Babble: Track Seven
(In case I haven’t mentioned it before, there are speakers set up all over the clinics’ interior)
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my lady Greensleeves
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Before the Emotions explored the Trolls’ memories, before Riley and Renne mind-melded in their sleep, before Chief Brady discovered the interns had been sneaking around, a very tense moment occurred in the surveillance room. Renee just stood there while Bridget hugged her. Then she squeezed Bridgets’ head and for a second it looked like she wanted to hurt her. But then she just stepped back, completely silent.
“We should head back to our rooms.” Miguel said.
“Yeah...” Riley spoke to Bridget. “Are you umm?”
“i want to come with you.” Bridget stated firmly.
“If it’s okay with Renee, it’s okay with us.”
“It’s... okay.” Tone spoke like someone who just woke up from a strange dream.
“Before anything else, we wanted to ask...” Zodiac pulled out a drawing and showed it to everyone asking; “Does this symbol mean anything to you?” It was an eye inside a triangle. Jagged stick limbs stuck out from its’ sides, and a top-hat was drawn on the top corner.
“Illuminati?” Riley asked.
“Evil Eye?” Miguel shrugged.
“A shape inside a shape.” Tone stated.
Bridget just shook her head.
Zodiac nodded, satisfied with their answers, then crumbled up the drawing and ate it! Then, still chewing on the paper, they motioned for everyone to follow them through the hallway.
“We have many powers. but ever since we were brought here, most of them have been suppressed. We think this “Chief” has some item that’s been limiting us. We can find it, but we need someone to act as a distraction while we look.”
Tone spoke up: “You can sneak out of your room all you want. Why need a distraction?”
Zodiac spun around to directly speak to her. “Because, my dainty flower, we might be able to sneak out of our room, but we can’t go wherever we want. Enough guards could overpower us.” They then looked at Miguel. “Think your boyfriend on the outside could help us out?”
“I don’t know,” Miguel rubbed his arm, “I don’t even know where he is right now.”
“But you do know how to contact him?”
“Well...” Miguel thought of the dog whistle in his pocket he used to contact Dante. “Yeah, I could...”
“Don’t tell us how, as long as you can do it.” Zodiac opened the nearest vent. “Try doing it tomorrow night. Once we get our powers back, we can bust you guys out of here.” They then spoke to Bridget, “You’re coming with us.”
“What?” Bridget flinched. “Why?”
“We need your knowledge of the clinic. Plus we don’t want you out of our sight.” They climbed up the wall into the vent. “You don’t have to climb through the vent with us.”
“That’s not” Bridget began to explain but Zodiac had already disappeared into the metal tunnel. Bridget looked at the others nervously. “I, uh, I guess I’ll be going to their room now.” She politely bowed to them and waddled off.
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Species stood on a snowy hill, gazing at the clinic from a distance. He turned on the camera and spoke into it.
“I’m waiting for some kind of signal. It’s not a well-thought-out plan, but it’s the best we have on short notice. Jack has been staking out the building. He’s been really understanding of us not wanting to go back there alone.”
He paused after that, wondering if this was a good time to say out loud what he’d been holding in. Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched melody. And the dog ~ Dante ~ started barking and bouncing in the snow.
Jack Frost flew towards them. “What’s up?”
“I thi-ink Miguel’s calling Dante!’ Species wavered as the sweater-coated Xolo pulled at his pant leg.
“He is? Then you should let him go.”
“I would! But he wants me to come and...”
He didn’t need to answer, Jack understood. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I scout it out for you.” He flew off, with Dante chasing after him and Species standing on the hill, still gripping his camera.
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Riley and Miguel followed behind the flying golden man as he fought through the guards. He hummed baroque compositions as he used his spear like a cattle prod, zapping each man in the gut.
Riley performed the seeing spell; closing her right eye she whispered “sight to see, show them to me” then she closed her left eye and opened her right eye. The guards were all ugly and monstrous, in place of Renee, she saw a little flying troll, and Renee’s spirit floated next to her.
“Where’s Zodiac?” Riley whispered to Miguel.
“They said they were looking for the limiter.” Miguel whispered back.
“I thought we were going to wait until...” Riley was interrupted by a loud snapping noise coming from the speakers. Everyone, including the golden flying man, paused what they were doing. Then one of the guards tried to grab Miguel. Miguel grabbed him back and flipped him on the ground. Th golden man charged at the remaining guards.
Miguel took a breath, then explained: “Chief Brady was waiting for me in my room. She said she wanted to show me something, I wouldn’t go with her, she asked where the harp was, I remembered I gave it to you, she started chasing me, I ran to Zodiacs’ room, it was scary!”
The golden man took both of them by the hand. “Come with me.” he hissed, and then the teenagers found themselves flying through the hallway.
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The snapping sound was Zodiac opening the limiter: Gristle’s clasp. They had fought with the Chief up and down the halls, finally pushing her down the stairs. Then they searched every office, examination room and bedroom they could for the thing blocking their powers.
And here it was, with a tiny seal of binding scratched on in. They used their transmutation to remove the seal. For a moment, their entire body glowed and a shiver went through the building. They smiled in satisfaction, then snapping their fingers, they turned their white clinic pjs into something more fitting. Namely, a dark red racing uniform with fingerless gloves, combat boots, and padding on the knees and elbows. They examined the clasp one more time. “Huh? Looks like it opens up.”
They fiddled around with it. Click, out came a cartoonish little cloud with a face. He smiled at Zodiac, Zodiac smiled back. This night was getting better and better.
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The golden man flew the teens to the cafeteria. There, he introduced himself as the “Classical Aspect”. He played a melody on the harp, and all the tables floated to the doors, blocking them.
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Then they ran back to Bridget and the cloud man who were all the way in the back of the hall. Zodiac led them to a supply closet.
Zodiac took a mop and transmuted it into a scythe. The handed it to Bridget. “Use this to fight.”
Bridget stared at the gift, then at Zodiac. “This is a gardening tool.”
“It’s an extremely deadly scythe!” Zodiac insisted.
Bridget blinked twice before answering.
“…And a scythe is a gardening tool.”
Zodiac pulled on their eyelids and groaned; “Freaking agricultural society…” They calmed themselves and said to her; “just swing it at anyone who comes too close.”
Zodiac took some metal materials and transmuted them into an AK-47. Glancing at Bridget, they politely told her. “You might want to cover your ears.”
Bridget did so, and watched as Zodiac pointed the strange contraption at the door. When the guards came in, Zodiac pointed above their heads and rattled off a series of bullets. Anyone who wasn’t terrified by the noise was pummeled by falling debris.
Zodiac looked back at Bridget. “Let’s go find the others!”
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Something knocked out the Classical Aspect.
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Zodiac stood up and smiled at them. Things had gone awry, but their full strength was back, and their special new friends were safe.
And then…
BANG
A burst of red bloomed from their forehead. Riley and Miguel watched in horror as a bullet tore though Zodiac’s brain, and their body crumbled to the ground.
Chief stood behind them, holding a Glock and shacking with fury.
“WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE!” she screamed at the body. Then she pointed her weapon at the duo and started walking towards them. “AND IF YOU’RE NOT BACK IN YOUR ROOMS BY THE TIME I COUNT TO FIVE…:
She never finished her threat. She had just walked by Z’s bloody head when a hand shot out and grabbed her ankle! Chief gasped and looked down.
Zodiac twitched and let out a childish giggle. That was when things got really freaky.
Zodiac stood back up, still holding Chief by the ankle, and spun her around. Then once enough momentum was built up, Z flung Chief into the wall behind them.
Chief hit the wall with a loud crunching sound, her limbs in twisted angles.
Riley stepped back, hyperventilating. Miguel gasped and made the Sign of the Cross, Zodiac leaning over laughed hysterically. From behind, the two could see Zodiac’s hair darken and grow longer. They saw their clothing change from red to green. Then Zodiac turned around, and the teens saw three red eyes and deranged grin directed right at them.*
“WoOoWw… ShE FLeW!”
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