Rainbow Factory Quality Control

Chapter 11: Shut the Door

When Frank came to, he was sitting in a comfortable chair in a dimly lit office. The gray Puppet was aware that his neck hurt immensely, a gag had been tied around his head and mouth, and his hands and feet were bound to the arms and legs of the chair. He turned his head slightly and saw Wally seated at a large desk tapping away on a keyboard. He looked tired, his crimson eyes scanned the computer screens for data in that half awake trance everyone seemed to fall in after too many hours at a desk. After a moment Wally looked up, saw that Frank was moving, then saved his progress and turned off the computer screens. He tapped a button that brought the light level up a bit, then stood up and stretched. He walked around the desk, grabbed a chair on the way, set it in front of Frank, then sat back down himself. Wally leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands folded in between.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to chloroform a guy whose head can spin three hundred and sixty degrees?" Wally spoke. "I'll own this one. I really should have thought it through more."

Frank tried to talk around the gag, and predictably failed in making anything more than strange sounds.

"I'll take it off in a minute. But first I'll let you know that I don't intend to kill you. I also know that as soon as that gag is taken from your lips, you're probably going to start screaming and that is not going to help either of our causes. So for now, its yes or no answers. Just nod for yes, and shake your head for no. Do you understand?"

Frank seemed to hesitate a moment, then nodded.

"Good," Wally scratched the braids at the back of his head. Some of his hair had fallen a little loose in the scuffle and stray curls rested on his forehead. A door to the side of the office opened suddenly and Canary stepped in, her gaze momentarily fixed on Wally's desk while she searched for something. She selected a folder and picked it up but as she turned to leave she took in the scene at the other end of the room.

"Wally?" she asked, crossing the room in quick strides.

Frank began to mumble loudly and Wally sighed. "I caught him outside the Receiving Sheds."

"Do you need help dealing with the problem?" she asked softly.

"Huh?!" Frank said around the gag. He could manage some sounds just fine.

"No, I've got this," Wally hung his head and folded his fingers together.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Canary stepped up behind Wally and tucked the folder under her arm. Wally deliberately kept from looking Frank in the eye, he couldn't stand the confusion and betrayal written there.

"I don't want to kill him." Wally repeated. "I don't plan to kill him. I'm going to give him a tour of the factory, front to back, and then I'll make the decision when I'm done."

"Wha--" Frank exclaimed again. Canary seemed to be as surprised at this response as Frank was.

Canary set her small hand on Wally's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I trust you will do right."

Wally covered her hand then waited for her to leave the room before addressing Frank again. He expected the gray puppet to be scared, but Frank seemed strangely relaxed for a guy that was bound and gagged. The room was suddenly washed in yellow then green light and Wally turned his head to look out of the windows at the production floor. "Oh that was a big one. Go ahead and look," he gestured out the window as the light faded and was replaced by another color.

Frank slowly turned his head to look. In the center of the darkened production floor was a massive glass cylinder set on its side. It was easily big enough to park two city buses in next to each other. One end of the cylinder was a conglomeration of different tubes and cables, each one glowing a different color. The tubes led into the floor where they continued under the grating and vanished into parts unknown. On the other end of the cylinder was a massive re-enforced metal tube that came from a wall at the far end of the production hall. Along the tube were a series of catwalks and monitoring stations and two tightly sealed access hatches. Lights along the top of the tube suddenly illuminated in succession and then the glass cylinder seemed to explode in different colored light that splattered along the interior and ran down the sides to collect at the bottom. It was oddly beautiful to behold.