Wikihood/arc/P11

Synopsis

TBA

Transcript

{Noxigar finds himself in his dream world not long after the events of Episode 10. He sighs as he kicks a conveniently-placed can across the technicolor sidewalk for a few seconds, until he spots Oceanna waving at him from a nearby table.}

OCEANNA: Hey, you!

NOXIGAR: Hey.

OCEANNA: Where've you been?

NOXIGAR: I got my ass firmly grabbed by Stephanie Young when I got gassed by her cat, Shotgun Ice.

OCEANNA: Please explain, for I'm a little confused.

NOXIGAR: Stephanie Young and I agreed to go on an ice cream social some few weeks ago. So I meet her by this snooty Choom Cafe that's near her workplace, hiding in a cardboard box until it was time.

OCEANNA: Why would you hide in a cardboard box? I mean, that's cool but it makes you sound really weird.

NOXIGAR: Knowing the people in Midway City, someone on Rosenberg's payroll might've tried to sabotage the date for stupid reasons.

OCEANNA: So what happened at the Choom Cafe?

NOXIGAR: I deliberately went on about my Katawa Hearts robot, Spider8reath Tarantula, until she decided to drink herself into unconsciousness. I offered the Rum & Coke since she's so much like Chaos that twisting Rosenberg's trap around was easy for a while.

OCEANNA: Let me guess: your sweetness ended up making the whole thing sour?

NOXIGAR: Yes. Carrying her back to her house, for which I should thank Chaos and Lex for putting the address in their phonebooks, was simple outside of some trifling hoes catcalling me. Then there was the whole ordeal of making her English breakfast. That went poorly almost, but I'm glad I got to feed the prototype mixture to Shotgun Ice. After dealing with asthma attacks resultant of that blasted cat, I popped a Zirtec and got some shut-eye. My sleep was interrupted by phone call, where I proceeded to get outfoxed by Shotgun Ice and Rosenberg. My biggest regret was not getting to get ice cream proper, since that was the whole point of the date.

OCEANNA: It's too bad I'm so far away or I could've whisked you away from Rosenberg. He's kind of a creep with his kidnapping fetish.

NOXIGAR: He... what now?

OCEANNA: Nevermind. I'll try to find you if I can, for I know some guys and transporting there is going to be a cinch. Then I'll just break Stephanie Young's jaws, and-

NOXIGAR: Please no, don't actually harm Steph. You'll make Chaos cry.

OCEANNA: I'm still going to find you and make Rosenberg pay for this. I'll see you in a few hours.

{Oceanna hugs Noxigar, then vanishes. Noxigar shakes his head and sighs. Cut to Bluehaven, where Oceanna is located. Her phone rings.}

OCEANNA: Hello?

QUIGLEY: Oceanna, think before you act.

OCEANNA: Oh, hi Quigley!

QUIGLEY: Please don't blow me off like this. You know fucking with Rosenberg will just cause us to get yelled at. The Sea Hitman will not tolerate this behavior.

OCEANNA: Sheesh, I don't even get off of Noxigar's dream world for more than five seconds and you're already on my case, Mr. Oakwood!

QUIGLEY: Look, you have a... "unique" relationship with your weird client, and I've been tasked with making sure it doesn't jeopardize our missions.

OCEANNA: Well I've already got my shell casings, can just head straight for that old fart's vacation home in Phoenixshire, and blow it up.

QUIGLEY: Please. Stop. Dismissing. My Concerns. As. Nothing.

{Oceanna hangs up.}

OCEANNA: Bugger this. Noxigar needs me, and I'm not going to let Quigley Oakwood order me around like a lapdog.

{Oceanna jumps out of her house's window and takes out a map.}

OCEANNA: It's too bad I don't know where Phoenixshire is from where I am in Bluehaven...

{Oceanna looks at the map, gives a faint nod, then puts the map away. She then dashes offscreen, stage right. Cut to the Rosenberg Estate. Everyone is seated, and awake inside the old manor, which has been recently refurbished. At the end of the table is a droid with a giant monitor for a head.}

LEX: So this is what Stephanie is treating us to. One of Rosenberg's vacation homes.

VENTIN: I SWEAR, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON ROSENBERG, HE'LL WISH HE DIDN'T HAVE HANDS!

SIRRUS: Calm down. This is not big deal.

{Chaos tries to scratch an itch on the side of his neck, which is unfortunately a collar.}

CHAOS: Son of a bitch. I'm the only one with a collar on.¹

REMOLAY: I find it odd you're the only one with a collar on.

{Remolay feels his neck to find no collar on. The others do the same, then sigh with relief upon their lack of collars.}

NOXIGAR: I still owe Stephanie some ice cream.

LANG: SPEAKING OF ICE CREAM, I WAS TOLD WE'D ALL GET SOME WITH OUR FAVORITE MEALS.

NOXIGAR: Fritz? Lang? You guys are here, too?

LANG: AFFIRMATIVE. FRITZ IS STILL ASLEEP.

OIRACUL: Wait, that's strange. I'm pretty sure Stephanie wouldn't have put you two with us.

LANG: NO, WE ASKED TO BE HERE WITH YOU GUYS.

OIRACUL: And another thing. We all have different neck sizes, so that's probably why Chaos is the only one with a collar.

{The main screen turns on.}

ROSENBERG: Good afternoon, Wikihood Manor. I am your gracious host, Rosenberg, and-

CHAOS: Just cut to the chase, asshole.

ROSENBERG: My, my, aren't we being a sourpuss today?

NOXIGAR: Honestly, We're getting real tired of your shit.

ROSENBERG: Aww, what happened to countering everything I had up my sleeves?

NOXIGAR: Why would you put sleeping gas in Shotgun Ice's collar?

ROSENBERG: That was Miss Young's doing, dear.

REMOLAY: Honestly, what was the point of drugging all of us?

ROSENBERG: Well, I did try and contact you. Multiple times. But you never returned my calls. And I expected a written invitation would have been turned down.

{Lex tries to get out of the chair. He fails to do so because of metal railings which keep everyone in their seats.}

ROSENBERG: Now, now. Lunch is about to be served! I've taken especially good care to remember everyone's favorite meals.

OIRACUL: I somehow get the feeling at least one person isn't going to actually get their favorite meal.

ROSENBERG: Your skepticism is definitely warranted, what with my unfortunate dilemma. See, I need to reupholster Midway's power grid. I also need your help in order to get this accomplished.

NOXIGAR: Why?

ROSENBERG: Because I cannot be everywhere at once, and neither can my lovely lady associate.

OIRACUL: And why us? Why couldn't you just hire some goons to do it, or have one of your metal servants do it for you?

ROSENBERG: If only it were that easy. No, I picked you all specifically due to each of your individual skills, and your integrity. I know I can expect a performance from you lot that I would never be able to get from anybody else. You might not know it yet, but you are all incredibly special people! Moreso than any of you could even imagine.

CHAOS: So special that you had to detain us beyond our will and put a stupid collar on my neck, huh? What gives, anyway?

ROSENBERG: Oh, that thing? That just happens to be a specially designed explosive collar, securely attached to your neck. I've designed it so that it detonates if it were to reach beyond a certain range. Or if I feel that you've tricked or deceived me in any way, I can remotely detonate it too.

{Chaos slams his fist on the table in fury}

CHAOS: You son of a bitch! What kind of low tactic is that? And why am I the only one...

ROSENBERG: It's a necessary tactic, I'm afraid. I know from our past experience that you were quite the stubborn one, and I needed a way to guarantee your loyalty. The reason why you're the only one? Well, to be be perfectly honest, you were the only one who's neck fit it properly. That, and the fact that I only need one of you to hold ransom. After all, your friends wouldn't just abandon you now, would they?

{Chaos looks around the table at everyone. They all give him suspicious looks, except for Lex, who gives him a thumbs up.}

CHAOS: Right. So I guess our hand is forced in this, huh? You really are a piece of work.

ROSENBERG: Don't despair, for it isn't half as bad as it seems, I promise! You really think I would just let you go on such a mission without some kind of reward at the end? Ha, of course not. Believe me, I do plan on making this all incredibly worthwhile for all of you. If anything, this reward should be enough to tempt you alone.

REMOLAY: What kind of reward are you talking about, sir?

ROSENBERG: I'm talking about everything. You see, I am a highly generous man, and I believe that once you come to know me more as a leader and a boss figure, you will come to realize that firsthand. I am aware that each of you have desires, and I can safely tell you that I have a way of fulfilling them all.

CHAOS: Yeah, okay. And I'm the Queen of England.

ROSENBERG: One, I would prefer it if you do not mock my good friend Elizabeth in such a manner, and two, there is no reason why you shouldn't believe me considering how I single-handedly carved a massive technological empire out of rock. You really don't believe that I can't get what I want? Because let me tell you something. James Rosenberg always gets what he wants. And in extension, so do you.

CHAOS: Hmph. Well, considering how you've already put us in such a dilemma, I'm really not in the position to say no, am I?

ROSENBERG: So that means you'll do it? Most excellent! Say, lunch should be here, right about...

{Pause}

ROSENBERG: Now.

{From the kitchen doors come a multitude of waiter-droids, all carrying trays of delicious meals. One-by-one, they lay each individual meal in front of each member of the household. Every meal is one of exquisite gourmet quality, with the exception of Remolay, who gets Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and french fries.}

REMOLAY: {Sarcastically} Oh, dinonuggets and fries. My favorite.

ROSENBERG: Yes, I do indeed apologize for that. It's just that I had no idea what your favorite food was. With the others, I had managed to survey them enough, and with the two new guests, I assumed they were a fan of steak. But you? I don't know, you just seemed like a chicken nugget fan to me.

REMOLAY: I like venison and salad, thank you very much. But I guess this is alright as well.

ROSENBERG: I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time you come around for dinner. After all, we're all business partners, right?

LEX: Joy to the world.

{The Wikihood Gang begins slowly eating their food, even Remolay.}

REMOLAY: These fries are pretty good. And the nuggets are at least cooked perfectly. {smirks} In fact, I think I like this meal.

ROSENBERG: I do aim to please.

{Eventually, the Wikihood Gang finishes eating.}

VENTIN: Okay, we're done eating. Can we go home now, fuckface?

SIRRUS: Uh, Ventin, I don't think he invited us here to eat.

VENTIN: Then why the fuck are we here?

SIRRUS: Were you not listening to him talk before?

{Ventin glares at Sirrus}

VENTIN: I tuned him out when he opened his mouth.

ROSENBERG: My my, your new friend is quite the pleasant one, isn't she?

LEX: She's really not our friend. She suplexed me into a table when I was already injured. All things considered, we just met her and she's a bit of a bitch, really.

VENTIN: You wanna say that again, pretty boy? I'll throatfuck you, you little shit!!

{Ventin tries to lunge at Lex, but is unable to, due to the chair. She quickly calms down and crosses her arms in protest.}

VENTIN: Hmph, whatever. Basic bitches like you are hardly worth my time anyway.

ROSENBERG: Putting this delightful little exchange aside, should I give you your mission already? I'd rather not dilly-dally, after all.

CHAOS: Yeah, yeah, something to do with the power grid, got it.

ROSENBERG: Yes. Indeed. Well, anyway. Let me treat you all to a small history lesson. Many years ago, back before any of you were born-...

{Lex raises his hand}

ROSENBERG: Before most of you were born, that is, the main industrial capital of this state used to be Bluehaven. Although it would be hard to believe, considering how dramatically the city has declined since then, it was once the source of many of my greatest technological achievements. Back when Bluehaven was the main technological hub of Listless, the city used to generate power for the entire area around it, including the city of Midway, which back then, just happened to be another small and quaint desert city in America.

CHAOS: Heh, I find it hard to believe that Bluehaven could be a useful place for anything, to be perfectly honest.

ROSENBERG: Yes, it is rather hard to believe, isn't it? Well anyway, the main source of power from Bluehaven happened to come from the "Apollo Energy Solar Plant", which harnessed energy from the sun which was collected by solar panels installed all the way over in San Cristóbal. You see, it was a system that sustained itself quite well, one that was more than satisfactory when it came to powering a huge chunk of the entire state. Which was why I was disappointed when the plant was shut down and each individual city got their energy from entirely different sources.

CHAOS: So if what you're telling us serves correctly, you want us to travel all the way to Bluehaven, and turn the power plant back on, am I right?

ROSENBERG: Indeed you are. Not only do I want you to turn the power plant back on completely, but I also wish for you to divert all the power back to Midway City in full. You need not worry about any of the other cities, for they're perfectly fine at sustaining their energy.

CHAOS: What makes Midway so special then?

ROSENBERG: Well, considering how it is the forefront of my great technological empire, the city needs a bigger than average amount of power to run at full capacity. As the state government refuses to intervene and do anything about it, this is a task I had to call upon myself to do, unfortunately. Only at full capacity will I be able to exert my full influence upon the city and continue to serve it as its benevolent leader, after all. The Midway you see right now? It is an empty shell of what it once used to be. But with your help in this mission, we will rebuild this city and make it great again!

OIRACUL: May I interject?

ROSENBERG: Go right ahead.

OIRACUL: While I like your plan a lot, how exactly do you think that any of us are capable of routing an entire power plant's output towards a single city? None of us have the technological knowledge for such a thing.

ROSENBERG: I know, but don't you worry at all. I made this especially easy for you. I've designed a small piece of hardware that does the whole thing for me, with no effort on your end. All you have to do is unplug the previous module and install the new one, and it works just like that. As for transport, I have Miss Young waiting at the helicopter. She'll give the module to you personally. Be sure not to lose it, now.

LEX: This is all fine and dandy, but this is Bluehaven we're talking about. We're likely to get ourselves killed!

ROSENBERG: That's why I'm also arming you all with state of the art weaponry. While I'd prefer it if this be a bloodless mission, I am aware of the sad state of Bluehaven's society and I understand your need to defend yourselves. Just pray that you'll never need to use them.

VENTIN: Shiiit, you mean I get to kill people on this mission? Sign me up!

ROSENBERG: As I said, it would hardly be preferable. Do so only when you need to.

VENTIN: Yeah, yeah, I get ya. I'll just aim to mutilate, not kill.

CHAOS: What sort of weapons are we getting? And when do we leave?

VENTIN: I don't need your panzy-ass firearms.

{Ventin holds up her knife}

VENTIN: I got me a real weapon.

{Someone in the room snickers}

SIRRUS: No, seriously, she's pretty deadly with a knife.

VENTIN: Well, like that one guy said, when are we leaving?

ROSENBERG: Now, if you'd like. No time for dilly-dallying now, am I right?

{The restraints on the chairs unlock and everyone gets up from the table, stretching to relax their muscles after waking up and being forced to sit in a chair for so long.}

LEX: Ah, it feels so much better to be back on my feet again!

ROSENBERG: Oh, how do you feel physically, Lex?

LEX: Pretty... good, now that you mention it.

ROSENBERG: I had some of my own professionals examine you while you were out-cold. They performed all the necessary procedures to get you back to good health again.

LEX: Oh, um, thanks!

ROSENBERG: No problem. Just see yourselves out the door, you'll see the helicopter parked right outside, ready for you all. The box of weaponry is also inside the helicopter, and Miss Young will give you the module to install into the computer of the power plant. The rest is pretty straight-forward.

CHAOS: Great. Let's just get this over with as quick as possible so we don't have to waste time.

ROSENBERG: That's the spirit! Go out there and give them hell, chaps!

{Rosenberg's screen switches off and the crew walk out of the dining room into the main corridor of the estate. Looking around in awe, they see various priceless portraits and decorations all around the walls and displays.}

LEX: Wow. This guy really is loaded.

OIRACUL: Too bad he's unable to enjoy the fruits of his wealth, though.

CHAOS: I don't feel very sorry for him, the guy's a douche to an extreme.

{They walk through the corridors and out of the estate, where they're greeted by the sight of a beautiful patio with a massive fountain in the center. Parked right where the cars would normally be, is a huge VTOL helicopter. Sitting inside is Stephanie, who's holding a small wooden box. They each climb in and strap themselves up. Noxigar looks at Steph and then turns away, refusing to talk to her. They close the VTOL doors and it begins to take off.}

LEX: Oh hey, Steph.

STEPHANIE: Hey. Yeah, sorry about what happened earlier there, it really wasn't my call.

CHAOS: You should be damn sorry, look what that bastard did to me!

{Chaos points to the explosive collar around his neck.}

STEPHANIE: Don't worry. After the completion of this task, I'll have it removed immediately.

VENTIN: So the creepy computer guy told us that we'll get to kill things during this mission! How cool is that?

STEPHANIE: Yeah... You're going into a rather dangerous area, and you might find yourselves in a situation where you'll need to defend yourselves.

SIRRUS: I don't get it. What could be so bad about this Bluehaven?

CHAOS: Haven't you heard all the stories about it? It's a wretched hive, home to all sorts of nasty people. The whole place is basically a war-ground for street gangs. And god help you if you are an ordinary citizen there.

REMOLAY: Why would anybody want to live in Bluehaven anyway, that's my question.

LEX: I still personally don't see what's so bad about Bluehaven, myself. I've been to worse places. Hell, I was in Vietnam! The shit I had to put up with during the time I was there was unlike anything that could possibly be imagined.

STEPHANIE: Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that.

CHAOS: Lex, you weren't even in the army. You were just part of the USO Shows.

LEX: Hey, it was uncomfortable, alright? You try singing to an entire crowd of war-ravaged soldiers when you have insects eating you alive!

VENTIN: Vietnam? Bullshit. You don't look any older than the rest of these chumps.

LEX: ...I have good genes, alright?

{Noxigar stares at the other people, not letting anything slip from his mouth due to Stephanie's presence. He shrugs, and continues pensive thinking. Ventin glares at him.}

VENTIN: What the fuck is wrong with you? Stop staring at me, fuckface. You've barely talked this whole time, so, what the fuck is on your mind?

LEX: Yeah, you've barely said anything the whole time, Nox. What's the matter?

VENTIN: The guy probably needs to get laid. Hah.

{Noxigar glares at Ventin, who smugly smirks back at him.}

STEPHANIE: It's my fault, really. I lead him on.

CHAOS: Oh.

STEPHANIE: Not like that! No, we were supposed to have an ice-cream outing, and I used the chance to get at him for the sake of this mission.

LEX: Ouch. That's cold.

STEPHANIE: I had to do what I had to do.

VENTIN: The guy's bitter because he didn't get any. Poor fucker.

{Ventin looks at Steph and winks at her.}

VENTIN: Say, you look kinda on edge yourself. Can't blame ya, after having to deal with all these dorks. How about after this mission, I give you my own special kind of award, huh?

{Visibly disturbed by Ventin's flirting, Steph backs away.}

STEPHANIE: No thank you!

VENTIN: Pfft, whatever. When you change your mind, you'll know where to find me, babe.

{Noxigar takes the time to express sympathy for Stephanie through use of his eyes, then proceeds to resume being in pensive thought.}

LEX: Hey, Nox! You know what'll make you feel better? Ice-Cream!

NOXIGAR: ...Ice-Cream?

LEX: Yeah! Don't you know that Bluehaven has some of the best Ice-Cream around? I honestly have no idea why exactly, but it's possibly one of the only things going for it.

NOXIGAR: Hm. I'll like that a lot. We'll have to get some before we go back.

{Stephanie opens the VTOL helicopter's door and looks outside.}

STEPHANIE: We're there now. I hope you're all ready for this.

CHAOS: Ready as we'll ever be.

VENTIN: Man, I am going to get so much blood on my clothes. This is going to be amazing!!

{The VTOL lands and everyone but Ventin grabs a weapon out of the box. As they all observe their weapons, Ventin stares fondly at her knife and begins to lick it.}

SIRRUS: Ventin?

{Ventin looks up to see everyone staring at her.}

VENTIN: Oh. Right.

{Ventin puts her knife away and walks out of the VTOL helicopter. Everyone but Stephanie follows. Chaos walks up to Stephanie.}

CHAOS: Oh yeah, Ol' Rosie told us you were to give us some kind of module to install, or something like that.

STEPHANIE: Right, here you go.

{Stephanie takes a small piece of technology out of her pocket and hands it to Chaos, who observes it.}

CHAOS: Is this it? It doesn't look like much.

STEPHANIE: The best things usually don't.

LEX: So, when will you pick us up?

STEPHANIE: I'll pick you all up back here in around two hours. That's more than enough time to complete this task.

VENTIN: I can't wait to kill someone...

{Stephanie shuts the doors of the VTOL and it takes off back into the skies, leaving the Wikihood crew all alone in Bluehaven. Around them, they can see that the majority of the city is torn apart and ruined, with graffiti and other signs of urban decay everywhere. The streets are almost empty, except for a few ordinary citizens.}

CHAOS: Jesus Christ. Now ain't this a pleasant holiday spot.

LEX: I know, right?

CHAOS: Lex, I was being sarcastic.

LEX: Oh.

{Wondering through the city, they spot the power plant up ahead. Just like the rest of the city, the plant has fallen into disrepair, with a good chunk of it looking like it has already burned down in the past. Next to the plant is a giant heliostat tower, which still triumphantly stands all after decades of ruin.}

SIRRUS: This is just like one of my video games!

VENTIN: Shut up, Sirrus. There's more to life than Fallout. Personally, it reminds me more of one of those post-apocalyptic 80s flicks that we used to watch on the pirate TV.

CHAOS: As long as we don't catch the attention of any criminal gangs, I think we'll be fine.

VENTIN: Wait, can't we just go and kill them? Would be fun!

SIRRUS: No. No fun to be had, except for perhaps you.

VENTIN: I know, that's the point!

{Everyone glares at the two of them}

REMOLAY: No, I don't think that'd be very pleasant. I say we try and be stealthy.

SIRRUS: Just like in Fa-

VENTIN: SHUT UP, SIRRUS.

EVERYONE ELSE: Shhh!

VENTIN: Bloody Shezmu, fine.

{Noxigar sighs, and proceeds to kick a conveniently-placed can. Cut to the exterior of the power plant. Looking through the rusty wired fence, they can see two figures walking outside of the facility, loading huge bags into a truck.}

CHAOS: Oh damn it. We have company.

VENTIN: Fresh meat.

CHAOS: No, damn it! We need to this job as quickly and stealthily as possible! Nothing that can attract their attention.

VENTIN: What, if by some random chance, we get spotted?

CHAOS: Well, first I'd chastise you all for being reckless pricks, and second... we do what we have to do, I guess.

VENTIN: What if it's like... a sneak attack, and it's the only way to stop them from detecting us? Technically I wouldn't be breaking any rules then, huh?

CHAOS: Just use your common sense.

VENTIN: Well I'm screwed then.

LEX: What do we do? I think the gate's locked, and there are people right outside.

CHAOS: We just stay quiet and wait for them to leave. It looks like they're making some sort of delivery. As soon as they finish loading that truck and they leave, we quietly sneak inside.

LEX: Yeah, but that doesn't solve the fact that we're trapped outside.

CHAOS: Oh. Ventin, you know how to cut wire, right?

VENTIN: What? All this time as a vagrant, and you ask me if I can cut wire? Of course I can! Just watch!

{Ventin pulls out a makeshift wirecutter and proceeds to work on the fence. Chaos stops her.}

CHAOS: Not yet. Just wait until they're gone.

VENTIN: Oh, right.

{A few minutes later, the truck is loaded and begins to depart. Everyone sneaks inside the power plant before the door to the garage shuts completely. Once inside, they see that the entire compound has been transformed into a drug ring, with bags of all sorts of illicit substances everywhere. The crew sneak through the corridors, carefully looking to see if there is anybody ahead. Ventin picks up a few small baggies of coke and put them in her pockets.}

VENTIN: These will fetch a pretty penny.

CHAOS: Just our luck, huh? Rosenberg sends us on a mission to a fucking drug ring.

VENTIN: I rather like it, myself. We should totally gut this place out and sell this shit ourselves.

CHAOS: I'd rather not have the cops knocking on our doors, thank you very much.

{Lex and Remolay look at each other and quietly chuckle amongst themselves. Fritz and Lang scout ahead, using their small size and nightvision to hide and observe. They see two men in cheap suits walking their way down the corridors, talking among each other.}

MAFIYA MEMBER #1: Ha, and before I pulled trigger on that fucker, you know what I told him?

MAFIYA MEMBER #2: What?

MAFIYA MEMBER #1: I said, "Yippie-Ki-Yay, biker bitch!" Just like Die Hard.

{Fritz and Lang quickly get back where the others are.}

FRITZ: people are coming. hiiiiide.

{Using the shadows as cover, everyone finds a place to obscure themselves. To their good fortune, the two mobsters walk past without detecting them. Suddenly, Ventin creeps up behind them both and stealthily cuts their throats with one swift motion from behind, killing them instantly. She then proceeds to take out a vial from her pocket, where she collects some of the blood that she has shed.}

CHAOS: Ventin, what the hell?

VENTIN: They.. um.. could have turned around and seen us more clearly. I was doing you all a favor.

{Noxigar facepalms as Fritz and Lang proceed to drag the bodies into the shadows. They all proceed onwards.}

Chaos: This time, don't fucking kill anyone, Ventin. We're on a stealth mission, remember.

VENTIN: I DID IT STEALTHILY, DAMN IT.

EVERYONE: SHHH.

VENTIN: Woops.

{The rest of the sneaking is relatively uneventful, except for the snarks from Ventin here and there. They arrive at the main computer, with Oiracul grabbing the module.}

OIRACUL: Okay, so..just swap the modules..

{Oiracul slowly removes the previous module, swapping the other one in. They look around expecting something to happen, but nothing does. Lex leans against the computer.}

LEX: Well, that's all done. Let's go back to Rosenberg and get our award, shall we?

{His elbow shifts, bumping a button. Suddenly, an alarm begins wailing.}

VENTIN: Shit, wasn't me.

{Lex, noticing that no one's looking at him, quickly backs away from the button, acting innocently.}

LEX: Huh. I guess it must have done that on its own.

{As the main computer processes the module, the entire power plant begins to run again at full capacity, with every light in the building switching on suddenly. The sound of the generators as well as the lights and the alarm itself brings attention to everyone in the building that something is going on.}

FRITZ: GUYS. I DON'T LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS.

LANG: I THINK WE MIGHT BE SPOTTED.

{Chaos readies his rifle, as the others reach for their weapons as well. Ventin pulls her blade out and shrieks with joy.}

VENTIN: It's happening, it's happening!!

{Suddenly, a whole crew of armed men burst through the door, armed with pistols.}

GOON: It seems as if we have intruders. Rather reckless ones, to say the most.

CHAOS: Haha... yeah, about that...

GOON: Do you know what we do with intruders?

LEX: Shit, this is not looking good.

REMOLAY: You're telling me.

LANG: WE'VE BEEN SPOTTED!!

{The goon laughs}

GOON: We kill 'em. Fire at will!

{The thugs begin firing, with the gang minus Sirrus and Ventin returning fire. Sirrus and Ventin get close together, with Ventin yelling at the thugs}

VENTIN: Oh, you'll regret this, cocksucker.

{The same Goon from before, behind cover, laughs again}

GOON: Oh look at the little girly, thinking she can take out us big men. Ahahaha.

{This pisses Ventin off to oblivion, as she slices her bandaging off of her left wrist. The wrist is immensely scarred, with almost no live skin left.}

VENTIN: Ready, brother?

{Sirrus gulps}

SIRRUS: Ready..

{Ventin slices her arm open, causing blood to fly out. She begins chanting in Egyptian, as Sirrus grabs her wrist. Suddenly, the blood floats in mid-air, to the shock of the thugs.}

GOON 2: WHAT THE FUCK?

VENTIN: You should have listened, fuckface!

{The blood forms into large flaming blood spheres, and begins to blast at the goons, bouncing off the walls. Sirrus chants as well, and for every chant he makes, they grow bigger.}

GOON: TAKE COVER!

{Two men begin firing at the spheres, which explode in their face, suffocating them with flaming blood.}

GOON 3: SHIT!

{As Goon 3 shouts, a blood knife flies from Sirrus's hand into his back, impaling him.}

VENTIN: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

{Sirrus creates a blade from blood, and slices one of the goons in half, leaving three left. Ventin uses two of the remaining spheres to bash two of the thugs' heads in, killing them, leaving only the second goon, who is cowering.}

GOON 2: Uh...mercy?

VENTIN: Fuck you.

{She flips her knife up, tossing it directly into his forehead, as the blood spheres vanish. She then walks over, reattaches her bandaging, and grabs her knife. The rest of the gang, minus Sirrus, are frozen in awe.}

LEX: Did they just...

CHAOS: Oh my god. What the hell was that?

{Ventin laughs.}

VENTIN: Blood magic, bitch.

{From the end of corridor, they hear more people approaching.}

OIRACUL: Damn, there's more.

{The crew make their way out of the computer room, where they're confronted by even more goons. Before Sirrus and Ventin can do anything again, Noxigar jumps right in front of them and throws a vial of acid at them, causing them to be knocked unconscious.}

NOXIGAR: No need to shed unnecessary blood, now.

{Ventin rolls her eyes as they carry on running through the compound in order to escape. Finding themselves back in the main hall, they see another wave of goons with their guns at the ready. They begin to fire as everyone takes cover, crouching behind something in order not to get hit. With so many people firing at once, it's hard to find an opening spot to fire back.}

CHAOS: Anyone got any bright ideas for this?

{Everyone looks at Sirrus and Ventin.}

SIRRUS: Let's see... Ah!

{Sirrus takes the vial of blood from Ventin and opens it up, pouring the blood onto the floor. Using his powers, he fashions the drops of blood into small needles, which he shoots at all the common goons, killing them all in a rather gruesome manner.}

CHAOS: As useful as you two are being right now, your powers are just gross.

VENTIN: Deal with it, babe.

{They carry onwards, until they see the exit of the factory. Immediately, they are greeted by the site of various types of robots of obsolete models, which had been built by built by Rosenberg over the years.}

REMOLAY: What are his droids doing here?

FRITZ: CONSIDERING HOW THIS CITY USED TO BE HIS FORMER BASE OF OPERATIONS, I BELIEVE THAT THE POWER PLANT MUST HAVE REACTIVATED THEM AS WELL.

CHAOS: Does this mean that his sphere of influence has expanded again?

FRITZ: IT LOOKS THAT WAY.

LEX: Why weren't you two affected by this then?

LANG: WE'RE SEPARATE MODELS TO THESE ONES. NOT NECESSARILY NEWER, BUT EXPERIMENTAL. WE RUN INDEPENDENTLY ON OUR OWN POWER, AWAY FROM ROSENBERG'S MAIN SYSTEMS.

{The army of obsolete robot models all rush into the power plant to take out whoever's left in it, while also securing the perimeters for the future. As the crew finally manage to out back out to the proper city, they all sigh in relief, with the sounds of the lasers and all sorts of other carnage resonate from inside the plant.}

OIRACUL: Please tell me this is over.

CHAOS: I'm pretty sure it's over. We did it.

VENTIN: Heh, all thanks to me, of course.

{Looking around the city, people seem pretty despondent to the obvious scene of carnage that is going on in the plant, regarding it as another part of ordinary life. Ventin pulls out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lighting one and tossing one to Sirrus, who lights his own.}

VENTIN: So, what do we now?

NOXIGAR: I do believe we are supposed to wait for the helicopter?

{As if on cue, Stephanie and the VTOL arrive. The gang climbs onboard. For the majority of the journey, the ride is mostly silent.}

VENTIN: So, can we go home now? I'm bored.

STEPHANIE: Not yet, I am afraid, but good job out there. We shall return to the Estate where Rosenberg will formally congratulate you.

VENTIN: Whatever. As long as the sucker pays up, I'm cool.

LEX: Oh shit!!

NOXIGAR: What is it, Lex?

LEX: I forgot to buy your ice-cream. Sorry, dude.

STEPHANIE: Actually...

{Stephanie pulls a box out of the VTOL's storage unit. As she opens it, it is revealed to be full of ice-cream cones.}

STEPHANIE: I bought these in Bluehaven while you were all preoccupied. It was the least I could do for kidnapping you all.

NOXIGAR: Oh.. thanks.

STEPHANIE: I really hope there isn't any hard feelings between any of us. Really.

LEX: Nah, I'm fine.

VENTIN: I hardly know ya, so I'm super.

STEPHANIE: Noxigar?

{Noxigar looks at her and hesitates for a second before smiling.}

NOXIGAR: I'm good, thanks.

{Everyone is happy as the VTOL lands at the Phoenixshire estate, and the group make their way back into the dining room.}

SIRRUS: Hello? Mister Rosenberg?

{The holoscreen floats back into the room, and the 3D image of Rosenberg appears on it once again, looking quite happy.}

ROSENBERG: Well done, all of you. You've succeeded well past my expectations!

CHAOS: We're glad. Can you get this thing off my neck now, please? It's starting to chafe.

ROSENBERG: Oh, of course. The thing wasn't even explosive anyway.

CHAOS: Wait.. you.. WHAT?!

ROSENBERG: Oh no, it was mostly a joke on my end. And my way to make sure that you would actually do as told. And I must say, you have impressed me a lot!

{Stephanie goes over to Chaos and quickly takes the collar off. Chaos winks at her and she rolls her eyes, before he focuses his attention back to Chaos.}

CHAOS: You bastard.

ROSENBERG: Bastard in good nature, my good fellow.

LEX: Nice going of you to send some of your bots as backup, by the way!

ROSENBERG: Oh? I don't recall sending anything that way.

LEX: But... when we got out, we were greeted by a whole squadron. They went in there and pretty much cleaned the whole place out.

ROSENBERG: ...Ohhhh. I know what you are talking about. Oh no, they were my old security droids, from long ago. They were deactivated along with the rest of the plant. I guess turning it back on must have reactivated them. What was there, anyway?

CHAOS: A whole bunch of Russian gangsters turned the entire place into a drug ring. Bags of illicit stuff everywhere.

ROSENBERG: Hmm. I see. I'll arrange for some of my newer models to go back to the place and clear it of all its indecencies, as well as securing the area so that such an unfortunate thing doesn't happen again.

VENTIN: Yeah, yeah, enough yappin'. How about our reward?

ROSENBERG: Your reward? Oh, of course! As you were busy doing all that, I took the liberty of depositing the money you paid to me back into your bank account, along with a bit of extra. You see, I never intended on keeping that money. I just wanted to see your potential. And again, I cannot express enough how pleased I am with you.

CHAOS: How much is extra, anyway? It better be a lot, considering what we have to go through!

ROSENBERG: How about five times extra, hm?

CHAOS: ...That's good. I like that. So, are we finished here, then? Can we go back home?

ROSENBERG: I will allow you to do whatever you want from this point. No strings attached. But... don't you want to stick around? This is only the beginning after all, and since you've proven your usefulness and skill to me, it would be a shame if we couldn't carry on even further.

CHAOS: Well... you weren't bullshitting about the reward, I guess.

ROSENBERG: That was nothing. That's simple pocket money, Malifact. I can give you all so much more than that. You deserve so much more than that!

CHAOS: Hm.. Oh hell with it. Who wants in?

{Ventin immediately raises her hand, and everyone else but Noxigar follows. With a bit of hesitation and peer pressure, Noxigar also raises his hand, nervously.}

ROSENBERG: Well, it looks like we have a full house. Most excellent, indeed.

REMOLAY: What of Midway, may I ask?

ROSENBERG: Midway? Glad you asked, actually. As we speak, I can feel my sphere of influence extending further beyond what I thought was imaginable. Today is a good day for me indeed. No, not me. For us. Today is the way where we walk the path towards greatness, claiming glory and grasping it.

CHAOS: Yeah, cool. What about D'Arque?

ROSENBERG: We need not concern ourselves with the likes of him just yet. For now, we we plan onward. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, after all.

CHAOS: Oh god, what do you want us to do now?

ROSENBERG: Nothing. You really think I'm going to come back to prominence without some kind of announcement? Oh no, not at all. I've bought out spots on almost every major television station in the entire country. I plan on showing the entire world, that Rosenberg is back!! There will be a live televised parade around the streets of Midway, where people will be able to witness and bask in my glory!

STEPHANIE: Indeed. The Next Episode has now begun. Get ready for it.

{Screen fades to black to the familiar sound of The Next Episode.}

{End 'Sode.}

---

1. It's funny because Chaos is likely the only one to really object to anything Rosenberg demands.