Chapter Ten
The Doctor Is In
The cart that led to Clash of Chaos 2 rolled to a stop outside the circular door that would take them to the game's interior. Ralph leapt out at once, followed by Felix and Calhoun.
"Now Ralph, we don't really have much to go on," said Felix. "Don't go making accusations without evidence."
"Alright," said Ralph. "But I'm gonna some pointed questions."
"Actually, you let Felix and I do the talking," said Calhoun. "You're not exactly in the best mood for this sort of thing at the moment."
"Fine," Ralph said curtly.
With that, he threw open the door to reveal the world of Dr. Despair and co., and they stepped inside.
"Not a bad joint," said Calhoun when she saw the environment before them. "The music isn't too bad either."
"That's because it's an action tune," said Ralph. "You love those."
"Well yes, I have my preferences," Calhoun replied. "Now, shall we go down these stairs?"
"First off, do you know where we should start looking for Dr. Despair?" Felix asked her.
Calhoun pointed to the colossus of metal and stone that occupied one corner of the game. "I'd say that's our best bet."
None of the game's characters spoke to Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun on the way, though several could be seen glancing at them with expressions unreadable from a distance. As soon they arrived at the tower, they paused to survey its massive height, which made them look infinitesimally tiny.
"It makes the tower in Hero's Duty look like a dump," said Ralph, quipping in spite of his poor mood.
Calhoun, who had been gazing at the tower in admiration before this, suddenly scowled. "Better just do what we came for," she said, striding towards the gates. She knocked twice, and then stepped back to wait.
The wait proved mere moments. No sooner had Calhoun stepped back to rejoin Ralph and Felix than the gates opened to admit them. In the doorway, one hand resting upon the hilt of her rapier, stood Lady Claudia Hawk.
"Evening, fellows," she said. "I had a presentiment we'd be getting visitors soon." Her cybernetic eye extended forward slightly. "I do not recognize any of you. Have we met before?"
Calhoun briefly introduced herself and her companions.
"Ah yes, the heroes," said Claudia, retracting her eye. "I've heard all about you three. What can I do for you?"
"We'd like to know if Dr. Despair can see us," said Felix. "We've a few questions to ask him."
"It's important," Calhoun added.
"Urgent, actually," said Ralph. Calhoun glared at him.
"Urgent?" said Claudia, who had noticed the sergeant's nonverbal reprimand. "My coworker seems to be specializing in urgency these days. But to answer your question: yes, the doctor is in." She stepped aside, motioning for them to enter. As they did so, Claudia stepped ahead of them and pointed towards a door on the far side of the entrance hall. "Right this way," she said.
She led them through the door, up several flights of stairs, and through a cylindrical passage lined with wires and glowing lights, until they at last arrived within a vast throne room at least three stories high. Light flooded in through several stained glass windows high above. At the far end of the room, Dr. Despair was seated upon a tall throne, his silver mask shining brightly in the deluge of light.
"I believe this was the room that the fantasy fan designed," said the doctor, standing up from the throne and stepping towards the new arrivals. "Why the developers signed off on it, in a game with nineteenth century influences, I'll never understand."
Tucking his cane under his arm, Dr. Despair came to a stop before Claudia, who was several paces ahead of Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun.
"They say they have urgent questions for you," said Claudia, when she had told him their names.
"Urgent questions?" said Dr. Despair. "My, how urgent everything is these days." He strode towards his visitors and extended his hand to Calhoun. Calhoun took it without comment, but only momentarily.
"My good lady, what might I do for you?" Dr. Despair asked in a genial voice.
"That remains to be seen," said Calhoun. "In point of fact, it depends entirely on how you answer my questions."
"And what are they?"
"Namely what you know about the state of Sugar Rush, and whether you've seen how it is now."
"Ah yes, Sugar Rush," said Dr. Despair, his tone exactly the same as before. "How is it down that way?"
"Terrible," said Calhoun.
"Really?" said Dr. Despair, sounding surprised. "When last I heard, everything was quite well there."
"I'd hardly call outright tyranny 'quite well'," said Calhoun.
"Oh," said Dr. Despair flatly. "So that's what brought you here." Turning to Ralph, he said: "When last I heard, you were uncomfortable talking to me about this."
"Not anymore," said Ralph, his voice betraying his inner tension.
"And what has brought about such a change within you?"
Unable to hold back any longer, Ralph blurted out: "What did you do there?"
"Ralph!" Felix cried, but his coworker couldn't hold back any longer.
"Vanellope's acting worse than Turbo ever did!" he exclaimed. "She's rounding up everyone she doesn't like as a traitor and being a complete jerk. And she mentioned you."
"So," Dr. Despair said, turning towards Calhoun. "You've come to accuse me of some misdeed? You really ought to take it up with Vanellope. She's the one who's taken actions you disapprove of."
Any hope of gradually getting to the truth was gone now, and so Calhoun got straight to the point. "But you did go to the game?" she asked.
"Once," said Dr. Despair. "But I didn't do anything other than tell Vanellope to do what she believed to be right. I fail to see how that's a problem.'
'What's more," he continued, "It seems to me you are all overreacting. Perhaps she has done so harshly, but Vanellope has merely attempted to keep her game from being unplugged by the actions of dissenters. At the end of the day, I believe none of us would like to see any more games go the way of Road Blasters."
At so direct a reproof, even Calhoun felt a taste of the fury that she knew was eating at Ralph. But to her surprise, it was Felix who spoke up.
"No sir, we don't want that," he said, stepping forward until he was directly in front of Dr. Despair. "But we intend to get Vanellope to fix her attitude and get her to do everything she promised Ralph she was going to do. And whether you approve of it or not, we're going to see the task through. Because unlike you sir, we don't approve of rule by an iron fist, not even for the highest of motives." He jabbed an accusatory finger at Dr. Despair to punctuate his point, spun on his heel, and came back to stand beside Ralph and Calhoun.
"Nice speech," Calhoun told him out of corner of her mouth.
"I meant every word," said Felix, his eyes still on Dr. Despair.
"I don't doubt it," said Dr. Despair. "Mr. Fix-It, I believe you to be a sincere man. Will you and your friends follow me please? I'd like you to see something."
"As you want sir, but after that, we'll be going," Felix replied. "Ralph, are you coming, brother?"
"This had better be important," said Ralph.
"I believe you will find it so," said Dr. Despair.
"Then I'd better come along too," said Calhoun.
While Claudia remained in the throne room, Dr. Despair led the others into a large elevator that brought them many floors down into the depths of the tower.
"The basement?" said Ralph. "What are you taking us to the basement for? We've got better things to do than listen to your ramblings down here."
"It's an unfinished level of the game, abandoned by the developers," said Dr. Despair as the elevator came to a stop. "Few ever come here apart from Lady Claudia and I. There's something in it I want you to see."
The door of the elevator opened, revealing a room filled with machinery. The entire room, Calhoun saw as she and the others exited the elevator, was suffused with a sickly green glow that emanated from lights embedded within the walls and ceilings.
"This was going to be my laboratory, before the developers decided it was too nightmarish for child gamers. Which makes me wonder why they approved the zombie cutscenes, but oh well."
"And this is what you want to show us?" asked Ralph.
"No, it's in the next room," said Dr. Despair. He pressed a button and a door slid open on the far wall.
Calhoun, Felix, and Ralph stepped through the door and into another large chamber. In the center, connected by thick wires to a control panel, was a tall metal framework, with two horizontal struts between the frame's sides. Between these, secured to them by cuffs around her wrists and ankles that had been built into the struts, there hung the limp form of Vanellope von Schweetz. She looked as though she were barely breathing; her head was hanging down, her chin against her breast.
"What is this?" Ralph whispered, shocked to the core.
"You have a very stubborn friend," said Dr. Despair, stepping through the doorway and shutting it behind him. "I gave her several chances to see how things ought to be done, but she refused to see reason. In the end, it took the torture rack, though I still don't think I've broken her entirely. Luckily for her, I've no intention of killing her…yet."
As one, Ralph, Calhoun, and Felix spun to face Dr. Despair. Calhoun had her gun at the ready, Ralph his fists. Felix, in the absence of anything else, clutched his hammer.
"I'd hoped you three at least would see reason," said Dr. Despair, "but I guess such will not be the case." He threw a switch and several gun turrets opened up on the walls and ceiling, all pointing at either the heroes or the torture rack.
"Might I suggest you cease your defensive posturing and relax before somebody gets hurt?" said Dr. Despair. "We have much to discuss."