Reviews :
faolan1230 : Haha true. And yes, they definitely are. ;)
Nikki Firesong : Aw thanks! Yes, I agree as well. I see both sides, but I definitely see Turbo's side a little bit more so haha
Snake557 : Thank you! I try not to be too heavy handed with cliffhangers, but I think the drastic ones are fun every once in awhile :P
Burgie : Aw lol! Well you'll definitely find out :)
Song Listened To :
Shadows and Spirits by Imogen Heap (the music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
WARNING :
This chapter contains some bits of stronger cursing in dialog than I usually will write for - Lash is the largest potty mouth out of all my characters _;
*Chapter 124*
"Zed," Ralph warned in a spike of electrified fear that now drowned the code room, simply as if the lot of them were now trapped in this room and lava was about to start filling to the brim.
"You can't unbubble Lash," Rancis worried sharply, fear soaked the atmosphere.
"User, we're all in for it," Wren muttered through the tight grit of his teeth, though Turbo firmly shot Zed a look of almost agitated gratitude, to which Zed largely rolled his eyes, heaved a hard, long sigh and gingerly lofted his concerned gaze for Sugar Rush's Queen.
"He won't be able to do any harm," Berri loudly defended, though the whole group fell silent the second Tessa raised her hand and stepped forward; she leveled the panic with great ease, gestured out to the code room orb and finally eased her exhausted, concerned gaze straight for Turbos shivering soul.
"He won't be able to do any harm," Tessa softly repeated Berri's wise words, and as the group urgently began to stab terrified looks into each others, silent glances of whole agitation, Tessa sunk to the center of the group and gingerly began to accept the slowly sinking main code room orb into her hovering grasp, it twinkled like a shining star all alone in a pitch black night, the very orb Tessa retrieved upon winning the code room all that time ago. Tessa's warm, assuring voice carried on as she glossed the shivering group with reassurance, "He will be in a restricted mode, a plane of simply existing. He won't have any of his powers, and User forbid he tries to garner access to the code room, it won't recognize his coding. The only thing he can do is simply just... BE."
"I just don't know why we haven't done this sooner," Turbo dared, that thorny side of him now only rarely showed, though with his new boisterous attitude, he very quickly shrunk into himself and was well aware he needed to chill out the second that Zed shot him a fatherly look of stern authority.
"It's dangerous, even in a lowered read-only mode, Turbo," Zed defended as Turbo quickly looked down in immediate defeat. Zed shook his head and firmly carried on, "This is a fragile endeavor that isn't to be rushed or taken lightly. Everyone is to stay quiet, stay on their toes."
"He's not going to be happy," Turbo muttered nervously, and for the first time in this whole entire adventure, he felt nervousness cloak him; he softened from his defeated posture and now peered to Zed in a humbled show of boyish nervousness, as if maybe he had potentially beat his chest a little too hard, boomed his voice a little too loud, for everything underneath that was just a scared individual who missed his little brother dearly. Turbo was relieved Zed's fatherly gaze softened to Turbo's quivering golden orbs, and before Zed could ease off the sternness and reassure Turbo in warmth, Turbo shook his head and pressed on, "I betrayed him... I might as well have kicked him while he was down."
"Turbo, it's not betrayal," Zed instructed gently, his deep voice eased over the group and added a further show of warmth and assurance as Tessa hung frozen in baited wait, "You helped save Sugar Rush... One day, Lash will thank you."
"Maybe today," Libby stated hopefully as she eased Turbo a soft look of understanding.
"This is not going to be pretty," Tessa muttered as she carefully opened her familiar code room orb, and with a few tabs, she eased to a forbidden area of grey matter, the purgatory coding that only harbored one shivering little lost soul, Whiplash's nearly-banished coding. Tessa's almost shaking hands brought out Lash's grey code box, still alive and well, though lost in a never-ending plane of paused nothingness, "The lot of you might want to step back... This conversation really should only be for Turbo and his brother."
In the gentle shuffle of continued nervousness, everyone, excluding Turbo and Tessa, began to give the two a ten foot gap of distance. Turbo felt his palms begin to sweat, the blood leave his face, he flinched in raw nervousness and watched as Sugar Rush's far huger, more intimidating code room very easily began to loft the thousands of glowing code boxes into a higher, more out of reach, dimmed state. As if to be put on a lighter mode, every single code box lifted to the highest reaches of the glass dome above. The tiles on the perimeter of the spherical code room began to warmly glow, due to the lack of light from the code boxes. Although the main code room orb dimmed and began to float up to join the thousands of other code boxes, Tessa carefully held Lash's greyed code box, hovered above her larger hands. The dim lighting about her nervous hazel eyes stabbed into Turbo's with a show of hovering wariness, it was here did Turbo understand that he was a very valid piece of this hierarchy, the insane amount of trust literally everyone was resting at Turbo's feet, Tessa almost showed whole hesitation in handing Turbo Lash's quivering little code box.
"God speed," Tessa's womanly voice eased to Turbo, and it was here did Turbo flinch and understand that any reference of a higher power, above User, inside the Arcade, was a very serious statement to not be taken lightly.
Turbo raised his eyebrows and finally felt the weight of the whole entire situation plague him the second Tessa warmly eased Lash's code box into Turbo's able, grey hands. Turbo heaved a shaky sigh and softly peered down to Lash's still alive code box, the darker grey writing of his name gently pulsed in a warm light, assuring to everyone that he was alive and well, likely bored out of his mind, trapped inside his very own code box. Turbo swallowed hard and firmly took note of the second that Tessa began to back step and join the group in waiting for Turbo to get on with just what he had been wanting for a whole year now. Turbo inhaled a shaky breath, and with a gentle push of the center of Lash's code box, he straightened his arms and allowed the code box to open, once and for all.
Turbo raised his eyebrows in readiness, took a step backwards and felt his heart begin to race the second the code box began to gingerly write out every single strand of Lash's coding, and within seconds, the warm, lighter grey color of Lash's skin suddenly popped into existence, and he perked up in poised, almost delighted confusion. In the raw few moments Lash's powerful chest rose and fell, he eagerly peered to Turbo in a whole show of entire confusion as to just what emotion he should let rise first. In the first few moments, he eased a genuine smile, the faded, dark purple cy-bug markings, down his chin and all along his forehead, wrinkled with such a warm expression, though as Turbo held a nervous, small smile, he felt his heart begin to sink the second Lash's genuinely happy expression sagged to that of a rather mean, sarcastic smile of pure bitterness. Everyone froze in unadulterated concern the second Lash huffed a rather tired, shaky chuckle and shook his head.
"You must be so incredibly proud of yourself, huh," Lash pressed, his deeper voice croaked, the strange sensation of having another Turbotime boy speaking his own life into existence, it was here did Berri stare in whole entire fascination, her retinas soaked up absolutely everything this code room had to currently offer. A being she only ever visited in her nightmares, she felt her knees begin to tremble in fear. Lash gently shifted on his feet, tossed his eyes about the group and finally landed on Tessa, who stood a little bit closer to Lash from the rest of the group. Lash shook his head and still meanly smiled into the eyes of everyone he felt wronged by, he finally dragged said stewing, golden gaze straight for Turbo's nervous eyes, "I guess a year and a half of pure, torturous boredom is the limit, eh? I just... Should bookmark that as law? Should we write it in Sugar Rush's coding? A whole five hundred days of entire boredom while you fuckers just get on with your merry lives, huh?"
"I missed you," Turbo pressed softly, the near grumble in his voice lead everyone to believe that he was potentially used to this very brash and sharp side of Lash, something Turbo could navigate with his eyes closed.
"Yeah? I missed the sun, we all can't get our way around here, huh," Lash barked, though he finally eased a mean smile in Tessa's direction, "How's Queen life, there, your majesty?"
"Rewarding," Tessa gently replied, no trace of malice in her tone; Lash exaggerated a snarky gape and held his hand to his chest in apology.
"Forgive me, forgive me," Lash huffed, he then sarcastically curtsied, "Your... Majesty..."
"No need," Tessa soothed, Berri cocked an eyebrow and gently tossed her mother a cute, smug smile, the ability to keep a level head in the midst of a mortal enemy, Berri felt pride sweep her circuits.
"So, what, you dickheads decided to finally let me go? You gunna, I don't know... Let me live off in a little hut in the mountains and hope I somehow turn over a new leaf? Align ALL my chakras?"
"Yeah, that's exactly it, dude," Turbo grumbled, he shook his head and softly eyed his brother in still hand-shaking nervousness, "We just... Have a few questions for you. We just want to talk."
"Sure, let's talk, Turbo, let's talk," Lash huffed with a mean smile, he crossed his arms and narrowed his creepy golden gaze, and with said creepy golden gaze, he began to scan the group about Turbo; something that had Berri nearly shrinking in a spike of forgotten fear, "Let's see, you've gathered a very odd little crowd, here."
"Lash," Turbo urged gently, he took a step to the side and tried to regain Lash's attention, though he faltered a nervous sigh and knew that Lash likely had to get all of his sarcastic comments out, before he even thought about being reasoned with.
"Wow, y'got the Queen AND King," Lash staggered as he gestured towards Zed, "Finally put those Tron days behind you, Mr. Zedian?"
"It's not something I like to revisit," Zed muttered darkly, everyone, excluding Ralph, Tessa and Rancis, shot their curiously surprised looks in Zed's direction.
"Ralph, nice to see yah, surprised all those bricks haven't somehow become one with your brain, yet," Lash staggered a soft laugh, though the second he got to Rancis, he barked a surprised chuckle and gestured outwards, though everyone began to grow nervous the second Lash began to take a few steps in Rancis' direction, "Well, well... My old friend."
"We're not friends," Rancis stated deeply, almost under his breath, Lash gave him a sarcastically sorrowful look of pure, pitiful, eye-batting pettiness.
"Aw, but... We knew each other so well, we were practically... The same person," Lash grumbled with a now becoming mean grin, he side-eyed Rancis with his tired, creepy eyes and shrugged, "Good times."
Rancis held his breath and knew responding would only fuel the fire, so he dropped it; Berri felt her heart sink the second Lash finally dragged his gaze to Libby, and with a reel of whole entire confusion, Lash was finally stumped. He sagged his shoulders and narrowed his gaze to Libby's, and though he looked as if he was wondering just how he knew this particular person, Libby huffed a nervous noise, eased an uncomfortable smile and gingerly waved at her very long-lost friend. She almost shot Turbo a look of whole terror, the raw fact that Lash would now likely eat up this whole entire ordeal.
"Hey, Lash," Libby's voice soothed, to which Lash long-blinked in whole entire unadulterated surprise, he shook his head and now bugged his eyes in genuine bewilderment.
"Libby... Libby Von Swirlz, what the hell are YOU doing here?" Lash choked in cheeky terror, the raw fact that he was aware of Sweet Street's demise, before it took place, the raw fact that he could've saved everyone inside of Sweet Streets; Berri firmly took in this situation and was entirely certain Libby would hand Lash his ass, though she stood in poised grace, sapped in forgiveness, she radiated light.
"It's, well... A long story," Libby's shy voice pressed, and though Lash didn't pick up on her new accent, he beamed Turbo a wide smile and firmly gestured to Libby in smiling shock.
"Wow, well... That solves your silly coding issue, I'm sure THAT was the swap of the CENTURY," Lash barked with a hard laugh, to which Libby inhaled a shaky breath and looked down to her feet. Lash firmly shot Libby a bewildered smile and took note of her wedding ring, "Wow, AND you put a ring on it, Turbo? You never struck me as a man that was so... Domestic."
"W-We're not..." Turbo cleared his throat and was grateful Libby now shot him a nervous, understanding smile, as if to state that this wasn't just awkward for him; Lash furrowed his eyebrows and peered to Turbo in tender confusion.
"You mean to tell me... You spent THIRTY YEARS... Bitching to me, day in and day out, about HOW MUCH you missed this woman," Lash firmly gestured out to Libby's figure and ogled Turbo in dumbfounded surprise, "And the second you have her back in your grip, you... You really didn't get back together with her?"
"It's complicated, Lash, it's Libby's body, but a new, different soul," Turbo tenderly explained, "She has Libby's old memories, she was reborn inside Dead Zed. This is Kaji. We're not together, but she's a good friend."
"Man, that... That SUCKS for you, wow," Lash barked a hard laugh and held his forehead, "The second you're SURE you're about to get some, and bam... Taken right out from under you."
"Yeah, I'm SUPER devastated about it," Turbo stabbed in a now returning volley of mean, smiling fervor, "Cause, y'know, the only thing I care about is sex."
"Certainly was the song you sang for all those years, the second you have a chance to get your dick wet, it's just THWARTED, my User," Lash muttered through a guffaw of a chuckle, though Turbo lulled his eyes closed and shook his head.
"I was trapped with her coding, Lash, we've been over this," Turbo rushed in an irritated mutter.
"And what, now you're not?" Lash wondered in solid confusion, to which Turbo inhaled a deep breath and figured to keep this all light and dainty.
"Lash... Remember when I said we had a User in our midst?" Turbo uttered knowingly, and although Turbo was well aware he was setting himself up for failure with this question, he could now feel the digging sting hit him square between the eyes, the mean glower Lash sent in his direction.
"... Of course I remember," Lash stabbed, "It was moments before you stabbed me in the back."
Turbo held his breath and peered hard into his brother's eyes. Such a warm individual underneath that hardened layer of cold, misunderstood concrete. The cyb-bug markings on his face were right where Turbo remembered, how badly he wanted to scoop Lash into a brotherly hug and pray for his forgiveness, though he was well aware he wasn't going to get it anytime soon. Lash inhaled a deep breath and shook his head, his golden eyes peered back to Turbo in tender question, though the glower on his face promised Turbo that he was in a world of hurt; the notion that hurt people hurt people never rung truer than inside this raw situation. Lash shrugged, shook his head and gestured out, as if to wait for Turbo to explain himself.
"Ace reversed my coding, he's the User I was telling you about," Turbo warmly explained, "I have my original coding."
"Who the fuck is Ace?" Lash stabbed meanly through the grit of his teeth, though Libby confidently chimed in.
"My husband," Libby pressed firmly, though as Lash quickly peered to her in silenced surprise, Libby eased a smug smile and crossed her arms.
"... Oh, so NOW I see why chickie, here, doesn't want a sorry old turd, like YOU," Lash blurt with a becoming chuckle of whole entire mean delight, "She went and landed herself a full blown USER. I mean, shit! I'd sell my left nut to be with a User, wouldn't matter to me. Okay, okay, I'm understanding now... Ace reversed your coding because you respected the lady's decisions. That's super sweet of you, Turbo, really awe-worthy."
Turbo inhaled a deep breath and felt his veins wiggle with anger, though he calmed himself and looked down to his feet. As badly as he wanted to peer to Libby, or potentially Berri, he figured he'd at least attempt to keep this conversation centered. How easily it could spiral out of control, from here, was something Turbo was now scarily aware of. How awry this whole entire endeavor could go, he held his breath and finally brought his attention back to his brother, though just in time for Lash to rub dirt in the wound. Lash eased a soft chuckle and meanly carried on.
"After your thirty year long pity party with you, you and yourself, I can see why this amazing, beautiful creature moved on to MUCH greener pastures," Lash choked a laugh and softly peered back to Turbo in a show of tenderness, though his demeanor was just sapped in a mean spirited attitude of sticky venom, "Who would want to be with a cranky, ugly old bastard, such as yourself?"
"I would," Berri boldly assured, no single beat missed, unabated and unafraid, she was well aware this was exactly her place and it was well earned.
It was here did Berri suddenly feel decades of raw, well-aged wrecking power begin to gingerly ignite in her heart. How fervently her actions, to defend, lit the code room ablaze, any nightmarish memories of Lash were simply eradicated in the wake of her intended warpath. She clenched her fists, grit her teeth into a tight, rigid grip of her jaw and inhaled a slow, seething breath of stewing frustration. It was here did she see every single pair of eyes quickly hone to her in silent, unmitigated surprise, as if to be absolutely shocked that Berri, of all people, was first to lose their cool. Wren tenderly eased his hand to Berri's lower back and softly rubbed, he was well aware that Berri was now becoming extremely protective of Turbo, one more comment out of Lash's mouth was enough to make her forget that this nightmare of a person actually mattered to the individual she cared for the most. A lifetime of wrecking expertise began to slowly surge through Berri's veins, highways of information that so ardently strived to remind Sugar Rush's princess of her true roots, and it was in said flood of silver coding did she inhale a shaky breath and understand that, in this raw moment, Berri was certain that Lash had no clue what was coming for him.
