Melanie and 505 shut themselves in her room, locked the door, and blocked it with her desk.
"There, that should slow them down!" Melanie exclaimed before she ran around throwing random things into her duffel bag.
505 groaned to ask what she was doing.
"I'm getting my stuff together, 505," Melanie said. "I'm running away."
"Bauw?" 505 asked confusedly.
"You saw what just happened, 505," Melanie said. "I can't stay here. I'm getting out of here!"
505 looked around unsure of how he was supposed to react in this moment. Melanie couldn't leave, but she was panicking and 505 had to be there for her.
Not knowing what else to do, 505 picked up Melanie's bag for her and started putting items in it for her.
Melanie noticed, smiled, and said, "Thanks, 505. You keep doing that while I get this tracker off."
Melanie kicked off her shoes, took off her pants, pulled on some black shorts, summoned her scythe, and tried using it to saw off the tracker on her foot, but it didn't work.
"God, what is this thing made out of?" Melanie asked and prayed.
505 walked over to show that he had gathered Melanie's clothes, medication, and her books into the large duffel bag.
"Good work, 505," Melanie said, gesturing to the bathroom. "Could you grab my toiletries too?"
505 nodded and made his way to the bathroom. Melanie followed behind him with her purse and shut and locked the door behind them once they had entered. Then she telepathically pulled up System of a Down on her phone and played the music over the loudspeaker to drown on what she was doing.
Melanie took off her socks and started running the bath. She then stuck her foot in the water and prayed the tracker would break some more. It did not.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Flug had reached the door and heard the loud music. He tried calling Melanie's name, but she didn't answer. Of course. Why would she?
Flug tried the handle to find that the door was locked. He searched his pocket and found that he didn't have his keys.
With a heavy sigh, Flug put on as much bravado as he could muster before he ran back and rammed his shoulder into the door. When the door didn't budge, he tried two or three more times before finding he was too weak to keep doing so.
Flug slumped to the floor feeling pathetic, tired, and frustrated. He sat like that until he saw a Butler Bot roll by and remembered his Hat Bots.
Flug smiled under his bag as he summoned two of his large Hat Bots.
The two Hat Bots showed up in seconds. Flug stepped to the side, and the Hat Bots obediently punched the door.
Meanwhile, back in the bathroom, Melanie was still in the bathroom having no luck with getting the tracker off.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Melanie yelled in frustration. "God, why aren't you letting this work?!"
505 put the last toiletry in the duffel bag and tapped on Melanie's shoulder.
Melanie turned around on the bathtub ledge she was sitting on and saw 505 gesturing to the full duffel bag.
"Thanks, 505," Melanie said. "What would I do without you?"
505 then gestured to the tub to ask how Melanie's attempt to remove the tracker was going.
"Your Dad made this thing too freaking strong," Melanie lamented. "Are you sure you don't know how to get this off?"
505 shook his head sadly.
"Dang it!" Melanie cried. "Okay, I have another idea. If this doesn't work, I don't know what else will. God, I hate doing this."
Melanie summoned her scythe and cut a small tear through the dimensional fabric to summon a portal to Hell. She then held her foot over the portal so that the fires poking through could melt it.
505 moaned in fearful concern.
"It's okay, 505," Melanie reassured him. "I'm part fallen angel, remember? Flames don't hurt me."
Melanie turned back to see that the tracker was warping in the heat but not quite coming off.
"Come on!" Melanie pleaded. "Break, you stupid tracker!"
Meanwhile outside, the door was breaking apart so much that Flug could see through the cracks that Melanie had moved her desk in front of the door. The bedroom door then broke apart into shards. The music poured out into the hallway and grated on Flug's nerves.
After one of the Hat Bots moved the desk aside, Flug looked around, used a remote to turn off the loudspeakers, and ran to the door in an angered panic. He twisted the door know only to find it locked. Then Flug pulled on the knob before falling backwards and trying again. In exasperation, he then proceeded to bang on the door as hard as he could.
"Melanie Maria de la Muerte, what are you doing in there?!" Flug yelled. "Open this door at once! 505, do something!"
"Don't come in!" Melanie replied, searching for a good response while shutting her portal to Hell. "I'm…uh...naked!"
"In front of 505?" Flug asked. "Uh huh. Open this door!"
"I set you on fire once already!" Melanie yelled threateningly. "I can do it again!"
Flug sighed in exasperation and turned back to the Hat Bots. With a look and a nod, the robots obeyed their creator raising their fists and pounding against the door once more with cracks forming and splinters coming off.
505 whimpered in panic and looked at Melanie.
"Oh, crap!" Melanie exclaimed, putting on her knapsack and picking up her duffel bag. "Okay, 505, change of plans! We are escaping now! Come on and let me phase you through the wall. I've never tried this before, but I'm sure we can figure something out."
505 looked around anxiously and began to panic even more.
"505, we can't stay here!" Melanie pleaded. "Your Dad is going to kill me! Black Hat might kill you! Or well, make you wish you could die! Listen, neither of us belong here. But out there, we can find a place we both do. A place where we can be ourselves. Come on. What do you say?"
505 didn't have time to answer before the Hat Bots broke down the door.
The Hat Bots remained where they were while Flug stormed into the small bathroom and yelled, "You are very lucky that I'm not allowed to hurt you, child!"
"Yeah freaking right!" Melanie retorted, standing confidently on her bare feet. "Weren't you the one who was about to dissect me like ten minutes ago?! I'm not letting you hurt me! Now, go away and leave me alone!"
Flug loomed over Melanie, reaching into his white coat, and said with a voice that was calm but frustrated, "Oh, trust me. You won't feel a thing."
Before Melanie could react, Flug sprang his arm out holding his tranquilizer pistol. He stared her down a second before firing. The dart entered Melanie's arm and had already began its work by the time she managed to pull it out and tossed it aside.
"No, please…" Melanie said pitifully as her head grew lighter and she fell into 505's arms.
505 shook fearfully and stared at his Dad pleadingly. He picked up Melanie and held her protectively like she was a stuffed toy he wanted to keep away from Dementia.
Placing the tool back in his coat, Flug turned to the Hat Bots and said, "Take the girl to my lab and make sure she is properly secured."
Flug then turned back to 505 and said in a frustrated paternal matter, "505, I want you to drop Melanie now. Then, we need to have a talk."
505 looked at Melanie who was somehow still awake and clinging to 505's arms.
"Don't let him take me," she pleaded. "He's going to hurt me!"
"I will not," Flug said with an exasperated eye roll. "I'm only putting you under so that you won't try to run off again."
505 looked between Flug and Melanie confusedly, feeling conflicted for the first time in his short life. He looked back at Melanie who was crying and struggling to hold on to the last vestiges of consciousness.
505 gave Melanie a tight hug and flashed pleading eyes at Flug.
Flug pointed his finger downwards and said, "Now, 505."
505 looked at Melanie who was quickly losing consciousness, grunted at her apologetically, and held her out in front of Flug.
Flug stepped aside and allowed a Hat Bot to pick Melanie up and carry her away before he turned back to look at 505.
"I'm very disappointed in you, 505," Flug said, something he never thought he would say even with 505's good nature. "We both have a job to do and you're beginning to jeopardize it! I told you to stay in control of Melanie and you almost let her escape! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
505 shrank down into a ball on the floor, whimpering pitifully and avoiding any eye contact with his Dad. From the corner of his eye, he saw Melanie finally lose consciousness in the Hat Bot's arms and stared after her.
Flug's expression un-knotted some, feeling a tad bad before he knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on the bear's shoulder, and said, "You have to understand 505 that Melanie is in the wrong here and needs to learn. The reason she is staying with us is to learn to obey Black Hat and not be heroic anymore. It's our job to help Melanie become a villain and letting her run away is not helping her do that. I know she's your friend and you want to make her happy, but we need to do what's best for her. And I don't want Lord Black Hat angry at you for making a mistake. Okay?"
505 looked at Flug and nodded sadly. Then he gestured his head to the hallway. Flug knew what question he was asking. What are you going to do to Melanie?
"Don't worry, 505," Flug said. "I'm simply going to replace her tracker and have a word with her. If I talk to her, then she won't have to talk to Lord Black Hat. But from now on, I want you to think more before doing anything with her. Is that clear?"
505 nodded sadly again and gave Flug a sad smile.
"Why don't you help clean up Melanie's room for when she gets back?" Flug asked. "The Hat Bots left her room a mess and the doors need to be fixed. You can also unpack her belongings for her. She's been living out of her boxes and that duffel bag for too long. We need to help her feel like this manor is her home."
505 nodded, stood up, and sadly began to get to work.
Flug then left the room to go see Melanie.