Mable: Sorry this chapter took so long, but I have a feeling the next one might be ready quite a bit sooner. ^_^ Enjoy!
Within Reach
Chapter 20: Latamire Munch
Vesper was starting to get downright stir crazy from all this waiting. He handled it well enough during their short stay at Evenwurst, but this time it was much more intense.
On the plus side, it looked like Daggle's routine was working, whatever it was. He hadn't come back in, and they couldn't hear through the blimp, so all they could go on was watching through the porthole window and guessing. It wasn't the most entertaining thing to watch but at this altitude it pretty much was the only thing around that they could watch as time crept by.
"He better not be spending that money on himself. That's bribing money, not blowing money," Vesper mumbled as he closely watched the Intern open the metal case and show whatever was inside off to Daggle. "Those better not be cigars."
"Probably steroids," Alf guessed. "Ever see one'a those beefed-up Big Bros? Yeah, steroids."
"Oh, that's nice," Vesper said with a frown. Now noticing the box turning enough for him to see what looked like a vial or syringe. Yes, it was likely a steroid.
Something was up with Alf too. He seemed a little too quiet all things considered, though perhaps that was just because of the tense situation. Maybe it was best that they were staying quiet and paying full attention to the hulking fortress of a medical pavilion that they were docked at.
The silence was broken suspiciously close to when he realized that.
"What's the deal with you and Abe?" Alf rather bluntly asked. "You two have been getting awfully handsy."
Vesper would've broken into a sweat right then if it wasn't for the fact that the blimp was so chilled from the altitude. He shifted around in place as he spared Alf a rather unamused expression, with his ears reflexively tilting back guiltily.
"If you're talking about what you walked in on, that was nothing. My hair was a little puffed up, so he was just smoothing it down," Vesper tried to nonchalantly dismiss. Fighting the nervous urge to fix his hair at the mention of it.
"That ain't what I'm talking about," Alf said suspiciously. "Just this whole 'helping the Muds' thing. I don't buy it. There's gotta be somethin' else ya want."
Oh. Well, Vesper could handle that a little less awkwardly.
"I know it's hard to swallow, believe me. Even my colony would have trouble believing it, but… This is wrong. What's happening here, what's happening to Mudokons. I came to Mudos wanting to help and, well, if this is the only real way I can help then I've got to do it. Otherwise, I'm going to waste a couple of years in an office in Nolybab before dragging myself back home empty handed. Talk about a waste of life."
Alf hummed a little. He still didn't seem convinced, but there wasn't much else Vesper could say. Insisting on it was not going to be enough on its own.
After a minute or two Alf continued.
"You know, it takes a lot of guts to give up everything you got to come out here and help a bunch of people you don't know," he said.
Vesper's ears perked and he regained a smile.
"Well, thank you! I wasn't-." Vesper cut off when he noticed the look Alf was giving him. That short-lived delight dropped as his brows furrowed. "Oh, I suppose that wasn't a compliment."
"It was a question," Alf said.
"Well, you didn't frame it like one," Vesper remarked. His eyes narrowed slightly with an unenthused look. "Why don't you just come out and ask what you want to ask."
"What's the deal with you and Abe?"
"…Oh, yes. I forgot you already asked that," the Chiromor murmured, ears slowly sliding back. He recovered quickly and tented his hands together. "Let's just say that Abe and I are in a position where we can mutually benefit from being-."
He trailed off when he saw how little Alf was buying it. He tried again, "I have always aspired to be something more than someone who just sits in luxury-."
By now Toby turned back to look at him and Alf still wasn't buying it. Vesper gave an exasperated exhale.
"My life sucks and then Abe showed up. I like him, I wanted out of Nolybab, and here I am. Are you happy?"
"At least ya spoke it in a language I understand," Alf said.
Vesper exhaled as he looked back out the window. It was easier looking at Daggle- even if, yes, it was clear he was planning on blowing all of that Moolah- than Alf while having this conversation. Especially if he was going to be smug about it.
"I understand why you don't trust me. Believe me, if I was in your position- I was in your position, with him." He pointed out at the Slig. "And I'm still not entirely sure I trust him. At least I know what he has to lose if he doesn't go along with this. You just have to go on my word, and I can understand why that's hard to swallow, but just know that I wouldn't do anything to Abe or any of you."
"That's easy for you to say."
"Then let me say something that's not easy to say… As much as I care about you all and about the injustice of this whole industrialist system, and as much as I do want to help the Mudokons, I am here for Abe," Vesper confessed. "And yes, I know that's selfish but it's the truth. I've never seen anyone like him- he's incredible. He's the sort of person who you want to give your all for… and my all wasn't enough unless I came with him. Couldn't pass up the opportunity."
Vesper trailed off and Alf didn't say anything in response. Eventually he decided to look over, taking Alf's silence as a sign that he might've finally got it.
Oh yes, he had finally got it.
The only thing worse than Alf squinting suspiciously was him smirking knowingly.
Vesper quickly looked back away. He wasn't even sure how to reply to that look. Was he supposed to acknowledge it? Ignore it? Ignoring it and pretending it wasn't happening sounded like a good idea right now.
Unfortunately, Alf was nearly that merciful.
"So, uh, they don't have girls where you come from?" he asked. That got another sharp look from Vesper. "It's a question," Alf said with an air of smugness.
"It's not like that," Vesper deflected. Though then blinked and looked back, "How do you even know what that is?"
"I ain't that dense," Alf said flatly.
"No, I meant… Never mind. Just don't ask Abe about it. I don't need to make him uncomfortable- Hold on." Vesper's ears perked and he looked out the porthole. "Hold on."
Alf furrowed his brows. "What's that noise?" He looked to Toby, who shrugged, and then out the window.
He caught sight of the Intern touching the side of its head as though listening for something. Meanwhile turning away from Daggle and pulling away the case that he was trying to reach for. After a moment the Intern closed up the case, made a hand gesture for Daggle to stay put, and then hustled back inside. Daggle dropping his arms to his sides in exasperation.
"I'm hearing what sounds suspiciously like alarms going off," Vesper forewarned.
"Already?! Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't leave," Alf muttered, wiping a hand down his face. He steadied himself with the action. "Okay, we're just gonna sit here as long as we can. We start flying off and they're gonna notice, and we ain't leavin' Abe anyways."
Basically, he was just saying to stay put. Toby could've said that, but he instead chose to remain silent. As he had through most of the two's bickering earlier.
Someone might've found it comical that Alf and Vesper were so at odds and yet still managed to have the same amount of panic in the face of danger. Somebody who wasn't currently under the threat of being shot down.
Abe was dragged through the flooded tunnels for what felt like ages before they opened up into a large room. There were plenty of pipes channeling water through the walls and ceiling and large tanks sticking halfway out of the water. He could see "Flor-" written on them but couldn't see the rest of the large word stretching around them. There were also a few walkways above, but they had to settle on a platform at water level.
The swimming creature stopped along the side and Abe was finally able to climb out. He was shaky from the adrenaline surge and instead of standing up decided to just sit on the side for a minute facing the creature. He pulled his legs out of the water and took a few deep breaths to steady his heart. Then he finally looked up at the creature again. They both blinked at each other.
"You, uh, you really saved my hide back there. Thanks," Abe said with a grateful smile. His tongue felt thick, and his voice seemed a little slower than usual.
The swimming creature gave a sort of held tilt. Not questioning, but as though in a shrug. A, "No Problem," he guessed.
A crackling noise drew his attention downward and his breath hitched as he noticed that the noise was coming from his communicator. He tried to shake it out before pressing the button.
"Vesper? Vesper, can you hear me?"
There's was a lot of static and some crunchy waves the Mudokon all but winced at. Yet before he was rendered completely cut off from the ship, he got an unexpected response.
"…'re… Here…"
His shoulders dropped in relief and nearly sunk on the spot before pressing the button again. "I'm okay... I fell in- in water and you're sounding really crunchy… But they know I'm in here and they're looking for me."
"-at?!... ains… larms… You…sl-rr-ng?"
"Yeah…" Abe could only barely understand him, but at least it sounded like Vesper could still hear him.
"-ere… re… ou?"
"Where am I?" There was a crunchy noise that might've been a confirmation. "Uh, I'm somewhere under the labs. I fell down a pipe and got saved by a… By my new friend. So, I'm not alone down here." He looked up and around at the various walkways above them. "Looks like there's a way out, so I'm not trapped… But my cover's blown. I heard them say they're doubling the guard on- on… On her," Abe said, his voice becoming more distraught.
He was also feeling a little out of breath too and that fuzziness was rearing his ugly head. He swallowed hard and unable to decipher Vesper's response, he continued.
"There's something else… I got shot. Not shot by a bullet but by some kinda dart- I got shot by a shot," Abe struggled to clarify. "And I'm starting to feel weird. Not sick but like all slowed down. I think they might've drugged me. I hope. Rather that than poison…" Even just sitting here it seemed to be getting worse. He smacked the side of his face a little to attempt to rouse himself. "I think I'm okay."
There was a pause before a panic race of swearing and muttering that came out on this side of the communicator like a muffled mush of words. Eventually they started to even out.
"-me back… Jus…t… out… oth… way…"
Which didn't make it any easier to decipher.
"I don't understand. You're going in an out," Abe said defeatedly.
"Get… Out… Get… Out…"
Well, that was a little clearer.
.
Of course, on the other side of the line, Vesper's instructions were a lot more direct.
"Get out, get out, get out, get out," he repeated firmly, barely keeping his volume at a reasonable level.
"What's going on?"
"Abe's been drugged," Vesper murmured, trying to not let Abe here.
"…What?! How'd that happen?!" Alf said cried. Too aghast by the news to even consider Abe hearing him freak out. He pointed at the receiver. "Forget it! You just tell him to get his ass out of there!"
Vesper sent him an exasperated look- Alf having been standing there the whole time and had to have heard everything.
"Gee, I never thought of that. I'll try it out," he remarked sarcastically. He then returned to the receiver. "Get out, get out, get out-."
.
Abe was on the other side biting his stitches as he listened to the blunt command. Only when Vesper paused did he manage to speak up for himself.
"But- But I- I've only saved one guy! I didn't even save him; he ran off and I don't know where he is! And I know she's here, but I've got no idea where she is either…" he protested. The thought of getting this close, risking all of this to get here, and then just leaving empty handed was a devastating thought. The only time he ever ran out of a place like this without doing what needed to be done was RuptureFarms, and that was out of his hands.
"-ome… ck."
Abe didn't know if Vesper was telling him to come back or saying they would come back, but the thought that he come all this way only to throw it all away was hard to swallow.
It didn't seem so bad. There weren't rows of security Sligs blocking each door and firing down on him as he skirted by. He should've been able to do this.
Though it wasn't like this place was stroll either. He sort of underestimated it, honestly. It was almost impossible to just brute force his way through. Everything was locked up tight and the armed guards were slow and methodical. One wrong move and he could get sealed off in a hallway, then swiftly offed as soon as they caught up with him. A possibility made even more likely now that he was slowing down both physically and mentally.
Funny enough, but the drugging didn't feel too bad. He should've been panicking but he actually felt pretty relaxed, though he still acknowledged that the grogginess wasn't good. Especially since he didn't know if it was going to get worse.
Through the crunchy words over the static, he knew that Vesper was still trying to convince him to come back. Probably Alf too, but it was hard to make sense of the brief skips of words. Or maybe Alf was encouraging him, telling him that he could fight through it and all he had to do was keep on going. That he had dealt with a lot worse than some flimsy little needle and a bunch of stretched out stitched-up weirdos.
He was already here; shouldn't he finish what he had started? But if it did get worse and he was killed, or imprisoned, he would fail everyone. His brothers, his mother, all of them would be doomed. All his friends too.
So, what was he supposed to do? Follow his heart? His heart said that if he pressed on just a little longer that he would see her, and then it would all make sense. That final piece he had been missing would come together and maybe she would chant or brand him and he would just be brought to full health in his darkest time. Though his brain said he wouldn't make it even that far.
He didn't know what to do. So, he turned to the only option he had left. Someone more reliable than himself.
He lifted his pendant in his hand and turned it and angled his head enough to look her somewhat face to face. He swallowed thickly before asking, "What do I do now?"
The Bee unfurled herself a little more and stretched out her arms, but she didn't give any immediate answers. The whole time the swimming creature watched with his arms folded on the edge of the platform, one propping up his head.
"Should I… go? Should I stay? I already got here and I didn't- I didn't do anything, and I don't know what to do," Abe asked. He inhaled shakily and waited.
This time the Bee reached out and gave one firm tap against the glass. He furrowed his brows, unsure what that was supposed to mean.
"Is that a yes, or a no…?" Abe trailed off before breaking into a tired sigh. He lowered his eyes and after a long moment he quietly asked, "Is this why you didn't want me to come?"
While the Bee did not respond to his question- she couldn't really do so- he knew the answer already. She tried to warn him, the Raisin tried to warn him, even his friends tried to warn him. Everyone warned him and yet he still went anyway, because it always had just been a matter of going in and trying harder.
Maybe he just hadn't tried hard enough. Maybe this just needed to be treated like another test, a trial, and pushed through. He could do that. He could still make this work, because if he left now there was a chance he would never get back, not now that they knew he had been here. He would lose it forever.
He would lose her forever.
"Go."
He was almost surprised when his own voice rung from the core of the pendant. A mimic of his own desperate question, though now with a final answer. No explanation, no excuse, just go.
He wanted to argue, he wanted to fight it, but he didn't. He asked for her guidance and he received it, so he would do what she said this time.
Besides, even as he was sitting here it felt like the world was moving around him even when he wasn't. Abe was starting to realize that he definitely bit off more than he could chew. He was lucky if he got out alive at all.
"…I'll come back. I promise," Abe swore. "I'll- I'll come back and get everyone out of here. I'm not giving up, I just… I just need more time," he practically begged.
The Bee did not judge him. It stared up with a soft and tranquil face, as though contented that this was what he learned. That he made a mistake and that somehow, he would remedy it.
If he could, he would fix this. Elsewise, he was going to die trying.
"How about busting me outta here?"
Abe was startled by the unexpected voice. Partially because sitting there in the calming glow of the Bee was starting to make him fade off, but also because the voice came from directly in front of him.
He looked to the creature in surprise. It started big with large, blinking eyes. They sat there a long moment.
"Uh, I can do that," Abe agreed. He looked between the creature and the water, noticing a possible issue and pointing between the two. "But what about…?"
The creature responded by pressing his hands on the ledge and then hoisting himself out in one push. Much to Abe's surprise it then stood up on one leg with a large flipped-like foot. It didn't exactly seem natural, but it did so comfortably.
"I'm kinda shocked you're still up. That stuff they hit you with? That puts you to sleep. They call it a Sa-noo-zi. Like snooze? They used it on me too and I woke up here," the creature explained. His hands on his hips- or, at least, in the general area. "…Well, not HERE. Up there. They must've shot me up with all sorts of stuff before I got outta there. You gots to keep your heart going fast. That's the only thing that helps," he explained, patting his chest.
"That shouldn't be too hard," Abe agreed. Though his legs did feel awfully loose when he stood up. His whole body felt strangely heavy, and he tilted his head back and took a deep breath. He then dropped his head back forward and stretched out his arm, offering his hand to the creature. "I'm Abe," he introduced.
The edge of the creature's mouth tilted upward in a smile. "Latamire, but you can just call me Munch."
He reached out and took Abe's hand and there was an immediate spark.
A quite literal one. One that shot up both their arms and caused them to recoil and shake out their hands.
Abe hissed before beginning to apologize profusely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that-!"
"What're you sorry about? It was probably me… And this stupid thing." Munch pointed his no longer stinging hand up towards a sort of yellow port on the top of his head. Something that Abe noticed earlier but had tried his hardest not to stare at, which wasn't too hard when Munch was such a strange little guy. "They put this zapping thing in my head. I dunno why. Something about using me to open traps- like I'd do their dirty work!"
"Doesn't that hurt?" Abe dared to ask.
"Not really. Not anymore," Munch said with a shrug. "Don't worry about it."
Abe probably would've if his head wasn't so buzzy.
"So! You got a plan?" Munch asked.
"Uh…" Abe looked around before spotting a hatch door on the wall on some higher catwalks. "Let's start up there."
It took a while to get up onto the catwalk. Abe had to significantly help Munch to do so, practically holding him around the middle and tossing him up to a ledge at one point. Something that would've normally been easy if not for the fatigue. Abe wiped over his face and was rewarded with his eyes burning from the water that got on his hand off of Munch. Unintentional, but that woke him up enough to get up.
Thankfully, the hatch led to a maintenance ladder to the upper floors, and while Munch couldn't jump well, he was able to manage ladders on his own. Abe went first, climbing up the long shaft and stopping at the top to listen before pushing open the maintenance hatch. He peeked his head out to see they were in another section of the labs. The corner of a large room with ramps leading around and various mysterious equipment.
Munch pulled himself up before Abe quietly shut the trapdoor behind him. He then began to sneak to edge to look out and around at the room. He could hear machinery everywhere but no footsteps nearby. He beckoned Munch and began to creep further into the room, searching for a way out. It already wasn't going according to plan with Munch's wet hops being so loud and the bright lights glaring in his eyes.
They took the first exit from the room that they could find and were back in cold metal hallways. The floor so icy that skin easily stuck to them. Abe leading the way in a progressively worsening limp while Munch hopped closely behind.
At the first chance he got, Abe consulted another directive. Having to venture out into a larger space while Munch waited in the safety of the hallway, hearing a high-pitched voice lowly listing off a plethora of terms he didn't understand just around a wall feet away from him. He checked the directive and looked for a way out, blinking and rubbing his eyes to combat the blurriness.
The directive unfortunately only showed detailed information of the area directly surrounding them, but he did end up spotting something of note. There was a large room nearby that attracted his interest in the thought that it may be the Mudokon Pens or where they were keeping his mother, but instead it was something called the 'Patient Supply Storage'.
Maybe there was something in there to combat the effects of the drug before it got any worse. It was worth taking a detour. Tapping on it with his finger, he turned away and returned to Munch.
"What didya see?" Munch asked.
"There's a room full of supplies nearby. Maybe we can find something that'll wake me up."
While Munch preferred to get out of here as fast as possible, one look over Abe showed that he wasn't doing so hot. If he lost him, he would be on his own again- because it worked so great up until now.
"Sounds good. Lead the way."
It didn't take long to reach the storage room. It was sort of a blur of hallways that eventually stopped at another metal door, this one closed tight with an electronic locking mechanism much sturdier than the simple keypads and keycard slots for the other doors. Forget keeping out intruders, it almost looked like they didn't want anyone to get in at all.
Abe looked over the electronic lock.
"Got any ideas?" Munch pressed.
"Uh… Dunno. Can't risk blowing it up without drawing attention. Could short circuit it."
"What did you say?!" Munch snapped his head towards Abe.
"Short circuit it. Y'know, because it runs off electricity, so you do something to break the circuit. I think I've got water left, we could probably pour it in and fry it,"
"Oh! Okay, I thought you said something way, way different..." Munch said with a relieved sigh. He watched Abe feel around his bag for a second before giving him a push on the arm. "Hmm… Hold up and move over," he instructed.
Abe did as told with a quizzical look.
"I set a couple of Fuzzles free earlier using this thing on my head. Maybe I can use it to open doors too," Munch explained.
He took a few deep breaths and swung his arms as though building himself up before pressing his hands to his head. Around the area to where his temples might be. He closed his eyes tight and tensed his body, and in a second an arc of electricity sprung from the port mounted to the top of his head and coursed through the electronic locking device.
It let out a loud crackling that persisted even after the shock had stopped, along with a burning smell that stung the nose. Then the door released and slid open. Munch brushed off his hands proudly as Abe cautiously stepped through.
From the map it was supposed to be a big room. Not that he could tell with his view being blocked off by walls of overpacked shelves that reached the ceiling. There was about as much room as a large elevator around the entrance, then there were small gaps leading into the maze of shelves. Boxes, both large cardboard and small ones of medical supplies, were stacked everywhere. Boxes of gloves, of vials, of supplies, sterile scrubs, medications-.
"No wonder this place is so empty, they stuck all the stuff in here!" Abe sighed. "How're we supposed to find anything in here?" he mumbled defeatedly.
"We start looking," Munch said matter-of-factly.
Knowing he was right, Abe got to work sliding into the tight gap that led into the crawlspace of shelves. There were plenty of medications just messily strewn about, some in clusters of packages and some loose, but nothing that looked to be of any use. Sedatives, laxatives, vitamins, anti-nauseas, anti-vertigos, anti-itch for the skin, the eyes, the tongues- what was worse was that the tiny print was really blurring together.
It wasn't until he was near the back that Abe spotted something in a gap between the shelves and suddenly looped around and went in that direction, all but abandoning Munch in the process.
Munch was having a harder time making it through the cramped space and gave a grumble before trying to quicken after him. Only to trip over a stack of medical texts and flop onto the group with yet another grumble.
He finally hopped through the gap into the small open space that Abe had stopped in and was about to give him what for when he saw what he had seen.
It looked like a chair with wheels on it and handles at the top. Munch's eyes went wide at the sight of it.
"Maybe you can use this?" Abe suggested. He pulled it out by the handles and turned it to face him.
"…Guess it can't hurt to try."
Munch did a few little half-hops towards it, turning as he did, and then hopped back into the seat. It whined a little at the suddenly introduced weight but held him comfortably. He looked down at it with eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Sooo how do I make it move?" he asked. Abe took his hand and rested it on the bars on the outside of the wheel and pushed his hand to push it. "Oh."
Munch settled his other hand on the other side and began to push the wheels, slowly rolling forward across the small space. Then, once he reached the shelf, he started to roll back, then after a little experimenting realized how to turn himself.
"What do you think" Abe asked.
"I like it!" Munch chirped. He finished turning towards Abe before testing the wheels back and forth. "Kinda squeaky though."
Abe smiled at that. Maybe he hadn't found what he was looking for, at least not yet, but at least they found something. He looked around tiredly before reaching out and grabbing a loose pipe off the shelf.
"Let's get going. At this rate someone's gonna find us before we find a cure," he suggested.
"What's that?" Munch asked.
"A pipe," Abe said, holding it up and then slipping back into the maze of shelves.
"Okay. That clears it up," he said sarcastically. "Let's just get a move on. All this tight stuff is freaking me out."
They were almost out of the maze when they heard the sound of pattering footsteps on the tiled floor. Abe held back a hand to stop Munch who had already stopped at hearing it and both stood prone amongst the shelves. Slowly, quietly, Abe began to reach into his bag and felt around until his fingers settled on a round shape. Then, holding his breath, he crept forward towards the opening and peeked out.
There was an Intern at the door. Though it was paying more attention to the door than anything inside it, walking in and out and tapping on both locking mechanisms, unable to figure out why the door was open. Thoroughly distracted.
Abe breathed out slowly to calm himself and dropped the candy ball, removing his hand from his bag to press it to the other one. A deep breath and he began to chant. He could feel the energy thumping through his heart and tingling through the back of his hands and into his palms. Yet he noticed right away that something was off. It felt weaker than usual, dull on his numb hands.
There was no rollover into an actual possession. No feeling of leaving his heavy body, grounded in this sluggish form and unable to focus enough to reach another. This, he realized immediately, was a huge problem.
He tried a little longer, continuing to quietly chant and getting nowhere with it. No matter how much he tried.
It wasn't until Munch nudged some stuff around and peeked through the boxes and saw that the Intern had lit up a Sligarette and was now just leaning in the open doorway- like he was waiting for someone, that he realized they had to do something. Or at least get out of here before backup arrived.
He poked Abe in the shoulder and his eyes flew open, a look of shock and worry settled on him. He looked over at Munch who pointed out at the Intern, head tilting, eyes giving an uneasy look. "What do we do now?" he could be imagined saying, and perhaps saying it with a little exasperation. Abe pulled his hands apart, the static faint between them, and reached into his pack again. He took another stilling breath.
Then he suddenly leaned out of the gap and swung, launching a rubber band laden rock candy ball right into the side of the Intern's head. It dislodged its headphones and sent it falling into the hallway.
Abe waited a few beats, then sighed in relief when the Intern didn't get up. At least the unarmored ones were only about as resilient as Sligs. At least, in the head area. Then he hustled over and kneeled down beside it. He grabbed a roll of blue tape out of his bag and unstretched a long strand of it over the Intern before beginning to tie it up.
He had seen Interns up close even before visiting Vykker's Labs, but he found them to be especially creepy. Arguably Sligs could've been creepier with their tentacle mouths, but he was a little too used to them for that to be the case. Plus, there were other not so flattering features, like the long limbs and extremely long fingers with more joints in them than seemed possible. The skin was also uncomfortably cold and the joints boney as he taped them up.
Soon he had the Intern hogtied. It was still unconscious, and he returned the tape to his bag before reaching back down towards it. Only to freeze up at the last second.
"What are you doing?" Munch asked, wheeling over.
"I was gonna pickpocket it, but I don't really wanna reach into…" Abe looked between the Intern's speedo and the semi-stained baseball cap. "…Touch it."
"Eh, probably doesn't have much anyways," Munch shrugged off. "Let's just go."
Abe certainly did want to just go, but he decided to take the plunge, made his choice, and knocked the baseball cap off of its head. Inside he found its pack of Sligarettes- the one it was smoking and its lighter abandoned on the floor- and some kind of employee access card. Probably wouldn't get to any heavily guarded areas, but it could open some doors for them. He took them both and the lighter.
Then it was back on their way. While they had to be more cautious with the sound of the squeaky wheels, having Munch capable of moving faster was key if they got into a jam. Especially since Abe himself was slowing down again. He perked up when they had to maneuver around some security by one of those large operating theaters, but once they were safe, he started dropping again.
He was dropping faster and having a harder time getting back up to the same alertness. But he was thinking he was about to reach a light at the end of the tunnel. He saw a pair of big, automated doors and was sure they led back out to that massive room of ramps and walkways. If he could get back, there then he could both find Les and find his way back in the direction of the loading dock he came in through.
Using the card, he had gotten off the Intern, he was able to get those doors open.
He was half right. They led to another giant room, but it wasn't the one he was thinking of. In fact, it was probably the last one he wanted to be in.
The large atrium was filled with round doors. Some were open to reveal small living spaces, some of which he could see at this angle, but many were closed. There were three floors of these doors, the upper ones supported by thick metal walkways and largely blocked from his sight, but he could guess that they were the same as down here. A few brightly lit advertisements blurred on the walls above these doors.
These weren't the quarters for a Mudokon workforce, these were apartments for all the Vykker's and Interns. From the glimpses he saw above they got nicer the higher they went. Or at least shinier.
And then there were the Interns. Quite a few of them. Dipping in and out of rooms, hanging out in the doorways of rooms, probably even walking along the walkways above them. It was by the grace of Odd alone that they were far enough down to not notice the door opening, and half-deaf from their ever-blasting headphones. Which apparently were still on from how loud they were trying to mumble through their stitches.
Munch got one look at the room and his jaw dropped open. A squeaky little whine of horror eking out.
"Don't. Panic," Abe whispered haltingly.
"We're doomed," Munch croaked.
"They don't notice us yet…" The adrenaline returned and cleared out Abe's brain enough that he pulled together a slapdash plan. "Get near the wall. Quick."
"Easy for you to say," Munch whispered back. He then began to slowly inch the wheelchair towards the wall. Every slight movement causing a slight squeak, causing him to wince harder and harder with each one.
Meanwhile, Abe began to sneak to the wall and slowly walked past one of the closed doors. There were lights above the doors, but they were only on for the open ones, so there was a slight cover of shadow in front of the closed ones between the walkway above and the dull cast of the overhead lights. This could camouflage them. At least, as long as nobody looked at them directly, and only until they reached an open doorway.
Which they reached remarkably fast. Abe cautiously leaned around and peeked into the doorway. It was hard to call the compartment inside an apartment compared to what Vesper had. It was a tiny room in a circular shape. On the opposite side were bunk beds with flimsy blankets and to the left of them a poorly kept toilet. On the right side of the room was a desk and that was where the sole occupant was.
As predicted, there was an Intern sitting at the desk, propping its head up with one hand and fiddling around with a dial on its headphones boredly with the other. Abe pulled back and took a deep breath, signaled to Munch that someone was inside, and then snuck past. Then he beckoned Munch.
Munch looked startled. He pointed to Abe and made a throwing gesture. Abe shook his and made a slow walking motion with his fingers and pointed out. Munch held his hands out and mouthed 'why'. Abe pointed back to his bag, held out his hand, and then counted up 'three maybe four' and mouthed that back. Not enough rock candy to take out everyone. Munch's fins drooped with exasperation, he filled his lungs deeply, and he began to roll forward.
His large eyes stayed tightly on the back of the Intern who continued to fiddle with the headphones. He was halfway across when it suddenly removed its hand and he went rigid, watching it readjust in its chair… but it only sat back before reaching for a white bottle with a straw sticking out of it. It slurped loudly at whatever was inside and Munch used that to hide the squeak as he rolled on past.
Now at the other side, Munch slumped a little and took a few deep breaths through his blowholes. Abe patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Munch was less than enthused but returned it.
They continued on a little further before passing another open door. This one only had one Intern inside as well and it was laying sprawled out on the bottom bunk with its hat pulled over its eyes. The steady rise of its chest and stomach seemed to signal that it was asleep, so Abe and Munch easily slipped by and continued on-
Until an Intern walked out of a door only a few doors down and they were forced to turn back and hastily roll into the room with the sleeping Intern. One hiding on each side of the door, listening to the footsteps passing behind them as they stared at the sleeping Intern with wide unblinking eyes. Its fingers twitched and their hearts almost stopped, and Abe took that as a sign to peek back out. Seeing that the coast was clear, he waved for Munch to follow. They both got out before the Intern could stir to full alertness.
The next open door with its lights on actually didn't have anyone inside, thankfully, but the next one did. It was the room that the Intern had walked out of, but unfortunately it wasn't empty.
Of all the positions to catch an Intern in, sitting on the toilet was perhaps the worst one possible, and only partially because it was directly facing the very open door. The only reason it didn't see Abe immediately was because it had a copy of the Daily Deception unfolded right in front of its face. Abe took that into consideration and stepped back, giving Munch a moment to peek in.
He narrowed his eyes in disgust and leaned back out and settled back into his chair. He pointed a thumb at the door and started to turn back towards Abe, but before he could mouth anything he felt Abe grabbing the handles of the wheelchair. He looked up at him quizzically. Abe gave him a quiet shush of warning and then proceeded to shove him across the gap of the doorway. Munch managed to snap his mouth shut and wheeled past the doorway with only a few squeaks.
The Intern caught something at the top of his vision and lowered the newspaper to look, but after a little while shrugged and went back to reading.
Munch rolled to a stop on the other side and looked around frantically, but thankfully he hadn't been noticed. He then turned around and looked over the back of the wheelchair, waving for Abe to follow.
Abe nodded and peeked back in. He started to make a motion like he was going to creep across before stopping, lowing himself to the floor, and doing a quick roll across instead. The Intern might've looked up from its paper again, but it sure didn't get up and for now the two were in the clear.
Except there was one last hurdle they had to pass. After a few more relatively easy rooms, there was one last issue before they reached the other side of the atrium where there was a little waiting area outside of some elevators. That issue was the group of Interns talking that Abe had spotted when they came in. They were on the opposite side of the room but two of them were facing their direction, one leaning on the doorframe and one sitting in a chair they pulled out.
The other two had their backs turned to them but getting spotted by any of them would alert all of them, and even if Abe had the supplies to deal with them, he knew it would spiral from there.
He led the way through the shadows at the doors, pressed against the wall as closely as he could get. Munch was close behind him as close as he could get to the wall, but in the wheelchair, it was hard to be stealthy. Each movement brought a squeak of the wheel and though Abe knew the Interns likely couldn't hear them in this state, they would hear them if they sped up, and he feared that was the only way they were going to get by.
Somehow, somehow, they got by undetected. Abe's heart was racing the whole time and kept him at a state of alertness, but perhaps that was the tipping point because something changed after that. There was a heavy drop that he didn't expect even before they were fully in the safety- or completely at the mercy of- the waiting room in front of the elevators. His heart slowed down and grew heavy, thumping in an aching way. The back of his head was hurting.
"You okay?" Munch asked.
"Ugh. I feel dizzy…" Abe muttered. Though it was more off-balance than anything. Swaying on his feet like the floor was moving- though considering that this was an airship it might've been.
"Lemme getcha some water," Munch offered.
He wheeled over to a water cooler nearby and pulled out a little plastic cup to fill up. Already knowing how to use it since he had used them a few times. They were pretty much the only safe source of water in this place.
Meanwhile, Abe leaned against the wall with his hands on his knees. He couldn't sit down, or he might not get back up. He could feel blood rushing to his face and looked at the injection site on his leg. It was still a little sore, so he had expected there to be a welt or bruise or something like that, but no. He might've missed the site itself if not for the little bit of dried blood on it.
"Here ya go," Munch offered. Abe took it and chugged the small cup in a few gulps. It helped, but it didn't really help.
"Thanks," he said hoarsely.
"No problem. I'm gonna get me some, then we keep moving. Can't stop or you'll stop," Munch insisted. He was harsh, but firm, and Abe nodded in understanding. He straightened up and followed Munch back to the water cooler.
Something caught his eye mounted on the wall beside the cooler. It was a fire extinguisher secured in a glass box with "Fire!" printed and fading on it in all red. The box wasn't even locked, only secured with some twisted metal wire. Which probably would've still made it hard for someone to get it in a hurry to put out a fire, but Abe wasn't about to look a gift Elum down the throat.
He began to untwist it while Munch watched and sipped at his water.
After a moment he asked, "What're you wanting with that?"
"Use what you got," Abe said. He continued to untwist the wire before opening the box and pulling out the fire extinguisher. It felt heavier than usual but as he started securing it to his bag it held like normal.
"So, uh... What about this guy?"
"What guy?" Abe asked in confusion. He turned around.
There was Les.
Abe hadn't heard him come up and if he didn't catch himself and slam his mouth shut, he might've yelped at the sudden appearance. He certainly jumped at it. Though that surprise quickly turned to delight and relief.
"Les! You're alright!" Abe cried. Still keeping his voice low but letting his relief come through.
"I'm- I'm alright? You're alright! You're awake!" Les replied. He seemed awfully relieved too, but also just as twitchy as ever and especially sweaty. He must've been running for a while. "You're- You're still awake. I can't believe it- I thought they- thought they gotcha back there. Sorry, I didn't… I didn't mean to run, but I got scared and zoom. Off I went! I went so far and didn't go nowhere," he explained.
"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you ran. If we have to split up to lose 'em, then that's what we have to do," Abe assured him. He reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. His skin was clammy from sweat. "And I'm okay. I've been fighting it."
"He's been fighting the heck out of it. That stuff'll knock ya flat," Munch interjected. He then gave Les a befuddled look, a borderline suspicious look. "Where'd you come from anyway?"
"Up there," Les said. He pointed out of the waiting area and up towards the walkways. "Up there there's a way- a way that connects to the open room. The big one."
"That's where we need to get to," Abe said. Readjusting his backpack to balance the additional weight.
"And we gotta get there fast. Anybody sees me and we're screwed and if he stops for too long, he's gonna pass out. Gotta keep that blood moving," Munch insisted. Abe nodded and straightened up again, trying to ignore the continued heaviness that had now settled in his forehead. The one that made him feel like he could topple forward at any moment.
"Right, yeah, okay. Let's go, let's get moving. I don't- I know, wait, I know something. Come with me, I'll show you," Les rambled. He then turned and started to stalk off.
Munch looked to Abe unsurely who gave a slight shrug and a smile before following after him.
Les led them to an automatic doorway just around the corner and through into a stairwell. Or not quite a stairwell, but another rampwell. It had to be something with Vykker's knobby legs or Interns' crooked ones that gave them so much trouble with stairs, because there were a lot of ramps in place of them, and they took up a lot more room than their steeply cousins. Something Abe considered as he drifted in and out while trudging upwards.
Soon they made it to the upper landing where Les grabbed Abe by the hand and led him into another waiting area. Except this one didn't just having a water cooler. It had two moderately padded benches, which Abe definitely couldn't risk sitting down on, and a couple of vending machines. The one Les pulled him up to being an Expresso machine. Though this one was different than the ones Abe recognized. Expresso-Extra: "Extra Bang for your Buck!"
"This'll help?" Les asked.
"This'll help a lot. Thanks," Abe said graciously.
He started getting out some Moolah coins and popping them into the machine. He didn't expect a huge difference but even the smallest pick-me-up would help big time, so he grabbed three of them. He would've grabbed more but they were on the pricy side, and he couldn't risk blowing his scarce moolah all at once. He popped one open and began to swallow it down, still thirsty even after the small amount of water.
It was weird, even though the Expresso was smaller than the usual can it tasted a lot stronger. Super concentrated and pretty bitter, but there was also a sweet taste in the back of his throat as he drank it. Not too unpleasant to manage.
He finished quickly. "Alright. Let's keep moving. You know which way?" he double checked.
Les nodded and let them out onto the walkways before taking a sharp corner towards the corner where a corridor led to another exit out of the atrium. Abe got a quick look around as they went to make sure nothing was watching them. Almost all of the doors up here were open to reveal much nicer, but still small, living spaces inside. Weirdly enough, it looked like almost everyone was gone. He wasn't sure if these were the apartments for the Vykkers or security.
He tried to not think about how heavy the security was going to be around the loading docks. Just thinking about it made everything feel significantly worse.
But then something happened. It was just before they made it into the spacious open-air levels of the labs when the Expresso hit, and it hit hard.
In a matter of seconds everything seemed to perk back up. Heart pounding, blood flowing, head buzzing but less heavy, blinking much more than he was supposed to, and feeling excessively twitchy. He started flexing his hands to try and work off the antsy feeling, but it just kept on increasing. He felt even more anxious and restless than ever, but he was awake. Wide awake and raring to go.
Though the effects it had on his focus were mixed. He was no longer slowing down, but now he was looking everywhere and thinking a little too fast. Thankfully, this allowed him to keep an eye out while Les led them to where they had to go. There were distant sirens and footsteps all around below, but they were alone for the moment.
"Look!" Les quietly exclaimed. It snapped Abe out of his caffeine fueled blur. "More birdies!"
Abe looked up and, indeed, there were more bird in the nearby rafters. In fact, considering where they were, this could've been the same group of birds. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his palms together and decided to see if that Expresso woke up all of his abilities.
"I'm going to try to open the portal. When I do, you jump on through. Don't worry about me, I'll catch up with you later," Abe assured him. Les nodded, too tired and eager to leave to argue.
Pressing his palms together, Abe began to quietly chant. This time he felt a true stirring, though it was still rather weak. It built in his palms as the birds flew down to him, drawn in by the chanting, and formed into a ring of light. Munch watched mouth agape as Les fumbled out one last, "Thank you, Abe!" and leapt through. He was gone, and as Abe stopped chanting so was the portal.
Abe was feeling a little woozy, so he tried to catch his breath. Munch, meanwhile, held a hand out at the portal in shock.
"Where did he just go?" he asked in disbelief.
"Out. Back to our hideout."
"Could we have done that?" Munch asked.
"Oh, uh, kinda. But I couldn't have done it without that Expresso boost. I could open it back up and send you through, but I've got to stay and get back to the ship. I've got my friends waiting for me outside," Abe explained.
"Gotcha… Well, guess I'm stayin' with you then."
"Are you sure? I'm feeling okay, I can do it," Abe offered, posing his hands together again. "And it'll be safe! The guys aren't gonna hurt you. They'll even help you get back home. Or you can wait until I get back and then I'll help you."
Munch's fins lowered and he slowly turned to look down at the floor. "I don't really got anywhere to go back to anymore," he quietly admitted.
Abe didn't know what he meant, but he knew that tone. He knew what that meant, and his face softened in sympathy.
"I'm sorry…" he said.
The two stood there in silence for a moment before Munch turned his head back up.
"Maybe I'll stick with you for a while?" he half-suggested and half-asked. Abe was surprised, but he jumped on it.
"Sure! But, I mean, it'll be kinda dangerous," he warned. He tapped his hand to his chest. "I'm probably the most wanted Mudokon in… ever!"
"Yeah, well, if what those Vykkers guys were saying about me is true, I'm just as bad off," Munch revealed.
"What do you mean…?"
"Let's just say I'm pretty valuable and leave it at that. Those weirdos don't know what they're talking about," he brushed off. He quickly regained more vigor in his voice. "In case you forgot, we've got to scoot before all hell breaks loose."
"Right. We got to get to the blimp before they do," Abe said. He started to turn to walk in the direction he assumed was the right way before slowing to a stop. "…Y'know, I came in here planning on getting everyone out and now… I only saved one guy, and I blew my cover. How am I ever gonna get back in?"
"First of all, don't," Munch started. "Second of all, it wasn't just one guy."
"Oh! Right, sorry. I count you too, you're just still here-."
"And you. You count too," Munch pointed out.
"Not really…" Abe rubbed the back of his neck. The ache was starting to return, like it was already time for another Expresso.
"Yes, really! And you really had to try hard to do it! I've been here for like, forever and I never made it out," Munch explained. He gestured with his head. "So, let's get movin'! I'm sick of the smell of this place."
"Yeah, me too," Abe agreed.
He wasn't sure if he agreed with Munch's assessment of his success here, but at this point he was running out of time, and he couldn't afford to get caught. So much hinged on his survival, and that was other than the fact he didn't want to die.
He just wanted to sleep. Sleep was going to be good after this, he decided. Then he pulled out and popped the top off another Expresso.