Cold Ramen: S01E12

Bane at Large (Part 2) is the twelfth episode of Cold Ramen. It is also the second part of the episode Bane At Large. The plot revolves around the heroes and henchmen facing off against their rivals.
== The Episode ==
It was a dark night when it happened. Hoji was going out for a walk in the forest to clear his head. Every day, there was someone or something pissing him off. Finally, he arrived at the usual forest clearing. He sat down on a stump, deep in thought. He heard some footsteps behind and turned. It was Chan.
"What're you doing here?" Hoji asked.
As usual, Chan stumbled over his words. "I, ah..you stormed off as soon as you got back from work."
Hoji huffed. "Another one of those days. Where you just want to beat everything to a pulp."
Chan walked over to Hoji's stump and had a seat on the ground next to him. "Who was it this time?"
Hoji clenched his fists. "The boss at the factory. Thinks he can treat us however because he doesn't work on the main floor. I'm way stronger than him, though. Those brains of his won't do him any good when they're bouncing around his skull."
Chan looked on as Hoji fantasized. "If you do that, we'll have to move again."
"Yeah...you're right."
They continued to sit in silence. Now Hoji heard more footsteps. He turned around and saw someone else emerge from the bushes. Instinctively, Hoji got up and stood in front of Chan. "Can I help you?"
The man walked forward. "Yeah, you actually can. I have an offer you can't refuse."
"And what that might that be?"
The man extended his arms and black shadowy tendrils rose out to meet Chan and Hoji. They wrapped around their arms and legs, slowly reaching for his head.
"Servitude. You two will do nicely...."
...
Hoji woke up with a start. He was inside what he immediately recognized as the safehouse. It was a warehouse stocked with weapons and technology. To the left was Chan's side, where he had computers and monitors displaying maps of the world and the news. Hoji's side was reserved for rows and rows of weapons. As Hoji got out of bed, he noticed Chan walking towards him from his side.
"Good, you're awake," He greeted him. "How do you feel?"
Hoji put a hand to his stomach, where he had been stabbed. The area was smooth, as if he hadn't been hit at all. "Fine. How long was I out for?"
"About three hours. We made it to the safehouse and I had the medbot patch you up."
Hoji noticed a white robot with five appendages standing in the corner. After flexing his limbs, he walked for the door. "Great. Start packing, we're out of here in 10 minutes."
Hoji walked to the center of the safehouse. It was the communal area, holding essential for the both of them. There was a table, fridge, and stove. A small television was at the head of the table. Zack and Julius were seated, watching TV. The latter had a steak in front of him, ready to dig in. However, he looked up along with Zack when they heard footsteps.
Julius grinned at him. "Look who's awake! How was your nap?"
"I needed it after I carried you back there. What the hell happened back there? Did you forget how to fight?" Hoji walked over to the table.
"I...softened him up for you! You're welcome!" Julius reasoned, grabbing a fork and knife to cut a piece out of his steak. After he cut a piece out, Hoji lifted the rest of it off his plate, having a bite. He turned around to face his brother. "Chan, why did you give him my food?"
"He wouldn't shut up until I put something in his mouth!" The younger brother hollered back.
Julius looked at his plate sadly. "Rats."
Hoji took another bite and walked back to the left side, where a garage door was located. "I did you a favor, fatty."
"So now that we're at the warehouse, what's next?" Zack asked.
"Now that we're here, Chan and I are gonna bounce. We have a better getaway vehicle stationed here that'll take us far away from Fowler City and Bane."
Zack raised an eyebrow. "I know we talked about it before, but you're certain there's no other reason Bane wants you dead? Something that might conveniently come up when you're long gone?"
"We may not be at each other's throats, but that doesn't mean we're all kumbaya. All you need to know is that we'll be out of your hair permanently. Should make it easier to deal with Bane."
Julius got up from the table and walked to Hoji's side of the warehouse, looking intently at the guns. "Since you guys are leaving forever, can I have your stuff?"
As Hoji walked over to drag Julius away from his guns, the safehouse was rocked by an explosion. The garage door Hoji was standing next to burst open with a plume of fire. Hoji was knocked back halfway across the room. His ears rang viciously.
"What the hell is that?!" He heard Julius yelled.
Hoji rolled onto his stomach and got up. The warehouse's vehicle door had a gaping hole in it, allowing some natural afternoon light in. Laying in front of it was a ghostbot. Zack, Julius and Chan were bent down, examining it.
"Man, what kind of safehouse is this?!" Julius exclaimed. "You guys said Bane had no idea it existed!"
Hoji put a hand to his head. "He doesn't."
Suddenly, the ghostbot beeped to life. A hologram projected from the eye, projecting Bane before them. The villain shook his head, smiling. "You two really thought you were rid of me, huh?"
Hoji raised his boot up to stomp the ghostbot's head. "We are."
Zack raced to get between him and the robot. The henchman glared at the hero. 
"Hoji, Hoji, Hoji. All brawn, no brains. It's what made you so easy to control," His smile turned into a grimace. "And what has made you such a thorn in my side."
"Got something to say other than cheap words?"
"Yes. I know about your little safehouse. As I know everything you have been doing. Including this little ploy of yours to screw me."
"Ploy? What is he talking about, Hoji?" Chan asked, concerned.
"As you're probably all aware, Chan is the one I rely on for my technological needs. Infrastructure, gadgets...and finances."
Cloud now stepped into the frame next to Bane. "Hoji here figured that by taking off with Chan, he could get back at Bane by draining his accounts."
Chan looked on at Hoji, wide eyed. "We...we weren't in any kind of danger, were we?"
Hoji returned Chan's look, tight lipped. Zack and Julius looked at him as well.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! I knew this was bad from the get go!" The latter huffed.
Bane face morphed into one of concern for Chan. "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Chan. Bring Hoji to me and all will be forgiven. I'm certain Zack and Julius will be happy to help. We'll be waiting at the city park in three hours. And if you're not there by then, we're coming for you."
Hoji grabbed the ghostbot's head, tearing it off. There was silence in the warehouse.
"You have some explaining to do," Zack got in Hoji's face, vindicated.
Hoji took a look around the room. Everyone was clearly upset at him. "I did what I thought was best," He explained, turning to Chan. "What was best for the both of us."
Chan stared daggers at him. "What was best for the both us?! You did what was best for you!" Everyone was surprised by his outburst. "You never even ran this plan through me! You just went through with it! We're supposed to be a team, and you're just managing me! You're no better than...than Bane!"
The last sentence hit Hoji hard. Him, just like Bane? Hoji and Chan had been forced into Bane's servitude for years. He stifled his emotions as hard as he could. For Chan to make that kind of comparison, he really must have screwed up.
"You're right, I have been managing you. Because I've been treating you like a baby brother. Always assuming I know what's best for the both of us. But back before Bane, we survived by relying on each other. I'm sorry, Chan. I got you into this mess, but I'm gonna need that big brain of yours to get us out."
Chan looked away, digesting Hoji's words. Hoji then turned to Zack and Julius.
"Yeah, I tricked you. Are you really surprised? But look, this is a chance for you to get rid of us for good. And get some payback for Cloud turning on you. It's a better way to deal with the problem than shoving food in your mouth."
"I'm not coping! I'm just bulking up!" Julius huffed. "Well, what do you think, Zack?"
The hero was thinking to himself. "It's a win-win for us. Chan and Hoji are gone, and we get to strike a blow to Bane," He finished his sentence by pounding his fist into his palm. "As for Cloud, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. He was still our friend."
Julius nodded. "You heard the man. We're in."
All three men looked to Chan, who was pacing around. "Do you know how much Bane has? And not just money, his other assets too."
"I know it's enough to set us up for life. But it's all on you, Chan. If you're not into this plan, I'll follow your instincts. We'll drop everything and do what you think is best."
Chan studied Hoji. For the first time in a while, he was deferring to him. Usually, his brute of a brother went with his gut, dragging him to and fro. Finally, he nodded. "He's had this coming for a long while. Let's do this."
Hoji put his hand on Chan's shoulder. "That's my brother."
Chan nodded to his older brother before turning around and walking to his main computer. He had a seat and began typing as quick as he could. "Now let's get down to business. Just so we know what we're getting into."
Hoji, Zack, and Julius walked to the computer as a spreadsheet appeared, with large numbers posted alongside images of commodities.
"Bane's net worth amounts to $50 million, including real estate, investments, private islands, and gold bars, which he keeps in the Fowler City Bank."
Julius whistled. "That's a lotta chips. How'd he get all that?"
"Threatening, shady dealings, extortions, murder," Hoji bragged. "A lot of it done by me. One time, I had to break some egghead's..."
Julius put a hand up. "Hoji, please."
"Bane said he would be waiting for us at the city park and would come to the safehouse if we didn't arrive on time." Chan continued. "Which means we have a tactical advantage if they come for us."
"So what're you thinking? We ambush him on his way here?" Hoji speculated.
"Precisely. However, the combined efforts of Bane, Cloud and Bane's soldier would be too much for us. We would need to split them up."
"Julius and I can meet them at the park and isolate Cloud," Zack offered. "Can you two handle Bane and his soldier?"
"It'll be a hell of a fight," Hoji answered, grinning.
Chan put his hands together. "To take a page out of Hoji's book, there's nothing overwhelming firepower can't tear through."
Zack and Julius gave each other a glance. Hoji began walking back to his side of the warehouse. "Come on, you two. I'll show you the armory."
...
Zack and Julius were driving down a city street in Hoji's pickup truck. They were now wearing black armor on top of their clothes. Zack kept his choice light, only wearing a chestplate along with elbow and knee guards. Julius, on the contrary, was fully dressed in armor. He checked out his duds, holding his phone to his mouth.
"I look great! For bad guys, your fashion sense is good!"
"I'm just glad that we found something your size!" Hoji said.
"Lick my toes, Hoji!" Julius retorted.
Zack made a turn onto another street. "We're almost at the park. Still setting up?"
"M...hm!" Hoji grunted over the phone. It sounded like he was carrying something heavy.
"Good..." Zack said, mulling over his next words. "Good luck, you two."
"Try not to die," Hoji replied. "And if you do bite it, try to die on top of him, give him some psychological damage on your way out."
Zack scrunched his face. "Right, Zack out."
The call ended and Zack and Julius drove in silence. Zack took a deep breath. "We're about to meet with Cloud again...we might have to fight him. Good time to talk about your feelings."
"Zack, I..." Julius saw that Zack was looking sincere. "Alright, hypothetical time. Say some guy, a really good basketball player, loses a teammate. He had perfect synergy with this teammate, and now he's gone. So this player falls in a rut, because he'll never be good again."
"Well...I'd say that the teammate is okay to feel sad. But he has nothing to worry about. Because even before he lost that teammate, he was still a good player. And he's got other teammates ready to back him up."
Julius nodded, thinking about what Zack said. The latter turned towards the sidewalk and came to a stop. "We're here."
Together, Zack and Julius got out of the car and entered the park. People went about their day, unaware of what was going on. Up ahead, Bane, Cloud, and a man with a white buzz cut and red tinted glasses. Bane's Soldier. Bane looked up and saw the duo approach them.
"Zack, Julius. I don't see Chan and Hoji anywhere."
"Doesn't matter where they are," Zack answered. "And we're here to bring you in."
Bane smiled. "The way I see it, you're outnumbered three to one. So why don't you spare me the torture and tell me where they are!" Bane yelled. Cloud got up, eyeing Zack and Julius.
Zack shook his head. "They tricked us. Grabbed the money and ran."
Bane frozen. His cool smile turned frantic. "We need to go, now! We can still catch them!"
As Bane's team got up and ran out of the park, Julius stretched his hand out and fired an ice beam at the ground. An ice wall blocked their path. Citizens looked up from their activities, concerned.
Bane scoffed. "We need to move! Cloud, be a dear and handle this!"
Cloud summoned his sword. "With pleasure," He said as he cut through the ice wall. The broken pieces crumbled to the ground as people began freaking out and running away from the scene. As Bane and his soldier ran off, Cloud turned back around to face them.
"You two just can't let me be happy, can you?!" Cloud hissed.
"This isn't about you, Cloud," Zack said. "It's about doing the right thing!"
"It is about me! You and Julius would rather side with Chan and Hoji than your own friend!"
Julius pointed at Cloud. "Don't play that card! You left us!"
"I did," Cloud admitted, getting into a stance. "And it looks like I made the right choice. I'm about to be rich and happy, and you're about to be dead."
The two heroes got into fighting stances as well. Julius turned to Zack. "Well, looks like we're kicking his ass, then."
Zack sighed. "I guess so."
...
Bane and his soldier barreled down the highway in a stolen car. The mercenary drove while Bane gave him directions.
"When I get a hand on those two...I'll turn their faces into ground beef. Oh, get ready to take this exit!"
As Bane's Soldier trafficated to the right lane, the road in front of them was struck by something in the air, causing an explosion. Bane lurched forward as his soldier stomped the brakes. Behind them, cars honked their horns came to sudden stops. The drivers rushed out of their cars and fled the highway. Bane stepped out of his car calmly, followed by his armed help. Looking up, he saw a large metal object descend from the sky and touch down on the already damaged road. It consisted of a round body, two arms and two legs. Through the glass window at the center of the body, Chan could be seen piloting it.
Hoji was holding onto a handle above the glass, wearing his black armor. He jumped from the mech to the ground. "Bane!" He called out,  "I thought we'd have to blow up at least two highways before finding you!"
"I was hoping you two would try to fight back! I was going to kill you anyway, but at least I can watch the hope die in your eyes as I gut you."
"Give it to 'em, Chan!" Hoji called out.
Chan pressed a button and two missile silos extended from the body. Two missiles shot out from the body and hit the road below. When the smoke settled, a red wall was revealed to have blocked the missiles from vaporizing the villains.
"Take Chan," Bane commanded. "Hoji's mine."
Bane's Soldier nodded and began to glow as bright as the sun. Wall after wall of red light formed around him, increasing his height. The walls stacked on each other, formed legs and a body. Soon, Bane's Soldier had created his own mech out of light. It bent down and sprung forward, tackling Chan's and sending both rolling down the highway. Hoji grinned as two halves of a metal mask spread from behind his head and clasped together on his face. Lightning crackled around his suit as he raised both fists and pounded the ground, creating a shockwave. Bane created a shadow scythe and flew off the ground, flying straight at Hoji. The henchman somersaulted forward, avoiding the scythe swipe. He unholstered his revolver and fired three rounds at Bane, who was moving too fast to be hit. He landed on the ground and five large shadow tendrils crept out of the cars' shadows, lifting up his Honda and hurling it at Hoji. To his surprise, Hoji caught the vehicle and flung it back. Bane's body became transparent as the car passed through him.
Meanwhile, Chan and Bane's Soldier were locked in combat, with the latter getting the upper hand. Now that they were both the same size, he could use his physical combat training to dominate the brainy brother. The red mech feinted a right punch, but socked Chan's with a left hook. A spear formed in Bane's Soldier's hand and he thrusted it forward. Chan stepped to the left and raised his left arm, rocket boosters emergering on the knuckles. The high-speed punch caused the other mech to stumble backwards.
"Didn't know you had that fight in you, Chan!" Bane's solider said from his cockpit.
...
At the park, Zack and Julius were going at it with Cloud. Julius fired an ice beam, which Cloud sidestepped. Anticipating Zack to attack from behind, Cloud whipped around blocked two crystals fired at him. He then turned to thrust his sword behind him, causing Julius to cancel his approach and stumble back. Cloud took advantage of his fault and raised his sword to cut him down. Zack surged forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
"I'm not giving up, Cloud. You don't have to do this!" He pleaded.
"Shut up!" Cloud yanked his arm free from his grasp and kicked Zack back in the stomach.
"Nothing's gonna get through that head of his!" Julius said to Zack. Cloud turned around and saw him create a sword made of ice. "Only thing he'll respond to is force. So I'm gonna--"
Cloud swinged his sword at Julius' ice sword, immediately slicing it in half. The shocked Julius looked to what remained of his sword, then Cloud. "That went better in my head...Zack, help me!"
Zack fired his crystals at Cloud's hands, landing a direct hit. The former hero hissed in pain and dropped his sword.
"Nice shot, Zack!" Julius celebrated, throwing a punch at Cloud. However, Cloud caught the punch and countered with his own. Julius went down to the ground. Turning back to Zack, Cloud blocked another punch.
"Why can't you understand?!" Cloud asked, pushing Zack back. "Fuck, you two need girlfriends!"
"But you're dating a man!" Zack pointed out.
"I don't care!" Cloud reached for Zack's arm and pulled him in for a headbutt. Not letting go, he pulled him in again and landed another one. Zack was completely disoriented as he fell to his knees.
From Julius' position on the ground, he saw Zack taking a major beating. But try as he might, he couldn't muster the strength to get up. "I...I can't do it..."
Cloud summoned his sword back from the ground into his hand, preparing to cut Zack in half with an overhead slash. As he weakly reached a hand out towards his friend, his words from earlier filled his head. Even before he lost that teammate, he was still a good player. And he's got other teammates ready to back him up. Julius grit his teeth and reached out with more conviction. As Cloud continued to raise his sword overhead, ice rapidly grew on the tip of the blade and expanded to the hilt. Almost instantly, the entire sword was covered in ice that kept forming. The new weight threw Cloud off and Julius broke the distance between them. Seeing Julius coming, Cloud swinged his ice-covered sword, which caught him in the shoulder. The hero winced at the pain, but the ice made it a non-lethal hit. Julius bent down and put Cloud over his shoulder. Creating an ice table, he slammed his former friend over it, then wailed on him with hits.
"This is for leaving up, this is for getting with Bane, and this is for taking all the cereal when you left!"
Julius felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped. Zack clutched his head. "You got him, Julius."
The cryokinetic hero blasted Cloud's body with ice energy, freezing everything but his head in a block of ice Cloud laid immobilized, blood coming out of his nose like a fountain. "Think you're soo cool, huh? You think this is over. Well it's not. I'm never gonna stop until you're dead! You hear me?! Dea--"
Cloud was stopped by Julius firing an ice beam at his head. "And I thought I talk too much!"
"Jury's still out on that one," Zack joked. "Nice job, Julius."
"You too, Zack. And thanks for the pep talk back there."
"Anytime. Now let's get to the rendevous point. Hopefully Chan and Hoji win their fight."
...
Back on the highway, Hoji was picking up a car and throwing it at Bane. Bane flattened a shadow ball and shot it at the incoming car, slicing it in half. While he cut through it, Hoji made a beeline towards him and swung his arm in a clothesline. Bane took the hit and toppled to the ground. While he was stunned on the ground, Hoji picked him back up and cocked his fist back, punching him into the side of a car. Farther ahead, Bane's Soldier was overwhelming Chan. His mech was blocking machine gun fire with a red shield. When he got close enough, one of his mech's hands turned into a mace, which he hit Chan with. Chan swung back in retaliation, but Bane's Soldier ducked under it and hit him with the mace again.
"Warning, frontal barrier reaching critical damage levels," A robotic voice warned Chan inside the cockpit. He began to panic, making his mech wave its arms around to ward off Bane's Solider.
"Oh no no no no no!" He yelped. If the barrier broke, then the window would bust open, making him vulnerable to everything. Think, Chan. Focus, relax, it's in your control. He took a deep breath and calmed down. He pressed a combination of buttons and his mech's boosters began warming up. He called up his missiles again and fired at Bane's Solider, who summoned a wall to block it. As soon as he fired the missile, he activated the boosters and shot forward, smashing through the already weakened shield. The two mech collided, with Chan's on top and Bane's Solider on the ground. Chan beat the mech two times with his fist before hovering off the ground and unleashing his entire payload on the downed apparation. Missile after missile hit the mech, each explosion heavily damaging it. When Chan was finished, the mech had been broken into pieces, said pieces fading away. Bane's Solider crawled out of the wreckage, the pack on his black depleted of the red energy. He looked up and saw the foot of Chan's mech raise up.
"Fuck me..." Were his last words as the foot slammed down, crushing him.
Meanwhile, Bane was on the offensive, tossing shadow balls at Hoji. As Bane increased their size, Hoji found it harder to dodge them. One stray ball blew up a car near Hoji and knocked him off his feet. As he got up, his senses began to flare. Footsteps became noticably louder, the car alarms going off now unbearable. Bane's formed shifted into that of a dark black cloud with piercing red eyes.
"Now to remind you of who is the master and who's the slave," Bane said, his eyes glowing more and more. Hoji felt himself falling into a trance. Try as he might, Bane was hypnotising him, putting him under his control. Chan's mech was approaching them. The front window opened and Chan was yelling something, but he couldn't focus on what. 
"Hoji...move....now!" He managed to put together.
Suddenly, Chan froze as well, clutching his head. He closed the window and raised his fist up as he approached Bane and Hoji.
Bane backed up as his two hypnotized henchmen moved towards each other. "Now, fight to the death."
Hoji felt trapped in his mind. He watched as he felt for his revolver and aimed it But something pierced his mind. Images and memories of him and Chan flooded his vision. The two of them as kids playing, walking around in the city, beating up Zack and Julius. The machine gun on the mech's arm began to spin. Hoji turned around to face his brother, placing his revolver on the ground and spreading his arms wide.
"What?!" Bane exclaimed, surprised at Hoji's resistance. "Chan, kill him!"
"Chan, don't do this. I..." He prepared for his next words by taking some breaths. "I love you!"
The machine gun revved down and Chan's mech went down on its knees. Hoji could faintly hear Chan's cries of pain as he too fought against Bane's control. The villain was now visibly frustrated.
"Fine, I'll finish you myself!" He announced, summoning his scythe and preparing to cut Hoji from behind. Suddenly, Chan's window opened again.
"Look out, Hoji!" He hollered.
Hoji turned around just in time to avoid Bane's attack. The lightning crackled around his suit again as he laid one into Bane's stomach. He doubled down on the ground, sharply exhaling.
"No...that's impossible! You belong to me, how are you fighting back?!"
Hoji grabbed Bane by his hair and raised him off the ground. "The bond Chan and I have is stronger than anything you could conjur."
As Hoji dragged him towards Chan's mech, his fury rose even further. "You two will never be normal. I'll haunt you, I'll always be a thorn in your side! Do you hear me, worm?!"
"I think you'll have bigger problems to worry about on the other side. Say hi to your lapdop for us!"
Grabbing the back of his shirt, Hoji reared back and tossed Bane at Chan, who backhanded him with his giant mechanical fist. Bane soared over the horizon, screaming all the way. The clouds in both their minds faded, permanently. Hoji gave a thumbs up to his brother as he climbed back on the mech and it took off, leaving the chaos and destruction of the highway behind.
...
Zack, Julius, Chan and Hoji stood on a hill overlooking Fowler City as the sun was setting. They stood next to the pick-up truck while the brothers stood next to a black Dodge Coronet.
Zack looked at the sun. "So this is it? Chan and Hoji, out of Fowler City for good."
"Yup," Hoji answered. "Chan got the gold bars transferred. We're thinking of a world tour, enjoying our early retirement."
Julius rubbed his hands and smiled. "Speaking of, when do we get our cut?"
"What, so you can spend it on fried chicken?"
"I got over that stress eating crap! Now that Bane's wiped out, I'm getting back into shape!"
Chan spoke up. "Thanks for the help, you two. Now we're free to forge our own paths once more."
"Likewise," Zack replied. "The world's a lot safer because of you."
Hoji laughed and walked to the driver's side, getting in. "We'll try not to turn it into a habit."
Chan got in the passenger's side and the former henchmen waved at the heroes as they drove down the high and away from Fowler City. The brothers looked at each other, eagerly smiling for the first time in a while.
"Where to, Chan?" Hoji asked.
"You know, I've always wanted to visit Texas," Chan admitted. "Eat a hamburger, see what all the hype is about."
"Well, that sounds like a plan to me, brother!" Hoji agreed. The future was bright.
Zack and Julius were driving in the truck, heading back towards Fowler City.
Julius rubbed his belly. "Now that Bane, Chan and Hoji are gone, what would you say to a celebration dinner? My treat?"
"I'm in," Zack agreed, feeling his stomach rumble. "How about some Burger Slop?"
"Burger Slop?! No way, their burgers are awful!" Julius argued.
"I wouldn't worry about it, you're getting a salad anyway," Zack countered jokingly.
"Laugh it up, mister! You won't be joking when I'm back in flawless shape!"
The friends continued to talk as they drove back home, safer and happier than before.