Work Text:
"WELLCOME" Shouted a loud voice, waking Dr. Flug up from his soundly comfortable sleep. "TO MATCHING-CREW, GETTIN' ALONG GANG!!"
What kind'a name is that?!
The scientist rubbed his eyes from under the goggles on his head and groaned. He felt like he hasn't rested for more than twenty minutes. His back was killing him - but, thankfully, the strong headache had gone away.
Once he opened his eyes and adjusted his sight he noticed he wasn't at his room. Much less into the mansion.
It was too bright to be 3 in the morning, in Hat City.
Hell, the island hardly ever sees the sun in normal hours of the day. Much less in summer.
Taking his surroundings, he saw Demencia still asleep at his right, and a worried (and tired) 5.0.5. at his left. The bear was looking at him as if asking his creator what was happening.
So, Flug finally understood that he wasn't the only one imagining the scene.
They were on a colorful stage. With bright lamps of a television scenario where people usually stand to answer questions to win prizes.
How the hell they ended up there?
"MY NAME IS ˙ΣΉ’ΧÖ-Δ#ΟΠΥ AND I'M THE HOST OF THE SHOW!" The voice shouted again, as vibrant and loud music filled the remaining silence.
The doctor pressed both hands on his ears to muffle the sound.
It was too loud .
"HOW ABOUT WE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, FOLKS?" The host asked, waving a hand at all the three participants.
Loud clapping hands sounded in the darkness behind the lights blinding them in the stage.
"What is happening here?" Flug asked lowly, to himself, trying to understand.
Demencia seemed to start waking up at the clapping sounds and the music turning to a more happy one. The girl rubbed at her eyes and groaned annoyed at the bright sight as well - It took her a while to notice she was unrestrained.
" Wh-uut ?" She asked no one in specific, finally taking the place they were all in.
A big red Button in front of each of them, and, in their chest, a tag with their villain names on It.
5.0.5. was biting at his talons, worried.
"YOU!" The host approached Demencia, that seemed pissed at being surprised. Probably thinking she was being held captive in a somewhat hero colorful basement.
She didn't watch too many shows on television. She preferred to watch girly novels, cartoons, and monster truck competition.
"LET'S BEGIN WITH YOU, GIRL!"
Demencia instinctively tried to jump over the counter to fight the host waving a hand at her. Her fist froze in the air as her face was reddening with the force of trying to move It.
The mutant panted in exhaustion and sat back in her chair, behind the counter with a big red button in it.
Dr. Flug frowned at the view.
So… they were physically incapable of fighting for their freedom, hum?
"NAME, PLEASE?" The host asked, lively. Not at all phased by the tentative of attack coming from the green-haired villain.
"What are we doing here?!" She asked, in anger, rage in her eyes. "Where's boss?!"
Right! Boss!
Where is Black Hat?!
Watching the place around them all, Flug could faintly recognize a dark figure sitting behind a glass container, looking bored and slightly repentant .
Their eyes met and the scientist could sense how constipated and uncomfortable his employer was feeling.
The host arched an eyebrow and sent a look over his right shoulder at the container glass and at the ultimate villain sitting behind it.
“...” For a second he didn’t answer or say anything back, just looking at the eldritch creature mouthing him something that Flug could understand as ‘ I forgot this stupid bet ’.
So, once the host sounded like he finally understood what was happening, he turned down the volume of his voice and started again, grinning at BHO crew.
“Apparently there’s a little misunderstanding regarding the knowledge of our participants, so we’ll resume the meaning of all this to them first.” The host said into the microphone and waved a hand around a bit, magically followed by laughs and claps of the (still quite impossible to be seen) auditorium. “But get tuned! While we get a word or two with them, why not enjoy the live quality test of the brand new weapon of BlackHatOrganization - the PORTABLE NUCLEAR REACTOR!”
The host, suddenly, in front of them all, divided himself in two and the clone (or the original one?) walked calmly to the other side of the stage where a metal desk magically appeared with a white tissue over a mini-nuclear reactor designed and created less than a week ago by the scientist Dr. Flug.
The scientist was speechless.
But he connected the dots pretty quickly.
“Alright, folks.” The other host, away from the camera, started to talk to them. Unworriedly, waving a hand around. “That’s the deal .” He started, taking a piece of paper from inside his blazer’s pocket. “Black Hat and I made a bet twelve years ago.”
5.0.5 emitted a curious sound, as Demencia sounded confused.
Dr. Flug only sighed.
Yeah… He did remember something regarding a quiz show and a bet, but Black Hat was mostly drunk during the event, so he had ignored the conversation mostly thinking it was delusional.
They had just started the Organization, and selling their merchandise in the market begun as tough as it sounded. Black Hat had a few people under his wing, as well as Dr. Flug had his share of faith customers that followed him from all over the black market - but, yet, it wasn’t coming as profitable as the eldritch wished.
So, during a big event where they had rent a booth to sell some of their products - Black Hat met ཞ𝕚ˢΣЯ𝓘𝔩 and the magicians that were engaged on trying new ways of popularity through telecommunication programs of entertainment.
The eldritch proposed them a nice quantity of magical stones for free merchandise advertising in their shows.
All the magicians agreed to the propose, except for one single man that mostly used to run his life choices based on bets. So, he proposed back to the eldritch free merchandise advertising without cost! All for free! Except, that, in exchange, if the magician, even if for a one single moment, exceed Black Hat’s expectations on selling one of their goods thankfully because of his advertisement upon them-- The ultimate villain would take part of one of his shows.
And they would have to win .
That is... if they still wanted the free merchandising and to go home without a bill to be paid with the sum of quantity BHO owned him for It.
That was his unconditional payment, that, over a bet, could not be unpaid.
Black Hat had accepted - telling him his expectations were too high to even reach over such ridiculous television shows.
So… apparently, the magician did it.
“Now, for one full hour, you’ll have to entertain my public with a quiz show.” The host ended his really short explanation - which made 5.0.5. turn his head to look at his creator, and Demencia frowned, really lost about it all.
The magician waved a hand to the scientist and Dr. Flug assured them it was true - shrugging.
“Although I never really thought it was actually going to happen, neither.” He confessed, sending his boss, on the other side of the stage, a questioning and troubled expression. Receiving a sigh of annoyance and a roll of eyes in reply, arms crossed and legs resting over one another.
“Do we get any prize?” Demencia arched an eyebrow after Flug assuring her that it was indeed going to happen anyway.
The host laughed at her.
“Of course you get a prize!” He said, happy to answer the question. “Actually, all three of you will get different prizes - it all depends on which of you win the quiz contest!”
5.0.5’s eyes shone and he clapped his paws lively at the news.
“Oh! Oh!” Demencia jumped on her spot, raising a hand in the air. “I want a Monster Truck!”
The magician made appear out of nowhere a small notebook and, flipping the pages, he wrote down the whish with a pen that also appeared between his fingers.
“Noted!” He grinned.
5.0.5. exclaimed in his cute bear voice that he wanted a big pencil case with 120 colorful pencils for his drawings. And the host noted his wishes as well.
Then, they all looked at Flug waiting for his wish.
The scientist blushed and held his own right arm, shy.
“... I want a MiG-29.” He said lowly, under his own breath.
Demencia laughed at his face and rolled her eyes.
“Pffff, another airplane. How dull .” She said, ignoring the enraged stare coming from his coworker. “I’m not even surprised.”
The host nods his head, writing down the last wish.
“Alright, that’s it. Let’s begin the show!”
The magician’s clone came back, body colliding and making the host’s frame wave like it wasn’t exactly solid - then, he turned around to meet the camera and waved his hands over the stage, throwing the textbook and the pen away (which they disappeared a few seconds before hitting the ground).
“IN A FAR FAR AWAY ISLAND - A CREW OF VILLAINS LIVE HAPPY AND UNDISTURBED, WITH THEIR MANSION AND ROBOTS!” The magician said while strange music filled the air in the place. “BUT TODAY, THEY WILL BE UP TO CONTEST OVER THEIR WISHES!!”
The stage started to move, their seats and counters were sliding over the floor, taking them to the middle of the stage - as the music became louder. The glass container where Black Hat was sitting inside also moved and it stood much closer, almost behind the crew.
More handclaps coming from the audience were heard.
The main counter, where the host was standing, also moved and ended in front of them, the camera changing sides as to film everything in the right angle.
“Alright, guys!” The magician happily said, taking the microphone in his hands and stepping closer to them. “The rules are simple! If you know the answer to the question - press the button. If you got it right, 1 point. If you got it wrong, the next one that pressed the button have a chance to guess as well - if neither did answer right, then the third one has his or her final chance.” Said that, he continued. “When we get over ten questions, the subject changes, and one of you are eliminated.” He explained, to them, to the people watching them, and to everyone listening. He seemed to like moving his hands a lot. “But, you only get your wish conquered if you reach 20 points or more!”
The BHO crew nod his head, determined to get their prize.
“ Perfect .” The host smiled at them. Somehow, much more sinister , than he previously sounded like. “ Let’s begin .”
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
That’s… not a quiz show.
Quizzes are supposed to be about… anything. Animals, Professions, Chemistry, History, and Geography, sometimes even physic . But in general, they were all Popular knowledge !
Not…
About Black Hat .
“... Wine .” He answers correctly, hearing a beeping sound adding another point to his score screen.
The host grinned, his teeth were much similar to a demon’s pointy ones than a normal man’s. Demencia as hitting her head on the counter, mumbling about how stupid she was to be so certain about the wrong answer.
They were told Black Hat would be the one agreeing if the answer was given correctly or not - so, inside the glass container, the eldritch also had two buttons. For ‘correct’ or ‘wrong’ purposes.
So, at first, Demencia was the one to jump and shout to everyone that she was going to score the highest rate the show has ever seen, because she knew everything about his boss!
5.0.5. was worried, because he knew little about Black Hat, per se. But yet, somehow, his score screen had an actually higher number than Demencia’s one, and it was making the girl shake in rage.
“ That’s not fair! ” She shouted, biting the button off the counter and breaking it between her teeth.
The host only raised an eyebrow and made appear another one, laughing at the girl.
Flug apologized for her unruly behavior, while sending the girl a reproving glance (not that it make any difference).
The scientist took the opportunity - before another question was made - and raised his hand timidly.
He was granted a question.
“W-why is the questions all about Lord Black Hat?”
The host’s wide smile disappeared, and a serious answer was given as a reply.
“Because that’s what the public wants to know, Dr. Flug.”
The scientist didn’t like the answer, but he guess it didn’t really matter that much - the questions were all inoffensive. He looked behind him at the glass container to see what his boss maybe be looking like and saw a curious, but serious, expression back, staring at his hidden face.
“Let's continue!” The magician shouted, picking all their attention back to what mattered.
Another music started as the host, once again, read another question from a piece of paper.
“How much does Black Hat weight ?”
As usually, Demecia pressed the button quicker than the other two - than 5.0.5, that is, because Flug stopped trying to press it quicker than the lizard girl. He would just wait for his turn again after both of them answer wrong, as he did all the last 4 questions before that.
“Hmmmmm,” Demencia seemed to think on the answer for quite a long, which made Black Hat press the button ‘wrong’ because he was tired of waiting. “Hey! Bombom!!” She sounded sad and harmed.
5.0.5. answered in his microphone ‘76Kg’ and the answer delayed a bit to come, but, once it did, it came as ‘wrong’ again - making the bear wine.
Flug arched a hand to caress the arm of the bear.
“Doctor, your answer, please.” The magician said, smiling.
The scientist did say, unconcerned, almost shrugging.
“There’s no way to answer that.”
And just like that, a beeping sound was heard, saying that Flug was correct and another number summed to his score.
The host arched an eyebrow, confused.
“Please, elaborate. How is that answer right?” He sat in the middle of the air, crossing his legs, looking curiously at the scientist.
5.0.5. and Demencia were looking at him to understand as well.
Flug blinked and did just as said.
“His weight depends on his shape and form.” His voice sounded as if the information was obvious . “5.0.5. is right, he does weight 76Kg in this current form, however, in one of his eldritch forms he weighs more than 3 tons - your question was not specific.”
Demencia opened his mouth and made an understanding sound. Finally getting it.
The host laughed, grinning more.
“Alright! That makes perfect sense.”
And, as the magician took another piece of paper to read and make another question out loud, Flug glanced behind him at the glass container and saw that same deep and serious stare coming from those dark yellowish eyes - sending shivers down the scientist’s spine.
He decided he wouldn’t look at Black Hat for a few questions.
“Next Neeext !” The host shouted, floating in the air as he questioned the crew. “Where's Black Hat’s favorite spot in the Mansion?”
Demencia had never pressed the button harder.
“THE OFFICE!” She shouted, making everybody reach a hand to their ears. The sound of the ‘wrong’ button being pulled, made the girl turn around and shout even more indignant . “AAARRGW, COME’ON !!!”
Flug could only laugh at her. That was indeed a tricky question.
“You can’t be serious !” She exclaimed to the scientist. “Hunf! As if you would respond differently.”
The doctor only grinned at her, waiting for his turn. Hands hid behind his back.
5.0.5. though, beat him to it - since he was the second one to answer.
“aghurp turf ahugg nnhf toowrp” He said, guessing that Black Hat’s favorite spot in the mansion was his armchair, in front of the fireplace.
The ‘correct’ button sounded, adding a point to the bear’s score.
The host sounded surprised, but nothing commented. Demencia, however, groaned in displease.
“I can’t be the only one that hasn’t noticed these things!” She mumbled, angered at herself.
Flug tried to comfort her, but he knew it wouldn’t make any difference, so he didn’t.
The host, then, picked another piece of paper and started again.
“Which is Black Hat’s favorite movie genre?”
Demencia was so sad about guessing everything wrong, that he only waited for Flug or 5.0.5. to press the button. The scientist looked at her and didn’t press it. The girl only pouted and crossed her arms - she wasn’t going to make herself look like a fool again.
So, Dr. Flug sighed, rolled his eyes and reached over her counter to press the button for her.
5.0.5. answered into his microphone that Black Hat’s favorite movie genre was Horror . But it was incorrect.
Demencia even wines, throwing her arms in the air and saying she would have answered the same, but Flug only looked at her while resting his face on his hand, arm getting supported into the counter.
“Dem, it’s Thriller .” He whispered at her.
“ Thriller? ” She asked, confused. It didn’t really make Black Hat’s style - but, as the girl said it out loud, the sound of a correct button being pressed behind them echoed and another point was added to the girl’s score screen.
She shouted happily.
The magician (and probably even Black Hat himself) had presented what actually happened and rolled his eyes.
“Alright! We have reached the first ten questions and now the competitor with the least points are going to be eliminated.”
Demencia’s happiness didn’t persist for long. And tears in her eyes started to form.
“That’s not fair!” She said, leaving the stage while cursing at them all. “I love him - I’m the one that should know the most!”
As the host waved a hand, saying to all the cameras and telespectators about a brief break to the commercials, Dr. Flug decided to look at Black Hat and check on him. As he turned around, he could see the eldritch calling for him with one finger.
Stepping out of his spot and reaching the glass container (which was in a high above distance from the ground) he had to look up to meet his boss’ eyes.
Black Hat mouthed to him a question.
A question that took only a second for Flug to understand.
‘Did you notice?’
The scientist took a deep breath in and glanced back at the stage. The host, the cameras and everyone seemed distracted from their talk.
Flug, suspecting his voice could be recorded, only nod his head.
Black Hat groaned lowly in reply.
‘What did you wish for?’
“A MiG-29.” The scientist answered, then, he decided it’d be better if he explained what was that. “It’s a Hungarian fighter plane of the '70s.”
Black Had nod his head and mouthed back.
‘Don’t win. I’ll buy it.’
Flug blinked back at him, arching an eyebrow.
“Can't you forge the results?”
The eldritch shook his head and knocked to the glass he was currently inside.
‘Magic.’
Black Hat, much more discreetly, arched an eyebrow and slowly nod his head back. Sending Flug a stare the man knew pretty well - The eldritch own subtle way of sending the scientist on a mission without anything more than a brief You know what to do .
Flug's face got serious and he nods his head.
Alright , if that’s his boss’ wish, then he could only accomplish.
It helps that he’s getting the aircraft either way.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Through the second round of questions - every time 5.0.5. has answered something wrong, Flug would answer either half correctly, without explanations, or purposefully wrong.
It was clear, in the magician's face, that he was extremely unhappy with Flug's new attitude.
“And now , the last question to complete the second phase of our competition!” The host shouted, waving around, dancing while floating in the air. More and more claps could be heard coming from the still-impossible-to-see audience.
5.0.5. smiled, jumping excitedly.
Even though Flug had most of the points in the beginning, for some reason, his creator was purposefully wronging the answer so the bear could win more and more points (when able). And, as now, being the last question, 5.0.5. was excitedly jumping up and down.
He never thought he would have that much fun when it began - Flug was letting him win his 120 color pencil-case and he was amazed . It was funny to take part in the quizz.
Every correct answer gave the bear a nice sensation inside his belly.
Because every correct answer meant he knew the man behind that scary face and tall broody expression. A person his creator and father looked up to. An eldritch that the bear instinctively likes to think as his second parent.
“The question is…” A few drums started to play suddenly. “Does Black Hat have any partner?”
Oh, he knew that answer.
Pressing the button as his tail was happily swinging, he barked his reply in the microphone.
Dr. Flug’s face suddenly went from a smiling fatherly figure to a flushing mess .
“What?! No! ”
The host arched an eyebrow.
Did the bear just answer that Black Hat has his scientist as a partner ?
“Fives--No, w-what?!” The scientist stuttered, face a thousand levels of red. He almost couldn’t breath in embarrassment. The sound of the ‘wrong’ button being pressed (hardly) was enough for him to come down to his senses. After a second, he shouted at his own microphone. “ NONE . He has no one. No partner . Nope .”
The magician stared at him mischievously, as if hiding something.
The ‘correct’ button was pressed as another point was added to Flug’s mains score screen.
He facepalmed himself.
He won the quizz .
Goddamn it!
“Doctor Flug Slys, you won! Congratulations!” Balloons fell from above, together with purpurine and bright happy music, loud claps and cheerings were heard as well. But Flug could only hide his face at his lapse. Cheeks still quite red.
As the sound and claps started to cease - Flug noticed 5.0.5. was not together with him anymore and his seat started to move against his will again. Sliding over the stage as the magician reorganized the scenario as he pleased.
When the seat finally stopped, he noticed he was put right in the middle of the stage.
Flug finally adjusted his blur vision - the movement was so quick it made him a little sick.
The glass container holding his boss inside was right beside him and Black Hat’s sight was of an enraged one. Flug felt bad, disappointed with himself, but, once he looked up again, he noticed the eldritch wasn’t staring madly at him .
He was extremely pissed at the host.
Flug frowned and called for him, but the boss only glanced back at him with an enigmatic look - trying to send Flug a massage.
That was one of the only few things he still has some problems on understanding, coming from his lord.
“Well, now that we get to the main and final part of this show - I must say I’m impressed .” The magician was sitting in the air, right in front of Flug, legs crossed and one arm resting its elbow in his upper knee, a chin in hand, and a malicious grin on his face.
Flug felt a shiver took over him.
The stage was, suddenly, much darker than before.
Much more sinister than it previously could ever be.
“You knew every single answer, and yet, you purposely didn’t try to win.” The host’s eyes were much deeper and darker than Flug remembered. “Instead, you let your bear say it, because this way the answer is given in much fewer details and much more difficult to comprehend .” His voice got rougher and harsher by each word said. “Which is really smart of you two, I’ll give you that.”
Flug swallowed cold and dry, his hands were shaking. The air was really really dense . It felt like he was sinking to the bottom of the ocean by each second - the temperature was dropping and the air was much dense to breathe.
“How about another game ?” He asked. But from inside the host’s throat, another demoniac voice echoed. “This time, I’ll tell you what will you get as a prize.”
Snapping his fingers, two chains fell behind him, and, in each end, both Demencia and 5.0.5. were chained, muzzled and tightly tied up. The girl's high pitch shouts and the bear's whines were making things even more difficult for Flug to breath.
“If you win the quizz, I’ll free them.”
The scientist’s hands fastly grabbed his chest, shaking. He stared at his right and saw Black Hat’s shaped into some kind of a furious monster inside the glass container, growling and clawing at the glass to break it.
He was extremely enraged.
Flug swallowed cold again.
“A-are we g-going home if I answer r-right?” He asked, lips trembling.
The host grinned at him with his pointy teeth. Not unlike a shark , somehow.
“ Sure .” The man answered. “You all can go home, once the bet is concluded.”
The scientist reached a hand to the glass of the container, trying to calm his boss a bit.
“I-I can do it.” He nodded his head.
Black Hat, stopped growling and sent him a stare.
“Do your question.” He said, looking at the host.
The magician grinned, clapping his hands twice and just like that, suddenly, everything disappeared.
5.0.5., Demencia, the darkness surrounding them, the deep cold sensation of sinking - everything was gone in less than a second.
The only thing remaining was Flug’s trembling lips and shiverings.
“And noooooow , ladies and gentlemen!” The host shouted at the cameras, waving around again. His face was of a happy person, enjoying his beloved program. It unnerved Flug and Black Hat, still behind the glass container. “It’s our last phase of quiz contest! Theeeeeee--” The drums started to play again, and the Magician’s fingers danced in the air, instructing them to it. “-- ARE YOU A SECRET COUPLE?”
The name was just as absurd as the program’s name, and Flug felt himself frown in displease and confusion. The audience, though, was cheering excitedly about it.
Black Hat huffed in disbelief inside his container.
Flug could understand the feeling.
Somewhere above them, he also could listen to Demencia whine even more about how unfair it was.
Black Hat knocked at the glass, picking Flug’s attention again. And, as the scientist leveled his eyes to his lord’s one, the eldritch showed him a portable watch that he keeps with himself all times, inside his pocket.
The watch showed it had passed almost an hour since they began - and, they only had about 15 minutes left to the end of the program.
Flug nodded his head, understanding the plan.
You can all go home once the bet is concluded.
“And, as for the questions - we are choosing randomly a few of our viewers’ ones.” The magician resumed back to the position in front of them, crossing his legs and a funny happy smile on his face. “That said, I don’t have any idea of the questions either.” He shrugged as if it didn’t really matter.
He wasn’t really positive of Flug’s conquerings after all.
One thing is answering a few of those questions - these questions are another level.
Grinning, the host flicked a few fingers, making appear the first piece of paper in his hands.
“And the question is…” As his eyes read the question, an eyebrow raised and a laugh left his lips. “ ohmy… ”
Flug didn’t like the sound of that.
Giggling a little, the magician asked.
“Say, doctor…” His voice was slow, but full of malice. “Do you have any idea of Black Hat’s preferences ?”
The scientist’ cheeks blushed, and he did his best to not look at the glass beside him.
He… he had to answer that correctly? Make the time run out, and, yet, try to not embarrass them any further? Especially because Black Hat was enchanted to not lie .
Geez…
Quite a task.
“Hmmm…” He groaned, ashamed. Right leg shaking up and down.
“Say it, doctor. Do you or do you not know the answer?” The host voice started to sound creepy again.
“I-I think I do, but…” His cheeks started to red again.
“Then say it.” The magician’s hand waved, trying to urge the scientist to split the answer.
Biting his lips from under the paperbag, Flug took a deep breath in and answered.
“H-he prefer the blonds…”
The ‘correct’ button sounded beside him, and he sighed - relieved.
The host rolled his eyes.
“That’s pretty vague .” He replied, unamazed. “I already had enough of vague answers. We need a more detailed one.”
Flug quickly glanced at his right and saw how uncomfortable his boss was feeling.
Yeah, he probably got which memory Flug was relying on to answer that.
“B-bluish eyes…” He kept detailing, trying to pass the time. Leg shaking in embarrassment. “...angelic face and lusty expression?”
It delayed, but another ‘correct’ sound echoed.
The host hummed, pleased, very entertained .
He wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable the villains were looking.
“And how do you know this?” He asked, hiding a grin behind a hand.
Flug frowned and a deep red blush crawled up his face.
“Is it really necessary to answer?” He asked lowly, almost in a whisper. Rubbing at his own face from under the bag. “That’s not even one of the viewers’ questions!”
The host groaned, but the man was right.
“ Fine .”
The magician threw the question over a shoulder and another piece of paper appeared on his hand. His eyes stared at the wrist watch on his arm and leveled the sight to reading the question quickly.
He was running out of time.
“What does Black Hat fear the most?”
The question surprised Flug. It didn’t seem like a question that people would ask.
Maybe it wasn’t.
The scientist frowned, looking at the host. Then, he looked at Black Hat inside the glass container and saw the eldritch staring firmly back at him, in thought, his pocket watch showed the little time they still had to kill before everything was over.
“ Doctor. ” The magician’s voice echoed again in that creepy way. “Either you answer, or you lose .”
“ He is his own fear. ” Flug’s shaken voice answered, eyes staring back. “As he is everybody’s .”
Almost as he was defying the man to counterback his answer.
The ‘correct’ button delayed to be pressed against - as Flug felt a shiver run down his back at that.
He sighed.
He honestly wasn’t sure about the answer either. He just… felt like half of that was true, so… it helped the boss to agree with the reply.
Humming, the host sounded impatient and annoyed.
“Alright.” Throwing the piece of paper over his shoulder again, he read the next question and threw it over as well, just as quickly as it appeared. Making touch the tip of each of his fingers and flying closer to the scientist, as if accepting the defy, he asked, not taking his eyes away from those goggles “How about his weakness ?”
Flug widened his eyes at the question and at the approach.
“What is Black Hat’s weakness, Doctor?” He grinned maliciously and wickedly, eyes shining a deep crimson color.
His hands were pressing on the armrest of Flug’s seat supporting his body above the scientist’s one, shadowing him.
Black Hat started to growl again, hard, darkly, just like such a monster would sound when enraged.
Flug’s lips started to shake again, worried and scared.
“H-he---”
“You have three seconds to answer.” The magician’s eyes started to look like a swirl, and the sinking feeling started again. “One…”
Flug swallowed cold and stared at his side, where only darkness could be seen inside the glass container.
“Two…”
He wined, in despair.
“I-I’m s- sorry --” Flug said as he started to cry. He won’t be able to save 5.0.5. or Demencia if he actually didn’t try guessing.
The problem is that…
He doesn’t know the answer to that.
Not anymore .
Even knowing every single detail of each of their co-worker's life, Flug couldn’t have such detail in mind - Black Hat wouldn’t let him keep the only thing that would endanger them.
Especially him .
But, he has to guess .
If he doesn’t try - 5.0.5. and Demencia will…
“Sh-su--”
The growl started again, from inside the glass container.
Flug’s whole body started to shake in dread.
“ Three. ”
“Sunstone?” He shouted.
And just like that, the world seemed to stop.
Flug could only hear his own shaken breathings and trembling lips. Hands above his face, protecting him from the Host still quite bent over him on the seat.
The magician grinned and stared at his side, waiting for it.
Waiting for the sound he earned the most to hear.
That red button answering the answer as right . As the truth.
Obliging Black Hat to confess about his own weakness.
But, before he could do that - another sound picked his attention, coming not from inside the Glass container.
He heard his wrist watch beep .
Beeping for a reason regarding the time .
And then, but just then , he heard it.
Although, it wasn’t the sound he wanted to hear.
The ‘wrong’ button sound echoed over the stage as the lights flickered. Flug threw his body into the ground and protected his head for what was coming.
The ground started to shake and, as if in slow motion, the glass started to break.
“W-we over did our schedule, Folks!” The Host fakely smiled at the camera. An unrecognizable small drop of sweat in his temple. “We’ll have to end the program today, for now, bu--t. g-t. tuned- fo-- n-xt we---!” His voice was failing, the consequence of the cameras and microphone starting to flick as well, cutting his phrase off the sync.
Flug’s shaking body slid over the floor and he tried his maximum to reach the lever that was holding both 5.0.5. and Demencia above them, in the air (Although, out of the view of the cameras). Once he reached the behind-the-stage he noticed that some of the lights blinding them were flickering, allowing Flug to see the big black mirror glass that was placed instead of the (apparently empty) auditorium seats.
Once the glass finally broke, dark thick smoke took over the stage, consuming the objects and everything that was there.
The host started to float in the air, an honest worry and fear in his face.
“Oh look at the time!” His voice was very much human when he said that. A human in the presence of a living nightmare . “My bad, I've gotta go .” He said, making a few gestures with his hand and disappearing into thin air.
Flug finally had enough strength to turn the lever and unchained both his bear and colleague - as Black Hat was monstrously devouring and making disappear everything (except them) in about a mile near him.
BHO crew was the last guests the show had, since the eldritch and the scientist made sure that the show was never again aired.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"I got it!" Demencia shouted, while entering the office, making both Flug and Black Hat arch an eyebrow.
They were discussing requests and demands, big structural draws and papers opened in the boss' table. Both stopped and stared back at the girl, once she stepped inside.
"It was a trap !"
Black Hat frowned at her and stared at the scientist as if questioning what the hell she was talking about. The doctor, though, only shrugged.
"The Quizz Show!" She clarified, throwing her arms in the air. "It was a trap !"
Flug almost laughed at that. The eldritch's only visible eye rolled - annoyed.
" How clever ." The scientist said, ironic.
The girl kept going.
"I went back there!" She explained, seriously. "There was a big mirror screen instead of the audience, right?! The-then I went, and I saw, and- The other side could be seen-through, so- so someone was watching us !!"
Flug stared unamazed at her, whistling. Impressed by her improved deduction skills.
Black Hat, though, broke it to her.
"Yes, we know ." He said, eyebrow still raised. Making Demencia shout aloud what?! Indignantly. "It was the league using him to extract information about me." He explained.
Demencia's mouth dropped open and she threw her hands in the air again.
"It doesn't make sense! Why would they want to know if you were single ?!" She asked pissed at the situation.
Black Hat groaned, annoyed at the insistence on the subject that already died two weeks ago .
"Dem." Flug called, explaining, trying to not anger the boss any further. "Relationships means weakness for a villain." He answered.
The girl whined, crossed her arms and exited the office, still quite sad about not knowing as much as Flug did about their lord.
Once she was not in the room again, Black Hat decided to take the opportunity in the subject to ask.
"By the way, have you bombed their headquarters yet?"
The scientist nodded, picking another paper from the pile in the employer's table.
"I did," He answered. "On Tuesday."
Humming pleased, the eldritch kept staring at his employee.
"Say…" he begun, again, slowly. "Why did you guessed Sunstone ?"
Flug, for a second, started to sweat cold. He averted eye contact with the boss and replied.
"You…" The scientist also begun, but for a second couldn't find words to end the answer.
Black Hat only stared back at him, waiting for it.
After almost a minute later, the doctor took a deep breath in and said.
"It was the first thing that came to mind, sir."
The eldritch frowned, but didn't push the subject. Agreeing to go back to work.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Later, at night, on that same day, Flug would remember a situation that happened once - a few years back. Involving a drunk eldritch, an aroused smart gay doctor, his yet unrecognizable unmasked face, and, coincidently, a few make out sessions against a hard wall made of sunstone.
Flug… does notice quite the smallest details doesn't he?