Chapter 11

Since the invasion started, Game Central Station has never been busier, but for all the wrong reasons. With most of the bunkers destroyed, activity has returned to the hub once again, but it lacks the cheerful hustle and bustle characteristic of the pre-Turbo days. Rather, a solemn silence fills the station- a vigil for those who lost all their lives in yesterday's Cy-Bug attack.

As I wander the open station, which I can now do without being under the mercy of the Surge Protectors, I see the faces of the homeless and hungry, victims one and all of the Bug fallout. They've not only been deprived of a game, now they've lost their very sense of security as the safety of the bunkers they once knew ended abruptly with the attack. Some of them have lost their colleagues, as well as their homes, to the Bugs. Some are in desperate need of medical attention, and the Surge Protectors are going into double overtime to treat everyone they can.

But of course, all of them know that life in this arcade will inevitably come to an end this Sunday evening, for Litwak will return to his game consoles only to find them swamped with Cy-Bugs. The future of the arcade, the careers of all of us here in Game Central, and the lives of those yet to escape their games will be gone forever.

Game Over.

Of course no one bothers to mention it. There's still a couple of days left for us to live out this miserable existence. There's still time to prepare for the end. And there's always that last shred of hope that, if Calhoun's plan works and the invasion is stopped, the denizens of Litwak's Arcade will live to see another day go by.

As I take in the defeated faces of the homeless, passing by game after broken game in the arcade's once-busy terminals, I stop at the sealed portal to Sugar Rush. Somewhere in there, Turbo's waiting for us, I think to myself. And we're gonna find him.

…

The bunkers were once the safest place in the arcade, thanks to the efforts of the Surge Protectors. Now, with the living quarters badly in need of repair and many of its residents injured or killed, the lower level has been evacuated and the common rooms on the upper floor converted to Game Central's new hospital.

At least, that's what the Surge Protectors call it. The rest of us all know what it really is- a morgue.

With no way to achieve proper burial, the bodies of those who died in the attack on Game Central are stored in one common room, awaiting a funeral decoding. As I pass by, I can see the dead lying at the corner of the room, some with their living friends and families at their side, mourning the loss of their loved ones.

The sound of a bier rolling down the hall grabs my attention, and as I turn around I gasp at the sight of Tails' dead body lying inside… brave Tails, who, although highly inexperienced, took up the cause anyway to train with us at Hero's Duty to help bring freedom back to the arcade. He must have died defending the hub from the Bug attack.

As the bier passes me to deposit Tails amongst the dead, I notice the door to the adjacent room is ajar. Approaching it, I'm seized with a sense of déjà vu, as if I had just been inside this exact same room earlier this week. Then I hear the voice of Clyde from within, and instantly I know why- this was the room where the Bad-Anon meetings were held, including the one I had crashed earlier this week.

"He was an inspiration to mad scientists everywhere," Clyde was saying in a solemn voice. "And for a Bad Guy… well, he was always a pretty good guy. And I think I speak for all of us here at Bad-Anon when I say that I'm proud to have known him all my life, and that I'm gonna miss him."

I peer inside to find the Bad-Anon members gathered in a circle around the body of one of its fallen members (and Tails' former rival, by no coincidence), Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. I can only imagine he died just as he had lived: surrounded by robots.

However, just as before, my presence doesn't escape Clyde. "Oh… Ms. Bing-Bing," he says, startled.

By now I am famous throughout the arcade for saving my sister's life as well as helping to fight against yesterday's Bug attack, and at the sound of my name the other Bad-Anon members peel around to get a glimpse of me.

I feel terrible for barging in on the Bad-Anon members mourning their lost friend. "Oh… I'm so sorry," I say, flustered. "I should just… go…"

But just as I close the door, a voice from within the room cries out "WAIT!", and the door flies open again. A pair of large hands scoops me off the ground, and their owner holds me at eye level with the face of the Koopa King.

"Bowser, put her down now!" orders Clyde. "There's no point in this!"

"Wait," Bowser tells Clyde. "There's something I gotta ask her first."

The reptilian redhead and I stare face-to-face, and for the first time I notice the tears in his eyes, and the solemn faces of the others.

"Kid…" he says, " Just promise me that no matter what happens out there… you'll never give up fighting. Never give up, no matter what… can you promise me that?"

I hesitate because I'm not sure I can live up to such a promise. If anything remained of the code that once controlled who I was I would have stayed put and accepted my death right from the moment the invasion began. But as I look into the faces of the Bad-Anon members, deflated, defeated and desperate for hope… I know I can't let them down.

"Yes," I say. "I'm gonna fight right until the end… for you, for me, and for the entire rest of the arcade." After a moment of thought, I add, "and for Ralph."

Bowser sets me back on the ground, his eyes full of tears, and salutes, and the other Bad Guys do the same as I leave the room.

"Godspeed, Ms. Bing-Bing," I hear Clyde's voice say behind me. "Godspeed."

…

To their everlasting credit, the Surge Protectors are doing everything they can to treat the wounded. But they've lost their best medic in Felix, and with fewer staff members left to treat them, the patients and casualties only keep piling up.

Around the corner of the living facilities I see several Hero's Duty soldiers leaving one of the crowded hospital rooms. "Who's in there?" I ask Kohut.

"Lieutenant Joe," he answers, shaking his head. "Took a blow to that jaw of his fighting off the Cy-Bug attack, but he should be fine. We're getting him something to eat."

I don't even bother to ask how Calhoun is. I can only imagine how devastated she must have been from losing her husband as I enter Glass Joe's room.

At the sight of me the French boxer sits up, half of his face wrapped in bandages. He says nothing, but glances at me in a what-do-you-want sort of way.

I check my pockets for something for him to eat, but all I can find is a bag of cherries I brought as a snack. With nothing else to offer, I hold it out in front of him.

"Non, merci. Je n'ai jamais eu l'estomac pour les cerises. (No, thanks. I've never had the stomach for cherries.)" Glass Joe says weakly, with a light chuckle.

Just then, Kohut and the other soldiers return with a tray of food for Joe. I want to stay and help comfort him, but Kohut grabs me by the arm again. "Hey!"

"You've been called down to hospice care on the lower levels," says Kohut. "Ms. Muttonfudge is in critical condition and would like to speak to you."

…

Critical condition?! I think as Kohut drags me down to the lower levels of the bunkers, to the hospice care wing.This was not good… Those wounds she picked up from the attack yesterday were deep- too deep, it seemed, for anyone but Felix to fix. But if what Kohut's saying is true, she may well be on her way out…

But instead of the horrific sight of a dying Taffyta, the sight that greets me outside of the hospice wing is a happy one: Every Sugar Rush racer is standing outside Taffyta's door, even those that had been presumed dead from the initial Bug attacks. At the sight of my green-haired best friend, I break free of Kohut's grasp and run toward her.

"MINTY!"

Minty returns my hug with a smile. "Hey Jubi. Long time no see. Wow, you sure look… different," she says, staring at me in my Hero's Duty costume.

"Yeah… I guess so," I say, glancing at my uniform, wishing I could have worn my original outfit for this reunion with my best friend. "But it's a good different. At least, that's what it feels like."

"I'll say!" Minty says, giggling. "That suit totally makes your butt look big!"

"H-hey!" I say, my face turning red. "It does not!"

Is it really THAT noticeable? I think to myself. I really hate this uniform…

"But… the invasion… How'd you get out of Sugar Rush?" I ask her gleefully.

"A few days ago, we saw Turbo with a bunch of Bugs following him," says Minty, "so we followed him to Game Central! Then those Hero's Duty guys found us and brought all of us here! Well, almost all of us… we lost Torvald and Sticky a while back, but everyone else is fine."

I'm relieved Minty's alive, but I feel terrible for her twin sisters- Minty always loved them. They sure didn't deserve whatever twisted fate they got, and Minty definitely didn't deserve to lose them. I see sadness in Minty's eyes from her loss, but I can also see a bit of jealousy, and at first I don't understand why. Then I remember I still have Citrusella, a sister to call my own, and suddenly it's easy to see why Minty would be jealous.

"Oh, Minty… it's good to see you again," I say.

"You too, Jubi," Minty answers. "So what happened to Taffyta?"

"Well," I begin, but Kohut cuts me off. "Ms. Muttonfudge is ready to see you. Come with me, all of you."

I follow him into the room, the rest of Sugar Rush behind me, prepared to say my last goodbyes to an old friend.