Chapter 17 - Eyes That Hide More Than Feelings
Hornet opened his eyes.
He blinked. His vision was blurry.
He blinked again.
Something cold was attached to his chest.
It took him a while to figure out what was going on. Aside from the muffled voices and the blurry colors fading into his vision, he felt disoriented. He felt sick in the stomach. He nearly forgot what happened in the last few minutes. Did he…actually blacked out?
"It's a success! He is coming to now!"
"Hold on. Would the weapon work on him?"
Finally, Hornet could finally see.
He could hear again.
Though, he still felt cold.
He found himself lying on a desk. The room he was in was much smaller than the last one he remembered being in before he blacked out. It was a testing lab. Strangely, he could see a hamster treadmill, a couple of blocks of different weights and a container filled with water. To say that it looked like a rat playground was an understatement.
"Wake up."
He looked behind, blinking owlishly. That was when the feeling of not being alone came to him. And for some reason, it didn't make him feel better.
Two or more scientists towered over him, but their bodies were covered in black. It was as if they were assets of an unfinished game. Their dark silhouettes were glitching uncontrollably, a presence to not interfere upon touch. Hornet couldn't identify their faces, but he could see those eyes.
And staring into those eyes reminded him of the same unhinged eyes of the enemy hornets who nearly killed him.
The glitches spread to his sensory senses, coming out from his vision.
A zap to his arm-Hornet shook his head, opening his eyes. He hissed and rubbed his suddenly sore arm. Looking at it, he was relieved there was no lash scar. Looking up, the laboratory was in ruins. When he looked to his left, he only saw Moe resting against him. Now able to tell he was safe, the little bug groaned and rubbed his good antenna anxiously.
What surprised him was that he managed to snap out of his flashbacks. The glitches were new and enough to slap him in the face. Literally.
He didn't imagine them, right?
"Why does this room feel heavy?" he whispered to himself.
The only thing that remained the same was this room wanting to permanently keep him out from knowing too much. Just a test rat he was. The difference was that whoever wanted to keep him here wasn't the people he knew.
Moe glanced at Hornet with the same worried look. The cat felt it too. He would describe it as invisible hands refusing them to look further.
This only enhanced Hornet's sudden need for familiarity. He flew to the large testing room, peeking through that window again. He remembered. Many of the tests took place there. He never knew the full extent of the experiment, but they always wore him out. The memories were increasing, but once again, he tried looking back at the softer ones.
A horrible feeling of wanting to escape cut right through and he forced himself to remember only the first test in there.
He was already tired at this point and he wasn't sure if his wings could work. Doing this would be more merciful than perishing. Nearing 10 laps wouldn't look too long, but for him, it took a day. The testing room was larger than him indeed. Despite being tired, his wings somehow got enough energy to continue the test.
The coldness in his chest persisted, keeping him running.
After 15 laps, he rested by the edge near the window, stretching his wings. They already felt sore, easily breakable.
"That's a new record," said a female scientist watching the procedure. "Looks like that gem can ensure you live longer, even if you nearly run out of energy. Remaining healthy and natural means you can't die from natural causes. Hopefully, the next line of subjects will be able to catch up."
"Wait, next line-?" started Hornet.
"Shush, that's for later. We're gonna have another run here."
Before he could ask again, he spotted another hornet resting near him.
The same hornet soldier he saw who had a spear cut through their neck.
All of a sudden, the dead hornet started to glitch out. Black scribbles covered his face with two white Xs drawn over where his eyes should be. An extensive white line covered his neck. He was suddenly staring at abstract art and it felt too weird.
Hornet gasped, fluttering backwards. He immediately shut down his train of thoughts, not wanting to return to THERE.
Just when he thought about the harmless ones, he could see the dead body of…
Something must have drawn him there. It was all in his head. Messing his memories. He placed his hand on the window to push himself away from the testing room and turned his body to face the ground to not gaze at it for longer. All it would do was give him a reason to never look back at it again.
This room's new 'nature' shook him, telling him to look away.
His helmet beeped and detected files relating to the many people who went missing here, but…which computer could he rely on in this laboratory? Why here? Why stored here?
He gulped. It should be a coincidence, shouldn't it?
Feeling the pur before him, Hornet smiled slightly upon seeing Moe walking near him. The cat meowed in curiosity, wanting to check if he was OK. The little bug found himself drawing close to touching the soft fur of the cat. Moe gently lifted one of his paws to pat him on the head. At least enough to calm Hornet down from a potential meltdown.
The memory lane lingered, but upon reminder that Moe was here, it made Hornet feel better. It didn't spoil his passing memories with crude scribbles. Sure, the cat didn't and wouldn't understand everything about him, but it felt nice that someone was there to care for him.
And then, he remembered Mira.
Hornet sighed, grinning sheepishly. Having an enthusiastic journalist along for this ride would have been nice. Hornet came out here originally alone without thinking of what the further plan would be. Still, it would be too dangerous. Moe only got through here by sheer luck.
Feeling his sense of reality intact, Hornet slowly turned to the one computer left on. This should give him all the answers. However, he wasn't sure if the files were intact on that hard drive since it must have been two years already of being alone. Many crazy things could happen to a computer when unused for a long time.
He turned to the door. It was already closed. He quickly flew up to it and tried budging the knob. It was already locked. Using his helmet, he scanned it and he could confirm that it was double-locked. With X-ray vision, he found the cops were still fending for themselves or mucking. Two floors underneath him. Their bodies were only splatters crossing from one part to another. Madness. He winced at what they would have to witness.
Something told him he shouldn't take everything from the hard drive yet. There could be a virus in it or an unwanted file that could implode his helmet's hard drive.
Flying right up to the computer table, he landed near the keyboard and steered the larger mouse. The mouse on the screen responded. The tool he was pushing was surprisingly light. The table rattled a little from Moe climbing upwards. Upon seeing the mouse on the screen, he purred softly and reached one paw to try touching it.
"No, no, no," said Hornet quickly. "That's fake. Everything on a computer is fake. Hmm, but any secret files aren't fake, right?"
The version of the computer setup was close to a modern computer, so he didn't have difficulty browsing through the files. He spotted many folders cluttering the screen. When he decided to open its file explorer, the first folder that came into his sight was titled 'VIDEO LOGS FOR PROJECT LIFE'.
Hornet didn't know if this would give him the answers, but maybe it would tell him information about any experiments Susan was caught up in. He wasn't sure how many other experiments in this room caused the disappearances of so many. As he clicked on the folder to investigate, a long list of video files was generated. They must have been transferred here before.
He randomly clicked on one of the first few video files.
The screen was overtaken by a video recording, seemingly from the perspective of a small camera device. The video didn't need to take long to load. A human face appeared. A male with light skin and blonde hair combed back. Hornet was drawn to his hair since it looked…messy. In a good way. Aside from the extravagant hairdo, the person looked normal.
"Is this thing on? Hello? Hello?" said the scientist. He didn't sound prepared, fumbling with the camera switches. Until he heard the right clicks, the scientist perked up happily. "OK, it's on. Cool. Cool, cool, cool! This is Professor Franken, Day 60 of Project Life!" He chuckled nervously. He never done a vlog before. "Cause you know, if this project never exists, you'll have no life! Ha, ha, ha! Wait…I shouldn't be saying this, should I? Nah, it should be OK. Not like the boss will see."
Hornet narrowed his eyes. That scientist appeared familiar. He tried looking through his memories, but those faces were blurry. None of them offered anything vital. But that 'Project Life' rang a bell in his head.
Professor Franken moved his camera towards a couple of small orbs held by metal arms. And those were the first batches of the Eden Apples.
However, back then, they emitted a dull turquoise glow. Not so complicated that they could explode. While they had a lot inside, the dim glow showed the safe amount of power stored. No camera adjustments on the lighting changed that fact.
"My life's work is almost complete!" Franken sang triumphantly. "The first prototypes of Eden Apples are successfully created with no fails and this will ensure that all humans can live forever! This is really exciting! With this, we can start selling our inventions for real! This is our chance to no longer dig graves in the greens! All I need to do now is to find a perfect host and we can begin the final phase of my research!"
Professor Franken dropped the camera device, letting it bounce on the floor. Ignorant to its fall, he was already bouncing around like he drank too much sugar. He fell into his wheely chair and spun around, wasting all that energy. But it didn't tire him out as he eventually kicked the chair for good measure.
Hornet gulped, exiting the video. He wondered if this guy was ever professional. He seemed rather nervous, nearly close to a burnout. It felt bittersweet seeing him so chipper. Even though Hornet started to grow against Project Life, he felt pity for the blonde guy. He must have believed in those Eden Apples…
He clicked on the next video…and he jumped back when he heard a loud, angry yell.
In the video recording, Professor Franken was seen punching the wall before turning to the camera with a fiery glaze in his eyes.
"Damn it, I knew that those guinea pigs wouldn't hold still!" he growled, grabbing it violently. "My team said that they weren't fit for the power of the Eden Apples. But they're supposed to endure it! I thought this is why they are here in this place!"
He slammed the camera to the ground. Hornet had no idea why the screen for the video hadn't cracked yet.
Professor Franken sighed before picking up the camera. His hair was slightly dishevelled. He took a moment to try breathing properly.
"It died, so what?" he snarled in tranquil fury. "Just because it died doesn't mean it couldn't be used on a human test subject? I mean, we're kind of better than animals. It's the guinea pig's fault for dying from a seizure, not mine!"
One last sigh and he became calm. But the exhale sounded broken.
"I only have one more available test subject I can use," he said quietly. "And this time, it's not a guinea pig. Maybe this one will prove that I'm not crazy for once. Besides, guinea pigs here don't share the same sentience as we do, right?"
Hornet's eyes widened when he realized what this might mean.
"This was…when I came in…" he muttered.
He clutched his chest and it suddenly felt cold.
Without deciding if he wanted this, he mindlessly looked at the next video.
Professor Franken was dancing away on his wheely chair. He jumped off it with a stylish flick of his feet and grabbed the camera, zooming it further to show his childlike excitement. And that was a BIG contrast to his tantrum in the previous video.
"Yes, yes, yes! I found someone! It is one of those non-feral animals that can talk and think and it is anthropomorphic! Even better: no one will worry if anything happens to it." He paused for a while, aware of his rapid breathing. "We fused an Eden Apple on its chest. From the results, its strength, energy and durability levels SKYROCKETED!"
Hornet thought that he was gonna have flashbacks again. However, he was sucked into Professor Franken's ramblings. In fact, tension was building from a mix of anger and alienation. He couldn't believe his victory. The thing Franken did couldn't be considered one at the price of lives before and the danger he was placed in.
Professor Franken cackled for a long time before he could continue. "Now, this insect was near its last few months before it could die. However, by adding in the Eden Apple, it could live longer than its species' original lifespan! But ratings told me it might not last forever as we predicted it might only last for a normal human lifespan. All inventions would expire anyway, unfortunately."
He sighed in satisfaction. One that confirmed that he could move forward.
"I think we are ready to take this research to the next level! This is the start of immortality. Say hello to second chances and opportunities, everyone! All creations and current subjects for the first batch of Eden Apples will continue in case of a setback. I plan to make a more advanced batch of Eden Apples. Oh, we are really killing it, aren't we? I do not doubt that this will save the world forever!"
He laughed some more, clearly giddy about the progress of his research. The video ended and Hornet decided to play the next video without another thought.
Professor Franken appeared again but was sitting well-mannered at his desk this time. He didn't seem to be too emotional.
"Hello again, everyone!" he said, his voice lowered to a fair volume. His accent even took a gentler and thorough sound. A cool slice of his tongue. "This is Day 89 of Project Life. Recently, we hired a new researcher to support our team as we start testing the next line and era of Eden Apples. Experiments on the first batch have been streaming like a calm river. It's still extraordinary. Like a battery people would need to last their phone a week. But it's time we decide how the next generation will continue to survive without worrying about passing away 'naturally'."
It was eerie seeing Professor Franken acting so…reasonable. From growing excited to having a tantrum and now acting too professional. At least it was a phase Hornet could tolerate without feeling too freaked out.
"Well, this is different," he muttered.
"Professor Franken?" called a voice. "Who are you talking to?"
"Oh! Hey, Susan!" Franken turned the camera to the new visitor. "Just in time for a video log!"
Hornet's eyes widened upon recognizing the young woman the camera focused on. She was wearing the same black hoodie as the one she wore at Centralway Mall. Up this close, she possessed similar facial features and the same skin color as her sibling Alex. Her hair, however, wasn't dyed as he could see its dark raven strands following from her hoodie.
"Wait, is it really her?" wondered Hornet.
"Um…hi there, everyone!" said Susan, grinning anxiously at the camera. "I'm Susan Paste! I'm an intern at Sunnyside Labs. I usually come here to get real work experience and extra tips for treats." She then came close with a hand near her mouth to mimic whispering. "That's not true. They don't know my email address yet…wait, mean, they don't know my house address! No, I mean…erm…my car address! No, car license! Will this go live in public?"
Hornet noticed the way Susan fumbled over her words. Outspoken yet having trouble finding the right words.
"Yeah, it's definitely Alex's sister," he muttered.
"Well, honesty is the best policy…for this private diary log!" reassured Professor Franken, pulling Susan close to him. "Now, Susan here has given her full support to the team and the research on achieving immortality!"
"Not all of them," mumbled Susan with a bit of sass.
"Can't win them all, but we have one of the most goodest people on Earth who approves this," bragged Professor Franken. "Marmalade, may you present yourself?"
Marmalade?
That was new.
Hornet couldn't even express his shock when the camera turned to the guinea pig himself.
Marmalade was wearing the same faux smile as always, charmed. "Hello there, everyone-one-one-one-one-one-on-ono-o-o-o-o-o-ooooooooooooo-!"
The little bug began panicking when the video glitched out, increasing its zoom on Marmalade's face. He didn't need to do anything when the video turned itself off with a pink pop-up notification that the file was corrupted.
"What?!" exclaimed Hornet.
THUMP!
THUMP!
He thought it came from his imagination. The sound came from the other side of the door. He looked over his shoulder. Placing his helmet on, he felt his heart sink when he detected several cops using a BATTERING ram. Preparing to knock the door down.
Hornet hovered upwards, hyperventilating. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?!"
Things were getting bad. He took too long looking through these files that he hadn't copied them into his helmet yet. The little bug gritted his teeth, growling in frustration. He wasn't sure how long he could hold the cops off. Now, his life depended on making the right choice.
Either he could hide and wait until they leave or could get himself arrested and allow Alex and Mira to take the fall.
Eventually, he made up his mind by hiding behind the computer table. Despite nearly dozing off, Moe followed his lead and was behind the table. The orange tabby cat made sure to curl himself around Hornet as if protecting him. The small bug flinched a little once he felt the tail curled around his body. He didn't get the time to say otherwise when the door was knocked from its hinges.
"That's the last room, boys," said Ashton's voice. "This should contain information on the Eden Apples. Make sure to collect them and don't do it roughly."
The cops complied with his orders. This time, they took this more seriously than their previous encounters downstairs. Robotic marches marked their approach in the room, picking up objects to look for every nook and cranny. A good majority collected the leftover scientific equipment and computer monitors that were scattered around, merely knowing that these held illegal information. Yet their picks and scraps were more like a coordinated order than needing to take them out on time.
Moe pulled Hornet close to a dark space in the desk as they felt the table shook. The computers on top were taken away. Wires were immediately popped out from their power outlets. Hornet thought they would be seen…right until the cops left the desk alone when they pulled out the large computer hard drive.
"No!" he hissed.
But it was too late. And flying right through them wasn't a smart idea since they could catch him easily if exposed. He could only stare hopelessly as the cops took the computers and hard drives away.
Ashton sniffed, gagging. "Dear God. It smells like something died in here…I guess that it actually happened."
His eyes hardened, a sudden switch into fury. Just like the same cold and menacing look he gave to Hornet, Mira and Alex. At first, Hornet thought that this police chief might know he was around. But there was no direct contact to his hiding spot. Peeking around, Ashton seemed to be more focused on something else. His anger was directed towards the testing room. His eyes bore hatred towards the white empty space through the windows.
Then, it shifted into disappointment, his eyes trembling in sorrow. His fists were trembling, close to breaking the wall. He looked like he might scream due to the reflection of his twitching lips. It was foreign to see his professional and stoic persona drop to reveal this raw, humane anger.
Everybody jumped when they heard a loud gunshot. Followed by sprinkles of glass hitting the floor.
Ashton was panting heavily, slowly lifting down his gun. He raised it again to fire another bullet, but by then, he dropped his gun half-heartedly.
"Sorry, everyone," he said flatly. "I thought I saw something."
He was clearly lying and it wasn't hard to tell.
"SEIZE, ALIENS!" declared a voice from the door. "WHATEVER TRICKERY YOU'RE DOING, YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE TO HARM OUR PLANET!"
Gwen and Stefan.
Hornet had been wondering if they were alright.
They seemed to be rattled. Or at least the right definition for how traumatized they looked. Their entire bodies were drenched in turquoise goo as if they had gone to a slime concert.
The strangest thing was that they were wearing matching helmets in the style of hawks. They looked more like DJ masks than real sci-fi masks.
"What the hell are you two wearing?" asked Ashton, incredulous.
Immediately, Gwen ripped her helmet off, embarrassed. "Nothing."
Stefan remained unashamed. "What do you THINK I'm wearing under my pants, imposter?"
Ashton rolled his eyes. "I do not comprehend your world of logic and sense, Officer Stefan. You're just wearing simple, child-sized, red shorties from when you went through puberty."
Stefan clapped his hands. "The alien helmets are working."
This earned a quiet snicker from Hornet. He wondered how Gwen could tolerate his presence. She appeared too serious.
"Now those are pretty cool helmets," he said to himself.
"And why do you two smell like blue moon?" asked Ashton, sniffing.
"You tell me," growled Gwen. "We came upon a pool of guinea pigs. And do you believe it? Their eyes glowing like how Marmalade controlled an army of guinea pigs?! They were crying this slime out from their eyes?! They were screaming away!"
"You're making this more melodramatic than it already is."
Gwen stomped up to Ashton, already riled up. "OK, enough with the melodramatic show. This isn't what you warned us."
"What do you mean?" asked Ashton, crossing his arms.
"Those guinea pigs we came upon were SUFFERING. And we had to put them in cages as if they were dangerous. Not even giving them whatever mercy they need." Gwen sighed, closing her eyes. For a moment, there was guilt written over her face. Hornet actually wondered if she was serious about this. "We've been at this for a long time. Telling those concerned that there's nothing wrong with the fiascos at Centralway Mall. And now, we're heading to a place where you didn't tell us that the rumors in there were true."
"At least we're prepared," remarked Ashton. "Where did you really use that armor?"
"I don't know. Maybe it barely worked when one got swallowed up by a piranha plant! Do you even think of how many people should be here? We'll be outnumbered soon!"
Ashton remained quiet, foolish. "It…didn't come to me at first since I thought you would all remain quiet."
That was enough to get Gwen trying to get a rose from the chief. "What about Mr. Hornet? I knew him longer than you did. He'll come to this."
Ashton puffed his chest. "You mean him? What is he going to do? Sting me?"
"Hey, the little bug can do amazing things," said Stefan, removing his helmet. "The Bad Guys did something we couldn't."
"And we can do things they cannot do. And what do they get? A free boot-in trip to prison."
"What about us?" questioned Gwen. "How long do we need to lie to people to the point they go to extreme lengths to get what they want? No one is gonna rely on us by then!"
"They still will," protested Ashton. "Every time they try to protest, they always get shot down."
"Not one. That person already took the risk of hiring Mr. Hornet! What's so important about covering this dump from the world, Ashton?!"
Hornet was expecting Ashton to snap back at Gwen for asking such a question like this. He was surprised that Gwen and Stefan openly told their leader their worries. And this came from the cops who tried telling Hornet they knew what they were doing. Their morals weren't for this department or the government.
But the biggest surprise was that Ashton didn't talk back in anger. He looked away, but not in spite. But fear. Genuine fear. There was shock as well. The dim lighting covered up his face in shadow, making it hard to spot the rare fear he presented.
It didn't help that the rest of the cops remaining in the room were staring at the commotion.
"...Gwen, Stefan," said Ashton, surprisingly in a gentle tone. "I accepted to help the government get back what's needed. I don't think you would understand when you see. You already have lives of your own, so you won't like what I know." He turned back to Gwen, his strictness diminished. "Now, if we want to save the world from going into ongoing dread, then hiding what's necessary will spare them the horror of what could have been. It's the best way of protecting the families of those missing."
"Protecting from what?" asked Gwen. "The truth?"
Ashton shook his head. There was no clear answer to that. And thus, the lack of hesitance simmered Gwen's grudge. He could say 'yes', but he refused to spit it out.
Ashton glanced at Stefan, hoping he could say something. However, Stefan's faith was slowly decreasing. Attacked by an infamous assassin last night took a big toll on him. The blonde cop looked away with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.
Hornet didn't know how to feel about this. Did Ashton seem to know more about the experiments of Sunnyside Labs than just following orders? Did he also know…about the Eden Apples? He seemed to sympathize with the intentions of Professor Franken, or whoever was in charge, but at the same time, he was mad at them for messing things up.
Before he could decide whether to feel sorry, there was a low rumbling from the hallway.
"What's that?" asked Ashton.
Gwen groaned. "Oh no."
Stefan gasped. "THE ALIENS ARE COMING! THE ALIENS ARE COMING!"
"Erm, I don't think that it's one-"
"He's right!" said another cop.
"What should we do?" said a second cop.
"It's already an alien invasion," said Stefan, hiding behind Gwen. "Call the police!"
"We are the police!" pointed out Gwen.
Hornet had his helmet on, but nothing prepared him for getting hit by an incoming wave of squealing guinea pigs.
He couldn't hear his screaming as the floor of guinea pigs came bursting right in, filling the entire room like waves of the ocean crashing into the shore. Their glowing turquoise eyes created the image of water if it weren't for the uncanny sticky goo they were coated in. Despite his small size, even Hornet couldn't keep himself above the furry wave of guinea pigs.
He had trouble finding an excellent spot to start flying, but at least he got it better than the other cops.
All the cops were screaming their heads off, trying to swim out from the flood of guinea pigs. Stefan's legs were popping out. They would have tried to be careful not to harm the guinea pigs, but there were too many that they felt that they might drown and suffocate. Too warm and sticky to adapt. Their heads keep popping upwards, trying to gasp for fresh air.
Poor Moe was already bouncing up and down from the flood of guinea pigs. He was hissing away, wanting to attack. However, that didn't happen when he saw how scary the pigs looked with glowing eyes! They looked like zombies!
This made him reluctant to fight back, fearing they might attack him.
It brought too many memories of when Marmalade tried using his guinea pig army to attack him and the Bad Guys.
But then, the orange tabby cat found the hapless Hornet struggling to keep his head above water. Or guinea pigs, for that matter.
Pushing aside his hatred towards the guinea pigs, Moe galloped across the flood and made it right on time to Hornet. Just enough for the tiny bug to grab his collar and pulling himself up to collect time to fly upwards.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Hornet. "This is way more stressful than being trapped in Snake's room!"
Knowing that Ashton, Stefan and Gwen would eventually be alright from the harmless yet violent wave of guinea pigs, Hornet and Moe managed to surf through the flood without being spotted. Once a 'wave' rose high, Moe hopped up to land right into the vent grill with Hornet behind him.
Close to Noon, Melbourne, Australia
Snake tried not to look back as he slithered through the lonely streets of Melbourne on his own. He figured that Wolf's father wouldn't be happy to see him. Well, the older wolf never knew him, but he would soon know that he was Wolf's partner-in-crime.
It should be the right time now to let his best friend see his father again.
He didn't stop to remember everything after he ran away. His mind was a scribble of black lines, no path to sort out the screams of what he should do.
By the time he was far away from the Queen Victoria Market, it was when he remembered that he left Wolf to confront his own father. And who knows if Wolf will make it out alive?
He swallowed, but his throat was dry. The reptile hopped onto a nearby bench, trying to recollect his thoughts. His heartbeat slowed after all this running, yet the pounding remained in his head. The guilt-ridden Snake questioned himself why he left Wolf like this. He thought it was the right thing to do, but now, it felt like he wouldn't see him again.
If anybody shouldn't be around Wolf, it should be him.
Snake wanted to let the world swallow him up.
The answer came from a hand grabbing his tail. Panic flooded him.
A voice yelled in his mind that they were already here. They were gonna take him away.
His chest heaved up and down. He bit into the wooden plank of the bench as he felt himself being pulled away. He didn't want to go through this again.
He shut his eyes.
Please leave me alone.
Please leave me alone.
They didn't.
They were…shaking him around?
It didn't feel like they were trying to pull him off. Just swinging him around like a light swing. Carefully.
He opened his eyes at the awkward feeling.
His presumed attacker was a jackal with the thickness of a twig. His fur was light brown with black fur on the back, an insane golden color for his eyes and sharp canines poking from his mouth…that were crooked and yellow.
The jackal even looked weirder due to wearing an orange surgical hat, a long white surgical coat, orange surgical gloves and brown shoes.
The jackal tilted his head. "You're there, man? You're home?"
Snake gasped, releasing his mouth biting on the wooden plank.
"You're there?" said the jackal, jerking his head again. "You're not communicating clearly."
Snake was too shocked to talk. He…knew this jackal before.
The jackal looked behind at his invisible audience. "Did you get any of this? No? Me neither."
Snake croaked, slowly lifting his tail. "...D-!"
"Oh, wait a minute!" said the jackal dramatically. "Well, hi there, mister! The name's Doctor David Drillaärgh! Underlord, Totes Professional, Tooth Stylish and Expert Dentist!"
"David! It's me!" said Snake, still jittery in surprise. "We've met before. I remember you."
David looked surprised. "You…know me before?"
"Yeah…" Snake remembered now that it had been long since he had seen David in high school. He nearly forgot about the jackal, but would David remember him? "We…we had classes together!"
David stared at him for a long while, blinking innocently.
"We…took the same class in health science?"
A random pigeon flew behind them, cawing loudly.
"I helped you with breaking into a server room. You were the only person who seemed fine around me."
David's expression barely changed, still clueless.
"You pulled out one of my teeth for an experiment."
That was what got David thinking. "Oh! Stevie! So good to see you again!"
Snake felt a chill throughout his body. "...you may know me as Mr. Snake now, bud…"
"Aww, but your real name would look good on your criminal record," teased David, giving him a side hug. "Just wish you kept it so I could fully remember your face appearing on American news!"
Snake rolled his eyes. "I don't like…sharing my privacy. And I'm a mercenary-for-hire now. W-What are you doing here?"
"Oh yes!" said David cheerfully. "I actually came looking for you! You and the rest of the Bad Guys made a huge show last night! Quite the entertainment! But I must wonder why your teeth didn't pop off when your jaw smashed into the dartboard."
The reptile sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Don't need to tell me that, bud. I already got chased by one cop and three rivals today."
"Oh yeah. I think it might have been that crocodile. I saw him driving by my apartment earlier and he looked bloody mad."
"I can clearly see that. I don't think I can stay longer. You don't want to be caught talking to a criminal."
"Nah, it's good," said David. "The rest of the police cops don't seem urgent on getting you. And I haven't finished explaining why I came for you. I got an offer to make."
"An…offer?"
"Well, it's your decision to make. But I thought we can go to my home to talk and I'll tell you what I'm offering. With you being a full-time criminal now, you are rebellious, right?"
"I'm the old man kind of rebellious," deadpanned Snake.
"Sounds great!" said David, slapping Snake's back. "Now, hurry along! We got A LOT to talk about, Stevie!"
Snake didn't complain nor compliment David's idea to hang out again. Or the fact that he used his real name. It had been a while since anyone called him that, leaving Snake quieter than usual.
He and David weren't really friends back in high school. However, David did take an interest in Snake, primarily due to his growing pickpocketing skills. The reptile remembered the jackal barking excitedly when he was caught breaking into a student's locker. And since he got out of detention, David tried getting close to Snake.
He tolerated David for a while, but the jackal has a tendency to get into his personal space too much. It didn't help that the other students gossiped about why a 'good-looking' jackal would befriend a snake. While Snake didn't have many fond memories, he was glad David didn't treat him like an outcast.
This extended to right now. A reminder of some of the goods in Melbourne.
During their walk across the road, Snake decided to try tapping into his earpiece. David was too busy blabbering away. The reptile still felt lost after cowering away, so he needed to inform Wolf about…
Wolf's voice came through. "Snake! What are you-?"
"Calm down," said Snake, not noticing the alarm in Wolf's voice. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Do you-?"
Wolf laughed horribly. "What? Pick me? I-I'm fine. I'm all good."
Snake frowned. "You're sure? I'm…not letting you trip over your shoelaces again."
"It's OK, Snake," interrupted Wolf, keeping his voice gentle. "I…have to deal with something. We'll meet back at the hotel. Do whatever you want now."
"...you're sure?"
"Sure."
That confirmed that Wolf needed some alone time. Snake sighed. It was for the best. He didn't want to butt in with his father. As David blabbered on, the reptile closed his eyes, despondent. He just hoped that things would turn out well. It was already selfish for Snake to not check on Wolf, but he was too afraid to see his father.
The two arrived at a red brick apartment. David already decided to give Snake some personal space since he noted the reptile keeping a good distance away from him. The jackal even needed to grab his new mail from the letterbox anyway. Snake decided to wait near the elevator, having nothing to do at the moment.
He aimlessly looked up at the red brick building. It could really reach the skies, he grumbled internally. As old as he was. His tracking device suddenly beeped.
He took it out and it was yet another jackpot for him.
This apartment had over ten former researchers residing! With more than ten Eden Apples!
Seriously, why didn't Webs track that? This could make this apartment the location with the most Eden Apples! Must be due to a tracking error. But it didn't matter. He had a mission to do and he was gonna have to do whatever he could to find them on his own. This reveal was enough to pull Snake out of his previously glum mood.
But he couldn't run away now. Not when David could see him from this distance. He wasn't sure if he should let the jackal know about his mission since this could put the squad in trouble. Knowing that he wouldn't have a clear head start, Snake decided to try putting the given gadgets to the test.
"Alright, Intentional League of Heroes," he muttered. "I trust you know what you're doing."
Taken out from his pouches on his strap, he placed down a couple of small spy robots.
In the form of jelly snakes.
All of them varied in colors of apple green, lemonade white and blue raspberry.
Upon touchdown, they came to life. Their little heads lifted, gazing at the world around them. Snake flicked his tongue, both in affection and hunger. He chose these little jelly snake robots since they could serve as his mini spies and solve complex puzzles.
And he didn't need to worry about controlling them the whole time since they could go alone.
They turned to him, flicking their tongues in affection.
"Alright, my babies," he instructed. "Make your papa proud."
An electronic signal was sent to the jelly snake robots to find the Eden Apples. On command with the uploaded destinations of their targets, the jelly snake robots hissed and slithered away. They didn't need to think for a while.
It was in this moment when Snake felt like a proud father. These little brats could hide away in small spots, unseen by the human eye.
Just in time when David returned. "Now, where was I? Oh yes! You!"
The jelly snake robots got to work as fast as mice catching cheese in a castle. Even though Snake wasn't there to see, they needed no further order to finish the job. Built from state-of-the-art machinery, these were tested and proven by the International League of Heroes to be the perfect spy weapons.
Their juicy and appealing looks proved this. Tasty yet intelligent in moving around. They got wit and engagement in the environment they thrive in.
The tiny artificial snakes slithered through the cracks, windows and pipes for their rewards. Their little bodies might be seen, but they quickly blended in with the apartment just by staying still. To some, it would look more like abandoned candy snakes blown around by the wind.
One jelly snake robot sneaked up into an open window. It flicked its tongue around, trying to sense anything dangerous.
Looking around, there was no one in the room at the moment. It looked ordinary, like any other apartment home for one person or a family. There were a couple of pictures around displaying a family. However, this wasn't the jelly snake robot's interest. It slid right through the window, landed on the floor softly and automatically crawled to where it sensed the Eden Apple's energy.
It arrived in a bedroom with a black suitcase sitting on a desk. The jelly snake robot managed to get up there and lift it open. A punch of strength was enough for the tiny robot to open the suitcase.
And right there was an Eden Apple.
Another jelly snake robot was crawling down another apartment room's hallway. However, it crept closer to the walls at the sight of light shining through from an archway entrance to the living room. Coming as close as it dared, it peeked around the corner to see a couple watching a movie together, sharing a bowl of fruit candy.
It scanned the woman and recognized her as a former researcher of Sunnyside Labs.
"Oh!" she said. "We're low on the gumdrops! Here, let me take the bowl and refill. There should be some in my room."
The jelly snake robot decided to join this little adventure. Using its sticky body, it crawled on the wall and ensured it was high enough. Once the woman passed through the entrance and into the hallway, it jumped upwards and landed in the candy bowl.
The former researcher yelped, looking around. When she looked back at her bowl, she shrugged and continued walking on. She didn't notice that it dropped from the ceiling.
She arrived in her bedroom, where she had a machine that unlocked candies. She placed it on a table and dispensed many gumdrops to cover the remaining candies below. The jelly snake robot used the shower of gumdrops as an opportunity to scurry away. Thankfully, the woman wasn't looking and didn't see it creeping onto her table.
And then, the jelly snake robot found an Eden Apple in a glass display.
It hid around the leg of a table, waiting patiently for the woman to leave.
So far, so good.
"I'm surprised that you actually live in the underground level," said Snake as the elevator doors opened. "Heck, why an underground level for an apartment?"
"Why NOT an underground level?" asked David teasingly.
"I don't know. Wouldn't it take a long time to determine if the underground level is safe? I mean, if there's a natural disaster, then this bunker isn't ideal."
"You're being paranoid, silly. Underground levels are great! Living in one means you get to keep everything to yourself without needing someone on the surface or the high shelf to bust right in. It's every criminal's paradise for a secret hideout."
Snake snorted. He looked around at the underground corridor. A similar interior to the other corridors above. However, it didn't feel right. It was closed off from the rest of the world. He rather enjoyed seeing from the high ground. That was what his hideout was all about.
"So, what's next?" he snarked. "What is in your secret hideout? A skeleton with pearly white teeth?"
"What? No!" said David. "Who wants white teeth?"
"Hmm, how about a huge needle with drugs on depressing days?"
"The amount of drugs couldn't handle the human body."
"Larger needles would allow people to feel completely nothing when plucking out their wisdom tooth. Or pulling out their bones." Snake was already to feel like David was in Wolf's position. The jackal's tongue was sticking out, reinforcing the dynamic. "What about a dumbbell set?"
David rolled his eyes. "You mean all that exercise equipment? That's for himbos!"
"Hey, my boyfriend started working out and he's in better shape than before when needing to fight. Do you know what will happen if you continue being this skinny? How would you feel when snapped in half over a thigh?"
David looked serious. "Bad… because everyone would know that I'm dumb enough to be taken advantage of by dummies."
Snake sighed. "You know that big and hulky guys can be smart. Ask my teammate Mr. Shark. That big tuna may be a child, but he's not an idiot."
"Sure, sure. And allows me to give them a full dental makeover without them knowing the full context! With a very small price!"
"No, no, no," said the reptile, shaking his head. "Don't think of doing that. It took about four men to pull Shark back to the dentist."
David grinned, briefly revealing his yellowish teeth. Horrific. Immediately, Snake looked away.
Fortunately, he didn't need to see for long. They entered his apartment home for one. Snake was surprised by the pictures on the walls containing…teeth. All of them showing close-up pictures of realistic, shiny and dirty teeth.
X-ray pictures of teeth. Images of jawlines that lost one tooth or more. Kid-friendly posters telling kids to brush their teeth.
And by what I mean by 'kid-friendly', I mean posters taunting the reader with bloody images of their teeth falling apart. One poster had a person losing all their teeth from their gums with purple liquid spewing out.
Snake grinned tightly. He slowly turned to the readers and spun his tail around the side of his head. Quite telling of what to expect of the jackal.
At least he was safe. He turned off the disguise ability, letting the green, white and blue colors come washing over his clothes. Even his scales turned back to the healthy brown and yellow.
"Whoa! What did you just do?" asked David.
"This is actually a special suit," said Snake, manually switching his zoo bucket hat with the original camouflage bucket hat. "Disguises, gadgets, durability, you name it. It's not free, cheapstake."
"Oh!" chirped David, clapping his hands. "I have one of those too!"
Snake raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you…have one too-?"
"Please, take a seat," said David, taking out cups of tea. "There's a lot to talk about. Tea, Mr. Snake?"
"Nah, I'm more of a coffee guy," said Snake, sitting at one of the chairs at the dining table.
"Hmm, how about meat pies?"
"...sure, why not?"
It turned out that alongside the boiled tea, David already prepared meat pies. He placed them on the table, allowing Snake to feast his eyes. At least four pies on the same plate. All of them in a golden, crispy crust. Snake flicked his tongue to taste its smell. It even had butter spread on the top. And he knew the meaty goodness underneath it.
He took one and gulped it in one bite.
"Don't eat too fast, man!" laughed David, amused. "Your throat will burn."
"I call this satisfaction," said Snake.
He could already fill the pie breaking itself down into smaller bits as it travelled through his throat. He could feel the crispiness of the pie's crust, but the kicker came in when he felt the hot, sloppy, salty mince cracking like runny yolk from a fried egg. He sighed in pleasure, letting his body feel the warm, delicious pie he swallowed.
"I didn't plan to buy meat pies earlier," explained David. "Good for my toothy pegs! But not usually my taste."
"It's cool; more of a non-mince meat guy," said Snake, taking another pie. "You got to be a real man by swallowing the chunkiest."
"Though, I'm more of a white meat guy." The jackal leaned back on his chair, placing his feet on the table. "Anyway, I'm glad that you returned here. A lot has changed over time."
Snake hummed. "I…kind of noticed. Met a bunch of strangers I didn't know yesterday. They seem to like me."
"Years went by so quickly! Twenty years! Or was it thirty? Whatever, man. Thanks to the growing awareness of migrants and refugees, Australia remains a diverse land for all ages 0 to 100! It's nice to see people being more understanding towards new people, especially animals."
"You didn't have a problem with getting through high school," mumbled Snake, deciding to bite into his second pie.
"True, but nowadays, not that many mind my appearance." David sighed, looking unhappy. "The only thing that didn't change is everyone is a bit judgy on success. And…I haven't been that successful."
"What? But I thought you were gonna get that dentist job you want. Or being a doctor like you planned?"
"Tell that to this card," said David, giving the reptile a business card.
Snake squinted his eyes, reading the small letters on the card.
There was his name, but below, his occupation was 'Amateur Dental Surgery Enthusiast'.
And below that was what looked like his calling card: 'Hey, who needs a diploma?'
"Well, welcome to my life," muttered Snake. "Let me guess. You're having trouble holding out the landlord."
"Don't worry. I have a backup plan to make me rise to beautiful glory!" David stood up, picking up one pie in his palm. "Now, Stevie, it's time I should tell you the offer. Just…promise not to freak out."
Snake hummed, wiggling his body a little. If this jackal was gonna give him a job he had no interest in, he might as well put up another disguise to not appear asleep.
"You know, your life is a blast, isn't it?" started David, waving around his crumbling pie like it was a trophy. "You got a good crew, treasure, heists, all that jazz. And a legacy cemented! But, look, I'm just gonna say it…your conversation skills still stink, you know?"
Snake was taken aback by this. He was about to correct him when the jackal placed his hand over his mouth.
"No, no, stop," said David, lost in the spotlight. "You're just embarrassing yourself. Let me continue from here. Recently, I was given the opportunity to join a rising, super-secret and not-exactly-political empire looking for a way to change the world forever! Australia is already a nicely developed country, but this empire is looking for a way to clean all the flaws so that everyone can live in peace. The right tools to provide the best services!"
He raised both hands upwards, shouting out to the gods above. "And anyone who is harebrained enough to challenge the MAGNIFICANT Overlord Splaarghön, my beloved master and the architect of everyone's excruciating demise, will have to be careful around her spikes!"
He paused for a moment, quickly tapping on his throat.
"Am I saying that right?" he asked. "Right?"
"Kind of," muttered Snake, confused.
"GREAT! Some would think it's best to live 'normal'. DELUSIONAL ambitions are all well and good, but they won't help you much if you don't take care of your…"
Snake's eyes widened when the jackal got too close to his face.
"TOOTHY PEGS!" shrieked David in excitement. "LOOK AT MINE! PERFECT! PERFECT PERFECT! PERFECT!"
They were anything but perfect. A real monstrosity.
Snake didn't often check if his own teeth were white. He left that burden to Wolf and Shark. However, David's teeth were a freak show. Crooked, yellow, crumbs coating them. Not even a single tooth in the right damn position! Snake remembered that all of David's teeth were sharp before, but now, they were pointed incorrectly.
"ARE YOU JEALOUS?!" roared David, looking mad. "ARE YA?! ARE YA?! ARE YA?! HA HA HA!"
It was starting to freak Snake out. "Weren't you talking about this Overlord-"
"Well, don't be," said the distracted David, stepping back. "You, too, can have a gleaming set of choppers just like mine."
Snake barely responded, unable to take another bite of his own pie.
"Don't believe me?!" said David, running to a picture hanging on the wall. "Just look at THIS!"
It was a picture of his younger self. He looked more attractive than before since his sharp teeth used to be straight and purely white.
"Before!"
SPLAT!
Like everyone watching, he wondered if David needed to coat the picture in meat pie sludge.
"After!" yelled David, showing off his terrible teeth. "I, too, was once a hideous abomination. But my master gave me powers beyond my wildest dreams and I became the NEXT-LEVEL ORAL HYGIENIST you see before you today!"
Snake raised his tail. "Man, you're not a hideous abomination. You were and still are a good-looking canine. Don't tell Mr. Wolf this, but I thought-"
"I promise you when you enter the Mecha Underlords," interrupted David. "You'll be invincible! Powerful! Think about it! You'll have the love of your life! Your passion! You can improve yourself AND your communication skills with no setbacks! You can become the greatest criminal of all time with no one to stop you from chasing that dream! NO ONE!"
"W-Wait, hold on," said Snake, taking a smaller bite from his pie. "I know that you think of this for me, but…I-I'm not trying to make things too…personal." He gulped, feeling hypocritical. "I'm already happy with my current job."
"Oh, I know you are," said David with a smirk. "But you'll be happier when my master changes your life for good!"
Snake cast him a look of genuine concern. "And what did you get out of this?"
"Well, thanks to her new makeover on me and her rightful funding, I can now offer a full dental makeover for everyone!" promoted David. His smirk suddenly turned into a maniacal grin. "And it's for the low, low price of just hearing you scream."
Snake's eyes slowly widened again in concern and dawning horror.
"When you visit Doctor David Drillaärgh - Underlord, Totes Professional, Tooth Stylish and Expert Dentist - you don't get boring old happy gas and itty-bitty drill bits! No! You get THE CUTTING EDGE!"
Snake barely dropped his appropriate expression when the jackal pulled a giant dental drill from his back. Out of NOWHERE. And the sharp drill looked longer than the construction drills he knew. It was a menacing beast, metallic in its cold-stoned heart. The reptile felt the urge to scream.
"And the best experience will come when you say my name: DRILLAÄRG-!"
Fortunately, the jackal immediately broke out from his psychotic act when he saw the utterly bombshelled Snake staring at him. He took the hint and kept away his gigantic dental drill.
"Sorry, I got carried away," said David, grinning sheepishly.
Snake bit into his pie. He couldn't think. "...anything else interesting?"
David thought about it. "Well, recently, the Mecha Underlords have been busy hunting for weapons in this city. I heard that the leaders are building a cannon to improve people's lives. One shot and everyone will be in harmony. But they need the right fuel and energy to make everyone like them. So the Eden Apples are the right sources needed to ensure long lifespans."
Snake spat out a mouthful of pastry and minced meat.
What did he say?
It came to him that whatever empire his jackal friend joined, their intentions didn't look good. Especially since David seemed to have given in to providing horrible teeth to people.
Cause pathetic or not, this hunt for the Eden Apples changed everything.
Snake remembered the asteroid Marmalade used. He could feel its energy without the helmet. Its intense glow. Its rumble. And even though he set it off in the end, he still remembered how it shook the earth underneath him. The one that could have killed him if he stayed back at the mansion…and he imagined the same happening in the city.
David noticed that Snake was beginning to tremble. "Man, are you alright? Did I say too much again?"
Snake forced a grin as he slowly slithered off. "...um, no! No! Absolutely not! Where's the bathroom?"
"...it's on the right."
"Good, good," said Snake, stupidly attending the left side. "I just…need to flush something out of my system? Cool? Cool!"
He chuckled nervously the whole way, unable to hide his growing anxiety. He slithered backwards and accidentally bumped into a small table holding a vase. The reptile didn't bother grabbing it, letting the vase crash on the floor. He grabbed the closest door knob, opened it and threw himself inside before closing it behind him.
David was left standing alone in the dining room. Emotionlessly, he sipped the cup of tea meant for Snake.
"He's totally freaking out," he said calmly.
Snake didn't bother turning on the lights in the room he entered. He could only sulk, trying to think of a way to let David down gently.
Slapping his face with his tail, he once again scolded himself separating from Wolf. The consequence was ending up in the house of a psycho. He should feel sad that an old friend of his turned out to be like…this! But he knew this would happen either way!
It was a surprise, nevertheless. Besides being loud, David wasn't too weird, but this was at his most extreme!
Snake's earpiece rang to life and he pressed the button.
"Mr. Snake!" called Diane's voice. "Can you hear me? I cannot contact Mr. Wolf!"
"I'm fine, fox," said Snake, trying to cover up how jittery he sounded. "He's safe. What is it?"
"Me and Webs are done with the area we chose. Piranha and Shark are still at the university. What's taking you and Wolf so long? You two aren't together on the map!"
Snake sighed, trying to hide behind his discomfort. "Look, shiny hero, it's something personal Wolf bumped into. I'm now trapped in the same room with an old friend who is part of an uprising. David told me they are also hunting for the Eden Apples."
"What?" said Diane. "Is this a joke? Was this why there was a large drop in our targets this morning?"
The implications sank in and it made Snake uncomfortable. Who knew that David could be a killer?
He gritted his teeth. "It's possible. I don't even want to imagine what his empire DID to their targets."
Diane remained silent. "Do you need any help?"
"I should be good," said Snake. "I got a few small robots to get the Eden Apples I found in David's apartment. All I need to do is sneak under David's nose and I'll be out of here in no time."
"And Wolf? Will…he be OK?"
"Just give him a call again," said Snake worriedly. "And to compensate for all the lost time, start looking around near my current area."
"Alright then. Be safe, Mr. Snake. I mean it."
Snake hung his head when Diane cut off. He was about to try calling for Wolf again when he noticed a faint turquoise glow on the other side of the room. Snake thought of turning on the lights, but that would alert David. This might not be the bathroom after all.
The reptile stayed in his spot until he realized what the turquoise glow meant.
And it was in a tiny, circular shape.
BANG!
The door behind him suddenly shook, followed by the sound of a drill. Snake slithered backwards when a small hole formed, allowing light to enter. But this promised no safety at all. The drill was pulled out and repeatedly slammed into the wooden door like a slasher ax.
Snake was about to get ready to bite David, but he backed away upon seeing the jackal's face popping through the hole made in the door.
David's face was no longer organic. Not because of his teeth but what was added to his face.
A mask seemingly painted around his eyes, continuing to spread around his head. It was split at the nose part, forming two halves. The left side took the look of a black shell, while the right side took the look of an orange glass-like material with light tangerine stripes.
And his left eye was a deadly orange with a single yellow pupil.
"Heeeeeeere's DRILLAÄRGH!" sang David cheerily.
AN: Yeah, everyone. This could be where the horror influences of the story start to come in.
And we have this version of Snake's real name here! Stevie! Well, it was the real name for the book counterpart of Webs. While I didn't wait to learn Snake's real name, I decided to give him 'Stevie' in this AU.
I haven't mentioned this in the previous chapter, but Hornet's exploration in the abandoned laboratory is based on Meta Runner, with every mystery needing a catastrophe that happened in a spooky lab. The flashback scenes you saw were actually parts that I wrote and now edited for Rally's story on covering Hornet's background. This is applied here and his time as a former test subject will be explored in more detail. Especially Marmalade's role in this AU.
The conversation between Ashton and Gwen takes some inspiration from Murder Drones and I feel that this is where we see some conflict. While this story comes out strong, I find it important to see cops at the middle ground. Gwen and Stefan fill that space where they are becoming worrisome about how other people will take their coverage but unable to do anything, just sitting on the sidelines.
In this chapter, we finally see Underlord Drillaärgh! Here, he refers to his original name from the books as David. You'll be forgiven if you think he's a normal guy. I thought it would be funny that he has some history with Snake since a protagonist can sometimes have a connection to the villain. While this might be a little rush, I'll go for Brandon Rogers being his VA.
What do you think of this chapter so far? How creepy would you rate this story? 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!