Post by DocQuantum on Aug 23, 2021 7:22:39 GMT
It was late afternoon by the time Dan Cassidy awoke from a deep, restful sleep. For the first time in many days his dreams had been peaceful and free from all the nightmarish scenes he'd grown used to. As Dan stirred himself from his bed and walked to the kitchen to prepare a quick meal before heading out, he couldn't help but feel a new sense of optimism about the future. His creativity was back, his nightmares were over, and he felt like he had a new lease on life now that his burden had been exposed as a lie.
Turning on the stove as he made a cup of coffee for himself, he grabbed a few eggs and began cracking them into a cast iron skillet, then laid out a few strips of bacon next to them. With a piece of toast and a few slices of an apple, it would make for a decent meal before the planned shoot tonight.
Despite his newfound optimism, however, Dan couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, that he was intentionally ignoring something terribly wrong.
"Shut up," he muttered to himself. "Just shut up."
But the feeling would not pass, no matter how much Dan tried to force it. Something was wrong, and he needed to pay attention. With a sigh of frustration, Dan slowly pulled up one of his blinds and looked outside.
There, he saw that the streets were full of Axis soldiers -- both German and Japanese this time -- conducting what looked like a house-to-house search for something or someone. Dan couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Somehow, he knew they were looking for him. He didn't want to admit to himself why just yet, but he knew it was he that they sought.
"Dammit," he said. Throwing his meal into the garbage, he quickly pulled on some clothes and ducked out the back door, grabbing a cap as he went.
Dan's townhouse was located on the edge of a ravine with a small creek in it, which he knew could take him out of the neighborhood virtually undetected except perhaps by any kids playing nearby. Taking a peek around the corner of the townhouse, he could see that the soldiers were just about to start knocking on his door. Once they saw that no one answered, he knew they'd just force their way in.
By the time that happened, Dan had already slipped unnoticed into the ravine and was running and jumping down the rocky creek, trying his best to keep from getting his clothes dirty. There were a few other ways he might escape the Axis dragnet, but this one was the most reliable.
Sometime later, Dan picked up some tacos at an outdoor stand and ate as he walked. His mood had begun to sour. He was still convinced that Drusilla Zero was out to lunch when it came to all talk of demon lords, but the close call with the soldiers at his own house reminded him of the harsh truth that California was still occupied by invaders. He could choose to ignore that like so many others did, but that would do nothing to solve the problem.
Shaking his head, he finished his quick meal and decided to head straight to Verner Brothers Studios. It was still a bit early for the shoot, but he figured he could suss things out with Marla a bit more. She was the most level-headed person he knew. If they could simply put their heads together, they could figure out what to do. And if that didn't work, Dan would just keep his head down and focus on his job until this whole Occupation just blew over.
Still, a nagging sense of dread told him that these were nothing but fantasies. Reality was another thing entirely.
***
Dan Cassidy made his way on foot to the Verner Brothers Studios, but by the time he got there it was early dusk, and he could see from a long distance away that it was crawling with soldiers. Cursing under his breath, he hoped that his old route to sneak into the studio was still valid.
Minutes later, he was inside the studio lot and dressed in a crew uniform with a cap, a fake mustache, and thick-rimmed glasses in order to blend in without being recognized. The underground passageway he'd last used the previous year had luckily remained undiscovered by anyone that mattered.
As Dan walked through the studio backlot, he couldn't help but think he was being a bit too paranoid. Everything seemed normal within, and he wondered if the extra security outside the studio had more to do with fears of an outside attack than anything to do with him. But he decided to keep up the disguise until he could find Marla and find out what was going on. If anyone could set him straight about what was going on here, Marla would.
But that nagging sense of dread remained. Despite all appearances of normality, there was something very wrong at Verner Brothers.
Finally reaching the studio where the indoor shoot was to take place, Dan slipped inside and mingled with the crew. The shoot hadn't begun yet, but instead of the flurry of activity he'd expected to see before a typical shoot, all the crew were just sitting by or standing around. Also, there was no sign of Marla or any of the actors anywhere.
Sidling up to one of the guys, who was reading a trade magazine, Dan whispered, "Hey, what's up with the shoot? Have you seen Marla anywhere?"
Without even looking out from behind the magazine, the guy casually pointed a finger up.
"What?" asked Dan, puzzled.
"She's up there," the guy answered.
"Up... where?" said Dan, looking up. Sure enough, up there on the rafters, was someone in the shadows who looked like her, though he wasn't certain at first because of the distance and the glare of the lights shining down toward him. But as he pulled off his fake glasses and squinted his eyes, he could tell it was none other than Marla Bloom. Worse, she was tied up and gagged, and teetering on the edge of the rafters.
Reeling as he recognized her, Dan lost all sense of self-preservation and cried out, "MARLA!"
He immediately regretted it. This whole thing was a setup.
Next to Marla, a figure stepped forward out of the shadows. Unmistakably, it was the costumed figure of V-2, alias Van Vonderschmidt. Looking down at him, V-2 cried, "Shoot! Shoot him!"
From hidden spots all over the studio, armed German soldiers emerged and quickly turned to see where Van was pointing. By that time Dan had already ducked for cover, along with the rest of the suddenly mobile crew members, and leaped out of the way as a hail of bullets were strewn across his path. When the gunfire died down, Dan was nowhere to be seen.
"Find him! Find him now!" cried V-2. But as the soldiers fanned out to begin their search, he quickly grew impatient with them and leaped down from the rafters to look for the man himself.
Above, on the rafters, Gopher Bloom took that moment to move a bit closer to his aunt. Dressed in the costume of Drang, he was ostensibly meant to serve as V-2's backup, but the boy was terribly conflicted about his team leader's decision to use his aunt as bait. He had already tried to speak up for her earlier, but had been immediately silenced and reminded about the importance of following a superior's orders.
"D-don't worry, Aunt Marla," Gopher said, trying to reassure her. "Everything's gonna be fine. This'll all be over soon. Just -- just wait here. I-I'll make sure you're okay."
A gag in her mouth, Marla Bloom's response was completely muffled, but the boy knew what she was saying. It was what she'd said before: "Let me go." Gopher averted his eyes and moved back into the shadows where he'd been placed.
As the search for Dan Cassidy continued below, a spry figure was scaling up the scaffolding and making his way unseen to the rafters while V-2 was distracted. Within moments, the figure quickly and carefully reached Marla's position.
Tapping her on the shoulder, he placed his index finger over his lips to keep her from making any sounds as he pulled off her gag. "I'm getting you out of here now," whispered Dan, and began to untie her bonds.
Finally able to speak, Marla frantically whispered, "Dan, no! He'll see you!"
"He can't see me from here," Dan whispered. "He's still looking for me down there."
"No!" whispered Marla. "I mean Gopher!"
Dan Cassidy suddenly felt a small but powerful hand pressing on his shoulder.
"Stop doing that, Dan," said Gopher, his voice cracking. "You're not supposed to be up here."
"Gopher? Why in the world is your Aunt Marla tied up like this?" whispered Dan, glancing down to ensure that they hadn't attracted any attention yet. The search below was still happening without interruption. "Did you have anything to do with this?"
"I-it wasn't my idea, Dan!" Gopher replied, looking scared. "Honest! B-but she's, I mean, Aunt Marla's supposed to stay there for now. V-2 said so."
"She's your aunt!" Dan replied. "Your flesh and blood! Why didn't you stick up for her?"
"I tried, Dan! I really did! But V-2 said we needed her, I mean, Aunt Marla to bring the Destroying Demon here!"
"And you went along with that?" asked Dan. "Gopher, you know this is wrong, don't you? All of this is wrong! Now help me get your aunt out of here before she gets hurt!"
Gopher backed away, his face completely unreadable in the shadows.
"Please, Gopher!" pleaded Marla. "You know you shouldn't be a part of this! What would your parents think?"
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"Let's just get you untied and out of here before they see us," Dan muttered, and began working on the ropes once more.
Gopher croaked out a weak, "No."
Dan kept on untying the ropes, struggling to see in the darkness.
"No!" Gopher said, now more forcefully, but remained where he was. "Stop it!"
"Listen, kid!" Dan said, holding up one finger and whispering as loudly as he dared to without attracting attention from below. "Either you help me save your aunt, or keep the hell out of my way!"
Gopher stood there and watched as Dan finished untying his aunt, struggling between his innate loyalty to his family and his programmed loyalty to the Fatherland. But the programming was too strong.
"He's up here!" Gopher cried as loudly as he could.
Dan Cassidy jumped toward him in a futile attempt to stop the boy from calling out, but it was too late.
A triumphant laugh came from below as V-2 leaped back up to the rafters and quickly grabbed the now-free Marla Bloom, pinning her in his grasp.
"So, the beauty has indeed killed the beast," he growled. "Or at least captured it."
"Van, let her go!" Dan demanded.
Van Vonderschmidt laughed and said, "A very poor choice of words, Herr Cassidy. But I vill do as you say."
At that, he pulled his arms away. Marla immediately fell.
"NOOO-OOO-OOO!" shouted both Dan and Gopher alike as she fell toward a false set at a height that would surely hospitalize her, if not kill her from the impact alone. Without more than a moment's thought Dan leaped after her, pushing himself with his feet from the rafters in an effort to reach her first.
Gopher tried immediately to rush down after them, but V-2 held out one powerful arm and caught the boy, causing the smaller figure to slam into him. Holding him in tightly in his arms, V-2 merely laughed at the feeble attempts of the less-powerful figure to struggle free from his grip, despite being too late now to do anything about it. "Why'd you do that?" cried the boy, unable to control himself as he tried in vain to beat his fists into the bigger man behind him over and over again. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT?"
Releasing his grip, V-2 quickly placed his right hand up to block Gopher's next blow, even as he used his left hand to clutch the boy by the scruff of his neck. Whispering in a soothing tone, he said, "Your aunt vas not worthy, my boy. You must learn -- you vill learn -- that sacrifices must sometimes be made for the glory of the Fourth Reich. Now get ahold of yourself, boy! Ve still haff vork to do!"
At that, he slammed Gopher to the rafters, which bent them from the force, and cried out to the soldiers below, "Recover their carcasses! I vant to deliver them to Herr Verner myself!"
As Gopher pulled himself into a fetal position in the rafters, trying without success to stop himself from crying uncontrollably, the soldiers began to fan out and then move in toward the false building set that Marla and Dan had fallen into.
Turning on the stove as he made a cup of coffee for himself, he grabbed a few eggs and began cracking them into a cast iron skillet, then laid out a few strips of bacon next to them. With a piece of toast and a few slices of an apple, it would make for a decent meal before the planned shoot tonight.
Despite his newfound optimism, however, Dan couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, that he was intentionally ignoring something terribly wrong.
"Shut up," he muttered to himself. "Just shut up."
But the feeling would not pass, no matter how much Dan tried to force it. Something was wrong, and he needed to pay attention. With a sigh of frustration, Dan slowly pulled up one of his blinds and looked outside.
There, he saw that the streets were full of Axis soldiers -- both German and Japanese this time -- conducting what looked like a house-to-house search for something or someone. Dan couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Somehow, he knew they were looking for him. He didn't want to admit to himself why just yet, but he knew it was he that they sought.
"Dammit," he said. Throwing his meal into the garbage, he quickly pulled on some clothes and ducked out the back door, grabbing a cap as he went.
Dan's townhouse was located on the edge of a ravine with a small creek in it, which he knew could take him out of the neighborhood virtually undetected except perhaps by any kids playing nearby. Taking a peek around the corner of the townhouse, he could see that the soldiers were just about to start knocking on his door. Once they saw that no one answered, he knew they'd just force their way in.
By the time that happened, Dan had already slipped unnoticed into the ravine and was running and jumping down the rocky creek, trying his best to keep from getting his clothes dirty. There were a few other ways he might escape the Axis dragnet, but this one was the most reliable.
Sometime later, Dan picked up some tacos at an outdoor stand and ate as he walked. His mood had begun to sour. He was still convinced that Drusilla Zero was out to lunch when it came to all talk of demon lords, but the close call with the soldiers at his own house reminded him of the harsh truth that California was still occupied by invaders. He could choose to ignore that like so many others did, but that would do nothing to solve the problem.
Shaking his head, he finished his quick meal and decided to head straight to Verner Brothers Studios. It was still a bit early for the shoot, but he figured he could suss things out with Marla a bit more. She was the most level-headed person he knew. If they could simply put their heads together, they could figure out what to do. And if that didn't work, Dan would just keep his head down and focus on his job until this whole Occupation just blew over.
Still, a nagging sense of dread told him that these were nothing but fantasies. Reality was another thing entirely.
***
Dan Cassidy made his way on foot to the Verner Brothers Studios, but by the time he got there it was early dusk, and he could see from a long distance away that it was crawling with soldiers. Cursing under his breath, he hoped that his old route to sneak into the studio was still valid.
Minutes later, he was inside the studio lot and dressed in a crew uniform with a cap, a fake mustache, and thick-rimmed glasses in order to blend in without being recognized. The underground passageway he'd last used the previous year had luckily remained undiscovered by anyone that mattered.
As Dan walked through the studio backlot, he couldn't help but think he was being a bit too paranoid. Everything seemed normal within, and he wondered if the extra security outside the studio had more to do with fears of an outside attack than anything to do with him. But he decided to keep up the disguise until he could find Marla and find out what was going on. If anyone could set him straight about what was going on here, Marla would.
But that nagging sense of dread remained. Despite all appearances of normality, there was something very wrong at Verner Brothers.
Finally reaching the studio where the indoor shoot was to take place, Dan slipped inside and mingled with the crew. The shoot hadn't begun yet, but instead of the flurry of activity he'd expected to see before a typical shoot, all the crew were just sitting by or standing around. Also, there was no sign of Marla or any of the actors anywhere.
Sidling up to one of the guys, who was reading a trade magazine, Dan whispered, "Hey, what's up with the shoot? Have you seen Marla anywhere?"
Without even looking out from behind the magazine, the guy casually pointed a finger up.
"What?" asked Dan, puzzled.
"She's up there," the guy answered.
"Up... where?" said Dan, looking up. Sure enough, up there on the rafters, was someone in the shadows who looked like her, though he wasn't certain at first because of the distance and the glare of the lights shining down toward him. But as he pulled off his fake glasses and squinted his eyes, he could tell it was none other than Marla Bloom. Worse, she was tied up and gagged, and teetering on the edge of the rafters.
Reeling as he recognized her, Dan lost all sense of self-preservation and cried out, "MARLA!"
He immediately regretted it. This whole thing was a setup.
Next to Marla, a figure stepped forward out of the shadows. Unmistakably, it was the costumed figure of V-2, alias Van Vonderschmidt. Looking down at him, V-2 cried, "Shoot! Shoot him!"
From hidden spots all over the studio, armed German soldiers emerged and quickly turned to see where Van was pointing. By that time Dan had already ducked for cover, along with the rest of the suddenly mobile crew members, and leaped out of the way as a hail of bullets were strewn across his path. When the gunfire died down, Dan was nowhere to be seen.
"Find him! Find him now!" cried V-2. But as the soldiers fanned out to begin their search, he quickly grew impatient with them and leaped down from the rafters to look for the man himself.
Above, on the rafters, Gopher Bloom took that moment to move a bit closer to his aunt. Dressed in the costume of Drang, he was ostensibly meant to serve as V-2's backup, but the boy was terribly conflicted about his team leader's decision to use his aunt as bait. He had already tried to speak up for her earlier, but had been immediately silenced and reminded about the importance of following a superior's orders.
"D-don't worry, Aunt Marla," Gopher said, trying to reassure her. "Everything's gonna be fine. This'll all be over soon. Just -- just wait here. I-I'll make sure you're okay."
A gag in her mouth, Marla Bloom's response was completely muffled, but the boy knew what she was saying. It was what she'd said before: "Let me go." Gopher averted his eyes and moved back into the shadows where he'd been placed.
As the search for Dan Cassidy continued below, a spry figure was scaling up the scaffolding and making his way unseen to the rafters while V-2 was distracted. Within moments, the figure quickly and carefully reached Marla's position.
Tapping her on the shoulder, he placed his index finger over his lips to keep her from making any sounds as he pulled off her gag. "I'm getting you out of here now," whispered Dan, and began to untie her bonds.
Finally able to speak, Marla frantically whispered, "Dan, no! He'll see you!"
"He can't see me from here," Dan whispered. "He's still looking for me down there."
"No!" whispered Marla. "I mean Gopher!"
Dan Cassidy suddenly felt a small but powerful hand pressing on his shoulder.
"Stop doing that, Dan," said Gopher, his voice cracking. "You're not supposed to be up here."
"Gopher? Why in the world is your Aunt Marla tied up like this?" whispered Dan, glancing down to ensure that they hadn't attracted any attention yet. The search below was still happening without interruption. "Did you have anything to do with this?"
"I-it wasn't my idea, Dan!" Gopher replied, looking scared. "Honest! B-but she's, I mean, Aunt Marla's supposed to stay there for now. V-2 said so."
"She's your aunt!" Dan replied. "Your flesh and blood! Why didn't you stick up for her?"
"I tried, Dan! I really did! But V-2 said we needed her, I mean, Aunt Marla to bring the Destroying Demon here!"
"And you went along with that?" asked Dan. "Gopher, you know this is wrong, don't you? All of this is wrong! Now help me get your aunt out of here before she gets hurt!"
Gopher backed away, his face completely unreadable in the shadows.
"Please, Gopher!" pleaded Marla. "You know you shouldn't be a part of this! What would your parents think?"
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"Let's just get you untied and out of here before they see us," Dan muttered, and began working on the ropes once more.
Gopher croaked out a weak, "No."
Dan kept on untying the ropes, struggling to see in the darkness.
"No!" Gopher said, now more forcefully, but remained where he was. "Stop it!"
"Listen, kid!" Dan said, holding up one finger and whispering as loudly as he dared to without attracting attention from below. "Either you help me save your aunt, or keep the hell out of my way!"
Gopher stood there and watched as Dan finished untying his aunt, struggling between his innate loyalty to his family and his programmed loyalty to the Fatherland. But the programming was too strong.
"He's up here!" Gopher cried as loudly as he could.
Dan Cassidy jumped toward him in a futile attempt to stop the boy from calling out, but it was too late.
A triumphant laugh came from below as V-2 leaped back up to the rafters and quickly grabbed the now-free Marla Bloom, pinning her in his grasp.
"So, the beauty has indeed killed the beast," he growled. "Or at least captured it."
"Van, let her go!" Dan demanded.
Van Vonderschmidt laughed and said, "A very poor choice of words, Herr Cassidy. But I vill do as you say."
At that, he pulled his arms away. Marla immediately fell.
"NOOO-OOO-OOO!" shouted both Dan and Gopher alike as she fell toward a false set at a height that would surely hospitalize her, if not kill her from the impact alone. Without more than a moment's thought Dan leaped after her, pushing himself with his feet from the rafters in an effort to reach her first.
Gopher tried immediately to rush down after them, but V-2 held out one powerful arm and caught the boy, causing the smaller figure to slam into him. Holding him in tightly in his arms, V-2 merely laughed at the feeble attempts of the less-powerful figure to struggle free from his grip, despite being too late now to do anything about it. "Why'd you do that?" cried the boy, unable to control himself as he tried in vain to beat his fists into the bigger man behind him over and over again. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT?"
Releasing his grip, V-2 quickly placed his right hand up to block Gopher's next blow, even as he used his left hand to clutch the boy by the scruff of his neck. Whispering in a soothing tone, he said, "Your aunt vas not worthy, my boy. You must learn -- you vill learn -- that sacrifices must sometimes be made for the glory of the Fourth Reich. Now get ahold of yourself, boy! Ve still haff vork to do!"
At that, he slammed Gopher to the rafters, which bent them from the force, and cried out to the soldiers below, "Recover their carcasses! I vant to deliver them to Herr Verner myself!"
As Gopher pulled himself into a fetal position in the rafters, trying without success to stop himself from crying uncontrollably, the soldiers began to fan out and then move in toward the false building set that Marla and Dan had fallen into.