A/N: Guys...
I'm sorry.
I really thought I would be able to finish this chapter quickly, but in the end everything just didn't feel right, and I had to put it down due to not thinking of anything that could end this in a good way. But...yeah, I'm sorry. I'll try and finish up this story within this year, even though I don't think anyone really cares about this. XD
Anyhoo...enjoy!
RJ
"Seriously?!"
I rub my eyes as I glance up at the tall building that currently loomed over me: a huge metallic structure that rose the sky with a no-nonsense feel to it. A large skull hovered over the many stairs that led up to the website, while flames occasionally shoot out of pipes attached to the outer walls of the building. Halfway up the structure, a gigantic sign is plastered, boasting the name of the game: Slaughter Race.
Okay, I admit that this place feels kinda intimidating: the skull, the flames, the name which has 'death' written all over it, and the fact that Terrance had bolted to back to the Older Net when he realized this was 'The Most Dangerous game on the Internet'. No, I'm not making the last one up. When I arrived onto the Internet, Terrance had originally planned on tagging along, curious to see where I was going to test my Shockguns. But as soon as I said in my input and the result for Slaughter Race popped up, Terrance gave a loud enough squeal to make me jump and within a minute, he had made enough signs to indicate he was not coming with me before running back down the way he came, disappearing in a few seconds.
I didn't even have the chance to ask why he was not coming.
I just stared at the spot he was previously earlier in disbelief when the netizen in charge of the search engine snapped me back into reality. The character asked if this was the place I was heading to, and not knowing what to do at that moment, I just nodded. Moments later, I was sent onto the Internet Highway, on a direct beeline to Slaughter Race without my friend along. As I sped past the many buildings and websites, I can't help thinking about Terry's reaction, and the reason why he became so fearful all of a sudden. I mean, Vanellope made her home there, and she's a kid, for sweet user sake! If she thought it was appropriate enough place for her to stay, then I don't think this game is, like, the most dangerous one of them all.
Then I remembered: Terrance was one of Ralph's clones that tried to get to Vanellope while taking over the Internet. Maybe that's the real reason. Maybe if Vanellope happened to be in another place like BuzzzTube and Terrance knew about it, he'll also use every excuse he can to avoid going there. After all, they've had a, um…not so pleasant memory together, right? But to me, Vanellope's a friend, a fellow Glitch, a great partner-in-crime when it comes to pranks. There's not really a reason for me to be fearful of her, right?
As my carriage enters the Gaming District, though, I swatted that thought away and instead start to get curious of what Slaughter Race for me. 'The Most Dangerous game on the Internet' must have something that the other dangerous games back home didn't have. Calhoun's game, Hero's Duty, yeah that one is scary with all the cy-bugs and shooting and stuff, and even then Vanellope didn't seemed too scared of entering it. There must be some reason why this game is called the most dangerous, something that I haven't seen before.
…which is why I'm currently glancing up at the building that housed Slaughter Race in disbelief.
"Seriously?" I ask aloud again. "I mean, seriously?!"
Just then, an announcer's voice booms over my head, making me glitch in surprise. "SLAUGHTER RACE! ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!" As if on cue, the pipes of the side start spewing fire once more, as if confirming that this is indeed 'The Most Dangerous game on the Internet'.
I sigh and look back at the entrance. "Now yer just makin' fun of me, right?" I say.
There is no answer. Heaving yet another sigh, I kneel on the ground and rip my pack open. Carefully, I take out one of my Shockguns and examine it, running a finger against its smooth surface. With even more care, I unhinge the glass barrel from the weapon, currently empty of power. I know very well that the moment I entered the game and start testing these Shockguns out, I'll be donating my Glitch as a power source. It should be fine; after all, it's not the first time I've used a Glitch Shock on others. Stroking the weapon, I keep reassuring myself mentally that I'll be fine, yet there was something unsettling about it all, as if there is something I still don't know, as if that my usage of these weapons might have effects that I cannot expect would happen on me…
Still, there's no turning back: I did promise that I'll test these suckers out, right? Placing the gun back into my bag, I sling it back over my shoulder as I start towards the entrance. A simplistic artwork with silhouettes of a building and a sunset background is located above the stairs, bearing the game's name and the same words the announcer yelled out moments ago. Apparently, 'enter at your own risk' is the slogan of this game. Shaking my head once more, I tug on the straps of my pack and climb the stairs up into the game.
With my every step, the brilliant, blue light from the Internet started to retreat, and is instead replaced with a murky, orangey, relatively more natural glow. Breathing in deeply, I can't help coughing at the smog that is somehow present. Coughing hard, I bend my head down as I continue up, looking down at the stairs. When I looked back up, I find myself at the top of the stairs, the Internet long faded behind me and I standing in what seemed to be like a town.
No, 'town' is an understatement; it should have been city. Not as impressive or as shining as the Internet or even like some games back home, but a city nonetheless. Buildings loomed, some faded with age and decay while some still new as ever. Everywhere, I can see characters mulling about, characters that have similar human-like appearances as me. I walk further in, seeing two of those characters run by, but these two are slightly different in the way they move unnaturally and have usernames over their heads.
Are these the players? I wonder in my mind. Are these the characters you have to control to play the game?
Those two characters have reached the end of the street, heading to a gang of burly characters gathered there. The group sees the newcomers and advances towards them, walking with confidence in every step. It is then I realize the lack of usernames above their heads.
Then they start to punch the two characters. Hard.
As I look at the group of characters in disbelief, a loud explosion goes off, it's resounding noise echoing around me. I turn around, only to be nearly smacked in the face by a running character, his face completely covered and his pack bulging with cash. I glitch out of the thief's way, tripping as I land on the sidewalk near the road. I hear growling and glance around nervously, looking for the source. The growling returns, and now I see it: a huge hound with its teeth blared menacingly, slowly making its way towards me. Scrabbling back quickly, I can feel my code racing as I reach down and unhinge my prosthetic leg, waving it in my hand as if to fend off the dog. I know very well that this is a futile attempt, and I should have done something better, but I can't think of anything else.
Turns out all that effort is unnecessary, for when the hound is still walking to me, out of all the possible things, a huge shark bursts out of the manhole set in the middle of the road, chomping down on the pooch and swallowing it whole. Then as if nothing has happened, it slowly slinks back down the hole, disappearing.
It is all so fast, even faster than Terrance's disappearance from the Internet; so fast, that I just sit there on the sidewalk, gasping as I stare blankly at where the shark was. But at least I am still smart enough to remember that I am currently one-legged, and so I take my makeshift weapon and place it back on its original spot. It is then I stand up, still gasping rapidly as I pull my hood further down my head, my feet wobbly. I can hear another explosion go off in the distance.
Okay, now I understand why this place is called 'The Most Dangerous game on the Internet', turns out the netizens weren't bluffing after all. Seriously, the word 'Slaughter' in the game's name is nothing to joke about. Everywhere I look, there is danger; where imitating characters come at you from all sides, where predators lie in the shadows within, and where there are just too many options to get yourself a game-over. With all its dangers, it is such a far cry from the kid-friendly, candy-filled, sweet-enough-to-get-you-diabetes Sugar Rush back at Litwak's.
And to think that Vanellope had somehow chosen this game over her old home…
"I don't understand!" I say to myself "Vanny, I just don't understand! Look at 'tis place! Just look at it! There's smog, there's danger, there's characters beatin' each other up! 'Tis a super chaotic place! No wonder Ralph threw a fit; why did ya choose 'tis place over home?"
Just then, a car launches out of a nearby alley, flames that are both real and painted fashionably shooting out of it. The car is quickly followed by a second one, this one much duller in appearance yet has the same speed as the first. This car runs up a ramp, launches itself into the air, and then lands on top of the first one in a flourish, causing it to swivel out of the way out of my sight.
Something blares in the distance. It's not an explosion, I'm certain of it. I whip my head back to see a freight train, and that several more cars of all sizes are maneuvering over it skillfully. Another vrooming sound makes me turn, and I see two more cars, one driven by an avatar with a load of cargo on it, while the other tries to overtake it in experienced movements. A third motorbike quickly trails after the two, speeding down the road in a flash.
As I look around, the roads start to become blurred, merging together to become one crazy track where all the drivers are racers. And although I cannot see a finish line anywhere, I can feel like everyone's trying to reach a certain goal in the game.
Just like Sugar Rush…
Oh.
Okay.
I can see it.
I can see it now.
"Okay, I take it back." I admit, laughing a bit as I run a hand through my hair. I look around again, amazed that I had not been able to notice the many, many cars and vehicles parked near the roads on my arrival, or the fact that the other word on the game's title happened to be 'Race'.
"Vanny, ya lil' Glitch." I mutter "Ya really can't resist the urge to drive to new territories, right?" I turn around in a circle, glancing at everything in its full clarity. "So, I'm in a huge racin' game, right? Well, I can deal with that."
Reaching into my pack down once again, I pull out a metallic baton, and throw the pack back over my shoulders. Seeing that there's no one else walking on the pavement, I grip both my hands on the baton and run forward, leaping into the air. I can feel code rapidly forming under me, streaming out of my baton and solidifying themselves quickly. When I landed, I am not lying on the dirty ground, but instead on top of a sleek metallic motorcycle-like vehicle. I let go of what's left of my baton, reach into a compartment and pull out a helmet and a pair of goggles, and quickly zoom down the road.
While Ralph has a Wrecking Truck, with a wrecking ball and all, to drive, I have a Light Cycle from Tron, one that I obtained when I managed to fix one on my own. Since my second unlocking, I had lost almost all my Wrecker Powers, and I need some other equipment during gameplay to aid my brother. But other than that, I found my hands to be more delicate for fine movements, and if I knew exactly what I was doing I could even fix some stuff on my own. I remember the time when the power in our home was down, and I went down to the basement with a toolbox (Felix gave us one in case of emergencies) and flashlight to try and fix the problem. As I tried, I could hear Ralph asking me in disbelief what I was doing, why I was fixing instead of wrecking, and persuading me that I should just give up and run over to Felix to ask him for help. Yet I didn't listen, completely focused on the work at hand. It was a strange feeling, yet calming at the same time, as if I somehow knew what I was trying to do.
You should have seen Ralph's face when he saw me put down my flashlight and tools, connect my Glitch to the power box, and the lights flicker back on instantly. And that they stayed on for the rest of the night.
Sure, when compared to someone with a freaking Magic Hammer, my efforts are no match for Felix, but I'm good, I'm good with it. I mean, I am a Wrecker after all, but I think it's a good thing that I'm able to swap sides when the time comes. Such as kicking this dead Light Cycle completely back to life, and claiming it as my own…
As I cruise along the road, I can see more cars and their drivers, some of them dodging out of my way as I came near. I can see motorbikes too, but they're greatly unlike the one I'm currently riding upon. Seeing all these drivers on the road at the same time, it gave me the impression that there are currently multiple games being hosted at the same time, several races for the characters to compete against each other at this very moment. Continuing to drive, I glance left and right, trying to see if there's a good enough place to test my ShockGuns, yet also hidden enough to avoid the gamers.
After about ten minutes of driving and twisting within the many streets, roads, and alleyways, I finally found a spot that seems good enough for my testing. I am now in a small space located in between several alleys, though I can see the main road just outside of my reach. A lamppost is right next to me, currently out of power. I can see a few boxes here and there on the walls and when I take a closer look at them, I can see they provided electricity for the characters that live here. Like I said, this is the perfect place for me to test my weapons out.
Though I sure hope no one is annoyed when some (or almost all) of their power is cut off unexpectedly…
I take off my helmet and put it back in its compartment (I didn't put my goggles away just to be on the safe side), fold my bike back up into my baton, and toss the metallic pole into my pack. I then take out both my ShockGuns and place them carefully on the ground, plucking the clear vials for the weapons out as well. Currently, they're all empty and lacking in power, but that's about to change very soon.
Sighing, I undo the stabilizer attached to my chest and set it down carefully. With my growing number of Glitch Attacks and my code getting more and more unstable, I am using through my stabilizers at a much faster rate than before. The last time I broke one was in the Older Net, when Terrance witnessed a Glitch Attack pounding the Hell outa me; I was insanely glad that I happened to have another stabilizer ready in my pack, just so Ralph was not suspicious when I returned to the arcade. I didn't tell him about the missing stabilizer, though…
Glancing around again, I look to confirm that I'm the only one in this alley, that no one is currently watching me or realizing that I don't really belong here. Good. Picking up one of the vials, I place my index fingers on both ends of it. I shake my head slightly, enough to slide my goggles back over my eyes. Concentrating, I then close my eyes, and let a small, yet significant glitch pulse through me.
Almost immediately, I can feel power rushing through me, power in the form of electricity that I accessed every now and then regularly. The Glitch churns through my code, but this time I can feel it concentrated on my hands and fingers, tingling wildly as I feel power coursing through. The character didn't tell me how much energy that this vial can hold, and I currently have no idea how full it is right now; I might have broken it already. I don't have too much of the vials, though; so after a few more seconds, I pull on the reins of my Glitch, slowly stalling it as I open my eyes.
The vial that I'm holding is no longer empty, but is now completely filled with a sparkling green source, occasionally letting out a crackle or two in the slightest. Pulling back my goggles, I hold the vial up to my face, mesmerized by the power source that the Glitch, my Glitch, had contributed. Back home when characters mention about my Glitch, they always said it like it's a beast trapped inside me, trying to break free in the form of a Glitch Attack. They always said it was a dangerous, terrifying thing, with nothing good to look at. Looking back at the vial, it seems like my Glitch has humbled itself, becoming a delicate creature that is somehow beautiful in a way. I have no idea how this is possible, but I cannot tear my eyes away from it, glancing at the seemingly harmless power source trapped within its glass walls…
I shake my head, snapping myself out of my trance and pick up my ShockGun. I want to try the effects of one of them first before using both guns at the same time, just to get a feel of what one's effects really are. Packing the rest of my stuff back, I click the vial into the ShockGun's barrel, carefully connecting the power source to it. I place my goggles tighter around my eyes as I stand back up, my ShockGun in my left hand, ready to fire.
Looking straight ahead, I target the lamppost directly in front of me and fire my weapon. A green bolt of electricity shoots out of it, racing up the base of the lamppost and quickly making its way up to the light source above my head. Standing back a bit, I trace the Glitch's movements up the lamppost, and then suddenly without warning, the lightbulb above me shatters, breaking into a million glass shards that rain down to the ground. It was a good warning for me to quickly move out of the way for the very next moment, the lamppost explodes, completely overwhelmed by my Glitch. I teleport myself away quickly as I see the lamppost quickly transform into a pile of twisted metal, and the nearby lights around in the buildings also flicker shut. I guess that my Glitch has somehow affected the electricity supply as well.
Gasping, I slowly make my way back to the wreckage, removing my finger from the trigger as I do so. Seeing all the wreckage, I am appalled at all the damage that a single blast of my ShockGun had made, but at the same time I don't feel fear pulsing through my code. I know I should be frightened, I know I should be; yet at the same time I feel a rush of excitement tingling through me. I know I'm causing trouble, and I'll certainly get chewed out for it; however I can also feel something in the air around me, a thrilling feeling that refused to let me, clouding me from the small amount of terror I got when I did my damage…
Unexpectedly, I laugh, and laugh some more, glitching as I do so.
I had barely used up that vial from the first shot, but I reach into my pack and make another, and then yet another one. I pull out that second ShockGun out my pack as well, readying it with one of my newly-made vials. I pull my hood further down my head, my goggles tighter over my eyes, and with a wide grin, I run out of the alleys. More characters have appeared, but instead of slowing down, I glitch or blast my way through them, surprising several characters as they saw me pass through. Meanwhile, I keep firing at the obstacles littered in my way, electrifying them with my powerful Glitch. Some of them explode upon impact, others last much longer, letting me see the trace of electricity flowing through before breaking up as well. I can hear gasps, the gasps of the characters (both the gamers and the ones who live here) as they see me and the damage I leave behind, blinking as if they've never seen something like this before.
I look up, just to see the main road again. As I run out of the alleys for good, a character darts towards me, her hands clenching around the bars of a metallic shopping cart with an obviously stolen television in it: I know because the 'ON SALE' label is still visible. Without stopping or looking, I whip my hand to my left and fire, electrifying the cart and the person holding it. I hear a crash, but I don't stop to look at what happened; not to mention that I already know what did happen.
I jog out onto the main road, just in time to see the resident shark pop its head back down the manhole. The metal cover is still on the road. I glitch over to it, and quickly inspect the flat piece of metal before propping it up on the road, grunting in difficulty as I do so. I try to lift it off the ground, but it proved far too heavy for me: I need either my brother or my friend here to help me. I set the metal cover down and then look back up at the road: there are several cars in the far distance, rushing towards me. Good.
Quickly, I swap the ShockGun in my right hand for the one on my left, blast it at the metal cover, and immediately glitch away from the road. Instantly, almost all the metallic objects near the cover: scraps of metal, cars, even the prosthetic on my leg, starts to be dragged towards it. I glitch further, just enough for the magnet to lose its effect on me and all the metals to collapse onto the cover with a satisfying BOOM! I wait a few more seconds, and then creep back out onto the road, laughing as I survey the damage. Sure, it's not as impressive as what I did back in the alleys, but it's super satisfying, nonetheless.
"Get off the road, you manic!"
Surprised, I look back up, just in time to see a character driving straight towards me. The character had his teeth blared, and he kept honking his horn loudly, yelling as he tore down the road. But I don't move, I don't leave the road, not even when he is so close that I can read his username hovering above his head.
wr3ck-IT_ra1ph_SUCKS.
I gasp. I glance at the username again, and then at the character using it, narrowing my eyes. My God, what a username! So this dude, who is insulting my brother with his username, is now currently telling me to get off the road?! Unbelievable! How dare he! How dare he!
The player keeps honking, but instead of running away, I kneel down onto the ground near the metal cover. I take a deep breath and smooth out my jacket, flickering madly at the same time. I don't know if the character can see me glitching, but it doesn't matter: he's found to find out soon. I take a look at my ShockGuns, and then quickly swap one the vials with the one I'd prepared back in the alleys. The car keeps tearing down the road, honking madly, and so I work fast, and faster still.
With both weapons almost full of power, I look back up at the player, who is just a few feet away from me. It then dawned on me that the character that the player is insulting may not be my brother at all, but someone else with the same name. Sure, such a name is uncommon, but this character might not be the one from Litwak's, might not be the one who shares a heart-shaped medal with his bestie, might not even have a brother who happens to be a Glitch. There's tons and tons of Fix-it Felix jr. games out there in the world, or maybe even online! Who knows if this is really my brother that he's talking about?
The car comes closer and I shake my head. There's no turning back now.
This is for you, Ralph!
Holding out both ShockGuns, I breathe in deeply, and then I connect my Glitch to the power trapped within the vials, blasting its full power towards the car. wr3ck-IT_ra1ph_SUCKS simply raises his eyebrows, but that faded quickly when my Glitch descended upon him in its entirety. Completely shocked by my powers, the player flails his arms and loses his grip on the wheel, his car swiveling left and right out of control as it still rushes towards me. Quickly, I turn a somersault on the ground, just barely enough for the car and its passenger to flip over my figure and crash onto the sidewalk near a few barrels, upside down. I can't really see the character from all the electricity surrounding it, but it didn't matter as the car exploded the very next moment, tongues of flames completely consuming it in a matter of seconds. I can only assume what was in the barrels only added fuel to the fire.
For a moment, I just stand there, but then I smirk, putting my hands on my hips as I look at what was left of the player.
"Sayonara, sucker!" I laugh. "That's what ya get for trash-talkin' my brother!" I place both guns back in my pack before pointing fingerguns over the damaged car, laughing with absolute glee. As the flames continue to rise, I am so busy gloating over my victory that I didn't realize that I was no longer the only one on the road, and that a car had slowly come to a stop not far behind me.
"RJ?!"
Wait.
Who said that?
That someone calls my name again. It's a girl's voice, and it's high-pitched too, like a kid's. And the voice…it's so familiar, so freaking familiar; where have I heard it before?
No.
No! It couldn't be her! It couldn't!
It couldn't be…
I whirl around, just in time to see a green car stopped in the road some distance behind me, and its tiny passenger hop out of it. It was a little girl, with her raven hair pulled into a high ponytail with loads of candies strung within. She has a mint green hoodie on, along with a black double-pleated skirt and mismatched stockings. Her huge eyes are wide, her mouth agape, her body glitching slightly with disbelief as she looks at me.
She calls my name again.
For a while we just stand there, looking at each other but not doing anything.
Then everything inside me breaks down.
I let out a gasp.
I feel the pack slide off my shoulders.
I start to run, I start to glitch, I start to make my way towards the girl.
I feel the wind knock the hood off my head, tying it into knots as I keep running. The girl starts running too, the wind also playing hard with her ponytail as it flapped madly from side to side.
I run faster, and faster still. I can feel my eyes getting teary, but I don't even bother to raise my sleeve to wipe them off. I wring my arms wide open, and close them just as the tiny bundle of joy wiggles into my grasp.
It is then I stop, and I kneel down on the ground, panting hard. I'm still crying, but I sense that I'm not the only one; the little girl's eyes are starting to get bloodshot as well. The girl grips onto my jacket, crushing herself to me, her tears soaking my clothes.
It is then I call the girl's name.
"Vanellope." I say. "Oh, Vanellope. I just…I just…" Sighing a bit, I just finish "'Tis been so long."
The girl pulls back, and wipes her eyes before answering. "Same here, StinkFace." She tries to giggle at the nickname she gave me, but soon she starts choking up again. She hugs me tighter as she mutters "I'd never thought I'd see you again."
"Me too." I sigh, running my fingers through her ponytail. "I really missed ya. Really." Even being in her new home for quite a while now, it is surprising that she still kept her old clothes. Maybe she had a choice of new clothes when she moved here but she refused, as if it served as a reminder of her old home? I don't know.
She lets out a happy sigh, and then quickly glitches out of my arms. I stand back up, looking at her. "Ya grew taller, did ya?" I ask, laughing a bit. Vanellope laughs a bit in reply as well.
It's been so long, so freaking long.
I hear something rush into the scene, and I look up to see more cars: five of them I think, surround the two of us quickly in a circle. I gasp, but Vanellope seems calm about it, as if she knew what is going to happen next.
One of the cars, a red one with an open top, glides smoothly to a stop. The driver steps out, and I am surprised to see that it's a woman, and a very pretty woman too. She shakes her head slightly, pulling the hood off to reveal her wavy hair as she steps to the two of us without hesitation.
A few seconds pass, and then the woman breaks the silence. "Sir, will you stop gawking?"
Oh.
Oh, alright.
"Oh, um, sorry." I say, looking away. Yikes, that is so embarrassing; what a way to start this off.
Vanellope has now run away from me and stood next to the woman. "RJ, this is Shank; she's my mentor in driving, and I consider her to be a good friend." She then turns to the woman and introduces me to her in a similar fashion. The woman smiles knowingly, as this isn't the first time she's heard of something similar.
"So, Ralph Jerome," Shank now approaches me with a question "you're the so-called 'direct relative' of Ralph that V was always talking about?"
I remember someone else asking me if I was Ralph's direct relative before. Guess that's how Vanny used to describe me to her online friends. "Well, I don't know anyone else that could be a direct relative to the big oaf." I say, grinning. "But if yer lookin' for someone that's very different in terms of personality and has a super mischievous prankin' streak…" I throw out my arms, striking a pose at the two. "Ta-da! His brother is here, in the pixels!"
Shank laughs, and then turns to Vanellope. "He's certainly much more interesting than how you described him." She comments. "And I didn't know he had an accent."
"Ooh, that's RJ for you." Vanellope replies, giving me a wink.
The woman laughs back at Vanellope, and then steps forward to me. "So, what brings you here to our game, RJ?" She asks me.
Running a hand through my hair, I say "Well, I just wanted to test my ShockGuns in 'The Most Dangerous game on the Internet'. The results directed me here, and here I am." I then turn to the burning wreckage behind me, chuckling a bit. "And I also saw 'tis dude insultin' my brother with his username so, um…I avenged him."
"And that's a good thing, since…Let's just say the player that you just took out was the same player we were told to stop." Shank said, smiling. "He's a good player, dodged us for so long and tossed down a lot of red herrings along the way, yet you managed to stop him."
"Aww, geez." I mutter, feeling my cheeks redden. "That's…that's nothin'."
"I doubt it." Shank says, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you also managed to cut out a third of our electricity supply deliberately with your glitches. I mean, that was you, right?"
Uh oh.
How…
How does she know?
"How…how did ya know? I mean," I start laughing nervously "what makes ya think I'm able to doin' 'tis?"
Shank grins at me. "Well, V said you were a huge troublemaker, and only a Glitch would be able to pull that off…" She eyes at my flickering body, grinning wider. "That being said, it's not the first time that our power has been cut off. I think you're fine."
I laugh. "Guess Vanny told ta that about me already."
"Shank!" Vanellope cries, popping back at my side. "Can I show RJ around the game? Can I? I wanted to do this for so long!"
Shank furrows her brow, frowning a bit as Vanellope dances around me, glitching with excitement. "Um…" She starts.
"Oh, come on! Can I?" Vanellope pleads. "Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?"
"Alright!" Shank decided "Okay, but just for an hour or two. Then you'll have to get back to racing. We can't hold the players down for too long."
"Yay!" Vanellope tugs on my sleeve. "Come on, StinkFace! I gotta show you this cool place I found here! Get in and I'll drive you there!"
"Really?" I ask, chuckling. "But I already have my Light Cycle, which…oh no!" My smile immediately vanishes as I twirl around in a circle. "My pack! I, I…" In my reunion with Vanellope, I must have dropped my pack! And out of all the places that I could have lost it! "Darn it, darn it, darn it…" I wring my hands, glitching nervously as the reality of the situation dawns upon me. I could have lost all my belongings for good, just because I saw Vanellope and left my guard down for a mere second…
Shank barks out a laugh. "Don't worry, younger Wreck-it." She nods her head towards one of the other racers, who holds up a familiar object in her hand. I gasp loudly, for it is my pack that is in her grasp. "It won't happen again, so keep a closer eye on it next time you reunite with someone."
I glitch forward and clutch the pack to my chest tightly, and then carefully pull it onto my back. Shank and her gang start towards their own cars, and one by one they back away from us. Shank gives us a wave as she speeds by us, and soon the cars are all specks in the far distance, transporting the drivers to another part of the game. Vanellope and I watch them leave, and then she turns to me. "Come on!"
I get into Vanellope's car, which is greatly more spacious than her old kart back home. I pull down the seatbelt, and then turn to Vanellope. "Don't ya need yer seatbelt on?" I ask.
Vanellope playfully glares at me. "This is my car, and I can do whatever I want in here!"
"Including disobeyin' someone who's greater than ya?"
"Oh, so you're the one speaking now?" Vanellope shoots back at me. "Let me see…Ralph told me that someone back in the arcade had just managed to build a huge barricade filled with stones and candies and chairs and medals and all kinds of crazy stuff and stuffed them in front of every gate in Game Central Station. No one could leave their games for two whole days! I mean, who would do such a thing—oh, the character sitting right next to me, you're welcome."
"No, 'tis not me!" I argue back. But for those keeping track at home, it was me: last time when Ralph reported that someone had clogged up the tunnels in Pac-Man, he told the characters that I didn't do it, believing that I didn't have the power and strength to do so. So…let's just say with a bit of effort and a bit of sweet-talking to successfully convince my brother and Felix to let me have a day off I've proved myself. That I've proved them wrong.
Vanellope giggles, rolling her eyes at me. "No wonder yer such a baaaaad influence, Ralph Jerome."
"No, I'm not!" I laugh "And I don't talk like that!"
"Yes! Yes, ya do! Ya talk like that all the time!" Vanellope imitates me again. "Yer a baaaad guy."
This time though, I don't fight back. "Duh." I finish.
Vanellope grins at me, and then slams her foot down on the pedal, sending the car, and the two of us in it, speeding down the road.
"I didn't know ya have burgers here too!" I say, taking huge bites of it. Vanellope and I have currently left the streets of Slaughter Race and are sitting on the ledge of a mountain, overlooking the entire game from above. Back in the Internet, this game didn't seem too impressive when it is among all the other websites; but from this height, I was cealrly proven wrong as the true beauty of the game screams out at me, stretching as far as my eye can see.
Vanellope takes another bite out of her burger. "Well, you can thank your brother for that: he brought them fresh over from Burger Time a few weeks ago, can't find any decent ones here on the net. The ones from home? Still the best."
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Nearly choking on my burger, I sit up and look straight at Vanellope. "Did ya just say…a few…weeks ago? Ya mean…Ya mean…My brother had gone online to visit and bring ya snacks and he didn't tell anyone about it?!" I yell.
"Wait! He didn't tell you?" Vanellope asked, also surprised. "He didn't tell any of you?"
"He didn't tell anyone!" I say, standing up. No wonder my brother was acting shifty that day, no wonder we couldn't find him anywhere in the arcade back then, no wonder there was a mile-long receipt directed at us from Burger Time, no wonder there wasn't anyone else joining him on the visit; he didn't tell any of us, he didn't tell any of us that Vanellope was free that night!
I start to see red. "I can't believe my brother would do that to me! That's so selfish of him! That bas…" I glance over at Vanellope, at her huge innocent eyes, and quickly finish "…set hound."
Vanellope lightly punches me in the hip. "Trying to swear again, Ralph Jerome?"
I chuckle. "Ya know what I'm about to do, and I can't do it. Not in front of ya at least. Even if I'm mad at him, what I promised Ralph I will uphold." I wink at her. "Most of the time anyway."
"Even when I now live in a more violent game than yours?"
I looked at the girl straight in the eye. "Even then." I say, playfully punching her back.
We talk about a lot of things, sharing our stories from the arcade and on the Internet. I tell her about a recent party I had helped to throw for the Felix and Calhoun's kids in the penthouse, and as much I'm okay with kids, fifteen kids is definitely not something to joke about: Gloyd and Candlehead had managed to flood part of the dance floor, and we had to evacuate everyone to clean it up before the party can continue. Vanellope, on the other hand, talked about some trips she and Yesss had when they both have off-hours: recently she took her to a Japanese Tourist site, and although the two don't really understand the language they were blown away by all the beauty the site had offered.
"Don't ya miss home?" I ask mindlessly, taking another bite of my burger.
"What?"
I turn to her. "Don't ya miss home?" I ask again. "I mean, that's how long ya've been in Sugar Rush, right?" To be honest, I am not too sure if I'm right since, despite looking older than Vanellope, I have only been unlocked in the past few years. In fact, Vanellope had reclaimed her throne before I was unlocked and became playable.
Vanellope shoves the last chunk of burger into her mouth. "If I'm true to myself…yeah, sometimes I do think about home, I do think about the arcade; but do I really miss it? Well…" She taps her tiny hand against her chin before answering. "Well…I don't know. Before Ralph came, I was bullied every single day, no one wanted me to race or play with them. I wasn't really treated well back then. Plus, I already knew every single inch of the place."
"I can understand that." I say, also finishing up my burger. "Bein' trapped for a long time is no joke."
"That's how I felt about it. So…by coming to a new game, I am discovering more of myself every day, that I'm finding new roads and different places, that I will not be following the same path I might have gone down if I stayed."
"That's an awfully mature thing to say, kiddo." I marvel, looking at her and running my hand through her hair.
"But honestly…do they still miss me?" She asks.
"Well…"
This time it is me who tapped my chin before giving her my answer. "I mean, sometimes they do mention ya now and then; but if I'm bein' honest…not too much. Rancis has even started datin' someone else."
"Really? Who? Tell me, RJ! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"
"Ah, ya lil' gossip gal." I laugh. "'Tis Taffyta, but don't tell anyone. I just saw them holdin' hands deep in the Candy Cane Forrest one day when there's no one around, thought no one was watchin' them. Don't tell anyone!"
"I won't tell." Vanellope promises me. "At least, there's no one I can really share it too, right?"
"Shank?"
"She's a secret keeper, doesn't spread gossip, no good."
I can't help but bark out a laugh. Good ol' Vanellope, still the same sassy girl as always. At least that still hasn't changed over her time on the Internet.
"But seriously…Even after all these months, I still can't help thinking the day that Ralph and I came onto the Internet, and I found my true calling here. I know Ralph caused the Crash and all, but a part of me keeps thinking that somehow I've played a huge part leading up to it. Like, if I have talked to Ralph before running off, and then talked it out peacefully instead of throwing his medal away…maybe none of this would have happened."
She sighs, and reaches into her hoodie, pulling out her half of the medal Ralph gave her before her departure. The medal continued the word 'my' and the latter part of 'hero'. She sighs again, and I reach over and pat her gently on the back. "We all make bad choices, kid. Sometimes…things just happen. They just do. Don't take it too hard on yerself."
"That's what Shank's been telling me." She says back. "That I should look forward, both Ralph and I, and forget what has happened. But still…sometimes they all just come back at me, us arguing and he looked super upset and then the Internet Crash and the clones and everything…sometimes I just think about it."
I lean back on the hood as well, thinking over her words. Just then, out of the blue, I remember it.
"Vanellope, can I ask ya somethin'?"
"What?"
I take a deep breath. "What if I told ya…one of the clones from the Internet Crash is still alive?"
"What?!"
Sitting straighter, I tell Vanellope everything, from me betraying Ralph and sneaking online and finding Terrance and vowing to help improve his situation, I just let it all out. I didn't even think about the huge possibility that Vanellope will spread this message out, but still I talk, talking until there is no more I can say to her.
"Oh wow…" Vanellope mutters, leaning back on the hood of her car. "So…why are you telling me this?"
"Well, ya just said somethin' about the Crash, and then 'tis just came up in my head. Just a random thought, nothin' else."
"And…" Vanellope suddenly has a fearful look on her face. "Is he still out there, hunting for me to be his friend?"
"Um…no?" I look away, thinking for the right words to say to her. "Let's just say that won't be happenin' anytime soon."
"Wait what?!"
"He's, uh…" I start, stumbling a bit over my words. "Uh…Let's just say he's super terrified of ya. He won't even set foot in 'tis game, let alone get ya!"
"Wait what?!"
"Yeah! Ran off like a lil' girl once he heard I was headin' to 'tis game. Actually…" My face falls a bit as I sit back up. "I think he feels real bad about crashin' the Internet and tryin' to take ya by force. Feels real guilty about it, and he thinks that it's a huge punishment for him that he wasn't destroyed along with the others."
"So does he want to be my friend?" Vanellope asks, looking at me with wide eyes.
I sigh.
"Never said anythin' about it, but deep down, I think he does, he really does." I say. "But he's so scared of ya that he isn't willin' to ask. He blames himself for everythin' that happened to ya in the Crash, that he wasn't worthy of friendship because of 'tis, that no one should be friends with such a 'quote' 'unquote' rotten character like him…"
"He isn't willing to let his past go…"
I quickly glance over at Vanellope, who has now sat back up as well and looked away. "He can't forgive himself for what he did, right?"
"Right." I agree. "I really wanna help him, but he's just not willin' to take the chance. And I can't really blame him, he's a virus after all…"
For a while, both of us just sit there, looking over Slaughter Race as the words sank in. I sigh, glancing mindlessly over the scenery as a small hand reaches up. I look down at Vanellope.
"Does he have a name?" She asks.
I sigh once more.
"Yes." I say. "His name is Terrance."
"That's a nice name!" Vanellope commented. With that, I nod my head, agreeing. "He chose it himself ya know? Even then he wasn't sure if he was worthy of renamin' himself…"
There is more silence.
"I wanna meet him."
"What?"
Vanellope looks up at me. "I wanna meet Terrance someday. I mean, if I'm being honest, I'm scared; but…I really wanna help him. I can be his friend, if that's the least I can do."
"Kid, no one is forcing ya!" I quickly say, and I can see despite her words, Vanellope is shaking a bit, even glitching. "If yer scared, then don't do it! Don't force yerself to do somethin' ya don't wanna do!"
"I'm not forcing myself!" She screams back at me, standing up. "I really wanna help! He's insecure! I helped Ralph face his insecurities before, what's the problem with helping another one, RJ?"
"And ya can't tell Ralph any of 'tis!" I yell back, jumping down from the car and looking straight at her. "He doesn't know Terrance's still alive, and ya can't tell him! He doesn't even know I'm on the Internet! Think of all the trouble I-no, we'll be in if he finds out!"
I breathe deeply in and out, glitching a bit too, and then look back up. Vanellope has scooted away from me in terror, and I sigh. "Sorry, just got a lil' bit out of control here."
"Me too." Vanellope admitted. "But I really want to help. I won't tell Ralph anything about this, but…I just want to meet Terrance. I feel sorry for him. He deserves more."
"Ya really sure about 'tis kid?" I ask again. "I mean, ya really sure? He's really a virus after all!"
"Of course I am! Why are you asking this again?!" She replies sassily.
I sigh. Never mind about Vanellope, now it's Terrance that I'm really worried about. What will he think if I'm bringing Vanellope, the very character he blamed himself for harming back in the Internet Crash, to meet him as a friend? I can't tell him in advance, or else he'll run away in terror at the thought of meeting her; I can't tell Ralph either, otherwise I'll be bringing Vanellope into greater trouble. I'm already ankle-deep in a huge mess right now, but with Vanellope's decision to meet the clone, isn't there any way that I can get myself out of this?
Is there?
Shaking my head, I sigh a final time in defeat. "Fine." I say. "I'll get Terry out tomorrow night, call him over to my place in BuzzzTube-"
"I can't!" Vanellope interrupts. "Full day tomorrow! Sorry, RJ!"
"Okay, then the day after, or someday later." I quickly say. I fish out my Buzzy Device and toss it to Vanellope. "Gimme yer addy, and I'll see what I can do."
"Okay!" She tosses the device quickly back to me, now with a new name included in my contacts. "Gotta get back down now, Shank's waiting for me for start. Gotta get you back down as well."
"Okay." I glitch back into the car as Vanellope starts backing down the mountain. "Remember not to tell Ralph any of 'tis!" I remind her.
"I will." She promises. "Just…remember to plan the meeting for me."
"Ya know, never expected ya to say somethin' like that. That ya ready to meet someone that might have harmed ya in the past." I say as the streets of Slaughter Race rush towards us, leaving the mountain behind. "Aren't ya scared?"
"Well, I am…but if I don't try, then I never know for sure, right?"
"Right." I agree. With a swift turn, Vanellope slams her brakes and stops me right in front of the exit of the game. I reach over and give the kid a hug before leaping out. "See ya later kid." I call, waving.
"You too, StinkFace." She giggles, and then she speeds away, leaving me alone at the entrance with a meeting to prepare.