Chapter Thirteen

A Visit to an Old Foe

Apart from the sound of its action-tune, Clash of Chaos 2 was quiet; the denizens of the game were occupied indoors. Otherwise, the game looked exactly as Vanellope remembered it. The town, the pyramid, and the temple complex- it was all still there.

And so was the tower.

The massive lair of the game's villain loomed large over the landscape, the light reflecting off of the metallic portions of its surface. At the very sight of it, Vanellope shuddered. Nevertheless, she headed straight for it. As soon as she reached the threshold, she stopped once more.

Even now, I can still turn back.

She shook the thought away and gave the gates several hard knocks. Within moments, she heard the sound of creaking as the gates opened wide to receive her. Standing in the doorway was a tall woman in explorer garb. The woman's cybernetic right eye extended outwards, observing Vanellope curiously.

"Citizen Vanellope von Schweetz?"

"Lady Claudia Hawk."

"You have a good memory," said the woman, retracting her eye. "But…what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Dr. Despair," said Vanellope, trying to sound unhesitating. One look at Lady Claudia's expression told her she'd failed.

"The doctor is in," Lady Claudia replied. "He's in the throne room. Follow me please."

Up several flights of stairs they went, and through a cylindrical passage, until they arrived in the throne room. At the far end, on the throne, there sat the familiar form of Dr. Despair. His top hat and overcoat had been laid aside, revealing his collar length black hair. His red eyes glinted as he saw Vanellope entering.

"Well, well," he said, standing up. "Look who decided to return after…four years, correct?"

He gestured for Lady Claudia to leave. When she had gone, Dr. Despair walked slowly toward Vanellope. He circled her, eyeing her carefully, watching her demeanor. It wasn't long before she flinched.

"You're still afraid of me, aren't you?"

"N-no," Vanellope stammered. She'd meant to sound confident, but instead, she sounded as nervous as she felt.

"Really?" said Dr. Despair. "Have you forgotten what I taught you already? The brave admit their fears and face them head on."

"Fine, I'm afraid," said Vanellope. "But I'm here."

"I see that," said Dr. Despair, coming to a stop in front of her. "But why? After all this time, why now?"

"Answers," Vanellope blurted out. "I need answers."

"First ask me the questions," said Dr. Despair.

Vanellope tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat.

"Tongue-tied?" said Dr. Despair. "Perhaps I can help you by asking questions of my own. First of all, how's Sugar Rush?"

"Its fine," said Vanellope.

"Excellent," said Dr. Despair. "You know, I was impressed that you and your friends managed to pull things together so quickly. Why do you think I haven't been down there to your game since you recovered from your injuries?"

"My friends kept you out," said Vanellope.

"No, I stayed out," said Dr. Despair. "I had no need to go in. The game is stable, secure." He gave a small laugh. "But then, you have elections coming in a few months. If things go badly, I may need to pay you another visit."

"I won't let you," said Vanellope, bristling. "I am afraid of you- and that's why I'm here!"

"You're right to fear me," said Dr. Despair. "I once held your life in my hands." His eyes narrowed and he placed the tip of his cane against Vanellope's chest, forcing her to step backwards. "I could hold it again," he said. "Right now."

Vanellope started to glitch out of his path towards the throne, but Dr. Despair grabbed her with his mechanical arm. A burst of energy flowed from mechanical arm into her body, sending her into brief spasms. He dropped her and she landed on her back. Looking up, she saw that he'd placed the cane in his mechanical hand. His left arm, the one made of flesh, was extended towards her.

"But I won't," he said.

Vanellope blinked, confused.

"Take my hand," said Dr. Despair.

Ignoring the proffered hand, Vanellope glitched to her feet.

"Never mind," said Dr. Despair, withdrawing his hand and placing his cane back into it. "I can't blame you. Why trust me, right?"

"I don't trust you," said Vanellope. "But I need answers."

"You've told me that already," said Dr. Despair. "I'm still awaiting your questions."

"Just one," said Vanellope. "Did you know Turbo?"

Dr. Despair gave a sudden jolt. His mechanical arm flew out once more, grasping Vanellope about the throat. Lifting her into the air, he sent another blast of energy through her frame, and then another, before dropping her again.

"No, I didn't know him," he snarled. "I never knew him. I did know of him…and yes, I met him."

Vanellope climbed to her feet, blinking back tears of pain.

"What have you heard?" Dr. Despair cried, raising a mechanical fist. "What do you know? Tell me before I kill you!"

Vanellope gazed up at him, an expression of raw fear on her features. Dr. Despair lowered his fist.

"No," he said quietly. "I can't kill you. I can't kill my bravest foe. But tell me- what do you know?"

"Nothing," said Vanellope. "He just told me he knew you, and-"

Dr. Despair cut her off with a raised hand. "Turbo told you he knew me? Turbo's dead. How could he-"

He stopped, a look of recognition in his eyes. "Ah!" he said. "In dreams. You dreamed of Turbo, didn't you?"

Vanellope nodded.

"And what do we know about dreams? They are often a mix of memories- and things we think of. Somehow, you must have made some sort of mental connection between Turbo and I."

"Wouldn't you have taught him to hack code?" Vanellope asked.

"I can see why you might think that," said Dr. Despair. "But no, I didn't teach him. I don't know how or where he learned his hacking skills.'

'Now Vanellope," he continued, his voice closer to its typical self-assured tone. "Whatever am I to do with you? By sheer coincidence, against all reasonably expectable odds, you've unmasked a part of my private affairs that nobody else knows about. The safest thing to do would be to kill you now and be done with it. But that's not what I'm inclined to do."

"So what, then?" said Vanellope. "I still need to know."

"Why?" said Dr. Despair. "Why must you know? It doesn't affect you now. It doesn't affect anyone now."

"Yes it does," said Vanellope. "And I'll ask until you tell me."

Dr. Despair laughed, a crazed look in his eyes. "The clichés in our meeting have been amusingly frequent," he said. "If this were a session of my game, now would be the point where I reveal the truth against all reason. Because that's just what clichéd bad guys such as I are supposed to do."

He looked down at Vanellope. "What if I were to tell you?" he said. "Could you keep a secret? I believe you could. You're a sweet little kid from a saccharine game. Kindness is your forte."

Vanellope was confused. Her question must have struck a chord deep within the villain, because he still seemed somewhat shaken and unhinged. In a tone of bafflement, she asked: "Are you okay?"

"Vanellope," he said. "Vanellope- I'm fine."

The look of madness was gone from his eyes.

"Vanellope," he said again, "I taught you a lesson once. Will you learn another?"

"What?" said Vanellope.

"Vanellope," said Dr. Despair. "It's probably fair that I tell you what you want to know."

His tone was sad, to the point where Vanellope felt a pang of pity. And then all the resentment, all the horrific memories, returned once again. Her eyes narrowed.

"What else could you teach me, you monster?"

"Monster?" said Dr. Despair. "That's a rather strong expression."

"It's what you are," she said firmly.

"Judge me as you please," said Dr. Despair. "But only when I've finished."

"Okay," said Vanellope. "Get on with it."

"Very well…"