Not Alone

Hide and Seek (Part Three)

Blue lightning crackled wildly around Brown's body, contrasting with the orange glow.

Brown's fists beat at the innards of the vat, the Parasite so furious it paid no attention to the scorching heat of the metal.

His lens was steaming up.

What is going on? Jellybean screamed in his mind. I can't see! Fix your eye, clanker! It hurts! IT HURTS!

"Now, let this stupid thing tell you something interesting," came the Strider's deep voice from behind them at a leisurely pace. "The heat from that glass is so intense it would make a useful torture device... for a Cameraman like the one you're puppeting, at least. If I pushed that body even a little closer... it wouldn't take a minute for his smart suit to catch fire right on his body. He would be in unspeakable pain."

He pressed harder. Brown could feel his sleeves starting to scorch.

The Parasite kicked at the outside of the vat, denting the metal.

"But I couldn't torture you like that, Parasite. Your little body be a lump of coal in seconds. You'd be dead before you could tell me anything."

It was funny... just like Glitch Toilet himself found out, there wasn't any point being fast if your brain couldn't keep up.

Jellybean's thoughts were nothing but a screaming cascade of NO.

"So unless you want to die very painfully, little Parasite," the Strider's voice was getting closer— Brown could tell he was smiling like a maniac— "You'd better get off him."

Silence.

Brown was still trapped, still blinded by the heat, but...

He couldn't hear that nasty little voice in his mind any more.

He experimentally tried to raise his hands.

It... worked.

His body was obeying him again.

Brown was free.

He felt the pressure of the sword taken off his back, and let himself fall to the ground, landing clumsily, his mind not used to being in control of his body anymore.

Brown wiped the steam off his lens with a sleeve and shakily gave the thumbs-up to Blade Strider, who raised his eyebrows and smiled with a smug look of see-I'm-not-stupid.

But what about—

He could see the Jellybean scurrying away on her spidery little legs, going surprisingly fast.

But not fast enough.

Brown glitched across the room, blocking her escape route, and stood over the Parasite, arms folded.

The Parasite looked so small at his feet, her tiny white eyes glaring in helpless rage. She seemed to be was considering running, gave up and raised both claws like a boxer. Brown shook his camera and picked her up by the cistern.

One carefully calculated leap and he stood back on the edge of the vat, holding the Parasite over the bubbling glass.

The Strider looked at Brown.

"You could hear me when she was in control, couldn't you?"

Brown gave a thumbs-up.

"I knew it," Blade Strider looked at Jellybean in utter contempt. "It seems her last act will be to ruin ten thousand military grade sunglasses. Don't worry, everyone hates those things."