************Game Life**************
Calhoun came straight to ' Sugar Rush ' with Felix, Ralph, and Dani. Sure enough she found several eggs in hibernation and destroyed them. After they had crawled all over the sticky gooey sweet game Dani did a check on the codes for any viruses trying to replicate. It was a slow job and boring but important.
Calhoun decided that the chances that the virus had jumped to a different game central when it had so many games so close was small. So they began a systematic search game by game checking Fix it Felix next. The odd hand held finder Calhoun had made short work of checking for eggs. Longer it took Dani to check the codes.
Finally Calhoun impatiently had Felix follow her for eggs leaving Ralph and Dani alone to check codes behind them. To help in the search she pulled up some of soldiers and 'Sugar Rush Racers'.
Exhausted Dani climbed out of the code for Fix it Felix and gave Ralph a thumbs up. "All clear" she said. She felt on edge and nervous. Ralph walked with her over to Pac Man. The ghosts and Pac man helped them search the game. It was so simply coded a virus would have shown up right away so Dani only had to do a quick spot check of it's codes.
They made a decision to game jump to the simpler games first and save the harder ones for last. They crossed paths with Felix and Calhoun and were dismayed to hear that a dozen eggs had been found and destroyed.
" Damn." Ralph sat down on a game central bench. " How do we beat this? There's no telling how many eggs there are or where there at."
Calhoun holstered her gun. " We'd better get moving we can't just sit around and hope he goes away. There's no telling when he planned to activate these eggs or why he's waited so long."
Dani shook her head. " Look...a virus can be stopped at it's source...were would he have that source? Where did he first go after his game Turbo Time?"
A racing game called 'Road Blaster' that got unplugged with his." Felix replied.
Dani sighed " Well he has to have a source he didn't walk into Sugar Rush just knowing how to reprogram code HOLY MOTHER MARY OF GOD IS THAT I THINK IT IS?!"
Startled at her cry every one turned to ' Flights of Fancy ; where Malcolm was holding court with several female game characters. He was proudly holding up a cybug egg and started petting it turning this way and that so everyone could admire it's green glow. It broke open causing an odd thing with a weird shaped head and many legs to fall out.
Startled Malcom dropped it. It scurried into his game.
" No no kill it kill it!" Vanellope screamed. Calhoun out paced all of them and she barreled past Malcolm and into his game without so much as a glance.
Dani stopped at the entrance while everyone else rushed in to stand in front of a slack jawed Malcom.
" Where did you find it? Where was it? " She slapped Malcom hard when he continued to stare shocked into his game were there was a ruckus raised.
Malcom shook his head and glared at her. " It was in a rain forest part of my game. I thought Belthar had laid some eggs and that I would be getting a new batch of dragons."
" When did you find it? " Dani asked trying to think of the best way she could use her programming skills.
Malcom shrugged " I noticed a commotion the day the lightening strike hit. All my gadgets reset on me. I had EMP for days after wards."
" EMP? Electromagnetic impulses? Oh my gosh...the lightning woke up Turbo the EMP stimulated the eggs to open. Oh no this is horrible! No wait! I can use this! " She turned to run when Malcolm grabbed her.
" Hey! Put me down! "
" You don't really think I'm going to let you destroy my game do you? "
" You dumbass! Those eggs are virus's they'll destroy every game here!"
" So you say. But I do not trust you so..." He held up a hand. On his forearm where a gadget that seemed to have twenty buttons on it. It reconfigured until two prongs were pointing at her. A snap of electricity arched between them. " With so many in my game I really think they can do with out you...say good night!"
He zapped her fully expecting her to be knocked out. Instead she disappeared briefly and reappeared. While he stared at her shocked she suddenly took up a fighting stance threw her hand out his way focusing on that weird electric static feeling in her arm that still glowed with the path the lightning took. A pulse shot out and hit Malcolm. Unlike her he fell over in a slump out like a light,
*****Real Life ***
While they were setting up the machine and rechecking the EEG and EKG for any Issues Dani suddenly gasped and arched up before flopping back onto the mattress. It looked for all the world like some bizarre hop. Everyone including Malloy stared at her for a moment.
" Did you see that?" The RN asked puzzled.
" Yeah...maybe we should hold off on this..." Malloy caught Dr. Shane looking at him and sighed. " Then again maybe she's trying to wake up this might help her. Still I think we should hold off one more day and do another MRI and CAT Scan. Dr. Shane shrugged and nodded,
" Well it won't hurt I suppose."
*******game Life ****
When Dani caught up with them she saw they were looking around dismayed. Flight's of Fancy was a large grid game for people who liked to play point and find games which included puzzles. The graphics were beautiful but the terrain was huge. Calhoun was looking around holding up her tracker. Dani had a brief urge to look around for a face hugging hand shaped thing to launch at her. She shook her head.
Come on come on you were supposed to be so smart so gifted there's got to be something you can do to stop these viruses...something. She looked up suddenly.
" EMP's!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
"If I can generate enough electricity to send out an electromagnetic pulse to every game in this game central the viruses will fry because their a much simpler code then the game codes."
Ralph looked doubtful " Isn't that dangerous?"
" What if you fry everyone's game?" Vanellope asked.
" Can you even do that? " Calhoun asked skeptically.
" Yes it's very dangerous.
if I get the surge protectors involved they'll make sure the games don't get enough EMP to get fried.
And how the hell should I know? I replace tickets in video games and recover people's face book passwords but it's an idea isn't it? "
The friends glanced at each other.
" I'm going to look for eggs. I suggest you talk to the surge protectors." Calhoun said sharply. Felix gave Dani a kind of hang dog look before hopping after his wife.
Dani turned and hurried back to the game entrance. She almost tripped over Malcom who she had forgotten. Ralph rolled his eyes when he saw Malcom sprawled out on the floor drooling.
" I can't let you out of my sight can I sweet heart? " He muttered.
" Yea isn't she cool!" Vanellope said skipping along side of him.
Ralph was surprised the surge protector didn't want to help. In fact it was apparent that he was willing to risk a virus more then he was a pulselarge enough to go through all the games.
" Please! You and the other surge protectors can regulate the energy so it's not strong enough to do anything but maybe reset the games if that but it'll kill every virus that Turbo's produced!"
" Risky. Too risky." The Protector muttered.
" Yes that's why it has to be you and the other protectors regulating the EMP. You're the only ones that can make it safe!"
" Look man this place is going to be crawling with viruses if we don't do something!" Ralph said running his hand roughly over his face.
The protector glanced around indecisive. " Exactly what do you want me to do? "
" Get everyone in their games, let me use the main plug to draw power and regulate the EMP's power so it's deadly to virus's but won't hurt the other game characters"
Again the surge protector glanced around. He started to shake his head when something large burst through the wall out of a game called 'Space Racer'.
The turbo virus cackled to himself while game characters ran around panicked and screaming.
Turbo picked up a character from Hero's Duty.
" Excuse me do you know what time it is?" Turbo asked the frantically fighting soldier. The soldier checked his helmet screen.
Uhhh 12 noon sir!
"Actually its' Turbo time!" With an evil laugh he threw the solider against the wall.
" Lame." Dani said to the surge protector throwing her hand out to indicate the large creature," This is what you have to look forward to no games and a bunch of virus's who crack lame puns.
" Ok ok here's my generator it takes the electricity straight from the main plug!" The nervous surge protector handed her a belt with a small black box on it.
"Vanellope start glitching people to their games and whatever you do don't get caught!" Dani said putting the belt on.
"Ralph get back to ' Fix Felix."
" No."
Dani almost groaned at the look on his face. She'd see it a million times... male Arrogance.
"You'll only be in my way the more we argue the more games are being hurt!"
" I'm not leaving you Dani, I can't. Please trust me!" Ralph begged.
Dani shook her head " I have to do this alone Ralph."
Ralph slowly looked around. It was a war zone. Any games that had weapons were trying to destroy the Turbo virus. Many others were cowering at the destruction. Almost seeing it in slow motion inside his head he saw Turbo laughing with evil intent and glee at the duplicates of himself destroying everything they could. The main Turbo turned and saw Dani. His face slowly light up with an unholy smile and he reshaped his claw like hands into spikes.
"I'm staying." Ralph said balling his fists up ready to fight.