Need

Chapter 17: Suspicions

Third rule: uncertainty of a friend is not easy, but sometimes necessary.

sss

Rapsheeba bit her lip, her eyes gazing out towards the horizon before her. She stood on the very edge of ChalkZone City. She ignored the bustling of the zoners behind her, feeling thoughts filling her head, threatening to make it explode. Things hadn't been shaping up as well as they could be, and her worry and tension did nothing but increase since the other day.

She had led a large search party the other day. Countless zoners had joined her, along with Snap, to find Blocky. They had scowered all the lands nearby, and thoroughly searched around the city. No nook was overlooked. No crack skimmed over. Rapsheeba felt as though the search took hours..and in fact it did. From noon to evening, the zoners did nothing but search, some even neglecting their own needs to find their missing friend, as well as the threat to their livelihood: the portal.

The search, however, had turned up empty, much to their horror. They had searched a large many mile radius in all directions. Many zoners showed signs of wear and tear afterwards, collapsing on the ground and groaning in pain and exhaustion. Some drank many cups of water to replenish themselves and others just passed out entirely. And for their efforts, they had come up with nothing. No sign of their friend and no evidence of a portal. This naturally horrified them all.

Well most of them. A handful of zoners were skeptical and wondered if there was even a portal at all. They thought that the other zoners were being overly cautious and said that Blocky was probably so stupid, he went to the other side of ChalkZone to find home. They ignored the scorn they got from those who were Blocky's friends and went off on their own, claiming they had better things to do with their time than waste it looking for some 'green loser' or something.

Rapsheeba was furious with them, but she didn't dwell on it much. Those zoners don't really deserve any time or attention right now. What mattered more is that there were plenty more zoners who were willing to search, even if some of them were only doing so because of the portal issue.

She had led a quick search this morning when some of the zoners had woken up. They double checked in areas they had already been and then spread out their search radius a little more. They wandered in the outskirts of the land, in areas they never been, in hopes of finding any sign of the portal or Blocky. But just like before, they had no such luck.

Rapsheeba did her best to control the anxious feelings rising up inside of her. She knew no good was going to come from getting worked up. She tried to keep herself calm so she wouldn't lose her rational side.

But she didn't know how long she was going to be able to keep it up. As time passed, the horror of what could happen kept clinging in the back of her head, creeping up her neck and chilling her to the bone. Everyone knew the consequences of Blocky being in the Real World, or even just the portal existing at all. And the zoners most affected...

...were the ones who were old enough to remember...those days...

Rapsheeba knew little of these days as she had been lucky to have been created long after the problem was taken care of. Most of the elder zoners don't want to talk about it, and remained mum on the issue. It wasn't until she met Rudy, Penny, and Snap that she had learned the story.

According to Rudy, there was a time when creators were allowed into ChalkZone more freely. But they were out of control and created things at random. The kids likely didn't realize the zoners were truly alive and just did whatever they wanted to, leaving the zoners to clean up the mess. It was a quick description, but it was enough for Rapsheeba to realize just how truly terrifying a time that might have been. No wonder the older zoners were nervous.

And to think it might happen again... Rapsheeba was told that, back then, it had just been kids coming into ChalkZone and thus were easier to kick out, as most kids don't really have much ambition to do worse than 'draw whatever they wanted to'.

But adults...

Rapsheeba heard some sentiments from zoners that adults would be harder to take care of. They might not have the same level energy as children, but they had more intelligence and experience. They had the means and the will and the desire for more direct domination and control. At least some of them. If a human with the intention to take them over were to come, then they would be powerless to stop them.

Rapsheeba could only hope that the portal was found quickly, before it was too late. It was one thing to kick out children. But how would they kick out adults, who, from what she was told, could be a rather stubborn bunch?

Hearing a noise to her side, the female zoner turned her head to see what was going on. In the distance, she could see a small shape moving through the city. She was about to look away and shrug it off as nothing to concern herself with, but she noticed the zoner looked familiar. Her eyes widened when she was able to identify him.

"Howdy...?" She whispered in a soft voice.

The puppet didn't seem to take notice of her. He was holding something in his hands. A bag of some kind. Not a burlap one like in the movies, but a plastic one, as if he had just finished shopping or something. He was looking left and right nervously, biting his lip. Occassionally some of the zoners would appear to ask what was wrong, and whatever Howdy told them, it was enough to deter the zoners into not asking more questions.

Rapsheeba couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in her stomach. Not of anger, but of suspicion. Something just seemed..off about how her friend was behaving. It wasn't all that dramatic; he acted nervous before, like with upcoming performances. But it looked as if he was trying to slip away somewhere without being seen. He was moving through the crowd at an astonishing rate, his eyes focusing intently on something out in front of him. Unable to just stand around and do nothing, Rapsheeba followed him.

She kept out of his sight the best she could, keeping herself in the shadow and along the buildings and moving through the crowds. She watched as Howdy was going towards the edge of the city, which made following him easier. Rapsheeba merely had just one direction to go, and at this rate, she should cut him off soon.

Once Howdy reached the edge of the city, he paused and looked left and right. Rapsheeba hid as well as she could, narrowly missing getting spotted. The puppet zoner, once satisfied with knowing, or rather, believing, that no one was following him, he looked down at his bag. He rummaged through it, and, after a moment, tied it up and headed away from the city.

Rapsheeba recognized this route as being the one that led to his place that he lived in. This would explain why none of the zoners were overtly suspicious. Plus, he was kind of pretty well known and he never really acted in a threatening way before.

Rapsheeba wanted to dismiss it as just Howdy getting his groceries and just being nervous for an upcoming performance. But she couldn't bring herself to do that. She was completely unable to, her mind focused intently on the small zoner. She hated feeling suspicious of her friend, but she just couldn't help herself. Staring at the retreating zoner for a few moments, she took in a deep breath and she started to follow him.

At first, the route the zoner took almost seemed like it was the right way. She had only gone to this place once, so she might be remembering it all wrong. She continued to follow the small zoner, doing her best to keep a distance from him so he wouldn't realize he was being tracked down.

It wasn't until about half way there that Rapsheeba began to realize this wasn't the way to the zoner's house. She wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point, they had gotten turned around. She wondered at first if Howdy forgot which way to go, but that couldn't be it. He knew the way to his own house quite well. So..what was going on here? Where was the zoner headed, if not back to his own place?

Rapsheeba tried to continue following the zoner. She tried to keep up the pace, even as the zoner went through the jungle, and the vines kept tripping her up. It became harder and harder to follow the zoner, and she wound up lagging further and further behind. The paths he was taking, the obstacles that he inadvertantly forced her through, it was starting to add up and soon Howdy was pretty far into the distance.

She didn't want to do it, but she had to no choice. She had to start running if she wanted to regain some ground. Despite the thick vines in front of her, Rapsheeba pushed herself forward. She ran as fast as she could, pushing through the vines and snapping them as she moved through them. She wound up tripping again, letting out a small cry as she did so.

In horror, she realized her mistake. Turning her gaze to here Howdy was, she saw that he had stopped and was looking around for the noise. Rapsheeba widened her eyes and she immediately hid behind one of the tall trees. She was glad, in that moment, that she had fallen behind. From back here, Howdy could not hear her racing heart, or the loud breathing coming from her mouth. She didn't dare look until several moments had passed. Even then, she hesitated, worried that Howdy had spotted her, or would see her if she dared to look. It took all her courage to force herself to look out from behind the tree.

She could see Howdy still standing there. Thankfully, he wasn't looking in her direction. He appeared to be examining the contents of his bag again. This time, he wasn't as careful as he was before. Clearly believing that he was alone, she watched as she took out one of its contents.

Confusion gripped her head. A sandwich? Howdy was cautious over a sandwich? Normally, this would relieve her and she could just go back to her business. But no, something was wrong here. Why would Howdy be so nervous about carrying around a sandwich? And was that a drink there? And...medicine...?

Many thoughts raced through the zoner's head. What was Howdy up to? Why would he need to bring all that stuff here? Determined to find out, she crept closer, doing what she could to keep herself hidden in the shade of the trees. With Howdy holding still, she was able to get much closer to him, and soon Howdy was on the move again, with her following.

Soon, they ended up in the open field again. This filled the female zoner with tension. This was when she was the most vulnerable; if Howdy were to turn around now, she would be caught red-handed.

But Howdy never did look back. Now, more than ever, he seemed filled with determination to get to his destination. He had quickened the pace a little, forcing her to compensate. The puppet zoner moved across the field, looking around for something, his movements increasing in vigor. This filled Rapsheeba's mind with questions, the most prominent being: where was he going in such a hurry?

She soon got her answer. The puppet zoner suddenly came to a stop. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she managed to keep herself from falling forward. She tilted her head up and her eyes widened in horror. She recognized this place. The place was erased without a name, so it never got an official title. Most zoners had been calling it the Pencil Sharpener, mainly due to the structures being so sharp that one could use it like said machine. She winced, imagining the sharp edges hacking off a piece of her skin.

Why would Blocky come here? This would be the last place someone like him should be. He could easily get rippd to shreds in there. Even if she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was scared to enter it as well. Still, the zoner did not hesitate as much as she thought, and he wandered straight in. Her heart skipping a beat, she followed close behind him.

At first, it was pretty easy keeping up with the zoner without getting spotted. Rapsheeba did her best to ignore the knicks she got from some of the edges around here, and managed to avoid stepping into any of the...less inviting areas. Howdy was making his way through pretty quickly, suggesting that he knew where he was going, like he had been here before or something.

Soon, however, it began to get more difficult. The zoner began to trudge through some more complicated areas. The ledges got skinnier and narrower. The safe areas were fewer and far between. Most areas no longer even had a sturdy tree branch for her to hang onto just in case. Each time she took a step, she had to exercise more and more caution, allowing Howdy to get further in front of her.

Then she slipped up. She stepped down on a gooey part of the ground. A loud hissing sound, louder than usual, and her foot got stuck part way. She tugged at her leg, grunting in frustration. Though she freed her leg, she soon stumbled backwards and hit against one of the sharp edges. She emitted a loud scream as her lower back was lacerated, feeling blood dripping down her back. She managed to stand herself up again, but by then, it was too late.

Howdy was looking at her. They locked eyes with one another. The puppet looked competely shocked, his eyes unable to tear away from her. They remained like this, staring at one another, silent, unmoving.

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Rapsheeba attempted to reason with the puppet zoner. "Howdy... I just want to..."

Howdy's face paled, and he looked all around him, as if he expected something to happen. He turned back and stared at Rapsheeba. He spoke in a low, haunting voice. "You shouldn't have come. Please...leave..."

"Howdy, what is going on?" Rapsheeba said. She took a step forward, making Howdy cringe and take a step back.

"Please just go..." Howdy pleaded with her.

Rapsheeba gave him a sympathetic expression. "Please Howdy... Whatever is going on..I want to help... Please just..." She took a step closer.

"Just go away!" Cried Howdy before he turned and ran off.

Her eyes widening, Rapsheeba started to run after him. She struggled to catch up with him, shouting at him to stop. She kept tripping over everything, getting herself more cut up in the process. She didn't stop, however. Each time she fell down, she would just get back up again and run after him.

She was soon almost upon him. The singer prepared herself to lunge at him, spreading out her arms. She hoped that, by tackling him and forcing him to stay in one place, she can figure out what he was doing.

But she never got that far.

Howdy grabbed onto one of the longer, sharper branches. He pulled it back as far as he could. Rapsheeba's eyes widened when she realized what was about to happen. She tried to get away, but it was too late. With an apologetic look in his eyes, Howdy released the branch and it slammed against the singer's chest, sending her flying backwards. Rapsheeba grunted in pain as she tumbled across the ground, and soon landed on her side, one arm crossed over the other. She shook her head and looked at where Howdy was.

He was gone. She looked around, trying to see any sign of him or where he could have gone. But he was nowhere here anymore. He had just vanished.

Rapsheeba let out a groan of pain as she sat herself up, feeling warm blood pool from the new injuries she had recieved. She looked at one of her gashes and, though it wasn't terribly deep, she still flinched at the sight of them. She turned her attention back to where Howdy had disappeared in.

What was going on? Why did Howdy run off like that? Why did he knock her away? These questions and more filled her mind. In pursuing the puppet, she had managed to only bring more questions to herself. Questions that she would not rest until they were answered.

sss

Snap stared at Rapsheeba, his eyes wide in shock. It took all his strength to look away from her to take a small bite of his sandwich. He chewed slowly, carefully, swallowing with little force. Then he turned his gaze back towards her. He found a hard time coming to terms, or understanding, what Rapsheeba had said.

It had been a few minutes since she had arrived. Well more like twenty. She had been startled, her face pale, almost like she had seen a ghost. In fact, Snap was about to ask if she found more smudged zoners when she had grabbed onto him and told him about what she had witnessed in the Pencil Sharpener. Snap was horrified that Rapsheeba had gone there and asked her why she would risk her life in such a dangerous place. When he had been informed of what happened, he was left unsure of what to think.

He had no idea why Howdy would go there. Most zoners stayed away and for good reason. Despite the fact that it was a relatively new place, it had already gained such a heinous reputation. He would have thought that Howdy was smart enough to stay away.

But according to Rapsheeba, he had gone there. Willingly, on top of that. No one had chased him in there. Judging from what she had seen, it had been a deliberate act. Howdy had wanted to go there, with a bag of food and water and medicine, too. And the way he had chased away Rapsheeba, injuring her in the process... This did not sound like the Howdy he knew. If he didn't hear this from Rapsheeba, he wouldn't have believed it himself.

Why would Howdy go there? Why would he carry around a bag of food and be cautious about it? Why didn't he want anyone to follow him? Why did he knock away Rapsheeba? What was going on here?

Some of the zoners nearby who overheard started to wonder themselves. Snap tried to block out their qustions, but it was difficult. He could hear them asking about Howdy's motivations, some wondering if he had anything to do with what happened, others stating crazy theories.

The idea of Howdy being the culprit shot ice through his veins. He didn't want to think that his own friend, a creation of Rudy's, would do such a thing. That didn't seem at all like Howdy, and Rudy would never create something with malicious intentions. At least, not with out a little...help.

Despite his reservations against the idea of Howdy being responsible, he found it hard to really defend him. He couldn't think of any alternative ideas to why he would go all the way out there. It was just so against his character and what he knew about him. It just didn't seem like him to go to a dangerous place, guarding a bag of food and such. And for him to deliberately knock Rapsheeba down... Considering his non-violent stance, that was definitely out of character for him.

Try as he might, Snap just couldn't think of anything. Except what the others were suggesting... No, he couldn't think like that. He shook his head once, trying to get those nasty thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't accuse his friend of any wrong doing. There had to be a logical explanation. There had to be something to explain Howdy's behavior that didn't ultimately paint him as the bad guy.

But...what could it be?

All around him, he could still hear the voices of some of the more vocal zoners express their opinion. He found it harder and harder to ignore them, especially when their volume increased.

"I think he's working with whoever has that portal. I mean, why else would he disappear?" One zoner suggested.

Another said, "Maybe he is the one who took Blocky. He might not have any kind of portal, but maybe he hid Blocky in there. That would explain the food and water."

A third shook her head. "I don't know why he'd want to kidnap that loser anyway. Not like Blocky was a threat to him at all."

"Well he was chased by a dog in the Real World and pretty much killed. Maybe he was psychologically scarred and it's just finally starting to show through." A fourth male zoner said.

Snap shot a glare in their direction. None of the zoners paid attention to him. He watched as the small group continued their discussion, each making a more outlandish accusation than the last.

A pang of worry tugged at his heart. He hoped that this wasn't going to be the start of a gossip brigade against Howdy. He hoped that they would at least give him the benefit of the doubt and not make any wild accusations to him. Howdy should at least be given the opportunity to speak and explain his actions. Certainly, there had to be a good reason for why he did this.

He turned to look at Rapsheeba. A bit of anger rose up inside of him as he looked at the wounds that adorned her body. They weren't bad, but the fact that they were bleeding... The blood dripping down one of her more severe wounds mimicked the warmth that moved through his arms and legs.

He sure hoped that Howdy had a good expanation for all of this. For his sake.

"What do you think is the best course of action, Snap?" Rapsheeba asked.

Snap stared at her in surprise, not expecting such a question. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of an answer. Good question... What should they do about this? It was obvious action needed to be taken but...how should they go about this?

He would feel awful accusing his friend like that, and he wanted to avoid it. Yet he knew he needed to confront him regardless of how he felt. Howdy wouldn't be able to deny it; Rapsheeba could vouch for him. She had the marks to prove it. If Howdy lied about it... No, he wouldn't lie. That wasn't like him. But if they tried to confront him, what if he were to run away? He didn't want to waste time chasing him. He was a slippery little guy after all.

But there was one another option they could take. It would be easier than trying to run after him. It would enable them to trap him with nowhere to go without any need to be rough with him. But if he was going to pull it off, he needed to be selective about who to bring. He did not want a fight to be started.

"We go to his house." Snap said after a few more moments of ponderous silence. "We hide and wait for him to come home. Once he is, we trap him." He slammed a fist against his palm. "I'm not sure how yet, but I'll think of something. It will be easier trapping him in his own home than chasing him outside, that's for sure."

Rapsheeba furrowed her eyes slightly. "Trap him...?"

Snap realized how that must have sounded and he backtracked a little. "Well what I mean by that is... well, we can't have him trying to escape. You saw what he did, remember? You tried to speak with him and he freaked out and ran. We need to deprive him of that option. Then..." His eyes narrowed in determination. "We can get him to talk. We need to know what is going on, and if this has anything to do with the portal...or Blocky..."

"I know... It would be awful if he were hiding such information." Rapsheeba said, nodding her head in agreement. "I do hope that we won't have to expect the worse from him."

"Same here..." Snap said, his voice trailing off.

It was hard to imagine his friend doing anything hostile like that, and he still wanted to believe the best of Howdy. In the end, though, the only way to find out was to talk to him. If they have to trap him in his own home and interrogate him...then they will have to do it. Even if it killed him on the inside.

Hearing some of the things the zoners were saying, Snap couldn't help but turn to glare at thim, his lip raising up. It was going to be difficult discussing anything here. He was glad that none of the zoners appeared to hear what they were saying, but he didn't want to take that risk. The last thing he wanted was for any of these foul-mouthed zoners to show up.

Looking back at Rapsheeba, he said, "Let's meet at my place. I don't think it'll be a good idea to continue our discussion here out in the open." He casted a worried glance left and right. "Let's go somewhere more...private."

"Agreed." Rapsheeba said as she finished up her drink.

Without saying another word, the two zoners threw away what remained of their food and drink and they headed out of the restaurant. They did their best to ignore the comments some of the zoners were saying about Howdy. They both hoped that, in time, the truth would be revealed.

sss

"Are you sure this is a good idea...?" Whispered a small, meek zoner. He fumbled his hands together nervously, giving his companion a worried look. "I mean, it's probably better off if we just..."

"Oh hush up!" Snarled his companion, the same female zoner who had doubted Howdy's involvement with Blocky's kidnapping. "We're lucky that they didn't see us following them, and we have come this far, so quit your belly aching and follow me!"

The meek zoner did as he was told. With a few quick nods, he slunk closer to her, keeping his body low, a submissive posture. The female, larger, and clearly more aggressive, with even her eyes glowing in dominance, towered over him. She glared at him as she waited for him to get closer. Only when he was inches away from her side did she continue on.

The two zoners had been careful not to get spotted by Rapsheeba or Snap. They had overheard parts of their conversation, and when Snap had mentioned wanting to talk it out alone... Well, the meek zoner thought it was just a private matter, but the more dominant zoner had her suspicions and was rather curious.

After all, if this matter had to do with Howdy, and what he potentially did or didn't do, wouldn't it be much better to just make their intentions known? What could they possibly be hiding? Not that either zoner wanted to think that the two were doing any kind of conspiring. Yet...they didn't want to take the risk.

At least, the female one didn't. The male wanted to avoid the issue. After all, Snap was such a nice zoner and had shown that he was trustworthy. The female, however, felt that something could still go wrong, and merely wanted to keep tabs on them. They wouldn't really be disrupting them or anything. All she wanted was to hear enough information to know what they were planning so she could inform the zoners in case it was something rather...suspicious.

Snap's house was up ahead. They were almost there. The two zoners crept closure, being as quiet as they could. They didn't see Snap or Rapsheeba near the window, but that didn't mean that they weren't there, or somehow able to watch them. The female didn't stop regardless, and moved as quickly as she could to one of the bushes. The male froze, unsure. A quick glare from the female prompted him to move.

The two crawled further into the bushes. There wasn't much room. Crowded, so full of branches, poking them. The male ended up being pressed against the female. She snarled at him, baring her teeth, causing him to cringe away, and lower his head in submission. She growled at him for a few more moments before she turned her attention to the nearest window. She leaned forward and peered inside. Able to see what they came here for, she nudged the meek male and got him to look as well.

There was Snap and Rapsheeba. And what luck, their backs were turned to them. As they spoke, they could hear the words being said; the window was open. This made it much easier to understand what was being said. But it also meant that...

After hearing a nervous whimper from the male, the female shot him a glare and hissed, "Shut up...! We can't have them knowing what we are here...!"

"Sorry." The male said, keeping his gaze downcast.

The female merely growled at him, and then turned her attention back to the two zoners. She and the male leaned in, waiting to hear exactly what they had to say.

sss

Snap looked at the list that Rapsheeba just wrote. She took a bit of time writing it, having to pause to think for a moment, tapping the side of her face with the pen. She then handed it to him, finally allowing him to see the words she had put on the paper.

Snap skimmed through the list. It wasn't too long. A part of him was disappointed, but another was glad. Too long of a list might have complicated things, now that he thought about it. After a moment, he turned his head to Rapsheeba.

"These are the people you decided should come?" He asked.

Rapsheeba nodded. "Yeah. They could be trusted with this. They know Blocky pretty well, and they wouldn't think ill of Howdy."

"Yeah, that's true." Snap looked through the list again. "Some of these are even from people who love his work. They would be hard pressed to think that he was doing anything bad." Snap set the list down on the table. "But are you sure that they are all good choices?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you put down Butch. No offense, Rapsheeba, but I think he'd be one of the last people we should turn to for help. If not for his disgruntled nature or the fact that he likes to beat up everyone in sight, then for his dimwitted personality. He's not exactly the brightest bulb in the block."

Snap flinched when he said that, remembering what happened the last time he had insulted Butch. He looked from side to side, only relaxing when he realized he was in the comfort of his own home. He let out a sigh of relief, but he still remained tense, knowing what could happen to him if Butch just so happened to find out what he had said about him.

He looked back at the list. There weren't too many zoners here he didn't know, though most he hardly really spoke to. Lars and Bathtub Granny were a few of the ones he had seen more regularly. And for some reason, the shark was on here. Wasn't he restricted to a tank? Well, maybe they could tie him up on the rope or something and have him dangle... Oh that sounded stupid. He scratched that idea out of his head.

But those were just minor complaints that he had. He could just simply remove the zoners that he felt would not work and just gather the ones that would. They didn't need too many zoners. They needed some able-bodied ones stationed outside, and then just a couple in the house. They could all round up on him once they have Howdy trapped in the house.

"I know how you might feel about Butch..." Rapsheeba said. Snap nodded his head slowly, a frown spreading across his face. That was an understatemeent. "But he might be a good pick for this. He is large and strong. His size alone may be enough to block the main entrance at the very least. We do need at least one muscle zoner in on this, in case Howdy tries to..."

"He's not that big, though." Snap pointed out. "He wouldn't be that difficult to hold onto once he's caught." He rubbed his hand on the underneath of his chin. "What we need is a zoner who is fast. Someone who could catch him with no problem. Someone like..."

"Like you."

Snap looked over at Rapsheeba. "Huh?"

Rapsheeba smiled at him. "Well you are pretty fast on your feet, Snap. You could easily out pace Howdy I'm sure."

Snap thought about this. Rapsheeba did make a good point. He was pretty quick. Not the fastest zoner for sure, but she was right. He could easily catch up to Howdy if he tried hard enough. And he wasn't too large, so he didn't have to worry as much about accidentally hurting him. Not like Butch, who would most likely crush the poor guy to death. Yeah, he was liking Rapsheeba's suggestion.

"Well that takes care of that then." Snap said, making a mental note of that. He folded the piece of paper in his hands and pushed it into his pocket. "Now we just need to round up those zoners and see if they are willing to help us. Then we can assign them spots and we just wait for Howdy."

"When?" Rapsheeba looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Do you think that we should wait an hour or two?"

Snap shook his head. "The sooner we do this, the better." He held his hand out. "We don't know when Howdy is coming back. It's best that we get this...trap..." He disliked the bitter taste on his tongue when he said that word. "...ready as quickly as possible. I don't know how long we will end up waiting, but it'll be worth it in the end." Noticing Rapsheeba's uncertain frown, Snap smiled, trying to reassure the zoner the best that he could. "Come on, it'll work. Trust me. I'm sure Howdy won't be gone that long."

Rapsheeba folded her arms against her chest. "I hope that we don't end up scaring the living daylights out of him..."

Snap looked at her sympathetically. "Yeah... I hate surprising Howdy like this and trying to catch him..." He frowned softly, memories of what Rapsheeba told him flooding back. "But he has a lot to answer to. If he isn't going to tell us willingly, then we will force it out of him."

Rapsheeba nodded solemnly, saying not a word. The two friends stared at each other in silence, both realizing just what they were being forced into. The idea of trapping a friend was not something they felt comfortable with, and wished they could avoid it. But with what was going on... They had to figure out what that zoner was up to. If there was a possibility that Howdy was being forced into something against his will...they had to know about it.

But first and foremost, they would have to get Howdy first. With other zoners already getting suspicious, Snap knew that they had to get him before they do. The other zoners may not be as kind with him, and possibly more forceful. They might even end up getting false information out of Howdy if they weren't good enough at proper interrogation.

Glancing up at the clock, he turned back to Rapsheeba and got up out of his chair. "Let's get going, Queeny. We need to find these zoners on the list." He lifted up the piece of paper in his hands and slapped his hand against it. "Hopefully we can talk them into helping us."

"Don't worry. I'm sure they will." Rapsheeba said.

Snap smiled at her. But worry still filled his gut. He hoped that his friend was right.

sss

A twinkle flashed in the female zoner's eye. She kept staring through the window, using the bush to keep herself hidden. She and the meek male hadn't turned their gaze away during this whole time. Though both were cramped and sore from standing still for so long, it was worth it to get this inside information.

"So... They want to interrogate the little bugger..." She spoke, her voice dripping with authority. "I'm surprised that they didn't ask me to come. I would have been perfect!" She slapped herself in the chest.

"Well, they probably didn't because you're too..." The meek male started to say. He was silenced when the dominant female lowered her head towards him and let out a loud hiss. He put his arm over his head and whimpered, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The female glared at him. She watched as he shivered in fright, looking like he was just about to pee himself. Only then did she look away. Keeping herself sttraightened up in a clear show of dominance, she grabbed onto the male and thrust him forward. The male stumbled, and eventually managed to regain his footing.

"Come on!" The female zoner barked. "We have to relay this information to the others!"

The male stood, looking over his shoulder and staring at her, shivering. He gulped and nodded his head. He hunched his body lower when she walked up to him. She stood beside him, staring down at him with a single eye. He cringed away, averting full on direct eye contact, save for a quick upward glance. "Y-Yes m-m-ma'am..."

Without another word, the two zoners turned and fled from the house. They didn't bother stopping and looking behind them. Right now, speed was of importance. They had to get back and tell the others what they found out. If Snap needed help in catching this guy, then some would be more than happy to oblige.

Neither of them really thought that Howdy was up to no good. But both, even the meek male who may not show it, were offended that he wasn't speaking up, that he might be hiding something that they all needed to know. If he knew who took Blocky, by any chance, then they all deserved to know. After all, any of them could become the next target.

And neither of them, especially not the dominant female of the pair, was about to go down that easily. These kidnappers want a fight, then she will tear out their throats.

sss

Howdy felt awful about the whole thing. He kept his head low as he continued to walk, his mind flashing back to what had transpired not too long ago.

He couldn't believe he had just done that. He had knocked Rapsheeba down with one of the sharp branches. He hadn't meant to do that. He just needed away to keep her from following him, and that was the only thing he could think of. He acted on blindness, and now that he thought back to what he did, he couldn't help but feel his stomach churn. Poor Rapsheeba... She must be so hurt and confused by what he had done...

But he didn't have a choice. He needed to make sure that she didn't follow him. He didn't want himself to get hurt, nor did he want her to get dragged into it. He had no idea how Terry or Von would have reacted to him bringing in another zoner. Would they decide to experiment on her next? Would they kill her to ensure that there would be no witnesses?

Either way, it send a cold shiver down his spine. He didn't want any of the other zoners caught up in this. He had put himself into this position because he had been stupid. He went to a place that he knew zoners didn't go to. He had been asking for trouble. This was his own fault.

Now, he had no choice but to do what they said. It wasn't just his own life he was worried about. If that had been the case, then it would be easier for him to back out. No, the reason he keeps going is for Blocky's sake. He didn't like the idea of helping to prolong his pain by helping him get fed and get something to drink, but he also didn't want him to die. At least in this way, he was helping to increase the amount of time that the others had to find him.

He bit his lip. He hoped that Blocky was doing okay. He hadn't exactly been allowed to see him. Neither of the adults would take him to him, and they didn't really fully explain what he had gone through. This did little to comfort him, the unknown wrapping around his head, filling him with images of what might be doing on.

He shook the chilling thoughts out of his head as he focused on walking through the building. He thought back to Von's instructions of where to go. The sensation of being back in the Real World send ice through his body, and he kept looking around cautiously, looking for any sign of a dog or other large animal. And the silence...it was almost thunderous in how thick it was. It was as if this place was dead, a ghost town, and he had been unfortunate enough to wander straight into it.

He froze in his tracks when he heard a loud howl shoot throug the air, ringing in his ears. Blocky...? The small zoner was tempted to rush forward, but he stopped himself, realizing that there were cameras everywhere. He looked up, eyeing the nearest on in the corner cautiously. Swallowing hard, he continued on his predetermined treck, his heart going out to poor Blocky. Just what were they doing to him...?

After forcing himself to continue walking, the small zoner soon ended up at the intended destination. The door was wide open, a faint light mark indicating a pale light. He remained where he was for a few seconds, his hands tightening around the bag he had brought. He licked his lips nervously and then, after a few seconds, he walked in slowly.

"H-Hello..?" Howdy said in a low voice as he stepped into the room, cautiously turning his head from one side to the other. "I-I brought more of the stuff you asked for..."

The room appeared empty at first. He didn't see much in here, save for a table and a chalkboard. The sight of the chalkboard made him freeze, his eyes widening. What he wouldn't give to be home right now...

"So you have come back. Good." A female voice cut through the air. "I thought you had forgotten about us. That would have been a shame, now wouldn't it?"

Howdy froze at the voice. He looked over, his eyes doing another scan of the dusty, mostly dark room. He soon noticed Terry Bouffant, who was positioned in a darker part of the room. She had her arms folded against her chest, sneering down at the zoner as she walked towards him.

It didn't take her long to reach him. Howdy shivered at the massive size difference between them. He knew he was a tiny little thing, but never before had he felt so small. This woman was even taller than Von, making her appear like a giant to him. He wondered if this was how some of the larger zoners feel around Biclops, who was larger than most other zoners.

Not wanting to keep her waiting, he nodded his head quickly and reached out towards her, his hand still gripping the back. "H-Here you go..." He said in a shaky voice.

The red-haired woman's smile broadened at this. "Thank you." There was little honestly in that voice. Howdy had never heard that term used so condenscendingly. The woman seized the bag from him and held it up in the air. She stared at it, peering inside to see its contents. "Good, you remembered everything. And here, I was worried that you might forget."

"How would I forget?" Howdy asked.

"You zoners aren't always the brightest." Replied the woman coldly. "You could have gotten my words mixed up."

Howdy felt a burning pang at that, but resisted the urge to say anything defiant back at her. He simply lowered his head submissively, hoping that what he got would ultimately satisfy her enough that she and her partner wouldn't see it fit to do anything to him or another zoner.

As the woman rummaged through the stuff, Howdy cringed at another wail of agony echoing through the building. He knew that was Blocky. He easily recognized that voice. His blood ran cold as he realized just how much pain he must be in. Whatever Von was doing to him...it must be horrible. Howdy could feel a tear form in his eyes. What were this monsters doing with him right now? What did Blocky ever do to deserve this? He would glare at Terry right now if he weren't so worried about what she might do in response.

Terry had taken notice to the scream. She, too, looked a bit upset by it, but clearly not for the same reasons as him. She looked more annoyed than anything. And any concern she had was not only not as pronounced as his, but it wasn't geared towards the safety of his friend. More like, she didn't want them to lose their test subject. The monster...

"That little brat should try to take it easy. We did all we could for his wounds." Terry grumbled softly. She reached into the bag and pulled out one of the bottles of medicine that Howdy had given her. "Well, this should do the trick."

Howdy tilted his head in confusion at something she said. "You mean that my friend isn't being tortured right now?"

Terry jeered at him, "For now anyway..." Howdy took a step back at that statement. Holding up her hand in a nonchalant way, she said, "Doctor Von Doktor hasn't yet decided on the next experiment. The screams you are hearing are from Blocky not being able to handle the pain from the last experiments." She chuckled and then stared at Howdy intently with one eye. "You should have heard how he sounded before.. without the medicine. Oh man, you would have passed out from fear for sure!"

Howdy let out a whimper at this. Whether or not Terry was being truthful didn't matter. He knew that her words were quite possibly true, based on what he had been told. As he heard another scream, he lifted up his head and looked around. He hoped that what the woman was saying was at least partially true. He hated the idea of his already suffering friend being put through more pain and torment just for the sake of these people's curiosity. He hoped that his friend would be, at least for a time, spared the torment of another experiment.

"You can leave now." Terry said as she made a quick motion with her hand.

"What? No other assignment...?" Howdy muttered under his breath, making no attempt to hide the bitterness that he had for her. When Terry glared at him, he whimpered, realizing his mistake. "I-I mean..."

But instead of shouting at him or hurting him like he had expected, the woman merely smiled at him. "Oh you are right. How silly of me..." She set the bag of food, water, and medicine on the table and walked towards the zoner.

Howdy hucnched his shoulders as he adopted something of a defensive stance. He backed away from the woman, giving off a soft whine as she cornered him against the wall. He pressed his back against the hard surface, his body shaking as he turned his head to the side. Terry lowered herself onto one knee, and even then she towered over him very easily, her shadow creeping over his body.

Terry reached over and cupped Howdy's chin. With a dark smile, she said, "You could... do us a little favor."

"L-Like what..?" Howdy asked, terrified of the answer.

Terry grinned at him. She put her face close to his. She whispered into his ear, "Bring us a piece of magic chalk..."

Howdy's eyes widened in horror at this. "Wh-What..? I-I thought that..."

"I never said we had given up on the magic chalk, you little idiot..." A cold chuckled escaped the woman's throat. "And why are you so upset? I'm only asking for one..." She held up a finger in front of her for emphasis. "It's a really simple request. I'm sure you can think of something." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "After all... Rudy likes to help you guys, right? I'm sure he might give you a piece of you neededi t."

"B-But..he wouldn't... I mean...we zoners can't use it..." Howdy explained.

"Oh that is right. Well...I'm sure you can still figure out something." Terry said, her expression never faltering. "I expect you to bring it to me the next time you bring in the supplies. Whenever we will need them next."

"B-But..." Howdy started to say.

Terry silenced him by grabbing his head and holding his mouth shut. "And if you don't bring us the magic chalk..." She graced a finger along the front of his face, lightly scratching over his right eye. "Well you can still see with one eye, right...?"

Chapter 19: Colds

When you place your hand on my skin, it shall have turned to ice.

sss

Howdy gagged when the angered human seized him by his neck. He was lifted roughly into the air. He tried to strike back at them, swinging a fist again and again. Thankfully, Von had his head pulled back, and the runt wasn't able to get an attack in edge wise.

He wasn't sure what possessed Terry to allow him to see his friend. All that did was increase his willingness to save them. He knew that, if zoners were like humans enough, Howdy here would have tried whatever he could to get Blocky out. If he hadn't come into the room in time to see the puppet try to tilt the enclosure over...

He did his best to hide his anger from Terry. He couldn't believe the woman had been stupid enough to leave the puppet zoner in the room unintended while she went out doing...whatever it is she wanted to do. In doing so, she had given the zoner enough time to formulate a plan and try to get his friend out. Terry said she didn't think that he'd try it, and that the enclosure was too heavy for him. She apparently didn't account for Howdy using some items in the room to gain leverage...

The fact that he had only managed to push the glass enclosure a few inches didn't really cheer him up all that much. If given enough time, Howdy would have succeeded. He growled softly to himself. He began to wonder if Terry really was the best person to be his partner. Perhaps he should do something about her.

He would deal with her later, though. At the moment, he needed to take care of this squirming zoner. Howdy was still trying to fight back. He kicked his legs wildly, continuously trying to attack him. Despite his disadvantage, he was still trying to defend himself. How cute... Dr. Von Doktor looked towards the glass enclosure where Blocky was still being kept. Perhaps now was a good time for him to move onto the next experiment. Only this time, there was going to be a witness.

He tightened his grip on the zoner's neck, listening to him gag, feeling his fingers try to pry his hand off. Howdy glared at him, but his attempts to hide his feelings were in vain. The man could easily see the fear in his eyes.

"Zince you were zo generous in trying to ruin our planz..." Von took a quick, accusatory glare at Terry, who stood nearby. The woman folded her arms and glared back, giving him a 'what did I do' expression. He smiled at Howdy. "Perhapz we will allow you firzt row zeat. It is zee leazt we can do." He patted the zoner on the head gently.

Howdy growled, confusion edging on his voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh it'z quite easy to understand if you zink about it." Von said as he walked towards one of the chairs that were nearby. He held Howdy out in front of him, letting him get a look at it. "We wouldn't want you to mizz out. And maybe...who knowz..? Maybe you will learn a zing or two about how we do zingz around here."

"Doctor, I don't know why you're bothering wasting your time with that thing." Terry said. She ignored the insulted glare she got from Howdy. "Just punish him already and send him back to ChalkZone." She glared intently into Howdy's eyes. "He's still our little delivery boy. He mustn't forget that."

"Oh don't worry." Von grinned. "After ziz, zere would be no way he'd forget zat."

Howdy's eyes widened slowly at this. He looked up at Von, the confusion turning into apprehension. Von merely smiled at him, refusing to say anything more. He would rather just hint at his fate rather than tell him anything directly. The zoner would probably figure it out eventually. He just needed a bit more of a clue, and then he could watch the fun begin.

Dr. Von Doktor forced Howdy into the chair. He motioned for Terry to come over. The woman gave a disgusted snort, but still went along with what he wanted anyway. She aided Von, grabbing some rope and bringing it over to him. Von pulled Howdy's hands behind the chair roughly, through the empty spaces on the back plate. Terry tied up his hands there, making sure it was good and tight. Von then held down Howdy's legs, allowing Terry to bind them to the chair's bars. The final touch was a few more loops around his chest and stomach, and then he was secured good and tight.

Von smiled down at the zoner, putting his hands on his hips. "I zuppose you want to know what we are going to do with you now?" Howdy didn't bother to answer. He just jerked himself from side to side. Von merely smiled at this. He could already tell how much fun this was going to be. He reached down and put his finger on Howdy's chin, tilting it up. "Well I promize you zat we won't hurt you...phyzically. But I wonder...how much can your mind take...?"

Terry looked down at Von, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that we...?" She groaned when Von raised up his hand to silence her. She rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Let me go!" Howdy snarled at him. He pulled on the ropes as hard as he could. Von was impressed by his repeated attempts. Even when the ropes clearly started to hurt him, Howdy still tugged and pulled, clearly determined to get away. "I swear, if you don't let me go...!"

Von chuckled coldly at this. "My, aren't you getting overly excited? Well zorry, but you ain't going anywhere." Von stroked the top of Howdy's head. "Not until after your little punishment."

Howdy spat, "To the eraser with your punishment!"

Dr. Von Doktor widened his eyes at that bold statement. He couldn't help but smile at the zoner's determination. Gone was the submissive zoner who didn't want his friend to get hurt. Present was a bold little guy whose anger was becoming the driving force of his actions. How interesting... But he knew he couldn't let him stay this way for long. The little chalk creature could ruin their plans. Time to crush the little guy's spirit, and he knew exactly how he was going to do that.

Von seized the zoner by his chin, holding him in place. Howdy glared at him, trying in vain to hide the fear that he was clearly feeling. "Say, little guy... Do you want to watch a movie? Well, it's kind of a movie but... Well, let's just say it'll star someone who might be able to tame this little temper of yours..."

Howdy's eyes widened for a millisecond before he reacted on instinct. Opening his mouth wide, he bit down on the scientist's hand. Von's eyes bulged open at this, and he released a scream from his mouth. He recoiled back, yanking away his hand. He flinched when Howdy's teeth managed to scrape some of the skin, leaving behind a mark. Clutching his hand to himself, Von stared at it, noting some blood marks on it. The little runt had broken some of the skin.

He shot a glare at the zoner. Howdy, in that moment, appeared to realize what he had just done and what that had meant. He tried to struggle to get away. The ropes held him in place as the angered doctor stared at him with an expression of rage.

Froming a fist, he snarled, "You little...!" He struck forward, but stopped dead short of actually hitting the zoner. Howdy turned his head to the side, his teeth clenched and body shaking in fear. He looked at the man expectantly, wondering if he was going to finish his attack or what. Slowly, as the man regained his composure, he smiled, "No... I'll do something elze instead." He turned to Terry. "Bring me more rope."

Howdy's eyes widened at this. "What..what are you..?"

Von sneered down at the zoner, feeling a sense of pleasure that the zoner had lost some of his edge. He was finally starting to understand. He heard the approaching footsteps of Terry and he grabbed the rope from her. "I will make sure you don't get a chance to do zat again. Be glad I am not going for a more..permanent zolution..."

Howdy's head was held in place by Terry was Von circled the rope around his head. As the tightened them, Howdy let out a surprised yelp. Perhaps he bit his tongue. Oh well, who cares... He continued wrapping the rope around until he figured he had enough to keep the zoner from opening his jaws. He tied a knot at the top. He would have stopped right there, but he wanted to go a step further, using a piece of cloth to cover up the zoner's mouth.

Now Howdy was unable to make much noise. Just some mumbled sounds mostly. He kept trying to cry out in protest, but any word he tried to say was distorted and nearly muted by the rope and cloth. With no worry of being bitten again, the man placed his hand on Howdy's cheek.

"Well...shall we begin now?" Von asked. He stared into Howdy's terrified eyes. "Like I zaid, we won't hurt your body. But your mind..." Von slowly turned his gaze to the enclosure, smirking at Blocky, who was looking on in horror. "Zat is a whole different ztory."

As if realizing exactly what Von had in mind, Howdy began to let out muffled screams of protest. His struggling increased in vigor. If the chair were made of lighter material, the zoner would probably be knocking it from side to side right now. But just in case, he'd have Terry do something about it.

Ignoring the zoner's quieted pleas, Von picked up the chair, easily transferring the small zoner to where he wanted him to be. He carried him towards the hallway. He looked over his shoulder, staring towards Terry. He gestured towards the enclosure. Even without saying a word, the woman acted right away. She walked over towards the enclosure to fetch Howdy.

"Where am I taking him?" She asked.

Von's smile spread across his face. "To the freezer."

sss

Blocky tried to struggle. He tried to twist his body around, make the woman let go of him. She would not relent. He didn't even dare try to bite her, lest he suffer the same fate as Howdy. As they approached the door, as he started to feel the chilling effects, dread spread through his body.

No... No, they couldn't do this to him. This wasn't right... Were they really this heartless...?

Blocky continued to writhe in the woman's arms. He ignored the pain of being rolled up like some old news paper. He tried to free one of his arms. Any of them. If he could just make her loosen her grip, then he may have a chance of escape. But no amtter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. His arms were firmly pinned against his body, pressed there by himself.

The woman continued her trek down the hallway. In front of her was Dr. Von Doktor. The man was leading them to his current destination. He was taking him to the freezer. Even without being in there, the zoner was already shivering, his body unable to control itself. He couldn't believe this was happening. Von... could he really be this cruel? He was bad enough beore, but now...

The man stopped in front of the large, metal door. He set Howdy on the ground. Blocky watched the zoner hopefully, praying that the puppet could get free and stop these humans from what they were about to do. Please..he didn't want this... Blocky couldn't stop the tears of fear from dripping down his face.

Von stared down at Howdy in annoyance. Without saying a word or hesitation, he raised up his foot and pushed against Howdy. The chair went tumbling back and hit the ground in a thud. Blocky looked on in horror, hoping that his friend was all right. The puppet zoner let out a soft groan, but other than that, he didn't appear to be hurt. He managed to shoot a glare at Terry, who merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh don't complain." She said, raising a hand up as if she didn't understand what his problem was. "He will be fine." She pointed a finger at him. "It is yourself I'd be more concerned about."

At this, Blocky tried to speak, but he stopped himself, knowing that anything he said could be used as a means of doing worse to him or his friend. He looked over at Von, feeling his heart tighten as the man opened up the door. Out pillowed a white cloud-like substance, the same stuff that would be present in an area that was super cold. His teeth chattered in resposne, feeling the chill already creep along his skin from here.

Von motioned for Terry, his hands indicating the door. "Drop him in zere."

"And you are sure this is nonlethal? Need I remind you that we cannot..." Terry started to say.

"Don't worry, he won't die from ziz." Von turned to give an eerie smile at Blocky. "...but he'z going to wish it did kill him..."

Blocky felt his heart freeze at this, ice shooting through his body. He gulped and let out a few whimpers of protest. He got no looks of sympathy from his captors, and Howdy was unable to show any comfort to him while he was on the ground.

"And he won't be able to get out?" Now the woman's eyes were on the ground, the edge part where the door would be over once closed. "No chance of him sleeping through?"

"Not even remotely. Zee door is airtight. He would never be able to get out. Bezides..." Von took a moment to look at Blocky in the eyes. There was a brief reflection of knowing in there, as if the man was sending him a silent message. "...he'z going to be a little too...busy, if you know what I mean."

Terry nodded her head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right on that." Replied Terry. "So let's get this show on the road."

His heart pounding against his chest, Blocky tried to get himself free. He was unable to do anything, totally helpless, as the red-haired woman carried him nonchalantly over to the door. As soon as she reached it, she unfolded him, holding him up painfully by his head.

Squirming and thrashing in the air, trying to pry her hands off, he pleaded, "No! Please! Not this! No!"

Ignoring him completely, Terry threw him into the room. The small zoner crashed into the ground painfully. He whimpered as the ground was so cold, it was nearly burning. He scrambled up to his feet, meeting the cold gaze of the two humans. He rushed over slipping on the ice, but he was not fast enough.

The door was slammed in his face. He hit his head against it, staggering back. Darkness immediately descended upon him for a few seconds, making him unable to see anything. He rubbed his sore face as the cold began to swirl around his body. He trembled, wrapping his arms around himself. He looked around, trying to see what his surroundings were like.

A sudden flash of light above him illuminated the room. He raised up a hand, gritting his teeth as he tried to adjust to the light. Despite the brightness that was now bestowed upon him, this did little to provide any kind of warmth.

All around him were shelves of various items that needed to be frozen. He wasn't sure what they were. Some appeared to be food, but maybe that was just his imagination. There was a thin sheet of ice on multiple places, including the ground itself. Some snow-like substance clung to the walls, and icicles hung from the ceiling, some of them so long that he'd run into them if he weren't careful.

The zoner walked towards the middle of the room, taking in where he was and his predicament. He could see the gust of white, realizing that more cold air was being pumped into here. He could already feel the incredibly low temperatures plummet further, making him rub himself to try to generate some kind of friction heat.

Looking up, he could see a few cameras placed in here. About four. No matter where he went, there was a camera in place, watching his every move. He glared at the cameras, but there was little energy to it. He didn't have enough strength to be defiant, the cold zapping him of his strength.

Blocky lowered himself to the ground, positioning himself in front of the door where the temperatures were at their highest. That wasn't saying much, though. He curled up against the wall, shivering hard, his teeth chattering. Despite his efforts to stay warm, he could already feel his core body temperature dropping rapidly. It was at this time that he realized that his incredibly thin body was about to become his greatest enemy.

sss

Rudy didn't know how long he had been hugging his aunt. He didn't know how long he had been shedding tears of joy. All he was aware of was holding onto the woman, pressing his face against her shoulder. He could feel her arm gently rubbing his back, whispering soft words to him. Rudy would feel Sophie holding onto him, hugging his legs, as if she understood just what this moment meant to him.

He wondered if he was dreaming. He was so tempting to pinch himself to offer himself some kind of reassurance that everything happenign right now was a real, and not some kind of dream. A part him expected to wake up at any moment, drowning out any hope of this being real. But the other... The longer he held onto his aunt, the more convinced he became that this was reality.

Positive emotion began to well up inside of him, creating a burning sensation. But a good kind, one that filled him with excitement, even energy to fuel his motivation to find his lost friend and the portal. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face, the grin almost reaching insanity levels. He couldn't help it. The emotion was just rushing through him like a tsunami, and it was carrying him with it.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..." He choked out, sniffling loudly.

His aunt didn't answer him. She instead responded by holding him a little tighter. Rudy nuzzled Aunt Tilly against her shoulder, ignoring the tears that were staining her shirt. He continued to hold on, wanting to prove to himself that this was really happening.

His aunt... She understood. She appeared to finally understand... She had retracted her earlier statement of revealing this to his parents. He..he couldn't begin to tell her just how happy that made him feel. His body was doing all the talking for him, with his increased heart rate and the excitement, the energy running through his nerves. If he had to run a marathon he would be able to do that in a heartbeat.

Finally, after the long, grueling days that passed, it seemed that the situation with his aunt was finally coming to a close. The danger of ChalkZone being revealed by a family member was coming to an end. If his aunt was true to her words...and she was. He knew her long enough to know how sincere she was being. The fact that she was being sincere about this only further fueled the energy that was making him feel giddy.

He didn't know what made her change her made. He didn't now what the clincher was. He had tried so much to get her to change her mind, and here she did it on her own... What happened while she was down here? What entered her mind and made her realize that what she was doing was wrong? At the moment, he didn't care to know. Right now, he just wanted to celebrate this moment.

After what felt like several more minutes, he broke free from his aunt. The two of them looked at each other in the eyes, smiling. Rudy looked over and saw Sophie moving to his side. She gave him her classic smile before she went up to him and hugged him again, the side of her face pressed against him. Rudy, unable to resist, hugged her back, locking her in a comforting hug.

"As I told you..." Rudy looked up at his aunt as she started to speak. "It wasn't easy to come up with the decision, and a part of me is still in doubt.." Aunt Tilly lowered her gaze, fumbling with her fingers. "I can't explain exactly how I came to this conclusion, but..I did feel bad about how sad I was making you..and I started to wonder if telling your folks really was the best thing. But I also had to think of my sister...and your dad.."

Rudy let go of Sophie and looked up at his aunt, nodding his head in understanding. "It's okay, Aunt Tilly. I know what you mean." Aunt Tilly looked down at him expectantly. "It's not easy for me to keep this a secret from my parents. I know that if they ever find out, they would be hurt." He lowered his head, feeling guilt wash over him. "I don't do it to hurt them, though. I just..want to keep this place safe. I want them to know I still trust them..." He looked up at his aunt. "And..despite our..misgivings earlier..." He winced as he remembered when his aunt had struck him. "I still trust you as well. Please...don't take me hiding this world as evidence that I don't trust you. You're my aunt. I always will trust you."

Aunt Tilly smiled at him. She lowered herself down and pulled her nephew into a hug. "I'm sure you do, Rudy..." She moved away from him and placed her hand on his shoulders. "You know..I may never fully understand this world and why it must be kept secret. But... you're right." She stroked his brown hair gently. "I was the one who didn't trust enough. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize that."

Rudy's smile broadened. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault." He pressed himself against her, feeling the warmth of her arms wrap around him. "I'm just glad we finally have this settled."

"Me, too." Replied Aunt Tilly.

Rudy continued to hold onto his aunt for a few more moments, further cementing that things were finally turning for the better. Only after a few minutes did he release her. He kept quiet, taking a few moments to let all of this truly sink in.

However, the moment of happiness didn't last forever. His aunt looked at him with concern as his smile faded. She attempted to ask him what was wrong, but Rudy kept his mouth clenched shut. He turned his back to her, taking a few steps away from her. He could feel Sophie tugging on him. He pulled his hand away from her, letting out a soft grunt. He felt bad for the way he was acting right now, but for the moment, he just...needed a little breathing room.

There was still the situation with Blocky and the portal. Even though his aunt had said she would not reveal ChalkZone to his parents, that only removed one problelm. There were others he needed to take care of first. He had to find that portal..and his friend. They were both out there, somewhere, waiting for him, for someone. He had no idea what was going on with Blocky. If he had been taken by Terry and Von...

He knew what his next destination had to be. There was only one move left he had now. He needed to head back into ChalkZone. He needed to find his friends and figure out a game plan.

But...would it be enough? Would they be able to come up with a plan that would take them to where the portal and Blocky were? If only there was some kind of clue... He could try looking outside, look around the house... But that wouldn't do him much good. There was little reason to suspect that he'd find any clues there. He needed something else. Perhaps one of the zoners might have... No, they had been looking and he heard nothing knew from Penny. But he refused to give up. There had to be something that he could do.

If anything happened to Blocky or ChalkZone, he'd never forgive himself. It was his duty to keep that place safe and he..he almost blew it all sky high. And even if his aunt wasn't going to tell his parents this time, though he still had some wariness about the whole thing, that didn't change the fact that there was an open portal somewhere, and the fact that it very well could be in the clutches of those...those criminals...

"Rudy, dear...what is it?" He heard his aunt say.

Rudy turned to face her. He gave her a soft expression, etched in worry. This was enough to make her widen his eyes, and she took a step back as she appeared to realize what was going through the boy's head. Silently, he turned away from her, and stared up towards the stairs.

What was he going to do if they still had found no clues? Where would they begin? Sure, there was that lab that he was taken to before. But there was no guarantee that Von would use that same place again. He might have found a different location. And even if he was still there, he couldn't forget that Von realized that children bypassed his security system. He may have beefed it up to ensure that none of them would be able to get in.

And then there was the chance that Von was not responsible for Blocky's disappearance. If Rudy spent all this time breaking into a place, only to find who he was looking for wasn't there... He could feel his stomach burn. He would hate to waste time like that. Blocky could be in serious danger. If he...

"Rudy." Aunt Tilly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are worried. I can see it in your eyes." She turned Rudy around, forcing him to look at her. He could feel his shoulders being gently squeezed. He looked up at her, locking eye contact with her. "I may not understand why you feel the need to do this... But...if it's important to you, then it's important to me."

Rudy lowered his head. He gave a soft sniffle, a few tears forming in his eyes. "I just..hope he's okay..."

Aunt Tilly lowered herself onto her knee. She reached over and gently stroked away a tear from his eyes. "It's all right. You'll find him... I know you will."

"And the portal..." Rudy said, keeping his head turned away from her. "If I don't find it... So many zoners..they might.."

"Don't worry, Rudy. I'm sure you'll be able to figure all of this out. You're a smart boy. I know you can do it." Aunt Tilly pulled Rudy into another hug. She rested her chin on his head, gently patting him on the back. "Don't give up. Keep on trying. You can do it, Rudy. You'll find a way."

Rudy smiled at this, hugging his aunt back. Again, he found himself encased in her arms. Again he could feel Sophie cuddling up with him. The smile never left his face. The bitterness began to leave, replaced with a burning sensation of determination. "Yeah...you're right..."

Rudy knew that his aunt was right. He would be able to do this. He never gave up before, and he wasn't about to start now. He faced tough challenge in the past, and he managed to rise above them. Even in situations where it looked like there was no way out, he found something to light the way. The situation may look dire right now, but he mustn't lose faith in himself. He must keep trying. He had to do it, for the same of his friend...and for the sake of ChalkZone.

He swore to himself, if those bastards did anything to hurt his friend...he will make them pay. He may not be violent enough to hurt them, but he would not show them mercy. They would be dealt with like the criminals they were. He would ensure their proper place in prison. Terry and Von... He hoped they were enjoying their final moments of freedom... because if they hurt his friend, if they tortured him, it will be the last bits of freedom they will ever have. He didn't know how he was going to get them arrested, but he'd find a way. He wouldn't even have to try; he trusted that they would slip up on their own.

But enough thinking about that. He wouldn't be able to do anything unless he tried to find them. He looked at his aunt expectantly, hoping that she will not try to bar him from that world. If she understood how he felt, then she would let him go. Looking into her eyes, he could see no sign of protest, and a warm sensation filled up his stomach.

"I take it you want to go back into ChalkZone?" Aunt Tilly asked.

Rudy nodded his head. "I need to catch up with my friends."

"...all right then..." Rudy smiled at this, glad that his aunt really was being understanding this time. Aunt Tilly closed her eyes. "I can't stop you, and I won't try. I know how much this world means to you." She reopened them, smiling gently at her nephew. "Just..do me one favor."

"What is it?" Asked Rudy.

"Do be careful." Aunt Tilly stroked his hair gently, running her fingers through. "And watch your step."

Rudy smiled. "Don't worry. I will."

sss

Howdy tried to scream as loud as he could. He tried to make his words heard. He tried to call out to his friend. He watched in horror, his eyes unable to tear away from the video screen. He couldn't even turn his head, even if he wanted to. He could feel the evil man's grip on him, forcing him to look at the screen, forced him to watch the horrific scene playing out before him.

On the screen, he could see Blocky. The poor green zoner was curled up in a ball against the door. He was shivering violently, fighting to keep some kind of warmth. He could see the zoner's breath every time he inhaled and exhaled. He was rubbing himself frantically, desperately trying to create some kind of warmth for himself. Once in a while, Blocky would look up at one of the cameras, and Howdy could feel his heart skip a beat. The look in his eyes... he looked so...desperate... So devoid of energy...

No.. This couldn't be happening. What were these monsters doing to him? Why would they put him through this much pain and misery? Blocky didn't deserve this.

But there was little he could do to protest. His jaws had been tied shut. He couldn't speak a word. He couldn't even scream or get his captors' attention. Terry and Von stood beside him, and they didn't bother to look down at him. Their eyes were solely on the cameras, watching their friend suffer like it was some source of grand entertainment. How disgusting...

Howdy noticed there were some monitors along the walls. They were measuring the life readings of his friend, he realized. He didn't know much about anatomy, but he still flinched when he saw the readings on the machines. They just seemed so...low... And they were decreasing as time passed. Another machine noted the temperature. Howdy stifled a shocked intake of breath when he noted just how low the temperature was in there. It was twenty degrees, and it was still dropping.

He struggled against his binds, hoping that, by some miracle, he'd be able to get out. He jerked himself from side to side. He tugged at his arms and legs. He tried to get something free. Yet all he managed to do was nearly pull one of his muscles. He hissed and let out a soft whimper. His heart stung when he realized he couldn't escaped from this. All his time as a performer did little to prepare himself for this kind of situation.

He looked out in front of him, unwillingly watching as his friend was being tortured before his eyes. He was horrified when he saw Terry, on Von's prompting, turn the knob down, lowering the temperature further. He could practically hear his friend's pitiful gasps and teeth chattering as he tried whatever he could to keep warm. And the vital signs just kept on dropping.

What was this man trying to prove? Why was he doing this to Blocky? What was the point? This was just..plain cruel and heartless... They were nearly freezing Blocky to death and all for what? Learning?

He turned his eyes up and stared at Von bitterly. The man wore a sickening smile, staring at the monitors in satisfaction. The fact that this man was actually pleased with this... It was sickening. He wished he could do something to teach this man a lesson, but his current predicament and fear prevented him from even trying. He hoped that this man and his partner would get what was coming to them.

To his horror, Blocky appeared to be taking on a worse condition. He was getting up now, and he was trying to move around. But his movements... They were so slow, so inhibited... His eyes were unfocused, and he couldn't tell if the zoner could still see clearly. He stumbled forward, his legs easily giving out below him. Howdy felt tears form in his eyes as he saw just how badly his friend was suffering. The cold's effects were becoming very apparent on him. And then when Blocky's shaking started to lose energy...

Howdy screamed into his gag...or rather, he tried to. All he could manage was a few loud groans of protest. He tried to be as loud as he could, even in spite of the gag. His attempts at getting their attention paid off when he felt one of them strike him. It was Terry.

"Shut up!" Terry hissed at him. "Be glad that he isn't going to die from this!"

Howdy glared hatefully at her. He grumbled into his gag, showing her that he had no intention of being quiet. This infuriated Terry. She looked like she was ready to striek him when she was stopped by Von, who raised his hand up.

"Now now, let'z not be too hasty. Zee little creature iz juzt worried about hiz little friend." Von said in a cool, calm voice. Howdy winced at just how collected he could be when someone's life was on the line. "I assure you, Howdy, everyzing iz going to be fine. We will let your friend out when zee experiment iz over."

Howdy tried to speak, but his voice remained silenced. However, Von appeared to understand what hew as trying to say.

"Just a few more minutez. I want to zee how much cold he can take." Von looked nonchalantly at the cameras, showing no real concern as Blocky collapsed back into the ground. "It won't be too much longer. Judging from ziz, he haz a little more time left."

Howdy muffled in protest. He struggled against the ropes holding him down. He tried to free himself, tried to get over to his friend, who was in big trouble. He had to get out of here. He just had to...

Suddenly, he found himself falling back into the ground. The force was so sudden and great that he tried to let out a scream, only to be hampered by the ropes on his jaws. He looked up and he saw Terry glaring down at him, holding her hands into fists. The only thing holding her back was Von, who had a hand on her shoulder and was glaring softly at her. This did little to stop Terry from giving off a few threats to him to be quiet.

Howdy fell silent. Not from fear of what Terry was going to do to him, but from worry over Blocky. He looked up at the monitor. Though it was hard to see from this angle, he could tell that his condition was entering the critical mode. He couldn't help but shed some more tears. When were these monsters going to let him out? Was Blocky going to be permanently damaged from all of this? Blocky... He had to be okay...

Howdy gave off a frightened whimper when he saw Howdy's expression. He barely had enough energy to turn his head to look at the cameras now, and when he did, Howdy could see just how...dead he looked. He was losing much of his color, the cold practically forming ice along his skin. His shivering was very weak now, hardly detectable. Howdy shouted in his gag the best he could, trying to get Blocky to keep his eyes open, even though he would never be able to hear him from in here.

Blocky looked as if he was trying to find someone. He was blinking his eyes a few times, looking left and right. He attempted to climb back up to his feet. It was useless; his legs were no longer strong enough to hold his weight. He slipped down, and fell onto his knees. He lowered his head and appeared to groan, though without sound, it was hard to tell. Blocky turned again to the camera, his droopy eyes filling with horror. He gave off a silent plea, hoping that his captors would show some mercy on him. Howdy was glad that Blocky did not see the uncompassionate looks that these humans were giving him.

Then, to Howdy's horror, Blocky appeared to give out. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he collapsed on the ground. Howdy struggled in his chair, letting out a series of muffled cries, begging Blocky to get up. But the zoner remained motionless on the ground. Even the shivering had stopped. The only signs of life were the very shallow breathing he could just barely detect.

"Hmm...that went faster than expected..." Terry's voice had a tone of disappointment in it, much to Howdy's disgust. "I was hoping it would be a little longer."

"I wazn't zurprized. Zee zoner waz very thin... Zere waz no way he could keep much body heat in him for long. I am more zurprized zat he lazted az long az he did." Von walked towards the screen. He put his hand over it, running his fingertips lightly across the screen. "I will write ziz down in my notez." He turned his head to the red-haired woman. "Go and get zee zoner back in hiz enclosure."

Terry looked down at Howdy. "What about him?"

"Leave him with me." Dr. Von Doktor said. "I will need to zpeak to him and ensure zat we are ztill on agreement. I wouldn't want him getting any ideaz on zaving hiz little friend."

Terry looked a little annoyed. It was clear that she had a better idea on what they could do. But she didn't seem all that interested in arguing with the man. She looked down at Howdy, giving him a scowl as she righted him up, placing the chair back in its original orientation. Howdy flinched as he looked into Terry's angered eyes. He let out a soft mumble and nothing more. He listened to the woman leave, and in seconds, it was just him and Von.

He looked over at the man, who stood in front of the monitors now, a notebook in his hand as he wrote down all the vital readings of his friend. Howdy couldn't believe how calm he could be during this. He had nearly killed his friend, and all he was worried about were some statistics? Howdy could feel his stomach burning up. If only he could get himself free...

After a few minutes, Von appeared to be done with the note taking. He stuffed it in his pocket and he turned to smile at Howdy. He folded his arms behind his back and he approached him slowly.

"Your friend really iz quite amazing. I didn't expect him to lazt zat long." Von said in a soft voice. He walked around Howdy, positioned himself behind the puppet zoner. "Truly a remarkable zpezimen. Of courze I need to be a little more careful..." Von showed the notebook to Howdy, pointing to one of the life readings that were very low. "I almozt lozt him..."

Howdy glared at the man and tried to shout at him. His attempts were in vain. All the man did in response was chuckle at him. Howdy watched as the man walked away. The man glanced back over at the monitor, smiling darkly.

Howdy found himself staring at the screen. He could see Blocky still laying there, his body still covered in those..those things that helped the man to monitor him on some level. Blocky's skin was so pale now, it was almost white. The sight of this horrified Howdy. He found himself struggling more when he saw Terry walk into the room.

"Ah, lookz like she made it already." Commented Dr. Von Doktor.

Howdy was helpless as he watched Terry pick up Blocky, making no attempt to be gentle. She slung him over her shoulder. Howdy flinched at how rigid he was, almost like he was partially frozen. And were those...red marks...? Howdy's eyes snapped open in shock when he realized that there was ice in that room. Frozen Real World water...

"Perhapz using a freezer waz not zee bezt idea." Von appeared to notice this as well. He didn't sound particularly worried about it. "Well, at leazt it didn't eat away too much of him." Turning his attention to Howdy, he said, "You are not going to leave here juzt yet."

Howdy narrowed his eyes. If this man was thinking of doing the same thing to him...

"I need you to get your friend zere warmed up."

Howdy stared at the man in shock. He was going to let him stay with Blocky? While Howdy did want to leave this place and get away from these awful people, he also didn't want to leave Blocky here alone. After what happened to him, the poor guy deserved some comforting. Glaring softly at the man, he gave a slow nod of the head.

"I knew you would agree. I know how much you wanted to zee your friend...without being blocked of course." Von said. "Now, I'll take you down zere, but only if you do not attempt to ezcape. Do zo, and I will..." His voice trailed off, as if he had forgotten what he was going to say.

Howdy spoke the best he could in a muffled voice, "I...understand..."

Although his words were heavily muffled and distorted, it was enough for the man to understand. "Good..." With that, the man began to untie Howdy. With the final ropes undone, minus the ones on his head, Howdy climbed out of the chair and lowered his head in submission. "Come along with me..."

sss

Howdy did his best to hold back his tears. He stared down at the prone form of his friend. He had only recently started to shiver again, but he still lacked so much energy. And the low, constant whimpers... Howdy kept himself over Blocky's body, trying to provide him with as much body heat as he could.

Blocky's skin was so cold... So icy.. Even when he tried to warm him up by rubbing his back, it didn't seem to do anything to change how his skin felt. It was as though ice had been pumped into his friend's body, completely replacing the blood. The only thing that comforted Howdy was the fact that Von did offer a heating blanket to help get his core body temperature back up. That was as much credit as he could give him, though.

The poor zoner was covered in several small burns. Some of them had bled a little. The room he was trapped in had a lot of frozen Real World water in it. Even if it didn't soak all the way through, the effects were very obvious. Poor Blocky... It must have been like standing on hardened lava. He couldn't imagine the pain he must have been through...

Howdy tried not to let his anger towards the man get to him. He couldn't focus on that now. He did his best to forget that he was trapped with Blocky at the moment. He tried to forget that he and Blocky were being watched by Von and Terry. He tried to ignore the eyes that were boring straight through him. For the moment, he focused on Blocky, whispering soft, comforting words to him.

He couldn't tell if Blocky was that much aware of what was going on. He seemed to almost forget where he was. His eyes were looking around, but he barely had any recognition in them. Howdy bit his lip at this. He wondered how long this confusion was going to last. He wished he knew what to do for Blocky. He never had to help someone with hypothermia before...

"Oh don't you worry. He'll be fine." Terry said in her cold voice. Howdy glared at her, watching her stare at him with her arms folded against her chest. "By tomorrow, he'll have regained some of his strength. You are more than welcome to stay the night here if you are so worried about him."

Howdy didn't bother to answer her. With a snarl, he shifted his head away from her, trying to pretend that she wasn't there. But he knew he couldn't forget that. As much as he wanted to, the reality of where he was made itself known all around him.

He listened to the whimpers of his friend. He could feel his body shivering underneath him, wrapped around in that electric blanket. The setting was on low. Something about how you shouldn't heat up someone with hypothermia too quickly. Howdy didn't know if this was true or not, but he did not want to mess around with the settings and risk hurting his friend. He cuddled up with Blocky, hoping that he would regain some of his strength soon.

He could hear footsteps approaching. He let out a soft growl, no longer stopped by the ropes around his head, which were removed along with the cloth gag. He turned his head, baring his teeth as he watched Von approach.

Couldn't this man leave them alone? Couldn't he provide them with some sense of privacy? Why did he have to torment them while Blocky was recovering?

Dr. Von Doktor merely smiled down at them, showing now indication he felt remorse for what he had done. This irritated Howdy further. He wanted to say something to him, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he positioned himself in front of his friend, a weak attempt to shield him from the man's sights.

Behind him, Howdy could hear a soft groan. He looked behind and saw that Blocky had raised up his head. He was fully awake now..or at least, as awake as his condition would let him be. His unfocused eyes seemed to finally realize where he was, and when he saw Von, he let out a whine. Devoid of any energy, but still managing to be filled with so much emotion. It made Howdy's eyes water.

"You've been zuch a good zport." Dr. Von Doktor said. He pulled out a small piece of paper, reading it. Howdy recognized it as the results from before. "Very interezting resultz... But you know... Ziz remindz me of zomething else." He took a few steps towards the enclosure. "I now know what you are capable of in zee cold. Which izn't much. But with zat zin body of yourz..." He grinned nastily and he tilted his head to one side. "...how are you in the heat...?"

Blocky's eyes widened and he let out a series of weak whimpers. Howdy held onto him, doing his best to comfort him. He shot a hateful glare at the scientist, who merely chuckled and walked away.

Chapter 21: Heats

There is a reason why many prefer the cold.

sss

It hadn't been easy convincing those zoners to back down. It hadn't been easy convincing them to allow him and the others to talk to Howdy on their own and relay the information to them. The zoners, especially that hostile female, were quite determined to do things their way. No matter what they tried or said, she would remain like a stone, unconvinced by what they had suggested.

It wasn't until sometime passed, perhaps an hour at least, that she finally relented. She wasn't too pleased about it, however, and she made it clear to them that if they don't provide the information like they promised within the next twenty-four hours, they would go through with her plan.

Rudy bit his lip at the memory of that. He hoped that the female zoner wasn't being serious about that. She sure sounded it, but may be she was just angry and upset about what was going on. He couldn't exactly blame her. After all, Howdy's behavior was rather suspicious and that kind of behavior could be hint to something quite serious. But he still didn't approve of her behavior towards the puppet zoner, and he even said so in her face to back off and leave him alone. She did submit to his demands, but he had a feeling it was only because he was the Great Creator. Had he been a zoner just like her...

Rudy stared down at Howdy. They had relocated to Snap's treehouse, away from the city, where it was more quiet. Rudy felt that the best place to speak to his creation and friend was right here. Without all the distractions of the city and away from the zoners that had tried to lynch him, or whatever it was that they were attempting.

They hadn't really said much of anything since they got here. At most, they had asked him about how he was feeling and if he needed anything. All Howdy wanted right now was something to drink. All that running had took a lot out of the poor guy. Rudy couldn't help but flinch when the zoner kept drinking glass after glass of water. It made him wonder just how long he had been running. The poor guy... When he had seen him in that warehouse, he had been at the point of collapse. Seeing him drink so much water only punctuated the reality of that.

Rudy hoped that Howdy would be more cooperative with them. They needed to understand what was going on. Snap had been able to give him the rundown of what was going on, but that didn't help him understand what was going on with Howdy. The zoner was acting rather strange. He really wanted to know why he felt it necessary to knock down two of his friends like that. He especially wanted to know what was up with Howdy and hurting Penny.

He bit his lip as he remembered that part of the conversation with Snap. The only reason that he had known was because some flying zoners had witnessed it. Not all the zoners were aware, and didn't spread too far. Rudy was glad for that. Unfortunately, some of the lesser friendly zoners, like that female whom he didn't know the name of, knew what happened, and had gotten suspicious of Howdy.

The young boy wanted to believe that there was a reason for this. He knew Howdy quite well. Though he was angry at him for what he's done, he was willing to give Howdy a chance to explain himself. He was certain that something was going on with him. An understandable but potentially heartbreaking situation. After all, what would drive him to shoot Penny like that...?

He hoped that Penny was going to be okay. He was glad that Rapsheeba wasn't too badly hurt. But Penny... He had been informed that she was taken to a ChalkZone hospital for basic treatment. Very basic treatment. He remembered what Snap said of some of her injuries, and he flinched at the memory of that. He hoped that Penny would have no trouble getting back to the Real World after she woke up. She would need to see a Real World doctor to make sure that there weren't any serious internal damage.

He looked over at Snap. The zoner had been unusually quiet as he sat close to Howdy. There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two. Rudy theorized it was probably because Howdy found out about Snap trying to set up a trap for him. Rudy could understand why that would bother Howdy. He kept quiet for a few moments to let them reconcile with each other.

While he did that, he turned his head upwards, his mind sifting through his thoughts. He tried to think of how he was going to bring the topic up to Howdy. He wondered if the zoner was going to try to make a run for it if he asked the wrong way. Not that he could get away from here very easily, but he didn't want to rule out the possibility.

The idea of Howdy being in some kind of danger hung strongly on his mind. Why else would he act this way? From the behavior described, it sounded almost as though he was terrified...

...but what was he terrified of? That's the question he knew must be answered.

He knew Howdy quite well. Despite what the zoners in that group had said about him, Howdy was a well-meaning little guy who wanted nothing more than to make people smile. If he acted out of character, then there had to be a darn good reason for it... right? He didn't want to think that one of his own was slowly developing into a monster.

After a few minutes, he noticed that Snap edged away from Howdy. He turned his head over, and they locked eyes with one another. He gave a small nod of the head, signaling that he was done talking with Howdy. Or rather, whispering to him as Rudy hadn't heard a word. But even with those gesture, Rudy wanted to wait a little while longer before beginning to speak. He did not want to spook Howdy or stress him out any more than necessary.

"Howdy..." Rudy said, finally breaking the silence around them. The puppet zoner turned his head and looked up at his creator. "Be honest with us. What is going on?"

Howdy stared at him for a few moments. He darted his eyes around nervously before taking a small sip of water. "N-Nothing is wrong." A blatant lie. He drank more water, wiping his mouth with his arms leeve. "What makes you think that?"

"The zoners." Rudy pointed out. "They were chasing you for a reason."

"Misunderstanding." Howdy quickly said. "They probably thought I did something..." He lowered his head. He stared at his glass of water. "Can we please just drop this?" He asked. He closed his eyes softly. "I'm really not in the mood to talk about this right now."

Rudy would have normally backed down at this. But he didn't have that luxury right now. Something big was going on, and he was determined to find out what it was. He was not going to let Howdy just cut off the subject like that.

He didn't know why Howdy had to be so difficult. Didn't he understand that he wasn't in danger here? Didn't he realize that the zoners can't get to him while he was around? Didn't he know that the longer he played secretive, the more suspicious he is going to look, and the more likely that there would be a repeat of today's incident? He understood that the zoner was quite shaken up with what happened, but he needed to understand that his behavior was going to rub some people the wrong way.

If he wanted to show that he was innocent, he was going to have to take a stand right now. He needed to tell him the truth, otherwise the rumors and lies that may form about him would surely spread. Rudy was certain that Howdy had enough 'excitement' for today, and didn't need anything else to worry about.

"Howdy, I am not going to let you go until you tell me what's going on." Rudy said, his voice stern and firm.

Howdy glared softly at him. "I told you, nothing is wrong! It was just some silly misunderstanding on their part! It's my fault for not being more clear with them."

"I can tell you're lying." Snap said, pointing a rounded hand at him. "You're not a very good liar, Howdy. Why don't you tell us the truth about what happened?"

Howdy shook his head. "I'm not, because I already told you the truth!"

Rudy narrowed his eyes at this. Howdy was continuing to be hard to talk to. He could feel anger rising up inside of him. Why couldn't Howdy understand that they were only trying to help him?

But something else creeped into his mind. Worry etched into the back of his head as he noted Howdy's unusual behaviors being displayed at the moment. This was not like how Howdy would normally behave. This further led to his believe that something was going on. He didn't like forcing the information out of him, and he hoped that, eventually, Howdy would come to realize how silly he was being and confess. But if he had to pry the information from him, then he would.

"Please, we know something is going on. We heard what those zoners said. We know what you did to Rapsheeba and Penny." Rudy's voice was of controlled anger and disappointment. Howdy winced at this. "But we also know that you wouldn't do such a thing unless you felt you had no choice. We want to understand, Howdy. Please tell us..."

"Yeah... We're here for you, little buddy." Snap gently touched Howdy's shoulders. He stared at him as the puppet zoner looked down, averting his gaze. That didn't stop Snap from attempting to look at him in the eyes. "Whatever is happening, we can try to make it right. We're your friends, Howdy. You can trust us."

"Snap is right." Rudy nodded his head. He smiled, in spite of Howdy not looking at him. "We all go through tough times, and sometimes we end up in a sticky situation we can't get ourselves out of." He noticed Howdy clutching his glass tighter. He felt nervous about this, but continued on anyway. "We just want to help you. If you tell us what happened, if you tell us if anyone is involved in this, we will help you. Please, Howdy... Speak to us. Don't leave us in the dark. Don't continue to paint yourself as a bad guy. I know you're not. I know you're just scared and unsure of what to do. But you have us, Howdy. You can tell us anything."

He and Snap looked at Howdy worriedly when the zoner began to tremble. They inched away from him, giving him some room. They noticed that his eyes narrowed further and his teeth were clenching. He didn't look angry, but the emotion he was displaying... They couldn't quite pinpoint it. The face appeared to redden slightly as tension built up inside the zoner's body. Something was clearly stressing out Howdy, and it looked as thought he was ready to burst.

Rudy and Snap both wanted to say something to calm down their friend, but neither could think of what to say. The zoner looked so shaken up, that it was possible that anything they said at this point could drive him over the edge. So they remained quiet and waited for Howdy to make a move. And it didn't take him long to do that.

Howdy suddenly slammed his cup against the ground. Rudy and Snap flinched at this, jerking their heads back. Water splashed onto the ground from the force, and Rudy could have sworn that he heard a small crack.

"I told you two already! Nothing is wrong! So just drop it, okay?! I don't want to have this conversation anymore! Why can't you two just leave me the fuck alone?! Are you two idiots always this nosey?! No wonder Skrawl is annoyed with the fucking both of you!"

Silence hung heavily in the room as the two boys stared at the puppet in absolute shock. Never before had they ever heard the small puppet zoner use that kind of language before. Never had he verbally attacked them like that. His words stung their hearts, and they remained in stunned silence as they stared at him in the eyes, their mouths dropping open.

Yet they could not bring themselves to be too angry at him. The outburst did reveal something, even if he didn't directly say it. He was hiding something from them. The way he reacted, how he so easily turned on them, it was reminiscent of someone who had a big secret they were trying to hide.

But how were they going to convince Howdy to tell them? It was clear he was not in the mood to speak to them on this matter. He may have been grateful, but he was still determined to keep mum on the word on whatever was going on. Rudy would have to think of what would be the best strategy in this case.

Howdy seemed to realize just how far he may have taken his outburst. His expression softened up slowly and he relaxed his body. He looked down at the glass he held and widened his eyes when he appeared to notice the crack. He looked back at Rudy and Snap and flinched at their expressions. He lowered his gaze.

"I'm...I'm sorry, you guys. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Howdy spoke in a soft voice. "I..I was just..."

"Hey, it's okay.." Snap's voice was unusually calm given the circumstances. He had to be; a more tense voice may aggravate the puppet zoner further. "We understand.." He moved a little closer, but avoided directly touching the zoner, despite clearly wanting to give him a hug. "Would you..like to talk about it?"

Howdy shook his head slowly. He turned his head away. "No... There's nothing to talk about."

Rudy opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. Remembering what drove Howdy to snap like that, he had to rethink what his response was going to be. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Howdy...are you afraid of someone? Right now I mean..."

"N-No..." Howdy quickly said. An uncontrolled shiver was enough to hint that he was lying. "What makes you ask?"

"You looked around earlier, as if you thought someone was watching." Rudy said. He narrowed his eyes softly. He kept his voice as calm and neutral as possible. Any emotional output might accidentally trigger the zoner's temper again. "You have to tell us what happened, Howdy. We cannot help you if you keep this a secret."

Howdy stared at Rudy. Any sign of anger was gone. But the defiance remained. With his eyes narrowed softly, he shook his head. "No..." He turned his head towards the door. "I...I should get going. I'm..late for a meeting..."

Rudy wanted to slap himself in the face. Did Howdy really expect them to buy that story? He was lying through his teeth, something that was so against his nature. He stared at Snap, and he could see, from his expression alone, that his blue friend wasn't convinced either. They both watched as Howdy got up to try to leave.

Rudy sifted through his thoughts as he tried to think of how he was going to get the truth out of Howdy. He already tried talking to him. That didn't appear to work. He guessed that someone was making Howdy do this, perhaps made a threat to him. That would explain why Howdy was on edge right now, why he was so determined not to tell them. Since talking wasn't going to work, Rudy realized they needed another strategy.

As much as it pained him to force the information out, it appeared that was the only way they could go. He needed that information because not only did he want to ensure that his friend was safe, but if that information could lead to where Howdy was... He couldn't afford to give it up.

And the way Howdy was acting... Maybe he was reading too much into it, but the way Howdy looked at them once in a while... It seemed to indicate that he did want to tell them, but he was holding back. This was good enough evidence to Rudy to support the idea that someone else was pulling Howdy's strings.

But he couldn't very well just grab Howdy and hold him down. He didn't want to resort to something like that. He didn't want to traumatize Howdy further. And yet...that seemed to be the only path he could take. But even if he went through with it, it was no guarantee that he would get the information he needed. If there was just a way for him to see Howdy's memories, he...

...see his memories... That's it. An impossibility at the moment in the Real World, but not so much for ChalkZone. If he could draw a freeze ray and have it work, then perhaps he could draw something that would let him see into Howdy's memories. If he could do that...

Realizing that Howdy was almost near the door, Rudy turned to Snap and flicked his head, indicating what he wanted. Snap nodded his head and he went towards Howdy. He moved in front of him, blocking the door way.

"Hey...!" Howdy cried.

Snap grabbed onto him and started to push him back. "We aren't done with you yet, Howdy." He softened his expression. "We're sorry..."

"You can't do this!" Howdy shouted at them. "I have to go! Please! Y-You don't understand!"

"We would if you had just told us. But you forced our hand. I regret doing this, Howdy, but you left us with no choice." Rudy raised up his piece of magic chalk. "Keep him still, Snap."

Snap nodded his head. "I will!"

Rudy began to quickly sketch.

sss

Penny sat in complete disbelief as Rapsheeba finished her story. Penny had been in shock not longer after she first started, and even after all the time that had passed, she was still baffled by what she had heard. She had expected her to say something, anything, to indicate she was referring to something else.

But alas, nothing had happened. No indication that she was lying or was misinterpreting something. And for Penny, that was more chilling than simply getting some of the information wrong, for it was reality, and not one she was so willing to confront.

"Howdy...he was the one who..." She breathed softly. Rapsheeba nodded in silence, giving her a sympathetic look. Penny turned her head way, letting this information sink in. "I-I can't believe that he would..."

As much as she would want to deny it, she simply didn't have that option. Her memories had started to fill in the blanks for her, and she could see, with a more clear mind, what had happened. She could see Howdy standing there, looking at her sadly. She could see him pull out that weapon. And the pain that followed... She shuddered at the memory, clenching her teeth.

What would drive Howdy to do something like that? Why would he turn against his own friend? She wanted to believe that he was forced into this. His apology right before he attacked appeared to hint towards that direction.

But what if that was just a cover? What if he only said that to get her to lower her guard? What if...

Penny tried to push that out of her mind. Howdy wouldn't do something like this on purpose..would he? It didn't seem like him at all. Despite the bitter feeling of betrayal gnawing at her insides, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the zoner, concerned for his safety. There had to be some reason he would act this way.

But the weight of disbelief, for the moment, was clawing away at her attempts at reasoning. She was being forced to confront a painful reality, one that she had hoped she never had to.

"I wish it wasn't so, Penny. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been knocked down by him." Rapsheeba lifted up her arm. She bent it and brought her elbow forward. "Look at this." Penny leaned forward on the bed, and noted some deep scratches in the arm. "This is from Howdy. He knocked some sharp branches into me."

Penny hissed softly in concern. "Does it hurt?"

Rapsheeba nodded her head. "A little. It's not as bad it looks." She lowered her arm and furrowed her eyes as she looked at Penny. "You on the other hand..." She shook her head slowly. "I just hope that Howdy's attack on you didn't cause too much internal damage."

The last two words of that sentence made Penny cringe. External wounds were frightening enough. The ones on the inside scared her even more. To not be able to see the wound... She hoped that the damage didn't spread in there as well. But with the aches and pains she was feeling throughout her body, she had a feeling that she was not going to be so lucky.

This made her even more disturbed by Howdy's behavior. He hadn't just given her a simple 'love tap' of an attack to get her away. He had went in full force. She could still feel the waves of energy rushing through her body, the burning sensation that it left on her. That attack had been enough to knock her out and leave her incapacitated. If it also damaged internal organs... Oh what was Howdy thinking?

"Where is he now?" Penny asked.

Rapsheeba shrugged her shoulders. "The birds that spotted him said he just disappeared after that. They tried to follow, but..." She lowered her gaze. "Howdy is one slippery zoner."

Penny nodded her head in agreement. She thought back to the time when Howdy was in the Real World. He had been pretty good with keeping away from the dog..well at least until the dog caught up with him. It didn't surprise her that the birds could not keep up.

She soon realized there wasn't much more she could do right now. She wanted to help with Howdy, but if she didn't get herself checked out at least by her mom, then...

Her eyes widened in horror. Her mom... How long had she been in ChalkZone? She had been so confused and shocked by what happened, that she didn't bother to check to see how much time had passed. If she had been here over the two hour time limit... And what is her mom going to think of the injuries...?

Right now, it was more important to get back to the Real World. She can worry about how she was going to handle things later. Her mom was going to be even more upset with her the longer she took to get back. She pushed herself off the bed, taking her time with getting herself balanced out. Her legs were a tad wobbly, and some of the aches seemed to worsen, but it would do.

"Where are you going?" Rapsheeba asked.

"I'm going to head back home." Replied Penny. "My mom is going to wonder where I am. She had set a two hour time limit and if I'm not back..."

"I...don't think you'll be leaving anytime soon..." Rapsheeba spoke softly.

Penny looked at her with a perplexed expression. "What do you mean?"

Rapsheeba opened her mouth to speak, but soon shut it. She gave the girl a sympathetic look, and then lowered her gaze slightly. Penny stared at Rapsheeba for a few seconds, trying to ponder what she was talking about. When she saw Rapsheeba turn her gaze towards her legs, focusing on her waste, Penny's eyes widened. No..it couldn't be...

"He...he didn't..." Penny whispered as she whipped her head towards her pants. For a few, frantic seconds, she searching around, desperately trying to find her piece of magic chalk. Soon she stopped, her breaking becoming shaky. "N-No..."

Her magic chalk was gone.

Rapsheeba continued to look at Penny sadly. "I forgot to mention that to you." She looked away, shutting her eyes softly. "I don't know why he would do such a thing... The birds said that he had stolen the magic chalk from you..." She looked back at Penny, staring into her widened eyes. "I'm sorry, Penny. But if you want to head back, you will have to either find Rudy or go to Biclops."

Penny clenched her teeth at that. "Biclops only ever lets Rudy get magic chalk...usually."

"Well I'm sure he'll make an exception for this." Rapsheeba suggested. "He'd understand, right?"

"Yeah..I suppose so.." Penny paused for a moment. She then realized another problem. "But I won't be able to get there that quickly. I would need some way to..."

"I can take you there." Rapsheeba offered quickly. She pressed her thumb against herself. "I have a ride I can take you in."

"Thanks, but..I don't want to force you to..."

"It's no problem at all!" Rapsheeba said with a grin. "I'll be glad to take you!"

Penny smiled softly at this. She felt grateful for Rapsheeba's willingness to help. "Thank you."

Rapsheeba walked over to Penny. She gently grabbed onto her arm and helped her keep her balance. Penny, flinching a little, began to walk sowly forward. She wanted to move faster for fear of what her mother might say, but the pain in her body forced her to slow down. She found herself leaning against Rapsheeba a little more than she had expected. The zoner helped stabilize her and keep her on her feet.

Penny hoped that Rudy still had his magic chalk. She didn't know what was up with Howdy or why he was acting this way. She didn't know if Rudy had realized something was wrong, or if he was at risk at losing his chalk, too. Sure they could just go to the mine to get more, but that didn't ease her mind. There was still one question that wouldn't leave her alone.

Just what was the magic chalk being taken for?

The reason why Howdy took the magic chalk wasn't certain. Penny could only guess it wasn't for anything good. Why else would he, presumably forced, shoot her with a high-powered weapon to knock her out? Or strike away Rapsheeba when she was getting too close?

She clenched her teeth. She couldn't help but wonder who was really pulling the strings. She had an idea of who it was, and the thought made her blood run cold. She would have to wait until Howdy was properly confronted. Whatever the answer may be... She and the others would have to prepare themselves.

sss

Mrs. Sanchez paced back and forth in the living room. She wanted to stop, but her racing mind kept her going. Once in a while, she would turn her head and look up the stairs. She clenched her teeth, sucking a deep breath. The same question played out over and over in her mind.

Where was her daughter? She told her to only stay in that chalk world for two hours. Those two hours had been used up already. Granted, it was only about fifteen minutes over, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

Penny was never the type to be late. She was always such a punctual girl and took time limits and constraints very seriously. If Penny missed a deadline, there was a good reason for it. The fact that her daughter wasn't back yet sent all kinds of disturbing thoughts through her head. To her, there was only one logical explaination for why she hadn't come back yet.

Something had happened.

The woman kept pacing as she tried to think of what she was going to do. She fidgeted nervously, constantly looking up, hoping that Penny would show her face. She wanted to go up and wait in the bedroom, but she also wanted to show Penny she still had trust in her, and if she were to just wait in her room for hours... She didn't want to do anything that could potentially damage the relationship she had with her daughter.

But she couldn't just stand around here, could she? If her daughter was possibly in danger, shouldn't she go after her? She didn't know if she could; she didn't know if Penny erased the portal or not, and even if it were still open, could she really bring herself to go into a world she had no knowledge of..? Then again, this was her daughter she was talking about. If she had to, she would run through the gates of a hell in order to help her daughter.

A wave of guilt hit her. A part of her wished she hadn't allowed Penny back into that world. She should have known that it was too dangerous. Penny had told her all about it, and she was aware of how dangerous it could be. And yet she let her daughter walk right back into it... How could she have been so stupid?

She tried to settle herself down. Penny obviously knew that world well enough and she had been going in and out of it constantly with no incident. Maybe what happened was not as big as she was making it out to be. Maybe she just got lost or got caught up with something. Yeah...that's all it was...

But regardless of whatever she tried to tell herself, the fear and worry that was swelling up inside wasn't enough to stop her from having some doubts in her mind. She found herself locking her eyes on the stairs once more, and let out a soft sigh. This was going to be harder than she thought.

For now, there was nothing she could do. She couldn't go into the chalk world. More than likely, the portal was closed, and she had none of this...this magic chalk that Penny talked about. All she could do was wait for Penny to come back. She could only hope and pray that she was fine, and that nothing happened, and that she was just overthinking things. Yeah... any moment now, Penny would come down and show her just how silly she had been for worrying.

But the longer she waited, the more time that passed, the more Mrs. Sanchez realized this may not be the case. With her heart twisting up in a knot, she forced herself to take a step towards the stairs. Although she had told herself she wouldn't, she knew what she had to do.

As much as she wanted to stay here and wait, as much as she wanted to show Penny that she still trusted her, her motherly instincts were taking over. If her daughter was in danger... She narrowed her eyes with determination. There was no way she would take this laying down. She couldn't just stand idly by and wait if her daughter needed her help.

The woman started to make her way up the staircase. At the moment, she didn't care if Penny would be upset with her or not. Right now, all that mattered was getting up there and, hopefully if there was a way, getting into ChalkZone.

She soon entered her daughter's room. She noticed the chalkboard. It was facing away from her. She wondered momentarily if Penny had turned it away on purpose or if it had always been this way. She walked closer to the chalkboard, looking intently around it as she walked out in front of it. And when she did...

...nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head in disbelief. Her daughter had erased the portal, just like she feared. There was nothing she could do to help Penny now.

She felt her heart clench. If Penny was out there, in pain... And it was all her fault. She shouldn't have let Penny head back into ChalkZone so soon. She should have put her foot down and restricted her more. Penny could be badly hurt, and it could have easily been prevented if she had just...

Suddenly a thought came to her mind. Her eyes widened in realization. Didn't Penny tell her about how ChalkZone was populated by things erased from a chalkboard? It had been a detail she didn't pay much attention to, but now she was realizing the significance of that. Penny didn't tell her everything, but Mrs. Sanchez had to wonder something. Were those creations dictated by what the creator wanted? If that's the case...

Mrs. Sanchez immediately rushed forward and picked up a piece of chalk. She pressed it against the black surface. Ignoring any squeaking that was made, ignoring the chills that resulted, the woman quickly drew on the board. Looping lines, creating sharp edges and quick strokes. It took her only moments to complete the drawing. She took a step back to take a look at what she had created.

The creature she had ended up drawing was a dog. Given the loyalty of a dog, she figured it would make sense to use Man's Best Friend to find her daughter and help her come back safely. The dog was large and strong, and it would have all the cunningness it...or he...needed to carry out his task.

Raising the eraser towards the dog-like creature, Mrs. Sanchez whispered softly to it. "Bring my daughter back safely, no matter what the cost. You are authorized to use deadly force if you have to."

She flinched, pausing for a moment when she said that. Was that going a bit too far with that? She shook her head. No, she wasn't. If someone had hurt her daughter, and if the situation called for it.. There would be no other alternative. Sometimes, the paths are chosen for them.

Without further hesitation, she quickly erased the board. Once it was clean and devoid of any drawing, she dropped the eraser down. She leaned away from it and stared at the board. She took in a few breaths. She hoped she had made the right choice.

sss

The zoners that walked by the large pile of symbols, mostly letters, didn't really think much of it. Penny almost never erased anything beyond mathematical and scientific equations, so they had gotten used to the ever growing pile of numbers that accompanied this landscape. Once in a while, she and her friends would remove some of it so it didn't create a wavering tower.

The zoners would often stop and look at the pile. Some of them would whistle and express how impressed they were that someone as young as Penny could be this smart. Not all the zoners showed appreciation, and either were annoyed by the pile despite the fact that it's cleaned up every so often, or would just ignore it entirely.

All in all, it was treated as just another part of ChalkZone. That was the way it worked around here. Things were always changing and transforming. They often never knew when something new would pop up or where. The chalk world was much less predictable than the Real World. While this might disturb the humans if they found out, as many humans hated change, the zoners on the other hand embraced it. It wasn't like they had much of a choice.

Today, however, Penny's pile of numbers was the location of something different. The zoners that passed through here noticed the telltale signs of something chalk being erased, and they thought it would be another equation or words as usual. But today, they got something entirely different, and unexpected.

When the beast first appeared and lunged at them, they didn't even see it coming. A flash of yellow fur was their only warning sign, and then impact. Zoners let out cries of pain as they were tossed to the side. They crawled up to their feet and backed away as the large, muscular beast towered over them, drool dripping from from its fangs.

The beast was a large, yellow dog zoner, looking more muscular and intense than any regular earth dog. Its glowing white eyes stared at them, piercing through their souls. The zoners backed away slowly, the beast walking forward with its wickedly sharp claws.

"Where is she?" The dog spoke. His voice trembled and shook, sounding almost like someone was playing around with a remix program. When none of the zoners dare replay, the dog yelled, "Where is she?! Where is Penny?!"

The zoners, unable to handle the intensity of the situation, terrified of the large, monsterous dog that stood before them, took off running. The dog clearly didn't like this. With his hackles raised up, creating a frightening spikey display, he charged towards the zoners.

sss

"Wh-What are you doing...?" Blocky whimpered.

Terry rolled her eyes. "You should know. We are just going to get a picture of your insides. It'll be over before you know it."

Blocky struggled, trying to get off the table. The two adults in the room stared at him, not making a single move to stop him. They both knew he was just overreacting. This was going to be quite painless; his struggling was just making that worse. Thankfully, they did strap him down the best they could, inhibiting his ability to move around too much. The hypothermia, which was still affecting him, also helped out immensely.

Dr. Von stared down at his test subject, unable to hold back his smile. He was particularly excited about this. He had longed to see what the inside of this animal looked like, and now he was finally getting that chance. He had to know what his internal structure looked like with him being so...flat.

How did his bones work? How did his blood vessels work? How were his organs arranged? How did he do...anything..with a body like this? He had to know. His scientific interest was at its peak right now. Nothing the zoner did or said was going to keep him from doing this. Heck, if he could, he would even vivisect Blocky after his use was finished.

He realized that they had forgotten to get Rudy and Penny's attention. Wasn't that one of the points in getting Blocky? No matter...they could always get back on track soon. They could just wait until Howdy got back and have him give them the message.

Besides, it wasn't like he wasted time here. He learned quite a bit of zoners from this little guy. He was a fine test subject and his contribution to science was most impressive. He looked forward to catching more zoners and learning about them. Maybe he could find one like Howdy or this Snap person Terry told him about, and learn about their anatomy. He was certain there were plenty of zoners with a wider structure than Blocky. He'd have no problems cutting them open and seeing their internal organs and see how they function.

But for now... Blocky had all his attention. He doublechecked the straps to make sure they were doing the job. He turned to Terry and nodded his head. "Let'z get ziz over with."

"Good.. I'm getting tired of listening to him whine." Terry muttered.

The two adults headed into the secluded room. He shut the door behind him and proceeded to press the buttons. As the x-rays were being taken, he thought briefly of what else he was going to do. After all, x-rays will only show him the bone structure. There was an old MRI machine here. Perhaps it still worked?

Oh well, even if it didn't, it wasn't like Blocky could be that badly damaged by it, and he and Terry were going to be out of the room and wearing protective suits. So they would be fine.

"Okay, that'll do." Von said after a few moments had passed. He shut down the x-ray machine and proceeded out of the door. "We should move our test zubject back in hiz enclosure."

"Anything else?" Asked Terry.

Von nodded. "Why don't you check on zee old MRI machine in ziz building? I'd like a more...zorough look at hiz organz and internal ztructure."

Terry grimaced, looking momentarily uncomfortable with the scientist. Von didn't bother apologizing for it, and merely smiled at Terry. She recovered pretty quickly from the disturbing mental trip he had just given her. She turned her back away from him and, without a word, she walked away.

Dr. Von Doktor didn't bother trying to go after her, or to stop her. There was really not point. He knew where she was going. She needed no further prompting. Once she was out of the room, he turned his head and walked back towards Blocky.

The small zoner was trembling in the cuffs. There was some pain reflecting in his clinched eyes. But mostly, it was fear. The zoner probably expected something to happen to him during this procedure. Not that the man could blame him. Everything else involved hurting him somehow. He must feel so confused to have something done that didn't cause him some kind of pain. Well he better not get used to this; pretty soon he was going to endure a world of hurt. The heating experiment was about to take place.

He was a little reluctant to start it without Howdy being present. He wanted the puppet zoner to be here to witness what was happening to his friend. Mental impact was another area he wanted to study. Since he was focusing on the physical stuff with Blocky, he might as well use Howdy as his section test subject, focusing on mental. He wanted to know if zoners had similar thought processes as humans or if there was a difference between the two species. He was certain there was, and he wanted to find it. He could just use Blocky...but why muddle up the papers? Just use two different zoners for the tests, and problem solved.

He didn't want to wait too long to being the heating experiment. He would give Howdy a bit more time to come back here. If not, well tough luck. He could still test his emotional reaction when he got back. The sight of his dehydrated friend should be enough to teach Howdy not to take so long.

"No more...no more..." Blocky stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Please..."

"Are you really zat big of a crybaby?" Von stared at the zoner, cocking an eyebrow. "Really, I hadn't even done anything painful to you ziz time. Just an x-ray, and soon, an MRI."

Blocky shook his head. "Just l-let me go home..Please..."

Von simply smiled at the zoner. He didn't bother answering. There was really no point in wasting time conversing with the zoner. He was just going to keep begging. He attributed this partially to the hypothermia. Blocky probably lost a bit of his understanding, and perhaps thinks that the x-rays hurt him or something. Or he was just expecting to be hurt to the point where it was overriding his reason. He merely shrugged at this.

Von unhooked the zoner from his binds. The clasps came off quickly, easily undone. As soon as he was finished with the last one, Blocky attempted to get up. He didn't get far before he appeared to feel dizzy and the lethargy definitely showed, present in how the zoner wobbled forward and grabbed onto his head.

"Here, let me help you."

The scientist grabbed onto Blocky. He rolled his body up, ignoring his cries of pain from aggravating his wound. Von felt a little guilty in doing this as he didn't want to kill Blocky...yet, and he certainly didn't want to soil his test subject too soon. But he would be fine. Just a quick trip.

He immediately headed down the hallway. He walked along until he reached the enclosure room. He had gotten back here quicker than he had expected. Good thing, too. He didn't know how long he would be able to hold onto the squirming zoner. Despite him being weak, he was getting rather irritating. If he squeezed him a little tighter...

He went over to the enclosure and opened it up. He then tossed Blocky inside. As the living piece of paper unfolded himself and stared at him in fear, Von said, "I'll give you a bit of a break. But don't forget. In a little while, you will be taken to zee MRI room. Zen, zee heating tezt."

Blocky merely trembled at this, curling up into a ball. Von just chuckled softly and walked away. Soon, he was going to see just how well this zoner could survive in the heat. Just how high up could he go? He shall see.

sss

Rudy was stunned by what he had seen. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. He just stared out ahead blankly, trying to digest what he had seen. He hardly even noticed when Snap let Howdy go, nor did he see the two zoners approach him cautiously, with Snap looking concerned and Howdy looking a mixture of angered and ashamed.

He had not expected to see what he had, and yet he had. It was a nightmare come to life. It was the last thing he had hoped to see. It was even worse than he had imagined. This turned the situation on its head, and proved to him just how serious the situation truly was. He shivered, trying to keep his emotions under control, yet he found it hard to hold them back, feeling a cold shiver through his spine.

He stared at Howdy. Any anger and annoyance he had felt towards him had faded away, replaced with nothing but sympathy and worry. He couldn't believe that Howdy was put through all that. The poor guy... No wonder he had tried so hard not to tell them.

The machine he had drawn was crude and he wasn't entirely certain if it was going to work. There was a part of him who felt that something might go wrong. And putting it on Howdy was rather awkward. The zoner looked absolutely ridiculous, all those wires and such dangling from him... But it still gave him the results that he wanted, and he and Snap were treated to a rather...interesting look inside Howdy's memory bank.

Howdy had been kidnapped... He had been taken from that location, that dreadful Pencil Sharpener forest where Rapsheeba and Penny had been. He was dragged into the Real World, forced to do the bidding of Von and Terry. He was tasked to bring in food and water and medicine just to help prolong Blocky's suffering. He had been forced to bear witness to one of the experiments, leaving him and Snap speechless, equally horrified.

He couldn't help but give Howdy a hug. Without saying a word, he reached over and pulled him into a hug. He did his best to comfort the frightened and traumatized zoner. He whispered soft words to him. Snap joined in and rubbed Howdy's back. The small zoner shivered. No longer did he try to push them away. He hugged Rudy back and cuddled up against him. His smaller frame shuddered as he started to try, finally letting out all the fear and negative emotion that he had building up.

"I'm so sorry.. I-I wanted to tell someone... b-b-but I thought that..." Howdy whimpered softly. He sniffled loudly. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay, buddy. It wasn't your fault." Snap whispered softly to him.

Rudy nodded in agreement. He held Howdy even closer against himself, pressing his chin on top of his head. "It'll be all right, Howdy. It's going to be okay. You'll see..."

As Rudy held onto the shivering and crying zoner, he tried his best to fight back the burning anger rising up inside of him. How dare those two treat his friends this way...? How dare they hurt Blocky like that, nearly freezing him to death... How dare they force Howdy to watch the whole thing, helpless to do anything to stop it... He knew they were going to be cruel, but..he never imagined it would be like that.

The only positive thing about this is that at least he and Snap aren't fully in the dark anymore about what was going on. They knew some of what was done to Blocky, and how he was being treated. As much as it pained them to know that, they felt better knowing than being left in the dark. In addition, they also now knew the location of that portal. With that knowledge, they could go to the portal and infiltrate where Blocky was being held and rescue him.

Rudy knew there were some pieces likely missing. They didn't see all of Howdy's memories. There were large, black spaces that had appeared while they watched. Even if there weren't, they would still needed to be careful. Knowing what happened was only half the battle; they still had to get in, infiltrate without being seen, get Blocky without complications.

Then there was the chance that they might be expecting him... True, that might be a stretch, but Rudy refused to rule out the possibility. Better to err on the side of caution. He had to go find Penny and tell her about this. She needed to know.

Knowing the situation called for action as soon as possible, knowing that he was not going to be able to hesitate for long, Rudy immediately began to consider what course of action should be taken. He thought about his recent ideas, and then began to consider others ones. After a while of thinking, he felt he had figured out the best path to take. He still felt a little skeptical about the choice he was about to make, but that was the thing about choices. You will always make one that you will regret later.

"Snap..." Rudy said after several more minutes had passed. "You and Howdy head towards the Pencil Sharpener. Howdy is to show you its exact location. Have a map ready and mark it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Bucko?" Snap asked, raising a hand towards his friend. "What if they're waiting for us?"

"They could very well be..." Howdy's voice was so haunting, it sent chills through their spines. With wide eyes, he continued, "I was supposed to be back a while ago... Terry might be getting suspicous. She might..."

"I understand your concerns. But you guys...we don't have much choice in this. We can't let them get away with what they did. This is our one chance to try to stop them. Understand that I'm not going to rush in there ill prepared; I just need the coordinates. I plan on talking to Penny as soon as possible so we can decide what we will do. I promise, we will not move so hastily."

Rudy understood why his two friends were still in doubt. Even Snap, who would be more willing to go along with whatever he decided, was shaken and uncertain. He had seen for himself what happened, and while he still has determination to take the right action, he was quieted by what Terry and Von were capable of. It was worse than any of them had ever imagined.

But there was little time to sit around and discuss their feelings about this. There was little time to stay and try to comfort Howdy. Rudy felt guilty with having to leave him behind. As he let go of him and stared down at him, he could see the tears staining his cheeks. Rudy bit his lip, feeling his heart break in two. He wished he could say something to help his friend feel better. But there was too little time for that. If Terry and Von realized that Howdy was gone for too long...

Swerving his head to Snap's direction, he said, "Don't delay this any more than it has to be, Snap! Time is not on our side here! You and Howdy need to go to the portal in Pencil Sharpener!"

Snap nodded his head slowly. "I get what you are saying, Rudy, but..." He looked down at Howdy. Noting his shivering state, he turned back to Rudy and said, "I don't know if he will be able to handle going back there so soon..."

"But..I have to..." Howdy said softly. He wiped away his tears. "If I don't go back..." He paused, his eyes widening in horror. "R-Rudy is right. We have to go.."

"Howdy..." Snap said softly, his eyes widening. A small smile spread across his face. "You really are a trooper, aren't you?"

Howdy smiled back at him, but said not a word.

"And you are certain you want to do this?" Rudy asked softly. "Are you willing to go through with this? Howdy, I don't like to make you do anything you don't want to do. I'm just... I hope you don't feel bad of me. There's just..too little too..."

Howdy raised his hand up. "Do not blame yourself, Rudy. You're right. We do need to take action. I am scared and frightened, yes, but I will not stand for Blocky being hurt like that anymore. I'm afraid of what they might do to me, but I am more afraid of what they might do to our friend, or other zoners. Trust me, Rudy. I'm agreeing to this because I want to, not because of you forcing me into anything."

Rudy couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and happiness with Howdy as he heard those words. The initial guilt that he felt with trying to get Howdy to take Snap to the portal left him, dripping out of his fingers like some warm liquid that fell upon him. It impressed him how Howdy was willing to go along with the plan despite the possible risks that it came with. It took a lot of courage to do that.

Rudy decided to move things along when he reminded himself of the situation. Before he could do anything, he discuss things a little further with his friends. There was one thing he needed to agree with them upon before they could take action.

"You two can meet Penny and I back here after you have located and marked down the portal's location. Is that okay?" Rudy asked.

Snap nodded his head. "It sounds good to me, Bucko."

"I see nothing wrong." Howdy said. Rudy stifled the tempation to flinch. Howdy might be acting braver, but his facade was easily broken through by his own voice. "It won't take me long to locate the portal. We can be back here in... an hour?"

"Yeah. I think that's a good time. I just have to speak to Penny about that and see if she's okay with it." Rudy held back the fact that Penny's mom was now an obstacle, and if she decided not to let Penny come, there was little he could do about that. Penny's mom's knowledge of ChalkZone wasn't of the top priority here right now. But it will be once this crisis was taken care of. "Snap, which hospital did you say she was taken to?"

"The main one. Biggest one in ChalkZone City." Snap said. Suddenly, he looked nervous, gritting his teeth. Rudy looked at him with concern, wondering what could have changed his friend's demeanor so abruptly. Snap soon spoke again. "Bucko... What are we going to do about those zoners who tried to get Howdy?"

Rudy flinched at this. He noticed Howdy cringing, clearly remembering the chase he had been put through. Rudy realized that this was also a problem. He knew that some of the zoners were going to hold some negative feelings about what happened, some more than others. It was something that needed to be addressed before it became too widespread, or worsened beyond repair. He knew how panicky some people can be and this extended to zoners. He knew how catastrophic it could be come if left to fester.

Sadly, this, too, would need to be regulated in the back of their plans for now. Saving Blocky and stopping a possible invasion on ChalkZone was kind of more important, and he didn't think anyone would disagree with him on that. But he couldn't just say that in Howdy's face; the poor guy was scared enough. So he did the next best thing.

"We will take care of that as soon as we can. I promise." Rudy placed his hand on Howdy's cheek, gently caressing it. It'll be okay, Howdy."

The puppet zoner smiled back at him. "Yeah..I know it will." Gently, he pushed Rudy's hand away and made his way towards the door. He looked over at Snap expectantly. "Come on. Let's get going."

Snap nodded his head. "I'm coming!" He suddenly stopped, and looked at Rudy with a nervous grin. "Uh...Bucko..? That paper and pen?" Rudy stared at him for a few seconds. "I can't mark anything down without something to..."

"Oh..!" Rudy felt like an idiot. "Hold on!" He quickly drew the items that Snap requested and gave it to them. "Good luck, you two."

"Same to you." Snap said before he and Howdy left the treehouse.

Rudy remained in the treehouse for a few seconds before he began to make his way over towards the still open door. As he exited the treehouse and headed down the steps, his mind wandered. He began to ask himself a disturbing question.

Would ChalkZone be fully safe after this? Even if they defeated Von and Terry, would they now have enough evidence to prove to everyone that the fabled chalk world was real? Would he and Penny then find it much harder to combat them and anyone else who they draw into their mission? What would become of ChalkZone if Terry suddenly gained a following, loyalists who would do whatever it took to expose ChalkZone?

The thought was chilling, and he felt his body shudder at that. It was, unfortunately, a very real possibility, something that he and his friends may have to confront eventually. Unless they not only stop those two but als destroy any evidence they might have gathered, then even if they stop them now, it wouldn't last for long. It would not be a victory; nothing more than a minor hinderance to them.

But they wouldn't give up. They couldn't. Such a thing was not acceptable. He was the guardian of this world, and if he had to fight, then he will. He was not going to give up ChalkZone without a fight.

That much, he could assure Terry and Von.

sss

That was it. He was tired of waiting. At the moment, he no longer cared if Howdy was going to arrive or not. If he wanted to tell everyone what happened, then so be it. It still worked into his plans anyway. For now, he had something more important to take care of first.

It was time to get started on the heat experiment. He had given Blocky enough of a rest. Yes..half an hour was good enough for him. He had the room all set up for him, with all the monitors in place. He just needed to place the marks on Blocky so he could properly monitor him during the procedure. It mattered not if he was fully recovered from the hypothermia or not; the sooner he got the results, the better.

The little zoner did put up quite a fight. He had to admit, he was impressed with how much he tried to resist despite the fact that he was still weak from the cold. If he didn't know that Howdy had lost some of his strength, he would have even thought of it as he watched the zoner squirm around in his hand, desperately trying to pry his hands off so he could get away from him. Von tightened his grip on him as he led him down the hallway.

Terry had come a while ago to inform him that the machine apparently worked. She then promptly asked him why he had one in the first place. This, Von refused to answer. Honestly, he didn't really remember. One of his former staff members was in charge of the machine and they used for...whatever it is he was doing. Terry probably was going to be suspicious of him for this, but who cares? Let her think what she wants to.

The trip down to the room took longer than he had thought. The machine was located further down than he imagined. Trying to keep Blocky still, and trying to ignore his pleas were making it feel as though the trip was taken even more time. A part of him just wanted to toss Blocky down. He resisted, knowing that would just make things worse. A part of him wished that he had Howdy bring in some stuff to knock Blocky out with. He could use one of those right about now.

The man wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do next with Blocky. He hadn't exactly thought of it. The MRI scans were finished, but they would take a while to form. He had been able to look at his skeletal structure, which was...quite interesting, to say the least.

But as for the next experiment, he was at a loss. Maybe he will take some time away from Blocky and look at his blood a little. He hadn't gotten a chance yet to really examine the blood he had taken from him. It would be quite fascinating to see if the structure really is chalk or if there was something else going on. It was still something that confused him and left him in awe. How could a creature with a structure based on chalk possibly survive? Then again, humans and most lifeforms were based on carbon, the same thing that stuff like graphite and diamons were made out of, and they aren't exactly alive.

And wasn't chalk, in a way, consisted of something carbon...?

For a moment, the man froze, his eyes widening at that realization. In that moment, he could feel a large lightbulb move out of his head, raising above him and illuminating his mind. Had he found common ground with the zoners at last? This needed further study.

That could be the next experiment. He could get a sample of Blocky's flesh. He could remove something from the wound he already has. Cut off a small part of him. That should be quick and simple. If he could figure out more about this possible connection, perhaps he could solve the mystery of how the zoners could even be alive. If they were just another carbon-based life form... The public would not find that difficult to swallow.

He pushed those thoughts aside when he finally arrived in the room. As he walked in, he could feel Blocky's struggles increasing. He held onto him tighter, using his foot to kick the door shut to prevent Blocky from escaping.

The room he was in was mostly empty. White walls greeted him all around, and there were a small row of chairs and a small panel. The panel itself was decorated with all kinds of buttons and levers. The only other thing in the large room were the monitors that had been set up.

In front of that, a large glass window, easily stretching for more than half the room's length. A one-way mirror, allowing him to see in, but not Blocky out. The room itself was barren, save for some lights to keep it lit. Along the walls were some gray lines. Vents that would transfer heat into the room with ease. The door itself was large and metal, the bottom scraping along the floor to prevent anything from escaping. Even someone as thin and light as Blocky couldn't get out of there.

But, first thing's first. Before he got started, he had to place the markers on him. The monitor devices would not work otherwise. Holding him down with one hand, Von proceeded to place them on his shivering, cold body.

"Don't worry. Zoon, you won't be zo cold anymore." Von said, trying to mimick a reassuring voice. No surprise, this didn't seem to work on the zoner, but no matter. "I will try to make ziz experiment shorter zan zee other one. I wouldn't want you to have too much rezpiratory problemz."

Blocky struggled against his grasp, pushing back with his hands. "You have to s-s-s-stop this!"

Dr. Von Doktor shook his head. "I have no zuch planz. You are a brand new zpeciez, Blocky. Do you really zink I am going to juzt let you go, without trying to dizcover what you're like on the inside? What your limitationz are?" Von placed about five markers on Howdy. A few more, and he would be done. "Zink of it ziz way. You are contributing to zcienze. You are paving the way for a new future. And when all of ziz iz zaid and done...maybe I'll even let you go."

Blocky stared at him in silence. He didn't attempt to answer. Von wasn't sure if it was because he believed his words, or if it was because he wasn't registering them. Either way, it didn't stop Von from proceeding along, preparing for the next experiment. He placed a few more on Blocky, and soon, the zoner was covered with different markers, all linked to the machine. Yes, this should be good enough.

"If you cooperative, maybe I'll be even more likely to juzt let you go." Von said as he proceeded to carry Blocky over to the room. "You'll zee. Zurrender really iz zee bezt route that you can go. Onze you do, everyzing will run more zmoothly."

Blocky shook his head the best he could given his state. "N-No...Please..just stop...stop this all.. I don't want this.." His eyes grew wider the closer they came towards the heating room. The zoner began to struggle with a surprise increase of strength. "No! Stop!"

Dr. Von Doktor managed to keep his hold on the zoner. He grabbed onto the door knob and turned it. "Oh pipe down, will you? You are making ziz more difficult zan it haz to be! You..."

No sooner did he open the door part way did Blocky do something he hadn't attempted since the last time: bite him.

"Yeowch!" Von cried out. He nearly let go of Blocky as the zoner sank his teeth into him. "Let go of me!"

Blocky gave a muffled response, probably telling him some kind of retort. Von yanked at his hand. Eventually, he was able to free himself, avoiding having the zoner's teeth slash his skin. Von stared at his arm for a few seconds, realizing that, for the second time, the zoner had injured him with his teeth. He turned to glare at the zoner, whom he still had hung in the air by his shoulder.

Appearing to realize his mistake, Blocky began to struggle, kicking his legs in the air. He held his hands out in front of him, waving them frantically. He kept crying out for mercy, begging him not to hurt him.

"P-Please! I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to!"

Von responded to this with a glare. "Zat'z zee zecond time, zoner..." His voice was deep with intent. "You were already warned of ziz behavior. I find it quite..unexzeptable..."

"No! Please!" Blocky raised his arms and hands over himself, desperate for some kind of protection. "I-I'm so sorry!"

Von glared at the zoner for a few seconds. He debated whether or not he should take action right now. A part of him really wanted to muzzle Blocky to ensure he won't attempt another bite. The thing giving him pause was the fact that he didn't know if Blocky could sweat or not. He didn't want to take the chance, knowing he may lose his test subject too early. Yes, perhaps he should wait before he muzzled him.

His anger faded away quickly, replaced with a smile. He could see how much that alone was creeping out the zoner. He reached over and placed his hand on his cheek. This time, the animal didn't make an attempt to bite him again.

"It iz okay. I forgive you." Not exactly true, but it was the words the zoner needed to hear, what he wanted him to hear. "Now be a good little zoner..." He tightened his grip, his muscles powering up for the toss. "..and get in zere!"

Without hesitation, or any time for the zoner to prepare himself, the old man tossed Howdy into the room. His body sailed through the air and he crashed into the ground. Von watched as he slid across the floor, almost like a real piece of paper that was pushed along by a little kid. He quickly shut the door, sealing the zoner inside.

He then made his way over to the panel. Time to get started. He looked over at the window, giving a somewhat twisted smile. The zoner was frantically trying to find a way out, hindered only by the hypothermia. And even that didn't seem to slow him down, knowing what was about to come. Von grabbed the knob and twisted it. The panels on the side began to glow red.

The experiment had just started.

sss

When Rudy arrived back in ChalkZone City, he hadn't noticed anything strange or unusual going on. He hadn't seen any signs of those zoners he had scolded earlier. He didn't see any hostility from the zoners, or any murders or gossip spreading. Mostly, just zoners having fun with whatever celebration was going on today. He took this as a hint that most zoners were unaware of what happened. At first, he wasn't sure how, but then he realized that most of the zoners were distracted by the celebration. He let out a sigh of relief at this.

As he moved through the city using his rocket shoes, he was not surprised, given that fact, that much of the city was empty. When the zoners had celebrations, many of them got involved. Very few left themselves out. This was something he wished would happen more often in the Real World.

He looked left and right as he tried to locate the hospital. There were a few in the city, given its size. But there was one main one that most zoners went to. That was the one that Penny had been taken to. It shouldn't be too long before he... Ah..there it was. Off in the distance, he could see the large building, the familiar cross sign on it. He powered up his shoes and moved faster.

He still felt some level of anger with Penny for her early accusations. Why couldn't she listen to reason? It was her fault for not noticing the tracker, right? Why couldn't she accept that she is at fault as well? Why must she try to put all the blame on him?

No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He didn't want his mood soiled when he found her. The last thing either of them needed was another fight. Besides, after what happened with Howdy, he doubted Penny would even be in the mood to continue that argument. He bit his lip. Oh, he hoped that she was going to be okay.

He didn't get too far when he suddenly stopped. Something ripped through the air, loud, long, booming. He could feel chills running up and down his spine. He didn't even know what it was, and it was enough to make him stop and wonder. What was that? What was that sound that echoed in the city? It sounded so...foreboding. Rudy remained still in the air, trying to figure out what course of action he should take. Should he investigate himself or get Penny?

The answer was given to him rather swiftly.

A loud roar echoed through the buildings. So loud, he could practically feel the vibrations from the ground from up here. He then heard something else intermixing with the screams. His heart nearly stopped when he noticed the source of the noise.

There was a large beast running amok through the city. Big, yellow, equipped with sharp teeth, like a big dog, the massive zoner stormed through the city, the ground shaking beneath it. Below him, a bunch of zoners were running everywhere, waving their hands in the air as they tried to find shelter.

Rudy stared at this in horror. Where did this beast come from? What did it want? Why was it chasing the zoners? His moment of terror was short-lived when instinct kicked in. Gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes, he activated the thrusters on his rocket shoes and he darted off towards the large creature. He wondered for a moment if Terry or Von were behind this monstrosity.

The dog beast didn't seem to take notice of him, or perhaps it simply didn't care that he was there. The beast raised its paw up and slammed it in the ground. There were several loud cracks as the ground was shattered. Rudy winced at how deep the marks were. He watched as the creature's tail struck against a building, leaving behind a deep scratch. Dust and debris fell towards the ground, nearly knocking into a few zoners who were unlucky enough to be there.

Splitting its jaws wide open, the monster then bit down at the ground. Its massive jaws narrowly missed some of the zoners, except for one. To Rudy's horror, one of the zoners was snagged by his leg. The beast held him up in the air and shook him hard. The zoner screamed and pleaded for mercy. Rudy acted quickly and zipped towards the zoner.

The dog beast finally seemed to realize that Rudy was there. Its eyes locked onto him for a split second. Then, turning its head to one side, it thrust it forward, releasing its grip on the zoner. Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this and he moved faster. In seconds, he was able to catch the zoner in his hands.

Landing on the ground, Rudy released him. "Get out of here!"

The zoner needed no further prompting. Without even saying a 'thank you', the zoner turned and ran off. Rudy watched him leave. Then he turned his attention to the large dog-beast.

The dog stared at him with those piercing white eyes. Its lips were curled back into the snarl. A low growl eminated from its throat, its sharp teeth glinting in the Day Zone sun. Rudy stood his ground, arching himself in preparation for a fight, his magic chalk raised.

For several long moments, this was all that happened. Just an intense stare down between the two opponents. Neither would relent. It was as though they felt that if they looked away, then they instantly lost. The moment one backs down, the other would close in, ready to take care of the other. So silent it was, Rudy could have sworn he was able to hear the drumming of their own heartbeats. This only seemed to make the moment feel even more intense.

Then, at last, the dog zoner made a move. Rudy tensed up his body as the zoner took a step towards him. Its ears raised up, its expression contorting with great interest. Rudy could feel the rush of air as the zoner snorted at him, sniffing him like any regular dog in the Real World would. Rudy took another step back, raising up his magic chalk just in case the dog decided to get aggressive.

The dog zoner merely turned its head to the side, its ears raising up even more. It looked almost..confused. Rudy wasn't sure what to make of this. What was this zoner going to do? Maybe it was just a giant puppy and meant no harm, but its earlier actions...

"Where is Penny?" The dog asked suddenly, his booming, distorted voice filling Rudy's ears. "Take me to Penny if you can."

Rudy stared at the zoner in shock. "Y-You want to see Penny?"

The dog zoner nodded. "I want Penny." He flexed his claws on the ground, driving them into the ground. "I need to take Penny."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. In that moment, he realized that, whatever this zoner wanted with Penny, it couldn't possibly be anything good. He couldn't allow this dog to take Penny. He couldn't allow him to hurt his friend. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head rigidly. "I cannot allow you to do that..."

At this, the dog zoner resumed its malicious expression from before. "Then you are an obstacle. I have been authorized to do whatever it takes to get Penny." He raised his head up slightly, baring his sharp teeth at Rudy. "If you do not remove yourself, if you refuse to help me, then you will have forced my paw."

Rudy bared his own teeth right back. "Penny's my best friend. I won't allow you to take her."

"Then...so be it.."

Rudy raised his magic chalk as the beast charged him. He didn't know where this thing came from or what he wanted, but one thing was for certain: he was not going to let him have Penny.

sss

The heat... Oh gawd the heat.. It was everywhere. There was no refuge from it. Nowhere to go. Everything in here was hot. Oh gawd, make it stop, please..

Blocky wobbled from side to side as he tried to keep himself from falling down. The heat had built up quickly in the room. It hung heavily over him, making it feel as though it would knock him into the ground at any moment. He had his mouth wide open, panting heavily as he tried to cope with the intense heat. He couldn't touch anything, and laying on the ground was dangerous. It was just too hot.

He could feel himself becoming drenched in sweat. His fluids could not be contained in his body anymore. Despite the need for fluid, his body was ejecting the liquid in a vain attempted to cool himself down. The effect of this wasn't lost on him, and he could feel his mouth drying up and becoming scratchier as the seconds passed by.

He didn't know how long he had been in here. He didn't know how much longer this was going to last. All time seemed to be lost on him as he struggled to hold on, struggled not to pass out. He could feel his eyelids grow heavy, a burning sensation occuring everytime he shut his eyes. His body was telling him to give out, but his mind refused to cooperate, stubbornly holding onto the hope that maybe, something good was going to happen soon. Maybe someone was going to come save him.

But as the slow seconds passed by at a snail's pace, he quickly realized that it wasn't going to happen. No one knew he was here...besides Howdy, and what could he do? He was just as powerless as he was.

Unable to stop himself, Blocky felt a sense of bitterness rise up inside of him. If Howdy had tried harder, maybe he could have gotten him out of here. He had his chance earlier, and he blew it. How could Howdy have been so stupid? There were ways of getting him out, he was certain, but Howdy just had to go blow it all up, didn't he? He couldn't be bothered to check to make sure no one was coming, and because of that, he botched up the only chance he had to escape.

Blocky shook his head, unable to believe just how bitter he had felt towards his friend. And he continued to feel that way, no matter how hard he tried to fight it back. He couldn't help it. Something about this heat was starting to mess with his emotions. He gripped his head, clenching his teeth. He had to try to stay positive. He had to keep himself from losing his sanity. He had to...

But what was the point? He couldn't fight back what was true. Howdy had failed him. His friends had failed him. He was going to die in this hellhole and it was all their fault. He gnashed his teeth together, the bitter thoughts sifting through like some kind of unwanted play. He thought of his friends, feeling his gut twisting in knots. Friends... what friends..? If they were his friends, they would have gotten him out of here. It was their fault he was in this mess.

No..it wasn't just them. That blasted girl... Rudy's cousin, Sophie.. She was the one who dragged him out of his home. She was the one who caused him to be trapped out of ChalkZone. And that woman, she took the chalkboard away. It was her fault, too. It was all their faults. He was just an innocent bystander. He never asked for this. As soon as this was over, he was going to...

Suddenly a rush of lightheadedness struck him. He gripped his forehead, wobbling from side to side. He tried to keep his balance. Everything in the room was spinning around him. His vision was becoming blurry and shaky. He struggled to keep himself from falling down. But despite his efforts, he could feel his legs buckle underneath him. He dropped down. The burning sensation of the floor filled his hands as he panted, nausea sweeping through him. He held onto his stomach, struggling to keep his stomach contents from spilling out onto the ground. No, not more fluid loss...

His body began to stink of sweat. He was so clammy, he could feel himself slipping along the ground. His fingers practically stuck together. Sweat dripped from his face, onto the floor. It seemed to almost evaporate immediately, although his vision was too blurry to confirm that. He licked his dry lips, feeling the cracks that had formed in them. So dry...so thirsty...so tired...

The breathing.. It was getting more difficult. He struggled to take in more oxygen, opening his mouth wider. He could feel his lungs start to burn. He writhed on the ground, trying to escape the heat. The cold was better than this. He never thought he'd miss the cold that much, not that it was a much better situation. But this heat... Oh gawd, why was it so hard to breathe...?

He lifted up his head and looked over at the window. Nothing but a black sheet. He could just imagine Dr. Von Doktor on the other side, sneering at him, proud of what he was doing. Blocky panted heavily as he stared, realizing just how truly at the man's mercy he was. He raised up his head and reached towards it. He looked towards the window pleadingly, hoping that the man would notice and take pity on him.

Suddenly, he collapsed into the ground. The heat pressed down on him, the ground beginning to burn his skin a little. But he didn't move. Despite all the heat around him, his body had finally given out. He laid there, covered in his own sweat, panting weakly. Unable to do anything, not even a weak whimper, he shut his eyes, welcoming the darkness that descended upon him.

"What are you doing?!"

Blocky opened up his eyes at this. A distant voice. Feminine. Familiar. He tried to see, but of course, being trapped in this room, his tired eyes and blurred version could not pick up on anything.

There were a series of quick shouts. He couldn't make out most of what was being said. A few words here or there, he picked up.

"What are you doing?! I'm not done yet!"

"You fucking fool! Do you know what you almost did?! You aren't even looking at the life readings!"

"He'z fine! He juzt..."

A loud crash. A yelp of pain. Blocky, even in his weak state, couldn't help but flinch. He could hear them arguing even more, and then more thuds and more crashes, indicating that a fight was going on. Then a scream, and finally silence.

Blocky stared towards the door, his panting becoming weaker, his eyes unable to stay open for long. Even as he heard the door knob turning, he could barely keep his eyes open to see who was coming over. All he could see was a blurred vision. Something green and red. Significance? He wasn't sure.

He felt himself being lifted into the air. Hands gripped onto him, pulling him away from the dangerously hot floor. He heard the individual's panting as they endured the heat. Through his blurred vision, he stared to make out a few details of this individual.

Terry Bouffant..?

Before Blocky could fully register this or begin to question what was happening, he felt his body go limp compleletely. The darkness that had been encroaching on him finally took over, and he shut his eyes. Then all was dark and silent.

Chapter 23: Punishments

Every action has a repercussion.

sss

Penny could hardly remember what happened, or what led up to this point. She didn't remember what happened in ChalkZone, or their narrow escape from that dog, or what happened with Blocky. All she could see was red. All she could hear was the thundering rage pumping through her body. The only thing on her mind was Rudy. Without rhyme, and only having anger as reason, she fought back against the person whom she had considered to be her best friend.

The two children wrestled with each other across the ground. They were so filled with rage, they couldn't even articulate real words. Only grunts and shouts and hisses, as if they were just mere wild animals that got into a scuffle. They weren't aware of anything around them; only each other.

Penny pulled her fist back and punched Rudy again, connecting it with his jaw. She watched as the boy's head was tossed to the side. He paused for a moment, and then hissed at her, his teeth bared. Before Penny could do anything, she felt Rudy's teeth in her arm again. Her eyes bulged open and she let out a cry. She could feel the teeth start to penetrate her skin. In a panic, she struck against Rudy's head, incapacitating him enough force him to let go. She retaliated by giving him a bite of her own. He screamed as her teeth sank into his arm.

Rudy struggled underneath her. He kicked his feet out wildly, trying to hit her. Penny managed to hold him down, biting down harder on his arm. He was eventually able to free himself. He pulled his arm away, yelping as he felt her teeth slice against his arm. He then rolled himself onto his back. He pulled his legs back and struck against her, kicking her off of him. She rolled across the ground painfully. She pushed herself up onto her hands and coughed a few times.

Suddenly, she felt an arm slunk around her neck. Rudy straddled her, keeping one arm pressed against her throat while the other grabbed her hair. She yelped as she felt her hair being pulled back. She grabbed onto his arm and sank her nails into it, scratching along the skin. When that didn't work, she bit into him again. This was enough to make Rudy loosen his grip, allowing her to slip out from him.

Penny whirled around, staggering back to her feet. Rudy looked at her, his pupils shrank in a blind rage. He charged towards her. His shoulder smashed against her, making her fall back. Penny stumbled backwards for a few seconds. She shook her head, rapidly recovering. Glaring back at Rudy, she kicked the ground as if it was dirt and ran towards him. With her hands out in front of her, she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. Rudy struggled to keep his balance. Seeing this opportunity, Penny rushed over again, this time faster, her eyes narrowed. She shoved him again, this time with more force.

Rudy now laid on his back. His eyes were clinched shut for a few seconds. He glared up at her. Using his left leg, he struck out against her shin. Penny winced as she felt his foot collide against the shallow layer of flesh, clanging against bone. She buckled forward, clutching her leg. Rudy climbed up and he grabbed onto her hair again. Penny let out a scream as she was pulled back into the ground.

Trying desperately to fight back, she grabbed onto his hair and pulled it as hard as he was doing hers. The two children were locked this way for several moments, neither willing to relent. Eventually, the pain became too much, their scalps threatening to rip off their heads, and they let go. They laid there, sitting up, glaring at each other. They bared their teeth and went for each other again.

Rudy delivered a punch against her face. Penny let out a scream, holding her sore jaw. She hissed at him and delivered a punch of her own, placing it in the center of his face. He stumbled backwards, waving his arms around in an attempt to keep himself from falling over. He then lunged for her and bit down onto her hand, specifically her finger.

Penny shrieked at this and tried to yank her hand back. Rudy merely tightened his jaws around it, his teeth pressing further against the skin. She grabbed his face and started to push back against him, her nails digging in. But no matter how hard she pushed against him, Rudy would not relent. Out of desperation, she slammed her leg between his. A low, dirty move, but in the moment, she did not care.

With Rudy stumbling back, having released her finger, Penny lowered her head and charged towards him. She collided with him, her head slamming against his chest. She pushed him against the wall, and held him there. Rudy returned the favor, colliding his chin with the top of her head. This attack stunned her enough for Rudy to push her back, freeing himself. She shook her head and, after snarling at him, ran towards him again.

She punched him, making him stumble to the side. He growled at this and ran towards her side. He opened his mouth wide and he bit down onto her arm, grabbing onto it this time to prevent her from getting away. Penny gripped his arm in return, her teeth sinking into his flesh.

All the while, they kept pushing against each other. The harder they pushed, the harder they bit, the more both refused to relent. Penny's mind swirled with thoughts, still locked in a feral stance, unable to think of anything except beating Rudy at this fight. She continued to push back against him, as he did with her. Their bodies shook as they exerted as much strength on the other.

Then, finally, with a strong shove, the two found themselves losing their grip on the other and they stumbled backwards. Horrific pain shot through them as they each racked off a piece of flesh from each other. Their screams of pain intermixed together. Short, but loud and filled with emotion. They took a few steps back from each other, clutching their arms against their chests.

Penny stared down at her arm. She could see the extent of the damage. A small piece of flesh had been ripped off of her. She could see the blood dripping down her arm. She could feel pain radiating from her arm, extenting up and down the limb.

In addition, she could feel something in her mouth. Wet, and kind of salty. She moved it around her mouth, some confusion coming into the forefront of her thoughts. She spat it out into her hand, and it took her only seconds to realize what it was. A chunk of Rudy's flesh... Not much, like with her, but still there.

In that moment, Penny froze, her eyes widening. At last, the anger and rage she felt quickly dissipated, the pain and horror of what happened finally making itself known, taking over her brain. The sight of Rudy's flesh and the sight of her own damaged arm, along with the feelings of horrible pain, were enough to kick her out of her feral state, forcing her to confront a new, just as negative emotion: shock.

Lifting up her head, she looked over at Rudy. The boy stood several feet away from her. His body was hunched almost defensively. He was glaring over at her, but this time, not just anger, but fear and shock were present. His arm was bloody, just like hers, the red fluids leaking out of the wound that she had given him. They locked eyes onto one another, neither saying a word to the other.

Penny could feel her body trembling horribly, unable to stop. She could feel waves of shock and fear rushing through her body, her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing remaining quick and emotion-filled. She could feel a cold chill crawling up her spine as she stared at the shaking boy before her, feeling the reality of what happened weigh down on her.

Did..Did they really just do that...? Did she and Rudy and just..fight like wild animals..? Her eyes widened further, disbelief spreading through her head. She tried to speak, but the stunned state she was stuck in prevented her from articulating even a single word.

She could hardly even remember what happened. She remembered feeling insulted by what Rudy said, but..what did he say..? In that moment, she couldn't remember that. She just remembered seeing red, and..

She took in a sharp breath of horror. She had hurt Rudy. He had hurt her. They attacked each other. The full realization of this washed through her shaking body. All signs of anger were gone now, replaced with only chilling terror. A part of her wished this was all some kind of horrible dream, but the reality was right before her. She took a small step backwards, biting her lip, letting out a soft, low whine as she felt reality punching her in the face.

The circulation of emotion made her legs feel weak. Penny was not able to stand up any more and she dropped down onto her knees. The pain that stung from various wounds seeped into her mind, as well as the guilt of realizing that Rudy suffered similar injuries as well. She put a hand on her face, shutting her eyes.

Oh gawd...what had she done...? How could she have lost control like that? How could she let herself get into that state?

She could feel tears forming in her eyes. She did not bother fighting them back. She could feel the sting of the salty fluid move down her eyes. She felt her lower lip quivering, a few short squeaks escaping her throat. The emotion too great for her to contain, Penny shut her eyes and, with tears spilling out, she broke down.

sss

Did that just happen? Did that really just happen? Did he really do that?

Rudy's mind was flooded with multiple questions. Left and right, they came, most of them the same statement over and over again. His mind was crowded with the thoughts, making him unaware of his surroundings, save for the sight of Penny, blood leaking down her arm.

This, combined with his own painful injury, was enough to shock Rudy out of his feral state of mind. For the first time in what felt like an hour, he could feel some actual, rational thoughts seep into him. His reasoning returned, and when he came to grips with the reality of what happened, he was frozen in shere horror.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Penny. He couldn't blink, couldn't do anything except stare at her. She was in pain..just like he was. And it wasn't the fault of some villain; no, they did this to each other. This realization made him breathe in and out quickly, shaking his head in denial. No..this couldn't be true. This couldn't have happened. They..they were better than this, right? They wouldn't have...

But it was true. The longer he stared at Penny, the longer he looked at himself, the more he knew this to be the case. The pain that racked through his body reminded him of the reality of the situation. He could feel blood in his mouth. Penny's flesh was in it, and he spat it out, horrific guilt racking through his body. He couldn't stop shivering, couldn't stop his racing mind, as he struggled to come to terms with what had occurred.

What had led up to this? Why did they attack each other? Was it his fault? Hers? No one's? At the moment, he didn't care. All he was aware of was that he had hurt Penny, the person he had considered his best friend. His eyes bulged and he clenched his teeth. Tears formed in his eyes as he listened to her cry.

What had he done...? What had they done...? Why did they let themselves get in this state? How could they have allowed such a thing to happen...?

Rudy remained standing, though his legs were having a harder and harder time supporting him as the seconds passed. He shifted his eyes from side to side. Tears continued to spill out of his eyes, and he gripped his face, digging his nails into his skin. Oh gawd no... He hurt Penny... No...

Unable to stop himself, he could feel cries of his own escaping his throat. He trembled as he let out loud whimpers and whines, not doing anything to stop the tears from flowing down his face. The room was soon filled with the shaky sobs of the two children, the weight and reality of what happened pressing down on their shoulders, their bodies trembling hard.

"What the hell happened here?!"

The two children turned their heads to see Aunt Tilly and Mrs. Sanchez standing there. The two adults had just arrived onto the scene. Both of them wore expressions of horror and anger on their faces.

Rudy and Penny did not say a word. What could they say? How could they explain the situation to their folks in their state of mind? Their brains were frozen, unable to truly process what was going on, unable to even make a move except cry. They turned their heads away, lowering them and continued to cry.

They did not listen to what the adults said as they rushed forward. They could detect their foot falls, their heavy breathing. But their words flew over their heads. Perhaps they were asking them if they were all right. Maybe they were asking why they fought. But they didn't hear any of it. Just a mumbled mess of words that didn't make sense to them. Their minds pounded with the silence and emotion of the room, drowning out everything else.

Rudy became aware of his aunt grabbing his arm. He was yanked forward, and he was forced to walk with her. A steady, quick pace. He thought he could hear someone saying something behind him, but he wasn't sure.

Then they got outside. Were they going out to the car? It seemed like it. His vision was blurred and he had to keep his eyes shut, the tears making the sunlight too bright for them. His aunt yanked him a little harder, yelling something not out of anger, but horror and desperation, and it was then he became aware of Penny's mom's voice. Then his feet no longer touched soft grass and was back on something solid.

Then he heard coherent words in the midst of his confusion.

"Hurry! Get them into the back! We need to get them treated before their wounds get infected!"

Rudy felt his aunt pull him even faster, as if there was renewed horror in her. He opened up his eyes and soon became aware of being in another part of Mrs. Sanchez's house, where she had various medical supplies for the animals she has to take care of.

Turning his head, he could see Penny behind him, her mother grabbing her arm. Mrs. Sanchez was directing Aunt Tilly to the right room. While she did that, Penny looked at him, their eyes locking onto each other. Various thoughts and emotions were shared through that single glance. Then they were forced to look away when they were swiftly pulled into the room, the door shutting loudly behind them.

Before Rudy knew it, Penny was propped up onto a large, flat table. He watched as Mrs. Sanchez put on a pair of gloves. She looked over at Rudy and then at Penny, her eyes carrying a look of concern and a bit of disappointment.

Rudy watched as Mrs. Sanchez went over to one of the cabinets nearby. She grabbed an armfull of different supplies, such as cloths and disinfectants. She rushed back over to where her daughter was. As she prepared for treatment, she turned to Penny.

"Please, hold still, Penny. This is going to hurt, but you need to stay still, otherwise, it's just going to get worse."

"Y-Yes, mama..." Penny squeaked out in a weak voice.

Rudy felt his heart freeze as he listened to Penny's whimpers of pain. The treatment had just begun.

sss

Dr. Von Doktor glared at the woman before him with contempt. His nose was slightly wrinkled as a snarl spread across his face. He did his best to remain calm, to not let his anger be shot out of him like some kind of leaky faucet.

But that task..how could he pull it off? How could he stop this surge of emotion inside of him? Standing in front of him was the woman who was the very reason he had this pounding headache. The one who had interrupted his experiment. The one who had crossed him. The one who had betrayed him.

How dare she... Did she not know who she was dealing with? Did she have no idea just what kind of trouble she was in? Did she forget that they were supposed to be a team?

"I can't believe just how...recklezz you were being." Dr. Von Doktor said, his voice barely controlled, his teeth clenched. "You should have known better zan to interrupt an experiment. Do you have any idea what you could have done?"

Terry snarled, "And what about you?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Von, folding his arms against his chest. "I didn't do anyzing wrong. Are you going to be one of zoze people who shiftz blame onto otherz?" He shook his head in disappointment. "I zought you would have been better zan zat, Terry."

"Oh shut up! You were the one who nearly killed our bargaining chip!" Terry hissed at him. She pointed at where Blocky still lay unconscious. "He was burning up! Had he been in there for much longer, he would have been dead! What use is a dead zoner?"

"Well, I could have just dizzected him, and then find a replazement." Von said. "The puppet would be perfect, since he already comez here." He paused and tilted his head. He scratched his chin as a thought crossed his mind. "Zpeaking of which, where iz zat little bugger? He was supposed to be here..."

Terry took a step forward. "Don't you try to change the subject!" Von looked over at her, doing his best to hold back as the woman continued to scold him. "You're not getting another bargaining chip until you learn restraint!" She pointed a finger at the man. "Because at this rate, we will constantly have to get more and more zoners, and then we will eventually get caught! The zoners would catch on!"

"Maybe..." Von said. He had to admit, trying to get another zoner didn't exactly sound very fun. Still, he shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal. "But I'm sure it would have been nozing we couldn't handle."

Terry pulled her lips back into a snarl. She formed a fist with one of her hands. "You need to learn restraint, doctor. These experimentations of yours are too risky. It's time that you stop!"

Von raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me zat I can't do anymore experimentz...?"

"Yes." Terry nodded her head. "I think you gathered up enough information."

Von smirked, anger glowing noticeably along his mouth and eyes. Terry gritted her teeth and took a step back, as if she knew what he was thinking. He looked away and stared down at his hand. He flexed them and said, "What a shame.." He curled his fingers inward, giving Terry a sideways glance. "I waz zertain we could have made zome...fazcinating dizcoveriez about these zonerz."

"You can wait until we opened up the gateway into that world." Said Terry. "After we are done getting our comeback on those children and those who wronged us. Let us take care of those first before you go butchering these zoners."

"Why, Terry..." Von chuckeld coldly. He turned to look back at her, using both eyes to see her. "I didn't know you cared about zem."

Terry took a step back. "I don't! It's just that..." She looked over at Blocky for a few seconds. The zoner still hadn't woken up from the heat experiment. She turned back to Von. "From now on, just leave him alone, okay? He's had quite enough of your foolery. Give him time to heal, and in the meantime, you can check out the blood sample you took from him. That should keep you busy, right?"

Von's smile faded slowly. "Are you ordering me around, Mz. Bouffant...?"

Terry narrowed her eyes. "Since you don't seem to comprehend how your actions could have backfired on both of us...yes." Von growled at this. "You are clearly not competent enough to handle this. I cannot trust you with Blocky anymore. So from now on, he is off limits to you." She took a few steps forward, her eyes remaining locked onto his. "You may not touch him again until I say so."

Dr. Von Doktor scowled at this. Who did this woman think she was, depriving him of his rights like that? He was the one who captured Blocky. The little zoner belonged to him, not Terry. He decided what was best to do with him, not her. He knew what he was doing. He knew how far to go, and how to ensure the zoner's survival. Terry wouldn't know a damn thing about that. She wasn't the one studying his anatomy.

Yes, the measurements seemed high. He could see it for himself. But Blocky could handle more than that. He could handle more than what Terry thought. He had studied his body enough to be confident with this. Terry, on the other hand, would be the one most likely to have Blocky die faster. She was the one who didn't know what she was talking about. She was the one who would slip up because she cannot properly read equipment.

Slowly, he realized that the mission just might be in jeopardy now. If this woman did not allow him to continue, he was not going to be able to gather more information on zoners. And that meant he would have less of an idea of weaknesses and strengths of them to utilize. He needed to study Blocky further, but if this woman was going to be in his way...

But on one hand, he realized she did have something of a point. Blocky would not be as useful to him dead. And perhaps he did leave him in that room for too long... No, he did not. Terry was just overreacting to that. She had barely glanced at the life readings and drawn her own conclusions. He would know his own equipment better than her.

He thought briefly about taking control of the situation. He had plenty of stuff he could use here to threaten her into submission. He could easily find a way to make sure that she didn't try to interfere again, so she could not end up causing him problems or jeopardize the mission again.

But...no.. That wouldn't do. He wasn't stupid. Terry might find a way around his threat, or use it as a reason to have him reported. No, he was better off simply playing along..for now.

Although still angry, the man managed to smile. Keeping his anger in check, straightening himself up and trying to look as non-threatening as possible, she said, "All right zen..." He folded his arms behind his back. "I'll leave the runt alone...for now." Terry narrowed her eyes. Before she could say anything, he added, "How about we focuz on zending a mezzage to zose children? Zey ztill need to know of ziz, right?" He smirked. "After all, they would be a bigger hinderance to uz zan we are to each other, am I right...?"

Terry narrowed her eyes, and nodded her head. "That is correct. Those two, especially Rudy, would be problematic." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I can't believe we neglected to take care of them earlier..."

"Oh don't worry about it." Von said. He held up his hand in gesture. "Zere is plenty of time to correct ziz...overzight..."

Terry nodded in agreement. Then, setting aside their earlier hostilities, the two adults left the room, leaving Blocky alone.

sss

This place... This horrible and dreadful place... The foreboding atmosphere all around him, the thick tension that was building up the longer he was in here... The cold chill that permeated the air...

No wonder most zoners left this place alone. They must all think he was crazy for coming here.

Yet, he knew he had no choice. If this was where that portal was... Yeah, he kind of had to come here. He needed to be here and look around and find that portal. If this was the entrance into the Real World, he had to know. They all had to know, and prepare for what's to come, and how to prevent it.

He still wasn't entirely sure how they were going to do it. There were still some kinks to work out, and they might never be able to do that. But at least they'd be more fully prepared and ready for a fight. Best they know that something was coming than to be caught by surprise.

He knew that knowing the location of the portal was just part one of the struggle. It had to be marked, and others informed. Then...well at the moment, he wasn't entirely sure. He just knew there was going to be a lot of work ahead. None of them knew if Terry or Von had any idea that they now knew of the portal. They didn't know if they were plotting some kind of trap for when they tried to get into the Real World from there. They just didn't know what they would do.

But that wouldn't stop him, or make him give up. This had to be done, for the sake of ChalkZone.

"Okay, it should be coming up." A voice called out to him. "As soon as we part through this..vine things...or whatever they are, we'll be there, okay, Snap?"

The blue and white zoner looked over at Howdy. The smaller zoner was out in front of him, walking a couple feet away. He didn't have his head turned to look at him, but he did have his hand raised up, making a couple waves of the hand to indicate he was speaking with him.

Snap nodded his head to confirm. It took him a few moments to remind himself that Howdy wasn't looking at him. He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, I got it."

The two of them had been walking through the Pencil Sharpener for a while. Even right from the very entrance, Snap sensed a strong feeling of dread when coming in here. He didn't notice much of a reaction from Howdy. But then..the zoner probably got used to coming here, or maybe he was hiding his fear just for his sake.

Walking through here wasn't an easy task. There were plenty of sharp areas, plants and rocks alike, as well as other dangers and threats to avoid. They climbed up and down the slopes, made turns to go around the spikey trees, and tried to ignore the hissing sound during their walks. The silence was so thick, it was practically loud and deafening. Snap found himself, once in a while, putting his hands against his ears to keep the nonexistent sound out.

He didn't know how long they had been walking before Howdy had spoken up. Had it been just several minutes? Had it been hours? He didn't know. It felt as though time itself had disappeared, replaced only with this uncertain reality before him, uncomfortable sights and sounds all around the small zoners.

They had headed towards one of the mountains. Snap was reluctant to go on it, the mountain's own appearance being enough to deter him. Twisting clouds, a dark coloration, little light, and a low, humming sound that seemed to engulf the mountain... What kind of creator would make something like this?

The only thing that made him go was the reminder of what would happen if he didn't come through here. He knew that, so long as that portal existed, Von and Terry were a major threat. They could get into ChalkZone, and they could use it as proof of the world's existence. This big, scary mountain was going to be the last thing he had to worry about if he didn't climb up this mountain with Howdy and help mark the location and create a map up here. Once Rudy was able to draw a teleporter here, they would be able to come back without having to travel all the way through here, and they could put whatever plan they decide upon into motion.

When Howdy had spoken up, they were heading down a winding, rock path. They had gone up the mountain a ways. Not all the way; about half way up. There was a path that led off the edges, and down a sort of bulge. It was pretty steep and walking on it was dangerous. Snap had to be careful as he headed down the precariously thin ledge, pressing his hands against the walls for leverage.

They soon reached the bottom, where the path curved up and then straightened out. There was a cave entrance of some kind, but it was covered by something green. They looked like tendrils, with spikey ridges, no surprise. And was that a horrible smell coming off of them? Snap put a hand over his nose to try to avoid breathing in the offensive odor.

"I take it these are the vines you told me about?" Snap asked.

Howdy nodded his head. "Yeah. Don't worry. This is the only place you will have to worry about them."

"Good." Snap muttered. "Because I can't stand it."

The two headed through the vines. Snap winced as he felt the vine's spikes scrape against his skin. One of the vines got stuck around him, and he ended up trapped back at the entrance for a few moments. He struggled to get himself free, but only ended up tightening the vine around him even more, pressing the thorns more and more against him.

Howdy, realizing that Snap was lagging behind, went back to help him. He held out his hand, palm up, and, to Snap's surprise, began to tickle the vines. They started to give off a really weird sound. Almost like laughter except..not... The sound of it was enough to send chills through Snap.

After a few seconds, the vines released him. They recoiled back, bending themselves into an S shape, almost like a snake ready to strike. Snap took a few steps back, watching the vines shake and quiver, that sound continuing to crawl through his skin. Soon it died down completely and the vines became limp at the entrance once more, allowing the heavy silence to return to the cave.

"What...what just..." Snap found it difficult to comprehend what had just occurred.

"Yeah, I know. I was rather shocked myself when I found that out." Howdy pointed out. "Now let's get going." He made a motion with his arm. "The portal isn't far."

Snap wanted to say something, but he found himself remaining quiet. He let out a soft sigh and he walked towards Howdy, following him down the slightly curving path, further into the cave.

They barely made a turn when Howdy suddenly stopped. Snap, his eyes wide in shock, nearly collided with his friend. He managed to stop before he hit him and took a step back. He glared softly down at Howdy. He was about to ask the zoner why he stopped like that, but paused when he lifted up his head a little, his gaze catching a glimpse of something familiar.

It was the portal. Right there, in the middle of the air. A little difficult to see, but there nonetheless. Howdy stood in front of it, and then looked over at Snap, a solemn expression on his face.

Snap held his breath as he stared at the portal. Here it was, the one thing that could spell unimaginable disaster for all of ChalkZone. The one thing that zoners all around feared. The thing that he, Rudy, and Penny vowed to destroy to ensure that Terry or Von, or even Vinnie if he got involved, could never prove to the Real World that ChalkZone existed.

"So..that's the portal...?" Snap said softly. He wasn't really expecting an answer. He just didn't know what else to say at the moment.

Howdy nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. Terry showed me where it was so I could come back here with the food, water, and medicine for Blocky." He flinched visibly at that. "Poor Blocky..."

Snap looked down at the puppet zoner sadly. He placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Howdy. None of this was your fault."

Howdy looked up at him. "I know...but I still feel so horrible. I wish I had done...something. I had helped them prolong Blocky's suffering..." He shut his eyes and lowered his head. "What a sucky way for his birthday to lead up to..."

Snap felt his heart clench at that. Howdy had reminded him that, only a few days ago, Blocky had his birthday party. And now, not so long after, he was placed in the exact opposite situation. No more was he having fun and playing games. Now he was just trying to survive, pain inflicted on him for no gawd damn reason. Snap clutched his hand into a fist, nearly striking it against the nearby wall.

No, he had to restrain himself. He had to keep himself calm. They will get Blocky out of there. He told himself that time and again. Blocky will be taken out of there, and he will be safe. They just need some more time. Just a little more time...

Snap knew that the next step now was to mark the location of a portal. He looked left and right, trying to find something useful. "What can we use to mark this portal?"

Howdy shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm sure there's plenty of rocks here. It is a cave, after all."

Snap frowned softly. "That won't do... I just realized that. Simply marking here won't be enough to help Rudy and Penny find this place in case you or I aren't able to help." He folded his arms against his chest. "We need something that will stand out. Something that those two can detect with a radar thing. Something that Dr. Von Doktor nor Terry Bouffant will be able to figure out so easily."

Howdy tilted his head. "What are you thinking?"

Snap rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There has to be something we can use..." He let out a sigh, tilting his head back. He looked up towards the ceiling. "..but what?"

Howdy merely shrugged his shoulders. It was clear he didn't have any ideas. That was okay. Snap wasn't expecting him to have any. This really was quite a stumped situation. If they didn't figure out a proper way to mark this...

He turned his head towards the portal. He could see the contents of the other side. Some kind of room. Dark, no lights on, and some shadows indicating some kind of shelf. He stared at it long and hard, his mind sifting through thoughts.

It was a risk. He knew how dangerous it could be. But perhaps...it was possible that room had something that they could use. Maybe something with metal in it. Would that work? His friends could draw a metal detector and be guided over here, where Rudy and Penny could create a hidden teleporter so they could navigate straight there.

True, he and Howdy could just bring them over. But he was aware that something could go wrong. At least this way, they will be able to have a backup plan in motion, making it harder for Terry or Von to stop them, if it came to that.

Snap continued to stare at the portal. He thought he heard Howdy calling out to him in confusion, but he ignored him. He soon began to head towards the portal. When he reached it, he peered inside, looking from side to side. There didn't seem to be anyone there. Perfect.

"What are you doing?!" Howdy cried as Snap began to crawl through. "What if you're caught?!"

Snap looked over at him. He gave his trademark smile. "I'll be fine, Howdy. I'm just going to go in real quick and see if there's anything I can use. I won't be gone long."

Howdy flinched at this, looking from left to ride. He then gulped and moved forward. "Let me come in with you! I know that building better than you!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you do." Snap flinched at this, watching as Howdy lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Howdy. I didn't mean it like that..."

"It's fine." Howdy said softly as he came forward.

The two zoners crawled through the portal. Snap came first, and then Howdy. They walked a bit away from the portal, further into the room itself. Snap took a moment to look around the room. He then looked back, taking note of what was clearly Rudy's chalkboard, the one that Tilly had sold. Snap could feel his blood heating up, angered that the woman did such a stupid thing. He pushed it aside. That wasn't important right now.

"Remember, stay in this room." Howdy said, breaking the short-lived silence. His voice was low and soft. "We musn't let them know we're here."

Snap smiled at his friend. "Oh don't worry. I'm sure that neither of those creepazoids will... Howdy...?"

To Snap's confusion, Howdy took on a fear-filled expression. His body shook and he took a few steps back. It was then that Snap was aware of a shadow forming over him. He felt his blood run cold as he heard a familiar, feminine chuckle behind him.

"A creepazoid, am I...?"

Snap hunched his body, tensing up. Oh no... Please... Not her. Anyone but her... Slowly, he turned himself around, turning his head to meet the gaze of...

...Terry Bouffant.

Snap let out a surprised cry, whirling himself around to face the red-haired woman. She smirked down at him, her arms folded against her chest. Howdy moved behind Snap, the blue zoner holding out his arm in a protective manner. He tried his best to hide his fear, narrowing his eyes in determination.

Terry smiled down at the two zoners, her arms folded against her chest. "Well well..isn't this my lucky day? I was just coming over to see you..." Her eyes locked onto Howdy. The zoner gulped and hid further behind Snap. Terry merely grinned at this. "But it seems you brought along a friend..." She stared over at Snap. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "Hello there, blue boy. Long time, no see, eh?"

Snap kept himself in front of Howdy, keeping a fighting stance. He managed to give the woman a dark smirk. "I see your hair has grown back. And it looks shinier than ever! I guess wiggies are quite the miracle workers, aren't they?" Terry narrowed her eyes at this. "I have a pet wiggie I can bring over. Maybe we can make your hair look even better!" He spread his hands up and outward, away from each other, to emphasize his point.

Terry growled at this. She formed fists and flattened her limbs against her sides. "Why you little brat! I should..." Suddenly she stopped herself. She gave a soft chuckle, rubbing her chin. "On second thought... I do need to send a message to chalk boy." She began to advance on Snap. The zoner hunched himself, baring his teeth at her. "And you're just the zoner to do that..."

sss

"I can't believe you two! How could you do something so stupid?" Tilly said, glaring down at the two children. Anger hung heavily on her voice.

Mrs. Sanchez was no better. "Of all the reckless, irresponsible things you two have done..." She let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. "I just...don't understand how you two could have done something like this. You always got along so well. What happened...?"

Tilly stared at the children, as did Mrs. Sanchez, and waited for an answer. The two children remaiend silent, their heads low. A look of shame present on both their faces indicated they did regret what they have done. But that did not lessen the anger that she felt, nor did it make right what they have done. They both should have known better than that.

Now, because of their reckless attitude, they both had to be treated. Most of the injuries were minor, but some, particularly the areas with torn flesh, required more treatment. Mrs. Sanchez did what she could to treat those wounds, wrapping them up in bandages to protect them from infection. But both Rudy and Penny were going to need to head to their family doctors to get some antibiotics so they don't get some kind of blood transmitted disease.

She and Mrs. Sanchez couldn't understand what would have caused their children to attack each other like that. She could still remember the horror she felt when she and the other woman came into the living room and found Rudy and Penny fighting each other rather aggressively. By the time they got over, the children had already racked off a piece of flesh from one another. She shuddered, still remembering the screams from that.

She felt some level of relief that the two children were treated to some degree, preventing further damage. But she couldn't shake off the shock of what had happened. She exchanged a quick, worried glance to Mrs. Sanchez. What were they going to do with their children?

Still the two were silent. They didn't utter a single word. Tilly narrowed her eyes as she stared down at the two. She took a small step forward, staring at them as they sat down on the table next to each other, their legs dangling over the side, slightly swinging them.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourselves...?" Tilly pressed the top of her hands against her hips. "Why did you two try to beat each other up? What was the matter with you two?"

Yet they still remained quiet. They looked up at them, locking eyes with them. Then they flinched and lowered their heads. It was clear the two children weren't sure what to say. Was it because they didn't know how to explain it, or did they just feel utter shame over the reason why they fought?

Tilly couldn't let this go, however. She needed to know what got into these two. She needed to understand why these two would fight each other, despite being friends. This was no minor thing. They could have really hurt each other. If she and Mrs. Sanchez knew what happened, they could do what they could and make it better. Rudy and Penny were doing themselves no favors by staying quiet.

But since the two were refusing to talk, she knew that she and Mrs. Sanchez would have to figure something else out. If the two won't talk, then there was really only one other thing they could do. They cannot allow this to happen again. They could not afford a repeat of this incident. It wasn't something that she wanted to do, and she had hoped that it would all have been cleared out by now. But if these two were going to fight each other like animals, then they left them with no other alternative.

Hearing Mrs. Sanchez clear her throat to begin to speak, it would seem that she was also thinking the same thing.

"Although I am glad you two are all right, I cannot ignore the fact that you two should have had better heads on yourselves than this. You outta be ashamed of yourselves, fighting each other like that. Because of that, either of you could get an infection and get sick!"

Rudy and Penny silently bowed their heads further. It was clear that their current mental state did not allow them to speak. Perhaps they were still shocked from their fight. Good..that showed that they were learning their lesson.

"Tilly and I cannot simply allow you two to walk away from this. You two need to be taught a lesson. So for five days, you two will be grounded." Mrs. Sanchez said.

"But..." Rudy and Penny started to speak. Ah, so now they got their voices back.

"No buts!" Tilly interjected, raising up her hand. "You two should have thought your actions through more. You two allowed yourselves to be consumed by pitiful anger, and you must pay the price for that. Do you understand?"

Rudy and Penny opened their mouths as if to project. They soon shut them and lowered their heads. "Yes..."

"Good..." Tilly walked over towards Rudy. "Come on, Rudy. Let's go home. We will discuss your punishment further."

"But what about...?"

"Penny and her mom have some talking to do as well." Tilly looked over at Mrs. Sanchez. They exhanged solemn nods before the vet turned to glare at her daughter. Tilly turned her attention back to Rudy. "Now let's get going."

Tilly and Rudy walked towards the door. They stopped in the doorway. Rudy looked over at Penny. The two children looked at each other with an unreadable expression. Then, they disappeared out of the doorway, leaving the Sanchezes alone.

Chapter 25: Returns

So...I've heard you've done a bad thing...

sss

Snap rested on the ground. He opened up one eye, the solace of sleep already over. For a brief moment, he forgot that he was sleeping inside a large, glass container with two of his friends, Howdy and Blocky. The cold surface and the unfamiliar lighting were enough to reaquaint himself with his present reality.

He lifted up his head and looked over at the others. They were still asleep. Tired, eyes closed. Even in their sleep, he could see just how terrified they were. He bit his lip, wishing there was something he could say or do to help them feel better. He then placed his head back down, chin against the hard, cold ground. He gave a shudder, finding it hard to come to terms with his reality.

He had spent a night in the Real World, something he had never done before. The Real World was a dangerous place for him, for any zoner. It was an act he did not think he'd ever do, especially given these...circumstances.

Terry had forced this upon him. She had threatened him into submission. He couldn't believe how weak he was. He should have resisted more. He should have stood up for himself. Now he was left with a feeling of remorse. He wondered how Rudy might feel, if he found out. Surely, he'd understand, but... Snap couldn't help but fear what the boy's reaction might be.

Snap didn't bother trying to get out of the containment. Save for the few holes, which he'd never be able to fit through, there were no openings in this thing. He had a good enough look at it to know that no such exit existed, keeping ihim trapped in the glass container.

It wasn't all bad, though. He at least got to see Blocky again. The reunion was rather bittersweet. He wished he could have seen him again under better circumstances. But at least he was with him again and could see what condition he was in, and learn what he had gone through. The stories were horrible, and he found himself wanting to throw up out of rage, but a small part of him was comforted at no longer being in the dark about what happened to him.

He tried his best to control the rage-filled thoughts growing in his mind. The mere idea of those humans hurting Blocky just for 'science'...it was disgusting. Blocky hadn't done a dang fucking thing to them, and yet, they still found it necessary to hurt him like that. The stretching, the Real World water, the cold, the heat... Did they stop at nothing to get what they wanted? Were there no limits in what they would do to his friend?

Poor Blocky...he was so scared... Snap could tell that he was going to be traumatized for a long time. The zoner had hardly left his side, or Howdy's. He could still feel the rectangular zoner pressed up against him, his breathing slow and steady. Howdy laid on the opposite side of him, his hand lightly pressed against Blocky carefully, an attempt to comfort him even while he slept.

Another good thing is that at least he was trapped with his friends. Von nor Terry had thought about separating them from the container into different ones. At least they could be with each other for comfort. That was something at least.

Snap yawned and closed his eyes. He didn't know what time it was. He couldn't even tell if it was truly morning yet. Right now, he just wanted to go back to sleep and pretend that this didn't happen. He wanted to, for an extra hour or so, dream that he was back in his own home, or getting a visit from Rudy and Penny, of him being anywhere except here.

Unfortunately, life didn't always pan out that way. He didn't have a long time to rest before he heard the scraping sound of the enclosure being opened up.

"Time for your breakfast, blue boy."

Snap opened his eyes, but didn't get a chance to look at Terry before the evil woman grabbed him by his cape. He gagged as he was thrust upward, the cloth pressing against his neck. He dangled up in the air, pushing his hands against his cape, trying to get some more breath, as Terry shut the enclosure.

Snap looked over and saw that Blocky and Howdy had woken up from the sudden motion. Remaining on the ground, they lifted up their heads and looked over at him, their eyes wide in horror and shock. Snap opened his mouth to speak to them, but he was suddenly pulled through the air as Terry began to carry him out of the room and down the hallway.

Snap tried to struggle and squirm out of her grasp, but it was useless. His cape was secured too well around his neck, and the cloth itself was too thick; he'd never be able to tear through it. He eventually stopped trying and dangled in the air. He growled softly, displeased at being carried around like a cat. He would try to strike at her, but he held back. The last thing he needed was to make Terry angry.

The woman remained quiet as she carried him down the hallway. He didn't know where he was going, and everything looked so similar here, it was hard for him to keep track of where they had been. He realized that the only thing keeping him from being too nervous was the fact that Terry wanted him alive and had announced it was feeding time.

It took a little longer than he had hoped, but they soon arrived in another room. This one appeared to be the dining hall of this facility. It looked a tad dirtier than he'd expected, and it looked as if it was barely used in quite a while. He wondered if this had anything to do with Von losing his reputation. He was surprised the man could still keep this place at all. Perhaps he still had a ton of money to spare.

Snap took a moment to look around. The ground was white with some pale blue, tiled although having lost its shine. There were several rows of round tables with simple looking chairs pulled up to them. Not far away, he could see a food bar that was mostly barren, a register that was tilted to its side, and a small fridge that still had some bottles of soda in it.

Terry took him over to the nearest table. She dropped him in the chair. Snap didn't have much time to regain his bearings before he felt a click. He looked down and found that his leg had been cuffed to the chair. He narrowed his eyes. So much for an attempt at escape, not that he would have tried to with Terry around anyway. He didn't know this place and frankly, he didn't want to try his luck at getting lost.

"Stay right here. Let me go get you your grub." Terry said before turning and walking away.

Snap watched her leave, his eyes narrowing. He took this time to try to figure out what he was going to do once allowed back into ChalkZone. Rudy and Penny might be able to figure out what to do once he delivered the message that Terry wanted him to. They were smart kids. They could figure something out, right?

That is...if he was going to see them at all. He was aware of the issue with Rudy's aunt finding out about ChalkZone. He wasn't sure if that had been truly resolved yet or not. And the idea of possibly having to deal with Rudy's aunt... He could only hope that it would be easier than dealing with Von and Terry.

Snap realized he had to consider the possibility of Rudy and Penny not being able to help at all. If their folks cut them off from ChalkZone... He shook his head, not willing to believe such a possibility. Yet he couldn't shake it off. It would be smart if he tried to figure out something on his own, just in case he was not going to have the input of his friends backing him up.

But how was he going to deal with Von and Terry? For the moment, they had the upperhand. They barely left him and the others unguarded unless they were in the enclosure. And the enclosure was not going anywhere, and it was rather solid despite being hollow. Pushing it over wasn't going to work; Howdy had apparently tried something similar.

He refused to believe it was hopeless, however. There was a way to get out of this mess. He just..had to figure out a different angle at looking at this. A weak point that Terry and Von had missed.

He stifled his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Terry coming towards him. He turned his head and he noticed that she was carrying a small try. On it was a sandwich and a small cup. The drink itself and the sandwich were clearly made of chalk, as he could tell from this distance. This was probably some bit of that food that Howdy had been forced to bring.

Terry walked up to the table and, nonchalantly, dropped the tray onto the flat surface. Snap winced as he heard the loud clang. He stared at the food and drink for a few seconds. Then he looked up at Terry, who folded her arms against her chest and glared down at him.

"Go on.." She made a gesture with her head. "Eat up. This will be your only chance. You'll get nothing else today from us."

Snap shuddered at the thought. He hated the idea of having to go so long without food, and especially without water. This, however, provided him with an incentive to eat what he could now. Turning his attention to the sandwich, he tentatively picked it up and sniffed it.

"Oh just eat it already!" Terry snarled.

"Okay! I will! I just..." Snap looked at the sandwich, lifting up the bun. "Is that...?"

"Look, you little runt," Terry growled at him. "Either you eat the food now so we can get going, or I'll take it from you and you will have to wait until tomorrow morning to get anything."

Snap flinched at that. He pressed the bun back down. He looked up at Terry for a few seconds, watching as she crossed her arms against her chest. He froze under her cold glare, and for a moment, he couldn't move. A further narrowing of the eyes prompted him to start eating. As he took his first bite and swallowed, Terry gave a small, eerie smile.

"That's a good zoner..." Terry cooed softly. She reached over and gently patted Snap on the head. He hissed at this, but Terry was not deterred. She rested her hand on him, her fingers moving back and forth. "Just eat up now. You have a job awaiting you. And remember, I will not leave while you eat..."

Snap winced as he felt Terry grab onto his head a little tighter. Her fingernails pressed against the thin cloth, pressing against his scalp. He tried to move his head, but it only resulted in her driving her nails further against his skin.

"So don't try anything funny..." More pressure down on his head. "Do you understand me?"

Snap nodded his head swiftly. "Y-Yes, ma'am..." He winced in pain as the nails practically broke the skin. He thought he could feel something leaking on his head, but maybe it was just his imagination.

Terry smiled at this, satisfied by his answer. "Good." She moved her hand away. Snap sighed with relief. "Now hurry up. I need to feed the rest of you zoners before we can get started." She motioned with her hand before refolding her arms. "So come on! Eat up already!"

"All right! Hold on!" Snap called out to her. He took a quick sip of his drink, enjoying the sweet flavor, and then turned to his sandwich. He gave Terry a small glare before he started to consume the sandwich.

sss

Rudy stood outside of his house, not far from the driveway. He was positioned next to his aunt, who kept her arm around him to keep him there. Sophie stood beside her mother, holding onto her other hand and making some excited squeals.

This was it. This was the day that he had been dreading. The day he had been waiting for.

His parents were returning.

While Sophie was excited to see her aunt and uncle again, Rudy was nervous. While Aunt Tilly did promise that she wouldn't speak a word about ChalkZone to them, he knew that could easily change if she decided it was best if she said something. He was nervous about how his parents would react. If his aunt went nuts when she found out, he could only begin to imagine just how his parents might be.

Even if she didn't tell them about that incident, there was still something else he had to worry about. No doubt his aunt would tell his parents about what happened with Penny. The thought of it made him bit his lip nervously. Would his parents keep with the punishment his aunt figured out for him, or would they come up with one of their own?

He tried to have a little faith in his parents. Perhaps they would react more calmly than he was imagining, and understand that he was already being punished. That didn't stop him from worrying, however.

He could feel his heart skip a beat when he saw the car in the distance. His heart clenched, increasing its beating, as it drew closer. In seconds, the car, which he instantly recognized as his parents' pulled into the driveway. He heard the telltale signs of screeching as the car came to a complete halt. There was a clanging as the driver's door opened up, and out stepped his father.

"Unkie Joe!" Squealed Sophie as she rushed over towards his father.

His dad, dressed in a more casual outfit like he was still on vacation, walked around and lowered himself down. "Sophie!" He stretched his arms outward. He let out a grunt as the girl lunged into his arms. He grabbed onto her and held her up. "So great to see you!"

His mother now stepped out of the car. She was wearing a similar outfit as his father. She walked over and greeted Sophie. "Did you have a great time with your cousin?"

Sophie nodded her head swiftly. "Playtime! Green paper! Green paper visited us!"

Rudy flinched at this. He soon relaxed when he noticed his parents didn't react to that. He tried his best not to show signs of great relief; he didn't want to tip his parents off that anything was wrong.

"Oh you've such an active imagination!" His mom said.

"Yeah. That's what makes you a good playmate for our boy!" He ruffled the girl's hair before setting her down. As Sophie skipped around a little and then headed towards her mother, his dad straightened himself up, turning his attention now to his aunt. "So, how have things been here while we were gone?"

Aunt Tilly smiled, though Rudy could tell that she was having a bit of a hard time holding back her more negative feelings and worry. "They've been splendid! I made quite a bit of money earlier. Rudy and I sold his chalkboard, as someone was willing to pay a ton of money for it."

"That's strange..." His mom said.

"Yeah. Who would pay that much for a chalkboard?" His dad pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Aunt Tilly said, "I'm not sure. But the money was real and I was able to cash it. Here..." Aunt Tilly walked over and handed her sister a couple hundred dollar bills. "I think you guys could use this more than me."

"Wow, thanks!" His mom said as she stuffed the money into her pocket. "I'm glad that you and Sophie enjoyed your stay here. I take it that Rudy was just fine with you guys?"

Aunt Tilly nodded her head. "Yeah. Everything just went swimmingly!"

Rudy looked up at his aunt. She gave him a swift, knowing look. He was glad that she was not going to bring up that...unpleasant incident where she struck him. He wasn't sure how well his mom and dad would take that. Especially her mom, seeing how she had known Aunt Tilly for a longer time than she knew her dad. That horrible incident... yeah there was no need for his parents to know about that.

"That's good!" His dad said, a wide grin on his face. "I knew you would all get along well while we were gone!"

"And everything is exactly how you left it. I think you'll find everything in tip shape!" Aunt Tilly said.

His mom wrapped her arms around her sister. She pulled her into a hug. His aunt's eyes widened for a few seconds before returning the hug. The two stayed in this embrace for a few seconds before his mom let go of her.

"Thank you so much." His mother said. "We greatly appreciate you holding down the fort for us."

"Let us know if you ever need someone to housesit. We'll be glad to return the favor." He heard his dad say.

"I will!" Aunt Tilly said with a smile. Then she frowned a little, turning her head down. She looked over at Rudy, and he flinched. Her expression alone was enough for him to know what was coming. She looked back at his parents, who were staring at her in confusion.

"Tilly...?" His mother said tentatively, reaching her hand out towards her sibling. "I-Is something wrong...?"

Aunt Tilly nodded her head a few times. "Well...I..." She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "There's...there's something I need to tell you..."

Rudy flinched nervously. He hung his head slightly. He ignored the expressions he got from his parents. He just stood there and waited for his aunt to deliver the bad news. Even if his aunt didn't tell, Mrs. Sanchez or Penny might. And his parents would question the bandages he had on him sooner or later. In fact, he could see them eyeing them right now with suspicion and concern.

He waited for his aunt to finish. He waited for his parents' reaction. He wanted for them to question why he had done such a stupid thing. This was a moment he had hoped he'd never have to deal with, but now here he was, being forced to confront it. He looked up at his aunt, watching as her mouth opened up to respond. Shutting his eyes tighter, he waited for the inevitable outcome.

"You see...The other day.. Rudy and Penny, they..." Aunt Tilly paused. She sucked on her lip. She looked to the left, as if to try to figure out what she was going to say. She turned back. Her expression alone was enough to make his parents look even more worried. "Something happened between them..."

"Did they get into another argument?" His dad asked. "If it's just that, I'm sure they can make up for it. They..." He stopped when he saw Aunt Tilly shake her head slowly. This made his eyes widen further. "What...what are you...?"

"It couldn't have been that bad..." His mom turned to stare at him for a few seconds. Rudy flinched at his mother's expression, the way her eyes seemed to bore into his, the way they silently prayed that his aunt was not going to say what she thought she was. "...right?"

Aunt Tilly closed her eyes. "I'm afraid so. This fight was much worse than the others."

"H-How...how bad...?" His dad asked cautiously.

Aunt Tilly stared at him, as well as her sister, for a few moments. Silence fell upon the area. Even Sophie had gone quiet, as if she could detect the tension that was filling up the room. Exhaling slowly, she said, "Well...to start off, both of them are going to need antibiotics."

This made his parents gasp, pulling their heads back. They stared at Rudy in disbelief. Their eyes trailed to his arm, where the bandages wrapped around it. They then looked back at Aunt Tilly as if looking for clarification. The woman nodded her head once, causing his parents to shoot him another disbelieving look.

Rudy felt immense guilt when he saw the way they looked at him. What a thing to come home to... He was usually more well behaved than this. They were probably thinking things like 'where did we go wrong' and 'we raised him better than that'.

Rudy couldn't help but lower his head, not even attempting to say anything to his parents. Aunt Tilly had gone silent as well, as if to give his parents some time to let this horrific information sink into their heads. She understood that such information was rather shocking, especially for parents of a usually well behaved child. They had such a great time on their vacation, and now they were forced to face the reality that their only son had gotten into a fist fight with his closest friend.

At last, his mother seemed to catch her voice. She bit it softly, sucking on it. "You're...you're kidding...right...?" She turned to her sister, her eyes wide and pleading. "Rudy wouldn't..."

"I'm sorry, but he did." Aunt Tilly confirmed. She stared at her sister sympathetically. "He and Penny got angry at...something, and it was bad enough that they just...lost their tempers and they attacked each other." Rudy watched his parents' faces become even more shock-stricken. "They beat each other up pretty badly, though most of their wounds are pretty minor. The biggest concern is that they bit a piece of each other off in the fight." She looked down at Rudy's arm. "That's what needs treatment."

Aunt Tilly turned to Rudy's parents. She watched as they fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of their son being that violent. Rudy remained silent, worrying that he might accidentally make things worse if he said anything.

Aunt Tilly appeared to want to put his parents' minds at ease. "Mrs. Sanchez already did what she could to help them. The worst part is over, but she still wants them to see their family doctors and get some antibiotics. Just in case you know?"

More silence. More just standing around, waiting. Rudy wasn't sure what was going on his parents' minds. They were unusually quiet, less responsive than he thought they would be. He wasn't sure if he was going to get off more easily than he thought, or if they were just having a delayed reaction. He hoped that they would remain understanding, and wouldn't do anything too drastic. But then he remembered how his parents reacted to him going to a concert when they specifically told him not to and he found himself involuntarily swallowing.

"So..you're saying that our boy...got into a fight with Penny...?" His dad asked carefully. His expression, the way he spoke those words, he was still in denial about what his son had done, making Rudy feel even worse.

"And they hurt each other?" His mom asked nervously. She bit her lip for a few seconds before continuing, "They bit each other?"

Aunt Tilly nodded her head solemnly. "I'm sorry to report such bad news to you two. But I felt it would have bene wrong for me to withhold such information from you." She motioned her hand towards them. "You're his parents, and you have every right to know about this."

"Yes...Thank you." His dad said. "We appreciate it..."

Then his parents looked over at him. Rudy winced when he saw their expressions now. They were no longer just simply shock or fear. Now anger was starting to show. His parents were usually not so easily angered, so when they glared at him like that, he knew that he was in some deep shit. Involuntarily, he let out a soft whimper and took a step back.

To his surprise, as well as his parents', his aunt took a step in front of him, in an almost protective manner. She raised her hand up, silencing the two adults before they had a chance to speak. Rudy remained behind his aunt, staring warily at his parents. He wondered if a fight was going to break out. He hoped not. He had enough of intense emotion lately.

"Please, don't be too hard on him. He feels bad for what he's done and he's going to make up for it." Aunt Tilly said.

"He still needs to be punished." His dad said, his voice anger-laced.

"I know. That's why I already taken the liberty to do that." Aunt Tilly took a few steps towards the two adults. "I can lay out for what you what I had decided. Then you can..."

"You punished Rudy without our permission?!" His dad snapped. "You have no right to do that! He's our son, not yours!" He pointed a finger at her. "So why don't you just..."

His mom silenced her husband by grabbing onto his arm and forcing it down. She frowned at him, clearly disappointed at his behavior. His dad lowered his arm and uttered a quick apology. His mom then turned to her sister and said, "I'm not exactly happy you did this without contacting us first. But..I understand why you did it, so let's just not press this matter further, okay?"

His aunt nodded her head. Her expression hinted a bit of guilt, as if she knew she crossed some line with his parents. "Shall I relay to you what I did?"

His mom said, "Yes, please."

Rudy watched as his parents and aunt spoke to each other. He felt a tinge of nervousness in his stomach. How was this all going to turn out? Would his aunt be able to convince them to keep her initial punishment? Only way to find out was to wait.

Rudy wasn't too surprised by the way his parents, especially his dad, reacted. They were pretty touchy when it came to his parenting. They usually prefer doing things their way, and the idea of someone else...well... They took offense to it, even if it wasn't intended to be. Unfortunate, but that's just how it was with his parents.

He stood with Sophie, feeling her grip his hand, as he watched the adults converse, waiting for it to be over. So far, his parents hadn't tried to protest against what his aunt proposed. They hadn't tried to change it to make it worse or longer. So far, so good... But he still prepared himself for the worst. He'd never know with his parents; they might approve of Aunt Tilly's punishment idea, or they might tear it apart.

In the end, he hoped that, whever happened to him, it would not leave him barred out of ChalkZone longer, or even permanently. Right now, he did not care if he was grounded; at the moment, ChalkZone was more important.

After a while, it seemed to finally be over. His parents nodded their heads with Aunt Tilly. There were some shaking of the hands, some nods of approval. Overall, it appeared to have been successful, with maybe one or two hiccups here or there.

"All right then." He heard his father say. "We'll do things that way. I think the punishment is..for the most part, reasonable." He turned to Rudy, and addressed him. "And I hope you learned your lesson, young man..."

Rudy nodded his head quickly. "Yes, dad."

His mom folded her arms against her chest. "Attacking your friend like that. For shame..."

Rudy flinched at this. He could just practically hear the disappointment off his parents' voices. Not that he could blame him. He was usually better behaved at this. He could feel his stomach twisted at the memory. It was worse than the time when he tried to 'punish' Michelle by doing a rude picture of her. So much worse...this time, he had actually hurt someone...

Aunt Tilly appeared to want to clear up the tension that was developing. She cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Well, why don't we come inside and have something to drink while we listen to your stories?" She suggested, motioning towards his dad and mom. "I'm sure you two have quite a bit you want to say about your trip."

At this, his dad's expression lightened up a little. "Oh yeah, I've got stories for you all right!" He nudged his wife, a grin spreading across his face. "Ain't that right, Millie?"

His mom smirked at him, giving him a sideways glance. "I'm sure you would know all about that, Joe."

Aunt Tilly motioned with her arm, arching it through the air. "Come on, let's go inside!"

Rudy was relieved when his parents listened to Aunt Tilly's idea and headed inside. Their faces no longer glared and they were no longer focused on him. They had already vented their anger and frustration with Aunt Tilly when they were speaking earlier, and her reassurance at him already being punished appeared to take a load off of them, even if they didn't fully approve it at first.

But he knew this was just a temporary reprieve. His parents were going to talk to him about his behavior later on. He knew his parents well enough to know this.

He also remembered that, pretty soon, he would have to be heading off to school. Was he willing to face Penny after what had happened between them? Would she even want to see him? Would they get into another fight? This fear had him worried, and he could feel a sense of nausea rise up in his stomach. But he did realize that, in the end, he was going to have to talk to Penny. He just hoped that their next encounter was not going to be particularly bad. Not like what happened yesterday.

"Rudy, come on!"

Rudy lifted up his head at the call of his mom's voice. He realized he had fallen behind. "Coming, mom!" With that, he hurried to the door and walked inside.

sss

Rapsheeba was growing increasingly nervous. She sat beside herself in her home, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. She realized that it was morning. Her clock was flashing at her, telling her it's time to hea back into Night Zone so she can begin her day. Yet she reamined where she was, curled up, uncertain of what to do.

She was trying to make sense of what happened lately, what had been going on. She couldn't believe just how fast things had been doing downhill lately. She had hoped that things would improve by now. After all, Rudy and Penny usually were able to turn things around fairly quickly. But in this case...

The twister had been the start of it all. Appearing out of nowhere, just like any other twister, destroying parts of the city. It had been contained, but some zoners were worried it'd break out again, or that more would appear. Normally, she would question the zoners, since random acts of nature, if it can be called that, were normal. But then she started to wonder if it was because this twister was...different. After all, it did deliberately chase her and the others. Were the zoners worried that its creator would strike again?

It was possible, and, unfortunately, there was no way of knowing when or if it'd happen again. They were at the mercy of fate. All they could do was wait for the next one. In the meantime, they just had to keep their guards up and wait.

But the twister wasn't ChalkZone's only problem.

There was also that open portal, the one that they had learned about not too long ago. The zoners had been scowering the area, trying to find it. So far, they didn't have much luck on that. Not one zoner had reported seeing anything suspicious. Rapsheeba knew that, the longer this portal remained open, the more likely that it was going to be used against them, somehow. Whether by a human or even another zoner.

Then there was the incident with Howdy. Him pushing her down. Him shocking Penny, knowing her out. There were some rumors going around about the guy, and now more and more zoners had gotten suspicious of him. Rapsheeba feared for him. If he wandered through the city now... She had no doubts in her head that he'd be chased, this time with more ferocity.

The dog's appearance was quite chilling. It had appeared at the location of Penny's usual portal placement, which alone was enough to make some zoners talk. The fact that the dog was looking for Penny was also suspicious. But most zoners remembered it for its ferocity. It just...attacked anyone who got in its way, and it had such a single-minded goal, hardly considered anything else.

And the zoners that it had killed... Granted, there wasn't too high a casualty rate. But the fact that any zoner had been killed was enough to shake her to her core. Just what was that dog's creator thinking...?

All of this, Howdy's actions, the tornado, the dog, the portal, the prospect of humans getting into ChalkZone, it all swirled in her head in a combined thought cloud. It left her feeling on edge, and she constantly felt a cold chill on her shoulder. That alone was enough to make each day anxiety filled for just about anyone, not just herself. Yet there was something else to add into the mix.

Snap appeared to have gone missing as well...

Rapsheeba figured this out earlier, when she had made a phone call to Lars. Apparently Snap was going to speak to him about something, though she couldn't remember what. Likely to do with their current dilemma. But when the bear told him that Snap never showed up...

She tried to rationalize it. Maybe Snap just didn't get up yet. Maybe he was just sleepy. Maybe he had gone out earlier to look for the portal on his own. He didn't seem like the type that would just lay down with this sort of threat on the horizon. He was a zoner that took action. It would be out of character for him to just sit around and do nothing, even if Rudy and Penny are not in ChalkZone.

But she wasn't content enough, and she had called more zoners. Each time, she got the same answer. No one had seen him around. She bit her lip, feeling her stomach twist. She tried to remain hopeful. Despite what this was adding up to, she wanted to believe that there was a chance that he was fine, that nothing had happened to him, that things hadn't gotten worse than they already were.

But..what if something did happen to him? There was an open portal in ChalkZone. What if he was kidnapped? The idea left her with a feeling that was heavy like a stone in her stomach. If something had happened to him...

Her eyes widened when she realized that the zoners would likely blame Howdy for that. Especially a certain few that had been more hostile about it than others. She herself had been recieving some negative intention from the more extreme zoners. Her stance towards Howdy, despite being pushed by him, were more favorable. She insisted that Howdy had a good reason for what he was doing. Even though she herself couldn't really understand it, she refused to label Howdy as 'bad' or a 'traitor'. She did her best to ignore such comments.

She thought back to the Pencil Sharpener, where Howdy had been going towards before. She started to wonder something. Was it possible that this was where the portal was? Was Howdy truly involved with it? It made her feel sick, but she was certain that there was a good reason for this. Perhaps she should go there and find out for herself what was going on.

She narrowed her eyes in determination. Yeah... that's exactly what she was going to do. None of the other zoners appeared to want to investigate. They were too terrified of that location. But it's not like she could blame them. The place already had a terrifying reputation, and most zoners avoided it for a reason. But she would take the chance and search for herself. She will do what most zoners were too afraid to: explore Pencil Sharpener.

She knew the risks involved. She knew that any zoner who found out were going to want to stop her, or they'd label her suspicious as well. She didn't care. She wanted answers. If she could find out why Howdy was so secretive, and if she found the location of the portal, she could relay this information to the others. She could lead them there, and they could erase the portal themselves.

And perhaps...they would find Blocky. She hoped so. She missed the little guy. The poor thing must be so scared and frightened wherever he was. She hoped he would remain safe until help arrived.

But she knew, deep down, life didn't always work that way. Life can be quite...unfair. She had to keep this in mind.

Not sparing more time to contemplate what she was about to do, Rapsheeba got out of her bed and walked over towards her dresser. She began to change, preparing herself for the task ahead. She made sure to grab a few things that could be used to defend herself with. She never knew what or who she might run into out there.

Once she got what she thought she'd need, she immediately exited her home and headed towards her car, which still looked pretty good despite having to drive a lot of zoners in it the other day from the dog incident. She turned it on and immediately sped off.

sss

"No! Let him go!" Snap demanded. "Release him at once!" He pounded against the glass shield over and over, as if he thought he could break it down.

Howdy, on the other hand, simply placed his hand on the cold surface. He stared over, his eyes filling with fear and pleadiness. "Please..let him go. Stop doing this. Can't you see how much it's hurting him...?"

Terry paid the zoners no mind. She focused instead at the task at hand. Since Von was too untrustworthy to do this without risking the death of their captive, she opted to do it herself. She felt it was pretty stupid that she would have to be the one in charge of this. She wasn't the one with knowledge of anatomy; Von was. At least, more so than her. The fact that this had to happen at all...

She did her best to shrug it off. There was no use complaining about it now. They had a new thing scheduled up and she planned on following through with it. At least this way, she was able to satisfy the man and didn't have to worry about the state of the zoners.

She held Blocky still. This was quite easy, considering how weak he had become. She was able to use some of the medicine that Howdy managed to get from ChalkZone to create a kind of tranquilizer. This zapped the zoner of his strength and numbed some of the pain, making it much easier to do this.

In spite of the drugs, however, Blocky still squirmed. He whimpered softly, kicking his legs out weakly, trying to get her away. She merely just leaned to the side, avoiding the meek attacks. She tightened her grip on him and snarled at him.

"Hold still, you little runt! This will go faster if you just hold still!"

"No..please..." Blocky whimpered. His voice was so low, so weak... It was enough to make Terry wince slightly. She shook it off immediately. "Don't do this... Please.. I-It hurts..."

Terry rolled her eyes. "I gave you painkillers, so suck it up!" Before she could resume, she heard pounding on the glass container not far. She glared over at where Snap and Howdy were. She could hear them shout at her, telling her to stop. She growled at this. "Oh shut up, you two!" Ignoring Snap's protests and Howdy's pleas, she turned her attention back to Blocky.

She held the scissors up to his side. She focused on the area that was already damaged. As much as she didn't want to cause further damage to the area that had been dissolved, she would much rather do this than damage another area. At least here, she could keep it more contained and localized to one spot. She placed the blade against the zoner's side and pressed down.

Blocky screeched at this, prompting more energized reactions from the other two captives. Terry winced, feeling the scream echo in her ears. She did her best to ignore it, raising her shoulder up to try block at least some of the sound, and continued to cut a small piece of flesh from the zoner. If Von wanted a piece of zoner flesh, she'll give it to him as long as it kept him from doing more of those reckless experients too fast.

As she cut, she could see the blood oozing out, moving along her finger. She noticed just how warm it felt. Well duh, she already knew the zoners were warm. She held them enough. But something about feeling the blood..it was different, somehow. She wasn't sure why. And the look on the zoner's face as she cut him, the way his cheeks were stained with tears, the way he was emitting whimpers...

For a moment, she froze. She was, in that one second, unsure if she wanted to continue. That pang of empathy she felt before, it returned.

She soon shrugged it off and continued, cutting into the green zoner's side. She couldn't believe she hesitated like that. This was no big deal. She was just doing a small biopsy. That was all. No big deal. The zoner was just over reaction. It was just a little snip...

At least, she disconnected a small piece of flesh. She held it in her hand, staring at it. She was amazed and almost horrified by how realistic it looked, despite being made of chalk. She nudged the jar she had got out towards herself and placed the flesh in there, ceiling it up tightly. She then looked down at Blocky.

The zoner was thrashing on the ground, louder cries coming out of his mouth. Despite the drugs, he was moving around quite a bit, still in clear pain. She wondered if she should have tried for something stronger. If the zoner continued to squirm like this, he was going to hurt himself more. Taking action, she seized the sobbing zoner and held him still.

"Hold still, you little crybaby!" Terry growled at the zoner. "You're fine! Stop being so..."

"How can you be so heartless?"

Terry looked over and glared at Snap, who had spoken to her. She returned his scowl with one of her own. "I'm not. You zoners are just..."

"He's in pain!" Wailed Snap, raising his hands up in the air. "Of course he's going to cry like that! He's in terrible pain! Look at what you've done to him!"

Terry raised an eyebrow, curling her lip part way up. "It's no big deal." She said. "He's going to be fine."

"How can you do this to another living person...?" Howdy asked. His voice was softer than Snap's, and his expression was more of shock than anger. "Please...at least think about what you're doing. If you just..."

"Oh pipe down! You're wasting my time!" Terry looked down at Blocky. "If you'll excuse me, I need to patch up your friend before he bleeds out."

Ignoring the zoners again, she carried Blocky over to the nearby table, placed there just recently. The bag of medicinal supplies was placed in it. She laid Blocky on the table and reached into the bag. She pulled out some disinfectant and bandages, and she began to patch up the hole she had cut into the zoner.

As she did this, she couldn't help but think about what Snap and Howdy had said. She couldn't help but remind herself that these zoners were indeed alive, and, although she tried to push it aside, she could still remember the pang of guilt and sympathy that she had been having lately. She tried to tell herself that it was no big deal and that she shouldn't really feel all that bad for the zoners.

After all, they were just drawings, right? It didn't really matter if they got hurt. They could be healed easily, right? It didn't matter if they died. They can just be redrawn. Isn't that how it worked in ChalkZone? Weren't the zoners, on some level, immortal? At least, a type of immortality that humans could never hope to achieve? True, there was still much she didn't know. But... there couldn't be that much consequence in killing a zoner, right? They weren't as valuable as human life. So why should she care?

Then...if this was the case..why did she feel any kind of guilt at all? Why was she letting herself feel this way? Could it be that, in some part, she didn't feel that this was right? That she was starting to think that there was something more to them?

She tried to shake it off. She tried to focus all her attention on bandaging up Blocky. But no matter what she did, or how hard she tried, this pang wouldn't leave her alone. For the first time, she began to have something she never thought she'd have.

Doubts.

She tried her best to push it out of her mind. Right now wasn't the time for doubts. She needed to finish up fixing Blocky so she could deliver to 'the highness' Von. He had been demanding the piece of flesh for a while and she wanted to give it to him before he lost his patients and tried to get it himself.

Soon she finished up, wrapping the final layer of the bandage around the zoner's side. She could see the red stain spreading, and then stopping. She smirked at this, knowing that it meant that the blood leakage had stopped. She quickly added an extra layer just in case and carried the zoner over to where his pals were.

After nonchalantly dropping him inside, ignoring his yelp of pain, paying no heed to the glares from Howdy and Snap, she said, "I'll be delivering the sample to Dr. Von Doktor. After that, blue boy, I'll be sending you and Howdy into ChalkZone to deliver the message. If you're not back within an hour..."

"I know, I know.." Snap muttered. "You're going to erase Blocky."

Terry smiled at this. "That's it. You're getting it!" She looked down at Blocky, noting his fearful expression. She broadened her smile. "Though I'm sure that death sounds really good to him right about now..."

At this, Blocky gave a loud whine and cringed. Snap and Howdy moved in front of him. Terry smiled at this show of bravery and protectiveness.

Not wanting to prolong this...meeting, Terry turned her back to the zoners and headed towards the table, where she left the jar with the piece of flesh. She grabbed onto it and headed towards the door. She stopped for a moment and looked back at the zoners. With a glint in her eyes, she grinned nastily at them, and then proceeded down the hallway.

sss

Penny remained quiet as her mother started to drive her off to school. She wasn't looking forward to it, and she had tried to convince her mom to let her stay home, but nothing she said worked. Her mother told her that her fears regarding Rudy weren't a good enough excuse to skip out on school, so she was forced to come, regardless of what she said.

It wasn't that she was afraid to come to school, nor was she trying to keep away from Rudy permanently. She just...wasn't sure if she could face him this quickly. She still felt horrible about what happened between them, and she feared that they might end up getting into another fight.

She did feel guilty for thinking that. She wanted to have a little more faith in their friendship than that. But she just couldn't help it. They never had a fight that bad before. She had never actually strike someone like that before. She could still feel the impact against her fingers, making her wince and rub them lightly. She couldn't believe just how..violent she and Rudy had been towards each other. It was like they had turned into a pair of wild animals...

Would they be the same after this? Could they really make up for what they did to each other and be able to focus on what was important? Would they still be able to work as a team to find Blocky, to stop Terry and Von, and to close the portal?

She hoped so. Saving ChalkZone was a top priority at the moment. She knew that, and she hoped that Rudy knew that as well.

But even so, she knew that it was going to be awkward seeing him again. Especially since the last time...didn't exactly go well... She shut her eyes as she heard the mental echoes of the cries and snarls she and Rudy made during the fight. Her body still had some phantom pangs of the pain she had recieved from Rudy, and she could feel the sensation of hitting him right back. Even her teeth felt as though they were biting into flesh, Rudy's skin... She tried her est to shake it off, but the feelings remained, tormenting her as she sat in the passenger's seat on the way to school.

Her mother said not a word. She knew what she was going through, and she understood that this was a problem that only Penny herself could solve. Her mother could give advice, but it was up to her to take the step. Apologizing to Rudy was going to be difficult, but it was something that had to be done. She hoped that he would forgive her for her foolishness. She really should have controlled her temper more. She had punched him...and that started the fight. She couldn't help but feel responsible for that.

As hard as this was, this had to be resolved. She realized that she and Rudy likely won't function very well as a team if they are still harboring bitter feelings towards one another. She hoped that they will be able to ease the tension soon, and before their adversaries catch wind and use it to their advantage.

"Remember, Penita." Her mom called out as she made a turn onto the road the school was on. "I will pick you up early from school today for the doctor's appointment."

"Yes, mom." Penny said, nodding her head. She remembered that her mother scheduled an appointment with the family doctor to look at her arm, just in case. There was a chance that an infection could settle in, and they needed to get antibiotics. Her mother has some, but not for humans.

Her mother remained quiet for a few seconds. Then she said, "Rudy will be joining us."

Penny nearly choked at this. She clutched her throat and swallowed. She then turned to her mother, staring at her with wide, shock-filled eyes. "What?" She spluttered, not expecting her mother to say that.

Her mother stopped a red light. She used this moment to glare softly down at her daughter. "His appointment is at about the same time as yours, and his doctor is in the same building, too. His parents felt it would be more convenient if I picked him up as well."

Penny remained silent at this. She could feel her heart clench. Normally, this wouldn't bother her, and she'd welcome the company. But with what happened between them lately...

"I know you're nervous, Penny. But trust me. It's going to be fine." Her mother said reassuringly. "Plus, the time in the car will give you two a chance to speak. If you aren't able to during school that is." She resumed driving the car after the light shifted to green.

Penny remained silent at this, unsure of what to say, or how to feel about what her mother had said. The idea of sitting with Rudy at the moment sounded...awkward, with what happened between them and all. And she wasn't sure if she liked the idea of them apologizing and trying to make it up with each other in the car. She had wanted to do it somewhere more..private, where they could talk to each other one on one.

But she knew there was nothing she could say or do to change her mother's mind. She was just going to have to accept it and be prepared to face Rudy, in case it doesn't go over as well during school.

Speaking of which, she could see the school up ahead now. Her mother drew closer to it very quickly, and in no time, her mother parked the car on the side of the school, the edge of the car nearly touching the sidewalk. Penny hopped out of the car, bidding her mother farewell. She watched her mother leave and she turned towards the school entrance. She began to walk that way when she noticed movement in the corner of her eye.

It was Rudy. His parents' car just left, but she hardly paid attention as she looked at Rudy. The boy's head was hung low and he averted his gaze from her. His expression was unreadable. She couldn't tell if he was angry or if he was nervous or what. But the way he was moving so slowly... It was clear he was feeling just as guilty as she.

The sight of him made her feel nervous, and she took a step back. She tried to think of something to say, but no words would come out. Rudy made no attempt to speak to her, and never once did he try to look at her in the eyes. Soon he got close enough that he nearly brushed up against her, and he began to make his way towards the school entrance like she was.

"Rudy..." Penny finally managed to say, holding up a finger. Rudy stopped and looked over at Penny. She winced at his expression. "I...um.." She looked down at his arm. "..how are you feeling...?"

Rudy gave a soft grunt. "I'm fine..." He looked down at her arm in return. "And you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Penny said. She thought she could see a smile in Rudy's face, but it was rather faint. "So, when did you want to start..." She stopped when she noticed that Rudy began to walk away from her. "..talking. Hey, Rudy! Wait!"

Rudy ignored her. He just kept going, his gait rather off, his head remaining low. Penny watched him for a few seconds. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Without further delay, she went into the school.

Chapter 27: Trappings

Oh you poor soul... Look at what you made me do...

sss

What bad luck she had today. Well not just her. Penny reminded herself the same would go to Rudy. The two of them had tried to speak to each other, not just about the fight, but about ChalkZone as well.

However, things didn’t go as planned. They both barely got a word in edgewise when Reggie came and interrupted them. The large boy wouldn’t leave them alone and kept pestering them, taunting them for being ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’. They tried to leave, but Reggie would just keep following them around, and rarely let them out of his sight.

Penny gritted her teeth at the rather annoying and unfortunate memory. All she and Rudy wanted was a bit of privacy, so they can speak and figure out what they were going to do. And then along comes Reggie and all that went down the drain.

She felt a tingle in her finger as frustration settled in. It was quite difficult to push back the anger and anxiety as she realized that she and Rudy had to, yet again, wait to speak to each other. She would rather not talk in the car; that gave them so little time. The doctor’s office wasn’t that far away. This was something that she and Rudy needed to talk about in one sitting, not part way and then have it get delayed.

But when would they get another chance? She wasn’t sure. She hoped it would be soon. Even though it was going to be hard, not just for her, but for Rudy too, she knew it had to be done. They needed to make amends and then focus on ChalkZone. Maybe after the doctor’s appointment, they could find time then. Maybe she could convince her mom to let her go over. She wasn’t sure what luck she was going to have, but...she might as well try.

At the moment, she sat in the backseat of the car, like her mother insisted. Sitting down next to her was Rudy. She felt a pang in her chest as she stared at him. The boy was looking at the floor, probably unaware that she was looking at him. Her eyes moved over his body, noting the bandages and bruises. She bit her lip. Had she really struck him that hard...?

They were on their way to the doctor’s right now. Her mother had recently picked them up. About two minutes ago, actually. She had never felt so glad to see her mom; Reggie was becoming truly grating on her and Rudy.

She didn’t know what had gotten into him, anyway. What did he particulary find funny about her and Rudy liking each other? They were just friends, anyway. Wasn’t like there was anything all that humorous about it. Oh well. She shrugged. It doesn’t matter. It was just Reggie. She had more important things to worry about.

Like Rudy and ChalkZone... She longed for the day that everything would go back to the way they used to be. Before all this madness with Terry and Von had taken place. But maybe that was just a dream.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the car suddenly swerved to the side. She grunted as she felt herself being pressed against the door. She yelped when she felt Rudy collide with her, pressing her further against the door. The two children clenched their teeth, shutting their eyes, for a few seconds. When the car eased into a straight line, pulling up into a small parking lot, they leaned away from each other and relaxed, both feeling a sense of relief.

They glanced at each other. They maintained eye contact for a few seconds, looking at each other nervously. They then looked away from each other, making nervous gestures. The brief physical touch couldn’t help but remind them of the fight that they had earlier. Especially since the last time they physically touched was when they had bitten each other...

“Come on, you two.” Penny heard her mom say. The door opened up and she heard her mother step out. “Let’s go. We’re nearly late for your appointments.”

Ah yeah, their appointments. In the midst of the tension, Penny almost forgot about that. She and Rudy both needed their bites checked, as well as to be sure them punching and kicking each other didn’t lead to damage that her mother had missed. She herself needed to make sure the weapon that Howdy used on her didn’t have further reaching consequences than she previously thought.

She climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door, timed in such a way that it almost seemed like an echo to Rudy’s. They both walked out towards the building, where her mother was. She opened up the door and gestured for them to go in first.

Rudy and Penny once again looked at each other. They stared at one another like this for a few seconds before her mother clearing her throat prompted them to go into the building. Penny heard her mother shut the door behind them and the three walked down the small hallway, towards a door on the side. Her mother opened that one too, ushering the children in first. Penny couldn’t help but wonder if her mother was doing what she could to keep her and Rudy within sight of each other.

The three of them headed towards the first seats they saw in the small waiting room after they had signed in. Her mother took the edge seat while she sat next to her mom, and Rudy sat a seat away from her. She felt a pang of disappointment and she couldn’t help but look over at him sadly. Not like she could blame him for being nervous, though.

“No, Rudy. You sit over here.” Her mom said, giving Rudy a soft glare. “This isn’t a large facility. Don’t be taking seats away from other patients.”

Rudy didn’t say a word to her, nor did he look at her. He gritted his teeth, giving a soft grunt. Penny was not able to determine what this meant. Slowly, reluctantly, Rudy slid over into the chair next to her. He kept his body leaned away from her, careful not to touch her, careful not to trigger that tension and fear they both experienced earlier.

The fear to touch one another... Penny hoped that they would be able to get over that fear soon. She hoped that they would be able to reestablish their friendship and mend the trust between them.

She leaned back in her chair and stared up towards the clock. Her mom wasn’t exactly correct when she said they were running late. There was still some time. Maybe ten or so minutes. That gave her a bit of time to try to talk to Rudy, but...is now really a good time? No..too many people around here. She would have to wait.

But the way her mom was looking at her... She recalled her mom wanted her and Rudy to try to speak to each other on the way to the doctor’s, which they didn’t do, or during the waiting room time, which they weren’t right now.

She bit her lip. She turned her head to Rudy. Maybe she should try to speak to him. Maybe she should at least make the attempt. She could apologize for the fight; that didn’t really require hiding top secret information from everyone else in the room. Yeah..she couldn’t put this off any longer. She..she had to try...

“Rudy, I...” She said as she turned towards her friend. However, she never got a chance to continue as a louder voice talked over her.

“Rudy Tabootie!” Called a feminine voice. Turning her head, Penny could see a tall nurse standing there with the door into the back wide open. “The doctor will see you now.”

Rudy looked over at Penny, his expression softened with a tinge of regret. Then he got up from his seat and walked away. Penny watched him leave sadly. So much for that attempt. She hung her head, wondering if they would ever get a chance to speak.

Upon feeling her mother’s hand on her shoulder, Penny looked up. Her mom stared down at her sympathetically and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll get a chance...”

Penny turned her head away. “I hope you’re right about.” She closed her eyes. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am. Trust me.” Her mother said, gently squeezing her shoulder. “Just give it some time.”

Penny did her best to be positive. Her mom was right. Even if they couldn’t talk now, that didn’t mean they never would. She just had to wait. Sooner or later, they would get their chance.

sss

Snap ran as fast as he could. He pushed himself across the ground, pounding his feet to launch himself quicker. He looked out in front of him, trying to see if he could see any sign of Rapsheeba or Howdy. He didn’t know how long he had waited, or how much of a head start that they had. So he just kept running, hoping that he would run into one of them soon.

He couldn’t believe he took so long to figure out an answer. He wanted to slap himself in the face for not coming to this conclusion faster. He should have known there was really one answer.

With Rudy and Penny unable to come, with them not able to set foot inside ChalkZone, Snap realized that Rapsheeba had been right. They didn’t have all that time. He doubted that Terry and Von would consider leaving Blocky alive for that long. For all he knew, they would likely finish him off after he had been ‘used up’. Then they might try to come into ChalkZone next... Waiting for Rudy and Penny may only result in disaster. There was little reason to believe that those two humans would do nothing for five days.

He still hated the idea. He still wasn’t sure how well thought out a plan it was. He didn’t even know if there was a plan that Rapsheeba had in mind, or if she was just acting on pure instinct. But in the end, he realized, after some long thinking, that Rapsheeba did have the right idea, and that they should mobilize and try to rescue Blocky.

Poor Blocky... Snap bit his lip as he remembered the condition his friend was in. He had no idea what state he would be in after they came back for him. He had no idea how he would recover from this... or if he would at all. What if Blocky became permanently scarred from this? What if he wouldn’t survive? A cold chill rushed through his body at that thought. He wanted to believe that everything would be okay, but deep down even he knew just how wrong everything could go...

He couldn’t let himself fall into despair, however. He couldn’t allow himself to become consumed with such thoughts. As hopeless as it seemed, as terrifying the idea of going into the Real World to mount a rescue mission frightened him, what with all the humans could do to them, he still tried his best to remain positive. Things might turn out better than he had expected. He’d never know until he tried.

Up ahead, he started to see a couple of retreating forms. He squinted his eyes, trying to see if he could figure out who it was. Upon realizing that it was Rapsheeba and Howdy, he called out their names, increasing the speed of his running.

“Hey! Howdy! Rapsheeba! Wait up!” He cried.

The two figures stopped. They turned and looked behind them. Their eyes widened in shock and pleasured surprise as they saw him running towards them.

“Snap my man, did you change your mind?” Rapsheeba asked once Snap got close enough.

The blue superhero stopped in front of them for a few moments. He put his hands on his knees, gripping them gently. He panted heavily as he tried to regrain his breath. His throat felt dry and his legs were weakened after all that running.

After he caught his breath, he said, “Yeah...I did...” He smiled at the two zoners. “I’m just...sorry it took me so long.”

“Don’t worry about it. At least you’re here now!” Howdy said. Snap was impressed with how brave he sounded. Despite the fear of what the city thought of him now, and despite the horrors that he had seen, he was still trying to be courageous.

“Yeah. With your help, we’re sure to win.” Rapsheeba said.

Although Snap felt flattered that Rapsheeba had so much confidence in him, that alone wasn’t going to win this fight. Snap could not allow himself to get too overconfident; that just might come back to bite him in the rear end.

They had to be careful. They were going to have to read lightly in the Real World. They would need to be aware of their surroundings at all times. They would have to make sure that Terry and Von have no access to any liquids, and to no chalkboard either. The Real World fluids thing was obvious, but he just realized that Terry and Von, if they knew what a chalkboard was capable of, might use it to their advantage and threaten them into submission. And unfortunately, there were a few chalkboards in that laboratory that he remembered seeing, not just the one that he and Howdy originally entered from....

Well he was certain that, once they gathered some trustworthy zoners and met up somewhere and talked, someone would be able to figure out a plan. This was going to be one of their most dangerous missions yet. Extreme caution and deep planning was required for this. They would have to give this their all.

Snap broke the silence, clearing his throat to make sure that he still had his friends’ attention, and also to make sure he didn’t slip up his question. “So...what did you two have in mind?”

Rapsheeba was the first one to respond. “Howdy and I are going to head into the city and call a meeting. We will explain to the zoners about what we found out and propose the plan to go to that portal to rescue Blocky.”

“What if the zoners aren’t happy to see you?” Snap asked. He was careful not to bring up the thing with Howdy. The poor guy must already be worried enough. Besides, both of them knew of that possibility; his expression alone was enough to convey that message.

“I’m certain there will be resistance. I am fully prepared to handle the remarks I am sure to get.” Howdy said. “However, I think their reaction towards me will lesson quickly once they find out that I have information they could use to help defend their home.” Howdy paused for a moment. He then continued, “While I know some of the zoners will not be happy to encounter me, I’m sure that their desire to protect their home from these human intruders would be of a higher priority on their list.”

“Yeah, that’s true...” Snap had to admit it, but Howdy did make a good point there. “I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance at helping to stop Terry and Von. Some of them are brave like that. “He clenched his teeth. “Some stupidly so...”

“Snap...” Rapsheeba said, narrowing her eyes at Snap.

Snap lowered his head slightly. “Yeah, I’m sorry.” He realized he should have been a little more sensitive with what he said. Wanting to move on quickly, he said, “Do you have any ideas, queenie?” He held up his hand in gesture. “I mean, I know you are going to call a meeting and all, but...” He paused for a moment, trying to think of how to word his question. “But...do you have any ideas of your own?”

Rapsheeba stared at him. She tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm...well..I admit I didn’t think that far ahead..”

Snap widened his eyes. “You didn’t?”

Rapsheeba shook her head. “Why do you think I’m calling a meeting? I’m sure one of the zoners would be able to think of something.”

“Yeah. There’s a lot of zoners in the city.” Howdy said. Yeah, that was an understatement. Snap knew just how packed the city was. “One of them is bound to know...something that we could try. I mean...rushing in isn’t going to work.” Making a gesture with his hand towards Snap and then himself, he added, “I mean...you and I aren’t exactly strangers to that. We both saw what those two humans are capable of...and why it is important to think of a plan first.”

Snap was glad to hear that his two friends weren’t going to just rush into things like he had feared earlier. They both understood the importance of a plan, and to think out a strategy before they rushed headlong into the Real World. This would give them a better chance when they have to confront Terry and Von, and rescue Blocky from his imprisonment.

Yet how they were going to pull it off... he wasn’t sure. He had hoped that one of them would have thought of something already. Something that could give them an edge when going to the portal. Snap himself hadn’t thought of anything yet, and the fact that neither did his friends...that left a nervous feeling in his stomach, making him bite his lip hard.

He wasn’t too keep on the idea of letting the other zoners decide. It sounded good at first...until he realized just how gun-ho some of the zoners would be in stopping the humans. They might think that rushing in without rhyme or reason was the best route to go, or they would be so consumed by anger and fear, that they’d rush over without thinking, and then get themselves caught. Snap would never forgive himself if more zoners were caught when he could have prevented it.

He realized that they were going to need a voice of reason. Someone to be present at the meeting, who could keep the crowd under control. Someone who has had experience with less than friendly creators.

And he knew just the one.

Biclops.

Snap gestured to his two friends. They looked at him, waiting for him to speak. “Come along! This way!”

“Uh..but Snap...” Howdy spoke up. His voice was tinged with uncertainty. “That’s...not the right way.”

“Yeah.... The city is this way. Where do you think you’re going?” Rapsheeba sounded just as confused.

Snap paused and looked towards his friends. He realized he didn’t really explain to them where he wanted them to go. He said, “We’re going to the Chalk Mine to get Biclops.”

“What? Why?” Asked Rapsheeba.

“Because he knows creators better than most zoners. And he’s one of the largest zoners in the immediate area. He would be able to ensure that none of the zoners get too crazy and try to go to the portal themselves. And since he dealt with creators in the past, he might have some knowledge on how to combat them.”

Rapsheeba and Howdy looked at each other, their eyes widening in realization. They both appeared to realize that Biclops would be of a huge help here.

Snap recalled their initial meeting, and at times, it still unnerved him. Biclops had been more violent back then, almost maniacal. He had been mentally scarred by the actions of those past creators, and he had projected it into him and Rudy. However, as unsettling as the memory was, it did remind Snap how helpful Biclops could be in this situation. His experience with dealing with a world where creators could move about freely.. yes, surely Biclops would have some knowledge on how to handle creators.

With a single nod of his friends’ head, and a look at their expressions, no words needed to be spoken for Snap to know that they agreed with his decision. It was settled: they were going to the Chalk Mine.

The three friends veered off away from the city, which could be seen in the distance, and headed towards where the Chalk Mine would be. Snap hoped that Biclops would be willing to come to the meeting. Yeah he’d have to leave the mine unguarded for a little while, but perhaps he could find another zoner to take his place for a short time. The meeting wouldn’t take that long, right?

sss

Penny flinched slightly as the doctor shoved a bottle of medicine into her hands. She looked down at it, peering at the label and expected usage of the stuff.

“I want you to take this once every day.” The doctor said, her voice stern, almost cold. The aura of emotionless professionalism. Penny did her best not to let it get to her. “Make sure to take it with food or water. This should take care of the inflamation in your body, and kill any infections you might have. Do you understand?”

Penny nodded her head once. “Yes, ma’am.”

The doctor smiled, although Penny could tell it was fake. “Good. You are dismissed.” She moved Penny towards the door. “Mrs. Sanchez...” She addressed her mom this time, who was standing near the doorway. “You may go sign out there. I expect you to call me to give me any updates on how your daughter is doing.”

“I will.” Penny heard her mom say. There was some kind of emotion laced in there, but she couldn’t quite identify it. “Come along now, Penny.” She reached over, grabbed Penny’s head, and left the room.

Penny was glad to be out of there. Her usual doctor wasn’t available, so instead she got this one. She wasn’t really mean or anything, but her whole attitude was just... It was as if she had seen so many heartwrenching patients that she just became desensitized to it. Penny felt rather uncomfortable around her. The woman’s cold professionalism did little to help her feel better, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the female doctor was blaming her for getting hurt.

Well...that wouldn’t be too surpising, considering that she had to explain to her that she was electrocuted, and had to come up with a ridiculous story of how she, one of the highest ranking students in her class, could have made such a terrible blunder. Still, she wished the doctor didn’t act that way around her. She felt bad enough; she didn’t need more encouragement.

Oh well, at least it was over now. She followed her mom as they headed towards the counter that the doctor had indicated. As her mom was filling out the paperwork required, Penny turned her head and happened to see Rudy going towards the exit. His appointment must be over already.

Penny wanted to call out to him, but she refrained, pulling her hand away. Now wasn’t the place for a talk. They can wait later. Plus, she still wasn’t entirely sure of how she was going to start her apology. She still needed a bit of time.

When her mother was done, hearing the sound of the pen and paper being dropped, Penny looked up at her mother. “Hey mom? Can I go over to Rudy’s? Or can he come over to ours?”

Her mom stared down at her for a few seconds. Then she asked, “Why? You two had plenty of time to chat.”

“Well yes, but... I think it’d be best if we talked in private.” Penny raised her hands at her sides. “I mean, the school wasn’t exactly private, and neither is a doctor’s office.” She settled her arms at her sides. Noticing her mom’s expression, she added, “And we didn’t have a lot of time in the car. The doctor’s office isn’t that far away from where we live. After what we did to each other...” Penny closed her eyes and sighed. “We...we are going to need more time.”

For a few moments, there was no response. Penny wasn’t sure if she upset her mother somehow. She dismissed it, believing that her mom was just trying to think of an answer for her. Keeping silent, giving her mom the time that she needed to respond, she followed her towards the door. They were quickly joined by Rudy, who appeared a little anxious to get home.

In silence, the trio went towards the car to prepare to leave. Her mom unlocked the door and she and Rudy climbed into the backseat. She did her best to ignore the tension of being so close to him. She tried to ignore how he was doing what he could to avoid touching her. She tried to push back the sensation of guilt, reminding herself that, soon, it would all be over and they could move past this.

Her mom turned the car and they began to drive down the road. All the while, as they passed the street signs, and the lights, they were silent, not saying a word to each other. The silence weighed down on Penny’s shoulders, creating a fog of tension around her.

As they began to take another turn, heading down a new street, Penny’s mom spoke up. “Rudy, do you want to come over to visit, instead of going back to your parents’ place? I can call them when we get back and arrange it if you’d like.”

Penny stared over at Rudy with a sideways glance. She tried not to influence his decision. She wanted him to come over on his own accord, not because she made him feel like he had to.

Rudy glanced at her for a few moments, their eyes locking onto one another. He bit his lip, his eyes filling with nervousness. He looked away, pointing his gaze towards the ground. He shifted his eyes from left to right. He looked as if he was having a hard time deciding. The longer he struggled to think, the more nervous he seemed. And each time he looked at her, he appeared to grew more and more anxious.

At first, it looked as though he was going to decline. Penny tried to ignore the pang of disappointment clinging in her chest. Despite how she felt, she knew it was up to Rudy to decide if he wanted to come over or not. After all, they wouldn’t really be able to properly discuss anything if she tried to force him to come.

At last, Rudy appeared to regain his voice. Afther he cleared his throat a few times, he said, “S-Sure...”

“All right then.” Penny’s mom said. “I’ll call your parents when I get back so they know where you are.”

A small smile spread along Penny’s face. She was happy that Rudy decided to come over. As scared as she was, she still looked forward to trying to settle things with her friend. The longer they put this off, the worse it was going to get.

But that wasn’t the only thing they had to concern themselves with. There was still ChalkZone’s safety, and their missing friend... She sucked on her lip, feeling her gut sting as she realized that Blocky had been gone for days, and Terry and Von had the portal for days. She had no idea what kind of threats now await them, or what Terry or Von had been able to accomplish in that amount of time. They needed to figure out something, and fast.

She hated to imagine what would happen if they failed. She hated to imagine the disaster that lay before ChalkZone. She knew that, if ChalkZone were exposed, Vinnie’s zoner enslavement for his amusement park was going to be the last of their worries.

sss

“All right, time to eat.”

Terry couldn’t believe she was stuck with feeding a zoner again. But Von didn’t really want to partake in it. He insisted that he go and look at his studies some more, perhaps revise some of his original ideas for the zoners. He also wanted to figure out if there were any further tests that could be made, or if they should just get on with the dissection, whether it be with Blocky or someone else.

The idea of dissection didn’t bother her initially. But after discovering the zoners’ possibility of being carbon-based, which would bring them closer to Real World lifeforms than she originally thought, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

She shook it out of her head. She didn’t let it distract her, and thankfully, the feeling was, largely, fleeting. Even if he was carbon-based on some level, Blocky was still a creation, not something naturally born, and he wasn’t human. He was just an animal. With that in mind, she was able to refocus her thoughts on feeding Blocky, rather than thinking of her own personan conflicts with the situation.

Terry opened up the glass enclosure. Blocky rested on his back. He stared up at her. His dulled eyes were still bright in fear, and he shivered at her presence. Terry ignored this and reached down. She pulled Blocky out and carried him over towards the table. Might as well feed him here rather than at the cafeteria.

Laying Blocky on the table, she removed the small bag that she had slung over her shoulder. She pulled out one of the few remaining bottles of chalk water that Howdy had given her. Along with that, she also took out a small thing of chalk soup. It appeared to be one of the microwavable kind. She didn’t want to waste time heating it up, though, and it was still edible cold anyway. She pulled back the lid and, taking out a plastic spoon, scooped up a spoonful.

“Open your mouth.” Terry commanded.

Blocky simply stared at her, whimpering softly. She growled at this. She wished he didn’t overreact this way. It wasn’t like she was trying to hurt him or anything.

“I said open your mouth!” She called to him, this time in a louder voice.

Upon seeing that the wild animal was not going to cooperate, Terry took matters into her own hands. Holding him down by his head, gripping it tightly, she brought the spoon over towards his mouth. Without bothering to plan the move carefully, she shoved the spoon into the zoner’s mouth. The resulting force splashed soup onto his face, some of it getting into his left eye. He squirmed and whimpered loudly in response.

Pull the spoon away and listening to the zoner struggle to swallow, Terry shook her head. “That’s what you get for being uncooperative.” She raised the spoon up into the air, moving it slightly back and forth in her fingers. “I hope you take this as a lesson and you work with me instead of being such a big crybaby.”

Blocky swallowed, coughing a few times as he choked. “Y-Yes, m-m-ma’am...”

“Good zoner...” Terry hissed, gritting her teeth. She scooped another spoonful of soup and moved it wards the zoner. “Now...eat up.”

Blocky stared at her, his mouth partially open. He still looked reluctant to continue eating the soup. Terry narrowed her eyes and was about to push the spoon back into his mouth when he slowly opened his mouth wider. Smiling at this show of submission, she inserted the spoon, this time more gently. A way of showing him that she can be gentle so long as he cooperated with her.

Without much further resistance, Terry continued to feed the zoner. Save for a few coughs here or there, she didn’t have any further trouble with him. Spoonful after spoonful, she delivered the food to him, and he ate it without attempting to fight back. His left eye squinted from the soup getting in, but that soon stopped, the soup droplets no longer causing a problem for him.

Soon she was done. The zoner ate the entire cup of soup. She pulled it away and looked down at it. This outta keep him fed for a while. She might feed him again later today, although she and Von did decide to only feed them once per day to keep the food rations going.

She tossed away the barbage and glanced down at the bottle of water. Did she really need to use this on him now? Probably not. There was plenty of fluid in that soup. That should keep the zoner hydrated for a while. He didn’t really need the water right now. Yeah, she’ll give it to him later. Perhaps in at night, before she left the building to go home.

After she felt she had wasted enough time with the zoner, she returned him to his cage, dropping him in like it was nothing. She ignored his cries of pain ignored the sensation of guilt as she did so, and walked away from the room. She looked over her shoulders and, giving a small smile, she said, “Have a nice nap.” She shut off the light and left the room.

As she walked down the hallway, heading towards the cafeteria so she can get a bite to eat as well, she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks. She turned her head, looking back towards the door. A part of her felt...reluctant to leave Blocky alone. She started to wonder if she should...

Oh what was she thinking? This was Blocky she was talking about. A zoner. Who cares if he was left alone? He could handle a few hours on his own. They left him alone at night all the time. Well granted he had been with his friends lately, and they were both gone...but still, they left him alone before. So why should she feel any different about this time?

She shook her head. She realized she was starting to become soft. And it was worsened by that blasted research paper that she read. She gripped her face, gritting her teeth. The feelings that arose from that began to cloud her over, creeping through her body like some kind of infection. She hoped that Dr. Von Doktor doesn’t get word of this. He would never let her live it down. Her reputation suffered enough. Now she was developing an attachment for a creature that wasn’t even... Oh what was wrong with her?

But she just couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was in the wrong, if what she was doing was right, if there was more to this than she had imagined. The carbon-based thing seemed to push this thought process forward, and she began to wonder if Blocky truly wasn’t as different as she thought, that perhaps she wasn’t imagining it.

She thought back to how he acted while she was feeding him. Why did she feel guilty about that? All she did was give him food. But..she did feed him in the worst position possible. On his back. And she wasn’t exactly gentle with him initially. The way he looked at her, it sort of reminded her of a scared child. She sucked on her lip as she made that connection. A sweeping sting spread through her stomach, and, for a moment, she became..conflicted and confused.

She managed to make the thoughts subside for the most part. There was still a somewhat chilling sting that she was feeling as the doubts started to grow stronger. She shook her head and started her walk. Maybe she didn’t clear her mind enough. Maybe she was just hungry and her mind was confused. Yeah..that was probably all it was. She headed towards the cafeteria to get a bite to eat.

sss

Blocky laid on the ground, unable to stop his trembling. He tried to clear out his throat more. The earlier time when he nearly choked still got to him. It didn’t help that he could still feel the spoon in his mouth, painfully pressing against his gums and lips. He tried to settle himself down, reminding himself of the fact that he was alone now. Terry could not bother him anymore.

But..being alone wasn’t exactly a thrill, either. His mind was racing as he looked around, realizing that he was all alone, just like he was on the day he was brought here. The old fears from those days came back, magnetized, clouding over him. His body shook harder, unable to stop the whimpers from eminating from his mouth. He shut his eyes, trying to block out what was going on, where he was. He tried to, for a few moments, forget about his predicament, and think happier thoughts.

Yet any attempt to think more positively was washed out by his current memory. The negative emotions and memories were certainly more powerful, easily destroying any positivity he tried to find in his predicament.

He couldn’t even remember how long he had been here. His fear and terror blocked out any memory of time passing. He was only aware of being here for more than one day. But how long has it been? Days or weeks, or even months? He shivered at the thought, and he found himself curling up into a small ball. He tried to at least keep his emotions tame, to not allow himself to be consumed by fear. A hard task, but he was getting sick of being terrified all the time. It was becoming exhausting, and he could feel it tear himself apart on the inside.

The negative emotions swirling in his stomach felt as if they were burning a hole through his internal organs. The cold chill creeping along his skin as he was unable to stop imagining himself being placed in another experiment...that made him feel as though his skin would turn to ice and crack, spilling out his insides. And his trembling and his teeth chattering.... He was amazed that he didn’t exert the remainder of his strength from doing that.

He moved himself a little more, but then stopped, a shockwave of pain moving through his body. He got a painful reminder of the horrors that he had been put through. His head still ached from the extreme temperature experiments he was forced into. His body still stung from the burns. His side still raged in agony from being melted and cut into. His entire being was racked in pain, making it hard for him to move around too much, which forced him on his back most of the time. The most comfortable position at the moment.

He clenched his teeth as he tried to endure the painful stomach ache. It radiated through his underside, making him want to clutch it, only to stop himself when he realized that would be even more painful. He was forced to lay there and hope that it passes.

As it continued to spread, he started to feel a sense of nausea settle in. He tightened his lips together, swallowing nervously. He hoped that he wouldn’t end up vomiting up his stomach contents. He knew full well that he would not eat again after this, at least not until the next day. Given his condition, this was not something that he could afford. And then there were his captors. They’d probably find reason to punish him if they walked in and his stomach had been emptied.

He struggled to keep it in. He fought against the growing sensation, managing to place a hand against his mouth as he tried to push it back, tried what he could to keep the food in his mouth.

But it was becoming a useless task. He could feel his heart beating against his chest. He could feel a sense of dread spreading through him, leaving him in a state of a cold chill. He squirmed on the ground, curling his body inward, ignoring the pain this caused him. He clenched his teeth tightly, his eyes widening at the sensation of something pushing through his stomach.

No...please no... He couldn’t let this happen... He had to fight back. He had to keep the contents in. He...

It was no use. His body’s will was too powerful. His mouth salivating uncontrollably, he opened his mouth and he vomited.

For a few seconds, the enclosure echoed with the sounds of his retching. He couldn’t stop, no matter how hard he tried. He heaved heavily as he continued to empty the disgusting, foul-smelling contents from his stomach. His body shook immensely at the force of the vomiting. Soon, his retching turned into dry heaves, and after a little more fluid came out, he stopped. He collapsed on the ground near the foul-smelling stuff, unable to move very far from it.

The glass enclosure filled with the horrible stank of the stuff. The mere smell of it wanted to make him barf some more, but he had nothing more to give. He was disgusted when he saw that he could make out details of his very recent meal. He let out a loud groan and, after a few seconds, slammed the side of his head against the ground, shutting his eyes tightly.

Oh where was Snap? Where was Howdy? He...he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be with his friends. Why weren’t they back yet? They..they didn’t abandon him, did they? They didn’t decide to turn tail to save their own butts, right?

No..that wouldn’t be like them. He knew that neither of them would purposely abandon him like this. They’d come back for him. They would pull through.

But what if they didn’t? What if the reason they weren’t coming was because they ran into trouble? Maybe Von and Terry decided to get rid of them. No, not very likely...but what of Skrawl? Or the other ChalkZone villains? What if they did something? What if Snap and Howdy were in danger somewhere else? What if no one finds them? What if no one finds him?

Blocky let out a soft whimper at this. The pain of what he had gone through, and the powerful emotion that accompanied it swirled in his head, giving him a headache, a chill rising through his spine. The fact that he had no idea how long that he had left, if he would ever escape, or if he’d see his friends again left him in a state of growing fear and depression. The hope for a rescue had started to diminish, and at the realization that he could very well die here, tears formed in his eyes.

Howdy... Snap... Rudy... Penny... Rapsheeba... Everyone else... Would he be able to see any of them again? Would he be able to return to ChalkZone? Would he be able to set foot on ground that wasn’t Real World ever again?

The more he thought about it, the more he began to realize that it may never happen. His tears welled up further, and he began to feel the slick wetness move down his cheeks. He curled himself into a tighter ball. He tried to ignore the horrible smell, tried to resist any temptation to throw up further, despite how much the fear and horror was twisting up his stomach. Unable to hold it back any longer, he shut his eyes and began to sob, his body trembling from emotion.

sss

Dr. Von Doktor had finished up gathering what he needed to pull off what he needed to. He still needed some more time, and he needed to plan out how to pull it off. He knew the consequences if he did this poorly. The idea of doing this to another human being was unsettling...but when it came to progress, to gaining understanding, he couldn’t afford any mishaps. Terry was becoming a nuisance and he needed to fix this problem.

He doubted that he could get her to change. She was quite a stubborn woman, who appeared to always insist that she was right and that he was wrong. She interfered with his experimentations, even knocking him out, which he couldn’t quite forgive, and she often acted as if she had full authority over what he did. He had wanted to just play along for a while longer, but it was getting to the point where he realized that further action was required, and sooner than he had expected.

He wanted to check on Blocky first. He wanted to see how his...patient was doing. So long as he was still alive, and still of use to him, then he was good. This was important; after he got rid of Terry, he was going to need someone else to give him further information about ChalkZone. Blocky, given his weaker state, seemed to be the best choice for that.

But when he walked into the room, he was surprised and shocked by what he had found. He hadn’t expected to see the zoner curled up in a ball, sobbing loudly. The little animal sounded as though he was in a lot of pain, but when he walked around in a circle around the enclosure, he didn’t see any new injuries.

However, he did find something that might explain his discomfort. There was a pile of slightly chunky liquid on the ground in front of him. He could smell it from here and he had to cover up his nose. The sight of it caused a million thoughts to race through him.

What happened to Blocky? Why did he throw up? Did someone...

Of course... Terry... His eyes narrowed as his thoughts grew darker. Yes, Terry was responsible for this. She wanted to try to stop the experiment. She was trying to sabotage him by killing Blocky. She had poisoned him, the bitch.

He formed a fist with both hands, shaking them at his sides. He could feel his veins nearly pop in his head. His teeth grinded, and his pupils shrank into dots. He felt that cold, burning, uncomfortable feeling rise up inside of him. His body began to shake, the anger overtaking him.

He soon forced himself to relax, exhaling the emotion through a single forced breath. His thoughts remain embittered and burning, but now he could focus on what he was going to do.

So..Terry tried to one up him, eh? She decided to take away all of his fun...all for her misplaced love for the zoner. Oh she can try to dismiss it all she wanted to. She can try to deny it. But he could see it in her eyes. She was starting to care about the little runt. On a deeper level than just professionalism. As a result, she had truly become a threat.

Perhaps...he should move up the schedule... Yes, that’s exactly what he was going to do. He hoped that Terry was having a good time, because all that is about to stop.

sss

Snap smiled the best he could as he stared up at the giant. He folded his arms behind his back, twirling his foot nervously on the ground. He forgot how nervous he could be with the giant without Rudy around, and what he was about to ask isn’t something that normally came out of his or his friends’ mouths.

Not that Biclops leaving the Chalk Mine was unheard of. He has done it before, like when he came to see the Rudy Tabootie museum, or when he came to him alerting to Rudy being in trouble when he was too busy tormenting Reggie’s foot. However, those were rare exceptions, and Biclops never left the caverns for long. Part of it was out of habit; he probably had to spend a lot of time guarding the place back when creators were still around. The other part was just to be safe; while no ChalkZone villain could use the chalk, they could still destroy it, thus leaving Rudy chalkless.

Snap had no idea how Biclops was going to react to his question. He didn’t know if he was going to be willing to come with or not. He hoped that he would be able to think of something that could help, but nothing came to mind. And as he found himself in the stare of the giant, he stifled, unsure of just how to begin. The giant was quite intimidating as he glared down at him like this, and Snap cringed, gritting his teeth.

Now he found himself in the shadow of the giant. Neither Rapsheeba nor Howdy said a word. They hung back. Snap had said he would be the first one to speak to him, and they had accepted. Snap knew Biclops better than those two. With such a huge request like this, even he had to admit that he was the better zoner for the job. But that didn’t make this any easier.

“Well...?” Biclops asked, folding his arms against his chest. “I’m waiting.”

“Oh right...” Snap chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Oh why did this have to be so hard? This shouldn’t be this difficult. He had spoken to Biclops before.... What made this so difficult now? “Well...I had a question and...”

“I know that. You already told me.” Biclops said. “Now...do you mind...” He motioned a hand towards him in gesture. “..tell me what it is? Do you have something...important..to tell me?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yes, Biclops.”

“Then what it is? I don’t have all day, you know.” Biclops put his hands on his hips. “I’m going to be late for my exercise routine if you don’t tell me what you want. Does Rudy need more chalk? You know my rule on that. He...”

“..must come get it himself. I know that.” Snap said. He winced as he saw Biclops narrow his eyes. He was clearly not happy about being interrupted. Snap pushed his nervousness aside and managed to say, “Rudy and Penny won’t be in ChalkZone for five days.” Biclops’s eyes widened at this. “They got grounded by their family.”

“I...see.” Biclops said slowly. He was a little unnerved, although not too worried. “Well, ChalkZone will be fine until then, I’m sure.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Thank you for telling me, Snap. I’ll keep an extra eye out to make sure our resident troublemakers don’t start anything.”

Snap wished that he could leave it at that. He wished that was all that needed to be done. Alas, that wasn’t the case. “Wait!” He reached out towards Biclops as he started to turn around. The giant stopped and stared down at him in confusion. “There’s more, I’m afraid.”

Biclops furrowed his eyes with concern. He looked over at Rapsheeba and Howdy, who nodded their heads in agreement to what Snap said. This made him look even more worried and he looked back at Snap. “What is it?”

“We know where the portal is, and where Blocky was taken. In the Real World, it’s located in a scientific laboratory, and Blocky has been experimented on. Those two creepazoids, Dr. Von Doktor and Terry Bouffant, had run tests on him to learn more about him. They don’t care about Blocky at all. The poor guy is so weak...”

“You have to rescue him.” Biclops said, cutting into Snap’s talking. “Get him back into ChalkZone, erase any evidence those humans got, and close the portal.”

“But without Rudy and Penny...” Snap said, raising up his hands. He paused for a moment, letting Biclops absorb this information. He continued, “It will be quite dangerous going into the Real World for many zoners, and we may need a good number to ensure success.”

“But more numbers mean that they will have an easier time catching one of you.” Biclops warned. “That will give them another zoner to experiment on. They may even try to force information out of said zoner, and they could try to blackmail Rudy and Penny that way.” He rubbed the side of his face in a thoughtful manner. “What you will need to do is figure out a way to get Blocky out with the minimal required zoner numbers.”

“There’s one problem with that. This is in the Real World, Biclops. Remember that.” Snap said, pointing a hand in the giant’s direction. “They can use their Real World water against us, and even erasers, too. If we don’t send enough zoners, then they could all be killed!”

“Or at least neutralized in some of the most painful ways possible.” Rapsheeba shuddered at the thought.

Howdy hugged his arms to himself. Snap didn’t need to ask him to know that the zoner was imagining those horrific scenarios in his head. He sucked on his lip, swallowing nervously. “We...we were hoping that...you’d have some suggestions on how to deal with the humans...”

Biclops raised an eyebrow. “Me? How come?”

Snap stared at the giant in confusion. He thought that Biclops would have made the connection by now. Then again, it might have been a while since he last had to confront a human. Rudy was the last one far as he knew, and that was a couple years ago. Maybe Biclops had become so relaxed, that the idea of confronting a human was far from his mind.

This caused a pang to spread through his stomach. If that’s the case then... He hoped that Biclops would still be of some help. He hoped that the giant remembered what it was like to confront humans. If he didn’t have that knowledge available for them...

Well, they could probably still succeed. It would just be more difficult than he had hoped. This was not something they could afford trial and error with. They needed a plan and they needed to get it right the first time. The consequences of failing were much too dire. The damages would be irreversable.

“Biclops, you were there when humans used to come frequently into this world. Long time ago. Remember? You told me and Rudy that when we first entered encountered you.” Snap said. He remembered that day all too vividly. “You told us about how creators used to run amok and you chased us around because you assumed Rudy would be the same.”

Rapsheeba nodded in agreement, but Howdy’s eyes were wide in shock. He stared up at the giant with a disbelieving look. “You did that?”

Biclops looked down in shame. He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah..I did. I was a different person back then.” He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Snap. “I see where you are going with this, but I’m not sure how much help I would be.”

“What are you talking about? You’d be a great help!” Howdy said, his previous shock gone from his voice.

“Yeah. I don’t know why you think your input wouldn’t be valuable.” Rapsheeba said. “We could use someone with experience like you!”

Snap nodded his head. He smiled up at the giant, trying to reassure him. He had a feeling that Biclops was simply still feeling shame from his behavior back then and perhaps this talk was reminding him of that. Plus, the old memories of how it used to be so long ago must be getting to him. Those must have been such awful times. Snap could hardly even imagine how dreadful it must have been, seeing creators destroy left and right... No wonder the guy had such a sour attitude when they first encountered him.

“Please, Biclops.” Snap said, gesturing his hand out towards the giant. “Please, you have to help us. We need all the help that we can get. You’re our best chance. You know how to deal with creators.”

“Child creators.” Biclops said grimly. He shut his eyes and shook his head. “I never dealt with adult creators before...”

Howdy looked left to right. He shrugged his shoulders in confusion. “Aren’t they similar?”

Biclops frowned at this and shook his head. “No, they are not. Kids are easier to handle in some areas. They have little experience and don’t have as much knowledge of the world. To deal with them, you simply exploit this lack of knowledge and understanding, or even go for their emotions, as children are much easier to scare and terrify than adults.” He paused, biting his lip nervously. “I..admit I used some of those techniques to scare away the children.”

Snap exchanged looks with his friends. He could only just imagine what it was like for those kids. He had a feeling that what Biclops did to them to frighten them was nothing compared to how he was back then. He turned back to Biclops and said, “I suppose adults are harder because of experience?”

Biclops nodded. “Exactly. They know more things, sometimes even more than many of us zoners. They’re more calculating and deliberate. More cunning and intelligent. It is difficult to simply scare them away. And if you aren’t careful, you will just lure them back, especially with backup. They have to be handled differently than children. And I hate to say it, but as I said...” He placed a hand against himself. “I have no experience with adults...”

Snap bit his lip. This was not the news that he and the others were hoping to hear. They looked at each other nervously, wondering what they were going to do now. If Biclops couldn’t give them much information....

No, they could still use his help. Even if it was just children creators he faced off with, and not adults, he still had more knowledge of dealing with creators than any of them did. He would still be a great asset in the upcoming confrontation. Even if Biclops was unsure of himself, Snap knew that any amount of aid from him would help tremendously.

“Biclops...you still know the humans better than any of us. Sure your knowledge might be a little..limiting... But please... You have to try to help us.” Snap motioned with his hands towards the outside of the cave. “Come with us to the meeting.”

“Meeting?” Biclops asked, staring down at him in confusion. “What meeting?”

Rapsheeba answered this. “I called forth a meeting to discuss plans on rescuing Blocky. With Rudy and Penny gone for a few days, we decided that we cannot just sit around and do nothing. That’s too much time those humans have our friend, and way too long for them to have the portal. Who knows what they are going to do with it?”

“We were going to discuss with some zoners on a plan on saving Blocky.” Howdy said.

“However, we all realized the problem with that.” Snap said. “You see, some of the zoners in the city have gotten.... Antsy, for the lack of a better word. They would rush in brashly, too quickly. They could get themselves captured or hurt, or even killed. They would likely not sit down and just listen to a plan; as soon as they figured out where the portal was, they’d rush headlong into it.”

“I see...” Biclops said. He tilted his head to one side. “Is that part of the reason you want me to go to this meeting?”

Snap didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes. We were hoping that, in addition to your input, you could keep the zoners from rushing to their deaths.”

“We don’t want to risk losing anybody else.” Rapsheeba added. “I don’t want any more zoners end up like how Blocky did...”

Howdy flinched at this. “The boy guy was practically torn apart...” He shut his eyes, a few tears streaming from them.

“So what do you say? Can you come join us?” Snap asked, staring up at the giant expectantly.

Biclops stared down at the three. For a few moments, he was quiet, clearly contemplating what his answer was going to be. The three zoners waited patiently, giving the giant time to answer. It took a little while, but Biclops soon spoke again.

“No.”

Snap widened his eyes, hearing his friends express their shock and disbelief as well. “N-No..? But Biclops...You know how important this is and....”

Biclops raised his hand up. “You didn’t let me finish. No, I will not go to the meeting. It is too risky to leave the cave. You know I almost never do it unless I leave someone in here in charge, which I rarely do. However...” He folded his arms against his chest. He gave a small smile. “You are more than welcome to bring bring some zoners over here for the meeting.”

Snap gave a small gasp at this. He took a step back, staring at the giant in shock. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of that idea before. Oh why didn’t he think of it? It was so simple, yet so brilliant. He turned his head to look at his friends, who also stared at him in disbelief, both looking like they wished they thought of that sooner.

Snap looked up at the giant. “R-Really...?”

Biclops nodded his head. “Certainly! As long as you keep your hands to yourself and you don’t try to take any chalk.”

“Of course we don’t.” Howdy said.

“We are most grateful for your generous offer.” Rapsheeba said. “But..how about you help us, not just spectate?”

“Yeah.” Snap said. “Would you be willing to give us advice? Please... Any input you have will be most appreciated.”

Biclops let out a soft sigh. “Well, all right then...” He raised his head up a little. “I’ll...see what I can do.”

Snap felt positive emotion well up inside of him. He couldn’t help but grin at this. With Biclops’s help, and with the zoners’ support, he had a feeling that their mission was going to be a success. He wished he could speak to Blocky telepathically. He wanted to tell them that they would soon come for him. And they would take care of Von and Terry. They will torment another zoner no longer.

sss

No... Not now. Dr. Von Doktor gritted his teeth as he leaned against the wall. He held onto his head as he tried to settle himself down. Thoughts had rushed at him like a tidal wave, questioning what he was about to do.

Would it be right to...do this...to Terry Bouffant? He was certain that he wouldn’t get caught, that if he planned it out carefully, everything would be okay. He had some time to think about this. Being a scientist, he was able to think of workarounds, and envision several scenarios in his mind until he found one that suited his needs perfectly.

Yet, why was he still hesitant to go after Terry? It wasn’t like she was going to leave. She was a part of this plan. She wanted as much to do with ChalkZone as him. She was not aware of what he was going to do. She never acted as if she was suspicious of him. Even when he must have read through his stuff, she didn’t really act different enough that suggested that she was turning against him.

But she was still having doubts... And those doubts could turn her into an enemy of his... Even if it hadn’t appeared to yet, even though she still walked with him, called him an ally, that could soon change, all due to the information that she must have found. Exactly which one that was, he wasn’t entirely sure yet. He had his ideas. Learning that the zoners could be carbon-based might have something to do with it.

When he learned that possibility, yeah he was surprised, and it made him realize that the zoners might be closer to human than he and Terry first believed. But unlike her, it seemed, he was able to cast aside his doubts quicker. His scientific mind reminded him that the zoners were still animals, and that he shouldn’t feel that bad for them.

He wished that Terry would do the same thing. He wished that she would see that there’s little reason to feel guilt, that zoners were still not human, still not worth protecting to that degree. Their only purpose in life was to serve their creators, to serve science, to help him expand knowledge on how life can form. This could even open up new doors in learning where life came from.

But then..he didn’t even know if Terry realized this connection or not. Maybe she was being truthful and she was just looking around, not having touched anything to read. Just because he found it hard to believe doesn’t make it untrue.

Heck, he had doubted her on the existence of a chalk world. He had thought the idea was rubbish, and that such a place could never exist. Now here he stood, with a zoner prisoner in the building and a working portal in another part of the building. He knew full well just how right Terry had been. Could she be telling the truth again?

No matter. She still needed to be dealt with. He could still tell she was having some doubts, and doubt was the first seed of rebellion. If she began to question their mission...

...then it was best to get rid of her as soon as possible.

He still feared what might happen if things go wrong. If he was going to go through with this...then he would need to prepare as best as he could. This whole shebang could backfire on him horribly, and force him to live a life of regret.

So he was going to have to make this first attempt count. He would need to make sure that Terry does not get a workaround.

But wait...what about the children...?

Okay, so they were enemies. Rudy and Penny weren’t exactly buddy-buddy with Terry. Spending enough time with them revealed just how much they did not like each other. So perhaps he was just overreacting. Maybe they wouldn’t...

...but what if they did...? Rudy and Penny were smart. He had to give them that much credit, even if he wanted to deny it in the beginning. How else were they able to get passed his security? Even if Penny did use a portal from ChalkZone to get in, they still got from one room to another without triggering the alarm and even opened up the security door. This fact had led him to disable a lot of the security, as he had felt shame for implimenting it, regarding it as a waste of time. It hadn’t been replaced to where it used to be yet, despite knowing part of it wasn’t even the system’s fault. How could he account for portals to another world?

Should he be worried about Rudy and Penny? They are enemies of Terry, and thus may not have much of a reason to help her. Yet...after what he had learned of them, wouldn’t this be a tad...inaccurate?

He wasn’t sure why he was thinking this. He wasn’t sure if he was just paranoid, if he was getting worked up, or anything. But something in his head had set off an alarm. Something in the back of his mind was alerting him to the threat those children could pose. After all, they didn’t particularly appear cruel, and perhaps would come to the aid if even an enemy like Terry.

He shook his head. No, that was proposterous. The children wouldn’t be that stupid. Terry would most likely turn on them the moment that she was out of danger. She’d take advantage of their kindness, and use it to get back at them. Even he wouldn’t be that low.

He attempted to refocus his attention on going after Terry. He wasn’t sure how long he had wasted lost in his mind like that. Terry was still on her walk, and there were still some hours left before they both had to leave. He still had time.

But before he could begin to make his move, or do anything, he was stopped. The back of his head gave a dull pain and he felt a slight shiver go up his spine. This caused him to open up his eyes to another reality he hadn’t considered. Something that he should have realized sooner, and didn’t understand why it took him so long.

Rudy and Penny would still report him if they saw what he was about to do to Terry. The law is the law, and his upcoming actions would surely warrant arrest, even in the eyes of the woman’s enemies.

On top of that, Rudy and Penny would still be a threat even if they didn’t report him on Terry’s case. He was threatening their ‘precious world’ after all. From what Terry said and implied, they’d do whatever it took to stop him. They had access into the chalk world, and could storm in here to save their friend. Sure, Terry and him did have a plan on hindering them, but he realized he had no idea if that worked or not. He needed to do something else to ensure that they weren’t a threat to him anymore.

There was one thing he could do. An act was just as shocking as what he had planned with Terry. An act he normally wouldn’t have done, but now he was realizing that it was his best bet.

He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. He stared down the hallway, looking at nothing in particular. He frowned softly, giving a soft ‘hmmph’ sound. The hallway he was looking down was the same one with the room with the portal in it. He briefly thought about moving the portal, but decided not to, as the location it was in on the other side seemed safe enough.

He turned his head away and continued to head down the hallway. He folded his arms behind his back. Perhaps he should put off Terry again. She was just one person and he was smarter than she was. She could wait a little bit.

But the children...they could not.

Rudy and Penny were unpredictable factors. He knew little of what they were doing right now, or what they were presently capable of. They were unknowns that needed to be taken care of. He needed to get them and subdue them. He needed to bring them there...where he could ensure they would no longer be a threat. Not until he was finished with what he wanted. Not until he got what he deserved: praise from his peers.

But how would he accomplish this? How could he get the children without anyone knowing? The parents didn’t trust him. They...

...wait..there was someone who could help.

Von couldn’t help but give a twisted smile, tapping his fingers together eagerly. Yes, she might do... A person he had met once before, who also didn’t appear to like Rudy all that much. Although she would have no interest in kidnapping or hurting him, she just might jump at the chance to ‘rehabilitate’ Rudy.

Ms. Tweezer.

sss

Ms. Tweezer couldn’t help but stare at the man disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure whether or not she should consider his words to be fact. He could just be another deranged person, trying to set her up for something.

But something about his words felt almost...genuine. And she had to admit, it certainly was a warm welcome compared to what she had been put through in the past. Not many had treated her as seriously as this when she had spent half the day running around about ‘living drawings’. She shuddered at the memory of that. She had prided herself on remaining sane, unlike many of the cretins and their ‘fantasy fetish’. But for her to fall into that same mindset...despicable.

It was certainly a nice change of pace to have someone speak to her like she was a human being. Someone who didn’t constantly bring up that past incident, and who didn’t treat her like she belonged in the looney bin. Even if she did find this man a little...off... he was still welcome company in that regard.

“So...you want my help?” Ms. Tweezer managed to say after a bit of silence.

The man before her, dressed up in a white science suit whom she recognized as Dr. Von Doktor, nodded his head. “Yez, madame. You zee, I have an...important program running at my plaze.”

“I thought your place got shut down after...that incident.” Ms. Tweezer said, looking at him in confusion. “Did it reopen?”

“Well you could zay zat, yez.” Von said, making a few gestures with his hands. “I’m...trying to get more people interezted, zo I may earn zee money to rebuild it. Make it better zan before.” He clasped his hands together. “I would like to teach zee ztudentz education. Help zem learn more. I do not zink Mr. Wilter iz doing a very good job. Ezpecially after zeeing zome of zee report cardz.”

Ms. Tweezer couldn’t argue with that. “Yes, those report cards are horrendeous.” She put her hands on her hips and shook her head, her eyes closed. “Really, what is wrong with the youth today?”

“I want to change zat. I want to give zeze children a better education, where zey will learn, and become productive memberz of zoziety. And you...” He motioned his hand towards her. “I would like your help in getting my firzt ztudent. To try out my methodz and make sure it all worked out.”

“Who did you have in mind?” Ms. Tweezer asked.

Von smiled at this. It was almost a knowing one, as if he realized how she was going to react. She raised her eyebrow at this. She wondered if she was going to like the answer he was about to give. She waited, thinking that, maybe, it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

“Rudy Tabootie.”

Nope...she was wrong.

The mention of that name caused her heart to feel like it was burning up. She could feel it twisting and turning, the back of her head feeling like it was going to explode with the horrendeous memories of that boy.

Oh how she hated him..how she remembered what he had done to her...

All she wanted to do was educate him. She wanted him to see things for how they really were. She wanted to show him how wrong it was to draw things that didn’t exist, how the best stories were etched out of reality. The boy was wasting his time drawing those...fantasies...those lies...and she merely wanted to help him blossom into a proper artist.

What did he do to repay her? He broke her mind. He did...something... and made her go crazy. She hardly even remembered the act that he did, but she did recall its after affects. She remembered how what he did had driven her insane and she babbled nonsense, and no one would ever let her live it down. They wouldn’t even tell her just what it was she claimed to have seen. They just laughed in her face whenever she brought it up.

She had pushed the boy into the back of her mind and had tried to continue life as normal. Yet he constantly came back to haunt her. No matter where she went, someone would bring up that ‘crazy incident’, and she would get laughed at again. Even after all this time, the boy still haunted her.

But perhaps fate had finally smiled upon her. This man standing before her wanted to help educate students as well, to bestow upon them knowledge of the world. Such knowledge would certainly be useful...

And it would help tame that boy’s whacky, unbridled imagination, bringing it back down to more manageable levels. The boy may have escaped proper education in the past, but it seemed like, now, at last, all that was about to change.

Ms. Tweezer gave a sly smile. “Okay then...” She folded her arms against her chest. “I’ll help you.”

Von smiled at this. “Zat iz good to hear! Juzt talk to zee boy’z parentz and convinze zem to let you take zee boy to ziz new zchool. But do not mention my name.”

“Why not?”

“I...well let’z juzt zay my reputation haz..zuffered due to a pazt inzident...” Von said softly, gritting his teeth nervously.

Ah yes, she remembered something about that. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. He must have suffered a similar incident as she had. He knew what it felt like to go through what she had. In that case, they were something of kindred spirits. This gave her further reason to help him.

“Okay, just give me the directions and the boy will be yours.” Ms. Tweezer said.

Von took out a piece of paper and began to write on it. “Oh and make sure to bring hiz friend with, too. I zink he’d do better with a companion.”

Ms. Tweezer wasn’t sure how much she’d agree with that. The girl might actually prevent the boy from learning. Then again, she was of the more scientific mind. Maybe having her around would be a benefit. She had little reason to dislike Penny. After all, she played no part in the torment she had gone through. But if this was required to ensure the plan’s success, then she’d do it.

Dr. Von Doktor handed her the piece of paper. She took it from him and looked at it. The address appeared to be his old lab. Not that it surprised her; the man did say that he was trying to reopen the place up. It would make sense he’d use that place for his new education class purposes.

Stuffing the paper into her pocket, she turned to the scientist and said, “I’ll have Rudy and Penny at your place and ready to be taught a lesson as soon as possible.”

Von smiled at this. “Thank you.”

Ms. Tweezer watched as the man walked out of the door. As soon as she shut it, she glanced down at the address. She couldn’t stop smiling. At long last, the boy was going to get what was coming to him. He would become a model class citizen. And if he could be tamed...

Oh yes, she saw a bright future ahead for Plainsville.

sss

It was a disaster. The crowd erupted in protests and loud shouts. Many of them were demanding the location of the portal. They looked ready to tear him apart just to get that information. Snap backed away, his friends huddling close to him. The fact that they were in Biclops’s cave, surrounded by rock in all directions, did little to comfort him.

It had seemed so simple at first. And for a while, it worked. He and his friends had gathered up several zoners whom they feel would be the right fit for the mission. He explained to them where they needed to go and what he needed to talk to them about. The zoners listened and followed him. They had seemed really eager to know what it was he needed to tell them.

But when they found out he knew where the portal was, it seemed everything had gone downhill. He was glad that their negative attention towards Howdy disappeared, but now he was getting the flack now.

“Why won’t you tell us where it is?”

“Why are you holding back?”

“Do you even care?”

Snap held onto his head, and gritted his teeth. He tried not to let those words get to him. He tried to tell himself that the zoners were just frustrated, and tried to dismiss their statements as nothing. He knew what he was doing, and he knew it was for the best of ChalkZone.

But the words..no matter how hard he fought, they were still getting to him, making him shiver in fear. The way many of the zoners were looking at him, it struck panic in his heart and it was taking all his willpower not to turn and run away. He had to remain here. He had to talk to them. He had to get them to discuss the plan to save Blocky, to not rush out into danger headlong without any rhyme or reason.

Such a task would prove rather difficult, however. Many of the zoners were erupting in threats, demands, and anger. They were getting worked up. He feared that they might take drastic action if something didn’t...

“Enough!” Biclops’s voice boomed. The zoners immediately quieted down, looking up at the massive pale yellow zoner that appeared. “For shame! I would think zoners like yourselves would behave better than this!”

The zoners simply glared back, looking from Biclops and then to Snap. Rapsheeba and Howdy huddled closer to him to help him feel safe. The zoners gave a small snarl but made no move towards him. They took a few steps back, still glaring at him, but appearing to be, more or less, settling down.

One of the zoners said, “Okay then... Will you please tell us what we are supposed to do?”

Another said, “Yeah!” He raised his hands up in confusion. “Do you expect us to just sit here while those creators are out there somewhere, doing gawd knows what?”

“Of course not!” Rapsheeba called out. She put her hands on her hips. “We just don’t want to rush into this thing without a plan.” She moved her hand out in front of her, gesturing to the other zoners. “We had a feeling that you lot were going to try to leave to the portal right away as soon as we told you. I understand tensions are high, but you all need to think first!”

“We are!” One of the zoners snapped. It was the rough female from the earlier mob. Snap recognized her right away. Her meek male friend was behind her, keeping quiet. The rough female pointed her fingers at the three. “We all know that action needs to be done as soon as possible! Screw the planning! That will take too long!”

“Would you rather get caught, then?” Snap asked as he narrowed his eyes at the zoner. The rough female growled at this, but did not respond. “In case you didn’t know, the Real World is much more dangerous, with all sorts of things that can and will kill you! All those humans would need to do is grab a hose and spray you lot, and you are all toast!” He noticed the female zoner was attempting to reply. He cut her off, pointing a rounded hand in her direction. “And don’t you dare try to tell us that you can just jump out of the way and it’ll be fine! Just one touch of Real World water and you will be in a world of pain, if you’re lucky! Do you really want to take that chance?”

At this, some of the zoners in the group began to murmur softly to each other. They exchanged looks of worry, confusion, and horror. Snap wasn’t sure if they weren’t fully aware of dangers from the Real World or if they had simply forgotten and now were just being reminded of that.

The murmurs soon died down, and for a while everything was silent. Most of the zoners had stopped glaring, instead taking on more serious expressions, wanting to start the meeting officially. Snap was glad that at least some of the zoners were willing to listen enough and not just rush into this.

However, that tough female, whose name still escaped him, she didn’t look like she was going to back down anytime soon. She stood straight, her hands formed into fists, giving him an almost death glare. She looked like she was going to take action, either by rushing towards him or by running away to find the portal herself. Snap hoped that she would settle down so they can get the meeting started. They were wasting time like this. Couldn’t she see that?

Thankfully, Biclops intervened before she could take any next action. He took a step forward, lowering his head close to hers. “Don’t even think about it.”

The tough female hissed at him, but she didn’t try to retort against him. For the first time, her head lowered in submission and she took a step back, relenting to the will of another zoner. “As you wish...”

Snap knew the only reason she stepped down was because Biclops was much bigger and stronger than she was. There was no way she would be able to fight against him. To do so would be utterly pointless. She’d lose very quickly.

Giving a snort of satisfaction, Biclops leaned back and folded his arms against his chest. “Do we have any more protestors?” The zoners all shook their heads quickly. “Good.” Biclops stared down at Snap, Rapsheeba, and Howdy. “Shall we get started?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yes.” He cleared his throat as he turned his attention to the zoners. “We called you here because we know the location of the portal, and we need to set up a plan to rescue Blocky and destroy said portal. We would like all your input on what we can do, and we can try to set up a plan in order to get Blocky out of that situation he’s stuck in.”

Rapsheeba took a step forward. “We called Biclops here...”

“Well it is his cave...” One of the zoners said. He silenced himself when Rapsheeba shot him a glare.

“Yes, I’m quite aware of that.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway...” She held her hand up in gesture. “His experience with creators in the past is going to be of value here. Since we may run into creators during our rescue mission, we need to know exactly how to deal with them.” She looked up at Biclops. “Do you mind sharing your experiences with us?”

Biclops nodded his head. There was a flash of a haunting look in his eyes for a few seconds before it vanished completely. Snap felt sorry for the giant, having to deal with all that horrible stuff so long ago, and with no protector either... He could only just imagine what kind of nightmarish hellhole that it was.

Biclops cleared his throat and he began to tell his story.

“Those were some horrible times...”

sss

Terry growled softly as she followed the man down the hallway. Why was he moving so fast? For an old guy, he sure was quick. It took all her effort just to keep up with him, and even then, he appeared to be gaining speed. She could hear his footsteps clanging against the ground, which helped her whenever he took a swift direction and she didn’t see here he was going.

She hoped that, wherever he was taking her, they’d get there soon. She was tired of all this fast walking. Her legs were aching and her heart was beating faster than what she would have liked. Her legs were burning a little as well from the extra energy she was exerting. She didn’t remember how long it’s been since they started walking. But they had to be getting to their destination, right?

She wasn’t even sure where he was taking her, or why. He just said he needed to speak to her somewhere, far away from Blocky. He said he didn’t want the zoner to overhear what he had to say. But just what that could be, or why they had to go to a competely different level of the building, she wasn’t entirely sure. She tried to talk to the man, tried to get him to tell her more of what he had in mind. But he refused to elaborate, leaving her in the dark.

She grumbled at this. Scientists... They could be so secretive sometimes. She bet that he was just overly excited over some new invention or new discovery and he wanted to flaunt it to her. He seemed like the kind of guy that would strive for attention for anything, even something as minor as discovering a new name for a rock.

Regardless of her frustrations, she still followed the man down the hallway, zigzagging around, going deeper and deeper into the bowels of the building. As they continued on, she began to wonder just how large this building was. It was certainly more massive than it appeared on the outside.

Soon, they came to a room at the end of a long, narrow hallway. Dr. Von Doktor had finally stopped, positioning himself in front of the door. She looked back towards her, motioning with his finger for her to come in. Finally... Terry followed him into the room.

As Terry slowly entered, she looked around the room. This didn’t look like any other room in this building. She could see a table with some straps on it, a few small desks, at least one mobile, with various items, some monitors, and a bunch of other things. There was an odd smell in the room as well. Some kind of chemical. She snorted, feeling a slight headache come on from the dank smell.

“What is this place?” Terry asked, turning her head to look around.

“It’z a room where we teach newcomerz about operating on larger zpezimenz.” Von explained. “Unorthodox, and unusual, I know. But I’ll tell you what, zough. It waz affective.”

Terry wouldn’t be surprised by that. She was well aware of how hands on experience would be quite beneficial. She wondered offhandedly how many doctors may have come from this location. How many of them learned from this room? She hoped that this place offered a decent education. But considering that there had really been no complaints from the doctors in this area, she had a feeling that this place did a fine enough job.

But she was still confused. Why did Von want to bring her down here? What was the point? To show off this room? She shook her head, wondering if Dr. Von Doktor had lost it.

She turned her head to speak to him. “Why did you...” She never got a chance to finish.

She let out a yelp of surprise when she felt something seize her by her arm. She looked over and saw that there was a metal clamp there. Her eyes widened in horror for a split second, and then she reached over to pull her arm out. Then the other one was grabbed. She gritted her teeth as she fought against the machine as hard as she could, only for her aching muscles to give out. Her arms were soon stretched out beside her, giving her no room to move them.

“Dr. Von! What’s going on?!” Terry wailed, her voice tinging with anger and panic.

Dr. Von Doktor chuckled at this, his voice surprisingly icy as her legs were soon subdued as well, keeping them anchored to the ground. “Why...I’m juzt tying up zome looze endz...” The man said coolly as he took a few steps towards her, staring at her in the eyes. “I zink I let you ztay long enough. I waz going to give you more time...but zen I zaw what you did to Blocky. For shame, Mizz Bouffant. We weren’t even done with him yet.”

Terry struggled against her binds. She yanked her arms as hard as she could. She winced in pain when she felt her joints, her arm feeling like it was going to tear off. She glared at the man, baring her teeth. “Just what are you talking about, you loon?! I didn’t do anything to him!”

Von smiled at this. He began to walk around her in a circle. “Oh come now, Mizz Bouffant. You know better zan to lie to me.”

Terry watched the man as he walked around her in circles, like a vulture waiting for prey to die. It was unnerving, unsettling, but she tried her best not to let this show. She gave another yank, trying to free her leg to kick the man. “You’re insane! I never...”

Suddenly, Terry felt an arm slink around her neck, applying pressure. She gagged as her head was twisted to the side. A jolt of pain rushed through her neck, and her eyes bulged. It felt as though her neck would break at anytime. Her heart pounded at this, and she tried to struggle to get free. But Von, who now stood directly behind her, only tightened his grip further.

To her horror, Von brought a needle filled with some unknown fluid up towards her left eye. The sharp tip was placed very close, and she found it difficult to turn away. The sight of it reminded her of what she had said to Howdy, and she started to shiver. She swallowed nervously as she stared down at Von. She looked into his eyes, noting just how cold they looked. And that sinister smile...

“What...what are you...” Terry whispered softly.

“I’m juzt doing what I should have done earlier.” Replied the man, his voice making no attempt to disguise his cruel intentions. “It iz zuch a shame it came to ziz, Terry.”

Terry shook her head as best as she could with it still being held by the man’s arm. “N-No..please...” She whimpered softly, taking in a shaky breath. “Don’t... I’ll do anything...please...”

Why was the man doing this? Why did he think that she hurt Blocky? How long had he been planning this? How far was he going to go?

These questions and more flooded her mind as she struggled against the machine that held her. She jerked herself from side to side, trying to yank at least one limb away. But the binds were too tight, and she wasn’t going anywhere. The man’s cold laughter began to take a toll on her psyche, and she realized, as the seconds passed, she really wasn’t going anywhere. She eventually stopped struggling.

In that moment, she realized what a fool she was in trusting Von. She looked up at him, her eyes filling with the question of ‘why?’, silently pleading with him not to do it. But she knew, in this moment, as her heart’s beating pounded in her head, there was little she could do or say to convince him otherwise.

Von stared into her wide, scared eyes. His smile stretched further to one side, looking rather twisted. A side of Von that she never wanted to see. “Let’z..go ahead and get started...”

Terry whimpered loudly, “No..don’t!”

Von just smiled at her. The hand attached to the arm holding her rubbed the side of her face in an almost affection manner. “Why don’t you juzt relax? Zee more you relax, the zooner this will go.”

Terry shut her eyes, a few tears of fear flowing down her face. “Please..I didn’t do anything wrong...I swear, I didn’t hurt Blocky!”

“Tzk tzk, Mizz Bouffant. Again with zee lying. Why can’t you be more..truthful?” Von said, shaking his head in disappointment.

“But I am...” Terry was silenced when her head was twisted further, getting closer to the breaking point. She let out a scream for a few seconds before Von suddenly released her and walked away. Terry panted heavily, her eyes wide in pain. “I-I swear I...”

Dr. Von Doktor shot her a cold glare. Terry cringed at the sight of it. “Zinze you will not ztop telling me your liez...” He placed the needle down and grabbed another one. This was larger in size, and looked more wicked. “Perhapz ziz will relieve me of zat. Zen we can truly get ztarted.”

As the man drew closer to her, Terry’s body trembled hard. She shook her head in desperation. “No! Please don’t! Stop!” She cried as she struggled harder against her binds. “No!”

“Hold still...”

Terry yelped as she felt the man grab her hair. He yanked on it hard, forcing her head to the side. Then there was a sharp prick in her neck. She felt the cold piece of metal slink further into her skin. The man pressed down on the tip and after the liquid was fully emptied, he yanked it out.

It didn’t take long for the stuff to take effect. The woman felt her heart race against her chest when she realized that the inside of her throat felt numb. She tried to make noise, but while she could still grunt, growl, hiss, show signs of pain, among those primitive sounds, she could not articulate words. She took in a few gasps of horror at this realization, staring at the man with wide, terrified eyes.

“Now zen...” The man said, tilting his head, giving her an eerie smile. Terry widened her eys at this and gulped, gritting her teeth in fear. “Let’z begin...at lazt.”

Terry’s screams echoed in the room.

Chapter 29: Discoveries

The destination is yet just another start for something else.

sss

“How far away is it?”

“Aren’t we there yet?”

“Are you sure it’s here?”

“I don’t like this...”

“Hurry up!”

“I want to go home now...”

“Oh hush up, you big crybaby!”

Snap growled to himself as he listened to the banter behind him. Ever since they had left the meeting and started the journey, he had heard nothing but complaints from the zoners. He didn’t get much of a moment of silence. One zoner always had something to say, and others would respond to him or her, resulting in a constant conversation.

Well...at least it sort of provided a kind of ‘background music’ for the ‘trip’. A way to pass the time. Though he had hoped for something better than this. He wanted to cover his ears to try to block out the sound.

He turned to Rapsheeba and Howdy. They appeared to be holding up better than he was. They were focusing more on the journey, and on saving their friend. Snap envied them. He wished he could so easily ignore what the zoners behind him were saying. He wished he could focus on what was important. He tried. Oh how he tried... But the zoners were getting more noisy, more annoying, and some of the stuff they were saying was starting to grate on his nerves.

“I have to wonder if there’s even a portal at all there, or if they are just pulling our legs.”

“Since it’s Howdy we’re talking about, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Well, Snap is with him...”

“So what? Snap might be in cahoots with him!”

Snap resisted the urge to turn to glare at the zoner who said that. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was a look from Rapsheeba. She stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head slowly. Snap sighed. She was right. It simply wasn’t worth it. He continued on his walk, staying out in front of the others, sticking close to Rapsheeba and Howdy.

The meeting had went over pretty well. Biclops had been able to keep everyone in line. There was a hiccup or two, and some fights nearly started. Thankfully, Biclops was able to stop them before things went too far.

The presence of Biclops kept the zoners relatively tame. In his shadow, the zoners appeared to feel inclined to be submissive to the giant. They bowed their heads slightly and kept quiet, allowing him and his friends to relay to them the information and what they should do.

Biclops hadn’t been able to provide as much information for them, partly due to the fact he never had to face adult creators before. It was a shame, and disappointing. However, it wasn’t all bad. There was some information he could give them that, he hoped, would help them out.

The biggest advice that Biclops could give was for the largest zoners to surround the adults, preventing them from going anywhere. Should they have a piece of chalk, he recommended some zoners offer a distraction while the other targets the arms of the creator, binding them or, if they have to, hurting it enough to hinder the artist’s ability to draw.

He also adviced to stay away from the artist’s mouth. Human teeth were strong and could, in some zoners depending on how tough their skin was, pierce into their flash. This alone would cause a lot of pain, but human saliva, due to its Real World properties, woud increase the damage and the pain. A simple human spit would cause great irritation and, in enough quantities, even dissolve parts of them. Not that Snap thought that Von or Terry would bite them, but it would be best if they did not dismiss that possibility.

This information, as well as a few other tiny tidbits that were given, would be helpful in this quest. More would have been nice, but he could understand why Biclops couldn’t provide that much information. At least they had something they could use.

He could only hope that the other zoners remained patient...

Listening to the zoners behind him, he could tell they were getting even more antsy. They were restless, eager to defend their home, eager to stop Von and Terry from committing their heinous crimes. They were zoners of action, and Snap couldn’t help but feel a sense of impressiveness at this. But he still hoped they would be able to control themselves when they got there. He was all too aware of what would happen if they ran in willy nilly into the place. The screams...he could already hear them in his head.

But with his friends here, he was certain that they would be able to keep everyone in line while they prepared to depart into the Real World. If they were lucky, maybe they could even sneak around, find Blocky, and come back without any of them realizing that they had been there. A long shot, but he remained hopeful for that. True, some of the zoners, particularly the aggressive female, whom he learned was named Helga, would be disappointed. But oh well. Avoiding a fight was more important here.

“Oh come on!” One of the zoners cried. “Just how far away is this place, anyway?!”

A cold chuckle came from Helga. “Maybe they lost their way. I wouldn’t be surprised. Neither of them look too bright to me.”

Snap gritted his teeth at this. He did his best to ignore the zoners’ words, especially Helga’s. They were just agitated, frustrated that there exists a man who wishes to take apart everything that they held dear. Well most of them anyway. Helga was just looking for a fight. He didn’t want to encourage her, so he did his best to keep quiet.

But it was getting rather difficult. As time passed, as they continued to walk, he heard more and more snide remarks from Helga. It seemed as if she thought that, if she couldn’t take her frustrations out on Howdy, she would do so against him.

“Is this the best you can do? Really? You promised us that we would have a chance to defend this world! You promised that we would face against the very people who dare try to harm one of our own! And yet you are dilly dallying, taking us in circles instead of straight to the portal!” Helga snarled. “How do I know that you are even telling the truth? How do I know you’re not another traitor, Snap?”

“Yeah!” One of the zoners said. “Maybe we shouldn’t believe you! Maybe this is all just a front!”

Snap stopped walking. He heard the footsteps beside him and behind him cease completely. His body shook, his teeth grinding together. He swiveled his head around, giving a glare back at the zoners. A few of them stared at him in surprise. A few, like Helga, merely glared back or smirked, as if they felt they had gotten him to show his ‘true colors’.

The blue superhero zoner turned a little more and he began to walk towards Helga. His pace was slow and deliberate. He stared straight in her eyes, his gaze betraying now amoung of feelings that he was having right now. Helga stiffened her posture, her fists clenched as she did her best to look tough. Snap returned the gesture, a way for him to show her that he was not going to back down.

For a few seconds, they stared at one another. Everyone around them was silent, just as they were. Snap and Helga glared at each other, both refusing to turn away from the other. It was like a staring contest, a test of dominance. And Snap wasn’t about to yield to this zoner. But he could tell she would not do the same for him.

After several more seconds, Snap spoke. “What...did you call me?” He asked in a stiff, tension-filled voice.

The female zoner’s smile spread across her face, so full of arrogance. “You heard me, little guy.” She took a step forward, pointing a finger against his shoulder. “I said you were a...” She pushed against his shoulder, making him flinch. “Traitor.”

Snap pushed her hand away, baring his teeth in an angered smile. “Oh yeah? At least I didn’t chase another fellow zoner halfway across town only on a hunch.”

“Well if he had just stayed and talked to us, then maybe...” Helga started to say.

“Stop it, you two!” Snap and Helga turned their heads towards Rapsheeba. She walked towards the two, her arms folded, glaring at both. “We have no time for this!” She looked from Helga and then to Snap. “I would have expected more from you.”

Snap lowered his head slightly. “Yeah, I know...”

Rapsheeba’s expression softened up. Obviously not wanting to linger on this for long, she said, “Let’s just continue on. We’re not far...right?”

At this, the zoners turned to Snap. Helga’s expression just barely softened up. The quick flash in her eyes showed that she was now more interested in their destination than continuing her gripe with him. That was one good thing he can say about her; at least she has her priorities sorted out.

Snap took a look around. He had only been to Pencil Sharpener once, he realized. He didn’t know the terrain as well. He hadn’t been able to memorize it, and the locater things they used, they were useless to them right now. They had no device they could use to detect them with. At a loss, Snap turned towards Howdy.

“Are we close?” Snap asked his friend.

Howdy didn’t answer right away. He took about ten steps out in front of everyone else. He paused and turned his head from the right, the nto the left. He did this a few times, as if to gain bearings on his surroundings.

Snap did nothing to try to hurry his friend along. He was confident that Howdy had some idea of where they were, and how close they had to be. After all, he was stuck doing those monsters’ bidding for a time, and he must have made more than one trip, right? But if Howdy didn’t know...

He could only hope that the zoners would be understanding and remain patient.

After a few seconds, Howdy turned to face the other zoners. His expression had Snap concerned for a moment. It was something of a confused frown. At first, it looked as if Howdy didn’t know where they were, making Snap wonder if either they had gone the wrong way, or Howdy really didn’t know the way as well as he had implied.

But then, Howdy made a gesture with his arm. “We shouldn’t be too far away.” He turned his head and looked out in front of him. He put his hand over his eyes and squinted. “Yeah...very hard to tell, but I can see the first remnants of the Pencil Sharpener over there!”

Snap gave a sigh of relief. Okay, good. So they were going the right away after all. And if even Howdy could start to see signs of that place nearby, then that must mean they really weren’t that far. He looked behind him, at the other zoners. They looked less irritated now, and more excited at being so close.

Rapsheeba took a step twoards Howdy. “You are sure we are close?” A difficult question to ask, and it did cause some renewed tension. But it was still necessary.

Howdy nodded his head. “I’ll never forget it...”

After a few more moments of silence, Snap spoke up. Addressing the other zoners, he said, “Okay, let’s get moving! We needed to be there as soon as we can! We have to remain cautious and be careful. We cannot screw this up. Remember, not only is one of our own over there, but our whole world is being threatened! Let’s make sure that those creepazoids never get that chance!”

Shouts of approval filled the air. Any frustration the zoners had earlier was gone now, replaced with determination. Even Helga, with the meek zoner, Arnold, standing beside her, looked ready to follow them. Without further prompting, the zoners began to make their move, Snap, Rapsheeba, and Howdy remaining in front of them, Howdy himself leading the way.

sss

Penny stared out in horror. She was completely stiff. Even her body didn’t shake, something that would have surprised her if her mind wasn’t already frozen in ice. She could barely register Rudy’s hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her. She gave little attention to the smile that Von was giving. Right now, all she could do was stare at the thing that had gotten her attention.

Her mother’s limp body, held up roughly with the man grabbing the back of her shirt collar. Her mother was unconscious, not moving, not giving any signs of life, save for her rib cage inflating and deflating with each breath.

She found it hard to look away. Her eyes scanned her mother’s body, trying to see if she had been badly hurt. It didn’t seem like it. She didn’t detect any notable injuries on her. But this did little to calm her down. What if there were internal injuries? What if the wounds were hidden? What if Von had gone much further than it seemed?

Penny resisted the urge to scream. She tried to hold herself back. But now, the shock was starting to leave her, replaced by rage. She could feel her body start to shake as emotion began to sweept through her. She clenched her teeth tightly. She could feel Rudy squeezing her shoulder tighter. She swatted his hand away, her eyes remaining focused on Von. She took in breaths through her clenched teeth, creating a hissing sound. She pulled her head back as her shaking increased, her teeth bared. Then, unable to handle it any longer, she let out a scream.

“You monster! What did you do to her?!” She pounded on the plastic wall as hard as she could. She didn’t care how much it hurt her hand, or how useless it was. She kept striking over and over. “What the fuck did you do to my mother?!”

Rudy grabbed onto her again. This time, he seized both shoulders, trying to push her away from the plastic wall. “Penny... This isn’t helping...”

Penny shot a glare at Rudy, growling at him. This only lasted a few seconds. When she heard a chuckle, she turned her gaze back towards the person who truly deserved it.

Her eyes leveled with Dr. Von Doktor’s. They stared at one another. Penny felt as though the man was staring into her soul. She refused to look away, however. Her anger towards the man made it possible for her to maintain eye contact with him. To her frustration, this only seemed to make the man happier. It was as if he felt so superior to her and her behavior was ‘proof’ of that.

The fact that the man was acting like this and how odd it would be he’d behave this way and take such risks did cross her mind. But she couldn’t really focus on that aspect at the moment. Her attention was fully on the disgusting man, wanting to do something to make him pay for hurting her mother.

Dr. Von Doktor’s expression changed to that of mock concern. “What’s zee matter, little girl? Did I do zomething that bothered you..?”

Penny bared her teeth. “Oh don’t you fucking dare play dumb with me!”

The scientist snapped his head back. His eyes bulged, as if he were shocked by what she had said. Then he placed a hand out in front of him, a finger pointing up. With a smile, he wagged it back and forth. Penny snorted at this. The man was scolding her... How dare he...

“I would expect better language from a pretty lady like yourself.” The man said coolly.

Penny gritted her teeth at this. She couldn’t help but feel disgusted by that nickname he had given her. She opened her mouth to try to respond to him, but a nudge from Rudy forced her to pause herself. She turned her head and looked at her friend. She glared at him, wondering why he was interrupting her. But seeing his concerned expression, seeing him shake his head slowly, did give her reason to hesitate.

She realized she was starting to get worked up again. She was letting her emotions get the best of her. She realized that if she kept this up, Von may be given a reason to do something worse than what he may have already done. She clenched her teeth, breathing in and out slowly to settle herself down. It was difficult getting her anger in check, but soon, she managed to, mostly, calm herself down. She resorted to simply glaring at the man, her eyes telling him everything that he needed to know.

Dr. Von Doktor smiled at this, looking amused. Penny bared her teeth at this. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Rudy glaring at the man as well. Their show of anger only served to amuse him more, and that disgusting smile of his broadened.

Penny wasn’t sure why the horrid man was acting like this. Didn’t he realize the extend of his actions? Didn’t he realize just what the hell he was doing? He didn’t act this way before. Sure he was nutty, but he didn’t act happy to be causing misery to her or Rudy.

She quickly realized what it must be. She recalled the man had started to go off the deep end in their original encounter. She remembered that he had every reason to be pissed off at her and Rudy. His reputation was ruined, and he had several months of being scorned and scoffed at behind him. Perhaps that, combined with the discovery of Blocky, was causing the man to become increasingly paranoid and aggressive. His mind, twisted by his own desires, burdened by the taunts he was given, was making him act this way.

Blocky especially had increased this in him. Blocky was something new and different to him. He had been so desperate with showing the world perpetual motion. Now he had something that may grant him even more attention: a creature that, by Real World standards, should not be alive.

And Terry... The man’s paranoia became apparent when he mentioned that thing about Terry. He hadn’t exactly told her or Rudy what he had done. She only knew it was horrible. As furious as he was for him threatening to do that to her mother, a part of her couldn’t help but be morbidly curious about what had happened to Terry. Just what had that man done to her? And why did he do it?

The only thing that she could think of is that the man had gotten extremely paranoid lately, and it had finally shown with Terry. He must have thought that Terry was going to turn against him once they had everything set up, and he sought out to ‘get rid of her’. Well maybe not that far, but he had done something to her.

If that was true then...

She widened her eyes with a hint of horror as she realized just what kind of trouble she and Rudy were in. Dr. Von Doktor was insane. He was too dangerous to be around. If they didn’t get out of here...

“I would relax more if I were you.” Dr. Von Doktor said a soft, almost friendly voice. He took a few steps forward. He dragged her mother forward a little. He raised her up further with a swift yank. “She iz fine. Don’t worry. I didn’t do anyzing zat bad.”

“What did you do to her, then?” Rudy spoke up, his voice stern. “If it wasn’t that bad, then why don’t you tell us?”

“Oh, zo you really are curiouz to know? I zought you would be fine juzt zeeing she waz ztill here, ztill breathing.” Penny felt a pang of horror as she heard the evil man say that. “Well zen, zince you’re zo interezted in zuch a minor detail..”

“Minor?!” Penny snapped, narrowing her eyes. “That’s my mom you’re talking about! Of course I’m going to...” She stopped herself, baring her teeth as she growled at him. She realized it was no use in trying to argue with him. “Just...tell me what you did to her..” She said through clenched teeth.

Von simply stared back at her for a few moments. Nothing but a smile on his face. He did not answer her right away, much to her ire. She would have demanded again for him to tell her, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing that she might prompt him to do something worse. After a couple more seconds passed, Von merely shrugged his shoulder and said, “I juzt injected her with somezing to keep her out for longer. That iz all. I haven’t actually hurt her...” He tilted his head. “...yet.”

Penny, unable to resist, pounded her fist against the plastic wall again. “You better keep it that way! Or else, I...”

“Or you’ll what? Zpout more of your fabulous wordz to me?” Dr. Von Doktor taunted. “Faze it, little girl. You can’t do anyzing to me. You can’t do a damn zing to help yourzelf, your friend, or your mommy. I heard Terry had referred to you as worzlezz... I zink she was right.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. For a fleeting moment, Terry’s hurtful words came back. She quickly shook them off. No, she was not going to let herself be dragged down by that again. She won’t let this filthy man play mind games with her.

“Aww did I upzet the little child? Do you need mommy to make it all better?” Von taunted, his grin broadening. Penny found herself grinding her teeth harder, feeling as though they were going to crack. “Well I would love to ztay here and entertain you two furzer. But I should really get ziz woman into an..enclosure zoon, before she wakez up.”

“She’s not a wild animal!” Penny cried.

“Let her go!” Rudy chimed in. “She has nothing to do with this and you know it!”

Von chortled. He raised his shoulders nonchalantly. “Yeah, I know. I never meant to have her captured, too.” He looked down at her. His smile faded, instead a frown spreading across his face. “But she juzt had to show up in zee car, didn’t she? She couldn’t juzt...let it alone.” He turned back to the children. “I had no choize but to bring her. I didn’t have time and it waz too rizky.”

“You could have done something else! You could have just left her!” Penny shouted. When the man stared at her, cocking up an eyebrow as if he had no idea what she was saying he ground her teeth further. How dare this man act as if nothing was wrong..as if he had done the right thing by taking her with... “Just let her go! Now!”

Rudy nodded his head affirmatively. With narrowed eyes, he said, “She has done nothing to you. She isn’t a part of this. She was not involved with what happened to you a few months ago. She didn’t make you look like you had gone insane.” Von narrowed his eyes at this, showing brief bitterness at the reminder. “Let her go.”

“I don’t zink zo, kiddo.” Dr. Von Doktor. He lifted the limp woman up higher. He looked at her for a few moments, the smile never leaving his face. “She might become a threat to my plan. I muzt not allow zat to happen. It iz better if she ztayz here.”

“No! Don’t! Let her go!” Penny demanded the man. Her emotions swirled through her head as she watched the man start to drag her mother carelessly through the door. Soon, the emotions weighed down on her further, causing tears to form in her eyes. “Please let her go! Please don’t drag her into this! Please!”

Von paused where he was. He turned his head and looked back towards the children. He narrowed his eyes in contemplation, staring intently at them, mostly focusing on Penny. This lasted for a few moments. Penny said not a word, staring at him almost pleadingly.

Soon, unable to take the silence anymore, Penny started to speak again.

“Please, sir.. You have to let her go...” The anger that ruled her mind had given way to fear and horror. Even the feel of Rudy’s hand over hers wasn’t enough to help her feel better. “Please..don’t hurt her.. Let her go... Please... I’ll...I’ll do anything...”

The man’s eyes twinkled at this. He tilted his head to one side. “Anyzing...?”

Penny couldn’t believe herself. She should have been stronger than this. She should have resisted. She should have been more strong willed. Instead, she was actually pleading with this man. She had given him the opportunity to truly screw her over. She wanted to slap herself in the face. But now, it was too late to take it back. She had reeled the man in, and if she tried to back out now...

She looked over at Rudy. He was staring at her in shock, clearly unable to believe what she had just said. She could only look at him sadly, showing a glow of regret in her eyes. Rudy reached out towars her, opening his mouth to speak. But no words would come out, and he ended up closing his mouth enough to just bare his teeth nervously. Penny closed her eyes and turned away from him. She let out a sigh before her gaze leveled with Von’s again.

Penny nodded her head up and down slowly. “Yes... Anything. Just as long as you let my mother go.” She lowered her head, her body giving a few shivers. “Please...let her go...”

Silence fell upon the room. Save for her shaky breathing, there was almost no sound to be heard. The silence was thick and deadening all around her. It felt as though it was dragging on forever. She was unaware of how much time was passed. And with her head low, she could not see the man’s expression. She could not tell what he might be thinking.

Penny could feel a cold shiver go up her spine as she realized what she had done. She didn’t need to see Rudy’s horrified expression to know that she may have made a huge mistake. She licked her lips nervously, trying to fight back the feeling of nausea rising up in her stomach. She had to remain strong. She had to go through with this. She had to do it for her mother.

Von rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He stared at Penny intently, keeping his contemplative expression. His hand moved up and he started to rub behind his ear and along the back of his neck. “You know... zat iz a good idea...”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “What...?”

Penny remained silent. She simply glared at the man, showing him that she still had some defiance left in her. Just because she was willing to do anything it took to protect her mother didn’t mean that she was going to act like a submissive puppy to him.

Von glanced down at her mom again. “Well, it would zertainly zave me zome time if I let her go. I don’t need any... dead weight around here.” Rudy and Penny narrowed their eyes at this, keeping quiet. “But your offer..” The man turned to look at Penny again. “It iz zo...tempting...”

“I mean it. I’ll do whatever you want.” Penny said. Her previous fear was still there, but now she was trying to mask it and look brave. “If you release my mother, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Penny...” Rudy said in a low voice. He looked at her with great concern. “I don’t think this is such a good idea...”

Penny closed her eyes. “I know...but what choice do I have...?” Penny reopend her eyes and glared at Dr. Von Doktor. “So what will it be? Do we have a deal?”

Von simply smiled at her. A grin spread across his face, his teeth exposed. He spoke a single word that cut through the air like a knife. It made Penny freeze as she realized what kind of decision she had made. “Deal!”

Penny felt a swirl of emotions at that statement. On the one hand, she was happy that she was freeing her mother from this dreadful place. She didn’t deserve to be here. She didn’t do anything to deserve to be stuck here. She didn’t want to see her mother suffer for something that wasn’t even her fault. But on the other, she knew that she may have just signed up for something horrible. With the man’s deteriorating sanity, who knows what he may end up forcing her to do...?

She could hear Rudy’s frantic words beside her. She didn’t want to look at him. Not right now. She knew how disappointed he must be in her. She could already tell what he was going to say. She should have been stronger. She should have been more resistant. She should have stood her ground.

But..her mother was in danger... She didn’t want that fiend to hurt her mother like he had done to Terry... What kind of daughter would she be if she allowed that to happen? She would never forgive herself if her mother ended up tortured, even killed, all because she had been too weak to speak up...

Despite her fears, she didn’t completely regret her decision. At least her mother would be safe. At least she could rest soundly knowing that she was going to be all right.

“I’ll take her zomewhere to be ztored.” Dr. Von Doktor said.

Penny’s eyes widened. “B-But you said...” Was the man already backing out of their deal? Did he suddenly change his mind?

“Juzt for now. I’ll releaze her, don’t worry, little girl.” Von said in a mock reassuring voice, raising his hand up in gesture. “I juzt need keep her zomewhere zafe for a little while zo I can fetch your...friend.”

Rudy and Penny widened their eyes in horror at this. They glanced at each other, many questions running through their mind. The most prominent one, they both asked at the same time. “Blocky...?”

“Yez... Blocky...” Dr. Von Doktor.

“What did you do to him...?” Rudy asked, his eyes slowly narrowing.

“He iz...alive. I can guarantee you zat much. Az for fine... Well, I’m afraid not.” Von said, waving his hand dismissively.

“What did you do to him?!” Rudy repeated his question, this time with more force and energy. Now it was Penny’s turn to hold him back. She didn’t want the man to be given any reason to ruin their deal. She had no idea what might happen if it were broken, what else the man might do.

Von sneered at Rudy. “You will zee him zoon enough. Shortly, az a matter of fact. And zince the pretty girl here waz zo nize to be zo helpful...” He gave a quick chuckle at this. “I zink zings are about to get razer... interezting...”

Penny widened her eyes in horror at this. Just what was this vile man going to have her do...?

sss

Howdy couldn’t stop the tense feelings from rising up in his chest. He clutched his chest, feeling his heart trying to jump out of his body, as if to seek safety from this place. He could feel the chilly feelings all around him. Trying to push those feelings aside was rather difficult. He kept looking left and right, as if something or someone was going to jump out after him.

He had been here before. He had moved through this horrible forest more than once. The Pencil Sharpener hasn’t changed at all during those times. No new creatures or new formations. Just the same mountain with the same eerie mist and the same eerie ground and the same eerie trees. Yet, somehow, it had gotten even more terrifying to move through. He couldn’t quite explain it, nor could he concentrate on that fact.

Still, he continued to lead the others through. He had to do this. He had to help rescue Blocky. The poor guy had suffered enough in there. He didn’t deserve what he got. He didn’t deserve to get hurt like that. Von and Terry...they had been so awful towards him, and what did he do to deserve it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

A pang of bitterness clawed at his chest. Howdy did his best not to let himself get too angry. He couldn’t allow his anger to control him right now. The important thing was that they were going to get Blocky back. He had support this time. Unlike before, these creators aren’t going to get the upperhand. They will be outnumbered and outmanuevered. For once, he was glad those zoners from before were coming. They would be perfect.

His friends being here also helped. He felt safe being around Snap and Rapsheeba. He knew that they would make sure that nothing happened to him. They would see to it that the other zoners leave him alone and keep their attention on what was important.

Saving Blocky.

“Oh come on!” A disgruntled zoner groaned. “Aren’t we there yet?!”

Rapsheeba turned her head and hissed at him. “Be quiet! We’ll get there soon!”

Despite Rapsheeba’s words and testimony from Snap, the zoners behind them were growing even more restless and eager to make a move. Howdy could practically hear their hearts beating from where he was. They were getting worked up, and he knew that if they didn’t have something to focus their anger on, they may begin to lash out at each other.

Howdy wasn’t sure what he could say to settle them down. He couldn’t make them all walk any faster. They had no creator help them right now, and if they moved too fast through here, it may cause some problems. He wasn’t sure just what they’d be, but he just a bad feeling about this place over all. He never ran too much through here before, and he wasn’t exactly about to start right now.

But he had to say something. He might not know right now what he should say, but there had to be something he could say to settle them down. He could hear them getting antsier as time passed. If he continued to say nothing...

“Will you guys settle down?!” Snap called out. There was a tinge of frustration on his voice. “We’ll get there soon! Just keep yourself settled down! If you don’t calm yourselves, then you can’t come with!”

“We can’t have those two creators get drawn too quickly to us!” Rapsheeba explained. “If we do that, then...”

“I don’t care! I just want to get in there now!” One of the largest zoners growled. Howdy gulped as he heard him slam his fist against his palm. “I am ready to teach those humans what happens when you mess with us zoners...”

A female zoner nodded her head. “Yeah, come on! Let us at them! Hurry it up!”

“We want some action too!” Called another.

Yet another shouted, “Yeah, me too!”

Howdy bit his lip. He slowed down his pace a tad as he listened to what was going on behind him. His two friends continued to try to reason with the zoners, doing what they could to settle them down. But nothing appeared to be working. He flinched as he heard Helga spout out some nonsense, which caused the oners to increase their shouts, their agitation growing rapidly stronger.

Unable to take it for much longer, Howdy stopped walking forward. He could hear some grunts as the zoners struggled to stop. He barely flinched as he felt one of them hit against him, who was unable to stop himself in time. Slowly, Howdy looked over his shoulder and glared back at the zoners behind him. His glare must have been more intense than he had thought. Even Snap and Rapsheeba flinched and took a step back.

“Look, I know all of you want your chance to get at these two creators. I know you are all angered at what they did and what they are trying to do. I understand that completely. You don’t think I don’t have a bone to pick with them?” Howdy asked as he placed his hand against himself. “You don’t think I want to get them to pay as much as you do?”

None of the zoners replied. They simply looked at one another, their teeth gritted in uncertainty and confusion and worry. A few of them still frowned, but they were faltered, and they came undone easily as Howdy narrowed his eyes further.

Rapsheeba and Snap moved a little further back, their bodies leaning away. They clenched their teeth, staring at him in worry. Howdy looked up at them, his expression softening up a little. He hadn’t meant to make them feel scared and frightened. That wasn’t his intention. Seeing his friends so worried made him realize just what he might be looking like right now. So he took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry at you. I know that you just want to defend your homes and you are afraid of what these people might do.” Howdy spoke again. He smiled the best he could, although his feelings made it a little faulty and crooked. “I promise, we will get there soon.”

For a while, there was just silence. The zoners stared at him somewhat cautiously. He couldn’t tell if they thought he was just waiting to explode or what. He felt a tinge of guilt in his chest. Had his change in demeanor, a usually nice zoner to becoming irritable, giving them a look that could kill, really shaken them that much up?

He hoped that wasn’t the case. He didn’t want to make them feel afraid of him. He didn’t want to spook them like this. He just wanted them to cooperate more. He wanted them to realize that their actions weren’t going to solve their problems any faster. He wanted...

His train of thought stopped when one of the zoners spoke up.

“So, you are saying we are nearby?” Helga asked. Her eyes were narrowed somewhat darkly. But despite that, he could tell her anger and aggression was not towards him. He gave a nod. “Where is it...?”

Howdy said, “It’s in a cave in the mountain. I’ll lead you right there.” Howdy looked behind him. He shifted his eyes up and down. “We aren’t too far away.”

“How long will it take us to get there?” Arnold, the meek zoner, said, his body hunched as if he were afraid of getting hit. This fear appeared justified as he got a glare from Helga, which made him cringe.

Howdy paused for a moment. He looked back at the mountain, trying to take note from the visuals how long it woud take them. Once he figured out an answer, he looked back at them. “I would say around twenty minutes if we keep up the pace. Less than that even.”

At this, the zoners appeared to grow more excited. They began to move forward even before he resumed his walk. Quickly, before the zoners walked out in front of them, he and his friends resumed their positions in front of the zoners. He began to lead them once more towards the mountain.

As they got closer, Howdy couldn’t help but feel a tinge of..not excitement, but something a bit grimmer, yet still drove him forward. They were getting ever closer to the hell that his friend had been trapped in for days. All that time laying there, the wounds festering a little, of barely being fed or given anything to drink.. Soon all of that would be over for his friend. They would be able to get him out of there, and soon the nightmare was going to be over.

Or at least, he hoped it would be.

sss

Penny’s mind went numb for a few seconds. It felt as thought it was shot full of ice. She stared out at the horrible scene in front of her, taking in quick breaths. She tried to keep herself from hyperventilating, but considering what she was seeing, that was going to be rather difficult.

“Y-You want me to do what...?” She breathed, trying her best to control herself before she let out a scream of terror.

A cold chuckle beside her, and a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered as she felt the scientist pull her close to him. “I explained it already to you, little girl. All you have to do iz follow my instructionz.”

“No! Don’t!” Rudy called out from behind.

Penny turned her head. She looked over at her friend sadly. Rudy had been restrained to the door. The cuffs kept his hand pressed up against the locked knob. The boy kept yanking, pulling, trying to free himself. There was a look of anger and raw terror in his eyes. It was painful to look at them. Penny had never seen him look so desperate. His expression reminded her of a trapped animal.

This was even more so apparent in what laid down in front of her. She could see Blocky staring up at her, his body laying flat, stomach exposed up. His arms and legs were secured by cuffs on the table. If she thought Rudy’s expression was hard to look at, Blocky’s made her want to scream. Those big eyes, his quivering lips, his expression begging her to free him, yet she was helpless to do anything.

“Let him go!” Rudy cried. He yanked himself from right to left. He yelped when he pulled his arm a little too much. Penny shot a concerned look at him, hoping that he didn’t pull a muscle. “Please let him go! There..there has to be another way!”

Dr. Von Doktor turned to glare over at the boy. His lips curled back into a snarl. Penny watched nervously as he approached Rudy. She wanted to rush after him, but dreaded what would happen if she did. Having no choice, she watched Dr. Von Doktor back Rudy up against the door, grabbing his shoulder and pressing him against the hard surface.

Von lowered his head and peered close to Rudy. The boy glared back, though there was still a hint of a cringe in his posture despite his obvious attempts at looking tougher and braver. Von’s eyes appeared to trail him up, his mind looking as if he were contemplating through several thoughts of what to do. He then said, “You’re going to be zo diztracting, boy. Why don’t you zettle down? Be quiet?”

Rudy bared his teeth at this. “I won’t stop until you let my friends go!” He gave another pull, his cry louder, more pain shooting through his arm. Yet he hid most of that behind a mask of fury. “If you hurt Blocky, I’ll...”

Penny let out a gasp of horror as Rudy was slapped, his head tossed to the side. His body tensed up, his eyes bulging in shock from the attack. Slowly, he looked back at Von, whose hand was held up high, the palm open up, indicating the source of the attack. Rudy’s mouth dropped open and he took in a few shuddering breaths. He slowly locked eyes back onto Von’s.

The man stared at him intensely, his eyes shining of anger, yet his mouth ticked into a smile. A creepy expression that made Penny want to race towards Rudy and save him from the man’s potential wrath. Yet she remained frozen, as much affected and frozen in terror by the gaze as Rudy.

Slowly, Von moved his hand behind his back. Penny felt her heart skip a beat as she watched him reach into something in his pocket. “I zink you need a little help being quiet...” He said as he pulled out a piece of cloth. “Here, let me help you wiz zat.”

Rudy let out a yelp as the cloth was forced into his mouth. Von pressed it in as far as it would go, stretching back his lips in the process. He then took two ends and wrapped it around behind his head. He began to form them into a tight knot, securing the cloth against his face. As soon as he was done, he let go and took a step back.

“There, that should hold you...”

Rudy attempted to pull the cloth away from his face. But his hand was immediately seized by Von. It was bent behind him in a painful manner. Rudy let out muffled whimpers of pain.

“Don’t even zink about it, boy.” Von said in a dark voice. “If I turn around and find that you have removed zee muzzle, I’ll give your girlfriend a very painful lezzon.” He leaned in closer. “Do you underztand me?”

When Rudy didn’t answer, Von pushed down harder. The boy let out a cry of pain, muffled by the cloth in his mouth. Penny looked on in horror, unable to believe this cruel treatment. Rudy shut his eyes and nodded his head. Only then did Von let go of him.

“Good. Keep it zat way.” Von turned to look over at her. In seconds, his smile appeared to get more friendly. “Now..where were we..?” He said as he approaced the table once more. “Oh zat’z right...” He pulled a tray over, positioning it beside Penny. “I zink it’z time we begin, don’t you?”

Penny looked down at the tray. Her mind was racing, going a million miles per hour. If she didn’t know what Von was planning before, if he hadn’t already made it clear enough after he let her mother go, then this sight was a wake up call.

The tray was filled with different instruments. Sharp and pointed. Scalpels and small saws. So many things to slice into flesh, to ruin the body with if used in the wrong hands. The sight of them made her increase her breathing more. Her eyes shifted around, going from left to right. She wanted to shake her head, to plead no, to beg him to give her something else to do. She..she couldn’t do this...

But the look in the man’s eye as she stared up at him pleadingly showed that she didn’t have much of a choice. The man was not taking no for an answer. He folded his arms against his chest and stared at her expectantly. A turn of his eyes from her, to the scalpels, and back silently told her what he wanted her to do. And a jerk of the head solidified it in case she still didn’t get it.

How..how could he expect her to do this to her best friend? How could she hurt him? How could she go through with this? This was cruel and inhumane...

“Come on, Penny. You zaid you’d do anyzing to protect your mom. Now here iz your chanze.” Dr. Von Doktor said. He picked up a scalpel and held it up. He stared at it intently. “Or did you change your mind?”

Penny shook her head. “N-No.. I would do anything, but.. does it have to be this..?” Penny looked down at the helpless Blocky. “Please..he doesn’t deserve this. I-I can’t butcher my best friend, I...”

Von narrowed his eyes at this. “It iz eizer you vivizect your friend here...” He turned his head to one side. “Or I bring your mozer back, and she can join Terry in her zuffering.” Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “It iz your choize...”

“I...I...”

“Choose...” Von said in a warning tone, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Penny’s heart raced against her chest. She looked to Rudy. He was shouting at her, his eyes wide in desperation. He tried to get himself free. He tried rush towards her. He tried to plead with her, but his words were muffled. She couldn’t tell what he was saying, but his eyes told her enough. Seeing them made her look away in shame of what she was being forced to do.

She looked down at Blocky. The zoner was shivering against his binds. He was staring up at her in fear. He hadn’t spoken a word, too scared to even try. He looked so weak and he was in so much pain... Her eyes trailed over his body, noticing his injuries. And she knew he had more internal ones, and there was massive mental scarring, she was certain. The poor guy had been through hell here, and the worst part was that she would be made to contribute to that.

She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to hurt Blocky. She came here to rescue him, not vivisect him. How..how could Von be this cruel..? How could he make her do this to her friend? Had he truly gotten that insane...?

But..she couldn’t bear to have her mother get hurt either. Von had agreed to let her go, and he had been true to his word, or so she thought. It was hard to tell, but what if he was? And what if her inaction right now made him decide to bring her back, and hurt her mother? Penny couldn’t let that happen either. She loved her mother, and she wanted to do what it took to keep her safe.

But, if that meant hurting Blocky...

Oh gawd..what was she going to do...?

sss

“Here it is...” Howdy breathed, his voice indicating he felt a great burden being lifted from his shoulders.

The group of zoners paused where they were. There were soft whispers among each other, zoners looking at other zoners, some arguing. At first, it didn’t seem like there was a portal. It was so dark, barely a light being flickered in here.

Snap knew that Howdy was correct, however. He had been in this spot enough to know this. He moved out forward. He turned his head to face the skeptical zoners. Recalling the exact position of the portal wasn’t easy, but it didn’t take his hand long to find the rim. He grabbed onto it and pulled it around. The telltale squeaks of the movable chalkboard could be heard, silencing the zoners.

Exposed before them was the dark, not well lit room where the portal was being kept. The proof that the zoners needed that this was, indeed, the right spot, was laid bare before them. He watched as their eyes widened in realization, all hints of anger and frustration leaving them, replaced with awe and some fear. They all knew what this meant.

Now the travel was finally over. Now the time for talk was done. It was time to finally put their plan into action. This was it. There was no turning back now. It was time to do something that most zoners dared not to.

It was time to go into the Real World.

Admittingly, Snap was afraid. He was hesitant to walk through that portal and back into a world where so much could kill him or maim him, in the world run by the creators. But Blocky was in there. That was motivation enough for him to take action.

And despite the fears of the zoners before him, as well as his two friends, none of them wanted to walk away from this. They were all eager to put an end to this nightmare that had been bestowed upon their world. These zoners, regardless of what was shown to them, weren’t going to back down easily. This was the kind of bravery that they were going to need to win. Knowing just how vicious Von and Terry were, they could use all the courage and steadfastness that they could get.

He allowed Howdy in front. He knew the place better than him. The puppet zoner stood in front of the portal. He stared at it in fear, his body shaking a little. He then swallowed hard, narrowing his eyes in determination. He then looked behind him, staring at the others. He gave a nod of his head.

“Let’s go in.”

The zoners, one by one, began to enter the portal, finding themselves in the Real World. Snap felt a strong sense of...something rise up as he realized they had finally realized they had reached their destination. But there was still more. Now they had to initiate the plan to save their friend. He asked the same question over and over in his mind: Would they succeed?