Chapter 2 - The Mission
Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back with the first real chapter of my story, and for once, I didn't take two months to update! Let's get to your reviews.
Sonny April, just you wait. The real story hasn't even begun yet. :D
MysteriousMaker1185, thanks for your feedback! You'll find out what will happen next very soon.
JOHNHAMMOND1993, you'll get the answer to your question very shortly! And don't worry, I will resume my other stories sooner than later. Now, on with the story!
Mike Teavee sighed once he finished recording his first audio log. He was sitting on a chair in what used to be the waiting room for a walk-in clinic. His dark brown hair, which he normally styled into spikes, was plastered against his sweaty scalp. He had a stainless steel water bottle clutched in his right hand, which he had emptied into his body for the fifth time in the past thirty minutes due to how hot and stuffy the air was, both indoors and outdoors.
I still can't believe that the government put me in charge, he thought as he rubbed his dry, brown eyes. I should be feeling honored, but at the same time...I'm dreading the thought of this task of cleaning up the factory. Who knows what kind of danger I might run into? Booby traps? Zombies? Nuclear radiation? Naw, forget about that last one. If there was still radiation present in the atmosphere, I'd be dead by now.
Suddenly, he heard a series of beeps coming from his left wrist. He wore a high-tech, government-issued watch that had the ability to project a holographic display of not only the time, but also the weather, a map of his surroundings, important notes, a locator tool, and video chat.
He tapped the watch with a finger, and the face of a young blonde woman appeared in front of him. She couldn't have been any older than twenty-two, by the looks of it.
"Hello, Michael Teavee," the woman said in a calm, soothing voice. "How are you today?"
"I'm...I'm...good, I guess...?" Mike nervously responded, unsure as to who this woman was. "W-who are you, and what do you want?"
The woman held a long, well-manicured finger to her nose to silence him. "Now, no need for excessive questioning, okay? My name is Stella, and I'll be your guide. As you know, your task is to clean up Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. I bet you don't recall who that is, right?"
Mike shook his head. "N-no, I've never heard of Willy Wonka before, but it's a stupid name, that's for sure! Those people from over two-hundred years ago...they came up with the most ridiculous names in the history of mankind!"
"Stay focused, Mike," Stella told him, her voice as soothing as ever. "You don't have to raise your voice at me. I'm well aware that cryogenic stasis has taken a toll on your well-being, since you're suffering from amnesia, but please listen to my advice. I'll be with you every step of the way."
Mike nodded, and he brushed a stray hair away from his left eye. "Stella?"
"Yes, Mike?" Stella responded, curious as to what her recruit was going to ask her next.
"A-are you a real p-person?" Mike stammered. In response, Stella threw her head back, laughing hysterically.
"Of course I'm a real person!" she exclaimed before mumbling, "What am I gonna do with you?"
"Well, at least now I know you're not some kind of artificial intelligence computer program," Mike said, smiling slightly. "I'm in."
"Awesome," Stella replied, clasping her hands together. "Now, let's begin. You just have to make your way over to the chocolate factory, and once you get there, I'll call you back, okay?" Mike nodded. "I'll keep tabs on your current location. Bye for now."
"Uhhh, bye?" Mike squeaked just as Stella suddenly vanished from sight. Why the hell did she cut the conversation short so soon? he wondered. His body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds as he shakily rose from the chair. He turned around and walked straight through an already-shattered window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, and he used the locator tool on his watch to find out where to go next. It projected a glowing blue line that turned to the left before going straight down the street, and he decided to follow it.
Mike couldn't help but gawk at his surroundings as he followed the blue line down the street. The whole road was strewn with rubble, and he had to carefully watch his footsteps to make sure he didn't trip over any pieces of concrete or accidentally stab himself with razor-sharp fragments of steel and iron.
About two-hundred feet in front of him, there stood a colossal building that could very well have been the ancient ruins of a castle. There was a pair of gates that consisted of twisted and gnarled iron, and bits and pieces of what used to be a massive, concrete wall flanked those gates on either side. Beyond the gates, all he could see was rubble, and a large, partially crumbled tower that rose about a hundred feet into the air. Someone else had told him earlier that this tower used to be ether twice or three times as tall as it was now.
"So that really used to be Wonka's factory," Mike said in amazement as he tried to visualize what the building might have looked like back in its heyday. "Impressive."
As he continued to walk towards the ruins of the chocolate factory, he passed a road sign that read: "CHERRY STREET". Off to his left was the dilapidated remains of a store, and he could barely make out what appeared to be a swirly "W" on its facade. Mike emotionlessly stared at it for several seconds.
"Hmph," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Who cares, it's just a stupid letter. The twenty-third letter of the freaking alphabet. Like I care." He tore his gaze away from the "W" before moving onward. As he neared the ominous-looking factory ruins, his watch beeped, and Stella's holographic face appeared in front of him again.
"Mike," she warned, "be careful when you enter the factory. The air inside contains traces of various gases that may have hallucinogenic properties. According to various reports, it might have been caused by certain candies that Mr. Wonka and his apprentice produced shortly before their untimely deaths."
"Great," Mike said sarcastically. "Maybe I'll be able to remember where I came from as a result of those 'hallucinogenic properties'."
Stella chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Teavee," she said calmly. "Anyway, there will be some locker rooms when you enter the factory. You'll change into a protective full-body suit, and you'll find some tools for you to use during your mission."
"Tools?" Mike wondered, cocking his head to one side. "What kind of tools?"
"You'll find out once you get there," Stella replied. "Remember that you can always use your locator if you get stuck. It knows the factory better than anyone. Anyway, I gotta go now, to take care of other business. If you need me, feel free to call, but you may need to leave a message since I won't be back for about forty-five minutes to an hour. You'll do just fine, Mike. I know you will." She winked at him before disappearing out of sight.
Mike sighed as he tapped his watch to bring up the locator, and the blue line led past the gates before turning sharply to the right.
"A-are you sure about this, Stella?" he asked out loud, even though he knew that she couldn't hear him. He imagined her smiling at him and saying, "Yes, I'm positive," in that soothing tone before he continued onward. He stepped over the crumbled remains of the courtyard wall before entering what used to be one of the factory's loading bays. In its place was an enormous slab of concrete that was covered in rubble and rusted metal parts that looked like robotic arms.
"Creepy," he whispered as he began to head down a long ramp that eventually led underground. The door that led inside the factory had been blasted off its frame long ago. "I can't believe I have to do this job alone," he grumbled as he cautiously stepped over the threshold and into one of the factory's subterranean corridors.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, feel free to review, and try to predict what might happen next! Stay tuned for more. :D