Chapter 12: White Noise

"Are you sure it's still safe to be in this factory?" Fili asked. Wanker continued leading them down long hallways. Every so often, they would pass a window overlooking the lower parts of the factory, much of which was on fire in several locations. Every couple of seconds, a small explosion would rock the factory like fireworks going off in the distance.

Cheryl clutched her purse in worry, "The factory's on fire Wanker, aren't you going to do anything about it? Shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

"Oh don't worry about it, the Oompi Loompi's have it under control, i'm sure of it."

Kili rolled his eyes. "The clones you mean?"

Wanker ignored the question and stopped before a pair of double doors and spazzed for a few seconds, staring at the digital security panel. Everyone waited silently and awkwardly behind him. He swayed slightly from side to side and let out a little frustrated hum.

"Just give me a moment... I know it, I know it..."

The remaining four in the group were unsure of what to do. They all flinched when Wanker suddenly gave the door a strong head butt, followed by another... and another.

"Think! Think! Four stupid numbers!" He muttered to himself as he slammed his forehead into the door over and over again.

Mike reluctantly stepped forward and punched in 4 numbers into the security pad. 1234. The door clicked and unlocked. Wanker turned to look at the boy with a drugged out smile. "Thank you... You really didn't need to, I would've remembered it eventually."

The room was white. Just white. Everything was white. The room was circular and in the very center was a white circular platform. Pointing at the platform was an enormous futuristic looking gun, which was also white. Across the white gun was a white desk with a glass touch screen display as well as a TV screen which was a white as well.

"The white is kind of hurting my eyes." Cheryl complained with squinted eyes.

Kili looked around. "Did Lady Galadriel design this place or something?"

"Just wait here a second." Wanker went into a side closet and everyone else waited as they heard the sounds of things clattering and being tossed around. "Aha! Found it!"

A few seconds later, he came out with a gigantic surfboard sized Wanker bar. Kili gasped at the sight of it. "You don't sell those in stores do you?"

Wanker dropped it onto the center platform "No, we don't."

Cheryl raised her hand, "I'm sorry, but, you still haven't told us what exactly this room is and what it's for."

"Oh yes! That's right. This is the Wankervision Room." Wanker walked behind the counter and began pressing random icons and buttons.

Fili tilted his head to the side, "Wankervision?"

"Yes, we are on the eve being able to send samples of our very own chocolate right to television sets all across the world."

"Why does the chocolate bar have to be so big?" Fili asked.

"Things get lost when traveling, do they not?"

"I suppose."

"Pfft yeah right. This is all BS. That's impossible." Mike scoffed.

Wanker glared at him quickly. "Mike do me a favor and look at the glass ball on the top of the gun right there"

Mike looked at it "Why?"

Without warning, Wanker pressed a large red button on the desk and the entire room lit up in one blinding flash of light.

"GAAAAH! MY EYES!" Mike fell to the floor with his hands held over his eyes in pain. Everyone else groaned and rubbed their eyes in confusion.

"Was that necessary!?" Cheryl barked as she helped her son off the ground.

Wanker chuckled and he pulled out safety goggles from under the desk, "Whoops, forgot to mention that you needed to wear these."

Kili noticed that the massive chocolate bar was gone, "Where's the chocolate bar?"

"It's moving through space as we speak." Wanker said and he turned on the television screen. Playing was a Wanker TV commercial and it seemed to pause on the last shot which was of a Wanker Bar.

"Go ahead, grab it." Wanker said.

Everyone stood there, staring at it in disbelief. Finally, Kili stepped forward and took it. It was real.

"That's amazing!" Cheryl gasped, "Mike, did you see that? Mike? Are you ok? ...Mike?"

Mike just stood there with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

Kili waved his hands in front of Mike's face and snapped several times, "Hello? Earth to kid. Earth to kid. You there?"

"Mike Hawke! Why aren't you listening to me!?"

The dark-haired dwarf side eyed his brother. Both tried not to snicker.

Mike finally started speaking. "Do you have an idea what you have here Wanker!?" He was talking as though he had just witnessed the discovery of a cure for cancer.

"Yes, the Wankervision Room." He answered back simply and plainly.

"You have a teleportation device!"

"Why yes, I do, how nice of you to notice."

"Have you tried teleporting people?!"

"No. I'd rather not try."

"Why not?"

"Because there's a difference between teleporting candy and teleporting living things because of some bio-energy stuff something like that, an Oompi Loompi tried explaining it to me."

"Have you SEEN them try?" Mike

"No."

Cheryl was growing concerned with her son's sudden spike in curiosity, "Where are you going with this Mike?" She asked.

"Move!" Mike shouted and he shoved Wanker aside and pressed the button before jumping over the desk and onto the platform.

Everyone screamed as the room light up once more in a massive flash of white light. The television screen turned into static.

"Where has he gone?" Cheryl screamed

"I honestly don't know, check the screen."

Everyone gathered around the screen. Static. Nothing else. Cheryl held her hands in front of her mouth, fearing the worst.

"Mom?"

Amidst the static, a small version of the boy was barely visible. His mom wiped her glasses.

"Mike Hawke! You've grown so small!"

Kili started snickering, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Cheryl turned to him, "I SAID-M"

"Don't repeat yourself!" Fili interrupted as he punched his brother hard in the stomach. "He heard you."

"Mom? I can hear you, but I can't see you."

"I can barely see you sweetie! I'm just happy you're still here!" She tried to reach into the static to grab him, but her fingers were met with the glass of the tv screen.

"Wha..? What is this? Wanker, why can't I grab him!?"

"Pfft. Hell if I know."

Cheryl started growling like a pitbull and then lost it. "You know what Wanker! This entire factory is a sham! You work clones here against their will! You lie to your customers! You put your guests in danger!"

Fili and Kili were actually getting scared by the amount of aggressive energy that was starting to come out of the old woman.

"And most of all LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY SON!"

Wanker looked around then back at her while pointing to himself, "Me? I'm sorry lady, maybe those glasses aren't strong enough to see, but i'm pretty sure it was your son who pressed the button himself and then chose to jump in front of the gun."

"You should've stopped him!"

"Me? He's your son!"

"Yes he is! Look at him, my poor baby stuck inside this screen." She then started starting talking to Mike as though he were a fish in an aquarium. "It's ok, mama's gonna find someone to get you out of there ok? Don't you go anywhere"

"Where on Earth could I POSSIBLY go mom? Seriously."

Cheryl picked up the television screen and started heading towards the door. Wanker only crossed his arms and tilted his head in curiosity. "And where do you think you're going with that?"

"To find someone to get him out of here!"

"Like...?"

"I don't know! Anyone but you!" She reached the door and then started struggling to open it while holding the screen. She moved the screen under the same arm that held her purse and then with her free hand, reached for the door handle. She was about to open it but then she had one last thing to say.

"And you know what? I NEVER LIKED YOUR CHOCO-" BOOM!

The door swung open inwards, hitting Cheryl and she dropped the television to the floor and the screen shattered into many pieces.

It was Lily. She rushed in hyperventilating with a bleeding bump on her head and parts of her shirt were tattered and torn. She was missing one of her heels as well. She slammed the door closed behind her back and turned to look at everyone else.

"The clones! They're starting a revolution!"

Cheryl gasped with her hands over her mouth at the shattered glass at her feet.

"MIIIIIIIKE!" Her bloodcurdling scream echoed and pierced the room like a hot knife through butter.

Wanker started walking towards Lily with a stern look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"The clones!" She cried, "They all barged into my office and cornered me! They demanded to know where you were!"

"And you said?"

"I said I didn't know and they kept hitting me in the head with a bat they carved out of a giant candy corn!"

"And you said?"

"I said you were somewhere up here in the upper levels! Then Violet came crashing through the walls and it was utter chaos and I escaped!"

"Well?! Don't stop there! Where are they now?"

"They're looking everywhere for you!"

"To the elevator!" Wanker shouted as he and Lily bolted out the door. Fili and Kili ran after, but Wanker slammed the door closed on them before they could follow. They tried opening it again, but it wouldn't budge.

"He locked us in! That jerk locked us in!" Kili shouted as he pounded on the door. The brothers pounded and kicked at the door to no avail. Meanwhile to the side, Cheryl slumped to the ground next to the shattered TV and kept weeping.

"It won't open Kili! We need something to blast this door down."

Kili looked around and then grinned, "I have an idea."

He ran to the desk and put on a pair of safety goggles and tossed one to his brother.

"You think it'll work Fi?"

"Let's find out."

Fili ran to the giant laser and began pushing it around. Kili ran over to help and together they pushed the massive laser to face the door.

"Please work..." Kili slammed his hand down on the red button and the room lit up once more. When the light faded, there was a large gaping hole where the door was.

"Good call Ki."

The two ran out of the room while Cheryl remained by herself sitting on the ground, crying. Then her cell phone started ringing. Strange. Nobody ever calls her on a Saturday.

Confused and distraught, she looked at the caller ID. Unknown caller. She mustered her strength and stood up and answered with a shaky voice.

"H...h..hello?"

"Mom, you can stop crying now. I found a way to transfer myself wireless..."

Thanks for reading! Sorry, this one came up a little late.

My original idea was to have Cheryl just drop the TV and have that be the end of it, leaving Mike's fate a complete mystery, but after a while it started bugging me and it seemed a bit... heartless.

Review/fav/follow if you wish! Only a couple more chapters left!