Hello, everyone. I totally know this one's WAY late, but I worked out the kinks and now it's up! My updates are going to be a little slower (RLs been in the way and I'm working on two Digimon fics), but I will have them out once I've finished and reread them. And I have made changes to my outlines to Ch's 22 on, which will add the twists and turns to the later ones. But I won't be spoiling.
On that note, enjoy the show!
Chapter 21
"I've been dead for fifteen years and after I return, everyone hatesth me?" King Candy sighed, slumping against the wafer-made wall of the Fungeon's cell. The former tyrant was thinking back on how Taffyta and her friends suddenly disliked him, not to mention how they had treated him and quickly thrown him in the Fungeon. He had only been alive again for half a day and he was already branded a criminal. Candy hardly understood that.
However, the part that had taken him for a loop was how the girls had called him Turbo. Even his own subjects had mistaken Candy for the bane of the arcade who had killed him and "borrowed" his avatar fifteen years ago. Normally, he would take offense toward it, but from all of the enraged expressions he had received so far from his ex-subjects, the former tyrant could only guess that Turbo had caused some serious damage to Sugar Rush to piss off its characters in Candy's absence.
Even worse, had Turbo hurt his precious daughter during those fifteen years? That question raised more anxiety in Candy's code than anything, for he didn't know where Vanellope was. How would she react when she saw her real father? King Candy could only hope for the best on that subject, because judging from the others' reactions, chances of Vanellope even wanting to see him were looking poor. But he had to convince her best he could, regardless of her initial reaction. Besides, Vanellope was his daughter, and Candy knew that there was a spark of the old Vanellope before Turbo's destruction within her code. Part of her had to remember her own father.
"Vanellope… I hope you come back soon. You have to believe me. And even if you don't at firsth, I know you will eventually becausthe I know you can still remember me deep insthide." Candy then scowled, folding his arms in disgust. "After all, it'sth not like it'sth my fault that Turbo 'borrowed' my avatar."
…
"I can't believe what I just saw!" Taffyta was still disgusted and angered at what she and the other girls had seen in the bathroom. They already had enough drama with four games going out of order, one of which was taken over by Cy-Bugs. They were also dealing with a psychotic angel and a corrupt racer from their rival racing game, so the strawberry racer didn't need an old tyrant coming back to add on to that ever-growing list. Taffyta was beside herself, as she, Snow, Crumbs, and Candlehead, who were just as angry as the blonde.
The girls were all sitting in a circle in Taffyta's room, recovering from and discussing the situation. They wanted to have clear heads before they would go out to save Vanellope. The strawberry racer, especially, was enraged, and Candlehead insisted that everyone cooled off first. However, that was easier said than done.
"Hey, we're just as pissed off about King Pillow Ass coming back to life as you," said Snow, trying to comfort the still-furious Taffyta.
"But how did he come back?" Candlehead added, still recovering from the shock she had experienced upon seeing Candy in the shower. Unlike everyone else, the candle-topped racer was the first to slowly calm down.
"I'll tell you one thing: this just keeps getting weirder and weirder. As if we didn't have enough shit going on in the arcade already," Snow said, then glanced at Crumbelina, who hadn't said a word ever since they returned to Taffyta's room. The caramel racer was glancing down at the strawberry-topped floor of the blonde's room, as if frightened of or regretting something. Snow couldn't help but wonder what was going on with her fellow racer.
Taffyta and Candlehead were equally concerned, as they studied Crumbs intently. The posh racer's eyes were almost devoid of emotion as well.
"Crumbs?" Taffyta tried to get her attention, lowering her head to get a better look at her fellow racer's expression.
"Anything wrong?" Candlehead waved her hand in front of Crumbelina's face, causing her to snap out of her trance and glance up at her friends.
"What?" The posh racer glanced around and panicked, but then regarded the others who all had confused expressions. "What's up?"
"You haven't said anything for, like, an hour, Crumbs," Snow said. "I know King Candy's sudden return rattled us all, but…you…"
"I…what?" Crumbs raised a fine, brown eyebrow at what the sherbet racer was getting at. "I'm fine, really. It's just…a lot to take in, you know?"
Taffyta eyed the petite racer suspiciously, as she remembered how Crumbs had been secretive earlier. The strawberry racer knew she was hiding something, and wanted to find out what. It had something to do with what Crumbs had been looking for in the bushes, but Taffyta wasn't going to pry into that subject, at least not yet.
"Where's Vanellope?" Candlehead wondered. "She's been gone for a while, you know?"
"And missed the freak show in the bathroom," added Snow. "I'll tell you, if Vanellope were in there with us and saw His Royal Jerkiness, he'd be executed by now."
"Hey, once she comes back, we'll all be there to watch," said Taffyta.
"But where is Vanellope?" Candlehead was starting to get worried for her president. If anything happened to Vanellope, Sugar Rush would be doomed. What if Red or Kenneth had gotten to or even killed her already?
"The last time I talked to her, she went to Game Central Station," Crumbelina remembered. To look for King Candy, which is all taken care of, by the way. She glanced over at her friends, knowing she didn't want to tell them what she had found in the code room yet. Instead, Crumbs would wait until everyone was together, and she and Vanellope would explain everything then. Otherwise, she would feel uncomfortable.
"Then we should go and find her," Taffyta decided, knowing she wasn't going to stand around and worry for her sister, especially when Vanellope could be in danger and needed their help.
"I'm with you," Candlehead joined in, her candle blazing in response.
"Okay, okay!" Snow backed away from the growing flame, feeling the heat. "You really oughta control your candle at some point, girl."
"I know I'm going." Crumbs said, just as determined to find their president. However, the other three stared at her uneasily.
"Someone needs to look after Candy in case he tries anything," Taffyta suggested. "You should stay here."
"What? No way," the posh racer rebutted the strawberry racer. "I can fight too, you know. I may be considered a fashionista, but I am quite tough on the track. And I can be in battle, too. Besides, I've spent too much time in this castle working on frilly dresses for a ball that may never happen, so I need to get out and save my Pres. King Candy's not going to try anything, trust me. Sour Bill, Wynnchel, and Duncan can look after him for a while."
"Assuming they don't sleep on the job," added Candlehead, giggling.
"Now let's go! We're wasting time here, and Vanellope may need us," Crumbs said hastily.
Taffyta, Candlehead, and Snowanna glanced at one another, knowing Crumbelina was right. They didn't have a moment to lose as they cleared out of Taffyta's room to head to Game Central Station in search of their president. As they filed out of Taffyta's room, the blonde racer kept turning her head in Crumbs' direction, the same question popping in her head.
What are you hiding, Crumbs?
As they were headed for the Rainbow Bridge, the racers had started to go over the plan regarding how they were going to find Vanellope. Snowanna suggested that they split up to look for their princess because none of them knew which game Vanellope could be in…if she was even in a game. Crumbs, however, was insisting that they stayed together in case Red, Kenneth, or any of their lackeys were to assault or harass them.
Taffyta and Candlehead didn't know whose plan to follow, for both tactics displayed strengths as well as weaknesses. Staying together would keep them all safe, but it would lower the chances of finding Vanellope. Splitting up, on the other hand, would raise their chances of tracking the princess down but would keep them vulnerable.
The racers were headed up the Rainbow Bridge, until a cheery, masculine voice stopped them.
"Hey guys, what're you doing?"
Taffyta, along with the others, turned around to see Rancis running up to them, curious as to what they were up to.
"Rancis, hey," Candlehead responded as the peanut butter cup racer finally caught up to them, nearly tripping into the birthday racer's arms.
"What's up, Rance?" Snow asked.
"I was heading over to Swizz's for a second to help him get his tux ready for the ball…'til I saw you guys. So? Where are ya going?"
"Game Central Station to meet up with Vanellope," Crumbelina replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. The less people who knew about Candy's resurrection, the better. "Don't know where she is, but, you know, she might be expecting us."
"Wherever she is," Snow added, smiling leisurely.
"Oh, I see." Rancis nodded, then added, "In that case, maybe I should join you guys. I need to look for her, too."
"What?" Taffyta was confused, backing up a bit.
"You heard me. I need to talk to her," Rancis said stubbornly. "I was trying to talk to her earlier at the castle, but she seemed…busy. I wonder why?"
The girls glanced at one another, wondering whether or not they should tell Rancis about King Candy, which was the real reason why Vanellope had headed off to Game Central Station. Now that the tyrant was found, they needed to bring her back so she could interrogate him.
However, they were also trying to keep the Candy resurrection as quiet as possible, which meant that they couldn't let Rancis or the other racers know. It could cause serious tension throughout the entire game.
"No reason," Candlehead lied. "Besides, Vanellope could just be in Tapper."
"Or Burger Time," added Crumbs.
"Oh," Rancis realized. "Then why can't I come with you?" His expression grew serious. "Are you trying to hide something from me?" His suspicious gaze fell on Taffyta and Candlehead, who froze anxiously. "I know you're her sisters, but there's no need to be so secretive with everyone else around here."
The girls flinched under the male racer's prying tone, worried that he was already starting to figure out that something was up within the few seconds he ran into them. They had to blow him off quickly before he became too suspicious.
"Look, Rancis…" Taffyta started to say.
"No, I know what you're doing, Taff," Rancis cut her off. "You're trying to keep me away from Vanellope."
"Whaaat?" Candlehead was taken aback by the sudden and silly accusation.
"You heard me. Vanellope must've told you guys that I asked her to the ball…but then said she didn't like me. Didn't she?"
"Wait, you?" Snow pointed at Rancis, asking for clarity on the sudden topic. She didn't know anything about Rancis's asking Vanellope to the Mushroom Ball…until now. Then she remembered when they had been at Burger Time after Skies of Arcadia was destroyed. "That time when we were at Burger Time… was that what you were talking to Vanellope about?"
"You asked Vanellope?" Candlehead added.
"I did, and I see she really doesn't want to go with me." The peanut butter cup racer continued his accusations. "She could've just said no."
"Whoa, there, Rancis." Taffyta tried to calm the young man down. Even though she didn't have the entire story about the subject, she knew he shouldn't have been quick to jump to conclusions. At the same time, this was a good thing, for it threw Rancis off of the trail as far as the King Candy situation was concerned. Part of her wanted to suggest that they should stick to the story of Vanellope not liking Rancis, at least for now.
However, the other part said that it wasn't right to leave it like that. Besides, Taffyta didn't want to hurt one of her best friends, but Taffyta didn't want to imagine what the muscular racer would do to King Candy if she told him about the ex-tyrant, not that the strawberry racer wouldn't enjoy it. On the other hand, they might well need Rancis's muscle to take on whatever might be transpiring in Game Central Station.
However, considering the male racer's glare was growing more and more suspicious, and that she had just rebutted his accusation about Vanellope, Taffyta didn't have much of a choice.
"What's going on then, Taff?" Rancis asked again. "Why can't I see her?"
The strawberry racer sighed, knowing that Vanellope wasn't going to like what she was going to do. "We're going to walk and talk, Rancis."
"Taffyta…" Snow started.
"He should know, too, Snow. Rancis is part of this game and he deserves to know. Hell, we're going to have to tell everyone else at some point, so why not start with him?"
"But…" Crumbs tried to counter.
"He's going, guys." Taffyta made her word final. "Besides, Vanellope will understand."
"Tell me what? Know what?" Rancis inquired, impatient and itching to know. "Taff, what the hell is going on? Spill it."
"You're not gonna believe it," Snow warned.
"I'll believe anything, okay? Now stop stalling and tell me."
Taffyta took a deep breath, then met Rancis's impatient glare.
"King Candy's back," the strawberry racer finally said.
Rancis fell silent at this, not knowing what to think of what he just heard.
Snow, Candlehead, and Crumbs all watched his expression as well, dreading the male racer's possible reaction. Regardless of his reaction, however, they were certain they had a lot of explaining ahead of them.
…
"I can't help but wonder where else that Red Riding Bimbo's hacked in my game," Calhoun growled. "Especially when all of the ladies and Cy-Bugs are working for her and Mr. Sunshine. At this rate, the arcade might go to hell for sure." She punched the metallic floor of her cell, seething with anger. Red and the corrupt soldiers had thrown her in a solitary cell, separating her from Kohut and the Mario crew. She knew they were split up as well, with Kohut most likely turning into one of the pod soldiers followed by Luigi and the two princesses. Or worse, they were probably fed to the Cy-Bugs. It may have been horrifying for Tamora to imagine, seeing as her first fiancé was eaten by one. And she did not want to think about Felix meeting the same fate. That would devastate her more than anything, which was why she had to find her husband. She wasn't going to sit around locked up in her own game, stripped of her weapons and chained to the wall.
Besides, she was the lead of Hero's Duty and knew the place up and down. That gave her hope, which would help her break free. Tamora glanced out of her cell window, looking down at the barren, Cy-Bug-infested wasteland below. The sergeant could break out of the barred window and climb down in a heartbeat.
However, she remembered something, namely what she had seen in Fairytale Speedway regarding Red's corrupt code. Tamora recalled seeing those tiny icons inside. And even though she hadn't actually seen the creature, she knew that she would not have long before she would meet him. She would sneak into Surge's office and collect all the information she could about Red's true form.
Suddenly, Calhoun heard knocking, which opened a possible gate to that plan.
"Hey, you awake?" one of her soldiers asked and peeked through the bars before opening the door to present a tray of what happened to be half of a loaf of bread and cheese.
"It depends on your perception," the sergeant countered, glaring up at him with annoyance. "I sort of like being thrown into a cell in my own game."
"Got sarcasm, huh?" the soldier chuckled.
"And I have plenty more." Tamora slowly scooted over to him, smiling mockingly. "Of course, I can't eat when I'm chained like a helpless Growlithe." Calhoun pulled slightly at her chains to prove her point.
"I guess you can't," the soldier realized, pulling a small key from his wrist pocket and reaching down to unlock his former commanding officer's bounds.
"Better." Tamora moved her wrists around, massaging them from the pain the chains had brought.
"Now here." The soldier shoved the tray in her lap. "And once you eat it, you're on the wall again."
"I know that, Rodgers." The Hero's Duty lead took a bite out of the piece of bread, holding her gaze on him. As she started to savor the bland pastry, she placed it back on its tray. "You know, I'm not very hungry."
Rodgers was confused all of a sudden, but had no time to process it as he felt the metal tray slam on top of his head. His world started to go black as he slumped to the cold floor.
Calhoun, hanging on to the makeshift weapon to defend herself, relieved Rodgers of his rifle and other weapons, and chained him to the wall. She then headed out of the open cell door, making sure to lock it behind her. Now she had to get to Surge's office and gather more information on the devious racer. Afterward, she had to find her husband before Red or Kenneth did.
However, those plans were dashed when she felt something hard conk her in the back of her head.
"You're not getting away that easily, blondie," a voice was faintly heard.
"Hey, I'm a blonde too, Daisy," another said.
"Can't-a we a-settle this-a later?" a third followed. "The a-important thing is-a that-a we were able to a-catch her. Good-a thing-a we were-a here."
Tamora caught sight of yellow, pink, and green blurs before she blacked out completely.
…
"So, let me get this straight." Rancis was trying to ensure that he understood everything Taffyta and the girls had explained as they were navigating Game Central Station, dodging the hustle and bustle as they were on the search for Vanellope. King Candy's resurrection had thrown him for a loop, as well as raised a spark of anger in him, which had been the norm for the group so far. He had thought it was a joke at first, but Rancis realized right away that it was no laughing matter. Especially when it could determine Sugar Rush's fate. "King Candy's code is back?"
"Yep," Snow replied. "Threw me for an effing loop as well."
"How? Shouldn't Wreck-It have killed him?"
"Would have, should have, could have," Candlehead remarked. "And we don't know how his code came back either. You think it had something to do with the upgrade, Crumbs?" The birthday racer regarded the posh one.
"I don't know," she replied. "And I never thought of Candy's reappearance being part of the upgrade, considering he was created by Turbo."
"Yeah, and fucked everything up," added Rancis, clenching his fist. "Who knows what he'll do this time? Especially to Vanellope." Then he blushed with embarrassment when he noticed four pairs of eyes staring at him with interest. "S-Sorry, that didn't come out right." Rancis glanced down at the floor of the hub, feeling like an idiot for blabbing that last part out. Way to go, Fluggerbutter. Why not make your feelings for her public?
Then he felt a hand suddenly touch his shoulder.
"It's okay, Rance."
The peanut butter cup racer looked up at Taffyta, who smiled reassuringly. And here he was thinking that they were keeping him away from her, or making fun of him. But the strawberry racer had been his closest companion for the past fifteen years and wasn't stopping now.
"Yeah, ain't no shame in bein' in love," Snow added, winking at Rancis. "You know, I used to have a crush on a few guys from that horror racing game that used to be next to us, until they got unplugged. Some vamp with big hair like me."
"Yeah, used to, Snow." Crumbs emphasized "used." "You know Taichi wouldn't go for you."
"You never even been in Red Moon Racing, Crumbs. So how would you know, let alone know his name?"
"Oh, I met him in Burger Time last month…when he was with his girlfriend, so I know he's not interested in you, Snow."
"Take that back, diCaramello!" the sherbet racer snapped.
"Guys!" Candlehead interjected. "We need to find Vanellope, not fight over hot vampire or other paranormal guys."
"Candlehead's right, people," Taffyta agreed. "Stop it. Vanellope could be in trouble. We don't need this."
"I had to open my big mouth," muttered Rancis. "Girls."
"Hey, what's that?" Crumbelina suddenly inquired.
"What is it?" Snow grew serious again, the Taichi subject long-forgotten.
"That."
The five glanced over the few clusters of characters to notice a head poking out of a wall near Kirby. Then it slipped back in.
"That's…bizarre," Rancis pointed out, knowing that a head poking out of a wall could creep someone out under normal circumstances.
However, it could be a clue as to where Vanellope could be. Could she be beyond that wall as well?
"Maybe, but it might answer our million-coin question," said Taffyta.
They headed over to the faux wall, ghosting their fingers over it to see if it was safe. Taffyta wanted to make sure that the odd wall wasn't a trap, but Snow had other plans.
"Snow, what the hell are you doing?" she blurted out as the sherbet racer poked her head in the wall, then pulled back out.
"It's perfectly fine, guys," said Snow. "I don't feel anything."
"How can you be sure?"
"She's right, Taff." Rancis had his head in the false wall as well, pulling it out to assure the pink-clad racer. "No harm, no foul. Otherwise, we'd be code by now."
"Now that the testing's done, can we go?" Snowanna asked impatiently as she entered the wall, followed by Rancis, then Crumbelina and Candlehead.
Taffyta, however, was hesitant, as she and the others didn't know what awaited them as they went farther in the unknown place beyond the wall. What if Red wanted them to find Vanellope? What if that wall was a trap?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Candlehead poked her head back out.
"Come on, Taffyta." The birthday racer dragged her through the faux wall.
"Whoa, freaky," Taffyta said, awed by the cascading zeros and ones along the wall.
"You said it, Taff," Rancis agreed. "Whoever lives in a place like this must be a bit…savvy about codes. Damn, how much info can this guy retain?"
"Looks like something Surge could live in," Crumbs put in, taking a double take at the trippy surroundings. "But then again, maybe not. Even though Surge deals with codes all the time."
"Yeah, when he's not too busy stopping Wreck-It," Snow joked, then regained her serious composure. "Seriously, though, you think Pres. would be in a place like this?"
"Only one way to find out." Then Crumbs noticed a shadow in one of the three corridors in front of her. "Guys."
"What's up?" Candlehead inquired, regarding the posh racer, then caught sight of a silhouette moving in the middle corridor. "What in the world is that?" Then she glanced at Rancis, Taffyta, and Snow. "You guys saw it too, didn't you?"
"Yeah, we did, Candlehead," Taffyta replied. "And I say we follow it. Whoever that was, he might know where Vanellope is."
The racers started down the middle corridor after the retreating shadow, hoping to find the answers that they needed. If its owner knew where Vanellope was, they were certain to beat the knowledge out of him or her.
They followed the mystery person down several tunnels and paths, but were nowhere close to catching him or her.
"This guy's fast," Snow realized as she was starting to run out of breath. She was speedy on the track, but when it came to running, she lost her breath too quickly especially when she was being led down a series of corridors. Snow hated chasing others.
"You okay, Snow?" Crumbs noticed the sherbet racer slowing down and eventually falling to her knees. The posh racer backtracked to her side to give her a hand.
"Crumbs? Snow?" Taffyta glanced back at them, concerned.
"You three go; we'll catch up," promised Crumbelina as she was trying to help Snowanna to her feet. "Just catch him."
"Right." Candlehead nodded as she, Taffyta, and Rancis continued on to catch the silhouette's owner before they lost him.
…
"Damn, they're persistent," Burn grumbled, running as fast as he could from whoever was on his trail. He knew taking a peek into Game Central Station was a bad idea, but he was checking for signs of Red in case she was on her way back. He never thought he'd get caught in the process and end up on the run, especially when his chasers sounded like some of the Sugar Rush racers. Burn knew they were after Vanellope and the rest of Mr. Candy's prisoners. The Turbo Twin glanced quickly behind him to see the silhouettes of his pursuers, indicating that they were closing in on him.
Idiots.
Suddenly, he stumbled and then tripped to the ground. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but saw a fireball whiz past him and land in front of him, narrowly missing his nose.
"What the…?" Burn glanced up at the flame, scooting as far away from it as possible until he ran into something hard. It also smelled like strawberries.
"Sucks to get caught, doesn't it?"
Burn looked up to see a trio of Sugar Rush racers glaring down at him. He tried to scramble the other way, but was stopped by one of the three racers, who jumped in front of him and blocked his progress. The racer before Burn was male.
"And where do you think you're going?" the male racer demanded, arms folded.
"Um…"
"Were you headed to where Vanellope is?" the pink-clad racer inquired, slowly approaching Burn and smiling mischievously.
"Because we'd like to know where she is too," added the candle-topped girl.
"What's going on here?"
Two other racers caught up to the trio, noticing Burn as they were approaching.
"I take it this is the guy," the colorfully-dressed woman guessed. She appeared to be out of breath but was slowly getting it back.
"Yup," replied the blonde female racer, not taking her eyes off of Burn. "And he's going to tell us where Vanellope is."
"Like hell I am." The Turbo Twin started to crawl away, but then felt a rope wrapping itself around his legs, pulling them out from beneath him.
"Good job, Crumbs," the pink-clad woman praised as the rope-wielding girl dragged Burn back to the group. She then knelt down to the Turbo Twin's level, her chilling blue eyes focused on his gold ones. "Now, tell me where Vanellope is or it won't be pretty."
"I ain't tellin' you nothin'!"
"I just knew he'd say that," the candle-topped girl said, a hint of cheerfulness in her voice.
"It means he has a death wish, Candlehead." The pink-clad girl then regarded the male racer. "Rancis? You want to show him what happens if he doesn't cooperate?"
"My pleasure, Taffyta." Rancis scooped Burn up in a bear hug.
"W-What are you do…gah!" Burn felt his limbs constrict under Rancis's surprisingly strong vicegrip but suddenly felt it loosen.
"Now are you ready to talk?" Taffyta asked, impatient.
"Fuck you!"
Rancis crushed Burn under his grip again, with the racer named Candlehead lighting a flame beneath his feet. The blue-clad racer was grimacing above the heat.
"You should watch your mouth," the young man suggested. "Depending on what you say, it can kill you."
Burn felt the heat and pain course through his body and slowly drain his life. There was no way he was going to tell them anything. He'd rather die by their hands than by Mr. Candy's for telling them. Either way, however, Burn was screwed. It was only a matter of choosing how he wanted to die. It was a tough decision, but in the end it wouldn't matter.
However, he didn't want to die. Besides, those fools would walk into even more danger soon enough. Mr. Candy would make sure of it.
"I'll talk!" Burn finally said.
"Wait, what was that?" Taffyta put a hand to her ear, trying to better hear what he had just said.
"You heard me, I'll tell you." The Turbo Twin sighed, then regarded Rancis and the flame, which was starting to reach his feet. "Let me go, and I'll take you to her. She's a few corridors down from Mr. Candy's chamber."
"You'd better not be lying to us; otherwise, you're finished," Snow threatened, with Rancis indicating Burn's fate by strengthening his hold.
"I'm not lying, honest."
"And who's 'Mr. Candy?'" Crumbs asked.
"Hey, I've answered your question about your glitch's whereabouts and that's all I'm giving up," Burn snapped as Rancis lowered him to the ground and Candlehead put out her flame. "If you want to know who our master is, you're gonna have to kill me first. And then you'll never know where your Vanellope is."
The Sugar Rush racers knew Burn was right. If they killed him now, they would never find out where Vanellope was being held. They had to focus on one thing at a time, and that was to find their president.
However, they couldn't help but wonder who "Mr. Candy" was, considering that they had King Candy held hostage in Sugar Rush. Were they one and the same, or two different entities? Either way, they had plenty of time to ponder that question once they found Vanellope.
…
"Wake up!" A familiar, demanding voice was heard.
Calhoun's eyes fluttered open to see that she was in what appeared to be a glass tank, then she glanced around to realize that she was in the laboratory. However, instead of the usual Cy-Bug larvae and prototypes locked in the tanks surrounding her, the tanks each contained a video game character. The sergeant didn't recognize any of them, but she knew inhumane when she saw it.
It didn't stop there, either, as she noticed the Mario crew and Red smirking up at her. When Calhoun noticed the red eyes of Peach, Daisy, and Luigi, she realized that Red had corrupted them. Now they were forced to do her every whim, which apparently included attacking anyone who dared to escape.
"She's awake, boss," Daisy announced. "Didn't think I knocked her out that hard."
"I wouldn't have minded how hard you hit her, Daisy," Red retorted. "I'm just glad you three stopped her before she left the fortress. Now go! Go guard Kohut and make sure I don't have to lock him up in here like the other eyesores, especially this one." The teen pointed at Calhoun for emphasis, then motioned for the trio to leave.
When they left, Red regarded Tamora, who was banging on the glass of her tank.
"No use fighting, Tammy. You're not going anywhere this time. And I've taken your weapons, so you don't get any ideas. Some damn space pig from some kiddy racing game tried that once and pissed me off big time. He's over there, by the way." Red pointed to another tank not far from Calhoun's, and Tamora turned in that direction to notice an enormous, space suit-clad swine in the same state as the sergeant. Unlike Tamora, he was unconscious. Though she didn't know who the creature was or what game he was from, she knew that nobody deserved to be locked up like that. However, she couldn't help but wonder what he had done to end up in there.
"But let's get back to you, shall we?" Red regarded Tamora again. "First, how are my new recruits treating you? You like them?"
"It depends," Tamora remarked mockingly and angrily.
"Oh, don't give me that. I know you're pissed off at me and want so badly to kill me." Then Red moved up to Tamora's glass prison. "But I can't let that happen. This arcade's going to pay, especially Ralph and that glitch. And your husband will make that happen."
"Not if I get out of this cage first!"
"Trust me, I'd love to see that," Red challenged, a glitch rippling through her. Calhoun caught sight of a pale-faced man with a red and white jumpsuit. His golden eyes were focused darkly on Tamora, screaming destruction and malice. Then the form shifted back to Red. "And as for your Felix, let's just say that he won't remember you for long." Cackling, the racer walked out of the room nonchalantly, leaving Tamora in her prison along with the other trapped characters.
The Hero's Duty lead was angry, cursing herself for how helpless she felt right now, considering that she was sealed in an experiment tank without weapons. Who knew what Red would do to the arcade, along with the mysterious "Mr. Candy" and psychotic Kenneth. And what did Red mean when she said that Felix would forget her?
The sudden change in Red's appearance was also throwing the sergeant for a loop. Who was that pale, ghostly alter ego? Was it Red's true form? Even worse, could it have been Turbo, the racer Felix had mentioned during Ralph's "going Turbo" incident?
…
"Wh-what…happened?" Felix slowly came to, opening his eyes to realize he was in some sort of strange, code-ridden area. How did he end up in such a place? The last thing he remembered was being in Hero's Duty with his wife, Daisy, Peach, and Luigi, discussing the fate of Super Mario Bros.; then Markowski came. Afterward, everything went black. What had happened after that?
He tried to move his arms and legs, but found himself unable to. Felix glanced at his limbs to realize that he was bound to the wall. Then he caught sight of Vanellope, an infected Ralph, and a now-conscious Gretel bound right next to him, with the president squirming around in her own restraints in an attempt to escape. The Good Guy wondered if he had anything to do with their imprisonment.
"Finally awake, huh, Hammer Time?" Vanellope smiled, trying to lighten the mood as she was trying her hardest to escape. When struggling was rendered useless, Vanellope closed her eyes and glitched, blue binary running through her as she felt her code separate. When she opened her eyes again, the lead racer was still bound to the wall. Vanellope raised her eyebrow at that. "What the…?" Then she tried again, but received the same result.
"Vanellope…" Ralph shook his head, letting out a cough. "Stop it. It's no use."
"No, I can break free," Vanellope insisted, glitching again but was still in the same place. "I'll get everyone outta here, Stinkbrain. Just watch!" She made another attempt, but this time nothing happened, not even a glitch.
"Ralph's right," Gretel agreed, watching the princess's continued attempts. The tween had to admire the woman's ambition. Sometimes she wished she was like Vanellope.
"But I gotta stop that Red chick or whoever she is."
"So you saw it too?" Ralph asked, clearing his throat.
"Saw what?" Felix inquired. "Can someone please fill me in? How did we get here?"
"You got me," said Gretel. "I was out." The tween didn't have a clue how she ended up in the code-riddled abyss. She glanced at the adults, hoping for an answer. "I was hoping any of you guys knew."
"Well, I know Hammer Time knocked me out when I was trying to get him out of here," Vanellope recalled, not trying to sound too mean to Felix. She knew the Good Guy would never hurt or kill anyone on purpose, which was why she didn't bring up the time he killed Kenneth and Whiplash.
"And look what he did to me," Ralph added, nodding to his infected form. "I'm telling you, that virus is getting worse."
"W-What…?" Felix couldn't believe what he was hearing, especially Ralph's statement. The Good Guy stared fearfully at his infected partner, knowing that Vanellope was right. He would never do such a thing to Ralph on purpose, for he was sweet and caring. Felix wasn't a killer; however, the longer he looked at Ralph's damaged form, the more he failed to convince himself. Even worse, he couldn't remember any of it, but that didn't change the fact that the virus was taking over more and more of his code by the second. It was only a matter of time before he was a complete virus.
"Vanellope? Wreck-It?"
Vanellope recognized the familiar voices immediately. "Taffyta?"
"Who else would it be, Vanellope?"
The imprisoned characters noticed the blonde racer, Candlehead, Snowanna, Crumbelina, and Rancis coming from the corridor on their right. They also saw that Crumbs was dragging Burn in a caramel rope. Apparently, they ran into him along the way.
"Wow, what happened here?" Candlehead asked, observing the situation before her.
"We'll explain everything later, Candlehead," Vanellope promised.
"Yeah," Ralph agreed hoarsely. The important thing was getting the hell out of the gloomy area before Red or any other baddies found them. "We need to get out of here."
"Yeah, mind giving us a hand, ladies?" Felix asked, then noticed an annoyed Rancis in the bunch and added, "And gent?"
"Hey, you may have won now," Burn piped up. "But later…"
"Shut up." Rancis threw an irritated glare at the Turbo Twin, who quickly regained his peace out of fear that he would pay for it if he dared spoke again.
"I see you caught a Turbo Twin on the way here," Felix pointed out as Candlehead was charring the handyman's bounds.
"He's been a big help so far," Taffyta said as she worked on Vanellope's bounds while Crumbs and Rancis were unhooking Ralph's cuffs, and Snow was focusing on Gretel's.
"Didn't have to kick his ass any," the sherbet racer threw a smirk at Burn, who scowled in response. "And I know Rancis was tempted too."
"He was going on and on all the way here," the peanut butter cup racer growled, remembering how Burn had been constantly mouthing off on the way to Vanellope and the others' prison. The Turbo Twin had been a word and a half away from dying. Rancis and Crumbs unlatched the last cuffs, causing Ralph to sink to his knees. The Bad Guy started to burst into coughs again.
"Damn," Snow cursed as she finally freed Gretel. "What happened to Wreck-It?"
"Another long story," Felix responded, a slight hint of regret in his voice as Candlehead finished liberating the Good Guy.
"I'm sure it's a pretty damn good one." Taffyta finished breaking Vanellope's cuffs, with the princess stretching and cracking her neck, wrists, and ankles.
"It is," she agreed. "But first we need to get out of here." Then Vanellope glanced at Burn. "And lock Burnout up once we get back to Sugar Rush."
"That's an obvious 'duh,'" Gretel scoffed as she took Snow's hand. "He won't be hurting anyone else, that's for sure."
Burn sighed at how he was outnumbered by the enemy, feeling his caramel leash jerk against him as he was being dragged along by Crumbs.
Yep, saw all this coming, he thought. User's been against me today.
…
"I'd love to see how long Tammy lasts in that tank, hoo hoo hoo," Red cackled as she returned to Calhoun's former office, which the teen claimed as her own after Kenneth hacked into Hero's Duty and scrambled all of the codes. Red succeeded in making Calhoun an enemy in the eyes of most of the sergeant's soldiers. It would be a mystery as to how long Calhoun would last in the tank before she either had a cramp, claustrophobia, or just went insane. Thinking about those possibilities were amusing Red.
The racer turned to the window, watching the ravenous Cy-Bugs and corrupt soldiers ravage the war zone that was Hero's Duty and appreciating the beautiful sight. The teen was also wondering how she was going to put her plan into motion. First, Red would pay a visit to Fix-It Felix, Jr. and have a little "talk" with the Good Guy, which would hasten the transformation. It would not only endanger Ralph, but it would also destroy the Bad Guy's will to fight back and ensure her conquest of the arcade. Everyone knew Ralph would never bring himself to kill his own partner. Red was glitching just thinking about it, knowing that she would have to make necessary preparations. Revenge was right around the corner, and she was going to make sure that she would get it.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted; however, when she heard a knock on the door.
"Someone better be dying." Red rolled her eyes as the door opened. One of the angel characters named Erholtz from Celestial Wars poked his head in. "Come in, Erholtz or whoever. What do you want?"
The pale-faced angel walked in, revealing his tall, lean figure. His long, white hair trailed behind him with his blue robes as he regarded Red with a sweep of his arm and a bow.
"I couldn't get Mr. Candy, so…"
"Just spit it out, dammit!"
"Someone's smuggled Fix-It Felix from his pedestal in Mr. Candy's chamber," Erholtz said in his flamboyant manner, striking a romantic pose, which annoyed his already-agitated audience.
"Wait, what?"
"Oh, I believe you've heard me correctly, sweet Red." The angel pulled out a rose and inhaled its sweet scent. "Some bold fools have kidnapped Felix. I was there a few hours ago, and when I checked the back room, he was nowhere to be found." Then Erholtz narrowed his green eyes, smiling somewhat seductively to Red. "Luckily, thanks to a vision I've had of the past, I caught a glimpse of our beautiful perpetrator. Oh yes, you'll love this."
Red was growing impatient with the corrupt angel, only wanting a straight answer. "Who is it?" she inquired.
"Vanellope von Schweetz."
Hope you enjoyed. Again, this one took longer to finish than I've expected, but I'm going to see this fic to the end. I love this story too much, and I hope the rest of you are too. Also, there is a tribute to an anime voice actor near the end of this chap. Can you find it?
Read and Review, and stay tuned for more.