Gravity Chapter 7
#573 of my stuff
took me long enough XD
The unholy form that Black Hat was now taking as he allowed himself to transform was similar to what Flug had seen before. Nearly undescribable, masses of tentacles, black and writhing with demonic eyes and hundreds of fanged mouths, was only part of it. One couldn't even tell what parts of it were specifically what anymore, and it only increased in size, emitting it's own haze of thick, black, choking smoke as it lashed out.
It attempted to surround the scientist, long, sharp thorns growing from the tentacles, along with materializing dozens of clawed hands. Or were they talons? Flug couldn't tell, nor did he care. He was far too busy avoiding the things, narrowly missing the buzz-saws that came at him as well.
Green, slimy ooze dripped from all the mouths, spitting acidic venom at him. Saying that Black Hat was pissed would be a severe understatement right now.
The scientist flew about, maneuvering with swiftness to escape his former bosses wrath. He was still high as fuck, and completely insane, but he was aware, just barely, of the danger he was in. He wanted to put up a fight, have some sort of come back, but he was so busy just keeping his defense up with aerobatic maneuvers, he didn't really have time. He had known Black Hat was insanely powerful, but even the scientist had to admit that in his drug infused stupor he was often in, he had severely overestimated his own abilities.
The monstrosity had found and crushed his small machine that had been producing the smoke and electrical currents, as well as the machine he had planted that had opened the hellish portal. Even though the portal was gone, there were still rotten, mangled bodies everywhere though. Flug had found that portal device years ago in the manor, and duplicated it in secret. His curiousity had gotten the better of him, and what Black Hat didn't know at the time was fine with the scientist, he wasn't beyond doing one or two very small things behind his bosses back. Of course if he had ever gotten caught...
The portal had been a route to a place that Flug could only describe as a level of hell. There were beings in there, souls, bodies, things he couldn't even describe, but he had figured it out, it was where the demon sent the remains of his victims when he was finished with them. Sure, he usually devoured their entire essence, but there were tidbits here and there he didn't want, and there were some beings that he destroyed that he didn't want to die quickly, he wanted them to suffer in the hell he had created first. It was one of the places where the demon went to for 'recreational' activities.
A tentacle very slightly nicked his left wingtip, just enough to cause him to spin a bit. The spin sent him soaring in an unexpected direction, toward the center of the massive creature. The center itself could not be seen, as it was enveloped in the pitch black smoke, in which Flug was now flung into. Whatever the substance was, his engines couldn't dissipate it, and clogged up immediately. They sputtered, and he felt gravity take him, falling from flight.
Demencia was in the stands still, as was 505, who had come over to join her. The bear still considered her a friend, even though she was rather violent. The crazed girl was rooting and cheering for Black Hat of course, while the bear was doing the same for Flug. They both had become pretty quiet though, when the demon had taken this form. Now they were scared for themselves too. The eldritch was not just attacking Flug now, he was going after literally everything that moved. The shields were holding, but for how long remained to be seen, as they were starting to flicker in some parts, they could only take so much. Everyone in the stadium had started fleeing by now, and it was nearly empty, save the bear and lizard-lady. They weren't about to abandon their masters. Even if one had nearly gone mad from their high, and the other was a completely out of control eldritch.
"Bear..."
505 looked at her, quivering and whimpering.
"Yeah I was thinking something similar. But Flug is so dead! There is no way in hell...!" Demencia started.
The bear looked back at the center of the stadium. There was no sign of his beloved creator. Only the hellish beast that was Black Hat.
At that moment, the shield broke, and the two were forced to scramble, searching for cover. There wasn't much but rubble left as the demon's wrath echoed violently through the rapidly deteriorating stadium.
When Flug opened his eyes, he saw he was on the ground, but there was nothing but blackness around him. As he had fallen, he had retracted his wings to protect them, and activated his own personal shield. That had saved him. It was holding everything back from him, in this tiny little bubble, but he knew full well it wouldn't last long, not against something with this much power. The shield had taken the brunt of the fall, along with keeping him safe from all the buzz saws, thorns, fangs, acid, and tentacles around him, not to mention the thick, black, toxic smoke that he was in.
He was starting to come off his high, and felt fear starting to creep back into him. Normally he would be so terrified right now that he would be a foaming, garbled mess, groveling face down. The drugs in his system were just barely keeping him 'functioning' to a point. However, no matter how much he put into himself, such a situation like this... the fear would still manage to break through. How could it not?! Just beyond the shield, things that one wouldn't even see in their worst nightmares were desperately trying to dig their way in, aching to tear at his very soul and flesh.
Flug dare not open his mouth, terrified he might let something slip that would only fuel the beast. He had to be careful, and he was entirely unsure of what to do next. A grenade? He would have to pull his shield down momentarily, and there was no way he was doing that! His defenses wouldn't last much longer, even with nuclear power, against something like this, it was already beginning to weaken. The scientists breathing began to quicken, hyperventilation was just moments away. God dammit, he thought, I really AM an idiot to think I could pull this off!
A sudden noise above the stadium distracted the out of control demons attention. It was...
Heroes?! HEROES OF ALL THE TIMES IT HAD TO BE FUCKING NOW?! Black Hat hated Flug, but these goody goodies were not something he could ignore, not when they were coming en masse to attack him. They must have seen him destroying the stadium, or heard who knows what coming from here. I mean, it would be impossible for them to miss. Flug watched in amazement as the eldritch redirected it's focus to it's new enemy and left him alone. It appeared to be a large assortment of the Hero League, made up of a division of cooperating heroes. It had been started specifically to attempt to counter Black Hat. They never were able to defeat him of course, but they did keep trying.
The flying ones were moving in formation with their stupid capes flapping about behind them, trying to distract him even more so the ground bound ones could get up under his defenses. It wasn't working well for them, as the endless amount of summoned tentacles easily kept them at bay.
Elemental heroes, who had power over fire, ice, and other things, were arriving now. They actually had some success with the tentacles, in comparison to their counter parts. They were actually managing to break/dissipate the tentacles with a combination of their elements, freezing and super-heating them to breaking points. There were far too many of course for them to get even close to harming the center, but it was keeping him busy.
Flug thought for a moment. His drugs were fading rapidly from his system, and he was starting to feel extremely exhausted, as if he were going to crash at any moment from the high doses he had forced in himself, to put anymore in would be suicide. The demonic form that was Black Hat was starting to shrink a little, reducing it's form. Is he... weakening...? The scientist wondered. There were over 40 heroes attacking him with all their capabilities, but he had never known his former boss to get tired, or lose strength. But it seemed that even that might be a possiblity.
There was a sudden burst of energy from the demon, followed by more choking smoke. By now Flug's shield had failed, and so he quickly put a gas mask on that was in his backpack, hoping it would be able to filter whatever the hell this substance was. He was extremely lucky that it worked. There was so much commotion going on, that he didn't notice the being approaching him in its swiftness.
Quite suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air by the front of his buttoned up lab coat. Out of the stadium, past the haze, higher and higher. Looking, he saw it was one of the flight enabled heroes, wearing a disgustingly stupid skintight spandex in yellow and blue colors. The super human grinned at him with his ridiculous double chin.
"If it isn't Black Hat's little pet scientist! You're looking a bit different then usual, but that bag on your head gives you away, you know! It's time to end your evil ways! No more destructive machines for you!"
He held Flug up at arms length, hundreds of meters in the air. Demencia and 505 looked like tiny ants from here. They were no longer in danger with Black Hat being occupied by his foes, but they had built themselves a little fortress out of the stadiums wreckage anyway, being the heroes were coming after them as well. Their enemies must have missed the memo about their split up, because they were still acting as if the four were still working together.
"REPENT, SCIENTIST, DISCARD YOUR EVIL WAYS!" The one holding Flug said.
The human struggled in his grip. "FUCK YOU!!" He yelled at him, activating his wings. He was gonna drag this moron across the sky and show him was REAL flying was... Stupid jerk! The wings immediately jolted out of his back pack, and charged their momentum, sending them even higher. The hero, startled for a moment, lost his grip, but regained it by grabbing one of Flug's ankles as he tried to get out of reach.
The scientist flew as hard as his engines would allow him, he spun and stunted his way across the sky, trying hard to shake the cling on. The hero was relentless, and wouldn't let go, but he also couldn't regain control because of the pressure from the wind, they were going too fast, and Flug was keeping it that way. Every time he smacked the hero against a building, trying to jar him loose, he would immediately go back to zooming around at full speed.
"LET GO OF MY LEG, YOU PIECE OF-" The villain started, but was interrupted by another action coming from his right side.
Another hero that could fly had seen what was going on, and she nimbly flew up, following them. She was swifter then her counter part, dressed in aquamarine and lavender, a similar caped, skintight suit as well. In the millisecond that the scientist had slowed to slam his opponent against another brick wall, she caught up with him. Grabbing his right wing tip, she tore it in half, nearly severing it. It hung on by a few wires, but was absolutely unusable now. At the same time, she pulled on the still structurally sound part of it, swinging him around so that he was smashed into the building face first instead. He hadn't even had a chance to activate his shield, and it would take it a good two more minutes to recharge enough to even be used momentarily. It wasn't time he had, as now both of the heroes used their strength to slam him into the building yet again.
As this happened, Flug felt several of his bone's break from the impact. His mind wavered in a dazed state, unable to respond, but not quite unconscious, filled with pain. The blow, along with the coming down from his height on the drugs, took it's toll, he could no longer function, and went limp. The female still was holding him by the damaged wing.
"So, do you give up? Going to stop your evil ways? Evil never wins, good always triumphs!" She said, giving him a little shake.
"Well said! We have more to fight for, more to lose, we will never surrender, and we have teamwork!" The guy hero fist-bumped the lady.
Flug was barely able to lift his head, his bag torn to shreds still clinging to his face, his goggles cracked and bloodied.
"Trusting you morons was the first mistake I made as a child. Fuck all of you, til the day you die!" He managed to say.
"A scientist like you would escape prison. That or Black Hat would break you out, because he needs you for business. We must regretably put an end to this. Here. Now." The female said.
The guy hero looked at her, and after exchanging stiff glances, nodded.
"Let him go."
The scientist glared at them through his bloody vision. What the hell were they talking about, Black Hat didn't need anyone, not even for business, let alone a human like himself-
His thoughts were interrupted as the lavender hero released her hold on his wing, and he plunged earthward again.
Black Hat had reduced his form and was hiding himself in his poisonous smog, whipping at the heroes as they tried to come at him with his tentacles. This fight had gotten too far out of hand. He wasn't even fighting his original opponent anymore, because these FUCKING HEROES HAD GOTTEN INVOLVED!!! It pissed him off to no end. Even though he never tired, normally, he was able to run out of energy for his transformations, summonings, and other abilities, though it was something that was practically unheard of, he hadn't had an issue like that in over a hundred years. He was too smart to allow it to happen.
Yet here he was, having to pull himself back, so he could regenerate his power levels. All because of that stupid scientist. Where was the idiot, anyway? He glanced around with the eyes on his tentacles. He could see everywhere, thanks to them, nothing escaped his sight when they were formed. These stupid heroes were so annoying...! He would have to be sure to grind every one of them into dust before he left, to teach any others a lesson. It seemed like they came out of the wood work sometimes, like termites. The more he brutally murdered, the more there were to replace them!
Ahhhh yes, there was Flug... Wait a minute... His tentacle eye moved a bit closer, watching. It was still far away enough not to be noticed, but it could see and 'hear' everything from its location. It watched as the scientist attempted to free himself from the first heroes grip. Though he was unsuccessful, Black Hat was surprised at how violent he was being. Normally the idiot would just quake in fear, specially if the demon was around. Then again he had been doing some absurdly surprising things lately, and to surprise the eldritch was an amazing feat in itself. The eye narrowed as the second hero came into contact with him, and the two managed to subdue him. Hmmmm.... The demon listened to their conversation and wondered, what will-
They dropped him.
ON PURPOSE!
THOSE DAMN HYPOCRYTICAL OBSESSORS OF JUSTICE!!!
The scientist plummeted toward the ground, his body and technology too broken to save him. The force from the wind and fall put him in a daze again, and he nearly passed out. He waited as the gravity took him again, longing for the impact that would be his death. At least this was somewhat honorable, not that that mattered much, being a villain and all. Being killed by a hero, even though he had just gotten started, was certainly better then being killed by Black Hat, this would definitely be less painful then whatever the demon had wanted to do to him. He didn't particularly want death, he still had his self preservation instinct of course, but at least the pain and fear will end, his thick mind thought to himself. Poor 505... An overwhelming sadness filled him, at the thought of the bear being alone...
The howling wind began to quiet, and the scientist felt himself slowing down. Flug wanted to open his eyes, to see what had happened, but his face had so much blood and glass on it, he didn't dare. Did something grab him? No, that couldn't be, he would be dead if anything had tried to grab him to stop his fall, because at the speed he was going whatever part was grabbed would be ripped out of it's socket and yanked clean off. Had he already hit the ground, and was dead? What was this?! He attempted to move slightly, but felt his entire body was being held still. That or he was paralyzed, he wasn't sure which. Realizing he couldn't breathe, because whatever it was was compressing his chest and had his nostrils and mouth covered, he felt himself fading into the blackness again. A familiar scent... His body gave an uncontrollable quiver in fear, and a small whimper escaped him. No...!
The whimper and quiver did not escape the demons notice, as his tendrils continued to wrap around the scientist. He had grabbed him in mid-fall, not by one limb, but by his entire body, slowly, carefully, slowing his descent gently as not to damage him further. He had reacted upon the situation in a split second. Black Hat hadn't even thought about why he should save Flug, he just did it.
He put Flug on the ground, releasing him from his grip so that he could breathe. He had been monitoring the human's heart beat even though he had been strangling him, to make sure he wouldn't die. His injuries were severe, but he would live. He would deal with him later, once the stupid little shit had regained conciousness and he could look into his eyes as the life drained away... The thought excited him, but also a small nagging feeling was creeping into it. Why HAD he saved Flug without even thinking about it? Why....? He had wanted to. He had needed to. He had had a moment of... worry... No, absolutely not! That is ridiculous! He told himself it was because the scientist was not allowed to die by a heroes hands. It was HIS right. The traitorous human's life was HIS to do what HE saw fit. Such a thing would not be taken from him!!! That was the ONLY reason he had rescued the human, so he could have the pleasure of killing him. Concern, specially for a human, for anyone but himself was something alien to him.
Turning his attention to the heroes fully once more, he proceeded to completely annihilate them, now that he had allowed himself to recharge sufficiently. Not one of them survived. Especially not the ones who had gone after Flug. He made sure to punish those two with more severity then the others. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to skin a few victims alive after all. Their screams were so lovely, and their bodies painted what was left of the stadium floor such a glorious dark color...
When it was all finished, and he was finally satisfied that his toys had been completely broken and used, (not much remained of them, except fragments), he turned to take in his surroundings a bit more. He was finally calm again, and in his 'normal' form. The sun had long since set, the full moon was out, it's light glinting on the blood filled, demolished remains of the stadium. There were no villains from the convention left in the proximity, they had all been smart enough to flee for their lives after Black Hat had transformed in the first place. Demencia and 505 were still there however. During the battle, they had stayed in their little make shift bunker, but when it had started to die down a bit, and the demon had regained control over the situation, 505 had snuck away. Finding his friend, he was trying to carry him to safety, or at least to their vehicle so that he could get him away.
The bear had made it out of the stadium and about halfway to their Roller (What Flug had called it) when he felt as if someTHING was watching him. He turned, and was horrified to see Black Hat staring at him from just a few yards away. The demon grinned at him, his sharp teeth shining in the moonlight. Demencia was behind him, a curious but concerned look on her face. Why hadn't her boss attacked them yet? What was he waiting for?!
The demon stepped forward as 505 started backing up, not daring to turn and run, not with that eye watching him!
"The doctor certainly has had quite a day, hasn't he, 505?" The bear didn't answer, he was too scared.
"It seems his fight with the heroes didn't go so well, did it? Pity that we were interrupted by them, I was looking forward to seeing his innards spilled in the stadium!"
The bear now had his back against their vehicle, and was still holding his unconscious battered friend. He had no where to go, he could run, but he wasn't about to abandon Flug! The eldritch loomed over them, the bear scrunched down in fear.
"Yes, I want nothing more then to toy with him... I bet he looks so beautiful when his body is forced inside out, his backbone snapped in several pieces, his ligaments torn all over, his heart still beating as it's held above him for him to see outside of his body!" Black Hat visibly licked his fangs in anticipation, just barely holding himself back from touching the pair, as the bear was trying to shield the injured human futilely.
The demon gave a dark, raspy laugh, his forked tongue flicking at the bear and spitting hot saliva onto him.
"But...."
Black Hat regained his composure and stepped back. He knew full well if he got his claws into Flug now, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. It was so tempting with him in such a state... The scent of the scientists salty blood was intoxicating, it made his limbs twitch uncontrollably.
"It wouldn't be any fun if he's like this. The damage inflicted on him was the work of the filthy heroes. I don't want him to die from that, or even be a part of it. No. I want him all to myself. I want to torture him for hours on end, until the life is slowly drained from him! He was foolish enough to pull all those ridiculous stunts, and he shall be punished. He will learn his place, as will you, BEAR!!!" With that, he grabbed Demencia and the two disappeared in an explosion of smoke and flames.