The Fractured but Whole: Freedom Pals Unite!

Chapter 3: Pick a class, any class

I watch Doctor Timothy back up his wheelchair to the center of the room as my new teammates line up on both sides of him. Mysterion and Toolshed stand on his right side while Tupperware and Wonder Tweek stand on his left.

(Maybe my initiation isn't over yet.)

[New kid, before you can go out into the field, we will need to brief you on our origins.]

(Oh right, Timmy told me he was going to tell me about their start.) I nod my head to let them know to start their story.

[Toolshed has probably mentioned this to you before, but we were all once members of another superhero franchise called Coon and Friends. Our leader was, of course, The Coon and there were ten members in total. I was in the process of developing movies, television shows, video games, and other programs for everyone to earn large sums of money for the team. However, my ideas were tossed aside by The Coon and replaced with his own. We split off to form Freedom Pals once we saw his biased franchise plan.]

"The Coon's franchise plan screwed each of us over," Toolshed exclaims, "While we had at most one program each, everyone who stayed with Coon and Friends had around five or even more programs for themselves!"

"We treat each other as equals here," Mysterion softly growls, "but The Coon only looks out for himself. He built us into a pyramid and put himself on top!"

"Our franchise was doing great at first," Tupperware adds, "We had one hundred followers on our Coonstagram page. By my calculations, we would have doubled in fans in a few hours, but The Coon started stealing credit for our heroic deeds and swindled us out of our past leads on the crime syndicate."

"To make matters worse," Wonder Tweek growls, "his teammates are starting to stoop to his level and stealing our missions. Kyle, Jimmy, Clyde, … even my ex-boyfriend." I jump back at the last few words.

(Woah, Wait! You and Craig broke up?!)

[As you can see, the split resulted in bad feelings and nearly broken relationships, but we believe we made the right choice in splitting off. And with you now on our side my friend and the lead you provided us, the tide may finally change back to our favor.]

"What new lead Doc," Tupperware questions.

[While looking through the New Kid's memories, he informed me of a poster The Coon had in his possession. The poster detailed a $100 reward for the return of the cat Scrambles.]

"Wait, I've heard that name being passed around by the top six graders on my patrols," Mysterion declares, "Doc, do you think…"

[Indeed, I do. I believe that this Scrambles is the epicenter of the current crime wave. The police have been bringing in many stray cats these past few weeks, and from Mysterion's investigations on the current activities of the citizens, I believe we may be dealing with the drug craze of 'cheesing'.] I notice Mysterion flinch when Doctor Timothy said the word 'cheesing'. I remember Kenny telling me about that 'boob-utopia' when I found a cat sling in his closet when we were hanging out one time with Stan, Kyle, Butters, and, sadly, Cartman. He said he gave up 'cheesing' long before I moved here, so I guess the mention of it would remind him of his rehab.

"You mean the crime wave is all about getting cat cheese," Tweek shrieks.

[I know it sounds farfetched, but it would explain why the adults in our town have gone from the usual crazy to near insanity. It would also explain why the police would collect all these stray cats. I believe that someone is trying to take over our town by drugging the adults with cat urine. And Scrambles must be the bottom bitch of the whole operation. If we can secure this cat, we may be able to track down the crime boss.]

"Coon and Friends will be looking for this cat to," Toolshed replies, "but I'm willing to bet that The Coon is only interested in the cash reward."

(Since Cartman stole your leads before, I think it's only fair we steal this one right under his nose … or is it whiskers?)

[I will research more about Scrambles. In the meantime, you all try to find more missions or any more leads. Tupperware, please assist our rookie with choosing a superhero class and explain the basics of the powers and combat before you depart. New Kid, once you have selected a class, come and see me for your final debriefing. I will be waiting for you in my chamber.] Doctor Timothy guides his wheelchair back to the back chamber while Wonder Tweek and Mysterion pull the space curtains apart to let him in. I feel hand clasp my shoulder. I turn my head to see Toolshed grinning from ear to ear. I can't help but grin back.

"Told you you'd get in," Toolshed playfully jabs, "I'll call you if I find a mission. I'll see you later dude." He gives me a quick thumbs-up before trudging up the stairs. Wonder Tweek waves at me before following Toolshed. I wave back before turning my head to Mysterion. He gives me a wink before trudging up the stairs.

(This is it Sally. You're now a Freedom Pal.) I turn my attention to the base; I never got to really look at it when Toolshed first brought me. Everything is decorated with cardboard boxes, a city backdrop, LED lights, stars and planets, and what look like to be my teammates' superhero gear.

(It must have taken the guys hours or even a whole day to decorate this place! Maybe they'll let me add some of my superhero stuff… if I get any.)

"Hey dude, you coming or what," Tupperware calls. I snap out of my thoughts and head towards him. He leads me into a makeshift room with walls made of cardboard boxes and yellow masking tape forming a grid on the floor and walls.

"This is our training room," Tupperware says, "We use virtual reality to test our powers and prepare for any disasters, crimes, or anything that could go wrong in our quiet mountain town." I raise an eyebrow and cock my head in confusion.

(What virtual reality? There's nothing here but tape and boxes.) I hear Tupperware give a soft chuckle as he turns towards an I-pad. He types in a code and everything suddenly goes dark. The masking tape glows a cyan blue while the walls glow a navy blue. My eyes widen as I stare around the transformed room.

(I never knew boxes and tape could do this!) Tupperware removes the I-pad from its stand and turns to face me.

"Ok New Kid," he declares, "I've selected three beginner classes for you to choose from. You can choose from Speedster, Brutalist, or Blaster. Each class has different levels of brawn, brains, spunk, health, and movement. Brawn increases the damage done by melee attacks, brains increase the damage done by ranged, mental, and magic attacks, spunk increases the effects of support abilities like healing and shielding, health, of course, affects how large your maximum health is, and movement increases how many spaces you can move on the battle grid. Our training program will create a set of powers for you based on which class you choose. Here, pick the one you like the best." He hands me the tablet. I look at the pictures of the superheroes with their specific class. I tap each picture to see their affects. Speedster and Brutalist are nearly the same; they mostly have brawn affects with one spunk affect. I then look over at the third class, Blaster. I look over its four attacks in awe.

(Great range, burn affects, and a sweet costume to boot! I think I found my class.) I press the button for select class and return the I-pad to Tupperware.

"A blaster huh," he remarks, "By my calculations, you made an excellent choice. Now, let's get you suited up." He opens us his hands and points them towards me. A pixelated blue light rises from the ground around me. My clothes begin to change as the ring of light rises around me. My black sneakers turn white, my blue jeans turn navy blue, my cape disappears and my blue t-shirt turns black with yellow and orange flame prints and wings, my crown transforms into a helmet with glow sticks and eye-goggles attached. I also gain black gloves with ketchup and mustard bottles taped on them. The ring of light disappears as I look at my new costume. As I look down, my helmet slides over my eyes. I softly grunt as I push it back on top of my head.

"Heh, don't worry about the helmet dude," Tupperware chuckles, "You can ditch it after you practice your moves." He types something into the tablet and another pixelated ring of blue light appears around my head. I feel my brain slightly vibrate before the ring expands the entire room. The room begins to glow a very light blue that nearly blinds me. When my sight returns, I see the hallway of the house I once lived in when I was six. I give Tupperware a shocked and confused look.

"We use our memories of certain places and events for the virtual reality training," Tupperware explains, "Guess I forgot to mention it. The program chooses the memory, not me. … At least not until I get the Danger Deck program up and running. It's an extreme combat program with special challenges."

(That sounds sweet!) I then see three figures begin to pixelate into the room. I slightly squint my eyes to make out their features. As the images begin to take shape, I feel my eyes widen and my blood begin to chill.

(… Oh no! Not them! Anything but them!) The three figures take shape and reveal themselves as the three thugs that once broke into my house when I was six. The faces of the large men were burned into my memory since that day. I couldn't sleep so well that night. I slid out of my bed and walked to the large mirror on my wall. I just … stared at myself, wondering if it was because of me that we were constantly moving, why my parents were strict on when I could go outside and play, why they started fighting over me. I suddenly heard my mom scream from my parents' bedroom. I jumped at the noise and ran to my door to see what was happening. As I stepped into the hallway, I saw the three thugs climb into our house through the bathroom mirror. The look the biggest one gave me when he saw me chilled me to the bone. I always thought they were child molesters or murderous thieves. I was able to scare them away by turning on my toy police car's siren after barricading myself in my room. After I saw that they were gone, I ran to my parents' room. How they didn't hear my toy going off at whole blast I will never know. What I saw once I opened my parents' door haunted my fragile six-year-old mind. Mixed with the scent of wine and what I now know as burned pot, I saw my dad fuck my mom.

"Douchebag," Tupperware yells, "Dude, are you ok? Snap out of it!" I feel my body being shook back and forth. I shake my head as the memory of that night vanishes back to the darkest depths of my mind. I thought that living in South Park and dealing with its daily shit for as long as I have would have scarred me worse than that night but looks like I was wrong. I've even fought an underpants gnome on my parents' bed while they were having sex, and still that memory haunts me more! I look down at my shaking hands and then up at Tupperware, who was holding my shoulders. He looks at the thugs and then back to me.

"… I detect great levels of fear and trauma emitting from you," Tupperware sighs, "These thugs must've done something horrible to you."

(He's trying to stay in character while trying to comfort me. … I have to admire his dedication to this game.) I take a deep breath and gently place my hands on his own. I give him a weak smile to let him know that I was going to be ok. I stop and think about what I've been doing since Toolshed freed me from Cartman's living room.

(… I've never been this open with anyone before, not even my own parents. In just the last game, I was emotionless and did whatever the guys asked of me, now I'm … smiling and having sentimental inner monologues. … I like this. You guys brought me out of my shell.) I give Tupperware a warmer smile as he lets go of my shoulders.

"I don't know what these guys did to you, but maybe beating the living shit out of these holograms will make you feel better," he offers. I can't help but smirk at his reply. The next thing I know, he programs a special simulation to test my Blaster powers. The larger thug disappears and the two smaller ones are left.

"Alright New Kid," Tupperware instructs, "your first attack is called Triple Burn. You can create three fireballs to throw at an enemy at least three squares ahead of you. It also gives them a burning affect that lasts for three turns. Try it out on the thug with the baseball cap." I suddenly feel a warm sensation in my veins traveling through my arms into my hands, as if my blood had turned into fire. I focus on the first thug and charge my first attack. I feel the fire burning inside of my palms. The fire burns hotter and hotter. I see the first fireball form in my right hand as I pull my hand back. I launch the three fireballs at the thug alternating hands, starting with my right. I watch my foe knock back with each blow and I see flames emerge on his body. My attack drains 18 points of health from him.

"Awesome job New Kid," Tupperware compliments, "Now get ready, it's the holograms' turns to attack."

"Shit, this little flamer means business," the first thug growls.

"Didn't your mom tell you not to play with fire," the second thug behind the first one snarls. The second hologram moves in and swings his crowbar like a baseball bat against my face. I feel a sharp stinging and throbbing sensation on my left cheek as I lose 10 health points.

(AHHH SHIT THAT HURTS!) I've been used to receiving blows like this in our last game and have learned to keep a mostly straight face when I received the attacks, but that doesn't stop me from feeling the full affects of the attack. I'll most likely develop a bruise after this. I fight the urge to rub my cheek as I glare at the holograms.

"You left us no choice, kid," the first thug hisses. He moves in, next to the second hologram's right side. Once he ends his move, a large flame burns his legs and groin, causing 10 points of damage.

(Karma's a bitch, isn't it … even though I don't believe in karma.) I see the third thug come in from the bathroom, looking at me as if he's ready to rip me to pieces. He stops two spaces behind the second thug.

"Ok New Kid," Tupperware instructs, "It's now your turn to attack. Try using your second attack, the Heat Wave. It pushes back at least three enemies in a vertical line in front of you. It can also give your enemies knockback damage if they hit an object, another enemy, or if they are pushed back by one of your allies." I feel a power surge build up in my left hand. I pull my left arm back as the energy grows and collects into my hand. Once I feel the energy build up to its maximum, I whip my hand towards the thugs and three waves of energy push them back, making both of them lose 16 health points. Tupperware wasn't kidding about the knockback damage because the second thug is thrown into the third thug, leaching 16 health points from each of them.

"Excellent," Tupperware compliments, "You're doing great Douchebag."

"Hey you can't push us around like that," the second thug fumes. He advances and strikes me again with the same attack he did before. I am once again greeted by the bitch slap of a crowbar.

(AHHH TUFF TITTY WHOMPUS!) I watch as the third thug moves in behind the second thug, followed by the third thug moving behind the third thug and receiving another burn affect.

"It's time for your third attack New Kid," Tupperware informs, "Its called the Plasma Beam. It allows you hit a row of enemies in the six spaces in front of you." I feel another power surge build up in my chest. I position my hands into a makeshift triangle around my heart as I prepare to release the energy beam. I continue to charge my attack as a growing ball of pure energy appears between my hands. Once the ball is large enough, I push my hands out towards the thugs, directing the beam straight through them. I watch as the first thug falls dead on the ground.

"So much … range…" he gasps as he disappears from the grid. I expected the second thug to attack me like before, but when his turn comes he just moves to my far right.

"I'll just get out of the way…," he murmurs. I turn my attention to the third thug and my blood turns to ice. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under right now. His teeth are bared, his fists are clenched and shaking, and his eyes look as if they were on fire. He moves in on me and just plain wails on me with an onslaught of punches followed by a kick that knocks me back, dealing me 20 damage points. I grimace as I try not to fall on my ass.

(Fucking… Dammit.)

"Not so hot now, ya little flamer," he taunts.

"Yeah, we showed him," the second thug stammers. As I recover my balance, I feel something pulse in my gut. I don't think it's the same thing as my power surges for my regular attacks. I look over to Tupperware, only to see him with a pleased smirk.

"You've filled up your Ultimate Attack meter," Tupperware informs, "You build it up when you correctly perform attacks or receive damage while recovering from it. It empowers you with a special attack that deals great deals of damage to your foes or aids you and your allies in battle. Your Ultimate Attack is called Backfire Blast; it deals a great amount of damage and leaves both burning and gross out affects to all your targets. Use it to finish off these scrotum bags!"

I nod and smirk in reply as I activate my final attack. I create a fireball and swallow it. My eyes turn to flames as I feel the power and heat build up and travel down through my gut. The fire continues to burst through my intestines, heading for my anus. I turn around to aim the blast at the remaining thugs. As the fire warms my anal walls, I push the fire out, unleashing a powerful fart that finishes off the final two thugs. I turn around as they disappear from the grid.

"Training simulation complete," Tupperware announces. I watch as the room pixelates back into the boxes and tape. I quietly let out a sigh of relief as I remove the bulky helmet and wipe the beads of sweat off my forehead.

"Nice job New Kid," Tupperware congratulates, "You're now ready to head out into the field. Just so you know, you can come see me if you want to change classes. I'll let Doctor Timothy know we're finished." He walks out of the training room and heads towards Doctor Timothy's room. I walk into the center of our base, waiting for the Doc to let me in. I place the helmet on the floor next to the costume rack. I can hear the hushed voices of Doctor Timothy and Tupperware behind the curtain, but I can't make out what they're saying. The voices die out and Tupperware emerges from the curtain.

"He's ready for you man," he says, "I'm heading out. I'll see you later." He offers me a fist bump, which I gladly return, before he trudges up the stairs. I walk over to Doctor Timothy's quarters and pull back the curtain. I step into the room and move the curtain back in place. It looks just like the training room but smaller. I notice a sheet spread out across the back wall, as if it was hiding something. I stare at it for a few seconds before turning back to Timmy. I will ask him about it later. I stand directly in front of Doctor Timothy, waiting to be let out into the field.

[Tupperware has informed me of your class and training results. … He also informed me about your … episode in the training room. Are you sure you're alright?] As if on instinct, my eyes drop to the floor. I swallow hard, trying to keep myself form freezing up again. I force myself to stare at the Doc again. He gives me a look of concern.

[Sally… if you need to talk about it, don't hesitate to talk to me. You are a member of my team, and I want you to feel that you can trust your leader. I'm very good at keeping secrets. All I can say outside of telepathy is my own name after all.] I can't help but giggle at that last part. I think it over for a while.

(I know that I can't straight out talk. I don't know what will happen to Doctor Timothy if he hears my voice outside of my head. I got lucky last time at Stark's Pond.) I know from the government agents that tried to bomb and nuke the town that I have the ability to make hundreds of friends on any social media with a single post. I can also make people believe what I believe when I write something along with the post, such as when I showed support for Butter's "Wieners Out" movement. For obvious reasons, I couldn't pull down my pants and underwear to join the march, but I had to do something so they would still think I was a boy. Instead I posted a pic of Butter's sign and wrote "Support our brothers in this time of crisis. Join the sausage party! #Wieners Out!" Overnight, over half of the entire fourth grade boys had joined the movement after seeing my post. I don't know what would happen if I spoke out directly.

Before moving to South Park, my parents forced me to stay away from most social events and stay silent when we went out or when I went to school. I've been silent for years; the earliest I remember talking was when I said, "Screw you guys, I'm going home," to Stan, Kyle, and Cartman after getting rid of the Stick of Truth. I had to deepen my voice to sound like a boy's. I haven't directly spoken to my parents for years. My mom is able to understand me alright, but my dad gets pretty angry when I don't talk to him. What did he expect? I have been taught not to talk to anyone, which includes them. I mean I love my dad to pieces, but he doesn't need to scold me for doing what he taught me.

[Sally? Please talk to me.]

I shake my head to turn my attention back to Doctor Timothy. I really let my mind wander. I give Timothy a look of worry. I tap my head to let him know that I want to talk in my mind. He stares at me for a few seconds before nodding and starting the link. I don't feel dizzy this time, luckily. When the link is finished, I approach Timmy.

(Timmy, you know that I gain thousands of followers on my social media in just one day, and that the government wants me because of it, right?)

[… Yes. What of it?]

(And you remember how I helped Butters gain support for "Wieners Out" by posting about it, right?)

[… Sally, what are you saying?]

(… I can manipulate people through social media. Who's to say I can't manipulate people period? I make friends by just walking up to strangers. I make people take my side with a few texts. Imagine what could happen if I actually talked. I could make anyone do whatever I wanted. The people here in this mountain town already take things too seriously; I could bring worse things than the potential bombing those government agents almost did because of me! … As much as I would love to test this on a few choice people, I thinks it's too big of a risk.)

[… What does this have to do with what happened in the training room? I did not ask for why you stay silent. I wanted to give you closure, not be an audience to your noble speech.]

(… I think I've been spending a little too much time with Kyle. I've never been that preachy. Sorry about that. The reason I froze is because those thugs broke into my old house when I was six. I scared them off with one of my toys, but my parents didn't come out of their room. When I went to check on them I …)

[Sally? What happened, what did you see?]

(… I saw my dad … fuck my mom.)

[… You watched your parents have sex?]

(I don't know why it haunts me. Compared to the shit we've dealt with here, it should be nothing. But no matter what I do, I still shut down when I remember that day.)

[I suppose seeing your parents penetrate each other at that age would cause some trauma. But I agree, living in South Park for just one day would scare anyone for life.]

(Yeah … As much as I would love to continue this therapy session, I think I would like to go out into the field now. I think punching people I don't like soothe my nerves.)

[Heh, you're right. I've kept you here a bit too long. But if you ever need to talk about what happened, don't hesitate to see me.]

(Thanks Doc. … Wait, an I controlling you right now?)

[I don't think so. I am immune to some forms of manipulation, since I am a physic. And I didn't agree with you when you explained why you don't talk. I suppose your powers only affect others when you perform them physically such as posting. You won't have to worry about this in here.]

(Well that's good. Let's finish my initiation.) Everything goes white again. I flutter my eyes open when the light dims again. I look to Doctor Timothy, waiting for his approval to move into the field.

[Alright then Sally, our goal is not only to help the people of South Park, it is to make billions of dollars for our franchise plan. In order to do that, we need to gain as many followers as we can on our Coonstagram page. If you are willing, I would like for you to earn as many followers as you can for our cause. I know what you're thinking, but we're not going to let the government track you down again. All you have to do is take selfies with as many people as you can. Whenever you post something on Coonstagram, I will manipulate the image by slightly bending the reality around it. That way we will great a multitude of followers for our franchise and the government won't come after you, no matter how many posts you make. Here, take one with me and I'll show you.] I suddenly hear my new phone ping. I unlock my screen and see an app button.

(How did … He can manipulate reality, why not use it to give me free apps?)

[All the photos you take will be added to your profile and be linked to our page. Try it out.] I move in closer to Timmy as I open up the camera and set it to selfie mode. I hold out my phone to catch both of us in the frame. I put on a smile and click the button, taking a selfie of both me and Timmy smiling. I then here a "woohoo" come from my phone.

[That means that the person you took a selfie with is now following you. They can now post messages and photos onto your page, which will also help keep the government from tracking you down. Some people will be willing to selfie with you right off the bat, but you may need to complete a mission or do them a favor before they will take a selfie with you. Now before you go out, I will give you a quick crash course in the other apps you will need for your missions.] I hear my phone ping again and I notice seven new apps.

[The map shows you where in South Park you are and where emergencies or missions can be found. It also keeps track of how many missions or tasks you have on hand. The costumes app allows you to change into different outfits. Don't worry, they don't affect your fighting ability. The powers app allows you to mix and match powers you earn. It won't really come into use until you gain another class. You can have up to four classes at one time. The allies app allows you to change between team members to fight beside with. Of course, you will need to go on missions or help them out before they can join you in battle. The character sheet shows your status, powers, kryptonite, religion, friends and allies, sexuality, gender, and other attributes to your character. I'll make sure that only you can see your sheet, so the rest of the team won't know that you are a girl if you put it on there. The crafting app allows you to make new costumes, artifacts, and consumables to help raise your might and give you an edge in battle. The items app shows what mission items you have or have gotten and what consumables you have earned. All of these new apps will help you identify as your own hero and will help you protect our town and make a great deal of money. I just have one more thing for you before you go.] He wheels over to a box and takes something out of it. He rolls back to me and hands me a blue notebook with a mechanical pencil attached to the spiral holder. I stare at the notebook in confusion.

[This is for you to be able to communicate with us. Communication is key to a successful team after all. I believe that this will allow you to connect with the team better. I don't know if your powers will work in written form, so be careful with what you write. I must get back to my work now. You're all set to go Sally, make us proud.] I look at the notebook again and open it to the first page. I quickly write something down on it before turning it over for Timmy to see.

{Retribution but with inclusion.} We give each other a salute before I secure my notebook onto my belt, leave his chamber, and rush up the stairs and out of Tupperware's house. I stop just as my feet hit the snow, making a subtle crunching sound. I breathe in the fresh mountain air and gaze into the horizon.

(Get ready South Park, your newest hero is on the scene!) I open my map app to find my first mission as the newest member of Freedom Pals.

Author's note:

Holy Shit! I finally finished after months of writing and planning. Thank you all for supporting the story so far. Sorry if I hadn't updated in a while. I blame writer's block and school work. I write the story as I go. I'll try to finish chapter 4 as soon as I can.

A few notes on my story. I know that there are already characters named Sally in the show, such as Sally Turner and Sally Darson. I was originally going to name my New Kid Roxanne, or Roxy for short, but I just thought that Sally worked better for her. I also want to make a few notes on the dialogue.

(…) is Sally's inner dialogue

{…} is Sally's written dialogue

[…] is Doctor Timothy's dialogue

I decided to give Sally a notepad to write down her thoughts for a few laughs.

I was originally going to have Mysterion train Sally, but I decided that Tupperware was a better match since he controls the Danger Deck DLC.

The phrase "Tuff Titty Whompus" is from Final Space, an adult cartoon created by Olan Rogers. It's an awesome show and I highly recommend watching it. It's on TBS and on Demand.

I want to give thanks to .one and . for giving me information about the status affects of the game. I also want to give thanks to Just Call Me Buttlord on Fanfiction for giving me the idea that the New Kid doesn't talk because of her fear of controlling people with it. I highly recommend reading her stories.

For those who like my Sonic Transformers story, I would like to continue it, but I think I will have to scrap the beginning and so a new one. I don't think Optimus knowing Sonic's father before hand is a good idea anymore.

Thank you all again for your follows and favorites. I will try and finish the future chapters quicker.