Authors Note: When I wrote the last chapter, Helga's Shadow I realized the story became far darker than I expected it. So with this chapter the "Brainy Story" arc will end - and another story line will begin, with more focus on some characters. So even if this chapter seems to be the last one, it's not.
Also there is no prologue flashback this time! The next chapter will be all about flashbacks.
CHAPTER 6 - TWO OF A KIND
PS118 looked rather creepy in the night. As Helga and Gerald entered the dark school corridors, they could see the pieces of their childhood in the light that emitted from the ends of their flashlights. All the long forgotten memories had come back to them. Gerald saw a few pieces of his past: He and Arnold, talking about the things of a nine year-old's life next to the drinking fountain, the day when he was locked into his own closet by Wolfgang, and several different occurrences of Eugene getting in some ridiculous accident by simply walking down the hall.
First Gerald had some doubts about coming here, but when they arrived they noticed the black van parking in front of the school. Apparently Brainy had been too excited and rushed to bother hiding it. He didn't care to cover his tracks anymore. It proved Helga was right, and Phoebe and Lila ran to the police station with the information. Lila wanted to go inside too, but Helga didn't let her. Gerald totally understood why; Lila never functioned well under this kind of pressure; Helga didn't need yet another person to look out for.
"How did you know it is Brainy?" Gerald asked.
"I should have known it sooner, I just..." She paused. "You know Brainy always had some weird obsession with me, and I never handled it very well."
"Yeah, you did knocked him out like a hundred times."
"Yes. But Brainy... he never seemed really important... So I didn't even put him on my list of suspects."
"But?"
"But then you reminded me to Grad night," she said. "My first thought was 'Can it be Wolfgang?' But this is so not his style. He would never hide in the shadows. Then I realized who it was... someone who actually lived in the shadows as a kid. Even Joshua told me about the wheezing of his attacker. I should have known," Helga sighed.
"I know he was always a bit creepy, but I can't imagine him doing something like that. He always seemed so harmless," Gerald said.
"Maybe. But you never saw his eyes on Grad night. He wasn't upset because Wolfgang beat him up. He was upset because I told him that I wouldn't hurt him anymore... I think he took it as... bad news. I haven't even thought about him since then," Helga said. "But now, he's the caretaker of the school... He probably took this job so that he could bathe in the memories of our childhood."
Suddenly the lights came on, which startled both Gerald and Helga very much. They turned off their flashlights and looked around a bit before they noticed a huge banner hanging over the stairs.
WELCOME HOME HELGA
Reunion in the basement
"Call me paranoid, but I think he knows we're coming," Gerald said, his voice a bit shaky.
"Haha, Tall-Hair Boy." Helga looked to Gerald as they carefully went down the stairs. "You don't have a gun on you by any chance, do you?"
"No," he said and Helga shook her head.
"This is gonna be fun," she said, mentally cursing herself for leaving her gun at Sunset Arms when they all rushed out in a hurry.
"You bet," Gerald said.
"Guess who's coming for a little visit Football head," Brainy asked the man that was tied to the chair. "That's right. Our loved one," Arnold didn't say a word, just glared at Brainy.
"How do you know?" he asked finally.
"Security cams are all over the school. Hillwood city kids are a lot more dangerous these days." - he said. So, he was in the school, probably in the basement. He noticed that Brainy was holding something but it was too dark for him to identify what it was.
"I actually expected her to come here sooner or later," Brainy said. "The three of us can talk of old times. But unfortunately she brought company... an uninvited guest," Brainy sneered. "It appears to be your old buddy, Gerald. He isn't welcome here... It's not like I'm racist or anything. You know what they say," he said, as he lifted the shiny object, it was a knife, a very long and very sharp blade. "We're all red on the inside."
"Hey... Listen Brainy... Please don't do this! I'll do whatever you want! I can set you up on a date with Helga, I'm sure she would..."
"Silence!" Brainy screamed with an unexpected fury. "You really think this is what I want? What kind of psycho do you think I am?" he asked.
Arnold very wisely didn't answer that. Brainy left the room with angry steps.
"What the hell does he want?" Arnold thought. "He doesn't want to kill me because he jealous. He wouldn't mind to kill me, but right now he doesn't find it necessary," Arnold sighed heavily "So what can be his goal? Why did he lure Helga back to here?" Then the answer to his questions suddenly became clear in his mind.
Brainy wanted to get killed by Helga... This would be the crown on his sick and sad life... In his mind that would mean that she loved him more than anything, that she loved him enough to kill him. If it took the murder of someone else to get Helga into the killing mood then he would do it.
Gerald and Helga absolutely could not believe what they found in the school basement. In the caretaker's room there was a shrine of her and Arnold, much like the ones she made for Arnold when she was nine years old.Brainy had obviously become very obsessed with both of them. .
The walls were completely plastered with photos, many of them from their teenage years, some were yearbook photos and the most disturbing yet... photos from their college years and adulthood. There were so many pictures from the most beautiful times they shared in their twenties, moments nobody supposed to know about, and yet Brainy knew, Brainy knew it all.
"Well, this guy has all the time on the world," Gerald said. "Thank god Lila don't see this."
"Hey, cut that out. Don't look at those pictures, concentrate on the class photos. I don't want you see me naked," Helga snapped.
"Hey, hey, I went to all the high school parties. I've seen you naked too many times to count," he said then he walked over to examine the photos on the other wall.
"You don't seem too surprised to see these pictures of us," she said. "I guess Arnold does kiss and tell after all."
"He felt so guilty, Helga. He had to confess to someone... But don't worry, I told him that I totally understood. You're way, way, way hotter than Lila," Gerald said and Helga looked at him.
"You really think that?" she asked. She knew Gerald never really liked her, and she never, ever thought that Gerald would ever suggest that Arnold choose her over Miss Perfect Lila.
"Yeah. I mean, she's cute and all, but she will never make Arnold happy like you do. She's too nice and two nice people are so freakin' boring together," he said. Helga smiled. It was very liberating to hear that Arnold's best friend thought this way.
"Thanks Gerald. It means more to me than you'll ever know," she said as she looked at an envelope she found on the table.
"Hey, thank you for not yelling me because of...Phoebe..." Gerald said.
"What?" she asked.
"You know, for... the way I have behaved. For not calling her and... You know, I was a kid, and I thought that what other's thought of me was very important..." he said, but he stopped as he noticed the look on Helga's face. She began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Gerald asked, confused.
"Hey Gerald, I don't think she really missed you over the years," she said with a naughty smile on her face. "I mean, yeah, you're a kind of a stud-muffin, but not really her type."
"What are you talking about? She so had the hots for me!" Gerald said.
"Yeah. Since then, a few thing came out," she said. "Hey, don't look at me like that Geraldo, I thought it was obvious... Phoebe is gay."
"Say what?" Gerald raised an eyebrow.
"She's gay, a lesbian, she likes girls, chicks, women, females... And the chicks seem to dig her quite a bit," Helga said. Gerald could be pretty dense at times.
"Ho, ha... What? Are you sure?"
"Totally. And I can tell you she's a pretty good kisser," Helga said, grinning.
"WHAT!"
"Don't get too excited. She got pretty drunk at a collage party, and she tried her luck with me," Helga explained. "Well, it was tempting, but I refused her. Get over it, this is not the right moment for these kind of stories," she said, as she finished searching around the room.
"All right. Let's save Arnold from our insane little paparazzo," Gerald said, heading toward the door.
"Oh, he didn't take these pictures. He couldn't have," she said. "Being a caretaker here is a full time job. You think he had time to find out the times and locations of my meetings with Football Head, go there, take the pictures and come back to Hillwood so many times?" Helga looked at him.
"So... he hired a professional?" Gerald questioned.
"From this paycheck? I don't think so," she said. "I think someone sent these. I'm pretty sure these pictures were the trigger of Brainy's current actions."
"But who sent these? Who can hate you and know you so much?" he asked as they entered the dark basement corridor again.
"You know me, there is a pretty huge list. The two Miss Perfects, just for starters. Lila and Olga both have a reason to hate me. Even if it looks like I'm okay with Olga, who knows?" she said. Gerald suddenly shushed her and shined his flashlight down the long, dark corridor. Helga had heard it too, a strange wheezing from the depths of the darkness.
Suddenly a strange face appeared in the light of her flashlight. Brainy's face twisted in anger as he ran toward them, large knife in hand. Helga had to be prepared for moments in working with the FBI it had become a huge part of her adult life, and now, this time, the fear left her frozen, her feet rooted to the ground, unable to move.
As the police cars arrived to PS118 Lila and Phoebe had tried to run into the school, but the policemen didn't let them. They were pretty pissed of already because there were already two civilians inside, although Helga was not so much of a civilian. The police were well prepared to take care of a hostage situation; they didn't want "heroes" involved.
"Why did this have to happen?" Lila cried. "Why can't Helga G. Pataki just leave us alone?"
"I think it's the hand of fate Lila," Phoebe answered. "Listen, Helga will get Arnold out of there, she wants him safe," she said, though her words did not make Lila feel any better. "Lila, I'm a scientist, and I believe in power and I have to tell you that I never seen anything nearly as powerful as Helga's love for Arnold. If there is a way to save him, Helga will find it," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"He will go back to her... Won't he?" Lila asked in tears.
"I don't think so," Phoebe replied. "Helga... she's like fire... So attractive but painful to get close to... She doesn't respect any rules. Earlier today she broke up with the world's most eligible bachelor in an e-mail for Christ's sakes!" she exclaimed. "She... she touches so many people even if she doesn't try to. I don't think Arnold is the kind of man who can handle or tame that wildness inside of her even though a part of him will always love her."
"So it will be always like that? I will always have to compete with Helga," Lila said, still tearful.
"Why?" Phoebe asked, laying a hand on Lila's shoulder. "She dropped out of the competition with you years ago."
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Arnold found himself left alone in the room. He knew that it was the only chance he had to break free before Brainy succeeded in killing Gerald and turning Helga into a murderer. So he took all his strength and tried to break the chair into pieces. He hit the wall with it once...and again...and again.
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Brainy's blade only barely cut Gerald, and used his free hand to knock Gerald up against the wall with so much force that it had knocked him unconscious. It was at that moment that the battle had come down to a one on one match.
"Here I am Brainy. This is what you wanted, right?" Helga said, facing her stalker.
"Yessss..." he said. It was pretty hard for him to speak in front of Helga. He tried to say the most important words. "I killed him. I killed... Football... Head."
"You lie," Helga hissed, even though she herself didn't know for sure. Helga wasn't even sure of Gerald's condition, he had taken quite a hit. Though things looked bleak the child deep within Helga offered her the most ridiculous answers.
"The world hasn't ended yet so Arnold can't be dead, he must be alive!"
"He sure was a screamer," Brainy said, as he lunged at Helga with his knife. He was very clumsy, so Helga was easily able to grab him by the wrist and turn the knife against him. She could have stabbed him without fear of being arrested; it would have been a self-defense maneuver. She dropped the blade and it fell to the ground with an obnoxious clatter. Helga wanted to do this by hand. She reared back and slung her fist forward into his face, much harder than she ever had before. Brainy fell to the floor.
"This is what you want, isn't it?" she screamed as she kicked the ribs of the man who was now crawling pathetically on the floor. "Is this why you always kept coming back?"
"Lila..." he said, weakly.
"What?"
"His last words... Lila..." Brainy said. He really did know Helga pretty well. She growled and grabbed the thin man by his shoulders and threw him up against the wall. All the working out and fitness training she had gone through was finally paying off. For a moment she thought she might have broken his neck and if not then she would. Helga looked around quickly, when suddenly something shiny laying on the floor caught her attention, a golf club. It was as if he planted it there just for her... Good. She picked it up and swung it hard against his arm.
"How could you do such thing?" she hissed. "I saved you at Grad Night! And you claim to love me? How could you claim to love me then go and destroy my life like this!?" she asked as she raised the golf club, preparing for one final blow to Brainy's skull. But as she looked down at the pathetic little man, her anger was suddenly gone. She dropped the golf club, so it fell next to Brainy, whose eyes widened at the sight.
"What?" he asked. He couldn't understand what's happening.
"You did it because you love me, didn't you?" she said as she fell down to her knees next to Brainy. She looked at him and she began to feel the guilt rising in her. She played a major part in creating this poor, sick excuse for human being. "It's still like pre-school for you isn't it? You got those pictures... then you heard that Arnold is marrying Lila. You want it to end," she said, but he shook his head. "You knew that I still long for Arnold... and you wanted me to take out my anger on you, just like before... You wanted me to kill you, Helga said, eyes wide.
Brainy closed his eyes. He didn't want to live anymore. Tears came into Helga's eyes, it was the second time she cried that day, and before then she hadn't shed a tear since the age of nine.
She was pretty sure Brainy lied about Arnold's death. Obviously, he didn't really want to hurt Gerald either.
"I'm so sorry Brainy... Love is not only about pain... I... never wanted to make you think that. Love is not pain... At least I don't think so," she said. Helga had learned so much about psychology and the minds of lunatics, she was sure Brainy had had a terrible childhood, even worse than her own. She had seen her own twisted mirror image in the man. They both had problems with expressing their emotions.
Arnold's body was covered with bruises and he was in quite a bit of pain by the time he managed to escape. Brainy obviously had never had experience with tying people or things up.
He was pretty sure that it was too late, that Brainy must be dead, or seriously injured by now, not to mention Gerald. Arnold had obviously lost much of the optimism he held with him as a child and teen.
He expected to find all three of them dead, or Helga still hitting Brainy's lifeless corpse. Instead what he saw was something impossible for him to comprehend. He was not expecting to see Helga sitting next to Brainy, crying, and apologizing to him. Helga had to be insane; there was no doubt about it. But also in that moment Arnold thought of Helga as the most noble and genuinely good person ever walked the face of earth. Underneath all her wildness, her aggressiveness, and fury there lays an angel. Not a self-claimed angel like Lila, a real one, and she didn't even know it.
Arnold turned when he heard a mumbling from behind him.
"I can't believe she's gay..."
It was Gerald; apparently he had been drifting in an out of consciousness and was finally coming to. For a moment Arnold was afraid that he was talking about Helga but then he realized that Gerald was probably very disoriented and didn't know where he was or what he was saying. Aside from some cuts and bruises he didn't really seem to have suffered any major injuries; he would probably have a headache for several days. Arnold walked over to Helga who just looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"I love you," he said. It was just a few hours ago, when he had said the opposite on a dark Hillwood street. She smiled back at him.
"You know where to go hair-boy," she said as she stood up. She turned and helped Brainy to his feet. "Help Gerald," she said as she helped Brainy walk up the stairs and out of the building where the police and ambulance were waiting, somewhat relieved that they didn't risk going in. As Arnold stepped outside with Gerald Lila ran to him and embraced him lovingly. Arnold hugged her back, but his thoughts were not on Lila, his eyes were busy scanning the area in search of Helga. But she was gone.
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There were only a few more minutes before the sun would rise; Helga was enjoying the fresh air. Everything was as it was 17 years ago. She looked to the city of Hillwood off in the distance and it looked absolutely beautiful in dawn. Without a doubt this had been one of her longest and craziest night ever.
She heard the door opening behind her. When Future Tech Industries owned the building it had been nearly impossible to enter. It was due to be demolished in the next month so there wasn't really any reason to guard it any longer.
"Hey Helga," Arnold said.
"So, you did know where I would be. Thank god. I just thought it would be cool, like in some kind of movie, you know?" she looked at him.
"It is cool. But it didn't even enter my mind until I finished checking places like the park and theater," Arnold said.
"Tell me you're kidding hair-boy."
"Of course I am. How could I possibly forget this place? That night was one of the two craziest, and unforgettable nights of my entire life." He said. The night he was referring to was of course, the night when they saved the neighborhood from being demolished by Future Tech Industries... That was the same night when Helga confessed her love to Arnold. Of course, being the oh-so stable person that she is she denied it some hours later. "We kissed here for the first time."
"No we didn't, Romeo," Helga smirked. "If I remember correctly there was a certain school play back in the 4th grade... I have it on tape."
"I broke up with, Lila." Arnold said suddenly.
"Really? What did you say to her?"
"That I love her just... not love, love her," he said. Helga smiled.
"That's rich," she said. "Well, Joshua is out of the picture too. I dumped him in an e-mail. I bet he's never had that happen before."
"So... I know I've been a little mean to you tonight..." he said. "But that was only because I felt like I needed to hide how much I..."
"Hey! You think you need to explain that little trick to me, Bucko? I invented that!" she said, as Arnold kissed her. She kissed him back as the first rays of sun touched the land. They were in each other's arms at last, under first light of a brand new day....
2 MONTHS LATER
The woman walked trough the Miller Institute, a guard was watching her every move. Obviously he was in a chatty mood.
"Do you know why nobody visits that poor fella, except for Ms. Pataki? What's wrong with that woman? Visiting the man that tried to kill her? I don't understand it."
"He didn't try to kill her, he tried to kill her friends," said the woman.
"Ah, I see, it's still strange," the guard said as he led her to Brainy's holding cell. He looked at them but appeared to not really have cared much.
"Can you give us a moment?" The woman asked and the guard took a few steps back, where he couldn't hear them. The woman leaned closer to the glass, so Brainy could see her better. "Hello Brainy," she said. After a moment the half-catatonic look on Brainy's face changed.
"I know you," he said. He's breathing was more horrible then ever since he was locked up here.
"Yes, you know me, Brainy. I think we have a lot to talk about," she said.
"About Helga?" he asked slowly.
"Yes, About her. She's with Arnold now. I thought I would be able to bear it, but I can't," she said "I think we could help each other." Brainy's wheezing became lauder and faster.
"You sent me those pictures," he said. He was very surprised.
"Yes," she answered. There was no point in denying it.
"I can't believe it's you," he said. The man's wheezing just became out of control. The guard almost called the medical team, he thought he was having some sort of a stroke or something, but then he realized what is he hearing. The man was laughing. Brainy thought that there was nothing left on Earth that could surprise him, He was wrong. He laughed out loud, so loud that the insane laughter could be heard through out the whole institution.
So the first arc is over. Brainy is in a madhouse, Helga and Arnold are together. But how long can such happiness remain intact?
And who is the mystery woman who took those pictures of Arnold and Helga?
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