Electrical Problems

Josh hears Vanellope scream, a hundred thoughts tumble through his mind. Save Vanellope? Stop Cameron? Josh parries an incoming sword, spins around and kicks the Cameron clone away, causing it to disappear in a flash of coding, then searches game central desperately; wondering where Vanellope's scream came from. But nothing shows. All the lights have been broken, almost zero visibility. A spark of lighting tells Josh someone is there. Cameron. A bolt shoots out. Josh has a second to think, before he rolls out of the way. Another bolt shoots out, giving Josh only a second to react.

"Haha very well done." Cameron says, floating down, clapping.

"Where is she?" Josh yells, pointing his sword at Cameron.

"Oh she is safe. For the time being."

"I swear to god Cameron. If you hurt her."

"Never. I would never hurt little Nelly."

"You...you can't call her Nelly!" Josh yells, pulling out his pistol.

"Ooohhh okay. How about...Sweet Pea?" Cameron asks as he floats down to the ground. Josh's eye twitches at the though of Cameron with Vanellope. "Hit a nerve, have I?" Josh aims his pistol at Cameron and readies to fire, but it's almost instantly knocked out of his hand, by one of Cameron's shadow men. "Tsk tsk, Joshua. No need for senseless violence."

Cameron raises his fists, ready to fight. Josh does the same. Cameron throws a right hook, that gets blocked by Josh. A quick flick of his arm, a punch to the temple, and Cameron is on the ground, unconscious. Or so Josh thinks. The Cameron clone disappears, startling Josh.

"Did you really think, it would be that easy?" Cameron asks, stepping into the circle with Vanellope in tow.

Josh points his sword at Cameron.

"Let her go! This is between you and me!"

"Ahh but you forget. Sugar Rush, is also at stake here. You lose, Sugar Rush is mine."

"Sugar Rush is a democracy! Not, a dictatorship!"

"No. It was a democracy. Now, it's a dictatorship."

"Not for long. You are just a horrible, horrible person."

"Flattery will get you no where"

"What a cliche thing to say."

Cameron throws Vanellope to the side, and lunges toward Josh. A light flashes, blinding, and forcing Josh onto the ground.

The lights return to normal, game central fills with characters again. A couple characters stand over Josh, wondering what just happened.

"You okay Josh?" One asks, nudging Josh's shoulder. "Your name is Josh right?" He looks at the other character for conformation.

"Yeah. It's Josh Butterscotch." The other says looking at Josh.

"We should get some help." The first says, standing up.

Josh's eyes shoot open, he jumps to his feet, and quickly runs for Sugar Rush, worried about Vanellope.

"Oh. I guess, he's okay."

Sugar Rush

Zap! Ralph jerks his hand back, not able to handle the electricity. Muttering curses to himself, Ralph floats back to the entrance of the code vault.

"Stupid thing won't break."

"Well, Stink Brain, you're obviously doing it wrong." Ralph glares at Vanellope, mouth opened, ready to argue, but Josh jumps onto Vanellope, interrupting him.

"Oh thank god, you're okay!" Josh says, squeezing Vanellope.

"Get off me weirdo!" Vanellope pushes on Josh's face, not budging him of course.

"I though Cameron got you."

"Who in the vegetable hell is Cameron?"

"A bad guy. Don't worry. I'll have him gone soon." Josh floats back to his feet, pulling Vanellope up with him.

"Look. You'll need to stop him. We can't break that stupid memory cage thing." Ralph says, gesturing towards the vault. Josh cracks his knuckles, smirking.

"Let me take a look at it." He says walking past Ralph, then jumping into the vault.

Josh flies around the electric cage, wondering what he could possibly do to destroy it.

"Try taking it away?" Candlehead says. Josh turns his head to look at her.

"Hey Cupcake. Wat'ch you talking about?"

"Taking it away. You know, like energy, you take it away..." Josh tilts his head, obviously confused.
Candlehead floats in next to Josh, and continues her explanation. "It's energy. You just have to find someway to move the energy. Like our cables! They bring energy to our games. You bring the energy somewhere." Josh crosses his arms, trying to figure out what Candlehead's talking about.

"How do we move it?" Josh finally asks, not wanting to hurt his brain.

"I don't know. We gotta find someone willing to take in all that power." Josh floats in a full circle around the cage, back to Candlehead.

"Hey. How did you know, that I needed help?"

"I didn't. I saw you float into the castle...never saw you before, so I came to introduce myself. My names Candle..."

"Head. I know you Cupcake. Cadlehead. We've met before. You just can't remember."

"Oh. That's great! I uhh...hi!" Josh smiles and shakes his head.

"Hi." He turns his attention back to the cage.

Josh thinks about what Candlehead told him. Wondering how transferring electricity would work with a character.

"Lightbulb..." Josh says clapping his hands together.

"What are you..." Candlehead asks, as Josh floats toward the cage. "That's dangerous! You don't what could happen!" Josh shrugs her off, not caring what might happen.

"If something goes wrong, I'll just re-spawn...ha. It rhymes."

Josh grabs the electric bars. Almost instantly, the pain is excruciating, but he grits his teeth, screws his eyes shut and tries sucking it up. Unfortunately, it's too much, and Josh is forced to let go.

Candlehead places a hand on Josh's shoulder, hoping he's okay. "You can't do it. There's way too much power."

"How do you know so much?"

"I dunno. It just...comes naturally to me."

"How do people get ditzy from you?"

"Ditzy? People call me ditzy?"

"Well, they told me you were a bit...ditzy."

Candlehead tilts her head, taking her hand off of Josh's shoulder.

"Do you call me ditzy?"

"No. I mean...you fixed my kart once...no. I don't call you... Honestly, your smarter than me."

Josh shakes his head. He never got why people made fun of Candlehead like that. Every time he hangs out with her, she impresses him in some new way, with something new. Like the catapults, or when she was able to hold her own against him when they wrestled for that candle. Ditzy wasn't the right word. A little clumsy maybe, but even that was rare around him.

"You're smart." Josh says looking at her. Like a deer in a headlight, she doesn't know how to respond, and remains still, eyes open in full. Like nothing happened, Josh returns to the electric cage, still wondering how to get rid of it.

Candlehead rummages through her mind, trying to think of anything that could help, but can't get past what he just said. He definitely thought she was smart. She didn't even know his name, yet he was calling her smart. No. She did know his name, it's just that she can't remember. Why? Does it have something to do with electric cage? Candlehead squints her eyes to look through the large lightning bars. Mors is all she's able to make out.

"Mors? What does that mean?"

"Not mors. It's memories. The bars are just blocking some of the letters." Josh reaches forward to touch the bars. He's able to make contact with them, without having to pull away, but grabbing them is out of the question. There's no other way of getting rid of them, at least none he can think of. Transferring energy? How could I manage that? Josh thinks to himself. Another idea pops up.

"What happens when you get too much energy?" He asks, looking at Candlehead.

"Overload. I think...yeah. It would overload. Who knows what might happens afterwards though. It's a bit risky. I wouldn't do it."

Josh chuckles, shaking his head he turns toward her and says; "your just like my dad. Always worried about, what MIGHT happen and what's going to happen." Josh turns back to the cage. "I prefer my moms way."

"What's your moms way?" Asks Candlehead.

Josh shrugs. "Hakuna matata." He grabs the bars, and starts sending energy into them. They grow, expand, shrink, bend. Candlehead floats back a couple feet, a little scared of what's going to happen. A flash of electricity, blinds her.

"Josh!" Candlehead yells. Her eyes open up, realizing she remembers his name. Her heart stops as Josh floats down, towards the never ending void. Unconscious. "Josh!" She yells again, floating towards him as fast as she can.

Vanellope stops dead in her tracks, a lump in her throat. Ralph looks back at her, eyebrow raised. "You okay?" He asks, walking back.

She gets that feeling. One she always gets when Josh in trouble. Like some form of connection they share, something she's never been able to explain, nor he, but they have it. "Josh!" She says, turning back towards the throne room. Ralph follows her, wondering what's got her so jumpy all of a sudden.

Vanellope makes it to the throne room, just as Candlehead is dragging Josh out from behind the red curtains. "What happened?" Vanellope asks, looking at Josh, with his now short hair, torn, smoking clothes.

"He...he..hakuna matata! Electric cage...boom!" Candlehead stammers, clearly panicking. Vanellope grabs Candleheads shoulder and slaps her, not wanting her freaking out anymore.

"Calm the heck down! What happened...never mind! Let's just get him to the medical wing."

Vanellope grabs Josh's right arm, while Candlehead grabs the other. Ralph says he can carry Josh, but the two quickly reject his offer.

"We got him." Vanellope snaps, dragging Josh down the hallway.