Sid stood at the bar looking pleased with himself. Unbeknownst to him, someone was hiding under the bar with a bucket of well-iced orange kool-aid.
He had his back to the bar, scanning the room and planning what he would do to the gathering group of people there. Syrena peeked up from behind the bar, making hasty eye contact with the crowd and shaking her head.
Please, don't acknowledge me, she thought as she lifted the bucket over her head.
Sid was suddenly and irrevocably drenched in bright orange--not to mention freezing cold--Kool-Aid. Everyone watched wide-eyed as he reacted.
John stifled his laughter as Sid was frozen in horror, bright orange koolaid running down his body.
"You asked for that one, Sid..." Jeff raised an eyebrow. Sid licked his lips tasting the orange koolaid. His eyes narrowed.
"I did nothing to deserve this..." Sid turned slowly to face his attacker. He meet Syrena's gaze. "You do realize, this means war." Before anyone could react, Sid leapt over the bar.
Syrena launched herself over the bar at precisely the same moment that Sid did, so when he landed behind the bar he found her gone. She rushed through the crowd which parted before her--everyone knew that she had to move quickly or Sid would pummel her.
She flung the door of tavern open, barely slowing her pace, and ran smack into a solid chest. Looking up, she found herself peering into the darkly compassionate eyes of Bud White. Oh, a godsend, she thought and turned to see Sid vaulting back over the bar and coming her way.
Bud watched as Sid tore across the room, pushing aside people and chairs alike as he came. Resting a hand on Syrena's arm, Bud moved her aside gently. "Back up, doll. This is gonna get nasty." Bud narrowed his eyes and pulled out his gun. Sid skidded to a halt and stared at Bud and his gun.
He chuckled slowly, "You're going to use that on me, White?? You forget who you're dealing with."
"I don't give a rat's ass who you think you are, Sid-ney." Bud accented Sid's name, grinning. "You're mine... all mine."
Sid stood with his eyes locked on the barrell of Bud's gun, and Bud didn't falter. Syrena stood slightly behind Bud, hoping that he could calm Sid down until he started thinking rationally--"But who am I fooling," she asked herself silently. "Sid hasn't had a rational thought in his existence."
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her in the open doorway. Steve stood there looking somewhat downtrodden--the fight he'd just been in was written all over his face, and all he wanted was a beer. He observed the situation and leaned forward to ask Syrena, whispering in her ear, what the heck was going on. She explained briefly, quietly, and he looked up at the two men at loggerheads before him and spoke slowly.
Steve held out his hand... Bud and Sid watch him warily. Syrena crossed her arms and leaned in.
"Listen guys..." Steve began. "I'm sure this doesn't need to go as far as this... why don't we all just sit around the bar and have ourselves a drink. Solve this like civilized men..." Steve glanced between the two men.
Sid threw his head back and laughed heartily. Bud rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Sid glanced down at his ruined suit. "You think I am just going to let her get away with this? She's got something big coming!! And so does White for that matter... No one crosses me!!" Syrena cringed and Bud clenched his jaw.
Bud gave Sid a look that would curdle milk and took a step forward. "Don't tell me I've got something coming, Cyber Boy. You don't even know what you're up against here." Sid didn't back down, and Bud still held his .45 at the ready --he knew where to shoot Sid to incapacitate him, but he also knew that the bullet might go astray and hit someone else in the room. It was a very risky situation and one with which he was not too comfortable.
The rest of the crowd had gathered around the activity at the door watching with curiosity. John turned to Cort and Peaches, both still tied and struggling against their bonds, and pulled out a pocketknife. Peaches' bonds were cut easily, but Cort's were a bit more of a struggle. Finally they were both free, and they joined the crowd. The suspense and slightly controlled anger in the room was almost palpable.
Hando cursed himself for being so distracted by the goings on. He turned from the door and saw that Peaches and Cort were no longer in their seats. He growled in frustration, "Biebe!!!! You son of a..." He whirled around, coming face to face with Cort.
"You got words, Hando?" Cort pushed Hando back, and not lightly either. Hando stumbled back against the wall.
"Yeah, cowboy..." Hando narrowed his eyes and charged forward.
John flashed back to the big game as he stepped in between the gunslinger and the skinhead. "If only I had my gear," he thought, raising his hands to separate the two. Hando was all arms and legs, no hair to grab for ease of control; Cort had tossed his gun away when Hando leapt at him to avoid lead-based troubles.
Jeffrey Wigand couldn't stand back and watch--John was getting overpowered quickly by the two--and he stepped in and held Hando's arms behind his back. John pushed Cort into the middle of the room, and by the time Cort had bounced back to the meelee, he had calmed down--his ecclesiastical training kicked in again.
John turned to help Jeff contain Hando, picking up Cort's discarded chains.
Hando screamed in anger as he was surrounded and thrown to the ground. Cort's chains were wrapped tight around his body, inbetween his legs, and attached to his wrists. Jeffrey, Cort and John backed away leaving Hando in a chained heap on the Tavern floor.
"Don't you leave me here!!" Hando yelled as he struggled against his bonds.
"I think we can leave him there to cool off," John wiped his hands on his jeans and everyone turned back to the interaction between Sid and Bud. Things seemed to be at an impasse, neither of the men willing to budge.
Cort retrieved his pistol from the floor near where Peaches stood, bending to pick it up and smiling up at her with a twinkle in his eye. He holstered the pistol and turns to look at John and Jeffrey, nodding his head toward the group still standing near the open door. They nod silently at him, a cursory plan running between the three of them.
Maximus stood in the sidelines, watching this exchange in mute confusion. He approached the three of them and whispered, "What's the battle plan, gentlemen?"
Cort grinned at Maximus, nodding towards the door where Sid and Bud stared each other down. Maximus' gaze fell to the keg that sat next to the door. His eyes lit up in understanding and he nodded at the group. They moved towards the door. Maximus sidestepped the fallen chairs and hugged the wall as he moved towards the keg.
Sid sensed movement behind him. Keeping one eye on Bud, he shifted and turned to see Jeff, John and Cort coming towards him. "Gentlemen..." He hissed, glancing back at Bud White. "I've been waiting for a moment like this."
Sid was preoccupied with the four men surrounding him as Max reached the keg and lifted it silently above his head. The muscles in his arms stood out, and his shoulders strained against the fabric of his tunic as he held the full keg at arm's length.
John, Jeff, Cort and Bud stood in an arc around Sid waiting until Maximus was in position. Sid stood at the ready, crouched for the attack. Bud still held his pistol cocked in Sid's direction; Cort, John and Jeff had drawn theirs and held them pointed at the ground though locked and loaded.
Max held the keg in front of him, blocking his line of sight, and he didn't see the toppled stool in his path. Sid spun to face him, and both were momentarily off-balance. Max, in a moment of panic, flung the full keg at Sid's stomach, and the four men behind him leapt.
Sid groaned loudly as the full weight of the keg threw him to the floor. Bud lowered his gun and glanced down at him, "Listen cyberdog, I suggest you relax and behave."
"Screw you, Copper..." Sid hissed as he made to move the barrel off of himself.
"I wouldn't..." Bud's foot pressed against his neck and Sid gazed up at him warily.
"Face it Sid-ney..." Peaches spoke from beside Cort, "You're beaten...Hando's beaten... give up."
"I"m not beaten!!!" Sid shouted, pushed uselessly against Maximus' foot.
John chuckled at Sid's choice of words. "That's my line, Sid..."
Maximus, having regained his balance, knelt before the struggling Sid and removed the character module. Now a lifeless mass of silicon, Sid was suitably subdued. Bud lifted his foot off his throat and turned to Syrena, "You okay, there, doll?"
"Yeah, Bud. Thanks." She threw her arms around him in gratitude, pecking him on the cheek before turning to the rest of them. "Thank you all," she gushed and made her rounds hugging each one in turn. "So now what? Back to the box for Sid-ney?"
Everyone in the room looked around, and nods were given almost unanimously. Hando, still fighting against his chains, protested loudly and was largely ignored. "Maybe we should put him in the box, too," Cort thought as he bent over to move Sid's inert body out of the walkway.
Maximus walked over to the struggling Hando and slung him over his shoulder.
"This way, Max..." John directed the group towards a small back room. "Toss him in there. We'll keep the two of them together for a while."
Cort dragged Sid across the floor and shoved him against the wall. "You take good care of him now, Hando." Cort laughed out loud as he turned and walked out of the room. Maximus threw Hando roughly to the ground and Hando screamed obscenities.
Bud crossed the room in a flash, grabbing a cloth from the shelf and shoving it in Hando's mouth. "I've had about enough of you today, Hando." Hando struggled as Bud shoved the gag into his mouth. Everyone back up and turned out the door. Maximus tossed the character module across the room, watching it skid under the shelves He walked out of the room and Bud followed, closing and locking the door behind them.
