Chapter 24
Everything was quiet on the spaceship, aside from the sounds of Rumbi cleaning up the main room. Hat Kid was currently asleep in her bed; while Arthur was currently in the machine room, sitting against the wall and drawing. The young boy needed some time to clear his mind before heading to bed after what happened at the Award Ceremony today.
It was needless to say that he was still bitter and angry at the Conductor for treating them like expendable, meaningless trash cans since day one. Sure, maybe he did start acting nice after the premiere of his first movie, but it turned out it was only because he got a good score. Nothing else. The strange owl stated it himself: he didn't care about them. And it was further proven during the ceremony. In the end, the Conductor was like all the others: only thinking about himself and his damn success.
Well, it didn't matter anymore. They all got what they wanted: the Conductor got his victory and they got the Time Pieces. Now they had to focus on which place to go next to look for more Time Pieces.
Although Arthur couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling he got. He didn't know why but... he felt like there was still something left unfinished in Dead Bird Studio. Sure enough, there was no more movies to record and they got all of the Time Pieces, right? He shook his head, brushing off the thought. Maybe he was just overthinking...
Suddenly, the twelve-years-old boy jolted in surprise as a familiar ringtone was heard in the machine room. Looking around frantically, he noticed that the sound was coming from the phone next to the door leading to the main room. Wait, Hat Kid had a phone in her spaceship? He didn't know that. But why did it sound like the ringtone they heard multiple times during the recording of 'Murder on the Owl Express'? But most importantly, who was calling them? Well, since Hat Kid was in bed right now, he might as well answer for her.
Arthur put his drawing aside, then he got up to his feet and walked up to the phone. He picked it up and placed it against his ear.
"Uh, hello?" he asked through the phone. There was a short silence before he eventually received an answer. To his shock, it was the same scratchy and distorted voice that he heard during 'Murder on the Owl Express'.
"The annual bird movie award was rigged. It was an inside job. The winner knows about the power of the Time Pieces. He's been keeping one and he's going to break it," the person on the phone said. Arthur formed a shocked expression. The Conductor knew about the true power of the Time Pieces and he still had one left? Maybe that explained his behavior during the Award Ceremony... Hang on, he was planning to break the Time Piece? Ohhh, that wasn't good...
"The truth lies buried underneath Dead Bird Studio. What goes on in Dead Bird Studio when no one is around?" the voice continued. "Blow the cover on this thing, darling." Arthur's eyes widened in shock after hearing the way the person had just called him.
"'Darling'? DJ Grooves, is that-"
*CLICK*
They hung up before Arthur could finish his question.
"Dammit..." the young boy said, placing the phone back on the wall. This was bad! The Conductor had a Time Piece in his possession, and if he was planning to use it, then it would lead to nothing good. But why would he need a Time Piece though? Arthur shook his head. He had no time to ask himself questions. He had to warn Hat Kid at once, so they can stop the Conductor before he can turn back time.
Arthur began to make his way to Hat Kid's bedroom to wake her up and warn her about the situation. However, after reaching the main room, he came to a halt when he passed next to the hatch. As he glanced at said hatch, he began hesitating on telling Hat Kid about it. The Conductor had already sent her through an emotional rollercoaster during the ceremony. Plus, if he intended on using the Time Piece to rewind time, then chances are he won't be giving it up without a fight. Arthur was worried on how far the Conductor was willing to go to keep the Time Piece and how dangerous he could be. If he was like his own father then...
No, peck it! He was going to confront the Conductor alone. Hat Kid's life was more important than his. Without her, no one else will be able to protect the Time Pieces from being misused and the universe will be in danger. Him? Who cares? He was not important... So he had to try retrieving the Time Piece on his own. With a little luck and if the Conductor had at least the slight bit of common sense, Arthur might still be able to reason with him and avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
Having made his decision, the twelve-years-old boy went to his bed and picked up the sheet to use it as a parachute, before making his way to the hatch. As he placed his hand on the handle, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.
"Where are you going?" they asked. Arthur sighed in annoyance as he recognized the voice.
"What do you want, jar-stache? I don't have time to listen to your jaw flap right now," he said annoyed, turning around to face the person who was none other than the Mafia Boss. Ever since the crime lord arrived on the spaceship after Mustache Girl turned his body into mush and put his remains in a jar, he would always complain, insult the duo or ranting about wanting to take revenge on them. However, he would immediately quiet down every time Arthur threatened to throw him out of the spaceship if he didn't shut up. Whatever the Mafia Boss had to say now, the young boy surely didn't have time for it.
"Stop calling me 'jar-stache', boy! It's rude!" the Mafia Boss said angrily, jumping up and down.
"What's rude is installing yourself into people's place without their consent, like you were the damn house chief," Arthur retorted with an unamused look.
"I already told you! It's repayment for the loss of my body!" the jarred crime lord reminded him bitterly.
"I think I would've prefered paying a bill rather than dealing with your company right now," Arthur said snarkily. The Mafia Boss fumed, jumping up and down in anger.
"Ugh, whatever! So where are you going anyway?" the crime lord asked again.
"Why do you care?" Arthur asked as he put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow at him.
"I don't. I'm simply curious," the Mafia Boss answered. The young boy rolled his eyes at him. He looked at the hatch, then back at the jarred crime lord with a sigh.
"I'm going to Dead Bird Studio. I got a call telling me that the Conductor still got a Time Piece left and he's gonna use it to rewind time. So I have to go there and stop that from happening," Arthur explained.
"Without the girl?" the Mafia Boss asked curiously, referring to Hat Kid.
"She doesn't need to be involved into this. I'm going alone," Arthur said. He then gave the jarred crime lord a stern look and added, "You wanna do me a favor? You keep your mouth shut and don't tell her about any of this. For now at least."
"Why?" the Mafia Boss asked.
Arthur sighed and said, "It's just something I gotta do. I don't know how dangerous it'll be, but Hat Kid's life is more important than mine and that's all you need to know. If I'm not back in a few hours, you can tell her that the Conductor still got one of her Time Pieces." He then formed a sad expression before adding, "And tell her... that I'm sorry and... I wish her good luck to find all the rest of the Time Pieces."
The Mafia Boss gave the boy an impressed look. Sure, he hated the boy for costing him his body and he wanted nothing more than kill him as revenge, but he had to admit he was impressed that Arthur was willing to sacrifice his own life for his friend. He admired his bravey, even if he was a rude little boy.
"Hm, okay then. If you wanna go, I'm not stopping you," the jarred crime lord said in an indifferent manner. Arthur rolled his eyes at him.
"Whatever, jar-stache. Anyway, I have to go now. And you keep quiet about it, you hear?" the twelve-years-old boy said with a serious look. The Mafia Boss simply made a shrug-like gesture with his body jar. Arthur sighed in annoyance at the lack of response from the jarred crime lord. Whatever, he had no time for that.
The young boy put his hand on the handle of the hatch. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, before forming a determined look and opening the hatch. Closing it behind him and readying his sheet, he jumped down to the planet below, leaving the Mafia Boss alone in the main room.
'Hmm, well I didn't say 'yes' and he didn't say anything else, so... I guess that makes the promise invalid," the jarred crime lord thought as he hopped away.
Arthur landed safely in the parking lot of Dead Bird Studio. Even though it was currently nighttime, he could still notice the lack of cars around here. However, he did spot the locomotive of the Owl Express parked on the nearby rails, which confirmed the presence of the Conductor inside the studio at the moment. There was no train car attached to the locomotive since most of them had been destroyed during the recording of 'Train Rush'.
Arthur shuddered while thinking of the recording session, which almost resulted in his death and the ones of Hat Kid and the Express Owls. He honestly didn't care if he died, but he couldn't let anyone else in his surroundings die too. Especially not Hat Kid, his only friend in this world or even his whole life... He shook his head. He had no time to dwell on that. He had to get in the studio and find the Conductor before he uses the Time Piece to rewind time.
The twelve-years-old boy left the sheet on the ground and walked towards the entrance. Sure enough, the automatic doors remained shut tight. The power inside the studio must have been turned off. He had to find another way to get inside the building.
Looking to the side, Arthur noticed a vent next to the entrance. Walking to it and crouching down in front of it, he looked through the tiny gaps in the vent cover. It seemed like it was leading to the reception. Good.
Arthur got up and pulled out his crowbar, then he used it to pry the vent cover open. He managed to do so after a few pulls, causing the cover to fall down on the ground. He crawled inside the vent and used his crowbar to pry open the second cover. Crawling out of the vent, he found himself in the reception. The lights were out and there was no sign of anyone here.
'Perfect time if you wanted to plot something in here,' Arthur thought as he looked around the dark and empty room.
The Conductor had to be hiding somewhere in the studio. The question is where. Arthur then remembered something he heard during the phone call earlier.
"The truth lies buried underneath Dead Bird Studio."
Underneath Dead Bird Studio... Oh, that's it! There must be some sort of basement around here somewhere. If he can find it, then he will find the Conductor. Arthur remembered seeing an elevator in the saloon-type building on the Conductor's side of the studio. Perhaps he could use it to get to lower levels.
The young boy walked up to the double doors leading to the Conductor's side and tried opening them.
"Locked. Figures..." Arthur muttered.
He decided to try the doors leading DJ Grooves' side too, but they were also locked. Arthur sighed in frustration. How was he going to get in there? The boy looked up and saw that the vent above the reception still hasn't been closed off. The receptionist must have either forgotten or didn't have time to take care of it. Arthur shrugged. If he got in the studio through there the first time, he could go through that way again.
Using DJ Grooves' trophy case to climb up, Arthur reached the vent and crawled through it. He landed on the boxes and took the same path he used when he snuck inside the studio with Hat Kid the first time. He made it to the conveyor; however, since there was no power, he couldn't activate it.
Looking at the distance between the conveyor and the other side, he figured that he could be able to cross the gap with a double jump, followed by a dive. More confident about his abilities now, he made the jump with less hesitation than usual and successfully made it to the other side.
He was now on the Conductor's side of the studio. Just before heading to the saloon-like building, he spotted something at the edge of the platform on the left. Even though it was dark, he could recognize the form of a yarn. Arthur figured that Hat Kid would probably be happy to have it, so he decided to pick it up for her. He used a clothes shelf to reach the platform and grabbed the yarn, putting it in his pocket before going back. He then took the path leading to the saloon-like building and pushed down the cactus cutout that was blocking his way.
Once inside the building, he saw the elevator on the left. He approached it and noticed the button was lit up. Good, that means that the elevator still had power. Arthur pressed the button and the doors opened. He then stepped inside and pressed the down button. After the doors closed, the elevator began moving down to the lowest level of the studio.
Hat Kid yawned tiredly as she walked outside of her bedroom and into the main room. She was in her pajamas and she had her purple slippers on her feet. In the middle of the night, she suddenly got thirsty and decided to get a glass of water. Walking up the ramp, she made her way to the kitchen and poured some water into a glass, before drinking it. Now feeling refreshed, she put the empty glass in the sink and left the kitchen.
She was about to head back to her bedroom when her eyes landed on Arthur's bed. She noticed that it was empty and that the sheet was missing. She formed a confused expression. She figured that Arthur would already be sleeping by now, but that was apparently not the case. Was he still drawing? She made her way to the machine room to see if he was there.
"Arthur?" Hat Kid called her friend's name as she looked around the room. But the boy was nowhere to be seen. Where was he?
She checked the gallery room as well, but he wasn't there either. At this point, she began to worry. She searched around in the basement, but still no sign of him. Hat Kid was panicking. She ran back in the main room and looked around frantically. Where was he? Where did Arthur go? ...He... he didn't leave her, did he? The young girl shook her head. No, he wouldn't abandon her. He made the promise he would help her get her Time Pieces back, and as far as she knew, Arthur hated promise breakers. But if he wasn't in the spaceship, then where was he?
"If you're looking for your friend, he left moments ago," a familiar voice said from behind her. Hat Kid turned around and saw the Mafia Boss looking at her with a neutral expression. "He said he got a call telling him that one of your magical hourglasses was still left in Dead Bird Studio. Said that the... uh, I don't remember his name... Constructor, I think? That he had it and was going to use it." Hat Kid looked at the jarred crime lord confused before her eyes widened. The Conductor, he meant? He still had one of her Time Pieces and was planning to break it? Oh, that wasn't good... but why Arthur didn't come warn her?
"Your friend said that he was gonna try to get it alone. Told me that your life was more important than his. From the sound of it, I think he knew there are chances that he won't be coming back alive, but he wanted to go anyway. I gotta give it to him: he's brave. Foolish but brave," the Mafia Boss said.
Hat Kid gasped in horror. Arthur was going to confront the Conductor alone just to keep her safe? What was he thinking? If the Conductor already knows about the power of the Time Pieces, then she knew that he won't give it up without a fight. She knew too well about the side effect of the Time Pieces and what it makes people do when they learn about it. Plus, unlike her, Arthur was still new to fighting. He was going to get himself killed if he confronts the Conductor on his own.
"He asked me to not tell you about it yet, but eh, I never said 'yes' so... here you go," the jarred crime lord said. Hat Kid gave him a surprised and curious look. Why would he tell her about all this? She thought he hated both her and Arthur and wanted them dead?
The Mafia Boss noticed her confused expression and said, "Consider this as a thank you for saving my town when the little mustached pest flooded it in lava," in a genuine, appreciative tone. Hat Kid was surprised to hear the Mafia Boss thank her for saving Mafia Town, but she eventually smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.
"But it's the only favor I'm doing for you! I'm still planning to get my revenge on the both of you eventually!" he added, going back to his usual angry self. As a response, Hat Kid pushed down one of her eyelids with her finger and blew a raspberry at him, causing the Mafia Boss to hop up and down angrily.
"Urghhh! You two are rude children!" the jarred crime lord spat, glaring at the young alien. He then huffed and said, "Whatever! I said what I had to say. If you wanna catch up with your friend, it's now or never. Now go and leave me be!". And with that, the Mafia Boss hopped away to get some peace and quiet.
After watching the jarred crime lord leave, Hat Kid didn't waste any more time, running back to her bedroom to get changed. Arthur was in danger, she had to save him! She changed her pajamas with her regular outfit as quickly as she could, placing her purple top hat on her head and grabbing her umbrella. Then she immediately headed back to the main room and made her way to the hatch. She opened it and jumped off, aiming for Dead Bird Studio.
After going down into the depths of Dead Bird Studio, the doors of the elevator opened.
"Alright. Where the hell are you hiding now, Conductor?" Arthur said as he stepped out of the elevator.
The twelve-years-old boy found himself in a small room with a pile of mails on the floor and a shelf with boxes stacked under it. He spotted a door at the end of the room, though he also saw two security cameras facing it. Arthur decided that it was best to avoid them, because if the Conductor was watching the camera monitors and spotted him, he will undoubtedly try to make off with the Time Piece or try to use it immediately. He couldn't let the Conductor know he was here, therefore he couldn't go through that door with the cameras on.
Looking for another way in, Arthur noticed a gap at the top of the wall. Perhaps he could get through there instead. He made a double jump to get on top of the shelf with the crates under it, then he walked on a wireline to reach the gap. He jumped and grabbed onto the edge, crawled through the gap, and managed to get to other side of the wall undetected.
After landing on some boxes, he saw a large window on the wall and decided to look through it. He could see huge piles of crates all neatly stacked up with a few platforms, springboards, and some security cameras. It was probably the storage room. From behind the window, Arthur spotted some kind of entrance at the top of the piles of crates. The boy figured that the Conductor might be somewhere in there, which means he would have to get through that entrance to find him. He also spotted a couple of yarns lying around in the storage room, so he made a mental note to pick them up if he can and give them back to Hat Kid once he returns... if he makes it back that is. Arthur shook his head, dismissing the thought. For now, he had to find a way to get into the storage place.
The young boy headed down the ramp leading to the next room. There was an empty deep gap with electric wirelines and metallic pipes above it. A few walkways were visible on the other side of the gap, which appeared to be leading to the storage room. Arthur also saw a cabin on the right. Perhaps it could lead him to the storage room as well or at least to one of those walkways. He made his way to the door of the cabin – despite the 'dissuasive' signs placed in front of it – and tried to open it, but it was locked. Dammit. Looks like the only way was to get across the gap by jumping on the wirelines and the pipes. Just his luck... Good thing he still had that badge that the Badge Seller gave him.
Although with some hesitation at the beginning, the twelve-years-old boy began crossing the gap, walking on the pipes and hopping from wireline to wireline. While doing it, he made sure to be cautious of the electric soundwaves the wirelines emitted. Getting an electric shock was the last thing he needed in this kind of situation and that could cause him to fall to his death. Thankfully, he managed to get across and reach solid ground, using a springboard to get to an upper level.
"I've kept this Time Piece compleeeetely secret," a muffled and distant voice was suddenly heard, causing Arthur to freeze in place. The boy looked around frantically, but saw no one around. The voice came from somewhere else, probably deeper in the basement. Some more mumbling that Arthur couldn't make out was heard, before he eventually understood the following sentence. "The lad and the lass don't know about it. No one told them, right? Good! They've got plenty, they don't need this one!"
The twelve-years-old boy frowned as he recognized the voice. It was the Conductor. He was either talking to himself or with someone else. The person on the phone – which he suspected to be DJ Grooves – was right; the Conductor had been keeping a Time Piece to himself the whole damn time. Not only the strange owl endangered him and Hat Kid on his train, insulted them and kicked them out of the studio even after helping him win, but he also hid a Time Piece from them too? This bird was the WORST! Whatever! Arthur was determined on getting this Time Piece back no matter what, and if he had to knock some sense into the Conductor for that, then he will.
The young boy climbed on top of crates and got on one of the walkways. He then spotted a door with a sign saying 'Storage Room'. However, the door was boarded up. Arthur sighed in frustration. He will have to find another way in again. Before going back, he looked on the left and spotted a yarn sitting on top of an air duct. He jumped on it and picked it up, before going back on the walkway.
Arthur spotted a couple of pipes which appeared to be giving him access to the other walkway above him. He jumped on them, then did a wall jump and a dive to reach the walkway. He spotted another door, but this one was boarded up too; so he continued walking up, not before grabbing another yarn that was in the corner on top of another pipe.
He then saw a door on the platform across the gap, with 'B2' written on the wall next to it. However, the walkway was busted, and this time there was no pipe or wireline to jump on to reach the platform. How was he going to get across? Arthur looked up and spotted some broken hanging lights. As he stared at them, he then remembered the Hookshot Badge that the Badge Seller sold him during Train Rush. Maybe he could use this ability to get across?
He pulled out his crowbar and looked at the grappling parkour he had to make. A wave of anxiety took him, so he had to take a moment to breathe and prevent himself from hyperventilating. He calmed down after a few seconds, then formed a determined expression. He could do this. He already used that ability in a much more intense situation during Train Rush. If he made it back then, he can do it again.
He aimed his crowbar at the first hanging light and pressed the button, sending the hook forward and latching onto the light. Remembering the series of grappling he made during Train Rush, he swung from hanging light to hanging light until he eventually landed on the platform.
'Well, damn. I'm certainly getting more exercise than back home,' Arthur thought, breathing heavily as he looked back at the large gap he just crossed.
After recovering for a few seconds, Arthur walked through the door, passing by the movie-filled shelves on the sides. Looking around, he immediately recognized the storage room he saw earlier. Good, he made it! Now he needed to reach the entrance he spotted through the window before, which means he will have to climb up all of these huge piles of crates. Great, more exercise for him... Nonetheless, the young boy immediately began making his way up on said piles, using springboards, wirelines, and sandbags, avoiding the security cameras, and grabbing the yarns he came across.
During his climb, he froze in place when he heard the Conductor's muffled voice through the walls again.
"Bah! Maybe we should blow it up! I got the bomb from Train Rush here. Should I use it?" A short silence occured before Arthur heard the Conductor continue talking. "Wait... Maybe I should keep it in case someone shows up. Eh he he he."
Arthur's eyes widened in shock. The Conductor really seems to have lost his mind. He suddenly had a feeling that the confrontation with him will be way worse than the time his father... The boy shuddered at the thought, then shook his head. He didn't want to remember this moment...
Suddenly, he heard the Conductor ask, "Oh, by the way, have yer found that blasted DJ yet? I think he heard me talking about the Time Piece in my room before." Short silence. "No? Then hurry up and find him, you buncha peck necks! I don't want him spilling the beans and ruining everything!"
Arthur rose an eyebrow in confusion. Blasted DJ? He then gasped in realization. The Conductor must be talking about DJ Grooves. Therefore, his suspicions were confirmed: DJ Grooves was the guy from the phone call earlier. That means the disco penguin must be somewhere in the studio too at the moment, probably trying to hide from the Conductor. Arthur hoped he was okay. Unfortunately, he had no time to go look for him. He had to find the Conductor and prevent him from using the Time Piece. Hopefully, DJ Grooves can hold on until Arthur gets the Time Piece back.
"Gotta hurry..." Arthur whispered to himself before he continued making his way up to the entrance.
After landing in the parking lot, Hat Kid made a straight beeline for Dead Bird Studio, determined to find Arthur before something bad happens to him. She had noticed the sheet from the boy's bed on the ground, which clearly confirmed that he went inside recently. She ran up to the automatic doors, but they remained closed since there was no power. She then spotted the vent on the side with the cover on the ground. Figuring Arthur might have gone through there, she crawled in it. Once in the reception, she climbed on DJ Grooves' trophy case to reach the open vent and crawled in there. She then landed on the crates and made her way across the studio.
She eventually found the elevator and, after seeing the light coming out of the button, figured that Arthur might have used it. She pressed the button, calling the elevator. Once the doors opened, Hat Kid rushed in and pressed the down button.
While the elevator was moving down, Hat Kid was playing with her hands nervously, a worried expression clearly visible on her face. She hoped that Arthur hadn't met the Conductor yet. If the strange owl had a Time Piece and was planning to use it, then he must have somehow found out about its power. And Hat Kid knew what happened when people other than her species discover the true power of the Time Pieces.
She hadn't told Arthur yet but... when someone with strong desires learns about this power, the Time Piece corrupts their senses and causes them to try using it to change the past in order to obtain everything they desire by any means possible. It usually results in violent behavior from the person, making them attempt to harm or even kill whoever they believe might stand in their way. Mustache Girl was a perfect example of that occurrence.
Sure, getting the Time Piece back was important, but Hat Kid was more concerned about Arthur. Perhaps he was hoping to reason with the Conductor to give him the Time Piece back, but Hat Kid knew it wasn't going to work. Therefore, Arthur was in danger and she had to find him quick!
Hat Kid closed her eyes and took a deep breathe, before saying, "Please be safe, Arthur."
After going through the entrance, Arthur had to activate four pressure panels to open a metallic gate that was blocking the way. The young boy had to do a bit jumping, climbing, balancing on wirelines and wall jumping to get to each panel. Not only that, but he also had to avoid a few security cameras, some Express Owls patrolling, and a group of C.A.W. agents from 'Murder on the Owl Express' telling jokes to each others. From the looks of it, the Conductor had some backup from his fellow owls, which will make retrieving the Time Piece a little more difficult if he was not alone.
Once the gate was open, Arthur made his way through it and arrived inside the conference room. 'B3' was written on the wall. He must be getting close now, the Conductor had to be around here somewhere.
After exiting the room, the young boy made his way through the offices while avoiding the cameras, passing by the rooms of DJ Grooves and the Conductor, and eventually grabbing a yarn inside one of the rooms used as a scene for DJ Grooves' movies.
The offices were quiet. No sign of the Conductor or any Express Owl around here. However, something caught his attention while he was walking through one of the hallways. On a board was a drawing of familiar red-hooded person... Arthur gasped. It was Mustache Girl. She was drawn standing on top of the planet with an evil smile and Time Pieces floating around her, along with the words 'Mu was here' written next to the drawing.
"Oh, that ain't good..." Arthur said in a worried tone. With everything that happened recently, he had completely forgotten about her. But wait... Does that mean she was the one who told the Conductor about the Time Pieces? If that was the case, then that would explain how the strange owl knew about their power.
Suddenly, something else next to the drawing caught the boy's attention. There were two frowning faces with hats, representing both Hat Kid and Arthur, with stink lines coming out of them. They were accompanied by two sentences: 'Hat Kid smells' and... 'Arthur's hat is stupid'. Arthur's eye twitched as anger built inside him. Did Mustache Girl just... insult his hat?!
"Why are you wearing that stupid cowboy hat? It's so ugly!"
The sudden memory sent Arthur through a fit of rage, and he let out an angry scream as he punched the board right where the drawing of Mustache Girl was as hard he could. Big mistake.
"Fffffff- AAAHH! God pecking DAMMIT!" the young boy yelled out, comically jumping around the place as he clutched his hand in pain. He then looked around, hoping no one heard him. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be the case, but now he felt like a total idiot. As he shook his hand a little to ease the pain, he glanced back at the drawing on the board and glared at it, before walking away.
Progressing further in the offices, he entered a large room through a vent and spotted three different posters on the wall. They were about the Conductor's most recent movies: 'Murder on the Owl Express', 'Train Rush', and 'Once Upon a Time on the Owl Express'. The twelve-years-old boy stared at the latter and sighed sadly, remembering that it was the one that the Conductor gave him after the premiere of the murder mystery movie. Arthur had to admit, he missed talking about western movies with the strange owl. For a moment, it seemed like they were just starting to get along... until the Conductor screwed it up with his damn ego and obsession with winning the award. And he didn't even need to mention the current situation involving the last Time Piece.
While staring at the posters – as great as they turned out – Arthur then realized some things. First, neither he or Hat Kid gave the movie directors permission to use their images in marketing. Second, they didn't sign any contract for anything here. And lastly... they didn't even get paid for being a part of the movies. Arthur groaned in anger and frustration. They had been working for free and illegally this entire time! No pons, nothing, aside from the Time Pieces.
He sighed in defeat. It didn't matter, his focus was getting the Time Piece back. Speaking of which, he should hurry. It was a matter of time before the Conductor uses the Time Piece, and the last thing he needed was having to deal with a time rift or something worse. Without wasting any more time, he went back to the task at hand, going through vents, walkways, even jumping above a wood-cutting machine... Seriously, who would put that there?
Eventually, after exiting another vent, he arrived in front of an elevator. Several signs saying 'No humans allowed' and 'Restricted Area. No kids' were pinned on the wall and placed in front of the elevator. If these signs were placed there, then that means only one thing...
"Looks like I found your hideout, Conductor," Arthur said, staring at the elevator. That was it... It was time to confront the Conductor. Hopefully, he can still reason with him and no harm will be done on either side.
The young boy walked up to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened and he stepped inside.
As he looked at the down button, Arthur took a huge breathe and said, "Here goes nothing," before pressing it. The doors closed and the elevator cage began moving down.
Something in his guts told him that things won't happen quite as he hopes they will, but he had to do it nonetheless. Hat Kid was counting on him to help her get her Time Pieces back and that's what he was gonna do. If he dies tonight... well... it'll be as it is. In any case, there was no turning back now...
Hat Kid kept her eyes peeled as she made her way through the storage room, looking around for any sign of Arthur or the Conductor. Her umbrella in hand, she made sure to keep her guard up in case someone tried to attack her. So far, the basement looked quiet and deserted, but she still wasn't going to risk getting jumped on by the Conductor or anyone who worked for him. She was also trying to figure out where Arthur might have gone. At this point, he was probably further ahead in the basement. Hopefully, not too far.
As she came around the corner of a pile of boxes, she suddenly bumped into someone, causing her to fall on her back. As a reflex, she bounced back on her feet and got in a fighting stance. However, she soon relaxed after taking a good look at the person she bumped into. It was DJ Grooves! What was he doing here? No matter, she was glad to see him.
"Darling! Oh, am I glad to see you!" the disco penguin said with a reassured smile. "The Conductor sent his Express Owls after me after I eavesdropped on him and found out he had one of your Time Pieces. I'm relieved you got my call." Hat Kid's eyes widened. So it was him who called Arthur and told him that the Conductor had one of her Time Pieces? DJ Grooves then noticed that Arthur wasn't around and looked at Hat Kid curiously.
"Arthur isn't with you?" he asked. However, he soon got his answer after seeing Hat Kid's troubled expression. He formed a worried look and asked, "He... he went on ahead without you, did he?" Hat Kid slowly nodded with a distressed look.
"Oh darling, I-I... Wait, I think I know where the Conductor is holed up. If we hurry, we can catch up with your friend there!" DJ Grooves said quickly. Hat Kid gave him a thankful look and nodded.
Without wasting any more time, the duo ran off to get to the Conductor's hideout and save Arthur before it was too late.
A/N: Hello, everyone! Finally got this chapter wrapped up! I'm sorry about the delay, I just had a bit of lack of motivation to write recently. Thankfully, I was able to finish this chapter. Honestly, writing the parts where the characters progress through the place is probably the most boring thing to write in a story. I prefer writing the conversations and interactions between the different characters. It's way more fun.
Anyway, you can all imagine what's going to happen next, right? Yeaaaah, you do. It's Boss Fight time! This is going to be... interesting.
Alright! Time to answer reviews! And boy, there's a lot of 'em!
To pokemonsora01: Yep, the knife. Nothing happened in this chapter yet, but the next one... Oh boy, it's gonna be something! And yeah, Arthur has been mistreated all his life and that caused him to suffer from depression, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence – which is why he has a hard time believing he did anything good. But don't worry, some characters will soon make him understand that he made good deeds. Anyway, thank you!
To Katoptris12: Wrong theme too. *smug face* Yeah, I'm okay. I just had some lack of motivation to write recently. But I'm doing okay!
To Rub37: Thanks! I thought I did mention at the beginning of the story, but yeah, I'm gonna include both DLCs in the story. Get ready for one long story!
To Mr. Mega1423: Indeed. May the 'fun'... begins... Anyway, thank you!
To WolfGirl01: Yeah, I think the same. Anyway, thank you!
To Snowball FF: Unfortunately, I don't plan on implementing Death Wish in this story. However, if I do end up writing a sequel (nothing confirmed here), I'll make sure to mention it. About the boss battle... as you can see, I've decided to make Arthur try to take on the Conductor alone. Unfortunately, it's something I have planned from the beginning and it's close to my inspirations, but I don't like changing my plans at the last moment unless I really think it fits my story better. So I'm keeping it that way, and hopefully it'll still be good enough. Anyway, thank you. I'm glad you like the development I'm making on Arthur's character. And to answer your last question... the base game will come first, then Seal Cruise, Nyakuza Metro, then the Final Boss.
To Guest: You'll have to wait and see.
To PatoMayo: Whoops, sorry! XD Don't worry though, the Conductor is not as bad as you think. You gotta wait and see. ;)
To HexoSpikeZ: Thank you so much, it really means a lot! I do my best to give the characters more life and personality, to make feel like Arthur belongs in the story without being forced in, and have some serious topics while keeping a comedy side in the story. So I'm really glad all of it together is working out very well. And to answer your last question... Unfortunately, Bow Kid is not gonna appear in this story. However, if I make a sequel (nothing confirmed yet), I'll make sure to add her. ;)
Alrighty! That's all for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!