//------------------------------// // Close Quarters Combat // Story: Aria and Sonata Have a Prank War // by Glitch Hooves //------------------------------// Date: 2/12/2011 Three years, seven months, and nineteen days before 'Endgame' Sonata had just entered her and her sister's hotel. She was wearing a dark blue sweater, accompanied by a set of jeans. She pressed a button inside and waited for the elevator to come. Waiting alongside her were two strangers, one who was wearing a light coat and baggy pants, and a woman with a fairly large bag. She thought nothing of them, they were nobodies, she would acknowledge their presence for the duration of the ride, then forget them. Unimportant. The elevator doors opened silently, revealing a small room with mirrors on three sides. She stepped in, as rehearsed over, and over for the past few months. She pressed the button for the fifth floor, as rehearsed, and waited. The other two pressed their own buttons, and they too waited. They were all simply following the rules of the elevator, never make eye contact, never interact, and never invade ones' personal space. Rules which Sonata is very happy to abide by in these cramped spaces. She noticed the numbers on the door frame that counted how high they were going. She awaited for it to hit five any second now. #3 #4 ... Clunk!! The sound you never want to hear when in an elevator just blasted in their ears. A brief moment of silence, followed by realization. "Oh that's just great," one of the occupants of the box said, disinterested. "*Cough* *Cough*" the other occupant began to cough wildly. Sonata could feel the hair on her neck rise. 'Keep calm' "*Cough*" 'Just a few minutes and the doors will open' "*cough*" "will you cover your mouth!" she barked at the man. The woman flinched at the sudden outburst. "Sorry... just a little sick," the man apologized. "I can tell..." Sonata humphed, turning around to face the door. "What about the emergency button?" the woman suggested. Sonata, being the closest to it, obliged, and pressed the big red button. A small alarm set of when she pressed it, upon releasing her finger, the sound ceased. She noticed something when she looked around the compact space. Everyone was closer to her, then she noticed that the whole room was a whole foot smaller. 'No... you got over that two hundred years ago, just a little worried is all, you're a big siren now' she assured. "*Cough*" She felt an eye twitch. "*Cough*" She was darn near ready to tear this man's throat with her bare fingers when she heard clanging from the other side of the doors. "Hello?!" she called. "Hold on. We're trying to get you out of there," the voice said. "Could you please hurry?" Sonata asked. "Just get comfortable, you might be in there a while..." the voice advised Click "That's okay..." Sonata said, she felt a few hair strands come out of place. She could hear the clanging continue outside. But it sounded more like an echo. The woman focused her attention back on the bag and started whispering to it. Sonata couldn't make out the words, she knew for fact she was crazy, who talks to a handbag... roughly big enough to hold a small animal... "Hey, *Sniffle* What's in the bag?" the plague victim asked. "Oh, its just my cat, he doesn't like loud noises," the woman said. She opened a small zipper and reached a hand inside. She looked as if trying to secure a grip before pulling out the most hideous thing on this earth. The abomination squirmed in her master's hand, seemingly wanting to escape. She continued to coddle it, whispering in its ear as the wrinkles on its skin continued to fold. Sonata suddenly slammed herself against the door, prying her fingers between the doors and attempting to open it with pure strength alone. "HEEEELP!! Can we do anything from here!?" she shouted, wanting nothing more than to escape her confinement. "Hold on, we're trying something bigger!" the voice said. "Stand back." Almost immediately after he said that, a large slamming noise was heard from outside. Almost like a battering ram. Sonata began breathing rapidly now, the woman had set her beast on the ground where it began to circle the perimeter of the cage. Stopping directly in front of Sonata. It stared at he with those black pits it called eyes. She saw white pinpricks coming from deep inside the pits. "*Cough*" "TURN AROUND WHEN YOU COUGH!" she screamed at the man. The beast hissed at her, She returned the feeling ten fold. Actual spit coming out. The beast raised a claw at her, ready to strike with fatal force. She was in a fight for for her life now, and this time she would win. Click #### "So, how did you manage to gain control over the elevators?" Adagio asked, following Aria down the steps. "Easy, had a technician here connect the elevator controls to this here remote," Aria answered, taking it out of her pocket and waving it around. Upon getting out to the fourth floor, they saw the elevator doors, someone was currently overlooking them, slamming a hammer on the door with a buzz saw in his hand. "Thanks for the help," Aria said to the man before pointing a thumb in the opposite direction. "It was really no problem," the man said, giving a slight bow, his eyes were green, tell tale sign of how Aria got the controls. "So now what? Last time I remember, Sonata had it pretty bad back then," Adagio said, staring at the elevator. "Ahh, she'll be fine, at worst she'll be cowering in the corner." Aria assured, pressing the button for door controls. "I'm not sure, I mean it was pretty- AGHHHHHHHH" Adagio was cut off as a cat from inside the elevator flew at her, straight to her face. Claws first... And with enough force to send her on the ground... The cat continued to yowl wildly as it was tearing Adagio's face a new one. She was screaming and kicking to get it off her face, while Aria was staring at the contents of the elevator. Sonata was in the center alright. She looked... deranged. Her hair was loose now, and she looked wild, her clothes were torn with large claw marks, and there was a small cut on her cheek. There was a man groaning on the ground in pain, and a woman sitting in the corner. "COME ON, YOU OVER SIZED SCROTUM!! I'M READY FOR MORE!!" Sonata exclaimed from inside the elevator, going into a fake jujitsu stance. Aria continued to stare inside the elevator, Adagio was still screaming, the cat was still hissing wildly, and Sonata was insisting on screaming insults at the cat. Aria wasn't sure whether she felt proud or scared.