Chapter 16 - Hidden Loads and Goads
Near the City Suburbs
Webs was happy that she got to spend more time with Diane today. They didn't hang around much due to Diane's work as the governor. She must be a workaholic due to spending little free time. She wasn't sure if that complicated things with Wolf, but it wasn't the case. Regardless, the tarantula was fine if Diane had to focus on a lot, but seeing her again for this mission was nice.
To her, Diane, even as the Crimson Paw, was one of the coolest criminals. Everybody knew the Crimson Paw as mysterious and lonesome, hiding away before one could share her hand. Being on the fox's shoulder and chatting with her was different than the usual aloof manner associated with her persona.
And up this close, the two girls have some time to get to know one another.
As Webs crawled between the fox's ears, she breathed deeply to enjoy the fresh air and the bright sunlight. Like the other Bad Guys, the usual noise came from the passing traffic and the occasional chatter of people. A natural wander through the city and Webs was alright with that.
She didn't mind if she was being looked at. Sure, Diane's outfit didn't fool anyone since she only placed a zipped leather jacket over her ninja suit. However, after being able to go out more, the young tarantula found herself in good company and no longer fearing when in the streets. Coming here was a new situation, but it wasn't too different to the backstreets.
She did introduce Hornet to those streets before and let him decide how to approach it. And in her way, she looked out for the kind of people walking around. Too many here for her to identify and categorize. A mixed bunch together. And the fact that not many paid attention to her was exhilarating.
It made her feel like a child again, just having no fear of getting caught by the principal. No complaints, no mistakes, no stress.
Webs was still worried about her friends. She knew Wolf and Snake had some bad reactions yesterday. Shark received the bad news this morning, but at least Piranha was around to comfort him. While she was still surprised by the latter's ascent in assertiveness, it must be some nice progress that they had been more careful around problems nowadays.
Right now, as Diane and Webs searched for the next nearby Eden Apples, they were talking casually about Diane's love life.
"You're sure you're alright with not being hooked up with Wolfy?" asked Webs with a cheeky smile. "I saw you and him at the gala."
Diane smiled. "We still do. I still have feelings for him. We still have some good girl chat, especially when he plans to confess to Snake. I don't have feelings for Snake and he's hard to win over. He seems rather edgy towards me."
Webs snickered. "I wonder why. But seriously, why aren't you and Wolf not dating anymore?"
Diane hummed, scratching her chin. The small frown was a little somber but understanding.
"Ever since you all figured out your paths," she said. "Wolf and I weren't sure how our relationship would continue. And I feel that Snake is more understanding towards Wolf."
"How so? Well, Snake has been with Wolf the longest, but why else?"
Diane was quiet for a while. A few seconds of silence rang bells in Webs' head. One thing Webs knew was that hesitation could lead to wanting to be dishonest. Eventually, the fox chose to be honest without explaining too much.
"I nearly cost Wolf's trust. I discovered a few personal things I shouldn't have dug into without his consent. You might have noticed that I quickly asked him if he was alright with coming to Melbourne. We decided to take it slow to know one another better."
Webs winced, remembering Wolf's inner freakout from their yesterday's briefing. "I'm starting to see that now."
"He still gives me a chance," said Diane, her smile returning. "A wolf and fox are not so different after all. Interestingly, he told me he doesn't mind me if I am interested in other guys."
Webs whistled. That took a turn. "Rom-coms we're suddenly a part of. Men fighting for some fur and breaking hearts like chocolate."
"No, no, no," said Diane calmly. "Sometimes I think of finding one or two loners. Good people I can understand."
The small tarantula was surprised to hear this. Might explain the colors she picked and perhaps it was as a result of Diane becoming more outgoing lately.
"So that's why you and Wolf had been steady lately," summed up Webs.
"Yep," said Diane, her ears wiggling.
"That I'm alright with," said Webs, smiling. "Makes a lot of good company. I hope that you'll find the next true love someday."
"How about you?" asked Diane. "Do you plan for anything?"
Webs shook her head, crawling back onto Diane's shoulder. "Oh, I'm not too interested in people. Or at least romantically in one way. It's kind of complicated how I feel towards boys."
"Hmm, what about Shark?"
"Oh, you mean me and…him?" The tarantula's face heated up, but she kept on talking. "We're actually just friends. You have no idea that Shark is also a ladies' man. And I'm scared after seeing what he does."
Diane chuckled at the thought. Shark, the guy who could go ham and put on a show, trying to sway over a few ladies. Sometimes, she wished she had his charisma and confidence. Even if, from what she heard, didn't go well for him and Snake refused Diane to wear his disguises. She heard a rumor that Shark once tried dating Mira, but neither of them seemed to say otherwise.
"I'm not too surprised," she admitted. "Does he try to sway guys as well?"
"A lot," said Webs cheerily. "Oh, there's also this funny time when Shark tried hitting on Kitty."
"Oh yeah," said Diane, nodding immediately. "I was there when it happened. It was short and sweet, but he clearly couldn't since Kitty's husband gave him a knuckle sandwich. That's how you can tell that a tiger can beat a walking shark."
"Though, I still wonder what Shark sees in Kitty," questioned Webs, rubbing her little beanie. "She's a cool cat, but she seems to be plain. At least she's a party animal like us! But all I know is that she talks more around you and Shark. What do you know of her that I don't?"
The smiling Diane easily gathered information from her time and chats with Kitty. Some might say that it would be a surprise for her to remain strong with her teacher, but it was still ongoing. Kitty could get silly, but she wasn't clumsy nor easy to take advantage of.
"Me and Kitty started when I was back in university," she explained. "Around the time I became the Crimson Paw. I took her martial arts classes, where she taught me a lot. Trust me, she'll make you feel like she is also a student. She cannot stop hopping around while in the shadows!"
Teachers were usually strict, so hearing one who acted like one of the kids must be promising.
"Must be a really cool old teacher!" chirped Webs.
"Yep! We still kept in touch ever since I graduated from her class. While I had been busy, we do meet up at times alongside Doom since Kitty was his counselor."
Webs smirked. "Oh yeah! I remember that goth bird. He doesn't seem to like us."
"Don't take it too personally. It's his way of showing he is interested. And Doom never stopped calling Kitty 'grandma'. I wonder if he feels that she is HIS grandma. Kitty holds back a lot unless presenting it in class. She still likes to dance around, but she told me she doesn't want to put all of her strength to its limit. Feels it's 'not appropriate' in her current situation. Guess that's one lesson to live by. I have to thank her for what led me here."
Webs tilted her head. "Does she know about the Crimson Paw?"
Diane frowned, unsettled. "Not really."
The tarantula patted Diane on the shoulder sympathetically. "You did use her lessons when helping us out. And maybe for winning that fancy election? Even now, it's for the right cause! She does know that you're a mercenary."
Diane sighed. "It feels more like a cover lately. At least Kitty guessed right that I became one so that I could place dynamite in every cannibal's meathouse. You know, can I be honest? I have been considering telling her. However, she taught me a lot for good when I was young."
"And when you weren't given reassurance that you could be good," pointed out Webs. "We've all been there. Maybe she will understand now that we're making good progress."
Diane grunted. It didn't feel like the case. "Kitty had it better than I did. She's like everyone else. How am I supposed to know she will understand? At least Mrs Mira Rosa is braver, but that could be due to her job. I don't think…Kitty knows the criminal world. She has a family to take care of."
"Mira only knew better when she came to know us."
"But if there is the right time to tell Kitty without breaking her, then I would take it."
Webs could see the guilt shadowing over Diane as her ears folded back. Kitty wasn't here to see this, but it suddenly felt like they were randomly talking about this in an open world where people could pick it up. The tarantula did a quick look around. She knew this city could be trouble. Fortunately, no eyes or ears were pointed towards them.
Looking back at the fox, Webs knew what might be racing through Diane's mind. And she wouldn't be wrong since she remembered the worry on Wolf's face before when he 'backstabbed' her and the Bad Guys. Diane was afraid of seeing Kitty's shocked and betrayed expression.
Webs noted this hesitation. "C'mon, girl. You can't let her be blind. It'll be worse if she finds this on her own."
Diane tilted her head. This time, she was quick to acknowledge this. "Well, I'm in for an earful. Hopefully, the truth will come out the right way."
"Maybe the right way is being in denial," muttered Webs.
Fortunately, they didn't return to that subject when they arrived at their following location. Their entire chat passed the time that they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. But it didn't come to worry them at all. The thing that worried them was where the Eden Apples were stored.
Diane checked her tracking device and was surprised at where it led.
A local police station. Its imposing office building wedged between smaller stores. A block placed between the more expendable dominos. The very place people relied on. And to the criminals, it was the department of their chasers and their foes. A quicker one-way ticket to jail.
"Well, that's weird," said Diane. "Why would someone hide an Eden Apple inside there?"
"Maybe they beat us to it?" asked Webs.
"It couldn't be possible. According to my tracker, they seem to be in an office room. Not in the storage room where items are confiscated. One dirty cop must have found it."
"So, what's the plan then?" asked Webs. "Think we should…leave the cops to deal with this?"
"We still need to get it," said Diane firmly. "We can't be sure if the city's police know about the Eden Apples. This information is confidential. I say that we sneak in. Since it's you and me, we can take this three ways: either you go in by yourself, the two of us go in with disguises, or I go in disguise while you hack into the security system."
"I vote for me hacking into the security system!" said Webs, raising her hand upwards. "Much safer, right?"
Diane grinned, her previous worry fading away. "Yep!"
She rechecked back on her tracker device, opening up the whole map on screen.
"There should be a vent system that allows you to travel to the security room. Walking casually through the front entrance might be unsafe since your personal computer can be detected. I'll need you to take control of the security system so I can go through the X-ray detector and take the Eden Apples inside without being seen."
"Will you be alright in there?"
"I can pull up a full disguise to walk right through them. Change the footage once I get close to the Eden Apples."
"Got it then, sis!" said Webs, crackling her knuckles. "It's crime time, baby!"
As Diane started tapping a few buttons on her outfit to create the right disguise, Webs hopped down from her shoulder and scaled the wall of the police office building to find the neatest vent. Crawling onto the roof, she found one vent grill poking out from the ceiling like a trapdoor.
Chuckling, she produced a web-like string from her vest pocket, attached it to the hole's edge, and climbed down the vent passageway.
She found herself standing in the dark. Much darker than she thought. She could be easy prey, but her clothes helped her blend in the dark. But she wasn't intimidated by this. Mice easily die in here. Tarantulas could walk through the night. Still, she would need to know where to go without bumping into the walls.
Patting her chest, the purple squares reacted and glowed, the lights of a nightclub. Her thin shield was also activated, covering her body in a dull purple color with light stripes covering her face. The brain ponytail was the most affected, now magenta and purple swirling around her hair with the tip flickering like a fire.
She couldn't tell if it was the familiarity of these vents or the new colors coating her, but she felt too confident. So much that she slipped on her headphones and played a random track.
[Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish]
[0:00]
Like any post-millennial, Webs bopped her head up and down to some Billie Eilish on the way to the security room. So was her abdomen, liking the swag she imagined. For some reason, the song fitted this nicely dark environment and her neon colors. A few times, she jumped upwards and tapped her legs together.
In a way, all previous worries were drowned out by the confident, nonchalant music. A small voice told her not to get too overconfident, but the previous robberies she and Diane had done weren't hectic. She just wanted to sing about not bothering what people might say about her.
She finally arrived at the security room, peeping through the vent grill gaps. The small tarantula grinned, thrilled to see the remarkable computer screens. And the security guard currently passed out in the seat with a half-eaten doughnut in his lap.
[0:26]
"Mics on, Crimson Paw," said Webs. "Do you copy? I'm about to enter the security room."
"Copy!" said Diane's voice. "I already changed into the right outfit. Is there anyone in the same room?"
"Don't worry! I dealt with this kind of thing before."
"Don't you dare tie him up in duct tape, Gwen Stacy."
"Nah, I won't do that." Webs turned off her communication and hissed, "I'm having thoughts to do so anyway, ha ha!"
Still humming to the song from her headphones, Webs crawled out of the vent and down to a nearby table. So far, the room's lights were turned off, with the computer monitors being the only sources of bright light. Creepy to the general eye, but it felt natural to the geeks. She had went through this environment before.
The door appeared to be locked at the moment. One quick budge at the knob and she could tell that it was at least locked one time.
[Pause at 0:45]
Webs nearly slipped on the doorknob when the security guard leapt out of his seat.
"WAZAAA!" he yelled. "...oh thank goodness I drank that coffee! Really need it!"
CLANG!
He twisted around, noticing one of the coffee mugs bouncing on the floor. Good thing that it didn't shatter.
And in the mug's original place was Webs standing still like a statue. Complete with one hand on her hip and the other upwards in a waving pose.
The guard blinked. That was weird. He didn't remember this decoration. He came closer to the tarantula, rubbing her head. Webs' left eye twitched in agitation. She could feel her beanie slightly slipping off her head.
The cop gasped when he saw her move. "Wait, what the-?"
Hastily, Webs patted something on her vest and a small machine weapon formed on her back: a small catapult with its bucket made from a plastic spoon. The payload materialized in the bucket and was thrown right at the guard's head.
SPLAT!
"OW!" the dazed guard exclaimed, purple juice dripping from his forehead. "Was that a raspberry?!"
Judging by her silence, Webs didn't know that too. "Strange. I thought this weapon throws tennis balls."
The guard growled, reaching out to Webs. However, she activated the catapult backpack again and it fired multiple berries at the guard's mouth. The poor guy struggled to carry several fruits entering his open jaw, whimpering at the sour mix. In his attempt to spit the fruits out, Webs fired a hard strawberry candy ball.
A rock-solid, hard candy ball the size of a tennis ball.
The guard squeaked upon feeling the candy ball coming into contact in between his legs. Overdramatically overwhelmed, he fell on his knees and collapsed. A mixture of red and purple juice spilled all over, forming a puddle underneath his face.
"...I love this weapon so much!" squealed Webs.
[Resume at 0:51]
She quickly placed the unconscious guard back in his seat with his mouth and eyes covered in duct tape. She wasn't going to leave him on the floor to look like a dead body. Once satisfied, Webs pulled out her computer and plugged it into the security computer's hard drive with a cord.
With an easy override USB plugged in, Webs tapped right into the police station's security system under her control. It wasn't too hard switching a few things, especially since she had experience covering her tracks. She smiled once a couple of camera footage tabs appeared on her computer and her symbol was visible on every tab.
"I'm in, Diane," she said. "You're on."
Through the camera footage, she spotted Diane walking through the police station. While her face could have been recognizable, she hid her eyes beneath a pair of orange sunglasses. She wore a black uniform, a lime green safety vest and a police hat to fit in with the other police cops.
Webs was surprised that Diane already had a fake ID card. When she showed it to the receptionist, they nodded and allowed her in.
Webs quickly hacked into the X-ray detector, changing a few codes instead of outright turning it off. Because of this, Diane walked through it without her hidden gadgets being detected.
"OK, so which room is it?" asked Webs.
"The tracking device is still doing its job," informed Diane. "Don't worry, it's not in a private room. Just keep an eye on me and get ready to do some editing."
"Got it, queen."
With the building map already on screen, Webs kept track of the camera footage since she had to keep switching to different tabs so as not to lose Diane. It wasn't too bad, but she had to be quick if she dosed off or looked at another footage tab.
[1:12]
For the next few minutes, she ensured that Diane was going through the safest areas of the station without bumping into too many obstacles. The cops didn't stop the fox. Probably too busy with their own business or they thought she was a rookie.
The guard behind the small tarantula shifted slightly, but he didn't wake up. In fact, he started snoring.
Webs rolled her eyes at the sound of that. She didn't want to end up being that guy, judging by how fatigued she felt. It was a familiar feeling every time she stared at her computer for a while, but she never let it beat it to her. Feeling slightly bored, she began multitasking, observing the other footage tabs and monitors to see what the police do here.
From what she could see, this exactly looked like Chief Luggins' office.
There was a room where police cops were snacking on a box of doughnuts, trying to push at least five into their mouths.
Another showed a group of cops at a seminar on how to deal with rowdy teenagers…with their 'teacher' showing this by slapping a dummy's backside. Webs nearly made solids. She didn't need a reminder of the San Diego incident.
A third footage tab showed a group of cops holding a robber upside down and shaking her to drop all of the items she stole. Somehow, a mini toaster fell from her pockets. Golden glitter fluttered around harmlessly. One of the cops swiped their finger on the spilled golden glitter and inhaled sharply…
Unfortunately, the amount of specks he collected made his eyes shrink and his body tip over like a rag doll.
"A normal day in the office," muttered Webs. "Though, looks can deceive the eyes of hackers."
She switched to another camera footage tab to where Diane was at. She was unharmed. She was passing by what appeared to be the department chief's office. Squinting her eyes, Webs got a good look at his office.
[1:38]
The chief residing there nearly looked similar to Chief Luggins except that he had a thinner build and his hair was in a buzzcut. He appeared more chill, shaking his head in disappointment at the computer next to him. A bit more professional than the crazy Luggins. To him, the event showing on television was another nuisance to deal with.
Webs gasped when she saw what was on the computer. She could see the three vocalists of 18 Years 'Till Gone having their news show. Strangely, they had a monitor presenting an image of the Bad Guys, talking about…them?
The tarantula groaned, burying her face in her hands. Of course, they would talk about her and the Bad Guys. They would never live down their joyriding excursion last night, would they? If it wasn't embarrassing enough to make themselves look like fools for crashing a nice-looking car, Webs had to live with the fact that her favorite band knew and reported this.
It didn't help that this chief would be more than happy to chuck her and the Bad Guys into prison without caring.
Finally, Diane found where the Eden Apple was at. She had already closed the door of its designated office room, locking it twice. Upon inspection that nobody was around, the fox searched the multiple desk squares to find it. Thanks to the tracking device, she found it in the middle of the garden.
Strangely, this desk was mostly cleared except for a small Ultron figurine, a computer monitor and a letter. A blank state compared to the crowded and lively desks. The tracker was detecting the Eden Apple coming from the letter. Diane just ripped the envelope open and pulled the turquoise weapon ball out.
[1:58]
"This is the one," said Diane. "I'm good to go now. You'll need to be quick to-"
"Done," said Webs, pressing a button on her keyboard. "Eight steps ahead of you, Diane."
Already successfully edited the camera footage, Webs managed to arrange the footage of the disguised Diane to make it look like she was just walking in circles through the hallways. It might be a bit lazy, but she kept turning her head so they might not tell if it was repetitive. This could create the image that she was just visiting the place and wanting to be familiar with it.
No one will find the footage of Diane entering this office room.
"Wait a second," said Diane, taking a piece of paper from the envelope. "This list refers to whoever is taking the Eden Apples."
"Wait, so the cop with that marble isn't a former researcher of Sunnyside Labs?"
"Possibly so. It says…'make sure to deliver this Eden Apple to Adeline'. Must be some black market going on. 'Check the rest of the black sites in Melbourne'...'buy more cough drops'...'search for Onsàáy', and…'tell Oscar the Great White Shark to stop stealing my coffee'."
Diane was silent for an awful long time.
"I'm sorry, what now?"
[2:27 - End of Song]
Webs was also silent.
Oscar the Great White Shark.
Mentioned in that list from the cop who held the Eden Apple…
This got to be some kind of prank, wasn't it? And it was crazy to believe the police imposter was colleagues with Oscar. The best-case scenario was he was only a friend of the crazy shark. The thought of Oscar wanting these Eden Apples was scarier to comprehend. The questions were all hows and whys, but one question got Webs shivering.
Was Oscar actually here?
The small tarantula's voice dropped to a low pitch, her heart beating madly. "Get out of there. We're not done yet for today."
Sunnyside Laboratories, Los Angeles, America
Hornet felt like an idiot.
At first, he thought it should be fine to investigate Sunnyside Labs. He knew the risks since it had been abandoned, and who knew what was left there? He could hide in spots and never be caught by anyone patrolling that facility. However, when he saw the massive building dominating the smaller buildings and trees, all built-up confidence was washed away.
It literally dwarfed him.
Since the company fell apart, nobody bothered to keep the building clean. Even though they should have knocked it down for another construction work, everybody seemed afraid to take a step closer to it. The white and blue paint was visibly peeling off, turning into a beige, yellowish color. Random splatters of rain and bird poop were visible from the walls. Obviously dirty, a neglect of its place in this city.
The entrances, including the one leading to the room where they kept the guinea pigs, were blocked off by tall, wired fences. The few construction fences surrounding the entire building were torn at the top, evidence of people trying to sneak in. But the fact they remained standing proved enough to steer strangers from coming closer.
Just seeing the building brought back bad memories for Hornet. He swore never to come back to this place. Not in a million years. Not even if he managed to outlive all of humanity somehow. Hornet might not have seen the outside face-to-face, but he knew what was INSIDE the building. And it was a living hell for him…
He ducked his head back into the tall tree he was hiding in. Hornet's mind was growing into a rush. Previous stress from before flooded his head. He couldn't stop shivering. Alone in the cold leaves, he let out a soft whimper.
He wanted to fly away since he was returning to the one place that changed his life forever. Bad memories of him tiring out and feeling like he was burning threatened to show him, and Hornet grew sick of this. He closed his eyes, trying to put himself in a happy spot. He wanted to feel something safe for once. He wanted to think that this death trap was no longer going to hurt him again and again and…
In this internal mantra, he forced logic over his fear. He came to this laboratory for an answer. He came here before the police could. He came here to provide the closest thing for Alex to find closure. All the answers have to be in there if not already taken.
Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.
He nearly retaliated when something ruffled underneath him.
But it wasn't an attacker. It was Moe.
"Meow!"
"Moe!" said Hornet. "What are you doing here?!"
Moe meowed in response, glancing at the facility and back at Hornet.
"What? You're not coming with me! Where's Mira? I thought she stayed behind to take care of Alex."
Moe shook his head as if saying that Mira wasn't here. The branch underneath them ruffled a little, but the cat retained balance. Maybe it was due to being already used to climbing trees.
"We can't go in there together," said Hornet in concern. "You might get yourself hurt!"
Moe hissed, using one paw to point back at the facility. He had already made up his mind to assist Hornet. He shouldn't go alone in this horrible place! The little bug would need someone!
"Well, if I allow you to come in," said Hornet, crossing his arms. "Then how will I not know you won't wander off?"
Moe shook his head, saying 'no' to that.
"Hmm…what if there were like a bunch of fishes inside? I bet that you would focus on them."
The cat shook his head again.
"...and will you stick with me all the time?"
Moe meowed, nodding.
Hornet was stupefied that the cat was serious.
"And what do you want back if you partner with me there?"
Moe responded by licking Hornet's face. The little bug barely moved, but his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disgust. He shook his head, removing the cat saliva dripping over him. However, after hovering in his spot, he found himself feeling much warmer under the cat's exhaling breath and pur.
Hornet wants at least some company with him. Moe is small enough like him.
"S-Sold," he muttered, sheepish.
Moe suddenly yelped when loud sirens blared through the streets. Hornet groaned as he ducked beneath the leaves.
Police cars and trucks surrounded the building, with multiple police cops hopping out. They were all wearing protective armor and gear. Hornet wasn't sure if Chief Luggins was bluffing about Chief Ashton being alive, but he showed up. Oh, and Gwen and Stefan, too. The two of them exchanged nervous looks before staring at Ashton, pulling away the wire fence to let them in.
"They're already here to take the stuff away," grumbled Hornet. "Looks like we need to work double time. Moe, we're going to travel through the vents. We cannot be seen."
Moe meowed, raising a paw.
"Huh? What is it?"
The cat pointed somewhere, but he was trying to point at a particular spot of the building.
"Wait, you know a way in?" guessed Hornet correctly.
Moe nodded, smiling in pride.
"Then lead the way!" He frowned, remembering an important thing. "Oh, wait, I must get you down from here first."
Meanwhile, with the cops, they were all crowding around the building. As they checked if their shields, guns and tasers were ready, they all stood in line for further orders. Some of them were survivors of Oscar's latest attack, anxious about what they might face. The rumble of the ground below remained for them. Going into this building could bring in a tornado.
Chief Ashton shared the same sentiment, his glare daring to tear through the building before him. He heard unspeakable horrors inside this facility. He had a hunch that the company wasn't an exact saint. However, it was supposed to serve for good for the government. For this country.
And all it did was create kindergarten drawings more understandable for goats. Now they must clean up the books they didn't bother to keep properly. Ashton would rather be somewhere else but was determined to get this done.
"I want everyone to be in teams," he instructed, his voice echoing. Its noise drew everyone to his strict authority and his grudging determination he had trouble toning down. A telling to the red flags they would be taking. "We'll all spread out to cover more ground in here. We don't know what machines or anomalies are left in there. If any, attack and contain. Be careful and wary. Anything contagious MUST be taken away through safety procedures. Got that?"
"Yes, sir!" said all the cops.
"Now let's go! We don't want to stay here for too long!"
All the cops formed into smaller branches and charged right inside the facility. For some, it was a simple investigation and confiscation of already illegal equipment. To some, it felt like a zombie apocalypse game. There were a few who were slow and reluctant to enter the building. To them, it was…
"...this place is kind of spooky," whispered Stefan to Ashton. "Can you…come with me and hold my hand?"
"You have Gwen!" groaned Ashton. "Go on!"
"OK!" said Stefan, reluctantly running into the building.
Gwen followed him, as nervous as he was. She would have backed off, but it was simply her job. But they weren't informed properly of what they needed to contain. She was nearly killed last night. The orders Ashton received were NOT normal.
After making it inside, these cops were about to split up into duos…but the door behind them slammed shut just as they were getting comfortable.
One cop rushed over to the door, trying to kick the knob.
"It's locked!" she cried.
"Don't worry!" said a voice on the other side. "We're already onto trying to bust it open!"
This wasn't helped when they heard a loud creaking noise from above.
All the cops started to murmur nervously.
"What was that?"
"It's a mummy!"
"I think it's a ghost…"
"There must be a rogue robot here…"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" called Ashton. "We should not panic! On a less professional note, I know enough horror movies on what we should not do in an abandoned, dark laboratory building."
"Good," said Gwen, her fingers trembling on the gun she was holding. "Then perhaps you like to tell us if there are zombies that will infect us."
"Wait, so we're all trapped here and we will all die?!" yelled a cop dramatically. "...EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!"
She ran into one hallway, screaming her head off.
"...OK, we need to stay calm," pointed out Stefan. "...BUT SHE'S TOTALLY CORRECT!"
In a chain reaction, nearly every cop scattered in different directions. Uninformed of the dangers of the laboratory, they were scared out of their minds of what they might face if they stayed in this spot for long.
Ashton could only stand starstruck as his whole fraction fell apart, his eyes wide in matching fear.
He even caught Stefan and Gwen bumping into each other, the former dropping his gun. The two briefly fought over it before Gwen won and ran away, leading Stefan to run into another hallway while screaming blindly.
"...this is NOT what we're supposed to do!" yelled Ashton in the silence.
Meanwhile, Hornet and Moe got into a vent without fuss or complaint.
For them, going through dark areas wasn't comfortable unless they were wrapped in a nice warm bed. Moe had a hard time adapting to the dark when walking on his own. He remained close to Hornet, who used a flashlight to guide them. On the other hand, the little bug was much more braver but still unnerved by the dark.
He couldn't deny its creepiness. He had been in dark vents before, but this took the cake. It looked ordinary, but he knew the experiments left here were anything far from normal. Loose animals crawling through here? That would be one thing they weren't prepared for.
Throughout their walk, Moe had to be careful when walking through the vents. He had to keep his footsteps as soft as possible due to the metallic walls and floor more likely to rumble on impact. Hornet even told him not to scratch anything since this might make enough noise to let the police know that they were trespassing.
If there were no cops, then they could have approached their environment much better and calmer.
But it was the least of their worries since they could hear multiple sounds from all directions.
Maybe this was why the cops were called to take care of the facility, but what exactly was in there?
Hornet went back to trying to use his helmet to scan the interior of the faculty. Any files left over from Susan Paste and those who went missing. To his utter confusion, he couldn't find the exact location of any stable computers. Or Susan's fingerprints through X-ray vision. Despite hacking into what was left of the laboratory's server, finding a stable network to download the information he wanted seemed to be taking forever.
He was just going around in circles. All he found was pink glitches entering his visor like it was a new firewall to hack right through. Whether that was a freak show or a new security system, they couldn't let go of Sunnyside Labs, could they?
A groan of annoyance, his body sagging. His finger tapped repeatedly against his helmet as the map image on his visor took a while to detect where he should go.
"I wonder how we'll get there in time," he muttered.
Moe meowed, calling him over. He was peeking through one of the vent grills leading to a small laboratory. Hornet peeked over, wanting to take a look.
This room contained a surprisingly colorful garden of flowers and plants! They all looked so real, even the ones in non-natural colors. Not a single blemish of plastic with droplets dripping from the petals. A giant daisy rested at the end of the room, happily fluttering in the light provided by the running heater.
The door opened to reveal Gwen and the same female cop who was the first to run cowardly.
"Whoa!" said the latter. "This…looks pretty nice!"
"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Gwen. "These kind of things appear alien." She took a sniff, gagging. "Ergh. It smells like rotten eggs in here."
"This doesn't seem too bad," said her partner, wearing a face mask. "At least those flowers look nice. Hey, that reminds me of back when we were in school-"
"That was one time, buddy," deadpanned Gwen.
"...when we had shots on so many milkshakes at that cute bar, it was all heaven like this. And this is now our reality!"
"You're sure about this?" asked Gwen, picking one flower pot. "This might be too deadly."
"Relax," said her partner. "I can trust this place! It might be toxic, but at least it's a sight. Remember, as long as you have colorful plants, they represent the joy she can trust-"
CHOMP!
The daisy suddenly rose and its petals snatched the cop's entire body. It swallowed her whole through its stump before burping out her set of clothes. Wet remains of the female cop in a pathetic pile.
Hornet gasped, putting a hand over his mouth.
Moe meowed nervously, never seeing a sight like this before.
Gwen was understandably shocked, but her voice said otherwise.
"Well, the 90s' were fun, but looks like we're paying for it," she said, dissonantly casual.
The daisy let out a roar, charging in at Gwen. Immediately, she shouted and rolled to the other side. She was about to pull out her gun when she saw a weapon hidden in an emergency glass case. Breaking it open, it revealed to be a mini flamethrower.
Without thinking straight, she aimed and fired, burning the entire daisy.
At the smell of smoke, Hornet was told to flee.
"OK, let's get out of here NOW," said an unnerved Hornet, pushing Moe away from seeing the plant burn to death.
On the other side of the building, Stefan looked at his list of things to collect from this facility. He ended up being alone, but after a while of screaming his head off, he suddenly felt much better. Maybe getting off all of this unwanted energy did the trick.
With that, he merrily entered one of the abandoned experiment rooms and turned on the lights. Thankfully, the power was still on and he could read his sheet of paper properly.
"OK, dismantle the guinea pig skin collector," he read.
A machine beeped behind him, making… ghoulish whispers.
Stefan slowly turned around, his eyes widening at seeing two guinea pig skeletons sitting on the small torture chairs. White, clean and sparkly.
Above the two skeletons appeared to be suckers connected to a machine. Even though he couldn't confirm, the glass compartment of the machine appeared to be carrying orange-brown fur…in a bit of a red-brownish color.
Stefan looked back at the skeletons. One of their jaws fell apart.
"...that's fine!" he said with a forced grin. "This is fine! I'm OK with what happened here."
So, just dismantle the machine without getting caught in it.
"How do you turn off this machine?" he said to himself as he looked under the still-functioning sucker pipe.
Hornet and Moe continued traveling and the former was whooping to himself when his helmet chimed successfully at the detected located room. Files containing information about Susain Paste were pointed in a larger room further above them. At least they didn't need to worry about getting lost in these vent tunnels.
The little bug stopped when he heard voices from one of the vent grills. Moe followed as well, tilting his head in a curious pur.
In this next lab room, there was a group of four cops keeping several equipment items away in a large container. They appeared mundane and not too dangerous despite being used for experimentation.
However, one of the cops found something that stood out from the rest of the room: it could be argued to be a soap bomb in reflective, holographic colors.
"Huh, what is this one?" asked one of the cops.
"According to my list…" said another, scanning his sheet of paper. "That one is a smoke bomb that allows you to travel back in time."
"What? Is that true?"
"Is there such thing as this crap?" said a third cop, snorting in disbelief. "Time travel doesn't exist!"
"It might be," said a fourth cop. "Possibly, this company is so desperate to make literal history through their 'influential' guinea pigs."
"I heard that this one takes you back to prehistoric times when there were dinosaurs," said the second cop. "I've read the details."
"...I think I agree that time travel doesn't exist," said the first cop, throwing the holographic ball upwards. "A smoke bomb cannot exactly do that!"
But the second the holographic ball hit the container, it exploded in a colorful ball of fire. Hornet and Moe were thrown back by the strong forces of the explosion. Moe was quick to catch Hornet, giving him a soft landing. Stunned, the small bug buzzed, his wings fluttering against the soft fur of Moe's paws. He immediately flew back close to the vent grill.
The cops were gone. All that was left were glittery sparkles flying everywhere.
"...I'm sure they'll be fine," he mused quietly.
Gwen managed to catch up with Ashton in another part of the building. She was grateful to finally find another familiar face, even though she didn't like Ashton that much. At least both of them were the only sane ones. They made sure to stick together as they journeyed through this lonely hallway.
It was dark, cramped and cold with an awful smell…
"Did you fart?" asked Ashton.
"What?" said Gwen. "No."
"It seems to be coming from you. I can smell it."
"What? I didn't fart."
"I think you did."
Gwen sniffed her sleeve. "I…think that was from that stupid flower room."
"So, Gwen," asked Ashton. "How many…other cops disappeared?"
"Oh, Rebecca got eaten, so she's dead," grumbled Gwen sadly, her flat tone butchering the seriousness of the news. "I burnt all the plants down. There aren't any after-effects."
Ashton nodded, gulping. "Four men mysteriously disappeared in one room. This is not planned well."
"You didn't think of giving us missile launchers for this, did you?
Ashton sighed. "We would still drop in numbers here. It's always predictable with coming into an abandoned laboratory."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Well…the funny guy would go next. That would mean Stefan…" She suddenly grew worried, wondering what her friend might be up to. "Oh no, Stefan…"
"...you might have a point there," said Ashton. "Know what? Let's get this over with. If we break down, then we'll all have a likely chance of being off."
Gwen nodded. "I suppose so."
The two continued walking, but it seemed neither could stop talking.
"On a less professional side," asked Ashton. "Do you think the rumors of the Sunnyside Labs are true?"
"I don't believe in rumors," said Gwen bluntly. "I need facts, not rumors."
"To explain, I heard what got Sunnyside Labs to become discontinued finally: its anomalies," said Ashton. His voice suddenly became deeper, invested in these dark discoveries. It was all he would know, only the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Monsters, ghosts, demi-gods. Everything they try to take control of. Think about it. We have a group of criminals based on monster stereotypes and fairy tale legends. If they exist, then maybe these monsters do here, just created by hands. And we don't know if they are easy to pull out from this forbidden place…"
Gwen stared at him for a long time, understandably bewildered. "Nah. I don't believe so. If they were any, they would have taken them out of this damned dump."
"You're sure? They were in a rush when they tried escaping the country."
"You watched way too many horror movies," said Gwen matter-of-factly as she opened a door. "They wouldn't leave their monsters here for them to eat intruders!"
With the door opened wide, just right behind her was a scary, ugly duck animatronic with sharp teeth, a mohawk made from metallic spikes and a pink, tattered dress. And she looked really hungry with her sloppy tongue sticking out from her sickly, chipped beak.
Her eyes were staring straight at Gwen's back, sunken in their sockets like souls about to be pulled underneath the ground.
"Hello!" chirped the duck animatronic happily.
"Run," announced Gwen with a sarcastic smile.
Both police cops screamed like banshees as the animatronic lunged towards them with a ladylike screech.
Stefan, after dealing with the guinea pig skin collector machine, rushed out to another room. He gained a new black eye from his previous shenanigan. At first, he felt a sense of relief when he entered the new room. However, turning on the lights made him want to run away again.
There were paintings coating every inch of the walls and ceiling in red paint. Or at least what he thought was red paint. It looked more brownish red and dried up. Words he couldn't understand. The place was already messy, with the table torn apart, the vent tunnels crooked and mysterious glass pieces on the floor.
An inactive robot on the other side of the room, hooked up by ceiling wires. Its head was currently facing downwards, despondent. It was shaped like a sock puppet with legs. Drawn on the floor in front of it was a BIG red Satanic pentagram drawn on the floor in the same matching red paint. Candles surrounded it, the leftover smoke emitting whispers bouncing off the room.
Stefan stared at the entire room in silence before forcing another smile.
"This is fine," he uttered. "That's fine. I just have to keep telling myself that this is fine."
With faux glee, he looked back at his sheet of paper.
"Alright! My next thing to get rid of? 'Destroy and burn the vengeful, soul-controlling robot puppet.'" His smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, what?"
The candles lit up and the pentagram glowed a bright red.
Eventually, Stefan broke free from the robot.
With yet ANOTHER black eye.
Gwen came around, covered in feathers.
When they bumped into each other upon crossing around the corner, they screamed in horror.
In self-defense, Stefan threw his hat at Gwen.
Gwen stopped screaming, suddenly annoyed. "...you know that won't earn you a trophy, right?"
"I thought you were a monster," said Stefan.
"Ouch. Why the hell do you have two matching black eyes?"
Stefan sighed before observing Gwen's body. "Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken?"
"This place is mocking us," grumbled Gwen. "Strangely enough, it's kind to give us weapons."
In her hands was a large missile launcher. Stefan huffed in surprise, snatching it up. It looked like the kind of missile launcher you would use in military battlegrounds. There was a new rocket stuffed into its mouth, freshly red in contrast to the silver and green.
Stefan had never carried a rocket launcher of any sort, so this was impressive. It felt light to carry, to his surprise. Maybe it was his experience in carrying heavy, illegal weapons.
"What's the purpose of having this?" he asked. "Why store it in a science laboratory?"
"Maybe to fend off any monsters in this place?"
Stefan groaned, looking thoroughly fed-up. "I just love how supernaturally powerful this place is becoming, so why don't we get more supplies to prepare for the super-hard boss?"
Gwen noted how angry and upset Stefan really sounded. It was rare to see him getting annoyed aside from mild tiffs and banters. She smiled a little, wanting to cheer him up.
"Now, don't be so downfallen just yet," she encouraged. "Where's the readiness you always carry? It could be worse."
Stefan nodded sarcastically, retaining the same frown when he turned to find a giant teddy bear behind Gwen. It was the size of a real bear, its fur was purple and its top hat looked like it was stolen from the nearest Dollar Shop. He barely doubted that this thing would certainly not crush them in its definition of a bear hug.
"You were saying?" he hissed.
Gwen's smile tightened. "Nothing. I was saying nothing."
Stefan let out a scream as the giant teddy bear grabbed Gwen, turning off the safety button of the missile launcher.
"I HEREBY COMPEL THE POWER OF CHRIST ON YOU!" shouted Stefan dramatically as he aimed at the bear.
Hornet rechecked his helmet. Something didn't feel right as they made their way to the top floor of the facility. It didn't feel like the previous rooms he and Moe checked through. The vents of the top floor were beginning to feel colder. Unusual, even for its current state's standards. They must be going far away from the rooms with stable power.
"It's right there," he uttered. "We're close."
Moe meowed and raced to the nearest vent grill. He pressed his head against it, confirming that this should be where their destination should be. Hornet checked through his visor from his helmet, trying to connect with any available devices. No files came through. These devices were flickering or unstable, sending a pink pop-up window on his visor that the download didn't work.
It didn't help that his visor was excessively pink, obscuring his vision and any attempts to do a successful download.
Hornet growled to himself. Out of all the time, now he couldn't copy them over? He might need to get into that room to copy files manually. Once close, he screwed the bolts holding the vent grill tight and the two jumped right out, landing on a table.
The first thing that hit him was the smell.
Hornet sniffed and covered his face, not wanting to smell anymore. Moe sniffed and he gagged, nearly looking like he might cough up a furball. The smell was equivalent to cigarette smoke. Who the hell smoked in this room when it should be a non-smoking area?! They were still breathing, so at least it wasn't toxic. It was just the unpleasantness and temptation of the smell, unwelcoming. An addictive toxic air.
The second thing was how dim the place was.
Unlike the rest of the facility, this room was on low power. The ceiling lights were broken with running hard drives and a small computer providing illumination. Shadows from the corners of the room grew larger, painting over any molecule of color provided. It was becoming a haunted house of its own. Hornet mustered enough strength to not show any fear, a lump forming in his throat.
The third thing was the look of the entire room.
Hornet was greeted by the giant lab room when he blinked again. Spacious yet had all the hallmarks of an abandoned lab. Almost all the objects in the room were thrown around or burnt. Someone must have gone into a fit. A few computers on a desk remained intact with smoke pouring out from a broken hard drive. One computer was on, functioning normally with an ad covering the cracked screen.
This lab also included a large testing room, separated by a wall. Windows lined up the wall, allowing a glimpse inside its former glory. The testing room barely aged, not in ruins. Even in the dark, he could spot the unblemished whiteness of the room. Untouched, safe from dust.
The little bug stared at the testing room the longest. A sense of dread building up yet nostalgia as well. He couldn't feel numb anymore. Only fear.
The lab was already ruined, but its presence was still there for him.
His vision was already beginning to dark despite hearing Moe purring next to him. The small bug took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to slow down the memories of this laboratory. As he controlled that feeling, he only concentrated on the softest moments of his time here.
AN: There's a LOT of unanswered things happening in Sunnyside Labs. I think I was on drugs when thinking of these experiments. But for now, the Eden Apples are the main focus while the rest rot away. It's either one of the two. And of course, it's just your regular wackiness.
Note, there was a scene where Hornet discovered a police cop appearing 'lost' in the large laboratory, but that was cut out since I feel it doesn't fit in nicely.
The chat between Diane and Webs was really engaging when writing it. Out of everyone, they don't seem to have that much focus, given that they wanted to make their time after being busy on their ends. For some reason, this feels a little stereotypical of what a girl's chat would be like, but let me know if that's the case regarding the topics they discuss. And we get some more insight about Kitty Kat herself here!
For those who don't know, Shark attempting to date Mira once is actually a reference to the same thing happening in Rally's story! Specifically, Chapter 13 and 23 in 'The Bad Guys Season 1: Our Own Story'. Shark seems to be like a ladies' man or tries to be.
Webs jamming it out to 'Therefore I Am' is definitely not due to my love for the song on Just Dance 2023 Edition.
With the exploration through Sunnyside Labs, I took some inspiration from Shiloh and Bros to describe the cops' silly reactions and approaches to the mishaps there. Granted that Ashton neglected to tell them anything first, they drop one by one. Additionally, the colorful flowers garden is inspired by a similar setting in Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and it still carries the same gnarly, carnivorous plants.
What do you think of this chapter so far? Let me know in the reviews. Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story so far, be sure to favorite or follow. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but if any flames, then it's down the drain.
Until next time, keep on rocking!