Chereads / P-OUROBOROS / Chapter 14 - Act 14: Judas, The Shackles of Truth.

Chapter 14 - Act 14: Judas, The Shackles of Truth.

... 9th of September 2047 ...

Hearing the voice of Krover in his head, Jaklo would suddenly open his eyes to be met with a blurred and dark visual. The surface felt uneven and his head was vibrating almost as his cheek laid flat across the floor, the headache induced by the drug was overpowering and he could only keep his eyes open for a few moments before having to close them to adjust and open them again. Just as the fatigue took over his body even more, he'd make out the silhouette of what looked to be the inside of a van, it was clear at this point they were definitely being transported, but before the raccoon could connect the dots. His eyes would feel heavy again and he'd close them, falling into a sleep that his insomnia tried to fight against but the drug seemed to triumph over it.

Unlike before, there was no dream. No mannequin mask and no boiling hot sun or TV screens to remind him of his weakness in the past. Instead it was darkness, it was incomprehensible and out of his vivid perception, even with his ability. This was sleep, something he was barely familiar with. Before he knew it, time seemed to warp as his waking hours came around. His neck hurt, his head was still throbbing in pain and his eyes could barely still open. But, he could not drift off again. Thanks to the fact his insomnia was back in control and the uncomfortable position he was flopped in.

Accepting the fact he wouldn't sink into a blissful sleep again, he came to terms with the fact he had to face the many problems that would come around thanks to his last encounter and his foolishness. Opening his heavy eyes, the blur was still there but it was now a lot more readable. The shape of something yellow, black and what looked to be a person sat before him, he couldn't mistake those yellow eyes to be none other than his arch nemesis.

"You're awake." The voice would say, repeating itself again "You're awake." This time it would sound more chipper, like excited but with a malicious intention. "Jaklo.. I thought you would never wake up, I've been checking on you for hours and hours and I was just about to leave again and try tomorrow but. You're awake."

This voice was enough to send adrenaline pumping through him, bringing him to his knees in a panic before hitting his head on something wooden. His headache didn't like that and so he winced, looking right at the Musician as his pupils began to adjust and recognise his old 'friend'. He was locked in a wooden cage, claustrophobic, damp and uncomfortable. A perfect resemblance of the room outside of the cage, dark with dim lighting from ceiling panels and small. This was probably a holding area.

"Cat got your tongue, dear boy? I've been waiting years to see you and instead you wanna be silent?" Jaklo looked at him, fixating on him and feeling disgust for him. If these bars weren't his limiters he would lash out and rip his throat out right now while his adrenaline was still going "Fuck you." Was the one thing he muttered in his raspy voice, sitting himself back down as the Musician leans forward in his stool with an ominous grin. Just then, Jaklo was able to make out multiple other wooden cages around the room. Most likely holding his friends or other innocent people, locked up against their own volition.

"Fuck me? Oho- That's rich, No fuck you.. Okay, you disappear and reappear in that shithole of a town and make me come all the way down there just to find out you're gone? I thought we had a friendship Jaklo, you anger me time and time again.. I keep giving you all these chances, I could have let Clovis impale your bloody head on a stick but instead you're here, talking to me... I gave you that privilege, accept it.. Your lack of respect astounds me." Even though the rant sounds anger fuelled, the Musician would keep a calm and even playful tone the entire way through it. Almost like he was enjoying watching the Raccoon writhe in hatred against him, he had been waiting for this moment all day.

Not even taking the time to play his games, he'd look around the room and past him, starting to feel the memories of what happened prior begin to flood his mind, initiating a burst of panic as he asks a question instead of a response. "Where are my friends? What did you do to them? Are they in here?" The Musician would tilt his head a little, recognising his concern and almost giving him an expression that shows he found it cute. "Oh, don't worry.. I wouldn't leave them out there to be mauled by Bats, dear boy. I brought them here, with you. They're just as important to me as you are, gotta get the ollllllddd Jaklo gang.. back together.. the grand return right? Stealing.. Krover's rackets.. robbing Stardown banks and living together in Sweet Little Dreams of Hope about moving somewhere better.. with all that stolen money, Scarletta.. Rosco... Ellis.. Arasai.. Those wolves and of course we can't forget the angel himself, Jaklo.. What a saint.. Ohoho.. Jaklo, I've missed you."

Clearly bothered and angered how he could bring up the names of his fallen friends, he'd look away and sigh deeply as if not wanting to give him the reaction he clearly craved from the broken raccoon. "You killed Daisy.. Clovis did." Jaklo almost choked on that sentence, saliva suddenly creating a lump of nervousness in his throat as The Musician responds like it was a problem and nothing to be concerned about "Yeaah.. Real tragedy, but I sometimes can't control everything Clovis does, he's like another leader entirely to another group of people that he controls.. The White Hand? They don't much come around to me anymore, but they sometimes work with me when ordered to by the Dime.. Don't worry though, my prince. I won't let him touch you.. Daisy was a good contribution to Clovis' White Hand racket.. Nothing but a pretty whore on the streets of Turner Town, offering herself to get her kids back.. Ransom isn't much my thing but I know that Whoring won't get you anywhere near earning your children back, especially for what that paid.. you could find better pussy in Morisville.. So I took the liberty of training her kids.. to be my personal hitmen.. they gotta play a role some way or the other don't they? They need to learn to be strong."

He knew this would bother him, Jaklo looked back at him with a snarl. Baring his teeth as he leans forward and grips the bars with strength "You did what?" The cat would only grin in response before letting out a laugh "They need to survive someway or the other, right? Especially without their.. Mommy.." Jaklo gripped the bars tighter "You're gonna fucking die.. You sick fucker.. YOU should have rotted in that fucking laboratory.. I wish they killed you when they dragged you away from our Orphanage.. You're a fucking Cancer on this planet.." The Musician continues his signature, terrifying grin as he taunts Jaklo further "Die? Kill me? You? You're a pacifist remember? The Golden Boy who stole all the rackets in Stardown.. You would never do such a thing.. That's adorable." The laugh of the cat would ring out through the raccoon's head, the headache didn't make it any better and he had the urge to just clutch his ears to make it stop. Despite how he was with killing, he couldn't stand being in the presence of such cruelty on full display. It made him want to vomit, parts of Ellis clearly resonating inside of him.

It would cause Jaklo to reach his paws out. In a wild, angry and feral scratching manner as if attempting to grab a-hold of him before realising it was fruitless. He was out of his reach and instead settled down into a defeated slump against the bars with a sigh. "Let me speak to Ellis.." Instead of answering to his request, Musician would ask a different kind of question after sitting back in his stool and dawning a face of contemplation and looking as if to be deep in thought.

"Do you believe in God?" The cat would ask, quickly darting his yellow alluring eyes back to the raccoon's with an innocent smile and clapping his hands together formerly. "No.. There is no God, especially if he lets people like you have power.." The Musician nods, as if deeply understanding this and putting a paw to his chin as if thinking "Do you believe in Jesus?" The Cat would then ask.

Jaklo's response wouldn't change from what he previously said, delivering it with a different set of words "Why the fuck would I believe in Jesus? Did you not hear what I just said..?" The Musician would immediately respond back to him, as if waiting to tell his reply "I think he was real.. however, he's not as biblical as everyone else makes him out to be, no? That quack simply just had Outsider abilities of healing and similar.. He didn't come back from the dead, imagine the hysteria in everyone the few days after he died. They were seeing Ghosts, Jak.. It makes sense right?"

Jaklo was looking to the side, his arms laying out from the bars as if thinking about something else but he responds with an instinctive "Whatever." Which led the Musician to continue "I believe I am the Anti-Christ.." This would catch Jaklo's attention, looking back up at him with a baffled look like he was a walking clown. "Take your fucking meds." The Musician wouldn't listen, proudly placing his hand along his chest "I am the destructor of this world.. I will bring it to it's knees and I am The Messiah.. I am the person every criminal now admires, with what I am creating. This world will soon be gone thanks to me, death will be upon us all. But is that really a bad thing? Is it such a bad thing if half of the people I sought out to hypnotise, all immediately worshipped me without a second thought? As if they've been waiting for me their.. whole.. whole lifes.. just waiting for an opportunity to say.. 'I've had enough.. of the constant cycle of suffering, working to earn a living under a snobby boss and pretending like the way this world is running is okay?' ... That tells a lot about what kind of world we were living in, so many broken minds.. like yourself, Jaklo. I am here to put it to a long.. much anticipated sleep, like a dog with rabies.. I am the gun."

Confused, he'd shrug, as if not understanding. Continuing to gaze up at the Musician "I don't get your fucking point, you're just another anarchical lunatic, only difference is you somehow succeeded.." Suddenly, with a strong grasp he'd grab both of the raccoon's arms and lean down. Staring directly into his eyes and taking a long inhale before speaking again "Jesus.. Existed.. He had someone in the world.. among his disciples.. that didn't fully trust him, they didn't believe in him.. they thought his word was .. bullshit.. He sold him out.. Did he not? For Thirty.. Pieces.. Of ... Silver.. Such greed, such a monocle eye.. That person was named Judas.. And you, Jaklo.. You are my Judas.. You are here to stop me.. You can try to, you most likely will.. but by the time you do, it will already be too late.. That's my point.. You're very special to me.. Even when we're both opposites, Positives often join onto the Negatives.. I can see by how you're acting now.. Me and my Actions are.. gradually changing you, it makes me smile.. Soon you'll Sing my Song.. Everyone Will."

The raccoon wouldn't even fight back, staring back into his eyes and thinking about what he just said for a moment before being shoved back into the cage. His back hitting against the bars as the Musician stands up, starting to walk away without another word. Leaving the raccoon to glance all around the room, looking for a sign that his friends were still in here. Immediately fixating on a cage that held a sleeping Ellis.

"Ellis. Ellis, you okay? you even awake?" Ellis would sit up, seeming to have faked being asleep. Waiting until they were alone, glancing around the room to let his gaze catch wind of the many other cages in this presumed to be holding area. "I'm here Jaklo, with a fine headache too.. What in the hell happened?" Jaklo shook his head and rested his face against the cold, wooden bars of the cage he was condemned to. "I don't fucking know, I felt a prick in my neck when I went outside, I think they drugged me.. they knocked you out or something-- I thought you were dead" Jaklo's voice cracks with mild sadness at the end, Ellis hugged the bars and not feeling much sympathy for the raccoon at the moment.

"Well, breathe it in. I'm here, he's been trying to talk to me as well for hours but he was more interested in talking with you.. I had a look around the room a bit ago, Rasmus isn't here. Neither is Daisy, you think they killed them?" Just then, like a memory he didn't want to remember he recalls Daisy's fate but not so much Rasmus. Deciding to deliver the news to Ellis "Daisy is dead." He'd state it coldly, like he had no care in the world. Ellis was too shocked to really take notice of how lightly he brought up her death. "So.. What about Rasmus then? They kill him too?" Jaklo sighed again, pushing a paw onto his face with frustration "I don't fucking know, Ellis.. I'm glad you're here with me, I don't know what that fucker has planned for us both.. I just hope Rasmus is in one piece."

Rasmus was alright but not exactly in one piece, in another room around the mysterious building they were being held at. Rasmus sat with bruises along his face and body while being restrained to a rotted wooden chair. Blood dripping from a busted lip, his head slouched downwards facing the floor and holstering an emotionless expression. "You look like one of them.. You're dressed like one of them too, there's no soldiers around anymore. You're wearing an Outsider Buster uniform too.. You're not a soldier, stop lying."

The wolf looked up at his torturer, another wolf who was holding a police baton dripping with blood "So why do you say you're a soldier? You can't be a Vet.. All the Vets are dead, Musician killed them." The torturer states, Rasmus growled and struggled against the bounds in his chair "Fucking idiot.. I'm not a rebel for any cause, I'm an old Veteran who was living peacefully in the fucking woods before you and your other fellow outcasts showed up at my front door.." The anger running through his cold blooded veins was still present, mourning over the death of Daisy. He really cared about her "Only Vets around nowadays are wearing those uniforms with armour, usually for protection. I just wanna know where this little rebellion gang of yours is hiding out, they've been pestering us for a long time now." The torturer moves close, pressing the police baton right up against his neck to threaten him but it only instilled more rage in the prisoner's veins.

"I know NOTHING of a REBELLION around here.. And if they ARE around here I hope they get your leader and cut off his FUCKING head!" This would result in a hard whack to the side of Rasmus' head, sending him into a recoil as more blood drips from the Wolf's lips more onto the bloodied tile floor, he was held in an old kitchen. "Wrong answer.. Besides, why would a random Vet let three runaways into his home? You must have known they were wanted by not only the White Hand but the Musician too.. You wanna aid this little cult of people trying to stop our Messiah?" Rasmus was strong, but he was slowly cracking as his lip quivered and his face twitched with adrenaline "I know.. Nothing.. of a Rebellion.."

Right as the Bat raised again to give him another hard beating, he flinched and in the corner of his eye stood someone familiar.. The Musician "Stop!" The bat would freeze in place, delivering Rasmus from the pain of a smack. "Let me talk to him.. Maybe he's telling the truth."

The torturer would turn and face the cat, glancing at his violin then at his face that harboured the classic smartass smirk. "You sure? I'm confident I can beat it out of him" The Musician would wave his hand in disapproval "And I'm certain that I'd like to see his story.." Almost as if on command, the torturer would take one glance back at the battered and restrained wolf and leave the room. The Musician would approach and pull a stool closer to him and sit down on it, holding his violin elegantly.

"So, you're a Veteran? An actual one? Not a rebel for the cause.." The wolf would fall silent, not saying anything and keeping his eyes on the floor near his feet as the Musician continued to speak. "Silent act? Works really well especially in interrogations.. I would know, I also know how to effectively get into people's heads.." Then Rasmus would look up, deciding to speak and staring him dead in the eye with a murderous, empty expression "Because you're a monster.. I'm gonna get out of this chair and I'm gonna skewer you on my blade." The Musician rolls his eyes and chuckles "Sure you will.. You like Music?"

Avoiding the threat, Rasmus gave a psychotic smile to him in response "I like Music.. Sure, none of your trash tastes.. Too popular for my liking." The Musician seemed to like this, finding it playful and grinning at him "Oh well I think it's best you try.. before you deny it, hm? I'll play you a sample.. a sample from your past.. I want you to tell me where you've come from. What happened to you, dear Vet."

Lifting the violin and pressing it into his shoulder, he'd press the bow to the strings and harmonize with song and instrument. Not a single word, pure talent would fill the room as beautiful noise. Rasmus found himself mesmerised yet disturbed, a beautiful hymn that described Terror, Trauma and Recovery. How he knew this? He didn't know.. It was almost like it was a seed planted there in his mind from the very second he was born and it grows and grows to the sound of music into a beautiful tree that will overtake his mind.

"Just let that tree grow.. Let it mother a very special type of fruit.. do you know what your favourite fruit is?" Almost like it was on command, Rasmus would respond ".. Grapes.. I like grapes" The Musician smiled as the music amplified more, hypnotising the wolf without him even knowing. "Forget about Grapes Rasmus, imagine a world full of those trees.. all of them with their own special kind of fruit growing without end.. All exotic and new to our tastebuds.. each one tastes better every time.. Now let your tree grow to fruition.. let that fruit fall to the grass on a.. sunny hot day.. I'll come along and harvest it."

Rasmus imagined this all, happening inside his head and it was one of the most beautiful things he had seen. Even if he failed to realise his very enemy was directly assaulting his mind "Now I want you to picture that fruit.. as your story.. When I pick it up, what will I learn from eating it.. what will I see? Rasmus.." The music on the violin would crescendo.. it was so dramatic and it brought a tear to his eye, he remembered everything and each memory that passed spilled out in a slurry of words to the Musician.. It was the very thing that happened in the Mines when he was locked inside, with his commander and the Medic he so desperately tried to help. He had kept this locked up in his mind for years. Not daring to share a peep of the story to another soul, yet here he was.

( Death of the Soul - Perturbator would play here. )

The visuals he was experiencing in his mind were dark, dusty and full of noise and trouble. There was an Otter and another wolf and he continued to imagine and think about each and every second passing moment. Unaware to the fact he was describing each thought and memory like a book to the Musician

"Dark, Dusty, Panic."

The otter would shuffle around in the narrow pathway, his feet slipping off of the railway for the minecart and onto the cold gravel every once in a while. Rasmus stood behind him and the commander wolf was in front "There's gotta be another exit out of here.. They blocked that one, keep following boys.. just a little more." They had traversed deep into the mines, it was cold, dark and every breath of air became warmer and a lot more thicker. The triumphant footsteps of the army of Musician's men above them sent dust down from the wooden structures onto their heads.

"Panic, hysteria, hope." Rasmus says frantically, the Musician listening.

The stomping above had gone quiet, the musician's men had probably infiltrated the city at this point. The darkness would set in and the lack of daylight was crawling on them like the spiders and bugs that wouldn't leave them alone. They had encountered many crossroads, all of which led deeper into the mines no matter how much they tried to find another way out. They had rested up for now, sitting along the cold floor and sparking a fire out of one of their own uniforms as the commander sat topless now. The otter was stoic, the wolf was determined and the commander was silent. The fire crackled, warming their wounds and beaconing their hope. Not a peep from the bugs in the mines and not a rumble from the ongoing war above, They were in solitude.

"Warmth, Memories, Rest"

"You remember that time? Back in training in '26 When I hit that bullseye on the dartboard three whole times?" The otter's voice was rasped, the smile on his face seemed genuine now. Rasmus enjoyed that, reminiscing with him while the commander was turned on his side either sleeping or pretending to be. "Yeah-" Rasmus responded quickly, the fire reflecting in his eyes as it began to dim. The shadows conquered just as the fire would sleep into the night along with the others too. Into the night, the otter was singing a russian lullaby to himself as a comfort, he had been singing the entire time. Rasmus had grown fond of the lyrics, remembering each one.

"Lost, Thirst, Insanity." Rasmus' voice would shiver, a chill running up his spine as he forgot why he was reliving this traumatic event in the first place, but he continued.

Every split in the mineshaft was unpredictable, they could only do a coinflip and determine which end to go down. Along the way, they encountered two empty and rusted minecarts with a heap of water inside of them that had leaked from the earth above. Reminding them they were exploring what was most likely their own tomb, the water was undrinkable. The otter would continue singing the comforting russian lullaby to himself just as the commander had cracked, pounding the wall with a desperate punch and drawing his sword "Why is everything so difficult? Why must there be so little of us.. We couldn't possibly take all of those bastards on our own, I'm fucking TIRED.. I need to get OUT OF HERE! PETE.. For once.. CAN YOU STOP SINGING THAT FUCKING COMMIE SONG!" The otter quivered in fear at the wracked distress in the commander's voice, but he had a comforting pat on his back from Rasmus to reassure him he wasn't alone in feeling afraid. They both knew their leader was to be the first to lose it completely.

"Hunger, Fear, Death"

"Are we going to die in here, Rasmus?" It was the third day, everyone was starving and each of them were ready to give up. The commander remained asleep, while Rasmus continued talking to Pete. "No.. No we're going to find a way out, this is Stardown's Mineshaft.. I know for a fact it has two exits. We gotta keep going, we'll get out of here and find a restaurant and get ourselves the biggest burger we can find.. right?" Rasmus held the hand of Pete, watching the tears stream down his face that were reflected by the flame of the fire that fed on the Otter's uniform. Rasmus looked down at his frail, skinny body now, wracked with starvation. Just like his own.

"Starvation, Desperation, Protection." Tears streamed down the wolf's face

"I need to.. I can't take this anymore, I've tried eating one of the rats, they aren't MEANT to be edible.. just let me take a piece of him and cook it, I can't eat you.. you're a wolf but I can certainly eat a fucking otter" The otter in question was asleep, a heavy sleeper. Rasmus stood over him, gripping onto his rapier and getting ready to draw it as the commander stepped closer "Just a bite.." Rasmus drew his rapier and aimed it at the commander "Get the fuck back.. Now, we're not doing that." The commander too drew his rapier, having no intention of talking Rasmus' blade back into his sheath.

"Fight, Kill, Satiated"

"Why did you.. why did you do it.. You killed him" Rasmus stood there, watching the otter on his knees hugging the bloody dead body of the Commander. The smell of ashes from the extinguished fire filling the air "I had to.. he was going to kill you--" Rasmus felt comfort, knowing the threat was gone and it was just him and Pete. His commander was dead, his hope was almost dead and he was almost dead. There was exactly three holes in the commanders body. Three holes that bled the same blood they all bled, he was one of them, And he killed him, he was on their side. But, he found comfort in the fact the Otter was still on his side, that he could make it out with someone. And forget this ever happened, a smile crept along the wolf's face.

The otter would sit still, hugging the body as his sobs came to an end. His instincts took over, the otter began desperately tearing into the corpse and eating him. Filling his mouth with guts, vital organs and anything he could eat. While Rasmus watched with a frown, his last beacon of hope before him dwindled into insanity led by an insatiable hunger. It had to be done, Rasmus drew his rapier once more and drove it through the back of the Otter's skull, killing him instantly. For the first time, in a long time. The last wolf standing shed a tear, succumbing to his urges just like the otter and starting to devour him. Filling his hungry stomach with the remains of his fellow comrade, his mouth dripping with blood as the clank of his rapier hitting the railway tracks filled the narrow passageway.

"I, Ate, Them."

His belly full, his thirst at an all time high and his uniform and mouth covered in the blood of his fallen soldiers. His mind was full of regret, realising he was selfish for killing his friend for doing the exact thing Pete ended up doing. Something in his mind snapped, his instincts took over and he just had to have a bite, a bite turned to two and two turned to devouring anything and all edible on the Otter's carcass.. A meal he once called a friend.

"Light.. At the end of the tunnel."

Light.. there was a light, yes a light. After countless days of darkness, dizziness and sadness. There was a light at the end of the mineshaft, daylight. The sounds of bird echoed down the tunnel as Rasmus approached, freedom but at what cost? His tired, sore feet slipped off of the mine cart tracks and onto the gravel as he desperately approached his ticket to getting out of there.. He swore to live alone, nothing was worth it anymore. He didn't deserve to accompany anyone else after what he did, he was dead-weight.

The feeling of the sun warming his fur and his bones was mesmerising, he could hardly open his eyes as this was the first time the sun had caught sight of him in days. The light would blind him, suddenly opening his eyes as if he were sleeping for a long time and realising he was still in the kitchen. Staring ahead at the Musician in front of him as the memories pour back to him, he was able to get into his head so quickly. Even though he had never experienced this kind of hypnosis, he felt everything he was thinking was just spilled out onto the floor in front of him for the cat to analyse.

"Interesting.. you were one of the people sent on the day with no ears to disable my advance? I thought I killed all of you, the mines huh?" The cat cooed, teasing him and setting the violin to the side as the wolf struggles more against the chair. "I'm impressed, you should have starved in there.. You made a sacrifice, I admire that." Past his teasing, the musician seemed genuinely intrigued by what he had heard which only stirred the pot of rage inside of the wolf more, he felt like his trauma was a book that had been opened and enjoyed by this sociopath.

"I get it now, you're not one of those rebels. You are a soldier but, questions remain. Why are you helping a lowlife like Jaklo?" The cat would stand, circling around the chair and awaiting an answer which didn't satiate his question "I'm not a rebel.. I am sticking with Jaklo, in hopes that he'll kill you. At first I had my doubt, but you killed someone I felt I had a growing connection with, you took her away from me. So now, yeah. I'm going to help him kill you"

The musician would stop in front of him, snickering like a child and leaning down to stare directly into his eyes. Rasmus being met with the expression that represented a void, hollow with no emotion conveyed on that fluffy cat face whatsoever "There are people already who want me dead, you aren't anything special. You aren't a soldier for a cause anymore." Just like a lightbulb turning on, after finishing this sentence The Musician would start to sing a delicate, classical song that Rasmus seemed to recognise. He didn't know how, but through his hypnosis he must have directly got into his head and saw everything. This means he really was read like a book.

"I'm in a trance.. a beautiful trance~ since I fell in love with you.." The lyrics would set him off, shaking in the chair even more and sending to let out a growled "Shut up." But the musician refused to stop, continuing to sing as he enjoyed seeing how it aggravated him "I'm afraid I'll wake and find, it was only.. in .. my .. mind... Was it a dream?--" Then the wolf would rocket forward, sending the chair shifting right towards the cat without any consequence. Until, the chair would rock back and fall directly to the side, causing his head to slam against the cold kitchen tile as the cat would laugh, picking up the violin and exiting the kitchen while Rasmus laid there. He didn't know what to feel, what to do or what was going to happen. Although, in his heart he knew he was desperate to exact his own revenge mission against this Musician.

Unbeknownst to the other two about what was happening to Rasmus, Jaklo continued talking with Ellis while inspecting his cage for any possible way out. He thought about using his abilities but he wasn't sure how to go about it, his mind felt heavy from the drug like a hangover. It definitely affected his abilities, just as he was thinking of other opportunities to escape by inspecting the lock on the cage. Heavy footsteps would come from down the hall and Ellis would immediately turn over and pretend to be asleep again. Unlike the calm, intimidating approach of the Musician this one was loud and unprofessional. The voice he could recognise from anywhere, it was the Dime.

"You certain he's fuckin' gone?" The possum would ask, someone with a much deeper voice would respond to him as they both opened the door and stepped inside "Of course man, I watched him leave the kitchen just now. He's gone back to Stardown to do one of those bullshit shows of his." The Dime would let out a sigh of relief "I can't fucking believe him.. I can't FUCKING believe him whatsoever.. this shit is so stressful.. I bring him his golden prize and he acts like I didn't just do him a solid.. I hate this shit Sticks."

The man named Sticks, was a canine of some sort. He looked like a husky and was kitted out in gear only the military should have access to, holding a long rod of some sort that looked like a litter picker, Jaklo couldn't quite make out what it was in the dark. "Here he is.. right here." The possum would step right up to the cage and look inside "How you doin! Hot shot! How was the sleep?! Hope you had dreams of luxury while I was out busting my ass off."

Jaklo wouldn't exactly snare back, deciding to fuck with him instead to see what effect it would have "Busting your ass off? Doing what? Killing more innocent people?" The dime would grin and wink "You got it Amigo!" This would of course quickly backfire, causing Jaklo to huff and sit back. "Now.. What to do with you.. prize turkey.. hmm.. You wanna know something Jaklo?" The Dime would ask him, Jaklo responded back immediately "No."

But the arrogant Dime would talk anyway "WELL! I brought you to my Boss and he didn't pay me richly like he told me he would.. I thought I'd get a greater promotion, turns out he thinks he can control me.. holding a fucking carrot and stick in front of my face to keep me going like an engine.. he didn't do Jack shit, got a thank you and told me to go on my way.. Now I'm fucking pissed.. he's been doing this shit to me for years and me and Sticks have been talking, we're deciding to give him a message.. a very clear fucking message."

Jaklo shrugged, rolling his eyes and acting like a brat to hopefully piss him off but the possum seemed content with this behaviour "Why should I care? Go shoot your shit, You want my approval?" The Dime chuckled, pulling out a pistol and aiming it directly at the raccoon who wasn't phased "Ask me do I want YOUR approval again, ASK ME.. I want nothing from you but you.. your fat ass is coming with me to the Stadium.. we're going to make you fight and watch you and your friends get tore to shreds. It's about time I stood up for myself, it's about time the entire White Hand stood up against that bastard.. from here on out we're going solo and if not solo.. then against him." His voice held so much malice for the Musician, Jaklo's eyes widened as he lost his cool.

"We're not going anywhere, you psycho. Musician said we stay right here, your job is done." Clovis would lower the gun, standing up and looking over at sticks who approached with the litter picker looking contraption. Turns out it was a type of taser, firing up the electricity as Clovis continues to talk "You don't get a say in anything.. You're MY damn prisoner, you and your informant buddy over there. He can't protect you now."

Jaklo froze for a moment, glancing over at Ellis who was sat up in his cage by now and looking around. "Informant? What do you mean by Informant?" The raccoon would grip the bars again as the possum stepped closer with a smirk "Oh, so you still don't know, huh? Right after you and your buddies departed when Musician clocked that mouse kid.. Ellis over there was so distraught he went to the police about it.. told them everything.. Musician wasn't expecting that, he just wanted to be arrested and the loudmouths interrogating him spilled the beans that there was an informant witness working against him."

The raccoon seemed defeated, staring over at Ellis who had an expression of sadness. Jaklo held an expression of disappointment, even if their crew was separated after the death of Rosco. He never would've fought Ellis would fully give it all up and rat every single person involved out. Even if it meant selling himself and others out too, he was willing to do it. "Poor guy.. your trust broken.. huh? If you want me to I can cap him right now in the head, dude. I have respect for you a little bit.. just a teeny bit.. besides, I don't like rats."

This would stir inside Jaklo, his grip on the bars descending as he felt the strength and motivation drain from his body. Then the possum leaned closer, his snoot peeking through the bars as he let out a dark chuckle, about to tell him something even worse. "One last thing.. your little boyfriend, Rosco? The bullet he was shot in the head with went around his skull, Being held in the Metal Ocean laboratory and giving us some good power thanks to his abilities.. He's alive."

Adrenaline peaked in the raccoon's body faster than it ever has, looking up at his captors and immediately gripping the bars again "Where?! Where the fuck is he? He's alive?! you fucking scumbags!! where is he. .WHERE" Before he could beg anymore, Sticks reached the taser rod through the bars and immediately subdued the raccoon. Sending volts through his body and locking his joints as the cage opens, no matter how much times he tried to go back in his head. His ability refused to work, not because of the taser but the hangover was restraining him still. Only able to helplessly watch as they bound his arms and feet together with handcuffs, listening to the desperate shouts of Ellis in the background as they start to carry him out, the raccoon's body continued to twitch and writhe as the effects of being tased were still in full blast. Rosco was alive.