Or even what state.
Minnesota…?
He shook his head and picked up his pace to catch up with his partner.
Fred J. Dukes generally stood out in a crowd, as he weighed roughly nine hundred pounds and was the size of a Volkswagen. The addition of a Santa hat only drew more attention.
“Wanna slow down?” He called. “The mall ain’t going anywhere.”
The Blob slowed, but didn’t stop walking, turning his head to frown over his massive shoulder at his partner.
“Why’d I think it would be a good idea to let you tag along?” He grumbled. “There’s gonna be crazy crowds, if I wanna get everything on my list without going broke, we gotta hustle. Plus, they’re gonna have free hot chocolate at the tree lighting, and the cookie place by the pet store is doing samples.”
He waved a sales flyer to emphasize his point.
“What are you eight and big for your age…?” Unus muttered.
The mutant duo trudged along towards the brightly lit shopping center; Unus surveying the festive, if anxious, shoppers, with vague disdain, the Blob humming “jingle bells’ to himself, while friendlily waving to the occasionally gawker.
Before entering the mall, the two stomped the snow off their shoes. The Blob’s efforts resulted in a mini crater in the sidewalk.
Once inside, Blob strolled around, taking in the bright lights, decorations and other shoppers. Unus hunched up in his jacket, avoiding attention from other shoppers as well as mall security.
Blob pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of his coat pocket, awkwardly smoothed it out and began to consult it as they walked.
“Okay,” He muttered, his large face scrunched in thought. “Tree lighting ain’t until six, so grab a cookie, gotta get some socks for Marco, find some of that perfume the Bazetti sisters like…need to find card for Ma…how bout you? Any family you need to get in touch with? Anybody you need a present for? Want my shirt size or favorite color?”
Unus gave him a sour look and kept walking.
“Geez, what’s with you?” Blob asked, accepting a candy cane from a young girl dressed like an elf. When Unus waved her away, Blob took his candy cane as well.
“What’s with me?” Unus asked, irritably. “What’s up with you? Where’s all this holly-jolly garbage coming from? Did you take a blow to the head and forgot how deep a hole we are in?”
Blob scowled at his friend, and taking hold of his arm, steered him out of the parade of foot traffic and into a side hallway that lead to the rest rooms and pay phones.
“So, before I pull the stick outta your butt and beat you senseless with it,” The Blob growled. “Why don’t you get it outta your system, alright? I’m trying to enjoy some friggin holiday cheer here!’
He punctuated his heartfelt utterance by poking the other mutant in the chest with his candy cane.
“Fine,” Unus snapped back, glancing around and struggling to keep his voice down. “The circus is bleeding money, we owe everybody and their brother, including some people that are even more crooked and prone to violence then you are! At least twice we had to skip town because somebody recognized us, which means it’s only a matter of time before we go from dodging cops to dodging X-men, my powers are acting hinky again and instead of getting the hell out of town or seeing who out there is offering deals for super powered muscle, we’re buying socks and going %$#! caroling.”
The two men glared at each other for several moments. Blob stuck a candy cane in the corner of his mouth while angrily contemplating his partner.
“You think I don’t know all that?” He grunted. “I do the friggin books, I know the circus has barely got two nickels to rub together. Why do you think we had three acts quit? Why do you think Marco sold off all the horses and the giraffe?”
Then what’s with you acting like a Rankin-Bass character?” Unus asked, angry and puzzled.
“Why? Because it’s friggin Christmas you mook!” The Blob said, exasperated. “I know how much my life sucks! I know that, you stupid dingus, and come December 26, I will be on the phone to Wyngarde, see if that bunch of fancy pants he’s hanging out with these days is hiring or maybe that blue chick that’s trying to put together a new Brotherhood…and I’ll probably end up back in jail!”
“Um…I…I didn’t know, Fred,” Unus muttered.
“So, I am gonna buy some cheap crap for my friends, drink some hot chocolate and then, I’m going back to my trailer and gonna watch the Grinch, A Christmas Carol, Diehard and any other Christmas movie that’s playing…so, you coming or what?”
“Um…I guess, you know…” Unus stuttered, avoiding eye contact with his friend.
“Hey, Mister…?”
Both mutants looked down at the kid that was tugging on the Blob’s pant leg.
“Santa, sir, I wanna give you my list.” The boy explained.
“Jeez, kid, Santa?” The Blob said, bending, as much as his massive belly would allow. “You see any beard here?”
He ran a hand along his chubby, hairless chin.
Unus shook his head and then a small smile crossed his face.
“Kid, don’t you know who this is?” He said.
The kid, looking puzzled, shook his head.
“He ain’t Santa,” Unus continued, then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial hush. “He’s Santa’s Uncle, Fred Claus.”
“Really…?” The kid asked, growing wide-eyed.
“Yeah, but don’t tell anybody,” The Blob said. “I really need to get my Christmas shopping done. Here, have a candy cane.”
“Oh okay, Uncle Claus, thanks,” The kid said, walking off.
The two men waved back, struggling to keep straight faces.
“Maybe there’s hope for you, bub.” Blob smirked.
“Alright, you ain’t getting a hug. Let’s get your shopping done so I can get some cocoa,” Unus said.
Blob went to chuck Unus’ on the shoulder, only to have his hand bounce off his friend’s force field.
The two then wandered around, a bit more relaxed and in the holiday spirit.
They bought a couple presents for members of the Blob’s circus, sampled any free snack that was being offered, and had hot chocolate at the mall’s tree lighting.
Though Unus slinked off when Blob started singing along with the carolers.
Later that night, the duo had gone out a side door, to avoid some security guards and ended up at the far end of the mall, out by the loading docks and dumpsters.
“We taking the scenic route?” Unus asked, looking around.
“You were the one getting all twitchy about the mall cops,” Blob replied, absently, while trying to get his bearings. “We just go…uh…that way, round the corner, there’ll be a pizza place and then we’re at the truck.”
“Okay, I’d rather not get busted this close to Christmas.” Unus muttered.
“You worried Santa won’t bring you a She-Hulk doll?” Blob said, as they walked.
“Hey, what’s that?” Unus asked.
“What?”
“Over by the snow bank…thought it was a trash bag, but I think it moved…?”
With a mix of reluctance and anxiety the duo approached the dark shape.
“Oh, boy,” Blob muttered. “It’s a cop…and somebody clobbered him.”
“Yeah,” Unus muttered. “This ain’t good…look, by the corner of the building, I think there’s another one.”
As stealthily as possible, the two mutants crept to the corner of the building and stepping over yet another battered policeman and peaking out.
There was an armored truck parked at the loading area.
There was a third guard, slumped against the concrete wall, cradling an obviously injured arm.
Several other figures were moving around the truck.
“Are you kidding me?” Unus muttered. “A robbery…? Okay, we find a phone, call in the cops and get the hell outta…where’re you going…?”
“Come on, I’m a super villain,” The Blob said, handing his shopping bags to his friend, and then cracking his knuckles. “But robbing a store right before Christmas…that’s pretty scummy.”
“Yeah, okay.” Unus said, burdened with the shopping, while working to follow after his friend.
“Hey!” Blob shouted, as they approached. “Ya jerks, get away from that truck!”
A large, brutish figure came bolting out of the shadows. He was massive, his skin a leathery brown, features were grotesque and distorted, an over-sized mouth, a lump of a nose and eyes red with hate, a shaggy mop of straggly hair and two, bone white horns that protruded out from his scalp. He wore a tattered pair of jeans, t-shirt and was barefoot.
He raced at the Blob, punching him across the jaw hard enough that even the over-sized mutant nearly stumbled.
“Okay, we aren’t going to be talking our way out of this,” Unus sighed, putting his bags on a nearby loading dock.
He ran past his friend to the end of the armored truck, to see who or what else they were dealing with.
Three men, dressed in the uniforms of security guards, but who to Unus’ experienced felons’ eyes, were bogus.
He punched the nearest one in the solar plexus.
The other two turned and went for their guns. Firing at the mutant.
The bullets were deflected away, with the recent increase in his force field’s power, they were sent rocketing back at the gunmen.
Unus took a second to let the thieves go wide-eyed. He wasn’t one of those mutants that bore the tiniest bit of dread over his powers. He genuinely relished it and was more then happy to cut loose on some deserving normal human.
He ran at the two guards, who promptly moved to attack him, only to be flung back into the side of the mall, knocked unconscious.
Unus dusted off his hands and allowed himself a little smile.
Then the Matador stepped out of the shadows, cape swirling dramatically and attempted to stab him.
He wore the full costume of a classical matador: green calf-length pants and elaborately stitched toreador jacket and wide yellow sash. Along with the black bullfighters’ hat perched upon his head, he also wore a black domino mask.
His rapier, deadly sharp as well as ornamentally styled, was easily deflected, but Unus was thrown off guard by the Matador’s swirling red cape. He reflexively dodged, skidded on the snowy pavement and ended up lying on his back in the show.
“Ow…damnit!”
“I beg your pardon, amigo,” The masked Matador said, his voice smooth and gentlemanly. “But, you interfere in matters you do not understand.”
“You and Man-bull got your butts kicked by Daredevil and have teamed up to rob a jewelry truck.” Unus said.
“Well, maybe you do understand…?” The Matador mused, puzzled. “But, I still cannot allow you to interfere.”
“Allow…?” Unus said, in a casual drawl. “Yeah, you and I might have been able to work something out, but it’s not me you have worry about.”
He gestured in the direction of his partner, who was currently duking it out with the Man-Bull.
The Matador’s partner was savagely pummeling the corpulent mutant.
To almost no effect.
In fact, the Blob was taking the beating with a grim smirk. Only occasionally moving to block a punch aimed at his face.
After a couple minutes, the Blob grew bored, and glancing around, spotted Unus.
He backhanded the Man-Bull.
While the brutish villain staggered, the Blob grabbed him by the belt and by one horn and lifted him up over his head.
“Oh no…!” The Matador breathed, as the Man-bull was hurled at him.
Man-Bull slammed into the Matador, and then the duo collided with the armored truck with an audible ‘thud’, and then collapsed in a heap on the snowy pavement.
“It’s safe to get up now,” Blob said, trudging over to his friend. “I made the bad men go away.”
“Really?” Unus said, getting to his feet and brushing the snow off his clothes. “I set them up for you and you want to take all the credit?”
“Sorry, who was trading punches and who was resting on the ground?”
“Seriously…?” Unus snapped. “You think…?”
“Freeze! Hands where we can see them!”
The two mutants slowly, anxiously turned. Three police officers, guns drawn, were standing several yards away.
“Oh crap…!” Blob muttered.
“Hey! Wait…wait!” Unus said, raising his hands. “It wasn’t us!”
“It wasn’t…?” Blob said.
“Shut up,” Unus said, out of the corner of his mouth.
“We were just shopping!” Unus continued. “Our bags are right over there!
We were taking a short cut!”
“Yeah!” The Blob added, pointing at his head. “Would a super villain be wearing this hat?”
One of the cops lowered his gun and walked, cautiously over to the duo. He glanced from the dubious pair of shoppers to the unconscious thieves.
“It’s that bull guy!” He shouted back to his partners, before turning back to
Unus and the Blob.
“What happened here?”
“I…uh…not sure,” Unus shrugged. “It was dark, and somebody messed with the lights back here…there was a…a…um…fight…we heard stuff and checked it out.”
“Yeah.” Blob nodded, struggling to look as innocent as possible.
“Uh-huh,” The cop nodded, waving the other officers over to deal with the fake guards, the injured real guards and Man-Bull and the Matador. “We’re going to need to take a statement.”
“Look, we got stuff…presents and people waiting for us,” Unus said.
The cop studied the duo and then the crazy situation.
“Yeah, I guess,” The cop nodded. “This is going take us awhile to sort out. Just report to the second precinct, Newton Street, to give your statements.”
“Okay, thanks a lot,” Unus said, steering the Blob over to collect their shopping.
“Well, drop this off at home and head right over. Merry Christmas.”
The cop nodded, more concerned with the thieves.
“We really heading to the station?” Blob asked, incredulously, once they were around the corner and heading for his truck.
“Course not, you idiot,” Unus grunted. “We’re going back to the circus and get the hell outta town! Five minutes with the cops and you and I would be ringing in the holidays in a cell. By the time the cops notice we skipped, we can be out of state.”
“Oh, okay,” Blob said, as they climbed into the truck. “Cause that hot chocolate they give you in prison is the cheap, watery stuff.”
“Good to see you got your priorities straight.” Unus frowned, turning the heat up.
“Gonna miss the Rankin-Bass marathon on TV,” Blob frowned, as he pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the snowy road. “But, there is that truck stop that does the good pie. Bet they have eggnog…”
“God bless us all, everyone,” Unus muttered, rolling his eyes.
Minnesota…?
He shook his head and picked up his pace to catch up with his partner.
Fred J. Dukes generally stood out in a crowd, as he weighed roughly nine hundred pounds and was the size of a Volkswagen. The addition of a Santa hat only drew more attention.
“Wanna slow down?” He called. “The mall ain’t going anywhere.”
The Blob slowed, but didn’t stop walking, turning his head to frown over his massive shoulder at his partner.
“Why’d I think it would be a good idea to let you tag along?” He grumbled. “There’s gonna be crazy crowds, if I wanna get everything on my list without going broke, we gotta hustle. Plus, they’re gonna have free hot chocolate at the tree lighting, and the cookie place by the pet store is doing samples.”
He waved a sales flyer to emphasize his point.
“What are you eight and big for your age…?” Unus muttered.
The mutant duo trudged along towards the brightly lit shopping center; Unus surveying the festive, if anxious, shoppers, with vague disdain, the Blob humming “jingle bells’ to himself, while friendlily waving to the occasionally gawker.
Before entering the mall, the two stomped the snow off their shoes. The Blob’s efforts resulted in a mini crater in the sidewalk.
Once inside, Blob strolled around, taking in the bright lights, decorations and other shoppers. Unus hunched up in his jacket, avoiding attention from other shoppers as well as mall security.
Blob pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of his coat pocket, awkwardly smoothed it out and began to consult it as they walked.
“Okay,” He muttered, his large face scrunched in thought. “Tree lighting ain’t until six, so grab a cookie, gotta get some socks for Marco, find some of that perfume the Bazetti sisters like…need to find card for Ma…how bout you? Any family you need to get in touch with? Anybody you need a present for? Want my shirt size or favorite color?”
Unus gave him a sour look and kept walking.
“Geez, what’s with you?” Blob asked, accepting a candy cane from a young girl dressed like an elf. When Unus waved her away, Blob took his candy cane as well.
“What’s with me?” Unus asked, irritably. “What’s up with you? Where’s all this holly-jolly garbage coming from? Did you take a blow to the head and forgot how deep a hole we are in?”
Blob scowled at his friend, and taking hold of his arm, steered him out of the parade of foot traffic and into a side hallway that lead to the rest rooms and pay phones.
“So, before I pull the stick outta your butt and beat you senseless with it,” The Blob growled. “Why don’t you get it outta your system, alright? I’m trying to enjoy some friggin holiday cheer here!’
He punctuated his heartfelt utterance by poking the other mutant in the chest with his candy cane.
“Fine,” Unus snapped back, glancing around and struggling to keep his voice down. “The circus is bleeding money, we owe everybody and their brother, including some people that are even more crooked and prone to violence then you are! At least twice we had to skip town because somebody recognized us, which means it’s only a matter of time before we go from dodging cops to dodging X-men, my powers are acting hinky again and instead of getting the hell out of town or seeing who out there is offering deals for super powered muscle, we’re buying socks and going %$#! caroling.”
The two men glared at each other for several moments. Blob stuck a candy cane in the corner of his mouth while angrily contemplating his partner.
“You think I don’t know all that?” He grunted. “I do the friggin books, I know the circus has barely got two nickels to rub together. Why do you think we had three acts quit? Why do you think Marco sold off all the horses and the giraffe?”
Then what’s with you acting like a Rankin-Bass character?” Unus asked, angry and puzzled.
“Why? Because it’s friggin Christmas you mook!” The Blob said, exasperated. “I know how much my life sucks! I know that, you stupid dingus, and come December 26, I will be on the phone to Wyngarde, see if that bunch of fancy pants he’s hanging out with these days is hiring or maybe that blue chick that’s trying to put together a new Brotherhood…and I’ll probably end up back in jail!”
“Um…I…I didn’t know, Fred,” Unus muttered.
“So, I am gonna buy some cheap crap for my friends, drink some hot chocolate and then, I’m going back to my trailer and gonna watch the Grinch, A Christmas Carol, Diehard and any other Christmas movie that’s playing…so, you coming or what?”
“Um…I guess, you know…” Unus stuttered, avoiding eye contact with his friend.
“Hey, Mister…?”
Both mutants looked down at the kid that was tugging on the Blob’s pant leg.
“Santa, sir, I wanna give you my list.” The boy explained.
“Jeez, kid, Santa?” The Blob said, bending, as much as his massive belly would allow. “You see any beard here?”
He ran a hand along his chubby, hairless chin.
Unus shook his head and then a small smile crossed his face.
“Kid, don’t you know who this is?” He said.
The kid, looking puzzled, shook his head.
“He ain’t Santa,” Unus continued, then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial hush. “He’s Santa’s Uncle, Fred Claus.”
“Really…?” The kid asked, growing wide-eyed.
“Yeah, but don’t tell anybody,” The Blob said. “I really need to get my Christmas shopping done. Here, have a candy cane.”
“Oh okay, Uncle Claus, thanks,” The kid said, walking off.
The two men waved back, struggling to keep straight faces.
“Maybe there’s hope for you, bub.” Blob smirked.
“Alright, you ain’t getting a hug. Let’s get your shopping done so I can get some cocoa,” Unus said.
Blob went to chuck Unus’ on the shoulder, only to have his hand bounce off his friend’s force field.
The two then wandered around, a bit more relaxed and in the holiday spirit.
They bought a couple presents for members of the Blob’s circus, sampled any free snack that was being offered, and had hot chocolate at the mall’s tree lighting.
Though Unus slinked off when Blob started singing along with the carolers.
Later that night, the duo had gone out a side door, to avoid some security guards and ended up at the far end of the mall, out by the loading docks and dumpsters.
“We taking the scenic route?” Unus asked, looking around.
“You were the one getting all twitchy about the mall cops,” Blob replied, absently, while trying to get his bearings. “We just go…uh…that way, round the corner, there’ll be a pizza place and then we’re at the truck.”
“Okay, I’d rather not get busted this close to Christmas.” Unus muttered.
“You worried Santa won’t bring you a She-Hulk doll?” Blob said, as they walked.
“Hey, what’s that?” Unus asked.
“What?”
“Over by the snow bank…thought it was a trash bag, but I think it moved…?”
With a mix of reluctance and anxiety the duo approached the dark shape.
“Oh, boy,” Blob muttered. “It’s a cop…and somebody clobbered him.”
“Yeah,” Unus muttered. “This ain’t good…look, by the corner of the building, I think there’s another one.”
As stealthily as possible, the two mutants crept to the corner of the building and stepping over yet another battered policeman and peaking out.
There was an armored truck parked at the loading area.
There was a third guard, slumped against the concrete wall, cradling an obviously injured arm.
Several other figures were moving around the truck.
“Are you kidding me?” Unus muttered. “A robbery…? Okay, we find a phone, call in the cops and get the hell outta…where’re you going…?”
“Come on, I’m a super villain,” The Blob said, handing his shopping bags to his friend, and then cracking his knuckles. “But robbing a store right before Christmas…that’s pretty scummy.”
“Yeah, okay.” Unus said, burdened with the shopping, while working to follow after his friend.
“Hey!” Blob shouted, as they approached. “Ya jerks, get away from that truck!”
A large, brutish figure came bolting out of the shadows. He was massive, his skin a leathery brown, features were grotesque and distorted, an over-sized mouth, a lump of a nose and eyes red with hate, a shaggy mop of straggly hair and two, bone white horns that protruded out from his scalp. He wore a tattered pair of jeans, t-shirt and was barefoot.
He raced at the Blob, punching him across the jaw hard enough that even the over-sized mutant nearly stumbled.
“Okay, we aren’t going to be talking our way out of this,” Unus sighed, putting his bags on a nearby loading dock.
He ran past his friend to the end of the armored truck, to see who or what else they were dealing with.
Three men, dressed in the uniforms of security guards, but who to Unus’ experienced felons’ eyes, were bogus.
He punched the nearest one in the solar plexus.
The other two turned and went for their guns. Firing at the mutant.
The bullets were deflected away, with the recent increase in his force field’s power, they were sent rocketing back at the gunmen.
Unus took a second to let the thieves go wide-eyed. He wasn’t one of those mutants that bore the tiniest bit of dread over his powers. He genuinely relished it and was more then happy to cut loose on some deserving normal human.
He ran at the two guards, who promptly moved to attack him, only to be flung back into the side of the mall, knocked unconscious.
Unus dusted off his hands and allowed himself a little smile.
Then the Matador stepped out of the shadows, cape swirling dramatically and attempted to stab him.
He wore the full costume of a classical matador: green calf-length pants and elaborately stitched toreador jacket and wide yellow sash. Along with the black bullfighters’ hat perched upon his head, he also wore a black domino mask.
His rapier, deadly sharp as well as ornamentally styled, was easily deflected, but Unus was thrown off guard by the Matador’s swirling red cape. He reflexively dodged, skidded on the snowy pavement and ended up lying on his back in the show.
“Ow…damnit!”
“I beg your pardon, amigo,” The masked Matador said, his voice smooth and gentlemanly. “But, you interfere in matters you do not understand.”
“You and Man-bull got your butts kicked by Daredevil and have teamed up to rob a jewelry truck.” Unus said.
“Well, maybe you do understand…?” The Matador mused, puzzled. “But, I still cannot allow you to interfere.”
“Allow…?” Unus said, in a casual drawl. “Yeah, you and I might have been able to work something out, but it’s not me you have worry about.”
He gestured in the direction of his partner, who was currently duking it out with the Man-Bull.
The Matador’s partner was savagely pummeling the corpulent mutant.
To almost no effect.
In fact, the Blob was taking the beating with a grim smirk. Only occasionally moving to block a punch aimed at his face.
After a couple minutes, the Blob grew bored, and glancing around, spotted Unus.
He backhanded the Man-Bull.
While the brutish villain staggered, the Blob grabbed him by the belt and by one horn and lifted him up over his head.
“Oh no…!” The Matador breathed, as the Man-bull was hurled at him.
Man-Bull slammed into the Matador, and then the duo collided with the armored truck with an audible ‘thud’, and then collapsed in a heap on the snowy pavement.
“It’s safe to get up now,” Blob said, trudging over to his friend. “I made the bad men go away.”
“Really?” Unus said, getting to his feet and brushing the snow off his clothes. “I set them up for you and you want to take all the credit?”
“Sorry, who was trading punches and who was resting on the ground?”
“Seriously…?” Unus snapped. “You think…?”
“Freeze! Hands where we can see them!”
The two mutants slowly, anxiously turned. Three police officers, guns drawn, were standing several yards away.
“Oh crap…!” Blob muttered.
“Hey! Wait…wait!” Unus said, raising his hands. “It wasn’t us!”
“It wasn’t…?” Blob said.
“Shut up,” Unus said, out of the corner of his mouth.
“We were just shopping!” Unus continued. “Our bags are right over there!
We were taking a short cut!”
“Yeah!” The Blob added, pointing at his head. “Would a super villain be wearing this hat?”
One of the cops lowered his gun and walked, cautiously over to the duo. He glanced from the dubious pair of shoppers to the unconscious thieves.
“It’s that bull guy!” He shouted back to his partners, before turning back to
Unus and the Blob.
“What happened here?”
“I…uh…not sure,” Unus shrugged. “It was dark, and somebody messed with the lights back here…there was a…a…um…fight…we heard stuff and checked it out.”
“Yeah.” Blob nodded, struggling to look as innocent as possible.
“Uh-huh,” The cop nodded, waving the other officers over to deal with the fake guards, the injured real guards and Man-Bull and the Matador. “We’re going to need to take a statement.”
“Look, we got stuff…presents and people waiting for us,” Unus said.
The cop studied the duo and then the crazy situation.
“Yeah, I guess,” The cop nodded. “This is going take us awhile to sort out. Just report to the second precinct, Newton Street, to give your statements.”
“Okay, thanks a lot,” Unus said, steering the Blob over to collect their shopping.
“Well, drop this off at home and head right over. Merry Christmas.”
The cop nodded, more concerned with the thieves.
“We really heading to the station?” Blob asked, incredulously, once they were around the corner and heading for his truck.
“Course not, you idiot,” Unus grunted. “We’re going back to the circus and get the hell outta town! Five minutes with the cops and you and I would be ringing in the holidays in a cell. By the time the cops notice we skipped, we can be out of state.”
“Oh, okay,” Blob said, as they climbed into the truck. “Cause that hot chocolate they give you in prison is the cheap, watery stuff.”
“Good to see you got your priorities straight.” Unus frowned, turning the heat up.
“Gonna miss the Rankin-Bass marathon on TV,” Blob frowned, as he pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the snowy road. “But, there is that truck stop that does the good pie. Bet they have eggnog…”
“God bless us all, everyone,” Unus muttered, rolling his eyes.
By John Cheese
Zone Parte de Nord, Paris
The woman dressed in pink lycra and a cycle helmet darted around the corner, the bulky satchel flying behind her as she ran. Coming to the end of the alley she knocked on three bricks and took a step back as an entire wall descended, revealing five broken and bleeding Maggia thugs lying at the feet of a hooded figure.
"Guillotine." The woman gasped as she removed a pistol mocked up with pink and white candy cane stripes. "I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be Sugar Rush, your days as a Maggia courier are over." The hooded figure announced as it readied the blade it was carrying into a defensive stance.
"You want me to give up my job?" Sugar Rush screeched in a high-pitched voice as she opened fire, candy striped bullets streaking towards Guillotine. "Why don't you give up yours and leave us all alone!?" She suggested as Guillotine slashed the first two projectiles open, only to allow an opening for the third, the bullet exploding over her on impact, coating her cloak, sword and face with glitter.
<This insult won't stand, slay her and then clean me.> The Fleur de Mal hissed in an annoyed tone, even as Guillotine thrust forward with the blade slicing open Sugar Rush's weapon before shoving the courier to the ground.
"Listen Clara, I'm trying to help you, you are not well." Guillotine stated as Sugar Rush attempted to fish something out of her bag. "Stop before I have to hurt you!"
"Clara's gone away for the holidays, now there's only the rush!" Sugar Rush stated as she flipped the latch of her satchel and removed a grenade painted like a bon-bon. "You'll understand soon enough Guillotine." She added, before pulling the pin and shoving it into Guillotine's face, seconds before it exploded in a thick pink mist.
Coughing and choking, Guillotine got to her feet and slammed the pommel of the Fleur de Mal into Sugar Rush's helmet, the concussive shockwave knocking the crazed villainess out.
"Let's get you home." Guillotine sighed as she tapped the green dial mounted on her gauntlet, a blood red arrow forming inside pointing the way its owner wanted to go.
<You should have killed her, she's a constant distraction not to mention a danger to herself and others.> The Fleur de Mal grumbled as it was sheathed, its mistress picking up the unconscious Clara.
"She's not a danger, she's just ill." Jeannie Sauvage AKA Guillotine answered, as she headed back into the concealed Maggia garage, her eyes darting round the cars and motorbikes inside, their roofs seemingly topped with icing sugar. "What is..." She began to ask, before collapsing to the snow-covered floor.
Groaning Jeannie woke, the smell of gingerbread and pine needles wafting through the air. She was lying on icing sugar snow inside a stone circle made of candy canes.
"Well my Reine de Fleurs it looks as if you've awoken." A voice stated, causing Jeannie to look up at the huge figure of Sugar Rush towering above her. "Relax and enjoy the sugar rush, there's no point fighting it when you're so far in.
Getting to her feet Jeannie brushed the sugar off of the pink flower petal skirted leotard and tights she was now wearing, before putting her hands on her hips. "Clara stop this now!" Jeannie announced in a small yet stern voice.
"You don't understand do you, Clara's gone, just like Guillotine will be gone soon. Just like the others will be too!" Sugar Rush boomed as Jeannie pranced en pointe to the edge of the stone circle to see four other mounds, cakes it turned out, each supporting the same candy cane circle with someone trapped inside.
"What is this place?" Jeannie asked as she pirouetted to face Sugar Rush.
"It's safe for you, you are the only people who were nice to me and I wanted to save you, make your lives better." Sugar Rush answered as a blizzard of icing sugar struck, coating everything and allowing the tiny figures to move beyond the confines of their own little islands. As they all reached the centre point Jeannie found herself smiling slightly, it was like a mini production of the Nutcracker. Silently she shook it off, she still didn't understand quite how she got here.
"So, this is awkward." A tanned woman dressed in blue and yellow soldiers’ jacket and white tights stated. "Does anyone know why we are here."
"She said she was saving us." Jeannie replied as she smoothed down her tutu. "My name's Jeannie, I am or was a florist, fitting since I'm now dressed as the Queen of Flowers from the Nutcracker."
"The Nutcracker?" A blonde woman dressed in a long blue skirt and leotard. "I guess that would be you." She added pointing to the soldierette. "And I'm the Dewdrop and also Dr Maria Benoist, Clara's psychiatrist."
"I'm the Nutcracker?" The woman dressed like the ballet's titular character gasped. "I mean I guess that makes sense, I was the arresting officer when Guillotine first fought Sugar Rush."
"And I was the attending nurse who cleaned the wound." A dark-skinned woman dressed in a white tutu and bodice embroidered with a pink butterfly and marzipan flowers sighed. "I'm Elanor, but she used to call me Marzipan, I guess because my family immigrated to Denmark."
Turning to the last figure the four women who'd spoken saw that their fifth companion, a woman dressed in pure white was dancing, not really listening to the conversation.
"I know her, she was brought in after the Islamic terror attack on the Champs de Mars." Elanor gasped as the woman came to a stop. "She lost both her legs in the bomb attack."
"Snowflake did lose her legs, but I fixed it, just like I'm going to fix you all." Sugar Rush stated as she shrank down, her clothes transforming into a pink tutu, leotard and crown fit for any Sugar Plum Fairy. Almost immediately 'Snowflake' sprung over and hugged the fairy, before regally kissing her on the hand.
"Thank you, Sugar Rush, this means everything to me!" Snowflake gasped before turning to the other women. "She's not all bad, nor is living here if you give it a chance."
"Stockholm Syndrome perhaps?" Maria suggested as the Sugar Plum Fairy jetted into the centre of the women, a smile on her face.
"I'm making your lives better. Dr Maria you tried to help me but you never could understand me, now you can." Sugar Rush cooed as she turned to Elanor. "Marzipan you looked after me but you were tired, now you're not."
"I have people depending on me, people who need my help." Elanor replied as she walked over to Sugar Rush. "Send me back and I promise I'll help you."
"You are helping her by being here." Snowflake stated as she waved her hand out in front of her, flakes of icing swirling round her.
"I'm sorry but you're holding us against our will, if no one else is going to, I'm placing you under arrest." The police woman turned Nutcracker sighed as she walked over to Sugar Rush, the villainess giving her an innocent smile.
"You don't want to do that Office Michel." Sugar Rush stated as both she and the Nutcracker blinked out of existence for a few seconds before returning, the later curled up in a foetal position sobbing.
"Please don't send me back I love you, I love it here." The Nutcracker cried as Sugar Rush bent down and hugged her tight. "I'll do anything to stay here!" She added before kissing Sugar Rush on the hand.
"I knew you'd like it here, now dance and play while I finish working." Sugar Rush purred as she flew out of the 'land of sweets', Snowflake and the Nutcracker clapping with glee. "You are never going back to the mean old world I promise." She added, as the five ballerinas spread out in different directions across the endless icing snow vista, joy in their hearts and the spirit of dance moving their feet.
The Flower Queen pranced onto the hill before flicking her wrist out, winter blooms sprouting from the snow. For some reason she'd headed to this hill, strange since it was identical to the others right down to the candy cane standing stone stabbed into the summit. With a giggle the Queen sent ivy crawling up the stone before pirouetting around it, only stopping as she caught a glimpse of something out the corner of her eye.
<Enjoying yourself?> The standing stone asked as the Flower Queen caught a glimpse of a skull carved into the candy. <You know this isn't real?>
"Why can't it be, this feels right." The Flower Queen replied as she went to touch the candy cane only to withdraw it as she smelled the tangy odour of blood rolling off the standing stone.
<You have a legacy to uphold.> The stone stated.
"The only thing I have to uphold is my fidelity to the Sugar Plum Fairy!" The Flower Queen announced, the loudness of her voice surprising her.
<What about your boyfriend?> The stone asked as the Flower Queen summoned more tendrils of ivy to cover the stone.
"I want to be here! I love it here!" The Flower Queen hissed even as pain radiated through her body, almost as if someone or something was cutting its way out.
<If that's true why are you bleeding my Guillotine?> The stone asked as the outer candy layer shattered to reveal blood stained steel underneath.
"Shut up!" The Flower Queen snapped as she grabbed the sword, the snow around her whipping up into a frenzy to be replaced by a cold dark room, the captured women cocooned in iced crystals as men in lab coats took readings of their vitals.
"What's happening?" Jeannie whispered as she tried to move within her own crystal.
<Sugar Rush is testing 'Morpheus Tech' stolen from RAID for the Maggia.> The Fleur de Mal answered as Jeannie blinked, trying to focus on the other women.
"Sugar Rush must be directing the dream state I was in, I can't imagine the Maggia would subject us to becoming characters in the Nutcracker." Jeannie sighed as she tapped the sword against the crystal, the ice not cracking or even chipping.
<She also maintains it, she left the room moments before I could begin to communicate with you.> The Fleur de Mal announced. <When she re-enters, you'll be drawn back in, but this time you'll be able to fight back.>
"We'll fight back." Jeannie replied as she saw the inside of the crystal sparkle just as she fell backwards into the snow. Getting to her feet she slung the Fleur de Mal over her shoulder and pulled the red hood over her leotard and head, her eyes glowing red. Her feet tried to dance but angrily Jeannie controlled them, instead walking slowly over to the descending pink light where the other prisoners turned ballerinas were gathered.
"I love being here!" Dewdrop stated as she kissed the Sugar Plum Fairy on the hand, just as Jeannie walked over her hand reaching for the sword.
"And what about you Flower Queen," Sugar Rush asked before looking up at her approaching thrall, a far different person to the one she expected walking towards her. "NO, I SENT YOU AWAY, I FREED HER FROM YOU!!"
"You did, for a time." Jeannie answered as the ballerinas looked at the blood red footprints in the snow. "Last chance Clara, let us go."
"She works for the Rat King kill her!" The Sugar Plum Fairy ordered as the Nutcracker drew a rifle and opened fire, even as the other three dancers scattered to avoid being hit.
Charging forwards, Guillotine saw a marzipan fence rise out of the icing, as the dancer of the same name balled her fists in anger. Dodging the first salvo of bullets, Jeannie cut through the fence, even as Snowflake pirouetted into her path like a snow tornado.
<Death may be the only release here.> The Fleur de Mal advised as Jeannie was thrown back as a myriad of kicks slammed into her.
"We don't kill, not even here." Jeannie hissed as a bubble of water surrounded her before being risen on a marzipan plinth, snow rapidly filling the space around her. Lashing out with the Fleur de Mal, Jeannie burst the bubble and shook off the snow before leaping down. Reaching the ground Jeannie felt a bullet scythe through her shoulder, her arm turning into icing akin to those wedding toppers were made of.
<Their characters aren't real, even if we beat them, Sugar Rush can call them back.> The Fleur de Mal stated as Guillotine lashed out towards Dewdrop, the ballerina spinning away before tripping her foe. <But if there is nothing to come back too...>
"I still don't feel right doing this." Jeannie sighed as the Nutcracker sprung over to her before aiming her rifle at the vigilante’s head.
"Then come home Flower Queen, we were happy here together." The Nutcracker stated, as Jeannie thrust the Fleur de Mal upwards through her gun. In shock the Nutcracker just stood there as the blade continued up through her arm.
"That's the problem with this place, it’s too happy to be real." Jeannie announced as she got to her feet, the Nutcracker dissolving into sugar. "I'm so sorry." She added as the Sugar Plum Fairy jetted up, abandoning her ballerinas.
"You were one of us!" Marzipan cried as she summoned a sword made of her namesake, the Fleur de Mal cutting through the confectionery blade. "You are the Flower Queen!"
"No, I'm the Guillotine!" Jeannie hissed as she swung her blade through her foe's neck, the head rolling to the floor before it dissolved. Behind her Dewdrop began to cast another bubble, only for her target to spin round stabbing her through the chest.
"Please stop!" Snowflake begged as Dewdrop dissolved away, her murderer looming over the last ballerina, the snow now replaced with blood that stained her white costume. "Leave me here, I want to walk again, to dance again. I came here willingly."
"I'm so sorry." Jeannie cried as she swung the sword, her foe springing to her feet just in time for the Fleur de Mal to cut her legs off above the knee. Falling to the floor Jeannie stabbed the Fleur de Mal into the ground, her teeth gritted in anger and loathing at her actions, and how easily she’d been forced into them. "What have I done, I murdered them!"
<Only here, their bodies are untouched.> The Fleur de Mal replied as the world collapsed into a torrent of blood before everything burst open, depositing the now freed Guillotine onto the warehouse floor. Getting to her feet, Jeannie saw the other prisoners holding themselves crying.
"Send us back please." Dr Maria whispered as the door to the space opened and Sugar Rush walked in, dressed in her Sugar Plum Fairy outfit.
"I will I promise." Sugar Rush gulped as she drew her candy cane pistol only for Guillotine to surge forward and stab her blade into her shoulder, blood oozing out.
"These are your victims Clara, they helped you and you repaid them with this!" Guillotine stated as she pulled her blade out and threw Clara to the ground. "I don't think you deserve any help this time!" She added as she placed her boot on the squirming woman's neck.
<End her, she made you a slave.> The Fleur de Mal hissed as Jeannie stabbed the sword into Sugar Rush's stomach.
"Please I couldn't stop her!!!" Clara cried out as Jeannie removed the blade, the eyes of Sugar Rush's prisoners glaring at her in fear and hatred. "Please just stop!"
"I should." Jeannie replied as her eyes glowed red. "I should." She stammered as she looked at the bleeding ballerina. "I should..." She cried as she took a step back before backing out of the room, "...but I won't."
"I can make it better." Clara called as her victims surrounded her tugging at her costume, begging to be sent back to 'the land of sweets'. As she left Jeannie stopped and hung her head before whispering. "Can I come too?" Before disappearing into the very real snow flurries swirling around the Paris rooftops.
The woman dressed in pink lycra and a cycle helmet darted around the corner, the bulky satchel flying behind her as she ran. Coming to the end of the alley she knocked on three bricks and took a step back as an entire wall descended, revealing five broken and bleeding Maggia thugs lying at the feet of a hooded figure.
"Guillotine." The woman gasped as she removed a pistol mocked up with pink and white candy cane stripes. "I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be Sugar Rush, your days as a Maggia courier are over." The hooded figure announced as it readied the blade it was carrying into a defensive stance.
"You want me to give up my job?" Sugar Rush screeched in a high-pitched voice as she opened fire, candy striped bullets streaking towards Guillotine. "Why don't you give up yours and leave us all alone!?" She suggested as Guillotine slashed the first two projectiles open, only to allow an opening for the third, the bullet exploding over her on impact, coating her cloak, sword and face with glitter.
<This insult won't stand, slay her and then clean me.> The Fleur de Mal hissed in an annoyed tone, even as Guillotine thrust forward with the blade slicing open Sugar Rush's weapon before shoving the courier to the ground.
"Listen Clara, I'm trying to help you, you are not well." Guillotine stated as Sugar Rush attempted to fish something out of her bag. "Stop before I have to hurt you!"
"Clara's gone away for the holidays, now there's only the rush!" Sugar Rush stated as she flipped the latch of her satchel and removed a grenade painted like a bon-bon. "You'll understand soon enough Guillotine." She added, before pulling the pin and shoving it into Guillotine's face, seconds before it exploded in a thick pink mist.
Coughing and choking, Guillotine got to her feet and slammed the pommel of the Fleur de Mal into Sugar Rush's helmet, the concussive shockwave knocking the crazed villainess out.
"Let's get you home." Guillotine sighed as she tapped the green dial mounted on her gauntlet, a blood red arrow forming inside pointing the way its owner wanted to go.
<You should have killed her, she's a constant distraction not to mention a danger to herself and others.> The Fleur de Mal grumbled as it was sheathed, its mistress picking up the unconscious Clara.
"She's not a danger, she's just ill." Jeannie Sauvage AKA Guillotine answered, as she headed back into the concealed Maggia garage, her eyes darting round the cars and motorbikes inside, their roofs seemingly topped with icing sugar. "What is..." She began to ask, before collapsing to the snow-covered floor.
Groaning Jeannie woke, the smell of gingerbread and pine needles wafting through the air. She was lying on icing sugar snow inside a stone circle made of candy canes.
"Well my Reine de Fleurs it looks as if you've awoken." A voice stated, causing Jeannie to look up at the huge figure of Sugar Rush towering above her. "Relax and enjoy the sugar rush, there's no point fighting it when you're so far in.
Getting to her feet Jeannie brushed the sugar off of the pink flower petal skirted leotard and tights she was now wearing, before putting her hands on her hips. "Clara stop this now!" Jeannie announced in a small yet stern voice.
"You don't understand do you, Clara's gone, just like Guillotine will be gone soon. Just like the others will be too!" Sugar Rush boomed as Jeannie pranced en pointe to the edge of the stone circle to see four other mounds, cakes it turned out, each supporting the same candy cane circle with someone trapped inside.
"What is this place?" Jeannie asked as she pirouetted to face Sugar Rush.
"It's safe for you, you are the only people who were nice to me and I wanted to save you, make your lives better." Sugar Rush answered as a blizzard of icing sugar struck, coating everything and allowing the tiny figures to move beyond the confines of their own little islands. As they all reached the centre point Jeannie found herself smiling slightly, it was like a mini production of the Nutcracker. Silently she shook it off, she still didn't understand quite how she got here.
"So, this is awkward." A tanned woman dressed in blue and yellow soldiers’ jacket and white tights stated. "Does anyone know why we are here."
"She said she was saving us." Jeannie replied as she smoothed down her tutu. "My name's Jeannie, I am or was a florist, fitting since I'm now dressed as the Queen of Flowers from the Nutcracker."
"The Nutcracker?" A blonde woman dressed in a long blue skirt and leotard. "I guess that would be you." She added pointing to the soldierette. "And I'm the Dewdrop and also Dr Maria Benoist, Clara's psychiatrist."
"I'm the Nutcracker?" The woman dressed like the ballet's titular character gasped. "I mean I guess that makes sense, I was the arresting officer when Guillotine first fought Sugar Rush."
"And I was the attending nurse who cleaned the wound." A dark-skinned woman dressed in a white tutu and bodice embroidered with a pink butterfly and marzipan flowers sighed. "I'm Elanor, but she used to call me Marzipan, I guess because my family immigrated to Denmark."
Turning to the last figure the four women who'd spoken saw that their fifth companion, a woman dressed in pure white was dancing, not really listening to the conversation.
"I know her, she was brought in after the Islamic terror attack on the Champs de Mars." Elanor gasped as the woman came to a stop. "She lost both her legs in the bomb attack."
"Snowflake did lose her legs, but I fixed it, just like I'm going to fix you all." Sugar Rush stated as she shrank down, her clothes transforming into a pink tutu, leotard and crown fit for any Sugar Plum Fairy. Almost immediately 'Snowflake' sprung over and hugged the fairy, before regally kissing her on the hand.
"Thank you, Sugar Rush, this means everything to me!" Snowflake gasped before turning to the other women. "She's not all bad, nor is living here if you give it a chance."
"Stockholm Syndrome perhaps?" Maria suggested as the Sugar Plum Fairy jetted into the centre of the women, a smile on her face.
"I'm making your lives better. Dr Maria you tried to help me but you never could understand me, now you can." Sugar Rush cooed as she turned to Elanor. "Marzipan you looked after me but you were tired, now you're not."
"I have people depending on me, people who need my help." Elanor replied as she walked over to Sugar Rush. "Send me back and I promise I'll help you."
"You are helping her by being here." Snowflake stated as she waved her hand out in front of her, flakes of icing swirling round her.
"I'm sorry but you're holding us against our will, if no one else is going to, I'm placing you under arrest." The police woman turned Nutcracker sighed as she walked over to Sugar Rush, the villainess giving her an innocent smile.
"You don't want to do that Office Michel." Sugar Rush stated as both she and the Nutcracker blinked out of existence for a few seconds before returning, the later curled up in a foetal position sobbing.
"Please don't send me back I love you, I love it here." The Nutcracker cried as Sugar Rush bent down and hugged her tight. "I'll do anything to stay here!" She added before kissing Sugar Rush on the hand.
"I knew you'd like it here, now dance and play while I finish working." Sugar Rush purred as she flew out of the 'land of sweets', Snowflake and the Nutcracker clapping with glee. "You are never going back to the mean old world I promise." She added, as the five ballerinas spread out in different directions across the endless icing snow vista, joy in their hearts and the spirit of dance moving their feet.
The Flower Queen pranced onto the hill before flicking her wrist out, winter blooms sprouting from the snow. For some reason she'd headed to this hill, strange since it was identical to the others right down to the candy cane standing stone stabbed into the summit. With a giggle the Queen sent ivy crawling up the stone before pirouetting around it, only stopping as she caught a glimpse of something out the corner of her eye.
<Enjoying yourself?> The standing stone asked as the Flower Queen caught a glimpse of a skull carved into the candy. <You know this isn't real?>
"Why can't it be, this feels right." The Flower Queen replied as she went to touch the candy cane only to withdraw it as she smelled the tangy odour of blood rolling off the standing stone.
<You have a legacy to uphold.> The stone stated.
"The only thing I have to uphold is my fidelity to the Sugar Plum Fairy!" The Flower Queen announced, the loudness of her voice surprising her.
<What about your boyfriend?> The stone asked as the Flower Queen summoned more tendrils of ivy to cover the stone.
"I want to be here! I love it here!" The Flower Queen hissed even as pain radiated through her body, almost as if someone or something was cutting its way out.
<If that's true why are you bleeding my Guillotine?> The stone asked as the outer candy layer shattered to reveal blood stained steel underneath.
"Shut up!" The Flower Queen snapped as she grabbed the sword, the snow around her whipping up into a frenzy to be replaced by a cold dark room, the captured women cocooned in iced crystals as men in lab coats took readings of their vitals.
"What's happening?" Jeannie whispered as she tried to move within her own crystal.
<Sugar Rush is testing 'Morpheus Tech' stolen from RAID for the Maggia.> The Fleur de Mal answered as Jeannie blinked, trying to focus on the other women.
"Sugar Rush must be directing the dream state I was in, I can't imagine the Maggia would subject us to becoming characters in the Nutcracker." Jeannie sighed as she tapped the sword against the crystal, the ice not cracking or even chipping.
<She also maintains it, she left the room moments before I could begin to communicate with you.> The Fleur de Mal announced. <When she re-enters, you'll be drawn back in, but this time you'll be able to fight back.>
"We'll fight back." Jeannie replied as she saw the inside of the crystal sparkle just as she fell backwards into the snow. Getting to her feet she slung the Fleur de Mal over her shoulder and pulled the red hood over her leotard and head, her eyes glowing red. Her feet tried to dance but angrily Jeannie controlled them, instead walking slowly over to the descending pink light where the other prisoners turned ballerinas were gathered.
"I love being here!" Dewdrop stated as she kissed the Sugar Plum Fairy on the hand, just as Jeannie walked over her hand reaching for the sword.
"And what about you Flower Queen," Sugar Rush asked before looking up at her approaching thrall, a far different person to the one she expected walking towards her. "NO, I SENT YOU AWAY, I FREED HER FROM YOU!!"
"You did, for a time." Jeannie answered as the ballerinas looked at the blood red footprints in the snow. "Last chance Clara, let us go."
"She works for the Rat King kill her!" The Sugar Plum Fairy ordered as the Nutcracker drew a rifle and opened fire, even as the other three dancers scattered to avoid being hit.
Charging forwards, Guillotine saw a marzipan fence rise out of the icing, as the dancer of the same name balled her fists in anger. Dodging the first salvo of bullets, Jeannie cut through the fence, even as Snowflake pirouetted into her path like a snow tornado.
<Death may be the only release here.> The Fleur de Mal advised as Jeannie was thrown back as a myriad of kicks slammed into her.
"We don't kill, not even here." Jeannie hissed as a bubble of water surrounded her before being risen on a marzipan plinth, snow rapidly filling the space around her. Lashing out with the Fleur de Mal, Jeannie burst the bubble and shook off the snow before leaping down. Reaching the ground Jeannie felt a bullet scythe through her shoulder, her arm turning into icing akin to those wedding toppers were made of.
<Their characters aren't real, even if we beat them, Sugar Rush can call them back.> The Fleur de Mal stated as Guillotine lashed out towards Dewdrop, the ballerina spinning away before tripping her foe. <But if there is nothing to come back too...>
"I still don't feel right doing this." Jeannie sighed as the Nutcracker sprung over to her before aiming her rifle at the vigilante’s head.
"Then come home Flower Queen, we were happy here together." The Nutcracker stated, as Jeannie thrust the Fleur de Mal upwards through her gun. In shock the Nutcracker just stood there as the blade continued up through her arm.
"That's the problem with this place, it’s too happy to be real." Jeannie announced as she got to her feet, the Nutcracker dissolving into sugar. "I'm so sorry." She added as the Sugar Plum Fairy jetted up, abandoning her ballerinas.
"You were one of us!" Marzipan cried as she summoned a sword made of her namesake, the Fleur de Mal cutting through the confectionery blade. "You are the Flower Queen!"
"No, I'm the Guillotine!" Jeannie hissed as she swung her blade through her foe's neck, the head rolling to the floor before it dissolved. Behind her Dewdrop began to cast another bubble, only for her target to spin round stabbing her through the chest.
"Please stop!" Snowflake begged as Dewdrop dissolved away, her murderer looming over the last ballerina, the snow now replaced with blood that stained her white costume. "Leave me here, I want to walk again, to dance again. I came here willingly."
"I'm so sorry." Jeannie cried as she swung the sword, her foe springing to her feet just in time for the Fleur de Mal to cut her legs off above the knee. Falling to the floor Jeannie stabbed the Fleur de Mal into the ground, her teeth gritted in anger and loathing at her actions, and how easily she’d been forced into them. "What have I done, I murdered them!"
<Only here, their bodies are untouched.> The Fleur de Mal replied as the world collapsed into a torrent of blood before everything burst open, depositing the now freed Guillotine onto the warehouse floor. Getting to her feet, Jeannie saw the other prisoners holding themselves crying.
"Send us back please." Dr Maria whispered as the door to the space opened and Sugar Rush walked in, dressed in her Sugar Plum Fairy outfit.
"I will I promise." Sugar Rush gulped as she drew her candy cane pistol only for Guillotine to surge forward and stab her blade into her shoulder, blood oozing out.
"These are your victims Clara, they helped you and you repaid them with this!" Guillotine stated as she pulled her blade out and threw Clara to the ground. "I don't think you deserve any help this time!" She added as she placed her boot on the squirming woman's neck.
<End her, she made you a slave.> The Fleur de Mal hissed as Jeannie stabbed the sword into Sugar Rush's stomach.
"Please I couldn't stop her!!!" Clara cried out as Jeannie removed the blade, the eyes of Sugar Rush's prisoners glaring at her in fear and hatred. "Please just stop!"
"I should." Jeannie replied as her eyes glowed red. "I should." She stammered as she looked at the bleeding ballerina. "I should..." She cried as she took a step back before backing out of the room, "...but I won't."
"I can make it better." Clara called as her victims surrounded her tugging at her costume, begging to be sent back to 'the land of sweets'. As she left Jeannie stopped and hung her head before whispering. "Can I come too?" Before disappearing into the very real snow flurries swirling around the Paris rooftops.
By Liam Goncet
There was always something about snow that made Tandy Bowen hopeful. The heroine known as Dagger watched from a rooftop as the winter storm fell on the city of New York. Her sleek, all-white suit blending in with the blur of the snowfall as the wind whistled through her blond hair. The gale made the harsh cold even more apparent to the crime-fighter. She cursed under her breath as she rubbed her hands on her arms trying to stay warm.
Soon, the reason for her being out in the brutal weather materialized. Dark energy rippled behind her as the familiar presence of her partner, in most every sense of the word, Ty Johnson, the teleporter known as Cloak, appeared from the shroud of darkness. His black mantle created a border that contained the darkness to his body, hiding all but the bottom half of his face.
“I found him,” Cloak spoke aloud, his voice a slightly-deeper affectation of his regular speaking voice.
“You didn’t scare him did you, Ty?” Dagger said, only half-joking, “We need him to trust us if this is going to work.”
“I didn’t approach him,” Cloak replied, tersely. “I couldn’t, I feared I might consume him.” Seeing her body tense slightly, he continued. “I saw him pickpocketing some folks as they attempted to escape the weather.”
“Pickpocketing makes sense, we were both in his situation at one time too. If I recall, weren’t you planning on stealing from me when we met?” She asked with a smirk.
“In my defense, I eventually stopped the guy that did rob you.” A small smile etched itself on Cloak’s face. It was a rare thing to see and Tandy took a moment to appreciate it.
“Now then, where is our runaway hiding out?” Dagger enquired, “I think we should go pay him a visit, show him he isn’t alone.”
“That’s the thing,” Cloak uneasily began to explain. “I don’t think he is doing the stealing of his own free will. He seemed reluctant the whole time I watched him, he took all the stuff with him to the sewer, no stops along the way.”
“The sewer, huh? Maybe he feels he belongs there, after all, you saw what the powers have done to his appearance.” Dagger added.
“I hope you are right,” Cloak responded, not even attempting to mask his restlessness. “Shall we then? I don’t know how far into the sewers he resides.”
“Roaming around the sewers can’t be as bad as this cold, lead the way.”
Ty’s cloak opened as he threw his arms around Dagger, the duo embracing for a moment as the energy of the Darkforce swirled around them. An instant later, they were gone.
“He wasn’t down that last entryway either,” Cloak announced as he teleported back into the narrow pathway Dagger walked down, a blade of light in her hand for guidance.
The sewer system was a vast labyrinth of interconnected tunnels and pathways that made it especially time-consuming to trek through. It wasn’t so much the time that had started to eat away at Tandy as the foul smell of the area.
“At this rate, I’m expecting to run into the Lizard before we run into this kid.” Dagger mused under her breath.
“Hold up, do you hear that?” Cloak asked after a moment.
In the distance, the sound of something splashing in the water echoed off the tunnel walls. The duo shared a glance before moving to the source of the noise.
There, leaning against the wall, was a preteen boy covered in grey fur. His face was still visibly human but was beginning to shift into more rodent-like features, including a set of fuzzy ears that seemed to have taken residence on the sides of his head. Sticking out from the back of his pants, where a crudely cut hole had been made, was a long, slender tail.
Dagger shared another glance at Cloak before approaching the mutant child as he threw another piece of refuse into the water. “Hey there,” she spoke gently, to not immediately frighten the boy. “My name is Tandy. What’s yours?”
The boy looked worried as he made eye contact, first with Tandy and then, down at her dagger, slowly beginning to back away.
“No, wait this is just for-“ Dagger was quickly cut off by a growing swarm of rats that began to surround her. Some coming from behind the child and some from the water. All of them big and all of them attempting to bite her.
Cloak appeared as Dagger began to toss shards of light at the creatures, impaling some to the sewer floor. Tendrils of Darkforce grabbed some of the rodents and sucked them into the void inside of Cloak’s shroud. More came out from the water as Dagger noticed the child had long since left.
“Ty, I can handle this on my own. I need you to find the kid.” Dagger commanded as she drove another blade into one of the vermin.
Cloak nodded as he ran into the pathway ahead, his whole body becoming one with the dark.
The boy was certain he had lost the lady with the strange knife. He wasn’t sure what she wanted, but he could take no chances, not anymore. He moved off the pathway and into an abandoned maintenance tunnel where some of the spoils of his recent thefts lay in a pile.
Suddenly, a figure in black appeared in front of him, shadows whirling around the man as he stared at the boy. His face was serious but human. The boy fell onto his bottom from the shock of this sight.
“We don’t wish you harm.” Cloak said, easing up on his gruff affectation. “We want to get you somewhere safe. The streets are no place for a boy, especially one going through your, uhm, change.” Noticing that the boy had begun to cower, Ty removed his hood. “Look, there’s nothing to fear here.”
“It is not you that he fears.” A voice called out from behind Cloak, causing the shadow-dwelling hero to spin around and catch sight of the hulking rodent creature that stared down at him.
The being was a good foot taller than Cloak. Its snout open and snarling at the interloper. Its matted fur was black and the only article of clothing the creature had was a royal purple cape that hung on its shoulders.
“You dare try and take my prince away from me?” The being shouted as it smacked one of its fists into Cloak’s face, sending him reeling to the floor.
Darkness moved around the hero’s fallen body as he teleported out of the way of another attack. Appearing behind the creature and delivering a strike across the back of its neck.
“Bah! So, you have powers too. You must think of yourself as some sort of hero. I assure you the child is safe in the hands of the Mouse King.” The creature stated, moving out of the way of Cloak’s next attack.
“Somehow I find that hard to believe,” Cloak rejoined, tendrils of dark energy beginning to shoot out from his body and around the King.
The King grunted as the branches of energy roped their way around its arms. Clearly in pain, the King persevered and tugged on the tendrils to bring Cloak towards them. Connecting with an uppercut that sent the teleporter flying backwards, further into the room.
The creature turned to the boy, who had begun to sob. “Do not worry, my prince. Soon this troublemaker will be dealt with and we can continue our adventures.”
Ty moved onto all fours as he reeled from the force of the King’s attack. As he regained his senses, he noticed something close to him in the room. A make-shift throne made of various stolen jewelry and trinkets, every one of the objects meticulously placed to ensure the stability of the seat.
“Do you like it?” The Mouse King asked. “I convinced the prince to get these for me and his little rodent friends helped assemble it. He really has a special gift, with the right incentive there is nothing he won’t do for me.” The creature stomped their foot down onto the writhing form of Cloak and snarled. “Now though, I must eat, and you seem like quite the meal.”
A sharp pain etched itself on the King’s face as it roared in anguish, stepping off Cloak and turning around to face Dagger. She had made her way into the room and launched a cavalcade of light blades into the creature’s back.
“Oh jeez, you’re even uglier from the front.” Dagger smirked as she launched another barrage of daggers into the creature, deftly avoiding a swipe from the monster. What she lacked in Cloak’s reach and power, she made up for in quick movements.
“Two people with powers, what a glory it will be to crush you both!” The King proclaimed, missing another attempt to swipe at Dagger. The giant rodent was beginning to bleed, but it didn’t seem to slow it down.
Cloak had gotten his bearings back and teleported behind the beast, energy from the Darkforce enveloping the two. The hooded hero attempted to place the creature into a chokehold, an effort to keep it in place long enough to consume. The creature’s strength was too much, however, and Cloak was thrown off it and into Dagger.
“No more!” The boy shouted from behind the trio.
“What was that, little prince?” The creature inquired in surprise at the outburst.
“No more,” The boy repeated. “You won’t hurt them anymore.”
As the boy spoke, more rats made their way into the room and began to attack the King. The beast easily squashed and crushed the vermin as they appeared, but his focus was no longer on Cloak and Dagger.
“Foolish boy, you think you can stand up to me? I am the reason you are anything more than a worthless urchin. No one else wants you.” The King taunted.
“You talk too much,” Dagger jested as she threw more daggers into the beast, causing the creature to whirl around and snarl at her. Unlike before, the blades stuck in the creature’s skin did not dissipate, instead they began to drain the lifeforce of the King.
“How…you couldn’t…” The King stammered as he lumbered toward her.
Cloak appeared before him, the King’s attempt at a swipe going right through the Darkforce user. “You only got the drop on us because we were separated.” Tendrils began to take hold of the weakened form of the creature and threw the beast back towards its throne.
“We learned a long time ago that we’re stronger together than apart.” Dagger declared as she stood next to her partner.
Cloak whispered something into Dagger’s ear and she chuckled in reply before throwing one last dagger.
The blade’s direction was not the King but the throne above them. Striking just one of the objects that made up the makeshift chair was enough to send the whole thing tumbling down on the beast. The creature stirred beneath the fallen remains of its throne as Cloak approached.
The tendrils picked up the creature as Cloak’s full face came into view, an expression of anger written across it. “I also must eat.” The creature attempted to yell but it was muffled by the Darkforce as it consumed the rodent and the threat was vanquished.
“Thank you, we wouldn’t have been able to stop him if not for your help.” Tandy said, approaching the mutant child. “As I was saying before, I’m Tandy, that’s Ty. What’s your name?”
“Ernst,” the boy replied sheepishly. “This is all my fault, I should have never listened to that thing.”
“Don’t blame yourself, it can’t be easy going through what you are right now.” Dagger placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take you somewhere safe.” Cloak added as he appeared beside Tandy. “First though, we should return what has been stolen.”
Cloak and Dagger stood on the train terminal as they waved goodbye to the boy known as Ernst. After a day that had been spent returning all the stolen goods to their owners, the duo had contacted the Mutant Underground and agreed to put Ernst in their care.
“You sure about this?” Cloak asked his ally as they watched the boy board the train with the representative the Underground had sent.
“They’ve got some good people there, they can help him more than a normal orphanage or shelter could.” Tandy explained.
“Did he tell you why he ran away?”
“No, but I saw the bruises on him.” Tandy pointed out as Ty bowed his head. “He’ll be better off now. Good call on returning the jewelry, I was just gonna take it.” She turned to face Cloak and smiled.
Cloak chuckled, “Did you know it’s Christmas Eve?” He gestured to the digital clock nearby that displayed the time and date. “If I had known that earlier, I would have kept one of those trinkets for you.”
“Well, it’s the thought that counts.” Dagger wrapped her arms around her companion and rested a head on his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Ty.”
“Merry Christmas, Tandy.” He wrapped his cloak around the two of them and in an instant, they were gone.
Soon, the reason for her being out in the brutal weather materialized. Dark energy rippled behind her as the familiar presence of her partner, in most every sense of the word, Ty Johnson, the teleporter known as Cloak, appeared from the shroud of darkness. His black mantle created a border that contained the darkness to his body, hiding all but the bottom half of his face.
“I found him,” Cloak spoke aloud, his voice a slightly-deeper affectation of his regular speaking voice.
“You didn’t scare him did you, Ty?” Dagger said, only half-joking, “We need him to trust us if this is going to work.”
“I didn’t approach him,” Cloak replied, tersely. “I couldn’t, I feared I might consume him.” Seeing her body tense slightly, he continued. “I saw him pickpocketing some folks as they attempted to escape the weather.”
“Pickpocketing makes sense, we were both in his situation at one time too. If I recall, weren’t you planning on stealing from me when we met?” She asked with a smirk.
“In my defense, I eventually stopped the guy that did rob you.” A small smile etched itself on Cloak’s face. It was a rare thing to see and Tandy took a moment to appreciate it.
“Now then, where is our runaway hiding out?” Dagger enquired, “I think we should go pay him a visit, show him he isn’t alone.”
“That’s the thing,” Cloak uneasily began to explain. “I don’t think he is doing the stealing of his own free will. He seemed reluctant the whole time I watched him, he took all the stuff with him to the sewer, no stops along the way.”
“The sewer, huh? Maybe he feels he belongs there, after all, you saw what the powers have done to his appearance.” Dagger added.
“I hope you are right,” Cloak responded, not even attempting to mask his restlessness. “Shall we then? I don’t know how far into the sewers he resides.”
“Roaming around the sewers can’t be as bad as this cold, lead the way.”
Ty’s cloak opened as he threw his arms around Dagger, the duo embracing for a moment as the energy of the Darkforce swirled around them. An instant later, they were gone.
“He wasn’t down that last entryway either,” Cloak announced as he teleported back into the narrow pathway Dagger walked down, a blade of light in her hand for guidance.
The sewer system was a vast labyrinth of interconnected tunnels and pathways that made it especially time-consuming to trek through. It wasn’t so much the time that had started to eat away at Tandy as the foul smell of the area.
“At this rate, I’m expecting to run into the Lizard before we run into this kid.” Dagger mused under her breath.
“Hold up, do you hear that?” Cloak asked after a moment.
In the distance, the sound of something splashing in the water echoed off the tunnel walls. The duo shared a glance before moving to the source of the noise.
There, leaning against the wall, was a preteen boy covered in grey fur. His face was still visibly human but was beginning to shift into more rodent-like features, including a set of fuzzy ears that seemed to have taken residence on the sides of his head. Sticking out from the back of his pants, where a crudely cut hole had been made, was a long, slender tail.
Dagger shared another glance at Cloak before approaching the mutant child as he threw another piece of refuse into the water. “Hey there,” she spoke gently, to not immediately frighten the boy. “My name is Tandy. What’s yours?”
The boy looked worried as he made eye contact, first with Tandy and then, down at her dagger, slowly beginning to back away.
“No, wait this is just for-“ Dagger was quickly cut off by a growing swarm of rats that began to surround her. Some coming from behind the child and some from the water. All of them big and all of them attempting to bite her.
Cloak appeared as Dagger began to toss shards of light at the creatures, impaling some to the sewer floor. Tendrils of Darkforce grabbed some of the rodents and sucked them into the void inside of Cloak’s shroud. More came out from the water as Dagger noticed the child had long since left.
“Ty, I can handle this on my own. I need you to find the kid.” Dagger commanded as she drove another blade into one of the vermin.
Cloak nodded as he ran into the pathway ahead, his whole body becoming one with the dark.
The boy was certain he had lost the lady with the strange knife. He wasn’t sure what she wanted, but he could take no chances, not anymore. He moved off the pathway and into an abandoned maintenance tunnel where some of the spoils of his recent thefts lay in a pile.
Suddenly, a figure in black appeared in front of him, shadows whirling around the man as he stared at the boy. His face was serious but human. The boy fell onto his bottom from the shock of this sight.
“We don’t wish you harm.” Cloak said, easing up on his gruff affectation. “We want to get you somewhere safe. The streets are no place for a boy, especially one going through your, uhm, change.” Noticing that the boy had begun to cower, Ty removed his hood. “Look, there’s nothing to fear here.”
“It is not you that he fears.” A voice called out from behind Cloak, causing the shadow-dwelling hero to spin around and catch sight of the hulking rodent creature that stared down at him.
The being was a good foot taller than Cloak. Its snout open and snarling at the interloper. Its matted fur was black and the only article of clothing the creature had was a royal purple cape that hung on its shoulders.
“You dare try and take my prince away from me?” The being shouted as it smacked one of its fists into Cloak’s face, sending him reeling to the floor.
Darkness moved around the hero’s fallen body as he teleported out of the way of another attack. Appearing behind the creature and delivering a strike across the back of its neck.
“Bah! So, you have powers too. You must think of yourself as some sort of hero. I assure you the child is safe in the hands of the Mouse King.” The creature stated, moving out of the way of Cloak’s next attack.
“Somehow I find that hard to believe,” Cloak rejoined, tendrils of dark energy beginning to shoot out from his body and around the King.
The King grunted as the branches of energy roped their way around its arms. Clearly in pain, the King persevered and tugged on the tendrils to bring Cloak towards them. Connecting with an uppercut that sent the teleporter flying backwards, further into the room.
The creature turned to the boy, who had begun to sob. “Do not worry, my prince. Soon this troublemaker will be dealt with and we can continue our adventures.”
Ty moved onto all fours as he reeled from the force of the King’s attack. As he regained his senses, he noticed something close to him in the room. A make-shift throne made of various stolen jewelry and trinkets, every one of the objects meticulously placed to ensure the stability of the seat.
“Do you like it?” The Mouse King asked. “I convinced the prince to get these for me and his little rodent friends helped assemble it. He really has a special gift, with the right incentive there is nothing he won’t do for me.” The creature stomped their foot down onto the writhing form of Cloak and snarled. “Now though, I must eat, and you seem like quite the meal.”
A sharp pain etched itself on the King’s face as it roared in anguish, stepping off Cloak and turning around to face Dagger. She had made her way into the room and launched a cavalcade of light blades into the creature’s back.
“Oh jeez, you’re even uglier from the front.” Dagger smirked as she launched another barrage of daggers into the creature, deftly avoiding a swipe from the monster. What she lacked in Cloak’s reach and power, she made up for in quick movements.
“Two people with powers, what a glory it will be to crush you both!” The King proclaimed, missing another attempt to swipe at Dagger. The giant rodent was beginning to bleed, but it didn’t seem to slow it down.
Cloak had gotten his bearings back and teleported behind the beast, energy from the Darkforce enveloping the two. The hooded hero attempted to place the creature into a chokehold, an effort to keep it in place long enough to consume. The creature’s strength was too much, however, and Cloak was thrown off it and into Dagger.
“No more!” The boy shouted from behind the trio.
“What was that, little prince?” The creature inquired in surprise at the outburst.
“No more,” The boy repeated. “You won’t hurt them anymore.”
As the boy spoke, more rats made their way into the room and began to attack the King. The beast easily squashed and crushed the vermin as they appeared, but his focus was no longer on Cloak and Dagger.
“Foolish boy, you think you can stand up to me? I am the reason you are anything more than a worthless urchin. No one else wants you.” The King taunted.
“You talk too much,” Dagger jested as she threw more daggers into the beast, causing the creature to whirl around and snarl at her. Unlike before, the blades stuck in the creature’s skin did not dissipate, instead they began to drain the lifeforce of the King.
“How…you couldn’t…” The King stammered as he lumbered toward her.
Cloak appeared before him, the King’s attempt at a swipe going right through the Darkforce user. “You only got the drop on us because we were separated.” Tendrils began to take hold of the weakened form of the creature and threw the beast back towards its throne.
“We learned a long time ago that we’re stronger together than apart.” Dagger declared as she stood next to her partner.
Cloak whispered something into Dagger’s ear and she chuckled in reply before throwing one last dagger.
The blade’s direction was not the King but the throne above them. Striking just one of the objects that made up the makeshift chair was enough to send the whole thing tumbling down on the beast. The creature stirred beneath the fallen remains of its throne as Cloak approached.
The tendrils picked up the creature as Cloak’s full face came into view, an expression of anger written across it. “I also must eat.” The creature attempted to yell but it was muffled by the Darkforce as it consumed the rodent and the threat was vanquished.
“Thank you, we wouldn’t have been able to stop him if not for your help.” Tandy said, approaching the mutant child. “As I was saying before, I’m Tandy, that’s Ty. What’s your name?”
“Ernst,” the boy replied sheepishly. “This is all my fault, I should have never listened to that thing.”
“Don’t blame yourself, it can’t be easy going through what you are right now.” Dagger placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take you somewhere safe.” Cloak added as he appeared beside Tandy. “First though, we should return what has been stolen.”
Cloak and Dagger stood on the train terminal as they waved goodbye to the boy known as Ernst. After a day that had been spent returning all the stolen goods to their owners, the duo had contacted the Mutant Underground and agreed to put Ernst in their care.
“You sure about this?” Cloak asked his ally as they watched the boy board the train with the representative the Underground had sent.
“They’ve got some good people there, they can help him more than a normal orphanage or shelter could.” Tandy explained.
“Did he tell you why he ran away?”
“No, but I saw the bruises on him.” Tandy pointed out as Ty bowed his head. “He’ll be better off now. Good call on returning the jewelry, I was just gonna take it.” She turned to face Cloak and smiled.
Cloak chuckled, “Did you know it’s Christmas Eve?” He gestured to the digital clock nearby that displayed the time and date. “If I had known that earlier, I would have kept one of those trinkets for you.”
“Well, it’s the thought that counts.” Dagger wrapped her arms around her companion and rested a head on his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Ty.”
“Merry Christmas, Tandy.” He wrapped his cloak around the two of them and in an instant, they were gone.