Chapter Eight– Connect
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know?"
"Where did you find this guy anyway?"
"I told you, near the mountains!"
"What?! That's IMPOSSIBLE! There are no characters there!"
"T-Tammy?"
"Uh, who is TAMMY?"
Felix felt his breath returning to him as a flash of light hit his eyes.
Was this the end?
Was this the final game that everyone talked about?
It looked so peaceful.
It looked so calming.
It looked….
So RUSTIC.
"Hey, I think he's comin' to!"
Felix looked around, finding that his surroundings had changed drastically. He wasn't in his little bed, he wasn't in his apartment and most of all, he wasn't snuggled in the arms of his beloved wife! Instead….
"GAH!" the man shouted, sitting up and shaking "WHERE AM I?!"
The man looked forward, seeing two characters before him and it came to no surprise that they were just as startled as he was. The female of the bunch moved forward putting a reassuring hand out.
"Hey, hey. Its okay, lil guy! We just-!"
"BACK! BACK!" Felix said as he tried to get out of the bed, only to trip in the blankets and fall on the ground. The male sighed and rolled his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Yup. He's still outta it."
Felix moaned in pain as he tried to get up from the floor, his body quickly reminding him that he had indeed not been healed since his last encounter with the viruses.
"Jiminny JAMINNY….where in the world am I?"
"Hmmm, I'll answer that question as soon as ya answer OURS…." said the mysterious woman as she gave Felix a suspicious look "Just who the heck are YOU, Blue Man?"
Felix looked at the two up and down, quickly coming to the realization that he was indeed lost in another game but from the designs of the two, he knew he was somewhere MODERN. The designers weren't as detailed as that of his beloved Tamora but they were definitely newly launched from first glance.
"Hey, big-nose!" said the girl "Ya were all ready to take some swings at us but now you choose ta calm up? What gives?"
"S-s-sorry!" stammered Felix as he lowered himself to the ground "I-I'M just getting' my groundin's here, that's all."
"Relax, lil fella. We're not gonna bite ya…." smiled the big male, picking Felix off the ground as if he weighed nothing "Though if I were to, I don't think you're provide enough meat!"
The repairman squeaked at the comment but the woman was quick to retort, pulling her comrade's ear rather harshly.
"Maxwell! Down boy, DOWN! We do not treat guest that way!"
Felix landed on the ground rather harshly and scrambled back towards the bed, looking at the two with even more nervous eyes than before.
"G-G-GOODNESS! Just where in the arcade am I?"
"Arcade?" the girl said, placing a hand on her hips "This isn't an arcade! You're in a DS game!"
"THREE DS!" Maxwell cut in, obviously proud of that fact "Wouldn't want to equate us with those low-in, antiquated games now would we?"
"Deee-ESS?" Felix blinked, thoroughly confused.
"Handheld? On the go?" the girl smiled "Ya know, PORTABLE. Takin' tha arcade with ya…."
"Arcade on tha….OH NO!" Felix gasped in horror "If that's true! I could be ANYWHERE!"
"Whoah, whoah! Settle down lil guy! Don't pop your hat off!"
"No! You don't understand!" the repairman gasped "I'm not supposed ta be here! I'm supposed ta be back in my own game an' helpin' with a weddin' an' then I was supposed ta dance with my wife but then this HORRIBLY lil thing of a virus an' her husband came an-!"
Felix then broke into a fit of hysterics, the man talking a mile a minuet as the other two characters looked on, a little disturbed by his reactions. Maxwell leaned over to his friend, desperation in his eyes.
"Should I throw him back into the snow?"
"MAX!"
"Oh PROGRAMMERS!" wailed the repairman "HOW AM I GONNA GET OUTTA THIS?!"
"Wow, ya really wanna get home, dontcha…." The girl said, walking over to Felix and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. The little man sniffed in sorrow as he continued to sit on the floor, agonizing over the fact that he could be a lot further from home than he feared.
"Ya just don't understand, ya don't…." the man said, his sobs choking his throat "I've got an entire family back in my arcade an' if I don't get back then….then its game over for all of 'em!"
"A family?" asked the girl curiously "Like, a wife an' kids an'-!"
"An' nearly more than THIRTY TWO OTHER people ta look after!" Felix hollered "Each an' every one of 'em! They gonna be HOMELESS if I don't get back!"
"Homeless?" asked Max "Ya mean ta tell us….you're a main character?"
"I think his cried should have told us that…." The girl scowled up at her friend, bopping him on the side.
"Oh programmers….oh programmers. If I'm here…an' its Sunday….it'll be NEXT ta IMPOSSIBLE ta get me back before openin'!"
The other characters just looked at Felix as he continued to cry before him, his sad little sobs filling the entire room. Max sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ya know what this means right?"
The female nodded, "Yup."
"We hafta get him back?"
"We Do."
"Okay, so we've decided that much…." Max continued, Felix still crying beside him "But HOW exactly do you propose we get him back? I mean, we don't even know his point of origin!"
"Well, where did you find him again?" asked the female "The mountains right?"
"Yeah?"
"So, he HAD to have come here on a connection. What other way COULD he have popped into our game like this and JUST the moment our owner was able to set us up?"
"But that still doesn't make sense!" Max said "If we were to get any messages from our first connection, they would have wound up HERE since this is the first save point in the game, NOT the mountains!"
The woman scratched her head, thinking deep "Ooooh, good point!"
"W-wait…." Felix said "M-MAL!"
"Mal?" the woman blinked "Friend of yours?"
"HARDLY!" Felix said angrily "SHE'S tha one who brought me here an' she used that…that stupid cross-cuttin' hand-thingy of hers to open a gateway or whatever it's called!"
The woman arched a brow, Felix talking gibberish to her ears "Gateway?"
"Yeah! Tammy told me that's how viruses of her caliber travel an' can infiltrate places without tha need for actually hookin' up or somethin'! I-I just remember her grabbin' me, swippin' her hand an-!"
"Hold on a second here!" Maxwell blurted "A VIRUS? As in, eat data, CORRUPT data, destroys everything is TOUCHES virus?!"
Felix nodded feverishly "NONE OTHER. An' this wasn't the first time she an' her hubby got us!"
The little repairman looked down, the sadness once more returning to his face.
"But it is….it is the first time they've actually done something THIS big ta us…."
The pair of characters looked at each other once more, still trying to figure out just how to take in all the information they had been given.
"Hmmm, this is bad…" the woman said "This is very, VERY bad!"
"I'll say it is!" Maxwell said "You know any device with an open gateway is vulnerable to attack and seein' as we're brand new without ANY protection, what if that thing comes back?!"
The woman stalled, shaking her head "Urgh, I don't know bro! I mean, I'm still trying to take in everything ELSE this lil guy has told us but if he got here because of a VIRUS?! Aw man, what if that thing is still here?!"
"If it is, we're all in danger!" Max growled. Felix shrank back a bit, not sure if Max's sudden rise in anger was due to his involvement with Mal.
Once more, the two characters thought, literally putting their heads together in order to try to figure out what to do. Felix could only sit on the floor, watching nervously as the two stood in silence and pondered away the conundrum they were given.
"Maybe if we-!"
"No, that won't work!"
"Have to tell everyone else!"
"Everyone could be in danger!"
"Gonna be a HUGE risk…"
Finally, the two turned, the female of the two looking brightly though Max looked uncertain and slightly unimpressed.
"Well, if that's the case, we're gonna have to be extra sharp….it's the only thing we can do at this point!"
"Yeah, but what about him?" Max said, pointing over to Felix, the man shaking "Are we gonna let him stay in HERE until we get him back?"
The woman shook her head but her smiled remained "Big bro. I told YA. I have everything planned! We'll be able ta get this lil guy out of here in NO time!"
"Really!?" Felix beamed, his eyes getting bigger "Ya REALLY mean that?!"
"Sure do!" laughed the woman "But before we get started, what IS this arcade of yours?"
"Litwak's! Litwak's arcade!"
"Litwak…Litwak" the woman said to herself "Near the freeway and the Pizza Planet? I think we got a BING from them when we were set up so maybe there is some data left! We might be able to get a location in our hands!"
"Are there any games that have a connection in them?" asked Max "Ya know, one that runs on a server that allows for real-time score keeping globally or locally or ANYTHING?"
"YES!" Felix cheered "HERO'S DUTY! MY WIFE'S GAME!"
"Wife?"
"Tammy! I TOTALLY FORGOT! One of the things that her game does is update on scores so players can try to beat new ones from around tha world! They're hooked up SOMEHOW AN' THEY-!"
"Heh, cool your jets before ya explode…." The woman laughed "We get the plan!"
Max then approached his friend, putting a hand on her shoulder "But the only question is how we can get this….guy…."
"Fix-it-Felix Jr….." the repairman said, removing his hat "From the game, Fix-it-Felix Jr.!"
"Riiiiight…." replied Max, shifting away from the man "How can we get Felix BACK to Litwak's? Its not like we can actually TALK to our players, at least not off-script."
"Bro…." the girl began "In order to help this man, we MIGHT have to break script."
"What?!" Max gasped "Ya can't be serious!"
"I AM serious!" the girl said "Who knows when Moppet is gonna take us back to Litwak's? It could be days or even weeks and by then, what will happen to this guy's family?"
Felix lowered his head in sadness once he realized the gravity of the situation; the hours were ticking away and soon it would be Monday, the arcade would be open.
He HAD to get back to Litwak's.
If not?
GAME OVER.
The realization of the danger he was in hit Felix like a ton of brick, the man feeling a twinge in his heart. He couldn't let the Nicelanders down, he couldn't let Ralph down.
He couldn't let ANYONE down.
He HAD to get home.
The man looked over at the pair of characters, the two talking amongst themselves and still trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Felix knew he had to be brave and he had to stand up for himself at this point if he were ever to get home.
"Guys?"
The two looked over, surprised to see Felix looking so angry.
"I know that a lotta consequence can come from askin' this but please, I need your help ta get me back ta my arcade…"
Max looked over at his companion, waiting for her input but she said nothing.
"Look, I know I look like some old, cartoon goof-ball ta ya but I HAFTA get back. I have a job ta do an' if I fail at that, I'm gonna let everyone that I hold dear down. Not only that, if those viruses come back then….then I don't know what I would do if I weren't there ta help people!"
The woman looked down at Felix, a little surprised that such a man could make such a big statement. She threw back her head and laughed powerfully, scaring Felix a bit.
"Man! Ya gotta lot of spunk there! I'm surprised you're not in OUR game!"
Felix blushed a bit, not sure how to take the compliment.
"Right…..er, speakin'of which ma'am…."
"Yeeees?"
"Just who are ya, an' what game is this?"
The woman chuckled again, rubbing her nose proudly. She rose to her feet, an almost heavenly aura coming around her.
"My man, I am ANTARES! And THIS! IS HOUSE OF ZODIACS!"
"What the heck did you do back there?!" roared the commanding chief as Calhoun stood before him "I ordered you to get information outta that THING, not kill it!"
"Sir, I lost focus!" Calhoun said, trying her best to remain calm "I'm sorry for that but-!"
"Sorry? SORRY!?" the man shouted "Do you know that had you killed her, we would have lost vital information that not only would have helped us find your husband but help us out in dealing with these new attacks!"
"Sir, please!" Ralph cut in "Mal-!"
The chief looked up at Ralph, arching a brow "MAL?!"
"Th-that's her name okay…." Ralph finished, clearly flustered in his attempts to cover for Calhoun "MAL has been using Felix's disappearance a means of getting to Calhoun!"
"RALPH!"
The chief slammed his hands on the desk, scaring both marine and wrecker "Both of you, SHUT UP!"
The room was deathly silent as the man looked at the two but after a while, he stood up, regaining his calm composure.
"I should have known this was a mistake…."
"What was a mistake, sir?" asked Calhoun.
"I should have known that letting you in on this while in your 'condition' was a bad idea…."
Calhoun's face hardened as she gave her commanding officer an angry glare "Are you implying….that I'm incapable of performing my duties now?!"
"You could put it that way!"
"SIR!"
"Now hold on!" Ralph growled "I know this is a delicate moment but Calhoun has been doing a DARN good job in keepin' everyone stable during all of this! In fact, she seems to be the only one who can-!"
"CUT IT." The officer said, holding up a hand "I've already made up my mind. Calhoun?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Until we get everything cleared, you are forbidden from going into this investigation."
"WHAT!?"
"You are no longer permitted from performing your task, engaging with any prisoners in our bay or even join the search for Felix."
"W-what!?" the woman choked, looking at her chief as if she could not believe what he said "Then what-?! THEN WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO!? SIT AROUND AND WAIT?!"
"I EXPECT you to get back to your normal duties…." The man growled, looking at the woman right in the eyes "By tomorrow, I want you front and center in your usual place, NO QUESTIONS!"
"By tomorrow, gamers will be here and they'll know that Felix is gone!" the woman roared "How do you EXPECT me to just sit back and WATCH while my HUSBAND IS MISSING and another game gets unplugged because I did nothing but SAT BACK as he was gone?!"
"Calhoun…." The chief said, trying with all his might to remain stable "We've got this covered. We have everyone working on any leads or pings to your husband's whereabouts but for right now, you need to step away…"
"LIKE SHOOT I WI-"
"You need to step away…." The man said once more "And you need to let everyone do their job…."
Calhoun felt as if her very soul had erupted into flames, both anger and grief burning through her. She wanted to tear up the entire office but what good would that do? If anything that would only prove further to her commanding officer that she was incapable of handling orders and the situation at hand. She clenched her fist, looking down at the ground.
Felix?
Why did this have to happen.
She took a deep breath before looking back at the chief, anger written on her face.
"Yes, sir. The command will be followed."
"See that it is…." The man said but he then turned his attention to Ralph "And I don't want you breakin' out anything EITHER, Wreck-It?"
"O-Of course…."
After giving a salute, the two characters walked from the office where Mouse and Markowski were awaiting.
"We heard…" the cadet hissed painfully, walking alongside her friend.
"Sarge, is there anything we can do?" asked Markowski.
"No…." the woman said "I was given an order, and I'm following it. NO matter how much I'm against it."
"Ya can't be serious about this!" Mouse said angrily, stepping in front of the woman "I know ya, Sarge! You're not gonna let something like this get ya down!"
"Cadet, I'm sorry but I can't. The chief gave ME an order and I have to follow it."
"But Sarge-!"
"MOUSE." The woman said "I was given an order. I have to follow it. Didn't YOU hear what I was told?"
"Sarge?"
There was a glint in Calhoun's eye; a glint that once Mouse took notice sent a signal off in her brain. The younger woman smiled, her blood rushing already.
"Sargent Calhoun!" Mouse said "Are there any assignments that I am required to do, MA'AM? Any assignments RIGHT NOW?"
"Why yes…." Calhoun smirked "I have a very special assignment for you, Markowski an' even Ralph."
"Me?" the wrecker said, pointing to himself.
"As my COMMANDING officer, I MUST follow those orders if you give them to me!" the young woman smiled.
"Good girl!" Calhoun laughed "This is what I want ya guys to do….."
Deep within the confides of the prison cells of Hero's Duty, a little figure lay crumpled on the floor of her holdings. As some time had passed from her beat down from Calhoun, she had now fallen asleep, her battered body twitching every few seconds, her breath shallow but her mind still.
"Bloom, Bloom…bloooooom…." She said in a snore, almost as if the words meant nothing now.
From his own cell, Turbo pressed his face on the glass, trying to get a better view of the woman inside.
Darn it; why did she have to be in such an awkward spot? The man was just surprised that the very same woman, the very one who had taken him down so many months ago, was looking so small and defenseless. It took him for quite the loop, making him realize just how many faces the virus was in possession in.
"Wow…." He said to himself "'F I didn't know any better, I'd say she-!"
"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal….."
The man whimpered in shock, ducking down at the voice that soon began to echo and rattle the halls of the prison. The lights began to dim, adding even more fear to the man's heart.
"W-What the-!?"
"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal…"
Turbo was no dummy; he knew something was wrong and without thinking twice he DOVE under his cot, the covers down and praying that he wouldn't be seen by whatever had joined him and the lone virus in the halls. After a few moments of silence, the former racer peaked his head through the covers, finding nothing.
Nothing…
Except.
Smoke?
Smoke.
An eerie, almost sickly looking mist was starting to billow from the virus' cell, the man quickly covering his mouth and nose with a sheet, as if to protect himself from whatever poison might be in the mist. His eyes darted over to the cell but he remained still, not wanting to be spotted.
Not this time.
"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal….."
The virus stirred, her eyes showing static as they opened.
"Help me."
"But you're so powerful…."
"Help me."
"Maaaaaaaaaaaal, what has happened to you?"
The virus turned over on her back, her eyes still filled with static and her limbs limp and weak.
"Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…."
The mist began to thicken, revealing that the source of it….
Was from HER.
Or better yet, the gaping hole that was now starting to form in her chest. Most black mist began to seep from it, filling the entire room.
"She is fighting us."
"She is…." Mal replied, her voice robotic "She is fighting us."
"What shall we do?"
"I need help. I need help."
"But you have so much. You have more than any of your copies before you."
"Help."
"You and your husband were the only ones. You were the only ones who could control it from the source."
"Heeeeelp…"
"He shall come. I am calling him. He shall come to us."
Mal rolled over again, her eye glitching in and out.
"I can feel her….she is fighting." The virus snarled to herself, her claws digging into the metal floor "I don't want her in us. But she is the only thing keeping us whole. I don't want her! I DON'T WANT HER!"
"Keep eating…." the other voice said "Keep growing more powerful. You shall soon consume her. Her voice will soon be gone."
"You've said that before…." Mal hissed "You said that to both of us. But they are still here. They are in us. They cause us pain. They fight back. THEY FIGHT BACK!"
Without warning, Mal let out a terrifying screech, her form twisting, turning, snapping and glitching as if she were trying to force herself back into her full form, deformed legs and arms appearing everywhere.
"BITTER BITTER! SHE TASTES SO BITTER! I HATE HER! I WANT HER OUT OF ME! I WANT TO BE STRONG! I WANT TO BE STRONG WITHOUT HER! I WANT HER GONE!"
"She will be gone!"
"NO!"
"Wait for me, Mal."
"I WANT HER GONE! I WANT HER DEAD! I WANT THEM ALL DEAD!"
"That's it Mal….."
"DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAAAAAAAAAAD!"
"Grow angry."
Mal began to rush around her cell like a maddened animal, snapping and lounging at her very reflection on the glass panels. Turbo shook in his hiding spot, fearing for his life for the first time in a LONG time.
What in the world had turned in Mal's head to cause her to act in such a way? Long gone was the terrifying figure who seemed to have the entire arcade on a string when she arrived. That figure was now replaced by something much more sinister.
Something much more mad.
Something much more beastly.
Mal had truly become a virus in its purest form.
Wild, unhinged, HUNGRY.
Thank the programmers that there was enough anti-viral matter in the panel to keep her from escaping as at her level of anger, no character stood a chance.
Including a little racer by the name of Turbo.
The man continued to huddle in fear as the snarls and howling grew louder and louder, much more frenzied and angered.
It was fitting that such a monster was kept with a monster but Turbo knew that he no longer stood a chance. It was almost as if he were actually waiting for the glass to come breaking down, for Mal to come storming in to eat him.
Perhaps THAT would be less painful than the fear that was going through his heart at the moment.
"MUGWORT, SNAPDRAGON, BELLADONNA, BRIAR, BLOOM!" the virus roared from the other room, slamming her head on the glass as hard as she could "MUGWORT, SNAPDRAGON, BELLADONNA, BRIAR, BLOOM! IN HERE! IN HERE! ARCADE GONNA DIE! GONNA DIE!"
The woman then stopped, a rattling gargle escaping her throat as she lowered herself back to the floor. That conniving smile, the one she always gave a victim before biting into their code, returned. She began to cackle, she began to laugh.
"Ralph, Calhoun, Vanellope….FELIX." she began "Ralph, Calhoun, Vanellope, FELIX! RALPH CALHOUN VANELLOPE, FELIX! RALPH, CALHOUN, VANELLOPE, FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELIX!"
