Chapter 8: Doyle Saves the Show

"Wedge! You look amazing!"

"Aeris! So do you! What have you been doing the last twenty-something hours?"

"The Impresario kept me pretty busy working with the stage crew. At least we were able to finish making the set."

"Speaking of which, the show starts in half an hour!" Wedge did his best not to look nervous in his proverbial shining armor, complete with the helmet in his hand and the sword at his side. He still wore the bandanna.

"Relax. Leo thought you might have some problems with your lines, so I was drafted as your prompter. I'm just an extra anyway." She was dressed in a white servant's apron and blouse, nowhere near as fancy or elaborate as Wedge's suit of armor.

"Thanks for the help. But, it's so hard to relax right now. I mean, I've never performed in front of an actual audience before. I've never had to make any speeches, I never really even got up in front of the class and done a decent presentation before."

"Is that the only thing that's keeping you from getting out there?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I think I have the lines down pat." Wedge shifted uneasily in the big steel plating.

Aeris stepped over to Wedge and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "Now, you'll be fine. I promise, there won't be any problems with your performance. I'm sure of it."

Wedge's nerves were taken over by his warm blush. "Again, thanks for your support." He stood for a second and faced the stage door, and reached to his head. "Ir's kinda funny, but the only reason I'm keeping this thing on is for good luck. I look so out of character with it on. Maybe I should take it off." He stood there, fingering his red bandanna.

He was stopped by Aeris's warm glove. "You look fine. And if you get good luck from that thing, don't you dare take it off." She took Wedge's hand from his head and rubbed the bandanna with the other. They started walking to the dressing room together. "Besides, it looks good on you."

Aeris was so busy giving Wedge moral support and Wedge was so busy being in his moment with Aeris that they didn't notice when a small white envelope dropped to the floor behind them.

However, Celes did. And after reading it, she decided to keep it hidden, setting the stage for a novel surprise later.

"I couldn't have planned this better myself."

"CE-LES! Celes! I've been looking ALL OVER for you!"

She didn't have to ask who it was. "Impresario, have you been going without your coffee again?"

"Well of course I have! I don't usually get this nervous at a premiere, do I?"

It was just the opposite; he seemed to be amplified, if such a thing were physically possible. She quickly hid the envelope in her sash, blending in with the white dress she was wearing. "Um, not really. Just checking the score again."

"Oh, you and your scores, Celes. Honestly, ever since I met you, you've never been able to memorize your lines completely..." He walked off, exiting the dressing room and going to rant at the audience on some tangent of conduct. She went the other direction, avoiding the stage. She didn't notice that she had dropped the envelope at the stage door.

"Hee, hee. Boy, this is the life. Going back to what I do best, yup!" The voice whispering from the rafters above the stage was no stranger to the Opera House. "Hee, hee. Look at how elaborate their set is...hmm. I wonder what this rope does?" There was a slimy flick and a snap, breaking the rope and releasing a sandbag above the creature's head. It was a very funny scene, at least to the rats that lived up there. "Ow! Oh, so you think that's real funny, do you? Well you won't be laughing when I get back at that goody-good General Leo!"

He let out a small laugh. "Oh, this plan is so good! I don't think they'll mind if I drop in for a little fun, right?!" All he got back were squeaks and gnawing. "Ahh, I'll just get back at him. You all wait, hee, hee."

There was another muffled, "Ow!" as a second sandbag fell on the creature with a squish.

"Darn rats!"

The massive theater room was slowly dimmed and darkened, causing the chatter from the crowd to dissipate. Slowly, a hush fell over the crowd as the last scrap of light vanished and the spotlight fell on Aeris, who was situated in the back of the room. As she walked down the center aisle, she started her speech, which was amplified by a microphone most of the actors wore.

"Tonight's tale is one of love and tragedy, life and death, two opposites, drawn together by a common strand. My mistresses, twin princesses of my kingdom, once shared the land peacefully. But then, a great knight came to our land and captured both their hearts unknowingly. He was welcomed by all and adored by the royalty, and he was able to keep peace in the nation. But now, he's being called away to fight in a great battle in a foreign land. Now, I worry about what will happen to our small kingdom when he leaves us..."

The lights then shone on the stage as the velvet curtains were drawn up, revealing a multi-tiered castle with a small balcony on its right side. Aides on stage pulled apart the walls of the castle, splitting it in half and revealing a warm inner room in several layers and a roaring fireplace at the bottom floor.

Aeris quickly took her place in the orchestra pit as the lively scene teemed with people and drew the attention away from her. Wedge almost stumbled through a door, but managed to regain his footing before most of the audience could see him. Holding the helmet in one arm, he briskly walked across the floor, greeting the extras dressed as maids and servants, guards and scribes. Wedge then stopped in the middle of the crowd, who parted as Maria and Celes entered through the main gate. They curtsied; he made a showy bow.

"Doyle!" Celes had fully entered character as Fiona. "I haven't seen you all day! Where have you been?"

"Oh, Doyle. You make this castle light up. Everyone is so happy when you are around." Maria was always like this, so Wedge couldn't tell that she was any different as Lucca.

"Hello. Good day to both of you. Fiona. Lucca. You both look wonderful today." Wedge was trying his best to become a dashing knight, but he didn't have enough time to get his character down. He ultimately decided to be himself.

"Doyle?" Lucca gave him her most caring look. "What's wrong? You seem troubled."

"You haven't been acting quite like yourself lately, Sir Doyle."

Wedge struggled with the next line, but Aeris was there with her cue cards. "Ladies, I have just received grave news."

"What's wrong, my sweet?" Lucca, or Maria, seemed to have been born with that line.

"Yes, brave knight, what news does your king send?" Fiona fit Celes just as well.

Wedge as Doyle took a scroll of parchment from a nearby scribe. "This is a proclamation from my King. I am needed far away in battle. Our armies are struggling with an invading nation. They need my help. I must take my leave of you both."

Fiona and Lucca looked terribly shocked. Fiona gave her reaction first. "Sir Doyle! You can't be serious!"

"Doyle! You mustn't go! I couldn't live with myself if I let you go!"

Doyle ran into trouble again with his lines, but he did a good job of making it sound like he was resolved to his task. "Ladies, I know this must be hard for you and your kingdom, and I am truly grateful for what both of you have done for me, but my people need me. Their lives and mine are at stake. It is my responsibility to protect them."

"I see." Lucca was heartbroken.

"You have to go, then. Your duty is to your people, as ours are to our kingdom. But, I hate to see you go."

Doyle wiped away an imaginary tear as he knelt in from of them. "I must leave, and I cannot promise you I will even come back alive, but I swear to you, somehow, my legacy to this land will keep the peace here. I swear that when I return, the peace that has lasted so long in this land will continue."

Wedge rose and kissed their hands softly. "Goodbye." He exited from stage left.

"Whew! Half of it's over now, at least." Wedge wiped away the sweat from his face with his bandanna as he seated himself in a dressing room chair with a metallic clink. "That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. Well, not counting that I'm dead, anyway." He reapplied his bandanna. "I need to go out for some fresh air."

Wedge got up noisily and started walking out the door, but he suddenly slipped on something and came down with a crash in his armor.

"He's already off to battle, Lucca. We wish him luck." They covered well, and the audience was laughing.

"Oww.. That hurt a lot.." Wedge sat up and saw the envelope that he slipped on. "What's this?"

The envelope was white and sealed with a purple sticker. It wasn't labeled. Wedge opened it, and unfolded a very short, but very important letter.

'Dear Doyle,

He, he. If you don't remember me, you will after this. Sorry for spoiling your show, but if you've got the suckers to face me, I'll be on the rafters with an anvil that has your name on it. He, he. Enjoy the show, because if you can't find me, it'll be your last.

He, he. Yours truly:

Ultros.

P.S. I wouldn't want to keep the crowd waiting when you enter the second act. He, he.'

"Who is this guy?" Wedge was stumped. He had no clue what was going on. "Wait, maybe Leo knows him. I'm just his replacement, after all. I have to find him."

Wedge could hear the battle scene getting underway, which was signaling the halfway point of the first act. The high tempo violin music was the perfect accompaniment to Wedge's  race through the lobby and up the stairs to the actor's lounge, where Leo was waiting for him.

"So," Leo commented, sipping his tea, "how did you do? Were you able to capture the true essence of the character?"

"I tripped twice and forgot half my lines."

"Well, from what I hear, it's going pretty well. They like you."

"Really? You think so?"

"You're a natural, my boy. So, why were you racing up here?"

"This." Wedge gave Leo the letter and the envelope.

Leo took some time reading it, and then had to read it over again to fully believe it.

"Oh dear. Not again."

"What? Who is this guy?"

"The first question was the right one, Wedge. This is no small matter."

"What are we dealing with here?"

Leo's face turned from Wedge as he sipped his tea. "The question is, what are YOU dealing with here? This Ultros character is the worst, most cunning and annoying creature created."

"I don't get it. Why can't you help me out here?"

"Two reasons. I'm not in any condition to be on that stage."

"Why does that matter?"

He paused. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah, before I go and risk my rear end and the play by going up there by myself to battle this thing you won't give me any specific details about. That would help."

"I- I have a severe fear of heights. I would fall off those rafters in an instant."

Wedge could not believe what he was hearing. "Look, I just had to face a severe fear of getting out there on that stage with all of those people watching me trip over myself in this stupid armor! I was petrified, but I eventually got up there and-"

Leo dropped the letter and went to the floor, begging Wedge not to go any further. "Don't make me, Wedge! Please! He knows I can't go up there and fight him! That's why he's taunting me in this letter!" The man was literally crying at Wedge's feet. "Please, I beg you. Go up there instead of me!"

Wedge stood there, looking at this display of emotion in his metal suit. He looked so pathetic, so hopeless, that his giving heart eventually caved in. "Fine. I'll have to get to this thing, neutralize it and get back down to the stage by the time my part comes, which is in about half an hour. And while I'm in this armor."

"Will you do it? Please?"

"Yeah. Where's my blaster?"

"Oh, no, no, no! You can't use that gun of yours up there! It'll ruin the show!"

"Give me a break!" Wedge went through his pack, which he had hung in his locker. Taking the gun out, he armed it and put it in his belt. "If anything, it'll compliment the second  act."

Within two minutes of Wedge's leaving, Leo was back to his tea. "So naive. Never trust a good actor."

Wedge decided to don the helmet as he dashed through the lobby again. He was about to run through the door to the balcony when he remembered that he was in costume. Wedge brainstormed for a while, and elected to crawl through the aisle. He laboriously made his way across the floor, luckily unnoticed because of the great battle scene playing out below them. Everyone was standing to get a better look.

He tried the handle to the rafter door, but only found it locked tight. "I suppose it's good that it's locked," Wedge thought to himself as he crawled to the other side of the balcony. Fortunately, this door was slightly ajar, so he had no trouble crawling inside and shutting the door. As he did, the lively music stopped and a wave of chatter could be heard outside.

"What are you doing here, Doyle? Intermission's just started! How did you get all the way here in costume?" The Impresario was suddenly bombarding him with questions.

"Look, we don't have time! There's a thing named Ultros in our rafters, and if I don't get up there, stop it, and get back to the stage before my part, the play's going to be ruined!"

"Ultros!? Again!? That thing doesn't stop annoying me!"

"Just one question. What exactly is it?"

"Ultros is a stupid, aggravating, annoying, little, sneaky, purple octopus that is determined to raise my blood pressure!"

"Okay, okay. That's all fine and good but how do I unlock the door to the rafters?"

The Impresario motioned to a set of switches on the wall behind him. "These levers control the locks, lights, and trapdoors for the building."

"So which one do I pull?"

"I don't know, The right lever's supposed to go to the right door, or at least that's what that stage boy told me."

Wedge was now confused. "That told me absolutely nothing."

"Well, how should I know? Just pick one!"

"Wait! Even if I pull the switch for the door, it's intermission! I can't just dash through the crowd in costume! It would ruin the play!"

"Then try to find the switch that controls the light to the balcony area!"

"Wedge seemed very tense, Aeris. I hope he's okay..." Maria was resting her voice by speaking softly and gargling some cold water.

"Don't worry. He should be fine, Maria." Aeris was putting her cue cards in order, sitting between Maria and Celes in the dressing room. "He's a big boy, he can handle himself."

"Yeah." Celes had to agree with that statement. "He handled himself well."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Aeris started to worry. "He should be here."

"Oh, he probably snuck away to the lounge to chat with Leo." Maria wasn't as worried as they were. "Although, I wouldn't want to be stuck in that room with the crowd outside the lobby. Leo can be very tedious at times."

That was definitely not what was worrying Celes, who was checking her blouse and belt thoroughly. "Have you two seen a letter in an envelope on the floor anywhere around here?"

"I haven't." Aeris didn't notice anything really strange about it.

"Did you drop it? Maybe you should retrace your steps." Maria was her usual helpful self.

Celes stood up and walked over to the lobby doorway, looking down at the carpet. "I found it here," she thought to herself. She walked slowly across the red carpet, coming to a mirrored desk. "I read it here, and then I-"

It was in plain sight beside the desk. There was a large skid mark and man's outline that rubbed the velvet the wrong way. It was Wedge.

"He found it!" Celes had seen her blunder. The letter had went to the right character, but the wrong person! And now he was missing!

"What? Who found it?" Aeris and Maria were anxious to know what was going on.

Celes had bungled her cover again. Thinking quickly, she recovered. "Remember when Wedge fell? He must have slipped on the envelope!"

Aeris interrupted her. "So? What was in that envelope that was so important?"

"Uh, well, I never got a chance to read it! I was planning to read it when intermission started."

"It sounds to me like this kind of thing has happened before, Maria. What do you think?"

"Well, there has only been one other time when envelopes suddenly appeared here, Celes."

Celes did her best to act surprised. "You don't think..."

"Definitely. That thing is back, and now Wedge is probably up in the balcony already." Maria was about to signal to Aeris, but she was already gone.

"Argh! This suit is really heavy! Help me up!"

Wedge had already pulled the wrong lever, triggering a trapdoor he was standing on. The only thing keeping him from sliding down to the stage area was his strong grip.

"Gotcha!" The Impresario grabbed his wrist and tugged, but couldn't get him any higher. He let go and crawled away.

"What are you doing? Help me up!"

"I need my caffeine! Dragging you up here is like lifting a boulder!"

Wedge was losing his grip, and he wasn't able to pull himself up far enough to get a good hold on the perilous edge. "HELP! Come on and give me a hand!"

One minute and an empty can later, the little man was able to pull Wedge's bulk up to the floor with a monumental effort. "Ay, what do you weigh? You must be at least two hundred pounds!"

"I'm guessing about 250 with this darn armor on." Wedge remembered his manners. "And thank you for the help."

"Don't thank me, thank the extra jolt this triple stimulant soda gave me. I only keep this thing handy for special emergencies, so you had better think yourself lucky! Now," he said, standing up, "try the other switches. Just flip all of them!"

"You sure?"

"Look, intermission stops in a matter of seconds! You don't have time to think about it!"

Wedge took the three remaining switches in his hands and threw them all. The lights in the balcony shut off, and they could hear the click of a lock opening, but they had no clue what the other switch did. The Impresario dashed out first and blocked the view for Wedge to follow.

"Don't be alarmed, it's just a small wiring problem, and I'm taking my electrician here to fix it! There's no need for alarm!"

"Hey, who is that behind you?"

"Just the poor electrician, thank you. Excuse me!"

Wedge quickly sneaked behind him and stumbled through the shadows, going through the door almost unnoticed.

Only three people saw him go onto the rafters.

Aeris, in the orchestra pit, happened to see Wedge through the gaps in the curtains above her.

Celes was looking to the ceiling as the act started, and saw who she thought was her knight in shining armor through the beams overhead.

And there was one stunned member of the audience in the front row that had kept his eyes on Doyle as he made his way around the theater, through the balcony, and now above the stage. He couldn't believe his eyes when the man wearing metal walked out onto the stage and almost tripped over himself twice. He was even more surprised that he didn't recognize him from where he was sitting.

"I swear, that big guy, Doyle,  looks just like Wedge with that bandanna on."

Wedge, impervious to all this, walked slowly across the wooden beams. Kicking a few rats out of the way, he called out quietly to whatever lurked in the shadows above where Celes and Maria sang.

"Hello! I know something's up here! I got your letter, so come out!"

An uncertain and slimy voice came from the darkness. "Uh, um, ha ha. Yes, he, he. (How embarrassing.) Um, yes, I am the GREAT Ultros and I'm going to... um... ruin your stupid play! Ha, ha. (That's it.. Keep it up, maybe he won't see you...) You'd better be shaking in your armor, Leo, because you're mine now!"

As soon as he knew what he was up against, Wedge knew his time had been wasted. "First of all, you should already know that I am definitely not Leo. I'm his stand-in for tonight."

"Oh, uh, I um, knew that all along. Just testing you, that's all. Ha, ha."

"Second, other people can hear you when you talk to yourself so loudly."

"Yeah, um, I wanted you to, yeah, that's it! I did it on purpose."

"Finally, I can't see you right now, but I can sense that you aren't in any position to ruin anything. You're strung up."

The slimy octopus was suddenly revealed. He was covered in sand and tied by a stray rope that looped around his limbs. "Argh. Stupid actor. I was trying to put on a scary front, scaring you till you were silly, and making you wet your pants before you fell off."

"Well, so much for that." Wedge was on his way out to secure the situation, when he suddenly couldn't walk forward. His boots scraped against the wood, and he bent down to see what the problem was, but then his arms were stuck to his sides. He tried to run, but he felt something wrap around his boots and face.

"Of course, I could just kill you now."

Wedge was in trouble. He had no clue how that thing had escaped, but the monster dragged him around to face him. One tentacle had been free the whole time, and this was the one that was wrapped around Wedge. He hadn't actually escaped at all.

"Hee hee. This is going to be fun!"

Wedge was stuck fast. Nothing could move, and he could feel the armor being squeezed tighter, He was, however, not constricting his neck, so he was still alive. The end of the tentacle covering his mouth slid to close his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Hee, hee. You're my new toy." Wedge felt another squeeze press his chest and gut, deflating them almost fully. He was almost gasping for air.

"I can't breathe-" Wedge panted as Ultros toyed with him.

"That's the point, isn't it? Oh, wait, what am I doing?"

Wedge felt the air rush back into his lungs as Ultros loosened his grip on his neck and chest, but there wasn't much relief. He had started to crush Wedge's thick legs together and drew him toward the ropes. "You, you didn't kill me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I just need you for a little bit."

"Forget it. I won't help you!" He spat out his words in frustration as he was already feeling Ultros crush him for a second time.

"Hee, hee. Maybe I should kill you. Then I could drop your carcass onto that stage and just untie myself. What a funny joke THAT would be!"

"Wait.." Wedge tried to bargain with the creature before he passed out. "I'll...reconsider..."

"That's a good piece of bait." Ultros slid his tentacle off Wedge's right arm and around his neck, fitting snugly. "Now, be a good little sucker and untie me before your head takes a little vacation."

That was the opening Wedge needed. His free arm sprang into action, firing shafts of light. He aimed first at the beast's purple face and then countered the choke hold with another blast to its slimy shoulder, ripping the tentacle clean from its stump. It slithered for a while, but eventually released its hold on Wedge's armor, leaving him standing on the beam, catching his breath.

"You guy are all the same. All talk, no brains."

"You little punk! Cheap, stinking muscle head! There's only one other guy that can do that in the whole world! How could a creep like you use that?"

"There's three other people who can do it, really. One of them's my teacher." With the threat finally neutralized, Wedge took off his helmet and stuck it on the bleeding stump. "Try not to ooze all over the Impresario's beautiful stage."

An impatient voice rang out below. "Oh, I do implore the gods above to return my Doyle to me so that I may see him once more!"

"Yes! I also pray, more so, that the gods bid Doyle to return to us!" Both Lucca and Fiona were staring at Doyle, waiting for him to come from the sky (or the rafters.) "Preferably quickly!"

Wedge- or Doyle- adjusted his bandanna and grabbed a rope hanging from a nearby pulley. He waved good bye to his problems, wrapped up in a neat little bundle. "That's my cue, o great one. Acting. What a pain!" With that, he rode the rope down to the stage behind the backdrop, and strode confidently into the castle.