Chapter 21: Reveal Yourself
It's been about a week, or at least, Lammy assumes it's been a week, and had finally finished the training Joe and the others had run her through, and with a change of clothes, a messy t-shirt, jean shorts, a hoodie and new sneakers, she was considered ready to hit the town, especially after a quick perm up from Takoyama, and a change of make-up. Everyone was positive, there was no way the dummies would recognize her on sight.
"Alright, just one more adjustment…" Joe ponders before putting a brown cap on her head, putting it down low enough to hide her eyes. "And that should do it! There's no way the syndicate, or Gaster and his buddies will recognize you!"
"Well…the syndicate probably won't." Groober shrugs. "Still, you should be just fine out there. Think you're ready to hit the town?"
"I…guess so?" Lammy blinked, looking herself over. "Just a little...unclear about what it is we'll be doing."
"Easy. We're gonna sneak in and try grabbing that guitar…again." Rammy smirks.
"Just like that?"
"Hey, it might've not worked entirely in our favor yet, but sooner or later it will…"
"Regardless, here's who's going out today." Matt says, pulling out his clipboard. "Today, for Lammy's first outing, Rammy, Groober, PJ and Paula, you guys will be taking on the stealth front. This time, try taking a different approach. Try and find the security room, it should make it easier to find Lammy's guitar. Given how small she is, the air vents should be her best bet. In which case, I'll send you the schematics for the building we managed to snag a few months back into the databank of your smart watch, it should lead you in the right direction. You guys get some breakfast in your systems, then head on out. Me and the others in the science team will be monitoring and guide you through a few things on the field."
With that, the group was dismissed, and the group made their way for the mess hall for breakfast. It was a random assortment, bacon, eggs, pancakes, toast, the works. Once everyone had their fill, Lammy, and everyone she was grouped with, got into one of the UnderGround trucks, and began their drive for what was once their home, with Groober and Rammy inside, while PJ, Paula and Lammy sat in the bed of the truck.
"Ready for your first outing, Lammy?" Paula asks.
"I-I guess…just a little nervous is all." She responds, looking out at the field behind her.
"You'll do fine, I'm sure…" PJ yawned a bit, stretching his arms over the trucks side.
"Totally! Just keep your cool, and everything'll be fine!" The fox smiled, patting her friends back. The two jumped a bit at the sound of static.
"ZZZZzt…Noodle to PJ, Noodle to PJ, come in!" Colonel Noodle's voice rang out from the bears wristwatch, who lazily held his hand up.
"PJ here, go ahead, Noodle." The bear said, holding up his wrist as a hologram of Noodle's head was projected from the watch's screen.
"You got the USB I gave you, right?"
"You bet." He reached into his pocket and pulled the device out.
"Great. Do me a favor and give it to Lammy. If she is small enough to get through the vents, she should be able to find the Syndicate Central Nervous System."
"T…The Syndicate what?" Lammy blinked.
"The S.C.N.S." The man explained as PJ tossed the usb to Lammy, who caught it with both hands. "It was what I used to control the dummies when I tried to noodlize all the food in town. If you manage to find it, and plug that USB in, I can get into its mainframe and take the dummies back under my control! It will take time, of course, but it'll be worth it in the long run, and we won't have to worry about being outnumbered again! So, if we're not able to get your guitar this time, we can rest easy knowing we just kicked the door down to get this town back!"
"…Y-You guys make these plans sound way easier than they probably are."
"Well, you know what they say, easier said than done!" He chuckled slightly before clearing his throat. "But still, you should pay close attention to what I'll be explaining to you." Lammy blinks as the head of Colonel moved, showing a massive tower, the tallest one probably built in PaRappa Town.
"Now, there are several entrances you can take. You could sneak in the same way you did before, hitching a ride under one of the tanks, or you can sneak in through the front or through the windows. The yards and first floor are never as busy as the rest of the building. And of course, there's the air vents, which might be the best route for you to take as long as you don't rush yourself. Don't want them confusing you for a rat, and possibly gassing the vents."
"Right…slow and steady, like most things…but if I'm sneaking around on the inside, what are the others going to do?"
"We'll be causing a distraction in their yard, so they'll be more focused on us, rather than scouting the halls for any intruders, like you!" Paula smiled.
"We'll be dropping you off in a plaza just nearby their headquarters. Wait for a huge group of dummies to rush out, then head inside." Rammy instructed through the open window behind her.
"What are you guys gonna do?" The lamb rose a brow before looking over to PJ, finally noticing the pile of egg cartons he was sitting next to him.
"Don'tcha worry about that, just know we got this under control." The teddy bear chuckled softly, patting his hand on the pile of egg cartons before putting his hands back in his jacket pockets. "Plus, we have a sweet attack stash hidden around the area. We'll have them busy for hours until they decide to call the attack off."
Lammy couldn't help but smile softly. She wouldn't mind battling the dummies in another food fight, but still, she had to keep her mind focused on the mission. It was a few hours before they finally arrived in town, the tower they were driving for was always in sight, no matter the street they were on. The town felt…off. Gaster signs were plastered everywhere, there were neon signs on a lot of the business buildings, Club Fun was now Club Gaster, it was clear that PaRappa Town had changed, and not for the better. There was something that caught her attention. There was that strange figure again, running over the roof tops.
"Yeah, we don't know who that is either." Paula comments as PJ turns his torso a bit to look up at the figure. "They do seem to be on our side though."
"Oh yeah. I remember one time I fought off a huge group of dummies on my own, Got a few tears and lost a bit of stuffing…" PJ rolls up his sleeve to show his left arm had been stitched together. "I passed out in the streets, and when I woke up, I was in their place, and they were patching me up, making sure I was healed up. Didn't say a single word to me the whole time though…but they got me back on my feet and showed me a secret tunnel outside of the city."
"Did they give you their name by any chance?" Paula asked.
"Well, not exactly, but they did give me this." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with an X on it. "I'm assuming this is what they go by, at least."
"X? Is it short for something?" Lammy suggests. PJ shrugs before slipping the photo back into his pocket.
"Who knows…as long as they're on our side, that's good enough for me. Don't plan on pissing them off, either…don't really wanna see what'll happen if we do." He looked back down the street, seeing they were approaching the tower, a golden statue of Gaster standing near the front gates. A turn to the left, and a few blocks down the street, they stopped at the local plaza, no one was around, and the buildings were abandoned. Once the truck stopped, Lammy hops out.
"Alright, like we said, just keep an eye out for a herd of syndicate dummies and move right on in." Paula smiled.
"You got it." She nodded before they drove off. She watched as they made their back for the tower. She was ready for a herd of Syndicate Dummies to rush out, but something caught her attention. A soft whistle, directly behind her. Turning around, she saw the figure. Dressed in a snazzy looking suit, but covered with a hoodie, which they wore over their face, along with a solid white mask. There was an awkward moment of silence between the two of them, before she pointed at Lammy's watch. The lamb blinked before holding it up. The figure approached, and started messing with the watch itself, pulling up the communications setting, and changes the frequency to 140.15. Lammy rose a brow, watching the figure step back a bit.
"Can you hear me?" A distorted voice came from the watch, catching Lammy off guard. "Ah…no need to answer then. Listen, I know how you're planning on breaking in there, but it won't work."
"H-Huh? What do you mean?" She asks.
"They kicked up their security since the last time you were here. Sure, plenty of dummies will rush out to chase your friends, but there'll be plenty of them standing by the entrance, ready to either throw you out, or toss you somewhere you don't want to be in…I'm speaking from experience. If you want to get in quietly, you'll want to sneak in through the sewers."
"T…The sewers?" She tilts her head.
"There's a supply closet down there that leads to the basement of the tower. That's when you'll want to take the air vent, the dummies never go down there. It's the easiest way to get inside, but, getting out…unless they decide to keep you in the base, the only way out is for a dummy to throw you out."
"…Why are you helping me?"
"I'm just doing my part to help the UnderGround."
"Without…being a part of the UnderGround?"
"I'd rather keep my distance and work within the city itself. You get used to working on your own when you've been doing it for so long…"
"…So long? Who…who are you?" There was a sudden burst of angry yelling. Lammy turned to see a horde of dummies running out of the tower, chasing after her friends in their truck.
"Come on, Lammy. You need to get a move on." The figure said, approaching the road itself before picking up the manhole cover in front of them.
"W-Wait a minute! I'm not going anywhere with you! How do you know my name?!"
"…You really want to know?" The figure questions, looking around to make sure no one was watching before pointing into the manhole. "Then get down there, before someone sees us." Lammy's ears folded a bit, but she didn't want to know what this person will do if she didn't go down the hole. With a sigh, she clenches her fists and jumps down, grabbing the ladder on the way down so she didn't land flat on her back. She stepped aside, waiting for the figure to come down, which, followed by the sound of the manhole cover being slammed shut, the figure lands behind her. The two stood there in silence, staring at each other. Lammy refused to budge any further until they show themselves.
"…If I do this, you are not to tell anyone in the UnderGround about this…understand?" They asked, seeing her nod her head. With a sigh, the figure grabbed her hood with one hand, and her mask with the other. They pulled the hoodie back, letting red hair flow out over her shoulders, and a pair of horns that were curled backwards. They then removed the mask, making Lammy freeze where she stood.
Staring back at her, she could only describe it as staring at a mirror. It was another Lammy; older, bags under her eyes, and an exhausted expression that looked permanent. She didn't have any makeup on, and her fur looked pale. And yet, despite the worn appearance, she still carried herself up just fine, as she slid a hand into her pocket, the other holding onto the mask.
"Wh…wha…h-how?" Lammy took a step back, watching as the older sheep pulled out a gray pick. Once she saw it, she followed suit, reaching into her pocket before pulling out her pick, seeing how gray it was.
"It all happened when we were thrown in that timehole. It could be anything…the pick could've split us in half but damaged itself in the process…Scratch probably realized she used the wrong teleportation magic, tried to pull us back home and screwed that up too…we could've hit a snag in the timestream…I still don't know what caused it, but whatever did, it split us in two. One of us went back to the past, and the other, was flung into the future. I don't even think there's a way to fix this. Now come one, we need to keep moving." She points her mask at her young counterpart before walking pass, motioning her to follow.
"…What happened to you? I mean, what did you do when you got back to PaRappa Town in the past, and what did you do for thirty years?" Lammy asks as she follows suit. "You could've gone back to the others…but you went under their radar for so long. Why?" She stopped when her older counterpart did, noticing how quiet she suddenly became.
"…When I was launched back to the past, the portal had placed me outside the boarder of PaRappa Town. I nearly wiped the entire town off the map, and the others signed their souls, just to get me back…If I went back when I got spat out, I would've been separated, from Katy, Ma-San, PaRappa…everyone, with no chance to see them again. I would've been utterly isolated until it was time for me to go on stage. So…I ran, as far as I could. I did a few freelance jobs here and there in other towns, changing my name any chance I could in case someone under Scratch's name came sniffing around. I also had a run in with a few free runners who showed me how to run like them. It wasn't until a few years ago when I heard about the UnderGround while on one of my runs. So, I came back, with this disguise…thankfully, no one seems to notice who I really am. Until you, that is."
"But…why not join the others in the UnderGround? Our friends forgave us for what happened that night…I mean, yeah, the people of town are still pretty pissed, but PaRappa, Katy, everyone has our back."
"…Okay, but did you forgive yourself?" She questions, looking over her shoulder at the younger lamb, getting her to stop in her track again. The silence was speaking volumes to her. "You're still holding the guilt from that night, just like me. It's recent for you, but for me, every night is the same thing. I'm either laying there, staring at the ceiling, or just going through some sort of punishment in my dreams…or that obnoxious shadow lamb is trying to make me think negative thoughts…it just doesn't end, and because of that, I'm not ready to see the others. And yeah…it does hurt that every passing day, I can't show myself, unless I have to jump in to help someone."
"…Do you regret not going back?"
"…I don't know yet…" The older Lammy sighed before putting her disguise back on. "Now come on. Whatever your plan was to begin with, you're losing time. The others should have the syndicate's full attention, they should be able to hold it for a few hours."
"Okay…" She nodded, following X through the maze-like sewer system into one of the nearby supply closet and on the far wall, was an opened air vent.
"It'll be an awkward climb, but this vent leads throughout most of the building. I'm sure the others gave you the plans of the building, so just follow them carefully, and you'll get where you need to be in no time."
"Are you coming? It'd be nice to have some back up…"
"…I suppose I can tag along…but, we will have to cut communications. You never know if they have a way to eaves drop on us. Make sure to change your frequency back to our friends' line."
"What if they ask why I didn't take the front door like they planned?"
"Be honest and tell them I showed you a safer entrance." She says before kneeling down to open the shaft. While she did that, Lammy sat the frequency of her communicator back.
"Zz-Lammy! Lammy, come in! Where are you?!" Rammy's voice was now ringing in her ear.
"G-gh!" She jumped a bit. "I-I'm going in right now, just got a little sidetracked…"
"You didn't go into the main entrance." PJ says, then paused. She assumed because he was handling a few of the dummies. "Everything good?"
"I had a run in with X. They're showing me a safer way inside, but it's not too far off from the original plan." She looked over to see X motioning her to follow.
"That might be the case, but you're a little behind schedule now." Noodles voice rang in. "Not too much, but you'll need to move faster now, Lammy. If X is going to help you, don't leave their side. We don't know how many dummies are still in there, so they can probably keep their attention while you're sneaking around. Just be safe, okay?"
"You got it, Noodles…Lammy out." She says before switching the frequency back to X's before they entered the vent, climbing upwards.
"So, Lammy…" X spoke through the frequency. "What's the…air, between you and the others back at base?"
"It's…it's awkward." She responded quietly. "If I'm honest, it's really awkward. Everyone sounds glad to have me back, but it feels like they don't know how to actually respond to me being there, or they're just, pretending that everything's okay now that I'm here? I mean, thirty years without seeing a close friend, and they just suddenly pop back into your life without any warning, not looking a day older than when they came back? What are you supposed to do in a situation like that?"
"…That's a good question, wish I had an answer for it." X looked over each vent entrance they passed as Lammy pulls up the map to the building every so often, still keeping on the path set for them. "I don't know if they still consider us their friend after all this time. If we are…they're way too forgiving…"
"Maybe…" She blinked a bit, her ears folding as she started thinking the entire situation over. Were they really still friends? It was hard to pretend everything was fine when all of her friends with everything going on. The fight at the concert, thirty years passing, their home going to Hell in Gaster's control. Can they still be friends after all this? The lamb shook her head a bit, trying to regain focus on the mission at hand. If she pauses, it could put her and her older self in trouble. Her ear would flicker when she heard the sound of some Noodle dummies talking.
"You moved that girl's guitar, right?"
"Yup. Frank put it on the sixty-seventh floor by one of the restrooms."
"Wait…no, I put it on the twentieth floor by the cafeteria...I think?"
"Wasn't it supposed to go to the thirteenth floor by Gasters office?"
"…You numbskulls, did we lose the guitar?!"
"…Uh oh…"
"Yeah, big uh-oh! C'mon, we better go find it!" The group rushed off. Curiously, Lammy turned the frequency back to the friends line, calling Colonel Noodle.
"Say, Noodle…the computer I need to plug the USB into…what floor is it on?"
"The Syndicate Central Nervous System should be on the top floor of the building in the server room. If you're careful enough, you should be able to hitch a ride on one of the elevators to the top floor." Noodle explained. Lammy looked over her shoulder at X and the two nodded their heads.
"Got it." She nods before cutting the connection and turns to open the vent. Crawling out, the two found themselves on the first floor. Sneaking around, they quickly found the elevator, and pressed one of the buttons to summon it, keeping an eye out for any dummies walking around. A soft ding went off before the two quickly jumped inside. Looking at the buttons, Lammy hit the top button, while X pressed the button for the thirteenth floor.
"…What are you…?" Lammy looked at her, confused as she switches frequencies again.
"I'm going to try and see which floor our guitar is on. Hopefully if they're really that confused about where they put it, one of us can at least beat them to the punch. Once you get that plugged in and Noodle works you through whatever he needs to do for it, start checking around on the sixty-seventh floor."
"…Good idea." She nodded after taking a moment to properly process the plan. Once the door opened on the thirteenth floor, X darted out of it, and Lammy quickly pressed the button to close the door a few times until it finally did shut tightly. With a sigh, she leaned against one of the walls of the elevator, trying to calm her nerves, the only noises she could hear were the hums of the elevator, and the dings that occurred every few minutes. This building was taller than she thought it'd be…She taps her hands against her hips as she waited, watching the number above the elevator door going up. She whistled a MilkCan song, counted the tiles on the elevators floor, jumped a few times, and quickly ran out of things to do to pass the time. Her ear twitched at the final ding and looked up.
The hundred and fifteenth floor. Once the doors slide open, she darts out of the elevator, looking for the server room. Thankfully the rooms seemed to be labelled, so finding it didn't take too long. Entering, she was greeted with the sounds of soft humming from the machines and beeps, and soft blinking lights from the computers. Up and down the aisles of servers, Lammy stopped once spotting the S.C.N.S. and looked down to turn the communicator on again.
"Alright, Noodle, I found The S.C.N.S. So, now I just plug the USB in, right?"
"That's it! A program should appear on screen, once it does, I'll walk you through how to set it up." Lammy nodded and plugs in the device to the computer. She listened carefully to Noodles instructions, setting it up so Noodle could get full control of his dummies again.
"…Once you hit enable, you can go ahead and leave. The program will work itself out! Try and find your guitar, but if you don't it'll be okay, just try and get out of there."
"Got it." She nods, clicking the enable button. Her eyes widened when she saw how long it was going to take. "T-Two days?!"
"Yes, this is sadly the biggest hurdle we'll have to brute force through with this plan. Thankfully they don't reset their computers, so no one should ever notice what's happening! Now get going, the others are losing the dummies attention!"
"Okay…Lammy out!" She nods before cutting the feed, making a dash for the hall. She remembered the dummies earlier mentioned the sixty seventh floor as a possible hiding area for her guitar, so she made her way to the stairwell, seeing the elevator would be way too slow to travel. She skipped steps as she rushes downwards, keeping an eye on the doors to see what floor she was on. Soon, she was practically jumping down each flight of stairs. Once she reached the floor she needed to be on, she paused, taking a few deep breaths.
"Okay…maybe skipping the elevator wasn't smart…" She panted, leaning against the wall. Once she was ready, she pokes her head into the hall, seeing a few dummies rushing around, possibly the same ones from earlier. She looked around and quietly tailed them. If it wasn't here, they'll call it out for her to hear, and she can try to beat them to it. She hugged a corner and peaked her head, seeing them check the rooms.
"Crap, it's not here! I thought I put it in here! Someone must've moved it!" One of the dummies called out.
"Damn it, Frank! Alright, let's split up! Check the usual floors we put it on, the thirtieth, the fifty-eighth, the forty-second and the sixty-fourth floor should have it!" Lammy had a soft smirk on her face, and she quickly dashed off. Once in the stair well, she started kicking the knob on the door to break it, to slow the dummies down a bit. Once it broke, she started jumping down the stairs again for the fifty-eighth floor. Room after room, she threw doors open, scanning each one, until she finally reached the last room on the floor.
And for once, Lady Luck was smiling in her favor, as her guitar was right there on a short stand. She grins excitedly and rushes for it, picking it up and looking it over. It still had its shine, a couple of scratches here and there, but after adjusting it's strings, it still sounded great after all this time. With a grin, she turned on the communicator again.
"Guys, I found it! I found my guitar!" She says, making a rush for the hall again.
"Great! We're over at the plaza, Once we see you, we'll start the truck!" Paula instructed.
Lammy nods before turning off the communicator. She can finally get home, and hopefully set things right. She made a rush for the elevator, but when she turned the corner, she bumped into someone and fell on her back. Looking up, it was the dummies, all grinning at her before one of them reaches down and yanks it out of her hand, before two of them grab her, and escort her to the elevator. Soon, she found herself getting tossed out of the building.
"Nice try, UnderGround!" One of them laughed before they slammed the gate shut on her. "I'm putting this on the fifteenth floor." Her ears twitch when she heard that as she slowly stood up, the sound of the truck getting closer.
"What happened?" PJ asked.
"She got caught, what else?" Groober sighed.
"Sorry, Lammy…there's always next time though! Besides, with Noodle's virus, we can get the syndicate back on our side, and getting that guitar will be easy!"
"It…It was right there though…" She said softly.
"Don't worry about it. We can get it in a couple of days." Rammy said, getting out of the truck.
"B-But I'm sure we can get it! There were only four and we out number them! Plus, X is still in there, they can help us!" Lammy reaches down and turns on her communicator, changing the frequency.
"And there'll be a lot more the second we charge in." Groober shook his head.
"X? X, come in. I found the guitar but had a run in with some of the dummies. Are you still inside?"
"…You could say that." X says. "I…got caught off guard, and now I'm just kinda, hanging in a cell. Literally…"
"What?! Don't worry, I think I ca-"
"Let me stop you right there, do NOT try to come in and save me. This place is crawling with dummies now. If you step into this place, that's it! Just go back to the underground, don't worry about me, I'll find my own way out."
"B-But X…"
"Don't but me, Lammy. Just get going before they catch onto who you are."
"…Okay." She sighed in defeat before the connection was cut.
"C'mon, Lam…time to head home." Rammy said, putt a hand on her shoulder, making her walk back to the truck. Once she was helped into the bed of the truck, the demon sheep got into the passenger seat, and they floored it down the road. As they drove off, Lammy stared at the massive tower, a lot of things running through her mind at once. PJ and Paula could see it, and almost feel her mind racing.
"Hey, you did pretty good, Lammy." PJ spoke up. He knew that probably wasn't going to make her better right off the bat, but at the very least, thought it would help.
"Yeah, especially with X's help. We'll be able to bust them out and get your guitar back once the dummies are on our side. For now, thanks to you, we can just relax, and let things play out. It'll be okay." Paula added, giving the lamb a smile, gently shaking her shoulder.
"I hope so…" Lammy sighed, watching as the tower get smaller and smaller as they drove away. She hoped the older sheep would be okay.
Hours passed, X was swinging back and forth, trying to get herself in a better position so she can try to cut herself free, but stopped when she heard the sound of the prison's front door stopped, and slowed her swing down, to make it look like she wasn't trying to get out. After a moment, Gaster had appeared, a smirk on his face as Bob, Jock, and a few dummies followed behind him as they stared at her.
"Ya know, I gotta say, I'm impressed with how long you've managed to stay out of our grasp." The purple rabbit chuckled as he opened the cell. "I figured you were going to slip up sooner or later, and now, we got ya right where we want ya!" He grabs her head and slowly lifts her upwards. Now, we get to see who's been giving us shit all this time…you boys ready?"
"Hell yeah." Bob laughed, crossing his arms.
"Go for it, Gaster." Jock smirked a bit. The rabbit nods, forcefully grabbing the mask and yanks it off, eyes widening a bit when he saw who it was. He was trying to hold back the laughter a bit but couldn't help himself as he let out that harsh, maniacal laugh of his, dropping the mask as he steps aside for the others to see.
"Oh, no friggin' way!" Bob smirks, eyes widening a bit.
"Scratch'll be happy about this one! She's been wanting to chat with you for a long, long time…" The rabbit smirks darkly at her before leaving the cell, the trio and the dummies walking off, laughing. Scowling, the older lamb started swinging again until she was able to grab the rope. She clenched her free hand as a blade unsheathes itself from her glove. With one quick swipe, she was able to cut herself down. Grabbing her mask and putting it back on, she quietly followed the group of baddies until she was able to sneak out on her own through an open window.
Lammy laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling of the cell she rested in. She couldn't sleep…knowing her older counterpart was trapped, and the guitar was right there in her grasp.
"Still trapped, huh?" The cocky voice of the shadow lamb was heard. Sitting up, Lammy saw them resting against the wall. "C'mon…do you really want to wait for two days? We can totally snag it if we're careful! Plus, we know where it'll be! We can pull this off, and the faster we get it, the faster we can go home!"
"…For once, I think I can agree with you." Lammy says softly as she stands up, stepping out of her cell. "The faster we get home, the faster we can fix everything…" She sneaks out of the sleeping area and made her way to the garage with the shadow lamb following behind her. Once there, she got on her motorcycle, opened the door, and turned it on before driving out of the garage, unaware that a few of her friends had woken up from the sound. Still, she couldn't risk slowing down or letting them stop her.
She had to set things right.