Reviews :
NightHex54 : YAY! I know it's gunna be fun. I think that it's actually kind of hard to write the two in the same room, right now, due to their weird circumstances with 'age difference' but it's fun nonetheless :D YAY I'm glad you're here! Thank you!
CHICKENM4N : I'm so glad! Thank YOU!
Burgie : Oh yay thank you! I am too :D
StillAintBovvered : I'm SO GLAD you're here, and have been here ever since the very beginning! HUGE kudos to you, I wish more readers and reviewers like you spoke out so I could give them a huge virtual hug. Thank you so much!
WildVirus : YAYAYAYAY THANK YOU! I'm glad you're here, as well! Yes, so many babes, my herat is going to explode! OMG I have a text to speech app, the woman's voice I chose, her name is Tessa LOL! I was like okay this seems appropriate. Yeah, the movie was incredible and a bummer, all in one. WEIRD.
Snake557 : Thank you! Aww, yeah I guess I just don't know when to quit. Makes for some cool art tho! I'm pretty stoked :D
chuckiboo : Omg thank you SO much! and YES, their babe is named Theo - him, Berri and Wren have a very tight knit bond, growing up! Much like Tessa, Penny and Oliver :)
SamanthaR1987 : I will be, for sure! See my A/N below for more info! Thanks for being here, good to have you back!
Alisi Thorndyke : I want to say one HUGE thank you for being my VERY FIRST reviewer! One of my rare long time readers, since the Wrecking Limits days. I appreciate you jumping on board, once more, I hope you're well, and I'm really glad you're here! Thank you, friend.
A/N : Whooaaaaa I was NOT expecting nearly THAT much love on my first chapter, WOW I am blown away, and so motivated and encouraged to keep going! Thank you to EVERYONE, from the bottom of my heart.
Now, I know this story has the term 'palace' now thrown around, and the lot of you are probably like, wtf. I JUST got used to the Kalivar castle, and now there's a whole Sugar Rush PALACE and an entire metropolis of Orion City. Wellllll... For an early Christmas present, I got an iPad Pro, with an Apple Pencil and Procreate! So I can do a TON more drawing and doodling on the go. With my new iPad, I have a few solid paintings in mind, and with such, I will be doing a MAP of Tessa's new palace, as well as a map of Orion City, the interior of Turbo's abode, the interior of the palace, and much more.
I'll likely be posting all of the raw doodles to my Instagram - the more polished pieces will make it to my deviantART, so keep an eye out on both of those landing points, cause I upload sporadically! Check it out, guys!
Instagram - Vyntastic
DeviantART - Vyntresser
Another HUGE THANK YOU!I am the luckiest girl alive to have the coolest most supportive group of friends, readers and reviewers! You're the best!
Song Listened To :
Swimming with Sharks ft. Dave Edwards - Fly By Midnight
*Chapter 2*
In a tight zip of teleportation, Zed was successful in getting the go-ahead, from Turbo, to teleport straight to his high flying loft in the sky. Sat comfortably perched in the tallest tower, in all of Orion City, Turbo's careful reign over the sprawling metropolis was running as smoothly as everyone had hoped. Sixty four floors up, and not an inch too far from Sugar Rush's fluffy, cotton candy clouds, Zed's coding zipped onto Turbo's teleportation pad, which was stationed comfortably outside of Turbo's front door. Secluded and out of public access to the rest of the sky scraper, the larger, glowing white foyer of Turbo's front door was silent and pristine. Zed inhaled a shaky breath and felt his ears pop, from the altitude. The sudden starkness going directly from Sugar Rush's low lying teleportation hub straight to sixty four stories into Sugar Rush's wild blue was enough to make goosebumps plague Zed's arms. In this realization, he nervously peered down to the small, precious bundle of blue cuteness safely strapped to his chest.
Berri was awake and alert, the side of her head and cheek was comfortably nestled into the broad of Zed's chest, over his heart. Zed had her tight in a black, cloth sling that held snug over the cross of his chest. He hung in silence and kept his diligent eyes tight to his daughter, in fear of the altitude hurting her ears or causing her that small bout of grief, though in the few moments of tender silence, nothing but the cute, quick rasp of her inhales and exhales through her little nose, he sagged his shoulders and lovingly gave the top of her head a few smooches, he tidied her cute little grey hoodie and made sure her fingers and toes were covered and warm. Once he felt his fatherly urges gently begin to subside, he finally broadened his scope to Turbo's massive, glossy white front door. As he stepped off of the teleportation pad, a large six by six foot matte white square, it finally dimmed and powered down.
Zed's boots gently thud on the grey tiles, the low laying ceiling would assume to be intimidating and claustrophobic, though somehow this level of sophistication, the glow of the walls from the futuristic shine of ambience made the place seem wide and oddly comfortable in it's array of modern difference. Zed cleared his throat and softly let his knuckles thud to Turbo's large front door in a few welcoming knocks. He stepped back a little, tucked his hands behind his back and awaited Turbo to answer the door. Once the massive white door bevelled into itself, sagged into a groove and slowly slid open, it revealed Turbo's figure. He gave Zed a kind smile, his glowing, golden eyes were confident and calm, he gently plucked the white earbuds out of his ears and slung a hand towel over his broad, masculine shoulder; it was clear he had just finished a workout.
"Your majesty," Turbo quipped in a dollop of a deep crackle, one of genuine kindness, he gently gave Zed a small nod of a bow, something Zed kindly shook his head at.
"No need for that," Zed assured as Turbo warmly invited him into his home.
Zed gently stepped inside and now felt alien; having been his first time inside Turbo's abode, since they first helped him get settled, Zed swallowed a little and was absolutely floored at the sight before him. He was comforted that Turbo had quickly made himself at home, all settled and relaxed. Turbo's front door gently slid closed, behind Zed, Turbo's inner foyer emulated the welcoming sight on the opposite side. A massive, single room with a low laying ceiling in the foyer eventually spanned to high arches and a massive, swooping floor to ceiling wall of a window, one that bowed alongside the curvature of the sky scraper they were in. The view, from Turbo's perch, was nothing short of breathtaking, an incredible view of the entire scope of Orion City, as well as a perfect view of Sugar Rush's beautiful castle, dead ahead, tight on the mountain side. Just on the other side of the castle, in the distance, was Sugar Rush's entrance, shroud in morning, winter fog.
"I'm absolutely stunned that the Queen let you take little blue, for the day," Turbo huffed in a gentle grunt as he began to gently stroll away, and into his kitchen; he breathed a chuckle of understanding, set his new phone and earbuds on his flawless kitchen island and glossed his eyes to Zed over his shoulder, he dared to glance to the small infant strapped to Zed's chest. It was clear Turbo likely had not had any contact, with anyone, ever since the day Sugar Rush was saved, over a month prior.
"That makes two of us," Zed blurt as he peered down to Berri with a kind sweep of his hand, he shook his head and allowed his warm smile to broaden, "She seems to be in good spirits, for now. After this, I'm headed straight for Dead Zed."
"Hopefully the peace remains," Turbo stated, for Zed's sake, he continued to welcome Zed deeper into his home, said single room was attached by a few steps down, from the kitchen, to the incredible, sunny, glass-walled room, crowned with a comfortable lounging, sitting area and a modern fireplace. Zed long blinked in a rise of delicate confusion, having sworn that the place looked a little different, the last time he saw it. As he looked on, and noticed a gently lit hallway tucked to the right of the sprawling, dimly lit kitchen, Turbo's croak of a voice carried on, "I-I meant that, for your sake. It won't bother me if she has an unfortunate meltdown that no one can help."
"No worries, thanks for letting me bring her. I could've just left her with Tessa, while we chat, but... Tess needs some sleep, she got less than me last night," Zed stated in a rise of gentle sorrow, for his bride, Turbo's agreeing eye contact, and a bob of a nod, left Zed feeling more confident in his decisions.
"I appreciate you coming," Turbo eased a sigh, his wise, glowing eyes glossed his kitchen island as he crossed his arms and leaned his hip against it. He wore a tattered red tank top and black sweats, his dusty grey hair had gotten a little longer, a little more out of control due to the delicate curl it held at the ends. He sagged his shoulders in a rise of continued defeat and finally gave Zed a worried stab of eye contact, "I really, genuinely, don't know who to talk to about what's on my mind... I figured Sugar Rush's King was my best bet. I considered Nox, but... I know this is sensitive information."
"...Lash?" Zed pressed as warmly as he could, though he knew he was lying if he would state that his heart wasn't racing at the speed of light.
Turbo inhaled a long, audible breath through his nose and allowed his contemplative gaze to scan the counter top. He narrowed his eyes, furrowed his brow and looked as if he was thinking long and hard about what he was about to say, though he locked eyes with Zed, once more, and looked as if to temporarily bookmark the subject at hand.
"Let's head to the hub," Turbo gently instructed, his own, mini version of Sugar Rush's code room, his share of the game's coding he had the privilege of looking over; with his word, Zed bobbed a nod and both men gently tensed into action.
Turbo began to lead Zed across the large, open formatted kitchen and to said slither of a hallway, just off the kitchen's right side. Zed felt a peace in Turbo's little abode, a warmth of a hermit crab of a spirit, the delicate touches of a homey, masculine abode that emulated Turbo's personality, something Zed was actually endeared to get to know and understand. As both men eased into the high-ceilinged hallway, they hooked another gentle right and came to a spiral staircase, one that curiously lead both upstairs and downstairs. Zed held his breath and furrowed his brow in cheeky delight; he was well aware Tessa had allowed Turbo how ever much space he had desired, though he was unaware Turbo was able to sneak by with three whole floors, of this sky scraper. Just as Turbo routinely began to step downstairs, and gestured for Zed to follow along, Zed huffed a chuckle, let his boots thud on the matte grey tiling, and as his eyes dragged up the massive span of wall, his pupils tightened with the beaming sunlight that lovingly glinted into the stairwell, a properly placed sky light.
"Where does this stair well lead?" Zed inquired to the upstairs he curiously peered up, Turbo nonchalantly glanced over his shoulder and gave Zed a small, humble smile.
"Just a little sky room, of sorts," Turbo eased, he continued on down the stairs, which cued Zed to slowly peel from his previous intentions of easing upstairs and getting a peak, "Nice place to sit, at night. Although the city's light pollution makes it hard to see the stars, I still get glimpses from time to time."
"Would be a perfect spot for the ladies, no?" Zed encouraged with a boyish laugh, to which Turbo joined, though he shook his head in defeat and continued to lead Zed down the stairs.
"No ladies for me," Turbo pressed, as if he had his mind made up. His bare feet tenderly came to the final landing, and as both men eased into the room, Zed sagged his shoulders in a roll of surprise and let his eyes adjust to the sight before him; Turbo bashfully continued on, "I'm okay keeping this abode a bachelor's pad. I'm not looking for a lady, again."
"Got your hands full with this ol' girl, anyway, yeah?" Zed inquired lovingly as he stepped out into the room and opened his palm for something glowing before him.
A massive sweep of a room, the same size as the room one story up, a gloss of gorgeous white floor, wall and ceiling tiles embodied the entire, empty warehouse like room. Through the massive tiles, the grout lines glowed the confident color of Turbo's electric red coding, and hung in a small, delicate web of a few dozen code boxes, his share of Sugar Rush's code room confidently hung under Turbo's careful rule. Everything in the room was pristine, the same wall of glass was shared with the upstairs, and alongside the same view of Orion City, and Sugar Rush's glorious castle in the distance, Zed felt a further sense of peace envelope him with love. It was in this instance was he relieved he and Tessa had delegated Turbo a share of the code room; Berri's little, babbling noises reminded him just how much he had his hands full, in this season of his life.
"She keeps me busy," Turbo's raspy, masculine voice lovingly grumbled as he came upon the main, red orb in the center of the room. It expanded with his presence, allowing the red honeycombs of Turbo's coding to sprawl his arm. His earnest eyes gazed into the gorgeously glowing orb, though he heaved a hard sigh and shook his head, "... I'm enjoying being alone. Rediscovering my own coding. I've gone thirty years trapped with Libby's coding. It's nice to deconstruct and figure myself out, again."
"I see your point," Zed calmly eased as he bobbed a nod, Berri squirmed a little, her little hands rubbed her face in mild agitation, it was clear she was fighting sleep.
"As nice as it'd be to bring a woman home and really delve back into that... That's so far from where my mind is, right now," Turbo shook his head and gently held eyes with Zed, "I need to be by myself, for awhile. I haven't legitimately been alone, with my own genuine thoughts, for the majority of my life. Nearly all of it... I'm happy to finally be able to hear my own voice, in my head, for once."
"I never thought about it, like that," Zed encouraged gently, to which Turbo inhaled a deep breath, his strong chest expanded as he finally exhaled and sagged his shoulders in relief.
"Maybe one day... But that one day can take it's time," Turbo blurt a chuckle and shook his head, "Besides, I can't go into the city, let alone leave the game, and join the dating scene. I'd be killed on sight."
"I don't know," Zed lulled his head and shrugged, as he temporarily looked off, "Nox and Throttle seem to get on just fine, coming and going. I think you'd be safer than you know."
"I'm not going to chance it," Turbo eased, his mind made up, "I'm happy to be here, for the time being."
"Well... No matter, you're always welcome at the palace," Zed encouraged tenderly, Turbo eased his almost timid and nervous eye contact to Zed's, "We really missed you, during Christmas, especially New Years. Nox and Oliver hosted this big karaoke competition. It was hilarious."
"Yeah, Nox... Definitely sent me one too many drunken videos. I appreciated the invite," Turbo sighed through a small laugh that both men shared, his eyes gently glossed the back of Berri's head as he began to get lost in thought, "I just... Need time. I have so much on my mind, so much to think through and rediscover, about myself, and my place in Arcade. It's a lot to swallow."
"We respect that," Zed nodded and looked off, tight to Sugar Rush's horizon, the gorgeous castle that stood proud on the hilltop, "Just know, you're always welcome. The palace's teleport hub is only one click away, you know that."
"Thank you," Turbo nodded with a weak, almost sorrowful smile, as if Zed's words were definitely digested, though somehow maybe not fully believed.
"You're welcome," Zed chimed gently; he was well aware that Turbo had his own inner demons to battle, and would eventually come around, "So... You wanted to inquire about Lash?"
"It's nothing serious, I just..." Turbo trailed off, and with a gentle gesture of his hand, the small, red orb gently expanded to a few options. Turbo thumbed through the red, holographic display before him and was successful in pulling up the ghost information of the rest of Sugar Rush's coding. Although Turbo had access to the entire code room, two thirds of it was simply ghost coding, information he couldn't alter or have control of, coding of which only Tessa and Zed could gain access to. He softly and hesitantly pulled up the ghost coding of Lash's purgatory-esque code box, sealed away inside a more sturdier looking barrier of information, and with such, Turbo shook his head and continued on in a rasp of a whisper, "I wish... I wish I could talk to him, one last time."
"You... Say that as if we've killed him," Zed tenderly pressed, he knew this sensitive information. Zed shrugged and tried to get to Turbo's level, as patiently as he could, without feeling entire terror and agitation over the subject matter, at hand, "You interested in unbubbling him, or something?"
"I just wish we could get it over with," Turbo staggered, he jostled about the ghost coding and peered to Zed, almost desperately, "I wish he could see what you guys have made of this game, the second chance he was given... We could all get on, together, like old times."
"It's different, now, Turbo," Zed instructed gently, and although Turbo had decades of wisdom and age over Zed, Zed somehow still felt a fatherly tug towards his newfound friend. He stepped closer to Turbo and kept his electric blue eyes tight to Lash's ghost coding, "From the story Tessa told me, Lash was groveling at her feet, begging for mercy. It's clear Tessa kept him alive for the simple, plain fact that she could sense heart in him. She's extremely intuitive, that woman can sniff out bullshit from a million miles away... But, it's just... Too much red tape to inch around, right now."
"That's why I want to unbubble him, just get... I don't know... An HOUR with him," Turbo huffed, his demeanor began to figuratively shrivel, as if he knew arguing with the King was a lost cause, "Just to prove to him that... Things are different now."
"Turbo, some things are better left to heal with time, not to tear at it with urgency that's unneeded," Zed urged gently, both men locked eyes in a fit of this proverbial tug of war, "This wound is so fresh... You just said, yourself, you're relieved to ease into your own thoughts for once, to rediscover yourself and to reconnect with your own roots. It's okay to look out for number one..."
Turbo sagged his shoulders and peered hard into Zed's eyes, and once Turbo finally gave way and soaked his defeated gaze down and across the glossy, white tiles, he flinched and gave Zed his eye contact, once more, the second Zed's loving, firm hand gripped the top of Turbo's shoulder in a show of brotherly, loving care.
"I know you're confused, I can tell you're drowning in guilt," Zed eased warmly, "You can't help anyone until you help yourself. You can't save someone from drowning if you, yourself, are also drowning."
"I betrayed him," Turbo hissed as he narrowed his gaze, which he was desperately trying to avoid oncoming tears, "I just want to apologize... I've lived my entire life being trusted by no one BUT him, and I lost it."
"You may have lost his trust, but... You gained all of OUR trust, in return," Zed volleyed, to which Turbo kept his mouth shut tight, his gaze held desperately to the King's, and with such, Zed smiled and gently jostled Turbo's shoulder, "Tessa gave you a third of the entire code room... In losing Lash's trust, you gained the trust and respect of over two dozen new individuals, not to mention, dude..."
Zed gently gestured his free hand to the incredible scenery out before the two, Orion City sat in pristine condition, under no one but Turbo's care.
"If this whole city found out you were having success in being their caretaker," Zed carried on with a smile, though Turbo rolled his near-teary gaze and looked off.
"They'd run for the hills and light Orion tower on fire," Turbo's dry, sarcastic wittiness retort, though Zed sagged his arm to his side in teasing, defeated agitation and jostled Turbo's shoulder, once more.
"To the list of rediscovering yourself, dude, you need to learn how to not self-deprecate," Zed's stern, fatherly voice coat Turbo's soul, and with such, Turbo remained under Zed's dominant care and stood still and quiet, "You've got to forgive yourself... We all have. The last person to forgive you is Lash, which, believe me... One day, he will."
"I just wish I knew when that day was," Turbo pressed in irritation, "I just want my family whole, for once. Now that I've gained Nox and Throttle back, Lash is gone. I just can't win."
"But, you're not at the end of the race, my friend," Zed cooed gently, both boys locked eyes in tenderness, "You're at a checkpoint. Just take it one lap at a time. For this lap, focus on building yourself up. Maybe the next lap, you can brave the world and find confidence in actually leaving the game, let alone the tower. The very last lap can be your confrontation with Lash, which... Will be held in a million User-bubbled, quarantined, sectioned off area of the middle of nowhere with all four of our Users involved."
"He won't know what hit him," Turbo grumbled with a small chuckle as he looked down, though he finally gave Zed a becoming smile, a gentle smirk of confidence that he was desperately trying to work on, "Thanks, Zed..."
"It will help you, tremendously, to hang out with Nox and Throttle," Zed instructed, "And don't be scared to make other friends. Don't coop yourself up in this tower for the rest of eternity. Cause, trust me, my clan will come banging your door down if you're gone for too long."
"My door is always open," Turbo chuckled as Zed firmly pat Turbo's back, in a form of gentle conclusion.
"Ours, as well," Zed cocked an eyebrow and gave Turbo a knowing smile, "The road goes both ways, my friend."
