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Description

Glue of Legends.

By FOXCARROTS

Part Three

“Forsaken Factory.”

    Caitlyn moved through the strange abandoned factory slowly and carefully. Due to the boot eaters that attacked her on the way in she was barefoot and that made her extra cautious. Not only was it not at all a safe place to be barefoot, she was concerned there might be more traps. Her best friend Vi was stuck in a completely permanent glue that might have been made in this place and there were robots that came after feet. Neither were things she particularly wanted to deal with and took great pains to keep her feet safe and unstuck.

    She looked around and found all kind of equipment and abandoned material. There were pieces that looked like they were part of the boot eaters and other mechanical devices. She shuddered a the thought about what else might be lurking around, built and intended to do horrific things to those they encountered. She however, was looking around for something in particular, evidence that they had made the glue her friend was stuck in. She had to hope against hope that they also made some sort of solvent or else Vi would never leave the spot she was stuck in ever again.

    She continued on, finding nothing in what she decided was a machine room. She had to go deeper into the factory and hope that she could find more. She became aware of a sound; it was like someone or something was coming toward her from one of the hallways past the door to the machine room. She braced herself for anything, ready to move her bare feet from danger. Suddenly somebody collided against her and it drove Caitlyn and the newcomer to the ground. She frantically tried to push the person off but realised it was not an attacker, but someone she knew. “Jinx, is that you?”

    The blue haired engineer and destructionist got up and looked at Caitlyn. “Oh, there you are.”

    “What are you doing here?” Caitlyn said as she got to her feet and helped Jinx to hers. “And why were you running?”

    “I just worried that you ight need some help.” Jinx said as she dusted herself off. “Also, Vi is in a real mood right now. It makes sense you know…because stuck. But I figured I’d give her some space and come help you. As to why I was running. Some robots accosted me and you would not believe what they did.”

    “They ate your boots.” Caitlyn said, gesturing to her completely bare feet. She looked to Jinx’s feet and saw her similarly barefoot. She went to make a further comment but was struck by how nice Jinx’s feet were. She had pale feet with sharp arches. She had pale blue painted toenails and everything about her feet were perfect. “You have like…really nice feet.”

    “I know.” Jinx replied. “Thank you though.”

    “Who would make machines rigged to attack footwear?” Caitlyn asked. “It makes no sense.”

    “Maybe someone mad about people not taking their shoes off when they came over?” Jinx suggested. “Or maybe they are just messed up…they did make bombs filled with glue that never ever comes off.”

    “That is too true.” Caitlyn agreed. “Speaking of which, we should keep looking for the solvent to it.”

    “Agreed!” Jinx said. “Let’s go find that solvent!”

    The pair headed off, moving deeper and deeper into the facility and finding room after room of strange experiments and discarded materials. Most of what they found was inexplicable and Jinx wished she had more time to examine it all. However, they were there for a reason and they didn’t have time to be messing around with needless exploration.

    Just as they were starting to lose hope, they came across a large room deep in the center of the complex.

    “Jinx are those what I think they are?” Caitlyn said as she pointed to a large table near the wall of the room. Jinx ran over and discovered dozens of spherical devices the same as the one that had trapped Vi.

    “These are the glue bombs all right.” Jinx said as she examined them, many were empty or broken but soon Jinx found an intact one. “We should keep this one at least. It seems to be sealed and intact with the glue in its liquid state inside. If we can’t find a solvent this bomb might be the best chance that we have to find a solvent.”

    “We need to be very careful with it.” Caitlyn said as she carefully took the glue bomb from Jinx and placed it in her satchel. I really don’t want to find out what it’s like to be stuck with this stuff.”

    “I hope nobody does.” Jinx agreed. “Well, nobody else.”

    The pair searched through the room and found a series of vats connected by a system of catwalks above them. It seemed they were making all manner of things at the factory as the vats were all labelled in different codes. The pair found a ladder up onto the catwalk and climbed up. They looked around for some kind of workstation or place where they co-ordinated brewing the strange chemicals. Soon they spotted a central area at the middle of the vats with several desks, shelves, and workstations. They walked toward them with haste but as they got close, they felt a section of the catwalk begin to give way.

    Caitlyn acted fast, leaping forward and getting as much distance away from the falling piece. It titled to the side as her feet smacked down onto a solid piece of catwalk beyond. Jinx was not so lucky the catwalk tilting too much before she acted and causing her feet to slide off and her to fall down past the tilted walkway. She fell through one of the open lids of the vat and through some kind of protective paper liner. Jinx closed her eyes, expecting to splash into some manner of chemical but instead she landed on her feet, her bare soles smacking the ground hard and causing her to pinwheel her arms to prevent herself from falling over.

    Caitlyn carefully made her way to the edge of the still stable piece of catwalk and climbed down onto the top of the vat. She looked down through the opening to see Jinx ok and standing at the bottom. “Are you ok?”

    “Yeah.” Jinx admitted. “My feet are stinging from the fall but I don’t think I hurt anything.”

    “You are tougher than you look.” Caitlyn admitted.

    “I know.” Jinx replied. “Thank you though.”

    “Can you climb out?” Caitlyn asked as she looked down. The blue haired girl was only about seven or eight feet down but she doubted she could reach her with her hands.

    “There’s nothing in there to grab onto.” Jinx explained. “I think I see some sort of rope and pulley above you. Can you lower the rope down?”

    “I think so.” Caitlyn commented as climbed back up onto the stable catwalk. She reached for the rope. She had to go up onto her tippy toes but she was able to grab it. She pulled it toward her, the pulley moving over to the vat and bringing with it the other side of the rope. She slowly lowered the free end down into the vat.

    Jinx took a tight hold on the rope. “Ok pull me up!”

    Vi nodded and went to grab the other side of the rope. She yanked hard but found too much resistance. She figured that she just didn’t have enough leverage so she backed up and pulled again. It seemed like once the rope went taught there was not much more give. “Damn Jinx I’m either weaker than I thought or you are heavier.”

    “It’s neither.” Jinx said in a dejected voice. “We kind of have a big problem. I’m stuck.”

         Vi put the rope away on a nearby hook and climbed back down to the vat and looked down. “What do you mean you’re stuck?”

    Jinx simply stood next to the lowered rope and looked up dejectedly. She lifted up one of her perfect bare feet and an all too familiar orange goop stretched with her foot. It allowed her to raise it a few inches before it smacked to the ground. “There was glue at the bottom here.”

    “How much of you is stuck?” Caitlyn asked. “How much of it is down there?”

    Jinx demonstrated, slowly lifting her other foot. The glue stretched in tight strands that did not sag or bend. Her heels, her arches, even the pads of her toes were covered on the bottom and the glue would not release them. Jinx’s foot began to shake before snapping it back to the floor. She tried to take small steps in different directions but as she moved either foot the glue moved with them, seizing them and pulling them back to where they started. She tried shuffling her feet and though they would seem to slide a few inches she would provoke the glues elastic tension and get pulled back. No matter what she did, how she moved, or how much strength she put into it the glue always pulled her feet back to where they started. “I can’t move from this spot. The bottom of this thing is seemingly coated in this crap.”

    “But why is it still sticky?” Caitlyn asked. “I accidently touched Vi’s glue and it is dry and rubbery…not sticky at all.”

    “The glue on her is completely dry.” Jinx explained. “There was a seal on the top that I fell through. It must have been keeping the glue coating the inside of this vat in a still wet and sticky state.”

    “Well maybe we can do something before it sets on you.” Caitlyn commented. “I am going to try again to pull you out.”

    “Ok.” Jinx agreed, her voice eager and desperate. She grabbed a hold of the rope and wrapped it around her forearm. “Hurry!”

    Caitlyn nodded and climbed back up onto the catwalk and grabbed the other side of the rope. She braced a foot against the railing and pulled as hard as she could. The rope went taut instantly, there was some reluctant give but after a few inches it locked. In the vat Jink pulled with all of her might against the rope. The glue was at its maximum stretch and it was locked tight to her soles with no sign of letting go. She shouted up to Caitlyn. “Pull as hard as you can. Don’t worry about hurting me!”

    “Got it!” Caitlyn said as she braced both feet against the railing. She pulled back using all of her weight and leverage to pull harder. Both women’s strength were combined but all they got for it was another half an inch of stretch. At first Jinx was encouraged but as she looked down, she realised she had not won any more slack from the glue. The extra half an inch was from her skin stretching. Even with that being so she knew she could not tear skin off to get out. This stuff had her too deep and half of her foot would tear off before she got any more distance from the glue. She was stuck just like her sister and no amount of pulling was going to do anything. “Caitlyn you can stop.”

    Caitlyn let go of the rope, prompting an echoing slap as Jinxes feet were savagely snapped back to the floor. She climbed back down and looked into the vat. “Are you ok?”

    Jinx put her hands on her hips and looked up at Caitlyn. “Not really but I am not hurt or anything. Simply put I’m just as stuck as Vi. I am not going anywhere and this is my life now.”

    “We will find a way!” Caitlyn commented. “We just have to find a solvent and we can free both of you.”

    “Well, it’s all on you now.” Jinx admitted. “I can’t move and I’m trapped in a vat. See what else you can find, if you find a solvent, then come back and give me some. If not, go get some food and supplies for me and we can figure out next steps.”

    “Makes sense.” Caitlyn said as she climbed back up onto the catwalk. She was devastated with the thought that now two of her friends were stuck in the permanent glue. She was determined to find a way to free them and would let nothing stand in her way. She would go to the center area and search there, if there was a solvent to the permanent glue, she would find it!

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Description

Glue of Legends.

By FOXCARROTS

Part Three

“Forsaken Factory.”

    Caitlyn moved through the strange abandoned factory slowly and carefully. Due to the boot eaters that attacked her on the way in she was barefoot and that made her extra cautious. Not only was it not at all a safe place to be barefoot, she was concerned there might be more traps. Her best friend Vi was stuck in a completely permanent glue that might have been made in this place and there were robots that came after feet. Neither were things she particularly wanted to deal with and took great pains to keep her feet safe and unstuck.

    She looked around and found all kind of equipment and abandoned material. There were pieces that looked like they were part of the boot eaters and other mechanical devices. She shuddered a the thought about what else might be lurking around, built and intended to do horrific things to those they encountered. She however, was looking around for something in particular, evidence that they had made the glue her friend was stuck in. She had to hope against hope that they also made some sort of solvent or else Vi would never leave the spot she was stuck in ever again.

    She continued on, finding nothing in what she decided was a machine room. She had to go deeper into the factory and hope that she could find more. She became aware of a sound; it was like someone or something was coming toward her from one of the hallways past the door to the machine room. She braced herself for anything, ready to move her bare feet from danger. Suddenly somebody collided against her and it drove Caitlyn and the newcomer to the ground. She frantically tried to push the person off but realised it was not an attacker, but someone she knew. “Jinx, is that you?”

    The blue haired engineer and destructionist got up and looked at Caitlyn. “Oh, there you are.”

    “What are you doing here?” Caitlyn said as she got to her feet and helped Jinx to hers. “And why were you running?”

    “I just worried that you ight need some help.” Jinx said as she dusted herself off. “Also, Vi is in a real mood right now. It makes sense you know…because stuck. But I figured I’d give her some space and come help you. As to why I was running. Some robots accosted me and you would not believe what they did.”

    “They ate your boots.” Caitlyn said, gesturing to her completely bare feet. She looked to Jinx’s feet and saw her similarly barefoot. She went to make a further comment but was struck by how nice Jinx’s feet were. She had pale feet with sharp arches. She had pale blue painted toenails and everything about her feet were perfect. “You have like…really nice feet.”

    “I know.” Jinx replied. “Thank you though.”

    “Who would make machines rigged to attack footwear?” Caitlyn asked. “It makes no sense.”

    “Maybe someone mad about people not taking their shoes off when they came over?” Jinx suggested. “Or maybe they are just messed up…they did make bombs filled with glue that never ever comes off.”

    “That is too true.” Caitlyn agreed. “Speaking of which, we should keep looking for the solvent to it.”

    “Agreed!” Jinx said. “Let’s go find that solvent!”

    The pair headed off, moving deeper and deeper into the facility and finding room after room of strange experiments and discarded materials. Most of what they found was inexplicable and Jinx wished she had more time to examine it all. However, they were there for a reason and they didn’t have time to be messing around with needless exploration.

    Just as they were starting to lose hope, they came across a large room deep in the center of the complex.

    “Jinx are those what I think they are?” Caitlyn said as she pointed to a large table near the wall of the room. Jinx ran over and discovered dozens of spherical devices the same as the one that had trapped Vi.

    “These are the glue bombs all right.” Jinx said as she examined them, many were empty or broken but soon Jinx found an intact one. “We should keep this one at least. It seems to be sealed and intact with the glue in its liquid state inside. If we can’t find a solvent this bomb might be the best chance that we have to find a solvent.”

    “We need to be very careful with it.” Caitlyn said as she carefully took the glue bomb from Jinx and placed it in her satchel. I really don’t want to find out what it’s like to be stuck with this stuff.”

    “I hope nobody does.” Jinx agreed. “Well, nobody else.”

    The pair searched through the room and found a series of vats connected by a system of catwalks above them. It seemed they were making all manner of things at the factory as the vats were all labelled in different codes. The pair found a ladder up onto the catwalk and climbed up. They looked around for some kind of workstation or place where they co-ordinated brewing the strange chemicals. Soon they spotted a central area at the middle of the vats with several desks, shelves, and workstations. They walked toward them with haste but as they got close, they felt a section of the catwalk begin to give way.

    Caitlyn acted fast, leaping forward and getting as much distance away from the falling piece. It titled to the side as her feet smacked down onto a solid piece of catwalk beyond. Jinx was not so lucky the catwalk tilting too much before she acted and causing her feet to slide off and her to fall down past the tilted walkway. She fell through one of the open lids of the vat and through some kind of protective paper liner. Jinx closed her eyes, expecting to splash into some manner of chemical but instead she landed on her feet, her bare soles smacking the ground hard and causing her to pinwheel her arms to prevent herself from falling over.

    Caitlyn carefully made her way to the edge of the still stable piece of catwalk and climbed down onto the top of the vat. She looked down through the opening to see Jinx ok and standing at the bottom. “Are you ok?”

    “Yeah.” Jinx admitted. “My feet are stinging from the fall but I don’t think I hurt anything.”

    “You are tougher than you look.” Caitlyn admitted.

    “I know.” Jinx replied. “Thank you though.”

    “Can you climb out?” Caitlyn asked as she looked down. The blue haired girl was only about seven or eight feet down but she doubted she could reach her with her hands.

    “There’s nothing in there to grab onto.” Jinx explained. “I think I see some sort of rope and pulley above you. Can you lower the rope down?”

    “I think so.” Caitlyn commented as climbed back up onto the stable catwalk. She reached for the rope. She had to go up onto her tippy toes but she was able to grab it. She pulled it toward her, the pulley moving over to the vat and bringing with it the other side of the rope. She slowly lowered the free end down into the vat.

    Jinx took a tight hold on the rope. “Ok pull me up!”

    Vi nodded and went to grab the other side of the rope. She yanked hard but found too much resistance. She figured that she just didn’t have enough leverage so she backed up and pulled again. It seemed like once the rope went taught there was not much more give. “Damn Jinx I’m either weaker than I thought or you are heavier.”

    “It’s neither.” Jinx said in a dejected voice. “We kind of have a big problem. I’m stuck.”

         Vi put the rope away on a nearby hook and climbed back down to the vat and looked down. “What do you mean you’re stuck?”

    Jinx simply stood next to the lowered rope and looked up dejectedly. She lifted up one of her perfect bare feet and an all too familiar orange goop stretched with her foot. It allowed her to raise it a few inches before it smacked to the ground. “There was glue at the bottom here.”

    “How much of you is stuck?” Caitlyn asked. “How much of it is down there?”

    Jinx demonstrated, slowly lifting her other foot. The glue stretched in tight strands that did not sag or bend. Her heels, her arches, even the pads of her toes were covered on the bottom and the glue would not release them. Jinx’s foot began to shake before snapping it back to the floor. She tried to take small steps in different directions but as she moved either foot the glue moved with them, seizing them and pulling them back to where they started. She tried shuffling her feet and though they would seem to slide a few inches she would provoke the glues elastic tension and get pulled back. No matter what she did, how she moved, or how much strength she put into it the glue always pulled her feet back to where they started. “I can’t move from this spot. The bottom of this thing is seemingly coated in this crap.”

    “But why is it still sticky?” Caitlyn asked. “I accidently touched Vi’s glue and it is dry and rubbery…not sticky at all.”

    “The glue on her is completely dry.” Jinx explained. “There was a seal on the top that I fell through. It must have been keeping the glue coating the inside of this vat in a still wet and sticky state.”

    “Well maybe we can do something before it sets on you.” Caitlyn commented. “I am going to try again to pull you out.”

    “Ok.” Jinx agreed, her voice eager and desperate. She grabbed a hold of the rope and wrapped it around her forearm. “Hurry!”

    Caitlyn nodded and climbed back up onto the catwalk and grabbed the other side of the rope. She braced a foot against the railing and pulled as hard as she could. The rope went taut instantly, there was some reluctant give but after a few inches it locked. In the vat Jink pulled with all of her might against the rope. The glue was at its maximum stretch and it was locked tight to her soles with no sign of letting go. She shouted up to Caitlyn. “Pull as hard as you can. Don’t worry about hurting me!”

    “Got it!” Caitlyn said as she braced both feet against the railing. She pulled back using all of her weight and leverage to pull harder. Both women’s strength were combined but all they got for it was another half an inch of stretch. At first Jinx was encouraged but as she looked down, she realised she had not won any more slack from the glue. The extra half an inch was from her skin stretching. Even with that being so she knew she could not tear skin off to get out. This stuff had her too deep and half of her foot would tear off before she got any more distance from the glue. She was stuck just like her sister and no amount of pulling was going to do anything. “Caitlyn you can stop.”

    Caitlyn let go of the rope, prompting an echoing slap as Jinxes feet were savagely snapped back to the floor. She climbed back down and looked into the vat. “Are you ok?”

    Jinx put her hands on her hips and looked up at Caitlyn. “Not really but I am not hurt or anything. Simply put I’m just as stuck as Vi. I am not going anywhere and this is my life now.”

    “We will find a way!” Caitlyn commented. “We just have to find a solvent and we can free both of you.”

    “Well, it’s all on you now.” Jinx admitted. “I can’t move and I’m trapped in a vat. See what else you can find, if you find a solvent, then come back and give me some. If not, go get some food and supplies for me and we can figure out next steps.”

    “Makes sense.” Caitlyn said as she climbed back up onto the catwalk. She was devastated with the thought that now two of her friends were stuck in the permanent glue. She was determined to find a way to free them and would let nothing stand in her way. She would go to the center area and search there, if there was a solvent to the permanent glue, she would find it!

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