At the very least, he wasn’t on another tour. The supposedly haunted amusement park had been rotting away for years, the novelty of it even being weaponized to fund whoever owned it now. It seemed even that had slowed though. For just as Susan had predicted, there wasn’t a soul to be seen, and he wasn’t sure how safe it would’ve been to tour anyway.

  ?

  Thur had never been to an amusement park himself; the man just did not live that sort of life. But he would’ve imagined this would’ve been a rather nice place in its prime. The coasters and various rides in the park were massive and sprawling. There were stands, decorative and colorful statues and murals, displays of architecture, and what he was sure once were gorgeous, well-maintained gardens. But that had all changed; the colors and paint that made this place feel so lively had faded and disappeared with the times. The stands, buildings, and rides were covered in overgrown vines, moss, and mold. The trees around the area had begun to grow into the park, the branches blocking the moonlight. Making the park dark, a thick fog swallowing it all made it seem rather foreboding.

  ?

  He liked it, though perhaps his perspective was to blame. The park's most famous feature in its heyday was one of the largest wooden roller coasters in the world. Called the Barkskin Plunge, it had been one of the tallest coasters in the U.S. The giant plunge was its namesake for being one of the main reasons.

  Thur trekked along the track of the coaster now, whistling as he reached into the deep pockets of his jacket and tossed out a handful of black specks as he did. Susan’s genius wasn’t merely for show; she created inventions that rivaled the ability of The Company on her own. These particular beauties were scanners; they could detect nearby electrical signals. Normally, a rather innocuous tool, after all, such a thing was not easy to detect or measure at a distance. But any property of The Company, even a throwaway one, would use a massive amount of power. So using Susan’s Scanners, as she poorly named them, worked well.

  ?

  It was as Thur threw a fourth handful while marveling at the view of the ruined park, his ear buzzed as Susan called.

  ?

  “Yeah?” Thur said as he paused. He had nearly reached the apex of the hill. And sat down carefully, removing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one as he spoke. “Go ahead. Still in the process of checking things out, but it seems rather innocent so far. The less underground or particularly well hidden it is. Rides don’t work either.”

  ?

  “Yeah, yeah! Hey, are you throwing my beautiful toys around?! My sensors have them all over the place, travelling at high speed and suffering impacts. You're not being careless, are you?!” Susan’s voice was annoyed. The woman was intelligent, more so than any human, but with it came her own quirks. She was a bit awkward, hard to work with for certain. Even Thur struggled to work with her long term, though to be fair, he was certain she and others would describe him as much the same. Maybe that was why they got along?

  ?

  “I’m just being efficient, the more ground I cover, the more certain we can be there’s nothing here. Tossing multiple from a high vantage point cuts down on time while hitting as many areas as possible.” Thur defended before taking a deep puff as Susan sighed.

  ?

  “So you're being lazy.”

  ?

  “Yeah, well, I’m the one doing the footwork, so sue me,” Thur remarked with an exhale and shake of his head.

  ?

  “Just might if you damage those! Are you keeping track so you can retrieve them when you're done right?”

  ?

  “No, because I’m not doing it.”

  ?

  “You so damn are!”

  ?

  “I’ve already thrown out like a hundred of the tiny things! I have no idea where it all landed, nor will they be easy to find!”

  ?

  “I can track them, of course!”

  ?

  Thur went to snap back another complaint, but paused as he heard a creaking of wood. If it were at normal volume, he would’ve dismissed it, but the fact that it was so silent made him suspicious. If it were merely the coaster settling or the wind making the wood react, it’d be louder. So it meant there was someone trying to stealthily approach him.

  ?

  He lurched to his feet, unsheathing a knife in one hand and a forty-four revolver in the other. Since the last outing he had resupplied, if The Company were serious about this, he couldn’t afford to take any risk. Having the proper weapons to defend himself was a good way of mitigating that risk. Across from him at the crest of the hill stood another person, a creepy, friendly smile in place, the man waving happily as he stared.

  ?

  There was certainly something off about the man. His brown hair was perfectly styled into a bowl cut, his eyes of the same color seemed almost too big, as did his smile, and the green utility outfit he wore almost made him seem like a janitor.

  ?

  “Now howdy neighbor! My name is Bob, and I hope we can be friends!” The man offered, waving all the more violently. Something about the way he spoke and moved seemed inhumane, like he was trying to pretend but couldn’t quite pull it off. “I hope you don’t mind my new friend, but I’d like it if you'd follow me.”

  ?

  “Well, I do mind, a decent bit actually,” Thur said with a raised brow. “You can call it my bad, but I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  ?

  “Well, that won’t do, George made it rather clear-” Bob went to continue, but Thur snapped at the mention of George’s name.

  ?

  If he knew George, it was practically guaranteed Bob was from The Company. And with his strange presence and request, it was clear he couldn’t be here for anything good. So Thur held nothing back, firing off all five shots of his forty-four into the torso of Bob. The man stumbled back before falling flat on the track.

  ?

  “My bad, doing it suddenly like that is rude,” Thur said with a shake of his head before beginning to walk toward the downed man.

  ?

  “Thurgood!” Susan’s voice screamed in his ear, Thur paying sharp attention to it, Susan only ever called his name when she was deadly serious. “The Company is here! I have to go to the ground!”

  ?

  “Surprised they managed to track us…” Thur said with a hum. “Just had to deal with one other here, sure you can’t just do the same?”

  ?

  “Don't assume it’ll be easy! Their efforts against you and me have been escalating!” Susan warned. Thur looked up to where he expected to see a downed Bob, only to frown as the man was standing again, waving at him. “I have to get out of here! Check out the final location, Tri-County Lunatic Asylum! Get there and stop it as fast as possible! K doesn’t have long! Don’t worry about me!”

  ?

  “Gotcha, no worries, Susan,” Thur promised. Cracking his neck, he began to hold his knife in his mouth as he reloaded his revolver. Bob began walking towards him as he did. “Gotta go myself.”

  ?

  “Agent Scorpio, Thurgood,” Bob said happily, even as a silvery liquid seeped from the five holes in his torso. “I have been given the directive to bring you back to Command. With you attacking me as you have, I can now do so with violence. Please don’t die!”

  ?

  Bob demanded as the strange man dashed forward at speeds no human could hope to reach. Thur barely managed to deflect the blow with his gun hand, leaning out of the way of the next strike before thrusting his knife deep into Bob. However, he didn’t seem to mind wrapping his arms around Thur and lifting him over his head.

  Thur cursed as he struggled against the grasp, shocked he couldn’t break free with his raw strength. However, when Bob shifted, looking as though he was preparing to throw him off. He gave up on the effort, managing to aim his revolver directly at Bob's face. With three shots, Thur escaped Bob’s grip, watching as the shots nearly split Bob’s head in two. Thur barely managed to land on the track without falling, frowning at the sight of Bob’s fallen corpse.

  ?

  Thur went to step over Bob but flinched when he felt something grip his ankle, his head snapped down, Thur kicked the apparently still alive Bob’s hand off him and leapt back, back now facing the way he faced this apparently hard to kill Bob.

  ?

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  The doubtfully human Bob rose to his feet, the silvery liquid gushing from the gunshots and destroyed head. Thur raised a brow, watching as the liquid began to harden from the exit wounds, before becoming solid altogether. The silvery substance shimmered before it became skin again; the head, split in two and slowly hovering upwards, formed an orb of silvery liquid around it, which was absorbed slowly, revealing a fully healthy head.

  ?

  “You can’t be…” Thur said, shocked, staring at such a sight. It was impressive to be certain, but all the more concerning was the fact that he recognized it. “Those bastards wouldn't do it!”

  ?

  “Gunfire seems to be a rude response to a request,” Bob said with a hum, rubbing his chin. “Yes, it is rude! You are rude, Thorgood! I will enjoy capturing you now!”

  ?

  Thur went to respond but didn’t have a chance. Bob didn’t run at him; he leapt like a damn predator. Thur barely had the chance to raise their guard before Bob collided with them. Thur cursed as he saw his revolver fly from his hands and off the coaster. That was his favorite damn gun!

  ?

  They flew over the hill as they left the track and hit the air before gravity slammed them both onto the track. Thur was nearly knocked breathless by the weight of Bob crashing onto him. Using mostly instinct, he bucked as they began to fall down the track. Flipping the two and landing on top, Thur thrust his knife into the throat of Bob before slamming his elbow into Bob’s face. However, his maneuver had caused them to roll as they fell. Them flipping again suddenly. Bob grabbed him tightly, keeping them close as they rolled down the track. It was a painful, brutal ride, Thur wondering how different it truly was from the coaster. Every time Bob landed on top, the man attempted to get Thur into some sort of submission, but when Thur was on top he broke free and unleashed more strikes and slices.

  ?

  Eventually, however, the track turned, and without being secured to the rails as the ride intended, the two of them did not go with it. They tumbled off the coaster and fell toward the ground. However, neither of them seemed to see this as a major concern.

  ?

  Thur thrust his knife deep into the side of Bob repeatedly, the man, annoyed, saying ouch in response to each as he tried to wrap his hand around Thur’s throat.

  ?

  Thur looked down at the quickly approaching filthy concrete below, waiting to catch them. As he did, however, he spotted a tented stand nearby where they should land. Doing some quick calculations, Thur thrust his feet between the two of them, preparing to kick them out with all his strength.

  ?

  “You will be coming with me, Thurgood!” Bob said sweetly. “I’ll likely have to disable you repeatedly! I’m told new friends fight often, however!”

  ?

  “The name is Thur!” He roared, kicking out with all of his strength. They both flew apart in opposite directions. Thur used the moment to see where he would land, since he was right above the stand. Hopefully, there's enough of a buffer to make this bearable.

  ?

  Thur felt the air driven out of him, his vision darkened for a moment. The impact would’ve killed most on contact; the give of the stand meant nothing, he broke through it all and hit unforgiving ground beneath him. The force of the collision exploded the cart, sending its wood and cloth flying across the space. The only solace as Thur was stunned was the oddly thunderous sound of Bob’s body hitting the concrete head-on. He groaned pitifully, debris from the stand slightly burying him, and the thought of lying there a while almost sounded nice.

  ?

  But Susan was in danger, and her protege K was as well, and he wouldn’t allow those bastards to keep winning. So with as much dignity and courage as he could muster, he stood, pausing to dust himself off as he observed Bob.

  ?

  Thur had the displeasure of seeing a body after hitting the concrete before. It was a gruesome sight to be certain, the body sort of deflated like a balloon. The bones and organs inside burst and fragment, shattering and dicing the body apart from within. Bones and blood peeked out from their body as if on a gruesome canvas. Bob looked similar, but something was wrong. His entire body had flattened and lost its shape; it was as if it were liquid, pooling rather than a rigid body. Even still, Bob’s face maintained its shape, some sort of strange ball beneath where his throat would’ve been, cracked but still glowing.

  ?

  “A good effort!” Bob earnestly complimented. Thur raised a brow as his body began to shift and reform into its unassuming human shape. Bob smoothly moved from an irregular shape into a standing position. “I can see why you thought that would work! That fall was certainly lethal for one such as yourself! But Scorpio, I am Bob, I am of the Pisces model!”

  ?

  Thur spat out a wad of blood to the side in disgust. “To think they’d do it to someone else. Just what the hell did they do to you? Are you even human anymore?”

  ?

  “I am perfectly normal, thank you very much!” Bob remarkably calmly, as if more amused than offended. Though his actions didn’t match it as he blurred forward. Thur raised a brow when he realized Bob was nearly as fast as him. Thur offered a peel of laughter as he raced forward to meet him head-on.

  ?

  They moved at speeds most people would struggle to keep track of. To any normal person, they appeared little more than constantly shifting blurs. But the two of them could perceive it all, able to handle the absurd speed their unique bodies allowed them to reach.

  ?

  Thur used their attempt to outmaneuver each other as a chance. He slid low, taking out Bob’s legs with the sudden maneuver. Thur rolled to his feet and raced back towards Bob, stomping the man into the ground hard enough to crack the concrete before he could even hit the ground. He was merciless, the fall had proven this weirdo could take a lot of punishment, and his ties to The Company made it all the more easier. Thur dropped into a double-handed thrust directly where the heart would be with a normal person, not trusting it would be enough. Thur savagely ripped the knife free in a spray of silvery liquid. Nearly splitting Bob’s chest in two, allowing Thur to see only silvery liquid inside.

  ?

  But Bob barely seemed to mind, gripping his ankle and ripping him from his feet with a tug. Thur cursed in surprise, buying time for Bob to stand and lift up from the ground. “George said some unpleasantness would be involved in this,” Bob said, begging to spin in a circle, the unwilling Thur helpless being swung round and round. Bob released him, sending Thur back first into a part of the wooden roller coaster, causing it to creak and groan. Thur spat out a wad of his own silvery red blood, stunned, but all the same heard a quiet series of cracks and groans from the ride.

  Before he could respond, Bob appeared before him. Thur may have been quicker and more skilled, but Bob had pure strength on his side and was nearly as fast. The inhumane Bob unleashed a series of lefts and rights on him. The coaster above shifting and groaning from the repeated acts. Soon, the sounds of wood cracking became loud enough for a normal human to hear. This little brawl of theirs was coming at a cost. As Bob wrapped his hands around the beaten down Thur, beginning to strangle him.

  ?

  But Thur didn’t struggle through it all, looking up to see what he had heard. It seemed their little brawl had been damaging the coaster track around them. A fragmented plan hung above them, held in place only by some wire. So Thur merely carefully aimed his blade even as his throat was crushed as air could not reach his lungs, with a measure flick, he released the blade high into the air.

  ?

  “You cannot defeat me, friend Thurgood,” Bob said merrily. “That knife and gun of yours are not nearly enough, I’m afraid.”

  ?

  Thur didn’t bother responding; he merely offered Bob a cruel smile a second before the sharpened plank speared Bob right through. The odd being stumbled back, choking on his words as his body began to shift, but struggled with the wood inside it. Thur didn’t waste the moment, bracing himself against the coaster and using his left hand to brace his right elbow as he aimed his palm at Bob’s center mass. His right hand suddenly disconnected, revealing it to be a prosthetic on a hinge, and revealing a barrel inside of Thur’s arm. There was a hum of electricity, his entire right arm glowing blue as glowing energy shone from within the barrel. “Firstly,” Thur said with a smirk. “My name is Thur, and good thing I’ve grown since I escaped you bastards!”

  ?

  He would’ve said more, but the volley within his arm hit critical mass, a concentrated ball of volatile plasma shot out of his right arm and hit the still struggling Bob head-on, before erupting with a brilliant blue light. Thur closed his eyes as a pulse of air hit his face. He felt the coaster shift slightly from the force of the explosion, threatening to nearly fall. But it held, and as the light faded, he examined the results.

  ?

  There was little left in the area at all. The remnants of the stand, a nearby bench, even the dysfunctional light poles were gone, burnt to ash by the burning plasma blast. Bob himself hadn’t fared much better, there being little more than a hand-sized puddle left with the strange, cracked, glowing ball from earlier.

  ?

  Thur clicked his hand back in place and walked over to the puddle with a suspicious gaze locked onto it. His suspicion was confirmed a moment later as he noticed the silver liquid attempting to assemble around the orb. With a click of his tongue, he recognized the trick to it all.

  ?

  He stomped on the orb before Bob could bother him again. Smirking at the sound of shattering from his blow, and his smirk growing when he noticed the liquid now lay still.

  ?

  It seemed The Company hadn’t been idle since his runaway. Bob wasn’t like him; he appeared to be nothing that could be called human anymore. His entire body composed of some sort of sentient liquid metal, the orb he had just destroyed must have been its core. The CPU or brain, as it were, and once that was destroyed, there was nothing more to be done.

  ?

  All the same, the confrontation had been close. Thur had nearly not had the chance to weaponize his ace, and if they had bothered to send people with Bob? No, this was bad. If they could create something that could nearly take him down on their own, it meant things could get hairy quick.

  ?

  The fact that they hadn’t risked more, though, suggests this wasn’t where he needed to be. Susan was right to say Tri-County Lunatic Asylum was where he needed to be. Thur walked away from the sight of his battle, removing a pack of cigarettes barely in shape from his pocket. He considered lighting one before putting them away.

  ?

  “Susan,” Thur said instead, tapping his earbud. It was clear the move now, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure she had made it out.

  ?

  “Thurgood.” George’s voice replied happily. Thur’s blood froze as it did, realizing exactly what had happened in that very instant. “I was hoping you’d reach out soon. I’m sure you realize this means Susan will be unavailable to talk. Did you like our test run with Bob? He managed to nab Susan easily enough.”

  ?

  “Is she alive?!” Thur snapped back; there was no point in demanding her return or her safety. Best to attempt to determine if she could be saved. If such a thing were even possible, it had taken Thur everything he had to even escape them.

  ?

  “Of course, we can use a woman of her talents. Yours as well, Thur, come back and work under me again. I can promise her safety when we get what we can from her.”

  ?

  “You must be pretty desperate to be pulling out all the stops.” Thur taunted George. Desperate to get the sway of the conversation back on his side.

  ?

  “Don’t be juvenile now, Thurgood. I warned you we would be taking you much more seriously now. I knew Bob likely wasn’t ready for you yet. But sending one for a hard test kept you just busy enough for the rest of them to nab our resident genius.”

  ?

  “Pisces… a two-bodied sign.” Thur realized.

  ?

  “Yes, we’ve learned since you, Thurgood, improved.”

  ?

  “Not enough,” Thur said, not enjoying his own thoughts being thrown back at him.

  ?

  “This went as expected, and you’ve lost your guide,” George replied evenly. Thur could almost see his smug expression. “What can you do now but come to our side? Serve humanity as you once did.”

  ?

  “Because I learned what you all really are,” Thur replied evenly. “Besides, I prefer being free from the chains.”

  ?

  “We could call this a draw at the very least. You made an earnest effort, lost some, and can still move on mostly in one piece.”

  ?

  “Eh, I’m fond of Susan, we’re fellow escaped lab rats of yours after all,” Thur said with a shrug. “I’ll be stopping whatever mess you got going on first, then freeing her.”

  ?

  “A shame, but expected. You’ll be too late to do one, and we both know the other is impossible.”

  ?

  “We’ll see,” Thur said, ripping the earbud out and throwing it on the ground as he stomped on it. It wasn’t great, but it was clear Susan had napped, and he was left alone to deal with it all. It was time for him to go to the ground himself.

  ?

  It was time to get to Tri-County Lunatic Asylum then.