#mob games don't walk away from me

[x-i-l-verify]

Something that I've noticed ever since the Smiling Critters were introduced is that they can so easily be paired off into complementary duos, ones that are specifically designed to teach children fundamental lessons about life and self-care from two different angles. It's really interesting to me.

Like obviously you have Dogday and Catnap, with their sun/moon, dog/cat dichotomy, that stress how important it is to have fun and get things done during the day, but also that it's important to wind down, relax, and get a good night's sleep.

-

Bubba Bubbaphant and Craftycorn were introduced as a duo in the Smiling Critter show's intro, and their dichotomy is quite obvious. They are basically the right and left sides of the brain personified. Bubba is the left side of the brain, logical, analytical, focused on math and science. Craftycorn is the right side of the brain, creative and imaginative, focused on the arts and self-expression. They represent learning and academia in all its forms, the different ways people engage with and understand the world.

-

Hoppy Hopscotch and Kickin' Chicken form the sportsmanship duo. They are both portrayed as enjoying sports and the outdoors, but in different ways that highlight the different ways sports can be played and enjoyed and also what it entails to be successful at them. Hoppy Hopscotch may be loud and impatient, but she is also a team player, shown in her willingness to slow down her fast pace to make sure none of her friends are left behind. Kickin' Chicken, on the other hand, is laid-back, relaxed, and chill, the described "cool kid" of the group, but he's also described as having a ton of perseverance, more of a "slow and steady wins the race" type of person.

-

This leaves Bobby Bearhug and Picky Piggy as the last pair. Fittingly, these two are all about how to meet the fundamental needs of yourself and others. Bobby teaches children how to nourish themselves emotionally through showing and receiving care from others, while Picky teaches them how good food is important to nourish the body and soul. Depriving oneself of either of these things only makes oneself and therefore everyone around one miserable, because those fundamental needs are no longer being met.

-

Like fr, this is some pretty genius marketing right here. You have enough characters that every kid will have their favorite, but not so many that any would get lost in the shuffle, because the lessons each one of them would teach would be integral to the group as a whole. It really makes me that much sadder we saw basically nothing of the Smiling Critters during the game itself, because Mob Games struck gold with this concept, only to ultimately do nothing with it. :/

But I guess that's what fandom is for, eh?

[multific]

It Started with Some Questions 

Simon Riley x Reader

Warnings: sexual innuendos, mention of blood, being shot

Summary: You were good at your job. Being a lawyer to an infamous mob boss had its ups and downs. Especially when you are being questioned by two very good-looking men. 

"We just have a couple of questions. So, where's your boss?" the one with the cute Scottish accent sat down across you.

You let out a sigh.

"I told you, I'm only his lawyer."

"Then where's your laptop?" he asked and you smirked.

"In my panties." 

After a few seconds of complete silence, he spoke up again.

"Look, Lady, we don't have any time to play games! Either you tell me, or he will take over." he pointed at the other man.

"Lady? I hoped you would call me your good girl..." the man in front of you punched the table before he left and his friend sat down. "Now, we are in business. I have a thing for masks."

"Tell me what we need to know or I will start breaking your fingers." his tone was serious but he didn't scare you.

"I have a better idea. I tell your friend when my laptop is, and while he is looking for it, we can have some fun alone." you smiled. Even if he was wearing a mask, you saw him frown.

"Stop messing with us! Tell us where he is."

"I don't know where he is. When he realized you guys were here, they hit me in the head, left me behind and fled. I'm not aware of any other safe-houses he has."

"Must be angry if they left you here."

"I am. I would give him to you on a silver plate, Handsome, but at the moment I'm too wet to think." he knotted his eyebrows and looked at your clothes. "Lower." you whispered and his eyes snapped down at your crossed, legs. "Bingo." when you said that he immediately looked away. 

"Fuckin' hell." you heard him say.

You looked at the one called Soap.

"The laptop is in the safe, the code is 789653210123, there is a gun in there if you open the safe, it will shoot you, but if you open it a little you will find a button, push the button and the gun won't fire. I'll give you the laptop password once you have it." you then looked back at the masked man. "I'm not giving up on the fact that you will bend me over this desk and fuck me until I can't even stand! But I need you to kill Mr Givonassi in my name." 

His friend soon came back with the laptop, you gave them the info and soon, they left, leaving you tied to the chair as you were before.

You tried to escape but the rope was too tight. Soon, a man arrived, said his name was Gaz.

He took you to a secret place. So secret, they covered your eyes.

Then, you were in a room, it had a bed, a table and an attached bathroom.

Like a prison cell.

You didn't had delusions of them letting you go.

Then a man entered.

It was your masked interrogator from before. This time, he only had a mask up until his nose. His eyes had dark make up around them and he had a hoodie on.

You sat on the bed and he sat on the chair.

"If you are here to scare me, I suggest you don't. Let's skip to the good part."

"Are you always like this? Is everything a joke to you?"

"Of course not. I would never joked about getting dicked down." your tone and face were so serious, he let out a sigh.

"We didn't find him. They blocked your access. You need to tell me what you know."

"Are there cameras in this room?" you asked and he shook his head.

"No."

"Shame... I guess your friends would have to see you naked, which is a win." 

"For fuck's sake!" Simon stood up to leave but you stopped him.

"He has a wife. He hid her very well, but I saw a paper of their marriage. It had an address." 

"What's the address?"

"Oh, that will take some... work to make me remember. I would say about... four orgasms... yeah that will work."

"I'm not going to touch you."

"You are no fun Mr Riley." you frowned, he quickly stood up and walked over to you, he grabbed your neck and pulled you up. "Chocking huh?"

"How the fuck do you know my name?!"

"I'm not stupid. Everyone thinks I'm some bimbo but I listen and learn!" you pushed him away from you and he let you go, standing in front of you. "This fucker knocked me out and left me behind, he thought I was... some dead-weight. But he is wrong. I might flirt, I might say inappropriate things, but one thing I am not, I'm not stupid, Simon. And now that I have your attention, I can give you all the info I know."

"What do you want in exchange?" you smirked. "Don't say my cock." it made you roll your eyes.

"You are no fun. Would your friend be interested in any? Or your Captain?" he was about to answer but you slapped him across the cheek. Simon was so stunned he looked back at you in disbelief. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME A SLUT!"

Then, suddenly, Simon understood.

He understood that this was your way of surviving for so long working for a man like that. Being vulgar and flirty made you survive and he saw it now.

He saw how scared you were, he saw the tears behind your eyes he saw the way your hand was shaking.

And Simon even saw himself in you. His childhood self, a scared little child. 

"Sorry." is what he said and you turned and went to the bathroom.

Five minutes passed, Simon just sat on the bed, looking at his hands when you exited and sat on the chair.

He saw the redness in your eyes. He saw the tears still in them.

"What do you want in exchange for the info?"

"Protection from him and his men. And I don't want some random man. I want you to protect me."

"I can't do that. I have a man to hunt down."

"I won't tell you anything then." you never once looked into his eyes, you looked, sad. 

You dropped the act.

"Then we just let you go and he finds you."

"You think pushing me into a corner is going to scare me? Givonassi is a powerful man. If he realizes I'm alive, he will send someone to kill me. I have some info on him so I can blackmail him, but again, he would just kill me."

"So?"

"So, I have nowhere to go. You pushed me into a corner."

"So, tell me what you know."

"I know about Tommy, Beth and Joseph. I also know about Captain Price's lovely wifey. I know about Kyle's husband and Johnny's little son." you saw his fist clench. "So, I suppose we have an agreement."

"How can you possibly know all this?"

"I listen. Unlike you Simon, I listen and remember everything I'm told. I told you, I want protection. Until the day I see Givonassi's head in a jar." 

Simon let out a long sigh. 

"Go talk with whoever you have to. Oh, and before you think you can just move all those people, family around... I know about the summer homes. I know about the safe-houses. I know about every trick. I give you Givonassi on a silver plate in exchange for you."

"Fair enough." he said before he stood up and left the room.

---

Simon was beginning to be a lot more fidgety. 

He couldn't sit still.

Knowing his team was hot in the tails of Givonassi, he wanted to be there... but he was stuck babysitting you.

And you could see his frustration.

He only spent a week with you and yet he was already ready to barge out of the apartment that was given to you for the time being.

"Am I really that bad of a roommate?" you asked and he looked at you from his phone. "You look desperate to run out of here."

"I want to help my Team." was his answer, simple, yet it was the truth.

"Go on then."

"What?"

"Go and help them." you said. 

"That wasn't the agreement."

"Fuck the agreement. I hate being in a room with someone who is basically waiting to barge out at any second. Go help your friends."

Simon hesitated. He wasn't sure if this was a game. But then he looked at you, really looked at you.

"Why?" he asked.

"You are just like them... you can leave me behind to save your ass. I'm not forcing you to stay any longer. I have been trying for a week to get closer to you, but I feel further and further away. Go."

You went into your room, all you heard was the front door closing.

When the information came about Givonassi's death, a team came over and told you that you can go back to your life now.

Little did they know, you had no life. 

But you did have an old apartment. So, you headed back there.

Even if Givonassi was dead, you still had this feeling, this uneasiness. 

You felt watched and followed.

And your suspicion soon became true.

You went out for groceries when you arrived back, your door was wide open with all of your things scattered.

But who could you call?! 

You wanted to run, but as you turned at the end of the hallway a man appeared. You moved just in time, but he did shoot you.

You laid on the ground as you heard him leave.

He hit your shoulder, the pain was terrible.

You started to pass out when another person arrived.

You were sure you wouldn't wake up ever again.

---

But you did. You woke up in a hospital room, the beeping of the machines made your head hurt.

"Don't move." said someone and when you looked, you saw Simon Riley. "You were shot, I found you and took you to the hospital."

Found you? He did? How?

"My head hurts."

"You lost a lot of blood. I'll call the doctor." but you grabbed his shirt, he couldn't leave, he looked at you.

"How did you find me?"

"When I got back from the mission, I was told that they let you go. I was mad because I knew even if Givonassi died, it didn't mean that you were safe. I was looking for you all this time and when I finally found you, I found you in a pool of blood, half dead. This is my fault. You told me you were in danger and yet I ignored you."

"I should say, I told you so, but I don't have any energy. Why are you here?"

"I told you-"

"I know, I mean why did you stay? Do you feel guilty? Don't. I told you to go, because you just couldn't sit still. I understood you had a job to do and I was holding you back. You don't have to feel guilty. You saved many people by getting to Givonassi."

"I still want to make it up to you somehow." you smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"How about coffee?" you said.

"I prefer tea."

"Fucking Britts." you said before the doctor entered the room to finally check on you.

You smiled at Simon as the doctor explained what happened and what they will do.

But at that moment all you could think about was what will happen with you and Simon.

Taglist: @fleursirvart @greenarrowhead @thisismysecrethappyplace @sincerelyfan @theoneanna @aestheticsandmarvel @rororo06 @castellandiangelo @destynelseclipsa @spilledinkindumpster@capsiclesdoll @puknow @alwayshave-faith @alex12948 @lxdyred  @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl @anonymoussherlockandmarvelgeek @praline357 @trshngyn @avengers-r-us @violet-19999 @top1bbgloak   @manduse   @jacalineiscomingforyou  @mandoloriancookie @noname2246

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~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

DO NOT STEAL, REPOST OR TRANSLATE ANY OF MY WORKS  

[thinkingaboutjaedyn]

the biggest bully ever ( selma bacha x reader )

prompt: your girlfriend is probably the biggest bully in your life (lovingly)

author notes: i wrote this just because i saw a video of selma jumping up and kicking someone in the face. i just know she is like a bad ass little kid. (also i love her so..)

selma prides herself on being your biggest supporter. always finding some time in her schedule to come see your games with paris saint german. proudly wearing your jersey while yelling as loud as she can in the stands and of course making sure to take a few pictures for the gram after the game is done. posting with a cheeky caption of, just met my favorite player ever! what a legend. however, you know first hand that this is just a cover up for how much of bully she really is.

in the privacy of your apartment or hers, she is the complete opposite. especially when you two are playing a game together even if it isn't a competitive game. making it even more laughable.

it was a nice sunday evening when you forced (selma knows she loves playing the game. she just won't admit it) your girlfriend to play minecraft with you. now if she thought you were going to be fighting zombies, creepers, and spiders. well she would be totally wrong. that would her job while you spend your minecraft time building a nice farm and house for the two of you to stay in.

"it's domestic! i'm like your little pixel housewife" you say as you continue to focus on working on the garden you were building. selma smacks her lips, "it's not domestic. just unfair! i don't wanna be the only one fighting off these dudes."

on her screen, selma was actively battling off a creeper. almost throwing her controller in frustration as the creeper blows up and creates another hole in the ground. she pushes you slightly, but just enough that you put down a block you weren't going to. "stop being childish and go kill some cows for me, dumbie" you say as you delete the block. giving selma a quick sight of you sticking out your tongue before going back to finishing up the veggies part of the garden. your girlfriend rolls her eyes, going back to fighting off a zombie to reach a few cows in the field behind it.

instead of getting some cow meat like you asked, selma runs away from the zombie. bringing it and other mobs along to you two's house. she smirks in revenge as she brings the mobs straight to you. you shout in surprise as the mobs surround you. "babe, help me! why would you.." you say as you try to fight them off. giving selma a nice punch on the shoulder once you were finally succumbed to the mobs and died. "that's what i said earlier, but you didn't come to help your absolutely amazing girlfriend, so you had to die" selma shrugs. acting nonchalant until the mob of mobs started to surround her. she manages to kill off a few, but end up dead just like you.

you laugh loudly as you push her shoulder using yours. she glares at you, frowning. "i'm totally killing you myself next time. less effort" selma says before standing up and heading to the kitchen for something to calm her frustration. you still got the last laugh though.

the french player can also be the biggest bully when it came to your games. whether you win or lose, she is always there to make a few snarky comments about your defense or how you let the ball pass you too many times. it was even worse if you two went against eachother.

it was one of the biggest games of the year for the division 1 league; paris saint germain vs lyon. your girlfriend and you were set to both play this match. the playful banter between you two the day before the game fueled the competitive spirit in you. selma was always competitive and ready to do whatever she needed to make sure lyon scored a win.

"ready to lose, babe?" selma says as she stands next to you in the tunnel. you roll your eyes before shrugging, "we'll see." the sound of the crowd ramps up you two's competitiveness as the two teams walk out onto the pitch.

the game goes off well for paris saint germain at first. with ramona scoring a goal for your team. however, despite your team's great defense, lyon was still able to score three goals. the game ends in disappointment with a lost of three to one. you groan out in frustration as you look at your teammates. the lost was a bit of sting just because paris saint germain needed the win, but also because you knew selma would never let you live this down.

after the game and lyon's celebration finally dying down, selma finally texts you; told you that I was gonna win. the text makes you roll your eyes. you message back, shut your mouth for two seconds please.

you two text back and forth. with alot of bragging from selma and tons of insults from you. eventually selma does stop her bragging, messaging you, but truly don't worry bae. you did well I swear. the message makes you smile as you lean your head against the bus window. thank you, baby. congrats on the win even if ... undeserved. after sending that text you shut your phone off and let the tiredness from the match catch up to you. letting yourself slowly fall asleep. knowing good and well your phone will be full of selma going back to being a bully.

[thewidowsledger]

Secrets Behind Our Dreams

Chapter 1: Our Dreams

© thewidowsledger 2023 - DO NOT REPUBLISH AND PLAGIARISE

Summary: You are a club dancer; a stripper. Natasha is a respected notorious mob boss. What would happen if your paths happened to cross one night? The only thing you knew about each other was your dreams, and neither of you knew what the other was.

Pairings: Mob Boss Natasha Romanoff x Stripper Reader

Warnings: Cursing, slight-ish torture

⧗

It was a disastrous night for Natasha, having to deal with men in general.

When Natasha received an invitation to a meeting with other mob bosses in the city, she saw it as an opportunity to strengthen alliances, forge new connections, and solidify her influence. However, as she stepped into the dimly lit room filled with cigar smoke and the unmistakable air of debauchery, she quickly realized that this gathering was far from what she had anticipated.

Natasha was a formidable woman, known to many as the notorious mob boss of the city. Her reputation preceded her, and her name struck fear into the hearts of those who dared to cross her path. A master of strategy and a shrewd negotiator, she had built her empire through sheer determination and a relentless pursuit of power.

To her dismay, she found most of the mob bosses indulging in their vices, surrounded by scantily clad women sitting on their laps, reveling in their momentary pleasures. The amount of mess in the room disgusts Natasha. But what would she expect? She was aware that the meeting would be held in a bar anyway.

"Natalia! Come on, let's just play around. You're drowning with your work, have some fun!" Rumlow playfully whined, he signaled a girl beside him to go to Natasha, "This one's for you."

The girl smirked and stood obeying Rumlow. But before the girl could come near Natasha, the redhead took a step back and glared at the girl, "I have no time for this Rum, I am not going to play your games."

Natasha left the room immediately, she could still smell the disgust clinging on her body.

"What happened? Done already? Haven't had my fun here yet." Bucky tried to keep his pace with Natasha.

"I just wasted my time here, let's go now." Natasha commanded.

"What?! Hey, you told me we'll have fun after your meeting." Bucky whined, "Damn, you have small legs but you surely walk fast. Slowdown Nat."

Natasha scoffed, "Fuck it Barnes. You go have fun alone, but make sure you drop that paper tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" Bucky exclaimed with victory. "And yes I promise that will be the first thing I am going to do tomorrow."

Natasha turned and pointed a finger on him, "But if I ever see a woman leaving your office tomorrow, I am going to kill you." Bucky would always bring girls to his office for a quick fuck and Natasha is getting tired of it. One time she entered his floor with a woman coming at the elevator in a rush with only half of clothes covering her body.

"Oh…that I can't promise." Bucky playfully smirks, but it soonly faded as Natasha took a punch on his arm. "Damn, your surely is small but you punch—"

"Have fun Barnes." Natasha turned her back at him and started walking away.

"Oh, I will!" Bucky shouted, he watched her figure disappear from the halls of the club.

⧗

Natasha finally made her way out, she stood calmly breathing some fresh air. But her peace was again ruined when she heard some commotion in the corner of the bar.

"You left us behind, baby."

"You don't know the things you do to us…"

"How about we go back inside again and show me the moves you did to the other man—"

"Oh, company wouldn't be a problem," someone said, the others started laughing. A man held your right arm and whispered enough for everyone to hear, "Look, this girl didn't entertain us inside, we just wanted some of her attention."

"Do we have a problem here?" Natasha met your gaze and turned to look at those disgusting men harassing you.

You coughed and couldn't bear to breathe properly with the smell of the man, a lot of smoke and beer mixing together. You always hated smoke and people who smoke and Natasha could see how disgusted you were, she caressed your other arm and quickly grabbed you. The man was stunned with Natasha's boldness, but their initial surprise quickly gave way to arrogance, they turned their attention towards Natasha, thinking they could scare her just as they had with you.

Natasha held you behind her, your grip on her suit suddenly loosened as her fist flew towards the man. You flinch at what she did, it happened too fast. Now, you're looking at the man who was harassing you earlier lying unconscious on the floor. The other two men knew better than to approach Natasha so they held their hands in the air in defeat.

"Kneel," Natasha commanded, and they did what she said, still holding their hands up. You were stunned by her command, they knelt in front of Natasha and she turned on you taking your hands delicately. She brought you beside her. "Apologize to her." Natasha started circling around them like a shark.

"I-uh we're sorry, we're sorry, please we're sorry, Miss."

"Miss, sorry, I apologize. Please…"

They seemed to be having a competition of who would apologize better. They were babbling, scared, the other man was crying already. You could swear they almost peed on their pants.

Natasha made her way to the unconscious body laying, she stepped on his face squeezing it to the ground. "Tell this moron that we'll come back for his apology."

Her gazed suddenly softened when they met yours. "Let's go." She told you.

You obeyed, keeping your pace with her. Damn, this woman surely do walk fast and she's something, you told yourself. The clothes, the fabric of it, the details of her leather shoes. Her actions, how she made those men kneel. What? Is she a mafia or something? You laughed in your head but quickly disregarded it.

"Thank you," you broke the silence between you and Natasha. You're not scared of those morons that harassed you. You're not new to it, getting harassed, propositioned in and outside the clubs…and especially in the line of your work, you're not new to it. You can handle it whenever you find yourself in the situation. But it made you realize that Natasha's actions earlier made you somehow scared, but again you shook away the thoughts and still thanked her. "I'm going now. Again, thank you."

"Wait, let me give you a lift. It's almost 2:00 AM, it's dangerous to walk alone." Natasha insisted.

"Oh, no need. I just live a few blocks away." You lied, you actually live halfway across the city. She's still a stranger after all. But you know to yourself, you could feel it that there is something about her that makes you feel comfortable, safe.

"Then let me walk you home if you only live a few blocks away. C'mon my conscience won't let me sleep." Natasha wanted to get some air, she could do it alone. It's much more peaceful she thinks, but at the same time she was suddenly all over you.

Under the moonlit sky, you and Natasha found yourselves strolling through the quiet city streets. The air was cool, carrying a whisper of mystery as you both walked.

You gasped when a shooting star passed in the dark sky and Natasha was startled and took a glance at you. You closed your eyes and whispered your wish to yourself, "I wanted to be rich."

Natasha was mesmerized by you, it seems like the whole world stopped when you closed your eyes. But she suddenly giggled when she heard your wish, "You wanted to be rich? Why?"

"Because I wanted to," You shot back, rolling your eyes to her. "That's everybody's dream, to be rich you know. C'mon I know you wanted to be rich too…" You looked at her again, scanning her outfit that screams 'privileged brat' or 'sugar mommy' and whatever her cologne is it reminded you that she's probably a rich woman," Or maybe you already are… but you sure do hunger for more."

She hummed with a smirk in her face, but her eyes were glassy as if some tears would race down in any second.

"Other than being rich, do you have any other dreams?" She suddenly asked, you were once again stunned.

"I just said what my dream is and yes I have other dreams. But you, what's your dream?" You childishly asked her.

Natasha laughed at your question and reaction to her, but then she smiled and looked at you. "I want to have a normal life and... a dog? Maybe?"

Normal life? Why would she dream of a normal life? Is her life not normal? You asked yourself, you were intrigued by her answer; her dreams.

"And someone to be with for the rest of my life, without getting scared of what I am…" She whispered to herself.

You didn't quite catch on to what she just said, you were about to ask for her to repeat when she stopped you with her question earlier again, "Now tell me what your other dream is."

"I-uh, well. Uhh…well I am a dancer but... " you were stuttering, no proper words coming out of your mouth at the moment. "I-uhh, I want-I want to be a ballerina." You felt your cheeks heat up.

If she's a dancer she could easily transition to ballerina, what's stopping her? Natasha questioned herself.

You suddenly babbled everything about your dream being a ballerina, bringing Natasha back to reality. Your words wove a captivating spell around her. She found herself utterly mesmerized, you were cute, she thinks. Natasha's attention solely fixed on you as you both walked through the quiet streets.

Natasha's eyes were drawn to your graceful gestures, "This is a basic step," you tiptoed and posed a ballerina posture. She watched your every movement, a mixture of awe and admiration reflected in her gaze. The streetlights bathed you in a soft glow, illuminating your face, which seemed to radiate with the passion you held for your dream.

"Wow, you sure do know a lot about ballet." You blushed at Natasha's comment. You once again beamed, it's your first time someone is genuine to hear about your dreams. "Well I know a few more basics." You stumbled while doing it but Natasha was quick to catch you. She looked deeply in your eyes, she could feel her cheeks burning.

You quickly stood to release her hold on you, "I'm going now, this is my block." You totally forgot that you lied about where you live.

"Well, uhh. Okay, are you sure you don't wan—"

"No need, I got this from here. Thanks." You stopped her and scanned the area before walking away.

"My name's Natasha!" She shouted, you turned to look at her and smiled, "Thank you, Natasha!"

"What's yours!" She shouted, asking your name, but you forgot to respond as you tried to stop the blush forming in your cheeks.

Secrets Behind Our Dreams: Masterlist

[sissylittlefeather]

congrats on 200 followers, angel!

so- i’m loving prompt number 18 with military elvis! the idea of that man with a lil spitfire has my heart in a twist somethin’ awful. as for fluff, smut or both- do whatever your heart desires!

Thank you, love! ❤️❤️

This one took me a minute to pin down, but I love the way it turned out! Part of me wants to write a part 2 🤔. Anyway, I hope you love it!

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, kissing, cussing, fingering

Prompt: "She's sorry, officer." With '58-'60 Army Elvis

You're still not quite sure how you ended up in this situation, but you're definitely not going to question it. As you drive the streets of Bad Nauheim with Elvis Presley, you know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. What it was about you that made him choose you out of all the girls, you really don't know. Maybe it was the fact that you weren't screaming and jumping around. Maybe it was the cuss word you accidentally let slip when he walked directly to you and offered to sign the photo you were holding pressed to your chest. Maybe it was the fact that you weren't a teenager and he could tell. Whatever the reason, he picked you and now here you are in the car with him.

You are a little surprised that he didn't bring his convertible. You know he has one, but this car is much bigger and has a top. He says it'll give you both more privacy, so he's not mobbed by fans. You nod slowly. You're not in a position to argue with him and you're not sure you would, even if you wanted to.

You're also a little surprised at how open he is about talking to you. He doesn't waste time with silly questions or small talk about the weather. Instead, he tells you about his struggles with fame, how lonely he is over here, and about how much he misses his mama. When you tear up over the last part he reaches out and puts his hand on your knee.

"Thank you, y/n. It means a lot to me that you don't mind listening to me talk."

"Of course not. People have a tendency to tell me things and I don't mind it one bit. I like to listen." It's true. People do talk to you a lot and he seems to have picked up on it.

"I thought you might be someone I could talk to. That's why I chose you. You looked sincere. You've got one of those faces." He smiles over at you and squeezes your knee.

"That and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen when you cussed. Like seein' an angel's halo slip." You blush at the last part. You've always had a sailor's mouth, and your mother insists it's the reason you'll never get married.

"It's a bad habit of mine. Especially when I'm so damn nervous." You want to bury your face in your hands when that slips out, but he just laughs.

"Well, I love it. Maybe I need to keep making you nervous." Your heart skips a few beats as his hand slides up your knee a bit, underneath your skirt.

"Is this okay?" He looks at you innocently. When you realize the possibilities of what he's proposing, something inside you changes. You've heard stories of what it's like to be alone with Elvis Presley, but up until now, it didn't seem like he was interested in you like that. Now that he seems to be, you decide this is an opportunity that you are not going to let pass you by, expectations of purity be damned.

"To make me nervous, you're going to have to go a lot higher than that." You answer shyly and look directly into his eyes, scooting closer to him on the seat. Thankfully, you're at a stoplight, because he has a hard time looking away from you. His face breaks into a wide smile and his tongue peeks out under his teeth. He seems to decide then and there that this is going to be a game of who can shock who the most. You don't plan to back down.

"Take your panties off." You nod, wiggling in your seat for a bit until they drop to your ankles.

"What now, soldier?" You ask demurely, moving back over to where he can reach you. He smiles again and leans over to kiss you with tongue. There's a honk from the car behind you when the light turns green again and you don't move. Elvis hollers something to the car behind you and goes back to driving. Then, he slides his hand all the way up your skirt to your warm center.

"Already so wet for me, darlin'? I haven't even done anything yet." You don't need him to do anything. Sitting on the seat next to you is enough. But you roll your hips forward a bit as he sinks his middle finger into you.

"Mmm and tight too. I shoulda known." He keeps sliding his finger in and out of you, eventually adding a second one. Every time he reaches a stoplight, he leans over and kisses you, pulling his fingers out to rub over your hardening clit. You can't believe he can drive while he's doing this, but you really don't care as you are completely undone in the seat next to him.

"Oh god, Elvis, don't stop." You moan and at the same time you both see lights pulling up behind you.

"Goddammit." Elvis says under his breath as he takes his hand back and pulls over. Once the car is in park, he leans over and wraps you into a passionate kiss while the officer makes his way to the window.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I'm not finished with you yet." He says with a mischievous glint in his eye. He turns to the window.

"What can I do for you officer?" Luckily, the cop speaks English as he explains that he'll need to write Elvis a ticket for speeding. You didn't even realize he was speeding. Elvis fishes his military ID out of his pocket and hands it to the cop.

While he writes out the ticket, Elvis goes back to what he was doing before you got pulled over. He slams his fingers into you hard and stops periodically to play with your clit. You can't believe he's this skilled with just one hand.

"God, I wish I could get my mouth down to ya." He says under his breath as you start to tremble. Your climax is so close now and you seriously hope this cop doesn't finish writing the ticket any time soon. Finally, your orgasm pounds into you, shooting electric bolts out to your fingertips and you cry out and slam your hand on the roof of the car.

"FUCK."

"I beg your pardon?!" Elvis stifles a laugh and pulls his hand out as the officer leans down into the window and looks at you. You're biting your lower lip and your chest is heaving. There's no way you can make other words right now.

"She's sorry, officer." Elvis smiles up at him politely. "Can I have my ticket now?" The officer tears the ticket off of his pad and hands it to Elvis.

"Just, uh, take it a little slower from now on." He says as he walks away.

"Oh, I can't make any promises, sir." Elvis calls back to him, not taking his eyes off of you. He pulls you in and kisses you again, sliding his tongue into your mouth easily. Then, he puts the car in drive and takes off. Finally, you find your voice.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to my room. Your filthy little mouth needs washing out."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

[chr0macide]

Break In 2: The Novelette (Fanfic)

PART 1

got damn I finally finished this. Writers block was wilding on my ass so I hope this didn't turn out like shit lol. I drew a lil bit of art for this fanfic (I say "drew" but a lot of it is just textures from google edited together into a picture lmao). Just 3 pics but yeah I got bored and wanted to draw. Might make a separate post for them sometime so people who don't wanna read or scroll through this can see them.

I recommend reading part 1, there are some references and callbacks that you might not get if you haven't read it already.

Again if you see any grammar/spelling errors please tell me. don't let me just leave that shit in because that's hella embarrassing 🙃

oh also for those who don’t know, the premise of this fanfic is basically just me turning the game into a short story

TW implied sexual violence (not involving any main characters, relatively short section, but its there)

This one is about 16,000 words, alright lets do this

Chapter I – Unsafe Haven

A fork of lightning illuminated the woods as Prince drove down the trail at a snail’s pace. The deluge was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see through the windshield, even with the wipers on. He brought the car to a standstill and let the engine idle.

“We’re gonna have to wait the storm out,” Prince told the kids. “Can’t keep driving like this.”

Stephanie kicked the back of Prince’s seat. “Worst camping trip ever,” she grumbled with her tiny voice.

“Relax. We’ll get there,” the elder brother said, but the truth was that he may or may not have taken a wrong turn through the thick fog.

It had been almost a year since the four kids had butted heads with their not-so-friendly neighborhood mafia. Well, three kids and one adult; Prince had turned 18 a few months ago. They’d been holed up in their house for too long, paranoid that Larry and his mobsters might show up for a little payback. It didn’t help that there had been a string of missing person reports in the area. To their dismay, their own uncle had disappeared, not to mention that the mob boss himself had vanished soon after they’d deactivated him. He hadn’t been sighted since, though, so Prince and Monica thought an outing would help take their minds off of everything.

They had everything they needed. The weather report had been favorable, yet rain was battering their windows. Prince folded his arms as he heard another clash of thunder. His boredom was replaced with panic as the subsequent flash of lightning struck the tree closest to them.

“Everyone out! Now!” he yelled as the trunk splintered and started to topple towards them. The kids tumbled out of the car and ran off as the tree smashed into the hood. The car alarm screamed.

“Could this trip get any worse?” Monica huffed as she walked around their totaled coupé. She popped the trunk and rummaged around inside.

Prince reached out and pulled her away. “Monica, wait, the engine-”

He was cut off as the crushed engine spat out a plume of smoke and exploded.

The kids stared at their flaming car.

“Shit,” said Hadrian.

Prince sighed. “Yeah.”

They looked around. They thought they’d reach the campsite early in the evening, but the storm had stalled them for so long that night had already come. Prince could hardly see the path ahead of them. “You didn’t happen to pull a flashlight out of there before it blew up, right?” he asked Monica.

Monica looked at the first aid kit she’d rescued. “No.”

“Damn. Well… we shouldn’t just stand around, I guess. Come on,” Prince said to the others. They climbed over the fallen tree and set off down the trail on foot.

The muddy path squelched under their shoes and thorns snagged their clothes as they trudged forward. Prince knew they should hurry, but shrubs and tree roots obscured by the shadows threatened to trip them up and send them face first into the dirt if they walked too fast.

Prince pulled out his cellphone as they moved, grumbling in frustration as the rain impaired the touchscreen. He tried to dial emergency services. No signal. He almost bumped into a traffic barricade in front of him while he was shoving the phone back into his damp pocket. “The hell? What is this doing here?”

He felt Monica tug on his sleeve.

“Do you see that?” Monica asked, pointing into the trees. It took Prince a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about, but he spied a yellow light blinking in the distance.

“What is it?” he wondered.

“I don’t know… but look.” Monica gestured downwards. There was a gravel path leading away from the barricaded trail. It looked like they’d be taking a detour.

“Let’s see if there’s a building there,” Monica suggested. Prince was apprehensive about veering off the main path, but he had no clue how far the campground was, if they were even going in the right direction. Maybe this was a better option. He and the other kids followed her.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the origin of the light. Steel walls stretched into the trees. The faint beams of moonlight that made it through the leaves glinted on the razor wire resting atop the fortifications.

A control panel was affixed to the wall next to the heavy-duty vertical lift door. There was the light source: a yellow diode, flashing on and off in the dark.

Prince peered through the doorway. It was already open. “What is this? A military base?”

Monica knitted her brow. “Maybe, but why would they leave the door like this?”

“I don’t see anyone.” The place gave him an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it was freezing, and his clothes were soaked all the way through. He stepped inside.

The dwelling had evidently been abandoned for a long time. One ceiling light persevered, shining weakly in the darkness. The floor was littered with trash and a sticky layer of dust coated the tiles. Corroded storage lockers lined one of the walls. The other was plastered with crappy graffiti.

Prince didn’t see anyone else. He beckoned the others inside. However, right as the last kid stepped through, there was another flash of lightning. The panel next to the door sparked and short circuited. Everyone flinched as the door slammed down with a loud bang.

“What the hell!” Prince exclaimed as he turned around. He gave the door a kick. It didn’t budge. The unlocking mechanism had failed. He tried tinkering with the control panel, but all he got was an electric shock. “Ow.”

Prince knew he wasn’t about to break through solid metal. The kids glanced around the room nervously. “Look for another way out,” Prince told everyone.

There was only one other door on the opposite wall. Monica made her way over and gently pushed it open, but it was just a stairwell leading even deeper down into the building. She shook her head at Prince. “Nothing here.”

Hadrian started to open the old lockers, searching for something that might be useful. He grimaced as he came upon one that wasn’t empty.

“Guys. Look,” Hadrian called out. The others crowded around. It was an all too familiar comedy mask that they’d hoped they would never have to see again. “I don’t think we’re in a military base.”

Prince’s stomach churned at the thought of running into Larry a second time. If he was uneasy before, he was on high alert now. In fact, he was so anxious that he nearly leapt out of his skin when something prodded the back of his leg.

The dog whined and sprang away as well before it ran away and cowered beneath a rotting wooden table. Its fur was patchy and matted. Muddy water was still dripping from it, but it looked like it might have been white underneath all that grime. It must have taken refuge here from the torrential downpour too before they arrived.

“A doggie!” Stephanie squealed in delight. She ran to pet it, but it growled and barked at her when she got close. “Mean doggie,” she pouted.

Prince paid no more attention to the dog. If there was a chance that there were gangsters prowling, he and the kids had to arm themselves. He didn’t see anything of use except a broken rack with a few rusty crowbars on it. He picked one up.

“Guess these will have to do.”

He tossed a couple to Monica and Hadrian.

“Hold up, you want us to go further inside?” Hadrian questioned as he caught the weapon.

“You got a better idea?”

Hadrian looked at the metal door, locked tight. “No,” he mumbled.

The group stood at the stairs. It was pitch black. A sense of déjà vu crept over Prince; it reminded him of the creepy basement back in his house. He dug through his pocket for his lighter and flicked it on, casting enough light down the steps for them to descend. The dog padded after them, though it still recoiled as Stephanie tried to touch it again.

They reached the base of the stairwell. Iron bars lined the walls on either side of them. It was some sort of jail. Prince thought the cells were all empty until someone stood up in the one right next to him.

Everyone yelped in alarm at the figure. Prince held his crowbar up defensively, even though the man was caged, but he looked familiar. He held his lighter up to illuminate his face.

“Uncle Pete?” Prince said, bewildered.

Pete waved. He grabbed the whiteboard attached to his belt. Hi Prince! Open the cell? he wrote.

“But I don’t have the key… oh, wait,” Prince said as he remembered that he was holding a crowbar. He jammed it in between the lock and the doorframe and broke the gate open. “But how did you get here?”

Mafia wanted some of my properties. Locked me up here alone when I wouldn’t transfer ownership, Pete scrawled as he stepped out of the cell.

“Oh, man. We were really worried,” Prince said as everyone wrapped Pete up in a group hug. “Wait a second. Does that mean there are mobsters nearby?”

No. Upper levels of the base are abandoned. Everyone is in lower levels.

Prince’s brow furrowed. Pete looked at him quizzically.

“The entrance malfunctioned. We can’t get out the way we came in,” Prince explained. Pete looked pensive now.

Only other way out is elevator on lowest level. Leads to south exit. Don’t know exactly where it is, but we would have to keep going down. Pete pointed at the other end of the jailhouse. More stairs. They were going to be seeing a lot of those.

The last thing Prince wanted to do was to delve into a criminal hideout, but they didn’t have any other choice. “How deep before we start running into mobsters?” he asked Pete as they walked to the staircase and descended further.

Pretty deep. Not sure about the exact level. I don’t th

Pete stopped writing as they reached the next area and looked around warily. It was some kind of common area, just as derelict as the previous rooms, but something felt off. Prince squinted through the dim lighting. The coffee table was caked with dust, but one handprint-shaped patch was clean.

Someone was in there with them.

Chapter II – Hackerman

Monica guarded herself with her first aid kit as a masked mafioso stood up from behind the couch and swung his crowbar at her. The plastic case cracked, but she retaliated with a jab to his gut with her own weapon. He clutched his abdomen in pain as Monica brought her weapon down on his head, knocking him out.

The guy wasn’t alone. Four of his buddies emerged from hiding while Monica was fending off the first, and they rushed the kids all at once. Pete hastily grabbed the crowbar that the downed mobster had dropped. He attacked one who was coming up on Prince’s side. He and Hadrian were kept busy by a couple of other mafiosos from the front. There was a brief scuffle before Pete managed to land a headshot and knock him unconscious as well.

Hadrian tried to lunge at one of his attackers, but the mobster hooked his crowbar around Hadrian’s own weapon and yanked it out of his hands. With nothing to defend himself, all he could do was shield his face with his arms. There was a crunch as the mobster’s crowbar met his forearm. He cried out in pain. “Fuck! Not again!”

The group withdrew further into the room as the remaining mobsters closed in on them. As their aggressors engaged them again, Prince fumbled and dropped his still-burning lighter amidst the chaos. The dust on the plush carpet ignited instantly. A blockade of smoke and fire materialized surprisingly quickly between him and the mafiosos.

“Come on!” urged Prince retreated through the next door. The dog darted ahead of him, spooked by the flames. Pete and the kids followed, but the mobsters had to fall back to the jailhouse to escape the inferno. It had been a quick fight, but Prince was shaking from the adrenaline. He turned to Pete.

“You said the upper levels were abandoned!”

Pete shrugged his shoulders and shook his head cluelessly. They are! I don’t know what they’re doing here, he wrote.

The blaze cast a flickering orange glow into the hallway they’d ended up in. At least this place looked empty. Monica made Hadrian sit on the ground and started fixing a splint to his arm. He sighed in defeat. They’d only just got here, and he was already out of the fight.

Prince cautiously opened the door next to them. A janitorial closet. He’d lost his lighter in the last room. They weren’t going to be able to see a thing once they left the fire behind, so he went inside and investigated the shelves.

He picked up a flashlight and brushed the dust off. “Lucky us.”

“See if it turns on first,” said Monica skeptically.

Prince flipped the switch. He smacked the flashlight into the palm of his hand a few times when it didn’t turn on. Nothing happened. “Damn it.”

He shoved the flashlight under his coat. Maybe they would come across some batteries later. As Monica finished patching up Hadrian’s arm, the group continued to the elevator on the other end of the hallway. Prince pushed the call button. “I don’t suppose this thing will take us out of here?”

Pete shook his head as the doors slid open. The control panel only contained deeper floors. His finger hovered over the button that would take them the lowest. They didn’t know precisely how far down the inhabited levels were, and he didn’t want to be jumped again as soon as the elevator reopened. He decided to select one of the higher ones. Better safe than sorry, Prince thought.

They said nothing as the elevator closed and took them downwards. They couldn’t see anything except the red LED display above the door. The floor number ticked into the negatives until it ground to a halt unexpectedly.

“Hold up. That’s not the level I chose,” Prince whispered. He could hear everyone shifting around in the dark as they prepared for the worst.

The doors opened. The person outside the elevator screamed and fumbled with his phone, almost dropping it. He clearly hadn’t been expecting to see anyone. Prince had his crowbar at the ready, but the guy was clad in a hoodie and jeans instead of one of the tailored suits that the mob usually wore.

“Uh… hi,” said Prince.

“Hey? You guys don’t look like mobsters,” the young man replied as he straightened his sunglasses.

“You don’t, either.”

“’Cause I’m not. What are you doing here if you aren’t one of them?” the stranger asked shiftily.

Prince shrugged. “We ran in here during a thunderstorm. Door malfunctioned. Now we’re trapped.”

The stranger buried his hands in his dark hair. “Are you fucking kidding me? The north exit is jammed? I snuck all the way up here for nothing!”

“You’re sneaking out? Were you a prisoner?” Monica probed.

“Ugh. Yeah, yeah, I was,” mumbled the man, who was now pacing around outside the elevator. “Name’s Helios-”

Hadrian snickered. Helios shot him a look.

“What? It’s a code name! I work for the government. I’m not supposed to tell people my real one.”

Hadrian rolled his eyes. “Sure, dude. Whatever.”

“OK, Helios… why were they keeping you down here?” asked Prince.

“I got abducted during the killing purge last year. They’ve been making me work for them. I’m a hacker,” Helios explained. “I managed to slip away from my station a while ago. They went batshit looking for me. It was a nightmare getting up here, and now I have to go all the way back down,” he groaned.

“Really? So you know where the south exit is,” Prince surmised.

Helios held up his phone. “Yeah. I got a blueprint of this place.” He stepped into the elevator with them, but he pursed his lips when he saw which level they had been heading towards. “Nah. That’s the first populated level. The guards would’ve rocked your shit. Get outta this thing,” he urged, gesturing for them to follow him into the floor they were at: a computer room. Most of the computers were powered off and missing keyboards, save for one, which had been plugged into one of the power outlets. Helios must have been using it.

“Any chance you can fix the door upstairs? I think it short circuited,” Monica inquired.

“No shot. I’m a hacker. Not an electrician. But like I said, I know exactly where the south exit is,” Helios responded. The group looked at his phone as he pulled up his map of the base. He marked the spot where the exit was. This place had a lot more floors than Prince had expected.

“This is going to suck,” he murmured.

“Tell me about it. We gotta go on foot, too, ‘cause this elevator won’t take us to the right place,” said Helios as he beckoned them out of the computer lab.

The corridors here were tight and winding. Their footsteps echoed through the metal walls, rough with oxidization and lined with rusty pipes. Stagnant water still dripped from some of them.

Prince grew anxious as he followed Helios. They’d been walking for a while without reaching any stairs or elevators. “Helios, where are you taking us? We’re still on the same floor,” he questioned.

“Relax. We’re making a pit stop,” Helios replied, waving Prince’s concern away.

“Dude, we don’t have time-“

Helios shushed him. They were in front of a door with a round window. Prince peered over Helios’s shoulder to see inside. He’d taken them to a kitchen, and Prince realized that they did, in fact, need to eat.

“How do you know there’s still food in here?” he asked the hacker.

Helios shushed him again. “I came here while I was on the way to the top level. Lower your damn voice. There’s someone inside,” he hissed.

Prince took a closer look through the round window. The oven was on. There was a mobster leaning against the countertop, facing away from them. Only one. “What is that guy doing all the way up here?” he whispered.

“No idea, but he’s alone. Just go bonk him,” Helios encouraged.

Prince moved forward Helios stepped out of the way. He put a hand on the door and gradually eased it open. Thankfully, the hinges didn’t squeak, so he crept inside until he was right behind the mafioso. Prince raised his crowbar.

The door clicked shut. The mobster whirled around at the noise. Prince faltered. His mouth hung open slightly in disbelief as he recognized the mafioso.

“Isaiah?”

Isaiah was scrambling for his own crowbar, but he paused when he heard his name. “Prince?”

Prince let his arm fall to his side. “What the actual shit? You’re still working for the mob?” he exclaimed.

“Why the hell are you in the base?” Isaiah blurted out in an equally baffled tone.

The door creaked as Helios edged it open. “Prince? You good?”

Hadrian pushed him out of the way with his good arm. “Nice to see a familiar face,” he said.

Isaiah looked even more confounded as Pete and the kids emerged. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”

Prince was beginning to get tired of recounting that. “There’s a storm outside. Ran in here. North entrance short circuited. Stuck. Explain why you’re here,” he demanded.

“Because I work here, dumbass,” Isaiah snapped. “You can’t just leave the mafia. They hunt deserters down… not to mention that I got fired from Builder Brothers. The owner found out I had ties to the mob, and now this is the only job I can get,” he muttered bitterly.

Prince scowled, but he supposed Isaiah had a point. “OK, I get it, but why is Larry still letting you work here? You helped us deactivate him.”

“He’s not in charge anymore. Haven’t seen him since that sewer brawl, actually. Someone else took over his duties,” Isaiah revealed.

Prince’s eyebrows shot up. “But a bunch of mobsters ran off with his body. It was on the news. They must have reactivated him, right?”

“Nope. He didn’t show up here, as far as I know. No idea what happened to him.”

The kids glanced at each other uneasily. “Who’s in charge now, then?” said Prince.

“Never met her, but her name is Mary Gearwise.”

“Gearwise? Let me guess, another automaton? Where are all these killer robots coming from?”

Isaiah shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’m just a grunt… wait, aren’t you the hacker that escaped a while ago?” he realized, pointing at Helios.

The hacker looked at him warily. “Maybe. Your friend isn’t gonna turn me in, right?” he asked Prince.

“I ain’t no snitch,” laughed Isaiah.

“Then will you help us get out of the base?” Prince implored.

Isaiah’s smile faded. “Man, do you have any idea what they’ll do to me if I get caught with you guys?”

“Come on, at least help us until we start running into goons. You can wear your mask. They won’t know who you are.”

The mobster picked up his mask from the counter. He mulled Prince’s words over as he looked at it. “I guess so.”

The oven dinged. “On a lighter note… pizza’s done.” Isaiah grabbed an old mitt and pulled the serving board out and placed it on the countertop.

Prince had forgotten about the oven. “Why the hell are you making a pizza all the way up here?” Helios questioned incredulously, gesturing around at the soiled kitchen.

Isiah scratched his neck. “I got hungry, and I didn’t wanna share it with the other guys, OK? So I took a frozen pizza up here.”

“You were gonna eat a whole pizza?”

“Shut up. You guys can have some if you want. You probably aren’t gonna get your hands on food again until you make it out of here,” Isaiah told everyone.

As they ate, the dog nudged the door open with his nose and squeezed through. He’d stayed outside, but it seemed that the smell of cooking had enticed him. Stephanie held out a slice of pizza and tried to coax him closer. The dog gingerly took the slice in his mouth and devoured it ravenously.

Stephanie giggled. The dog let her pet him this time. She read the name tag on his collar. “Twado!” she squeaked. Twado wagged his tail.

The dog chewed on the empty pizza box as Isaiah looked at his watch. He pulled a flashlight out from under his jacket. “We gotta go. I better get you guys out of here while most of the base is asleep,” he said as he motioned for the group to follow him.

They reached a crossroad after a while. “Dude, the map says the closest stairwell is that way,” Helios contested, jabbing a thumb at the right passageway as Isaiah turned left.

“Your map is old. We never update those things. I know a short-”

Isaiah stopped talking mid-sentence as a rusty pipe on the ceiling ruptured in front of him. Scalding hot water hissed as it splashed against the cold metal floor and turned to steam. He didn’t fancy third-degree burns. “Damn. Guess we’re taking the long way around.”

They trailed through the narrow corridors behind the mobster in silence until Prince’s soles started to get sore. Too many stairs, but they eventually ran into a door.

Isaiah reached for the handle. “I think—SHIT!”

He jerked his hand back as the pipe next to the door burst as well, but it wasn’t water that erupted. Isaiah ripped his glove off and threw it to the ground as the substance ate through it.

“What the hell is that?” Price exclaimed.

“It’s the stuff we poured into the sewers last purge. Thought we shut off all the valves already. I need to quit coming up here,” muttered the mafioso. “Nevermind. There’s another way in this room.” He turned to the door on the opposite wall and pushed it open.

They were in an old dormitory. The entrance to the stairwell was on the other side of the room. “As I was saying, I think the next level down is… uh…”

Isaiah stopped in the middle of the room and went silent. He looked up at the entresol. More than a few doors were slightly ajar.

“Isaiah? Something wrong?” Prince whispered.

“The doors were shut last time I was here,” he whispered back.

It was another ambush. The mafiosos threw the dormitory doors open and jumped down from the entresol. Prince cried out as one of them landed on him. He lost his weapon as he wrestled on the floor with the aggressor and grunted in pain when he felt something sharp pierce his side. Twado ran over and clamped his fangs around the mafioso’s leg.

Isaiah hurriedly pulled his mask over his face as more mobsters jumped down and confronted him.

“Is that you, Isa-”

He silenced his colleague with a crowbar to the face before he could get his name out. The other two elected to simply charge at him and Helios without any pleasantries. He dropped his flashlight as they clashed.

Prince felt around for his crowbar in the dark as Twado dragged his attacker away. He heard a yelp Monica clocked the mobster on the head.

Pete stood in front of Hadrian and Stephanie as two more advanced on them. They laughed as they brandished their weapons. “Why don’t you put that crowbar down before you hurt yourself, old man?” one of them snickered. Hadrian covered his sister’s eyes.

Prince found his weapon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He looked over at his uncle as one mobster seized his crowbar while the other delivered a strike to his head, but they turned around as he and Monica came up behind them. Prince tore the blade out of his side and drove it into one of the unsuspecting mobsters’ eyes. She screamed and reeled as Monica aimed a blow at the other mafioso, who sidestepped the hit, but now Prince was coming at him as well.

The mobster made a dash for the stairs, only to run into Isaiah. The two mobsters who’d been accosting him lay in a pile. Isaiah promptly sliced his associate’s throat open using a switchblade of his own. He clutched at the wound and gasped for air, but he could only cough and choke on his blood.

Isaiah scowled beneath his mask at all the noise his victim was making and shut him up with a sharp blow to the skull. He crumpled to the ground, still wheezing and spluttering while unconscious.

That was the last of them. Hadrian picked up Pete’s fallen sunglasses for him. He put them back on as Monica pulled Prince’s bloodied coat off.

“How bad is it?” Prince asked.

Monica grabbed the flashlight from the ground at held it up to inspect Prince’s wound. “Well, since you’re still standing, it’s probably not that deep. I’d put you on bed rest, but…”

She didn’t bother finishing. There was no time for bed rest in this place, of course. There was nothing she could do except clean it and stitch it up.

“They were waiting for us. How did they know you were here?” Isaiah wondered.

Prince shrugged. “We were attacked earlier as well on one of the top levels. I don’t suppose you have security cameras around here?”

“No. Not since…” Isaiah gestured at Helios.

“I knocked them offline while I was trying to escape,” the hacker said. “I know for a fact they’re still down. They couldn’t have seen you.”

Isaiah paced around the dormitory wordlessly as Monica sutured Prince’s wound shut, deep in thought. He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on. We have to-”

He stopped talking as the mobster next to him stirred. There was a crunch as Isaiah stomped on his neck, killing him. Everyone else winced.

“What the hell, Isaiah? That’s not necessary,” Prince admonished.

“Yes, it was. He saw my face earlier. I told you I’m fucked if one of these assholes reports me.”

“He was already unconscious!”

Isaiah got up in Prince’s face, but Helios interrupted their spat before he could say anything. “You two better start getting along, ‘cause we need to make a plan,” he said as he nudged Isaiah away and planted himself between them. He gestured all around at the fallen mafiosos. “We’re gonna be running into plenty of these guys when we reach the bottom of those stairs.”

“Oh. Right. That’s what I was trying to tell you guys earlier. It’s a good thing we ended up in here, actually,” Isaiah said as he disappeared into one of the dorms. They heard him rooting around inside until he came out with a bunch of suits and masks slung over his shoulder, a little faded with age, but still wearable. He dumped them in a pile on the ground. “Ol’ reliable. Everyone put one of these things on.”

Prince pulled a duffel bag out of the pile while he was looking for something his size. “What’s this for?”

“That’s for Twado,” said Isaiah.

Twado gave him the side-eye.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. The boss doesn’t allow dogs in here. You’ll blow our cover if anyone sees you.”

The dog allowed Isaiah to lower him into the bag, but then the group encountered the same problem as last time. Stephanie was sticking out like a sore thumb.

“Maybe we can hide her in the middle of the group again?” Prince suggested.

Isaiah shook his head. “It’s not gonna work. The hallways aren’t wide enough.”

The mafioso drummed his fingers on the strap of the duffel bag. Nobody else was offering up any ideas.

“I know what we can do,” he spoke hesitantly. Everyone looked at him.

Prince blinked. “Well? Spit it out.”

Isaiah held up a hand. “Don’t get mad at me for it.”

Prince’s eyes narrowed.

“First of all, this base is part of a sex trafficking ring,” said Isaiah.

“You better not be about to say any dumb shit.”

Isaiah held up both hands now. “Just listen! We pretend,” he continued, enunciating the ‘pretend’ very clearly, “that Stephanie is one of the girls we abducted—”

“You guys take little girls for that?” Hadrian admonished.

“Look, man, I just work in the canteen. This place didn’t even have a human trafficking branch when I got here. As I was saying, we pretend she’s a…”

Isaiah trailed off as Prince stared daggers.

“Prisoner,” the mobster said slowly. When the elder brother didn’t throttle him, he kept talking. “The shortest path to the exit involves one of the, uh, filming areas, so that’ll be her excuse to be there.”

Helios looked at his blueprint. “He’s right. There’s gonna be another elevator at the end of the filming area’s hallway.” He zoomed in on the location.

Isaiah leaned over to inspect the map as well. “We can ride it to that detention level and act like we’re taking her to a holding cell,” he said as he pointed out a floor below the filming area, “but we can veer away towards the west edge of the base. That place is as deserted as the upper levels. We’ll make our way through there until we reach the lowest level. After that… it gets more difficult.”

“No kidding,” Helios agreed. “That’s where the boss lives. The whole floor is teeming with goons, but the ventilation shafts that far underground are so big that we can fit through them. So, we sneak over to where the elevator is. Get out of the vents while nobody’s looking. Ride it all the way up to the south exit. No sweat,” he schemed as he drew a path with his finger from their location to the exit.

Prince still looked vaguely pissed off, but he nodded. “OK. Fine. Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter III – Incident Report

Prince squinted as his troupe reached the bottom of the stairwell. The fluorescent lights were harsh on his eyes after they’d wandered around in the dark for hours. He scrunched up his face in revulsion as the smell hit him. The filming area reeked of stale sweat and perhaps other fluids that he preferred not to think about.

“There,” Isaiah whispered to Prince, pointing at the elevator on the other end of the corridor. “Hold onto Stephanie and walk in front of us.”

Prince took Stephanie gently by the hand and followed Isaiah down the corridor.

They were alone at first, but Prince was startled as a door next to them opened. A pair of mobsters shoved a girl into the hall with nothing but a worn-out blanket around her shoulders. She stared through Prince with dead eyes as the mafiosos forced her onwards.

The two groups didn’t speak as they passed each other, but one of the mafiosos brushed a lock of dark hair out of Stephanie’s face and leered at her with yellowed teeth as he strolled by. Prince’s hand tightened around his crowbar until his knuckles were white.

Time felt like it was passing agonizingly slowly as they walked. Prince’s face darkened as they passed another door. He could hear the sounds of a struggle inside. A scream pierced the air. He came to a halt as he unwillingly recalled the purge he’d endured. He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced back at Isaiah. His face was concealed, but Prince could tell the mobster was stone-faced from his eyes. So was his family, staring back at him through their masks. The sight was unnerving, even though he knew it was only them.

“Keep going. There’s nothing you can do for her now,” whispered Isaiah.

Prince turned stiffly and continued on their path.

There were no more disturbances. They made it to the elevator without any resistance. Isaiah punched in the access code and pressed the button for the detention level.

Helios sighed deeply as the doors closed. “That was unpleasant.”

Nobody was in the mood to respond.

Isaiah spoke up as they neared their destination floor. “We have to get the Warden to open the entrance for us. There’s a one-way exit in the holding area that leads to the west edge. No one is allowed to use it, but the cams are off, so who cares. Just let me do the talking. And one more thing: the audio feed is still running, so keep quiet until we get out of there,” he told everyone as the elevator reopened. The mafioso took the lead this time.

The Warden was resting his elbow on the desk with his face in his palm. He’d been looking at his reflection in his dimmed computer screen as he styled his fiery orange mohawk with a free hand, but his lidded eyes followed Isaiah as he approached. He stared at the newcomers, uninterested in initiating a conversation with them.

“Markus. New inmate,” Isaiah said.

Markus turned his eyes to the computer on his table. “The boss didn’t tell me of any new arrivals today,” he replied flatly.

“We haven’t notified her about this one yet. You’re the first to know. Good for you. Open up,” demanded Isaiah.

The Warden lifted his head from his hand. He narrowed his eyes again, now in skepticism instead of tiredness. Prince put himself in front of Hadrian, hopefully obscuring the boy’s splint. “Why did a little girl need five people escorting her here?”

“What the hell am I being interrogated for? This is the rest of my patrol group. We just got back. Quit wasting my time and open the fucking door,” Isaiah snapped.

Markus sighed. “Whatever. Cell 047,” he told the mobster as he stood up. The guy was even taller than Isaiah, Prince realized, and he was wide enough that he had to leave his too-small tuxedo jacket unbuttoned. He entered a string of numbers into the keypad next to the entrance. The blast door screeched open. “Get out of my face,” said the Warden as he waved them inside.

Prince looked straight ahead. Whatever was behind all the steel doors lining the passageway, he didn’t want to see. Markus closed the entrance behind them as they walked away.

Everyone did as Isaiah had said and kept silent until they reached the exit. A lone spider was busy spinning a web on the doorframe. Tough luck for him. The door squealed as Isaiah opened it and beckoned everyone through.

“Alright, we’re in the clear,” he said after he shut the exit.

The concrete corridor ahead looked strangely sterile at first, but a thin film of dust had settled on the ground upon closer inspection. Nobody had been here in a while.

“Where are we?” Prince asked.

Isaiah took off his mask and looked back at him as they made their way through the hall. “It used to be the chem sector when Larry was in charge. Miss Gearwise decommissioned it after she took over. She’s more interested in biotech and cybernetics, apparently. Most of her stuff is on the bottom floor, though.”

Prince peered through the windowpanes in the doors as Isaiah let Twado out of the duffel bag. Glassware and machinery were set up on the tables as if the users had left in a hurry. Binders full of notes and documents were still open on the desks. Even the lights were still on.

“Looks like she couldn’t wait to shut this place down,” Prince remarked.

Isaiah didn’t look at him now. He just shrugged.

Prince wished the mafioso would talk a little more, because the silence here was even more eerie than it had been in the derelict upper levels. The laboratory looked too clean and orderly. It felt wrong for it to be deserted. He was almost glad when the blindingly white walls gave way to rough stone and steel floors as they moved yet deeper into the base.

They were surrounded by a mess of tubing and shafts as they walked. There were no walls here at all to hide the plumbing and ventilation systems.

“Where are we now?” Prince wondered out loud.

“Still in the chem lab. Larry wasn’t one for frills. He didn’t bother with dressing the place up when he expanded it downwards,” Isaiah answered.

“You know a lot about that guy. Didn’t you only know him for a few days before we took him out?” Hadrian remarked. Isaiah shot him a glare over his shoulder, but not before Monica elbowed her little brother. The last thing they needed was to piss their guide off, even if he might be keeping secrets.

The mobster’s dark irises looked black in the low lighting. “You know I hate it when people ask too many questions, right? I hear the other mafiosos talking about him sometimes, is all,” he claimed as he turned away.

Maybe it was for the best that he and the rest of the group didn’t talk much. The sound of dripping water and air flowing through the vents suited Prince just fine now, but after a while, his ears picked up something that was neither of those. Thumping? It wasn’t quite loud enough for him to tell.

“Do you guys hear that?”

Isaiah paused. “Hear what?”

They all listened, but whatever noise Prince heard had stopped now. “Nevermind. It’s gone.”

Isaiah pursed his lips in annoyance at the interruption and continued forward. Prince didn’t notice any more strange sounds, and he’d started to think he’d been imagining it until he heard it again, much louder this time. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked up. The rusted ventilation panel above them was starting to buckle. “Get back!” Isaiah whispered harshly.

The old screws snapped apart and the vent gave way. Out tumbled a stout man in a trench coat. He grunted in discomfort as he landed in a heap in front of the group. He scrambled to his feet after he glanced up and realized he wasn’t alone, but his panic was short-lived as he beheld the bizarre caravan in front of him. They stared back, equally perplexed. The guy looked like he’d been ripped straight out of a generic mystery film.

Isaiah had pulled his mask over his face once more, but he cautiously removed it again when he saw that it wasn’t one of his own associates who had shown up. “Who the hell are you?”

The man hesitated, seemingly reluctant to reveal that, but Pete pushed his way to the front of the gathering. The stranger’s face lit up.

“Peter! It’s been too long!” he exclaimed as he slapped his hand on Pete’s shoulder. “But what are you doing here?”

Pete scribbled a few sentences on his whiteboard. Kidnapped. My nieces and nephews are trapped here as well. North exit broke down. Looking for the other one.

“The north exit malfunctioned? How odd,” the stranger pondered.

Pete turned back towards the group and wrote again.

“Detective Bradley Beans,” Prince read out loud.

Bradley snapped out of his musings. “Hm? Oh, yes, that’s me. I was assigned to spy on the mob’s activities here. I’ve been using the ventilation system to stay out of sight, but…”

He eyed the broken vent.

“Perhaps I ought to lose a few pounds. Very fortunate that I was in the west edge.” Bradley picked his fallen umbrella up from the ground. “Anyway, Pete here was a coworker of mine before he retired. Good to see you again, old man,” said the Detective, patting the old man on the back.

“Wow. How long have you been hiding here?” Prince asked.

“Almost a year. I arrived soon after the last purge. I heard all about your battle with Mr. Clockturn. Very remarkable, though I wish the national guard would have moved in a bit quicker… kids shouldn’t have to wrangle crime lords,” grumbled Bradley, shaking his head. His gaze shifted to Isaiah. “Who is your, er, companion?”

“This is Isaiah. He helped us during the purge. And now he’s helping us find our way out of here,” Prince explained.

“I see. Well, there’s no use in dallying here, then. I was actually on my way out as well. Care to lead the way, Isaiah?” Bradley invited, motioning for the mobster to go on ahead of him. He did.

Maybe he shouldn’t pry, but Prince was curious. “So… you’ve been investigating the mob? What did you see?” he asked as they walked.

The Detective’s face grew serious. “One of the reasons I was sent here was to find out what happened to Mr. Clockturn after his body was taken. I already had a hunch that Miss Gearwise had a hand in his disappearance. The evidence I’ve compiled confirmed it. He’s in here somewhere.”

Trepidation rippled through the group.

“I haven’t seen him, but I overheard the personnel in the cybernetics sector speaking of him. The papers I managed to nick suggest Miss Gearwise has been performing experiments on him, and it doesn’t seem that he’s a willing participant.”

“What kind of experiments?” Prince questioned.

Bradley’s brow was crumpled in worry. “The documents didn’t detail their nature or purpose, I’m afraid. I went looking for some that did, but I came up empty handed… Miss Gearwise has put a lot of effort into keeping her activities secret. I suspect he’s being held in the bottommost level, but it was too risky to go poking around there.”

Hadrian rolled his eyes. “Sucks to be him, but what is he? Who is making these freaks?”

Bradley opened his mouth to answer, but then he frowned, stopping himself. “It’s classified info. I assure you that law enforcement has it handled.”

There was a door in their way, but it refused to open when Isaiah put his hand on the push bar. Prince looked at the keypad next to it. “Please tell me you know the code.”

“No need for that.” Isaiah dug through his pocket for his keycard and inserted it into the side of the pad. The door unlocked with a click, and he shoved it open with unneeded force. The mobster had been quiet, but Prince observed that he was becoming more and more vexed as Bradley recounted his findings. Cops and gangsters weren’t exactly friends, of course, but he thought Isaiah’s reactions were still a little over the top.

Isaiah went ahead, but everyone else was reluctant to enter the new area. A metal bridge was suspended over a wide pool of roiling red liquid.

Prince stepped onto the crossing uncertainly. The fumes stung his eyes. “Isaiah? What is that?”

The mafioso turned around. “This is where we made the chemical we emptied into the sewers.” His shoes clanked softly against the bridge’s metal lattices as he continued across. “We’ll be fine. Just don’t fall in,” he reminded Prince. He seemed pretty sure of himself, so everybody followed.

They heard heavy footsteps approaching long before they could reach the other side. Isaiah redonned his mask. “This is the worst possible time.” He looked back at the door they’d entered from.

The Warden’s huge shadow approached. He kicked the entrance open and stepped onto the bridge, followed closely by four of his pals. “I knew you guys were up to some bullshit,” he muttered as he motioned for the other mafiosos to charge.

Markus looked like he could drop all of them on his own, but Prince knew they wouldn’t make it to the exit before their assailants reached them. His fist clenched around his weapon. He might be able to shove the big guy off the bridge if he was deft enough…

Isaiah had different plans. He jammed his crowbar through a joint in the bridge and gritted his teeth as he strained to pry the two sections apart. Realizing what the mobster was doing, Prince knelt down to help out. They jumped back as soon as they heard the rusty screws break.

Markus held out his arm to stop his cronies from going any further. The bridge section in front of him slanted dangerously towards the corrosive liquid far below.

The Warden shook his head. “Back up. I have a better idea,” he said as he ushered the other mobsters back into the hallway.

Isaiah’s eyes widened. “MOVE!” he shouted as he bolted towards the exit.

Too slow. The lock engaged right before he touched the door. He punched it in frustration. “Damn it!” he roared as an alarm bell rang through the chamber.

“Isaiah? What does that mean?” Prince asked as the hazard lights on the walls blinked on. He looked at Monica as she tapped his shoulder and saw that she was staring at the red liquid under them. It was rising. He looked up at Isaiah again.

“The doors seal automatically when someone brings the liquid level up.” Isaiah pointed at the console attached to the wall. “We have to reactivate the drawdown system, but I don’t know the passcode,” he explained hastily.

Prince’s gaze darted between Isaiah and the keypad. “Won’t your keycard work?”

“Fucking look, man! There’s no slot for the keycard here!”

Helios pushed him out of the way. “Let me see what I can do,” he said as he fished a USB drive out of his sling bag and inserted it into one of the console’s ports. Prince heard him typing as fast as he could while the caustic chemicals hissed and simmered against the bridge’s supports.

“Uh, Isaiah? Aren’t the beams corrosion resistant?” Hadrian asked, his voice quivering.

Isaiah kept his eyes on the framework beneath them as it sizzled. “Yeah…? But we were never allowed to bring the liquid level this high back when the chem lab was-”

He stopped speaking abruptly as the scaffolds creaked and the bridge started to tilt. Everyone shuffled around anxiously, inching towards the locked door. Twado ran back and forth across the bridge frenetically, but there was nowhere to go.

“Quit bunching up like sardines! You guys are gonna collapse this thing faster,” Monica warned. “Helios? How much longer?”

“Chill. I almost got it,” the hacker replied as the bridge continued to waver.

Prince heard something snap below them as the console beeped and the alarms shut off. They all let out a collective sigh of relief as the liquid began receding, but the support beams were already done for. Helios was nearly flattened as everyone barreled through the exit. They heard the bridge splash into the chemicals behind them.

Markus had been watching them through the window on the other door. He slammed his fist against the wall as he saw the intruders escape before moving out of sight.

“That was a bit too close for comfort,” Bradley breathed.

Isaiah glared at him. “Yeah. It was. The vent you guys are looking for is right at the end of the tunnel.” He said, jabbing a thumb behind him. “Find the elevator yourselves. I’m outta here.”

“What? Come on, man,” Prince implored, reaching out to stop him. “At least point out the right shaft-“

The mobster shrugged him off. “No! You guys have dragged me too far into your shit,” he spat. “And Markus saw your faces, you know. He’s probably on his way to tell Miss Gearwise all about you, so get going,” he finished, waving them off. Isaiah turned away into a connecting corridor and left them alone.

Chapter IV – Interlude

The apertures of Larry’s optical sensors contracted in discomfort as the lights switched on. He heard Mary’s high heels clicking softly against the floor as she stepped into his view, a lab coat thrown over her viridian dress. The disgraced crime boss struggled in his restraints, but that hadn’t worked before, and it wasn’t working now. Mary tittered at his efforts as Larry sighed and went limp on the operating table.

“Good evening, Larry. Or morning, rather. I think it’s past midnight,” she laughed, her tone maddeningly cavalier in contrast to what she was about to do. A glower was Larry’s only response.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Mary walked out of his field of vision and opened one of the cabinets in the operating room. Larry could only listen to her preparing the necessary apparatus, her tools clinking against the steel tray. “All I’ve done is try to help you, and all I get in return is insults and vitriol.”

A few wisps of steam seeped from the ventilation slits on Larry’s face. He’d heard Mary voice her false concern for him too many times. “Who do you think you’re fooling?” he growled.

Larry heard the flames roar indignantly in Mary’s firebox. The tools on her tray rattled as she set it down on the stand next to the surgical table forcefully. She wasn’t smiling any more as she walked to the head of the table. She placed her hands on either side of him and leaned in.

“Stop behaving as if you don’t understand me, Larry. You were deactivated by a pack of children and allowed the purge to end early. You are worthless to this organization as you are. You were weak and I fixed you, whether you and your overblown ego can admit it or not,” she hissed, her breath blisteringly hot against his metallic skin. It would have been painful back when he’d still had flesh to melt… but that was a long time ago.

Larry clenched his fists at her words. His claws grated against the palms of his hands. “Overblown ego? You’re the one who painted your casing,” he spat, sneering at the Mary’s conceit.

Mary smirked, her moodiness fading as abruptly as it had appeared. “Ha! Am I vain for taking care of myself? You look like you haven’t been polished in years,” she taunted. The bright lights glinted on her pearly white coating as she stood up straight and returned to her tray of implements. “But I think that’s enough small talk.”

She reached out and loosened the buttons on his shirt. Larry snapped his metal jaws at her hand, but she pulled away before he could catch her fingers in his teeth.

He heard Mary pick up one of her tools. A mechanical buzzing filled the operating theater. He strained against his fetters again. This was the moment he’d been dreading for so long.

Mary loomed over him, the ghost of a smile on her lime green lips. The surgical lamp formed a halo of harsh fluorescent light around her as she brought the metal cutter to his chest.

Chapter V – Judgement Hall

Prince let his arm fall limply to his side as he watched Isaiah disappear around the bend. Helios patted him on the shoulder once the mobster was out of earshot. “We’ll be fine without him. I told you I know where the elevator is. Let’s go,” he said, gently urging Prince to start down the other hallway.

Helios led them now, and he walked fast. There was no telling how long they had before Markus tipped the boss off to their whereabouts. They didn’t have any trouble finding the vent, but Helios didn’t have anything to open it with. “Anyone got a screwdriver handy? I, uh, left mine in my hoodie when we got changed,” he admitted.

Bradley searched his overcoat for his screwdriver, but he gave Helios an odd look as he did. “Agent Helios? Is that you?”

The hacker’s jaw tightened. “Just get the vent open, old man.”

Prince cocked an eyebrow. “You guys know each other?”

Helios looked at Bradley disdainfully as the Detective knelt down and unscrewed the panel. “This asshole was one of the guys who arrested me a few years back. I used to be a part of Anonymous.”

Bradley’s face grew sour at the hacker’s enmity, but he ignored him.

Oblivious to the tension, Hadrian’s eyes lit up. “Whoa! You were in Anonymous? That’s cool as fuck!”

“But you work for the government now,” Prince pointed out. “How did that happen?”

“They gave me a choice when they brought me in. Work for them or go to the slammer. I think it’s pretty obvious which one I chose.”

The last screw clinked to the ground. Bradley moved the vent cover aside and gestured wordlessly for Helios to enter first.

Stephanie faltered in front of the opening, her face blank. She’d been growing quieter and quieter as they ventured further into the base, retreating into herself, but Prince didn’t know what he could do except keep her close. He crouched down to her level and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Monica and I will go in front of you, OK? Just follow us. We’ll be…”

He stopped himself. He didn’t know when they were going to be home.

“We’ll be out of here soon. I promise.”

She nodded silently. The eldest siblings went first. Stephanie slowly clambered into the duct after them.

The passage was wide enough that they didn’t have to crawl, but they were almost bent double as they wormed through the cramped shaft. Prince almost thought he could discern distant screams, but maybe it was only the air rustling in his ears as it rushed through the tunnel around them.

He followed close behind Helios, whose nose was buried in his phone, examining the map as he walked. Prince could see the rooms they were passing through the narrow slots in the vent panels. Dorms. Armories. Warehouses. Computer labs. Workshops and laboratories. He paused as they passed an office.

Monica nearly bumped into him. “Prince? What’s the hold up?” she whispered. Helios halted and glanced back to look at him quizzically as well when he heard him stop walking.

Prince peered through the ventilation slits. “It’s an office. I see Markus.”

Helios and Monica crowded in next to Prince to take a look for themselves. Markus wasn’t alone. They couldn’t make out the conversation, but the Warden was speaking to a woman noticeably taller than him. Her hair, tied into a bun, was unnaturally reflective, and so was her pale opaline skin.

“It’s the boss,” Helios murmured.

Bradley piped up from the back of the lineup, careful to keep his voice low. “We don’t have time to dawdle here, then. We’ve got to get to the elevator before they figure out where we are.”

Prince lingered for a moment longer. Mary didn’t look too pleased with whatever the Warden was telling her. She glanced towards the vent. Her emerald LED eyes met with his for a instant. Prince’s blood froze in his veins.

Mary’s eyes flitted back to Markus before he could react, though, and there was no change in her hard visage. Maybe he was mistaken. She hadn’t seen him. He told himself so, at least.

“Dude? You okay?”

Prince was brought out of his thoughts by Helios’s voice. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Uh, Bradley is right. Let’s hurry up,” he stammered, suddenly very eager to get moving again.

Helios didn’t delay. They weren’t far from their target now, and it wasn’t long before he spied their exit elevator from behind a vent.

“There!” he whispered, but he hesitated. “I don’t see anyone, though. Is this place always so empty?”

The hall was dark and devoid of mobsters. Nobody could answer Helios’s question, of course. Prince wished Isaiah was here to tell them whether it was shady or not. Either way, this simplified things. They didn’t have to figure out how to get out of the ventilation system without looking suspicious.

They couldn’t reach the screws from the inside of the vent, so Helios stuck his crowbar in between the wall and the panel and pried until the cover snapped open. Everyone squeezed out, but when they stood before the elevator, they saw that none of the buttons or indicators were lit. Prince pushed one. Nothing happened.

There was a shrill bout of audio feedback as the intercoms in the hall switched on. The corridor reverberated with a woman’s bitter, derisive laughter. “Don’t bother. I already disabled it. You won’t be going anywhere, boy. You and your friends have broken into my base and caused me a lot of trouble.”

Prince was too cowed to respond. Monica spoke instead.

“We didn’t break in! Your shitty door malfunctioned and trapped us inside. We don’t even want to be here. Let us leave,” Monica demanded.

“I don’t think so. After all, how many of my guards have you massacred?” Mary reminded them.

“Oh, please. You talk like these kids were the instigators,” Bradley rebuked.

“Detective Beans! I knew there was an informant in here. And now I don’t even need to hunt you down,” Mary gloated. “You came here looking for Larry, didn’t you? You can forget about that. I doubt you’ll be living long enough to see him.”

The blast door at the other end of the hallway opened up. The lights blinked on. The group realized that they weren’t as alone as they thought. They could see the silhouettes of mobsters through the windows lining the corridor, glaring at them through their uncanny purge masks.

“This should be fun,” quipped Mary. The intercom switched off with a thunk.

With no other choice, the group hesitantly made their way to the door. Heat radiated from the adjoining room, though it turned out that calling it a room was an understatement. The cavern was gigantesque. The walls on either side were thick metal. The jagged granite on the opposite side of the entrance was left unrefined, save for the wall of the control room and the mezzanine that Mary was standing upon, glowering down at them from high above. Molten lava churned below the metal platform ahead of them, linked to their door by nothing except a rickety rope bridge. Prince was reluctant to walk across. The thing didn’t look like it would hold their combined weight.

There were footsteps from their rear. The mafiosos were skulking towards them now, brandishing their weapons, compelling them forward.

They were boxed in, so Prince took a tentative step onto the bridge. The boards creaked as he walked onto the platform. The bridge gave way and fell into the lava after everyone had crossed—one of the mobsters had severed the ropes with his knife behind them. Prince looked up at Mary, wondering what her plan was. He couldn’t see much more than her glowing eyes in the darkness overhead.

“Ah, we meet at last… though it seems that some of your allies have deserted you,” Mary laughed. Her voice was shrill and tinny compared to Larry’s baritone, but it echoed through the cave all the same.

They glanced around at each other. She was right. Prince hadn’t been paying attention, but Helios and Uncle Pete had not followed them in.

“No matter. My subordinates will deal with them,” she continued. With that out of the way, Mary looked the gathering up and down as she leaned on her crowbar. “You’re aware there were firearms in the supply depots, right? I know you passed a few of those on your way here,” she told them, quirking an eyebrow.

Prince wasn’t too sad that they’d missed the guns—the rounds would probably ricochet right off Mary’s casing anyway—but Mary’s jeering was making him more annoyed than afraid. “Did you bring us in here for a fight or to talk shit at us?”

Mary narrowed her eyes at his provocation. She beckoned one of the operatives inside the control room. Markus came out and handed her violin to her. She placed it beneath her chin and drew her crowbar across the strings, producing a poignant melody, and Prince immediately heard burbling from the pipeline at the edge of the platform. There was a thin scraping noise as the valve’s handwheel turned on its own.

Everyone retreated towards the other end of the platform as lava spilled out of the pipe, but it streamed until they were backed up to the very edge. Any closer and the heat would start to sear them.

However, as they teetered on the edge, the valve screeched shut and the lava flow spluttered out. The group glanced around at each other, both relieved and confused.

There was a discordant twang Mary’s music faltered. Bewilderment crossed her sharp features. It appeared that she didn’t know what was happening, either. She started to play again after a moment, but the valve made a stubborn scraping noise, refusing to reopen.

Mary scowled deeply. She played a different tune this time. The lava started to drain, but their respite was short-lived as she thrust her violin back into Markus’s hands and jumped down from the mezzanine. There was a resounding bang as her high heels met steel, sending a tremor across the platform.

“Let’s dance.”

Chapter VI – Gearwise

Clang. Whirr. Prince had heard that once before, but now he was ready for it as Mary bolted at him, buzzsaws unsheathed. The blades whined in his ear as he rolled out of the way. He managed to keep all his blood inside him this time, at least for the moment.

Prince didn’t waste time in retaliating, lunging at Mary with his crowbar as she retracted her saws. She didn’t look as tough as Larry. He thought he might be able to take her down the old-fashioned way, but he was quickly disillusioned as his weapon bounced off of her casing harmlessly, barely even chipping her paint.

Mary responded in kind, and her blow sent him off the edge of the platform, but he managed to grab onto the rim, narrowly avoiding a fiery death. Winded, he wheezed and gasp for air as he gingerly dragged himself back to safety… well, relative safety. His ribs were aching like hell.

Hadrian started towards the automaton, but Bradley held an arm out to stop him. “Don’t be reckless. Your arm is injured. Stay out of this and keep your sister safe,” the Detective told him, nodding at Stephanie. The girl held onto her brother’s leg tightly.

Twado rushed at Mary instead, gnashing his teeth, evidently furious at her for striking Prince. She must not have wanted her gilded crowbar to touch the mangy thing, because her lip curled in disgust as she delivered a swift kick to his side. A few of the kids winced as they heard a crack. The dog yelped as he slid across the platform and lay still. Bradley hurried over to check on him.

The dog had diverted Mary’s attention. Maybe Monica had the chance to turn her wind-up key. She tried to edge around the automaton while she was occupied with Twado and reached up to grab it, but she’d barely touched her fingertip to the key before Mary turned abruptly and snatched Monica by the wrist in a crushing grip. She flung the girl at Prince as if she were as light as a ragdoll, and Prince had only just climbed back onto the platform when Monica collided with him, sending both of them off the edge again.

Prince caught the rim of the stage again. Monica could only grab hold of the cuff of Prince’s jeans. He tried to pull himself up, but it was impossible this time with the added weight.

Bradley stood up from where Twado was—the dog seemed fine now—and ran towards them as they dangled from the rim, but Mary sauntered into his path.

Mary opened her mouth, probably to expound another snide remark, but she was cut off before she got so much as a word out. Bradley wasted no time in striking out with his umbrella. Prince thought the guy was about to get knocked out cold, but he must have been even stronger than he looked, because Mary staggered marginally as she blocked the hit with her crowbar.

“That’s another charge of resisting arrest, Miss Gearwise,” said Bradley through gritted teeth. She just laughed wryly.

While Bradley engaged the automaton, Twado bounded to the edge of the platform and grabbed Prince’s sleeve with his teeth, slowly and steadily towing him and Monica up.

Bradley tried to bring his umbrella down onto Mary’s head, but she caught it in her hand. The Detective tried to yank it out of her grasp. She held on.

He recognized too late that he had no way to parry her crowbar now. Mary swung for Bradley’s skull. He reacted quick and tried to evade the blow, but it still clipped the side of his head, knocking his hat askew. He stumbled backwards and clutched his temple, dazed.

Mary grinned viciously and raised her weapon to finish him off, but the look was wiped off her face as someone wrenched her wind-up key. She hissed in displeasure and froze up for a moment as her gears seized, but her disorientation didn’t last long.

The automaton spun around with her smirk replaced with a look of acute loathing. She lashed out and raked Prince across the face with her sharp fingernails before he could respond, leaving several long, bloody gashes behind. A guttural snarl escaped from Mary’s lips as she did, as if it was gravely insulting that the boy would even try to lay his filthy fingers on her key.

She didn’t have time to assault Prince any further, though. Bradley had already come to his senses. He adjusted his hat. Mary glanced over her shoulder as she heard the Detective’s footsteps on the steel stage. She saw movement from the corner of her mechanical eye. Monica and Twado were flanking her from both sides. Even the injured Hadrian had grown tired of being sidelined and was now advancing towards Mary as well.

The automaton whirled around and feinted at Bradley, just to keep him away. She must have realized that at least one of them would get their hands on her wind-up key if she tried to fight them all at once. The mechanisms in Mary’s legs clicked as they engaged. She leapt onto one of the tall stone pillars surrounding the platform, perching on it gracefully.

The group stared up at her. Prince spread his arms in a challenge. “Get the fuck back down here, you bitch!” he roared, his face still bleeding. Mary said nothing. She simply smirked and licked a few drops of blood off her manicured nails.

Monica pulled some gauze out of her first aid kit. Prince irritably tried to shrug her off—“I’m fine”—but she managed to press it onto his face and stem the flow of blood.

Bradley pointed at Mary with his umbrella. “Mary Gearwise, I have reason to believe that you were involved in the disappearance of Larry Clockturn. I demand you reveal his whereabouts at once!”

Mary threw her head back and cackled. “You want to know what happened to Larry? Fine. I’ll show you.” She looked over at the control room and nodded at Markus. He pulled a lever on one of the panels.

There was a harsh grinding sound as the wall to their left slowly parted. They hadn’t noticed it when they came in here, but it was actually an enormous sliding gate.

Everyone backed away as it opened. It might have been some sort of depot, though it was hard to tell though the darkness. The light from a pair of LED eyes pierced through the shadows.

Big ones.

Raucous metallic scraping filled the air as the goliath activated and hauled itself from the ground, exposed gears and levers ticking loudly. Its rugged plating caught the orange glow of the lava beneath.

“What the Hell is that?” cried Prince as the clockwork behemoth took a step forward, making the entire cavern quake.

“It’s the new and improved Larry Clockturn, of course,” Mary declared. Markus emerged from the control room and tossed her violin to her. She started to play again. At the sound of her music, the aperture of the machine’s eye dilated and blazed brightly. Its gaze zeroed in on Prince.

Bradley understood what was happening first. “Prince! Get out of the way!” he hollered.

Crimson light flooded the room as Larry discharged his laser. Prince dived out of the way just in time, but he could still feel the scorching heat against his back as the beam passed him by.

It melted through the steel flooring like butter. The scaffolds holding it up groaned as they started to bend. Prince scrambled to his feet and stared up at Larry as his laser fizzled out. The automaton’s optical receptors contracted to the size of pinpricks and darted around frantically. He seemed almost afraid, but the look vanished almost as soon as it had shown up.

Prince didn’t have time to think about what that meant. The two halves of the stage were dipping away from each other.

The group was separated. Twado leapt across the gap before it became too wide and grabbed the back of Stephanie’s shirt in his mouth, who was slipping down the incline, and lugged her over to Prince and Hadrian. The eldest brother pulled Stephanie into his arms as their half of the platform swayed dangerously above the lava.

Bradley and Monica were trapped on the other side. They looked across at them helplessly. The columns holding them up had thankfully stopped buckling, but there was nowhere to run.

Mary grinned in morbid anticipation as Larry prepared to bisect the platform a second time. His eye dilated again. However, the LED flickered as his laser failed to charge up all the way. Bradley retreated as the beam struck the ground in front of him, but it wasn’t hot enough to melt through the metal.

Mary’s smile faded slightly. “My apologies… I thought I had already disabled his free will. He appears to be resisting my commands. How cute,” she crooned as she drew her crowbar over the strings of her instrument once more.

Larry’s components creaked and juddered as he tried to move, but his gears had locked up. His eye flashed on and off, refusing to even begin charging this time.

Now Mary was scowling. She glared into the control room. Markus shrugged and shook his head at her. She turned towards Larry again just in time to see a masked mafioso clamber onto his shoulder. Mary’s eyes widened in outrage as he thrust his crowbar through a gap in the giant automaton’s casing and triggered his emergency shutdown mechanism.

Chapter VII – AWOL

“Helios.”

Helios frowned. He looked around, but there was no one else in the hallway with him and his troupe. Just the mobsters staring at them through the windows.

“Helios!” the voice hissed again. Oh. It was coming from behind him. Helios slowed his pace and glanced back discreetly, lagging behind the rest of the group. Isaiah was peeking out of the vent they’d come in here from. He beckoned the hacker over.

Helios peered around again. The mobsters seemed to be fixated on the others. He slipped away and reentered the vent before anyone noticed.

“Isaiah? I thought you were done with us,” Helios whispered.

“I changed my mind. We have to move,” Isaiah replied. Helios trailed him cautiously.

“Why? Where are we going?”

“Mary called almost everyone in the base to the primary control room. Her lab is pretty much unguarded, so I decided to snoop around a little bit. I found Larry. Deactivated. Chassis ripped wide open,” Isaiah recounted, knitting his brow as he recalled the scene. “I found the blueprints for his new body.”

“New body? What are you saying?”

“I’m getting to that part! Mary cut his heart out. She made him a new body that she could control. The thing is giant. She’s using his heart as the energy source, and the heart is him, so his original body isn’t gonna wake up without it. She’s going to use the new one on your pals. They have no chance.”

“And we’re just letting them walk into the trap?”

“I need them to stall her, and she was going to lock the base down and have her lackeys kill them anyway if they didn’t show up. I have a plan. Larry’s new body has computerized parts, not just clockwork ones. It helps her control him, but it also means he can be hacked. I’m taking you to the lab. There’s a console there that she used to test him out. It’s got the blueprints in it and everything. I think you can use it to access his network, but you have to deactivate the lava pipeline system first… we don’t want your buddies getting their legs burnt to a crisp before they even see the big guy. I need you to get him to stay still long enough for me to reach him and trip his e-stop. Got it?”

“Yeah, I think I can do that.”

“Good.” Isaiah stopped in front of the spot where a ventilation panel used to be, but he must have broken it open already while he’d been sneaking around. He climbed out and showed Helios the console. “This is the place. Try to do this quietly. There are still a couple guards outside the door,” he whispered to Helios. The mobster thrust a two-way radio into his hands. “Use that to tell me when Larry is immobilized.”

Helios nodded, but Isaiah was already reentering the vent, leaving him on his own. The hacker cracked his knuckles and got to work.

Chapter VIII – System Reboot

Prince watched as Larry shut down and toppled backwards. It reminded the boy of when he’d beaten the automaton in the sewers, but the ensuing impact was much, much louder this time when he hit the ground.

Mary threw her violin at Markus. “Deal with that traitor!” she thundered at him. The Warden reentered the control room and sent some of the operators away. They ran through the door, heading for Larry’s depot. The masked mobster was standing on Larry’s chest now, trying to pry one of the plates open. It had to be Isaiah.

“What are you doing, man? Mind getting us off of this platform?” Prince called out.

Isaiah glanced up at him and held up a finger. Wait.

Prince turned around as a mechanical hum filled the cave. He’d expected Mary to jump down and confront the group, but she was still glowering down at them from the stone pillar. The noise had to be coming from her.

The temperature in the formerly stifling cavern was dropping fast. Prince looked up as a raindrop hit his face. Were those clouds?

“She’s got a weather machine built into her!” Bradley realized as lightning struck the ground right in front of him. An indoor tempest was brewing.

Isaiah got Larry’s chassis open and heaved the metal plate away until the gap was large enough for him to fit inside. His gaze scanned the internal hardware until he spotted the automaton’s clockwork heart. It was strangely amusing how such a comparatively small gadget had been powering a giant robot. He lowered himself through the gears and circuitry until it was within reach and gingerly disconnected the tubes and cables holding it in place. The ticking of the mechanism’s gears slowed down as he removed it. An iridescent mystery liquid sloshed around inside the heart’s windowed ventricles as Isaiah climbed back out of the chassis.

The lava sizzled as rain pattered against it. Prince could feel the electricity in the air before lightning hit the spot where he’d been standing moments before. “Dude! What’s the situation?” he yelled at Isaiah.

Isaiah was too absorbed in his task to respond. He’d already dragged Larry’s real body into the depot before he’d gone to fetch Helios, but he didn’t have a lot of time. He was screwed if the other mafiosos made it here before he had Larry operational. Isaiah sprinted to the corner where he’d left the automaton with the heart in his hands and stooped down to set it back in Larry’s chest cavity. It clicked into place.

The mobster stuck his hand under his suit and felt around for the brazing torch and rod he’d brought with him. He fumbled with the hose for a second before he inserted it into the fuel cylinders on the ground and lit the torch, carefully soldering Larry’s tubes and pipes back onto his heart.

A gale was beginning to pick up. Bradley rolled out of the way as a fork of lightning targeted him again. The wind buffeted him, but perhaps that was a good thing.

The Detective opened his umbrella. The motor inside it began to rumble. He held it up and let a gust carry him towards Mary. She took a swipe at him with her crowbar as he neared, but he veered out of the way and landed behind her. He grabbed her key and twisted it counterclockwise a second time before Mary could do anything about it.

Mary winced as she turned and swung her crowbar wide, striking Bradley in the side. He grunted in discomfort and tumbled from the pillar as the vent cover above Mary popped off and smacked against her head. Pete jumped through and landed on her, casting her down from the pillar as well before he reentered the ventilation shaft and vanished again.

Bradley drifted to the floor with his umbrella and gently touched his feet to the ground next to Monica. Mary hit the ground on the other end of the platform with a crash. She groaned in discomfort as she heaved herself to her feet, but her grousing quickly became a snarl as she stalked towards the Detective.

Pete soon emerged from a vent in the depot. He hastily scrawled something across his whiteboard as he rushed to Isaiah: HURRY THEY ARE ALMOST HERE

Larry’s golden eyes blinked on as Isaiah made the last connection. He sat up immediately and wrapped his huge hand around the mobster’s throat. Isaiah dropped his brazing torch to pry the automaton’s fingers away.

“Get your hands off of me, you asshole! I’m trying to help you!” Isaiah snapped.

Larry’s eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised to hear Isaiah’s voice coming from behind that mask. The automaton glanced down at his chassis, still wide open. He reluctantly released Isaiah and lay down again. “Get on with it, then,” he spat, still glaring.

Isaiah picked up the sheet of metal that Mary had cleaved away from Larry’s casing and placed it over his chest. He picked up the torch again and slowly ran it along the seams. The automaton tensed up at the searing heat, but he held still.

Isaiah had barely finished when Larry shoved the mobster away and got to his feet. He’d secured the plate just in time, too, because the mafiosos that Markus had sent came charging through the depot doors as Larry buttoned up his shirt and picked up his crowbar.

The mafiosos skidded to a standstill when they saw the reactivated Larry standing before them, tall and terrible. He swung his crowbar into the closest one’s abdomen with quite a bit more strength than necessary, burying the curved end in his innards. There was a nauseating squelch and a strangled yelp from the mobster. A section of his viscera came out with Larry’s crowbar as the automaton pulled it free. The others turned tail and ran back the way they’d came as their comrade collapsed into a convulsing heap, too afraid to even try to fight him.

Isaiah made a disgusted noise. “Ugh. That was overkill,” he mumbled as he kicked the whimpering mafioso into the lava. Larry paid him no mind. He turned to the platform. Mary wasn’t the only one who could leap high. He cleared the gap easily and landed right behind her.

The platform shook as his shoes met the steel platform. The scaffolds finally buckled, sending his end of the stage plunging. He was prepared for that. Mary wasn’t. She lost her balance as the platform sank slowly into the molten rock.

Larry grabbed his tormentor with both hands and hurled her into the lava.

Chapter IX – Exit Path

The mafiosos could only watch as Mary disappeared into the molten rock. Markus stared in disbelief until there was a stir in the control room. The mobsters began quarrelling… then they drew weapons on each other. A brawl broke out.

They were fighting amongst themselves. Prince realized as a splatter of blood hit the windowpane that Larry’s old goons must have wanted him back in charge.

Bradley unfurled his umbrella again before the gale storm died down completely. He took Monica’s hand. They both glided into the depot.

The Detective grabbed hold of the metal plate that Isaiah had removed from the behemoth earlier. “Help me move this thing,” he called out to the others.

They lugged the plate towards the edge of the pit and pushed it outwards until it met Prince’s half of the platform. It wobbled precariously, but they held it down as Prince crossed the improvised bridge with Stephanie in his arms. Hadrian and Twado followed from behind. Larry jumped back into the depot as well, landing disconcertingly close to the group. The kids shrank away as Bradley stepped in front of them protectively and pointed at the automaton. Larry raised an artificial eyebrow.

“Larry Clockturn, you are under arrest for-”

Pete bonked the Detective on the head with his whiteboard.

“Ow. What? He’s wanted for hundreds of felonies.”

The elevator is still disabled. We need his help finding our way out, Pete wrote.

“Yeah, I know a different exit,” Larry muttered, but he nonetheless looked mildly annoyed when the group started following him.

They trailed behind the crime boss—well, ex-crime boss—hesitantly. “We still need to get Helios,” Isaiah mentioned. Before they reached the door, however, they heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. Larry turned back towards the platform.

Mary was clawing her way back up, her pearlescent façade burnt away by the lava, revealing her brassy gold casing. Patches of paint still clung to her, scorched black. She glanced back at Larry warily as she climbed high enough to jump back onto the pillar, then onto the mezzanine. The mobsters had already fled the control room, but she ran inside and disappeared from sight. Fury flared in Larry’s golden eyes as he barreled through the depot doors to pursue her.

Everyone ran out the doorway after him. They were back in the corridor with the disabled elevator, but Larry ran in a different direction.

“Where are you going?” Prince yelled. The automaton didn’t reply.

“There’s an old mineshaft leading to the surface in this direction,” Isaiah answered instead. “It’s always been sealed, but Mary must’ve opened it to escape. There’s no other way.”

They came upon the control room where Isaiah had left Helios, but Larry didn’t wait up as they pushed the doors open to find him.

“Helios, we have to…”

Isaiah trailed off. The room was empty.

“Helios?” the mobster called out. There was no reply. He tried contacting him with his radio, but the hacker didn’t respond to that either.

“We have to move before we lose Larry. Maybe Helios escaped already. Come on,” Bradley said as he ran back outside.

They caught up with Larry as he arrived at the gate to the mine. The blast doors were already open. Mary was on the other side of the decaying tunnel, hovering over Helios, watching him as he knelt in front of the keypad next to the elevator and desperately tried to crack the activation code. She seized the hacker in a chokehold and turned towards the group as she heard Larry’s heavy footsteps approaching.

“Come any closer and he dies!” Mary screeched at them. Larry didn’t seem too worried about that, but Bradley grabbed his arm to stop him from advancing.

“Let him go, Miss Gearwise. We just want to leave this place,” Bradley tried to reason.

Mary laughed, her eyes wide and manic. “Leave? You’re the ones who intruded upon my base in the first place. Slaughtered dozens of my agents. Do you know how much time I spent working on Larry? You brats have ruined everything,” she hissed as she tightened her grip around Helios’s throat. He scrabbled uselessly as her arm, eyes bulging as Mary crushed his windpipe.

Prince gritted his teeth. Mary’s words sent his thoughts racing. The gang of mobsters they’d encountered in the upper levels, even though there was no surveillance there. The door that had malfunctioned and trapped them. The lightning storm outside that had driven them here in the first place, even though the weather forecast had predicted clear skies. Mary’s weather machine…

“No. You lured us in here,” Prince murmured.

Mary narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?” she snapped.

“That’s why you knew we were here when the cameras were offline. You caused that storm outside. You took that tree down with your lightning. You had that barricade set up on the trail, so we’d come here for shelter,” Prince spoke louder. “You made the door short circuit with your lightning instead of shutting it remotely so we wouldn’t get suspicious…  and rigged those pipes to blow and cut us off in the upper levels, so we’d walk right into those mobsters. You knew we were here the whole time. You set us up!” he finished, jabbing an accusing finger at Mary.

Mary’s lips slowly curved into a smirk as Prince spoke. “Clever boy.”

“Why?” he demanded.

“I needed someone to test my creation on, and you are the ones who deactivated Larry. I couldn’t leave you alive,” Mary stated. Helios wheezed for breath as she loosened her grip ever so slightly.

Bradley shook his head. “Rubbish. I know for a fact you never cared for Larry. It was the Headmaster who ordered their deaths, wasn’t it?”

Mary’s eyelid twitched at the mention of her superior. She ignored the Detective. “Larry, tell me the elevator’s code and I’ll let Helios go,” she said as she nodded at the dilapidated cage elevator and tightened her stranglehold on the young man.

Larry sneered and tried to press forward. Bradley held him back. The automaton’s gears clanked in frustration as he lifted his crowbar to beat the Detective away, but Isaiah elbowed his way to the forefront of the group before a fight could break out. “How about you think about someone other than your fucking self for once?” the mobster whispered harshly as he shook Larry’s shoulder. The automaton griped inaudibly and hardly budged as Isaiah jostled him, but he got the point.

“0625,” he begrudgingly told Mary.

Helios gasped for air as Mary finally removed one arm from his neck and punched the code into the keypad. The rusty elevator doors squealed as they parted. He tried to break away from her grasp, but he yelped as she grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked him into the elevator after her. “Oh, no, you’re coming with me,” Mary muttered venomously.

“Hey! You said you’d let him go!” Prince yelled angrily from the other side of the tunnel.

Mary just flashed a grin at him and waved at him as the doors shut. The elevator creaked and rumbled up the mineshaft.

She was gone.

Epilogue

There was nothing to do except wait in morose silence for the elevator to return underground. Prince kept starting at the entrance to the mine, worried that some of Mary’s loyalists might show up, but none did.

The mood relaxed a little bit as Twado stood on his hindquarters and pawed Larry’s legs, whining for attention. He’d been too preoccupied to pay attention earlier, but now the automaton reached down and ruffled the fur on the dog’s head. “Glad to see you too, Twado.”

“He knows you?” Prince asked, surprised.

“He was my guard dog when I ran this place. But he looks like Mary had him thrown outside,” he muttered, shaking his head at Twado’s grubby coat.

The elevator doors squeaked open as the carriage arrived. Prince picked up Helios’s sunglasses from the floor. One of the lenses was cracked. He slipped them in his pocket as the elevator closed and started to carry everyone to the surface. Maybe he’d get to return them eventually if the hacker was still alive.

Isaiah went to sit on an old crate, but Larry pushed him aside. “Is that coal? Finally,” said the automaton as he ripped the lid off and shoved a handful of the stuff into his jaws. The kids watched with profound bewilderment.

“What? You didn’t think I was actually spring powered, did you?” he chuckled. The wind-up key on his back rotated ever so slightly. “This is just a kill switch. I have a steam engine.”

I thought your heart was your energy supply? wrote Pete.

There was a whoosh as the fuel caught aflame in Larry’s firebox. “It’s for emergencies. When I run out of real fuel.”

“It seemed like it was working fine before,” Prince remarked.

“You people ask too many damn questions.”

“No kidding,” Isaiah muttered.

Bradley answered instead. “The heart works too well. It will grind his gears to dust if he relies on it forever.” Larry scowled at him, but the Detective didn’t seem phased. “What are you going to do now?”

Larry was caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d retake control of the base. Why didn’t you?” Bradley added.

The automaton laughed bitterly. “Give me a break. Do you have any idea what they’ve been doing to me down here? They can fuck themselves.”

“You’re just now realizing that? You were just fine with their shit before you were the one getting tortured,” Isaiah scoffed, but his temper dissolved into a sulk as soon as Larry shot him a look.

“OK, time for you guys to tell us what your problem is. You said you joined the mafia during the last purge,” Prince cut in, pointing a finger at Isaiah, “but you keep acting like you’ve been here a lot longer than that. What’s the deal?”

Neither Larry nor Isaiah answered, but Bradley looked back and forth between the two of them a few times. “Isaiah is your son?” he surmised.

Isaiah grimaced as the Detective said it. Larry punched the wall next to Bradley’s head, rocking the entire carriage and leaving a dent in the metal. Stephanie clung to Prince. Twado barked and scurried around as the lonely light bulb flickered and swayed on its wire above them. Bradley was looking pissed, but he didn’t retaliate—this was neither the time nor place for a fight, and Isaiah surely felt the same, because he walked between them and stared Larry down until he backed off.

“Guess that was a yes,” said Hadrian. Monica thumped him on the side of the head.

The mood was somehow even more sullen now. Larry had withdrawn to the corner of the elevator. He looked lost in his thoughts, but they couldn’t stay silent forever.

“What do we do?” Prince asked.

“I would call in a raid on this base right now, but we’d have to find some cell signal for that,” Bradley said.

“It’s not a good time,” Larry argued. “The next purge is in eight days.”

Hadrian groaned. “The next purge? You guys do that every year?”

“Shut it. I’m not finished. We need to get somewhere safe. You’re all in even more danger than last time if the Headmaster put a hit on you.”

That name again. “Who the hell is the Headmaster?” Prince questioned.

“He’s the one pulling the strings in all this. It was him who turned Larry and Mary into these,” Bradley responded, motioning to the automaton. “And those two aren’t the only ones who have been subjected to the procedure. I don’t suppose you were privy to his ultimate plans, were you?” he asked Larry.

 Larry scowled at the question, but there was a hint of melancholy on his metallic features. “No, I wasn’t. But that’s not important right now. I know where a safehouse is,” he said as the elevator finally reached the surface. Everyone stepped out as the sun peeked over the horizon. The storm had died out into a light sprinkling of rain.

A couple of miscreants crouched in the dense trees and vegetation, concealed from view. One of them observed the new arrivals through his binoculars as they exited the carriage.

“Well, what do ya know?” said one of them.

“What? Luke, what do you see?”

“Mr. Clockturn made it out… but he looks to be defecting. What a shame, what a shame,” replied Luke, though he didn’t sound very saddened with that.

Brooke laughed. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. Are we gonna take him down or what?”

“Don’t be rash, Brooke. He’s not alone. The meddlers are with him, and there’s gonna be a better opportunity soon. The next purge is coming right up.” the boy said as he stood up. Brooke snatched his binoculars and took a look at the group for herself.

“Come on. Those shrimps have nothing! We can take them,” she protested.

Luke shook his head and started walking away. “No. Last thing we need is to blow our first major assignment.”

Brooke grumbled in discontent, but she acquiesced and followed her brother deeper into the woods.

“Fine. Let them think they’re safe… for now.”

[drc00l4tt4]

🤖 m3lv1nb0rg Follow

Fun Fact: The average person would walk past a murderer ~36 times in their lifetime.

🔥 vil-the-fallen Follow

I like how this is called a "fun" fact.

☕ the-muffin-man Follow

It's fun because they didn't decide to murder you. ♡

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

I doth extend mine hand akin to a mob boss, granting thee leave to kiss yon ring. Yet, as thou draw'st nigh, thou shalt discern 'tis none other than a glowing spider ring, won in the arcade's games of chance.

🔥 vil-the-fallen Follow

* pretends to kiss it but i eat the spider very discreetly but you notice anyway because my mouth is glowing from the inside *

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

Thou disrespect me.. Thou hath devoured mine eerie spider ring, purchased at the cost of fifty tickets from the Funtime Arcade and Pizzeria.. Squire, smite him with the sticky hand

🩹 surviving-thriving Follow

What are the healthiest teas?

🎭 sneed-n-cog Follow

Honesty, Integrity, and Loyalty. - S

🩹 surviving-thriving Follow

Can you all ever just give a normal answer

🐎 yee-haw Follow

You : * eats 100 ears of corn in 2 hours * I am the corn king! I cannot be outcorned!

Me : * eats 101 ears of corn in 10 minutes * Just another day in th'corn fields

⭐ sunshine-lollipops Follow

What?

🐎 yee-haw Follow

I dunno. I woke up at 6am, wrote this, then went back t'sleep.

🔥 vil-the-fallen Follow

Romeo, Romeo

Where the fuck is you, Romeo

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

FIE upon thee! The original line in Romeo and Juliet doth read, 'Wherefore art thou,' and mayhap, were thou to cease thy presumptuousness, thou wouldst know that 'wherefore' doth NOT, IN ANY FUCKING MANNER, SIGNIFY 'WHERE.' 'WHEREFORE' DOTH SIGNIFY 'WHY.'

SHE DOTH INQUIRE WHY HIS NAME IS ROMEO. CURSE ALL OF YOU! CURSE ALL OF YOU VIGOROUSLY! I DO HOLD SHAKESPEARE IN THE UTMOST OF SERIOUS REGARD!

🔥 vil-the-fallen Follow

Romeo, Romeo

Why the fuck is you, Romeo

🍎 sunshine-princie Follow

Gonna go stand in a creek, do you guys need anything?

📰 tired-principal Follow

#Yeah I need you to find a leaf #and gently set it in the water #and watch it solemnly as it floats away

🍎 sunshine-princie Follow

Finally. A reasonable request.

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

Hell? Empty. All the devils? Here.

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

Oh by the damn'd, this jest was not of the ribald "dick? out" variety; 'twas but a quote from Shakespeare. Abstain from vulgarity.

💣 ur-fav-villain Follow

Hell : Empty

Devils : Here

Dick : Out

💣 ur-fav-villain Follow

It's what Shakespeare would've wanted

🌌 i-am-nowhere Follow

Can we stop shipping real people. Can we not do that anymore ever.

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

Upon my last inquiry, such an act was termed "human trafficking", a deed most foul in the eyes of the law.

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

I may have just received word that this text post doth not concern that matter in the slightest.

👻 died-2019 Follow

@ ruler-of-everything why do you talk like that?

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

Dost thou wish for me to converse in the vulgar tongue of modern, simplified speech?

👻 died-2019 Follow

Can you even do that?

👑 ruler-of-everything Follow

I can, yes.

You think I read how you all talk and I don't know how to replicate it? What kind of fool do you take me for?

💣 ur-fav-villain Follow

#Ghost why did you modernize him. Why did you do that. #What did you gain from this cursed media. #Shame on you.

[mlmxreader]

One Of A Kind | König x m!reader

@corpsefry asked: i love your writing sm no one gets it ur my #1 writer forever and always🤞could i request könig x male reader with prompts "we could run away together" and "Here, have half my cigarette, it'll calm you down"

summary: König is always there to greet you after a flight, always.

tws: smoking

support your fanfic writers by reblogging what you read & enjoy

The pride of the RAF, a pilot with great tactics, both feared and celebrated, you were no stranger to danger and no stranger to being quite well known; the pride of the RAF, you could hardly ever get a few moments to yourself when you were on the air fields, always mobbed by pilots and recruits alike begging for your advice, your input. You wondered if rockstars felt as nervous and off-put as you did when you were surrounded by dozens of questions and requests. But at least there was one good thing about being back.

König. Always waiting next to Cohen, towering over the Air Chief Marshal with ease, yet completely and utterly immersed in their little conversations. Cohen didn't mind, always making casual conversation with your boyfriend as if he didn't have to crane his neck to look up at him, always walking away with a dull ache at the base of his neck.

Seeing König stood just off of the runway, arms folded and only wearing a surgical mask, was always what saved you; what kept you from being as venomous towards your own as you were towards the Americans next door who kept trying to encroach and trespass on RAF territory.

You and Perveen were always getting pulled aside by Cohen for that; reprimanded for scaring Americans, yet the two of you treated it like a sport... and if he was around, König was never one to say no to joining in. König liked the RAF for that, for including him in their games, for treating him like little else than one of their own; he appreciated it, not a lot of people did, and even if it was only because his boyfriend was one of their own, he was still grateful for the inclusion.

The laughs he let out when Perveen accused him of cheating due to his height were always hearty and full of giddiness, often coming closer to loud giggles than anything else. He never missed the way you smiled at him when he laughed like that; a look that always made him blush when he saw it.

So fond and so awestruck, like you were seeing the original 'Art Of War' texts by Sun Tzu, like you were gazing upon a masterpiece by Van Gogh. Like he was absolutely precious and priceless. One of a kind.

Today was no different, as you made your way towards the little smoking area near the runway, knowing that König and Cohen would be there; but to your surprise, Cohen was nowhere to be seen, although when you reached König, he immediately noticed your concern, and shrugged, his surgical mask hanging off of one ear.

"Here, have half my cigarette, it'll calm you down, mein Mann," he said, giving it to you and letting you take a few drags. "Cohen is doing Schlacht reports."

"Ah," you nodded. "Natürlich he is... du gut?"

"Ja," he smiled. "Und du?"

"Ja," you nodded back. "Glad there's no Soldaten on my tail for once... don't think I could handle signing another Autogramm."

From the office behind you, which you knew was Cohen's, you could hear 'God Ain't Gonna Getcha For That' by Shania Twain, and you grinned as you offered König your hand.

"Tanzen?"

"Nein," he laughed softly, shaking his head. "Not to Shania Twain."

You scoffed, doing your best not to roll your eyes as you watched him finish off the cigarette before he sat on the bench behind him, tapping his foot to the beat. You raised your brow.

"You danced with me to Cradle Of Filth the other day..." you grumbled playfully. "And you're tapping your foot."

"Nein ist nein," König shook his head again, a fond smile on his lips. "Nicht Shania Twain."

"Suit yourself," you chuckled, sitting down beside him and letting a soft hum escape your throat. "Did you play with Perveen?"

"Oh, ja," he nodded. "We chased off sieben Amerikaner today."

"Seven?" You pursed your lips, more than impressed. "Fair enough! Most me and Perveen got was fünf."

König laughed softly, such a sound making you look at him so fondly; like he was one of a kind, an absolute masterpiece and anything you could ever wish for. Like he meant everything to you.

"I'm going out for drinks with Horangi," he cleared his throat, looking at you with puppy dog eyes. "Would you like to join?"

"He's your friend," you pointed out. "You don't always want your boyfriend there with you... I'm good."

"Really?" He furrowed his brows a little.

"Yeah," you reassured, putting your hand on his thigh. "König, our ketubah is in a month. I'll be your husband after we've signed it and been under the chuppah... trust me, I'll be fine if you go out for a few drinks with your mate."

"Natürlich," König hummed, making himself comfortable on the bench as he sighed softly. "Aber... what if you get hounded by recruits?"

"I can deal with it," you shrugged. "Or did you forget that I've got Perveen and Bashar on base with me?"

"My bad," he murmured, still smiling. "Mein Kampfflieger."

"Immer," you agreed softly. "Mein Scharfschütze."

"Und, the flight," he looked at you with those big old puppy dog eyes that you could never say no to. "Es war gut?"

You cleared your throat, shifting in your seat to try and get more comfortable, hoping that you wouldn't get splinters in your ass through your uniform. "Sehr. We were only messing around with the Red Arrows, so... nothing groß. Thankfully."

"After our ketubah, and after we've stood under the chuppah," he started, "we could run away together. Settle somewhere."

"Nein, mein geliebter," you said softly. "Maybe one day, aber... not now."

"Alright," König agreed. "Ten years?"

"If we're both still alive," you took his hand in yours and gave it a gentle squeeze. "If we're both still alive in ten years, we'll run off together... how does Tschanigraben sound?"

"Oh, sehr gut!" He beamed. "Tschanigraben it is!"

"Y'know, König," you reached over to press a kiss to his temple. "You really are one of a kind."

He couldn't keep the grin from his face.

[thoselethalarts]

ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕤 𝔹𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣 - ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪

(R) Gym Uniform: "I’m not gonna stop you."

(NRC: Sports Field)

(Track and Field Club Meeting)

(Fweeet!)

Vargas: Alright, everyone! While I hate to interrupt your ongoing muscle development I have a brief announcement to make. Vargas: I have a staff meeting I’ve been called to attend this afternoon. In my absence, I'll be having Phobos here in charge of overseeing everyone. If you need anything, please report to him.

Phobos: …Understood.

Vargas: Excellent! That is all, carry on with your practice and training

(Vargas leaves the club, footsteps crunching against the grass as he goes.)

Phobos: …’Kay, you heard him, carry on with whatever. I’ll be over here.

(Phobos walks away from the remaining group and lays down beneath a nearby tree)

Savana Mob A: Tch- Why’d coach put HIM in charge? He barely does anything all day when we have club meetings!

Pome Mob A: Truly! Even now he’s just gone off to loaf about in the shade and play on his phone! If there’s anyone that doesn’t take this club seriously, it’s him!

Scara Mob A: It’s always the Ignihydes, man… Lazy geeks, all of them. Why’s he even here in the first place?

Jack: Hmph. It doesn’t matter who’s put in charge. The most Coach Vargas does when he’s here is time us on circuit runs and tell us to “go faster”, anyway. Jack: Besides, there’s no point in arguing when it’s not going to change anything.

Deuce: True… though I will agree it doesn’t exactly leave a good image when our substitute coach is basically lounging while the rest of us work our butts off in the sun.

Phobos: …Oi. You know I can hear you all from over here. I said “carry on”.

Savana Mob A: Yeah?! And what’re you gonna do about it if we don’t? Savana Mob A: All ya do all day is sit around and do nothin’! What’re you gonna do if we ditch?

Pome Mob A: With a physique like yours I doubt you could stop us from leaving, let alone catch up with us if we try and run.

Scara Mob A: Yeah, yeah! What’re you gonna do about it if we try~?

Phobos: …Nothing.

Scara Mob A: Yeah! That’s what I- …Wait what? Scara Mob A: Aren’t you gonna, ya know. Try and stop us?

Phobos: I don’t care what you do. If you wanna leave so bad, then leave. That’s your decision to make, not mine.

Savana Mob A: Uh… I mean I guess that’s true, but… aren’t you supposed to be the substitute coach? Aren’t you gonna, you know, keep us corralled?

Phobos: What am I, your babysitter? Do you want me to change your diapers and bottle feed you too while I’m at it?

Savana Mob A: Wh-! What was that?!

Pome Mob A: How dare you say that sort of thing to us?!

Phobos: I dare because you three are acting like dumb babies and I’m not in the mood to play your stupid, petty game of defiance. Phobos: You’re the ones that decided to join this club in the first place, so it’s your choice if you wanna show up or ditch. It always has been. I don’t give a rats ass what you do. Phobos: Stay and train, or fuck off and do whatever you want. I don't care how you spend your free time. Just make a decision and leave me alone.

Savana Mob A: Tch! Wise ass. I’m leavin’ then.

Phobos: Okay. Bye.

Pome Mob: Me too!

Savana Mob: Yeah, I’m done with this. I’m outta here.

Phobos: What part of “fuck off” and “leave me alone” did you not understand? Just shut up and go if you’re going. Assholes.

(The three mob students leave, trudging away through the field)

Hearts Mob A: He didn’t even bother to stop them…?! Is he allowed to just let that happen…?!

Hearts Mob B: I mean I guess he’s not technically wrong… he’s just here to coach us if we need it, not keep us from leaving…

Savana Mob B: Ugh, his mood is putting a serious damper on mine. I think I’m gonna take a nap or something.

Deuce: Should we be worried? It looks like at least half the club is gonna ditch at this rate.

Jack: (sigh) ...While I'm not a fan of his attitude I guess he's kind of right. Jack: I joined this club because I wanted to. I'm here because I want to. If I didn't want to be here, I just wouldn't be.

Deuce: True... It's not really up to others for me to be a good student and club member. Deuce: Lets just get to it, then. Laps aren't gonna run themselves.

Jack: Right. I'll go get the stopwatch then. Jack: Hm...?

Deuce: -? What's up?

Jack: I can’t find the stopwatch… Did it get misplaced?

Deuce: Oh. Yeah, I have no idea where it went. Maybe Coach Vargas took it with him by accident?

Jack: Maybe… Well, now I’m not sure what to do. I left my phone in the locker room, and that’s the only other stopwatch I can think of.

Deuce: Hm… Hang on, I have an idea.

(Deuce approaches Phobos)

Deuce: Hey, uh, Phobos, can I ask a favor?

Phobos: Yeah.

Deuce: Someone misplaced the stopwatch and we need it to time our runs. Can you use your phone to time us?

Phobos: No need. Vargas left me with one before he left. I’ll time you both with that.

Deuce: Oh! That’s perfect then, thank you!

Phobos: Mhm, no prob. Hang on. lemmie get up 'n I'll time you guys. Phobos: So I’m guessing you both already have an idea of what kind of circuit you’re going to do.

Jack: I wanted to work on my short burst sprints. I already do fine with the longer ones, so now I want to perfect my time as best I can.

Phobos: That so… With confidence like that I’m guessing you’ve already done short burst races then.

Jack: Hm? What do you mean?

Phobos: …or maybe not. Alright then. Phobos: You do what you want, I’m not gonna stop you, but if you wanna see the most improvement in your time, you should consider doing some racing every once in a while, too.

Deuce: Racing? Like, between each other? How will that improve our times?

Phobos: Well, logically, your time will only get so much better if you’re sprinting on your own. It’s borderline impossible for you to judge how fast you’re going when you’re just doing the same thing over and over again. Phobos: You’ll get better times if you get the chance to actually compete and compare yourself to someone else alongside you. Phobos: Having a rival is good, cuz it’ll help you both get better at the same time. That's how I got my good times when I was still a noob-ass first year.

Deuce: Oh, I guess I never thought of it that way. Let’s try it, then!

Jack: I’m interested, too. Let's give it a shot.

Phobos: Alright. Both of you line up and get ready, and I’ll meet you at the finish line.

Jack & Deuce: Yes sir!

Phobos: ...Don't call me "sir". That feels weird. Whatever...

(They both go to line up, and Phobos walks several yards away from them)

Phobos: Alright. On your marks. Get set…

(Fweet!!)

(Jack and Deuce both take off soaring down the track together, footsteps pounding against the dirt)

Phobos: Time. That’s a good sprint, you both. Phobos: Your times are-

Deuce: HOO-AAAGH! That felt AWESOME! I really did feel like I was going faster!!

Jack: You’re a damn good runner, Deuce! I felt like that was the first time I really felt a good drive to go harder than usual.

Phobos: ...Heh. Told ya. Rivalry’s good, especially in a sport like this.

Deuce: Can we go again?!

Phobos: Uh- Well, yeah. I’m not gonna stop you. You wanna know your times first though, I assume…?

Deuce: Oh-! Right! I got so fired up for a second that I forgot we actually were doing this to get better times.

Phobos: No problem. So it looks like your times are…

Hearts Mob A: Huh? Are they doing races over there now?

Savana Mob B: Wait, did you say race?! I wanna race! Nevermind napping, I wanna do that, that sounds fun! Savana Mob B: Hey, hey coach! Mind if I join too?

Hearts Mob B: Wait! Me too, please!

Scara Mob B: If there’s room for more, I’d like in too please…!

Phobos: Alright, alright, settle the hell down. Phobos: We only have so many lanes on the track, so if all of you want in then we’ll have to split you all up into different groups… Phobos: Everyone that wants in on racing come over and line up. I’ll decide the groups, then you’ll all take your spaces on the track when it’s your turn to run. Got it?

Everyone: Yes, Coach Banner!

Phobos: …and don’t call me Coach Banner, that also makes me feel weird. It’s just Phobos. Just call me Phobos and nothing else. Sheesh…

/ End

[gadriezmannsgirl]

Can you write about Antoine being super protective over reader like when they are out and paparazzi get in their way and somehow they pushed her or treat her bad and he gets super mad but comfy and sweet with her please?

On my way, bit short but I hope you like it, let me know!

Warnings: Brief mentions of panic attacks, in fact, it's just one mention nothing too graphic or descriptive, a few curse words

Not With Her - Antoine Griezmann

Summary: You get mobbed and your boyfriend is always there to protect you

°°° °°° °°° °°°

"Are you done, love?" You asked to your boyfriend of three years, Antoine when you came to pick him up from his training practice, to pick some things from your mothers house that she had for the both of you

You could've done it by yourself, but Antoine insisted he wanted to visit your parents since it has been a little while since he has done that. Two weeks to be exact.

"Yes, I am chérie" He said wrapping one of his arms around your shoulder pulling you into his side and his training bag in the other as you both walked towards the exit

"How was training?"

"I won Koke in a race" He puckered his lips and jiggled his eyebrows a bit making you laugh

"Of course you did. You always do"

"Ah" He said slowly "What can I say? You've the best of the best as your boyfriend"

"I do actually" You agreeded "And not necessarily has to be football related, you know?" You smiled "You're the best out of your element too"

You felt how Anto pulled you closer to him and left a kiss on your forehead "You're gorgeous" He said against your head, you hummed putting your head into his chest leaving a kiss there to keep on walking towards your car

You tensed up a bit watching some paparazzi, even though you've been dating Antoine for three years it never failed to surprise you and made you feel nervous being around the cameras and much less when it wasn't something planned, like right now.

Antoine felt this and his grip on you tightened before letting it loose reaching down to grab your hand in his.

It was amazing, you never could really understand that, Antoine was the calm to your storm and the storm to your calm; you can be having a panic attack and with the only feeling of your hand in his made you feel better than anything and really protected. Like nothing was happening.

He, really; made all your worries go away with just one touch.

"I got you, chérie" He whispered into your ear "Don't worry" You smiled with your other hand squeezing the one that's intertwined with yours before pulling your best serious face to face them

It's not a secret that ever since the World Cup, Antoine has been having a really excellent grade of performances in his matches, being MVP, assisting almost all of the goals that weren't made by him, going from his original position as forward, to defense, to midfielder and even if he wanted to, he could play as goalkeeper.

You weren't going to be surprised if he one day comes back home from training saying he was put into it for the day, even if it was an inside joke from the guys.

But ever since, he's having all eyes on him, everyone wanting something from him and that also putted you in the spot sometimes but mostly now.

Flashes were hitting you all over your face as you tried with your free hand to subside a bit of the white your eyes were seeing, questions were being thrown at Antoine mostly from his kids, Mía and Amaro, the past games, the next ones and asking him for his form until one of those landed on you

"Y/N how does it feel being the girlfriend of a ball star?"

From that comment, forward, all of them were for you, about you and your relationship. It got to the point where the were leaving any barely space for you guys to walk, some of those comments were a bit cute like: "You guys make a cute couple" "When are you getting married?" others were like: "Antoine, you married Erika rather quickly, when's Y/N turn?" "Do you even plan on marrying her?" "Will you give Mía and Amaro another sister or brother?"

Pure hate you guys were used to ignore and also ignoring them sticking their noses where they shouldn't. None of those things affected you anymore.

Until you felt water thrown at you.

You and Antoine were completely in shock, this has never happened to you, ever.

"Are you out of your mind? What the hell is wrong with you?" Antoine exclaimed already watching the responsable for your appearance at the moment "That is such a disrespectful action from you!" He growled hand turning into a fist where he closed his eyes and took a deep breath

"She has done nothing to any of you and you come here and do this shit?! I won't allow it! You better watch yourself out, the next time we'll see each other will be with both of our lawyers" Even tho, Antoine's words were serious, he had a calming tone and that was scary.

You knew how he acted when he was mad and no one wants to see that.

Anto shook his head before walking quickly, this time with you by his side protecting you with his body

"Antoine it's just some water" Another one said

"Let me go to your partner and throw at them some water out of nowhere to see how'd you react. You don't mess with my one. Not with her" Antoine said opening the passenger door to your car, he quickly jogged up to the drivers said "Chérie, you good?"

You nod "I'm fine" You smiled lightly watching him look to the backseat for something "What's up?"

"I'm sure I had another hoodie here, so you can wear it" He said busy looking

"Love, I'm fine it's just water"

"Chérie-" You cut him off

"I'm fine" You smiled "Thank you for standing up to me like that" You tilted your head to the side "You didn't had to... But it was cute" You replied

"I'll always going to stand up for you, amor" He said softly as you giggled "Cute or not... No one should ever do something bad to you even if you deserve it or not, which you're such a gentle soul I don't think anyone-" You cut off his rant by kissing his lips softly

"I love you" You said nodding

"Y yo a ti" You smiled biting on your lower lio

"You were going to punch the guy?"

"I was ready to fight him" You laughed "I couldn't care about anything else than hitting him"

"Gracias" (Thank you)

Anto shook his head a bit "No hay de que" (You're welcome), he grabbed his hand with yours and intertwined them giving it a kiss while he was driving to my parents.

You were watching his profile "I'm so lucky" You said muttering under your breathe for him no to see it

"No" Anto shook his head "I'm the lucky one"

[teenage-mutant-ninja-freak]

Ily & i hope you are doing well little bean!!!! 🖤 could you write a lil drabble on the mob turtles x y/n if you kept bothering *insert turtle here* during a meeting bc you want attention so he excuses himself for a second & just shoves a vibrator in your panties & gets to be the one to control it when he goes back to the meeting 🌈😇🤌

Ok this is so fun and 100% something I can see them doing

Mob! Leo

He's still in a meeting

at one point you were even listening in outside the door but the clients are Russian so he's speaking Russian so you couldn't understand a word

it's time to have some fun, you think

in the bathroom you pull up your top and take off your bra and take a sexy photo in the mirror

making that little pouty, bratty face that he likes

you go back to standing out side the door and *send*

it's a waiting game now, but you don't have to wait long

within 2 minutes he's storming outside the door, grabs you by the arm and pulls you to his bedroom

he grabs something from one of the drawers and shoves it in your pants

"What the fuck are you-"

"shut up! You don't wanna be a good girl? Ok, I can play that game"

he storms off back to the meeting and you're just about to inspect what he just put in your underwear when *buzzzz*

you almost fall to the floor, thighs squeezed together and a small gasp escaping your mouth

ok, so that's new

it only becomes a problem when you walk to the kitchen and almost start moaning in the middle of Raph talking to you

he pretends he can't hear the muffled vibrating sound and just walks away muttering "Freaky deeky shit, Leo..."

Mob! Raph

He's had this toy a while and just been waiting for a chance to use it

and you sitting in on a meeting with him, rubbing his thigh a little too close to his dick and knowing exactly what you're doing is his excuse

"Would you excuse us for just a moment, gentlemen?"

he pins you up against the wall, slides it into your underwear and tells you he's only gonna turn up the intensity the more fuss you make so you best be quiet

and boy does he keep on that promise

you're squirming in your seat so much so that he has to pull you onto his lap

you barely remember the 2nd half of the meeting, all your energy going into not ripping his pants off and riding him then and there

the guys he was with don't seem to have a clue whats going on with you

you just smile sweetly before he turns up the settings once more and your eyes damn near roll back in your skull.

"I'm so sorry, I have to-I have to...Go check on something"

When Raph comes t find you after you basically jump his his bones

you tend to be a little naughtier during his meetings from the on out

Mob! Mikey

you're in a meeting with him, a big one actually, and he's clearly bored out of his mind

it's written all over his face and the way he's talking

very monotone "Yeah" and "Ok, sure..."

you feel so bad that he's clearly bored so you decide to spice things up a little

sitting the other side of the table from him, you start running your foot up his leg towards his crotch

he defo notices what you're doing but he's playing it so cool

up until he can't anymore...

"One second, friends. I think it's only fair that my beautiful girlfriend who has had to suffer through all this business talk comes to sit next to me. I should be giving the lady more attention"

you oblige and the second they're distracted by some paperwork, he reaches over and slides something into your underwear

you don't think too much of it at first, Mikey is normally trying shit on with you at any given moment it's actually him removing his hand that makes you confused

you can feel a small object in your underwear tho and that's when the fun starts

you can't help it, you start to pant and fidget in your seat

Mikey is clearly enjoying this and puts a hand on your arm, rubbing little circles with his thumb

one of the men in the room asks you something and you manage to say, as innocently as possible, "I'm so sorry, I'm not really feeling myself. What did you ask?"

white knuckles from gripping the arm of your chair so hard Mikey decides to cut the meeting short only to drag you to his bedroom

Mob! Donnie

It's all so boring

who would have thought a weapons deal would need to take so long

you've been messing with him a little, dropping your pen and dipping under the table to pick it up only to kiss his inner thighs when no one could see

or leaning in to kiss him on the cheek and sneakily giving him a little love bite on the neck

he's flustered, which he doesn't like being when anyone can see

so he excuses you both for a minute to "grab some paperwork"

second you're out of the room his hand is around your throat and he's hissing at you

"Oh I can play this game, too. Much, much better than you can"

he slips something into your underwear and drags you back into the room with some piece of paper that's probably trash but he needed to bring something back with him

a gasp escapes your lips when you feel it

it's pulsing and vibrating and it feels so damn good

you're biting your lip, you trying to stifle moans and you're very clearly turning red

the others in the room actually start asking if you're ok because you're being so off

you're just glad that can't hear the low buzzing sound coming from your panties

"Don't worry about her, let's get back to business"

he doesn't stop there, though

his hand is on your inner thigh, inching closer and closer to when you so desperately want it to be

"everybody leave" you say in a small voice and they turn to hear you better

"I said, everybody fucking leave" in a much more demanding voice

they do as you say

you're not sure if the others would be ok with you getting dicked down hard on the conference table but that's what happened

"You need to behave when we have guests over" warns Donnie

"Totally fucking worth it" you can't help but say

[mediocre-shark-tales]

Qsmp x Streamer reader (6)

Summary - Prison Event Day 3

Warnings - In Game/lore- Mentions of abuse/torture, Violence, and swearing.

There is a chance for this to turn into a love trope of some kind but for now there is focus on fluffy platonic-ness

This series will not be 100% lore accurate, but it will be pretty close to it.

Masterlist

I logged in, once again met with the locked lonely prison cell of mine. However in the next few seconds while people were joining and fighting off mobs to "Clean" the prison. My screen faded to black as a video clip began to play, we had recorded this yesterday after the prison event day 2 closed. That way the others wouldn't know about it. It was partially from my pov, and a little bit here and there was animated.

My chat watched as the video showed a 3rd pov of me swimming up through an underwater tunnel. My animated Minecraft character had an angry face of determination as I swam faster and faster. Suddenly I swam up, breaking water as the video showed me flying into the air. In slow motion I transformed into my non-merperson form. Landing gracefully, a crossfade then led to my pov.

In front of me stood the extra tall darkened figure, they had blurred the character making it hard to tell anything about him besides his height. "So you have finally come to see me little shark?" The figure said in a young but deep male voice. I sighed and walk closer to him, staring at the window together. We could see the kingdom below and the beautiful land in the horizons as the sun began to set. "When you look out this window, what do you see?" I asked him. You could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "A happy kingdom free from sinners and forever prosperous" I looked up at him before looking back out on the land. The Sun was nearly half way gone down, letting a nice golden hue grace the land. "Well, I see that same kingdom you described but I also see the hidden truth to that beauty. Down there are people pretending to be happy, pretending to enjoy anything and everything their leader gives them. Or teach them." I could see him look down at me in my peripheral vision and I continued on. " However they are sad, they are forced to follow strict rules to act strict ways. They aren't a truly free people, a people with trust to live safely and happily."

I heard him sigh as he looked back out at the now darkened land, the sun officially gone. "A perfect kingdom like this comes at a cost little shark." I walked away from the window and back into the room. "But when does that cost become too great? When will you realize what this cost really is?" He turned and looked back at me. "When will you see this place the way I do. It used to be perfect and happy, but you were unsatisfied by it triumph. You craved more, and look where it's taken us." He almost growled at me with a sigh. "You just don't see the potential I can see for this place. The safe haven and happiness we can create if you just follow my lead."

I began to walk away, the figure following me when I spoke again. "You're right, I don't see what you see, because I am not blinded by my lust for the ultimate prosperity. I am not as Prideful to not hear the cries and begs of my people. Instead I have humility and honor, to uphold justice and happiness for the wellbeing of the people I serve. I can't force you to change you mind, to fix your faults. But I can tell you that the path you are following is only going to lead you to your terrible demise. If not then one day I won't recognize the man in front of me, and then no one will wish to follow you no more." I now stood in front of the water pool that I had sprung from earlier.

I had my back facing the water as I looked directly at the figure in front of me. "I do not wish to see you fall but I will not follow your words if it is to hurt those around us. You need to pick you battle wisely or You may lose me in the end." With that the video then showed me in a 3rd pov as I fell back into the water, instantly switching back to half shark mer person. Quickly swimming away as the video fades to black.

Then I 'woke up' breathing heavily as my pov came back to the current view of the prison.

When I 'Came back' everyone was finally awake including the kids and they were conducting their 'interviews'. When I was outside, I watched Charlie and Philza following ghost cellbit. However in seconds I was teleported again. I was once again face to face with that stupid main guard dude. Before he gave me th ebook again I spoke. "You already know what I am going to say, so let's save the chit chat and get on with it." However he still gave me a book.

Hello you worthless shark hybrid. I am more than happy to skip the useless formalities however this time I have information to share before your daily beating.

Our supervisors are finding more and more information about where you and the pathetic little creature came from. Even if you don't give us what we want. We will still find out what we want to know.

With that I threw the book back as the guard pulled out a long red sword. Quickly he began to attack me again as my name showed up being murdered over and over again in chat. This time I was killed double any of the other times. Around my death in chat was the others yelling for me, they wanted to find me and help me. But they wouldn't be able to do anything.

However I heard the slowly increasing voices of Fit, Phil, and Charlie. They had been nearby this time and ran into the respawn cell area to find me. The door had been locked and I could see them on the other side of the bars. Phil yelling the loudest for them to stop, while Fit and Charlie both yelled about how the guard was a coward fighting an unarmed prisoner. Even the eggs were there with them. With the last death my avatar skin changed one last time. I was now the worst looking that I had been. My clothes were in tatters as scars and fresh cuts shown from the rips. There were even a few on my face.

The guard went invisible and left the area as the other barged in with mini knives a-blazing. "You motherfucker! Coward!" Phil yelled looking around. Charlie and the eggs were first to come to me, laying on the ground. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON Y/N!!??" he yelled at me. I sighed and let my character get up as the other two came over.

"Please just listen to me before saying anything okay?" They nodded and agreed. "So until yesterday, I had no idea why exactly they were doing this. I have no memory of my past before that pirate ship you all saved me from. However they knew something, all they told me was they knew where I came from and they wanted information from me." I sighed. This is when my partial acting classes came in handy as I made myself sound like I was going to cry. It was for the lore though, gotta make this shit stick. With a wavy voice I continued. "I had no idea what they were talking about until yesterday when I began to hear voices, voices I know must be memories. The familiarity in them is too strong to not be a memory. Then today, I woke up from a dream one that was too vivid and too strong to not be a complete memory from my past. Only one thing wasn't vivid enough. The man I spoke to was simply a blurred figure in the room. What was said is scary and I hope that this all played out better for me than what might be possible" The others sighed around me.

Phil spoke first, "I'm glad you finally allowed us to hear your troubles, now let us help shoulder this dark cloud. Let us help piece together your blurred memories and snippets of voices. We want to help you y/n" I agreed to his terms, now was time for my lore to really join into theirs.

Slowly over the next few months, the real story would be pieced together with the islanders. Things would start to make sense, but the truth might come with a price. It may lead to opinions changing, but one can only hope it does not lead to the downfall of my friends or my friendships.

We all left the area, today was the day we were meant to escape. A few different ways to escape had been found but obviously we weren't finding the right one. Or more importantly the 'LORE ACCURATE' escape.

Now I was sitting in the middle of tubbo and Charlie who were running in a circle saying weird things. I honestly zoned out after a while. However suddenly Charlie left because he had plans and couldn't stay any longer to try and escape. So after saying goodbye Tubbo the eggs and I began to run and find the rest of the group.

We found them going to a green house, this was apparently supposed to be the lore related escape. We went down this hole in the ground where Quackity placed a lever. Once the levee was pulled, we all ran down an over grown cave system. When we got to the end we found that we would have to swim through a long sewer system.

Phil was ready to jump in and find out where to go, however I punched him back and chuckled. "You stay here, this is where I come in handy." I morphed into shark mer person and began to swim through the system. However the others still jumped in and got stuck in the exit as the for was closed. So I rolled my eyes and went looking for the lever to trigger the door. I heard everyone screaming at each other. I found the lever and flicked it opening the door for them. But it also got rid of all the water aswell. "Guys hurry I got the door open but we are losing the water with it!" This left a few eggs and people stuck thankfully quacks was the hero and broke the blocks so everyone could escape together.

Once out of the sewer system, we entered a a room where Phil had the right boots and could hit the button for us to enter the next room. It was really hard to pay attention as now there were too many chefs in the kitchen. Slowly we were making it through the mini escape rooms that was this prison escape.

It felt like ages before we entered a huge room, finally something less cramped. Except now we were running from guards trying to kill us to stop us. We just kept running, fighting off when we need to. Until finally we made it to the end of the tunnel and no more guards were after us. We were now in a room watching the same few clips play over and over showing us what looked like the nether. Once we had all seen the clip a few times we moved on.

This room showed a big ass red button that we thought we needed to hit. "this looks like a set up for the lore story.." Tubbo laughed and agreed before sunny hit me and placed a sign. The sign read "Shhhhhhh" and she stood next to it shaking her head back an forth.

We all split up and began working on the other rooms, I joined Phil's group. We had to figure out how to get an item along all the conveyor belts. The other groups basically speed run their rooms with ease. Soon we had everyone in our room and we were the last one with the need to finish.

This room was taking hours, however foolish and I decided we no longer wanted to wait like this. "Let's just spam the buttons." I agreed and we ignored the others as we began spamming the buttons.

It didn't take long until we ended up slapping the button and arrived in a random library looking room. Thunder played every now and then. I was becoming bored by this all until finally they played the final video of the night. We watched a dark figure insert a key to restart the island. We watched as the island was effected for a split second while the restart began. When we came to we were all kicked from the server.

I smiled at my chat, "That was good right chat?" They were all screaming and melting down about the server restart. I laughed as they went insane. However seconds later I was asked to join the call with everyone as they talked about this ending and how there was going to be a break before the QSMP was back up.

When I joined everyone was asking how I felt about this and I just had one small answer. "Well I had my own home for about 2 weeks, I literally finished the last addition to my house the day before we were sent to prison. So yeah I'm a little annoyed." They all laughed and we continued to talk for a few minutes longer until everyone decided we were done and left the call.

"Well chat, the next few lives won't be QSMP related, I know sad. But qsmp should be back in about 6 days but don't be upset if it takes longer. I was talking with my admin friend the other day and there is a chance they will have to take more than that to set up the server. So please be patient with them about that, However I'm going to tweet here in a bit for you guys to suggest something for me to do for the next week. That way we can keep up my livestream schedule."

Chat and I told each other our goodbyes as the livestream ended. It was kind of nice to get this break so me and my friend could better plan out how and when more of my lore would drop. We also needed to fix a few plot holes to make this story a lot more seamless. I'm excited to see where this story continues to go and how my story will help move it along.

[starkidwriting]

Unique Family

Summary: A demon child reader survives the best they can against villagers that want them to die. Mk and the gang go on a trip to get errands only available in a certain village. They soon hear a tale of a demon living in an abandoned garden and decide to investigate.

A/n: Hello! I am @starkidblogs and this is my small writing blog! I wanted to keep my main account just for reblogs. So, I made this side account. I will still post and end my other story on that account but any other stories will be posted here. I hope you enjoy reading this Freenoodle x Demon child! reader. Found family type of fiction.

A demon, that's all you are to them. A disgusting demon, that doesn't deserve to exist. You thought as a villager attacked you before he even landed a blow on you. You moved out of the way and he was out cold as he ran into a tree. You giggled a bit as you moved his body to the closet home and walked back to your home. Another day of dealing with everyone wanting to kill you.

Villagers kept coming into your home and failing at ending you. You had to deal with a lot of these encounters. Why? Because you live near a village that was afraid of you. You were a demon. One look at you sends people running away. You did nothing to them, well, nothing that they didn't deserve. Everyone feared you and how "vicious" you were. No one ever listened to your side. Almost everyone despised you except for a woman. Your Mimi, you remember how you met her.

~Flashback~

You were a small (f/c) demon, lost and afraid. You had run away from other monsters that wanted to devour you. You made your way into a garden for safety. Your stomach growl in hungry, and you see some riped (F/f). You decide to eat only a few because you do not want to cause suspicion. As you ate, you didn't notice someone observing you. Hearing a chuckle, you turned to see a tall older lady covering her mouth from laughing. You jumped and were about to make a run for it, but she spoke. "Wait, don't you want some more?" You turn to face them before nodding. She cut and gave you another (F/f).

You ate it before she had time to give you another (f/f). "pretty hungry, uh?" She asked, "a little," you responded before a growl came from your stomach. You blushed as the lady laughed, "how about a hot meal? The name's Mimi." She told you, and you weren't sure what was happening but noticed she was being genuine to you. "My name's (Y/n)." you smiled with stains on your face. That's how you meet your only family in that village.

She took you in hiding, you from other people. She had a hard time hiding you in a busy village. But she did her best, giving you a happy life. Mimi treated you as her child as you stayed with her. You asked her why she was kind to you. She said, "I saw a lost child looking for a place to call home. Now you have one with me." When she said that, you felt happiness and a sense of belonging when you stayed with her for two years.

You hoped it remained like this, but news spread fast about you. A few villagers spotted you one day outside playing a game of tag with Mimi. They believed Mimi was in danger or possessed by you. That night they mobbed her outside of her cottage. They demanded Mimi hand you over to them, but your guardian refused. They gave her one last opportunity to turn you in, but she said, "why are you after a child!" They told her, "That thing is a demon spawn! It needs to stop!" You didn't know what was happening as you hid behind Mimi and saw her covering you from stones hurled at you.

After not giving in, they pulled her away from you and beat her as she tried to protect you from the angry mob. You saw her telling you to run before she died at the mob's hands. They accused you of her death that you could have handed yourself in. Before the villagers could do anything to you, Your eye glowed (F/c) for the next 10 minutes. Everything turned into a blur. You gazed into the orange blaze of igniting homes. As you regained awareness, hearing the screams of terrorized villagers. You wanted to feel satisfaction in the pain that they were feeling, but you couldn't. You felt empty as you went back to your home, where you saw the body of Mimi. She looked like she was asleep. You felt tears drop from your eyes as you cried. Now you were alone.

~End of Flashback~

From that day on, you didn't let anyone set foot in your garden, where her shrine was. You made sure there were warnings signs for them before they made a big mistake in walking in. The villagers wanted you out but did not want to deal with your wrath again. They made a reward for your death. The land you live on would belong to those who can end you. You soon met so many villagers desperate to get rid of you or want your land. You never let them off easy. There were times you almost lost a limb or an eye. After defeating them, you would steal everything they had and throw them back into the village as a sign. 'Stop!!!' Today was the same thing. You sighed as you placed a lit candle on Mimi's shrine under the tree where you first met her. "I miss you, Mimi..." You whisper, frowning as you sit down under the tree and fall asleep.

Mk gang

"Mk, we need to go on an errand run," Pigsy said as he looked around through his chili stash, seeing it empty. "To the Market?" Mk asked, but Pigsy shook his head. "No Mk, to get this kind of chili and spices, we got to go to a village. It's pretty far, but they have the spiciest chili on earth." He said as Tang ate his noodles, hearing his spouse talk about his favorite spices. "I remember that place. It has been a while since we went there. I remember the stories they would tell visitors." Tang said as Mk tried to imagine the place they were going to.

A loud Mei burst into the noodle shop and jumped on mk back. "Mk, I'm bored! It's been too long since we went anywhere fun!" Mei whined as Sandy walked in after her. "Hey guys, anything new with you?" He asked with his smile. Pigsy sighed as he saw mk falling to the ground along with Mei. Tang grinned and said, "well, we are going on an errand run to a village with amazing spices! As well as history! Would you guys want to come?" Mei had starry eyes as she shot up and nodded her head off. "YEAH! THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!" She yelled. Sandy also agreed to join along. "Well, let's get ready cause well be leaving soon," Pigsy said, mk and Mei excited, while Sandy and Tang chuckled at them.

~ Timeskip~

It was time to start their journey to the village in Sandy's van. Sandy was driving, and Pigsy was in the passenger seat giving directions. Tang sat in the back while Mei and Mk looked out the windows to see land and a garden of (F/f). "Woah! That's a lot of (f/f)! Are they also well known for that?" Mk asked his dads. "No, they used to, but something happens, and now it's there vacant." Tang replied while Pigsy said, "yeah, it was about two years ago when it stopped." Mei gasped and smiled "oh! small-town mystery?!"

"Hey guys, we're getting close," Sandy said as they saw homes getting closer. "Woah!! This place is so cool!" Mei said as she started a live stream to show the buildings and people. They stop nearby a farmers market, and we're in awe. Pigsy made his way to his chili and spice dealer. While Tang was babysitting the two enthusiastic kids, Sandy went to see what teas they sold. "Mk! Mei! Stop running around!" Tang yelled while running after them. They saw the homes and land, weaving through the people and having a good time, but they stopped in front of an older man. "Beware, kids, of the demon in the (F/f) garden. Only if you're bold enough to face them!" He said, getting the duo's attention. Tang caught up to them while trying to catch his breath.

"Woah! a demon in the (F/f)? Why are they there?" Mk asked the old man. The old man grinned as mk and Mei sat down near him. " That demon was there to torment an older woman. She was there for a year. Until the people tried and set her free from that monster, but it was already too late. Soon that monster would attack the villages after ending their prey. Now, we beg heros to help us in defeating them. But they come back empty-handed." He coughed before adding, "But if you can defeat them, you get the land that they live." Mei and Mk were more stoked about wanting to solve this small-town mystery than the actual reward.

Tang felt the energy coming off them and wasn't too excited but was curious about the story. 'What happened to that lady? Why would a demon stay that long?'. "Tang, we have to go and solve this mystery!" Mk and Mei say in unison, bringing Tang back to earth. Tang sighed, "Let's wait for Sandy and Pigsy. I hope that they don't want to go." He whispered the last part while walking back to the van. After a while, Sandy found the three. Mk and Mei explained to him about the demon and wanted to expose this mystery. He agreed as Tang tried to tell him no but failed. Pigsy came back to the van and asked, "What's happening? Mk and Mei, did you guys get in trouble?"

Tang shook his head as he said, "Nope, at least not yet." Pigsy was soon bombard by Mei and Mk. "No, now come on, let's go," Pigsy said as he loaded the van with the goods he bought. "But what about the mystery! We can solve it, maybe even defeat the demon!" Mk said while he and Mei put puppy eyes and looked at Tang and Pigsy. Tang sighed, giving in to them. "Fine. We will see this garden, but if anything starts to get dangerous. We are leaving." Pigsy said, not wanting to deal with the puppy eyes anymore, and heard them cheer in victory. They then drive near the entrance of the garden. Seeing warning signs everywhere. Tang shook a bit before asking, "you sure it's a good idea?" But Sandy, Mei, and Mk were already out of the van and into the garden. The two parents' figures groaned before following right behind them.

They found a small cottage. Mk entered first to see if anyone was inside, but it was empty, waving to the others to come in. As they walked in to see it clean, having a plate of uneaten food, a small unlit fireplace, and bookshelves. Tang walked closer to the shelf. He saw it filled with china mythology, worn-out JTTW books, and some folk stories. Mk saw the JTTW books and got excited, asking Tang. "woah! Do you think they're a fan of Monkey king?" Tang shrugged as he looked at them closer. Mei walked around and opened a door leading into a room for a child. "Woah, Did they mention the lady having kids?" She asked as she saw stuffed toys and art of two people with each other.

Pigsy found another room, but it seemed untouched by anyone for a long time. He decided it was best to leave it alone. But he saw the pictures of a woman and child covered in dust, making it difficult to see their faces. Sandy went outside and spotted a shrine with a figure against the tree. "Hey guys, I think there's a kid out there?" He said as walk backed inside. Tang checked out the books while Mk was reading the JTTW books. Pigsy came into the living area asking, "a kid living here? Alone with a demon here? What type of people would leave a kid by themselves?!" He said as he tried not to shout. Tang looked up and was also confused. "That does seem odd? You would think they would take the kid?" Mei chimes in as she joins them in the living room. "Things aren't making any sense." She scratches her head in confusion.

"Well, why don't we talk to this kid? Maybe they have some explanations or clues to this weird mystery." Tang said as he put the book away. "Yeah, but let's be careful. They seem to be asleep next to a shrine," Sandy said as the gang left the cottage. "Maybe a few of us go and talk? To not overwhelm them." Pigsy said, turning in the direction of the shrine. They all see a figure in the distance. Mk spoke up, "How about Mei and I go talk to them?" "Yeah, Mk and I can handle children!" Mei said with a grin as one arm around mk shoulders, both giving a goofy smile. Pigsy sighed before saying. "Guys, as much as you want to help, your energy could scare the kid off. If we aren't careful."

"I agree and think it would be best if Pigsy and Sandy should go," Tang said while Mei and Mk pouted. Until Sandy spoke, "Guys, I would go to help, but I think my height might scare the kid." Tang sighed a bit before changing his answer. "okay, Pigsy and I will go." Pigsy was surprised at his husband's response but nodded in understanding. "Okay, we will be back with the kid and hopefully some explanations." He said as he and Tang walked towards the shrine. As they walked closer, they saw the child's skin becoming more (f/c) and showed their horn. "Pigsy, is it me, or does that child have horns and (f/c) skin?" Tang asked the demon pig. Pigsy was also confused about this.

They walked closer to the shrine and were able to see a picture of a smiling woman. A plate of (F/f), flowers, and candles were on the shrine. They both bowed in respect for coming to what they believed was her home. The pig demon heard sniffles and yawns from the "kid" sleeping on the tree. Tang was surprised and whispered, "Is this the demon they were telling us about? The 'demon' that tormented an old woman?" He rubbed his chin as he tried to make sense of this new information. Pigsy was about to speak but heard the kid whisper "Mimi.." while they nestled with their tail.

Words: 2,408

Small a/n: I try making this a gender neutral as possible. Plus this is only half of what i have written so far. HAHAHA Someone help me TuT

[shyrose57]

I've made like three new life smp posts in a row today, and I'm sorry, but I gotta. I watched more episodes, I'm only doing what I must.

Im just gonna like, chunk a bunch of my trains of thought in a single post and hope for the best, honestly.

Literally Martyn is the best, followed up by Sparrow, but anyway-

I think??? It'd be hilarious if the Colin-y was just. convinced that Martyn was just some fucked up creeper, and that's why they're friendly. Like, they all stay in the mountain, so Martyn shows up, he's vaguely blue, clearly cold, and has fur. Clearly that equals fellow creeper. So they just adopt him into the group, and that's why they all decided to pile into his base. Their new friend cant fit into the old den, so they move into the big new den. Or maybe the cave was their home first and his decision to live there cemented his creeper status. Martyn doesn't know why these particular mobs have just decided to be passive, and he's beginning to think he's never going too.

I also like the idea of Martyn being really new to being a hybrid?? Like he's clearly not used to his powers, sort of, right??? So what if he just like, recently manifested these traits. And even just recently showed up in the area, even. Maybe Sparrow could know him, or something.

If he messes up his timing and unfreezes before he hits the ground, is it gonna be like he shattered?? Just like, breaks into a million pieces right before his respawn, that melt into snowflakes. Think of the potential. Think of the angst. An icesicle shattering upon the earth.

Also, and this concept has been eating me alive, has there been a Snowgrave!Martyn yet, now that he has snow powers. Can anyone point me there?? Because like, with his current lore, a Watcher deciding it wanted to possess one of its fellows, or even just a Winner and snagging up Martyn in its games would be amazing to read about. His power slowly growing as servermates disappear, taking more and more hearts each time,, and he doesn't know why. And then, eventually there's only three. His snow buries someone alive. He feels himself die with them, from maybe his own frost, or the possessed player deciding he's outlived his use and doing away with him. Then there's just one.

Katherine is a human. I have been?? Crawling up the wall since I found out. I haven't even finished her episode. I don't know if she even survives it. I do not care.

So, let's set a background where, obvious exceptions aside, everyone has sort of grown up together, even if maybe distantly. And theyre all different species, with different abilities and needs and instincts.

And Katherine is human. Humans are social. How many traits and habits do you think she'd sort of absorb from everyone.

What if she was like, all the hybrids basic idea of human, and she forgets she's human herself half the time.

I am. Desperate for a fic where Katherine meets Sparrow. Or where everyone sort of knows her, and walk into meeting Sparrow with the idea that he's gonna be similar to her, and thus, similar to them. And just get smacked in the face with how different they are.

Give me a Katherine who's spent so long around people who aren't human that she just doesn't really clock that that's what she is.

Given that new life randomly rolls you an origin,, what's the chances of Sparrow having one already that he's gonna start 'manifesting'. Do you think its a bird. I need him to be a bird. At least once.

What if he dies and to come back as a phoenix or something. That would be so cool??.

What if like, fic wise, nobody's sure if humans are included in the respawn mechanics. If they come back at all. I think that'd be fun to explore. Everyone looking out a bit more for their human servermates. The angst potential of one of them dying and returning under this premise.

Also, and this just occurred to me, the humans are space orcs approach? I'd love to see that in a fic. Sparrow and Katherine just being weird and ridiculous by hybrid standards.

[blackjackkent]

OK, I am, in this case, doing a heinous bit of metagaming, because it's my game, my blog, my story, and I feel like it. XD

I'm told that we don't have the option to rescue Ravengard after killing Gortash, and we want to do that pretty much right now immediately, which means we have to get Ravengard immediate-er. The problem, however, is since we convinced Wyll to turn Mizora down, we have no leads.

Except Google. >:)

(Credit where due, @zenjestrr was also ready to help me with this, but they're not around just at this moment and I am impatient. XD )

Anyway we're going to a temple of my favorite goddess in all of the Faerunian pantheon: The BITCH QUEEN OF THE SEA! (AKA Umberlee/the Wavemother - we went to a temple of hers in BG2 as well and I thought it was hilarious then too). Why is Hector going into this place? Who knows! We're going to attribute this to general religious curiosity, or perhaps Selune pinged his divine sense about something being weird as he wandered by.

Figuring out how to get there is a little challenging. The main obvious path cuts through a Guild shipping area and they are NOT happy about us wandering through. But eventually I found the way to trot around and walk down towards the temple.

And OH MY GOD. LOOK WHO'S HANGING OUT IN FRONT OF IT.

"It's not a lie! If you would just listen - I can explain!"

Oh boy.

Volo is currently being shouted at by a loud, passionate, frightened crowd holding torches, who have tied him to what appear to be several large barrels of gunpowder.

"You have done quite enough 'explaining', Volothamp Geddarm! You have poisoned the very hearts and minds of these good, kind, gentel citizens with your lies! Your delusions! Your conspiracies! Though you hide behind a mask of stories, we have seen beyond the veil! We see what you really are! Fearmonger! Attention-seeker! AGENT OF CHAOS!"

Loud cheers of agreement from the crowd. Hector approaches, listening with brow furrowed. Volo was a blowhard, somewhat arrogant, and very difficult to convince not to perform amateur ocular surgery, but conspiracy? It doesn't seem his style.

And then...

Narrator: Your parasite stirs in recognition. This man is infected.

Well. That explains it.

"Today, citizens, we rid ourselves of this cankerous sore. Today, we burn away all falsehoods. Today, we will be divided no longer, for today we rise in TRUTH!" the man bellows, turning to the crowd around him.

Hector shoots a look at his companions, considering how he might insert himself diplomatically into the situation before Volo gets blown up - but Minsc gets to it first.

"Volo?" he says brightly. "Volothamp Geddarm? This man is no enemy of the people! This man could not even hurt a mouse! I know - I have seen him try. Release this man at once!"

Immediately the leader of the mob focuses his eyes on their small group of strangers.

"What's this? Another heretic in our midst?! Another mind, clouded by the disruptor's lies. Another soul to cleanse. Well, we are nothing if not gracious. Let us see if we cannot lift the veil from their eyes too!"

"No - please, NO!"

GDI Volo.

[what-if-nct]

hi hi hi today's reminder is correct me if I'm wrong but taeil hasn't been on hiatus super long. it's been, what, a couple of months at most? it was a little bit before the concert if i remember correctly. so you're telling me that 127 (well…certain members, but my point stands) have been unemployed for Months, to the point where fans were begging sm to show us taeil, and they decided to shoot the promo material for the new 127 album while they were preparing for/actually performing a whole other concert instead of while they were free??? and made the staff pick/edit/draft the content on what I'm sure was an insane deadline?? like that's nine whole, very distinct, films, that would've taken ages. i don't pretend to be an expert on k pop idol scheduling but surely there's better ways to go about it

anyway. i love that they still included taeil while letting him heal up. the vibe of these have been all over the place tho because why is jaehyun negotiating a deal with a sophisticated mob boss while taeil is straight up being given drugs at a night club? why is jungwoo just playing games while doyoung is contemplating what went wrong in his marriage in front of a pet shop aquarium?

Hiii, yeah it seems like golden age teasers were done over at least the past year as they all traveled during tours and even sent someone to film Winwin during his personal schedules. So to cram 127s in the span of like two or three months was definitely a decision since they all vary quite greatly but perhaps because they're all just in Korea and seemingly the same area that could of helped but how they did it is a mystery to me as well. It was a nice way to include taeil while he's resting. And I so far deciphered two distinct vibes there's the somber, dark film vibe with Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung and Jaehyun then the more light hearted party vibe with Mark, Jungwoo and Taeyong. Haechan fits in with the light hearted part. And Taeil's a mix of the both but because it's an animation I can't quite feel the vibe as well. But it does fit 127s overall energy. And my best guess the theme is overall quite dark and grungy which like watch it be the exact opposite but somehow be about getting a blowjob behind a 7\11. Which Jungwoo, you know where to find me.

Also unrelated but skz VMAs talk once more but I was weary of the reactions to skz watching Megan and Cardi perform. Why? cause I know how kpop fans are. And I didn't care about their reactions but I was prepared to be angry at things that fans said and look at that I was right. And I just wanna say

one, they're grown ass men I highly doubt they haven't seen a Cardi b or Megan music video. We've seen NCT sing Megan, Cardi and Nicki songs. Kpop idols haven't been sheltered from the obscenity of female rappers chill.

Two Changbin and Hyunjin weren't looking away from Megan twerking they were watching Cardi walk over to the other stage. Just like they were watching Megan perform on that same stage for her verse.

Three they weren't fucking traumatized, they're not innocent babies being corrupted by the female body. Someone said the dancers were so sexualized they couldn't watch it. Use sexualized wrong again, I want a kpop fan to use sexualize the wrong way again.

The dancers, Cardi & Megan choose to dress and dance that way it's a choice. Was it my choice for my class to look up my skirt and the teacher not stop it or say a word or for boys to try to throw things in my cleavage when i was 14 was that my choice? No. There's a fucking difference. Not everything sexual is sexualized. Sometimes it's just sexy and that's okay. Women are allowed to express their sexuality. I'm sorry that just triggers something in me.

Anyway all of the negative things I see are definitely slightly if not blatantly anti black, sexist,infantalizing, and I've even seen fatphobia which....why the fuck? God forbid women have fat on their body. This may seem over dramatic but I will never forgive kpop fans for what they did to cupcakke so I am hyper vigilant and the hate kpop fans have toward black women is just so disgusting. But yeah how dare women dress and perform as they wish in an area where your precious innocent 21 to 25 year old men are and clearly there's no way they can enjoy such sexual performances. I wanted to call those fans very mean things but I will say. All fans over the age of 20 and with common sense are cool and I love you and are a good 68% of the fans the rest of y'all, just grow up.