YTSK II: Chapter XXXIX

In Universe Date: 27-28 December 2021

Tenax glances around the dimly lit cabin of the small plane. The drone of the engines is constant, almost soothing, but his mind is a whirlwind of thoughts and concerns. He pulls out his phone, opens the Signal app, and types a quick message to Shusha.

2021/12/27 21:25 [Fasolasuchus Tenax] Where are you right now?

2021/12/27 21:28 [CherepashkaShusha] I'm at the hospital entrance.

2021/12/27 21:29 [Fasolasuchus Tenax] Do you have Dodo with you?

2021/12/27 21:29 [CherepashkaShusha] Yes. He's in a cage I have in my bag.

2021/12/27 21:31 [Fasolasuchus Tenax] Just to rehearse: you’ll take Dodo to the hospital, and when we're above R'lyeh, we'll give a signal for you to call Yan with the news of Dodo's whereabouts. If everything goes according to plan, she'll try to teleport him to her lair in order to prevent him from escaping.

2021/12/27 21:31 [CherepashkaShusha] Got it.

Shusha looks around cautiously, the cold air biting at his skin. He clutches the bag containing Dodo’s bat form tightly and moves toward a shadowed alley beside the hospital. Once he is sure no one is watching, he opens the bag and whispers urgently.

“Alright, Dodo. Transform.”

In a flash, the small bat grows and reshapes into the form of a man, albeit a man with grievous leg injuries. Dodo winces, blood seeping from the stumps of his legs.

“Quickly,” Shusha urges, helping Dodo to his feet—or rather, what remains of them.

They stumble toward the hospital entrance, Shusha supporting most of Dodo’s weight. As they enter the brightly lit lobby, Shusha puts on his most frantic expression, shouting for help.

“Please, someone help us! My friend—he was in a terrible accident! His legs—”

The hospital lobby erupts into a flurry of activity as the medical staff springs into action. Nurses and doctors rush forward, their faces masks of professional concern. The receptionist, wide-eyed, grabs the phone to alert the emergency team.

“Quick, get a gurney!” a nurse shouts, pointing toward an orderly who dashes off to retrieve one.

Shusha holds onto Dodo, trying to steady him as they wait. Dodo’s face is pale, and he groans in pain, adding authenticity to their act. Within moments, the orderly returns with a gurney, and two nurses help Shusha lift Dodo onto it.

“What happened?” one of the nurses asks as they wheel Dodo toward the emergency room.

“We were hiking in the mountains and trying to make our way to the Toki Pona library of Videomapistan,” Shusha lies, breathless and panicked. “There was a rockslide. He got pinned, and I had to pull him out. His legs... they were crushed.”

The nurse nods, her expression grim but focused. “We’ll take care of him. Stay with us.”

As they move through the hallways, Shusha keeps pace with the gurney, maintaining his frantic demeanor. They burst into a treatment room, where a doctor immediately starts assessing Dodo’s condition.

“Get an IV started,” the doctor orders, and a nurse quickly complies, inserting a needle into Dodo’s arm and attaching a saline drip. “We need to stabilize him and get him into surgery.”

Another nurse cuts away the remains of Dodo’s pants, exposing the stumps of his legs. Blood is still seeping from the wounds, and the doctor begins to apply pressure bandages to stem the flow.

“Keep talking to him,” the doctor instructs Shusha. “Keep him conscious.”

Shusha nods, leaning over Dodo. “Hang in there, buddy. You’re going to be okay. They’re going to fix you up.”

Dodo’s eyes flutter open, and he manages a weak nod. “Thanks... Shusha,” he murmurs, his voice barely audible.

The medical team works with practiced efficiency, cleaning the wounds and preparing Dodo for surgery. Shusha stays close, offering words of encouragement while mentally reviewing the next steps of their plan.

Finally, the doctor looks up. “We’ve done all we can for now. We’re taking him to surgery. You can wait in the family area.”

Shusha gives a final nod to Dodo. “You’re in good hands. I’ll be right here.”

As the medical team wheels Dodo away to the operating room, Shusha takes a deep breath and pulls out his phone. He quickly types a message to Tenax.

2021/12/27 21:50 [CherepashkaShusha] Dodo is in a hospital bed. This part of the operation is complete. I'll call Yan when you give the signal.

2021/12/27 21:52 [Fasolasuchus Tenax] Good work soldier. When I retake the presidency I will make sure you will get a promotion.

Satisfied, Tenax puts his phone away and decides to check up on Violet. He finds Violet in the rear of the plane, hunched over the squad's belongings. He is meticulously examining every item, his eyes sharp and calculating.

“Violet, what are you doing?” Tenax asks, his voice a mix of curiosity and authority.

Violet looks up, his expression perfectly controlled. “Just making sure everything is in order, Tenax. We can’t afford any surprises when we reach R'lyeh. I’m double-checking for anything we might have missed.”

Tenax frowns for a moment but then nods. “Good thinking. We can’t be too careful.”

Satisfied with Violet's explanation, Tenax drops the subject and walks away, leaving Violet to continue his examination.

Violet’s eyes narrow as he continues to sift through the squad’s bags. He has already gathered a considerable amount of intelligence on their plans and their personal items, but he needs to ensure there are no hidden threats.

His fingers brush over various items: weapons, clothing, phones, gadgets. Then, he reaches into a bag and almost touches a book with his bare fingers. He pauses, his eyes catching sight of the title—

"Oxford IB Diploma Programme: Biology Course Companion"

For a split second, his breath catches in his throat. His heart races as he realizes just how close he has come to touching it. If his fingers had made contact, he would have been completely destroyed. He feels a surge of fear, his mind reeling from the near-fatal mistake.

Just as Violet starts to calm down, he receives a text from Shusha. "Hello president Yan, I'm just wondering, where are you right now?"

Violet is frustrated. He texts back: "Why do you want to know?"

Shusha says: "I have some new polling data I would like to show you."

Violet takes a deep breath and takes a moment to collect himself and assess the situation. Regarding the biology textbook, he reckons that the squad has figured out her weakness and brought the one thing that could kill her. He then conjures an answer to Shusha:

"I've decided to spend this day on playing Splatoon. I would prefer if you don't interrupt me. I'll reach out to you when I'm ready."

After sending the message, Violet puts the phone back in his pocket. As he prepares to put on gloves, Tenax interrupts him once more. "Hey Violet, Zed and DH, come see this!" While Zed prefers to keep browsing Discord on his phone, Violet and DH look at Tenax's phone with keen interest. "While we're making all kinds of intricate plans, Yan is playing Splatoon! Shows where her priorities lie."

Violet laughs: "Ha! I guess she really doesn't take this seriously. It'll be easy to defeat her, no doubt."

DH scoffs. "Violet, don't be so complacent! We don't know what tricks Yan might pull to try and defeat us. Trying to downplay her threat level is just playing into her hands. Tenax, can you give me the phone? I want to examine those texts for myself." DH then walks up to Tenax.

Taking advantage of Tenax and DH being distracted, Violet slips on his gloves to grab the biology textbook. As he does this, he feels frustrated at the leaks. "*How did they gain access to those texts? Have they been wiretapping me? If so, for how long?*" He then shrugs it off and gets back to business. His hand movements are swift and precise. He carefully picks up the textbook, making sure it doesn’t touch his skin, and rises to his feet. He glances around to ensure no one is watching, then makes his way to the plane’s small bathroom.

He locks the door behind him, securing her privacy and shapeshifting back into her regular Yannist appearance. She thinks, "*So, they figured out my weakness. I'm impressed those moids actually managed to get this far, but I will stay one step ahead.*" With a deep breath, Yan focuses her mind, her surroundings shimmering as she activates her teleportation ability. In an instant, she disappears from the plane, reappearing in her lair in the sunken city of R'lyeh.

Yan reappears in her lair, the oppressive darkness and damp air enveloping her as she materializes. With the biology textbook clutched in her gloved hands, she navigates her way to a small, secluded room. The room houses a lava-powered incinerator, a relic of ancient technology that has served her well for disposing of unwanted items. When she opens the heavy iron hatch, she feels intense heat and sees the molten lava churning and bubbling within.

"This ends now. I am going to DESTROY THIS!" she screams, tossing the book into the roaring inferno. The hatch slams shut with a resonant thud, and she watches through the small, reinforced window as the flames engulf the book. Satisfied that it is destroyed, she turns away, a sense of relief washing over her. "Good riddance," she whispers, turning away from the incinerator. "I will never be a memory."

With the biology textbook dealt with, Yan turns to the next part of her plan. She moves to a nearby shelf and pulls out a mathematics textbook. Using a high-quality printer in her lair, she quickly prints out a replica of the biology textbook's cover. Carefully, she glues the false cover onto the mathematics textbook, ensuring it looks identical to the original.

"Epic," she says, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "They will never know the difference."

Yan knows she needs to return to the plane without raising suspicion. She activates a satellite feed on her computer, using advanced imagery to locate the squad’s plane. Once she has the exact coordinates, she focuses her mind and teleports back to the plane’s bathroom. As she leaves R'lyeh behind, she has no idea that one of her victims remains hidden within her lair's ventilation shaft.

Jake remains squeezed. He talks to Peter Parker: "Hey Peter, I heard Yan say that she would destroy something... I wonder just what she destroyed", he ponders aloud, his voice echoing in the confined space. Peter, of course, remains silent, his many eyes watching Jake with what seems like interest.

Jake's curiosity gets the better of him. He carefully makes his way through the dark, narrow shaft and then navigates his way into the chamber where the incinerator resides. The heat hits him like a wall, but he pushes forward, drawn by a need to understand what Yan had destroyed.

He approaches the incinerator cautiously, opening the hatch. His eyes widen in disbelief as he sees the biology textbook, seemingly unfazed as it lays atop the searing lava.

"How is this possible?" he whispers, awe-struck. "How is the biology textbook not being destroyed? Hmmm... Well, honestly, I don't know how lava works. I guess this machine must be malfunctioning somehow. Or, maybe this textbook is made of inflammable material."

What eludes Jake and Yan is that this is no ordinary biology textbook. A few days prior, the squad had asked Santa for a biology textbook to defeat Yan Xishan, and until it has fulfilled that purpose, Santa's magic will prevent it from being destroyed.

Jake thinks further. "Hmmm... but what is the reason behind this? Why would Yan go out of her way to destroy a biology textbook? What would she stand to gain from doing something like that?"

After pondering it for a minute, Jake figures it's probably not important and returns to his hiding spot.

The next day

Tenax lies dead. Jake listens in horror as Yan explains how she managed to pull off this victory.

"After I entered the plane, I examined all the belongings owned by your little squad. At one point while examining one of your bags, I discovered a biology textbook. I figured that you must've discovered my weakness, and in order to prevent you from exploiting it, I put on my gloves, picked up the biology textbook — with the gloves preventing the textbook from touching my skin — and went to the plane's toilet, locking the door before teleporting to my lair."

Suddenly, it all makes sense to Jake. He finally understands why Yan decided to destroy the biology textbook. He regrets not telling his son when they hugged — though, to be fair, he didn't understand the book's importance then. He hatches a plan: he will exit the shaft, run to the incinerator, and grab the biology textbook before throwing it at Yan.

However, just as he tries to summon his courage, it all comes back to him — the screaming, the pain, the agony, and the cold grasp of death seducing him into oblivion. "I saved you for last, Jake," she said. He realized any escape attempt wouldn't work, and he couldn't plead, so he just accepted his death. And now, one year later, he feels similarly paralyzed in fear. He decides to stay shut and hopes the squad will conjure something to defeat Yan.

The squad, however, seems bent on escaping this place by destroying the ceiling and letting it flood, escaping via forcefield. The thought of being left to drown strikes a nerve with Jake, who bursts out of the ventilation shaft.

"I'M NOT DEAD, BITCH!" Yan is incredibly surprised at Jake's presence and exclaims: "WHAT?" Having left the shaft, Jake runs at his son. DH allows his father to pass through his forcefield. He then fully regains his resolve and stands up. Just as he starts to draw his hands in cups in order to shoot a Kamehameha at the ceiling, Yan teleports through his forcefield and grabs his arms in order to save her lair.

DRM, Zed, and Jake look on as Yan and DH quickly roll on the floor, wrestling one another. Zed speaks. "Hey Yan, remember Fourthirds? You murdered him in the basement of a nuclear silo. Funny thing is, he had written a review of your Tibet video while we were in prison. There were some inaccuracies in it. Would you like to know them?"

Yan ignores Zed, devoting her full attention to fighting DH.

"First of all, your Tibet was missing a lot of Tusi. Some names, for example, would be Zhongsuo, Yousuo, Zuosuo, Guabie, Gubaizhou, Weilongzhou, Changzhou, Adu, Shama, Hedong, Hexi, Qiongbu, and Dacun."

While DH and Yan wrestle on the ground and Zed criticizes Yan's Tibet video, Jake thinks. He had hoped to escape with DH, but that plan is now clearly dashed. However, while he had been observing the battle between Yan and Tenax from the shaft, he had conjured another plan. And, now that he has mustered the courage to leave the shaft, he can finally put it into action.

Seizing the moment of distraction, Jake sprints through the corridors of the lair, his heart pounding in his chest. He has to reach the incinerator room before it is too late. There are many doors attached to the walls of the large bottom room of Yan's lair, each leading to a different room, but Jake knows the way well, having spent more than a year hiding and observing from the shadows.

Breathless, Jake arrives at the small, secluded room housing the lava-powered incinerator. The intense heat radiates from the massive iron structure, making the air shimmer. The hatch looms before him, heavy and foreboding. He can still hear the echoes of the battle behind him, but he forces himself to focus.

Jake takes a deep breath, steeling himself. He reaches for the hatch, the metal scorching hot to the touch. With a grunt of effort, he pulls it open, the searing heat hitting him like a physical force. Inside, the molten lava churns and bubbles, a deadly sea of orange and red.

Jake's eyes scan the interior of the incinerator, and there, amidst the fiery depths, lies the biology textbook. It is untouched, having somehow survived in the lava. His heart leaps with hope. He grabs a nearby metal rod, using it to maneuver the book closer to the hatch.

The heat is unbearable, sweat pouring down his face and hands shaking. He needs to act quickly. Jake positions himself carefully, extending his hand into the incinerator's opening. The intense heat singes his fingers, but he grits his teeth and perseveres. With a swift motion, he grabs the textbook, pulling it out of the inferno.

His hands are scorched, the pain almost unbearable, but he has the book. Jake holds it aloft for a moment, the weight of its significance almost overwhelming. He quickly shuts the hatch, cutting off the searing heat. The room falls silent, the only sound his ragged breathing.

Yan continues wrestling with DH. Zed speaks: "You also didnnt map labrang correctly, labrang had control over all the nmbered tribes. And you missed warlord Lu Dachang who controlled southwest Gansu from 1930-1935"

From the corner of her eyes, Yan sees Jake coming out of the incinerator room with a biology textbook. Her eyes then turn towards the mathematics textbook lying besides Tenax. "*No, there's no way*".

Jake approaches Yan. "Did you hear that, Yan? You killed me because my Tibet video was inaccurate, but yours wasn't great either! Now, YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!"

Just as Jake prepares to throw the textbook, Yan launches a missle at DH at point-blank range. Both Yan and DH are propelled 15 meters away by the explosion.

Yan stands up. "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT BIOLOGY TEXTBOOK! I DESTROYED IT, THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE!"

DRM speaks up: "It's Santa's magic. His magic protected the biology textbook. I used to be a Santa denier, but I see the light now."

DH stands up. "Good work, father." He walks to the biology textbook and picks it up. "Now all that's left to do..." - he looks the biology textbook in the palm of his hands, then at Yan - "...is to kill Yan Xishan".

*To be continued...*