Return To The Machine

Chapter 16

When the portal closed again, Parker tried fighting them off seeing that where they were going only turned darker and sinister. "UGH! LEAVE US ALONE! Why does everyone want us dead?!" he shouted angrily. One of them opened up the door of a cage and threw all three of them inside of it. Another grabbed a lock and shut it to keep the cage door shut. "HEY! Get back here! You can't just leave us!" Rosa shouted angrily.

Sammy groaned as he sat up inside the small cell there were in. "What in the hell..." he asked as he looked around where they were. Two of the Ink People walked over and climbed on top of the cage. They attached a chain to a small hook. They hopped off the cage allowing three more to approach them. Together they pushed the cage toward a ledge they could see in the dark. Both Parker and Rosa began begging for their lives.

But of course, their cries fell on deaf ears. They were pushed off the ledge, plunging into the darkness. They were screaming the whole time holding onto anything they could find. At last, they stopped. The cage dangled in the air as Parker barely opened his eyes to see what was out there. To his surprise, there was now light. A whole new area of a fountain sat in the middle of the room. Toys and plushies were laid out everywhere on furniture and love seats along with heart pillows that were used as decorations. Around the edges of the room were small balconies and seating that demonstrated an audience was supposed to watch a performance. In front of them was a huge stage with worn-out velvet curtains.

Above it all, a huge chandelier hung high in the ceiling. "Rosa... Have you been here either?" Parker asked her once he felt settled. Rosa was still amazed by everything she was seeing. "No... I think I would've remembered a place like this for sure. But... why are we here?" she wondered. "Any ideas Sammy?" she asked, the two of them looking back at him.

Sammy however was distracted. He looked out at something from another part of the cage. The two joined him to see what he was staring at.

It was a worn-out poster. Parker obviously became annoyed fairly quickly. "Dude, can you please stop staring down a poster of a fictional angel?!" he asked angrily. "Park! That's not just any angel! That's Alice Angel!" Rosa snapped. "You're acting like I know who that is!"

"Ugh." Rosa groaned slapping her forehead. "She was one of the most wonderful creations Henry ever made... Her voice is one of the most angelic I've ever heard in a lifetime... There's no other like it..." Sammy answered dazed.

Everything was silent once more. Though they realized the urgency of escaping this new area. "Okay, seriously though, how do we get out of here?" Parker questioned. Rosa reached through the bars and inspected the lock. "It's rusted and old but unless we had a hammer or something, we're kinda stuck here." she sighed.

"Oh, that won't be a problem." All of them turned around to see where the sound came from. The seats everywhere suddenly began to fill up as many of them began to face the stage.

The curtains drew back slowly but surely to reveal a feminine figure. "Gentlemen, I need more lighting than what we have... Help a lady out will you?" she demanded. Two other workers adjusted the lights to shine down on the woman onstage. Their eyes widened seeing the thin, black and white angel that stood there on stage. She had devil horns and a tight-fit dress. "Well, we've got quite the crowd don't we? And I see we have some special guests today," Parker recoiled as she looked right at him to Sammy. "Honestly... how long has it been?" she asked them. Sammy, despite having no face acted distracted.

"Tell me what do I owe the pleasure of seeing two humans and a rejected musician in my world of shame?" she asked them. Sammy grabbed onto the bars of the cage and stared at her. Noticing her disfigured face, Parker held back a gasp and backed away. "I heard it was the Ink Machine that decided her fate..." Rosa whispered. "Normally, I would kill you all on the spot. But... where's the fun in that? Especially since it's been forever since I've put on a show other than my lovely fans here."

Sammy suddenly felt something inside of him that felt different than hatred or betrayal. There abruptly weren't any negative feelings. Except his companions couldn't tell because he had no physical expressions. "Susie..." he said aloud. Susie silently giggled, all of the room feeling it go cold. "Truly I'm surprised that you are even here. I thought you forgot about me. No offense to my 'lovely' fans, but, it does tend to get a little boring to perform for the same people all the time. So, what do you say about a little show to change the tune in this room?" Susie asked them. None of them answered.

"Very well then. The show must go on after all!" she said. She looked over at her assistants who were at the left of the stage closer to the audience. "Hit it." she ordered looking over at the musicians.

Parker and Rosa's eyes widened hearing the first few notes to leave her tongue. Her voice made everyone within the room move to the music. Some of them who were forced to stand up moved around a bit more than usual. Susie danced to the beat staying precise the whole time with each word that came out. "Woah... you didn't tell us she could sing that good!" Rosa whispered. "I... I almost forgot what she sounded like..." Sammy said as he continued to stare Susie down.

Susie noticed Sammy's stares which made her smile. She signaled to some of her followers. They knew what she wanted and they managed to find their way to the cage. They opened up the cage door, grabbing Sammy harshly. "SAMMY!" Rosa cried as she tried to get him. The creatures knocked her back inside. Parker helped her up and they watched as Sammy was brought to the stage, and thrown at Susie's feet. He grunted as he looked back up. Susie lifted him up from the ground and began twirling him in circles before letting him fall back on the stage

Her finale came and decided to hit the high note while making sure Sammy was staring right at her. She shut her eyes before looking back at her audience.

Everyone involved applauded, whistled, clapped, and did a little dance. "How was that for a grand performance?" Susie asked. Sammy didn't say anything. He was too stunned. "Alright alright alright! We get it! You got something against Sammy clearly! But that doesn't have anything to do with us! Doesn't anyone just talk about their problems? I mean why don't we just- I don't know, have a can of bacon soup, draw something nice that doesn't have to do with demons, and vent out our issues? Doesn't that sounds better?!" Parker exclaimed. "Parker!" Rosa scolded.

"What?! I'm being realistic here! I mean why don't we just talk about this for once?" Everyone looked at him with shock. Susie tried to hold back a laugh but it came out. Those who followed her every command barely shrunk back in surprise hearing her. They were obviously very afraid of her as well so this was unsettling even for them.

"You must be new here. Not anyone has the guts to be that straightforward. Bring them to me in my lab. I have a date with the newcomers."