Chapter One- The Plan
There is never a day of rest at Litwak's.
There will NEVER be a day of rest at Litwak's.
"Hey, Mousey. Whatha doin'?" Calhoun asked her Cadet as the young woman sat at her desk, toying around with the virus sample she had extracted from her commanding officer's last 'adventure'.
In the few days Mouse had gotten a chance to fully examine the thing she, as well as the rest of Hero's Duty, were privy to the creature's growth and development. What she and the others thought were simply just a few bits of corrupted code soon began to evolve into something more, something living and something that prompted the young woman to place the thing under EXTRA care and containment.
"It's followin' me…." Mouse said as she tapped on the containment glass with a pencil, eyes narrowing as she looked at the blobby creature like a child would do some fish in an aquarium.
Calhoun knew her Cadet was curious but she had never seen her act like this before.
"Um….you're not gonna let it lose in the game are ya?"
"Hmm? Oh! Oh, no!" Mouse said, swinging in her chair to face Calhoun "I mean…less I need to of course."
"But what can ya say about this? I mean, no one us expected tha thing ta turn inta….THIS!"
"It's another surprise?" Mouse smiled, shrugging her shoulders "I mean, hey! I wasn't expectin' somethin' like this but it's a discovery I GLADLY welcome!"
"That tone of voice….I don't like it."
"Hear me out on this, Sarge. If I can figure out what makes this thing fully tick then we have a better chance of standin' against whatever new attack those Creepy Couple will throw at us."
"Not ta doubt your enthusiasm, Cadet but…."
"YEEEES?"
Calhoun ran a hand through her hair before taking another glance of the virus inside. The way it moved, the way it just STARED at her with its single, massive eye….
Shivers.
"We've had far too many run-ins with viruses as of late. No matter how hard I scrub, I can still feel Tor's clammy vines all over my body…an' there are certain marks on me that can NEVER go away thanks ta those two."
"As if I don't know." Mouse replied, placing a hand on her chest "But I consider 'em a well-earned Battle Scar! None of that fake, drawn-on stuff."
"I just want ya ta be careful with this thing…." The Sergeant said as she wrinkled her nose at the virus-blob "For once, I want things ta run smoothly here, no more interference from inside or outside matters."
"Pfft! Should anythin' come up anyway, ya know we'll take care of it!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Calhoun said with a slight smile, preparing to leave the young woman's lab "Aaaah, yes. By tha waaaay."
"Yeah?"
"How's our OTHER guest?"
For a moment, Mouse seemed not to understand what her superior was talking about but then-
"Oooooh, HEEEEEEEEM."
The blonde Marine nodded, the smile of hers growing more and more. Mouse turned her back on the older woman, hands going behind her back.
"Well, as much as he's done, it still would have been SO CRUEL for us ta leave him in a cell like that…."
"I take it ya found him somethin' ta do?" Calhoun smirked as she and the Cadet walked out of the labs and into the busy halls.
"Somethin'…." Mouse snickered "Yes, we found him SOMETHIN'!"
"CAN YA GUYS STOP DUMPIN' THESE THINGS SO MANY TIMES?!"
A angered voice echoed through the halls, the two women rounding the corner to see one Turbo, the grey racer hunched over as he sat on a bench, scrubbing what seemed to be an ENDLESS supply of large and EXCEPTIONALLY messy boots, contempt seething from his very core.
"My car was cleaner than this…." The man spat in anger, Markowski guarding him with both gun and a well placed tether around his wasit "Tha hell ya guys do all day?! Wallow 'round in Cybug crap?!"
"Ya said ya wanted ta get out…." Markowski replied "An' it was either this…."
The big man smiled down at the racer, making certain to get UNCOMFORTABLY near his face with his large toothy grin.
"Or ya can pick up tha mess RIGHT from tha source."
This was humiliating; Turbo had been through MANY phases in his life but even after his defeat as Candybug this was the lowest of the low. Not only was it bad enough to know that life was going on in the arcade without him but to be cleaning up FILTH?
That wasn't the work of a main!
"This is NPC work…." The racer said, making certain that Markowski hear him loud and clear "…then again, considerin' ya were so quick ta put me up ta tha task maybe that says somethin' 'bout ya NPCs?"
"Yeah?"
Despite how dirty he was, Turbo cocked his head over towards the man, grinning.
"Even with tha mess, th'still an easy job….so if YA can't do it perhaps that says just how far your NPC brain takes ya if ya even fail at cleanin' up SH-!"
BOOM!
The man gave a cry as large BOOM rang through the room, his eyes going towards the unimpressed Calhoun standing at the door, her hands going to her hips.
"Back off, Turbo." The woman growled, walking HARD towards the man to make her presence known towards him "We were being nice lettin' ya out like this. Don't make us revoke that privilege."
"AW, but Sage!" the man sang, batting his eyes "It would go against your ETHICS, wouldn't it?"
The woman growled again, rolling her eyes.
"No one in Litwak's DESEVES ta die, right?" the man teased, knowing that despite his position he could always find some nook to agitate the others.
It was his OTHER talent.
"How would it look on your record should such BRUTALITY be placed upon it? What kinda hero would ya be ta take someone out in anger, in rage? Surly even YOU have more humanity than that?"
"Ya know, just this once?" Calhoun said as she walked out the door, placing a hand on Markowski's shoulders "LET HIM CLEAN UP THE CYBUG STYS."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Turbo said as he shot up to his feet "Hold on! My fingers are already black from all this stuff an' this was just from your BOOTS! I WON'T MAKE IT IF I HAFTA CLEAN UP THA-!"
The door slammed in the room, Turbo's words cut off as Calhoun and her cadet headed towards the front of the game.
"Off tha clock." Mouse smiled, putting an arm around her officer "Feel like hittin' up Tap's? My treat!"
"Nah, someone back at my second-home is callin' me." Calhoun said, her voice warm, something the Cadet was still getting used to "But if you're up for some pie, you're welcome ta join me!"