Chapter 2- Level One

DAY 1

Fridays were always once of the busiest days in the arcade. Flocks of kids coming from school would rush the place and grab dibs on the first game they laid eyes one. For the characters in Fix-it-Felix Jr., this had become the norm and they were more than used to it.

"Alright, the kids are here but you have something else to keep focused on…." Gene said to himself, looking at his reflection in the mirror "No matter how bad things get, no matter how frustrated you become…you can't over-boil!"

Gene ran his fingers through his hair, breathing out deeply.

"As much as I hate to admit it, those guys are right. I have been letting my temper get the best of me…But this time, I'll prove to them that THIS Nicelander CAN keep his mind together! And not just for some silly bet! For…for as long as this game is plugged in!"

Gene let out a powerful laugh and puffed out his chest; he knew he could do this! What kind of mayor would he be if he couldn't?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Uh, who is it?" Gene said, nearly tripping on his feet.

"Three guesses; I bake pies, I wear purple, and I wear a hat!" chirped the voice on the other side.

"Deanna?" Gene said with a snicker, opening the front door to reveal Mary, the Nicelander giving Gene a playful pout.

"Just for that, I'm not making rum cake tonight!"

"Aw come on, Mary! You know I was just kidding!"

Mary twittered, playfully pulling Gene's cheek, "You're no better than a child! Now get ready, the kids are here!"

Gene nodded as he went back into his apartment, gearing himself up for the first toss.

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

The familiar wrecker made his way up the apartment, smashing Gene's window with his enormous fist.

"You're looking rather calm this morning!" Ralph whispered, a cheeky grin on his face.

Gene winked, hopping into Ralph's hands "Why wouldn't I be? It's just another day at work, Ralph my boy!"

Ralph then hurled Gene like a football as usual, but this time he might have thrown him a bit further, JUST to see if he could rile him up.

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

BAM!

"Heh, I think he made it all the way PAST the brick pile THAT time!" Ralph laughed as he made his way up the building, throwing bricks everywhere.

Indeed, Gene had gone far past his normal landing spot but this didn't faze the Nicelander. As soon as his head stopped pounding enough for him to stand on his feet, he bolted back to the apartment, running into the back door and began his duty of handing out pies to Felix. Needless to say though, the little man was a bit winded; that jog was pretty far!

The player was near the bonus level of the game when Gene and Ralph met face to face again, the wrecker pounding his way on the bricks and concrete.

"Nice ta see ya made it back…." Ralph whispered, a smug grin curling on his lips "I thought it would have taken ya longer ta get back here!"

Gene knew better; Ralph was teasing him at this point but he decided to let the larger man have his fun for this round.

"You did throw me far, I will give you that. But it seems your aim is bit rusty." Gene replied, holding a pie out for Felix "Perhaps you should start practicing your throwing some more!"

Ralph snorted a laugh as he continued pounding bricks "What's this? Gene actually being SPORTING for a change! I never would have thought!"

"You just never give me a chance, young man!" Gene replied "But I'm sure you'll change your mind once I win this bet!"

"Ya mean if you make it past this evenin'! We still have a lotta games to play!" Ralph said, not realizing that Felix was directly under him.

The wrecker hit another layer of bricks, sending a wave of the things falling towards Felix. Had he not being under the control of the player, the little repair man would have easily dodged the deluge but unfortunately the player outside wasn't as quick.

BAM!

"OOOOOH!" cried the Nicelanders, watching as Felix tumbled back down towards the entrance of Niceland. Even Ralph and Gene had to stop, wincing in pain as their friend went sailing down below.

"At this rate, I might not be the one to crack first…." Gene said, rubbing the back of his neck.

For the next few hours, Ralph and Gene continued on with their little game though it was obvious to some of the other Nicelanders the two men were playing a game of who could annoy the other first. Ralph continued to toss Gene in a new way every time the game started up; first the wrecker threw Gene directly into the duck pond and in the next, he hurled him into the waste bins. Each time, it was something different but much to Ralph's shock, Gene appeared to be unfazed by his new flight plans.

Each time Gene was hurled off-screen, he would pick himself up and run back to the building. He didn't even seem to mind when the player actually reached the bonus levels, only to have Gene BLASTED out of the window by bombs.

Maybe the Nicelander was right; maybe this was a new day.

By the time the work day had been completed, Ralph was more than shocked at just how calm and collected Gene was. As the other Nicelanders began their clean up, Gene chatted amongst the other citizens, broom in hand and a smile still on his face.

Ralph didn't know what was creepier; Gene's calmness or his smile.

The giant man rubbed the back of his neck as he went back to cleaning his own area, only to be stopped by Felix.

"Was this another busy day or WHAT?" Felix laughed, slapping Ralph on his arm.

"Yeah, sure was…." The wrecker replied, an unsure tone in his voice.

Felix looked up at his friend in confusion, "Say big guy, what's up? You're usually so excited when work is over!"

"I know, I know…it's just…"

"What?"

Ralph snickered a bit as he turned his eyes back on Gene, seeing the mayor walking into the apartment buildings.

"Heh, ya know somethin' Felix? I think Gene is gonna put up a bigger challenge than I first thought!"

Felix let out an exasperated groan as he put his hands in his pockets; he had forgotten all about that silly bet but upon being reminded of it, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

"Aw come on Ralph. What good is gonna come from this anyway?" Felix said as he pouted towards Ralph, crossing his arm.

"Well, free gummie-bear vodka if Gene loses!" chuckled Ralph.

"That's not the point I'm tryin' ta make, an' ya know it!" Felix said angrily "What I mean is, nothin' good is gonna come from this! Ya can bet your overalls!"

"Aw come on Felix! It's just a little bet! One that Gene brought on himself if ya remember!" Ralph said as he picked Felix up by the back of his collar, annoying the repairman even more "Sides, what harm can some lil three foot guy not yellin' at people bring?"

Felix shook his head as he tried to look angry at the wrecker. Of course, all this did was make him appear even more adorable; Felix wasn't the best at looking tough.

"I'm tellin' ya Ralph, by tha time this is over, we're ALL gonna regret this!"

"Ah, come on! I don't need ya mad at me too!" Ralph chuckled again as he took Felix and placed him in his shoulder, walking towards the trolley, "If I treat ya ta a couple of cold ones, will ya stop worryin'?"

"Maaaaybe…." Felix said with a small smile, trying his best to seem angry.

As the two made their way to Tapper's, the rest of the Nicelanders continued on with their night. Some of them had plans for the evening but a few others felt more comfortable staying in for the night. Mary was surprised to find for the first time in a long time, she couldn't find Gene anywhere in the halls of the apartment.

Just where had he gone?

"Nel?" Mary asked, taking her neighbor by the shoulder "Have you seen Gene anywhere?"

"Gene? Last I saw of him, he was heading to the penthouse an-!"

Before Nel could finish her sentence, Mary was off as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, nearly diving head first into the elevator. As soon as the floor reached the top of the apartments, Mary saw Gene walking slowly down the hall, his gait making it appear as if the man were on his last leg before passing out.

"GENE!" cried Mary from the end of the hall, not realizing just how loud she had shouted the Mayor's name.

Gene turned around, nearly stumbling as he did so "O-Oh, MARY! What a pleasant surprise!"

Mary ran up to the Nicelander, a concerned look on her face "You ran up here so fast, is there something wrong?"

"W-wrong? Oh, there's NOTHING wrong, dear!" Gene said with forced laughter, his eye twitching a bit.

Mary knew something was off; despite how hard he was trying to cover it up, Gene was more than a little frustrated. By the way his cheeks were turning colors before her eyes, she could tell he was SEETHING with rage but for some reason he was holding himself back.

But why exactly?

The Nicelander brushed a few stray leaves from Gene's coat, "Um, a few of us are going out tonight for dinner. W-would you like to join us?"

The response Gene gave the woman was something she didn't expect. In most cases, he would be more than pleased to go out for dinner, but from the looks in his eyes, going out for a night in the arcade was the LAST thing he wanted to do. The Mayor laughed nervously as he wrung his hands together, trying his best not to seem too nervous in front of the woman.

"Eeer. I would love to! LOVE TO. But….but something has come up!" Gene said sheepishly, his voice quivering a bit.

"Something came up? What?" asked Mary, raising an eyebrow.

"BUSINESS type stuff! You know, things that I have to get to otherwise, um, who KNOWS what would happen!" Gene said, backing away towards the door of the penthouse.

Mary could do nothing but stand and watch as Gene was trying to get away from her. Had it been something she said?

"A-are you sure I can't help you? You know you could get things done twice as fast with some he-!"

"NO!" Gene blurted out, his voice booming throughout the hallway. Mary jumped a bit as she had never heard Gene yell so loudly before. Catching himself, Gene cleared his throat and gave Mary a look of sorrow.

"Look, Mary. I'm sorry, but this is just something I have to take care of myself….But I would LOVE to take you out some other time? Okay?"

Mary lowered her head, a little sad that Gene was refusing her invitation but then again, who would she be if she forced Gene to go when he was clearly upset about something. She looked up again, giving the man a small smile.

"Alright Mr. Mayor….but if you need anything, you know where I am."

Gene felt his heart split in two from the look Mary was giving him but at the same time, he knew that if he were to go with her for the night, he would be unable to enjoy her company.

Not with the way he was feeling anyway.

With a heavy heart, the mayor waved towards the woman as she made her way back to the elevator, their eyes still focused on each other.

"S-sorry. Maybe next time…."

"Maybe next time…" Mary said, the elevator doors closing.

Gene sulked back into the penthouse, going over to the minibar and looking through the vast collection of drinks he had. For a moment, he wasn't sure what he wanted. He went further into the bar, the types of drinks only getting stronger until he stopped at some of his finest grade vodka. The man took the bottle and poured himself a nice amount before going over to the couch. He sat down heavily and took the glass to his lip, downing the liquid in one huge gulp. The man shook, trying his best to regain any sense of composure he had and not long after, a smile formed on his face.

The Nicelander then grabbed the nearest pillow.

And shoved it into his face.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"So he made it through the first day?" Calhoun asked with a smile.

"Yeah! I was SURE he would have cracked after I threw him into Q-Bert's house!" Ralph laughed.

"Seems like the lil guy is puttin' up a fight an' for that I have to give him some credit…." Calhoun said, looking down at her beer mug. She then snickered before shooting both Ralph and Felix an evil glare "But not too much!"

"Aw come on guys! Now you're just PICKIN' on the poor man!" Felix said, looking more than a bit worried at how the conversation was going "It's bad enough he has people in the arcade who think he's a joke, but now you guys are diggin' into him as well!"

"Simmer down solider! We're just havin' a lil fun with the man! We promise we won't go too far!" Calhoun replied, giving her husband a loving pat on the shoulder.

"I hope so. The last thing we need is Gene SNAPPIN' an'….an' I don't even WANNA think about it!" the repair man said, raising his mug to his lips.

"Bah, ya act as if I'm PURPOSLY tryin' to make the man's life miserable, Felix! I'm not gonna go outta my ya to make him crack….that MUCH!" Ralph said, a little surprised to see Felix so worried.

"Hiya Ralph!" rang a familiar voice from the entrance of the bar.

Ralph turned in his seat to see none other than Vanellope Von Schweetz waving towards him, some of the other Sugar Rush racers following her.

"Hey, kiddo! Great ta see ya!" The wrecker said as he held is arms out for a hug, the kid wasting no time in just jumping the man.

"MAN! The racers were so TOUGH today! Ya should have seen Minty plow Rancis into the marshmallow pits! I didn't think we would EVER stop crying about his hair!" the racer said, unable to hold back her laughter.

"Why don't ya tell me over some root-beer kid! Looks like we all have somethin' ta tell!" Ralph said, signally Tapper's for another refill.

"What? What happened in tha land of wreckin' an' bricks?" asked Vanellope, looking more than a bit excited at the chance to hear some gossip.

"Let's just say I broke my previous 'How far can I throw Gene' record more than a dozen times in one outing!" Ralph replied smugly.

"WHOA! How far did he fly this time?!" Vanellope said, leaping up and standing on her seat.

"Let's just say had I thrown him any further, he might have done crashin' through the game!"

Vanellope erupted into a great deal at laughter, the very thought of Gene flying through the air cracking her up.

"Aw man, if there is one thing I hope I can do before the end of my program, it's that I get a chance to throw Gene!"

The racer then stopped for a moment, thinking about what she said.

"Well, on the condition either someone makes me taller or someone shrinks 'im! I DO hafta take into account that I can't even get my arms around him an' he IS kinda heavy!"

"Hmmm, there might be a way…" Ralph said with a smile, his mind going to several specific mushrooms from one of the neighboring games.

"But ya really threw him that far? An' he didn't get mad at ya?"

The wrecker chuckled as he looked down to his friend, handing her a mug of root beer "Nope! In fact, the man took it like a champ!"

"Gene? Being CIVIL about somethin'?" Vanellope said, taking a small sip, "Never happens!"

"Huh, first time for everything!" Calhoun snickered.

"So what's the story behind this? I mean, I know Mr. Blue-Gene an' ya are gettin' along better but even I'm surprised he didn't bust a vein at ya!"

"Like I was tellin' the guys, since we're on this bet, he's not-!"

"WHOAH WHOAH WHOAH!" Vanellope said, nearly dropping her root beer on the floor "Ya said NOTHIN' about a BET big guy. Spill the info, because I have to know!"

"Oh, its nothin'!" Felix replied in a huff, rolling his eyes "Ralph just bet Gene that he couldn't' last a week without getting' mad at anyone an'-!"

"A WEEK!?" Vanellope blurted, another fit of giggles coming out of her "Gene wouldn't be able to last 15 MINUETS without yellin' at anyone!"

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Ralph laughed, pointing towards his little friend.

Vanellope felt a sudden buzz go up her spine at the very mention of the word BET and GENE.

Oh, what opportunities laid before them!

The little racer then turned her focus back on the three adults before her, a smug grin appearing on her face.

"Ralph. Big Red. Ya start a bet without me? Am I even your FRIEND?"

Ralph gave the kid an unimpressed look, leaning on the counter of the table, "Nelly? What do you want?"

"I want in on this! I can't pass up an opportunity like this!" Vanellope said, jumping to her feet once more.

"Oh NO! I knew this was only going to get worse!" Felix said, placing his head in hands.

Ralph leaned towards his friend, trying his best to hide any plans the two would come up with "So what are ya thinkin', kid?"

Vanellope smirked, rubbing her tiny hands together "I'm thinkin' we gotta step it up a notch. Throwin' him in different places is just a start, but if Big Gene thinks he can really win this bet, we have to give some a REAL challenge!"

"An' that challenge would be?" Ralph replied, a devious grin forming on his face as well.

"If you wanna press someone's buttons, ya need a few supplies an' thanks ta your friendly, neighborhood Princ-pres-ident-ess, I am your one-stop-shop for such needs!"

"Oooh, I'm likin' tha sounds of this!" the wrecker said, only wanting to hear more of what the little racer had up her sleeves.

As the two began their plans, Felix could only shake his head; he knew things were going to escalate out of control and it would only be a matter of time before someone got hurt, either from someone going too far with a prank or Gene literally exploding on someone.

Either way, Felix knew he had to prepare his hammer for some fixing.

"Tammy, can you promise me somethin'?"

"Sure, sweets. Anything." The sergeant said with a grin.

"Have your troops prepared for the worst. There's a battle a'brewin'…."