*Chapter 140*
Tessa heaved a silent, annoyed sigh at herself. The fact that she had been sat with the task of trying to get used to smaller hands, was now something all her hard work was going to easily forget. Her hands fumbled to pack hers and Zed's small backpack, though she idly looked about the messy room, as if to somehow hope that if they left it like such, it'd be morally alright. She wrinkled an annoyed smile, memories of the night prior came flooding back to her. A heated mess of emotion, she knew the two overloaded each other with their worries, their souls, and everything they were temporarily made of. She knew, coming back home to the arcade, would add a whole slew of added worries she was glad they could forget for one night. She was thankful for this experience, no matter how horrible the edges looked. She knew the two had gotten a rare opportunity to test out their act of forbidden love, without repercussions. Or so she thought.
"So," Tessa's voice crackled, she tucked her messy hair behind her ear and glanced at Zed's figure across the room. He materialized a few things that he was certain they'd need, once they were back in lonely Litwak's. He cued to her, by only lightly tilting his face to her direction, though he kept his eyes glued to his important task, "How... How exactly is this going to work? Break in, wipe the cabinet clean, head back to Tron?"
"Essentially," Zed uttered, he squinted and finally tore his eyes to the balcony glass doors. The sun was now higher in the sky, a late, hazy Sunday morning fell over California. The two were properly dressed for their trek back to their home, "We need to rid the game of the virus... Radex. Once we do that, the game files will go back to how it originally was, before this mess happened."
"So... No one will be harmed, right?" Tessa worried, she scrunched her eyebrows downward in a sweep of sorrow and looked down to the warm, swirling carpet designs. Her heart grew terribly sore, over the fact that she so badly missed her family.
"No one, but Radex, will be harmed," Zed assured confidently with a small nod and a kind smile. His grey eyes sunk back into what he was working on, "If we're lucky, we can maybe say hi to them."
"What?" Tessa finally pushed a smile to her face and bet herself she could keep it, "You mean, by the game cabinet's screen?"
"Yeah," Zed chuckled as he finally powered down the materializer and glanced at his helmet and light-cycle baton, which was at the ready on his nightstand, "Y'never know."
"What about... Breaking into the building?" Tessa worried, she realized how quickly she lost the bet with herself as her smile vanished, "Surely there's like... An alarm system, or something?"
"Well... Usually someone is at Litwak's, on Sunday morning, finishing up paperwork and such," Zed continued as he finally stepped around the bed and began to search for his shoes, "I've always noticed some sort of added presence to the buildings on closed arcade Sundays."
"So, what, you're hoping that, whoever it is, will just let us in to 'play some games'?" Tessa used air quotes and gave Zed a confused, nervous look, "Surely they'll see right through that..."
"Nope, we'll tell them we got a call about one of the game cabinets not acting the way it's supposed to, and we're here to fix the problem," Zed lazily shrugged, as if he was certain his plan would work, "I mean, we have the equipment... I can be pretty convincing."
Tessa cocked an eyebrow and idly looked down, "Last night was enough proof of that."
Zed gave her a bashful, though almost annoyed smile and let his thumb messily gloss over the powered down screen of his materializer. He scoffed a chuckle, looked down, shook his head and hooked his kind, knowing gaze into her once more.
"Things are going to be really different, once we go back," Zed's warm voice quietly urged, in such a tone that led to suggest they potentially had hours to shoot the breeze.
"You think everyone will be mad at us?" Tessa worried as she slowly zipped the backpack, as if to somehow convey to Zed that she didn't want to leave this realm just yet. The fact that they could show each other their undying, unconditional love to each other, without complications, made her almost wish they weren't leaving. She knew going back home meant eventually following through with the swap that could make or break their entire lives; forget saving Sugar Rush.
"I don't think so," Zed grumbled, as if he himself wasn't sure of said notion, "If we save the game, they won't have any room to be mad at us, quite frankly."
"Touche," Tessa softly peered out the window, her pupils shrunk as the warm sunshine flood her whole being, "Thank you for bringing me here, Zed... It's... It's taught me a lot."
"Yeah?" Zed wondered, as if he was surprised that they were in the same boat.
"Yeah... I learned how small we are," Tessa said, almost sadly, as if to suggest fighting for Sugar Rush wasn't as dire as everyone made it out to be, though she knew said notion was never true, "Even though we are simply plopped in a computer, and our lives are far less important than that of the users' lives, out here... We still have a purpose."
Zed softened his shoulders slightly and gave her his whole attention, as if he was simply being treated to a verbal epilogue of their twenty four hour fairy tale. He gave her a kind smile, with said thought, and let his eyes gloss over her, for everything that she was. He almost felt his heart ache at the simple fact that heading back to the circuitboards and strict, coding regimens of their actual lives meant showing her physical love, like what he had gotten a good taste of, was almost off limits... Unless to risk death.
"And... Coming out here, with you, just so you could prove to me that Radex's plan had backfired," Tessa scoffed, shook her head, and set a loving smile into Zed's existence, "It took guts to stand up to me. I'm aware you now know my weak points and, well... I-I guess I have a soft spot for bad guys with blue hair."
Zed beamed a knowing smile and looked down to the carpet, he crossed his arms lazily and felt himself becoming full of her love.
"We have a lot of explaining to do, when we get back home," Tessa mumbled, she kindly looked down to her beautiful engagement ring and couldn't help but smile at just what it stood for, "I just can't wait to tell everyone about this place. They won't believe us for a second."
"I'm also bracing myself for a second throw around, via the biggest baddest guy in all of Arcade," Zed uttered, as if the idea of proposing to Tessa, without proper consent from her parents, was something he used to not be so frightened about, though the more it sat with him, the more he began to worry.
"I think my mom is the one you'll really have to worry about," Tessa said under her breath, though loud enough for Zed to hear. She scoffed a hard giggle and zipped up the backpack. She slung it into her back and fastened the slings, though Zed gave her a hard look of scared curiosity.
"Your mom? Really? Over your dad?" Zed worried with a forced smile, as if to somehow convince himself he wasn't as worried as he truly was.
"My mom has my dad's wrecking abilities, you know," Tessa blurted as she moved across the room, towards her shoes; a weird notion she was glad she didn't have to get used to, "She's the ultimate Queen. I know you probably view me as the Queen of Sugar Rush, the one to inherit it all, but... She's the core of the game. I think you underestimate her."
"Well now I certainly don't," Zed heaved through a huff of a sigh and bent down to straighten his laces a little, "I'll get a beat down from all angles..."
"You brought it upon yourself, dude," Tessa smiled as she wiggled her toes into her shoes, a foreign act she grimaced at, though she raised her eyebrows in dewy surprise as Zed finally moved around their messy bed and approached her.
"I'm aware the consequences," Zed's deep, charming voice grew quiet. His sharp, grey stare pierced into hers with growing cheek, "I knew what I was getting myself into. You're worth every battle."
Tessa quickly smiled and looked down, in a fit of bashfulness, though she quickly brought her stare back to his. She let her teeth show through, once and for all, and shook her head in disbelief.
"Promise me, through this mess, that this chaos, that we call our relationship, never fades away," Tessa quietly asked, as if she was on the verge of pleading, like stepping back into the Arcade would somehow continue to throw curve balls at their every single glance, "... You're the only constant thing I have, in this moment."
"Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you, Tess," Zed quietly assured as he grew closer, his kind hands out reached for hers, "Additives, no additives... Coding, no coding. Sugar rush, no sugar rush..."
Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in growing anguish and let her sorrowful gaze slide aimlessly down Zed's chest. He was wearing the clothes he had on the day prior, though they looked as if they were on the verge of showing signs of wrinkles.
"Your father said something very important to me, before we parted ways," Zed inquired, his brows scrunched as he re-positioned his footing and have Tessa an inquisitive look, "He said, no matter what, the only thing he wants to remain constant is his family. Us. He didn't care if we all lived in a card board box in Game Central Station... He'd give up the crown, as long as it meant his family remained."
Tessa nodded and felt her eyes grow heavy with tears, she hooked her eyes into Zed's, and almost begged for him to continue on with information about her family; people she knew she'd miss, though she wasn't aware she'd miss them this much.
"I'm going to make sure to follow in his footsteps," Zed gently assured with a small nod and stern look of unconditional love, "I will do anything and everything I can to bring Sugar Rush to normality... And I will greatly need your help."
"Of course," Tessa quietly meeped with a nervous nod.
"Good," Zed smiled, "We'd better get going... We've already wasted enough time."
Before the two could contemplate tossing themselves back to the bed, stripping themselves of reality and wasting away in their vulnerable limbo, they hesitantly left the hotel room and, as quietly and sneakily as they could, they vanished from their twenty four hour nest, high above the city smog and lights. As Zed's light cycle roared into the concrete chaos, Tessa routinely scrunched her body closer and tighter to his. She let the hot sunshine, against the blinding asphalt, lull her mind into a gentle, conscious comatose, as if she merely was sat in a dream, a haze of a cloud that grumbled over the liquid tar. She finally let her eyes lull closed as she rested her head against the back of Zed's shoulder. She was thankful he was driving; he seemingly knew his naive way around, and she was glad she could take a second to think about every single wrong-doing that plagued her. She scrunched her eyes closed tighter and began to curse her subconscious for even suggesting to move such a thought into her mind.
Zed heaved a shaky sigh amidst his skilled weaving through foreign traffic. He tilted his head down and tried his very hardest not to let his mind get lost in the white-lined haze of the fast paced street the two rocketed down, alongside dozens of other much larger vehicles. His soul was caked with overloaded, anxious shards of thoughts. He knew the task at hand was likely going to be a challenge, though somehow he was beginning to fear the reality that was quickly approaching them. The fact that they could so easily be landed in jail, never to return, be discovered for just who they really were. Zed knew the world wasn't ready for such chaos, and their minds weren't ready for such unfamiliar turmoil. His heart jolted with more purpose at the mere fact that he was Tessa's protector, in this very moment. He swore to bring her here, right their wrongs, and bring her back, without so much as one hair damaged. He finally felt a smirk grace his mouth; the two had left two innocent souls, and were returning with far more than they ever bargained for.
As the ride began to smooth out, slow down and drone to a more comfortable mosey, Tessa finally peeked open her tired eyes and got a good look around. The familiar, lazy palm trees and cozy neighborhoods, in which she was curious about the day prior, finally graced her eyes once more. She perked up a little and felt her heart jump in dire need. She was floored to peer over Zed's shoulder and see none other than their very homeland. Litwak's Family Fun Center sat in poised, lazy Sunday stillness. She couldn't help but smile the widest, closed mouth smile and sink farther into Zed's body. She could practically taste Sugar Rush's sweet, clean air once more. She knew the first thing she was going to do, once back home, was lay down in her own bed and soak in every single pixel of her home she was now certain she took for granted all those months. She knew, however, once they grew closer to the building, that it was indeed go time. She collected her wandering thoughts and honed her mind onto the task at hand; breaking and entering.
"Alright," Zed eased quietly as he stopped the bike around the side of the building, where they had hung the day prior. Once Tessa dismounted the bike, Zed quickly powered it down, so to avoid drawing attention to them, "We have to be quick about this..."
"What if we run into one of the workers?" Tessa whispered as Zed's bike clanked and buzzed in it's usual way. It folded and caved in on itself to ravel back into the circuit-ridden baton of it's powered down form, though in this real world, it acted as if it were becoming a chore.
"We pretend we're there to fix the cabinet, otherwise... We just get in, fix the games, and get back to where the Tron cabinet is," Zed whispered as the two stood close to each other, though Zed looked over his shoulder and noticed a pathway that led around the back of the building, "Just follow my lead... If we run into anyone, just let me do the talking. We can't blow our cover."
"What, and I'd blow said cover by opening my mouth?" Tessa hissed in an annoyed whisper as the two began to slowly and quietly circle the building; Zed shot her an annoyed smile of disbelief, which cued Tessa to slump her shoulders, "Shut up."
"It's okay... I'll come up with the excuses, User-erm... God forbid we're caught," Zed fumbled on his words, albeit quietly.
The two quickly walked over loved, worn cobbles that led to the back of the building. Zed inhaled a shaky breath and merely glanced back at Tessa as she fastened the backpack tighter to her spine. She cocked an eyebrow, her facial expression was riddled with all sorts of inquiring, anxious notions, though her solid eye contact told Zed that she had braced herself for this silent fit of chaos. Zed nodded softly and peered back to the tattered, though sturdy metal door that was roughly labelled 'employee entrance'. He scrunched his face nervously, as if he couldn't believe they were about to dive in head first into this mess. He lightly jostled the door handle and, much to his surprise, the door began to slowly creak open. He grit his teeth and squinted his eyes, all while silently cursing at the noisy, cranky metal door. As he stuck his neck out and peered into the long, dark hallway that led into the back area of Litwak's, he let his eyes embrace the dimmer surroundings and was thrilled to feel Tessa melt into the building with him. With a gentle thud, the two were closed into the arcade, a place in which they called home, though as if having to blindly map out a rearranged structure, they were certain this was going to be harder than they thought.
The two silently stepped down the hallway, though with a simple, gentle shove, Zed pushed his palm back and into the side of Tessa's hip, to cue her to stop, as they reached the first door of the hallway. With the gaping, open door, and light coming from the small office, Zed's eyes intelligently scanned the frame. He noticed a small name placard labelled 'Mr. Litwak'. He swallowed a hard gulp and could hardly believe they were about to merely pass the office of the man who owned their entire existence. Through scared, grey eyes, he painfully peered into the room as slowly as he could and heaved a sigh of relief as he noticed the office was empty. He swiped his hand forward, just barely, to motion Tessa farther along, though they knew they weren't out of the woods just yet. As they approached a bend in the hallway, they curved the corner and were quietly graced with the foreign sight of their home land. Rows and rows of arcade games that sat in eerie silence, even though everything was powered on. Zed squinted, as if to be in awe, and slumped his shoulders just barely. He could feel the same vibe eek off of Tessa, as well, as she scoot closer to his side.
Zed ever so gently took a few steps out into the massive, darker arcade room. The stiff carpet scuffed against the soles of his shoes, though his footsteps grew clumsy and not so quiet. He gawked in their total silence, his eyes scanned every single game he would pass by, in stations that were colossal towers in another life. He dared to let his trembling hand just barely find the soft, worn buttons of Street Fighter as he passed by it. He could feel Tessa just barely part from his presence, to live in her own out of body experience as well. Just as Zed was about to open his mouth and very quietly inquire that the two search for Sugar Rush, he suddenly felt his skin raise with goosebumps, and his blood freeze in scared anticipation. He could feel the presence of another soul, though it was only confirmed as his eyes just barely glossed over the Fix-It Felix Jr. cabinet, which was a handful of cabinets down the row he traveled. His scared, humbled eyes landed on an old man who diligently, and lovingly, cleaned off Ralph's game. Zed stopped dead in his tracks, which cued Tessa to very shortly after, as well, as she caught onto his sharp and sudden demeanor. The two hung in wait before Mr. Litwak as his tired eyes looked up from the thirty year old game cabinet he loved on. As if at an impasse, the three froze in a growing air of humbled shock.