TavernTales 13: Interruption

[BreakABone]

Not to be confused with TavernTales 13 which was a tale of the heart. ;)
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"Listen, I really don't have time to listen to your life story. I'm sure it is full of heartbreak and sorrow. Listen kid, we've all been through it. Would you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Typhoid had interrupted Ace's recounting of his life.

Ace looked at him puzzled. Then he took in his surroundings, everything else seemed to have stopped. "Why are you able to move?"

"That's what I just asked you," Typhoid's face sulked a bit, "I am moving at top speeds and still only seem to keep pace with you."

"Top speed? That's right! You have super speed, don't you?"

Typhoid nodded his head, and thought this guy must be a genius. "So do you have an answer for me or will you continue stating the obvious?"

Ace thought for a few moments before responding. "I could be wrong, but I am able to control time flow. I am not yet 100% sure the extent of my power, but maybe I didn't freeze time so much as slow it down, and you being a speedster, I slowed you down to the rate of a normal human."

Typhoid took in the information for a second. "So if I hear you correctly, I am really moving at super speed, but because time is slowed down it appears that I am moving at a normal rate?"

Ace nodded his head in agreement.

Typhoid pointed to his partners then to Fox and Swan, "And those guys?"

"Not completely sure as I mentioned before, but I believe everyone has an idea of what is going on they just can't react in real time."

Typhoid thought for a second, "And you can move around free... what's with your nose?"

Typhoid had just realized that blood began trickling down Ace's face, Ace wiped off the blood with a handkerchief. "Whenever I extend my powers too far or too long my blood begins to betray me so this little scene will be short lived."

"Is that so? Then I guess I will act fast." Typhoid gathered up any material that he could as quickly as he could. He was able to fasten a makeshift rope and wrestle down Fox and Swan back to the ground. He hogtied them to make sure there would be no escape now. As he did this, he could see their eyes showing an alertness. He made sure he got in close and whispered the amount of harm he was about to cause them.

"Boys, this time you will die. There is no escape. No surrender. No way out!" He began a long drawn out maniacal life as the scene around him began to come back to life.
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This chapter is different as I have an idea for it but was feeling burnt out so skipped over writing most of it. Wonder if it shows.

[Fox 6]

oh nos!

[BreakABone]

Just so no one thinks Penguin doesn't love em. Gonna mostly focus on grad school stuff at work as most people who came across me on AIM/MSN at work would know.
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2
Fox observed everything going on around him, but could not react. Why had time stopped? Or had it slowed? Why was he able to see what was going on but not able to react nor move. This was not the position he wanted to be in.

HIM! Fox saw him. The man from the bank heist. In all the excitement of the Coalition showing up, Fox had completely forgotten about him. Was he responsible for all of this? He seemed to be able to move about freely. He saw his mouth move, but the words came at him so swiftly. It reminded him of speeding up a cassette when he was a child.

He darted his eyes from side to side as quickly as he could then he located the person the bank robber was talking to, Typhoid! but how? Fox could do nothing from here but observe what was going on.

He was not sure if it was the slowed time or just the length of his story but the bank robber seemed to go on and on. He saw that even Typhoid began to grow bored of this lecture.

Finally, it looked like he broke in and began another dialogue with the bank robber. As they spoke, Fox noticed that Typhoid glanced over at him and Swan more and more often. He had a funny feeling about this.

Typhoid began to make while continously looking back at Fox and Swan. There was an evil twinkle in his eyes that made Fox want to rush from the scene, but he was still frozen. If only he could relay some form of a message to the bank robber, inform him of the type of people he was dealing with.

Then Typhoid was upon them, he had created some type of rope device that reached far enough to wrap around Swan's leg. Then he started to pull them back down to the ground, Fox wish more than ever something would happen. Nothing did as they got closer and closer to the ground.

This is it, Fox thought, they would die here on the ground defenseless. At the hand of just one member of The Coalition, this would not be pretty.

Typhoid began to tie the ropes around Fox and Swan's hand and feet. Fox wondered why they were already defenseless, but as he finished up the answer became clear. The cars started honking their horns again. The birds began to chirp their cheery song. The world around them was coming back to life.

"There is no way out." Fox caught the last of Typhoid's speech as the scene came back to life. They were cut a lucky break when Typhoid was launched across the street. Fox attempted to make moves, but soon found Typhoid was back on the offense along with more of those Combine clones. Dyne and Dylflon rejoined the battle as Fox and Swan attempted to get free of the ropes.

There was some type of material or substance on it that hindered the use of their powers. Apparently, Typhoid had acted a lot quicker than Fox could see.

"Boys, this time let's do it right. No last minute heroics. No epic speeches. No fancy rescues. Just lay there and die for us? Just one last favor from old friends?" Dylflon enjoyed taunting them and let out a maniacal laugh as the Combine soldiers began a vicious attack.
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Sorry for the lateness and shortness, but like said grad school stuff so co-workers can get off my back and felt since most likely won't post over weekend try and get this done.

[Fyacin]

Time-slowing is cool.

[BreakABone]

Let's see how long this takes to write. (Starting time is 5:06 EST)
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3
"By now, you two are beginning to realize that these ropes somehow prevent you from using your powers, and you must be thinking to yourself, how does he know our weakness?" Typhoid began taunting. "Think back... think really hard. Is there a period you can't account for two years ago? Ha ha! Is it coming back yet? I didn't think it would, but WE learned a lot from you two. Sadly, we won't need it after today."

Dylflon reached again for the knife he kept so dear to him. He walked up besides Fox, "One thing I've been curious about is how much pain can your body mask?" He drove the knife into his shoulder blade. A slither of skin came off and dissolved on the ground. "Did that hurt at all?" Dylflon watched as the skin covered itself back up. "Or does that little trick of yours heal the body?" Dylflon stabbed at a larger section of his arm this time. "I guess experimentation is the only way to find out."

Dyne saw how much fun Dylflon was having with Fox which left Swan all by himself. "I know you can probably hear your friend shouting in pain over there, and personally I would feel awful for leaving you out, but I don't use knives. Not my style. Getting up close and personal, no that's Dylflon's favor. There's something about pain that just drives him crazy, but I think you know about that."

Dyne called Typhoid over to him. "You see for you," speaking to Swan once again, "I have something special. Much like Dylflon, I want to feed my own curiosity. We've studied you and we broke you pretty well, but I never got the one answer I sort, but things were different then."

Dyne ordered Typhoid to hold Swan's mouth open. Swan attempted to fight and bite but to no avail. "You see, I've been curious as to how much water you can hold before you burst my dear dear friend. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opporunity to find out."

Dyne started forcing water down Swan's open mouth. At first the water overflowed, but soon it became too much and Swan's body became to inhale it all. Dyne watched with an evil glee as Swan's feet began to expand. The water was coursing through his body at a rapid rate.

"I know you have your mouth full at the moment, but I must admit I would love you go for one of your snappy remarks now. Something like how the dam is overflowing or how your water is about to break. Ha! I guess I could do it as well." Typhoid gave his friend a pity laugh.
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The feeling of being hopeless had never escaped Swan and Fox. In their short careers, they had come up across some unnatural odds, but they always found a way to survive.

This time however it was different. These were not men driven by greed or lust, these were men with a single purpose and that was the destruction of Swan and Fox. Sure, they had escaped, but there was that wild card. Always that factor you could never account for. Had they known about the bank robbers hidden powers? But they couldn't have or they would have used him sooner or maybe this was one huge setup from the get go.

Weaken Fox and Swan through repeated battles and just when they let their guard down a little bit go in for the kill.

Whatever it was it was working. As Fox stared up at the sky in a great deal of pain, he saw no way out of this situation. He could hear his own groans on top of his friend's waterlogged yips. They had never expected a friendship would turn this sour.

Then Fox saw something in the sky. It flew right past the sun and looked like an angel. No it was more like a bird. Was it their gift from heaven?

Fox closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time. He prayed.
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Okay not too bad. Only one distraction.
Hopefully have next part up tonight.

[Fox 6]

I think Im going to be sick! :(

[BreakABone]

I think Im going to be sick! :(

Don't you worry.
Our Canadian duo will find a way out... I hope :(

[Fyacin]

Then Fox saw something in the sky. It flew right past the sun and looked like an angel. No it was more like a bird. Was it their gift from heaven?

Fox closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time. He prayed.


!!!!!

[BreakABone]

Day off, and really don't want to do this, but eh.

4
Nighthawk could feel his vision growing weaker. However, the draw remained strong enough to keep him on his path. Were these captors going to die?

He closed his eyes again to see if the signal was weakening, but this time a new set of images flooded into his mind. It was not of men in danger, but of a calm, waterfront. He looked around to gather any details he could. There was nothing but water and trees, but the setting was calming. What did it all mean?

Then he felt the presence in his mind once again. It frightened him. He lost his focus. His concentration. When he opened his eyes, he found himself free falling towards the ground. What had happened?
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Ace grew dizzy. He had never had this extreme a reaction to his powers before. As his head began to spin, he looked down on the ground as to not get disoriented, but he found a more frightening sight.

Between his shoes was a red pool, his own blood. He had began bleeding at an alarming rate. The world began to spin faster and faster. He tried to hold on as long as possible. He wanted to make sure his friend finished his job. Though the darkened world around him, Ace saw that he had began roping down the two would be heroes. Only a few more moments Ace thought. Then he felt the nice cold touch of the ground beneath him.

His last view was that of a bird overhead coming back to life. Had he failed?
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Bube entered his brother's room. He found it abandoned. No note. No signs of a break-in.

He sat down on his bed. He would wait. He would not have gone too far, he thought.

He began to hum a soothing melody to himself. This would help him pass the time he thought.
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Nighthawk came within inches of the ground before regaining his bearings. That was strange he thought. These visions were happening more and more often.

The vision of the two helpless men returned and Nighthawk started back on his path.

He feared there was not much more time for them.
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"Looks like my investment paid off. The man is about to make contact." He had preparations for the next part of his plan.
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I know it is a bit disjointed but just needed to get some players in position.

[BreakABone]

Might as well finish this up before I disappear for the night or whatever. Can start a new chapter when get to work manana.
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5
Fox opened his eyes and saw the image in the sky, but as he stared at it again. It looked less like an angel and more like... it was getting closer. After all they been through, would the Coalition be robbed of their victory by a bird. While Fox was not ready to die, he would laugh in the afterlife if a bird stole victory from the Coalition.

Dylflon had paid close attention to Fox's eyes. In his experience, he found that the eyes always told the best stories. The mouth always lied. The nose had no sense. The ears could wiggle, but the eyes never could hide. At first, he was pleased to see the pain on Fox's face, but now he saw something different. It was not fear, it was not hope... it was happiness?

Dylflon looked around for the source of Fox's happiness but saw nothing. There were to be no saving grace. There was to be no last minute heroic escape for him and Swan. He traced the eyes and he saw what Fox saw. A bird. A fucking bird was the source of his happiness?

Did he expect it to poke out their eyes or something? Or something... that bastard... Dylflon figured it out. Fox hoped that the bird would kill him before Dylflon had the option to.

"Oh my dear Fox, my victory will not be stolen here. Not now! And not by a fucking bird! Remember, when you took my spot on the basketball team? Oh, I congratulated you but it ate me up inside. Now, you wish something took this victory from me!" Dylflon grabbed the knife tightly in his hand. "I would enjoy nothing more than to make you suffer some more, but I can't risk losing it." Dylflon went to shove the knife into Fox's heart, but Fox was gone.

"You son of a bitch!" Dylflon turned to Dyne, "Watch out before Swan..." Before he could finish his statement, Swan was swept off the ground as well.

"NO NO NO NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Dylflon started kicking the ground with all his might. "They did not escape again."

Dyne and Typhoid tried desperately to recapture Fox and Swan, but whatever had saved them made a hasty retreat.
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"Excellent, phase one is complete. Now to watch where they go." The mysterious figure paced around his lair. It had been years of groundwork, but finally it was coming together.
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I guess I could have combined the two sections but eh.

There's that now. I think.

[Fox 6]

Take that!

[Fyacin]

Ah, not who I thought it was.

Still good, but I don't really care for swearing but other then that.

[BreakABone]

Take that!
You didn't really do anything...

Ah, not who I thought it was.

Still good, but I don't really care for swearing but other then that.

I don't care for swearing either, but a way to differentiate the characters.

And yeah Fox pointed out that you may think it was you.. I'm sorry. :(

I know when you are coming though. :D

[Fyacin]

Don't be sorry, I like the anticipation! :)

[BreakABone]

Just as a nice tease for tomorrow.
This is when stories start converging big time.
And changes are in store for our heroes and villains.