Chapter Six: Comfort, Torture, and a Word From Our Sponsor

ROCKY & BULLWINKLE ANNOUNCER VOICE: When we last left our intrepid adventurers, they had just been teleported aboard a large battle cruiser where they received a very unfriendly welcome!

"I’ll never get used to that," Vinny shook his head clear. An energy-spear was poked into his chest: "Hey, what’s going on?" He looked up. They were on a wide bridge, probably that of a battleship, surrounded by armored humanoid guards with spears. He heard Oscar whisper "Crap." Then a familiar voice chuckled: "Thought you could get away from me, eh, Oscar? Well, this time I brought some friends who are very interested in something you have. You over there: keep the beast-man’s left arm pinned. You have NO idea how dangerous it is." Vinny looked up and bared his teeth in a growl. Joel smiled, horribly.

ROCKY & BULLWINKLE ANNOUNCER VOICE: So what will happen to our fearless freaks? Stay tuned for our next episode "A Rocky Reception" or "The Arm Disarmed".

There was just something about this guy that reeked of abhorrence. Sure, he looked just like Oscar, but there was just something about him--maybe his voice, the way he seemed to spit certain words out as if they were poison, or his vicious sneer, or maybe it was those eyes--eyes that were illuminated by a light only the really, really bad things of the universe could bring. Whatever the case, there was no doubt in Vinny's mind that Joel was rotten to the core.

Oscar had a glare in his own eyes that hadn't been there since Joel's last appearance, "Look: this is all between you and I, don't go bringing these guys into the mess--let 'em go."

"Oh, you dumb fu--you think I'd actually fall for that bullshit?! That's insulting!"

"What do you want with us then?" Gauss said, getting a little impatient. He could feel his body threatening to return to its dragon-like form as his temper started to rise. He had been trained to keep it in check, but self-control was never one of his stronger suits.

Joel appeared more than eager to explain, "Shut up," he replied. He started to pace back and forth in front of the four, hands behind his back, "Here's the deal: you two," he said, gesturing to Jon and Gauss, "You two have absolutely NO importance to me--and YOU," he pointed at Oscar, "You're just a happy bonus--I'll deal with you later... but YOU, my friend," Joel said, walking over to stand in front of Vinny, "YOU are the real reason the whole lot of you are here right now."

"Back the hell away," Vinny growled, "You're invading my personal space."

Joel got right up in Vincit's face and spoke very quietly, "I don’t give a crap about how comfortable you are. In fact, it's my intention to make all four of you VERY uncomfortable for the duration of our trip."

Vinny roared and tried to slash Joel in two with his free arm. Joel jumped back and a group of the armed guards advanced on Vinny, energy-spears pointed dangerously close to his throat. He stopped, but his chest was heaving and he had a fierce snarl--a combination of anger and frustration.

"Before you get any more smart ideas," Joel said, motioning to someone behind the adventurers. Suddenly, a metal devise was clamped around Vinny's left wrist and components started to grow and morph around his furry arm, until his entire left arm was encased in metal.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Vinny exclaimed, holding his metal arm up, now that it had been freed.

Joel walked up, looking as if he were going to explain, but instead punched Vinny in the gut. Vinny doubled-over in pain, falling to his knees and Oscar, Jon and Gauss struggled against their captors.

"Vile one!" Jon yelled, "Stop this nonsense or you shall regret your deeds!"

"You--shut it. That hunk of metal is tempered titanium merged with other rare minerals--more than enough to withstand the power of The Fourteenth Most Powerful Object in The Universe."

Vinny was recovering quickly, getting back to his feet, "What do you know about this damn rock?"

"That is none of your business," Joel said, walking back to stand before the four of them.

"What do you want with Vinny?" Oscar asked, "And when did you get an entire battle cruiser--let alone an entire army?"

"That's enough with the questions," Joel snarled, "Take them to the holding cells... make sure they're separated."

The guards began to force the four captives away, towards the sliding bridge door. They all struggled against them, yelling and cursing.

"You won't get away with this!" Gauss yelled.

"Fool!" Jon exclaimed, "Your judgment comes swiftly! Thou hast signed your own soul to evil! Death awaits you!"

"WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!" Oscar demanded, "THIS MAKES NO SENSE!"

"Get this DAMN THING OFFA ME!" Vinny cursed, trying to wretch his metal arm free, "LEMME GO!"

Joel grinned, ignoring the commotion. The four of them had been taken off the bridge when one of the guards approached him, "Sir, His Majesty would like to speak with you."

"Tell him we have what he seeks and that we'll be on our way soon. And thank him for the ship... it came in very handy indeed..."

--------

Jon sat up, looking around at his cell. How'd he get here all of a sudden. He remembered seeing the guards take Oscar and Vinny down a separate corridor, leaving five other officers with Gauss and himself. He looked over at Gauss right when one of the guards hit him over the head, knocking him unconscious. Then everything went black--he must have also been knocked out. The knot on the back of his head confirmed that. Man, that smarted!

Jon started to take in the details of his current situation: he was in a cell, supposedly still on a battle cruiser under the command of a psychopath who Oscar apparently knew very well. He must be a demon of sorts--there was an aura about him that radiated evil.

Jon studied the cell: three walls were made up of cold metal. The fourth was opened to a corridor of other cells, but bars of blue energy blocked the way. There didn't seem to be anything in the way of a bed, sink, or toilet. This wasn't all that important--Jon wasn't concerned with such comforts. The goal now was to figure a way out of this cell, find the one imbued with The Fourteenth Most Powerful Object in The Universe, and escape the ship. As an afterthought, Jon decided he should free Gauss and Oscar as well. Both had intelligence into the situation that could be helpful in his quest. If it was for the good of The Order, then so be it.

Jon stepped up and walked over to the bars. He could feel the energy flowing from them and was cautious about getting to close--he wasn't sure what to expect if he touched them, but he didn't want to take any chances of being burnt to a cinder.

He looked at the cell across from his... empty. Then at the cells across on the left and right. Nothing there either. There didn't seem to be any guards--they must be pretty confident in all this technology to not post any human guards.

He was just about to call out when he heard a low moan down one end of the corridor. The voice sounded familiar.

"Friend Gauss? Is that you?"

"Damn, my head hurts..."

"Art thou in good health? Have you been harmed?"

In the next cell over, out of Jon's line of sight, Gauss sat up from the cold, metal floor, touched the bump on the back of his head and winced, "No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Jon sighed, "Praise the Almighty. We must plan our escape immediately--Oscar and Vincit's lives are at stake."

Gauss tried to shake the blurriness from his vision, which only made his headache throb worse. He grimaced at the pain, "Gimmie a minute--I'll think of something." Deep down, however, Gauss knew that every minute that passed would make the chances for Oscar and Vinny's survival all the more slim.

--------

"Excellent!" Joel exclaimed, walking into the large room. Like most of the ship, almost everything was made of metal. Very little in the way of organic was present, save for Joel, the two guards in the room, and Vinny.

Vinny was now chained to the wall of the room. His left arm was still encased in the metal device, and it was very uncomfortable. Hanging from a wall wasn't all that pleasant, either, but right now, Vincit was concerned about losing an appendage. What if they went and cut the arm off? Would it really work at all--the stone DID go into his arm, but could it have merged with his whole body? What if he could blast this creep with his mind?

"Isn't it lovely?" Joel's voice was full of sarcasm, "I had it redecorated just for you... empty, cold, dark... and big--PLENTY of space for you. That's what you want, right? Personal space?"

Vinny glared at Joel. It was a look that would've made most people lose control of their bowels. Joel was steadfast against the look, however.

"Let me ask you a question, my friend--you seemed to like asking ME questions--I figured it only fair I get a few answers. For example, where'd you find that rock?"

"Go to hell," Vinny growled.

Joel closed his eyes and shook his head, "Oh, I'm sorry, that wasn't the answer I was looking for." He then pulled out a small device and turned a knob. Vinny's body tensed up as a strong surge of electricity coursed through his body. Joel left the current on for a few seconds before turning it off again, "Oh, I forgot to mention: those arm and leg bands holding you to the wall can send hundreds of volts of electricity through your body--it's very painful, I've been told. Unless you want to experience that again, I suggest you answer my question."

Vinny was breathing hard, "I picked it up off of some poor kid--had no idea what it was. Thing merged with my body without me wanting it to--now everybody wants a piece of me."

"Yeah," Joel nodded, looking off into the distance as he processed this information, "You DO seem very popular suddenly, although I must say it has nothing to do with your looks or charm--lack thereof, that is. What are you anyways? Never mind, I really don't care--tell me, where did you fools think you were going before we captured you?"

Vinny thought for a moment, opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out... he couldn't remember! OH SHIT! Can't even remember what they were doing--where they were going! Something about the Dihad or something--or Nazghul--some sort of race. He looked up at Joel, "I... I can't remember!"

"Aw, what a damn shame," Joel murmured, then he turned the knob on the control again, higher this time, and left it on longer. Smoke was rising from under the metal cuffs when he finally shut it off. Vinny was gasping for air.

"Let me remind you," Joel said, "That I'm the one in control here--your half-assed lies won't grant you any sympathy."

"I... don't... KNOW!" Vinny exclaimed, "I swear! I... I can't... remember!"

"Well, let's see if I can jog your memory!" Joel started to turn on the device when one of the guards stepped up behind him and touched his shoulder. Joel whirled around, frustrated that Vinny was refusing to talk and that this guard would have the gall to TRY to stop him, "WHAT?! What is it?!"

"Sir: His Majesty has made it imperative that the Beast-Man NOT be killed. He is too valuable. Perhaps one of the other prisoners can offer some useful information?"

Joel thought for a moment, considered breaking the guard's neck, but decided against it and relaxed, "You're right. This worthless creature is too stupid to offer any information. Watch him carefully and let me know if he 'remembers'. I'm going to go have a word with an old friend. YOU! Come with me!" Joel and the second guard left the room, leaving the first alone with the slightly crispy Vinny.

The guard walked up to Vincit. The power had zapped a lot of his strength, but he was still awake. Vinny looked at the guard--awfully short for a soldier, he thought. Wouldn't take a second thought to slash this peon in two, though.

Then the guard took off its helmet, and Vinny's eyes widened with surprise. Dark blue hair, green eyes--the last time he had seen this face... no, it couldn't be!

"Windsong?!"

--------

In yet another cold, dark room of the battle ship, Oscar was lying on a large table. His coat and shirt had been removed, and his arms and legs tied down. His wings had been stretched out behind him, and the ends had been connected to metallic ropes. Joel stood over him, grinning. He had taken the hood off his sweatshirt, exposing the short pair of horns on his head.

"Hello, Oscar."

"Joel," Oscar responded, trying to nod.

"Comfy?"

Oscar turned his head from side to side, looking at his arms and outstretched wings, "Oh yeah, thanks."

"Good. Listen, I just talked to your pal, the ugly one, and he can't seem to remember WHERE you guys were headed, which I thought was kinda odd because you guys must've just been on your way to where ever it was you were going--"

"Well, Vinny's a decent fella', but he's a little shy on brains sometimes--don't hold it against him, though."

Joel got up in Oscar's face, "DON'T interrupt me again."

Oscar nodded.

"Straight to the point: what were you doing--where were you going?"

Oscar sighed, "I'll tell you," Oscar said, "But first, I want you to tell me who you are involved with. And when did you get involved with this force. It's unbecoming."

Joel closed his eyes, "Admittedly, yes. I'm not one for following rules and regulations, commanding an army, and flying around in spaceships, but you see, I was given a VERY generous offer by a certain someone who will remain anonymous and was offered whatever was needed to get the job done. Quiet frankly, I'd have to say I've done well enough so far, considering the circumstances--"

"Who are you working for?"

Joel suddenly raised a hand in the air and it exploded in a small ball of green flame. He immediately brought it down into Oscar's chest, the power from the impact of his fist doubled by the black magic. Oscar cried out. His chest started to bruise.

"I SAID DON'T INTERRUPT!" Joel shouted. He stood there for a minute, a snarl on his face, while Oscar tried to catch his breath and attempted to heal any internal damage through silent prayer. It wasn't easy to do, though.

"Y'know," Joel began, walking over to a nearby control panel, "I've always wondered what kind of a opponent you would be if you didn't have those wings of yours." He started pressing buttons, and the ropes became tight and locked into place, "And thanks to this generous donation by my new contact, I might actually be able to find out exactly how powerful you are. Let's see what kind of a person you'd be like if I ripped off your wings..."

He pressed a large button on the console and the ropes began to slowly tighten, pulling each wing out. Oscar was breathing quickly now, preparing for the worst, silently mouthing a prayer for protection. His wings could withstand much damage, but they had their limits and the very though of them being ripped from his body greatly troubled him.

No doubt, the shock and loss of blood would kill him. And if not, Joel certainly would. Joel would finally triumph. He never thought it would end like this.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Both cable ropes snapped, and Oscar's wings were released.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Joel whirled around and saw two people. One was a small girl with dark blue hair, green eyes, and a sonic blaster. The other was the beast-man, and he looked VERY angry!

"Comfort this, asshole!" Vinny growled, and he swung his heavy metal arm upside Joel's head.

--------

"Alright, have you got your end?" Gauss asked, kneeling at the corner of the cell.

"Verily," Jon responded, grasping a wire in one hand. The two had spent the last hour formulating a plan for escape and they were ready to do it... now they just had to get free.

"Alright," Gauss said, "On three, grab one of the cell bars. I'll do that over here. We do it at the same time and the current should go though the wire and into the electrical system--which will immediately shut it off--like a light switch--it should happen so fast we shouldn't be hurt much."

Jon shook his head, though Gauss couldn't see him, "How sure are you that this will work?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure. The odds are on our side for this one."

"I don't gamble," Jon replied.

Gauss ignored him, "On three. Ready? One. Two--"

"Wait, wait," Jon interrupted "Do we grab the bar on 'Three' or after?"

"On three! I said, on three! Now c'mon, we don't have much time--one. Two--"

Suddenly, the bars on all the cells disappeared. Gauss twitched. Jon breathed a sigh of relief. They both looked out and down the corridor. Oscar and Vinny were standing there. Windsong had just finished deactivating the security panel.

"Oh," Guass said, "We were just about to rescue you two."

"Were you, now?" Oscar asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Gauss said, standing up and stepping out of the cell, "I guess it's for the better--this way Jon and I won't have to kill everyone else to save you guys."

"But that wasn’t a part of our--"

"Be quiet, Jon, you talk WAY too much," he turned to look at Oscar, Vinny, and Windsong, who were all trying to keep from busting out laughing, "What?! What? He does, he talks too much."

"I have done no such thing--"

"There! You see?! He's doing it again! C'mon, let's get out of this place before we get caught again."

--------

The five were running down one of the ships corridors, heading for the launch bay. Gauss had suggested they commandeer a smaller vessel for themselves, and they could make their escape that way. The others seemed to agree. Windsong led the way, with Vinny next to her.

"So," Vinny started, "How'd you end up here in this God-forsaken dump?"

"I took your advice to heart," Windsong replied, "Figured if I wanted revenge on my uncle, I'd have to do it on my own, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I joined his force."

Oscar was behind them, "You mean to say that the person that hired Joel is your uncle?"

"Yes. Somehow the bastard found out about you," she said, looking at Vinny, "About how that rock got under your skin, and he's looking for it now!"

"Nowadays, EVERYTHING gets under my skin, sweetheart. You aren't going to go nuts and try to cut my arm off again, are you?"

"No," she replied, "I've had a lot of time to think and I know if anybody's going to stop him, it's going to be me, and I'm going to do it alone, but my chances of getting anywhere near him are going to be slim if he gets his hands on you."

"EVERYBODY wants this stupid thing!" Vinny said, waving his left arm, which was still encased in the metal. It was getting to be easier to move the thing around, but he still wanted it off. And he dared not try to use the power with it on--might just fricassee his own arm in the process.

"No kidding," Gauss said, "First Windsong, then the Cod Queen--"

"Actually, I think she just wanted Vinny's body," Oscar commented.

"What?" Windsong asked.

"Nothing important," Vinny said. He shuddered slightly at the thought.

"Don't forget my Order," Jon added, "We also seek the rock. Yet I am bound by my word not to harm you."

"Right, right, that David Samsa character," Vinny nodded, remembering the brief battle. He wondered where that fellow was, but didn't dwell on it.

"Didn't Mickey the Cod have it in for you, Vin?" Oscar asked.

"No, he just wanted my ass," Vinny replied, "And not in a sexual way, mind you."

The five of them turned a corner. A sign on the wall indicated the launch bay was not too far away.

"First thing's first," Gauss said, "We MUST find the Hikari-No--"

"THAT'S what they were called!" Vinny exclaimed, "I swear, I couldn't remember it for the life of me."

"It almost WAS your life," Windsong added.

"Well, let's get a small ship and get flying, before the guards find us!"

The doors to the launch bay opened and they all stopped in their tracks. There was a smaller ship in the bay, perfect for their small group to escape in, but standing between them and it were a formidable group of guards. And standing in command of them was Joel--along with a second figure.

"No... my God, it can't BE! It's... it's..."

<-- Chapter Five: Taming The Wild Beast, Plot | Index | Chapter Seven: Spes -->