Chapter Sixteen

Mr. Morton

The website, Vanellope noticed, was fairly clunky in design. One wall was festooned with images of pickles, while another had several chunks of text. A two-dimensional animation of a dancing pickle was playing in a loop at the bottom right corner of the back wall. Beside this was a closed brown door with a yellow knob. Each of the other two walls also had a similar door set within it.

She only noticed these things in passing, however. Another sight soon had the whole of her attention. Fix-It Felix Jr. was standing at the far end of the room. He seemingly hadn't noticed their arrival, for his eyes were firmly fixed upon the dancing pickle.

Slowly, carefully, Calhoun approached Felix. When she was a few yards away, she called his name softly.

Felix turned. As soon as he saw Calhoun, he started. Spinning completely about, he jumped forward and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Uh…Felix?" Calhoun said, taken aback.

"When did you get here?" he exclaimed.

"Just now," Calhoun replied. "You seem a little-"

"-happy?" Felix finished for her. "Of course I'm happy." He peered past Calhoun.

"Ralph, Vanellope? Gene too?" He grinned madly. "Oh my land, this is just fantastic!" He ran towards them and took each of their hands in turn.

He doesn't look like he's being mind-controlled Vanellope thought as Felix let off shaking her hand wildly. What happened to him?

"And you?" said Felix, coming to Gale. "I don't know you."

"That's Gale," said Vanellope. "He was helping us find you."

"Mighty nice of you," said Felix, shaking Gale's hand as well.

"I don't understand," said Calhoun, walking towards the group once more. "Felix, I thought you were-"

"-being mind-controlled?" Felix said, once again finishing his wife's sentence. "I was, until a few hours ago. Turns out it was all a mistake."

"Mistake?"

"Yes, a mistake," said Felix. "The guy who lives in this website accidently lost a prototype mind-control bug during a fight in the wire. It must have gotten turned on by accident and wandered into the arcade, where I found it."

"So why'd it start controlling you?" Ralph asked.

"It panicked, thinking I was attacking it and planned on spilling its owner's secrets- whatever that means. So it took me back here…where the owner took it out about twelve hours ago. I only just got back on my feet, though. It takes a while to recover from that thing's removal."

Felix," said Calhoun, "I know you're relieved, and so am I. But haven't you asked yourself why anyone would have a prototype mind control bug in the first place?"

Felix paused. "Oh my land, I hadn't thought of that," he said. "But he hasn't done anything bad with it. As far as I know, he wasn't even going to use it for anything at all."

"Who wasn't going to use it?" Gale asked him.

"The guy who owns it," said Felix.

"What's his name?"

Vanellope's head swung instantly toward Gale. Their guide's voice was saturated with trepidation. Does he know something about-

She lost her train of thought as the door in the rear wall swung open and a man stepped into the room. His complexion was pale, his hair dark and stringy. He wore a white suit with a blue flower in the lapel. A grim smile was on his face. "That'd be Mr. Morton to you, friend Gale," he said.

Vanellope saw the newcomer press a button on the wall. She heard the door slam shut behind them. Mere seconds later, he had pressed another, causing a force field to spring up around Gale.

"What is this?" Calhoun demanded.

"Oh, I'm not trying to stop you and your friends from leaving," Mr. Morton replied. "You fellows can go whenever you want. I just want him." He pointed at Gale.

"Is something going on that we don't know about?" Gene asked.

"Oh good," said Mr. Morton. "He hasn't told you? Then I was right to call off the iron wolves."

"Wait, you sent those creeps after us?" said Ralph.

"Not exactly," said Mr. Morton. "They had no business attacking you when you first arrived on the internet, which is why I told them to back off. When they attacked you again, I'd already told them to stay away. They were supposed to let you find Felix and leave again unmolested. But no, they had set a trap, and they were going to take whoever fell into it. They're loyal allies, but their thinking lacks nuance at times."

Vanellope's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. She glanced from Mr. Morton to Gale, who looked as though he would rather have been anywhere but where he was. She turned back to Mr. Morton. "A trap?" she asked. "But if we weren't who you wanted…"

"I don't want you, or any of your friends," said Mr. Morton. "I want him." His eyes narrowed ferociously as he pointed at Gale once more.

Felix's expression became concerned. "But…you mean…"

"Uh-huh," said Mr. Morton. "He's the one I was chasing through the wire. I nearly had him too, before he whipped out that gun. Destroying that thing was hard work. The iron wolves had heavy losses. I can understand why they'd be ready to pounce on anyone who came through that wire.'

'But that's all by the by now," Mr. Morton continued. "I need to thank you all. You might not know it but by letting him bring you here, you've helped me catch one of the internet's worst criminals."

"What do you mean?" Vanellope demanded, her temper rising. "He hasn't done anything to hurt us."

"Oh yes he did," said Mr. Morton. "He's left a trail of blood and despair in his wake with his every action. And you of all people should be over the moon that I can finally bring him to justice."

Vanellope paled. "Me? But-"

She glanced at Gene, Calhoun, Ralph, and Felix each in turn. Every one of them wore baffled looks.

"You people clearly haven't been on the web before, or you'd already know," said Mr. Morton. "So I'll put it plainly. That man was SANG's chief of propaganda!"