Red Sky, Take Warning, ch 18 by rose_of_pollux [The Monkees, Mosso]
Title: Red Sky, Take Warning, Chapter 18: Dreams, The Do Die Hard
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 16; Mosso
Fandom: The Monkees (TV-verse)
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is; also, these are the guys' fictional personas from the TV show and not the real ones.
Summary/Comments: The guys head to the Purple Pelican, unaware that Zero and Mendoza are waiting for them.
Once again unaware of Zero’s latest ploy against them, the Monkees proceeded to leave the castle. Creech saw them off, once again wishing them luck. They were quiet, but their resolves were strong as Rue and Saph carried them through the forest path once again, this time heading for Malibu. If they were tired, they didn’t show it; their resolves seemed just as strong. They did draw a lot of stares, however-as would be expected from four young men riding a horse and an elephant through the streets.
“I suppose all we need to do is ask the next spectator where this Purple Pelican is,” Davy said, after looking for it on their own didn’t seem to prove fruitful.
“That’ll be something…” Micky said, patting Rue on the top of his gray head. “Normally, people see the elephants after they start drinking.”
Peter got a chuckle out of that as Mike took the initiative and asked; once the Texan had the directions, he directed the way to the bar, which was hidden away in a far corner of the town-thankfully, it wasn’t too far away.
Micky got off of Rue, now taking a peek inside the bar.
“Baby Face!” a woman exclaimed.
Micky let out a yelp as a blonde woman threw her arms around him.
“Oh, Baby Face!” she exclaimed. “Tony told me that something terrible had happened to you!”
“Gosh, Mick, you sure know how to make an entrance, don’t you?” Peter said, as he, Mike, and Davy entered.
Micky gave them a helpless shrug as he looked up from the embrace by Baby Face’s girlfriend.
“Hey, Lady, he can’t stop and chat-his elephant is double-parked,” Mike said, pulling Micky away from her.
“You mean, he’s… not Baby Face…?” she began, and she suddenly looked away, disappointed. “I… I should’ve guessed it wasn’t him… That black eye wouldn’t have healed so quickly…”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Micky offered. “But if you know the guy, then maybe you can help us. He said something about a stone slab under this building; do you know anything about it?”
She shook her head.
“He didn’t tell me anything-not since that weird guy in the suit started talking to him. He even stopped hanging around the rest of his gang after the failed robbery at Hagglethorn Hall.”
She looked over at one of the tables. Tony Ferano was having a quiet drink, looking very somber.
“Tony’s the one who saw him last; you might want to ask him,” she said. “…But why are you asking about Baby Face, anyway? Do you know him?”
“I’m his long-lost… something,” Micky bluffed. “You can see the family resemblance, right?”
“Sure…” she said, unconvinced, and she went on moping about Baby Face as the Monkees headed towards the table.
“Do you think we should tell her about what really happened to him?” Davy asked, in an undertone.
“Probably not,” Mike said. “She’d take it hard-assuming she’d even believe it.”
“Good point…”
Tony looked up as they approached his table, and he did an immediate double-take as he saw Micky.
“I’m not Baby Face,” Micky quickly insisted. “But I understand that you’re the one who saw him last.”
“It’s not really any of your business,” Tony snarled, trying to cover up how upset he was. “But his fool head got too big, and he got in too deep. And he vanished-went into the back room with some suit running after him. I thought I saw some trapdoor or something; he must’ve gone down there. That’s all I can tell you.”
“That’s all we need to know,” Mike assured him.
“Pity that knowledge will do you no good,” a voice spoke from behind them.
Tony Ferano paled, and the quartet whirled around, staring as both Dr. Mendoza and Mr. Zero stood, blocking their way. Mendoza had the hypodermic needle once again in his hand-and three more in his pocket.
“This time, you will not escape me,” he said.
“Leave them alone!” Peter ordered. “I told you, I’m not going to let you hurt innocent people anymore-and especially not my friends!”
“Unfortunately for you, it is completely out of your hands, Peter,” Mr. Zero said. “The four of you have eluded me long enough. It’s time for the good doctor to progress with his experiment, and you aren’t going to be able to stop him this time.”
“Well, we can sure try!” Mike said.
A waiter was passing by with a tray of drinks. Mike swung his fist at the tray from below, which caused the tray to flip, drinks and all flying everywhere-including showering both Mendoza and Zero.
“Split!” the Texan ordered, as they recoiled.
What erupted there was nothing short of absolute chaos; the furious waiter had aimed a punch at Mike, who had fled at just such a moment that the blow missed him-and hit Mendoza, sending him crashing into the next table. The patrons now turned to attack him, which somehow escalated into drawing the surrounding tables into the brawl, too, as Mendoza pulled away, leaving others in the direct path of flying fists.
Mr. Zero made a grab for Davy, who quickly dove into a somersault to dodge; his foot tripped up Baby Face’s girlfriend, who had hastily headed over with the intent to check on Tony. She crashed headlong into Mr. Zero, which allowed Micky and Peter to slip past him, and the four Monkees quickly hid themselves in the brawling crowd.
With a loud trumpet, Rue now made his entrance-taking out the bar’s entire door frame and part of the surrounding wall in the process. Saph galloped in after him, followed by Emerald and Diamond Jim.
The bartender, in the meantime, just leaned against the counter and sighed as he watched the scene unfold. Brawls happened in the Purple Pelican on an almost daily basis-though he had to admit that adding animals into the mix was a new one on him.
Meanwhile, the Monkees continued to duck and dash through the crowd. Though it was true that they had lost Mendoza and Zero, they had, unfortunately, lost track of each other, as well. Calling out to each other wasn’t helping-they could barely hear themselves over the crowd.
The crowd did part for Rue, however, who immediately sought out Micky, who was able to get out of the sea of fighting people and into the back room, where the elephant followed-subsequently taking out another door and surrounding wall in the process. Micky winced at the damage, but waved it off as he began to look for the entrance to the underground cavern that Tony had mentioned.
“I think I’ve got it!” he exclaimed, as he stamped his foot on what felt like a hollow area. He got down on his knees, finding the edge of the removable panel, and he soon unearthed the entrance by lifting a large trapdoor panel. The cavern sloped downward, into the labyrinth beneath the city.
“Gosharooney…” he breathed. “That’s even big enough for you to fit through, Rue! That slab’s gotta be down there!”
He tried to cross back to the main room of the bar, trying to find Mike, Davy, and Peter. He spotted Davy at last, who had now clambered onto Saph’s back, and waved to him. It took a moment, but Davy spotted him and now tried to lead Saph that way, all the while calling for Mike and Peter.
Somewhere, in the crowd, a hand extended, waving a wool hat like a like a flag as though to signal that, yes, he had seen Davy. The English boy saw him and indicated the back room, and the hand now gave a thumbs-up to show that he understood.
Micky had seen the wool hat, as well.
“Great, now all we need to do is find Pete…”
Rue suddenly let out a loud, frightened trumpet. Micky would’ve jumped in fright, but before he could move, he felt something massive tackle him down, and then felt something sharp grab ahold of his leg, dragging him into the chamber.
Micky dared to turn around-and promptly let out a cry of fear as he saw the large, monstrous dog pulling him in. He grabbed for Rue’s trunk, desperately crying out for Davy and Mike to stay back.
Malevolent roared, now bounding up to Micky’s arm and grabbed him there, forcing him to let go of Rue’s trunk. Rue swung his trunk at Malevolent, but the monstrous dog swiped at him with his sharp claws, forcing the pachyderm back momentarily-but that moment was all that Dr. Mendoza needed. He had managed to make it to the back room by way of Mr. Zero’s teleportation, and he now seized Micky’s wounded arm with one hand while holding the hypodermic needle with the other.
“No!” Micky cried, trying to pull away. Rue tried desperately to help him, but was once again forced back by Malevolent, whose strength, fed from darkness, was enough to rival the pachyderm’s.
“Consider this payment for taking my assistant from me!” Mendoza hissed, injecting his concoction into Micky’s wrist.
The brunet bit back the yell of pain. He did not want to beg. He would fight against this experiment, whatever it was!
“How long does it take to take effect?” Mr. Zero asked.
“Soon,” the doctor promised. “He should be feeling the effects of the Mendozium within ten minutes.”
“Good,” Zero said. “Malevolent, take him below and keep him ready; we’ll soon have the whole set.”
Malevolent growled, pulling the still-struggling Micky into the shadows of the cavern. Rue followed, despite Malevolent’s warning growls and swipes.
In the meantime, Peter had slipped his way through the crowd; he had been heading for the back room ever since seeing Rue head that way, knowing that Micky would’ve gone there, too. Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling that if he, of all people, could figure that out so easily, Zero and Mendoza likely would, too.
It was to the blond’s horror that he arrived in time to see Malevolent pull Micky into the cavern.
“Micky!” he cried, not even noticing Mendoza and Zero at first. But as he took a step inside the room, he quickly realized that they had just walked into a trap. And as Peter saw the empty hypodermic needle in Mendoza’s hand, his worst fears were realized. “Not Micky… Not Micky!”
Mendoza was taken aback as Peter now glared daggers at him.
“You’re not getting away with this!” he vowed.
“He already has, Peter,” Mr. Zero said, calmly. “And you’re next.”
Malevolent, as fast as he was powerful, now bounded from the cavern entrance like a black, furry blur of motion that sent Peter flying as they collided. Emerald bravely tried to engage in battle with the much larger dog, but he couldn’t stand up to Malevolent’s brute strength; Emerald was sent flying into the open cavern entrance, and as Peter moved to try to see if he was okay, Malevolent got the blond’s shirt collar in his jaws. Dr. Mendoza now used that moment to grab the second hypodermic needle from his pocket and inject Peter with the Mendozium, as well. As Peter looked up at Mendoza with defiant rage as he clutched at his wrist, the doctor merely smiled back.
“You should be thanking me, Peter,” he said. “You, the most useless person I have ever seen, will be able to aid in the progress of science. I have finally given you a purpose in this pathetic existence of yours!”
Mendoza’s words stung, and Peter desperately tried to hold onto the fact that he knew, deep down, that they weren't true. Driven anew with this belief, he, like Micky, struggled against Malevolent, but he, too, was dragged down the cavern as Emerald did bite and scratch at the retreating Malevolent.
It was Davy who next rode into the trap, but he didn’t know that Micky and Peter had already been taken by Malevolent; he and Saph arrived just after Peter and Malevolent vanished, and Davy wasted no time in ordering the roan to charge right at Mendoza and Zero-perhaps with the intent of breaking out the back wall.
Mendoza threw himself out of the way, and Zero hissed in fury. It would seem that the young Englishman, so full of drive, was going to be difficult.
Zero now raised a hand, concentrating, and Davy let out a yelp as both he and Saph were frozen in their tracks.
“What is this?!” Davy furiously demanded, as Zero raised his other hand, causing Davy to levitate off of the horse’s back.
“This, my young friend, is you learning a painful lesson-that you are a mere mortal, and I am the Devil. I can do anything I wish, and there is nothing you can do to stand against my power!”
He turned his finger in a circle, flipping Davy upside-down in midair.
“Now, Doctor,” Zero instructed.
Mendoza picked himself up, pulling the third needle from his pocket. Davy’s eyes widened in horror as he approached, and he blindly swung his fists at him, which succeeded in knocking the needle out of his hand. The needle hit the floor, cracking upon impact, the Mendozium leaking out of the cylinder.
“Look what you’ve done!” the doctor cried.
“Oh, do send me the bill for the damages!” Davy spat back, still swinging his fists as Mr. Zero scowled.
“I had exactly four hypodermics of serum-what am I to do with that last guinea pig?” Mendoza asked Zero.
It would be Nesmith who would escape the serum, Zero thought to himself furiously. For a moment, he contemplated leaving Davy where he was and insisting upon using Mike as the third guinea pig, but then he paused. What better way to illustrate the Texan’s failures at helping his friends than to watch them sign their souls over for all eternity before his eyes?
“I believe this has worked out for the best,” he said to Mendoza. “Use the last dose of the serum on this one. Don’t worry; I’ll see to it that he doesn’t destroy that one.”
“Just you try to stop me!” Davy challenged, still levitated upside-down in midair. “After what you did to Uncle Sedgwick, I won’t go down without a fight-”
“I did you a favor, you little ingrate!” Zero retorted. “I gave you wealth and a title-I made you a someone for once!”
“I didn’t want wealth and a title!” Davy yelled, now swiping at the air with a greater drive; even Saph struggled to break free from the spell that was binding him. “I wanted my friends, and you were the one who took them from me! You didn’t give me those riches to be charitable; you wanted revenge!”
“That’s right,” the Prince of Darkness hissed. “And now, I will get it.”
Zero clenched his fist, and Davy gasped in pain; it was as though an invisible hand was squeezing him, pinning his arms to his sides.
Dr. Mendoza stepped forward now, and after making sure that Davy’s fists weren't going to fly again, he pulled the last hypodermic needle from his lab coat pocket and injected the contents into Davy’s wrist.
“Ten minutes,” the doctor declared.
It was at this time that Mike finally broke free of the crowd, Diamond Jim squawking and ranting in his arms. The Texan stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that awaited him in the back room.
“Davy!” he cried, as Diamond Jim flew from his arms and frantically called to the still-immobile Saph. “Davy!”
Mr. Zero smirked now, and with a wave of his hand, he let the English boy fall; Mike rushed forward and caught him. Saph fell over, suddenly released from the spell, and Diamond Jim now softly called to the horse.
“You okay, Davy?” Mike asked.
“No…” the younger boy whispered, looking at the puncture mark on his wrist now that he was able to move again. “He got me.”
“Not just him,” Mr. Zero said. “I warned you, Michael. I warned you that it would only be a matter of time until you failed to help them!”
Mike could only stare. How…? How had everything gone so out of control in just a matter of minutes?!
“Micky and Peter, too?!” Davy cried, horrified.
“Hold it,” Mike said, desperately trying to grasp at straws. “Davy, are you feeling alright, even after he gave you that stuff?”
“For the moment,” the young Englishman said. “But he said it would take ten minutes for it to kick in.”
“Maybe… maybe it won’t work,” Mike said. “I mean… it is just an experiment, after all…”
“Keep telling yourself that,” the Prince of Darkness.
“It will not fail,” Mendoza agreed. “I have spent years researching the formula; all I needed were test subjects.”
“Of course it won’t fail,” Zero assured him, amused. “That was part of our agreement, after all.”
Davy gave Mike a horrified look. And Mike found himself helpless and unable to reassure his friend.
“What… what exactly does this serum of yours do?” the Texan asked, resorting to placing his hand on Davy’s shoulder.
“It puts the one it’s administered on into a state of complete obedience,” a female voice replied. “And it also blocks the brain from feeling or responding to emotions. It’s revolutionary, when you think about it.”
Dr. Mendoza’s daughter now stood in the ruined doorway; behind her, a group of policemen were getting the crowd under some kind of relative order.
“What are you doing here?!” the doctor demanded. “You know that the district attorney has been keeping tabs on your movements!”
It was then that he noticed the handcuffs on his daughter’s wrists. She gave him a sad smile.
“I’m sorry, Father,” she said. “But I would rather have you in the hands of the district attorney than in those of Lucifer.”
Mr. Zero hissed again in frustration as the D.A. now entered the room. He snapped his fingers, vanishing. Malevolent, who had just been ready to make another appearance, also vanished, too.
Dr. Mendoza was too distracted by his daughter’s apparent betrayal to even notice he had gone.
“You, of all people, have always supported my endeavors!” he exclaimed, as he was now apprehended, as well.
“I still do, Father,” she said. “But I want our experiments to be done on our terms-not Lucifer’s. We can pick up where we left off, Father-once we get out of this. You will have my full support then.”
“Well, uh…” Mike said. “Until that time comes, do you think you could give us the antidote to this here serum of yours?”
“There is no antidote,” Dr. Mendoza announced. “I hadn’t had time to develop it yet! I wished to test the Mendozium first.”
Davy went pale.
“Mike…!” he pleaded.
The D.A. stared at the mad scientist in disgust for a moment before turning to one of the policemen.
“Call an ambulance for that boy immediately,” he ordered. “I want a series of toxicology tests done-”
“No, we have to find Micky and Peter first!” Davy cried. “He said they were injected with it before me!”
“Where are they?!” Mike demanded.
Dr. Mendoza stared pointedly at the open trapdoor. Already, policemen were heading down that way.
“Lucifer wanted them down there, in one of the caverns.”
“He wanted partial control of the guinea pigs of my father’s serum; that was the deal they made-the success of the serum in exchange for Lucifer’s ability to control the guinea pigs,” his daughter explained. “That’s why he insisted on the guinea pigs obeying him in addition to Father; he wants your souls, and he must have decided that forcing you to obey him is the best way for him to do it.”
“No!” Davy cried. “I won’t obey him! I won’t!”
“You will have no choice,” the doctor said. “The serum blocks all ability of free thought-just blind obedience. I expect you have about five minutes left before the serum takes effect.”
“It’s gotta wear off sometime, right?” Mike asked, silently pleading for a yes. “It can’t last forever!”
“I designed it to be permanent,” the doctor said. “A one-time use will keep the subject in this state indefinitely. I am sorry I won’t get to see the end result of this grand experiment; if I could only be granted five minutes to watch…”
The D.A. looked absolutely disgusted.
“Get them both out of here,” he ordered. “And interrogate him about the serum’s contents. Get back to his lab and confiscate a sample for analysis.” He turned to Mike and Davy. “We’ll have the best lab technicians working on it. They will find an antidote; just hang in there.”
Davy didn’t reply; he just clung to Mike’s arm, trembling.
“Davy…” Mike said. “Davy, you can’t just give in. There’re still things that can happen. For one thing, Zero ran out on him just now; that might void the contract-in which case, the thing might not work.”
He was trying to convince himself of the same thing; Zero’s taunts were ringing in his ears. He had failed them. He had failed Davy-his best friend who had saved his life from that monster plant.
He pulled the younger boy into a hug again, silently cursing himself for this. If he hadn’t given the order to split up back in the other room… If they had just stayed together, this might not have happened at all.
Davy returned the hug, still grateful that he could feel and think freely-for the time being, anyway.
“Mike,” he said. “Just in case they’re not able to find some way to reverse this serum… I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me-even all of the things I can’t remember.”
“Don’t talk like that!” Mike pleaded. “This… this isn’t over yet! I need you to keep fighting, okay? If you can just hold on as long as you can against that stuff, we’ll all get through this. And we’d better find Pete and Mick; we’ll need to give them a pep talk to keep fighting, too.”
Davy managed a brave nod. While the police were busy with trying to gather the evidence in the room, the boys got on Saph-as did Diamond Jim-and Davy led the horse down the cavern entrance.
Just hold on, Guys, Mike silently transmitted to them as he continued to keep a hand on Davy’s shoulder. If we can just get back together, I know we’ll have a better chance of getting through this! We beat Zero once before, and we can do it again; we just have to approach this as a team!
He watched Davy give a slight shudder and hoped that his words weren't empty ones.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 16; Mosso
Fandom: The Monkees (TV-verse)
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is; also, these are the guys' fictional personas from the TV show and not the real ones.
Summary/Comments: The guys head to the Purple Pelican, unaware that Zero and Mendoza are waiting for them.
Once again unaware of Zero’s latest ploy against them, the Monkees proceeded to leave the castle. Creech saw them off, once again wishing them luck. They were quiet, but their resolves were strong as Rue and Saph carried them through the forest path once again, this time heading for Malibu. If they were tired, they didn’t show it; their resolves seemed just as strong. They did draw a lot of stares, however-as would be expected from four young men riding a horse and an elephant through the streets.
“I suppose all we need to do is ask the next spectator where this Purple Pelican is,” Davy said, after looking for it on their own didn’t seem to prove fruitful.
“That’ll be something…” Micky said, patting Rue on the top of his gray head. “Normally, people see the elephants after they start drinking.”
Peter got a chuckle out of that as Mike took the initiative and asked; once the Texan had the directions, he directed the way to the bar, which was hidden away in a far corner of the town-thankfully, it wasn’t too far away.
Micky got off of Rue, now taking a peek inside the bar.
“Baby Face!” a woman exclaimed.
Micky let out a yelp as a blonde woman threw her arms around him.
“Oh, Baby Face!” she exclaimed. “Tony told me that something terrible had happened to you!”
“Gosh, Mick, you sure know how to make an entrance, don’t you?” Peter said, as he, Mike, and Davy entered.
Micky gave them a helpless shrug as he looked up from the embrace by Baby Face’s girlfriend.
“Hey, Lady, he can’t stop and chat-his elephant is double-parked,” Mike said, pulling Micky away from her.
“You mean, he’s… not Baby Face…?” she began, and she suddenly looked away, disappointed. “I… I should’ve guessed it wasn’t him… That black eye wouldn’t have healed so quickly…”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Micky offered. “But if you know the guy, then maybe you can help us. He said something about a stone slab under this building; do you know anything about it?”
She shook her head.
“He didn’t tell me anything-not since that weird guy in the suit started talking to him. He even stopped hanging around the rest of his gang after the failed robbery at Hagglethorn Hall.”
She looked over at one of the tables. Tony Ferano was having a quiet drink, looking very somber.
“Tony’s the one who saw him last; you might want to ask him,” she said. “…But why are you asking about Baby Face, anyway? Do you know him?”
“I’m his long-lost… something,” Micky bluffed. “You can see the family resemblance, right?”
“Sure…” she said, unconvinced, and she went on moping about Baby Face as the Monkees headed towards the table.
“Do you think we should tell her about what really happened to him?” Davy asked, in an undertone.
“Probably not,” Mike said. “She’d take it hard-assuming she’d even believe it.”
“Good point…”
Tony looked up as they approached his table, and he did an immediate double-take as he saw Micky.
“I’m not Baby Face,” Micky quickly insisted. “But I understand that you’re the one who saw him last.”
“It’s not really any of your business,” Tony snarled, trying to cover up how upset he was. “But his fool head got too big, and he got in too deep. And he vanished-went into the back room with some suit running after him. I thought I saw some trapdoor or something; he must’ve gone down there. That’s all I can tell you.”
“That’s all we need to know,” Mike assured him.
“Pity that knowledge will do you no good,” a voice spoke from behind them.
Tony Ferano paled, and the quartet whirled around, staring as both Dr. Mendoza and Mr. Zero stood, blocking their way. Mendoza had the hypodermic needle once again in his hand-and three more in his pocket.
“This time, you will not escape me,” he said.
“Leave them alone!” Peter ordered. “I told you, I’m not going to let you hurt innocent people anymore-and especially not my friends!”
“Unfortunately for you, it is completely out of your hands, Peter,” Mr. Zero said. “The four of you have eluded me long enough. It’s time for the good doctor to progress with his experiment, and you aren’t going to be able to stop him this time.”
“Well, we can sure try!” Mike said.
A waiter was passing by with a tray of drinks. Mike swung his fist at the tray from below, which caused the tray to flip, drinks and all flying everywhere-including showering both Mendoza and Zero.
“Split!” the Texan ordered, as they recoiled.
What erupted there was nothing short of absolute chaos; the furious waiter had aimed a punch at Mike, who had fled at just such a moment that the blow missed him-and hit Mendoza, sending him crashing into the next table. The patrons now turned to attack him, which somehow escalated into drawing the surrounding tables into the brawl, too, as Mendoza pulled away, leaving others in the direct path of flying fists.
Mr. Zero made a grab for Davy, who quickly dove into a somersault to dodge; his foot tripped up Baby Face’s girlfriend, who had hastily headed over with the intent to check on Tony. She crashed headlong into Mr. Zero, which allowed Micky and Peter to slip past him, and the four Monkees quickly hid themselves in the brawling crowd.
With a loud trumpet, Rue now made his entrance-taking out the bar’s entire door frame and part of the surrounding wall in the process. Saph galloped in after him, followed by Emerald and Diamond Jim.
The bartender, in the meantime, just leaned against the counter and sighed as he watched the scene unfold. Brawls happened in the Purple Pelican on an almost daily basis-though he had to admit that adding animals into the mix was a new one on him.
Meanwhile, the Monkees continued to duck and dash through the crowd. Though it was true that they had lost Mendoza and Zero, they had, unfortunately, lost track of each other, as well. Calling out to each other wasn’t helping-they could barely hear themselves over the crowd.
The crowd did part for Rue, however, who immediately sought out Micky, who was able to get out of the sea of fighting people and into the back room, where the elephant followed-subsequently taking out another door and surrounding wall in the process. Micky winced at the damage, but waved it off as he began to look for the entrance to the underground cavern that Tony had mentioned.
“I think I’ve got it!” he exclaimed, as he stamped his foot on what felt like a hollow area. He got down on his knees, finding the edge of the removable panel, and he soon unearthed the entrance by lifting a large trapdoor panel. The cavern sloped downward, into the labyrinth beneath the city.
“Gosharooney…” he breathed. “That’s even big enough for you to fit through, Rue! That slab’s gotta be down there!”
He tried to cross back to the main room of the bar, trying to find Mike, Davy, and Peter. He spotted Davy at last, who had now clambered onto Saph’s back, and waved to him. It took a moment, but Davy spotted him and now tried to lead Saph that way, all the while calling for Mike and Peter.
Somewhere, in the crowd, a hand extended, waving a wool hat like a like a flag as though to signal that, yes, he had seen Davy. The English boy saw him and indicated the back room, and the hand now gave a thumbs-up to show that he understood.
Micky had seen the wool hat, as well.
“Great, now all we need to do is find Pete…”
Rue suddenly let out a loud, frightened trumpet. Micky would’ve jumped in fright, but before he could move, he felt something massive tackle him down, and then felt something sharp grab ahold of his leg, dragging him into the chamber.
Micky dared to turn around-and promptly let out a cry of fear as he saw the large, monstrous dog pulling him in. He grabbed for Rue’s trunk, desperately crying out for Davy and Mike to stay back.
Malevolent roared, now bounding up to Micky’s arm and grabbed him there, forcing him to let go of Rue’s trunk. Rue swung his trunk at Malevolent, but the monstrous dog swiped at him with his sharp claws, forcing the pachyderm back momentarily-but that moment was all that Dr. Mendoza needed. He had managed to make it to the back room by way of Mr. Zero’s teleportation, and he now seized Micky’s wounded arm with one hand while holding the hypodermic needle with the other.
“No!” Micky cried, trying to pull away. Rue tried desperately to help him, but was once again forced back by Malevolent, whose strength, fed from darkness, was enough to rival the pachyderm’s.
“Consider this payment for taking my assistant from me!” Mendoza hissed, injecting his concoction into Micky’s wrist.
The brunet bit back the yell of pain. He did not want to beg. He would fight against this experiment, whatever it was!
“How long does it take to take effect?” Mr. Zero asked.
“Soon,” the doctor promised. “He should be feeling the effects of the Mendozium within ten minutes.”
“Good,” Zero said. “Malevolent, take him below and keep him ready; we’ll soon have the whole set.”
Malevolent growled, pulling the still-struggling Micky into the shadows of the cavern. Rue followed, despite Malevolent’s warning growls and swipes.
In the meantime, Peter had slipped his way through the crowd; he had been heading for the back room ever since seeing Rue head that way, knowing that Micky would’ve gone there, too. Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling that if he, of all people, could figure that out so easily, Zero and Mendoza likely would, too.
It was to the blond’s horror that he arrived in time to see Malevolent pull Micky into the cavern.
“Micky!” he cried, not even noticing Mendoza and Zero at first. But as he took a step inside the room, he quickly realized that they had just walked into a trap. And as Peter saw the empty hypodermic needle in Mendoza’s hand, his worst fears were realized. “Not Micky… Not Micky!”
Mendoza was taken aback as Peter now glared daggers at him.
“You’re not getting away with this!” he vowed.
“He already has, Peter,” Mr. Zero said, calmly. “And you’re next.”
Malevolent, as fast as he was powerful, now bounded from the cavern entrance like a black, furry blur of motion that sent Peter flying as they collided. Emerald bravely tried to engage in battle with the much larger dog, but he couldn’t stand up to Malevolent’s brute strength; Emerald was sent flying into the open cavern entrance, and as Peter moved to try to see if he was okay, Malevolent got the blond’s shirt collar in his jaws. Dr. Mendoza now used that moment to grab the second hypodermic needle from his pocket and inject Peter with the Mendozium, as well. As Peter looked up at Mendoza with defiant rage as he clutched at his wrist, the doctor merely smiled back.
“You should be thanking me, Peter,” he said. “You, the most useless person I have ever seen, will be able to aid in the progress of science. I have finally given you a purpose in this pathetic existence of yours!”
Mendoza’s words stung, and Peter desperately tried to hold onto the fact that he knew, deep down, that they weren't true. Driven anew with this belief, he, like Micky, struggled against Malevolent, but he, too, was dragged down the cavern as Emerald did bite and scratch at the retreating Malevolent.
It was Davy who next rode into the trap, but he didn’t know that Micky and Peter had already been taken by Malevolent; he and Saph arrived just after Peter and Malevolent vanished, and Davy wasted no time in ordering the roan to charge right at Mendoza and Zero-perhaps with the intent of breaking out the back wall.
Mendoza threw himself out of the way, and Zero hissed in fury. It would seem that the young Englishman, so full of drive, was going to be difficult.
Zero now raised a hand, concentrating, and Davy let out a yelp as both he and Saph were frozen in their tracks.
“What is this?!” Davy furiously demanded, as Zero raised his other hand, causing Davy to levitate off of the horse’s back.
“This, my young friend, is you learning a painful lesson-that you are a mere mortal, and I am the Devil. I can do anything I wish, and there is nothing you can do to stand against my power!”
He turned his finger in a circle, flipping Davy upside-down in midair.
“Now, Doctor,” Zero instructed.
Mendoza picked himself up, pulling the third needle from his pocket. Davy’s eyes widened in horror as he approached, and he blindly swung his fists at him, which succeeded in knocking the needle out of his hand. The needle hit the floor, cracking upon impact, the Mendozium leaking out of the cylinder.
“Look what you’ve done!” the doctor cried.
“Oh, do send me the bill for the damages!” Davy spat back, still swinging his fists as Mr. Zero scowled.
“I had exactly four hypodermics of serum-what am I to do with that last guinea pig?” Mendoza asked Zero.
It would be Nesmith who would escape the serum, Zero thought to himself furiously. For a moment, he contemplated leaving Davy where he was and insisting upon using Mike as the third guinea pig, but then he paused. What better way to illustrate the Texan’s failures at helping his friends than to watch them sign their souls over for all eternity before his eyes?
“I believe this has worked out for the best,” he said to Mendoza. “Use the last dose of the serum on this one. Don’t worry; I’ll see to it that he doesn’t destroy that one.”
“Just you try to stop me!” Davy challenged, still levitated upside-down in midair. “After what you did to Uncle Sedgwick, I won’t go down without a fight-”
“I did you a favor, you little ingrate!” Zero retorted. “I gave you wealth and a title-I made you a someone for once!”
“I didn’t want wealth and a title!” Davy yelled, now swiping at the air with a greater drive; even Saph struggled to break free from the spell that was binding him. “I wanted my friends, and you were the one who took them from me! You didn’t give me those riches to be charitable; you wanted revenge!”
“That’s right,” the Prince of Darkness hissed. “And now, I will get it.”
Zero clenched his fist, and Davy gasped in pain; it was as though an invisible hand was squeezing him, pinning his arms to his sides.
Dr. Mendoza stepped forward now, and after making sure that Davy’s fists weren't going to fly again, he pulled the last hypodermic needle from his lab coat pocket and injected the contents into Davy’s wrist.
“Ten minutes,” the doctor declared.
It was at this time that Mike finally broke free of the crowd, Diamond Jim squawking and ranting in his arms. The Texan stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that awaited him in the back room.
“Davy!” he cried, as Diamond Jim flew from his arms and frantically called to the still-immobile Saph. “Davy!”
Mr. Zero smirked now, and with a wave of his hand, he let the English boy fall; Mike rushed forward and caught him. Saph fell over, suddenly released from the spell, and Diamond Jim now softly called to the horse.
“You okay, Davy?” Mike asked.
“No…” the younger boy whispered, looking at the puncture mark on his wrist now that he was able to move again. “He got me.”
“Not just him,” Mr. Zero said. “I warned you, Michael. I warned you that it would only be a matter of time until you failed to help them!”
Mike could only stare. How…? How had everything gone so out of control in just a matter of minutes?!
“Micky and Peter, too?!” Davy cried, horrified.
“Hold it,” Mike said, desperately trying to grasp at straws. “Davy, are you feeling alright, even after he gave you that stuff?”
“For the moment,” the young Englishman said. “But he said it would take ten minutes for it to kick in.”
“Maybe… maybe it won’t work,” Mike said. “I mean… it is just an experiment, after all…”
“Keep telling yourself that,” the Prince of Darkness.
“It will not fail,” Mendoza agreed. “I have spent years researching the formula; all I needed were test subjects.”
“Of course it won’t fail,” Zero assured him, amused. “That was part of our agreement, after all.”
Davy gave Mike a horrified look. And Mike found himself helpless and unable to reassure his friend.
“What… what exactly does this serum of yours do?” the Texan asked, resorting to placing his hand on Davy’s shoulder.
“It puts the one it’s administered on into a state of complete obedience,” a female voice replied. “And it also blocks the brain from feeling or responding to emotions. It’s revolutionary, when you think about it.”
Dr. Mendoza’s daughter now stood in the ruined doorway; behind her, a group of policemen were getting the crowd under some kind of relative order.
“What are you doing here?!” the doctor demanded. “You know that the district attorney has been keeping tabs on your movements!”
It was then that he noticed the handcuffs on his daughter’s wrists. She gave him a sad smile.
“I’m sorry, Father,” she said. “But I would rather have you in the hands of the district attorney than in those of Lucifer.”
Mr. Zero hissed again in frustration as the D.A. now entered the room. He snapped his fingers, vanishing. Malevolent, who had just been ready to make another appearance, also vanished, too.
Dr. Mendoza was too distracted by his daughter’s apparent betrayal to even notice he had gone.
“You, of all people, have always supported my endeavors!” he exclaimed, as he was now apprehended, as well.
“I still do, Father,” she said. “But I want our experiments to be done on our terms-not Lucifer’s. We can pick up where we left off, Father-once we get out of this. You will have my full support then.”
“Well, uh…” Mike said. “Until that time comes, do you think you could give us the antidote to this here serum of yours?”
“There is no antidote,” Dr. Mendoza announced. “I hadn’t had time to develop it yet! I wished to test the Mendozium first.”
Davy went pale.
“Mike…!” he pleaded.
The D.A. stared at the mad scientist in disgust for a moment before turning to one of the policemen.
“Call an ambulance for that boy immediately,” he ordered. “I want a series of toxicology tests done-”
“No, we have to find Micky and Peter first!” Davy cried. “He said they were injected with it before me!”
“Where are they?!” Mike demanded.
Dr. Mendoza stared pointedly at the open trapdoor. Already, policemen were heading down that way.
“Lucifer wanted them down there, in one of the caverns.”
“He wanted partial control of the guinea pigs of my father’s serum; that was the deal they made-the success of the serum in exchange for Lucifer’s ability to control the guinea pigs,” his daughter explained. “That’s why he insisted on the guinea pigs obeying him in addition to Father; he wants your souls, and he must have decided that forcing you to obey him is the best way for him to do it.”
“No!” Davy cried. “I won’t obey him! I won’t!”
“You will have no choice,” the doctor said. “The serum blocks all ability of free thought-just blind obedience. I expect you have about five minutes left before the serum takes effect.”
“It’s gotta wear off sometime, right?” Mike asked, silently pleading for a yes. “It can’t last forever!”
“I designed it to be permanent,” the doctor said. “A one-time use will keep the subject in this state indefinitely. I am sorry I won’t get to see the end result of this grand experiment; if I could only be granted five minutes to watch…”
The D.A. looked absolutely disgusted.
“Get them both out of here,” he ordered. “And interrogate him about the serum’s contents. Get back to his lab and confiscate a sample for analysis.” He turned to Mike and Davy. “We’ll have the best lab technicians working on it. They will find an antidote; just hang in there.”
Davy didn’t reply; he just clung to Mike’s arm, trembling.
“Davy…” Mike said. “Davy, you can’t just give in. There’re still things that can happen. For one thing, Zero ran out on him just now; that might void the contract-in which case, the thing might not work.”
He was trying to convince himself of the same thing; Zero’s taunts were ringing in his ears. He had failed them. He had failed Davy-his best friend who had saved his life from that monster plant.
He pulled the younger boy into a hug again, silently cursing himself for this. If he hadn’t given the order to split up back in the other room… If they had just stayed together, this might not have happened at all.
Davy returned the hug, still grateful that he could feel and think freely-for the time being, anyway.
“Mike,” he said. “Just in case they’re not able to find some way to reverse this serum… I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me-even all of the things I can’t remember.”
“Don’t talk like that!” Mike pleaded. “This… this isn’t over yet! I need you to keep fighting, okay? If you can just hold on as long as you can against that stuff, we’ll all get through this. And we’d better find Pete and Mick; we’ll need to give them a pep talk to keep fighting, too.”
Davy managed a brave nod. While the police were busy with trying to gather the evidence in the room, the boys got on Saph-as did Diamond Jim-and Davy led the horse down the cavern entrance.
Just hold on, Guys, Mike silently transmitted to them as he continued to keep a hand on Davy’s shoulder. If we can just get back together, I know we’ll have a better chance of getting through this! We beat Zero once before, and we can do it again; we just have to approach this as a team!
He watched Davy give a slight shudder and hoped that his words weren't empty ones.