against the walkway railing. He rested against it for a few moments and got in as much air as he could. Someone came up and patted him on the arm sympathetically and it helped him get a second, or third wind. He wasn't sure who it was though because by then there was a little crowd formed on the walkway.
The third portal went a little smoother. It started feeling like he was getting used to it, or he was getting numb to the pounding in his head at this point. He was shaky enough that he decided to pace himself and drop the portal early so he wouldn't ultimately collapse, instead leaning back on the railing and waiting for more Mudokons to line up. By then Ernest's group had returned with their arms full and Philly had at some point started standing beside him.
"Did you all hear that?" a voice cautiously asked.
Abe looked up and suddenly noticed that almost all of the Mudokons were looking up towards the roof, angled in the direction of above the storerooms; the heeliopad.
"What?" he asked.
"Sounded like a big bump," the Mudokon, whichever he was, answered.
"What if it's a blimp?!" another panicked voice called from the back. Since Abe knew Alf and Toby wouldn't have come back this soon, it had to be another blimp, and if it wasn't a delivery blimp it would have to be something else.
"…Okay, new plan," Abe began. He then clapped for attention. "Hey! New plan, everybody! I'm gonna open the portal again and ya'll go through and tell the guys on the other side to not come back through. We're gonna get you all out of here just to be safe."
"But what about the stuff?" Philly asked.
"I think we got enough. We got plenty! You guys did great!" Abe assured. This got morale up pretty quickly, some of the Mudokons even sharing smiles and nods. He rubbed his hands together, trying to rub the overheated, numb feeling in them. "Just two seconds, guys..." He was starting to sound like Vesper.
"When you say, 'tell the guys on the other side', do you mean you're not coming with us?" Ernest asked in confusion.
"Nah, I'm heading up to Vykker's Labs… I got to see a Ma about some eggs," Abe tried to joke. Of course, without the context all he got was a confused look from Ernest, followed by some concerned looks and mutters from the others, reacting to the mentioned of Vykker's Labs appropriately. "Don't worry about me. I've got it covered. We've got it covered."
Somebody said, "Yeah, sure. Can we get a move on already?" Abe's smile and head dropped tiredly while Ernest turned to look for whoever said that and didn't find them.
Once it looked like the rest of the Mudokons had gotten back and were starting to become impatient or antsy, and the sound of something could still be heard above, Abe reopened the portal and held it open the full duration of the others' escape. He almost faltered midway through but was determined to keep the portal open and get all of them out. He caught glimpses of concerned faces through squinted eyes, but nobody was worried enough to stay- good.
Eventually even Ernest and Philly went through. They stayed until only a few others remained and soon afterwards the rest followed them out. Abe dropped his hold on the portal and flopped back on the railing again. His ears were starting to buzz and that pounding returned, but it began to ease up quickly. He tried to shake off the weird sensation as fast as he could and then went to check the storeroom.
The place was almost entirely cleaned out, with only a few boxes or packages remaining. No Mudokons were left behind either, which was what he was worried about the most. Deeming it a job well-done, he turned and headed back down the walkway with the intention of going out the way he came in. He tried to walk off the lingering weakness in his body.
It was hard not to get lost in his own thoughts. Just when a problem was temporarily solved, here cropped up a new thing to worry about. He had never felt that weak opening a portal before. Then again, he was holding it open a lot longer than usual, and he was definitely not as proficient opening portals as he was possessing, but it was concerning. Especially since this was likely a trial run of how he was going to move all those eggs out of Vykker's Labs.
"Stay focused. Let's just get out of here before whatever's up there starts coming down here," Abe told himself. He sent a leery look up at the corner of the ceiling, where the noises had only slightly died down. Which probably meant whoever was up there was in the process of coming down here. He gripped his bag straps tighter as he walked past the break room, throwing a glance into it as he passed.
Only to come to a sudden stop right afterwards. He slowly backed up to the door again so he could see inside.
The break room was the typical fare, nothing to write home about. A cramped room with metal walls and tiled floors, with only a few motivational posters tacked on the walls. "Workers not working? Hit 'em harder!" There were a couple of small tables with rickety chairs, purposefully uncomfortable to encourage people not to stick around long.
There were also four vendos against the back wall. Two for Sligarettes, of different brands, an Expresso machine, and one filled with Evenwurst's own line of snack food. It was clearly trying to copy RuptureFarms' own Tasty Treats, except it was all wiener and sausage themed. Things like Sugared Slaw-Slogs and pouched Pickled Paramite Logs. He was a little more interested in the Expresso machine.
A can of Expresso would probably pep him up enough to make the hike back to the blimp easier, and he felt less weird about it after what Alf had said earlier with the Soulstorm Brew. He tentatively stepped into the room, checking the corners for cameras before slowly approaching the machine. Turning full around as he did to make sure there was nothing sneaking up behind him before hastily dumping some moolah into the machine.
Soon he was cracking open a can of Expresso and chugging it down. It was unfamiliar- not that he hadn't ever drank the stuff, but it was very seldom. Had an overwhelming sort of taste. Bitter in a different kind of way, but he was thirsty and tired, and this was supposed to do the trick. He paused to catch his breath and glanced to the meat machine alongside it.
Hunger crept up on him again. It seemed like it was doing it a lot recently, which was weird since he thought he was eating more now than the rations he was used to. At least the food seemed to be better quality, even without the sustaining draw of the brew. He was always hungry, so he ate, but now he was still hungry. What was worse was now he was finding that hunger a lot harder to ignore, especially when he had the moolah on hand.
…Then again, they could always use more supplies. He didn't know how long it would take to find and get to Vykker's Labs. Even if it wasn't great it was technically the same food he was feeding his followers. He considered asking his guide for advice, but that nagging tightening of his stomach finally led to him caving and dropping most of his collected moolah into the machine, then stuffing his bag with various Evenwurst products.
And as he did, he couldn't help but wonder if he was growing weaker. The thought slowed his hand and marred his face in a look of worry. Portals were hard to hold open, he was a slave to his stomach, and now he had practically no self-control. He took a patient breath and tried to block it out, but all he did was think about it more. He almost wished he could go home, but he knew he wouldn't escape it there.
Bed sounded good right now, even with it being the middle of the day. A warm bed wrapped in soft blankets and the brushes of silky fur. His stomach was tightening, but not because of hunger this time. He drew another deep swallow of the Expresso as he headed towards the door. His mind wandered as he wondered what they were going to do if they had to sleep overnight in the blimp. If Alf would find it weird if he slept in the back with Vesper and didn't say why.
He walked out of the break room and straight into someone.
From the tentacles that smooshed against his chest, that someone was obviously a Slig, and Abe had walked right into him. He jumped back in shock, dropping the Expresso can with a clatter.
"Hey, watch where you're goin'," the Slig groggily complained. Its voice sounded groggy, and it reached up to adjust its mask before looking at him and immediately freezing up. It seemed just as in shock as he did.
Abe spotted a gun tucked under its other arm and instantly bolted into the break room and around the wall. Just as quickly, the Slig juggled with and cocked his gun before aiming it at the open doorway.
"Hey, freeze!" the Slig yelled. There was a long moment of silence. The Slig standing in the hall, gun aimed on the doorway, while Abe was just inside with his back against the wall and his hands in his bag. "Hooooly hell, I think he's blue," the Slig muttered under his breath. "Crap, crap, crap. Okay. Okay, I got this. Ahem- Hey! Jailbird! The jig's up, now give up and come on out!"
It didn't take more than a few seconds for the Slig to realize that he wasn't coming out. He begrudgingly shuffled closer to the open door. "Last warning, Chump! There ain't no way ouuuah!"
That was all he got out when midway through the sentence a blue arm reached out and threw what felt like a rock into his chest. A rock that suddenly wound around him and in a flash he was snared up in lengths of blue tape, causing him to fall defenselessly onto his back. He gave a muffled cry through his tentacles, which had also been pinned down by the strands.
Abe cautiously stepped out of the doorway right before the Slig's eyes. Said Slig beginning to yell and swear in panic, all too muffled to understand but he could've guessed pretty close. He then broke into a quick sprint down the hall and disappeared around the next corner.
"THAT WAS THE TERRORIST! MOTHER OF ODD, THAT WAS THE REAL DEAL!" the Slig thought. Technically he said, but even he couldn't hear his own words. All he could do was stare after aghast before he looked down at himself and realized the fully extent of the situation he was stuck. "Aww man. I'm gonna get real deep in it for this one…"
What none of the Mudokons, not even Abe, could even anticipate that it wasn't a mere delivery blimp that had perched itself on the heeliopad. It was something so much more intimidating. An armored hovercraft landing on a roof not suited to hold its weight but had barely held on. A large Slig Barrack's logo was branded on the side of the metal beast in bright yellow, like a warning sign to those who may approach.
As soon as it landed, a Slig swat team unloaded itself and proceeded to line up on the heeliopad, not too far from the two bound Sligs Abe and Alf left behind. They were awake now and fighting against their tape, calling for the team, but they stood steadfast until their leader stepped out of the ship. He didn't look much different from them, save the dark button up jacket and matching military-esque hat. He raised his wrist transmitter to his mouth.
"We've arrived at Evenwurst. No sign of the delivery blimp. Already spotted two downed security Sliggies- they're alive," he read out.
"Sounds like this ain't a fake-out after all," a gruff voice said on the other end. His words gargled in his throat before he spat them out, "Secure any workers and security staff. Bring in the blind, leave no witnesses."
"Roger, roger," the commanding Slig echoed. He turned off the transmitter and called out to his men. "We got a L.N.W. order in effect! Search the premises and bring back any clean survivors!"
The Sligs all agreed with a yell of, "Moolah!" and proceeded into the building. A few broke away to go address the tied up Slig.
"I gotcha. Quit squirmin'," one soldier said. He whipped out a knife and started cutting them free. "What happened out here?"
"We got attack! Some nut locked himself in the blimp and threw a rock or something at me! That shit hurts, man!" the first Slig said. "Then the sucker takes off with the damn thing!"
"Didja see 'em?"
"No," the Slig said. He was looked at with scrutiny. "Well sorry if that ain't what ya wanna here, but the last thing I saw was something flying at me and then the ground coming up real fast!"
"Yeah, uh huh. Gotcha." The soldier then started to untie the second Slig. "You see 'em?"
"I think it was a Mud, but before I could get a good look someone whacked me. Lights out, nothing to see here," the Slig grumbled. He pushed himself up off the ground. "I think… Think it might've been an escape attempt."
"Gee, I wonder what makes you say that. Think it could be the fact that they stole the blimp!" the first Slig exclaimed, gesturing his arms out at the spot where the ship once was. He paused like that for a moment before looking back and asking quieter, "Hey, ya don't think it was that Abe guy, do ya?"
"Did you SEE that Abe guy?" the soldier abruptly asked. His voice was stern enough to startle both Sligs, causing the second to look between him and his companion before tentatively answering.
"Err. No?"
"Then you shut yer yap about that!" the soldier snapped. He pointed a finger in the other's face and the Slig raised his hands and slinked back. "We don't need to get any rumors going, got it? We got word that this was just another run-of-the-mill worker uprising. Happens all the time, we've already dealt with two others this week."
"Uh huh," the other Slig agreed. He clammed up instantly, intimidated by the weird tone that had taken the soldier's tone. It didn't seem natural.
"You two go on over and get in the airship. We've gotta clear this place out and we can't have you getting in the way, and we ain't gonna rescue ya if ya make yerself hostages. So, get moving," he commanded, motioning his gun back at the ship. The Sligs didn't need to be told twice and made their way over, only risking exchanging a look once they were sure they were far enough away. They knew that something bad was about to go down.
Inside the facility wasn't much better. They were finding restrained Sligs all over, with a good number being around or on the production floor, and no sign of any Mudokon workers.
"-And then suddenly there's all this green crap on me!" a particularly upset Slig covered in some sort of sticky substance complained. Said substance was beginning to harden as the soldier Sligs worked to pick it off enough that he could move.
"What is this, glue?" one soldier asked, tossing a handful off onto the floor.
"That's what I said! The stuff smells sweet-."
A piercing bang suddenly echoed through the room and the glued Slig turned his head in alert. The soldiers helping him didn't seem to react. "Hey, whoa. What was that?" he asked.
"Accidental discharge," said one soldier.
"Happens all the time," said the other.
Then right on cue, there came a cry of, "Accidental discharge!" from across the room. The Slig shrugged it off, deciding he cared a lot more about his current predicament, and returned his focus to complaining about the sludgy bindings.
The commander stood at attention near the entrance door into the production floor. He did little more than observe, waiting for one of his subordinates to slip out of line so he could bark them back into place. He got such an opportunity when spotting one of his soldiers leading over an armor-less Slig, no doubt from this company's understocked security team. He narrowed his eyes under his goggles as he realized they were approaching him.
"What is it?" he snapped.
The soldier flinched at the tone before gesturing his head back towards the following Slig. "Got a witness here."
"Then why're you bringing him to me? You know how to handle this," he said, lowering his voice to a hiss. He gestured a thumb back, "Take him somewhere and interrogate him."
"Yeah, but, uh… There's a lot of… Survivors in here and I don't want to… spread these rumors… I don't know, something about mass hysteria," the Slig finished.
His use of codewords was so subpar that the commander wanted to roll his eyes, but he refused to show even that much emotion. "What, are ya deaf? I just said- Alright, take him out there, take him down one of the halls, and see how much he knows. Got it?" Thankfully, the soldier complied and after nodding he walked past without another word, leading the oblivious Slig out of the production floor.
The soldier led the Slig into one of the smaller halls stuffed with lockers in the hopes that it would cut down on the noise. He made sure they were completely along before turning back to the witness.
"Start from the beginning. What didja see?" he asked. The Slig was starting to look impatient, assuming that all of this excess was because they didn't believe him.
"I already told ya what I saw, dammit! It was that Abe guy! I'd recognize him anywhere!... I mean, I ain't ever seen him before, but he got that blue skin- and I think I saw stitches!"
"You've gotta be totally sure here, Buddy. You know for a fact it was this Abe guy? Couldn't have been some sad Mud hanging around?"
"I know what I saw, and I saw the bluest Mudokon I've ever seen! And he was the one leading 'em, because he was the one throwing stuff! I'm telling ya, that Abe guy was here. That's why all the workers are gone- he snatched 'em up!"
"Okay, okay, I hear ya," the soldier said defensively. Then he looked down the hallway behind the other Slig before nonchalantly pointing past him. "What about that guy? He's lookin' kinda blue-green." The Slig turned back to look.
The soldier lifted his gun and put a bullet in the back of his head.
A splatter of blood struck the lockers before the witnessing Slig followed suit, collapsing against it before sliding down and crumpling to the floor. The soldier promptly turned his head down the hall and called down towards the door.
"Accidental discharge!" he yelled. He then looked back at the body and shook his head disapprovingly. "What a waste," he said. He then headed back down the hall without another word or even a second glance.
Once the soldier's footsteps grew faint, one of the locker doors slowly opened and Abe cautiously looked out.
He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He didn't want to believe it, but all it took was a quick look out to see the evidence lying not too far away. Abe looked at the body with shock and horror, which quickly fell to something more like sympathy. He closed the locker door and carefully approached the Slig. It was clear that it had died instantly.
He had no idea the cartel was this desperate to quell the rumors about his uprising. It made him feel sick just thinking about it. It was one thing having a Slig die while defending himself or someone else- he didn't like killing but knew there wasn't always a choice- but to have Sligs be murdered just because they saw him, killed in cold blood, it felt wrong. It was a twisted and perverse way to silence their voices.
Abe tried to walk around the body and continue towards the way out, but he found the murder weighing on his conscience. He tried to deflect it by reminding himself that not many of the Sligs had seen him- though more than he thought, if judging by the amount of 'accidental discharges'. Though almost instantly he remembered that there was one who he knew for sure had seen him.
That one Slig he left outside the break room upstairs. It didn't sound like they had made it upstairs yet, so he was probably still alive. Tied up nice and tight, unknowing that the Sligs who would save him would also be the ones to kill him.
It was especially hard to think about since this was directly Abe's fault. If he had just tied up the Slig while he had been asleep, which he could've easily done, then none of this would've happened. All to save supplies that he used anyway tying him up afterwards. Not to mention that if he hadn't been hanging out in the break room the Slig probably wouldn't have spotted him.
There was so much remorse and regret. If he could've done it over, he would've, because nobody deserved to die like this. Not when it was because of his own bad decisions and taking unnecessary risks.
…And he had a bad feeling he was about to do both again.