((Here's a new chapter and I want to thank everyone who's been reading and following this story! You don't know how happy I am to write a fanfic this long, and I hoped you all enjoyed it. I'm thinking of making a Q & A page after this story finished, so I can answer some questions that has been bugging you, if it's alright?))
Chapter 22
Swizzle explained to Vanellope all what he knew about Turbo, including the history of his reckless stunt that got his game and Roadblasters unplugged because of jealousy and ego. When he finished, he saw hate etched all over Vanellope's face and her body glitched as well.
"This Turbo guy is seriously screwed up in his programming!" she hissed. "He invaded our game, ruined my code and made me endure fifteen lonely, miserable years!"
"I can't believe we've been tricked manipulated by this jerk all this time!" Swizzle agreed. "Everything makes sense now! He hacked into the Code Room and and become a playable character so he can get back all the attention and fame he used to have... He doesn't even care about us after all!"
Vanellope leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, burying her face into her knees. Her rage has been replaced with serene sadness. "I knew there wasn't anything wrong with me... I'm so happy, but... he still turned everyone against me... Taffyta seemed like a saint compared to him, and that's saying something!"
Swizzle stared at his feet, saying nothing. It was like waking up from a dream that seemed fun and happy until it turned into a messed up nightmare. He felt disgusted that a small part of him used to sympathize him and then comparing himself to Turbo about how much they are similar to each other: They are both racers who love attention-seekers who would do anything for fame and glory, yet they both feel jealous and resentment towards others who are more popular than them. Except unlike Turbo, The Swizz isn't hot with sabotaging another person's game just to spite at them or takeover and lie to everyone else.
He remembered Tapper's words last time they talked. It's a selfish act no matter how desperate you are for wanting recognition.
Swizzle felt more betrayed and outraged that he had been lied to and manipulated by a cruel, egotistic man who pretended to be a kind, protective ruler. He can bet that there was no such thing as a King Candy character who existed before in Sugar Rush and Turbo probably created him to disguise himself.
"It's like a candy-coated heart of darkness," he bitterly muttered. Then he cracked his knuckles and angrily shouted, "HE'S GOING TO PAY!"
He was about to punch the wall in frustration but Vanellope stopped his fist with her hands. His blood began to cool as their eyes met and could feel her soft touch.
"Cool it, Swizz," she said softly. "Hurting your knuckles won't bring us any closer getting revenge on Turbo."
"Then we have to find a way to get out of here first," Swizzle said with conviction.
"I'm on it!"
Vanellope gets up and places her hands around the walls, looking for a secret opening she can pass through or a loose brick. She had no luck so far. Swizzle looked up and saw the only window in the cell. Sure it has bars and it looked too high for them to reach, but maybe...
"Vanny, I think have an idea," he said. "Listen closely..."
Meanwhile back at the throne room, Turbo impatiently paced and back forth when the doors flew open. Sour Bill walked in with the two donut cops behind him. Wynchell and Duncan were carrying a large wooden box before they set it down in front of the fake king. Turbo chuckled and stepped forward to rummage through the items, looking for something.
"Ah, the ol' lost and found box," he snickered. "I'm glad that Tapper still kept it around." This is also the same box where I found that password cheat on that napkin, he mentally added. "I hoped that Surge Protector didn't give you guys some trouble, did he?"
"Wynchell and Duncan kept him busy talking," Sour Bill replied. "While he and nobody else weren't looking, I managed to steal the box and bring it into our game."
"Are you sure nobody has seen you taking that box, Sour Bill?" Turbo asked. He felt a bit paranoid at the thought of someone noticing a suspicious candy NPC smuggling a lost and found box into another game, whether he had permission from Tapper or not.
"King Candy, it's not of our business," Wynchell began, unaware that the candy ruler before him is a fake, "but we're wondering why you want us to sneak into another game and take something from it... like were criminals?"
"You're right, Wynchell, it's not of your business why I want this particular box," Turbo snapped. He dug through the lost and found box and began taking out random things. "Let's see..." He picked up a 1-Up mushroom. "This might be useful, but not exactly what I'm looking for."
He pocketed the green mushroom and then picked up a round red-and-white ball with a button on the middle. "I don't even know how this came into Litwack's!" He threw the Poké Ball over his shoulder. Then he picked up... a red wrestler's speedo.
"Oh, gross! Zangief, why?!" Turbo shuddered with disgust. He began to feel discouraged until his hand touched something. He picked up the next item and finally found what he hoped he's looking for. It looks a futuristic pistol and on the side are words engraved in small letters. He squinted to read it out loud. "Hero's Duty. Property of Private Markowski... I don't know who this sap Markowski is, but he shouldn't leave his toys lying around."
He pulled the trigger of the pistol and an energy blast suddenly shot out, causing everyone to jump in surprise and fear. Even the King Candy's crown fell off from Turbo's head. However, was giggling menacingly and was rubbing as though it was now the most precious thing in the room.
"Yes, this is perfect..." he muttered happily. "This will help me solve all my problems. But would this actually work...? I want to test this on something..."
"Your majesty, I'm afraid we're going have to confiscate that weapon! It's too dangerous!" Duncan said. "And we'll have to return the box to its rightful owner immediately."
Turbo narrowed his eyes at the donut cops but his lips formed a twisted grin. "Officers, you have done your duty to my kingdom so well... I no longer have any use for you."
Then he pointed the Hero's Duty pistol and Duncan and fired him. However, the energy blast went through Duncan's hole and it struck Wynchell, who was standing behind him. Wynchell fell to the floor lifeless. Duncan cried and hurried to his partner's side.
"Wynchell! Are you hurt?" the cop asked, his voice filled with concern. "Don't worry, you'll regenerate soon enough..." He stopped when he looked down and saw the wound where the blast had hit Wynchell began to glitch in flickering red codes. Then glitchy code began to spread rapidly and consume Wynchell's entire body much to Duncan and Sour Bill's horror.
"What's going on here?!" Duncan screamed. "Wynchell, wake up, pal!"
Wynchell finally moved but before he can say something, his entire body is now a mess of glitches and then it faded in Duncan's arms. The ring donut cop desperately, hoping his friend and colleague would reappear somewhere in the throne room.
"Wynchell! Where are you?!" Duncan called out his name, hoping he can hear him. "Come on, don't do this to me! Why won't you respawn?!"
Behind Duncan, Turbo raised the pistol again, aiming for the cop's head...
Back at the Fungeon, Swizzle has been letting Vanellope stand on his head and shoulder so she can reach for the window.
"I still can't reach it, Swizz! It's too far away from me!" Vanellope said.
"Then you're going have to try and jump!" Swizzle told her.
"Are you nuts, what if I still can't reach it?! I might fall!"
"Just do it! It's our only chance!"
Vanellope took a deep breath and concentrated. She jumped as high as she can... and her fingers finally grabbed edge of the window. She was happy at first but she remembered she was now hanging from a huge height. She pulled herself up and her hand grabbed one of the chocolate Pocky bars. She tried to break the bar and it loosened a little.
"Oooh!" Vanellope tried to pull the same bar again but it won't move any further. Her strength is fading fast. "Swizzle, I found a loose bar but I don't have anything to break it!"
Swizzle stood anxiously under below Vanellope, ready to catch her any time she falls. His eyes spotted her licorice bow and he got a brilliant idea. "Vanny, use your bow and try pulling the bar!"
Vanellope used one hand to hold on the edge of the window and her other hand to untie the licorice holding up her hair. She quickly wrapped the licorice around the bar; planting her feet against the wall, she pulled with her all her might and the bar finally snapped loose.
"Aaaah!" Vanellope was now falling but Swizzle was able to catch her just in time. The two kids still crashed to the jail floor and their bodies hurt from the impact.
"Ow... are you okay?" Swizzle groaned.
"I'm fine..." she muttered and jumped up to her feet. She was ecstatic. "The good new is that we can finally escape now! Oh... you're still in chains."
Swizzle gave her a smile as he held up the Pocky bar that had fallen beside them. Then he used it to break apart his shackles.
Vanellope smiled back. "Swizz, did I ever tell you that you're a genius?"
Turbo watched with a satisfying glee as Duncan's glitching body disappear in a red, flashing codes. He noticed his little assistant was shaking in fear.
"Why the pale face, Sour Bill?" he asked. "Oh, are you confused about what just happened? I can happily explain that."
The deranged racer sauntered over to his throne and sat casually on top of his kart. He began to explain, "You know what happens if someone leaves their game and die, they can't regenerate, right? Well, there was another similar rule that wasn't looked into very much and most people must have forgotten about it... Back then, we weren't allowed to bring weapons from another game into our own. Because if you happen to get killed by a foreign item, even when you think you're safe in your own game, the code can't recognize that death and it's a permanent game-over for you. Nobody knows where you go if you get killed that way... or how you would respawn again... But I heard rumors that if you ever do regenerate, you won't have any memories of your previous life. You've become a blank, fresh slate like you were when you first plugged in. However, there's never been someone who survived or respawned from that certain death, so there's nothing to confirm."
Turbo jumped out from the go-kart and returned the rest of the useless items back into the lost and found box. "That is why I asked you to retrieve this box from Tapper's game. I needed an outside weapon to destroy Vanellope and Swizzle after the 15th anniversary race is finished."
"You're mad!" Sour Bill spat angrily. His outburst took Turbo by surprise. "You killed two of your subjects in cold blood, and now you want to do the same thing to two very young children? I... I won't stand for it. And I won't be your assistant any longer!"
Turbo growled and he advanced on the sour candy. "You dare defy your king?!"
Sour Bill then made a run for it but Turbo wouldn't allow him to escape and spill the jelly beans to everyone about what happened in the throne room. Turbo grabbed the Poké Ball and threw it at himt. The ball hit Sour Bill in the head and it sucked him inside. It twitched a few times before it was snapped shut. The racer laughed and picked up the Poké Ball that is now holding his trapped former-assistant.
"Think you can get away from me? Me, Turbo the greatest racer!" he shouted to the ball, knowing full well that Sour Bill is listening to him. "I'm very disappointed in you, Sour Bill. You were my loyal assistant... Don't worry, I'll change your mind eventually. Tomorrow, I've got a race to attend and a glitch and a punk to execute. So I'm going to need my beauty's sleep first."
Turbo's giggles turned into full-blown mad laughter which echoed all around the throne room.
Swizzle and Vanellope are now running hurriedly through an empty corridor after escaping from the Fungeon together. They sneaked past Oreo guards and a few racers who are still up at this late hour. Swizzle then led Vanellope to the royal garage where Swizzle's kart is chained up. While he unlocked the chains, Vanellope grabbed the nearest toolbox which can help her fix up her kart.
The two kids jumped into the Tongue Twister and it zoomed away from the castle through a different exit where it won't noticed by anyone. Unfortunately, they were unaware that someone DID hear them leaving and they were soon following them quietly in their karts...
Swizzle drove his kart back to the Junkyard where Vanellope's Whipper Snapper is waiting for them.
"Alright, the race will start in the morning before the arcade opens," Swizzle reminded her. He inspected the engine closely, trying to figure out how to fix it. "So, we gotta get this working up and kicking by then!"
Vanellope smirked as she began to work on her kart. "That's right, I've got a date with destiny!"
Meanwhile up on a hill, hiding behind the unicorn pop trees, the three racers Minty, Adorabeezle, and Jubileena were watching them in silence.
((Sorry if some parts feel rushed or confusing, but I wanna get this doing during all this heavy school work and my activities in Tumblr. The next chapter will feature the anniversary race, and I'm not entirely looking forward too. Can't write driving scenes to save my life lol.
Anyway, will Vanellope and Swizzle get the Whipper Snapper fixed in time? And will they finally stop Turbo's reign of lies and madness?))