[Moosh da Outlaw]

Wow, I feel extremely loved. <3 I never thought anybody would like my fic that much!




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The generator so far had been repaired to the point where it was barely recognizable. They had gone over its hard metal shell with steel twice as thick as it had been before, just in case something else went wrong.

The vykker Vhern had spoke with before drilled a second steel plate into place with a sigh. He quickly swiped a stick-thin arm over his brow. Who knew repairing a generator could be such hard work? Reaching down, the vykker grabbed a second heavy strip of metal and held it tightly against the generator, screwing it into place. Just as he was about to drill the plate on completely, he stopped.

The vykker released his grip on the spinning drill and looked at the generator in confusion. He could’ve sworn he’d heard a sound coming from the inside. Without hesitation he un-screwed the metal plate he’d just fixed and set it down, staring into the bowels of the generator. Despite the fact that dozens of other people were noisily working, he could hear a sound that distinguished itself from the rest. It was faint and squeaky, like an unoiled door hinge.

“You,” the vykker ordered, turning to the intern working next to him. The intern didn’t work for him, but still, it was an intern, so it would follow his orders no matter what. “Go get me a flashlight.”

With a grumble the intern dropped what it was doing and left. A minute later it returned and handed the vykker a cheap key-chain flashlight.

“Thats the best you could do?” The vykker asked dully. The intern gave a careless shrug.

Grumbling about the ‘inefficacy of workers these days’, the vykker turned on the light and looked inside the generator. He could smell smoke; not a strong, flame-fueled smoke, but the kind of smoke that came from a lot of friction. The vykker shined the light higher up, and was suddenly aware of voices behind him.

“What are you doing?” A fellow vykker asked, arms on its hips.

“There’s something wrong with the generator.” The vykker said smugly, glad that he sounded important. “There!”

Everybody nearby peeked inside to see what the vykker was talking about. Shining in the flashlight’s glow was a gear. It was jerking spasmodically in place instead of spinning, which was slowing the other gears down.

“What the heck?” Somebody said behind the vykker. The vykker leaned closer in, squinting.

“It looks like something’s wrapped around it. Something metal.”

“Well don’t just leave it there. Pull it out!”

The vykker looked back at the intern he’d addressed before. “Get me a crowbar. Hurry!”

With a groan the intern left to do his bidding. Seconds that felt like minutes ticked by. After rummaging around in a toolbox the intern gave the vykker a crowbar, and crossed its arms as though saying ‘don’t expect me to do anything else.’

The vykker reached in as far as he could, careful to avoid his arm getting snapped between the huge cogs, and hooked the crowbar’s lip around the metal. He pulled back with the crowbar as hard as he could. “It won’t budge!”

A couple of interns and vykkers reached in to help him pull out the crowbar. Despite their combined effort, the metal still wouldn’t come loose. They braced themselves against the side of the generator and heaved. They were soon rewarded with a satisfying creak as the metal was pried loose.

“There.” The vykker gasped, dropping the crowbar. “That’s worked out nicely. Lets just take a peek inside and---”

They looked inside quickly, just to stiffen in horror. The metal was gone, but so was the gear!

“Crap!” the vykker cursed, looking down inside the generator. The gear had fallen off somewhere inside. They could only watch, startled, as the metal cogs the gear had supported started to groan towards each other, having nothing to turn against. The cogs slammed together and kept doing, tearing away shavings of metal with an earsplitting shriek.

“Call the Control Room!” The vykker cried as the room was thrust into a state of panic. “Tell them to turn the generator off!”

The screeching was so loud that nobody heard him. Oily, coal-black smoke poured from the openings in the generator, staining the ceiling. Bits of metal as sharp as razor blades were tossed in the air like confetti. The generator slumped to the side in an eruption of flame, a crack forming at its base. Oil spilled from the opening, slicking the floor a dark black-purple. The vykker looked from the fire to the oil, and gulped.

The room was engulfed in a massive explosion. The vykker didn’t even get to scream.

<~{.epidemic.}~>

The mingled sounds of snoring made it sound like something was dying in the Guard Barracks. Dan dug deeper into his pillow in an attempt to drown out the sound, but with no success. ‘It should be illegal for people to sleep that well,’ he thought, glaring out from where he slept. Dan sighed and pressed his face harder against his pillow. Just when he was about to fall asleep, he felt something grab his arm.

Dan looked up groggily. What? He snapped.

Red released his arm. Come on. We’re gonna see what’s in that room.

Can’t it wait until morning?

Vhern’s guards will still be there then.

Grumbling, Dan rolled out of bed and felt around for his baseball cap. Red pulled him to his feet.

Why do you need your hat now? It’s the middle of the night! Nobody’s gonna care what you’re wearing!

Of course, Red was right. Feeling foolish, Dan followed Red as he left the room. So what’s the plan?

Why would we need a plan? Red asked, looking back at Dan. We’re gonna go see what’s up with that room. Pretty self-explanatory.

Dan glared. That wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted. He hoped that Red at least had an idea of what they were going to do once they got in the room.

They made their way to the room almost silently. No words were spoken, partly because they didn’t want to wake anybody up, and partly because there was nothing to be said. Dan looked down at the floor. He could just barely make out his reflection in the tiling; he looked different somehow. More tired. And not just because it was the middle of the night.

Get back! Red hissed suddenly, shoving him against a wall. Dan stumbled back in confusion.

What is it? Are we there? Dan whispered urgently.

Yeah, but those sligs are still there!

For Odd’s sake, don’t they ever sleep?!

Dan and Red both peeked around the corner. Those sligs were indeed still standing there, though they were leaning against the walls in a half-asleep state. Dan and Red inched back and looked at each other.

So now what?

Red’s fingers rubbed together nervously. I don’t know. I didn’t expect them to still be up guarding the door.

“Need some help?” somebody tried to whisper, though their voice ended up sounding like a muffled squawk. Dan jumped and swung around.

Helix was watching them from inside a closet.

Helix? Red asked, confused. What are you doing awake? And why are you in a closet?

“You’re trying to break into that room right there?”

Dan suddenly realized that Helix probably wouldn’t like them breaking into a guarded room. What? No! I mean, what made you think that? He chuckled nervously, elbowing Red in the ribs. Red didn’t get the hint.

“Get in here!” Helix hissed, grabbing them and forcefully pulling them in the closet. Dan didn’t exactly like the idea of being trapped in a closet with his disagreeable former boss. They stood awkwardly among the mops and cleaning equipment, their elbows close to their sides.

“Look, I know what you’re trying do do,” Helix began, “and thats what I’m trying to do, too.”

Wait, you’re trying to break in too? Why? Red asked suspiciously.

“So I can destroy what Vhern’s keeping alive.”

Which would be...?

Helix frowned. “Take a guess.”

Dan’s eyes darkened. Nedd.

“Congratulations!” Helix said dully. “You’re correct.” He looked around. Both Red and Dan were glaring at him. Helix blinked. “What do you want, a cookie?”

Why didn’t you tell somebody? Dan demanded.

“Vhern threatened to kill me if I did that!” Helix hissed. “I didn’t want to take the chance.”

Red crossed his arms. Well, you just told us, so you’d better hope he wasn’t being serious.

Helix sighed. “Okay, look. You need a distraction for the guards. I need the keys in the room. We can make this a win-win situation if we just work together. I distract the guards, you open the door.”

And how will you distract the guards? Red asked critically.

“Trust me. These guys have brains the size of walnuts. Distracting them will be no problem.”

Helix opened the closet door and stepped out. The two interns followed hesitantly. Smugly, Helix started walking towards where the slig guards were standing.

Try hugging them! Red whispered after him. It worked for me!

Helix did a double-take. “You hugged them?”

Yes—I mean no—I mean, it was just to get their keys!

“Whatever,” Helix sighed, walking up to the guards. Red and Dan watched from around the corner.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen!” Helix said merrily. The two sligs looked at him. “So, how are you this fine, er, night?”

No reply. Of course. Helix grinned.

“Well, what are you doing here? Guarding? Its the middle of the night. Who do you think would be up this late?”

The guards looked at each other.

“I mean, obviously you’re here to make sure nobody breaks in the room. But who do you think would try to break in at night? I mean, don’t you think they’d expect you to still be standing here this late? Two strong sligs like you should be doing more important things, like guarding Vhern. So why don’t you just leave?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

“I mean, did Vhern tell you to stay up this late and guard the door?”

Slig One shook his head.

“No? Well, why not just go? Obviously, you’re his bodyguards, so shouldn’t you be guarding him? You wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, would you?”

The guards looked at each other in shock. What were they doing there? Vhern could be in danger!

“Quick! Go make sure he’s safe!” Helix cried, pointing down the hall. The sligs tore down the hall. Helix turned quickly towards where Red and Dan were standing. “Hurry, I don’t know how long it’ll be before those idiots come back!”

Red and Dan bolted to the door. Fumbling with the keys, Red tried unlocking the door. The first key didn’t work. Frantically he tried the second, than the third, and then... click! The door swung open. The unlikely trio hurried inside and closed the door. Red was already unlocking the second one. When the second door was open, Helix hopped over to a metical cart and started shuffling through the supplies, searching diligently. Dan came up behind him.

What are you looking for? He asked curiously.

“Cyanide.” Helix said triumphantly, holding up a brown bottle. “A quick injection of this’ll kill Nedd in a heartbeat.”

Red was already opening the door to the third room. He pulled the handle back, and the door swung open, exposing a long hallway-like room with a huge iron cage in the back. The cage had a black tarp draped over it.

Even though he couldn’t see through the tarp, Dan knew what was inside.

Helix slowly filled a hypodermic needle with the cyanide. “This is it.” He whispered, taking a step inside. Dan and Red followed at either of his sides, determined. And then—

KRAAAAK—BOOM!

The entire room gave a massive shudder and jerked to the side. All three of the intruders fell in surprise. The entire ship was groaning and swaying like a boat in a gale, making it impossible to stand. With a clink, the keys fell from Red’s hands and skittered across the floor.

What’s happening?! Dan cried as the room tilted, throwing furniture across the room. Heavy chairs crashed against the metal cage at the end of the room, making its single prisoner snarl in rage.

“I don’t know!” Helix gasped, clinging to the door’s frame. The cyanide needle fell from his hands and rolled down the angled floor.

And, as soon as it had started, it was over. The room swayed slightly, making glass bottles clatter noisily together. Dan, Red and Helix got shakily to their feet, their hands against the wall in case of an aftershock.

What was that? Red breathed. Helix gulped.

“I have no idea---”

“ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS!” Came a loud voice over the intercom. Dan looked around instinctively, still holding the wall. “WE’RE EXPERIENCING SOME SLIGHT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH THE GENERATOR. PLEASE REMAIN CALM. AND IF I WERE YOU I’D FORGIVE ANY GRUDGES YOU HAVE WITH ANYBODY RIGHT NOW. THEY WON’T HELP MUCH IN THE AFTERLIFE.”

Some friendly background music played afterwards, as though they were trying to cheer everybody up. Despite their attempts, Dan still knew something bad had happened. A slight malfunction with the generator wouldn’t have affected the entire ship.

“The generator?” Helix hissed, making a break for the door. Unsure of what to do, Dan and Red followed. “For odd’s sake, where’s Vhern when you actually need him?!”

<~{.epidemic.}~>

KABOOM!

A second, quicker convulsion wracked the ship, making Nedd brace closer to the metal fencing of his cage. He looked around wildly with his exposed eye. He’d heard voices, he’d been sure of it! What were they trying to do to him? Quickly making a decision, Nedd reached out with his fingers as best he could and lifted a corner of the tarp, eye pivoting. Whoever had been in the room had left.

“Vhern?” He growled unsurely. “You jackass, just what do you think you’re doing now?!”

No reply came. Nedd was just about to pull back into his cage when suddenly he noticed something. Blinking, Nedd spotted a set of keys lying on the floor just a few feet away.

‘HELL YEAH!’

Nedd sank his teeth into the metal wire at the bottom of his cage and snapped it, wincing. The metal hurt his teeth. He bit through two more coils, ignoring the pain. That wasn’t important right now. He peeled back the metal wiring and squeezed his good hand through the hole, grunting as he reached as far as he could. No luck. Nedd reached even farther, his eyes watering as he felt the metal strands gouge his shoulder. He carefully hooked a claw around the key’s ring and pulled it inside the cage, giddy with satisfaction.

Freedom was close!

He set the keys down and frantically felt the metal muzzle over his face. Finding the keyhole, Nedd selected what he thought was the smallest key and jammed it inside. He tried turning it. No luck. Nedd fumbled angrily and stuck a different key in, wiggling it side to side. It did nothing. Opening a lock with just one hand was easier said than done. Finally, on his third attempt, the muzzle came open. Nedd flicked his head to the side, letting the muzzle fall off his face. He took a deep breath. It felt good to actually breathe again.

Nedd then worked on his shackles. With a little force, they too opened. He was no longer immobilized. His problems were half solved.

Nedd hopped over to the padlock around his cage and stuck a heavy-looking skull key in the lock, twirling it expertly. Clink! It opened without a fuss. Nedd pushed open the gate and stepped hesitantly out, eye scanning the area. Nobody was around. Nedd slowly smiled.

Free at last.