[Moosh da Outlaw]

Sorry this took longer than normal. I've been busy.

Things are starting to look bad for Nedd; who's plan will work first, Durc's, or Nedd's? And what exactly is Nedd's plan?

The only way to find out is to keep reading. =D And i'm sorry it isn't as long as I had planned, I haven't had alot of time to write lately and i've had a bit of a writer's block. >:C



-----




The basement was muggy, cold, and silent. Nedd slowly poked his head around the corner, his eye shifting humorlessly. The hall seemed safe enough. Nedd didn't fully understand why he was taking extra precautions to make sure he wasn't noticed; all he knew was that something didn't feel right, like some gut instinct was keeping him on edge. He tried to ignore it, but it wasn't as easy as he had hoped it would be.

One of the basement's ratz scuttled past his foot, and Ian dove after it, practically knocking Nedd over in the process. Nedd quickly regained composure and flattened Ian with a well-aimed kick, leaving him sprawled on the floor. Ian sprang clumsily to his feet and immediately darted to a corner, staring at Nedd with wide, horrified eyes.

"What're you staring at?" Nedd demanded, baring his teeth in an ugly scowl. He was over-reacting for the sole purpose of torturing Ian.

Ian crumpled visibly, still staring. He had thick holes in the side of his mouth where his stitches had been, and a few of his teeth were showing. They weren't as sharp and serrated as Nedd's, but they still looked dangerous.

Nedd swung at him with his bad arm. Ian flinched and clamped his eyes shut, still silent. "What's wrong?" Nedd asked mockingly, crossing his arms. "Got something to say? Well spit it out."

Ian, of course, had nothing to say.

Nedd chuckled quietly and continued on his way, feeling much better. He wasn't about to let a bad feeling get in his way. He was Nedd, the eater of sligs and the murderer of dozens; he feared no one. Ian followed Nedd at a distance, his wild, bloodshot eyes flicking around unsurely.

Nedd yawned. For him and his slogs, it was the middle of the night; he was supposed to be asleep. Without even breaking a sweat, Nedd jumped up, grabbed the rafters with his good hand, forced his second arm over, and hauled himself up. It was a pretty high perch, but it was nothing he was afraid of. Back on the floor, Ian stared up at the rafters almost longingly, looking confused.

"Stay." Nedd sighed huskily, glaring down at the psychopathic intern. Ian recoiled and curled up on the floor, scared back into submission. Growling, Nedd rolled over from where he lay and examined the soaked plaster walls uninterestedly. Finally he closed his eye and let the sound of dripping water soothe him to sleep.

Ian curled up in his corner, his arms covering his face, his wide eyes searching hopelessly in the dark.

<~{.epidemic.}~>

Vhern was staring out the window of the airship from his office, watching as the sun set in the distance. The sky was phoenix orange, bathing the ship in a yellowish light. He crossed his arms behind his back and turned away, his glasses flashing dangerously in the dim light.

The door opened. One of his bodyguards thrust his head worriedly in, not saying a word.

Vhern stirred a glass of blood-red wine on the desk with a claw, looking calm. “Come in.”

The lumbering slig shuffled inside, followed by the other bodyguard. They saluted smartly as they had been trained to do their entire lives.

“The basement attack will be followed through today, correct?”

The sligs nodded, still saluting. Vhern turned away.

“Tell Helix to prepare a cage. Something big. And dark.”

The sligs marched off obediantly to do his bidding. Vhern dumped the cup of wine in a trashcan and continued to gaze out the window, the shadows on his face growing longer and longer as the light steadily darkened outside.

<~{.epidemic.}~>

The ship’s cafeteria was practically empty. The kitchen was still a mess from the fight, and blocked off by yellow police tape; Durc had ordered for none of it to be cleaned up so that it could be used as ‘evidence’ of some sort. This made getting something to eat a difficult task, as nobody had bothered to move the food from the kitchen to a more convenient spot.

Dan was sitting with his face against the table, snoring quietly. He had dark rings around his eyes from stress and his shoulders were tense, as though expecting an attack even while he was asleep. The cafeteria was the only place he felt safe; it was far from the basement, and was lit brightly during the day. No cylonite creature could survive in such conditions.

Red opened the door and looked around curiously. He blinked in surprise when he spotted Dan, face down, dead asleep.

Get up, man. Red said, walking over and jabbing him with a finger. Dan groaned and shuffled slightly. Red frowned. Get up. Yer gonna miss the basement patrol.

Dan looked up sleepily. Uhm? He glanced over at Red, rubbing one of his eyes with the palm of his hand. What time is it?

Eight.

Sh–! Dan cursed, struggling to his feet. He tripped on his chair and fell back on the floor with a loud grunt.

Red raised an eyebrow. Nice.

Aw, shut it.

They left the cafeteria quickly. Dan looked lazily around, stumbling slightly from lack of sleep. How could he have forgot the basement patrol planned for the day?

Oh yeah, Red said suddenly, pulling something from his belt. He tossed the snuzi to Dan, who hastily caught it. Durc told me to give you that.

He also wanted me to shoot myself with it, didn’t he? Dan grumbled.

Red sighed. The only reason he was being a dick before was because Vhern kept bugging him. He said with a shrug. Forget about it.

How am I supposed to do that?

Red scratched his head. Well, Red said, granted he is sending us into the basement, but it was what we were planning to make him do this whole time. By the way, did you hear about the guar---

“YOU TWO!” A shrill squawk came from the end of the hall.
Durc.

Dan squinted. What did he want now?
Durc walked briskly over on his three speedy legs, his eyes bloodshot. He seemed to be having another fit. Dan tried to stay calm and not upset him, but it was harder said than done.

“WHY AREN’T YOU IN THE MAIN INTERSECTION?” He demanded, prodding Dan roughly with one of his claws. Dan flinched.

We were just going there— Dan said quickly, just to be cut off again.

“WELL THEN GET GOING!” He shoved the pair roughly from behind, forcing both Dan and Red towards the intersection. “WE’RE ENTERING THE BASEMENT AT EXACTLY TWENTY-ONE-HUNDRED HOURS! HURRY IT UP!”

And, as soon as he had showed up, Durc was off again, speeding down the hall so fast that he knocked people over. Dan watched him go through foggy eyes. Then he turned back to Red. So, what were you saying?

Red stared after Durc for a few more seconds before continuing on his way like nothing happened. After all this time, everybody was starting to get used to Durc and his unexpected outbursts. What I was saying was that I’ve heard all the guards are gonna be involved in this mission.

All of them? Dan echoed, shocked.

Red smirked. All of them. Everybody Durc can send out, has been sent out. We’ve figured that there are less than half the amount of slogs in the basement as there are guards, so if we team up and fight them all at once, Red shrugged, killing them should be easy. No more problem.

Dan frowned. But what about Ian?

Easy. Red said. We’re part of the basement patrol. We’re just there to force all the slogs (and Nedd) out of their hiding place. All we need to do is break off from the group and find Ian before they do.

‘Break off from the group?!’ Dan repeated shrilly, looking appalled. Are you insane?

Red stopped walking. Well, He said slowly, Ian needs our help. We can’t just abandon him. Besides, he’s still Ian- he wouldn’t harm a fly.

Dan scoffed. Oh, yeah, sure. He growled critically, crossing his arms. Thats exactly what we thought about Nedd. Funny thing about that, though. He cut off one of my horns, made my appendix explode, and smashed a dent in your head as deep as a frickin’ gorge—

SO? Red cried. A few people walking past stopped to watch the two interns argue. Nedd’s always been twisted! You’ve seen it! He always liked torturing fuzzles—

Who doesn’t like torturing fuzzles? Dan hissed, his horn down defensively.

Ian doesn’t! Red started walking again. Dan hurried to catch up. He’s soft! The only reason you don’t want to help him is because you’re scared you’ll get hurt!

Of course! Dan threw his arms in the air. I don’t want to get KILLED OVER THIS!

Killed over WHAT?

Killed over trying to save a counter copy of Nedd!

They fell silent. Red looked away, refusing to lock eyes with Dan. Dan sighed.

Look man, Dan said quietly, I didn’t mean that.

The hall ended, revealing the Main Intersection. Red hesitated. Forget it. He growled bitterly. You don’t understand.

Red stepped inside. Dan paused. The room was absolutely packed; every imaginable space of the complicated hallway was taken up by someone either loading a snuzi, making bets on who could kill the most slogs, or trying to come up with a reason why they couldn’t go in the basement.

‘Wow.’ Dan thought, forcing his way into the crowd. ‘Red was right. Durc has sent in everybody.’ Dan looked around, trying to find Red, but he had already vanished. Dan hadn’t realized he would be touching a nerve when he admitted he didn’t think Ian would last long with cylonite.

A sudden commotion came from behind him. Dan looked back over his shoulder, where he could hear a familiar voice shrieking.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY! Can’t you idiots see I’m trying to get through? Why are you all just STANDING HERE?”

Dan scooted to the side as Durc shoved his way to the front, a look on his face angry enough to melt metal. It was nerve-racking and suddenly made Dan feel uncomfortable.

“And where the hell is Vhern?” Durc cursed, finally standing by the door. Everybody fell silent. “He was supposed to be here! For odd’s sake! I actually need him and he’s NOT AROUND!”
Durc coughed into his hand once he realized that all eyes were on him.
“Oh, right, the basement patrol, I forgot.”

‘Dumbass.’


Durc did his signature pacing while he quickly adopted a serious look, though his face was still flushed. “Now, as you all know, today is the day we attack all who inhabit the basement. We must destroy the cylonite threat once and for all.”

Dan nodded along with everybody else. It was obvious.

“Now, I’ve done some calculations. It seems that, when it comes to cylonite-infested slogs and guards, we have them outnumbered nearly three to one. So the obvious solution would be to gang up on them all at once and kill them all off.” Durc stopped pacing, his four stick arms folded smugly. “We’ll handle the slogs by sending a patrol in there to kill off as many as possible, for the moment. But obviously a bunch of slogs aren’t are only problem.” Durc scanned the room. “We still have a psychotic intern to worry about.
But don’t be alarmed. As I said before, we’ve set up a number of traps that are activated at exactly 10:00, which is when all the lights in the airship go off. If we don’t kill him this time around, then we can still bait the traps and catch him then.”

Immediately the crowd was abuzz with exited talk. The plan was flawless

Satisfied that he had successfully boosted all the guard’s morale, Durc called out: “Now come on! Who are we?”

“GUARDS!” The crowd roared back. Dan kept quiet, looking doubtful.

“Are we gonna let this get in the way of protecting the ship?”

“NO!”

Everybody seemed confident, even those who had wanted to avoid the basement at all costs. Dan looked back over his shoulder, spotting Red. He couldn’t help but notice that he, too, wasn’t cheering.



<~{.epidemic.}~>


Ian was still curled up, his scared eyes fixed on the floor. He flinched as a loud snarling filled the air, reminding him of a hungry animal. He looked up worriedly and slackened when he realized it was just Nedd snoring. Ian looked away yieldingly, curling up tighter.

A ratz scurried across the floor within grabbing distance, as though it were taunting him. Ian looked up at Nedd, whose arms draped over the side of the rafters. He was still asleep. Quietly, Ian got up and followed the ratz, watching it closely. It hopped swiftly to the side as Ian slapped his hand down in an attempt to squash it. Squeaking, the little creature accelerated down the hall, Ian chasing wildly after it.

He bowled through a crate as the creature skidded to the side, hopping towards a pair of broad metal doors at the top of a small staircase. SLAM! He crashed into the door and fell back, tumbling head over heels down the stairs. He landed face down with a loud thump and sat up quickly, still searching for the elusive ratz. Spotting it farther down, he tore towards it, his pupils growing so wide that they nearly took over his entire eye....

Nedd slammed into him from the side, pinning him against the wall. Ian went rigid, his pupils shrinking.

“Stupid little moron.” Nedd hissed through his teeth, mouth foaming slightly. Ian cringed away. “I told you to STAY!”

Nedd struck him across the face, hard, and dropped him. Ian shrieked!

“Shut up.” Nedd growled, cracking his knuckles against his stubby arm. Ian was still shrieking, his face in his hands. “You brought this on yourself,” Nedd hissed, leaning in closer. “When I tell you to do something, I expect it to be d---”

Nedd swung around, eye fixed on the broad metal doors. He clapped a hand over Ian’s mouth, silencing him instantly. Quietly, Nedd approached the doors with his back to the walls, his hand closing into a fist. Ian got up instinctively. A faint beep split the air, and after a pause the door’s doorknob started turning.

“GET BACK!” Nedd hissed loudly, springing away from the door. He grabbed Ian by the throat, flung him around the corner, and hid behind the wall, growling deep in his throat.

Light shone across the floor. Nedd winced and closed his eye, suddenly going ridgid. A shudder of pain ran down Ian’s spine. It was his first time near light as a fully-fledged cylonite victim. He just couldn’t understand why it hurt so much!

“Did you hear that?” A slig’s voice came from by the doorway. The pair of crazed interns watched as a long shadow moved across the light. “It sounded like an animal. Something screaming.”

“A slog, maybe?” A second slig commented dryly. “I’ve heard of some slogs that sound like they’re screaming when they’re upset.”

A chuckle followed. “I guess you’re right.” A clicking noise got Nedd’s attention. It was the sound of somebody loading a snuzi. “Might as well get started.”

Nedd, who was a veteran to attempted attacks on the basement, leapt into the rafters. Ian looked up, whimpering.

“Come on.” Nedd growled quietly, looking down at him. Ian stared up. Sighing something very rude under his breath, Nedd swung down, his legs against the rafters, grabbed Ian’s arms, and tossed him up. Ian let out a squeak of surprise when Nedd caught him and clamped a firm hand over his mouth. Nedd put a finger over his own mouth, signalizing for Ian to be quiet. Ian stopped whimpering.

Nedd had this all worked out; he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that the airship was due to land in an airbase any day now; it would only be expected of the guards to try and kill him before the ship landed. Nedd growled and motioned for Ian to follow, taking off like a dart across the rafters. Ian followed indecisively, his wide eyes glinting in the dim light.

Nedd skidded to a halt, and Ian had to bank clumsily to the side to avoid hitting him. Ian looked up. There was a tear in the side of the vent that was just barely shoulder length.

Ian didn’t like where Nedd was going with this.

“Hold still.” Nedd growled, grabbing Ian’s arms and cramming him through the narrow metal tunnels. Ian started kicking and screaming, sending metallic echoes through the vents. “And stop squirming!”

Ian went limp. Nedd gave him one last shove to make sure he was inside before springing down from the rafters. As quick as a flash he took off into the basement, his legs creating a wide ark as he ran. He was nimble and untraceable, totally in his element; nobody would be able to keep up.

Nedd stopped suddenly and ducked in a doorway, his eye flicking left and right. In the corner of the room was a large mound of sleeping slogs, snoring like leaf blowers and drooling on one another. Nedd snorted, baring his teeth. They smelled horrible.

“Get up!” He commanded, walking over. His feet thumped the ground loudly. Immediately the slog’s stirred, scared even by the sound of Nedd’s voice. Lady shoved her way out from deep within the pile, tongue rolling happily. Nedd turned on his heel and left the room quickly, the slogs following warily behind.

Nedd pointed down the hall, where the sound of sligs was becoming clearer. “Fetch.”

The transformation was stunning. The slogs went from stupid, docile animals to rabid killers, baring their teeth and unsheathing their clawed feet. They moved towards the intruders slowly, snapping their jaws and spraying foam across the floor. Nedd jumped quickly into the rafters and started heading towards the vents.

For once, he didn’t want to be around when the fighting started.

He had more important matters to attend to.

Nedd returned to the vent he had crammed Ian inside and forced it open wider, thrusting his head in. Ian was still crunched awkwardly inside. Nedd pushed him farther in, making him struggle, and followed behind, jostling to make room.

“Move over!” Nedd hissed, kicking him roughly. Ian scurried down the vent with surprising speed. He was much smaller and lighter than Nedd; navigating through the cramped quarters was no problem for him. Nedd followed bitterly behind, for once dreading the fact that the cylonite had made him larger than other interns.

A sound crackled the air. Gunfire. Nedd, suddenly realizing how much noise they were making clamoring through the vents, forced Ian down. Ian collapsed against the metal floor obediently.

For now, they would wait.