S. L. U. T. : Smoque pt 2

“How do I get in this place?"

"Get off the ground."

She rose up a few feet above the mossy floor.

"Some of those grenades you've got are electrical. Should take care of the piranhas and give you a bit more time before needing to deal the scaley one again."

"And when will it be safe to go into the water to go through the pipe?"

"'Bout thirty seconds?"

"Clockwork?"

"No more than 45."

"Clockwork!"

"You'll be fine! I modified your suit. And you're invincible."

“Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!"

"Stop wasting time."

Smoque pulled the pin and tossed the shocker into the water.

It sizzled and crackled. Bubba Joe flailed around like a fish in a frying pan. His jaw opened in a silent scream.

“He's going to be so mad.” She thought. His tongue flopped out of his mouth and into the water, sending more volts through his system. She waited until he stopped twitching before diving into the water. It was still electrified but it was more of a nuisance than anything else. The piranha lay on the top of the water dead. Vile toothy things.

She grabbed the door to the pipe and turned the round handle. It looked like the type of thing you would see on a submarine. The door swung open surprisingly easy considering it looked like it was covered in rust. Water rushed past her, the pipe must have not had water in it because the pull was strong. Like water going down a drain. It pulled her in as well. Smoque was able to grab and close the door before Bubba Joe's limp body came through. She rode the water down the pipe, making sure Clockwork checked for traps or any other random dangers via the heads up display in her helmet.

"Stop!"

She braced herself against the walls of the pipe a slide to a halt.

"That drop wouldn't have been fun. Especially after you ruined the element of surprise with the involuntary scream as you dropped."

Smoque crouched at the end of the pipe and saw what she meant.

"Thanks."

"Of course. Now if you look straight ahead...."

There was the heiress. Dangling above a pool of alligators.

"Geez, Smoque, why do they always put them above pits of hungry animals?"

"Keeps the victim scared senseless and makes it harder to rescue. If she falls in the hero will feel responsible for the death of an innocent, even though said hero wasn't the one who put them in danger to begin with. This will usually cause some sort of moral internal quarrel with the hero when faced with the villain again. Makes them wonder if they can cross the line of "murder" to keep more innocents from being killed."

"That is some seriously psychological stuff, Smoque."

"Villains are messed up, Clockwork. Luckily for our hostage, so am I.

"What's that she's hooked up too?"

"It looks like she's pumping her full of something. I can't scan that far to know exactly what it is though."

"I thought you could scan anything got can see."

"I can. But you are deep underground. And the H.E.D is not clear down here. We could lose the visual at any point."

"Joy."

"Sorry. She's barricaded herself in here really well."

"So no plan?"

"Save the rich girl and keep all of your limbs?"

"Dammit Clockwork."

"What? It’s the best I can come up with, without being able to see. If we lose the visual in your helmet you'll need to describe her hookup to me so she can be removed safely."

"Guess it’s not like I could sneak her out of her anyway."

Smoque looked around for Big Mama. She was lounging in a giant rocking chair to hold her giant posterior, strumming on a banjo, singing an old bayou tune. The poor girl looked terrified.

Shooting wouldn't work, Big Mama had dragon hide scales covering her entire body. They'd bounce off and possibly hit the hostage. Smoque would have to use brute force. She laid flat against the pipe, facing outward, hovering in the middle of the tube and began to spin as fast as she could, creating a wind tunnel in the pipe in hopes of shooting herself out like a bullet. She jettisoned out of the pipe, closing her fists, aiming for Big Mama's midsection. Smoque felt Big Mama crash into the wall of computers and chemistry behind her with an "Oof" that was almost in slow motion.

She bounced back landing on her feet with her hands clasped together and swung up right, then across left and finally she jumped up and crashed straight down on the top of Big Mama's skull. Smoque did not want her getting back up. Smoque wasn't even sure if Big Mama knew who was hitting her. Not that it mattered. Bubba Joe would tell her after he regenerated.

"Clockwork, are still able to read me?"

"Yeah, I'm still in shock. Mama Marsh's face….I think you broke her skull."

"I'm still getting normal vital signs from her. At least as normal as you can get from a giant dragon lady. Besides, she isn't even bleeding. So I'm going to tie her up. You need to tell me how to deal with this." She turned and looked at the heiress.

"Get closer. I need to see exactly how she's hooked up."