Chapter 14: Happy Buddy

I couldn't believe it. This is my Happy Buddy? He's got bandages wrapped around his wrists, so he did tried to kill himself. Poor guy, he's gone through so much. He looked away from me with this solemn look. He said, "I'm sorry I-... I didn't want you to see me this way. I've gotten your letter from Charlie... It was quite sincere."

"... Let's get out of here." I said.

"What?"

He looked at me with this shocked look. "What are you talking about we can't get outta here! No one can because Dr. Money has got us all under his thumb!"

"Not me. I'm now the only one who doesn't have the microchips in my body. Do you have them?"

"No they do that to prisoners. But being a Happy Buddy is technically the same thing."

"Well come on then. I'm sure you don't want to stay here either."

"Mark there's nothing left for me out there anymore! I've lost everything to Dr. Money! Don't you get it already?!"

"Yeah I do, but you matter to me. You're my friend Richard and I'm going to make Dr. Money pay!"

All of a sudden that green gem appeared in the middle of my chest. I recognize this it's that trigger to put on my Hacker armor. Now we're talking.

"What just happen?" said Richard.

"I'll explain once we get out of here. Do you know how to unlock the cell doors to this prison?"

"Yeah. I work here after all and I've done enough exploring to know where everything is."

"Great, with my Hacker and Glitch ability I can protect us."

"The what now?"

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to get everyone out of here."

...

I gave Richard some privacy so he could change into regular clothes. When he came out of the room he was dressed in a white shirt, khaki pants, and white sneakers. "Alright just follow me and stay calm. Here I brought this for you."

He held out a white jacket to me. "Put it on so you won't be recognized so easily."

"Oh yeah."

I put it on, zip it up all the way so my gem won't be showing, and pulled the hood over my head so my face won't be exposed too much. "Thank you Richard."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad we've finally got to meet each other."

I followed Richard down the hallways to get to the main system to unlock the doors. To break some time I asked him, "So... No offense or anything but I've never saw any human being with white hair and red eyes."

"Yeah it's a genetic thing." he said, "I was always made fun of when I was a kid. I just looked too different from the rest. But even though they laugh at me, I always kept a smile on my face. I was actually the jokester in class. I kept everybody happy whether is was intentional or not."

"Are your parents the same way too?"

"Only my mother. She has white hair and red eyes. Honestly she looked more beautiful with it than me. Ah here we are, but you better get ready."

"Right."

Richard opened the door and there are two guards in here. "The hell?!" said the guard on the right. Richard closed the door behind us and I quickly used my glitch teleportation ability to knock them out as quickly as possible. I may have over done it a little bit with the guard sitting on the left because his head that I've slammed is bleeding a little. "I think I know why you called that ability a Glitch." said Richard.

"Neh, I'm still working on it. Right so which button all the doors?"

Richard scanned the controls for the correct bottom or switch. He said, "Ah here it is, but I must warn you this will set off the alarm."

"Still go on and go for it. We all have to get out of here before each one of us take our own lives."

"Alright then, get ready."

He press it and we saw on the cameras each and every cell door open up, and the alarm went off loud throughout the prison. "What about the exits are they locked too?"

"No. Originally Blue Rose wasn't supposed to be a prison in the first place. It's actually a hospital in the original design."

"Really? Let me guess, Dr. Money bought it and changed it into prison huh?"

"You got it."

"Wait so is Dr. Money here then?"

"Yeah, his office is in the top floor. I can take you there."

Richard suddenly grabbed what looked like one of those elevator buttons. "What's that for?" I asked.

"You'll see."

We ran out of the room and rush down the hallways. I was hoping to not run into casualties but we came across three with batons in their hands. I hit the gem that's hidden beneath the jacket and I've armored up. I unsheathed my sword and said, "Come on bring it!"

"Oooo a Hacker huh?" said the one in the middle.

"So someone from the Hacker society must've recruited him." said the one on the left.

"How unfortunate." said the one on the right.

So these guys know about the Hacker Society.

"Oh well, it can't be helped." said the middle one, "Let's gear up."

When they hit their chest all of a sudden they were armored up and their eyes turned black with the eye colors that matched their gear. Middle one has black and purple, right one has black and orange, and left one has black and blue.

"Wait, you guys are Viruses?" I said.

"What else, rookie?" said the middle one as he attacked first.

I blocked his sword, pushed him back and twirl my weapon to stab him through the chest. "What?!" he said as he coughed up black blood. Viruses have black blood? This is new. "Impossible! How the hell-,"

He died before he could finished. The other two feared to go near me. "No way!" said the one on the right, "He's just a rookie! I'm not going to let someone like you get the best of us!" He attacked me next and I reacted fast enough to toss the body at him. Cruel but it's effective to my advantage. My body took over as I stabbed him through the head.

I kicked him off and was about to go after the last one but he ran away. When I thought I had my cool together. I ended up vomiting to the side of the hallway. "You okay, Mark?" asked Richard when he walked up to me.

"I-..I've never... Taken a life before." I struggled to say. It was so quick and fast that it almost passed off as normal to me. Like if I was playing a video game... What is wrong with me?

"You had no choice." he said, "It was either us or them. Now come on, before more of those whatever they are show up."

We continued on the way to only end up back to my cell. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

He entered first as I followed. He close the door and said as he pointed, "See this?" He was pointing at the two wires sticking out of the side of the door.

"Yeah." I said.

He attached the wires to the button and pushed the up button. Next thing I knew my cell room moved up the floors. "Are you telling me my cell room was an elevator this whole time?!"

"That's where they put you." he said as he suddenly chuckled, "Sorry, um now that I think about it it's kind of funny."

When we've arrived on the first floor we were greeted with a machine gun. The one holding it was no other than Angry Joe. "Joe?!" I said quite surprised to see him.

"Mark?! Dude you're here?!"

"Yeah! Um, could you lower the gun down?"

"Oh, yeah sorry. Things have gotten crazy since everyone was let out."

Richard and I step out of the elevator as I said, "Yeah we're the cause of that. Joe this is my friend Richard. He's helping me get everyone out of this prison."

"Wait." Joe stared at Richard, "Are you one of those Happy Buddies?"

"Yeah, how can you tell?" said Richard.

"Gabby is this him?!" Joe shouted down the hall. I just noticed there are a couple of dead guards in the hallway. Joe must've gunned them down. The girl called Gabby came out of hiding from one of the rooms. She's a teenager with white hair and red eyes.

"Gabby?" said Richard who's quite shocked to see her.

"Dad?"

No way. The two ran to each other and embrace in a huge hug. "I though you were dead." said Richard while he's crying.

"I missed you daddy!" Gabby was crying too.

"Was she your Happy Buddy?" I asked Joe.

"Yeah." he said, "She was the one who would visited me time from time to keep me going in this hell hole. When she told me she's trying to find her father and two sisters who are Happy Buddies here. I promised her that we would find them together."

"I'm glad she's still alive. Richard tried killing himself when he received news that his daughters were dead."

"Seriously? I think this Dr. Money is yanking their chain. Gabby received the same news but she didn't believe it. I think the other two are still alive...

"Mark what exactly are you wearing?"

"This is my Hacker Armor."

"Hacker what now?"

"I'll explain later. Right now I need to confront Dr. Money."

"What for? Revenge?"

"Something like that. Also I need answers.

"Richard, can you take me to his office now?"

"Yeah." he said, "But once I do I have to take my daughter out of this place. I can't lose her again."

"Richard your other daughter might be still alive."

"I can help you find them." said Joe.

"...Thank you. Then let's hurry."

...

Once we arrived in front of Dr. Money's office. Richard said, "Mark I want to thank you for keeping my hopes up. It's usually the other way around but you saved me."

"Don't mention it." I said, "Go find your daughters, and tell them I said hi."

"I will."

"I'll see you afterwards, Mark." said Joe.

"Okay."

After they took off to find Richard's other two daughters. I enter the room but it was so not an office. I was outside in the night of... Cincinnati?